"Argh! Come on! Really?!"
I leaned back and stared up at the cloudy sky, sighing to myself as I brushed off the worst of the grime on my hands, having just rummaged through my seventh pile of trash.
One mans trash was still another mans trash...
Whoever says otherwise is being too damn philosophical and hopeful!
I hadn't found anything of use inside these piles of trash, and I had no expectations or standards besides it being either usable or edible.
Something with mold is edible, yes, but I am NOT eating that... not unless I feel like I'll die to hunger, anyways.
Which isn't right now, since my body still had the remnants of mana coursing through it, slowly getting me back to a stable, average spot for this malnourished, injured body.
Getting to my feet, I looked around the dingy alleyway before picking out a new pile, one that had a bit my 'substance' to it then the others.
Hopefully that meant I'd find myself some treasure, but again I wasn't going to expect anything...
I could see a few other men and children doing what I was doing, their bones nearly poking out of their skin either pallid or swarthy skin.
No women were scrounging around in the trash, since they were instead trying to remain 'clean' enough to entice a man to give them some food or coin in exchange for sex; we could all hear the grunts and sounds of flesh hitting flesh echoing around the slums, but none of us cared as we looked for food, too hungry to care about lust.
Kneeling in front of the new pile, I began to push aside the general waste and sift through the grime covered items, hiding a grin as a piece of metal gleamed beneath the trash.
Eight times the charm, I guess~?
It wasn't a weapon or a tool per se, but instead just a shard of thin metal that I could use to, at the very least, defend myself from an attacker; it was sharp enough and long enough to cause some damage.
Rubbing dirt onto its surface, I dulled the light before continuing to look through the pile, looking for anything else.
My eyes scanned over everything quickly, before I found a small pouch; sadly it was empty, but now I have a thing to store anything else I find in it, or something to make an improvised slingshot with?
Whatever, but for now I'll just take it.
Hearing someone shuffling towards me, I palmed that shard of metal and looked towards the noise, an elderly man with matted grey hair sneering at me as he tried to kick me away, wanting to requisition my pile.
His sandaled foot swished through the air, before he cursed as I grabbed and pulled on his outstretched leg, sending him off balance.
He fell to the floor with a crash, and I narrowed my eyes as I slipped forwards, swiftly checking his body for anything useful while he was winded.
Not finding anything, I got up and scrambled away, the commotion having drawn too much attention to this area for my own good; attention in these alleyways was terrible.
So, I fled into the maze of alleys, looking for a new place to begin searching once more.
With a semi decent haul from earlier, I wasn't as desperate for a giant find, but I still would like something to eat...
Which is also why I was wandering around following my nose, the scent of freshly baked bread guiding me through this maze with its sweet, warm smell...
Oh, they even were using multiple grains to bake it... it has that earthy scent of oat and different kinds of flour to it.
A few of the other street urchins were following me, their stomachs grumbling as we made our march towards its origin point, the dark alleys giving way to a brighter, cleaner, and wider road.
We received some glances, but most ignored us as we continued on, until eventually we found ourselves in front of a small church, the white paint chipped and the stained glass murky.
Approaching the door, I took a deep breath and enjoyed the scent tickling my nostrils before raising the burnished bronze knocker and hitting it against the wooden door three times.
A moment later, an elderly woman dressed in a deep black robe and habit that covered her head, while the emerald green coif and tunic denoted her devotion to Goddess Sylva, the Lady of the Forest and Goddess of Agriculture.
"Yes?"
She looked over the group of street urchins with a warm smile, and I smiled back at her before bowing my head and clasping my hands in front of me, asking "Sister, may you find it within your gracious heart to spare some food? I'll work for it, if you wish?"
The others hastily mirrored me, making the nun chuckle softly as she replied "Very well, children... Come. We do need some help preparing for the evening prayers. On Goddess Sylva's name, we'll send you to sleep tonight with a full belly."
She stepped aside, gesturing for us to enter the church.
Entering, I glanced around and took in the slightly dilapidated appearance, as well as the three other nuns that were dressed similarly to the elderly nun, all three smiling at us before returning to their chores.
Not sensing anything off putting, I accepted the rag from one of the nuns and began to help them polish everything off, making sure to not lean or step on the places I had cleaned as I was still rather... unfitting for this place of worship.
All of us settled into our work in silence, cleaning the church and earning our payment of bread, which the head nun brought out when we neared completion.
Standing by the door after an hours work, I was handed a large chunk of steaming bread, the soft dough a beautiful golden brown.
"Good work, children... If you want, return tomorrow for another piece; the same offer applies, alright? Be safe..."
She waved goodbye before closing the doors, leaving us on the streets alone as the sun slowly set.
Warily stepping away from one another, we devoured the bread before scurrying away, not trusting the others as we fled into the alleyways.
With something in my stomach, I returned to scrounging around, wanting to find a place to call 'home' for now; somewhere near the church, preferably.
With bread like that on a steady supply, I could at least have something to eat once a day, which was a start.
Like that, the sun fell over the city, and I had done little in my first day here, but...
Well, with a body like this, I was just happy that I was able to move and walk, let alone work for a meal!
I needed to start somewhere, after all, and this...
This was as good a place as any; once I found a place to make mine, I could begin to do more with this new life of mine...
Live it the way that I want to live.