The morning arrives once more, cool and crisp, as Zandrianna wakes up and stretches in her bed. Looking over at where her daughter lies sleeping, she briefly debates the wisdom of closing her eyes for a few more minutes, but shaking her head she decides that if she is awake, she may as well be up. Slipping out from beneath the warm covers, she heads to the dresser, where a large bowl of water and a washcloth lay ready for her to clean up.
The night had been almost peaceful, she mused, as Althessia had only once woken in hunger, and Zandrianna felt rested. Grabbing her dress and shoes, she made herself ready, before going to tend the sleepy babe who had just begun to stir.
Once they were both ready, she went down to breakfast, the smells of fresh bread and frying eggs enticing. As she ate, she casually spoke with the waitress about many things and, upon mentioning that she needed apples, the young woman nodded and said there was a fine apple farm just up the road that Zan should go visit. Interested, Zan listened as the woman told her where to find it, and paying for her meal, Zan bundled up her daughter for the walk up the road.
She finally came across a large orchard of apples, their sweet scent filling the air. After several minutes of looking, she finally found the farmer responsible for them and after a brief chat about the cool weather and the coming winter, she told him what she needed. He nodded, looking out on the trees. "I tell you what. Usually I have people pick their own, but seeing as you have the wee one and all," he motions to Althessia, "I'll gather them up for you, and only charge you 10s more." Finding his offer acceptable, Zan nods and goes to sit under a tree, as she watches them man grab a basket and quickly get to work, looking over the apples on a well-laden tree.
As she sat, she cuddled her daughter to her and watched as a stray butterfly crossed their path, on the way to seek any stray flowers it could find. The weather being cool, she had added a small blanket around Althessia to keep her warm, which she spent a moment adjusting to make sure the chill stayed away. Having done that, she looked up to the sky, briefly watching a cloud make its way past the sun, and let her mind wander.
A tap on the shoulder roused her from her daydreams and, looking up, she saw the farmer standing over her, a smile on his face and a beautiful red apple in his hand. "Thought you might like one for the road," he said, handing it down to her. She gave him a returned grin and a heartfelt thanks as she got to her feet to settle her bill with him. Once she had made sure he knew where the apples were to be delivered, she took a bite out of the one he had handed her, tasting the juicy sweetness of the apple, with just a bare hint of a tart undertone. Eating the apple on the way back to the stables, she soon had her bags packed on her steed, herself and her daughter carefully seated, as she headed up the road to a small spot where she thought she might find someone selling coneys.
Reaching Waymeet, Zan paused and finding a place to hitch her steed, dismounted. Waymeet couldn't be considered a town, more like a small camp with wagons and tents set up, meat sizzling over an open campfire as people went about their day. Some of them, she mused, were probably merchants stopping for a brief spell as they rested between runs. Others were perhaps transient, finding the lure of the open road more enticing than settling down in one place. She asked a couple of them where a hunter might be located and finally one pointed to the far corner of the camp. "Over that way miss, is a man who makes his coin hunting. You should speak to him."
She was surprised to see that the man was actually an old dwarf, who turned and eyed her and the babe a moment, before breaking into a huge grin. "Well met, miss," he said looking up at her. "How may I be of service?"
Grinning back, bemused at his friendly greeting, Zandrianna replied, "Well met yourself master dwarf. I've been told you're a fair huntsman, and I really am in need of fresh coneys if you have any."Aye" he replied nodding, "I've a few I hunted this morning. About a dozen or so." Saying, he took her over to look at a string of coneys, freshly cleaned and ready for cooking. Naming a price, she nodded and selected four particularly plump looking specimens, paying him for them as she told him where they were to be delivered. A grin on his face, he assured her they'd be there quick as a bell, and shaking her hand, he went about packaging them as she returned to her steed for the ride up to Michel Delving.
It was late afternoon when the pair arrived in Michel Delving, and the charming town was bustling with activity. Needing a rest, and knowing her daughter needed to be tended, Zan stabled her steed before heading to the local tavern for supper.
The Bird and Baby was a large tavern, by even Bree standards, clean and comfortably decorated. Finding a seat at a nearby table, Zandrianna looked around, impressed at the care given to the establishment. Before she had even fully settled, a waiter came along, pausing to wave hi to the small babe who was staring at everything, before turning to Zan to tell her the specials for the day. After hearing them, she selecting a meal of fish and fresh vegetables and a mug of tea, before turning to tend her daughter while she waited.
Soon her plate was brought to her, along with a mug of tea with a fragrant aroma. Asking the waiter where they got their tea from, he said it was something they had delivered to them from abroad, but if she liked he could see if the innkeeper had any spare that he could sell her. She nodded, saying that she would like that very much and set about eating her supper.
After she was finished, the proprietor of the inn came up to her, asking how everything was, before mentioning that he'd heard she was interested in purchasing some tea leaves. Zan nodded, saying how she seemed to go through a lot of tea and couldn't find a supply of good tea anywhere in Bree. He stroked his chin, looking at her appraisingly before saying that perhaps he could help her out. He didn't get that particular tea often, he said, but as it was he'd gotten a shipment recently and more than he usually ordered. He'd be willing to sell her the extra and, if she wanted, would order extra in the future if she chose to continue buying it from him. He named a number that caused even Zan to flinch slightly, but she looked down at her mug of tea and decided she simply must have more of it.
Thinking, she looked up at him and asked if there was any chance he might have some nice red wines available, as she needed about 3 bottles for her house. Quickly he said yes, that they had several vintages to choose from, and took her to the back to view the inn's extensive collection of bottles. After letting her taste a couple of different varieties, she selected two, one a deep red with a rich dark flavor, and two of a lighter, fruitier taste. He wrapped them up, along with the tea leaves and pursing his lips gave her a new total, which was only a bit more than the original sum he had quoted her. Not wishing to argue, she paid the sum, plus that of her supper, as she looked out the window of the inn.
With evening having fallen, she decided that the last item on her list - the cloth for Althessia's new dress - would have to wait, as she needed some sleep for the night. Paying for a room, she went back to the stables and asked one of the stable hands if he could bring her bags to the inn, setting a coin in his hand. Looking down, his eyes widened as he stumbled over his words and feet to quickly do as she asked. Smiling, she turned and headed back to the inn with her daughter to get some sleep.
