And even that is useless against an opponent with a ****elding spell.
That's not for me. If I'm going to be a successful adventurer, I'm
going to need spells that give me an edge."
"Congratulations, then, on planning so thoroughly," Ehlissa said
sarcastically. As intriguing as this spell sounded, she was still
annoyed by Tenser's attitude towards her and had had enough. "I would
listen to more, but I really must make it to the Black Gate."
"Procession of the Clerics?" Tenser asked.
Ehlissa was surprised he knew and asked how.
"I passed the show on my way here. I guess you're running late.
There was a big crowd and some clerics were tossing coins into the
audience. I caught this one," he said, holding out the silver noble
in front of her.
"You caught that?" she asked. How could he have? She had attended
that ceremony, well, religiously for most of her life and never caught
one. And he just walks by and catches one without trying? Though she
thought all that, what she said was, "you're not supposed to keep
them, you know. If an adult catches the silver piece, you're supposed
to give it to the child nearest you."
Tenser studied the coin before saying, "I didn't realize. I'm afraid
I don't see children very often. Here," he said, and tossed it to
her. "You can have it and give it to anyone you like."
How? How? Ehlissa kept asking in her jumbled thoughts as she closed
her fingers around the silver noble. How was Tenser's life so charmed
that he could accomplish her oldest childhood wish in moments, while
passing, and not even trying? When she looked up at him again,
walking on and oblivious to the turmoil in which he constantly left
her thoughts, she resolved to discover what was so special about him
no matter how long she must wait.
Patience was a virtue shared by the clerics, already weary from their
long march and rituals along the way; the shopkeepers who closed their
shops for the rest of their Godsday observance, aware they had chose
piety over revenue until the morrow; the birds and animals that waited
for the crowds to pass, eager to scavenge for the crumbs of snacks
left in the crowds' wake; and the wealthy and powerful at Waghalter
Gate, or already at the temples, waiting for their piety to be
observed by the rest of the rich and powerful. With patience, and the
passage of time, came resolution for many. The clerics had collected
ample donations. The shopkeepers had a short rest before they had to
return to work the next day. The cats and crows that moved fastest
gained the choicest crumbs. A nobleman had paid a small fortune to be
mentioned during services, winning much attention, but no salvation.
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