Se Riddermarket of Sweltering Summer - CLOSED

[Wamba_the_Fool]

Repost of the OP:

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Se Riddermarket of Sweltering Summer

The day dawns hot and humid. As the marketplace comes to life for the day it is clear, despite the early hour, that it is going to be a hot one. The streets are dusty and dry and the sun beats down on people as they go about their business. Even plants look hot, the gardens around the fountain and planters scattered through the marketplace looking dry and wilted. Horses sweat as they pull wagons along and vendors in stalls fan themselves and try to stay in the shade.

It is a typical, hot summer day in Rohan. Though this heat is normal, it isn't pleasant. Working in this heat won't be easy and even shopping will be unpleasant for many.

Welcome to the Riddermarket!

This is a free RP thread with the theme of a marketplace, so Come in, shop, socialize, wander. Feel free to check out shops, or PM the Riddermarket lædenmanger Shivased if you want to open your own shop.

Open Shops

Ye Olde Pet Shoppe ~ Shivased ~ A shop selling animals and horses, as well as animal supplies
Pen and Ink ~ Aethelu~ A shop selling pens, inks, parchment and other writing supplies
CweÞ Ciese ~ Thalionwen ~ Fresh cheeses and other fine dairy products as well as eggs
Awesnis gærwe nædleprica ~ Taethowen ~ Essence of Needlepoint, a seamstress and clothing shop
Apprentice: Starbreeze (Fairy) Assistant: Seleðryðe (Almarëa)
Swéte Hunig ~ Daran (NPC of Shivased) ~ A shop for everything sweet. Candy, chocolate and treats galore.
Isengafæme Smithing ~ Rhys (NPC of Rowena)~ A blacksmith shop
Ffermgardd Adref ~ Audley (NPC of Rowena) ~ Gardening and farming supply store
Siltan Bur ~ Elarith ~ A butcher Shop selling a variety of meats
Leoht Min Fyr ~ Beda (NPC ofEléowyn) ~ Candles and related products
Second Skin Saddles and Tack ~ Gwai ~ Tack and horse supplies
Golde ge Eorcanstan ~ Aodh Hammerhelm ~ Purveyor of finely crafted jewellery
Holt Leod (Wooden Song) ~ Caddrick (Veowyn) ~ Wooden instruments and trinkets
Treowwyrhta ~ Æric (Windy) ~ Carpenter shop selling tables, chairs, benches and wood furniture, as well as offering repairs for houses, etc.
Se Hæland Æ ~ Sigrid (Windy) ~ Healing herbs, remedies and supplies

Shops For Sale
Fela Tera ~ For Sale ~ Beadwork, Hair Ornaments and beaded strings for men and horses
Liðefot (The Soft Foot) ~ For Sale ~ A cobbler's Shop. Footwear, shoes and boots
Essence ~ For Sale ~ Essential oils and herbs
Né Fugol of Huntanð ~ For Sale ~ Birds of Prey and supplies for hawking and falconers
Crete Lið ~ For Sale ~ Fine wines
Æghwa ge Beþurfan ~ For Sale ~ A basic grocer selling fruits, vegetables and produce in season


More shops will be added as they open or become available to buy.

To Open a Shop:
1. Shops must be realistic for Rohan. So no pizza shops, sorry.
2.NO libraries or book shops. The Rohirrim were a people of oral tradition, so would not have had things like that.
3. No repeat shops. If someone sells something already, think of another idea. We don't want overlap.
4.Tag Shivased, the lædenmanger, in the Golden Hall OOC thread for approval BEFORE opening a shop! PM must include shop name and description of what you plan to sell.

Thread Rules:
1. Remember, this is a marketplace so posts should reflect that. Shop, socialize, etc. as you would while at market.
2. Red BF0000 is reserved for the lædenmanger
3. Please post your location at the top of your post - Pen and Ink, Streets, etc. so others know where you are.
4. If a shop is listed as FOR SALE, feel free to RP there being a shopkeeper there, within reason. If a shop has an owner, please wait for them to acknowledge you, do not godmode them.
5. HAVE FUN!

[Calimir]

Golde ge Eorcanstan @Aodh Hammerhelm

All the tidying was done and the kiln was getting nice and hot, but Sheemie still hadnt returned. Cal' thought about going out to find his friend, but didn't. Leaving a fire going in a wooden building was not the greatest idea - even Sheemie would have knowed that!

Cal' had a look at the material on offer. Antler would be very hard to carve, wood wouldn't be as difficult but he wasn't very confident about carving a letter. He picked up a ball of wax and looked at it thoughtfully. There was a rolling pin with the tools, bigger and heavier than the one his mother used in the kitchen at home . Cal' grabbed it and began rolling the ball of wax into a flat sheet. The wax was pretty hard and smelled sweet, nothing like the stinky tallow candles the people of Rohan used.

When he had got a nice flat sheet of wax rolled out, about half an inch thick he went and got the customer (@Gwai's) drawing. He put the drawing on top of the wax and selected a thin sharp knife from the tools he'd sorted. Carefully using the knife like a quill with his tongue tracing the shape on his lip as he worked, Cal' cut through the parchment and down through the wax. It didn't take long to shape the wax letter and it looked quiet good, he thought.

The next bit was trickier, he had to think really hard about the summers he had spent with his grandfather and think through how to make the clay mould around the wax. The clay was wet and claggy and hard to work, but at last he had managed to press it gently around all of the wax F.

Cal' added a bit more clay around the mould, and a bit more, till it was about the size of a very large pear. He found a metal spike and made a hole in the top of the clay mould, pressing down gently till he felt the harder wax.

How long to bake it for? he thought. In between the two fires or over the top one?

He rolled made another clay shape and opened the oven door with a glove. He put both clay moulds on the grate at the centre of the kiln and closed the door. He would wait one hour and then check if the test mould had hardened.

[Eldrith]

NPC post Aegwarth

streets of the riddermarket

*Each step made him exhale a bit easier. His tread lightened. The summer heat beat down on him and a small sense of triumph started to rush through him. The scent of blood faded from his memory replaced to the image of Taedwyn's pleased reaction when he told him: mission accomplished. It would set his standing within the organization for good. Someone to grow through the ranks in time. The good life. No longer a grunt. The movement slowed down to a stroll, as he stopped to peek into another shop. Perhaps he'd buy something. It wasn't part of the set up plan but it couldn't hurt. He had not noticed anyone calling out, anyone chasing after him. Tension eased away and he grinned. He couldn't wait to tell the tale. How he'd kept his eyes open. How he'd waited and stalked. How he made sure no one was near AND that he was near an alley to get out. Skirt hidden among crates and refuse, and then brazenly stalked into the riddermarket again without batting an eye. Not much to it, he'd say, and perhaps not mention his roiling guts right after. That would get easier with time no doubt. Taedwyn probably didn't even think about it anymore. Balcedir definitely didn't. He wasn't supposed to know that name. But a smart young man kept his eyes open. The Old Man had long been replaced.

[Lail]

Treowwyrhta
Lailyn with Æric and Edda

Lailyn was impressed with the way he was able to force a smile for his daughter's sake. She softened her own expression when the girl returned, first with a jug of juice and then with mugs. But it wasn't hard to do; the girl really was delightful.

As she watched him whisper in his daughter's ear, something dawned on her. While she hadn't been quite ogling, she'd certainly been noticing a man who was very clearly married. It reminded her all too much of the guilt she was carrying around, but right now, her attention demanded far more important things.

She released a slight breath before she began speaking quickly with Edda still out of ear-shot."Yes, they are well-trained. Or...they were when I was enlisted. But that was some years ago." Although she wanted to reassure him, she wouldn't lie; she was not all that familiar with the Cavalry these days.

"I came across the victim who thought it was because of a personal grudge. I spoke to a Marshal and she was sure there was no risk to anyone else, so she sent me on my way. I hope that it will be swiftly resolved," and she was counting on Allacan to do so, "and I think if it were cause for concern, they would already have soldiers lining the streets." She spoke with conviction, believing every word she said. Lail didn't think there was any danger to them, but if something did happen, she would regret not warning him.

"I'm sorry to bring such worrying news on your first day. I can assure you that stabbings are not an everyday thing in the city, at least not when I lived here before. Though I admit, it makes me a bit uneasy and I don't want to go running around the streets." She took a sip from the previously untouched mug and hoped she hadn't just ruined his day.

[Dungeon Delver]

Walpurga
On the Streets, Ye Olde Pet Shoppe

The nightmarish moment seemed to be over now. The terror and confusion that had gripped Walpurga and the other occupants of Awesnis gærwe nædleprica had passed. She breathed a sigh of relief, though she did notice that the woman who owned the shop, Taeth, gave her a strange look. Did she know the woman? She looked like she knew her, or knew something about her. It only lasted a second, but it felt like someone was reading her soul without her permission. She smiled at the woman and thanked her but she seemed so busy and rushed (aside from that brief, soul rending glance) that she didn’t notice Walpurga’s words. She shrugged and made her way back out into the streets. The sun was a little bit higher in the sky, and the air was a little more stifling.

Walpurga, though, didn’t notice the heat. She was on a mission, a desperate mission to find her purse. She didn’t want to run back to the store front she hoped she’d dropped it, after everything that just happened, she knew the sight of someone running around like a madwoman might be seen as something dangerous or suspicious. She walked as fast as her legs would carry her though. By the time she arrived at the store front of the carpenter’s knick-knack shop, her shins were burning from exertion. But there it was! It was crumpled in a heap right in front of the window. Her shoulders sagged suddenly as the weight that had been working its way down her neck vanished. She breathed a sigh of relief, a laugh of nervous energy escaped her lips.

“Oh thank the galloping stars!” she said under her breath as she picked the pack up, dusted it off, and swung it back around her shoulder. The familiar weight (or lack thereof) felt good, like a piece of her had been restored.

The store in front of her seemed to be closed. She frowned and brushed her fingers through her hair. She had planned on buying something for her mother and sending it back to her to let her know she had made it safely but that would apparently have to wait.

What to do, what to do…

There was a pet shop! She’d seen as she was racing through the streets. It was perfect for the idea she had. She needed a companion. Edoras was massive and busy, but it was also lonely. She needed someone she could talk to.

She worked her way through the streets (avoiding alleyways for obvious reasons) and finally made it.

She poked her head in tentatively. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

@Shivased

[Thalionwen Hunigfolm]

CweÞ Ciese
with Pele

Still smiling over Taethowen's parting words, Thalionwen ducked into her storeroom with a hot mug of honeyed tea in hand.

"Here you are," she said briskly to Pele. "I know it's overly warm in here already, but I promise if you drink that up, it'll help you feel better. The Second Marshal will sort out everything else, and hopefully manage to get word to the friend you mentioned, @Arnyn, that you're here and have met with misfortune. As for me, I've got to mind the shop, but I'll check in on you as I can. And don't worry--we Cavalry haelends do our bit of fighting in addition to healing--I keep a short sword behind my counter as well as just a cheese knife, and no one's going to get to you through me."

[Pele Alarion]

Pele Alarion
CweÞ Ciese

Getting up was just a bit easier now that the wound was dealt with, yet Pele relied heavily on assistance from Thalionwen and Taethowen, allowing them to lead her to the storeroom. At any rate, the whole situation made it clear to her that she would not be able to ride back to Gondor anytime soon, not before the wound had healed enough for her to undertake such travel. This unexpected event would definitely mess up her future plans and schedule, but there was not much that she could do about it.

"Ah, after-party..." Pele nodded, when Taeth said she had met Arnyn there. She really did not look forward to having to explain why she had not come and the like. "Unfortunately, I did not get to ask her where she is staying," she admitted. There really had not been much time to talk after Campian, and then they had parted ways.

When the Marshal left, Pele simply sat and took in her surroundings: while the room did not appear to be very spacious, yet she could see that it was well-stocked and very tidy. All the items had their place, no doubt so that they could be easily found when necessary. Yet Pele could not help but wonder why would Thali have a cot in here - was she staying at the shop overnight occasionally? Or maybe it was meant for such unlooked for cases as hers.

Soon Thalionwen returned with tea for her, and Pele accepted it without arguments. "Thank you," she said, taking the mug and breathing in the scent of the tea to determine what the healer had used in its making. "Perhaps it will take the edge off the pain and help me regain a bit of strength. It would be no good to take up your place for who knows how long..." Pele did not wish to become too much of a burden, as it seemed that her not being vigilant enough to ward off the attack had caused enough trouble in the market. "It would be nice if Arnyn could be found, if she has not left already. But otherwise..." The Gondorian paused for a while, thinking how best to formulate her words. "By all means do tend to your normal business. I am a warrior and can deal with a fair amount of pain without complaining and won't disturb you too much, and also I don't even doubt your ability to wield swords and knives at need." A touch of a smile appeared in her blue eyes, as she took a careful sip of the hot tea.

[Winddancer]

Æric with Lailyn
Treowwyrhta

"No." He paused a long moment before continuing. "No I appreciate the heads up. I would rather know than not know and seeing as we are new here it could have been a while before I found out. Thank you."

Sighing he rubbed his face with one hand, his fingers pausing at his 3 scars like it was something they always did. Picking up the mug, he sighed and took a small sip, holding the mug in both hands staring into it as if it held all the answers. He had hoped that he would be safe here, it being a bigger town and all, given the insecurity of the outlying villages with the occassional orc raids. Not that they happened often, but often enough to not want to live so far from others. He just wanted a safe place for him and Edda, a place Edda could grow up where she did not have to fear for her life every moment. Right now that did not seem possible and it put a dampner on his mood.

"Well, there is not much we can do about it I guess, other than trust that the Cavalry will sort this out quickly and efficiently." Of that he would be enquiring about himself.

"If you are not too rattled, we can discuss what you need doing and then I can walk you home and take a look for myself and then give you a fair price. If you would rather postpone, then I will escort you home and we can sort something out for another day." He looked at her questioningly, although it did also convey that there would be no arguing about the escort unless someone else came to walk her home. He was not going to let her walk home by herself. He was sure Caddrick could look after Edda for the short time he was gone, if he decided not to bring her, part of him not wanting to let her out if his sight.

[Shivased]

Ye Olde Pet Shoppe
NPC: Jacen

Jacen finished spreading fresh straw in a pen full of puppies and, extracting his arm from the wriggling balls of fluff trying to attack it, stood up and shook out his apron. The puppies barked shrilly and tried to climb the side of the pen after him, making him laugh as he gathered up the grain sack of dirty bedding. No, you stay in there. The last time puppies got out it was mayhem in here and Shiva almost killed me.

At the thought of his sister he looked out the front window to the shop across the street and then looked around the pet shop and grinned widely, pride rolling off him. Now that he was 16, she had given him the pet shop. It was his! As he headed to the back to toss the bedding in the manure pile he couldn't help run his hand over the counter and along the wall. He was a bit sad Shiva wasn't running the shop anymore, but she'd wanted to go open a tea store and sell the teas and stuff she liked so much. So she'd given the shop to him as a birthday gift, and he couldn't believe it!

He was coming back in when he heard a voice calling out a hello, so quickened his pace. In the front of the shop he found a young woman (Walpurga) poking her head in. Hello! he greeted her, vaguely recognizing her as a new member of the Cavalry. I'm Jacen, the shop owner, what can I help you with? And wow, did it sound odd to his ears to say that, but so good too.

The Copper Kettle

Shivased took an appreciative sniff of the jar full of tea leaves she was holding before closing it and setting it on the shelf. It was a new blend she was trying - a black tea flavoured with bergamot and lavender, with notes of cream and blue flower buds. It smelled divine, and so far was the best tea she'd made.

Taking up her tea cup with the new tea in it she took a sip and surveyed her new shop. It had been in surprisingly good shape, so hadn't taken much cleaning to get it ready. And with her love for tea she had plenty at home, enough to start selling in a shop. She stared across the street at her old shop, where she watched Walpurga go in. Jacen would be happy as a pig in mud to get his first customer. She was sad to give up the pet shop; she had opened it when she and Daran had returned from their travels and she had finally re-settled back home. But Jacen had grown up there, and he loved the place, and at 16 years old, he was ready for the responsibility. And it meant that, though she loved the animals, she could take up a quieter, easier shop to run that didn't conflict so badly with her Cavalry duties.

She took another sip of tea and sighed, feeling relaxed in a way she hadn't in a while. It would be nice to have a quieter shop, one that smelled of tea instead of animals, and one where she could pursue her love of tea.


The Street and Second Skin Saddles and Tack
NPC: Haru

Haru tied up the paint stallion outside the shop and gave it a pat. The animal snorted and dipped it's head, but stood calmly. He marvelled at that. His lady was quite lucky with this animal, so calm and even at such a young age. Giving it another pat he stepped into the tack shop and paused inside the door to look around. He wasn't sure if anyone was even in here.

Hello? he called out hesitantly. Is anyone here? I'd like to buy some tack if it pleases?

[Lail]

Treowwyrhta
Lailyn with Æric

"Well...I admit it was only when I saw Edda, I thought you should know." Lailyn bowed her head and rubbed the back of her neck. She hoped he wouldn't think less of her for only sharing the information to protect a child. But when she saw her glowing face, she knew the guilt she would feel if such an innocent soul got hurt or witnessed some misdeed.

It was clear the news troubled him. But then, it would be unsettling to hear of a stabbing the first day opening your shop in a new place. She took another sip of juice and nearly choked on it when he offered to walk her home.

"No." She insisted. It came out a little more firm than she intended. "I mean...no, thank you." When she turned to look him straight in the face, she saw he looked quite serious about this. Her hazel eyes grew round. "That's not necessary. I appreciate your offer, Æric, but I'll be fine. I mean, I don't think anyone will come after me." She managed a smile and hoped it was convincing.

Part of her wanted to say yes. Yes, she would most certainly feel safer. It might even be nice to walk with him. But that was what she was most afraid of. "You should stay here with your daughter and look after her. You can come by and look some other time. My house and its problems aren't going anywhere...there are a lot of them, but they can wait."

[Winddancer]

Æric and Edda with Lailyn
Treowwyrhta

He merely nodded at her reasoniong for telling him about the stabbing, grateful that she had. It was nice of her to think of Edda's safety. He was more than well aware that it took a village to raise a child and it was encouraging that there were already people who cared about her even if they had just arrived a few days before. But then Edda did have a way about her that just made people smile, her joyful laughter definitely catchy.

His eyes shot up at the woman before him as she firmly declined his 'offer'. "I understand. However, see it from my point of view.. there has just been a stabbing, would you let yourself walk home alone if you were me? It's fine, Edda and I can use the fresh air and we have not had much chance to look around as of yet."

As if knowing she was being talked about, Edda burst back through the door with a delighted squeal. "Look! I did it! See??" Running over, Edda stopped before the woman and handed her the paper with the drawing on and then proceeded to climb onto the vacant stool that was between the two adults. After a few near misses of falling over, she triumphantly sat herself down and started pointing out what she had drawn. "This is you!" Looking up at the woman with her bright blue eyes she gave a huge proud smile, before returning to her 'masterwork'. And this is your house, see!? And that is a tree, I put a swing in it. We used to have a swing in our tree back home, didn't we Papa?" Edda barely looked at her father when asking the question, eager to see the woman's reactions. Shifting to sit on her knees she leaned in further and pointed to something that stuck out of the stick figure's head. "See?? That's a ribbon! Lord Caddrick gave me a ribbon today, wanna see?"

Without waiting, the girl scrambled down from the stool and ran towards the back, arriving back a few moments later, "See?? It's so pretty!" Smiling she held out the turquoise ribbon that funny enough matched the colour of her dress. "Can you put it on for me?" The girl stepped closer, looking up at Lailyn hopefully.

"Edda.." he said as he tried to stop his daughter from pestering Lailyn.

[Eléowyn]

The streets, headed toward Leoht Min Fyr—NPC Beda

Sheemie and Beda left the steps of the Golden Hall, heading toward the Riddermarket or, more specifically, Beda’s shop. “Why aren’t you at your shop making the silver letter that was commissioned?” she asked as they walked along. She would have been skipping, after the morning’s good fortune, but she didn’t think Sheemie was likely much of a skipper.

In true Beda fashion, the questions didn’t stop there. “Is that breakfast you have there? Did you never eat this morning? Did you lock your shop up to come find me? And what is this story that is so scary you can only tell it in bright daylight?”

@Aodh Hammerhelm

[Calimir]

Golde ge Eorcanstan @Aodh Hammerhelm

The hour was up at last but Sheemie still hadn't reappeared. Cal' wondered where his friend had got to. He would have liked Sheemie to have seen what he'd been up to, that way the big lad could have learned something.

Maybe it was a good thing he wasn't there to learn? The experiment was not done yet, and the moulds might not have worked.

Cal' put on the thick glove again and grabbed a set of iron pincers. He opened the oven and had to step back for a moment. The heat was very fierce! He reached in carefully and took out the dummy mould. He placed it on the counter top, closed the kiln door and waited for the dummy to cool.

He saw he'd forgotten to bore a pour hole into the dummy mould, which was a pity, but not a real problem. As long as the mould hardened nicely that would be perfect. The clay shape changed colour as Cal' watched, from fiery red to a light, dull brown.

Cal' picked it up, still wearing the glove, and tapped it lightly with a metal spoon. Tap! Tap! all around and under he went. It made a soft pinging sound but did not crack or break. Satisfied with the work so far Cal' got the pincers again and took the main mould from the kiln.

Now for the silver melting... Should he wait for Sheemie? Maybe. He decided to make a cup of tea before the next part of the job.

[Aodh Hammerhelm]

The Streets to the Riddermarket Fountain : NPC: Sheemie Rheus

Beda’s pace kept Sheemie going along at a fair old clip, by the time they’d reached the Riddermarket fountain he was gulping for breath. Her endless flow of questions didn't help matters.

“Hold up!” he tooted, doubled over and red faced. “Your shop won’t runs away from you, Beda, but Sheemie’s news might. You knows how quickly he forgets things… one second they’re there, the next Sheemie’s thinking of summat else!”

The burly lad sat himself on the edge of the fountain, and tilted his head back so that the cool spray found his flushed face. Once his breathing had settled he leant forward and beckoned his sweoster closer.

“No I hasn’t eaten yet, I forgot too… Or I had other things to do. You see what I mean? Sheemie’s always in a muddle… But no, I didn’t make the letter yet, and I didn’t lock the jeweller shop. Cal’s there, m’rember him? The tall lad from Gondor… He started working on that silver F while I went to get brêkfis!

And that got me thinking while I was walking, do you see? We seen that boy, Cal, somewhere before haven’t we? Do you remember long ago, in your candle shop, the wizard – he was really THE BRACK MAN – came and did tricks what made candy? Cal was there too, Sheemie’s sure of it.

That’s why I went to the King’s Hall, Calimir reminded me about the Brack Man, and how awful bad he is, so I wanted to tell the King he was in Rohan. That Will and his m’lady were going to fight him – Arthur too, and another small fellow, a hole-dweller, I think.

But when I got to the Hall I had a dream – one of Sheemie’s wakey-wake-dreams! They kilt him, Beda… Will and Eléowyn, kilt that feller good and dead, so now we’ll all be safe again…”

--
@Eléowyn
@Calimir (be with you soon )

[Arnyn]

The Streets

The Campian had been interesting. Both entertaining and disconcerting; good exercise and (weirdly) a nice way to interact with some people outside of Gondor. The afterparty had been... an altogether different experience. Good - at first, and definitely entertaining - in more ways than one, but it had ended in flames, and panic for a good many of those present.

Arnyn was still troubled the festival had ended thus, and it had cast a bit of a shadow over her preparations to leave once again for Minas Tirith. She was ready, for the most part: all she needed still were some provisions for the journey. Instead of simply asking for food at the inn she had stayed at, she'd decided to visit the riddermarket instead. It would give her a last glimpse of Edoras before heading back to the White City, and it would be nice to see Rohirrim just going about their business despite the fire at the party tent.

Some cheese was never a bad idea for a lengthy voyage, but when she came to what looked like the cheese shop, it wasn't entirely clear to her whether or not it was open for business.

"Hello?" Arnyn called out, knocking at the door as she carefully looked inside.

@Thalionwen Hunigfolm

[Thalionwen Hunigfolm]

CweÞ Ciese
with Pele and Arnyn

Glancing up from her place behind the counter as a firm knock sounded at the door, Thali glanced up, only to find a woman in Gondorian garb peering in. Hurrying over, she threw the door open with a relieved smile.

"Oh thank Bema!" Thalionwen exclaimed. "You must be Arnyn, they told me they'd gone to fetch you but I'd no idea they'd track you down so quick. She's in the back--*what* a thing to happen, and right in the middle of the Riddermarket! The Marshals have everything well in hand though, don't you worry."

OOC @Arnyn: I know Arnyn is just wandering into the cheese shop without knowing what's going on, but Thali would 100% just assume she'd been found in 5 minutes, so let the miscommunication commence

[Lail]

Treowwyrhta
Lailyn with Æric

Lail released a sigh and rested her gaze on his face. He seemed insistent, but genuine, and she could not come up with a reasonable counter to his logic. It was just a walk. And he was right. Unless she could find another carpenter, he’d have to see the house sometime. And since she no longer carried a weapon, there was really nothing she could do one her own but hope for the best and run if the worst happened. She was about to give in when Edda bounded back in, paper in hand.

“Oh, thank you!” she told Edda, taking the paper and smiling as she held it aloft. “It’s lovely. I think I'll put it up on my wall at home. It’ll be my very first decoration. I had a swing when I was your age, too. They are fun, aren’t they?”

She watched her run back and return in a flurry of blue and red that made Lail wonder if she’d been that full of energy once, too. “It’s very pretty! What a perfect match. Turn around and I’ll put it on.” Lail took the ribbon from Edda, ignoring Æric’s gentle chiding.

While she focused on combing Edda’s curls into a tidy plait the best she could, she nodded her head slightly at Æric. She kept her words intentionally vague though she wasn't sure how much Edda would listen or catch on. “I can see saying no again will get me nowhere. So I will accept your offer.” But not welcome it. Well...maybe a little, she thought, feeling a pang of guilt.

She finished braiding Edda’s hair and looped the ribbon into a bow at the end. “There you are. I think it looks lovely! I’m sure...who was it? Lord Caddrick would agree.”

[Taethowen]

Awensis Gærwe Nædleprica

Once Lail had excused herself, Taeth found that she was alone in Awesnis, and her thoughts were tumbling. She had no idea where to start looking for Arnyn, and hoped that the Gondorian woman had not stayed at the now-ashes Horse & Rider Inn.

Taethowen had also been hoping that least one of the two new helpers she'd hired would show up this morning, but she couldn't blame them if they didn't, what with the fires and all. She made up her mind, though. Cavalry duties were more important than running the shop, especially in the case of a suspected murder.

Perhaps it would be for the best though... as she'd told Thalionwen earlier, a closed shop on a busy market day would be more suspicious than an open one. And while she would hate to lose all her stock for some reason--especially after having to eat the cost of the cheese-ruined Eriador linen, also courtesy of Thali--fabric was replaceable. A human life was not.

So, Taeth locked up the shop, and turned to face the streets.

The Streets to CweÞ Ciese

Taeth looked back toward the cheese shop just in time to see Arnyn knock at the door, and Thalionwen usher her inside. Thank Bema, Taeth thought, and wandered in that direction. She didn't want to rush and draw attention to herself, but a quick glance up and down the street didn't reveal anyone suspicious at the time, or anyone who'd been on the street earlier when she'd rushed back and forth between the two shops. And besides... Awesnis was slow that morning, after the delivery of the dyed linen. And if anyone wondered at her meanderings back and forth, it was a well-established fact that she and Thali were longtime friends.

The Second Marshal slipped inside the door just in time to hear Thali say, "The Marshals have everything well in hand though, don't you worry."

"I appreciate your confidence, Thalionwen," Taeth said. "But does Arnyn even know what happened yet?"

@Pele Alarion @Thalionwen Hunigfolm @Arnyn

[Eléowyn]

The Riddermarket Fountain (NPC Beda)

Beda knew her shop would not run away from her, but she might want to run away from Mam if she missed out on any customers while she tarried (though the three gold coins she now carried might go a long way toward appeasement). But Beda also knew that once Sheemie had his mind set, there was no deterring him. So she sat down with a sigh on the fountain wall and waited for Sheemie to tell his story.

At first she listened distractedly, her fingers running over the embossment on the coins, and her mind on chickens—both in the pot and in a henhouse. But at the mention of the magick man who had been in her shop, she sat up and paid attention.

“That was a bad man?” she asked, in awe but not without a bit of thrill that she had come so close to danger and lived to tell about it. “Why, Sheemie, we were ever so lucky to escape with our lives! But you say he is dead now? Killed by the nice lady who gave us the shop? And Will? Who is Will? I know you have probably told me a dozen times, but I, well, I do not always pay close attention."

@Aodh Hammerhelm

[Arnyn]

CweÞ Ciese

How did the woman opening the door knew her name? And why had someone 'gone to fetch her'? Who was 'she'? And what in the name of Mandos had happened, anyway?

Despite her mental questions, outwardly Arnyn took Thalionwen's words in stride and nodded her head politely. She was just about to reply, when Taethowen rushed to them. Arnyn recognized her from the afterparty, where they'd been introduced, and appreciated the Rohir's handy question. It was the perfect one to go on.

She nodded a hello to Taethowen, and then smiled apologetically at both of the women. "I'm afraid I am - as of yet - oblivious. What happened, and why do you have need of me?" Arnyn's dark eyes searched Thalionwen's, who had been the one to say someone had gone looking for her.

[Dungeon Delver]

Walpurga

The shop was very nice. She hadn't really known what to expect when she came inside but it was nice inside. There was a heady, but not overpowering scent of animal that pervaded everything. She inhaled that scent deeply. It was a very comforting scent. It reminded her of her pigs and the many hours she would spend with them. She took a few steps into the shop, feeling a bit strange walking into an empty shop. She could hear the wild, frenzied yipping of puppies in the back somewhere.

Just as she was about to leave when a blonde head (Jacen) popped out of the back, his appearance was precipitated by the increase in yipping. Walpurga tried (and failed) to suppress a soft smile. “Hi,” she said with more shyness than she intended, “I have a bit of an odd request. Ahh,” she began looking at everything but the shop owner. “Do you sell… skunks?” She pursed her lips tightly and her cheeks reddened.

“I should explain,” she said in a hurry, “My mother, back home, has a little gaggle of skunks that follow her around. Their mother died and when we found them, they all imprinted on my mom and followed her around all over town. It was… it was the last thing she and I bonded over before left. They were kinda like siblings to me. They were the sweetest things in the whole world.” A smile broke out over her face, dimpling her cheeks. “The whole town thought it was the weirdest thing they'd ever seen, but I guarantee you that not a single person ever crossed her!

“Anyway,” she paused, realizing she might be overwhelming the young boy with her oversharing. “I know it’s weird, but I saw your shop, and thought I should give it a try.”

[Winddancer]

Æric and Edda with Lailyn
Treowwyrhta

Edda beamed up at the woman, giving a little twirl so that the braid swished out behind her. "Look Papa! Isn't it pretty!?" Several times she tried to look over her shoulder to see the braid, finally grabbing it and pulling it over her shoulder and seeing the bow, letting out another ear piercing shriek.

The whole time Æric watched his daughter with Lailyn and while he had a smile on his face, his eyes were tinged with a deep sadness. It was not the first time that he had been reminded that Edda needed a female role model in her life, the whole reason they had moved here in the first place. The smile decreased slightly as he gave a brief thought to Edda's mother, a darker look crossing his eyes. A slight snarl curled his lip before he quickly replaced it with a more genuine smile as Edda asked him the question.

"Absolutely gorgeous, your Majesty!" The smile grew to a small chuckle as he watched Edda spinning, his heart about to burst with love for this tiny tornado. "We are going to go have a look at Miss Lailyn's house to see what needs doing, would your Majesty grace us with her presence on the trip? I know of a great steed she can ride on.." Scooping up his giggling daughter, he placed her on his shoulders and looked back towards Lailyn. "Shall we?"

[Calimir]

Golde ge Eorcanstan @Aodh Hammerhelm

Cal' sipped his tea and waited for the silver pieces to melt. They didn't take long, the plate on top of the kiln was hot and the iron pot the silver was in began to glow red. He found his pincers and took up the pot. A crucible grandfather would call it, he thought, as he held it gently above the clay mould.

He tipped the pot carefully forward and a stream of liquid silver flowed into the hole he'd made in the mould. He kept pouring carefully until the silver started bubbling over the sides of the mould. He put the crucible back on the kiln plate and tapped the mould with his spoon. Little bubbles of air and steam popped out of the mould's pour hole. He added some more liquid silver to the mould and repeated the tapping till no more air escaped.

Well, that looks like its done, the lad from Gondor thought. Would it look like the letter he'd carved? He would have to wait another hour or two for the silver to set. Hopefully Sheemie would be back by then. He really wanted his friend to break the mould and see what he had made.

[Taethowen]

CweÞ Ciese
with @Arnyn, @Pele Alarion, @Thalionwen Hunigfolm

"I'm afraid I am - as of yet - oblivious. What happened, and why do you have need of me?" Arnyn asked, turning to Thalionwen with her question.

"I was actually the one who was going to try and find you," Taeth spoke up, then gave Thali an apologetic look. "Sorry, Thali, I'll talk with Arnyn, and you can give her the hælend run-down after that. You should keep the shop open as usual. I've decided to close Awesnis for the day. It'd be better to hopefully lure the culprit to an empty shop than here."

Taeth glanced back out to the street then, and when it was obvious no one was watching inside the shop, she ushered Arnyn to the back room, talking in hushed tones as they walked. "Pele asked me to find you, if possible, but she didn't know where you were staying, so I'm glad you showed up in the Riddermarket. Pele... was stabbed this morning. Thalionwen found her, which is fortunate since Thali is the best hælend I know."

Taethowen gestured then toward the cot where Pele was resting. "I'll leave you two for now," Taeth said.

Taeth ventured back to the front of the cheese shop, and fished out a few copper coins. It would be best right now to appear to be an actual customer, and she actually was hungry, now that she had time to actually smell all the cheese around her.

"Thali?" she asked. "I think I forgot to eat at the after party last night, and all I've had since then was a bite of pastry that Allacan brought by before the stabbings stuff interrupted. I'm suddenly realizing I'm rather hungry."

---

OOC @Arnyn - Taeth only just received the notice of her promotion to Second Marshal that morning, so no need to bring it up IC. She has literally no way to actually identify herself yet, the news has just made its way through the Cavalry ranks, hence how Thalionwen knows.

[Aodh Hammerhelm]

The Riddermarket Fountain: NPC Sheemie Rheus

"You know Will!" Sheemie hooted at Beda. "Cos you do! The tall feller that pulled us out the candle shop when it catched fire - the old one before you got to run it? That was Will, he's got another name, lawks yes, but Sheemie can't remember it right now. He's Lady Eléo's husband, that's for sure, and yes that magician was an evil Brack Man. He wanted to harm Will and the people he loved, maybe even the whole wide world if he could.

Oh, yes he was very bad, Beda! Remember how he glared at me when I interrupted his last magic trick, the one after he made you and the chillens candied-floss? He didn't like it one bit when I stopped his last trick, even though Sheemie didn't know how he stopped it. He stormed out the shop cursing about a big white moon, and he gave me a look that made me scared to death. It was like he had worms in his head instead of brains, Beda, and his mouth was full of creeping bugs. Sheemie almost wet his-self, and the kids playing on the teeter-board across the street started screaming, and ran off to their mothers with big splinters sticking out their hands..."

Sheemie took a deep breath and smiled. "But he's gone now, and everything is right in the world again. Will and Lady Eléo will come home soon and then you and me won't have to work so hard. Maybe we can go and play by the river, or picnic, or go fishing?"

The bulky lad hefted the lunch bag and pitcher. "I better be off, Beda, Cal will be working all on his own and you need to get your shop open before your Mam finds it closed. Come by if it's quiet later and have a chicken sammich and some perry - the man said the juice comes from fresh pears!"

--
@Eléowyn

[Eléowyn]

The Riddermarket Fountain--NPC Beda

"Oh! That's Will!" Beda said, her face crinkling up as she tried to remember and put it all together. "That's not what MIssy Eléo calls him, though, so I was confused. Well, that's wonderful that they took care of him and we don't have to worry! What a wonderful day this is turning out to be!"

Sheemie's talk of trips to the river and fishing and picnics sounded wonderful, but to her it was just a dream. "I don't reckon I'll have more time, Sheemie. I reckon I'll have less if I do as Lady Eowyn says and start raising chickens. I'll have to feed them, and gather eggs, and clean out coops, and I will still have to run the shop. But just think, we'll always have chickens and eggs to eat, and maybe some extra money so we can get the thatch on our roof fixed, and I won't have to look up at stars in the dead of winter while I lie in bed. Not that I mind looking at the stars, mind you. It's ever so easy to think about elveses and adventures and all sorts of wonderful things when you are looking up at the bright stars. But it does get cold, and don't get me started on when it rains!"

The shadow of a bird flying across the sun reminded Beda of how late it was getting. "Oh yes, you're right, I best go get that shop open! Let me know how the silver letter turns out. That young man from Gondor (@Calimir) seemed really helpful."

"Ta for now," she called back over her shoulder as she skipped away toward Leoht Min Fyr. "I have a feeling life is about to get so much better!"

@Aodh Hammerhelm

[Lail]

Treowwyrhta to Streets
Lailyn with Æric and Edda

Lail watched Edda trying to catch her braid with a smile. She was so focused on her that she took no notice of the dark look that passed across his face. Seeing him with Edda on his shoulders, it was hard to believe she had ever felt nervous speaking to him outside the shop. He looked entirely at ease when his daughter was there; even the scars looked softened somehow when he smiled.

Now that she knew he had a family, she tried to forget that initial memory of meeting him and how it made her feel. Sure, she’d seen plenty of men similarly unclad when she was in the Cavalry. There were times it was unavoidable. But there was a difference between a comrade, with whom she’d set boundaries, and the carpenter she came across in the market.

“Shall we?” he asked.

With a nod of her head, she replied, “yes, let’s.”

She exited the shop before the pair to allow him to lock up and found herself back in the unforgiving heat, squinting in the sun. While she waited, she cast a careful glance up and down the street, searching for any sign of trouble. She was relieved she saw none and she briefly wondered if Allacan had caught the culprit.

“So, how are you both settling in?” She asked when they began walking. To keep the splotch of blood out of sight, she walked to Æric’s right, but nudged her bag to hide it anyway. If she’d been smarter before, she might have asked Taethowen for something to cover it with.

“I know it’s never easy moving to a new place. I moved here with my mother as a child, but now I’ve come back, I still don’t feel quite at home. Especially with…” She paused, searching for the right words with a glance up at Edda. “Unexpected events.” Like fires and stabbings, she thought. "But I suppose it takes time." She shrugged and flashed him an encouraging smile.

[Winddancer]

Æric and Edda with Lailyn

He had carefully ducked low enough to make sure Edda did not hit herself on the door frame, stretching back up to his full height as soon as they had cleared it, missing Lailyn's careful look down the street before stepping out onto it. Leaving Edda to hold on to him, he quickly snapped the padlock shut on the door and pocketed the key into the tool belt he still wore. Shifting Edda and making her giggle delightfully, he set off after Lailyn eyes narrowing in the harsh sun. Briefly he wondered if there was somewhere in the market that sold hats as Edda seemed to get affected by the harsh sun more than he did.

However his thoughts were quickly diverted at the question, mulling over it for a few moments. The trek here had been hard, Edda had gotten sick half way through it and they had to make camp until she was well enough to continue. Seeing her back to being her bouncy self made his heart ache, remembering the terror he had felt of being out there in the wild all alone and her so sick. Craning his head his looked up at his treasure and received a huge smile big enough to melt his heart.

"To be honest we have not had much time to have a look around, this is only our third day and we have been busy making the shop useable as well as livable." Giving Lailyn a small smile he added "But as far as I can tell, apart from the most recent 'event' it seems like a good place, if not a bit busier than what I am used to." At that he looked around, seeing the many people already milling about in the heat of the morning sun, then looking up at Edda as she began happily waving to people they passed.

[Pele Alarion]

Pele
CweÞ Ciese

Still trying to come to grips with the events of the morning, Pele sat and sipped her tea slowly, as she looked at the wrapped up cheeses. Even though it looked that she was very much focused on trying to guess what sort of cheese was hidden her, it was not wholly true: rather she was wondering whether the attacker would care to come after her if she remained near Edoras for some time to heal up, or whether she should attempt some sort of riding towards Gondor.

She was distracted from her thoughts by voices in conversation - was it outside the shop? Maybe a customer. But when the conversation continued within the shop, she recognised Arnyn's voice. At that moment she wondered what she would even tell her friend. When Arnyn and Taeth entered, and the latter promptly left again, Pele offered Arnyn a somewhat apologetic smile.

"Someone thought it was a good idea to go and stab me in the back," she said, making light of the fact for the time being. "Just thought I should let you know. Not sure I'm in a condition to travel at the moment... might linger hereabouts. Don't want Rangers to think that I have left without a word..."

[Lail]

Streets
Lailyn with Æric and Edda and also Gwai

“Only three days?” She asked, raising her brows. How much time had he spent working? “Well no wonder you haven’t explored...your shop looked quite well set up to me.” It wasn’t perfect, but Lail thought it was in much better shape than her new home. Though she could imagine in her mind what she wanted it to be someday, she also realistically knew why the price had been so low.

“But don’t forget to make time to enjoy the city…If you ever want company, I’d be happy to help you get to know it better.”

The words streamed from her mouth automatically before she could think twice. Suddenly, she hoped he didn’t think she meant to imply that he might enjoy her company specifically or that she was being overly-friendly. She just wanted to help and would have offered the same to anyone else new and unfamiliar with the city.

But her fingers clutched the strap of her satchel betraying a new wave of nervousness. Though she told herself she should probably just stop talking, somehow, she managed to keep her tone even. “It can seem a bit big and bustling, but I’m sure you’ll see once you get to know people, everyone is really quite welcoming.”

Suddenly she stopped walking. Was that Gwai in the street?

“I’m sorry, Æric,” she gave him an apologetic look. Any trace of her nerves disappeared with the memory of Taethowen’s words: ‘If you see Gwai, send her on to CweÞ Ciese as well.’

“Do you mind? I need to go speak to that woman.” She gestured toward Gwai. “I won’t be long,” she promised, then recalled his insistence on escorting her. How far did he intend to take that offer? "You can come if you like."

Hurrying over to Gwai , she hoped Æric didn’t think her rude for the abrupt interruption.

“Gwai...it’s lucky I ran into you.” She said with a smile that did not reach her eyes, hopefully conveying her seriousness without raising suspicion from anyone else. “There is something that requires your attention at CweÞ Ciese. You’ll understand why when you get there, but you might wish to make haste….” She paused, trying to think of some coded message that would explain the sudden need to visit a cheese shop. “Um, before the cheese spoils in this heat.”

Lail gave a subtle but meaningful glance to her hand at her side. She formed the hand signal for ‘danger’, though with her Paethfindian memories rather distant, it might actually have been the one for ‘mumakil’. In any case, she hoped Gwai got the message. She didn’t want to discuss specifics out in the open street with people milling about. And she also wanted to get on with her day and, admittedly, her walk.

@Gwai

[Winddancer]

Æric and Edda with Lailyn
Streets

Æric smiled at Lailyn's confusion and managed to interject and answer before she carried on. "I was lucky enough to take over the former carpenter's shop. It is run down, so it will need some work done to it, but it already had the large table we sat at and the roof doesn't leak. At least I think it doesn't.." Smiling softly he left it at that as Lailyn continued to speak, appreciating the offer to be shown around. It was nice to know that there were at least some friendly people around.

He raised an eyebrow as Lailyn suddenly caught eye of someone she wanted to talk to, but did not follow over. He had offered to escort her home, not be her bodyguard and he did not feel like crowding her was the right thing to do. He waited patiently for Lailyn to finish up, picking Edda off his shoulders and tossing her in the air before setting her down, her delighted giggles making several people look and smile too.

Seeing a stall close by that was selling various hats and outdoor clothing, he stepped closer and picking Edda up he pointed to a small pretty straw hat. "How would you like this one? Gotta protect that pretty little nose of yours.." He booped her nose and she giggled, reaching out with grabby fingers to try it on. He pulled it off the hook and placed it on her head. "Oh that is stunning! And it goes well with that bow too.." Edda beamed happily as Æric paid the woman tending the stall and made his way back to where Lailyn had stepped away. As soon as she returned Edda cried out "Look!! Papa got me a hat!"

[Calimir]

Golde ge Eorcanstan @Aodh Hammerhelm

Cal' got the tea stuff from Sheemie's room. He brought the kettle filled with water and some cups and nettle leaves to the front of the shop. He put the kettle on the kiln top and put the cups on the counter. When Sheemie got back there would be tea to go with breakfast.

Next Cal examined the letter mould. It was nice and cool now and baked hard. He put it at the centre of the shop counter and a little hammer he'd found on the tool bench. All was ready now. When Sheemie returned Cal' was going to let his friend have the honor of breaking open the mould!

[Gwai]

Gwai
The Streets —> CweÞ Ciese

Gwai was about to walk back to her shop, when Lailyn rushed up, telling her she needed to hurry to the cheese shop. Gwai blinked, wondering what could possibly have happened at CweÞ Ciese that would require her help, but the look in Lail’s eyes combined with what looked like the pæth symbol for danger kept her from asking any questions.

“I’ll head straight there,” Gwai told Lail, curious, but taking the hint not to ask questions.

She hurried down the street toward the shop, and pushed open the door, just in time to hear Taeth saying she was hungry. Gwai paused on the door entrance, unsure why she had been summoned with such haste. Lunch was important, no doubt, but Lail’s message had implied something else. “Um, hello ladies!” She said cheerfully. “Lailyn told me my presence was requested?”

@Lailorn @Taethowen @Thalionwen Hunigfolm

[Aodh Hammerhelm]

Golde ge Eorcanstan: NPC: Sheemie Rheus

"Bye-di-bye,Beda!"

Sheemie set off up the Riddermarket's main street, close behind his sweoster. She seemed very happy - she was skipping as she went. Sheemie smiled as he walked, happy for Beda and her gold coins; happy to be done with the Brack Man; and happy at the thought of a soon to be eaten chicken sammich.

He sprang up the stairs to the jewellers; his nostrils twitched as he stepped through the door. "Is that tea, Cal'? Lawksey-yes, of course it is... T-E-A that spells TEA, Sheemie knows that for sure."

The burly lad placed the bag of food and the perry-pitcher on the counter, then noticing a large brown object (a thing that looked like a very big pear) in front of his friend, he hooted loudly. "Wassat, Cal'? What have you made? It don't look much like silver to Sheemie, nor a letter F..."

Sheemie bustled round behind the counter, and stood next to his friend. He bent forward and peered closely at the brown pear. "What happened, Cal'? Did you burnt it..? the silver, I mean. It looks like the cakes ma' used to make - I don't think the customer m'lady is going to like it!"

--
@Calimir

[Calimir]

Golde ge Eorcanstan

"Huh, no Sheemie that's not silver, the silvers inside" Cal' said, with a smile as he made his friend a cup of tea. "The clay got baked first with the shape of the letter in the middle."

Cal' hand d Sheemie his tea and then the little hammer. "The mould is cool now," he said, "and I think the silver shape will be hard. I want you to break the mould open so we can see if the cast has worked."'

Cal' held his breath feeling really nervous. "If it hasn't worked, we can try again. I know how to do the process so we can make adjustments. We'll have breakfast after you break the mould. That way we'll be ready to have another go with full stomachs. We've got plenty of time. The lady is only coming over tomorrow."

[Lail]

Streets
Lailyn with Æric and Edda

Pleased Gwai had understood the subtle nature of her message, Lail felt the weight of responsibility lifted from her. With Gwai, Taethowen, and Allacan all now on the case, not to mention Thali looking after the injured woman (Pele), she felt much more certain that everything would soon be resolved. As she watched Gwai hurry away, she made a mental note to herself to try to get to know her better. She’d been so nice at the M Meduseld contest and Lail always felt a special kinship with other pæthfindians. Perhaps even if Gwai was now a Marshal.

She made her way back to Æric and Edda with lighter steps and grinned at the girl. “Did you know there was a costume contest during the summer festival? It was a bit silly, but I must say I think you would’ve squashed all the competition with your outfit! And very practical with that hat, too.” She gave a nod of approval and tried to appear serious about her compliment, but the corners of her lips tugged upwards in spite of her efforts. The girl was just too adorable, she couldn’t help it.

“Sorry, that was another Marshal,” she muttered to Æric. “I think I’m done playing messenger now.” She spoke with evident relief. Though she was keen to help, she also wanted to get on with her day. Finding a carpenter to repair her house was only the first of many things on her mental list of tasks to do.

“You said you bought the shop from a former carpenter?” she asked, retracing his words in her memory. “That is lucky…I think my house was vacant before I bought it,” she mused, thinking about the rotted floorboards in the kitchen. “I’m not sure there was a beekeeper in the city before me so I think I’m starting from scratch. But it’ll be nice to call it my own...once it’s all done.” And she was determined to see it through. She paused and blinked, peering at them with concern. “Oh. Neither of you are allergic to bees, are you?”

[Shivased]

Ye Olde Pet Shoppe
NPC: Jacen

Jacen stared at the young woman (Walpurga) when she asked about skunks. His friendly demeanour fell a bit and his eyes narrowed. Skunks. he stated, taking a step out of the back of the shop. Did my sister put you up to this? Is this some sort of Cavalry joke? he demanded. You're new, I'm only a sperewigend, so she decided she'd play a prank and send you in here looking for skunks, which she knows I happen to have a littler of? He was frowning now, though not angrily. Just suspicious of this person coming in asking for the one unusual creature he just happened to have. He and Shiva had just argued about this the other day. Skunks were one thing she refused to take into the shop, given their smell. So when he'd been brought the orphaned babies and decided to try to find homes rather than releasing them back to the wild, she'd argued he wouldn't be able to do it. She never sold skunks, and she's trying to show me nobody will buy them.

[Winddancer]

Æric and Edda with Lailyn
Streets

Edda beamed up at Lailyn, basking in the attention she was getting today. She had gotten a bow AND a hat! As the adults began to walk off again, she grabbed her fathers hand and then moved him over to where she could grab Lailyn's, skipping happily inbetween the two as they headed through the market taking all the bustling activity in.

Æric gave Lailyn a nod as she explained whom she had been talking to, looking over his shoulder and making a note of what the Marshal looked like. Just in case he saw her again as he had a few questions for whomever was in charge. But for now he was walking his new customer home. The small smile returned to his face as his daughter grabbed his hand and began skipping, again wondering how she could always be so positive. Not that he minded for a second, in fact it kept him from delving into those deep dark corners of his mind that often seemed to creep closer when she was not around.

Lifting his head to look at Lailyn, he gave her an apologetic look for Edda grabbing her hand, but he knew he would not win if he tried to stop Edda, though Lailyn didn't seem to mind the girl. Some just did not have patience with other peoples children and it was refreshing to meet those who did not mind talking to them.

"Hm? Bees? I really don't know to be honest, I don't think I am, but I don't think Edda has been stung, so I wouldn't know. She isn't in danger of that happening, is she?" He looked at her with concern, not quite sure what a beekeeper did or how they kept the bees. Hopefully not too close to the house. Hopefully not IN the house..

[Aodh Hammerhelm]

Golde ge Eorcanstan : NPC: Sheemie Rheus

Sheemie's eyes brightened as understanding swept over him. "Eggs not pears!" he hooted at Cal'. "Sheemie's got you now, freond. You can have eggs lotsa ways - fried, scrambled up or poached - lawks, yes! But Sheemie's favourite are boiled 'uns - hard or soft, he don't mind which."

Sheemie paused. He should have got eggs for brêkfis on his shopping trip, a bit of toast dipped in a golden yolk would be right fine and dandy. He shook his tousled head and looked over at Cal':

"You can't eat an egg without breaking it, everybody knows it. Not even boiled ones, you got to take the shell off… You cooked the silver inside that clay didn't you, Cal'? So I got to break the shell to see it!"

The little hammer trembled in Sheemie's meaty fist, he felt as nervous as his friend. What if he whacked the mould too hard and broke Cal's letter?

"Good day, lads," a gruff voice said. "Where's Master Dooley?"

The little hammer fell from Sheemie's hand. His brow crinkled as he looked around the shop. There was no one there!

"Good day, lads," the voice said again. "Where's Master Dooley?"

A ghost? Sheemie shuddered. Arthur never told him the shop was haunted. The burly lad was on the verge of hightailing it out the backdoor when he spotted a tuft of hair peeping over the counter-top. Following Cal's lead, he propped his elbows on the counter, leant forward and gawped.

Two short, stocky men * * looked up at him, they had the bushiest beards Sheemie had even seen. Dwarves! he thought, jaw dropping in surprise. Just like those in the stories ma' used to tell.

"Who's this, the brains of the operation?" the shortest of the Dwarves growled, jabbing a finger at Sheemie's startled face as he turned his gaze upon @Calimir.

Where's Rustbucket Dooley, and what's all this about silver casting and crafting? That's my bailiwick, and well he knows it! Is he trying to undercut me, is he trying to wriggle out of our deal?"

Sheemie stepped back from the counter. He had no idea what the Dwarf was on about, but whatever it was it had made the little chap very angry. The burly lad edged through the door to his room, and peered back to see how Cal’ would deal with the fearsome fellow…

---
* * NPC Malachite Copperstick with his sister, Amethyst Copperpick @Elarith

[Elarith]

Amethyst Copperpick at Golde ge Eorcanstan

One thing Amethyst did not enjoy about Edoras: the buildings were distinctly not dwarf-friendly. As she followed her brother into the jewellery shop, she saw yet another counter set above dwarf height. Her heels gave her an advantage over Mal but it still wasn’t enough for her to see over it. Honestly, she’d have to engineer a portable step-stool of some kind if she was going to become a regular around these parts.

She looked around whilst Mal called out for his contact, enjoying the familiarity of a jewellery workshop. Her fingers twitched a little towards the precious metals. She could smell something - silver-working, she thought (and maybe brewing tea?). Mal evidently thought so too, and wasn’t best pleased about it as a towering giant looked over the counter, then quickly withdrew. Amethyst rolled her eyes. “Really, Malachite, is there any need for that tone? Aren’t these loyal customers of yours?” she said, clicking her tongue. The dwarves lady decided to try herself since her brother wasn’t having much success. “Yoohoo! Hellooooo? Are you still there darling? Or Mister Dooney?” she called.

Stretching up almost to her tiptoes, she caught sight of another young man (@Calimir) behind the counter. “Ah! Good fellow! Are you the proprietor? Or do you know the whereabouts of Mister Doofey?”

@Aodh Hammerhelm

[Lail]

Streets
Lailyn with Æric and Edda

Lail was taken by surprise when Edda took her hand. Though she tried to school her expression, her eyes might have noticeably widened a bit. She didn’t exactly mind, though, so she gently held the small hand in her own. Edda's gesture was simple and innocent and it warmed her heart. Lailyn didn’t have much experience with children and it was refreshing that they seemed to lack all the complications of adulthood.

Complications that kept hovering near the forefront of her mind. So she only returned Æric’s look of apology with a weak smile. She was relieved to hear at least he wasn’t allergic to bees, but with the Infirmary at the other end of town, she was hoping he would say the same about his daughter.

“I see…well, they really only sting if you go sticking your hands into their hives like I do, but since you don't know, I'd rather be careful. The hives are at the back of the garden, so if you stay near the house itself, she'll be just fine." Her words were were infused with confidence. Unlike trying to reassure him (and herself) about stabbings and the Cavalry response, at least she knew a lot about bees. "We're nearly there now."

(OOC- @Winddancer - do you want to move on to Lail's house in LitM? though I see you are there with Sigrid and Eolath. )

[Calimir]

Golde ge Eorcanstan @Aodh Hammerhelm @Elarith

Cal had seen Dwarves before, the small folk often visited Minas Tirith to trade goods or do stonework in the city. They even stopped at the fresh produce market where his mother worked, to buy supplies for their journey hone with their long line of baggage ponies. He'd never spoken to one before but he'd heard they could be gruff and no nonsense.

The smallest dwarf (Malachite) was more than gruff. He was downright rude! Cal', like all the folk of Gondor, had been taught to be polite and respectful, even to their enemies. He was tired though from a night fighting fires, and a morning trying to help make Sheemie's silver jewel made him a bit tetchy. When the Dwarf's insult and cross words caused Sheemie to disappear, Cal' found himself becoming angry.

"Good morning, to you little masters," he said, smiling at the tall one (Amethyst) who seemed very pleasant, even if he wore a pair of lady shoes and a bright red dress. Cal' scowled at the smaller Dwarf (Malachite) and said. "Master Dooley is away, he left Sheemie and I in charge of the shop and the making of any orders."

Another thing folk of Gondor were taught was never lie. But Cal' had told one. He had no idea who Master Dooley, Dooney or Doofey was, Sheemie hadn't mentioned him. Cal' was certain Sheemie had mentioned someone called Arthur owning the jewellers. But now he'd lied he couldn't back down, especially as the Dwarf had made his friend scared.

"Yes, Master Dooley is away on business of the King of Rohan, I'm sure you know the Riders are warriors as well as business people. Sheemie's in charge of transactions, I'm here to make any orders… Dwarves aren't the only folk who can make jewelry, the Elves can too… And the people of Gondor!"

To prove his point Cal' grabbed the little hammer and bashed the clay mould with it. His mouth dropped open and he wished the floorboards would disappear beneath his feet. There was an F shaped letter lying in the broken pot fragments, but it wasn't sleek and shiny, it was all black and spikey...

[Winddancer]

Æric and Edda with Lailyn
Streets

Æric nodded at the advice, already planning to keep holding Edda's hand so that she could not run off and explore as she was one to do. He knew that one day her curiosity would likely cause an accident, but he was determined to delay the coming of that day as long as possible, without tying her to a chair to keep her from harm.

As the trio headed towards Lailyn's house, he took in the route, but also made a note of other stalls and shops, noting where he would be able to get the few things they would still need to settle in completely. But he was in no hurry, so far they were managing fine and as long as Edda had food and a roof over her head, everything else could be sorted when it was needed.

As Lailyn mentioned that they were close, Æric looked down at his young daughter and spoke her name to get her attention. "Edda, you need to keep a hold of my hand when we get there, ok? Miss Lailyn has bees and we don't want to disturb them." He gave her the serious look to ensure she complied, which she more than happily nodded her consent to. "Ok, Papa!"

OOC: We can more it there, I wil just put in my post I am with you, different npc and timeline <3

[Dungeon Delver]

Walpurga
Þe Olde Pet Shoppe

For a moment, all Walpurga could do was blink in surprise. The young man’s sudden change in demeanor when she mentioned was not the one she had expected. She had expected to be laughed off and told to go looking off in the woods or worse told to stop wasting people’s time. She had not expected… this. The young man (surely he could not even be out of his teens yet) reacted with suspicion. Walpurga was confused. His sister? Who? She furrowed her brow. Was there something going on that she was not aware of?

“I’m sorry, Jacen you said, I’m confused,” she admitted. “You do have them? But you think I’m playing a joke on you? I promise I'm not.” She frowned and pursed her lips. “I’m new yes… but I don’t think I know who your sister is. Maybe if you told me her name I’d recognize it?”

Even through her confusion at Jacen’s reaction, she did not fail to catch him saying that he indeed had a litter of them that he had found just a few days ago.

“I know the request is unusual,” she tried to laugh her uncomfortableness off, “but they really are the sweetest little things when they’re young, and if you’re nice to them when they’re older and they know you, you won’t be in danger of their…” she was suddenly at a loss for words, “their defense strategy.”

She’d been sprayed once she was chasing one of her pigs that had gotten loose from the pen. She had come up on it unawares and only had a second to recognize the telltale black and white streaks before the tail went up and the stench filled her nostrils. The pig, of course, avoided the spray and eventually found it’s way home. Walpruga, however, had been told that there was no way she was coming into the house smelling like that. She bathed for hours in the stream by the farmhouse, scrubbing every inch of her skin until she was read and sore. The clothes were ruined so she had to make due with some of her mother’s old clothes until she could either make or buy herself some more. The next time she found a skunk she was very careful, but that one had been friendly and she had been able to feed it a bit of apple before it darted away and disappeared.

[Aodh Hammerhelm]

Golde ge Eorcanstan : NPCs: Malachite Copperstick & NPC: Sheemie Rheus

Malachite Copperstick, sergeant of the phalanx of Erebor, could not remember the last time a young snot had spoken to him so. The whelp (@Calimir ), so Mal deemed him from his limited vantage point below the counter, had a whiplash tongue and manners worse than the lowliest of orcs.

The Dwarf’s face began to redden with fury, but as the lad mentioned silver-craft, he let forth a contemptuous guffaw. Mal jabbed his sister in the ribs with his elbow, rolled his eyes at her and prepared to leap for the edge of the counter. Silver-smith! He’d show the impudent wretch some manners if only he could reach him.

“Hi now, little masters,” Sheemie, returned from hiding, said. “I’ve brought some tucker to share with youse. Cal’ and me haven’t had brêkfis yet, we’ve been working so hard we forgot to and now it’s almost lunchtime.

Would you like to break bread – and roast chicken and fruit - with us, sirs? Sheemie’s ma’ always said: “a meal shared is a friendship made!” Oh, and I brought these to make you comfy.”

Before either Dwarf could respond, Sheemie bustled out from behind the counter; in one meaty hand he carried a wooden chair, in the other a stout vegetable crate.

“Here you go,” Sheemie said placing the chair next to the magnificently attired Dwarf (Amethyst). “I’m afraid we’ve only got one chair high enough to reach the counter, your friend will have to stand on Sheemie’s vegetable box.”

Mal cast his eyes on the rude crate at his feet. He prepared to blast the burly Rohir with a fresh salvo of ire, then thought better of it. His neck was stiff from the night’s fire-fighting activities, peering over the counter made it worse, and standing tippy-toe aggravated his aching legs. Besides, the lad had mentioned food, and the rich aroma of roasted fowl was mightily enticing.

He cast a quick look around the shop and out onto the street, then sure no one was about to witness the spectacle, leapt atop the box. “What’s to drink, lad,” the Dwarf said to Sheemie. “Have you any ale, or a nice mug of tea with a shot of whisky?”

“No sir, tea or fresh pear juice is all I got,” Sheemie replied with a shake of his shaggy head. “What’s this Cal’?” he hooted, noticing the cracked mould. “It don’t look right, freond… Lawks, no, the silver's all burnt and ruint! The m’lady’s gonna whop our hides when she comes back!”

Mal turned his head from the tray of food, he took a good look at the fellow who’d tongue-lashed him (@Calimir ) and grinned as recognition dawned on him.

“You’re the young fellow, who led the fire-fighting team at the inn last night, aren’t you? Oh, Ama’, you should have seen the laddie in action, he was like a horde of Iron Hills Berserkers when he got going! But come, what’s this about burned and ruined? Nothing on Arda can destroy silver, except Sauron or dragons, and they’re long gone!”

The dwarf produced a brass eye-glass from his pocket. “Malachite Copperstick and my sister, Lady Amethyst Copperpick, at your service, lads” he grinned, screwing the loupe into the lids of his left eye. “Hand that casting over; let me have a look at what you've managed so far.”

--
@Elarith

[Elarith]

Golde ge Eorcanstan -Amethyst Copperpick

The atmosphere in the shop had gone as stormy as the sky the previous night, with Mal and the lad both seemingly keen to start a ruckus over some malformed metal. It was all so tiresome.

Thankfully the big chap reappeared and very generously offered them some food, all hostilities forgotten. Amethyst sighed happily. "That sounds delicious! Thank you very much, err - Sheemie, was it?" She quickly settled herself down in the chair and folded her hands in her lap before her brother could hop into it. Her head was still ringing faintly from the bashing it had taken during the After-Party fire and she hadn't managed much sleep or food.

Malachite seemed to know the smaller lad after all. "Oh, those dreadful fires!" she said with a dramatic shudder. "I mean, I wasn't aware of much of what was going on at the time, being incapacitated, but I've heard plenty of tales already this morning. You must've been very brave," she said to Cal.

The dwarf leaned back in her chair and absent-mindedly stroked her beard plait whilst Mal had a closer look at the miscast silver. If anyone could sort it he could. Gold, now, that was more her style.

@Aodh Hammerhelm @Calimir

[Shivased]

Ye Olde Pet Shoppe
NPC: Jacen

Jacen felt his face redden when Walpurga seemed genuinely confused at his accusations, and didn't seem to know who his sister was. He held onto his indignation as she spoke and tried to find any dishonesty in her words or body language, but eventually had to conclude that she was telling the truth. She didn't know what he was talking about. And that made him feel exceedingly stupid.

Oh. Umm....I'm sorry, he said, worrying the edge of his apron with nervous fingers. I... well....my sister is Shivased, the First Marshal. She used to own this shop, but she gave it to me when I turned 16, so now I own it. She took over the tea shop across the street. She loves tea, so she thought it'd be perfect. Realizing he was rambling he stuttered to a stop and swallowed. This was his first customer ever, and boy was he screwing things up.

Trying to think of a way to fix things, he tried to smile. Anyway, I'm sorry, just....yes, I have a litter. Their mother was killed by a fox or something, and someone brought the skunks to my sister, who gave them to me to take care of while she headed out to do a check on the stronghold in Aldburg. They were having some sort of issue with supplies or something.... His face went even more red, if it was possible, and he stuttered to a halt. Ummm...anyway. I have three skunk kits. They're just over there. He pointed to the corner of the shop where a medium-sized cage sat. In a small woven hut in the corner a pile of black and white shapes was just visible.

[Lail]

Lailyn with Æric and Edda
Streets onward to New Town
The streets grew quieter as they left behind the noise of the market and passed by the Cavalry Courtyard where she had once spent most of her time in Edoras before. She gave it only a passing glance, preferring instead to look ahead instead of back to the past. Dwelling on it too long would just remind her of her own shortcomings, but she still grew quiet as they passed it by.

Less compact than Auld Town, New Town was naturally a bit quieter and a soft breeze could be felt as they passed the first row of houses. Though she’d never spent much time in New Town before, she was happy to be living there now and while the house was far from perfect, it was still more than enough.

(OOC: moving over to LitM! )

[Dungeon Delver]

Walpurga
Ye Olde Pet Shoppe

Poor Jacen turned a bright shade of red when he realized that she was not in fact, playing a truck on him. But a moment later it was Walpurga who turned a bright shade of red.

“First Marshal Shivased is your sister!?” Walpurga couldn’t believe what she was hearing. No. No that was just too coincidental. Wait. Was he trying to play a trick on her now because he thought the skunks were just a prank? Walpurga's stomach dropped. Her mother warned her that she would be hazed if she joined the Cavalry. Was she actually right? A look of shame and embarrassment spread over her features. She had come from a village where she was constantly teased only to end up in a city where the exact same thing happened.

Before Walpurga could stumble too far down the path of loneliness, she noticed that Jacen seemed genuinely embarrassed by his outburst. Maybe the First Marshal was his sister after all. Wait. Her eyes widened for a moment. She nearly walked into a store owned by the First Marshal and asked for a skunk! If she had managed to come to the shop yesterday like she planned apparently that’s exactly what would have happened! She mouthed a ‘thank you’ to the galloping stars that she had avoided that.

Jacen directed her to a corner where she caught sight of mass of black and white fluffy fur. The previous feelings of shame, loneliness and embarrassment melted away instant as Walpurga darted to the cage. She picked up one of the kits and it began sniffing and squeaking at her. They were too young to start spraying it seemed. Whoever brought them to the shop must have found them very quickly, they were adorable but defenseless at this age. This one was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. It cooed and scratched its tiny paws on her arm in an exploratory fashion. Instead of the normal stripes of white down its back, these kits had spots of white fluff amongst the black fur. It raised its tiny tail and squeaked again. Walpurga giggled and gave it an ear scritch.

“You just might be the most adorable little thing I’ve ever seen!” her voice rose an octave (as it does when one encounters something so adorable) and the dimples in her cheeks sank in deep as she smiled broadly.

“So,” she said looking from the kit to Jacen, “I'm guessing you'll also be able provide me with a blanket or a basket or something I can keep the little munchkin in? And I’m guessing if you don’t have some food you know a good store in the market that had nuts and berries and mushrooms? Maybe a fishing store that has bugs and worms? How much would all that cost? Do you run this shop all by yourself, do you think you might like some help every once in a while? I’m very good with farm animals. They’re the only things that seem to like me at all. Oh galloping stars, I’m rambling. Sorry. How much do I owe you?”

[Calimir]

Golde ge Eorcanstan @Aodh Hammerhelm and @Elarith

Cal was really relieved when Sheemie arrived carrying food on a tray. The bread and chicken meant the Dwarves would not see the awful work he'd done with the silver mould. But then Sheemie gave the two small fellows a chair and a box. This meant they could see onto the counter, and worse Sheemie started worrying about the work Cal' had done.

When the smaller Dwarf, Malachite, recognised him, Cal' smiled. He felt much better now that the Dwarf wasn't about to do him some harm. For a moment he'd thought the fellow was going to jump up onto the counter and attack him. He bowed to them both, trying not to stare too hard at the Dwarf in the red dress - Amethyst. He'd never seen a lady with a beard before, but it suited her the way it was plaited, and Cal' thought she looked quite glamorous. He blushed when she said something about him being brave

"Calimir Gardinir, errand rider of Gondor, at your service," Cal' said to the Dwarves. "But friends call me Cal'. This is Sheemie of Rohan. You were also fighting the fires, master Malachite, I saw you with your axe. Here's the cast, it's the first time I've made a cast of silver. Do you think we can save it from being melted down and starting again?"