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MAIN STREET - OUTSIDE THE CLINIC - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Doc Plume sits on a chair on the porch outside of their clinic. It's a nondescript building without large front windows, but rather windows higher up on the wall. The placard simply reads "CLINIC" with a sign on the door saying "The Doctor is in."
Froge meanders along the lane, taking in the buildings around him. He's still unsure of what he will even accomplish by coming to the strange place. He notices a sign, turning as he walks to see why it's significant, Froge manages to step one webbed foot right on the other, teetering sideways and crashing to the road.
Doc Plume watches the amphibian as he walks into view, then blinks as he trips and crashes down onto the dusty road. Doc quickly hops to their feet and rushes out where the frog fell. "Whoa, careful there. Are you all right?" After a quick visual scan shows no injuries, they offer a taloned hand to help the frog back up to his feet.
Froge lets out a winded croak but is otherwise only drier than before. He rolls to his side and looks up at the kind stranger. "Yeah, I'm not hurt," as he starts to accept the offered help, but hesitates upon seeing the stranger's talons.
Doc Plume blinks their hazel-blue eyes at the hesitation. Their crow head cocking to the side a little. "Something wrong?" they ask. The figure before the frog isn't just a bird tho, but rather some sort of amalgam of black crow and white fox. The talons on the offered hand are filed down a little so that they're not sharp enough to cut or break skin.
Froge focuses on the helpful stranger, which makes him look crosseyed as he decides whether or not it would be rude to say what his instincts are screaming at him. "N-no, just a little wary of new folk." he finally mutters, though there's a deep croak under every syllable. He accepts the offered hand, standing once again.
Doc Plume helps the frog up to his feet and nods. "Don't worry, I understand the fear of predators, but I won't hurt you. I'm the town doctor, so that would be a bad look, right?"
Froge blinks at the doctor, understanding his error. The large orange spots that dot his pale skin seem to darken a bit as he croaks out a chuckle, "You're right, I apologise."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "Nah. Instincts are hard to shake." They rest their hands under the straps of their suspenders. "I'm Doc Plume. Still pretty new to town, but folks seem to behave civilly here, for the most part."
Froge nods as he starts to try dusting off. "My name is Froge, only just arrived as well." Froge swings the satchel from his back and rummages for a moment. He pulls a couple long, slender vials out before finding a larger flask of water. Putting the vials back, he looks straight at the doctor and dumps the remaining water onto his forehead.
Doc Plume watches the frog and nods. "Good to meet you. And yes, I suppose skin moisture is crucial for amphibians... I can provide more water, if you like."
Froge looks a little surprised, putting the flask away with one ahnd and using the other to rub the water into his skin. "You have water here?" As the words slip out he realises how inane it sounds, of course they do!
Doc Plume steps back up onto the porch of the clinic, nodding. "Yes, of course. Come in, let me get you a supply." They open the door and head inside.
Froge hesitates for a second, then follows the doctor inside. "I didn't mean... It's just so dry out there." He looks around the clinic, appreciating the lower light level. "Is there a creek nearby?" he wonders out loud, pulling the latch on his satchel strap open to set the bag down with much clinking.
Doc Plume nods as they wash their hands and dry them before handling any of their equipment. "Oh yes, up near the falls is where it starts. I would be careful about bathing too close to the falls, though. The current can be pretty rough."
Froge opens the satchel and pulls four empty water flasks out of it, setting them down neatly in a row. "Oh not for a swim, but a mud bath would feel so nice sometime soon." The deep, nervous croak underlining his words finally vanished as he thought about that nice, squishy, cool mud back home.
Doc Plume nods. "Ah, of course... the waterfall isn't too far from town. Just head north to the mountains." They take the water flasks presented by frog and give each a quick rinse out before filling them full and closing them up again. Doc sets them back where froge left them and then dries their hands on a towel before looking back to their guest. "Anything else I can help you with while you're here?"
Froge watches in wonder as water just appears from the pipe. He considers stories that were brought back by traders about such things, questioning just how many of them were true. He takes a moment to reply, looking toward the doctor. "Oh, yes if you don't mind. I already met one fellow, but he seemed a little wrapped up in his own work to ask. Does anyone here have need of firegas?"
Doc Plume walks over to their desk and ponders. "Gas? Yes, I could use some. The supply here is low and I'll need more if I start in on more research rather than just using it to make tea."
Froge lights up, the excitement clear as his spots brighten and his eyes 'cross', in sharp focus. "Really?! I was so worried that trade was not good for me!" Every vowel has a sharp croak over it, each sentence sounding like an evening frog chorus. He flips the cover of his satchel open, unbundling three empty looking vials and retrieving a flint sparker. "We have good firegas, you'll be happy!"
Doc Plume takes one of the vials in their hands and turns it over. "Interesting... may I test one?"
Froge nods enthusiastically, "Of course, but it floats away if you open it upright, the cork has to be down!" He holds out the sparker, a tool that looks like a pair of tongs with a file and a chunk of flint at their tips.
Doc Plume nods. "Oh, I know." They carefully open the cork with the vial facing down and nod to Froge to light it up.
Froge holds the sparker under the vial and squeezes it, sending a bright flare out that meets the end of the glass tube and... Nothing. He makes two more sparks, his spots getting paler with each try.
Doc Plume blinks, then lifts the vial up above their beak, taking a quick sniff. "Ah... it must have leaked out?"
Froge shakes a little, wondering if the corks came loose when he fell. "But my samples... It's okay, we can try this one!" Froge quickly flicked the cork out of one of the two tubes in his hand, held it sideways and sparked the sparker. This time a flash of flame curled through the tube, forcing the rest of the gas out and igniting it in a meter-long jet of crimson.
Doc Plume almost falls out of their chair as the gas ignites and leaves a sooty black spot on the ceiling. "Oh... well, that certainly seems potent..."
Froge looks at the spot on the ceiling, stammering, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't thinking!" He retrieves the cork from the floor and decides not to replace it, instead putting the empty vial and cork back in his pouch. Froge bows his head a little and holds the last full vial out to the doctor. "You can have this as an apology!"
Doc Plume takes the last vial and carefully places it in a drawer of their desk. "Thank you, and I'm sure that the soot can be scrubbed away..."
Froge nods, trying not to look at the embarrassing mess he was leaving behind as he held out his hand for the other empty vial. "Again, I'm sorry, I should go. That waterfall, you said it was North of town?"
Doc Plume stands and sees Froge to the door, a bit of a sad look in their eyes. "Yes, north. You really can't miss it. And come back tomorrow. I'll check the last sample and see if the gas is pure enough for my needs."
Froge gathers up his flasks and puts his satchel back on, closing the clasp with a sharp snap. He felt relief stepping outside, wondering how much worse he could have introduced himself to the doctor. "Thank you, I hope it is good enough, we have too much of it for ourselves." Froge nods a farewell and makes his way North away from the clinic, the color slowly returning to his spots as he calms down.
Doc Plume closes the door behind the odd amphibian before returning to their desk and taking out the vial of gas in order to test it.
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EARLY EVENING
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Brunilda is sitting at the 'big creature table' once again, leaning forward against the table. On a closer inspection she... seems to have fallen asleep, snoring softly. Clearly a week of 'town guarding' has gotten to her, one way or another.
Damina is at the counter, attempting to look cool and menacing.
Doc Plume walks into the bar wearing a shapeless hooded cloak of undyed linen. They walk up to the bar and order their usual seltzer as they look around.
Brunilda snorts slightly, but doesn't seem to awaken much. She mumbles against the table in her sleep: "..if I see one more of those, m'gonna..."
Nesseth steps out from one of the washrooms towards the back of the bar and makes his way over to the counter, having arrived not too long ago himself. He waves at both Plume and Damina with a bit of a smile as he takes a seat nearby.
Damina orders a quick drink, nothing alcoholic by the way.
Doc Plume sips at their seltzer and waves their free hand to Nesseth.
Brunilda shifts on her precarious position against the table, and in her sleep attempts to lean on an edge that doesn't exist except inside her dreams. She nearly slips out of her chair and jolts awake at the feeling of falling: "Gbuh! Ehm... huh?" She looks confused for a brief second, feeling like she should have been elsewhere. Like in her bed.
Nesseth looks over towards the sound of someone's chair thumping back down onto all four legs, then chuckles upon seeing Brunilda slowly waking back up. "Might not be a bad idea to head home if you're that tired, Brun."
Damina breaks the facade of being cool by almost inhaling her drink.
Brunilda mumbles, blushing slightly: "...wasn't sleeping. Merely resting my eyes."
Doc Plume looks down at Damina, making sure the cat isn't choking on her drink. "You OK there?"
Damina manages to recover from that. "I'm fine, I'm fine, it's cool." (Things are most definitely not cool.)
Doc Plume gives a croaking laugh. "All right. Be careful with your drinks." They walk over to Brunilda's table. "Sure you weren't. I don't think the guard look fondly on narcolepsy in their ranks."
Brunilda gives Plume a look: "Thankfully m'not on duty now, then?"
Nesseth nods, clearly not convinced at Brunilda's excuse. "Might be more comfortable resting your eyes in something other than full combat gear, though."
Brunilda blushes a bit again at Nesseth's comment: "...mhmmm..."
Doc Plume looks to the two guards. "Everything calm out there today?"
Nesseth nods as he settles down into his chair. "I didn't run into anything particularly concerning. Most of the creatures that get close to the walls are easy enough to chase off."
Damina coughs a bit. "Wonder if I could fill in for one o' ya, if that's alright."
Brunilda sits back up straight and lets out a small snort despite herself: "I counted all the grass bumps off of the eastern entrance, does that count? Two hundred and seventy two, by the way."
Nesseth nods at Damina. "We could always use the help, even on calm days; an extra pair of eyes and some extra outgoing fire if necessary."
Damina takes a sip. "Gotcha."
Doc Plume cocks their head. "Is it really that dangerous out there? I haven't seen any problems yet, even when I went out to the waterfall..."
Nesseth shakes his head. "Nah, up north is pretty safe, as is the south. Just... there's always a chance that something nasty can wander close from further south at times."
Doc Plume breathes a sigh of relief. "Good. Sent a frog up that way today, was worried for a moment."
Brunilda shrugs slightly: "Dangerous is a relative term, as well. But yeah, we can never be quite sure what might wander down from those mountains, or the swamps to the south."
Nesseth tilts his head a bit at Damina. "So you're looking to do a bit of guard duty, then? Do you do close quarters like Brun over there, or long-range like me?"
Damina shrugs. "Depends on the needs. I can do a bit of both, but I do prefer range."
Brunilda blinks and looks up at Damina, seemingly only now noticing the cat: "You're a bit small for melee range, if you ask me."
Doc Plume looks between the cat and the lizard. "Just make sure you know what you're doing. I'm a decent surgeon, but I'm not a miracle worker, understand?"
Damina looks up. "Am I small? Or are you just big?"
Nesseth smiles at Plume. "Don't worry, Doc. No one's gotten seriously hurt in y--" He pauses for a moment, then shakes his head, "I'm not going to finish that. I'd rather not jinx it..."
Brunilda smiles, shrugging: "I'm not sure the sand alligators care."
Doc Plume nods and sips their seltzer. "Understood." They give a little yawn as they look at the others. "Glad that folks like you are protecting us, though. I'm not really made for fighting."
Brunilda glances at the Doc: "That's what I'm made for." She looks a bit perturbed for a moment, but doesn't continue.
Nesseth nods with a smile. "It's a group effort, and we all do what we can for the town, right?" He chuckles after a moment, "And to be fair, Damina, being a little smaller does mean it's easier for the opponent to miss you."
Doc Plume starts cracking into a bowl of walnuts with their beak while the others talk.
Brunilda nods absently: "We do what we need to do. Our... duty."
Doc Plume drops a walnut to the floor as their beak dips down. They blinks and shake themselves out of their sleepy haze. "Right... that means it's time to sleep. See you all later..." The drop a few coins on the bar before heading out.
Damina waves to them as they leave.
Brunilda looks at Doc go: "See you around."
Nesseth waves at Plume as they head out. "Have a good night, Doc."
Brunilda turns to Nesseth and stifles a yawn: "...Doc might not have the worst idea." She blushes a bit.
Nesseth smirks at Brunilda. "You did kind of get a head start on that when we all first showed up."
Brunilda grins a bit sheepishly: "Uh... yes. This week's just been so... non-eventful, I guess." She sighs and starts to get up: "I gotta figure something out."
Nesseth nods. "If that's the case, you could always maybe take a day off and head out hunting, or go exploring further south. I doubt much will get in your way."
Brunilda glances at Nesseth and nods: "I might consider that. Need... well, something, anyway."
Nesseth: Might be that you just need some kind of excitement. Dull days don't seem to suit you much, do they?
Brunilda doesn't manage to stifle another yawn shaking her head: "Yeah, they really don't... too used to having things to do while standing guard, I reckon. And..." She sighs a bit, smiling at Nesseth: "...You're right, bed is a much better place to sleep than here in full armor..." She absently nods at Damina before heading out, just barely remembering to pick up her halberd from near the door as she does.
Nesseth gives Brunilda a relaxed salute as she leaves. "Well, have yourself a good night, Brun. Hopefully next week is a little more exciting for you."
Nesseth turns back towards Damina once the door swings shut behind Brunilda. "So, Damina, you're good at a ranged fight, huh? What do you use?"
Damina glances about a bit. "Well, I could show you, but uh they don't allow me to bring my, er, equipment into bars."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow. "Really? Is your gear just... that big, or is it that dangerous...?"
Damina: "Yes."
Nesseth hums, leaning lightly against the bar counter. "I... see. Well, not gonna lie, that does pique my interest, for some reason..."
Annika opens the door, and peeks in. The small fox, perhaps a little over 5', dressed in simple rustic garb bites her lip, takes a breath, and does her best 'confident' walk inside. It's 'confident' in so far as she doesn't actually run away, but does appear a bit nervous for the first few steps..but to her credit relaxes when she's half way through, and hasn't been jumped by anyone. She gives a bright smile to the tavern innkeeper, and passes them a few silver coins "Could I have some lodgings please, as well as a meal to eat" She takes a seat, kicking her feet softly as she waits to be served, tilting her head at all the various wonderful people in attendance.
Nesseth leans back in his seat a bit and takes a moment to order a small snack. "Well, you gotta show me one day soon, Damina. I'm actually getting pretty curious."
Damina nods. "Alright, I guess I could show you sometime."
Nesseth hums and nods. "Looking forward to it, then." He chuckles, "It might even be fun to see which of us is more accurate at range."
Annika looks around again once she's received her meal, holding a cup of tea in her paws. Perhaps time to actually be social? She clears her throat "Um..Hi?" She says softly to the pair chatting "I..um..just..got here" She continues awkwardly, not sure how exactly to manage an introduction like this.
Nesseth looks around curiously at the new voice, then smiles when he sees an unfamiliar fox girl sitting nearby. "Oh, hey there. You're a new arrival, huh?"
Annika: "Oh! Yes"..She seems almost taken aback at being spoken to "I..well, um..yeah, I did just get here!" She nods to Nesseth "I'm Annika!" She smiles brightly, before realizing that she had forgotten her manners, and stuck out a small paw to be shaken "Happy to make your meeting!"
Nesseth reaches out a clawed hand and gives Annika's paw a friendly shake. "Good to meet you as well, Annika. I'm Nesseth, and that's Damina. I hope you'll find this town to your liking."
Annika: "Well, I don't know yet, but it seems nice!" Once she's done with her handshake, She brushes some invisible bits of dirt off her lap, as a nervous tic "I'm going to have a look around in the morning, to see what everything is like"
Nesseth nods. "It's a nice enough place, and there's a little something here for everyone, more or less. Depending on what you enjoy, I might be able to make a recommendation or two."
Damina: "Thankfully it's not particularly dangerous around here. At least, not to my knowledge."
Annika: "Oh..That's a relief. I ...I kinda want somewhere safe" She smiles to Damina when he speaks up, and sticks her paw out to him too! "I'm happy to meet you too"
Damina takes it and shakes.
Annika: Shake! Shakes! "There we go! Always good to meet new people..I thought it would be scary..but.um..I think I like it?" It helps that these people seem really nice
Nesseth nods at Damina's statement. "Yup. The town's pretty safe. Up to the north is safe as well, between here and the port. The only thing I can suggest is to not wander too far to the south past the walls."
Annika nods "Okay..that..that's good to know. I don't really want to get outside the walls again..it's scaaary outside there..." She is wide-eyed a little "I think I'll stay here, where it's safe! I can find a nice job, and then..um..a little house..and.um..well! I don't know. I haven't thought that far" She giggles gently.
Nesseth chuckles. "Well, the good news is that there are a lot of opportunities around town, since this place is still growing pretty fast." He tilts his head, "What do you plan on doing for work?"
Annika: "Oh..well.." She thinks "I've only really been doing..like..cleaning, and cooking, and all that stuff. You know..in a 'Big House!' I.." she stammers "Left..my old job.." She seems to want to move quickly on "But I'm here now! I'm sure there's lots of stuff that needs to be tidied here!"
Nesseth takes a moment to get a better look at Annika, then nods. "Trying to start anew, then? Nothing wrong with that." He smiles a bit, "So, you've got a lot of housekeeping skills, it sounds like. I'm sure there are a bunch of places around here that could use the assistance."
Annika: "Ahuh!" She nods to her suggestions "I'm going to look around in the morning, so..um..is there a sort of uniform in the city? There was back..There..and I don't want to look like I'm clueless. It was a sort of..black and white frilly skirt thing"
Nesseth shakes his head. "Nah, there's nothing in the way of a general uniform. We just wear whatever's comfortable for the weather, as long as it fits whatever dress code is required by whoever hires you."
Damina has ordered something and is just eating to pass the time.
Annika: "So..Damina" She leans in "What are you eating there?"
Damina: Whatever it is, it smells fishy
Annika: "Oh. Fishy like.you don't trust it..or fishy in how it goes wigglewiggle in water?"
Damina rolls her eyes. "The other kind."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow and leans forward a bit to take a peek at Damina's plate.
Annika makes a small noise of confusion "I..don't quite understand"
Damina: "It's fish."
Annika: "Right! Uh..Good! Fish is tasty when it's cooked right, and the barkeep looks like a good cook"
Nesseth chuckles a bit as he settles back into his seat. "The food here is usually pretty good, yeah. You had me worried for a moment that you got a bad plate, though."
Annika: "Well. I have enjoyed talking to you, but I have to go to bed. I need to be up early in the morning to get out and finding some work" She smiles, and curtsies, before turning to go upstairs to her room with a flick of her bushy tail.
Nesseth waves as Annika heads up to her room. "Have a good night, Annika, and welcome to Respite Falls."
Damina: "She certainly is quite proper, that's for sure."
Nesseth nods. "That she is. She must have had her job as a maid for some noble house for a while."
Damina yawns a bit. "Anyway, think I'm done here."
Nesseth nods at Damina. "Then, have yourself a good night, Damina. I'll be seeing you around."
Damina nods, then gets up and leaves.