From alt.pub.dragons-inn Wed Dec 20 14:56:56 1995 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:8922 Path: netcom.com!ix.netcom.com!news3.noc.netcom.net!agis!newshub.internex.net!viper.inow.com!ns2.mainstreet.net!news.isp.net!news.internetMCI.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.dacom.co.kr!news.uoregon.edu!news.u.washington.edu!homer09.u.washington.edu!sirjohn From: 'Sir John' J T Calkins Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [Sara] Enter Lyn Date: Sat, 16 Dec 1995 00:28:10 -0800 Organization: University of Washington Lines: 86 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: homer09.u.washington.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII NNTP-Posting-User: sirjohn ~From: Miriam B Anixter > The newly fallen snow glistens as the morning sun begins its rise into a > new day. Slowly the city starts to move again. On the west side of the > city an early rising baker is surprised to see a small group of horseman > pass through the city wall and head toward the center of the city. The > horses are black as pitch, with smooth muscles gently rippling under > their skin. Nothing can be seen of the riders, due to the long gray cloaks > and quick pace of the riders. The baker shakes his head and looks back > down at the walk he was shoveling, and is startled by the puddles of warm > water left in the hoof prints of the horses. > Meanwhile, the Inn has begun its daily business. The cooks are busy > throwing together a morning meal, the maids are cleaning down the tables > from last night, and even more slowly the customers are struggling out of > bed and gazing out at the heavy drifts of snow covering the streets. One > of these guests wanders down and settles down near a window, a mug of hot > tea clasped in her hands. Gone is the volumous cloak from last night, in > its place she is wearing loose breeches and a supple tunic made out of a > tannish colored silken looking material. Her long red hair is braided back > and tied with a amber ribbbon. She slowly sips the tea and watches > as the world begins to move out in the streets, seemingly at ease. Lyn opened one golden eye and stretched, yawning. She began to wash herself, methodically licking her black fur. She could see bustling aorund the kitchen from her cozy perch on a shelf near the oven, and the smells of breakfast being prepared made her mouth water. Finished bathing, she hopped lazily down and padded toward the round figure of [cook]. Sitting down behind her, she let out a plainative meyow. "Prrroww?" The heavyset woman wiped her hands on her apron and bent down to stroke the cat and rub her ears. "Sick of mice already, eh? Or too lazy to hunt breakfast for yerself?" Winding around the woman's legs, Lyn sent a weariness of the taste of rodent meat and the sensation of their fur tickling her nose. She was grateful that the Inn's small rodent problem had given her a place to stay and a meal for the night without impacting on the small amount of silver she had received from A'arden; however, the stench of mouse and rat was still strong in her nostrils and she craved a more conventional breakfast. She also wanted to check on her belongings, still in the Green, and maybe make some contacts with adventurers in the Inn. This would be difficult as a cat... Licking her chops, she sent anticipation of the tastes of bread, honey and hot tea at [cook]. "We've some winter apples too, and cold turkey from last night..." "mrrow". Lyn blinked assent, and quietly padded off to see if she could find enough small furry creatures to make good on breakfast. Later, lounging with her boots near the stove, crumbs from breakfast in her lap and the refilled mug of hot tea in her hands, lyn figured that most of the mousy aftertaste had been banished. She still had a faint urge to twitch a non-existant tail as she sat by the fire and purr in contentment. Silly humans, she thought-- what good is an animal without a tail? The sun had been up for an hour, and she decided to wait and people-watch until it got warmer outside before she retrieved her belongings from the Green. Out of the corner of her eye, Lyn sees the young woman from yesterday wander downstairs. She was the woman who was talking to another about lost swords and companies and adventurous sounding things like that-- Lyn felt excitement well up in her-- "Perhaps, " she thought, "I can come along with her on her adventure!" The red haired woman is now seated by a window, with a mug of hot tea in her hands, peacefully watching the early-morning bustle pass by outside. Lyn walked over and sat by her. "I heard you lost some swords." She began, lamely. "Oh?" Her pleasant reverie broken, Sara was instantly alert-- what did this buckskinned girl know about the swords? "I mean, uh, I heard you talking about some swords, and, um, a Company, and..." She could sense the other woman's sudden suspicion, and wondered if perhaps there had been a better way to broach the subject. She also sensed a cool deadliness underneath, like a hunting snake's. Lyn began to feel more than awkward-- she felt as if she had disturbed a nesting copperhead and asked for one of it's eggs. "Who sent you?" Sara asked, coolly. The girl looked harmless enough-- probably some country bumkin out in search of adventure-- but looks could be deceieving. "Um." Lyn was trying to diffuse the red-headed woman's sudden flare of suspicion, but her nervousness, the newness of the town's Pattern, and the complexity of the other woman made it difficult. "Well, Old Woman sent me to go wandering so I knew a bit more of the world, if that's what you mean. I'm Lyn-- can I come with you?" She offered her hand, radiating friendliness and non-hostility for all she was worth. "I'd love to help, and I've never been on an *adventure* before..." [what do you think?] --mir