Realistic or Modern Welcome To Shearport

[risaphoeniix]

Lita the Magpie





Lita plops down next to the Sackcloth and starts wolfing down her pancakes, which are absolutely soaked with maple syrup. At the mention of a hedge adventure, Lita's chewing takes on a more contemplative air. "Hrunting lihil birffoot fings?" she attempted, around a giant mouth of pancake. Swallowing that, she started in on the bacon, pausing only long enough to take a gulp of orange juice.

 

[Axelgear]

Sackcloth


"Uuummm... Quite... Possibly? I, I think?" Robert stammers uncertainly, leaning away from Lita as she flops down right next to him, taking a customary moment recoiled from a new person in his comfort zone and following it further with a customary moment recoiled from Lita, for fear she might try to steal one of his shinier teeth or nick one of his reflective eyes.


"Clawed footprints are out there, and close to the inn. I've not been comfortable going out at night on my own with them that near." He admitted uncomfortably, face contorting into a grimace. "If we all go together to find out what's leaving them, it'll be much safer than wandering out there alone." He adds a little more brightly, looking hopefully and cheerfully at those present.

 

[PixelWitch]

Zach


"Dirty plates in the siiiiiink~" he chirps to no one in particular, making sure that the extra bacon and pancakes are ready to be served to the guests, who would likely be appearing soon.


Gus recieves a passing pat on the head, who is still attempting to eat the smell of the bacon he was given, as the Fireheart pulls off his apron, dandering past everyone to make sure the communial dining area is satisfactory state.


"Ooh, mail?"

 

[Grey]

Lucas Hood





Hood chews thoughtfully, watching Gus and Zach, then turns one bright green eye on Sackcloth.


"We can all go to look, sure - won't pretend I'm not surrounded by experts." He says, biting into his last piece of bacon. "But I'm not about to let any of you put yourself at risk. I'll hunt it down, maybe bring Red if I have to." He knocks back half his mug.


"Damn fine coffee."

 

[Axelgear]

Sackcloth


"Hm. Can't say I'll argue; don't want to get eaten by a Grue. Not again, at least..." Sackcloth agrees somewhat uncomfortably as he rises to clear his plate, shooting a curious sort of glance back at Lucas. "But we're not all weak whelps; having friends with skills helps. Just remember, before you dismember; we all live here as well."


"Hopefully, it's not anything dangerous, though. It might be something that doesn't need hunting." Robert adds cautiously, ducking his head a little as he squirms on light feet around the table, towards the sink in the kitchen to rinse down his dish and set it with the others for cleaning.


"Who knows?" He adds more brightly. "Maybe it's another one of us, making their way back? This might be cause for celebration."

 

[The Fuzz]

---> Red





Bollocks. The tracks cluster around the beginning of an exceptionally sturdy set of trees, wreathed in brambles. The lower limbs show some scuffing, but the marks fade rapidly. If you had to guess....the child tried to climb a tree to get away, and then found that the pursuit could climb too. No more tracks.


Shoe smells of...mud. Artificially sweet strawberry scent, all chemicals. Sweat.


---> Back At The Lantern





There are footsteps on the creaky old half stairs in the back hall. The Harringtons are coming down for breakfast.


At the same time, there's a rap at the front door.

 

[Alexandra]

Sage





Walking up the path to the Black Lantern, she fishes an almost comically large ring of keys out of her handbag, and starts picking through them for the right one, before noticing someone on the porch.

 

[risaphoeniix]

Lita the Magpie


"Might be another bird!" Lita crowed excitedly, licking the last of the maple syrup off of her fork. A moment later, her head perked up, hearing the knock on the door. "Better see who it is!" she exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.

 

[Axelgear]

Sackcloth


"We could only be so fortunate..." Robert says sarcastically, yet cannot help but smile just the same as Lita offers her own suggestion on just what might be out there. The knock at the door perks his ears just after, but the sounds of Mr. and Mrs. Harrington descending the staircase does, too, and the opportunity of the morning outweighs potential curiosity.


Stepping into the hallway, Sackcloth pretends as if he is merely crossing through by accident, to follow Lita to the door. Then, he turns to face the descending elderly couple and gives them a short but polite bow of his head.


"Good morning, Sir and Lady Harrington. I do hope you're hungry; our Zachary has cooked up something delicious." He offers enticingly, completing the whole thing with a polite flourish to gesture them towards the dining table. As each of them sniff the air to take in the delicious scent wafting throughout the inn, Sackcloth inhales too; nostrils flaring to capture not the odor of bacon and pancakes but the raw desire oozing off the couple.


For a moment, Sackcloth's head swims, as his own hunger, now sated, is briefly returned to the pit of his belly not as a nagging reminder but as a ravenous beast, magnifying the scents around him and the tastes lingering on his tongue a thousandfold. Every flavour in the syrup, every bit of salt in the bacon, is noticed, and his mind swims on an ocean of sugar and grease.

 

[risaphoeniix]

Lita the Magpie





Lita runs through the inn (miraculously not knocking anything over) to the door, standing on tiptoes to peer through the little window at the top.

 

[PixelWitch]

Zach


He carries the bundle of mail back to the kitchen, letting the others answer the door, flopping the contents on the table, which he is now in the process of clearing.


Ah. The Harringtons are up. Awesome.


Gus wufs quietly at the front door, dragging his shaggy frame from the floor and padding to the hallway with big slumping footfalls. He sits at the base of the stairs like a furry sentinel, eyes hooded by fur observing everything.


[dice]2689[/dice]

 

[Inari]

Red


He could almost smell the prickly scent of fear around the tree, but it was probably in his head. Red stared up at the branches. The child either lost or discarded the shoes near here; maybe they got kicked off in the mad scramble up the tree. It hadn’t done any good. Red tucked the other shoe under his arm and stomped out of the brambles, thinking. Pondering. Pulling burrs and thorns out of his sleeves. At the edge of the clearing, his hands scratched up already, he found a thorny branch and plucked one of the longer thorns from it carelessly. The scratch it gave him left a small smear of blood on the branch. He stuck the thorn in his pocket and his bleeding thumb in his mouth, sucking on the small wound.


Red’s march back through the Hedge was quicker than before, even with the occasional pause to rip some stubborn burrs out of his clothes. After a few minutes he gave up on his shoes and pulled them off, tying the laces together and carrying both his and the child’s in hand. His feet were scratched up from burrs and brambles that had found their way into his shoes while tramping about in the briar patch. He retrieved the strip of ivy from his pocket and covered his eyes when he reached the pavilion once more, and this time he whistled Peter’s theme as he went through. Thoughts of alarm and concern momentarily fled, however, as his nostrils caught a fresh scent.


Bacon.


Although most of the mess had been shaken out by the time he arrived, the figure that pushed open the kitchen’s side door was still smattered with burrs and thorns sticking out of his pants and sleeves. Even messy and barefooted, Red made for a handsomely disheveled figure with his scruff of beard and hair that had been tousled by breeze and branches. A too-wide grin spread across his face at the sight of two fresh plates of bacon and pancakes sitting near the stove, steaming and begging to be eaten. Red obliged, snatching a plate and leaning against the counter. He skewered two strips of bacon with the provided fork at once and stuffed them into his mouth. Hunting worked up an appetite…


It was only when he spotted Lucas at the table, though, that he remembered just what he’d come back for. Expression turning serious, Red grunted to garner some attention, still chewing, and held up a pair of shoes, their laces tied together. A pair of worn in gray sneakers covered in burrs. It was only after he finished his bacon that he realized his mistake and grunted in annoyance, dropped those to the floor near his feet and pulled off his arm the other pair of tied-together shoes; the little pink ones. ”Have you heard any reports of lost kids in the last couple of days?” he asked the ranger.

Spoiler

If the thorn thing isn’t acceptable, it’s cool. Just had Pathfinder in mind for later.

 

[Ragoza]

(Apologies for sporadic replies, coursework had to be wrestled into submission)


Liam grins between mouthfuls of tea, extending a hand to both guests and trying to remember if they respond better to the Oirish charm or the sea captain persona.


"Mornin', sir and madam. I trust ye slept well?"

 

[Axelgear]

Sackcloth


Nothing quite ruins the "Drifting in a romantic haze" moment of feeding on glamour like someone bursting into the dining room ahead of your guests, coated in blood, leaving muddy footprints, and asking if anyone's heard of missing children lately. Either Red is trying to get some quick fear glamour by shocking these people or just not thinking; whichever it is, having your guests see a wild man streaked in red and black disturbing their breakfast scene is... Unacceptable!


So Sackcloth springs into action.


Bounding out of the hallway and becoming something of a dervish, he kicks off his own right shoe, catches it in his teeth, and sets to work. Table napkin tossed and caught in his toes, he dashes at Red like a lunatic. What feeble body weight he possesses is put behind a hand that pushes him out of the dining area and back towards the kitchen, free hand flailing for the door knob all the while. Cloth-bound foot dragged behind, he mops up mud and blood, and shoots a dire stare up at the wolfman, all the while muttering through gritted teeth:


"Out! Out! Outoutout!"

Spoiler

If Red even wants slightly to stop Sackcloth, he can; won't contest it in any way. Strength difference is pretty big. He's trying to bluster the big guy out of sight from the guests, in case that was unclear.

 

[PixelWitch]

Zach


The Fireheart pouted at Red's entrance, observing his lovely mopped clean floor now covered in burrs, leaves, and now a pair of muddy sneakers dumped on the tiles, "Morning to you too, Red..."


Does no one here respect a clean kitchen?


Grumbling ,he grabs the mop again, sweeping the mess away, "Least put the dishes in the sink..."


He was starting to sound like a nag... this wasn't like him. Will need to fix this...


Then Roberts intervention.


Oh.


Well, a bit OTT, but whatever.


He then pauses... staring at the pink shoes clasped in Red's hands, "Children's shoes?"

 

[Inari]

Red


Although Red stood at least a head taller than his assailant, he couldn’t be blamed for retreating under a charge like the one Sackcloth mounted. The wolfish young man gave an annoyed ”Graaaaaah,” sort of sound in protest, protectively shielding his breakfast, and was herded back out of the kitchen by the manic figure. The nearest door led into a back hallway, but at least it wasn’t the pantry.


”Hmph. Could’ve taken them into the dining room,” Red grumbled once he’d been shooed out of sight, while he stabbed several more pieces of bacon with his fork and thrust them into his mouth. The satisfying crunch of just-crisp-enough meat helped to mollify him, at least. Anticipating Robert’s complaints, he waved his hand dismissively. ”I’ll get cleaned up, just let me enjoy my breakfast,” he said while he ate.

 

[The Fuzz]

---> Lita





If you look through the window at the top of the door, you see a scarf, holding back hair. Familiar scarf, familiar hair....of course, the tip off is that you can also see the whole face of your visitor in a window six feet off the ground.


The door swings open and Mrs. Lincoln stumps in, lips peeling back from her tusks as a smile lights across her olive green face.


"Sweetie! How are you this morning? Not fallen off the roof yet today, then?" Her voice is gruff, but warm, and she reaches to fold Lita into a hug.


----> Sage





Looks like you're not going to need your keys. Peg Lincoln got here ahead of you. Be nice to have someone else in the house over the age of fifty.


Hmmm. Not sure whether you smell bacon or wet dog.

 

[risaphoeniix]

Lita the Magpie





Lita hugs Mrs. Lincoln excitedly. "Nope nope nope! I never fall!" she exclaims, bouncing.

 

[The Fuzz]

---> Lita, then everybody in the kitchen


Her coat is all big and ruffly and warm, and her scarf trails down and tickles your nose.


After a moment, she lets go and looks down at you with a big smile. "Could it be that I'm in time for breakfast? I've got news, but it's not so urgent that it can't wait until after pancakes."


Her broad nose crinkles a little, and Mrs. Lincoln pushes on into the kitchen. "Good morning! The place smells fantastic, is there any batter left over?"

 

[PixelWitch]

Zach


"Lo Mrs. Lincoln," he chirps as the mop is stowed away once more, "My pancakes are magnetic is seems..."


He nods to the vast steaming plate of them sitting out for both guests and staff, "Help yourself,"


He grabs a clean plate from the pile and pulls out a chair for her.

 

[Grey]

Lucas Hood





Lucas has just put his hat back on as the guests arrive; tips it, smiles. He leaves to follow Red and Robert out as Mrs. Lincoln arrives.


"Red - why are you looking for missing children?" Hood asks, levelly, watching him chew.

 

[Ragoza]

One day, Liam may be able to sit down of a morning and enjoy a cup of tea in peace. Not today though. Red's question about lost kids is troubling, but Lucas and Robert can handle it for now. Peg Lincoln, on the other hand needs to be entertained immediately or she'll never leave.


"Peggy, my dear, it does these old eyes good to see yeh. Have yeh given any thought to my offer of elopement?"

 

[Alexandra]

Sage


Bacon...or wet dog....why not both?


She slips in behind Peggy, smiling at Liam's comment. That'll be the day....


"Zach, Could you point me towards the teapot, love?"

 

[The Fuzz]

The Kitchen





In no time at all, Peg has a plate with a couple of pancakes on it, and is seated comfortably at the table, scarf now wrapped around her handbag.


She raises an eyebrow in Liam's direction. "Promises, promises. You've yet to give me flowers, let alone a ring."

 

[risaphoeniix]

Lita the Magpie





Going to follow Mrs. Lincoln back towards the kitchen, something snags on a doorknob as she goes by. The pocket watch thumps against her leg. She pulls it up by the chain and checks the time.