[ORP] Moorstead Farm

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Aida

Re: [ORP] Aida's Cottage

Post by Aida »

Aida frowned at the egg in her back garden. That wasn't supposed to be there. In fact, she thought, at she had wandered through the village, none of these strange multicoloured eggs were meant to be here! Lucky then, that a missive had arrived just in time from Amaryllis to explain the whole debacle and so Aida - always willing to help, especially when there were prizes involved - had gone off in search of the things. Strange that they should be so widely scattered, but then again. Stranger things had happened.

She spent a good morning wandering through the city, first the outskirts where most of the finer folk had once had their homes, dilapidated and deserted as most of them were. Not so long ago, she thought, they must have been thriving family homes with neat gardens and loud laughter ringing from the halls, but as she peered through dusty, broken windows she heard only the sounds of animals scratching around. Birds had even made their nests in some of them, she could see the droppings on the floor. Returning, her heart slightly heavy and full of longing, she sent another letter out with her new errand boy, Lod, who just 'happened' to be the steward's cousin. No matter, he earned his keep anyway.

Aida wandered through the house then, the timbers newly laid and polished, windows full of shining glass. Would the fate of those other houses be the fate of this one? Would there come a day when The Hungry Hippogriff's kitchen lads wouldn't be running up the kitchen path with parcels, or letters, playing and joshing as they did so? A day when Jade would no longer walk back and forth, humming and attending her work? When Genevieve, her small ward, would no longer fill the rooms with a baby's laughter or cries? Most likely. She tried to imagine her kitchen covered in cobwebs, her small long gallery upstairs rotting from woodworm. Try as she might, she could not. For now, Aida was here to stay and walking over the window she thrust it open to let the warm spring air in, as though to declare that she was here, and she was alive.
Aida

Re: [ORP] Aida's Home

Post by Aida »

Home. How strange it was. For the longest time, home had been that dark corner of a shack in the woods, a thin coverlet and musty smells. Sometimes, when she was working in the apothecary workshop in the Hungry Hippogriff, a whiff of something would pass through the air and she would be transported back there, onto that straw mattress, surrounded by various drying ingredients. Perhaps that was why she had really chosen to keep an apothecary, not out of dedication to the temple, but out of a desire to be be connected to her past life even by the most delicate thread. She shook off these thoughts as she ambled down the road on her dappled grey, smiling as the inn and farmhouse came into view. They were fairly humble buildings, the inn was a reclaimed barn, but still it was her enterprise and hardwork that had caused them to come into being and she allowed herself to feel a drop of satisfaction. Now there was Hexalyn and Rhoslyn to think about, she thanked the Mages silently that there was a real home for them.

The inn had been quite empty, just an elderly peasant on a passover to Imperius tended by Mr. Hatton, the innkeeper. She dismounted outside the stables as the twins Lod and Tod rushed out to meet her, bowing awkwardly. She laughed, handing them the reigns. How they had grown in such a short time! Finally, after she had stopped to take a report from Mr. Hatton and his daughter about the inn (quiet, as usual) and from Lod and Tod about the hippogriffs (noisy, as usual), she headed up the lane to her house. Jade, the steward had noted her arrival and waiting outside the door to take her travelling cloak, offering her a grin as she did so.

"I trust my Lady's trip was... fulfilling." She slapped Jade's hand away and the steward laughed, sweeping backwards into the house. Aida breathed in the scent, fresh linens and flowers that had be brought in to be dried. A slight medicinal smell from the ointment Jade was brewing, a little still of new wood and plaster. And then, perfume, as Miyanda ran to embrace her. Her mistress squeezed her back, this was truly the longest she had been without her companion since they had met. Ever proper, she had been running a proper little household here. Mr Hatton and his daughter, Jade, the twins and the nursemaid were all wearing new clothes cut from Aida's livery cloth and she smiled gratefully, knowing the sheer effort it took to organise.

"You look well," Miya commented, her comment loaded with mischief. She gave her companion a knowing look as they headed upstairs, where Saph Woods was sitting rocking a gurgling Genevieve on her lap.

"Baby!" Aida exclaimed, "By the Mages, I hope she still recognises me." She smiled as the orphan baby Evan had 'given' her allowed herself to be bundled up and kissed, fussing as she was. Handing her back, she looked around the place, listening for familiar voices.

"And where are the others?"
Hexa

Re: [ORP] Aida's Home

Post by Hexa »

Hexa was dancing around in a new dress. Or rather, the dress was no more new than any of them had been - but the girl considered the dresses that she had not yet worn to be new. She stomped down the stairs rather recklessly, shouting, "Mommy's home! Rhossss! Mommy's home! I seed her!" The girl slammed into the railing of the stairs, as she slowed to a stop to frown.

"Mommyyyy!"

Hexa adored the baby - though her mother had not had much to do with said baby; so the girl was fine. She squirmed as she danced back up the stairs, shrieking for her mother. "Mommyyyyy! Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" As soon as she found the room her mother was in, she threw herself at the woman, arms around her legs.

"Mommy! Did you bring home Tex-mate?" She stared upward with wide, wide eyes. "Mommy bring home Tex-mate?" She demanded, as she clung to the woman.
Rhoslyn

Re: [ORP] Aida's Home

Post by Rhoslyn »

Rhoslyn follows Hexa in a minute later, having heard her screeches of Aida being home from a different room. She winced as the girl hit the railing, unfortunately she hadn't been close enough to stop that collision, but the younger girl didn't even seem to notice it as she charged on, screaming for Aida.

She, herself, been rather quiet the entire time Aida was gone, except of course when searching for the forever-getting-into-mischief Hexa, as she yelled and chased after her whenever the child disappeared to more than likely do something she shouldn't. Other than those times, which did happen rather often, she had been quiet and tried to stay out of people's way in Aida's absence, the woman had left before she had even arrived in town, so it had been a while since she had seen the woman, though they had communicated through letter a few times in the woman's absence.

Despite the time it been since she had physically seen her, though she might have joined Hex in hugging her if there had been a few less people around, she settled for a more quiet, "Hello," coupled with a smile and an amused look, which she couldn't retrain, at the child clinging to the older woman's legs as her smile widened a bit at the sight of the two people she had considered her sisters.
Aida

Re: [ORP] Aida's Home

Post by Aida »

She shrieked playfully as she was tackled around the legs, a wave of emotion washing over her as Genevieve joined in the noise and Saph took her, laughing. Kneeling down, she embraced the little girl tightly. Mother, now, was it? At first she had not been sure how to receive it as such, but her time away from the girl had only strengthened her desire to act as such. She might as well be the girls mother, she thought to herself, and so there could not be so much harm from being called such. Still, something stirred in the back of her mind. The young woman pushed it aside and stroked the side of Hexa's face, grinning, "He is never far behind me. I hear he likes the view."

She straightened up looking down at her, "And your dresses look very fine. Are they comfortable? Have you been happy here? I know it's a little busier than we're all used to..." Aida paused to catch Rhoslyn's eye as she quietly greeted her and smiled, reaching out an arm to try and place gently for a moment on Rhoslyn's. She opened her mouth for a moment, not knowing quite what to say.

Noticing the slight change in mood, Saph excused herself for a moment, curtseying with Genevieve in her arms and retreating to the far side of the hall to set her down on some cushions for play with the other maid.

"How have you been?" She began to the older girl, a hand falling to smooth down Hexa's rebellious locks, "Any news? I heard... well, shall we sit down? I have some gifts for you, by the way. It's not much, but... news first?"
Rhoslyn

Re: [ORP] Aida's Home

Post by Rhoslyn »

Rhos remained standing, if a bit awkwardly, off to the side as the older woman hugged the younger girl, smiling at Aida's comment about "Tex-mate", as Hex called him. She didn't think she had actually ever met the man, but Hexa chattered on about him nearly as much as she did about Aida.

When the woman launched into her questions to the both of them, the teen simply nodded at both, her smile widening a bit at Aida's greeting. She allowed the hand to rest on her arm, and when the questions turned to just her, she answered in her quiet tone. "I've been fine, Hex has missed you quite a bit, as you can probably tell." She giggled a bit as she said that, as it was almost an understatement, as the girl chattered on about the woman almost constantly, or at least whenever she wasn't getting into something, when the older woman was gone.

When she asked for news, she shrugged, her eyes lighting up a bit at the mention of gifts. In her old life, she never had really gotten gifts, the witch had hated her for her constant mess ups on what the woman considered 'simple spells', and so hadn't made an effort to be nice to her, or show her much in the way of kindness. She pulled her thoughts away from that time back to the present, and shook her head at her requests for news, "Nothing really important that I can think of mentioning happened." It was true, she didn't think the woman she had met in her travels to get here was all that important to mention, she hadn't returned to that tavern and so hadn't seen her since.
Hexa

Re: [ORP] Aida's Home

Post by Hexa »

Hexa clung to her mother, giggling upward as she burbled, "Sit! Rocking-sit!" She pointed to the rocking chair, putting all of her weight against her mother's legs. "Wha' view, mommy?" She stared upward, her eyes wide. What view did Tex-mate like? The joke had gone over her head completely.

She bounced up and down, starting to talk about everything they had done while her mother was away. She had gotten to know to the staff; and she was amazed by the little infant. "Comf'orble." She gurgled under her breathe as she began to push against her mother's legs. "'ocker chair! 'ocke chair! Mommy sit!"

She was certainly trying her hardest to push the woman back with all of her weight; but even still Hexa did not weigh too much over the average weight limit, if anything she was a bit below the average weight.

"Toys!" She exclaimed - gifts automatically meant toys or some fun object in Hexa's mind.
Aida

Re: [ORP] Aida's Home

Post by Aida »

She sat at the table, it's surface covered in a colourful carpet she had pilfered from the castle last time she was there. It wasn't like anyone else needed it! Aida stared at the pattern for a moment, gathering Hexa in her arms and breathing in her familiar scent before calling out to Miyanda for her bag. Whilst she waited, hearing the familiar footsteps climbing the stairs, she considered Rhoslyn carefully. Did she detect something being held back? Was it just her paranoia? She herself had found the city almost impossible at first, often having to escape into shops in order to catch her breath and being brought to tears in the first large crowd she had been trapped in.

"I mean, you know, because Hexa always fits in... oblivious, this one." She grinned and squeezed her for a moment, "But if there's anything you wanted to tell me, any... difficulties, or if you ever get yourself into trouble. I know out there is dangerous but this part of society can hold many dangers too, you know? I'm blatherin- oh, thankyou Miya."

Trying not to grin too hard, she rooted around in her bag, pulling out some boxes to set on the table before looking at Rhoslyn. "As you know, we were hunting monsters for a few days. Their scaly hides are very sought after, they make excellent boots... anyway, it's not raining or anything, but... oh. I made you a hat!"

Letting a happy smile spread across her face, she opened up the box at the table and opened it up to reveal a home-made, slightly misshapen, scaly, green hat. "I mean I know it's not exactly court wear but if you were to go out foraging or hunting, it's the perfect camoflage! It keeps the sun and the rain off."

Gesturing towards another box, she opened that one up too, squeezing Hexa once more and handing her a pair of small scaly boots, made from the same hide as the hat had been. "And for you, my little whirlwind, how about some zyrk boots! I did have these cobbled, I mean I'm not a shoe maker. But now you can run around even in the rockiest of places... the stones on the lake shore won't jab you now."

She leaned back, beaming at the both, unawares they might not be too thrilled with her scaly presents. Still, it was the thought that counted.
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Texas_Knight
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Re: [ORP] Aida's Home

Post by Texas_Knight »

TK comes in the door looking like he's been hunting for days. On his back he has a skinned stag that just needs prepared for proper cooking. "Hello my love! I'm home! Hexa!! I have missed you my girl!" He sets the meat on the table and places his weapons in the corner next to the door before walking over and giving his wife one of those hugs that sweaty men give to their wife knowing that they are in dire need of a bathing. He kisses her neck before letting her go, grinning all the while. He looks at Hexa and smiles as he sees her face beaming.

"My love, I am going to get a bath... would you care to join me?" He grins and thinks she may, or she may not. He's not sure what's been going on today so he waits a moment or two for an answer.
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Hexa

Re: [ORP] Moorstead Farm

Post by Hexa »

Hexa gasps at the boots, shrieking happily, "Shoe! Mommy, shoe!" She snatches the boots and waves them around happily, soon trying to stuff her feet into them - the boots held in the wrong hand for the foot they belonged too. Hexa seemed disappointed, and soon has thrown the boots straight at Rhoslyn; the girl had aim, that was for sure.

When TK enters, and comes to hug her mother, the child stands up, barefooted, on her mother's lap. "Tex-mate! Tex-mate! I miss you!" She squealed, clapping her hands and jumping up and down - not even thinking if she is causing her mother pain in any way. Hexa really didn't think before she acted; it would certainly be a good practice to look into learning.

"Bath?" The child's eyes widen and she curls her arms around her mother's head - "No bath for Hexa!" It didn't matter that her name had not been said; Hexa despised bathing. Although she did not mind the lake much - but she did not associate that water with baths.
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