Penelo smiled and moved enough so the whole collection of children could see, then unwrapped the bundle of food. Mostly fruit and some bread, and just a little bit of dried rat meat and cactus butter. Not enough for any of them, but something to stop the gnawing in their stomachs.
"Gee, Penelo, where'd you get all this?" Kytes asked. There was an unspoken, 'Did you steal it?' But theft was a survival tactic she was attempting to keep them from employing.
"I did some work for Migelo today. He says he might have more for me tomorrow."
Even at fourteen, Penelo was no fool. She had a good idea that Migelo was simply giving her a task because she was too proud and stubborn to accept a handout. The 'job' he'd needed her for that day was nothing more than "minding the store for me." But there were other clerks around so she did not much more than stand around and talk to people.
She divided out what she had, only a little bit for each, and reserving nothing for herself. "Don't you want some?" Filo asked. As the oldest of the girls, next to Penelo, she certainly had a way of knowing things the other children couldn't quite see.
"No, that's okay. I ate while I was working." A smooth lie and Filo knew it because the girl mimicked the face she made when Vaan was in trouble.
"Whatcha up to?" Vaan cut in, strolling up to the group with his hands locked behind his head.
Penelo rushed over to him for a hug. Most of the kids did too. He was the default leader of the group, but for her he was family. "Vaan! Where were you? They were down here looking for a thief."
"Oh, I... I was out hunting rats."
A long chastisement was on the tip of her tongue when the memory faded, leaving behind only the dimness of that corner in Lowtown and the crates. The children, Vaan, all gone.
"What...?" All at once Penelo felt both relief and homesick. She missed them all so much, and yet those days were best left in the past.
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Penelo smiled and moved enough so the whole collection of children could see, then unwrapped the bundle of food. Mostly fruit and some bread, and just a little bit of dried rat meat and cactus butter. Not enough for any of them, but something to stop the gnawing in their stomachs.
"Gee, Penelo, where'd you get all this?" Kytes asked. There was an unspoken, 'Did you steal it?' But theft was a survival tactic she was attempting to keep them from employing.
"I did some work for Migelo today. He says he might have more for me tomorrow."
Even at fourteen, Penelo was no fool. She had a good idea that Migelo was simply giving her a task because she was too proud and stubborn to accept a handout. The 'job' he'd needed her for that day was nothing more than "minding the store for me." But there were other clerks around so she did not much more than stand around and talk to people.
She divided out what she had, only a little bit for each, and reserving nothing for herself. "Don't you want some?" Filo asked. As the oldest of the girls, next to Penelo, she certainly had a way of knowing things the other children couldn't quite see.
"No, that's okay. I ate while I was working." A smooth lie and Filo knew it because the girl mimicked the face she made when Vaan was in trouble.
"Whatcha up to?" Vaan cut in, strolling up to the group with his hands locked behind his head.
Penelo rushed over to him for a hug. Most of the kids did too. He was the default leader of the group, but for her he was family. "Vaan! Where were you? They were down here looking for a thief."
"Oh, I... I was out hunting rats."
A long chastisement was on the tip of her tongue when the memory faded, leaving behind only the dimness of that corner in Lowtown and the crates. The children, Vaan, all gone.
"What...?" All at once Penelo felt both relief and homesick. She missed them all so much, and yet those days were best left in the past.