Jake had barely taken three steps when he heard the unmistakable sound of a fallen Fenn striking cold kitchen floor. The half elf wheeled around and raced down the hall in the direction of the whump, noticing an array of empty shelves along the way. It seemed the fae had done some good work on his way to whatever trouble he'd encountered. Jake subconsciously eased his iron dagger in its sheath. What if the merchant had lied about his staff? What if he'd missed something in scouting the place? If he'd placed Fenn in danger, he wasn't sure how he'd forgive himself.

"Kaaah-chhooo!"

A distinctly fae-like sneeze echoed around the room of shiny surfaces as Jake entered. He found Fenn laying in a haphazard pile, an open tin having spilled snuff powder all over his face. The little fellow scratched at his scalp and gave another mighty sneeze, looking sheepishly up at the half-elf.

"Fenn, you don't want that stuff! It'll rot your nose off. At least, that's what the old men always shouted when I tried to steal it as a youngster..."

"Hello?" Came a deep, unfamiliar voice form outside. It penetrated the thin glass of the kitchen window. "Merchant Smellson? It's Ivan, the deputy sheriff you're always mistaking for Melvin, the other deputy sheriff. I heard some strange noises. Everything alright in there?"

Four green eyes intersected in a sudden panic.

"Quick!" Jake hissed. "Where are the horses?" Fenn pointed frantically towards the building's rear. "Right, hurry, hurry!" Jake said, and Fenn hurry hurried. The thieving pair stole out the back door and into the stables, where the smell of hay and the sight of zero yearlings greeted them.

"Fennnn, what happened?" Jake groaned, but the open gates left that all too evident. They didn't have time to go chasing yearlings all over the countryside. They had a deputy sheriff to escape from! Jake drew deeply on the Eternal Tap and created a shimmering portal out of thin air next to them. "After you, buddy!" He said, and Fenn hopped on through as quick as a hare.

Jake paused a moment, and then, almost as an afterthought, created a second portal and peered through it.

"You haven't gotten far," he said.

He was looking at a length of open beach, and a fat merchant sitting dejectedly in the sand in his nightshirt.

"Come one, then." Jake told him. "I'm getting tired holding this thing open!" He let the merchant back into his house, and then darted through the first portal after Fenn and allowed both holes in space to snap shut.

The fae's luminous green eyes stared, and he pointed wordlessly. Jake looked down, having forgotten what he was carrying under his arm.

"Oh, right!" He said, holding up the sparkly crystal dire wolf lantern. "I grabbed this for you, buddy." Fenn performed a small but elaborate dance and accepted the gift, squirreling it away inside his satchel-of-many-things.

"Well," Jake said, "I don't think that could have gone much better."