[Mkguild] Life IV: Everything in its Right Place - C - my comments

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

LifeIV: Everything in its Right Place - C
 
James- Morning
Outsidewas too cold and still wet.  I made themistake of letting the edge
ofmy new tail drag along the stone ground. My little rat friend had his
littlefurry body curled up in my pocket, providing me with some desperatly
neededwarmth.
“I’vebeen here a month and I don’t know these streets.” I mumbled.  “Did
youknow that?”
“Squee?”  Florizel sniffed at the cold and went backinto my pocket.  I
meanwhilestopped in front of a three story building. It was a plaster
building,brown wooden panels on its sides and only two windows on each
story.  There was fresh wood patching up holes frombattle damage, no doubt
soonto be covered over.  Looking at thisbuilding, I reached an important
conclusion.


>>>You have found that you are lost.







“Iam lost.”  I turned around.  I was at a cross way between four
buildings,but I didn’t recognize any of them.  Ilooked down, stone
ground.  Which shouldn’t come as a surprise seeing asI was in Keeptown.
Ineeded to intelligently determine where to go. Instead I closed my eyes
andspun in a circle.
“Thisway!”  And off I went.  I passed by a Lightbringer temple, amazingly
Ihadn’t been aware Metamor had those.  Yesreally.
 


>>>  LOL





EventuallyI came to a well in front of a resturaunt. The resturant was a


>>>Restaurant is the right spelling





squat,one story building.  Gray stone, somecracked and some dirty but
otherwisefairly clean.  It had a brown roof, freshthatch on it that
almostseemd to glow.  Their were holes forwindows, but wooden boreds were
nailedin up in them.
 
Whatdrew my attention was the sign over the door. It was a golden brown
signthat was chained to a metal pole over the doorway.  The name carved
intoit was The Gnawing Stick.  Underneathtthe name was a detailed,
twistedlooking stick with vines radiating out from all sides of it.  The
vinestwisted and criss-crossed, so detailed my jaw almost dropped.  I
pulledFlorizel.
 


>>>Typos







“Lookat that buddy!  That’s so cool!  I mean holy crap is it detailed
right?”  My rat friend sniffed at it.  He then gave me his opinion:
 
“Squeee!”
 
“AndI bet you’d like a gnawing stick wouldn’t you?” I swear that Florizel
nodded,but I dismissed that.  I returned him tomy pocket.  And my joy
beganto diminish, as I realized something important.
“Yep,still lost.” I sighed.  “What do I donow?”
“Youcan help me out with something!”  I spunaround to see a basket full
ofapples with a set of furry legs growing out of it.  Behind it a broad
flattail slapped at the ground.  It took me amoment to realize those
thingswere connected.
“Uhsure.” I reached for the basket but heasitated. “What would you like
forme to do?”


>>A talking apple basket!





“Keysat my belt.” The apple stack said.  “Forthe love of all the gods and
allthe hells help me out here!”  Now that Icould do.  The fuzzy thing was
dressedin a forest green tunic and a brown belt. I also now noticed on
hisback was a basket, strapped to his shoulders, filled with carrots.
“Interestingchoice.” I secured his key ring and ran to open the door.  I
gotout of the way just in time for him to stumble past me.  He made it to
atable and finally sat the basket of apples down.  Then came the carrots.
“Sorryabout that madame.” He said.  “Fooddelivery issues, had to retrieve
itmyself.  In fact having to go back outquite quite soon, rather
unfortunate.”  He turned back to face me, “But thank younonetheless.”
Myrestaurateur was a beaver.  He hadchocolate covered fur but knotted in
placesand weird blue-black hands.  His tail wasthe same color I noticed.
Hiseyes were little black buttons on a big brown face.  And he was a
rodent,so of course he had huge front teeth.  Ortooth, the right tooth
wasa fragment compared to the left.
“I’mnot a madame.” I said, “I am a sir.”  Thebeaver sniffed at me.  He
gotso close I could see his shiny black nose trembling.  “Hey back off!”
“Youdon’t have much scent.” He said.  “Youmust be a lizard!” My heart
beganto race.
“I...Uhis this your place?”  The beaver smilled,further showing off his
bigteeth.  He nodded so fast I thought hishead was going to fly off.
“Ialways wanted a restaurant and I was able to buy this place after a lot
ofwork and the Winter Assault made it easy for me.  I mean I’m not open
yetbut I will be as soon as I get some windows!”
“Right.  Well it looks like a nice place.”  It was a two room building,
withthe back room seperated by a wooden wall with a window hole in the
middleand one swinging door.  Their were candleholders mounted along the
wallsand candles on each table.
Asfor the tables they were round unfinshed wood. Just looking at one I
couldsee splinters in it.  The chairs were thesame brown wooden, some
weremissing legs and others had undergone amatuer repairs.  The floor was
madeof wooden planks that creaked when I walked on them.  I was worried I
mightfall through it at any moment.
“It’s...reallynice.” I wanted to say it looked terrible but for some
reasonI couldn’t.  Yesterday seeing thissmiling creature’s happy eyes
wouldhave made me sick.  Today though seeinghim so excited made me smile.
 “In fact it’s wonderful.”
“It’sall mine.” He said.  “And I mean allmine.  When I got it though it
didn’thave a tables or that back wall or, well the floor.  That had rotted
out.  But I put it all together!”  I nodded. “It took a lot of work but it
wasworth it.
“Andwhat comes next?”  The beaver laughed.
“Uha few things.  I have to fix the oven,but that’s just putting in a few
newstones. Back wall of the building is stone, only stone wall, needs some
repair.  Gotta buy some plates and silverware.  And cups, or they
silverwaretoo?”
“Isuppose.”


>>>>So basically he needs everything?





“Rightand I gotta find a way for people to find my restaurant.  A new
placeopens in the Keep, how you going to stand out?” The beaver shrugged.
 “We all changing here, all the time.  Always something new and where are
mymanors?  My name is Aellen, AellenWhitehead.  Or you can call me Ale,
likethe drink!”  He sure was chipper.  Maybe that’s why I began to feel a
littlecalm.
“Uhhi Mr. Whitehead.” I said, “My name is James, future Lor--”  And then
thewords stuck in my mouth.  On thought cameover me.
'AmI still a future Lord?' The beaver cocked his head, no doubt curious
whyI went silent. 'I’ve spent the last few weeks insulting priests,
throwingup on knights and then...and killing someone. Lord’s don’t do
that.  Lords have people to do that. But I am thefuture Lord right?'
“Jamesfuture?” Ale asked.
“Uhsorry, just James.  And I’ve been here amonth myself.” I said.  “I can
seeeveryone is changing.  I’ve changed a bitmyself.”  The beaver picked
upthe basket of apples and took them into the back room.  He returned for
thecarrots a minute later.  “I am...I havechanged.”
“Don’tworry about it.” Ale called from the back room. “Took me a few
monthsto admit I wasn’t human anymore.  I feelfor ya.”  I blushed through
myscales.
“Iuh yeah.  I’ve been here for a month andI don’t know my way around.
Don’treally know much.”  I tapped on the floorboards.  “You laid all
theseyourself?”
“Yeah,good job?” The boards were misshapen, ill-laid and with noticeable
gapsbetween them.  They looked like they’dcome loose with a little effort.
“It’sfantastic.” I said. “Truly fantastic. You should feel proud.” Somehow
therodent smiled even wider.


>>>Now that is showing tact! And being polite.







“Godand I hope you’ll be buy to eat when the Gnawing Stick opens!  Did you
likethe sign out there? I actually carved it by biting, I thought it gave
itthat real Keep feel!” That gave me pause.
'Thewhole thing? He carved that sign with his teeth?' I looked back at the
rodent.  I could see him through the window, his backwas to me.  He was
arrangingall of his vegetables, more I hadn’t seen, into different baskets
foreasy grabbing.
 


>>>>In spite of the looks I like the Gnawing Stick!  It has a certain 'decor!"



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