NOT EDITED.

Distraction.

That was all Nevaeh needed to glide perfectly through the noisy crowd.

"What? I don't see anything!" A villager exclaimed as a smirking Nevaeh snuck out of the scene, giving the large berry in her hands one last bite before tossing out its remains over her shoulders with a triumph smile. Ha! He's more gullible than the other two sellers! Which makes it even more merrier for me.

Well, Nevaeh wasn't the closest to being the lady-like example. Not only was she obsessed with petty thefts, but that of sneaking out of the house . . . as a boy.

When ladies were adorned with jewelries, gold, silver, hairpins—Nevaeh on the other hand simply preferred trousers and woven baskets hanging around her shoulders. Not necessarily because she wasn't born into a noble family, she just found living a dangerous and risky life far more amusing than swooning over rich suitors for a hand in marriage.

Marriage. She shivered at the word and bit her back the thoughts in her mind as if they were poison to the soul. She has heard from the gossips of girls from far and near how their husbands treated them well in general, preserving them from the eyes of many other commoners who lingers around to stripe a man off his partner.

Romantically protective, they say. Nevaeh scoffed and tucked her hands into the loose pockets of her flowing hanbok. In reality, the men were being obsessed of their beauty and thus, placed some limits when they were to work with them. And limitations is another word she hated. That meant no adventures, no risks, no freedom. And worse of all, no opinions. It was as if women are ought to be portrayed as their wives, nothing more, nothing less.

Ugh, I'm getting hungry again. She threw a pouch of gold up in the air and caught it when it bounced back into her awaiting palms. With a narrowed glare at the busy streets before her, she continued to repeat this over and over again, and folded an arm behind her back gracefully. Now that she robbed the food and jewelery stalls, her next target for the day were the clothing stalls.

It was a good thing she disguised as a man beforehand, her careless movements wouldn't be justified like that of the ladies. Some sellers might even think he's confused on the exact size of his wife's clothes.

And she was right.

Everything came out just as she planned.

From the tumbling of fruits over its counters to a confused horse bolting round the market square. There sure will be more than enough food and money to consume for weeks, she grinned and tucked three pouches underneath her beltline as she arrived at another market square, puffing out her chest as few men stole a curious glance at her approaching figure.

But soon, her laughs died down when she spotted a child staring at her from behind a wall, eyeing the berries underneath her scarf. She placed a finger on her lips in a shush motion and walked back slowly, wanting to blend in with the approaching crowd.

She has learnt never to underestimate a child as they could be your weakest point in the time of trouble. And she learnt it from the worst situation ever.

"Ouch!" Nevaeh exclaimed when a black hooded figure bumped into her, her pouch and his tumbling besides their falling bodies. It suddenly felt as if everything was going in slow motion as her scarf and the knots holding up her hat slowly came undone. Oh no! My hair will fall out if another knot gets loosen! And just as her back hit the ground, she quickly pressed her hands against her bamboo hat, hoping to put it back into its place with the little luck she had. "Hey! Did you lose your eyes in the field! Didn't you see me or are you too short to observe your surroundings?!" She scolded, and picked her cane when she somehow managed to catch the eyes of some passerbys.

"I'm so sorry but I can't help you right now!" The person quickly bent over and picked the pouch nearest to him, throwing some panicked glances over his shoulders as he did so. He looks like he's in trouble. Is someone after him? She broke out of her thoughts with a gasp when he nearly tripped over her feet and ran past some cursing couples across the street.

Rude. "How!—" Nevaeh bit back the words with a groan and stood up while dusting herself. How dare he disrespect me. He looks younger than me! Didn't his parents teach him some manners?

She shook her head and reluctantly picked up the pouch, not willing to spare it a look as she shoved it into her side pocket. Great. Now I can't rob this place. She quickly looked away when she noticed most of the villagers were staring at her. And even if there were just sympathetic and curious looks, she couldn't bring up herself to walk over to them and prove that she was alright.

Nevertheless, with a tight-lipped smile, she turned back to them and forced out a boyish voice, "I'm fine, I'm fine! He didn't hit me that ha—"

Nevaeh frowned when she realized something. They weren't looking at her. They were looking at something.

Just then something wet rolled down her cheeks and without hesitation, Nevaeh placed a finger on the moistened spot in shock. Is this . . . She didn't want to do it. She didn't have to do it.

But she still did.

Nevaeh slowly tilted her head to the sky, her long hanbok gradually fluttering against the sudden breeze blowing alongside with the gentle raindrops. Villagers gathered around her side to observe the view too, but she didn't care about them now. Because she had a much bigger problem to solve.

"A rainstorm is coming! Everyone run to safety!" A middle-aged man, covering his bald head with some broad leaves announced, causing hell itself to suddenly break loose as the dark rain clouds hovering around the place gradually swallowed the entire town.

She should run. Run like the villagers and find a safe spot from the angered deity, but no. She was foolishly admiring the swift change of colors dancing amongst the clouds, feeling a magnetic pull through the drops that fell from the sky.

Then she saw it.

Saw something a mortal should've never seen in her years of mortality.

A dragon accompanying the angry sky.

Fun Tip: Nevaeh pronounced backwards is heaven :)