3: Bosnia and Clover the Kijen Rogues

"Ssh, you'll wake her!" A young girl warned her sister as she carefully opened the bedroom door and winced at the jarring screech from the hinges.

In the hallway, a smoky mist enclosed the body of a white, fluffy vixen to conceal her form. When the mist cleared, the fox's body was the form of a barefoot, young, skinny girl in a simple pale-green dress. Her white hair was fine and short in a clean bob, and her ears resembled a human's. In fact, if no one knew she was a kijen (of the shapeshifting fox race), they'd think they were seeing a teenage human girl.

"If this noisy door doesn't alert her, I doubt anything will." The sister nonchalantly responded through a listless yawn. "Anyway, why've been lurking and sneaking the hallways, Bosnia?"

"Clover, she's a bard. They make good coin." Bosnia licked her lips with a deviant expression within her round amber eyes as she peeked inside.

Clover's fine, grayish brows scrunched with her deep frown. "Bosnia, your bad girl streak needs to be bug swatted again." Her tone of voice remained nonchalant, but round red eyes glowed as her small human hand swelled with silverish magic. She raised it and slapped her sister back from the door to make her tumble into the wall.

"What's with the racket?" Liran groaned as she opened the door, nursing a terrible headache, which was reflected as a cranky expression contorting her face.

Bosnia gulped as she stared up at the adult woman whose aura was inflamed with orange ire and swiftly turning black with foul energy. So it's true bards are scary when stamina drains.

"Oh, were you attempting to steal my goods once I went into a coma sleep?" Liran's voice was expressionless, yet it was steeped with malice that made the young girls gather to each other in a hug. The alfar's sinister aura extended toward them like a shadow about to eat them.

"We... we..." Both girls trembled beneath her.

Liran's malice instantly switched to sweetness. The shadow was gone, making the hallway brighter and cozy. "Well, lucky me, I found myself a pair of guards."

"What?" Bosnia scratched her head, baffled by the instant switch.

Liran hurriedly swung an arm over the girls and escorted them into the room. "How's one silver each for making sure I sleep well?"

"One silver is..." Bosnia's eyes lit up, about to accept but found her mouth slapped shut by Clover's pragmatic hand.

"Three, since we'll also be protecting your stuff. Others are likely to try and claim it."

Liran pulled away from the girls as she mulled over the offer with deep pondering. Her expression lit up with agreement. "And I'll treat you to breakfast."

"Done. We will guard you well." Clover soberly responded and ordered for Bosnia to keep guard outside the door.

"Stupid Clover always make us work for our coin." Bosnia grumbled as she went to obey.

Liran heard and chuckled. "Excellent, now I'm going to properly get some rest. See you in eight nanturns or so." She wasted no time snuggling up under the blankets to sleep.

Clover nodded and stood at the foot of her bed to do her duty. The young kijen was right to demand fair pay as other bandits tried to enter and steal either the bard or her stuff. But they were no match for two kijen rogues, who were able to get the drop on them with their stealth skills, then chase them off.

In the morning, Liran woke up with a hearty yawn and feeling like she had the best sleep in ages.

The tavern was pleasant and relaxing as the three of them shared a bench near the roaring hearth in the dining area. As promised, Liran paid the girls and for their breakfast. Bosnia forgot all about her previous attempted burglary when she held three silvers in her hand.

"Thank you for doing guard duty," Liran jovially said as she took hearty gulps of warm ale to get her limbs fired up for traveling.

"But to think you were trying to rob me too." She bellowed with laughter.

"You should pay for a guard to travel with you. It's no secret that bards exhaust all stamina during performances," Clover suggested.

Liran's expression eased into a moment of nostalgia. "How much coin do you think we earn? Anyway, I wouldn't want to place that burden upon someone. And I like my freedom too much."

Clover's eyes reflected awe. They eased into a warm understanding for the alfar woman.

"I'm Voyuki-ko, daughter of Snowspirit, Clover." Clover formally introduced herself with a tap to her forehead as she bowed, using the ko honorifics to advise her rogue profession. "My wayward sister is Vochairo-ko, daughter of Redspirit, Bosnia."

Liran regarded Bosnia's petite, tomboyish human body in a simple brown dress and bottle-green cloak with spiky short-cut brown hair and bright amber eyes.

Both girls shared a physical trait, which gave away their race. They had heterochromia irises. Bosnia's amber coloring was darker with red tones in her right eye. Clover's right eye had an amber coloring within the red to make it appear more fiery.

She caught a glance of one of the sisters' double belts with sheathed daggers and vial pouches. 

Wandering rogues was a common profession for Kijen who were naturally adept with stealth and cunning. Most entered mercenary bands, or others turned to crime to survive. As such, a lot of commonfolk and nobility looked down on the race as nothing more than thieving scum. It was fortunate for Bosnia to have a pragmatic sister by her side.

Rogue sisters. So cute.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Clover-ko, Bosnia-ko. I'm Namtila-sai, daughter of Arlyandor-vai, Liran."

Clover nodded. If Liran's father was a generalist mage-healer (the -vai honorific indicated as such), it made sense for her to be a bard, which was considered a branch of the healing pathway. Like most females in Ki, Liran could be whatever she wanted, provided she honed her bloodline profession in some shape or form.

"Kijen? What are they doing here?" Someone whispered nearby with ill intent.

"Keep your coins hidden."

"Thieving scum... should run them out."

Clover frowned. Bosnia started growling with her hands curling into fists.

Liran sighed and calmly rose. "I guess it's time to leave."

Clover nodded and followed Liran's lead out of the tavern.

"Well, it's been an honor. Try not to get mobbed by pitchforks on your travels." Liran joked, which had Bosnia growling with comebacks about brainrot idiots believing in bias.

"You did try to rob her last night, Bosnia. You can't be a kettle calling pot black." Clover soberly commented and ignored her sister's lively protests, which stirred laughter out of Liran.

"Keep well." Liran walked off with a wave.

Clover sighed and turned to take another direction, but she paused when she caught unsavory-looking human scum keeping watch of the bard and moving to follow her.

"Do you think they're gonna jump her?" Bosnia frowned as they saw the scum disappear through the market crowds.

"Not good." Clover fretted about whether to get involved or not.