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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2006 2:15:48 GMT -5
The night ended for Ana, at long last, when she woke to see dim sunlight filtering in through the cracked small wooden door of whatever toolshed, or animal coop, in which she had chosen to fall asleep. The uncomfortably hard objects beneath her gave weight to the toolshed theory, while the small object that skittered past her reclined head with a squeak implied otherwise.
She lifted her head, felt a soreness in her neck which she idly massaged with a hand as she clambered over the misshapen garbage in the less-than-roomy shed. Her right thigh was feeling very numb and after nearly falling on something sharp, she picked up a rather handy short staff-type object.
The night's events washed over her slowly but nothing stuck out more than the birdlike eyes of the vampire witch. Even the mere thought seemed to have substance and felt a small but brief bout of paranoia. The day's task was ahead however, and such thoughts were filed away.
"Well I guess I had better get started," she thought to herself and yawned mightily. "I guess today I'll be an old granny," and with that she cast a spell around herself. "Yes, an old granny and her dear old man, looking for their old home in which they used to live."
A hunched-over old woman with her gray hair in a bun, dressed in a wide flower dress and black knit sweater came out of a small shed near a fairly large house, quite confident she had found whatever it was she had been looking for within. She clutched at a small cane in her hand and from around the other side a gangly old fellow wearing blue overalls and a straw hat strode around.
"No, Bettina, this isn't our old house," he said in a strong but slightly wavering voice.
The old couple stepped into one of what would be the quieter streets of the residential district, whose pathways were dotted with potted plants and porches. They shuffled along slowly, foot traffic wove carefully around them, and from time to time they stopped at a house, took a long, searching look at it as if trying to recall some old memory, and moved on.
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Post by fyrhtu on Jan 30, 2006 9:50:31 GMT -5
Fæger was whining. Fyrhtu had tried everything, but nothing could content her small sister. They watched as a very old couple made their way around the houses, stopping often to take long, hard looks at some of the houses. Fyrhtu knew, of course, that the old woman was not really old. She was either a shape-shifter or she had cast a spell around herself.
The woman stopped again at an unsuspecting young couple's house and seemingly glared at the house. The girl on the porch with her sweetheart looked intimidated and clutched at the boy's hand while whispering in his ear. Fyrhtu took the opportunity to step forward with Fæger.
"Excuse us, Miss. We's looking for a house. 'S just the two of us, you see, but we have plently of money, and we need a place to stay. The Inn up the walk aways looks nice, but we was looking for something a bit more perm'nant," Fyrhtu explained with an accent she wasn't sure where had come from. If she was to hide her identity she should start there, she supposed.
"Well, Miss, you can take a look at th-those houses over yonder a bit, I suppose," the boy on the porch said rather forcedly, as his hand was being squeezed tightly. The girl slapped him gently. he couldn't do anything right, he guessed.
"Of course not, dear. My name is Wearm, and this is my husband Beorn. We would love for you to stay with us. Wouldn't we, dear?" she hissed at Beorn, who smiled and nodded. Men, Fyrhtu thought while smiling widely. "And what do we have here?" Wearm asked motherishly as she stepped down the stair separating them. She motioned at the bundle that was Fæger.
"Oh, this is my...my daughter, Fæger. She's sleeping," Fyrhtu lied. She was saved from explaining further by the old woman, who stepped toward Wearm suddenly.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2006 12:20:17 GMT -5
"Mind your manners! Now that woman of yours, she's got a good head on her shoulders."
The old woman scolded the timid young man sitting next to a fair-haired young lady on a freshly built porch. The old man standing nearby said nothing but merely grunted. Smiling, the granny turned to the dark-skinned traveler and her younger companion, but her smiled faded a little as she took in the red and strangely piercing eyes of the new arrival.
"Creepy," Ana thought to herself.
The granny gave the taller one an apprehensive look through a polite smile, gave the littler one a quick once-over, and a look of concern spread across her tiny withered features. She squinted and leaned forward slightly.
"Oh my, is everything okay?" she said, addressing the two travelers who had just inquired for temporary housing. "Your little girl looks unwell ... Harmond take a look, what do you think?"
The taller gentleman piped up, fishing through his overall pockets for something.
"I don't do that sort of thing anymore," he said with indignance, and pulled out a corncob pipe. The granny scolded him and slapped it out of his hand.
"Harmond! Don't smoke in front of children, and I want you to take a look!" The old woman, though small, was definitely fierce and her elderly husband relented.
"Could be a number of things," he said at last. "Spores in the air, bad humors. Could use some raw egg and eye of a toad if her liquid humor is off. Little one looks to be taking on a fever, though I'd have to take a further look."
"Dear, you go back into town and fetch some leeches just in case. Young man," the granny ordered, "you go with him."
She leaned forward to the covered little girl.
"I think we should see to her health immediately, you seem to have been traveling for some time. Young folk may be spirited but never discount a good proper rest! Let's remove that awful looking hood, it's such a beautiful day!"
The old lady smiled merrily.
"So, what's your game, child smuggling, slave-trading, some kind of wretched pleasure business? I'll get to the bottom of this," Ana thought. The dark skinned one looked to be a fighter of some kind judging by her gear, but the pair was indeed a mystery. And an inconvenience.
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Post by fyrhtu on Jan 31, 2006 18:33:48 GMT -5
Fyrhtu inwardly cringed. The old woman seemed concerned about Fæger's seemingly distraught appearance. Mainly, it was because of the nright sunlight of the day, but as the woman suspected, Fæger was tired as well. She was, after all, used to sleeping all day and traveling by night, but her older sister wasn't sure of what the townsfolk would make of them.
"Wait, she must go inside first and lie down, of course!" Wearm said kindly. "After all, she is very tired." Fyrhtu agreed by nodding her head and they stepped inside the young couple's home.
It was very plain inside the house, with no decorations on the walls and only a chair and small couch in the room. Fyrhtu could see doors that lead off from the room, but all were closed, so she saw no further.
"Just lay her here, dear. The men will be back soon, I should guess," the old woman. Fyrhtu wondered suddenly at her name as Fæger was situated on the couch. She considered asking but thought it might seem rude to the old-fashioned woman.
The said woman kneeled down slowly next to the couch over Fæger, examining her closely and making clicking sounds with her tounge in disapproval.
The door opened and the men entered the room, which Fyrhtu suddenly noticed was oddly dark.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2006 2:44:08 GMT -5
Ana took the opportunity to examine the little girl briskly for anything suspicious, and while relieved to find the girl was in friendly hands, she pretended to remain apprehensive to try and fool the other. As she stood up from the couch-side, the small of her back ached slightly and she reached a hand around to apply pressure. "It's like I'm really feeling old," she thought. Ever since she had set foot in this place, she had a feeling of pressure all over here, as though the surroundings were shrinking and reality was closing in on her for the kill. She was suprised to find herself the least bit interested in someone else's welfare.
"I don't even know what I'm doing, it's like I'm still asleep." Her head spun a little but the loud invading sound of people entering in from the front door snapped her into focus. The young man of the house came in out of breath followed by a tall lad who wordlessly passed through and went upstairs with a pail in hand. "Are you .." he panted, "Hettie?" he asked. The elderly female nodded. "The old guy .. I mean .. your husband .. we were walking along and the next thing I knew .. he was gone." The crone named Hettie just rolled her eyes. "And you didn't find an herbalist or at least a fortune-teller?" The young man was speechless as she rose and gave him a handful of gold sovereigns, patting his hand in a friendly manner. She then smiled to the red-eyed girl who had been largely silent. "The least your host can do is get some dumplings for everyone. I'm afraid I can't leave Harmond by himself. You know he's probably upside down in a pail in a ditch somewhere, asleep." Gracefully, the crone moved across the room and towards the doorway, with a very routine air. "High noon already? Got to make up for lost time." She tsked as she noticed the shadows outside had shrunk. However all was not lost, and she spotted an extremely wealthy looking house across the way.
"Seems it won't be such a waste after all," she thought, and as she stood in the doorway, pausing momentarily. Familiar feelings of greed and profit flooded her mind. This time she was hoping no distractions would get in her way, and by evening the gold sovereigns she so generously donated would return to stones and none would be the wiser. (( OOC: Nice to meet you and welcome I would appreciate if you could react only to things Ana has done [things in previous posts] and do your best to refrain from writing out Ana's part of the story meaning things she hasn't done yet. Even though we are two storytellers working in common spirit, the mystery of Fyrhtu's actions are yours alone as Ana's are mine. ))
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Post by fyrhtu on Feb 3, 2006 19:25:20 GMT -5
Fyrhtu watched as the old woman stood in the doorway of the house, letting in the sunlight suddenly. She looked away from the mystifying scene when she heard a gasp from behing her. Fæger's arm had been exposed to the bright light and had hissed in pain. Good little Fæger, not crying out in pain, remaining inconspicuous.
Fyrhtu covered her with her cloak and whispered softly, "Go to sleep, Fæger. I'm here. you're safe." The small girl closed her eyes at the soothing sound of her older sister's voice, and was almost immeadiately asleep.
Fyrhtu turned aroung to look at the old woman again. She was still seeming studying the outdoors. The girl wondered what was going through her mind. After all, everyone who met Fyrhtu and Fæger considered them an unlikely couple to travel together. With her red eyes and dark skin, Fyrhtu was very frightening-looking, while Fæger had pale, fragile skin and light blue eyes, usually covered with her beautiful blonde hair. The two would never be guessed as sisters.
Realising she had been staring directly at the woman for a long time, Fyrhtu blinked and looked back at Fæger, who was now in a deep, almost deathlike sleep.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2006 17:14:05 GMT -5
Within the doorway, Ana had firmly resolved to get away as quickly as possible. It was not just the smaller girl that was having an effect on her, it was the elder as well, despite her garish and uncanny appearance.
"How long have they been on the road?" she wondered.
She went to move outside but couldn't. Suddenly, an uncharacteristic feeling stirred within her chest, which she did her best to repress but a brief, painful memory washed over her and stole a tear from an emerald eye. Quickly she masked it with illusion.
"It's in the past, it's in the past" she repeated in her mind but her eyes still felt watery and the flush began to fade from her cheeks. She was cold-hearted but still a slave to memories.
Hettie turned from the doorway, as if on some second though, and from within her black knit shawl produced a small pouch which to any ear jingled distinctly.
To the elder girl, she spoke directly and quietly so as to not be overheard: "This will give you several weeks of room and board, in case I miss you on the way back from town."
Moving a little too quickly for an old woman, Hettie disappeared out into the broad daylight without further ado.
Unlike the sovereigns given to the young man, the bag of crown pieces would not disappear after time.
"Be strong," Ana thought as she made herself very scarce on the street, discarding her granny outfit and her emotions for that of a low-ranking male clerk.
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Post by fyrhtu on Feb 4, 2006 17:29:52 GMT -5
Fyrhtu felt by some powerful force the change in the old woman's attituce. The woman turned from the outside and held out a purse, in which sovereigns jangled hopefully.
"This will give you several weeks of room and board, in case I miss you on the way back from town," the woman said. Fyrhtu noticed her eyes were shining, and instintly her own ruby eyes were watery with unshead tears. Fyrhtu took the purse gratefully and smiled a true, unguarded smile, the first she'd shared with anyone beside Fæger. The woman turned on her heel and walked out the door, disappearing in the crowd.
Fyrhtu went back inside, gripping the purse thankfully and wondering if she'd ever see the woman again.
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