"Hey lad.. mind peeling these while you're at it?"
"Uh.. sure.."
This was quite a contrast after the silence of the alchemist's quarter. The furnace-like kitchen was small, stuffy, and understaffed, but it was his only refuge from the noise outside. He could still hear the children in the other room laughing, running, and making merry like it was their only mission in life.
"Where's the peeler?"
"Oh ho.. never done it with a knife?"
Edgar didn't like being treated like a kid. Of course he knew how to peel vegetables with a knife. It would just take a little longer, and they had a mountain of food to prepare. He pushed his personal feelings aside, however. They were in an orphanage, so reacting like a child now would only justify being treated like one.
"Ooh.. we've got a natural here!"
The woman changed her tune the moment Edgar started peeling. He was used to this. He would make do. His hands might be small, but they could handle a knife. As the first skin he peeled fell to the ground in one long strand, the woman whistled and clapped her hands delightedly.
"My my.. I can see who does all of the heavy lifting in your home!"
He really didn't like being treated like a kid. Being praised for something this simple was just dumb. That, and it made him feel stupidly proud. He had to push that pride out of mind before it showed up on his face, so he focused on the peeling and just hoped he wouldn't blush as the ladies evaluated him.
"With such a fine helper, we'll be done in no time!"
She said that, but of course the ladies were out of his league. They could even merrily chat and laugh while they prepared their own dishes. Being the youngest was always hard on Edgar, but he couldn't help that. Besides, it wasn't really what was bothering him. Someone had to help out, after all.. he just wished he didn't have to do so by himself.
"I may even fall for our little prince!"
"A pity, Ida.. t'would appear he's already caught another's eye!"
He knew what the woman was joking about; he'd already caught a glimpse of the tiny face with blue eyes peeking at him from the door. It vanished the instant he turned to look, only to reappear after a tiny yelp. A shy little girl had just been pushed out into plain sight, presumably by the other children.
"Pipin! That was mean!"
And there was Anya, quickly coming to the rescue. The girl hopped behind her, looking every bit as timid as a newborn fawn hiding behind the legs of her mother. But this baby fawn was on the verge of tears, so Edgar sighed to himself and wiped his hands before walking to the door.
"Now, now.. Emma, was it?"
The girl shrank back as he approached, then meekly nodded as he crouched down to face her.
"You can't let them walk all over you like that. If you don't stand up to them, they'll tease you to no end."
Emma buried her face in Anya's skirt, but it soon became clear that she was actually drying her tears. She then put on a strong face and did her best to look Edgar in the eye while she nodded.
"That's a good girl. Well, since you were the only one brave enough to come ask, you're the only one who gets a treat before supper."
He opened his closed hand slowly to reveal a fig, at which point the little girl's face transformed into a festival of joy. She quickly took the snack away and scampered off down the hall, guarding her treat jealously.
"Emma!"
Hearing her name called out like that, she finally stopped and ever so slowly turned around.
"Thankou!"
It wasn't quite a proper "thank you," but with her mouth full it would have to do. Anya had already rushed to wipe Emma's mouth before her shirt was soiled by her treat. Edgar shot the other kids a disapproving smirk before walking back into the kitchen, where he promptly received a knock on his head.
"You sly dog! Now she'll be expecting treats every night!"
The head cook was obviously teasing him again. He had to put on a strong face too.
"Don't worry. Just get her to help out first if she wants one."
"Oh? So that's what happened with you, is it? Seems like your mother's raising herself a fine boy!"
Edgar finally smiled, but it was a sad one. Hearing the word "mother" always made him react wistfully; he missed his mother as dearly as he missed his gran. Just like that, he felt like a helpless little boy again. He didn't even mind that his hair was being tousled by the woman.
"Alright! Let's get back to work! The kids won't be feeding themselves!"
She'd noticed his reaction and changed topics, but if there was one thing Edgar was good at, it was moving on. He shook his head firmly. They had work to do. He might not like being treated like a kid, but where else were two penniless children going to spend the night?
