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Post by Avery on Nov 1, 2014 16:25:09 GMT -5
Ciara smiled as Morgaine touched her shoulder. "Oh, no need to apologize. I should have known better than to keep my purse so accessible-- I guess I thought a village like this would be too small to have much crime." She snorted. "Just promise you won't tell Lawrence? My whole life he's drilled into me situational awareness... being able to look out for myself-- especially after Mum and Dad died. He wouldn't be pleased that I fell for that." She considered. "... Literally."
With a sigh, Ciara pulled her cloak tighter around herself and gazed dourly at the marketplace before them. She wasn't much in the mood for shopping anymore... particularly since she no longer had any coin with which to purchase a gift. Oh well. Daria would understand. Neither Kidde girl ever got their hopes too high when luxuries were concerned, after all, even now. They were still just grateful for having the basics.
Looking back at Morgaine, she said, "Shall we grab a bite to eat, maybe? Between you and me, the food at the inn looked pretty um... quaint. And the mead they gave me was mostly water. But I thought I saw a tavern a few doors down?"
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Post by Shinko on Nov 1, 2014 18:49:09 GMT -5
"Deal," she said with a smile. "Besides telling Lawrence what happened would mean he'd be disappointed with me for not keeping a closer eye on you. I try not to disappoint the poor man when I can help it, he's had enough of that in his life."
Ciara suggested they look for some food, and her mentor nodded. "Sounds reasonable to me," With a smirk she added, "Though at your age you should probably not be drinking straight mead. I'd rather you walked back to he inn beside me, not draped over my shoulder."
She started to walk back out into the blustery afternoon, when a thought struck her and she turned to Ciara with a grin. "The subject of dinner just gave me an idea- you wanted to get a souvenir for Daria; why not some candy? If I know anything from growing up poor it's that you never take luxury foods like candy for granted, and if we get it in a tin from one of the local artisans it'll be a real local souvenir, one she can get use out of later. Rindfell is a mining region, so their metalworkers are some of the best in Kyth, that key seller notwithstanding. If I take the candy out of your stipend and pay for the tin myself, it can be a gift from both of us. I bet there's a merchant here with some nice pralines or licorice that would keep on the trip back."
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Post by Avery on Nov 2, 2014 0:26:24 GMT -5
Ciara breathed a sigh of relief as Morgaine promised she wouldn't tell Lawrence about the robbery-- and tried not to scowl too much when her mentor told her it was best she not be given straight mead, anyway. They'd just started to walk toward the tavern when Morgaine brought back up the subject of getting Daria a gift. Ciara smiled as the woman outlined her idea.
"I think Daria would really enjoy that," she said. "Briar's husband is always hoarding ginger candy around the house, and Daria's developed quite the sweet tooth. I don't think she's ever had licorice, though, so if we could find some, that could be nice." As they doubled back around toward the marketplace, Ciara added, "I don't even think I've had licorice, really. Or pralines for that matter. Not that I'd steal from my own sister's gift, but well... maybe we could split a bite? For luck. Woo knows we seem to need it."
As if to accentuate her point, the wind screamed, pelting snowflakes into Ara and Morgaine.
"Let's make it quick, though." Ciara shivered. "I'm pretty sure one more gust of wind, and I'm going to turn into just another icicle."
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Post by Shinko on Nov 2, 2014 22:47:30 GMT -5
Morgaine laughed, "Here's a plan; we'll pick up the candy and the tin after the job tomorrow. Maybe if I'm in a sufficiently good mood and you have been able to keep your poker face with the steward, I'll see my way to getting some treats for you as well. You can keep it though- I've never had much of a sweet tooth, I prefer cheese as a treat. But c'mon, let's get out of this muck and get something to eat." * * * * * The next day, Ciara and Morgaine arrived at the manor the third hour after dawn, as they'd agreed. Though the noble residents were likely still abed, the steward greeted them with the same frazzled demeanor he'd shown the last time they were there. No doubt he was being kept hopping getting ready for the delegation from Elacs, but that was hardly the concern of the locksmith. She allowed the man to take her to the first of the doors she was to retrofit, and as soon as he was out of earshot she tutted at the old lock she was to replace. "No wonder they want new ones- these are warded locks." She unscrewed the face of the lock and showed Ciara the mechanism on the inside. "It's got this semi-circular bars in the way to stop the wrong key from turning the unlocking mechanism. That's the idea, anyway. It's painfully easy to get the mechanism open without the proper key, just break off all of the square bits on the tip so that you're left with only the rod. A skeleton key, they call it." The old woman cracked her neck. "Welp, taking apart a lock is as good a first lesson as any- gives you an idea of how they're set up. And even if these aren't great I still get orders for them from people who can't afford better, so you'll need to know how they're constructed. Watch me take this one apart, and then you can take apart the rest while I get the components together for the replacements. Destroying every lock in the manor should give you a pretty good idea of how the warded lock is set up by the time we're finished, eh?" Morgaine chuckled, and set about unscrewing the old lock to remove it from the door without damaging said door. As she worked, she glanced at Ciara with a quirk of the eyebrow. "Did I ever tell you that Lawrence actually helped me with locksmithing? For a short while anyway. I was injured shortly before the coronation and my arm was practically unusable for four months afterwards. He essentially became my hands, doing all the delicate work I couldn't while I supervised. Can't thank him enough for it, even though the healers insisted my arm would recover I was worried I'd lose my business in the downtime."
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