Getting By

Title: Getting By
Time Period: June 8, 135 A.E.
Characters Appearing:

Summary: Victims of theft think they might have found their culprit, but he's either a good liar or they're easily swayed.

After a few hours of rain, the noon sun has poked its head out of thinning clouds, and along with it, many of Dornie's citizens have poked their heads out for a bit of sun and fresh hair — not to mention the errands that must be done in the course of a given day. The market is full of its usual hustle and bustle, people chattering and full of energy and gossip as they often are after a few hours pent up inside.

"Did you hear that Claude proposed to…"

"…haven't seen her in ages; my, she's looking rather frail these days…"

"Glynis said she lost a set of suede gloves, and Tavish…"

"…never seen such a rude man…"

At one of the farmers carts, the young man by the infamous name of Sholto Clooney stands surveying the goods, and the farmer watches him carefully — no doubt having lost a few vegetables to Sholto's notoriously sticky fingers in the past.

Mariah's all too glad to get out and about after the rain, and today, she's even remembered an umbrella just in case. She has gloves on, but they're just lace rather than something that would actually keep her hands warm. But then, it is getting closer to summer.

She doesn't seem to be out on official errands, but looks over the farmer's goods all the same. Close enough to see the boy, but this time, she's leaving him to the watchful eyes.
Free of cast and encumbrance in the shape of the crutch or cane, Sorcha's mother got a hankering dinner and so Sorcha's out now to try and fill that hankering. Pants today, sweater knitted thick and warm the cool of after the rain meaning bundling up a bit, she's out with mesh bags and meandering the market to get her fill of gossip too. Sorcha, thrives on gossip.

Sholto reaches into a pocket and pulls out a beaded necklace — just costume jewelry, but it's not a bad piece. He steps closer to the farmer and holds the piece out with a somewhat shaky hand, and then jabs a grimy finger here and there at the farmer's produce. The farmer takes it and squints at it, holding it up to the light and twisting his mouth to one side as he considers its value. Finally he nods, and begins to put vegetables and fruits into a sack for the teenage ruffian to take.

"Where did he get that," says a familiar voice at Sorcha's elbow — Glynis MacRrankin, reaching up for a pair of glasses perched on her head to peer through in a friendly but nosy sort of way. "I'll bet he's the thief I've been hearing about. What about you ladies, have you had anything gone missing? We lost Tavish's ma's brooch and a set of gloves. Such a pity, they were lovely, too, and I'd have thought to maybe give them to you, Mariah, since I always see you in these thin things…"

Mariah watches the exchange, too, but the familiar voice pulls her away from her own idle wondering. "We've lost some as well. A bracelet of mine. I thought I'd just lost it in the move… Which may have happened, but with the rumors flying around, makes you wonder."

She can't help a chuckle at the mention of her gloves and with a glance downward, she splays out her fingers. "Well, luckily I'll have all summer to save up for a decent pair for winter."

"I misplaced a few things" Sorcha murmurs, having passed the missing items off as having been misplaced somewhere. She furrows her brows, watching Sholto pass over the necklace, studying the teenager. "You won't need to save. You'll make a pair, or I'll make you a pair. That's very night though Gynnis."

But at the end of those words, Sorcha's moving forward, the faintest limp that means she's not fully healed. Still favouring that leg as she makes for the teenager.

As Sorcha turns and strides away, Glynis turns to watch, brows lifting curiously, though she gives an amused glance to Mariah, as if they're about to watch something entertaining go down. Meanwhile, Mariah's sightline gives her a view at the other end of the market of Tavish and an unfamiliar teenage boy — one who looks like he's seen the worst life has to offer and survival would be too strong a term for his continued existence. Thin, dirty, and in clothes both too thin and too short for his long limbs, the boy, whose back is to Mariah, seems agitated. Tavish points down an alley and the boy runs down it, a pronounced limp marking his stride.

At the stall, Sholto turns away with his arms bundled up with bags full of produce, and he stops short when he sees Sorcha turning his way. "Whut?" he asks.

Mariah's smile in Glynis' direction is interrupted by a blip of confusion, but she straightens it again as she puts a hand on the woman's arm. "I'm going to get these errands run before the sky decided to open up again. But we must do dinner again soon," she says with a warm smile.

There's a glance to Sorcha, just long enough to get her attention before Mariah heads off. She's aiming for that alley, too, but trying not to make it too obvious.
"What? What? Will that be your answer when I ask where you got that necklace when half the time you are nicking food from everyone?" That's what, Sorcha blocking Sholto's way with his armload of goodies. "Hmm?"

The teenager blinks surprised at Sorcha's demanding tone and he hugs his groceries closer to his chest as he narrows his eyes a moment later. "It were my ma's," he growls in a low voice. "I just found it the other day, all right, lady? In't any of your business, is it?"

Sholto's father is the town drunk, and his mother died a few years back, leaving Sholto and a younger boy, Kenzie, behind. They never had a lot, but the woman did try to look presentable and keep her boys clean and well fed before she died.

Down at the other end of the market, Tavish is heading to the mouth of the alley to greet Mariah, grinning toothily. "Miss Larke! Just the woman I need to see. Glynis' birthday's next week, and I need an idea of what to do for her. What color do you think she'd look best in? I always liked her in red, but she says it makes her look sallow; green's her color but she has so much of it… I was thinking for a lovely scarf you or your boss could maybe make for us."

Glynis' eyes dart from Sholto and Sorcha to Mariah and Tavish; catching her eye, Tavish touches his neck — to accentuate the scarf he wants to buy his wife, of course.

"My business when I can call the militia down. I got things missing in my home, same for Mariah, Glynis's got stuff missingand gossip says other things too. And here you are with a mother long dead, passing over a necklace, for all of that when you're usually elbow deep in nicking stuff and not even bothering to do a decent job to get what you need like everyone else Sholto!" She maneuvers herself between him and any quick exit. "I wouldn't want to involve the militia if I were you"

Coming to a stop when Tavish comes up in front of her, Mariah blinks, but smiles a moment later when it registers who it is. "Blue," she says after barely a moment to consider. "Deep, like navy. Could always have some red in there, too. I'm a fan of a diverse color palette." She doesn't glance down the alley, but she also doesn't look toward Glynis, so as not to give away that they're talking about her, it would seem.

"I hear she's had things taken, too. In this rash of pilfering in town. And outside of town, too, apparently. Gets around."

"He wouldn't let me sell it, all right? I gotta keep Keir eating, and growing, and all, but my da, he wouldn't let me sell nothin' of hers so I got by doing what I could, but it's not enough, and then I caught him selling somethin' of hers for a bottle of whiskey. So if he can do it, so can I. I got as much a right to her stuff as he does!" Sholto says, dark eyes angry and flashing, but behind that anger is the threat of tears welling up. "If you excuse me, I'd like to get this all home, lady."

Tavish taps his throat thoughtfully. "Navy… she would look good in navy, I think you're right!" His green eyes dart down the alley and back to Mariah, tipping his hat. "Thank you for the tip, miss Larke." He steps away from the alley and begins to move to his wife — and from between the buildings closer to the farmer's stall darts Ben, catching up to his mother and father. There's a glint in the sunlight of the chain around his neck — the heirloom he wears, and Tavish's eyes fall upon it before clapping his son on the shoulder and pushing him ahead of him in the market, on their way to run their errands.

There's no sign of the unfamiliar, dirty and malnourished teen who'd disappeared down the alley near Mariah.

"Anytime," Mariah says with a wider smile. "And good luck! Let us know if you don't mind some company, we can bring along a cake." She watches him head off, and Ben's arrival, with her smile in tact. It only fades when she glances down the alley to see the boy gone, but she keeps walking a moment later. She's totally perusing the goods.
Shit.

Sorcha's making the town filch cry. She shifts to the side letting the teenager with his good, take off. Her cheeks are red with embarrassment and looks over to see how much of the interaction that Mariah saw. Likely none from the looks of it, and with that, the seamstress is moving to the stall that the teenager came from. Time to negotiate for that necklace. Or try to.

Glynis casts one glance over her shoulder as the MacRankin trio make for the far end of the market, and then her hand moves to Ben's shirt, tucking the chain under the collar and leaning to murmur something in his ear that goes unheard from this distance by the seamstresses.

A quick nod is given to Sorcha by Sholto before he hurries out of the market by another route. His face flaming red, he keeps his head ducked to try not to let anyone see the tears in his eyes.

It's never a dull day in the market in Dornie.