#odyssey

"He is old. He's been here before anything." The younger pipes up. "Manman says if you upset him, he will call a Douen to eat you up."

"Oh" A curious look, this doesn't sound like a typical fae

"What's a Douen?"

"Probably, if he's a witch-doctor."

Eyes wide, now they chatter in turn. "It is a monster - " "No, it was once a man! With feet on backwards - " "Wi, and knees too, and NO face!" "...wears a hat to cover their face, but just a small mouth, and they will call to children from the forest, in your parents voice, until you are lost- " "And then they EAT YOU!" "Non, they raise you into another Douen!"

"Wow" She walks with the fishing spear hoping no one noticces this as odd

As they continue on the trail, they are heading into a town. Small houses line the roads, no air conditioning but with wide windows and open doors, most with gardens or vegetable plots out front. They pass folk heading down to the beach, some with fishing gear, a few obvious tourists, and there are folk hanging out, there is a pair of older men bickering over a card game while seated in folding chairs in front of a restaurant, there is a local lady being dragged by a trio of children over to a shaved ice shop.

The fishing spear gets less glance than Thistle does, but her rainbow attire isn't that out of place, where clothing tends towards the bright and colorful. Her hair, however, gets a few glances!

Thistle is ALL eyes!

New colors, bright paint, vibrant greenery... new chimera?

Gwen admires,, it's clearly full of characters. She watches for pick pockets

"...Wish I'd brought my sketchbook..."

But.. kinda cute?

Finding nothing edible in the shoe, it trails along behind Thistle, still attempting the occasional peck at her.

Art blinks and tries to shoo it away with a foot, only to get a HISS at him, and he steps back.

"I sure hope that's not one of those turn you to stone things" she mutters

"Would you need to worry?" Art murmurs back, curiously. "We could experiment..."

"I think it's a cockatrice?"

"Crap. I hope that monster manual thing isn't right about them"

"You like chicken? The best chicken, is over there, Tonton Dajuan, he makes jerk chicken." The boys take their duties seriously, and soon they are stopped outside what looks like a small tourist shop, the walls filled with pottery and drums, beaded strings and colorful scarves, and so on. "This is Sanctuary!"

She drifts towards the pottery.

The little beast doesn't appear to have any particular power, at least that they can see, other than getting underfoot and trying once again to strike at Thistle's shoelaces.

"Oh! Thank you!"

"As promised!" More candy - a packet of skittles, this time.

"You need more tours, you ask around for Louis." The elder says, "And Louis!" The younger pipes in. Both pronounced, "Louie".

Citrine COMPLAINS loudly! Chime! CHIME!

SHE was promised skittles!

The candy has already vanished as the boys run off to share it... and an old, wizened man with dusty brown skin that looks almost grey with age appears in the back of the shop, as if called in by a door chime. The door was quiet, though. Citrine was not.

"Who's there, eh?"

She kenns

The old man is fae, it is clear, and though she's likely never met one that is black before, Gladiola has no trouble recognizing a sluagh.

"Greetings, Elder." Respectful

He gives the trio a suspicious look. "Are you here for shopping? Or are you here for business?" A doorway behind him leads into a back room.

Thistle is DISTRACTED

She's holding the red piece, peering at it and turning it at angles to catch light.

"Apologies, Elder... she loves this stuff."

He notices her looking at that one and watches curiously. Art edges past her trying not to bump a shelf. "Do you know a Mister Judge?"

That catches his attention. "Just Judge, is they call me. Who's asking?"

Art looks to the girls, then answers, "We are. I have a letter here, from a... relation? Of yours?" Offering over the sealed letter he got from Mister Aberdeen. He had told the other two about it, a letter of introduction.

Gwen sure hopes the letter doens't talk much about Variches

The man takes the letter and examines the seal... then opens it, and scans over it, squinting a bit to read the fine lettering. A look of surprise, and he steps aside, and points them into the back room. "Come in and have a set. You, miss - bring that piece, wi?" To Thistle. He eyes the spear that Gwen carries and says, "Mayhaps you can feel safe without that fish-sticker." A suggestion.

"Oh! Sorry!"

"Sorry, Elder" She puts it in the corner "My regular spear is at home, is this okay?" meaning the corner she has put it in

"Coming!" She brings the piece.

He nods, approvingly, and leads them further into the shop. He doesn't bother to close or lock the front door, leaving the main shop unattended.

In the back room, there are more shelves of goods. Rows of candles, soaps and sprays called "go away evil", and potions that claim to either attract a new partner or stop an existing one from leaving. Charms of all sorts, and much that glimmers of glamour.

The little chimera stopped short outside the door, it seems, and dare not cross the threshhold here. Citrine clings close to Thistle, on one shoulder.

She eyes the love charms and blushes

Not all is so pleasant. A small sack is labeled "grave dirt", there is a jar filled with what look like dried lizards, a tin of rusty nails, miniature carved coffins, masks with contorted expressions.

"We mean no disrespect to you or your home, Judge," She says and looks to Thistle, as this is her quest and her sister

Somehow she gets the feeling her knighthood doesn't give her any pull here