[ It's a bright and breezy day and there's a spring in Sophie's step as she heads out to the market. It's been a busy week – she'd gotten a few last minute requests for medicines that had left her scraping the very bottom of her emergency stores and feeling more than a little harried. But now the week's work is behind her and Sophie think she's more than earned a day off to spend in town.

Just as she crosses through the gate into town, though, she hears a familiar caw and with a smile, she holds out her arm in time to let the crow flutter in and perch there. ]

Oh, good morning! [ She lifts her free hand and gently strokes the front of its chest, earning a flutter of feathers and a hoarse cooing for her troubles. ] It looks like you're doing well today. It's a lovely morning, isn't it?

[ The crow clicks to itself and then stretches out to peck at the little charm dangling from her wrist. It's some sort of polished stone, though it's not a jewel Sophie recognizes, with a hole bored through it; she's taken to wearing it around her wrist with a ribbon tie, just as a good luck charm. ]

Has it caught your eye? [ She lifts her wrist to let the stone dangle and give the crow a better look. ] I'm really not sure what it is myself, but–

[ And that's all she gets out before the crow flutters its feathers and makes a swipe at her wrist, snatching the stone away and promptly taking flight. It takes Sophie a long moment to process what's just happened and then she splutters in shock and takes off after the crow. Not that she has any hope of reaching it before it flaps back to Lulu, of course. ]