#rooksville

[laielliconstruction]

Laielli Construction - A Reputable Local Firm

Leading Laielli Construction, Kevin blends construction skills with community spirit. Since 2019, he's a state-certified contractor known for his work ethic and humor. Engaging in Operation HeartF.E.L.T, he fights child hunger. With family ties and a passion for growth, he's committed to a thriving Brooksville.

[ragtimeunder]

What a beautiful day in this tiny prop city. Sure hope no giant monsters come along and start smashing up the place

[cosmo-rider]

🍃MISADVENTURE MAY: Day #3 Precious Possession/Inventory🍃

“This is why you’re here... a book?”

“Ah ah ah—“ Agnes cut Crius off in a playful tone, wagging on of her cloven fingers at him. “Not just any book! You should remember this one.”

Crius glanced at the cover. Despite its old, torn cover, he found it vaguely familiar.

“Oh come on, don’t you remember?” The faun pressed with a small frown. “They read this to us in primary school. All the legends and lore of Unitas Libras in one overly child-safe story.”

Agnes must’ve seen the incredulous look on Crius’s face because she patted the ground next to the tree stump she had perched herself on. “Now, now, here me out, Billy Goat. I know it’s crazy, but trust me, it’s worth it.”

Crius hesitated before sitting on the ground beside her. He had forgotten how short the faun was, as they were now roughly the same height.

“I’m not sure if you remember, but there’s this one story that always caught my attention,” Agnes began excitedly as she began turning the pages rapidly. “It’s the story of Astoria— one of King Maddox’s closest consultants outside of the three main Paladins.”

“The commander who carried out the quest to unite the country even after King Maddox’s disappearance?”

“Exactly! She established the closest we had to peace between all three kingdoms with barely any bloodshed. Then she too ended up disappearing later in life during her last journey to search for the Lost King and his Paladins. Truthfully, I forgot about this story until very recently. That’s when I found this...”

She turned to a page in the book with a lose page. Yet it wasn’t a page form the book, but a folded up map. “My last crew and I found this in an old library in Lost Juvena. We were granted special access for another quest, but I found this in my research. The notes that accompanied it were from a close adviser of Commander Astoria.”

Agnes was now practically beaming with excitement. “Before her final journey, the adviser claimed she had a special, custom compass made for her that was said to point the holder in the direction of whatever the holder desired most in the world. Apparently, she didn’t actually take the compass with her. At one stop, she passed the compass to her adviser for him to hide so it never fell in the wrong hands. This map here? It allegedly leads straight to the resting place of the Compass of Astoria.”

Crius stared down at the map, his eyes moving along the dotted path. It was quite a long journey, yet at the same time it could be worse. If he were to guess, it would take a few weeks, and it went through some rather dangerous territories.

“Let’s say this is all real,” Crius began after a small pause. “Why are you telling me this? What happened to your crew you mentioned? Why didn’t you all go together?”

Agnes’s smile turned into a sheepish frown. “Well... you know I never stay in one place very long. And with something like this...”

“Agnes... you duped them, didn’t you?”

“Crius, if you met them, you’d dupe them out too! Look, when they found this, the things they were talking about doing with this power... it was just horrendous. They were talking about using it to take revenge, find loot to steal—“

“And what will you do with this power?”

The faun puffed out her chest. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t use it for revenge! I was thinking more... discovering a way to unite the Fauna.”

Despite her covered eyes, Crius could see her emotions from her tense posture and curled hooves. “You know I left to discover myself— learn about my kind. I’ve seen quite a few Fauna since I left Rooksville, and I don’t like what I’m seeing. We’re so divided, and we’ve lost respect with even cousins like Felarians. I’ve thought about this for awhile, and I wanted to do something to change this. Maybe the compass can show me the way.”

A small pause fell between them.

“And think about it,” she continued on hurriedly as if wanting to forget how personal she had gotten. “If we do find it, you can use it to find your sister! That’s what it’s original purpose was, after all— finding missing people.”

“That’s not why you came to me, though,” Crius interjected sternly. “You didn’t know about my sister until you came here. Why me?”

“Maybe I just wanted to come back and have fun with my childhood best friend. I mean, me and my crew are finished, and I don’t really have anyone else other than you... you were the closest I had to family. Besides, you know some of these areas better than I do. We can work together to get both our wishes— have an adventure together, just like when we were little! Come on, whatduya say?

“Agnes, I can’t just leave for something that might not even be real!” Crius expressed with frustration, now pushing himself off the ground. “I’m the main caretaker for the flock and my brother and sisters! Mother and father are gone, I can’t just leave them just like that!”

“What about your brother— Markus, was it? He’s just a year or two younger than you, surely he can do it. This is a once in a lifetime adventure, that could help—“

Agnes faltered and her sheepish ears flopped downward. “Ah... I’m sorry, I shouldn’t push you. I shouldn’t have said that either. At least think about it. I’ll be leaving three days from now. If you change your mind, that should be enough time to sort things out at home.”

She stood up on her hooves and forced a smile on her face. “Still, it was really good seeing you again. Thanks for listening to my ridiculous dreams. I send you and your family the best of wishes, and if you ever need me, just send me a letter.”

Agnes didn’t wait for a response as she skipped off, but without her usual skip in her step. Crius kept his gaze toward the ground, his hands churned into fists. The whole thing was ridiculous— compasses couldn’t actually find missing people... right?

He couldn’t shake the last memory he had of his sister from his head and he found his eyes squeezing shut. The event he never told Mother and Father, and he made his siblings swore never to speak of.

“What do you mean?” Markus had questioned him that night in a fright. “We have to tell someone! We have to tell—“

“Don’t you see? If we tell, they’ll know we know and they’ll come for the whole family!” Crius had snapped, but his hands were shaking as he doused the fire in the fireplace in a hurry. “What happened here stays here! That’s an order!”

But it didn’t stay there.

He carried it everyday— knowing he could’ve done something to stop it.

At least maybe now he could fix it.

🍃🌻🍃

Misadventure May prompts from uusikuuu and overuseofsparkles on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/p/COLJLg_D8V4/?igshid=1ks6xzevkr9sf

https://www.instagram.com/p/COF6prWjDIM/?igshid=16u6ofhnlw65g

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[laielliconstruction]

Laielli Construction - A State-Certified General Contractor

Laielli Construction is a state-certified general contractor and construction expert with years of hands-on experience. He operates a successful construction firm specializing in home design and sinkhole remediation. Kevin Laielli is proud to support his community

[laielliconstruction]

Laielli Construction addresses foundation issues and sinkhole problems for its customers.

[laielliconstruction]

Laielli Construction creates eye-catching homes for families in the Central Florida area.

[cosmo-rider]

🍃MISADVENTURE MAY: Day #4 Suspicious Sounds🍃

Crius found it especially difficult to look into Markus's eyes as they halted at the edge of Rooksville. The two boys stood almost side by side, grasping their shepherd crooks. Unlike his brother, Crius was carrying his travel bag over his shoulder.

"What other choice do we have?" Crius answered in a grim tone. "Agnes was the closest we had to a lead in weeks. I just... just can’t let her go without thinking I’m losing something important. You and I both know Mother and Father won't find... find /her/, and I don't need to remind you what she told us about Gearwellian rule.”

"But is chasing after a magical compass that may or may not even be real really the solution?" Markus persisted. "Wouldn't it just be more effective to tell the truth? Mum and Dad don't even know what their looking for, this could really help—"

"And risk losing them too?"

"If you go and something happens, the girls and I have lost four family members. Four! Wasn't losing our sister enough?"

Markus faltered as his voice cracked. He cleared it quickly and continued, "I kept everything that happened a secret for weeks now— like you wanted. It eats me up everyday, Crius. I would find Dad—not just Mum, but Dad— /crying/. I was so, so close to telling them so many times, you have no idea!"

Crius dared to look into Markus's face. He immediately felt the urge to look away— the anguish in his face was overwhelming.

"I have some idea," he clarified quietly. "'Cause I found myself trying to hold it back every time I was in the same room as them."

"Then what do expect me to tell them if they come back you're still gone?"

Crius hesitated. "Everything. Everything we know, at least. But I will come back, I promise— I just can't promise I'll be back before Mother and Father are."

Markus seemed to hesitate. The younger brother glanced back at the fields where the sheep could be seen grazing off in the distance. At least he raised his arm, and to Crius's surprise, he embraced him in a one-armed hug.

"You better keep that promise," Markus added with a hint of grief buried under a forced chuckle. "Or I'll tell Dad what you what you did last summer when you were supposed to be watching the flock during the Turnclock Festival.”

Crius’s face flushed. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

When Markus released him, Crius found him wiping his face furiously with his sleeve. “I kept you long enough. Best if you go find your friend. Best of luck to you, and... and bring her home if you can.”

Before Crius could find any words to respond, Markus had rushed off back down the path— back toward the flock. Crius knew it was for the best, but despite all the bickering and fights between them... he hated to see him go.

He turned his back on his younger brother’s and forced his left to follow the road ahead... alone.

***

Crius knew the fields and woods around Rooksville like the back of his hands— which is why he kept his movements as quiet as possible. Rooksville was relatively low risk when it came to rough characters, but outside of the town borders, Crius knew all too well that thugs lay in wait of wary travelers. When he was younger, his father never let any of the children go even to the borders of the family pasture.

“I’m not trying to scare you kids, but them devils have been getting braver,” his father had warned them before they headed out to play. “Have constant vigilance. If a man truly wants to cause trouble, that fence won’t stop him.”

As a shepherd himself now, Crius found that he had that advice at the forefront of his thoughts. His ears caught sound of every rustle, every bird song. His gaze swept back and fourth over the bushes and tree tops. The Rooksville Woods weren’t actually apart of Rooksville— the village, for some unknown reason, never claimed it. None of the villagers dared to go far in— leaving the woods crawling with only the predators and their prey.

Tsk tsk tsk

Crius wiped around, the hairs on the back of his neck on edge. Something large— maybe even two of them —had sprinted through the bush just behind him.

Tsk tsk

Now the rustle was to his other side, but when he turned, he could only catch a glimpse of a dark figure. His heart began to beat viciously against his rib cage. He stood still as a statue, but the noises had moved further down the trail. Crius only heard rumors of what large beasts dwelled in these woods from his father. Judging from the faint growling and panting, they sounded like wild dogs on the hunt— disinterested of any humans. Father warned that many of the animals that would attack the flock would come from these very woods.

It took Crius a moment to dwell on this before cursing under his breath. Any wild dogs might ignore him— they had to be incredibly feral to dare attack a human without provocation.

But a sheep— even a faun —was a very different story.

🍃🌻🍃

Misadventure May prompts were made by overuseofsparkles on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/p/COF6prWjDIM/?igshid=12rvh1j0vo6xu

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