“Brother Gardinal!” Valleresa called out as she spun. “I have some questions…”

Celeste moved quickly as Valleresa distracted their guard on queue. She loved her protector dearly, but he had a habit of being over-zealous. She couldn’t imagine he would be thrilled at her walking up to one of the Silver Skulls. Valleresa knew exactly how to distract the man, he was always more than willing to speak on the virtues of traditional Khazimi austerity.

“C’mon now.” Arabella whispered, pulling Celeste out into the muddy street. They both wore tall wooden-soled shoes, but even then, the mud sloshed to their ankles with every step. They rushed across the street quickly and approached the Silver Skull. She was a pretty woman, with a strong stance and a stern, but kind face.

“Excuse me friend.” Celeste began. The woman looked at her and simply lifted a brow. “I won’t take up much of your time. You see my friend here and I…”

“We’re looking for Tabitha.” Arabella cut in, looking up at Celeste with an incredulous look. That was unfair, Celeste thought, she had just been trying to be polite. The woman grunted, looking Celeste up and down.

“She said a pretty little blonde girl might be asking about her.” The woman chuckled. “And here I thought she had just found herself a new plaything. You can find her at the Blossoming Rose this time of day. In the Red Curtains.”

“The Red Curtains?” Celeste asked. But Arabella was already pulling her back across the street. “Thank you, friend!” Celeste called back to the woman, who just smiled and shook her head.

“You pull too harshly sister.” Celeste complained at her rough treatment.

“Brother Gardinal's looking at us, Your Radiance.” Arabella responded in hushed tones. “And I don't intend to be getting him mad at me anymore than he's about to be.”

“Why is he about to be?” Celeste asked.

“Oh, Your Radiance. When we started this I didn't know it would be the Red Curtains we'd be headed to.”

Stepping back under their cover, Gardinal pushed past Valleresa whose diversion had seemed to work. They had known to pull this off, they'd need lots of ways to distract the man.

“What was that?” Gardinal asked, measuring them up. He looked at them as if he could see if they where lying. Maybe it hadn't worked as well as she had thought. “Where did you two just get off to?”

Celeste hastily made an excuse, explaining she thought she had seen a sickly child that needed her touch. Gardinal grumbled about the risks of healing everyone they stumbled across but Celeste ignored it. Continuing down the street, Celeste and Valleresa strode ahead of Gardinal, leaving him behind as Arabella strode up along side.

“So where to?” Valleresa asked.

“Someplace called the Blossoming Rose?” Celeste responded.

“Where in the Chaos is that?” Valleresa cursed, and Celeste frowned at the language.

“It’s an... establishment, in the Red Curtains district.” Arabella filled in with a suffering tone.

Valleresa stopped and glanced back at Gardinal. “No.” She stated. Celeste turned to look at her before Valleresa continued. “Radiance we simply can not be seen in that sort of neighborhood. I am a lady! And you’re a ...” Valleresa shook her head. Celeste looked to Arabella for support but found that fruitless.

“Valleresa, if it is where Tabitha is then we must go there.” Celeste beseeched her friend.

“Go where?” Gardinal asked, catching up to them once more.

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“To where Sister Arabella told us many of the sickly poor reside.” Celeste answered quickly, before either of the other two could answer. “They need the Mother desperately you see.” She looked nervously at Gardinal, but he seemed to accept it with a stern nod. She sighed in relief and returned to their plan.

She didn’t know what this Red Curtains district was, but something about the name seemed to nip at Celeste’s memories. It felt odd to know it, her father had never organized her processions through the area, why? Regardless, she stared down her two sisters and eventually got nods of acceptance from both of them. They had worked too hard to back out now.

“You go ahead then Arabella; you show us where this help is needed.” Valleresa said the word ‘help’ with a sharp look back at Celeste.

“Why do you just assume I would know how to get to the Red Curtains?” Arabella complained.

“Do you?” Valleresa asked with a grin.

“That’s not the point.” Arabella pouted, then lead the way anyways.

Passing through the rain-soaked streets, Celeste wondered about this place they were going: The Red Curtains. It struck something within her, a deep long forgotten memory.

She remembered sitting inside a room, a rough sort of place. It was a night she had slept on a bundle of soiled hay in front of a flickering ash-darkened fireplace. She couldn’t place the location, there were women with few clothes raucously drinking with boisterous men. The boy was gone that night. His strong warm presence missing. A deep sorrow filled the void he had left in her that night as she stared into that flame.

The sorrow was not for herself, but for the tree that had been killed simply to provide warmth. Understanding the Mother’s cycle was one of the first things her father had taught her upon entering the temple. But still that memory lingered with her. The fire was beautiful, and terrible, as it consumed what had once been alive simply to keep her warm on a cold night. She remembered that flickering fire, and remembered the red curtains pulled over the windows in that room.

Was that where she was going now? To that place from her childhood? For a brief moment, Celeste dared to hope that he would be there. Over ten years now they had been separated, and not a day had gone by without her thinking of him. At the very idea of it, she quickened her pace.

Arabella tugged on Celeste’s sleeve and whispered “We’re getting close Your Radiance, just a few more…”

“Hey where in the Chaos are you taking us girl?” Gardinal shouted, cutting her off. Celeste cringed at the tone in his voice but kept on. “Your Radiance.” He growled as he caught up to her.

“Yes Brother Gardinal?” Celeste asked with every ounce of innocence she could muster. She hadn’t lied to him, simply withheld her full intentions.

“This is no place for you to be.” His eyes looked past her, lingering on the local denizens. Celeste followed his gaze. The buildings here were cleaner, and in better shape than most of those that littered Southshore. The tall two- or three-story structures more often than not stood on their own, not leaning on one another or the wall that loomed over the neighborhood. They must have been close to one of the city gates judging by the amount of people in clothing that could only be of Silvermarket. Oddly enough, the ones in rich velvet doublets and fine woolen cloaks seemed to only be men. The women in the area were dressed quite differently. Celeste was worried that they all looked awfully cold sitting beneath their awnings.

“This neighborhood is clean and seems full of kindly people Gardinal. I can not imagine why you would object.” Celeste tried to calm him. Valleresa and Arabella exchanged knowing glances. Knowing of what? Celeste thought.

“This place is full of hedonists Your Radiance, and they don’t deserve your mercy.” Gardinal nearly sneered as one of the women passed by.

“You forget yourself Brother Gardinal. All of Ethinia’s children deserve our mercy, and you will remember that.”

Gardinal ground his teeth. “Prophetess, these women are sinners. They sell what the First Mother gave them and debase themselves…”

“If they do not deserve our mercy, then what can be said of those who would march off to war?” Celeste asked, staring him down. She would not have this kind of talk from him. “They are children of the Mother, and they do not appear to be of a violent disposition that would offend Ethinia. Can you say the same of yourself, Brother?” Celeste admonished him. She had forgiven him for the other night at the Mudport, but she would not let him speak ill of others when he was not in grace himself.

“I found it.” Arabella spoke up. Celeste and Gardinal both looked to her. “The Blossoming Rose.” She clarified. Celeste smiled.

“Thank you, Arabella, please show us the way.”

“Oh no you don’t.” Gardinal barked. “We are not going into any of…”

“Then you may wait outside.” Celeste said. “But I have business to attend to. Sister, show us the way” At that, they continued on. Gardinal’s jaw fell open as he struggled to respond, only closing it to hustle along behind them. Good, she thought, that might keep him busy long enough for them to find Tabitha.

They were only a few buildings down from the Blossoming Rose, the namesake painted on the door. The other girls seemed nervous to walk in, and Gardinal was mumbling under his breath, but Celeste just pushed her way in.