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Food is something important to a person.
It nourishes the body, flourishes your systems and actually has been shown to make you think more with a full stomach!
There is so much variety too with bread, meat, flour, fruit and so much more that all make such special meals with so many flavors!
Side dishes, full meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner, sweet, sour, salty, hearty-
So many things one could want to taste.
That being said… not eating at all brings anger, lack of energy and often enough malnourishment.
Hunger for so much more, not just dirt and lousy old fruits, perhaps even a little bit of bread.
The want comes and-
Oh.
Wouldn't HE know it?
Yet thoughts scattered as there was only one thing as a current objective.
Quick steps were taken across the alleyway that he entered a while ago, crossing empty bits of cardboards, rats and-
Garbage cans. The thing he was looking for.
A snicker left the young one’s throat, rubbing his gloved hands together and wincing just a bit at a ripped open piece of fabric.
Gotta find silk later…
But for now, there were more important things to do.
Tip tap went his little black feet as they went across rocks that were covered in moss and wetness from the precious rain ten minutes ago.
One he barely found shelter from in a little cardboard box himself, away from any….guards.
The mere thought brought a shiver to him.
But currently, no clanking had sounded itself anywhere. Or steps. Or laughter. Not many people generally.
Good for him, he presumed.
Adjusting the guitar on his back more properly, hiding it away as it liked too mysteriously do that sometimes-
He let the weight fade to climb.
“Leeet’s seeeee…”
The little carrot mumbled to himself, using his short legs to stumble up against the container and grab onto its lid, slipping up just a bit for a second with a yelp.
It was quickly shut with a hand though, muffling it to no one in particular.
All just for safety.
Shaking his head, the bard harshly grabbed with his exhausted strength the edge of said trashcan, saved from any sharp edges due to his gloves fabric.
The most pain pretty much came from lurching his empty stomach over the edge, gagging for a moment.
Not like any proper vomit would have come out.
Always White. Red. Mold. Garbage.
Disgusting.
Humming to himself helped distract the pain a little as he quietly rummaged through the trash, ripping open a specific bag and going through it.
There must be some good food hidden in there.
Anything.
Even the stupid moldy stuff, his empty stomach would take it.
Picking was interesting, as every bit of something new was probably mocking him to an extent.
A piece of silk. [Useful. He put it in his pocket.]
Some restovers from a broken stuffed toy. [Nothing that would fit and is unnecessary weight. He felt pity.]
Ripped clothing. [Could have been fixed in his opinion. He kept some pieces that fit his color.]
Wrapping from ice cream. [No leftovers. Of course.]
Barely broken toys. [....He would have kept it.]
And-
Holy shit, it was a good day-!
With a rare expression of glee in his face, he pulled out one specific item from the trash that seemed like a golden treasure to him.
A leftover cake piece.
Sure, it had a bite off it, was a bit crusty and had the tiniest bit of mold on it-
But that was nothing! It had been barely affected by the other trash as it was thrown away in a plastic bag, which meant it was mostly alright otherwise!
His mouth slowly filled with saliva, which he quickly gulped down as he unraveled the back, the smell hitting him with delight despite all the trash around him.
The aroma was sweet despite everything, a hint of cinnamon and strawberry hitting right as tears welled up in his eyes.
It was so simple.
But it was proper food.
A sniffle left his throat….but it was interrupted by a wet drop hitting his head.
Which turned into more drops.
Oh no.
NOT NOW-
Dread pooled in his stomach as the sudden rain started, picking up slowly but surely as Karoto looked around in panic for-
….a small idea brewed.
Hunching down and jumping on the trashbags for space, he quickly grabbed an old thrown away stick from something like a bed…or curtain? Whatever.
Not his business.
He put it on the side, making sure it was properly stuck in the trash before carefully closing the lid, just so there was enough light and air in there….
There we go.
Now the rain wouldn't hurt him. Wouldn't make him all soaked and cold. He couldn't risk a cold or a fever.
Not after all this.
Quietly running a gloves hand through his strand of hair, he seated himself with an absent hand into a proper position, even with all this deformed trash.
Rummaging through the trash could really be useful, as an actually well-looking blanket had been there! Probably thrown away because of growing up.
Or perhaps mites.
Please no mites.
It was tugged above all the trash that probably had sharp edges to it, softening up the blow as he laid it against it with a certain comfort that he wasn't used to.
This could be a good day with all these small things!
His stomach brought quick attention to the piece of actually edible food in his hands though and he wouldn't ignore it any longer.
Crossing his legs, the piece of cake was properly unraveled, the strawberry aroma being one of rare heaven, despite it being ice cold and a bit mushed.
Something this little thief would call top-tier condition!
From what he could see, about three bites were taken, the food unceremoniously thrown away after said person didn't like it.
Discarded it without a second thought.
Well, good for this 13 year old carrot!
Though first, he turned it around and used his teeth to pull off his glove, putting it to the side on the comfy blanket and squinting his eyes.
Scrapping off the mold on such occasions is important, especially if the rest of the food is completely alright. It's like with cheese or salami where if the hardened part gets cut off, it's still fine to eat.
Something that he learned to use a lot when these kinds of occasions came in hand.
Carefully, he plugged off any restover mold that came from the abandoned piece of cake, putting it in some other trashbag he ripped open previously.
As all the mold was gone, he licked his finger off and removed the other glove as well to properly hold the cake in his hands.
It wasn't as soft as it should be, hardened up from what was presumably three day of abandon….its all he could theorise from the mold that formed.
Not important though.
His stomach was still growling.
That meant, this piece of sweetness needed to finally go into his stomach and be devoured as long as it was still good.
All it took was the bard opening his mouth, taking a sharp bite and-
Oh dear Nantes.
It was delicious.
The carrot nearly teared up as his taste buds finally got something else other than moldy bread and stolen wares, the hardened strawberries hitting his tongue and dissolving slowly but surely.
The cream was soft, slowly melting away in his mouth while the floor made up of cookies crunched beneath his little unclean teeth.
There was even jam on top, sprinkles accumulating the top of the came and topped with whipped cream that all brought together the sensation of an amazing cake.
He knew he should be gentle and slow.
Take everything in.
That's something he halfly did, chomping down the piece but savoring every single taste that went down his stomach, a cold sensation full of creamy delight.
His orange mouth was covered in cream and bits of crunchy cookie, licking it off his lips and in turn, also sucking his fingers clean from the cream.
A few tears had strung loose, but it was nothing he minded and couldn't rub away with his brown sleeve.
For a moment, the bard savoured the delight, patting the guitar he had put on the side for now and letting himself enjoy the fact that his stomach stopped growling.
It….was a rare sensation.
Truly.
Soon enough though, he checked if the outside rain stopped, which it surely didn't.
It was pouring heavily even, raindrops hitting the floor and creativity puddles that only created more wetness.
Not ideal to run around completely soaked, searching for shelter he already had here.
It's the middle of the night too, so it's not like people are gonna throw out trash at this hour. Probably. Hopefully.
That meant that this trashcan was gonna be a fine place to wait in for the morning. It just needed a bit more tidying up.
Moving around, Karoto rearranged the stick to close the lid just a bit more so no drops would accidently roll into the trashcan and fill it up.
Not ideal when he was planning to sleep there.
Adjusting the blanket so it covered a proper space, he looked once more into the trash can and found something that isn't exactly a blanket. Not at all.
But rather a curtain. A ripped up one, probably belonging to the stick.
Whatever. As long as it keeps him warm.
He pulled it over himself, proceeding to then pull off his scarf and hug it close to his chest.
His scarf. The one thing truly belonging to him.
It was soft.
The blanket was good as a pillow too anyway, he just needed to pile it up properly.
Finally, he laid down, a soft yawn leaving his throat as he cuddled the scarf close, listening to the rain dropping down as a soothing white noise.
His eyes fluttered close, sleep fogging his mind and making his limbs lose all the strength they forced together before to survive.
They didn't need to right now.
And soon…
It was nothing more than soft breathing as the little carrot breathed, sleeping soundly for once in the trash can he hid in.
….
It's tragic.
But that's just how Karoto lived.