Despite having a trio of vampires dangling down over them, the travelers from Stonebarrow sleep fairly well. Sure there were some odd dreams, and waking up from one to see a pair of glowing red eyes staring down might have been slightly disconcerting, but come morning they are still in position of their bodily fluids.
At least the Eeee didn't snore. Must be a benefit of hanging upside-down.
Waking a little earlier than her companions for once, Lin creeps out of the bunk as best she can without disturbing anyone or letting the floor creak and siddles over to Aviri's bunk. Doing her best not to giggle, she reaches over with four fingers and gives him a pinch on the neck.
Aviri jolts at the pinch, seeming to levitate off the matress as he simultaneously grapples and pushes away whatever's at his neck and tries to get to his feet on the bed, letting out a yelp in the process.
Her work done, Lin ducks for cover and tries hiding under the bed.
"Vhat's dat?" Adela asks, waking up and yawning right over the panicked Lapi. "Vake up scream already?"
Once on the bed and on his feet, Aviri notices there's nobody there to have done it. One hand goes to his neck; there's no wound. With three Eeee accounted for on the ceiling, and minus one Linyala in the beds, it's pretty simple for the Lapi to figure out what happened. He takes a deep breath and slumps to a sitting position. "Sorry, Adela," he says.
"Bad dream?" the vampire asks. "Bed bug? Vun ov vour girls secretly a vampire?"
"Mischeivous Akwavi," Aviri explains, waiting for the adrenaline to filter out of his blood. He gestures in the direction of Lin's empty bed.
"Was goin' on?" Trilup asks as she gets up and rubs her eyes.
Lin scoots out from under Aviri's bed and grinns up at the lapi and vampires. "Good mornin'!" She chirps.
"And how vill vou retaliate?" Adela asks Aviri.
"I won't buy her oysters," Aviri says with a chuckle.
"Aww, Aviri." Lin pouts, "Don't be so shellfish!" She scoots back under the bed to ward off retaliatory pillow attacks.
The other vampires are waking up now, stretching and yawning. They probably know how to find the blood bank and get local currency, since Adela was paying with odd coins the other night.
"I vant breakfast," Adelina remarks after a very toothy yawn. She looks down at the floor-bound.
"It's just a reminder of why I tend to stay away from the docks," Aviri says with a chuckle. He looks up at the waking bats and curls a bit more against the wall.
"I wonder if they can cook that sausage," Trilup says, sounding much more awake with the mention of breakfast. "Maybe they've got fish sausage! Or pancakes. Or fish pancakes! With bacon!"
Lin rolls out from under the bed at the mention of food. "Or scallopped potatos with scallops on top!" She suggests. In short order, the few things she'd unpacked last night are stowed safely inside Waddles.
Aviri says, "This place has breakfast?" Aviri asks up at the bats."
"Of course. Samuel Breakfast is quite tasty," Adelina claims with a straight face.
"It is a roadhouse," Adela notes. "Zey are expected to serve meals."
"Can we have some breakfast then, Aviri?" Trilup asks the spazzy rabbit. "I bet they have toast. You like toast, right?"
Aviri nods, glad. "Hopefully good morning soup," he says. "Oh, and you paid with ... er ... not the type of coins I have. Is there some sort of exchange....?"
Lin gags, "Ick. Toast is the worst bread. I'm not sure what they do to it, but it's all crumbly and halfway burnt and tastes like dry powder gunk that stays in your mouth for ages."
"Vou must mean the vlood vank," Adelina remarks. "Central currency exchange here from the last I have heard."
Aviri nods. "Yes, the blood bank. Sounds like the right place."
"I can show vou to the Assay Office of the Blut Bank if vou vish," Adela offers.
"That would be much appreciated!" Aviri says with a smile. "After breakfast, though, I'd think."
Lin stretches, eliciting a series of popps and snaps from her spine. "I'm a little fuzzy on what a blood bank even is." She says, "Isn't the whole idea of a bank that you can get your stuff back from it later? I wouldn't want to put my blood back in if I've had it out for a while. That just doesn't sound healthy."
"Vou trade blut for coins," Adela explains, dropping and flipping to land on her feet. She pulls some colored glass disks from her purse to show off. "Blutcoin."
Aviri says, "How much is ... what're the denominations of bloodcoin?" Aviri asks, finally extracting himself from the wall to peer at the display of disks."
Lin oohs and walks over to take a closer look. "And how valuable is blood? I mean, I kind of need it to live and stuff. Can't go selling off too much of it to buy snacks or whatever." She adds and reaches up to poke one of the coins. Slow enough to make it obvious she isn't trying to swipe it.
"Smallest ist 'sips', then 'nibbles', 'bites' und 'guzzles'," Adela explains, pointing out the different sizes and colors (all shades of red). There are also embossed stamps in the glass of human male, with 'VLAD' under the bust.
The Lapi nods slowly at the rationality of the names. "And ... how many sips in a nibble?"
"Ten.. they are all in powers of ten," Adela says. "A nibble vill get vou a cup of tea. A bite is worth a sausage."
Aviri nods. "Thanks." His eyes linger a moment on the coins, then he stands and stretches his back and arms.
"Yeah, thanks." Lin chirps and heads for the door, Waddles trundling along behind her. "Oh, and what's the point of a sip then? Doesn't sound like you can get much done with a pocketful of sips."
"Not everyt'ing iz a set price," Adela notes. "And zome things are cheaper."
Cookies, apparently, fall into the 'sip' category, although the innkeeper also takes shekels. There are plenty of breakfast choices, from porridge to baked pastries and even meat (including bacon). For the more liquid-diet clientele there are blood sausages again, and a few other blood-based dishes - like blood porridge, which has melted butter in it. There isn't any fresh fruit or vegetables however, and the baked goods have a distinctly dark color to them due to the ergot-infested local wheat.
Aviri ponders the choices, especially the bread, with some trepidation. "The porridge looks good," he says idly.
"There's bacon! And ham!" Trilup squeals. "We don't get that in Stonebarrow on account of the landlord being a pig."
"Yeah!" Lin chirps, "We could get poridge and bacon. I've heard great things about bacon." She looks hopefully up at Aviri, not regreting her earlier pranking but still wanting food.
Aviri turns from the options to meet Lin's gaze, his own eyes narrowing. "Porridge it is," he says pointedly, digging out his purse.
"And bacon for me right?" Trilup asks, hanging onto Aviri's arm and making big otter-eyes at him. "I've been good! I'll brush your ears for you."
"Suck-up." Lin smirks at Trilup then shrugs. "Thanks, Aviri."
"And how can I be sure you won't give any to Lin?" he asks Trilup. "Or that she won't steal it?"
"Because I'm too fast for her," Trilup says. "And.. you're talking about sharing food. That's.. that's just crazy.."
Lin puts on a horrified expression and shakes Aviri a little. "You monster!" She wails, "Trilup has done nothing to deserve your wanton cruelty. Have a heart, lapi!" She winks at Trilup behind Aviri's back.
"I vill buy them bacon," Adelmar offers, coming up behind Lin. "If zey let me have a taste after they've eaten it.."
Aviri was about to say something to Lin, but the words of Adelmar cut him short. He ponders a moment, then says, "Well, I was gonna get bacon anyway, but now I'll need to. We're stopping by the blood bank after, remember?"
"No offense, but..." Lin squeaks and scoots closer to Aviri.
Trilup is torn.. after all, this is an opportunity to get twice the bacon.. "Oh right, yeah, gotta save our blood for money!" she agrees.
When the time comes to order, Aviri gets porridge for the three of them, and two orders of bacon. After all, he didn't say he wouldn't buy bacon. Only oysters.
The porridge, at least, is very bland, especially with no fruit to add. And it's all rather inexpensive. There is water or tea to drink - also milk, but it might very well be pig milk.
Were one watching carefully, there's almost a gleam of moisture in Lin's eyes when Aviri orders two servings of bacon. "Thanks, 'Viri." Lin chirps then gives a worried glance off to the side and then behind her. "Unless there's someone else you're ordering bacon for? Silver, are you able to eat stuff now?"
"It's for you," Aviri affirms. "The last time Silv ate things, it took a week to get the taste of fish out of my mouth."
"Shhh, I don't want the vampires to know about me," the ghost whispers to Lin.
"Eep, sorry." Lin whispers, adressing the floor instead of her hat.
Trilup takes a bite of bacon right away, and her cheeks seem to puff up. "Mmmmmmmmmmm..." she mmmms.
Lin tries her bacon and raises an eyebrow. "I can't decide if this is delicious or fried tree bark." She muses, "Kind of both!" She procedes to dig in, apparently enjoying the bacon despite its weirdness.
Aviri doesn't mind the bland porridge (it sure beats stale bread!), and sips at some tea, which he doesn't accessorize with milk for fear of where it came from. He chuckles a bit as he watches his companions eat the bacon.
The common room isn't as crowded as it was the night before - possibly because there isn't alcohol being served. Those that remain seem well dressed, and are possibly here for the Sausage Festival.
"It's like jerky and candy came together and made love," Trilup describes.
"And then they took the baby and sliced it thinly and fried it, then put butter and syrup on it!" Lin adds, holding one of her remaining bacon pieces between her fingers and alternately examining and nibbling at it.
"And the salt! Aviri.. salt.." Trilup says, holding out a slice of colorful sweaty meat before the Lapi's nose. "Lick it.."
Aviri leans a bit back from the bacon. It doesn't smell very good. He wrinkles his nose and gently guides Trilup's hand back toward her own body. "Nnno thanks," he says.
"A Kadie would have done it," Trilup notes, and nibbles on the bacon, trying to make it last as long as possible.
"Kadies are also crazy," Aviri notes with a grin, around a spoon of porridge.
"And Lapis are sane?" Trilup teases. "Everyone knows Skeeks are the sane ones. Because they're boring!"
Lin slurps at her poridge when she's down to her last two pieces of bacon. After several moment's thought, she wraps the larger piece of bacon in a napkin and stashes it in her vest when noone's looking.
Aviri slowly turns his head to look at Trilup, his eyes slightly askew and definitely unfocused. "Why yes; we Lapis are the epitome of sanity," he says in a weird voice.
"Epi.. tome?" Trilup asks suspiciously. "That means opposite right?"
"I think it means he pities himself." Lin suggests, helpfully, and barely avoids spraying the mouthful of poridge she's talking around.
As breakfast winds down, Adela approaches the trio. "Did vou vish to visit the Blut Bank next?" she asks.
"It means the peak," Aviri explains, going back to his breakfast. "The top. The best. Prime example of." He doesn't respond to Lin's comment, and when Adela offers, he checks that his companions are done before nodding. "Thank you."
Lin has finished her poridge and stands up, grabbing her 'last' piece of bacon for something to nibble as they walk. "We're gonna be rich!" She chirps, then adds, "And maybe a bit anemic."
Trilup slurps down the last of her porridge, and wipes her mouth with her tail. "Yeah, let's go... uh.. what happens there again?" she asks.
"We're gonna trade blood for glass disks," Aviri says hopefully. "Hopefully we can get by with just my blood."
"Vell.. exotic blut ist more valuable," Adela claims. "And Akwavi are exotic. More zo than Lapis."
"So you're going to be like... Some kind of blood donor?" Lin asks skeptically, "You know, we don't always have to use your money, or blood, or blood money."
"I won't stop you from bleeding yourself," Aviri says. "But I'm not gonna force it, either. Would rather be poorer, and alive, than rich and dead."
"Not get rich," Adela claims with a grin. "Juzt passing through, yes? How much could you need?"
Aviri nods. "Just passing through. Just enough to get us to a lake and back."
"Yeah," Lin chirps, "And if we pooled our blood, we could be more alive per person and have more money overall."
"That's truuuuue," Aviri ponders. "Well, like I said, I'm not gonna stop you. Just didn't want to make you or anything." He gives Lin's head a friendly tousle.
Lin growls a little at the toussle but doesn't bite Aviri this time. "You know, we've been trveling together long enough that you're not just a walking blood bag to me. Y'all are prolly more useful less than half dead from blood loss."
"True, but part of my use is ensuring you both stay alive," Aviri says. "Plus, pretty sure I'd be lynched if the Oggtons heard I sold your blood. If you wanna do it, that's fine, but you keep the glass, alright? You, too, Tril."
"I don't know if I have any blood," Trilup says.
"Just to follow me," Adela says, and leads the way to the outside door.
Lin shrugs, "Well, alright. Just so long as we can exchange any leftovers we have for real money on our way out of here." She takes Trilup's hand and holds it up in the air, pulling two of Trilup's fingers appart to show the veins in her webbing. "There, see? There's blood in those little lines."
Aviri brings up the rear, just to ensure nobody tries to kidnap the Akwavi or something.
"Don't we need it for when we come back this way?" Trilup asks, and blinks in the not-quite-sunlight. The sky is even more overcast than usual for Sylvania, giving the light that gets through a silver cast.. and making everything look a bit gray. "Iz right at entry to town," Adela claims.. which means it's still a bit of a walk.
"Yes, we will, but once we reach here," Aviri says, gesturing to the roadhouse, "we won't need any more." He looks up at the sky and frowns, recalling the thunderstorm, but thankful it wasn't recurring immediately. "Thanks again for showing us the way, Adela."
"Well, odds are pretty good we'll tame some kind of giant, flying, undead monster or somethng and make really good time on our way back." Lin chirps, enjoying the crisp morning air and some fantasizing about their upcoming adventures, "Or maybe something will go horribly wrong and we'll have to keep going away from home and it'll be years before we return." She gives her companions a spooky finger wiggle and giggles.
"All the good fish will be gone if we have to stay away for years," Trilup claims.
Aviri smirks and says to Trilup, "Just imagine how good the fish were a hundred years ago!"
"Unless better fish mutates by then! Or if we bring back some kind of magically supercharged artifact that bleeds purifying goodness into the ground water." Lin counters, making a gagging face at the idea of hundred year old fish.
"Swamp wasn't there a hunnert' years ago," Trilup points out. Finally the town gate is in view. The doors are open, and with all the festival traffic nobody seems to really be paying attention to folks. Nobody stops the 'foreigners' or questions their presence. Adela leads them to a building off the main road, which is a monolithic stone affair covered in gargoyles and demonic faces. "Dis iz da Blut Bank, my friends," Adela claims.
"Thanks, Adela!" Lin chirps and waves at the vampire Eeee, "Have fun at the saussage festival." Somehow, she manages to sound sincere and keep a straight face.
"Hopefully you can taste at least third place," Aviri adds with a wave.
Above the lintel of the entrance is a engraved pair of fangs, with the bust of Vlad Tempest in the center. There are also iron bars that can be swung into place to protect the entry.
Adela waves and heads back into the crowd, probably to locate her siblings.
Aviri frowns at the building. "Aww, no sign," he mutters to himself. "Lucky to have found a guide, then." After a glance to ensure he knew how to operate the door, and that he wouldn't be impaled by iron for trying, he enters.
Lin follows close behind, not explicitly hiding, persay, but trying to observe lots while not drawing attention to herself.
The door is heavy ironwood, and practically screams as its opened. No sneaking in here. Once inside, there are a few lanterns (and only arrow-slit windows) to provide light.. but the floor has a crushed velvet carpet leading to a long stone counter several clerks manning (or batting) it. One of the lines opens up, and the vampire Eeee clerk calls out, "Next!"
Aviri wrings his hands at the sight of everything, but when called he steps forward boldly. "Y-yes, we're here to get bloodcoin," Aviri says, barely managing to make it not a question, while glancing behind him to ensure Lin and Tril were both there.
Lin is right behind Aviri, fidgeting with the end of her tail and slowly scanning the room for any indication of nefarious dealings. She catches Aviri's glance and offers an encouraging smile.
Trilup is hiding behind Lin, or rather, behind Lin's hat. The clerk looks at the three obvious out-of-towners, and asks, "Do you haf an account?"
Aviri shakes his head. "We're passing through, and need money for our trip," he says. He has to surpress a smile of pride as he manages to say it in the face of vampiric Eeee without stuttering!
"Zo you do not vish to open an account, but do a direct exchange?" the clerk asks. As for motive.. he sounds very bored.
"Yes, direct exchange," Aviri says.
The clerk opens an unseen drawer and extracts some.. forms. "You can read?" he asks.
Aviri nods, gritting his teeth slightly.
Three forms are handed over, written in Sylvanian. "Go through the door to your left," the clerk says, and actually points as well. "Fill out forms, put in slot in other door. Assayer will come get you."
Lin nudges Trilup and whispers, "See? This is another reason why I like to read. Gotta know what you're signin' if you've ever got some weird form to fill out."
"What's a form?" Trilup whispers back.
Aviri takes the forms, gives them a brief glance, then smiles and thanks the clerk with a nod. He steps back, makes a big show of making an 'L' with both hands before chosing his left one, giving the clerk a wink, and then leading onward.
A little shudder passes through Lin. "It's to do with the strange art of le-gall." She explains as they follow Aviri, "It's these pieces of paper that say you have to do stuff. Scary things that you don't want to sign until you know exactly what they do. I'm still kinda figguring out the more complicated bits, but yeah."
The ominous doorway leads into a rather mundane room. There is a bench, a table, a pot of ink and some quills. There's another door at the far end, with the aforementioned slot in it. The forms themselves ask for name, species, age, gender, place of birth.. and whether or not the signer is a virgin.
The 'place of birth' does make Aviri pause as he fills out his form. Even if the neighboring regions weren't at war at the moment, he remembers the reception they got elsewhere whenever Stonebarrow was mentioned. He writes 'Chalk Warrens', and ponders adding ', Blackshire' as though such a thing existed and would be a better idea, before deciding against it and putting the pen back, recovering it long enough to check the 'virgin' box.
Lin carefully reads over the form then shrugs and starts filling it out. "Linyala Oggton, twelve, girl, Oggton swamp flotilla sounds different enough from Stonebarrow to not set off too many allarms, yes." She mutters to herself as she writes out her answers to the questions. "It's not too evil looking or le-gall." She comments to Trilup.
Trilup needs help. She can understand the questions.. but doesn't know how to use the quill. "Can you fill in mine too?" she finally asks Lin.
"Sure." Lin chirps and accepts Trilup's form. "Just say what you want me to write and I'll put it down. I'll even promise not to screw it up, scout's honnour!"
"Well.. it's all the same as yours just change my name," Trilup notes.
"But aren't you a bit younger than me?" Lin asks, having left the age line clear for the moment.
"I don't know if it's a whole year," Trilup says.
"Alright." Lin chirps, "Twelve it is!" She jots down the last number, blows on the paper to dry the ink, and drops both of their forms down the slot in the door.
Aviri slides his paper into the door as well, and finds a seat, taking a deep breath to try to calm his nerves.
It isn't long before there is a loud bang from the other side of the door, followed by some scraping sounds.. and then the door swings inward.
Lin climbs Aviri when she hears the bang.
Trilup opts for hiding under the Lapi's chair.
Aviri starts, and acks as Lin starts crawling up him. "Lin ... it's fine," he says, trying to see beyond her to the opening door.
A head pops around the door. It's got piercing blue eyes and gold-tinted fur and whiskers, with a little angular cap resting between two saucer-shaped ears. The rest of the person follows, revealing a Skreek woman in a very tight nurses uniform. She is disturbingly gorgeous, even for a Skreek. "Hello," she says with an odd unplaceable accent. "Please come with me for your assay. I am Igorina."
Aviri restors to picking up the Akwavi girl and setting her back onto her feet so he could stand up and comply.
"My, aren't you all just so adorable," Nurse Igorina says, and gestures for them to follow with her tail. "Now, don't go poking into any rooms we pass.."
If Lin doesn't get to have protective cover, neither does Trilup. Lin tows the other otter out from under Aviri's now abandoned chair and follows the Skreek with no little tripidation, despite the nurse's good looks.
There's a long dark corridor, and the first room they pass has some tables in it with what appear to be bodies covered in stained sheets. The open door has 'Credit Recovery' written on it.
Trilup whines a bit as Lin drags her along.
Lin whines a bit too when she sees the room with the possibly-corpses and hugs Trilup.
Aviri can't help but glance into the room as they pass, and notes the door label. "Note to self," he mutters, "do not go into debt here."
Igorina removes a big key ring from her belt and unlocks the door at the end of the hall, which leads into a brightly lit room. It's got a suspiciously adjustable looking chair at the center, a tray of either medical or torture implements, and a wall covered in odd looking wooden boxes with hinged doors.
Igorina first goes to a device that is a platform with a big stalk rising up and some sort of balance bar with sliding stone pieces. She selects a form, and asks, "Mr. Aviri Chalk? Please remove all bulky items of clothing and stand on the scale."
Lin scoots off to the side once she and Trilup enter the room and watches, mortified.
Aviri nods and takes off his waistcoat, as if that might be enough, and his shoes, and steps onto the platform, facing the stalk awkwardly before turning around to better keep an eye on Igorina.
The Skreek gives him a pat-down, checking for any bulky or heavy items he might be hiding. "Did you have a big breakfast?" Igorina asks.
Aviri shakes his head awkwardly at the pat-downs. "Er, no. Porridge. And some tea."
The Skreek then leans in towards Aviri, and reaches past his shoulders as if he's about to be hugged.. so that she can slide the weights about on their beam. She's close enough to smell, and she smells like flowers.
The Lapi shrinks into himself slightly, as though trying to duck under Igorina and flee, but he remains, allowing her to fiddle with the scale.
It's a wonder the Skreek doesn't generate a lot of static electricity in that uniform, the way things rub together. Finally she backs up, and makes a note on Aviri's form. "Thank you," she says with a smile. "Miss Linyala Oggton?" she calls next, after giving Aviri a little pat on the butt to let him know he can step off of the scale.
Aviri is quick to step off when he sees the pat coming, and finds a place to sit as he puts his waistcoat back on.
Lin gives the Skreek a little wave and starts taking off the heavier parts of her pirate outfit. She sets her hat on Trilup's hat and says, "Take care of this for me." As though she'll never see her again. The bacon strip is safe inside Lin's vest which she leaves folded ontop of waddles along with the rest of her bulky clothing. "Is that okay?" She asks the Skreek.
The otter still gets a patdown before being weighed. "You are heavier than you look," Igorina remarks, and then the whole process is repeated for Trilup. Once the weigh-ins are completed, the nurse looks through a large, loosely-bound ledger book. "You will need to provide samples for testing, but Akwavi blood is currently rated at 10 Guzzles per ounce, and Lapi.. oh, wait, virgin male Lapi is a bit rarer.." She pages around and consults yet another book. "8 Guzzles per ounce. That's 3 more than the usual rate."
"How come that makes the blood better?" Trilup has to ask.
Aviri nods slowly at that price, picturing 80 to 100 sausages per ounce of blood. Promptly followed by wondering what blood was in those sausages to make them so cheap.
"Blood is the currency of the soul, some say," Igorina explains, as she goes to the counter. "The spiritual purity is of value to the nosferatu. Now, who wants to be tested first?" The woman turns around with a big syringe in one hand, a rubber hose in the other, and her tail tapping the seat of the ominous chair.
"We're mostly muscle under the protective layer of adorable fluff." Lin explains and eyes the syringe and tube like it's about to bite her, which it very well could, given the situation. "Does the individual rate we get vary based on the results of this 'testing'?" She asks.
"I'll go first," Aviri offers, settling down onto the chair, and trying not to look at the needle.
"The testing is for blood type and to check for disease and parasites," Igorina explains with a smile. "It will determine if your blood can be used at all."
Igorina first secures Aviri's wrists with leather straps on the arms of the chair. Then she starts squeezing about the Lapi's arms and legs, making various 'hmmm' noises.
Aviri might not be breathing, anymore, the Lapi obviously doing his best to remain still and not fight the restraints.
"I've never pricked a Lapi before," Igorina admits. "Not too certain where the veins are.. oh.. yah, of course," the Skreek says, and grabs one of Aviri's ears.. where the veins are visible on the inner surface.
Lin siddles closer to Trilup and offers a hand to hold. "It'll be fine, Aviri." Lin says, hopefully, "Maybe you can get a proper piercing there later."
Aviri squeaks, the sudden ear-grabbing cracking his self-control. He sinks into the chair, as though he could meld with it and thus escape the bloodletting.
"Now don't squirm too much," Igorina says, brandishing the needle. "Save that for the bedroom, eh?" she advises with a smile, then pokes the hypodermic into a prominent ear vein.
Aviri sucks in breath as the pain registers. He grits his teeth and grips the arms of the chair until his fur seems to turn white.
At least there isn't much to take.. it just takes awhile. Finally the syringe is full and Igornia presses an antiseptic pad to the ear. "Hold this.. oh, well, have one of the girls hold it to your ear for a bit," Igorina notes.
Lin scoots over and holds the pad against Aviri's ear for Igorina. "Are you alright?" She asks, giving Aviri a pat on the shoulder with her free hand.
Aviri's eyes seem stuck open as he nods in repsonse to Lin's question. "Bit of a sting," he says tightly.
"Normally we have a vampire handy to lick the wound, but with the festival we are short-staffed," Igorina explains as she marks the vial of blood and puts a wax cap on it.
"Can we untie him?" Trilup asks.
"I suppose so.." the rat nurse says.
Trilup undoes the straps for Aviri. "So, how long before he turns into a vampire?" she asks.
Aviri blinks, finally. "That's it?"
"Do we have to be tied down too if we promise to hold still?" Lin asks, eyeing the straps skeptically.
"That's all for testing," Igorina notes. "When you make a deposit there will be more." She assembles a fresh hypodermic needle. "That will depend," she tells Lin. "You have very thick fur.. I will need to shave a spot first."
Once untied Aviri is quick to vacate the chair. "Oh, right," he says. He shakes his fingers and takes over the task of holding the pad against the wound.
"Shave? What's that?" Trilup whispers to Lin.
Aviri's blood sample goes into one of the boxes along the wall, which releases a gust of cold air when opened.
Lin squeaks and shakes her head slightly as she relinquishes the gauze pad to Aviri. "Is there a way to not shave me?" She asks, "I've seen a shaved Aquavi before and it ain't a pretty thing. Poor guy looked frozen half to death. Maybe you could just push it to either side and try that way?" She demonstrates by spreading her arm fur to either side, rezealing a uselessly thin line of grey skin. "It's when your fur gets cut off. Someone thought it would be a good prank to play on a scout a couple years back, he couldn't swim for a couple months and he had to wear this awful sweater until his fur grew back. Avoid at all costs." Lin whispers back.
"It only needs to be a little spot," Igornia notes. "Or one where there are exposed veins. Perhaps just a bit off the tail?"
Lin hugs her tail and whines.
"We got finger and toe pads," Trilup offers, wiggling her fingers.
"Remember you don't have to give blood," Aviri says to her quietly, his head at a slight angle so his arm doesn't have to reach up very far.
"How will we get sausage then?" Trilup asks Aviri. "Maybe we could sell rides on Waddles?"
Igorina eyes the walking trunk with suspicion. "Well, if you are too afraid.." the Skreek taunts.
"I'll do it!" Trilup says, and hops into the seat and puts her tail in her lap.
Lin rolls her eyes and watches the process, looking quite relieved to have a test subject to observe before doing it herself. "Ain't affraid, just don't want to wind up cold from swimmin'. Ain't natural." She mutters.
Aviri gives Lin a condescending pat on the head. "Not everyone's cut out for being bold," he says with a smirk.
Igorina gets a glint in her eye and produces a straight razor. "Now keep still!" she says.. and carefully scrapes away a small spot about a half-inch across.
"We can't all be super courageous heroOOWWWWS!" Trilup says, only to yowl when the needle goes in.
"See, not so bad!" Igorina claims, smiling at Lin. "Should be easy for a pirate, after all. Don't you have a tattoo on your butt anyway?"
Trilup licks her tail where it was poked, then perks up. "Lin, do you have a butt tattoo? And you never showed me?"
Lin gives the lot of them a flat, unimpressed expression. "Skulking around and striking from the shadows is my thing. Playing hero gets people killed. We're not in a bleeding storybook. An' no, those don't show through fur anyways. But fine, it's a small enough bit of fur. I shouldn't miss it."
"Better do it on her butt then," Trilup suggests as she hops down from the chair.
"I don't have a butt tattoo!" Lin grumbles as she hopps up on the chair and pointedly offers up her tail.
"Vell, there is a good tattooist in town if you want one," Igorina says, then lifts up her smock to show off a pink heart around her navel (since the white-skinned Skreeks have fairly sparse fur on their bellies). She covers up again and picks up the razor.
Trilup is now staring at Aviri's ears. "Tattoo.." she mutters.
Aviri looks down at her and shakes his head. "No tatooing my ears," he says.
"Awww, I'll pay for it!" Trilup offers, smiling toothily. "It can say 'Trilup Is Great!' in fancy letters! Or have my picture!"
Lin's tail gets a patch shaved close, and then the needle goes to work. It pinches, of course, and is a little sore afterwards.
"No," Aviri says again. "Needle-points are bad enough. Not gonna get a piercing, either."
Lin flinches at the needle prick and blinks. "Seriously? That's it?" She asks.
"You'd look more piratey with an earring though," Trilup pouts.
The sample goes into the box. "Now we just wait for the tester to arrive.." Igorina says.
"And if I don't want to look like a pirate," Aviri says, smoothing his waistcoat.
"Everyone wants to look like a pirate!" Trilup counters.
Aviri chuckles and extends his free hand. "Nice to meet you, Trilup, I'm Aviri."
There's a knock at the door, and Igorina opens it to reveal a very scrawny looking Eeee, who for some reason is wearing suspenders and has rather large eyes. They don't glow, but he does seem to be constantly staring. "Ah, Mister Fist!" Igorina says happily. "Just in time! We have three exotic samples."
The strange Eeee stares at the Lapi and Akwavi. "Have they sneezed or anything?" he asks Igorina, who shakes her head.
While Trilup shakes Aviri's hand out of confusion, Igorina retrieves the blood samples from the godbox cooler. Then several shot glasses are set out on the table, which get filled with some of the blood from each vial. Another glass of water is set out as well.
"Which of you would like to be tested first?" the Skreek asks the trio.
Lin raises her hand. "Why not." She chirps.
The glass with Lin's blood is handed to Mister Fist, who sniffs it, then swirls it around a bit and holds it up to the light while squinting. After that, he drinks it down.. and swirls it around in his mouth, making his cheeks bulge out. Finally he just spits it back into the glass instead of swallowing. "Interesting. Piscine aftertaste, less salty than the usual but with a hint of pepper.." is Mister Fist's verdict after he wipes the blood from his lips with a napkin. "Solid eight rating."
Lin blinks and tilts her head to the side. "Are you saying my blood tastes fishy?" She asks, not sure if she should be impressed or not.
"Oh no, your blood tastes bloody," Mister Fist claims. "It is your spirit that tastes fishy. And slightly peppery."
Aviri shudders softly as he watches the Eeee appraise Lin's blood, as though it were a wine or something.
"Weird, but kind of cool." Lin says. One side of her face is slightly scrunched up while the other side is more or less expressionless, still not knowing how to feel about all this.
"Do me next!" Trilup asks.
First, Mister Fist washes out his mouth with the water, then accepts the next glass from Igorina. It is subjected to the same process as Lin's. "Very sweet and fizzy," Mister Fist notes. "Hint of purple and stripes. Would go good with rum, I think. So seven if mixed for an adult, eight if straight for a child."
Igorina marks things down on her clipboard.
"What do stripes taste like?" Trilup wonders.
Finally, Aviri's blood is sampled. Mister Fist takes extra time with it, swishing it thoroughly before spitting. "Hmmmm," he ponders. "The blood itself has a decent flavor, while the spirit is a bit.. iconoclastic. Mushroomy, I'd say. Like the soup. Still, an eight for flavor alone. But maybe not the best for nosferatu palates."
"Thank you, Mister Fist," Igorina says, as she picks up an abacus and starts doing some calculations.
Aviri frowns at the description of his blood, but can't think of a reason to take offense to having a mushroomey flavor.
The Eeee bows, and leaves. It isn't clear if he was even a vampire at all.
Lin looks wide-eyed at Aviri. "Even your blood tastes like mushrooms! How into plants are you?" She boggles.
After finishing with her calculations, Igornia says, "I can authorize 12 Guzzles-per-ounce for both of the girls, and 8 Guzzles-per-ounce for the Lapi.. after service fees, of course. Did you wish to make your deposits now?"
Aviri blinks, then nods. "Yes, now would be best," he says. "Service fees?"
"Sure, I guess." Lin says, then looks back and forth between Aviri and Trilup then back to Igorina. "But how much money do we actually need? It's not like we're moving into this area permanently or anything. Just passing through and then back. Maybe a couple nights in inns, some food, more rope, maybe transportation if we don't feel like walking. There just ain't too much to spend money on."
"That sounds like quite a bit to spend it on," Igorina notes. "There are also contests and games of chance at the Festival. You will replace the blood quickly if you each give an ounce."
"We could bribe vampires," Trilup tells Aviri. "If they want to suck on us, we can just say we gave at the bank.. uh.. right?"
"That's what I've been trying to say to you," Aviri says in reply. "You don't need to deposit. But if you want, I won't stop you." He looks at the chair, then to Igorina. "I'll go first. And ... a dozen ouces?"
"What do you need that much money for?" Lin exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. Ninety six guzzles sounds like enough to buy a house! Are you really leaving St- Our home?"
"Oh, you cannot deposit more than three ounces per day," Igorina says. "And if you wish to be thrifty, the Akwavi have more value per ounce."
Aviri shrugs. "Good to be prepared," he says. "And twelve ounces isn't that much blood."
Aviri says, "Not really. 10% of blood."
"Why just three ounces?" Trilup asks.
"Echo-gnomics," Igorina says. "There is a fixed amount of currency in circulation, so adding more all at once can lessen the value."
Aviri nods at Igorina's statement. "Alright, three it is, then." He gulps and settles down into the chair, gritting his teeth.
Another obvious reason for the limit is that the syringes don't come any bigger. This time Igorina draws from the other ear though, and it takes some time - not a lot of pressure in the small veins.
"If we both do two, we'll all have twenty four guzzles to work with." Lin says to Trilup then asks Igorina, "Do you know how much a guzzle is worth in shekels?"
"I am not sure of the exchange rate," the Skreek admits as she draws blood from Aviri's ear. "Only the Roadhouse deals with both currencies."
Aviri's eyes are fixed on a little mote of something on the wall, his hands gripping the chair as though trying to squeeze juice out of it.
"Fair enough." Lin chirps, "Do you know if the roadhouse exchanges the currencies or if we're stuck with any blood money we have left over when we're done here?"
"I suppose they would do it," Igorina says. "Otherwise, you can bring back the remainder and exchange it for your blood."
The last drop is extracted from Aviri, and Igorina fills out an elaborate label, along with some other form, before she's ready for Lin.
"But blood grows back pretty fast." Lin says, "I've had some pretty nasty cuts before and was fine after a few days. What would we do with the blood if we got it back? I suppose we could make cool necklaces or something."
"You will probably get many requests, because you are rare sorts for Tempest," Igorina points out. "You may wish to sell some of your saved blood directly, if you do not wish to be bitten."
Aviri takes a few deep breaths as the needle's removed. "Don't think we'll need our blood back," he says. "Could just donate the money on our way out."
"Or buy souvenirs!" Trilup suggests.
"The novelty shirts are very popular," Igorina offers.
Lin gets up on the chair and wraps her tail up onto her lap. "So can I get two ounces in coins and one ounce in some kind of bottle that keeps it from going bad? How else do you sell saved blood? Would I give them a note that says they can go to the bank and get some or what?" She barages the nurse.
"You can also have your blood made into jewelry," the Skreek says, as she pokes Lin's tail to draw out two ounces. "You will be given a certificate of deposit with your lot number on it, so that people can come and buy your blood directly if they wish."
The otter winces as her tail is pricked again. "What kind of jewelry?" She asks, "Can it be cool enchanted jewelry or is it like a little bottle of blood you wear as an earing?"
Aviri chuckles at Linyala's questioning, though he's more interested in keeping the bandage on both ears than at stopping her.
"Blood in vials does not last long," Igorina points out. "And bad blood is.. bad. There are stones that can be infused with the blood instead, and ways of hardening it. Blood magic is forbidden, of course, except in war."
"Would the blood crystals or stones be waterproof?" Lin asks, looking a little crest-fallen that she can't have a magic necklace made of blood.
"I believe the blood crystals are," Igorina notes, removing the syringe and preparing the deposit. "Swimming is not common here."
"What about bobbing for apples?" Trilup asks.
"We have sausage," Igorina points out. "You can bob for that. In gravy."
"Ewww," Trilup complains, and replaces Lin in the seat. "You should bob for sausage in cheese."
"Hot cheese?" Aviri asks, eyes going wide. "That'd hurt!"
"There's hot cheese?" Trilup asks, looking surprised.
Lin humms and nods as she scoots out of the chair for Trilup. "I've already got this cool monster teeth necklace so I don't need a blood pendant. We don't really have enough ear to make earings worthwhile. Maybe I could get a blood gem for my hat band! It could go right where the feather is attached."
The Lapi looks at Trilup oddly. "If you heat it up, yes," he says, making it sound like a question. "Good with bread."
The notion of putting blood on a haunted item is not something that Natasha would likely approve of.
Trilup winces at the prick of the needle as Igorina draws more blood. "The blood is stored in the godboxes to keep it cold and fresh here in the bank. I always hope they will make portable versions someday.. but the craft seems to be mired in tradition," the rat comments.
"So it's just an enchantement that binds the soul of an ancestor to any container to make the inside cold, right?" Lin asks, "Then why couldn't that enchantment be cast on a flask or something? Immagine the possibilities! You could have chilled water anytime, anywhere, you could keep fresh fish fresh in your pack on a long trip! That would be awesome!"
"Why does everything have to be about fish with you?" Aviri says with a chuckle.
"Well, supposedly the box is made specifically for that spirit, so that it wants to stay in it like.. like a little house," Igorina explains. The boxes on the wall are each different and ornate, certainly. "And the longer a spirit stays in one place, the colder that place becomes, apparently. So.. you would need to find a spirit that liked very small spaces to make something you could carry around with you.."
"Why does everything have to be about plants with you?" Lin counters, "It's like you're a herbivore or something."
"Fish ARE everything!" Trilup notes, then concedes, "Well.. most things."
"Fish make good fertilizer for plants," Igorina offers, and finishes up with Trilup.
"I don't eat most of the plants I study," Aviri counters. "Plants are interesting in and of themselves. Fish are just fish."
"I don't know you anymore." Lin declares and turns her nose up at Aviri.
Trilup looks as if Aviri just said that all otters look the same.
"You only like them because they're tasty," Aviri says to the otters. "I like plants because they're fascinating. Completely different things."
Lin pointedly turns to Igorina as though nothing just happened and says, "Do you think the 'spirit houses' could be made in the size and shape of a flask then? Or maybe a bag?"
"Take these to the front desk," Igorina says, holding out some certificates. "The ones with the blue seal are yours to keep - they are your receipt of deposit. If you ever need to make another deposit, you can show that and avoid the paper work. The ones with the red stamp are your blood-credits. You can exchange them at the desk for currency."
To Lin, the Skreek shrugs. "You would need to ask a godsmith," she says. "Although a drunkard spirit might like to abide in a flask."
"Cool!" Lin chirps, accepting her papers. "If I find one in our travels, I'll ask."
Aviri seems satisfied that he won whatever it was just happened, and accepts the certificates. "Thank you." He frowns. "Though, all this blood gets drunk, right? Eventually? So the supply of money would .... ah, nevermind."
"The blood that gets drunk is still purchased with currency," Igorina points out. "Nothing is free. Unless you are kidnapped and drained by a gang of vampires, of course."
Aviri nods. "Ah, right. Thank you!" He pins his first ear to his shoulder, then realizes the pinhole has already coagulated, and straightens himself back up.
Igorina holds the door open for them, but also whispers to Aviri, "I have other tattoos if you'd like to visit after the bank closes.."
Aviri nods politely to Igorina as he steps through the door, though her words give him pause. "'ll keep that in mind," he says, a bit worriedly.
Igorina holds the door open until even waddles has passed out, then follows to the waiting room (while apparently someone has removed the bodies of the bad-credit folks from the Collections Department). Nobody else is waiting, so Igorina bids them all farewell.
Lin procedes to the front desk and shows the clerk her papers. "I'd like to collect twenty four guzzles please." She chirps and sets the sheet with the red dots on the desk.
The rather gray-skinned human clerk takes the paper and counts out the coins before handing them across, all without a word.
Aviri simply hands the paper over, his voice apparently still in disarray after Igorina's suggestion. He shakes his head and tries to smile at the clerk.
"Thanks!" Lin chirps and opens Waddles, setting the coins in a corner in four stacks of six. She closes the trunk and sits on it.
The clerk responds to the smile with an odd stare, before finally giving Aviri the coins. Maybe smiling in a town of vampires isn't just a friendly gesture.
Aviri just takes the money and backs away from the counter, the smile gone from his face. He takes out his coin purse, frowns, puts it back, and deposits his bounty directly into the pocket, followed by his hand.
After Trilup gets her own funds, it's back to the street. The Festival is visible down the main road, with more buildings becoming apparent the closer one gets to the main castle, which has its own rings of walls. It's the first castle the group has seen that isn't in ruin or partial ruin.
"I do not like those boxes," Silv whispers, when no vampires are nearby.
"It does seem weird." Lin repplies quietly. "You're anchored to my hat but the hat isn't cold. It's quite comfy actually. It doesn't make sense."
Aviri's face suddenly lights up, for the first time since Igorina. "Ooooh, I get it," he says. "Don't worry, Silv. I won't let 'em take you or anything."
"I don't actually stay inside the hat," Silv notes. "It is an anchor, not a prison cell."
"And you really should get a pirate tattoo on your butt," the spirit adds. "I have one! Well, not a pirate one, technically, because I was not a pirate. Technically."
"And the way she said it, "like houses for spirits that makes them want to stay", made it sound like they could leave at any time if they wanted to. That doesn't sound very helpful considering I'd immagine that most spirits want to move on to the afterlife or whatever there is. People probably wouldn't want their cold box to stop working 'cause the spirit got bored." Lin muses, "And how is a tattoo supposed to show through fur? I'd have to stay shaved all the time and it would be ugly. Maybe there's some kind of magic fur dye that makes a pattern stick permanently."
"There is a special light that makes the ink glow through fur," Silv notes. "Although sometimes it's just amusing to have people shave their butts to prove their association. I think it all started out with different crews mooning one another in bars."
"I think I'll go for some fur dye instead. Then I can change the tattoo every few months instead of it being both permanent, and hard to show off." Lin decides.
"Sorry, Silv," Aviri says, eyeing the Festival. "Not gonna get a tattoo." His eyes defocus for a moment, and when they come back he's looking at the castle, then down another street. "This way, to continue onward."
Not everyone is a vampire. The humans couldn't be.. not out in 'daylight' - such as it is in Sylvania. They just look pale and not very healthy, but that could be from a lack of vegetables. And there are a lot of parasols in use as well. The Eeee at least are more obvious - most of the vampire sort have distinct eyes after all. There are also Skreeks and Korvs and a few Khatta as well. No dedicated herbivores however.
The air is also a bit thick with smoke and a certain degree of greasiness. Sausages are being cooked, or deep fried, or dried into sausage jerky, or made into stranger things, like sausage pudding. And that's just the stuff that isn't catering to vampires.
Aviri's just wanting to avoid the Festival altogether. His time in the Roadhouse, and the blood bank, has put him off the local vampiric culture. And they could always rejoin with the south road on the other side of town.
Lin looks around at the festival and pulls a single guzzle out of Waddles. "Lets grab some snacks for the road. I'm gettin' pretty low on salted fish and some of these saussage things look pretty good. From what Adelthingy told us, a guzzle should get a lot of food."
"Do you think they have fish sausage?" Trilup asks, sniffing the air. "Or pie? I bet they have sausage pie. That guy over there is eating one on a stick! FOOD ONNA STICK! And that one has.. it looks like some sort of bun.."
"Sausage inna bun!" a vendor calls out. "With melted cheese or pickled cabbage! Three kinds of onions! With or without crunchy bits! We've got proper mustard too, not the green stuff!"
Aviri siiiiighs and turns away from his hopeful side-road. "Could probably find better-priced food in a ... not Festival," he says. "Wonder if there's a bakery or something."
There are certainly places selling bread. It just seems to be the local dark rye which may or may not be contaminated by ergot fungus. Although, there is some variety in the style, from buns to muffins to swirling rolls covered in sticky stuff.
"So you can get more of that weird fungus bread?" Lin asks, then pulls him along towards the vendors. "Live a little, try something new, don't grow mushrooms out of your ears. I bet you can find at least one kind of saussage you like here. It's a whole festival of food in a tube!"
Cabbage is apparently the one vegetable in common supply, along with turnips and onions and some purple potatoes called 'saurspuds'. There are also some 'dessert' sausages that seem to made of mostly vegetables and honey.
"It's a whole festival of blood and meat in a tube," Aviri counters unenthusiastically. "Not a single leaf in sight." Discounting the cabbages, of course. He sticks close to the middle, trying to avoid the clusters near the stalls and booths, his eyes lingering on, then passing over, the dessert sausages.
"That!" Trilup call out, pointing to a dunking booth. Or rather, a booth with big pots of batter and a dangerously gurgling deep fryer. "They let you dip your own stuff and then fry it!"
There are corrals full of pigs as well, and they get fed actual vegetables it seems. At least, there are carrots.
Aviri pauses, and peers at a baker's booth, frowning at the recollection of the infested grain. At the further recollection of stale bread, he heads over to purchase a few loaves, and a half-dozen rolls.
Lin stands on Waddles' lid to get a better view of the signs over the booths. She looks for anything with fish in it as well as any spiced saussages that look like they'd keep for a few days.
The bread is surprisingly expensive, all things considered. The baker also points out his brother's neighboring cheese booth. "Great cheeses, from actual animals that give milk!"
There is a booth selling Pepper Sausage, which at least sounds spicy.
"Actual animals?" Aviri asks while pondering the selection. "As opposed to fake animals? Or fake milk?"
"Yes!" the baker claims. "There are milks from non-animals."
Aviri is a little relieved that they don't try to make cheese out of /blood/ as he hands over a guzzle for his wares. "I'll check it out, then!" he says with an all-lips smile, testing that against the populace. "Oh, and do you know of a place I could get some cabbages? And/or carrots?"
Lin gets down from Waddles and waves at Trilup. "I'm gonna go check out those pepper saussages!" She calls, "Don't fry your tail!" With that Lin heads over to the pepper saussage booth, as she walks, she looks it over and checks for posted prices. "Hiya, do you have samples?" She chirps.
"Pickled cabbage is very popular!" the baker notes. "I sold out of cabbage bread. Spicy cabbage bread goes quickest. Carrots? The stuff they feed the pigs? The.. pig sellers might sell some?"
"Yes," the pepper sausage man says. "You pay for whole sausage, and you can sample it many times."
"Oooo, cabbage bread," Aviri says longingly. "Shame you're out. Thanks for all this, though!" He indicates his stuff, then heads toward the cheese-hut while he puts the bread into his satchel.
Trilup is also at the cheese booth. "Hot cheese.. is that very spicy, or just actually hot? And if it's hot how do you keep it from melting? Do you have cool melted cheese?" The cheesemonger just stares down at the otter, perhaps trying to figure out what she is.
Aviri takes a moment to observe all this before stepping up beside and slightly behind Trilup, queueing and letting her shop.
Lin stares at the saussage vendor for a moment then chuckles. "Alright. How much then for one?" She asks.
The sausage vendor holds up a small sausage, and tells Lin, "One nibble. It is very spicy."
Trilup finally picks a block of cheese at random, because she likes the colors of the specks in it, then notices Aviri. "Did you get a carrot?" she asks. "You should get a carrot. Then get it deep fried with batter and put on a stick!"
"Not yet," Aviri says. "Pig-food is coming after cheese." He chuckles and browses the selection for a bit before selecting a trio of strong to medium cheeses.
Lin offers the vendor her guzzle. "Lets see about that. I'll take one to start." She says, taking the claims of spice as a challenge. "I'll be needin' some change for that."
"Do you want some juice?" the sausage vendor asks Lin. "You will want it for your tongue.." he notes, while slowly counting out the change.
Lin raises an eyebrow. "Sure." She chirps. "Just in case, eh?"
After paying for the cheese, Aviri adds the chunks to his satchel and sets off in search of pig-slop with a determined face.
For a few Sips extra, Lin is given a cup of a gray, milky liquid.
Lin stashes her change in a vest pocket and takes the saussage. After giving it a light sniff, she samples the heck out of it, taking a quarter off in one bite and chews thoughtfully.
The sausage is very peppery, but not kyootcumber-level spicy.
Aviri once again returns to the middle of the street, head bouncing from side to side in his usual way, though he does manage to take a bit of time away from danger-watching to spy a couple pig cages. He makes for the least popular one.
Lin nods appreciatively and pants a little. "I'll take another dozzen to go." She takes a sip of the juice to soothe her blazing mouth then passes the vendor a bite and two nibbles.
"Ah, someone who appreciates food that bites back a little!" the vendor notes, and fills a bag with Lin's order. "Do you want a pint of Mushroom Milk with that? On the house."
Lin smiles and accepts the bag. "That'd be great, thanks!" She chirps.
The man hands over a bottle as well, full of the odd milk.
Lin thanks the vendor once more and scoots off in search of jerky, Waddles trundling along behind her. She turns around and puts her hand on the trunk's lid, as though to open it, then decides against it and keeps the foodstuffs away from the hungry trunk.
The pigs in these cages are.. homely. Some apparently have mushrooms growing on.. or out of.. them. "Looking for a fine.. uh.. pet?" the girl at the cages asks of Aviri, figuring a Lapi isn't looking for pork.
The presence of flora on fauna gives Aviri pause, and he has to suppress the botanist within himself so he can keep his mind on other matters. "Nno, not a pet," he says. "I was told this was the only place to get carrots? And possibly cabbages?" He adds that last bit hopefully.
"Oh.. for stew?" the girl asks, looking down to a bucket kept near the cages. It's certainly filled with cabbage and carrots, and the odors in the air indicate the pigs are eating them.. but nobody feeds pigs the good stuff.
"Well, preferably good carrots and cabbages," Aviri notes, warily eyeing the slop. "If there are any," he adds.
"Well.. I get them fresh from my dad," the girl says, and points across the road to a more crowded section of the festival, where steam can be seen rising up. "He makes the pickled-sliced-cabbage. It's a popular garnish."
Aviri turns and peers at the crowd with a bit of trepidation. "I'll try there, then," he says. "Thanks." Nodding to the girl, he heads toward the crowd.
There is a lot of jostling in that crowd, and most everyone is taller than Aviri, which makes navigation a bit difficult.
Aviri stays on the outskirts, trying to find a way between or around the crowd to get at least a glimpse of the stand.
Something grabs Aviri's tail from behind.
After having wandered around the festival, chatting up vendors and inspecting saussages, Linyala makes one last round of the grounds to make her purchases. The four more bags of meat products she's aquired are more than she can carry by hand though so she, with some trepidation, instructs Waddles to not eat her snacks and entrusts her food to the enchated chest.
Aviri yelps and jumps both up and away from the crowd, one hand trying to disengage the grabber while the other keeps his satchel closed on his thigh.
This causes the little human girl that grabbed the bunny to squeal when her hand is grabbed! "Leggo! Ahhhh!"
Aviri lets go and smooths out his clothes, trying to still his heart. "Y'scared me," he explains.
"You're a bunny!" the girl says, pointing at Aviri. "You're supposed to be quiet and cuddly and playful until you go into the stew!"
The Lapi frowns, his eyes occasionaly darting around to ensure nobody's trying to sneak up to suck his blood or anything. "I see," he says finally. "'Scuse me, trying to find cabbage." He takes a few side-steps to resume his quest, though now he keeps an eye on the girl and his tail.
It looks like the buck will have no choice but to try and squeeze past some people. Most of the ones around the stall are human, and thus not easily pushed aside.. but there are a few Eeee just sort of taking up space.
Aviri sighs and backs away, to the middle of the road once more, and idly looks for either the otters or another bakery, on the chance the bakery would have some good things.
There are plenty of bakers it seems. And while Trilup has vanished, it isn't hard to find Lin, as people have no choice but to give way for Waddles.
The lack of Trilup strikes a pang of fear in Aviri's chest. As he heads for Lin, he can't help but think of some vampire dragging the otter off to get drained for guzzles or something.
Lin waves at the lapi when she sees him approaching. At the moment, she appears to be munching on something that looks suspiciously like bread on a stick. "Ahoy!" She chirps, "Find everythin' you were after?"
"Mostly," Aviri says. He eyes a few nearby bakeries, trying to divine which, if any, might have vegetables left over. "Still trying to find greens. Or oranges, as the case may be." He turns to her. "See Trilup around?"
One nearby baker is hawking mushroom muffins.
"You and those plants. I just hope you didn't run yourself out of money tryin' to get veggies at a saussage festival. There are prolly markets and stuff in town where you kin find that stuff." Lin chirps, "And I haven't seen her. Want me to let her know we're meeting up again?" Lin taps her hat and winks at Aviri.
In the bustle and anxiety of the crowds, Aviri had momentarily forgotten about Silv. "Oh, right," he says, nodding to the hat. "Yes, please. At least some indication as to where she is. Both have expensive blood, after all." He starts toward one of the bakery stalls. "Did you find everything you wanted, too?"
"Yeah! I've got a bunch of beef jerky an' I mean a lot! Then there are these saussages on sticks baked in corn bread, pigs in blankets, spicy saussages, and an eel pie! I'm a little skeptical about the pie though 'cause eels aren't the greatest and it's a pie at a saussage fest. Kind of out of place, you know? But I figgured it was worth a try. I spent a whole guzzle on all this!" She flips open Waddles' lid to show off the three bags, pie box, and bottle of mushroom milk. "Such a good haul!" She glances up at her hat and then around to make sure the coast is clear of vampires before whispering, "Hey, Silver, could ya let Trilup know we're meeting up by the baker with the mushroom muffins?"
There's a pause, then a barely-there spirit-whisper from Silv: "Who?"
"Cornbread!" one baker calls to Aviri. "From corn! Sweet and filling!"
Lin blinks then slowly whispers back, "Trilup. The other Aquavi. Y'allright up there?" She perches lightly on the edge of Waddles's lid and starts scanning the crowd for any sign of Trilup.
The cornbread call makes Aviri pause, and head over, gauging the items on display, visually testing them for hardiness on a long journey. Or, as he quickly realises, for a fluffy snack on the way out of town. "Smells good," he admits. "Out of curiosity, got any vegetables? To go with the cornbread?"
"Uhhh.. which one are you again?" Silv whispers. It almost sounds as if she's drunk, but.. ghosts can't get drunk, can they?
"Vegetables?" the vendor asks, looking thoughtful. "I've got carrot bits.. left over from the carrot cake."
"I'm Lin, the one with the hat. Trilup is the one with the horn thing. She's also the aquavi that isn't me. There are only the two of us... Are you having a party with other spirits in my hat?" Lin asks, starting to look somewhat disconcerted by Silver's lack of functionality.
Aviri's mouth waters at the idea of both carrot bits and carrot cake. "Y-yes, that would be excellent," he says. Shredded carrots, while not as good as whole ones, were certainly better than no carrots at all, and far above soggy, pigslop carrots.
The baker produces about a half-cup of carrot shavings. "Not enough for a new cake, and I only make them in the morning.. I guess you can have this, if you're getting the cornbread," the man offers.
Aviri gulps as discreetly as he can and selects one of the large loafs, pauses, then adds three ... no, four fist-sized rolls.
"Party? Where's a party?" the ghostly raccoon asks Lin. "I'm.. good.. for.. a party. Just need a nap first. Hard to stay.. ... ..."
"Awake." Lin finishes for Silver, sullenly. She sighs and flicks her hat brim and mutters, "Fat lot of help you are."
"Okay, Waddles, looks like Silver's not going to be much help right now so we get to track Trilup the right way!" Lin chirps and hopps down. "Hey, Aviri!" She calls to the lapi, "Finish up there an' come on. Silver's taking a nap so we get to find Tril on our own." With that, the otter and trunk head for the batter and fry booth where they last saw Trilup.
Aviri pays the baker, carefully putting the cornbread on top of the contents of his satchel so they don't get squished, and nibbles on pinches of the carrot-bits as though they were a prized delicacy as he follows Linyala. "Last I saw she was buying cheese," he says, pointing in the direction of the cheese stall.
Aviri says, "Mmmm, decaying pigs. The tastiest."
The cheese merchant finishes serving a customer, and smiles to the otter and rabbit.. and gives an uncertain nod to the walking chest. "Fine cheeses for all tastes," he declares, indicating his spread.
"Hi, again," Aviri says to him. "Did you happen to see where that akwavi that was here before me went? About this tall?" He holds his hand at Trilup-height from the ground.
"The Kavi girl?" the vendor asks. "I think she went towards the dip-n-fry after she got her cheese."
Aviri nods. "Yes, her, and thank you!" He breifly pondered picking up more cheese, but realized that the three wheels was by far enough, and returned to Lin. "Dip and Fry," he says to her.
"Thanks mister!" Lin chirps and heads off. "Told ya I saw her at that station last." She grins at Aviri. "Are ya getting worried? You know we're trained to handle ourselves in a variety of scurmudgeonous situations."
"Well, I saw her last at the cheese stall," Aviri says, "and how was I to know my last was before your last?" He pokes her pointedly in the shoulder.
The Dip-N-Fry stall is busy, but since it's largely self-serve (Vendor Is Not Responsible For Oil Burns) it isn't hard to talk to the leather-apron clad man. "Yes.. the girl with lots of questions. She went off.. towards the castle, I think. I think she asked about candy. I remember a candy merchant that way."
"That reminds me, I have money now. I could get candy too! Thanks!" Lin salutes the Dip-N-Fry operator and sets off for the castle. "An' you should have known 'cause I'm a great observator. I see things." Lin deadpans, stretching her eyelids open at Aviri with her fingers.
The crowds are a little thinner as they pass through to the farther side of the festival. A bridge separates the festival grounds from the town proper - and that is where all the toilets are located as well. There is a stall selling sweets, some of which must count as candy, but mostly consists of dried fruits.
Aviri follows, rolling his eyes at that. "Right. Scout and all that. Forgot that meant you don't just sneak around being mischeivous."
"Hey!" Lin barks, "I do some great spy work. Had you heard of me before that spastic creen knocked me outta that tree? Of course not! That tree was a grave tactical error and now we're halfway across Sylvanuia. I should make mistakes like that more often." She looks over the 'candies' and raises an eyebrow. "I think we found your veggies."
Aviri does his best to look non-chalontly at the sweets, and even with his satchel nearly bursting with bread and cheese, and carrot-juice still on his teeth, he can't help but feel he needs some fruits to go along with it. "Worst. Creen. Ever." he says with a chuckle. "Still, shouldn't a Scout take such environmental variables into account?"
There are beets at least to represent the vegetable kingdom.
"There are 'environmental variables' an' then there are 'environmental variables'. That creen had it in for me!" Lin turns to the vendor behind the counter, "Hiya. Have you seen a girl like me come past here? Bit shorter, lots chattier?"
"Aye, so she really was a pirate then?" the vendor asks Lin, looking closely at her hat.
Lin bursts out laughing. "We're courriers, man. Just dressed up fer the fun of it. Pirates are more of a sky an' ocean thing anyways. Did you see where she went?"
Finally, Aviri's appetite for sweets gets the better of him. "And how much for...." He makes a gesture to the everything on the table.
"Each is a Sip," the vendor tells Aviri, then notes to Lin, "She went off with one of the Town Guards who thought she was a pirate.."
That makes Aviri's blood go cold. He mutters something under his breath. "Up toward the castle?" he asks the vendor.
"Yes, that's where the guardhouse is," the candy vendor says, and even points up the winding cobbled road past the bridge. "Through the outer gates, can't miss it."
Lin covers her eyes with a palm. "Of course." She intones, "Alright, someone obviously needs to explain to these guards the difference b'tween a kid dressin' up and piracy. She's got no ship fer one. Pirates always have ships. Thanks." Shaking her head, she storms off towards the castle.
Aviri's off, too, after giving the vendor a nod of thanks. "Hopefully it's nothing serious," he says, although he increases his pace until he's at a brisk jog toward the guardhouse.
The sound of Waddles running to keep up on the cobbles is an odd one, sounding like someone is dropping wooden blocks on the ground. The atmosphere is different on the other side of the bridge. Everything is gloomier and grayer, windows are almost always shuttered, and the sky makes ominous rumbles. There also aren't any pedestrians about, so that Aviri and Lin (and Waddles) are the only sources of sound, which echoes off the buildings.
"Homey, isn't it." Lin notes. "Can you still hear the festival? Seems a mite muted."
"I hear everything," Aviri says, though his voice is affected by the gloomy tone of everything. He slows a moment, then picks up his pace again, not wanting to get mired in the dull ominousness. "Sooner we can get out of here the better, though."
One thing Aviri notices is that his chest feels warm - specifically, the amulet is giving off heat.. and maybe starting to glow a bit, the blue light complimenting the gloom.
Aviri's hand not resigned to keeping all the bread and cheese in his satchel goes to his chest. The warmth is reassuring, and the gloomy glow looks better when locked behind flesh, anyway.
"You were just... Glowing." Lin comments, pointing at Aviri's shirt. "Last I checked, that isn't a normal thing for Lapi. You okay?"
"It's the talisman," Aviri says. "Either it doesn't like this place, or it really does." He opens his palm and looks down at the glow, filtered through his shirt and waistcoat, before covering it up again. "Not sure which is better."
The street narrows and branches, following the usual curving insanity common to Sylvanian towns, including the buildings looming inward or having bridges connecting the roofs to make everything feel underground. And in the shadows this creates there are hints of motion.. but just that. Nothing is ever then when looked at directly.
Lin shuffles up close to Aviri. "Either way, it's prolly best if we keep close. Silv is acting up so we're on our own right now in terms of helpful spirits. Let's just get to the guard house, explain that Trilup isn't a pirate, and get out of here. Failing that, we can tell them we're from Stonebarrow and declare war or something. I guess I could kill them in their sleep if need be. Never done that before though."
Aviri chuckles at Lin's words, though the sound is hollow and unjoyous in that place. "Hopefully it won't come to that." He glances behind them, making sure nothing's following them out in the open at least, and starts jogging faster, for once hoping Waddles can keep up. Or, at the very least if it can't, that the demon-box's rider could on her own feet. "Though if it does come to that, I hope you can hide away somewhere and at least get word back home as to what happened."
Finally they reach a wall, which the road has to follow. It goes in both directions, however. But there are some high towers visible over it to the right, so that might be the direction the outer gate is in.
"Hiding is specifically what I'm not known for." Lin chirps, panting a little, having picked up her pace to match Aviri's. "Maybe one of us should scale the wall and see if there's anything going on in the courtyard?" She offers, looking up the wall and guaging its climability.
Aviri glances left, then right, then goes right at a more manageable pace for Linyala. "Best not," he says. "Trilup got arrested for merely being dressed as a pirate. You go doing stuff like that...." He leaves the rest to Lin's imagination.
The shadows here are deeper, despite the buildings being further away from the wall, which is also taller than they are. Now the corner-of-the-eye movements come with the occasional shuffling sound or cough.
"Right. And speaking of being dressed as a pirate." Lin flips Waddles' lid open and changes into her leather vest and shorts. "That fancy stuff was making my fur bunch up somethin' fierce anyways." She rubs her elbows where the fur is sticking out at weird angles from rubbing around in the shirt. She takes off her hat and nearly puts it in the chest before deciding againt it and settling it back on her head. Everything else besides her everpresent knife goes in though, including her necklace and scarf. "Much less conspicques." She chirps.
Aviri glances to the right, into the shadows, quite frequently in an attempt to catch sight of the movement. The sounds coming from the shadows are unnerving to say the least, but he waits patiently for Lin to change. "Good call," he says to her attire choices. "C'mon, though. Best not dally."
After picking up the pace, since they just need to follow the wall, it only takes a few more minutes to reach the outer gate. It is very big, and the ironwood doors show scratches, gouges and burn spots as well. Two thick towers stand at each side, with numerous arrow slits and what look like swing-out sluices for dumping liquids on invaders. "Who goes there?" an armored human calls, wielding a pike with a creatively gruesome looking chitin blade.
"
"Aviri Chalk," Aviri says to the guard, pulling short of actually getting within range of the pike. "And Linyala Oggton. Travelers. We think our friend was mistakenly arrested."
"She looks like me but a bit smaller." Lin adds, "Dressed up like a bucaneer from a party we went to yesterday."
"Ah.. that one.. stay right there!" the guard orders, then steps backwards to knock on the gate. A slot opens and a pair of suspicious eyes look out. "Get the thaumosticator," the guard says into the slot.
There are some ominous clunks and clanks, and a small door is pulled open within the larger gate door, and a cloaked figure emerges. It is short, and hunched, and may or may not have an actual body under the cloak, because it sort of glides over the stones like some sort of high-speed snail.
Lin's hand drops near the zapper that's hanging from her shoulder. "Who is that?" She asks the guard, "A thaumisomethingorother? Sounds magical."
Aviri tries to make a calming don't-get-out-the-weapon gesture to Lin, surreptitiously, while baking up to make way for the cloak.
The figure doesn't come very close, staying next to the guard. It raises its hands, which.. don't look quite right. They might be gauntlets of some sort, especially since putting them palm-forward reveals.. eyes. Decorative or not, they blink and look real enough. The left one is blue, and the right one is pink. The thaumosticator sorts of just waves them around at the pair.
"Okay, what?" Lin asks, "The eye-hand thing is pretty cool, but what are you doing?"
"Female is contaminated like first one," the creature says in a voice that sounds like insects scratching on slate. "Box golem harmless. Lapi is also contaminated, but.." The hands circle closer together, as if focusing in on Aviri..
"The Lapi is here to assassinate the Count!" the figure declares, and the guard lowers his weapon menacingly.
Aviri groans inwardly at the questions Lin asks, which sound even to him to be vaguely suspicious--in general not a good thing, considering they're from Stonebarrow. He's about to berate her, when things start happening, and fast. "Wh-what?!" he cries, shocked, taking a step back. "I'm not! Here to get my friend. Here to visit a lake!"
"Oh for the love of- We're only here for Trilup and then we'll be on our way!" Lin growls at the pair of 'officials' and repplies to the lowered spear by raising her humming zapper. "Kindly discuss this like rational, sapient beings!"
And that's when the heavy net fell on them from above..