Lepre-Conned

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Brigid watched as the leprechaun-tornado shot across the sky, hearing faint laughter as it disappeared over the horizon. She had almost chuckled at the sheer audacity of the stunt, but stopped herself after seeing the distraught villagers picking themselves up from the ground, dusting the dirt of the road from their woolen trousers and skirts. While floresiens normally wore many different colors, purples and yellows for the very rich, all in the immediate area looked a dull brown in a kind of class equalizer. Choking back another laugh, she pulled her cloak tighter around her head and turned back toward her small, wooden cart, checking for damage.

The leprechaun had knocked several people over with his tornado, along with a small cart of apples just a few paces from where Brigid stood, which tripped more people even as the cart's owner scrambled to collect them amid a stream of words foul enough to make even Brigid's pointed goblin ears blush. She checked her rubber-infused gloves and her hood, making sure they still covered her skin as she listened.

"Thatching leprechaun," said the cart owner as he put the last of the apples back, swatting at the flies that had begun circling around him."His kind is nothing but trouble."

"Aye, but we'd have captured him and gotten his gold if it weren't for our inept guards!" said an old woman beside him, whom Brigid assumed to be his wife.

"Gold? Hah!" Mr. Cart spat on the ground. "Even if that gombeen has any gold, and I mean if, there's no way we could suss it out of him. Devilishly sly, their lot is."

Brigid stood up straight and looked around the small town, searching for a familiar face.

"She did say to meet here in the market center," she muttered to herself as she scanned the crowd, being careful not to draw too much attention to herself.

"But if we could just get our hands around him..." Mrs. Cart said, gesturing with her arms out as if grasping something large.

"Do you know anyone that's done it, then?" Mr. Cart asked.

"Well, no, but..." her voice trailed off as she locked eyes with Brigid. "Her!" Brigid winced and turned away as the old woman pointed at her and tugged on her husband's arm. "I saw that gombeen leprechaun talking to that girl before!"

"What are you on about?" Brigid heard the old man say as she tried to move her cart out of their line of sight.

As she kept her head down, pushing her cart, she saw a pair of feet appear in front of her, blocking her passage. She looked up slowly to see a hulking brute of a floresien man standing in front of her. He, too, was covered in the fresh dirt thrown around by the leprechaun, but she could still see the yellow of his vest and white of his trousers. Brigid thought he must have been well off. Soon, he was joined by the cart owners and others, forming a circle around her.

"Ex-excuse me, sir," said Brigid, stopping the cart and keeping her head low. She turned to the side and saw more people filing in line and grasped her cloak in one hand while moving her other to rest on the cloth-covered cart.

"Oh, come now, none of this 'Sir' business. We're all friends here, right?" He smiled, revealing a set of yellow teeth with numerous gaps.

"I suppose," said Brigid, looking around her in the corner of her eyes, searching for a way out.

"I'm Angus," said the big man, pointing at his chest with a hairy thumb. "And you are?"

"Brigid," she answered, tightening her grip on the cloak.

"Ah, Brigid, what a pleasure it is to meet you." He gestured at the people around him. "Since we're all such good friends now, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind telling us what you and that leprechaun fellow were talking about?"