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Post by The Jenn on Dec 31, 2007 12:01:30 GMT -5
The feline smiled and nodded. "Good, very good... I wouldn't want you to go hungry just because I couldn't make you something fresh in the morning. This town should have some nice little places for you to find food in the morning, though." She turned and padded down the hallway, just about dragging her bad leg. It was evidently harder for her to deal with when she wasn't feeling at her best.
In the living room, Mick was being very deliberately careful to avoid the intricate chalk symbols and writing on the floor. The entire living room to the right of the front door was covered with them and the front windows were drawn. Almost all of the bone figurines were set somewhere around the room, some Aderlass hadn't seen that came from other rooms in the house. Some were even the ones from Mick's room. She'd had to go in the room late at night while they were both sleeping to carry them out. It was a very odd scene and hard to make sense of, the writing like nothing Aderlass had probably ever seen before.
Eva opened the door for the mouse and inclined her head. "Until later," she murmured tiredly. Mick just grinned and yipped.
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Post by Kasatsu on Dec 31, 2007 12:39:24 GMT -5
Following Miss Eva, he eyed the marking and change in decoration of the room. It appeared that Miss Eva had been very busy last night, no wonder she seemed so worn this morning. Inclining his head when he reached the door he threw his cape over his back he pulled it closed. “Until later, then. Come Juris, let’s see wot Miss Ada has for breakfast this morning.” He doubted that she would be open this early so he figured a good walk would do him some good.
As the cold air hit him he tried his hardest to not be bitter about the fact that the sun was barely risen (a time when he would usually be fast asleep) and he was already out of the house and in the cold. Shrugging it off as something that could not be avoided, it was Mick’s birthday after all, he started down the street.
Oh, right! he thought with sudden realization. It was Mick’s birthday! Well, he would have to get the pup a present while he was out. Maybe Miss Ada would have something nice that would suit his friend.
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 31, 2007 14:42:26 GMT -5
Snow had very faintly begun to fall from the sky, barely visible except when a minuscule face landed directly on the fur in front of Aderlass's nose. It was crisp and the wind blew a soft but persistent breeze, the temperature feeling far below freezing with a slight wind chill. It was a cold, cold morning. A stronger wind and precipitation fall would have made it worse, but for a walk, it was likely miserable.
When he finally got to miss Ada's shop, though, it was warm with the fires of the bakery and smelled like heaven: breads and sugar and fruit baking in an oven. The woman looked up as he entered and smiled at him, beak gapped. The pastries she was putting in the fire looked very much like apple turnovers, and a batch of croissants seemed nearly done at the top of the racks, puffy and flaky and golden. "Aderlass, back again? So very good to see you, my boy! What'll you be having for breakfast today? My, it is good to have old faces popping up again." She fussed over a few more racks of baked goods and pulled out the croissants, setting them on the large counter to cool before she handled them.
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Post by Kasatsu on Dec 31, 2007 21:04:12 GMT -5
Entering the small shop that Miss Ada ran he was greeted by the warm, welcoming smells of breakfast. Shivering he took off his cloak, hanging it by the door. “Good morning.” he greeted. The morning walk had done him good, even though the weather could have been better. “It smells wonderful in here.” he added as he made his way towards the counter where she stood.
“I will just have wotever it is that you are cooking. I am not too particular, as you know. You would not happen to have anything that would be a good present for a pup? Well, for Mick to be more precise. It’s his birthday today, you know.” He glanced around her shop to see if anything caught his eye before turning back to the food that had been placed before him. It smelled delicious and he was betting that it would taste even better.
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 31, 2007 21:23:39 GMT -5
Ada placed a croissant, carefully and not with her fingers, on a small plate in front of the mouse. "This is lovely and fresh, just be careful with your tongue. And... oh my, a present for Mick? Ehm... well, maybe you'll want to wait until the end of the day. You know, make sure everything's okay with his birthday and give it to him tomorrow if he had a good day. Wouldn't want to get anywhere near that place on a day like today. I don't think anybody's bothered that family this day of the year ever since he hit maturity. You couldn't pay me enough."
She shook her head and clucked her tongue against her beak before tending to a few more rows. "Maybe you could take him out to pick his own present tomorrow? I'm sure he would like that. From what I remember, the young thing was so easily distracted..."
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Post by Kasatsu on Dec 31, 2007 21:48:56 GMT -5
He guessed she was right about that. It would probably be easier on him to find the gift, though he was not sure it would be worth it energy wise. Mick was indeed someone who was easily distracted, though why he would need to cheer the pup up he could not phantom. Some of the stuff she had said had him a little worried for his friend, though he tried his hardest not to show it.
He also decided that it would probably be best if he did not inform her that he did indeed have plans to go by the house today, even if the plans were still half formed. No one in the town seemed willing to talk about it and Mick’s family had been just about as much tight-lipped on the going-ons as anyone else. He was just hoping that he would not come to regret his choice.
Taking a bite of the croissant that Ada had placed before him, making sure to be careful of its temperature, he mumbled his heartfelt approval. He really had missed Miss Ada’s cooking. Though he had searched no one could make food as good as her in the capital. Finishing off his plate he went to walk around the small store, being careful not to break anything, to see if anything caught his eye anyway.
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 2, 2008 12:37:09 GMT -5
In addition to empty baskets waiting to receive their baked goods for the day, there were various small displays - a gingerbread house made in the spirit of the season, a few tiny ornamental houses in a little 'holiday village', some fake cotton snow scattered about, and several other knick-knacks that looked like old toys. The store sold candies as well as pastries, catering to the sweet tooth of many individuals.
"If I remember correctly, he was always a little firecracker of a pup. You might want to think about sweets? Sure, you'll have to put up with a bit of extra energy, but what young person who isn't a child at heart doesn't enjoy a nice hard candy or two?" The old crow laughed a little, the sound dry with age and close to a caw, which quickly turned into a startled hiss of pain as she accidentally brushed one finger up against the hot metal of a baking rack. "Oh my, and look at me being careless. Well, that just goes to show you, nothing ever comes of paying too little attention. Dear, dear..."
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Post by Kasatsu on Jan 4, 2008 23:21:51 GMT -5
Getting Mick something sweet did sound as tempting as it would be a death sentence. He would have to think about it. He chuckled suddenly at the thought of giving Mick candy and then locking him outside . . . maybe on a leash at that – though he was sure that would be something along the lines of neglect. Oh well, it was a funny thought at least.
Hearing her hiss of pain, he turned his attention back to her. “You okay?” he asked concern clear in his voice. Seeing that she was he retook his seat at the counter. It was probably for the best if he did wait and chose his friends gift later.
They continued to talk of old times and he answered the questions she had about what he had been up to ever since he had left their little village. Seeing that it was nearing noon he thanked her, promising that he would probably try and stop by at least once more before he headed back home to the Capital.
Pulling his cloak on he made his way back towards Mick’s house to see what all the fuss was about and to appease his curiosity.
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 5, 2008 15:50:54 GMT -5
Ada bid him a fond farewell as he left the shop and went back out into the cold, the wind picking up slightly and blowing bits of snow and frost into his face. It really was a cold day, though not awful. For anyone who didn't like winter, it would be quite unpleasant at best. The walk back to Mick's house wasn't long, but even with a coat, every extremity with the exception of his hands would be numb or nearly there, especially his poor tail.
Mick's house didn't look any different than when he left, with smoke burning in the chimney as proof of the fire in the living room and the curtains all drawn. Mick's bedroom window seemed slightly ajar and the curtains blew in the faint breeze, tiny particles of snow drifting in through the crack. There were a few people walking the roads in the early morning, presumably on their way to work. One or two cast a glance towards the house as well, a fox passing by giving Aderlass a faint nudge. "Think it'll be today?" he asked with a nervous chuckle, then hurried off.
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Post by Kasatsu on Jan 6, 2008 17:26:17 GMT -5
The mouse looked over his shoulder at the fox who was now hurrying away from him. Think wot would be today? he thought more then a little confused. Giving a shiver he decided that he was too cold to remain still for much longer. Glancing around nervously, he made sure that no one was watching him too closely before he headed over to Mick’s house. Seeing that the curtains were drawn over the living room and that nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening, he made his way around the house finally finding that Mick’s window was slightly ajar.
Standing up he changed to swiftly changed to his bipedal form. Using his more hand-like paws he nudged the window open more. Taking a moment to decide what he was going to do, he weighed his options. There was not much he could do outside but stand around and be chilled and he had already walked from the major part of town and was not fond of walking back there again. Taking a deep breath, his paws slightly sweaty from being nervous he made his way into the house through the window.
Landing in a crouch, Juris floating next to him, he debated if this was the right thing to do, he closed his eyes trying to calm his nerves. It was probably nothing anyway, all of the talk the town members were making. They had never done any good when he was a child, though they had been mostly true about most of what he heard. Shrugging it off, he decided to go through with it. Heading towards the doorway he was just going to peek and see what was happening. He had no reason to head any further than that. He was just going to poke a see then head out.
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