Hey, guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! Before we do anything else - review time!

Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee for reviewing! Yeah, I do really wish we'd been able to see more of the other characters' reactions to more of the story events, haha. But this just means I get to write my own version with embarrassed Therion and unapologetically trollish Primrose! XD

And with that, on with the tale!

Relevant Events: None

13. Misfortune

The roads of Orsterra were dangerous for travelers. The areas between towns were often wildernesses, where monsters and wild animals alike roamed unchecked. Guards and watchmen patrolled the immediate vicinity of most instances of civilization, keeping the dangers at bay, but for the more remote, unsettled lands, there simply weren't enough well-trained fighters to go around. As such, it was imperative that anyone traveling between towns in Orsterra know their way around a weapon, or have some affinity for magic. If nothing else, traveling in a group could be beneficial, but even after all of that, the roads were still quite perilous.

For that reason, an unfortunate soul lying motionless on the side of the road was, sadly, not an entirely uncommon sight.

"...and may the Flame light your path, whether in this life or the next," Ophilia finished reciting her prayer, unclasping her hands and looking solemnly down at the fallen adventurer she knelt before.

"That's the third one this week," Therion commented gruffly, arms crossed. "You'd think people would learn to either hire a guard or just not travel through here."

"If only that were so easy," the cleric sighed, shaking her head. "What if one needs to travel this way? What if it's the quickest route to a town where an ill family member lies dying? What if a courier needs to swiftly deliver a message of utmost importance? Hiring a guard would be the most ideal course of action, true, but I've heard tales of some individuals charging exorbitant prices for their services…not to mention that sometimes, these so-called 'guards' are really just conmen looking to receive upfront payment and then bolt. The life of a traveler is not an easy one in Orsterra…"

"Mhm…true enough." Therion exhaled heavily. "Well…you've paid your respects. We should go catch up with the others."

Ophilia nodded. "You're right," she agreed, standing up. "Come, let's - " She paused, blinking at their other companion that had agreed to stay behind with her while she prayed. "...Tressa? What are you doing?"

Therion turned to follow the cleric's gaze, and they both stood and stared at Tressa for several long moments. The merchant knelt on the ground a few feet away, studying a large coin purse that most certainly did not belong to her.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she said dismissively, not even looking up at her companions as she rifled through the pouch's contents.

"...wow," Therion said flatly. "And I thought I was the thief."

"Tressa!" Ophilia exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "You didn't take that from this unfortunate soul, did you!?"

At this, Tressa finally lifted her head, looking alarmed. "Of course not!" she protested. "I…I found it way over here! Anyone could've dropped it!"

The thief snorted, not even bothering to hide his smirk. "Right. I'm sure that would hold up under questioning."

The merchant glared daggers at him. "Oh, quiet, you."

"Tressa," Ophilia said again, struggling to keep her voice level. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that profiting off another person's misfortune is wrong, right? This man was killed in the midst of whatever journey he might have been on…it would be disrespectful to his memory to take anything from him."

"T-Technically I didn't take anything from him!" Tressa argued. "The purse wasn't even attached to his belt! I…I don't mean any disrespect, really, but we can't just leave all this money sitting out here! What if someone like him - " Here, she emphatically pointed at Therion. " - comes along and uses it for nefarious purposes!?"

"I resent that," Therion deadpanned.

"Then that will be on their conscience, not ours," Ophilia pointed out. "We stayed behind to pay respects to a fallen traveler, not…not to loot a corpse!"

Tressa's jaw dropped, appalled. "I'm not looting anything!" she insisted. "And besides…I fully intend to pay respects to him! Literally, even! If I use this money to pay another merchant for their goods, then I'm putting it back into circulation and benefiting the economy. It's what any respectable traveler would want!"

"You know, if you have to jump through this many hoops to justify your actions, maybe those actions aren't all that noble to begin with," Therion put in with a smirk. "Keep this up, and soon you'll be swapping out that feather in your cap for one of these." He tauntingly waved his right arm so that the chain link of his Fool's Bangle clanked against the cuff around his wrist.

"Therion, you are really not helping," Ophilia mumbled to him, taking the thief's arm and gently pushing it back down to his side.

Tressa scowled at the thief. "I'm nothing like you! I'm not a thief! Besides, I mean…i-it's not like he needs leaves where he is now!"

At this, Therion actually burst out laughing while Ophilia stared at the merchant in utter shock. Tressa instantly flushed, realizing what she'd said, then shamefully pulled down the brim of her cap to cover her eyes.

After a moment, Ophilia took a long deep breath, composing herself. "...Tressa," she said slowly and delicately. "You are going to put that purse back where you found it. Then, the three of us are going to leave this place and catch up with the others. And if we stumble across any other unfortunate travelers along the way, we will not be taking any leaves from them either. Am I clear?"

The younger girl gulped. "Y-Yes Ophilia…" she said meekly. With excruciatingly slow movements, as though afraid of setting the cleric off, Tressa carefully placed the coin purse back on the ground, then backed away from it like she thought it was going to bite her.

"Thank you," Ophilia said, her voice still dangerously calm. "Now, Therion, Tressa…let us go." With that, she turned on her heel and continued down the road, leaving the merchant and the thief to trail behind her.

Tressa walked slowly and silently, keeping her head lowered to face the ground - at least until Therion came up behind her, clasping her shoulder as he moved to walk beside her. She gasped in surprise at his sudden appearance, but upon realizing it was only him, she merely shot a glare in his direction and trudged on.

"Thank you for that, Tressa!" he laughed, still short of breath and heedless of the girl's anger. "I can't remember the last time I've laughed that hard!"

"Glad I could be of service," Tressa grumbled sarcastically, pushing his hand off of her shoulder. "It's all just so funny, I know."

Therion smirked. "Come on now, don't be like that." He slipped his other arm out from underneath his lavender shawl and surreptitiously pressed something into her hand. "After I went out of my way to help you out and everything? I'd think you'd be a little more grateful to me."

Tressa's jaw dropped as she looked down at what he'd given her - the very same coin purse she had just put down a minute ago. When had he had the time to swipe it off the ground without Ophilia noticing…?

"You'd better put that away," Therion advised with a wink. "Wouldn't want our moral compass seeing it, would we?"

The merchant's expression dulled. "I'm not even sure I want this anymore," she hissed. "Not after it's been tainted by your…thief hands."

The thief arched an eyebrow. "I'm…going to choose to ignore that last comment. Though if you don't want those leaves…" He shrugged. "Well, I'd be more than happy to take them off your hands."

"No!" Tressa snapped, then flinched at the volume of her own voice. When she spoke again, it was in a quiet but forceful whisper. "...no. The gods only know what you'd end up doing with it…I'll hold onto it for now, so I can make sure this money is used properly."

Therion chuckled. "Suit yourself." With that, he walked off to catch up with Ophilia, leaving Tressa alone to contemplate the pouch of leaves she now held.

In the end, she decided to slip it into her bag for safekeeping. No matter how much Therion would tease her about it, and no matter how much she knew that Ophilia would scold her for "profiting off of another's misfortune" if she found out, Tressa knew that the safest place for a significant sum of money was in the hands of an honest, respectable merchant.

Far safer than the hands of a thief anyway.

See you guys next time for Tale 14: Smile!