"I'll go check in with her," Xing says as she hops up. "Master Nine-Toes, I'll tell you if anything changes."
In a few minutes, she's once again at Sabelina's door, where she knocks lightly. "Friend Sabelina, do you have a few minutes to talk?"
A disheveled and bleary Sabelina opens the door to let Xing in. After hearing Xing's proposal on behalf of Uller, she shrugs and replies "sounds fine to me. Tomorrow then? We should get a block and tackle to take with us." She seems unperturbed about a job offer from the man.
Sabelina stands up and stretches. "Dinner... Do you have plans?"
An alarmingly-loud rumble from Xing's stomach answers Sabelina, and Xing claps a hand to her midsection. "Dinner would be great."
As they head downstairs, Xing pats a spot on her waist where her coin purse must be hidden. "This money is burning a whole in my pocket. I think this evening I will head over to the Market to see what there is to buy. I have seen potions that make a warrior grow to huge sizes." She grins over at Sabelina, "That just sounds fun."
With the meeting on the dock at an end, Uller rises and takes his leave, "The cart will be waiting for you all here tomorrow. Thanks for the help."
Cookie, Yash, Senna, and Lady continue to sit on the dock and enjoy the pleasant weather accompanied by drinks and snacks conveniently supplied by the Slattern.
Senna chuckles into her pint of ale, "Pickling his balls... Cookie, you are incorrigible."
Cookie tips her head. Well one must always have purpose behind the violence, dear. If there is no purpose, or at least no implied purpose, then you're just bein a monster! That would never do. How can we... push someone toward the good when our threats have no backing other than "I told you so"? I raised enough boys to know that only works until they're bigger than you.
But you also have to mean it. Lady comments as she stares down a flock of gulls. Otherwise word will get around that you're just hot air and suddenly you reputation goes *poof*!
"That seems like a reasonable theory."
Some time later, two burly watchmen approach Cookie, Yash, and Senna. "Ladies. Sir. There're some odd facts comin' out about that hag you sorted out. We've been asked to escort you to our headquarters for a few more questions about what happened. Would you come with us, please."
Mama shrugs and holds up a hand. Only if you'll help an old woman to her feet?
"Certainly, ma'am." The watchman helps Cookie up carefully.
Senna rises as well, curious about these odd facts.
Yash, Cookie, Lady, and Senna accompany the watchmen. They are escorted through the confusing alleys of Dockside. Eventually, they end up back in the plaza near the docks but far away from the Slattern. The watchman turns away from the dock and opens a large wooden door and ushers the party through.
Our heroes find themselves in a rough tavern. You assume it is called Caterwaul because that is the word carved in large letters into the sawdust strewn floor. Interestingly, the name looks like it was carved with a very large claw, and there are a number of claw gouges in the floor.
More alarming, are the dozens of hard-eyes and silent faces on large men, women, and odd races that greet the new arrivals. The room is packed with watchmen.
At the bar, Bob turns around. ”Here they are, boyos.”
The silence breaks with loud cheers, smiles, and sporadic clapping from the assembled watchmen. Your escorts push you forward and let the door close. You are given tankards of ale and words of thanks for your assistance to the watch. There are several cries for you to recount what happened in the crypt.
One huge female half-ogre smacks Bob nearly off his stool saying, ”Bob ‘s tight-lipped as ever! We can’t a word from ‘im. We’d like to hear the tale.”
Bob just shrugs, notes the missing party members, and asks a watchmen to go fetch them. ”They’re probably at the Slattern somewhere. Salli will know.”
When Xing and Sabelina arrive, the tall Minatan is nibbling the little meat bits off the end of an otherwise clean turkey leg. She pauses in the doorway, takes in the gloomy, "well-used" interior and grins over at Sabelina.
"This feels more like my type of establishment than yours." She nods over to their temporary party-member from the day before. "Bob! It is good to see you without hag-claw-marks all over you. I hope you're healing well."
As she approaches the bar, she notes the claw-marks on the floor with a thoughtful expression.
Tossing the turkey-leg-bone in the nearest trash bin, she looks to whomever is behind the bar. "An ale would do well to wash down that meal. And if I'm having an ale..." she looks past them with a grin, searching for any signs of a kitchen or food being prepared, ".. I could use something else to eat."
Then she turns back to the room, "I hear Bob is bragging about himself?" She shrugs, "Whatever he said, he earned it."
Wooden platters of food line the bartop. Xing grabs up some tasty morsels while moving through the crowd.
There are guffaws at the idea of Bob bragging. Someone says "He talks? I thought he was a mute."
Xing nods at Bob appreciatively, "Well, sometimes actions do enough talking."
Sabelina can't help but cringe at Xing's eating on the street.
We'll have to have a talk.
"Hey, Bob was our esteemed leader. We got the job done and everyone came back in one piece. Credit where credit's due."
Sabelina examines some of the more modest claw-marks as well as their curious placement and determines that one of the creatures that visited the Caterwaul is a...
After a pause in the conversation, Xing steps over to Bob, taking a swig from her fresh tankard.
"She makes it sound so ... uneventful. Bob was a real hero." She claps him on the back, "In fact, if he did not step in so bravely alongside our Yash-Of-Many-Words, your town might have had one more corpse down in that strange crypt-basement-thing." She pauses for effect, "Mine. I am speaking of my corpse."
She looks over at him, "I feel like I owe you a drink for that." She looks over at the barkeep, "Bob's next drink is on my coin."
Mama enters quietly and takes her seat next to the wall. This place wasn't exactly her Thing, so she steps back and lets the young ones do the socializing.
Sabelina traces one of the scars with her finger. She thinks the place's name is probably literal, but doesn't want to look the fool if she's wrong.
"Huh, so what happened here? Is there a decent story behind it?" she asks.
"Huh, so what happened here? Is there a decent story behind it?" she asks.
The barman responds with a little shrug. "Some years ago, this spot used to be part of a slaughter-house. Not sure what meats they were carving up here, but it attracted all sorts of cats. Threshold bein' Threshold, some cats is bigger and more problematic than fat orange tabbies. There were some scuffles in here and it was decided that the slaughterhouse needed to go. I liked the 'distressed' look of the place so I kept it when I moved in."
For those heroes that partake, the watchmen show their appreciation for you running towards the problem - and handling it - rather than running away from it. You have earned brownie points with the Watch.
You return hours later, somewhat drunk, to the Slattern only to realize you haven't booked rooms here for the night. Fortunately, due to recent events, your housing has been expedited by the city. A Council Agent leads you to your new apartment close to the hedge in Low Gate. It has a comfortably appointed (and reasonably large) common room adjoining the kitchen. Off the common room are private bedrooms for each of you.
The Agent, Lillibet, is friendly and helpful. She lives upstairs from you and has been assigned as your contact person on matters regarding the city.
Yash sat at the Caterwaul table, slowly sipping on the ales constantly in front of him. He was not his usual talkative self, instead reflecting on the battle with the hag and the scars it had left. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the visions he had seen, the calls of the spirits, in particular his grandfather. He tried to fathom the meaning behind all of it, but the task slowly faded away with each empty mug.
He tried to stand and found his legs unsteady. He reached out a hand to steady himself only to find his hand on top of Mama Cookie's head. A sheepish grin crept across his face as he leaned the opposite direction and found the wall with his shoulder. Perhaps the spirits still guided him after all.
The return to the Slattern was a blur. He couldn't recall most of it, not that he really wanted to, but was unsure how he ended up in a bed, his clothes and armor strewn across the floor. With a growl, he grabbed the pillow, pulling it across his head as he began to snore loudly.
"I'd say so! A cat that could do this would be quite the problem! So, this place closed due to cat problems, but where did the cats go after that?"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sabelina isn't pleased to find out they will suddenly be vacating the Slattern. But, free is the best price, so she's willing to take a look at the new digs with an open mind. Her first order of business is to make sure she's first in the door so she can quickly take a look around and claim the best room for herself. She ignores the main room for a few minutes and goes directly to surveying the private rooms in quick succession.
Given the layout of the place, there may not be any great differences in the bedrooms, but Sabelina is prepared to choose on the smaller details if she must: a bit more space, a better view, a little more privacy, more and/or better furnishings. What matters is there is some distinction by which it can be considered the best room.
After she's thrown her stuff in the one she chooses to mark her territory, Sabelina turns her attention to Lillibet. With no firm basis upon which to carry out a conversation, Sabelina makes small talk. She starts with questions about the building and the new neighborhood, and from there progresses to asking the woman about herself. While Sabelina's question do follow a strategy of finding out more about what exactly Lillibet's job entails a in way that feels out what other services or goodies she might be able to get gratis, she also asks about her personally so as muddy her main intentions.
Sabelina also decides it is time to begin her transformation since a brand new acquaintance to readily available. She introduces herself to Lillibet as 'Lady Sable'.
Xing stands in the common room of their new apartment, looking around and half suspecting for the practical joke to rear its head.
She looks over at Lilibet, her tone disbelieving but neutral, "And you want us to stay here. But you do not expect us to pay? Or do we pay on a regular basis, and this is what the town has set aside for us." She looks over at the rest of the group, gauging their reaction. "Do not mistake me. I am appreciative either way."
She takes a longer look over at the rooms, then throws her bulky duffel pack into one of them that is untaken. "At this point, any place with a bed is wonderful."
Mama takes the last room because she actually is the first to take a room. From the moment they enter Mama glides into the kitchen and starts opening cupboards. By the time everyone else has found their bunks she has already mapped out every utensil and dish. She examines the storage and seems to find it wanting.
When Lillibet has time after telling her life story to the Lady, Mama pulls her aside with a list and asks where to find several food items ("One cannot truly cook without lard, dear".), spices ("Garlic, some oregano, just the basics"), a couple utensils ("No offset spatula!, really!"), and other odds and ends.
With her answers secured she takes the last of the rooms. Well, Lady lays claim to it long before she actually places her pack down. It's the smallest of the rooms (which means it's still huge for her) but still cozy with a wonderful easterly view down the quaint little street.
"I'd say so! A cat that could do this would be quite the problem! So, this place closed due to cat problems, but where did the cats go after that?"
The barkeep smiles. "A couple of them still visit from time to time."
After she's thrown her stuff in the one she chooses to mark her territory, Sabelina turns her attention to Lillibet. With no firm basis upon which to carry out a conversation, Sabelina makes small talk. She starts with questions about the building and the new neighborhood, and from there progresses to asking the woman about herself.
Sabelina also decides it is time to begin her transformation since a brand new acquaintance to readily available. She introduces herself to Lillibet as 'Lady Sable'.
Lillibet oohs over the exotic 'Lady Sable' moniker but refrains from asking personal questions about anyone. She lets you know that she is a life-long local and has been a Council Agent for several years. She lives upstairs, alone, and currently isn't dating anyone. Her job is to help you acclimate to Threshold and answer the questions you may have about the city, services, businesses, or anything else. She informs you that this is a typical residential building but most of the apartments don't have so many bedrooms. And the neighborhood is quite safe and not terribly expensive. It's generally considered a step up from Dockside.
"And you want us to stay here. But you do not expect us to pay? Or do we pay on a regular basis, and this is what the town has set aside for us."
Lillibet shares a kindly-intentioned laugh. "This apartment is yours - for free - for a month. The Council recognizes that getting used to Threshold can take a little time. If you haven't found a place you'd rather stay by the end of the month, we can talk about you renting this place either short or long term."
Mama pulls her aside with a list and asks where to find several food items ("One cannot truly cook without lard, dear".), spices ("Garlic, some oregano, just the basics"), a couple utensils ("No offset spatula!, really!"), and other odds and ends.
Not to be outdone, or perhaps as a show that this isn't the first time she's received such questions... Lillibet pulls out a hand-drawn map of the neighborhood and notes locations in her immaculate handwriting. "Just around the corner, you'll find the green-grocer and the butcher. It's maybe a 5 minute walk to the best spice peddler... don't go to the fella by the general store. And the general store, where you can buy pans and spatulas and such, is right here..."
"This apartment is yours - for free - for a month."
Xing gives a small grin in return, "So we should not .. say ... scratch our names in the floors?"
A giant yawn interrupts whatever else she was going to say, and Xing gives the woman a small bow of her head. "It seems my day is ending. Thank you, Lilibet."
At the earliest possible moment, she closes herself into the room into which she threw her duffel pack ... not even really inspecting the place before crashing on top of whatever blankets or covers the bed has.
The next day dawns and while the others sleep in or putter around in the morning, Xing is out the door and off to the Slattern for her first day of work. Thankfully, it is a sunny-faced Kat not sour-faced Burt who is there to greet Xing and train her in the mysteries of barcraft. Xing learns that a sharp knife is the barback’s friend because the first half of her day is spent washing then cutting fruits and vegetables – some are merely halved so they can be squeezed and bottled. Some are delivered to the kitchen for meals. And some are cut in more curious shapes – quarters, wheels, bunny-ears, thin slivers, and others – to be used as ‘garnishes’ with drinks.
While Xing works on different fruits, Kat cleans the bar, fills bottles, cleans taps, and organizes her station, all the while explaining how each fruit and vegetable – whether as a juice or garnish – is integral to the drinks. That explanation is usually accompanied by a list of drinks that use that particular fruit. At first, Xing tries to commit it all to memory. But it is too much to remember at one time. Eventually, Xing realizes that Kat is just conveying the breadth and complexity of the trade. Xing officially gives up trying to keep up with the bartender when she dives into discussing the six basic flavor profiles of gin (herbal, juniper, citrus, floral, spice, and heat) and how to pair them with the right fruits, bitters, and sugars to achieve ‘balanced’ drinks.
Xing enjoys her provided lunch in the kitchen and gets to meet some of the ‘back of house’ staff. They generally seem a friendly bunch. The second half of Xing’s shift is spent lugging and cutting ice into a variety of sizes. Again, Kat explains the uses and importance of the different cubes, while hacking up ice alongside her.
As Salli has heard about Xing’s mission to retrieve goods slated for the town, she is let go early for the day and her shifts will resume when she gets back. And so, at the second hour past noon Xing is done for the day and outside the Slattern with the wagon and oxen provided by Uller, as well as her comrades, ready to set out.
Sable isn't up so early as Xing, but she makes sure she has the time to go looking for the block and tackle she thought of the day before. She never cared to learn much about her father's business, but one of the few things she knows is the critical value of the tool.
If they are going to be offloading cargo from a ship they probably can't steer or reposition, it could make the task merely a difficult day of work rather than a horrendous or impossible one.
When she's bought what she needs, Sable throws it into the back of the wagon.
Mama sleeps in. The last days had been full of adventure, and adventure means sore muscles! So she avoids the aching by sleeping until the sun in nearly up.
A good portion of the morning is spent getting the kitchen in order and going shopping for the odds and ends she had noted yesterday. After that it's off to locate the orphanages and child refugee centers overseen by Gammy, the teifling member of the OBC. That occupies the afternoon until it's time to head over to the wagon and yet more ache-inducing ADVENTURE!
After the first half of the day is filled with their own activities around town, our heroes assemble at the Slattern in the afternoon. They climb into the rugged wagon and – with some clucking at the oxen – set off on an adventure! The wagon rattles up the High Street. At High Gate, the crew turns the wagon toward the surrounding wall and exits the city through one of the numerous arched gates. It’s a warm and pleasant day with an invigorating breeze off the Inner Sea. After navigating out of the hills surrounding Threshold, our heroes find themselves traveling roughly West-Northwest along a grass-covered series of bluffs that look down upon the sea. What could possibly go wrong in this tranquil setting?
Our heroes receive the answer to that very question as the sun hits the horizon and they debate the camping arrangements for the evening. In the distance , a lone traveler appears out of the twilight, coming your way. He’s a lumbering fellow and big… quite big. Nearly as tall as some of the trees he is pushing out of his way, snapping them like twigs. He roars from both his heads as they spot you.
"Uh... what is that?"
Lady Sable is stretched out in the back of the wagon making a game of throwing grapes into the air and catching them in her mouth. The irregular wagon movements make it a real challenge.
When she hears the roar she sits up quickly to take a look. Immediately after seeing the giant she on her feet, rapier drawn.
"Yeah, what is that?"
"And why hasn't it figured out how to harmonize yet if it has two heads, thus two voices?"
Mama looks up from where she's already feeling if you care it's in preparation for tonight's stew. She puts her head out of the wagon and says, What is that? And why is it so angry? Did you all go and insult something along the way?
Senna also stands as the wagon rolls to a halt. "Maybe he's angry because he can't harmonize."
feeling if you care it's
"That...fun" Yash said with a grin.
Xing—having reverted to her natural, white-tiger self once outside of town—lopes along beside the cart as they travel, quietly content to watch the waves, the trees, and basically let her mind sort through the deluge of barkeeping information she’d experienced the first half of the day. By letting the lessons wash over her, she strives to let some of the details settle into place even as the bigger picture is firmly cemented from her lessons.
”You have a strange notion of fun, Yash-of-Many-Words.” Suspecting that this big guy isn’t here to simply swap stories, Xing gathers her Chi, slowly rotating her hands in a wide, flat circle before presenting the back of her left hand … which pulses softly. She touches her own chest, then Yash and Sabel’s shoulders. They feel an energy creep along their skin as Iro-Shu’s protection sinks in.
The beast lumbers towards you, continuing his disharmonious roaring. Possibly the jutting orc-like fangs are affecting his singing voice? He is covered in a patchwork of grime-slick and rotting leather armors and his fists are filled with very large flails.
INIT: Sable, Senna, BAD, Yash, Cookie, Xing
Lady Sable hops out of the wagon as the brute makes his way toward them. She scans the ground around her and quickly kicks a couple of small stones out of the way. Next she stretches a little. Feeling ready now, she gives her rapier a couple test swishes and watches him come.
"Big one isn't he? Do you think his intent is to eat us, or did he just wake up on the wrong side of the sewer?"
Senna hops down as well and gets a little distance from the cart before casting a spell then transferring its power to Xing.
”Bad hair day? Or maybe his bed is made of boulders. That'd put me in a sour mood.”
Inspired (1):
Effects:
effect = x
The creature lopes toward you, drool dribbling from one of his mouths.
INIT: Sable, Senna, BAD, Yash, Cookie, Xing
Mama climbs down and takes up position behind Lady Sable. The *thump-step-step* pattern of her approach signaling that her long spear is ready. I think his hair is the least of his negative qualities. Good hair can be fixed, after all. Lousy character is harder to mend.
Wasting no more time, Yash hopped out of the cart and moved to the front of the cart, drawing his great axe as he went.