It took a few minutes for April to arrive at the headmistress’s office. In the meantime, I went over the plan again with Elisabeth and Cáit, urging them both not to set unrealistic expectations for the girl, as my skills were still at beginner level and I couldn't really say whether my level was good enough for this kind of repair. A knock interrupted our conversation, and after Elisabeth called out, "Come in," a shy girl suddenly poked her head through the door. "I was just doing some maths with the kids. How can I help you?"
"You have a visitor," Elisabeth replied, gesturing again for the girl to come in. 
"Really? Who would like to visit me?" April murmured louder than she intended, smiling suddenly as she recognised Cáit. 
"You really came here today just for me?" she asked, and when Cáit nodded, the girl beamed and said, "I'd give you a hug, but you know...I still have no control over my hand and don’t want to hurt you."
I looked at the girl. She was about my height, with shoulder-length orange hair and golden eyes. April was actually a really pretty girl who would probably have all the doors in the world open to her - if she didn't have this handicap. I also noticed that they had to slice up her sleeve because of her prosthesis. The hand itself looked incredibly bulky and was awkwardly attached around the elbow. I couldn't understand how she was able to do anything with this monstrosity.

Before Cáit and Elisabeth had a chance to introduce me, I had already said "Analyse" and to my great surprise I could actually see several red markers on the girl's hand, which, according to my skill, was far too tightly attached to her. Many of the spots were small things like loose screws, missing oil and a few porous tubes. All things I would have no problem fixing on the spot with the right parts. I felt like I was trying to fix a car. But the real problem was the broken wrist - which was probably the reason why she could no longer use her hand properly. 
So I decided to just ask directly, "Tell me. Have you ever tried to fix your prosthesis yourself?"
April looked at me in shock and stammered, "Yes. Out of desperation. But how do you know? How can you tell without even seeing the hand?" 
I just smiled at her, "One of my abilities. And I hate to break it to you, but you've probably ruined more than you've fixed in your desperate attempt. Fortunately, it's nothing I couldn't fix quickly with the right spare parts. I'm Em, by the way. Cáit kidnapped me and won't let me go until I've tried to patch you up."
"Stop talking nonsense to her. I didn't kidnap you," Cáit giggled and stuck her tongue out at me, "But real talk now. How bad does it really look?"
"If I was able to really see everything that's broken, I can probably repair the hand. But the key word is 'probably'. I have no idea how to fix to the broken joint," I explained as I watched the girl's eyes light up with joy that quickly turned to frustration. "Even if you could really fix my hand, we can't afford the repair," April stammered and I just looked at her with a weary smile, "Let the cost be my concern. If I can get the parts from the junk dealers, it's peanuts. But I don't want to get your hopes up just yet."
"The orphanage will try to cover the costs, of course," Elisabeth said - but April protested, "You'd better buy something for the kids. I'll have to leave in a month anyway, because I'll be 16 and no longer your responsibility. I'll find a way to pay my debts somehow. And if I have to collect scrap metal in the dungeons or get paid for certain favours..."
I had to stop her, knowing exactly what she was getting at, "I just said I don't give a fuck about the cost - did I? And before you do what you just hinted at, I'd rather pay the ridiculously small amount out of my own pocket."
"Ridiculously small amount?" Elisabeth looked at me a little irritated, "Last time we paid 350 just to have the prosthesis looked at by a specialist. And the estimate for the repair was several thousand Yorkies?"
"It wouldn't even cost that much to rebuild that bulky thing. Someone must have tried to rip you off. If you don't insist on new parts, then the biggest challenge for me is to find a fitting joint," I muttered in annoyance, and for a brief moment I had the urge to hit this supposed expert with my walking stick, "Besides, I’m afraid that this prosthesis is already too small anyway. It presses pretty hard on the amputated area, doesn't it?"
April hesitated for a moment but then nodded and I sighed, "Even I can see that and I'm really not an expert in this area."
"Why didn't you say something?" Elisabeth asked in shock and April said quietly, "So you wouldn't have any more expenses on my account. I'm grateful enough to you for wanting to pay for the repairs."

The young girl was simply too good for this world, and somehow the whole situation was weighing heavily on me, so I excused myself by saying, "Excuse me for a moment. I need to get some fresh air," and walked out into the corridor. Many thoughts went through my head, starting with the fact that not only would I have to repair the hand, but ideally I would have to make it much lighter, and it would even be better to replace it completely. In fact, I felt that the weight of the hand was the biggest problem. Fixing all the small problems is probably a five-minute job, but doing something that really helps her takes months and I definitely needed Hannah's help. Unfortunately, it looked like I only had a month before April had to leave the orphanage and I couldn't risk her disappearing from one day to the next.
"I can't take that responsibility," I muttered to myself, "Really. I can't do that. But I'd probably hate myself for the rest of my life if I didn't help her now.
It took me another ten minutes to make sure I was up for it, then I went back into the room.

"Here I am again," I muttered as I entered the room and Cáit gave me a worried look. 
"Can I ask you something about your prosthetic?" I asked directly and April nodded, "Of course. Just ask."
"Did I understand you correctly before? You can do normal work with that bulky thing once it is patched up?"
April looked at me irritated for a moment before she explained, "I can move the hand with the help of my ether. But it all looks a bit clumsy and awkward. I can't do any fine work, but I’m able to at least lift and carry things with it."
As I listened to her, I was still inwardly struggling with whether I had made the right decision, so I simply asked her another question: "Do you have any plans for your life? What are you going to do when you have to move out in a month?"
"We could probably put it off for a few days or a month," Elisabeth said, but April just shook her head, "That's really sweet, but I don't want any special treatment just because I'm different. If I have to get out of here, I'll do everything I can to get a job as soon as I can so I can survive somehow. After all, I learned to read, write and count in the orphanage. And if you really manage to fix my hand, I think the chances are good."
She was adorable, but at that moment I could no longer bear her naivety.

"Fuck it," I said, suddenly all eyes on me, "I'm certainly not going to repair your prosthesis only to find you begging on the streets or having someone tell me that you died on a quest for the Adventurers' Guild because you couldn't find another way out of your fucking desperation. If things were different, you wouldn't be without a roof over your head and a job in a month. That's the bloody reality."
April looked down like a heap of misery and Elisabeth was also completely overtaken by my sudden outburst of emotion.
"What's wrong with you? Are you in drama queen mode?" Cáit looked at me a little confused, but I ignored her and continued, "When I left the room earlier, I thought about some things and made a decision. My plan is to open a workshop here in Dubstep that focuses on repairing broken things, and I definitely need help. If you're confident enough to talk to customers and run some errands for me while I do some work for the guild, I might be able to offer you some sort of an opportunity. You won't get rich, but at least you can have a life that isn't completely shitty."
"Why?" April suddenly asked me, "Why would you want to help someone you don't even know?"
"Because you're obviously important enough to Cáit to bring me here. And my life is full of people who've helped me. When my dad died, an old friend of his took me under his wing, and ever since I've been here in Yorkchester, Cáit has looked after me. Now I finally have the chance to give something back.”

April suddenly looked at me with tears in her eyes and Elisabeth sat there with her mouth open before she said to April, "You are a clever girl. I'm sure you know that and will make the right decision.”
"And to make the decision easier for you - I'll take care of your prosthesis either way. That goes without saying," I added quickly to avoid April only agreeing because she was afraid that I would refuse to repair her damaged hand.
"But all the costs at the beginning," April muttered, "I'll never be able to pay that back in my life. I need a place to sleep, something to eat, and all the spare parts for the repairs. It's just too much. I'm really not worth it.”
"Please leave it to me to decide how I want to throw my savings out of the window," I suddenly laughed.

Cáit had kept a low profile until now, but suddenly she grinned cheekily at us, "Don't worry about the accommodation. She'll be staying with us at the mansion. Abby is already preparing a room for her. I made all the arrangements with Sara this morning. She can stay there free of charge for the time being and only has to pay a small amount for food. It's a small thank you from the Guild for all the work you've done there over the past few weeks. But there is one important condition."
"Lemme guess. April has to join our guild?" I asked and Cáit nodded, "Exactly. But it would allow her to pick up easy quests for the guild to earn some quick money in her spare time if she wants to.” 
“It's not my decision if April wants to join the guild or not. I'm just the person who has to advance the money for now,” I mumbled, but Cáit smiled, "I am convinced that this investment will pay off. And at the end of the day, it's probably cheaper to pay 5,000 Yorkies once and live in the Guild building than to stay in some run-down hostel."
April was about to say something, but Cáit was so engrossed in talking to me that she didn't notice, "Em, please don't be angry with me. I couldn't tell you. Sara and I agreed this morning that you had to make this decision of your own free will."
"I'm not angry?" I said in surprise, but then turned directly to April, "The decision is up to you now. We'll talk about your payment when my workshop is open. But we'll come to an agreement."

It was April's decision whether to accept the offer, and although she hesitated for a moment, she suddenly wiped the tears from her eyes with her healthy hand and nodded, "Thank you for offering me this opportunity. I would like to join your guild and work for you. And I promise that I will work hard to repay you all the money one day."
"As if I really care about money," I muttered before nodding in satisfaction and turning to Elisabeth, "Do we need to do any paperwork? Or can we just take her with us?"
"Even though you're not adopting her, I'm afraid there is some paperwork involved," Elisabeth reasoned.
"Do we have to do it today? Or can it wait until tomorrow?" I asked, "I have somewhere else to be and would like to fix at least some of the little things that are broken as soon as possible."
"Since I know where Cáit has found shelter, it's no real problem to take her with you today," Elisabeth smiled, "But if you really insist on taking her with you today, she'll need some time to pack her things anyway. So we could also do the paperwork now." 

Cait and I looked at each other and seemed to have the same thought. "50/50?" Cáit asked me suddenly and I nodded, "Luckily we've just collected a big bounty."
"Don't overdo it with the things you take. We'll dress you in new stuff anyway," Cáit laughed, "You can leave all your old rags here. Em has some special needs for clothes, so we're going straight to our Guild tailor anyway. Kirsty will just have to make some new things for you. And don't worry... Em and I will split the cost. So just grab your most important possessions and we'll be on our way. No need to say goodbye to the others. You will have plenty of opportunities to visit them here.”

After April left the room to gather the essentials, Elisabeth could no longer hide her feelings and began to cry, "You don't know how grateful we are. She has suffered so much in her life and yet she never allowed us to help her more than was necessary. And the only time she would have really let us help her, we couldn't afford it."
I gave Elisabeth a weary smile and said, "April was just lucky that I really need someone to help me. The work will be hard, especially at the beginning, but as long as she doesn't let it get her down, we'll manage somehow. And no one has to thank me, because it all depends on Cáit."
Cáit suddenly said, "That's not true. You actually gave me the idea when you showed me the sleeveless and short-sleeved shirts you designed this morning. For as long as I've known her, April has never had a pair of clothes that we didn't have to cut up to fit her because of her bulky prosthesis. But when you showed me your designs, I couldn't help but think of her, and that even she could wear the clothes you designed today without a problem."
Elisabeth raised an eyebrow and suddenly said, "I have no idea what you two are talking about, but as the head of an orphanage with 50 children, I am of course very interested in anything that makes our daily lives easier. And clothes that April can wear with ease sounds like something we could use for the other children here. You can't imagine how exhausting it is to button all those little shirts every day.
"Yes, I can," I suddenly burst out laughing, "Because I have to go through that torture every day by myself and I hate it so much. Shirts just suck - no matter how good and expensive the material is."