((Taken from a transcript of a roleplay in chat between the players involved:))<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>A woman sat lounging on the cot, one leather boot dangling over the edge, the other tucked underneath her. Her long, wavy black hair was tied back in a neat braid that hung down her back, though several locks had pulled loose to hang around her face. She looked up as she was addressed, a hint of defiance in her eyes. Her voice was calm and level as she responded, â€œThere was a misunderstanding in the market today, sir. I was manning my cart beside the cart belonging to this woman here. Someone robbed her while she was not looking. It is understandable that I, being the nearest, was suspected, but as you heard from the guard, I have not taken her possessions.â€<br/><br/>Caedrin crossed his arms and leaned back a bit, returning her defiant look with a questioning one of his own. He stared at her for a few moments longer, studying her features and trying to determine if she was being truthful or not. <br/><br/>When he was satisfied, he gave a small nod and turned to the woman on the right, "Ma'am, your only reasoning for accusing this girl was that she was nearby? Did you catch sight of the thief at all?"<br/><br/>"She was the only one nearby, yes,â€ replied the woman, â€œI watch my goods with as sharp an eye as I can. Not a single person who bought from me would do such a thing. I know them all."<br/><br/>"I see," he responded simply, setting a hand against his chin in contemplation. "What exactly were the objects stolen, if I may ask?"<br/><br/>Through the conversation, the accused woman simply shifts her position slightly, allowing her gaze to shift from the knight, to the woman, and back again. Her eyes remained calm, submissive, truthful, "I honestly do not know. Judging by the reaction to the loss, I would guess they were quite valuable."<br/><br/>His eyes glanced at the woman at the left in surprise, not expecting a response from her on this particular question. He looked at her for a moment once again and nodded, returning his attention to the other.<br/><br/>"Mainly some medical supplies," she said sending a glare at the other woman, biting back a remark. "There were a choice few other items but at least those are easily replaced."<br/><br/>The accused woman subsided into stoic silence, refusing to react. She folded both legs, sitting casually on the cot, and looked from the man to the woman, waiting to be addressed.<br/><br/>Caedrin closed his eyes for a time, considering different theories in his mind. "You seem very attentive, ma'am," he said to the woman on the right. "Did you notice this girl leaving her cart at any point?"<br/><br/>"I never saw her leave her spot." The woman said, thinking, starting to see where this was going. "Even when I turned my back for no more than a mere few seconds...she still stood where I last saw her..."<br/><br/>Caedrin smiled at her with a look of understanding. "So tell me then, how is it possible that this woman stole your merchandise, but had none of it when she was searched?"<br/><br/>In silence, the accused woman resisted a smile, looking to the man with a bit more attention. He was clever, she saw. He wasn't like the other neglectful guards. Maybe there was hope.<br/><br/>The merchant woman kept her thoughts to herself but stated simply. " It isn't possible."<br/><br/>"As it would seem. I do believe you owe this girl an apology," he stated, waving his hand towards the woman on the left and smiling at her; "But there is still the matter of your missing merchandise. I suppose it couldn't have been simply negligence?"<br/><br/>The accused woman gritted her teeth at this, remembering again something she'd seen in the market. For the time being, however, she would remain silent.<br/><br/>She looked over towards the women once again. "I apologize for accusing you." She said in as sincere a tone as she could muster. " No it was no negligence of mine...I know where every item is and every item sold. It was there when i turned my back and then gone the next."<br/><br/>Caedrin nodded and turned to the girl on the left. "Did you see anything, miss? If you were at your cart all day, there's a chance that you might have seen the culprit. Did either of you notice anyone suspicious?"<br/><br/>She considered for a moment, then nodded to the woman, smiling, "There is no need to apologize. I can fully understand the loss. We are, after all, in the same boat, so to speak. We both make a living off of what we sell." She looked up to meet the eyes of the man, nodding slightly, "It happened very fast. I saw only a cloaked figure, dashing past. But before I could speak up, she noticed the theft, and turned on me. I couldn't speak up, without appearing even more guilty than I did. The cloaked figure was small, and very quick, but moved oddly. I would be surprised if they were not after the medical supplies specifically."<br/><br/>Caedrin nodded again, looking to the ground. "Perhaps the other items were simply a diversion, then. If medical supplies were the only object stolen, the thief's motive would be plain as day, and tracking him down would be that much easier. A simple tactic, but an effective one." His gaze shifted to the woman on the right,  "In any other situation, I would have the unfortunate job of telling you your goods are long gone. However, if the thief was injured enough to justify stealing medical supplies, there's a good chance they needed to rest and get it taken care of as soon as possible. They may still be within reach."<br/><br/>The accused woman speaks in a quiet voice, careful to word the statement casually, "She may have been bleeding.... enough to leave a trail."<br/><br/>Caedrin raised his eyebrow and looked at the other girl. "She, you say? Most people would assume a thief to be a man until proven otherwise.. Is there something you're forgetting to tell us?"<br/><br/>The merchant woman was happy to hear that there was some way of finding out who had done it and bring them to justice. Just the thought of being able to find the thief made her smile.<br/><br/>Caedrin nodded. "It could have been a younger man, and I'm sure even some that are older are of a smaller build, but I'll take your word for it for now. You don't seem to be interested in causing trouble, and we don't have much else to go on in any case." He nodded to both of the women. "Thank you both for your cooperation," he said, afterward turning to the girl on the left, "And to you I offer my own apologies for taking your valuable time. You may return to your business as soon as you wish." He turned around and walked back to the guard, with the intention of discussing what their plans would be for tracking down the thief.<br/><br/>The merchant woman looked over to the other and smiled before adding. "Thank you for having an even sharper eye than I and I am sorry to have accused you of the theft, once again."<br/><br/>The responding smile was genuine as she nodded in response, "There is no need for apology, though I do appreciate your consideration. I know that it cannot have been easy to look past such a certainty to see truth."<br/></div></blockquote><br/><br/>((end quote))<br/><br/>After the knight and woman ad both gone, leaving the accused to retrieve her belongings from the local militia, the woman struggled to keep a patient attitude. When she finally had her freedom to go, she walked the street toward the stable where she would pick up her cart and horse.<br/><br/>The conversation had left her with a thought, rolling around in her head. The trail of blood... there was something there. An idea she was too weary to form. She had spent a long several days travling, sleeping little as the road was unsafe to let down her guard. Then today, the market had been unshaded, hectic, and taxing. She was drained both physically and emotionally.<br/><br/>Deciding it would be best to resume the idea after a bite to eat, she saddled and hitche the horse, climbed into the cart and urged the horse to move toward the edge of town where she'd seen a nice span of woods she could possibly find privacy within.<br/><br/>As she drove, she munched on a bit of jerky she pulled from a sack behind her seat in the back of the cart, relishing in the feel of the food easing the discomfort of her empty belly.<br/><br/>Suddenly, the idea popped.<br/><br/>"That's it! A trail of blood!" she grinned, "It wasn't my loss, but a theft cannot go ignored."<br/><br/>She knew that most knights of the city resented the duty of petty mediating in the small villages, and assumed that the knight would leave town. No one would catch the thief if she didn't. Determined to do what she could, she parked her cart in the woods and began her preparations.