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 Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 7:22 pm
Blake continued to glare at 'Mr. Tollheit', seeing that there was more strange things going on. He didn't notice any cameras as he was walking by so how would this man know? He might have been given away by just entering this room, seeming like others didn't notice it like that girl, Bri, who has 'been' to this house several times. He examined the room closely to see if anything else was appering out of thin air while still keeping an eye out for 'Mr. Tollheit.' He finally summoned a reply while he was still gazing around the room. "Maybe or maybe I was just admiring the house when I just so happened to come to this room. What is your purpose here?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 3:55 am
Miles made no attempt to approach Lexi. "Of course, madam," he said. "You are welcome to go anywhere in the house that you please. Please forgive my intrusion. You simply appeared to be in a hurry, and I thought that I might offer some assistance. Are you looking for something?" As he spoke, Miles closed the door that he had come through and stood near the wall next to it.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 4:12 am
The room seemed to have settled down under Blake's gaze. At least, nothing new appeared and the walls were no longer appearing to shift. Mr. Tollheit waited patiently for Blake to speak. Once he had, Mr. Tollheit seemed to think for a moment, then said "It is possible, but unlikely. You see, if you were not looking for something, you would not have found this place. And if you were not looking for answers, I would not be here."
Mr. Tollheit paused for a moment, then continued, saying, "That was actually a fairly big clue right there. Since you are new to this, I'll be a gentleman and won't charge you for it. Besides which, I imagine you still have unanswered questions. So perhaps we can do business."
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 9:54 am
Lexi smiled meekly.
"Uh, no.." She said,
"I was just...uh...I'm not looking for anything..." She said, her voice softer. She turned away from him and continued down the hall.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 6:16 pm
As Lexi turned away, Miles said, "Very well, madam. But if you should need anything, simply tell either myself or any member of the staff. We would be happy to assist you." With that, he turned and headed down the hallway in the direction opposite from where Lexi was headed.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 8:37 pm
Blake put both his hands in his long black coat pockets. He smirked as he heard Mr. Tollheit replied to his statement. "Unlikey things do seem to happen from time to time." he said with a silent laugh under his breath as he gazed at the floor for a few seconds. His eyes wondered themselves back up as he added, "Let us start with this 'charge' you speak of. What is this 'charge'?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 9:20 pm
"That is true, they do," answered Mr. Tollheit. "And the charge that I mentioned is something that I believe you have already heard of." He looked down at the piece of paper in his hand, the same one he removed from the briefcase a short time earlier. Clearing his throat, he read: " 'in this place, the fruits of imagination and experience are the only things that have real worth or value at all.' I do believe you were still in the sitting room when Barlow said that." He set the paper down on the table. "You see, if I give you new information, I will of course expect something in return, some piece of knowledge or lore."
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:21 pm
"How will I know if this information your giving me is true?" Blake asked with an arched right eyebrow. He was testing this 'Mr. Tollheit'; he was actually enjoying it a bit. He waited for his words, waiting for him to slip.
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:53 pm
Mr. Tollheit nodded his head. "That's an excellent question," he replied. "And, if I were so inclined, I could easily ask you the same thing. How will either of us know if the other is telling the truth?" He paused for a moment, then continued. "Fortunately, the currency of this place is not so easy to counterfeit. I can show you, if you want to see."
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:59 pm
In the sitting room, Barlow gazed thoughtfully into the fire. After a moment, he said to his guests "Well, the evening is still young, and we have plenty of time for more stories. Alec, Kenzie, you sadly missed an exceptional story from Bri on how she came to be here. Although, if you ask nicely, it might be possible to convince her to tell it again." As he said that, he smiled at Bri, then looked back at Kenzie and Alec. "Or I'm sure the story of how you came to be here would be a welcome one as well."
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:40 pm
Kenzie and Alec walked around silently as Kenzie clinged onto his arm. "Thank you for letting us come here." Kenzie said smiling up at her brother.
"Anything for you, little sis." Alec said as he ruffled her hair.
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:02 pm
Bri smiled sweetly and curled up even tighter, enoying the sibling affection between the two. She had never really family...though Barlow was the closest thing to it as anything. She was a traveler, an easily lost one, but still one. Oh the memories she had of stories she had shared with him on summer evenings or when it was a blustery snowy day. She smiled even wider, reminiscing of those events and sipped at her renewed cidar. she was eager to her stories from others, it was such an event to pass them around.
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Chocolate Pollution Captain
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:34 pm
"Currency?" Blake repeated. "He is trying to change the subject." he thought to himself as he continued to smile. He knew that he was stalling but he might have a diffenent plan than wha Blake initially thought. "Alright." he said as he causiously walked over to Mr. Tollheit.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:45 am
Slowly, the sound of falling rain outside began to change. The sharp sound of tiny pieces of ice blowing against the window could be heard. Barlow looked at the window and nodded. "Miles was right," he said. "The temperature is falling and the rain is changing to sleet. We'll have snow before morning." He looked back to his guests (those who were still in the sitting room) "It's fortunate that you all arrived before it changed," he said. "It could be dangerous to travel in this kind of weather."
Turning back to his guests, he said, "Well, if there are no more stories to be heard at the moment, perhaps it would be good to turn our thoughts toward dinner. The cook, Eva, is well versed in many styles of cuisine, and I am certain she would be able to accommodate you if you have something specific in mind. Bri, as I recall from your last visit, I promised you a particular delicacy as soon as I could procure the necessary ingredients. Happily, I believe I can fulfill that promise this evening."
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:51 am
"Yes, currency," said Mr. Tollheit. As Blake stepped forward, he added, "although I think you may take me too literally. Currency can mean more than coins or bills. In our case at this moment, it means the information to be bartered. A lie is a counterfeit of such currency."
He paused, and seemed to size up Blake for a moment, then continued. "If you are interested, I can demonstrate the principles that I'm speaking of. The demonstration will certainly give you volumes of new information, and the process itself will provide me with compensation. We both stand to profit from it."
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