[ P ] 'precious' gems

A market had opened up within Melrose for the day and Nephele was excited to engage with the merchants. Normally it fell to Kylar and their children to travel to the square to pick up odds and ends that they needed, but today she only had to step outside of her own doorstep. She was not confident in her abilities to navigate alone to make it to the merchants by herself and that made it difficult particularly since she wanted to purchase a gift for a certain special someone without her knowing. With a bounce in her step she bumped her way through the gathering crowd with awkward mumbles of apologies and knocked into a stall set up on a rock. She let out a little sigh, feeling overwhelmed by the crowd. How was she going to find anything if she didn’t know who or what she was walking into? “What’re lookin for?” a gravelly voice addressed her from her left. Her head jerked around in surprise, but she was hopeful that this was someone who could help her. “"I’m looking for a gift, but I’m having a bit of trouble," she admitted with an embarrassed smile. “Come this way,” the merchant guided her to his stall and Nephele was so happy that someone had noticed that she was in need of aid. “I have many gems. Cheap gems, just for you,” he drawled, laying out his merchandise one by one. Nephele felt each of the gem stones with her nose and was surprised by how smooth they were. She had heard gems were pretty and knew Kylar would be happy with one. Little did she know the merchant was trying to sell her pebbles and not precious gems at all.

art & table ☓ bunny

baelfire

it was his first day on the job and he was tasked with patrolling. he’d gone to the market today to do just that. he hoped his presence was not imposing, he only hoped to keep an eye out for merchants and customers alike. as he walked, he noticed a shady looking man lading a small woman toward his stall. baelfire didn’t like to assume but something about it didn’t seem quite right.

his ears flicked as he slowly meandered over, pretending to peruse another nearby stall as he listened in on the woman saying something about a gift and the man commenting on his ‘cheap gems’ he had for sale. baelfires gaze lingered on the smooth stones and he grimaced as she appeared to look over them. the more he watched her feel about them though the more he began to realize she couldn’t see them.

the fur long his nape rose and he couldn’t stop himself as he stepped up beside her. gems? these are common river stones. he growled. you should be ashamed, he added towards the merchant, who was shrinking away a bit. he wasn’t sure if he should take the bastard in or not but his crime was little more than lying. he turned to look at nephele.

what should i do with him, miss...? he asked, a little smirk forming on his lips.

@Nephele

template © bean

The hustle and bustle of the impromptu market set up within Melrose made it hard for Nephele to focus on her surroundings. She hoped the crowd would clear out soon so that she could return home with her gift for Kylar. She was just about to discuss payment for the gem stone when she felt the heat of another body standing besides her. The smell wasn't one that she recognised and until he spoke she thought he was an impatient customer wanting to see the gems too. Gems? These are common river stones. You should be ashamed. She sniffed at the stones and realised he was right. They did smell like the river. The merchant had tried to swindle her. Heat flushed through her body as with her realisation came embarrassment at how easily she was tricked. Nephele felt foolish. If she had returned home with pebbles to give to Kylar it would have been much worse. What should i do with him, miss…? The man who had stopped her making a grave mistake spoke up and her head cocked thoughtfully. "It's Nephele," she gave her name, voice quiet as she was still somewhat flustered by the whole ordeal. "Can you make him leave?" she asked softly, not wanting him to scam another vulnerable customer out of their goods.

art & table ☓ bunny

baelfire

the merchant was growing restless and baelfire could see the panic in his eyes as she spoke quietly. baelfire's smirk grew and he his gaze shifted back to the man, who was now attempting to sneak away— "i-i can see myself out. in fact the lovely lady can keep all the stones... on me!" he stammered.

before the shady wolf could get away, baelfire lunged for him, jaws wrapping around the scruff of his neck as a growl rumbled deep from within him.

a frightened yelp escaped the lying merchant and with that, baelfire released him and he began to grovel and ask for forgiveness and pardon. he sniffed and shook his head, laying flat the fur that had ruffled in his agitation. get out of here; if i catch you trying to swindle anyone else i'm bringing you in. he warned. the other wolf didn't need to be told twice and was running off before baelfire even finished talking. he rolled his eye and looked back at nephele. i'm sorry, he said, noting her dismayed look. what did you need gems for, if you don't mind me asking?

@Nephele

template © bean

Her ears folded in pity for the merchant despite the fact that he had tried to deceive her. Surely there were better ways to survive than swindling honest people? She let out a sigh, having had her mood soured by today’s events. It was embarrassing to realise that even though she had grown somewhat independent there were still times when she needed to depend on someone else, a complete stranger in this case. “Don’t hurt him,” she called after the man when she heard the merchant yelp. She couldn’t see what was happening so she was a little worried about the scammer. Nephele heard the heroic stranger commanding the scammer to leave and assumed that it was over finally. Tension caused her to tremble a little, but it was mostly adrenaline. She was ever so grateful that someone had come to her aid, a guard no less if she wasn’t mistaken by his choice of words. He apologised for… well she guessed he was apologising for the merchant, but it was hardly his fault. She owed him thanks. He owed her nothing. “No...it’s fine. I should be the one thanking you, really. Thank you so much,” she bowed her head gratefully and a sweet smile touched her dark lips. “I just wanted to get something special for my wife,” Nephele sighed. There was little chance of that happening now.

art & table ☓ bunny

baelfire

baelfire had to admire her desire not to have him harm someone who'd try to swindle her. she thanked him and while he swelled with pride at having done a good job, he dismissed it all the same. it's no bother, ma'am. he assured her. his ears then perked as she mentioned she'd wanted to get something for her wife and he felt the sudden need to help her further. she shouldn't go back to her wife empty handed!

well then we'll just have to find something good then, won't we?

he moved past her, nudging her shoulder with his nose in homes that she might follow him. he was sure they could find something decent today. not every merchant was a scumbag like that guy. as he perused the other stalls he noticed something shiny. he narrowed his eye slightly and then made a noise to indicate he might've found something.

as he meandered over, he spotted several shinier stones that the ones the other man had been 'selling' and then even a few that looked like glass. those must've come from the beach. then he spotted some shells and small furs. everything was rather pretty, but she wouldn't know so he described them to her. there's some glassy rocks here, some regular looking stones that are quite shiny and some shells. and— he had just noticed a very colorful item that had looked like a white stone until the light it. it sparkled some brilliant pastel blues, pinks and greens.

there's a very pretty stone here, i'm not sure it's a stone at all thought. he described it to her without knowing he was talking about an opal. the merchant was tending to someone else so therefore it was up to them to guess in the moment.

@Nephele

template © bean

Although she was relieved the soldier had stopped to help her she was feeling a little helpless on how to proceed. Nephele didn’t want to return without a gift as doing so would mean she was a failure. It was such a simple task, but without eyes it left her vulnerable to criminals even so close to her home. It was shocking how people could trick someone without hesitation. She realised that the opposite was also true. People helped others in need without hesitation. Just as the kindly soldier had done for her. She managed a half smile at the thought, knowing that she would have to return the favour somehow or it would bother her until she did. The soldier expressed that it wasn’t a bother and she hoped that was true. If he had other things to attend to and she was keeping him from his job that would be terrible. Surprise caused her brow to arch when he offered to help her in her search. “T-That’s very kind of you, sir,” she began to say, wanting to let him know without being rude that she didn’t want to burden him if he was busy, but he was soon nudging at her shoulder and then it was too late. She let herself be guided towards more authentic merchants, ears pricking as he described their wares to her. The shells sounded appealing, but the pretty mystery stone intrigued her. She nosed the stone and it felt unusually smooth and slippery against her snout. There was no scent of river water so she was confident this was genuine. Nephele had seeds to trade for her gift freshly extracted from their garden. She carried them in a small pouch that she could carry comfortably in her jaws and between her paws when she needed to speak. “I think I might get a few shells and the stone. What do you think?” she asked, wondering what his thoughts were on the gifts. @Baelfire

art & table ☓ bunny

baelfire

baelfire was pleased to see that she seemed to like the stone and he was hopeful that her wife would enjoy it as well. i think that's a fine idea. they'll make the perfect gifts. he said. he glanced back at the stall as the vendor was coming over to greet them and he laid eyes on strange shaped rock. it looked like a crescent moon and it was as black as... well he honestly couldn't recall seeing anything that reminded him of this particular shade. "see something that interests you?" asked the vendor. he turned to look nephele, deciding to let her speak first so that she could her items and when she finished he nodded his head towards the rock he had been eyeing. maybe sorcha would like it and for some reason nephele and her unknown wife made him think of her in that moment.

once the transaction was finished, they were able to leave with their new prizes. i got this black rock for my friend... it kind of looks like the moon. he said. though he quickly realized she might not know what the moon looked like. he had no idea how long she'd been blind, or if anyone had told her about it. it's curved and so dark. i've never seen anything like it. he added. he had no idea what it was but it looked pretty neat so he hoped it was worth it. with that, he looked to nephele. do you need help getting home? he asked. he didn't want to assume and he didn't want to simply abandon her straight away, but he was sure she would like to get home and share her gifts with her wife rather than hang out with him all day.

@Nephele

template © bean

With her sense of touch she managed to locate the spare speeds she had harvested to exchange for her gifts. The shells were smooth and smelled like the ocean. It reminded her of her first home with Kylar and she hoped that it would bring her wife similar nostalgia. Nephele trusted the soldier’s appraisal of the stone that she purchased after the sea shells and tucked them inside of her little pouch. She was practically buzzing with excitement at the prospect of giving Kylar these new treasures to decorate their home. While Nephele could not appreciate aesthetic visuals she was happy for Kylar to describe how she arranged their home and the keepsakes that adorned their walls.“Thank you,” she replied to the merchant, happy to know that there were still honest traders out there. Her black ears twitched when he described the pretty stone he had acquired for his friend. She wondered if this friend was a special person to the soldier since he was giving them such a wonderful present. She didn’t know the descriptors he used to paint the visuals of the stone he had purchased, but she pretended she understood as not to bother him. “That sounds beautiful. I'm sure your friend will love it,” she replied, turning her face towards him so that he could see the bright smile upon her lips. Ever the gentleman, he asked if she would need an escort back home. She was technically already home, but the crowd confused her senses and made it impossible for her to make it back to her cottage. “Yes, please. I just need help finding my way out of the crowd,” she explained, hoping it wouldn’t trouble him too much. He had already gone above and beyond for her. “I can’t offer much as thanks, but if you ever need a healer my clinic is at my home and I would be happy to help you,” Nephele offered, hoping he would accept so that she would feel less guilty for taking up so much of his time. @Baelfire

art & table ☓ bunny

baelfire

he thought nephele was a very sweet girl; thoughtful and polite. he was still a little irritated someone had even tried to scam someone as nice as her. at least he hadn't gotten away with it.

he smiled as she commented on his own present. i hope you're right, he mused. he wasn't sure if sorcha would be interested in such things, but if she wasn't he supposed he could keep it in his den. it was pretty neat looking anyways.

baelfire nodded as she asked for help getting out of the crowd and he nodded. of course, he would take her to the edge of the market where she could get her bearings. his ears flicked as she offered her healing services in return for his kindness and help. that's more than enough, nephele. i'm sure i'll be in to visit you soon enough. not all bad guys run off as easy as that one, he said jokingly.well, we're here. i best be on my way, have a good afternoon. he said, nudging her on the shoulder with his muzzle before taking a few steps away. he didn't leave entirely until he saw her start to walk toward her home... just to make sure she was alright.

exit

@Nephele

template © bean