** ADMIN EDIT August 20, 2001, 3:41 pm **
As Callum tries the first door, he realises it is only latched. He opens the door slowly, it creaks slightly and reveals a bed room.
The other three doors also lead to bedrooms. All four rooms are designed to sleep 2 people.
One room has a double bed, the other three have bunk beds. All have a dresser and chest. Inspection of the dressers and chests reveal small personal items. eg a couple of odd socks, a few nails, a wooden cup and spoon. Noting of any value.
Kerim, on the other hand, stands looking at the locked door to the supposed spice pantry.
Rolf looks about, not with the keen eye of a hunter, but the distracted vision of one who's thoughts are elsewhere. Letting the others carry on the duties of looking about the places, Rolf moves back towards the nest. Once there, he looks at things more carefully, trying to see if there's a way to cross the gap or some way to climb up on that side from the ground floor.
Madelyn follows Rolf, and stands watching him for a while before she speaks up. "What is it that troubles you", she asks questioningly
Rolf stands close to the nest, uncomfortably aware of its contents. Acroos the gap in the floor and the roof, he can clearly see the other side.
Although there no clear or easy way up - Kerim, with his experience of ships masts and rigging might be able to find a way.
Rolf sighs as Madelyn questions him. "It's nothing really. It's just there are times when my duties weigh heavily on me and I fear that sir Robert's trust in me has been misplaced. What am I? A hunter, a woodsman, a man of simple needs. Yet, here I am, playing the role of a leader of men. It's a role that I fear I'm not well suited."
Rolf’s sigh rips at Madelyn’s heartstrings and she listens intently to what he has to say. When he has finished, she moves in closer ignoring her surroundings.
"Rolf you cannot talk like that", she says firmly but gently, "If Earl Richard didn’t think that you were capable of doing the job, he would not have promoted you to constable". She stands opposite Rolf her eyes daring him to disagree with her, but gentleness dances around the edges. "I can think of no one better suited to the roll, and no one that I would rather take instruction from". She eases a little and her care for this man in front of her shines through. "I’m having no more talk like that", she says with a hint of joviality, and taking his hand she turns to lead him back to the others, but hesitates in the doorway, "were you in here for another reason?"
Rolf's eyes turn inwards and his head nods slightly in an unconscious gesture. "Aye, perhaps I am capable of doing this job. But capable and well-suited are not the same thing. Some are born to lead, some to follow. I never felt I stood rightly in either camp."
As Madelyn asks after other reasons, Rolf glances back at the 1st floor beyond the collapsed area. "No, no other reason." He allows himself to be led back to the others. He puts his best face on things, but his thoughts are still elsewhere.
Perched on Mandrake's shoulder, Edgar observes the search of the rooms.
"Nothing of value," he says, "Whilst those who dwelled here left all the furniture behind, they had time to gather their possessions ... for surely thieves would not sniff at the profit on a finely made table ? Less portable, but perhaps worth the effort."
He snaps his beak in consternation. "I cannot believe that even thieves would leave valuable spices behind, even were the original inhabitants so careless as to overlook them ... for seemingly they left in good order, albeit hastily. I do not believe that the locked door conceals mere spices."
He quietly caws approval at Rolf's reconnaissance, thinking, perhaps mistakenly, that the Constable is seeking some way to get into the locked room from above.
Kerim looks distracted by the birds twittering, still not sure that animals should speak, well apart from Captains parrots which is of course normal. Being good at handling animals, he'd rather not have to persuade them with small talk to do his bidding, no he is used to much simpler means.
His earlier aquiesence for Edgar dropped, he gives the talking raven a moderately demanding glare, as you would have seen him give to his mules to re-establish his role of authority. Perhaps he is trying to guage just how much an animal, if at all, this bird really is.
"Oceans there are that have fumed salt upon my skin, hour upon relentless hour, day after
1000
countless day. Above, a sun has cut deep under my skin with it's warmth for as long as I can remember.
Is it not clear to see that none of us believe but even an aroma of spice would be left, let alone behind a door? Plain it is indeed, even as it should be to you, that sealed from within waits whomever has sealed that without."
Kerim indicates in the direction of the sirens nest.
"A mistake it would be indeed to discredit that in such a gentle ruin as is this place we could believe that beyond this," - he says, indicating the still solid and serviceable door that has defeated both brains and brawn - "is whomever chose to stay. Now, intend I now do to find a further entrance. Hardly can I credit such vigilance in this place without this doors owner not having devised a way past it's unwelcome sentinel."
Kerim starts to walk of and then halts, a startled expression on his face. He looks to Edgar, squinting his eyes, unaware he uses human expression to convey subtle meanings to a bird that might not understand.
"Indeed, but I would find such a sentinal amongsth the finest guardian for a door I did not wished open, if trained to my liking that were."
A little more concerned for the parties recent victory now that he carries the thought further "Perhaps in besting the doors guardian we have delivered an inslut beyond repair? Were that it I then indeed I might well have little acceptance for those completing the deed. Mmm."
Kerim obviously still feels that someone is alive and well behind the door, and now that they set the siren their to guard their door. He stands there poised to knock on the door, a look of apology written on his face...
Callum, his pride bruised more than his shoulder, looks disinterestedly around the rooms, seeing nothing to either attract his attention or alarm him.
"If any of ye have an axe, I'll be making short work o' yon locked door." he suggests. "Or I'll be out after a tree branch. I'm thinking that they never had the time to take their valuables away so they were after locking them up instead?"
Peter follows the other up the stairs. "Just bed rooms ..." he comments as the doors are opened.
"Much as I thought." Rolf says absent-mindedly in response to Peter's summation. Then he looks over to Callum, "We'll see to the door soon enough Callum, let us finish exploring the rest of the house. One of us ought to be able to climb up there and check out the other half of the upper floor."
Peter just nods at Rolf's summation.
Edgar returns Kerim's glare in kind, fixing his unblinking gaze upon the sailor.
"Your sense of smell is superior to mine," he allows, "but if my doubts were shared by all then why did no other give them voice ?"
"And if the bird-woman was their pet," he puts heavy emphasis on the word, "then I doubt that they, whoever they may be, would have been inclined towards friendliness anyway."
He greets Callum's suggestion with a caark of approval, his beak dipping up and down as he nods his agreement, sharing the tall warrior's curiosity as to what lies behind the door, though the cry fades away in disappointment as the Constable countermands the action.
Settling back on Mandrake's shoulder, he makes himself comfortable for a long wait.