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ANOTHER WORLD - AN EMPTY ROAD A FEW HOURS AWAY FROM RESPITE FALLS - MORNING
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Doc Plume wakes up slowly, the rumbling of the dirt road beneath the stagecoach's wheels having done enough to keep this traveler asleep a while despite the sun rising a few hours ago. The traveler tugs down on the wide brim of their hat to keep the light out of their eyes as they sit up, slowly. They fetch up a canteen of water from beside them on the bench in their black, taloned hand and raises the skin of water up to their open beak, gratefully drinking it down. As the canteen is set down again, it bumps against the other traveler in the coach, one who wasn't there when this traveler fell asleep last evening...
Brunida looks down at her companion: "Oops, sorry." She is a big elephant lady with the muscles to match the training guard armor she is in, leather clothing with padded pieces of armor on top of them. She smiles a bit around her moderate tusks: "Didn't mean to bump into you."
Doc Plume shakes their head as they remove their hat and hang it on a peg on the wall of the coach, revealing a dark corvid face and head, the dark plumage fading to grey at their neck. They give what passes for a smile among the beaked, mostly visible at the corners of the beak and in the hazel-blue eyes, before sitting up fully and tucking their waterskin back into dark leather doctor's bag at their feet. "No worries, friend. Just didn't know you were here." The doctor is dressed in a black duster, suitable for travel in all weather. Not much more about them can seen in the current situation. They offer a taloned hand in greeting. "Name's Plume, or Doc Plume if you prefer..."
Brunida blinks and takes the offered talon in her much bigger three-fingered hand: "Brunida. And this is the first time in my life someone doesn't notice me."
Doc Plume nods a bit. "I can understand that... I'm just exhausted at this point... been travelling for almost three weeks now... but I can finally stop in Respite." They give a happy sigh. "Don't think I'm really cut out for venturing much further anyway..."
Brunida cracks her neck with a rather loud 'pop' or two: "Yeah I'm about done with travelin' too. It's long-ass way from Ondonga City, that's for sure."
Doc Plume laughs. "Sure is... Not quite as far as Glacier Bay, though... but I haven't been back home in a couple of years..." They frown. "Still, it's a might farther from Westport than Ondonga."
Brunida raises an eyebrow at the Doc: "Glacier Bay? Wow. You seem like you've seen a lot more places than I have."
Doc Plume gives a shrug of their shoulders before settling back into the bench seat again, seemingly adjusting their wings under their coat. "Can't help where I'm from. I'd much rather be from Westport or Ondonga if I had my druthers."
Brunida nods, idly brushing a hand on her military-length red buzz-cut: "Yeah, I can see that. Haven't seen that much myself, just wherever my training took me. You don't see a lot of the world from the inside of a Guard barracks."
Doc Plume squirms out of their coat, shrugging it off of their shoulders revealing their large, black feathered wings as well as the neatly pressed white shirt and tweed waistcoat they wear above a pair of grey trousers. They unbutton the top button of their shirt, revealing a tuft of thick white fur just under where their neck feathers end. "Not like I saw a whole lot of Westport during my schooling and apprenticeship. All I know it's that it's away from my family and that's good enough for me."
Brunida chuckles a bit derisively: "I must agree on that last point. Guard stuff is dull enough without Grandpa demanding a by-minute take on every day."
Doc Plume digs in their bag and comes out with a chunk of dried meat jerky, which they start in on. After they swallow the first piece they reply, "Well, at least he seems interested in what you think."
Brunida snorts: "Hardly. He's interested in 'family honor' this and 'guard traditions' that, not what I think." She gets a bit of a mocking tone in her voice: "'A Guard is never paid to think, Brunida.'"
Doc Plume shakes their head, but says nothing, focusing instead on their breakfast for the moment. As they eat, their bushy white fox tail works it way from from the depths of their fallen coat, its tip curling up and down in the gryphon's obvious pleasure at eating.
Brunida trails off in a bit of a huff, then looks a bit sheepish: "...sorry about that. I get a bit ranty on that."
Doc Plume finishes their hunk of jerky and washes it down with a big gulp of water. They wipe their beak with a handkerchief from their waistcoat pocket before looking over at the pachyderm. "Don't worry about it. I could do the same about my family. I just don't, usually."
Brunida grins a bit: "Maybe I shouldn't either." She looks out the window: "I just get so... so..." She sighs deeply, seemingly wandering into her thoughts.
Doc Plume cracks open the window on their side just enough to get a breeze but to avoid an annoying whistle. "Trust me, I know..."
Brunida frowns a bit, but nods. Her mood of talking is clearly over.
Doc Plume takes advantage of the moment of silence to clear away their coat and hang it under their hand. They spread their wings just a little before closing their eyes again, knowing that there's still a long few hours of travel before their destination.