1 Drips

Drip Drip Drip. He wiped his hand slowly across his face as he opened his eyes. It was the same way he always was jolted awake.

Arryn didn't want to get up, he hated mornings. Especially as there were more drips it meant the season is about to change. He wished he could just lay like this forever, but he would not eat if he didn't move soon. His home if you could call it that was the city's sewer. It was one of the only places that would stay warm and cool depending on the time of year and the only place the unwanted and orphans could stay.

As long as Arryn could remember he had slept in the same stone cove. How he came to live there is only a blur in his memory, when he tried to think about it his head would begin to ache.

He decided to lay there just a moment longer to brace himself for the day. He finally stretched and sat up. Pulling up his boots he left to see how many coppers to could manage to get. It wouldn't be to long before Nikita and is goons would try and collect the coppers that they extorted the the dwellers in the cove.

"One day" he said to himself. One day he will be able to live in peace.

-----

The cart creaked as it was pulled along the street. It was dark oak and filled with trash. It was well made at the time it was built, but now seemed to hold together by sheer will alone. The man who pulled the cart seemed just as weary.

He slowed to pick up the rubbish off the cobblestone. As he reached ,the waste from a night pan splashed at his feet and on his hands. The man looked up and saw a house maid sneer and turn away as nothing happened. No one ever spoke to him or would acknowledge his existence. The old man said nothing. Looking defeated he continued to to grab the trash as the maid discarded another night pan. Slowly grabbing the cart he continued down the road.

The air was crisp as Arryn slowly took a breath replaced the grate. He looked around only to see an old man as he got splashed. He felt sorry for the old man, but knew there was nothing he could do to help. As the man and cart rolled out of sight Arryn picked up a stone and threw it through the open window were the liquid came from. Arryn hated when people looked down upon someone because of there status, as he heard the sound of something breaking, he smiled and walked toward the square.

The city of Fure was the among the largest and oldest in the world. The cobblestone was smooth from to the test of time. It was easy to tell what section of the city you were in by the materials they were constructed from. Be it either metal and stone, wood or scrap of what could be found to build with, thought not in the center of the city the square was where the majority of all money was to be made. This world of magic and technology always made it seem so hard to believe that people still had to live this way.

Arryn made his way to the the Hook and Claw it was one of the many local places one would come to eat and drink and gather news or gossip about what was going to in the city. As he approached the large doors you could see a its emblem with it's dull brass finish.

As Arryn entered he could smell the various dishes that were cooked and being served. He made his way to the daily posting board to see what was available. Since he was not part of a guild or from one of special schools or families. He could not do any of the easy quests or jobs offered. As he stared at the board Arryn thought to himself.

"If I could only get the golds to join a school or guild I would be able live a better life."

Looking at the board he saw many jobs posted but they would not pay that day or he did not meet the requirements. Disappointed he turned to leave to continue his search. He decided to go around back and try in the space below the floor of the pub. Since the floor boards were spaced and warped he hoped that a copper or two might had fallen through.

As he entered the the crawl space, he realized how much he had grown as the space had become rather tight. He pushed the cobwebs away to began his search. The ground itself was hard due to the changing of the season.

The floorboards creaked as patrons ate and drank above. The smell of food coming through reminded him how hungry he was for something. He could hears the guards talking.

"Do you really think that there will be war come spring or summer? " The guards said to the other. "I don't know." The other said. "But they have been gathering people for training and making them join the military."

He brushed off the thoughts of the guards conversation as a shiver down his spine. He continued his search. The light was just enough he could see the glint of a copper in front of him.

Arryn scooped it up as he noticed the small bag behind the copper.

The bag was black with a leather drawstring about the size of a small orange. He could tell it had been there a while as it was covered with a thick layer of dust. Hand shaking he reached out to grab it. Bag in hand, while not full he could tell that there was definitely a small amount of of weight to it.

As he pulled the drawstring loose. Arryn felt as if his heart was beating in his throat. Inside the bag he could see six coins gleaming two silvers, three golds and a platinum. All of a sudden he couldn't breath. He had never seen so much money. He could live for at least a year with clean clothes and good food. He was so happy and then it hit him.

"Who hid the bag there and when would they come back for it?"

There was no way he could change the platinum. If he ever tried to exchange it he could be arrested or worse. Orphans would never have that much money.

He needed to clear his head and figure out what to do. He placed the golds in the hiding spot in his shoe. The silvers and copper went in his pouch. As for the last coin he gripped it tightly and backed out of the crawl space. Dusting himself off he walked off towards the temple. If he didn't have the answers maybe the gods would.