The witch house, inside and out

[Kray]

A tour had been promised and tour would be given pushing the kitchen door creakily open on hinges that seemed all to happy to voice their complaint, the ogre ducks under the lintel and into the corridor beyond. It would seem carpets were not the order of the day as heavy wooden boards deck the floor with a central rug that might offer some small muffling of footsteps halfway down the hall. The first door of serious not the ogre stops at leads under the stairs. Turning to the doe eyed courtier he was showing round. "Uh. This is the basement, we can go down if you like but it's mostly storage, spare furniture cleaning supplies, linens, you know the kind of stuff you need to keep a business like this one running." Did he really not make use of the basement for something spooky? Well that is still to come as the ogre performs a odd series of knocks and twists of the handle to crack the door and a shaft of moonlight spills out. He pulls that shut fairly quickly. "Hm. You get that?" the way to access the Autumn commons had just been made known to his freshly pledged courtier. So yes the unassuming basement did house its own secret.

Ellaria Undertow Saber Sloth

[Ellaria Undertow]

Ellaria stands moments after Kray, following him through the door, to begin their tour. Her steps lighter than that of the Ogre's, but no less purposeful. Her head isn't on a swivel, but that doesn't mean her eyes aren't in motion.

When lead to the basement's door, she allows a wry twist to her lips as he explains it's only for storage, honest! She cannot help but snicker, though it's life is cut short when her focus sharpens, and a frown of concentration blooms upon her face when Autumn's King shows her the pattern needed to open the way to their Hollow. "Yes." she nods, hair trailing after her as always, her wet black-on-black eyes glittering in the moonlight.

"...how well....equipped, is the basement?" she asks, subtly, but not obliquely, after the state of the hollow. "And..." she thinks for a moment on how to phrase this, though what she settles on isn't perfect, or she doesn't believe it to be so, but it still conveys the essence of her query. "How much am I expected to....donate to the, um stores?" pledge or no, she was an Autumn Courtier, and this was the Autumn Hollow.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-05-31 18:17:30	Ellaria Undertow rolls 4 to Memorise? (Int + Comp) (10 Again)	6, 9, 4, 5	1 success

[Kray]

After making sure the door is closed good and well, don't want an unexpecting boarder stumbling into the hollow, the giant clears his throat and returns his not entirely focused gaze to the inviting fairest. "Uh. Well. Truth be told it's not as well stocked as it could be." He had plans for it of course he did, but they were far down the line. "Uh. There's some interesting books you might like, and some gardening bits and pieces." The former he had rescued from a rampaging invisible monster the latter he grew himself. "Ah. But yeah you know there just me to work on on the many moving parts to mt plans. So things happen when they happen." He is not ashamed per say but he does know it is an area he has largely let go to neglect, maintaining only a very small area, as it didn't feature prominently in his own schemes, and wouldn't for a good long while. Turning to move on past a few doors with shiny brass numbers hanging from them, rooms for residents maybe occupied, maybe not. "Hm. There is no expectation. If you rise up and take on some responsibilities lets say, you know become a vip in our little bit of the club." Given there were many unfilled roles within the autumn court it was not impossible, but that would not be tonight or any night soon. "Uh. Then I would expect some contributions." The additional burdens and expectations that came with extra respect. "Ah. For now free free to leave it to my care and focus on your own set up, unless you want to do otherwise. Then best we talk about it." He wouldn't stop her from getting the place on it's feet so long as it didn't clash with his plans of course.

Pushing open the next unmarked door a myriad of scents spills out, nice warm pleasing scents. "Uh. Communal laundry room. Some powders and conditioners are supplied. Your free to use it, or not. If you want a different box of this or that kept in stock let me know." It wouldn't break the bank to change laundry detergent.

[Ellaria Undertow]

Ellaria tries to split her focus between the rooms passing her by and upon the giant's words, trying to keep her wet-black-on-black eyes, on his flinty, bulbous ones, when he turns to speak to her, but occasionally they stray to the Gristlegrinder's teeth, knowing that with one misstep, she'd go down with just one, good, bite.

"With how...under staffed our club is in town, it's...understandable that things are under stocked." she murmurs, as the thought of a titled position within the Court floats through her mind. It was an attractive thought. "I do like the thought of earning something," the admittance don't feel like a loss, it would be far stranger to find someone who didn't want some sort of elevation. Left unsaid was that she didn't want to be given a position because she was the only other Autumn Courtier within Sacramento's Freehold. "I'll see what I can carve up." she thinks back to the sliver of moonglow she's saw as King Kray showed her the Commons. "It might just be an expansion of space, or perhaps some security arrangements until I've gotten more time to establish myself." realistically it couldn't be anything dramatic, she didn't have the control for something like that, yet.

At the unremarkable laundry room, she breathes in the scent of clean clothes and boxed detergent. "I'll keep that in mind."

A beat, maybe more, "Am I the only club member staying here?" if there was more Lost staying, she would like to know now, and not...react should she see whomever it might be, half asleep and with her defenses down.

[Kray]

The giants focus is split even when conversing or trying to look directly at something, signs that he is not entirely or completely present in the moment or reality. But he has enough sanity to function, more or less. He does grunt an acknowledgement of her point. "Ah. Yeah staffing is real problem, best to have your own fall backs set up, the most reliable person and all that." Lost came and went, they died or worse. And each time one did any infrastructure they had managed to carve out went along with them. "Ah. It was more but the previous guy, well he left on personal business." And to be fair the ogre had clawed back some of what the hedge had reclaimed since then. Still he missed the harvest king that was without question. "Ah. He and I we agreed on the plans together and the up gardening part was on his list of to do's." Meaning the giant had little and less resources to spare towards the extra tasks for the moment. "Ah. But still, in time, brick by brick it will get there." His voice is deep and carries but that is said low with an almost will to make it true. Like a whispered dream he dare not speak to loud in case it shattered.

As he pulls the door to the currently silent laundry room closed the net comment brings the bulbous yellow eyes and flinty pupils back to the fairest, as focused as they could be, which again is not absolute. "Hm." Considering her. "Huh. Well as my old man used to say Autumn is the working mans season." Apparently the ogre dad had been full of little snippets and the giant himself was in the habit of repeating those he could recall. "Hm. You might have made a fine a first impression as I've ever seen." Without context that might be hard to know if its high praise, but is a compliment, for Ellaria had indeed impressed the ashen king. "Ah. But if you want a place of higher station you'll need to earn that with time and effort." No freebies and no rewarding lay abouts time and effort might be shown different in the court of the leaden mirror but they still needed to be put in.

"Uh. That sounds fine to me if you want to, but I would say focus on your foundations for the moment." Better to be secure in yourself then in something that can be ripped away or broken or abused by others. Most of the time anyway. Moving off down the corridor things expand out into the main foyer with the double doors containing stained glass pains separating them from the cool of the night that presses up upon the porch. A dark wood reception desk currently empty of staff but wit ha book and a hand bell placed upon wait. A series of pigeon holes by the door a few contain bits of mail most likely junk, a switchback staircase leading further up and up into the witch house and final open arches to both sides that would take them into more communal areas. "Uh. Well the chap you were speaking to back in March, the one I whisked away he had a room here. Not sure if he still about right now. Otherwise no. Just us." The population of lost in Sacramento was sufficiently small that most did not require the use or maybe did not possesses the guts to cross the threshold of Autumn's domain, although it was equally likely they might not have even noticed the boarding house had moved.

Kray and Jaspers pledge will have completed by the time this hits 30 days and enters continuity is why Kray is unsure if jasper is still staying in the boarding house.

[Ellaria Undertow]

She hums an agreeing sound, the noise resonate within her throat, nodding. Hair following the jerking line. "Ah," she breathes as King Kray continues, "And this business is why you've assumed his position in twenty twenty four?" Ellaria's certain that she is correct, but a confirmation wouldn't be amiss. "In his memory you've added the garden plot...are you still following the plan laid between the two of you? Checking of items from the to do list, one by one, or are you thinking of a new plan?" she asks, head tilting at the softer tone from the Cannibal King. Wondering absently if there was truth to the tone...and if it was something she could use.

Another sweet hum, and another nod of her head. Hair floating and flowing. Something route to the action, it's hard to tell with her wet black-on-black eyes, but it seems her gaze is something far away. Lingering in memory. "My daddy used ta say somethin' like that." her accent looses some of it's refinement, instead gaining a Southern twang, "Not of Autumn specifically. ...his collar was blue." she wistfully murmurs, something of an explanation. She blinks back to herself, after a moment more, "With my blood, sweat and tears." she smiles, words a cheerful agreement.

"I'll work on myself, boss." she says, a sly little smile curling her lips, "But I still want to offer something as a...proof of intent." comes her voice as she's admiring the stained glass. Knowing she'll come watch the play of light and colour as soon as she could.

"Oooh him." eyes dancing, in delight, while a wicked smile draws her lips up, hunger in their lines, as she imagines the Spring's...costume from his Season's Equinox. "I suppose I'll have to see if he is still around..."

�� Understood!

[Kray]

His new courtier had the art of seeming safe, and appealing down to a fine art he had to give her that as the golden note is held and once again her floating hair is a easy distraction for the giant. But she can bite as he is swiftly reminded. "Oh. I see you can nibble without needing to use your teeth." He does not seem perturbed, it had been a while since he had a good verbal joust and the way she phrased was quite clever. "Hm. But no my plans no just in memory or a simple to do list for someone who left." Anatole's plans had been to invite in the homeless and the addicted and the others who littered the street a effective but base for form fear. "No. I saw how things were I also saw what they could be." His grin is a wide as it goes all teeth and bulging bulbous eyes. "Ah. And I dream big." No more, she wasn't going to get details on how the plan had moved from two, to three to five stages or the added complexity as each of those stages evolved into it's own trial.

What comes next was a surprise. "Huh. Well now I didn't expect that." The accent that had crept out that was. His own baritone lacking anything distinctive that could place him, that had been lost or left behind when he was away. "Hm. But yeah blue collar in attitude if not necessarily by profession I'd say of mine." And long long dead by now unless something very odd has transpired. "Oh. Well if that's case we shall see won't be." It was true that each of the three was easy to spill for a lost but they did not always have control over the quantity of such.

As he turns to walk through an open arch the next word hits like a sack of bricks to the back of the head and he stops. he had called Anatole boss, and sure he now was king but the word was not one he had heard directed at himself before. It felt strange, had he really earnt that? Had he really risen so sufficiently high? "Uh." He stands stunned for a few moments longer before managing to shake off the surprise. "Uh. Anyway, through here is the living room." He intones still a little dully. A large open room with a few sofa's and armchairs, a coffee table and various side or end tables provide surfaces for drinks, food a discarded book, an old radio in one corner and decent T.V. set mounted up on the wall. "Ah. If you want to then that's fine what you suggested sounds fine to me." It shouldn't interfere with any eventual plans he had.

Mention of Jasper gets a reaction. "Uh. Yeah do, he can be a little hard to get a hold of." Jasper it seemed was like that. If the hunger was noticed nothing is said, anyone getting close wit ha gristlegrinder needed to know what they were doing and Jasper was one of those who hadn't really seemed to grasp the danger. "Hm. Now here's a question for you. Why did I take him in off the street?" The pledge had been hammered out in the public forum of the spring tavern it's terms potentially known to the entire freehold, what was more shadowy was why the ogre's motives.