Topic: Trash or Treasure

Kianndra

Date: 2007-07-13 15:35 EST
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!

Kianndra

Date: 2007-07-13 20:14 EST
Kia squinted into the bright sun and lifted a hand to shiled her eyes as she searched for a place to lay her blanket. In addition to the leather satchel that was ever draped over her shoulder, she held a small, neatly rolled bundle beneath one arm and carried a small chest of trinkets in the other hand. Tired and sweating from a lengthy walk with so much to carry, she sighed in relief as she spotted an empty space along one of the main walkways in the market. It was busy today, she noted, not only with vendors but with customers as well. She smiled to herself, pleased she had made the decision to come.

Gently, she laid her burdens on the ground and knelt to untie the leather cord that was wrapped snuggly around the rolled bundle. The knot had swollen some and was tight enough to be difficult. She forced it open with her finger nails, impatient to get set up. She was anxious to see if the crystal bracelet would bring as much attention, and coin, as she was expecting it to. Finally the knot loosened and she shook the blanket free. The material was bright and cheerful, obviously patchworked together, but lovely none the less. The edges of the blanket were intricately embroidered with a delicate gold thread and Kia paused, as she often did, to lovingly trace the stitching. Her mind fell to a cherished memory, one of the few she had worth remembering. She was sitting on her grandmother's lap watching the weathered old hands, stiff with arthritis, but still able to produce the perfect stitches - though not without considerable effort. Kia reached her small hand up to touch her grandmother's cheek, wrinkled and tough as leather from a lifetime of hard work in the sun.

"Will you teach me, Nonna?" she squinted up at the old woman adoringly. The one person who had loved her unconditionally. . .

She smoothed the wrinkles from the blanket and knelt in the middle of it. She pulled the chest toward her before fishing in her pocket for the key. Carefully, she laid out her treasures. Each piece was unique. Made from scraps which she collected from one end of RhyDin to the other. There were a few pieces of jewlery, several embroidered bags, odds and ends. Each one discarded as trash, rescued, and lovingly restored into something beautiful or useful.

Lastly, she reached into her satchel and carefully removed the bracelet. The crystals glinted in the sun as she turned the piece this way and that. The design had turned out even better than she had hoped. For a moment, she considered keeping the bracelet for herself. But just for a moment. It was lovely, yes, but lovely things were a luxury Kia couldn't afford. Her stomach quickly declared that dinner was more important and she had to agree. She placed the bracelet in the center of the blanket and then sat cross legged in the grass nearby. She offered a cheery grin to those who passed, a grateful nod to those who complimented her work, and a genuinely delighted smile to the few who purchased some of her smaller pieces.

Still, though the market bustled, she had not made enough coin even for dinner that evening and no one had given the bracelet much of a second look. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin atop them. The sun had reached it's peak and was starting to drop. She would wait a bit longer. . . hoping. It had been a while since she had gone to bed hungry two nights in a row. . . but not long enough. The rumbling in her stomach had turned to pain and she took a deep breath. She would survive. She always did.

Kianndra

Date: 2007-07-15 09:15 EST
She had packed her gear up in frustration. The long day's effort had produced nothing more than a couple of coppers and a bit of interesting conversation with the window shoppers in the Marketplace.

The young peddler's mind was full and her stomach was empty - a wretched combinated, Kia thought as she trudged through back alleys and well known streets toward Rhy'Din's WestEnd. It was one of her least favortie places in the city, but also one of the least likely places for her to be chased away for loitering. Unfortunately, the same privacy and reprieve she found in the dark, quiet backstreets and alleys also offered its services to thieves and much, much worse. Still, other than the Inn, it was one of the few places she could rest without interruption - if you could call learning to sleep with one eye open rest.

Her satchel and the bulk of her load weighed heavily on her as she covered the miles. She was weary to the bone. . . and so hungry. She had eyed the food vendors at the Marketplace on her way out, knowing that the dense crowds today would have made it easy to slip a piece of fruit or bread into her satchel. She hated the thought of stealing. But eventually she knew she'd be hungry enough. She slipped behind a building and into a familiar alley, measuring her steps carefully, taking careful stock of her surroundings. The alley was deserted, but Kia had learned not to take chances. There was no such thing as too careful.

She ducked behind a dumpster and cast a last look over her shoulder to ensure she was still alone. The building, behind which she found herself, was old. The brick and mortar were crumbling in places and the stone foundation had seen much better days. She pushed on one of stones and it moved easily to reveal a dark cavity beneath the building. Here she stashed her small chest of treasures and the precious blanket from her grandmother before carefully replacing the stone. Her satchel remained with her always. It held her few valuable possessions and the tools and materials she needed for whatever her current project happened to be.

As the sun had dropped, so had the temperature, and she felt a chill run through her as she wedged herself against the wall and propped her feet on the dumpster. Her body tensed for a moment as the sound of voices drifted down the alley. They seemed to be coming closer, and she held her breath. The wind carried the sound on it's way and after a momennt or so of silence, she relaxed again, assured that her alley was still empty.

"Home sweet home" she thought to herself darkly. She wrapped her arms around herself as much to ward off the feelings despair as it was to shield her from the cold. Eventually, she drifted into a fitful sleep. . . but she dreamed. . . she always dreamed.