"The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing"

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

Tuesday, February 23rd
The Dormouse, mid afternoon

I sip my tea and listen to the conversations swirling about me.

"Did you go this morning?"
"No!  Did you?"

"Do you think he did it?"

"I heard his neck did not snap, and that he jerked around on the--"
"I do NOT wish to hear about that!  If you want to talk about that, you may kindly get out of my shoppe."

I arch an eyebrow at Wanda, but say nothing.  Granted, it is her shoppe and a hanging of a murderer is hardly light conversation, but her mood has become increasingly surly as she progresses.  Poor dear looks like she is uncomfortable and has not slept well in a week, and her normally sweet disposition has all but disappeared.  

As Mrs. Higgins and Mrs. Clark get up in a huff and leave, I pat Wanda's hand in a comforting manner as she drags herself over to refill my cup.   "Not much longer till the baby's here, right?  Another month?  Just gotta hold on a bit longer."  I try to say kindly, still wildly curious to know who the father really is.  She has assured us that the baby is indeed Mr. Whitman's, but he's only been in town since later summer, and I DO know how to do math, thank you very much.  "I hired a new girl, she starts Thursday.  She'll be here two days, and taking over for a bit when I get closer and for a few weeks after."  Wanda sighs, giving me a smile before heading back to the kitchen.

Due in a month?   Like HELL that baby's her husbands.   Wonder if it'll have blonde hair instead of red or black...

(Open)

Comments

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

"There a new weaver in town or something? Or do you just sell to people who want to knit their own stuff?"

"Our farm supplies wool and meat to Excolo, and to the neighboring towns. There is a decent trade in it." I tell her, trying not to sound too proud of the life my Jack and I have built. "We sell to the traders coming in and out of town, and at market on Saturdays. As for weavers..." I take a look around and see there are some knitted things now lining the shelves alongside the tea kettles and cups. "It looks as if either Wanda has taken up knitting..." Oh she heard that and what a look! "Or the new girl she hired knits." The slight grin from the red-headed mother to be confirms it is the second.

"Do you knit? I can send you a few balls to start with if you like."

[elanna-bailey.livejournal.com]

I shake my head. "Not for a long time, but thanks. I'd probably just mangle whatever balls you gave me."

I take a minute to look around the tea house, with the knitted cozies and other sundries. "They're pretty," I say.

I take another sip of tea, realizing that there's only so long I can talk about wool or knitting before I start scraping the bottom of the barrel, and hunt around for a new direction to take the conversation. I put my teacup down and lower my voice. "If you don't mind my askin', there was some sort of big to-do this mornin'. Can't say I really understand what it was all about. You know anything about it?" I float the topic out there, hoping that I'm not pissing in anyone's corn flakes by bringing it up. You never know -- the hanged guy may have had friends. And, well, executions are never really light conversation topics no matter how you broach them. But if Excolo's started with gallows justice, I might as well know what I'm getting myself into.

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

Elanna turns down the offer of the yarn. Damn, no one to knit for, or at least no one she is admitting to.

She takes a sip of her tea and looks about before leaning in closer.

"If you don't mind my askin', there was some sort of big to-do this mornin'. Can't say I really understand what it was all about. You know anything about it?"

Oh, well... thats something to talk about. My eyes flick to Wanda, who seems to be nodding off behind the counter, or at least pre-occupied, so I lean in a bit as well.

"The man they hung? He murdered at least one girl, and tried to kill another. Thank God Deputy Linford came along, otherwise..." Shudder a bit and lean in even closer, dropping my voice to a bare whisper. "They say killed that poor girl so that he could... he could cook her and eat her." It's truly hard to keep the horror out of my voice. I was not there of course, and I did not sit on the jury...

Jack on the other hand did and told me all about it when he came home that day.

[elanna-bailey.livejournal.com]

I'm sure my eyes are going wide as Mrs. Esterly's talking, and I have to stop myself from gasping at the talk of cannibalism. Yeah, that'd definitely be something worth making a commotion about. I put a hand over my mouth. "Holy shit." What the hell town have I come back to?

I know I should stop talking about it. I know it's likely to run a whole bunch of raw nerves, especially the way Mrs. Esterly's lookin' at the woman behind the counter. But like someone who can't walk away from a train wreck, I can't stop myself from asking more about it. "That's... shit. When did it happen?"

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

Elanna's eyes go as big as the saucers Wanda serves the tea cups on, and her explicitive just about sums it all up.

"That's... shit. When did it happen?"

Oh thank God Valmont just walked in. He'll distract Wanda enough so I may talk. At least I hope so anyway.

"Back in early January. Girl went missing during a snow storm, and they found her... remains a week later. The thing he, they might never have caught the guy if he hadn't tried to hurt another girl. She fought back long enough until help came along. You hear about the riot it town? That was about him. A mob wanted to string him up then and there. They didn't, of course. Went through due process, and he got what was coming to him this morning."

I take a long sip of my tea, remembering Jack's face as he told me everything. Never seen him look quite so grey in all my life.

[elanna-bailey.livejournal.com]

I'm quiet for a long time, drinking my tea to cover up the emotions I'm sure are playing out all over my face. Cannibalism? Here? Bastard got what he deserved, or maybe not even enough. I mean, I've been around. I've been away, far away, but cannibalism is the sort of thing you don't really hear about. Yeah, there are rumours that back right after everything went to hell in Pa's Grandpa's time, but now? Didn't we all put that sort of craziness behind us?

There was something in what Mrs. Esterly said that catches me. "Is the other girl doing okay?"

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

I've obviously shaken her. She goes quiet for a long time, covering her discomfort over drinking tea.

"The other girl was hurt pretty badly, but they got her to Dr. Constantine in time." Oh shit, I look over to Wanda, for that can be another sore spot, but she is fussing over Valmont and smiling, so I think I am safe. "She's recovering nicely, but did not appear in court. Understandable, really. She had a statement prepared and that was read off. One lucky girl if you ask me."

I see she's still a little pale, so I push my lasy scone over to her. "Here dear, you look as if you could use it." I nudge over the cream as well.

[elanna-bailey.livejournal.com]

I make an effort to smile and take the offered scone. "Thanks, that's nice of you. Glad to hear about the other girl."

I take my time spreading the cream over the scone, letting my mind work everything out. This definitely was not the conversation I expected to have at a tea shop. Take a bite -- still as good as the first one.

I realize I have nothing at all to talk about. I don't want to talk about cannibalism or murder attempts, and I ain't got any real desire to talk about what's goin' on at home. So I try to steer the conversation away, again, to something else. "You said the Tavern's gone respectable? Damn. Where are all the kids going to go when they want to royally piss off their parents?" I say it with a grin.

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

"You said the Tavern's gone respectable? Damn. Where are all the kids going to go when they want to royally piss off their parents?"

Again, I have to lean in a bit, but I am grinning. "The Whitechapel, as I said, is still a rough bar. See that handsome devil Wanda is fussing over? He's the new owner. Valmont Laclos." I look over, not heard, or if I was, they don't care.

"Otherwise, the kids now sneak off to the carnival across the river. They came in at the beginning if June and never left. Rather seedly lot, if you ask me." Oh, now that Wanda heard, and that look she shoots me is none too kind. "Don;t get me wrong," I hastily ammend. "There seem to be some right nice folk with it, some have even left the show and settled into the community. But it is an odd thing that they never left." I say, for it is the truth.

[elanna-bailey.livejournal.com]

I look over to the man Mrs. Esterly pointed out. Damn, he's hot. Too old for me. Way too old. But still. Hot. I make a mental note to visit the Whitechapel sometime.

I look back when talk turns to the carnival. "Can't say I've heard much about it. I mean, I seen it across the river, but I ain't never been closer than that. Maybe they just don't want to travel in the winter? Roads are pretty awful this time of year." I try to remember the last time I was at a carnival. At least a year, and nowhere near here. Might be fun to visit one again.

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

Elanna gives Valmont a appreciative look. I sigh a little, and prop my head up on my hand. I do love Jack and would never dream about straying but... Valmont is not hard on the eyes at all.

Elanna mention she's seen the carnival, but then gets to the heart of the matter. "Maybe they just don't want to travel in the winter? Roads are pretty awful this time of year." I smile now, wide, for this is such a juicy little mystery.

"Now if they had come here in say, October? I'd buy that. But they got here in June. Have you ever heard of a carnival staying in one place for more than a week, two tops in the middle of Summer?" I arch a eyebrow, and let that sink in.

"No one in town knows why they stayed here, and if anyone in the carnival knows, thgey are not talking. The murderer..." Lean in again, and whisper. "He was with the show. Him coming in with them has made it real hard for the rest of them, from what I hear. If you have any plans to go over.ake sure you take a gentleman friend with you." I add for good measure. Don't want any more of our girls to go missing.

[elanna-bailey.livejournal.com]

I'm about to argue with that last point, point out that I'm a big girl who's just been travelling for four years completely by myself, and without a chaperone thankyouverymuch, but I hold myself back. One girl dead, another injured... yeah, she's got reason to warn me.

Still not quite sure what all the fuss is about though. "So... other than that guy, what's up with the carnival? Usual stuff? Elephants dancing on little rolling balls, trapeze, hall of mirrors? Or what?"

I've met carnies before, even travelled with one for a few weeks when we were going in the same direction. They're a little rough around the edges, sure, and I learned some curses that would probably get my Ma rolling in her grave if she heard me say them, they're not bad people, not most of them. So long as we're overlooking creepy-cannibal-guy, who should no longer be an issue, what with him being dead.

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

"So... other than that guy, what's up with the carnival? Usual stuff? Elephants dancing on little rolling balls, trapeze, hall of mirrors? Or what?"

I tilt my head to the side to consider the question. "You mean the whole staying thing with no good reason?" I muse, thinking about my trips there is past summer.

"It's... darker? Most of the carnivals that come through try to have an image of allure and shadows, but you can tell real quick they're slap-dash and more about the scam than the show? Not this one. The magician they have, can actually pull stuff right out of your head, and although I haven't had a reading, they have actual conjoined twins who do tarot readings. They're supposed to be real good too. And that... oh what's the word they used..." I tap my lip with a finger. "Wunderkrammer, that's it. The side show with mermaids and two headed goats and all that other stuff the other shows sew up together and pass off as 'real'... yeah, what they got in there look pretty damn real to me."

Pick up my remaining scone and take a bite, as I think. "I am an old woman, and maybe prone to stretching the truth a bit to embellish a story..." And I wink at her with that. "... but I tell you, there's something off. Can't put my finger on it, though. It's a good show, and the candy apples are to die for, but, just be careful if'n you head out there. okay?"

[elanna-bailey.livejournal.com]

Weird-sounding carnival. Definitely worth checking out at some point when I've got Pa's affairs in order. With, as Mrs. Esterly would not doubt insist, a male escort. If I find one.

I finish the last of my tea and look out the window. Sun's starting to go down. Stupid winter. I wish to hell it'd just end and be summer again so I'm not waking up in the dark. "Thanks for the warning," I say.

"Look, you've been really helpful, and thanks for the scones and all that, but I really should be getting back home. Lucky's had a long day," and I'm sure she can tell from my voice that I have too. Definitely not used to this whole waking up on the wrong side of dawn thing. "I'll figure out a day and we can do that ride-around tour together, and you can show me the sights?"

[tommi-esterly.livejournal.com]

She's trying to be polite, but I can tell she's tired and longing to get home, which she confirms. I reach over and pat her hand gently. "I understand dear. You head on home and get some rest."

"I'll figure out a day and we can do that ride-around tour together, and you can show me the sights?" I stand with her and lay money for us on the table. "Just leave a note with the milk the day before you want me to tag along, and I'll meet you bright and early the next morning." I say cheerfully, nodding to Valmont and Wanda as we head to the door.

"If you find you need anything dear, don't hesitate to call on me, alright?" I remind her gently as the door closes behind us.