The Blue Dove Inn

[Luno Asherah Deactivated]

 

Well well well~

It seems you have stumbled upon the blue dove inn! Where the booze are cheap, the food is passable, and the beds are good enough. Many new arrivals to moony lake end up finding themselves here before working out a more permanent residence. Well others might just come to make a pass at a wench who wanted a pint! 

Leave your family and fears at the door! Sit down, grab a mug! Dont be concerned that no one leaves the isles! Let your worries fly away at the blue dove inn!...

Not that the new arrivals have much choice~...

Edited May 16, 2021 by Luno Asherah
Under New Management!

[DreamsnThings]

     Dreams... are a wonderful thing... you can forget your worries... your fears... your losses... you can loose yourself in memories of happier times, or your imagination... which is why waking up can be one of the most heart-wrenching things.  This is why the young widow known as Sasha Vim, greeted every morning with a sigh... before pulling herself up from her too large bed... careful not to disturb the other, empty, side of the bed... before getting up, getting dressed, and starting her day.

     As she fiddled with her bedroom door she let out a small groan as the door hinge practically screamed in her ear... she made a mental note to oil the hinges at some point... once she could afford to... making similar ones as every step she took caused the floorboards to creak... they probably just needed to be hammered back down with an extra nail or two... but she just felt like she could barely be bothered to care lately.

     then she got to the stairs... she squinted slightly trying to gauge the distance of each step as she gingerly made her way down... it had been nearly half a year since that beast clawed her right eye... but she still could not quite get used to the lack of depth perception. once she was at the bottom it was the same old same old... an empty mead hall, a barely there bar consisting mostly of a few cheep brews she could afford easily enough, and some more expensive ones that hopefully would turn into a decent profit one of these days...

     another sigh slipped from her lips as she once again realized just how dead an inn would be in a location like the slumbering isles. before a sad melancholy chuckle left her lips... heath was so sure this would be a good place to move to... saying there was a beautiful lake, a wonderful little church, and a small village that would be perfect to raise a family in... a small tear slipping down her cheek before she went ahead and propped open the front door, glancing at the little blue dove that was painted on the lightly swaying sign, before heading off to the bar, pulling out a glass and grabbing a clean...ish... rag... and started wiping away the spots... sitting down on a stool as she started waiting for something to happen... half expecting to go the full day without seeing more then one or two people looking to toss aside what little sobriety they had on a few mugs of cheap mead.

     this was just her daily life... it was normal at this point... no matter how lonely. And like that the day slowly passed, switching from one mundane chore to the next as she kept an eye on the front door, watching as the light slowly dimmed after the slowly dragging hours crawled on... simply scrubbing mugs at this point to kill time.

Edited May 28, 2021 by DreamsnThings
Wrong time of day

[Luno Asherah Deactivated]

Visiting a knight was much less eventful than Melba hoped it would be. Weren't knights supposed to be these dashing gentlemen that oozed charm? At keast that's how they were described in the story books Yara used to read her. It was truly her only frame of reference. Most of what she knew about the world outside the isles was either from memory or something she read in a book. And she had very few memories of home. It wasn't fair. Everyone else got to look back fondly on elements of their past, while she was to hold on to her ever-fading hopes of rejoining her true family. Even years later, she dreamed of those cozy little nooks in the walls of her cave. Unfortunately, that's all those little visions would ever be - just dreams that will slowly but surely trickle out of her memory until it was nothing more than deja vu.

Melba had spent a good amount of time looking for that dusty old knight. All she got was disappointment and grumbly tummy! She still had a ways to go before she would be back at her house. At least two miles. And that was much too far for this little tomte! She needed something to eat right this very second. The red head looked around as she walked, trying to see if there was anything left open this late at night. The market was closed as far as she knew, and the old man who sold midnight snacks out of his cart had moved off the island years ago. Or died. Either way, when she saw the light from the tavern, she felt relief. Maybe the owner would have something left over from dinner? Melba could only hope. The girl and her goat made their way towards the glow of the inn.

The place was empty...and so clean! This could only mean one thing... Melba sheepishly looked around and offered a bashful little smile towards the barkeep. "Excuse me. Are you closed?" 

[BladeRunner]

Meanwhile, Umbral had finished his practice. He had already picked up the rolled outfit since the one he currently had on was light, breathable, and allowed for mire freedom of movement compared to the leathers and metals. Umbral had his leather boots in though, and his outfit did nothing to hide the thick and scarred arms he bore, a testament to his career. There was a lot on his mind and he cared not for the way he looked. 

The young knight was thinking more about his family, more specifically on the shop and what his Uncle's wished to do with it. Tonight wasn't met with celebration but rather setting things up and relaxing, an early bed for the three older men. Umbral was restless, so we're Lumian, the former wanting something to eat whilst the latter most likely cooked himself something. They weren't simply bums, they knew how to cook and how to take care of themselves. 

But Umbral looked up about a half hour later and realized he had walked in circles around a block. Sighing and shaking his head, the knight sat down on a closed wood crate trying to catch his thoughts and his breath. He hadn't rested, he didn't have any lady in mind since Yshea seemed so content with remaining hidden behind those leathers and mask, and... Fir the first time, Umbral felt he had no purpose. Even with an occupation with his Uncle's, he had nothing to fight for, no fortress to siege, no settlement or encampment to reinforce... It was a confusing time for Umbral and one he may never get used to. 

It was here Umbral just looked up and found himself in front of the Blue Dove Inn... A bar too maybe? Perhaps he could skip cooking and eat here... Maybe even a drink? Standing up and grabbing the tied up and perfectly folded leather outfit, Umbral would enter into a very clean and well lit building. Seeing a woman standing there, Umbral took several steps forward before asking in a cool tone, "Excuse me miss, is this place open?" 

[DreamsnThings]

     seeing not one but two people enter one after the other questioning if the place was even open made the barmaid let out a gruff little chuckle as she went about polishing the glass in her hands. her words coming out a little softly, despite easily carrying through the silent bar "well i wouldn't call it closed, but considering you two are the first people I have seen all day I wouldn't be surprised if i had the sign on wrong..." as she spoke those words she quickly but gingerly stood up, lightly leaning to try and peak at the edge of the inns sign "it... is on open right now right? lately my mind has been wandering more then it should... so its actually a bit of a concern..." her words trailed off as she blinked a couple times... the dark circles under her one good eye becoming all the more noticeable as she seemed to catch herself... straightening up as she cleared her throat "my... apologies... yes, the blue dove in is open and welcomes both of its new guests! if you allready know what you would like I can get it for you, otherwise just let me know if you would like a menu... ah! and if you have issues with reading feel free to let me know and i can read off the menu items or just list off some highlights for you!" she caught her breath after finishing her spiel... smiling at the two of them as she stood up to try and serve them to the best of her ability.

[Luno Asherah Deactivated]

Melba stepped away from the door when Umbral walked in. She thought she had smelled something familiar on the wind, and who else would it be than the other brother? They smelled quite similar, so she was sure that they were somehow related. Though this one seemed more put together than the other. Melba set her goat down and gently placed her hand on top of its head to keep him from wandering off.  The longer she looked at the barmaid, the more she could see that the woman was worn. She'd seen the same tired look on Yara's face when they first came to the village. "An inn? I didn't even know we had an inn in this town!" The goatling at her side bleated as if he were experiencing equal surprise. "That's what I thought, Tove..." She said to him. "Oh! Where are my manners?" She giggled. "My name is Melba. I run the meat stall in the market with my mother, Yara." 

The auf looked over to Umbral and then back to the owner of  the bar before straightening up a bit and smiling. "I would love to take a menu if you have it on hand. Perhaps, if it makes it any easier on you, miss, this gentleman and I could share a table? I must say, I am quite impressed with how tidy this place is. The floor is so shiny! You must have quite the crew~" Melba's eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight of  such a clean space as she walked further into it. Her eyes scanned from the base boards to the rafters, and while she didn't expect anyone to get up that high, the rest of it was quite an impressive bit of work. "You've so quietly set up shop, haven't you, miss...?" Melba gave a small tilt of her head to indicate that she would like to know the woman to whom she spoke. 

[BladeRunner]

Umbral was about to say something when he was cut off from the shopkeeper. The poor woman looked tired if anything but still she functioned... He guessed. Umbral then heard the red headed woman, fetching he might add, ask for a table for two. She wasn't too close but if she got any closer she could tell Umbral had freshly turned soil and fragrant flower that helped cover his odor from practice and most of the shared scent him and Lumian shared. Unfortunately, he needed to cool off first in order for those scents to really come out. Umbral was caught up in the quickly changing conversation he almost forgot to introduce himself. 

Umbral pit on a warm smile that got him that love interest back at his old home, it was of course his friendly face but still, there weren't many men who looked like him or even Lumian, "My name is Umbral White. We recently moved in town and will be opening a general goods store... And smithy. Just as my friend here says, this place is sparkling, haven't been any inn as clean as here." 

The young knight couldn't help but lean against an oak chair, to his surprise the thing ever had a polished finish on it! Not many taverns or places like this were this clean. It made him almost wonder if the owner really had no one come in lately? If at all? Regardless, Umbral continued as he took a seat under one of the lamps hanging from the ceiling, "How long have you been open?"

[DreamsnThings]

     Sasha stood there for a few long moments, watching the woman as she set down a goat... raising a single eyebrow... if this bar could afford to chase off a customer she might have said something... but instead her baggy sleep deprived eye shut and crinkled as she put on a slightly over the top smile... figuring she should make due with what she got anywho. though as the tired lass was preparing to speak, the goat girl caught her a little off guard... pointing out that... she did not know that there was an inn here... at all... this slightly stunned sasha as she thought about how she set up shop about a month and a half ago... having posted up a few fliers around town... at least... she thought she did?... regardless the falter in her smile lasted only a moment as she quickly caught herself.

     "w-well hello melba, and sir Umbral..., and once again welcome to the blue dove inn... Let me grab a menu for you two then, and its no trouble having you use a couple tables... theres... plenty after all" she stated with a slight sigh as she glanced around the silent room... a little pang hitting her in the chest as she cleared her throat "T-that said id be more then happy to set you two up together if you prefer... er... table wise... that is" she went to stand.. stumbling slightly at at a mix of her exhaustion and lack of depth perception, quietly playing it off as she went about pulling out a couple menus for her new guests. listening to the two asking about her name and how long she had been open... hesitating for a few moments, she decided it would be better to short sell how long she had been around. "w-well we have been open for about... lets just say a little over a week?" she said, figuring little was subjective, and in her mind at that moment a week was close enough to a month and a half...

     quickly switching topics she walked out from behind the bar, her steps a little uneven, perhaps with a slight limp, speaking with a false cheer she replied to the red headed girl "the name your looking for is Sasha hun, its nice to meet you both" she said happily, handing out menu's to the two of them... before quietly noting "oh... uhm... lately we have been getting so few customers so the menu is currently abit more... limited then this... at the moment we just have things that would last for a while... such as jerky, hard cheeses, or other preserves... however we do have some vegetables... and i can probably whip something simple up for you that would do nicely with your alcohol? assuming you... would want some?" sasha was realizing she was stumbling abit... knowing full well she was butchering the first impression of the blue dove for her first proper customers... she was trying her best... as bad... as that may be... hoping beyond hope that this could be salvaged... even if just abit

[Luno Asherah Deactivated]

Melba accepted the menu and looked over it carefully, her large green eyes darting from one thing to the next. There were some acceptable choices it seemed. She blew a few stray curls out of her face and set the menu down. "Nice to meet you, Sasha. So...only a week? Ah, I'm sure it'll pick up then. It took nearly a month for Yaya and I to get a steady strean of customers." She said, trying to bring a hopeful air to the conversation. The girl had noticed the limp and wondered what had happened to cause it. She didn't mind the limited variety that Sasha had in stock, she was simply looking for something to make the hunger pangs go away. She picked up the menu again and looked it over as if deeply contemplating what to get.  "Hmmm....hm hm hmmm...hmmmmmmmm. I think...I shall haaaave, jerky and cheese. Her goat seemed to protest to the lack of vegetables being ordered. "And some veggies for Tove. " She said. Melba suddenly seemed to remember the mention of alcohol and perked up a bit. "Do you have mead?" She asked. The sweet honey wine was preferable to any kind of dessert for her. Yara only made it once a year, but since they'd been so busy, she doubted there was any fermenting.  

[BladeRunner]

Umbral smiled and looked over his own menu, getting comfortable inti his seat as he looked over the menu. Jerky and cheese... That's something he's grown tired of, several weeks of eating nothing but that. Still, everyone has their own version of jerky and different types of cheese, goat milk cheese blended with herb was divine if made correctly however this was not the case. Umbral did not know what Sasha had in store. Contemplating the menu, or rather pretending to, Umbral's decision rested on the words, "I suppose some cheese and jerky would do fine. And if you have mead, I would gladly have some of that. Of not, do not stress over it." 

Umbral couldn't help but notice the woman's tiredness and even her nervousness. It was clear something was up, whether they were her first or few customers or her first time giving people food or taking orders. Regardless, the woman was certainly something to look at, but Umbral kept his eyes to himself it using his peripheral to see her. Once Sasha would disappear, Umbral said to himself still looking over the menu, more or less talking absentmindedly, "You know, these selections are not bad. If she's only been open for a week and she's having this much trouble with ingredients for her meal, it wouldn't be a bad idea for me to invest into this place... Maybe I'll speak to my folks, see what I can do... Maybe hunt and gather some things, build up stick over a few days, though I'm not sure what Gjormund or Stephan might think of it..."