"Do you hear that Gale?!" Posy was tugging on his hand repeatedly, her big grey eyes were wide
The elegant music could be heard from a few blocks away and Gale knew exactly where it was coming from. Of course the Undersees would have a piano, what else were they going to do with all their money?
Gale shook his head as he picked his little sister up and placed her on his hip
"I hear it Pose, it's pretty isn't it?" He smiled at her and his little sister nodded her head in agreement.
"We go see?" She asked him hopefully, giving him an innocent smile that Gale knew could easily convince a lot of people but he wasn't falling for it this time.
"We can't, we have to get some stuff for mum, okay?" He said and ruffled her hair, but she pushed his hands off and pouted a little. Gale set her back onto her feet and they walked towards Hob. He kept his sister close to him as they walked through the small market and picked out the few things his mother had asked him to get.
Once they were back outside, the faint music of the piano could still be heard but Gale was focused on trying to sell some of Posy's old clothes, the four year old was growing fast and they had no use for her old garments anymore. He was growing more annoyed when the woman he was bartering with refused to pay what he had asked.
"Are you kidding me, these clothes are in great condition! I'm not giving you the whole bag for five dollars!" he told her angrily and the woman gave him a dirty look but decided it wasn't worth the fight and quickly stormed off. Gale let out a huff and tried to compose himself, he had dealt with even worse customers and he wasn't about to ruin his time he had with Posy. Gale came to his senses at the thought of his sister and quickly looked beside him, but she was gone. Panic spread through him like wildfire as he looked around the busy market, trying to catch a glimpse of her pale pink dress.
"Posy!" Gale shouted and started to run through the crowd of people, pushing past them and knocking a few people over. He didn't bother to even apologize as his vision began to blur, this was no place for a four year old to be wandering alone, there were too many creeps in the Seam.
As he rounded a sharp corner, getting closer into town, he finally spotted his little sister a few yards away, running as fast as her little legs could take her. Suddenly he knew exactly where she was headed. After catching his breath for a few seconds, he began to chase after her again. As his long legs carried him closer to the Mayor's house, he finally was able to grab his sister and pull her into his arms, but he had been a little too late and Posy had already rang the doorbell.
"Posy! You don't just run off like that. It's dangerous!" Gale said exasperated and suddenly the door swung open in front of them.
Madge stood in the doorway as she took in the sight of the both of them and she gave them a shy smile.
"Hi Gale, hi Posy. Can I help you?" She asked quietly
Gale shook his head and let Posy back onto the ground, but kept a tight grip on her hand
"No, sorry." Gale replied "Posy ran off and came over here..." He trailed off as Posy spoke up
"I wanted to hear the music!" She told the blonde and jumped up and down excitedly.
Madge let out a laugh and kneeled down to Posy's height
"Really? Well you guys can come in and I can show you." She said and glanced up at Gale nervously. She had always been a little intimidated by him and she knew he wasn't fond of her at all. She watched as Gale shook his head.
"No Posy, we have to get going, mum needs her things." He said quietly, shifting the bag on his shoulder.
Madge hesitated a moment before speaking up. "I can watch her for a bit if you need." She said, and Gale had to hold back a laugh, there was no way he was leaving his sister with Undersee, no way in hell.
"No, we really need to get going." He said a bit sternly and his heart dropped a little when he noticed Posy starting to tear up. He willed himself to stay strong and ignore the crocodile tears that poured off of the young girl's cheeks but this was his sister and he loved her more than anything in the world. So he let out a long sigh and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Okay fine, you can stay but only for an hour." He said and watched Posy's eyes light up so quickly.
"Really?! Thank you, thank you!" She screamed and giggled and ran over to Madge, cautiously taking her hand.
Madge smiled at Gale "Don't worry, we're going to have lots of fun, right Posy?" She looked back down at his sister and she nodded quickly.
Gale huffed and stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "Ill be back in an hour." Was all he said before he lumbered down the steps back towards the Seam.
...
After Gale had dropped off the things for his mother and helped her with a few chores around the house, he showed back up at the Undersee's giant white mansion and hour later, right on time.
When Madge opened the door for him, he could hear a few keys being played on the piano not in any particular order.
"Hi Gale, Posy is just practicing, do you want to come inside? She wants to show you." She told him and he heard Posy calling for him from inside.
After a moments hesitation, Gale stepped into the house, feeling a little uneasy. He followed Madge into their living room and Gale tried not to touch or bump into anything, he felt very grimy in their pristine white house and didn't want to ruin anything, there was no way he could afford to pay them back if he did.
Posy was sitting on the piano bench and she looked so tiny compared to the giant grand piano beside her. His sister waved at him and giggled "Madgey taught me how to play a song!" She said excitedly and started to play a small tune, hitting a few wrong notes along the way. When she was finished, she looked up at her brother proudly. Gale smiled at her and scooped her up in his arms quickly.
"That was great Posy!" He said as he began to tickle her and she let out a few squeals. Gale couldn't help but laugh as he finally let her go and his smile faded when he noticed Madge had been watching them. Quickly he cleared his throat and dug around in his pocket, holding out a few coins for Madge.
"Here, this is for watching her." He said quietly and Madge shook her head quickly, her blonde curls bouncing with the movement.
"You don't need to pay me Gale. I was just doing a favor." She told him, her cheeks turning a slight pink.
Gale frowned a little and continued to hold his hand out. "Just take it Undersee." He muttered, he hated owing anybody anything. It was easier to just repay them sooner rather than later otherwise it would come back to haunt him somehow. But Madge continued to shake her head
"Really Gale, I don't want it, nor do I need it." She said and Gale clenched his jaw and set the coins onto a small table beside him. Madge looked up at him and frowned, but didn't try arguing with him again. Gale took Posy to the door and Madge caught up with them a few seconds after.
"Don't forget these Posy!" She called and held out a small blue bag. Posy's eyes lit up and she ran to grab it.
"Oh yeah! I forgot!" She said and giggled. Gale turned towards the girls and his frown deepened.
"What is that?" He asked and his eyes glared into Madge, causing her cheeks to flush a deeper red.
"It's just some of my old dresses from when I was little. Some of them might be a little too big but she'll grow into them." She said all in one breath, obviously nervous.
Gale flared with anger but watched as Posy sat on the dusty ground and started pulling out different dresses to show him. He clenched his jaw tightly and quickly helped her put them all back into the bag. He didn't say a word as he grabbed Posy's hand and stormed off down the road with the bag in his hand. As they approached their house and Gale had calmed down a little, he finally noticed a small jingle noise coming from the bag of dresses and when he investigated further he found the couple of coins that he had left for Madge at the bottom of the bag.