Wildflower Inn

[The Grey Coincidence]

Two's company, three's a crowd and here's a horde, thought Harl, watching the newcomers with profound interest. The fox with the stupid name and ridiculous hat had the measure of a second-in-command. They were prim and proper and demanded attention, but were nowhere near smart enough to succeed with any possible treacheries. The rat had swaggered in and made to draw a blade, the threat had been pathetic and made redundant by his unconciousness but it was the thought that counted. The rat was likely a hordebeast himself, which meant pressing him into joining another one would be almost too easy. The otters presented a minor problem. From the way they leapt to the rat's aide and having come prepared with herbal salve they were clearly the type of do-gooder woodlanders that were the banes of hordes everywhere. Nothing a quick dagger to the heart couldn't fix of course but there were three of them and judging by the way they had looked into the inn before entering, were likely guarded by a healthy bit of caution. It would be best if he kept his intentions secret from them, then.

Silently, he chewed on his honey bread.

[Crafter Man]

Roughtail could feel water on his lips and at first thought it was sea water, but it tasted... fresh?  It must be a dream, but he didn't care, and he licked it off his lips.  He didn't bother wondering how or why fresh water was appearing in his mouth, but he decided that if it was indeed a dream at least he would die satisfied.  Then he could smell... food!  His nose began unconsciously twitching.  Ahh it smells so good, where's it comin' from?  Suddenly a large feast materialized in front of him, larger than anything he could have ever wanted, bowls of grapes, soup, and custards of all varieties.  An ocean of Seaweed grog and a river of October Ale! Yes, I'll die 'appy indeed, the rat thought with a smile.   

[Mara the Wolf]

"Hey, he's comin' too!" Mara said to Nitsyok. She gave the rat a bit more water. "Hey, c'mon, wake up," she said gently.

[WorshipTiria]

*thuk thuk thuk*

there is knocking at the door.

[shisteer of nothing much]

  Nitsyok looked up from his work to give the rat a once over. He was certainly stirring, but whether or not he'd arrived back into reality was another issue.
  "He is. When he wakes up properly, see if you can get him to drink something on his own, and try giving him some soup. Once he's satisfied, we'll put him to bed. We can sort out payment for his accommodation and care, if necessary."
  These beasts seemed kind and willing to help, but they were running a business and looking after the rat would take time and patience, plus the loss of a room, especially when it was so busy, would cost.

[Mara the Wolf]

Masika headed for the door as Mara tended to the rat. Today was certainly proving to be...eventful. "Welcome, c'mon in," the otter said tiredly as she opened the door.

[WorshipTiria]

"Thank you" says the otter-maid coming in.

*she sees Roughtail laid out*

"Is he alright? Do you need help?"

[Jarky Thistlebrush]

"Nyika, take the other tray over to the new fox, the dandy wit' the ridiculously long name," Mara said. She turned to Nitsyok. "If'n ya think ye c'n help go ahead. Neither Masika or me can handle bad injuries, an' Maut," she gestured to the silver fox helping Isaac up, "an' Nyika never learned, so, we're a bit outta our depth here." The wolf then proceeded to try to gently coax water into Roughtail.

Nyika came over to Isaac with the tray of fish stew and honey bread. "Yer jacket ain't ruined, ya dandy. Jus' leave et outside overnight, beat et a bit t' get the remainin' water out, then use a willow reed t' get any wrinkles out once it's dry."

(OOC: this bit was quite far back so is quoting it okay?)

BIC: Isaac looked aghast at Nyika.  "Beat my jacket?! Hasn't the poor thing been through enough already? Oh dear, I suppose I'll have to..." The fox strutted away, shaking his head sadly. He caught sight of a small mouse in the corner of the room, and frowned. There was something strangely different about this mouse. Curious, Isaac slunk closer. "Who are you, young man?"

[Mara the Wolf]

(OOC: Other RPs occasionally do it, so I guess so."

Maut shook his head at his fellow fox. Veach left the table as Isaac approached and headed over to Maut, almost as if he couldn't stand the other fox.

"Dumb fox," Nyika muttered, before glancing to Maut. "No offense."

The silver fox shrugged. "None taken. He is a stupid dandy."

"I think Mara an' the otter have got it handled," Masika said to her fellow otter, closing the door. "Th' rat came in, practically on death's door, but tha' otter wit' my mate o'er there seems t' know what he's doin'."

(When Masika called Mara her mate, she means in the British/nautical meaning: a friend.)

[WorshipTiria]

*The otter-maid heads over to the counter to pay after she is satisfied that Roughtail will survive.*

"I would like a room for the night please. How much does it cost?"

[Crafter Man]

Roughtail jolted up with a start, his wits slowly coming back to him.  he'd just been dreaming of the greatest feast he'd ever seen and was now looking for said feast.  His senses were hypervigilant, at least his smell was.  He let his nose figure out the direction of the smell, for a split second concerned that there wasn't any food after-all.  Then his eyes landed on a bowl of soup, tunnel vision wouldn't be doing the rat's state of mind justice, it was as if his entire being was possessed by his nose and nothing else remotely mattered.  Without a second thought, the rat buried his snout in the bowl and gulped it down in two quick slurps.

Licking the bowl clean, Roughtail then proceeded to take in his surroundings.  His matted snout was covered in dripping soup which he attempted to lick off while he took stock of his company.  Ahhh that's right, I stumbled into an Inn by the looks of it.  Next to him was a very large black... was that a wolf?  Never seen a wolf before, only heard of em in stories.  She seemed to have been tending to him, but now looked startled.  There was a small mouse sitting a fair distance away with a face that had disinterest written all over it, and seemed to be keeping to himself.  Roughtail noted the barbed tail with a gulp as a shiver rippled through his body before forcing himself to look away from it.  There was a fox and a stoat in the corner of the Inn who looked like veteran vermin, probably seen a fair bit of action.

Two otters seemed to have settled down at a table and a fox who was dressed in the oddest of outfits seemed to be approaching the mouse.  How in the world is one to fight in... that. Roughtail thought, noting the fox's ridiculous hat and cape which would only get in the way during any sort of combat.  That's when Roughtail noticed the otter standing near him, he gulped audibly as he met the otters steady gaze.  To say he felt unsettled would be an understatement, he was well aware of what otters and their kind did to sea vermin; if 12 seasons as a sea rat had taught him anything, it was to never trust any beast, especially not an otter.   Over at the door, an otter maid who he guessed was the owner, seemed to be letting in another otter.  Great, that's just perfect.  With my luck the next thing I know, there'll be an entire otter tribe camped outside. Given his current company, Roughtail's right paw instinctively moved to his side to grab hold of his scimitar, but he only found an empty scabbard.  "Where's me blade, otter?" he snarled in a low voice, glaring up at the offending beast. 

[WorshipTiria]

The otter-maid hears this and goes over to him without hearing the answer.

"Sir, we are creatures of peace, you do not need a weapon, and in this state, you would be horribly ineffective with it. Now, do you want more soup?."

[Crafter Man]

Roughtail snorted, this is exactly the type of beast he'd have plundered a village from.  Weak and defenseless.  Peace my foot paw!  "This 'as nothin t' do with yew ya runt.  And even in my injured state I could gut ya and shove yur insides down yur throat."  He smiled wickedly at the small otter.  He didn't mean it of course, he'd like to think even sea rats had standards although he did find it mildly amusing how she thought she could comment on his abilities when she probably hadn't ever cut into a beast in her life.  "An' aye, git me more soup an' a couple pints of October Ale while yur at it.  Now let the grown beasts talk."   

[WorshipTiria]

She throws 6 punches, all of which connect.

"You do not speak like that to me. Now, do you want more soup ( angrily )?"

[Crafter Man]

Roughtail wiped a trickle of blood from his snout. "Real peaceful aren't ya," he chided sarcastically.  The punches hardly hurt and felt more like sissy slaps, but he had to admit that the otter maid had more heart than he was expecting.  She was, however, starting to get on his nerves and testing his limits.  He wasn't in the mood for being pestered by some beast half his age. "Are ya soft in the 'ead?" he snapped after a bit, "I already said I wanted some soup an' Ale as well, now git yur tail moving, afore I show ya what a real punch feels like."