What's the marten up to?
FV:Entry
The scent in the air notably changes within the village compared to the sweet fragrant flowery smells outside the east gates. Stale air, rotting food and the occasionally not particularly pleasant smelling inhabitant all assault the nose until it gets used to things. Mercenary guards patrol the high wooden palisade wall separates the vermin village from the outside world, the only break in sight in the form of the main gate to the village to the east. North of the path one of the few stone buildings in the village stands a little run down, now an inn it butts up to the side of the tavern and boasts many beds available, at least that's probably what the sign says, much like the building it's old and the beast who wrote it has probably died of old age long after the paint was last touched up. West finally buildings begin to spring up everywhere and the path widens into a large clearing at the centre of the village.
Exits: [F]erravale [T]avern, [F]erravale [Inn], [Back] to gates, [W]est
Malcoda the marten. Blisa the cat and Ferdinand the ferret.
A familar marten slips out of the Ferravale Tavern, holiding a fair number of coins in one hand and munching a scone with the other. He looks pleased with himself.
Blisa comes walking royally down the street, lost in thoughts....most likely daydreams. Ferdinand follows, as usual, smiling slightly, yet looking all business. He takes his job very seriously.
Malcoda grins at Blisa, "Hello there little wildcat." Then corrects himself, "But you aren't so little anymore, are you?"
Blisa frowns and shakes her head, mildly upset that he dared inturrupt her daydream. "No, I'm not. I am growing, and I'm deadly. I don't think I caught your name the other day." Ferdinand nods to the marten, his smile basically gone as he looks around. He still doesn't trust this guy...
Malcoda nods, "People call me Gallant, but that's just my stage name. Malcoda, at your service."
Blisa smiles. "Malcoda. Makes me think of snakes. I'm Blisa. Scioto's my Daddy." Ferdinand nods and stores away the names as he says, "I'm Ferdinand, her bodyguard."
Malcoda greets them and says to Blisa, "If you call yourself deadly, young one, then I like you." He turns to Ferdinand, "Would you mind us terribly going to the bakers to get ourselfs a sugar bun?"
Ferdinand smiles thinly. "Not at all. I wath jutht wanting one mythelf." Blisa smiles, her mind racing from sweet bun to deadly. "But I didn't call myself deadly. I said Scioto is my Daddy...y'know, father."
Malcoda leads the way, saying ,"Oh, sorry, I misheard. Yes, Ferdinand, you can have one also."
Blisa smiles and nods, her paw slipping into Ferdinand's confidently. "Oh! But we were jutht headed to the tavern for thomething!" the ferret says. The kitten deflates slightly. "Oh, yeah. I forgot. Hey, they have really yummy sweet rolls made by the cook makes in the tavern!"
Malcoda blinks and announces, "I did not know that...unfortunate. Nonetheless, I hope you two have a good day. " He stalks off, a little annoyance showing in his gait.
Blisa frowns and tilts her head to one side slightly. "Hey, where're ya goin'? We can get sweet rolls in the tavern, and they're almost as good as the bakers, and allot cheaper!" Ferdinand frowns. He finds the marten rather suspicious, especially now.
Malcoda grins softly at Blisa, "Yes, let us do that then. Come on, I am paying." He looks obviously relieved by this turn of events, and enters the tavern with confidence.
Ferravale tavern
Blisa follows the marten into the tavern, tugging her bodyguard along with her. A few greetings from various tavern employees indicate that the kitten and the ferret some in here often. Ferdinand follows her to the bar, where she perkily says, "May we please have some sweet rolls? Malcoda is paying." The barkeep smiles and nods, going back into the kitchen and returnign with seven slightly steaming rolls. "Two for each of you. I warmed up this one for you, Miss Blisa. It's my latest recipe. I need your expert taste to tell me if it's any good." The kitten giggles and takes a bite, her face lighting up. "It's /soooo/ good!"
Malcoda bites one himself, "If I dare say so, the baker down the street would be very angry of she knew about these, for they are slightly better than hers." He also hands over the money.
The barkeep smiles and takes the money and goes back to cleaning glasses and things. Blisa has eaten half of the new recipe roll and gives Ferdinand the other half, then starts on another sweet roll. "They are pretty good. Why were you wanting sweet rolls? It's almost dinnertime We need real food."
Malcoda grins sheepishly at the barkeep, "I...really have a taste for sweets."
Blisa nods and leans foreward. "May we please have some herbed fish, salad and stew and regular rolls?" The barkeep nods and indicates to a waitress stoat to get it. He pours some freshly brewed mint tea for the kitten and Ferdinand, then turns to the marten, asking, "And what may I get you, Sir?"
Malcoda orders lunch with bemusement, "I'd like a hearty fish stew with a roll, please."
Blisa settles down happily as the food arrives, including the stew. Ferdinand pays the barkeep and settles down to his food, too. "Here. You bought our thweet rollth, the leatht I can do ith return the favour." No going into debt for this ferret. Now the marten is slightly in /his/ debt, since the food costs more than six sweet rolls.
Malcoda nods to the ferret, "thank you very much." He seems leery of Ferdinand's behavior, but nonetheless eats his meal with clear enjoyment.
Ferdinand smiles and nods. Blisa smiles as she finishes her food. "What brought you here to Ferravale?" she asks, biting viciously into her roll.
Malcoda explains to everyone, "I am a poor musician and performer, with little luck with my audience before I came here, despite my talent. I even tried a gig at Redwall, but it didn't take." He sighs, "I...told them a white lie and they went beserk."
Blisa raises an eyebrow. "What did you tell them?" Ferdinand orders more soup for the three of them, paying for it from his own money. When it comes, Blisa begins to eat, but the ferret just listens, curious and suspicious.
Malcoda chuckles, "That I'd seen the skipper of otters, and he had a cold, when the skipper is a female and perfectly fine."
Blisa frowns slightly. "Why would you say that?" A couple of the patrons and workers in the tavern smile and chuckle at the kitten's bluntness. Ferdinand hides his smile in his tea.
Malcoda frowns, "I was trying to get an Otter named Lee to trust me because he was giving me the squinty eye." He bunches up a bit and bites down extra hard on his bun.
Blisa frowns and wrinkles her nose. "Squinty eye? What does that mean?" Ferdinand eats some soup, watching the growing crowd, all business, ready to protect his charge at a moments' notice.
Malcoda squints one eye and glares hatefully at Blisa with the other, "That."
Blisa giggles slightly. "You look like you have a headache. This Lee must've been hurt really badly by a marten when he was younger, and that's why he was looking at you like that." Ferdinand is eating and watching, watching and eating....and listening. Oh, yes, he is listening.
Malcoda eats the soup and grins amiably at both beasts, "Well, I better finish lunch before it gets cold."
Blisa nods, then pipes up, "But it is yummy cold!" Ferdinand laughs aloud, nearly choking on a piece of roll.
Malcoda looks at Ferdinand, "Are you quite alright?"
Ferdinand sniffs and nods. "I'm fine, thank you. Blitha doeth that allot." Blisa nods eagerly, scooting forwards a little. "I like it when it's cold, sometimes. Especially on a hot day."
Malcoda shrugs and leans back, his concern fading like a light breeze, "I've never had cold soup before."
Blisa wrinkles her nose. "It's nasty if it's so fatty that when it cools, it's almost solid. That is /sooooooo/ disgusting!" The ferret nods and sets his empty bowl on the bar and picks up his last roll, slowly chewing on it as his paw rests on his sabre hilt.
Malcoda finishes the soup and eats his other roll, "What else to you like other than soup, Blisa?" He smirks, even he finds her words amusing.
Blisa shrugs and smiles. "Nothing. I've already had dessert. I'm all full."
Oakenpaw walks in looking aroudn ears up
Oakenpaw smiles "Hullo Blissa Gel..how ya been?"
Malcoda chuckles and waves to Oakenpaw, "Hello there chap. This young lady seems to not be understanding my questions."
Oakenpaw asks, "Well wots the question? she's a verra smart gel"
Blisa frowns, miffed and mildly insulted. "Well, then re-word your question, genius." Ferdinand pokes her in the back, but she refuses ot apologize or re-word.
Oakenpaw waits to hear the question waggling his fingers at Ferdy
Malcoda snickers, "Blisa, what are your other interests." He looks a nonplussed, for the most part.
Oakenpaw chuckles "She likes toc ause trouble
Malcoda chuckles at Oakenpaw, "My kind of kid."
Oakenpaw says, "aye a Good lass"
Blisa frowns then smiles. "I liek to run." she quips, then leaps down from her stool and dashes out the door. Ferdinand groans, then chases her down, fuming and readying himself to give her another lecture about staying with him!
Thanks for reading!
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