The guard swore colorfully causing Rannie to giggle a happy childish giggle then send a smirk towards the young guard. “I should have known as soon as I saw the weather out there you’d be here little Rat” a gruff voice stated and the girl turned to face the Captain of the guard, while his face was stern his voice held no malice. He came into the room his dripping wet appearance told her that the storm was still raging on.
“What have I told you about corrupting my men?” He demanded, shaking the water from his greying hair and she simply smirk up at him. He then looked to the guard. “And what do you have to say for yourself hmm?” The guard looked sheepish and was about the reply when the Captain cut him off. “No, save your excuses boy…how much did she get off you this time?” He demanded.
“Twenty silver,” she told him sounding as if it was some grand fortune and the guard laughed as he shook his head.
“I swear if it wasn’t my dice I’d think she cheated,” the guard exclaimed, picking up the dice and Rannie noticed that even the Captain had a hint of a smile on his lips then he cleared his throat with very unimpressive stern look.
“You know little rat, many see gambling as a horrible vice” The aged man told her and Rannie looked at him confused.
“A vice and what’s that?” She asked him, putting the coins in a little dirty piece of cloth she used to store what money she managed to gain then tucked into her shirt.
“A vice is a bad thing, like a bad habit” the young guard told her kindly. “I’ll get you something to eat Captain” he added, getting up from the table and Rannie looked up at the Captain, still feeling confused.
“How’s it a bad thing? It’s fun and I get me some coin too,” she told him and the aged man sat down in front of her with a small sigh.
“Aye but little girls as yourself should be playing with dolls not dice nor worrying about coin,” he told her with a sad tone to his voice and Rannie simply shrugged, unsure what to say to that but luckily for her the younger guard returned. He handed a large plate to the Captain and then a small plate to Rannie. She grinned at the sight of the food but looked to the older man and only started to eat once he gave her a small nod of approval.
The Captain got up once the meal was finished and he led her to the cell she was supposed to be in all along. “Tomorrow you’ll go free but you can’t keep doing this. You’d do well to try to remember that this isn’t a free inn little rat,” he told her but she simply smirked at him and give him a sarcastic salute before tossing herself onto the little bed. He shook his head at her as he walked off causing her smirk to grow.
She sighed contently placing her hands behind her head looking up at the ceiling. Most would find a stay at the Bree jail depressing and dismal but Rannie felt like she was in a palace, it was clean for the most part, dry and warm. With that and her belly relatively full Rannie considered herself to be one of the lucky ones that night.
The next morning, Rannie walked through the busy streets of the Market place. She smirks as she sees the baker’s stall is surrounded by expectant customers seeking their daily bread…just the distraction she needed to get some breakfast. She gently shuffled her way through the crowd and easily taking a small loaf of bread, tucking it into her shirt unseen then makes her way to the alley. Feeling rather excited as she stopped at the little make shift tent of Deyla.
“Heya Deyla” she called in a sing song voice, before pushing back the flap and entering the tent. She paused for a fraction of a moment, seeing the fresh bruises on her friend’s face. Irritation and anger flared up in her at the sight of them but smirked at the woman as if they weren’t there. “I brought ya breakfast and somethin else” she told her sitting down, next to Deyla. She took out the loaf of bread and broke it in two, handing a piece to Deyla and half of her winnings from the guard.
After a moment of hesitation the woman took the piece of bread and the coin. “Ya know Rannie ya don’t ‘ave ta give me anythin” Deyla told her.
“Well maybe if I helped ya out…ya quit doin what ya do,” she blurted before she could stop herself. Deyla gave her a look with a sigh but Rannie decided it was time to say her piece. “I don’t know why ya do it…it’s always the same, pretty words then as soon as ya take their coin, they treat ya as if ya was something less than then. All those pretty words turn ta whore, slut, and if ya ain’t lucky it’s their fists they speak with!”
“Ya’re still young Rannie and gettin coin isn’t as ‘ard for ya as it is for me” she says, biting off a piece of bread. “And it ain’t always like that, they ain’t all bad men, some are rather…gentle. Ya’ll see when ya get older…stealin ain’t always as easy as it is now when ya small like ya are. Once ya grow up it gets ‘arder,” she added and Rannie shook her head.
“I’ll find somethin then but I ain’t doin that!” she told the other woman with determination. “And ya can too…ya know we could leave this Alley, leave Bree…it reeks of mud and other stuff anyways. We can find other place…somethin other thing ta do” Deyla gave her a small smile with a saddened look.
“It ain’t that simple Rannie…ya just can’t leave the alley. We can’t go nowhere cause we ain’t got nothin ta go with” she told her.
“But doesn’t that make it easier ta leave?” She asked, feeling disappointed and frustrated that Deyla hadn’t agreed to go with her. The woman smiled at her and caressed her cheek almost in a motherly fashion.
“It don’t…we can’t live off the land like some folk an it’s hard ta steal from the rocks aye? It could be days before we’d see nother town,” Deyla explained and Rannie huffed in disappointment.
“Well I’m leavin this place! If my luck is good for something one day I’ll say me good byes!” she vowed then ate her piece of bread.
