Driven in by the Wind

[Aluenna]

When the wind turned sharp, and the nights chill, Aluenna was loathe to be driven inside. Being cooped up in enclosed places was not her preferred to live. Being out in the open, mingling with all of Mother's creations was how she had always lived. Except during the winter. As the years went by, the bond she had with Mother grew stronger, making the changes in weather affected her much the same way as it affected Her.

She was not a big fan of smoky, drunk-ladened taverns and inns, and the whole 'guild' idea had never appealed to her. Not after her one and only experience. So she was aiming for the quiet, homey sort of place that reminded her of her days with Mom and Dad. Somewhere she could keep warm, and not have to worry about people crashing through sky lights. In a middle floor room.

It had taken several days of trial and error before she came across this place. It seemed simple enough. Quiet enough. Maybe this place would be an acceptable hideout through the frozen months ahead. She certainly hoped so... the considerable shivering she was doing while standing just outside the building, despite the heavy green hooded sweatshirt, long sleeved shirt beneath, and the warm brown wool pants she wore, was beginning to wear her weary.

Opening the door slowly, her head poked in, brown eyes scanning around the interior of the inn. So far, so good. There were no dirty, drunken men slumped on their barstools, drooling and belching while they swilled themselves stupid. In fact, she could see no one at all, at first. Permitting the place a chance, she slowly began to wander forward. There was a front desk up ahead, perhaps there was a bell or something.

[Epiphany]

No dirty drunken men. No bottles and trash laying everywhere. No broken windows, scorch marks, or signs of damage, the place was neat and looked fitting to the Harvest season with the rich Fall colors that accented the hallway. Even the hay barrel pyramid in the corner did not have stray strands lining the floor and the cornucopia with it's bounty was perfectly displayed. Cinnamon smells came form the area of the bar and by the front desk was a light hum and what appeared to be tips of a large red and gold wing sticking out from the sides.

The person who was back there caught sound of someone approaching and the breeze that came when someone opened the door. The wings fluttered and suddenly Epiphany, with a hair wreath of fall leaves and grapes, stood up from behind the desk. "Hello!" Her eyes were lined in dark reds that pulled out to a tip near her ears and accented with a light dusting of golden glitter and a golden blush on her face. Simple dark green bodice with a maroon tunic underneath. Topping it off were the red and gold fairy wings that actually fluttered back and forth. "I know you!"

Well, if that wasn't a greeting . . . it was warm and friendly, just as she appeared to be. Epiphany brought her hands up to rest upon the desk, the back of each hand was an elaborate silver swirl design that branched out from her finger tips and all the way up to fade before it reached her shoulder. In one hand was a graphite pencil and the other held a sketch pad, obviously she had been drawing and the pad had the beginnings of a building. A tall one with what would be a metal gate. Despite her chosen drawing tool only the tips of her fingers were a bit black, the rest was clean.

"Welcome to the Tel'Ranaemyn Inn. What can I help you with?"

[Aluenna]

The sudden appearance of the blond haired woman from behind the desk caused Aluenna to jump slightly, and take a small step backward. She was not expecting such an abrupt - or cheerful - response from someone who didn't know her. But then again, she also said she knew her. And after a few seconds of peering at the woman with those wide brown eyes, the recognition was starting to set in.

"H-hello... Epiphany, isn't it?" This woman was the leader of that castle she had stayed at. The castle with the sky lights. And now that she could remember her, the outfit she was wearing was not all that unusual. She did have a liking for eccentric dress.

Now that the shock and surprise of her sudden greeting was fading, she managed a slight smile to the woman. Taking the step back she had taken again, followed by several more to bring her closer to the desk. Hands wringing in front of her some as she neared. "I... I was hoping that there was a room available for me to rent for the winter? I need a warm place, so I don't freeze up like Mother."

[Epiphany]

So she needed a room, that wasn't a problem and something that could be easily done. Epiphany put the pad and charcoal pencil down. The shame of the matter was that though Epiphany remembered the lady at the desk she couldn't quite remember the name. Sometimes names escaped her and right now the lady's name was doing just that. There was a way to get her name and not make it obvious that she had forgotten and it went like this: "That's me, Epiphany. Though many people like to call me Pip for short. What's your nickname?"

Granted it didn't always work, sometimes people didn't have one, but this was a chance she'd have to take. Besides, she would always get her name when the book was signed. Speaking of the book Epiphany pulled it out and set it on the table. This wasn't an ordinary book, plain with only facts and figures, while the cover was dull the inside was littered with pictures scribbled into the margins and along the bottom. Small drawings of peoples faces or scenes, if Aluenna was watching as Epiphany turned the pages she might even notice that some of the pictures worked together like a story. Pretty soon the ledger may have more pictures than actually business written in it.

"Let's see what we got here. What type of room do you want?" Epiphany looked up from the book, her fairy wings flapping steadily . "We have small single bed rooms on the first floor, bigger ones on the second floor, generally designed for two people but one can fit just as well, then we have suites on the third floor. The higher you go up the more it cost." Tapping a finger against the desk she shifted in her stance putting more weight on her right side. There wasn't a price list - not one that she saw anyway - and that was probably because De'Ryanna had it memorized.

While trying to remember she reached under the desk and pulled out the contractual papers and pushed them towards Aluenna. "And this is the contract. Saying that you agree to pay, will pay for any damages you make like smashing up the furniture, putting holes in the wall, things like that. It also gives you the hours of the kitchen in case you want food from there.. You don't have to pay every time you get something from there, it'll all just go on your tab. You can pay when you leave if you want. No need to pay upfront."

The name and the prices still eluded her.

[Aluenna]

What was her nickname? That much was easy. Much like hers, Aluenna's short name was just a derivative of her full name. "Mom and Dad used to call me Lu. Or Lulu. Both of them pretty much stuck with other people as well." Perhaps that would be enough for the woman to recall her name.

The flapping of her faux fairy wings distracted the poor girl for a moment. How did she get them to move like that, if they were not real? But only for a moment, as her attention again returned to the question at hand. "Uhm... I... I think I just need a small room. It's just going to be in there, anyway... no need to have more room than what I was use."

She had already been fishing around through the pockets of her hooded sweatshirt, looking for the money she had hoped would be enough to buy her shelter, when Pip began to explain the breakdown of payment. Brown eyes turned up to her for a moment, before casting down to inspect the contract that had been set before her. As she read through the document, she was speaking. To Pip, but also almost offhandedly to herself. "Well... I guess that shouldn't be too much of a problem... paying when I am ready to leave would probably be best. That would make it easier, with meals added onto the tab."

She could see no list of prices, but she was certain the money she had made would be enough. If not, she could always do some more work during the winter months, to help cover what she would be short. So she gave a slight nod, both to herself and to Pip, as her gaze once again returned to her. "I think I would like one of your smaller rooms, then." Another faint smile offered to the woman.

[Epiphany]

"Aluenna!" Epiphany said the woman's name suddenly with a clap of her hands and then pointing her fingers at her. Yes, the girl had had an epiphany (hah!) and the name and all the other things associated with her came flooding back. Then she realized that she was not only staring but she was pointing as well. A sheepish grin as she put her hands down to busy her fingers by rattling on the opened ledger. Now she needed a recovery that didn't seem too odd.

"I would never call you LuLu." Yeah, that worked didn't it? Those wings did a nervous flutter and even slumped down a little bit. So real. Even looking at them from behind they would appear to have sprouted right from her back. "Sounds a lil close to 'loony'. Not... that you're... okay!" That was enough of digging herself into a hole, something she was doing a really good job at. Rambling. It often happened when she was nervous.

"We have a room available, it's on the first floor, down the hall to the right once you enter the floor, and it's the second door on the left. " She pulled out a key and papers. Placing them on the desk and a pen. "Here ya go, all you have to do is sign. Room 100b."

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