[Reunion/Inn/Open] Hugh and Judy's mysterious return

[The Scythe]

[Admin]
Hugh and Judy've been gone a long time. That thread is long gone, and so there's no reason to keep it that way anymore. So I'm bringing them back!

This will be an Open thread, desiged to establish them back in the Inn where the've been missing for so long. Feel free to post and join them.

[Hugh and Judy]
Around the curve in the road, two riders came. Their horses trotted to a halt. Ahead of them was the city of Montfort, all laid out in the distance. Hugh Rogers turned to his wife Judy and smiled.

"Almost home," he said happily. Jusy smiled back. And they rode on to their home and business, the Dragons Inn.

[Troshen]

[Admin Note]
This takes place just after [A Frozen Vesper] ends.


[Hugh and Judy]


The pair rode along the path, in no hurry. It was one of their favorite roads to take. On their right they passed a pond full of life. Frogs were croaking, birds were chirping. A bird sang, and Judy whistled back.

[Fawn]

It was after all the hustle and bustle of recent events had died down. Fawn was cleaning up the day after, and setting the place to rights. She stopped by the winecellar and looked at the empty shelves. She pursed her lips, thinking of the cost it would be to replace all the alcohol in the place, now burned.

Ding-Dong! The bell at the front door of the inn rang out from upstairs, so Fawn turned and made her way there, humming to herself. It turned out to be the postman with a letter for her. She stood out in the front of the inn, and as she looked over the letter, she recognized the handwriting... Her heart began to race with excitement, and she tore the envelop in her hurry to read it. There it was! She hadn't expected anything like this!

------
Dearest Fawn,

We are on the road back to Montfort and should be there in a few more days. Please keep it in confidence that we are nearby. We'll tell you more when we arrive.

A Tua Dilecti Amici

Hugh and Judy

PS. Would you open a cask of the Dragonwine? I'm really looking to that. Haven't tasted it all the time since we've been gone!

[Troshen]

[Hugh, Judy, and Fawn]

"Bwah, hah hah hah hah!" Hugh laughed and laughed, doubled over. Judy's face was pinched with pained look. She fingered the coin pouch on her belt, her mind on costs and bills and expenses.

"Oh, the fireballs!" laughed Hugh. He had to reach out to grab an empty wine rack to keep from falling over with laughter. "wine fires to fight the ice demon!" Judy rolled her eyes. Fawn, for her part, looked caught between the two. She'd been responsible for the place while Hugh and Judy were away, and knew them well. So she felt Judy's worry about the cost it would take to replace it all, and she recognized the humor in it. But also she overall was thankful it had worked!

"Hugh!" Judy said, a little stern. "Look how expensive this will be. I mean really. Is it *_that_* funny? Please be serious." Hugh wiped his eyes.

"Dragonwine on fire..." he murmured. The Dragonwine was Judy's favorite, so he was getting to tease her a bit too. As he sobered up, he straightened and looked them both in the eyes.

"Well, we did well on this last trip, and we can afford it. You're right, it'll be very expensive, but if we spread the restocking out over time, we'll b ready for the Reunion when it happens." Judy nodded. "Alright, so that's one thing we'll need to take care of. Let's see what else needs to be done around here."

They all moved back to the stairs.

"Oh, and by the way, it's so good to be back home!" He threw his arm around Judy, and reached out a hand to Fawn. Fawn materialized her hands just a little to hold his. As they climbed the steps back up from the winecellar, he chuckled again.

"All burned up! Fiery spirits to fight a spirit!" And they went on through the rest of the inn, looking for what else needed to be done.