Countryside Air
~closed, with @bandofmerrytravelers~
The Mighty Nein took their first step into a small village not long before dusk. They spent a few moments circling the town, looking for an inn of some sort, only to come up empty handed no matter where they looked. After asking a friendly native to the village, they were informed to look around for a lady named Merabelle. They were told she resembled a typical cow, and decided to split up to fine her.
Caduceus walked the streets slowly, making sure to take a brief moment to look over every person he passed. As he took in big, deep breaths of the fresh air, he was reminded a little of his home. He soon found himself by a fence near some farmland. He bent down next to a stock of some unknown vegetable with a smile on his face.
“Hey there,” He said gently, “can you help me, little friend? I’m lookin’ for someone. Their name’s Merebelle. You know ‘em? It’d be real helpful if you could tell me where to look for ‘em.”
The farmstead was called Hollowpoint Farmstead. It was a large, sprawling field. It featured a cute, red barn too. It was honestly the perfect farm.
“Ah well hello, darlin’! You’ve succeeded in your mission.” A cowfolk approached him. “I’m Merabelle Ainsley.” She smiled brightly.
She was wearing a simple set of overalls with a linen shirt underneath. Her long black and white hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Gentle, brown eyes looked over the firbolg.
“Oh!” Caduceus looked up at Merabelle, and smiled softly. He slowly stood up, leaning on his staff a little. “I was told to look for you. My friends and I are looking for a place to stay for a few nights while we travel.”
He patted the coin purse attached to his belt. “We can pay almost any price you ask. Or, if there’s some other form of payment, I’m sure we can take care of that as well.”
“Oh, Of course, honeycomb!” She looked around, “how many of ya are there?” Her voice was happy and almost like a song. Her tail slightly swished behind her. A big bright smile was plastered on her lips.
“Oh, now now. Don’t even worry about coin. We certainly could use a bit of help on the farm, but no need to feel forced.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Just as a warning, I have a few younger siblings and the folks so it’s a bit crowded. There’s always space for a few more though.”
“Uh…” Caduceus held his hands up, his eyebrows knitting together as he tried to count. “Seven, I think? I’m not very good at counting. I’ll be sure to try to help you out a bit around. If you have any lifting that needs to be done, there’s a few of us that are pretty strong.”
He smiled at the mention of siblings. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I grew up with a pretty big family myself, so it’ll feel like home to be somewhere crowded again.”
She nodded, mulling it over. “Alright! We can work with that. Y’all must be starving. Dinner will be ready soon so I’ll go tell my folks. The house is right up this dirt path.” She pointed out the path for him. “So just come on up when yer all ready.”
Caduceus nodded. “Thank you. I’ll go find the others and bring them around soon. I’m sure they’ll all be pleased to meet you and stay with you.”
He had a huge smile on his face. Caduceus waved to Merabelle as he wandered off to find the others. He was super excited to meet the Ainsley family. Maybe they’d be like his family.