They were woken by a banging at the door the next morning. Arm aching,Farryn sat up to see that Luli had almost completely rolled onto her left arm, and that the door was shaking. She pushed the girl off gently and hurried to it, throwing on her dress first."Yes?" she called through the crack. "Your stay is over." the gruff owner called. "You have ten minutes to get out." "Ah." Already? That meant it was almost ten. They had overslept. "I'm so sorry." she mumbled, shutting the door and hurrying to get ready to leave.     

She woke Luli, who was cranky and upset at the notion of having to leave. "I slept so good. Like a man." "Don't you mean like a baby?" Luli shook her head. "Mama says babies never sleep. But hard-working men do. Because they're so tired." "And women?" Farryn teased. Luli paused, then shrugged. "I don't know." "I sleep quite well." she lied as she laced up her shoes. "And I'm a woman."      

"How did you get so dirty?" she asked. In the morning the little girl seemed much more approachable, somehow. Not that Farryn was scared of a girl less than half her age. Luli didn't seem interested in responding though. She wriggled underneath the bed instead. "Get out from under there. We have to go soon."

When their meagre possessions were packed up, Farryn grabbed Luli's hand and they headed down the stairs. "Where are we going?" "We're going to look for the second best pie-er." "Where is she?" "She works somewhere around here. I think." "Will she make me a pie?" "You asked this yesterday. I don't know."     

They went out into the bright morning sun and Farryn realized she wasn't completely sure how exactly she would find each Manor. Tuckson was big; it had to have so many large estates; and she had no way to get to each. How sure was she that they'd even let her in?     

"I'm hungry." Luli said, sneezing. "No lemon pie." Farryn warned. "I didn't want that anyways. I want sogis and potatoes." "Sogis?" "Sogis." Farryn led her to a stall that sold hot roasted potatoes. "Four, please." "And that!" Luli interjected, pointing to sizzling sausages that were also for sale. "Are those Sogis?" Farryn asked, her voice lilting with a smile. "Yes." Luli said. "They're very good." "I'm sure."      

She bought them two of the sausages as well, and they walked around the town square as they ate, Luli hoo-ing and haa-ing as she ate hers. When the two were done, Farryn began looking out for a tailor's shop. She found one, with simplistic designs hanging in the dirty windows, and led the two into it.     

The shop was stuffy, full of rows of simple dresses and bolts of fabric hanging fom the ceiling and wooden racks. The woman behind the counter chewed loudly on a stick of sugar cane, spitting the chaf into a bowl beside her.      

"Hello." Farryn said. The woman jumped, and threw the bowl underneath the counter with one smooth move. "How can I help you Miss?" "I'm looking for a dress, underthings, the like. For her." she pushed Luli forward. To her surprise, the little girl was almost crimson, hiding her face in Farryn's skirts.     

"Ahh..." the woman shuddered, but she came round from behind the counter and looked Luli over. "She's a small one." she muttered, and Farryn nodded, pushing Luli forward. Luli tried to keep a hold of her skirt, but the woman grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards her.She pulled a small measuring tape from her skirts, and set about measuring Luli. "It will cost me more to tailor clothes for her." the woman mumbled. "Why would it? It takes less fabric." Farryn protested. "My time is precious, girl. I won't bother with a waif like this if it won't be worth it."Farryn kept her lips pursed as the woman finished, and released Luli. "Two dresses, please. And two sets of underthings. Do you sell shoes?" "No." The woman responded, dumping the measuring tape on the counter and then stepping away. She disappeared in the crowd of fabric and Farryn looked down at Luli, trying to peel her sticky fingers away.    

"Since when were you so shy?" she joked, but Luli was shaking. "Luli." she crouched down. "Are you alright?""I don't like this place." was all Luli said. "I'm sorry." Farryn placed a hand around her shoulders, but then hesitated and removed it. They waited there together, Farryn crouched over, hem brushing the dirty floors, Luli leaning into her. The woman finally returned with the dresses and underthings. One was green and the other was a dark brown. "Easier to keep clean." the woman said as she handed them over, going around the counter again. "How do we know they'll fit?" Farryn asked her. The woman shrugged. "You can make her try them on here, but I won't take them back. Already did all that work taking in the sides."

Farryn chose not to protest, and paid the woman, even though the dresses still looked too big and the cloth for the underthings was cheap and itchy. It would have to be good enough; she wasn't made of money. She managed to coax Luli to change in a side alley, pulling the green dress over her head. "Now I have to wash that hair..." she mumbled to herself as they stepped back into the street. Wash that hair and figure out what manor she was going to. 

"Watch out!" the yelp surprised Farryn, but it stopped her just in time to miss the cart that almost came treading down her foot. The people around her glanced over as the driver careened off the sidewalk and back onto the road, the produce in the back rattling. "He's always drunk." Farryn turned and realized the one who had called out to her was a girl, taller than her, wearing a blue uniform and carrying a parcel. A hired maid. She had dark brown hair and curls that spilled out of her headscarf, and she laughed when Farryn thanked her. "Don't thank me. Go see the Constable and report that fool, so they'll do something."

"Do you work here?" Farryn asked. Luli tugged on her hand impatiently, but Farryn was staring at the girl desperately. "In the Market? No, I don't. I work in Lord Prissa's estate." "I need to pee." Luli whined. "Just a second, Luli." she turned back to the girl. "I'm sorry. My name is... Felicia. Do you work with someone named... Liviana, by any chance?" The girl laughed. "Never. Maybe I did, but she wouldn't have been allowed to keep that name." "Wouldn't have been allowed to... keep it?" "It's too fancy. Imagine, a lady calling for a servant named Liviana." the thought seemed to greatly amuse the girl, but Farryn could feel her panic setting in. How would she find her if she had a different name?

"Are you alright?" the girl asked, snapping Farryn out of it. "Yes, sorry. I'm... I'm sorry. I don't know what to do." "Well, if you don't know her new name," the girl said "Then you can just describe her to me." Luli slipped out of Farryn's grasp just then, and she turned to grab her. "I want more pie." she whined. "Luli, please." "I'm hungry!" "I just need-" "I don't want to stay here anymore-" "LULI!!"

 Luli stopped talking, stopped pulling away. She fell completely silent, and Farryn immediately regretted yelling at her. "Luli. Will you stay here, wait for me? I'm sorry. I'll buy you pie. I swear." Luli did not respond, and Farryn took a deep breath and turned back to the girl. "I'm sorry." "It's fine. My name is Ada, by the way." "Nice to meet you, Ada." "Now, why don't you describe this Liviana for me?"

Farryn hesitated for a moment. For some reason, she felt like describing her would make her disappear. Like she was a figment of her imagination; a dream, and speaking about her would be like waking up. 

"She's shorter than me." she started. "She used to be chubbier. Probably not anymore. She sang a lot. And she had beautiful blonde hair." despite herself, she was blinking away tears. Ada put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" "Yes, I am. I've been looking for her for... a long time now." "I'm sorry. I can only go off blonde. There are a few blonde girls working at the estate." "She also got here... a year ago. From the Lazarus Workhouse." "Lazarus workhouse..." Ada had a thoughtful expression on her face, and she tapped her fingers together as she thought. "In Berkerly's." "Oh! A few girls arrived from there last year. Three blonde ones, I think." Farryn felt her heart soar. "At your estate?" "No... one at ours, I think. Two at the Trison Estate, though." 

In the distance, a bell tolled and Ada jumped. "I should go before I am late! I hope you find her." "Thank you, Ada!" Farryn yelled after her as she ran into the road, already hailing a cart. She sighed, a plan unravelling in her mind, and turned to Luli. "Alright, Luli. Let's see if we can find some lemon-"

But Luli wasn't there. "Luli?" people were moving about, and Farryn had to push past several as she searched for the little girl, but she was nowhere to be found. "Luli!" her heart was racing, and Farryn realized just how lonely she was all of a sudden. She had always been lonely, but this was different. Had Luli left? Because she'd yelled at her? Had she gotten lost? Was she in trouble?

You're such a spiteful little girl. Her mother had said to her once. You would kill your own blood in a moment of anger. She was right about that. But Farryn hadn't meant to drive Luli off. What would she do? She was so tiny, she would die on the streets, all alone.So she kept pushing through the throngs of people, thoughts of visiting the manors gone from her as she screamed for Luli until her throat was hoarse. 

Farryn searched over an hour, until her head was pounding and her chest hurt. She kept blinking away burning tears, arguing with herself. Luli survived this long without her. It wasn't her fault, she would have left anyways. But it was her fault. She had been mean to a lost little orphan girl and now she was probably drowning in a river somewhere.

The sound of angry yelling drew Farryn towards a stall as she searched the market. A tall, portly man yelled out for someone to catch a thief, and there was a scuffle as Farryn pushed her way through to the commotion. "Luli!" The man had a hold of Luli, holding her up by her collar. There was a rip in her new dress, and she had her arms wrapped around a loaf of bread. The man tried to snatch the bread from her and held her aloft, and several people stopped to watch as Farryn shoved her way towards them."You little brat!" the man yelled. Farryn was all too aware of the whip looped in the man's belt. "Sir!" she yelled. "Sir. I'm sorry. I lost her."

The man turned to Farryn. "You sent this little wench to rob me." "I'm sorry sir. She's young, she didn't know what she was doing." Luli was still struggling, but she dropped the bread and grabbed the man's forearm."What are-" Luli bit him, hard, before he could finish the sentence. 

With a yell he dropped her, and she hit the ground running. Farryn somehow managed to catch her as she went scrambling past. "Luli. You're okay." the girl was practically quivering. "I'm going to have you arrested!" the man screamed. Luli's teeth were evidently sharp; his arm was already bleeding, dripping onto his sleeve. "And I'll have that little thief whipped!" "She's only a child." Farryn snapped at him. "She meant no harm. I'm sorry."

The woman in the next stall, who had been watching even as the crowds dispersed, sniffed. "That's what they want you to think. D'you hear of those "Travelling Skunks", Aric? With their dirty little orphans, pilfering pockets and sneaking food. That one's a menace!"Aric's scowl deepened at her words. "I don't trust a word you say! That little... skunk- tried to steal my bread! And wasted a loaf!" he gestured at the dropped loaf, and Luli buried her face in Farryn's skirts again. "I'm going to whip her!"

"You will not!" Farryn protested. "It is within my right! She's a thief and I'll punish her as she ought to be punished!" There was a crowd gathering again, and they seemed eager to see what would happen. Farryn juggled her options. The man was in his right to punish a thief; that was the law- but she wasn't about to let Luli get whipped when it was her fault for letting her run off. And she couldn't very well try to run for it, because then she would be caught and punished even more. 

"I will take her punishment." she said finally, holding out her hands. The man hesitated, and then he set his face. "You were not the thief." "I was. I told her to come and steal a loaf." the woman in the next stall laughed, like it was all a thing of entertainment. The man removed the whip from its holster, and Farryn stared him down as he glanced at her hands. "Well?" she asked. He frowned. "I won't hit a lady." "But you'll hit a child?" "Pay me the price for double the loaves." "No. I am a thief." 

The two stared at each other in a silent stand-off for a minute, and then the man raised his whip. It cut into Farryn's palms, but she didn't feel pain. Years of burnt hands and nasty injuries had toughened her skin, literally and figuratively. The man put the whip away, grunted, and slunk back to his stall. Farryn stared at the people who had gathered, and then walked away with Luli. 

"I'm sorry." she sobbed. "Next time, please just stay, alright?" "I will. I promise. Don't leave me."Farryn paused. "Who says I'm leaving you?" Luli's only response was to wipe her snotty face on her skirt. "I won't leave you, alright? You're my partner in crime. You're going to help me find the second best pie-er, remember?"