The Light on The Roof

The Star-Gazer

Garak sat in his dingy room in the inn he and his mates had rented for the night. A creaky and rickety room it was, unclean and filled with stains on the walls and splinters in the woodwork, with a stench both inside and outside of the walls. The flimsy pillow on the chair did little to help him.

He and his mates were to settle here, with the goblins. Due to lack of money they had no choice but to stay at a lower part of the city. The rooms really were as bad as the reputation this city had, and that made Garak sigh.

He was a dwarf. He longed for stone housing, in a stone city, with stone tables and a stone bed! Not this! But what choice did he have? Going back home was no option. There was no work there. Nothing he enjoyed, at least. There was no opportunity to grow, and that's why he moved. He wanted labour, and this city could give it. He was here as long as his mates were. Here, in a god-forsaken city where he knew no-one and nothing and where he had to fight for his own. Not even to speak of what they would think about dwarves! The thoughts made his head hurt. He stood up to wipe the dirt and the splinters off his pants and then solemnly sat down.
He and his mates would just have to wait it out. How many years would it be until he could get back home? One? Four? His mates had already signed the contract. It would be at least a year that they would stay here. And if the permanent apartments were as bad as the inns were...

He shook his head, slumping down with his elbows on his shoulders and his fists against his chin. His small, flimsy beard tickled.

How on earth would he survive in this unknown city?

"Hurry! Hurry! We only have a few minutes left!"

A voice raced past her as she quickly jolted her attention back to the streets up ahead. There was a letter in her hand.
"This shit better be delivered on time, else we're in trouble! We can't afford to let this one go wrong too!"

-"Yeah, got it." Panther, an elf-thief and a rather good one at that, jumped back on her feet and joined her friend in the mad chase. She caught up in no-time. Elves were quick as the night, and in the early evening hours the streets were emptier than any other time. Most in the city had gotten home by now, or were at work. Not in the streets.
-"Where to, Leopard?"
"Customs district. Something about a fraud with weapons, or contraband. But we're not to ask questions. Let's go! We're not even halfway there!" Leopard, her teammate, nimbly zoomed between the people who were still out and about, ducked under low-hanging railings and jumped over fallen carts. Panther followed closely behind. The small size of the goblins in the city that they lived in only added to their advantage. And their profits.

With one swift and graceful leap, Leopard used a standing barrel to swing herself onto the roof. "Quick!" Panther followed suit, and like shadows they ran and jumped over the roofs in the street, their dark, grime-tinted and tight clothing aiding them in staying unseen. They were light, and packed lightly to boot, so the rooftops held as if none had even jumped on them. They were fast like the wind, and did not misstep once, for one small mistake would mean the end of their careers. Their end-goal was in sight.

-"Give me the letter!" Leopard said, holding out her hand. "Why?" Panther asked, suspiciously. Neither of them had even broken a sweat at this point.

"Don't ask questions and give me the fucking letter!" Leopard said, louder this time. Panther complied, begrudgingly. She pushed the letter into Leopards glove-padded hand. "Fine. Now let me take a break." She said. Leopard didn't even stop for a reply as she jumped and hopped over the last of the rooftops to deliver the letter on time. Panther watched her go.

She allowed herself to let down her guard, holding on to the robust top of a chimney that no longer worked. She sighed and looked out over the city between the rags that she wore as a cover over her face. "Would be nice to take a break from crime too, every once in a while."

She took the rags off, letting her hair down. Leopard would be gone for a little while longer, she could take time to rest. She looked out over the buildings in the city below and saw a square light come from one of the buildings nearby.

Garak sat on his chair, putting more pillows and old clothes on it to alleviate the pain from the splinters. It didn't help. He got frustrated, and that made him nauseous. He put the window more open to let some air in. The wind blew here barely, but it was enough to give him some breathing space. He groaned and his hand reached for a book, one of the only things he had left from home. The book had dwarven sayings in it, and a drawing of him and his mates, with their parents behind them. He absentmindedly flipped through pages of the book until one chapter caught his eye.

He read about a star that shone above a roof in the darkest night, to show itself for the ones that desperately needed it. He laughed, a little, and he closed the book and moved his hand to the candle on his table so he could try to sleep.

Try was the right word, for a distant glimmer from the dark caught his eye.

He raised his head to look at it.

Pale skin with flowing hair she had. Eyes with a dark edge and a colour unseen, yet too gentle for the frown on her face. A tight-dark set of robes and cloth that made her almost blend with the half-dark of the evening, making her bright face and hair stand out even more. She stood on the roof with no effort, leaning against the chimney as if she had no troubles. He heard music rise above all the noise below, music for her that only he could hear. Strings and a flute, and a choir and violins. But no drums. Her image did not strike him as needing drums. She was the most tall and graceful thing he had ever seen, indeed glowing like a star in the dark. Garak looked at the light on the roof, the light that was very much alive, and yet neither he nor her said a word.
She hadn't seen who was looking at her yet. Panther's eye was too much set on the city.

But the light out there did spark her interest. Who lived there? A goblin? An outsider? Or a criminal, like her? 'Not that one,' she thought. 'Criminals leave no lights on.'

As she thought of criminals, she turned to the building of the customs in the distance, and her hair bounced along with her and flowed over her shoulders. When would Leopard be back? A loud bang in the distance made her point her attention elsewhere, once more. Her hair, twice now, bounced along over her shoulders before she heard:

"HEY! What're you doing up there?"

That's when she knew to wrap her rags back around her head, and jump back over the rooftops to leave. No way they would get her now. Leopard would find her eventually. She looked back one time to the square with the light and saw a small figure with strong arms staring at her with a red head. She didn't think about wether she was caught or not, first she had to get out of there. And get out she did. She left into the approaching night as quick she could.

Garak watched as the star looked at him, then faded. For one short eternity, they were linked. And that made his chest clear and his heart rise. He'd even forgotten about the splinters that poked him through the pillows.

Until there was a knock on the door. Garak turned around. It was one of his mates, red-headed and jolly from drinking.
"We're playing beer-pong downstairs. Someone already fell over, we need another player! You in?"
Garak blinked to get his thoughts back. He smiled and stuttered at the dwarf in the doorway.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll be right down. Just... Let me catch my breath for a moment."
The red-faced dwarf in the doorway laughed. "It's not so bad once you get used to it, eh? Right?" With a laugh the door was shut, perhaps a bit harder than intended. That left Garak alone with his thoughts once more.
Maybe staying here wouldn't be so bad. He stared over the rooftops of the city as he wondered wether he would ever see that bright star in the dark again.

(Part 2?)