Project: Chosen Grannie

Chapter 4

Falcoro's home through the bookshelf was smarter than the hovel Agatha expected. The ceiling was high, to accommodate his height, and domed with small tendrils of green plants poking through compact soil patches between the rock. Ancient fighting implements were gracefully mounted for show on the striated brown and gray rock that was the entrance. The architecture of Falcoro's home put her in the mind of the house of Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings.

"56 types of tea, you say?" She asked while following Falcoro further into the home, trailing her hands along the cool stone wall, with Alecto nearby and Jaff covering their flank.

"Pan didn't advise me on your tea preferences so I bought them all from your realm and this one."

"I'm sure you have Earl Grey Creme, yes?" Agatha hoped Falcoro would say yes, Earl Grey Creme was her absolute favorite, it was given to her once for a Festivus swap and she loved it since.

"I'm sure I do, have a seat and make yourself at home."

Agatha did not take a seat, but she did make herself at home by lifting throw pillows on the couch to inspect the fine tapestry work and looking through bookshelves made of rock. There were books with leather binding, paper binding, fur, and metal. Some were a mix of textiles with symbols in place of words. Some were modern romance novel paperbacks, notably were complete sets of Penny Ried books.

Between the shelves that lined the wall were windows looking outside. Agatha pressed her nose against the sooty window, peering into the darkness. It wasn't full dark, light filtered from the sky giving the illusion of being underwater. She had to pull back and shake her head or risk a headache from trying to wrap her head around where she might or might not be.

Pencil drawn images and landscapes painted with oils were spaced throughout the room breaking up the displayed weaponry. No fancy frames, some tacked to the wall.

Agatha also noticed smudge marks on the walls above the candle held sconces. Several pewter mugs sat on the end table and she decided that this was not a tidy house, but it was a safe house.

Falcoro muttered as cabinet doors slammed and china rattled.

"Need help, dear?" Agatha asked after a particularly loud crash and a string words that would have required her to stick a bar of soap in her children's mouth had she heard them say.

Jaff looked toward what Agatha was the kitchen, gave a gruf, and laid down on his "doggie bed" made of pelts which sat next to the over-sized chocolate brown leather chair.

"No, ma'am. Just waiting on the water to boil. Biscuits? I have 175 kinds of biscuits."

Why would a giant have 56 kinds of teas and 175 types of biscuits? Agatha thought to herself. She glanced down at Allie who was fluffing one of the many colored pillows, the white one, readying himself for a catnap.

"Don't ask me, I have no idea," He said and shrugged his kitty shoulders, as if reading her mind. "And yes I can. Apology accepted."

"Well!" Agatha exclaimed while gripping at her triple strand cultured pearl necklace.

"Sit mistress, all will be revealed." Allie coils himself into a ball of blue fur and purrs softly.

Without really having a choice, Agatha sat next to Allie on the couch and waited for tea.

"If I'm waiting, might as well work on the shawl," Agatha said to the room. Allie twitched his tail and Jaff didn't move while Agatha pulled from her bag a beautiful chocolate brown lace weight silk blend wool ball attached to a lace pattern shawl that was half way completed. "And I'm keeping this one." She told herself. Usually all her finished items are given away to friends who have remarked on the beauty of the handmade item, never keeping the stunning stuff for herself.