“Sorry, don’t need any more help.”

“Are you certain? I could always just clean around or make a delivery if you need?” Emmet said, as the woman who owned the tannery gave him a sympathetic shrug.

“Sorry, kid. Just don’t have anything for you to do. Besides, money’s been tight the last few weeks.”

Emmet nodded. While upset, he understood that sometimes, the money just wasn’t there to hire help.

“Well, do you know anybody that might need someone to work for the day?” He asked.

“Nope, sorry. But good luck looking.” She said, before turning around to head into the back of her shop. Emmet couldn’t help but wonder if she did so just to get away from him.

Emmet felt utterly rejected as he stepped out into the street. This must have been the fifth person to turn him down today, and it had only been about two hours since he and Sophia parted ways. He had walked up and down the main street of the Dalli’s market square, none of the street vendors needed or wanted him there, and all of the shops that he could feasibly offer some assistance to had turned him away. Emmet found a spot to rest for a moment and tried to come up with a plan. Was it possible that the main trade hub was simply well occupied by workers?

He looked both ways down the street, where the well maintained shops and busy streets gave way to more humble buildings with much less foot traffic. This was a major city, even bigger than the one he grew up in! There had to have been one person in this city who would hire him.

As Emmet walked down the street in search of a shop or business, he noticed that the crowds thinned rather quickly. The soldiers didn’t seem to patrol the part of the city that he was entering, and the nearly white stone buildings slowly became dingier, with a layer of dirt and overgrowth that was not well cared for. Many of the buildings were unmarked, leaving Emmet to assume that they were either abandoned or peoples homes. He was thinking of turning back when he saw a sign hanging in front of an alleyway. A wood carving of a raven with a stash of trinkets in its beak. Above the image it read: Corvo’s Curios.

Emmet poked his head down the alleyway, seeing that it cut into a dead end not too far down. On one end was simply the stone wall of the adjacent building, but on the other was a small set of steps leading down. Climbing down the steps, Emmet found an unlocked door, and pushed it open.

“Hello?” Emmet asked, stepping inside. He was greeted with, what he would best describe as a bunch of junk scattered about the back room of someones home. All around him, shelves and small tables held a random assortment of trinkets and other miscellaneous objects. At the back of the shop, a man was hunched over sleeping at the counter. His balding head of dark hair rested in his arms as his shoulders rose and fell with his rapturous snoring.

“Hello?” Emmet asked again, stepping closer to the counter. No response.

“Are you ok?” Emmet asked, taking his fist to the counter and gently tapping his knuckles against it. The sleeping man bolted upwards, eyes darting around the room as he panted in confusion. It were as if Emmet had taken a heavy book and dropped it next to him, rather than simply knocking gently by his ear.

“What? Who? Huh?” He asked, his sense returning to him as he focused on Emmet.

“Oh, it’s only a guest.” He said, chuckling. “Apologies, business has been a tad slow lately, I wasn’t expecting anyone to stop by.”

“Is it because your shop is at the end of a dark alley?” Emmet asked plainly.

“Less than ideal location, I’ll admit.” The man replied. “But I have enough of a loyal clientèle to keep the bills paid. Now! What is your name, young man? And how can I be of assistance?”

“I’m Emmet, and I was actually looking for some work for the day, but if things are slow I can–“

“No! No, no, no!” The man stammered, stepping from behind the counter to approach Emmet and place his arm over his shoulder. “I actually could use your help! And of course, I would compensate you for your time.”

Emmet was beginning to feel uneasy, and slipped out of the mans arm. He simply chuckled, and waved a hand dismissively. “Bah! Of course, where are my manners? My name is Corvo, and I am the purveyor this fine establishment! If you are looking for curiosities, come to Corvo’s Curios!”

“Yeah, I figured that was your name, it is on the sign out front, after all.”

“Ah! You can read!” Corvo replied. “That already puts you a cut or two above of most of the dolts and meat heads in this city.”

“Right.” Emmet said, trying not to roll his eyes at what seemed like a never ending sales pitch. “So, what did you need help with?”

Corvo gently slapped his forehead, chuckling again. “Right, right. You wanted work.” He said. “It’s simple, I need to go out and run a few errands, and I need somebody to watch the shop!” He said, leaning back against the counter. “And since I am a generous man, I will pay you an entire days wage for just a few hours. I doubt anyone would even come by, just sweep the floors and dust the shelves to keep yourself busy.” He said. It all seemed a bit too good to be true.

“What’s the catch?” Emmet asked, crossing his arms.

“No catch, no catch.” Corvo replied, running his finger along the rim of a vase sitting at the counter. “Though, I should warn you that anything you break will have to be paid for. So, do be careful. This vase alone would be worth more than your right arm.” Corvo stopped to think for a moment. “You are right handed, right?” He asked.

“Yes…”

“Good. Then right arm it is.”

Every inch of Emmet was telling him to turn out of the shop and leave this weirdo alone to handle his own business. But the offer of a days wage for just babysitting a near dead shop… it seemed to good to pass up. If it was a scam, he would just need to be careful. Try not to break anything and make sure nothing goes wrong.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Alright, Corvo. You have a deal.” Emmet said, reaching out his hand. He was shocked at just how strong of a grip Corvo had as he shook his hand vigorously.

“Excellent! Remember, I’ll be back in a few hours, read a book if you like, do some cleaning, right arm!”

Before Emmet could even process what he had said, Corvo was gone. Leaving him alone in this shop full of junk.

“And don’t go in the back room!” Corvo shouted, after poking his head back in the door and promptly slamming it shut.

----------------------------------------

The shop had no windows, and it became hard for Emmet to tell just how long he had been left alone. He had already done everything he could conceivably do to pass the time. He had swept the floor of what little dirt there was, he dusted a few of the shelves that he was sure wouldn’t result in him breaking any of the merchandise, and he even tried to take stock of what all there was. The problem being that apart from some fake jewelry and strange knick knacks, Corvo didn’t exactly have anything interesting on display.

“Come down to Corvo’s Crap!” Emmet muttered to himself, as he paced around the shop. “We have Sidia’s largest assortment of useless items and random trash.”

His eyes were eventually drawn to the back door of the shop, the front door being the only way in or out of the showroom. Being left alone like this can make one’s imagination run wild, and Emmet started to wonder what could be behind the door: elicit goods? A cellar where Corvo keeps his murder victims? Or maybe just his bedroom, where he keeps his dirty laundry. Emmet decided that a small peek couldn’t hurt, and he gently started to jiggle the knob. It was locked, of course.

Emmet knelt down, peeking into the keyhole when he heard the front door swing open behind him. He whipped around to see two people stepping into the shop: A lithe man with a number of scars across his face, and perhaps the largest and most muscular woman that Emmet had ever seen. They both looked dead at him, the man giving a wicked grin.

“Uh, hey!” Emmet said as the two stepped towards him. It was then that he noticed the woman had a blackjack hanging from her hip, and he could make out the hilt of a knife sticking out of the mans waistband.

“Where’s Corvo?” The man asked, almost playfully. The two visitors stood in front of Emmet, blocking the only way out of the store.

“Uhh, Corvo had to go and run a few errands, I think he said he would be back before closing if you wanted to–“ Emmet went silent as the man shoved the knife into the wooden counter.

“Well, I’m sure he told you about the money that he owes me, right?” He asked. “I was very clear when I told him that Amy here wouldn’t go easy on him if he didn’t have the payment in full.”

Emmet looked over to the woman, who took her small club and smashed the vase sitting on the counter with ease. The one Emmet would lose his right arm over.

“Look, he didn’t tell me anything, honest.” He said, drip starting to pool in his bangs as he backed himself against the wall. “I’m just supposed to watch the shop for the afternoon, honest.”

The man chuckled, taking the knife from the counter and twirling it in his palm. Emmet watched as he sighed, using the blade to pick dirt out from under his fingernail as he stepped away.

“Amy. Give the kid a message for Corvo.” He said, leaning back against the wall. Amy looked down at Emmet, brandishing her club and grinning as she stepped closer. Emmet could tell by the look in her eyes that he wasn’t going to be able to talk his way out of this one, and there was no way he could hope to fend her off. It was like being chased by that bear all over again. In the brief moment that Amy lifted her weapon over her head, Emmet thought back to how he felt just the night before. How helpless he felt in that moment when he held himself back for the sake of someone else's safety, and how he didn’t feel such a concern right now.

Emmet felt the heat rumble in his belly, but he did not let it fester. Acting on pure instinct, he focused on the heat, feeling it flow through his arm as if a levy had opened within it. His entire hand felt sweaty, then began to heat as if he had grabbed the light of a candle in his palm. He watched as he balled it into a fist, and a flash of fire washed over it. Enough to cause his assailant to hesitate, and for him to send it crashing right into her jaw.

The large woman stumbled backwards, letting out a loud cry of shock as she slammed into the wall, several books falling onto her. Emmet grinned, looking at his hand and marveling at how totally uninjured he was.

“Oh, big mistake, freak!” Emmet looked over to see Amy’s partner in crime brandish his knife, stepping closer to the counter. Emmet lifted himself up, kicking his legs over and stumbling to the other side, his hands held up.

“Back up! Or I’ll do it again!” He insisted. For a moment, the man seemed to weigh his options. He quickly made his decision, opening his mouth to shout as he leaped towards Emmet. He tried to tap into that fire inside of him, but he received no answer, and felt his heart skip a beat as he quickly saw his reflection in the blade of the knife. Before Emmet even had time to try and duck out of the way, he watched the man catch a heavy copper plate to the side of the head. He stumbled, falling into a table.

“Again, Myers?” Emmet heard Corvo say. He looked over, seeing the man shake his head in disappointment. “Did it ever occur to you to wait for me to return before you go smashing my store and threatening my employees?” Corvo reached into his pocket, fishing out a sack of coins and tossing it across the room. Corvo caught it against his chest as he laid back on the table of oddities, pushing himself to stand up straight.

“That ain’t gonna cut it anymore!” He shouted, storming over to the shop owner. “You didn’t say anything about–“ Corvo promptly silenced him with a second sack of coins, glaring at Myers as if he were ready to take that knife from him and use it.

He weighed the two pouches in either hand, looking back over at Amy, who was cradling a fresh burn on her cheek and wincing. “Come on. Let’s get you something to numb that.” He hissed. The two criminals walked briskly towards the exit, both of them keeping theirs eyes on Emmet, and he could have sworn they looked afraid before they left.

Emmet and Corvo were left in silence, and the young man looked around the shop. A few knocked over tables, a shelf now devoid of its books, and the priceless vase now rested in shards across the floor.

Emmet thought about running for the exit, just before Corvo spoke up.

“Well, I suppose you had a rough evening.” He said plainly, his manic demeanor having been replaced with one almost grim.

“Corvo, I am so sorry!” Emmet muttered, watching as Corvo inspected the damages, kicking around the fragments of the vase. Corvo stepped behind the counter, kneeling down and bringing up a vase that looked precisely like the one that was destroyed.

“Why? This wasn’t your fault.” He said. Emmet let go of the breath he had been holding in, stopping to pick up the box of assorted buttons that had spilled on the floor.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have it taken care of. Here…” Corvo started fidgeting with a small box from behind his counter, pulling out three silver coins, and placing them down. “A little extra something for the inconvenience.”

Emmet approached and looked down at them: three silver coins, triple what he was expecting.

“Corvo, I can’t,” Emmet said. “Your shop is wrecked, at least let me stay and help.”

“No, trust me, I can get it fixed quicker on my own.” He said, chuckling. “You should go and get settled for the evening, get some rest.”

“Well, thanks.” Emmet said, turning to leave. Before he could grab the door, Corvo spoke once more.

“And Emmet?” Please be careful.”

“Of course.” Emmet replied, noticing how it seemed much more sincere of a request than a form of farewell.