An Accidental Thief (Open Rp)
Chainlink let out a rushing ex-vent as he collapsed just outside the ring where the heavy weapons event was taking place. At last he could catch a breather. All day he'd been running errands to keep the festival working smoothly. Everything from "Chainlink, we need the literal red carpet rolled out for our Vosnian guests. Go and fetch it." to "Chainlink, there's a wagon blocking the way! You need to stand here and redirect traffic until we can get it moved!" and even "Hey buddy, can you direct me to the stall where they sell, you know, the things...on the sticks...they're round...and you eat them...you know what I'm talking about, right?" (He didn't. That had been an adventure.) Right now he was on duty at the ring, but thankfully there was little he needed to do except tidy up between matches. That left him enough time to sit and catch his breath, and maybe eat the lunch he had missed.
Yeah, lunch sounded pretty good right now.
He glanced left and right to make sure Ironhide wouldn't materialize out of the crowd to scold him for eating on duty--or worse, the rumoured ghost sentry of the castle, whom Chainlink had heard kept extra pairs of optics stashed around the grounds when they were not in his head. Satisfied that no one nearby was of high enough authority to yell at him for it, he swung his overlarge pack off his back and rummaged around in it for his spare cube.
"Ow!"
Or perhaps instead of a meal he'd just find something to scratch himself on. Typical Chainlink luck. Feeling around more carefully, his fingers slid down the sharp object, finding it long and narrow. Not something he remembered putting in his backpack. Frowning, he closed his hand around the object and pulled it out to examine it.
Oh frag...
It was an arrow, and suddenly it all made sense. He now remembered how this had ended up in his bag, and he flushed with shame and horror at what he had done.
He'd been on-duty at the archery event. Specifically, he'd been in charge of plucking the arrows out the targets and returning them to their owners. He'd watched in awe as the talented Praxian had pulled off a difficult trick shot before sinking it neatly into the bullseye, and with the crowd roaring all around him he'd been caught up in the heat of the moment. He plucked the arrow and set it reverently aside to be returned to the owner with a word of congratulations, an act he was normally too timid for. Not wanting to mix it up with the others he had stored it safely in his backpack and then--
Oh Primus, he'd never given it back. He'd forgotten about it when he was busy sorting out all the other arrows.
No one had said anything. No one had noticed. But he had stolen it, and his conscience would not settle until he had returned it properly to its owner.
But where was said owner now?
"Cover me," he gasped to his co-squire, who gave him a curious look but shrugged in acceptance. Turning his back on the ring where just now the gold prince was stepping forward to fight--and unknowingly bearing the favour of the one he sought--Chainlink shouldered his pack once more and set out into the crowd, in the complete wrong direction.
