A great smile broadened on the urchin's face, watching the French girl's face as she chewed. The bread wasn't that good, all dry and sharp, with a taste like the air out back of a brewery. It made for truly awful bread, too much sweetness and not enough of the savory, belly-hugging warmth Charley yearned for in a slice of bread. Yet the savory smile of satisfaction stayed glued to her face, triumph tasted twice as good.
Especially under the blessings of the muttering and garbled cursings coming from the blonde girl.
"Make me!" Charley shot back, still not sure what the older girl was on about. She might be older, more trained with a wand than Charley's minimal schooling, but Hogwarts had left the urchin with one reason to keep grinning. "Yer not s'posed ta use magic outside," she waggled with a finger and tongue at the French girl, "'gainst the rules, innit?"
Of course, the older girl had already broken those in her pursuit. Flagrant violations that might have drawn notice outside the alleyway. Charley kept on grinning, so tightly she feared her lips might crowd all the freckles right off her face. "How 'bout we call this even, eh? Yer bag for my—"
Then the words, and bag, were ripped right out of her. Charley's shock came out as an, "Oi!" that left her silent for another moment while she worked out the sudden change in dynamics. Gone was the fancy bag and its promise of —if not tasty then perhaps just filling— dinner, and however much gold she could make for it. With narrowed eyes, the urchin directed the ire at her loss back to the source, tracing through its spilled-out contents on the road to the culprit left holding the bag.
Her bag.
Charley crossed her arms, her smile gone at last. In its place, her angry freckles had crowded around her mouth and nose, fuming at such a dumbfounded failure. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut after all, or kept running long past the first alleyway. She would feel that reproach, and an empty belly, more keenly later on, swooping forward first to snatch something on the ground.
A pretty pair of lacy somethings that caught the urchin's eye, flashing back toward the older girl. Her mouth opened again, unable to help herself as she danced the pair of unmentionables in front of their, definitely very French, owner. "I see London, I see France..."
Charley snickered, leaving the rest off to tighten her grip instead, making sure her prize wouldn't be spelled back this time. She had earned this chance to humiliate the other girl in return.
Especially under the blessings of the muttering and garbled cursings coming from the blonde girl.
"Make me!" Charley shot back, still not sure what the older girl was on about. She might be older, more trained with a wand than Charley's minimal schooling, but Hogwarts had left the urchin with one reason to keep grinning. "Yer not s'posed ta use magic outside," she waggled with a finger and tongue at the French girl, "'gainst the rules, innit?"
Of course, the older girl had already broken those in her pursuit. Flagrant violations that might have drawn notice outside the alleyway. Charley kept on grinning, so tightly she feared her lips might crowd all the freckles right off her face. "How 'bout we call this even, eh? Yer bag for my—"
Then the words, and bag, were ripped right out of her. Charley's shock came out as an, "Oi!" that left her silent for another moment while she worked out the sudden change in dynamics. Gone was the fancy bag and its promise of —if not tasty then perhaps just filling— dinner, and however much gold she could make for it. With narrowed eyes, the urchin directed the ire at her loss back to the source, tracing through its spilled-out contents on the road to the culprit left holding the bag.
Her bag.
Charley crossed her arms, her smile gone at last. In its place, her angry freckles had crowded around her mouth and nose, fuming at such a dumbfounded failure. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut after all, or kept running long past the first alleyway. She would feel that reproach, and an empty belly, more keenly later on, swooping forward first to snatch something on the ground.
A pretty pair of lacy somethings that caught the urchin's eye, flashing back toward the older girl. Her mouth opened again, unable to help herself as she danced the pair of unmentionables in front of their, definitely very French, owner. "I see London, I see France..."
Charley snickered, leaving the rest off to tighten her grip instead, making sure her prize wouldn't be spelled back this time. She had earned this chance to humiliate the other girl in return.
![[Image: bZbZdaH.png]](https://i.imgur.com/bZbZdaH.png)