Chapter 8 ~ Into The Ways

[badams30]

"Now, gentlemen," Moonglimmer raises her glass, "let me thank you for your help. We are free and will find our way home."

The elf stands and looks to all her friends.

"To freedom. And finding the way home."

She downs the last of her wine, sits, and pours another glass.

Otis smiles and drinks to the toast. He says "And to really good friends - from all over."
Otis uncovers the mirror so that Katherine can see the goings on and he gives her a hearty smile.

Otis will sit back and chat with the critters and our newer friends, just making small talk, content to let the smarter folks handle talking to the outsiders.

[jcftao]

Odimus adjusts his foot and cries out in pain, "Of course you can! If you'd had a suitable guide, you'd not be in the Ways...he stops for a second realizing he is in the Ways himself. Er, what I mean is yes, you can get back home. You just need to find a gate that goes where you need to go. Now, where in particular are you trying to go?"

"We come from the Kingdom of Eyre, the stone that first sent us into the Fae realm was in the Forest of Nye. But I do not know what you would call my home realm... perhaps you have heard of these places?"

Odimus pulls out his pipe, packs it with tobacco and then lights it with his thumb, "The Forest of Nye, you say? Well, I've not had the desire to travel there. But, yes, you are still in Eyre. I come from Isprey. It is on the eastern side of Eyre, bordering on the Fish Marches."
"Why would you want to go back to Eyre? Boring place, just plain boring!"
His eyebrows perk up, "Now, if you really wanted an interesting place, I'd go to the pocket realms of J'ardru. The floating monasteries are built out of elemental chaos! Do you know how hard it is to build anything out of chaos? That would be like trying to get a clowder of cats to make a cat pyramid. Well, I suppose if they were feral, it would be a dowt of cats. Hmmm?" The little white mouse dashes into his sleeve at the mention of cats.

"Well, what was I saying? Oh, yes, Eyre..boring place, terribly boring. Easy to get to, but boring as hell."

Odimus winces again when he shifts in his seat, "Where's that order of herring, Nehim?"

Actions?

[merias]

Odimus pulls out his pipe, packs it with tobacco and then lights it with his thumb, "The Forest of Nye, you say? Well, I've not had the desire to travel there. But, yes, you are still in Eyre. I come from Isprey. It is on the eastern side of Eyre, bordering on the Fish Marches."
"Why would you want to go back to Eyre? Boring place, just plain boring!"
His eyebrows perk up, "Now, if you really wanted an interesting place, I'd go to the pocket realms of J'ardru. The floating monasteries are built out of elemental chaos! Do you know how hard it is to build anything out of chaos? That would be like trying to get a clowder of cats to make a cat pyramid. Well, I suppose if they were feral, it would be a dowt of cats. Hmmm?" The little white mouse dashes into his sleeve at the mention of cats.

"Well, what was I saying? Oh, yes, Eyre..boring place, terribly boring. Easy to get to, but boring as hell."

Odimus winces again when he shifts in his seat, "Where's that order of herring, Nehim?"

"Allow me to look into your order of herring, and perhaps you could tell us how to return to Eyre so easily? We would be grateful, it is not much - but it is home."

Erwin will go and check on the old wizard's order, and return to his table.

[jcftao]

Nehim meets Erwin with a plate of melon and cheese, "He's not getting anymore fish. He'll be laid up here with the gout for another week!"
She grins, "if he squabbles, tell him Nehim said no fish."

"I'm glad your group stopped into the Wayside Inn. You are good people, I can tell. You are welcome to stay. You look like you could use a rest. I'll make up your accomodations shortly, and remember, no more fish for Odimus."

[merias]

Erwin takes the plate of food back to Odimus and relays what Nehim told him. He sits down with Odimus to talk more about the gates and how to get back to Eyre, if he is willing.

[mythictom]

Moonglimmer will move to sit across fom the mirror.

"Katherine, I am called Moonglimmer. If I may ask, how is it you came to be in the mirror? Are you trapped within the mirror? Or is the mirror just a doorway? Can we do anything to help free you?"

[greyarea]

Fungo pulls up a seat next to Erwin and climbs up. His little hobbit-tummy can be heard outside of the inn, and anyone without hearing it might think there were owlbears or manticores growling within.

He says, I know you told him we came from the Forest of Nye, Erwin, and you're right, as far as it goes, but the forest that had the gate was in the Garwoods. We came from the Forest of Nye and travelled to the Garwoods. I know because I felt it was hammered into us by some ethereal force, or maybe just Lord Beamish.

Not that it's that important, I suppose. We find our way to one, we find out way to the other.

Anyway, I haven't any coin. Just a lot of lumps and discolored skin. I'd turn out my pockets but those were cut out when I was jailed, so I don't even have those. I even dropped my weapon when my own compatriot decided that I needed a sleep spell because she lacks that bone in her elbow that most people have.

So I have nothing to trade for food, but I did rescue the dwarf. And I did hit the King of Elfland with a discus of sorts.

Perhaps that's good for some chow...

[herself]

"Now, gentlemen," Moonglimmer raises her glass, "let me thank you for your help. We are free and will find our way home."

The elf stands and looks to all her friends.

"To freedom. And finding the way home."

She downs the last of her wine, sits, and pours another glass.

Susanna will come back over and sit beside Hadrian. She thought she heard someone in the kitchen earlier. Perhaps they went out through the other door.

She doesn't like the three gaunt men over at the table. While the others are celebrating and chatting, she will watch them.

[jcftao]

Odimus hands the plate of melon and cheese over to the hungry hobbit, "Here, have some herring..."

The wizard listens to Erwin's request and nods his head slowly while pulling on his pipe. He studies the hobbit a bit more intently. "Say, you've really been through the wringer, eh? You shied your dinner plate at him?! Why, that's really grand! I could never stand the pompous little snot...he's a right bastard, he is."

"Well, if you've been tossing china at the king of the faeries, I can't take you home."

He thinks for a moment and taps his pipe on the table. "You won't want to go home since the gate you came through will be thick with faeries. They'll make your whole group look like Master Fungo here."

"I'll have to think about it, but maybe you can go with me. I'll take you back to the Fish Marches. Terribly boring place...boring as dirt...you'll fit in wonderfully there!"

"Give me a week or so to get back on my feet. This damn foot is tighter than a miller's waistcoat."

Odimus goes on, telling stories, drinking wine, and nibbling on cheese.

++++++++++++++++++++
Moonglimmer has a quiet conversation with Katherine. She finds the lady in the mirror to be very pleasant and intelligent. Katherine tells her that she was called to serve the queen through the enchanted mirror. She is not trapped but by her vow to serve the owner of the mirror. Freedom would mean that she could leave the room that Moonglimmer can view through the glass. But Katherine will help her friends to the best of her ability. She will tell the truth on any subject she knows. The last thing she says to Moonglimmer is that she can feel her sadness. She feels that some part of the woodelf is clearly missing.

+++++++++++++++++++++
Susanna and Hadrian keep an eye on the three strange men seated at the table. They drink their wine and smoke their pipes. One of them deals out the strange cards a few more times. They never speak to each other, but one turns and looks over at the table when Moonglimmer raises her glass in a toast.

As the evening goes on (which is hard to tell since the sky has been pitch black since you've arrived) the three men stand up and navigate their way to the stairs. It is an uncomfortable thing to see. Each of the men are at least seven feet tall and the way they walk is very curious. They move in an ungainly manner as if walking on stilts. They make their way up the stairs, evidently to their rooms.

The candles grow short and the fire settles into a glowing red clump of coals. Nehim is washing tables and tidying up the common room.

Actions?

[greyarea]

Fungo is thankful for the food. I don' know if it was the ringer or the toller, but it hurt like the dickens. It hurts to chew, but not as much as it hurts to starve. Luckily I slept most of the way here. Between harried bites, he adds, Can you tell us more about the Fish Marchers, Odorous? How do you get them to march on their fins? Or is it a metaphor?