Travelers' Rest
Established
Roleplay posts: 15
Registered: Jun 7, 2017 5:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by Travelers' Rest on Jul 23, 2017 15:25:45 GMT -8
"There was a time you might have been correct, Miss Fletcher." Borden said at the mention of his elderly mother possibly giving her some sage-like advice cultivated from the years of experience in living. "But, I am sad to say that her mind seems to have left her in her last days. I only now seek to keep her comfortable until the inevitable should come to pass."
It was a grim prediction of his mother's impending fate as Mr. Borden stood, leaving his cup of tea on the small table in front of him - but it was, after all, a reality all children are destined to come to grips with eventually. Many would have considered Mr. Borden lucky to have had his mother so long.
"Well its not Saturday, but nonetheless there is a washroom tucked away behind the stairs with a wash tub. There is already hot water, but I will have to fill the tub - which will take some time. Perhaps you would like to unpack your things or relax in your room after your journey."
The bit about it being Saturday was a quick jab at the inn's beginnings as a farm house, where it might have been common for the inhabitants to only wash once a week. This might be the closest thing Mr. Borden had done to joking since Roxanne's arrival.
"No matter your decision I will inform you when your bath is drawn." he said as he moved towards the kitchen. He stopped just short of the kitchen and turned back to add, "And I wouldn't worry too much for your horse. I am not convinced it wasn't part of Mr. Merrit's plan for his horse to go missing, just so he could procure himself another day here to continue snooping. As I said, if not for the missing horse I would have not allowed him a second night here."
With his distrust of the dapper Mr. Merrit restated, Borden slipped into the kitchen to begin the task of filling the bathtub; one bucket of water at a time.
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Roxanne Fletcher
Main Character
Roleplay posts: 816
Age: 22
Physical Description: Roxanne is tall with white hair and a narrow, athletic build. She has a pleasant face and only a couple of scars.
Clothes and Equipment: Heavy armor, Elven bow (stolen), and a longsword.
Player's online availability : Early mornings and late evenings
Registered: Aug 2, 2015 8:58:10 GMT -8
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Post by Roxanne Fletcher on Jul 23, 2017 17:31:22 GMT -8
Roxanne thought it a bit much to assume that Mr. Merrit had "stolen" his own horse. After all, they were expensive animals! Still, she saw no point in debating this with Mr. Borden. He seemed to like her, at least, and that was what mattered. As long as he was being helpful, she'd play nice. A bath sounded like a great way to take her mind off the investigation, though. After a long ride, there was nothing better than a nice relaxing bath to soak her troubles away.
"Thank you, Mr. Merrit. I'll be back soon enough. If I'm not back by the time the bath is ready, I probably won't be far away."
She headed out the door, and into the chilly night air. The breeze was refreshing, and she took a moment to pause and simply enjoy the weather. It was a perfect night, in her opinion. The sky was clear and starry, the moon was bright, and cold had never bothered her anyway. After her short break, however, she headed off towards the stable to keep an eye out for horse-snatchers. If she saw anyone trying to steal Dahlia, she'd be awfully upset.
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Travelers' Rest
Established
Roleplay posts: 15
Registered: Jun 7, 2017 5:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by Travelers' Rest on Jul 24, 2017 4:02:05 GMT -8
As Roxanne tended to her horse outside, she might have heard a quiet, rhythmic tapping coming from inside the house - almost as if someone was tapping out a waltz on the fragile glass of a windowpane. The tapping would slowly become louder, and upon inspection, would seem to be coming from a window on the corner of the house several feet away from where Roxy was standing; the same corner room she was to be staying in.
If Roxy were to come into view of the window from the outside, the tapping would immediately stop, and if she peered in, would see a woman in a pale blue nightgown standing in her room, lit by the moon and staring out at her through the window.
The woman would appear to be ill, her eyes sunk in and her skin with a sickly, pasty appearance. Her hair was a dark amber color at its ends, but faded to white on top of her head, the apparent last remnants of staving off the appearance of aging by dying her hair, which obviously had not been redone in some time.
The woman stood perfectly still in the middle of Roxanne's room, looking out with a bit of a scowl on her face - directly at Roxanne.
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Roxanne Fletcher
Main Character
Roleplay posts: 816
Age: 22
Physical Description: Roxanne is tall with white hair and a narrow, athletic build. She has a pleasant face and only a couple of scars.
Clothes and Equipment: Heavy armor, Elven bow (stolen), and a longsword.
Player's online availability : Early mornings and late evenings
Registered: Aug 2, 2015 8:58:10 GMT -8
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Post by Roxanne Fletcher on Jul 24, 2017 20:23:59 GMT -8
Roxanne glanced over when she heard the tapping, assuming that Mr. Borden had finished with her bath and was getting her attention. She jumped when she saw the old woman, startled at her appearance. What was she doing there? Was that Mr. Borden's mother? It had to be, who else could it be? More importantly...what was she doing in Roxanne's room? Roxanne walked over to the window to investigate, pulling at it to try and open it. She hadn't locked the window, had she? She was pretty sure she'd left it unlocked. What was Mrs. Borden doing in her room, of all places?
"Mrs. Borden, is that you? Um...how are you doing tonight, ma'am? Are you feeling quite alright?"
The poor woman must be delusional, Roxanne decided. Trying to help out around the inn, but clearly not up to the task. Perhaps it was too chilly for her to go on her outdoor walk.
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Travelers' Rest
Established
Roleplay posts: 15
Registered: Jun 7, 2017 5:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by Travelers' Rest on Jul 25, 2017 14:56:38 GMT -8
The woman stood, thin and pale, lit only by the favorable moonlight through the window. She continued to be entirely motionless as Roxanne tried the window. Perhaps Roxanne had left the window unlocked before, but she would find it locked tight now as it wouldn't even begin to budge under her pulling on it. It was only after Roxanne addressed the woman as 'Mrs. Borden' that she would finally see the first sign of life out of the woman.
The woman walked, rather unstably in small steps, to the window - her eyes never leaving Roxy as she shuffled over. Mrs. Borden raised her right hand, using a long, bony index finger to begin tapping on the windowpane. Once again, the strange rhythmic tapping could be heard over the rattling of the pane in the wooden casing of the window. The sickly woman continued her almost other-worldly stare as she tapped out the slow monotone waltzing rhythm.
The only motion visible other than the woman's finger tapping would be a few tiny strands of her thin, wispy hair falling from behind her ear, and settling just in front of her right eye.
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Roxanne Fletcher
Main Character
Roleplay posts: 816
Age: 22
Physical Description: Roxanne is tall with white hair and a narrow, athletic build. She has a pleasant face and only a couple of scars.
Clothes and Equipment: Heavy armor, Elven bow (stolen), and a longsword.
Player's online availability : Early mornings and late evenings
Registered: Aug 2, 2015 8:58:10 GMT -8
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Post by Roxanne Fletcher on Aug 13, 2017 16:43:58 GMT -8
Roxanne stared at the woman for a moment, wondering what she could possibly want. Clearly, she wasn't all there. Poor lady. Old folks often had their delusions, and Roxanne could only pray that her own grandmother wouldn't fall prey to such a tragic fate. She tapped on the glass in response, watching the woman carefully. Did Mrs. Borden actually see her, she wondered, or was the old woman lost in her own mind? Sighing, she stepped away from the window and headed around the building.
Walking back into the inn, Roxanne headed straight for her room. Hopefully the old woman would still be there, and she'd be able to talk to her. Still...how useful could talking to a crazy old bat be? What did she even remember anymore? It was worth a shot, though. After all, it wasn't as though she had any other leads to follow. If it didn't pan out, perhaps she'd just go home. Dixie would be disappointed, but there wasn't much to be done about that. After all, Roxanne had already told her that she didn't like working for free.
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