Guffin slipped behind the counter, Harriet following at a reluctant distance, the weighted bag resting innocently against a barrel of pickles. There was a faint creak of hinges, and a trapdoor opened, revealing a narrow wooden staircase down, bringing with it the sound of cheerful music and soft chatter.
"NONA! BABA! MIMI! GRUNKLE!" Guffin screeched down, "I BROUGHT A GUEST!"
The music scratched, and started up again a little quieter. The chatter lowered, but didn't stop. Guffin swan-dived into the opening, and Harriet leaned in apprehensively just in time to see them do a perfect tuck and roll at the bottom of a staircase so steep it was nearly a ladder. Trepidaciously, she crept down it, step by step, her heeled boots clicking on the wood, to join the chatter below.
The ceiling was slightly too low to stand upright. Rather than crouch, Harriet stalked at some speed towards the nearest sit-able surface, tossing aside a kitten and settling without an invitation onto an armchair of quite a loud floral pattern, which she sank into until her knees were at approximately the level of her chin. This was still high enough to survey the room.
The floor was dirt, and the walls plain brick, made from the red dirt outside... or at least, the wall behind the fireplace was. Wooden shelves wrapped the other three walls, with cubbies of every size from a letter-box to a whole bunk, with cabinet doors and curtains on some, and others simply stuffed with books or knick-knacks. Rafters stretched low, strung with drying laundry and bright lanterns and more of the onion braids and herb bunches from upstairs. Four goblins of Guffin's height or slightly taller gathered around a copper pot of truly impressive size, which smelled strongly of stewing squash. It was deeply unclear which of the tall goblins was supposed to be Mimi, Grunkle, Baba, or Nona, but Guffin was greeting them all happily. Several goblins slightly smaller than Guffin were clustered in a heap on a braided rug, playing some form of elaborate game with stones, cards, dice, and coins all at once. Bunks along the walls contained eyes, looking out from under blankets and comforters and plushies. There had to be at least twenty goblins in here, among the shadows of the fire and the lanterns, and a half dozen kittens including the one that had been unceremoniously tossed from the chair. The music was coming from a box of wood and wires in the corner, tinny but distinct.
"This is Miss Harriet," Guffin announced proudly to the room. "She's waiting out the storm, and then we're going on an adventure."
"I am Lady - " Harriet began, but was quickly drowned out by a thunderous muddled greeting of many shouts.
The volume did not die down much after that, and Harriet was passed a bowl of squash soup in short order, with a thick swirl of cream, topped with toasted seeds and crumbled herbs, alongside a thick and sticky wedge of grainy bread, and a slice of roast pumpkin dusted with cinnamon. Goblins seemed to melt out of the walls, kittens frolicked on the rug, the laundry swayed on the rafters, and it had been a very long week indeed...
Guffin watched Harriet fade quietly into sleep in the same armchair, smiled, and wandered off to pack their things. There was so much to get, so much that might come in useful...
Outside, the storm raged on, grumbling at nothing and no one still out in the night, with intent to blow itself out by morning.