Cannon Travel (Ch. 3a: Day 1)

Rachel · Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:27 pm

Can birds blush? Its a good question. regardless of how, Jacks entire face reddened as she stared at Baron. She had to fan herself with her hat a moment to get her bearings again. At which point she turned her attention to the butler, whom seemed to want something. Jack realized with all her clothing on she was looking like a hot mess of a griffin. She laughed nervously and pulled off the extra layers and stuffed them into her bag which she offered to him along with her hat.

"Thanks." She said to the butler as she fixed her hair a bit and headed farther inside.

NPC · Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:47 pm

That poor butler. He hemmed and hawed for a moment in pseudo-silence in the face of Ivan's unfriendly stare, pecking his fingertips together before just... moving on to Jack and collecting her belongings instead.

"Mhh plhsure," murmured the butler unintelligibly, muffled by the pile of coats and cowboy hat. (He didn't really seem to mind; he was happy just to hustle away from the pirate.)

Meanwhile, fortunately for Key, it didn't seem the host thought any ill of what had happened thus far. This may have had something to do with the fact that Corin was acting perfectly normal, at least by the unique standards he had set for himself.

"So," the baron huffed involuntarily as he plopped into a cushy armchair, "if you don't mind my asking, why are you all..." He seemed to struggle to find a polite way to phrase it, but ultimately had to revise his sentence. "... Here? I mean to say, I know you're here because it's cold out," he clarified, rolling his hand over for a gesticulating twirl or two at the room itself, "but I mean here as in... visiting this country. You don't seem to be tourists."

Jahkari · Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:11 pm

Key snorted in a most unladylike fashion.

"Dunno 'bout anyone else, but I'm here because I made a bad decision and let a mad scientist shoot me out of a cannon," she mumbled, mostly to herself. She was done talking for the group. She had clearly proven herself very bad at that, and fully intended to let Jack (or anyone else, really) do all the talking.

Kazz · Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:17 pm

"At least your pod didn't almost fall off a cliff," Mako blurted from behind the koala, and his jaw seemed to clench for a second in there. He may even have hyperventilated a bit. After a moment, however, he collected himself, and... actually made an effort to explain.

"... we got shot out of a cannon by a senile moth who said there was," (cue the air quotes) "'Dirty work afoot' or something like that, and since our local superhero was out of town..."

... he paused. "... that sounds really weird, doesn't it?" he remarked, blinking a couple times. "... ... I'll let... someone else... explain it," he finished lamely.

Corin, meanwhile, had taken it upon himself to begin lecturing the butler on... proper coat-taking procedure.

MuffinUnsane · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:44 pm

Not a second was wasted before Ember planted herself inches before the brightly burning fireplace. Letting her feathers warm in front of the blaze she started to wonder if there was more logs nearby. The flames didn't seem enough. It needed...more. Maybe something in her bag could help it become a fire worth having.

Fingers itching to add more to the fire, the bird only half-listened to the conversation behind her. Like a moth to a light, she was focused solely on the fire. Warmth. It felt so nice.

The question about why the group had crash-landed caught her attention though.

"Yeah. Cannon", she agreed in a distracted voice, "Something about stuff going down. Maybe the world is blowing up."

Seafarinhare · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 12:00 am

The griffin listened as everyone answered the question regarding what they were doing here. The consensus seemed to be that they were launched out of a cannon, and no one was particularly fond of that.

But that wasn't the why. That was the how. Mako started to explain the situation, but seemed to not really have much of a clue aside from "bad stuff". And Ember's explanation was even less coherent. She smiled at the Baron and nodded, "Yeah, sorry about the intrusion... But we were sent to investigate the situation here."

She said as she walked toward the couch in front of the fire and sat down, while remaining polite enough to look at their regal host as she spoke.

"I was actually wonderin' if you had any information on this 'national crisis', that has Cape Nordon cuttin' off trade routes from other countries," She explained, then continued remembering another point of interested on their visit, "We're also lookin' out for this man." She said, reaching into her pocket, and pulled out a picture of the man they were searching for to show him.

Juneau Fefifrin.

psikeout · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:19 pm

If their overall disreputable strangeness bothered the baron in any way, he must have had a fantastic poker face, because he didn't show it in the slightest. Somewhere in the middle of their tag team explanation (which really didn't become much of an explanation of anything until Jack chimed in), his butler shuffled back again with a tray, teapot, and some cups, apparently having evaded Sir Corin for the moment.

He paused before taking the cup offered him, first taking Jack's photo for examination.

"Not familiar," he said silently of Juneau, handing the picture back.

There was an uncomfortable silence. He took his cup and saucer and had a sip while the butler attempted to foist the hot beverages on everyone else, as well. (Probably not a difficult task, since most of them had just been freezing to death, although there was that rabbit...)

"I find it very surprising anyone would come to our aid," the ermine finally admitted, grimly serious. He sank further back into his seat, staring thoughtfully toward the fire. "And if I hadn't seen your very interesting landing with my own two eyes, I may have doubted you," he added.

So the timing of his return to the castle immediately behind them wasn't convenient coincidence.

"In my position as a... representative, of sorts, of my country, I would never ask outsiders to help with our problems." It sounded like he was leading up to something negative. "However... I didn't ask, yet here you are—And you are in a sense stuck here, now, borders and travel conditions as they are."

With that, he seemed to have sorted out his own opinion on the matter just by talking to them. With renewed brightness to his tone, he set his cup down and made an offer: "Why not stay, relax for the evening, enjoy a good rest here tonight, and let me explain the details in the morning?"

Rachel · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 5:47 am

Jack gratefully took the tea from the dutiful butler. She once more thanked him as she listened to the lord of the castles assessment of them. She sipped her tea and smiled brightly at the charming young baron.

"You're too kind. I hope we won't be too much bother," she said, taking another gleeful sip of tea. After a moment's consideration she came to the conclusion he may appreciate her motivations if she explained them.

"I'm a Sheriff where we come from. Or, I was. Something terrible happened and now the whole of the town I served is gone," she finally said, looking at her teacup. "I can't help but think that if there is something, anything to be done to help, regardless of what country it is, it needs to be done. Even though Cape Norden has shown an amazin' amounta independence; an' I honestly reckon ya'd find yer solution on yer own, but it seems our missin' mantis and yer troubles maybe related. So thank ya, in advance, fer your help an hospitality."

Jack offered another smile to the baron before her attention drifted to Ember and the fire. "Ember darlin', don't mess with the nice Baron's fire."

Seafarinhare · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:55 pm

Ivan took the tea from the butler with a friendly enough nod, but once he was gone, the bunny looked at it like it was poisoned. He brought the cup and saucer up to his nose and...sniffed it. Then, he proceeded to take the handle of the cup and took a sip. A very small sip.

He put the cup back on the saucer and placed it in his lap before reaching into his pocket and produced a small stainless steel flask. The name "Lewis" engraved on it. Suspicious... That's not his name at all. Anyway, he unscrewed it, and tainted the tea with the presence of liquor. After a small dose of it, he put the flask away and continued to drink the tea.

"Aye. Thank ya fer lettin' us stay here." He said with a friendly smile to the baron.

"I ain't technically with them, but I got an interest in the outcome, seein' as I'd like me freedom back."

So there was that. Ivan was letting himself in on the investigation.

psikeout · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:55 pm

While Ivan's reasoning for being in on the task was fair and resonated as honorable enough—he would surely do the same—Dureau actually looked troubled, maybe even pained by the Sheriff's explanation.

"So you are Sheriff Clarke," he awed breathlessly for a moment. "The news traveled far, you know," he gestured to the group as a whole with his cup, smiling, "—of how you all stopped the bombing on Westside Island, and saved that city...!"

The place may have been isolated, but apparently, they still received international headlines. He set his cup and saucer aside and leaned forward, eying Mako, Key, and Ember as well, as if he was trying to recognize and remember their faces from some fuzzy recollection of a picture. Who'd have thought they'd end up coming in and being the celebrities, right? Their reputation certainly had preceded them, though.

Rachel · Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 1:48 pm

The griffin was more the a little surprised that anyone recognized her for her resent activities. She wasn't sure how to respond. She flushed a little and opened her mouth as if to say something but thought better of it and took another sip of her tea.

"I didn' do much." She finally said. "But at least you can believe we're only hear ta help."

With the tea gone Jack rose to her feet once more, still damp, but considerably warmer she smiled at her host. "I reckon now is as gooda time as any ta hit the hay. We'll get a fresh go at this in the mornin."

MuffinUnsane · Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 5:02 pm

Discouraged from 'improving' the fire, Ember settled for taking the tea offered. Taking a careful sip, she tried to hide her grimace. The tea tasted like watered down dirt to her. Guess they couldn't afford taste. It was warm though so the bird downed it in one gulp. Needed more sugar. About a whole bag worth.

Setting the empty cup down on a table, she gave the host a hearty pat on the shoulder and a smile.

"Thanks! Really appreciate it and all. Being so cold out there. I mean seriously, dunno how you guys deal with it. Super nice of you!"

Eyes glancing over at Jack, she nodded her approval.

"So let's all get some z's then."

Cannon Travel (Ch. 3a: Day 1)

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