Ameronis looks at the pendant, then back at Silas, alarmed.

“I can’t take this! You said it was your family keepsake! We fought to get it back so that you could have it!”

Silas smiles then chuckles, then looks between the pendant and compass, and you and Ameronis. He looks a little wistful.

“All of the items in that box are keepsakes. Were. I-…”

He pauses, staring at the compass.

“They’re… remnants. Reminders.”
He opens the compass’ cover, looking at the details inside.
“But, these reminders don’t do me any good. Today is the first time I’ve looked at any of them properly for a long time. They’re the only things that still tie me to the past, and it’s not a time I like to look back on. I’ve been thinking about it all morning. I think it’s time I moved on. Finally put an end to that chapter and focus on the current one.

He looks at you both again, closing the compass and looking resolute.

“They’re not worth much money; I can pay you from the proceeds of the rest of the stuff if you prefer, but I want you to have these, as a symbol of my appreciation and thanks. You didn’t have to do any of that; putting your neck on the line to help a stranger; a homeless beggar, but I’m grateful for it. You’ve helped us all a lot already. So please”, he motions for you both to take the items, “Take them. You can swap them, you can sell them, you can even throw them away! But, please accept them. Give them new meanings, fresh memories…”

You and Ameronis look at each other, then take each of the items.

The compass, an old, study thing, is almost certainly antique, featuring a design style that is unlike any that you’ve encountered so far; perhaps this came from overseas? It is scuffed and scratched in places, and is covered in a rich patina on the outside; inside, the inner cover largely maintains its original brass colour. Besides that, the glass window, edged with an engraved brass frame, reveals the needle and dial. The former is fine and delicate, meticulously etched, and would likely be a prime factor in the original cost of the compass on its own. The latter is simple, but elegant, with the cardinal directions easily visible.
Silas nods, satisfied. “And with that, it is done!”

——————————————-

You look at the pendant, as you walk back to Slaryn House, seeing the fabled thing for the first time. It is very beautiful, and you can see why Soza would rack up the price for it, even if it is just obsidian and brass. A smooth oval stone, fairly heavy, and about the size of a cherry tomato, it is jet black, completely opaque, and shines with a soft gleam in the sunlight. In the centre on one side, the inlaid gold, featuring a series of wavy lines, is so flush and finely done that it’s impossible to tell that it is inlaid; you would’ve just assumed it was painted on. The chain and clasp match the colour and shine of the inlay. Considering the links all still maintain their identical shape perfectly, the chain is certainly not 100% gold. Perhaps it’s gold plated or a gold alloy? Or it’s just brass.

Likewise, Ameronis inspects the compass, turning it around in her hands. You hand back the pendant when you’re done looking at it. She had asked you if you would prefer to have it instead of the compass. She compares both of them now.

“I do not require further adornment; I’m spectacular already”, she says, holding her nose high. Most would struggle to deny that she still looks good, even at her advancing age, but you can’t help but be amused at her casting aside all notions of decorum. By this point, she’s grinning widely.

“On the other hand, it would suit me, and further compliment my beauty,” she says, preening once more, “though, I suppose, if I gave it to you, you could use it to raise your attractiveness from below zero. But, perhaps necklaces and jewellery are too feminine for you?”

Hey! What does she mean “below zero”!? The cheek of this woman! But, you ignore her teasing; doesn’t she know? Some drunkard called you “gorgeous” the other day, so she needs to watch her step. You’ll topple her in a beauty contest for sure. She laughs again.

“Well, it’s your choice; presumably you already have a compass? I have one of my own as well, but this one is very fancy; perhaps you like it more? Which would you like? Unless you want both, or neither?”

You think for a moment. You don’t need the extra compass, but you don’t need jewellery either. Perhaps you might like to simply have one regardless. A souvenir. It does at a little more weight to your travel pack though…

On the other hand, Silas permitted you to sell them; you’ll always need money. If you were to sell these, along with the jewelled butterfly brooch you picked from Silas’ loot pile, you might be able to top up your funds a bit. Come to think of it, how much do you have left right now? Omon gave you 1,000 cogs, and you’ve been spending quite freely, but have you worked your way through that yet? Paying for nights at Slaryn House isn’t cheap, and then there was-

“Well?”

Ameronis’ question interrupts your tangent thought path. You snap back but furrow your brow. You need to think about it more. The values are unknown. Should you keep them for sentimental reasons or sell them for practical ones? Would it be greedy and unreasonable to take and sell both? This is a little more tricky to decide than you imagined it would be. Ameronis nods, handing the compass back, and slipping the pendant into one of her pockets.

“Alright. Think about it, and let me know what you decide later.”

—
Back in your room with your door locked, you sit with objects and papers sprawled across the bed; the confiscated items from the thief, a series of receipts and notes of your recent expenses, the compass and butterfly brooch, and your moneybag. After going over everything, you conclude that so far, you’ve spend just over 1,300 cogs.

Most of that is for Slaryn House; that 175 per night adds up. The rest, 465 cogs, cover the other expenses. Of them, eating at Banes Way over several days has the largest total, and you note that thanks to the VIP card, you’re able to save on Stardust’s entrance fee each time.

You’re also horrified to discover that you managed to spend 32 cogs on drinks at Stardust the other night; that’s more than what you spent on your first visit when you were actively testing the menu and focusing mostly on mocktails. What did you buy?!

You sigh and vow that Ameronis must not learn of this; you’ll never hear the end of it if she does.

Aside from that, you haven’t done too badly. Thanks to Omon’s 1,000 cog reward, you’ve only just started chipping into your funds; you started with 16,650, and are now down to 16,310. You could make some adjustments to your spending if needed, but, at this rate, you could carry on for another few weeks yet before you’d need to start thinking of ways to top up your funds. Still, it would be better to do that sooner, rather than later.

You put away your money and receipts and look at the remaining array of items on the bed. You still need to decide what to do with the thief’s loot. You were originally considering turning them in, but Ameronis’ warning made you cautious. Lomack suggested the police aren’t corrupt; they’re just spread thin, so perhaps the risk isn’t too high. But that’s just one opinion from a local in a privileged position. A second or third opinion from other positions may be more telling.

Aside from that, you could just keep them. The chances of them being returned to their owners are slim, surely. And the more time that passes, the more likely it is that the enforcers would question you on why you took so long to turn them in. They may not appreciate your suspicion and delay. If you kept them instead, you could sell them; whoever Silas knows could probably take care of it and you’re sure Silas would do that for you, so that’s an option. That’s a short-term top-up solution.

But thinking of Lomack brings his offer to mind; working part-time in Stardust as a Sentinel. He said it was easy enough and paid well. You were interested in the opportunity, but Lomack… You don’t know anything about him, or what it’s like to work with, or for him. You still need to learn more before you can really make a decision. The alternatives would be finding odd jobs on noticeboards or in the local paper, or taking on manual work in the local factories. Both are uncertain and varied, with the potential to be backbreaking or tedious.

A third alternative would be ‘acquiring’ money through riskier means, which seems to be Ameronis’ primary method, as far as you can tell. She seems to have visited The Pit or the Rusty Bell to gamble every night so far. Definitely not to your liking, but, if push comes to shove…

Failing that, you could always try your hand at robbery. You chuckle to yourself as you lie back on the bed. You’ve already inadvertently added to Derna’s thievery woes. Is this where your life of crime truly begins?