"Don't touch that! "
She felt her hand yanked away from the soft, velvety texture of the petals. Some hook-nosed hag caught her hand inside bony claws, mauling its tender skin. They weren't even fingers anymore, and Charley didn't believe they ever could have been. Someone had hexed the foul bat, and now she was spreading her misery to anyone in her reach! The street urchin twisted her hand, contorting her fingers and squeezing them until they burned, yet nothing could break the old woman's cursed grip. "Lay off, you old b—!"
Her cheek burned sharp and sudden, a thousand times hotter than her hand. Charley cupped it in her free hand, pressing it deep to ease the sting of the old woman's slap. Her eyes could have melted the hag if she were a candle, but whatever hex had granted her claws had made her firm full of sterner stuff. She hissed, spewing rotten breath into the urchin's nose, and Charley had to bite her cheek to keep from gagging on it. "Foul-mouthed boys grow up to be unimpressive men, who disappoint every woman they try to please."
Before Charley could protest she turned, unlocking her hand and strolling off with the grace of a far more majestic bird than the foul bat deserved. Charley stared daggers after the old woman, fuming until other show-goers filed in between them, crowding out her view. The street urchin stuffed hands in her pockets, stalking back the other way through the awed crowd of people. Gawking over a buncha flowers, what a waste of time! Charley didn't even try to lift anything from the people she bumped into, so foul was her mood.
She barely noticed the cloud of pollen until the haze revealed a bump in her path. Squinting down, and rubbing her twitching nose against the itch of the pollen, Charley found the bump to be shaped much more like a little girl than a mound of dirt she could kick aside. Her foot grumbled at its lack of satisfaction. The urchin reclaimed a little bit of it by pointing down at the bum-plopped little girl, and belting out a hearty belly laugh.
"Looks like the flower show just isn't for delicate, little flowers like you!" The street urchin grinned at her own wit, and leaned down closer to the pollen-covered little girl. Charley's palm was open, but her words were spears. "Careful getting up, you might break a petal."
She felt her hand yanked away from the soft, velvety texture of the petals. Some hook-nosed hag caught her hand inside bony claws, mauling its tender skin. They weren't even fingers anymore, and Charley didn't believe they ever could have been. Someone had hexed the foul bat, and now she was spreading her misery to anyone in her reach! The street urchin twisted her hand, contorting her fingers and squeezing them until they burned, yet nothing could break the old woman's cursed grip. "Lay off, you old b—!"
Her cheek burned sharp and sudden, a thousand times hotter than her hand. Charley cupped it in her free hand, pressing it deep to ease the sting of the old woman's slap. Her eyes could have melted the hag if she were a candle, but whatever hex had granted her claws had made her firm full of sterner stuff. She hissed, spewing rotten breath into the urchin's nose, and Charley had to bite her cheek to keep from gagging on it. "Foul-mouthed boys grow up to be unimpressive men, who disappoint every woman they try to please."
Before Charley could protest she turned, unlocking her hand and strolling off with the grace of a far more majestic bird than the foul bat deserved. Charley stared daggers after the old woman, fuming until other show-goers filed in between them, crowding out her view. The street urchin stuffed hands in her pockets, stalking back the other way through the awed crowd of people. Gawking over a buncha flowers, what a waste of time! Charley didn't even try to lift anything from the people she bumped into, so foul was her mood.
She barely noticed the cloud of pollen until the haze revealed a bump in her path. Squinting down, and rubbing her twitching nose against the itch of the pollen, Charley found the bump to be shaped much more like a little girl than a mound of dirt she could kick aside. Her foot grumbled at its lack of satisfaction. The urchin reclaimed a little bit of it by pointing down at the bum-plopped little girl, and belting out a hearty belly laugh.
"Looks like the flower show just isn't for delicate, little flowers like you!" The street urchin grinned at her own wit, and leaned down closer to the pollen-covered little girl. Charley's palm was open, but her words were spears. "Careful getting up, you might break a petal."
![[Image: bZbZdaH.png]](https://i.imgur.com/bZbZdaH.png)