"Glad to see you did not get hurt," says Eda, who then turns to Mary and says, "Mary darling, please put the kettle on. I am sure Aunty Dora would love you to make her a cup of char. I would like one too."

While the young Mary sees to the stove, Eda resumes her chopping of the vegetables, saying, "Dora, you lead such an exciting life, tell us all about it."

[OOC: No need to go into detail, she is just passing the time.]

"Frantic night Eda, inducted a young Magus into the Watch, Guilliame de Marchant, he has already proved his worth. And tonight, we do it all again!"

The three of you chat over char while the Grane's evening meal is being put together. Then the two older male members of the Grane family arrive home, letting themselves in through the back gate and heading immediately to the washroom that has been setup in one corner of the backyard specifically to wash away the clay of the day; the Granes own and operate a small pottery down at the river's edge.

"Evening all," says Mal Grane as he enters looking a lot cleaner now. "Dinner smells great, Eda... Oh hello Dora, how are you today?"

"Hello Daddy," says Mary rushing over to give her father a hug now that he is clean.

"Where is Willy?" asks Eda.

"He has gone to visit a friend," replies Mal casually. "Said he would be back later but to not wait dinner for him, which is good because I am starving."

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Eda asks Dora. "Or do you have to go and get ready for tonight's shift."

Courteously accept invitation but let Eda know that yes I will have to leave at some point and in fact that I have had a meal earlier so not a large helping please.

Quote from che_ja_pa >>

Courteously accept invitation but let Eda know that yes I will have to leave at some point and in fact that I have had a meal earlier so not a large helping please.

[OOC: Dora has also eaten relatively recently and will get a free meal provided by the watch soon after she starts her shift, so this will be more about being polite than actually needing the food. Mind you, the food provided by the watch is not as good as Eda's cooking.]

Ask Mal how his day had been.

"You know," says Mal. "A dirty one... cannot really help it when you spend most of it up to your elbows in clay." It is an old joke in the family. "Got the new kiln working properly though. Hopefully it will begin paying for itself now."

Eda, who is putting the finishing touches on the the night's meal, smiles and says, "That is good news dear. It was quite expensive."

She then turns to her daughter and says, "Mary, go and find Dougal. It is time he came in and got washed up."

The young girl dutifully wipes her hands on a cloth and then heads out the back door.

"Dora was just telling me all about her evening. A horse ran amuck in the wee small candles and..." begins Eda.

[OOC: General conversation occurs between the three adults. Is there anything in particular you want Dora to bring up at this point?]

"I had occasion to meet the night cart crew, Ammanual Maclan and Barne. Its not an easy job for anyone including the young ragamuffins that work with them."

Eda wrinkles her nose at the mention of the nightsoil cart but Mal laughs heartily and says, "Yeah. There is always someone with a worse job than yours."

He then walks over to a sideboard and pours himself a drink of something from a crockery jar. "Would you like a beer, Dora, or are you working tonight?"

"Kind of you Mal, I am working tonight so no thanks."

"Suit yourself," says Mal, who then takes a long drink from his cup. "Shall I set the table, Eda?"

"Please," replies his wife over the sounds of laughing and running feet that announces the arrival of the two youngest of the Grane children.

"Go and wash up for dinner," Eda shouts over the noise and the two hurry off to do as they were told still laughing at whatever childish game they were playing.

The meal, which is excellent, passes in a friendly manner and too soon Dora realises that she will have to leave soon to go and get ready for her shift.

[OOC: Please use this opportunity to bring up any new topics of conversation, otherwise, we will move on to Dora heading off for her shift.]

"Thank you Eda for the meal, I will be seeing you all tomorrow. I must ready for work now." Leave the table and go to the loft, dress and equip myself and as an afterthought slip the silver filigree ring into a safe inner pocket.

[OOC: I have moved Dora's equipment around on her character sheet to represent what she is carrying. Also, as handleader, Dora will need to report to the Sheriff's Office for a handover report.]

With still some time left before she is due at the outer watchpost, Dora lets herself out of the yard and heads off through the now-darkened streets. This part of the Ward has a few streetlights and so she doesn't need to have a lantern and she will be able to pick one up at the Sheriff's Office if she thinks she needs one for the walk out to her own post.

When she arrives at the Sheriff's Office, the officer of the watch informs her that she is to see the sheriff. They also inform her that she won't be taking her normal watch tonight. Instead, Handleader Ahman will be taking her place. Shortly thereafter she finds herself waiting at the door of the sheriff's office for him to arrive.

[OOC: More tomorrow, but I need to go to sleep now.]

[OOC who does Dora speak to at the desk, another handleader or a watchman. If she knows either of them well, she will seek a clue as to what is happening.]

Ask the desk officer when the Sheriff is expected.

The person on duty was Tomas Kassam, an older man that Dora has seen previously, though not very often. Kassam is a retired handleader with years of experience, who occasionally fills in for the duty officer when necessary. On these occasions  he is considered reinstated to his former rank.

When asked, Tomas did know why Dora has been pulled off her normal duties. He also said the sheriff shouldn't be long because the change of orders came direct from him and were given not that long ago. That was then and Dora has had to sit for quite some time before the sheriff finally turns up.

"Handleader Wallus, there you are," the sheriff begins as he comes into sight at the end of the corridor. "Sorry for the delay but it has been a busy day."

Reaching the door to his office, the sheriff enters, adding, "Come in. Have you recovered from last night? It was quite an event."

"Yes, thanks Sir, and you?"

"I could have definitely done with more sleep but yes, I am fine. Thank you for asking," replies the sheriff taking a seat behind his desk and indicating that Dora should sit opposite him.

"You are probably wondering why I have taken you off your normal shift," he says, looking Dora straight in the eyes. "No, you have done nothing wrong. It is just that I have had a request from one of my fellow sheriffs for a watchman with a Stemian background who can do some investigating for them in their own district. Someone who will not be immediately recognised as being a member of the watch for that area."

After a moment's pause, he then continues, saying, "Naturally I thought of you. You have a number of years of experience and certainly fit the background requirements. The fact that you are also a woman might also be a benefit because there are fewer of your gender in the watch than men."

Having come to a final decision, he then says, "You are to report to Sheriff Vosel in the Mercantile District at the fifth candle of the day. I was also asked to tell you that you should report in civilian clothing... Do you have any questions?"

"Sir, how long will I be working for Sheriff Vosel? Will I be returning to the Scholar's Ward?"

"Yes, I do not want to lose you," replies the sheriff to Dora's second question before going on to say, "But I do not know how long they will need you over there. Will it be a problem for you to go to the Mercantile District on a daily basis for a while?"

[OOC: The distance from this office to the office of the sheriff in the Mercantile District is about the same as it is to the outer watchpost where Dora has been stationed this tenday, so she wouldn't think that the sheriff is concerned about the distance involved. Perhaps he is thinking Dora might have other concerns about this posting.]