That Day, The dinner table of the orphanage is way more chattier than any other day. All are smiling and laughing, talking about the things they got. Some had gotten very beautiful dresses, and some(specifically kids) got candy that melted in their mouths, giving them comfort and extreme taste; they also got toys which they did not play with because of the fear that they would break them.
Some had gotten some special gift, like Bartha who had gotten a spiced pack and flavours, basically things used to cook. Which she used to make her usual soup but in way more delicious way, which is the thing they are currently savouring on.
After a Hartley meal and warm talked, they all bid good night and sweet dreams to each other before going to their bed. But in the middle of the night, Melian is still up.
"Hmm" Holding a wallet in hand, he is currently counting the notes. After a moment he smiled in satisfaction.
"Great, this is more than enough for me now"
The thief that stole Belion's wallet is none other than Melian, and he did it without noticing anyone else when he hugged Belion. It's not wrong to say he's indeed a skilled pirate.
"Hope tomorrow will be a sunny day as today", muttering, he hid the pocket in a place only he could find before going back to bed to sleep. Because tomorrow he might stay sleepless.
- - - - -
Up in the morning, Melian began his usual routine; under the heat of the sun, he first split all the fire food lefts and helped Deroth to clean up the storage. And had a chat with a Hailey while also helping her with her busy schedule. After all that, right before lunchtime, Melian strolled out from the orphanage; it didn't appear strange and looked just like he was just taking a walk around.
He strolled around the fence that surrounded the orphanage, and when he came to the back area, he picked up a bag that was placed right in the corner of the fence.
"Look like no one saw this" muttering he look into the beg, there's the dress that kwoksy got for him, and there was also the dress he got from Bellion in it. If today's plans work, he had no intention of returning to the orphanage, and because of that, he got the most valuable things he had packed in the beg. And all that happens to be these two dresses. Which is great; he didn't want to go to Nexus dressing like some poor homeless person in the first place.
Holding the bag in his hand, Meliana strolls along the muddy road passed the slum area and comes to a part that is a bit clean.
Different from slum roads, on this road, there are carriages that are parked beside roadside.
"orintle Road" said Meliana as he got onto one of the carriage. Not a luxurious one but a rough looking one, it had starch mark on the door and the paint that once shined on its outer layer is stained with mud from all those rides it took over the years.
The coachman asked no questions and started to do his job. A young man at the age of fifteen or sixteen can be considered an adult in this society and can do pretty much anything an actual adult does. Also, the coachman didn't care about who he serve if he got his Money at the end.
Looking at the passing road, Meliana began to remnised.
In his previous life, when he went to Nexus, he didn't start from a good place. Instead, he started from the bottom. There he got to know some people, just like him, the people that Nexus used to do their dirty work. Among those people, he knew one guy that went out to choose the candidate with deus aptitude; the higher up in nexus didn't care much about the ones in outside the word, so they dumped that job onto lower class. Although the guy's life is short-lived because of an accident, Melian remembered him talking about where he usually stayed.
And that place is on orintle road.
After about an hour of a ride, when the carriage came to a certain populated area that had a junction of a three road, the coachman slowed his horses.
After paying the fine for the carriage, Melian stepped out from the carriage and strolled along on the pavement. Observing the surrounding scenery and buildings.
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"A place that can see the full view of the city", muttered him, which is the word that guy used to describe his living place.
Guessing from what he said, this place must be some high up place, and must have a window that can look at the city direction.
On the pavement, Melian stood looking at the giant and tall building right in front of him. It was so tall that it covered the light of the sun for him and drowned him in its shadow.
"This fits the picture" It was a tavern, and on the highest floor of it, melian saw a window that was aimed right onto the streets.
However, melian didn't become excited or act impatient; all this was just his guess and according to the things he heard in his previous life. There's a possibility he heard them wrong, and the guy might not even be in here, or worse, he could be remember them wrong. If that happens, he will surely lose the trust in the plans he had prepared for the future.
So what Melian did: first, he walked into the tavern. In a way that did not attract much attention from anyone else but the man at the counter.
The man looked as Melian walked toward him. "What do you do in here, boy? We ain't got no work", said the man guessing Melian intention from the poor and ragged clothes he was wearing. And The beg he holding in his hand adds extra "homelessness" detail to the picture.
"Huh! Oh... please, sir, isn't there anything I can do?" Not letting the opportunity presented to him go to waste, Melian acts according to the situation.
The man on the counter looked at Melian and thought for a second. He was not a heartless man and very well know how difficult it was to live in this area and society for a young homeless man like Melian.
"All right, see those tables," said as he looked at a few tables that still weren't clean after the customers left. "clean them for a few hours' shift and I'll give you something"
Melian thanked the man while taking the job. But it's not for long until trouble came knocking on his head.
Even tho he did the job perfectly while also observing the surroundings, he got called by a man at the counter once again.
"They said I'm stink and unpleasant to see" Hearing the reason for his firing from the job, melian felt dejected. His appearance, well, it's not best that he admitted it, but saying he stinks is something unreasonable. However, He's dejected not because of those two complaints. It's because he's fired. During his working time, he got to Know that no one is allowed on the upper floor except for people who live there. He had planned to sneak in there while no one was watching, but since he got fired now, he had to look for another way.
After getting the money for what he had done, melian stepped out from the tavern. For the moment, he didn't knew what to do, so he waited in front of the tavern until his stomach punched him in hunger.
Since he got kicked out once, Melian didn't try to go to the tavern again, and he walked around trying to find another one that could provide food for someone like him. After a while, he found one, an old building at the corner of the street. Even on its pavement, there beggars and homeless people gathered around to chat and drink. 'Run-down Den' is the name of that tavern.
Its inside was completely different from the tavern he was in before. It was dirty and even the people in its are dirty. So Melian didn't got disgusted by anyone else.
"Wha do you want?" asked a young girl who came up to his table as he sat. "Whatever plate of meat and something to drink, water should be good", placed Melian his order.
The young girl left and took a few minutes to bring all those he ordered. A plate full of meat from an unknown source was placed in front of him with a cup of water at the side.
"Not bad" its taste is much better than what Bartha would cook any other day aside from the day she got proper Ingredients. While savouring the food, Melian gazes around the tavern. Looking at other people or the street outside.
However, while he's taking another bite from his food and looking around, he suddenly paused, seeing a person at the corner of the tavern.
It was the very guy that he came here to look for, the person from the nexus.
"what.. is he doing in here"
The guy is dressed in a bit of clean clothes, which obviously made him stand out from the rest in the tavern. Melian did not look at him for a long time, occasionally he looked, one or two times when he turns to look at the streets.
It was when Melian was half finished with his food that the guy stood up, Adjusted his clothes and walked out of the tavern. Melian, however, is still eating, focusing on his own food. But that's until the man steps past the door and turns to the pavement. Melian stood and placed a few notes on the table before walking out.
There goes Melian following Behind the well-dressed person. The neatly dressed gentlemen came to the same tavern where Melian had his doubts and also got kicked out from. There he went in, then through the stairs that only residents could enter to the upper floor.
"Almost" After seeing him go to the upper floor, Melian hurriedly ran back onto the pavement and looked back at the tavern's high-floor windows. A moment passed, and one of the windows opened, and there he saw the same person enjoying the gentle wind that blew through the opened window.
After confirming that his guesses were correct and the man was indeed in that room, Melian strolled away with a satisfying smile.
With happiness, he went to a store and bought a bottled liquor to taste. With the bottle in his hand, he walked on the street of Orintle Road, sometimes drinking, sometimes talking g to himself about the stuff of his past life that only he would understand. Like an old man.
This scene, where the man with a bag on his back and a drink in his hand walking along the street freely without care about anyone or anything else like letting off all of life's demands awoke a sense of serenity in some onlooker's hearts, specifically those who buried under a whole lot of task and responsibility that life had thrown at them.