In the Shops of Rharne

[Finn]

Vhalar 68, Arc 718 ~ mid-trial

The fresh ring of bell sounded like a cheerful offspring of the storm raging outside. The thunder was exploding across the sky like celebration fireworks, only ten times as chaotic and unpredictable. The heavy rain beat down on the streets of Rharne and Finn just escaped into the first entrance of what looked like a shop. He didn’t have time to see where he was headed, nor did he care. This rain caught him by surprise as he was walking through the Glass Quarter and it was too far to go to his new residence.

Crack!

Bright light flashed across the walls giving everything a surreal colouring. In that split trill, the shop he entered looked like a room full of dancing dresses lining the walls of colours so bizarre, they must have been conjured from a dream.

Rumblerumblerumble

The lightning illumination disappeared. Instead of having stepped into Emea, Finn found himself in a clothes shop. And not an ordinary one at that. One look around was enough for the priest to realize that he has found himself in a fine establishment where nel was spent on utmost quality...and some extravaganza.
In his plain, standard quality coat now soaked in rainwater; boots that were worn and maybe should be replaced before snow comes around; Finn felt out of place immediately. Fashion and he were as far apart as love-making and brawling. Although sometimes one could lead to the other anyway. Either way, this place would have been the last to enter if it was of his own choosing. He could only hope that the storm would be kind and move along so that Finn could remove himself before anyone would notice.
Thankfully, the shop was almost empty save for a few customers and two ladies who seemed to be working there. One of whom looked at Finn with curiosity.
“Don’t mind me. It’s just...raining outside. This is the first shop I saw. So…”
Perhaps taking a pity on him, the hazelnut haired woman raised her hand and with a dazzling smile shook her head.
“Oh no don’t worry. No one likes to stay outside in this weather. As long as you don’t get our items wet…” She shrugged her shoulders making the waving locks dance around her figure. “You know. You’d have to pay for them then.” She said dead-pan in the face. At that...Finn froze. He was immediately so aware of his own body, he would be able to count every single bone from toe to head. The acute self-awareness must have projected into his face because the girl laughed soon after. It was a friendly and warm sound that would chase Cylus’s bite out of anyone.
“I am sorry, I had to. It was just a joke. You don’t have to worry. We don’t do that.” The brilliant smile of innocence thawed Finn just a little and he offered a hesitant smile of his own.
“Well, you got me there on that one. Well done.” He said with a chuckle, but the 'damage' was done. He was calculating distances to the nearest racks and safe routes to move so that he'd not touch a single piece of fabric.

[Faith Augustin]

Augustin's Boutique

Walking in to the main shop from the back, Faith had swathes of fabric piled in her hands, which she put down on the counter with a slight frown. Stray ribbon, which had been precariously perched atop this fabric had dropped as she made her way out to the front of the boutique and a trail of it wafted behind her. Placing the material on the countertop, Faith took a moment to organize it and ensure that it didn't fall and then looked down and sighed as she realised that she was entirely tangled up in the ribbon. Extracting herself from it, Faith's frown changed into a slight and somewhat rueful smile as she put right the situation she had made.

Looking around the shop, she smiled, somewhat distracted it must be said and then, blinking, she did a very genuine double-take. "Finn?" Faith asked, realising that the person in the shop was, in fact, someone that she recognised. He had accompanied Ymiden when the Immortal had found Faith, giving her his blessing as she spoke to the woman who had attempted to murder her. Faith's silver eyes regarded the man and her lips lifted in a smile of recognition. "Of all the places I had thought to run into you again," she said, putting the ribbon down and making her way out from behind the counter. "My shop was not one of them. Especially not here, in Rharne." When they had met, after all, Faith had been living in Scalvoris and Finn in Ne'haer. Ymiden had brought Finn with him, when the Immortal introduced them and then placed his blessing on them both.

"I don't know if you remember me?" The short human woman regarded him with milky silver eyes as she stepped towards him and offered her hand. "We met in Scalvoris?" She did not want to presuppose that Finn would remember ~ after all, she had the benefits of a perfect memory and he, presumably, did not.

There was no doubting that Faith was pleased to see Finn. She had been more than a little overwhelmed when they'd met previously. "What are you doing in Rharne?" Faith asked, her brow raising in genuine interest. "It is a small world, is it not? We've moved here, not long since."

Gesturing around the room she gave a slightly quirked smile. "Welcome to Augustin's Boutique. A high-end, exclusive boutique, the profits from which fund charity ventures here," Faith gestured to the back of the shop, where people could go and get changed and where there was also an area where people could sit and have refreshments. "Would you like a snack and cup of tea?"

The question was asked with a smile and waited to see what he wanted to do. She was, it had to be said, more than happy to sit and chat but, then again, if he did not wish it then pressure was very much not her style.

[Finn]

Holding his coat close so it would indeed keep the clothes as dry as possible, he wasn’t expecting what would happen next. In fact, he wasn’t thinking about staying much longer, just long enough to warm up a little before heading out again into the rain and back to the apartment where he could put a fire on and not care about damaging anything.
That was when a voice which tickled the recesses of his memory. Looking up, his eyes went wide at first. Suddenly, there was this woman who he remembered all too well. Stood there. In flesh and blood. Real. Not just a construction of his mind or fantasies, but a woman who he was hoping to meet ever since the first time, trials back.
“Faith?” He said, uncertain even if his mind was screaming at him that it was her. He gave in to it. And as he did, the widest and brightest of smiles spread across his lips. Like seeing an old friend after countless arcs, the warmth of his being spread through his face, into the aged lines and weathered grey eyes.
“Neither did I!” He seconded. After all, they met in Scalvoris last time, but somehow fate brought them together here. Maybe the Immortals planned and he so hoped it was the case because this was too much of a chance meeting to happen without any influence of higher forces. Or Finn just felt this to be one of the great miracles of life. There was so much for them to talk about. So much he wanted to talk to her about. Her past, her present, herself. He never felt an instant connection like the one when Ymiden granted them both the blessing. And perhaps it was a connection born of that event, but he felt it to be a genuine one.
“This is all yours?” He then asked, incredulous, looking around one more time. She looked like a fighter, a leader. This was a surprise and it showed on his face. After all, no matter how much he felt to be on her level, he didn’t know Faith Augustine at all.
“And yes, I would love a cup if it’s not too much bother. It’s been too long since I wanted to write to you or meet you. So much to talk about.” The priest admitted and the eagerness in his eyes, the truthfulness brought some curious youth back into his features. For that moment, it was clear that every cell in his body was alive and receptive.

[Faith Augustin]

Augustin's Boutique

It did her heart good to see Finn's reaction and Faith was more than a little pleased that he remembered her. After all, it had been an important meeting for her, but one could never tell with others; though Faith's instinct was that Finn and she had shared an equally important and deeply personal experience. It meant that he was important to her in a way which she could not quite explain; mostly because she did not entirely understand it. But her beam of delight was matched by his and, for that, Faith was entirely pleased.

He looked around at the shop and asked, almost incredulously, if this was all hers and Faith smiled softly and nodded. "Augustin's boutique," she said, gesturing to him where they could go for a drink. "I'm following a business model I used on Scalvoris. The business produces high end, exclusive goods." As she said that, she motioned to a dress which stood on a mannequin. The whole thing seemed to change hue, tone and colour as he looked at it. Faith simply smiled. "The money from which is put into the charities I'm part of. Isonomia and the Order of the Adunih," she had founded one and was the head of the other here in Rharne, but Faith never saw a need to show off or any such. They were both about teamwork fundamentally, and therefore her role in them was of limited to no importance. At least in her eyes.

"We've managed to bring about some changes here, in Rharne," she explained as they sat down together. "The Order, it's an Order of healers, have you heard of it?" Faith smiled softly and shook her head. "It's so good to see you, Finn. So good." It had been a strange and somewhat surreal experience, the one they had shared and, as such, Faith felt that it was something they could both talk about. Maybe even something they both needed to. "It is the very opposite of trouble. I'm so pleased to see you."

Once she'd got them both settled down with a warm cup of tea, Faith looked at him and she smiled. "You look well. How are things?" Life, after all, was a complex and oftentimes tricky thing to navigate. She and Finn both led complicated lives, judging by the conversations they had shared in Scalvoris, in a coffee shop with the Immortal who had blessed them both. "I've thought of you, often," she said, without shame or hesitation. "And you are always in my prayers. Tell me, then," she added, with a grin. "What's been happening for you?"

[Finn]

Augustin's. Of course, Finn pieced it all together the second a piece of puzzle slotted in place. Faith was a figure in the world. News of her actions spread all over like wild fire, just less destructive. Her private life wasn't always so private. A chuckle escaped him as he realised he should have clocked it earlier. The cold didn't only bite his bones, it seemed to have lick his brain slow too.
"Of course you are," the priest nodded, eyes scanning over the items on display once more. They were stunning the first time around, but knowing now their origin, their owneress reached a new level of impressive. At such a young age...Finn felt humbled. If only he had that foresight back when he was young. But each path was different. There was no need for comparison only appreciation that their journey crossed here.
Agreeing with her words, he gladly took the seat offered. "Yes, I have heard of the Order. It's almost everywhere. You do some work in the Dust quarter right? I heard some good stuff going on there." The place was changing. Slowly but surely it would transform into something better than it was.
Offering a wide smile of appreciation then, all her sentiments reflected in it. "You know Faith, it has been almost a dream, a goal to meet you. Not only because I heard of you so much, but given our last meeting..." Finn trailed off. Not due to secrecy but because of the blatant obviousness. Sometimes silence spoke more than words.
"But I've been wanting to meet you because...Ymiden, he took me on your journey. Showed me glimpses of your past which...resonated with me." The priest mentioned, not sure if giving those details away would unsettle Faith. After all, the immortal took liberty in showing Finn events which Faith may consider private or too revealing. But the trust and connection he felt to this woman felt allowing for that moment of clear exposure. Albeit, the uncertainty of it all tugged on his brows in a slight concern. She mattered to him like a dear lover would, yet he was not infatuated nor in love. She fascinated him for her past, her present and all that her future could hold. He had urges to reach across the table, pull her in for nothing but an embrace, for the tender care her presence and their shared past provoked inside his body. It was all quite maddening and confusing all at once. So...he dropped his gaze instead. Not in piousness or shame of the turmoil inside him, but for a moment to reign his mind back under his own control.
When she admitted to think of him often too, it eased him a little, returning a smile to his face, dropping his shoulders in relaxation. He then tousled his hair, light catching Vinyza marking the strands.
"I've moved to Rharne." Obvious. So he chuckled, not really sure where to start or what to cover. "Well, things have turned south for me in Ne'haer. I got banished from the Faithful so I left that city and its religious fanaticism behind. Though I hope that maybe one day, I could return...bring about a change so that the city does not do itself more damage..." Shrugging, it was just a wishful thought at this stage. A dream that needed to mature. Perhaps Finn along with it too.
"But yes! Thanks to that, I am here. Just getting to know the city again. It's changed a lot since the last time. You know, I used to be a beggar here. It's great to see this place going forward in its stride. How long have you been settled here for then?" The cup sat comfortably in his palms. The brew steaming upwards to his nose as he considered her across the distance. Mix of feelings still stirred inside him and he did not know how to voice them. Not yet.

[Faith Augustin]

Augustin's Boutique

"Yes, we've been working in the Dust Quarter. A satellite clinic, where the people need it, when they do." She shrugged slightly, not wanting to sound like she was showing off in any way, but to her mind it was an important move which had been more than necessary. She was pleased to have been able to help ~ her inevitable starting point. Finn spoke, then, about the pair of them meeting. He explained that Ymiden had showed Finn Faith's life and she smiled slightly. Her gaze to him was calm and entirely accepting. "I suppose he thought there were lessons to learn, things to see. I'm flattered he considered such, and that you have so obviously been impacted." Briefly, the young woman looked down at her hands. Small and pale, but when she looked at them she saw her whole history, or so it felt. One of her first memories, before she remembered every moment of her life, had been of how her hands shook as she poured the wine for the owners; a young child, barely older than a toddler, her punishment for the spill had been harsh and unyielding. But it had not been the first, nor was it the last. And she remembered them all.

"When we first moved to Scalvoris, my husband and I, I didn't tell anyone that I had been a slave." Faith smiled at him, softly, lifting her eyes to meet Finn's. "Moseke healed the brands, the scars, and I just wanted to be a normal person for a while. Not a slave, or a former slave. It lasted a while." Faith shrugged slightly and then the clouds dispersed from her expression and her smile turned to a more chipper grin. "And that very much saves the awkward 'is it true you used to be a slave?' conversation doesn't it?" She watched him with interest as he dropped his gaze, as though he was contemplating something, she thought.

She didn't ask what Ymiden had shown him. In a strange way, Faith believed it to be none of her business. She raised an eyebrow, though, when he spoke of Ne'haer. "I have been there only once, during the attack of the Shadow Beasts in 716. A group of us were taken from there to Oscillus to the Tomb of Treid." It was a well known story, in fairness and for all she knew, he already knew it. "I am sorry that has happened to you." To be ejected from a group you had previously been a member of must be difficult Faith figured. Even if the feeling was mutual, of wanting to separate, it would be a blow to the ego if nothing else.

But Faith was, if nothing else, a practical woman. "If it is good work you wish to do, there is plenty of that here. Isonomia seeks to bring about a state of true political equality. Abolition of slavery, of poverty, these are what we seek. This place, it funds that. We have an alliance with the Order of the Adunih, the Lightning Knights, Thunder Priestesses and Merchants' Guild. The aim is to enact change, from the ground up." One trial, Faith promised herself Isonomia would not be needed. On that trial, she would rest. But, until then? There was miles to go. "If you wish it you are more than welcome to join, to work with us." Silver eyes regarded him without judgement ~ for she was the least qualified person to give it, after all ~ as she spoke. "One trial, no more beggars." It was a tall order, that was for sure.

As for them? "Not long. We stayed here once before, but we've just bought a house off the shores of Lake Lovalus, Padraig has a tower there. My husband is a physicist," her expression mirrored the pride in her voice. "And we both still work for the University on Scalvoris ~ tasked with outreach and spreading innovation." Shrugging slightly she grinned at Finn as she added, "And our twins will be one arc old next season. So, all in all, it's a quiet life. "

[Finn]

His shoulders dropped slightly and he leaned further back into his chair. His own smile grew gentler. There was no anger, nor upset over the fact he saw some of her past. "Yes, Faith. There were more lessons for me to learn then than in all the arcs I've been trying to reach where I am," he admitted and the oddity of it all struck him again. Here he was with a woman almost half his age. A woman who taught him more about forgiveness than he was able to learn in the decade himself. Feeling humbled was the least he could feel, realizing that.
"Yes, it certainly does." Because there was no reason for him to go over his own past. One thing he knew quite well by now was that pasts did not define them. They only shaped them in certain ways. But the ultimate paths were for them to choose - freely.
When it came to the Faithful, Finn only offered a shrug. He no longer lingered on it, even if the ache was subsiding only slowly. He loved the city. "It is what it is. One day, things will be different, I am sure of it."
Then her words made him lean forward, eyebrows raising. Insomnia. Whispers in the streets carried it to him. Well...not whispers really. Finn was just sometimes terrible at paying attention to things, making him feel and probably look out of touch with the world at times. "You know, that sounds like something I'd love to help with. Life as a beggar in the streets of Rharne is harsh. Or anywhere really. What sort of help would you need? I've only done priestly things, but during the Shadow Beast attack I fixed a fracture or two, and I can hammer a nail if needed." Maybe this could be his cause in this city? The idea of it lifted his spirits.
A chuckle then escaped him at last. "A quiet life, Faith. You wish. But it's good to see you happy and settling. Good to know the little ones are ok as well. You deserve that."

[Faith Augustin]

Augustin's Boutique

She smiled when he said there were a lot of lessons to be learned for him. With a slight smile, she considered it. "Well, that makes sense, I suppose," she said, thoughtfully. "I'm sure I'd be saying the same thing to you, had I seen your life. Every lesson you have learned, every thing which you now take for granted as part of who you are?" Faith's shoulders lifted in a shrug as she spoke, the point an important one as far as she was concerned. "They would all be new to me. Each of us has lived a life which would serve as a lesson to others, simply because we learn different ones. So it seems to me, anyhow." There was no doubt in Faith's mind that Finn's life would teach her many things. She had never been a beggar, for instance, and that experience must have changed him in ways which she could not comprehend. His experiences, to her, were immense. She got the feeling that hers were to him but, to Faith, they were simply her life.

He wanted to join with Isonomia? Faith's smile lifted in pleasure at the thought of it. He had experience in Ne'haer and all sorts. As for what he could do, Faith's hands moved in a gesture encompassing the shop. "Anything. Everything. We share skills, so you can learn anything we have to offer. The Community Center is a place where people seek help and also ask for exchange of goods and services. You'll find people needing help of all kinds in there." There was no doubting that, as far as diversity of jobs went, there was always something to do. "We undertake fund raising, visit people to bring them company, or food, sit with them while they die. Getting the place safe is vital ~ the people here are used to there being no patrols, no one caring. Visibility." It was important, too, that they were seen as part of the community, she said. When they'd first set up, the buildings had been attacked, the people setting up too. Now, it was starting to get to the point where they were accepted and that was vital. It would take a long time for many of the old insecurities and mistrusts to heal, but Faith was determined.

They also worked with the Order of the Adunih, Faith explained. Healers of the body and mind, she was a member and had managed to secure an alliance between Isonomia, the Order, and the Cathedral. "It makes sense to me. To work together, to share resources, that kind of thing. So, yes, there are many jobs to be done." Her grin quirked into one of amusement, and no small amount of self-depreciation. "We all hammer nails. There's a lot to be done and your help would be most welcome. Most welcome indeed."

Yes. Isonomia needed people like him and Faith smiled in delight. Somewhere along the line, Finn had become an important point of contact in her life and so, working with him in this way would be most excellent.

Off Topic

We done? I think so. No knowledges for me, do you want to pop it up for review?

[Korva]

Rewards!

Name: Finn

Knowledge:
Non Skill
Faith: Shop owner
Faith: Owns Augustine's Boutique
Location: Glass Quarter: Augustine's Boutique
Location: Augustine's Boutique: Shop of fancy stuff
Faith: Has children, husband and a large house
Faith: Humble

Loot: NA
Injuries: NA
Renown: 5
Magic XP: NA

Points: 15

- - -

Name: Faith

Knowledge: Let me know if you change your mind and want some knowledge!

Loot: NA
Injuries: NA
Renown: NA
Magic XP: NA

Points: 15

- - -

Comments: Whenever someone goes to Faiths shop it always seem like she makes friends more than she does business, it really showcases the way she is as a person. I think this is my first time reading Finn but he's a very quiet and introspective PC, very enjoyable, good job to you both!

If you feel I've missed anything or if you have questions about your review, please don't hesitate to send me a quick PM or ping me in Discord. Thanks!

**Made by the magnificent Kes