Oh, the flowers almost smelled good enough to make Charley forget she was hungry!
Fresh flowers, and every one in bloom. The street urchin could have dragged her fingers over every one of them, like she might have for a wild bush of thorny roses. She'd bear the stinging scratches and itching pollen just to have something nice under her fingertips. Charley kept her fingers just inches away from them in here, running her hands along the air. It wasn't the same, but it was as close as she dared under the shopkeeper's watchful eyes.
Charley could feel the eyes like a heavy breath down the back of her neck. She should've been used to it by now, a few of them would throw her out just for looking in the wrong direction. Couldn't be any harm in just a look, could there? Excepting the looks from a shopkeep, a proprietor, worse a store owner! If she could just stay very calm and quiet and mind her own business, no one would bother the lonely street urchin who'd stepped in to smell something other than the stinking street outside.
"Hello there."
"I didn't touch anything!" Words sprang to her lips as soon as the woman started in, ready to defend herself against any charge. Charley was just looking, keeping her fingers whole inches away. Nothing broke, no one made a sound. No reason to make trouble with the little, hungry, broke girl. Whatever defense she might have leapt to died when the woman's offer touched her ears.
"I don't need charity, lady..." She must have taken a step back. Charley didn't remember doing it, but found her back against the door anyway. The escape route was reassuring. Maybe she wouldn't need it, but it was better to have it there all the same. "I'm..."
The street urchin hesitated for a moment. The woman, Benevolence her name seemed to be, spoke in acts of kindness, but no one just did anything for free. It was kind of like, what was that principle of the magic all these witches and wizards relied on? Grumpy's Rule, or something. Nothing came from nothing, which felt suitably grumpy for a magical rule after all. "Charley," she finished, and then found she wasn't done after all.
"Look, I'll take tea, but I just don't like to owe anyone. I'm saving up, see?" Her stomach wouldn't see, reason or otherwise, threatening to make its soft grumbles more public. Her eyes saw, latching onto the fruit and bread at the back of the store. Michelangelo himself couldn't have painted a holier picture than that right now. Charley felt her foot taking a step toward it, betraying every bony principle in her thin body. "Just gimme a chance to earn it. There must be something you need done!"
Fresh flowers, and every one in bloom. The street urchin could have dragged her fingers over every one of them, like she might have for a wild bush of thorny roses. She'd bear the stinging scratches and itching pollen just to have something nice under her fingertips. Charley kept her fingers just inches away from them in here, running her hands along the air. It wasn't the same, but it was as close as she dared under the shopkeeper's watchful eyes.
Charley could feel the eyes like a heavy breath down the back of her neck. She should've been used to it by now, a few of them would throw her out just for looking in the wrong direction. Couldn't be any harm in just a look, could there? Excepting the looks from a shopkeep, a proprietor, worse a store owner! If she could just stay very calm and quiet and mind her own business, no one would bother the lonely street urchin who'd stepped in to smell something other than the stinking street outside.
"Hello there."
"I didn't touch anything!" Words sprang to her lips as soon as the woman started in, ready to defend herself against any charge. Charley was just looking, keeping her fingers whole inches away. Nothing broke, no one made a sound. No reason to make trouble with the little, hungry, broke girl. Whatever defense she might have leapt to died when the woman's offer touched her ears.
"I don't need charity, lady..." She must have taken a step back. Charley didn't remember doing it, but found her back against the door anyway. The escape route was reassuring. Maybe she wouldn't need it, but it was better to have it there all the same. "I'm..."
The street urchin hesitated for a moment. The woman, Benevolence her name seemed to be, spoke in acts of kindness, but no one just did anything for free. It was kind of like, what was that principle of the magic all these witches and wizards relied on? Grumpy's Rule, or something. Nothing came from nothing, which felt suitably grumpy for a magical rule after all. "Charley," she finished, and then found she wasn't done after all.
"Look, I'll take tea, but I just don't like to owe anyone. I'm saving up, see?" Her stomach wouldn't see, reason or otherwise, threatening to make its soft grumbles more public. Her eyes saw, latching onto the fruit and bread at the back of the store. Michelangelo himself couldn't have painted a holier picture than that right now. Charley felt her foot taking a step toward it, betraying every bony principle in her thin body. "Just gimme a chance to earn it. There must be something you need done!"
![[Image: bZbZdaH.png]](https://i.imgur.com/bZbZdaH.png)