In a village, people are celebrating its founding, food aplenty with people enjoying the bountiful harvest this year brought them.
Children playing their games as parents watched at tables while talking to one another.
Everything was joyous that it was something out of a fairytale.
Peering down at them on the rooftops, a line of ravens as they watched the festival with their dark beady eyes, no one paid them any mind as they silently watched.
"To our health!" Mortimer raised his chalice as everyone done the same.
Pleased with their efforts he settled back in his spot and as he did, he noticed something peculiar, two figures coming up the cobbled pathway.
Lowering his chalice, Mortimer warily watched them come into view.
A man and a woman.
The man wore a forest green long coat, his leather messenger bag moving stiffly.
The woman's ruby red hair shimmered under the sun, the strands of blond shimmering brighter as it swayed in the wind.
"Morty, whoarethey?" He heard his wife, Izzy, whisper into his ear as she sat beside him, becoming increasingly wary as she saw the people as well.
Watching them closely, Mortimer responds, "I do not know. Stay here, I will go see."
Grabbing his arm, Izzy disagreed with his plan, saying, "Mortimer, what if they're…"
Her voice grows quiet at the end before Orion assures her that he will be careful.
Grabbing a bottle of hand sanitizer off the table for good measure, he raises it to show her before stealing a kiss from her.
Standing up and sticking the bottle into his front pocket, he stepped away from the table, and took a different way to intercede the people coming into their village without anyone knowing.
He appeared to them before they got too close to be noticed by the others as he looked between the man and woman with curiosity in his olive eyes.
"I'm sorry, I don't seem to know you two," Mortimer puts on his courteous tone of voice as he kept them where they were and away from any prying eyes.
The man introduced himself as the Doctor and the woman beside him introduced herself as Taylor.
They were a pair of travelers and in their travels, it brought them here.
Shocked, Mortimer musters, "I hate to tell you this, but this isn't a tourist trap."
The Doctor assures him that he understands, but their traveling didn't discriminate, hence them there.
Curious, Mortimer asked why they're there and the Doctor produced a novel from his messenger bag.
It was said to be made by a detective that came to the area some years back, it was hardly known outside select individuals who scoured bins for a copy, but otherwise it's been making rounds in different scenes.
In Montgomery Hill's Shadows by Johnathan Murphy.
"I'm sorry sir, but I don't seem to know that book," Mortimer gestures before the Doctor told him that he understands, but he's quite curious about it enough to come here with Taylor.
Scratching the back of his head, Mortimer musters, "We're kinda celebrating our harvest at the moment, if you're that insistent, I'm sure we can make room for you two."
Turning around, he led the two into the village, almost everyone stopped what they were doing when they saw the Doctor and Taylor coming through the village led by Mortimer.
Finding seats for them, Mortimer watched as the Doctor and Taylor sat down as they glimpsed around.
Hesitantly, Mortimer sat down next to Izzy who grimaced at the sight of the Doctor and Taylor.
Subtly, Izzy looked up at the rooftops, the ravens were gone, before she lowered her head to share looks with her husband.
While the Doctor and Taylor were busy taking part in the festival, the husband and wife talked to each other.
"They came here because of that book?" Izzy whispers to her husband.
Nodding, Mortimer insisted that it was what the Doctor told him, before he saw the disproving look on his wife's face.
"Once they get their fill of the village, they'll surely leave," Mortimer insisted that it will be fine, that once the Doctor and Taylor see nothing of value in their village, they won't linger.
Frowning, Izzy felt her husband's warm hand on her exposed shoulder as he assured her that everything would be fine.
It would be suspicious if the village becomes hostile towards them and even more if they seemed willing to give everything under the sun to appease the Doctor and Taylor.
Mortimer swore that so long as they acted as naturally possible, the two would leave, and that'll be that.
"What if…?" Izzy worries.
Gently squeezing her shoulder, Mortimer swore to her that it would be fine, all they needed was patience.
Slowly nodding, Izzy finally agreed to her husband's plans before taking a large gulp of her chalice of wine, her pearl earrings bobbing as she moved her head.
The festival went until the sun was setting and everyone packed everything up, threw the rubbish out, and it was though no festival happened.
The Doctor and Taylor had their fill, but remained keen on staying around a little longer, so that it forced Mortimer into leading them to an inn where they could stay the night.
Marge hid her dismay when she booked the two and led them to their room.
Out of earshot, she gave Mortimer an earful before he told her the plan on how they'll give the Doctor and Taylor what they want within reason, enough to throw them off the trail, and they'll be gone in no time.
"Damn detective, should've shut his mouth!" Marge muttered under her breath before Mortimer stated that the village would be in the limelight more had her and the older villagers had their way.
Shaking her head in disapproval, Marge hissed, "Back then, no one would've known any better, could've lied and said he gotten lost in the woods!"
Gesturing towards her, Mortimer begged her to listen to him.
"Don't do anything stupid, o'mum, if anything happens to them, someone's going to get curious, just give them a good time, maybe they'll get bored and bugger off, okay?" Mortimer stressed his point to Marge who remained visibly angry about the Doctor and Taylor being in her inn.
Appealing to her the best way he can, Mortimer managed to calm Marge down, before she jabbed her finger in his chest as she emphasizes that she's holding him to his word.