Inside 65: A Very Busy Intersection

[Fendrick]

Nithercott's Niceties

Fendrick will see Simone going first among the books, though when she sees they are magic training, she is less interested. She isn't a mage. She also isn't interested in any weapons. She reads the description of the jasper ring and doesn't pick it up. She does pick up the torc and admire it, but sets it down to continue looking among the jewellery. At least until the proprietor reappears with his overdue books. She takes the bag from him.

"Thank you, Mr Nithercott. I hope you were not maltreated with molemen."



((Fendrick, if you want to quote multiple posts, just click the little green + signs at the lower left of each post. You can do up to ten. ))

Nithercott's Niceties

All the items on display are clearly labelled, so if Fendrick decides to read the associated signage, he'll find out what the jasper ring does. Also, because it's magic, it sizes to fit- it can still be removed, but it won't fall off accidentally.

Norman returns, wearing some clothing! He's chosen a dark green t-shirt marked with a local elephant polo team's logo and a pair of black cargo trousers. On his feet are battered white trainers, and he has a bag of books in hand. He'll hand the books to Simone, all the ones currently overdue because of his recent captivity. There's three books- the one Fendrick is looking for, a book titled My Travels Amidst the Mole-Men by Doug Anole and a science fiction novel- The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton.

Fendrick is impressed when he looks at the signage; he decides to keep the ring, and is rather impatient to try it out in the dark! He doesn't fancy going back to the sewers, however. Fendrick notably neglects to ask Norman how he was treated.. Fendrick is too overwhelmed looking at all the magical items (He's never been inside an Insider's shop before, y'see).

Fendrick stops, takes the book he was looking for, and immediately begins to read.

[Earl of Purple]

Nithercott's Niceties

"Oh, no, not really. Well, they took my clothes and belongings because I tried to sell them a sundial. Not my finest moment, I'll admit, but I usually trade with the rooftop tribes, not the sewer people. It was quite warm and clean, too. Their dams are pretty amazing; keeps their whole kingdom dry and clean. Or as dry and clean as you can get down there, at least. The food was bland, but at least it wasn't all worms. They grow fungi, and so on. It's really quite fascinating, but I didn't read the bit on religion. I should have, but hindsight's twenty twenty, as they say." Norman's quite happy and cheerful, and smiles as he talks. "They don't have a proper prison, you see, because they're such good diggers that they don't consider any part of their territory secure from a desperate mole, so I was basically put on a lead and left to roam where I wanted. Funny thing is, they kept the sundial." Because they confiscated his goods, which included the heretical clock.

[happyturtle]

Nithercott's Niceties

"I see Mole King's necklace of rings. It made me fear that people attacked or killed for their wedding jewellery." It wasn't until the end of their interview that she wondered 'Where did he get those rings?' and that made her anxious to leave. She isn't married, but she knows most people will not part with their wedding rings easily.

[Fendrick]

Nithercott's Niceties

Fendrick looked up from the book, he too was curious as to how the Moleking got his ring necklace?

He only wondered for a minute before becoming engrossed in the book once more; perhaps it held the secret of how he'd come to be!

[Earl of Purple]

Nithercott's Niceties

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. When people wash their hands, their ring might fall off- especially if they've lost weight. And if they aren't quick, where does it go? The sewers. It doesn't happen often, nor to everyone, but it does happen. And maybe somebody deliberately flushes it after a divorce, or something. But mostly it's accidental." This is actually the justification I had in mind when I described the Mole King.

Simone still has an item to claim as reward, if she wants one.

[Artemis97]

Oh yeah, numbers make more sense to me than just about anything. Numbers have constant patterns, I have always been good at find those patterns. It turns out you can make a nice career out of being good with numbers. Accounting isn't usually that challenging, but working in the nexus has presented some fun challenges."

[Delmah Phor - Xar'Cha Palace - Gardens]

"Oh? Like what?" Sornnolu asks. "It's certainly been a challenge to integrate my people here. What road blocks have you run into?"

[The Needle and Thread]


"I like it!" Azren says, though he might say that to anything with flowers upon it. "You only need one, is that right?" Ah, silly man.

The Needle and Thread

Artie smiles at Azren, but shakes her head. At least he hasn't gotten any ideas and forced er to change yet.
"It seems a little...frilly, is the word? Either way I don't know if dresses work well on inhuman frames. At least not on quadrupedal ones." posits the centauress.

[The Needle and Thread]

"Too frilly, right." Lillith replaces the dress on the rack. "Let's try a nice top, then." She goes to the back wall and pulls down a sleeveless button down top with a very pointed collar. "I have this in quite a few colors." The one in her hands was peach. "I can also do a backless variant, to allow for wings. My daughter likes those."

[McBish]

"Well a part of what I do is track that all fees and taxes are paid for any account, usually a real estate deal. Here in the nexus the rules on that stuff are fluid, usually based on geography. Some places have a normal amount of fees and licensing agency, but big areas are just sort of anarchy. And some places have weird rules. I once figured out an office building needed to offer twelve pounds of pistachios a year to a local spirt. Cait explains wandering a bit to find a place to sit down as she talks.

[happyturtle]

Nithercott's Niceties

Spoiler

Show

Nithercott's Niceties

Fendrick looked up from the book, he too was curious as to how the Moleking got his ring necklace?

He only wondered for a minute before becoming engrossed in the book once more; perhaps it held the secret of how he'd come to be!

Nithercott's Niceties

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. When people wash their hands, their ring might fall off- especially if they've lost weight. And if they aren't quick, where does it go? The sewers. It doesn't happen often, nor to everyone, but it does happen. And maybe somebody deliberately flushes it after a divorce, or something. But mostly it's accidental." This is actually the justification I had in mind when I described the Mole King.

Simone still has an item to claim as reward, if she wants one.

"Oh! That is very much better!" Simone says. "Then maybe I return there one day." Though there is always the risk she lets something slip and they find her a heretic as well.

She looks back at the jewellery she was picking through. The torc is beautiful, but doesn't really suit her, and in the end, she finds that the brass hoop earrings remind her of some her mother used to own. Plus being able to hear better is always a good attribute for a spy an information agent. "I like these earrings. You have interesting shop, Mr Nithercott."

[Fendrick]

Nithercott's Niceties

Fendrick continues reading... In particular interest is the chapter on humanoid creatures. The book reads, 'Some humanoid creatures can be created by way of magic spell.... Animals can be enchanted to grow to human size, by way of a specific humanoid transfiguration spell.' There is a scribble in the margin of this page, with notes from a previous reader... 'I have the spell, now to capture a subject to attempt it. I wonder if increased size would increase the brain mass of the subject, and make them capable of human speech'

Fendrick realises that perhaps HE was the previous reader's 'subject'. By being transfigured from an ordinary lab rat, his brain (from an already intelligent creature) must have grown in size. He was a successful experiment, evidently.

He had no memory of the spell, but his earliest memory, as he frowns over the pages, was of a cage. In a room, with lots of books with lots of the same handwriting scrawled all over them. He remembers being released from the cage, and escaping from an errant wizard's laboratory/lair. Fendrick would perhaps like to meet whomever it was that released him. But he shivers in fear, not knowing what the wizard who had transfigured him looked like, frightened that he would encounter him again. Perhaps he could be comforted by either Simone or Norman, as in shock Fendrick drops the book and plonks himself onto the floor of the shop. His head in his paws, he seems very distressed.

[Earl of Purple]

Nithercott's Niceties

"Oh, you could do. It should be safe, so long as the priest doesn't hear any words relating to the surface. The other moles have a better idea of what's up here, but the priest and king don't leave their bunker very often- certainly never to the surface. Even the scouts and guards rarely visit us up here. The rooftop tribes are very nice, though. If ever you need a holiday but can't afford to leave the city, get a ladder and a tent and visit them. They're mostly friendly and cheerful; they use symbols to mark out various territories and dangers, too." It's possible to learn them quite easily- especially if you can fly or otherwise show interest in living up there.

Norman is surprised when Fendrick collapses like he does, and decides to go brew Fendrick a tea. Tea cheers people up, right? It should be ready next post, but this isn't combat, so I can be skipped if need be.

[Artemis97]

[Delmah Phor - Xar'Cha Palace - Gardens]

There's a small stone bench near the pond of white cave fish. Sornnolu takes a seat beside Cait.

The drow frowns a bit thinking, before asking "What are pistachios?" Seems they were too exotic for him.

[Slii Arhem]

[Cleansed Inside and Out]

"No, I'll be fine." It is getting better. It's odd that water is causing that, isn't it? Or maybe not. But whatever, she can't be bothered about that now.

Syela is much more concerned with the man by her side. He's very distracting. "It's nice all alone, isn't it." She presses into him and touches his chest. Her lips brush against his ear. "You know what we could do..." And she tells him something as fun as it is naughty. She could claim it's the wine, but she's never been terribly shy, has she.

Cleansed Inside and Out

Jim grins and looks up at the sky.
"Are you sure? Here? I think it's already rather steamy." he says, drunk enough to be punning and giving her one last chance to think about it...
Not that either of them can be doing much thinking.

Cleansed Inside and Out

Jim might feel his feigned reluctance fade from his mind. Why play coy? He should tell her what he really thinks of her, before she slips away from him.

Go on, Jim, say what you feel. You can likely already feel the distance between you growing with your antics. If you don't reciprocate she might be pushed away.

Syela might feel a similar impulsive desire, a need to blurt out to Jim one of her secrets, something that she wants but just can't get from him. The steam seems to thicken between them both, obscuring the lines of his face from her as the already dim night blurs.

[McBish]

[Delmah Phor - Xar'Cha Palace - Gardens]

There's a small stone bench near the pond of white cave fish. Sornnolu takes a seat beside Cait.

The drow frowns a bit thinking, before asking "What are pistachios?" Seems they were too exotic for him.

Cait smiles a little chuckle escapes her. "They are a type of nut. Most people ask about the spirt when I tell this story. I guess you probably don't get many nuts down underground. Cait seems fascinated by the white fish watching them as she speaks.

[Artemis97]

[Delmah Phor - Xar'Cha Palace - Gardens]

Sornnolu gives a self-depreciating smirk in return. "No, not many nuts. Mushrooms, lichens, algae, other fungi. We import dry goods from the surface, but that's expensive. More so for fresh produce. My family can afford it, of course, though we usually save it for special occasions. Meat is scarce, insects are a common source of protein, along with crustaceans and, well, fish." He gestures to the fish in the pond. "It's all backwards up here, of course. What were considered luxuries back home are common here, and it's hard to get a taste of home without importing everything."

[happyturtle]

Nithercott's Niceties

Spoiler

Show

Nithercott's Niceties

Fendrick continues reading... In particular interest is the chapter on humanoid creatures. The book reads, 'Some humanoid creatures can be created by way of magic spell.... Animals can be enchanted to grow to human size, by way of a specific humanoid transfiguration spell.' There is a scribble in the margin of this page, with notes from a previous reader... 'I have the spell, now to capture a subject to attempt it. I wonder if increased size would increase the brain mass of the subject, and make them capable of human speech'

Fendrick realises that perhaps HE was the previous reader's 'subject'. By being transfigured from an ordinary lab rat, his brain (from an already intelligent creature) must have grown in size. He was a successful experiment, evidently.

He had no memory of the spell, but his earliest memory, as he frowns over the pages, was of a cage. In a room, with lots of books with lots of the same handwriting scrawled all over them. He remembers being released from the cage, and escaping from an errant wizard's laboratory/lair. Fendrick would perhaps like to meet whomever it was that released him. But he shivers in fear, not knowing what the wizard who had transfigured him looked like, frightened that he would encounter him again. Perhaps he could be comforted by either Simone or Norman, as in shock Fendrick drops the book and plonks himself onto the floor of the shop. His head in his paws, he seems very distressed.

Nithercott's Niceties

"Oh, you could do. It should be safe, so long as the priest doesn't hear any words relating to the surface. The other moles have a better idea of what's up here, but the priest and king don't leave their bunker very often- certainly never to the surface. Even the scouts and guards rarely visit us up here. The rooftop tribes are very nice, though. If ever you need a holiday but can't afford to leave the city, get a ladder and a tent and visit them. They're mostly friendly and cheerful; they use symbols to mark out various territories and dangers, too." It's possible to learn them quite easily- especially if you can fly or otherwise show interest in living up there.

Norman is surprised when Fendrick collapses like he does, and decides to go brew Fendrick a tea. Tea cheers people up, right? It should be ready next post, but this isn't combat, so I can be skipped if need be.

A nice cup of tea fixes everything! (I'm American, but was converted to the virtues of tea not long after emigrating to England. ☕)

"Fendrick!" Simone cries, and sits on the floor next to him. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

[McBish]

Cait gets a thoughtful look on her face. "Really? I would have figured you would have dug out tunnels and grow all the food you are used to. What kind of stuff do you have to import?" Cait's mind starts thinking of business opportunities.

[Fendrick]

Nithercott's Niceties

Fendrick continues reading... In particular interest is the chapter on humanoid creatures. The book reads, 'Some humanoid creatures can be created by way of magic spell.... Animals can be enchanted to grow to human size, by way of a specific humanoid transfiguration spell.' There is a scribble in the margin of this page, with notes from a previous reader... 'I have the spell, now to capture a subject to attempt it. I wonder if increased size would increase the brain mass of the subject, and make them capable of human speech'

Fendrick realises that perhaps HE was the previous reader's 'subject'. By being transfigured from an ordinary lab rat, his brain (from an already intelligent creature) must have grown in size. He was a successful experiment, evidently.

He had no memory of the spell, but his earliest memory, as he frowns over the pages, was of a cage. In a room, with lots of books with lots of the same handwriting scrawled all over them. He remembers being released from the cage, and escaping from an errant wizard's laboratory/lair. Fendrick would perhaps like to meet whomever it was that released him. But he shivers in fear, not knowing what the wizard who had transfigured him looked like, frightened that he would encounter him again. Perhaps he could be comforted by either Simone or Norman, as in shock Fendrick drops the book and plonks himself onto the floor of the shop. His head in his paws, he seems very distressed.

Fendrick keeps his head in his forepaws as he speaks, his words mumbled, 'I... I'm just some loony wizard's experiment. I... knew I'd seen this book before but only now do I remember the context' Fendrick shivers as he recalls being trapped in the wizard's lair, locked in a cage. He had once been merely an unusually coloured laboratory rat.

Fendrick gratefully receives the tea, when it arrives - as long as it has milk in! Fendrick has a soft spot for milky drinks and slurps it, getting droplets on his whiskers (as usual!)

[happyturtle]

Nithercott's Niceties

Simone takes the book from Fendrick's paws and closes it, setting it down on the stack of books. "You are deeper than that. You are all things you create yourself to be." she says fiercely, trying to meet his eyes. She believes this as only an orphan who escaped the slums can do.

[Earl of Purple]

Nithercott's Niceties

I'm from a family that favours coffee, but I do like tea. It's just I'm the only one who drank it and it got too expensive. Or was it only one type of tea? I can't remember now. Been years.

Norman arrives, from a hitherto unremarked back room, bearing a tray laden with tea. It's all quite basic tea, but there's a bottle of milk and a bowl of sugar too. "I haven't milked or sugared the teas; I don't know how you like it. Um, might be worth sniffing the milk first, I've not been here a while. It should be good; my larder slows time to keep things fresh." Which is a very useful item to have, though rare and temperamental.

I read some alternate history-ish books with timestop larders.

[Fendrick]

Nithercott's Niceties

Fendrick addds copious amounts of both sugar and milk to the tea, not bothering to sniff the milk first. He slurps the tea, getting droplets in his whiskers.

Fendrick feels much better with tea, and Simone's words. 'I suppose it doesn't matter how I was created. I'm here now, that's what counts I guess.'

Fendrick's heart is warmed by how kind those around him have been... He wishes there was some way he could repay their kindness.

[happyturtle]

Nithercott's Niceties

((We have one cup of coffee first thing, then we switch to tea after that. I never thought of tea as expensive, but I guess it depends on which brand you get. We used to drink Yorkshire Tea, but after I had a really good cup of tea when I was in hospital for my gallbladder removal, Mr HT asked what it was and switched us over to PG Tips. I'm not entirely sure that it wasn't just that I felt weak and pitiful and the tea was just Superlatively Excellent because it made me feel better though. ))

Simone takes her tea black. Barbaric.

"Yes. You are here now. And now you have answers." But not much chance of finding more rat-people. "I am glad you were created."

[Hawkflight]

Meat Meeting

In response, Natalie just goes to try and give Erin a hug, since her last attempt went unremarked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear it." Natalie doesn't really know what it feels like to lose a mother, as hers died when she was very young; growing up, Natalie's lack of a mother was simply a fact of life, and her grief was long enough ago that it has faded from her memory.

[Meat Meeting]

Smorre looks up, searching for the thing Erin is pointing at.
"Hear what?" He asks in response to Natalie, before the realization hits him. "Ooooooooooh. Yy-yeah, that's sad ne-news." But why would one search their mother if she was already dead? Better not to ask, probably.
Smorre looks down again, at his gyro. It is calling his tongue on a spiritual level. Sad scene or not, he continues eating.

Erin looked down, then back up.

"....Did I really see a pony coming here?" she asked, changing the subject.

[Fendrick]

Nithercott's Niceties

Fendrick smiles at Simone and then absent-mindedly shakes his head, removing the tea-droplets from his whiskers. Fendrick thinks Simone is very kind, and is touched by her words.

[Artemis97]

Cait gets a thoughtful look on her face. "Really? I would have figured you would have dug out tunnels and grow all the food you are used to. What kind of stuff do you have to import?" Cait's mind starts thinking of business opportunities.

[Delmah Phor - Xar'Cha Palace - Gardens]

"We would, but that would mean encroaching into Underside and the existing tunnels there. Nevermind the sewers and what have you beneath the city. My sister is currently negotiating for land for us in Riverside. We may build tunnels there. I think orchards are a plan for the surface, so we can get food a little more cheaply. What do we import, though? Mushroom wood for construction and other projects. You maybe have noticed the wood in the library? All giant mushrooms from the groves back in the Underdark. Rothe, a large sort of cow, Diatrama, large birds. Certain spices and herbal elements. Animals, like the giant bats our scouts use. All the food I mentioned previously." Sornnolu lists.

[Gullara]

Cleansed Inside and Out

Jim might feel his feigned reluctance fade from his mind. Why play coy? He should tell her what he really thinks of her, before she slips away from him.

Go on, Jim, say what you feel. You can likely already feel the distance between you growing with your antics. If you don't reciprocate she might be pushed away.

Syela might feel a similar impulsive desire, a need to blurt out to Jim one of her secrets, something that she wants but just can't get from him. The steam seems to thicken between them both, obscuring the lines of his face from her as the already dim night blurs.

[Cleansed Inside and Out]

Syela rolls her eyes are Jim. Those jokes of his are something else alright. "You know what'd be funny?" She says, a random thought popping into her mind. "If we had another girl here to fool around with." She giggles. "Or if you were a girl." Huh, why'd she bring that up? The drink must be getting to her.

[Deathkeeper]

[Cleansed Inside and Out]

Jim laughs a deep, loud laugh punctuated with a little hiccup.
"Well, I tried it once when I still had those powers, but n'as a faun too. Would I be hot like you? 'Cause you're the best gal I couldda asked for, that's what I told Lenai. And she was pretty hot too, tall and thin in that...dirt. But you looked great and curvy in nothing." the faun gives her a huge smile she might have trouble seeing. Jim would probably be surprised that his girlfriend is apparently bi but he's far too drunk for it to even really register. The image of Syela before getting into her bikini is far too fresh in Jim's mind to have eyes for anyone else.

[McBish]

"Still couldn't you have... Darkhouses? Rooms that mimic the environment of caves. I have seen some storage units that had a plethora of fungi growing in it. Then again I apparently know less about mushrooms than I thought. I did not know they could produce wood like that. That is amazing, how big do those mushrooms grow?" Cait is picking up all sorts of knowledge about drow she didn't know. Their scouts use bats? Must make them hard to sneak past. She wonders if they are like wizards familiars, or more like trained guard dogs.

[Earl of Purple]

Nithercott's Niceties

((Thinking about it, I think it may have been Chai tea I had. But it's generally easier to make three or four coffees than two or three coffees and a tea, as well.))

"I'm glad you were, too. I haven't known you for long, but you seem really nice." Norman nods vigorously, but mainly he's glad because he's back on the surface again. Without Fendrick needing that book, he could have spent even longer with the molemen than he did.

Meat Meeting

"Um, maybe? I didn't see it, though. There are some around, both the small horse type and the colourful talkative type with the huge eyes." Like, their eyes are most of their face. Natalie looks around, trying to see if she can see one now, amidst the crowd of humans and humanoids.

[Cola]

Erin looked down, then back up.

"....Did I really see a pony coming here?" she asked, changing the subject.

Meat Meeting

"Um, maybe? I didn't see it, though. There are some around, both the small horse type and the colourful talkative type with the huge eyes." Like, their eyes are most of their face. Natalie looks around, trying to see if she can see one now, amidst the crowd of humans and humanoids.

[Meat]

Smorre also looks around, but can't seem to see it either. Mostly because Erin's player didn't specify if there actually was a pony.
"Oh, you m-mean that oo-over there?" He points at a creature coming around a street corner. Then he looks closer. "No, my bad, th-that's just a f-funky looking d-dog."

[Murkus]

[The Needle and Thread]

"Too frilly, right." Lillith replaces the dress on the rack. "Let's try a nice top, then." She goes to the back wall and pulls down a sleeveless button down top with a very pointed collar. "I have this in quite a few colors." The one in her hands was peach. "I can also do a backless variant, to allow for wings. My daughter likes those."

[The Needle and Thread]

Azren isn't sure about the buttons. "Not exactly to my taste, but if Artie likes it..."