Seren leaned against the wall, smiling at the warmth. There were a few little chuckles from the adults who caught sight of Seren hugging the wall. Closing their eyes, they could just barely hear the hissing and thudding of machinery behind the walls.
They pushed off the walls and started down the path, still trying to decide where they were going to go and what they were going to do. They promised they wouldn’t be long but there was no way of telling how long exactly it was going to take. Seren quickened their step as they left the borders of the Winter district behind and into the borders of the Spring district. The Spring district was a trades neighborhood. Where everyone who had a certain business that required large spaces lived and worked. Butchers, tanners, blacksmiths. As such, the entire district had a foul smell hanging about it, which the city tried to fix by flooding the entire district with sweet smelling flowering plants so that in the spring the district would appear as the most beautiful and had the most confused smell.
Seren peeked through the thick vines, running their hand on the bars. The smell had them scrunching up their nose and holding their breath. Though that didn’t stop their eyes from watering. This was the only place where the walkway was completely empty, Seren hurried past the Spring district. They weren’t interested in whatever was inside those gates, not through the abhorrent smell.
The Summer district was residential. With tall townhouses and apartments near the gates and large manors and multi-storied houses with gardens inside private walls and gates. Despite how many beautiful houses and buildings existed in the district, the shining pearl of the Summer district was the academy. It sat at the far end of the district, spread out across the entire city wall. At the entrance of the district, Seren could see the tips of the academy spires.
It cast a shadow of dread over Seren that was colder than the snow. They took a breath and walked through the gates into the Summer district. Here the walkways were free of snow, horse-drawn carriages pranced with bells jingling down the streets at a leisurely pace. The streets weren’t active as most of the citizens went to the Autumn district or the walkway if they wanted to move around. However, there were a few mulling about the corners, lost in their conversations or their solitary activities.
Seren jumped over the cracks in the sidewalk. Humming a broken little tune to themself with no awareness of what was happening around them. They smacked hard into a pedestrian, knocking the man back. Seren’s heart caught into their throat.
“I’m sorry!” Seren yelled while jumping back. “I’m sorry!” They kept their eyes down at the ground, ducking around the man they ran into and running off. He yelled after them and Seren dove into the first turn that they came across. They paused at the end of the road, listening to see if the man was going to pursue them. It was silent. Seren let out a breath of relief, Their face went beet red as the embarrassment settled in. Panic followed quickly after, they could still feel the burn of the man’s nice winter coat on their face.
What if he worked in the academy?
Seren’s brain felt like static. Hiding in the fuzzy reception was a spiraling vision of being forbidden from ever going around the academy again. After following the downward spiral as far as it would go, it replayed in their mind before they got bored with it being there. Which prompted the next urgent thought, (that they were supposed to be hurrying,) to pop up. Seren ran down the street, all main streets led to the academy.
The closer Seren got to the shining streets of the academy the nicer the surroundings got. With bright shining metals and crystals embedded into the daily scrubbed stones. Tall brass lamp posts that were lit every day and night. No snow touched the stones inside the tall seemingly golden gates. Seren knew they weren’t, they’d overheard the staff refer to them as gilded steel.
Hundreds of frosted windows reflected the clouds traveling the skies. Every brick in the academy walls was engraved with foreign words Seren didn’t know how to read, at least not yet. The gap-filled education Seren had was all from sitting in on the classes and learning things in bits in pieces. Which was wonderful for their literacy, however it came with the very severe drawback of being the lightning rod for the lecturer’s anger and frustration. Depending on the day, the subject, and how well the students (and Seren) understood the lecture, it could be enlightening or be devastating.
Seren jumped from the snow dusted street and onto the dry, clear sidewalk outside the gilded academy gates. A layer of suspicion cloaked their mind as they noticed the empty courtyard. The entrance hall, with its glass walls, held no movement. Seren ran to the sign posted on the locked gates.
“Cl.. Cl lo ss’d.” Seren squinted at the elegantly written words. “Closed for… h-holy days. Happy y.. Yu-” Seren gasped as they realized the meaning. The academy was closed for Yuletide. Seren felt like they’d turned to stone. Anxiety dug in its claws, trying to rip them apart from the inside.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Seren whispered to themselves. Trying to declaw their inner turmoil. “We just move on. We can move on. That’s okay.” They took a deep breath and let it out through their clenched fists.
“Don’t have any other choices so I just have to do it.” They said, pushing the feelings down and turning to continue on to their backup plan. Seren could hear a clock echoing in their ears. Bothering people for spare change in the Autumn district was the worst punishment they could imagine. Even with the spirit of Yule in their hearts, people weren’t very generous. It could take multiple days to earn enough coins for just a single piece of candy, a trip to the chemist could take weeks. But there were no other options.
Seren kept that thought in their mind as they walked down the main street toward the city center again. Walking straight, eyes locked on their feet. They didn’t feel like hopping over the cracks, throat too dry to hum. Little flakes of snow appeared in the air around Seren while they were lost in their misery.
It broke their mood when their arm was seized from behind. Seren shrieked instinctively, accidentally delivering a harmless shock to the hand grabbing them.
Seren was spun around before released as the man bit out a curse and staggered. The sudden spin threw Seren’s feet out from under them and they fell to the ground.
“I’ve been calling at you for the past block, what are you? Dea-” The man Seren had run into earlier stopped talking suddenly as he got a good look at Seren’s face. Seren scrambled back up to their feet with intent to run but before they could, they were grabbed again.
“Hold on a second,” he snapped. Pulling Seren closer, Seren yanked back like a trapped animal. “You’re pretty strong, kid. Fae-touched, as well?”
“No! Let go!” Seren yelled. Something warm slid into their hand before it was released. Seren caught their footing before they fell to the ground again. They checked their hand as they wound up to throw it back at him but paused when they recognized it as a small steel coin. Seren recoiled back as the man knelt down and held up an Iron ingt.
“I have a job for you, it won’t be an easy one.” He said. The iron bar hypnotized Seren.
“What is it?” Seren asked. Really looking at the man for the first time. He looked like one of the academy lecturers. With heavy coats and multiple layers and thick tight-laced leather boots. His scarf had tight and small stitches, clearly bought instead of handmade. There wasn’t a loose thread out of place, not even on his winter gloves or hat. He looked at Seren through a pair of plain black-rimmed glasses that only added to the academic theme. He had coarse facial hair that was neatly trimmed. His dark skin had deep age lines in his face and his eyes were like amber.
“I need an enforcer. I’m willing to give you a percentage of the collection amount.” He said. Seren’s jaw tightened, shaking their head slightly as their first instinct was to refuse. But the iron ingt was persuasive.
“What percentage and how much?” Seren heard their voice acting independently of them.
“Twenty ingts at the lowest and I’ll give you 2%” He offered. Seren narrowed their eyes, they didn’t know what that translated to, but there was a burning in their ears that said it sounded wrong. They shook their head. “Do you have a better offer?” He sounded annoyed. Seren considered.
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“20% and I keep this stl, as incentive.” Seren said. The man scoffed.
“And what makes you think you’re worth that much?” He asked, the iron ingt vanishing into his palm.
“Hazard pay, I’m putting my body on the line.” Seren crossed their arms. “What if I end up in need of medical care? Doctor’s don’t work for cors and goodwill.”
“Fine. 5% and you keep the stl.” He said. Seren frowned with a glare, they still felt it wasn’t enough. “7.”
“I’ll meet you at ten.” Seren stood up straight and stuck up their head. “And if you’re really insistent, you can have the stl back.” Seren pried their hand open and held out the steel coin.
“You bring back over twenty ingts, then I’ll meet you at ten.” He stood up. “Keep the stl.” Seren thought this over but nodded.
“All right.” Seren pocketed the coin. “Where?”
“Follow me,” The man stood up and started down the street. Seren couldn’t force their feet forward, they jumped forward. Dragging their feet along as the weight of what they just accepted settled on top of them. They’d just accepted money to act as an enforcer. It was illegal for them to be an enforcer! Enforcers had to be over sixteen at the youngest! But if Seren’s math was correct, if they could bring back just a cor over twenty ingts they would earn more money in a single hour than they could in an entire week.
Seren decided ultimately, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt either of them. They kept a few paces behind the man, still not entirely sure of his intentions. He stopped outside the front steps of the house and Seren felt their heart jump into their throat, leaving their chest vacant.
The bloodstain on the doorframe was the first thing they saw. Following the sight was the realization they were going to have to go in there, into a stranger’s house, and demand payment. The thought made Seren woozy. They stuck their hand in their pocket to feel the stl and remind themself it was too late to back out. No choice, just do it.
“Twenty ingts, no more than a hundred.” The man said. “He’s being obstinate so go in there prepared for confrontation.” Seren didn’t know what obstinate meant, but was sure they could guess the meaning. They swallowed their heart back into place and took a breath. Seren was shaky as they went up the steps, adjusting their coat and pushing their hat down and their hair into their face. All to hide their eyes.
Seren shook out their hands and rang the doorbell. They felt the blood rushing through their ears. The door creaked open, and a man stood twice Seren’s height just inside it. Seren didn’t look him in the eye, staring straight ahead. They flinched as the man erupted into laughter before they could speak.
“You must be pretty desperate, Asche! You get the fuck out of here before I call the guards for child endangerment.” The man yelled. Seren felt like they needed to run, they held the stl tighter and brought both of their fists up.
“I don’t want to fight, so give me what you owe.” Seren said with all the weight they had. It wasn’t nearly enough.
“Get outta here, kid.” The man snapped at them. “You know what happened to the last enforcer that came this way?” The man knelt to their height. Seren lowered their gaze to the ground. Through their hair and just under the rim of their hat they could see the man’s unshaven chin.
“He died. He’s dead now. You want to join him?” He asked, Seren swallowed hard. Trying not to look at the bloodstain on the doorframe. The stl in their hand was becoming searing hot. Seren didn’t have any words to say. They had no idea what they were going to do, but they had to do something.
“I don’t. But the law states that-” Seren didn’t finish their sentence before they were struck hard across the face. Their hat fell over the side of the railing.
“You know what else the law states?” The man drew up to full height again. “I know my rights!” Seren’s face felt hot and their instincts swung wild as rage ignited. Seren turned, planting their feet and kicking their attacker hard in the knee. A loud curse sharply cut his incoherent yells about violation of personal freedoms off. Seren put up their hands, with no real understanding of the situation they were in.
"I'm not going to ask again!" Seren demanded, their voice stronger from the buildup of anger.
"Little bitch." The man swore and suddenly stood up. He seized their coat and pulled them up onto their tiptoes. Seren saw his first coming like a speeding train, they brought their hands up after they took the full force of the punch. They fell backwards, the concrete steps dug into their back. They were sure they heard their bones cracking. Seren's head was spinning, and they heard bells ringing. They blinked away the black dots and rolled over onto their knees, they could taste the blood. Seren choked hard and stood up through the spinning in their head. Seren turned and jumped back up the steps, surprised that the man had come down a step. They shoved their fists as hard as they could flat into the man’s stomach with all the momentum they’d gained.
The man exhaled sharply and stumbled over the top step, falling into the doorway. Seren’s knees trembled, threatening to give out on them. They pointed at him to say something stern but they couldn’t quite come up with something reasonably threatening, so they just widened their eyes instead. The man went to stand but when his eyes met Seren’s he froze, face paling instantly.
“Th-this is low even for you.” The man stumbled up to his feet. Pointing over top of Seren.
“I’m only coming down to your level,”
Seren took a breath and steadied their knees. A trail of blood fell from the split in their lip. The man shuddered and turned to flee inside his house, Seren reached to stop him and the light coming from inside the house went out. Stopping him from crossing the threshold.
“Pay what you owe,” Seren said sternly. Holding their hand out. “I will not ask again.”
“W-what could you do? You aren’t full fae, You can’t do much.” He didn’t sound confident. Seren wiped the blood from their face and held his palm out to him.
“Full fae or not, you made me bleed. Sickness will fall on your house.” Seren said. “Avoid the curse and do what I told you to.” The man’s pale face somehow became paler. He shoved his hand into his pocket, shakily pulling out a handful of random ingts and stumbling forward to drop them into Seren’s hand, a couple of coins spilling out onto the steps.
“There! That’s what I have! Lift the curse!” The man’s voice broke. Seren quickly counted the currency and nodded.
“‘Kay… wait.” Seren narrowed their eyes. “What is that thing you have in your pocket?”
“What?” The man asked.
“That thing… is it a ring?” Seren tilted their head. They poured the money into their other hand so they could hold their dominant hand out expectantly. “Give it to me.”
“Th-.. yeah! Yeah. Take your damned cursed fae shit.” The man yanked a ring out of his pocket and threw it at them. Seren flinched as it bounced off the steps past them. “Take back the curse!”
“Fine, you did as I asked.” Seren huffed and rolled their eyes. Kneeling to scoop up the loose change and the polished silver ring with a gold band in middle with a small speckled red gemstone. They looked at the two handfuls of money they had and entertained the idea of running away with it. Instead, they turned and jumped down the steps. Holding out their catch to their temporary employer.
“It’s over twenty ingts.” Seren smiled proudly, a little smugly. The man picked the ring off from the top.
“And this?” He asked, holding it up to the light.
“Dunno.” Seren stared at it. "It's making a funny sound."
"Funny sound?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," Seren said, then they shrugged. He stared at them through his glasses with a curious look. Looking back at the ring.
“Well, I’ll keep a hold of this then.” He said. “Maybe the appraiser will spare a stl for it.” Seren felt their ears burn again.
“If that’s all he gives you for that, he’s cheating you.” Seren said. They looked back down at what they’d collected.
“Oh?” He pulled out a leather coin purse and held it out for Seren to dump the money into.
“Hey, you said over twenty and I get ten percent.” Seren stepped back out of his reach.
“I did, now put it in the bag. We’ll go get this appraised and if it has any worth, then we’ll add it’s worth to your pay.” He said. Seren stared hard at him, trying to see if he was telling the truth.
“Okay…” Seren said warily, pouring the change into the coin pouch. “Is the appraiser close? I have somewhere to be.”
“They’re in the Autumn district,” he said. He started walking toward the main street. Waiting for Seren to grab their hat and run after him. “What’s your name?”
“Seren.” They said simply.
“Seren what?” He asked, Seren bit their lip. The cold air felt sharper in their throat.
“Just Seren,” They cleared their throat.
“You have parents?”
“Yeah,”
“They alive?”
“Sorta.”
“What’s their last name?”
Seren slowed their pace, they felt shaky which made them cough hard and mumbled.
“What?”
“Winters.” Seren said louder. The man paused for half a step and looked down at them. He looked forward again and continued walking. Seren stayed in step behind him. Side-eying the man as they walked behind him.