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 Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 9:14 pm
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When Panili left her hive bright in the evening, it was not raining. Even a quick couple of flashes of the weather told her that she’d have a pleasant, dry walk down the Busthind trails into the village. That was the plan, that was the way it was set – that was simply how it should have been! But alas, the vision had come and gone. As soon as she surpassed the pleasant moonrise, the clouds rolled in. Curse these mountainous weather patterns! She squeaked with a gasp of shock as the first of the raindrops dripped onto her nose. Soon enough the mountainside would be slick and dangerous.
“Shmothma! Shmoth…!” Panili cried. Her lusus looked around and snuffled, using her small nubbin-like legs to gain ground. When she felt the rain on her own wings, she too made a ruckus. The lusus chased her wings and tried fluttering off the rain, releasing a fine layer of toxic dust. “Stop, stop!” Panili cried. “Let’s just try to find shelter, fast!”
That was something that her lusus clearly understood. Panili stabilized herself with her walking stick and began to hobble as quickly as possible down the mountain into the village. “My goodness!” She mumbled. Her hair was ruined, Shmothma was a danger to just about everything… There was no doubt they had to get inside as quickly as possible. Right nearby was a small little hive… No, wait. Panili looked closer. A restaurant? After doing a double-take, the rain decided to pick up. No more waiting! Troll and lusus rushed into the establishment and closed the door behind her. Next up was caring for her lusus. Panili used her scarf to calm down Shmothma in the same way one might shake out an umbrella. Spores dealth with, lusus calmed… It was fortunate that there was a porch light out front; the large moth seemed content to bob quietly at the front window and stare at it.
Panili took in her surroundings. A quaint little space – it seemed more like a domicile than anything. Scanning the area it was no doubt why. There was a troll no bigger than a wiggler standing at the counter! She scrunched up her face. Was this some weird game of play pretend? She didn’t dwell too much on the oddity – her damp, frizzy hair reminded her that she had suffered quite the chill! A troll in the rain couldn’t be too picky. She stepped up to the counter.
“Hello! Excuse me… Is this a café? May I buy a cup of scalding hustle please?” Panili inquired. “I like your braids a lot! That must take you a lot of time to do.” She noted cheerily, an addition made by closer inspection of the yellow-green hued troll.
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 9:27 pm
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Keionx Rutace
Keionx could not stay away from Busthind. She was not supposed to return, of course – her face... Zariah's face... and their shared symbol had been seen and she was known. But she could not stay far from her homeland, with its craggy mountains still singing of many a wigglerhood adventure. Besides, there were things she needed to get, adventures she needed to do, necessities that a hero such as herself needed to acquire for her adopted cause. Keionx could not sit still in the swamp for long.
And so, here she was. Cloaked, hemoanonymous, with a false symbol emblazoned upon her chest. The cloak was soaked with rain, though, and she searched the mountains for shelter to wait out the notorious weather of busthind...
Ah, a village.
Ah, a place that was lit and inviting.
Keionx had been expecting a mere rocky crag, and she couldn't believe her luck that there was any sort of invitation. Was it an inn? A merely friendly troll? She entered to find a most delightful aroma. ”Mmm...” she said, closing her eyes briefly in pleasure before she walked in... confident, but willing to leave if this was some sort of misunderstanding. ”Good eve...” she greeted, both to the young orangeblood and the young greenblood behind the counter. Aside from the amazing aroma of coffee, there were other warm smells around. Was this... a cafe? But the orange wiggler asked the question she wanted to ask, and so Keionx waited for the answer, contemplating where to place her dripping cloak...
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:02 pm
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Rastin had no idea why he was so easily convinced to come to the mountains, but arguing with Sephos was pretty much the same as screaming at a brick wall. The impossible greenblood had wanted some special plant or something that only could be found on a cliff in the middle of nowhere, from Rastin's perspective, and couldn't be bothered to get off his butt to fetch it himself. Then, he had the bright idea to ask Rastin for help, as if he hadn't been bothered enough this week. Didn't people have other things to do than ask him for help? Or were they convinced that he was the only person capable of accomplishing simple tasks like some kind of mediocre superhero? It was a ******** unbelievable.
"Oh mercy, is that a cafe?" He heaved, squinting through the rain. Two people had already gone inside by the looks of it... He quickened his pace and peered in. The place looked alright, and the smell of coffee was in the air... The purpleblood shut the door behind him and cleared his throat.
"Pardon me, but is this a-" He paused, grimacing as his rain sodden hood flopped over his eyes. "... Place where I can purchase a coffee and, perhaps, dry off?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 1:12 am
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:16 am
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Autumn had never been so far from home.
Or the swamp for that matter.
Shivering, Autumn wrapped her boa tighter around herself, for what little protection it offered. Caterpal pressed himself closer against her neck, taking shelter from the rain between the fabric and her ponytail. He blinked out a sad exclamation. What had begun as a fun adventure had turned into an unpleasant test of endurance. Many times while playing in the swamp, Autumn and Caterpal had stared up at the distant silhouette of the mountain, admiring its white-capped peak and wondering what lay beyond. One night, they said, they would scale it and see the world for themselves. Tonight turned out to be that night, and skipping out on their usual chores, Autumn and Caterpal slipped away. Byakko and Zeffer would be having words with them later they knew.
They might have under-estimated the difficulty of their mission however. Busthind was further than they thought, and a lot bigger too. Hours later, Autumn was cold, worn out, and less than halfway to the peak. The only thing that kept her going, was the promise she had made Caterpal. He had not given up yet, so neither could she. He did look terribly cold though. The chill climate was so much different than what either of them was used to. The rain certainly did not help. For perhaps the hundredth time that evening, Autumn fanned out her wings, sending a spray of water droplets everywhere. The downpour made flight impossible. Even without the rain, her wings ached from the cold.
Autumn continued to wind her way up the mountainside, following what appeared to be a path through the wilderness. It had made the going easy at first, as a way to skirt the worst of the undergrowth, but now the trail was drenched with mud. Her usually pristine stockings were soaked through and streaked with mud. Still it was better than trying to pass through the brambles. If only she could fly. Then nothing would stop her. Drat the rain.
As she cursed her rotten luck and cast moody glances towards the sky, a huddle of lights appeared in the distance.
“Oh, Cat!” Autumn exclaimed. The caterpillar poked his head out from behind the soggy fluff of her boa and blinked sleepily. “Look! We've found civilisation!” The word was sacred on her tongue. She had heard so many tales of the world outside the swamp; many of them terrible, but some wonderful too. Good or bad, they had instilled a desire to see it all for herself. Now she had that opportunity.
Taking firm grasp on both ends of her boa, so they would not drag through the mud, Autumn set off at a run. Perched on her shoulder, Caterpal let out a squeak at the sudden change in pace. Mud sloshed up higher on her legs, but Autumn hardly cared. Civilisation meant a chance to wait out this awful rain. Minutes later, she had arrived at... a village. What a strange village it was though. Wide-eyed, she regarded the curious buildings. They had all been built directly over the ground. What was more, they were all far more ornate than anything back at the outpost. Autumn felt a pang of jealousy as well as admiration. She had never seen anything like it.
Moseying along the street, Autumn took in everything, momentarily forgetting her discomfort. She was so enthralled that she nearly missed the small shape of a troll slumped against a hive. She did not miss the enormous lusus beside him however. Doing a double take, her gaze focussed on the collapsed figure. She glanced over to Caterpal, looking for instruction. He merely blinked out a rude message. Ignoring him, Autumn went to the troll and what presumably was his lusus.
“Hello,” she said, announcing her presence. No sense in creeping up on a beast that was already agitated. She flicked a wet curl of hair out of her eyes and offered a smile. “Do you need help?” On her shoulder, Caterpal continued to blink out vulgarities. Croakbeasts ate creatures like him.
“Don't mind him,” Autumn added. “He's just grumpy.” She took a step closer. The lusus did not seem to be hostile, so she crossed the remaining distance and knelt beside the troll. Reaching out, she gently patted his face. He felt just as cold as she did. She suppressed another shiver, face flushed. “If you sleep out here, you'll have brightmares.”
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:05 pm
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"It is! Welcome!" Nucleo answered as three trolls entered and inquired about the shop. The first one looked pretty funny with so much wet hair plastered on her clothes. He felt a little bad for her though, and looked around to see if there was something he could offer her. Snatching a few towels from the hall closet really quick, he held one out for her to take.
"Thanks they certainly do! Here take this." The greenblood smiled as he returned to Panili. Then he began to ring up one cup of coffee and pour it. The pot was still fresh and fairly warm, hopefully it would help warm everyone up. Accepting her payment, the boy nodded towards a small space on the counter where he'd set out some sugar, cream, and milk for those who wanted any. He didn't know what his customers liked yet but would do his best to memorize it for next time! The thought that any of these trolls might not return did not cross his mind.
"You guys can use them as well!" Placing the stack of towels on the counter, Nucleo smiled at Keionx and Rastin, trying not to chuckle at the soaked hood on the younger troll. This was certainly not the weather to be wearing that kind of outfit!
"Do you guys just want coffee or did ya have something else in mind?" His menu wasn't as extensive as it could be but Nucleo was game to try and make any order work.
"Or just something hot fast? It's cold tonight! Hope you weren't out in that rain for too long." Chatting cheerfully, he subtly tried to figure out if these trolls lived nearby or what. Each troll that came through was bound to have a story and he was curious to know all of them.
((Taking care of business first but he's gonna nose into your trolls lives soon, watch out!))
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 12:56 am
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In his dreams, the world was closing in around him as the sky flashed bright with painful jagged streaks of lightning. Tendrils wrapped around him painfully and he shivered in his sleep out of fear. A large sinister face formed and began to talk to him. No, that wasn't right.
Someone real was talking to him. And touching his face.
"Help? Um, yes, I could use a han-" His eyes flickered open and he looked up to see a dazzling yellowblood complete with hearts for brows, a pink feather boa and dainty looking wings glittered with water. It was like meeting a character from a movie! Somewhat starstruck, Amonee tilted his head towards the left and then to the right to take in the sight of her from both angles. Wow, who was she? Unicroak loomed tensely on the other side of his vision and he struggled to sit up in a polite posture to make mom happy.
"Thank you for rescuing me, miss...? I'm Amonee, I was trying to make it to the new cafe but I just missed it, didn't I?" He hoped she would laugh, she looked like she'd have a pleasant one. Unicroak croaked out something quietly and he flushed. She was reminding him to repay the stranger.
"I'd like to buy you a coffee to pay you back. It's cold out here, isn't it?" He had no idea if she had been planning to drop in Busthind's newest joint or what but he really really hoped the place was good or this would not impress her at all. She gave him a hand up and he pulled himself together. The embarrassment of what had just happened was enough to wake him up for another two hours at least. His cheeks were flushed, he hoped she didn't notice or wouldn't comment. Opening the door to the small hive, he gave her a smile and a nod for her to go first.
"Order whatever you'd like!" 'Please have affordable prices!' repeated in his head like a mantra as he followed.
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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:20 pm
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 9:41 am
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Keionx took off the dripping robe and hung it somewhere to try. After all, in all honesty, who would know her here? Busthind was a big place, and this was not her cavern village. Right now, she wanted to be dry – a hero should not be dripping wet, even if they now lived in a swamp... She accepted a towel graciously. ”Hast thou warmed milk? Maybe spiced? Or... dost thou just have coffee?” she asked, a little sheepishly. She – even she, the oblivious – had learned very young that not everyone shared her love of fresh milk, or even had access to it. Not every young warrior could be milk-fed their whole lives - having a musclebeast father was a lovely advantage. She dried herself out and handed a towel to the young purpleblood in a similar situation. ”If thou hangest thy cloak up, it will dry faster.” she offered, ”And be warmer.” |
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 5:00 am
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As the greenblood's eyes fluttered open and met her own, Autumn felt a surge of relief. For a moment she had worried that he might have died. Supposing the first troll she had found outside the swamp had been a corpse. What a morbid and tragic disappointment that would have been. He looked alive and well enough to move about though. Good thing too. She was not sure how she would have gone about getting him inside by herself.
Withdrawing her hand from his face, she smiled down at him. “Autumn,” she filled in, delighted with his method of address. No one had ever called her 'miss' before. She was positively charmed. His next remark had her puzzled however. She glanced up towards the building. “This...?” she queried. It must have been what he was referring to. Oh, life was so strange outside the swamp!
Hushing Caterpal with a gentle pat, she nodded. “Very.” On cue, she tugged her boa tighter around her shoulders. “I didn't think it could get this cold,” she added. After casting a weary look towards the sky, she returned her attention to Amonee. Offering a hand, she helped the young greenblood to his feet. To her surprise as soon soon as he was stood, he went to the door and pulled it open for her. Blushing and twirling the hair of her pigtail, she said her thanks and went inside.
The first thing that struck her, was the wave of warmth that swept over her, like a gentle hand brushing away the stiffness of the cold. Never mind whatever else a café had to offer, the warmth was enough. For a brief moment, Autumn stood in the doorway, just enjoying the delicious sensation of feeling returning to her fingertips. Then she remembered the polite, young troll waiting behind her and stepped aside.
Warmth aside, the rest of the lodge was quite nice as well; much more elaborate than anything back in the outpost. She tried not to look too awestruck as she marvelled over all the kitschy knick-knacks, the tactfully placed furniture, and the public offerings. There were other trolls and lusiii inside as well. One she was surprised to see she recognised. Autumn was overcome with dread. Supposing the teenage orangeblood tried to send her back?
No. Autumn could take care of herself, and besides, she had Caterpal to look out for her. If the orangeblood so much as voiced a single protest, Autumn would give her what for. Turning her gaze away, Autumn addressed the more important issue of her stockings. As they were, she was bound to track mud in. Peeling them from her legs, she folded them neatly and left them by the door where they would be out of the way. After giving her wings a quick shake, she folded those too and went to the counter where a young troll worked. As far as she was aware, there was nothing unusual about the situation.
“Coffee, please,” she said, giving him a smile and batting her eyelashes. To be fair, she had never heard of coffee much less tried it before. Yet Autumn had never been scared off from a new experience before either.
Doutei Let me dazzle and amaze you.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 10:34 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 11:29 pm
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"You're welcome!" Nucleo beamed at Panili as she thanked him and hustled off to find a table. Only after she sat down did he realize she'd been looking for a nametag on him. Shoot! He hadn't even thought he'd need one for the shop! As he thought about how to make a temporary one, the next customer approached and asked for milk or coffee.
"Er, which one do you want? Both?" Confused, Nucleo tilted his head to signal he didn't understand. As the woman toweled off he decided she'd meant both and rang them in. He certainly did have milk! Goatmom had the best milk in Alternia, he believed! Heating up some milk in a saucepan, he poured her a cup of coffee because it was already made. Placing the cup on the counter in front of him, he waited for Keionx to hand over the correct amount of beetles and smiled. "I'll bring the milk over once it's ready!"
And then it happened.
"Ah! Um- yeah!" The kid in the robe looked like he was still deliberating over choices so Nucleo had been fine with the fancy looking yellowblood stepping up but he hadn't bargained on this random greenblood recognizing him. The face did not look familiar, not even in short flashes spliced through his memory. Confused but afraid to let on, the barista quickly stumbled into a lie while trying to listen for any possible clues about their previous conversation. Unfortunately all he did was make Nucleo shrink a few sizes as he asked for drinks the greenblood didn't know how to make.
"I can't..." Shoulders slumping, the greenblood was in a bind. Now these two were just going to walk out, weren't they? Would word spread? Nervous, he impulsively made a decision.
"But if you want something sweet, I-I can paint your name on some sugar cubes!" Even he didn't know what he'd thought that was going to do. Feeling stupid, the boy did his best to keep an excited smile but wanted to crawl away and hide.
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 2:38 pm
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Rastin wiggled his head around, hoping to nudge his hood off his eyes, and looked up to Keionx. What? Take off his cloak? They had to be out of their mind! He'd never take this off in public, even if it was sodding wet and blocking his vision! That would not only leave the rest of his body exposed to cold, but it would make him look immodest. He didn't want that, it just wasn't something he could do. He furrowed his brow unconsciously and looked away, grasping at the sides of his cloak, and shook his head decisively.
"No, I can't take this off, that would be inappropriate." He replied, turning toward Nucleo and the various others that occupied the cafe. They were a hearty mix of bloods, weren't they? It was interesting, and oddly pleasing, to see so many shades of Trolls in one place. Was this some sort of midway point where everyone was permitted, regardless of blood color? His lips curved up at the thought, then he caught himself, and his expression went right back to neutral.
"Ah, erm, do you happen to have tea?" He called out, waving to get Nucleo's attention. "If not, I would settle for a cup of coffee, black with two sugars."
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