Kia closed her eyes as she leaned against the brick wall, allowing herself a moment of rest. She was so tired. Tired of being hungry and not knowing where her next meal would come from. Tired of the constant vigilance necessary to survive on the streets. Tired of the humiliation that came from making your living by stealing other people's trash.
One thing she did cherish - tired or not- was her freedom. And she would do whatever it took. . .spend the rest of her life on the streets if necessary. . .to hold onto that freedom. It wasn't so bad, really, she told herself. She was constantly amazed at the things people threw away, especially some of the wealthier citizens of RhyDin. People were so wasteful. She grinned as she reached into her satchel and pulled out her latest find. The dress was lovely, or had been at one time, she thought as she ran her hands over the delicate material. It was stained and soiled now. Had obviously been well worn, but the intricate beadwork on the bodice was what had caught her attention. It would take some time to remove the beads, but they would be perfect for the bag she had been working on. And she had time. Plenty of it. Finding a safe, undisturbed place to work, now that was a different story entirely.
Still fingering the beads, she played with different patterns in her mind, forming a picture of the finished product. As much as she hated digging through other's trash. . .hated the disdainful, pity filled looks when someone caught her. . .there was something theraputic, something healing for her in her art. Something to be said for taking that which had been discarded - unwanted- and giving it new life. Taking that which had lost it's beauty and usefullness and giving it new purpose. She knew what that felt like. To be discarded. Unwanted. Useless.
And people were so wasteful! She pushed the dark thoughts from her mind and grinned as she thought of the beautiful crystals she had retrieved yesterday. Probably the most remarkable things she'd ever claimed from the trash. Her grin stretched, reaching even to touch her hazel eys as she shoved the garment back in her bag and pushed herself up the wall. She drug her satchel up as well and ducked her head under the strap before situating the load on her shoulder. She had been resting long enough. Sooner or later someone would come along and tell her to keep moving. She wasn't welcome. No loitering. This was no place for the riff raff on the street to just make themselves at home. Pushed out. Moved on. Unwanted. Discarded.
But she smiled on. The bracelet fashioned with those crystals would fetch her a handsome price at the market. She would eat tonight!
One thing she did cherish - tired or not- was her freedom. And she would do whatever it took. . .spend the rest of her life on the streets if necessary. . .to hold onto that freedom. It wasn't so bad, really, she told herself. She was constantly amazed at the things people threw away, especially some of the wealthier citizens of RhyDin. People were so wasteful. She grinned as she reached into her satchel and pulled out her latest find. The dress was lovely, or had been at one time, she thought as she ran her hands over the delicate material. It was stained and soiled now. Had obviously been well worn, but the intricate beadwork on the bodice was what had caught her attention. It would take some time to remove the beads, but they would be perfect for the bag she had been working on. And she had time. Plenty of it. Finding a safe, undisturbed place to work, now that was a different story entirely.
Still fingering the beads, she played with different patterns in her mind, forming a picture of the finished product. As much as she hated digging through other's trash. . .hated the disdainful, pity filled looks when someone caught her. . .there was something theraputic, something healing for her in her art. Something to be said for taking that which had been discarded - unwanted- and giving it new life. Taking that which had lost it's beauty and usefullness and giving it new purpose. She knew what that felt like. To be discarded. Unwanted. Useless.
And people were so wasteful! She pushed the dark thoughts from her mind and grinned as she thought of the beautiful crystals she had retrieved yesterday. Probably the most remarkable things she'd ever claimed from the trash. Her grin stretched, reaching even to touch her hazel eys as she shoved the garment back in her bag and pushed herself up the wall. She drug her satchel up as well and ducked her head under the strap before situating the load on her shoulder. She had been resting long enough. Sooner or later someone would come along and tell her to keep moving. She wasn't welcome. No loitering. This was no place for the riff raff on the street to just make themselves at home. Pushed out. Moved on. Unwanted. Discarded.
But she smiled on. The bracelet fashioned with those crystals would fetch her a handsome price at the market. She would eat tonight!