The Cheerful Corvid

Log Info

• Title: The Cheerful Corvid

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon

• Place: University District

• Summary: Ravenstongue and Telamon are taking the opportunity presented to them by a lovely spring afternoon to explore their neighborhood, the University District. They come across a recently-opened coffee shop known as the Cheerful Corvid Coffee Shop, and who else is manning the place but Ravenstongue's cousin, Adelaide "Addy" Branfeax! The cousins embrace as they learn about each other's existence, and the group all go inside the shop to sit at the barista bar. Addy talks to Ravenstongue and Telamon at length about the rest of the Branfeax family, her unexpected role in Ravenstongue's betrothal crisis, and the challenges of starting up a business. The sorcerer couple leave after free cookies and coffee, with Telamon plotting how to make the Cheerful Corvid the next hip coffee shop destination in Alexandria.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Dramatis Personae =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-    
Ravenstongue         5'0"     99 Lb      Half-Elf          Female    Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair.             
Telamon              5'6"     140 Lb     Half-Elf          Male      A platinum-blond half-sil man with dancing dark eyes
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-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-=-= NPCs of Note =-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-    
Addy Branfeax        5'2"     110 Lb     Half-Elf          Female    Almost a dead-ringer for RT, just with green eyes.
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University District, afternoon.

Cor'lana's hand is curled around her other half's as they walk, enjoying a cool spring breeze on a beautiful sunny day. It'd started really as just a walk around the block, but Pothy decided to take off from Cor'lana's shoulder and soar overhead--so the two half-elves decided, somewhat on impulse, simply to follow him and explore their neighborhood a little more.

"I can't believe we've lived here for weeks now and have barely explored anything," Cor'lana remarks with a bit of an embarrassed smile. "Although--you leave the house more often than I do, so maybe you've probably seen more of the neighborhood than I have."

Pothy glides down from the sky and lands on the sign of a coffee shop just ahead of the two half-elves. It's quickly evident why--the sign has a large picture of a corvid giving a wink in a cute, stylized icon. "The Cheerful Corvid Coffee Shop" is etched into the wood in fine print.

"I've been trying to get out and about more often, but I keep finding things to distract me," Telamon admits, as the two walk hand in hand. "So I was either at the Chalice, helping at the University, or working in the garden."

The blond half-elf smiles. "Speaking of which, I don't have a lot of experience in gardening, but I'm a little surprised the flowers and bushes are growing so fast. Is that your work?"

When he catches sight of Pothy again, he chuckles softly. "Well, I think I can see why he was interested in this place..."

Cor'lana peers at Telamon curiously at the mention of the garden. "No, I haven't been doing anything aside from admiring the garden when I go outside," she replies. "And, well, I might be fey-blooded, but I don't think my mere presence would make them grow faster--"

Her train of thought is interrupted when a half-elf that looks remarkably like Cor'lana steps out of the cofee shop, wearing a gray apron. She's got a couple of inches on the feytouched girl, and her raven-black hair is cut short in a stylish little wavy bob--not to mention that her eyes are a bright green, not Cor'lana's distinctive Lupecyll violet--but she looks startlingly like Telamon's bride-to-be from a distance. "Hey! Look at you, little guy!" the woman says, snickering as she looks up at Pothy on the sign. "Are you my little corvid model? I'll pay you in treats if you just sit there and look pretty."

Pothy's blue eyes practically dilate. "SNACKS," he demands.

Cor'lana blinks as she looks at the girl. "I, ummm... Wow, stupid question, are we related?"

Telamon frowns. "I really hope that I didn't damage or taint the soil in some way when my alchemy set went full evocation on me. Though I put the garden on the other side of the yard from where it went up..." He rubs his chin, pondering, and then the girl steps out.

His eyes widen at the girl, in shock -- not recognition, but she really does look like his lady. "Gods, 'Lana, she could be your sister. Or at least your cousin. Ma'am, might we know your name?"

"Huh?" is the first question that leaves the dark-haired girl, but then she looks right at Cor'lana and she just stares at her for a long moment. "Holy shit, yeah, wow, good question. My name's Adelaide Branfeax--"

"Branfeax?" Cor'lana gasps. "Oh my gosh! Do you know Nadina Branfeax?"

"Shut up!" Adelaide says in the way that one might when they're excited and can't quite believe what they're hearing, her whole demeanor changing into complete excitement. "Nadina's the name of my dad's cousin! Dad wanted to name me Nadina until he changed his mind at the last second."

Cor'lana seems to feed off the girl's excitement. "Nadina's my mom. I'm Cor'lana--it's nice to meet you, cousin," she says, grinning as she lets go of Telamon and steps forward. This prompts Adelaide to charge forward and hug Cor'lana tightly, the two half-elves suddenly grinning and giggling.

Pothy peers at them both from his perch on the sign. "Snacks?" he asks. He hopes he hasn't suddenly been abandoned.

Telamon smiles gently. "Well, this is a wonderful happenstance... a pleasure to meet you, Adelaide." He lets Cor'lana get the hugging and giggling out of her system, before continuing. "Although I wonder if you had something to do with it." He gives Pothy a stare, but there's something in his expression that suggests Pothy isn't who he's addressing.

Hey, sorcerers are weird.

But he sighs, and beckons to Pothy. "Come on down, Pothy. I'm sure there'll be snacks inside. I suspect we're going to sit down for a cup of coffee and a long discussion." He's clearly not averse to the idea, though.

There's a moment where Pothy stares back at Telamon, before he says, "I didn't do anything," in Nadina's voice--although it's said in a way that suggests a rather playful demeanor. Pothy apparently had to dig into the archives for that one. He flies onto Telamon's shoulder for a change, allowing the taller half-elf to carry him in.

"Oh, please, call me Addy," Adelaide says with a grin as she finally lets go of Cor'lana. "All my friends call me that. Come on inside; I've been absolutely bored out of my skull."

"No customers?" Cor'lana asks with a little frown. "Or just a slow period?"

"Bit of both," Addy responds as she opens the door and walks back in. It's a cozy little space with silhouettes of ravens painted on the wall. "I just moved into this space a couple of weeks ago. I've been saving up to start my shop here for a while--I used to work at another place, but they were paying me peanuts. Then this random redhead bloke comes in and says, 'I've got a modeling gig for you; you're perfect for the role,' and it turns out I have to impersonate his--"

She looks back between Cor'lana and Telamon for a moment. "Shit. Shit! No wonder your name and appearance was familiar. He had me dress like you and stand there at the Courthouse and sign your name on that betrothal document. You're not like... married to a bratty nine-year-old rich kid now, are you?"

Telamon pats Pothy as the raven alights on his shoulder, and the trio step inside the little coffeeshop. "Sometimes you have to start small. Acorns, oaks, and so on." His expression is cheerful, congenial even, and perhaps a little pleased; he had wondered about Nadina's extended family.

His eyebrows shoot up, though, when Addy confesses. He doesn't get angry, though, or even perturbed. "Huh. We wondered who he had gotten to play 'Lana's part -- my guess was he'd magically disguised someone." He raises his hand. "No harm, no foul, Addy. She's betrothed, but to me." He offers Addy a grin. "Telamon Atlon, at your service."

"I'm so sorry you had to deal with my father," Cor'lana says to Addy as she finds a seat at the barista bar, although she's not tall enough for her feet to touch the floor once she's sitting on a stool. (Curse being all of five feet tall.) She has a certain sort of expression, not far from looking like she's smelling spoiled milk at the thought of Glorenacil harassing her newfound cousin. "I hope he didn't make you uncomfortable."

Addy shrugs as she gets behind the counter. "Gold is gold, and I needed a lot of it to get started. It's been a dream of mine to start a coffee shop since I was a little girl. Was it kind of creepy? Yeah, but I didn't have to do anything besides stand there and sign a document, so it was easy money."

Then Telamon identifies himself as Cor'lana's fiance and Addy gives him a grin and a (joking) wolf-whistle. "Damn, girl! You sure upgraded!" she says. "Nice to meet you, Telamon. Judging from the way my cousin's looking at you, I guess you're the real deal, no political marriage nonsense."

Cor'lana blushes. She hadn't realized she'd been staring at Telamon, apparently. "Is it that obvious?" she asks sheepishly.

"For what it's worth, I don't think anyone's particularly well-behaved at nine. Olyn was no worse than I was at that age." Telamon joins Cor'lana at the bar, and smiles at her before his gaze moves back to Addy. "At least the money went to a good cause!"

His eyes sparkle when Addy whistles, and he chuckles. "No, this is definitely not political." When Cor'lana asks her question, he can't help but grin. "Well, I'm sure there are some tribes in the distant continent of Jammur who don't know about us. But other than that? I mean, we did put the announcement in the Tribune, and it's not like we don't go around hand in hand."

He lays his hand on Cor'lana's, fingers curling gently, but he turns his attention back to Addy for the moment. "Did your father know Nadina well?"

Cor'lana blushes even deeper as Telamon practically boasts about their love. "When you put it that way..." she says, smiling as she looks at him. This gets a bigger grin out of Addy.

Then the conversation turns to Nadina. "Well, not as much as I think he hoped to," Addy says. "They grew up fairly close by after Nadina's father passed away--my grandfather's brother," she adds for clarification. "Nadina's mother dropped her off with my grandparents when she needed someone to watch her, and she'd play with my father. My father always spoke of her in such glowing terms--none of us are even remotely magical," she says, "but she was. Had a white raven around her all the time, kind of like your little guy there."

"Snacks!" Pothy exclaims, hopping down from Telamon's shoulder to the bar. Addy grins and pulls out a bowl of peanuts, apparently keeping them on hand in the event a 'cheerful corvid' came along.

"And I met Nadina, too, when I was young. I think I was four years old? She had two men and a woman with her," Addy says. "They were her friends, I remember her saying. They went on adventures together."

Telamon nods slowly, absorbing everything Addy says. His hand doesn't leave Cor'lana's, but his free hand comes up to rub his chin absently. "As Cor'lana has implied, her relationship with her father is... not particularly close. I won't bore you with the details but suffice to say if neither of us see him again we'll be quite happy."

He offers Addy a smile, not the smoking one that usually melts Cor'lana into a puddle, but a friendly expression. "It makes me happy to find someone from her mother's side. It gives 'Lana something more than being an only child. I mean, I do my best," his tone takes on a cheerful, self-depreciating tone, "but more family can't hurt."

He watches Pothy begin to chow down on the peanuts, and advises, "If he finishes the bowl, make sure you take note so I can reimburse you.. That bird would eat you out of house and home if given half a chance, and I'm not the sort to take advantage of anyone."

"Bah, don't worry about the nuts. I get them in bulk because I make peanut butter from scratch here for one of the drinks I make." Addy grins. Pothy seems particularly grateful for this notion, croaking happily at Addy while breaking apart a peanut on the counter.

"And, well, I honestly didn't know Nadina had a child until now," Addy replies to Telamon's sentiment regarding family, looking back to Cor'lana with a smile. "But... Well, she sort of fell off the face of the world years ago. I think my father kept trying to get in contact with her, but nobody knew anything--and one of her old adventuring friends said they knew where she was, but he was sworn to secrecy about it and just said she was fine."

Then Addy frowns as she looks between Telamon and Cor'lana. "... Sounds like she's passed on, the way you're talking about her. Is that the case?"

Cor'lana takes a deep breath, her hand moving in Telamon's grasp so that their fingers intertwine tightly. She fixes her violet eyes onto Addy and says, "Yes, my mother passed away three years ago as of a few days ago. My birthday. It's... A long story. I'm really sorry to tell you like this."

Surprisingly, Addy just sort of nods, although there's a frown on her lips. "I kind of figured," she says. "Your mom was an adventurer. Dangerous things happen to adventurers. That's what dad and I always thought... And she never told you about us, huh?"

Cor'lana shakes her head. "No. I didn't know a lot about anyone or anything outside of her and what I read in books. Mom was trying to keep me safe from my father and... she was a bit overprotective. We did recently find out she had cousins, but... Well, I didn't think I'd run into one randomly here in the city."

"Yeah, we all picked up and moved from Rune when the war with Dran broke out," Addy replies. "Dad's still around, as is my mom. I need to have you guys come back here and meet them."

Telamon nods as well. "It's complicated. But yes. Nadina passed on. But not before raising Cor'lana." His fingers interlinked with 'Lana's, as he inclines his head. "Adventuring is... well, it's dangerous. It's the worst aspects of mercenary work, archaeology, and magical experimentation, all wrapped up in a big bag of 'How the hells did we get here?'."

Tel lets that sink in, before grinning. "Still, it pays reasonably well, and there are some side benefits. I'd have never met 'Lana if I hadn't come here, after all. That's worth all the ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump at all hours."

He ssmiles slightly at the mention of more family. "Sounds like a good idea, to be honest. I've introduced 'Lana to my side of the family, seems only fair I should meet some of her relations now that we've found them."

Addy shivers a little at the mention of ghosts and ghouls. "Jeez, you two are made of way stronger stuff than I am. I'm just happy to bake goods and make drinks all day," she says. "Wouldn't catch me dead crawling around in ruins like I hear some adventurers do."

"It's not that bad," Cor'lana says with a smile, "so long as you trust the people you're adventuring with to have your back. Everything's easier with Tel around."

Addy claps her hands together and sighs wistfully. "Damn, where can I get one of those? You have any brothers, Telamon? Male cousins? My mom's been trying to hook me up with some nice elf or half-elf boys, but no bites yet."

Telamon spreads his hands -- well, one, the other's still held by Cor'lana. "It's something you really have to want to do. I don't look down on anyone who's not interested in that kind of life. There's a lot of boredom at times, punctuated by moments of absolute terror. So don't feel bad about it, Addy."

He smiles slightly. "I'll send a letter to father and see what turns up. I know uncle Telgari has kids, so maybe we can arrange some introductions." His expression becomes wry. "Although we may have to forcibly bathe Telgari first. He took to the druidic life a little too well."

"Uncle Telgari has kids?" Cor'lana asks Telamon, violet eyes going wide as she looks at him. "Tel, your uncle's nice, but I can't imagine being a nice lady, bumping into your uncle, and thinking, 'Wow, I'd like to have kids with that man! He smells like a swamp!'"

Addy's smile becomes a rather... well, a strained and polite smile. "Haha, well, so long as he has a son or two who knows how to bathe, that's a plus in my book," she says. "Really, though, I'll take whatever."

Cor'lana peers back at Addy. "...It's that bad, huh," she says sympathetically.

Addy grimaces, although there's a twinkle in her eyes that suggests she's very much playing this for comedy's sake. "I'm turning thirty in five months and both of my little sisters are married," she says. "I'm gonna die alone a century from now and they're gonna find my dead body in the back of this coffee shop, fat from eating all of my own product."

Both Branfeax ladies devolve into snickering.

Telamon looks slightly pained. "Yes. Remember, he is my uncle, he's just... less polished than father is. And whatever his other flaws, he listens. Evidently there are a number of sylvanori who find that counterbalances his bad habits." He thinks back. "His oldest is a ranger with the Ylvaliel militia. He's rough around the edges -- but he does clean up nicely if that last get-together was any indication."

Tel shakes his head at Addy. "It takes time. And half-elves, well, we do have a little more of it than some. You just have to keep looking. Happiness is out there, and sometimes it shows up by surprise." He looks at 'Lana, and smiles. "We... kind of had to have our noses rubbed in it."

Addy grins at Telamon. "Yeah, yeah, I know--can't rush love and all that. I just had to bemoan my own fate for a minute. To be fair to myself, my little sisters are twins, and they kind of fell for some human twins they met while going to mercantile school--so it's, as we like to joke, a 'package deal' sort of situation. I love my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, but it sucks to be the one scraping by with my coffee shop while my little sisters are pretty damn comfortable."

She shrugs. "I'll get there. Baby steps. Branfeax women are tough as hell, as my dad likes to remind me."

Cor'lana smiles as she finally looks at the menu, written on a chalkboard hanging above Addy's head. "You have a lot of stuff on here that sounds really good," she says. "I kind of want to try the hazelnut-peanut butter cookies, if you have any."

"Sure thing, I got 'em in the back," Addy says. She looks over to Telamon. "Anything catch your fancy? Everything's on the house today. I don't think I could charge my cousin or her catch a single copper."

Telamon shrugs and grins at Addy. "Offer up a prayer at the temples. They say that the court of last resort's always in session. And even the gods will nudge a dice roll if you ask nicely enough." He pauses thoughtfully. "Comfortable's a relative term, too. I've met farmers who are perfectly happy because their kids are fed and the roof is stout and waterproof."

At the invitation, he shakes his head. "You won't stay in business that way, Addy. But I'll take a mug of coffee, Myrrish-style, and a couple of cookies as well." Tel's eyes suddenly glint. "Hmmm..." Uh oh. He's up to something.

"Bah. You're adventurers. I'm sure you'll tell all your adventurer friends about my spot and suddenly, I'm up to my eyes in customers. That's how it works out in the plays, at least," Addy says with a snicker. "I'll get all that out for ya."

She ducks into the back to retrieve the cookies, and Cor'lana peers at Telamon. "I know that look," she says with a smirk. "What're you planning?"

Pothy's gotten half of the peanut bowl down. The corpses of his onslaught on legumekind lie motionless and bisected on the bar. "Trouble," he says in Cor'lana's voice.

Telamon smirks. "Your cousin actually nailed it in one. I'm thinking we should spread the word about this place. It's not too far from the University, either -- I'm sure there are students there who would love a quiet place to drink some coffee and rest from their studies."

He gives Cor'lana a smile. "Who are we to disagree with what the plays say? Besides, it's nice to have a quest where someone isn't trying to kill me or fry my brains or something equally unpleasant. This is a perfectly legitimate favor for a family friend, after all."

"Right? It's a nice spot," Cor'lana agrees, smiling with him. "Quiet, calm... People would probably love coming here if they knew about it."

Then Addy reemerges with a fine porcelain plate with a few palm-sized cookies, almost a quarter of an inch in thickness. Cor'lana's eyes even go wide as she sees how big they are. "Wow," she says. "Addy, those are some substantial cookies."

"Yeah," Addy says, "which is why they're priced to be more expensive than the drinks. Honestly, I like making the coffee, but baking's kind of my passion. I hope it comes through."

Then she goes over to a piece of artifice, a machine that looks somewhat complicated. With a few turns of a knob, a push of a button, and a smack on the side of the machine when it doesn't seem to work with the button push, the machine pours coffee into a mug with a smiling corvid painted on the outside. "Here you go," she says, pushing it over to Telamon. "Machine's temperamental but it produces the best."

Telamon nods to Addy when she returns and passes him the coffee. "It's a gnomish design, isn't it? I think I saw something similar once when I was traveling with father. He was quite impressed with it, but they're so finicky you almost need to be an artificer to manage one."

He sips the coffee, and smiles. "But yes, it definitely makes good coffee." He cocks his head. "Was that the biggest expense? I know real estate in Alexandria is kind of chaotic... you never know what your neighbors will be like sometimes. But you really do seem to be in a good spot, not too far away from the University."

"Yeah, machine was kind of the most expensive bit," Addy says. "I bought it from the previous place I worked at. They were getting a newer gnomish-made machine and... You know, I tried the coffee from it and thought it wasn't nearly as good as this old guy. I offered to buy the old one and they sold it to me for pretty cheap considering the thing is a bit fussy from time to time. I also bought this space instead of renting with the money I got from the 'modeling gig'." She can't help but smirk. Beneath the almost-Cor'lana veneer, there's a businesswoman satisfied with the deals she's managed to make.

Cor'lana smiles a little. "Well, I'm glad something good came out of that," she says. "Two good things did, actually."

"What was the second one?" Addy asks, curious.

Cor'lana's smile widens as she looks at Telamon. "Well, once we got the first betrothal thrown out, Telamon made it official and proposed," she says.

Telamon's eyes twinkle over the rim of the coffee cup, though there is the faintest blush in his cheeks as he lowers his mug again. "We didn't know if her father was going to continue to play games, or come back with a better scam, so I figured it would be wiser to simply head it off before he could try again."

He reaches over to take 'Lana's hand in his, so that both their hands with the rings are together. "Of course, we had to do it properly, with a ring and everything. It wouldn't be right to do any less by her."

"Man, why can't I end up with a elvish boy with a stupid, pretty face due to awful betrothal hijinks?" Addy says in mock-exasperation. She grins at them both. "Well, glad to hear my cousin's happy. Honestly. You take the good with the bad, you know?"

Cor'lana smiles broadly as she looks down at their hands, rings together. "I agree," she says, looking back up at Telamon. "And Telamon's been a large part of that good. I wouldn't change a thing about what's happened."

Telamon shakes his head. "Don't sell yourself short, 'Lana. Or you either, Addy. Not every woman can go into business on her own, and try to shake loose a few coppers out of the world." His eyes move back to Cor'lana. "And not every woman can do what you've done either, love. I'm just happy to be part of your story."

He takes another pull off his coffee mug. "Stories. Hm. You've reminded me of something else 'Lana and I need to do..." He has a thoughtful expression, but then shrugs. "But it can wait for now. Why did you call it 'The Corvid Coffee Shop' anyways?"

"The Cheerful Corvid, you mean?" Addy grins. "Tel, we're the Branfeax family. Not a single one of us are magic people except for one--the "inheritor." And you know what, we may not be magic, but we sure are pretty proud of our wits. The family name may have changed at times over the centuries, but we're all shrewd as ravens, and we all know it."

"So... Pothy's kind of like a family mascot?" Cor'lana asks, smiling as she looks at Pothy.

"Well, yeah," Addy says. "Keeper of Knowledge and all that. How could we forget? Lots of family stories. Dad knows them all better than I do, though."

Cor'lana looks back to Telamon and smiles. "Sounds like we're definitely going to have to arrange that family reunion," she says. "You're invited too, of course. Like you said, you're part of my story."

Telamon raises his eyebrows. "Alright. I admit I was playing my cards a little closer than I should've bothered there... I should've realized something like Pothy wasn't going to be kept secret." He looks rueful. "Too clever for my own good, I suppose."

He nods in agreement with Cor'lana, grinning back. "No argument. We just need to set it up. Perhaps a meeting here, on familiar ground? I expect Addy's father will be quite stunned to find a new 'inheritor'... but there are worse things."

"Well, it's not the kind of thing we go advertising publicly, you know?" Addy says. "Although the fact that none of us heard about the inheritance being passed down was why my dad always argued that Nadina was alive. He always joked I'd end up with the inheritance because Nadina liked me a lot when I was a kid, and he was probably too old to end up with it anyway. I don't think he ever thought that she'd go and have a kid."

Addy grins. "So yeah, he's gonna be surprised. Anyway, go take your cookies with you. Hell, take the mug, too, I've got tons of 'em. I should go clean in the back some more. You two take care and come back whenever--preferably with friends who'll pay money."

The half-elf disappears behind the doors again, and Cor'lana smiles at Telamon. "We have been out for a while," she says. "Maybe we should go home."

Then she snaps into one of the cookies and her eyes widen. "...That's a really good cookie," she remarks.

Telamon smiles at 'Lana. "Finish your cookies first. Then we'll go home." He picks up a cookie as well, biting into it. After chewing contemplatively, he nods. "It's very good, yes. How the hell does she not have more customers? She must not be getting enough word around."

Tel mulls this over, looking thoughtful. "Maybe we can fix that. But first, eat. Then, home. I need to plan this out first, it never turns out well if I try to 'wing it'."

"It's a quiet street," Cor'lana replies right before finishing her current cookie. "Could just be a lack of knowledge about where to advertise, or maybe she's not putting any money into advertising at all yet. Either way, we'll fix that. I know you'll come up with a good plan." She smiles at him.

Eventually, the half-elves finish off the cookies, and she takes Telamon's hand as Pothy settles onto her shoulders. "Shall we?" she asks. "I think we're due for a nap after eating that much sugar. Pothy, too."

"Separately," Pothy adds, in Cor'lana's voice. He's not taking chances.

Telamon nods soberly. "True. It's not too far off the main thoroughfare but it IS tucked away. And she's probably busy enough trying to keep her coffee machine running as well as pay the bills. Hence why we probably should spread the word. It's what friends do, after all. And family."

He slides off the stool, helping Cor'lana down as the two start to head out. "I know what she said," he says quietly, "but I'm not the sort to deny any working person a wage." His free hand moves, and a pair of silvers are left just under the plate. As he leads Cor'lana out, he calls out, "We'll see you soon," as the pair head out the door.