[Child of the 7th Age]

Andreth:

Andreth stirred and rolled over onto her side, drawing up her legs and hoisting the covers over her head in an effort to shut out the jangling noise that was floating up into her bedchamber from the front doorstep of the Pony. At the very edge of her mind, she was vaguely aware of someone standing outside the Inn pulling down repeatedly on the bell chain.

Andreth had tossed and turned after Lilac's departure, mulling over her stern words and admonitions, and wondering if she'd been too harsh in her attitudes towards the refugees; she had just barely managed to fall asleep. Now, once again, she was unexpectedly awakened. She sat up blearily in her bed, threw on a cloak, and padded down to the door, peering out the window to the porch.

This time, there were a whole host of newcomers. Farmer Thistle stood rapping with his stick against the door, with a woebegone Mistress Farroweed standing right beside him. Positioned just in back of them was a whole passel of the Farroweed children. To be truthful, Andreth was still not feeling charitably towards this particular family and for one split instant considered telling the entire group to go away and come back tomorrow morning. But Letty looked so openly distressed that even Andreth could not be angry for long.

The Innkeeper threw open the door and, after hearing the appalling series of events that Farmer Thistle outlined, she took Letty's hand in her own, giving it a little squeeze, and assured her that she and her children could stay as long as they needed. Rushing off to tell the servers to prepare the bedchamber, she grimly reflected on Lilac's visit. Whatever questions or hesitations she'd had earlier were gone. Folk who acted like this deserved every bad thing that would happen to them. The Innkeeper sat down for an instant to clear her head, and then decided on a plan of action...

[ 1:34 AM December 01, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]