the urchin child

[Desperanza]

”Hmmph.” came Aurora’s only reply as her arched brows folded together and her eyes narrowed slightly at the boy. She offered a curt nod at his response and yet, she was not satisfied. This boy was quite intelligent, it seemed. Had she selected a child of which had fooled her from the start? No. She shook her head and sighed, trying to imagine the boy standing at a counter in the local shop, the ding of the cash register as he flipped the drawer open and closed and the small string pulled to announce the gain of a tiny bit more penance for the day. A lanky man with empty eyes and a dull expression. A man wearing barren, boring clothes and cared for nothing but the clang of the coin. No, this would not do. She frowned at the thought and leaned forward against her knees once more, lowering her head closer to the boy as she gazed down upon his younger features. Her eyes shifted into a piercing shade of sunset peach as she gazed down upon him with a blazing stare, almost seeming angered, ”Now boy, this is all you see for yourself? This is all that is written in your future? Where is your father now? Where is he! Is he still standing there as a clerk, does he not have any meaning?” she inquired, her tone sharp and inquiring, demanding an answer. She certainly did not mean to frighten the child away from herself but instead away from the idea of being a clerk all together.

This boy was not her own and yet she was not prepared to allow him to settle for such mediocrity, not for himself, not for the town of Ohanzee, and not for a shitty wife who would brow beat him into servitude in her home, not for anyone for that matter! She hissed, straightening her back promptly as she righted herself and sat straight again, her gaze sweeping the alley swiftly for a few moments as silence came to surround them thick and hanging before finally, her gaze returned to the boy, her eyes shifting into a steel grey now instead as she held his gaze and remained silent, searching his own darker eyes now as if seeking answers. What could this boy handle? What would this boy achieve if he were given the chance? She thought, hard. In her mind, she pondered the idea of taking Gavroche with her, of seeking the village of Kiyer and of stealing him away from Ohanzee where only the depressing thoughts of the depressing population seemed to be staining his mind where as in Kiyer there were jobs, there were happy women, and there was life. She had been there, she often took trips there for her black market items that she bought for there was no better place than the Blue Board to obtain items as such. Yet this time, she was not considering traveling there to obtain black market items of strange weapons and wicked poisons. She was considering traveling there to deliver a child to a better life, but would he go? Would he take the multiple day trip with her to Ellsinora for a chance? What would she do with him when she got there? She would have to consider parting with him there. She furrowed her brow. If nothing more she could at least whisk the child away among the forest with her. She could care for him for a few days until she found something better, some sort of plan to show itself to her in time.

When at once she was thru thinking about this, she studied the face of the boy once more and one slender hand lifted to extend, to stroke his soft and dirt streaked features. From his cheek to his jawbone to his chin her hand traveled before lowering, stroking his upper arm as she tested the possible muscle there and then finally, his ankle and leg. Strong he would be if only he had the chance. It would be such a shame to waste this life, she declared. Nodding curtly, her hand once again returned to her own lap and she inhaled to speak, ”Gavroche, you know me now as Aurora and perhaps nothing more and yet you, who sits here and dares to ponder being a clerk as your life may look to me with respect at the moment and now, I must ask that you listen to me, trust me. I want to take you to a place, a place far from here and yet a place that is better, so much better. It is full of color and of life and I may steal you away there where you may find all of the food that you desire and a warm place to sleep and I ask that you let me take you there and to ponder your life from that point and when I return you tell me whether you have found out a better way of life for yourself. Do you trust me?” she inquired, her eyes shifting from steel grey to a blazing royal purple now as she stared down at the sight of the boy, eager for his response at this point.

[/size]

[hobbit]

Hmmph.

It was the sound a mother made, deep in her throat, when her child came home with news of their bad behavior. It was the sound a father made, when his young son was found painting the house with horse manure. It wasn’t the sound of a person pleased by what they saw, or heard, but rather the sound of one debating where exactly to hit. That was why Gavroche sank back for a moment, watching the woman through new eyes. He had forgotten, for a moment, that she was an adult and capable of dealing out discipline whenever she felt like it. The laws of the land were not designed to protect children, after all. There was no blow to his face, or to any part of his body for that matter, but there was her voice and the obvious anger. Or, at least, that was what it had seemed like. The young boy had been raised in a home where parents laughed at the idea of their children becoming anything worthwhile; with blood like theirs, the children were destined to follow in the footsteps of their father, or their mother. There had never been concern in his home, never the sharp tone of a mother, only so because she worried for her child.

”I…I dunno where he is,” Gavroche murmured quietly, not quite understanding if her question concerned his father’s status, or his position on this planet. Either way, his response fit. “And my mom said t-that I wasn’t gonna be anything else. Besides, you only get good jobs if you’re educated. I can’t even do my letters,” he admitted, looking down at his hands.

Only a few moments passed before he felt her hand running from his jaw to his chin. He did not flinch, despite the fact that he expected her to raise her hand and hit him; adults didn’t stroke your face to be nice, after all. It was when her hand moved to his leg that he became confused. The boy’s eyes narrowed as he looked up at the woman. At the same time, Aurora returned her hand to her lap and began to speak. He listened in silence; he listened like a child at school for the first time, too enchanted to dare speak, or move. His eyes were no longer narrowed, the confusion was gone. All he could see was food, warmth…colors. To be there…oh, that would be amazing, and yet…this was the town he had been born in. The only town he knew. It was an awful town, but Gavroche adored it, for it was familiar to him.

Still, Gavroche was no fool. He did not fully understand the benefits of going to the town Aurora described, but he did understand that more food and warmth was better. A small smile grew on the boy’s lips, “Can I take Pup?”

[Desperanza]

Aurora’s eyes were amused, her gaze watching the boy with a purple glint to her eye as she gazed upon his features, curious as to what his response would be to her inquiry. As he replied, she nodded curtly, satisfied. But as she looked at the boy, she realized what this would mean, she would be taking the boy under her wing. She would be caring for him as if he were her own child. She had no children of her own, hell she had never trusted another human being, or anything for that matter not even her own mare. She cared for the horse, but she did not love her, she did not trust her. Here before her sat a boy whom she had taken a liking to and now, her mouth and mind spoke for he and even a shred of her heart as it reached out to the boy, offered to bring him with her and yet, she did not regret it. She smiled, nodding slightly. She saw the confusion on the boy’s face, the slits as he narrowed his eyes but she simply returned the stare as her eyes flared emerald once more, daring and commanding as she met his look confidently until his features broke out into a much more eager and elated expression and she nodded slowly in return.

Casting a glance to the dog, she pondered his question for a moment with a small sigh, gazing at the floppy eared hound for a moment before she shrugged and gave another curt nod, “I don’t see why not.” She returned with a shrug as she shifted to sit on her knees instead, her hands folding into her lap as she gazed over the boy’s demeanor, slender and thin, ragged clothing. She could fix this. He was only nine with his whole life ahead of him, perhaps a life with her. She smiled at the fact and outstretched a hand to pat his head, ”Good boy, you do have sense.” she replied as her eyes lit a dark purple once again and she lifted lithely to her feet with a twist of her feet and a push of her legs before she stood straight again, taking a breath as she contemplated whether to move him yet tonight or not for night fall was only a short while away at this point and surely the boy would want at least one night to prepare and sleep and dream in his ‘home’ for just a little longer before he left it behind and in the morning, things would change.

Aurora’s eyes scanned the alley way. It was quiet and undisturbed. The boy had no doubt picked a good place to camp out during the nights. It would be impossible for someone even a bit bigger then herself to squeeze through her but she was so slender that she had no problem and soon enough, she found herself settling down again with a sigh, motioning to his blanket as she settled once again, ”Come child, rest now. For in the morning we shall prepared for travel and set off. You will need the rest for in the morning I shall teach you to ride, it will take us nearly a month to reach Ellsinora if I have to drag you on foot.” She stated with a shake of her head. Now, she settled cross legged not far from him, pondering whether it would make him uncomfortable for her to be there while he slept but if he would be traveling with her, he would have to get over it so she stayed, entertaining herself by studying the walls of alley for a few moments now as she thought over the coming trip with the child.

[/size]