For the first time in a long time, Alice didn't wake three hours before the sun even rose nor did she have the weird falling dream. She woke just a little after dawn. She washed her face, combed her hair, pulled what little of it back that she could and went down to find Martha for her morning chores. Martha was already in the kitchen making the daily bread. Their reunion the afternoon before had been a teary one on Martha's part. She'd instantly pulled Alice into a tight embrace and demanded to know if anything was hurt. She then made a comment about how pretty that dress was on her before pulling her back into an embrace.
Another of those sad empty feelings had burrowed its way out of her chest while she hugged the older woman. It made the moment a little colder which is probably what she needed. Martha heard her approach and looked up with a smile. "Good mornin' lass. You're finally up."
"Yes ma'am. Did you leave me any chores this morning?" Her smile widened.
"Of course I did. I can't be choppin' those logs on orders of the doctor. You best head out and get started before the sun gets too high. Breakfast'll be ready by the time you finish up!" Alice nodded and headed out the front door. The sun was rising high that morning and there wasn't a sign of a black cloud anywhere. She hoped that whatever was causing the freak weather (could it have been that monster?) was finished making the weather highly unpredictable. In the waistband of her pants, she pulled a worn, dirty cloth and wrapped it around her head.
Very quickly she found the rhythm she needed to get the job done quickly. Place, chop, pull, place, chop, pull, place, chop... Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Startled, she spun, swinging the axe around to face the person. They moved back quickly and raised their hands. "Easy. I just came to ask a quick question." Alice noticed that she was speaking to a female with short greenish hued hair. Behind her was another another female only with black hair. They both wore dark long jackets which instantly made her suspicious but she shook the doubt away. They were just women, probably passing through, who came to the village expecting rain. Alice dropped the axe.
"Sorry about that. I didn't hear you coming while I was chopping the wood." The young woman smiled. If Alice knew her age, which she didn't, she would've guessed that this woman was older than herself; five years at least.
"It's alright. I'm to blame too. I guess I wasn't being noisy enough to let you hear me." She dropped her hands. "Anyway, my friend and I were staying in town but decided that things were a little too... drab for our taste. We noticed this place when we were heading into town. Is it an inn?" Alice nodded and pointed to the front door.
"Yes ma'am. You'll be wantin' to speak to Martha about room for the two of you."
"Oh alright. Thank-you." The women turned to leave but the green haired girl stopped. "Can I ask a favor of you? We have three friends who had to stay in town for a bit. When they get here, could you bring them up to our room?" Alice shrugged but nodded. She wasn't sure why she would have to bring anyone anywhere, seeing as the bed and breakfast was pretty self explanatory but decided to just do as the client requested. If she said no, Martha was sure to box her ears or worse.