"Why did you buy so many?" The purple haired girl, dressed in an ornate cloak, asked in exasperation, noting the large bag of bagel sandwiches. Ruby looked over, the eleven year old taking a bite out of one of her sandwiches.

"They're breakfast sandwiches. Breakfast time was almost over so I just bought out the rest of their stock for today." She responded as the two of them continued their walk through the quiet streets of Glacies' Bellview Town.

"You bought 37 sandwiches!"

"Want one?" Ruby asked, holding the bag out. The girl's face flushed

"M-my mother would kill me if she saw me eating what she considers 'commoner food'."

"Lumina, since when do you ever listen to your mom?" Lumina pondered for a moment, then reached into the bag and yanked out a sandwich, unwrapping it and taking a large bite. "That's what I thought. You know Bellview Town is home to the best bagel sandwiches." Ruby said with a cheesy grin. The moment was inturrupted when a young girl of about eight years stumbled out of a nearby alleyway. She was pale and thin, her short white hair was dirty, and her white dress was frayed at the bottom. The girl looked up, her purple eyes widening as she looked at the two older girls, clutching a sketchbook and pencil to her chest.

"I-I..." The girl looked at the ground shyly, her face reddening. "I can draw something for you... For a few dollars..." Ruby and Lumina looked at eachother in suprise, before Ruby turned and kneeled down to the girl's height. The girl looked up , then quickly looked back down, her face turning an even deeper red as she realized who she was talking to.

"Do you live at the Bellview Orphanage?" The girl nodded silently. "What's your name?"

"K-Kiriko..."

"Kiriko..." Ruby gently tugged the sketchbook out of Kiriko's hands. "May I see?" Kiriko nodded silently. Ruby opened the sketchbook to see the drawings within. "You're really good at drawing."

"Thank you..." Kiriko's voice was barely a whisper. Ruby stared at the girl, before handing the sketchbook back. She reached down and pulled out a couple of sandwiches and a hundred dollar bill, pushing them into the startled orphan's hands. "Here, save your paper for stuff YOU want to draw."

"I-I..." Ruby smiled, and ruffled the girl's hair.

"It's okay Kiriko." Kiriko looked down on the ground, her face a deep red.

"T-thank you Princess..."

"Just call me Ruby." Ruby stood up and continued on her way, leaving the surprised young girl. Aftera moment, Lumina caught up.

"My, did I just catch a rare act of compassion from Ruby Ketchum? I should have recorded it. Karen and Naomi will never believe me." Though Lumina couldn't see it, Ruby had angled her face so Lumina couldn't see the light blush on her cheeks. "You're always hiding your emotions so that really came as a surprise. Why was that girl trying to get money anyway? Doesn't the orphanage feed her?"

"It wasn't food she wanted." Ruby responded. "She had a look in her eyes. I can't quite explain it."

"Well by the look in YOUR eyes, you seem to be quite fond of her already. What's so special about her?"

"...I don't know..."