Edna's in the A.M.

[Mhairi Ankaa]

The world wakes to the gentle sound of bird song. The gentle dawn light filter thru the few places the drapes part. Inside one house with a dark and bloody history, those that claim it as their home wake. As was becoming all to common their noses were greeted with the stale scent of pizza. For many times since the management of the Boarding House changed hands there had been many a pizza party. Which meant lately, there was always leftovers for the lazy to munch on.

One such lazy 'ling was the elemental padding down from her (ghost free) room, still dressed in her pjs; a well worn and faded tee with ragged hemlines and a scattering of holes throughout, and a pair of blue plaid pj pants, too big for her petite frame, the drawstring pulled taut and tied with a sloppy bow, while her bar feet are wrapped in the very bottoms of the pants, keeping her from needed socks.

A yawn trapped behind a drippy fingered hand, the elemental finds herself in the kitchen. Glaring balefully at the table-that-was-for-eating-at-and-also-surgery, she grimaced and turned her still sleep addled self toward the arduous task of making that which is the life's blood of the living.

Coffee.

This was talked about a while ago and I thought it was about time this happened! This is set in the early morning, so it's open to the folks who are currently staying at Edna's or have an excuse to visit this early

[Mhairi Ankaa]

A slow morning. Mhairi noted, bleary eyes locked onto the coffee maker. Watching as its inner workings finally began it's steady drip.drip.drip. The elemental fully acknowledged that she probably looked ridiculous, her arms folded on the counter, her head sat upon them as she stared longingly at the brewing ambrosia. Yawning, she continued her staring match and she raised one bare foot to the opposite leg to scratch a persistent and annoying itch with her toe.

Then as an eye tracked the motionless refrigerator, the elemental grumbled with all the vitriol that the coffee deprived thief could muster, "My chocolate mint coffee creamer better still be in the fridge...or so help me god..."

Glaring at the unopened and completely innocent fridge until the steafy thrum of the coffee maker brought her attention back on to the swiftly brewing ambrosia.

[Swami M]

Alex is lured downstairs by the scent of coffee, but he's surprised to find the kitchen so empty at this time of day.

"Hey, Mhairi. Uh, I promise I didn't touch the creamer. I'm strictly a half and half man. And thanks for getting the coffee started."

He hunts through the cabinets for a mug...

[Morgan Bellanar]

A short figure exited the tool shed behind Edna's. The Lady Scrivener wasn't one to have regular business hours. She was as likely to sleep during the day as the night: it was her clients that determined her business hours and thus her free time. And the norman client yesterday had forced Morgan to "go nocturnal," so she'd decided to put in some work in the Autumn Commons' Archive.

The Archive was truly fascinating in its contents. The size of the collection never altered but Morgan was fairly certain the leaf bound books were different when she read them. Morgan was sure she'd seen variance in subject, content, and illustrations. It was if pages were changed, added, removed, or swapped out. Or maybe the shelf held more leaf tomes then it appeared to. If it was some trick of the Wyrd the Autumn in her was curious about how it was done. If it was a "bigger on the inside" thing then could it be replicated? It'd make carrying stuff so much easier!

But she'd tried to stay focused on dragon not bags that held more then they should. She re-confirmed a few details yet gained only one new insight. Namely that the only sure fire (pun ha-ha) way to protect against a dragon made of fire was to also be made of fire. As she walked to the back door Morgan was focused on sleep. Sleep required a return to her lair-erm apartment. So her options were coffee or crash at Edna's

Yawning as she opened the back door, the Lady Scrivener stumbled in, looking around with unfocused eyes, nose sniffing the air. She leaned towards the scent of liquefied caffeine beans, moving into the kitchen, "Coffee-coffee-sleep-coffee-sleep-coffee-sleep," was mumbled out by her rapidly as she breathed in through her nose.

The Freehold Officer went right past Mhairi and Alex to put her face up against the coffee maker, loudly inhaling the scent. After about half a minute her brain processed what she'd perceived, making her straighten up and turn to look back: "Oh...heh-hello <yawns>, folks. Sorry. Noc-nocturnal yesterday I twas. Coffee please?"

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Jerking up at the sound of Alex's voice the elemental smacked her head on the underside of the upper shelves. Rubbing the bump, Mhairi gave the woodblood an awkward smile and wave. "Oh-ah-sorry. I-ah didn't mean..." she fumbles trailing off. Honestly she thought when she wasn't greeted at the sight of other 'lings at the table she thought she might have slept in and was the only one in the house.

Awkwardly she leaned back against the counter and stayed in the near silence with her fellow elemental, only the steady (though lessening) drip.drip.drip of the brewing coffee, and Alex's hunt for his mug, breaking up the growing awkward avoiding eye contact match (at least on Mhairi's part) the elemental really didn't like people hearing her be all growl-y. Positive and optimistic. That's how she makes it through the day. Well that and coffee. And also booze.

"This-ah this one's mine." Mhairi speaks up claiming her newly bought mug. "Mine." she nods rapidly as she pulls the mug closer.

The Steepscrambler's mantra draw's Mhairi's still bleary eyes, hugging her empty mug she pads over to the fridge, finding her coffee creamer she turns to give a lazy wave to the Lady Scrivener. "Yeah-ah all-ah nighters are-ah-a bitch. I made a fresh pot so-ah help yourself." comes Mhairi's voice, after she pours herself the first mug full of caffeinated ambrosia. Deftly mixing her sugar and mint chocolate creamer. She set the mug between her hands as she breathes in the rich aroma, "Mmmm." she says after she takes that first wonderful sip.

"So-ah-so...Alex? Can-ah-can you do up-ah some food? Like-ah eggs or-ah something?" she asks hopefully, and hey she made the coffee, it was only fair that someone else made the breakfast part. Besides Morgan looked dead on her feet.

[Swami M]

"Yeah, I can do that. It's only fair, since you provided the precious elixir and all... So you would like eggs and...?" Alex turns to Morgan. "Do you have any preference? Well... maybe I should check and see what's available before I start making any promises."

Alex opens the refrigerator and tries to find out exactly what he has to work with...

'An all-nighter? Reminds me of college... So what are you working on?"

[Morgan Bellanar]

Morgan listed from side to side as she listend, sort of, to Mhairi. At the confirmation of permission the raccoon nodded her head slowly, "Yes all-night-not-alright but done to acheive a sought-after-sight. Yay-'Kay, thanks, caffeine wake g-good." Morgan got the pot and paused. What was she pouring it into? She put the coffee pot back and opened a cupboard. She closed it, growling something and tried another one. From this one she withdrew a cheap gray coffee mug from an identical set of four. She tried to take a sip, "Nay-nay, step 2 t-then profit," she shook her head. Morgan finally managed to get the coffee in the mug and just started to drink it black.

The heat was soothing but wakefulness was slow to kick in. And she kind of answered Alex's first question by just drinking. Though it did make her pause: "P-p-preference? Tis option other then cof-coffee? Gratitude Alex but nay I shalt persevere with t-t-the coffee." Morgan very much needed it if she'd misunderstod so simple a question. A took another two sips before the fatigue started to retreat, albeit slowly. A few nerves started to fire off in her skull as she realized she'd been asked another question: "Huh?" she tilted her head as she looked at Alex. After blinking she got it: "Oh t-that. Twas groundwork for a s-second sypmosium of sages, heh...and t-then just study-find truth of a foe's weak point. Nay-nay-nay found a thing new save ken a way to heh-have fair fight," she took another sip of coffee, "fight-flame-be-flame...Bu~ut nay have two folks with the contracts to t-test that."

[Mhairi Ankaa]

"Bacon." Mhairi grunts against her mug. "There-ah-there has to be bacon in the fridge right?" she asks moving her mug away from her lips.

"Ah." Mhairi breathes as she filters in what Morgan means through her sleepy brain. "Yeah that sage-y thing. I totes wanna go to and-ah learn and stuff.." Mhairi says between sips. "Cool. Ah-Dragon stuff right? You-ah-you need any help?" Helping the Courtiers with stuff fell under her new role didn't it? And even if it didn't helping other Autumns with their projects sounded like a good idea to Mhairi. Be fire? Yeah I-ah have gotten that clause yet....but something...eventually. I'll-ah get there."

[Swami M]

Alex finds eggs, half a pack of bacon and... some store-brand tortillas. Flour, not corn, but they'll do in a pinch. He hunts around in the cabinets until he finds a pan and then gets it heating on the stove.

"Do bacon and egg tacos sound good? And, yeah, I'm curious about the dragon too. You hear veterans telling stories about it and it starts to become this invulnerable boogeyman. Literally a living legend. Taking a more scientific approach to the problem is a good idea. Not that I can be any help with fire lore or magic... I have zero talent in that area."

[Morgan Bellanar]

Leaning against the cupboards, Morgan shakes head, "No, Imma done for tonight, nay, today. Doubt tis cast upon the Commons' tomes being of further utility in the endeavor." It took her a second to realize Mhairi meant with the Symposium too. "Oh, that. Ah, heh heh, I am, nay, was doing, uh, logistics? Yay that. Tis aught more to be done hence. If ye nay mind the picking up and putting down of things ye could assist me upon the day for setup, I would nay mind," she tiled her head but that made her wobble. Leaning back against the cupboards again she sipped her coffee, "Benefit: ye t'would hath first pick of pizzas, heh. Oh, fire yes," she grinned at this. "I thank thee for thine offer. I'm working on the elements myself. T'would settle much curiosity if we learned if living flames art, heh, harmed by fire. Or could wrestle each other. Safety tis a, uh, questionable though, heh."

Morgan couldn't keep the worry down even with the sleepiness. Telling somebody: "hit me with this and see if it hurts me" isn't the safest test in the world. She turned back to the cupboards setting her mug down as she slowly withdrew some plates. Three plates were quickly stacked next to the stove for Alex to use when he was ready to unload the pan. Whilst there she asked the chef: "Uh Alex? Shalt I procure utensils as well or tis this a finger food variety of taco?"

Morgan's next action was to head over to some drawers and withdraw napkins. Tacos were messy right?

When Fairewather's past was brought up, Morgan looked away guiltily as she quickly stepped away from the drawers. "Uh..." after a pause she sighed, "Truth: I nay witness its attack. Twas working across city at time. I only saw the destruction on news and the desolation. Four Seasons twas, heh, home for many and hope for all in the, heh, Freehold," sadness was obvious in her voice, "Twas devastation both physical and spiritual for the Freehold. Many friends were lost, to death or to fleeing in fear. Gentry are bastards, but powerfuls. Fairweather attacked as a wyrm shaped conflagration. How do ye strike down a giant monster made of flame?" She nodded her head, "Science and not tactics I hath looked into. Norman solutions, heh, had a problem with, uh...logistics? Firefighting tools or liquid nitrogen tis, heh, hard to attack with. Or uh...oh, uh, heh," she paused as her eyes bugged.

Morgan suddenly became very awake, her eyes darting between the two "junior' courtiers. After a loud inhale, she let it out, "Fuck it," her shoulders slumped, "I formulated many, many, many ideas on this. From stupid to feasible. A dubstep cannon twas one stupid, you-may-laugh. I shant stop any from preparing for battle against him, especially since Imma certain I'm the worst researcher, heh, here. Only path I've left for me necessitates walking the park to seek new sources." She growled after she finished, "I shant solo amongst the thorns again after the last time."

After taking a few moments to breath she added, "Oh, advise for both of ye." She looked back and forth between Mhairi and Alex, "King Spartan made a final stand at the Four Seasons. Summer's old guard that ken him do not like to, heh, hear the dragon's name."