From behind the counter, soft footsteps stirred the quiet air, followed by the creak of a door hinge.
A woman appeared, stepping into the narrow beam of light that slipped through the shop's small front window.
Her appearance was striking at first glance, her long blonde hair tied into a neat bun that gleamed faintly when caught by the sunlight.
A few strands had escaped the bun to brush against her temples, framing her beautiful face.
Her face carried the sort of weariness that didn't dull beauty; it deepened it.
There were faint shadows under her dark brown eyes, the look of someone who had been awake since dawn, yet those eyes remained alert and intelligent, their tiredness offset by quiet composure.
A brown apron hung from her neck, tied close about her waist.
It bore smudges of drying blood and streaks of pale dust where her hands had wiped across it, but somehow even that failed to dull her beauty.
