It was a lovely morning in the middle of Summa and Mayor Haxe had stepped out of his mansion with a cupful of schlotschic, that most mysterious brew mixed from the pulverised beans of the schlotch tree and the juice of the hyic fruit. Together, they packed a sweet and sour punch that could wake up anyone from even the groggiest of morning moods. Some of it stuck to his snout and a rough tongue extended with a polite grunt and licked the spot clear before it could make his overdue shave all sticky. A cloven "hand" scratched at his chin and retrieved a napkin from his breast pocket to wipe away that which the tongue could not reach.

Ah, there was something special about today. Something was telling the mayor that the town was about to become just a little more lively than usual. He could feel it. It brought a porcine smile to his lips and he downed the rest of his cup. He set it on its little tea plate, retrieved his little hat, tucked his vest into a more professional shape and strolled off into town for his morning walk.

"Ah," he sighed with glee. "What a wonderful morning."

As the sunlight poured through a crack in the half-opened window upstairs, dust was illuminated throughout the workshop below; settling on a rack of weapons in the corner and the cold anvil in the middle of the room.

Shina turned over to avoid the light waking her. She was not a morning person but she knew she had to get up early, those swords and tools weren't going to mould themselves.

As she stirred, she felt a breeze suddenly rush through the window, and the feeling of wind circling her head. Soft fur brushed her cheek, then heavy pads landing on her head, 'AHHH!' Shina startled and fell out of her bed in a crumple amongst her sheets. 'Ugh thanks Lapoo, I didn't need an alarm, i know perfectly well what time it is'. As she pulled a sheet from off her head, a pair of deep black eyes met hers, and a soft squeak followed.

Throwing her clothes on and tying her unruly red hair back, Shina leapt from the upstairs lofty bed area to the ground - she didn't need the ladder that the old blacksmith used, after all, her large tail helped alleviate the fall. Still, she didn't remove it, it was another memory of her loving guardian, one of many little things she refused to throw away.

Going to her 'kitchen' area - which consisted of a little stove in the corner of the workshop, she whipped up some eggs and schlotschic. She still hadn't got used to the taste of the drink but it helped her on these kind of mornings.

When Shina had finished breakfast, she re-stoked the furnace ready for another hard days work. 'Well Lapoo, let's see what today brings hey? Who knows, maybe we might hear from Guan'. Lapoo flew beside her, giving confused sqeaks. '....Or maybe not'.

She chuckled and opened up the workshop windows and door.

The waking forest was disturbed by the sound of studded boots clapping on the pavement. Paved road! In the armpit of the country like this! Truly this king knew how to pick his dukes. They got more done in a decade than the previous ones in a lifetime. No wonder the last time she tried to grab a beloved daughter and a chest of gold, she got a ballista bolt shot through her wing membrane. That one was a wench and a half to heal.

Hence why the dragoness found herself in this humiliating state. Flying under the cover of the night, and stealing through towns in a human disguise. Father would have laughed her out of the den. Well, until he saw the treasure she gathered before now...

She yawned, stretching her arms. She consulted her map - she should reach a town anytime now. If only she could just fly in...

It took a good half an hour to reach the town, and by that time Taraah's stomach was in a knot from hunger. The signpost read 'Lorenstad' and it seemed like a well dressed serving of bacon was just beckoning her in. She shook her head, and the bacon turned into a live and rather important looking pigman. She better find an inn, before she caused an incident.

"Greetings!" She called out to the first live person she founds, "Pray tell, where might a starving traveller find a hearty meal in this town?"

---

In a plain and rather boring looking guard tower, the sounds of clinking glassware and quill against paper echoed from one of the upper floor's windows. Cutting through the morning air's tune of chirping birds and the gentle rustling of leaves. There, a monocle wearing half-elf was in the midst of performing an experiment based upon a set of instructions he had recently deciphered from an ancient and easily forgotten alchemist of old. A number of flasks, test tubes, and pipettes containing various substances floated around a frothing cauldron of bubbling blue liquid. "Begin recording. Experiment No. S-132-19-B. Summa 15, Morning. Based upon the recipe in the scroll I collected in the Tulbuk Castle Ruins, the concoction was expected to produce an aroma akin to Mortella Flower. This will be an exciting discovery as the Mortella has been long extinct for nearly 650 years." Rudolph says as a quill automatically records his words on the pages of a book positioned behind him. With a simple flick of his wrist the floating lab equipment approach the cauldron and pour its contents into the bubbling blue liquid.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. The liquid bubbled more violently and, even before the half-elf wizard could do anything, turn into a grey smoke that smelled nothing like a flower's aroma but more of a malodorous smell of sulfur and cow dung. Coughing and gagging for a good whole minute while fumbling around in the grey gas that effectively limited his vision to half a meter in front of his face, Rudolph finally felt the familiar feel of glass and wood. Desperately he opens the window to the room he quickly raises a hand and points two fingers outward. "Aero." Suddenly a gust of wind collected the oppressive grey smoke out and away from his person. "Addendum to Experiment No. S-132-19-B, Mortella Flowers smell of sulfur and manure. Recipe was likely made as a prank for neophyte alchemists. End recording." The wizard says in between coughs. The quill dutifully writes it down word per word before going still and laying itself down as Rudolph finishes saying 'End recording'.

"Makers above, that was foul. Well played ancients. Well played." He says while fanning the air in front of his face with one hand and snapping with another. The fanning did little to alleviate the invasive odor, but the snapping of his fingers brought life to the inanimate objects; that promptly began to clean and re-organize themselves. With the experiment room being fixed and cleaned up, he goes down his tower to make some breakfast...and maybe take a shower and a change of clothes.

---

According to the Royal Profession Association, some high-collar bureaucratic assembly in an industrial city some counties away, a job like lamp lighting isn't feasible in a small town such as Lorenstad. Too few roads with gas lamps, too little night life activity that warrants protecting the occasional drunken stupor that only lives a block away at most. Yet El'Wenaeo and his spawn respectfully disagree. Passerby could have ill intentions, scheming creatures lurk in the night, and the ol' village drunk will recognize the mayoral manor after passing it for the umpteenth time in an evening. Hopefully.

Relaxing on one of the wooden posts that acts as the outdoor spiraling staircase to her home, Lea'Nariya props her chin on the wooden railing. Dawn arrives, and with it the activity of another full day for the laborers below. The scent of morning meals vaguely make their way to her, and her expression embellishes the coming hunger for her last meal of the night. Though that will have to wait.

She fingers the split wood she balances herself on, a carefully crafted piece that nonetheless will need replacing in the next year or so as it will deteriorate and become a hazard to walkers. With a huff, she grabs the banister and pulls herself up and over the low barrier. Her skirt snags on a weak splinter "ooph!, but the force of her wings allow her to easily break free. Soon she hovers in place, overlooking the roofs of the quaint town.

"Well, let's get crackin'. What do you think for dinner? I dunno -- crackers?" Lea'Nariya speaks aloud to nobody in particular, in fact these audible self-conversations are fairly common for her. With virtually no effort and a grin to herself, she flies to the outskirts of town to begin her route. Starting from the outside during the mornings makes the most sense to her, as by the end she will be closer to the center of town and thus, her home. Also, she's more likely to come across her neighbors and she can spend a few minutes chatting with them before they set up for the day.

With that, her sturdy wings beat and glide her over the buildings, small town farms, and paved roads. Those that are awake and active already may look up and see her, all greeted with a wave from one of her arms as she passes by. All is usual until she spots a woman-- a striking woman, at that-- entering town. This one is very red, definitely a stranger. Likely being the first to spot her, Lea'Nariya alters course and quickly lands near the town sign. Her bare feet touch upon the cut stone softly and she corrects her clothes.

"Hi!" her mouth parts slightly as she listens to the newcomer, two of her hands idly inspecting one of her fluffy antennae as the other two arms smooth out any creases. "A hearty meal, huh? Well, breaky is pretty hearty. Tom's has some great food, but oh! I think she isn't serving this late! Well, that's a place to stay, too, if you need it!" One of the inspecting hands now frees itself to point in the direction of The Other Mine, somewhere behind her. Her lower two hands now settle on her waist as her upper arms cross her chest. She didn't consider the fact that this woman is more than a foot taller, as she's used to people towering over her and slightly craning her neck.

"I'm Lea'Nariya en Barcinna," she says suddenly, extending a hand. "But you can call me Learie. What's your name?"

Taraah had to do a double take as a local landed from the sky and came to greet her. Four arms, and wings. No creature such as she has ever seen, how interesting! She wondered briefly whether the individual could produce fairy glitter from collected pollen, and if it would have different properties than the one produced by an actual fairy. It was a commodity one didn't come to possess too often or in large quantities.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the brass orchestra that was her stomach. She smiled at the kind greeting. "A fair morning to you, Learie. It is very nice to meet you. I am Margaret von Eisenberg. Or just Margaret. Just don't call me Maggie or Marge." Taraah introduced herself, and shook the offered hand as gently as she could. Looking in the direction Learie was pointing, she believed she saw the mentioned establishment. Curse these human eyes! So broad vision, but next to no details at range. She felt like she was alking around in the dark. However did humans become hunters?

"Oh that is wonderful! Lodging for the night would be lovely. You see I have travelled from the northernmost part of the country. I've had it up to here," she indicated her neck, "with sleeping in the countryside. Could I interest you in breakfast perhaps?" she offered with a head nod towards the place, hoping to get the lay of the land from the local, preferably over a mug of steaming hot beverage.

@Lucky

---

The hum of thousands of bees was almost deafening at times as Kakoda moved carefully through the cone shaped hives. The air around him was thick with small yellow and black bodies that occasionally bounced off him as they zipped through the air. None stung him, that rarely ever happened; only when they felt their hives were in danger did they lash out.

Around the hives, spreading in reckless abandon from the rear of his house, right up to the edge of the forest, were meadows of flowers that crawled with more of the industrious insects. It was a beautiful thing to behold, the workings of nature. His late wife had loved flowers and he did not have her skill with them. The bees had taken over the roll for him and as long as the rain fell and the sun shone, the flowers grew. It was a simple time.

He made his way back into the house. His bow and quiver were racked by the door, along with a short spear and a longsword. Kita, her shaggy tail thumping on the floor, eyed him from a nearby sunbeam. She licked her chops as he knelt and scratched her belly; she stretched out at the touch, all four legs pointing into the air. A last scratch of her ears and he was headed into the cellar. Unlike many, this one was above ground. He had obtained a scroll of freezing from a wandering mage and cast it on a stone that sat in the middle of the floor. The temperature in the above ground stone room, mixed with the freezing stone, was ideal for storing both honey and mead.

Two dozen barrels sat neatly to one side and he selected the one closest to the door. It was mead from a month ago and in its prime now. The barrel itself was not much larger than a Pudge, who hooted from a room behind him, likely at a passing person. The dog never moved, and the owl hooted, whenever someone came by. An odder pair he did not think existed.

Lifting the barrel he shrugged it onto his shoulder, closed the cold cellar behind him and made his way outside, pulling the door closed behind him. He took a breath of air and made his way toward the tavern.

Saen slithered out of her bed and got herself dressed. A simple brown cloak for her human half, and as she'd never been able to find anything worth wearing for a tail, that went as was. Speaking of her tail, she noted it was peeling with distaste- she'd realized she'd been putting on a little weight, but she hadn't thought it would be enough to make her start shedding. Alas.

The lamia headed downstairs. Business had been brisk the day before, with a fair few silver pieces and even one customer buying a scrying crystal for a whole three gold. Not bad. She flipped the little sign out front to read 'open', then started to get to work, tidying things up. She really needed to get herself a familiar for the mundane work one of these days...

@Forsythe@Lucky

"Oh! Forgive me, friend - I was in my own world somewhat. Lovely day out today, is it not?" The appetising side of bacon came over on all fours, then stood up, tucked at his vest and reached out a front foot, then retracted it and wiped it clean with a handkerchief before reaching it out again. "Pleasure to meet you, newcomer. My name is Sweinfred Haxe. I'm the mayor of this town. If you are looking for a morning meal, I was just heading over to Mr. Kadoka's for some venison and then to Mr. Admoss' for some horseradish. If we're lucky, Minnow might have some leftover rolls from last night's dinner rush - well, if she hasn't gone to sleep already."

The mayor flashed a porcine grin before his small eyes turned to the neighbouring voice and nodded to Lea'Nariya. "Good morning, Ms. en Barcinna! All was well last night, I hope?"

The loudest snort on this side of the Lamdeck river wheezed Minnow awake. She sputtered on her own drool, a pool of the stringy mucus dampening her embroidered pillow. Shocked to be awake, her tired eyelids blinked over nocturnal, amber eyes.

Minnow laid suspended between awake and asleep, her pajama’d form tucked neatly in a small feather down bed hidden behind a thick oaken bar. The perfectly immaculate establishment that cocooned the scene, the tavern ‘The Other Mine’, was open every hour of the day, even if Minnow was not.

“Graaaah,” Minnow groaned. Dramatically, the woman tucked an arm over her tired eyes and swatted around with her free hand until it pounded against something brass. Lifting her heirloom time clock from its perch, she peeked out from under her arm only to scowl at the time.

“I’ve only been sleeping for two hours,” the words came out groggy and sad.

It's only been a couple of weeks since Yoshina landed on this Archduchy, or at least that's what the locals calls this land. She arrived on the great city of Struq just a while back, and she has been enamored by the new sights and sounds of that great port city. A good deal of wares, wines, and other fineries being traded back and forth, some sights familiar to her, while some completely foreign. She has seen how different people build their lodgements and other places, but none quite as unique as the people of Struq and this Archduchy.

It's almost as if she has entered another different world, with buildings arranged out of plaster, wood and hay all around her, and a people wearing cloths just like in her own land, but in an arrangement that seems completely different, it reminds her of her own homeland of Sangaku to an extent.

Still, she is not interested in Struq for the moment, despite the oohing and aahing of the local populace the moment they heard someone from the Mist Isles have come to their shores, she quickly left the city and travelled with her trusty steed towards the Archducal countryside. Her journey of peace has a particular focus on rural and underserved areas, and just as she has done in the lands of many countries in her past, she will do so in this land as well.

And so she finally arrived in this sleepy village. Nothing more than a stopover in her grand journey, but nonetheless she thinks that this will be the place where she will reside in this land. A sort of base of operations for her grand journey of spreading and ensuring peace.

She stopped by the town's entrance, where already an assembly of other species, including a very well dressed buta-ningen was present, talking about some stuff. So, with her coat still on, she unfurled her coat, dismounted from her steed, slowly brought herself towards the group, and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings. Forgive my intrusion to your lovely conversation, but I would like some directions if you would be so kind. I am currently looking for an inn, and some breakfast this small village has to offer. Onegaishimasu."

She hoped that she has made a good enough impression. If there's one thing she learned about her travels, is that things can unravel very quickly from cultural misunderstandings, she was once captured and put on display, in bondage mind you, at a local town square for slighting a local noble when she didn't even know that she was slighting him in the first place. A rather humiliating and bizarre punishment for a Princess like her, she has no desire of enduring such punishments yet again. One public humiliation is more than enough for her.

They'd arrived and set up camp in a clearing beside the river in the late evening last night and it was the sound of splashing and thrashing that woke Grey that morning. He stretched and exited the considerably large tent to find his mother, looking as proud and dignified as possible, casually walking onto the bank, water falling from her back, with her mouth closed in a sharp toothy smirk.

"Fetched us breakfast, have you, mother?"

Looking far too pleased with herself, she opened her mouth, buckets of water spilling out, soaking the ground and their firepit, accompanied by a small deer and half a dozen live, flopping fish.

"Get breakfast started while I dry off, won't you, dear?" she said sweetly, striding over to a flat rock over the river the size of a foundation and flopping over onto it with an impressive thud. It was why she'd chosen the spot to camp.

He sighed at the soaked fire pit, the ashes from last night steadily washing away and the fish gasping and flopping, trying to find their way back to the river.

He took some sticks from the firewood pile and sharpened them with his dagger to skewer the fish on. "Mother?" He called. "Would you like me to take the deer to the butcher?"

"Oh, what a lovely idea, dear. Yes, that would be wonderful." She rolled over onto her side slightly. Her eyes were closed and she looked far too comfortable under the rising sun.

She could, and usually did eat her catches whole. She enjoyed sitting down for a meal, however, and she enjoyed eating things without fur… or bones. Butchering, however, was a time consuming process. Besides, she did enjoy contributing to a local economy- not that she'd ever rely on a town to feed her. No, no village this size could handle that kind of demand.

The new location made no difference to the rest of Grey's morning routine. While he waited for the firepit to at least not have standing water, he began to tend to his usual chores. They included tasks such as brushing his mother's eighty impressive teeth with her favorite lavender scented paste and checking over her scales for anything unsightly. He filed away any slight flaws in her claws and touched up the silver polish on them.

Finally, he could fix his nearly shoulder length hair and get dressed for the day. His horns were getting difficult to maneuver around at times, but he was used to it by now. He had to wonder how long they were planning on growing. For now, they were still manageably short.

"Have you considered cutting your hair, dear?" His mother inquired from her basking spot.

"Hmm…" he approached the bank and peered into the water at his reflection. "No. I think I like it like this. Much longer, and I'll think about it."

"Very well. Come here, dear. I've got your funds for errands." She opened her mouth. A velvet pouch, no doubt full of coins, rested on her tongue.

He reached in, no caution whatsoever, and accepted the pouch. At least it smelled like lavender.

~~~~~~~

After dropping off the deer with the village's butcher, Grey was relieved to find himself with some free time to wander.

Unfortunately, the fish his mother caught him would have to wait until lunch, when the firewood was hopefully dry enough to work with. Which meant he had to find his own breakfast. The tavern looked like a good place to try.

@Kumbaris@Lucky@Forsythe

The porky mayor blinked at yet another arrival and, still holding his cloven front foot out to the human lady to shake, he turned smilingly from Lea to offer the foreign-looking newcomer a smile and a curtious nod. "A greeting to you, too, friend! I assure you - you aren't interrupting anything. I am afraid that my name is not quite 'Ohnayguysheemahzoo', though." He corrected the kerchief about his throat with his free hand and adjusted his small, round hat. "I am Sweinfred Haxe, the mayor of this town, and you are in luck! We are in fact on our way to fetch a morning meal, but since we are so many, I do not see why we don't just go to the most obvious spot: the pride of our humble little piece of Heaven, Tom!"

As though summoned through magic, the faint, yet gracefully present scent of baking buns and sizzling grease came oozing out of an alley between two small shops. The mayor pointed his free foot in the direction of the smell and oinked gleefully. "Oh, right on time. That must mean Minnow is up, bless her soul. Well, if you three are as hungry as I am, why not tag along for a hot serving of croogal eggs with zaft soup and freshly baked rolls? Oh, my mouth waters at the mere mention."

@AdorableSaucer@Lucky@Kumbaris

Margaret/Taraah - Outskirts of town

Shaking the offered hand - hoof - What ever! Taraah looked at the new arrival. Now a horse has entered into the picture, and she had to gulp down lest she started slobbering all over the place. Must they tease her so? Oh how she longed to just fly over a pen and snag a cow or two! Bone-in, slightly charred on the surface, the blood still warm - what a meal! Alas, something served on a plate would have to do. Somethings, perhaps. And sooner rather than later. She had no idea what croogal eggs were, but their lives were forfeit the second she stepped into town. Now she was deciding whether the generation that spawned the eggs would live to see the light of the next morning.

Looking over the woman that arrived latest, she was intrigued by the style of clothing. The blue accents shaking about were catching her eyes like a cat fixated on a feather tied to a piece of string being jerked about by a laughing youth. She shook her head a bit to clear her thoughts. Focus! Stomach first, chase around some poor sap because shiny later! You are a most noble of creatures, for gods' sake, not a dumb animal!

Turning to the mayor, she gave a polite bow of the head. "I am pleased to make you an acquaintance, Your Worship. I have come from far north seeking new home where I could practice my crafts in peace. I can not wait to see what this town has to offer. After I am done eating everything and then the larder itself. Let us go, first course is on me!" She offered to the group. Just as long as the proceeding moved towards the Inn. She was done waiting, and started heading in the direction.

---

After taking a quick trip to the washroom, Rudolph no longer reeked of the Mortella Flower and was dressed in a fresh set of laundered clothes. "Now, for some breakfast." Heading to the kitchen portion of the second floor of the tower, Rudolph hummed himself a tune as he waggled his index fingers in the air while ingredients and cookware levitated from their respective places in preparation for the meal he was about to whip up. An aged tome floated near the half elf's face and opened to a seemingly random page, to which Rudolph closed his eyes and placed his finger on a random part of the page before finally letting himself look at the book. "Hmm...Lucancia Sausages with Raspberry Sauce? Good choice." With a nod, he rolls up the sleeves of his tunic and begins to cook with the assistance of his unseen magical servants. The efficiency of his kitchen would have rivaled the restaurants in the capital. And if he were to have a say on the quality of the dishes he'd made? He wouldn't want to blow his own horn but he could give the restaurants a decent run for their coins. But it was high time he went to perform his other duties.

Most notably tending to his plants in the greenhouse. Lorenstad did not have a doctor to tend to the sick or wounded when the need arose. But calling himself a doctor would be a slap across the faces of those who dedicated their lives in the medicinal arts, but his knowledge of various medicines and diseases from all across the world made him the best available alternative. Not that he disliked the idea though. It would be another proverbial feather in his cap to be considered a healer and he'd be helping people to top it all off.

The greenhouse was a little building off to the side of his tower. And much like his tower, the plain and mundane appearance of the structure did no justice to the interior. Magic can truly do wonders with the proper application, use, or even modification. The greenhouse was a good example of that. A modified spell utilized in Bags Of Holding greatly expanded the interior of the building despite its outside appearance. He provided the magical energy and modifications to the spell while he hired the town's local runesmiths to etch and contain the magic into the building. Which reminded him, he should probably pay them a visit and deliver them some potions they asked him to make. Mostly mana potions but there is a potion or two he added in each delivery to help them in their jobs. But first, he needed to harvest alchemical materials and tend to his plants that need tending.

@AdorableSaucer @Lucky @Kumbaris @Forsythe

As Shina busied herself with her latest job; an old fork that had seen better days needed straightening out for the local farmer, she couldn't help but hear (with her amazing hearing that Firetails were known for), a lot of commotion outside.

She placed the fork down momentarily and walked over to the stable front door, opening the top half for a better look 'After all...' she said to Lapoo, who was now busy having her breakfast of limberries, 'It's always so quiet around here, it's nice to hear new sounding people'.

As she looked, she almost fell backwards. There in a crowd - that included the good Mayor himself - was a dragon! A full blown bloody dragon, wings and all! Shina's instant reaction went to grab her sword from its rack; she had had experiences of the winged variety, never ending well.

But she stopped herself as she touched the hilt 'If the Mayor is there then this can't be your average dragon, right?' she turned again to Lapoo for reassurance. A stuffed set of fluffy cheeks is all she gained. She sighed. 'OK you're right, I should greet the new visitors, but i'm bringing my sword, OK?' a muffled squeak of a replay and Shina sighed again. Turns out Lapoo wasn't the conversationalist she thought she was.

Putting her work on hold, Shina opened the door and started towards the crowd as they looked to be heading for the inn...

@AdorableSaucer @Forsythe @Lucky

Yoshina was a little bit embarrassed the moment the Buta-Ningen was mispronouncing that Sangakuan word she uttered. It's pretty common for her, strangely, to still speak Sangakuan even when she was not within her own kin, perhaps a cultural imprint from her times still living there.

"Forgive me. Oneigaishimasu is not a phrase you should know. It translates to Please in my language, and while I may not know what a croogal egg or a zaft soup is. I would be more than happy to join the group and try to get some breakfast in this town. It has been a long, long journey for me and I would like some hearty meal." She said, finishing her sentence with a smile to everyone.

Just as she was eyeing the group though, she noticed that accompanying the Buta-Ningen was a woman with a similar hair color to her and... a most interesting creature indeed. She didn't expect Yokai to be present in these lands as well, and it seems that this Yokai was pretty friendly and decent too. Not unusual by itself (most of the army her family used to fight the puppet Emperor and Tianguo troops consisted of Yokai themselves), but she expected the more westerly she got, the less Yokai there to be. At least she hasn't seen any Oni or Tengu though, pretty sure they're Sangaku specific.

"You, umm. Moth person." She said, looking intently at her. "Are you... nevermind, I'm just reminded of some inhabitants from my lands just by your appearance alone. I never encountered Futakichi-Onna outside Sangaku before, It's nice meeting you." Yoshina finished, oustretching her hand in greetings. "I'm Yoshina Shizue. And you are?"

---

The young noctaeid blushes, a rush of purple flushing her cheeks. A futa-what? That sounds like something else, entirely! Her upper right arm instinctively raises to one of her antennae, pulling on its feathery fibers gently.

"Yoshi-Yoshina?", she stutters, taking the foreigner's hand with two of her own. "I'm Learie. Lea'Nariya, actually. En Barcinna. Of the Barcinna family." With a few quick shakes of the newcomer's hand, she returns her arms to her side and she nods as if a job well done. Her eyes scan over the small group and her wings begin to shudder. A hand finds its way to the mayor's back and she offers him a quick, yet genuine, smile.

"Sorry, mayor. I can't stick around. I've gotta put out the rest of the lamps. But!--" She turns again to face the very red one again. Marge? Maggie? "It's been really cool to meet you! Thanks for inviting me to breakfast, I'll take you up on that later!"

With that, a few strong flutters and Learie hovers from the ground. She gives everyone an individual wave before floating to the nearby lamp post, reaching her hand in and thhip! the heat is absorbed into her hand, leaving it without light. One down with more to go, she takes off to begin her route.

Finding the tavern was a fairly simple matter. He wondered vaguely about the name on the swinging sign overhead "the Other Mine". Inns and taverns always tended to have the oddest names, often with even stranger stories behind them.

He noted the "HELP WANTED" sign in the window as he entered the establishment. Maybe if his mother ever decided to settle down somewhere he could get a job... but until that day came, he'd continue to travel at her side, just as he had for the last four years.

The place was fairly empty at the moment, likely more of a night place, but he could smell some good food cooking. He took a seat at a table and waited patiently to be seen.

@Goldeagle1221

THUNK

A heavy glass cup slammed on the table in front of Grey, causing it to jump. Minnow stood next to the poor boy, eyes still closed and crusty, a floppy brimmed hat hanging over her face — in spite of the indoor atmosphere.

Without looking, the exhausted elf tipped a carafe of water over the glass, lazily pouring a steady stream all the way to the brim with oddly perfect precision..

THUD

Minnow all but dropped the carafe perfectly between Grey and his cup. “Refill at your will.” A deep yawn. “And dunnahmmaaasmmmmmm.”

The woman began to slouch over, wobbling in place until a loud snore turned into a sudden snort. Minnow jumped awake, her hat flying off and sailing to the floor. Now exposed, her startled eyes glanced over the boy.

“What brings you out so late?”
@WolfredWolf