Make Yourself Useful

The hotel we were staying in had continental breakfast included in the price of the room. Although the quality of the food left a lot to be desired, I wasn't about to say no to a free meal, especially now, when I had another mouth to feed.

So I untied the boy and took him with me. I trusted he knew better than to make a scene.

I didn't get to interrogate him any further the night before. By the time I was done with my healing for the day, he was already asleep, and I was too tired to bother waking him up. I could just continue it later.

The dining area where the breakfast was served was fairly empty. It was off-season, so not many people stayed at the hotel. I grabbed myself a plate and picked whatever looked the most edible, as well as a cup of black coffee. I waited until the boy was done, and led him to a table on the side that provided us with some privacy, so that we could have a little chat over breakfast.

The boy's plate was overflowing with food, as if he wanted it to last him for days. I guess I wouldn't need to get him anything for lunch then.

I observed him as he stuffed his face enthusiastically. "I spared your life in exchange for information," I started, picking on the scrambled eggs on my plate. "But how are you going to repay me for giving you food and a place to stay?"

The boy stopped devouring his food and looked straight at me with unease. After a moment of silence, he swallowed loudly before answering. "I… I can get some money?"

"How? Find a job?" As if things were that easy. "You don't have a Social Security Number in this world. Nor any documents."

Of course, I could get some fake IDs for him. It wasn't that big of a deal. But first, I needed to be sure he was worth the effort. Make him work for it.

"You know, if you want me to treat you decently, then you should make yourself useful," I added before returning to eating my breakfast. It already started getting cold. And it was very bland. I ended up just pushing the plate away. There was no need for me to make do with it when I could just get something better later.

The boy was shifting in his chair, constantly throwing sidelong glances instead of looking straight at me. "I… I can also do other… stuff," he eventually said with hesitation.

"Such as?" Sipping my coffee, I looked at him, unconvinced. He might have some fighting experience, but what could he possibly do with it? Work as an assassin? As if.

He took a deep breath, and then straightened up as if he finally reached some resolve. "Pickpocketing, begging, shoplifting, street busking… I've done stuff like this before."

Oh? Now that was a bit curious.

He was biting his lip nervously, staring at me with anticipation. What was he expecting? My approval? It was still way too early for that. He could have been bluffing.

"Alright, so here's your task for the day. After breakfast, go out and try to get as much money as possible pickpocketing. Then return to the hotel by 6 PM. Any questions?"

The boy glanced at his clothes. He probably wanted to ask for different ones. I guess hardly any teenage boy would want to walk around in a bright pink jacket. He gave up on the idea though, and just shook his head and quickly finished his breakfast.

***

After sending the boy off with a backpack and a watch, I sneaked out of the window and jumped onto the rooftops to follow him stealthily. While I didn't think he had a way to contact the organization, I still wanted to see how he would behave once left alone.

I observed him the whole day, and I was positively surprised.

He kept moving around different spots, never staying in one place for too long. He was able to steal the wallets unnoticed, which required some decent skills. Seems he wasn't lying about having the experience.

Every now and then, when he had four or five wallets, he hid somewhere where he wouldn't be seen, and emptied all the cash into his backpack, throwing away everything else. If I were him, I would have taken the cards as well, but I could understand his approach. It was definitely safer that way.

He continued like that the whole day, never taking a break. He hasn't even tried to take any money for himself, or buy himself a lunch, not even a drink. All the money he gathered was stashed in the backpack.

Half past 5, he finally finished his job and walked back to the hotel.

I returned to the room through the window, and lit a cigarette, waiting for him. Soon after, I heard the knocking on the door.

"Enter."

The boy walked in and closed the doors behind him.

"So, how much?" I asked, pretending not to know anything.

"I haven't counted it yet." The boy handed the backpack over to me. "But I think it should at least be enough for the night…"

I already knew it was way more than that. I've seen him take out several 100-dollar bills, and plenty other. I sat on the bed, opened the backpack, and started sorting out the money, placing it all in front of me.

"Not so bad, I must say," I complimented him. The carrot and stick method was supposed to be effective, or so I've heard.

The boy smiled brightly in response. You'd think he was a kid getting praised by his parents for good test scores, and not a hostage for a successful theft.

But it really made me see him in a different light. Maybe it would be useful to make him my subordinate or something along these lines.

"What did you say was your name again?" I glanced at him sideways.

The boy was smiling as if he's just won the lottery. "My name is Evan Hale! Nice to meet you, Seth!"