Merry Frostfell!

[Missa]

*wanders into the tavern with her bag of sewing, and takes a seat by the roaring fireplace where the light is good*

Merry Frostfell, all!

*starts humming Frostfell carols to herself and hangs Frostfell stockings from the mantel, each with a Saga member's name on the brim and decorated with bits of shiny stones and a Frostfell scene*

*pulls out her sewing project and bends over, stitching industriously and waiting for her friends to join her*

[Jasyn]

* Jasyn enters with empty mug in hand, ready to be refilled, casually whistling something off-key that may at one time have been a recognizeable tune.

Howdy folks!  Happy Frostfell... 'n stuff.

* As he passes through on his way to the nearest keg, Jasyn arches his neck to take a peek at what Missa is working on.

[Lyrima]

Lyrima looks up from her work on her bow, "Yo! Merry Frostfell, Jasyn."  She flashes her wolfish grin at Missa and Jasyn before returning her attention to the bowstring in her lap.

[Imeriel]

Imeriel roams around blearily blinking, hands cupped protectively over a steaming mug.  She beelines for a seat in the shadoweed corner and sits, quietly sipping her brew, all the while puzzledly eyeing Niassa, who appears, for all intents and purposes, to be talking excitedly to the Star on the Frostfell Tree.

[Alirrin]

Quince strolls in, followed by his Centurion.  Centurion is carrying two huge kegs, and is loaded down with packs and bags.  Centurion puts all of the items down near the bar.  Quince says a few phrases in an arcane tongue, waves his hands, and Centurion disappears, replace by Ignacious.

"Iggy, warm those back up for me, eh?"

Looking around the room, Quince smiles big and shouts "HAPPY FROSTFELL!  The keg with the red bow has hot spiced wine, and the keg with the green bow has Flutterfoot's Secret Eggnog!"

Lining up mugs on the bar, he then opens the boxes and bags and lays out a dozen different pies, cakes, and plates of cookies.  "Dessert anyone?"

[Peri]

*staggers in and over to the bar*

*muzzy voiced*

Hello all

*grabs a cookie, stares at it a moment, takes a bite*

*trailing off*

S'good cookie Quince. It has been a really long...

*head slumps to bar, snoring commences*

[Anaris]

*looks up from her holiday issue of Qeynos Style magazine*

*beams a warm smile to everyone in the room*


Oh, I just love the holidays!  Happy Frostfell everyone! 


*eyes Quince....and thinks for a moment*

I might actually be nice to you for a day, Quince... 


*eyes Missa hanging stockings with everyone's name on it*

Chika darling, why is my stocking like everyone else's?  It should be pink and glittery...  And special....

*regal nod*

[Imeriel]

Imeriel looks at Anaris, shock creeping over her face.

Anaris, I know you did not just say your stocking should be PINK.  Pink is so very passe` these days ... unless you are very specifically emulating a pink jewel tone for the winter ... like conch pearl or pink tourmaline, and even then it very properly should have strong white or white-gold accents ...  And GLITTER??!!  Whysoever would you wish to place something so common as glitter on your stocking when one could tastefully affix gems instead?

Imeriel stops suddenly and looks around.

What?  Uhm ... yeah ... and ... stuff ...

She flushes and slides back into her shadowed corner.

[Anaris]

*stares at Imeriel, blushing a little, and blinks*

Oh dear... Now that you mention it....

*flips through the magazine she was just browsing and stops in shock to read the headline of an article*

There is is!  "Pink Tourmaline:  The Season's Must Have!"  Oh, Ime!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Whatever would I have done if, say, Wystro would have caught my fashion faux-pas!  I forgot to actually read the magazine, I was just looking at the pictures...

*blushes a bit, then perks up a brow*

Ime, darling, I never took you for a fashionista!  Why, I've always thought you're almost as pretty as I am, except you have a thing for light armor instead of robes... It's a good thing though, I'd hate to be upstaged!

*nods and yet again glares at Missa as well for being too pretty*

[Alirrin]

Quince chuckles at the exchange between Anaris and Imeriel.  Pulling out a small, carefully wrapped box with a red bow, he puts it on Anaris's table.

"Here you go, Anaris.  Just especially for you, from the whole Flutterfoot clan."

He smiles and waits to see her reaction.

[Anaris]

*eyes widen with suspicion at Quince's words, then gaze over the pretty red bow on the box and soften up*

Oh Quince!  For me?  Why, surely you shouldn't have!  I mean, you should have, of course, but you shouldn't have!

*beams and carefully takes the box, slowly but eagerly unwrapping the small gift*

I'm so excited!

*lets out a small gasp as she opens the box and reveals what's inside*


OH!

[Missa]

*a slow rosy blush travels up her neck and cheeks as she hears Jasyn enter the room.  Painfully aware that Jasyn is looking over her shoulder, she looks even more intently at the project she is finishing up to avoid making eye contact*

*in a voice barely above a whisper*  Merry Frostfell Jasyn!  *she heaves a sigh of frustration and relief that Jasyn moves on to his ale*

*looks up when she hears Anaris enter, and in a bright, happy voice*  Merry Frostfell, Ana!  *she looks enviously at the lovely high elf's perfect coif*

*hearing the exchange between Imeriel and Anaris, she shows her idol the lovely white stocking with pink tourmalines attached and sends Imeriel a grateful, dimpled smile for her timely advice*

*putting the last stitch in her project, she unrolls the banner that will hang above the fireplace, a lovely blue with a border stitched to match the guild cloaks, it reads

                                  "MERRY FROSTFELL, SAGA!"

[Alirrin]

As Anaris opens the box, she sees a jumble of cookies, all shaped like letters.  Shuffling through them, they appear to spell out

      L O V E Y E P I G S I

Quince looks in the box and giggles.  "It's a puzzle!  There's a secret message for you! When you figure it out, you can eat them!"

Quince chuckles to himself and goes back to the bar where he pours a large mug of eggnog.

[Lyrima]

*glances over at Quince's laugh*

Eh?

*cranes her neck, then stands to look in Anaris' box*

A puzzle. Huh.

[Anaris]

*stands there, looking more puzzled than the puzzle*


Quince!  Is this.....is this some kind of a joke?  How dare you say "Love You Pigsy" to me?!  I do not own a swine pet!  Jasyn does!


*looks indignant, while slightly salivating over the cookies*

[Imeriel]

Smiling wryly, Imeriel slides slightly out of the shadowed corner and whispers in Anaris' ear ...

It cannot say that, for there are two I cookies, not one ...

[Alirrin]

Quince chuckles and says, "Guess again!" 

As he takes another swig of his eggnog, Henrieta strolls in, humming to herself.  Her nose perks up and she says "I smell cookies!"  Following the aroma over to Anaris' table, she looks in the box, giggles, and runs over to Quince.  She whispers in his ear, and he nods.  They both giggle.

[Anaris]

*tilts her head dumbfoundedly and stares at Ime*

You mean... I... I have to figure out this puzzle?  But....but they're letters!  Letters, Ime! I hate math! How am I supposed to strain my brain that much?

*scratches her head a bit and adjusts her tiara*

Hmmmph!

Alright, fine!  I'll start counting!

*starts counting*

[Henrieta]

Henrieta stops giggling and sort of stares at Anaris for a moment.  She pours two cups of eggnog and goes over to Anaris' table.

Placing one of the cups in front of Anaris, she takes a sip, then sits down. "Ana, honey, these are letters.  We use them to make words.

Pointing to the letters "L O V E Y E P I G S I", she says, "You seem to have already noticed that the first four letters spell L-O-V-E ... love!  Now, the rest of the letters seem a little scrambled ... I wonder what they might spell if you move them around a bit?"

She looks up at the Koada'dal and smiles her sweetest smile, then takes another sip of nog.

[Anaris]

*blinks as she looks up at Henrietta from her heavy mathematical concentration*


But.....  Ime, she said...  And Quince...  No math?  No counting?  Thank Marr!


*sighs in relief and dabs at her brow with her silk handkerchief, patting the slight dewy drops on her forehead from all the "heavy thinking" *


Ok... Um....letters...  Let me see....  Hmmm....  I know one of those big books with words in them...  What are those books called again?


*a glint on her tiara symbolic of a light bulb sparks up*


Aha!  I got it!


*snaps her finger*


Does anyone have an atlas I can look up words in?  I need an atlas please!  I need to look up words! 

*beams*