A Different Haunted Mansion (D&D, see plotting thread)

[Elsa]

Liluth shook her head at the girl’s offer to help. ”They’re not heavy,” she answered.

”Yeah, it’s his fault. Life was good, and then he showed up, bringing people with him. But then he showed his true colors and people fled. Most everyone left is older, like me, or had just started their family at the time, and couldn’t bring themselves to uproot their young’ns. The druids bring in some people now, but most everyone just passes through. Not many want to stay, what with Drestyn’s manor so close.”

The girl’s choice of words stumped Liluth for a moment. Beat him? Why would anyone want to get close enough to Drestyn to use a cane on him? It occurred to Liluth that the girl was using ‘beat’ as a different word for defeat. Inside, Liluth huffed. The younger generation... Hmph!

”Can’t really say. He could even still be up there, he just stopped what he was doing. Wizard passed through, some time ago, headed up there. Maybe Drestyn’s trapped in a spell or something. I don’t rightly know, and I don’t care to find out. As long as that evil man isn’t bothering us, I don’t care what he’s up to.”

The girl introduced herself as Helen. An odd name, and very delayed for politeness. But Liluth wasn’t bothered. It was obvious that Helen had more on her mind than she was saying. Everyone’s entitled to their secrets, Liluth’s mother had often said. ”I’m Liluth,” she answered, bobbing her head a little.

”Daunn and Dematir have a shop near the inn. They sell to adventurer-types like you, so they have all manner of things for sale. Inn’s thataway,” Liluth gestured off to their left. ”If you come all the way to the church with me, you’ll be on the right road to get there, it’ll be straight to. And you’ll pass the Main Hall on your way to the shop.” Liluth found that she rather enjoyed answering the girl’s questions. By all rights, Liluth should’ve pointed the way to the Main Hall in the beginning, and let her husband do all the talking. But it was too late for that now.

~~~~~
Larovik frowned. As he handed the pretty blonde her change, the mouse kept talking. He shot a dark look at the wizard before crossing his arms over his chest. ”Look, if yer not goin’ ta be able to control yer spells, yer not welcome in Ambroth. Go get a permit from the town hall if yeh want to keep up yer shenanigans.” He didn’t understand why the lass wanted to pay for the mouse to watch the show—unless the third person wasn’t with them at the time. Or she was weird, and treated the mouse like a person, even though it was clearly a mouse. She was just lucky Larovik hadn’t noticed the rodent when they had first walked in, otherwise he would’ve turned them out right away. No rodents were welcome in his inn!

Larovik didn’t know what this “English gentleman” nonsense was, even if he’d had a proper education—which Larovik hadn’t.

The wizard interrupted the mouse—another good trick, from what Larovik understood—carrying the rodent outside. Larovik grunted his thanks, if only because he wanted them to return and buy dinner during the show.


Elsa groaned quietly as Basil started ranting. She really wasn’t sure how to stop the mouse short of picking him up and forcing him to go outside, which Mateo was quick to do. Elsa shot the bartender an apologetic smile. ”We’ll be back later, and no more magic,” she promised.

Outside, Elsa rubbed her temples. ”Basil, I know how it upsets you to be thought of as a common mouse, but please think about this. We are trapped in a strange world; this is not Walt Disney World, these people don’t know you. I know you’re the smartest of the three of us, so I hope you will use your head from here on out.”

With a quiet sigh, Elsa continued. ”Perhaps you should ride on my shoulder. I know you think it undignified, but if the people in this town will all believe as that man does, we need to be careful. I don’t want Mateo to be punished for a spell he didn’t cast. If you ride on my shoulder, you can tell me what you want to be said, and I can speak for you. It would only be while we’re in the town, I promise.” A gut feeling said Basil would haughtily decline her suggestion.

[Basil]

Basil's next remark was choked off as he found himself scooped up and carried out of the pub.

we are supposed to be laying low

The lad was right, of course. Basil had played many rôles in his various cases; he could certainly adopt the persona of dumb beast for the time being.

He contented himself by muttering "Insufferable lout" under his breath.

Basil, I know how it upsets you to be thought of as a common mouse

"Beg pardon, Your Majesty, but the mouse as humans see him is far from the common. Your point, however, is well taken. This is most definitely a different world entirely."

"With your permission," added the detective, "I will ride upon your shoulder." It was a position he had taken before, not really demeaning, and better than being chased by a broom.

I know you’re the smartest of the three of us

At least Basil had that accolade, which afforded him no little satisfaction.

[Mateo de Alva]

”Look, if yer not goin’ ta be able to control yer spells, yer not welcome in Ambroth. Go get a permit from the town hall if yeh want to keep up yer shenanigans.”

"Uh...yes sir...", Mateo had been hoping to just dodge his way around the new information to him and accusation of...Casting Without a Permit...but it seemed a very serious thing!

And that in itself was odd and suggestive...

"Sorry...um...", but any defenses he could think of might not work and just make it worse, so he just gave another nod.

"We’ll be back later, and no more magic,”

Another cooperating nod and small smile, before they stepped outside and Elsa tried to help at soothing Basil. It worked, and royalty and queens often just had a knack at. Mateo smiled to both Basil's comment on the inn-keeper and Elsa saying he was smartest of them. The young wizard wasn't going to disagree or argue with it, it seemed very true!

Yet...also...very proud...

”Perhaps you should ride on my shoulder. I know you think it undignified, but if the people in this town will all believe as that man does, we need to be careful. I don’t want Mateo to be punished for a spell he didn’t cast...”

"Yeah that...", Mateo had been pondering it and spoke in a low voice even as Basil took up Elsa's offer. "It's odd that magic would be banned her, or...you need a permit...like someone wants to know who's using magic and not...which magic users in control of a place by force are very quick to do", Mateo made sure they still had their own sort of bubble of speaking privacy as he said this. Like the evil sorceress to have taken over back home had done.

[Deleted]

Helen listened intently as Liluth explained what had occurred in this town. "Yeah, uprooting the family isn't easy.." She smiled slightly with a nod of understanding when she mentioned the reason why people wouldn't uproot their new family. As flexible as she was, even Helen had her hard days keeping the family together. Not everyone can manage doing that. Her family certainly had a harder time of it than she had. Based on what Liluth made it seem, it sounded like this Drestryn guy was a real villain. It seemed strange that he just suddenly stopped what he was doing. Maybe his place was what she saw in the orb? There was only one way to find out. Helen's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that his manor was close. "He's that close? Which one is it?" She peered around the abandoned looking buildings, wondering which one it could be. 

The auburn mother smiled as Liluth demonstrated to her the directions she needed, including the direction of the inn. "Thank you so much for your help, Liluth. I really enjoyed your company; but if it's all the same to you, I think Daunn and Dematir might be the place I'll go first to get some supplies before I stay at the inn. I don't know how long I'll wind up staying here, but I might as well be prepared." Helen smiled at the elderly woman kindly, "And if there's anything that I can do to return the favor, just let me know! I really appreciate all your help." With that, Helen began heading towards the direction of Daunn and Dematir in hopes of finding supplies that might be of some use to surviving this place for a day or two. 

[Elsa]

Liluth waved a hand. ”He’s not in the town limits, dear. We wouldn’t stand for it, even before he showed his true colors. No, he built a fancy manor out in the woods, off that way.” Liluth pointed to the right.

Helen made her excuses—which Liluth didn’t mind, for they were nearly at the church, and Amelie was waving at her from the door. Liluth waggled her fingers in response. ”That’s quite all right, dear,” Liluth told her. ”You come and see me later, dear, at the church. I'll have something for you. And my husband, Conall, is sitting in the Main Hall today; you can talk to him, too.”

~~~~~

In one of the fields surrounding Ambroth, a young man spotted a pearly blue sign in his field. Frowning, he jabbed his scythe at it, chipping the face that said something about a park and Elsa, whoever that was. He was shocked to see the chips melt in the sun. It wasn’t natural, this sign! It seemed to be made of ice, though how that was possible, he didn’t know. Nor could he fathom why a wizard would make such a sign. The young man could tell that the sign itself wasn’t melting in the sun, unless he chipped at it. But the sign itself stayed solid ice. Whatever it was, it was in the way of planting, and he just couldn’t stand for it. Once his fields were done, he’d bring it to the council, and maybe they could make heads or tails of it. With a powerful swipe of the scythe, the young man cut through the sign at the base, intending to drag it off to the Main Hall later. He was dismayed, however, to see the sign immediately begin to melt. No one would ever believe him about the sign, but he did have a strong crop in that particular area for the rest of his life, and the tale of the sign became something of a legend in his family; he cautioned his son to plant what was needed there, because it would yield a healthy profit every year.

~~~~~
Elsa checked her own powers, reassuring herself that she had firm control over them. She fervently hoped that her sign in the field would be left alone, at least long enough for any other arrivals to see it. Would the townsfolk recognize it as magic? The sign itself wasn’t, but it was magically made.

Turning to Mateo, she said, ”It could very well be that they just don’t want magic to be misused within town limits. I doubt there are any barriers up that prevent magic, because the innkeeper didn’t seem to worry about that; in fact, it was rather kind of him to let us know without alerting the guard. Our position in this place is precarious enough without that added difficulty.”

Basil agreed to ride on her shoulder, and Elsa let out a quiet sigh of relief. She held out a hand for him to climb on, figuring it would be easier than having the mouse climb up. Straightening again, Elsa glanced around. There were a few more people on the road now, though none seemed particularly interested in the trio standing outside the inn. Directing her gaze to Mateo, Elsa asked, ”What shall we do first?”

There was the Daunn & Dematir Merchandise shop across the street, the large building with a sign farther down, the guard house, and at the end of the street was the church. The other buildings along the street were all either abandoned or clearly houses of the local populace.

[Basil]

The trio exited the pub, which was just as well. It ought to have been their primary source of information, though they had properly botched that opportunity. They were forced to fall back on the next-most-likely place to question the locals: the town dry goods shoppe.

What shall we do first?

This query was directed at...Mateo... Frowning within the confines of his cloak, where his expression was probably unreadable, Basil wondered why this inexperienced youth was being asked to choose the group's next move. Apparently this scheme which called for him to remain mute was going to cause significant problems. How was he to indicate their best choice if he was forbidden to speak?

Clearing his throat into one fist, Basil tried coughing out the word "shoppe".

[Mateo de Alva]

Elsa subtly checked her own powers, as if checking if she could still control them and avoid trouble such as Mateo had already almost gotten them into. It was good to know now, and from someone who didn't seem to take too much issue, just giving a warning as it were.

The queen debunked all out panicking about evil magic casters and said maybe it was just if magic was prevalent. That could be...Mateo admitted his experiences might have made him go to Evil Magic Casters a bit soon, still, he couldn't shake the bad feeling with such a restriction, yet maybe it was just his own bad experiences and precautions all in all.

"What shall we do first?"

Mateo himself didn't see this as only directed at him, it was just easier to look at him, though he was included sure. Still, Basil, who Mateo was coming to see was very opinionated and...perhaps a bit bossy, though maybe that was being miffed at the earlier interactions, coughed out about what sounded good to the wizard also. Mateo nodded, he would have said "I agree" also, but recalled that Basil was supposed to be treated like he couldn't talk, though he did glance to him in his nod before looking back to Elsa "I think the shop sounds like the best option at the moment".

[Deleted]

(ooc: Sorry guys! Hurricane was annoying :c)

After having thanked the woman for her information and her offer of any further assistance, the auburn haired ranger proceeded towards the direction of the shop when her eyes widened upon seeing someone with white hair further away. She was not quick to assume it would be her friend, however, for the clothing threw her off - that, and the fact that she already saw someone else with white hair. Still, her pacing quickened just a little, still hopeful that it could be her. "Elsa?" She called out insecurely, her voice lower due to the fact that she wasn't sure if this was her or another older woman. However, the closer she got, the more sure Helen felt about this being her friend, just in different clothing than what she was used to. Maybe she got transported over here with strange clothes, too. "Elsa!" She called out louder upon recognizing her face now that her features were becoming more clear as she got closer, her pace quickening to more of a jog. It seemed that she was also with someone else. "It's me! Helen!" She called out, wanting to make sure she knew who it was so that she wouldn't think it was a stranger coming towards her. "Huh? What are you-?" She murmured curiously upon noticing Elsa stare at her shoulder for some reason, then turned at an angle to notice that it was a mouse on her shoulder! "Oh!" She exclaimed, blinking in surprise upon finding Basil, that same mouse she encountered with the bees! Still, she said nothing, recalling that she was in disguise while she met Basil, so he probably would not know who she was in her civilian clothing. "..You guys must be friends of Elsa's, I'm assuming?" She turned from Basil towards the boy that was with them. "Nice to meet you! I'm Helen." She greeted the group with a warm smile, before returning her attention back to Elsa. "I'm so glad I found you! I found your sign out back and I tried tracking you down.." She briefly explained her whereabouts. "I managed to get some information on my way over here.. and I'm sure you all probably got some information of your own. How bout we get some supplies from the shoppe and meet at the inn to share what we all found? Then we can come up with some kinda game plan out of this place." The ranger mother offered her idea as she turned to glance around at this strange place whilst waiting if they would agree to that or not. The sooner she got home to her family, the better.

[Elsa]

Elsa heard Basil’s discreet cough and wondered if there was discontent hidden behind his quiet word. Mateo voiced his agreement, and Elsa nodded.

The armored queen thought she heard someone call her name; but no one here knew it yet, and Mateo was too close. Elsa craned her neck, slightly irritated that she couldn’t—well, shouldn’t—raise a platform of ice for a better view. Her name was called again, more confidently, followed by Helen coming into view. The friendly mother was also wearing unusual clothing, but Elsa was overjoyed to see her. It meant her sign had worked, after all.

Helen introduced herself to Basil and Mateo, and Elsa’s diplomatic skills took over. ”Yes, Helen, these are my friends Basil and Mateo.” Perhaps introducing the mouse first would help soothe his ego… Putting a hand on Helen’s shoulder, Elsa said, ”I’m glad to see you; glad that the sign served its purpose. We were indeed on our way into the shop, for information and possibly supplies. We have purchased tickets at the inn for the evening show; the innkeeper—“ Drat, they hadn’t managed to get his name, had they… ”—said that one of the performers might be able to provide more information about the three-faced man.”

Leaning close to Helen’s ear, Elsa added, ”Magic isn’t permitted within the town limits, so be careful not to stretch yourself…” While Helen, at Elsa’s last conversation with her, was still getting used to her powers being known in the parks, she didn’t want to reveal the older woman’s abilities without her permission. It was likely that Mateo and Basil didn’t know about it, though Basil had probably noticed some tiny detail that gave it away, or at the very least that told him Helen was hiding something…

[Basil]

The sound of someone calling Queen Elsa by name could only mean one thing: that some other person had, like they, been sent here. He turned with the young ruler to see a human woman headed their way. There was something familiar about her--had they met? Basil rubbed his chin as he attempted to place her.

That voice...yes, it must be...the masked female from The Adventure of the Winged Automatons...or whatever it would be called were someone to write it up. But she'd traded in her mask for a hood that covered her face almost as effectively.

Penetrating her disguise did not grant Basil the pleasure it ought. For with her identity, the mouse also recalled his own embarrassing behaviour during that unfortunate incident. His intellect had failed him in a shocking manner, and he had made the most dreadful mental blunders. All in all, a day he should prefer to forget.

Rather than try to divine what the ladies were whispering about, the detective drew himself further into his cloak, for the first time pleased that he was forbidden to speak.

[Mateo de Alva]

As they stood there, debating next course, someone called Elsa's name. Mateo turned, scanning, curious himself and trying to think if they or Elsa had given her name to any here yet. For the moment, and after everything, Mateo forgot the sign Elsa had put up.

Elsa's own posture as the other woman approached seemed to indicate she did recognize the name given. Helen. Mateo just waited and watched, though gave a slight smile already.

Helen blinked and peered at Elsa's shoulder and Basil. Mateo, aware the mouse watched him and all of them closely, refrained from letting his smile grow as it threatened to in light humor Basil would probably not appreciate. Not after everything to have happened thus far.

Introductions were soon turned their way, and Mateo instantly gave a bow such as fit for this land and came off more natural from his own home, as Helen turned to him, "Nice to meet you". He had almost gone for a hand shake, as he'd quickly learned was the go-to of the park and he'd been adapting.

It was of course Elsa's sign that had done the work, as Helen stated. Mateo was pleased, but not surprised to find the queen's (or not queen here?) plan had worked.

Helen looked about, or slightly younger, than Mateo's own mother so the youth wasn't too surprised to find she quickly engineered a plan also. He was also happy to let her and Elsa come up with plans, used to aiding and not always coming up with them back in Avalor. He slightly wondered if Basil felt the same though and glanced down (directionally only) to the mouse before glancing back to Helen and Elsa as she updated Helen. Basically that that plan worked.

[Deleted]

Helen raised an eyebrow at Basil when he made no response, which was far different from his talkative self during that bee incident, before glancing back at the boy that Elsa introduced as Mateo, who greeted her with a bow. The ranger in the hooded cloak blinked, not being used to that kind of gesture, but smiled gently. He did not look much older than her daughter, Violet. She mildly wondered if Violet met him yet. He seemed nice so far. The ranger mother then listened intently as Elsa explained what they were up to this entire time. When she spoke about receiving a tip from the innkeeper that would provide more information about the three-faced man, her brown eyes widened when she realized that they all saw the same thing in that bauble they found. "Wow! Great job finding that out! Now we're gettin' somewhere!" Helen praised them happily. "Do ya think they'll still have tickets available during the evening show?" She inquired, wondering if they would be able to tell if there was a lot of public interest for that show. If they normally have a small population, they might not have generated a lot of tickets; it all depended how interesting the show would seem to the public, she supposed. Still, she could always use her powers of elasticity and sneak in.. never stopped her before. 

Suddenly, Elsa moved closer to whisper something in her ear. Her auburn brows rose upon hearing her say that magic was not permitted. It reminded her of how Elsa spoke about super powers this way. Was she from a time period as old as this one? All of the sudden, Liluth's words about Drestyn played in her mind, and she mildly wondered if it had something to do with that, though it meant that she was going to have to wait until it was safe enough to share what she had learned about this place."Thanks for the tip.." She murmured back with a polite nod and a smile. Though she genuinely liked being free to use her powers, Helen was flexible; she could deal with it. Maybe she could try to use this bow instead.. though she had never shot something like this ever. Helen raised her bow to examine it with a curious raise of an eyebrow. If they were unable to get an extra ticket, then she supposed she could make them dinner and try to practice one of these things while she waited.

(This is how she looks, btw..not sure if I described it well in my first post: i.pinimg.com/originals/ac/b9/c7/acb9c7b4f954a7f9887824d97bc90248.png )

[Elsa]

Basil was unusually quiet. Granted, this could very well be because they needed to be discreet while in town; Elsa hoped he would perk back up to his usual chatty self when they left town limits. She liked hearing Basil’s thoughts and insights.

”Well, I actually had purchased three, with Basil in mind, but the innkeeper had a very negative reaction to learning Basil can speak. I’ll purchase a fourth if I can, but if not, you can have the third.” Elsa tucked away the thought that they still needed to discuss lodging and food for the night, but she felt that was a conversation that could wait for later.

”Shall we?” she asked, gesturing briefly at the door of the shop before passing through.

Daunn perked up from her spot on the counter when she heard the bell ding in its merry way. Customers! ”I got it, Dem!” she called to her partner, Dematir.

The lithe elf dropped to the ground, scampering up an aisle to the front door. ”Hi!” she chirped. ”Welcome to Daunn and Dematir’s, can I help you find anything today?” Usually she didn’t take such an interest in customers, but it had been a boring week, and Daunn wanted something to keep herself entertained. Like many of the other townsfolk, Daunn and Dematir couldn’t wait to see the North Bend Troupe later that night. If Dematir’s family hadn’t been in Ambroth for the last six generations, she knew they would’ve left long ago. As it was, the shop was their home, and Daunn knew Dematir wouldn’t give that up.

[Basil]

I’ll purchase a fourth if I can

That won't be necessary, thought Basil to himself, So long as I am playing the role of pet. But that was neither here nor there.

For now, he turned his attention to the interior of the shoppe. It was here he hoped to gain the information they needed. And, it appeared, nearly anything else they might find useful. The shelves contained a cacophony of tools, weapons, and implements of every sort. All well and good, but what was really wanted was a clue as to how to escape this place.

Basil turned his penetrating gaze upon the proprietress as she approached, stepping onto a handy shelf to get a better view. She was a female of indeterminate age with the sharpest ears he had ever seen on a human. She appeared to be unusually agile and dexterous, if he was any judge. Basil also deduced that she was an indifferent seamstress with a minor food allergy, but those things were of dubious importance.

[Mateo de Alva]

It seemed Helen was from one of those further times when bowing and such over the top gestures were out of favor, if her blink he caught meant anything. Mateo had become aware of such a gap and difference in his time in the parks. He just smiled back. Well, but again, it probably helped them go further unnoticed around here and as they figured out answers.

"Wow! Great job finding that out! Now we're gettin' somewhere! Do ya think they'll still have tickets available during the evening show?"

That was the gist and perhaps hang up with this and meeting Helen later as it were, if she wanted to also be in the loop of what was going on and help them with getting out of here. Mateo pondered and almost also came to the same conclusion Elsa later spoke. Or he was working through if it would work still.

”Well, I actually had purchased three, with Basil in mind, but the innkeeper had a very negative reaction to learning Basil can speak. I’ll purchase a fourth if I can, but if not, you can have the third.”

Mateo thought he caught Basil's look and reaction to this, and that, no he would not be needing his ticket, and the mouse was maybe still upset about that though it didn't take any sort of detective person to figure that!

"Yeah, and just because they don't know Basil's deserving of a ticket", he kept his voice low but hoped also to throw another soothing at that, though it could have the opposite effect.

Then there seemed nothing left to do but go to this shoppe mentioned. Mateo nodded as Elsa gestured to it and lead the way. The wizard hated to make Elsa, and now probably Helen too, figure everything but was used to taking a back of the group aiding role, and Elsa seemed perfectly capable and comfortable with leading.

They were instantly noticed by the keepers of the shop as they walked in, but then Mateo knew from Avalor that that was pretty much customary. Mateo had seen possibly every variety of odd Avaloran creature of myth and talking Jaquin back home and so, while not familiar with Elves in this sense, he hardly batted an eye at the elf that came forward. Hmm...but it seemed to have that also in common with Avalor. The boy wondered what else was also the same and thusly predictable or guessable to aid them.

Mateo didn't want to speak for the group, or honestly give anything away unintentionally, so waited to see if either of the ladies would take it, though his just looking may have not been all that dangerous if spoken.

{Hehe as stated sorry he's not doing much proactive. Let me know if he needs to but he's used to letting royalty lead it}

[Deleted]

Helen listened as Mateo and Elsa both came to the conclusion that she may be able to use Basil's ticket due to no animals being able to talk within the land. It seemed that there were strict rules for this place. She hoped to learn more rules before she would end up breaking them by mistake. "I understand." She added with a nod and a slight shrug, glimpsing over at the mouse that seemed to be mysteriously silent. Either way, she didn't mind if she went or not. If she didn't, Helen was used to making herself busy as a stay-at-home mother. She was flexible.

Helen blinked upon being greeted by what appeared to be young looking shopkeepers with pointed ears, being more caught off guard by the sudden greeting upon entry than by her appearance, but smiled warmly all the same. If Plasmabolt was a super that received electromagnetic energy from her antennas, and the Underminer looked like a mole, then appearances really did not phase Helen. "Thanks! I'll just take a look around for now.." Helen was used to grocery shopping and the like, so she was used to looking around and finding things of use on her own. Sometimes, when making a list, she would always see something that she would forget on the list, so it was always best to just look around first. While she was browsing, she did come across some questions that she wanted to ask of the shopkeepers. "Actually..Do ya happen to have any extra arrows? Maybe some rope?" Since using her powers of elasticity wasn't going to work, she would have to buy some rope herself. At least for the day time to keep with appearances. Elastigirl  was most assuredly going to use her powers at night in her own stealthy way. 

[Elsa]

The woman that greeted them seemed very eager to help. It was unfortunate that Elsa didn’t have any ideas of what they were looking for. Mateo and Basil kept silent. Helen spoke up, mentioning that they were merely browsing. At this, Elsa noticed the woman’s face fell a little. Elsa thought frantically, trying to find some question to ask the woman, something she could help Elsa locate.

But Helen had a question of her own. Arrows, and rope. Both good questions. While the woman helped Helen, Elsa would browse, herself.

Daunn did feel a bit let down that they were all going to browse, and she had started to return to the counter to wait the time away while they looked through the shop. But then the less-regal-looking woman spoke up, asking about arrows and rope, and Daunn lit up.

”Oh, sure!” she said, bouncing ever so slightly on her toes. ”Dem just finished making a bunch of arrows this morning. He makes all of the weapons we carry in stock!” It was cheaper than paying someone else to bring them from the next town over. She didn’t mention that there weren’t any fancy arrows in the store. ”I can get Dem to bring up the rope; how much are you thinking?”

Elsa was glad Helen needed something from the shop. She listened to the woman’s words—she spoke loud enough to be heard throughout the small shop—as she glanced through the wares. There was an area with some produce, and next to it was a barrel full of red vials, next to an identical barrel with vials of varying colors. Of these, the white bottles appealed to Elsa the most, though she couldn't explain why.

[Basil]

Basil waited patiently for the first, oh, thirty seconds or so. Then a frown began to appear. When in heaven's name were they going to begin questioning the shopkeepers?

He leapt easily from the shelf to Mateo's shoulder, where he delivered a sharp kick to the young wizard slightly below the right ear. This long cloak was beginning to come in handy; the mouse found that if he stooped ever so slightly, it covered his legs nicely, and he could kick without fear of discovery by onlookers.

"Ask her about the place in the dream," hissed Basil in the young man's ear.

A few moments later, another kick and another whispered command: "Ask them if they have any matches for sale."

Perhaps he could still manage this investigation after all.

[Mateo de Alva]

At first, Mateo didn't think there would be a problem with Helen saying they were merely browsing, if they wanted to seem normal travelers of this place, it made sense and just low key information gathering. The woman's face fell as if she was disappointed by this though, and Mateo himself scrabbled until Helen fixed it.

Not that Basil didn't provide a suggestion, Mateo trying not to show the wince more at the surprise than any sting from the kick. Oh no, was this going to be the new system?! and he couldn't rub at it or anything or he'd dislodge Basil and seem unusual perhaps.

As Mateo tried to recall the specifics of the dream Basil mentioned, he found the suggestion not needed since Helen's question did nicely. He next realized he couldn't respond to Basil though...

Arrows and Rope would do nicely. Mateo himself wasn't sure what he could ask for. Did wizards in this place need extra ingredients or equipment beyond what might be on them and of their own skill set? And then there was the whole tricky subject of magic here...

The shop keeper went off to help Helen, Mateo turning his attention to the shop at large as well, casually and not expecting to see anything that he would immediately know what to do with or anything...

Then came Basil's next suggestion. The young wizard hadn't noticed the...very intent giving of opinion before...but he was staring to now and with this delivery system...

Matches? Alright, he gave a subtle nod and started off after the shop keeper, to ask, when something stopped him. As he passed Elsa he casually took in the potions displayed...until his noticing the colors stopped him...since something in them made sense to him when it shouldn't!

"Hey...", he kept his voice down as he walked over, "I...I know what these do...I mean...I shouldn't but...", he glanced and made sure the shop keeper was still preoccupied before going on with some explanation. "Health...Strength...Invisibility...", he pointed to the corresponding colors, recognizing much else besides, but trying to make sense of it and its usefulness.

[Deleted]

”Dem just finished making a bunch of arrows this morning. He makes all of the weapons we carry in stock!” 

"Great!" Helen grinned happily upon hearing that the other storeowner, Dem, just finished making a new set of arrows. Was it safe to say that the woman in front of her was then named Daun? It didn't seem like anyone else worked here. Perhaps Daun's energetic personality was contagious, but Helen suddenly felt enthusiastic to hear about freshly made arrows. It was hard to explain. Turning over to get her brown quiver strapped to her back, she pulled it around in front of her to inspect how many arrows she had. Making a quick count under her breath, she then spoke her thoughts outloud: "Let's see..I can use about 25 more arrows..What kinds do ya have in stock?" Helen added with a curious smile. Her father worked with guns back in Georgia, so maybe bullets were the same as arrows in that there were many different kinds? It was a wild guess, but she somehow had a gut feeling about asking about these sort of things. 

”I can get Dem to bring up the rope; how much are you thinking?”

The hooded ranger bit her bottom lip pensively before she would respond about how much rope. That seemed hard to tell since she was used to using her own elasticity. Helen glanced over to see where her friends were at, but they seemed huddled over in a certain area. She couldn't tell exactly what they were talking about though, but she figured she would just ask later. "I'm thinking maybe 100 feet? How much do ya sell it for?" She supposed it would all depend on how much she had and just how affordable it was here. Who knows what sort of terrain they were going to face out in the woods while looking for Drestyn's manor.

Suddenly, Helen blinked when she realized why she really wanted to come here in the first place! She recalled what the old woman told her about Drestyn's manor being on the outskirts of town by the woods in the direction that she had pointed to before she left. Perhaps she could find Drestyn's manor by looking at some maps. She might have to purchase the map just in case she would forget where to go, but she hoped it wouldn't be too expensive. "I heard that you have some maps around the city? Can I see what ya have?"  If Drestyn was the guy from that weird dream, the hopefully she could find one that would have a map of the manor that Drestyn lived at.. 

[Elsa]

Mateo approached Elsa, and he told her he knew what the vials did. Even if they couldn't explain how Mateo knew what the vials were for, it was reassuring that he did. Elsa had a feeling it would've been awkward if they'd asked. She picked up one of the white vials. "What is this one for?" she asked. Maybe it was the invisibility potion? Though she didn't know why that would appeal to her so much... "Maybe we should purchase some of the health potions, as well. They would probably be useful." In a world wear potions to restore health were necessary, Elsa didn't want to take any chances.

Daunn tried not to look like it mattered as the woman asked about different kinds of arrows. "Well, Dem prefers not to specialize in what arrows we make. We mostly stock up for hunters, and who needs a fire arrow to take down a deer? You said 25 arrows? Well we usually sell in sets of 20, at 5 copper pieces for each set, but I can throw you an extra five for another copper." Daunn didn't really give the woman a chance to answer, because of how quickly she spoke. The elf attested that to her time spent with humans; they spoke so quickly that Daunn had picked up the habit. Maybe she should visit the druids for a time, reacclimate herself with nature. Dem could hold down the shop for a few days...

Rope. 100 feet? No problem. "Hey, Dem! Can you bring up 100 feet of rope?" she shouted towards the back of the shop. Even though the door was out of sight, she knew it was open. Dem was outside, after all. He'd have to go to the cellar, so she knew it would take him a minute. Turning back to the woman, she said, "For the rope, it's a copper per foot. So 100 feet would put you at a gold piece even." This woman alone was turning into the biggest sale of the week! Which Daunn declined to acknowledge, since it would also force her to accept that business was very slow.

And then she asked for maps! Well, okay, maps weren't that exciting. "Do you know where you're heading? We have maps of all over this area, from Mistbreak to Wildechill, and Newbourne to Pondwich." The four cities made a rough circle, with Ambroth in the near-middle, about eighty miles across. They didn't carry maps from farther out.

[Basil]

Basil eyed his host with asperity, though his hood concealed it from any casual observer. Why did he not do as instructed? Perhaps a more forceful kick was required.

Before that theory could be tested, Mateo paused at a shelf filled with bottles of varying shapes. Ooh! Chemicals! No, wait...they were, according to the placard, magic potions.

Basil could not afford to scoff at the brightly-coloured liquids; if this land was some offshoot of the park in which he found himself trapped, then these vials could, in fact, have bona fide power.

The mouse rubbed his hands together in anticipation of experimenting with said potions. What properties had they? And what combinations could be made?

"Purchase some," he whispered, embellishing the words with the requisite action.

[Mateo de Alva]

If Elsa hadn’t asked after the white bottle specifically, Mateo might have wondered if his own interest had shown, as his gaze fell to it. Or, at the least, he was wondering if Holy Water meant exactly what it did in Avalor, and as...a particularly potent mix against dark forces.

Any and all religious beliefs and artifacts were mixed in Avalor. They celebrated Navidad, but also used magic against mythical creatures before such things as Holy Water.

Here though, it would probably be very effective!

”Holy Water”, he answered to what it was, and waited to see if she knew what it would do. Either way... ”We’ll definitely probably need it”.

“Maybe we should purchase some of the health potions, as well. They would probably be useful."

Mateo nodded, even as Basil also voiced they should buy some. Did he sound almost like a kid? Excited over something?. The further kick(??) seemed unnecessary. Thankfully practicing magic in Avalor, and mostly hidden, required patience and so Mateo had cultivated it, and recalled Basil was limited in how he could communicate. Still!

”Right”, Mateo nodded and made a brief scan, which was all that was needed, and with a quick understanding picked out that corresponding color and two others a blue and purple for Antidote and Invisibility. Those would probably be handy also...as would the entire shelf! But first he'd have to make sure he could afford the entire shelf...

"We could start with these maybe. This is an antidote and this one makes one invisible...hard to know what we may need when we come to it...", Mateo admitted. "The others are Armor and Thawing" he pointed out the coordinating colors also. Again, don't ask him how he knew.

[Deleted]

Helen was impressed with the fact that arrows were just like bullets in the sense of there being different kinds. Sure, she might've been right about that, but she was intrigued by just how many different kinds there might be! I mean, fire arrows? That sounded amazing! Still, she noticed that the lithe young woman in front of her did not seem interested in sharing more about specialized arrows, especially with the fact that it would be hard to counter against hunting for deer with fire arrows without being suspicious, so she decided to just stay quiet about it for once. Helen raised an eyebrow as she listened to the woman give her fast speech about the price, thankfully Helen was used to fast speech thanks to Dash. Coppers? She supposed that meant pennies? Wow. 20 arrows equaled to 5 pennies? This place really was different from what she was used to. Helen smirked when she mentioned to throw in an 'extra 5 for a copper,' when she already knew that if 20 equaled to 5 copper pieces, then 4 arrows equaled to a copper, and she was giving her an extra for arrow for free. And since Helen was used to taking advantage of deals and bargains as a stay at home mom in a middle class family, Helen was not about to say no to that deal. Wait a minute. Gold coin? Her eyebrow rose when she mentioned a gold piece, and then she definitely knew that the currency was much different from what she was used to. What were the chances that she would have a gold coin? Helen decided to sneak a peak into her bag of coins in case she didn't have a gold coin. She smiled when she found one and then was able to confidently nod at the offer. "That sounds great. Thanks!" Helen nodded at the amount of arrows and the rope. 100 feet should be enough to raise the food up into the trees to keep away from the bears in the woods, and she had more than enough judging by what she saw in her bag. It was just something she just knew, though she's never really survived bears before. It was hard to explain. Maybe it was from watching her father see those those nature shows on TV?

When asking about the maps, the lithe woman asked where they were headed and offered a few different towns that Helen did not recognize the names to. It would be hard to determine which one belonged to the one up north without giving away that they were definitely not from around here. Helen thought about which direction Liluth pointed to, and decided to go from there. "We'll be heading north from here at some point. Do ya have any recommendations?" Helen decided to ask, hoping she would mention which city was the one up north, as well as any other interesting recommendations that they should visit to help them on their quest to get to Drestyn's manor. Maybe Drestyn's manor would show up on the map.. 

[Elsa]

Holy water? What on earth was holy water? And what could it possibly be used for?

Whatever the answers were, Elsa felt that she absolutely needed to purchase some. She picked up five bottles, balancing them along her arm.

Mateo picked up a few other vials, and Elsa nodded. She glanced quickly in the shop-keeper’s direction, but she was still occupied with Helen. Quickly, Elsa conjured up a basket made of ice, and she deposited the bottles within. She held out the basket for Mateo to put in what he wanted as well. Elsa also scooped up eight of the health potions. There were two for each person in the group. The big question was how much they would cost…

Hooking the basket in her elbow, Elsa considered what money she’d seen in the coin purse. Surely they would have enough? Elsa knew she had no sense of how much things cost back in the parks; her interactions with money were slim, as many of the park vendors were happy to accommodate the queen. She repaid the favor as often as she could, mostly by clearing snow during the winter months.

"I can’t imagine we’ll need thawing potions," Elsa said in an undertone. While temperature never bothered her, thanks to her powers, Elsa could tell that the weather outside would remain warm for a while. It looked to her to be late summer, perhaps early fall.

Daunn nodded smartly as the woman agreed to her deal for the arrows. She knew that she was essentially giving the woman an extra arrow for free, but it was worth it, especially if the woman and her group returned in the future!

"Hey, are you heading to Mistbreak, then? Or farther north? Nice town, though you should steer clear of the blacksmith there; he’s tried to pull one over on us before." Saul wasn’t a bad sort, per say, but he was a little dishonest on trades. "But you should skirt round the woods to the north of here. Go east or west first. The detour will only add another day to your trip, but believe me, it’s worth it. Going straight through the woods will take you past Drestyn’s manor." Daunn hadn’t lived in the town when he was around. She met Dematir after the entire ordeal was over with. But he had told her stories.

Speaking of Dem, she heard the loud footsteps that told her he was on his way. Perhaps he could help the other two out; Daunn felt bad for ignoring them, but the dark-haired woman had been the one with questions.