Song as Old as Rhyme

[CalamityJade]

"Thank you. Also, apparently we have a momentary guest. A girl was at the door and appears to either have been traveling or been abandoned out in the woods. She seems harmless and requires the use of a phone, but I thought it may be helpful to dry her off and help her on her way quickly." After all, if Lance got back soon, that could be messy...not that he thought highly of him right now.

[yamikuronue]

Siegfried nods. "I've got to finish giving Grace her dinner," he adds, gesturing to the banana he was mashing to replace the peas she'd decided not to eat tonight. "If she's in a bad way, there's leftover roast," he adds, concerned.

[CalamityJade]

"Not sure how bad she is physically, but I'll keep an eye on her, just in case." He gave something of a smile. "I keep telling you, if you'd just sweeten them a little, she'd eat them."

[yamikuronue]

Siegfried makes a face. "I will not have my daughter addicted to refined sugar, thankyouverymuch."

Back in the front hall, Caelwyn takes the towel from Morden gratefully, rubbing at her hair frantically until it stands up. She smiles, patting at her clothes. "Thanks," she says, curtly.

She's not a particularly pretty girl, though she's thin and has wide hips. Her face has a bit of a smushed look to it, almost like a pug dog, and her eyes are dark grey and a bit squinty. But she seems pleasant enough as she takes the phone, staring at it for a moment like she's forgotten what it's for.

All calculated, of course. She's taken stock of the front hall area, and judging by the lack of large barking dogs, is wondering whether this man could be her target. Probably not? He was supposed to be young and reclusive, not older and friendly. Still, not worth offending.

[CalamityJade]

Morden stood over by Julie to give Caelwyn some amount of privacy, speaking low while she was made her call. "What do you think?" He obviously wasn't sure why the woman was here, but they were fairly far from where most would go even accidentally.

[accalia]

"Bite her and chase away." Julie answers before she can stop herself. "suspicious, why front door? with the woods the back door closer, payphone just down street too, doesn't make sense."

Julie's words are clipped and her grammar is appalling, a sure sign that she's struggling to stay human shaped. She keeps her voice low enough that only Morden would hear, so at least she has that level of discretion available now.

[yamikuronue]

The girl appears to make up her mind, dialing with a rapidity that shows she has the number memorized. Of course she does; the phone she's calling is turned off in her suitcase. She frowns, hanging up and dialing again. After the third time she dials, she sighs, leaving a message in a thin, wavery voice:

"Mama? I um... I seem to be stranded. I was hoping you could wire me money for a train ticket  home. I know you tried to warn me but... can I just... "

She sighs.

"I guess you're not home. I'll call back later. Love you."

Her mother would have wired her money in an instant; her mother would be livid at the way Horvar didn't value "her baby", the way she was being asked to prove herself instead of automatically being given praise and accolades. Her father would have reigned her in, sending for Caelwyn but holding her failure as reason to force her into an advantageous marriage. Good thing she wasn't actually calling either of them. Good thing this whole scenario was a farce, really.

Caelwyn keeps her face downcast as she massages her temples, trying to appear at her wits end. Thinking about her father, that was simple enough.

[CalamityJade]

Morden kept his voice low. "Good points...I'll also see about getting you some tea." He was fairly concerned with Julie. Not only because he enjoyed speaking with her while he adjusted to his life, but in that she was obviously bothered by how things had progressed. He would have to speed up looking into things that may help her, but he could not solve that now. Only offer comfort and understanding.

Speaking of which, he raised his voice after the call seemed to finish. "That sounds....rather dreadful, actually." Morden adjusted his glasses, settling the frames a little higher on his nose. They should probably find her a place in town to send her to. They had rooms, but...well, this was not his house, as much time as he spent in it. That wasn't his decision. "Do you have anyone else you can call for help?"

[yamikuronue]

She shakes her head. "I guess I could call my boyfriend and beg him to take me back...." she starts, hesitantly, staring at the phone. "We were on a road trip, so I don't know anyone nearby."

[CalamityJade]

Morden shook his head. "While I do not know him, if that is the reason you are here, we should probably avoid that...I will see if we can arrange something for you. If you would follow me?" She could lead her to the dining room  and then speak to Siegfried. If she was a thief, then this was much more work than was needed. If she wasn't and needed help, then they could keep from being creepy.

[yamikuronue]

The girl nods, picking up her suitcase again. "Thank you, truly. I am at my wit's end."

[CalamityJade]

"You make a good look of it, that's for sure." Morden smiled as he started. "Julie, would you like some tea?" Giving her a fairly good reason to also follow. So...he's being kind while not being completely trusting.

[accalia]

"Tea. Yes. Thanks." Julie barks softly, Moving to place herself firmly between the visitor and her family. Her body language is curious blank, she's spending too much concentration to have the resources left over for body language.

[yamikuronue]

Caelwyn follows, bringing her suitcase.  If she is surprised at Julie's behavior, she doesn't show it; instead, she just ducks her head, as if expecting the rebuke. So... this is the Alpha then? She -- or rather, Horvar -- had had word a human was leading the pack, a very dominant one that somehow managed to avoid being bitten. She was keen to find out how that had come about. It was clear the pack members were protecting him; had he simply ensnared them with magic? How tiresome.

[CalamityJade]

He leads her to the dining table. "If you'll take a seat here, I'll see what we can do." He pauses a moment. "Do you happen to be hungry?" He adjusted his glasses as he looked over the fairly large dining room. Thankfully, the table wasn't so large as to make conversation impossible.