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Notch views the room
The small brown, notch-eared mouse poked his head out from the hole. The Green Dragon seemed busier, noisier than on previous days. The great oaken door banged open and another two-legged entered the Inn. Another of the littler ones, the barefooted ones that lived around here. At least in comparison to some of the others who now sat at the tables, the female in the reddish cloak was one of the smaller people. But she looked a giant to Notch as he stared at her with his glittering black eyes.
Two men were sitting together now at one of the tables, sharing ale he thought and a basket of fresh bread (he could tell by the smell of it even from a distance) and that good, sharp cheese the cook kept locked away in her pantry. He watched them carefully looking for any crumbs that might fall to the floor as they talked and waved their hands about for emphasis.
One of the men, the darker one, had flipped something shiny and small into the air to the girl that worked here. It was pretty as it tumbled in the light. He knew where the girl’s bedroom was and pondered how he might snatch the glittery thing for his own nest.
News from the kitchen traveled on the air each time one of the busy servers went in or out. Notch twitched his whiskers as he took in the savory aromas of lunch. Stew with rich gravy and chunks of vegetables and meats. Warm bread, cheeses, and what was that tantalizing smell that drifted out just now. Sweet and spicy! He nearly fainted from anticipation. Spice and nut cookies, to be sure.
Notched pushed himself back into his little burrow at the base of the common room’s hearth and rooted about in his little larder. An apple core, still fairly fresh, caught his attention. Holding it between his paws he began to nibble on it in earnest. His tiny belly was making its demands known with its grumblings, and he thought perhaps a bit of apple as a snack would tide him over til he could make the rounds of the room later, unseen and unhindered.
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