"Oh." James picked it up. "But I'll still starve."

"I'll earn some money and feed ye tomorrow. Just stop talkin' to 'im." Noah said.

Francis shrugged. "Sorry, kid. I starve myself more often than not. I don't have more. "

He frowned at Noah. "Sure you will.."

"Fuck off."

So mature.

"So fiesty." Francis laughed and didn't budge.

Noah glared, but then turned to his little brother. "Let's sleep. Ignore him." He got up and fetched the rather smelly blankets from the corner. He was shivering by now, and when he returned he quickly wrapped them around himself and his brother.

James was still playing with his coin and looked at Francis. "Why do you give it to me if you're hungry?"

Francis frowned at Noah sleeping like that but then looked towards James and smiled weakly. "Because... I'm an adult. I don't have money because I've made some decisions that put me where I have no job and little money. But you're a kid. Kids should be protected and fed by their parents or .. someone. And they should follow in someone's footsteps to do what they did when they are an adult, or they should have their childhood to get an education or learn some sort of job so that by the time they are an adult they can work. A kid shouldn't be forced to work for their daily bread. You included. I don't want you to starve and your cowardly big brother is too much of a disgrace to feed you, he rather just try to forget himself. And you suffer for it.'

James' attention span was too short to take all of that in. "Sometimes me brothers an' sisters feed me," he said.

"Yeah, and I would 'ave, if I knew 'e was 'ere, so shut up!" Noah added.

Francis nodded to the boy, "I'd stick to the ones who feed you most."

He looked at Noah, "Why don't you act your age."

Noah stood up. "Shut up, or I'll punch ye in yer ugly face!"

James sat up. "You're gonna get your ass kicked again..." he pointed out.

Francis smiled weakly and shrugged. "You put me in a bad predicament. I don't want to lose and if I beat you up your little brother will see. I think he has suffered enough, don't you?"