A traveling clockmaker's predicament (closed)

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"Hmm.. I know towns very well, and while I enjoy traveling my job wouldn't exist without them." Kano eyed him as he did the cartwheel listening as his cane clanked against a rock for a moment. Only chuckling a little under her breath when he stumbled. "While I'm happy for the company as well, I'm fine with that." Pushing her way into the inn, she paused for a moment as her cat came running with a rat in his mouth.

Releasing the door Kano watched her cat lean against it to hold it open before stepping inside. The place was busy as to be expected due to the time and if either of them wanted attention they would have to head over to the counter first.

[Red_Tower]

Bill walked through the inn door right behind Kano, careful to not step on the cat on the way in. "I'm going to get our sleeping arrangements in order, do you want me to get you anything to eat?" He asked, already looking for the best way to get through the crowded common room to the counter.

((Busy=short post))

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"No, I'm fine. Thanks though," Kano looked down at her cat as it pawed at her coat. 'Jeeze cat... No.' "Hey Tuono, clear a path would you?" The cat dropped the small kill and went darting between legs and in general making people clear just enough for a person to get through. "It wont last."

(Same, I have a lunch to eat and work to get to. >.<)

[Red_Tower]

"Alright." Bill muttered as he darted through Tuono's opening in the crowd, making a quick dash to the counter and getting the innkeeper's attention. The man came over after finishing with another customer, his plump belly wobbling as he walked over.

"What can I help you with?" He asked while stroking his thick beard, leaning on the counter. Bill pulled out his coin pouch and started feeling around in it.

"I need to get a room for the night. Two beds." Bill said, placing a small pile of gold coins on the counter as he scanned the room to see where Kano was.

[Deleted]

Kano stood giggling as a drunk woman screamed at the sight of the dead rat as she had not moved more than a few steps upon entering. Tuono was perched on her shoulder staring at his catch waiting for the woman to stop panicking. Near Kano was several tables and a couple men arguing over who was more drunk sat a little was from her current standing position.

The path was long gone, and neither of the pair were going anywhere with the sudden thickness of crowd around them. A group of shrieking women a bit to the let of them were either panicking about the rat or yelling at each-other, there was little difference anyways. Men to the right were downing drinks and arguing, with little laughter in the place aside from the silent air-driven laughter of the shifter. Speaking of which she was going to need air soon and it had started to hurt.

Kano straightened shaking her head and grinning while regaining the breath she had lost. "Go on Tuono, pick up your dinner and get me out of here," The cat hopped down and picked up the rat before walking into the crowd staying only a few paces in front of Kano. It was going to be troublesome for the pair as the crowd moved around them and a clear path was now impossible.

[Red_Tower]

Bill finished with the innkeeper, grabbing the key as he saw the thick crowd. Arguing and screaming, he was glad he was on the edge, but Kano and Tuono were still on the other end of the room, with no way over. "Come on, you can think of something... Got it" He thought for a moment, before quietly tapping his staff on the ground, causing the dirt and dust on the floor to collect together into a snake shape, wiggling its way towards his two companions. Once someone noticed it, letting out a scream, the people around them rushed for the door. By the time they reached it, the phantom snake was gone, and for just a moment, the path was clear.

Bill gestured her over, slowly moving towards the stairs near the counter that lead to the rooms above. "Would have been more fun with fire..." He muttered to himself as the remaining pile of dirt already began to get spread out again.

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The sudden rush of people had startled Kano, and her fuzzy companion had a line of puffed furr down his spine. Her movements were fast and accelerated as she made her way over, betraying the fact that her even pacing had been meant specifically for traveling. People began filling back in, and the smile on the shifters face proved that she was holding back giggles.

She made it over to Bill before to many were back inside, cat now at her heels staring at the two expectantly. "Hello again," The power to her eyes had surged at the sudden rush of people was gone and the flash of glowing red would have been blurred and blocked by the rush for the door but this didn't mean she couldn't feel the repressed energy, and giggles.

[Red_Tower]

"Hello, thought you could use a hand." Bill said, grinning as she returned to his side. "Wanna head up and get situated?" He asked, leaning against the side of the stairs, watching as the inn filled up again rapidly, people already forgetting that anything had happened, going back to arguments and shouting about. "Self-consumed fools..."

[Deleted]

"Sure." The word was strained and almost imperceptibly to high. This was of course due to her need to laugh. Kano was someone who upon getting tired enough gained forced energy that if not stopped to sleep soon after the energy would prevent her from settling and cause her to keep going until there was no energy left. This also the point were almost everything is hilarious.

Tuono gave a muffled mew and hopped up the first few steps before turning and looking at the shifter. "Fine, fine." Kano started up the steps with her cat next to her. "Which room is it Bill?" She asked turning to look at him as soon as she reached the top of the steps. She no longer was holding back laughter but felt as if instead of walking all day she had sat down and eaten a bucket of sugar.

(I'm one of these people, so the description ought to be pretty accurate. >.<)

[Red_Tower]

Bill was grinning as he saw the look on Kano's face. He pointed down the hallway once he reached the top of the stairs. "Next to last room on the left, here's the key." He said, handing her the key, starting down the hallway, making sure he stayed out of the shifter's way. He started muttering strange words under his breath, pulling his flute off his staff.

The hallway was lit well enough by a window at the end, and there were lanterns hanging between doors that would be lit in the evening. There were muddy tracks leading to most of the doors, caked on after countless tenants heading to there rooms fresh off the trail. Besides this though, the inn seemed clean enough.

[Deleted]

The cat stared at him as Kano bounded up to the door and fumbled with the lone key as it was poorly cut and gave her trouble in entering the lock in the first place. Huffing a bit she jammed it all the way in and turned it opening the door inwards and following the handle. Once inside the room she began to fight the lock once again for the key. With a bit of a growl and a yank that was a little to harsh given the circumstances the shifter got the key out, noting that the place had bad keys, and locks.

The girl then turned to look at the beds, noting that one was larger and softer than the other and walking over to the smaller one and seating herself on it. It was the same kind of bed she had during her time as an apprentice so the relative hardness was fine with her, it was still softer than the trees she often slept in while traveling. Not to mention the giant boulders Kano occasionally chose to lay on in the summer seeing as travel was less dangerous then with many animals finding it to warm to do much during the day and night predators saw little need to traverse the large stones to find prey.

Realizing that with the amount of items stored within her many coat pockets she should probably take that off along with the diagonally hanging black bag on her back containing several other coats similarly equipped with pockets that lacked anything inside. Kano lifted the bag over her head and placed it near the end of the bed, finding a new sense of caution as she removed her coat. The fabric was light, yes, but with the amount of metal she carried simply shrugging it off would create quite the clamor. She simply placed it to the side and listened as bits of things clinked and it was made obvious she only carried one weapon among all the metal. This done she laid back all the way and stared at the ceiling.

(Hello, I'm back. Allow me to kill you with a post that may be even larger than the start of the thread. So sorry.)

[Red_Tower]

Bill was quick to follow her through the door, quickly tracing the frame of the door with his flute, before ceasing his muttering and putting the flute back on his staff. He saw that she had left him the nicer bed, feeling a ting of guilt for the waste of the nice bed, before quickly tossing his brown leather satchel on the bed and throwing off his nice coat and hanging it on the top of his staff, propping it on the wall. Now in his worn black undershirt, he hobbled over to the wash basin, rubbing his face for a minute. He kept glancing over his shoulder at Kano, thinking something was off. "Oh, you don't mind not having the room divided, do you? I've just gotten use to not worrying about it..." He asked, going over to his bag and pulling out a small potted plant, setting it in the window on the other end of the room.

Bill walked back to his bed and took his boots off, leaning back a bit, watching his companion and her cat. He gave the cat a toothy grin, nodding his head back as though to summon it over.

((Hiya! Welcome back; feeling better I hope? Also, since you mentioned it... First post: 229 words This Post: 375 But it's cool, I don't mind at all )

[Deleted]

"Oh no I don't mind, I got used to this sort of thing ages ago," Her voice held the air of continued thought on the subject but lack of words. 'The old man would've fought for this bed though, he always did lose funny enough.' If there was anything odd that Bill was detecting it was most likely the fact that Kano had to convince herself that no she really was tired and yes the thing that should be happening now is sleep not an in-depth analysis on her cat.

Most her age would have been out the instant they laid back yet being an oddball Kano was stuck forcing her mind to shut up. Tuono on the other hand was just waiting to eat, but seeing as the man he was staring at wanted something the feline deposited his food a step away from the shifter's bag. Trotting over he gave an inquisitive "Rrr?" to prove he was paying attention and find out what the man wanted.

'I wounder how many stars I could count from the roof of the inn. Would I even see them? What do you think they're made of? The old man had better be okay, I guess he was right to send the kitten I found and raised along side his cats after me. Not like I didn't get into any trouble there, still why the cat and not oh say, the dog?....... Am I asleep yet?... Nope.' The internal ramblings of the girl prevented sleep from simply passing time and regaining energy. Still while this was useful at times now was not one of them and if she had any hopes of not simply collapsing during the trek tomorrow it was necessary.

(Curse my variable writing pace. Yes I am, thanks for understanding.)

[Red_Tower]

While Bill beckoned Tuono over, he reached his other hand into his bag and pulled out a small brown grainy looking bar. He reached his free hand down to scratch behind the cat's ear, holding the bar out at the same time. It had a smell like a fish, dead mouse, and vanilia.

After this he sat back a bit, looking over at Kano. He could tell from her breathing that she was still awake, which seemed off to him after the trek that morning and no sleep the night before. "Got something on the mind?" He asked her, still intrigued by this girl. "Just who is she? Something about her..." He grinned for a moment as his thoughts seemed to drift away, waiting.

((Sorry for the short post, kinda tired. Been really busy and working hard the past few days, getting up early and getting to sleep late.))

[Deleted]

Tuono gently grabbed ahold of the bar, his whiskers brushing against the hand that held it. The orange feline purred then trotted over to the rat and placed the bar down to be eaten after he finished with the meal he had been carrying the entire evening.

There was a pause after Bill spoke but Kano did respond. Her answer lacked the bounding energy of earlier and carried her annoyance at herself easily enough, "Anything and everything. Always," She gave a huff and went back to the daunting task that was getting to sleep. Succeeding about the time Tuono finished the rat. Picking up the bar the ginger tom trotted over to the large bed near Bill and hopped up. The cat began to chew on it while starring at the man and purring, thankful for the treat and doing what a cat could to eat it.

(It's fine.)