Mid-day in Arx, people are going from place to place doing work or grabbing lunch. The spot between the boroughs is less busy than usual, a promotion at some new eatery in the lowers distracting some of the traffic that usually passes this way. Everything is relatively calm and normal, for the moment.

Petal arrives along the path while adorned in her simple woolen dress and toting her sewing basket. Her fox hound puppy is close at her slender legs. She hums a Shav lullaby to herself, but the song is off-key.

Orazio is returning from a visit to the 'Tragedy' in the Lower Commons, but he has asked his carriage to stop, and is out in the snow and slush, his Templar guards lurking at a distance as the Legate...contemplates lunch, apparently. He's approaching a street vendor who is selling dough-wrapped meat on a stick. Mmm, meat on a stick!

Katarina happens to be on her way between the boroughs for some reason or another, perhaps venturing from the shipyards where she'd been giving aid where she could. A small basket of fresh-baked goods hangs from her wrist, carrying with it the scent of apple cinnamon tarts and other savory meals. When a young child gathers the courage to ask for one, she is more than happy to stop and let the young lad have his pick of two of his favorites.

Violet is just casually making her way through. She doesn't seem to be in any hurry as she looks around at different things.

Leola walks with Brier's reins in one hand, wrapped heavily in her winter dress as she stops to speak to one of the butchers in the Boroughs. A number of bundles are passed across, and she takes a few coins, smiling and murmuring a polite thanks. She lingers, talking, cheerful and comfortable.

Petal notices Orazio and gives him a smile of greeting. "Golden Father." She says in her heavy accent. She doesn't seem to know Katarina, but she still smiles as the child is offered a treat. She then notices Leola. "Oh, Mistress Leola, hello." She calls out in her direction.

A shrill sound cuts the air - a very VERY distressed cat. It isn't hard to see what caused it - An alley cat was lured into the path of a wagon. While the animal is mostly fine, their tail was snagged under a wheel. Bounding across the street in front of the cat is a tiny stoat with a red bandana, going straight for another alley. Their lead doesn't last long, the now VERY angry cat rushing after them into the same alley once their tail is free.

"Mistress Petal," Orazio, now with two sticks-o-meat in hand, turns to greet the tailor. As he sees other familiar faces, his smile widens, and he offers nods to those he recognizes. A smile that abruptly cuts off as he hears the scream. He follows the racing stout and cat with his gaze, one eyebrow raised. A glance, then, at Leola, before Orazio starts to move towards the alleyway, more out of curiosity than concern, based on his expression.

Soot starts to bark and wolf as he sees the cat and the stoat. Petal looks over in that direction, even as her lips pout open and her brown eyes widen. "Its okay...Soot.." She says, trying to calm her hound. That doesn't work and the puppy goes chasing after the cat and the stoat. "Soot..." Petal calls and chases after.

The squeal of an angry cat sits across Leola's ears like a saw, and she starts, looking disturbed and mildly offended for a moment. There's a distracted look a moment, before she clicks her tongue to Brier; swinging herself to the mare even as she takes off with an impressive burst of speed. Follow that stoat!

Katarina startles at the sound of a distressed cat's screeching resounding through the air. She offers a distracted glance toward Orazio and Leola, the only faces she recognizes immediately before a tentative sidestep places her able to peer into the alleyway. "Was that a... cat?" And then, Leola is rushing past upon horseback to take up pursuit after that stoat. "... And a stoat?" Another bewildered moment, and she's giving lackadaisical chase.

Violet hears the cat and looks over in time to notice the stoat. Curious, she moves closer and also ends up heading after the stoat.

There are sounds of hissing and growling as if from an angry cat in the alley as people head over. The very angry alley cat has their hole in a small crack in the wall, trying to pull something out. The arrival of Soot with his little barks has the cat give up on the hole and move back with their spine arched. She hisses at the pup, trying to make herself look big and threatening. Which with an alley cat versus a puppy, she is.

Orazio stops, seeing the cat in full defensive hiss. He frowns at the animal. "Go on, get out of here," he tells the creature, sternly. Not that the cat can understand him, but hey, it's the thought that counts? He takes one of the hot dough balls from one of his sticks, and throws it at the animal. "Ksst! Take that, and go."

Leola slips from Brier, and she brooks no movement. No, she just says, firmly and quickly "Stop that! That stoat is not food!" As she reaches down to take the angry cat by the scruff of the neck. Fearless! With animals.

Katarina widens her eyes at the situation unfolding in the alley, fingers tightening hold upon her basket. She reaches inside for a piece of grilled fish she'd been saving for lunch and chucks it behind the defensive kitty to tempt it away from the hole. "Shoo! Shoo!" she hisses, edging closer toward Orazio because he's her hero and he saves damsels.

Violet watches the cat but doesn't join in with the shooing. It seems enough people are helping with that and she just observes.

Sparte GM Roll checked dexterity(3) + brawl(1) at difficulty 15, rolling 1 higher.

Sparte GM Roll checked dexterity(3) + dodge(1) at difficulty 15, rolling 5 higher.

Leola checked dexterity + brawl at difficulty 15, rolling 16 higher.

So many people, so fearless! Throwing things! The cat starts backing up to get distance from the humans, when out of the hole comes the crazy little stoat Tiny Tom. She leaps up onto the cat's back - and that just breaks whatever composure the cat has left. She manages to fling the stoat off, turning to dash away - only to be snagged by Leola's deft grip. The cat flails against the air, relatively helpless while held by the nape of the neck like that. Tiny Tom hits the nearby wall after being thrown off the cat. She makes a little sound of pain before getting up, shaking herself a moment. She makes some sounds at Leola, being the nearest human. Or maybe it was at the cat.

Orazio takes a step away as the cat explodes into action, and stoats go bouncing and flying. "Careful-" he starts to warn Leola, concerned, only to stop as the Disciple deftly catches the flailing animal and holds it harmlessly in the air. "...or not. Goodness." He looks from the stoat, to the cat, back to the stoat. "Ah. Perhaps they can shake hands like gentlemen, or ladies, and agree to let bygones be bygones?"

Orazio checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 15, rolling 4 lower.

Katarina checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 15, rolling 13 lower.

Leola checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 15, rolling 31 higher.

Katarina sucks in a quiet breath, keeping her distance from Leola as she manages to snag the feral alley cat, and the clawed paws flailing through the air as the animal jerks and writhes for its freedom. Golden eyes flit immediately toward the little Stoat as Tiny Tom finds her feet, soft clicking sounds made as though to soothe the goat. "... Surely it's really not that bad?" Her features draw upward into a mild grimace, just looking to Leola expectantly. She's the Animal Whisperer here.

Violet checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 15, rolling 3 lower.

Leola looks at the stoat with a little exasperation, and then at the cat. She eyes the feline, and moves to the other end of the alleyway - murmuring a little polite thanks and slipping it a sliver of dried meat. That done, she wipes her hands on her cloak as she returns to the little bandana'd stoat, sighing "Honestly." As she offers a hand to said mustalid

Violet takes a step away from Leola as she watches the animals with wide eyes. She releaxes a little as she watches Leola take care of the cat.

Fed and set loose, the cat takes their prize and bruised tail and leaves. Tiny Tom in contrast just sits down and licks at her left leg for a moment before sniffing at Leola's hand. Slowly - which is uncharacteristic for the stoat - Tiny Tom moves onto the hand and chitters at Leola. Her head turns sharply, as though suddenly realizing something, and she bounds back out of Leola's grasp a second later - to start savaging the ball of dough and meat Orazio had tossed to distract the feline before.

Petal checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 15, rolling 5 lower.

Petal is here and not far form her hound who has finally returned to her side. She watches as the the stoat goes for Orazio's snack. "Well, it does look yummy, I can't really blame him." She murmurs partly to herself and partly to her canine. She over all seems pretty confussed though.

"It must be a very good stall, the one you visited," Katarina presumes of Orazio as she watches Tiny Tim feast upon the thrown meat ball left in the wake of the kitty cat.

Orazio blinks. "I suppose it was...hungry?" He takes off another dough ball, and tosses it towards the small animal, then turns the remaining treats on one stick towards the others. "Would anyone like one?"

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Orazio before departing.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Orazio before departing.

Violet shakes her head to Orazio. "No thank you. It does look good, but I'm really not very hungry. She watches Tiny Tom as he eats.

"I think she's hurt her hind off leg" Leola says quietly. She frowns a little, moving to scoop up stoat and dough, looking around and asking "Could someone ...?" Asking for a hand, peering at the stoat carefully, murmuring "What -happened- to you? That cat? You're normally far more careful ..."

Petal oos and reaches out for one of the sticks. It seems she wants one. Her hound whimpers in this canine pleading like way. He seems to want one as well.

"I'm no Mercy," Orazio says, with a smile, "but I do have basic healer's training. I can try to see if I can help." He looks around, then gives Petal one of the sticks...and her puppy gets the half-empty stick that he'd been pulling dough-bits from. He wipes his hands on a small cloth, then reaches out to examine the animal.

The ball of meat is less eaten then torn to pieces. The stoat does munch a little bit though, I mean it is fresh and tasty. She starts making noises at Leola while it goes. No manners, how rude. She throws a few bits off the side of Leola's hand towards Soot, and chitters a little invite to the puppy. Apparently she appreciated her four-legged ally against the cat.

Orazio checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 15, rolling 3 lower.

Katarina presses strands of hair behind an ear, quietly keeping out of the way of Orazio and Leola. Her gaze drifts aside to Violet and Petal, who are merely onlookers as she is. "I've seen that little stoat around before, I think," she murmurs, more to herself than anyone else.

Orazio checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 2 lower.

Petal take a bite from the dough covered meat and seems to find it yummy, given her expression. She looks down toward the soat, seemingly concerned by his condition. "I can try and look at him?" She murmurs. Soot takes Orazio's offered treat and the soats. She woofs and noms, seemingly quite happy now.

Orazio snatches his hand back with a scowl. "Godsdamnit," he curses, in a manner most inappropriate for a priest in public, as he shakes the stoat-nipped fingers. He gives the animal a look that suggests he's pondering its use as a fur trim, before reaching into his robes to get a handkerchief and carefully cleaning the nip marks.

"I can look her over, I just need someone to hold her a little while I do" Leola smiles, and then frowns. She glances out, across, and then her cheeks pale "Ah. Legate. There's ... a smell of smoke on her. Fire, I think" Her eyes fix "She came from the south of the city. It might be important."

Violet looks to Katarina and nods. "I think that I have as well." She winces a little as Orazio is nipped and continues to keep back.

"I will attempt to," Katarina volunteers hesitantly, in the wake of Orazio's fingers being nipped at. She steps forward, slow and cautious, quietly coming alongside the priest. "If that is alright?"

Leola checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 15, rolling 27 higher.

Petal checked charm + animal ken at difficulty 15, rolling 7 higher.

Petal crouches down slowly near her hound and not far from the stoat. She gives her hound a scratching behind the ears and then looks toward the injured stoat. She keeps all her movements smooth and slow, so not to startle the animal or appear like a threat. Petal allows Leola to take the lead, but she seems ready to help.

Tiny Tom doesn't like being touched on her injured leg, but she also doesn't savage Petal or Leola for handling her. Inspection shows this isn't a situation that calls for a mercy, so much as a pair of tweezers. Tiny Tom caught an old board at a bad angle when she hit the wall, and has a nasty splinter hiding in her fur. It can be pulled out, and should heal naturally in time.

"Could you?" Leola asks Petal, helping to hold the stoat's leg gently in place as Tiny Tom savages that ball of dough "Just ... ease it out?" She suggests helpfully

Petal hmms softly. "I am pretty good with my fingers and trained in medicine. I stitch clothing and people." She says and then peeks at her sewing basket. "I have no tweezers though." She says. "Other sewing tools, I wonder if any will work." She pauses and turns her focus to Leola. "Oh, yes, absolutely. I can try." Petal then goes to get a seam ripper with a wooden handle that was in her sewing basket. She pulls mead from her basket and douses the seam ripper in the mead. "Honey and alcohol both fight germs." She explains. She covers her hands in the mead too, they will be sticky! She then tries to gently ease the splinter out with her nimbles fingers and with the help of the seam ripper.

Petal gets a bottle of traditional Shav honey mead with elderflower from mahogany apothecary chest.

Petal drops a bottle of traditional Shav honey mead with elderflower.

Orazio takes a place well out of reach of the stoat's teeth and claws, still frowning. "Can she lead us to where the fire is? I have a carriage, if that will be of any use," he offers.

"I think she'll be able to, Legate" Leola waits for Petal, and gently comforts the stoat "Dame, if you could assist us finding your friend?" She asks deferntially "Legate, I'll ride Brier, and you can follow us?"

Tiny Tom makes a keening sound as the alcohol is applied and the splinter removed. She inspects her leg, sniffing it and licking at it before making what is probably a happy sound." He runs - albeit not at her usual speed - along Leola's arm and onto her shoulder. She chitters at Leola from that perch before climbing into the hood of her cloak.

"I am not asking you to run there" Leola tells the Stoat deferentially "I will carry you. I am merely asking you to tell me where he is, while I carry you back to him" Yes. She is pleading. With a stoat.

Petal eases the splinter out and seems relieved when all is well. Her hands are sticky with honey mead. She wipes them on her cloth, but they are still rather sticky. Leola is given a warm smile. She then finishes her dough and meat treat.

Orazio raises an eyebrow. His stomach growls, quietly, and the Legate sighs. "Is the matter urgent? If not, it seems that the group of you are more likely - and more liked," he adds, with a frown at the stoat, "to deal with the rest of the task, now that the creature has been bandaged."

"I'm not sure it's terribly urgent, Legate" Leola says. A stoat in the hood of her cloak. "Guard Sparte's friend is very ... relaxed. Now that she's no longer hurt" She sighs, and rubs her forehead with her spidered fingers