Don't look at me!

[Deleted]

Location: Seria: Theater District

((April 12th early evening around 4:45pm. Anyone in the area welcome.))

Ah. It was that time. Loki would prove herself, and show that she could get by in Alfya just as she couldin Dula. She'd been awaitin this day.

Her fingers nimbly waggling in her pocket, Loki walked down the street, looking for that oppurtunity. A purse? a pocket?

She had to admit that she felt she had plunged herself in the deep end. This place looked fancy, with fancy buildings, and fancy folk as far as the eye could see. She felt slightly conscious that she could well and truly stick out from the crowd if she didn't stay inconspicuous.

However, that was what she did best. She had been that mischeif making little shadow in Dula, that some people spoke of, but knew not the name or face.

Loki could do this. It wasn't as if she hadn't been theiving the day she was born. As her old mum had once apparently said; "Oh look! She got her Old mans eyes, her Mums nose... and the doctors watch!"

She was psyched up. Loki could well and truly pull this off so long as she was on guard.

Loki inhailed, and slowly walked in to a large on coming crowd, trawling through, her eyes watching like a hawk for any vulnerable looking belongings that she could swipe.

[Deleted]

Caden tilted his head at the sun in the sky, looking at what the time would be. 4:46:14 PM. It would be starting to get dark soon, so he should probably leave and find a place to sleep for the night. Maybe at either Mr. Shard's or at Father Benedict's. They were always really nice and let him sleep. But who to go to this time?

The boy squirmed through the crowd, feeling highly uncomfortable with the amount of people there. And yet, the Refraction Theater was one of the best places to beg for food or search in trash cans for higher quality food than just bread. He had some cake in his hand; one lady had d'awwed at him and given him piece of the cake that she had purchased. Caden had politely thanked her, and had been nibbling on the cake, when he bumped into Loki.

He squeaked as he literally bounced off of her, the cake landing on his shirt. He pouted a little at it, trying to wipe it off, and stood up, glancing at Loki. "S-Sorry...!"

[Deleted]

As Loki lurked through the crowds, a sudden bump distracted her, and she looked down. She saw a small boy, wiping cake off his shirt.

The boy looked scruffy to say the least. She hadn't expected to see any homeless kids out in Alfya, so it was a little bit shoking to see.

Loki frowned and tutted, holding her hand out to him. She could sympathise. She'd been in his position once. It was a shame that he was on the streets so young.

"Here." Loki said, holding out her hand to help him up.

[Deleted]

Caden continued wiping the cake off of his shirt, frowning a little as it remained. He would have to get it washed, somehow. Maybe in the ocean water. But then the older girl that he had bumped into held out her hand to him. She didn't look as rich as the other people that were normally around, but she still had nice clothes nonetheless. Nicer than his, at the least.

"Th-Thank you, m-miss," the little boy said as she helped him up with his non-caked hand. Caden was almost ten, though he looked much smaller, and he stared up at her with big eyes. Yes, he was a homeless kid, they were probably better off than those in Dula, but homeless nonetheless.

"I-I'm s-sorry for b-bumping into y-you..." Half the cake had ended up on his shirt, but he still had the other half left, at least!

[Deleted]

How could such a meek boy have managed to make it this far. Maybe the streets here weren't as rough as Dula after all. At least she had been a bit older.

"It's okay kid." Loki replied, as she took him to one side, out of the way of the buisy crowds. She didn't want to get trampled, and probably neither did Caden.

She stared down at him and let go of his hand. She could tell he was an urchin. This was the place where no respecting family would let their child out looking so messed up. Loki had seen enough, and been in that crowd to know the signs.
"You been sleeping rough kid?" Loki asked sullenly, as she dug out an unused handkercheif for him to clean himself up with. "You look the kind. I been there, done that."

[Deleted]

No, it wasn't as rough, but he still managed. Caden smiled up at her a little bit when she continued to hold onto his hand, and followed her away from the crowd. He took a deep breath once they were away. Phew! Crowds were not fun, even if some of the people were nice in there, but others just scary people.

"...?" Caden blinked. Why was she staring at him like that? He accepted the handkerchief that she gave him, trying to wipe the cake that had spilled on his shirt and on his hand, and nodded.

"U-Uh huh... s-sometimes I s-sleep in the ch-church, b-but sometimes I d-don't make it th-there before d-dark and I d-don't like w-walking in the d-dark." He tilted his head as she mentioned that she had been like that. Really? Yet she was alive and healthy, at least...

[Deleted]

Loki said nothing for a moment. It almost broke her heart. She blinked and looked away. There must be something she could do.

"Here. This way." She said, beckoning him to follow her. She swore she had seen a foodstall somewhere. She could at least give him something better for him to eat than the cake he had left.

She looked around the corner, seeing said foodstall selling fruit and veg. The store owner looked pretty buisy with other customers. It was an easy snag.

"Wait here." Loki said, walking up to the stand, she slipped an apple, then engaging some friendly conversation with the stall owner as to not arouse too much suspicion.
After a few pointless questions where answered, she said goodbye, and returned to where she had left Caden.

She handed him the apple. "Save this for later." Loki said with a wink. "Don't get any Ideas from me."

[Deleted]

Adopting him won't work. At least once his brother found him, but Caden was unaware that Reuben was in fact looking around for him. The little boy tilted his head as she beckoned him to follow her, so he obediently trotted along. Yeah, there was a foodstall nearby, though he didn't know that was where she was leading him too.

"Okay." He watched her as she approached the foodstall, then... did she just steal that apple?! After the conversation and she came back, Caden stared up at her with the hugest eyes that Loki had probably ever seen.

"O-Okay. Th-Thank you m-miss." He giggled a bit, though that big-eyed face didn't leave. Normally, he would return it, but dang, he was hungry, she had given it to him, and to top it off, it was a whole apple! Not one of those badly bruised ones he sometimes fished out from dumps, but a fresh, juicy looking, red apple!

"D-Do you a-always do th-that...?" he asked, tucking the apple in his clothes and nibbling on the cake that he still had left.

[Deleted]

Loki chuckled at his expression. He looked so shocked at her. But at least he took it gratuitously. She smiled back at him.

"No problem. And...yes. I lived in Dula. It's not as nice as it is here." Loki responded. "Though, not saying it's easy anyway. You stick with your friends, and you'll be fine. With those big eyes of yours, you probably don't need to resort to what I do."

She leant against the wall with a chuckle and watched the people flocking by. Everything was so peaceful and quiet. She sighed, glancing back and forth at the people.

[Deleted]

Caden turned a little pink as she chuckled at his face. What was she laughing at him for? He wasn't funny! Was he? But the smile was infectious and she kept the smile.

"Y-You're from D-Dula...?" He knew that place. It wasn't a nice country from what he had heard, and Loki seemed to confirm that. But that was where Reuben's ship had been heading when he had joined that crew, hadn't it? "M-My big brother's s-ship w-was supposed to g-go there s-several years ago... b-but I dunno if h-he made it th-there."

He nodded. He didn't have too many friends, outside of Father Benedict, his horse Lila, and nice Mr. Shard. And the miss here if she wanted to be his friend. Maybe they could be friends? Somehow?

"D-Do I r-really have b-big eyes...?" He tilted his head, confused. How could having big eyes help in any sort of way? He watched her as she leaned against the wall, and held onto her hand for now. He would probably go back once the crowd lowered, so that he didn't risk getting trampled.

[Deleted]

Loki tapped her chin, listening to Caden on and off as she kept an eye out. So his brother had gone off huh? Loki didn't want to ask about what happened to his parents. That was never a good subject to bring up.

She sighed. "You never know. Maybe he just did." Loki said quietly.

She blinked as the boy asked her if he had big eyes.
"Yeah. Not that it's a bad thing. I wish I had cute eyes like yours, you lucky scamp. I could get away with so much more!" Loki smiled down to him with a gentle laugh. At least make the kid feel better about himself. It looked like he needed the confidence boost.

[Deleted]

True, probably for the best. Caden was blissfully trying to forget about what happened to his mom and dad, he would start crying if the topic was brought up. He fidgeted some more as she mentioned that maybe Reuben had made it there.

"I k-kinda hope s-so... a-at least it w-would mean th-that h-he wasn't sh-shot down." He didn't know what he would do if it was ever confirmed that Reuben was dead. But he got off the depressing topic when Loki told him that big eyes were not a bad thing, and-

...

Did she just call him cute?!

He stared at up at her, giving a bit of a whining noise upon hearing that word. "I-I am n-not cute! I'm a b-boy!" Why did women always like to say that he was cute! Boys weren't cute!

[Deleted]

Loki merely laughed when he kicked off about being called cute.

"I wouldn't call it a bad thing. Anyone can be cute! I'd say it's a gift!" She grinned to him.

Loki, give the poor boy a break!

"Alright, alright." Loki said, waving in defeat him to calm down, as funny and adorable as his reaction was, better not make the kid angry with her. She did just steal him an apple.

"You keep your head high though, no matter what. Good things will happen if you beleive they will." Loki said.

[Deleted]

Caden's face turned red as the apple she had given him when she laughed at him. What was so funny?! It wasn't funny that he didn't want to be called cute! He blushed, and pouted a little bit as she said that everyone could be cute and that it was a gift. Well, if it was a gift, he could probably use it to get some more food from people...

...Though were a lot of people being nice to him because they thought ht was cute? Maybe. At least she was waving in defeat and accepting his word for it.

"Th-Thank you..." He was still clearly embarrassed, and even if he had gotten huffy with Loki he probably would have forgiven her instantly.

"I t-try. I d-do have s-some friends, b-but not a l-lot. I h-hope R-Reuben comes b-back~." That was his dream, that his brother came back and he could live happily with someone really nice.

[Deleted]

Loki rolled her eyes with a smirk. Kids today.

"I hope so too." she smiled back down to him, folding her arms. She drew a breath, and looked up as she heard the clock bells chime. It was five o'clock.

Loki looked back down to Caden.
"Where's this church you stay in? Maybe get back there before it get's too late. It's gonna get dark in a couple of hours." Loki said to Caden.

She'd offer to walk with him back to the Church if he wanted. Not like he had to go now, but at least he'd be in the viscinity. If he had a place to go, it was better than being oustide in the cold any day.