Shadows In The Fog

Chapter One - Alyx

I woke up at dawn, just as I always do. I got dressed in a pale blue tunic and tan trousers. After yanking on my dark brown leather boots, I looked in my mirror to see that I'm presentable. My mismatched eyes stared back at me, one blue, one a vibrant jade green. I headed down the stairs, through my shop, and out the door.
The cobblestone streets of the town are full of people today. Must be a parade or something. Merchants call out to people from all directions, from food vendors to foreign clothing sellers. I ignored them and went on my way, clutching my purse of coins.
I made it to my destination, the town bakery. "Good morning, Alyx!" Bellowed the baker with a hearty laugh. The baker, Joseph Kasten, is a tall, broad man with large hands. They're worn yet soft, feeling like old leather. Despite his towering, dark stature, he's the nicest man I know and one of my closest friends. "Let me guess, the usual?"
I nodded with a smile. He pulled his dark hair back out of his blue eyes with a leather tie. A few minutes later he came up to me with a loaf of dark bread and a steaming mug. "Here you are, kid." He set it on the counter. I pulled two copper pieces out of my bag and gave it to him, before grabbing my food and walking back down the road again. Back to the shop.
I sipped the contents of the mug, an aromatic tea made from Joseph's homegrown herbs. You can't get it anywhere else. It's the best tea in the world. The bread had bits of fruit and berry kneaded into the dough before it was baked, so it's sweet and infused with flavor. Still warm. He must have just made it.
I drained the contents of my mug and ate the rest of the bread. Then I opened the door to my shop. Plants were everywhere, just as always. Vines crawled up the wall. Flowers were constantly in bloom. Fruits hung from the ceiling. I flip the sign on the door that says "OPEN".
I run a gardening shop, which is fitting considering my abilities. For whatever reason, I can manipulate the way plants grow. Flowers, fruits, you name it. I've used some nice vines with pink blooms mainly for interior decorating. Most customers ask for floral arrangements, but I've gotten some other specific requests.
Sometimes it's herbs for tea or even spells by aspiring magicians. Other times, people have asked for thorn bushes. I only offer roses to those people. Plants shouldn't pose a threat. There's a beauty in them that can be found nowhere else. I refuse to let this miracle of nature cause harm. Unless, of course, people provoke it first. Then it's simply self defense.
A bell dinged as the shop door swung open. I looked up and sighed. "Come on, are you really going to check here every day?" The royal guard sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I just have to follow orders. I'll be out in a few minutes after a quick search, okay?"
I nodded. He's referring to the Twilight Thief. They've been wanted for three years now and they still haven't been caught.
Every night, just when the sun sets, that's when they strike. They'll carefully break into a house and steal either cash or jewelry. Then they leave, the place looking the exact same as it did before they even got in. Honestly, I have to applaud them. That's a nearly impossible feat.
The Thief is wanted now, a poster for them in every shop. If they get caught, they'll likely only be fined and forced to do public service. Petty thievery isn't worth going to the gallows.
The guard did his regular check, nodded at me, and left.
It was a pretty normal day. Average customers, regular requests. In the evening though, just as the sun sets, I see someone running across the rooftops.
The Twilight Thief.
I've never seen them before, yet I recognized them almost immediately. Who else would be dashing across the city just before sundown? Regardless, there's a bounty on their capture and I could use the extra wiggle room, financially. I grab a small pouch of creeper vines and head out the door. Hopefully, the vines will help catch them.
The first thing I did was throw a handful of the seeds down, just outside my shop. I closed my eyes and felt magic channeling through my fingers. After only seconds passed, the vines crawled up to the roof, thick enough to hold my weight. That was a little surprising at first, considering I've always been a hefty person, but I've grown used to clambering up the plants. I make it to the roof just in time to see them on Joseph's roof. They look like they're preparing to go in. There's no way I'll let them steal from my friend.
I tossed another handful of seeds, this time riding a river of plants to my destination. The magic really took a lot out of me, but I can't stop. I run up behind the Thief. They're wearing a mask that covers all but the bottom left part of their face. Before I can do anything, he grabs my shoulders and pins me to a crate on the roof, ducking down. That was so unexpected...we're so close. I only just now realize that my heart is slamming inside my ribcage.
"Shh."
"Excuse me, did you just shush m-"
They put a finger over my lips. "Quiet!"
Guards run past. "They went this way! I saw them!"
It would have been so easy to say something, to cry out, to catch their attention. But something held my tongue. I opened my mouth but no sound came out.
When their footsteps faded, my voice returned to me. "Wh...what was that?"
"A mute spell. I needed you to be quiet so I wasn't arrested."
They looked deep into my eyes. I can see into theirs as well. Regardless of the fact that they looked my age, their eyes spoke a different truth. This soul has seen hundreds, if not thousands of years go by.
"What...what are you...?"
They pull off their mask. "That isn't important." Once their mask was off, I could see what they looked like. Dark, copper skin, long, pale golden hair, and silver eyes. Their smooth skin and sharp jaw made me think that they may have just been made of those precious metals alone. My heart began to beat faster.
A beat of recognition flashed in their eyes, along with a hundred other things at once. Pain, sorrow, surprise, and...hope. a tremor slips its way into their voice as they cup my cheek with a soft, shaky hand.
"...Rose? Is that you?"