As Emi walked away happily from her latest performance, a figure even more ragged and destitute appearing than herself shuffled out from a corner where it had been huddled and held a chipped and worn begging bowl out toward the girl, clearly having noticed the jangle of money about her person, or depending on how good of a beggar he was, perhaps even having witnessed her earlier transaction to confirm she had money and waited for just this moment to beg.

"Please young miss, even a few bent coppers for a poor old man what can barely walk or see? I promise ya, the rewards for even a small act of kindness are greater than y'know!"

The piteous old man's voice creaked like a door hinge on the verge of a breakdown, and unlike so many other beggars in Karstberg, close examination of both his milky eyes and his lameness-twisted leg would reveal them to be quite physically genuine, though he wrapped himself in a ragged full body cloak as if to conceal such unsightly features, or perhaps because it was normally his only blanket against the chill of colder nights.

What Emi might not know however was that this was no ordinary beggar. Numerous instances of her skilled 'acting' had caught the interest of Lakan Ting, The Prince of Dreams. A famed actor in the city's theatre district, Lakan was also a notorious trickster and dabbler in many events, capable of looking like anyone or anything, or so many a wild and unbelievable rumor claimed. Like many wild and unbelievable rumors, this was almost completely true, though also somewhat explainable. Lakan's constantly shifting appearance was due to a very specific type of foreign magic, and as for being a trickster and a meddler well, Lakan just had a passion for good stories, or so he told himself. He particulary liked stories with happy endings. Naturally, of all the stories he enjoyed, few were as close to his heart as that of the street urchin risen to prominence. He had lived it himself, after all.

"Please miss, just even a single copper. Charity can open gateways t' your dreams y'know!"