In the distance, the two orphans heard a clocktower announce it was ten o'clock. The ten bongs woke the duo abruptly. Link yawned and tugged at his beanie, and Linebeck cursed under his breath. "Crap, I forgot that that thing only sounds at ten in the morning and at night. I'm going to assume you slept well, Link."

The kid nodded and stood up. "Let's keeping going. We've got two days of walking left, right?"

Linebeck nodded, pulling his coat back onto his shoulders. It had slipped down in the middle of the night. He stood up next to Link and glanced down both ends of the alleyway. "Shit, I forgot which way we need to go."

Link peered around and tugged on Linebeck's sleeve. "Maybe we can go in one of these buildings and get to the roofs that way. Then we can figure out where we are, and where we need to go!"

"Good idea, kid..." Linebeck muttered, and started to head down one end. "Let's check around here. I think I might've been here before. Well, I have, just not too often. C'mon, follow me." Link jogged after him, and Linebeck pushed open a heavy door. "I think this opens into a stairway, this should be an apartment building. Most of those buildings' stairs lead up to roof accesses." The door did lead to an apartment stairway, and the two kids sprinted up the stairs. A few of the apartment tenants gave them strange and suspicious looks as they passed but didn't interact.

Panting, Linebeck shoved open the door to the roof access, and the urchins stumbled onto the roof. Link collapsed onto his back, the metal door slamming behind him. "So... many... stairs..." He laughed slightly. "This is a... really tall... building."

Linebeck doubled over, hands on his knees, panting. "Well we... made it up here... I can see the... tower..." He fell to his knees and groaned loudly. "Goddesses, I've lived on the streets for four years. I can run from muggers for almost a mile, but stairs are what kills me."

Link giggled breathlessly and added humorously, "Don't die."

Catching their breath, the two of them sat at the edge of the building, arms crossed on the railing. Linebeck pointed at the tower. "About halfway up that is the clock. You see it?"

"Yeah, I see it. The whole thing sorta looks like a tree. Like, y'know, the top is a bit bigger than the bottom. But the bottom gets a bit bigger too." The boy squinted at the towner and tugged his beanie off. "Are there any forests in this city?"

Linebeck glanced at Link and tousled his hair. "Yeah, there's a big park. Your hair's all messy, but it's kinda fluffy."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Link protested, "It's messy because you're messing with it!" He jerked away and Linebeck laughed. Link pouted and glanced sidelong at Linebeck. "What about your hair? It's sorta messy, a bit long with that tuft." Link reached up and flicked that the mentioned tuft of hair.

Linebeck flinched away, scowling. "Don't. That bothers me." Link mumbled a genuine 'sorry' and pulled his hand away.

A group of birds flew up above. They were in a distinct vee shape, not a single bird flying out of formation. Link pointed up at them. "Do you think they live in the park that you said is in the city?"

Linebeck shrugged, laying on his back. He kicked his feet out, his heels hitting the side of the building. "Dunno. They could be from outside the city, passing over, could be from the city, coming back, or from outside, moving to the city. We might never know." He stared up at the sky, his hands in his coat pockets. "I wonder if we'll ever get a chance to explore outside the city. It'd be cool to be a bird, to be able to fly high, high above obstacles, nothing but the wind in your way."

Link nodded. "Flying would be cool. Aren't there Rito people in the city? Like bird people, with wings and stuff? I've heard about them."

"A few, but not too many. Same goes for Zora and Goron. Hylians mostly rule this city." Linebeck turned on his side, facing Link. "I haven't seen anyone else other than Hylians. I think only Hylian kids end up homeless. I wonder what it's like to grow up with your biological parents. Like, non-abusive."

Link shrugged. "I don't know. I grew up with my sister and grandma." He laid down as well, facing the older orphan. "What were your parents like? You said you became an orphan four years ago, right?"

Linebeck was silent. He shrugged, closing his eyes while he answered. "I... don't really remember. For some reason, I don't remember them too well. I know they weren't abusive though. A bunch of kids living on the streets are on the streets to escape abusive homes. They're usually the ones who linger close to the library, and the urchin-friendly shops." Sitting back up, he stretched. "I've actually liked having you around me these past few days. Wouldn't want you sticking around too long, though..."

He started to tug on his worn boots, and Link got to his own feet. "Well, I'd like to stick with you on the streets after this week," the little kid announced with determination.

Linebeck rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I didn't enjoy it that much."

Link huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, I'm staying no matter what."

He bent down and tried to haul Linebeck to his feet, the teen eventually sighing and getting up. "Alright, let's keep going. The faster we get there, the faster we get a working map. It's be better if we had a bag, though."

They headed back down the stairs and argued over which way the tower was. Linebeck won, and they started heading through the alleyways again. They avoided actual streets, like usual, and stopped for a bit to eat a few chunks of tossed-out steak. It was still warm. Link complained about the taste but Linebeck didn't say anything- he just shot Link a nasty look that shut him up. They passed by a kid being mugged, and quickly left the vicinity before being spotted. Link looked upset for a few minutes after that. Linebeck ignored him.

They emerged onto a larger street, a few other urchins lingering around the edges. They didn't stray into the middle, where a few adults were walking around. Link and Linebeck stayed around the edge as well. A few adults glanced at them and quickly glanced away. Linebeck soon recognized the area as one of the more orphan infested ones, but the people with homes generally hated them in those areas. The people that hated them, were scared of them, tended to be more aggressive. Of course, Linebeck knew more than most that fear could quickly turn to aggression, or crueler behavior.

He tugged Link along quickly, avoiding eye contact with any of the adults. If he remembered properly, down this street was a few alleyways leading to the plaza. They could go up the tower from there. Link was going slower than Linebeck would've liked, so he tugged on his arm. "Come on, I want to get out of here." Link murmured to himself and started to walk faster. Good. A few other orphans glanced up at them as they passed but didn't speak. A lot of them were on the younger side. Then again, this was also an area susceptible to illness.

There was murmuring from the streets, and Linebeck glanced back at Link. He was staring at some of the adults they passed. He stopped and turned Link's head back to facing forward. "Don't stare," Linebeck whispered, "They hate that." Link nodded silently, and they left the area without a problem. He and Link hurried through the next set of alleyways, avoiding a group of raccoons and ignoring any orphans asking for help. At one point, they caught sight of a few scraps outside the back door of a restaurant. They stopped and took as much as they could before getting caught. The two of them sprinted away after being seen by staff of the building.

Panting, they stopped in the middle of a more populated alleyway. No one bothered them. Link tugged on Linebeck's sleeve. "Do you think we're close to the tower now?"

Linebeck shrugged. "Well, I've been down this path before, and I know it leads to the plaza." Seeing Link's rather confused and curious expression, he explained, "The tower is in the plaza. The plaza is the middle of the city. More important buildings are around the plaza. Not really nice buildings, but they're important." He peered down the alleyway and pointed. "This way is where we need to go. Tell me when you've caught your breath."

The younger urchin nodded and sat against the wall. Linebeck stretched. He was more used to sprinting through the alleyways and could run a bit farther if they needed to. Link, up until a few days ago, had been living in a home, and most likely didn't need to put much strain on his body. A few months on the streets should get the kid in more shape. The kids that could run the fastest and longest usually lasted until adulthood. Link got up after a few minutes with a small smile. "I'm ok. Let's keep going."

It wasn't a long walk down to the plaza. Link let out an amazed gasp, tightening his grip on Linebeck's sleeve. The plaza was a large, mostly open circle, a few statues dotting the area. The tower was right in the middle, but it didn't look all too special. Around it was spots of grass and a few trees, a couple fountains randomly placed. It seemed random, but the placement of things was interesting. Link tugged even harder on Linebeck's sleeve, hopping up and down excitedly. "This looks so cool! I want to look around before we go to the tower! Can we? Please?"

Linebeck grunted and tugged him after him. "You can see it from the tower. Come on, I want to get this map over with and then you can leave me alone." He paused for a moment and glanced back at the younger boy. "Uh, not that I hated this week. You're pretty useful."

The two of them walked right into the tower and started to make their way up the winding spiral staircase. If they were to fall over the high railings, it'd be injury or death. Linebeck stayed as far from the railings as he could be, but Link glanced over the edge a few times. At one point, he leaned right over about halfway up, and Linebeck jerked him away from the edge. "If you fall over, it's my fault. Don't. Come on." Without protesting, Link stayed away from the edge. They passed a few people and interacted with no one. Neither of them made eye contact with a single person.

"How much farther do we have to go? My legs hurt," Link complained. "Can we stop for a little bit?" He peered around, and stared at Linebeck, utilizing his puppy eyes.

"No, we're almost to the top. You can rest while I work on the map. You can keep walking." Linebeck pointed up at the top of the stairs, only a few meters above them. "See? We're close. You've lasted a few minutes, you can go for a bit longer."

Link collapsed once they reached the top, not bothering to look around. He smiled up at Linebeck, who sighed. The top of the tower was rather large, bigger than the way up in terms of circumference. Linebeck walked over to the railings, peering over the side. It made him dizzy instantly, and he decided that staring at the ground that was about two hundred feet below him wasn't a good idea. He almost backed into another hylian. A few birds perched on the railings, and they flew away when Linebeck came within five feet of them. He remained a few feet away from the railing and started on the map.

Link sat up, still panting, but having caught his breath a bit. They were mostly alone on top of the tower, aside from the guy Linebeck almost walked into. It was nice. Link had gotten used to a few people around at a time, so less people was nice. He watched the older kid scribble down on the map. Getting to his feet, he walked over to Linebeck, passing him and leaning over the railing. He had to get on his toes to look over. Birds flew around meters above, and Link could see a majority of the city from the tower. It was larger than he thought, the places he and Linebeck had seen only being a small part of it.

He leaned over a bit, more, and let out a squeak as Linebeck pulled him away from the railing. Link whipped around, a bit reproachful. "Hey, you didn't need to do that. It scared me."

Linebeck glared down at him, finishing up on the map. "You were gonna fall. Stay from the edge." He moved to a different side and worked on a different part of the map. Link stuck his tongue out at him but remained far from the edge. A cold breeze blew through, and Link rubbed his arms.

"...And that's it." Linebeck turned around, penciling in a few last details. Link peered up at him and pointed at the map. "You're done?" He got to his feet, and Linebeck showed him the map. "Yeah, it's not the best, but I've labelled some important places. Let's go back down to the plaza really quick." He took Link's hand, and the two of them started back down the stairway. Link waved at an adult they passed on the way down. Linebeck sighed and tugged him on. "Well, it's around noon now, so I say we find some food, and a shelter. It's getting colder, I've noticed. It's a good thing you've got that beanie. I guess you're good in those sweatpants, too."

"What about you?" Link asked, almost tripping over a step. "You've got your scarf and coat, but it can't be too good. I want a jacket. Can we find me a jacket? Soon? I want a green jacket."

They walked back into the plaza, more people idling around than fifteen minutes ago. Less urchins were running around, now mostly lingering around the edges. Link peered around and tapped the map. "Where are we gonna keep that?"

Linebeck folded it up into a tight square. "I've got a few empty pockets in my coat," He said. "We can keep it there. Sorry for not making an extra one for you, there was less paper than I first thought." He tucked it into one of the pockets in his coat and glanced around. "We should get going. I'm gonna drop you off at the library again, and you'll decide where to go from there." The two of them exchanged a quick glanced, and Linebeck pointed over to an alleyway entrance. "Let's check over there. We should try and peg a shelter just in case it starts raining."

Link nodded, staring up at the sky. "Yeah, it is pretty cloudy. I wanna get some food, though." He tugged at Linebeck's sleeve, pointing over at the alleyway. "Come on!" The two of them trekked over, shoving through a small crowd of people. Link tugged even harder on Linebeck's sleeve when he lagged behind, the teen snapping at him to wait in retaliation. They entered the small alleyway silently, and Linebeck took the lead. "I'm pretty sure this should be deserted for a bit. Keep an eye out for food, but don't get your hopes up."

Link stared around the alleyway, and they moved into a different segment before he could spot anything. "No one lives around there, huh?"

"Well, no one bothers to toss their stuff out as much. This is a higher-class bit, remember? The outskirts are the only place where it's easy for us. Anywhere else... people don't like us further in." Linebeck sighed and reached in his coat. "We'll be fine. I got us a bit more money for the next few days. Let's just find somewhere for the night and we can count it."

"Money?" Link asked, turning hopefully to Linebeck. "How'd you get money?"

He held up a small sack. "I'm a good pickpocket. Come on, let's find a place to rest."

The two of them wandered through the alleyways for a few minutes. A few kids watched them pass, an older orphan bleeding from a wound on her leg jumped out and clawed at Linebeck, trying to get at the sack. He shrieked, and tried to shove her off, resulting in him kicking her in the hurt leg and most likely breaking it. The two of them sprinted for a time after that.

They stopped and sat in a fairly open place, huddling under a higher up balcony. Link sat close to Linebeck, who pulled out the sack and opened it, letting the contents spill out in front of them.

A number of rupees fell out and Link beamed, staring at the small pile. "Wow! How much do you think that is?"

Linebeck shrugged and sifted through it. It was a mixture of mostly blues and reds. "Jeez, that person must have a good income. Definitely never was an urchin. He paused while sifting through, his fingers brushing something that wasn't money. "Ah-ah-ah... what's this?"

He pulled out a key. His head tilted to the side with a smile, he murmured, "Well then... this is to their house. Oh- there's a tag on it! What does it say...?" Link squinted at it, grasping at the tag. Linebeck shoved his hand away. "It's a bit faded, but from the design... looks pretty modern compared to the other shit I've seen." He squinted, turning the tag over. "It's to a Holodrum house. Those are pretty modern compared to the rest of the city. Higher-up. Rich families. I think I'll hit it tomorrow... or at some point when I'm passing the street."

Link stared at the key for a moment, saying nothing as Linebeck tucked it in a pocket. The teen then stared down at the money, gathering it up in his arms. "Mind if we use your beanie again?"

"Sure," Link mumbled, taking it off and holding it out. "Are you really gonna find that home of the person you stole from? Wouldn't that be bad?"

Linebeck shrugged, filling the little beanie with the stolen rupees. "Yeah, it's bad, but it'll be good for us- or me- since I can get good stuff from there." He handed Link his beanie back. "Bad for them, good for us. Should I drop you back off at the library or go right over and steal the stuff?"

Nearby, some orphans glanced their way. They'd most likely heard about the planned theft. Link pursed his lips, clutching the beanie to his chest. "...What are we gonna do at the library?"

"I'm gonna drop you off, and you can decide what you want to do next. I only agreed to have you tag around for the week, show you how things work, then we were gonna go back to the library and do that, remember?" He patted Link on the head and glanced around. "Now, it's kinda late now. We might as well find a different place for the night and maybe some food before it starts raining."

Getting to his feet and stretching, Linebeck peered down at Link. "C'mon, get up. I'm gonna check the map really quick." Link got to his feet, once again grasping at Linebeck's sleeve while he pulled out the map. Quickly unfolding it, Linebeck looked over his shoulder at the small group of urchins nearby. "Where are we?" Link asked, poking at the paper. Linebeck stared at it for a moment before jabbing at a part. "Here. Looks like there's a marketplace close nearby. Up north. Let's head there."

Link tilted his head to the side, slightly tugging on Linebeck's sleeve. "What's 'north'? Does it have to do with that little cross looking thingy you drew in the corner?"

"It's uh... I guess you'd call it a compass, but that's probably not the right word. It helps us figure out which way we're facing. See those letters? N is north, S is south, E is east, and W is west." Linebeck bit his lip and muttered, "Well, it's not perfect, but..."

With a finger, Link tapped the N. "So... North is up? South is down? East is... right and west is left? Is that right?" He smiled hopefully up at Linebeck, who sighed. "Yes, kid. That's right. Come on, let's get to the market." With a little pat on Link's back, he put the map away and the two of them made their way down the alleyway.