Disclaimer: Paramount owns the universe and all the regular characters, I just play here.
3. Food and shelter
As they entered the Promenade, they noticed the people wandering or sitting along the sides of the passages. Here someone sold small pieces of jewelry, there someone played an instrument somewhat like a lute. *These must be the street people* Leena thought. Most of the people shopping did not even notice them.
They tried many stores, but had no luck.
"With this weather, everyone wants a job on the Promenade," they heard many times.
As they came to one of the exits of the mall, Chakotay looked through the glass doors. It was late afternoon.
"I have no idea how these people measure time, or when the mall closes, but we'd better find some money fast," he remarked.
Leena looked around. She walked over to the next corner, a little farther from the entrance, and far enough from any of the street people who were making music as to not interfere with them. If they could make money with music, she sure should be able to. She just hoped her voice would hold. She hadn't sung much since she had gone to the Military Academy, and not at all for the last two years. She started with a simple song her mother had sung when she was young.
Kim and Chakotay looked at each other in surprise. After a few moments, some of the passers-by slowed. They were used to the music of the street people, but Leena's songs were different.
She switched between songs she had heard on Voyager, at Sandrine's or in her quarters, and songs from her native Cardassia.
As more people slowed, and some even stopped to listen, Chakotay and Kim watched.
"Did you know she could sing?" Chakotay asked.
Kim shook his head. "We never talked about music. I told her I played the clarinet, but she never mentioned she sang. She's good, too." He looked around. "I wish I had an instrument to accompany her."
Slowly, Leena started to collect money. But it had been late afternoon when she started, and after about an hour the people left, as the first stores started to close. They counted the money she had earned.
"We just got enough to pay the shelter, but we won't have anything left to eat," Kim reported.
A young man, one of the street people, who had watched them silently for most of the last hour, addressed them for the first time. After introducing himself as Set, he told them, "You can come with me to the Pass. I've been watching you, and you don't look like ocs."
*Ocs? Pass?*
"The pass?" Chakotay asked.
"Our hide-out. It's not warm, but we have plenty of blankets, and it's free. You can eat from that tonight and have some left for breakfast tomorrow from what you've got there."
The Voyager officers looked at eachother, not sure if they could trust this man. They didn't look forward to spend the night outside, but neither did they like the thought of going hungry. If they could find shelter and food for what little money Leena had made, that would certainly be the better choice. This Set was the first person they had met who actually offered them some real help, and they decided to take it. Chakotay nodded.
"Okay. Show us the way."
The man jumped up. "Al right. We'll have to hurry to hit the store before it closes."
As they wanted to go into the store, a man stopped them.
"You got money, Set?"
"Yeah," Set answered. The man did not budge.
"Well, show him," Set said.
Kim showed them the coins they had collected.
"Hm. No reason for all four of you to go in, though. Two of you can buy food as well as four can," the store owner said.
"I'll go," Kim said. Chakotay nodded.
"We'll be right back," Set assured them.
Barely a few minutes later they came out.
"We got some kind of bread, vegetables for a stew, and milk from the local dairy animals. Set says it's good hot, too," Kim reported.
The store owner was ready to shut his doors, so they didn't stick around. They followed Set outside, where they walked quickly. It had started to snow, and the wind had picked up as well.
Fortunately, Set's Pass was not far. Underneath a large overpass a few blocks from the Promenade was a large section which was protected on three sides from the wind, dry underneath the road above it.
A group of people was gathered around a number of fires at the entrance, while further back they could see piles of mattresses, blankets, and the shapes of some people sleeping.
Set walked up to one of the fires and addressed a young boy.
"Kee, get these people some blankets!"
The boy jumped up and dug around in the back. Soon he returned with his arms full of blankets, and the Voyager officers gratefully wrapped themselves in them -it had gotten very cold.
As the evening progressed, people came and went. They cooked the stew over one of the fires, and ate it with large hunks of the bread. Set had been right, there was enough left for breakfast the next morning.