Trouble Right Here in River City!

Juste Rivers, Hobbit of the River Lands

Juste Rivers hums and sings, mostly out of tune as he skips around his little hobbit house, putting the finishing touches on the foods for the evening market.

Juste Rivers: "Dis 'ere strawberry goes right der," the hobbit sings, dropping the big berry on top of a pie. "And dis 'ere goes wif da pig chops," he sings sliding some mushrooms onto the plates.

Juste Rivers skips about, clapping his little hands together as his tongue lolls out the corner of his mouth, a habit which seemingly helps him concentrate.

Juste Rivers packs all the dishes securely into a big wicker basket and heaves it up into his arms. His knees buckle a bit as he makes his way out of his cottage, arms wrapped around the big basket, grunting and moving in a crouch.

 Juste Rivers: "Argh," he lets out a loud cry as his hairy foot catches on something on the ground and the basket falls from his arms, taking him down with it.

Juste Rivers: "Wut dat?" he mumbles as he flails about the ground, caught up in a heap of blood stained and torn clothes. And as he rises, and sees the blood on his own clothes, his arms begin to flail and he does a dance, hopping from foot to foot, screaming at the top of his lungs, "The dowries done kilt someone.... the dowries done kilt someone...."

Juste Rivers looks at his huge basket of foot and lickity split, he leaps over it and runs toward Cheshire screaming  over and over as his puny arms flail in the air, "The dowries done kilt someone...."

Fitheach Eun: As Fit nears the bridge, she hears someone shouting and runs in that direction.

Fitheach Eun sees Juste running wildly and shouts to him, "Juste what is wrong?"

Juste Rivers sees Fit, and begins to run in circles around her, flailing his arms, "The dowries done kilt someone..." and he charges off toward Cheshire running as fast as he can.

Fitheach Eun runs after him, "Juste where?"

Fitheach Eun:  "Where is someone killed?"

Juste Rivers pushes past the people setting up for market, knocking one fellow down and just keeps running till he pushes open the doors of the inn, runs behind the counter and cringes under it.

Fitheach Eun leaps the fallen man and runs behind Juste into the tavern just in time to see him crouch down.

Fitheach Eun: "Juste, calm down; no one is after you. What did you see?"

Juste Rivers: "Missy Fit, Missy Fit, da dowries done kilt someone. Dey is a pile of bloody clothes at da glen and me knows it bees one of da hobbits," he says cringing and crying in his little corner.

Fitheach Eun: "I will go look; you stay here, Juste and have some tea." Fit nods at Betha and leaves still running.

Juste Rivers raises his arm up over his head, whimpering still, mumbling about the dowries. He manages to grab onto a chunk of bread from the counter and sits there munching it for after all food is the only thing that might calm him down.

Contessa Lacombe walks into the tavern and finds it empty.

Contessa Lacombe: "Betha, where is everyone?"

Contessa Lacombe: "Juste, is that you back there?"

Juste Rivers: "Missy Tessa," he says in a whiny, almost kid like voice, peeking up, his eyes level with the counter, his little hands digging into it.

Contessa Lacombe: :"Juste? Whatever is going on?"

Juste Rivers falls back down into his corner, one arm wrapped tight about himself as he chews on the big chunk of bread, "Dey coming fer me, Missy Tessa. Dey gone kill mees dead is whut dey gone do."

Contessa Lacombe: "No.  You stay there.  I'm going to look for Fit."

Juste Rivers: "NOOOO," he screams. "Da dowries be killing da peoples Missy Tessa."

Contessa Lacombe grumbles, "Drow."

Contessa Lacombe: "I'll be back."

Juste Rivers: "Dey gone kill mees. Dey gone kill Missy Tessa. Den dey gone kills all da people in da lands," he mumbles. And as a sidebar, "Den who da hobbit gone do da cooking fer?"

Aldina Gratly walks into the tavern

Aldina Gratly: "Why Juste, whatever are you doing back there?"

Juste Rivers hears the door open and cringes tighter into a small ball under the counter.

Juste Rivers: "Mees nots 'ere. Just Betha bees 'ere now," he whimpers.

Aldina Gratly: "What are you talking about? Dowries?"

 Aldina Gratly: "Juste, come out. It is okay. There are no dowries here."

Juste Rivers: "Missy Dina, is dat yous or one of dem dowries in disguisables?" he asks peering up, his eyes again level with the counter.

Aldina Gratly: "It is me, Juste. Dina."

Aldina Gratly walks around the counter, "Come my little friend. Let's sit and have a bit to eat, shall we?"

Juste Rivers: 'No, mees can't leaves 'ere. Da dowries done kilt one of da hobbits and dey is coming after mees next."

Aldina Gratly inwardly cringes, "What did you say? A hobbit is dead?"

Aldina Gratly: "Well, that counter is not gonna stop a Drow."

Juste Rivers nods, taking anothe big bite of bread, "Dey done kilt one of da hobbits in da glen," he says holding up his bloody hands.

Aldina Gratly: "Lets' go wash those hands shall we? Then we will have a bite to eat."

Juste Rivers: "Wells, maybe mees could eats a little bit. You sure der be no dowries out der?"

Aldina Gratly touches Juste's hands, "Let me see..." and she goes into a trance. "Let me see......ohhhhhh.....nooooo......looks like a demon but not sure...." and she jumps back as if she were slapped.

Aldina Gratly: "Juste wash your hands at once!"

Juste Rivers: 'WHUT BEES DA MATTER," he shouts startled and begins shaking his hands. ""Da demon done gots me, da demon done gots me" and he begins to run around inside the inn in circles, flailing his puny arms

Aldina Gratly: "Juste stop it! The Demon has NOT got you."

Aldina Gratly: "But, you eating with bloody hands, not good."

Juste Rivers jumps up and down trying to shake the blood from his hands, "The demon done got on me, Missy Dina. It gone sorb into me and make me like one of dem dowries."

Aldina Gratly grabs him, "Stop!"

Aldina Gratly "Come, let's wash up shall we? Then we will sit in the corner by the fire."

Juste Rivers jerks to a halt, almost falling as she grabs hold of him, "We gots to 'ide  Missy Dina. We gots to 'ide fore dem dowries gets us."

Aldina Gratly: "Well they wont get us right now. so let's wash up and eat."

Juste Rivers looks up at her now quite serious. "Does you got some of dem turkey legs mees likes?"

Aldina Gratly decides to lie and says "Yes."

Juste Rivers: "Mees will quit running if you gives me one," he says with a big kid hopeful look on his face.

Aldina Gratly: "Umm let me check my bag," fumbles around and sighs. "They are all gone."

Juste Rivers: "You done et dem all? And you did not save even da one fer da mergencies?"

Juste Rivers: "Mees 'eard you 'ad da sight Missy Dina."

Aldina Gratly: "Um yes I do, Juste. But, no one believes me."

Juste Rivers stomps his foot, "Den why did you nots know to save me one of dem turkey legs for dis mergency?"

Aldina Gratly: "Because I got frightened and ate it?"

Aldina Gratly: "Now, please go wash your hands. It is making me quite ill."

Juste Rivers grumbles and goes behind the counter, collecting plates of food, "Mees got da works to do.

Aldina Gratly: "Wash those hands!"


MEANWHILE, back at the hobbit glen ---

Fitheach Eun reaches the hobbit glen and wanders through looking for what Juste described.

Fitheach Eun checks the small houses and their yards carefully but sees nothing until she approaches the bridge.

Fitheach Eun notices  a dark shadow on the ground and approaches it carefully.

Fitheach Eun: Bending down, she examines the small pile of clothing, ripped and covered in blood; taking out her dagger she pokes through it, finding a small arm bone and several finger bones all hobbit sized, but nothing more.

Fitheach Eun: Sadly she pulls out her cloak and wraps the remains up in it so they could have a proper ceremony. There are no tracks to be seen and no trail of blood leading away, whoever or whatever did this has disappeared without a trace.

Fitheach Eun stands and looks at the blood on the ground and implores the fire spirits to come and cleanse it; lifting a hand to them in entreaty.

Fitheach Eun: There is a flash and all the blood is gone leaving only charred grass.

Fitheach Eun looks up towards the castle and wonders if the druid is home.

Fitheach Eun wraps the remains more tightly and decides that town is the better bet; walking slowly she heads that way.

Contessa Lacombe: runs along the edge of the river

Fitheach Eun: As Fit approaches the river she sees Tessa running towards her

Fitheach Eun: "Greetings Tessa."

Contessa Lacombe: "Fit? What's going on? Juste is mumbling about a Drow killing hobbits."

Fitheach Eun: "We seem to have a problems, someone or something has killed one of the hobbits."

Contessa Lacombe: "What? Who? Could you tell who it was?"

Fitheach Eun: "I cannot tell; there was little left to identify; what there is is wrapped in this cloak."

Fitheach Eun: "I was hoping to find the Druid or one of the guards."

Fitheach Eun looks tat Tessa sadly, "Let's head back into town."

Fitheach Eun: "Whoever this is deserves a proper ceremony."

Contessa Lacombe follows Fit across the bridge.

Fitheach Eun walks into the market carrying the bundle which shows blood soaking through the cloak. Everyone goes silent and draws back looking at it.

Contessa Lacombe: "Where should we put her....him?"

Fitheach Eun walks up to the guard house and carries the bundle inside. placing it by the end of one of the benches.

Fitheach Eun: She looks at the guard captain soberly and says softly: "This hobbit has been violently killed, please make sure the proper ceremonies are done."

Contessa Lacombe: "Fit, shouldn't we tell Jaek?"

 Fitheach Eun turns to Tessa: "Yes if we can find him."

Contessa Lacombe: "Shall we start at his castle? Or maybe his cottage?"

Fitheach Eun: Let me ask the guard.

Fitheach Eun turns to the guard captain: " Have you seen the Druid this evening, cousin?"

Fitheach Eun: The guard captain nods and say the Druid had gone into the forest earlier and had not yet returned.

Fitheach Eun looks at Tessa; " I do not know if it makes sense to follow him? We do not really know which way he went."

Contessa Lacombe: "I don't know. I'm afraid that if we do, we will just miss him."