Tales of the Jewel

Aydi & Aydi on patrol, looking for any serious injustice they could actually address! Crowd was thick, hawking loud, but the job, both the mandated and self-proclaimed, had to be done.

Kezia was back to her sightseeing, her fascination with the way the city's culture did and did not make sense leading her to make the rounds in her most unobtrusively ragged attire.

Oho, our hunch-following stray... and his dog. Will wonders never cease...

Not having spied out Kezia in the crowd just yet, Aydis flowed closer to the stalls, where usually the action was. Some city cops had long acquired skills of failing to notice, but that one refused to be cynical about injustice for some reason.

Somewhat amused by her unintended stealth, Kezia shadowed the man further.

But she also pointedly watched his back for him. He'd turned out to be an all right sort, after all.

And there it was, an urchin lifting an apple and getting caught. Aydi got involved, mediated, indirectly compensated the vendor by buying three without much haggling, then took a while to take the urchin to the side and talk to him as the dog kept drawing the boy's attention to himself for some scratch & tumble. In the end, the boy nodded and received those three apples before he scurried away.

Kezia drifted closer, cleared her throat, and spoke without preamble.

"So when you're not saving princesses you're looking after urchins. I can only conclude that you're either making up for something or, may any gods who are listening help you, that you're actually trying to be a good man..."

"Guilty as charged." He took her sudden appearance in stride, and responded with a smile, though he didn't say on which account he considered himself figured out. "I wonder what's your secret behind the art of sudden and spectacular appearance." He teased back.

"Oh, there's no real secret there, Aydi al-Qais. It's all in being dull and uninteresting until the time comes for the grand reveal."

A pause.

"Or in barreling about full-tilt looking for trouble. I do a little of both..."

"Appearing dull an uninteresting must have been a tough skill to acquire for one such as you." He laughed. "Being trouble seems to be a more innate way of you going through the world. Or am I having it wrong?"

"You don't need to be trouble to find it, but... it helps."

She grinned.

"And speaking of trouble... did you ever run down why it was that the attempt was made to acquire our mutual friend?"