Nobody Ever Leaves Candy At The Door

[Kender Bard]

The temple had been a little more quiet these days, what with so many of the priests out spreading the will of Soahc on Fiest's decree. It was unusual that there wasn't a horde of Curious clustered near the temple doors, waiting for someone to ring the gate bell or even knock on the temple doors themselves. The Curious wing had been severely depleted, more than most even, by the new duty.

And so it was that Adam was the only one by the doors when there came a very abrupt, loud knocking.

[tuo]

Adam was busy playing a solitary card game when he heard the loud knocking and dropped a card in surprise before rushing over to look down at the doors and called out. "Welcome guest! What can I do for you?"

[Kender Bard]

In front of the doors was a toddler. The little child was terribly thin and had long, dirty black hair, and she was dressed in what was generously called rags. The child had her back to the door - she was watching a hunched figure run away into the gloom and mist of the city. "Mama?"

She turned her head and looked at Adam; wide brown eyes filled with tears. She regarded Adam in tearful silence a moment before sitting down and wailing loudly.

[tuo]

Adam's eyes widened before crouching down to the child and tries to hug her, trying to soothe her. "There there, it's okay..." He did not try to move the child yet, worried she might react even worse having just lost her mother.

[Kender Bard]

The girl squirmed in Adam's arms, confused at what was happening. Up close it was hard to determine her exact age. Somewhere between two and four years old would have been likely.

She made a loud squealing cry of protest as she squirmed. "Mama! Mama!" She started to cry again but was cut off by a sudden harsh coughing fit that made her small body shake with the force of it.

[tuo]

"Shh, first things first we need to get you inside and fixed up." Adam said soothingly as he picked her up as he tried to use his wind sign to try to at least make the air around them cleaner if possible to make it easier on the poor girl.

Once he did so he hurried inside, closing the door behind him while silently praying for the girls mother even as he sped(as carefully as possible) to the nearest healing wing.

[Kender Bard]

Like the rest of the temple, the healing wing was thinned by the lack of priests. One of the priests there glanced at Adam and the girl and frowned disapprovingly at him.

"Did you pick that rat off the streets and bring it inside?" he complained. "You're not supposed to bring insiders in without proper authority!"

[tuo]

Adam glanced at the child before looking back at the whining priest. "Her mother wanted her to get healed, I don't see why you have any reason to complain, this is a temple after all. Besides it's not like that rule is meant to always be obeyed.."

[Kender Bard]

"Temple, not sick house," the priest returned a bit waspishly. But he couldn't argue over a rule being broken. He could go bother Fiest, but being part Proud, that probably wouldn't go over well.

"Fine, fine." The priest looked at the girl. After a moment of staring back, she sneezed and coughed again. The priest made a face of disgust and handed her a little bit of healing water. "Drink it."

The girl looked at the water, blinked, and then drank it. She wouldn't turn her nose up to fresh water. A drop escaped her mouth and rolled over her cheek, making a path through the thick grime there, and revealing that what was easily mistaken for as a bruise or simply more dirt, was actually a Fire sign under the filth that covered her.

The priest made another face. "What a filthy little rat," he huffed.

[tuo]

Adam patted the girl on the head with a small smile. "Maybe, but Drake and I weren't much different and look at us now."

[Kender Bard]

"You're just lucky your mentor was Lustful and found her kinks satisfied in you both," the priest complained. "Well if that's all, go dump her back in the streets."

The girl started to whimper again at that. She buried her face against Adam's chest, having apparently decided he was no threat.

[tuo]

"I will not abandon a child just after helping her." Adam said as he held the girl protectively. "Surely she can stay with me and Drake right?"

[Kender Bard]

Lines had to be drawn somewhere. "I'm going to take this up with the high priest," the healer complained. He pointed a finger at the girl, almost touching her nose. "This is filth and doesn't belong- AH!"

The cry was elicited after the little girl bit his finger quite hard.

[tuo]

Adam had to stifle a surprised laugh at the child in spite of himself before he gently chided her. "Now now, biting the man won't help your case here. Please just stay close to me okay?"

[Kender Bard]

The girl let go of his finger. The man looked as though he'd like to slap her to the floor then stomp on her head, with the way he glared at her, but managed to hold himself in check. He'd have to fight Adam too; probably not difficult but nobody really wanted to have two notoriously brutal Wrathful breathing down their necks.

With a glare, he stalked off to complain to the high priest.

The girl lay her head back against Adam.