huzzzah!!!!;
huzzah!,...
Huzzzah!
YEEEEEHAW!
Huzzzarr!!!!
Huzzzam!
Edwin raises an eyebrow at the girl's embarrassment, but swiftly schools his face to neutrality.
He wanders about a bit, looking at odd knock-knacks of doubtful mystic potency. Eventually he selects a couple of items, and makes his purchases.
Heh heh....right on.
CORGIIIIIIII!!!
nitey nite!!!
Hey, um.....
Just let me know if you're done buying stuff, and we can bounce.....
I think just Edwin's left.
I'm also goin on vacation next weekend; bailing sometime for a week or whatever, so no big freakin hurry or nothing.
Also,.....Castiel's been gone a good while; does somebody wanna npc him, or let him bounce around Lepidstadt, or do you want I should recruit another player?
Also purchased 2 vials (each) of antitoxin, acid, alchemical grease, Alchemists fire, alchemical solvent, & tanglefoot nags.
He is as ready as he is going to get! :)
Next, I will actually lvl him up! ;P
Right on........
The festivities end. Frogs croak and chase chirping crickets.
Other things skitter in the woods, and make other unidentifiable sounds.
The Beast has ended his bellowing for the night.
Somewhere in the wilds, a cockatrice summons forth the rising sun with his horrid mockery of a rooster's morning aria.
It's dawn, and the bakers have begun scuttling to their ovens.
It's dawn, and the early birds flitter to and fro.
It's dawn, and the multitude of noises outside find Edwin already awake and dressed, pacing around his tiny room as he ponders the few details they know,...
The morning rain starts up abruptly, and angrily staccatoes on the iron chimney flume. For an instant, Edwin thinks it is swordplay on plate armor......the rain tipping on the window brings him out of it though.
Below, in the alley, leaves yield with a hearty crunching to a laborer trudging toward whatever ditch is fated to be dug that day.
A draft horse thumps on the earthen road, ready to get his burden rolling.
People are rising and heaving and stretching and cursing in the hostel where the party has holed up.
"Beware below!" from above; a stream from an emptied chamberpot follows too soon that warning. A reminder of the rude filthy baseness of city life, especially to those more used to ranging untamed lands, it adds to the general sour stink of this city of the humans.
At least its raining water as well.
Edwin's mouth twitches into a small, wry almost-smile.
"Ah. Civilization!"
The detective dons his coat, tucks his new purchases into various pockets where they ride mostly-hidden, tucks a kerchief up his sleeve, and exits his tiny room to find the others and break his fast.
There's a common table, where the party can take repast.
Stacks of pancakes, next to sausage, and a Sturdy Housefrau with forearms like Popeye smiling and asking "how d'you want your eggs cooked?" whist shoving hot apple cider or coffee into your hands.....
Edwin casts a keen eye around the kitchen, paying close attention to the grooming of the chef's hands.
"Thoroughly." He replies straight faced.
"Scrambled will be fine. Thank you." He adds with a small smile.
Descending the stairs, Rholf spots Edwin and plops down into a chair one space away from him, yawning. Even the flames dancing atop his head look as though they could've used another hour of sleep...
"Fair morning, my friend." he says... "You look as though you rested well enough."
Larissa seeks out Alinya's room once it seems like a reasonable hour. After listening for a moment to be sure that someone is moving within - she doesn't want to wake her - she knocks quietly.
"Rest? Hm. Oh. OH! Yes, I do believe that I dozed off for a few moments. Far too much of interest to waste time sleeping!" Edwin replies briskly.
He sips his cider, looks at it with a raised eyebrow, sniffs it, tastes it again, then nods. "Not bad at all actually. I knew it contained cinnamon, but I also thought I detected a hint of herb. Not mint, although possibly related." He looks back to Rholf.
"I do beg your pardon. As I was saying, far too much to consider to waste time sleeping. I am most eager to begin our investigations this morning. While I generally refuse to form theories without first collecting facts, I surmise that there is far more to this situation than meets the eye." He says eagerly, digging into his wooden plate with gusto.
"I definitely agree... There is much more to this than we currently are aware of, it seems." Rholf says as he cranes his neck to see what fare is to be had for breakfast. He politely requests some coffee, over-easy eggs, a double-helping of sausage, and only two pancakes.
"I'm curious... What did you think of Dobitoc's reaction at the mention of children compared to his interactions with adults?"
Edwin's eyes glaze over as he plays the cell conversation back in his mind.
"Interesting. But inconclusive. Even facts are worthless without context to view them in." He replies sagely, stuffing another fork full of sausage into his mouth. Whatever other traits Ed may or may not have, he proves to become a first class trencherman if all other career choices fail,...
Alinya and Larissa enter the common room whispering and giggling.
They sit down at the table with Edwin and Rholf. "Good morning!"
Edwin hastily stands as the ladies approach.
"It is now! Good morrow ladies." Edwin supplies smoothly.
"I trust that everyone is well-rested? We have a lot of ground to cover today!" He is positively enthusiastic about the work ahead.
Bards, (and detectives), what ya gonna do?
Alinya sits next to Larissa, orders some bread and honey with black tea, and finally stops giggling enough to attend to Edwin and Rholf's conversation.
"So did we decide where to go first?"
Rholf also stands as the girls approach. "Good morning to you, fair lasses." Retaking his seat, he settles into it, inhaling the heady aroma of his coffee as it wafts up from the mug in his hands.
"We had not discussed it yet this morn, actually, Lady Gurov."
"Ladies' Choice!" Edwin says suddenly, as if in revelation.
"I have my theories. But I wish to make certain that I am not jumping to conclusions due to my own personal biases. Where do you ladies think we should start first? If distance is no object, which of the leads does your intuition say we should start with?" He asks, looking intently at them over his cup.
Huzzah!!!
There's the university, the swampers, the Sanctuary, or Hergstag......
Gustav tells you; they're going over the swampers part of the trial in two days. Then, Hergstag, and then Sanctuary, and the University.
So, order of exploration is up to you guys; that's the general order of events in the trial though.
What the Public Defender told youse guys.....
"We should learn what we can about the swampers first. Right?" She looks at the detective for affirmation.
cues banjo music
Rholf grins, then takes a big sip of coffee and the flames dancing above his ears seem happy and inviting...
Edwin smiles affably.
"Logical. As it IS the first part of the trial." He agrees with the look of someone who has just been justified.
"If at all possible, we should try to get two places investigated in a day. That way we won't have to miss any of the trial while investigating."
"Speaking of which, we should get started! Is everyone present?" He asks, looking around the room. "Then let us be off! The game is afoot!" He declares eagerly. He takes two steps, turns back, grabs his cup and drains it in one swig, thumps it onto the table, and then turns on his heel and starts walking for the door.
Larissa stuffs a couple more bites of breakfast in her mouth in a most unladylike fashion as she rushes to follow Drood, then realizes what she's done. She looks very guiltily at Alinya, then starts giggling again. It's all she can do with both hands to keep what's in her mouth there long enough for her to finish swallowing it. One big gulp of milk to wash it down and she's laughing out loud as she hustles to catch up, mismatched eyes twinkling merrily.
The party trundles off having been apprised of a road that leads to the swamp village. A half hour later, the stench and noise of Lepidstadt behind them, they pass from forest to boggy land interspersed with trees every dozen or twenty yards, the road becomes more difficult and muddier until they doubt that a wagon could get through.
Stout ponys would be required to move great weights, and even they would be put off by having to slog through the mire.
The mist is thick, and visibility is bad. The grey sky seems more likely to erupt with rain than allow the sun to burn off the clinging fog.
Looking around, Rholf says to no one in particular "Just about anything could happen 50 feet away, and there would be no telling who or what, save for the sounds of it..."
Edwin whistles lightly in response, and tilts his head to observe the echo. Or lack of it.
"And I doubt that the sound would travel 50 feet in this."
"Best stick together then!" He adds jovially.
You hear something roaring, about 10 times for about 3 second bursts.
It's a ways off.
Alinya says......it sounds like a lion; (describes the creature for you guys......they're from waaaay down south) a lion that her uncle had in his menagerie......
perception...
"Wait, A great cat? I've never heard of those in a swamp climate before. Hm. Learn something new every day!"
Perception
The girl stops for a moment, trying to place the sound, but shakes her head and moves to catch up with the others.
No telling where it's coming from.
Edwin thinks it's far away.
Larissa can't tell; it seems to be coming from everywhichway.