I duck into the nearby alley, snickering faintly at the sounds of pursuit dwindling in the distance. Those idiot guards might have caught me out in the open, but in these slums, they don't stand a chance of keeping up with me. Not only are the alleys too tight for their armour and weapons, they're full of detritus someone tiny like me can take advantage of to hide.

Sure of my escape, I clutch the small bag at my waist tightly. A few golden coins and a pair of bread loaves - enough to last me at least two weeks if I'm careful. All in all, far from a bad haul, though if those pesky guards hadn't noticed me so quick, I could have gotten away with a lot more.

Instead of clinging to that annoyance, though, I know it's better to keep moving. I've seen too many kids like me get caught because they relaxed before making it somewhere safe. So, a light spring in my step, I turn off towards one of the smaller alleyways, intent on making it back towards my little hovel at the dge of town. But the moment I step into the alleyway, I suddenly freeze at the sight in front of me.

Just a few feet away, looking up at me in shock, is a little girl like me, clad in similar patched-up rags. At the moment, though, the girl is squatting next to a building, her raggedy skirt hiked up as she appears to be trying to pee. We stare at each other, a blush appearing on both of our faces as we awkwardly wait for the other to make a move.

For my part, I'm just not used to dealing with people. As someone who comes from the slums, there are very few people in this town who would look at me with anything other than contempt, and as a young girl, the rest of the looks I receive tend to be from creepy old guys look for a bit of easy fun. This other girl is probably the same, which doesn't make this any easier.

Thankfully, the girl is the one who acts first, as she puts on a timid smile to ask "Um, you need to, uh, go too?"