I stuffed the last of the bread into my mouth and quickly left the market. I didn't put my purse back in my pocket though. It may not hold any coin, but the purse itself was valuable, both monetarily and sentimentally.

That aside, not all potential pickpockets were skilled enough to tell if a purse is empty or not until after they've already made off with it. I had learned this from experience, just as I had learned that simply being small and nimble is not enough for one to succeed in picking pockets.

I frowned at the distasteful memory. I had only done so a handful of times, but each time, I ended up subtly returning what I had taken. I want to protect people, and stealing their livelihoods only does the opposite of that.

I picked my way through the city streets, which slowly became more and more deserted the farther I went. Eventually, I found my way in a cramped and narrow space between run-down homes. A small crate, just big enough for me to have a little wiggle room, was pushed up against one of the walls. I pulled it away, revealing a hole in the side of the crate.

I remember when I first found it. I had been sitting, watching some workers for one of the merchants in the slums move the crates. One of the fellows dropped the crate, ruining it and damaging the merchandise inside. The worker… I'm not sure what happened to him, but I guess he might be dead now.

I never did see him again, but the merchant so kindly gave me the ruined crate. Of course, with the merchandise already removed from it. I guess it would have been more work for him to properly dispose of it.

Since then, however, this crate has been my home. I crawled in through the hole and began to shuffle around inside it until the crate was against the wall once more. This way, no one would see the hole, and no one would see me. Just like this, I had been protecting myself and my home for the better part of a year now. I wonder if tonight will be my last night sleeping like this.

If I'm able to start taking job postings tomorrow, I should be able to make enough money to rent a room in a cheap inn AND eat. I think… I'll miss my crate. It's the only home I've had since that adventurer died. I curled up, hugging my knees to my chest, and closed my eyes. Today had been a long and exciting day, but that only made it all the more tiring.

The next morning, I woke up to my crate being roughly jostled about. Panic welled up but subsided just as quickly as I heard the laughter of children. Children who were kicking my crate. I don't… know if I like children.

Some of them are very cruel. Others can be sweet, but in my experience, they tend towards cruelty more. They haven't learned the fake niceties of adults. They're innocent, and that makes it all the worse. I kick against the wall with my foot, pushing the crate back to expose the hole.

"Wah!"

The sudden movement startled the kids, and I carefully climbed out of my crate. I glanced over at them. Three little boys stared at me, one of which sat on his rump. It wouldn't be good if one of them began to cry for their mothers. A dirty, homeless girl like me? I'd be lucky if they stopped at calling the guards, but more likely, they would beat me themselves before they did so.

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No… I couldn't let that happen, so I decided to try to play it off. Like they weren't a bunch of brats who were kicking my home, with me in it. Before they had a chance to speak, I said, "Oh no… Y-you found my secret hideout."

Interacting with children tended to be easier if one just pretended as if everything was just a game. It's easy enough to pull the wool over their eyes.

The one on the ground stood up and grinned, displaying a missing front tooth. He put one hand on his hip and pointed at me with the other, "I knew it! Hey! This is OUR hideout from now, so you better leave!"

I frowned slightly. Being told to vacate my home by children is a bit… But I know very well that I can't argue with them. Doing so would only draw their parents' ire. "O-of course…"

With this, I probably couldn't stay here tonight. If I didn't want to have to sleep unprotected, I really do have to take a request at the Guild today. The world isn't kind to ladies who stay out after dark, especially in the less nice areas of the city.

I moved to leave; after all, the sooner I got to the Guild and actually took a request, the sooner I could complete it, but the same little boy shouted, "Hey! You better not tell anyone, got that?! And…"

I looked back at him just as he looked away and kicked at the ground, "I-I guess you can come play with us sometime! I'm Delric ; what's your name?"

Sometimes, children were sweet, but that made them all the harder to deal with. Adults who are kind… There's something they want, and if you can figure it out, you'll know whether or not you can afford their kindness. But children? They don't want anything, and I don't know how I'm supposed to interact with them. "My name is… Ami."

"Ami… Ami… Okay! I got it! You better come back and play with us, okay?!"

I nodded, before I continued on towards the Guild. Along the way, I dragged my fingers through my hair. I didn't feel the need to go to quite as much trouble as I had the day before to visit the Guildhall, but I was still self-conscious about how horrible I looked. It's been years, and yet I still can't seem to get used to this.

I missed having my hair brushed and styled each morning. When I was younger, I hated it. The brush always caught on tangles and pulled painfully, but I got the feeling I wouldn't mind it as much anymore. However, I no longer have a hair brush, nor do I have anyone to brush it.

I smiled grimly. You never know how valuable those moments are…Until you can longer have them. I missed the way I used to live, but I didn't know if I would ever be able to get those days back. Once you lose something… It's gone forever. Even if you can get it back, it'll be altered forever. But there is that saying… What was it…? If you love it, set it free? But if it comes back… It's yours to keep.