Days Union Oneshot Book [DISCONTINUED]

references to the capital of new mexico (Pt. 1)

A/N: i love this musical way too much lmao

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As the poets of Zirianata's golden days would say, words were the thing that gave all things meaning. As the historians of religion would say, it was from Ziraina's very breath that humans learned to form language, separating them from the beasts' growls and grunts. As the journalists of Vorbeckia would say: if mankind would die, words would never.

And as the newsboys said, as long as words were printed on a newspaper, they had food in their stomachs and clothes on their backs.

As another day arose in the city of Yutir, the Vorbeckian News Troop was already out on the streets to beat the other newspaper hawkers to the fresh stacks of newspapers. The crowd of young Daynians followed behind Hermes Chase, who swaggered up the steps to the Days Times office with a confident lift of his chin. Next to him shuffled Mnemon and skipped Ata Fletcher, both his two closest friends and two extra mouths for him to feed.

Mnemon's black-and-red eyes darted around behind the crowd again before he mumbled, "The streets look awfully empty. I sure hope we aren't the last ones."

"Oh, pipe down, Mnemon! We definitely are early, I'll tell you that!" Ata snapped as a yawn overtook her latter sentence.

Hermes tipped both of their hats over their eyes and said in one breath, "Both of ya, pipe down! You'll be wakin' up some old grandma with your yappin'!" He stopped in front of the doorway to the Days Times office, and the others readied their bags and adjusted their hats. "Alright, gang. Let's hope for a good headline today!" Hermes said, the theatrical stretch in some of his words delaying the usual quick speed of his talking. "Ready?"

"Ready!" they all cheered together.

"Then, let's seize the day!"

The doors swung open with Hermes's push, the force almost enough to break the glass next to the doors. Hermes flinched a bit at the loud bang and sucked in a breath through his teeth, but a peek confirmed that nothing had been cracked except for the secretary, who stopped typing at her computer and shot him a stink-eye.

"Please do not make any loud noises so as to disturb our journalists and editors hard at work," she snapped before her head tilted to narrow the faint dirt tracks on the linoleum floor into her view. "And you're trailing mud into here, too..."

Hermes leaned over the table and grinned, "Miss Thana! So good to see you! Can't you spare a poor newsboy a break?" He picked at his dirtied fingernails and hummed quietly, "...And maybe a headline..?"

"You'll know the headlines when you receive the newspapers," Thana droned as she pushed up her glasses and returned to typing away.

"Come on, Thana! You're killing me!" Hermes dramatically threw his hands into the air, and he smiled when he caught a small grin forming on her face followed by an eye roll and head shake.

Fortunately, he and the Troop did not have to suffer long, for some attendants carted out a wheelbarrow full of newspapers and called, "Line up for the papers!"

Every other newsboy formed a single-file line behind Hermes and watched him drop twenty Uions into one of the attendants' hands. "I'll take fifty papers, miss."

"Big spender, eh? Good luck out there, Mr. Chase," she nodded, unloading two stacks of twenty and a stack of ten into his arms.

"Thank you, ma'am!" Hermes sang before he unfolded a newspaper from his stack of ten and read the title aloud, "'Union Declines Meeting with Sunrise Republic President!' Oh-ho-ho, ain't that a pretty sight to see, eh?"