[IC] Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

[Shoe Thief]

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A Location: Coach House Main rooms Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn was glad to hear that a battle didn't seem to break out between V and Kosara. Though it would have been an amusing sight to watch, she didn't want to watch two of her companions unleash hell and fury on one another. Especially over herself. Kathryn couldn't be sure if Kosara was joking or just speaking the potential worst case scenario rather casually. But as it didn't really come to blows, she wasn't going to worry herself too badly on that. But it also appeared that Victoria was the one who had slapped her while she was out. "Tactile test huh?" Kathryn asked in a half amused manner. "Fair enough..." Kathryn spoke with some hesitation. Then, a grin that could be taken as a joke to some, or something a little more against the tone of shenanigans broke out on Kathryn's face. "Speaking of tests. You're probably the closest here to Lizbeth's size, you should join us for sword practice so she can see how to go toe to toe with someone bigger than her. I can teach her a lot, but how she will learn to fight, will be far different than how I tend to fight." Kathryn took a sip of her ale and pondered her words. She wanted to make room to joke and tease Victoria without out right revenge striking the woman. Kathryn held no ill intent towards the small woman, and simply wanted to joke about with her. "Nothing intense obviously. But she should see how a fight of two people in different size groups fight. It'll be good for her to know!" Kathryn said giddy. And yes, she just wanted a good sparing match. But BB would probably be far better at doing such a thing than Victoria was. And there was some legitimate points there too. Kathryn was bigger than most of her opponents, and that was one of her greatest strengths. But people may try to exploit it. As for how V fit into things, if V ever found herself in hand to hand combat, she would likely fight people a lot bigger than her. Which for now, was Lizbeth. Though Lizbeth may grow up some more...

Kosara offering to help setup breakfast, even making some flat breads, Kathryn couldn't help but make a little joke of the matter. "Gasp! Kosara! You, working with bread!" Kathryn jested towards her friend with a soft chuckle and a warm smile. "Jokes aside, it is kind of funny then how we haven't met before. Ser Lucas and I stopped in nearly every Caravan stop and tavern between here and Arcanaple. Wouldn't that have been a fun coincidence?" Kathryn amused to Kosara. The world was big, and as a whole Kathryn could see how despite the number of places Kathryn and Ser Lucas had to call home for a time how she could have missed Kosara's home. Especially if it was in any other direction. Apart of her did wonder if the desert Kosara was from was the same one her uncle used to talk about? She couldn't be sure, but apart of her didn't really want to know. If it was, her uncle didn't have a lot of nice things to say about the desert. He said the frontier's lands on the edges of the deserts were better, but the stories he told Kathryn growing up past the frontiers, they still scared Kathryn a bit. Even if Kosara and her people weren't the people that her uncle were pitted against, she heard the fighting got pretty brutal for everyone involved. Taking another sip of ale to let remove herself from that train of thought, she moved on to other matters.

Kathryn listened as Cecily spoke on about her struggles at the moment. So far, it seemed to be building up to a crazy winter for her. Her husbands father passing, that being Lizbeth's grandfather. Staff not showing up due to schedule conflicts or errors, and just a hectic time. She wished she knew how to help the poor woman, but her experience managing an estate was cut short years ago. Sure, maybe she could do better than your average commoner, but not by as much as you would expect a noble woman to do. To make matters worse, she found herself being a little short on the emotional side of things to provide much support there too. "Well, since we're here, if you do need assistance do let us know. We don't want to be leeches to your hospitality while you struggle this winter. If we can help all you have to do is ask!" Kathryn offered with the brightest cheer in her tone!

Kathryn looked down at the sweet innocent face Kosara put on when asking for a hug, much like the one she felt obligated to give Victoria. How was Kathryn supposed to refuse to hug Kosara after she willingly gave a hug to the small half elf woman who just killed and unkilled her? Kosara other than some issues with not understanding what a sandwich was, and some cultural issues that they were going to work on, had been nothing but kind to her! The hug for Victoria has been hard though. Hugs gave Kathryn anxiety. She had to worry what would happen if the person she trusted to get that close secrete vendetta against her? What if Kosara did have one and had been hiding it so well the last week? No no no no that was crazy paranoia talking. She was over worrying herself! "Okay." She said a little meekly, but a smile on her face none the less. Kathryn then bent over a bit as if she was giving a bow to her tiefling friend. When in arms reach she hugged Kosara tightly, and then quickly let go taking her free hand and grabbing her mug of ale, downing it until it was empty to numb the fear. Her smile seemed much less forced now.

The mood of the half giant was warmed up watching Blackberry claim to Master Urmdrus that the barrels he brought seemed to be way too much for the party to produce. Thankfully, Master Urmdrus laughed first. Making it so Kathryn wouldn't seem like a child for laughing first and likely loudest of the group. As he left though Kathryn's professional posture began to fade. "hehehe" Kathryn let out in a giggle trying to get a word out before she struggled to speak. Her laughing seeming to take precedent over the words trying to come out of her mouth. "Hehe, those are..." She coughed trying to get a more words out through her chuckles. "Sorry I uh, left those there. I'll deal with them here." She let out once the laughing settled. She had no idea why Blackberry pointing out the barrels was so funny to her, yet here she was laughing her ass off at them! Maybe it was the implication that they were massive piss buckets, or maybe it was like a nervous twitch as Kathryn struggled with embarrassment of not dealing with those yet.

"I'm going to clean up my own work for a bit, and go for a short walk before breakfast."Kathryn spoke to Cecily mostly, but also to Kosara who was looking into plans for the morning. "Flat breads sound nice, I don't know a ton of what goes into them but if you can get that going while I put the barrels away you're also welcome to join me for my walk before I go up to the house?" Kathryn offered to the small tiefling woman. "The offer is also out there for any of you as well." Kathryn spoke up to Victoria, Blackberry, Cecily, and Lizbeth. But she didn't want them to feel obligated too. Kathryn's casual morning walk was supposed to be a cool down workout before her day kicked off after such an extreme workout this morning. She did wonder where would be the best places to go for a walk while out here. But maybe that would be a good use of this walk, to learn more of the layout of the vineyard before breakfast!

[Arty Fox]

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Baronfjørd "Blackberry" Chedgusah Dragon Born, Monk (Astral self), Level 05 HP: 40 / 40 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: N/A Action: Insight 5 Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A Ki: x/5

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BlackBerry stared down at Urmdrus felt the mans eyes bore into his own. The moment after his joke dragged on painfully. Between the group apparently not meeting the mans standards for amounts of piss, and BlackBerry’s joke it seemed to him that they were not making the best impression. BlackBerry’s grin twitched with uncertainty as the second continued to stretch and fill with dread. And then the moment snapped to the sounds of the dwarfs laughter. BlackBerry’s grin went from wavering in fear to splitting his face with relief, even a small chuckle of his own at the Dwarf’s appreciative bumps on his arm.

As the others began to sort themselves out, Victoria and Lizbeth making to follow after Madame L’Rose out of the taproom, BlackBerry thought over the exchange he had witness moments prior which he had caught the tail end of. For a moment a less than charitable side of him wondered if there was something else going on; he had caught Lizbeth Volunteering himself and the others to lend a hand earning her a sharp look from Madame L’Rose. A shamefully less than charitable side of his wondered if Madame L’Rose was hiding something from them but thinking it over again he didn’t think that was the case and was more likely just the stress of the last few days and week was getting to the poor woman.

“Thank you kindly Madame L’Rose. We shall see you shortly!” He bid Madame L’Rose, Lizbeth, and Victoria, an excited farewell and closed the door behind them.

In the following silence he turned to look at Lady Kathryn who had answered the mystery of the wine barrels outside. “May I ask as to why you had several barrels out in the courtyard this morning.” He then blinked and tilted his head to the side. “Where did you even find those barrels?”

To the offer of joining Lady Kathryn for a walk he raise his hand and shook his head. “Perhaps, Lady Kathryn, another time I shall join you. For now though, Kosara, if I may lend a hand in making ‘flatbread’ with you? Though I will admit I am not entirely sure what it is but I can hazard a guess.” His . But they did have a time limit “If they do not take too long to make or even need any particular ingredient?”

“It does seem that Madame L’Rose has a lot on her plate at the moment. I am sure she will appreciate us making a meal or bringing some food with us.” His voice took on a seldom heard sombre tone which filled the quiet left in their visitors wake.“I think I shall reiterate my offer of a helping hand to her over breakfast whilst we are here, or until she is able to sort out her troubles.”

“Even poor Lizbeth seems left somewhat paranoid now. I would wager a hefty penny some of her eagerness to train comes from that.” The look of worry returned to his face and his gaze seemed to settle somewhere in the middle distance. “But still…I wonder…perhaps something else is happening.”

[Sigil]

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Rose River Vineyard

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Coach House

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Weather: Still cold. With the raising of the sun, things have ticked up a few degrees from nighttime, but overall still a brisk morning. A touch of wind gusts every so often, letting you know that chilly air is still inbound.

Time: Still morning, naught but a few scant minutes from when we checked in last.

Ambience: Mostly clear skies greet you this morning, except for a puffy, light grey patch still in the distance. Judging from the wind direction, that patch promises to arrive with greater abundance eventually. For now, you have the day; and what a crisp, enchanting day it is. The sun now giving glorious illumination to all but the lowest hollows of the Rose River Vineyard. From the high position of the Coach House exterior, one has an excellent, nigh panoramic view of the immediate vineyard.

The windows of the Estate House stood uncovered by shutter and curtain, both, simultaneously allowing the morning sun's rays to brighten the rooms within and reflecting enough radiance to prevent one at a distance from peering within. Around the estate House and the main buildings thereabouts, the rise of the land obscured a good portion of the river as it traveled southward. Nevertheless, farther down one could pick out faraway figures dropping fishing lines into its steady waters. Locals, most likely, or employees of the vineyard with the morning off. Those beginning their day's labors were clearly visible walking along the rows nearest to the buildings, looking over the clean, light green fruits which bobbed lightly in the breeze, many of which had begun to droop and turn the slightest colors of tan. Beneath their wide brimmed hats, people made their notations with satisfactory expressions and moved along their rows.

The Taproom saw its doors open and close a couple more times in the interim, leaving the differing conditions of light and temperature to war with one another. Almost instantly, the hearthy lights of the fires take over from the pale morning light outside, and in short order the cold is banished, leaving those who wish to stay inside for a time longer in relative comfort.

*****

The domestic worker made good on his promise to exit the premises with an assertive gait, trying hard not to look like he was nervously fleeing the situation he was in, though he almost assuredly was. He caught up to his wife who, luckily, never made it farther than the bottom of the hill, almost. It was not certain what was discussed in this moment, but in three minutes or so the near to paranoid lady was sent on her way back home while her husband returned to the Coach House to cover her part of the tasks. To his credit, he was holding himself together fairly well, considering that he was a touch nervous being around real life adventurers who had magics beyond his reckoning a their disposal, else were larger and stronger than himself by orders of magnitude. "If it's all the same to you, I'll keep myself away from your personal effects and just change the bedding out upstairs, empty some things, you know... And just get to the rest when you make your ways about today, again, if you please, if this suits your plans." He suspiciously eyed the entire, preserved pig wrapped in burlap, somehow standing up by itself near the wall. Then he got to his business.

Those inside the Taproom interested in the contents of the kitchen would find a fully stocked pantry, larder, and dry storage. The cellar attached held all manner of goodies, absolutely complete with any kitchen staple that the region had to offer. Even a few preserved items that weren't native to Avonshire made it into storage. Those interested in something as simple as flatbread or the makings of a good sandwich will find the contents significantly more than acceptable. The stove is even still hot, the pans seasoned, and lighting just perfect to throw something together in short order. In the event of a messy cook, the domestic worker was still on premises and had to yet do an accounting of the supplies in these rooms. In short, one with the ability to cook may do so at their leisure.

A practiced gait saw Cecily stepping down the trail which led in the general direction of the Estate House. She occasionally glanced back to make sure she wasn't going too fast for those following her to keep up, knowing that her footfalls carried the steps of experience of one who had been here for some years, and others did not have such experience. Lizbeth kept up readily enough, keeping to her aunt's heels like a squire to a vineyard knight. When they reached the paved path which split the front end of the Vineyard with access, she began to give a very basic tour of things they were about to walk past in the distance. "These rows have stopped producing grapes. The rest have been harvested and processing now, but these..." She trailed for a moment, "The longer they stay on the vine, the more sweetness develops. When the first true frost of the season hits, they will be harvested still frozen if possible and immediately crushed into syrup. This makes a very sweet, strong wine, and it why it's called 'icewine' by most folk. That building there? That's guest or servant accommodations. It used to be a family cottage. Point of fact, I used to live there myself, until... Well, the Family L'Rose has suffered many losses in recent years. My own husband included."

She dotted her eyes with her shawl, cleared her throat, and moved along with conversation. "Up here at this roundabout we have stabling for personal and riding horses. The draft horses are kept elsewhere on the property, nearer to where the work is done, but they have a shared grazing area with lots of room to run. And here is the Estate House. You'll notice two gazebos out front; one of them is for gatherings and leisure, feel free to use it as you see fit. The farther one out is actually underground access. We produce and store most of our wine right here, underneath our home. There are some other cellars elsewhere on the vineyard, but this is the main one. There's enough wine down there to stain the river for days. Oh, let us take the long way around. Breakfast will be set up on the terrace, overlooking the water. Right this way, please."

Evenly lain stone surrounded the Estate House, turning into the occasional short few steps up or down to suit the lay of the land, while one great set of stairs made of the same stone as the walkways led up to the main doors of the structure. But Cecily did not use these, preferring to keep to the perimeter until they were all led to the back of the great house. The ground around them changed into a series of three-color mosaics, all as flat and even as the stone walkways, surrounding a vanity pool which stretched very nearly to the stone fencing along the edge of the terrace to the back of the house itself. A large, round table sat on the other side of this pool, presently tended to by two of the domestic staff, one Human and one Halfling, putting out cloths and placesettings for the upcoming meal. Great brass braziers, four of them, were placed strategically to allow easy access to the table while giving needed warmth from the hot coals inside. Next to one of the braziers was a small table holding a series of dishes, a basket of eggs, and a few sundry ingredients. This was arranged as if it was to be used for tableside cooking specifically. "Make yourself at home, please. I doubt that the scullery staff needs additional help, but one can always ask; they are at your disposal should you wish something, nevertheless."

Lizbeth dashed over to the side of the terrace, lifting herself up on the low fencing along the edge and looked out over the river. The terrace itself oversaw a respectable drop to the water below, and one could see a landing beach below. "The view is amazing here! Come take a look!" she insisted.

Elsewhere, was unloading the not remotely full buckets of other people's urine into a basin near some leatherworking equipment. He did not seem especially happy to be doing so, but a deal was a deal, and he was coming out of this deal reasonably well. Even after the Half-Elf turned on her sylvan wiles and renegotiated. He picked up one especially useful-looking piece of Ankheg carapace, held it to his own chest for perspective, and made it ready to be worked upon. Very candidly, he made sure to add his own micturitions to the basin. If the "adventurers" couldn't pick up the slack, the hard-drinking Duergar would have to bring them up to the fill line himself. A craftsdwarf's job was never done, apparently.

The path up to the lookout point, as ran by Kathryn, took her on a slightly different route than the troupe moving toward the Estate House, proper. A more direct path saw more trees and less even ground, affording a less than admirable view of the surrounding lands. That is, until she actually got there. The even stone steps led to a large, flat area with wooded railing to help prevent accidental falls. But once up there, a wondrous sight unfolded before Kathryn. This was the highest point for a long way around. The river stretched for miles in either direction before being fully swallowed up by the rolling seas of grass, dotted with occasional copses of trees. One can even see evidence of Southmoor in the distance, easily reachable by the road (which is good, considering that the population there work for the vineyard seasonally, as Cecily explained the previous day). Several outbuildings were visible from here that simply weren't from the Coach House due to the constraints of vision offered by the hilly countryside, including several worksheds dotting the fields of neat, slightly curved rows of grapevines that seemed to go on for an impressive distance. In addition, due to Kathryn's history with forge work, she could recognize a building not far at all from the Coach House that had all the earmarks of a blacksmith's shop and personal dwelling. The scope of how much this piece of land produced was made very apparent by the height and view. While the great expanse of vines and vine accessories stretched indeterminably in every direction, it did seem to stop short (comparatively) a ways to the south, as a dotted line of scrub and uncultivated trees marked a boundary to a place of lower elevation that, in the nature of moors, vaguely resembled a wetland.

Also from this vantage, Kathryn cold see a clearly marked path that led directly to the stone terrace at the back of the Estate House, where Lizbeth, Cecily, and Victoria were ambling about between the river and the vanity pool in the shade provided by the large house itself.

[rivaan]

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Kosara Tiefling, Warlock (Celestial), Level 04, Barbarian, Level 01 HP: 34/ 34 Armor Class: 12(15 Mage Armor) Conditions: N/a Location: Rose River Vineyard( Kitchen, 1F) Action: N/a Bonus Action: N/a Reaction: N/a

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“Great! I know Grandpa would like you!” Kosara cheefully agreed with V’s statement. Did the tiefling detect the sarcasm? Not really, the pale tiefling did no do sarcasm well, part of her issues and general personality. Not that she couldn’t understand negativity, shes just didn’t understand the use of sarcasm well, she was getting better… maybe. She did believe that her Grandpa and V would get famously well! Like house and fire! That was a saying about things getting along well, right? She could swear she has had cases of hearing it somewhere or other in the past.

“Well of course. Flat bread is very popular back home and it makes good foodstuffs. You can even make what’s probably a sandwich with it, you just take the flatbread, wrap it around the meat and other stuff and presto tasty foodstuffs.” Kosara replied with a happy voice to Kathryn mock surprise, before she raised an eyebrow at Kathryn’s statement.” Well to be fair, I’m fairly certain the desert I grew up in is not located between here and your homeland… unless your home is on the other side of the desert… which I got the impression it’s not?” She offered the reason they hadn’t met in the past. Kosara herself was rather sure if they did meet in the times past, she would have remembered it.

Finally there was a tight hug!” YAY HUGS!” Kosara exclaimed and wrapped her own lithe, but somewhat toned arms around the bigger woman in return of the hug. She loved hugs, hugs were the best! Granted they were better without metals and armors on, but hugs still were the greatest even with those in the way. It was probably the best hug she’s had with another humanoid and mostly because Kathryn was so much bigger than her and the tiefling didn’t have to keep her head at an odd angle as to not poke the other woman with her side horns if they were at same height. In the end she felt a bit sad of ending the hug, but all good hugs had to end eventually. Only so they can start anew at some time in the future of course.

“Alright, have a good walk, Kathryn!” Kosara send off her friend with a huge happy grin and wave of her arms. All was good in the world as she turned to Berry.” I mean yes, something is certainly going on around here that we aren’t aware of. I still stand by my opinion that something spooked that Ankheg from making a mess of the cart yesterday, so take that as a think to think about.” The tiefling agreed with the one armed dragonborn. She even nodded in theatrically overdramatic fashion. A default state for Kosara though, dramatic about her antics.” Well, you can help with preparing the dough! Let’s go! TO THE KITCHEN!” With the grand proclamation in place, the tiefling skipped into the kitchen once more, grabbing her heavy bag. It had gotten quite a bit heavier and almost bursting at the edges nowdays. Maybe she should invest in a new travel bag? Or maybe… she should get two of em! One for each side!

“Alright… flour’s there… I got the needed spices more or less.” She began and pointed out where there was flour and pulled her own set of spices she had procured from her bag. She also pulled out a skillet that was quite shallow, tossing it on the fire to heat up while adding a little bit of oil to it to heat up while they were preparing the dough. Kosara mixed water, flour, salt and a bit of oil. When the mixture was done, she handed it over to Berry.” Now knead and mix it good for a few minutes! These are going to be the best flatbreads!” She exclaimed and mixed another batch in the meantime so they had enough for everybody. She also wondered if there was enough time left if she could hurriedly cook/roast some small bits of the ankheg meat to see how they fare. Like a handful of diced into cube meat quickly roasted/fried in the skillet and it's oil when the flatbreads were done. Now wasn't that an idea!

[Sigil]

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 5 HP: 33 / 33 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: Vineyard Grounds -> Estate House (Terrace) Action: N/A Bonus Action: Familiar Reaction: N/A

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The bracing air of the morning was felt with appreciable notice by Victoria as she kept her cloak about her. It took a few moments for her to acclimate to the colder air of the moors, even in part, as compared to the warm and comfortable interior of the Coach House. By the time they all got down to the main pathway - Cecily, Lizbeth, and herself - she felt more at ease. Enough, anyway, to allow her cloak to drape about herself without the desire to hold it closed. When Cecily began to speak about the lands around them, Victoria actually began to cheerfully ignore all but the gusts of wind, insisting upon reminding her that the start of winter was upon them.

The idea that Cecily didn't always live in the big house hadn't really occurred Victoria. It made sense, though. This was a rambling estate with lots of room to spread out, and she was more accustomed to the closer living of more populous cities. It did make her wonder how many people usually lived in the grand residence at by the river, and whatever else they might do with the space inside. "This is quite a lovely piece of land you have here. Like a shard of the Twin Paradises. I should love to experience as much of it as I can while I am welcomed here."

The gazebo nearest to the house piqued Victoria's interest. It was large, almost large enough to stage a one-act play in. Certainly a superior spot to play music or practice dancing. A similarly worthwhile spot was nearby to the gazebo as well, paved and mostly cordoned off by stone markers, but without a pavilion to keep inclement weather off of one's brow. This was an absolutely beautiful, if a bit rustic, place to center herself and assimilate the new abilities into her proper repertoire. In fact, this vineyard getaway seemed like the perfect place to delve into more new things that she might find complementary to her already varied skill set. And of course, the wine. It was a factor that couldn't be wholly ignored.

Along their way back to the terrace, Victoria raised a question that might have appeared a little out of place. "Madame L'Rose, if I may hazard an inquiry? Is there a practitioner of medicine operating nearby? To clarify, one who uses physical medicine as opposed to magic - a healer, or anatomist. A doctor of medicine, perhaps, if I might count myself as very lucky?" She stopped short before saying something to the effect of "in this rural locale." While accurate, it might not have been the most polite thing ever to say. "I've no need of one for myself, but I do like to be useful and learn new things." She quickly added, "While I've the time to, of course."

The continued walk to the breakfast area, so thoughtfully set up but not quite ready to receive guests, found Victoria keeping quiet. The view was amazing, as was the mosaic stonework of the area back here. She most assuredly joined Lizbeth at the side of the terrace overlooking the river, noting the drop down to the water. She noted the beach landing; another good spot to ply her talents and likely had some good acoustics to work with. "It is breathtaking, Lizbeth. I am quite jealous." This as only partly a polite statement. While not precisely her cup of tea, it was something that Victoria could see herself becoming accustomed to. This family was as wealthy as her own, obviously. Conceivably even moreso.

During her look at the far countryside from this scenic place, Victoria focused her senses to her raven, circling above. It was a different vantage from their present location, giving yet another brilliant perspective on the lands around them. During this temporary peek through the eyes of her Familiar, she caught sight of a familiar silhouette upon the nearby, simple lookout tower, prompting the Bard to break contact and call up to Kathryn, out for her constitutional. "Hey there!" She didn't quite go as loud as she possibly could, but did utilize her vocal training to project like a seasoned professional. A grand, welcoming wave followed.

Turning her attention back to Cecily, Victoria spoke, "If I speak out of turn, Madame, I apologize. That said, may I tentatively inquire - You mentioned that you had lost family, more than your husband and his father. Is it just you and Lizbeth in this place now? Or might we be graced with the meeting of more of your people before the winter is out?" Her voice was pleasant. Sweet. Honeyed, even. But her eyes were inquisitive and mind working with a sudden burst of inquisitive suspicion.

Spiraling down from above, the great, black corvid landed net to the vanity pool, absently pecking at something crawling nearby. Be it a spiritform made flesh, it was still a raven.

[Arty Fox]

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Baronfjørd "Blackberry" Chedgusah Dragon Born, Monk (Astral self), Level 05 HP: x / 40 Armor Class: 16 Conditions: N/A Location: Coach House (Kitchen) Action: Making flatbreads Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A Ki: 5/5

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BlackBerry, ever one to lend a hand, set to his task as instructed by Kosara kneading the dough on the counter top (after being given a quick wipe down for cleanliness). It was surprising how the dough was just like…regular bread dough, he wasn’t entirely sure why he had expected otherwise but he had.

Copying the motions he had seen countless times from the cooks at home he set to work rolling and twisting the dough as best he could. The dough stretched away from him under the heel of his hand and then its top folded back over towards him again in a rhythmic motion. At first it was like a sticky paste latching onto every part it touched of his hands and the counter underneath, even the initial defensive scattering of flour had been no use!

But BlackBerry bravely persisted on in his charge.

“So, Kosara, just to clarify.” He half turned to face Kosara tending to the fire while he continued to wrestle the dough into submission. “If something did spook the Ankhegs earlier what do you suppose it might be? Perhaps the creature did not in fact hunt down the sheep but maybe even came across the animals after the fact? Someone mentioned they mostly ate dirt, did they not?”

The dough stuck to the counter top in thin sticky patches. Putting the main body of the dough to one side he tried to pull and pick at the patches but without much luck. He settled, with a grumble, for dusting his hand with flour and rubbing the patches up into little balls to join the rest of the dough. Give the counter another defensive sprinkling of flour he resumed his struggle.

“If I recall correctly Barbal and Tarace mentioned there had been some trouble for a while. But if it were anything other than Laurents sheep going missing they neglected to mention it. Perhaps we might ask some of the work hands about it all?”

He let the thought roll around in his skull as he rolled the dough across the counter top. It was a surprisingly soothing exercise; kneading the dough as if it were his worries and thoughts upon the counter top being worked from a sticky uncooperative mass, until its is smooth and soft to the touch. He was surprised to find his hands were surprisingly clean aside from a bit of residue. The dough came away from the counter top without even a trace left behind.

“I believe this is ready?” He ambled towards Kosara, and handing the dough over for her to do as she would. “Hopefully we shan’t be late to breakfast. I wonder if they’ll have pancakes, or a nice bit of porridge with baked apples.”

For the remainder of their time he was content to simply watch Kosara work her magic with a frying pan and demonstrate skills rivalling Victorias skill with her violin. But then, a thought, a question, popped into his head.

“Kosara, if it is not to forward of me to ask this…we have only known each other for a short time.” BlackBerry suddenly found a very interesting bit of the ceiling to look at whilst scratching his chin. His sense of decorum fought valiantly against his curiosity and general nosey-ness, but it was doomed from the start. “You seemed very attached to Lady Kathryn last night, and earlier you two had exchanged ‘friendship rings’. I do not intend to pry of course.” He lied. Lying through his teeth he finally looked at Kosara. “But…well…are you two?”