Rob X Punzel ~ Twenty-Six!

Everyone in the crew was on high alert as they approached the checkpoint between the artisan and noble district. Though they were all wearing clothes any citizen would’ve deemed perfectly acceptable, they were looked at with critical eyes as they strode closer to the disciplined formation of guards. Goldie's eyes lingered on the spears held confidently, leather-wrapped hilts in easy reach, and stress evident in their faces.

“Everyone be as calm as possible; these guys are on edge,” she murmured to the people around her, who bobbed their heads in acknowledgment and held their hands slightly to the side to show how their palms were empty. Their open body language seemed to ease the tension slightly, but Tauren especially fell under scrutiny, as there were traces of blood around his mouth and on his hands. 

“Halt. Please clearly state why you are attempting to enter the noble district,” a guard called out as they came within spear range. Goldie opened her mouth to reply, pausing as she remembered how the guard at the Class Shrine had an ability to discern lies. Amending what she’d been about to say, she stepped forward and sketched out a polite curtsy.

“Good sir, we heard of the queen's proclamation and then headed this way. In the citizens’ district, some of the young men are a bit… frustrated at how their fiancées vanished this morning, and a mob formed around me. My friends are attempting to escort me so I arrive at my destination safely.” Every word she spoke was technically true, and she could only hope it was enough to allow them to continue forward without further incident. 

The man frowned slightly, but one of his fellows nudged him slightly and stepped aside. Clearly annoyed at having to let those of a lower social strata into the area, the first guard moved cautiously aside as well, but not before letting fly a biting comment, “I suppose we're allowing anyone in today. Don't get into any trouble, if you value your lives. These people don’t mess around, and they have all the strength they need to end you if you so much as sneeze in their general direction.”

Goldie turned to Chay, letting out a light laugh as she tilted her head back to allow her luxurious curls to catch the morning light. As she focused on the image of ‘honeysuckle’, her hair changed the scent it was releasing, and she simply started innocently chatting with her fellows. “It's going to be so interesting to see how the nobles live! I wonder if we have similar accoutrements in the other districts, and these are simply more high-end, or if they have wonders I've never even considered before!”

The stern stares directed their way softened ever so slightly as the crew quickly filed through the checkpoint. Strangely enough, even if she’d been playacting with her words, they quickly learned the answer: the noble district was as different from the citizens’ district as the citizens’ district was from the slums.

Gone were the well-maintained cobblestone streets; in their place were smooth, flat stone roads cut from a singular quarry. Manicured hedges and small trees lined the streets, having been cut and grown with skills tailored to the task—leaving behind foliage which looked almost too perfect to be real. The buildings they walked past were tall and elegant, made of polished stone similar to the streets, yet each was differentiated from the next by intricate carvings and elaborate stained glass windows splitting the sunlight into dazzling rainbows. 

The one thing that remained the same were the people. Goldie watched as regular citizens ran back and forth, completing tasks and clearly hard at work. “Can you believe this? The people we see as filthy rich, untouchable even, are merely servants in this district. What sort of lives must the nobles live to make something like this possible?”

“What does that make people like us?” Chay softly muttered in reply. The crew lapsed into silence as they continued walking, slowly becoming more uncomfortable as every man and woman they passed sized them up, measuring them with judgmental eyes before moving on without a word. 

Not forgetting why they had entered this district, the group began looking for a darkened alley or a space they could slip into between buildings that wasn't too carefully watched. Unfortunately, the city guards were out in force, and a group their size was simply too noticeable to just vanish off the street. Instead, they simply continued carefully picking their way along the roads, goggling at the pavilions, open-air restaurants, and teahouses scattered throughout the area.

“Look at that.” Luca nodded toward one of the tea houses, where people in intensely elaborate outfits were quietly speaking with each other, laughing softly and enjoying a hot drink so fragrant that the lively smell washed over them, even at this distance. Goldie breathed in deeply, trying to memorize the scent so she could have her hair recreate it for her at a later date. “No, look past them. Under those eaves? You see that?”

Goldie refocused, blinking in surprise as she realized the structures they were passing were not only decorative, high-end rest areas for nobility. Flashes of light reflecting off swords and armor drew her eye, and at their angle, they could just barely see how young men and women were practicing under the watchful eye of armsmasters.

“Do they just sit around, drinking tea as the younger members of their family learn how to fight?” Tauren rumbled in his deep voice. “What's the point of that? Seems like a giant waste of time. Shouldn't they be, I don't know, rolling around in a giant pile of coins or something?”

“They’re probably using the time spent here making deals or alliances, or perhaps even just keeping current opportunities alive.” Chay was the only one among them who had played the political games of the guild, so the others looked to him and remained quiet as he spoke. “Strength comes in all sorts of flavors, right? They have money, they have legal authority, but if they can't fight, they won't be able to hold on to those. Not in the Brute Kingdom. They need every type of power, and, I guess think of it like this… is it easier to be at the top and stay there or constantly be trying to climb your way back up there?”

Goldie shrugged, breaking the others out of their ruminations by lightly stating, “Doesn't matter to me! All I see in front of me is the climb. I'm looking forward to seeing what getting to the top feels like, so how about we start making some moves?”

Their slow circling of the district wore on, the sun inching across the sky until it was early afternoon, and Goldie was ready to start yanking her hair out in frustration after a trio of noblewomen sitting on a balcony directly pointed at her and began openly discussing her. “Why is absolutely everyone staring at me?”

“You know why, and it's wrecking our ability to slip out of here.” Chay’s voice was edged with impatience. “They are basically betting on who’s going to end up winning the prince and are taking careful note of every lady walking through here. I wouldn't be shocked if there were betting pools with enormous payouts spinning up right now.”

“Is this what it feels like to be a headliner in an arena?” Goldie rolled her eyes, which went wide as she spotted exactly what they needed: a space between the stone walls of two manors, which looked like it extended all the way back to the wall between districts. Nudging Luca, she pointed at the opening with her chin, and the group began spreading out. They slowed down even further, and one by one slipped into the almost-too-narrow space.

“I wonder why there's a space between the walls like this?” Joss chipperly inquired in a too-loud voice. “They say good fences make good neighbors, so maybe whoever lives in these houses don’t like each other?”

After waiting a few moments to make sure no one came to check on them, the group filed through. The narrow corridor opened up into a larger space next to the wall, where the standard five-foot no-man's-land had been mandated. Chay slumped to the ground, motioning for everyone to join him. “So, that took way longer than I expected. Let's kill some time here until it's dark enough that we can get over the wall without being seen.”

“We're going over the wall?” Tauren glanced at Goldie pointedly. “Doesn't that seem a little… less than ideal?”

Chay simply closed his eyes and settled in for a short nap. “Look, getting into the building is one thing. After that, she and I will have to wait an hour to get into the vault, another to get out of it, then one more to exit the building. Even if the actual grabbing of stuff only takes thirty seconds or so, this is at minimum a four-hour job when we factor in moving slowly and carefully to get into position in the first place. We're going to take it slow, start to finish, and not add on any cooldown time that doesn’t need to be there.”

Pulling a pack of food and a half-dozen canteens from her hair, Goldie handed them to each member of the crew, though the Watcher stared at her uncomprehendingly. She wiggled the canteen at him, and he slowly took it as she smirked at his clearly inquisitive gaze. “Don't think about it too much; I'm not going to tell you anything.”

The Watcher raised an eyebrow, but he silently accepted the food and drink. The minutes crawled past with agonizing sluggishness, though the hours seemed to have flown by when Chay finally stood and clapped softly. “We’re in a deep shadow here; I say late evening is a perfect time to get the blood flowing with a little high-stakes climbing. Shall we?”

“Let’s shall,” the crew chorused, falling into a ready position at the reminder of all their previous training and successes. Each of them stepped close to the wall, examining it for handholds, only to realize how well-maintained this side of the stone barrier actually was. 

“By the system, it's smooth as butter.” Luca whispered, stepping close to the rock face and trailing a finger along it. “Beautiful…”

“It's not perfect, look. There's hairline cracks.” Goldie stepped up, allowing her hair to fan out along the wall. Letting out a soft chuckle as the others rolled their eyes at her, the thief started pushing against her own tresses with her feet, climbing up the seemingly smooth surface as if it were a ladder; individual hairs having sought out small imperfections in the stone and giving her enough traction to ascend. 

Halfway up, she looked back, marveling at the array of beautiful colors and dancing lights filling this district. “I won't be satisfied with a house in the merchant district… not after getting a chance to explore this deeply into the noble district. It's strange, isn't it, hair? You never miss what you never knew existed, but as soon as you realize what you don't have…”

She pushed the thought out of her mind as she continued climbing, swinging her legs over the top of the wall and pulling a long, braided rope from the depths of her hair. Ten feet of length dropped down, then twenty, fifty, and finally Joss gripped the bottom knot and began scaling the wall like a spider scuttling along its string. As he came level with her, he grinned and patted her on the head. “What else do you have in there?”

“Wouldn't you like to know.” Goldie chuckled darkly as her eyes glittered. “I'm waiting for the right moment to mess with Chay, so don't put that question in their heads, mmkay? I want to see his jaw hit the floor.”

The others hurried up the rope, everyone making sure to remain flat on the top of the wall so as to not silhouette themselves against the evening sky and make themselves an easy target. Finally, Goldie allowed her hair to *slurp* the rope back up into itself as though it were a long noodle before removing the coil and tying it off on a small crenelation. “Possible escape route is officially set up.”

 Double checking the strength of the secured rope, Goldie turned around to see where they had popped out in the artisan district. For a moment, she felt a sense of discombobulation at the view of the district stretched out below her. 

It was pretty, but… every building was vying with the next for position, doing all they could to capture attention. The artisan district suddenly seemed practically patchwork when compared to the noble district, which appeared to be carved out by a single artist with a cohesive vision. Yet, it seemed she was the only one to be caught in her own thoughts, as Chay was already pointing at a large structure not terribly distant.

“There it is! A veritable fortress of potions guarded by man and magic alike.” He turned back to look at them, and Goldie wasn't sure she liked the way his pupils had dilated. “Let's clean that place out and decide our own fate for once!”