The First Floor of Dry Lake Manor
Once only consisting of a lobby entrance, large ball room and equally spacious dining room, the first floor of the Wylie manor has since been further divided by walls of Lebanon Cedar to better suit the lifestyle of the then-current generation of inhabitants.
Front Entrance
The most preserved area of the rooms on the first floor, the lobby contains a coat closet, a beautifully bannistered staircase, and what was originally the only direct entrance to the back patio.
Living Room
Whilst containing the furniture usually reserved for living rooms--couches, loveseats, etc.--this one seems somewhat merged with a man cave/game room, with the seating centered around features such as a pool table, poker table, and dartboard.
Den
Home of the only television in Dry Lake Manor--which is not even hooked up to cable or satellite--the Den appears to mainly be a movie-viewing room with overstuffed furniture, shelves of videos, and windows covered by thick black-out curtains. Still has the original fireplace beside the since-added sliding doors.
Dining Room
An elegant room with a long hand-carved mahogany table and bay window, this space was clearly meant for formal events and massive feasts--such as those that Honora Wylie and Victoria Channing enjoyed whilst observing their husbands play with the children and their Christmas toys on the floor with mixed expressions of amusement and exasperation.
Kitchen
Rather dated, with the same appliances that were state-of-the-art back when the space was repurposed as a kitchen in the 1960s, and a collection of antique copper cookware commissioned especially for the Wylie family and crafted in Dry Lake. Still has the original fireplace (which is nowadays often used to store the copper wares rather than for heating purposes) beside the since-added sliding doors.
West Sun Room
A lovely room with windows on all sides that is attached to the dining room and contains a lovely white dining set. This is where Troy and Honora ate most of their meals after their children were grown and left--barring holidays and special occasions, of course.
East Sun Room
A room with windows on all sides that is attached to the living room and contains a number of comfortable chairs and end tables. This is where Troy and his friends--and the previous generation of Wylie men and associates--would sit and smoke due to it being easy to air out away from the rest of the house.
Back Patio
An open-air space paved with quarry stones and furnished with wrought-iron tables and chairs.
Front Entrance
"Hello?"
Grayson called tentatively as he slipped in through the front door and pushed his hood from his hair that was dripping wet from the rain. He tried his best to wipe his feet before stepping forward, his eyes darting this way and that as he took in his new surroundings. It was no secret that his parents had kept him from visiting Dry Lake but now standing here he wished they hadn't as he felt suddenly very lost and alone. He paused in his movements and just stood clutching his bags, unsure of where to go.
Movement at the top of the stairs greeted him a moment later.
Phil, dressed in cotton pants matched with a sweater that looked rather oversized on his slim frame, looked down at Grayson. Ah, that must be one of his cousins then. Who else would ever find themselves in this pit of misery? Certainly no one willingly. He shoved the towel he had draped over his head back so it rested just around his shoulders and padded his way down to the newcomer. He'd arrived earlier, as early as his father could shove him here 'for a head start advantage' he believed the words had been, but not long enough to be dry and warm, unfortunately. He had a sinking feeling 'dry' and 'warm' were not words he'd be able to use in the coming year unless they were preceded by 'I wish I was-'. "Hey," he greeted and made a point to look at the luggage before offering his hand to Grayson. "Phil, Jack's son," he introduced himself. "Glad to see someone else made it safely here. Do you want some help with your bags? You kind of have your pick of space up there." He gestured over his shoulder up the stairs.
Grayson snapped his eyes to look up when he heard movement from the stairs and found his grip tightening on his bags when he was met with the sight of the stranger. He watched as he moved down the stairs then listened as he introduced himself. So this was one of his cousins. His mother's words rang clearly in his mind.
You can't trust any of them Grayson. Don't try to make friends. Remember you're the outsider to them. You aren't related by blood so they'll try to push you out the first chance they get. They don't believe you deserve the inheritance.. But Phil didn't seem so bad. Was it all just an act? Maybe he was just trying to lure him into a false sense of security. Grayson gulped lightly, it couldn't seriously be like that? He gingerly reached out and took Phil's hand and shook it lightly when it was offered. "Grayson.." He finally said after a few seconds of silence. "Celeste's son." He added before he glanced down at his bags. Phil was offering help. Was this some kind of trick? He groaned inwardly, awash with confusion.
This is exhausting.. He thought to himself before looking back at Phil and attempting an appreciative smile. "T-thanks..I'd appreciate a little help." He finally answered. What harm would it do to be a little friendly? His mother surely wouldn't find out.
"You're very welcome,"
Phil offered as he took whichever bag Grayson offered him without complaint and with a little movement of his head, indicated his cousin should follow him. "I heard Aunt Celeste had a kid but I haven't even seen pictures of you. Good to put a face to a... well, come to think of it, I hadn't even known your name before today." He paused on the steps and gave Grayson a shrewd look. "Are you sure you're my cousin? You could just be some guy masquerading as him... or her... How would I know?" He kept eye contact for a long few seconds, but eventually it cracked and a thin lipped smile spread across his face. Despite his sharp features and delicate face, Phil apparently could look every bit an easy going teenager as he could a condescending adult. He gave a short laugh and continued up the stairs. "I'm kidding, of course," he assured the other man whom he had no doubt could lay him out with one hit from the look of him, and yet had the eyes of a scared animal. What a strange man. "You don't look much like Aunt Celeste," he continued as they climbed to the second floor where Phil pointedly ignored the massive family room and continued up the next staircase toward
Manor House: Third Floor. "Do people say you look like your dad? I never met her husband."
Head down, water dripping off of her,
Raevan burst threw the front door and closed it with a soft 'bang'. Shaking her body like a drowned cat she lowered her hood and peered around. She gave a soft sigh as she took in everything around her, the staircase that at one time would have been the grandest piece in the house. Throwing one of her duffle bags over her shoulder, she picked the other one up and headed up the stairs to
Manor House: Third Floor to find a room.
Craven quickly pulled his bags in and shut the door, despite enjoying the weather he was ready to enjoy the warmth of being inside. He slowly walked towards the stairs taking in the elegant details of the house, it was very difficult not to start taking a bunch of pictures of everything. He was brought out of his thoughts by what he thought might be the sound of voices coming from the dinning area or somewhere past it and decided to head that way.
No but seriously who the hell felt this was a place to raise a family?
Jerick could see why some of his aunts and uncles would be less than thrilled to not get something after all this suffering. Laden with water, he was quick to set the bags aside once inside the foyer, and tugged the poncho off over his head. A quick tug put his shirt back in place and he looked around, finding a coat closet, and hung up his dripping shower-curtain of a poncho. Practical, he could easily toss it after this abysmal year was over. Now, where the hell was the kitchen? He looked side to side. Well, that way was a dining room. Surely the kitchen would be close to that? He gathered up the ten or so bags he had with him and started out of the entryway in search of the kitchen.
The rain had soaked through his shirt by his point clinging to a toned frame as
Justin man handled his three duffel bags through the door in a hurry to get out of this monsoon. With a plop he dropped his bags and took a quick shake to rid the water from his medium length brown hair. His crystal blue eyes scanned the room, it was ornate to say the least but had the air of access. Ugh, he somewhat expect a butler or something from the back story of this nonsense. "Well, already lost in the woods, guess i should venture around a bit?" He mused to himself, unsure of what he should do, he didnt see anyone, not like he knew anyone anyhow. Voices in the distance perked his interest, maybe someone could tell him what he was supposed to do. He followed his ears to the kitchen.
Dining Room
"Hello?"
Jerick called torward the next room when he thought he heard some muffled voices. He paused briefly to take in the ornate room. It really was quite grand. He counted the chairs, then reviewed how many cousins he knew he had, as well as siblings- he made a face- and then noticed the doorway to the sun room who's windows he saw from the outside. If it was ever sunny he could imagine Adrian wanting to sit in there and color. "Hello??" he called again, returning his attention toward what he now believed to be the kitchen and continued that direction. "Is someone here? I could use some help-" No, there were definitely voices. When one called out to him instead of actually coming out, his sigh was half relieved, half annoyed. Careful not to drop anything, he headed into the next room where the voice had come from.
Kitchen
It didn't get any better the second time he saw it.
Phil had to stop in the doorway to the kitchen and sigh at the tackiness of the room. Perhaps it was hip for its time but in some ways it probably would have been better to just do the whole thing in stone and copper. At least that look was timeless. Still, the pots and pans and such seemed nice. After plucking up his tolerance enough to enter the room, he rifled through the cabinets to find what he could. It turns out there was no instant cocoa (surprise, surprise) but he found a tin that seemed to have the correct powder in it and another of coffee, so he kept them both out and started a tea kettle for hot water. While the water heated, he looked dejectedly at the fireplace, heaving a heavy sigh. He knew there was another, but it was on the other side of the house. Going from there to here would be a pain. And how did anyone enjoy a back porch in this town anyway?! They might as well have had a pool. He pushed his sweatshirt sleeves up and began carefully removing the cookware to assess the usability of the fireplace.
Her heels 'click clacked' against the floor as she came up behind Phil. "Find anything good?"
Raevan mumbled as she leaned against the door frame, arms crossed under her breasts as she watched him move about. "Do you actually think that fireplace is still going to work?" She walked across the room where he'd set out of the coffee and frowned. "Hmmm, we'll have to do some shopping, that's for sure. I doubt anything besides maybe this is edible in the house."
"You want to go together later? Maybe someone will bring a car and we can create a kind of grocery task force,"
Phil replied, becoming a bit more impassioned near the end. Looked at the now empty fireplace, he sighed and stood again to wash his hands at the sink. "I don't know if it'll work," he admitted. "But if anyone's actually going to live here, we're going to need it to." As he finished drying his hands on a hand towel, the steaming kettle began to whistle making him turn off the heat and pour hot water into two of the three mugs he prepped with cocoa, offering her one. "Aren't you from around here? Did you meet our grandfather?" he asked as he set the kettle on an unused burner then took up his own cup, leaning lazily against the counter as he waited attentively for her answer.
"Mmm thank you."
Raevan took the offered mug and shrugged. "I have my truck we could use, if the rain would ever let up." Taking a sip of the warm liquid she smiled softly. Her eyes flicked back to Phil as he asked her a few questions. "Yes, been here all my life. I tend the local bar and grill." She took another sip, milling over her neck answer before she shrugged her shoulders. "I met him a few times when mom came over but... Dad didn't really like me coming to the manor so it's been years." Her eyes cast down to the floor of the kitchen, as if in shame of having such a controlling father.
"My mother refused to let me ever come here growing up.."
Grayson spoke up as he heard Raevan's words as he entered the kitchen. "She never lets me do anything.." He added with an awkward smile as he folded his arms across his chest. "It must have been nice meeting our grandfather even a few times.."
Phil nodded, agreeing with Grayson as he poured the third mug of cocoa and offered it to the other man before returning to his own. "What was he like?" he asked, directing the question toward Raevan. "Our grandfather," he clarified. He had as little urge to pry as she did to talk about it, it seemed. He was getting the feeling none of their parents were outstanding caregivers... what a depressing thought.
"Nice, kind, nothing like what my father said he was like." Shaking her head,
Raevan took another drink from her warm mug and sighed. "The few times I came he would always sit and talk with me, not always about anything special, just talked. He never treated me like an unimportant child." Raevan smiled fondly at the memory of their grandfather. "He just wished he could see us all more." That is, unless they were just there to talk to him about money.
Upon the welcoming smell of coffee and the sound of his sister's voice,
Craven stepped into the dinning room still rather wet from his walk there. "Should I say 'Honey I'm home?' or 'oh god what have I gotten myself into?" He remarked looking over the outdated kitchen.
"The latter,"
Phil quipped automatically, his face bland. "Have you picked out a room? You should head up and do that first. You want coffee or cocoa?" He added as he set his own cup down to find another for the newest arrival.
"I can show you up to the room's if you like."
Grayson offered as he clasped his two hands lightly around his own mug of cocoa and looked over at Craven. He found the more people arrived the more relaxed he actually felt. None of these people seemed like they would want to cause him any trouble. "I should probably head up and start unpacking so it wouldn't be any trouble."
Raevan's face brightened when she heard the soft voice of her younger brother. Turning she smiled openly. "Hey Bub..." She crossed the room and enveloped him in a short hug, knowing he probably wouldn't appreciate too much contact. "You should have called I would have picked you up." She had known he was coming she just wasn't sure when but she was glad to see him.
Craven Hugged his sister back with a smile. "eh, the walk was refreshing." he replied before looking at the other two man. "Coffee please. and no I haven't chosen a room yet, so a guide would be appreciated."
"I'm going to wind up dragging these tins, the kettle, and mugs upstairs later. I'm not coming all the way down here for every little thing,"
Phil muttered, mostly to himself, certainly quiet enough to not be directed at anyone. He opened the kettle and waited to make sure it was still steaming before carefully pouring it over the coffee grounds in a filter he found. He was pretty sure there must be a coffee pot somewhere but was too lazy right now to bother with it. Drip coffee would be fine. "When someone with a suitable vehicle arrives we'll go get groceries," he said a bit louder, speaking to his companions this time and more precisely Craven and Grayson, since Raevan seemed willing to come along as help. It was best if they kept the team small or else there wouldn't be room in the vehicle for actual food. He set the kettle aside again and carefully tapped out the filter, getting out what he could before tossing the used grounds away, finally offering the steaming mug of fresh coffee to Craven. "If you have anything you'd like please say so, so we can be sure to get it."
Grayson nodded with a small smile to Phil when he mentioned groceries. "I can help with that if you like." He said politely then suddenly stopped and looked towards the door when he heard a distant voice. "Someone else is here." He said aloud but didn't make any move to go and check, instead remained rooted to the spot, hands still clasping his mug of cocoa. Finally he looked at Craven and his light smile returned with a hint of embarrassment. "I can take you upstairs now if you like.." He offered again, in a voice that was a little more rushed as if he was eager to leave before he more people arrived.
Raeven smiled fondly at her brother and shook her head. Of course he would think the walk was refreshing. She wiggled her hand in the air at a thought. "List... we need a list." Rummaging through the drawers in the kitchen, she opened several of them before she found what she was looking for. Taking out a notepad and a pen she turned back to the rest of them and smiled. "I'll add a few things and then if anyone else can think of things let me know." She did just that as they continued to talk around her. Scribbling down several things like cocoa, meat, different types of fruits, garbage bags, chips. Tapping the pen against her bottom lip she continued thinking. Raevan heard someone calling from the other room and poked her head out the door. "Hello! We're in the kitchen, care for something warm to drink?"
Craven chuckled at Phils remark about dragging the supplies up stairs. He turned towards the door when he heard the voice call,but other then that he showed no attention of reacting to it. "Hmm, I guess we should wait to check out the rooms." He muttered before turning back to his sister. "You can put whatever you want on the list but we have to have fresh spinach....and a butler might help.."
Phil snapped his fingers, the motion ending with a finger at Craven. "I knew I forgot to pick something up on the way here. But with this weather they're probably sold out- Write it down anyway. If they're out though we're going to have to settle for a maid," he muttered at the end as he lifted his cocoa to take another drink.
"Ah! Oh there's four of you already here, more than I thought,"
Jerick greeted them as he entered the kitchen with his armfuls of bags. The counter looked clear so he headed that way to set them down, all but ignoring as Phil hurriedly moved out of the way of the advancing man. "Put this away could you?" he clipped at the other man, not really a question, and handed him a pack of sausages. Then he paused, looking around the room at the others. "The fridge does work... right? If not we're going to have a real problem." He pulled out some lettuce and tomatoes, snatching an apple that had tumbled out of the bag and was trying to escape across the counter, and handed those to Phil as well, again ignoring that he had forced him to set down his mug of cocoa to accept all the items. He also completely missed how Phil glared at him before moving to the fridge to put the items away.
Grayson's head was reeling. So much chatter, so much activity and none of it seemed to make sense. He quickly reached into his pocket and fished out his inhaler and after taking a deep breath in, he exhaled loudly as he tried to steady the nerves that were rising in the pit if his stomach. "I guess we don't need to get groceries.." He said breathlessly after a moment as he gave a weak smile and looked at the newcomer who was unloading all the food.
A new face popped around the doorway from the front entrance.
Justin's blue eyes lit up as he saw that the room was packed, no one he knew but it was people in this dreary place all the same. "Wow y'all are all bunched up like sardines." He laughed, fully stepping into the room making make sure to not take up any space. He didnt want to address anyone in particular, not having a clue who they are... and by that standard they didn't know him either. "So... i have no clue what im doing here but i dropped my bags in the foyer, is that ok?" He asked pointing back over his shoulder.
Glancing around as Jerick shoved things at Phil,
Raevan frowned deeply. "You could say please, you know." Her voice was soft but stern as she spoke to him, not a fan of his rudeness. She noticed another new person and offered him a smile. "Sure... why don't I take you and my brother upstairs and you can find rooms." She noticed Grayson take a puff from his inhaler and frowned. Placing her hand on his shoulder she smiled gently. "Want to come with?" She offered him an escape as she ushered Justin back the direction he'd come. "I'm Raevan by the way, that's my little brother Craven and then Grayson was the nervous one if he decides to tag along." She held her hand out to him as they walked back to get his bags.
With a big smile,
Justin took her hand with a firm grip but making sure to only hold her fingers as his mother had told him to do with women. This girl was around his age he guesses, with brilliant blue eyes much like his own. "Im Justin, pleasure to meet you, and please yes show me the way i have no idea where im heading." He ducked back out of the room allowing this person to lead the way. From what the lawyer had said he supposed she was a cousin? Maybe?
Craven Frowned deeply, raising and eye brow and crossing his arms at the new arrival behavior. He figured he should thank him for bringing groceries but the way he piled it on Phil made him hold off on any thanks. He stepped a bit closer to Grayson upon noticing his discomfort, not noticing the other arrival until his sister spoke. "If people keep showing up like this, we'll become a Conga line before we even reach the rooms...that might actual be fun to see though.."
Grayson had nodded quickly at Raevans offer to go with them then looked at Craven as he stepped closer to him. "A conga line?" He repeated slowly then gave a small chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. "That is funny.." He added with a polite smile.
There was a pause in bag rustling as
Jerick gave Raevan a look that said he was trying to figure out if she was joking or not. As she guided the other men out of the kitchen though, he returned to his task, simply shaking his head at her behavior. Phil was staring at him, however, so he sighed and met the narrow dark eyes staring him down. "
Please?" he emphasized, grateful when his cousin seemed to accept it, albeit still irritated, and helped put the groceries away. Working together, it didn't take long, but it was still too long of a silence. "So you're-"
"Do you try to make others dislike you, or does that come naturally?"
More silence followed the question, but when those narrow dark eyes didn't falter,
Jerick had to accept he had actually asked it. "I... what? I just did something none of you apparently thought to do. Do any of you even live on your own yet? Honestly, if no one else is going to be even the least bit self sufficient-"
"That."
Phil cut him off again, this time pointing with a finger. "That right there. We're not invalids, we're family, but if you're going to assume we're
all incompetent then you should include yourself. We sure as hell will." He took a step forward, forcing the larger, taller man against the counter, watching him warily. "Welcome home." The words were quiet and surprisingly ominous coming from such a serious looking man, but Jerick didn't have time to consider any implications before Phil turned on his heel and strode out of the kitchen to follow the others upstairs.
Dining Room
Craven looked back towards Phil, feeling kind of guilty for leaving him but he they did have to choose rooms and he preferred not to have to choose them with the more authoritative man. On the other Hand, Grayson, Phil & Justin all seemed pretty nice. "Do you think Phil will be okay in there?" He asked possibly to quietly to be heard, afraid of the other man over hearing.
After fishing has bags up from the floor,
Justin followed the group mindlessly. He had simply thought if he followed the small group like Raevan had said he could settle down in a room. "Um... which ones phil?" He asked lightly after almost bumping into Craven upon coming into the room.
"The one getting food shoved into his arms."
Raevan shook her head gently. "But I think he'll be fine, seems like the kind of guy who can hold his own." Raevan gave her brother a soft smile as she led them into the front entrance and up to
Manor House: Second Floor.
Front Entrance - Stairs
The unmistakable sound of someone singing and humming loudly could be heard before the front door slammed loudly, tattling a few of the windows.
Olivia pushed her hood back and grinned around at her surroundings before she strode towards the stairs and headed up to
Manor house: second floor music still blasting through her headphones.
Hackles of irritation already lowered,
Phil had returned to the grand staircase merely fifteen to twenty minutes after his previous companions had left him. He paused, noting a trail of more water from the front doors and matching footsteps headed upstairs. Had someone else arrived while they were in the kitchen? It was going to be very unsettling not knowing who was home and who was not. He couldn't dwell on that though, looking up as Craven appeared on his way back down. "Oh hey, did someone else show up up there?" he asked as he slowly took the stairs, pausing as he came even with Craven. He pointed. "That's a nice camera. Hobby or livelihood?"
Craven took a few more steps to meet Phil have way. he glanced back at the question as he shrugged. "I didn't see anyone but I heard a door shut on the third floor, don't know if it was anyone new though." He smiled sheepishly down at his camera as it was mentioned. "Both, I couldn't think of anything else I liked doing and was good at."
Mindy burst through the front door with Fenrir right behind her. She hunches up as she starts to say, "Fenrir don't even think..." But before she could finish her sentence Fenrir gave a prodigious shake, sending all moisture far from his body.
The door opened again with
Blythe marching through, keeping her head down until she fully escaped the sleet, finally looking up to see: "Oliv--oh. No, you're Melinda, right?"
Before the door could fully shut
Falona squeezed in stopping the door with her foot and holding it for Calder. "Wow, this place is uber big! Oh but I bet you already know your way around. Would you mind showing Calder and I arou-" She stopped her rambling when she noticed Blythe was addressing someone already. "Oh sorry..."
Mindy looked up at her older sister "It's Mindy, I haven't been called that since I was seven," She looked down at the bundle she had put under her shirt and began to unwrap it as she continued, "And if I remember correctly you're Blythe. So where is me other half," As she spoke her Scottish accent became thicker. Ratatoskr chose that moment to poke his head out from his hidey-hole and growl at everyone then hid once more. Fenrir just barked happily and started to run around excitedly.
Blythe turned to Falona and Calder: "Do I have a sign on my forehead saying 'I put up security cameras everywhere I go and have tracking devices on cousins I've never met as well as sisters I rarely see'? As if GPS would even work in this mudpit..." she turned back to the long-haired twin, "Either Olivia's here, or she isn't. We'll just have to find out. Bedrooms are on the third floor and I assume the dog is house-trained.
" The oldest Arvin then stepped into the coat closet to put up her peacoat, apparently not minding at all whether the others waited or moved on without her.
"Schroedinger's cousin!" Phil called down to the group once he got over the momentary surprise of having his budding conversation interrupted by a flurry of women and one young man. Did their grandfather have any great grand children? Certainly some of them were old enough... He wondered how many kids would be joining them as he tapped his own temple with a finger, then pointed it at Blythe, as if signaling he got the joke it was quite clear she had not been making. "Welcome, everyone," he addressed the group as a whole. "Save your introductions, you'll just have to do them again. If you head up this way I'll show you the rooms. I don't imagine many are left so I hope some of you are willing to bunk with each other." He waved his hand beckoningly then turned to head upstairs, giving Craven a thin smile as he did so. "I'd like to hear more about your photography later if you don't mind? I'm not very artsy myself so I have to admit I'm a little envious. You want to help them settle in or are you going to go..." He motioned vaguely around then made a motion with both hands indicating clicking pictures.
"Falona," Jerick greeted his sister with some surprise as he returned to the entryway to find the small group of family. He looked at each person, trying to identify who he could before settling on Calder, who he offered a small smile before turning his bland expression on Falona again. "I'm glad to see you made it without anyone getting hurt." He said 'anyone' but honestly he was just glad for Calder. His little brother was still young, he had so much potential. Falona, on the other hand... well, she was pretty much a lost cause at this point.
Lilynette wiped her feet off on the mat as best she could, she opened what she found to be a coat closet and hung up her raincoat, she ignored those around her as she changed out of her wet rain boots into her dry combat boots. Lilynette didn't feel much like talking so she just nodded and stared out the window by the door at the rain.
Craven blinked in surprise as the entry hall got flooded with people so quickly. He absentmindedly stepped half behind Phil, despite the other man being shorter, before replying. "I'd love to continue later, maybe even show you a few things." he smirked as he raised his camera up, setting the flash on low, so not to distracted the "Happy Family reunion", and snapped a photo.
At a loss for words, Falona remained silent for a few minutes before chuckling and responding to her state. "Yeah...sorry that was a pretty stupid question. She started walking towards Phil to greet and fallow him but the sound of her brothers voice stopped her. She gulped and turned to him forcing a smile. "Oh, Hello Jerk-Uh, I mean Jerick...Glad to see you made it." she barely finished her statement before Calder gave his brother a big smile, ignoring the growl from the blanketed cage he was carrying. "Hello Jerick, how's your family?"
"I'll not be sharing a room with anyone but my pets and my belongings thank you. If I have to I will just sleep in the library," Mindy said indignantly. She looked around daring anyone to challenge her and then clicked her tongue causing Fenrir to growl menacingly even as he continued to wag his tail happily.
Blythe barked out a short laugh that could be heard from within the coat closet at Phil's joke. Upon stepping back out into the foyer, she glanced over the new arrivals before turning to Mindy with a mildly amused expression. "Well, good luck with that. It's larger than this room, but I don't think any of the furniture is big enough to sleep on. You'll have a crick in your neck all year."
"They're very well, thank you for asking," Jerick replied to his younger brother with an actual amount of kindness. Of course, that was a little overshadowed by the fact that he pretty much ignored his sister's comment entirely. "What are you doing here, Calder? You're not old enough to participate, I figured you would want to stay home." It would seem that Jerick did not hold the same borderline hostility for his brother as he did for this sister, judging by his the polite tone he was using with the younger male.
"Fun bunch," Phil muttered quietly to Craven in reply to Mindy's crispness. She could sleep in the kitchen for all he cared. Any room was a bedroom if you slept there, he supposed. He cleared his throat lightly before addressing the group again. "We can discuss beds, chairs, even hammocks later. Come on then." He turned and continued upstairs again, hoping the others would follow.
Raevan came to a halt in front of Phil, smiling easily. "Well hello. Justin and I were just coming down to see about that grocery list." She glanced over Phils shoulder at the man who had been so rude earlier before returning her attention to her other cousin. "Sure he brought some food but it wont last long with all these people so a trip to the store will still be needed."
"Present." Justin responded to hearing his own name, setting off a small humor for himself. He came to a rest shortly behind Raeven after the stairs. "I figured it would be best to get a list of things people would like or maybe can or cant eat, due to allergies and such, or maybe preferences like vegans." He offered.
Lilynette glanced at the dog and smiled slightly, she loved dogs, animals were always better than people in her opinion. Lilynette glanced at the dog's owner wondering if she would let her pet the cute fluffy dog.
Beginning to head back towards the stairs Falona immidiately stop, noticing the giant fur monster that most people would call a dog,Falona went paled and jumped behind the closest person to her which just so happened to be Lilynette.
Calder however, didn't seem to care about the dog at all, he was far more interested in what passed in his family as "bonding". "Mom is busy with work so she figured instead of leaving me with a sitter she decided this would be a good way for me to connect to our roots and build character....plus she thought it would be best for Falona to have me around." He added a hint of amusement to part about Falona.
"I can feel the family love already." Craven sighed in response to Phil as he shook his head. He smirked at his sisters words as he looked over all the family that gathered below. "At this rate we'll need to buy a whole farm."
Lilynette tensed up a bit and glanced at Falona, "A-are you alright?" She asked in a soft voice, her eyebrow was raised and she looked back at the dog.
"Yes.. I can see that was probably wise..." Jerick responded quietly, observing his frightened sister with a concerned furrow of his brow. Setting that aside, he once more smiled at Calder. "Well, it'll be good to have you here. Would you like some help with your..." He motioned to the covered cage in the young man's arms. "What have you got there?"
Phil, still near the top of the staircase, halted by the arrival of Raeven and Justin, nodded along while they explained why they had returned. "Smart idea. Why don't you three get everyone settled. I'll head back to the kitchen. There was some boullion and vegetables, I don't think anyone can be allergic to soup, and I think we could all sorely use the warmth. Can one of you see about going into the sitting room on the other side of the house from the kitchen? Get a fire started and open the curtains to let some light in... what little there is. We can all meet in there for a meal in an hour? That way we can discuss allergies and food preferences all at the same time, and organize a grocery rotation that'll start tomorrow I think." He looked at the three, then paused, and looked past Justin and Raeven. "Where's Grayson?" He looked at them again. "Can you also let him know? And if he wants, I could use his help with the soup."
Looking around Mindy asked "So is he the only bairn here or are there more pokin' about?" pointing at Calder. Clucking at Fenrir she starts heading for the stairs, "And just so ya know I brought enough scran for everyone for about a week but I'm not going to get it out of the van till I find the lavy."
"Um..." Blythe blinked as she attempted to process/decode her sister's unfamiliar dialect: "...That's...the only kid as far as I know. And the only bathrooms I found are on the third floor. They're attached to the bedrooms." She muttered to herself "the hell is scran?" before addressing the little scouting-party that came downstairs. "No allergies to report and soup sounds heavenly in this weather."
Raevan moved to the side to she wasn't directly in front of Phil then held two fingers between her lips and blew, whistling loud enough that anyone in the house could hear it. When she had everyone's attention she gave a wave, a soft smile spreading across her face. "Hello everyone. For those of you who haven't met me, I am Raevan. Several of us would like to get together a make a grocery list later so Phil-" Like Vanna White she pointed him out, "is going to be kind enough to cook some soup and we're all going to meet in the sitting room and get one together so that we can go shopping tomorrow and get what we need. So in about an hour if we could all meet up there that we be great. Any questions?"
Falona jumped when Lilynette addressed her, eyes darting between her and the dog. "I-I didn't expect...any..Dogs.."
Calder held up the covered cage, which growled in protest."If you wouldn't mind. But be warned, it's Falona's hundred pound cat so your arm may fall off."
Craven listened to Phils plan and his sister's unique way of capturing everyones attention. despite it sounding like a great idea, Craven suspected that getting everyone together without killing each other was going to be very difficult.
"Are you scared of dogs, or do you just not like them?" Lilynette asked, she seemed both curious and slightly disappointed.
"Ah, no, I think it seems you have a good grip on it, I wouldn't want to disrupt that," Jerick replied to Calder and carefully withdrew his hands, watching the growling object in his brother's arms with reservation. "Let us go up and choose rooms, I've yet to choose mine as well, we'll talk on the way." He motioned for Calder to follow him and started up the steps to Manor House: Second Floor, nodding briefly to those on the stairs as they past them.
"Well done," Phil said to Raevan, sounding honestly impressed. He glanced at Jerick as he past them, fighting off a scowl, but offered an easy smile as he returned his attention to the others with him. "I'll be in the kitchen then," he bid them farewell and with a little wave he turned and headed back down the stairs and through the dining room to the kitchen to see if he could find what he did with the supplies he needed.
Go upstairs to Manor House: Second Floor
Go outside to the grounds of Dry Lake Manor House
Return to dry lake manor
Stumble!