stillsmallvoice

Jiminy works his way through the crowd unnoticed, as always, his fleet fingers finding a fat man's purse strings and liberating the coin as he barely brushes against the man. "Oh, excuse me, sir..." He mutters under his breath, his shoulders sloped heavy with guilt and not the pride his father and mother will have when he delivers the prize.

It's a slim crowd, not many easy baubles to pocket, and trying hard only made him feel worse about his deception - some part of him able to justify the theft when it's obvious.

"Pardon me, sorry..." He pushes through another clutch of hearty farmer's wives - his fingers liberating a small loaf of bread from one of their unnoticed baskets and an apple from another.

Disgusted, but hungry, he finds his way to the edges of the crowd watching his parents' hawk Elf Tonic to cure all that ails them - slipping past the edges toward a slowly running creek. Finally alone, he sits at the edge and doffs his worn shoes to cool his feet in the water as he eats.