The wind was strong and smelled like warm apple cider. I opened the door to the large, toasty inn. It was in the heart of the city Vinas, a city along the coast with a mountain range behind. The door slammed behind me due to the wind blowing it closed from outside. I made my way to the bar, squeezing through people. When I got to the stools I sat down and slid my backpack onto the seat next to me. I leaned my arm on the table and got the attention of the bartender. A shorter woman walked up to me. She had dark brown hair, it was tied up in a bun with little curly strands sticking out.

“Is there any milk in the back?” I asked. When she heard those words she nodded her head and mouthed the words “follow me.” She led me through a door next to the bar. She quickly closed the door behind me. We were now in a dimly lit room, the walls covered in barrels and boxes. She turned to face me, giving me a soft smile. She reached for a torch on the wall and pulled it down. 

“Welcome in!” She said happily. A wall slid open revealing a room filled with more people. This was finally the place I was trying to find. A hide spot for people in the resistance. Dacta, a hostile group, is taking over the continent city by city. 

“Thank you,” I said with a relieved sigh.

“What made you come all the way here?” She asked, “Vinas is one of the most dangerous cities right now. It's a dangerous journey.” 

“I was told about a strong resistance hide spot in the city, and my small town has already been taken over.” I stood tall, looking around at the faces I'll be with for the next couple of weeks. “There isn't a resistance in my town so I thought I’d be more useful here.” 

“Fair choice,” the woman said, “My name's Narona by the way.” 

“Sinos,” I stated, holding out my hand to shake hers. 

“Make yourself at home then!” Narona stated, “there are rooms here or upstairs by the way, just tell me where you want to stay.” 

“Upstairs would be nice!” I exclaimed, Narona nodded her head, her smile was warm and friendly. I know I would be safe with her.

After a couple of hours chatting away in the hide spot, I crept out and back into the main inn area. There was a lot less people then there was during the day but still a couple stragglers. I saw Narona tending the bar again, giving people friendly smiles, even if the people she served were the enemy. 

“Hey Narona,” I said as I walked over to where she was serving. She perked her head up looking over at me with a curious look. “What room is available upstairs?” 

“Give me one second and I'll meet you by the stairs!” Narona exclaimed before she started talking with a customer. I walked over to the winding staircase, my large backpack slung over one shoulder. My boots now with dried mud on them, they left a little trail throughout the Inn. After a couple of minutes Narona walked over to me with a friendly smile. She gestured to me to follow behind her upstairs. As we walked up the stairs and then down a narrow hallway I scanned the walls. We soon approached a door.

“This is my new room?” I said in a playful tone.

“Yep!” Narona handed me a key, “also just so you know tomorrow we have a meeting, I'm shutting down the bar to only revolutionists.”

“I’ll be there!” I smiled down at the short Innkeeper, “see you tomorrow!” 

The next morning I woke up to the sun shining around the corners of the curtains. The wind crept around them, gently brushing my face as I laid in the bed. For an Inn the rooms weren't bad. I slowly got up, my eyes still adjusting to the light. I was excited for the meeting, I would finally find out when the resistance would plan their next move! After I finished getting ready I made my way back down the hallways and down the winding staircase. When I reached the main Inn area I saw Narona across the room. She was tending the bar as usual with her friendly smile. Once she saw me we both exchanged smiles. She called over to one of her employees before walking up to me.

“Good Afternoon!” She said enthusiastically, “Your trip here must have really tired you out! But anyways, how was the room last night?”

“Yeah,” I replied along with a nervous laugh, “and the room was better than I imagined!”

“That's wonderful to hear,” She looked around quickly before turning back towards me, “Also just so you know the Inn is already closed today, everyone here is resistance!”

“Gotcha! So when will the official meeting start?” I asked.

“Around dinner, we’ll serve a feast. Our cover is that there's a wedding, just in case any authorities decide to crash the building.” She gave me a small smirk, I assumed she has probably done something like this before. 

“Perfect! Is there anything I can help you with?” 

“I should be good! Feel free to hang around for a bit!” I nodded and looked around, I sat myself down in the corner and pulled out a small notebook. I started writing down some notes. Narona soon walked over to me with a plate of food. When I got a better look at it I saw that it was a plate of fries and onion rings. 

“Though you needed to eat a little something,” She said with a smile before sitting down next to me.

“Thank you!” I said, leaning forward to grab an onion ring off the plate. 

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“Oh just writing notes and sketching a bit,” I said with a smile. She nodded before taking a fry. We sat on the couch for a while, just talking. I started noticing the small things about her, the way she laughed, her dimples that only showed when she smiled, or how her hair would always fall into her face, no matter how many times she tucked it behind her ear. When the clock struck 10pm everyone in the room perked up.

“Show time!” Narona gave me a sly grin. She stood on top of a nearby table. “Listen up everyone! Finish the setup and take a seat, we’ll get started soon!” I watched her in admiration, the way she seemed to be a natural born leader was amazing. Soon tables were pushed together in the middle of the room, everyone gathered around. Plates and utensils were placed out to simulate a reception, just like Narona said. Suddenly everyone went silent, and started listening to the leader speak. 

“Ok all, listen up, our next plan is going to happen in two days!” She announced, yet still quiet enough for no one outside the Inn to hear. “There will be two fronts, the mission is to infiltrate the castle in search of battle plans and war goods. Teams will be posted and handed out soon!” She stepped down from her speaking post. A man stepped up and started talking. 

After a while of different people talking, the meeting finally ended. Narona walked up to me, with a smile. 

“You wanna go up to the roof with me before settling down for the night?” She offered.

“Sure!” I said enthusiastically. The two of us climbed up the winding staircase, adrenaline still pumping in my veins after the meeting. She showed me down the hallway behind a door with a hidden balcony on it. We walked out, the calm night air blowing in our faces.

“Are you ready for the mission?” She asked, looking up at me. She smiled before looking back at the streets below, her hair blowing in the wind. 

“Of course I am, but I need to do one thing first.” 

“What's that?” 

“This.” I said with a smile across my face. In a blink of an eye I swooped a bag from the ground near me and scooped Narona up into it. In a couple swift movements I climbed over the railing and jumped down onto the stone road below. Narona started kicking and started to yell before one of my men jumped out from the shadows to take her away. 

“Good job boss!” A voice called, three more men appeared.

“I got the mission plants, just as suspected.” I replied, we all started to walk down the next dark alleyway. The resistance would be stopped shortly. And they would have never seen it coming.