The light banter among the members of the troupe as the wagons rolled through the light forest and moving down towards the coast. As early evening settled in the lights from Abberton could be seen on the near horizon. A farmhouse loomed out of the dusk and Leyla jumped from the wagon shouting grandpa. grandpa as she ran forward. A small old hunting dog of white and brown with floppy ears came bounding out of the house running up to the girl and started jumping all around her while barking out happy yips. An older man wearing fine wool leggings and a linen shirt with a wool vest came out of the house. He was in those years wear he was considered an elder but his age was a question.

Grandpa moved out to hug Leyla and after a second moved to shake hands with Myron saying hello Myron, Leyla speaks highly of you and your troupe. You all are welcome here as long as you need. I am Lazino. please settle in and have anyone who would like some coffee come inside and get a cup.

Felmor was not a coffee drinker, so he started on his nightly tasks which included checking on the animals and feeding them, helping check the wagons to make sure nothing was broke or needed repairs, making sure things were secure for the evening, and whatever else he could do to lend a hand.

Once those were complete, he sat down and ate with the others, taking in everything but not adding much.  He still felt detached and guarded from the group, knowing it would take time to feel comfortable around this large group of strangers.

He found the farm and just being outside of the city quite refreshing, which surprised him in a good way.

"We can't all pull off the leather pirate chic! But it definitely suits you, Aida! Maybe it'd work for me too, embodying power and allure. Might take some time to put together a suitable ensemble."

Sara laughed, pronouncing the pretentious word very awkwardly in her country accent. She was just starting to feel a sense of camaraderie among the circus troupe, and especially the other women as they shared their thoughts and experiences.

When Aida's hand gently touched Sara's arm, she tensed up instinctively. Sara was many things, naive, perhaps a little lacking in self-confidence, but one thing she was above all else was a show-off, when it came to her physical gifts. When Aida's hand touched her arm and squeezed she immediately flexed and tightened the bicep, turning it into a rock hard mound of muscle under her grip. Aida could barely dent it. Giggling, Sara grabbed her colleague's hand and held it there while she pumped her arm up and down, making the muscle bounce and writhe like a tube full of snakes. She smirked and winked back at Aida and let her hand go after a moment.

"That's ok, I don't mind if you feel. But don't be silly, ain't nobody going to pay to see me pop my arms out of me sleeves!" she laughed the thought of it absurd to her, but entertaining.

Their playful interaction and the flirtatious energy lingered in the air. However, their attention quickly shifted as the circus wagon arrived at Lazino's farm.

Sara's immense strength came into action as she eagerly jumped off the wagon, ready to help unload and set up the circus tent. Strong, and not afraid of hard work, she was a boon as a worker, even if her show turned out to be a disaster. She was happy to join for coffee (whatever that was) but not until the work was done. She sat next to Felmor to eat, a very healthy portion of food on her plate.

"Felmor, right? You settle on an act?" she asked as she began to eat.

"Or taking some time to work out what it'll be?"

“Yes, nice to meet you.  Sara, I believe?” He was a bit surprised she had sat down, but he was happy she had.

“As for my act, I have something in mind that I’m working on in case it’s needed.  But I’m sure it’s nowhere near as entertaining or popular as yours will be.”

He took a bite, and then continued. So, how long have you been with the circus? Have you enjoyed your time so far?”

Azvaq waved at the older gentleman.

"Hello! I'll have some of that coffee if you're offering" he quickly climbed down from the wagon and made his way over to the front porch of the farmhouse. He then turned back to Cogs who had instinctively followed him. "You stay out here, don't need you acting like a heifer in a hat closet." Cogs nodded, then took a standing position outside the door and crossed it's arms.

Aida laughed at the redhead's doubt as she prepared to leave the wagon. "They pay to see you lift heavy things, wouldn't that be another good show of strength?"

She smiled, following after the old man who had offered them both a berth and a caffeinated drink. "I certainly wouldn't mind a drink, either. Hard to get a hot one when travelin' on the road. Ain't s'pose you got something a little more bite to mix in, have ya?"

Azvaq looked up at Aida at the talk of something with a little more bite. "More bite than coffee..? Sounds nice to me as well, if you have it..." he said shifting his eyes back to the farmer.

Lazino looked at the members of the circus troupe asking and chuckled. I'll see what I can dig up. maybe I can find some rolls and cheese as well. see you soon. Come along Leyla, help an old man out. with that he turned and went back to his house, the small dog bouncing around barking happily beside him and his granddaughter
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:21, Thu 25 May 2023.

"I don't think she meant cheese," she whispered to Felmor at Aida's request for something with more bite. Though Sara was not much for subtlety and her whisper carried.

"Do you need another hand, sir?" she called after the old man and Leyla, but didn't follow into the house unless invited.

Donna, who had been lost in her own thoughts almost as soon as she started speaking with the others, seemed to break out of her trance and join Lazino with the others at the invitation for coffee.

Seeing the man heading back inside, he called out to him just as he was entering his house.

"I'll have mine black, if you would be so kind!"

The troupe moves about there's tasks with proficiency and some partake of his offered coffee and there's even a bit of whiskey to add to it if they choose. ...for 'bite' then there's a plate of rolls and cheese.

The evening goes fast and soon the hard day takes its toll and everyone is bedding down where they have been sleeping. Some in wagons, some in small tents, some in hammocks, a few in offered beds from Lazino, and even a few on the ground.

Some time in the wee hours of the morning there's a large crash and muffled screams awaking everyone with a start.

Aida drank her coffee with maybe a little more whiskey than she should've, along with a bit of the bread and cheese. Eventually she stumbled her way back to the makeshift rope-hammock she'd strung up in the wagon, dozing off.

When she was woken abruptly by some kind of crashing and screaming, she quickly pulled herself out, hopping down the the floor and grabbing her knife, summoning some light before poking her head out of the wagon to see what was amiss.

Cast Dancing Lights

Sara was fine sleeping wherever there was room, and ended up in an impromptu 'girls wagon' curled up on a couple of blankets on the floor near and underneath Aida's hammock.

Unlike some, she was blind in the dark, so she said a soft, "Thank the gods" when Aida made some. Then she went with the other woman, wearing only her sleeping clothes, no armor nor weapons.

Felmor was happy that he had invested in a small tent before joining the circus.  It gave him somewhere to sleep and afforded him a bit of privacy.  It also kept the bugs out.

When he heard the noise, he jerked up and quickly left the tent, already clothed (he pretty much always slept in what he had on as he could easily clean them quickly).  Being dark and without light, he slowly made his way towards where he thought the noise was coming from, hoping there would be more light on the way.

“What’s going on?”, he asked whoever he could as he made his way to the scene of the incident.

As she woke up startled, Donna started frantically packing things up almost instantly, at a speed that went against her usual calm nature. It took a moment for her to realize that she wasn't running from any authorities at the moment.

After calming down and dressing up in her usual attire, she joined the others that were gathering to check the noise, following the dancing lights Aida had casted.

"What's the ruckus about?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:56, Fri 26 May 2023.

Azvaq had just fallen asleep, after having made his small nest of bedroll, clothes, and other comfortable cloths beneath one of the wagons with Cogs standing guard nearby. He groaned a bit as his pink eyes opened slowly to look out at what may have caused the crash and was that screaming...?

Upon realization of the screams in the distance Azvaq's demeanor changed and he quickly clamored from beneath the wagon and headed toward the sounds, Cogs shortly behind him.

A good portion of the troup scrambled  towards the noise with the rest awaking and arming themselves to protect the wagons and animals.

Those that ran towards the noise, found themselves in the farmhouse, outside Lazinos room. The wall was smashed in and Lazino was gone. Abducted out of his house.

Leyla was crying.

Myron was questioning One of the guards who says he saw an ogre carrying him away saying something like Haran wants to speak to you....

"An ogre? Why would an ogre want Lazino and who is Haran?" Azvaq walked around the interior of the room, as if looking over a crime scene as asked his generic questions. He then noticed Leyla crying and his heart melted, he quickly hustled over to their ticket girl and placed a small paw on her shoulder, "It's going to be ok Leyla, he's going to be alright"

"Good question.", Felmor replied, just as confused as his companion.

He walked over with Azvaq and felt bad for his next statement. "I'm sorry to have to ask this now but every second counts. Do you know if your grandfather had an office or a place where he stored his records, correspondence regarding farm related items, or anything like that?  It might help us figure out who this person is and where they took him. "

Leyla leaned into the smaller, but only slightly Ysoki's frame . The young woman was only a little bit taller and not much more in weight either. She sobbed on his shoulder getting his fur damp from tears

The moment was interrupted by Felmor and she looked at him with a tear streaked face and in-between worried sobs said yes. of course. grandpa wasn't or isn't a farmer. he just bought the farm because of the peace and quiet. he's...what do they call it...a Sage. he has a library and a study. here I'll show you where it is.

She lead them back towards the front of the house and into the living area. The kitchen was off to the right. But a second door lead out of the living area back towards the rear off the house from the left that NOONE had looked into before.

Behind it was a well appointed library with hundreds of books and times. A door offve it lead into a small study with a desk and a few small end stands . The room was dark. Someone in the procession of people lit the lamp sitting in the lampsyand on the wall and the dark room became warmer and partially lit with the flame. A few minutes later all the lamps were lit and the group was looking at a spartan study. Someplace a Sage could conduct research.

"Wow, this is amazing..." Felmor was in awe of the library and the setup.  "I could get lost in here forever..." He stood there for a few moments just taking in everything before remembering why they were there.

"Oh yes, of course, we're not here to read, we're here to search, my apologies." He then walked over to the study and the desk and started searching for any clues, treating everything with respect in the process.

(OOC I wasn't sure if a roll was needed for anything.  Feel free to roll it for me.)

Azvaq followed along and was equally astonished by the collection of books in the study. "Leyla, thank you for showing us this, do you know what your Grandfather's area of expertise was? It might give us a hint as to why he was taken"

Leyla looks puzzled...and says specialty? I'm not sure. I just know Grandpa is really really smart

"I bet he is" Azvaq looked to the others with a concerned look. He wasn't sure if they had enough to go on, but hopefully something in this room would turn that around. He began to thumb through books, having Cogs lift him to get to books on higher shelves as needed, trying to determine if there was a commonality.

"Ogres, or beings that look like one, are not exactly stealthy in their endeavors. I fear that we may be wasting time here, when there may be a clear path of destruction for us to follow to Mr Lazino. Shall we go check?"