Mending a Broken Crown

Washing off The Settled Dust

Run, jump, slide.

She had been trying to get up to his eye level for a good chunk of minutes now. Trying and failing to climb up the half wall with her height and stature.

Run, jump, slide.

If he was in any other kind of mood, he'd find a bit of amusement with his pity. It truly was comical watching her try again and again, her tenacity not seeming to waver with each failed attempt.

It was charming, almost admirable to a degree.

Run, jump, slide.

Should he interject? Try to help in any way? Was he even in the mood to do so?

Run, jump, slide.

He sighed, might as well.

He adjusted his posture, making it as comfortable as possible to raise his foot up to his side for leverage.

He whistled. "Oi. Try now."

She nodded, brushing herself off before starting her running start up once more.

This time, using his foot as a foot stool to climb up the wall the rest of the way, throwing her legs over the other end as she now sat atop of.

She let out a triumphant huff of air, her head turning to the urchin. "... Thanks."

"It's nofing... uh--"

"... Annie."

Spyke blinked.

That name seemed familiar to him.

"... yes... Annie. It's nofing."

The silence seemed to come quick after that. As the air settled around them, as the music filled the silence, as Annie collected her breath...

He found the time to scan the crowd, searching for a particular child he also had to leave behind in a huff.

And when his eye landed on the boy, unbothered by the world around him, he couldn't help but to breathe out a sigh of relief.

Thank god he didn't see that altercation. Or hear it, for that matter.

"... What's up?"

His eye didn't break contact from him as he grunted out an answer. "It ain't much..." He rested a hand on his chin. "... M'just glad the kid didn't see wot happened earlier."

"The kid...?"

"That kid. Right there." He pointed him out to her, the action causing her to lightly gasp.

"OH--! That kid!"

"Y'know him?"

Annie shuffled in her spot. "Um... kinda... He fulfills deliveries for me... and sometimes I come around to check on his quota... n'stuff..."

Deliveries? So, he wasn't the only one giving Murch orders...?

...

Now that he thought about it, he remembered getting unidentifiable gear to his location as efficiently as he could. Gear that wasn't sourced from him, and by his own means. Nor did it contain the same abilities the average bit of gear would have.

This gear was off the rack, of an unknown, dubious origin.

It was hard to believe that she was the woman pulling the strings behind that operation...