The Minstrel's Home [Open to All]

Kiku bit his lip, fingers poised above the strings of his cither. He disliked composing under pressure, but what was he to do when the nobles came demanding their epic life's compositions? Absently, he strummed a few notes, shaking his head. Something about the notes did not sit right with his composition, and Kiku was not one to declare a composition complete unless the epic was perfectly in harmony with its melody. He had already exhausted his other instruments as potential candidates, so it all came down to the cither.

Sighing, he decided a break was in order. Placing his cither aside, he moved to stoke the fire. He had not eaten since the morning, choosing instead to become absorbed in his work. The day had been uneventful, surprising considering the location of his home. Situated halfway between the fields and the thieves' camp, Kiku enjoyed the solitude of the forest while still retaining his access to both of his frequent clients. Most citizens would have chosen differently, the fear of being robbed or killed in the night keeping them safe within the castle walls. But Kiku enjoyed the risk, even profiting from it. Luckily, his location was close enough to the kingdom for nobles, not to mention his flexibility in going to their homes on request. And thieves or outlaws were not perturbed by his closeness to the kingdom either. In fact, it seemed they welcomed the inside information he could give them.

He prepared his dinner quietly, wondering if the lapse in guests had to do with the events unfolding in the castle. Ah well, he supposed it couldn't be helped. It would be nice though if someone would visit...if only to cure him of his composing block.

Feliks only stopped running when he reached the edge of the forest, not pausing for a moment but slowing his pace to a stealthy but brisk walk. He couldn't afford to be seen or heard by any human soul now, and his bare feet made little sound against the damp leaves covering the forest floor. Whispy breaths of low mist clung and swirled about his ankles as he walked through the dusk. He pulled his thin cloak tighter around him, wincing slightly as the motion jarred a bruise or cut... he wasn't quite sure which. He'd take stock of his injuries later, for now the plan was to get away.

How long had he been held in the back of that shop, anyway? It had seemed like an eternity of clouded shouts and yelps, grunts of mild exertion, and pain. He was surprised he could still walk. Hell, he was surprised he could still move.

The presence of an orange light in his peripheral vision made him swerve abruptly, the quick move making him lose his balance and trip, a soft yelp sounding from somewhere that may or may not have been his own lips as he landed hard on his side and arm. Frantically, Feliks looked around for the light's source and was only slightly relieved to see a window a little ways off. A house all the way out here in the middle of the forest.... Its occupants wouldn't go to town often, and so his secret might be safe if he should go there for help. That, and a place to rest would be nice.

Kiku stirred the pot, unconsciously humming an old tune that he himself had written. The fire crackled merrily, its warmth filling the small home and making it all the more cheerful a refuge against the oncoming night. Sighing, Kiku moved to put away his cither, inwardly knowing that he would do no more writing after the light of day faded. Perhaps his dreams would provide him with inspiration; often he found himself dreaming in sound rather than colorful and fanciful pictures like most. Fortunately, the royal would not demand the piece until a night and day from then, so he would still have some time to compose and perfect the epic.

A yelp from the forest drew his attention, his hands immediately seeking out the nearest weapon. Although he was used to the cries of the forest and sometimes those of the nearby Rogues, this sounded much closer to his home than either set tended to venture. Fingers grasped the metal, lifting it so that the simple copper reflected deep brown in the firelight. He stared at the object in his hand, sighing at the cruelty of the humor Muse as he made his way to the door.

He had chosen a ladle.

Still, a ladle in capable hands could be deadly, and Kiku himself was fairly skilled in weaponry. The man had to be, considering his side profession as a mercenary. In fact, even as he reached the wooden door and prepared to swing it open into the darkness, he mentally ran through all possibilities of just how to exact both deadly and non-lethal moves with the cooking utensil. A long rectangle of flickering orange cut through the night as the wood creaked open, casting the trees around his home into odd shadows that would have made an excellent painting or a verse in a song. The patch of light also revealed the vague outline of a figure, fallen on their side and shivering with either cold or the pain of their fall. Most would have missed such a figure, petite in stature and practically flat against the darkened forest floor. But Kiku's eyes were sharp, and so the figure did not escape his notice.

Glancing in all directions, he then stepped so that the light from the door could fall over him, revealing his face to the fallen person. He hid the ladle by his side, though to any normal person it might just appear that they had startled him from his cooking versus seeing the utensil as a weapon. He was fairly certain the man could now smell the food cooking over the fire now, the scent carried tauntingly out of the small home by the night breeze. He spoke softly, though not so as to not be heard over the rustling of the trees and other night creatures. He gestured with his hand to the interior of his home. "It is not safe to travel this forest at this time...come in, out of the cold." It was partially a request, partially a command. If this one had ill intent, Kiku would not have them stalking about his home in the shadows while he attended to trivial matters. If this one had good intent, then the last the minstrel could offer him was a good meal and a place to rest for the night.