Submission (#6940) Approved

word count: 1296
region: Strynhalde
prompt subject: impromptu scavenger hunt with lost and found items

Elnin:
https://worldofeyre.com/character/MYO-ELN237 ( earning AP )
https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN2986
https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN1836
https://worldofeyre.com/character/ELN2869

Payout:
6EC +1EC ( pomu lantern ) + 2EC ( over 900 words )= 9EC

After several months of staying in one place, Tobias had developed a daily routine. 

When the bright morning light began to pour in his inn room from the open window, the elnin would stir from his slumber and force himself to get up. After stretching, washing his face, and brushing his teeth, he’d make his way over to gather his pomu’s lantern. Even though it was nearing the end of miasma season, pomu’s were still in hibernation. Several months ago Tobias had constructed a pomu lantern out of black, orange, pink, and orange cloth to match his own colors. Tobias adorned the lantern with ribbons that drifted off the lantern and danced whenever the wind picked up. He had also added some lightweight gems to his pomu’s lantern to really make it stick out. He knew that even if his pomu was hibernating, they’d still enjoy being flashy and catching everyone’s attention. Tobias carefully untied the pomu lantern from his bedpost and tied it around his tail. Not too tight to hurt his tail, but not loose enough to chance having his pomu lantern floating away when he was looking away. The last thing he did was wrap a thick colorful scarf around his neck before leaving his inn room and making his way outside.

The sky was partly cloudy, allowing steady streams of sunlight to light up the snow that covered everything around Tobias. Even after being here for a few months, he still needed a few minutes to get used to Strynhalde’s bitter cold every time he stepped outside. His fur and scarf helped keep him relatively warm, but his refusal to wear proper boots meant his paws quickly grew cold within the first several steps he took outside. His cold paws went through the blanket of snow that covered the ground, leaving a train of footprints behind as he made his way over to the nearby tavern. As he walked he took in the sight of how the snow glittered on nearby pine trees and bushes. Snow was quite beautiful when it was on trees and not between his toes.

The tavern was louder than usual when Tobias opened the heavy front door and stepped in. Instead of the usual chatter of elnin sitting at tables enjoying a hearty meal, several kitten were running around. Without any context, Tobias could only assume they were either playing a game of tag, a game of ‘stay off the floor’, or both. Meanwhile, a green and cream colored elnin stood in the doorway that led to the kitchen, watching the scene in frustration. Tobias had learned over time that her name was Maisy, an elnin who practically lived at the tavern from how much time she spent working there. Making sure to not get in the way of the rowdy kittoms, Tobias made his way over to where Maisy was standing and leaned against the wall next to the kitchen doorway.

“Amazing how energetic kids can be in the morning, huh?”

Maisy let out an aggravated sigh.

“They’ve been at it since I unlocked my doors this morning. I’ve bribed them with breakfast but they’re not interested in food or sitting still for longer than a second. I get that they’re bored, but this is ridiculous!”

Maisy’s pomu lantern, which was made of various shades of greens, tapped against MAisy’s ear as if her pomu was trying to comfort her in its dormant state. It was doubtful that was the case, but the thought was a nice one to Tobias.

As Maisy raised her paws to rub her temples Tobias looked back over at the kittoms, who were both currently standing on one of the tables. Cabin fever plus the energy of a child were a chaotic duo. Was there anything he could do to help Maisy and the kittoms out? His gaze drifted away from the kittoms and over to a thin wooden box on the other side of Maisy, resting against the wall next to the kitchen doorway. Written on the box were the words ‘Lost and Found’, and the box was full of various clothing items and odd items. He stepped over, leaned down, and browsed through the box.

“Miss Maisy? How long have things been sitting here in the box?”

Maisy looked down at Tobias and raised a brow.

“A long time. Haven’t had to put anything in that box for awhile now, and no one’s come looking for anything for even longer than that. Why do you ask?”

“Going to set up a game for the young ones, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind, I suppose. Everything in that box belongs to the tavern now, as far as I’m concerned.”

Even with Maisy’s blessing, Tobias didn’t want to go handing out anything that looked valuable. He set aside jewelry and trinkets that could have emotional value before picking up the box and looking over at the kittoms.

“Hey! You two! My name’s Tobias. Could you come help me with something?”

The two kittoms paused their game and scrambled off the tavern table. They trotted over to Tobias and looked at him curiously.

“My name’s Gingerbread, and this is Frost. What do you need help with?”

“I need your help setting up a scavenger hunt!”

The kittoms’ eyes grew wide and glittered with delight.

“A scavenger hunt?!”

“Yeah, we’re going to set one up! Elnin have lost their things, but they haven’t come around to collect them. I was thinking - what if we hide some things around town? It’ll be fun for everyone to find things in unexpected places, and maybe lost items will find their way back to the owners!”

Was it a sure fire plan? Of course not. But the items that were in the box included frayed scarves, socks with too many holes in them, and other various clothing items of similar caliber. He doubted they were items that anyone would be actively looking for, but if it kept the kittom’s attention on something other than causing a ruckus in the tavern then it’d be worth it. 

Tobias walked outside with the kittoms close behind. He explained the objective - place the clothing items in places that would be easy for other kittoms to find, so there’d be no reason for them to climb up onto rooftops or high tree branches. With that he set the box down and watched as both Gingerbread and Frost grabbed some clothing items before darting off in different directions. With a hum Tobias reached in, pulled out a mitten with the thumb thorn out, and wandered off to find a good ‘hiding’ space for it.

Time went by quickly for Tobias and the kittoms. By the time the box was empty, Frost and Gingerbread were worn out from running around town to place goodies in interesting places. The elnin decided to reward the two with some warm hot cocoa made by Maisy and paid for by Tobias. He listened to the two kittoms talk about where they hid their objects around town as the three warmed up at a table next to the fireplace. The two kittoms even came up with an idea to make posters and put them up to explain the impromptu scavenger hunt. Tobias was all for it and encouraged the two. If nothing else, it’d keep the two from hopping on tavern tables for a little longer. 

He decided he’d leave the two kittoms to work on their posters, gave Maisy a farewell, and headed back home with his pomu lantern. Today he had been outside in the Strynhalde cold snow for far too long, and he decided it was now time for a reward of his own -  a hot bath and a warm bed to curl up in!