DAY 003

[allthekeys]

|| Day 003: GENERAL As the morning dawns, the snowfall becomes heavier, though it does not seem to dim the moods of the revellers. They begin to gather their things and pack up their booths, but the odd air of joviality remains. The Jester offers a deep bow to those who have spent the night dancing for him, and they in return offer him a well-deserved smattering of applause and return bows. A basket set on the edge of the stage is soon filled with a magpies assortment of coins and other odd treasures. Someone has left what looks like a horn sitting on the edge of the basket. He takes these things with good humor, strange instrument slung over his shoulder as he returns through the lanes to the castle. Everyone who gave to the Beggar during the night will find themselves with some kind of animal tooth pressed into their palm when they wake to face the dawn. The teeth are difficult to identify, and if compared don't always seem to match, but they're all yellowed and dented with age. Of the beggar herself, there is no sign. Among the stall keepers is an odd man dressed mostly in blacks and grays, he seems rather unusually ordinary. The stall that he kept is full of bits of crystals and sweet smelling candles. Near to him, seemingly awoken from a bundle of blankets near the cart is a little girl, extraordinary only because there seem to be no other children about. He keeps a watchful eye upon her as she tips her hood back and extends her tongue to catch the snowflakes. The bullheaded men are stowing their axes, chuckling and patting the other odd creatures of the night, cheerful and rather carelessly dangerous. In the daylight the gamblers look less menacing, their cloaks pulled close to shield their eyes from the dim morning light. They cast their dice a few more time, the dice yellowed and strange in the faint daylight. When they rise, they barely leave a mark on the snow. They seem to fade from view before they reach the wall. This seems an unusual pattern to the revelers, many seem to have simply vanished as the sky lightened with dawn, though the items that were traded for or won from them remain with those who received them. By the time the travelers set out, the square will be empty save for the for the blackened patches where the fires burned. Even the trash and detritus has been swept away. The woman who runs the Cheese Shop seems rather sleepy during the day, though the older two who stay within the shop seem the same as ever. In fact, if anyone were to have paid attention to the night's revels, they did not seem to attend. The woman occasionally hums tunes from the night, a small, secret smile curling her lips when she drifts away on the wings of memories. Still, she will take the money offered to her and will make certain that anything requested is provided. The Garden seems to have gone dormant; many of the plants have lost leaves or look dried and withered, bare stems buried under snow. The Green Man is the one exception, but he does not move, even if nudged or poked; the crow from the night remains, and may noisily harass anyone too intent on bothering the creature. The Guards seem to be readying themselves for excursions, great horses that are protected with heavy armor. The horses shift as they are saddled, revealing that like the guards nothing holds their flesh together. The force seems to be split, with half remaining behind and the other half preparing themselves for the trip outside the wall. The Captain gives orders and exchanges brief words with his second, the large orange bird sitting on his shoulder. Where its talons rest are pinpoints of red-hot metal, and the bird seems to listen intently to everything that is said. Before the servants will be allowed to leave the walls with the guards, they will be forced to line up and checked over. Any who are deemed unfit will not be allowed to go, though those who are will be provided with short swords, bows and quivers of arrows. Small bundles have been prepared for them, with bundles of bandages and salve, heavier gloves and cloaks, torches, and snowshoes. They will be advised that if they attempt to wander away from the party, they will not be searched for and will be left to die in the snow. This is offered coolly by the guard captain, though his voice seems entirely sincere when he tells them that it is to protect the rest of the force, for it is easy to become lost in the fog and the snow. They are also told to stay off the road and the cross it carefully, should they be forced to cross it at all. Once one is outside the walls, the forest proves to not be as pervasive as it seems, the trees and roots growing out of scorched foundations. This thinner area of overgrown ruins spreads far, the streets and wreckage of an entire city sprawling among the fog. It is difficult to tell how exactly how far, but it's clear that it must have been a sizable settlement. The fog makes exploration risky, as even this close to the walls it is easy to find yourself turned around, repeating the same stretch of ground or turning back to find that the area you'd just passed through is gone. Picked from this lineup is Kaito who will find himself securely held in place by the second until the gates have opened and closed, and then will find himself closely watched for the rest of the day with a rather odd pattern to the guards showing up on whatever he is doing. The candles in the windows in the castle have all been blown out, and thin smoke wisps up from the wicks throughout the sunrise, leaving a hazy but not unpleasant impression behind. Those assigned to the first floor duty will be told to clean away the candles and the wax they left behind. The chores for the day have been assigned: Dorm 18 - Laundry Dorm 19 - Basement Dorm 20 - Kitchen Dorm 21 - First Floor Dorm 22 - Groundskeeping - Yard/road, Stables/animal tending Dorm 23 - Laundry Dorm 24 - Groundskeeping - Yard/road, Stables/animal tending Dorm 25 - Kitchen Dorm 26 - First Floor Dorm 27 - Basement

Comments

[canonized_demon]

Alex would like to go on the hunt. She'll be bringing one of her firearms.