Nikki practically skipped to where those on cooking duty were setting up breakfast.  She was technically supposed to be one of them, but she was notoriously hard to pin down, even for a rogue.  It was a lovely spring day, with just a hint of mist in the lower parts of camp that would burn off when the sun warmed up a bit more.  Far too nice to be stuck slaving over a cookfire.  And it was off to a wonderful start.  The young woman grinned as the image of a certain face rose in her mind.  She'd caught one of the newer sentries asleep at his post, and now his visage was decorated with a thick mustache drawn in marker.  It would take a good bit of washing to remove, once he had it pointed out to him.

Unfortunately even the slippery prankster couldn't avoid the sharp eyes of those who kept the camp running smoothly, and she found herself caught with half a piece of french toast in her mouth and dragged to help wash dishes.  Nikki's protests did her little good, and she licked the last of the jam from her fingers and settled in to scrubbing under the watchful eye of Crescent Dagger's best cook, grumbling about the sentence.

"It's better than being shut up in a cell," Delshad told her sternly.  The giant of a man would look just as at home in the apron of a smith as that of a cook.  Framed for a crime he didn't commit, he did his best to make sure the band of thieves had proper food and meals, for a well-fed man was a happier man than he would be otherwise, as Delshad was fond of saying.  His face was creased by deep laugh lines and crow's feet, and he was nothing short of a miracle worker when it came to making the most out of whatever supplies the thieves managed to steal.  But as jovial as he was, and as much of Nikki's nonsense as he tolerated, there were limits to his patience, and trying to shirk kitchen duties was one of them.  "Now get to work, and you'd better pay attention -- no half-hearted washing!"

~~~~~~

Paige had been up at first light, and woken Miry straight away.  Winter was up not long after, and the maid bid him good morning as he headed off on his own.  Then she had various chores to take care of before it was time at last to fetch her young mistress from whatever pursuit occupied her attention and go for breakfast.  The young woman hoped Winter would be back in time to join them.  He wasn't always, and while having him nearby made her heart flutter she was nonetheless glad of his company.  She could hardly remember a time when it had been otherwise, and had only minor difficulty keeping her affection from showing.  Even now, with her lady disowned and forced to live in a woodland camp and among thieves, it would not be proper for a commoner like Paige to even dream of winning the heart of a lord -- a former lord -- like Winter.  So she settled instead for cherishing the sight of his face and the lurch of her heart when his blue eyes turned her way.  That was all a servant like herself could ever hope for.

"Come, Miry, it's time to eat!"  She could smell the morning's bread, and the scent made her stomach rumble.  Perhaps it was not as fine as the fare they'd eaten back in Aesiria, but at least true hunger was rarely a companion.  They had been lucky to find this place, and luckier still that they'd been accepted.  They'd needed to learn quickly how to stay alive but they'd hardly been /good/ at stealing when those at Crescent Dagger had taken them in.  Paige loathed theft, liking it even less than fighting, for all that she was trained in the latter.  Odd how being confronted with a serious situation makes you realize the consequences of your actions.  "I do hope they still have some of the syrup left.  It won't last much longer, and then it's back to jam and preserves."

~~~~~~

"Bekka, grab those baskets, while yer 'ere?  Yew too, Jasp'r, ya migh's well save me a sec'n trip if'n yer 'round.  'Sides, I can't 'magine ya wanna be anywhere else, when brekkers 's served, eyah?"  The quick, chirrupy voice belonged to a redheaded tween, but though the other girl was a few years older both children addressed did as requested.  Angie was a respected authority among the 'Cat's Paws, particularly since had solidly trounced a few different teens that had thought to give her a hard time.  "C'mon, le's get back.  Thankee 'gain, Delshad!"  The girl gave a toothy smile to the nut-brown mountain that loomed encouragingly nearby.

"I expect to see you all come to me for lunch," the man replied.  "And I expect that the vegetables you are given will be eaten as well as the things you like better.  Should I find they have chanced to be stolen from anyone's plate, I will be most displeased."

Angie made a face at the comment, and joined in when she was rewarded with a hearty chuckle.  Both of them knew that the girl was far too used to taking what she could get and being grateful for it to ever think of leaving even her least favorite food uneaten, if that's what was given her, but not all of the children were so desperate.  That was especially true now that they were into spring and there were once again carts of produce that might be waylaid.  Winter was a lean time for those at the Crescent Dagger Camp, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief when the first snowdrops emerged from the ground.  "'Spect I migh' know 'oo ya talkin' 'bout -- I'll see they 'ear a few words from me 's well," she answered cheerily as she turned to follow the others back to the part of camp that Olyvar had claimed for himself and his charges.  "Ain' nobody gonna waste good food 'ere, not if'n I c'n 'elp i'."