'Crunch! Munch Munch Munch...'
Yunnie watched Seon sit at a rickety table, devouring meals that would probably feed a family of five. Plates piled high with roasted meats, bowls of steaming broth, skewers stacked with vegetables.
'Uh... is this really okay?'
Seon who noticed his gaze, asked.
"What's wrong, not hungry? Can I have it instead"
Seon was about to pin its fork on his beef when Yunnie immediately withdrew the plate away from her.
"No! Madam prophet!"
"Tsk stingy"
Yunnie frowned horrified looking back on the plates she had done.
'Can she slow down?' as if Yunnie can suggest that,
Wincing he began counting the coins in their shared pouch, realizing it was rapidly vanishing.
"Only 2 golds left..." Yunnie's head began to do math, as he calculated everything.
'Meal here in the Kingdom costs 50 silver, which is approximately half of one gold. It's really expensive! Does it mean we can only last for 2-3 days?!'
"This isn't even our money..." Yunnie sighed. "We stole this money..."
Seon paused for a split second, a drumstick halfway on her mouth, and shot him a pointed look.
"Yunnie, those thugs donated this money to us. It's practically charity when you think about it!"
"Charity?" Yunnie muttered eyebrows knitted together. "I'm pretty sure you broke one guy's nose and… I think someone is still stuck in the ceiling…"
Seon waved a dismissive hand as she spoke while her mouth was full. "Technicalities, Yunnie. You think too much." She washed down a large mouthful with a gulp of ale, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Besides, do you really want to waste this golden opportunity? Free meal, no consequences."
"What if we run out of money?"
"..."
Silence envelops both of them. Seon looked at him dumbfounded as if her mind goes- 'We can lose money?'. It was then suddenly Yunnie started sweating.
"You didn't think about that?"
"Why should I?! I've never been worried about money in my entire life!"
"Well, now you need to because we have no more saved-up gold!!!"
****
Clank Clank Clank...
Yunnie and Seon sat on a battered old crate, wedged in a corner between a pile of rags and a half-collapsed barrel. Around them, the alley's resident beggars whispered and beg, having other civilians generously passed coins back and forth.
Yet not even one spared a glance in their direction.
Seon frowned as her gaze darted to a pile of coins just a foot away.
"Why aren't they giving us anything?" she muttered, eyeing an old man who had just pocketed a sizable donation just by sitting.
"Maybe because we don't look... beggar enough." Yunnie looked Seon up and down, shrugging at her admittedly very clean robes.
Seon grumbled and pulled a handful of her hair forward, attempting to mess it up.
"We're sitting on a crate in the cold! That's got to be beggar-ish!"
"Maybe try muttering about the 'good old days'? That seems to get them every time."
Just then, a paper nailed to a scrap of wood clattered down from the rickety signpost above them, landing at Seon's feet. She picked it up, squinting at the fine print.
"WANTED: Buying a Cat. Reward: 50 Golds."
Seon's eyes lit up. She glanced around at the beggars huddled near the alley's opening.
"Think we could pull this off?"
Yunnie scratched his head. "Uh, we don't have a cat."
"Yunnie… it's time to improvise."
Yunnie's face paled.
"Wait… you're not saying I should—"
"Start purring, Yunnie. We're about to be rich."
"NO ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
"Then how are we gonna live here?! I have this rat over my hat (Hunter) but he doesn't look like cat! Just a chonky rat!"
"How about we actually find a real cat."
"Ughhh... I don't wanna work! Might as well cook this rat!"
"S-Squeak!"
"Ehem!-"
It was then someone interrupted on the barter of two.
Their bickering was interrupted by the arrival of a tall, copper-skinned man with raven-black hair. He wore a black uniform and his golden eyes practically pinned them to the crate.
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small ID card and holding it up for them to see.
_______________
Loerei Watchmen of Peranyela Agency.
Name: Arthur Mclianne
Status: Sergeant
________________
Seon raised an eyebrow at the ID, squinting up at him.
"Uh... And?"
Arthur folded his arms, looking dead serious. "Did you or did you not just enter the tunnel?"
Seon frowned trying to recall the events. It was then the memories of previous thugs flashed in her mind.
"Oh yeah! How are we supposed to get inside here quickly, if not?"
Arthur shook his head. "This is a restricted area for… the exceptionally suspicious criminals"
"Huh?" Both Seon and Yunnie looked to one another, confused.