Chapter Text
Eventually, Habel came to hate her older sister. Despised her even. It was written on her face, clear as day–she was once expressive, despite being a child.
In a lot of ways, she was very much like her older sister. Both bursting with energy, even for children’s standards, and combined with an intense curiosity, they were always trying to run off on their own adventures. But while her older sister Meryl knew when too far was too far, Habel didn’t, and often got Meryl in trouble alongside her.
“Habel! For all that is holy, get back here Habel!” Meryl yelled after her sister. Her sister merely laughed as she ran into the town’s market. It was a rather large town for the time, with a few hundred people, large enough to warrant the town having its own, everyday market.
Onlookers observed the two, some nostalgic, amused, or very much used to this event. But most were annoyed–Habel had a reputation, and she had it for a good reason. She had a penchant for stealing from customers and salesmen alike, only to return it later, often in weird places or ways.
This time was no different. Currently, Habel had: A pouch, two apples in the pouch (each from different stands), a ring she’d nabbed from a mage’s bag, a ball of string, and a small, empty glass jar. Despite most vendors keeping an eye out for her, somehow, none of them had noticed her take any of it. Meryl, in fact, had only just noticed her attempt to sneak off with an entire cat, despite watching her the entire day.
Thus the chase was on. Habel quite enjoyed these little chases of theirs. Meryl was never upset by them, and she got to get out all of her energy. Plus, she was way faster than the other kids! That had to be good for something one day!
On the downside, Meryl was catching up to her. Soon she’d reach her, but Habel wasn’t done with her fun yet. To prolong her game, she decided to do something risky. Which was to head towards the river, in order to cross into Old Town.
Meanwhile, Habel had spotted the mage she’d nabbed the ring off earlier and smiled. The man’s hat had a brim, and she had an idea. As she ran by, she tossed the ring at the man’s hat, successfully getting it trapped within the brim of the man’s hat without stopping or slowing down. She grinned to herself, happy with her success and enjoying the confusion on the man’s face as he noticed the shift in his hat’s weight and took it off, spotting the ring.
Immediately after, she crossed into Old Town, and after a few minutes, she checked behind her to see her sister rounding the winding, disorganized streets of old town, and her grin became a smirk. Now this was a challenge. The even more windy streets than usual combined with the extra fervor her sister seemed to have, made for a way better chase than usual!
Now, her town was big, and there were two main reasons why this was the case. The first was the river. It was wide enough that a proper team of builders that had been hired came from a big, far away city to build the bridge proper after the last four had collapsed. It was a huge project, even having a stone support in the middle.
The second reason was that the town was mostly surrounded by mountains, with only a third of it being exposed to the open plains populated by farms. It was easily defensible, which was a big deal. People had been here for decades, maybe even a century, and the old part of town, where people had originally settled, was… well, it was falling apart, literally. The buildings were quite old, and they had needed repairs years ago. As a result, the people living in this area were definitely struggling to get by.
Habel didn’t really think about how entering this part of town may not have been the best decision. She just went for it. Meryl, on the other hand, very much did understand why this wasn’t a good idea. Still, she didn’t hesitate in following her younger sister.
Habel decided she’d put her utmost into not getting caught. Her sister was trying much harder than usual, and so she would too! Rounding a corner, she–
Came to a full stop, running into a short, but very wide man. He wasn’t fat, but looked like he might once have been. He’d caught her with one arm, and when she looked up at him, he smiled, revealing he was missing all but six teeth. His face was slightly disfigured, and he had balding, rattish hair. He wore rags.
Habel tried to step back, but to no avail. He smiled at her still. “You’re Habel, aren’t you?”
Habel stopped tugging, boldly got into his face, and asked, “How do you know?”
The man’s smile became sharp, and he let out a sharp bark of laughter, before looking down with a demeaning look on his face. “You might want to get a little taller before you start attempting to intimidate me like that.”
Habel looked at him, puzzled. “Intimidate? What’s that mean?”
The man paused, losing his grip, but Habel didn’t notice. “You don’t know what intimidate means?”
Habel shook her head. “Never heard it in my life.”
The man just shook his head, and muttered about ‘Idiot peasants.’ “I’m not even surprised anymore. The word’s undoubtedly basic, and even though you’re only about fourteen,
You still don’t even know basic English.”
“Actually, I’m twelve.”
The man hummed as he took in this information, but didn’t appear to care either way. “Look, little girl, you like money, right? Everyone, especially me, likes money. I know of you; the locals speak of you often. Why don’t we make a deal?”
Habel seemed to forget the man was still holding on to her. She did, in fact, like money. “What kind of deal?”
The man smiled, and spoke. “I need something, something that I’m too big to get too. But you’re nimble. If you could grab it for me, I’d pay you.”
Habel smiled back at him. “And you’d give me money?”
The man’s smile became strained, but he held up the image. Habel didn’t notice. “Well of course. Nobody does anything for free right?” It was at that moment that Meryl appeared behind him, and she hit the man with a stray log she’d found. The man cried out and his hands instinctively cradled his head where he’d been struck. Meryl used the opportunity to grab her sister’s hand, and ran off with her. At first, Habel was so shocked that she let her sister drag her along, but then she started to resist.
“Wait, Meryl! He was going to give me money! Let me go back to him.”
Meryl didn’t falter. She didn’t respond. She just dragged her sister harder, and eventually Habel started to cry. Meryl didn’t stop. She kept running.
Eventually, once they made it across the bridge, Meryl let go of her sister. “Habel, go home. Give back all the things you stole. And Habel.” Meryl turned on her sister. “Never. Do that again.”
This treatment she’d received from her sister confused and upset Habel. What had she done wrong? Meryl always played with her, and this time had been no different. Well except for the man. Actually, come to think of it, why had Meryl hit him? He was going to give her money!
“Why’d you hit him? That’s what assholes do! My sister isn’t an asshole!” Habel cried her words, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Meryl was long since used to the profanity, but she was smart enough to know that her sister’s use of it indicated she was really upset too. Meryl could also recognize that her sister didn’t know what she’d done wrong, but at this moment, she didn‘t particularly care.
She whirled around at her sister, her face characteristically red. “What you’ve done wrong is being a thief! And an IDIOT and a THEIF!” She screamed, silencing her sister’s wails as she stared in surprise. Her sister had never yelled at her. ”Everyday, you steal from people, and no amount of telling off from me ever makes you listen! And dad’s always working or asleep, so I have to look after you! And how do you repay me? By being a thief, a brat!” Meryl slumped up against a wall in the tight street they were currently on. “And then you go running off into Old Town, with no care for yourself! How do you think that makes me feel!” Now Meryl had tears in her eyes. “I have to watch you while dad works in the fields, and all you do is cause trouble! Shleviac almighty I…” Having yelled enough to calm down, she took a look at her sister’s face. Meryl was hoping to see regret, sadness, or dare she hope, understanding. She saw none of these things. Instead her sister’s eyes had lost their tears, and her face had grown red to match her sister’s.
“Why can’t I do what I want to do?” Habel’s voice wasn’t level, but she was speaking at a normal volume. She always yelled when mad. Not this time. “Why? I’ll do whatever I want. Who's going to stop me?” she asked Meyrl.
On Meryl’s part, she stood there, slightly gob smacked. A little out of shook that Habel was being quiet, but mostly because of the sheer gall her sister seemed to possess. She did all she did for her, and after keeping her out of danger, this was the response her sister gave her?
She was over it. “I’m done with you.” Meryl told her sister. “Maybe if I’m not there to protect you, you’ll have to be faced with people getting mad at you. Maybe then, you’ll learn. Good luck getting home on your own, sister.” She spat the last word out, glaring at Habel.
She stalked away from Habel, who didn't follow. Almost every time two children argue, they meet and forgive each other within days. But, in this particular instance, neither would get the chance.