Taking Stock

[Faith Augustin]

77th Ashan, 718

"Good morning!" Faith said, with a smile. She had knocked the door of the small house in the village of Beacon where, just the trial before, she had brought Lei'lira and her family. She'd said she'd pop by this morning and, true to her word, she'd tapped on the door and awaited a response. When she was let in, she smiled in greeting. "Hello. How is everyone this morning?" Faith wore a simple but very well made dress, her long black hair was tied back from her face and she had no make up on. On her arm there was a basket, although it's contents were hidden by the cover. Looking to them all, Faith's gaze was one trained in medicine and she watched for any signs of additional physical injuries, anything she might have missed yestertrial or internal bleeding which she hadn't spotted.

"Did everyone sleep?" Faith asked Lei'lira, with a smile. "I brought things. Food for you all and clothes. Blankets and bedding and things." The house was equipped for adults, but less so for babies and young children. "Toys, toiletries. I thought they'd be helpful." She said and then, with a raised eyebrow to make sure that Lei'lira was happy with it, she'd help to put those things away.

If it was needed, Faith would be happy to feed the baby, who she also wanted to make sure was fully alright, also. All of them, she wanted to make sure of. "I thought there might be people who are worried about you, so I brought some parchment and pens, just in case you wanted to write some letters. How did you sleep?" Faith asked, looking at Lei'lira with a very calm gaze. The woman seemed to be inordinately thin, more than the number of trials that they'd been aboard that ship spoke of. Maybe it had been a difficult pregnancy before that, Faith thought, but did not say.

"I rather expect you'll have questions or thoughts or things you want to talk about?" Faith said, with a smile. "Shall we have a cup of tea?" Talking and tea was always a good combination in the young woman's eyes.

Off Topic

Ledger updated - I've just deducted 200gn, feel free to decide what it is yourself!

[Lei'lira]

Kaien and the twins were up with the sun, and that meant that Lei'lira and Teia were up with the sun as well. But since they had both grown up on a farm, it wasn't a hardship for them. Although they were all still tired from the events of the past several trials, a quick breakfast scrounged from food that the house they were staying in had been stocked with was enough to give them the energy they needed to face the trial.

When they heard someone knocking on the door, Lei'lira glanced at it anxiously for a few trills before realizing who it must be. She retreated into the kitchen to clean up quickly while Teia answered the door. Her movements were slow, and cautious, made hesitant by the pain in her right thigh where a large, angry looking bruise marred her flesh. Unlike most of the bruises she had sustained during the storm, this one had not begun to fade yet. If anything, it was bigger now, and it definitely hurt more now than when she'd first gotten injured. Her thigh was somewhat swollen as well. But the skin wasn't broken anywhere that Lei'lira could see. It was just a bruise, and Lei'lira dismissed it as such.

By the time she returned, Teia was greeting Faith, who asked if they had slept well. Lei'lira smiled, and nodded.

"As well as one can when Kaien isn't sleeping through the night yet." she said simply.

"The twins slept well, at least. The beds here are quite comfortable."

Lei'lira hesitated before asking if Faith was willing to feed Kaien again. It felt like a it would be a horrible imposition on the other woman, and she felt like a failure because she couldn't feed him properly herself...but Kaien did need to eat. His needs came first; her son needed to eat, and Lei'lira would do whatever she needed to in order to get him the food he needed. Fortunately, Faith didn't seem to mind. Lei'lira thanked her sincerely, but she also expressed her fears about not being able to feed him herself yet, and asked if the healer knew of anything that might help her. Teia mentioned that Saikuru had been used both during Kaien's conception, and in her current pregnancy, her cautious tone suggesting that neither the use of the herb nor the pregnancies themselves had been Lei'lira's choice. Lei'lira flushed at the implications, and wondered what the healer must think of her for being so weak. But that didn't stop her from asking if the use of the herb might have caused her current problems with producing milk somehow.

Gifts were mentioned, and Lei'lira and Teia both thanked Faith sincerely. The baby clothes were adorable, and both women said as much. Teia loved the skirts they had been given, while Lei'lira was especially fond of a cream colored blouse. And both women loved the beautiful embroidery on the white cotton nightgowns they had been given. Kaien and the twins were far more interested in the toys, and before long, the twins were each playing with a set of blocks while Kaien was fascinated by a ball. Faith's assistance in putting everything away was greatly appreciated, especially since Lei'lira's own ability to help was limited. Her attempt at lifting one of the boxes was met with failure when the added weight of the box was more than her injured leg could bear. When it buckled, she was just barely able to prevent herself from falling by catching herself against the wall, and using it to support herself until she could get her leg to cooperate once more. But the box she had been holding fell with a crash that startled the kids into crying, its contents spilling out all over the floor.

Teia was quick to help Lei'lira into a chair before trying to calm the children. If Faith offered to help, her assistance would be welcomed with sincere thanks. When things were calmer, both women thanked Faith for the gifts. Lei'lira added that the pens and parchment would really come in handy. She did have people she needed to write too. She had no idea if Vivian, or Eri would have gotten word about her ship being lost at sea or not, but she wanted to reassure them that she and Teia were okay, as well as letting them know that they would be delayed in their return to Rynmere.

When Faith suggested tea, Teia asked her what kind she liked. If they had it, she would make whatever kind she wanted. And if Faith offered to make it instead, Teia would happily take her up on the offer. She didn't want to leave Lei'lira alone with the kids for long with her leg in the shape it was in. Lei'lira might not be able to move quickly enough if something happened, and if her leg gave out again, that might make the injury even worse.

"Do you know of any place I might find work?" Lei'lira asked hopefully when Faith asked if they had any questions.

Off Topic

Thank you for the gifts! These items will be added to my inventory.

Swaddling Clothes (3 yards of wool) - 13 GN, 2 SN
Diapers (5 yards of cotton cloth) - 12 GN
Taerin's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN) + blue dye (3 GN, 7 SN, 5 CN) = 9 GN, 2 SN, 5 CN
Taerin's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN) + black dye (1 GN, 2 SN, 5 CN) = 6 GN, 7 SN
Taerin's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN), cream/undyed = 5 GN, 5 SN
Tiran's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN) + blue dye (3 GN, 7 SN, 5 CN) = 9 GN, 2 SN, 5 CN
Tiran's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN), cream/undyed = 5 GN, 5 SN
Tiran's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN) + black dye (1 GN, 2 SN, 5 CN) = 6 GN, 7 SN
Total: 68 GN, 1 SN

*The "dresses" are meant to be baby clothes - the old fashioned/ST version of a onesie as I picture it.*

Lei'lira's Blouse: medium, undyed cotton (cream colored) - 1 GN, 3 SN
Lei'lira's Skirt: medium (8 SN) + cotton cloth (9 SN, 6 CN), + brown dye (6 SN, 4 CN) - 1 GN, 5 SN
Lei'lira's Pants: medium (3 GN) + cotton cloth (3 GN, 6 SN) + beige dye (6 SN) + Cord (Braided) (6 SN) - 7 GN, 8 SN
Lei'lira's Nightgown: medium (5 GN) + cotton cloth (6 GN), white (undyed) + embroidery (1 GN) - 12 GN
Teia's Blouse: medium, undyed cotton (white colored) - 1 GN, 3 SN
Teia's Skirt: medium (8 SN) + cotton cloth (9 SN, 6 CN), + black dye (4 SN) - 2 GN, 1 SN, 6 CN
Teia's Skirt: medium (8 SN) + cotton cloth (9 SN, 6 CN), white/undyed - 1 GN, 7 SN, 6 CN
Teia's Pants: medium (3 GN) + cotton cloth (3 GN, 6 SN) + black dye (1GN, 5 SN) + Cord (Braided) (6 SN) - 8 GN, 7 SN
Teia's Nightgown: medium (5 GN) + cotton cloth (6 GN), white (undyed) + embroidery (1 GN) - 12 GN
Undergarments (5): medium (2 GN, 5 SN/5 SN each), white (undyed) - 2 GN, 5 SN
Total: 118 GN, 5 SN, 2 CN
Pillows (4) - 20 GN
Pillow Cases (4) - 4 SN
Single Fitted Sheet (4) - 2 GN
Single Flat Sheet (4)1 GN, 2 SN
Light Blanket (4) - 2 GN
Total: 144 GN, 1 SN, 2 CN
Stuffed animals (3; cat, wolf, horse) - 3 GN
Balls (3) - 3 GN
Sets of Wooden Blocks (3) - 3 GN
Shapes and Colors (kid's book; nonfiction) - 10 GN
Funny Pirate Tails (kid's book about cat pirates; fiction) - 8 GN
Scalvoris: The History and Language (nonfiction) - 10 GN
Total: 181 GN, 1 SN, 2 CN
Hair Brush (4) - 8 GN
Combs (4) - 4 GN
Toothbrush (Boar Bristles) (4) - 2 GN
Toothpaste (Herb Paste) (4) - 2 SN
Child Fork (2) - 6 CN
Dinner Fork (3) - 3 SN
Dinner Knife (3) - 3 SN
Dinner Plate (8) - 1 GN, 6 SN
Cup (4) - 2 GN
Soup Bowl (4) - 4 SN
Soup Spoon - 2 CN
Total: 200 GN

[Faith Augustin]

77th Ashan, 718

"Hello Teia, how are you to-trial?" Faith asked and a slight frown crossed her face as she watched Lei'lira's walking. She was pleased to see them both and she thought that they both looked better. "Yes. Noah and Madison love the middle of the night, it's quite their favourite time," she smiled at the thought of her children, and that time in the darkness where she and Padraig tumbled out of bed to get up with them was, if she was honest, her favourite time.

She was happy to feed Kaien and sat doing so while she chatted with Lei'lira. If there was any judgement about Lei'lira's circumstances, Faith certainly hid it well. There was none, she didn't ask for it was none of her business, but she nodded to the basked. "In there is some tea which should help. I use it at the Order. It's fennel, nettle and raspberry leaf. It should promote and encourage you producing your own milk, but there's very little better than you being healthy. Also, let him latch on and suckle for comfort. It will help your body not think it's all over," she had thought that the young woman might worry and so wanted to come with some answers. "There's really no need to thank me. Many people have done kind things for me over the arcs and I would be a very poor person if I didn't repeat it where I can. Be kind where you can and I'll be repaid tenfold." It was as simple and as complicated as that.

"I'd like to have a look, if I might, at your legs. Lei'lira, the way you're walking suggests a pain still. Is there anything there? I'd like a quick once over of the children, too, just to be sure we didn't miss anything in the excitement of yestertrial" If Lei'lira let her look, then Faith would frown slightly at the reaction to pressure against that bruise and she would use her healing power from the Sevrath mark she had, hopeful that it would take care of it.

As for work? Faith looked at Lei'lira and considered. "There's work at Cally's, the restaurant I run. It's a money-making endeavour. There's a farm we own, farms, really. Produce and livestock and a relatively new vineyard." Shrugging slightly she smiled. "It funds this place, an orphanage, a soup kitchen. We're always looking for staff in all those places. What sort of thing are you thinking?" At the end of the trial, Faith would be happy to help her in whatever way she could. Handing the baby back to his mother, Faith smiled at Lei'lira and said, softly and gently because she very much thought that the woman needed soft and gentle in her life. "Whatever you need. There's time you know. You don't need to work until and unless you're ready." Faith understood that Lei'lira might not like that as an idea, but there it was. It was an option if she needed it.

Or just wanted it.

[Lei'lira]

"My children seem to love the night, too. They are too young to understand how early the trial begins for a farmer." Lei'lira said with a soft smile.

Her expression and tone suggested that Lei'lira would never be upset with her children for something that they couldn't help. Young children did not sleep through the night; every mother knew this well. It was simply a fact of life. Her own favorite time of the trial was at dawn. With each new rising of the sun came a new trial, full of possibilities. A rebirth of sorts.

When Faith took her son to feed him, Lei'lira thanked her once more. She paid close attention as the healer told her about the tea, and suggested that she allow Kaien to latch onto her for comfort as a way of convincing her body that it wasn't finished nursing yet.As they spoke, Teia took some of the tea out of the basket, and retreated into the kitchen to make it. When she returned, it was with three mugs of steaming hot tea. The first was given to Lei'lira, who thanked Teia softly. Teia then offered one of the mugs to Faith before sitting next to Lei'lira with her own mug of tea.

"How do you make it?" Teia wanted to know.

"Do you use equal parts of each herb, or do you use more of one when combining them to make the tea?"

Lei'lira wouldn't have asked the question herself, but she too wanted to know the answer, and looked interested in hearing Faith's reply. If this tea could help her start producing milk again, she wanted to know how to make it so she could make more when she ran out. The topic of conversation changed, and something Faith said resonated deeply within Lei'lira.

"Being kind where you can...if more people were like that, this world would be a much better place." she said softly, with a hint of longing in her voice.

A world where everyone was kind to each other sounded like a wonderful world to live in. But painful experience had taught her that such a world could never be possible. There were far too many people who were cruel, or simply indifferent to the needs of others.

When Faith asked Lei'lira if she could take a look at her legs, she was quick to agree, but her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she did so.

"It looks like just a bruise." she said when she showed the injury to the healer.

"But it hurts more than a normal bruise does, and it seems to be getting worse, not better." she added with some confusion and a half asked question as to why that might be.

Lei'lira winced with pain when Faith touched it, but then the healer did something that made the injury fade away slowly. Much to Lei'lira's surprise, and relief, the pain was completely gone.

"How...?" she asked in startled amazement.

Lei'lira listened to any explanation Faith might offer. Then the topic changed again, this time to places she might find a job. The restaurant sounded interesting, but Lei'lira didn't think that she would be able to handle the crowds of people that might come. Besides, she was an okay cook, but nothing special. Nothing even close to the quality of food that would be required at a restaurant. Nor did she think she she could handle cooking for so many people at once. She had a large family to cook for, and she managed that well enough, but cooking for a crowd at a restaurant was on a whole different level.

The soup kitchen was an interesting idea. In the past, Lei'lira had enjoyed helping those who were less fortunate than herself. But for much the same reasons that Cally's didn't seem like a good fit for her, the soup kitchen probably wasn't either. The last thing that anyone would need was for her to have a panic attack or withdraw from the world if the crowd got to be too much for her, or if someone touched her suddenly.

But the farms...those had promise. Lei'lira knew farms. How could she not when she had grown up on one? More specifically, she knew how to care for the animals on a farm. To a lesser extent, she knew something of working with crops, but the animals were what she knew best. The orphanage had promise, too. She loved children, and she thought that she was pretty good with them. Her adopted children seemed happy with her, at least. And until recently, she had been able to manage with Kaien and the twins well enough. This sudden inability to feed her own children was horrifying to Lei'lira. She hoped desperately that the tea Faith had brought would help.

Lei'lira took Kaien back eagerly when Faith handed him to her. She shifted his weight in her arms so that they would both be more comfortable as she gathered her thoughts.

"I grew up on a farm, so I know my way around one. I know some things when it comes to crops, but I know how to care for animals more. Especially horses. I'm also good with kids. So maybe I could work on one of the farms, and in the orphanage? I appreciate your offer of giving me time, but I do need to work. It's not just the money. Having too much time on my hands...too much time to think...that would be..."

Tiran woke from his nap, and began to fuss. Lei'lira knew from experience that when one of the twins started to fuss, the other was close behind. And if she allowed them to really get going, it would take a break or more to settle them down again. With a look of apology to Teia and Faith, she quickly handed her son to Teia, and hurried into the room where the twins had been napping.

Teia watched her go for a long bit, then turned back to Faith with a considering look in her eyes. Almost reluctantly, she began to speak quietly so that Lei'lira wouldn't hear her in the other room.

"Lei'lira's response to the idea of not working might have seemed strange to you. Most people in her situation would want more time to recover. And to be honest, she probably needs it, too. But she's trying to keep herself busy so that she won't have too much time to think. It helps her in some ways, I think."

Teia hesitated.

"I'm not sure how much I should be telling you about this, or if I should be telling you about it at all. You're a stranger, and you don't owe us anything. But...you've been very kind to us. And I'm hoping that you might be able to help Lei'lira...or at least point us in the direction of someone who can. Last Vhalar, she was captured by bandits. They took her right out of her own home, and we were help captive together for most of the season. It was..."

Teia shuddered.

"It was horrible. But Lei'lira suffered the worst in their "care." The leader of the group that help us seemed to have a grudge against nobles, and against Lei'lira in particular. Among other things, she is pregnant now because of them. Leilira...isn't in good shape physically, mentally, or emotionally. We spent Zi'da and Cylus with her cousin in Rharne, and that seemed to help her somewhat. While we were there, we were seeing a member of the Order of Adunih who specialized in emotional trauma. That helped too, and we were regaining some of the weight we had lost while we were captives. But then the ship wreck happened, and...well. Any weight we had managed to gain back has been lost again."

Teia hesitated again.

"Lei'lira is...fragile now. Very fragile. She is doing better now than when we first escaped. We both are. But she is frightened easily, and she is terrified of men. When frightened, or stressed too much, she is prone to anxiety attacks, withdrawing into herself...or both. She can be triggered into an episode by her nightmares, too. I look out for her, but I'm worried about her. Is this something that you might be able to help Lei'lira with? Or do you know someone who could?" Teia asked hopefully.

[Faith Augustin]

77th Ashan, 718

"I've written the exact instructions down, one trill" Faith pulled that from her pocket and handed it over, giving the amounts for the tea and how to make it so that it was at optimum effectiveness. She was more than happy to feed the baby and she smiled down at him, stroking his cheek slightly as she did. When Lei'lira responded to her suggestion that, if more people were kind where they could be, the world would be a better place, Faith looked at her and smiled a slight, soft smile. "There are good people in the world. Many of them. Change has to start somewhere, I believe it starts with action." She shrugged slightly, almost helplessly. "I believe the world can be a better place. Where the strong don't prey on the weak, the rich don't take the wealth while the poor suffer needlessly. Where there is no slavery, no hunger, no poverty." Indifference, ignorance, lethargy - those were the great enemy as far as Faith was concerned and she was indefatigable in fighting them.

Of the bruise, though, Faith knelt and looked at Lei'lira's leg. "I think it's more than that," she said, softly. When she knelt there and looked, the willow tree tattoo which was visible between her breasts began to glow a deep green and then a mist-like substance rose from her, swirling over her body and into the tips of her fingers, which she touched to Lei'lira's leg. "With thanks to Moseke, who grants this healing," Faith whispered, but undoubtedly Lei'lira heard. "Unto my final breath and beyond." When the misty tendrils had done Moseke's will, Faith smiled up at Lei'lira as she examined her leg. "Moseke saw fit to mark me with Her blessing and allowed me the opportunity to heal others. It is her power and grace which healed you."

"Either or both is open to you, absolutely." Faith said, when Lei'lira spoke of working on the farm and in Luna' s orphanage. "There was a disaster here at the very end of Cylus. It caused a large portion of the docks to collapse and I've been involved in the relief effort. The orphanage has a number of new residents." It was the sad and simple truth of it. When one of the twins started fussing in the other room, Lei'lira left and Faith watched her go, attending to the way she walked and pleased with the difference.

And then, Teia spoke and Faith listened carefully. What the two of them had been through was dreadful and Faith's expression darkened. It was not simply Lei'lira who Faith was concerned with here. Teia was stepping into the role of the carer, but the pair of them had experienced something truly horrific. "The Order of the Adunih is split into two paths among the more senior members. Path of the Body, Path of the Mind," Faith said, softly. "The purpose behind the Order is to provide healing of both. Yes, there are many people here who will help, me included." She looked at Teia and she smiled a soft smile. "As soon as either one of you, or both, are ready and want it." Sighing slightly, she sipped at the contents of her cup. Why people behaved in such a way, Faith did not know. But then, something Teia said made her lift her head. "Noble?" Faith asked, with some surprise in her voice. "As in, one of the seven families?" It seemed that the young woman hadn't lived all her life on Scalvoris after all.

[Lei'lira]

Lei'lira thanked Faith as she took the offered instructions. She glanced through them carefully, noting in relief that the tea seemed simple enough to make. When she was finished, she handed the paper to Teia, who red through it as well.

Both women thought about what Faith had told them. Change beginning with action deemed simple enough on the surface. Nothing would change if people didn't do something to make it change, after all. But what sort of actions would create the changes needed? Lei'lira hated slavery with a passion. She believed very deeply that no one had the right to own another person. And when she did own a slave, she hated every trill of it. She had only bought Eri because she had not been allowed to pay her fine and prevent her from being enslaved in the first place. By buying her, she had spared the girl from a very uncertain, and likely horrific fate. And she had treated the girl as if she was a younger sister, rather than a slave. Despite that, even the thought that she had owned Eri made her feel sick if she thought about it too closely.

But how did you stop slavery? What actions could possibly succeed in convincing slavers not to capture and sell people? Perhaps more importantly, what actions would convince people not to want to own slaves, since if there wasn't a market for selling slaves, no one would do it. How did you convince the rich to part with their wealth so that those who worried about where their next meal was going to come from no longer had to worry about having enough to eat?

Lei'lira remembered that as a child, she had been forced to go to the occasional party with other nobles. Her father being who he was, and being as isolated as they had been, she had been spared most of them. But not all. And those parties had made a very lasting, very negative impression on the young child she had been so many arcs ago. Crowds of people wearing dresses and fancy clothes that cost enough to feed an entire family for more than an arc. Clothes that would be worn once, to that particular party, then never again for fear of what others might think if they dared be seen in the same outfit twice. Fancy foods made out of ingredients that cost more than the farms owned by her neighbors. Dishes made by people who would never get a chance to taste what they had made because no matter how skilled they were, no matter how hard they worked, they would never be able to afford them. And the parties had been held in huge, fancy houses filled with fragile, delicate decorations with no other purpose other than to be admired and envied. Lei'lira remembered being afraid to touch anything at those parties, for fear of getting them dirty, and ruining them. It was a world that Lei'lira couldn't possibly understand...and wanted no part of.

"I would like to believe that the world can be a better place...and if those things were true, it would be. But how do you stop slavery? How do you convince the rich to part with their wealth?" she asked softly.

When Faith looked at her injured leg, she stared in awe as mist surrounded the woman before gathering itself near her fingers. It was hard to describe exactly what it felt like when Faith touched her with her mist enshrouded fingers, incredibly soothing was probably the closest that she could come. And when the mist faded, the injury was gone, as if it had never even been there. Before she could ask, Faith told her that she had been marked by Moseke, and that it was Moseke's ability that had healed her.

"Is there a way that I can thank her? And you for using her ability to heal me like this?"

Faith told her that both working at the orphanage, and on the far were possible, and Lei'lira smiled.

"I would like to do both, then." she said simply.

Working on a farm was what she knew. It was...safe. Peaceful. And children always gave her a sense of wonder. Trying to see the world as they did was both very freeing, and very amusing at the same time.

"We did see the docks as the ship was brought in. What happened, if you don't mind my asking?" Teia asked carefully, not wanting to hurt the other woman if she had lost people she had cared about in the disaster.

When Faith spoke of the Path of the Body, and the Path of the Mind, Teia made note of it. She knew that Lei'lira would want to know about it, and she wanted to be able to keep it straight in her head when she asked. Faith reassured her that there were people who could help them as soon as they were ready, and offered to do so herself. The latter had Teia giving her a relieved smile.

"Thank you. I think that Lei'lira would feel more comfortable talking to someone she is familiar with. And the same goes for me. Neither of us are as trusting as we once were."

She might have said more, but Lei'lira returned with the twins in time to hear Faith's questions about her being a noble, and about the Seven Families. For a long trill, Lei'lira simply stared at her, frozen in shock, and dread. Then she realized that Teia must have said something that Faith had picked up on. The half guilty, half worried expression on Teia's face told her as much.

"You know of the Seven Families?" Lei'lira asked at last, trying to give herself a few trills to gather her thoughts.

"Yes, by an accident of birth, I was born into the Warrick family. But, please...I am a farmer. Nothing less, nothing more. I may be a noble of the Seven Families by birth, but a young child of a servant living on one of the Estates knows far more about what it means to be a noble than I do." she said sincerely, her tone indicating that she wanted nothing to do with the nobility, and felt horribly uncomfortable at the thought of being connected to them.

[Faith Augustin]

77th Ashan, 718

How do you stop slavery and make the world a better place? Faith smiled slightly as Lei'lira asked those questions. They were questions she had asked many times, demanding of herself that she considered it. "How do I stop slavery? One slave at a time, one group at a time, one situation at a time." As for how she parted the wealthy from their money? That was clear to Faith. "I want to stop poverty, not wealth. Wealth is not wrong in and of itself, or so I believe. Owning a house is not wrong, even though there are homeless people. But owning ten houses and over charging people who are desperate is." So, she said, she had opened a restaurant. It was expensive and exclusive, she explained. "I made it that way. People who come there are getting the best, it's for the wealthy. I advertise it as a charity venture, so people often make donations while they are there. But I take no profits from it, it funds this place, a soup kitchen, an orphanage and a clinic for people with mental health issues." Faith shrugged slightly. The people who came to Cally's felt that they had done good by being there - because they had. That meant, she explained, that they associated doing charity work with feeling good, it funded Beacon and all the work it did and it meant that the wealth was distributed a little more evenly.

Honestly, though? She had to be such, of course. "I don't know if I can achieve what I want to achieve in my lifetime. I believe that the more people who join and work towards change, the more likely it is and the thing I know for absolutely sure?" She was utterly serious and this, without a doubt, drove her. "If I try, if I do what I can and the best I can then it might be that I fail. But if I don't do anything, I will never succeed and change will never happen."

She was, there was no doubt, a fanatic when it came to her beliefs. She served Famula, Vri and Moseke absolutely and she believed that to do that she must serve others. Care for all souls, all people, all lives and all deaths that she could. For Faith it was as simple, and as complicated, as that. As for what Lei'lira could do to thank Moseke, Faith smiled. "There is a shrine to her in the Temple here," she shook her head at the question of thanking her for using the ability. "I maintain that the way to repay kindness is to pass it on." It was true in her eyes, always. That was all the repayment anyone could ever give her and it was more than sufficient for her.

As for the docks, Faith answered. "There was a group who had infiltrated our military, it seems.They attacked during a party, there, kidnapped a group of women and tried to sacrifice them. The women fought back, chaos happened and the men who had infiltrated blew up a large area. I was, am I suppose, in charge of the relief effort. I go there each trial, but now we are rebuilding. There'll be a memorial service on the first of Ymiden."

Faith look up as Lei'lira came in and she nodded. "I was born in Venora," she said softly. "Although I did not grow up in Rynmere, I returned there when I was seventeen." Although then she had lived in Andaris, she explained. "I met my husband there and we lived there until we moved here." She knew the seven families, she said. But Warrick? Faith smiled. "I know Rafael Warrick, although I haven't heard from him in a while." He'd written to her proclaiming his love and she had replied. He had not written again, but she didn't tell Lei'lira any of that. As for Lei'lira's place in the noble families, Faith looked at her and nodded. "I'm not sure what 'being noble' means, to be honest. I do know that of all the nobles I have met, some have been kind, others cruel. All just people." Faith largely neither knew nor cared what people's noble status was, to be frank.

"So, how would you like to proceed?" Faith asked, looking between the two of them. "I'd suggest we might want to have a look at the farm, but maybe tomorrow or the trial after. Your leg should be better, but I'd like you to rest for a trial or two." But, at the end of the trial, that was up to Lei'lira - she knew how she felt, after all.

[Lei'lira]

Faith made it sound so reasonable. As Lei'lira listened to her, she began to truly believe that the healer could end slavery. The distinction between ending poverty rather than wealth seemed like an important one, and Lei'lira took note of it. But she was uncertain where the nels needed to end poverty would come from if not from the rich. She was aware that it was a subject that she knew nothing about. Of more interest was the fact that Cally's was set up to fund charities such as the orphanage that she was going to work at, and the town she was currently staying in.

"Cally's sounds like a wonderful restaurant, Faith. I would like to try it once while I am here, if I can. Is there anything in particular you would recommend?"

Lei'lira hesitated briefly before adding:

"I think that if anyone can change the world for the better, you can, Faith. Listening to you speak about it makes me believe that it is possible...and while I have often wished the world was a better place than it is, I have never truly believed it was possible to change it until now. I don't know how much I can do, but I want to try and help, too."

On a small scale, she had always done what she could to help her neighbors back in Warrick. But perhaps she could do more than that? She hated the very idea of slavery. Under normal circumstances, she would never buy another person. Eri was an exception, and she had freed the girl as soon as she could. But...what if she were to take some of the nels she would earn when she sold her farm and buy some slaves? She could then free them immediately, and offer them work on her farm in Rharne. Or, if she saw children for sale, she could give them a home and teach them a trade. Lei'lira knew that no matter how many slaves she managed to buy, it would only be a drop in a very large bucket. But...it would be a start. If nothing else, it would help the people she bought and freed.

When Faith mentioned a shrine to Moseke in the Temple, Lei'lira promised that she would go and visit it when she could. But what really got Lei'lira's attention was the idea of thanking someone for their kindness by passing it on to someone else. It wasn't something she had thought of in so many words before. But it was something she tried to do in her own life. Helping her fellow farmers when they needed it, and knowing that they would do the same for her should she be the one to have need.

Lei'lira took note of the date when the memorial service Faith mentioned was to be held. But she knew that she wouldn't be going. She didn't know anyone here besides Faith, and some of the people who were mourning those that had died might well take exception to an outsider butting in and expressing awkward sympathy. Even if that weren't true, Lei'lira knew that the crowd that would be there would likely be enough to cause her to panic. And that wouldn't so anyone any good.

Faith's dismissive attitude about the nobility was a relief to her. She was happy to let the matter drop, and simply said that while she must have met Rafael Warrick when she was a child, she could not say that she knew him. When the topic turned to taking a look at the farm she would be working at while staying here, Lei'lira smiled.

"I think it would be a good idea for me to see the farm and learn my way around it before I start working there. And I make it a policy to never argue with a healer. Would you be able to give me a tour in a few trials? That would give me enough time to settle in, and rest my leg."

Teia chuckled.

"I think she means that it will give her a chance to rest while I get us settled in. Lei'lira might not argue with healers, but she does have a tendency to push herself too far too quickly. But that isn't going to happen with me around."

Lei'lira blushed, but she didn't dispute Teia's words. Instead, she simply waited to see what Faith wanted to do about the tour.

[Faith Augustin]

77th Ashan, 718

Faith smiled in delight at Lei'lira and made what she thought and believed to be absolutely the truth. "Isonomia, the faction which oversees all this work, it started as three people. Myself, my husband and my friend. It has become a lot more people than that," a lot more. "All of us who believe the world can change. Every person who joins adds to the movement. Makes it more likely to change the world. So thank you."

If Lei'lira wanted to join Isonomia, Faith said, she was more than welcome. Anyone was. Faith rather supposed that the idea of paying back kindness with kindness to another came from her time as a slave, although she did not speak of that. When she had not been able to own anything, she had needed to think of ways in which she could repay the kindness of others. From herbs picked for Malcolm to salve for Aeon's face, Faith had tried to repay kindness wherever she could. Perhaps it was that which had led her here, although she did not think so or believe so. She couldn't tell what would have been, who she would have been had she not been raised as she had been. But then - that was a thought process and conversation for a different time and a different place.

It was not a bother at all to put the tour aside for a few trials, Faith was quick to reassure Lei'lira. The farm, after all, wasn't going anywhere and it was better that Lei'lira gave herself time to heal. They could arrange a mutually convenient time and then make sure that Lei'lira was well enough to see it properly. There was food here for them, Faith said, and she wanted, very much, for them to just take the time to heal. If Lei'lira wanted it, Faith would arrange for a wet nurse to come in, but she was hopeful that the herbal tea, the rest and proper food would kick start her lactation again soon.

Once she was absolutely sure that they had everything they needed, Faith bade them farewell and made her way home, having arranged to meet up again to look around the farm and see where Lei'lira would be working.

[Oracle]

This was a well written thread that I rather enjoyed reading. I believe I read the initial thread when poor Lei made it to the shores of Scalvoris, injured and starving. The girl has been through so much but thankfully Faith was there to provide her with a home in Beacon. This thread served as an excellent summary of the events on the island since the docks collapse of Cylus. There were plenty of other subtle moments that brought the scene to life. Faith sharing a tea recipe and Lei's children playing together on the floor with the donated toys. It was all rather touching and sweet. I certainly got a better 'feel' for the town of Beacon and was able to better grasp how much effort Faith has put into it. Seeing the world from Lei's perspective really highlighted how important this place is going to be, especially now that slavery has been recently abolished on the island. Anyway, well done both of you!

Lei'Lira

Points

XP:15
This cannot be used for domain magic.

Renown

N/A

Loot

Gifts that Faith brought for Lei'lira as per the off topic notes in thread. Also jobs for while Lei'lira is in Scalvoris.

Swaddling Clothes (3 yards of wool) - 13 GN, 2 SN
Diapers (5 yards of cotton cloth) - 12 GN
Taerin's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN) + blue dye (3 GN, 7 SN, 5 CN) = 9 GN, 2 SN, 5 CN
Taerin's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN) + black dye (1 GN, 2 SN, 5 CN) = 6 GN, 7 SN
Taerin's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN), cream/undyed = 5 GN, 5 SN
Tiran's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN) + blue dye (3 GN, 7 SN, 5 CN) = 9 GN, 2 SN, 5 CN
Tiran's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN), cream/undyed = 5 GN, 5 SN
Tiran's Dress: X-Small (2 GN, 5 SN) + cotton cloth (3 GN) + black dye (1 GN, 2 SN, 5 CN) = 6 GN, 7 SN
Total: 68 GN, 1 SN

*The "dresses" are meant to be baby clothes - the old fashioned/ST version of a onesie as I picture it.*

Lei'lira's Blouse: medium, undyed cotton (cream colored) - 1 GN, 3 SN
Lei'lira's Skirt: medium (8 SN) + cotton cloth (9 SN, 6 CN), + brown dye (6 SN, 4 CN) - 1 GN, 5 SN
Lei'lira's Pants: medium (3 GN) + cotton cloth (3 GN, 6 SN) + beige dye (6 SN) + Cord (Braided) (6 SN) - 7 GN, 8 SN
Lei'lira's Nightgown: medium (5 GN) + cotton cloth (6 GN), white (undyed) + embroidery (1 GN) - 12 GN
Teia's Blouse: medium, undyed cotton (white colored) - 1 GN, 3 SN
Teia's Skirt: medium (8 SN) + cotton cloth (9 SN, 6 CN), + black dye (4 SN) - 2 GN, 1 SN, 6 CN
Teia's Skirt: medium (8 SN) + cotton cloth (9 SN, 6 CN), white/undyed - 1 GN, 7 SN, 6 CN
Teia's Pants: medium (3 GN) + cotton cloth (3 GN, 6 SN) + black dye (1GN, 5 SN) + Cord (Braided) (6 SN) - 8 GN, 7 SN
Teia's Nightgown: medium (5 GN) + cotton cloth (6 GN), white (undyed) + embroidery (1 GN) - 12 GN
Undergarments (5): medium (2 GN, 5 SN/5 SN each), white (undyed) - 2 GN, 5 SN
Total: 118 GN, 5 SN, 2 CN
Pillows (4) - 20 GN
Pillow Cases (4) - 4 SN
Single Fitted Sheet (4) - 2 GN
Single Flat Sheet (4)1 GN, 2 SN
Light Blanket (4) - 2 GN
Total: 144 GN, 1 SN, 2 CN
Stuffed animals (3; cat, wolf, horse) - 3 GN
Balls (3) - 3 GN
Sets of Wooden Blocks (3) - 3 GN
Shapes and Colors (kid's book; nonfiction) - 10 GN
Funny Pirate Tails (kid's book about cat pirates; fiction) - 8 GN
Scalvoris: The History and Language (nonfiction) - 10 GN
Total: 181 GN, 1 SN, 2 CN
Hair Brush (4) - 8 GN
Combs (4) - 4 GN
Toothbrush (Boar Bristles) (4) - 2 GN
Toothpaste (Herb Paste) (4) - 2 SN
Child Fork (2) - 6 CN
Dinner Fork (3) - 3 SN
Dinner Knife (3) - 3 SN
Dinner Plate (8) - 1 GN, 6 SN
Cup (4) - 2 GN
Soup Bowl (4) - 4 SN
Soup Spoon - 2 CN
Total: 200 GN worth of items

Injuries

None left after Faith healed Lei'lira in thread. But Lei'lira will continue to have difficulty lactating for a few trials until the tea Faith gave her helps her to recover.

Knowledge

Skill Knowledge
Caregiving: even when unable to nurse, letting your child latch on and suckle can still help comfort them
Caregiving: being healthy yourself will allow you to care for others better
Cooking: Recipe; tea made with fennel, nettle and raspberry leaf
Medicine: an herbal tea made from fennel, nettle and raspberry leaf will help promote and encourage you producing your own milk
Medicine: when unable to nurse, letting your child latch on and suckle can help remind your body that it is still supposed to be producing milk
Medicine: lactation can fail in nursing mothers when they are unhealthy
Socialization: listening to the dreams of others
Socialization: learning about others through conversation Non Skill Knowledge

Faith: is very generous
Faith: owns Cally's

Beacon: has produce and livestock farms attached to it as well as a vineyard

Order of the Adunih: is split into two paths among the more senior members; the Path of the Body that heals the body, and the Path of the Mind which heals the mind[/tab][/tabmenu]

Faith

Points

XP:15
This cannot be used for domain magic.

Renown

N/A

Loot

- 200 GN for buying gifts for Lei'lira

Injuries

None

Knowledge

Skill Knowledge

Medicine: Herbs to improve or stimulate lactation
Medicine: When and why lactation ceases.
Socialization: Hearing about people's lives from those who know them best
Socialization: Learning about a family by chatting with them.
Surgery: Diagnosing internal bleeding can be tricky
Surgery: Internal bleeding can be fatal.
Sevrath Ability: Moseke's Light: Can heal moderate wounds
Sevrath Ability: Moseke's Light: Works on internal bleeding as well as external cuts. Non Skill Knowledge

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