The sun was barely peeking out of the horizon when Isabella poked her head out of her home. She could barely feel the warmth from the sun’s rays, only strong enough to project some of its light onto the slowly brightening sky. But even then, the sky remained a stubborn violet, not quite ready to wake up.
The sky shared Isa’s sentiments, at least.
Yawning, she went back inside the tree’s knot to change. The partially-hollowed tree, formed by a dead branch and cleaned out by some faerie’s association, provided a neat home to the pixie. Isa tied up her hair before stepping into her forest green uniform. She grunted as she folded her wings around and through the tight wing space of the vest; the tailors could never get it right.
And then, her tools: gloves, a roll of twine, a small set of shears, and a pouch of dust clipped to her belt. She flicked her wrist, and a wand the size of a needle landed on her hands. Satisfied, Isa waved it away, and the wand dissolved into light.
When she finished dressing, the sun was being bolder and shining somewhat on the park. Isa sighed in relief as the sun rays hit her wings, making them perk up a little. It was early — the park didn’t even open for a few more hours — but that didn’t concern her. Wings spread, white beret in place, she fell from the tree in a swooping dive — then glided up so she flew just below the tree level.
As she flew, Isa spotted a group of satyrs jogging on the paths, a goblin watering their windowsill flowers, and a dryad shooing away pesky birds. The neighborhood was predominantly monster-inhabited, or so they were labeled. Still, Isa could spot a human or two exiting their homes to go wherever they need to be. She simply flew over it all so she wouldn’t accidentally get mistaken as a bug. It had happened before.
The flight didn’t take long; three or so blocks deeper into the city. Homes were replaced by restaurants and tall apartments more suited for human-monster integration, crowded along a busy street. And, in the middle of it all, a humble police station. Isa’s destination.
She entered through a hatch next to the door where the mail usually went.
“Isabella Rhyne!” The clerk greeted as Isa alighted upon the smooth surface of the lobby desk. The hulking figure of the dwarf squatting over the desk only looked fearsome. “How goes your morning today?”
“As it usually does,” she replied as the dwarf clerk typed heavily on his screen. “The squirrels woke me up again today.”
A hearty chuckle escaped the other. “I’m sure they did, lass.” He pressed a button with finality, then leaned down below the desk. “Do you have your wand?”
Isa flicked her wrist with practiced ease, and the small needle of light appeared in her palm.
“Ahh... Here you are!” The dwarf stood back up to push a thin folder towards her. “You can carry those, right?”
Isa hefted the folder up. As it swung upward, she could see the papers inside — reports, files, and the like. She’d have to read through them when she got to her locker. “Yeah, I should be fine,” she muttered, leaning the folder onto her hands. The worst part of her mornings: having to carry a file nearly as tall as her.
“Squad 3C has their morning report in Meeting Room 4,” the dwarf continued, looking back to Isa hopefully. “You have a good day, Officer Rhyne.”
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