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 Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 5:39 pm
"Get back here, you little rat!"
A rock just barely missed cuffing her ear as Teegan O'Connaly ran like a rousted hare down the alley, the loaf of bread tucked against her side nice and warm and smelling of heaven. Her grin was wide as she easily outpaced the baker she'd nicked the loaf from, herself not even winded. Down this alley and that, dodging boxes and barrels and crates without once looking back.
She was a rat; rats were smart, quick, and tenacious, just like her. They could squeeze through any crack or crevice and could steal almost anything from anyone. They were also avoided and reviled by almost everyone.
Just like her.
Thinking herself home free, she slowed and tried to decide where home would be tonight. That empty stable of a traveling noble on the east side? Or the kitchen of the Bawdy Boar, where she could sneak behind the crates in the back room that held all the booze? Ripping a chunk off the loaf and stuffing it into her mouth, Teegan stopped to ponder.
And then she heard them.
"Feckin' mutts? Ugh. Tha's cheatin'," she groaned, kicking up snow as she shot off like a canon ball. Plans would have to change; she needed to get somewhere now, somewhere away from those dogs. They would rip her to shreds and no one would ever care. Well, she would...but she'd be too dead to do anything about it.
When she saw the smithy, she didn't think twice. It would be warm, secure, and so sooty that it would hide her scent. Hot metal gave off a very peculiar smell that drove most dogs away. It was perfect.
Though the door was locked, that didn't stop her. She ran around and searched the windows, most of them so dirty it was impossible to see inside. But there was no faint glow of light through soot, so she assumed the smith himself was asleep. It was the witching hour after all, when only the bakers burned the candles. Popping one window open, she climbed inside without much thought and pushed it shut again. The only thing she could see was the faint glow of dying coals in the forge itself. Grinning, the young girl curled up beside the warm stone, devoured her bread, and dozed off for an hour or two. She'd be gone before the smith even knew she'd been there...
~~~
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 5:40 pm
Aelius wasn't sure what to think when the window opened. The usual midnight visitor tended to use the door, knowing how to pick the lock, or one of the upper floor's windows. It wasn't usually the warmth of the forge he was seeking out, oh no, though some nights were much quieter than others. But tonight? No, it wasn't the usual visitor. Much smaller, a child. He raised an ear curiously, watching Teegan with a single open eye from his spot in the corner. Threat? No. Not too much. It wasn't worth bothering his chosen about, not yet at least.
But the child must be unaware how early this particular smith tends to rise. Long before the sun is up, she finally comes down the stairs, sighing to herself as she tries to coax her muscles into warming up for the day. There's a fire to awaken, breakfast to eat, and a bit of cleaning as the forge begins to roar again....But she stops at the end of the stairs, looking in the dim light at the figure huddled against the stone. A brief glance is shared between chosen and guardian, before the smith finally shrugs and starts on her work quietly. As long as nothing has been pocketed, she....has no issue. In fact, though the forge may be warm enough, she drapes a blanket over the girl carefully. Sleep seems to be better that way.
In fact, Teegan may sleep longer. Rosalie has no concern in waking her up, and in fact, it may be the scent of cooking eggs and meat that finally rouses the young orphan from her slumber...
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:42 pm
Her nose wriggled as she caught the smells of breakfast. When she realized what it was, she bolted awake, eyes wide and startled. s**t! I didn't wake up! She was on her feet in an instant, looking for an escape as the fog of sleep still clung to her body. Apparently she'd underestimated this smith. It was feckin' early if looking out the window clued her in on anything. A movement out of the corner of her eye had her whirling around, a very tiny little knife in her small hands as she faced a....deer? A big deer. Was he one of those guardians she'd heard about? She'd never managed to see one before. Manuevering so that she had her back to the window, Teegan kept an eye on the buck and tried peeking beyond the other doorway to see where the smith was. Surely he'd noticed her, how else would she have gotten that blanket on her? Something shone brightly beside her and she peered at a little shelf filled with beautifully crafted jewelry. Instantly her hand went to them, mouth dropping open in awe as she pondered which one to pocket.
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 7:21 am
"Ah, no you don't." Came a hum from the doorway. Rosalie was rather unamused at seeing the little street rat being so ready to pocket away one of her works. "Not without asking at least." Whose to say she didn't like kids? She did! But arms crossed, she continued to lean against the doorway, eyes on little Teegan. Aelius on the other hand worked his way behind her, snuffling her hair in interest. Was she really going to pocket something after getting caught? Or try to leave? They weren't done with her yet, and it was so early... "Just going to leave like that? I let you spend the night, and you're not even going to stay for breakfast?" Hell, she has the coin to spoil this little one. Her hair's the same shade of red, they might as well be family. "Last time I take a houseguest, I'll tell you." At least Teegan was lucky enough to arrive on a night when the smith didn't have company over. That would have gone interestingly.
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Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:38 pm
The fact that she found herself staring down a woman smith all but sucker punched her and Teegan simply stared at the fiery haired woman. Snatching her fingers away from the pretty pieces, she stood straighter in an attempt to make herself look bigger than she was. "I wasn't gonna take it!" she snapped, crossing her arms rebelliously over her chest. "An' ye didn't let me sleep here. I snuck in," she said, her chin rising a bit as pride flashed in her eyes. She'd snuck in without alerting anyone, which was a lot to say given most street rats got caught by someone eventually, and it was usually sooner rather than later. " 'Sides, ye don't want me here. I'm dirty. I'm a rat!" Again, her words were laced with pride. It was something that many of the street living orphans surrounded themselves with, as pride tended to fuel the desire to survive. To show the world that though it had abandoned them, they weren't going to let it bring them down. The dirt on her face and hands, the rumpled and raggedy clothes, her stubbornness and pride and attitude were all her armor.
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Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 4:54 am
It seemed the smith knew far better than to believe the child's words, humming to herself the slightest as she eyed her up and down. She was thin, just a scrawny little thing, and she didn't rather like that. Listening to her talk of how she'd come to be in her shop, looking at that pride in her eyes, she couldn't help but grin just a little bit. Oh she knew that look well, she'd been the one giving it all those years. "I'll believe that when my forge goes cold." She shakes her head, walking over with her own arms crossed to look her over a little more closely. "I let you, or rather my companion did. You're not much of a threat, after all, except to maybe my works." "You think you're dirty? You're lucky you came here on a day the place is actually clean!" She laughs, crouching down to look her in the eyes with a grin, "I bet I end up more grimy at the end of the day than you've been in your entire life. But come on, child. Rats got to eat too, right?" As if to emphasize this point, Aelius will only snuffle her hair, urging her towards the small kitchen his chosen had come out of.
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