Moving Day - 09/02 - Bosalind Sugartooth (+DT)
Feb 19, 2022 11:11:13 GMT
Henry (Felix/Sterling), Lolli (Jennifur Cottontail), and 1 more like this
Post by Bosalind "Boosya" Sugartooth on Feb 19, 2022 11:11:13 GMT
Granny comes to Daring Heights.
Hold on to your socks.
Or they just might get replaced by woven ones with carrot pattern on them.
The dinner at the count's house is lovely. Boosya even has a glass of very nice wine. Invigorated so, she leaves the manor as the furniture is still being moved around it, and walks along the evening streets, looking for a particular shop...
As Boosya approaches the single storey half-timbered building of Fitzgrove Fashionables, she can see a brightly coloured door with the shop's logo displayed above it, exactly like Lolli described it. “Oh, this is very pretty!” Boosya cooes, pushing the door inwards.
As she enters, there are rows of candles around the place lighting up the room. A few mannequins on display show off various outfits, ranging from everyday wear for the local residents of the city to capes and clothing for the adventuring community. Large ornate floor-length mirrors are on display on each side of the room. The clothes on the mannequins are plain and simple, and have more focus on the details of the work. A neat basket-weave cardigan catches the old harengon’s eye.
There is a large wooden counter, which is as far as the customers can walk up to. However, looking further past it to the back of the room, there are some workbenches with all sorts of fabrics and crafting materials across each table; projects in various stages of completion on each workbench. Standing at the counter is a friendly-looking man, ready to greet each guest that comes through the door.
“Hello, dearie,” Boosya says to the man, her eyes darting around the room. “Perhaps you can help me. I’m looking for… Oh, never mind, there she is!”
Lolli, the small 2 foot 2-inch Harengon, is working away on one of these workbenches in the back. Looking closer at the harengon, she is standing on top of a step ladder, made entirely out of what appears to be chocolate chip biscuits. This brings her to the right height of the table, which she otherwise wouldn't be able to reach. Lolli has her back to the counter and is currently in the process of making something with a long piece of royal blue fabric. It is clear Lolli is very focused on her work. She has her candy studded hairband in place holding back her hair from getting in her eyes. She has a strip of measuring tape in her hand. Lolli is going over the measurements again and again making sure she has everything correct. Indie, her small fluffy purple bat familiar, flies with one end of the measuring tape. Lolli smiles happily at Indie and says “Thank you, Indie. Sometimes I feel like a need twenty hands to get everything done here. But I think these measurements are correct. Ok, it’s time to get cutting with this fabric.”
Boosya smiles proudly.
“Can I help you, madam?” The man at the counter asks.
“Oh, no, no, dear, it’s all fine. I’ll just sit here, if you don’t mind, and wait for Lolli to finish,” she points to the nearest chair that is habitually used for customers to sit in while others are trying on outfits. Boosya turns, then stops in her tracks and makes a wild gesture with her plump hands.
“My goodness!” She exclaims. “Is this… tassel lace on a diagonal stitch?” She hurriedly takes off a blouse from a mannequin and stares at it through her reading glasses. “It is!” She turns towards the somewhat surprised owner. “Don’t worry, dear, I’ll fix this in no time! Luckily we’ve caught it when we did! Wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally buy this thing! Tassel lace! No, no, it has to be entredeux.” She mutters, taking out her kit. The owner’s weak protest is ignored in favor of a more productive activity of replacing the lace.
Lolli finishes cutting up the fabric and starts working on stitching her pieces together. After a few moments, she hops down from her ladder and it disappears from view. She hops over to Brendan and makes the step ladder appear again. She takes a few steps up it so she is at a more decent height. She taps him on his back “Mr. Fitzgrove… I mean… Brendan… I mean sir… sorry, I have a question about the stitch I’m working on. I think I've made a mistake and I was hoping to get your advice”. Lolli quickly scans the room and notices someone else there. “Ohhh we have a customer! It can wait if you’re busy”. Lolli takes a closer look at the customer and notices the woolen kerchief tied around her head, hiding the contours of large bunny ears. Lolli immediately recognizes her grandmother. Lolli gets very excited and talks even more loudly “Oh my gumdrop, GRANDMA!” She turns quickly to Brendan and says “Oh, I hope it’s ok if I go talk to her for a few moments? I’ll get back to work right after!”
Brendan smiles at Lolli. “Yes, of course, go chat to your grandma. I can help you with your stitches after. Also tell her nice work with that lace.”
Lolli smiles and excitedly hops over to her grandma. She is full of excitement “GRANDMA, you came! I can’t believe it. I am so happy you could make it!” Lolli launches herself at her grandmother and wraps her in a big hug.
“Hello, Lolli, dear, it’s so good to see you!” Boosya easily picks up her granddaughter in what, given the difference in heights, is a proper bear hug to Lolli.
Lolli leans back after a few moments, “I missed you! What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming today. What a lovely surprise! How are you?”
“I’m very good, Lolli. I’m so proud of my little bunny girl working in a sewing business!” She squeezes Lolli’s cheek, glances around the brightly lit shop, and then puts her granddaughter down. “Let me look at you. Oh, what a lovely dress! Did you make it yourself? Ah,” she waves her off. “Of course you did!” She turns to Brendan. “She’s so talented. Such a wonderful girl.” Lolli blushes and grins happily at her grandmother's compliment. Then Boosya sits in the chair a bit more comfortably, clearly intending to spend some time there. “As to what am I doing here… You were writing us such fascinating letters… That I decided - you know, what the cabbage - to go ahead and try this adventuring thing, too!” She punched the air in excitement. “It sounds like so much fun! Oh, and look what your grandpa did with my basket!”
She turns her woven basket on the side to demonstrate metal casing that makes a simple gatherer’s implement into a decent shield.
Lolli gets even more excited, and it becomes very obvious when she starts speaking. “Oh my gumdrop! Really? Oh that’s absolutely, positively, fantastically amazing news Grandma”. Lolli is beaming. “...and Grandpa made you that?”. Lolli looks closer at the basket her grandmother has in her hands, examining every detail. Lolli begins talking very fast without even realising it. “Wow, he’s very talented. So have you been on any adventures yet? I am still new to it but it’s quite fun! You get to meet so many people, and learn lots more about the clothing adventures need. I'm getting more ideas on new ways I can make different types of clothing for adventurers now! It’s fun and exciting! Though I know some of the jobs that we can go on can be dangerous and scary. Like for example, I had to fight this humongous, gigantic sand worm creature recently! That was scary. But with teamwork we managed to defeat it. Working as a team is fun! Ohhh maybe we should go on an adventure together sometime? That would be lots of fun!”
Boosya nods with a content expression throughout the other harengon’s speech. She sometimes makes an appropriately amused, interested, or concerned face whenever the topic changes.
“Oh, that sounds very exciting!” She says finally. “A giant worm? Must have been terrifying! I’ve only gone on one adventure so far, and it involved some ruffians that needed to be kept in check. But I did meet wonderful people along the way! A very sweet genasi girl named Glade turned into a horse and gave me a ride. And there was this nice elf, Ilthuryn, whom I need to visit later. Such a sweet lad! He can turn into constellations, and dresses very sensibly for the weather. Oh, and I’ve met the gentleman you wrote us about, Sterling. He has the most delightful mechanical companions!”
“The worm… yeah a little scary”, Lolli looks slightly concerned, but she moves on very quickly. “Oh you’ve met Sterling? Amazing! Yeah he’s so talented. So you’ve met Dog and Bird?” Boosya nods in reply. “They’re very cool! I’ve been on every adventure so far with him. You definitely don’t see stuff like what he can make in Summer Court.” This is met with a soft chuckle. “Oh, the other people you've met sound wonderful. Maybe I’ll meet them one day as well… So, it’s just you going on adventures? Grandpa didn’t want to join you?”
Boosya waves her grand-daughter off. “Oh, you know how he is! He’d have a heart attack if he missed his weekend fishing!” She chuckles. “At midday sharp, or no walleye for you!” She sing-sangs in a clear parody of her husband’s voice. “No, he’s not the adventuring type, my dear Oswald. But he made me this nice armour!” She shows off her scale mail. “I still need to learn to wear it, of course,” Boosya smiles. “And he sends you all the love,” she pinches her grand-daughter’s cheek again. “So yes, it’s just me. Hopefully I will collect a couple of good stories to tell the girls at the knitting club. Why, just earlier today we were invited to a dinner with a count! Can you imagine? Such a lovely young fellow. Very generous, and a good host… Oh, almost forgot! I brought you some of your favourite carrot cake!”
Lolli wants to thank her grandma, but as soon as she opens her mouth, a cake slice is promptly shoved in it. Lolli looks stunned for a moment and then she fully embraces the deliciousness. She sits there chewing a large piece of cake and remembers just how good her grandma’s cooking is. She licks her lips when she’s done “Mmmmm that was so yummy. Thank you Grandma! Your cooking is always the best. Carrot cake will always be my favourite. Would you have any… more?”.
Another piece of cake appears in her hand as if out of nowhere. Lolli smiles gratefully, she pulls out a pieces of fabric and wraps it around the cake. She pockets it for later.
“And that makes sense with Grandpa. Sounds just like him! Ha, well, nothing can stop you when you put your mind to something.” Lolli hops for a moment and stands tall. ”Evil dwellers beware my amazing grandma is here!” She turns to her grandmother and giggles. Boosya waves her off in false modesty. “It’s true though. And ohhh I meant to say I also have something for you. I made it for the next time I would see you”. Lolli puts her hands in her pockets and pulls out an enameled pin. It has a ball of wool with some knitting needles coming out with the words ‘Knit Happens’ underneath, which sparkle when held at the right angle. She hands it to her grandma. “Something to take with on your new adventures”.
Boosya gestured with her fluffy hands, accidentally making a heart shape in the air. “Lolli, this is so sweet! Come here, my little candy floss!” She gives her grand-daughter a big kiss on the cheek, smooshing her face in process. “Making your old grandma so proud! I promise to wear it on every adventure I go to. I should make something for you, too,” she gives it a little pause. “Maybe a scarf, or a cardigan… Oh, speaking of which! This is such a nice place you’re working at!” She glances around the shop again. “Won’t you introduce me to your boss?”
“Awww, you don’t have to make me anything. And oh, yes! I will introduce you. After that I should probably get back to work”. Lolli smiles towards her grandmother and heads back over towards Brendan. Lolli casts her step ladder again and hops up so she’s not hidden behind the counter.
Brendan looks a bit caught in the headlights when the harengons approach him.
“Mr Fitzgrove… I mean Brendan… this is my wonderful grandma. She popped in for a visit. And will you believe it: she’s joining the adventuring community! She’s going out on jobs like what I’m doing in my spare time. Isn’t it amazing!” Lolli smiles proudly and gestures towards her grandmother.
“Bosalind Sugartooth, it’s a pleasure to meet you, mister Fitzgrove.”
“Pleasure is all mine, missis-” Brendan starts, shaking a fluffy hand professed to him.
“Oh, nonsense, dear, just call me Boosya.” She chuckles heartily. “You’ve got a delightful shop, mister Fitzgrove. I’m so proud of Lolli working here. She’s always been such a talented girl. You know, when she was only three years old, she stole a ball of my yarn, and rolled around with it, entangling herself in red yarn completely, then crawled into the dining room and said: “Look, granny, I’ve made a caterpillar costume!”, can you imagine?” She giggles. “I spent the whole afternoon untangling her. Luckily, her mother was out, and it stayed our little secret.” She winks very obviously.
Lolli goes bright red, but her lilac fur hides this. “Grandma, you don’t have to keep telling everyone that story…”. Lolli smiles awkwardly and cringes. She quickly tries to move on. “Well, Grandma, it was lovely seeing you…” and she goes to give her a another hug. “I wish you lots of good fortune on your adventures”. Then she hops around the back of the counter. She gives smile and a small wave to her grandma before she goes back to her project. Then thinking out loud she looking towards her piece. “Ok… I can figure this stitch out myself.” and hops towards it with new found confidence.
Boosya waves her and Brendan Fitzgrove goodbye, and leaves in the direction of the Three-Headed Dragon.
A small harengon walks through the woods. A piece of paper in one hand, a basket spreading the smell of fresh cabbage pie in another. She waddles down the narrow footpaths leading into the depth of the forest. Eventually, she comes to a small clearing and glances around over the metal frame of her reading glasses.
Inside the clearing a rough hammock has been strung up between two small trees and a roughly dressed wood elf lies under the cold but clear sky with a large piece of paper resting over their face. At the smell of pie the figure spins out of the hammock gracefully and rolls the piece of paper up into a small scroll case before beaming at his guest.
"Oh, hello there!" Boosya shouts from the other edge of the clearing, waving her chubby hand. "Ilthuryn, dear, how have you been? I barely found you in the middle of these woods!" She half-complains, trudging through the clearing in the direction of the hammock. "Here, I've brought you some pie! Do you have any tea around?" She starts looking around for cutlery with the same expression an eagle searches for its prey.
He chuckles awkwardly and fishes around in a small backpack before pulling out a simple wooden spoon and a hunting knife and hands them over in an attempt to appease old Boosya with cutlery. Afterwards, however, he perks up and fishes around in the pack again, this time coming back with a small pouch and eagerly sits cross-legged on the ground before handing it over. Inside is a variety of dry herbs and flower bulbs with a pleasant aroma, he nods vigorously.
Boosya, overcoming her initial horror at encountering only one spoon and one knife in any homestead, even such a basic one, smiles, and produces two chipped mugs from the basket. A larger metal apparatus, not dissimilar from a distiller's cube, contains still hot liquid. The tea is brewed in a quiet and efficient manner.
Suddenly, the elderly harengon jumps, and, booping her head with her hand, exclaims: "Oh, I completely forgot!" With that, she produces two gold pieces from her apron pocket. "There you go, dearie. That nice count we were working for gave us some more money. Such a sweetheart. This is your share." She shoves a hot cup of tea into the elf's right hand, gold pieces in the left one. Having run out of receptacles, she quickly assesses her options and, after a short pause, shoves a piece of cabbage pie into his mouth.
His inky black eyes just blink in confusion before once again shutting as he attempts to smile with pie in his mouth. He stashes the money in a small pouch at his side and sets his tea down on a small bed of flowers that just so happened to have sprung up and been in exactly the right place for him to perfectly balance a cup of tea on them. After a small amount of eating he takes the pie out of his mouth and puts it down also before staring at the sky for a few moments. With a few movements of his hands, there is a strange shifting shadow that passes over the clearing. In the sky above several clouds have passed over the clearing forming words in common: "Thank you so much! The pie is very tasty" With a few more movements the clouds disappear and he looks back down at the old harengon and winks.
"Oh, this is very pretty!" Boosya states confidently, looking at the clouds and throwing her head back so far she's almost falling backwards. She rights herself and looks back at Ilthuryn. "Did you learn to do it yourself?"
He smiles softly and nods, now that she looks back down she can see him slowly growing flowers and forming them into a crown.
"Oh, well done, you! That is very sweet," she comments, sipping her tea. "I'd never learn my magic myself. Old reverend mother taught me, bless her soul," she glances up quickly, making a square sign with another hand and a piece of cake she holds in it. "Are you worshipping the Oak Father then?" She catches herself and rights her glasses. "Ooooh, apologies! How rude of me! Here I am, middle of the forest, asking an elf if he worships Silvanus. I didn't want to presume, dear!" She smiles kindly.
Ilthuryn chuckles and shakes his head before getting the various star maps out of his tubes and spreads them on the floor, tapping the various constellations they map.
Boosya scrunches her nose and adjusts her glasses. "Oh, dear, you'll have to explain the old woman what these are! I can barely see treetops, don't look at the stars that much..." She chuckles.
He nods enthusiastically and pulls out more charts, this time of whole swathes of night sky rather than particular constellations. From there he begins switching between them pointing out to her the many constellations he has mapped and where they lie in the night sky.
"These are very pretty," she says, sipping tea and swatting an occasional pie crumble from the map. "And they are... your gods?"
The elf gives a strange look and shakes his hand in a 'sort of' way.
Boosya nods. "Oh, well. They have been rather helpful!" She concludes. "You were a rather impressive archer back there in the swamp!"
He grins and taps a constellation of an archer drawing a bow.
"Yes, yes, a lovely fellow! Very... chiseled," she smiles, and tops up the tea mugs. "Is that why you've come to Kantas then? To study the stars?"
He nods vigorously.
Her furry eyebrows climb to the edge of her kerchief. "Are those different in Faerun, then?"
He shakes his hand again.
"Huh, who'd have thunk!" She slaps her thigh, genuinely amused. "Can you believe it, several decades there and I've never noticed!" Boosya shakes her head in disbelief and drinks her tea.
Ilthuryn makes a gesture to suggest 'small differences'. He draws several lines on the star charts suggesting differences.
The conversation about the constellations goes on for some time. As it draws closer to the evening, Boosya shivers slightly, more in acknowledgement that it's cold rather than from actually being cold. She looks around, slightly worried, and asks: "Are you not cold here, dear? You don't even have a hut!"
The elf shrugs and drags some furs from his bag to rug up.
Boosya gets up with a look of determination. "Well, that is all well and good. But I've got to remember to knit you a scarf. Maybe a sweater. It's so chilly outside. All these drafts in the forest must be horrible for the back!" She glances around with a very obvious annoyance, and, as if on command, wind seems to die down a little. "You take care, sweetie. I need to come back to the city. I'm not as young as I used to be, can't afford an extra night camping outside, you see." She sighs as her memories carry her back. "Oh, the camping trips we used to go on in Feywild! Ooooh, you should definitely try it one day!" She chuckles happily. "Right then. I'll be off. Need to go back to the city. Those people at the Fitzgrove's are so sweet. But can't do ruffles. Not proper ruffles, you know. I do need to help out. They even insisted on paying me, can you imagine?" She smiles and squeezes the elf's cheek. "You take care, Ilthuryn. I'll get you your scarf in no time!"
He nods and finishes his tea, waving to her as she leaves before staring at the now starry sky and smiling.
And thus, for better of for worse, the knitting plans were set into motion...
co-written with the wonderful Lolli (Jennifur Cottontail) and willemf
Hold on to your socks.
Or they just might get replaced by woven ones with carrot pattern on them.
The dinner at the count's house is lovely. Boosya even has a glass of very nice wine. Invigorated so, she leaves the manor as the furniture is still being moved around it, and walks along the evening streets, looking for a particular shop...
As Boosya approaches the single storey half-timbered building of Fitzgrove Fashionables, she can see a brightly coloured door with the shop's logo displayed above it, exactly like Lolli described it. “Oh, this is very pretty!” Boosya cooes, pushing the door inwards.
As she enters, there are rows of candles around the place lighting up the room. A few mannequins on display show off various outfits, ranging from everyday wear for the local residents of the city to capes and clothing for the adventuring community. Large ornate floor-length mirrors are on display on each side of the room. The clothes on the mannequins are plain and simple, and have more focus on the details of the work. A neat basket-weave cardigan catches the old harengon’s eye.
There is a large wooden counter, which is as far as the customers can walk up to. However, looking further past it to the back of the room, there are some workbenches with all sorts of fabrics and crafting materials across each table; projects in various stages of completion on each workbench. Standing at the counter is a friendly-looking man, ready to greet each guest that comes through the door.
“Hello, dearie,” Boosya says to the man, her eyes darting around the room. “Perhaps you can help me. I’m looking for… Oh, never mind, there she is!”
Lolli, the small 2 foot 2-inch Harengon, is working away on one of these workbenches in the back. Looking closer at the harengon, she is standing on top of a step ladder, made entirely out of what appears to be chocolate chip biscuits. This brings her to the right height of the table, which she otherwise wouldn't be able to reach. Lolli has her back to the counter and is currently in the process of making something with a long piece of royal blue fabric. It is clear Lolli is very focused on her work. She has her candy studded hairband in place holding back her hair from getting in her eyes. She has a strip of measuring tape in her hand. Lolli is going over the measurements again and again making sure she has everything correct. Indie, her small fluffy purple bat familiar, flies with one end of the measuring tape. Lolli smiles happily at Indie and says “Thank you, Indie. Sometimes I feel like a need twenty hands to get everything done here. But I think these measurements are correct. Ok, it’s time to get cutting with this fabric.”
Boosya smiles proudly.
“Can I help you, madam?” The man at the counter asks.
“Oh, no, no, dear, it’s all fine. I’ll just sit here, if you don’t mind, and wait for Lolli to finish,” she points to the nearest chair that is habitually used for customers to sit in while others are trying on outfits. Boosya turns, then stops in her tracks and makes a wild gesture with her plump hands.
“My goodness!” She exclaims. “Is this… tassel lace on a diagonal stitch?” She hurriedly takes off a blouse from a mannequin and stares at it through her reading glasses. “It is!” She turns towards the somewhat surprised owner. “Don’t worry, dear, I’ll fix this in no time! Luckily we’ve caught it when we did! Wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally buy this thing! Tassel lace! No, no, it has to be entredeux.” She mutters, taking out her kit. The owner’s weak protest is ignored in favor of a more productive activity of replacing the lace.
Lolli finishes cutting up the fabric and starts working on stitching her pieces together. After a few moments, she hops down from her ladder and it disappears from view. She hops over to Brendan and makes the step ladder appear again. She takes a few steps up it so she is at a more decent height. She taps him on his back “Mr. Fitzgrove… I mean… Brendan… I mean sir… sorry, I have a question about the stitch I’m working on. I think I've made a mistake and I was hoping to get your advice”. Lolli quickly scans the room and notices someone else there. “Ohhh we have a customer! It can wait if you’re busy”. Lolli takes a closer look at the customer and notices the woolen kerchief tied around her head, hiding the contours of large bunny ears. Lolli immediately recognizes her grandmother. Lolli gets very excited and talks even more loudly “Oh my gumdrop, GRANDMA!” She turns quickly to Brendan and says “Oh, I hope it’s ok if I go talk to her for a few moments? I’ll get back to work right after!”
Brendan smiles at Lolli. “Yes, of course, go chat to your grandma. I can help you with your stitches after. Also tell her nice work with that lace.”
Lolli smiles and excitedly hops over to her grandma. She is full of excitement “GRANDMA, you came! I can’t believe it. I am so happy you could make it!” Lolli launches herself at her grandmother and wraps her in a big hug.
“Hello, Lolli, dear, it’s so good to see you!” Boosya easily picks up her granddaughter in what, given the difference in heights, is a proper bear hug to Lolli.
Lolli leans back after a few moments, “I missed you! What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming today. What a lovely surprise! How are you?”
“I’m very good, Lolli. I’m so proud of my little bunny girl working in a sewing business!” She squeezes Lolli’s cheek, glances around the brightly lit shop, and then puts her granddaughter down. “Let me look at you. Oh, what a lovely dress! Did you make it yourself? Ah,” she waves her off. “Of course you did!” She turns to Brendan. “She’s so talented. Such a wonderful girl.” Lolli blushes and grins happily at her grandmother's compliment. Then Boosya sits in the chair a bit more comfortably, clearly intending to spend some time there. “As to what am I doing here… You were writing us such fascinating letters… That I decided - you know, what the cabbage - to go ahead and try this adventuring thing, too!” She punched the air in excitement. “It sounds like so much fun! Oh, and look what your grandpa did with my basket!”
She turns her woven basket on the side to demonstrate metal casing that makes a simple gatherer’s implement into a decent shield.
Lolli gets even more excited, and it becomes very obvious when she starts speaking. “Oh my gumdrop! Really? Oh that’s absolutely, positively, fantastically amazing news Grandma”. Lolli is beaming. “...and Grandpa made you that?”. Lolli looks closer at the basket her grandmother has in her hands, examining every detail. Lolli begins talking very fast without even realising it. “Wow, he’s very talented. So have you been on any adventures yet? I am still new to it but it’s quite fun! You get to meet so many people, and learn lots more about the clothing adventures need. I'm getting more ideas on new ways I can make different types of clothing for adventurers now! It’s fun and exciting! Though I know some of the jobs that we can go on can be dangerous and scary. Like for example, I had to fight this humongous, gigantic sand worm creature recently! That was scary. But with teamwork we managed to defeat it. Working as a team is fun! Ohhh maybe we should go on an adventure together sometime? That would be lots of fun!”
Boosya nods with a content expression throughout the other harengon’s speech. She sometimes makes an appropriately amused, interested, or concerned face whenever the topic changes.
“Oh, that sounds very exciting!” She says finally. “A giant worm? Must have been terrifying! I’ve only gone on one adventure so far, and it involved some ruffians that needed to be kept in check. But I did meet wonderful people along the way! A very sweet genasi girl named Glade turned into a horse and gave me a ride. And there was this nice elf, Ilthuryn, whom I need to visit later. Such a sweet lad! He can turn into constellations, and dresses very sensibly for the weather. Oh, and I’ve met the gentleman you wrote us about, Sterling. He has the most delightful mechanical companions!”
“The worm… yeah a little scary”, Lolli looks slightly concerned, but she moves on very quickly. “Oh you’ve met Sterling? Amazing! Yeah he’s so talented. So you’ve met Dog and Bird?” Boosya nods in reply. “They’re very cool! I’ve been on every adventure so far with him. You definitely don’t see stuff like what he can make in Summer Court.” This is met with a soft chuckle. “Oh, the other people you've met sound wonderful. Maybe I’ll meet them one day as well… So, it’s just you going on adventures? Grandpa didn’t want to join you?”
Boosya waves her grand-daughter off. “Oh, you know how he is! He’d have a heart attack if he missed his weekend fishing!” She chuckles. “At midday sharp, or no walleye for you!” She sing-sangs in a clear parody of her husband’s voice. “No, he’s not the adventuring type, my dear Oswald. But he made me this nice armour!” She shows off her scale mail. “I still need to learn to wear it, of course,” Boosya smiles. “And he sends you all the love,” she pinches her grand-daughter’s cheek again. “So yes, it’s just me. Hopefully I will collect a couple of good stories to tell the girls at the knitting club. Why, just earlier today we were invited to a dinner with a count! Can you imagine? Such a lovely young fellow. Very generous, and a good host… Oh, almost forgot! I brought you some of your favourite carrot cake!”
Lolli wants to thank her grandma, but as soon as she opens her mouth, a cake slice is promptly shoved in it. Lolli looks stunned for a moment and then she fully embraces the deliciousness. She sits there chewing a large piece of cake and remembers just how good her grandma’s cooking is. She licks her lips when she’s done “Mmmmm that was so yummy. Thank you Grandma! Your cooking is always the best. Carrot cake will always be my favourite. Would you have any… more?”.
Another piece of cake appears in her hand as if out of nowhere. Lolli smiles gratefully, she pulls out a pieces of fabric and wraps it around the cake. She pockets it for later.
“And that makes sense with Grandpa. Sounds just like him! Ha, well, nothing can stop you when you put your mind to something.” Lolli hops for a moment and stands tall. ”Evil dwellers beware my amazing grandma is here!” She turns to her grandmother and giggles. Boosya waves her off in false modesty. “It’s true though. And ohhh I meant to say I also have something for you. I made it for the next time I would see you”. Lolli puts her hands in her pockets and pulls out an enameled pin. It has a ball of wool with some knitting needles coming out with the words ‘Knit Happens’ underneath, which sparkle when held at the right angle. She hands it to her grandma. “Something to take with on your new adventures”.
Boosya gestured with her fluffy hands, accidentally making a heart shape in the air. “Lolli, this is so sweet! Come here, my little candy floss!” She gives her grand-daughter a big kiss on the cheek, smooshing her face in process. “Making your old grandma so proud! I promise to wear it on every adventure I go to. I should make something for you, too,” she gives it a little pause. “Maybe a scarf, or a cardigan… Oh, speaking of which! This is such a nice place you’re working at!” She glances around the shop again. “Won’t you introduce me to your boss?”
“Awww, you don’t have to make me anything. And oh, yes! I will introduce you. After that I should probably get back to work”. Lolli smiles towards her grandmother and heads back over towards Brendan. Lolli casts her step ladder again and hops up so she’s not hidden behind the counter.
Brendan looks a bit caught in the headlights when the harengons approach him.
“Mr Fitzgrove… I mean Brendan… this is my wonderful grandma. She popped in for a visit. And will you believe it: she’s joining the adventuring community! She’s going out on jobs like what I’m doing in my spare time. Isn’t it amazing!” Lolli smiles proudly and gestures towards her grandmother.
“Bosalind Sugartooth, it’s a pleasure to meet you, mister Fitzgrove.”
“Pleasure is all mine, missis-” Brendan starts, shaking a fluffy hand professed to him.
“Oh, nonsense, dear, just call me Boosya.” She chuckles heartily. “You’ve got a delightful shop, mister Fitzgrove. I’m so proud of Lolli working here. She’s always been such a talented girl. You know, when she was only three years old, she stole a ball of my yarn, and rolled around with it, entangling herself in red yarn completely, then crawled into the dining room and said: “Look, granny, I’ve made a caterpillar costume!”, can you imagine?” She giggles. “I spent the whole afternoon untangling her. Luckily, her mother was out, and it stayed our little secret.” She winks very obviously.
Lolli goes bright red, but her lilac fur hides this. “Grandma, you don’t have to keep telling everyone that story…”. Lolli smiles awkwardly and cringes. She quickly tries to move on. “Well, Grandma, it was lovely seeing you…” and she goes to give her a another hug. “I wish you lots of good fortune on your adventures”. Then she hops around the back of the counter. She gives smile and a small wave to her grandma before she goes back to her project. Then thinking out loud she looking towards her piece. “Ok… I can figure this stitch out myself.” and hops towards it with new found confidence.
Boosya waves her and Brendan Fitzgrove goodbye, and leaves in the direction of the Three-Headed Dragon.
A small harengon walks through the woods. A piece of paper in one hand, a basket spreading the smell of fresh cabbage pie in another. She waddles down the narrow footpaths leading into the depth of the forest. Eventually, she comes to a small clearing and glances around over the metal frame of her reading glasses.
Inside the clearing a rough hammock has been strung up between two small trees and a roughly dressed wood elf lies under the cold but clear sky with a large piece of paper resting over their face. At the smell of pie the figure spins out of the hammock gracefully and rolls the piece of paper up into a small scroll case before beaming at his guest.
"Oh, hello there!" Boosya shouts from the other edge of the clearing, waving her chubby hand. "Ilthuryn, dear, how have you been? I barely found you in the middle of these woods!" She half-complains, trudging through the clearing in the direction of the hammock. "Here, I've brought you some pie! Do you have any tea around?" She starts looking around for cutlery with the same expression an eagle searches for its prey.
He chuckles awkwardly and fishes around in a small backpack before pulling out a simple wooden spoon and a hunting knife and hands them over in an attempt to appease old Boosya with cutlery. Afterwards, however, he perks up and fishes around in the pack again, this time coming back with a small pouch and eagerly sits cross-legged on the ground before handing it over. Inside is a variety of dry herbs and flower bulbs with a pleasant aroma, he nods vigorously.
Boosya, overcoming her initial horror at encountering only one spoon and one knife in any homestead, even such a basic one, smiles, and produces two chipped mugs from the basket. A larger metal apparatus, not dissimilar from a distiller's cube, contains still hot liquid. The tea is brewed in a quiet and efficient manner.
Suddenly, the elderly harengon jumps, and, booping her head with her hand, exclaims: "Oh, I completely forgot!" With that, she produces two gold pieces from her apron pocket. "There you go, dearie. That nice count we were working for gave us some more money. Such a sweetheart. This is your share." She shoves a hot cup of tea into the elf's right hand, gold pieces in the left one. Having run out of receptacles, she quickly assesses her options and, after a short pause, shoves a piece of cabbage pie into his mouth.
His inky black eyes just blink in confusion before once again shutting as he attempts to smile with pie in his mouth. He stashes the money in a small pouch at his side and sets his tea down on a small bed of flowers that just so happened to have sprung up and been in exactly the right place for him to perfectly balance a cup of tea on them. After a small amount of eating he takes the pie out of his mouth and puts it down also before staring at the sky for a few moments. With a few movements of his hands, there is a strange shifting shadow that passes over the clearing. In the sky above several clouds have passed over the clearing forming words in common: "Thank you so much! The pie is very tasty" With a few more movements the clouds disappear and he looks back down at the old harengon and winks.
"Oh, this is very pretty!" Boosya states confidently, looking at the clouds and throwing her head back so far she's almost falling backwards. She rights herself and looks back at Ilthuryn. "Did you learn to do it yourself?"
He smiles softly and nods, now that she looks back down she can see him slowly growing flowers and forming them into a crown.
"Oh, well done, you! That is very sweet," she comments, sipping her tea. "I'd never learn my magic myself. Old reverend mother taught me, bless her soul," she glances up quickly, making a square sign with another hand and a piece of cake she holds in it. "Are you worshipping the Oak Father then?" She catches herself and rights her glasses. "Ooooh, apologies! How rude of me! Here I am, middle of the forest, asking an elf if he worships Silvanus. I didn't want to presume, dear!" She smiles kindly.
Ilthuryn chuckles and shakes his head before getting the various star maps out of his tubes and spreads them on the floor, tapping the various constellations they map.
Boosya scrunches her nose and adjusts her glasses. "Oh, dear, you'll have to explain the old woman what these are! I can barely see treetops, don't look at the stars that much..." She chuckles.
He nods enthusiastically and pulls out more charts, this time of whole swathes of night sky rather than particular constellations. From there he begins switching between them pointing out to her the many constellations he has mapped and where they lie in the night sky.
"These are very pretty," she says, sipping tea and swatting an occasional pie crumble from the map. "And they are... your gods?"
The elf gives a strange look and shakes his hand in a 'sort of' way.
Boosya nods. "Oh, well. They have been rather helpful!" She concludes. "You were a rather impressive archer back there in the swamp!"
He grins and taps a constellation of an archer drawing a bow.
"Yes, yes, a lovely fellow! Very... chiseled," she smiles, and tops up the tea mugs. "Is that why you've come to Kantas then? To study the stars?"
He nods vigorously.
Her furry eyebrows climb to the edge of her kerchief. "Are those different in Faerun, then?"
He shakes his hand again.
"Huh, who'd have thunk!" She slaps her thigh, genuinely amused. "Can you believe it, several decades there and I've never noticed!" Boosya shakes her head in disbelief and drinks her tea.
Ilthuryn makes a gesture to suggest 'small differences'. He draws several lines on the star charts suggesting differences.
The conversation about the constellations goes on for some time. As it draws closer to the evening, Boosya shivers slightly, more in acknowledgement that it's cold rather than from actually being cold. She looks around, slightly worried, and asks: "Are you not cold here, dear? You don't even have a hut!"
The elf shrugs and drags some furs from his bag to rug up.
Boosya gets up with a look of determination. "Well, that is all well and good. But I've got to remember to knit you a scarf. Maybe a sweater. It's so chilly outside. All these drafts in the forest must be horrible for the back!" She glances around with a very obvious annoyance, and, as if on command, wind seems to die down a little. "You take care, sweetie. I need to come back to the city. I'm not as young as I used to be, can't afford an extra night camping outside, you see." She sighs as her memories carry her back. "Oh, the camping trips we used to go on in Feywild! Ooooh, you should definitely try it one day!" She chuckles happily. "Right then. I'll be off. Need to go back to the city. Those people at the Fitzgrove's are so sweet. But can't do ruffles. Not proper ruffles, you know. I do need to help out. They even insisted on paying me, can you imagine?" She smiles and squeezes the elf's cheek. "You take care, Ilthuryn. I'll get you your scarf in no time!"
He nods and finishes his tea, waving to her as she leaves before staring at the now starry sky and smiling.
And thus, for better of for worse, the knitting plans were set into motion...
co-written with the wonderful Lolli (Jennifur Cottontail) and willemf