With her last little job on the books and a bit of coin in her pocket, Vivi felt decidedly less like a wandering vagrant and just a bit more like an actual member of society. The work at her level may not be glamorous, and it certainly didn't pay very well, but it was more than she had before and gave her some wiggle room when it came to actually being able to afford a meal so she didn't complain. Best not to when your entire livelihood depended on the need of others.

She was venturing through the market, looking for a quick little bite to eat as a mid-afternoon snack when something caught her eye. Normally she would just pass it by, but she could tell that the men in front of her where in the middle of something quite heated. By the looks of them, one was a well put together merchant and the other must be quite the disgruntled customer. Neither of them seemed to be in an amicable mood, and when they separated Vivi was a bit surprised to see they hadn't come to blows. But the customer, he looked at her directly when he came away. Something about her must have piqued his interest, as he waved her over towards him while he walked into a nearby side street. Deciding that she had nothing in the way of better things to do, Vivi attended to the man and joined him in the alley. "What?" She demanded.

"Sorry to disturb you," The man explained himself quickly. "Name's Ferdinand Cashier. Listen you seem like the type who knows how to handle a bit of business for someone like me. That guy back there, high class merchant, he's got something really valuable being shipped into the city today but he won't do the right thing and sell it off to me. I'm in a bit of a bind, I don't want to hurt the fellow, he just doesn't realize what he's doing." Vivi gave him a look that clearly implied he needed to get to the point. "Anyway, if you're interested in making some jewels why don't you head on down to the city gates and meet the caravan bringing the item in. You sign for it, grab it, and bring it back to me. Good pay in it for you."

Vivi shrugged. She didn't have anything pertinent to handle and she could always use a bit more money. "Fine."

After squaring the deal, Vivi trudged her way through the city in a half-caring daze. She didn't really have any reason to get in between Ferdinand and the merchant, but she didn't quite care enough not to either. She was just looking to keep a hot meal on her plate. She arrived at the gates a little early, giving her time to just catch her breath and relax for a spell. By the time the caravan rolled up to the gates, she was well rested and eager to get a move on. She ambled over to what looked like the quartermaster and gave the man a smile. "Hey there. Here to pick up the package."

The man looked her over then glanced at his papers. "Really? You don't seem like the kind of person we're supposed to deliver this to."

Vivi chuckled. "I'm the muscle, making sure it doesn't get stolen. Honestly, probably not worth all the jewels the guy is paying me, but I'm not about to turn down a good payday."

The quartermaster shrugged and held out a slip of paper which Vivi signed in a near incomprehensible scribble. Soon enough, the package was in her arms and she was back on her way to the market. It was a lot faster getting there now that she knew her way. And Ferdinand was all too happy to see her again with the package in tow. She handed it off to him and accepted a sack of jewels in return. As he ran off to do his own business, Vivi returned to her search for a good meal, wondering just where she could find some prime meat.

[712/500 Words]