RP between Rook, Degu, Rigby and Coltara
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Coltara — 11/17/2020
Effie had been left in charge of the shop where she worked. It was a hole in the wall café tucked away around a corner just off the main market, easy to miss if one didn’t know it was there. There were many similar little spots and this one lacked an exterior sitting area, marked only with a faded sign and the smell wafting into the street. It smelled of nuts and honey.
A strategically placed tray of cakes had been left cooling on a windowsill.
Inside, the smell of brewed beverages and baked goods filled the building even above the haze of smoke. It was a mixed crowd: those from all walks of life came here for the civil conversation and quieter atmosphere. There were some patrons smoking hookah as they conversed, while others read books, or played board games. There was a small crowd gathered around a couple of old men playing something with wooden pegs carved into the shape of tiny animals. The establishment rumbled with discussion and movement, but things were much calmer here than they would be at any tavern - perhaps because no alcohol was being served.
In an apron with her ginger hair tied up in a messy bun, Effie bustled about serving patrons. It was hard for her to not stand out from the locals as a clear immigrant from another world, both her dialect and appearance giving her away. She had worried this might make handling the lunch crowd difficult while Sumit was away on business, but she had endeared herself to the regulars more than she knew.
It hadn’t been particularly easy getting the job, but she had been determined and eventually succeeded in winning over Sumit Moltenger, the stubborn old dwarf who owned the café. Sumit had no talent for baking and since his wife had passed away had long given up on providing anything more than strong coffee and simple blends. Yet stubborn as he was, it had been increasingly difficult for him to say no once patrons had started asking about the baked goods Effie kept bringing as bribes. When she had proved her worth as an even more accomplished tea maker, he could no longer deny the fresh life his business needed.
It went almost unnoticed when a bird at the bar accidentally knocked over a jar of jam. The lid popped off and rolled away on its side, managing to wind its way through ankles and make it all the way out the door. It was chased by a small brown and yellow creature - a manaraptor to the knowing eye - that snatched it up in tiny beak before scrambling back into the establishment through the open window.
Rigby — 11/17/2020
Sometimes Aldo just liked to people-watch. He'd done so as a hidden child in exile on the island sattelites, and he was doing so while perched crosslegged under a tree across from the coffee shop. Today, it was just for a quick smoke and to look over the purchases for today (mostly books; one curio!); it was the Vaidya's brightleaf blends today, while Polpetto curled on his shoulders munching on some ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴇꜱ he'd mooched from some cheery children earlier.
Had curled on his shoulders.
For it wasn't long before the rather content little raptor let fly with an unexpected and earsplitting whistle that nearly saw Aldo spill his entire pipe and spit out some choice words Neeva would never, ever hear if he'd anything to say about it.
But the manaraptor was already gone, launched from the man's shoulders and flapping and hopping across the street and winding quickly and deftly around much larger feet.
ᴄᴏᴍᴇ! ꜱᴀᴡ ɪᴛ! ᴄᴏᴍᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ!
Polpetto had only briefly paused at the bottom of the coffee-shop window, staring upward with pupils pinning and head flicking and angling. It was merely to scope the proper scale of the obstacle before he scuttled on up.
He shook his head, preened a few stray ruffled feathers before leaning in and looking around.
ʜᴜʟʟᴏ, ʜᴜʟʟᴏ!
And with a little tinny parrot-y crow of ʜᴇʀᴇ!, the green bundle of feathers simply toppled and vanished over the edge of the windowsill, just barely missing the unmistakable growl of a "c'moooooooon" and the distinct sound of two hands hitting the sides of his coat after shrugging in a particularly exasperated fashion from his master.
Startling hookah smokers was a particularly difficult thing to do and Aldo made sure to keep it that way as he slipped into the establishment through the door, books under one arm, hastily-emptied pinched pipe between that same hand's fingers, green-sparking eyes on the lookout for the excitable little raptor - or whatever had brought him in here.
With any luck he could just grab him and go quietly, but he'd supposed it wouldn't be the worst if he was held up for tea...
Rook — 11/17/2020
It was the smell that drew her in, holding the promises of sweet things and eventually, the Chupakri wound up in the same spot as Aldo. She had missed the excitement, those choice words and almost split off when she noticed the cakes cooling nearby. The urge to swipe one was strong, but the game being played by the elderly pair grabbed her attention too. "What's that? Toys?" Of a strange sort, maybe. The smell of smoke caused her to grimace and she moved away from that area, regardless of whether she got answers or not.
Larkspur clung to her chest, held in place by a 'sling'. She heard a familiar small voice and followed it, winding up near Aldo. "There's cakes here." All on display and for the taking. She swept past with a lazy sway of her luxurious tail and she looked around the counter, picking up things to examine up close. Thankfully, it was all stuff that wouldn't be immediately eaten, but she took an interest in the jam.
"I want cake, I have mon...shards. A gem." Maybe the gem could buy her all the cakes. As she thought it over, she stroked Lark and eyed the other Raptors. "Is that from a Polpetto egg? So many babies!"
Coltara — 11/18/2020
Honey Thief had stopped with her prize at the piercing whistle - what an interesting sound, what had that been? She should hide whatever she had. Yes.
In a hurry the beelike raptor attempted to stash the jam lid under a flour-covered towel, neck craning and head turning this way and that as she eyeballed the window. A most indignant squawk was given at Polpetto’s appearance over the windowsill. What was this now?! WHAT WAS THIS.
“I’ll be right with you!” the busy woman called out at catching the movement of someone new entering the cafe. She barely took in Aldo and Neeva as she glanced over carrying a tray of dishes, focused on balancing them safely to where they needed to go.
Neeva would have perhaps earned a look from at least one of the onlookers before she had turned away from the table. There were plenty of crusty old curmudgeons who would turn their nose up at their Very Serious Game being likened to playing with toys, but others may have explained it had she stayed.
There was an assortment of fruit preserves and candied nuts stacked on the shelves behind the counter alongside beans and blends, smaller jars on the counter for display and taste testing via biscuits, the brilliant concoctions casting jewel tones on the counter surfaces. Effie returned in a wink as Neeva assaulted the cake with her eyes.
“Oh, shards will do just fine darling,” Effie replied as she gave the pair her full attention from behind the counter. It was clearly not a consideration to her that Neeva might actually want to buy all the cake. “Was there something in particular you were looking at…?” There were quite a few types of baked goods to go alongside the much more numerous types of jam, the menu of the day including buns with cream frosting and the strong scent of lemon, simple biscuits with bits of dried fruit (the same that had been set out for the preserves), and the still warm honey pecan pound cakes sitting by the window.
There was a moment of obvious curiosity about the two strangers as she observed them properly, but it passed quickly into confusion as the horned canine mentioned something about eggs. “What?” she had replied with a lost expression, turning to follow Neeva’s gaze. A series of blinks and doing double-takes followed.
“Oh, my goodness…!”
The miniature raptor had flattened herself out on the counter to give a most dramatic threat display, oddly insectile wing feathers fanned out as far as they would go, fluff puffed all the way out, stumpy striped tail stuck straight up. YOU BE SCARED. I AM VERY BIG.
It probably didn’t make her any larger than the other manaraptor at all. In fact, she was probably still much smaller even all the way stretched out (all the better for fitting into various jars to purloin their contents of course). She was at least larger than the baby!
There was obvious surprise as Effie took in there being not only one, but TWO other little raptors - she belatedly spotted the second in Neeva’s ‘baby sling’, clearly fresh out of the egg. The excitable ginger was immediately torn between ‘rescuing’ Honey Thief from her predicament and melting over Larkspur.
“I’ve never seen another one,” she explained with delight as she reached for Honey Thief. “Oh, they’re so different…!”
Degu — 11/18/2020
Freedom, like all good things, came at a cost. Carneiros was whole again, yet his new home here in Thornmouth was proving difficult to be a part of. Fae were the bogeymen of this city, so close and believable just beyond the trees to the west, he'd found even basic levels of trust hard to come by. Even now while he had his wings glamoured away he was being followed by guards and given dangerous looks by vendors as he looked over wares in the market. He knew there were circles among the city where he'd be less of an oddity, at least a little, he simply needed to find them.
He was finely dressed in something more local, a crisscross of purple and blue hues across his chest framed by a black and gold jacket and silky black trousers. His hair was still long, despite contemplating cutting it short to look less 'fae' the part of him that was Carneiros very much did not like the idea. He noticed another guard walking his way and sighed, slipping down a side alley to just avoid being bothered again.
Leaning against a wall he immediately hissed and jerked away, turning around to stare at the doorway only to see a horseshoe hung over it. He rubbed at his slightly singed shoulder grumpily and carried on down the alley only to see... a quaint little café. The smells were alluring, the little sign beckoned him closer... he checked the doorway for a horseshoe or other repellent but found none. He could only smile at the tray of cakes on the windowsill.
He'd just missed the raptor mayhem moments prior. The fallen lord pushed his way into the café and slowed as he took in the sights. This place seemed... like a small piece of 'heaven', he longed to be a part of it the moment he set eyes upon it. Games of logic and strategy, a welcoming atmosphere... if he could only insert himself into this world he would be quite happy.
Before much else could cross his mind he spotted Aldo, the only familiar face in the room. With him, a woman he'd not met, and beyond him two rather puffed out little darlings, he felt his own feathers in the places they'd been on his previous body, mere phantoms now. "Aldo." he greeted as he stepped forwards, reaching out to barely touch the mans elbow with his fingertips. "You... knew me as Cassius." he remembered one time in particular, when the necromancer had played with Enfield on the deck. Aldo hadn't seen him since the change, now that he looked so much more....genuinely fae than he had before. Neeva was a stranger to him, he smiled but the host was busy fawning over her little raptor.
His unsettling eyes flicked to follow the movements of the redhead, finding something quite unusual about her but he couldn't quite place a finger on it. "So many of these magical creatures... there will be more, too, if you let them spend too long together." he warned with a silky chuckle, distracted eyes trying to seek out a seat to take a shot at just being a normal patron for once. Just a guy who wanted some cake, not a threat. That'd be nice.
Rigby — 11/18/2020
Polpetto had followed the squawks, chirping brightly in his own series of whistles and trills, interspersed with his tinny little voice that only sometimes pulled itself into recognizeable words.
He was momentarily distracted by the honey pecan cakes by the window, swinging his little wedge of a head to sniff at them and hop closer for some serious investigation - they'd smelled greatly like ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴇꜱ! - before remembering that he was here to check out the other raptor!
Only to meet her on the counter and find that the orange one had fluffed up about as much as she could!
...ʜᴜʟʟᴏ, ʜᴜʟʟᴏ?
His own feathers rose and fell and rose again uncertainly and, pupils still pinning, he'd eyed her from various head-angles, crept closer, thought better of it and stayed put. He wasn't scared, she was tiny! No, you are not, and I can be bigger, don't be big. He finally dropped down, feathers rising again, humming and flaring his tail.
ɪ ᴀᴍ ʙɪɢ. That-was-that. So, there!
He stayed down in that position, beak open, big and fluffy but very uncertain and sure that this stance was the only recourse from that confusion, until poor Effie came to the rescue to scoop Honey Thief up; only then did he scoot back up to a standing position to see who else had arrived or followed him in. Fresh ʜᴜʟʟᴏs were spared for Effie, Neeva and Carnieros, too! He did nod brightly at Carn's own observation of 'there will be more' and trilled at the baby in Neeva's sling. He was good. He made more!
--
Aldo was more than happy to see Neeva pop into the shop!
"Nee! Figured you'd be after those cakes! Brought some of the biscuits back home before and they were ex-cellent."
But his own shopping was still second to grabbing his raptor; he'd momentarily lost sight of him on entry, but now saw some movement on the counter...a green puff and an orange puff in a miniature standoff. Oh.
"...that one's definitely not one of his." Then to his familiar, "That's what you were after, Pol!?"
To Effie, a rather even-keeled "Hello! The green idiot's Polpetto. Who's this!"
And then as Carnieros entered - a buzz of unusual magics that licked at the fringes of his consciousness, he grinned. "I diiiiid~! Well...welcome back!" It was casual and cheery seemingly operating on the sideways-logic on which life and death seemed to travel for Aldo. Perhaps it was; perhaps he was just covering for how serious that resurrection had been and covering the other man's rear. Should Carnieros allow, he'd pull him in for a grip around his shoulders and a clap on the back. "Kids missed you. Met a couple of Ev's while you were out."
"Did you want one? He's been hard at work at it already, coupla' eggs from that night on that ship are still looking for their People, and Lae and I are rehoming best we can. Neeva here ended up with one!" (edited)
Rook — 11/18/2020
When given the explanation, Neeva had decided she would play this game someday. But not that day, for there was food and she was hungry. She ignored the looks, leaving them to their games happily. The food behind the counter was eyed, and the Chupakri had almost went around to investigate them further. Effie distracted her from such plans, probably for the best.
"I want to try them all." She replied, putting a few shards on the counter. "I don't know how these work. I like the coins more." Those had been used most of her life, and the shards were a new currency that she hadn't gotten the basics about yet. "You also have drinks." She wanted those, too. Maybe a new thing to try outside tea.
When the older raptors puffed out at each other, Neeva watched them. "No? It is not Polpetto's then." Clearly she would've seen the father prior! She held out tiny Larkspur, carefully, in her hands. "He is poison, you must be careful." In came Carneiros, and she turned towards the fae, perking her ears up towards him. "Hello." She said quietly, turning to Aldo after. "Yes? Good? I am going to eat many of them."
As her 'Keeper' spoke to the fae, she turned to Effie expectantly.
Coltara — 11/20/2020
Effie seemed surprised to hear that the little one was poisonous, but looking closer at Larkspur’s coloration and tiny quills, that made plenty of sense. It was clear she hadn’t the foggiest what kind of creature she had in her care. It seemed likely that until just this moment the woman had assumed the entire species was bee colored, with a diet partial to processed nectar.
What a revelation to learn otherwise! The darker tones and respective qualities of the other raptors was a delightful surprise - they were clearly of the same ilk, but now she knew dramatically varied. It confirmed her suspicions on how Honey Thief’s egg had hatched in the first place and why it had taken so long: activated not by warmth and time, but the magic that had reached it from her work in the kitchen. It was very likely that later on this would give her pause to consider what that meant about Aldo and Neeva’s magics. These little creatures were not at all just rare animals: they were a very distinct signifier of a magic user.
“This is Honey Thief!” she replied, still marveling as she tried to smooth said manaraptor’s ruffled feathers. The miniature was still splayed out and rounded in her hands, little jaw and sharp eyes still fixed on Polpetto despite having been picked up. It took her a minute to turn attention to the baby instead, which was interesting in a whole new way: the little nectar sucker relaxed considerably to inspect this STRANGE HATCHLING, clinging to Effie’s knuckles to stretch out and peer at Larkspur, briefly uncurling and showcasing an incredibly long, hummingbirdlike tongue. Effie absolutely beamed at Polpetto’s ‘hullo’ing.
“Oh, he talks! Hullo! Is that something they all can do…?”
She carefully tucked Honey Thief into her apron pocket to attend to Neeva, where the beeraptor clung to the inside and peeked out to continue observing from safety.
“I miss coins too,” she laughed as money was placed on the counter. “Well, we have coffee, tea, a couple kinds of juice…”
While her eyebrows rose at the pile of money, no commentary was made and Neeva got most of it back (even with wanting to try a bit of everything!) - Effie took only a rather small amount of the lower value shards. She would begin getting the cake lover a portion of everything as requested, throwing in some extra biscuits and a sample platter of jams and jellies - strawberry, grape, blackberry, a spread in taste akin to apricot, yet oddly buttery and of all colors, sky blue. If Neeva wanted to test any of the already made beverages first, she would be more than happy to get her tiny cups to try or make recommendations based on things she already liked!
“Is there anything I can get either of you gentlemen…? I have a free table I can finish clearing for you,” she offered the group with a gesture towards said table as she got Neeva’s goods together, seeming to note the way Carneiros was looking around. She had looked at him with no change in her bright-eyed enthusiasm, with more curiosity for such a mixed batch of strangers rather than showing any signs of distaste or concern. While she was aware of local feelings, she certainly did not seem to abide by them and the cafe seemed almost made to accommodate every kind of patron: there would be no horseshoes here, no items made to be handled of iron or silver, no unpleasant herbs burning or to be found in brews. (edited)
While there would be those in the establishment who wouldn’t love the sight of a full-blooded fae, there had been minimal reaction (save for one or two that silently slipped out with darting glances) - this was a place of conversation between the rich and the poor, the low-born and the high-born, where titles were left at the door and external judgment was reserved for other times. Opinions were exercised in heated debates with fingers clenched around cups and game pieces instead of balled into fists. These sort of people were more interested in keeping to themselves or being as polite as possible for the sake of appearances.
It was also feasible some judged him as half-fae with blood leaning too strongly towards one parent, of course. That might have even garnered him some unwarranted and wildly misplaced sympathy.
“What about treats for Polpetto and the little one…?”
Degu — 11/23/2020
Carneiros' eyes widened and his body tensed as he was yanked in with a tight grip and given a clap across the back. He stared ahead of himself rather statue-esque for a time and then let out a soft but elated chuckle and turned his head to smile at the man. He wasn't just learning still how to exist as a whole fae once more, but the shackles of servitude had left lasting scars on his soul. This was nice, this tasted like true freedom after so long. No master, a family, friends that he was free to love without scrutiny or criticism.
After some deliberation her raised his hand to pat more gently at Aldo's back in solidarity. He didn't admittedly know the man on a very personal level but he'd seen him with the children from time to time and so far the man was very alright with him. "I missed them too, dearly."
But the mention of eggs had him stuttering "Oh- these eggs? well, perhaps. That's very kind of you... though I am not certain whatever may come out of one of their eggs for me would be a blessing to this world." He said as if he knew what these raptors were.
The one Neeva held was smiled at fondly, so small and fragile... and here he was finding it cute despite its poisonous nature. "A sweet tooth?" he asked Neeva, as she spoke of cakes "I suffer the same." was added with a playful quirk of thin lips before attention was diverted to their gracious host. The moment of truth.. and yet she treated him as a patron.
His heart swelled and his shoulders slackened in relief, this place was solidified now as a new haunt...he would be back.
He met her eyes with gratitude behind them, just for the normalcy. "For us-? Well if you two wouldn't mind the company" he asked the others, though assumedly they didn't. "That would be most agreeable, thank you." he started to bow and quickly halted himself. Customer, not servant. Stop stop.
"I think I should like a..." he looked over the menu and the counters to confirm "peppermint tea, a walnut sponge and a side of ..." He cast a glance to Honey Thief with a warm smile, then to her bonded "Honey. Though I will not be terribly displeased if it is stolen." he was the one curious about what Honey Thief meant about Effie, his eyes seemed to dart between them as he stood there waiting for a table to be cleared. Bees. Nature? Or was she a particularly niche ...mage? witch? sorceress? perhaps an interpretation within an element, cosying up to the woman's own interests. She was stood before him serving cakes and tea after all.
"It is quiet at this hour." he said after a moment "Perhaps once we are served you might join us yourself?" Of course he'd be a bit of a fourth wheel without a manaraptor of his own but he was content, especially to feed off the small episodes of chaos the little beings caused.
Rigby — 11/26/2020
ʜᴜʟʟᴏ! Polpetto trailed off into a happy burble once Effie 'hullo'd right back! ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋ, ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ. He could get his own points across without words, after all - but these silly big people liked their languages...
Aldo elaborated. "I...have no idea. Only other one I've ever seen until he started hauling his eggs everywhere was a little stray that hung around our alley back in Belsthame, and she never stuck around long enough to do more than scream. He got it in his head when he was a chick that he wanted to practice and liked copying my wife n'I so much that he figured enough of it out!"
Then he smiled, leaned in in a slightly conspiratorial fashion, rolling his head and flicking both eyebrows. "Also means I had to stop swearing for a while. Y'don't know how foul your mouth is until your bird starts it up, too!"
ꜰᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ ʀɪɢʜᴛ was tiny, and would've been deadpan if not for the very-self-aware lack of true volume. Polpetto Made a Funny.
Polpetto kept an eye on Effie's pocket and would chirp a wary question on occasion whenever Honey Thief looked his way. He seemed equally set on figuring other raptors out, too - but then Effie said the magic words, and crest rising excitably, he stretched his neck, raised and fanned his tail and sat up as straight as he could, daring to hum and trill a ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴇꜱ?
--
For a moment, Aldo thought he just read the scene entirely wrong and had overwhelmed the other man, and he'd hesitated and bit his lip, eyes wide and worried.
"Though I am not certain whatever may come out of one of their eggs for me would be a blessing to this world."
Aldo snorted and couldn't hold back the grin, though also squinted a bit as if to eke out any more details - fae royalty, former or current, having more ideas of what these things even were seemed to make proper sense to him. "You say that like that'd discourage me!"
"Invite's open. Even if any of the eggs don't pick you this time - seems like that's how it's been goin' at any rate - Lae and I have tea and figure we could always stand to get to know our shipmates a bit more. It's excellent tea," he added, as if that alone could sway Carn's indecision.
For Effie again, he palmed a few shards of his own with "just a coffee and one of the honeycakes, please!" Then added, "Nee, you ever have coffee before? It's definitely different, not as sweet as tea - but you'll be feeling it a whole lot longer!" Though a buzzing Neeva might not have been the wisest thing to unleash upon the world, it would certainly be a memorable one!
Rook — 11/26/2020
"It is a good name. This one is Larkspur." Named for a poisonous plant, though the shortened version fit the more feathery appearance even if the bird was a much different coloration! When Honey sought to examine him, he returned the favour through sniffing and stuck out half of his long tongue in a brief mimicry. Once Honey was put in a pocket, Neeva would lift her tail to let the raptor take his place in the fluffiest part of the limb.
She'd walk with her tail held up and near her back, so he could move from there to her cloak if he so desired. "I like tea." But she'd try those juices too. "Yes! I did not get many treats like this from where I came, both places. They were rewards and they always watched me in the kitchens." A wise plan, because she would've taken 'taste-testing' to the ultimate level.
Once the table was ready, the Chupakri seemed to have no qualms against anyone joining, be it the fae Lord (a fact unknown to her) or the cafe's owner. "Larkspur must only have soft things, but not too much icing." Even with her usual stubbornness, she'd taken Vaidya's comment to heart. "I've never had coffee yet. I thought it was just for mornings."
She took to sampling little bits of the jam, sharing them with Larkspur, who had joined her when he smelled all that food closeby.
Coltara — 09/22/2021
Effie moved quickly to clean off the table with a few expert sweeps of a rag. She would laugh at Polpetto’s little show of cursing prowess, entirely endeared with no sign of offense taken, and in response to Carneiros follow up with a second twitter of a giggle.
“Oh my, I dearly hope my hives don’t think so poorly of me,” she would have replied with a rather mischievous smile, leaving them to settle so she could get about making their drinks.
It was not long before she returned balancing a tray with cakes and drinks. There was the simple coffee and honeycake for Aldo, the warm brew served in a decorated porcelain cup with a lid. There was the peppermint tea for Cairneiros, with his walnut sponge served alongside a little bowl of honey complete with a chunk of honeycomb, rich and magic boosting. Then there was that little bit of everything to go with Neeva’s sampling of jams, from a fresh-out-of-the-oven honey pecan cake to a lemon bun from that morning that was a little dry. A medium local tea blend with floral notes was recommended, but she was happy to bring Neeva a sampling of juices as well.
She accepted the invitation to join them. A short break was appreciated and it seemed the patrons here needed minimal attending to, the atmosphere still calm and traffic increasingly light at this hour. The ginger delighted in access to information: there would be much inquiry into the varied natures of the manaraptor and just how much Aldo knew of them. Carneiros would be shown nothing but kindness as though she were entirely comfortable in his presence: indeed, it might slip that those of fae blood were more familiar to her than most nonhuman races, although the very few remaining in her time were weary souls, frequently outcasts of other realms trapped in a world of iron. >
Effie was a social butterfly and far from shy, but she played coy with just how much she was willing to share about herself. She would reveal her era of origin and how long she had been here, eyes bright with wonder for this world and its inhabitants, but much else would only be eluded to or answered with a playful smile - particularly in regards to the nature of her magical status. It at least seemed outside of making drinks and baked goods, she ‘dabbled’ in healing remedies and raised bees. It would be quite fair for anyone to be suspicious of much more than that.
Honey Thief spent time being stubborn and trying to make a point to not look at Polpetto at all, playing off her interest until she couldn’t pretend any longer. It was too much for her to handle when it became apparent that these raptors considered crumbling breadthings to be acceptable tasties. What madness! It was clear she would have to help them. She would make her way out of the apron pocket and approach the green fool once her confidence grew, insisting that both he and the other little one must be shown where the ‘real’ candies were. While jam was certainly acceptable, it was surely best to bring Larkspur tiny crunchies instead. This announcement of course came in the form of scolding clicks and body language that attempted to demand following. Honey Thief would demonstrate that tiny insects were the best possible ‘candies’ around, treating them both like hatchlings (regardless of differences in size or age).
Effie would only leave the conversation occasionally to make drinks or wipe down a table, multitasking with ease as she bounced from task to task. They were entirely welcome to stay until closing should time run away with them, but she was curious enough that the longer they stayed the more she’d find herself wanting to ask! In the end it was likely they would be encouraged to return and given more biscuits to take home with them.
Effie had been left in charge of the shop where she worked. It was a hole in the wall café tucked away around a corner just off the main market, easy to miss if one didn’t know it was there. There were many similar little spots and this one lacked an exterior sitting area, marked only with a faded sign and the smell wafting into the street. It smelled of nuts and honey.
A strategically placed tray of cakes had been left cooling on a windowsill.
Inside, the smell of brewed beverages and baked goods filled the building even above the haze of smoke. It was a mixed crowd: those from all walks of life came here for the civil conversation and quieter atmosphere. There were some patrons smoking hookah as they conversed, while others read books, or played board games. There was a small crowd gathered around a couple of old men playing something with wooden pegs carved into the shape of tiny animals. The establishment rumbled with discussion and movement, but things were much calmer here than they would be at any tavern - perhaps because no alcohol was being served.
In an apron with her ginger hair tied up in a messy bun, Effie bustled about serving patrons. It was hard for her to not stand out from the locals as a clear immigrant from another world, both her dialect and appearance giving her away. She had worried this might make handling the lunch crowd difficult while Sumit was away on business, but she had endeared herself to the regulars more than she knew.
It hadn’t been particularly easy getting the job, but she had been determined and eventually succeeded in winning over Sumit Moltenger, the stubborn old dwarf who owned the café. Sumit had no talent for baking and since his wife had passed away had long given up on providing anything more than strong coffee and simple blends. Yet stubborn as he was, it had been increasingly difficult for him to say no once patrons had started asking about the baked goods Effie kept bringing as bribes. When she had proved her worth as an even more accomplished tea maker, he could no longer deny the fresh life his business needed.
It went almost unnoticed when a bird at the bar accidentally knocked over a jar of jam. The lid popped off and rolled away on its side, managing to wind its way through ankles and make it all the way out the door. It was chased by a small brown and yellow creature - a manaraptor to the knowing eye - that snatched it up in tiny beak before scrambling back into the establishment through the open window.
Rigby — 11/17/2020
Sometimes Aldo just liked to people-watch. He'd done so as a hidden child in exile on the island sattelites, and he was doing so while perched crosslegged under a tree across from the coffee shop. Today, it was just for a quick smoke and to look over the purchases for today (mostly books; one curio!); it was the Vaidya's brightleaf blends today, while Polpetto curled on his shoulders munching on some ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴇꜱ he'd mooched from some cheery children earlier.
Had curled on his shoulders.
For it wasn't long before the rather content little raptor let fly with an unexpected and earsplitting whistle that nearly saw Aldo spill his entire pipe and spit out some choice words Neeva would never, ever hear if he'd anything to say about it.
But the manaraptor was already gone, launched from the man's shoulders and flapping and hopping across the street and winding quickly and deftly around much larger feet.
ᴄᴏᴍᴇ! ꜱᴀᴡ ɪᴛ! ᴄᴏᴍᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ!
Polpetto had only briefly paused at the bottom of the coffee-shop window, staring upward with pupils pinning and head flicking and angling. It was merely to scope the proper scale of the obstacle before he scuttled on up.
He shook his head, preened a few stray ruffled feathers before leaning in and looking around.
ʜᴜʟʟᴏ, ʜᴜʟʟᴏ!
And with a little tinny parrot-y crow of ʜᴇʀᴇ!, the green bundle of feathers simply toppled and vanished over the edge of the windowsill, just barely missing the unmistakable growl of a "c'moooooooon" and the distinct sound of two hands hitting the sides of his coat after shrugging in a particularly exasperated fashion from his master.
Startling hookah smokers was a particularly difficult thing to do and Aldo made sure to keep it that way as he slipped into the establishment through the door, books under one arm, hastily-emptied pinched pipe between that same hand's fingers, green-sparking eyes on the lookout for the excitable little raptor - or whatever had brought him in here.
With any luck he could just grab him and go quietly, but he'd supposed it wouldn't be the worst if he was held up for tea...
Rook — 11/17/2020
It was the smell that drew her in, holding the promises of sweet things and eventually, the Chupakri wound up in the same spot as Aldo. She had missed the excitement, those choice words and almost split off when she noticed the cakes cooling nearby. The urge to swipe one was strong, but the game being played by the elderly pair grabbed her attention too. "What's that? Toys?" Of a strange sort, maybe. The smell of smoke caused her to grimace and she moved away from that area, regardless of whether she got answers or not.
Larkspur clung to her chest, held in place by a 'sling'. She heard a familiar small voice and followed it, winding up near Aldo. "There's cakes here." All on display and for the taking. She swept past with a lazy sway of her luxurious tail and she looked around the counter, picking up things to examine up close. Thankfully, it was all stuff that wouldn't be immediately eaten, but she took an interest in the jam.
"I want cake, I have mon...shards. A gem." Maybe the gem could buy her all the cakes. As she thought it over, she stroked Lark and eyed the other Raptors. "Is that from a Polpetto egg? So many babies!"
Coltara — 11/18/2020
Honey Thief had stopped with her prize at the piercing whistle - what an interesting sound, what had that been? She should hide whatever she had. Yes.
In a hurry the beelike raptor attempted to stash the jam lid under a flour-covered towel, neck craning and head turning this way and that as she eyeballed the window. A most indignant squawk was given at Polpetto’s appearance over the windowsill. What was this now?! WHAT WAS THIS.
“I’ll be right with you!” the busy woman called out at catching the movement of someone new entering the cafe. She barely took in Aldo and Neeva as she glanced over carrying a tray of dishes, focused on balancing them safely to where they needed to go.
Neeva would have perhaps earned a look from at least one of the onlookers before she had turned away from the table. There were plenty of crusty old curmudgeons who would turn their nose up at their Very Serious Game being likened to playing with toys, but others may have explained it had she stayed.
There was an assortment of fruit preserves and candied nuts stacked on the shelves behind the counter alongside beans and blends, smaller jars on the counter for display and taste testing via biscuits, the brilliant concoctions casting jewel tones on the counter surfaces. Effie returned in a wink as Neeva assaulted the cake with her eyes.
“Oh, shards will do just fine darling,” Effie replied as she gave the pair her full attention from behind the counter. It was clearly not a consideration to her that Neeva might actually want to buy all the cake. “Was there something in particular you were looking at…?” There were quite a few types of baked goods to go alongside the much more numerous types of jam, the menu of the day including buns with cream frosting and the strong scent of lemon, simple biscuits with bits of dried fruit (the same that had been set out for the preserves), and the still warm honey pecan pound cakes sitting by the window.
There was a moment of obvious curiosity about the two strangers as she observed them properly, but it passed quickly into confusion as the horned canine mentioned something about eggs. “What?” she had replied with a lost expression, turning to follow Neeva’s gaze. A series of blinks and doing double-takes followed.
“Oh, my goodness…!”
The miniature raptor had flattened herself out on the counter to give a most dramatic threat display, oddly insectile wing feathers fanned out as far as they would go, fluff puffed all the way out, stumpy striped tail stuck straight up. YOU BE SCARED. I AM VERY BIG.
It probably didn’t make her any larger than the other manaraptor at all. In fact, she was probably still much smaller even all the way stretched out (all the better for fitting into various jars to purloin their contents of course). She was at least larger than the baby!
There was obvious surprise as Effie took in there being not only one, but TWO other little raptors - she belatedly spotted the second in Neeva’s ‘baby sling’, clearly fresh out of the egg. The excitable ginger was immediately torn between ‘rescuing’ Honey Thief from her predicament and melting over Larkspur.
“I’ve never seen another one,” she explained with delight as she reached for Honey Thief. “Oh, they’re so different…!”
Degu — 11/18/2020
Freedom, like all good things, came at a cost. Carneiros was whole again, yet his new home here in Thornmouth was proving difficult to be a part of. Fae were the bogeymen of this city, so close and believable just beyond the trees to the west, he'd found even basic levels of trust hard to come by. Even now while he had his wings glamoured away he was being followed by guards and given dangerous looks by vendors as he looked over wares in the market. He knew there were circles among the city where he'd be less of an oddity, at least a little, he simply needed to find them.
He was finely dressed in something more local, a crisscross of purple and blue hues across his chest framed by a black and gold jacket and silky black trousers. His hair was still long, despite contemplating cutting it short to look less 'fae' the part of him that was Carneiros very much did not like the idea. He noticed another guard walking his way and sighed, slipping down a side alley to just avoid being bothered again.
Leaning against a wall he immediately hissed and jerked away, turning around to stare at the doorway only to see a horseshoe hung over it. He rubbed at his slightly singed shoulder grumpily and carried on down the alley only to see... a quaint little café. The smells were alluring, the little sign beckoned him closer... he checked the doorway for a horseshoe or other repellent but found none. He could only smile at the tray of cakes on the windowsill.
He'd just missed the raptor mayhem moments prior. The fallen lord pushed his way into the café and slowed as he took in the sights. This place seemed... like a small piece of 'heaven', he longed to be a part of it the moment he set eyes upon it. Games of logic and strategy, a welcoming atmosphere... if he could only insert himself into this world he would be quite happy.
Before much else could cross his mind he spotted Aldo, the only familiar face in the room. With him, a woman he'd not met, and beyond him two rather puffed out little darlings, he felt his own feathers in the places they'd been on his previous body, mere phantoms now. "Aldo." he greeted as he stepped forwards, reaching out to barely touch the mans elbow with his fingertips. "You... knew me as Cassius." he remembered one time in particular, when the necromancer had played with Enfield on the deck. Aldo hadn't seen him since the change, now that he looked so much more....genuinely fae than he had before. Neeva was a stranger to him, he smiled but the host was busy fawning over her little raptor.
His unsettling eyes flicked to follow the movements of the redhead, finding something quite unusual about her but he couldn't quite place a finger on it. "So many of these magical creatures... there will be more, too, if you let them spend too long together." he warned with a silky chuckle, distracted eyes trying to seek out a seat to take a shot at just being a normal patron for once. Just a guy who wanted some cake, not a threat. That'd be nice.
Rigby — 11/18/2020
Polpetto had followed the squawks, chirping brightly in his own series of whistles and trills, interspersed with his tinny little voice that only sometimes pulled itself into recognizeable words.
He was momentarily distracted by the honey pecan cakes by the window, swinging his little wedge of a head to sniff at them and hop closer for some serious investigation - they'd smelled greatly like ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴇꜱ! - before remembering that he was here to check out the other raptor!
Only to meet her on the counter and find that the orange one had fluffed up about as much as she could!
...ʜᴜʟʟᴏ, ʜᴜʟʟᴏ?
His own feathers rose and fell and rose again uncertainly and, pupils still pinning, he'd eyed her from various head-angles, crept closer, thought better of it and stayed put. He wasn't scared, she was tiny! No, you are not, and I can be bigger, don't be big. He finally dropped down, feathers rising again, humming and flaring his tail.
ɪ ᴀᴍ ʙɪɢ. That-was-that. So, there!
He stayed down in that position, beak open, big and fluffy but very uncertain and sure that this stance was the only recourse from that confusion, until poor Effie came to the rescue to scoop Honey Thief up; only then did he scoot back up to a standing position to see who else had arrived or followed him in. Fresh ʜᴜʟʟᴏs were spared for Effie, Neeva and Carnieros, too! He did nod brightly at Carn's own observation of 'there will be more' and trilled at the baby in Neeva's sling. He was good. He made more!
--
Aldo was more than happy to see Neeva pop into the shop!
"Nee! Figured you'd be after those cakes! Brought some of the biscuits back home before and they were ex-cellent."
But his own shopping was still second to grabbing his raptor; he'd momentarily lost sight of him on entry, but now saw some movement on the counter...a green puff and an orange puff in a miniature standoff. Oh.
"...that one's definitely not one of his." Then to his familiar, "That's what you were after, Pol!?"
To Effie, a rather even-keeled "Hello! The green idiot's Polpetto. Who's this!"
And then as Carnieros entered - a buzz of unusual magics that licked at the fringes of his consciousness, he grinned. "I diiiiid~! Well...welcome back!" It was casual and cheery seemingly operating on the sideways-logic on which life and death seemed to travel for Aldo. Perhaps it was; perhaps he was just covering for how serious that resurrection had been and covering the other man's rear. Should Carnieros allow, he'd pull him in for a grip around his shoulders and a clap on the back. "Kids missed you. Met a couple of Ev's while you were out."
"Did you want one? He's been hard at work at it already, coupla' eggs from that night on that ship are still looking for their People, and Lae and I are rehoming best we can. Neeva here ended up with one!" (edited)
Rook — 11/18/2020
When given the explanation, Neeva had decided she would play this game someday. But not that day, for there was food and she was hungry. She ignored the looks, leaving them to their games happily. The food behind the counter was eyed, and the Chupakri had almost went around to investigate them further. Effie distracted her from such plans, probably for the best.
"I want to try them all." She replied, putting a few shards on the counter. "I don't know how these work. I like the coins more." Those had been used most of her life, and the shards were a new currency that she hadn't gotten the basics about yet. "You also have drinks." She wanted those, too. Maybe a new thing to try outside tea.
When the older raptors puffed out at each other, Neeva watched them. "No? It is not Polpetto's then." Clearly she would've seen the father prior! She held out tiny Larkspur, carefully, in her hands. "He is poison, you must be careful." In came Carneiros, and she turned towards the fae, perking her ears up towards him. "Hello." She said quietly, turning to Aldo after. "Yes? Good? I am going to eat many of them."
As her 'Keeper' spoke to the fae, she turned to Effie expectantly.
Coltara — 11/20/2020
Effie seemed surprised to hear that the little one was poisonous, but looking closer at Larkspur’s coloration and tiny quills, that made plenty of sense. It was clear she hadn’t the foggiest what kind of creature she had in her care. It seemed likely that until just this moment the woman had assumed the entire species was bee colored, with a diet partial to processed nectar.
What a revelation to learn otherwise! The darker tones and respective qualities of the other raptors was a delightful surprise - they were clearly of the same ilk, but now she knew dramatically varied. It confirmed her suspicions on how Honey Thief’s egg had hatched in the first place and why it had taken so long: activated not by warmth and time, but the magic that had reached it from her work in the kitchen. It was very likely that later on this would give her pause to consider what that meant about Aldo and Neeva’s magics. These little creatures were not at all just rare animals: they were a very distinct signifier of a magic user.
“This is Honey Thief!” she replied, still marveling as she tried to smooth said manaraptor’s ruffled feathers. The miniature was still splayed out and rounded in her hands, little jaw and sharp eyes still fixed on Polpetto despite having been picked up. It took her a minute to turn attention to the baby instead, which was interesting in a whole new way: the little nectar sucker relaxed considerably to inspect this STRANGE HATCHLING, clinging to Effie’s knuckles to stretch out and peer at Larkspur, briefly uncurling and showcasing an incredibly long, hummingbirdlike tongue. Effie absolutely beamed at Polpetto’s ‘hullo’ing.
“Oh, he talks! Hullo! Is that something they all can do…?”
She carefully tucked Honey Thief into her apron pocket to attend to Neeva, where the beeraptor clung to the inside and peeked out to continue observing from safety.
“I miss coins too,” she laughed as money was placed on the counter. “Well, we have coffee, tea, a couple kinds of juice…”
While her eyebrows rose at the pile of money, no commentary was made and Neeva got most of it back (even with wanting to try a bit of everything!) - Effie took only a rather small amount of the lower value shards. She would begin getting the cake lover a portion of everything as requested, throwing in some extra biscuits and a sample platter of jams and jellies - strawberry, grape, blackberry, a spread in taste akin to apricot, yet oddly buttery and of all colors, sky blue. If Neeva wanted to test any of the already made beverages first, she would be more than happy to get her tiny cups to try or make recommendations based on things she already liked!
“Is there anything I can get either of you gentlemen…? I have a free table I can finish clearing for you,” she offered the group with a gesture towards said table as she got Neeva’s goods together, seeming to note the way Carneiros was looking around. She had looked at him with no change in her bright-eyed enthusiasm, with more curiosity for such a mixed batch of strangers rather than showing any signs of distaste or concern. While she was aware of local feelings, she certainly did not seem to abide by them and the cafe seemed almost made to accommodate every kind of patron: there would be no horseshoes here, no items made to be handled of iron or silver, no unpleasant herbs burning or to be found in brews. (edited)
While there would be those in the establishment who wouldn’t love the sight of a full-blooded fae, there had been minimal reaction (save for one or two that silently slipped out with darting glances) - this was a place of conversation between the rich and the poor, the low-born and the high-born, where titles were left at the door and external judgment was reserved for other times. Opinions were exercised in heated debates with fingers clenched around cups and game pieces instead of balled into fists. These sort of people were more interested in keeping to themselves or being as polite as possible for the sake of appearances.
It was also feasible some judged him as half-fae with blood leaning too strongly towards one parent, of course. That might have even garnered him some unwarranted and wildly misplaced sympathy.
“What about treats for Polpetto and the little one…?”
Degu — 11/23/2020
Carneiros' eyes widened and his body tensed as he was yanked in with a tight grip and given a clap across the back. He stared ahead of himself rather statue-esque for a time and then let out a soft but elated chuckle and turned his head to smile at the man. He wasn't just learning still how to exist as a whole fae once more, but the shackles of servitude had left lasting scars on his soul. This was nice, this tasted like true freedom after so long. No master, a family, friends that he was free to love without scrutiny or criticism.
After some deliberation her raised his hand to pat more gently at Aldo's back in solidarity. He didn't admittedly know the man on a very personal level but he'd seen him with the children from time to time and so far the man was very alright with him. "I missed them too, dearly."
But the mention of eggs had him stuttering "Oh- these eggs? well, perhaps. That's very kind of you... though I am not certain whatever may come out of one of their eggs for me would be a blessing to this world." He said as if he knew what these raptors were.
The one Neeva held was smiled at fondly, so small and fragile... and here he was finding it cute despite its poisonous nature. "A sweet tooth?" he asked Neeva, as she spoke of cakes "I suffer the same." was added with a playful quirk of thin lips before attention was diverted to their gracious host. The moment of truth.. and yet she treated him as a patron.
His heart swelled and his shoulders slackened in relief, this place was solidified now as a new haunt...he would be back.
He met her eyes with gratitude behind them, just for the normalcy. "For us-? Well if you two wouldn't mind the company" he asked the others, though assumedly they didn't. "That would be most agreeable, thank you." he started to bow and quickly halted himself. Customer, not servant. Stop stop.
"I think I should like a..." he looked over the menu and the counters to confirm "peppermint tea, a walnut sponge and a side of ..." He cast a glance to Honey Thief with a warm smile, then to her bonded "Honey. Though I will not be terribly displeased if it is stolen." he was the one curious about what Honey Thief meant about Effie, his eyes seemed to dart between them as he stood there waiting for a table to be cleared. Bees. Nature? Or was she a particularly niche ...mage? witch? sorceress? perhaps an interpretation within an element, cosying up to the woman's own interests. She was stood before him serving cakes and tea after all.
"It is quiet at this hour." he said after a moment "Perhaps once we are served you might join us yourself?" Of course he'd be a bit of a fourth wheel without a manaraptor of his own but he was content, especially to feed off the small episodes of chaos the little beings caused.
Rigby — 11/26/2020
ʜᴜʟʟᴏ! Polpetto trailed off into a happy burble once Effie 'hullo'd right back! ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋ, ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ. He could get his own points across without words, after all - but these silly big people liked their languages...
Aldo elaborated. "I...have no idea. Only other one I've ever seen until he started hauling his eggs everywhere was a little stray that hung around our alley back in Belsthame, and she never stuck around long enough to do more than scream. He got it in his head when he was a chick that he wanted to practice and liked copying my wife n'I so much that he figured enough of it out!"
Then he smiled, leaned in in a slightly conspiratorial fashion, rolling his head and flicking both eyebrows. "Also means I had to stop swearing for a while. Y'don't know how foul your mouth is until your bird starts it up, too!"
ꜰᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ ʀɪɢʜᴛ was tiny, and would've been deadpan if not for the very-self-aware lack of true volume. Polpetto Made a Funny.
Polpetto kept an eye on Effie's pocket and would chirp a wary question on occasion whenever Honey Thief looked his way. He seemed equally set on figuring other raptors out, too - but then Effie said the magic words, and crest rising excitably, he stretched his neck, raised and fanned his tail and sat up as straight as he could, daring to hum and trill a ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴇꜱ?
--
For a moment, Aldo thought he just read the scene entirely wrong and had overwhelmed the other man, and he'd hesitated and bit his lip, eyes wide and worried.
"Though I am not certain whatever may come out of one of their eggs for me would be a blessing to this world."
Aldo snorted and couldn't hold back the grin, though also squinted a bit as if to eke out any more details - fae royalty, former or current, having more ideas of what these things even were seemed to make proper sense to him. "You say that like that'd discourage me!"
"Invite's open. Even if any of the eggs don't pick you this time - seems like that's how it's been goin' at any rate - Lae and I have tea and figure we could always stand to get to know our shipmates a bit more. It's excellent tea," he added, as if that alone could sway Carn's indecision.
For Effie again, he palmed a few shards of his own with "just a coffee and one of the honeycakes, please!" Then added, "Nee, you ever have coffee before? It's definitely different, not as sweet as tea - but you'll be feeling it a whole lot longer!" Though a buzzing Neeva might not have been the wisest thing to unleash upon the world, it would certainly be a memorable one!
Rook — 11/26/2020
"It is a good name. This one is Larkspur." Named for a poisonous plant, though the shortened version fit the more feathery appearance even if the bird was a much different coloration! When Honey sought to examine him, he returned the favour through sniffing and stuck out half of his long tongue in a brief mimicry. Once Honey was put in a pocket, Neeva would lift her tail to let the raptor take his place in the fluffiest part of the limb.
She'd walk with her tail held up and near her back, so he could move from there to her cloak if he so desired. "I like tea." But she'd try those juices too. "Yes! I did not get many treats like this from where I came, both places. They were rewards and they always watched me in the kitchens." A wise plan, because she would've taken 'taste-testing' to the ultimate level.
Once the table was ready, the Chupakri seemed to have no qualms against anyone joining, be it the fae Lord (a fact unknown to her) or the cafe's owner. "Larkspur must only have soft things, but not too much icing." Even with her usual stubbornness, she'd taken Vaidya's comment to heart. "I've never had coffee yet. I thought it was just for mornings."
She took to sampling little bits of the jam, sharing them with Larkspur, who had joined her when he smelled all that food closeby.
Coltara — 09/22/2021
Effie moved quickly to clean off the table with a few expert sweeps of a rag. She would laugh at Polpetto’s little show of cursing prowess, entirely endeared with no sign of offense taken, and in response to Carneiros follow up with a second twitter of a giggle.
“Oh my, I dearly hope my hives don’t think so poorly of me,” she would have replied with a rather mischievous smile, leaving them to settle so she could get about making their drinks.
It was not long before she returned balancing a tray with cakes and drinks. There was the simple coffee and honeycake for Aldo, the warm brew served in a decorated porcelain cup with a lid. There was the peppermint tea for Cairneiros, with his walnut sponge served alongside a little bowl of honey complete with a chunk of honeycomb, rich and magic boosting. Then there was that little bit of everything to go with Neeva’s sampling of jams, from a fresh-out-of-the-oven honey pecan cake to a lemon bun from that morning that was a little dry. A medium local tea blend with floral notes was recommended, but she was happy to bring Neeva a sampling of juices as well.
She accepted the invitation to join them. A short break was appreciated and it seemed the patrons here needed minimal attending to, the atmosphere still calm and traffic increasingly light at this hour. The ginger delighted in access to information: there would be much inquiry into the varied natures of the manaraptor and just how much Aldo knew of them. Carneiros would be shown nothing but kindness as though she were entirely comfortable in his presence: indeed, it might slip that those of fae blood were more familiar to her than most nonhuman races, although the very few remaining in her time were weary souls, frequently outcasts of other realms trapped in a world of iron. >
Effie was a social butterfly and far from shy, but she played coy with just how much she was willing to share about herself. She would reveal her era of origin and how long she had been here, eyes bright with wonder for this world and its inhabitants, but much else would only be eluded to or answered with a playful smile - particularly in regards to the nature of her magical status. It at least seemed outside of making drinks and baked goods, she ‘dabbled’ in healing remedies and raised bees. It would be quite fair for anyone to be suspicious of much more than that.
Honey Thief spent time being stubborn and trying to make a point to not look at Polpetto at all, playing off her interest until she couldn’t pretend any longer. It was too much for her to handle when it became apparent that these raptors considered crumbling breadthings to be acceptable tasties. What madness! It was clear she would have to help them. She would make her way out of the apron pocket and approach the green fool once her confidence grew, insisting that both he and the other little one must be shown where the ‘real’ candies were. While jam was certainly acceptable, it was surely best to bring Larkspur tiny crunchies instead. This announcement of course came in the form of scolding clicks and body language that attempted to demand following. Honey Thief would demonstrate that tiny insects were the best possible ‘candies’ around, treating them both like hatchlings (regardless of differences in size or age).
Effie would only leave the conversation occasionally to make drinks or wipe down a table, multitasking with ease as she bounced from task to task. They were entirely welcome to stay until closing should time run away with them, but she was curious enough that the longer they stayed the more she’d find herself wanting to ask! In the end it was likely they would be encouraged to return and given more biscuits to take home with them.
