Chapter Text
The market was quite busy, people chattering about, no-one paid much attention to the one figure stalking about with their hood on. Dodging the people in the streets as they moved from stall to stall. The figure kept hunched over until, from no-where, a man crashed into them.
“Whoops! Sorry about that! You okay.” The man smiled brightly and helped righting them.
The figure shook their head. “Yeah,.” She answered in a soft voice, “thanks.” She pulled her hood further over her head and walked back into the crowd, failing to notice it got the attention from a bystander off to the side next to an antique stall.
By the time he noticed his wallet gone, the girl was long gone.
Calli sighed as she grabbed two bills of cash from the wallet and then dropped it next to the lost and found station. She wasn’t fond of doing this, really, she wasn’t but there was little option at this point and better to take from someone who was doing this exact thing to others.
After weaving through the alleyways for about twenty minutes she came to a stop by a small convenience store. Slipping through the door and pulling her hood down, freeing her ginger curls from its prison.
The place was mostly empty, apart from a couple of customers and employees, some of them acknowledging her. She just greeted them back with a nod of the head.
Wasting no time she grabbed what she needed, A new black hoodie, the one she was wearing was the last thing that wasn’t falling apart. Followed by a few bananas and some basic first aid stuff she could afford with the leftover money.
Having all she needed she made her way over to the tills, stepping in line behind an elderly woman talking to a familiar cashier. The woman smiled at the cashier as she packed the last of her stuff and wandered out of the store.
“Calli! How’re you?” The cashier chirped, eyes bright as he adjusted his cap over his bright red hair.
“Dante.” She greeted him back, with a soft smile. “I’m alright.”
She’d met Dante only a few days after she’d moved to Ninjago City a year ago and despite her tendency to brush him off every time he decided to talk to her, he managed to annoy her into letting him become a friend.
“Nice, Hey, Lee is going to have another party, You in?” Dante asked, referring to his boyfriend, before laughing at the face she pulled. “I take that as a no.” He chuckled with a cheshire grin. “I’ll let you know when it’s just gonna be the four of us so you can join us for pizza.”
“That I can do.” Calli said, handing him the two bills, ignoring his pointed look he shot her as he knew what had happened, but he chose not to comment on it.
She accepted the three coins of change with a thankful look and grabbed her stuff. Letting an elderly gentleman step up next, who tipped his hat at her.
“Oh yeah, and Jake wants to know if you could give him a hand with the lyrics of one of his songs later this week if you have any time.”
She nodded. “I’ll see if I can swing by. Enjoy the rest of your shift.” and with a salute, she was out of the door once again, pulling her hood back up and turned towards the edge of the city, going until her way got blocked by a large chain link fence. Its gate had been chained shut, a large keep-out sign that had been vandalized many times over covering most of it. Calli just shook her head at that, readjusting the stuff in her arms and gave a quick kick to a part of the fence, kicking it open wide enough to shuffle through.
The security on the place had been disabled a long time ago, and the NCPD had not enough resources or employees to check this area on a regular basis, so slipping in and out was easy, especially for those that, like her, made the many abandoned flats and shops their home.
The place she called home wasn’t much, a second floor unfinished apartment with room and a non working bathroom that housed a small tub in the shape of a large watertight barrel she’d found, as well as a small kitchen with a very old kettle and some herbs,tea plants and a small strawberry plant she’d managed to keep alive.
All of the light came from candles lining the surfaces, and the bed was made from some old mattress she found and cleaned thoroughly. The only thing of value that she probably owned was probably her violin that she’d hidden away for safety.
Putting her stuff away in a box in the corner, apart from the banana’s, of which she took one before placing the rest of them on an up-turned crate she used as a table, lastly removing her hoodie and gloves, revealing part of a spiraling scar on her left arm, starting on her hand and circling her arm all the way to her shoulder and then circle down her torso before ending on her lower back. The result of the fishing net that had been found wrapped around her when she’d been found washed up one of the ports of Stiix.
It had started to heat up slightly a few moments ago, so giving it a little cold air felt nice, it did that sometimes, nothing drastic or too painful, just slightly annoying.
She hummed as she pulled out an old and weathered notebook, keeping her left arm away from much surface. She had no idea how long she had been staring at the scribbles in there when a knock on the door shook her out of her thoughts.
Immediately on edge, she stood slowly, grabbing a small pocket knife just in case, knocking on doors was not a regular thing, and if it happened it tended to not be a good thing. She squared her shoulders and hid the knife behind the wooden panel that had served as a temporary door.
Behind the door was the Elderly man from the convenience store.
“C- Can I help you, Sir?” She eyed him warily.
“Perhaps.” He gave her a thoughtful look under the brim of his hat. “Might I have a word with you?” He knocked his staff lightly against the door, which she opened further in a surprised stupor.
“What about, Sir?” She quickly went to pocket her knife in a way he hopefully wouldn’t notice.
He did. “No need for the knife, I’m not here to do you any harm.” The amusement in his eyes threw her for a loop.
Calli pursed her lips but did slowly remove her now empty hand from her pocket. “Please just get to the point.”
“I will.” He sat down on her table crate. “Tea?”
—--
There was a real sense of home in her new room. It was small but well lit and practical. Her Violin leaned against the footboard of her new bed, her only spare clothes in a closet with more space she would be able to fill. She had taken her few little kitchen plants as well, she kept them alive for long enough she didn’t want to leave them to die in the abandoned kitchen.
Some pre-purchased books lined the three bookshelves, a lot of history but also myths and legends.
The man, named Wu, had offered her a place to stay. She had been hesitant, insisting to know what the catch was. He had shot that down immediately, stating he was a teacher and found that everyone deserved a chance to prove themselves. She had felt his sincerity and after a few moments of back and forth, agreed.
Somehow, in the back of her mind, she found she made the right choice.