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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EARLY EVENING
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Doc Plume sits at the bar sipping at a glass of seltzer and picking their way through a basket of walnuts, which they crack open with their beak before pecking out the meat. As they do this, they flip through what passes for a newspaper in this place. They're dressed in their usual shirt and pants, with their suspenders hanging down over their trousers. Their shirt has flecks of what look to be dried blood on it.
Brunilda steps into the bar. She is a seven foot tall elephant lady dressed in light Town Guard armor, leather and light plate covering most of her muscled body. The red hair on top of her head is rather military standard short, which she absently runs her fingers through as she looks about the somewhat worn-down place. Slightly harrumphing to herself, she walks to the Barkeep and gets herself a large pint.
Doc Plume looks up at the entry of someone else to the bar and smiles with their eyes. "Oh, it's you. Glad to see you here and not at my clinic..."
Brunilda takes a deep sip, then looks at the somewhat-familiar gryphon: "Oh. Hello there." She smiles and steps closer, then frowns, looking around.
Doc Plume takes a sip of their seltzer before running a hand through their neck feathers. They follows the elephant's eyes around the bar. "Something wrong?"
Brunilda nods absently, then smiles again as she locates what she's looking for. She walks to the other side of the room with a purpose, making the glasses behind the bar shake slightly as she does. Finding her quarry, she brings a big-enough-for-pachyderms chair to the table where Doc is sitting: "Always gotta find one of these first."
Doc Plume nods somewhat. "Fair enough. I guess it's easy to forget that sort of thing when the world is sized for folks like me." Their eyes wander behind the bar to the various bottles of liquor and then to the virtually silent and nondescript horse that serves as the barkeep here. Rather than give into temptation, Doc turns back to Brunilda to talk more. "I've had a rough first couple
Doc Plume of days here. How about you?"
Brunilda sits down, shrugging: "Comes with the elephant territory, having to always look down so you don't step on anyone. And I guess my first days been... fine. Got my job, started it... spent all of today at the Northern gate counting tumbleweeds."
Doc Plume nods. "Sounds better than than setting the broken arm of a howling wolf pup or digging barbed wire out of a rancher's leg..."
Brunilda winces slightly: "Okay, I'll give you that much."
Doc Plume sighs. "Stupid bull-headed bull went and left it in his leg for a week rather than try to get help anywhere..."
Brunilda blinks, then sighs a bit: "I suppose it's not too surprising. Lot of stubborn folks around this town, I've started to notice. Not that I'm anyone to say."
Doc Plume finishes their seltzer and eyes the liquor behind the bar again before just pushing the glass over to Barkeep for a refill. "Self-reliance is all well and good, but not when it means you're going to have to walk with a limp for the rest of your life..."
Brunilda takes a drink from her pint: "Yeah... It is a matter of pride for many, I think."
Doc Plume sips at their new glass of seltzer. "Days like today really make me want a stiff drink, but I swore off it a couple years back."
Brunilda gives a snorting laugh: "Everyone drinks in the Guard."
Doc Plume cracks another walnut and picks the shell clean with their practiced beak. "Fair enough. You're not going to need steady hands tonight to do emergency surgery, though."
Brunilda leans back on the chair, making it creak only slightly: "The most subtle instrument I need to use is usually the halberd."
Brunilda blinks and looks mildly bothered by what she said, but hides it quickly enough.
Doc Plume drops the empty walnut shell into the bowl after rolling it around in their talons for a bit. "Not very subtle, those."
Brunilda chuckles: "Yeah, not much. Just gotta know which end goes where."
Doc Plume flicks their fluffy tail behind them. "Sorry if this is a bit rude to ask, but is it true that you can use your trunk just as well as your hands?"
Brunilda lifts her pint in her trunk, smiling slightly: "You could say that. It's just not that practical for a lot of things I need to do."
Doc Plume nods. "Fair enough. Of course my head is thinking of the surgical applications..." They sip at their seltzer. "You can ask me a dumb question too, if you want. Only fair, right?"
Brunilda nods, looking over the Doc: "I guess... well, I haven't really seen anyone like you, not quite. But... I guess..." She trails off, shrugging: "Doesn't matter."
Doc Plume gives a little caw of a laugh. "Ask, I insist."
Brunilda looks awkward for a bit, hesitating: "...well... I guess... are you a guy or a girl?"
Doc Plume shakes their head. "No. I'm a doctor." They giggle a bit. "Seriously though, I'm not either. I'm just me... and my family didn't like that."
Brunilda blinks, but then nods: "I... I suppose that is fair." She looks down at herself, at her rather obvious boobs: "I mean, I'm pretty obvious in that department." She shrugs.
Doc Plume: Nothing wrong with being obvious. It saves the awkward questions. Luckily folks tend to need my services, so by the time they can think to ask, they don't since they just know me then.
Brunilda chuckles: "The only thing I am asked is directions in this town I barely know my way around at all."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "That's rough. Folks at least know I'm new in town."
Brunilda gives a wry smile as she lifts her pint in her hand: "You know how it is. I'm the Guard, I gotta know where stuff is."
Doc Plume: Well, at least it's a small town. I mean, there's what, three streets?
Brunilda shrugs: "Yeah. I'll know soon enough I guess."
Doc Plume absently undoes another button on their shirt, revealing more of their white chest fluff. "So..."
Brunilda takes a deep sip of her drink, then sets it down on the table. "...so?"
Doc Plume shrugs a bit. "Don't know. Mostly trying to avoid awkward silence I guess." They take another sip of seltzer.
Brunilda nods, leaning back: "Yeah. Hard to know what to talk about in a new place..."
Doc Plume taps the talons of their right hand on the bar rhythmically. "Hmm... what are your quarters like? My apartment above the clinic is nice enough, though I need to change the decor a bit. I don't exactly have the same tastes as a middle-aged spider monkey."
Brunilda shrugs slightly, gesturing vaguely with her hand: "Small, pretty simple. Space for whatever I figure out to do when not on duty, I guess."
Doc Plume nods. "Are there even other guards in town? I met one, but he's with the explorers' guild and you're not, right?"
Brunilda nods: "Yeah, there are, but from what I heard there's been a bit of a shakeup in command so some of the others are still coming this way."
Doc Plume continues chatting with Brunilda about guards and guilds and such sorts of local politics for a while until Doc heads back to their apartment to get a bath and some much needed sleep.
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - LATER THAT EVENING
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Brunilda is standing at the bar, leaning on the bar and nursing a beer. She's staring vacantly forward with a serious expression on her face; clearly the elephant has seen more pleasant days... and probably more sober days as well.
Doc Plume walks into the bar, looking more put together than their last visit, but still tired. They walk to the bar and order a cup of strong coffee.
Nesseth yawns as he walks into the bar a short time after Plume, having finished the day's patrol just a little while earlier. He makes his way to the bar counter and orders himself a big glass of ice water to start.
Maybelline pushes open the bar door and drags herself inside, clearly exhausted. She's wearing her work togs, long baggy khaki overalls covered in oil and pockets, with a black leather vest on top, several metal tools emerging at various angles. She reaches the bar and takes a moment to climb up onto the seat, then rests her head on the bar and orders a whiskey.
Vix looks sidelong at the grumpy bunch that has gathered at the bar seats next to hers. "Sheesh, you folks look like you've seen better. Let's hear it~"
Nesseth blinks and glances over at the cat sitting nearby. "Oh, hey there. Just a tiring day out past the walls, is all. Hot days make me lazy, and today didn't have much in the way of wind, so..."
Doc Plume blinks when they realize that it's suddenly not just them and Brunilda at the bar. They finish their cup of coffee quickly and replace it with a glass of cherry seltzer. They don't say anything yet but just take the measure of the folks they don't recognize yet.
Brunilda glances at the cat: "Aggressive territory negotiations with sand alligators will do that to you, I reckon."
Vix gasps. "Whoa! You can take on a sand alligator??"
Maybelline 's eye twitches. "This town's generator is hanging by a thread. It's a miracle it lasted this long. I've been neck deep in it since I got here, and if it dies, the shield goes down, we lose all power, and I lose my career." She reaches up to the bar and grabs her drink, downing the whiskey in one long chug, finishing the bottle. "...We're all gonna die."
Brunilda turns to show her slightly scarred cheek and grins: "Seeing as I am here, probably." She blinks at the other (other) small sound coming from nearby and looks at May: "...wait, what?"
Vix orders a drink and pretends not to listen.
Nesseth laughs a bit and pats his crossbow, then turns towards May's voice, only to blink and look down a bit. "We're not gonna die. The Explorers Guild and the guards can keep the town safe. Besides, the area around the town is calm nowadays; gotta dive deeper to find anything dangerous."
Doc Plume blinks at May. "Die how? I'll have something to say about that, as will our guard friends here, I think."
Maybelline stands shakily on the stool to grab another bottle of whiskey before sitting back down and removing the cork with a screwdriver, chugging the second bottle. "This place is a wasteland surrounded by monsters just waiting to get in. Sand Alligators! What even are those!? And not to mention my career... my glorious, glorious career..."
Brunilda takes a deep gulp of her beer: "This day just keeps getting better." She then sighs, looking at Maybelline: "If you don't know what sand alligators are... you don't wanna know."
Vix raises an eyebrow. "Looks more greasy than glorious."
Doc Plume sips at their seltzer. "Whatever they are, they're not getting in thanks to the shield and the guards..."
Maybelline nods, "Yes! Exactly! I don't wanna know!" She glances down at her work clothes and hiccups once, "It was gonna be glorious."
Yengrisk comes tromping through the bar doors, a shaggy yak in a vivid red and green knit poncho, with a variety of rings upon their curved horns, one of which has a set of spectacles attached on a hinged post. "Yak has arrived!" They look around the bar happily, which shifts to an expression of confusion.
Brunilda gives the Doc a small smile, then blinks blearily and looks up at something nearly her sizes coming in: "Oh."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip of his drink. "If you're looking for glorious, you should have been on the first expedition with the Explorers Guild. They're the ones that usually net all the new discoveries."
Vix eeps and falls out of her seat as the sudden yak shakes the room. "Gah!"
Yengrisk scratches at their shaggy beard. "Wait, this is not the magic research outpost, yes?"
Brunilda gives a snorting laugh of sorts and lifts her glass: "Well, it is a 'research outpost' of sorts..."
Doc Plume cocks their head at the sight of the yak. "Huh... haven't seen a yak since I was in Glacier Bay..."
Maybelline glances at the Yak and tilts her head, "Magical research... no. No it is not. Is'more like a... big... hole." She waves at Barkeep for another bottle, but they simply return a skeptical glance her way.
Vix pulls herself back onto her seat. "The magic researchy place is a lot less lively and...oh my gosh, you are fluffy!"
Brunilda looks at Maybelline: "That's one way to put it, heh."
Doc Plume mumbles to themself. "A hole far from Vamas, at least."
Nesseth shrugs a little. "It's a hole, but it's a good one to call home, I'd say."
Brunilda glances at the Doc: "And from Ondonga."
Yengrisk huhs.. They walk fully into the bar, and finds a seat, perching precariously on a barstool. "Yengrisk is trying to find the local frontier research outpost, but... keeps getting lost, yes. Where is here?"
Maybelline sighs, slumping on the barstool, "This is where dreams come to die... Respite Fallsh."
Brunilda holds a hand to keep Maybelline on her stool: "Careful, there. Even if I agree."
Nesseth watches Yengrisk carefully for a moment to make sure the stool actually holds up, and only responds once he's certain there isn't going to be an impromptu earthquake in the bar. "This would be the local bar, the Thirsty Minnow. The research outpost is elsewhere in the town, unfortunately."
Doc Plume motions to Barkeep for a glass of water, which is set in front of Maybelline. "Also, you're showing early signs of alcohol poisoning. You should have some water."
Vix shrugs and downs the rest of her drink. "You guys are silly. I've been here a few years and it's probably the best place I've ever lived~!"
Brunilda glances at Vix: "Well, it's only the second place I've ever lived in."
Yengrisk ohs, looking disappointed for a moment, but then breaks into a smile. "Oh well! Yak will have to explore Respite Falls to find it! Yak is very important secret mage yak, yes." They nod their head sharply, causing the glasses to fall down in their mount, which results in a snort and a subtle glow from the horn tips as the glasses adjust themselves back into position.
Vix stares at the big yak. "Whoa...ya don't see that every day..."
Maybelline frowns, resenting how easily Brunilda keeps her on her stool. She reach back up to the bar and takes the glass of water, staring at it sullenly. "'m not alcohol. You're alcohol." She sips the water regardless.
Doc Plume blinks at the yak. "Huh..." They look over to Maybelline. "I'm just trying to keep you from having to crawl to the clinic tomorrow morning with a massive hangover and dehydration."
Brunilda lets go of Maybelline only when she's reasonably sure the... critter (she was never good at telling the small things apart) stays put.
Nesseth hums quietly and tilts his head upon seeing the glow off of the yak's horns. "Wait... you're a mage? You don't see that all too often..."
Yengrisk takes a moment to peruse the bar's menu.
Brunilda blinks at Nesseths comment, then looks about: "Who's a mage?"
Maybelline wobbles a bit, but seems to be fairly stable. "I'm not a hangover you're a han-" She blinks as one word gets through her haze of depression and booze, "Mage?"
Vix points to Yengrisk, answering both questions
Yengrisk glances over at the talk of mages. "Secret mage! Shh! Yengrisk is not suppoed to tell, yes?"
Brunilda looks at Yengrisk dubiously, then just goes 'huh' at the explanation. "...'kay."
Nesseth looks over at Brunilda and nods over to the yak. "Adjusted their glasses with a bit of magic, I think. Unless they've got some kind of magitech equipment that we can't see?"
Brunilda looks at Yengrisk a moment longer, then just shrugs. "Don't really understand magic at all. S'all weird to me."
Narrator: The door opens, and a rather short fellow stumbles in. He is reptilian, covered in red scales from head to toe with the exception of his right arm, which had been replaced with some magitech gizmo. He is also, roughly, 3' foot tall. He approaches the bar, grumbling when he realizes there is no way to see over it, and immediately starts trying to clamber up on top of it via a stool.
Maybelline stares at the Yak, then at the newcomer, then sips at her water, feeling a little exposed around all these strangers.
Yengrisk nods a bit at Brunilda. "Magic is fascinating thing, yes? So little is known, and Yengrisk wishes to be among the first to use it freely."
Doc Plume isn't sure where to focus their eyes at the moment, their head twisting around left and right to keep track of everything that's happening.
Brunilda looks back up at the Yak: "Isn't that... dangerous?"
Vix sneaks over to the newcomer and helps boost him up onto the bar stool. "Here ya go~"
Nesseth shrugs. "I honestly have no idea... Magitech is super unstable still, but we never really hear about... well... anything, I guess, about actual magic."
Yengrisk mms, and shakes their head a bit. "Yak thinks not. If one can learn the rules behind it, then it can be used as safely as anything else, yes?" Yengrisk gets a somewhat angered expression on their face. "And so many keep what they know secret. Yak thinks all should be allowed."
Brunilda leans on the bar with her hand, suddenly curious: "But... wasn't it kept a secret for a reason? Or...?"
Nesseth taps a claw against the capacitor on his crossbow. "That's what magitech is supposed to help bridge. I haven't heard of a regular person becoming a mage without decades of intense study."
Strix: "Didn't need help" He grumps, as he gets helped up on the stool, with a little bit of a shrill voice "Thank Anyway" There was talk of Magitech, and he turns his head towards it "Magitech easy. Too many too scared of little explosions" Says the guy who's clearly lost an arm somewhere along the way.
Doc Plume 's tail twitches back and forth in a fluffy white streak as their focus is strained with so much happening around them. They decide to just crouch down near Maybelline, putting their head on the same level. "You okay?"
Maybelline glances at the bird/fox thing and nods slightly, "Lossa people... thass all..." She waits a moment, glancing away, then nods to the Doc, "Thanks for the water..."
Doc Plume cracks her beak open in a smile, their voice low. "No worries. It's a bit much for me too. Haven't seen more than four folks in the same place since I got here until now..." They reach up to the bar and take their seltzer, drinking it down.
Maybelline nods, looking up at Plume to smile a little awkwardly, "Sss'a bad day. New town... new folks... feel like I'm gonna screw up so hard..." She hiccups again and sips her water, clutching the glass tightly.
Doc Plume nods to Maybelline. "I know the feeling. Worried I'll make a mistake that costs someone a limb or their life..." They sigh a bit. "We'll get through all this together, all right?"
Maybelline flinches slightly at the pat from Vix, then sighs. "Together..." she says mostly to herself and swallows, then finishes off the glass of water.
Yengrisk purses their lips a bit. "There... well, yak is not sure. Rumors of accidents.. but yak is naturally talented, cannot be turned away, yes? When yak finds where magic is studied, they will have to let join, yes?"
Brunilda: looks at the Yak and slowly nods: "I admit, I do not know much. Magic was always big 'no-no' in my training, but it left me mostly curious if anything..."
Nesseth chuckles a bit as he nods at the newcomer lizard. "Little explosions are fine, but when something like the town's generator goes up, that's when we've got some big problems."
Strix: "Could Fix. Probably. Exploding just means better chance to make something better" Nodnod "If it exploded. Probably no good anyway"
Nesseth hums in agreement. "Mmh, that's entirely fair. I'm still kind of surprised the generator this town has hasn't run into any real issues yet, though, considering how old it is."
Vix moves over to May and lightly pats her back.
Yengrisk nods at Brunilda, again threatening to cause their glasses to fall. "The whispers of magic always fascinated yak. Yengrisk can manipulate it some, move small objects, yes? But there must be more to it if it is so secret."
Narrator: While all that is happening, a grey cat sitting in a booth is observing the commotion from the side of her eye. So far nothing seems to be too out of the ordinary.
Brunilda 's sizable ear twitches a bit at the sound of yet another small voice, but her levels of intoxication are making her mostly ignore voices below her waist height. She looks back at Yengrisk: "I... I guess that makes sense. I admit you are makin' me curious."
Damina then stops paying attention to the conversation, taking a bag out and laying the contents on the table with a klink. Keen ears may notice the sound.
Yengrisk nods. "So yak has travelled around. From up in northern Vamas, through all sorts of towns, but still hears no more than rumors, yes? Maybe out here on the frontier, yak will find what yak needs."
Strix: "Old? Strix can fix" He has a rather dangerous glint in his eye "Make it run faster, better, able to burn Strix's Enemies with fire"
Brunilda shrugs slightly: "Perhaps. I haven't yet found much here, but to be... fair, been here all of four days."
Yengrisk ahhs. "Yengrisk has not been here long either. The travelling is fun though, yes?"
Brunilda shakes her head, frowning: "Not for me. Hate the long waits, hate the methods, hate subsisting on rations."
Nesseth blinks, then smiles weakly. "Well, unfortunately, the town's generator is just a shield generator. It doesn't really burn anything attacking the town, but if you have enemies out in the wilderness, this town's safe." His smile brightens after a moment, "Also, Strix, was it? Good to meet you. The name's Nesseth."
Doc Plume stands up again to get a refill on their seltzer. They nods to the little cat standing behind the stoat. "Hi there."
Vix: I mean, this place serves some pretty good food if you're tired of rations!
Yengrisk giggles, an odd sound coming from such a large mass of shag. "Yak could stand to have a good meal again, yes."
Strix: "Yes. Strix. Greetings Nesseth. And Strix has enemies everywhere. Everyone want's Strix's shinies. Best Shield is Fire. Can Punch Magic Shield. Can't Punch Fire" He does a little punch in the air with his metal arm "Should Make Arm shoot Fire..Yess...Excellent Idea Strix"
Brunilda looks into her near-empty pachyderm-fitted beer pint, then slowly nods: "Food... prolly' a good idea." She picks up a menu and starts perusing it.
Nesseth 's eyes are drawn to the arm as Strix punches the air, noting that it seems to be entirely made of magitech. His eyebrows shoot up a bit in surprise. "Woah... that's entirely magitech? Are you a tinkerer or inventor, or something?"
Strix: "Yes. Both. Strix's Arm. Made it" He nods quickly "Was making hand warmer once. Made hand too warm. Now made better arm. Could be better. Arm can't shoot fire yet. That's next invention"
Vix peeks over at Brun's menu. "I like the fish and chips! The fish is pretty fresh~"
Yengrisk looks to the menu agian as well, and orders themself a nice salad to munch on.
Brunilda looks a bit green at the mention of fish, then also opts for a sizable salad.
Vix orders the fish and chips, and directs the barkeep to send another order of them to the gray cat at the other table.
Nesseth winces at the implications, but nods. "Are you a part of the Explorers Guild, then? I don't think I've heard of someone with your skill set in their ranks, and I've been a part of the Guild for... several years, now. Or are you a freelancer?"
Damina: More of those klinking noises seem to be coming from the table she's sitting at. What's she messing with?
Strix: "No. Work alone. Don't want Guild. Guild Steal Strix's shinies" He seems a bit agitated at the implications "Will make shinies if given golds and asked for fun shiny to build"
Strix: "Wazzat Clinking?" He flails his head side to side, trying to source the noise.
Damina notices that on her table is an unexpected plate of fish and chips. She shrugs and takes a quick bite.
Vix waves to Damina from across the room and gives a thumbs up.
Brunilda gets her salad and starts idly picking it up by the handful and munching, still leaning on the bar with her other hand as it's pretty low to her.
Yengrisk takes a few bites of their salad before speaking again. "So, elephant lady, yes? Yak is Yengrisk. What should yak call you?"
Damina notices Vix waving out the corner of her eye and responds with a quick hat tip.
Nesseth smiles and nods. "Well, I'll keep it in mind, Strix. I definitely wouldn't mind some good upgrades to my crossbow one day in the future, and--" He pauses as Strix gets distracted, "Clinking? What clinking?"
Doc Plume gets another glass of seltzer and takes a seat at the bar next to Maybelline, keeping an eye on her. "Wonder what's bringing everyone out tonight of all days."
Strix: "There!" He points a clawed finger to Damina's corner "Strix heard it. Making Shinies!"
Brunilda looks at Yengrisk, mid salad-munching: "Brunilda. I'm a town guard 'round these parts."
Brunilda rolls her eyes slightly: "Still feels weird to say that."
Yengrisk smiles. "It is good to meet you, Brunilda. Has there been much to guard against, yes?"
Damina: There seems to be silence from Damina's table, but she leans over it closely, and all of a sudden... the sound of a metal something spinning on the table.
Nesseth leans over the bar a touch to get a view at where Strix is pointing, then nods upon seeing the grey cat with a table full of gadgets and doodads strewn about. "Looks like another tinkerer."
Brunilda shrugs: "Not much yet, but I hear from the older guard that it's a pretty regular thing to be shooing off whatever beasts think they can come here to terrorize and eat the locals."
Strix: "Strix not tinker! Strix ShinyCraft!"
Yengrisk hmphs, and shakes their head a bit. "Folks are friends, not food. Dumb beasties."
Brunilda gives a wry chuckle: "Agreed. Sadly, calling them stupid only makes them angrier."
Nesseth clears his throat and dips his head in apology. "Er, sorry, Strix. Inventor."
Strix: "Better. Strix understanding. Know nonStrix not understand Craft"
Vix looks up at Brun with a piece of fish in her mouth. "Did ya say somethin~?"
Yengrisk sighs a bit. "Yak would rather hug the creatures, but some are just so... mean, yes?"
Nesseth laughs a bit. "Admittedly, my understanding of crafting anything is restricted to just making myself meals, and keeping my crossbow in working order."
Brunilda continues her salad-devouring, clearly hungrier than she let herself realize: "You don't want to hug a sand alligator. It'll try to bite your head off. Stupid pissy sand lizards." She blinks, glancing at Nesseth: "No offence."
Doc Plume notices that the stoat is starting to zone out. "Hey. You. Don't sleep here... do you want me to see you home?"
Maybelline is still sitting at the bar alone, watching the others with a side glance. She sighs, and is about to wave for another whiskey when she hear's the Doc's voice. She glances up at them, "Err... yeah... yeah, sure."
Nesseth flashes Brunilda a toothy grin upon hearing the tail end of her comment. "None taken. Sand alligators are nasty business."
Damina is now directly looking at the other people in the bar.
Yengrisk giggles again. "Yes, yak has seen these. All teeth and grit and anger, yes? Yak wonders what makes them so aggressive."
Doc Plume helps May down from her stool. "Right. Oh, I'm Doc Plume, by the way. Don't think we were introduced before." They give a wave to everyone else as they move toward the door.
Brunilda nods at Nesseth, then turns back to Yengrisk: "Bad teeth day from here unto forever, if I had to guess." She shrugs: "No clue."
Yengrisk shrugs and holds out their arms a bit. "Yengrisk means, who doesn't like hugs, yes? It is just weird."
Strix: "Could make Crossbow Shoot Fire. And Blastybombs. Or Both..Wait..not both. Crossbow explode then. Then need new arms. Strix out of new arms" He snaps a little at Brunilda "Strix also Offended, but CatVentor more interesting. Want to know about Catventor's shinies"
Vix waves. "Bye, May! Bye, Doc!"
Maybelline lets the larger creature help her down, still feeling a little dizzy from the booze, "I'm May. Just May."
Doc Plume talks quietly with May as the pair head out into the town for the short walk back to May's place.
Brunilda frowns briefly, but then just nods: "Yeah... guess so. Dunno."
Nesseth chuckles as he turns back to Strix. "Shooting fire, hm? That could be pretty effective if my bolts are shielded against burning up..." He blinks upon seeing the grey cat in the booth gazing at the group, then he raises a hand and offers a tentative, friendly wave.
Damina suddenly speaks. "Well, howdy."
Yengrisk leans over at the bar and gives Brunilda a big, shaggy, unsolicited hug, with a smile. "They're nice, yes?"
Brunilda blinks several times at the hug, and doesn't quite return it: "...buh?"
Strix: "Yes. Hello. Strix sees you. Strix talking to bigliz about firebolts"
Nesseth smiles at Damina. "Hey, there."
Yengrisk hmms, lingering the hug overlong, but then returns to their stool, still somehow managing to stay balanced on it despite it not really being designed for someone of their size. "Yak is told hugging is not always allowed, but yak disagrees."
Damina "So you seem interested. Do you like weapons? I like them. Got plenty o' them."
Brunilda blinks again, then looks at Yengrisk, not sure she knows what to think: "...huh."
Damina coughs. "I also got this shiny top. Check it out-" *And she spins it on the table. So that explains the clinking noise that was coming from there earlier.
Yengrisk nodnods agian, this time indeed causing the glasses to slide down on their post, dangling crookedly off the yak's big nose. Again the horn tips light up in a subtle green glow as the glasses reposition themselves correctly.
Nesseth tilts his head at the top. "Oh, so that's the clinking Strix heard. Neat."
Brunilda looks a bit dumbly at the glasses, then finally shakes her head: "That was... well, warn me next time."
Damina seems almost hypnotized from watching the top spin.
Strix: "Top Very Shiny. Yes" He also follows the motion of it "oooooh"
Yengrisk mmms, thinking it over, and nods softly at Brunilda, this time careful not to jostle the glasses too much. "Yak will keep this in mind, yes."
Damina: The top soon comes to a halt and collapses, causing Damina to look even more emotionally dead than normal. It passes soon enough.
Nesseth leans back in his seat a bit and takes another sip of his drink, only just remembering it's been sitting there this whole time and getting steadily warmer.
Brunilda gives a small smile: "Thank you." She starts again munching on her salad.
Yengrisk settles in to enjoy a meal with what the yak is considering a new friend.
Strix: All good things must end.
Strix: Top should explode. Better top then.
Vix pops up in the seat next to Nesseth, still munching her fish and chips. "Hey hey, how did those extra potions work out for ya out in the field~?"
Damina "So, seems like there's some things that could use some help around here, am I right?"
Nesseth nearly spits out his drink when Vix pops up beside him. "Mgh-- gah! O-oh... oh, uh... the potions..." He clears his throat a bit, then manages a smile, "They worked out... pretty well. Thankfully, I didn't need the extra preparation, but they did come in handy for someone else that needed it."
Brunilda also continues eating in silence, taking a sip of her beer. After a moment, she glances at the Yak: "So, magic. Never got it much, but... I keep hearing things. I wonder how hard is it to get into magitech..." She glances at the others, more musing to herself than anything else.
Vix smiles and offers Nesseth a fish stick. "Great! Glad to hear it~"
Nesseth blinks at the offered fish stick, but takes it with a nod. "Oh, thank you. A little snack never goes wrong." He takes a thoughtful nibble on the fish stick, "You know... you've been around town for a few years now, right?"
Strix: "Told generator in town made better. Strix can make it better. Yes. Muhccch Better"
Vix nods. "I know this place top to bottom! Why?"
Nesseth shrugs a bit. "Well, it just occurred to me that we've seen each other around a lot, but I don't think we've actually ever properly introduced ourselves."
Brunilda belatedly registers what Damina said and idly adds: "This town seems to always need help... a lot of it."
Yengrisk perks up a bit. "Yak likes to help! Yak can help the town in some way, yes?"
Damina nods. "Well, seeming as I am gonna be around for the forseeable future, you can count on me if you need it."
Brunilda shrugs and gives a small laugh: "Probably. I have enough on my hands as it is." She sighs a bit and gets up, her salad finished.
Vix grins. "Oh yeah, that's right. I'm Vix. Now you can stop mentally referring to me as "that adorable cat"...or maybe not!"
Damina "And I am Damina Kalem. You can just refer to me as Damina though."
Nesseth chuckles and rolls his eyes a bit in amusement. "That adorable cat, or that merchant I get my stuff from all the time. Well, good to meet you, Vix. I'm Nesseth, former Explorers Guild member."
Strix: "Strix is Strix. I shall count you. Strix can count. Higher than any other NotStrix"
Brunilda gives Yengrisk a small smile, then walks out, only slightly shaking the place as she does.
Vix purrs. "If you think I'm adorable now, you should see me on the weekends~"
Nesseth pauses, blinking a bit. "Uh... I'm guessing the weekend lets you relax more?"
Damina yawns. "Sometimes I forget what they serve here, what's on the menu?"
Strix: "Strix not know. Strix only find place with toobig chairs today"
Vix: That's when I can wear my nice clothes and lounge around~!
Nesseth chuckles. "That sounds... pretty nice. I usually just try to catch up on sleep."
Vix giggles. "I also usually swing by the bath house. Actually...that sounds like a nice idea right now..."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "You know, I've never actually been there, before. How is it?"
Vix: Oh, it's great! Way better than taking a bath at home!
Nesseth raises an eyebrow. "...What's different about it from just bathing at home?"
Damina: While that has been happening Damina has silently gathered her things and left the table, which means it's super startling to see her suddenly at the counter.
Strix: "Hiss! Strix Not like That. Move where Strix can see you!"
Vix scratches her chin. "They put minerals in the water or somethin, and keep it hot. It feels super good!" She turns and, upon noticing the other cat suddenly sitting next to her, falls out of her seat.
Nesseth doesn't immediately notice Damina's movement, but does reach out to try and catch Vix as she falls over. "Woah, take it easy, Vix!"
Damina: Somehow, Vix getting startled manages to break Damina's facade, making her noticeably laugh out loud.
Vix ends up awkwardly dangling from Nesseth's arms. "H-hey, sneaky is only fun when I do it!"
Damina still maintains a smirk. "Hey, maybe you need to open up to some new possibilities. You'd be surprised~"
Strix: "Strix thinks ShiftyCat to Shifty"
Nesseth grunts a bit as he sits up straight again and helps Vix back into her seat. He notices Damina having moved at that moment. "Oh, uh... hi, Damina. You moved out of that booth... pretty fast."
Damina: "Fast is my middle name... actually it's not, but I wish it was."
Vix: Clearly, I'm already surprised...
Damina: "Don't be worried, I'm not gonna hurt any of you!"
Strix: "Strix heard that before. Strix did not believe it last time"
Nesseth hums. "Honestly, that kind of stealth could be useful in patrolling the plains outside of the town walls. The area might be less dangerous, but it's not fully tamed yet."
Vix: You can at least avoid sand alligators that way~
Strix: "Strix must go now. Find Shinies, to make shiniers" With that, he tumbled off his chair, and left.
Damina: "Well, off they go."
Nesseth waves as Strix departs. "See you around, Strix. Take care!"
Vix: Later, gator~!
Damina: "So, what will you be doing later?"
Nesseth tilts his head a bit. "Me? I'll probably be checking out the bathhouse in a bit. I've not been in there before."
Vix: Same here! I can't wait to get fresh and clean~
Damina: "Frankly I could use a wash. Mind if I join?"
Nesseth shrugs a little and looks at Vix. "I don't mind. What do you think, Vix?"
Vix smiles. "Sure! The more the merrier~!"
Nesseth scratches a claw against the scales on his cheek for a moment. "Well... if we're all heading that way, I guess we might as well pack it up and head out? Once we're finished with our food and drinks, that is."
Vix dumps the remaining fries from her plate into her mouth. "Kay, reffy foo fo~"
Damina finishes whatever she has in her hand quickly.
Nesseth downs the rest of his drink and pays for it, then slips off of his seat with a smile. "Alright, let's go and see what the bathhouse is all about!"