#gi nefer

Nefer was never known for being kind, caring, gentle, sweet, or warm. Sure, maybe those feelings are hidden deep in her stone cold heart but no one ever would know because she would never let anyone close enough to know for sure, except maybe for Ashru but unless Thoth shows up to talk through Ashru then no one would ever know the Nefer buried under layers of stone hardened in blood.

But, she doesn't like to dwell on the past, after all she has important work to do as the leader of the Northern Intelligence Network and the Curatorium of Secrets and thinking too much about the past only slows her down. So, she hardens her heart, and goes on with her day.

Then there is you, with a hardened heart of your own. You are young, only a teenager, but you have hardened your heart to survive. You have no home, no family, no one to care about you. The memory plagues you every waking moment of your life as you wander the streets, starving and picking through trash and steal for any scraps of food and water you could get your hands on.

You remember the way your parents smiled at you from the boat as you stood there with your bag on the dock, next to a woman named Chernytsya. You remember watching them looking at you in the eyes from that boat as the promised that they would come back!

They never did. No matter how often you looked out at the sea at every passing ship none of them were theirs. You held out hope like a fool back then, some childish part of you hoped that they were just running late or something. But days turned to weeks, then months, then years until you gave up hope as Miss Chernytsya kicked you out because you were too expensive compared to the other kids.

Now, here you are, wandering the streets every day in the hopes of finding something to either eat or sell. Sometimes you would even pick up dangerous jobs just for the hope of even one piece of mora. You hate this life, hate watching families walk by smiling with kids who don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from or if they'll get a meal at all! You know it doesn't help to focus on other people but when you can so clearly see everything you once had just out of reach you can't help but feel angry.

"Alright kid, I need you to do something for us. Do it right, and you'll get a nice pay out," a sleazy treasure hoarder offers.

"How much?" You ask.

The man's right hand drops a small bag full of mora in front of you. Your heart flutters a bit at the sight of the mora, imagining the amount of food you could buy, maybe even a coat for the up coming winter.

"What do you want me to do?" You ask.

"We need you to break in to Curatorium of Secrets and bring back any information you can get your hands on. Do that, and all that mora is yours," he says, gesturing to the bag in front of you.

You agree to the job, not caring that trying to break into the Curatorium of Secrets is a archons awful idea. But, you're desperate, you need food and maybe a new coat and shoes before winter grips the land. So, you reach out and shake the treasure hoarder's hand.

***

As the hush of night falls, you creep around the building, looking for a backdoor or maybe a window large enough for you to fit through but there us no such luck. So, you end up at the front door and start working the door open eventually breaking the lock and getting the door open. Slowly, you open the door and creep inside the dark building. Once inside you slowly close the door but before you can make your way in any further the lights come on all at once.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have Ashru, a little treasure rat trying to steal from us," a cold voice says.

Slowly, you turn your head towards the voice and your face pales. Sitting on a couch, petting an oddly decorated black cat, is a pale woman with dark green hair. Neither of you say anything, but in your case it's because of fear that this woman might just kill you here and now. But she doesnt, in fact the only movement she's doing is the motions of petting the cat on her lap. Then, she speaks, asking you what you think you're doing.

"I-I... I was j-just-" you stutter out, no able to find the words when faced with a woman who looks like she can kill you right here and now.

"Well, spit it out little rat. Who do you work for and why did you think that you could break in and not be caught?" She interrupts you smirking like a supervillain.

You try to come up with a lame excuse or a lie to get out of this situation but you're so afraid that you can't bring yourself to even speak. But you don't need to, Nefer has already figured out your deal.

"You're a homeless teenager who is in desperate need of mora. You took on the job of breaking into the Curatorium of Secrets on behalf of a criminal gang in exchange for you receiving a sum of mora. Am I correct?" She asks, already knowing that she is.

You nod slowly, still frozen to the floor in fear. Nefer calmly asks you to take a seat pointing to the couch across from the one she's sit on. You don't move, scared that if you that she'll attack you. She repeats herself and you slowly shuffle your way to the couch before sitting on it. You don't look her in the eyes, keeping your gaze fixed on the floor.

"How much?" Nefer asks.

"What?" You ask, confused.

"How much were you being paid to break in and get information?" Nefer asks, calm.

"Don't know. I was just going to be given a bag of mora," you admit.

Nefer lets out a sigh and just says "I see" at that. Silence stretches between the two of you as you stare at the floor and Nefer and Ashru stare at you. In that silence, Nefer can't help but feel something as she looks at you. The dirt covering your skin and clothes while your eyes look too dead and your cheeks are too hollow for someone so young.

"Well, I have an offer for you. If you tell me who hired you then I'll pay you 2,000 mora. Sound fair?" Nefer offers.

The thought of any mora, nevermind 2,000 mora, makes your dull eyes sparkle with hope. You quickly agree and sell out the guy who hired you so fast that even Nefer is a bit shocked but she quickly schools her features back into her normal mask of calm, calculation. Now with a name in mind she hands over a bag of mora and you snatch it like it's the last bag of mora in Teyvat before quickly running away with it.

As Nefer watches, she can't help but feel something as she watches you run away. She's seen greed up close, she knows what greed is, and what you just didn't isn't greed. Your eyes didn't sparkle at her mention of mora like a fat cat getting more fish, no, your eyes sparkled at the mention of mora like a starving stray being offered their fish piece of food in days.

***

That 1,000 mora lasts a little over four weeks between you staying at an inn to have some semblance of warmth and a real bed, cheap winter gear, food, and other basics that you need to survive. Now, without enough for a room, you're back on the streets. Though, your gear keeps you somewhat warm and your body is pulling through just enough to allow you to wake up another day. But the cold days and colder nights make it harder. So, you're back to working for criminals for peanuts.

This time, the guys hiring you thankfully don't want to you to break into any government/government adjacent organization building, instead they want you to rob the Clink-Clank Krumkake Craftshop. You agree, desperation once again overpowering your fear. So, you wait until Aino and Ineffa are gone and sneak in. You grab anything that looks valuable, shoving them into your pockets and bag. By the time you're done, you can already taste the food your payment will buy.

You run back to the gang paying you and have over everything you managed to snatch. The boss smirks and tosses you the promised bag of mora. You take it and leave, immediately spending most of it on food and water, unaware that Ineffa has reported the stolen items to the Voynich Guild, who in turn went to the Curatorium of Secrets to find out if anyone has sold anything that resembles any of the stolen items. It only takes an hour before the gang is arrested by the guild, the items are returned, and you're thrown under the bus. So, now you're answering Voynich Guild officials questions until they let you go back onto the streets.

"I knew you were bold, but you still manage to surprise me little stray," a voice says.

You freak out and look around, not seeing anyone. Then, Nefer walks out from the darkness of an alley. You ask how long she was there and she says you don't need to worry.

"I thought that mora I gave you changed your heart. What happened to it?" She asks.

"What happened? I wanted a real bed, winter gear, food, and you know, basically stuff someone needs to live," you say with a snarky tone.

Nefer looks you up and down, noting your new looking coat, gloves, and boots in comparison to your thin, hollow face. Nefer then asks where you're staying and you shrug. She asks again, slightly teasing, and you tell her that you sleep wherever. She asks what you mean by "wherever" and you explain that you sleep wherever there's space, mostly in an alleyway near the Flagship so you have a better change of getting none poisoned food from the trash. That makes Nefer pause, when she first met you she just assumed you came a from a poor family that was in desperate need of money. But, that admission of sleeping on the streets and eating food from the trash combined with your appearance and the way you looked at the mora she gave you paints a clear picture, you have no one and nowhere.

Her mask of the cold, uncaring boss falters slightly as she looks at you. She imagines you out in the cold, starving in the cold as you look for other people's scraps in the trash in the hopes to feed yourself. As she stares at you her mind flashes with memories of her shivering in the desert, while eating anything she can get her hands on and drinking the blood of animals in order to make it another day.

"I see. Well, you still stole quite a lot of valuable items. But how about this, you let me treat you to dinner and I'll convince the Voynich Guild not to punish you," she offers.

"Fine. Whatever," you respond.

She smirks and leads you to her home. Once there she tells you to wash up while she washes your clothes. The thought of a bath and clean clothes makes you want to cry. You rush to the bathroom, quickly tossing your clothes to Nefer before getting into the water, the heat relaxing your tired, aching muscles. Nefer smiles, not a fake one, but a tiny real one, before walking away with your clothes. As she washes them she starts to let her guard down a bit. Ashru joins her, watching as Nefer washes your clothes.

"Poor thing... all alone on the streets. You know, they kind of remind me of myself during my time in the desert. Thought, I must admit the kid is bold. I mean, who else would try to break into the Curatorium of Secrets other then a desperate kid?" She says to herself.

But, as much as she tries to remain neutral on the situation she can't. You remind her so much of herself, her old self, the little girl who was left orphaned then destroyed the ones who orphaned her. From the looks of it, you are bold enough for revenge but it seems like you haven't.

By the time your clothes are dry, you're out of the bath, your skin sensitive and raw as years of caked on dirt and dead skin are now gone. Nefer smiles and hands you your clean clothes, which you eagerly take. You disappear back into the bathroom and Nefer starts making dinner. When you come out Nefer asks if you want anything specific for dinner.

"Meat filled rye bun, please. Someone once gave me one and it was so good. But I'm not picky so I'll eat whatever you make. Umm, thanks again, for inviting me," you respond, a bit nervous about sounding ungrateful.

"It was no problem, kid," Nefer says.

She cooks in silence while you just look around her home from your seat at the table. Ashru pays you a visit, sniffing first before rubbing up against your legs. You pet him gently and Nefer watches from the corner of her eye, smiling at the sight. Though, she notices your tangled hair, something she'll definitely need help sorting out.

"Wait, why am I thinking about that? They're not living here forever, just for tonight," Nefer tells herself in her head.

But she can't help by worry about your hair, how nervous you sounded, how hungry you must be, and whoever or whatever put you in this situation. She tries to distract herself with cooking, trying to not let her perfectly curated mask slip in front fo you but she can't stop the feeling of not pity, but something similar, twisting in her chest.

When she serves you dinner she watches as you eat quickly, like she might take it. When the food is gone she can see that you want to ask for seconds but instead you stay silent, probably not wanting to seem greedy. Without asking she gives you more and more food until your satisfied. When dinner is over, she offers you a warm drink before asking how you ended up on the streets.

"Well... when I was a kid me and my parents came here by boat. I got off but they didn't, they said that they would come back later but for now, I'd be staying with a lady named Chernytsya. She took care of me alongside other kids, until I got 'too expensive' and she kicked me out. My parents? They never came back," you tell her.

The cup in Nefer's hand creaks in her grip. While her face shows a smile, on the inside she is furious at your parents, for abandoning you, and Chernytsya, for kicking you out because you were "too expensive". Nefer starts asking more questions about Chernytsya and what it was like, because something is fishy about this. Plus, if you have any dirt then she has a reason to "chat" with Chernytsya. As you tell her everything she becomes more a more internally furious and by the time you're done, she is just about ready to storm over to Chernytsya's place right here and now.

"Thank you for telling you, kid. How about you stay the night? It's cold out there and with winter coming it will only get colder," Nefer offers.

"What's the catch? Like, do you need me to work? Pay rent? I'll do anything!" You tell her.

Nefer pauses, carefully picking her next words. She knows that if she says that there is no catch then you won't believe her and will always be on edge. But she also has to pick her fictional catch carefully as to not make you feel like you "owe" her a lot. So, she settles on saying that the "catch" is that you have to join her for three meals a day. You don't question this, just happy that you'll be getting a warm place stay that doesn't need you to pay.

***

The weeks have gone by and things are quickly changing for the both of you. You're slowly gaining weight, enjoying a warm bed, clean clothes, a constant source of food and water, and the ability to bathe whenever you want. While you hair had to be cut because of how matted it was from years on the streets you were just happy to clean hair. Meanwhile, Nefer can feel her heart, still cold and stoney, softening a bit as she watches you look less and less that a desperate survivor and more like a normal teenager.

Though, she can't stop thinking about what you told her. She knows what it's like to lose a family, but the thought of your family just leaving you, never coming back, and putting you in the hands of someone who would kick you out for being "too expensive". It makes the hatered she tries to bury deep down inside bubble slowly to the surface. But she'll deal with that later, for now she's just happy to watch you curl up on her couch under a blanket, with Ashru in your lap.

"Thank you, Miss Nefer... for everything," you tell her.

"No problem, kid," is all she says.