WHEN TOMAS MET UP with Pierce the next day, he felt like he was taking a step back into a world he'd forgotten the rules to. Despite it, he'd effortlessly flew through the exchange without acting differently than usual.

   "Funny weather we were having last week, wasn't it?" Pierce asked.

   Both Tomas and he seemed to have drastic changes in their lives since they last met. Tomas was given hope and a chance to escape his life of dishonesty, but Pierce seemed to be embracing it with open arms. When they'd first met, he'd been bony and obviously poor, but now he'd gained more weight, more muscle, and wore what looked like new clothing--brand new, not resale. Nobody could legally get that much money so quickly.

   Tomas smiled faintly at Pierce's question, but it was fake. The fog may have left him for his newfound hope, but he remembered it and the fitful nights.

   "Definitely," he said, sitting down on a wooden crate. It was just a feeling, but he sensed that Pierce wanted to talk to him. However, it wasn't alarming in the least; it was something familiar and something a lot of people did when they were in the black market of a new area. Pierce was trying to get a feel of who Tomas was, wanted to understand him so he could predict him. But you won't need to. I'll be gone by next month, he thought.

   A smirk played across Pierce's lips as he shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Tomas sit. New wealth, new expressiveness. Is he getting cocky? Too comfortable? Tomas wondered. He found his mind filing that information away for later in case it became useful, but he told himself that there was no need.

   "Think Celano got upset with someone, what with the weather? I mean, snow in Novum?"

   "You really don't know Vadera too well, do you? It'll snow off and on until summer, but you are right that it was unusually cold. I don't think it's even gotten that cold during the winter. And what reason would the goddess of snow have to get upset?"

   Pierce shrugged in response. A silence fell between the two as Pierce moved another crate across from Tomas. When he sat down, either to mimic Tomas--to make him more comfortable--or to be more comfortable himself, he said: "I mean, it could be her trying to celebrate?"

   "Celebrate?"

   "I heard that there was a birthday or something in the royal family. You know how the La Rues can control ice? I'm one of those people who think that they got that power because they were blessed by a god. Same with the Caliendos--blessed by Liaeru. I'm just saying, she was probably, I don't know, rewarding them or something? Saying 'hey, I noticed it was your birthday, so I'm giving you and everyone else some nice hypothermia'?" Pierce said wryly.

   Unprepared for the sudden twist, Tomas snickered. "If that's why I got my butt frozen off, I'm going to send my regards to Reolas and hope they forward it. 'Lost finger because of your party. Late gift enclosed.' You know?" he joked.

   Before learning that he could escape this life, Tomas would've always watched what he did, would've never let his guard slip and his true self show. Now, however, his hope made him reckless and his sword and mask had fallen--Tomas was bare, naked, and defenseless.

   A laugh escaped Pierce, but at this point, Tomas wasn't in the mindset to analyze whether or not it was honest. "They wouldn't take too kindly to that."

   Grinning ear-to-ear, Tomas shrugged and leaned back against the wall behind him. "I don't take too kindly to losing a finger, but if I'mma lose it for someone's party, I might as well give it to them." he said.

   "And if your butt actually froze off?"

   "Then they'd get a pretty shitty present."

   As Pierce shook his head, disapproving heavily of the immaturity, Tomas laughed; it felt so free, like he was getting a weight off of his chest. Most of the other times he'd laughed, it was bitter or only escaped after careful consideration. It felt so good to not have to pretend.

   The sound of Tomas's laughter soon left the air, leaving only the silence. Tomas was about to get up and leave, thoughts of drawing filling his mind, when Pierce sat forward, seriousness on his expression again.

   "I don't suppose you know about the zhara?" he asked.

   "The zhara?" Tomas asked in response, but it wasn't because he didn't know. More, he was surprised that Pierce knew about it. He was new to Vadera, not to mention its black market, so he either had a very lax contact or managed to get someone to trust him. Or both. Or Yasmine told him about it, a smaller voice reminded him. Suddenly, as though an anchor was thrust into his arms, yanking him into the sea, Tomas plunged back into his old mindset and his guard came back up.

   "You don't--?" Pierce asked suddenly, drawing back slightly.

   "I do. I was just surprised you did," Tomas said, smoothing over it. "Why are you asking?"

   Uncertainty lingered on Pierce's features, clearly showing that he didn't trust Tomas. Or maybe he noticed that you'd dropped your guard and that you've picked it back up, he thought. Then: gods, was he trying to do that?

   "People in our business come and exchange goods, services, and whatever else they want to. Means something like 'meeting' in some other language, right? Probably started by someone from another country? I've participated a few times. Go on," he said, trying to get Pierce's trust--or what passed for it--back. Meanwhile, his stomach sunk. Did he just play me like a fool? Should I just drop this now? This "business"...

   Leaning onto his hands, elbows on knees, Pierce shook his head slightly and said: "I was told to be careful about it, you know? Anyways, you probably know more about it than I. It sounds interesting, like I could get some good stuff or a good amount of money, but what do you think about it?"

   Advice had a price where he and Pierce operated, for it was information in another name, and knowledge was power. Was that why Pierce was asking him, because everyone else would make him pay and he thought that Tomas wouldn't? Or was it because he wanted Tomas to think he trusted him, to get his guard down again? Because he actually trusted him? Games like this are another reason to look forward to next month, he thought.

   Looking down into his lap, Tomas sighed. "It depends. It's convenient for me because people there have... interesting tastes, and will buy just about anything you can sell as long as they think it's a good deal or that you have something rare. But I wouldn't recommend buying anything for that reason. People sell a lot of fake things, or actually rip you off, or even don't deliver what they offer. After all, it's not like you can do anything about it easily because it's not legal, anyways." he said.

   Though he nodded as Tomas spoke, Pierce stopped midway through, seemingly struck with a thought. Trepidation filled Tomas as silence filled the air between the two.

   "Why do you ask?" he asked. As soon as the words replaced the silence, the silence sucked them up like a vacuum.

   Pierce dropped his hands to his lap, clasped them together, and stared at them. "I was curious whether or not I should go." he said.

   Silence lapsed again.

   "Ah," Tomas finally said, uncomfortable with the silence. Usually he would've been fine with it, but when the person he'd been talking to stopped with something clearly on their mind?

   "Daren," Pierce said suddenly, looking up at Tomas, "why are you in this?"

   Tomas blinked, surprised by the question and how not-extreme it was. It even sounded... "What do you mean?

   "Why are you in this kind of business? Doing illegal stuff? I'm sure you don't get any of what you do legally, especially not when you connect with people like me, or who I work with. You can't have been in this for less than a year, and you can't be older than sixteen. Are your parents involved? Either way--"

   But Tomas didn't let him finish. His mind caught up on that word and suddenly he couldn't hear anything else. Parents. Standing up abruptly, Tomas glared at the man in front of him. "Don't you dare try to talk to me about my life. Have you been in my fucking shoes? No! And, still, look where you are! In the same godsforsaken position I am! And better off! So shut--the--fuck--up." he spat, and turned on his heel.

   As taken aback as Pierce had been as Tomas lashed out at him, he recovered quickly. Before Tomas could even take a step, he felt the man's hand close around his shoulder. "Daren, wait!" he tried, but Tomas swiftly jerked forward, tearing his shoulder from his grip, and ran away. Tears burned as they trailed down his cheeks, but he trudged on. He would have to be more subtle as he entered the street. He couldn't attract anyone's attention. He didn't want to make anyone wonder why a dirty, crying street orphan was running like demons were after him. But Pierce's voice filled his head. Parents.

   Long ago, during times he could hardly remember, a younger Tomas had wondered where his parents were and why they weren't with him. The caretakers had taken years of prodding before they finally told him the truth: they didn't know. When he couldn't have been a year old, he'd been dropped off at their doorstep with a little envelope containing his name and nothing else.