Published at 21st of February 2024 11:02 pm

Chapter 7 Ostrich Lady

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Elmer sat on the edge of the alleyway opposite the walkway of Atkinson’s train station, chomping on the leftover bread from he and Mabel’s past night’s dinner—in truth, the meal had not been eaten at night, it had been eaten this very morning.

He had been so exhausted that it had taken him until the cold breeze of pre-dawn whooshing into his room to wake him up. And he would have cursed those leeches for having him starve his sister for a whole day, if not for the blessing in disguise their blood sucking had brought him in return; a blessing which was none other than hot water.

His oversleeping had made him greatly angry, but a swift realization that he might have woken up before any other person in the apartment had helped him make the most out of it. And it seemed that blessing had somehow followed him all the way to noon.

Nothing seemed to be going wrong for him today. He had found a carriage quicker, and he had already made ten pence more than he had done by this time yesterday.

It was glorious.

And also, the same sun that had seared him senseless once before, warmed him heartfeltly now. The bread even tasted better in this alleyway than it had been this morning. Everything was almost perfect, and what better time to sink into his thoughts.

I should probably begin making enquiries on the Church of Time’s college… Elmer pondered. Where do I start though…?

“We should become bounty hunters, we’d make more money.”

Money…?

Those words flew sharply and breezed through Elmer’s ears as he was immersed in his mind, and weirdly—maybe not, seeing as it involved money—they resounded within him so much that he pulled his gaze from his bread and turned to search for its source.

Then, through his delicate chews of the lump of bread in his mouth, he found the person who owned the lips the words had escaped from.

It was a boy no older than he, and also dressed no different from him.

They were both dressed in shabby tunics paired with brown button-on suspenders and pants—a slightly better outfit than the clothing of the other boy seated beside the one who had drawn Elmer’s attention.

This other one was wearing a shirt patched without remorse, and his pants were not any better. But he had a decent boot nonetheless, even though it looked like the soles would go their own separate ways soon enough—at least he was enjoying their company for now.

“Bounty hunters?” the patch-dressed boy moaned while he traced on the dirty alleyway floor with his finger. “We can’t even get ourselves to make enough from carrying bags, we’d never make it as hunters.”

Bounty hunters, what’s that…? Elmer wondered as he cut himself another chunk of bread, and chewed on it while he listened to the boys seated across from him.

The boy dressed the same as Elmer turned energetically to face the side features of the one who was still tracing on the floor with his finger, seemingly unconcerned that his friend was looking at him with strengthened eyes that spelled nothing but determination.

“But that’s a lie, Newt,” the boy who was not Newt said with a strong voice laced with single mindedness. “We can make it as hunters, we just need it.”

“It…?” What’s “it”…? Elmer took off another piece of his bread and silently chewed with a curious expression widened all over his face.

Newt stopped tracing on the floor. “But it’s expensive, don’t you get it Nick? We can never get that sort of money from lifting bags.”

Please, could one of you just say what “it” is…?! Elmer swallowed and quickly cut off another chump of bread to keep his mouth moving. He was nibbling like a rat on cheese now.

Despite Newt’s worries, Nick did not seem to have any trace of relenting in his eyes. “I know where we can get it cheaper.” Nick smiled and Newt finally took his eyes to him.

“Those are quack,” Newt explained strongly, as strong as his timid voice could allow him. “They don’t have the emperor’s seal. Who knows what will happen to us if we go to them.”

“Then what would you have us do?” Nick grimaced, and gestured frustratingly as he added, “We keep struggling to find a few bags to carry for smug gentlemen and ladies all for some pence? Grow a spine, Newt. I’ve had enough of your hesitance.”

Their conversation drifted away from what Elmer wanted to hear, and he knitted his eyebrows into a dissatisfied frown while he continued his nimble chewing, hoping they would somehow find their way back to satisfying his curiosity.

Despite Nick’s unwarranted insult, Newt did not seem to bother as not even a single fold indicating a frown snuck upon his face. All he had was the same timid expression as before, only this time it was more sullen.

“Okay,” Newt sighed as he traced on the floor all over again. “So how are we going to get the money for the el—”

“Hey!”

A voice, tiny but excruciatingly loud, snapped Elmer away from the conversation he had fully engrossed himself within, startling him so fervently that he had almost dropped what remained of his bread.

He did not like it one bit. And it was barely because of the scream that his face had screwed up angrily now, it was because he suspected that Newt and Nick were finally about to let him in on what “it” was for sure. But he had just been pulled out from what he had been strongly anticipating for the past minute or two—and worse, unwillingly.

Who even was this weird animal that would shout so close to a person?

Elmer turned sharply, taking his eyes away from his bread and up to where the voice had come from.

The culprit before him wore a deep-brown eyelet petticoat and brown high lace boots, with a leather corset belt, where a small pouch hung from, strapped tightly around her waist. She stood folding her arms with her right leg angled in front of the other, which caused her thigh to be exposed slightly through the ripped skirt of her gown.

Her freckled face did not ring a bell, but her tousled, ginger hair which was roughly packed behind her head did.

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“Ostrich lady?” Elmer muttered incredulously, and her face squeezed tighter.

“What?” She leaned closer, but the distance from where he sat and her height was a bit too great for her to reach him. “What did you call me just now?”

Elmer cleared his throat and ignored her question. “What do you—” He suddenly cut himself off as he glimpsed Nick and Newt hesitantly shuffling to a new corner.

Wait! No. Why are they leaving…?

“I asked a question?” Ostrich-lady’s voice came once again to Elmer as Nick and Newt settled in their new corner, and he immediately realized the cause of their sudden movement.

Elmer’s nose wrung up, pushing against the bridge of his round glasses as he turned a fierce gaze at the lady leaning over him. “Do you know what you just cost me?” he voiced.

Ostrich-lady was taken aback. “What?”

“You… you…” Elmer could not find a way to put his eavesdropping in words. “Forget about it.” He sighed in something akin to a mixture of defeat and frustration. “What do you want? If it’s my bread I’m not giving it to you.” He shot a glare at her.

“What?” Ostrich-lady shrugged and scoffed as she straightened herself. “I do not want your bread. Why would I want your bread?”

“Good,” Elmer replied haughtily.

Ostrich-lady tsked. “How much did you make?”

Elmer’s lips twitched. “Huh?” What sort of question was that? Why would she want to know how much he’d made today?

She suddenly hunkered down before him briskly, making herself much too cozy in his presence. “So? How much did you make?”

Elmer frowned. “Why should I have to tell you?”

Who was she even in the first place? Maybe a pickpocket, and she was just trying to distract him? Probably, that seemed the most plausible. There was no way he would let anything get stolen from him though. And also, but most importantly, she looked dangerous—far too dangerous with such a beauty.

The beautiful ones are always dangerous… Elmer reminded himself. The more beautiful they are, the more dangerous they are…

Immediately, Elmer tried putting a little distance between himself and her by shifting back, but the wall behind him made that impossible.

Bugger… Elmer knew what was next. He loved this spot, he did not want to move, but now that a pest worse than bloodsucking leeches had stumbled upon his area of serenity, it seemed like he was left with no other choice.

“I saw you getting in his car.” Elmer was about to stand up when those words from ostrich-lady’s thin lips somehow held him in place. “Are you close with the gentleman? Where did he take you? How much did you make?” A smile upturned her cheeks softly, and as Elmer gazed into her widened eyes he was unable to leave any longer.

She’s dangerous…

“Why are you asking?” Elmer placed his right hand—which was free from wielding his bread—firmly over his waist bag. If she would keep him here and not let him leave, then the only thing he could do was protect his bag from her. “Why should I have to tell you anything?” Elmer added, narrowing his eyes so skeptically that the lenses of his round glasses would have joined them if they were flexible.

“Because you owe me.” Coming out of the lips that were upturned with a weird—but beguiling—cozy smile, those words made Elmer shudder a bit.

“I owe you?” Elmer was stunned so much that the hand protecting his waist bag almost weakened. He quickly brought himself back to prevent such an atrocity from happening, but his face still wore a confused look regardless.

“Yes,” ostrich-lady answered him. “Wasn’t it obvious? I let you reach the man first.”

Elmer wheezed softly. He was astounded by the lady’s great delusion, so much that he scoffed himself into relaxation.

She’s as dumb as they come… What does she mean she let me reach the man first…? Someone like this could never have the wits to steal his bag.

“So? How much did you make?” the lady added again, and Elmer now knew that she wasn’t going to stop until he gave her what she wanted.

“Three mints.” He sighed, giving in to her persistence while hoping that it was good enough for her to leave him be now. But alas, it worsened his situation.

Her eyes widened and twinkled brightly, and from her hunkered over spot, she hurried into a seated position right beside him, shocking Elmer into a repulsed shrug.

“Introduce me to him,” she told Elmer, “I’ll do whatever.”

Why are you so desperate, lady… it’s not like I don’t understand the need for money, but why so much desperation…? Elmer had his face turn peevish at her, but she did not look to care at all.

“I can’t,” Elmer told her the truth. “I don’t have any way to contact him—”

“A name,” she cut through Elmer’s words, forcing him to tilt his head slightly with a wonder of what she meant. “Give me a name. I’m good at finding people, I’ll get to him myself.”

She leaned closer to him with a great frenzied yearning taunting her face. Elmer backed up slightly, and then and there, he confirmed he had no intention of telling a money-degenerate that it was the son of the city’s magistrate who had employed him. Who knows what madness she might pull off?

“I don’t know a name,” he lied, a swift contrast from the truth he had told a few seconds ago. “Will you kindly leave me alone now?”

Ostrich-lady hissed and leaned against the wall as she looked up at the sky, all the resolution that had stained her face, cleaning away quicker than they had come. Elmer was glad she would leave him now.

But suddenly, she outstretched her hand. “Bread,” she requested. “Give me some bread, I’m hungry.”

Are you crazy…? Why would I give you my bread…? With her request came a chuckle Elmer brought forth to mock her for her foolery.

“Scram, lady,” Elmer sneered at her. “Didn’t I already tell you I’m not giving you my bread?”

And with those words the air around them grew stiff, and all that remained was silence—besides the constant murmurs from the other people in the alleyway, of course.

Elmer did not take his eyes off of her even as she kept looking up at the sky. He held on to his stares while awaiting the next words that would come from her lips, but none did and it surprised him.

Had his words hurt her somewhat? Elmer felt bad. Maybe he should have been more considerate with what he had said. He knew how hard it was to live as a peasant, and it was possible that she really was hungry. Maybe even as much as he had been yesterday.

It was just some bread after all, he could definitely share a bit.

Elmer closed his eyes with an exhale, and the next time he opened it up he was met at an extreme close proximity with a face spotted endlessly by freckles, gazing intensely at him.

It gave him a sudden fright, one that took him a relaxed sigh before he noticed that his bread was no longer in his hands.

Agape, he could not believe himself. How could he have thought that a degenerate could be hurt by the simple words he had blurted. She most likely had heard worse.

“So.” Through her chomping on his bread she talked to him again. “What were you listening to those guys for?”

Elmer adjusted his glasses as he closed his mouth. He knew that asking for his bread back would most likely prove fruitless. At least it was bread she had stolen, not his money. And…

“How did you know I was listening to them?”

“I’m not blind,” the lady answered after she swallowed. “So? What for?”

“Nothing, I was just curious about what they were discussing,” he told her, a bit hesitant.

The lady huffed after she downed the last piece of his bread. “Four pence and I’ll tell you everything they know.” She put forth her crumb-filled palm toward Elmer.

Elmer almost laughed, but he snorted instead. “Why would I pay you when I can just ask them for free?”

Ostrich-lady turned her deep brown eyes to Elmer. “They’ll ask for more.” She raised a finger as a sign of warning.

Elmer scoffed. “Let’s test that out then, shall we?”

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