Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters/locations mentioned; that honor goes to Level 5, Studio Ghibli and Bandai. Just putting that out there in case anybody is hunting the site for copyright infringements...
Originally, this sketch was tied to "Mandatory Dress Code", but the sketch was getting too long and had too many elements, so I broke this portion off into a separate element. I like how it focuses on the two themes given in the title and looks into how the members of the group adjusted to including Swaine. Spoilers: Do not read if you have not gotten past the Hamelin arc in Ni No Kuni.
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Sketch 3: Two Novelties: A Gift and An Honesty Day's Pay
The bounty was quite good: 800 guilders for bagging the sea monster terrorizing the waters around Robinson Island. As usual, Oliver was the one handed the compensation, which he held onto for the entire group. This time, however, he carefully counted out 200 and set them aside.
"Hey, Swaine, this is your part of the reward. Normally we all keep ours together, but I thought you might like to have yours separate."
Esther leaned over and whispered in his ear. "You really think it is a good idea to give him all that?"
Swaine stared at the pile. This was more than he had ever possessed at one time since leaving Hamelin. Just incredible; so much money for taking down one creature. He should have started taking bounty hunts years ago. This gave him pause. No, he could never have done anything like this alone. He sighed and stepped forward, ignoring Esther's mutterings and taking out 25 guilders. "Keep the rest with the group's. I'll be right back; I need to buy a new shirt." Leaving them speechless, he turned around and headed to the merchants' stalls.
"Crikey, didn't see that one comin'. The thief's off to BUY something?" Drippy remarked after he was a good distance away.
Oliver frowned. "I wish you'd stop calling him that. He's no thief, not anymore. Besides, even if he doesn't act like it all the time, he's a really good guy when it comes down to it."
Esther looked a bit guilty. "I thought for sure he would make the governor pay for the shirt. I suppose I may have been kind of hard on him, haven't I?" Oliver nodded seriously.
Even Drippy felt a bit of remorse. "I s'pose he has helped us out pretty well, hasn't he?" Both he and Esther looked over to where Swaine was pointing at an orange shirt behind a stall. The merchant was eying him suspiciously and clutching her purse, as if the 25 guilders he had put down was a trick to lower her guard. It was clear even from where they were standing that he knew he was not trusted, and seemed almost...sad.
Esther raised a hand to her mouth, her thinking gesture. "I think I know what I should do... It will be nice, but not too nice. He did want to scare me with that stupid Pickpocket Pistol..." She grabbed a few guilders from the pile and ran off.
"What's the dab up to now, I wonder?" Drippy mused.
Oliver shrugged. "We'll find out, I guess."
Before long, Swaine returned with a brand new shirt in hand to where Oliver and Drippy were waiting, sitting on the edge of a pier and dangling their feet. "Weird. I haven't had anything new since...well, it's been a while. Stupid thing will probably be too stiff..."
He was so busy trying to pack the shirt in Oliver's bottomless bag that he did not notice Esther sneaking up behind him with a bright yellow swath of cloth. She gestured for her friends to distract the man for her, and Oliver got the message. "Hey Swaine, would you check this for me?" he pointed at something else in the bag.
"What are you on about?" Swaine muttered, peering in closer. In one smooth movement, Esther flung the sash around his waist. He reacted quickly but not quickly enough as she hastily knotted it. She gave a girlish giggle as she ducked away from his flailing arms, very nearly ending up in the water.
"What the hell was that about?" he demanded, staring in disbelief at the festive sash grasped in his hand.
"There, now your outfit is complete! You look as fabulous as the rest of us!" She grinned ear to ear as she struck a glamorous pose.
"Oi, nice choice Esther. Suits him nicely, it does."
The loner scanned their faces, studying intently. Were they mocking him now? He finally looked for Oliver's reaction. The boy was smiling. "It was just what that outfit needed. Esther does have a good eye, doesn't she, Swaine?"
Swaine knew from the first moment he had laid eyes on Oliver that he was someone that could be read like a book. He had a face that could not lie. Came from being the so-called Pure-Hearted One, he imagined. When he saw that Oliver found it to be a kind gesture, he felt more at ease.
"I suppose you expect me to thank you for applying your fashion sense."
The girl just shrugged. "I didn't imagine you would. I just knew you would never spend money on something so frivolous. So, I got it for you."
Wait...she had spent money on something for him? What was wrong with her? Was she sick or something? He scratched his head. "Then I guess I'm in trouble if I try and take it off, aren't I?"
"That's right!" she nodded emphatically. "Hey, if you want, I can do a better job of tying it on for you..."
"It's fine!" he interjected quickly, raising his hands. "This looks like something I would do." His response satisfied the girl.
"Too bad we'll be leaving soon, now we've got the lad dressed to the nines!" Drippy remarked.
Oliver looked thoughtful. "Well, I was thinking, if it's all right with you guys, we could spend some of that money on a night at the Cat's Cradle and some dinner. That way, we are well rested for the trip."
"Sounds like a decent plan to me, Ollie-boy!"
"I'm all for that!"
Swaine said nothing. The idea of a nice meal and a nice bed seemed almost foreign to him now, despite how he grew up. When was the last time he had eaten something steaming on a plate, or slept on something other than the ground? He then realized that everyone was looking at him, waiting for a response. "So, what do you think, Swaine? You helped us earn that money, so you should have an opinion."
That too seemed strange. He had...done something to earn the money. When he had first left home, that had been his intention. He tried all kinds of work, but found himself suited for none of it. If someone had once asked him to design or fix a machine, he would have had no problems. Outside of Hamelin, however, no one cared for such things. All those years of learning in the palace amounted to nothing; he was either too small, too slow, too weak, or didn't have the proper training. The ship's crew only tolerated his attempts to help on board long enough to earn passage to the Summerlands. From there, rejection turned him to desperation.
Not six months later, having sold everything of value in his possession, right down to the boots on his feet, he hit rock bottom. No work, no money, no food. That, he believed, was the point for any man to turn to theft. He simply wasn't finding enough tossed in the garbage, and pride kept him from begging, so he began to pick off edibles in the markets. He didn't mean for it to escalate, but somehow it did. Within the year he began to snatch coin purses and jewelry from those that seemed able to afford it. The only way to avoid guilt was to justify what he did: he only took from certain people, only certain things, and if he was so skilled as to go undetected, he deserved to keep things.
His reminiscing of the painful past would have gone on, but his companions were still waiting for an answer. "Uh, Swaine?" Jolted back to reality, he shook his head. "I have no objection to that. But if we get dinner, I warn you I am not holding back."
"Nah, mun. You should put some meat on those bones!" The rest nodded in agreement.
"Come on, let's go then!" Oliver waved them on and they all followed, smiles all around.
That night, Swaine was true to his word. Even though his companions expected him to go crazy at the restaurant, their eyes popped as he put away plate after plate. He had, of course, tried to show some of his newly-gained restraint, but though the mind was willing, the flesh had grown quite weak. Between mouthfuls, he marveled how amazing fresh food tasted, and how many nutrients he had probably been missing over the years. How had he even managed to grow as tall as he had?
Esther leaned over to Oliver. "Man, he must have really been starving!"
"Mmm-hmmm! It kinda makes you realize how tough it's been for him, huh?" He looked sad for a moment, but then a smile returned to his face. "I'm glad we could do this for him!"
Later that night, he and Swaine crashed in the hotel room they were sharing. Esther and Mr. Drippy were sharing a room next door, and had already bid them good night. Oliver crawled into his bed and pulled out the Wizard's Companion for some reading. "Hey Swaine, do you mind if I keep the light on for a little while?" He got no response, so he peered over the book. There on the floor was Swaine, still wearing his clothes, face-planted on a pillow. "S-Swaine? Are you all right?"
He mumbled something unintelligible through the pillow, then realizing it hadn't done any good, rolled over. "Yeah, I'm fine. And yeah, you can keep the light on, it won't bother me." He gave a mighty yawn and closed his eyes.
Oliver was still confused. "Are you...going to sleep on the floor?"
"Yeah. To tell you the truth, the bed is too much. I'm not used to it. I'll probably sleep better down here." He opened one bleary eye and noticed Oliver looked worried. "Though, I will admit the pillow is a nice touch. Haven't had one of those in a while, and it'll probably help."
He was unconvinced, but there was no point in arguing. "If you say so, Swaine. Goodnight." There was nothing but silence. Sighing, he returned to the page he was on, trying to forget that his newest traveling companion couldn't even sleep in a bed because he had gone so long without one. About a paragraph in, he heard a mutter from down below.
"Maybe by the time we get to Hamelin..."
He looked, and saw his new friend nodding off, fingering the ends of the brightly colored sash still around his waist.