An uneventful shopping trip.

[Faith Augustin]

17th Saun, 718

"I think it was sensible leaving the babies at home. It seems to me that people are very warm," Faith said, her hand in his cool and his clothes, of course, keeping him such too. Looking at him, she smiled. "The house is beautiful. I mean, it's madness right now and there are boxes on the boxes, but we'll get it under control." With the slight twinkle in her eye which he knew meant she was teasing, she added, "I'm very good at organising things, you know."

It would be completely not a surprise to him to realise that Faith had no real clue where they were going. She knew where they needed to get to and if she used her memory, she could follow routes she'd been on before, but they'd never walked down this street and so she was lost. That was fine, Padraig seemed to know where they were. He looked better already, Faith thought. Tired, but in a different way. In a more relaxed way. She looked up at him and her gaze was earnest. "Thank you. For knowing what to do," she said, quiet but firm.

She'd bought a shop, it would serve as the store front which brought in money for Isonomia here, she told him. They'd both been part of it since the beginning and he knew that she was going to do that, but she'd also recognised that she needed to make some changes. "It's going to be a clothier, tailor - it will open at the eighth bell in the morning and it will close at the sixth at night. I'll be there, once settled, from the ninth to the fifth and then I come home." Looking at Padraig, she was serious when she said, "I promise you. No getting pulled into things and, besides. I have these." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small, heavy bag which made a lot of clanking noise as she handed it to him.

Should he look inside, there were marbles. Small, glass marbles.

"They're mine," she said, solemnly. "I have a bit of a tendency to lose them, though. Sometimes." She knew it was a strange thing, but there it was. "And you stop them from getting lost. I've come to the conclusion that you take better care of them than I do." She grinned at him and shrugged slightly. "It sounded wittier in my head." With a rueful expression, she said that she wanted to make sure that the same thing didn't happen here as had in Scalvoris, where they had been like ships passing each other in the night. So, she was going to have the shop which sold exclusive clothes at much more reasonable times of the trial. That also meant no farm or vineyard. No village of Beacon, either, as she'd put the money into the faction and the faction would work with the Thunder Priestesses and the Order. There were already people here doing good things, they could help.

The market here was amazing and Faith's eyes lit with delight at it. The sounds and smells were at once familiar and new and there was just so many people. She looked at him as the Azurewind Market was laid out before them and her expression was almost child like. "Where shall we start?"

[Padraig]

"And the best part about it?" Padraig quipped as they walked along, hand in hand. The house, he meant and he grinned. "It's got a tower. My tower," he teased, "where I plan to conduct experiments that are both madness and genius wrapped up together." Or at least he liked to think so. It was a wonderful house, surrounded by a lot of open land, surrounded by privacy and an inspiring view of the lake. They hardly could have done better and he'd worried about that, considering how much he'd liked the house back on Scalvoris. The one perched on a tall column of rock so close to the sky that it seemed as if you could reach out and trace the stars with a fingertip. This new place though rivaled that one.

And it was more than warm. The heat of Saun had descended on Idalos as if it had been a wave just waiting to burst through its dam. But her? "You're as cool as a cucumber. And me too by association." Which was a good thing. He wouldn't have been as eager to be out and about, was it not the case. He had a good sense of direction however and knew where they were going. In fact he'd been there before. But when she thanked him, Padraig knew what she meant and he squeezed her hand. "You can thank my grandfather too. He was the one that put the idea in my head though I didn't know why just then."

Her plans for the shop sounded ambitious, but also impressive. A wonderful motive of course went hand in hand with the plan and of course, it was Faith from top to bottom. Padraig wouldn't have expected anything else from her. He was about to remind her however that they'd both resolved to work less and to take more time for themselves and the children, when she handed him a sack of...Marbles? He was a scientist after all. So it wasn't unusual for that sort of thing to pass him by, and his confused expression told the tale. But a trill later, he grinned and snorted amusement. "I'll keep these safe," he said, weighing them in his hand and still smiling. "You can be sure of it."

So there at the market then, where did they start? The place was impressive. He figured that anything they might want or dream up could be found here. "I might like to find some things, ingredients to stock my alchemy lab with," Padraig suggested, as he prepared to drop the sack of marbles into his sack. But before he could, someone passing close by collided with him and bumped his shoulder. A man whose smell would probably precede him and follow him too, and was dressed so poorly that he stuck out like a sore thumb in the market. "S'cuse me sir, clumsy of me," the man said.

And Padraig was about to say no trouble, except that the man was already moving away much faster than the scholar would have expected. But only after he'd snatched the sack to take with him. "Hey! Come back here!" Padraig shouted, and then glanced at Faith before turning back to try and track the man's retreat. Not an easy trick in the middle of a crowd. "I've lost them already. That man," he said when he caught another glimpse. "He's getting away with your marbles." The suggestion was clear. No, it wasn't a sackful of gold nels. Or jewels, or any rare and expensive baubles. It was the principle of the thing. They needed to get them back.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith looked up at him with a mischievous gaze. "The tower is the best part?" She rolled her eyes and said no more, simply walked with him. That there would be experiments going on up there, she did not doubt. "If it's your tower," she considered, her lips lifting in a smile, "is your wife allowed in there? May I put my feet upon the steps?" She squeezed his hand and her expression showed her contentment. "You will make wonders in there, I have no doubt." The house was wonderful, she already loved it and besides? "You are allowed a tower of your own just for the fact that I don't have to walk across that bridge any more." In light of that fact, she told him seriously, he could have three towers, if he wished it. Of course, that was true no matter what but that wasn't the point.

He was right, it was warm - but the pair of them were cool and comfortable and that was what was important. He squeezed her hand when she thanked him, but Faith meant it completely. She had felt trapped, unsure of how to go forward and he had known just what to do. "I wish he hadn't seen what he did," she said, of Cyrus. It had been upsetting for him and she had no wish to upset him at all, she explained most earnestly. "Have you told him that you know?" Cyrus didn't like keeping secrets from him, she said and she was very grateful to him for having done so. She needed to be able to tell him what had happened, but finding or making the time had been tricky - then, of course, the longer it went on the more tricky it became. So, she'd been glad to blurt it out to him, finally. It helped on a personal level and also, it had led them here.

When she spoke of the shop, he was supportive and immediately so, but Faith knew that he had a niggling worry about her working too hard and so she was quick to reassure him as much as she could. But Faith was all about facts, she had always been in a way and so she wanted something tangible in order to show him that she meant it. "I know you'd never stop me doing what I want, nor would you ask me not to do something, but I can lose perspective." Earnest silver and ruby eyes looked at him. "If I ever start to lose them, just remind me you have them." It would be enough, she promised him. Enough to make her stop and think and that was what she needed. He'd take care of them? She didn't doubt it and she told him so, her hand in his squeezing gently.

The market, though, that was really impressive and Faith nodded her head. "Alchemy and bakery, chocolate and so on - they go together well. Also, I was wondering if you'd help me with some drapes for the shop. Natural light and privacy." Something which gave out sunlight-like light, she meant, yet afforded the person in the cubicle, for example, privacy while they got changed.

Then, though, a man bumped into Padraig and Faith frowned as he did so. "Are you alright?" Faith asked, but Padraig shouted and then spoke and she raised an eyebrow. "He stole my marbles? I am not to be blamed if you let them loose, you know!" Of all things, Faith jumped where she was standing, but she was just too short to see over the heads of the people in the crowd. "Padraig, can you see him? He might take people's money and all sorts!" They had to do something, after all. Faith couldn't see him at all but Padraig, from his higher vantage point saw another group, a little way away, starting to create a fuss as they realised that they had been pickpocketed. "We have to get him. Can you see him?"

[Padraig]

"Next to you and the children being there, of course," Padraig said with a grin, and a quick kiss as they walked, and she wondered about the tower in fact being the best thing. "and Cyrus and Katie, and Luna...but you know," he added. "It's definitely up there." The research he could conduct up in that tower after all. The skies were as dark there at the edge of the lake and with five open acres around them, as they'd been back at their previous home in Scalvoris.

And she was right. No bridge. In fact, once he'd stood back and looked at the situation, perhaps a home and garden high on a rock spire over the ocean and the rocks that it crashed against trial and night, hadn't been the best choice for raising two children who'd soon be toddling. Every adult within miles would have been a nervous wreck, worrying that one might just toddle off and out of sight for a couple of trills.

"Cyrus knows," he confirmed. Cyrus knew that Padraig knew, that was, and they'd come to a silent agreement not to speak of it. It never really needed saying. On those grounds, Padraig and his grandfather understood each other perfectly. But drapes? The suggestion brought a curious frown to Padraig's face. But then thinking about, he realized the request made some sense. "For dressing rooms?" he asked and then smiled. "That could definitely be arranged, and easily too."

But then? Then he'd gone and lost his, or rather her marbles. And to a purse snatch of all things. The man hadn't even stopped long enough to realize that it wasn't a sackful of coins that he'd taken. "We'll get them back," he promised while scanning the crowd in the direction the man had fled. It wasn't easy, the market was crowded and he thought he'd lost the thief until a tussle broke out. "There," he said, and took Faith's hand to pull her along through the gap that he opened up in the crowd.

The thief was busy, picking up more prizes along the way, but Padraig was able to track him to a corner of the market where a narrow alley opened up. "There," he said, stopping and pointing in the direction of the alley. "I think he's slipped through the alley."

[Faith Augustin]

It was a fine tower, she said, and she understood that, of the house itself it was the best part for him. "Good recovery, Professor," she said, a smile lighting her face as she did. He loved the tower and Faith could understand why. It allowed him the sort of view of the night sky that rivaled that in Scalvoris, without the bridge. As the twins grew, already half an arc old, Madison was chattering away and making all sorts of noises which sounded to be right on the verge of speech. Noah, though, he was determinedly crawling, although at the moment it was more a case of him dragging himself along on his bottom. What delighted Faith was that they had this strange tendency to sit together - both of them were now sitting unaided and while Madison "talked" to Noah, he nodded and made the odd noise. She'd realised, just this morning she told Padraig, that they were copying Cyrus and Katie. Noah was making the slight noises of acknowledgement and Madison even had the cadence of Katie's speech right. They were, she said, quite the cleverest children on Idalos.

In truth, she was rather glad that they didn't have to raise toddlers while living on a sticking up lump of rock surrounded by rocks and water and accessed via a deathtrap disguised as a bridge she told him with a slight smile. But they would have made it work. This house, though, it was perfect for them. All of them.

Cyrus knew? That was good. Faith had no need or wish to speak of it. It was strange, she supposed, but she'd had to tell him. He had to know - and if she needed to speak of it, she would. If he did, he would. But there was no need to pick at it, it simply wasn't their way together. Now that he knew, they could discuss it as they wished or wanted or needed. Which mostly meant not at all - but they could not have secrets between them. They may not pick apart every little thing, but they had nothing unsaid.

However, their communication in this instance was cut short by a man stealing her marbles straight out of Padraig's hands. Faith tried, utterly unsuccessfully, to find him by jumping up and down, but she still couldn't see over people's heads. Still, he saw the man and he grabbed hold of her hand. She held on firmly to him and as he strode she jogged along. "I've only got little legs you know!" But she kept up and when he stopped and motioned to the alleyway, Faith nodded, firmly. "Come on then. We have to apprehend him."

There was no doubting it, in Faith's mind. They didn't have time or ability to go and get the Knights, so they'd need to go and sort the robber out themselves. "My marbles are that way," she said, firmly. As they made their way, there was indeed the man in question, leaning against a wall and counting out coins from a coin purse which he had obviously snatched either before or - more likely - after. Faith's marbles were dropped on the floor, the contents spilled out. As the two of them moved towards the alley, the man turned and smiled. Not a pleasant expression. He was a scruffy, fleabitten looking man and his grin revealed a number of missing teeth. There was a glint of metal in his grip, but that was mostly hidden by his baggy, grubby top.

"Too much trouble fer gentle folks like you," he said in a sneering, contemptuous voice. "Get lost."

[Padraig]

There was no question that the twins were getting bigger, more active, more alert and upright and both of them, growing into their personalities more with each passing trial. It was a wonder to behold, no denying. But also a challenge keeping up with them. Faith and Padraig had plenty of help, and yet the pint-sized pair had a penchant for wearing every one of them out. The sprawling land surrounding their new home was a good thing. More to explore, more space to roam and run and maybe, just maybe, burn off some of that excess energy.

But no, Padraig had no need to talk about what had happened before. Once he'd learned of it, and they'd discussed it, that was where he'd left it. In the past. After all, the past couldn't be changed or undone, and the important thing was that Faith was there by his side. He'd drive himself mad, was he to fix his mind on things that were past. Except for those marbles, dammit. Practically speaking, they were round and polished bits of decorative glass. No real use for them as objects other than a child's plaything. But in this case they signified something. A promise. And then of course there was the principle of the thing.

He was going to catch up with the thief and get those marbles back, Padraig resolved, and he reached behind him to take Faith's hand as he moved through the crowd in the marketplace. Shorter legs than his yes, therefore a shorter stride and he was mindful of that, even while never letting his target out of his sight. Truth was, it never occurred to him to go to the guards first, and leave them to it. In fact it was the farthest thing from Padraig's mind, considering the experiences they'd have dealing with Scalvoris' guards before coming to Rharne. An unfair comparison, perhaps, but a new city's protectors would need to prove themselves in order to undo those presumed comparisons.

And finally there the thief was, and for all intents and purposes they had him cornered. Faith's marbles were spilled out on the ground and must have been a disappointment to the filthy thief. But Padraig wanted them back. He'd have charged right in, in fact, if not for the flash of light reflecting off what was bound to be a weapon. Still though, Padraig tensed in the wake of a flash of inspiration, and knew that Faith would sense he was planning something. There was just enough light left at the head of the alley after all and in a blink, Padraig reached out and pulled a shield made of light from the air before advancing.

And from behind that shield that he held on one hand, protecting both of them, he hoped to give Faith the opportunity to act before the man could get round the shield.

[Faith Augustin]

Had she known Padraig's thought process, Faith would have been clear. There was no amount of land large enough to wear out Madison or Noah, separately and together? They were more than twice the trouble. Of course, he knew that as well as she did and just in that time since they'd got lost together hunting for a rainbow meteor they'd never found, the pair of them had made it their job to not focus on their jobs. The time at home, with each other and their children had delighted Faith, truly and she was more relaxed than she had been since before she'd been kidnapped the very first time, snatched by an Enormowl in the middle of a Scalvoris street. It wasn't really any wonder that run and get the guard was first on either of their minds.

Still, they were focused on retrieving her marbles. "I can't believe we've lost them again, you know," Faith said, just the slightest hint of accusation in her voice. However, there was no doubting the teasing behind it. "Moved me in on the first date, got me in the family way, married me and now, I've lost my marbles." She trotted slightly to keep up with him as her hand in his squeezed. "They're just things, Padraig. Not worth risking yourself over." She knew what he was like, after all. He'd go charging in like a mad man and it wasn't worth the risk over some glass spheres. Of course, she also knew that for both of them, it wasn't really about the marbles, but about the principle.

Either way, they turned a corner and there he was.

Faith's first impression was that he looked like someone who needed their help, not them chasing him. However, he had committed a crime and just because they could afford it and he hadn't stolen anything of monetary value, it didn't mean that he shouldn't be caught and pay for his crimes. Still, if his situation was what it seemed to be, then Faith would hope that there was leniency.

It was in that moment that one of her hare brained schemes was born, of course.

Padraig reached and pulled the light from around them, forming it into a shield. Faith knew, without a doubt that he did that and he did it expecting her to do something. For a brief few trill, her mind went blank and her mouth even opened to ask, but then she realised what he meant and, utilising the power granted to her by Moseke, with a prayer of thanks for it, she used the ability "Prison" and encased him in earth.

"What the?!" The thief started to panic as the earth wrapped around him and held him where he was. "Was that right?" Faith whispered, even as the would-be robber started to scream to high heaven. Which was fine, Faith thought, it would bring the guard and mean that they didn't have to.

Win-win, really.

Bending down, she quickly picked up a small marble which had rolled to her feet at the undulation of the land around them. "I got one back!" Padraig's wife whispered and she could not hide the delight in her voice.

[Padraig]

Faith was right in that it went without saying. Their children, more than separately but the two of them together, were an exhausting undertaking. Nearly, equally, maybe even more exhausting than the constant pressures he'd experienced at the university in Scalvoris. But as exhausting endeavors went, he was finding those involving their children to be far more rewarding than he could have anticipated. It was a good kind of exhaustion then, and well worth the sacrifices along the way. A full night's sleep being just one among many.

Moved in on her, on the first date? He knew she was teasing, but as they'd trailed the thief through the marketplace, ultimately to find him in the alley, Padraig had grinned and quipped, "Well now that's not how I remember it at all. Pursued me shamelessly. That was you. Right from the start." And were they just things, those marbles? Of course they were, and he could pick up another sackful of them at a local shop for a copper or two. But it wasn't the point. It was the principle.

Of course Faith has a more understanding way about her. Much of her insight into others came from the heart. Padraig knew that, even if he tended not to share it to quite the same extent. Lots of people struggled and suffered. But most of them didn't take up theft like this for a living. Therefore he saw no reason to engage in conversation with the man. To reason or anything else, and he'd pulled the shield from the air without a second thought. The effect was just as intended. The man had never expected it.

The thief's state of surprise and shock bought them precious time, during which Faith was able to step in and add her two coppers in the form of a prison of earth. Padraig grinned a little, and seeing the man was caught he lowered his shield. "Perfect," he told her while the man shrieked. What happened next could have been easily predicted. The guards in the market who were already looking for the thief due to others whose purses had been snatched, were already headed their way.

Padraig laughed when Faith picked up the lone marble, figuring that the rest were probably caught up with the thief at the moment. "We'll get the rest back when that effect clears away," he promised. And then? Well Rharne's officials would have one less thief on the streets, they could finish their shopping, and Faith would have all her marbles back.

[Oberan]

Review Rewards

Faith

Points awarded: 15

Knowledge:
Design: Planning functional and beautiful spaces
Design: Curtains for a dressing room.

Magic: No magic exp

Other: N/A


Padraig

Points awarded: 15

Knowledge:
Investigation: Following a thief
Investigation: Techniques for apprehending
Celarion: Light shield is a very useful technique in conjunction with another

Magic: No magic exp

Other: +150GN and +10 Fame for catching a thief. Also you get one bag of Faith's Marbles. Lose at your own risk!

Notes:
As always, marble-ous writing from the both of you. The chemistry between your PCs is undeniable, and the snarky dialogue is very enjoyable to read. Also bonus points for the punny premise.

PS: If a stolen item is returned later, it's not theft, it's borrowed.

Your review request is here.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to this review, feel free to PM.