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 Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 3:38 pm
Anthony awoke to find Chris not in the room when he opened his eyes. Finding it strange, the sun was already rising high into the sky through the window pane. Before another second passed, a familiar voice came from behind Anthony. "Looks like it should be near lunch time rather than breakfast time, huh?" Spinning round, he came face to face with Anny, who had her usual shorts and T-shirt, with the same sarcastic grin she always had. Anthony gave a half-grin scowl at her. "What'as the reason you ran off for? I couldn't find you anywhere!" Not that this was unusual, but it did tend to get on Anthony's nerves when she did her vanishing trick.
"It don't matter, right now, does it? There's a story-book city downstairs!" Anthony had to give her the benefit of the doubt on that one. There WAS so much to explore, and he was so excited, he completely forgot about Chris.
They found their way through the common room; it was largely empty at this time of day. Walking outside, they marveled at the simplest things: real stone wells, horse drawn carts, farmers come to market, hawking their wares. Anthony knew that they didn't have money, so they mostly just looked at things. One window slightly farther away was shining in the midday sun, though, with a million bright objects to see. If it was shiny, it had to be cool. Without a second thought, Anthony entered the shop.
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Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 4:01 pm
"Well hello there boy," Jessibell started. She had just started to uncover her wares in the store, "How are you today?" She asked curteously. Little by little the store lightened as more covers were taken off the shelving revealing many little trinkets of animals, drinking horns and all manner of knicknacks for use or display. They were all made of glass. Some with simple color and others vibrant.
What a strange young man, she thought idly. Her eyes raking over the odd assortment of cloth-pieces he was wearing. She picked up her bone hair pieces to pin up her short fawn-like brown bob, and folded the rest of the grey cloth to be put in a little compartment in the crude display case near the center of the room.
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 10:01 am
Looking at the objects immediately at the door, Anthony had been rather distracted by the dazzling array of colours and shapes, and only noticed the woman after she had spoken. It was kind of strange, in a way: Anthony had always figured that the people here would look different, or at least slightly off. Maybe it was all the make-up he'd seen in the movies, but except for the clothing, this woman could have passed for normal in Wellington.
"Oh, hey." He gave a short wave, and so did Anny, but obviously the woman didn't see. Looking back over the many trinkets, he had to ask. "Did you make these? They're really cool, eh?" He had a very strong feeling that if he were to lift the bottom they wouldn't say 'made in China.'
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 10:34 am
Well he was darling in a way. She looked winsomly towards him. It was an interesting greeting. Hay, was a feeding product for horses, although she could remember as a little girl just running up and down yelling hay, when the bundles ever arrived. It was cute then, but not now, somethings one never grows up out of, she supposed and that she wasn't the only one like that.
"I do make these. I even constructed this clear trunk, here to put all these in so that you can still see them but are well stored. I can open it up and take out a piece if you want to look at it closer. I can also say that all these pieces are well cool as well! Glass is melted by sand and it doesn't take shape if I don't give them one. It also has to cool off so that it will keep their shapes too." She cocked her head to the side, while wondering. If they weren't cooled and completed how could she sell them to customers?
"Also, I can name a price and we can barter back and forth. The only one I will not sell is this drinking horn in the middle of my glass trunk but you're welcome to examine it. The first of my series," Jessibell pointed to the draconic blue and green scale-like marbled drinking horn. It was fitted snugly by gold and artfully, scuplted to a dragon's head. The horns were cunningly made into hand-holds. By far it was the most unique in the room.
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 12:21 pm
Anthony had never seen glass made before, but had figured it was heated like metal was. And considering it was hollow meant it wasn't from a mold. "Looks an awful amount of fun!" To make things so colourful, it had to be. He kind of frowned a little when she mentioned money - he doubted he had anything of value to trade. He supposed he would just have to look. "I'm kinda new in town, we were kind of lost in the forest and managed to find this town here. We're staying at the inn." It was then that Chris had mentioned looking for work in the market at some point. It couldn't hurt to check, at any rate. "We kinda don't know how long we were stayin' here, at any rate. We weren't exactly planning on going bush. D'y'know if there's anything we could do around town to earn our keep? Something needing done?"
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 12:35 pm
Jessibell looked around for a moment, not seeing anyone else but the boy infront of her.
"We?" she arched an eyebrow, "You have a friend somewhere about Loghedge? Where do you come from, you don't seem from around here but you were lost in the forest nearby? I don't mean to pry much," She came closer, "And I wouldn't mind help with keeping the k'lins hot. I'm sure I could trade a bit of work for something worthwhile to get your mother. A special perfume bottle or other knicknack." She began to study Anthony in earnest, he was certainly different. Human yes - but it was the set of the head perhaps, or the facial features that seemed similar but different, she couldn't seem to place him with the indiginous peoples that populated the county.
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 12:52 pm
Anny whispered in his ear not to say anything, but the woman had a right to know, Anthony thought. "Chris found me first, and he's an adult - but he's from the States, I just met'em yesterday. And I dunno How I got'ta be in the forest, really. As in, I'd never been off the island before, Chris was telling me he was from another continent or something, and we weren't in New Zealand at all. I dunno what was going on, but apparently Chris was going to meet someone about it. Maybe point us home." A perfume bottle wasn't quite what he'd had in mind, though. "I dun' got a mum, but what we're lookin' for right now really is a place to stay. As in, we have the inn, but that's just temporary..." He realized he was rambling, and went quiet.
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 1:02 pm
States? New Zee-land? Jessibell hadn't ever heard of those places! The must be farther away than she ever learned. Her heart strings were pulled a bit though about him not having a mother.
"Right then," She said gruffly,"I don't know this Chris of yours, but see'in's how he isn't taking care of you right or none to properly really..." Jessibell never rambled like this so she took another breath before continuing.
'You work - you got a roof over your head, boy. And food to eat. Perhaps... I can teach you to mind the store front here while I get to work on making more glass, hmmm? Perhaps I can take in this Chris as well."
I wouldn't mind an apprentice... or two... Jessibell thought, but then she remembered hearing rumors about the slew of new people comming from all parts. Perhaps this boy was one of them and his friend. She could probably spot more of the strangers if she went outside more often and get some news. She tended to isolate herself but that was the nature of living on a ranch for so long.
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 4:22 pm
Anthony was a little astonished - she would hire him just like that? That was AWESOME! "Dude, that would be great! Working in a real middle-ages town, with a blacksmith and hawkers and knights, this will be so cool!" He would have given Anny a high-five, but they were in front of someone. "Err, is there any paperwork I have to write out for it? Forms for the government and all? I remember hearing about that from friends." Chris would be pleased to hear, he was sure.
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 4:50 pm
Jessibell blinked several times. "Doo-duh? I... you better clean your mouth boy! I better not be be hearing such outlandish things. Besides it is cool, its not even cold. It will be hot work." She started to shake her finger at him becomming positively prudish.
"There is no... paper work," Her eyes narrowed and a frown seemed to paste itself upon her face it wasn't a disapproving frown but one that seemed to creep up there nervously, "You know how to read and write? That is devil's knowlege there, you will not be needing to know that type of dealings, only to count and a good head to remember."
"Come, would you prefer to know where you'll be sleeping and knowing this place or would you like to find this Chris gentleman to bring him here?"
She held Anthony's gaze a little longer as if trying to figure out something but then turned away towards the door way ready to work by herself or show him the way. "Goodness," she began to mutter, "Perhaps I can get some fresh churned butter and cheese now..."
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 10:39 am
Anthony gave a strange look to the woman standing before him, cocking his head to the side somewhat as she became slightly upset. "Uhm, Dude IS just a term, right? It's like mate or friend. But if you don't want to hear it, sure, I won't say it, it's your call, you're the grown-up. An' cool is just a way of sayin' 'interestin'', anyway." He shrugged. Chris was going to the witch, if Anthony could remember correctly, but Anthony recalled that that had been a secret. "He was going accross town to talk to people about getting back, but it looks like it probably wouldn't happen."
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 2:55 pm
"Well," She looked the boy up and down dubiously, "All right then. Cool... The church would probably be your best bet. I don't think anyone really sees the Baron, but I'm sure he'd have final say in one thing or another. There would not be anyone else around except that... Witch," She nodded, mollified by the explainations, but she turned another sharp eye towards Anthony, this time it was filled with worry.
"Ware the Witch in the Woods! I'd advise you to never go near her. She could curse you if you come near. Never say your real name and never look at that hag in eyes," She swept nearer and put both hands on his shoulders, making him look at her, "She will steal your soul if you look at her in the face. I'm sure of it!" She took a shuddering breath while closing her eyes and made the sign of the cross, and then she hugged him. With that little phase past her, she a-hemed, and straightened herself out.
"Come on then. Time to see the rest of the shop, I should show you the heaters and my glass making. Perhaps I can make you a boat for luck to get back to your, well wherever you're from. New Zee Land."
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 3:33 pm
Anthony felt the oddest sensation that the woman was speaking from hearsay rather than experience. The way she'd even reacted to him being able to read and write, it sounded like she'd never gone near the witch, let alone laid eyes on her (obviously the woman still had her soul, so she'd never seen the 'hag's face. Anthony didn't mind, though, this was a fantasy town already, why couldn't there be real witches? Besides, Bones seemed pretty sure of evil magic; Anthony'd found that out the hard way last night.
Her embrace was somewhat like Janet's, with genuine concern in the grasp. He kind of liked that. Somehow he kind of felt that Chris would be more likely to give him a swat on the head for a mistake than anything else. Maybe it was just the way he was giving orders the night before. Not sure what to say, he stayed quiet until she mentioned the rest of the 'tour,' and the gift of the boat. "That would be neat. It'd be fun to do things besides schoolwork for a while." That also meant no more bullies, at least for now. He tried to give a subtle wink to Anny, still standing behind him, looking at the glass.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 11:38 am
"So!" She exclaimed while she thought away the strange behavior - apparently 'neat' was another word like 'cool', and the blinking, "This over here is the back room with all the k'lins." She pronounced them 'kleens', but that was her own word for the overly large ovens. They kind of looked like black dumplings on a brick square platform and there were three of them in the cool back room. Evidently, they haven't been started yet.
Along the semi-dark room there were windows and a bright open doorway, the doors were tied back to the walls to let the light filter inward. Walls were shelved on a small area which was next to another room. It was obviously a storage area. In the middle, beside the overly large trio sat a work bench and tools. They seemed a bit messy.
"This is it. Questions before we go upstairs to the living area?"
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 1:08 am
Anthony had the questions up the ying-yang for her, but most were about how to work the ovens and such - obviously she wasn't ready to cover that subject yet, though, so he kept his mouth shut on the topic. However, he wanted to ask a very important one on their use - "Are they dangerous?" He didn't want to end up losing fingers or get bad burns because of it. Besides that, the rest was ok, he supposed. Anny was mum on all of it. This was rather not like her, and it got Anthony wondering.
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