"Oh? And why is that?" His voice curled up at the end; he was being condescending, a fact that was emphasized by his expression in the gloom.
She scowled at him again, her brows furrowing. "I'm not a thief, like you. You can be condescending all you want, but I'll rest easy knowing I at least have a greater moral capacity. Being familiar with this place isn't something you should be proud of."
His head jerked to look over at her and he raised an eyebrow. "People come to the Night Market because they don't have the money to buy what they need, Princess. They need to barter in different ways," he said flatly. "If you are proud of your wealth and your comfortable life, then keep talking, but look at the people you've been passing and tell me that they deserve your scorn."
"Tsh. You stole from me. Am I supposed to think you're a saint?" Now her voice was condescending. "A bad guy with a heart of gold?"
"No, you're not supposed to think anything about me," he replied flatly. "You've made this mess, so now you're stuck here, but make no mistake; there's nothing you're going to learn except that you're a spoiled, stuck-up richling who would have died a long time ago if not for being extraordinary lucky."
He led her down a dark alleyway and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "Okay. Now we wait. Watch out for the rats."
He leaned his head back. As the night darkened, she would gradually see the windows along the walls opening, grimy hands reaching out. The boy smiled and straightened up. "Open for business. Come on, Princess."
"I figured," he said flatly. "Come on, Princess. Let's go." He approached a window on the end of the row and squatted down, knocking on the pane. The window squeaked open, and they would see a man, maybe in his late 30s, squinting out at him. His hair was unkempt and he had a scraggly beard. His expression, already bitter, soured when he saw the boy. "Ugh. Ferris. What do you want?" Ferris gave the man a charming smile, looking up at Fleur. "Hey, Collin. My friend here seems to have misplaced her necklace. Any ideas?"
She didn't say anything for a moment, hee hands folded. "If you know where it is.. I'd appreciate having it back. Money is no issue, if that's what you want."
