"Ahem." I cleared my throat and slumped. "What have I been doing?" I echoed. "Not too much, I suppose."
"I can tell," Cacophony said bluntly with a hint of bewilderment laced into her calm voice. Her eyes had become deadpan, an untraceable mix of thoughts swirling within them.
Though she'd come from the past, Cacophony used to be a ruler of an Empire. She was used to having everything at her beck and call. For her, food and drink came at the snap of a finger; it was nothing to be fussed over. Now, to find that in this futuristic world of strange marvels that she'd have to worry over the most basic of resources, it left her in an odd position. She'd been thrown completely for a loop.
Gathering herself, her lips parted as she prepared to speak. "People of this era eat three meals a day, that's what you said yesterday. Veri, how many meals do you usually eat in a day?"
A bead of sweat slipped down my temple as I preemptively flinched at where this conversation was headed. "Well, I always eat breakfast," I said quickly. "Usually something small—toast, maybe an apple. I eat lunch at school. On days when I don't have school, it's... fifty-fifty whether I bother or not. And dinner is—well—nonexistent, so to speak. I made a small flourish with my hand. "Actually, Butterina, goddess of cookery, has cursed me never to be able to eat dinner again."
Unamused by my words, the Empress studied my body in silence for a few seconds. Under the stillness of her attention, I stood straighter out of reflex, but there was no real point behind it. I couldn't hide from her gaze or observation. The fabric of my shirt clung loosely to my frame, offering little disguise.
The truth about my body was obvious; just by looking at me, the entire tale could be told.
My limbs were delicately thin, my forearms and calves lacking any definition. There was no sign of athleticism in my physique. I was short for a boy my age, a mere five feet five inches tall. My body had the soft, fragile look of someone who didn't eat enough, move enough, or rest enough. My dark skin, while clear, had a dullness to it, as if lacking the nourishment that gave others a natural glow.
I shifted uncomfortably as the Empress looked me over. "Something wrong? If you're in awe of my handsomeness, I'd recommend that you turn your head away. Can't have you falling madly in love."
Honoring my request, Cacophony nodded.
"Can I assume that you've had monetary issues for a long time?"
"It wasn't so bad back when I was little, but once I started living alone, things got tricky."
"How long have you been living alone?"
"I'd say... three going on four years."
Cacophony absorbed that information without criticism. Her gaze lowered to the lunchbox again, then back to me.
"You said you stopped your side job for several weeks. And you have been eating less for a long time. What caused the change? Were things better before?"
I inhaled softly, sorting through the truth.
"For a while, I was managing. School lunches covered one meal, and I made enough from the side gig to buy groceries. But the job is… draining, in more ways than one. Then, there was a pretty bad development... I didn't want to keep doing it. So I stopped. I thought I could stretch what I had until I figured something else out."
"Yet you did not find something else," she said.
"Nope." I gave a hollow laugh. "Turns out, getting a job's pretty hard when you're at the bottom of the social food chain."
There were very few opportunities open to the scum that lived on the bottom of the social ladder.
"Despite my kingly nature, it's not like any employers are lining up to hire me."
Cacophony replied dryly, "Explain."
I sighed. "Down here, in the floating neighborhoods, most work is either seasonal, dangerous, or degrading. Finding legal work is very hard for a variety of reasons. Remember how we had to walk all that way to get to my house?"
Cacophony nodded. "Yes, I do. Are you implying that transportation is a major issue?"
"Yup. Most decent-paying jobs are closer inland, but there aren't many transportation options to actually get there. Plus, why would someone want to hire some rugrat from way out here? If a business hires someone from the lowest platforms, they risk no-shows from storms, random power cuts, or that we'll die from gang violence. Are you seeing the picture? Everyone has a terrible impression of people who live in floating neighborhoods."
Her brows knit, faint disapproval simmering.
"Work exists," I continued, "but most of it isn't ideal. In terms of legal work, there is waste collection, dock maintenance, flood repairs, or some smaller gigs. The biggest dream for someone living here is to work at the artificial gardens, but since everyone is going for it, no way most people can get it. Even if someone works a legal job, there's a high likelihood that the pay isn't enough to cover their cost of living. So, naturally, we come to the illegal work."
Cacophony listened without interruption. I could feel her studying me again, but I avoided eye contact.
"Drug dealing, prostitution, and other things of that nature exist, but the biggest by far is the side gig that I was doing."
I rubbed my temples, feeling a weary embarrassment crawl up the back of my neck. My eyes were sidelong, staring at the floorboards instead of at the Empress. My voice lowered for a brief moment.
"Scavenging."
I continued, "As you might have noticed, there are houses, buildings, and shops all sunk underwater. Many have sunk relatively recently, but some date back to over fifty years ago or more. The flooding happened so quickly that most people didn't have the chance to prepare. You'd be surprised what people leave behind when the water starts climbing their doorsteps — jewelry, electronics, old photos, whole lives sealed in flooded rooms. In other words, there is an entire treasure trove right beneath our feet. Once the immediate threat of drowning to death lessened, it didn't take long for people to realize. You can bet that they jumped at the chance to make quick money."
Cacophony placed one hand on her hip and the other beneath her lower lip. Her facial expression softened with thought, but her eyes remained sharp. "You mentioned that this work is draining and dangerous. I can see how and when I play it out in my mind, I'm sure scavenging is a far more complex affair than what you've said to me." Her eyes drifted toward the window, to the faint hum of water sloshing against the supports beneath the house. "Still, for now we have little choice in the matter."
I lifted my head in surprise. "You're saying we should go back to scavenging?"
"For the time being," she affirmed, her voice level and composed. "Until a more stable source of income can be secured."
I felt the words sink into my stomach. I had expected her to scold me, call scavenging pathetic, or declare it beneath her imperial dignity. Instead, she considered it pragmatically and came to the most obvious solution. To be honest, I wasn't sure which outcome I would have preferred. The act of scavenging was vile, something done only by lowlifes clinging to survival by any means necessary.
'She never did ask about the event that made me stop in the first place... Does she not want me to dwell on it... Even so, it's going to cause some problems down the line.'
"Your explanation has made one thing clear to me," she continued, her tone shifting from reflective to decisive. "Survival here demands adaptation. If scavenging is the most accessible and profitable method for us, then we shall utilize it. We are currently in a dire situation. While I can endure hunger for long periods, you—" her eyes swept over me pointedly "—are already on the brink."
Cacohony closed her eyes for a breath, confirming something in her mind. "From this moment forward, I will be taking full control of our finances."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Our… what now?"
"You lack discipline in the management of resources," she said, not unkindly, simply stating a fact. "Food, finances, energy, rest—you treat each as though it is optional. They are not. Especially not for someone who intends not only to live, but also to grow. You need all of them; you can't pick and choose when it suits your unpredictable whim or when it's simply more convenient. In the future, we will continue to encounter serious dangers and threats to our lives; with that in mind, your present state is unacceptable to me. It simply won't do."
She placed a hand atop the lunchbox, as if sealing a pact.
"Until we secure a better means, scavenging will provide our income. I will oversee how we spend, ration, and preserve our resources. You will follow my guidance."
My mouth parted, but no protest came out. I couldn't decide if I felt like a child being lectured or a soldier being given direction for the first time in years.
Cacophony added, almost as an afterthought, "In return, I expect you to take better care of yourself. Eat consistently. Rest properly. And strengthen your body. A malnourished companion cannot protect himself, much less accompany me into peril."
Unable to refuse, I exhaled. "Yeah... I get it."
Cacophony acknowledged my reluctant agreement with a single, satisfied nod. "Now it's time to get down to business. We must come up with a plan of action for the short term. The fridge is looking bare, and our funds are running low. It'd be best not to spend any money unless absolutely necessary."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "That's… easier said than done."
"How quickly can we begin scavenging?"
"Right away, I guess," I admitted. "But since I can't afford any equipment, I do my scavenges close to the shore. There are certain areas where a bunch of stuff washes up on the shore, and that's where I usually go. The thing is, those spots tend to be popular, and on a Friday afternoon, they're going to be packed. The best times for us would be early in the morning or late into the night."
"Then tomorrow morning," she decided. "At first light."
"Scavenging will provide income," she said, "but income alone does not solve the immediate matter of food. Are there other methods to obtain sustenance without spending money? Bartering, hunting, foraging—do any exist here?"
"Hunting?" I repeated, picturing myself stalking stray cats with a spear. "In a floating neighborhood, the only wildlife around is seagulls and rats. Not exactly noble food sources."
She folded her arms.
"Very well. What about fishing? We are surrounded by water. Surely that provides opportunity."
I winced. I knew this discussion was coming from the moment that we started talking about food.
"Ah, a fun idea has been transmitted into my brain from the stars above... Why don't we... go fishing?"