Bittie's Keg and Snack's Tavern

[Adonair]

adonair and willow feed each other a first piece of cake and then both get a slice and the construct goes about getting everyone a piece.

Glasses are refilled, kisses are exchanged and life is good.

[AuroraKiye]

Arkie sees the stacks and stacks of dishes piling up in the kitchen, and is overwhelmingly glad that she'd contacted the Thatchers, a neighboring family mortal and nonmagical, and that the whole troop were ensconsed in the kitchen, first setting up the plate with food which the Construct brought out to guests, and now cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes. They'd at first rejected Arkie's offer of money, then when they heard the size and the seriousness of the matter, they'd acquiesced, allowing that maybe they could use money, and the tavern was a business, not Arkie's home.

As the tables are cleared of the dinner and salad plates, desserts and more drinks are served. Mrs. Thatcher has a couple of varieties of freshly brewed coffee made, and set on trolleys, which the Construct brings out and sets up in two places in the tavern.

[Damien_Braeden]

For what seemed like an eternity, Damien Braeden had been living the life of a recluse. He wasn't quite sure how he had managed to lose touch with his family, and he could only conclude that his head had been too full of things great and small. Imagine then how surprised he was to hear that his grandfather had just got married. If it hadn't been for one of his students gossiping in the back row he might never have found out.

He was a little distracted for the remainder of the lesson, and sent his pupils home early. He hurried home to his workshop to see if he could find a suitable present for his grandfather and his new wife. There were all kinds of strange things scattered about the place, and with the fast fading sunlight Damien's mutters became more frantic.

"Wedding present... wedding present... Must find a wedding present... Where did I put that...? No, that's not it..." Even if he didn't look his age, right now he was certainly sounding like an old human, despite being half elf.

"AH! Perfect!" His pale eyes lit up as he lifted the object, then casting a quick spell he wrapped it in a sparkling material that would play music when it was being unwrapped.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he slipped out of his hermit's hut that lay skilfully hidden by elf magic on the outskirts of Cork, and hurried to the tavern. He paused outside the tavern door, listening to the merry sounds coming from within. Not being one for crowds he had always avoided the tavern, and it sounded like it was busy tonight. His hand on the doorknob he took a deep breath before quietly entering the tavern, his face lit by the sparkling wrapping on the wedding present.

[Adonair]

Adonair is enjoying a rather large piece of cake with some delicious coffee. Sounds of merriment are all around. The door opens...

"Damien!! My long lost grandson, have you put away your tomes for the day? Its so good to see you! I was afraid you would not come." He went over to Damien and embraced him, then introduced him to Willow.

He took the present and noticed the magic upon it. "A Braeden through and through, and with an elvin touch."

[Callie]

Callie's head was spinning trying to keep up with all the new people in Arkie's tavern. Well, not spinning, but she was twirling, so maybe it really was spinning. Anyhow...Callie had greeted Hod and gotten a wonderful orc hug, and hugged G'gila before turning to say; Hewwo Bengman. Yew see Callie an Hod was fwowery giwls? Wook at all the peepwes. Dey all habing fun. Yew habing fun? Hewwo Wuna. Callie giggled when Hod hugged Nodwin. Nodwin, who wasn't used to hugs from anyone other than Callie, decided hugs were good and practically purred (yes, I know, odd for a hippogriff isn't it?).

With so much happening in the tavern however, Callie was hard pressed to pay attention for long, everything was distracting her. It wasn't until Arkie brought food out that Callie remembered that she still hadn't said hello to Max. Before anyone at the table had time to blink, Callie was off, scurrying, ducking and weaving between legs, under legs, under tables, and around people until she reached the dog's side (which oddly enough was under a table). Callie giggled and grinned and gave Max a big hug.

[Alexandria]

Alex had being moving about the tavern watching Callie when she saw what her mum has made for her Grandfather and Willow. Cake I didn’t get any cake… hey I didn’t get any hugs either. Alex was moving to hug her Grandfather and Willow when she heard him say grandson. Hey wait I’m no boy she said looking down at herself and the dress she was wearing. Her magic hadn’t backfired, she was still a girl. Grandson? Who could that be and is it someone she might need to turn into a toad for stealing her grandfather hugs?

Well grandfather said I could not turn Grayson into a toad, he didn’t say I couldn’t turn anyone else into a toad. Alex figured she would get into trouble for it but what is family for if not for a bit of magical target practice? With a mischievous look on her face, Alex was trying to cast a toad spell on Damien when someone bumped into her and the spell went awry, hitting Nodwin instead. Oops she said with a funny look on her face. Sorry, Callie I did not… I did not… it was too late. Alex had erupted into laughter. Only she could turn a hippogriff into a blue and purple toad. She knew her grandfather would yell at her but right now she could not stop laughing.

[Adonair]

"ALEXANDRIA BRAEDEN!"

Adonair was shocked at the spell that came forth from his granddaughter.

Callie looked stricken so he went and picked her up before she dissolved into tears.

Now back in control of himself, he fairly whispered,
"If you can change it back, Alexandria, I think that would be a good idea."

[Callie]

She had reached her goal, she had reached her goal, she had...what had Alexandria done? Callie had finally reached Max, was about to put her tiny arms around him for a nice big friendly oh so sweet and squishy hug when she happened to see her Auntie Alexandria's face. That look meant only one thing, Auntie was going to use majik, which meant her insides were going to tickle, and someone was in trouble, because Alexandria's majik backfired more than it worked right.

Callie watched her auntie's face closely, a few giggles escaping when the majik did, until she heard the oops combined with her name. What had Alexandria done to her? Callie looked down, then up, then over to...ohhhhh noooooooo... The tiny tot sat down with a thump, stunned and stricken as she looked to where Nodwin should be, and a toad sat. Before the full implications hit the child, Adonair had scooped her up. The ultra upset toddler buried her face in Adonair's chest, great huge tears filling her eyes. Aunnnntttiiiieee Axxxixxxx, noooooo!!!! Majik mannnn...wook wat her did to Callie's Nodwinnnn... And those huge tears rolled down a poor panicked face. She didn't cry, she sobbed like her heart was breaking, even the residual effect of Arkie's construct majik was unable to penetrate the pain that precocious child felt at her aunt's latest goof.

[AuroraKiye]

Arkie watches as Alex moves and casts a spell. Looking to see where Alex is looking, she sees the latecomer that she was moving to find a chair is the target of Alex's spell. With horror, she sees Nodwin shrink and change forms to a toad. Before anyone can accidently step on Nodwin, Arkie casts a protective cage around him, to give him space to reform into his normal hippogriff size.

Her heart breaks as she hears Callie's deep hurt in the child's cry. Arkie steps toward Nodwin, to give him comfort, and places her hand on his back to calm him, to keep him from hopping toward Callie and getting perhaps stepped on, and to hold him so someone could return him to his natural form and size.

She looks at Alex, and asks, "Could you please, put a time limit on that so Nodwin will return to his natural size and shape? Or something?"

[William]

The trundle of the carriage rumbling along the paved roads created a slow dizzy rumbling that droned on for the longest of times serving as a hypnotic spell that slowly sucked a person into a drowsy sleep. Half dozing along on his driver’s bench Will had rocked and swayed along the dusty country roads between the towns and occasionally grabbed in desperation for the handrails to keep from falling off. Which led them to where they were currently at, rumbling along the roads on Cork… late because one of their wheels had been damaged when they had hit a pothole. The ride had become excruciatingly painful until they had finally limped to the next town and had it fixed.

Now though as Will and his family pulled up to the Inn and piled out with the sleepy dazed look of someone who had travelled a long long way all the while cooped up, Will staggered through the door like a dazed zombie into pandemonium. The babble of laughter and conversation was intermixed with the high pitched squeal of… children and it sent a shock through the mage’s system as adrenaline coursed through his veins. Thoughts about his wife and their children flashed through his mind and he saw his four babies in that instant grown up and running rampant creating chaos in their wake. A shock of fear flashed through him, paralysing his limbs into immobility before another wail broke through his numbed mind. Shaking his head to see his wife Ari walk through the door with their children William took another step into the tavern walking once more into that wall of sound to try find his grandfather and his new grandmother…