Shelly angrily paced away from the locksmith's shop, her fist balled, jaws tense and eyebrows scrunched together. A few steps further was an alleyway that Shelly stopped into. At a standstill, Maou stood behind Shelly as she paused in the small space. He took notice of her trembling fist and tensed arm. Feelings of empathy befell him and he wanted to comfort her. But just as he was going to hug Shelly's arm, she kicked a beer bottle laying on the ground, shattering it against a wall. Maou unconsciously drew his hand back, frightened by her sudden outburst.
"What a f*cking waste of time!" Shelly screamed, slamming her arm against the wall, face contorted with rage. "I hope your shitty shop burns to the ground."
A loud silence was between the two, only the chatter and footsteps of the city filled their ears. Loosing her tight grip, her arm slid down the wall until it fell to her side. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before turning to Maou with her expression softened.
"Did I scare you?" Shelly crouched to Maou's height. "I'm sorry, I just needed to let out some steam."
She ran her hand through his hair, giving him a head rub. Her soft hands and smile calmed him down.
"Hey, how about after the next few stops we take a break?" Shelly asked, standing up and holding out her palm. "We'll go sightseeing and you can pick out whatever you want to eat… as long as it's not too expensive. How's that sound?"
"That sounds fun!"
Maou smiled again as he held Shelly's hand and the two stepped out the alley. Moving on, their next stop was a Tanner shop with another worker's needed sign out front. Trying their luck once more, they entered the shop and an array of leather and animal hide were on display, hanging on the walls and on stands. Shelly went to the front counter while Maou preoccupied himself with gazing at the leather and anything else that piqued his interest. At the counter, a messy haired little girl peered down at a piece of paper, frantically scribbling down numbers and counting from an abacus while mumbling to herself and becoming increasingly angry.
"Argh! Damnit! I can't take it anymore!" She slammed her little hands on the counter, knocking over the abacus. "How am I gonna retire at twenty with these crappy earnings?!"
Just then, she noticed Shelly infront of her, whom was surprised at her sudden outburst. The girl's face became red with embarrassment and she quickly hid under the counter, hurriedly straightening her hair and wiping her face with her overall's straps.
"Hahaha! I'm so sorry for that." She awkwardly laughed as she stood up from under the counter. "I hope I didn't scare you."
"Haha. It's fine, I understand the frustration." Shelly giggled. "We all need to release some steam at times."
"Haaaa! I'm so happy you get it." She let out a sigh of relief as her shoulders dropped. "Ten hours everyday yet I still won't be able to retire at twenty. And twenty is such an old age to retire at too."
Shelly was taken back by her words. To this child, a nineteen year old like Shelly would be seen as senile in her eyes.
"Ugh! I hate working…."
"Oh, so you're just lazy." Shelly thought to herself.
"And I hate working here. It's super smelly and the pay sucks." She grimaced while resting her head on her palm. "If this wasn't my dad's business, I'd have quit a long time ago."
"Oh… I'm sorry you have to suffer this much." Shelly replied.
"Thanks. It's nice having someone who understands my struggle. Haaa! If only my dad would listen to me." She sighed before jumping with fright. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I just went on a rant."
"No, it's fine. You looked like you needed to get that out for a while now." Shelly said.
"What type of leather do you want to buy?" She asked, holding a pen in her hand. "Full grain, top grain, genuine, or bonded leather?"
"Actually, I'm not here to buy leather." Shelly answered. "There's a "worker's needed" sign out front, so I came to apply."
The pen fell from the girl's hand. "Apply? Here?"
"Was it a mistake? I'll just try someplace else then." Shelly backed up to leave.
"No, no! We're hiring!" The girl yelled out, stopping Shelly. "It's just that it's been over three months since the last applicant. What's your name miss?"
"Shelly. Shelly Baker." She replied.
"That's a beautiful name. Well, my name is Mona." The girl said. "So you're looking to work here, huh? What skills do you have?"
"Uhm, baking and a bit of sewing." Shelly answered. "Is that okay?"
"Hmmm, baking and sewing. Sounds good." Mona nodded her head. "Can you clean?"
"Ah, yes…. Yes I can."
"How well?"
"I would say spotless, as long as I have the right tools that is."
"So far so good." Mona gave Shelly the nod of approval. "And what would you say your weaknesses are?"
"Ah, weaknesses?" Shelly gazed off to the side in her thoughts. "I'm not really sure how to answer that, sorry."
"That's okay, I'll be more specific." Mona said. "Can you handle really bad smells? Like rotting hide and animal dung kinda bad?"
"Huh? Animal dung?" Shelly nearly gagged at the thought. "Wait, what kind of job is–"
A door burst open, loudly banging against a wall that cut Shelly off. Through the doorway came a tall strong man and the nauseating stench of animal hide and feces. The smell assaulted Shelly's nostrils and instantly she clamped her nose shut, quickly taking a few steps backwards.
"Mo-mo! I'm hungry, let's go eat lunch." The man shouted as he threw his smelly gloves in the room he came from.
"Papa, you dummy!" Mona yelled. "You're scaring her."
"Huh? Scaring who?"
The burly man then noticed Shelly who was trying her best to not to puke at the stench coming out the room he came from.
"Oh my goodness! Where are my manners?"
He briskly walked over to Shelly and politely bowed. By this time, Shelly still held her nose shut, nearly blue in the face. She refused to breathe in the stomach turning smell of the man and the stench from the room he emerged.
"She wants to work here." Mona stated.
"Oh really? You're that desperate for a job? Gahgagagah!" The man laughed cheerily, hands on hip. "But don't worry! You'll get used to the smell of hot dung and animal hide in no time."
Shelly felt more faint the longer she held her breath. So in the midst of her lightheadedness, she disregarded the conversation and darted for the exit while she was still able to hold her breath. Maou saw her burst through the door and he quickly followed behind her, dropping the leather coat he was playing with.
"So… is that a yes then?!" The man yelled as the two ran out. "You still want the job, right?!"
"Papa, of course not!" Mona slammed the counter. "And go take a bath, you smell like crap!"
"It can't be that bad, right?" He pulled his leather apron to his nose. "Sniff! Sniff! Eugh! You're right! I think I got some of the dung on me. Gross!"
Mona facepalmed and shook her head, cringing at her father's naivety.
On the other hand, Shelly stopped in a hidden corner and crouched over gagging till she puked. Maou stood behind and patted her on the back until she felt better enough to stand up again.
"I can't… I can't work there. Pwoot!" She spit out the puke left in the back of her throat as she stood up. "Let's try someplace else."
"Hey look, there's another sign over there." Maou pointed at a building across the street from where they stood.
"That's good. Lead the way, I'm right behind you."
Shelly held her aching head while Maou pulled her along, hand in hand till they reached the building he pointed at. It was a Wheelwright shop that had a personal carriage stationed outside which was most likely owned by someone of wealth.
Pushing the door open, the interior was similar to the tanner shop with its variety of wheels with different colours and sizes hung up on the walls for display.
At the opposite end of the shop, stood two men talking. One held a cane and wore an expensive dark ultramarine blue coat, similar to the ones wealthy merchants would wear. The other man looked way less sophisticated in comparison with only an overalls, dirty work pants and an unlit cigarette behind his ear. Shelly waited until the two were finished talking, which was shorter than expected, before she approached the man with the cigarette while the other classier guy examined the wheels on display.
"How can I help you miss?"
He pulled out a lighter from his pocket and flicked the flint until a flame was lit.
"Good day sir. I really need a job and I spotted the sign outside and would like to work here." Shelly said.
Her words made him pause as he was about to light his cigarette. In disbelief, he looked at Shelly with confusion, one eyebrow higher than the other. A slow laughter rose from the man as he put his lighter away.
"You… want to work here? At a wheelwright?" He gestured his finger around the shop with a mocking look. "Do you even know how to shape wood, much less make cartwheels? Matter a fact, do you even have any craftsman's skills?"
"N-No not really… but I'm sure I could learn on the job." Shelly answered. "I'm a fast learner."
The man erupted with a loud and unbridled laughter that he had to hold his abdomen. His contagious laugh spread to the merchant who overheard the conversation. Shelly's eyebrows scrunched and expression irritated by his mocking laughter. Even Maou took an offence to it, glaring at the man.
"What's so funny?" Shelly asked "I'm being serious."
"Wait wait, give me a minute to breathe…." The man wiped away a tear that rolled down his cheek. "Oh boy, I really needed that laugh. Uhm, what was your question again."
"The job. Can I work here?" Shelly asked with aggression.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this missy, but we don't hire women for these kinda jobs. This is more of a man's job, darling." He pulled out his lighter and lit his cigarette. "Without any craftsmanship skills I doubt you'd get any jobs in this field. But you can try the bakery or something else feminine? I'm sure they'd welcome you."
Shelly cut her eyes away from the wheelwright, agitated by his demeaning yet truthful words. She turned to leave, but then the merchant called to her.
"Young lady, if it's work you need, and a high paying one at that, then wait right there. I'll be with you shortly."
The merchant spoke with his back facing Shelly. He pointed his cane at one of the wheels and the wheelwright hurried to the man's side.
"This exact size and model but make it thicker and add some fancy designs to the wood." The merchant ordered. "And get it done before next week. I refuse to look simple amongst those scathing merchants."
"Next week? But that's only five days from now." The wheelwright responded. "We can't make four wheels in such a short time. We'll need at least eighteen days, sir."
"Get it done in nine days and you will receive an extra fifteen gold coins." The merchant bargained.
"We will try our very best." A money hungry grin crawled onto the wheelwright's face as he rubbed his hands together. "It's a pleasure doing business with you sir."
"Yes, likewise." The merchant answered sarcastically. "Make haste with my wheels. A second over the nine days and you'll get nothing extra from me."
The wheelwright hurried into a another room, promptly ordering the other workers to pause whatever orders they were currently making. Left alone with the two, the merchant turned around to Shelly, his attention now focused on her.
"Young lady, how old are you?" He asked.
"I am nineteen sir." Shelly answered.
"Nineteen you say?" He rose an eyebrow. "You recently came to this city, didn't you?"
"Ah, yes sir."
"Hhmmm, figures. I know a stray puppy when I see one." He stroked his beard, showing the expensive rings on each finger. "But lucky for you, I'm in a good mood today."
The merchant slowly approached Shelly with his beer belly pushing out his brown tunic and his eyes striping her from head to toe.
"I have a friend. He's a fellow business man like myself, but he's morely into selling 'services' than goods." The merchant stopped an arm's length away from Shelly. "The job pays well. You'll even have a free place to sleep and food."
"Uhm, what kind of job is it?" Shelly asked.
"Its a 'servicing' kind of job. Which I'm sure you'll be good at." He replied with a smile. "Would you be interested?"
"Yes, yes I am." Shelly answered, a little excited.
"Wonderful. Now here's a special card. Take it with you." He handed Shelly a fancy looking card with the name 'Amantes Café' on it. "Ask for a job then show this card to anyone of the workers."
"Thank you." Shelly took the card and looked at it. "But where do I find this place?"
"Where? I don't remember the exact location, but go to the Outer East Wing, and ask the locals for directions. Oh and show them the card too, they'd be happy to help you." The merchant then walked past the two, heading to the door. "And make haste, I'd hate for you to miss this golden opportunity."