The packaging was barely off the new sleeping bags before Marius pointed out a reality that no one wanted to consider.
"We need to figure out a way to keep food coming in." he told Beriven, quietly, as they settled Thema into her bed. They still hadn't found pillows, but had improvised a few small piles of clothes in a warmer section of the warehouse.
"Yeah. But how?" Beriven asked, with a shrug. "It's a huge change for all of us that we have what we do now."
"I know, but since we're going to be safe, fed, and warm for a little while, it's the best time for us to try and make it last. The food isn't going to last more than a few months, and we spent most of the money on the sleeping bags." Marius explained, gesturing to the sleeping forms of the other members of their group.
Marius had volunteered to go without a sleeping bag, since the eleven ducats they had earned yesterday left them one bag short, only to find that the group refused to let him. Beriven, Thug and Anita had spent nearly an hour fighting with him about who should go without, and it was decided that the four of them would do it in shifts.
"How much money do you think it would take to keep us fed? The bare basics, only bread, water and whatever else we can scrounge up cheap." Marius asked.
"We could probably do it with two Ducats a week. So a quarter-ducat per person."
"That has potential." Marius said. "We should do more if we can."
"Yeah. A half-ducat per person would be enough for good food, and the occasional treat." Beriven agreed.
"And a bit extra so we can buy some stuff. Teeth-cleaners, soap, clothes when we can, and a vapor collector." Marius added. "For the occasional bath."
"Why can't we just steal it?" Beriven asked.
"Because stealing isn't a solution. Sooner or later, we'll step on toes that we can't handle. We'll do it if we have to, but we gotta stay safe." Marius said.
"How else are we gonna get money? No one hires orphans." Beriven said.
"I don't know. But unless we figure it out, we're going to find ourselves hungry again." Marius added.
"What about the cook? We'd cover our needs and then some if we found a bottle of that vinegar." Beriven asked.
"Bad idea. The grocer's a no-go right now. Too many people, it's not safe for us anymore." Marius replied.
"So we need to figure out what kids can do that adults can't, and then find someone willing to pay for it." Beriven asserted.
"Yeah. I just can't think of anything." Marius admitted.
"Neither can I. But is there anything adults don't like to do that they can pay kids to do instead?" Beriven asked.
"Not everyone wants to make kids work. You guys may not get this, but adults kinda feel weird about making kids work. They keep saying we should be out having fun right now." Marius explained. "I was looking for something like this before I found you guys. All the adults kept saying the same thing."
"That's stupid. They hate having orphans on the street, but don't give us an out." Beriven said irritably. "It's like complaining about a hurt finger, and then punching a wall."
"Exactly. But what are we going to do about this?" Beriven asked.
"I think I just came up with an idea." Marius exclaimed, excitedly. Beriven huddled close, and the two of them schemed until, sleeping bag forgotten, both of talked until their eyes refused to open, and the fell asleep in the corner.
"Where are we going?" Anita asked, as Beriven lead her to a small store.
"You need to pick out some soap." Beriven said, handing her the last of their money. "Find something that smells nice. We can't afford shampoo, so be careful about what you buy."
"But why?" Anita asked.
"We'll show you soon. Marius will have a place picked out, and we're finding the nicest, cleanest clothes we can find." Beriven explained.
"But why am I doing all this?" Anita asked, raising her voice a little.
Beriven sighed, and said "Because we're finding work."
"Work? Why? We have lots of food, and we're warmer than we've ever been!" Anita exclaimed.
"Because that food won't last more than a month. We need to find a way to earn money, or we're going to go hungry again." Beriven replied.
"Oh. But why do I have to work?"
"It's not going to be you, necessarily. But Marius needs to know if we can get work this way, and thinks we have the best shot if you're there."
"Why is that?"
"He said it's because you cry really well." Beriven admitted.
"Berry!" Anita exclaimed, indignant. She struggled to keep a scowl on her face for a few moments, but Beriven's smile made her grin.
"You really think I cried well?" Anita asked.
"The best. You deserve a medal." Beriven insisted.
"Soap?" Anita asked, holding the ducat in her hand and opening the door to the store.
"Yeah. A couple of bars, if you can buy it. We need to be clean if we're going to ask someone for work." Beriven said. "I'll be just outside."
Anita stepped inside, and Beriven leaned against the wall outside. When she came back out again, quite a bit longer than Beriven would have liked, she handed him a small package and the money back.
"Is that soap?"
"Yep. Not the prettiest smelling, but we wanted soap. The lady at the counter said that it all works for washing dirt, and that you pay more for what it smells like."
Beriven quickly counted what she handed back, and asked "How did you buy it? This is all the money I gave you!"
"Easy. I just told her what I was trying to do. She said 'oh, what a dear,' cried a little, and gave me something that she said would 'do the trick'. Are all adults that weird?"
Beriven shrugged, and they started walking back to the warehouse.
"So she actually gave you something? You know begging doesn't work. Lots of us have tried it, and most end up starving, or thieving. Did you ask in some special way? Did you cry?" Beriven asked, all in a rush.
"No, not at all. I asked her about soap, and she asked me why. I told her that I was looking to find work, and she started crying."
"You told her about our plan?" Beriven asked.
"Yeah. Did I do something wrong?" Anita asked in response, suddenly worried.
"Like Merry keeps saying, 'I don't know yet'. But you just told her about our plan, and she stared crying and gave you some soap for free?"
"Pretty much. Big of her, you know?" Anita said whistfully, hefting the other bar of soap in her hand.
"Yeah. But why did that work so well, when begging doesn't? What's so different about it?"
"I dunno." Anita said with a shrug.
"Weird. Let's get back home, and hopefully, Merry will have found a place to try to find a job at."
"Do you think this could work? I mean, if there were lots of work for kids to do, then we wouldn't be on the streets, would we?" Anita asked.
"I think this will. I don't know why, but things just feel like they'll work out. Like we're charmed, in a way. It's felt like that ever since we met Merry."
"Actually, Berry, it's felt that way since we met you." Anita admitted, and Beriven felt his face go a little red.
"She got it for free?" Marius asked, incredulously.
"Yep. Didn't have to cry or nothing." Beriven asserted, with a grin.
"Why?" Marius asked. "Hardly anyone just gives things away!"
"All she did was explain your plan." Beriven admitted.
"And that's why she helped? Why would you help someone who obviously doesn't need it? Help someone who has money? Adults make no sense at all!" Marius exclaimed.
"Who cares? All it means is we're on to something." Beriven noted.
"You're right. But we need to figure out if it's because of the story, or if it's because of the plan." Marius insisted.
"What's the difference?" Mystery asked, sitting down next to Beriven.
"If it's the story, we can just make things up and tell them to the adults. It just becomes a con we can use." Beriven explained.
"If it's the plan, though, it's a whole different story. It means we can't use it as an end, but we might be able to depend on people to help us, if we look like we're helping ourselves." Marius added.
"It's the plan, obviously." Mystery asserted, quietly.
Both Marius and Beriven stared at Mystery, stunned.
"People are generally pretty nice." Mystery said, "They smile and wave, are pretty kind. But they like to feel like their little bit of kindness goes a long way. You know, like they bought something with their money. That plan meant that the woman at the shop could buy Anita a job with just a couple bars of soap. They feel like their money went somewhere."
Beriven grinned at Mystery, and punched him in the arm affectionately. "That's why you're the leader."
"You two are the heart," Mystery pointed at Beriven, "and the soul," he then pointed at Marius, "of this group. I don't know what it is about you two, but it's huge. It seems like something's swirling around you, and everything seems to get pulled into it." Mystery finished, with an embarrassed shrug.
"So as long as we have a plan, we might be able to find people willing to help out." Marius summarized, quietly. "That has a lot of potential.
"It does. It means that if we have a plan, we can find people who will help us make it succeed." Beriven agreed. "So, who do you want to try first?"
"You mean when we ask someone for a job? I've narrowed it down to a few people, but I'm not sure who to start with." Marius admitted.
"Who's on the list?" Beriven asked, and he and Mystery leaned close.
"I have eight choices. The guy who owns the cafe at the northern outskirts of town has had a help wanted sign on his door for almost a month. I was thinking of either Bug or Thema, since the owner is kinda short and closes shop at three." Marius explained.
"Why Bug or Thema? Why not Anita, or even me?" Beriven asked.
"I wanted to avoid anyone intimidating. Anita's kinda tall, and for obvious reasons, Thug is out. As for you, I thought we should be finding the others work first." Marius admitted.
"Okay. What's next?"
"We can't do heavy labor, so there's a lot of work that we have to cut out. But I think we can do a few things well enough. There's the restaurant near that grocer, the one Thug stole the wagon wheel from. They might need a dishwasher, or even someone who can cut up or peel things. I think Thug, or even Mystery might be able to get a job there. If we choose that one, I thought we'd send Anita with Thug just to get them through the front door."
"I like it. Thug's big enough that he can handle the physical stuff." Beriven said. "How about Tha'varr, what kind of job could we find her?"
"I honestly don't know. Too many people hate aliens. I think we should hold off looking, because finding her work might be harder than actually getting jobs for everyone else." Marius said.
They both looked over to where Tha'varr was sleeping, still curled up into a ball to keep in the heat, despite the sleeping bag wrapped neatly around her.
"That's stupid. She speaks six languages! Someone has to need that." Beriven exclaimed.
"That's the angle I want to play up, but it's the kind of thing we'll need time for, and we're better off seeing if we can find work at all first." Marius insisted. Both boys looked dejected, and turned to Mystery, who nodded in agreement.
"Actually, we should look at people's skills. Things we can do that others might need. Like that you two can read." Mystery said, quietly.
"You're right. I should've gone about this more carefully." Marius agreed, leaning back. "I got excited."
"Let's run with the plan that we have, and see how it turns out. Nothing teaches like experience." Beriven said. "Just because it could have been better, doesn't make it bad."
"Agreed." Mystery said.
"Do you know that cafe on the outskirts, near the water port?" Marius asked Thema, after they had managed to dry some clothes. Bug was putting on a crisp looking work shirt that, while still two sizes too large, made him look more adorable than homeless. Thema's own clothes were similarly too large and too male to look like they belonged to her, but they were presentable.
"Wow, you guys don't even look like you belong here."
"This is how we're all going to look, if I have a say." Beriven asserted, fingering Marius's shirt collar. "Are you sure this is how they wear it?"
"No. But it makes the most sense." Marius admitted. "Besides, I'm not the one who's going to be working there. I just need to do some backup talking."
"So Bug or I will be the ones doing the work?" Thema asked, incredulously. "Why should we work if you're just going to be taking all the money?"
"Thema," Marius said, stepping close and deliberatley staring her in the eyes. "I promise we will discuss this tonight, if you or Bug manage to get the job. But just trust me, we won't force anything."
"Really?" Thema asked, with a hazy glint rising in her eyes. She turned her head away and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry, Merry."
"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have let you worry alone." Merry said.
"That makes no sense!" Bug exclaimed, though his own voice quavered a little.
"Get going before we cry." Beriven said, pushing bug towards the warehouse doors. "And come back with work. We'll celebrate with Minorsan Sorbet and whatever else Tha'varr can come up with!"
Tha'varr gave Beriven a playful punch in the arm as they waved their friends goodbye. The three children waved back as they stepped out of the warehouse and into the street. Marius stepped forward to lead, and the other two fell into quiet step behind him, saying nothing as they walked along the streets.
"It's weird, being clean." Bug admitted.
"You forget how bad everything else really smells." Thema said, wrinkling her nose.
"If this sort of thing works, and we can all find work, do you know what I want to do next?" Marius asked, with a quiet quivering in his voice.
"What?" Bug asked, and Thema listened closely.
"Make sure we never smell like that again." Marius said.
The others didn't respond, but their pace quickened a little as they stepped into the main street.
The main street was also where the daily market was put on, where nearby farmers and far off traders would deal in the more exotic foods that the grocers of Tyrne couldn't keep stocked. It was always held twice a week.
The press of bodies worked to slow their progress, once or twice bringing the three children to a stop, as people shouted at each other. A few jugglers, all of whom likely benefitted from having four long arms, gathered such a crowd that the children were forced into the stalls on the other side of the road, in order to get around.
"Pretty girl! Would you like a necklace?" one merchant asked, jingling a few chains in his hand and leaning over the stall.
Thema looked around wildly, when she realised the merchant was looking straight at her. "Me?"
"Yes, of course! Is there any other pretty girl around?" The merchant asked. "Try these, silver mined and crafted straight from Courascent, only forty ducats apeice! It's barely the cost of the metal!"
Marius and Bug grabbed her by the arms and hauled her away.
"Why did he do that? He tried to sell me something!" Thema said, her eyes wide and her voice nearing a note of hysteria. Marius though, looking carefully, noticed the faint ghost of a smile on her lips as she spoke.
"Kinda dumb, to try to sell it to any of us. We don't have any money!" Bug exclaimed. "Guess he isn't too bright."
"No." Marius said, "It means we don't look like orphans."
The truth of that hit the children hard, and they paused in the street, eyes fixed on the stone street.
A man bumped into them, and apologized before walking away.
"That doesn't happen when we're dirty. No one apologizes." Thema said. "Merry, I don't want to be dirty anymore! I'm sick of being a dirty orphan!" Thema sobbed softly into her sleeve.
She looked at Marius for a moment, then at Bug, and cried harder. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I've just been so happy lately, I don't want it to stop, and I don't want to be alone and cold and dirty anymore!"
Bug gave her a fierce hug, and said "You're not an orphan."
When Thema stared at him he explained "Orphans don't have family. You've got us." He gave her a fairly determined poke as he said this, his voice at once indignant and sympathetic.
Bug was startled to see Thema cry even harder at what he said, but Marius smiled and have him a short nod and an upturned thumb.
They marched on in an amicable silence, quietly humming or whistling into the street. The near mile they had to walk passed quickly, despite the relaxed pace they set. Before long, they rounded another street corner to find their destination, an unassuming little cafe that looked as if it had seen much better days.
"Do you think anyone's there?"
"The man who owns the place, his wife died a few months ago. He's had a hard time running the place by himself, and can't afford to pay another adult for work. That's where we come in, hopefully." Marius said, and started towards the door. Thema and Bug followed closely, torn between the need to keep up, and the urge to hide behind their friend.
Marius stopped in front of the door and checked the sign on the door. "This sign says open." He explained. "Even if you can't read, it's a good idea to memorize this word."
"Okay." Thema agreed.
"You should teach us to read, Merry." Bug said.
"Shush." Marius exclaimed, rounding on Bug. "Don't tell him you can't read, at least not until he hires you."
"Oh." Bug said, in apology.
Marius opened the door, and held it open for Bug and Thema, who shuffled inside hesitantly.
The man at the counter looked weary, as if he had been run into an exhaustion that no amount of sleep could fix. His eyes had deep bags under them, and were badly bloodshot. His clothes were threadbare, though clean and presentable. He looked thin, pale, and slightly malnourished.
"Pardon me, sir." Marius said, stepping forward. "We're here about finding work, if you have the time to hear us out."
"What do you kids want? You should be out playing or something." The man said, turning away slowly. He had a sunken, defeated expression that Marius recognized. It was an expression on many of the homeless, and more than a few of the oprhans. It was defeat, as if they were just waiting for their lives to go out.
Seizing on that understanding, Marius admitted "we're orphans, sir. We're trying to find a way to earn money."
"You're too clean to be orphans." The man insisted, but he sat up a little straighter.
"We had a recent spell of good luck." Thema said, stepping forward.
"But it can't last." Bug added, with a note of urgency.
The man nodded to himself.
"We're not asking for anything but a chance to make ourselves useful, sir." Marius explained.
The man leaned forward on the counter, and beckoned for the children to come closer. They gathered around on the other end of the counter, and quietly stared at him, waiting for the store owner to speak.
"What do you think I need done?"
Thema opened her mouth to speak, but Marius poked her quickly and stared up at the ceiling. After a few moments, he said "You need to free up your time a little, so that you can get more done."
"Exactly. Which means I need to cook food, prepare drinks, and serve customers. Do you think you kids can handle that?"
"They can." Marius asserted, confidently.
"So you're not offering yourself?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. Not yet, at least. I need to find more work for my friends." Marius said.
The man thought to himself for a moment, and Marius added "I brought these two because they're the friendliest people I know. They're also eager, which I don't see a lot out on the streets. If you give them a chance, they'll try their hardest to make it work."
"Can they read?" The man asked.
"Not yet." Thema admitted. Marius cringed as she spoke, but didn't respond.
"You're orphans, of course." The man said. "It's odd that you say 'not yet', rather than 'no'. Who's going to teach you?" The man asked, with a hint of grin on his face.
"I am." Marius said.
"How quickly can you teach them to read this?" The man asked, handing Marius one of his menus from the counter. The words were small, and the entire menu itself was surprisingly long.
"I can teach them to memorize this in a week. " Marius said. "What's a 'Kashnar Shock'?"
"So you can read." The man said, with a smile. "Tell you what, I'll try the two of them out tomorrow, and if I think they have potential, we'll talk about getting you to teach them the menu, and wages. But not until I see them work, you got that?"
Marius smiled, and held out his hand. "It's a deal."
The man shook his hand, and then extended it to Thema and Bug. "I'll see you two tomorrow. Nine in the morning, sharp. It wouldn't do to be late on your first day."
The three children refrained from cheering while they shook his hand. It was hard for them, though.
"Oh," the man added. "And you, the short one." The man said to Bug. "Your shirt's inside out."
The only slight drop from the elation the children felt, as they ran as fast as they could back home, came from Marius. He stopped his companions in front of the central fountain, and panting heavily, asked them a question.
"How will we know when it's nine o'clock?"
The laughter died on their faces just long enough for the clock tower near the fountain to start chiming.
"Ask a stupid question..." Marius muttered to himself, as Thema and Bug laughed at him.
There was no caution, or reservation as Tha'varr threw herself into their makeshift kitchen. They had a roasted duck, a dozen different types of pasteries, and served the entire sorbet for a single night.
"We don't have a place of honour for you to sit!" Beriven exclaimed, sorrowfully.
"We'd need a table for that, Berry." Thug said, as he handed Thema a heaping plate of food.
"Where did you get the dishes?" Marius asked.
"Found them in one of the warehouse boxes. It took all day to pry it open, and it's the only one we could manage." Beriven said, helping himself to a generous portion of the duck.
"As long as you didn't steal them. I don't want that kind of trouble on our heads." Marius insisted, standing at the end of the short line for Tha'varr's cooking.
"Where's the place of honour, then?" Anita asked.
"It's wherever Thema and Bug are sitting." Marius replied.
Anita stepped over into the small circle and sat down, offering to show Thema some more of the soap they had been given a few days ago. As the group grew larger, Marius helped Tha'varr put the pots of food back in the freezer.
"Will I ever have that?" She asked, pointing back at the group.
"What, the food? Not unless we hurry." Marius replied, with a smile.
"No. I just want to be accepted, at the market. Like they were today."
Marius paused for a long moment, forgetting the food in his hands. "No, I don't think you ever will. Not here, at least." He admitted.
Tha'varr sighed to herself, and turned away, fussing with the food.
"But you do have us. And if kids like us can like you, it just means that the people who don't are really, really stupid." Marius insisted.
Thema punched him, softly, and walked back to the group, not looking at him.
Marius scratched his head in confusion and followed her back, stealing an open spot next to Mystery, who was intently focused on getting the most from a leg of duck.
Beriven and Thug, having already devoured a plate of food each, spun to each other tales of what they'd do with the riches they were soon to acquire.
"I'll buy a bed! Not just this cocoon, but an actual bed that comes off the floor!" Thug said, whistfully. "Think of how good it will feel, to sleep on something soft. With a real pillow, and blankets."
"I was thinking about a warm coat. For winter. Something big and fluffy, that I can hide my fingers inside when they start to hurt." Beriven replied.
"Maybe we can even find our own place!" Thug said, excited.
"Maybe." Beriven agreed. "Hey, Thema! How much are you and Bug making?"
"We don't know yet!" Thema shouted back.
"What should we do with the money?" Thug asked, loud enough to be overheard.
Thema grew quiet suddenly, looking at her plate. Bug asked "Who's money, mine?" and everyone else began to take a great deal of interest in this conversation.
"Well, it is, isn't it? Thema and I will be working for it, so why should everyone else decide what to do with it?"
The group was tense and quiet, looking from Thurston to Bug.
Marius spoke first. "It looks like we have to talk about that."
"Yeah. I kinda wanted to wait a couple of days first." Beriven agreed.
"I didn't want to have it at all." Marius added. "Ah well."
Mystery gave a short wave, and the group gathered into a small circle. Their eyes were wary, keenly aware of the uncomfortable quiet.
"I didn't want to talk about this until Bug and Thema got paid for the first time, but we need to decide if we're sharing the money, or if we're keeping what we earn." Marius said. "I know Thema and Bug aren't going to be very keen about sharing what they spend all day earning."
"We didn't say that, Merry." Thema insisted.
"No, but you are. Let's face it, it's the same feeling that must keep adults from helping us out in the first place. We earn something, deserve something, and want to keep it. We're all going to feel that way, once we can find work." Marius said.
"But on the other hand, the whole idea of finding work was to keep us all fed, so that we didn't have to go back to being cold and hungry." Beriven replied.
"And to help everyone else find work, too." Marius added.
The others nodded, but didn't speak.
"Merry, I think we should all be clean." Thema said.
"I know, but we've gotta work this one out, too." Marius replied, quickly.
"But, I think being clean should be put up with food and warmth." Thema said.
Beriven turned to her, and asked "Does that mean you definitely want to pitch in for all of this? That you don't mind putting your money into helping us?"
"Of course not!" Thema exclaimed, and a few other voices joined in with her. "Why would we? There's no way we'd let everyone else starve when you've given us all this!" She gestured to the food in front of them. "We've eaten better in the last few weeks than we ever have!"
"You mean, you guys don't feel like you want to keep all your money?" Beriven asked, surprised.
"Well..." Thema began.
"Could we keep a little?" Bug blurted out, almost in a single word.
"It'd be nice to actually go into that market and buy something." Thema admitted.
"But only once in a while. And only if we're full." Bug insisted.
"And warm." Thema added.
"And clean." Bug said.
The others cheered in assent, and Tha'varr added "We all feel that way, you know."
Beriven hung his head, chin to his chest. Marius was busy staring at the floor for a long moment, before saying "I'm sorry."
"Me, too." Beriven added. "I thought if we found you guys work, that you'd want to go your own ways. That we wouldn't be together anymore. I didn't want that."
"No way! We don't abandon family!" Thema insisted.
Mystery stepped over to Beriven and hugged him, hard. Pulling away, he said "For a smart guy, you're pretty stupid."
Mystery didn't volunteer another word, and no one bothered to press him for an explanation. Instead, Tha'varr opened up the Minosan Sorbert, and the children ate and laughed until their stomachs hurt. They fell asleep in that small circle. The last to sleep was Marius, who had just enough presence of mind to keep a window open so they would wake up when the sun rose.