· · · 》𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 ── 1x1 chase & senna

[senna_]

for senna, chase, & their misfit children

[chase.]

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫 xxxx ♛
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[ 20 ] [ he/him ] [ location - market ] [ mood - guilty, shocked ] [ 1,480 words ]

Jasper groaned as he lifted a wooden crate of apples, stacking them up in a corner. Working at the market had been one of his least favourite jobs so far - he was awake at 5am, stacking boxes or sorting out inventory, and by the time he was finished the sun had long since set. His back ached, and the vendor wasn’t the nicest man - he paid Jasper enough to prevent the tall boy from starving to death, but nowhere near enough to even consider finding a place to live. Winter had taken its toll on everyone, but this had been the first winter Jasper had spent alone since leaving the orphanage. No one could afford to pay him, he had long since separated from the boys he grew up with, so no one had his back. It was rough, but the worst of it was hopefully over - February on the horizon, then March, and with March came spring. The days were still short, the cold snapped at him through his thin sweater, and no one had any extra change to throw his way, but he was surviving. He was used to having a group to fall back on, everyone would go out throughout the day and work the jobs they could - and then they’d pile their money together and bribe their way into a warm building for the night, bundled up together to preserve the body heat. Jasper learnt very quickly that being by himself through a Manhattan winter was a dreary existence. Still, despite his rather miserable situation, Jasper preferred to try and look at the optimistic side of life. He smiled at each customer, engaging eagerly if they needed help and gave any extra money he could to the younger children also living rough.

The vendor grumbled something about wanting, no, needing a break, and skulked off. Jasper chuckled humourlessly, all that man did was sit there and try rip people off. “The perks of being the boss I suppose.” He mumbled to himself. He was one of the larger vendors in the area, the stall was set up in a sort of “U” shape, with counters covering 3 sides and all the boxes and excess stock crowding Jasper at the back - penning him in for the most part. Most of what they sold was food; vegetables, fruit, some tins and processed food with a shelf-life that would probably outlast Jasper. There were a few other bits, cigarettes - those were a pain, at least twice a week Jasper would be forced to vault the table and scruff a straggler who had decided to try and run off with them. They also had a couple of smaller boxes that were for ‘seasonal’ accessories apparently, caps and hayfever medication in the summer but gloves and hats in the winter. They were overpriced too, marked up in a cruel attempt to capitalise off the more desperate individuals. The benefit to working here was the way Jasper got to recognise faces, some regulars even turning up every morning for a small net of oranges or a packet of strawberries. He didn’t mind cutting the price down for them, he knew what the vendor paid per crate of produce - he was the poor soul who also had to do all the logs. It wasn’t stealing if they were paying fair market value, not the ridiculous upcharge his boss insisted on. Besides, his boss wouldn’t find out - Jasper also did the count up at the end of the day. For all the work he did, he wasn’t paid remotely enough - but he had no other choice, and he reminded himself of that each time the man yelled insults at him for putting a foot out of line. He needed this job, he couldn’t afford to lose it like the rest of them. It’d be worth it eventually, he had no idea when that would be, but someday. For now he just kept with his routine, work all day, spend a few hours figuring out where to sleep for the night, and go back at it the next. Rinse and repeat.

A mop of curly hair caught his attention, and he carefully set down another box as he watched silently. Fox wasn’t a regular per se, but the pair had managed to cross paths a lot recently - enough for Jasper to be able to recognise him. Sometimes the man brought someone with him, a lot of the time he was alone though. Jasper was about to call out to get his attention - greet him like he did with the other customers, but Fox seemed to glance around briefly before lingering over the counter with the gloves, scarves and hats all laid out. His behaviour was smooth, and it only made Jasper’s guard rise because he had grown so used to seeing the similar behaviours from the boys back at the orphanage. He wasn’t going to steal, was he? Jasper hesitated for a moment, before padding out from behind a tower of crates. “Good mornin’ Fox, you doing alright today?” He called, offering a polite smile as he walked over to face him. His eyes flicked to the table, before back up. He couldn’t accuse Fox of stealing, it wasn’t fair. He had seen his brothers in the orphanage do it, he knew the signs, but Fox seemed too kind and genuine of a man to consider stealing. Jasper parted his mouth to speak again but a woman called out from the other side, needing help with getting something down. He nodded his head to Fox, “Sorry, excuse me.”he apologised, turning to help the new customer.

In the few seconds Jasper was distracted, Fox had moved from one section of the stall to the other. Bidding his farewell to the lady, he glanced back over to him - just in time for his boss to make a reappearance. “Oi, boy! What you got there?” He yelled towards Fox, sharply turning towards Jasper. “What do I pay you for? You’re just gonna let someone rob me blind? Something wrong with your eyes?” That last blind insult hurt, and Jasper chose not to acknowledge it. His bad eyesight had been the cause for so many firings, he couldn’t afford glasses so it was only a matter of time before he inevitably slipped up somewhere. The more important matter was that Fox was stealing, or at least the vendor seemed to think so. On one hand he could just let Fox take the fall, he was a thief after all. Fox didn’t seem like a malicious person though, more desperate if anything. Jasper sighed, mentally steeling himself. “You lazy good for no-” Jasper cut him off, “Easy man, he paid for it earlier.” He stated, the guilt of a lie making his stomach churn. He fished through his pockets, grabbing some of the change he had collected so far that morning, showing it to the man. “Look, he gave a tip ‘n everything.” Jasper was glad he’d not had a chance to eat that morning, he was sure he’d probably be sick if he had. The old man stood up straight to cuff Jasper round the head, “I’ll let you off the hook then, brat. You said you really needed this job right? Don’t let me down, it’d be a shame to let you go in these times.” He jabbed his finger into Jasper’s chest, cementing his point before leaving again. Probably off to snatch a bottle of alcohol and sleep for the rest of the day.

Jasper watched him leave, giving the man a few seconds to get out of earshot before he turned sharply back to Fox. “What the hell was that, man?” He complained, gesturing with his hands as he approached. “I’m not covering for you again, what have you even got?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed and expression somewhat bewildered. He didn’t take Fox for a thief, but he had barely spoken to the boy - perhaps he’d judged him too soon. “You wanna explain that? I can’t afford to lose my job and I’m sure you can’t afford to get arrested!” He whispered harshly, lowering his head a few inches so he was eye-level with him - his palms flat against the table and back hunched. Now he’d finally taken the time to stop moving around, stacking boxes or sorting out crates, he was beginning to feel the chill. Goosebumps travelled up his arms and he rubbed the back of his neck to try and soften the muscles that tensed up with the gust of bitter wind. He wasn’t even sure why he was made to work as much as he did, barely anyone was willing to hang around outside in the winter weather - especially not for overvalued and hardly-in-date fruit or veg.

[ inventory : x ]

[senna_]

𝐅𝐎𝐗

[ ❝𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈❞ ]
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rank. trinkets leaderxxage. 21xxpronouns. he/himxxlocation. marketxxwc. 2,060

It was quiet that early morning, the only prominent sound accompanying Fox being the squeak his finger made against the condensation that decorated the window he had practically pressed his nose up against. Winter was rarely welcomed with open arms, and Fox felt it was particularly difficult this time around, with few supplies to properly keep heat generated without aid. Some of the Trinkets loved it. There were countless snowball fights when the snow was wet and perfect for crafting, violent sword fights with long icicles, and a lot of sopping clothes from rolling about outside. Fox once loved winter time, back when he knew he could return to a properly patched-up roof, with warm cups of tea awaiting his and his sister’s arrival, and a stove capable of perfecting whichever type of soup they decided on that day. Parenting is tough. Fox didn’t realize how challenging it was to satisfy a few hungry bellies, or to ensure that they could drift off to sleep hugged with warmth. Worst, it was difficult to keep a cheery grin on his features when he could feel his insides shriveling up. The group was overwhelmingly supportive of one another, that went without a doubt, but verbal support differed substantially from a fed body, a safe house, and proper articles of clothing to keep them warm. Fox fretted it was only a matter of time before someone caught hypothermia. He was no medical expert – that’s what the medic was for. But he was bright enough to put two and two together: cold weather and lack of protection from such entailed illness.

Blowing hot air against the window once again, Fox watched as fog blew up on the exterior side of the glass, and he went back to lazily scribbling against the chilled surface. Even under the dimmed lighting, he could see the redness that had begun to sprawl out against the tips of his fingers. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, the leader quickly removed his hand, as if the window had shocked him, and wiped it against the thin fabric of his shirt. From somewhere not too far away, he heard a sneeze. Then another… and another. He shook his head to himself, as if this would shake the sound free from his mind. They were down a small handful of scarves, for someone (who ─ let’s be honest ─ probably had a bit too much to drink) had tossed them around like they were ribbons in rhythmic gymnastics, setting the tips ablaze from the nearby bonfire. Most of their mitts had small holes in them from being stretched to fit multiple pairs of hands. Hoods were practically non-existent with the clothes they wore, and only one head could sport a hat at a time. Things were rolling into desperation quickly.

The winter months were always so unpredictable. December liked to give a sneak-peak, January and February blew things out of proportion, and March liked to tease with a combination of snowy days and days packed with rainclouds. Based on the melancholic grey that painted the sky today, Fox suspected more snow was going to soon sprinkle down on them. With that in mind, he pushed himself away from the window, swiftly turning to stand at full height. A few Trinkets were huddled together like pups in a litter, snuggling into one another’s comfort. He moved past them with ease, saluting to any sets of eyes who cared to lift to acknowledge his presence, before grabbing hold of his oversized jean jacket. Shrugging it on, Fox failed to hold back any longer ─ he was out of the door so quickly that it was almost as if he was never inside in the first place.

The winter’s breath was brisk, prodding at his skin as he moved about. His hands flew to the comforts of his pockets, and his gaze remained fixated on the ground below, which had just enough snow to create the odd image of a white layer accompanied by dots and thin lines the colour of moss. Even with his head down, Fox moved with just as much confidence as he had had when grabbing his jacket. Their main source of activity, socialization, and products were all located in one setting: the Market, which consisted of a variety of vendors set up by desperate small business owners looking to gather a few extra coins. Fox and the group visited there often. Not only was it no more than a ten minute walk away, but it was one of the few relatively safe places they could hang out at. Relatively, being the key word. Fights brought out often, and there was never a time when a finger wasn’t pointed at another. But unless someone had enough nerve to call the main city’s police on them, they strayed free from anything government-issued. A little flirting and a whole lot of charm went a long way when around older people hungry for customers.

Fox had perfected his people skills in the retail industry from a young age. He had to – with little money to spare and no vehicle to bring them to acceptable stores for their home living condition, Fox had been left with no choice but to fall back onto the acts of thievery. He had well intentions going into the scenario, and the nightmare they were forced to call school yanked him back before greed had a chance to swallow him whole. Fox didn’t like stealing, or shoplifting, or anything along those lines. He never had. But unfortunately for him, he was good at it. And he loved the thrill it provided him in return. He suspected a few of the Trinkets knew about his act ─ those who knew him from school were surely aware of his rather rebellious acts during class time, but he had done much better recently. With money being as good as nothing, Fox didn’t have much of a choice. He always prayed his fibbing regarding the way he obtained certain items was believable. Today would be no different.

The hush of murmurs toyed with his eardrums as he stepped into the marketing area, raising his head to soak in the sight of cheery chatters ahead. He knew where to stop first, and given the way the woman with the silver hair was ready to greet him, Fox suspected she knew his routine as well as he did. “G’morning miss Maria,” he called out, leaning over to give the elderly Italian woman a kiss on the cheek. “You’re lookin’ as splendid as ever. Angelic, dare I say!” She chuckled in return, and, with rosy red cheeks, handed him a newspaper. “It’s a good one today,” she told him. He returned her smile, dropping a coin into the palm of her hand, despite her insistence to keep it for himself. The interaction was quick, and with a wave farewell, Fox was out and about once again.

He found himself gravitating towards another particular vendor. It was one of the bigger ones, and held a variety of different items. It wasn’t a vendor he grazed by often, for their prices were often ridiculously high, but Fox had yet to form a particular target, and thus figured getting a feel for everything would be his best bet. Fox had familiarized himself with the young worker who helped the rather grumpy owner out. His name was Jasper, although truthfully, apart from that and maybe one or two other things, he didn’t know Jasper past the surface. It was slightly more challenging to woo over those around his age.

His finger brushed over the top of a fluffy pompom that was sewn into a hat, his other hand attempted to shove the curled-up newspaper he had just purchased into one of the many pockets his jacket had. “Jasper!” he returned the greeting, setting both hands on the plushiness of the scarves as he leaned closer to the young man. “I─” And that was the end of the conversation. Jasper’s back was now what Fox was talking to. Shrugging it off, Fox swiftly pulled his hands back into his pockets, index and middle finger threading a light-coloured pair of gloves into the inside of the scrunched-up newspaper. Keeping his hands in his pockets ─ not an unusual thing to see, given the temperature ─ he moved along, bringing himself to a halt in front of a few packaged snack items. Large bags or cans of food was nearly impossible to pluck away without a pair of eyes catching sight of the action, but granola bars… Fox had just placed the third one into the lining of his coat, where yet another hidden pocket was stitched in, when he heard a shout. Jumping at the sudden noise, Fox practically leapt away from the stand, then pushed himself forward again to keep the act of an innocent shopper.

The larger man was storming towards him, and Fox felt himself holding his breath, yet did not step back from the table. “Only me, myself, and I, sir,” he chirped towards the owner, who certainly was not having any of it. His hand shot out towards a can of soup while the other fished out a few coins from the pockets of his pants. Fox didn’t even glance down to see the amount he was currently possessing it didn’t matter. “You’ve got a lotta choices, it’s hard for a hungry boy to choose.”

If he was an animal, his hackles surely would have raised, for the way the man whirled around to snarl at Jasper sent out signals for every red flag imaginable. The shakiness of the accusation (slash observation, really) mingled in with the fear of the unknown dove into a new feeling, which was a state of protection. And then… Jasper defended him? There were surely literal question marks buzzing in Fox’s eyes as he stared at Jasper, at a total loss for words. The change had fallen to the table, and now the tips of his fingers were against the cool tabletop, as if he was prepared to leap over it and tackle the old lad at any moment. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to move. He couldn’t take his eyes away from Jasper. Why did you do that?

His posture straightened instantly as the owner shot back around towards him, tapping his temple before flashing the bristling man a quick grin. “See? More than just a pretty face.” He had an easy time holding the act together, the smile lingering without a single twitch of downfall, although the very second the grumbling man turned away, the act vanished as if the curtain dropped all at once. His lips parted enough for words to fall, but Jasper beat him to it. Unlike usual, a sheepish look crossed over Fox’s features, and he stepped back as if he had just been reprimanded and sent into the dog house. “You covered for me,” he said plainly, as if it wasn’t obvious. “Why? You don’t know me.”

Jasper was approaching him quickly now, and perhaps he expected Fox to back up in rhythm of his forward-moving steps, but he didn’t. They stood close enough that Fox could feel his breath against his own skin. “You should really tell your old man to start price comparing. He’s not getting much business, eh?” Still, Fox refused to answer the boiling questions. It wasn’t until he noticed the redness on Jasper’s nose, his fingertips, that Fox released a defeated sigh. He fished out the gloves that he had stuffed into the newspaper and held them out, offering – or perhaps showing – them to Jasper before gently placing one over each of Jasper’s trembling knuckles. “He’s not too friendly, hey? Why’re you working for him, anyway?” Fox was chatting as if they were good friends, and he knew Jasper would either cave in, or raise his hand to slap the stupidity out of Fox. He already had a go-to plan for either. “Look, man, I didn’t mean to getch’u in trouble. Here ─” he nudged forward two coins his eyes were able to spot immediately ─ “I don’t have much. This stuff’s important… Just trust me. I’m not here to start anything stupid. Nobody’s got the energy for that right now.”

[chase.]

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫 xxxx ♛
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[ 20 ] [ he/him ] [ location - market ] [ mood - awkward, friendly ] [ 1,471 words ]

Jasper was almost thankful for the way the temperature made his face flush, without it he would probably be as pale as a ghost after the stunt he had pulled. The sudden adrenaline had worn off, leaving him twitchy and a bit queasy after lying so confidently to the vendor. Fox’s question caused him to falter, and Jasper stayed silent as he thought. It was true, Jasper really didn’t know Fox. He knew his name, and that was about it. Did a name even count? Jasper knew hundreds of names at this point, Fox’s was an unusual one for sure, but it didn’t mean he knew him. “I’m not really sure.” He breathed, looking at Fox’s own eyes. He took a moment to register what he was wearing, a jean jacket wasn’t exactly the best defence against the winter weather and Jasper wondered if Fox even owned anything more suitable. “I like to think I’m a decent judge of character, although I might have to reevaluate that now.” He joked lightly, briefly glancing in the direction the vendor had left in. “Winter isn’t kind to the best of us, the old man knows that - but he doesn’t care.” Jasper mused quietly, still occasionally glancing to the side - squinting, paranoid the man would sneak up on him again without warning. Unfortunately for him, all the figures were a blur in the distance and he just had to assume the man was not among them. Jasper sighed in irritation, he needed to scrounge up the money and try to buy another pair of glasses, even a weaker prescription would be better than nothing.

“Between us, I sell everything to regulars for a fair price. I think it’s the only reason he's still in business. Barely anyone comes by though, I think the ones that do just do it because they take pity on seeing me standing here by myself. If I could make that man see sense, I’d have done it by now.” Jasper had tried occasionally over the last few weeks. He’d presented multiple pages of notes and calculations, ways to keep the stall afloat and give it the best chance, but he’d simply been laughed away. Personally Jasper had no investment in this place, but as a boy who needed a way to feed himself - it was mildly infuriating to say the least. “I doubt it’s going to last much longer, the less of a profit he makes, the less he pays me. It’s going to start costing me more in supplies to work here for a few hours than I earn in a day.” Jasper replied, bringing his newly gloved hands up to his chest and flexing his knuckles. “Oh- uh, thanks.” He was too polite to turn them down, but they had technically been stolen, right? Jasper looked back up at Fox, refusing to think about it too hard. “No, I suppose he’s not. I’m sure you’re familiar with the whole idea of ‘beggars can’t be choosers’.” He chuckled half-heartedly. “My old group broke apart last spring, toughing out my first winter alone came with some learning curves - you’ve got to take what you can get y’know?” Jasper explained, shrugging. “Having a bit of change to spend on food is worth it, gives me more time to focus on more important things.” That was something Jasper chose not to elaborate much on, he felt like he could trust Fox - but he didn’t want to take unnecessary risks; not after Fox had proven he would go as far as thievery. Letting the boy know he didn’t even have a proper place to sleep would just be opening himself up to potential problems. It wasn’t like Jasper had nothing, he had a few things that he’d preferred not to lose. A few random tools, a gridded notebook, a few pencils and some other miscellaneous knick-knacks. Nothing of any true value, though if Jasper had learnt anything, it was that people were sometimes desperate enough to steal practically anything they could get their hands on. Everything he owned was in the ratty rucksack that was tucked away behind him - it was cheap, and almost eight years old at this point. Given to him by the orphanage for school when he was twelve, and despite threatening to fall apart at a moments notice - it held his very limited belongings well. It was also a half decent pillow in a pinch - though it was comically small compared to him, betrayed by his growth spurt as a teenager.

The two coins scraped against the table, and Jasper watched them uneasily. What was done was done, Jasper had already lied to the man - a couple of coins wouldn’t undo that. Fox also seemed desperate, it didn’t sit right morally with Jasper to strip him of what he had left, not when he even went as far as offering him, a near stranger, gloves. He sighed, his breath condensing in the air - providing a rather dramatic cloud of vapour. “Don’t worry about it, he’ll always find something to rag on about - if it wasn’t you it would’ve been the way I stacked the apples or how I spoke to another customer. Though I’m gonna have to keep a better eye out apparently, you had me pretty much fooled. You probably could’ve taken half the damn display and I wouldn’t have noticed until you were long gone.” He pushed the coins back across the table, towards Fox. “I’m going to trust you, use those to actually buy something next time. Maybe give it to the sellers who actually deserve it.” He relented easily, offering the curly haired boy an awkward smile.

Another chill run up Jasper’s spine, and it made him realise the lack of people at the market. He bit his lip as an idea came to mind, and he looked back at Fox before humming. “I’m not going to be selling anything anytime soon, I think I can take my break now. How ‘bouts you make it up to me by keeping me company for a little while longer? The other sellers will watch this place for me.” Jasper finally spoke, though he was already reaching down to sling his rucksack over his shoulders. “I’ll make it worth it for you.” He added, taking a quick step towards the counter before vaulting himself easily over it, aided by his height. “Y’know that kind old lady that owns that odd little breakfast place a few minutes from here? Wears all the fancy beads ‘n stuff? Fixed the lights in her kitchen for free a couple months ago.” Jasper started, hesitant to start walking incase Fox actually didn’t want to go with him. “She gives me a plate of whatever she’s got cooking, she’ll give you one too. You don’t get to be a picky eater though.” Jasper elaborated, shifting his weight foot to foot nervously. “Promise I won’t kidnap you or anything, you just might like to sit inside somewhere warm for a few minutes before heading off to wherever you live - she’ll give you a couple bottles of water for the road if you’re polite.” He rambled, “Though with how you seem to charm anyone that you come within five feet of, I’m sure she’ll dote on you.” He laughed awkwardly, still shifting his weight around as he waited for Fox to take initiative. “Unless you’ve got job or, er, something you need to get back to, sorry you don’t actually have to come with me - I don’t know if you’ve got someone waitin’ on you.” Jasper didn’t even give Fox a chance to reply before he spoke again, this time bending his head down so his mouth was closer to the boy’s ear. “I don’t know if this is like a kleptomaniac situation, it’s not my business, but - uh - please don’t steal in front of me again if you can help it, I don’t usually cover that well.” he whispered in a hushed tone, words cramming together as he rushed them out. Jasper wasn’t too sure what caused him to ramble so nervously, usually he was significantly better at holding a steady and polite conversation. He glanced back at the stall, trying to take a mental inventory of what was on display. He couldn’t place what else Fox had taken just off of memory, but he was sure he’d figure it out when he went to write in the books later that day. His pulse pounded for a few moments, recalling the conversation earlier where he had covered for the pretty criminal. That was probably what had left him so anxious, Jasper never was too good at confrontations, add in the fact he also lied? It left him almost shaking.

[ inventory : rucksack ]

[senna_]

𝐅𝐎𝐗

[ ❝𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈❞ ]
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rank. trinkets leaderxxage. 21xxpronouns. he/himxxlocation. marketxxwc. 2,024

For a fleeting moment, Fox half-expected Jasper to take off in a gallop, fearful of being caught alongside Fox after the slight commotion that abruptly blasted out from within their set-up. The curly-haired boy could feel various sets of eyes burning holes into the back of his neck, and the same likely went for Jasper, but he forced his eyes to remain on the struggling worker that stood before him. He had dark circles under his eyes, and with his naturally pale complexion, it looked like the tall one hadn’t gotten a decent wink of sleep in weeks. Fox was no mind reader, and he really wasn’t even that good with reading facial expressions, but he was all too familiar with that ghostly look of insomnolence. There wasn’t a single Trinket that didn’t maintain the look; it only took a few restless nights to familiarize oneself with the feeling of surviving off of dream-like, back-up energy. Fox knew he was probably one of the ones who looked the worst: his curls were no longer tameable, forever in the power of infinite bedhead; and with the amount of times someone prodded him awake, whether that be on purpose or not, he was at the point where he genuinely could not even remember the last time he had slept soundly. From the look of the young worker’s face, Fox truly did suspect that Jasper wasn’t a fan of those nights that called upon rest, either.

“A decent judge of character wouldn’t stick around a hag like that,” Fox returned rather bluntly, gaze unfaltering as he practically stared right through Jasper’s thin frame. He had a natural sense of humour, but it never took anyone too long to realize how protective Fox truly got over those within rough situations ─ ironic, given his own current living condition. That said, it was easier to make a comment like that than to physically remove oneself from the setting. Judging by the fraught look that had flashed across Jasper’s face upon standing up for him, Fox almost wondered if there was no other place Jasper could go work at. He was starting to erase the idea of this man being some sort of blood relative. Maybe he really was just a temperamental old fellow who desired a minion, yet complained at the idea of following ethics when it came to paystubs.

But why did he care? He didn’t know Jasper, and Jasper didn’t know him. There really was no need to stick his nose into a situation like this, even though that was what Fox was best at. To many of the Trinkets, these towns people were like the low-class of the city folk. It took a lot of poking and prodding (read: sucking up and flirting) to find alliances to give them a helping hand. Was Jasper going to be one of those people? It seemed risky, not only because he didn’t own the shop, but because he didn’t look like he differ much in age from Fox and his group. Surely he didn’t have that much more authority. Then again, Fox was clueless when it came to the works of the marketing town.

“I guess someone’s ‘ought to be the smart one ‘round here.” Fox shot Jasper a ghostly, lopsided smile as he offered the brief compliment, not exactly sure if Jasper was willing to take it as such. “Ah,” followed at that, as Fox seemingly connected the dots. “An eye for an eye situation, ain’t it?” He lazily raised his hand to motion between Jasper and the general direction the owner had stalked off in to give silent elaboration on his few words. He was far from familiar with the proper works of money in this place, whether that be towards proper pricing of items, or reasonable pay towards the employees. His swiftness made it easy to dodge the fear of uprising prices, although clearly his skills had begun to rust a bit. He feared they would have to fall back to helpless pleading again.

Perhaps it was discomfort that was beginning to gnaw at him, but Fox began to restlessly fidget, fingers flicking at the buttons of his jackets, worn-out boots shifting weight after no more than two or three seconds. Jasper seemed as if he was in just as rough of a situation as Fox himself. Weird how that works. Fox had automatically assumed that having a job meant being stable, but as Jasper continued to ramble on, he was even easing himself into the belief that the tall boy was revealing nothing but the truth. Are you that desperate to get out of here that you’re telling me, a stranger, all this? How many young adults came around here, apart from the mischievous Mistfits? If Fox didn’t know anything, he’d have stated that Jasper was lonely. Not just a Lone Wolf, but frankly forlorn. “Old group?” he questioned, head tilting like a dog whose attention had just been grabbed. “A whole bunch’a rough-looking marketers?” A grin formed at his lips at the mental image of a half dozen Jaspers wheeling around a small wooden cart filled with a variety of souvenirs. Company bought out from all the competition, perhaps?

The way Jasper’s words filled with mystery and loose ends was intriguing, and Fox suddenly felt like a young child with all these sudden questions, quite literally biting his tongue to avoid blurting them all out at once. “You’re an interesting fellow,” he decided with instead, tilting his head up. “You could be a storyteller, ya know that? I know nothin’ and yet want to know everything.” A huff of a laugh carried that sentence, allowing it to linger for a few more seconds before the chilly wind blew it out of earshot. Jasper was quiet, and he seemed genuine. It was cliché to say, but Fox wasn’t sure he had ever met someone like this boy before. Or, at least, he differed in personality rather substantially from the fools ─ spoken lovingly ─ that gallivanted around the warehouse he called home.

Even though Fox knew the gloves would still be a nice gift to return back with, he was glad Jasper hadn’t thrust them back into his chest. It hadn’t taken him long to spot the way Jasper’s pants fit on his long legs, too short to provide proper warmth to his ankles. Jasper seemed humble, but something told Fox that there was more desperation clawing at his insides than he wanted to lead others to believe. It was just like the way he acted when he was growing up. Perhaps that was why Fox felt he was able to get a decent enough read of Jasper. “Maybe he needs a taste of his own medicine,” he grumbled in return, chin lowering slightly as he rose his hands up to crack his knuckles. There was a chance Jasper would fail to see through this, but anyone who knew Fox knew how much he avoided physical fights. Some made fun, joking about how he didn’t want to bruise up his pretty face. Others held doubts about his leadership all because of the resistance. There were better ways to go about than to throw a punch. Besides, Fox did the talking, and if that didn’t work, then he called upon the Strengths. But that wasn’t going to happen here.

He did, however, beam with a slight bit of smugness when Jasper made a comment about his previous actions. “Grew up doin’ it,” he practically announced, as if it was a gold trophy he felt the uttermost desire to show off. “Someone’s gotta take care of the kids.” Again, that mischievous glisten decided to show itself in the depths of his eyes, which met Jasper’s with ease, now that he could officially determine that Jasper was not a threat. At least, he didn’t show any signs. That was confirmed even further when he pushed the coins back towards Fox’s person. The coins weren’t worth much, and they probably wouldn’t have even successfully purchased the gloves, but he took them back anyway, with nothing more than a simple shrug of the shoulders. He’d return it to their little stash of other coins, to be used for another time.

This time, it seemed like the roles reversed, for a flash of trepidation burst in his eyes when Jasper oh-so casually departed from the stand he was just standing behind. “The old man’s not gonna hunt you down for taking a break on your own terms?” he questioned, finding he had little choice but to scurry after Jasper. The boy already walked with a fresh wave of confidence; the further they stepped away from the stand, the lighter Jasper’s energy felt. “Some boss.” He hoped he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. It was a challenge when he had never gotten himself into a real job that involved official paperwork and all that nonsense. He was still confused as to why Jasper so eagerly wanted to help him out, but he fought to swallow those words again, because it didn’t seem like Jasper had formed an answer between those few minutes of him asking out loud versus now. “’Course I know her,” Fox returned, in a tone that could be playfully taken as offence. “We’re all angels to the old folks here ─ they love us.” His inner pride distinguished the reality of the situation, which was that Jasper only knew Fox as the solo traveller. His mind was too focused on the thought of being close to a warm fire to even consider elaborating.

“So you’re…” Fox’s words came out slowly as he struggled to put together a sentence to efficiently voice his thoughts. “If you’re a handy dandy techie guy, why’re you working under a lifeless tent with that guy?” He jerked a finger back to point to the stand Jasper worked at, although the tall boy surely already knew that Fox was referring to his boss. . “I’m no genius but that sounds lots more helpful than selling overprices fruits ─ no offence.” Us next, he wanted to add, but yet again resorted to biting the inside of his cheek. Yes, it was far from dramatic in admitting that nothing worked in the warehouse, but Fox wasn’t about to open the gates and freely whisk Jasper inside. He had nothing to give him, anyway. Nothing about that thought made sense.

He was about to spit out another lighthearted joke when the air between them grew thick, a blanket of graveness squeezing itself around the two of them. Fox didn’t back down, or cower away, instead locking eyes with Jasper with ease. Confrontation always resulted in a stoic look on Fox’s end. Show no emotion. He learned that was the best way to avoid things toppling over one way or another. It wasn’t meant to be threatening, but he didn’t intend for it to seem cocky, either. “Don’t cover for me next time,” he answered simply, although Fox failed to push away the tightening feeling in his stomach. He had slowed down his stealing habits since leaving the school, only resorting to it as a way to cope with his high levels of stress. It had always resulted in something positive, something that assured Fox that his acquaintances would be safe for a little while longer.

But he hated doing it.

Fox intentionally failed to make a promise, because he wasn’t sure he could keep it. Instead, he simply continued with, “I don’t like doing it as much as you don’t like catching it happen.” He left it at that, shifting the topic with an invisible snap of his fingers. “Do you hang out at this place often, then? You and your pals ─ the broken boy band? How long have’ya been living here for, anyway? I’ve only ever seen you at the market. You got school and stuff? You do what, play basketball or volleyball or somethin’ that puts your height to good use?”