A sudden gust of wind slammed into Mimi, nearly ripping the stack of papers from her grip. The wind tugged at her clothes and tangled her hair, making it difficult to even breathe. She braced herself, clutching the colourful posters tightly to her chest and ducking her head against the onslaught. What a terrible day to try and hang advertisements around town. How had she gotten roped into this again? Oh, right. Her first attempt at earning some honest coin.

As the wind finally relented, she straightened up and risked a glance behind her. A groan escaped her as she spotted the road she had just walked down. Most of the posters she had carefully hung were now fluttering along the pavement, cheerfully tumbling away in the breeze.

"Gods, why is this so hard?" she muttered, frustration bubbling up.

For a moment she considered just walking away from the tumbling papers and continuing on her way. Technically, she had followed instructions—she’d hung the posters up just like she was supposed to. It wasn’t her fault they hadn’t stayed put for more than five minutes. But the insistent grumbling of her stomach reminded her that she couldn’t risk not getting paid for a job badly done, just because she didn't want to backtrack a little. The very last thing she wanted was to spend another night scavenging for scraps in dirty alleyways.

And she absolutely would not resort to less-than-legal means to secure tonight's meal. Nuh-uh, never again. That time was behind her. For good.

With a sigh, she began trudging back along the path she had just come, determined to retrieve as many of the escaping posters as she could. As she moved, she started contemplating how to secure the flimsy bits of paper better. Maybe some better glue... or some sort of tool with which to apply pressure to the poster as it was drying. With how much she had to stretch to get them to the right height, there was no way to do that with her bare hands...

She stopped to scoop up another rogue poster, and as she did, a little, scaly head popped out from the front of her shirt. Zeke, her little yellow gecko, blinked at her with curious eyes.

“Think you can give me a hand, Zeke?” Mimi asked, half-jokingly. “Or maybe some tips on how to stick these things up without them flying off? After all you are great at sticking to all sorta things."

Zeke chirped in response, his tiny claws gripping the fabric of her shirt as he peered around. Mimi smiled faintly, though she knew the little creature wasn’t much help with most anything that didn't involve bugs or sleeping. Still, talking to him made the task feel a bit less daunting.

She continued along the street, gathering the scattered posters, all the while contemplating how she could secure them better. This was going to be a long, long day.

Ambika had been walking down the streets of Zeinav City when a flyer smacked her right in the face. Removing the wrinkled paper from her face, she read its contents as one of the advertisers ran up to her and apologized for the incident. Looking over the advertiser's shoulder, she saw a rather well made booth, the people around it rushing around either passing flyers, grabbing supplies or both, and the constant shouts advertising the summer festival described in the flyer.

"No worries," Ambika replied to the advertiser. "The summer festival in Sol City, huh."
"Yes, ma'am! I hope this flyer has piqued your interest! Feel free to keep it."
"Doesn't look like there's enough interest going around," Ambika looked at the large stacks of flyers placed against the building wall next to the booth.
"Ahahaha... We could definitely use more hands," the advertiser put up a bitter smile, their exhaustion seeping through their cheery expression.

---

So Ambika was now surveying around the city, hoping to find a prime spot to ply her trade while also advertising the upcoming festival in Sol City. She had every intention of personally attending the festival anyway and statistically speaking, she was definitely going to be performing at some point, so one could argue the advertising banner that read "A Taste of Sol City Festival's Music" she had the advertisers draw up was technically true.

Finding an unoccupied wall along a long alleyway plastered with festival posters, Ambika decided the place was good enough and went about setting up her impromptu stage, nailing the banner high up into the wall by tying one end to a crossbow bolt, shooting that onto the wall, then waiting for the wind to pick up and lift the other side of the banner so she could secure that with another crossbow bolt. With that done, she proceeded to disassemble her crossbow into a lute, and sat ready to perform, her instrument case storing a modest amount of advertising flyers.

As Mimi climbed up a window ledge to affix her poster in a prime spot, an angry voice suddenly rang out behind her. Startled by the outburst, she nearly lost her footing but managed to catch herself just in time. The voice grew louder as its owner, an irate homeowner, advanced on her, ranting about children always breaking his property. Spooked, Mimi jumped off the windowsill and bolted down the road, clutching her remaining posters tightly to her chest.

"Sorry!" she yelled over her shoulder, not daring to slow down.

She had discovered that by clambering up whatever objects she could find—crates, barrels, and, in this case, windowsills—she could stick the posters at eye level for taller people. This method allowed her to press the posters on hard enough to keep them in place. It wasn’t perfect, though. The approach limited her to locations with climbable objects, and even then, sometimes the wind was stronger than her glue and muscle power. Still, it was much better than her earlier attempts.

After dodging through several winding alleyways, Mimi finally slowed to a walk, trying to catch her breath. She was sure the old man hadn’t followed her this far. The road she found herself on was busier than the ones she had traversed earlier, and the walls were already heavily decorated with the same advertisements she was distributing. No work for her to do here, then. Maybe it was time for a break anyway. All the climbing and running had worn her out.

A distinct 'thunk' drew her attention to the entrance of a nearby alleyway. There, a woman with striking white hair was using a crossbow—of all things—to hang up a large banner for the Summer Festival. Intrigued, Mimi watched as the woman expertly timed the wind, lifting the banner into position before securing the other corner with another precise shot.

Now that was clever. And impressive.

Mimi watched in awe as the woman then transformed her crossbow into a lute. Her curiosity piqued, she edged closer to where her road met the alleyway, eager to see what sort of music this fascinating stranger might perform.

Ambika began to strum her choice for music for the advertisement, a distinctly loud and foreign tune designed to stand out from the sounds familiar to Zeinav and draw attention. She was about to transition into the second movement when a stone flew between her head and the neck of her lute, bouncing off the wall behind her.

Ambika looked around the direction the rock likely came from, and saw a street urchin dashing away into an alleyway. A warning message, perhaps? Or just some kid who found the prospect of toying around with an old bard fun? Ambika considered chasing after the street urchin, but decided otherwise as her first priority was finishing the job she signed up for in the first place.

Ambika adjusted her lute and moved into her second movement, filled with fast-paced trills designed to excite and energize its listeners. This gathered a few more listeners, but definitely nowhere near enough people to get rid of all the flyers she took. If this situation continues, she might need to consider a new strategy to get her job done. Being careful to not show her inner feelings, she transitioned into her third movement, a dramatic march, the kind that would be paired with plays to slay some mystical beast or the like.

Mimi flinched as the stone flew past the woman's head and clattered against the wall. Her eyes widened in alarm as she saw the small figure of a street urchin darting away into a nearby alley. Without hesitation, she bolted after him, her small legs pumping as she dashed through the winding streets. The urchin was quick, but Mimi’s determination kept her hot on his heels. She could still hear the bard's music playing behind her as she caught up to him.

“Hey, stop!” Mimi called out as she managed to snatch one of the boy's sleeves and haul him to a stop. The boy was perhaps twelve or thirteen and only a little taller than Mimi, with a mop of unkempt brown hair that partially obscured his mischievous green eyes. He wore a tattered shirt that bore a tear across his collarbone and a pair of pants that was much too long for him, the pant legs rolled up until he would no longer trip over them. Despite his rough appearance, there was a defiant glint in his eyes when he glanced back at Mimi.

Even from this short run she was out of breath but tried to keep her voice stern. “You can’t just go around throwing stones at people! Someone could get seriously hurt!”

The boy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s it to you?” he sneered. “She’s just some performer. ‘Sides, she didn’t get hit, did she?”

Mimi frowned, frustration bubbling up. “That’s not the point! It’s dangerous, and it’s wrong. You should apologize!”

The boy gave her a mocking grin. “Why should I? Ain’t like you can make me.” With that, he tore free from her grip and bolted, disappearing around the corner before Mimi could react.

“Hey, get back here!” Mimi shouted after him, but it was no use. The boy was gone. She let out a huff of exasperation, her hands clenching into fists. Why did some people have to be so difficult?

Mimi stood there for a moment, trying to calm herself down. She hated when things went like this, when peoples callousness would lead to others getting hurt. But there wasn’t much more she could do now. With a sigh, she turned and made her way back to the alley where the performer was playing.

As she approached, she could hear the lively, energetic notes of the woman’s music filling the air. At least she didn’t seem to be hurt… Mimi found a spot near the edge of the small crowd that had gathered, keeping her eyes on the bard. She was determined to watch the rest of the performance, partly because the music was captivating, but also because she wanted to make sure the woman was truly okay after that close call.

Wrapping up the third movement, Ambika moves to intermission, using Minor Trickery to continue strumming a simple tune while freeing up her left hand to do something else - in this case, passing out those advertisement flyers and collecting tips. Amidst praises, questions, and mixed comments about the method of advertisement, a group of people worked their way towards the bard, their clear airs of hostility causing the surrounding people to make way. Sensing trouble, she tried to discreetly assess the threat level whilst retaining a veneer of normalcy.

The group of people consisted of 2 skinny young men armed with machetes, 2 burly fighters based on the metal knuckles on their hands, a tall Moon Elf with an imposing figure moving in a deliberate manner to avoid showing hints of whatever weapon she has on her back, and a short, plump, well-dressed old man who contrasted everyone else in the group. The street urchin might have tried to hide himself, but Ambika clearly saw his silhouette bobbing in and out between the imposing figure and the old man.

"We are the Zeinav City Homeowners Association, and we hereby fine you for disrupting the peace of the neighbourhood!" The Moon Elf, towering over everyone else, declared loudly with a deep voice, the surrounding armed men brandishing their weapons to warn the others against butting in.

"All your ruckus shooed away my customers!" The old man yelled angrily before realizing his faux pas. "Uh, I meant, I can't sleep with all that noise you've made!" The street urchin couldn't resist facepalming, though a glare from the Moon Elf quickly set him straight.

Ah. Extortion. Typical. The desert certainly hadn't changed much since the last time she was here alone all those years ago.Ambika gauged her options. Trying to assemble her crossbow on the fly was impossible, and there were at least 5, no, 6 enemies she would have to contend with. Which meant the only option was to make a run for it.

"How much are we talking about?" Ambika kneeled down to her instrument case, pretending that she was reaching out to the tips she had garnered.

"50 Solars," The Moon Elf sneered arrogantly, which quickly turned into anger as Ambika threw sand right at her eyes, momentarily blinding her. Before anyone else could respond, Ambika threw the flyers she had on hand into the air and dashed away in the opposite direction.

Mimi watched from the edge of the crowd as the scene unfolded, her heart pounding in her chest. The tension in the air was thick, and she could sense that something was about to go horribly wrong. The group confronting the bard looked dangerous, and Mimi’s instincts screamed at her to do something, but what could she do against armed thugs? Her small stature made her ill-suited for a direct confrontation, and she wasn’t exactly a fighter.

As the bard kneeled down, seemingly about to pay the fine, Mimi held her breath, hoping the situation would de-escalate. But when the performer suddenly threw sand in the Moon Elf’s face and scattered the flyers into the air, Mimi’s eyes widened in shock. The next moment, the bard was sprinting away, leaving chaos in her wake.

Mimi’s relief was short-lived. The street urchin, the same one who had thrown the stone earlier, pointed directly at her from across the crowd. “She’s with her! She’s the one littering all the walls with those posters!” he shouted, his voice carrying over the noise of the startled onlookers.

Mimi’s heart sank as several pairs of eyes turned to her, the realization dawning that she was suddenly a target. “Wait, no, I’m not with her!” she stammered, her voice high-pitched with panic. “I was hired by the city to hang up the advertisements, but I didn’t even put these ones up here—”

The Moon Elf, still rubbing at her eyes, growled in frustration, “Enough excuses! Get her!”

Panic surged through Mimi as the thugs moved toward her. The posters she'd been carrying slipped out of her limp, nerveless fingers. She knew there was no time to argue, no time to explain. Without thinking, she bolted in the same direction the bard had gone, her heart racing as she dodged through the narrow streets. The shouts of the thugs echoed behind her, and she could hear their heavy footsteps closing in.

Her small size proved to be an advantage as she weaved between the legs of bystanders and ducked under low-hanging signs. One of the burly fighters made a grab for her, but she managed to twist out of his reach just in time, narrowly avoiding his grasp. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her legs burning as she pushed herself to run faster, zigzagging to make herself a harder target.

The streets of Zeinav were a maze, and Mimi prayed that the city’s confusing layout would give her an edge as she weaved her way from alley to alley, trying to lose her pursuers. She spotted a narrow gap between two buildings and darted into it, squeezing through the tight space with only inches to spare. The gap opened into another street, and she continued running, her pulse pounding in her ears.

Mimi didn’t dare look back. All she knew was that she needed to get away, and fast.

Ambika swerved right into a back alleyway to catch a breath. She was lucky to not have been pursued, but the only logical explanation would be that someone else drew the ire of those hooligans. While the smartest option would be to leave them be and claim her reward since she did technically pass out all the flyers, the commotion surely would not have gone unnoticed, and those foreigner advertisers were not likely to be all that aware about Zeinav City's politics so they might very well believe those hooligans had the right to stop her performance when they very well did not. Disruption of peace laws only apply in certain hours of the night for certain areas - there would be riots if a city thriving on song and dance banned music under the pretense of peace.

So Ambika prepared her crossbow and set out on a hunt. Disabling those extortionists was a priority above all else - can't afford them poisoning the well on whatever conversations she was going to have to do. Luckily, it didn't take long for her to find signs of the so-called Homeowners Association. They seemed to be in pursuit of a Gremling, who is running quick on her feet, but it was a matter of time before she was caught. She discreetly sneaked into a building, quickly made her way to the rooftop and positioned herself to fire.

A crossbow bolt flew square into the calf on the burly fighter closing in on the Gremling, causing him to crash and tumble into the ground. Ambika swiftly reloaded her crossbow and shot at the skinny young man closest to her in relative distance before he could react.

"More allies?" A disdainful scorn echoed in the air. It was the Moon Elf. "I'll deal with this one. You guys continue pursuing that other one."

Ambika quickly moved a few rooftops away - thankfully, the rooftops of Zeinav were relatively even - and laid low until she confirmed the Moon Elf had arrived. And right on cue, she charged out into the rooftop Ambika was on. Spotting Ambika, the Moon Elf's expression twisted into an angry scowl.
"You again, old hag!? Oh-ho-ho-ho, I'll teach you to mess with Aiza!" The Moon Elf drew out her pair of nunchakus and made a beeline for Ambika, leaping straight into the air without much thought. Ambika fired at the Moon Elf's calf, which was swiftly deflected by the latter swinging her nunchaku downwards, causing the latter to break into a wide, cocky grin... until she realized she wasn't reaching the rooftop Ambika was on. Her swinging the nunchaku downwards to deflect the crossbow bolt had shaved away her momentum.
"Curse youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu," the Moon Elf screamed as she fell towards the ground. That should disable her for a while. With that, it was time to make her way to the police and sort out this bloody mess as she exited the rooftop back into the streets, crossbow ready for any unexpected trouble.

Mimi’s breath came in ragged gasps as she raced down the narrow streets, the sound of her pursuers' heavy footsteps echoing behind her. She didn't dare look back as she heard a sharp 'thwang' as if from a bowstring, followed by gasps of pain. But still more footsteps echoed behind her and it sounded like they were starting to gain on her.

She took a sharp turn into a wider road, only to find herself skidding to a halt. Ahead of her, the Moon Elf was sprawled on the ground, nursing a wound on her leg. The elf's angry eyes locked onto Mimi, her face twisted in pain and fury. Mimi hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest, as the realization hit her—she was trapped between the wounded elf and the two thugs closing in on her from behind.

Panic clawed at her, urging her to bolt in any direction, but there was nowhere to go. She could feel the thugs getting closer, their shadows stretching out on the cobblestones. Mimi’s mind raced, torn between her instinct to flee and the nagging voice of her conscience. These people were dangerous, sure, but they were also hurt. She couldn’t just run and leave them like this, even if they were the bad guys.

She turned to face the approaching thugs, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “Look, you can keep chasing me all day, but you won’t catch me. I’m too fast, and you are just getting taken down one by one.” She kept her voice steady, the lie flowing off her lips surprisingly smoothly.
“Or... you can let me help you. I can patch up your wounds right here, right now.”

The thugs exchanged glances, clearly not expecting this offer. The larger of the two, scowled but didn’t move to attack. The Moon Elf, still clutching her injured leg, looked at Mimi with a mixture of suspicion and reluctant interest. “Why would you help us?” she spat, though her voice was strained.

“'Cause it’s what I do,” Mimi replied, her tone softening. “I try to help people, even when they don’t deserve it.”

There was a tense silence as the Moon Elf considered Mimi’s words. Finally, with a grimace, she nodded. “Fine. But try anything funny, and I’ll have your head.”

Mimi didn’t waste any time. She quickly pulled out her medical tools and knelt beside the elf, methodically cleaning the wound and applying a bandage with careful precision. The elf watched her every move, her eyes never leaving Mimi’s face, while the two thugs stood guard, still wary but no longer aggressive.

As soon as Mimi finished bandaging the wound, the Moon Elf’s expression hardened. “Good job,” she sneered, before snapping her fingers. “Now, grab her!”

Mimi’s eyes widened as the thugs lunged at her. She barely managed to twist out of the way in time, her small size and agility allowing her to slip between them. Her heart pounded as she darted down another alley, the adrenaline kicking in again. Enough was enough. She needed to get out of here and find some law enforcement before these thugs caught up with her. There was no way these guys were any type of official organization and surely the city guard would be happy to learn of a group of bandits trying to extort money from peaceful citizens. Well... mostly peaceful anyway. Having had a close look at the wound caused by the crossbow bolt she could tell that the shot had been placed expertly. It had been meant to slow down their pursuit, not cripple permanently.

As she ran, she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of guards or patrols. She was done trying to reason with these criminals. It was time to get some real help and put an end to this madness once and for all.

Hurrying around the winding streets, Ambika eventually arrived at the alley with an law enforcement office... and spotted the old man together with the street urchin on the opposite end. She instinctively retreated from their field of view and ran through possible scenarios in her head. Outpacing the old man was not an issue, but that kid on the other hand... They could also pull off a wounded gazelle gambit if anything happened, which would draw unwanted attention and they would have the advantage in manipulating the situation in their favour. She also considered the possibility of them filing a complaint against her, and maybe that other Gremling she saw. Running quite the extortion ring then, if that's the case.

Anyhow, Ambika absolutely could not let them reach the law enforcement office before her. However, the alley was quite wide, and there was the watchful eye of the guards standing in the vicinity to consider as well. A shame she didn't have any flyers left she could use as a distraction... Her eyes darted around in search of anything she could use... and landed on a number of half-unstuck posters dangling from the wall.
Carefully peering out into the alleyway, Ambika quickly scanned the walls for any dangling posters, and she was in luck. Posters were stuck around the walls haphazardly in uneven heights, many on the verge of coming unstuck, suggesting the handiwork of an inexperienced amateur. Ambika silently thanked whoever that amateur was, and got around to working her magic.

A poster fluttered, slowly flying across in front of the old man and the street urchin. More observant people would have quickly realized it was the work of a spell(*) since the wind wasn't blowing, but that idea did not cross their minds and they stopped to let it fly past them. Which it does, only to suddenly move in the opposite direction and wrap around the street urchin's face, causing the kid to fall backwards from the sudden, unexpected turn of events. The old man turns around to his fallen companion to help get the poster off his face. 

Ambika was now inside the law enforcement office. Using the poster as a distraction and obscure herself from their views was quite the risk, but thankfully it worked. She was going to make a beeline for the counter before she noticed a familiar face on the wanted board. A painting of the Moon Elf from before. Well, that makes things easier. Ambika brought herself to the counter and began explaining the situation to the clerk sitting on the other side.

---

*Minor Trickery

Mimi's legs felt like they were made of lead as she continued to run, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She turned down yet another unfamiliar alley, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way out. Suddenly, she spotted a lone guard on patrol, his helmet glinting in the sunlight as he strolled down the street.

Hope surged through her, and she sprinted toward him. "Sir! Guard!" she called out, waving her arms frantically.

The guard turned, eyebrows raised in surprise as he saw the small, frantic Gremling running toward him. He quickly moved to meet her halfway. "Whoa there, what’s got you in such a rush?" he asked, his voice calm but concerned.

Mimi skidded to a stop in front of him, barely able to catch her breath. "There’s—there’s a Moon Elf—thugs—someone shot her—b-but they’re after me!" she stammered, trying to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. "They’re trying to extort people—and—oh, it’s such a mess!"

The guard listened patiently, though it was clear from his expression that he was struggling to piece together her rapid-fire explanation. He knelt down a bit to be at eye level with her, giving her a reassuring smile. "That sounds like quite the story," he said, his tone gentle. "Let’s head to the office so we can get all of this sorted out properly, okay? You’ll be safe there."

Mimi nodded, relief washing over her. "Okay," she whispered, still trying to calm her racing heart.

The guard led her through the streets, taking her to the law enforcement office. As they approached, Mimi tried to steady her breathing, her thoughts still swirling but feeling a bit more secure now that she had a guard on her side.

The guard burst open the front door of the law enforcement office, loudly declaring "Hey, you guys gotta listen to this Gremling's crazy story!"
As Mimi made to follow the guard, who was confidently striding into the room, her eyes fell onto a familiar pair of figures watching her from across the road. Her eyes locked with the eyes of the street urchin from earlier. He was clutching one of the festival posters in his hand and glared at her angrily. She gave him a little smirk as she turned and followed the guard into the office. 

Inside, she was greeted be the perplexed stares of a clerk sitting behind a counter and two more guards milling about the room. The guard she had been following shifted as he moved across the room and revealed the white haired bard from earlier standing by the clerk's counter. 
Mimi scowled at the woman's crossbow slung over her shoulder, realising who must have been shooting down her pursuers. She wasn't sure how to feel. She did not like anyone getting hurt for her benefit, but she also had to admit that she might not have been able to escape if it hadn't been for the old bard's intervention. 
As the guard finished his retelling of her story, all eyes in the room fell on her. Suddenly very self-conscious, Mimi squirmed under their scrutinizing gazes.  

"This Gremling was the one those extortionists were chasing after," Ambika interjected as she acknowledged the Gremling's presence, then added, "the old man and the street urchin might still be outside. I wager they were regulars here?"

"Old Dinesh and little Ajit!?" The clerk put out a startled gasp as she recalled something. "They have been filing a lot of civil complaints lately, though most of them were non-actionable so we'd just give them the official papers and call it a day..."

The guard who brought the Gremling in reflexively turned around to the entrance, then glanced at their fellow guards. Immediately after, the guards marched out of the office - to bring in the two for questioning, no doubt.

Ambika couldn't leave the premises - ongoing complaint and all - so she took the opportunity to take a proper look at the Gremling. The Gremling looked to be a young fellow, and her knees were still somewhat trembling - the running must have taken quite the toll on her. Ambika could sense some dissatisfaction from her, but Ambika was much too old to care about what others think of her and remained neutral.

The guards soon returned with not two, but seven people, all cuffed. The old man and street urchin were unscathed, though the same could not be said of the other five. The skinny young men with machetes had mostly light injuries, while the burly fighters had visibly deeper injuries, and the Moon Elf? The guards probably had to break some bones to bring her to her knees. The fact that the Moon Elf's leg was bandaged did not escape Ambika's notice, and she felt a slight pang of annoyance towards the Gremling as she recalled the guard's tale. Regardless, what's done was done, and those extortionists were successfully arrested anyway so there was no point in feeling offended.

After a few more formal inquiries, whereby Ambika learned the Gremling's name, and no doubt vice versa as the report was shown to both of them with their names on it, Ambika and Mimi received a small payout in Solars for their assistance in bringing down one of the criminals infesting the city, and they were free to leave. But not before one of the guards offered to escort them to the Sol City festival advertising booth. Ambika saw no reason to decline, so she followed after the guard.

Mimi felt awkward as she and Ambika trailed behind the guard toward the advertiser's booth. She was relieved to finally know the white-haired bard's name, but the uncertainty of what to say—or whether to say anything at all—gnawed at her.

"So... uhhh... I saw your performance earlier. It was really good. Real shame those guys had to ruin it at the end.", she paused to clear her throat, her nerves making her voice sound even more squeaky than usual. 
"Uhm... Did you get hurt when that kid threw the stone?" She kept her eyes firmly on the ground in front of her, not daring to meet Ambika's stoic gaze. She hadn’t noticed any injuries on the woman earlier, but she wanted to make sure Ambika was indeed unharmed.

She had, however, noticed the displeased expression Ambika had made when she saw the Moon Elf’s bandaged leg. Mimi wasn’t sure how to feel about all this. Life in the desert had been harsh, but she firmly believed violence should never be the answer and should only ever be used as a last resort. Yet, she also knew she was very much alone in this belief. Thugs and bandits were everywhere, and most folks had adopted a "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude when dealing with them.

Hells, not too long ago, Mimi could have been on the opposite side of this confrontation. Her clan usually stayed clear of larger settlements, preferring to ambush the many trade caravans traversing the desert. Still, this situation was uncomfortably familiar. Maybe it was only fair that she had now experienced the victim's side of a robbery... 

She shook her head, trying to clear away her thoughts. There was no point in dwelling on any of this, no matter how uncomfortable today’s reminder of her past life made her feel. That life was far behind her, and she would no longer let her upbringing dictate her way of life. She would do better, be better, and make amends with the world as best she could.

Zeke, perhaps sensing her gloomy mood, climbed out of her hair and settled on her shoulder, gently nibbling at her ear. His small weight was a comforting reminder of what was good in the world, and she smiled as she raised her hand to gently pet his back. Her steadfast companion always knew just what to do to cheer her up.

Her attention returned to the present as they got close to the booth handing out flyers for the summer festival. Just how long had she been zoned out??

"Thank you, and no." Ambika generally wasn't much of a conversationalist, so she kept her words short, though she did endeavour to sound as gentle as she could. Hearing the little ruffles of Mimi's hair, Ambika turned around slightly to see what caused those sounds.

"A leopard gecko?" They were common creatures in Zeinav Desert so Ambika could've just stayed quiet, but they were acquaintances now, for better or for worse, so it would not do her well to be openly rude. Besides, Mimi was probably the type who showed compassion to everyone. Gods know these types of people are easily hurt, as the memories of her interactions with a former healer companion resurfaced in her mind.

"Oh hey, it's you!" It was the same advertiser who came to Ambika when a flyer assaulted her face. "We had a number of people asking about you. Sure helped us get rid of more flyers... Though I can't say I appreciate you throwing out all those flyers like that." The advertiser put on an animated glare before snapping back into a cheery expression. "What do you say to an encore, hmm? I'm sure we could shave off a few more stacks of flyers," the advertiser grabbed ahold of Ambika and began pulling her towards the booth without waiting for a response. Ambika noted the surprisingly firm grip and groaned internally. The long day wasn't ending just yet, was it?

With no real choice in the matter, Ambika found a chair, set up her lute, and began strumming away to the crowd once more.

Mimi glanced up at Ambika, uncertain whether she should apologize for zoning out or if the old woman had even replied to her earlier. Before she could make a decision, the bubbly advertiser from the summer festival booth pounced on Ambika, eagerly pulling her into another performance. Mimi couldn’t help but smile as the girl launched into a rapid stream of chatter at the bard. Those two certainly made for a mismatched pair. Still, Ambika complied with the request, beginning to set up for her encore.

As the preparations continued, Mimi’s eyes wandered, eventually spotting the reserved human who had recruited her for poster distribution that morning. Sighing, she approached him, bracing herself for the inevitable disappointment when she explained what had happened and how she hadn’t managed to hang up all the posters. At least the money the guards had given her would keep her and Zeke fed for a few days, and sleeping on the streets wasn’t the worst in this warm climate.

To her surprise, the human listened attentively as she recounted her day, showing genuine sympathy for all the trouble she’d encountered. He even patted her gingerly on the head, almost like she was a child, as he handed her the payment. Apologizing for the difficulties she had faced, he mentioned he’d be happy to have her back tomorrow if she was up for another round of advertising. But Mimi, feeling thoroughly exhausted, knew she didn’t want to see another piece of paper for quite some time.

She lingered around the booth a bit longer, enjoying Ambika’s performance. The woman might be ruthless, but there was no denying her talent with the lute. The cheery notes brought a soft smile to Mimi’s face as she slowly faded back into the crowd. Turning her back on the old bard, she slipped down the nearest alleyway. Today had been a strange day indeed, and she was glad to leave the last reminder of it behind.