As Danwe set his nose, he let out a small wince, but did his best to keep quiet.  After all, he would hate to seem weak in front of his white knight.  As the warm healing light washed over him though, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.  The pain was fading, and that was more than enough.  He listened to her words, carefully picking out the details that were impertinent. 

Terrance would probably be going to his friends now.  I should warn her.  As he started to open his mouth, Danwe moved over to Terrance's loot stash, and started to gloss over its contents.  Xeik followed, and his eyes widened at the entire stash.  "I've…never seen so much in one place.  There has to be more than just us thieving for him," Xeik said aloud.  He's been swindling a lot of us.    

Xeik had been thinking about what Danwe had said, "So what happens now.  Terrance won't take this lying down, and I doubt the adult guilds would like having an outsider here.  And what will happen to the rest of us?  This might be enough to survive off of for awhile, but between the older kids and the adults, it'll get used and stolen till there isn't anything left.  And despite Terrance being a savage, he did bring us together…we'd need a strong leader, and I don't know any of us who are cut out for it."  Xeik knew that he would not be a good leader.  He was far to single-focused, and not very good at planning out ideas involving more than just himself. 

"Let me worry about Terrance," she told him as she put a hand on his shoulder. "If my plan succeeds, I think the other guilds may come to thank me," she said. "The idea is that you boys all need a proper guild. A proper guild with someone who can look out for you and actually teach you how to survive," she said. "You older boys fare okay, but the younger ones are the ones who get caught the most, and they get only the most meager of shares," she said. "I want to give you all a place where you can train and live, but still maintain your autonomy. A safe place where you can eat and sleep instead of being out on the streets. I want to give you guys the chance to see what it SHOULD feel like to be in a true guild," she said. 

She gathered up all the loot and tossed it into a thick sturdy bag she pulled from her sleeve before she slung it over her shoulder. "Come on, I'm gonna need some help," she said. "We have some meal prepping to do," she grinned. "The other boys call you Xeik, right?"

As Xeik listened to Danwe's speech about her plans for the boys, he couldn't help but smile.  "I'm not one for arguing against that.  I'm completely fine with having somewhere I can call home."  He had currently been living down a particularly grungy alleyway, but it was safe.  And he knew a few places to steal a quick rinse if the smell got too bad.  But to actually have something like an actual guild…well, a boy could dream.

"Yeah, my name is Xeik.  Xeik Eraphim, of the not-so-noble lowest class."  He smiled warmly, and started to follow Danwe back into the open street.  "Meal prep?  What's that?" he asked.  Xeik and the boys had been living off of trash, table scraps, and on rare occasion, when they could save up enough. a fresh loaf of bread and maybe a small piece of dried jerky.  So the concept of an actual meal, or even meal prep, was lost on him.  

"Meal prepping? Short speak for preparing a meal," she told him. "In order to survive, you have to eat, right? Well, eating scraps and rubbish isn't going to keep you alive for long," she said. "I'm going to teach you how to actually cook a meal that you can share with the others," she grinned. "Come on. Let's go get some shopping done. I'm thinking a nice hearty stew with meat, carrots, and potatoes. About how many boys were in your little guild?" she asked him.

The two of them went out into the markets and with Xeik and a couple of the other boys who met up with them, Danwe bought enough food to cook and feed the boys that night. Fresh bread, some cheese, potatoes, carrots, meats and a couple of spices, even a pail of goat's milk and they were all off to the tower ruins where Danwe had previously set up what looked like a little camp, with makeshift tables, a large fire pit, and several different cooking pots and a barrel of clean water for drinking and cooking. With that, Danwe put the boys to work helping her wash and cut the vegetables to go into the stew. In the matter of a couple of hours, there were three massive pots of bubbling hot stew, slices of fresh bread and cheese, and goat's milk to drink. The dishes were rough, and probably salvaged from other businesses, but they did the trick. 

Before they were allowed to get their food, Danwe had all the boys line up, and gave each of them a sizeable, but equal share of the loot that they were all rightly entitled to in the first place. Then each was invited to get something to eat. There were even some kids showing up that might not have been a part of Terrance's group. Danwe didn't turn them away, but unless she got confirmation from Xeik that they had earned part of that haul, they were simply offered some of the food to fill their bellies. This was all they really wanted anyway. 

Once everyone was sitting down around the fire and talking, Danwe turned to Xeik and handed him his share. "Here," she insisted. "This is yours," she said. "Now you get some food too," she added with a laugh before she went to sit on one of the logs around the fire with the boys. 

"Hey guys, I've got something I want to say," she said as she came up to the fire with the rest of them. "You all know that Terrance is no longer in charge of you, right?"

It didn't take Xeik and Danwe to do the shopping.  While they were getting the ingredients, the two discussed the ''Guild Members."  According to Xeik, there were about thirty to forty in total, but usually working in shifts of morning and evening.  Xeik could identify most of them by sight, but he was on friendlier terms with the evening crew.  He also mentioned that there were some who were, for the most part, loyal to Terrance, and who reported everything to him.  If someone starting thieving off schedule and didn't report it to Terrance, he would know.

But that wasn't going to be a problem anymore.  Xeik watched in earnest as Danwe gathered the ingredients for the meal.  "Wait, those can go together?  And what do these spices taste like?  How does that get cooked?  You can cook that too?"  There seemed to be a lot about the world that he didn't understand, and Danwe was the key to opening that path.  When she started to put carrots in the bag though, Xeik frowned.  "I hate carrots…."  

As they finished up and headed to Danwe's current hideaway, Xeik contemplated what to do from here on his own.  If she would have him, Xeik planned on following Danwe around for a little longer.  At least he might stay alive longer that way.  

There were a few boys waiting for her at the hideout.  Lewis, beaming, was one of them.  With her leadership, the boys were put to work to earn their meal.  As they worked, more and more of the boys showed up, each one being put to a task that seemed to suit them.  It only took a few hours, and at the end, they had the three pots of fresh, hearty stew.  Xeik watched as Danwe doled out their fair share of earnings, and helped dish out equal portions of the stew.  More and more children, not just the boys from his guild, showed up, but Danwe seemed open to letting them in on the food.

However, at the end of it, Danwe handed Xeik his own share.  "I…no, I can't.  What if someone else comes.  I…"  She insisted further, and Xeik put it into his bag, thanking Danwe.  He went to get his own portion of stew, and started to eat as Danwe took hold of the conversation.  

Lewis stood up to answer Danwe.  "Right.  Terrance go his ass handed to him!"

Xeik waved his hand, "Language, Lewis."  He looked to Danwe.  "He's right though.  No way any of us will listen to him.  Hell, we could all take him on if he shows his face again."  

"See, that's something that Terrance wanted to stomp out of you," she said, pointing at Xeik as he made the statement that all of them together could curb stomp Terrance if he showed up again. "The whole point of what went down today in the alley wasn't about someone not bringing in a haul. It was about stomping out any thought of banding together. If he kept you from trusting each other, he could effectively manipulate each of you to believing that you weren't strong. Now, by what I saw, a lot of you look up to Xeik. At least young Lewis here does for sure, otherwise he wouldn't have spoken up to try and help, right?" Danwe asked looking at Lewis. 

The younger boy blushed red but nodded. "That was why Terrance targeted Xeik. He didn't want someone like Xeik stealing control out from under him by making you realize that when you stand up for each other, you can be powerful," she explained. "Now, I'm not saying that you can or can't do this on your own, but I am saying you shouldn't have to. But Terrance wasn't teaching you effective ways to do the jobs he demanded you do. And you were getting paid squat for it, weren't you?"

Several of the other boys nodded. "I want to change that. I want to change how things in the guilds are run here. All the adult thieves and guilds depend on you, you are the eyes and ears of this city, right? Then you should have a fair share in what you bring in. I want to help you. I want to teach you," she told them. 

"I have a friend who owns an old abandoned tavern here. It needs some work, but if you all were willing to help us convert it, it could be a proper guild headquarters and safe haven for you guys. You would be taught properly how to steal, and would be expected to use those skills to help provide for the guild, but you would always earn a fair cut, always have a bunk to sleep in, and you would always have food waiting for you. You would be off the streets, and out of bad weather. How does that sound to you?"

The remnants of Terrance's thieves were perking up and getting excited by all of this talk.  The idea of their own guild, of a permanent place to call home, the concept of camaraderie and standing ground on their own terms.  As Danwe finished, the boys started to talk among themselves, and a few glanced at Xeik.  Lewis even joined in, and they walked up to Xeik. 

"We'll agree.  But we want Xeik to be the head of our new guild," Lewis said, pointing at Xeik.

Xeik put his hands out, shaking his head.  "No, I couldn't possibly do that. I-" he looked to Danwe for help, but as he feared, she seemed to be staying out of his affairs, but with a smile on her face.  

Lewis and the boys were insistent. and wouldn't back down.  Finally, Xeik sighed, and acquiesced.  "Fine, fine…" he said.  "I'll be your leader.  But we''ll need a name.  Any ideas?"    

Danwe couldn't help but smile. This was working out better than she would have hoped. Of course, she hadn't expected the boys to turn to her to be their leader, that wasn't the objective. Xeik was the obvious choice. He had already proved that he was always looking out for the younger members, and didn't care about risking his own hide. 

"What you boys call yourselves will be entirely up to you. Just know,  you won't be completely on your own to do this," Danwe said. 

"What do you mean, Miss Lightning?" one of the other boys asked. She smiled at him. "Xeik will run your guild, but my personal guild will oversee. There are only three of us. Me, my friend who owns the place you'll call headquarters, and a boy who is a couple years Xeik's senior will be in charge of helping train you. Other than that, you will be completely autonomous. I'll only offer advice and help Xeik establish the guild rules," she explained. "Xeik, is this agreeable?" 

Xeik looked to all of the boys of his previous guild, and the boy Lewis who he had helped.  With Danwe at his back, he felt more confident, but there was a still nervousness in his voice as he cleared his throat.  

"I don't know what to say…all of you, I know we've been through a lot, but…"  He smiled, "Now that we're here, it's a new chapter."  He looked to Danwe, "We all find these terms acceptable.  And, if…if I may…"  He looked back to his new Guild, "We of the Heaven's Dawn will do everything in our power to prove that we're worthy of your help."  He held out his hand to Danwe, "Thank you, Lightning Thief…"

"Now, let's see this place.  The sooner we get to work, the sooner we can have a roof over our heads, right?"  The boys nodded in agreement.  However, as they started to move, Xeik's stomach growled in protest.  He hadn't had the opportunity to finish his food, and he blushed.  "Er…maybe we can start tomorrow, then?" he asked.

Danwe smiled. "Eat up, boys. There is still plenty to go around," she said, motioning to the still partially full pots of stew and the bread and cheese that sat out on the table. "Once everything is gone, we'll clean up, and we'll make our way to the location of your new guild headquarters. With all of us helping it shouldn't take long. We don't want to stay out in the open," she said with a smile. 

They all sat and ate, laughing and talking until all the food was gone and every belly was full. Clean up was in fact quick with all of them helping out, and with each of the thirty or so boys carrying something from the site, Danwe guided them through the back alleys of the quiet evening to an old abandoned tavern that was on the far outskirts of the walking city. Here, the sway of the city was a little more prevalent than in the center, which might have attributed to the disrepair of the place. Standing outside was a stern-faced half-orc who looked like he might have had a touch of troll-blood in his veins. His black eyes were bright and intelligent, and he wore an overcoat, tunic, pants and boots. He was bigger than Terrance was, and even more scary looking. 

"Well then, Danwe. It appears things went well today then," he said as Danwe came up with Xeik. 

"Yes indeed, Bat. I see you got the place," Danwe smiled. The half-orc's face split into a grin. "Piece o' cake," he said. Danwe grinned back and presented Xeik. "This is Xeik. He has been made the appointed leader of the Heaven's Dawn guild. Xeik, this is my friend Bat. He owns this place, and with your help, it will be your guild headquarters."