Sugar Hollow

The soft metallic chime of hammer striking steel filled the air even as they approached, Xin stepped away from the door as it swung open revealing a man who did not quite have the appearance of a smithy, perhaps an apprentice? Xin tipped his head up at him before reaching into the folds of his cloak retrieving a small lead orb which was slightly elliptical in shape, he held it out towards the man allowing him to take hold of and examine it.

“I would like to have an order filled. I need to have twenty of these cast.” It seemed a good number at least.

Indeed, he ended up running over a girl despite himself being a rather light man - poor child. At first he was infuriated, but upon realizing it was just a young girl his expression was suddenly painted in a mix of shock and horror. He'd just knocked her off her feet, a very rude and poor gesture on his part, and now he had to help her lest he be deemed a terrible person... though he really didn't want to. Interacting with people was never his strong suit.

Yet he manages to bring his terrible expression to something calmer, though he just looked extremely nervous. At her question, he just nods a response - feeling something lodge his throat to prevent him from speaking. Damn his anxieties. But he would offer his hands to help pull her to her feet, only allowing the contact for as briefly as possible before drawing his hands back... and looking around for his dropped tome.

Toli scoops up the tome and hands it to Limi, smiling down at his little brother. For once he doesn't tease his sibling as his sibling had for once done something social competent. Toli smiles at the girl he knocked down. "Sorry for my little brother, he sometimes doesn't watch where he is going. Come Fedlimid we should find lodgings for the night." He claps his younger brother on the back more gently this time and leads the way towards the nearby inn or what he thinks is an inn.

The girl's eyes lit up as @fedlimid took her by the hand to pull her to her feet. How had she suddenly become so lucky? He was holding her hands! However, the contact was painfully brief, and she let out a soft sigh of disappointment when he let go. Why did it seem to pain him so much to pull her up like that? Was she that repulsive? She'd thought that she was pretty enough, but perhaps she didn't live up to the long-haired stranger's standards...he was probably used to the beautiful daughters of rich lords and kings, not farm girls with freckles. When the second stranger came out of the shop, she glanced over to him as well. He just looked like all the other adventurers that passed through the town periodically. Not bad, but big and gruff. Nothing at all like his little brother. When Toliver Wulfric mentioned that he was looking for lodgings, she beamed. This was her moment to shine!

"Oh! You're looking for a place to stay tonight? Why don't you stay at my sister's place? It's a tavern, but she's got some rooms too. It's really nice, I think you'll like it! Come on, I'll lead the way! What are your names? I'm Palmier, but you can call me Polly. My sister's name is Marzipan. Everyone calls her Marzi, though. It's not far!"

If the brothers followed the excited girl, she would lead them to a warm, inviting tavern. The sign above the door proclaimed it to be "Marzi's Tavern". Inside, a group of drunken men sang a song of beer and women in perfect harmony. Others sat around at tables or the bar, and a tall, dark-haired woman with earrings shaped like cherries and a ring set with a stone that looked remarkably like a peppermint. Polly gestured for the pair to head on in, smiling brightly.

"Here we are! There's the Sugar Hollow Brandy Choir, practicing again. They only sing when they're drunk, and they're really good. And there's Marzi!  Hi sis!"

She waved at the woman behind the bar, who looked up and waved back.

"Why, hello there! Welcome, newcomers! I'm Marzi, and I own this place. What can I do for you?"

“Then let us pay her a visit.” He replied, following the male’s lead as Waltz moved over to put on his boots. Yori donned a pair of geta which he had removed upon entering the place. Though before he moved towards the entrance he knelt down to pick up the ceremonial rod that he had dropped the previous night, circlets jingling softly as he slowly lifted it. It had also been quiet cumbersome to affix all of the tiny bells to his hair without the help from his attendants, he found, especially after having awoken from overindulgence the night before, yet there was no reason to bring that up with Supervisor Waltz. Instead he projected an almost regal appearance as he moved towards the door slipping on his wooden sandals and allowing Waltz to lead the way. he pushed open the door, and stepped out into the morning sun, a single hand lifting to shield him from the light though his head was screaming from the brightness as they moved from the darkness of the home and out into the daylight, despite the vale which covered his eyes. He pondered a moment about Waltz words not particularly skill in small talk; through the man was a supervisor and must have had some say in the matter.

“Lady Suiker, employs a lot of people in your town?” he questioned, as it seemed the cherry fields was a large portion of the towns economy, allowing Waltz to take the lead. 

Once they were ready, Waltz led High Priest Yori out the door. He squinted in the bright sunlight, trying to shield his eyes. The previous night's drinking made going outside rather uncomfortable, but he managed. After all, he wouldn't be a supervisor if he couldn't work while hungover. A supervisor had to be ready to supervise at any time, no matter their state of being or intoxication. He walked down the road, heading towards the hill on which the Suiker mansion sat.

"Yeah, she employs a lot of the people in the town. Not just farmers, either. Accountants, managers, horsemen, messengers, deliverymen, negotiators...she's got quite the system running here. I'm not sure who employs more, her or Mr. Dulce. He runs the peach plantations."

He led the priest down the road and up a hill, arriving at the mansion about fifteen minutes later. It was massive, bigger than any other building in town. There were turrets, steeples, and stained-glass windows. To approach the mansion, the pair walked through a blooming garden full of colorful, exotic flowers. The plants were tended to by a small army of gardeners, who scurried back and forth trimming and watering. Once they arrived at the front door, a single guard opened it without a word. It seemed as though he was used to Waltz coming by. Inside the foyer, several maids hurried to and fro, dusting and polishing every flat surface. One ran off to notify Ms. Suiker, and another walked up to the guests with a very clearly fake smile on her face.

"Hello there, Supervisor Waltz. Newcomer. Welcome to Ms. Suiker's mansion. What can I do for you?"

So much for a simple transaction – though it was to be expected as not many children would have made such a request. Hands clap together however as Saur agreed to complete the task though perhaps a bit reluctant. “Excellent.” He stated in a slightly elevated tone, though his gaze trailed towards the more slender of the two, Orville, and he wondered whatever happened to Suite. As he reached out to claps one of the mugs of tea that the man had offered them , noting Sione’s own refusal. Lifting the rim towards his face while peering into the depths, as if in thought. Saur’s words were true though there were plenty of reason why a lead orb would be more effective in their uniformity and weight . Steam rose in subtle waves, fogging the porcelain surface of the mask, before he slipped the chin upward just enough to allow for a drink. “Stones will work in a pinch, but don’t provide the same impact. Which could be all the difference of stopping someone or simply annoying them. An Ill prepared traveler travel is a dead traveler. At least that’s why my teacher says.” His teacher seemed to have alot of sayings. A smile stretched across thin lips though he drew the mask over his face and returned the mug onto a nearby counter, whisking two silvers into existence which he sat alongside the mug.

“Thank you for the tea. Let us be off, Sione.” He turned from the men and began toward the leave leaving them to ponder those words as he lightly took Sione's sleeve and lead her out the door.