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Kerr Mollin sported a broad grin as he watched the hundreds of just-released butterflies work their chaos magic upon the children of Sandpoint.  Work finally complete, the acolyte of Desna cast a glance up at Father Zantus, who gave him a fatherly nod and a surreptitious shooing motion; the chief prelate was allowing his acolytes to go enjoy themselves at the festival.

Kerr looked across the wagon at Liseth Thoradin, the beautiful young woman who had arrived in Sandpoint only a week before.  They had become fast friends, working closely together on festival preparations after Father Zantus had essentially appointed her an acolyte after reading a letter of introduction from some outlander priest with whom he apparently had a long-standing friendship.

Kerr greatly hoped that this meant Liseth’s stay in Sandpoint would become at least semi-permanent.  But, for now, he was content to just enjoy her company.

“Come on, Lise!”  Kerr gave her an excited grin.  “Father Z has given us the whole day off! “  He looked abashed.  “Well, at least until the consecration.  What games do you want to play?”  He paused and took on a thoughtful expression.  “I’m not sure we should visit Das Korvut.  I wouldn’t want to show the rest of the guys up by displaying my otherworldly strength.”  The young man struck what Liseth had to believe was an intentionally-ridiculous bodybuilding pose before he grabbed her hand.  “Let’s go!”

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This message was last updated by the player at 00:56, Fri 06 Sept 2013.

Liseth couldn't remember the last time she had been so excited.  When Father Garrick had mentioned to her that she should visit Sandpoint in order to attend the consecration ceremony of the town's new cathedral, he never said anything about the whole town throwing a festival at the same time!  She couldn't help but imagine the old priest chuckling to himself right now; he had to have known about the planned celebration.  Well, Liseth certainly didn't plan on disappointing him by not having as much fun as possible.  She should get him a souvenir from one of those stalls...but first she wanted to try out some of those fun-sounding games!

After Father Zantus gave the signal at the end of his speech for Kerr and her to release the butterflies, Liseth had to stop herself from trying to grab at them with her own hands.  Instead she just stared at them in wonder, watching the beautiful swarm of tiny creatures flitter and fly all about, smiling as all of Sandpoint's children chased after them.  Ten days ago she would never have imagined that she would be able to attend, let alone participate in, such a grand festival.

She was very thankful that Father Zantus had allowed her to stay at the cathedral as one of his acolytes, and that he had introduced her to his other acolyte Kerr.  Kerr had been so friendly and kind to her in the last week that Liseth, normally shy and unassuming, felt relaxed and comfortable with him.  And since she didn't know many other people in Sandpoint yet, or even know her way around the town, Liseth was very glad that Kerr wanted to stay with her during the festival and show her around.

Liseth laughed in a high-pitched, giggling manner when Kerr struck his silly strongman pose, "But won't they all be disappointed when the champion doesn't show up to defend his title?"  She laughed again.

Then Kerr grabbed Liseth's hand to bring her towards the festival and the games.  She was excited too, but the teenage girl began to limp quite noticeably, her legs seeming to not work properly, when she had to hurry in order to keep up with him.  "Slow down!  I can't go as fast as you..."

When he did slow down, Liseth paused to catch her breath before apologizing to the other acolyte; looking down at the ground in a sheepish manner, "I'm sorry..."  She began to blush, obviously embarrassed by her own disability.

After a moment of awkward silence, Liseth finally looked back up at Kerr and smiled lightly, "Can we go to Hannah's Herb Challenge?  I know a lot about plants and herbs; I bet that I'll even be able to win it too!"

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“Disappointed?!?”  Kerr responded with mock incredulity.  “Relieved, more like!  One of them will finally have a chance to win Das Korvut’s coveted blue ribbon!”  Kerr knew there was little chance that anyone but Alergast Barett would be taking home that ribbon, but it was nice to dream a little.

And he had gotten Liseth to laugh!  He felt a warm glow in his chest.  He felt as if he could listen to her laugh forever.

The glow disappeared immediately when, in his excitement to get to the festival games, he forced Lise to limp painfully after him.  The young acolyte was mortified by his own thoughtlessness; she didn’t need to be embarrassed around him!  But he didn’t know what to say to make things better.  It was like a cold, mailed hand gripped his chest where a cheery warmth had resided only moments before.  He hoped she didn’t hate him.

The young blonde saved him, breaking the silence with a smile and asking to attend Hannah’s famous challenge.  “Of course!”  Kerr responded so immediately that they both laughed.  “It’s all the way over on the other side of town, though.  Is that okay?”  Seeing her nod, he bowed, offered her his arm, and began ambling slowly towards the harbor.

“Shall we take avenue along the waterfront, milady?”  Kerr said in his best snooty-nobleman accent.  They strolled down High Street to Water Street, talking of how well the speeches had gone and swapping stories about growing up in a religious order that only another initiate could fully appreciate.  As they meandered past the lumber mills and workshops, which were closed like all the other businesses on this Festival Day, they talked of how blue the Turandarok River was, how clear the sky was, and whether Liseth could possibly win Hannah’s celebrated Challenge.

When they finally arrived at the Herb Challenge, Kerr could tell Liseth had her work cut out for her.  The area in front of Hannah’s was crowded with people, mostly women, ready to test their knowledge of herb lore.  Many of them looked, to Kerr at least, as if Cyrdrak Drokkus himself had cast and costumed them for the role of “wise old medicine woman.”

Kerr squeezed Liseth’s hand and looked at her.  “Don’t worry about these people.  You’re the most-knowledgeable herbalist I’ve ever met; you’re going to be great!”

OOC:  Liseth, if you could give me five sequential Knowledge (Nature) Checks (i.e., numbered 1-5) in conjunction with your next post, I’d be much obliged.  Generally I do skill checks myself but this is more along the lines of (herbal) combat.  :)

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This message was last edited by the player at 08:31, Fri 30 Aug 2013.

Seeing how troubled Kerr became after he accidentally made Liseth limp after him only served to sadden the girl more and make her feel self-conscious.  It wasn't his fault that she couldn't walk the way that everyone else does...in fact nobody knew why Liseth had trouble walking.  Not even Garrick, and he was the wisest person that she knew!

But all of that faded when Kerr gave her his arm and walked slowly so that Liseth wouldn't stumble.  It reminded her of her older brother; he would always do the same thing when they were walking together.  She enjoyed the walk as the two of them slowly made their way across town, even though the road that they took had so few other people on it what with so few festival attractions there.

At one point a flock of sea birds even flew overhead; Liseth wasn't accustomed to seeing seagulls.  She had grown up away from the ocean.  She smiled and pointed up at them so that Kerr would see them too, "Look, Gozreh's favored children!"  Liseth says a small prayer to the ancient nature god, then laughs, "I bet that they're as eager for lunch to be served as everyone else at the festival.  No crumb will go unsnatched!"

When they drew close to the hut where the Herb Challenge was taking place though, Liseth got quiet and clung to Kerr's arm.  She didn't realize that there would be so many people already there.  So many older women that looked like they already knew all about herbs; even if Liseth did win the challenge, she didn't want all these people to be mad at her for it...

Nervous as she is, Liseth was happy that Kerr was there to encourage her.  She looked back at him, "Thank you."  After another moment, she finally let go of his arm and clasped her hands together, holding them down at her waist when she walked slowly up to Hannah's.

Liseth stood quietly and patiently behind the gathered crowd of contestants, waiting for her turn.  Finally, when the small girl is noticed and her turn came up, she slowly and nervously walked in to take the herb challenge.  "Hello.  My name is Liseth and I'd like to take the Festival Herb Challenge..."  She looks around, "Um...do you want me to just name them for you?"

When she started the challenge Liseth surprised even herself with how much she knew.  Most of the herbs she had seen and used before, even helped to grow, and she moved quickly between the plants, easily answering questions about them.  One of the last plants she came to is another that she quickly recognized, and Liseth was quick to give details on it as well, "That one is belladonna.  It is really toxic so you should be careful with it..."

"Oh!"  Her hands shot to her mouth as her cheeks began to turn crimson, realization of what she had just said, and who she had said it to, hitting the girl quite suddenly.  She stammered an apology, "I'm so sorry!  I didn't mean that...not that you're...I'm sorry..."  She lowered her head in embarrassment before quickly moving away from the belladonna and on to the next herbs in line; but she only mumbles her answers quietly to the last few, the roll that she was on having been quite well shattered by her faux pas.

11:16, Today: Liseth Thoradin rolled 11 using 1d20+6. Herbal Combat!  #5.
11:16, Today: Liseth Thoradin rolled 22 using 1d20+6. Herbal Combat!  #4.
11:16, Today: Liseth Thoradin rolled 26 using 1d20+6. Herbal Combat!  #3.
11:15, Today: Liseth Thoradin rolled 18 using 1d20+6. Herbal Combat!  #2.
11:15, Today: Liseth Thoradin rolled 24 using 1d20+6. Herbal Combat!  #1.

OOC: That set of rolls was a great deal higher than I was expecting.  Ended on a low note, but still!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:53, Fri 30 Aug 2013.

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Kerr looked on with concern as Liseth went to stand in line for the Herb Challenge.  He hoped she would do well; he couldn’t stand the thought of her being brokenhearted or ashamed by some sort of slipup or inability to answer a question that she thought she should know.  He knew Liseth was easily embarrassed, but he had no idea why . . . she was easily the most beautiful, fun, and knowledgeable woman he had ever known.

He couldn’t for the life of him understand why she was so hard on herself.  He supposed that this sort of thing was what Father Z was talking about earlier in the week when he told Kerr that women were a mystery.  But, although he was certainly no warrior, Kerr wasn’t the type to give up just because something was difficult.  If Liseth is a mystery, Kerr promised himself, I’ll be the detective.

Kerr forced himself to stop daydreaming and watch the competition; Liseth had made it to the front of the line.  Kerr watched as his friend walked around with Hannah, an older elven woman who had sold herbs in Sandpoint for as long as anyone could remember.  Toward the end of the walk, he saw the blonde girl blush bright crimson.  Kerr gritted his teeth; he hoped she hadn’t lost her composure because of one mistake.

Kerr watched as Liseth finished up her round with Hannah and walked dejectedly back to him, a mournful look on her face, and listened to her tale of how she had treated Hannah like some sort of delinquent student who needed extra lessons on the toxic qualities of nightshade.  As she started to walk past him up to the lunch area, Kerr put his hand on her shoulder.

“Liseth?”  He said.  “I think that was just, um, something like a qualifying round.  Too many people attend the challenge for them all to compete directly, you know?  So Hannah walks around with each prospective contestant in order to choose who is in the final tournament.  I mean, if you’re someone like Willow Sanderson, there’s no question.  But she needs to evaluate most people first.  We should probably wait for her to announce the participants?”

Sure enough, just at that moment people began to crowd around Hannah as she stood on the porch of her shop.  As Hannah began to read off a list of names, Kerr could feel Liseth gripping his arm.

“WILLOW SANDERSON.”

“BIRGIT MARSH.”

“ELANA SCARNETTI.”

The names went on, and on, and on.  But no Liseth.  She kept on gripping his arm tighter, and tighter, and tighter.  Kerr had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.  Would the Challenge go forward without Liseth even getting a chance to show what she knew?

“LISETH THORADIN,” Hannah suddenly called.  Relief washed over Kerr; he looked down to see Liseth’s beautiful smile glowing as brightly as it ever had.

“Go get ‘em, Lise!”  Kerr watched as his friend went up to Hannah and was assigned a competition partner.  Soon 16 pairs of herbalists stood in front of Hannah’s shop.  The young acolyte knew that he probably wouldn’t understand half of what was answered, much less what was asked, but he figured he could tell what was good or bad just by Liseth’s response.

The competition began.  Hannah walked down the line of paired participants, asking each couple a question, dismissing the one who was not first with the correct answer.  When she finished her stroll, sixteen contestants remained.  Including Liseth!  Hannah grouped those remaining into eight pairs, walking down the line again, asking questions.

“Hawthorn!” Liseth almost shouted, and nearly before Hannah had stopped speaking.  Hannah smiled, nodded, and dismissed Lise’s opponent.  Kerr was starting to get really excited; the line was now down to eight people, who were then grouped in four pairs.

Hannah began her walk again.

“Tea Tree Oil,” Liseth responded to Hannah’s question, and the answer got her through to the next round.  Kerr was wearing a huge grin now.  He flashed Liseth a thumbs up; she was one of the final four contestants!

Hannah paired Liseth with Birgit Marsh, one of the oldest women participating in the Challenge.  Kerr figured this would be it; no one Liseth’s age was going to be able to compete with that kind of experience.  He bounced slightly on his toes as Hannah walked up to the pair, asking her question.

“Butterbur!”  Lise had gotten the right answer again!  She would be in the final pairing with Willow Sanderson!  Kerr could hardly believe it.  He had known the young blonde was really knowledgeable about herbs, but beating Birgit Marsh to the punch was nothing short of absolutely, unbelievably incredible.

It was clear that Liseth’s success was getting to Willow Sanderson, who had no idea who this young blonde girl was or how she had obtained the knowledge necessary to make it this far in the Challenge.  Kerr saw the tension in Willow’s eyes and her determination to be first as Hannah stood on the porch behind the two herbalists and asked her question.

“Tarragon!”  Willow shouted in triumph, eliciting gasps from not a few of the onlookers.  Hannah just looked at her in astonishment.

“I’m sorry, Willow, but that’s not the correct answer.”  Hannah glanced at Liseth.  “Liseth, do you know this one?”  The blonde girl shook her head mutely.  Hannah gave a slight grimace.  “The answer is anise.”

“We will now have a tiebreaker question,” Hannah stated.  “Whoever gives the first correct answer to this question first will be this year’s Herb Challenge winner.  Are we understood?”  Both women nodded intently.  The crowd of onlookers had grown.  Kerr could hardly stand the tension.

“Are you two ready?  Good.”  Hannah took a deep breath, then asked her question.  “Which bulbous, highly volatile tuber is prone to exploding if not harvested correctly?”

OOC:  I call it “Milk Thistle Madness.”  :)   Liseth, you have one shot to beat Willow Sanderson after her nigh-incomprehensible fumble on the final question.  You can see my rolls for your opponents in the Dice Roller.  She scored a “19” on the tiebreak question.  If you score a 20 or higher on your roll you win the tournament.  If you score an 18 or lower you lose.  If you score a 19 just roll again . . . I don’t want another tiebreak, lol.  The answer to the question is “Dead Man’s Head,” by the way, should you need it for your post.

Win or lose, please end your next post up by the cathedral for lunch, if you don’t mind.  :)  Thanks!

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This message was last edited by the player at 09:17, Sat 31 Aug 2013.

It was like she was in a daze.  Everything was going so quickly now that the competition had started for real.  Liseth just kept reciting the proper answers whenever the questions were given.  She barely even felt like they were actually coming from her, but sure enough all of the other contestants kept whittling down and down until it was just her and Ms. Sanderson left.  Liseth couldn't believe that she had made it all the way to the final round!

When the final question came, Liseth knew that she was stumped; but she was happy just to have made it all the way into second place for the competition.  Then Ms. Sanderson gave her answer too quickly, and actually got it wrong!  Liseth couldn't believe it, she was sure that the older woman would win the competition; after all, she was under the impression that Ms. Sanderson was accustomed to winning every year.

Ms. Hannah even called for another round, in order to break the tie.  She then asked the final of all final questions, “Which bulbous, highly volatile tuber is prone to exploding if not harvested correctly?”

Liseth's eyes widened when she heard the answer coming from her lips before she even realized that she was speaking it, "Dead Man’s Head."

The sudden silence that followed caused Liseth to rub her hands nervously.  Everyone was staring at her...did she give the wrong answer?  But Ms. Sanderson was staring at her too; surely if that was the wrong answer then the older lady would have given her own by now...

Just when Liseth began to feel herself start flushing from all of the attention, Ms. Hannah stepped forward, "That is...correct.  The winner of this year's Herb Challenge is...Liseth Thoradin!"

She blinked in disbelief.  Liseth had never really believed that she would actually win, but then people started to congratulate her.  From the crowd she even heard Kerr cheering.  Her mouth opened and then closed once, soon after she could feel herself begin smiling.  She clasped her hands together and put them politely down at her waist again, then Liseth turned to Ms. Sanderson; the last thing that she wanted to do was be a rude and graceless winner, "I thought for sure that I would never have a chance to get so far in the Herb Challenge; let alone be lucky enough to face against such a knowledgeable woman like you Ms. Sanderson.  I still can't believe that I somehow managed to win...it's like a dream!"  Liseth's smile fades slightly as she becomes a little self-conscious, "I hope that you're not angry with me..."

By the time she returns to Kerr waiting for her in the crowd, Liseth's face is beaming.  She might have ran to him, but she didn't want to stumble in front of everybody after they had just finished congratulating her victory.  So instead the teenage girl walks slowly and carefully back to the young man.  "Kerr!  I won!"  She reaches out and takes his arm again so that she can steady herself; she is so excited that walking straight is even harder than normal, but she doesn't mind one bit.  "This calls for a celebration!  Why, I think if we were to start walking back to the cathedral now, they should have our celebratory lunch all ready for us!"  She smiles at Kerr, her face still beaming, when the two of them start their slow walk back across town.

14:58, Today: Liseth Thoradin rolled 21 using 1d20+6. Herbal Combat!  Tie Breaker Round!!!

OOC: I'm also going to try some Diplomacy with Willow Sanderson.  Liseth is trying her best to not look like she is gloating, and she would much rather make friends with Willow Sanderson than make her feel bad for losing.

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As Kerr and Liseth walked back towards the northern part of town, happily chatting about her astounding victory in the Herb Challenge, the cathedral bell began ringing; lunch was served!  The Festival patrons who were not already hungrily waiting by the cordoned-off area near the cathedral where various chefs and cooks were preparing the repast began streaming that direction from the assorted activities in which they were engaged.

Lunch was provided free of charge at the expense of Sandpoint’s dining establishments.  Each brought its best dishes, or in some cases completely new creations.  After all, the Festival Lunch was as much a marketing push for new patrons by Sandpoint’s inns, eateries, and pubs as it was a way to feed a hungry Festival crowd.

It soon became apparent that the darling of the lunch was (again) Ameiko Kaijitsu, the proprietor of the Rusty Dragon, whose remarkable curry-spiced salmon and early winterdrop mead slightly but definitively overshadowed the other offerings, such as the Hagfish’s lobster chowder and the White Deer’s peppercorn venison.  Not to say that these other offerings were not top-notch, but Ameiko was well-known as a culinary wizard; the creativity and skill behind her Swallowtail Festival dishes was legendary among those interested in such things as far away as Magnimar.

As Liseth and Kerr moved to their chosen table, received their meals, and retired to one of the crowded, makeshift picnic tables quickly set up to service hundreds of people all eating simultaneously, Liseth was impressed by how such a small town had organized to serve such a relatively-large number of people.  As she attempted to eat without spilling all over herself, she heard snippets from the conversations occurring around her . . .

“. . . about the latest lumber mill fire?  The one in Soggy River . . . ?”

“. . . STORVAL boy won?!?  What about Barett . . .”

“. . . say Shalelu has a new apprentice; maybe she can keep this one alive . . .”

“. . . salmon is great . . . too bad her father is a killer . . .”

“ . . . ridiculous hat . . . “

“. . . say Chopper’s ghost set the church fire . . .”

“. . . as Desna is my witness, guy left the tent white as a sheet . . .”

“. . . think PODRICK is in with the Sczarni?!?!?  Don’t be silly . . .”

“. . .a GNOME was riding him . . .”

“. . . wouldn’t travel out that way, the Foxglove Estate is haunted by the spirits of . . .”

“. . . makes three mills so far . . .”

“. . .bugbear killed the last two, didn’t he . . .“

“. . . WHO won the herb challenge?  What happened to Willow Sanderson? She . . .”

“. . . and then Alergast TACKLED him, guess the guy can’t stand losing . . .”

 “. . . can’t believe Giants would . . .”

“. . . hear about Katrine?  Apparently she’s shacking up with some guy from the mill.  Ven’s in a state . . .”

“. . . they were best friends, it’s sad . . .”

“. . . Scarnettis have the only mill left . . . “

“. .  ‘clear out the glassworks tonight,’ he said.  Where am I gonna sleep . . .”

“. . . don’t think Lonjiku is a KILLER . . . just an asshole . . .”

“. . . Mvashti’s given out some disturbing readings this year, guy probably got one . . .”

“. . . put it past Titus to burn the competition . . .”

“. . . with that acolyte boy, they’re a cute couple . . .”

“. . . want to be that guy, Ven’ll beat him to a pulp . . .”

“. . .you would be too if you got cuckolded by an ELF . . .”

“. . . produce a guy like Aldern?  Man’s a charmer . . .”

“. . . always thought Barett was a stand-up guy . . .”

“. . . Hayliss says she has evidence . . .”

Given its size and rural location, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that local events and personages are frequent topics of discussions here in Sandpoint.  Eventually the meal service wound down and the Festival patrons head back out into the town to participate in one or two last events before this evening’s consecration ceremony . . .

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Even though she finds the sheer size of the crowd gathered for lunch to be intimidating, Liseth was delighted with the wide variety of foods available.  She crowded her plate with as many different samples of culinary delights as she can fit.  Liseth is herself no stranger to the art of cooking, and maybe if she can taste everything, she could try to copy the recipes herself.  Before starting to eat, Liseth said a prayer over her food and drink; a small ritual that she always does before eating.

Her personal favorite was the White Deer’s peppercorn venison.  It reminded her of times when her father and brother would return from a successful hunt, and she would be allowed to help cook.  This venison is far better than anything that she had ever made herself though.  Liseth began to wonder if she can get the recipe if she asked nice enough...

She knows that it isn't polite to eavesdrop, but with so many people doing so much talking all around Kerr and her, she couldn't stop herself from catching little snippets of peoples' conversations.  Liseth's cheeks gained a red tinge when she heard somebody talking about the Herb Challenge; how someone managed to actually beat Ms. Sanderson this year.  But she just turns to Kerr and gives him a mischievous smile, as though the two of them were sharing a great secret.

When lunch begins winding down, Liseth starts to make plans with Kerr about their next destination for the Festival.  "I don't think that I want to go to another one of the Festival contests.  I still have butterflies in my stomach from the Herb Challenge!"  She looks down at the little ribbon now adorning her white robe, then back to Kerr, "Maybe we can do something simple like visit the Puppet Theater.  That sounds like fun too!"

Of course Kerr agrees very quickly.  When they leave the table, Liseth begins to wonder if he's only doing these things because that's what she wants to do.  But those thoughts are pushed aside when she notices that the shops and merchant stalls have opened again, since lunch was over.  "Oh!  I still need to get a present for Father Garrick!  Come on Kerr, lets go see what they have for sale."

Liseth pulls Kerr with her when she hurries towards the merchant stalls, stumbling and limping in her haste.  She stops and regains her composure once the pair has reached the vendors, then begins moving slowly between all of the different tables; trying to find the perfect gift for Father Garrick back home.

Since she doesn't know anyone's name, Kerr tells her who is working each stall when Liseth goes to browse what is for sale.  When she moved to a table filled with pretty rings and other pieces of jewelry, Kerr told her that the vendor's name is Maver Kesk, and that he is the town's jeweler.  She looks over all of the beautiful pieces of jewelry and small gemstones that Mr. Kesk has for sale, but Liseth didn't think that any of them are really a fit for Father Garrick; after all, she didn't remember him ever wearing much jewelry.  Liseth was just about to leave the stall when she stopped, suddenly noticing the perfect gift!

Her gaze fell upon a small bronze beard comb, as bright as the sun!  It was perfect!  She was always telling Father Garrick that if he were to comb his beard more often then he would look so much nicer; and it was colored just like Sarenrae's Sun!  Liseth carefully plucks the comb up in her hands and brings it to Mr. Kesk, enthusiastically asking if she can buy it.  "Hello Mr. Kesk.  Can I buy this please?  It's the perfect gift for my friend back home; I wouldn't even be here at the Festival if it wasn't for him!"

Maver Kesk smiled down at the small girl, "Why of course you can, Miss!  That comb is only three pieces of silver."

"Oh..."  The enthusiasm drained out of her and Liseth placed the comb back on the table, crestfallen.  "I only have two...I'm sorry..."  She starts walking slowly away from the jeweler's stall.

Maver Kesk stopped her though, "Wait..."  He grabbed the comb off of the table and brought it to Liseth, "I can't let you leave so sad.  Here," he placed the comb back into Liseth's hands.  "Two silvers will be just fine."

Liseth looked down at the comb in her hands with disbelief, but the cheer quickly returned to her features.  "Thank you so much!"  She gives the much larger man a quick hug before fishing her two silver coins out of the pouch at her waist and giving them to him.  "I just know that Father Garrick will be so happy when I give this to him!"  Liseth then places the comb carefully into the same pouch that her coins just vacated.

Now that she had the present that she wanted to get for Garrick safely tucked away into her pouch, Liseth began to hum a cheery tune as she left the vendor stalls with Kerr.  But before she had gone far, the teenage girl suddenly gasped in astonishment and rushed to one of the last stalls, ignoring her own stumbling gait in the process.  The proprietor of this stall was a lot younger than the last one, and Liseth can hear Kerr tell her that her name is Katrine Vinder; but she barely noticed him.

Instead, Liseth's attention was focused entirely upon a beautiful little horse figurine standing on the table before her.  It looked exactly like Heily!  It was even painted with the same pure white coat!  "Kerr!  Look!  Doesn't that just look so much like Heily?"

Liseth couldn't help but remember what had happened two days ago, when she first took Kerr to meet Heily where she lives at the stables.  Kerr had never been on a horse before, and it had taken Liseth so long to convince him to get on Heily.  But then he just fell right off again!  Liseth thought that she wouldn't ever stop laughing, even though she had to use a little bit of her divine energy to fix the bump on his head.  Kerr swore that Heily had knocked him off on purpose, but Liseth knew that she would never do that!

Liseth opened her pouch to check her money, but then remembered that she had just spent it all on Father Garrick's gift.  She sighed and looked at the horse figurine wistfully, "Oh, well...I already spent all of my money."  She looked at it again with obvious longing, sighing once more, "Come on Kerr, maybe we can still make it to the puppet show.  I'm sure that Heily will understand..."

OOC: If it matters, Liseth cast Purify Food and Drink while saying a prayer to Sarenrae before starting to eat.  Not that she suspects that anything is wrong with the food, it's just her custom.

EDIT: Maver Kesk is now properly identified as a man.  Whoops!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:36, Mon 02 Sept 2013.

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Kerr didn’t think he had EVER had as good a time as he was having at this year’s Swallowtail Festival.  Watching Liseth beat Willow Freaking Sanderson in Hannah’s Herb Challenge had been amazing!  He had never been as proud of anyone as he had been when Hannah pinned the Champion’s Ribbon onto Liseth’s pristine white robes.  They had laughed and talked and relived her victory all the way back to the cathedral area, where they proceeded to partake in the best meal Kerr had ever tasted.  Liseth had convinced him to try the peppercorn venison; it was truly a culinary marvel.

After lunch, Liseth dragged him to the shops.  While he wasn’t much for shopping himself, he enjoyed watching his blonde companion flit from store to store, intently inspecting each vendor’s wares as he gave her a low-volume running commentary regarding the vendors, their reputation, and the reasonableness of their prices.

Liseth had told him that she had only two silvers to her name after her journey, so when she saw what she felt was the PERFECT gift for her mentor back home, but found it was too expensive, Kerr was determined to do something.  He gave Maver Kesk a pleading look as Liseth started walking away from the jeweler’s stall, mouthing the word “please” at the portly merchant.  Maver responded by giving him a paternal smile and lowering the price to something Liseth could afford.

Liseth’s palpable happiness made Kerr feel like a million gold pieces.  He gave Maver a wide grin and was rewarded with a wink, a “thumbs-up” sign, and a shooing motion.  Kerr was a hero!

His newfound heroism was immediately put to the test when Liseth’s gaze alighted on a white horse figurine sold by Ven Vinder’s oldest daughter Katrine.  Kerr figured Katrine had volunteered to run the booth today to stay away from her father; he was reportedly irate that she had been seeing someone from the lumber mill.  Still, here she was, and she set the figurine’s price at four silver pieces.

Liseth went on at some length about how much the figurine reminded her of her horse Heily.  Kerr wasn’t a big fan of Heily after the events of two days ago.  As silly as it was, he suspected that Heily resented his association with her owner.  Heily certainly had done nothing to help him stay ahorse when he had gingerly mounted her at Liseth’s repeated urging.  He cheeks colored; he remembered the horse’s mocking whinny as he lay on the ground with Liseth’s laughter ringing in his ears.  It had not been his proudest moment.

At all.

Kerr had six silver pieces in his purse, representing two months’ worth of savings; acolyte was not a well-paying profession.  He had planned to ask Liseth out to a nice dinner after they had finished their duties at the consecration ceremony, but he figured this was something she would appreciate more.  Besides, it was something permanent . . . something she would have and treasure that might remind her of him.

“Wait a second, Liseth.”  Kerr put his hand on her shoulder as she turned to leave, then strode toward the counter.  “I’ll take that figurine, Katrine.”  He counted out the four silver pieces from his purse and exchanged them for the miniature horse.  He turned around and walked back to Liseth, took a knee, smiled, and presented her with the replica Heily.  “Here you are, milady,” Kerr said in a dramatic tone that he hoped sounded romantic.  “A gift, in the hopes that you will think of me whenever you gaze upon it.”

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This message was lightly edited by the player at 04:53, Wed 04 Sept 2013.

Liseth had resigned herself to not being able to have the tiny Heily figurine.  There was no way that she could afford it, even if she hadn't already spent all of her money on Father Garrick's gift.  But when she went to leave the stalls, Kerr stopped her; Liseth gasped when she saw that he was buying it for her!

She was speechless when Kerr got down on his knee and offered the little Heily to her, "Kerr..."  Liseth reached out with both hands and gingerly accepted the offering; but once it was in her hands she couldn't stop herself from chortling in absolute delight.

By now she was practically bouncing in excitement, and without thinking Liseth leaned down and planted a quick kiss on Kerr's cheek where he still kneeled.  "I can't believe you bought this for me!  This is the best day I've ever had!"

Suddenly realizing what she had just done, Liseth's face flushes bright red as she bashfully straightens herself again.  She shyly looks away from Kerr when he stands, "Let's go and see if there is still time for another show at the Puppet Theater..."

Liseth takes Kerr's arm again as they slowly walk towards the Puppet Theater, but her red cheeks fade only slightly on the way.  They reach the theater just in time to catch the tail end of the last show as the puppet hero defeats the puppet villain.  She takes a seat with Kerr and holds the new horse figurine in her lap as the two await the beginning of the next show.  Liseth is quiet though, and her cheeks still red with embarrassment.

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Kerr wasn’t sure how he had traveled from the Festival Bazaar to Cyrdak Drokkus’ Sandpoint Theater.  He had probably walked.  But he might have flown.  By Desna’s own Starknife, for all he knew he had teleported!  It was all a little hazy after Liseth had kissed him.  She had KISSED him.  Right on the cheek!  Kerr still couldn’t believe it; if Desna were to call him home right now he would die a happy man.  Liseth Thoradin KISSED me!  It was all Kerr could think about.  He wasn’t sure his feet had touched the ground on the way to the theater.

Liseth Thoradin KISSED me!

Kerr managed to bring his head back down from the clouds enough to notice that Liseth was being really quiet and that her face was flushed.  He hoped she was feeling okay.  He was about to ask her about it when he was struck by a terrifying thought.  By the Gods, did she REGRET kissing him?

That wasn’t something Kerr wanted to think too much about.

Fortunately for them both the next puppet show was about to start.  The performers had placed the stage on the Sandpoint Theater's raised porch, giving everyone on the street-level benches (set up specifically for the show) an excellent view of the proceedings.  The benches were packed with children and families for the last show of the afternoon, although a few couples could be seen canoodling near the back.

Cyrdak Drokkus himself was involved, which was exciting in and of itself.  Generally such a famous personage would never stoop to being part of a mere puppet show.  But Cyrdak not only put one on every year for the Swallowtail Festival, he generally played one of the lead characters!  Locals thought of it as another way Sandpoint was more down-to-earth and friendly than a place like Magnimar.

It was Cyrdak Drokkus himself who stepped out from behind the puppet stage to address the crowd, receiving a sustained and appreciative applause as he did so.  Cyrdak bowed and smiled, raising his hands for silence as he addressed the gathered audience.

“Friends, as you probably know it is our last show of the day!”  There were scattered boos.  “I know, I know, sometimes I myself wish our Festival days could go on forever.  It is not to be!  But there is one advantage to the late hour:  at the end of the day, we allow our audience members to vote for the show they wish to see!"  At this, the assembled children let up a rousing cheer.

"There are three shows from which to choose:  The Gnome Knows, a comedy; Shalelu and Bruthazmus, which needs no introduction; and Piglet, a tragicomedy involving a porcine prince’s quest to avenge the murder of his father.  So which show do you, the audience, wish to see?!?”

There was really no contest.  The cheers that went up for Shalelu and Bruthazmus dwarfed those received by either of the other shows.  And so it was that Liseth and Kerr thrilled to the exploits of the daring ranger Shalelu Andosana and her attempt to bring the bugbear ranger Bruthazmus, her archenemy, to justice.  The way the show was written, and the way the players performed it, made it almost a study in opposites, as if the heroic Shalelu and the evil Bruthazmus were but light and dark sides of the same copper coin.  The near escapes and titanic-but-inconclusive final battle held the children’s rapt attention, but Kerr was fascinated by the subtext.  He wondered if all of Cyrdak’s puppet shows had these kind of mature themes buried within what most considered a children’s entertainment.

He cast a glance sideways.  He wondered if Liseth would be interested in talking about such things.  Then he wondered if he should have been less interested in the show and more interested in trying to put his arm around her.  But then again, maybe her silence meant that she regretted kissing him and wanted to forget about it entirely?  Kerr was completely adrift.

Women were confusing.

As the show finished, he and Liseth stood and applauded along with the rest of the audience as the performers gave their final bows.  As the crowd began moving toward the cathedral for the consecration ceremony, he offered the blonde woman his arm.

“Lise, care to accompany me up to the ceremony?  I have to help Father Z with some preparations, so I can’t attend it with you, but maybe we could meet up after?”

Liseth Thoradin KISSED me!

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Liseth tried her best to enjoy the puppet show.  She honestly did.  But she only managed to focus her attention on it for short spurts.  Most of her time was focused on her own thoughts as she absently stroked the tiny Heily that Kerr had bought for her.

Kerr bought it for her, and then she kissed him.  Right there in front of all those people at the merchant stalls.  She never kissed a boy before.  She kissed Father Garrick once after he cheered her up, and she's kissed Daddy plenty of times.  But they don't count; not like this.  What did Kerr think?

She steals a glance at him sitting next to her while he's paying attention to the show.  Kerr looks happy and confused at the same time.  Liseth quickly looks away before he notices her watching.  Why was he confused?  Did she make him confused?  Is she the one that is really confused?  Questions keep flitting through her head like the swarm of butterflies from earlier today.

The show is almost over already; Liseth can tell that the final puppet battle is drawing to a close.  Stroking the little Heily one last time, she gently placed the figurine inside of her pouch alongside Father Garrick's gift.  Then when everyone else started to stand, she stood up with Kerr, and when everyone started to clap, she clapped alongside Kerr.

Then everyone started to leave; it was time for the consecration ceremony at the cathedral.  That was why she had come to Sandpoint in the first place, wasn't it?  Certainly not just to kiss boys...

Kerr offers her his arm again and says that he can't attend the ceremony with her, but that he wants to meet up afterwards.  Liseth still can't find her voice though, so she just nods her head to him before taking his arm with her own.

They walked together all the way back to the cathedral.  They had to go slowly because of Liseth and it seemed as though everyone else in Sandpoint passed them by.  When they finally reached the Cathedral the whole square in front was almost completely crowded with people.

Kerr tells her that he has to leave now, that he has to go and help Father Zantus with the final preparations for the consecration.  But before she lets go of him, Liseth lightly squeezes his hand and looks up into his eyes, "Kerr...Thank you."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:55, Thu 05 Sept 2013.

FADE TO BLACK - (Continued in Thread #2: Encounter at Sandpoint)