A mother and her child

I changed into a frilly white dress with my beret and left the school campus.

I looked through a few stores, mostly sweet shops.

But realized that I can´t find anything interesting here, so I went to the first ring of the city.

The town changed more and more into a slum, beggars were sitting on the street sides.

Many of them were beastkin and a few human.

I'm pretty interested in their stories, there is nothing more interesting than the story of a person.

I looked around and saw a beastkin woman hugging her child, they were dirty and thin.

Wearing racks and looked a little sick. They had brown dog ears and a tail, which might be fluffy if it is clean.

I wonder what kind of story they have.

I walked in front of them and looked down at them.

The woman noticed me and hugged her child more tightly, which then began to cough.

She looked like 25 and her child seemed to be 4 or 5.

"May I help you miss?" She asked with a little fear in her voice.

"Yes, I have a small job for you. " I said.

"What kind of job miss?" She asked warily.

"Nothing much, you´ll accompany to a meal and tell me your life story and I´ll give you money, the meal and heal your child." Me

"...." She

"What?" Me

"Why?" She

"I'm interested in people and especially their stories and you looked interesting. Do you want this small job or not?" Me

"Y...yes." She

"Good, then let me heal your child. It would be less enjoyable for her, eating with a cold." Me

I stretched my hand out and put it on the head of her and her child, she watched me, ready to intercept if I do something that might harm her child.

I began to conjure a Tier 3 heal spell on both of them.

"Siria, möge dein Licht die Kranken heilen und das Dunkle vertreiben, leihe mir deine Kraft und heile diese Person. [Leichte Heilung]."

They both started to look healthier, the bruises vanished and they now looked at me with large eyes.

"How is it?" I asked.

"Great nee-san, my throat stopped hurting and it feels really warm." Child

"Good, then miss?" Me

"Hira, and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I couldn't afford the medicine and thought she might die." Hira said with tears in her eyes.

"Hira, do you knew a restaurant for us three?" I asked

It took her some time to answer but said with a small voice.

"I only knew some which aren't good enough for a person such as you miss." Her shoulders were down, expecting me to leave.

"Doesn't matter, which one has the best food you know or let me ask you," I said looking at her child.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Eh... ähm" She stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"You don't have to be shy, what is your favorite food?" Me

"We sometimes beg near a restaurant further inside, it smells really good there, but we never had the money to eat something." Child

"She speaks about the restaurant Baty´s Rip." Her mother tried to explain.

"I don't know that one, please lead the way." I said and they stood up, walking to the restaurant.

It's a steakhouse and quite a large one at that.

We're standing in front of the door and I motioned them to walk inside.

A waitress greeted me but frowned as she saw the other two.

"Hello miss, there's a table free, please wait a moment." She said and pointed to an empty table.

"And you two, get out, we don´t give food away for free," She said to the mother, less friendly.

"They are with me," I said.

"Then I also have to ask you to leave, we can't afford to lose our reputation. We can't serve beggars." She said.

The ears of Hira fell down and her daughter hid behind her.

"Is that so? Okay, but remember that you lost three customers." I said and left with Hira and her child.

We walked a little in silence until Hira began to speak.

"I´m sorry."

"It´s not your fault..., hey let's do something different, where is the market?" Me

"This way!" The child said and pointed to a street.

"What will you do miss?" Hira asked.

"If they don't want to serve us food, we´ll make it ourselves. " Me

We went to the market and brought many different things.

Hira insisted on carrying the stuff.

"Do you have a place where we could cook? " I asked while handing money to a merchant.

"We have a small shack, it´s not much, but it keeps the wind out." Hira

"Lead the way, I´ll cook something there," I said.

Hira looked confused and did not move.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Why are you doing this for us?" She asked.

"I already said, I´m interested in the story of your life." Me

"There... has to be more..." She said, not believing me.

Why should she, such a thing does normally not happen. Most people are indifferent towards beggars. And I am also one of these people, most of the time. But this world is interesting and I want to learn something about its inhabitants and beggars, have most of the time, an interesting life.

"You see, I love stories and the life of people are the best ones. And you looked friendly so I asked.

If you don't want me to come, I won´t, it was not really a problem healing you." I said.

She pondered about it, but someone else decided for her.

Her daughter tugged her sleeve and asked.

"Mom, is there a problem with nee-san?"

"No sweetie, there isn´t. Ok, I trust you, please follow me." She said and we went to the deepest parts of the slums.

We reached a run down shack, it had almost no roof and had more than one hole in its walls.

"It´s not much and also not pretty but we live here," Hira said.

I walked inside and it had almost no furniture, a pile of straw and an old desk with two almost broken chairs.

The ground was wet from rain and it was cold.

"Do you have a fireplace?" I asked and she nodded, showing me a small square of dirt.

"Do you mind if I help you with the roof?" I asked, but she only looked confused.

"I mean, can I repair your roof?" Me

"Y..you can do such a thing?" Hira.

I willed the wood to close the roof and the holes of the walls and also made a stove on the dirt square.

The next thing I did was changing her old furniture into a new one with three chairs.

It now looks sturdier and new.

"H..how did... how did you do that?" Hira asked.

"Magic," I said and made a fire in the stove.

She was quiet and watched me cook.

"That smells wonderful." Said her daughter as I finished. She was drooling a little bit.

I made chicken with baked potatoes and a brown sausage. A few vegetables were the side dish and I had a few sweets as a dessert.

Each of us had a plate with food in front of us and I said.

"Please dig in, I hope it tastes good."

And sure they did, the girl almost choked on the food and her mom cried a little.

We ate in silence and Hira said as her daughter went to sleep.

"What do you want to hear?" She asked.

"Everything if possible." I said and she began.

"I was not a beggar in the beginning. I lived with my mother and father in a small village, it was not an easy life, we had to plow the fields and some winter were pretty hard, but it was a good life and a happy one.

But everything changed in one night. I was eight and slept in my bed as my mom stormed in my room.

She dressed me in a hurry and picked me up, we went downstairs where my father waited. He had a knife from the kitchen in his hand and looked pale.

We ran outside and I could hear people screaming, some houses were on fire and I saw a few man killing our neighbor. I began to cry, our neighbor was an old woman, she often gave me an apple and they were hacking and slicing on her...

My parents ran to the nearest forest, but one man saw us and he alarmed two other.

We were running, but they caught up to us. My father said that he will come after us and stayed behind, he never came....

Mom ran for hours without stopping until she finally broke down.

She hugged me tightly and began to cry, we stayed there in for a day.

The next morning my mom said that we have to reach a city and I asked for father, but she didn't answer me.

We walked through the forest and reached this town after days of walking.

We got inside but had no money and no relatives in this town. My mom looked for a job, but no one wanted to employ a beastkin. They said we were dirty....

So we had to beg, it didn't go well and we often had nothing to eat for days, my mom gave me most of the little food we managed to get.

We occupied this shack and I live in here since then.

After a few years she started to leave me alone, she said she had to visit someone and I had to stay in our shack.

I waited and she often came back with a few bruises, but she had a few copper.

One time I followed her, I wish I didn´t, she met a man and walked in an alley, where he slept with her...

I then realized her hardships.

This continued for a year or so, but then she didn´t come back, I waited for two days until I began to search for her. I found her a week later, dead in a dark alley..." Hira began to cry and I waited for her to settle down. It took her five minutes.

"From then on I was alone, I begged for money and small jobs but never prostitute myself.

It was not good, I often had nothing to eat and was lonely. And the little luck I had left me five years ago.

I were begging but then came three guys, they started to harass me and forcibly took me into an alley.

They raped me and I got pregnant. It became harder to life because I had to eat for two, I hated my life and I hated my unborn child.

But then I gave birth to Siril and all my hate was forgotten as I saw her, she looked like an angel and a deep sadness overcame me. I realized that I´m not able to give her the life she deserves....

I had luck and was not raped since then but Siril got often sick and I had no money for the medicine.

I resolved myself to get a prostitute but then came you. I can't say it enough, thank you for healing her." Hira finished her story and gave me a deep bow.

"I have forgotten the last time I saw her smiling like today. Truly thank you."Hira

"You don't have to thank me, but I have another question, is there an orphanage in this city?" Me

"There is but it is not a large one, they don't have much money, why?" Hira

"Do you think you could work there?" Me

"I sure could, but they wouldn't take me, they have no money for two more mouths to feed." Hira

"I think I can handle that, I´ll come tomorrow afternoon, I have school, so I´m not able to come in the morning." Me

"So you´re a student of the magic academy, that explains your magic.

But are you sure? You don´t know us." Hira

"I am, I think Siril has the right to grow up in a better environment, but I can't give you more than the orphanage at this time. I can also teach you sewing, you could earn some money with that." Me

Hira started to cry, again, but this time she also hugged me.

"Thank you, thank you, I... I don't know what I could say, you're like an angel given by god." Hira

I think you could say that I am given by god and I have wings....

"Okay, I have to go now, I´ll come back tomorrow, here is a little money." I said and gave her 40 copper.

"Thank you, but are you sure, you want to go? It's dark outside and this part of the town is not as friendly as the upper rings." She said worriedly.

It's true, her story took some time and it was already dark.

"No problem, I´m a mage. See you tomorrow." I said and left.

I started to walk out of the slum but was after a short time blocked by five guys.

cliche....

"Hey little miss, whatcha doing her alone in the dark?" Guy 1

"Are ya lost?" Guy 2

"Come, we'll bring you home" Guy 3 with an ugly grin.

"Urk, 5 ugly guys trying to hit on a little girl, perverts." Me

"Hey, have some respect for your elders." Guy 4

"Yeah, how do you intend to compensate us for your insolence?" guy 3

"Don´t know, I could ignore you all?" Me

"She does not get it don´t sha?" Guy 5

"I think we have to give you a lecture, we'll be friendly." Said guy 1 with a perverted smile.

" Are you sure you want to try it? I mean how often does it happen that a little girl walks alone and at night through these slums? And on top on that a little girl with rich clothes? " Me

"You just don't know how live works." Said Guy 3 and tried to grab me.

I sidestepped and shot five stone spears through their crotches.

All of them shouted out in pain and were now lying on the ground, bleeding and groaning in pain.

"You're lucky that I hadn't killed you." I said and went my way.

I was not interrupted for the rest of my way and got safely to my room.

I opened the door and Kira came dive hugging me.

"Where were you? We were worried sick." Kira

"I was in town and met a nice woman, we ate together and talked a lot," I said

"A woman?" Asked Lina from behind.

"Yes, she's a beggar and has a daughter, I cooked something and I´ll help her to find a job." Me

"Why?" Kira asked.

"Because I can." I replied and both of them did not know what to say.

I told them a little bit of my day and we went sleeping....