The Cryptic Muse

There were times that being seen wasn't a bad thing as other times. This was one of those better times. She'd just cleaned herself up some and had found some newer clothes that fit her better. Her hair was still a somewhat wild mess but at least she looked more like someone's kid who just managed to get away from them than a feral little street urchin. She had already picked a couple of pockets so she had some money and knew what it was for.

Food.

She clutched the money in her slender little hand and finally got up the nerve to go into the shop. The smells inside were so much better than the smells outside. She actually stopped once the doors closed behind her so she could take a deep breath in. It smelled like heaven. A flicker of a smile dusted across her face as her eyes opened. She put on a more confident air than she really had and fell into step with the other customers heading for the counter. She was initially shuffled around but then a kindly older man let her get in front of him and then even helped by lifting her up so she could order her food. She shoved her money into her pocket so she could have a hand free to point.

"The big one with sweet stuff. That one."

The older man chuckled and translated as if he had known Little Bit all his life. In reality, he was just someone's grandfather and was used to translating little people speak into adult speak. "I think that means the bear claw." He pointed at the largest of the pastries then looked to the little girl to see if he was right. "Right?" Little Bit gave a hearty nod. When asked what she wanted to drink with that, she frowned. She hadn't thought that far ahead. The man answered for her. "Give her a large milk, please." That earned him a Little Bit frown too. She wasn't going to spend her precious money on that! It was lumpy nasty stuff! But wait! He put her down and then fished out his own wallet to pay. "I'll get it for her." If he was paying for it, she could just leave it then. She didn't argue with the order at that point. She just turned a sunshiny smile up at the man. Maybe he had a second sight that let him see through her facade or maybe he was just a kindly old man. Little Bit was glad she hadn't taken his wallet when she had the chance.

She was handed a plate with the bear claw and the glass with the milk. She sniffed it suspiciously but then flashed a big smile to the man before tromping off to a table like everyone else did with their plates. She put it carefully on a table near a girl that had more stuff than food sprawled on a table. Little Bit climbed into her seat and waited for a couple of seconds before carefully ripping apart the bear claw and shoving a piece of it in her mouth.

While she chewed, she watched the other people in the shop. Her attention fell to the girl with the stuff that was at the next table. Little Bit craned her neck a little to see what the girl was doing. Or rather, at what stuff she had. After all, when the girl left all her stuff to go get something, that meant it was prime pickings. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, Little Bit didn't see anything she could trade for more food later so she didn't touch anything on the girls table. Instead, Little Bit shoved another piece of the bear claw into her mouth and contentedly chewed it up.

Her attention eventually fell to the glass of milk. It didn't look like milk she'd had before. It was whiter and there were no lumps. She used both hands on the large cup of milk and dragged it closer. To her surprise it smelled different than the milk she had before. It was sweet and actually smelled inviting. She decided to chance it and took a drink. Her eyes widened when she found that she really liked it! This was actually really really tasty and it wasn't lumpy! She drank almost half the glass before she put it down and studied it. She would have to remember this place. Milk that was cold and not lumpy was awesome!

Little Bit froze when she was spoken to by the girl that Little Bit had been watching. Her blue eyes swung toward the girl as blond brows climbed up her forehead. She didn't catch what the phrase light weight meant but she kept watching the older girl and kept listening. At the mention of the fritter, her little face turned so she could look at the food behind the counter. She didn't know which one a fritter was but she assumed it was big.

She shoved another piece of the claw into her mouth and chewed, thinking about what the older girl had said. After she swallowed, the little girl boasted, "I can eat anything." And she had as a matter of fact. Anything at all because when you got hungry, you ate anything you could get your hands on. She took another drink of her milk and this time almost drained it completely. "Adults waste food." And that was her life saver actually.

Her lips puckered up as she thought but she didn't say anything. Instead, she took another bite of the bear claw. It was very quickly disappearing from her plate. She hadn't had to buy it so she could use some of her ill-gotten gains for another one.

There was another instance of the little girl freezing. Who was this girl with the stuff all over? She looked like a grown up, all right but she didn't talk like one. And she was giving Little Bit a task? Guarding? Okay. So after the girl walked off, Little Bit took to staring dead on at anyone who walked by the table, a little growly sort of look on the young face that had to be laughable but nobody tried to touch the stuff so in her mind it worked.

She shoved the last of her bear claw into her mouth and washed it down with the last of her milk. Her tummy was happy full at that point but then a plate got put down in front of her with another round of food. Had to be the fritter that the girl had talked about. Prove it? Her lips pursed again. It was wasteful to eat two meals at one sitting but the girl was sitting down and now eating hers.

Challenge?

Oh yeah, it's on.

There was a quick little grin and then Little Bit grabbed a big bite of the fritter and dug right in, serious about finishing first since she'd caught on it was a race. Amazing how fast little people can make food gone, isn't it?

Her tummy was going to be aching if she finished both but she wasn't thinking about that. She was just watching the other girl and gulping down the big bites of fritter that she was chewing up. Her face had big cheeks from the latest bite. Eyes drifting over to the girl when the girl talked about 'to go' bags. To her mind, a to go bag was a pocket. But the way the girl said it, it was different. Her eyes actually caught hold of another customer leaving with a bag. Now it made sense. They were going to eat the food later.

She took another few seconds to chew the latest big bit in her mouth before she finally swallowed. She almost took another drink of milk but the glass was empty. She stared into the glass for several seconds as if that might refill it but no go.

Without looking at the other girl, Little Bit answered the question. "Alice." She'd once heard a story about a girl that went down into a rabbit hole and she'd liked that. She always thought of herself as in a rabbit hole when she slid into the sewers. She always wondered if she would find the Red Queen or the jabberwocky down there. Her eyes slid over to the other girl with all the stuff. "I'm Alice."

She was not going to let him take the plate with the remains of the fritter on it and even swept a couple of crumbs from the bear claw onto her little fritter plate before the guy could make off with it. Her brows went up though when she saw there was more milk. After the guy was gone, she looked at the girl and then to the milk. She wasn't going to ask. Little Bit just took the glass and washed out the dry in her mouth with several gulps.

"No. I don't have a pet." She couldn't keep her own belly full so there was no way she could have a pet. And she'd taken the question far to literally. Her little head tipped slightly when the other girl named herself 'sage'. That was a different kind of name.

"I will eat the rest later. I won't waste it." Hell, if anyone tried to take it from her, she might just bite them. She meant what she said. She would eat it later. She almost smiled at the compliment but instead just lifted her arm. "You eat when you can eat." And as much as you could. That was a lesson she learned the hard way at the beginning. But she'd come through okay. She looked outside and gave a little frown. "I should go." And she got up, starting to fill up her pockets with the rest of the fritter.

What had startled her? Ooh, just the cop outside talking to someone.