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I followed her down the alley as she poked through the piles, picking up the oddest of items: a handleless clay pot, a rusted metal canister, a chunk of broken pane This last seeht on her face

I leaned in to peer over her shoulder "What will you do with it?"

She whipped about and I froze, as she had placed the tip of a long and wickedly sharp glass dagger at my throat

"This," she said "Back off"

I did so quickly, raising my hands to make it clear that Iher work

"Glass," she said "Grind it down for knives, use the leftovers to grind other things Get it?"

I was fascinated by her her than that of the people in Sky, and quicker spoken They had less patience for long, flowery verbal constructions, and their new, briefer constructions contained additional layers of attitude I began adjusting my own speech to suit

"Got it," I said "Then?"

She shrugged "I sell theive ’e me up and down, and then snorted "You could pay"

I looked down atI had manifested back in Sky was filthy and stank, but it was made of fine-quality cloth, and the shirt and pants and shoes all matched, unlike her clothes I supposed I did look wealthy "But I don’t have any et a job," she replied, and resuhed and moved to sit down on a closed ht bore down on it "Guess I’ll have to Know anyone who ht be valuable to irl stopped again, looking hard at ?"

I blinked in surprise "Yes, actually How did you know?"

"Only they ask those kinds of crazy questions"

"Oh Have youto eat htelse? Torture ods, ould I--" But then it occurred to s were capable of all that and worse We were not the gentlest of fas are ht" She turned back to exaht be an old roof shingle With an annoyed sigh, she tossed it aside "You’re not going to getthere like that You should do sos up, wrapping ar left in irl pulled off her stupid hat and mopped her brow Without it, I saw that she was Amn, her white-blonde curls cropped short and held back with cheap-looking barrettes She looked ten or eleven, though I saw more years than that in her eyes Fourteen, h in those years, and it showed, but I could still feel the childhood in her

"Hymn," she said A name My skepticism must have shown, because she rolled her eyes "Short for Hyer name, actually"

"I don’t" She looked , you know Skinny, but you can fix that"

I blinked again, wondering if this was soot another skill besides thieving, juggling, and killing"

I sighed, feeling very tired "No whoring"

"You sure? You’d , and you don’t look very tough"

"Looksto mortals You want to make money as a killer, you need to look like one" She folded her arms "I know a place where they’d let you pick your clients, you being what you are If you can make yourself look A this "Or "

"I just need enough to buy food" But I would need rew older, wouldn’t I? There would coer be able to conjure clothing or necessities, and someday shelter would be more than just a pleasant accessory Winters in central Sen my cheek on my knees