Girls Day Out

[Lady Val]

Lady Val packs up her caravan and harnesses her megaloceros. The giant elk appear to be somewhat excited to be going somewhere after long months of staying in Holdfast. She checks over the caravan and secures an oddly large, soft, and lumpy, bundle she doesn't quite remember taking with her to Holdfast to the rear trunk. She tries to remember purchasing furs to sell but cannot fathom when it may have happened. Regardless she secures everything and begins moving her caravan out of town.

As she passes by the Fire Circle she sees Jaya and Lady Keket in deep discussion. She calls out to them from atop the seat.

"Keket, Jaya! I'm heading to Applevale! Do either of you ladies need anything?"

[Joy Rosewood]

Joy walks out of the inn, and notices the caravan.

"Hey, did you say you vere headed to Applevale?"

[OOG: I need an in game way to bring in, uh, fancy Joy, if you don't mind.]

[Lady Val]

Lady Val looks behind her to see the young halfling from the Inn. She smiles and gestures for her to approach.

"Indeed we are! You are certainly welcome to come with us! I'm sure your skills will come in handy on the way there. Just try to avoid hitting my elk, they do not take kindly to arrows in their flanks."

One of the megaloceros turns to look sidelong at Joy as if to drive Val's point home.

[Joy Rosewood]

Joy looks at the elk and giggles. She climbs on board the caravan.

"Zough your elk vould make tasty steks, I vouldn't dream of hitting zem!"

[Jaya]

Jaya turns to Val "A trip to Applevale sounds lovely to me, how about you Keket it would be fun"

"Just let me grab a few things just to be safe" She then quickly heads towards the bunkhouse and grabs her medic supplies and puts then into her bag. Once back outside she notices Joy.

"Oh hello Joy, you coming along too? The more the merrier and having a bard during travel is always nice."

[Keket]

Keket would look up as this was said a huge smile comes across her face-
" I would love to come! It's been for every !"

-She's giggles seeing one of the elk giving joy a hard look as Val spoke she'd be getting on to the. Caravan -

"Who knows what new things we can find!.. wait have iv been there before? " -she'd looked slight confused for a few seconds-

[Lady Val]

Lady Val helps Jaya up on the the seat behind her so she can sit with Joy. Dvalinn, the Elk nearest Keket, nuzzles the young Elf's white hair before offering her his antlers to help her up onto the seat on the other side of Joy.

"If I remember correctly Keket we visited Applevale briefly last year but it was quite overcast and unpleasant and to be honest we did not stay long."

She looks around to see if anyone else is coming.

Once everyone is on board she flicks the reins and Dainn and Dvalinn begin trotting out of town obediently, taking everyone on the caravan with them.

[OOG: if you want to jump on the caravan with or without Val noticing please feel free to post below]

[Zar/Herr]

"Hey" Herr says loudly from the side of the cart, approaching Lady Val before continuing.
"Mind if i come along? I wouldn't mind a new suit."

[Malva]

[OOG: Sorry I've been slacking on the forums, please assume this is before you left]

Malva approaches Lady Val and says: "Oh Applevale! I'd like to go there; may I tag along?"

[Keket]

keket would giggle as this happen as shes would get helped up on to the seat as shes smiled looking at both-

"that would makes scenes now why its hard to remeber it! but it maybe be better this time i hope! time to go have fun!"

-it seemed like she has an idea to ask something but looking at the elk shes shock her head and giggled to her self-

[Lady Val]

[Time stamp: Minutes before to the caravan sets off]

"Certainly Malva, and you too Herr!" The ladies on the Caravan help the Faun and the...Herr up onto the seats at the front of the Caravan. It's a tight fit, but everyone manages to find room.


[Time stamp: Once the Caravan has left the confines of the town]

The Caravan trundles along the road to Applevale. To those with acute hearing, faint snoring can be heard coming from a lumpy package tied to the back of the cart.

The sun is shining and the forest is humming with the sounds of the approaching spring. Snow melts from the trees, and the rivers and streams are practically overrunning their banks with meltwater. Small flowers and shoots are popping up through the brown grass.

[Joy Rosewood]

Joy has had a lot on her mind since leaving the tavern. She ponders the fate of her family on the sea voyage. She knows at least some of them must have made it to Applevale. The nice weather is making Joy feel better. She begins to take stock of her fellow caravan mates. She notices Val's ears, and begins to stare at her.

"Hey, the weather is really nice today. So... can you do magic? Uh, you're really pretty. Um."

Joy starts blushing.

[Jaya]

"Thank you" Jaya says to Val as she is being helped up to her seat.

Jaya noticed the others approaching and inquiring if they can come as well, which she feels the more the merrier. Not only would it be fun to spend time with Val, Keket and, Malva but it would be nice to get to know Joy a bit since she herself is pretty knew to Holdfast and she does not know very many people well and she also knows what its like to be the newcomer in town. It would also be nice to get to know Herr a bit better, Jaya has heard things about him but she was never one to judge a book by it's cover.

Larger numbers also made Jaya feel a bit better because it would make traveling a bit safer since it would deter bandit and other nasty things, it would also mean more people to help fight off potential attackers. Considering how the things that happen in Holdfast she wouldn't be surprised if anything happened.

"Nice to have you both join us" Jaya says looking to Malva and Herr.


Upon hearing Joy's complement to Val Jaya chimes in "Yes, I've always admired your beauty Val and I got to say you have great taste in clothing as well, you have to help me pick out some new clothes when we get to Applevale."

[Lady Val]

Lady Val blushes slightly. "Well I mean it is the duty of us Elves to live with grace and elegance as the Faerie asks, but thank you for the compliment, it is somewhat difficult to achieve aesthetic appeal with such a limited wardrobe. I personally feel that anyone can achieve elegance with the right clothing whether they be human, orc, faun, elf or anything in between. Consequently I would be happy to help you Jaya, and anyone else really, pick out a new outfit. Perhaps we could find a new outfit for you too Joy. Your clothes are very practical for hunting but if I head correctly I believe you are also a bard, yes? If so perhaps we can find a performance outfit for you." She pauses briefly to flick the reins and increase the speed of the caravan. As they crest the hill, the small town of Applevale can be seen in the wide valley below. Farms dot the flood plain around the town and a clock tower can be seen near the town's centre. In the morning sun the area looks green and the light sparkles on the river running through the valley. A waymarker on the side of the road points to Applevale (2 Leagues) with a crude sign pointing back towards Holdfast (8 Leagues). A third arrow points west towards Souls's Landing (46 leagues). Below the Holdfast marker someone has crudely written 'bandits dewarb' which looks like it could be 'bandits beware' but the writing is so poor it is hard to tell. The caravan continues in the direction of Applevale.

"As for magic, well all Elves are graced with a gift for magic by Faerie themselves but a given Elf's prowess in the magical arts depends on their interest in and commitment to the arcane. I am well versed in Fire and Earth magic as well as the fundamental underpinnings of magical awareness itself, but my cousin Lady Keket," here she gestures to Keket sitting behind her, " Is schooled in air, fire, and earth magic but is still relatively new to the arcane arts."

[Joy Rosewood]

Joys looks over at Keket. Joy has a look of mild shock on her face.

"Um, hey, uh, zis is crazy, but I had a dream that ve vere on ze moon und zere vere goblins und time trabel und.. und.."

Joy blushes again and looks down.

"Ach, I must sound completely crazy right now, I'm sorry, I'll stop, iz just... zat vhite mane... uh, anyvays,"

Joy turns to look back towards Val and attempts to compose herself before speaking:

"Vell, it iz very, uh, nice to meet you, Lady Val, uh, und Lady Keket. I am just a bird-in-training for now. But I do ned somezing more, uh, festive zen zis humble tunic if I am too zomeday play ze... melodies... I appreciate you, uh, lending your fine, aezetic... tastes? to help me look more, uh... pleazing."

[Lady Val]

Lady Val smiles. "Well, fortunately we have an exceedingly lovely foundation to work with. After all, clothes can only do so much." She winks at Joy.

"Additionally, I am sure Jaya, Keket, and Malva can also lend their tastes. We have many fashionable fae and humans living in our town, if I do say so myself." At this point she turns to Herr and gestures at his current garb as an example of fashionable yet functional attire. "Although Herr here states that he needs new robes the mixture of colours is both functional and fashionable. The green and black colour palette aids him in blending into the forest at night and eloquently captures the essence of the woods themselves while making a bold statement as to his position as a fighter. "Malva," here she gestures towards the faun herself "on the other hand uses patterns to help her blend into the forest at any time of the day with the addition of an elegant fur ruff to keep her warm on cold nights. Although you are likely looking for a performance dress adding elements to your wardrobe that aid you in fighting or hiding may be something you wish to consider."

[Lady Val]

The caravan is now well into the valley of Applevale. On either side of the road, farms can be seen set against a background of rolling hills. Rows of tilled soil roll by as the caravan travels deeper into the valley and copses of fruit trees dot the landscape. Seabirds soar in the sky and songbirds flit between the trees. To the north a murder of crows land on a field and pick at the soil. To the west grey clouds can be seen approaching and the western breeze carries a chill. It looks like it will rain later in the afternoon.

[Zar/Herr]

Herr is surprised by Lady Val's observations and is wide eyed and smiling for a few moments.
"Yeah, totally what i was going for." he thinks, smiling wider; amusingly, his only deciding facter was that the outfit looked nice together but Val was definitely right about it blending!
Herr begins to count his [name of currency?] and bargaining items in anticiption for the new equipment he'll purchase. Perhaps a sword, if he's lucky

[Lady Val]

The caravan finally arrives in Applevale. As the caravan clears the gate a wide courtyard can be seen ahead dotted with stalls and shops. The market is bustling with traders, and children scamper in among the residents.

[Joy Rosewood]

*Joy gazes out into the crowd, as if she is looking for something, or someone in particular*

"Ach, zere is so many places to go, so much shopping to do!"

[Lady Val]

The crowd parts to let the caravan through. Other carts and caravans are passing through the crowds out of and into the city. As Lady Val steers the caravan towards the inn and stables you see several stores around you. Some are dress makers, others are hatters, a haberdasher is across the street, there is a blacksmith next door to the inn, a tanner and leather working shop is on your left, and down the street is a barber and hairdresser. Other stalls and shops on the street sell specialty items such as enchanted objects, playing cards, and jewellery.

[Keket]

*keket smiled happly-
"yes Joy so much shoping so much to do so many new things to find!!! its time to mix my fashion!"

[Joy Rosewood]

*Joy turns to Lady Val and Lady Keket*

"OK, vere shud ve start?"

[Lady Val]

Lady Val looks around and spies the dress shop to their right. "Let us start here. Perhaps we can all find something to start here. I believe this shop also has a mens tailor at the back." They all enter the establishment.

[Joy Rosewood]

[OOG: How big is Applevale? Like, how many people live there? I'm assuming it's the primary trade hub for Annum?]

*The interior of the shop has a clean wood flooring adorned with plush rugs. Straight ahead there is a large wooden counter with fabric on top of it. Behind the counter is a well-dressed elf. There are four rows of clothing racks, two on either wall, two on the floor. The racks are filled with dresses of all kinds of colours, fabrics, trimmings, styles, and lengths. On the back wall to the right is an exit to the mens tailor shop. On the back right there is another room filled with what appears to be shelves with bolts of fabric. On the left wall near the back there is another room for measuring and fitting. The ceiling is high, higher than it needs to be.*

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