[Nukie's Post]

Victor smiled at Elywen's response, red hair glimmering sweetly in the gentle warmth of the sun. He thought she was a bit full of herself, considering her working conditions. But it was nice to see a human who hadn't lost all hope yet.

He had always liked putting smiles on people’s faces. It made him temporarily forget his surroundings, and his family life. At the thought of his family, his shoulders slumped and he coughed. Best not to think about them.

The truth is you're a hypocrite. You steal to stay alive. You think that putting a few measly coins in some beggars hat will really redeem you from that shame? You are a hypocrite. Maybe you should just crawl beneath the sewers. You'd be right at home with the scum rotting down there.
This dark voice Victor knew all too well. Ever since he was little, that voice had belittled him whenever he felt good about himself. It never failed to sliver into his brain like a serpent, whispering poison into his ears. He saw his hands clenching at his sides, his nails digging into the flesh. He didn't even notice the pain.

Just as he noticed this, a boy came up and spit his own poison into the woman’s ear.

"How about this? I'll pay you to stop. And maybe you can use it to buy a better sounding instrument"

Victor, at least unconsciously, had to agree with the boy. It wasn't the best music he had heard in the world. Far from it. But it wasn't the music that had enchanted Victor. It was the pure, unabashed sincerity behind those out-of-tune notes. It was the spirit of the matter, as he father always said. Victor never thought this made any sense, but he found this situation as good a place to use it as any.

"Hey. Why don't you let the lady play. I'd like to see you play as well as her." Victor bent his knees in a cocky, I-don’t-care-what-you-think stance. He wasn't sure why, but he was ready to come to blows over this matter. I'm changing, he thought smugly. Apathy was never one of my strong points.