• Closed • Red in tooth and claw

[Faith Augustin]

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41st Vhalar

Master was working in his workshop when she left and she had told him that she was meeting her tutor to go and collect some herbs. She wasn't entirely sure that he had heard her, but in case she was later back than she thought she would be, she had made a pie and some fresh baked bread, because one thing that could be relied on was that, the moment she walked out of the door, he got hungry.

She had arranged, on this particular trial, to meet up with her tutor Padraig. She did that because she had mentioned that she was going to collect some herbs on this trial and he had expressed that he wanted to collect some things for tinctures and other chemical pieces, so they had agreed to go together. There was strength and safety in numbers, after all. Faith wore her Marilyn skirt and blouse, both of which she knew were entirely inappropriate for going collecting herbs, but that was what Tristan had instructed her he wanted her to do this season, so she did it. She had a bag slung over her shoulder and was wearing some high heel shoes. Thankfully, she had a pair of sensible shoes in her bag, but she was not to put them on until they were out of the city itself. Of course, the collar and chain was there, an ever present reminder of her status, even if the blouse covered her brands.

She was sat, on the wall where they had agreed to meet a quarter break before the time they were due to get there. She sat, quiet and still and she was reading a book which was perched on her lap. They had agreed to meet early in the morning so that they had time to get where they needed to and back whilst it was still light and Faith was pleased at the thought of getting out of the city. She had heard of the bandit activity and all that was going on outside the city limits and so she had her long knife hidden in the bag. Her attention was taken almost entirely by the contents of the book and she was frowning in concentration. Every few moments, though, she looked up and on one of those times she spotted Padraig and jumped down from the wall. She walked up to him with a smile and, inevitably, dropped a curtsy "Good trial." she said, storing her book in her bag. "I brought a book which might help with identification and it seems at least that we have hit a break in the rain" the rain had been relentless and the on again- off again nature of it the last few trials was at least a bit of a relief, albeit not much of one. "Shall we?" she asked, pulling her cloak around her shoulders a little more as they prepared to leave the city and head out into the areas outside.

[Padraig]

There was safety in numbers. True enough, especially with the invasion of shadowbeasts and the havoc they'd caused, a not so distant memory. But two heads were also better than one, in the unlikely event that they got themselves turned around and lost deep in the forest and outside the gates. It wasn't of any great concern, Padraig had thought. He had plenty of good sense, and a good sense of direction. But admittedly the area surrounding Andaris was a landscape he was only just getting to know.

Besides, while his interest in herbs and plants was much more related to the fields of chemistry and alchemy, he'd picked up a few tidbits of medicinal knowledge from his student along the way. It never hurt to add to that knowledge, and in that way, the student herself had become something of a teacher. And so he'd set out from his home to meet her, but had made sure to arm himself well for the trial. His sword was slung from one hip, concealed beneath his coat, and a good knife was sheathed in his boot. Unlike Faith, Padraig wasn't early but right on time and as he neared the wall, he spied her sitting there. And a curious frown knit his brow as he approached.

"Is that what you're wearing to go traipsing around the countryside? You'll sink straight in the ground," he added, referring to the shoes in particular. And the skirt, those strange curls that he was sure could double as a fine hiding place for any sort of dangerous weapon. On the other hand, Padraig wasn't blind. Nor was he immune. There was nothing practical about her wardrobe. And yet, it didn't lack a certain appeal. Not lacking at all. "I mean, it's..." Well, he didn't know what he meant exactly, and decided to stop before he dug the hole any deeper.

"Good trial." The book would be helpful. It reminded him that he'd been meaning to visit the library at the university, but hadn't yet. "We should go, yes," he agreed, and once they'd decided which direction they'd go, it wasn't long before they left the city behind them. She was right, the rain had broken and hopefully, it would remain dry for the rest of the trial and they'd be back long before nightfall. "What is it exactly that you're looking for?" he asked.

[Faith Augustin]

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There were very few things which irritated Faith but, in the 164 trials since she had first been allowed out of the undertaker's shop and allowed to meet people other than her owner, Faith had discovered that there was one thing that annoyed her to the point that she could really grab and shake the individuals who did it. It was not an appropriate response and she did her very best to bite it down but even the disciplined young slave, who could and had endured a lot more than most, displayed a brief flash of irritation in her eyes as he asked her about her clothes. She knew that it was not acceptable to even think it, but she could not quite help but think that an appropriate response would be Yes, I thought it would be a laugh as I picked out my wardrobe. Of course, she did not say that and the brief flare of annoyance was put down so quickly that it would be more than reasonable for him to miss it. Her response was quiet and calm, measured in her tone as always "It is what I have been ordered to wear when I am outside of the house. However, I have been allowed different footwear which I can change when we are no longer in the city". It was like people thought that she was making the decision to wear these stupid hair curls and ridiculous fashions ~ they were as much a symbol of her status as the collar and chains.

But his trailed off words, totally misunderstood as they were, caused her much more usual smile to return to her face and she adjusted her bag as she finished the sentence for him "Ridiculous? Ludicrous? Hideous? Entirely inappropriate and serving only to make me look foolish? Yes, I know" she shrugged slightly and held up the delicate chain which connected to the collar around her neck. "It is like blaming the teapot for the hideous nature of the teacosy placed over it. This particular teapot is well aware, but equally as powerless as the next teapot" she grinned in a mischievous manner and walked with him. Once they were out of the city and on the rougher roads, she quickly kicked off her shoes and pulled a pair of flat pumps from her bag, which she pulled on with a relieved smile, much rathering to have foot shaped shoes than shoe shaped feet.

But they made their way and she explained that she was looking for cuttings and maybe some seeds of familiar things, anything that they could take back and she could use whilst knowing what it was. Herbs for cooking, for salves and so on. But also, she wanted to maybe find some new things too. "Like mint. According to that book there are many many different varieties of mint, each with different uses. Some good for digestion, others antiseptic. I would love to find some and maybe grow them in pots"

It took them some time but after a while, they reached the edge of the woodland to the south and east of the city. Faith, it seemed, was quite happy to chat while they walked or was equally content with silence. She left the choice up to him without ever saying so. The woods themselves were the sort which grew quickly thick and dense and so they would need to keep a careful sense of direction. But inside the woods there were, undoubtedly, many and varied herbs and other things growing and developing which could be of use to both of them. So, it was time to veer off the road and plunge into the woodland where they could, indeed, spend a few breaks collecting herbs and other things.

[Padraig]

Had he caught sight of a brief tick of anger cross Faith's expression in response to his question? Maybe. But damned if Padraig knew for sure. He was a student of academics, not of women's quirks and shifts. At least not the subtler ones. But given his uncertainty, he'd err on the side of believing he might have offended her in some way. Her explanation seemed to make it more likely than not.

Better to smooth things over, if they were to spend the trial together, just the two of them. The analogy didn't help much. Teapots and cozies? As if she was merely an object, a possession, albeit an animated one, whose worth was judged only by her appearance and usefulness. It was what she was he guessed, from that narrow a perspective. What was it that separated them? An accident of birth? His mother could as easily have sold as abandoned him. But it remained characterization he struggled to resolve for himself, never mind she seemed content with that state of affairs. "No, not ridiculous or hideous. It's not what I meant," he said. It wasn't an unappealing look, he didn't say aloud. Nor did he speak of his observation that if it was her master that demanded she traipse through the woods like that where no one but the birds and trees would see, then in his humble opinion, her master was a buffoon.

"So we're off to hunt mint then," Padraig added by way of changing the subject, and they left the city behind them. He wouldn't mind looking for something with sedative properties. Poppy, passion flower, valerian...Mushrooms maybe. Why he wanted it he didn't say. But those things could be useful nonetheless. And in the forest when they were reached it, there were plenty of things to interest them both. Talk about those things kept him safely away from other topics that he'd come to believe might offend her. So it was all to the good. They'd left the path eventually. Because they did, and because he was no tracker or woodsman, he left behind little scraps of cloth on small branches so they might follow the markers back if necessary. And it wasn't long before they'd left the main path far behind them.

There were the usual sounds one would hear the forest. A far off babbling brook. Small birds that lighted in the trees and fluttered through the branches, a small rabbit that crossed their path, and do on. But as the trial grew longer and the patches of sunlight smaller and less frequent, Padraig paused once or twice and frowned, when something caught his attention. "Did you hear that?" The snap of a twig not far off. The faintest murmuring sounds that could have been human, or nothing at all. But they kept moving, moving in the direction of running water, from the sounds of it. And when they reached the edge of a steep ravine, and down below a fast moving and possibly deep stream, he stopped again. "Maybe we could find a way around it?"

But too late, they weren't alone and no less than four men emerged from the forest behind and to the sides of them. Nope, no ways around. Not for the two of yous," one of them said. All were large men with thick necks and thicker skulls. Filthy, coarse looking men and well armed, Padraig would note first when he turned around, his hand already drifting to the grip of his sword. Bandits, they must be, and he immediately scanned their faces in search of the brains of this operation. He quickly concluded that there wasn't one. The smarts they had collectively were probably outnumbered by their missing and rotting teeth. And there were a lot of those, displayed by their leers. But they were armed, all of them, and seemed at ease with their weapons.

Instinctively Padraig shifted to put himself between Faith and them. "We're not worth your trouble," he said. "We don't have anything of value." The larger of the bunch, probably the leader, eyed Faith pointedly and spit a thick brown liquid on the ground. "I'd say you've got something worth plenty, mister. You got good taste." The way he and the others were leering at Faith, it was plainer than the trial, what they were thinking. "I wouldn't mind a taste o' that," another drawled and the others guffawed in response. "and lookie there boys, she's got a fancy trinket we can remember her by, when we've had our fill." Thus began the debate among them about who rated first go, and who rated seconds or thirds.

There was no question, where this was going and considering there were four, and better armed, probably more skilled, Padraig's mind raced till he came to an inescapable conclusion. While they were engaged in thickheaded debate, he whispered to Faith, "There's too many. How are your tumbling and swimming skills?" A quick jerk of his chin towards the ravine, their only apparent escape route, made his meaning fairly clear.

[Faith Augustin]

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"Mint hunting is an ancient and venerable sport. I believe there may have been entire tournaments devoted to it in the past, you know" she smiled at him with a gleam of humour in her expression. She raised an eyebrow and sighed slightly, as they walked, she might as well get this over with, she considered. "I spoke to my owner, as I said I would" and his response was probably already evident as she wondered just how to say this to Padraig without it making him think worse of Tristan. "I asked my owner if I would be permitted to call you by your name, and he said no. I asked then about calling you Pad or Paddy, as you suggested and he has very clearly instructed that I must call you Mister Padraig and nothing else." she was awkward as she spoke and she could not quite put her finger on why that might be so. At the end of the trial Master had said that she must call him it and she should not be even a little hesitant. And yet, she did not want to say this and did not want it to be true, although she could not put her finger on why that was "I am sorry, I really am" she added, her voice showing her upset at what she was telling him. "He said that his answer to me is clear but that if you wish to ask him if I may call you by your name then you are welcome to ask him" she didn't think that was going to go down well with Padraig, but she spoke as instructed.

And for all that it was awkward, the moment passed and they made their way into the forest itself. There was plenty of mint, of differing varieties, some other herbs and a number of different varieties of mushrooms. She had found a small patch of poppies which she had shown to him, and he had found some unidentifiable herb which the book had told her was yarrow. She was quite delighted with this and she was kneeling on the ground next to a particularly large tree. "Look! I think it's some kind of ...." but what it was some kind of was lost to the annals of history as he asked if she heard a noise and she stopped and listened, then nodded. She did, indeed and she stood, quickly, looking at him nervously. There was no argument from her, they kept moving and then, they came to the ravine and the stream. "I think it might be best to... Oh"

But then, four of them emerged from the woods and Faith knew that she couldn't fight the four of them with her hands against their weapons and so on, because they were big, burly and they had large weapons, too. Padraig stepped in front of her and Faith had a moment of confusion at that, why was he doing that? It was not the kind of behaviour that she was used to and she put her hand on his arm, as though to pull him out of the way, but she stopped and just kept her hand there, as he spoke. There was a conversation between Padraig and the men and the men obviously had different ideas that involved her. A taste of that? She stepped closer to Padraig and she whispered to him "I.. I can't. I don't want to do that." She sounded, because she was, afraid and for the briefest moment she was afraid that he might just push her forward and give her to them. But he didn't and, in fact, he asked her about her tumbling and swimming skills. "None at all. I've never swum. Will you help me?" she whispered and grabbed ahold of his hand. "Now?" she asked and, when he gave her the signal with a tug of her hand, they moved. The men there turned but they really didn't move fast enough to do anything as the pair of them turned and ran to the ravine. There were shouts behind them but there really wasn't enough time as long as the pair of them ran quickly.

And run quickly they did, reaching the ravine and then, they jumped. The water was cold and deep, tugging the two of them and Faith felt her body immerse in the shock of the cold water. She totally lost any sense of which was up and which way was down as the water engulfed them and she just kept ahold of his hand for as long as she could. As the water swirled them and rushed the pair of them down the stream they got battered, bruised and flung around, hitting against the rocks, her hand very quickly pulling out of his as they were twisted around and buffeted left and right. Quickly, although it did not feel like it, they were deposited, lungs full of water, on the side of the river in the middle of the forest and Immortals knows where in terms of location. Faith was on her knees, coughing up water and completely bedraggled. She had a cut on her forehead and she turned around looking to see where he was.

"Are you... Oh, Immortals, are you alright?" she asked, moving over to him, to make sure that he was not hurt "You've cut your face. Let me see. Oh, I am so sorry" she said and then looked around and asked, with a genuine expression of surprise "Do you have any idea where we are?" she wondered, checking the cut he had and tutting at it, but realising as she did that her bag had been pulled from her, she had no equipment and no anything and she said, as though it made any sense "I've lost my high heel shoes."

As to where they were? The forest was thick and dense, the sunlight was fading and if Padraig was able to pinpoint their location it seemed to be roughly the middle of nowhere.

[Padraig]

So death by drowning or by sword and fist? It probably wasn't the best time to tell her he couldn't swim either. Padraig glanced back at the brutes who'd resorted to drawing lots, to decide who had first go at Faith. He figured he could take one, maybe two of them if he was lucky. Faith might too. But it was a fight they'd eventually lose. Drowning it was then.

Now, yes. He squeezed her hand and she dragged them both over the edge of the steep ravine. Whatever the bandits were shouting as they went, was lost to all the tumbling and foliage tearing at flesh and clothing before the both of them plunged into the fast moving water. The shock took his breath away, even as the current pulled him swiftly down stream and he quickly lost hold of Faith's hand as he collided against or glanced off one large stone and then another. At some point, a patch of swirling water got hold of him and pulled him over, churning him round and round and threatening to drown him. It was only when Padraig stopped fighting and let him take it where it would, that it finally spat him out again. But by the time he was finally deposited on shore, he'd swallowed as much water as he'd tread.

It took some time to catch his breath, to heave up the excess water, and he caught sight of Faith just about the time she stumbled her way to him. "I'm alright," he said as soon as he was able to sit up and take an accounting. A cut? "It's nothing," he told her. Bruised ribs, a banged up knee maybe. "You?" She had a cut on her forehead but it didn't look like a deep one.

But still Padraig hadn't lost his sense of humor, such as it was. "That's a shame isn't it?" he said bluntly. Those ridiculous shoes. But to be honest the smile that accompanied the remark wasn't born of amusement, but of the realization that they were both still alive and whole. He sat up then and looked around them, frowning deeply. "I'm not sure," he said, and by the immortals it was cold, and wet. "I'm not sure how far the stream carried us before dumping us out. But it's done it on the opposite bank from where we went in."

He dragged himself up off the ground and offered her his hand to help her up the bank. In the forest where the trees were thick and tall, there was no horizon. It meant that the appearance of dusk could last a lot longer than out in the open. But it would be dark sooner than they'd like, nonetheless. He needed to get her safely home to her master. Padraig didn't need to say it but once darkness fell, he thought it would be far more dangerous being out and about, than staying put. "If they bother to look for us, they'll look downstream. If we head back upstream instead, we might find a place shallow enough to cross again, and we can find our way from there?"

As they went, one way or the other, he couldn't help but remember something she'd said before. Whispered really. "What you said back there. Did you really think I would give you to them? I wouldn't have. I hadn't even considered it." It was enough said. But the reality was, if he had been the type of man to offer her up to save himself, it would have gained him nothing at all. Those men, Padraig believed, would never have let him walk away. They'd have killed him first, or killed him last. And her? No matter how long they'd kept her for themselves, they'd have killed her eventually or sold her once they'd had their fill.

[Faith Augustin]

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Had she known that he couldn't swim either, her answer would have been very different. The thought of putting him in danger because of her would not have been something that she could live with. It would fundamentally go against every trill of training she had ever had and she most certainly would have put herself forward rather than have him risk his life by flinging himself into a fast moving and, as it turned out, deep stream. But she assumed that, since he asked, he could swim and perform all the acrobatics necessary as they ran and then jumped, she had no idea and so the lunatic plan seemed like the best one, in that moment.

But kneeling there on the shore where they had been deposited, Faith realised that, looking at him he looked about as worse for wear as she almost certainly did. "I am fine. I think I drunk most of the water." She dismissed his concern for her and tried to fuss over his cut as much as he would allow - which was really not very much. But when he held out a hand, she took it and pulled herself up. Her outfit was ruined, she considered and she smiled slightly and lifted a hand to her hair. "Shoes gone, hair ruined. Oh my" she smiled, trying to maintain a sense of humour although she undid her cloak which was half throttling her with the weight of it, so sodden with water was it. But, he suggested going upstream and what he said made sense. She nodded her head and started to walk with him "How long till dusk, do you think?" she wondered, already starting to shiver in the cool air. "If it gets dark, we will need to deal with it. Have you any skills or knowledge which might help? I have none" she was her usual quiet and serious self as she wondered that. "Should we start keeping an eye out for bits of broken branches which might be helpful if that happens?" it made sense to her, but equally she did not want to waste time if they did not need to.

Just as she said it, there was a deep rumble of thunder and the heavy drops of rain started to fall, not even the thick tree cover stopping them from falling on the two lost travellers. Faith looked at Padraig and she could not help but sigh a slight sigh as she held her hand out, capturing a rain drop which splashed on to her palm. "At least we will not get more soaked through, even if we will not get dry" she smiled and tried to maintain a sense of positivity. There was no point to anything else, after all.

At his question, though, the shivering young slave stopped in her tracks, just for a trill. She almost stumbled, in fact, but caught herself and then continued walking. She was quiet, not replying for a moment as the thunder rumbled and the lightening flashed around them, the woods growing deeper and signs of a way out seeming less likely by the moment. Then, she spoke in response. "I should not have said what I did. If giving me to them would have saved you, then I should have volunteered. If it would have worked, that is what I should have done, or so I have been taught all my life. But my current owner has told me that I must do my best to not let anyone hurt me. It is confusing if I am honest, but nonetheless, I am sorry if my words offended you. I did not mean them to. My last owner would have given me to them so that he could escape, my current owner?" she thought about it and shrugged slightly "He would not want to, but he would not want to die, either. And he can not swim, as far as I know, so would have had a difficult choice to make. But for all that he would not want to, for all that he treats me well, he never forgets that he paid money for me and could replace me with money if he chose to or needed to." She certainly never forgot that either and she looked at Padraig with a slight smile which was the upshot of a whole range of emotions, far too complex for her to comprehend "It is not my place, and I should not feel it, but I am grateful to you for not even considering it. Thank you"

They walked, it grew darker and the storm grew worse. Faith was nervous and she tried her best to hide it, but the simple truth was it was getting less and less likely that they were getting out of here. She was shivering now and she had no doubt that he was just as cold. "Do you think we should try and build a camp of some kind?" she asked, aware that her teeth were starting to chatter. "I brought food, but I seem to have left it behind, in the river" she tried to quip but she was afraid and concerned that she was not going to be able to keep the free man she was with safe.

The thunderstorm raged above them and as they continued darkness fell, enveloping them. "If we can start a fire, make a camp, I can try and dry this cloak and create a bed, maybe. I think if we can it would be a good idea to try?" she would, of course, go with what ever he decided but as they both were freezing, soaking and hungry, footsore and cut and bruised she really didn't think that now was the time to go traipsing around in the darkness where a trip and broken ankle might be the least of their worries.

[Padraig]

"Few to none,"[/b] Padraig admitted when she asked about the extent of his wilderness survival skills. "Except," he added as an afterthought, after they'd begun picking their way upstream. "I'm able to identify poisonous plants and berries fairly accurately." Which might be helpful he guessed should they stumble across anything that seemed edible. It appeared the food she'd brought had gone the way of her shoes. His feet made a squishing sound in his soggy boots with each step, and wool coats might be nice for cold weather when it was dry out. But waterlogged from a dunk in the river? Not so much. He shrugged out of the thing and considered the time of the trial. "It's hard to say. It may appear to be dusk here in the forest long before the reality of it." Which meant of course that it would grow dark sooner.

The only fires he'd started before had been in a hearth or a stove. Out in the open, he might manage eventually. And then a fat raindrop hit his brow, broke apart and dribbled down into his right eye as if to mock him for even considering it. The twigs wouldn't do them much good if the weather didn't get any better, but nonetheless he picked up a few twigs on the way while eyeing the creek for a likely crossing point. He'd failed thus far to find one. "No, you shouldn't have volunteered," he argued, but let her make her point anyway. Padraig wasn't ignorant to the ways of the world. And he wasn't nearly enough of an idealist, at all, to not realize that there were men who would have offered her up in an attempt to save themselves. He just didn't happen to be one of them. "You're welcome, and I can't swim either," he said without turning back to look at her, so she'd miss the slight grin that was there, and then gone again.

So on they went. The trial grew longer, the skies darker and it began to rain in earnest. It was as if the sky noticed thier misery, took a mischievous whim and opened up to dump a torrent down on them both. It was then that Padraig suggested that they might want to spend what energy they had on finding some kind of shelter for the night. It was unlikely at this point that they'd find a safe crossing before darkness. And so away from the creek, he thought, up the side of the ravine and as they traveled deeper into the forest the foliage grew thicker and there as a thick, albeit wet, mattress of old fallen leaves and pine needles carpeting the ground they walked on. "I'd say we won't be building a fire..." But as he dragged his feet through the thick leaves and needles, some that hadn't been moved in quite some time, he noticed that the ground underneath them was dry, in spite of the rain. It was only the top few layers in fact, that were wet.

It appeared then that the leaves were acting as a shield against the rain, and as an insulator against the cold most likely. And so he suggested that there, at the base of a tree where the branches kept away some of the downpour, they might pile up enough leaves, needles and branches to create a large mound around and over themselves. It wasn't a tent or a dry cozy cave. But if they were to bury themselves in that way, their own body heat coupled with the insulating organic matter could keep them relatively warm. And even if it didn't dry them off, at least they wouldn't get any wetter? They could weather the night in that way, and once morning had come they could go in search of a way home again.

[Rumour]

Name: Faith

Knowledge:
Location: Hang Wood Forest
Padraig: Can identify poisonous plants in Andaris
Pet Peeve: People who comment on your attire
Tristan’s Orders: Padraig must be referred to as “Mister Padraig”
Logistics: How to prepare for a day trip
Tactics: There is safety in numbers
Rhetoric: How to use an analogy to make a point
Medicine: The many uses of mint leaves
Swimming: Be cautious when swimming in rough water
Navigation (Land): Follow the direction of the river
Philosophy: A positive attitude goes a long way

Loot: Please remove the high heeled shoes from your inventory, as they have been lost in the forest. Your book has been lost in the river. Please have Tristan deduct -10gn for the cost of its replacement.
Injuries: A shallow cut on your forehead that will take 3 trials to heal. You’ve also received an assortment of bruises along your body that will take 10-14 trials to fully heal. When you return to town, you will fall sick with a cold that lasts several trials thanks to the cold, water, and rain you’ve endured.
Fame: +2 for purchasing and being seen wearing the Marilyn skirt

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5

- - -

Name: Padraig

Knowledge:
Location: Hang Wood Forest
Faith: Instructed to refer to you as Mister Padraig
Faith’s Master: A buffoon
Faith’s Master: Treats her well, but considers her a possession
Tactics: There is safety in numbers
Tactics: The importance of identifying the opposing group’s leader
Medicine: The many uses of mint leaves
Philosophy: The difference between a slave and a free man is minimal
Philosophy: A slave is considered a possession
Navigation (Land): Leave markers to identify a clear path
Navigation (Land): Follow the direction of the river
Detection: Be cautious of sounds that seem unexpected or unfamiliar
Leadership: A good leader protects his allies
Swimming: Be cautious when swimming in rough water
Field Craft: How to build a makeshift tent from leaves and branches

Loot: N/A
Injuries: A shallow cut on your cheek that will take 3 trials to heal. You’ve also received an assortment of bruises along your body that will take 10-14 trials to fully heal. When you return to town, you will fall sick with a cold that lasts several trials thanks to the cold, water, and rain you’ve endured.
Fame: +1 good deed for not handing Faith over to the bandits

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5

- - -

Comments: Oh, what a fun thread! Action, adventure, and the continuation of a great relationship between Faith and Padraig. I like their interactions with one another, their miscommunications and misunderstandings, and the respect and friendship that is growing between them.

Faith, there were a number of moments where you made me laugh, particularly the teapot metaphor and when Faith thought that she would much rather "have foot shaped shoes than shoe shaped feet." Ha!

Padraig, I loved your character's reaction to Faith's outfit. It had both an element of logic to it (those shoes?) and an element of emotion (girl looks good!). Nicely played! I also enjoy his considerations of Faith as a slave, especially his thoughts on her master.

Well done, you two. I really enjoyed reading this thread, and I look forward to Part II!

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. Thanks!