Ferravale Bakery Grand Opening
Characters: William, Christopher, Wilco, Willow
Location: Ferravale
FV:Pottery Shop: Living Quarters
Mid-day. The best part of the day. Everyone is up and about and doing things that are less interesting than what Christopher has been doing. Yesterday afternoon, a bunch of boxes had shown up randomly and then disappeared just as quickly. The bakery had this...this smell coming from it all day that filled the town nicely for the first time in ages, and for most of the morning, there had been no sign of a stoat. Until now. "William, Wilco, anybody home?!" he calls out, carrying a large tray with a silver dome over it.
William had closed the shop so he could have lunch in peace and is in the far back of the small brick building, in the living quarters. The rat is making hardtack of all things and hotroot soup in the kitchen area. "Back here, Chris," the rat calls to his nephew.
Christopher huhs and ohs. He sets the tray down on a table and glances at his paws, having taken off a silvery tint. "Bah." he grumbles, wiping them in his tunic before heading over to Will, spotting Wilco sitting in the corner. "Hey guys! I've got a surprise for you both." Wilco hadn't really gotten to know the stoat completely yet, but she can't help but perk up at the sound of a surprise. "Surprise? What is it!?" Chris grins. "Well, you'll just have to wait and see wont you."
"I'm makin' hotroot soup an hardtack for lunch. If you want anything different, Chris, you'll have t make or buy it yourself," Will calls over to the stoat. "Can th suprise wait a minute? Maybe until lunch is ready?" Will asks.
The stoat's jaw drops. "Hardtack? Why the heck would you make...hardtack?" he asks, blinking a couple of times before nodding. "Yeah. The surprise can wait. But it will have to wait until after lunch. I don't think you'll want Wilco to spoil her appetite" he grins, winking to the little rat who starts to make her way over. "Aww, I don't want to wait." she frowns a bit.
Christopher rubs over his head a little bit and shrugs. "Weirdo." he smirks before motioning to the younger rat. "C'mon." he smiles before leading her off to go wash up. They're not all that long before they return. "Really?" Koby asks the stoat. "Yup! But you can't tell your pa. Not yet anyway." he grins before glancing toward Will, the two of them chuckling quietly. "SO! Is lunch ready yet?" he asks.
While they were gone Will had finished making lunch and had laid out a pot of soup, three bowls, three glasses of water and a tin of hotroot on the table near the front of the room. The rat was putting the hardtack 'rolls' into a bowl to set out when the the pair returns. "Just about. Take a seat," he says as he sat the bowl of bread on the table. "And if your plotting makes a mess you both will have to clean it up," he warns supicous of the chuckling and whispering between the two.
The stoat and rat sit down at the table and grin, shaking their head. "Don't worry. There's nothing planned to make a mess. Not during lunch anyway." the stoat grins, winking at Wilco again who just giggles, grinning. "Yeah dad...don't worry."
William shakes his head at the younger beasts and starts to fill the bowls with hotroot soup. Chris hasn't complained yet about the soup and ate it back at Moledeep so the rat doesn't ask if the stoat wants it or not, he just puts it in his bowl. Will fills Coby's bowl and his own before pasing the hardtack around. "You could have brough Thane over," Will says to Chris, "Haven't seen him since he was a babe."
Christopher grins a bit as the bowl is filled with the soup, not having had it since the days of Aikuen. "Wow, its been so long since I've had this." he grins before humming and shaking his head. "Honestly, he's not somebody that should really hang around Wilco. Very bad influence. Besides, he doesn't really want to be here at all. I made him come for protection, given all that's been going on. He's a much better fighter than I'll ever be." he nods, grabbing the spoon and blowing gently on the soup to cool it down a little. Wilco takes a bit of the hardtack and her spoon as well.
William soaks his hardtack in his soup to soften a little and give it some flavor. "He's th same age as Wilco, give or take a week or two. He's still a dibbun. Have him mind," Will says a little suprised that Chris could be bested by a dibbun at his age, even if he wasn't a good fighter.
Christopher nods slowly. "Yeah. I know how young he is. But believe it or not, he's getting really good, really fast and I don't know why, or how. I guess his hate for the world is driving him towards it or something." he shrugs. "Robin gave up on him a season ago. Said there was little hope to change him. Its why he's been living with me for the last while. I think I'm getting to him but." he shrugs, spooning a little of the soup into his mouth.
William hmms, "Didn't Rob do anything with him when he disobeyed?" he asks. The rat shakes his head again. He considers having the stoat dibbun put to work to forced to follow rules but isn't quite sure if that would work if Thane hates everyone like Chris suggests. "Why's he hate th world?" he asks the only thing coming to mind right off would be the loss of someone close, but otherwise he can't think of much reason for Thane to be how he is.
Christopher shrugs a little bit. "He was good kid once upon a time." he replies. "But then...well, when mum died, he started to go down hill." he replies. "He made some friends his age from a small place a day or so trip from Moledeep. But when Robin took him down one day...well, the village was destroyed. Everyone was gone." he nods. "And that was it. He stopped being the kid we loved and started being the one we know now." he sips at his soup again. "Rob did what he could but it didn't really matter." he glances down slowly. Wilco doesn't seem to be paying any attention what so ever, just eating away quietly, hoping to finish lunch so she can go get her surprise.
Wilco doesn't really know Thane so Will decides to let her eat in peace and not correct her for not being bothered about the matter. "Has he had any luck making any other friends?" Will asks, "There anything he like doing or would listen t a beast if they were training him in something he liked?"
Christopher shrugs his shoulders once more. "He might listen to something he enjoyed doing, but right now that's pretty much limited to fighting...and hurting others. I've convinced him to behave while he was up here...and the chieftain is going to try and get his help for guarding the city...which could involve hurting beasts. So." he shrugs a little. "Its sad. I want him to just be the way he was. Syla's been heartbroken since...and well, I haven't talked to her in a while. Rob doesn't care anymore and wants nothing to do with him until he smartens up. I'm hoping he'll grow out of his anger eventually. But." he shrugs, finishing off his soup and leaning back.
William nods, "Th chieftain's a good beast. He wouldn't let Thane off with having a tantrum an risk lossing a beast's life. Th other guards wont let him have his way either an should teach him why a beast fights an that killin isn't the way you deal with other beasts t start off. Sure sometime you have t kill, but it's a last resort sort of thing or in defence."
Christopher nods his head. "I've been trying, Will. As I said, I think I'm getting through to him. But its going very slowly." he smiles a little. "I've been thinking of sending him to Redwall to have those beasts straiten him out." he smirks. "But I think that would make him hate me just a bit more." he laughs.
William chuckles, "You really think th beasts at Redwall would .... have you been t Redwall?" Will asks. He hasn't been there in seasons, but he couldn't see the Thane Chris described as one to obey the Brothers and Sister of the Abbey without a nasty fight breaking out.
Christopher smirks and shakes his head. "No, I haven't but I think they could maybe...just maybe...do a good job. Flicktail I think might." he shrugs. "But anyway, enough of Thane. I was having a good day today and I don't want it overshadowed by him." he smirks.
Thane first. Family's mixed up enough as is it without my uncle adopting your nephew."
The stoat laughs and nods. "He would, wouldn't he?" he shakes his head with a smile before glancing at the two rats. "C'mon you two, hurry up! I want to show you the surprise already." he grins.
"But the faster I eat the sooner I have to reopen," Will jokes as he finishes off his soup and starts to collect the dishes so he can pile them in the sink and wash them.
Chris stands up and grins. "I will do the dishes." he nods. "When we're done of course." he grins before motioning everyone into the living area where he left the tray. "C'mon, c'mon!"
William laughs, "alroight, alroight. We're coming." He sits down in one of the chairs to wait for Chris to show his suprise.
Wilco stands next to Christopher, bouncing a little bit in excitement. "Alright! So, you know how I said I'd be staying for just a little while? Well...that's changed." he says. "And I've figured I'd show you why instead." he reaches down to the dome and lifts it off, showing off a small stack of cookies, a couple pieces of cake, a couple pieces of a fruit tart, some candied nuts. And a couple of apple turnovers. "I was busy all night making these." he grins. "Give them a try!" Wilco's eyes widen at all the sweets on the large tray, making her smile brightly, reaching out to grab a cookie and some of the candied nuts.
William grins and takes a piece of cake. "Don't over do it," he says to his daughter not wanting her to eat herself sick. Will samples the cake and nods aprovingly. "It's good, Chris. So, you work at th bakery now? It as nice as here?" he asks.
Christopher grins. "Yup! But not just...work, I own it." he grins. "I run the bakery now. The only one working there. And I bought all new supplies. So...." he grins, the rat girl chowing down, finishing the candied nuts and then a piece of the cake. "Wow! Its really good!" She smiles. "Glad you like it." he settles down. "I found out it was out of business. So. For mum, I took it over." he nods.
William pats Chris's shoulder and says, "She'd be very proud of you." Will taps Wilco's back and says, "Slow down there. Save some for after dinner. You eat all that you'll regret it." his tone suggests she'll get more than just a sore belly if she doesn't listen.
Wilco slows down and glances around for a moment, swallowing her mouthful. "Sorry dad." she chuckles a bit, eating properly now. "I know she would be." he sighs. "It was her dream to own a bakery. And since she never got a chance, I figured...well, I'd do it for her." he nods. "Anyway. You guys like it right? You're not just saying that." Wilco shakes her head. "Its really good!"
William scruffs Wilco's head fur messing it up. "Thata girl," he says, "It's not going anywhere. An you can always pester th stoat t make you more another time." Will grins at Chris, "It's good. You might need extra workers soon as word gets out that th bakery's up an running again."
William nods, "A beast to work the front would be good. Wish I had one myself, but haven't got around to lookin fer one yet. It'll take some doing to keep those cases full once beasts start buying from you."
Christopher nods his head. "Yeah. But I hope I can get as much customers as I'd like. I mean, I'd be pretty sad to bake so much and sell very little." he chuckles, ruffling Wilco's head himself now. "But I think if that fails, I'll have someone to eat what I make so it wont go to waste." he laughs. Wilco just grins at that thought, nodding in agreement.
"Well between this un an th two hares I've seen around town you shouldn't need t worry about having too much stock at th end of each day," Will says.
"Oh, right, there are hares here." Christopher laughs. "Great, I'll be eaten out of business." he grins, shaking his head. "But anyway! You guys want to come see the bakery?" he asks, tilting his head.
William and Wilco follow Chris to the bakery.
FV: Bakery: Main Shop
Christopher had locked the door, the stoat taking out the key and unlocking it before letting them in. He hangs a little sign in the window that says 'closed' before shutting the door and smiling. "Here we are!"
William looks around the shop impressed with it's size and how well the stoat has fixed it up. "Looks like your already doing well, even without any customers yet," the rat says.
Willow was never one to stay layed down long and she needed to go walking, she is wearing a borrowed abbey robe as she peeks into the shop, she sneezes and covers her mouth as she does so and frowns.
The door to the shop is unlocked, but the sign reads 'closed'. However, there are clearly beasts inside the shop talking. The stoat walks into the kitchens while the rat and dibbun rat hang around the main shop looking at the cases of sweets. Some of the cases are empty but many are full of breads, cookies, tarts or other sweet treats.
Willow looks at the sign, she does lean on the door which causes it to open and about falls, she blinks and looks into the shop" Oh..sorry."
William walks over to Willow. "Are you alroight, Willow?" he asks. "Looks like somebeast forgot to change th sign," he says though he knows good and well Chris had just changed it a short time ago. "How are you doing?" the rat asks the haremaid. Wilco the rat dibbun walks around the shop looking at all the different treats she can't have.
Willow smiles faintly, "I am...fine, just been in the bally infirm past couple days, had ta get out for short-sneeze- while."
William fishes a hankerchief out and holds it out to the hare. "Here," he says. "I guess you heard th bakery was opening up again?" he asks assuming that's why she was there.
Willow takes the hankchief" Didnt know was...closed even, no I feel in the river, almost drowned."
William nods, he'd heard something about that. "Nearly drowning's never fun," he says, "I was more wondering what brought you t this shop, but guess it was chance." Wilco watches the hare and her father from a distance unsure of what to make of Willow. She doesn't know too much about hares except that they ate a lot.
Willow frowns "I was on the bridge, just off the path when a stoat came, same one from the tavern, anyways make matters worse ravens showed up and one bumped me into the river,...someone jumped in and got me back here so, all well but could of not been welll."
"Dad fall in a river once when he was my age. He hit on some rocks and pulled himself out," the rat dibbun says. "I was very lucky. If th rocks hadn't been right by th shore or if I'd hit harder I wouldn't have been able t get out and I was sick a long time after," Will admonished his daughter, "Things like that don't happen too often and Miz Willow is very lucky some beast was around t help her." Will turns back to Willow and says, "Sorry about that. Th baker's in th kitchens, I kin tell him he's got a customer if you want."
Willow listens to the dibbun and nods "I still am..a little uneasy on my footpaws and hurts to cough and sneeze but should recover fully in couple days"
Willow listens to the dibbun and nods "I still am..a little uneasy on my footpaws and hurts to cough and sneeze but should recover fully in couple days"
William nods, "Yeah, just take things easy for a while. Relax a bit." Will looks around a bit. Th bakery isn't exactly open, but might be able t talk th baker into sell you something if you want," he offers.
Willow sits down, "I am fine, just had to get some fresh air was all."
"You're sure? I know th owner personally so it wouldn't be much trouble," Will says. Wilco tries to mentally make a list of all the sweets she wants to get once the ones Chris left them at home are gone.
Willow nods "Maybe a scone if they have one" She coughs a few times and frowns.Least she is sitting instead of standing.
Christopher comes back into the shop area after a bit, glancing around when he sees the hare and Will. "Oh, hello." he says, glancing between the beasts. "Didn't know anyone was here, sorry."
"What kind?" Will asks as he walks over to the display cases to see if Chris had put any out. "Hey, Chris. You didn't lock th door. This is Willow, one th hares around here. She was thinkin she might have a scone and sit a spell. Infirm was tirin' her out."
Willow manages a small chuckle, she shrugs."Blueberry scone?" She sneezes a couple times.
Oakenpaw asks, "Did I hear me friends voice in ere?"
"Maybe. Willow's in here an so am I. Don't worry Oakenpaw. I didn't let her wander off before you could get here," Will says picking out a blueberry scone for the haremaid and dropping some coins into the coin box for his nephew the baker.
Christopher glances between the rat and the hare, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, I'm glad I spent the night baking. Figured somebody would want something simple if they saw the store open." he chuckles a little.
Willow smiles at the sound of Oakenpaw's voice but remains seated.
Oakenpaw says, "I knows I heard her"
Willow gets the scone and starts to nibble it, she has a robe she borrowed on right now.
Oakenpaw begins checking beasts
William waves at Oakenpaw after giving Willow her scone. Wilco stares at the new staff carrying hare in the green habit. The dibbun doesn't say anything since these are the first hares she's ever seen.
Christopher watches the arrival of yet another beast, rubbing the back of his head a little before he shrugs. "Meh, might as well open up." he glances around, looking at what little there actually is in the shop before shrugging once more, flipping the little closed sign in the window to open.
Willow stands so she can go to Oakenpaw and about looses her balance as she got up to fast, "Whoa...." she says quietly, slightly dizzy.
Oakenpaw asks, "there you are, wot you doin out o bed lass?" henods to William "Hello Rat Chap"
William reachs a paw out to help steady Willow. "Hello, Hare," he replies mimicing Oakenpaw. "Your girl here decided th infirm wasn't much fun and had to take a little walk around th village. She's fine though."
Willow smiles and goes to slowly hug Oakenpaw, "I needed some air, guess I am lucky someone jumped in the river, he could of easyly not of"
Oakenpaw says, "not somone, the Chieft Chap did"
Willow nods "I know and one of the ravens hurt him I think"
Oakenpaw says, "nope he be right as rain"
"Really? I knew he was a nice sort, but that's more than just nice. Things would have been very bad if they both hadn't got out safe," Will comments.
Oakenpaw says, "By the way" he says to Will "Names Tarnish Oakenpaw"
William says, "I know. An mine's William Tazan. I told you before, but you don't seem t use it as much as I use yours."
Willow smiles, she leans agaist Oakenpaw as she finishes her scone.
Oakenpaw says, "Well It's an old habit Chap But Will it is, and this is Willow, prettiest Hare maid ever"
William says, "So I've heard." Wilco the rat dibbun doesn't seem very impressed with this Tarnish Oakenpaw beast, though he has a staff for some reason. He doesn't seem lame or anything that would warrent a staff. "What's that for?" she asks pointing at the hare's staff.
Willow smiles at Oakenpaw, she lets him talk with the others.
Oakenpaw smiles to Wilco bending down "thats my Friend Matilda...she elps me just walkin among and somethimes when I have to bonk a beast
Wilco looks the hare over. "Looks like you walk fine to me," she says. Will frowns at her. "Mind your manner, little miss," Will warns her.
Oakenpaw says, "I doo walk just fine I just like havin th staff"
"You just hit beasts with it, you don't really need it," Wilco protests. She avoids looking at her father already knowing she's in trouble.
Willow listens quietly.
Oakenpaw pats willows paw
William grabs Wilco's arm and heads for the door. "Sorry about that," he says to Oakenpaw. "We must be off. Been away from my own shop too long already." The rats exit the bakery and walk hurriedly down the street to the pottery shop where a certain dubbin gets a long talking to about repecting her elders for the upteenth time.
Oakenpaw says, "take care William."
Willow smiles, she watches the two head out and looks to Oakenpaw.
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