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* Felice sits in Goody Bea's sink, having shrunk herself down to a small enough size to fit in the sink, while retaining her completely human form. Her dress lies in a pile on the floor, several cats having taken up residence on it for the residual warmth. Muttering to herself Felice is apparently bathing herself the human way. As she pours a bucket of water over her head she shivers, fire wood being in short supply. * Goody Bea shuffles through the streets tiredly in the last light of day. Despite the humid warmth, she wears an oilskin cloak wrapped close around her shoulders, covering most of her face. A mostly-empty pack lies over one shoulder, and she carries a smoking betty lamp as a makeshift brazier in one hand. * Felice sighs and begins soaping her feet again, looking for all the world like a child playing in the bath. * Goody Bea reaches her cottage, sagging against the door for a moment with a dull thump as she fumbles for her key with shaking fingers. * Felice smiles as a kitten manages to claw its way to the top of the counter and looks at her curiously, "Yes, I am doing this voluntarily. Trust me, if you'd been to the palace you'd prefer this method as well." * Goody Bea unlocks her door and almost falls across the threshold with a relieved sigh, pushing the oilskin hood back to reveal a sweaty, smoke-smeared face lined with exhaustion. Dark circles ring her eyes, and her usually tidy bun is ragged. Even her voice is raspy and thin. "Home, kitties." * Felice turns her head, sniffing the air, then smiles, "Welcome home Aunty Bea." Felice's voice has taken on a definite childish tone, instead of her usual sultry ones. * Felice looks concerned at the sounds of Bea moving through the house and pulls herself out of the sink, grabbing a towel she set out earlier and wrapping it around her. On her small form the towel reaches the floor as she goes to check on the Goody, her hair still wet from her bath. * Goody Bea reaches out to tweak the window curtains shut and undresses where she stands, dropping her clothing straight into a tub of cold soapy water. She sighs and slips a warm bathrobe around her, shuffling her feet into fuzzy slippers and hanging the betty lamp by the stove to scent the room with herb smoke. <Felice> In a small, childish voice, "Are you alright Aunty?" <Goody Bea> Just... very, very tired, lass. ::gets down with creaking joints to light a small fire and swing a pot of soup over it before shuffling into the kitchen:: Don't get too close, lass. I might have the contagion on me, yet. Sweet gods, those poor, poor bairns... * Goody Bea leans against the doorjamb of the kitchen, quiet tears tracking down her dirty face. * Felice sighs, "I don't want to know what I had on me. I just hope three baths is enough to get rid of it all." <Felice> ::looking at Bea with continued concern:: Sit down Aunty. I can fix dinner and do whatever else needs to be done. ::Walks back to the kitchen counter, standing on tip toes to reach the second towel she left there and beginning to dry her hair. Occasional purring sounds escape from beneath the towel and her hands cup the towel, rather than taking a firm grip on it.:: <Goody Bea> You went to the palace, then? ::smiles a little-- a rather ghastly expression, given her current state:: Did you see a king, Miss Puss-in-Boots? * Goody Bea totters into the kitchen and settles herself into the comfy chair with a sigh. * Felice pulls the towel back, grinning at Bea with large blue eyes, "No, just a General." * Goody Bea smiles back, a little of the heart-weariness lifting at the sight of little Felice. "You saw him, then? Our... keeper?" She looks as if she'd like to spit, at that last word. * Felice nods, looking like a child who knows the greatest secret in the universe, "Him, and some mages, and a mercenary, and lots and lots of really smelly orcs, and really big, nasty, mean, super duper smelly dog things." Felice gestures wildly trying to indicate the terrible nature of the dogs. <Goody Bea> ::shudders:: Oh, child... you weren't hurt? Did they see you? * Felice grins, telling her story with childish enthusiasm, "Some of them wanted to put me in a stew pot, but I ran away, but they chased me, but I ran into another group of orcs and the two groups started arguing and I ran away and I didn't get hurt." Felice takes a large breath having finished her tale, shining at Bea with pride. <Goody Bea> ::smiling:: Oh, clever puss! Very good. And... ::looking a little worried:: Do you think you learned aught that might be useful to the cause? ::she spreads her hands in her lap, looking at them:: Those poor children... children all, though some are grown... they're dying, and there's so little I can do. There's only so much medicine, and not enough food, and the damp chill at night... ::she covers her face with her hands:: * Felice finishes drying her hair and after a couple of attempts manages to drape the towel over the back of a chair before using the towel wrapped around her to dry the rest of her off. <Felice> Umm... What would help the children Aunty? <Goody Bea> ::shakes her head slowly:: Getting our city back... winning them free of the orcs, and getting priests and healers, food and warmth and medicines enough to aid them properly. * Felice finishes drying off and again manages to drape the towel over the back of a chair. Turning to the pile of her clothes she begins trying to pull them out from beneath the many cats sleeping on top of them. The cats reactions range from perturbed, to indifferent to playful as a few begin a tug of war over the clothes. <Goody Bea> Half of them are as worried sick about folk in town as the folk in town are about them. And some... some would as soon let the consumption take them, if it would give their loved ones will and leave to fight. <Felice> ::yanking her dress, trying to free it from the cats Felice shakes her head sadly:: The General isn't bringing any of those things into the city. <Goody Bea> What does he bring in, then? More of his thugs? Weapons? <Felice> ::holds her dress up off the floor, one kitten dangling from it as she looks at Bea, tilting her head to one side:: Umm... I don't remember him saying he was bringing anything in actually... Except maybe the dragon. <Goody Bea> ::looking horrified:: That-- that devil dragon? It's coming *here*? <Felice> ::As the kitten comes loose Felice begins to dress herself, looking like a child playing with her mother's clothes.:: I don't think so... But he wants it to... I think it will if things calm down up North. ::Her child's face contorts in thought:: I think it may come soon... Someone wasn't doing well, but I can't tell if it was the orcs or the Dragons. <Goody Bea> Wasn't doing well-- the battle's not going well? Or-- is someone else ill? <Felice> ::Over several moments Felice grows taller, her body filling out her clothes as she does so until the Eastern features she wore when first coming to Bea's house have returned, "The battle. Everything I learned was through eavesdropping, and most of them weren't considerate enough to speak Common, so it's all very disjointed. I need to sit down and try to piece it all back together." * Felice goes to check on the soup, "What can I do for you Aunty? You're not in any shape to help me pick through everything I saw and heard and smelled there." <Goody Bea> ::shakes her head slowly:: It... may not matter if it comes. A few of the mercenaries have the cough. If they're sharing quarters, it will spread. And if they're with the city folk for any length of time, it will spread there, too.... <Goody Bea> You're such a dear girl... fetch me a bowl of soup, if it's warm? I don't think I'm quite ready to try my feet again, yet. * Felice says something to the cats in the kitchen, and a pair of them jump up into the Goody's lap, "All you're going to do is rest. If you have to do something you can pet them." Felice rummages around for a moment before remembering where Bea keeps her bowls and utensils and serves two bowls of soup, placing both on the table before disappearing into the pantry. * Goody Bea sighs and leans back in her chair, petting the cats in her lap with gentle strokes. "I think this is more than enough adventure for these old bones. Why my Joan says I need to see more of the world beyond Marsember's gates is beyond my imagining." * Felice returns from the pantry with a couple pieces of bread and cheese which she sets on the table next to the bowls of soup, "Would you like some tea Aunty?" * Felice smiles, "Travelling is an adventure for the young. You Aunty should be having your adventures by keeping track of your grandchildren." * Goody Bea nods, sitting up and picking up her spoon. "Thank you, Felice." * Felice fills the kettle and sets it on the hook over the fire before joining Bea at the table. She looks critically at Bea, "I may need to give you a bath after we eat." <Goody Bea> ::chuckles:: Let me sit a bit and eat, lass, and I'll be fine bathing myself. At my age, one learns to do things in stages. ::smiles and takes a spoonful of soup:: * Felice smiles and starts on her own meal, "I'll take that to mean that the orcs are at least letting the hostages maintain a higher degree of hygiene than is practiced in the palace." <Goody Bea> ::raises an eyebrow:: The captives are still human. They try to keep themselves clean... ::makes a face:: And there's no lack of water, near. <Felice> Well all the orcs in charge are at part human. And not even a dog would want to live in the filth they've redone the palace floors in. <Goody Bea> ::frowns:: They're... half-orc, then? * Felice thinks, "I don't know if they're all half-breeds, but they do consider themselves superior to the ordinary orcs because of their non-orcish heritage... Can't say that I disagree with them." <Goody Bea> And yet, they live slovenly... well, there are humans that do as well. * Goody Bea sniffs and takes another spoonful of soup, transferring it slowly to her mouth. * Felice looks thoughtful as she eats. After a moment her eyes grow large, "The orc mages have something called 'watchers'. That's what let them take the city so easily." <Goody Bea> Watchers? ::frowns:: An army, a near-stripped city, and total surprise weren't enough? * Felice shrugs, "The mages seem to think the 'watchers' give them some kind of protected status so that the other orcs can't bully them without getting fed to the dragon. The general doesn't seem to care what the dragon thinks of the mages." <Felice> Hmm... Or maybe it's better to say, the general recognizes that the dragon is just as likely to eat the mages on a whim as he is to eat anyone else. * Goody Bea puts down her spoon and shakes her head at Felice. After a moment, she tears a bit of bread off to eat. "Perhaps I'm too tired, lass, but... I didn't make heads or tails of a word of that." <Felice> Oh umm... I think orcs decide who's in charge by bullying each other. Orc mages are so rare because they can't bully people very easily. The orc mages in this army have authority because the dragon thinks they're useful, and none of the orcs could live through being bullied by the dragon. But the general still bullies the mages. <Goody Bea> Ah. And these "watchers"? Who are they? <Felice> I don't know. But the mages claim that the 'watchers' are the only reason the orcs where able to take the city. <Goody Bea> ::shakes her head and tsks:: Do they fight amongst themselves, then? I have no knowledge of soldiering... to my mind, the city's taken, what matters now how it was done? <Felice> Umm... They're planning on taking Suzail. * Felice shakes her head, "It was so confusing. One moment they sounded like they were on the verge of victory and the next they sounded like they were in even more trouble than the hostages in the drydocks." <Goody Bea> Suzail? But... oh, heavens. The king will be in the battlefield... one by one, Cormyr's cities will fall to these-- these *thugs*! We *must* stop them here, we must... there may be no one else.... ::covers her mouth for a moment before shaking her head and resuming her meal:: * Felice sighs, "It gets worse. The mages are working to mass produce artifacts so that the orcs can operate during the day without being blinded by the sun." <Goody Bea> Oh, my head... but... didn't they invade the city in daylight? * Felice nods, "I don't fully understand it. But the mercenary was complaining that he didn't have enough men for all the patrols and guard duties during the day and that the orcs were useless then, and the mage said they were making the artifacts so that wouldn't be a problem anymore." <Goody Bea> ::shakes her head again:: Felice, girl... Master Kevil and the others must know of this. I know they were planning before, I've no idea how close they are, but they must know these things. * Felice looks at her hands, a concerned expression on her face, "But... If the orcs find out... I won't be able to get into the palace again... And the other cats in town... And you..." <Goody Bea> ::shakes her head:: There's something fey about that place, the Meade Hall. The orcs have gone up and down that street, but not down the alley once. It's as though they can't see the place... ::she smiles, a hint of her old twinkle back:: some strong magics guard it, I'd wager. If they see a cat go into an alleyway, and a cat come out again some hours later, who's to care what it was doing in-between times? * Felice smiles, "I was thinking more about if Kevil or one of the others got caught. I know they wouldn't deliberately betray me... But the orcs do have mages... And they are orcs." <Goody Bea> Lass, lass... if they get caught, few enough of us will be going *anywhere.* And what good is it, knowing these things, if they can't be of use to the people who need to know them? Will you overthrow the orcs all by yourself, lass? * Felice sighs and puts her head down on the table, "Lisl would." <Goody Bea> ::snorts:: Lisl? I'll remind you, lass, Lisl is with her friends in the Abyss, just now... ::looking worried:: if they still live and journey free. Even were she here... ::clucks:: orcs in the city would make her see red, aye, but she'd call on her friend in the Tower soon enough, for the mages. And with the hostages... no, lass. No one could do this alone. * Felice sighs, "I'm scared... If I do this... I won't be able to run away or hide any more... I... I've been safe so far..." <Goody Bea> ::puts down her spoon to reach across the table and pat Felice's hand:: Lass, lass... we've none of us been safe, since they took our city. Only a fool would not fear dark days like this. But they're your friends, aye? They'll not betray you. And they need you. They need your strength, and your swiftness, and they need what you know. Please, Felice. <Felice> I... I've never been scared like this before... I knew... I knew I could get out of the city... Like when I visited Master Bran... Now... I know I should go to the Hall but... I'm scared. <Goody Bea> Besides, lass... ::looking sad:: You're already caught. I've been to the Hall many times already, and *I* know of you. If the orcs catch them, they catch me, and if they can worm the truth from the likes of those, an old woman would be little challenge to them. * Felice shakes her head and smiles sadly up at Goody Bea, "You couldn't come up with anything inspirational so you shame me into doing what I know is right?" <Goody Bea> ::smiling tiredly:: I'm too tired and too old to be an inspiration. But mothering, that's as natural as breathing. ::pats Felice's hand again and picks up her soup spoon:: * Felice smiles, "So if I ever have a litter you'll be happy to raise them for me?" <Goody Bea> If you've no wish to raise them yourself, I'd be delighted to have kittens of yours. <Goody Bea> ::sighs and takes another spoonful of soup:: Assuming I live so long, running about in an occupied city as I do, tending the ill, worrying myself to death.... * Felice smiles and stands to get the kettle off the fire, "Let's live through this war first. Then we'll worry about whether or not I'm going to be a mother." <Goody Bea> ::cocks her head:: Then I shouldn't expect you to dinner on Monday? * Felice starts making tea, "How are things with the hostages? If I'm going to be telling everyone tales anyways, I may as well give a doctor's report on the hostages." * Felice smiles as she sets a mug of tea in front of Bea, "I won't object if you happen to save any fish or cream for me, but no, I'll probably find something to eat at the Hall." <Goody Bea> ::smiles and accepts her tea, pushing her empty soup bowl away:: As well as may be... as I said, some of the mercenaries are getting it. ::stares into her teacup, looking tired again:: More than half the hostages have the cough, now. Three of the elders passed in their sleep several days ago... the orcs took their bodies. Perhaps a dozen more probably won't last the week out. <Felice> ::nods:: So the hostages decide it, we have to act now. <Goody Bea> There just isn't enough of anything to go around... Not enough food, not enough medicine... some of the human mercenaries, bless them, have smuggled in extra food, blankets for the bairns. I've set up braziers with a smudge of herbs, doled out medicines, that's aided some, but... aye. None is enough. They need a miracle, and such is beyond me. * Felice sighs, "The orcs have already loaded everything of value onto ships. Even if we get rid of the orcs things won't improve until the Dragons return." <Goody Bea> ::sipping her tea:: I pray constantly that some of Lathander's blessed might have survived the invasion, that they're in hiding somewhere... even perhaps that Lady Quelshu's school might be able to aid. But until the orcs are gone, there's no knowing. * Felice grins, "There's one good thing about coming out of hiding. I can finally give this town a bath." <Goody Bea> ::blinks:: A... bath? <Felice> ::grin:: Well you might not notice a change in the smell, but don't you think the streets will be cleaner without all those orcs wandering around in them? <Goody Bea> ::chuckles:: Ah, lass... you do an old heart good. * Felice grins and points to the cats in Bea's laps, "You live in a house full of healing talismans." <Goody Bea> ::smiles, leaning back from the table again and petting her lap-warmers:: That I do, lass... that I do. |
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