"Oi! You there!"

Swearing under her breath, the girl spun around quickly, legs tight and ready to run. The vendor grabbed her by her upper arm, his fingers wrapping tight enough to bruise. Admittedly, there wasn't much to grip.

"You were stealing!"

"It was only one piece!" she argued. His fingers dug in tighter, making her cry out much to her own embarrassment. She caught the glint in his eyes and nearly gagged. He yanked her closer, his eyes moving up and down her body. She was young, but even she had noticed the ways her body was changing recently. She desperately needed new clothing.

"I s'pose you could… pay it off another way, eh?" He leered at her.

"Let go of me, you creep! I don't even want your disgusting urki fruit!"

"Is everything alright here?"

They both glanced over at the newcomer's voice. The young man before them was another pink skin like her, but he wore clothes that marked him as a much higher class than her and the vendor she was stealing from. His gold eyes were narrowed on the man's hand on her arm. He was just barely taller than the girl, but he held himself with a regal air. Behind him stood two impressive guards.

"No! This little street brat is stealing from me!"

"I see. And what is the cost of her debt?"

The greasy vendor narrowed his eyes.

"It isn't the cost that matters, it's the principle! She needs to be punished!"

"Of course, of course." The young man nodded, and the girl snickered. His tone made it quite obvious he was mocking the older man and they all knew it. "We'll see to it that she's punished accordingly."

"As her victim I'd say it's my right-"

"Do you doubt the honor of House Rogg?"

She didn't blink, but the man's eyes widened and his hand around her arm dropped finally.

"Of course not-"

The young man cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"We'll take this from here." He smirked and tossed a few coins on the table before he turned to face the girl. "Don't forget your fruit."

She gave him a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes. They took a few steps away from the table of fruit. When he turned to ask her her name, she was already walking in the other direction.

"Excuse me!"

She stopped, rolling her eyes. She took a breath and turned around. Her gold hair was shining in the sunlight, and he found himself distracted.

"I believe you owe me a 'thank you'!" he said finally.

"Thank you," she said, giving him an exaggerated curtsy before she spun around and began walking again. The boy huffed and took a few hurried steps after her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Vers."

"Vers what?"

"Just Vers." She moved quickly, and he followed her without thinking. The boy winced. He knew a lot of pink skins were abandoned at birth, especially the girls, but at least they had their full names usually.

"Do you want to know my name?" he asked, his voice starting to sound just a little strained as she moved faster, ducking and weaving through the crowd.

"No."

He paused for the briefest moment before scrambling after her again when he realized she wasn't going to pause for him.

"I'd like to help you, you know!"

That got her attention. She stopped so suddenly he nearly ran into her.

"And what makes you think I need help?" she asked after she turned to face him, arms crossed in front of her.

"You were stealing food," he pointed out quietly.

"I left my money at home, not that it's any of your business."

The young man lifted an eyebrow. She glanced down at her threadbare clothes, shifting from foot to foot while her cheeks gave way to a purple blush.

"I don't want your charity," she mumbled. He nearly smacked himself.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you," he said quietly. "And I don't want to offer you charity. My father has a friend. She… I'd like for you to meet her."

"I'm not going to work in the pleasure houses!" she hissed, reaching out to slap him on instinct. Confused, he grabbed her wrist just before her palm made contact with him. The guards behind him had already moved, but he held up his free hand to halt them.

"I don't even know what that is! Will you please just give me five minutes? I promise, I mean you no harm."

Pursing her lips, she considered the idea for a few moments. She narrowed her eyes, looking him over. He didn't look dangerous. In fact, he was on the skinny side, and Vers was sure she could take him if she had to. Finally, she gave in with a sigh. She didn't have plans for the afternoon anyway.

"What's your name?" she asked. He smiled brilliantly, and his golden eyes seemed to almost sparkle.

"Yon-Rogg," he answered.

"Who have you brought with you today?" The older woman glanced up, peering over a pair of spectacles with twinkling blue-gray eyes.

"This is Vers." He turned to the girl. "Vers, this is my aunt, Mar-Vell."

She didn't know what to say, so she let her eyes roam around the room, taking in the many machines and trinkets.

"And how did you and Vers meet?" the woman asked. Yon-Rogg was about to speak, but Vers cut him off quickly.

"He caught me stealing in the market."

Mar-Vell's twinkling eyes went flat immediately.

"A thief."

"She was stealing food," Yon-Rogg clarified. Mar-Vell's eyes went back to Vers who tried valiantly to ignore the assessing glare.

"Where do you live?" she asked. Vers crossed her arms in front of her chest again, refusing to look away from the window where she'd focused her eyes.

Yon-Rogg believed she was embarrassed of her home's location. But Mar-Vell could see right through the girl's foolish pride. She could tell Vers had no home.

"And how much schooling do you have?"

More silence.

"Can you read?"

Yon-Rogg could see the tiniest tremble in her chin while her eyes shined with the glaze of unshed tears. Her cheeks were purple again, the rest of her face splotchy with anger and embarrassment. He looked down at the floor, unsure of what he could say without offending her. He found that he desperately wanted her to like him.

"Yon-Rogg?" He was startled when Mar-Vell called his name. "Go on home. I'd like to chat with Vers alone," she said, her voice quiet.

Yon-Rogg glanced at Vers, raising his eyebrows as if to ask if she was okay with that. Vers swallowed back her gut instinct to roll her eyes; Instead, she met his gaze and gave him a quick nod.

"Very well." He hesitated, glancing between Vers and Mar-Vell. Finally, his aunt took pity on him.

"I'll see you at the usual dinner." She shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe I'll have a guest."