14AmyChan: Okay, I'm late and I may not make it because school started up again!

Anasi: I do not see much free time in your future.

Uru: AmyChan doesn't own Arch!

14AmyChan: why me…? TT^TT

Prompt 25: Freedom

Uru bustled around tables on Paper Island. Once everything had settled down, he had returned to the place his Jabberwocky self had called "home" and had been employed as a server in the theatre where Kor worked. The ex-thief had been grateful for the help, but now most everyone knew him as the most charming, most funny, most reliable—

"Uru, cleanup on table four!" his boss yelled from inside the kitchen. The man sighed. He had just been in the middle of thinking how great he was.

As Uru cleaned the dirty dishes off of one of the tables, he thought about how it was not so bad here at the Gallimaufry. Yeah, he had to work about ten hours a day, but at least it was doing something he sort of enjoyed, rather than how he used to live his life. A slave at first to himself and his hunger and his laziness and thieving to make a living, then a literal slave on captain Snow's ship.

His life had not been easy to come to this point.

"You look like you're in deep thought," a voice stated from the table next to him. Uru turned his head and a charming smile popped onto his face without his prompting.

"And you sound so surprised, Miss Anansi," he responded as he finished wiping down table four. He then sauntered over to table five, which was in his jurisdiction anyways. "Are you here to see Kor? Because he's still in rehearsal right now. Won't be here for another hour."

"I already knew that, just like I know you've been thinking of something pretty heavy," she responded, taking a sip of her drink. Uru felt his face flush a little bit. She knew so much, it was somewhat unnerving.

"Shell for a fortune," he grinned slyly as he tossed a shell over to her. She caught it with her right sleeve, an unamused expression on her face.

"Fortunes go for about twenty shells," she said. Uru grinned and shrugged his shoulders with noncommittance. Anansi sighed. "You're thinking about how you like this lifestyle more than the one you used to, but also about its drawbacks."

"Okay, you're scary," Uru laughed, neither confirming nor denying her assertation. Anansi shrugged.

"I also know what it is about this life that you like more."

"Oh?" he asked, interested. "What is that?"

"Freedom."

"But I'm pretty much a slaving hardworking guy with almost no time for a beer," he stated, waving around the room. "How is that freedom?"

"I never said freedom was free," Anansi scolded. Uru shrunk a little bit before she continued. "But now you're free to walk around the streets without fear of being caught by the authorities, free to have constant friends and a steady job, and free to live your life as you see fit."

"I suppose…" he stated, thinking about it. Anansi then drew something out of her pocket and tossed it towards Uru. He caught it with his left hand and looked at it. Anansi smirked.

"I thought you would want a beer. You're free, aren't you?" she asked. Uru glanced over towards the not-so-busy restaurant before sitting down with a response.

"Always."

14AmyChan: Okay, I'll try to get the other prompts done eventually, but it may not be before the month is out!

Anansi: I can't tell if you'll make it or not.

Uru: Good luck!

14AmyChan: Thanks, and please read and review!

Next—Sleep