Welcome to Gaia! ::

Viveka watched him slaughter his food and said with a smirk, "Geez. I thought you were from the high mannered side of town. Shouldn't eat too fast. You'll choke." The moment she took a bite, her knight self took control and siphoned everything into edible sections that she almost inhaled.

Viveka glared at him. She just kept eating and ignored his grin. She ate that way because she had been trained for speed and efficiency. And eating slowly was not a commodity that was available in war. "Well, excuuuuuuuse me." she said sarcastically. Then she realized that being in such a high scale neighborhood was just making her more tense. "Mkay. After this, we're goin' to my place. I have to drop off these pancakes anyway."

Viveka laughed and stood. "Don't worry. We're not snooty enough to kick out a school teacher. As long as that superboy doesn't appear, we're good." she said. Her hallow was on the worst part of town where the count of thieves and rogues was highest. After all, she was near the top of the Underground hierarchy. She led him through the mess and the filth that was inevitable in such a poor neighborhood, but as she walked by she nodded and was nodded to by fellow street rats. Finally she reached an inn and walked inside. She turned to Harry and said sharply, "Don't. Say. A. Word." Then, without waiting for a reply, she went inside. She walked up to the bartender and whispered something. The bartender looked skeptical, but then nodded. She turned to Harry and gestured for him to follow her. "Just don't get too hyped up about how many criminals are in here, mkay?" she teased as she climbed the stairs.

Viveka knew he was uncomfortable, but he'd have to get used to it. The moment she stepped onto the second floor, a wave of comfort flowed through her. There were the twins with their familiar bantering over in the corner. Ah, and over there at the table were George and Scuffly gambling with their dice. And then the little ones--all siblings--sleeping on the big pile of hay in the back of the room. When they all saw her, there was a big shout. Forgetting Harry for a moment, she held up her box of pancakes with a big grin. The kids around her shouted and crowded around her. "Okay okay! 'old on! George! Clear the table! I'm gonna the food on the table for ya so I don't get accident'ly chewed on instead." she exclaimed, her Cockney burr beginning to show. She set the food down and quickly squirmed out of the fray. Spotting Harry, she felt a pang of guilt. Standing beside him, she said meekly, "Sorry. I just got a bit carried away," then to the kids, "Hey! This is Harry! He's a friend, so don't be too grotesque, 'kay?" The kids shouted back without breaking in their consuming of the pancakes, "HI, HARRY!"

Viveka looked at him and tried to hide her embarrassment. She was kind of like these kids' guardian and it was her duty to take care of them. She wouldn't have shown this place to Harry if she hadn't thought he could handle the knowledge that was probably as deep in the Underground as you could get without meeting the Underground Lord himself. "These kids are all orphans." she murmured to him suddenly. "I'm the same. The only difference is that I've climbed my way up the Underground ladder." She said this without looking at him.

Viveka was glad he left. He obviously felt out of place and didn't belong. But she had left something in his pocket that he would probably find soon enough. He was a thief, after all, and a good one. It was child's play to write a note and slip it into his coat pocket as he left. On the note, he would read seven words written in dark ink:

(wow. wrong type of people? thanks. -_- )

Viveka settled the kids down to sleep and looked over them with the feeling of motherhood that she had never expected from herself. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of that homespun superhero. If he didn't get used to the way things worked, he wouldn't last. Even as a teacher. With a smirk and a laugh, she settled down next to one of the twins and fell asleep.

Viveka stood on top of the same building as yesterday morning. On the way here, her regular spot to laze around, she had spoken to a couple of rogues on the way. There was something wrong in the area, but she didn't know what it was. Something was wrong.