Tale as Old as Last Wednesday [Maid IC]

[Lycan 01]

Yuki pauses mid-stride, and lets out a sigh. "One moment, Lune," she nods to her friend.

She then turns around and stares intently at the bat for several seconds. And then a large grin suddenly appears on her face. "Whoa now dude, lemme see if I got this straight," she says in a bubbly, air-headed fashion. The assassin's cool and stoic tone has now been replaced by what can best be described as a "valley girl" accent.

"So you and your bros are all up in this tower, yeah? And the rats are all like 'no way man this is our turf' and stuff? Hmm," she pauses to thoughtfully chew her lip. "So is it like a belltower, or a clock tower? Or is just like some normal old tower? Is there, like, no way y'all can totally patch things up peacefully? Or maybe you should like totally find a belltower or something. That's more bat-y and whatever," she says with a playful grin and a roll of her eye.

[Deme]

"I-I will do my best!"

He scurries up the table leg.

This is terribly awkward, since Merry's about already halfway set the table, and he's a mouse, incapable of lifting a plate. All the same, he starts making the grunting and herculean effort for a mouse of his size to lift a metal fork...Which is taller than he is at his tallest.

"For...My...Cheese-Eating...Bro'zers!"

---

"Well, it's like, the tower that's, like, above you, man. I mean, like, we could have moved into the belltower of the chapel... But it's, like, totally the turf of those righteously unradical swallows, man. We can't get them to budge. It's a total bummer."

The bat sighed, heavy and weary with the total bummer-ness of his people.

[Lycan 01]

Yuki sighs. "Well, like, is there no possible way y'all can all just get along or something? Maybe forge an alliance in the bonds of rodent brotherhood or something like that? I mean, aren't bats rodents? Or something? I know you're like mammals and all that jazz," she says with a flippant hand wave. "You guys should be, like, bros and stuff. Working together, y'know? Imagine how totally awesome you guys could be if you worked together to defend your tower from outside threats, like Barn Owls!" she gasps in a rather aid-headed fashion.

Spoiler

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Cunning to plant the seeds of peace: (1d6x3)[9]

[Trobby]

Ante, taking pity on the hard-working little mouse, picks up the fork herself.

"You just point to where they should go, and I'll do the heavy lifting. Now then, little mouse, since you've shown how much this means to you, perhaps you could tell us a little more about your situation. Who exactly are these champions, and why would they want to harm you?"

[Benson]

Merry was still on the baffled derped side of things and just took a deep breath to take this in stride, or try to. There really wasn't too much to it, setting the table that is, Merry was more than sure she could handle it herself.

"You know Ante....all you really have to is mimic where I'm placing things..." She looked at the mouse curiously afterwards but said nothing at the moment, Ante seemed to have had it covered, chatting up a mouse that is.

[Atreli]

Lune nodded and the fireball disapeared. " Alright, Ms.Yuki." While waiting quietly, she wondered where the other girls had gone in her absence.

[Trobby]

"I know that, Merry." Ante whispers in a conspiratory tone. "But I know little layabouts quite well, and if you don't keep them busy, they find some sort of excuse to do nothing for you. Trust me, I know from experience."

She then turns back to the tiny helpful mouse, a smile on her face.

"Now, as I was saying, tell me the plight of your people. Pierre, was it not?"

[Deme]

Kitchen

"Eh, the barn owls are chill dudes -- they're, like, busy fighting the Flying fish down by the shore, dude....We could maaaaybe get along with the little mousey dudes, but they're just so uncool, dude. They won't stand down."

The bat explained, as...

Meanwhile, in the dining room,

Pierre pointed out the location of the cutlery. His people had high culture.

"Our problem is ze damnable bats. Zey are voracious thieves, taking our territory in the tower and claiming it for zeir....Rock and Roll roost, for zere long-haired 'culture.' Zey drop guano on our ballet! Zey are insufferable..."

Heignous..." Said the bat in the kitchen.

"Greedy..."

"Selfish..."

"Uncivilized..."

"Fundementaly square..."

""And even now, they seek for a weapon with which to destroy us!""

Of course, no one was in enough places at once to appreciate this creshendo.

[Trobby]

"You know, a more practical minded maid would point out that both mice AND bats are considered household pests." Ante said, after the mouse had made his case. "Is it not at all possible for you and the bats to come to some sort of diplomatic agreement? Something that doesn't involve secret weapons, legendary warriors, and bothering the beings who have every reason to throw you out of a house that isn't yours in the first place?"

[Lycan 01]

Yuki drops her ditzy blonde guise for a moment to look at Lune and observe: "Flying fish? Sounds like something you may be interested in investigating."

She then looks back at the rat and frowns. "But, like, dude... What if you could find a way to convince them to stand down? Like, a compromise? Maybe a surfing competition, or a talent show, or something? Surely there's something about them that's cool, too. I mean, like you said, they won't stand down. They're resisting in their own way and junk like that. Fight the power!" she exclaims, punching her right fist into the air.

Thankfully, her robot left hand has the strength and manual dexterity to balance the tea tray for a moment, before she resumes holding it with both hands.

[Benson]

"You should shave their heads bald, that'll do it," Merry chimed, not one for great advice.

[Atreli]

" It would." She said as a devious smile crossed her face. " I'm going to go see what they know or see if I can influence them. Bye Ms. Yuki!!"

Lune waved goodbye as dashed off down toward the beach.

[Deme]

The Beach

When Lune reached the beach, she found not the fabled flying fish...But rather a chest, washed up on shore.

---

The Kitchen

"I can try and talk the big kahuna into listening to your plans, maaan....But I, like, dunno, dude. The mice might not be down with your plan."

The bat flew up and waved.

"Peace, dude."

And he flew away.

----

Dining Hall

"I will try and speak to our elders, but I cannot garuntee zose dreaful bats will listen to le reason... Zis is our home, too, mademoiselle, long before your people arrived. It iz hope to ze finest Mouse art and ballet in all ze lands! It is a seat of culture! In ze interest of peace between ours, I may need to ask for your help again."

And he scampered off, calling,

"Adiue, Mon Ami!"

This left them with the table set...But rather unadorned.

[Lycan 01]

"Mahalo, little brah," Yuki nods to the bat, wishing him a farewell in Hawaiian.

She then coughs, recomposes herself... and realizes that Lune has scurried off. "Oh bother. Where has she gone off to?"

The assassin quickly makes her way to the dinning room. "My apologies for the delay. I ran into a bat, and Lune has run off to go perform her diplomatic responsibilities with a clan of war-mongering flying fish, or something of that sort," she explains upon her arrival.

[Trobby]

"...I'll have to look into that later." Ante says with a sigh. "But it couldn't be helped. We are running late as it is. Merry, would you help me gather our dishes of um...various levels of edibility...and to set them in here for lunch?" Ante makes a mental note that, for future meals, they will have to work out some sort of system, rather than relying on order to emerge from chaos.

[Benson]

"Uh..sure....alright," She answered a little absently, that was one weird situation. "....I...okay," Merry shook her head and made towards the hall to the kitchen.

[Trobby]

"I've dealt with stranger scenarios before." Ante informed her, following behind.

[Hawkflight]

"Hm. So this is where my cheeseplate stocks go." Terran said without much surprise. "...I think a wave of chaos will soon descend...If I am to excort thy sister to His Highness, I best do so now."

And so he went into the kitchen and interrupted Hani with her cake.

"Miss, art thou prepared to meet thy employer?"

Hani was interrupted in putting the berries on her cake, and instinctively hid behind her plush since Ante wasn't here.

""Um ... no," she said inaudibly.

[Deme]

He knelt down.

"What was that?"

[Hawkflight]

""No," she squeaked again, even quieter this time somehow.

[Deme]

"Thoud'st will have to speak up, Miss Hani...."

Then his eye lights up as an idea occurs.

"Sir Teddie, Noblest of bears, bravest of defenders of young ladies, would you kindly intercede for me with your mistress, and tell me if she is prepared?"

He asked the bear, giving it a formal bow and awaiting the shake of its head, or its nod.

[Hawkflight]

"..........."I guess,"" said Hani, still barely audible but at least audible now. She was beginning to warm up to this person, but she was still nervous without Ante around.

[Deme]

Terran thought about this more carefully, and asked,

"Wouldst thou like me to ask thine sister to join us?"

[Hawkflight]

Hani simply nodded vigorously in reply.

[Deme]

"Very well."

He found Ante in the dining room.

"I am sorry to interrupt thee, miss Ante, but thy sister wisheth thou to accompany us."

[Trobby]

"...ah, I was afraid of that." Ante had hoped her sister might be able to make this journey on her own, but realizes now why that would be...difficult.

"Merry, I do apologize, but I have to head off now. See if Yuki will help you while I'm gone."

And with that, Ante rushes off to her sister's aide, offering the little tiger cub girl her hand as soon as she is in sight.

[Lycan 01]

Yuki shrugs, and begins to set the glasses and tea pitchers on the table in their proper positions.

Spoiler

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Skills: (1d6x4)[8]

[Hawkflight]

"...ah, I was afraid of that." Ante had hoped her sister might be able to make this journey on her own, but realizes now why that would be...difficult.

"Merry, I do apologize, but I have to head off now. See if Yuki will help you while I'm gone."

And with that, Ante rushes off to her sister's aide, offering the little tiger cub girl her hand as soon as she is in sight.

Hani accepted the hand gratefully and nodded up at Terran, signalling she was ready.

[Deme]

"Fine work, ladies, but 'tis a little plain."

Terran added over his shoulder as he followed. With security blanket: Jumbo-sized Ante secured, they were off to the hallway.

The Prince was sitting again on his couch, his cream-and-gold feathered wings lifted to go over the back, his lion-like tail curled by his side, his talon-hands politely clasped above the knees of his cloven-hoofed legs.
His creamy fur and curly hair were catching the light from the windows -- as were his little dark horns. Then we have the goat ears and the slightly odd nose, and I think we're in the descriptive clear!

"Miss Hani, may I present your employer, his royal highness Prince Leon of Oshia?"

"Ah, so you're Ante's little sister. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm very glad you asked your radiant sun of a sister to join us."

Leon said with a non-confrontational smile. He resisted the urge to recoil back in case she hit him with the bear.

[Benson]

Merry-Dining Room->Kitchen->Larder


Merry ignored much that was going on and made way to the kitchen and then into the larder where she searched for her potato salad.