The Chatty Man Rises

Tales of the Clan Beanbosh

And so it was that Cleo of the Two Tongues was used to be putting bonds that those who sat to break fast with her could not rise until the meal was completed. It was also that she frequently broke her fast with the Chatty Man.
Well, on this particular morning it was that she had sat with Susan and the Chatty Man and she forgetting to put her bonds on them not to rise. The Chatty Man, after finishing his meal, still had a great hunger on him. He began to take notice that Cleo of the Two Tongues still had a good portion of food on her plate as she had taken a liking to Susan's breakfast and had been picking mostly at it instead of her own. He, thinking that this was proper, took a great reach over toward the plate of Cleo of the Two Tongues. Anger came to the face of Cleo and she struck at the hand of the Chatty Man with the one of her tongues that was least busy.
"Chatty Man," said she, "don't go reaching for my breakfast unless you have a wanting to become part of it. It is no proper manners to be eating that way, and us in a room full of strangers."
It was that they were taking their meal that morning among strangers and it was also that Cleo of the Two Tongues had a great fear of the stare of strangers.
"But I am still in the grips of hunger," complained the Chatty Man, "and my plate is empty. There is still a goodly portion on your own plate and you taking your meal of Susan."
"It is not proper," said Cleo, "to be reaching to the plates of others, and us in a room full of strangers."
At this time it was Susan who dared speak into the anger of Cleo of the Two Tongues.
"Cleo of the Two Tongues," she said, "it's to my plate you've been reaching for your bites this morning."
Cleo struck Susan with a druid rod and turned her tongue into a grouse. And the grouse sprang from her mouth and Susan went to chasing it. It was here that Susan earned the name as she is sometimes called, Susan of the Grouse Tongue.
By now, the hunger of the Chatty Man was beginning to swell and it was what he decided that he would rise and get more food for his own plate. When Cleo of the Two Tongues saw what he was planning there was a great vexation on her.
"Chatty Man," said she, "I hope it is not planning to rise from my table you are, and us in a room full of strangers."
"But it is this morning you were forgetting to place your bonds," replied the Chatty Man, "and I will rise."
With that, Cleo struck him with her druid rod and turned his legs into porridge.
"Surely you will not rise, Chatty Man. If it's hunger you have, then you may eat this porridge," she said.
"Actually, it was Mueslix and a muffin I had a wanting for." So she struck him again with the druid rod and turned his left hand into a muffin. With this the Chatty Man was satisfied and he took his fork and he began eating his muffin in the Chatty Man way. It had not come to Cleo of the Two Tongues that the Chatty Man might eat his muffin in the Chatty Man way and a sudden fear gripped her that the strangers might see this and she having a great fear of the stare of strangers. She struck him quick with her rod that his muffin might again be a hand and he with his fork still in it. At this the Chatty Man was seized with great vexation and his stomach gave a mighty hero roar that all the strangers might turn to stare. Cleo, in the grip of a mighty fear, made ready to strike him again with her druid rod. But if she did the Chatty Man placed his hat of embarrassment on the crown of his head that all the strangers might see and Cleo withered in a puddle of humiliation. With her defeat, the Chatty Man's legs returned from porridge and he rose to get more breakfast.