It was dawn and only a few people were making their way towards their jobs. The city was built near a massive river that transitioned into a 200ft water fall. Most of the larger works were either powered by steam or by the force of the river. In roped off sections, there was a large excavation project that attracted many people from all over the country. Some were looking for jobs while others were looking for adventure. There were rumors about what had been found during the excavation. Large underground structures that lead many to think that their city was built on top of a very ancient one. Where these rumors true? It was hard to tell. There were several incidents that turned up over the past few weeks. People disappearing or being crushed in a tunnel collapse. That didn't stop those who were desperate for a job. One of those poor souls who were crazy enough to take on the job and was made to get up before dawn the sun rose, was a young woman. She didn't really look like a woman, more like a large bulky mass of used clothes layered one over top of the other. Her matted hair was pulled back into a old cab hat and her shoes were different sizes, but both too big for her. The dirt that caked its self on to her skin made her over all look like that of a miserable old leather shoe. Walking in such ill fitting clothes did have it's advantages. Very few could tell she was a woman at all, which made working in the city much easier than it would be otherwise. Though being poor and constantly looking for shelter was no ideal state to be in. Her sleeping spots were few and far between. It was very rare to find a warm and dry habitation that wasn't already crammed full with other homeless workers like herself. The earth near the tunnels were wet and sloppy. Amelia almost lost one of her shoes with one step. Her current job was to bring buckets of water to the main entrance to the tunnels. They were used to clean mud from tools and various other reasons. She was one of twelve who did this throughout the day. At this point, she was grateful to have a job. "Can you carry two buckets this time?" called one of the greasy men who usually called out orders for her. Amelia simply nodded and heaved up two buckets trying not to show that she was struggling with them. If she said no she would easily be replaced with someone who could do what they asked.

Rhett rummaged through some rubble in a branched off part of the dim tunnels. It was damp and smelled like dirt. His boots sank deeper into moister parts of the earth. He grunted as he pulled himself out of the mud. This sucks. Why did he have to take this job? He could've gone with a caravan into mountains inhabited by crazy tribals. Or picked up an easy job protecting some rich brat. But no, he had to take the job looking for something that doesn't even exist! He pulled himself out of the mud into one of the main tunnels, where the ground was much more solid. He made his way out of the tunnel, passing by scholars busy at picking through wet dirt. He squinted as light hit his face, the sun was rising over the city. Workers went around the camps in front of the tunnels with purpose. Rhett was surprised they were doing anything other than digging. He took off his hat and ran a hand through his short brown hair. He had been in those damn tunnels since midnight. He walked over to a certain tent, fresh mud overlapping the dried mud on his boots. There a big, dark skinned man snored in bliss. Rhett kicked him in the thigh. The man awoke with a start and gazed with bleary eyes at Rhett. "I took your shift, where's my payment Kurt?" he demanded. Kurt nodded groggily and reached into his pack. He pulled out a wooden box with a picture of a flame on it. Rhett snatched it out of his hands and Kurt's head fell back onto his makeshift pillow. Rhett opened the lid and pulled out a cigar, he stuffed the box in his satchel. He pulled out a box of matches and lit the cigar. He sighed as the nicotine hit and puffed. He blew out the smoke, feeling infinitely better. He looked around the camp and saw a worker struggling in the mud with two buckets of water. He walked over to the worker and out a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Pal, where are these going?"

Amelia jerked feeling a hand thump on her shoulder. She looked over to see a man with a cigar asking a question. The puffs of smoke burned a little in her nostrils but it wasn't as bad as the smoke from the iron mills. That smell was enough to put her into a coughing fit. Amelia, trying to sound as gruff, muttered something about a well a mile away from the sight. "Did you need some water?" She asked in a low voice. It was proving to be very difficult as always to hide her high toned voice. It sounded more like she had a cold rather than a deep man's voice. Her boots squished into the muddy earth with a weird slopping noise. They were filled with holes when she got them so not only were her feet wet, but they were also muddy. Another layer of dirt to the growing collection on her body. It was a miracle she hadn't come down with some vile affliction yet. Trying not to look into the man's face, she continued looking down at the two bulky metal buckets she had to carry. "I'll bring you some water on the return trip." She said quickly while dipping her shoulder under his hand and trudging forward. The quickest path to the well was still about a mile on foot, but she didn't mind. Most people tended to avoid her due to her ragged looks. This lack of social contact, left her to her thoughts a great deal of the time. The rest of the time, she was watching to make sure that no one decided to make her their target for the day. It was very common for people to be targeted by thieves and ruffians in a city as large as this one.

Rhett puffed on his cigar again. The guy sounded sick. He should help him out. He went after the worker and took one of the buckets in his own big hand and walked along with him. He looked at the small frame of the guy and felt bad, probably because he was underfed. "Look, I know how hard it is to get paid sometimes, but you should really take a day off, you don't seem too hot." It looked like they were heading towards the well. The sun was now hanging over the city, illuminating the muddy camp. Now in full light, Rhett took notice of how small the worker's hands were. "Here, give me the other bucket and I'll get it to where it needs to go. I'll make sure you get paid as well." He offered his hand for the other bucket.

The man plucked one bucket from her hand before she could even try to keep him from doing so. What was with this guy? He looked to well dressed to want her job. It wasn't long before she started talking about taking the other bucket from her. This had to stop now if she wanted to keep her job. "Listen bub!" She said while snapping her head upwards to look him in the eye. "I get paid barely enough to get a warm meal and if the contractor sees you helping me carry these things he's going to fire me on the spot! I appreciate your generosity, but I need to do this if I want to stay fed. I doubt you want to deal with the guilt of taking someone's only source of sustenance away from them would you? I'm sure you have a job and wouldn't take very kindly to someone walking in and doing it for you just because you were having a bit of a rough time." Amelia was too frustrated to sound like a toad with a cold like before. This was a tense situation and her feet were slipping in her shoes. "Now, could you please let me do what I'm paid to do?" She asked holding her hand out for the other bucket.

Rhett grinned as "She" snapped at him. He exhaled smoke as he realized why she had been so anti-social towards him. It was hard for women to get jobs, especially homeless women. "Well, sweetheart, if your boss has a problem with it he can talk to me. I'm responsible for keeping the scholars safe as they dig through the dirt, and I dunno if you noticed, but no one wants to rob scholars that dig through dirt." He continued on the trail, forcing the woman to walk with him. He took the cigar out of his mouth and blew smoke rings into the air. "Besides, my shift is over. I got another....6 whole hours before I gotta go back into them tunnels. So I might as well help you." He gave her a roguish smile as they continued on the track.

Amelia glared at him. Sweetheart? Her insides churned at hearing the to word. She felt the urge to smack him with what was left of her left boot, but she doubted she would come across another one and the one she currently had one might fall apart in mid-swing. "I'm no one's sweetheart and I don't need you to look out for me either." She slid a little in the mud but quickly regained her balance. This guy was starting to get under her skin. He must have been one of those self proclaimed 'knight in shining armor' types. Then she grinned. Maybe she could use his so called generosity to her advantage. "If you really wanted to help a poor person such as myself. Help me get a better job! Not one in the red light district either. People get killed there!" She grumbled. Being a woman with no land or station was probably the worst position to be in. They made it to the well and she hurried to the pulley system so she could lower her bucket. She motioned for him to bring the other one close to her so she could fill though one too. Though was wasn't going to admit it, she did get there quicker while he carried the other bucket. The sun was slowly starting to warm the cold wet roads where she and the annoying man trudged through the grime together. Muddy water splashed everywhere in the more busy sections due to people driving carriages.

"A new job? Way I see it you can hardly handle this one. And this whole place is nothing but manual labor. Unless you're an expert on ancient crystals that don't exist?" he asked sarcastically. He handed her the other bucket and watched as she used all of her strength to pull them back up. He grabbed the one he was carrying and walked with small effort, she however, looked like she was about to pass out. A carriage rolled past them, splashing muddy water on their boots. He was 3/4 of the way through his cigar, he took it out and blew a large cloud of smoke into the air. He looked over to her and asked "When's the last time you had a decent meal?" They made their way through a group of bootleg tents that housed the poorest workers. One worker who looked absolutely beat was walking towards them. Rhett took his cigar out and offered him it. The man looked at the cigar and shrugged, taking it and nodding his thanks. He would've given the girl one but she needs a meal, not a smoke.

She swore under her breath while listening to this man constantly remind her of what a poor job she was doing. "I'm doing just fine! They pay me don't they?" It was so frustrating that people had the nerve to talk to people like that. It was true that she was struggling but what else could she do? Work in a sweat shop? They were full to bursting with people and they would get rid of you as soon as they worked you till your last breath. He asked her about a meal and she shot him another furious glare. "Why would I tell you?" Amelia snapped lifted her bucket of water a little higher to avoid some crates. There were a couple of moments where she was sure she was going to fall and splash water everywhere, but thankfully that didn't happen. Once she got closer to the tunnels she looked at him almost sadly. At this rate, she was going to lose her job because of this guy. She new that once her boss saw someone helping her it would be the end. Maybe a sweat shop wouldn't be that bad. Stay in a huge group of people and hope that you aren't the next one to get picked off. The closer she got to her destination the more she felt the horrible sense of dread. Now she really wished she had ignored the guy when he asked her where she was going. If she had just kept walking. She would have at least a tiny chance at keeping her job and the smallest thread of dignity that said that she was able to at least earn her own food.

Rhett raised an eyebrow when she denied needing some help. He had never seen a person so stubbornly refuse help in his life. She must think her job is at stake. She must not realize the power he has over some general manager. They approached the tunnel entrances with the water, and a tired looking group of workers waved them over.He grinned as he recognized most of them. They took the water over to them and set the buckets down. "There ya go boys, fresh from the well!" They all cried out when they recognized him, some patting him on the shoulder and dumping their heads into the bucket. He chuckled as they walked away, but was hailed by an angry voice. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Who told you you can skimp out on work?" A greasy looking man walked over to them. "And who the hell do you think you are helping her?" He jabbed a crooked finger into Rhett's face."You listen to me, if you can't work you ain't gettin nothin and this little bitc-" CRACK The man flew backward and fell into the mud, clutching his nose and groaning. At the speed of light, Rhett had just broken the man's nose. Rhett turned to the woman and said "Well darling, I believe your shift is over, now why don't we go get some breakfast in the city?"

She saw what a lovely reception he received and rolled her eyes so far into the back of her head she momentarily lost sight of where she was. It figures that mister white knight would be in good relations with the rest of the workers. This just made her more sick. Maybe she could run away now and see if she could make do in the wild country side. This man was becoming the bane of her existence. Amelia stood there completely stunned. She watched with wide almost childish eyes as her supervisor snarled then flew back with a lovely arch of blood squirting out of his nose. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Her boss falling into the mud. This crazy man punching him. Everyone's eyes where on them now. Yup, that was the end of it for her. So much for buying herself a nice partially warm meat pie that evening. The man said something to her and called her darling this time. The anger boiled up within seconds. "What the hell did you think that accomplished? You floored my boss and now I'm without a job! Are you happy now? You now have the opportunity of a lifetime! You get the wonderful prize of feeding a poor jobless person! Congratulations!" She wanted something large and blunt to smack him with but she knew that wouldn't help her in the long run. "Like I said before! If you truly cared about anyone in my position, you would help them get a better job rather than destroying the one they have! Talk to me if you have a job for me to do!" With that, Amelia was now shaking with anger and her temples pounded. She hadn't eaten in a while and this added frustration gave her a violent headache. She needed to leave before the authorities were called. While people were clapping and cheering him on, she slipped between them hearing them call her a different assortment of things. That girl was ungrateful. I'm glad someone shut him up. Hey, wanna buy me some food? She should have taken your offer. The more she thought about it the more ill she felt. Finally getting away from the tunnels and away from the man who, quite literally, ruined her pitiful existence with a single hand she found herself on another busy street. She moved a lot faster when she wasn't weighed down with heavy water pales. Her hand reached up to scratch her nasty hair under her cap. This was awful and now she was even more hungry. She tried to find a place less full of people to sit down and rest for a moment. "Stupid..." She muttered finding a wall to lean against. Amelia dug into her pockets and only found string and some dirt. She slid down the wall with her head still throbbing. Partially leaning on the wall she looked up to the sky. How long before she could get another job? It would be nice if that idiot could help her get a nice job. Then again he probably didn't think about it. Why would he? No one thinks about how their actions affect others.

Kurt placed his hand on Rhett's shoulder as she left in an angry storm. "Some people." he muttered. Rhett hurried after her, pushing his way through the crowd. She sure was fast, he'd give her that. He looked for tracks in the mud leading away from the camp. He frowned and followed them. He heard a familiar huffiness under a bridge and made his way over to it. He saw her sitting there, being miserable by herself. "You know, I have never met such a selfish person." he said, pulling out a cigar.

Leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, she tried to focus on calming herself. Surely enough the one person she did not want to see appeared shortly after. "Oh? Are you becoming self aware?" She opened one eye and felt around for something hard. Maybe a pip or something she could swing at the jerk. "Aren't there other poor and destitute people for you to harass or am I just special?" Amelia sneered glaring at him and feeling tired due to hunger. Her boot was starting to sound tasty. Maybe she would eat it as a reward to herself after shoving it down that creep's pompous throat. The nerve of him following her. Was he one of those sick psychopaths that prayed on poor women? That would be her luck. She always attracted crazy people.

"You know when someone offers you help, you accept, especially if you can barely stand." He said, lighting the cigar. He could see her anger was about to turn physical, but that didn't worry him. He needed to teach this girl a lesson. "You think you are the only person who's in a tight situation? That you don't need anyone?" he asked, walking in front of her, puffing on his cigar. Water dripped from under the bridge. A drop landed on the bridge of his hat. "You think you got it sooo bad, that the world hates you, but when the world presents you with a friend that's willing to help, you don't want it." As he talked, his own temper flared, he started to pace in front of her. "I get, that if you were seen with help, you'd get fired. I knew you would." He blew smoke into the air and looked at her. "But I took care of it. But no it was good enough, because your too FUCKING proud, even though your hungry and weak and feel like the world is against. Isn't that it? Little Miss, Raggedy Princess doesn't need anyone!" He exhaled a cloud of smoke and stopped pacing. "So, you want a meal or should I just leave you to wallow in self-pity?"

She was sitting on the ground now with her legs crossed Indian style. There wasn't any point in doing anything while he lectured her. He was throwing a temper tantrum. She looked up at him while covered in dirt and couldn't help but laugh at him. Was his pride so fragile that one homeless person not giving him his 'act charity for the day' sent him off the edge. Did he help any of those people who blatantly asked him for food or money? No, he ignored them. Instead he stalked after the one person who didn't ask for his food or money. Yes, this was considered stalking at this point. He acted like he gave her a choice on whether or not she was to accept his so called 'kindness', when in fact he simply bulled his way through everything. He didn't take 'no' for an answer so he simply kept forcing his way. She didn't take his offer, so he took her job, probably thinking if she was left without options, she would now see his actions and accept them with loving arms. He said she was trying to be her friend. What friend blatantly ignores someone telling them that they didn't want their help and continues to force their 'kindness' on them? How delusional privileged men were. Yes, privileged. He obviously didn't hear the word 'no' much in his life or at least he acted like he didn't. The man continued to call her names but after years of living on the streets, she had developed a thick skin for it. Breathing loudly, she tilted her head at him. The last sentence made her smile. Was he actually giving her a choice? If he had simply given her a choice at the beginning perhaps things would have plaid out different, but no he continued to act like a spoiled child. Amelia wondered if she should chose her words carefully. It wouldn't surprise her if he had gotten violent if she told him no again. At this point, she had nothing else left to loose. Might as well be honest. "You don't get told 'no' much do you? I said it once and I'll say it again to make things as clear as possible. I don't want your food! I don't want your so called 'act of kindness'! What I want from you is a job. Now, if you can't do that for me, then maybe you should go help someone who ASKS FOR IT!" Her words dripped with hate. If he was going to hit her then so be it. It was true she was hungry, but she wasn't about to accept this lunatic's offers. She would find food on her own. It may not be good or warm but at least it didn't come with a hulking deranged stalker.

He shook his head and plopped down on the ground across from her, throwing his cigar into a dirty puddle. "Tell you what. I'll offer you a job. How does my personal assistant sound, hm? Cuz that's the only damn job you're getting from me. You'll get paid well....well, well enough. How'd you like to go help those smart men in the tunnels look for treasure!? You may even get a cut if we find any." He leaned up against the wall across from her, studying her irritatingly stubborn face. And finally he leaned forward and said "I'm your only friend in this city. And I'm offering you a job that will give you more money than you've ever seen in your little, irritating, bitchy, stubborn life." He leaned back up against the wall. "But hey it's your choice. Oh, and if you accept, we're gonna get you a meal in ya and new clothes. Because you ain't working in that and you can barely hold empty buckets, Honey." He put emphasis on the last word.

"....Are you serious?" She could see it in his unblinking eyes. He wasn't lying. A job as his assistant? The man was nuts! He had just turned her former boss's nose from a convex surface into a concave one not but a few minutes ago. He offered her money. The greedy little street rat within her hopped for joy. In essence they were both getting what they wanted. Amelia wanted a job and he gave her one. The stranger wanted to treat her to dinner and apparently clothes. She bowed her head looking at her over-sized multi-layered frock and laughed. Other than the occasional glass window and still water buckets, she rarely got to see her own reflection. She would imagine that she looked awful, but looking good didn't keep a girl warm. The word honey made her flinch, but a chuckle quickly followed it. "I'll take it!" She grinned looking like a filthy smiling dirt clod.

Wow, when she smiled it was almost...pleasant. Weird. She seemed in a much better mood now. He got to his feet and motioned for her to follow him. "I know this great place we can get a bite to eat, but, we gotta get you into something else." he leaned over and sniffed. "And a shower." They made their way into the city and walked a couple blocks and stopped at an Inn on the street corner. They went inside. A bell chimed as they opened the door, a plump women popped up from behind the counter with rosy cheeks and a kind smile. "Ah Rhett dear, how are you?" she exclaimed. He smiled at her "Just fine, thank you." He took a key from his pocket and handed it too her. "There's a bathroom in room 28. My room. I'll bring up some better clothes after your done."

Slowly rising from the mud, she didn't even bother to wipe any of it off. Her stomach grumbled and reverberated to the point that she thought she saw a layer of her rags shudder. Her body was weak from hunger, but she moved surprisingly quick when he said they were getting food. The offer still seemed too good to be true. It probably was, but how often does a girl get offered a job, food, a bath and new clothes? If worse came to worse and the man did turn out to be a serial killer, at least she would be fed when she died. He mentioned she needed a bath and she shrugged. After a while, she stopped being able to smell herself. It was good for her but bad for anyone else. Slopping into Inn, Amelia almost froze in the doorway. It was warm and smelled wonderful. Not saying anything and not looking at anyone, she followed behind him. She could feel people looking at her, but it was worth it if she could eat something. There was a roll on one of the tables. She looked at the plump lady who saw her eye-ing them. The woman at first, saw her like someone who saw a large disgusting bug for the first time, but seeing Amelia was hungry and Rhett was getting a room, she nodded for her to take the roll. "Thanks" Amelia breathed taking one roll and hurriedly stuffing it in her mouth. The woman winced at her then smiled politely at Rhett like she wasn't uncomfortable with Amelia's awful table manners. Receiving the key and with bulging cheeks filled with bread, she gave him a muffled "Fankshh." The room wasn't hard to find. It was what some would consider small, but it looked like a leisure palace to her. Still working on the roll she shoved into her face, she walked into what she presumed to be the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she looked in the mirror. "UGh!" She jerked. There were dying animals that looked like they were in better shape. The hot water felt so good, that Amelia was content to sit in the tub until the end of days. It took a very long time for her to successfully rid herself of all the layers of dirt. Her hair was matted to the point where she thought that cutting it all off would probably be a better solution, but there weren't any scissors. "Woah.." She mused seeing how pale her skin was underneath all the grime. For months, she was under the impression that she might have gotten some sort of tan due to living outdoors, but apparently she had developed enough dirt to conceal most of her skin from contact with the sun.

Rhett's heavy boots fell on the wooden floorboards as he stepped into the room. It sounded like the girl was still in the shower. He set a bundle of clothes on the bed. It was a dress made for working purposes. It should be good for the job. He left the room and went back down stairs. He saw the Inn keeper going over a ledger and he sauntered over to her, flashing her a smile. "Excuse me, Ms.Ida, but could we have two bowls of beef stew for the table in the corner?" She smiled warmly. "Why of course dear, they should be out by the time your...friend, is done washing up." He grinned and tugged the front of his hat down. "Much obliged."