[Sorrow]

The sun wasn't quite setting so she had left work rather early for her... but there hadn't been much to do. The weather had been on her side lately which was always wonderful. So she had brought in the produce into the market and bartered already for a few things... a pretty little hand made trinket that was the size of her palm. It was the shape of a heart and a Yggdrasil tree in the middle. It was beautiful and she had it safely in the front pocket of her denim dress that she had picked out today.

The dress went down to below her knee, buttoned up the front and the sleeves were short ending just below her shoulders. Her hair was in a braid, strands frayed at the top of her head and little wisps escaped but despite it being a tad messy it was rather pretty. Like a small halo of fluff... which drove her crazy. She reached up to brush strands back and stretched her back, gazing at the busy shopping district with her dark magenta eyes.

Quietly they scanned around for children, her heart slowing a little as she did and she couldn't help but wish she would find the child in her picture. The picture was currently safely at her home on the farm, so when she didn't recognize any of the young children she started to walk down the shopping district again. People here were kind... they were nice and she loved making new friends so kept an eye out for any good deeds she could do.

The other day she had helped a shop woman with putting up goods that had looked far too heavy for her to lift. Together, despite Lien's usual weak constitution, they had managed to load her cart and Lien was rewarded with a meal in the woman's home. Home cooked meals were always better in company of others. Today the woman didn't appear to be in the area so Sorrow supposed she would try and make a new friend.

[Tweak]

Word Count: 598

A young man with a cardboard box lurched this way and that across the busy thoroughfare of the First City's shopping district. If it could even be called something so classy-sounding... A collection of ramshackle stands and a few rundown storefronts ,which saw even less use, hidden behind all the open stands manned by loud shopkeepers using colorful, persuasive language - it was a sight to behold coming from a world once ran by the marketplace. Obviously, that didn't stop humans from doing what they did best; survive, typically at the cost of other humans. Tweak tried to forget negative stuff like that, but it was difficult when a constant reminder of the world's downfall was yelling about discounts in his ear most of the workday. And today was, sadly, a workday.

No one remembered what actual day it was because a calendar hadn't been agreed on yet, but it certainly felt like a pre-Fall Monday. A child teetered into Tweak's path as he hobbled along, forcing him to balance up on one leg before bringing it (and the unsteady cardboard box) back down to stable ground. "Watch where you're going, kid," Tweak spat, his voice softer than his words suggested. He was just a kid after all. The child turned on him with a hostility he didn't expect, putting his hands on his hip and commanding Tweak's attention with pursed lips and puffed chicks. His attitude alone mandated Tweak put his box down, which he did, keeping a close eye on it to ensure no one stole anything while he pandered to the child.

Before he could say anything, though, and he seemed to be having a hard time coming up with the words, Tweak had a better idea. He picked up a toy robot from his box, one that was mostly broken but whose value was increased twofold by the circumstances of the land. Toys of any capacity were gems, and even the most basically endowed technomancer could make a child's dreams come true with a few zaps. Tweak bent down to the child and brought the robot up in front of him, staring into his angry eyes. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, before ya get all pissy, okay chump?" The kid nodded reluctantly, trying to comprehend that he'd been insulted again but too swept away with curiosity for the robot toy. "He's a little hard of hearing, ya gotta give him a few taps- like this," Tweak said, injecting enthusiasm into his usual tired tone.

He tapped the robot on the head, pretending to struggle with it when his efforts seemed to be fruitless. But, after a moment, he allowed a few jolts of electricity to flow from his finger tips to the toy, causing it to light up and make sounds all at once. "See, but once he gets going, he really gets going!" Tweak set him down on the ground and the kid backed up in amazement as the road began marching around like a tiny soldier. Tweak watched with heavy lids as the boy watched on. The kids from his day, maybe even this one, were they still in the last age, wouldn't have thought twice about such an outdated form of entertainment. Business seemed to be picking up in step with the volume so Tweak moved to gather his things and set up shop. 

"Take care of him for me," he muttered over his shoulder, before heaving the box up on his shoulders and searching for a clear spot down the seemingly endless line of crowded wooden stands.

[Sorrow]

Sorrow strolled a few more path ways down and stopped along the side as she saw a man pull a small robot from his box. She had seen a few people selling toys, but robots were far and few in between. She turned her body, head tilting as she watched him tap the robot on the head, a smile slowly spread across her pink lips as he set it down and the toy lit up! The small child's whole world seemed to light up along with the toy. Such a simple thing would probably make the child's entire year or more as long as they took good care of it. She couldn't help but like the toy as well... technology was here and there but not much of it lingered in this new land.

Her attention was on the child, hardly noticing the man hefting the box back up onto his shoulder till she turned to find him and saw him weaving his way through the crowds again. She couldn't pass up the chance... even if she didn't have Anya yet she wanted to make sure she had a warm home and plenty for the little girl to come home to. A delightful toy robot would be a good one. She had already been trying to figure out how to sow together teddy bears and quilts. In fact she had a small chest of things for the little girl she knew was out there somewhere. A hope chest.

Sorrow's feet moved quickly through the crowd, weaving in and out as her eyes stayed on the head and the box in the crowd. It was rather easy to make out and she caught up to him with ease. A bright smile on her face as she moved to his right. "Hello there. I couldn't help but watch as you gave that dear child the toy. My name is Sorrow and I was wondering how much you charge for your toys? I don't have much, just a lot of fruit and vegetable crops. I'm willing to barter for something nice." She was straight forward and friendly to say the least.

[Tweak]

Word Count: 454

There was a dusty section of sidewalk between a fruit vendor and an elderly lady sitting in a chair with a wicker basket full of green beans in her lap. Not an ideal spot for selling electronic gems and valuable appliances, but it would do. Perhaps the surprise factor of finding a technology vendor, already a rarity, in the produce department would be enough to make a sale. A toaster to go with that corn on the cob?" Tweak mused, imagining himself as a high end antique salesman welcoming aristocrats to peruse his confused wares. Reality didn't to be any less forgiving, though; the appliances didn't sell well enough on their own, throwing in  carrot might be a good idea after all.

A woman's voice interrupted Tweak's daydreaming as he knelt in front of his box, arranging the items inside as attractively as could be managed when the display case was made of cardboard. He shifted his gaze to meet hers, his eyes blinded mostly by the sun so that she was reduced to not much more than a black silhouette. A black silhouette that had come here knowing what she wanted, and not to buy green beans. Tweak thought he could feel the old lady's malice as she watched on, his musings getting the best of him. He offered the lady a crooked smile as he squinted through the rays, brandishing a blender as he did so. "No more toys I'm afraid, unless you can teach a kid not to turn this thing on when he's playing with it. Or she." He shrugged, dumping the blender unceremoniously back into the box. "I got a watch. Keep kids to their curfews? That is, if they can't see the giant clock in the sky." Tweak chuckled under his breath at his own juvenile suggestion. 

"I'd make one myself if I had the know-how, but sadly I'm better at keeping things going, not making things go to begin with." Tweak shot a snide look to the old lady across from him, as he crouched to the left of his box. "Maybe the kid can throw beans at old ladies." She scoffed and averted her gaze, but Tweak spied a small smile. Respecting was a thing of the past and Tweak was glad for it. You shouldn't get special treatment because you were Rebirthed at an old age. Now the world could see who deserved the most respect based on how they survived, rather than their age or reputation. Tweak was glad to have shed himself of the world's misconceptions, even if the circumstances were pretty shitty now. He gaze the woman another look, a soft version of "Are you done?" that said, mockingly, "Anything else ma'am?"