After leaving Bruce and her cart at a nearby stable, Locke headed toward the home of a Resistance contact. Raelin was still very new to the rebellion. In fact, she had received word very recently that she would be given her first assignment soon. Now that she had been accepted into the Resistance, she needed to begin pursuing her goal of securing some higher profile clients more aggressively. Of course, more wealthy clients would be beneficial to her business, which was her cover story. Her ulterior motives were to collect these clients, especially galdori, in order to start also collecting intel for the freedom fighters.
Unfortunately, Locke did not really look the part at the moment. Her old hooded cloak was dirty and fraying at the bottom, which would probably be accepted by most clients with the amount of travel she did. The rest of her wardrobe would not get as much sympathy. Until now, she had only been able to afford the clothing of a poor, human farmer – simple, earth-toned pieces with more attention to functionality that fashion sense. What she spent her money on was accessories or tools relevant to her work.
While admittedly she was much more comfortable in this clothing, she no longer had any excuses for not having at least one more professional looking outfit. She was finally beginning to make some extra income, and earlier today she had delivered to a regular buyer who would be selling in Kingsway Market. As she headed toward Woven Delights, she reminded herself that buying new clothing was an investment and not a waste of money. Not just for her wholesale business, but for the Resistance.
In reality, she had ulterior motives for this visit as well, which was the reason for her nighttime visit. The owner of Woven Delights was a fellow business woman and member of the Resistance. They both had almost the same role in the rebellion, using their businesses to smuggle and hide for the freedom fighters. Raelin reasoned that it was very possible she would be working closely with the shopkeeper soon, and felt it necessary to make contact. She also knew that her colleague would be able to give Raelin some useful advice for her new…business ventures.
Once Locke found the pink building she was looking for, she looked around to make sure no curious eyes were watching. Then she stepped up to the entry door raising her hand to knock, but hesitated for a moment. All of this was out of her comfort zone – clothes, meeting new people, sneaking around at night. But she also felt a tinge of excitement knowing her part in the rebellion had just begun. She had been waiting for a long time to help fight the galdori oppressors.
Raelin touched the locket under her shirt, picturing her family for a moment. After a deep breath, she softly knocked a few times on the wood.