As usual, Silver woke with her thin blanket pulled over her face, leaving her legs exposed. She pushed the fabric off and glared at the fingers of sunlight prying their way through the small gaps in her shutters. Automatically, she got up, pulled on a dress from the plain box at the foot of the pad she used as a bed, and strapped the belt with her pouch on. After checking that her daggers were secured and out of sight, she left the room. Rath wasn’t in the kitchen, so she headed out the door without a word.
A quick glance at the sky told her it wasn’t too early drop by a stall and get some breakfast for Mina. Silver turned away from the route she’d take to Mina’s and headed toward the stall from which she’d received the roll the day before, thinking to return the favor. Unfortunately, the stall wasn’t there. What met Silver instead was the structure’s remains. Smashed and shattered pieces of the magicked warming box lay among the wooden frame.
“Damned tax collectors,” Silver scowled.
“Silver…?” a hesitant voice said behind her.
She turned to face the woman who had been the owner. Her eyes flicked over the basket the women held, woven from the stems of one of the tough desert plants growing in excess around Lesand before returning to the woman’s face. The shopkeeper seemed anxious as she met the younger’s gaze. Silver tilted her head to the side, silently requesting information.
The woman offered an uncertain smile. “Tha taxes raised ‘n’ I wasn’ prepared fer it.”
Silver closed her eyes and released the energy she had begun to gather subconsciously. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not anythin’ anyone can do nothin’ about,” she replied with a resigned shrug while visibly relaxing.
“The nobles could do somethin’,” the younger grumbled under her breath. In the next second, she slipped into her friendly smile. “What’cha got in that basket?”
“Rolls. Gotta start buildin’ up again.” This time, her voice held both pride and conviction each in no small parts.
“Good, I came by wantin’ ta buy some. Six, if ye don’ mind.”
“Of course, of course. Anythin’ fer my best customer. That’ll be twelve copper,” she replied, placing the basket on the ground and withdrawing her product.
Silver passed over the requested money and accepted the rolls, slipping them inside her pouch. Then, she attached her small frame to the woman in a hug, deftly slipping ten silver coins, the equivalent of a gold, into the woman’s coin purse.
“I’ll come again!” she said brightly. In a quieter voice, she added, “Present fer ye. Best thing we can do is show those damned collectors that they can’ keep us down ferever. Careful not to let tha others know, of course.”
Silver danced away, waving innocently. The woman allowed a troubled expression for only a moment before wiping her face clear.
“Thank ye fer buyin’ here. I’ll look forward ta yer next visit.”
Objective accomplished, the girl turned back and strolled back in the direction toward her house, allowing her expression to cloud back over. There was no sense in wasting energy keeping a happy, energetic front up. Especially not when it would pass on its own as she walked.
“Mina, you awake?” she asked as she pushed through the cloth entrance.
“Silva?” Mina’s voice replied sleepily. “It’s too early.”
Silver watched a small shape roll over as Mina buried herself deeper in her makeshift bed.
“If I’m up, ye can get up,” the older stated firmly.
“Tha’s why I don’ wanna get up.”
Despite her complaints, the raven-haired girl sat up and stretched. Resigning herself to her fate, she looked at Silver warily.
“Here.” Silver pulled out the rolls and handed them over. “I’m gonna go walk around some more, so take yer time. And don’ ferget to wash up.”
“Ok,” the other agreed meekly.
The older girl didn’t go too far, the feeling from yesterday of being watched still in the back of her mind. She leisurely, seemingly aimlessly, wandered through the streets. Should anyone have cared to map her path, they would have found it to be a wide circle with Mina’s house at the epicenter. The walk served two purposes: one, she was able to check if the feeling emerged again now; and two, even the light movement managed to expunge the remainder of her morning mood. Her expression comfortably returned to its normal, amiable state.
Sensing nothing out of the ordinary and judging enough time had passed, Silver headed back to Mina. When she returned, she found the younger girl crouching on the ground. So focused was she that she didn’t seem to notice Silver’s approach.
“What’re ye lookin’ at?” Silver asked.
Mina gave a huge start and looked around. When she saw Silver, her expression became wary for a moment, then relaxed after realizing she wasn’t in trouble.
“I was tryin’ ta get tha bugs ta stop fightin’,” she admitted, pointing to where two emerald green beetles clashed with their respective single horn.
With a fond smile, Silver said, “Leave ‘em be. Even if ye separated ‘em, they’d find somethin’ else ta fight elsewhere.”
“But what if they get hurt?”
“That migh’ happen, but they wouldn’ thank ye fer stoppin’ ‘em. Maybe they have a friend they want ta impress.”
“Mu.” Mina pouted.
“Come on,” she laughed, ruffling the other’s still-damp hair, “let’s get to work.”
Mina’s pout deepened, but she still stood up.
“Alrigh’, let’s just get straight inta tha thick of it.” Silver held out her personal money pouch and attached it to her belt. “Have ye practiced tha one-handed release?”
“A little…” The response was petulant.
“I guess we’ll have to work twice as hard, then,” she retorted with a devilish grin.
“Yer tha meanest person in tha world,” Mina complained.
“Good, maybe one day I can give Rath a run fer his money,” Silver laughed. “Now, no more time wastin’. C’mon, give it a shot so I can see what’cha remember.”
Mina reached for the strings and worked her fingers reasonably dexterously while Silver patiently looked on. Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty. Finally, the pouch slipped off the belt and landed on the ground with a thud. Silver scooped it up and retied it.
“Again.”
They went through the same process several times, but the time it took never changed much. Internally, Silver sighed. Mina never showed any sign of frustration. Though the older girl didn’t think the younger would do anything less than her best, it didn’t seem as though she was bothered by her lack of success, either. By her age, she should have been out on the main streets going after targets, even if they were smaller. If she didn’t pay into the weekly money collection, she didn’t receive the same protection in the slums as the others.
The fund that Rath had set up acted as an insurance for when something happened. When a building burnt down through no fault of the resident, the funds could be used in its rebuilding. When tax collectors destroyed a stall, the owner received a small present of money to help them get back on their feet. The roll stall keeper was no different, but Silver had wanted to provide a personal boost. If there was some other dire need in the slums, the money could be put toward that, too. And there were other benefits as well. Those who paid into the pot weren’t targets of the other criminals in the slum. If they were targeted, the assailant would be required to provide compensation once found. On the whole, such crime was much lower in the slums than elsewhere, as there was little point in the minds of the thieves to taking from those who already had nothing.
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But that didn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Personal grudges always existed, and there were those who wished to rise in power and wealth in the world of organized crime. Silver wasn’t sure where the rest of the money went, but she felt that at least part of it was put toward stabilizing the peace. She did know that Rath sometimes rewarded others for their contributions. Her daggers were one example of that, and she treasured them despite her complaints. Beyond that, with how much some people contributed each week, she felt that Rath had to be sitting on a veritable hoard of treasure, but she wasn’t sure exactly how much. Nor was it her business. If she had once been curious, she didn’t pay it any mind now.
Silver returned her attention to the girl in front of her. If she wasn’t willing to pick up this trade, she would have to find another or she would never survive without a guardian. The biggest problem was Silver didn’t know anything other than fighting and pickpocketing. She couldn’t pass on any other skills. As the pouch struck the ground once more, she scooped it up and stored it in its usual place. Mina looked at her with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.
“If you really don’ wanna be a pickpocket, I can’ really do nothin’ about it, can I?” the older girl asked with a small smile to show she wasn’t angry.
“It...it’s not that I don’ wanna, it’s jus’...” Mina tried to explain, flapping her hands uselessly.
“It’s alrigh’. Yer too soft fer it, if we’re talkin’ straight. I’ll try ta think of somethin’ else ye can do. Why don’ we head ta tha market an’ have some fun?”
“Really!?” The younger’s expression brightened in an instant. “It’s ok!?”
“If yer with me, it should be safe enough. We’ll stop by my place ta get ya a dress.”
“Yay!” She was practically bouncing.
Hiding a laugh, Silver led the way home and to her space where she pulled out a dress. She turned around to hand it off, but Mina was staring around wide-eyed. It took a moment for the older girl to realize that the younger had likely never been inside a sturdy building, not even when her mother was alive.
Stepping up to Mina’s side, she draped the dress over the other’s shoulder. “Get changed an’ come outside when yer done. Don’ take too long!”
Mina snapped out of her reverie and nodded. “Ok.”
Silver slipped back outside and quickly scrubbed herself down. She had already finished by the time Mina emerged in the new dress, looking acceptable for wandering around the general market. She seemed even more shy than usual, head ducked with a small tinge of red visible even against her dark skin.
“‘M ready,” she mumbled.
“Keep yer head up. Ye gotta be confiden’ in tha market ‘r’ ye’ll get swarmed.”
Mina looked up, but she still wore her nervousness like a cloak. Shaking her head, Silver turned, gesturing for the other girl to follow her. They took a somewhat roundabout way toward the market, moving in and out of alleyways. There probably wasn’t anyone following them, but Silver wouldn’t take that chance. Not when she had Mina with her. At last, they reached the boundary between the two sections. The younger girl stared anxiously at the empty stretch, and more anxiously still at the buildings in the distance.
“Close your eyes. Pretend yer still walkin’ through the slums,” Silver instructed her as she gathered her energy. Mina obeyed.
With the strength circling, picking up someone her own size was effortless. Silver did so, checking to make sure the girl’s eyes were squeezed shut before shooting off and closing in on the markets. It was over in seconds.
“Ok. You can open your eyes now.”
The sounds of the market were already rolling over them in waves where they stood in the alley. Mina’s eyes opened and never seemed to stop as they moved toward the entrance. She stood, frozen, overwhelmed by the sheer number of people and sounds. Silver smiled. When Rath had first taken her to the market, she had felt much the same, though she had acted as unimpressed as she could, hoping to impress the man who had adopted her. It hadn’t seemed to work, but she could well understand the girl beside her now.
“C’mon, let’s go walk around,” she urged gently.
The other nodded and cautiously followed Silver as they merged with the flow. Silver thought about reminding her not to stare so wide-eyed at everything, to act more like she was used to this, but she immediately dismissed the idea. Somehow, she couldn’t quite bring herself to put a damper on the younger girl’s mood.
While Mina drank in the sights and unknown languages, Silver kept an eye out around them, warning off would-be pickpockets with a stare. They all would recognize her, as recognizing the other workers was a requirement before entering the streets, so it only took a single non-verbal warning to keep them away from the other girl. She also made certain to steer clear of any patrols, fewer in presence though they were today.
By the time they had walked around half of the market loop, the sun had reached its peak. Silver bought Mina a bowl of noodles in a cold broth and one of the more popular treats of the area, flavored flakes of ice, for each of them. They sat under one of the umbrellas, enjoying.
“Tha’s the castle, right?” Mina asked before slurping more of her noodles. Now that her initial shock had worn off, she’d regained her tongue.
“Yep,” Silver replied shortly.
“It’s big.”
“The slums’re the biggest, though. ‘Cause they’re the outer ring.”
The younger girl looked surprised. “Really?”
“It’s thinner ‘n’ tha common an’ noble livin’ quarters, but it’s long. ‘Course, it’s split by tha gate leadin’ inta tha market, but tha’s why we have an underground tunnel.” Sometimes, she forgot how little the other girl got out.
“Oh. Why’s it so split?”
“Because we’re poor, an’ they take our money.”
“But I don’ think yer poor, Silva. Ye always seem ta have money. An’ ye take it back from ‘em, don’cha?”
Silver shifted uncomfortably. “It’s fer work, an’ tha’s why we have tha common pot ta help out tha slums. Hurry up ‘n’ eat yer ice flakes, they’re gonna melt.”
Mina nodded and set about the cool dessert.
Silver wanted to explain the differences in how the thieves of the slums acted compared to the nobles, but not here where just anyone could hear. Plus, she wasn’t sure the younger girl would understand. Though she was a native to the slums, she had been sheltered from the worst of it. The entire system in Lesand was designed against people rising in the ranks. It wasn’t impossible for someone from the slums to open a shop in the general market, but it would take bribes far in excess of what one could earn by any normal means. And that was on top of the other setup costs. Your luck in birth determined your fate in all but the most extreme cases. To the eight year-old who had yet to experience all of this, Silver wasn’t sure she could adequately explain.
Repressing a sigh, she finished off her own dessert, crunching the edible dish in which it came. She smiled at Mina who seemed to have already forgotten their conversation and was enjoying the luxury she could but rarely experience. When she, too, had finished, the two girls sat, basking in each other’s companionship.
Every so often, Silver glanced at her companion whose eyes seemed fixed on the stall keeper across the way, the one selling ice flakes. The woman was on the plumper side with a pleasant smile for each of her customers. Even though she was alone, she handled the large crowd around her stall effortlessly. Most of her stall seemed to operate automatically--she pressed a button which pushed water infused with flavor and color into an enchanted ice box where it froze almost instantly. She then took one of the hundreds of pre-baked bowls from a sleeve, held it under a spout jutting out of each flavor’s ice box, and pushed another button. The ice flaked out from the spout into the bowl which she would then hand over to the customer.
“It looks fun,” Mina said quietly.
If Silver hadn’t been looking, she wouldn’t have known what Mina was talking about. Still, seeing her interest, Silver had the vague wisps of an idea beginning to connect in her mind. Whether it would pan out or not was a different thing altogether.
“Mhm,” she simply agreed, standing up and brushing the folds out of her dress. “C’mon, let’s keep goin’.”
They spent the remainder of the afternoon completing the market loop. Silver bought some food to send home with Mina for dinner. She also purchased a hair tie decorated with a small, foreign bird neither could place as a commemoration of Mina’s first visit. Though the younger girl protested, Silver couldn’t see the purchase as superfluous. It was fun, having someone to spoil.
As the sun began to set, they made their way home. Again, Silver had Mina close her eyes as she sprinted across the gap. Coming from the market, Silver decided it was fine to take a much more straightforward return path and it took only half as long to arrive back at Silver’s house where Mina changed back into her original outfit. From there, the two walked back to Mina’s abode.
“Thank you, Silva, today was really fun!” Mina’s smile was wider than Silver had ever seen it before.
“No problem. I had fun, too. I do have a request fer ye, though. Remember this mornin’ when I came here? Can ye come ta my house around tha same time tomorrow? And make sure ye scrub before.”
“That early?” Mina looked hesitant. “Ain’t that a bit...dangerous?”
“Dangerous? Why?” Silver was confused.
“Nevermin’,” the other shook her head vigorously.
Now honestly concerned, Silver pushed her for information. “Is somethin’ happenin’ around here in tha mornin’?”
“Nope! It’s just ye...well, this mornin’ was fine, so tomorrow’ll be fine, too. Don’ worry!”
Unconvinced and with worry still gnawing at her slightly, Silver let the topic go. If Mina was late, she’d just go looking for her and fix anything that was getting in her way.
“So ye’ll come?”
“Yep!”
“Alrigh’, then. Don’ ferget ta scrub.”
Mina nodded obediently. With a wave, Silver turned and returned home, arriving not long after the sky had turned a deep, royal purple. She entered the house on alert, but there was nothing out of place. Curiously, she examined every inch of every room on both floors, then slipped outside to the roof and checked there, too. Still nothing. Feeling discomfited by the lack of ambush, Silver reentered and went to her room. Since Rath didn’t seem to be around, she saw no need to wait for him. Maybe it was his apology for the day before. Or not. But if there was a chance for her to grab more sleep, who was she to refuse? As such, she took off her pouch and daggers, placing the latter by her pillow, before climbing into bed and allowing sleep to take over.