It was a cold winter evening, the sun setting only aiding in decreasing the night temperatures. The wind was chilly, causing shivers to run down the spine of a smile orphaned child as she crept down the streets carrying something tightly bundled in her arms. The object she was carrying squirmed and started to whimper causing the child to hold it closer to her body and softly hush the bundle.

"It's okay, Tadeo. It's okay. We'll... find some food for you soon... and hopefully some shelter, too..." She whispered reassuringly, though her voice betrayed her as it dripped with uncertainty and worry.

It was becoming exceptionally cold tonight, and it had started to snow. The girl had no warm clothing, and her chocolate brown skin was darkened by dirt from months on the streets. She was quite frail-looking, as she spent those months making sure the baby was fed more than herself. Her stomach growled. She couldn't even remember when she last ate.

There were still pedestrians walking the streets going about their business. Perhaps with any luck she could gran some food... or even some jewels so that she might buy baby formula and maybe even rent a hotel for the night. It was risky and difficult, as most people would ask where her parents were, but if she didn't want Tadeo to freeze to death she had to take that chance.

The child walked into the crowd, carrying Tadeo in a sling hanging from her chest. As she pushed past people rushing by her on the streets, she casually bumped into them in a convenient pattern that allowed her to lift from their pockets. After pickpocketing several passersby the child crept off into an alley in order to inspect her stolen goods.

Disguised as Jiro Amane:

---

Jiro was wandering about town, as he usually did. Existing, as he usually did. It was just any other day for the long-lived, nineteen year old Jiro Amane. Due to the chills of an unwelcoming winter evening, the young traveler had brought an umbrella with him to combat the winds and potential snowfall; and while he wasn't particularly patriotic for his homeland of Joya, the umbrella's bright and vibrant red and gold Joyan design betrayed his heritage even without looking at him. Perhaps it was fate, or simply his beautiful umbrella, that set a chain of events in motion. Maybe it was something inevitable? Either way, Jiro didn't expect his pockets to lighten after bumping into a passerby on the streets. Of all things, to pickpocket him? The idea was ludicrous, and yet... here he was, watching the supposed thief steal away into a nearby alley.

Seems like the kids these days are lacking respect. More than that...

It was lucky for Jiro that he possessed amazing sight in the dark; he didn't know how or from what, but simply that all his life, he had been able to see things easily whether it be night or day. He wasn't a creature of the night, he didn't think, but it was a blessing nevertheless. This vision allowed him to see the path and shape of his thief effortlessly through the darkness and the winter haze that had started to set in.

They lack technique.

Upon lining himself up with the alley that his pilferer had fled down, Jiro lunged forward down it at great speed, passing his thief a few meters and stopping, looking back to see who had deprived him of his well-earned coin. His eyes widened for a moment upon seeing that it was, in fact, a child. He'd seen the short stature, but for her to be so young and attempting such things meant that surely tragedy had befallen the kid. This was further reinforced in his mind by the infant that she kept near her.

"Dare I even ask why you stole from me and probably others, or should I skip to the part where I ask for my money back?", the heterochromia-eyed young man would state with a commanding voice, yet not an angry one, looking directly at the child with his arms crossed. "I could turn you in for this, you know. And I'd get paid for doing so, too."

Just in case this was some kind of setup or trap the way Tomoe always warned him could happen to those who followed HER, the man was ready to retrieve anything from his Pocket Dimension Ring at any time. For now, though, of the things that belonged to Tomoe's armory, he was only wearing the Elder Hunter's Coat - as he had been for the entire day beforehand.

Clemisa had honestly thought she'd gotten away scot-free. I mean, she never had many issues in the past; albeit she's only been doing this 3-4 months. But it would seem this evening she lifted from the wrong person. As she made her way down the alley, she was cut off by a young man appearing seemingly out of nowhere in front of her. She let out a shocked gasp as she slid to a stop, the sudden motion causing the baby to whimper and cry. The child's first instinct was to hold the baby close to her body and rock him in an attempt to comfort the infant. Her brown eyes peered up toward the man as he turned to look at her. She noticed firstly that his eyes were two different colors. Aside from that, he was fast. Like really fast. She wasn't sure if that was a teleportation spell or simply his running speed. Either way, running away wasn't an option here. She stepped back nervously as he glared down at her.

Dare I even ask why you stole from me and probably others, or should I skip to the part where I ask for my money back?

The child didn't answer. The infant continued to cry.

I could turn you in for this, you know. And I'd get paid for doing so, too.

This seemed to get her attention as she quickly exclaimed, "No!" She then began to tremble noticeably, though it was uncertain if it was fear or the cold causing the girl to shake. "No... please..." Her voice became a trembling squeak as she tried to plead with Jiro for mercy. "Don't... don't turn us in. I'm just... I can't..." She hugged the crying infant with tears in her own eyes. She tried to choke back her own sobs as she used her free hand to pull out Jiro's wallet.

Clemisa cautiously approached the stranger and offered him the wallet back. Her stomach growled loudly, and her hand was freezing should he touch her during the transaction. The baby's cries turned into soft whimpers as she struggled to keep him warm using her own body heat. She sniffled softly and trembled as she said, "H-here... take it... just don't hurt us, please... I'm... I'm just doing what I have to to survive... same as anyone else..."

Jiro would retrieve his stolen money from the child, his expression somewhat softening after seeing her do her best to avoid breaking down. What kind of cruel world would allow children to cry in the streets, scavenging to get by? And who would force her into such a situation in the first place? The world was an unfair mess, and that was why Mr. Amane believed in HER new world. Suffering in the streets like this would become a relic of the past. The world would become engulfed in a paradise unlike any other, and HER love would reach far and wide across reality to comfort the hungry and the homeless.

Even still, the man wanted his money. Paradise is around the corner, but until that day, he still needed to abide by the laws of this current world. Jiro knelt down, extending his umbrella to cover both him and the pair of crying children, feeling her cold touch as the money passed hands from her to him. He wasn't one for physical interaction with people, really, and due to his nature as a stranger it'd be creepy to pat her head right now, wouldn't it? Comforting nameless children wasn't something Jiro did, but that didn't mean he could simply take his money and go now. Something in the back of his mind screamed at him to let her go and leave her to her fate - an almost audible voice that sounded familiar, in a way. But Tomoe was nowhere nearby, so that would be impossible. There was no way his voice was speaking, especially in Jiro's head of all places.

"It was a bluff. Or, well, a bluff cloaked as a threat. In the future, that's something you'll need to take advantage of if you want to survive. Who would turn children in to the authorities? That's some supervillain shit. No interest there.", Jiro would say, pausing to look the girl in the eyes, a little less cold in gaze than moments prior. "But you're not in a place to learn lessons right now, anyway, so it was my mistake for handling it like that. Since you're hungry, what would you think about a meal for you and the crying brat? On me.", he would conclude, rising to his feet once more, still keeping his umbrella over the kids to protect them from slowly falling snowflakes.

"If you starved tonight, all your effort would've gone to waste. Keep the rest of the money for yourself. I'm not going to make you into a good, law-abiding citizen, you need to survive. Besides, I can't just leave you here, that's against my own policy. Nothing to do with feeling pity, though, just so we're clear.", Jiro would add on, clarifying his offer and making it apparent that he was not, in fact, doing this for their sake or anything of the sort.

The child looked in his eyes as the man knelt to her level and spoke to her. She was still shaking from the chilly air, and her stomach growled again louder than last time causing her to grimace in pain. The baby in her arms still whimpered and squirmed as his own tummy began to grumble. With Jiro this close to her, she held the baby even closer to her chest protectively. If he would try to take Tadeo from her or show any sign of aggression, she'd grab her guns and protect her brother; or die trying. As the man explained he was simply bluffing her, Clemisa wiped her eyes, the tears partially frozen to her face.

Since you're hungry, what would you think about a meal for you and the crying brat? On me.

His offer caught her off guard. No one has ever shown any level of kindness toward her. Not since before her brother died. She looked down at Tadeo who was clutching onto her shirt. "Can... you get me some baby formula... or milk... or something soft for Tadeo? And maybe warmer blankets..." it was funny. Even in her clearly poor condition, she put the baby's health before her own. "I'll only go with you anywhere if I know he'll be safe and cared for."

She'd then listen to whatever Jiro had to say in response. Once she was satisfied with his answer, she'd cautiously follow him to wherever he intended on taking them. The entire trip she would rock Tadeo and hold him close to her body. She sneezed a few times, clearly getting sick from exposure. She coughed once or twice before looking up at Jiro as she walked behind him. "Why are you helping us? What do you want from me?"

From her experience, everything on the streets came with a price. And the price wasn't always pleasant. She kept her guard up, ready to draw her pistols or run away at the first signs of a trap. She didn't know this man... and she didn't trust this man. She learned monsters were real the moment she lost her entire family. If there were any gods or goddesses out there, they were the monsters. They had to be. Who'd allow the destruction of an entire family and leave a child to raise a baby by herself?

"Milk? Yeah, I guess I can do that.", Jiro questioned with a raised eyebrow, concerned that the girl was rail thin and still asking for the baby to be taken care of first. Maybe it was something to do with familial bonds? The young man thought for a second on what that meant, and on his own lack of a family. It wasn't as if he understood the girl's mentality in this moment, but he did acknowledge and respect her wishes. "It's a little bit odd to put the brat first, but if you think you can stay conscious long enough to get him something first, then let's get out of this alley and find a shop."

At that, Jiro would begin moving past the kids and back out of the alley the way he had so quickly dashed into it; though this time, of course, he would walk like a normal person. He'd turn back one last time to look at the kid if she would hesitate. "You don't need to trust me, but you'd think you'd be safer with a stranger on public streets rather than in an alley, right? That's another thing to keep in mind, by the way, if you live this scavenger life: don't grant your trust easily. Not to anyone."

The young man would then turn and move out of the alley and out onto the main street. Assuming the girl would follow, he would guide them along for a while, looking for a store of some kind that would still be open. During this walk, he found himself questioned by the girl further. Naturally, the question she asked was a reasonable one that anybody in this situation would find themselves asking eventually. Jiro pondered it for a moment as they walked, looking up at the slowly falling icy petals from under his umbrella while doing his best to keep the kids under the umbrella's protection as well. With his finger to his chin, he thought a moment longer before responding.

"Because I want everybody to have a good life, I guess. And while I'm only one person, I want to do what I can, when I can. I wasn't really busy when you decided to be a dirty rotten thief, anyway, so consider it as me killing some time? Plenty of kids are out there dying in the cold, so why not let there be one less?" Jiro explained as he stopped outside of a bleak-looking corner store with dimly lit lacrima giving it visibility - not that he needed it. He then turned to the girl and said, "Besides, I like sleeping. And I wouldn't be able to sleep thinking about a couple of kids starving and freezing to death on the streets. This is for my own benefit, too. Wait outside, I'll be back in a few."

With a shrug, Jiro would move inside the shady-looking corner store. He'd never been here before, nor did he want to be for very long. He wouldn't ask about the girl's family or what happened to them - not yet, anyway. The first priority was making sure their immediate survival needs were met. They'd live through this night, at least. Mr. Amane had no desire of taking care of them for the long term, but he could at least give them a push forward.

After a few minutes, Jiro left the corner store and went back outside with a scowl on his face. "The bastards had their prices WAY up, but I got it. Here, give the brat his sustenance.", the man would spit out with building fumes of frustration, before turning to the girl and handing her a small carton of milk. "Oh, and a little something for you too, I guess. Fuckers had these too, at equally insane prices.", he would continue, handing the girl a chocolate bar for herself to eat until they could find a restaurant or something to eat at.

"And for you? Next stop is wherever you want some food. Nothing too expensive though, okay? I'm not a millionaire or anything like that."

"He's not a brat. Stop calling him that. He's my brother. And I'm not going to just let him die. He's all I've got..."

She followed Jiro as he left the alley, but she was slow and stayed a ways behind him. Close enough to not lose him, but far enough that he can't grab her or the baby. She still didn't trust him, and it'd take more than a free meal to earn her trust. After all, he hadn't even told her his name yet. That in itself was shady to the child. She stayed just under the umbrella, without getting too close to him. She wasn't going to offer her name or other personal information until he at least introduced himself and proved without a doubt he wasn't leading her into some sort of child trafficking trap.

That's another thing to keep in mind, by the way, if you live this scavenger life: don't grant your trust easily. Not to anyone.

Clemisa clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and rolled her eyes glaring after him. "I don't trust anyone. I especially don't trust you. You're... being too nice. This better not be a trap or I'll..." She'd what? She had nothing to protect herself with but two pistols. As fast as he was she wouldn't be surprised to learn he was a powerful mage or something. Probably even a member of some famous guild. Her eyes started to scan his body for any tattoos. She knew what to look for as she saw her dad and brother's tattoos. It was always a weird symbol that represented the Guild.

Her eyes trailed back up toward the back of his head, or his face if he had turned toward her, and she listened to his reasoning for helping her. She couldn't tell if he was a good person himself or just didn't want the blood of two children on his hands. Either way, it sounded as though he had no ill intent toward them. And if he had, she was certain he could have simply killed her or abandoned her in that alley. Yet, here he was, leading Clemisa to a potential food source. If things worked out, maybe she could get shelter for the winter too. Their first stop was a shady looking store, to which Jiro ordered her to wait outside. She was confused as to why but did so without question. She scanned the streets, watching nervously as people passed her by.

After a few moments or so the man emerged looking aggitated. His change in tone caused the girl to flinch as she took the milk from him and pulled a bottle from her pocket, filling it with milk while listening to him rant about how expensive said milk was. She then proceeded to feed the baby with the bottle as the man offered her a candy bar to hold her over. It had been months since she tasted chocolate, so she eagerly accepted without question.

"Thanks..." She stuck it in her pocket so she could focus on feeding Tadeo until he was full.

 And for you? Next stop is wherever you want some food. Nothing too expensive though, okay? I'm not a millionaire or anything like that.

She fed Tadeo until the bottle was almost empty, and then she burped him. "Anywhere is fine. I'm... not really picky... especially now. Beggars can't be choosers... right?" She asked as she pulled out the candy bar and started to unwrap it. "I just need food. I haven't eaten in..."

Everything went black.

THUD!

The baby began to cry loudly.

"He's a brat to me. All kids are brats until they learn their 'ABC's' and 'one-two-three's' and learn to stop crying, really. Before that, they haven't even started living.", Jiro would state plainly in response to the girl's request to stop calling the infant a brat.

Nice? Jiro wasn't being 'nice' in this situation, at least in his mind. He had a code and acted on it, and his personal feelings didn't really play into it beyond that. It's not like he was doing a good thing - rather, overall, it was probably worse for the world in general. Overpopulation will eventually become a greater threat over time, and culling the weak by allowing them to fend for themselves was a simple answer to that problem. If the world's inhabitants grew too numerous, then the simple answer would be to allow those that would die without help to simply die. A hero would be one who would allow those people to die for the continued existence of Earthland as a whole. Yet, Jiro wasn't a hero; he was a scoundrel and a scumbag, and didn't care about helping with overpopulation. That's simply who he was. "If you think I'm being nice, you must not have experienced much kindness in the past."

Jiro watched as the little girl started to unravel her chocolate bar and go splat on the pavement. He probably could've moved in time to prevent her from hitting the rocky road below, but another facet of his personal code kicked in: that it was the girl's own fault for not putting herself first. What was the point in being so selfless as to even give food to another before yourself, all while starving? It all seemed so pointless to the man. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed as the baby cried. "Well, shit. That one's on you, kid. Even so, I've already spent money on getting you guys into something resembling normal health, so I can't just call it quits halfway.", he'd say aloud while looking at the girl's fallen body; or a corpse, maybe? Hopefully not a corpse.

The girl would be placed against the wall of the corner store sitting upright. Jiro wasn't knowledgeable in the ways of medical procedures, but he figured that was good enough. From there, he would lightly slap on her left cheek, open-handed, with his right hand. He would do this a few times while gauging a reaction. All the while, his expression was not one of concern, but rather bitter annoyance. Why was she so weak and yet still pushing herself for others? It was something he'd seen so often on his journeys and yet still couldn't comprehend. It was one thing to see that attitude in guild mages, reckless and drunk on their own power, but... from a starving little girl, as well?

"Hey. Heeeey. Get up. I'm not going to let that stingy geezer and his overpriced goods go to waste. I suffered for this too, you know.", Jiro would say to the unconscious - or maybe conscious at this point - little girl, ignoring the crying baby because there was no way he was going to try to comfort a gremlin-devil creature like that.

If all else failed, he would further unravel the chocolate bar she was about to eat, break pieces off, and cram it down her throat in bite-sized chunks.

"Eat. Just enough to get you on your feet so we can get you somewhere for an actual meal. I'm not going to carry you, that would be weird. Stand on your own here. I'm helping, but I won't be the only reason you live tonight. That's on you more than it's on me."

Clem rolled her eyes when the man persisted that he would continue to call Tadeo a brat so long as he was a crying infant. He was only around 4 months old, so it'd be a while before he started walking or speaking. He did know how to crawl, at least. But it was way too cold to place him on the ground. Plus, she wouldn't allow a baby to crawl along these filthy streets. To be honest, she needed to consider work. Getting some sort of job so as to support herself and the baby. Maybe even get a place to live.

That last part wouldn't be easy. She could already hear people asking where her parents are, and then turning her in to whatever constitutes as social services in Earthland. No thank you. She needed a bit of help on that front. At least until she was older. She looked up at Jiro as he spoke to her, insisting that she must have had it rough if she thought he was being nice. To be honest, she was. The last nice person in her life was her brother Levi...

And he's gone.

No one so much as offered to help her in these last few months. Jiro is the first to show any semblance of caring, even if it was for selfish reasons. It was something, at least. Even as the child fainted, Jiro didn't leave her to freeze or starve to death, as he could have. He instead propped her against a wall and attempted to wake her. Sure, it was because he didn't want to waste time and money just for her to die here... but still. Maybe it was fate that she met him. After all, anyone else would have probably left her to die. No one loves a beggar, a thief, a street rat.

She stirred as she felt him slapping her cheek. She could barely make out his voice, it sounded so distant. She could hear the cries of Tadeo as he clung to her, wrapped loosely in the sling she wore. He was crying loudly, not hurt but scared. His cries seemed to bring her out of it. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the strange man in her face. Her heart pounded in her chest as she instantly reached for her pistol, pulling it off her hip and aiming it shakily at Jiro.

Her next thought was the crying infant, and with her free hand, she pulled him close hushing and comforting him until he settled down. She seemed to at least know how to handle the infant well despite her age. As Jiro offered her the candy bar to build enough strength to continue, she slowly lowered her gun and accepted the chocolate. After a few bites, she stood up and muttered, "I'm fine..." She then waited for Jiro to make his next move, following him if he would start walking again.

"Holy fuck, itchy trigger finger much? Hopping hell. Put that shit away. Shows what I get for trying to wake you up, I guess.", Jiro would exclaim with his hands raised at his sides to show his innocence in this situation; though in truth, he didn't feel so threatened by a gun in such shoddy and unremarkable condition as that one. At a mere glance it was obvious that the girl had no money to afford the kind of quality weaponry that would pose a threat to Mr. Amane, nor the experience and skill necessary to fight, and so he in turn wouldn't feel threatened, merely playing along to make her feel more secure.

After she lowered her gun and accepted the chocolate, he would rise to his feet once again. "Munch that down like your life depends on it, because it does. Now that your brat is good for now, let's get some food for you. Honestly, I could even use some food at this point. And if it doesn't matter either way, then I know just the place...", Jiro would instruct the child, then put finger to chin in thought, trailing off while thinking about the next destination.

Jiro would begin walking, gesturing for the child to follow. He would walk for a while, keeping his umbrella trained to block the slowly increasing amount of snowflakes as evening stretched on, allowing room for the kids if they would allow themselves its comfort. After a while of walking, the group would find themselves outside of a rather creaky, dusty, dingy bar. It had a dim lacrima-lit sign outside that read "Cheesey's": a brand that has housed itself all throughout Fiore in awfully kept, low budget establishments that would have more in common with a tool shed than a restaurant.

Even so, its cheapness attracted Jiro like nothing else. It was his favorite restaurant and bar chain in the country, as it allowed him to save out on money at a place that gave out large portions for comparatively little. With a sigh of satisfaction and nostalgia, hands on hips, the man nodded his head with a tender smile across his features. "This is the place. Oh, and when you step inside, do mind the floor planks, would you? Nails and all kinds of other dangerous things stick out all over, and they never fix it. From here on out, only the truly brave or the truly desperate may proceed."

With that rousing speech, the penny pinching savior would step inside, the door to the building seemingly almost coming off its hinges upon opening, and making the loudest crrrrreeeeeeeeeakkkkkkk noise imaginable as he threw it open wide. Jiro would step inside first to make sure this wasn't a night of violence, ready to throw fists at the first sign of having his suspicion proven right.

Inside was a small bar area, a counter at the opposite end behind which an old and dead-eyed man stood drying mugs. The walking paths everywhere within were deadly, with nails and spikes sticking out of the wooden floorboards randomly and haphazardly. A few patrons were sleeping, others delivering death glares at the new entries, and a few that were laying face-down in corners and... not moving. All of this, dimly lit by fading lacrima light and the constant smell of cheese and various nondescript cleaning products and chemicals.

Jiro, through all of this chaos, would take a seat at a far corner of the bar. A man would be laying face-down not even twenty feet away from him, but Jiro didn't mind. He'd beckon for the kid to join him. What other choice did she have, anyway? It was either food from here or starvation, in his mind. Either way, he would eagerly await a waiter to find their way to the table and take their orders shortly.

Clemisa didn't have much to say to Jiro, so as Tadeo slept quietly against her chest, the girl munched down on the chocolate bar. It was sweet and bitter and she enjoyed the flavor. It was the first thing she enjoyed in months, to be honest. Once the candy was gone, she licked the chocolate from her fingers and quietly followed Jiro to wherever he was taking it. She still didn't trust him, but at this point, she had decided that if he had ill intent he would have hurt her by now. So, with that in mind, she silently followed close behind him, enough for the umbrella to shield her from the mercilessly fast-falling snow.

As Jiro lead her to some bar-like restaurant called 'Cheesy's' the child couldn't help but grimace. It didn't look like the best.. or safest place to be. "Beggars can't be choosers...' she reminded herself as she inhaled deeply. The door creaked rather loudly as the man pushed it open full force. Clemisa stayed behind, allowing Jiro to enter ahead of her. She didn't enter until she knew it was safe to do so. As he warned her about the floors, she stopped in the doorway to look around. He wasn't kidding.

Her nose crinkled at the smell of death, food, and alcohol mixed together. At least she assumed the smell was death. At this point, she couldn't tell if the people on the floor were dead or simply passed out drunk. Or maybe knocked out from losing a bar fight. As she looked around she gently hugged her baby brother closer to her chest. Why were the people in here staring at her with such hatred and malice? She couldn't tell if they were greeting Jiro with the same looks, as she was focused on the fact all eyes appeared to be on her.

A chill of discomfort ran up her spine making her blood run cold as she moved closer to Jiro. The young man took a seat at a table in the far corner of the establishment. Clemisa would take a seat next to him, her brown eyes trailing toward the body not twenty feet away from them. It made her very uncomfortable, even though her male companion didn't seem perturbed by it at all. They sat and waited until a waitress approached and handed them each a menu. Her eyes trailed from Jiro to Clemisa and the bundle sleeping against her chest.

The waitress eyes Clemisa searchingly. She wasn't certain what to make of the girl being in a place like this with a man who definitely appeared too young to be the father of a girl her age. In fact, their different skin tones heavily implied that they weren't related at all. Has she been kidnapped off the streets? Was that baby hers? She was far too young to be a mother.  Maybe this was a child trafficking situation? A hostage case? Or something much worse. The waitress didn't dare walk away until she was sure her suspicions were false. When Clem gave no indication of needing help, the waitress walked away telling them to call for her once they've decided what they want.

Clemisa scanned the menu, unsure what to get. There were so many choices. She hadn't had the luxery of choice in months. Her stomach growled and her mouth salivated as she read her various choices. "Look at all the food... I'm not sure what to choose..." the child admitted. At this point, everything sounded good to her.

"Order whatever you want. Just, uh, not too much. Enough to fill you and then some, but I'm always on a budget.", Jiro would say, clarifying that even in this situation he wasn't as generous as his actions would determine he was.

After making that clear, he would lean into the table, cupping his chin in his hands, using his elbows to support himself against the table and looking towards the child across from him. "I'm Jiro. Now that we're out of the cold and you're through the worst of it, we can talk a bit more like people here. What's your name, kid? And how did you end up in this mess?", he would ask, his eyes observant but not judgmental, betraying the truth that he was simply a man as curious as any child. He'd long ago grown cynical and jaded to the world in most ways, but regarding people and their stories, he always remained curious even if it had been the thousandth time hearing the same things. He was always chasing after something, always seeking new answers from people... and any time he didn't find what he was looking for, the journey itself meant more than the destination, in the end.

If the waitress were to come back at any point during their conversation, he would order a beef roast with a side of baked potatoes for himself - cheap and efficient in satisfying a hungry adventurer, and he was definitely hungry. He'd wait on the girl's answers while occasionally shifting his gaze around the establishment. Cheesey's was a place of worship for the downtrodden, the poor, and the cheapskates; a veritable temple for those who would curse the increasing cost of food in this cruel, desolate world. Even so...

There aren't usually this many angry faces. The unconscious people I can understand, that's normal, but there are so many pissed off rejects in here right now., Jiro would think to himself while sneaking glances around the bar at different people who had given death glares when he had entered earlier. Did he forget something? Maybe he did. He often was the forgetful type, after all. Meh. It's probably nothing.

Order whatever you want. Just, uh, not too much. Enough to fill you and then some, but I'm always on a budget.

A budget. That wasn't something she had familiarized herself with, in a long time. But still, she understood what he meant. She nodded and lowered her eyes to the menu in front of her, quietly reading her options as the baby now slept peacefully against her chest. She could feel eyes on them, glaring. Was it on her? Jiro? Or both of them? She couldn't tell, however, it made her feel very uneasy. In this moment she was actually glad she wasn't alone. As fast as Jiro was in that alley, she assumed he was some sort of powerful mage or adventurer type that could protect her if it came to that.

She felt the table shift a bit under his weight as the man across from her rested his elbows on the surface. Her eyes moved up toward his face only to find he was now casually resting his chin in the palms of his hands and looking directly at her rather than at his own menu. She assumed he probably had this place memorized, or maybe ordered the same thing each time he'd visit. He introduced himself as Jiro, following that up by stating that they were now free to have a normal conversation. Clem lowered her gaze from his, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She hadn't talked to anyone in a long time. At least not like this.

"Clemisa." was her response when he asked for her name. He then asked the more painful question. How she ended up in this mess. She took a deep breath, looking down at the sleeping boy attached to her by a sling. She released a long, slow sigh as she wrapped her arm around the bundle, pulling him closer. "It's a... long story..." Regardless of how Jiro responded to that, Clemisa would continue. "Everything was good. We weren't rich. But we had enough to get by. Mom was pregnant with Tadeo, so Dad joined a Guild named Penumbral Guard and began to take jobs in order to support the family. My older brother, Levi, stayed home to help mom and to take care of me."

As the waitress returned and Jiro gave his order, Clemisa paused her story long enough to order a large order of fries, three pieces of fried chicken, and a baked potato. She was really hungry, after all. She just hoped her order was within Jiro's budget. She didn't want him to get mad at her. Once the waitress had left, Clemisa continued her story. "Anyway... Mom died during childbirth. This was hard on Dad, as he now was a single father with a child and a newborn. Levi babysat us so Dad could focus on jobs. Everything was going well, mostly... I mean, we were managing, at least... until Penumbral Guard was attacked and destroyed... Dad never made it home..."

She trailed off, going quiet for a bit. The silence would allow Jiro a chance to interject any questions or comments of his own. After a few moments of awkward silence, the child would inhale and speak again. "Levi was forced to join Fairy Tail. He decided joining the most famous Guild in all of Fiore was the best way to support me and Tadeo. He took jobs. Kept us fed and sheltered. But... then Fairy Tail was attacked. It wasn't destroyed... but Levi didn't survive the attack. Alone and scared, I didn't know what else to do. I was afraid that someone would take Tadeo away from me... and separate us forever... because of my age. I had no choice. I ran away. And I've just been... doing whatever it takes to keep us alive. And... if I hadn't met you... I'd probably be dead. So... uh... thanks, I guess. You're probably right about my priorities. I need to take better care of myself. I can't protect Tadeo if I'm dead."

After finishing her story, she noticed Jiro looking around at the people that were glaring in the direction of our table. What was going on? Chills ran down her spine and she lowered her voice as she spoke. "Jiro, what's going on? Why is everyone looking at us that way? It's kind of scaring me..."

Jiro took in her story. It was one of tragedy, loss, and crushed hopes. It was no wonder she ended up how she did, and the end of all of the sadness she's endured brought her here. To some shitty, rundown bar that people have literally died in before with nobody lifting an eyebrow. To lose so many dear to her that she had chanced upon a stranger and owed him her life. It wasn't any way a person should live, and Jiro's features grew sour as he nodded along to her story, his eyes cast downward as if reflecting on something the more she spoke. "You aren't going to live long acting the way you did tonight. If you had passed out when you did without someone to slap you awake - whether it be due to a mistrust of me or not, guns drawn - what do you think would have happened? You would have stayed unconscious on the ground in the freezing cold, and maybe the penny pinching geezer inside the store would've seen you eventually. But if not, that's where it would have ended for you, you know?", he spoke after she was done with her story, trying to drive home what she needed to do to live.

After this, he took note once again of the people around him. He focused in on one of the patrons in particular a few tables down closer to the entrance. A buff, bald man stood up and slowly rolled up the sleeve of his left shirt until showing his bicep, which revealed a tattoo of a rat. All at once, things had shot into Jiro's mind, and he remembered. "Ah, shit.", he muttered, watching as the angry bald man walked towards their table, raising a hand to his side to silently stop the waitress who was also once again approaching with their food.

Jiro simply watched the man swagger over to their table, an angry glare and a mismatched smirk. He slammed a hand down on the table as he looked at Jiro, ignoring the little girl on the other side of the table. "You owe us for your last tab, y'know. With interest, Mr. Amane. The Rat Pack doesn't forget about people who skip out on their tabs, no matter how many weeks it's been.", the muscly man explained while cracking his knuckles and neck. Meanwhile, Jiro...

Jiro laughed. At first it was a grim expression as the man explained, then a smirk once he was done, and in the silence that followed, a hearty chuckle. He locked eyes with the bald man once again whose face was starting to go red from boiling rage, and waved his hand up and down at him. "The Rat Pack are a bunch of squeamish pussies compared to the real gangs out in the world. You guys force insane debt upon alcoholics and addicts with nowhere to go, and act like it's a privilege. That sort of thing is what scared little boys who were jealous that mommy didn't love them enough, would do, don't you think?", he replied to the bald man with playful mocking.

At this, a bunch of the other angry patrons would rise from their seats and begin walking towards the conversation as well, revealing the same rat tattoos as they did so, united despite their silence. After a solid thirty seconds, there were about ten similarly built and similarly pissed off thugs around the table while Jiro maintained eye contact with their bald spokesman. "Fellas, fellas, listen. I won't pay up. That is not a thing I'm going to do here, alright? So instead, what if we all just-"

A punch was thrown. The bald man had heard enough of Mr. Amane and decided to get to the obvious conclusion of this encounter. In that split second as he was winding up, Jiro shot a quick glare towards Clemisa. It was vague as to its meaning, but gave off a general sense of "Do what you think is best here."

Normally, it was a punch that Jiro could've dodged. Yet as he thought about Penumbral Guard and Fairy Tail and the attacks on them, his vision had a brief moment of glazing over. It was brief, but it was a haze that stopped his senses, almost. He didn't know why, but it felt... familiar? He didn't have time to think on it further, though, because that moment of complete mental shutdown was enough for the punch to connect, sending him soaring out of his chair and onto the ground. Quickly, a bunch of the Rat Pack would crowd around him, kicking at him. None of them attacked Clemisa, at least not yet. The girl wasn't in debt to them, after all; but even so, it was obvious that they wouldn't hesitate to throw a punch at a little girl if she showed hostile intent.