TaLi63372
Adventurer
Knock. Knock.
The innkeeper's nose wrinkled involuntarily as he entered. He was struck by a faint and unusual smell. The room smelled... odd. Not really unpleasant. More like unexpected with the hint that it might become foul. He looked over suspiciously at the brown-haired girl who was sitting on the floor by the bed. She smiled brightly at him as she did to most. Not the smile of deception, just truthfully pleased with simply him being there. He looked around at the room and could see nothing out of the ordinary.
She continued to smile, watching him. He looked back. "You may need a bath, " he stated. Her smile began to fade. Now her nose wrinkled at him. "I will bring you hot water. I expect by your expression you'll know what to do with it. " She looked at him as he continued speaking gibberish. She didn't want to take a bath. She simply looked at him, her nose wrinkled in silent protest.
The man named John was paying him very well to take care of the girl and he provided her with all the amenities that were at his disposal. She was given three meals a day, clean linen, hot baths, chamber pot emptied multiple times a day and he'd have her dirty clothes cleaned if he could separate them from her body. He had been a bit uneasy at learning that a child would be staying without supervision in his best room. Children were often trouble and messy and this one had come in looking and smelling as if she had been living in a swamp. He had been pleasantly surprised by her lack of trouble-making. She seemed generally good-natured with a pleasant disposition and a desire to please. In addition, she didn't make noise. In fact, barely any. The only noise he heard was an occasional garbled scream, usually at night. They usually ended abruptly and he simply moved his guests towards rooms in the back if they complained.
He looked over at the tray on the bed. He had brought her a wide variety of foods to choose from for her mid-day meal. The tray had held some shredded chicken, bananas and apples, a loaf of bread and a mug of milk. The tray was now empty except the chicken and the servingware and utensils. She had yet to eat any of the various meat he had brought the last few days. Everything else was always gone. Always.
He smiled at the child and walked over to the bed to remove the tray. She sat on the floor simply watching him as he turned to leave. "I'll get the bath sent up and have your water pitcher refilled, little miss." The door clicked behind him.
The girl laid down on her stomach and looked under her bed. She looked at her large amount of food under her bed and smiled. She always ate the round bread and drank the cloudy water. She always left the items that tasted like the Others. The non-meat items she had stashed. She rested her chin on her hands as she admired the growing pile. Several kinds of fruit, other types of bread, unshelled eggs and bowls of vegetables. One of the bananas had gone brown. One of the bowls of carrots had sprouted a sheen of fuzz. A potato had begun to grow.
The girl didn't understand spoilage. Food was always food regardless of time passed. It never became not food. The food at the First Place sometimes came with colors and hair. It sometimes came with funny smells. It was still to eat. There had been more than a few times that she had eaten something that had been spoiled so much that it had caused food poisoning. She never made the connection between eating and getting sick. After all she had eaten furry or smelly food before and not taken ill.
In the First Place, there was not much food. Sometimes you went without food because an Other took it or you were forgotten or you were bad. You never knew when it would happen. It was difficult to save food with the Others. You could never leave it as an Other would take. You never were without an Other except when you were taken to The Doctor to go to the place with bright light. You were never allowed to take it there so it became lost. The only way to keep it was to hold it all the time. It was the only way to make sure it stayed yours.
She sat up as she heard the footsteps outside the door. The innkeeper had return wearing a wrinkled nose again. The girl smiled up at him despite him carrying the bucket of smoking water. She would do what she was told to do. She was good.
The innkeeper's nose wrinkled involuntarily as he entered. He was struck by a faint and unusual smell. The room smelled... odd. Not really unpleasant. More like unexpected with the hint that it might become foul. He looked over suspiciously at the brown-haired girl who was sitting on the floor by the bed. She smiled brightly at him as she did to most. Not the smile of deception, just truthfully pleased with simply him being there. He looked around at the room and could see nothing out of the ordinary.
She continued to smile, watching him. He looked back. "You may need a bath, " he stated. Her smile began to fade. Now her nose wrinkled at him. "I will bring you hot water. I expect by your expression you'll know what to do with it. " She looked at him as he continued speaking gibberish. She didn't want to take a bath. She simply looked at him, her nose wrinkled in silent protest.
The man named John was paying him very well to take care of the girl and he provided her with all the amenities that were at his disposal. She was given three meals a day, clean linen, hot baths, chamber pot emptied multiple times a day and he'd have her dirty clothes cleaned if he could separate them from her body. He had been a bit uneasy at learning that a child would be staying without supervision in his best room. Children were often trouble and messy and this one had come in looking and smelling as if she had been living in a swamp. He had been pleasantly surprised by her lack of trouble-making. She seemed generally good-natured with a pleasant disposition and a desire to please. In addition, she didn't make noise. In fact, barely any. The only noise he heard was an occasional garbled scream, usually at night. They usually ended abruptly and he simply moved his guests towards rooms in the back if they complained.
He looked over at the tray on the bed. He had brought her a wide variety of foods to choose from for her mid-day meal. The tray had held some shredded chicken, bananas and apples, a loaf of bread and a mug of milk. The tray was now empty except the chicken and the servingware and utensils. She had yet to eat any of the various meat he had brought the last few days. Everything else was always gone. Always.
He smiled at the child and walked over to the bed to remove the tray. She sat on the floor simply watching him as he turned to leave. "I'll get the bath sent up and have your water pitcher refilled, little miss." The door clicked behind him.
The girl laid down on her stomach and looked under her bed. She looked at her large amount of food under her bed and smiled. She always ate the round bread and drank the cloudy water. She always left the items that tasted like the Others. The non-meat items she had stashed. She rested her chin on her hands as she admired the growing pile. Several kinds of fruit, other types of bread, unshelled eggs and bowls of vegetables. One of the bananas had gone brown. One of the bowls of carrots had sprouted a sheen of fuzz. A potato had begun to grow.
The girl didn't understand spoilage. Food was always food regardless of time passed. It never became not food. The food at the First Place sometimes came with colors and hair. It sometimes came with funny smells. It was still to eat. There had been more than a few times that she had eaten something that had been spoiled so much that it had caused food poisoning. She never made the connection between eating and getting sick. After all she had eaten furry or smelly food before and not taken ill.
In the First Place, there was not much food. Sometimes you went without food because an Other took it or you were forgotten or you were bad. You never knew when it would happen. It was difficult to save food with the Others. You could never leave it as an Other would take. You never were without an Other except when you were taken to The Doctor to go to the place with bright light. You were never allowed to take it there so it became lost. The only way to keep it was to hold it all the time. It was the only way to make sure it stayed yours.
She sat up as she heard the footsteps outside the door. The innkeeper had return wearing a wrinkled nose again. The girl smiled up at him despite him carrying the bucket of smoking water. She would do what she was told to do. She was good.
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