1, Cutlery

1, Tales of Zurkonia

The rat's body went limp in her hands. Snapping the rat's neck had been easy. The crack of its spine echoed in her nerves. Pity welled up within the little girl. The killing was now a somber memory. She thought it might grant her a wish if she caught it.

First seeing the rat glint in the rare moonlight of all four moons had gotten her very excited. Chasing it down and finally grasping it revealed the rat was glinting due to the bit of finery on it. Then it didn't speak or glow. After inspecting every angle, the rat was completely normal. 

Acutely put out, the girl rationalized to herself. The rat would have died stupidly anyways. Just the other day she had seen a kid die stupidly. The child had snatched a loose coin purse. When he was chased down he had thrown the purse into the river instead of handing it over. 

Like the purse had been tossed, the child had been tossed. Not even by the guys in the practical, shiny, and hard clothes.  Instead, it had just been some hired muscle that cared too much about the tiny metal circles everyone traded for. Coins n' stuff she didn't understand. What she did understand were the solid clothes those big men had worn. Hard, big, and protective clothing you could wear and be kept from bumping your body, real regal finery. So while the boy swung at them they felt nothing, his loose clothes had not worked a bit. So the boy died, like the rat. 

But coins were fine if the fine people said they were fine. The rat would cook fine at least. So, she began walking the alley maze back to the Many Home. Home of Many, it was called. Many Home was also the little girls' home. The older kids just called it an orphanage. 'You waste a little of everyone's time,' they would say.

Well if that was so important, they should be working sun up to sun down. Then sleep and eat in their spare time. Time was for wasting at least half the time. For example, her alleyway path was half wasted time. She wanted to pass by all the cool places near Many Home.

 She ducked by the plant man's home, he groaned out at her. She sprinted by the goo alchemist's place lest the goo come. Lastly, she watched for, any silver sashes. They would be up in the sky.

One went overhead with steam arching off their tail end like their bristled butt was on fire. She chased the silver sash from below. The alley path was much slower than the sky. It was bumpy stones placed together with frozen drips of that gray sticky stuff. Plants, rotting wood, poop, pee puddles, people puddles, and other things blocked her way. 

Despite this, she made it just in time to see the silver sash put a package in front of a stony apartment door. The silver sash glinted in the many moonlights. The wearer of the sash knocked, and then with a kick on the ground, arced away. From her alleyway, the girl could smell the package's juicy meats. Quietly her bare feet patted across the cleaner street stones to the folded cloth. The girl peeled back the package just slightly. Her eyes dilated as the scent of roast turkey entered her nostrils.  

The rat was quickly traded for the steaming turkey. The rat would give them a snack at least, to help tide them over while they ordered another Turkey. The turkey was hers now, and so it made its way to Many Home, home of the many. There she stuffed it into a fake garbo bin and went around front. There she pressed lightly on one of the two double doors and peeked inside. 

The entryway was dark, only some of the four moons' light made it through the tall partially curtained windows. A few older kids with silver sashes dozed in chairs at the dining table next to the entry. Their sashes dimly lit the room, like the silver moon. The girl glided inside and away from that room. A second later the entryway brightened with silver light. Popping sleep bubbles groaned from the dining hall. The girl hid behind a pile of dirty shoes as an older child lumbered to the entryway. Their sash was bright as they opened the door. Stepping outside they mumbled, and the sash mumbled back.

The front door clicked closed. A second later the silver sash darted upward past the blurry window panes. The girl sprinted up toward her room. Loud thunks echoed from her every footstep. As footsteps of the things that chase you upstairs came behind her, she dashed through a curtained doorway. With youthful clumsiness, she divebombed an open bedroll inside a large dresser. Some wood screeched, and then she was closed up inside the wood cube. 

"Child mild becomes wild. No fear or tear can reach their gut-filled beer. gut-filled, two, and skull-three. Fear the Temple oval path Temples's it may be all become crass." She whispered. Another classic original enchantment of protection.

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The entrance to Many Home framed two soldiers in armor. As Cutlery called it, useful clothes.

"The Eternal One is looking for more loyal young recruits." A man said. His lard wadded under his armor. Cutlery sat down at the table as Mome unwrapped her from the curtain and placed some bread in front of her. Mome nodded. 

"Of course, so many from my loyal Home of Many turn into the fieriest recruits." She said. 

As we have heard ma'am." The fat one said. A clink of armor came from his belly as he leaned forward.  Cutlery eyed the other man.

His armor did not bulge at all. He would have to be called something else, she thought. I'll call him Two, she thought. Peering at them over her bread they continued speaking.

"We would love one as young as her. She can train much more than older kids before she is a real soldier, like us. More likely she'll last longer...  go uninjured longer, and perhaps even become an officer." Two said.

"Of course, of course." Mom mused as her eyes looked to the ceiling. Some boredom crept into her voice as she appeared to be thinking about other things. 

"How much metal circles imma worth?" Cutlery interjected. Fat laughed and Two scowled. Two had a tattoo on his left hand that looked really fancy. the Silver sashes have a pattern with some of the same stuff on them. Maybe they had the same boss. The pattern was tall and looked like something like the lighthouse by the bay.

"Young lady we aren't here to buy you! We're here to give you an opportunity. Any coins exchanged are for your mother here. She won't have your help you see." He explained to no one in particular. His tone seemed rehearsed. 

"Of course, of course," Mom said while looking at the ceiling. Two continued his explanation. The Eternal Guides this, and someone like her might never experience otherwise that. Mom nodded along and Fat managed not to laugh anymore at Cutlery's interjections. 

"So she should be worth about a gold at that," Mom stated finally. The two men balked.

"A gold! A sash is worth one silver! A sliver is one's life! We are giving her the power to change fate!" Two stated. Silver, silver, hard to hear those apart. Cutlery confused the two sounds often. 

"Uh-huh. And she won't be here to wash dishes anymore, I won't see a pinch of changed fate." Mome argued. 

"Yes, no price can be put on your los-" Two said then was cut off. 

"We can do three silver if you cut us a deal at the pink house. Ma'am." Fat said, then added the Ma'am at the end to be polite. 

"Five and no line at pink," Mom said.

"Four and no line plus complimentary Suxing service," Fat said. 

"Deal," Mom stated and then stuck out her hand. 

"Deal," Fat said and grabbed her hand. They shook. 

Four silver circles, Cutlery thought. Plus some morning drink after a little happy screaming. The pink house sold a lot of happy screaming to the shiny men that worked for the Eternal. Cutlery thought she might try and own a pink house one day, a bit loud, but it seemed like a lot of coins and men passed through. 

"We'll take her now." Two said. He stood and seemed unperturbed by the currency being exchanged for a child's service to the Eternal. Or to give the child a sliver? Cutlery was mostly lost. What she did understand is that she wouldn't be washing dishes this morning.  

"She needs to do morning chores still!" Mom protested. Fat put down a shiny brown circle in response. Mom grumbled and took it. "Cutlery, go grab your blanket from the drawer, a drinker from the kitchen, and a pair of shoes from the pile. Then come say goodbye to momma." Mome said.

"Yes, Mome." Cutlery said. She left her empty plate on the table. Cutlery went about gathering the supplies, plus some sweet treats then returned to Mome. The men stood at the door, holding it open and looking at her. Fat tapped his foot and looked out at the rising blue light. Then turned at her approach. 

"Say goodbye to your momma now Cutie," Fat said.

"It's Cutlery!" Cutlery corrected. He grunted and looked back to the blue star Lutae that now crested over the rooftops. Cutlery turned to Mom.

Mome got down to a knee. 

"No stealing anymore, wash your clothes when they're dirty, don't come back here till you can buy the place alright," Mome said and then hugged her. "Also don't forget all I did for you despite what you do." She added.

"Yea, thanks a lot Mome." Cutlery said. The hug ended and then Mome turned Cutlery to the soldiers, Cutlery looked up at her. "If I'm not a sash what am I gonna do?" Cutlery asked. Mom's eye twitched and she was silent for a second.

"You're gonna help people and get very strong," Mome said. She looked like she was still thinking, so Cutlery waited. "Nothing is worth your life Cutlery." She added quietly. 

Cutlery paused then turned and walked to the soldiers. She didn't know what most of that meant. Adult stuff was always turning in on itself for meaning. 

"Alright then," Two said, "Off to the Eternal." Two stated as they walked out. The door closed loudly behind them. Cutlery looked back at it. Mome was blocked from view. Cutlery felt an odd sensation. Like her throat was small. "First we gotta get a hundred more of you brats." Two said with a sigh. "Morning's just started." He said as the blue star Lutae came into full circular view. 

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