Virno and his mother made their way to the orphanage early in the morning to begin their first day of work.

  Virno: "Anyone home?"

  Virno peeked his head through the creaky front doors. The corridors inside were quiet, save for the soft rustle of activity somewhere deep within the building. A young girl, hearing his voice, peeked out from one of the rooms.

  Young girl: "Yes? Can I help you?"

  Virno: "We came to work. Faya said we could start today."

  The girl's expression lit up slightly in recognition.

  Young girl: "Oh, it's you! Yes, come with me."

  She guided them through a rightmost corridor and out into a back garden area. The open yard was lively, with several people pulling weeds, watering plants, and tending to flowerbeds.

  Young girl: "We could use an extra pair of hands here. Do either of you have any gardening experience?"

  Anya stepped forward, a smile gracing her face for the first time in days.

  Anya: "Leave it to me. I've had many beautiful gardens in my day and spent countless hours caring for them. Do you mind, Virno?"

  Virno shook his head, relieved to see his mother looking genuinely happy.

  Virno: "Not at all. Sounds perfect."

  The girl pointed toward an elderly man wiping down a pair of rusty gardening shears.

  Young girl: "Great. That gentleman over there will show you what to do."

  Anya: "Thank you, dear. Virno, I'll meet you back at home later!"

  She walked off, her steps almost light as she approached the man. Virno watched her go, feeling a flicker of hope.

  Young girl: "Alright, follow me, Virno. I'll show you your task."

  Virno followed her back inside the building and up a flight of stairs. The second floor mirrored the first, with two long corridors stretching in opposite directions. The girl led him down the left corridor.

  Young girl: "I know you're still recovering from your injuries, so please don't overdo it... the work isn't difficult, but there might be some heavy lifting. If something feels too heavy, ask for help, okay?"

  Her concern caught Virno off guard.

  Virno: "Ah, I'm practically all healed up by now! Don't worry about it."

  She gave him an emphatic smile, as though she knew his pride spoke louder than his injuries. As they walked, Virno remembered the two girls he had overheard the day before. The memory unsettled him, and he hesitated before speaking.

  Virno: "Sorry if this is blunt, but... what exactly does Cabdan have you girls do for money?"

  Her posture stiffened at the mention of his name.

  Young girl: "What do you mean? It's mostly just work around the orphanage to keep everything in order."

  Virno: "Right... No. I meant you girls, specifically..."

  She does not reply.

  Virno: "Does he, uh..."

  The girl stops in her tracks, her tone becoming ice.

  Young girl: "What? Say it."

  Virno tenses up as he senses the rapid cold shift in her otherwise warm demeanour. Still, he continues.

  Virno: "Does he... force you to do things you don't want...?"

  Young girl: "Do you want to be here today? You don't, right? You're here because you need to. It's the same with us. He's not forcing anyone -- we just don't have anywhere else to go."

  He felt she wasn't answering him fully, so he pressed further.

  Virno: "... I don't mean around here. I was talking about outside of the orphanage. Does he ask other things of you...?"

  She turns around to face him.

  Young girl: "What are you trying to say? What have you seen?"

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  She stepped closer, her gaze sharp and unyielding.

  Virno: "Nothing. I overheard two girls talking about... something. It's probably nothing."

  Her eyes narrowed.

  Young girl: "What did they look like? Do you know their names?"

  Virno could sense her frustration wasn't borne of concern, but something darker -- perhaps the need to silence dissent.

  Virno: "I-I don't know... forget I asked."

  She studied him for a long moment before her expression softened into something more calculated.

  Young girl: "Mister Cabdan is the reason we have food on the table and a roof over our heads. Be careful what you say about him."

  Virno nodded stiffly.

  Virno: "Right. I didn't mean any disrespect."

  With that, she turned and continued walking. Virno exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.

  She eventually led him to an old, decrepit room. A large chunk of the wooden wall was missing, and many of the floorboards were rotting. Two men were hard at work ripping up the old planks and replacing them with new ones.

  Young girl: "This room is in dire need of repairs... Oy, you two! Here's an extra pair of hands. Tell him what to do."

  One of the men, a tall and bulky fellow with a scruffy beard, turned to look at Virno. His face broke into a wide grin.

  Man with scruffy beard: "... Leave it to us, Tyssa. We'll put him to work."

  Tyssa (young girl): "We'll pay you based on how long you work, Virno. Morning shifts go until lunch, and you'll be paid at the end of the shift. You can come back in the afternoon if you want to earn more. It's simple. Understand?"

  Virno: "Yeah, sure... Thanks."

  Tyssa leaves the room, as the scruffy man extended a hand toward Virno.

  Man with scruffy beard: "If it isn't the fighter from yesterday... Hell of a match, boy! Name's Jargen, pleasure to meet you."

  Virno shook his hand firmly.

  Jargen (man with scruffy beard): "And this here's my good ol' pal, Punjo."

  The second man, just as tall but with a much heavier frame, kindly smiled as he stood and wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers before offering a handshake to Virno.

  Punjo: "Pleasure to meet ya, kid! Heard plenty about ya from this loudmouth over here."

  Virno shook his hand as well.

  Punjo: "So, ya kicked Rel's ass well an' truly, huh?"

  Virno: "Well, he kicked my ass as much as I kicked his..."

  Punjo and Jargen both let out a short laugh. Taking a better look at him, Jargen crosses his arms while examining Virno's bandages.

  Jargen: "You sure you're up for this, though? Your ribs looked pretty bad yesterday."

  Virno: "I'm fine. That doctor patched me up good as new."

  Jargen laughed.

  Jargen: "I told you that guy was using witchcraft, Punjo! No way anyone should be walking after that!"

  Punjo chuckled.

  Punjo: "Well, glad to see yer doin' fine! Just don't go breakin' somethin' again, lad... Trust me, I've seen too many fighters end up crippled for life -- or worse. Ain't worth it."

  Punjo looked briefly toward Jargen, who averted his gaze, spacing out as he looked at the nearby broken floorboards, lost in thought. Before an awkward silence set in, Jargen snaps out of his trance-like state.

  Jargen: "Bah! Let the kid have his fun. Anyway, Virno, think you can fetch us some more planks? They're stacked by the stairs."

  Punjo shakes his head as he goes back to what he was doing. The air seemed heavier between the two of them, somehow.

  Virno: "... Sure. Be back in a minute."

  As Virno made his way down the corridor, he heard familiar, fast-paced footsteps approaching.

  Faya: "And here I thought little kids were the only thing you liked carrying around!"

  Virno sighed, but a small smile betrayed him.

  Virno: "It's way too early for this, Faya."

  Faya: "Don't be so grumpy! Here, let me help."

  She grabbed a few of the planks he was carrying.

  Faya: "I know you met Tyssa, too... and that you asked her about something."

  Virno: "I was curious. Something felt off."

  Faya: "'Curious'? Curiosity killed the cat, you know! You can't go around asking those kinds of questions... remember what I told you when we met? About the relationship with Cabdan being a love-hate kind of deal? I might lean more on the 'hate' side, but not everyone does. Some people like him enough to spy for him. If you act too suspicious, he's going to find out sooner or later."

  She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes.

  Faya: "So next time you see something fishy, tell only me or Rel. Got it?"

  Virno: "And why exactly should I trust you?"

  Faya's face twisted into a dramatic mix of shock and disbelief, her hand flying to her chest in mock offense.

  Faya: "How dare you! After all we've done for you!"

  Virno gave her a deadpan look.

  Virno: "Alright, fine. I guess I can trust *you*..."

  He paused, before adding with raised brows.

  Virno: "... but why should I trust Rel?"

  Faya: "Because I trust him, so you can too!"

  Virno: "Well, I guess I can't argue with that flawless logic..."

  His tone dripped with sarcasm, making Faya glare.

  Faya: "Rel and I have known each other since we were little... he's like a brother to me. So anything you can tell me, you can tell him. Got that?!"

  Virno: "Got it..."

  Faya: "Good. We can discuss what happened to those girls later... just not here."

  The tension eased, and they kept walking down the hall.

  Virno: "So, what are you doing today?"

  Faya: "Hmm... not much. I have a match this afternoon, but that's pretty much it. I just heard you'd arrived already, so I came to check on you. Oh, and I also want to meet your mother, so make sure you introduce me!"

  Virno: "Why the hell would I do that?!"

  She smacked him in the arm, making him flinch.

  Faya: "Because...!"

  She hesitated, fumbling for a reason.

  Faya: "... If anything happens to you, she'll know who to trust!"

  Virno: "Trust with what, exactly...?"

  Faya: "Just shut up and introduce me, alright?!"

  Virno: "Fiiine..."

  He rolled his eyes but couldn't help smirking as he mulled over what she'd said.

  Virno: "So, if you're fighting today... will the doc be around?"

  Faya: "Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess so! He'll probably want to talk to you today. Guess you have the afternoon off, lucky you!"

  Virno: "Yeah, lucky me..."

  They reached the room.

  Faya quietly dropped all her planks on the floor except for one. Grinning mischievously, she sneaked up behind Jargen, who was busy yanking nails out of a rotted floorboard. With lightning speed, she swept the plank at his feet, hooking his legs out from under him. His legs flew one way, his torso the other, and he landed flat on his face with a loud thud.

  Jargen: "FAYA! WHO LET YOU IN HERE AGAIN?!"

  Punjo witnesses all of it happening and bursts out laughing almost immediately, as if he had seen this exact same event take place multiple times before.

  Faya: "Good morning, Jargen! Good morning, Punjo!"

  She dashed out of the room, leaving a trail of laughter in her wake.

  Jargen (grumbling): "That damn girl... I'm getting too old for this shit!"

  Still chuckling, Punjo patted him on the back as he stood up with Virno's help.

  Soon after, the room fell back into its rhythm as they resumed work. By lunchtime, Virno and his mother both found themselves enjoying a rare, peaceful moment. For the first time in what felt like forever, things seemed to be looking up...