Search Posts
A few moments sitting is enough for Abby. "We can listen and look at the same time. Want to see what the man with the shroud is talking about?"
Casually holding her "lost" hair ribbon, Abby emerges from under the table and reports back to Smith and Kai. "They've lost something, but I don't understand them - apart from tubso. He was clear enough. I vote we keep watching them. That's probably not enough evidence to do anything with - they could be talking about a lost glove," she concludes regretfully.
Abby nods. "Ameei said an elf. Stay there Smith, let me see if I can get a bit closer and hear what they're saying." Nonchalently, she pulls off her hair ribbon and slides effortlessly under a nearby table, sneaking her way towards the group. Stealth and Sense Motive on bad guys (1d20 7=26, 1d20 4=5)
Her instincts for badness are nowhere near as finely honed as Smith's, but she can sneak and listen with the best of them.
"I trust you Smith. You have to trust yourself too, or we're not going to find Gracie or get home. Tell us what you sense."
Abby nods absently as Ameei bounds away, drinking in the strange figures around her. "Smith, I don't need you to tell me the goblin is bad news, but is there anyone else standing out as evil? Just tell us, don't splat them."
Abby nudges Ameei and asks "What are they all?"
"Shroud artistry? He paints pictures of dead people? Is that what it means? Can we look, please ..." Abby is suddenly 5 years old again and pulling at Smith and Kai's arms.
"You don't think Gracie has been eaten up by now?" "Anyway, Ameei said she was with some kind of elf. Listen Smith, even if she has been hurt, we ought to find out. Going back to Clearbrook without at least working out what happened to her isn't heroic exactly is it? Those Clover girls will never, ever let you forget it."
"Ahem. Gracie?"
"Well, it's pretty and looks useful. Do you think anyone will mind if I keep it?" Without waiting for an answer, Abby stows the weapon in her belt.
"Look at this! Ameei, what does it say?"
"Ooooh." She rootles.
"Let's at least carry him off the road. Can't have everyone barfing like Smith. And maybe cover him up." Abby is looking a little green herself by now.
"Well, let's hope it doesn't have and friends and relations around. Do they have friends and relations?"
Putting her sling away, Abby goes to have a look at the strange body. The whole situation is so odd, she feels nothing beyond acute curiosity. "Ameei, what or who is this - can you help?"
"Stop that!" Without thinking, Abby yanks out her sling and a pings stone at the nearest dog. Surprise makes her aim a little random.
"Cheer up Ameei. I'm sorry we upset you, but we are trying to do a good deed and for me at least, that is quite hard."
Abby looks at the firetail. "You can come with us if you want to, but if you set fire to my friends, I'll wrap you in a blanket. Deal?"
"Now that is not something you see in Clearbrook. Smith, you have to work on your people skills. Squirrel skills."
"Her house? Why would she have a house here?" Ameei looks completely confused at this idea. "We're on my side not Clearbrook.. You know that right?" Shrugging off her suprise she glances around the clearing. It seemed like the fae were all making their way off. That should make things a little safer. "I know this isn't Clearbrook, Ameei. But it looks just like it. So I only thought that Gracie would be confused. She's not that bright you know. If something frightened her, she'd go home, or try to."
"If I could be a dog, then I would be, so go ahead if you like it better Ameei. The thing is, it's hard to talk to you like that. Now, where should we look for Gracie? It seems stupid to start at her house, but I can't think of a better idea."
"You're Ameei? Is something wrong - can you show us?" Feeling just a little silly talking to a dog, she turns to Smith. "Can you try talking to her? You know more about animals than me. Or you should do. You and Kai spend all day sticking shoes on things. I clean sheets."
"Ameei can be a dog Kai. Remember she told us that. She said you could be one too." She grins up at him. "If you were a dog, you wouldn't be a collie. One of those silvery ghost dogs that everyone's afraid of maybe. I'd be a terrier and Smith would be a bloodhound."
Spotting the dog, Abby kneels down and strokes her ears. "Do I know you? If you're Ameei, can you nod or woof or something? It's really hard to tell through the fur."
"If this is a reflection of our world, does that mean we'll find ourselves? I mean, even if we find Gracie how would we know she was Gracie and not some kind of mirror copy?"
Too busy with making sure she stays close to Kai and Smith and bewildered by the familiarity of the scene, Abby doesn't notice anything more out of the ordinary than usual. "What are we doing back here again? I thought this was supposed to be a different world." She sounds acutely disappointed at the turn of events.
Abby grinds to a halt mid throw at the announcement. "Let's find Ameei. We're going. She's our guide."
Abby squeaks as the snowball hits her rear end. "Don't think you'll get away with that Kai!" She grabs an armload of snow and tears after him, ignoring Smith behind her and intent on her new victim.
Taking advantage of Smith momentarily taking his eyes off her, Abby dashes behind a tree and assembles a particularly huge snowball for her brother when he turns around. "Smmmmiiiiithhhh - look behind you!" she calls, ready to launch the whole mass at him.
Hauling her brother along by one hand, Abby pants back up the stairs to the Winter Wonderland room. Through the bar and out into the open they go, Smith being relentlessly dragged by an unexpectedly strong hand. In the crisp wintery air, Abby shivers delightedly, breathes deeply and grabs a handful of snow which she shoves down Smith's back. "Over to you brother mine. You and Len against me and Kai. Catch us if you can." And with that she's off grabbing handfuls of snow and hurling them recklessly at her opponents.
"Even so," Abby grumbles quietly to Kai as they go back upstairs, "it's a pity having thieves tools and not being able to use them." She has a sudden thought and brightens up. "Hey - the snow! Let's have that snowball fight. Bagsy me to bury Smith."
"I suppose. Do you think Ameei will tell us more about the old wizard who lived in Clearbrook? If we ask her nicely - and that includes you Smith. Len could try. She seemed to like him."
"Is that announcement only given in Tallathorne's? Our friend is dancing someplace else. She'll miss it. Can't leave Iz behind, that would only makes things worse."
Abby grinds her teeth with frustration. "I can't believe this. Everyone keeps talking about this stupid door and there isn't one. Now what?" She glowers at her surroundings, willing them to give up their secrets. "Kai, can you sense anything?"
Abby gazes around trying not to be too obvious about what she's looking for.
At the bottom of the stairs Abby stops Smith. "Where to you think this door is then?"
A moment later, Abby catches Len and Kai's attention. "We'd better follow him don't you think?" before wandering back the same way as her brother.
"What do you think?" Abby asks quietly as the waitress shimmys away from their table and she drinks her second rainbow. "Shall we go and look for the door now?"
"Fruit would be nice."
"A plate of stuff to go with the drinks maybe?"
"You have the best ideas ever Smith. When you're not being a twerp. All of those work for me. Go on, buy me another rainbow."
As they settle down, Abby rustles about under her cloak and pulls out a small box. "Time for a confession Smith. You're not going to like the idea of me having these, but I think you're going to like what they are." Catching sight of her brother's face she hurries on. "These are locksmith's tools. Good ones. Ameei keeps saying we have to wait for the door to open. Why don't we try and help it along?"
"I'll stick to fruit juice this time. I think that rainbow stuff might have been stronger than I thought." She grins at Len as she reaches out for Smith and Kai. "I'd offer to hug you, but I've already seen how well that goes down. But you're staying with us, hugged or not."
"If you listened to one word I said Smith, you'd know I meant after we find Gracie. I'm not that stupid. Idiot." Abby's temper flares up and then vanishes as quickly as it arrived. Her face suddenly crumples. "Please don't fight me. I love it here, you hate it, but we still need to find Gracie. That's got to be more important that tracking down this Blacktwig guy."
Kai's outburst stops Abby in her tracks and her veneer of happy confidence collapses. Against her will a barrier she never knew was there falls down and she looks from her brother to her soulmate as if she's never seen either of them before. When she does speak, her voice sounds different to her; quieter, with none of her usual emphasis or bounce. "Smith, listen to me. Kai's right. I would follow you anywhere, into Hell if I had to. I trust you. I need you. I'm not ready to be grown up and look after you but if I have to I will." she pauses slightly, swallows and goes on. "Look, I'm clever, but I'm not very wise. It's taken all this time to see that you didn't want to grow up and take care of me when our parents died and you still had to do that. You weren't just being a pompous idiot. So, can we try it this way. We'll all look after each other. You stop hunting for someone to thump because that's the only way you'll feel in control, I'll stop trailing around after you being a pain and we both listen to Kai and Len a lot more. Oh, and whatever you say, you have a date with a snowball fight. You and Len versus me and Kai. After we find Gracie. So let's find out all we can to help doing that. You're going to lose and I can't wait." By the end of her speech, Abby is almost back to her old self, but it's very clear she means every word.
"Me too Kai. But I don't care. Nor do you really. It's better than Clearbrook any day."
Abby waves at her friend as she hurtles after Smith - "Sorry Iz, got a twerp to catch first. My turn to keep big brother out of trouble. Or maybe help him into more. Who knows?"
"Wait for us you idiot." Abby pounds after her brother with Kai still in tow.
|