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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:46 am
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Barth was nervous.
He did not feel as though all of his affairs were in order. He would have liked time for an entire presentation. With charts, and pitches, and maybe poetry.
He needed to talk to everyone in regards to some more...general topics, and then each of them individually for the more private ones. Picking the place had been difficult enough. Not a restaurant. He didn't want the conversation to be public. The crypts were a tempting option. He wasn't sure if his room was formal enough, and if things went badly, there were several projects he preferred undestroyed. Anyone could walk in on the NAP room.
In the end, he'd decided on just setting an entire weekend aside for the damn thing. He had informed each of his friends that they should be packed for four days, and would be traveling Thursday evening. After dusk was always more comfortable for Grimhold, and he was sure they could find relative seclusion outside of town on the foggy, rolling hillsides of Lake Eerie. The Mudds (his mother's family) owned a patch of land and several cabins, and Barth had requested use of the area.
He gave Calder free rein grocery purchases, with notes for some dietary preferences: Zar, of course, liked his dishes alive and still whole. Grimhold was garlic-intolerant. Christof was not picky about taste, so long as it was sustaining and could fit through a straw.
Barth waited for them outside Amity's gate. The whole sky was orange, and street lanterns had begun to glow in the dimming light. Grimhold's carriage was parked alongside the curb. It was a handsome black, with gold filagree, and although it did have a set of reins, they were attached to the carriage itself. Nothing in particular seemed to be pulling it.
Barth's luggage had already been put in the overhead compartment.
"Not taking the Doom Buggy, Master Barth?" Grimhold asked.
Barth waved a claw dismissively. That, too, needed addressing. Along with the House hunting...it all needed addressing.
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:04 am
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:15 am
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:17 pm
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Barth was worried, and therefore preoccupied, daydreaming as he stared out into the cobbled streets on the backend of school grounds.
Grimhold, on the other hand, detected Zar and Christof immediately.
He did not smile at them, but he fastened the reigns to the seat irons, steadying the carriage with a a pat from his long, slender hand, then hopped down to the pavement. Everything about him was fluid, delicate grace.
"Good evening, sirs. Might I assist you with your luggage?"
Barth perked up, stirring out of whatever fog he had been in once Grimhold spoke.
"Ah! Glad you could make it!" Just waiting for Calder, then. "Weather looks clear. Hopefully it'll stay through Spookday."
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 1:00 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 1:15 pm
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Calder had been eager to hear that they were all going to a cabin together, and it delighted him to no ends that he would be spending an entire weekend with most of his herd – without supervision or threat of detention – to do whatever he wanted.
He spent the time after the message humming to himself all the way to the carriage now. It was no wonder that he was late, as he could be heard before he even arrived. On his back was his pack, a leather bag that kept his horn manicure kit, his brush kit, his own clothing, along with some odds and ends. Usually he didn't even bring much and this would have been it. It wasn't like monsters to bring anything more than they could carry and if anything, there was always walking around naked.
What had caused the extra luggage was a covered cage that was, as he approached, bleating. It was also dripping a little and there was a rich fragrance of something spiced and savory.
What was in his other hands was another basket, this one filled with other foods, spices, a few jars with marinades he had made before today for the trip, and Barth's blender – for Christof's dietary needs. He also had decided to bring lots of loopy, playful strays that twisted in the shapes of animals because he thought they were cute when he saw them in the store and surely Christof would find them fun to drink out of.
With the loaded basket of food and the loaded basket of wafting demon goats inside their covered container, Calder panted as he arrived. His hair was slightly damn as he took a swim that moring as he wasn't sure there was even water nearby this cabin and knew he would need it to survive the weekend. "Hey!" He said, setting the basket and cage down and looking at all of them with a big yet out-of-breath smile. "Excited?" he said to all of them, clearly showing he was.
He looked to Grimhold and beamed. "Hello Grimhold! You look pretty today." He decided to comment, always envious of the man's grace and ability to almost float in his movements when Calder otherwise did not.
He then looked at the carriage and frowned.
He hated carriages.
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 1:45 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 2:43 pm
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"Oh, err, you know...yes- I needed the break from my studies. I hope none of you are too inconvenienced." One proposal was nerve-wracking enough. He should have staggered it. Taken care of it gradually. And maybe, given enough time, he would have been confident that each of the answers... But they had to plan...
Grimhold arranged Zar's suitcase on the top of the carriage, and fastened Christof's sack.
Calder's collection of belongings, plus the groceries, were more substantial. But Grimhold had no shortage of wiry strength. The vampire looked slightly taken aback by the compliment, but recovered with a, "Thank you, sir," before unburdening Calder of the heavier items.
"There's room in the main compartment," Barth told Christof, claws unfurling to touch Christof's shoulder. He hesitated, and drew his hand back to his chest instead.
"If you like," he amended.
He knew Calder didn't trust devices of any sort, but it was going to be (for the most part) a low-tech weekend. Barth had left Handsome with Siddie. After Barth completed the final requirements, it was just the final test.
The cabins were a good ride from town, and once they'd left the main roads Grimhold drove the carriage hard and fast, exhilarated by the encroaching night. Barth was pleasant, but still distracted, and avoidant when it came to any serious matters.
Growing closer, Grimhold followed some old wooden signs for Lake Eerie. The trees twisted into screaming faces. Bats chittered in the blustering October wind, and dried up leaves crackled over the dirt.
The cabin itself was on the main lake, boasting a dock and two stories. The wrap-around porch was dotted with rocking chairs, and the trees were thick. There were other cabins across the wide lake, but none within immediate view.
"There are four bedrooms," Barth said. "I'll be sleeping downstairs." Or on a couch, if things went badly. "We can get supper started after we're unpacked."
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 3:26 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:30 pm
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Moving was not a strange or scary thing for Calder. His parents migrated along the Devon territory each year and while they had their home now, that wasn't to say he hadn't lived elsewhere or lived in other places during different recognized holidays of his clan. Moving, however, had always been on hoof or, when he was just a colt, on his parents' back whenever he got too tired. It was always in direct relation to the ground or water.
The carriage always made him worried. It was small, closed in, and he felt his legs were too long for it. When he sat, he cracked the window and patted the seat for Christof, hoping he would come in at least. "Sit with me, Christof!" He called out, hoping to keep his friend near him.
When the carriage finally left the school and hit the road, Calder had been alright for a few minutes, but soon the bumping carriage and the sensation of moving quickly without moving your legs started to get to him. His stomach felt tight and yet it kept feeling as if it was moving – like he swallowed a grumpy catfish who wanted to fight the entire time.
Feeling a little more green, he leaned near the open window and by the time the carriage was at full speed, Calder's head was nearly out of the window, taking deep breathes and trying not to be sick. A few times he would look back into the cabin thinking he was alright to just sit with everyone and hopefully get everyone talking. He had been excited, but the ride was killing it for him, and soon all attempts left his throat lurching and his head back out the window to take deep breathes.
He smelled he Lake before he saw the signs, and he perked up, taking deep breathes and sniffs of the air, his horse tail flicking behind him in the cabin as he stood up a bit straighter from the sad slouching he had been doing before. "I smell the lake!" he called out into the forest hoping everyone inside the cabin heard him.
Excited once again, Calder looked at the land around him and shot up straight when he saw the first glimpse of the lake. "I SEE THE LAKE!" He called out, and then a bump in the road had him falling back into the cabin.
Getting up and sitting down, he was back to beaming, if not still pale, and back to being excited. All rivers he smelled had been linked to the same familiar scent of The Devon. The other smells had been Amityville's swamp and the surrounding rivers in the Weeping Woods. This lake had its own smell, and he was eager to dive in and explore.
Just as the carriage pulled up, Calder left the carriage with everyone else – but fell out due to his weak-feeling legs and lack of really knowing how to properly get out of a carriage. Luckily, he was back on his hooves in a second and looking around.
At the mention of the rooms, Calder frowned and looked around. "What? I thought we were all sleeping together."
He looked to all three of them, frowning. "Why aren't we all sleeping together?"
He continued to frown, and it seemed that this had not been the plan. Sad that he would not have a big slumber party, his FIRST slumber party, Calder continued to look at them.
"I don't want to sleep alone."
His eyes got a little bit darker, a little bit wider, a little bit more glossy and pleading. "Can I sleep with someone?"
OnO
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Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 11:36 am
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Christof had begrudgingly accepted the invitation to sit inside the carriage and, unsurprisingly, said nothing the entire ride, only occasionally giving Calder a weak pat on the back or an offer of water, not that it helped his friend's carriage-sickness any.
Suffice to say, he was relieved when they got there. It was a lovely house- sure, it was no castle, but his heart ached with the idea of sitting beside that lake with an arch-welder and Barth lounged in the grass with a set of blueprints...
He helped Grimhold with the bags, stiffening a bit at the mention of having his own room. With a grunt, he motioned toward the broom closet, trying his best to express he would be just fine there, and one didn't need to waste a whole room on an Igor.
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Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 2:16 pm
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"You don't have to clean," Barth told Christof, misinterpreting.
"And err, that is, I thought...well, you can each have your own rooms, I'd...we can discuss sleeping arrangements over dinner. Or after dinner. If you'll ah, all excuse me- Grimhold, did you bring those...yes, thank you. Above the door, please. I'll activate it."
Grimhold helped stock the refrigerator and stacked everything that didn't need to be kept cold in the cupboards. He took his own luggage, a leather satchel, to one of the upper rooms.
Barth slunk outside, fussing with a bit of paper over the door while everyone unpacked and settled.
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Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 2:41 pm
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Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 4:21 pm
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Calder watched as everyone didn't directly address his question or even the eyes he was giving them. Pouting, he crossed his arms and watched as Zar grabbed his things and went upstairs to his own, private, one bed, one person, totally prudish, not at all nice, cold-shoulder room. Christof didn't seem to know where to go and might end up under the porch if Barth didn't watch him, and Calder distantly hoped his friend wouldn't mind company. Barth on the other hand would be on the couch, not out of kindness of giving them all a room, but because Calder felt that stairs in any way was a no go even on a cabin vacation.
As Barth fiddled with some weird papers outside, which was surprising he would be actually outside doing anything and not taking the vacation to heart and already on the couch, Calder watched Grimhold take the stuff into the kitchen.
Not knowing what else to do, Calder went to his saddle bag and started to riffle through it before he pulled out a few things. Inside, he gathered a blue ribbon to tie up his hair iinto a pony tail, then took a plaid handkerchief to cover his hair. After that, he took a frilly white apron he had just bought for the trip when going grocery shopping (thank you Barth), Calder helped Grimhold put everything in the fridge and cupboards and laid down some paper s the floor wouldn't get dirty before setting the cage down. As he was helping the vampire, he glanced over at him. "Ya know, if you get lonely tonight, just tell me. I'm a very warm monster." He said, hoping that the undead might like a friend who would keep him warm – seeing as he was undead. Maybe, unlike Christof, some undeads liked company that gave off heat.
Calder was feeling a little desperate and didn't want to wind up alone tonight.
Once Grimhold left, Calder set to work on dinner. Humming to himself, he set down a pot and skillet and then started to neatly arrange the jars he would be using and a sack of eels he had been marinating in the same liquid the goats were in. Calder probably would spray off a goat tonight and marinade it in something else so Zar wouldn't be stuck with one course all weekend. That wasn't fun. He also had other living things he hoped the demon would like.
Alone to himself, he entertained himself with what he had here. They were all in one place, far away from school, and he pretended this might be like how their life after school would be. All together, with him making supper, and everyone doing their own things. Barth and Christof working on some weird metal thingy and rustling blue papers, Zar helping out around the house and coming back from work. (Calder didn't know what job it would be, but he envisioned a suitcase just to establish that he was at work in his mind.) There would be scarlings moving about in the yard and upstairs.
The kelpie took a moment to hold his face in both hands and give a little whinny at the idea.
Calder continued to hum sweetly as he worked on dinner and finished it up, not pureeing Christof's meal this time as this course could be slurped through a straw while still whole. Though if the undead decided he didn't like it after, Calder wouldblend it up (it only was a push of a button after all).
He wondered how much Grimhold ate, or even if he liked the food Calder would make, and he worried now that he hadn't brought anything more in case of food emergencies like this. Sadly, he would just hope that the undead wasn't as finicky as Christof and, well, he could always puree two meals.
Starting the oven to bake some cupcakes, Calder set the table for all of them and then, pressing his apron down, walked back out. Barth wasn't around and neither was Zar. Frowning, Calder went to Christof. "Um…dinner is ready. Can you get Barth and…help him to his seat?" Since the man might be exhausted by now.
Calder then walked upstairs, looking around the unclaimed rooms before he saw a door closed. He tapped at this one and noticed it was for Grimhold. "Dinner is ready." He told him with a smile, again hoping he would be considering that slumber buddy offer.
Then Calder went to Zar's room and knocked before opening. Popping his head in, he looked around for the demon. "Dinner's ready. What are you doing up here?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 5:16 pm
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