"But you'll find that he-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. My mind won't change. He's a highly handsome baby, but no matter his disposition he will prove too much a distraction and nuisance. Business has fallen enough recently. I don't need a wailing child bothering away customers. You'll have to look somewhere else."

"I understand. Good day."

The sting of rejection hardly phased Lydie this time. How many businesses had politely, or not so politely, sent her on her way now? Enough that lunch had long come and gone. She couldn't let herself focus on her still unemployed state lest her day be ruined. Back out into the sunshine she went, and the bustling roads of the third district screamed of how many possibilities remained. Shops were everywhere. Vendor stands crowded each corner. The fact that some had denied her work because of her lack of skill and not because of Kenth bolstered her fading energy. There was a place for her somewhere. Lydie merely had to ignore her stinging feet, deeply unsettled back, voraciously complaining stomach, and twinging skull. Thankfully, Kenth slept peacefully against her shoulder. They'd found in their meandering a grassy park that offered relief to one of her most pressing concerns. Kenth had needed to be changed, and there was a place for that there. Afterwards, she'd fed him one of his jars of food, the two of them played on the swings and slide, and they joined a group of wide-eyed children watch a magic performer put on a simple show. Bright, crackling sparks and dancing illusions had captivated her attention as much as it enthralled the young ones. The hat at the man's feet that filled with money following the act caught her attention as well. If only she had magic too...

Lydie stepped into the next shop where her nose instantly became confused. Sweet and spicy, light and musky, pleasant and unpleasant...the business filled to the brim with medicinal remedies and herbal concoctions to cure that particularly stubborn rash or alleviate that terrible symptom, or so the signs above the products claimed, firmly wedged itself on the line between enticing and repulsive. The dark walls were lit by bright crystal lamps, and the other patrons moved quietly yet with confidence. No one currently stood behind the counter. Lydie took a moment to examine a tub of cream promising to rid the body of scars of any intensity. If only the promise was true. If only she had money. Honestly, Lydie would give it a go if she could. The cream sadly cost twenty nell. With a sigh in her head but a smile on her face, her sore shoulders straightened when a petite young woman hardly five feet tall with obsidian hair and deep brown eyes slid from the back room to place a small box on a shelf behind the counter.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?" the worker replied in a soft voice that still rang loudly throughout the quiet shop.

"I am looking for work, and I was wondering if your shop required any assistance. I do have to have him with me." Lydie motioned to Kenth.

The woman didn’t say a word. A tilt of her head and a brief stare was all Lydie received before she abruptly and hurriedly rushed off. Curious glances from the patrons burrowed into the back of her head as a moment passed. Lydie, unsure, shuffled back slightly. Was the worker coming back? Had she done something wrong? More footsteps than had left soon built in intensity as the worker and one more woman appeared. The older one in her late fifties with majorly gray hair in an intricate bun boldly strode forward. Wearing a peculiar black dress of several layers, jangly golden bracelets, and heavy make-up, she certainly stood out. God Eyes of gold and copper attached without hesitation to hers.

"Ahhh, a sister of the sight. Come here, come here, my love." the bizarre woman beckoned.

"U-Um, my name's Lydie," she stammered as her left hand was grasped, flipped over, and scrutinized closely, "I was wondering if you needed more workers."

"I am aware of your desires. That is what I am examining you for. Not just anyone can work here. You must have the right path."

"The...the right path?"

"Good hands, good hands. You're earnest and honest, if entirely lost."

"I-"

"We could make use of such hands here, but I must first see where your feet will lead you."

"I'm not-"

Scrunching her toes in her boots determined not to undress in any manner in front of others, even if it was just her feet, Lydie shuddered from a cold chill. The small worker had quickly placed an intricate container of multicolor glass into the older woman's hands, and the store owner yanked out the cork to drizzle a thick stream of liquid over Lydie's outstretched arm still being held.

"Why in the world are you pouring water-"

"Oh no, oh my, this is the most terrible path I've seen in years." the woman interrupted once more. Her eyes blossomed wide with horror and fear as her long-nailed hands pressed and rubbed the water against Lydie's forearm feverishly. Lydie would have pulled away from the strange turn of events, yet curiosity settled inside her as much as rejection did. A slight blush also appeared on her cheeks. The older woman was off in her own world as she poured more water and continued to rub, but for Lydie's sore muscles the examination felt a massage. She didn't want the connection to end even though she understood liking it made her weird.

"What's wrong?" Lydie finally had to prompt.

"You have the sight. Can you not see it? The way the liquid flows black? The way it turns to ooze and ichor? How it morphs into these symbols of despair and misery? You are haunted, my child. You are hunted. A dark force hangs over you awaiting to cause you pain and suffering for its own delight."

Clear, innocent water dripped off Lydie's arms in a slow, lazy drip as water was prone to do. Despite all sense and logic, Lydie attempted to see what the owner claimed the liquid revealed. The water remained water.

"Uh..."

"We cannot take you, no. No, no, no...not with such a path. You will bring the same misery to those around you. You are a carrier of chaos!" the owner declared loudly. The noise woke Kenth up, and the greatest of annoyed pouts hung on his face.

"Fine then," Lydie sighed, her patience running out, "I'll take my leave then. Thank you for the...the warning, I suppose?"

"Wait! Take one of these!"

Before Lydie could react, the woman yanked off one of her bracelets and jammed into onto her wrist instead.

"I've been infusing them with my power for years. It will act as a ward against the danger lurking in your shadows. For how long though, I cannot say." she finished ominously.

"I-I appreciate it."

Lydie gently took back ownership of her arm, spun on her heel, and walked out the door while ignoring how everyone watched as she left. Well, that was a place she was never going again. The endeavor had been beneficial though. The bracelet on her wrist might not be complete gold, but it wasn't cheap. Lydie could hopefully sell it for a few more nights at the Lavenmore. It could even cover enrollment for Kenth's at Mrs. Truvan's business. Lydie wished to find a place that would take her without her needing to bring him there in order to conserve money, but the answer she received over and over again was that Kenth had to be somewhere else for her to be employed.

"I'm hungry," Lydie admitted quietly to her infant companion, "Why don't we find out how much this thing is worth? Then we can head to Mrs. Truvan's, hear the cost of childcare, and I can see about maybe getting a little something to eat if anything is left over."

Lydie smiled, for Kenth merely yawned and returned his sleepy head to her shoulder.

And on she walked.