Changelings part I: 27 Charity Street

[steveflam]

Gorn looks at Helfried and motions to the man with his whole arm and hand to follow before turning and heading for the gardener's place.

[BigBadQDaddy]

Helfried does his best to peace-bond his battle axe with what may be available. He made no qualms about following the other two to what he interpreted to be the gardener mentioned in the letter. With some luck they would have answers.

[kintire]

The group emerges into the back garden. It runs perhaps 50 feet back and is about the same wide, with every availiable inch under cultivation. Vegetables of various kinds are packed together in well tended plots, with just a few decorative plants at the corners of the beds.

round the back of the house is a set of metal stairs, looking quite new, rising to the roof. Ascending this leads to another garden on the roof, and up here is an older but still fit looking man and a couple of boys. The man is propping a rake against the side of a small shed and seems to be about to sow a newly prepared bed with beans, while the boys weed existing beds in the steadily falling rain. As you ascend to the roof he looks up without surprise.

"Aye up?"

[VAN]

As walking across the garden Catherine admires the vegetables and the decorative plants. She has never seen something like that before, grow these at the roof of houses. When sees the man and the boys she wears her sweetest smile and says:

"Hello, Mr William Hammond I presume. I'm Catherine. May we speak with you in private for a minute sir?"

[steveflam]

Gorn observes the garden below and is impressed. Though he knows absolutely nothing about gardening, this Mr Hammond appears to know what he is doing. After getting upstairs he is impressed again. Though basically a big brute, he can still see good workmanship for what it is.

He whistles under his breath and looks at Mr Hammond. "Hey, nice garden yer gots, Hammond. You gots a nice touch with the greens. Hey, yer a citizen here. I needs a permit ter be in tha city. I need ter git a message back ter Pont A Museau to someone. Kin yer do it fer me? I kint read or write but mebbe Catherine kin write it fer ya? I'd be obliged ter ya."

[kintire]

The gardner eyes the woman and the Caliban with impassive calm

"Ayup."

He makes a very slight gesture and the boys straighten up and head back down the metal staircase out of earshot. He then turns and gazes at the Caliban

"Ayup, I reckon."

[VAN]

When they finally can speak in private Catherine says:

"Thank you Mr Hammond. I do have some questions and I will appreciate it very much if you can give us some answers. I start from the basic, where are we and how e got here. I have never seen in Richmulot a place like that with gardens on the roofs! My second question is why are we here and of course who gathered us?"

[BigBadQDaddy]

Helfried stands in the back of the group, watching the strange foreign people speak their gibberish to one another. He occasionally allows his eyes to wander off at the sight of such a fine crop in such small quarters. The caretakers of this home must be well off indeed. He had never seen such a variety either being accustomed to the vast fields of grain of his homeland.

[kintire]

Mr Hammond raises an eyebrow at the questions, but otherwise remains impassive.

"Zherisia. 27 Charity Street, Bowels Borough"

He considers for a moment as if running the other questions through his mind

"Can't say."

[VAN]

Catherine's eyes go wide from the surprise.

"Zhaerisia?! You mean Paridon! How we got here! And please don't tell me that you cannot say. I bet that you have many answers that will enlighten a bit our situation. I'm sure if you have gone to bed in your house in here and wake up in a strange place unable to move and when that passed find yourself in a house with two strangers you would seek answers as we do and believe me I would have told you everything I know. So please if you know something tell us."

[kintire]

The old man nods understandingly

"ahh. Lavender tea, ma'am. Sovrin 'at is for bad dreams and sleepin' fits. I'll brew a pot up for yer. As for yer business, I know nothing abaht it. I'm hired to do the gardens, an' not to poke my nose inter things as don't concern me."

[VAN]

"Strange, you said a few seconds ago that you can't say and now you said that you are only here to look after the garden and you know nothing about our business. Just tell us what you know, this is the only thing I ask."

[kintire]

The Gardener adopts the air of a much tried man dealing with a mad foreigner. Sense motive confirms this is genuine.

"'as right, madam, I don't know, so I can't say. 'as why I said can't say 'stead of won't say. That lawyer feller hired me to do the garden: he'd know more than I I reckon"

[steveflam]

"Awright. Thanks fer tha infermation. Catherine we should go to that address n see why we bein here." Gorn lights up another cigar and exhales.

[VAN]

Catheriene thinks for a moment to answer in same tone to Hammond but decides against it, after all they might need someone to talk to in that house. So she just nods to Gorn and motions to Harfield saying:

"Yeah, you are right lets go."