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RESPITE FALLS GENERATOR - AFTERNOON
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Maybelline is laid out on the floor, back on a small wheeled work-creeper as she tinkers with the generator further, her long tail the only part poking out from underneath the machinery.
Doc Plume approaches the generator building, remembering to finally check in on the stressy stoat after the other night. They knock on what looks to be the main door to the building, knowing better than to just barge into such a place.
Maybelline 's ears twitch at the sound from the door. She takes a moment to finish up before she pushes the creeper out from under the generator, grabbing a towel to carefully wipe off her hands. She's dressed in her filthy work overalls again, pockets filled with all manner of tools. Tossing the towel aside, she heads to the door and pokes her head out, looking up, "Eh? Who's there? I'm busy."
Doc Plume is waiting patiently at the door and smiles down at Maybelline. "It's just me. I can come back if this is a bad time, but I wanted to check in on you after the other night, May." Doc is dressed in their usual work attire of white shirt, grey slacks, and black suspenders.
Maybelline eyes the Doc carefully, then shrugs and opens the door, "Now's no worse then the rest of the time, I guess. C'mon in."
Doc Plume steps inside and looks around, cocking their head as they stare at the generator. "Now, I may not know a lot about the technical side of ICEE, but the generator shouldn't look like that should it?"
Maybelline gives a bitter laugh, turning to look over the generator. "Uh, yeah. I'm working on that. Not much else to do around here anyways."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "That's rough. At least the clinic was in good shape when I took over. Definitely run by someone from another generation, but still a smooth transition." They take a few steps, making sure to hew close to the wall as they take in more of the situation. "Is there anything I can do to help here?"
Maybelline crosses her arms and frowns, "Lucky. I'm not convinced anyone even ran this place. Glad I brought my own tools, there's no spare parts, and plenty of pieces missing." She snorts. "So unless you've got spare capicitor lying around, or a faster way to get parts from Sarn, there's not much you can do."
Doc Plume leans against the wall, pondering the situation. "I don't, no... but..." Suddenly, an idea seems to dawn on them as they get a mischevious glint in their eyes. "Hmm... that might work..."
Maybelline raises an eyebrow, "Eh? What might work? I'm not letting any of those crazies in town touch it, if that's what you're thinking. Especially not that explosion happy lizard."
Doc Plume shakes their head and gives a cawing laugh. "No no, certainly not that. I'm just thinking that your budget probably isn't really enough to cover all these repairs /and/ give you enough to live on, right?"
Maybelline leans forward slightly, "Eh? I mean... no, not exactly. Room and board is included with the job." She points to the short hallway that leads to her living quarters, "But everything else is on me."
Doc Plume nods, as if expecting the answer. "Right, so part of the budget for the clinic is earmarked for improving the health and safety of the town. Would you say that, just maybe, the state of this generator is likely to cause unsafe situations for the townsfolk?"
Maybelline glances over at the cracked core casing. "Definitely. At the very least, it all shuts down and the town loses power and sits without shielding at the edge of wild magic territory. At the worst... it explodes."
Doc Plume nods affirmatively. "That settles it, then. Also, in case of a catastrophic failure, I lose a lot of my conveniences, like the autopump, so it's in my interests to make sure that this all gets fixed." They give a little wink to May. "So when those parts come in from Sarn, how about you have them invoice half of it to the clinic?"
Maybelline shrugs, "Sure, I guess... so what do you want from me, then?"
Doc Plume taps ther talons pensively on their beak. "Hmm... well, you don't seem to be very social, and I think it's not good for your state of mind to not talk to anyone. So... how about we have a weekly appointment, just to have you be more social?"
Maybelline seems taken aback by this, but then quickly bristles, "Not very social!? Weekly appointment!? What does that mean!? I don't need pity, Doc. I'm just new here in this backwater dump, but I've got plenty of friends back home, alright? So what if I'm not 'social', eh? What of it?"
Doc Plume blinks, taken aback by May's reaction. "Oh... I... I was mostly joking about a lot of that... I mean..." They blush a bit and look down at the floor. "I-- I'm sorry. I just... I'd like to be your friend and I thought it would be... funny, I guess?... if I phrased it that way."
Maybelline takes a few deep breathes as she shrinks back a little as her rounded ears fold down, "...guess I didn't take it as much of a joke... uh... sorry. I didn't mean to snap."
Doc Plume crouches down until they're sitting at the base of the wall with their wings wrapped over their knees. "Yeah, and I shouldn't have been so... me..." She takes a similar deep breath before continuing. "Look, we're both new in town, and we both have big responsibilities here... I think we should be friends. I'd like for us to be friends. I'm sorry for trying to force it."
Maybelline reaches up to itch at her neck, glancing away from the Doc. "Well, I mean... sure. It's fine. Friends. I can do that. Easy."
Doc Plume stares at the dark spot between their wings and knees. "Good." They glance up for a moment. "Do you want me to go?"
Maybelline is quiet for a moment, not looking at the Doc. "Well... I mean... I have a lot of work to do." She hesitates, looking over at Plume and frowning. "But uh... we probably need to talk about that deal some more..."
Doc Plume smiles a bit as they stand up. "Sure... we can talk while you work if you want. I can pass you tools or whatever."
Maybelline straightens herself up and raises a hand up towards Doc Plume, a small smile crossing her face as well, "Perfect."
Doc Plume takes May's hand in hers and shakes firmly. "Sounds like a deal. Now then, do you have a spare apron or something?"
Maybelline shakes Doc's hand and nods, "Yeah, I think there's a bigger one around here somewhere. Let's go check."
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RESPITE FALLS - NORTHERN GATE - AFTERNOON
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Brunilda is standing guard at the gate, resting at the shade provided by the wall as she looks into where the grassland slowly turns into sand and further away gives away to mountains. Theoretically speaking nothing much should come from there... practically speaking no one asked about the sand alligators when this town was built. She sighs a bit and squints again, trying to see if any brown-scaled beings with teeth need a lesson in keeping their distance. Again.
Froge is heading South through a field, croaking a gleeful song and practically skipping as the dark mud he's practically painted himself with glistens in the sunlight. The frog is finally damp after days of only having bits of water to splash on himself, and the unfamiliarity of the town looms only in the distance instead of all around him. Bliss!
Brunilda blinks at the sight of the... amphibian... in the almost-desert...? She rubs her eyes and looks again, and has to conclude that her eyes are in fact functioning despite her brain attempting to tell her otherwise.
Annika: "Um..Miss Elephant Guard Miss?" From somewhere by his side, a soft voice pips up, looking down was a small fox, craning her neck to make eyecontact "Could you help me? I'm a little lost" She seems to be a bit worried. It's already afternoon, and she has no idea how to get back to her bed, and she's by the gates, and gates are scaaary.
Brunilda turns to look down in slight surprise: "Oh. Hello there."
Annika: "Hi!" She gives a polite little smile "Could I get some directions please?"
Brunilda nods with a smile, letting her halberd rest against the wall: "If I can at all, I will. Been in this town only for a week and a half myself."
Froge continues on his way toward the North gate, spotting two figures in the opening, finding himself amused at the size difference between the two. In his giddy mood, he giggles a croak chorus to himself and began closing the last hundred or so meters to town.
Annika: "Okay..um.." She shuffles her skirts nervously, glancing outside, seeing some sort of..new and strange creature..be she's see lots of those..so.she'll be nice! "Well, I..um..am trying to get back to the uh..Inn place, with the beds"
Brunilda glances at Froge, but quickly classifies him as a not-immediate-threat before turning back to the small fox: "Oh! You mean the Thirsty Minnow?"
Annika: "Uh..Yes! That's the place. I have a bed there..but I was around the city today, ah..looking for ..um..a job, but I don't really know where I am now.." She bites her lip "Could you tell me how to get back? This must make me look super silly.."
Brunilda chuckles softly and shakes her head, looking back to the town through the gate: "Not that silly. I still don't know this place that well either. But the Thirsty Minnow is just off the main street, down south from roughly halfway of the main, almost in the middle of the town."
Froge finally reaches the gate, shrinking a little in mood as everything towers over him, though he still has half a head on the fox. Despite his fear of the imposing buildings, Froge stares up at the elephant guard in wonder, a chunk of the slowly drying mud flopping from under his left eye, revealing orange skin. "Good afternoon! Um... May I enter, ma'am?"
Annika: "Oh, thank you miss!" She gives a little curtsy to her, before squeeking and setting herself behind the elephant, peeking around at the amphibian, not saying anything and letting the guard deal with it.
Brunilda turns to the amphibian: "What is your business to Respite Falls?"
Froge croaks a nervous giggle as the fox flits away from him, hoping that's not a bad sign. Froge raises a drying, yet still filthy hand, then chooses to give the guard a small bow instead. "I am Froge, from the South village! I'm looking for trade, and then I got mud!"
Brunilda blinks at the description, but nods: "...I guess you have no ill intent, then."
Froge mishears miss elephant, shaking his head which displaces more mud onto the road. "Oh, no, not Illen tents, we can't make those." He holds up his hands, spreading webbed fingers that could never guide a thread to a needle, "Not good at sewing."
Brunilda blinks several times, then just nods slowly: "...ooookay. Go ahead, then." She gives Annika a bit of a glance, as if to confirm she's not just imagining things.
Annika peeks out from around Annika a moment, before swallowing, and stepping out just a little more. "Um..." She gives a nod. The creature is real!
Froge nods in thanks, croaking a happy giggle, "Thank you, miss guard!" He turns to continue, but pauses, "Oh! Could you point me to someplace I can get a cold meal, please?"
Brunilda raises an eyebrow, shifting a bit: "...don't you mean a hot meal?"
Annika slides back behind the big guard. The croaking had scared her!
Froge looks toward Annika, a little more nervous each time she reacts fearfully. "Oh? Well maybe, I suppose!"
Brunilda glances at Annika, then to Froge: "Well, either way, I suppose there are a few places. Personally I like the Thirsty Minnow..." She trails off a bit, glacing at Annika then mentally shrugging at this little dilemma.
Annika frowns softly, she's cared..but she's making the strange scary creature sad! That's bad too. "Um..ah..I..need to get back to the Minnow! Yes!" She makes her excuses, and dashes off, trying not to look like she's fleeing.
Froge watches after the fox as she dashes off, worried. He looked toward the guard, a low croak showing under his words as he asked, "Why did she seem so frightened?"
Brunilda blinks at the fox going: "...well, I suppose that works..." she mutters under her breath. She turns to Froge and shrugs: "I... I suppose she was scared of... you."
Froge slumps a little, scratching at the back of his head, "Oh dear... I didn't try to." He looks down the street the way she had gone, putting two and two together after a moment. "I suppose I shouldn't go to the Minnow then..."
Brunilda shrugs: "Up to you I guess, but perhaps it's wiser to not scare her again today." She glances towards the town where Annika disappeared: "She seemed... awfully jumpy."
Froge croaks out a low sigh, looking up at the guard again. "Thank you for your help, anyway! I'll work something out." He gives her a little wave that sheds chunks of dried mud, turning down the road and heading on into town.
Brunilda nods: "Be seeing you, I suppose." She then blinks at the mud-chunk that lands on her leg, sighing a bit but not enough to bother reaching down to get it off either. Reaching for her halberd, she finds a more comfortable bit of shade to stand in, staring into the near-emptiness north of town once more...
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RESPITE FALLS - MARKET SQUARE - AFTERNOON
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Nesseth casually strolls through the marketplace, having just recently acquired some replacement bolts for his crossbow, along with some ingredients for dinner. For the time being, he's just walking around, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the semi-orderly bustle of the rest of the folks in the square.
Annika is dashing along, looking around her, and behind her. She is weaving in and out of the crowd, speeding up when she gets out of the main bustle, but she doesn't see Nesseth, and crashes into him!
Nesseth hears the soft padding of someone in a hurry, and turns towards the sound just in time to see the top of someone's head running right at him. Before he can say anything, he gets the wind knocked clean out of him and goes tumbling backwards onto the ground.
Annika: "Oh! Sorry!" The fox tumbles back off him "I wasn't looking! And..um.." She brushes herself off, before trying to help him back up "Sorry again!"
Nesseth blinks up at the sky for a moment until his senses return. Lifting his head, he looks at who knocked him over, then chuckles a bit upon seeing Annika. He slowly clambers back to his feet with her help. "Egh... th-thanks, Annika. It's okay, I'm fine, don't worry."
Annika: "Oh..that's okay...good" She blushes, pulling at her skirts to straight them up, and the cleaning them down "It was my bad! I should have been looking where I was going..ah..are you hurt?"
Nesseth takes a few moments to dust his pants off and check the bag of goods he'd been carrying. He smiles and shakes his head when all seems in order. "Nope, everything looks good." He tilts his head at Annika, "Are you okay, though? You sounded like you were in a rush."
Annika: "Oh.ah.." She pulls even harder at her skirts "Well, I was just..uh...looking to get back to the Inn" She doesn't really know how to admit it, since it was kinda bad, maybe indirectly "There's lots of..different folks around here..aren't there..and..um..some of that are kinda scary.."
Nesseth nods a bit. "Yeah, you get a lot of different folks in these kinds of towns. Although... scary? Has someone been causing trouble somewhere in town?"
Annika: "Oh!..Um..I..I don't think so..it was just..uh..I'm not used to.." She squeeks, and adds quietly "His skin was all..uh..like..fleshy?...I don't know..I didn't want to look at it!" She's kinda ashamed of it!
Nesseth frowns a little in confusion, tilting his head again. "Fleshy? Like... no fur or scales? Huh... that's not something you hear every day..." He pauses then smiles at Annika again, "So I'm guessing you're just trying to get back somewhere comfortable, and away from... whoever it was that scared you?"
Annika: "Y..yeah..like that! It was so strange!" She nodnods, glad that at least someone was agreeing that it was odd "Yeah!..I was going to go back to the Inn, my room is safe at least!"
Nesseth hums softly. "Fair enough. Want me to accompany you back to the inn?"
Annika: "Yes! Please. I would be very greatful" She scoots a little closer to him, seeking protection.
Nesseth offers an arm while carefully slinging his bag of goods over his other shoulder. "Alright, then, I'm happy to help."
Annika takes the arm eagerly. She likes feeling safe, and looks up at him greatfully "Thanks! I know I'm being silly..but..uh..I'm still greatful"
Nesseth chuckles and starts slowly weaving his way through the marketplace with Annika, heading back towards the Thirsty Minnow. "It's okay, Annika. I know it can be a little difficult to deal with nerves sometimes."
Annika: "Y..yeah. This is the first time I've been out on my own..so.uh..it's been really hard" She smiles, to reassure Nesseth that everything's okay "Don't worry, it's all good"
Nesseth meets the smile with a kind one of his own. "First time out in the world alone, huh? Yeah, I can see that being really rough to start. You'll get used to it, though! And if any trouble does come up, you can find me, Brunilda or any of the others that guard the town, and we'll be happy to help."
Annika nods "Ahuh, something like that. I'm sure I'll get used to it soon, I'm still looking for work, but I'll find that soon too, and then everything will be good" She sounds like she's trying to convince herself as much as anything else.
Nesseth nods. "I'm sure you'll find something quickly enough. The town's still growing, so opportunities always crop up."
Annika: "Ahuh!" She nods again "What are you working at the moment?"
Nesseth: "I'm something of a hunter and town guard, since I used to be part of the Explorers Guild. I prefer hunting, but guard duty isn't that bad."
Annika: "Ah. I've met a few guards, they're all super big and cool!" She taps her footpaw a few times thoughtfully "I'm only really good at cooking and cleaning, so I can't really do any of that big cool fighty things"
Nesseth smiles softly. "We all do what we can in town, and every job keeps the town running smoothly in some way." He laughs a bit, "Though... I can't really recommend the whole 'getting hurt' part of guard work. Fighting sounds cool and all, until it earns you a trip to the doctor's office."
Annika nods quickly "Y..yeah..I..um..." She grips his arm a little tighter "And..uh..hurting people would be really bad too.." She takes a few sharp breaths "But..oh! There's the Inn! Look!" She points it out
Nesseth nods as he looks towards the Minnow. "Yup! Just about there. Are you fine from here, or do you want some company for a little while more?"
Annika: "Um..well..I don't want to keep you if you've got work to do..."
Nesseth shrugs. "Not really. I was just getting some stuff from the marketplace to cook for dinner, and then head home, so I've got time to spend if you want."
Annika: "Okay! Um..then I don't mind!" She's still a bit spooked, and she wants to be beside someone who she feels can protect her.
Nesseth chuckles and continues to walk with Annika to the Thirsty Minnow. "Alrighty, let's keep going, then."
Annika follows along behind him, stepping inside, and looking around for whoeever might be there. Even if there was someone scary, maybe she could be safe anyway!
Nesseth looks around as well, wondering who else might be at the bar, right now.
Damina is here, as usual, only this time she's got some strange-looking crystals in her hands.
Vix drops down from the rafters in front of Nesseth as he enters. "Oho! Hey hey, the charming Ness arrives with a fine lady 'pon his arm~!"
Annika: "Oh..it's..uh..Damina..I met her last night..she seemed nice" Annika whispers to Ness before Vix appeared, and Annika yips, and hides behind Nesseth!
Vix leans to the side to try to get a better look at the shy fox
Damina turns and looks at the sudden commotion caused by Vix's entrance. Somehow she always manages to make Damina laugh a little.
Nesseth nods. "Yeah, Damina's nice. Hey, Damina how are-- aaah!" He's about to greet Damina when Vix's sudden appearance causes him to jump back in surprise a bit.
Annika: "Eep!" Annika had scooted behind Nesseth when Vix appeared, so she was now in perfect position to get bowled over when Nesseth jumps back!
Damina quickly glances around and shoves a crystal inside her coat while no one's looking.
Vix smirks at Nesseth. "On a little date, are ya~?"
Nesseth turns and grimaces a bit as he stoops down to help Annika back up, vaguely aware of the irony of the moment. He looks over his shoulder at Vix. "A date...? No, I was just helping Annika make her way back here. Uh... s-sorry about knocking you over, by the way, Annika."
Vix smiles a toothy grin at Annika. "Hey! I'm Vix, the local uh..."trouble""
Annika: "Ah..no..it's fine.." She gets up, brushing herself down for the second time today, before she scoots back behind Nesseth at the mention of 'trouble' "Oh..y..you are..I'm..um..Annika..I don't think I'm trouble..I don't want to be anyway..too anyone.."
Nesseth shakes his head as he stands back up again. "Nah, Vix is one of the local merchants. I dunno about trouble, though, she's not had any real run-ins with the guards, as far as I know." He takes a moment to collect his thoughts again, then waves a claw at Damina, "Also, hey there, Damina."
Damina gives a small wave, being uncharacteristically cute.
Vix hums as she swishes her slender black tail. "Anyways, come on in, order a salad or what-have-you!"
Annika: "Oh..right..um..sure..I could do something to eat.." She gives a shaky wave to Damina, still offput and spooked by Vix's sudden appearance.
Nesseth smiles and nods. "I was gonna head home to make something for dinner, but... ah, what the heck, food's more fun with friends."
Vix takes Nesseth's free arm as they walk to their seats. "Oh, you can cook? I should come over sometime!"
Nesseth blinks as Vix takes hold of his free arm, but seems... pretty okay with it as he makes his way to the bar counter with Annika and Vix in tow. "Seems you might already have a fan of your cooking, Annika."
Damina: "I must admit, I am curious to see what you could stir up."
Nesseth helps Vix and Annika into seats at the counter before taking one for himself. "Same, I'm sure you've got some really good recipes."
Vix 's ears perk up. "Oooh, like what~?"
Annika: "Oh..um..well..I'm not really picky. I grew up on eating whatever was given to me"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "So I'm guessing you can cook a little bit of everything, more or less?"
Vix blinks. "Wait, so you both can cook? I'm jealous!"
Annika: "Uh, sorta" She rubs her ear softly "I suppose you could say that, yeah. I don't really have a 'personal dish' like others do"
Nesseth shrugs a little at Vix. "I'm a decent enough cook, I suppose. I don't exactly have much of a comparison point to work off of, though."
Vix throws up her paws. "I can't cook! Nope, not at all! I rely on pure charm to fill my belly~"
Damina: "I have no idea how I managed to survive the years. My cooking is atrocious."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully, curiously looking among Vix, Annika and Damina. "I mean... if you three don't mind being, uh... food taste testers, I guess, I could try and... maybe cook something for you all, see what you all think of it."
Annika: "I'd love to try your cook Ness!" She nods eagerly.
Damina sorta sticks her tongue out hungrily.
Vix winks. "See? Charm gets ya food~"
Nesseth rubs his neck, only just realizing he's inadvertently offered to cook a meal big enough for four. "S-so, uh... If you all have any favorites, let me know and I'll grab ingredients for those dishes."
Vix: Fish! Baked fish!
Damina shrugs. "Don't really have too many favorites. Just try not to give me too much veggies."
Annika: "Just..uh..make what you like..."
Nesseth hums and nods as he starts to make a mental list. "So... baked fish, not too many veggies, and... a wild card. Easy enough."
Nesseth takes a moment to order himself a small meal. "So, anyway... that aside, since I'll have to get the ingredients still, how've your days been so far, you two?"
Vix stretches as she considers the question. "Oh, not bad. Picked up some more stuff that doesn't look like it's from around here. I guess we've been getting more travelers lately?"
Damina is thinking. "Well, I wanted to show off this magic crossbow I got. It's probably somewhere around..." She starts searching her bag.
Nesseth nods at Vix. "Yeah, we've been getting a pretty good number of new faces as of late, that's true. I guess the town's starting to get popular." He tilts his head and looks curiously over at Damina after a moment, "You've got a magic crossbow? Like... magitech, or just straight magical?"
Damina: "I don't know what the definition of it is, all I know is it's got magic in it somehow."
Nesseth chuckles. "Fair enough. You've got my interest, though!"
Vix peers closer at Damina's bag as she rifles through it. "Oooh, is that what those crystals were for?"
Damina: "Oh? Yeah, those somehow fuel my various things. Not really at liberty to explain how, mostly because I'm a dummy that don't know magic."
Vix: Oh, so you just picked them up off the ground? That seems irresponsible~
Nesseth smirks at Vix. "Says the merchant that specializes in, er... 'reacquisition' of unwanted materials." He glances back towards Damina, "So something like my crossbow, then, just fueled by crystals? That sounds pretty neat."
Damina wiggles her head from side to side. "Ehhh... not quite. I'll show you when I find it."
Vix sticks her tongue out at Nesseth. "I never said I was responsible either~"
Nesseth laughs a bit as he leans against the bar's counter, watching Damina rummage through her bag. "True, true. It's good that you can admit it, Vix."
Damina startles the other two by suddenly dragging out of the bag a ridiculously big crossbow, in that there's no way it should have fit inside that bag. Even so, it's still incredibly big as it's probably three feet in span, which makes it bigger than half Damina's height.
Vix blinks. "Ooh, looks heavy!"
Nesseth leans back, wide-eyed as the crossbow comes into view. "Woah, that's... huge. That thing must have some power behind it!"
Damina: The crossbow looks even weirder when you get a closer look at it, because it looks almost like it's made out of bones and veins. And loaded in the rack seems to be a giant sharpened bone.
Damina: "I'm fairly certain this thing is cursed, but so far it hasn't hurt me. My targets, on the other hand... they quite object to having sharpened magic bones launched at them at incredibly high speeds."
Nesseth blinks and leans in a bit closer to take a look. "That... doesn't look like standard construction, does it...?" He looks up at Damina, a bit confused even as he nods, "Yeah, I can imagine a bolt that size would cause no small amount of protest... Where'd you get it?"
Damina laughs a bit. "I stole it from some asshole techno-wizards that tried invading my home. They didn't do a very good job at that, but they certainly tried.!"
Vix looks over the crossbow. "Looks more like a siege weapon than Nesseth's. Is that even legal? Are you crazy and dangerous?"
Nesseth raises an eyebrow as he continues to examine the crossbow in Damina's hands. "So I'm guessing you acquired it from those home invaders? No wonder it looks... different." He hums and rubs his chin, "If you're a good shot, I can see that thing helping a fair bit outside of the walls."
Damina: "Crazy? Depends on your definition of that."
Nesseth shrugs with a laugh. "And even that definition can vary. I would have thought the bathhouse bit was crazy before, but now I actually think that was kinda fun." He looks Damina over for a moment, "Damina definitely isn't the insane sort of crazy, obviously."
Vix blushes at the mention of the bath house. "Hey, what happens in the bath house stays in the bath house!"
Damina smirks again. She likes the effect she's having on others.
Nesseth chuckles at Vix. "What? I didn't even describe what happened!"
Vix: Yeah but now I'm remembering it!
Nesseth shakes his head in amusement and looks at Damina. "I'm surprised Vix is embarrassed, considering her encouragement at the time. It was pretty fun, right?"
Damina: "Yeah, I'd say it was fun~"
Vix throws her paws up. "I had had ONE drink! Okay, maybe a couple drinks..."
Damina sticks her tongue out.
Nesseth smirks. "I dunno, it definitely seemed like you enjoyed it, drunk or not, Vix."
Vix blushes harder and grumbles.
Damina pokes Vix on the nose with her free hand- Free hand? Is she holding that beast with one hand??
Nesseth blinks as Damina reaches over to boop Vix, then does a bit of a double take when he sees her hefting her crossbow with a single arm. "...Uh... how heavy is that thing...?"
Damina: "I dunno, I hardly even notice it."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "...Mind if I try to hold it for a moment?"
Damina shrugs. "You're welcome to try," and passes it over to Nesseth- this thing is at least 15 pounds WHAT THE HELL.
Nesseth carefully takes hold of the bow, then blinks as the weight settles into his arms. Caught a bit off-guard, he rocks forward just a touch, but he doesn't seem to have too much trouble carrying it as he shifts it between a one-handed grip and two-handed grip. "Huh... Definitely heavier than a standard crossbow."
Damina: "Must be all the bones."
Nesseth nods a bit, then carefully passes the bow back to Damina. "Right... that's entirely possible. It feels really sturdy, though."
Vix: Seems like a vague amount of bones.
Nesseth leans back in his seat a bit, getting comfortable again. "I definitely need to see that thing in action one day. But, for now..." He smirks back at Vix, "What was that grumbling about a few seconds ago, Vix?"
Vix: Nothing! And you can't touch my butt again!
Damina: "Why not?"
Vix: Because it's mine! Touch your own!
Nesseth grins. "You sure we can't persuade you, though?"
Vix pouts. "Nope! Er...yep?"
Damina hides her face with her hat, barely suppressing her childish snickering.
Nesseth chuckles as well, though he's a bit more open about it.
Nesseth stops chuckling after a few seconds, then puts on a thoughtful look. "Though, wasn't it your idea to go to the bathhouse in the first place, Vix?"
Vix: After I was already buzzed! Geez!
Nesseth smiles and relents. "Alright, I get it, Vix."
Vix steams with embarrassment and covers her face.
Nesseth reaches over and lightly pats Vix on the head as an apology.
Damina: "Hey, it's alright! We were all in the same boat there, we were all being silly."
Vix squeaks and quickly stands up. "I uh...I gotta go!" She darts out the door.
Nesseth blinks and watches Vix run out. "Uh... I guess I kind of overdid it a bit."
Damina just stares in surprise.
Nesseth sighs a bit. "Ah, well... I'll just apologize next time I see her..."
Damina: "I... she sure got out of here in a hurry, did she? Think we should check up on her?"
Nesseth hums, still looking at the door. "Mmh, that probably wouldn't be a bad idea, honestly. Just to make sure she's okay."
Damina: "Well, alright, let's go"
Nesseth blinks, then nods and slides off of his seat. "Now? Sure thing. Though... I admittedly don't know where she lives."
Damina goes to the door and looks outside. I suppose a trail was left behind?
Nesseth follows Damina and peers out as well, looking in the direction opposite the way she's looking. "Hmm..."
Damina turns around and listens really, really hard...
Nesseth shifts positions a little as he stoops down to examine the ground just outside of the bar's doorway.
Nesseth notices some fresh tracks that look like cat paws trailing away from the door at a decent clip. Silently, he follows the trail, occasionally stopping to pick the tracks back up again. He continues in this manner for several seconds, before he runs face-first into the wall of a building nearby...
Damina: "Nimble little lass, ain't she?"
Damina hands her hat to Nesseth and rolls up her sleeves.
Nesseth rubs his face for a moment, then takes Damina's hat and carefully stands up straight again. "Ugh... yeah, she's pretty good at that sort of thing."
Damina then shifts her feet a bit, and pounces up the wall, crawling to the top pretty quickly. Once up there she scans the surroundings to see if she can catch any trace of small catt.
Nesseth waits patiently down below, then calls up after several seconds pass. "See anything?"
Narrator: Damina notices a conspicuous shadow, but it's only flickering lamplight.
Damina: "Huh. Guess I should scope this out, huh?"
Nesseth tilts his head. "Which direction? I'll follow from down here."
Damina reaches into her bag and grabs out a spyglass. She's got everything there, huh?
Nesseth waits patiently down on the street.
Damina is now looking even harder...
Damina: "Damn, can't find her."
Nesseth shrugs a bit. "Ah, well. It was worth a shot, but she can practically vanish if she wants to." He waves a hand, gesturing for Damina to come back down, "We can always find her tomorrow or something."
Damina jumps back down, looking a little despondent.
Nesseth hands Damina back her hat, then pauses, but decides to give her a quick little pat on the head. "Hey, it's fine, Damina. She's usually in the marketplace during the day, selling whatever she's been finding."
Damina: "Yeah, I suppose there's that..."
Nesseth smiles softly. "If you want, we can head out and look for her together tomorrow."
Damina looks up. "Alright then."
Nesseth nods. "Sounds like a plan, then. I can apologize for teasing her so much, and you can ask her what she ran off for, once we find her."
Damina ponders for a quick moment, then decides to hell with it. She stands up and gives Nesseth a kiss on the cheek.
Nesseth is caught pretty well off-guard by the kiss. He stands still for a few seconds, blinking in surprise, then vaguely lifts a hand towards his cheek and tilts his head curiously at Damina.
Damina doesn't seem to acknowledge it, but if you look closely at her face you can see her breathing quite rapidly
Nesseth continues to curiously look at Damina for a few seconds before he seems to manage to order his thoughts again. He smiles after a moment, then leans in to return the favor, lightly kissing Damina on the cheek in turn. "There we go. You feeling okay?"
Damina: "A bit better. Let's go."
Nesseth nods. "Alrighty, right behind you, Damina."
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RESPITE FALLS GENERATOR - LATE EVENING
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Brunilda walks to the door of the generator building, and almost knocks it before stopping herself. She sighs and looks about: she really has no reason to do this right now, does she? Wouldn't it be better if she came back tomorrow...? She lets out a small snort and knocks at the door before she can stop herself.
Maybelline mumbles incoherently as she drags herself from her living quarters to the door to the Generator. She's thrown on a hasty robe, but definitely looks like she was just settling in for bed. She cracks open the door and peers out, "Eh? ...Brun... hilda? Right? Is this about the generator?"
Brunilda winces slightly, leaning down a bit at the door: "Well... yes and no. And I'm sorry, but... I wanted to come and check on both you and the generator and now both of those ideas sound pretty stupid if I am honest."
Maybelline blinks a few times, still clearly half-awake. "Check on me...? Why is everyone saying that today...?" She glances back, then sighs, "Well, come on in. It's cold out there. Don't know how it gets so hot in the day and so cold at night here."
Brunilda nods, feeling more than a bit awkward as she has to bow down a bit to even get in: "Again, sorry for intruding, I just..." She frowns slightly: "...maybe I thought you would want to talk."
Maybelline yawns, then nods, "Well if I'm not going to bed, I'm going to get some tea. So if you wanna talk, then let's talk in there." She points towards the hallway into her living quarters. It's a fairly average size hall, clearly built for someone bigger than May, but probably not quite as big as Brunilda.
Brunilda nods absently as she makes her way in: "...tea sounds good."
Maybelline leads into the kitchen, prepping water into an automatic boiler she brought with her from Sarn. The room is still filled with a dozen or so unpacked boxes, but an old kitchen table with chairs is still set-up from the last occupant. Rather than that, however, May clambors up onto the kitchen counter and sits down, trying to get a little closer to eye level with Brunilda as she gets her tea. "Alright... talk. Let's talk?"
Brunilda nods slowly, feeling a bit more put-on-spot than she planned this going: "Uh... yeah. I was just... I'm not really good with this kind of thing, but feels like... I dunno, like we had more to talk about before that inventor-lizard caused the ruckus, at the marketplace." She winces again: "Sorry, that makes no sense."
Maybelline rolls her eyes, "Ugh... Strax, or Strut, or whatever..." She seems to be letting her tea seep a long time, staring down at it in a rather pregnant pause. "Well... I mean, we're both from big cities, right? So... there's that?"
Brunilda nods, sitting down on the floor: "Yes. Ondonga City has been my home until now, and honestly I feel rather lost here." She gives Maybelline a bit of a hopeful look that she shares the feeling.
Maybelline sips her tea, then nods. "I'm from Glaushire... lived there most my life, save for the year I was apprenticing as a Generator Tech in Policaster. They're both big cities in Sarn. Nothing like here..."
Brunilda nods, grunting slightly as she shifts in her position: "I think I said at the marketplace that I miss... doing things. Seeing things. There's almost nothing in this town."
Maybelline nods sadly, "I uh, yeah, me too... I mean, the town greeter said there was plenty of stuff to do here, but... I dunno. I miss all the sounds, you know? It seems too quiet here?"
Brunilda leans on one hand on the floor: "Town's... greeter?"
Maybelline nods, "Uh, yeah. Or, whoever she was. Was a cat, just a bit taller than me." She hops down from the counter and walks towards the bedroom, returning with a pair of earmuffs. "Gave me these as a welcome present. Seemed nice and all."
Brunilda looks at Maybelline and the earmuffs: "Huh. Guess it takes all sorts, coming here." She pauses, then thinks of something: "Beyond that, how has this place been treating you? I've mostly found boredom."
Maybelline clambers back up onto the counter, retaking her tea into her hands. "I can't speak for boredom... repairing that generator has kept me busy enough, at least, for as much as I can actually do with it. Then I go to bed. I wake up, and get back to work. Breaks for meals and all, but otherwise..."
Maybelline shrugs.
Brunilda gives a small smile: "Sounds more engaging than almost hoping some beast attempts to come for a town visit so I'd have something to do..."
Maybelline laughs awkwardly, "Well, it's my job. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can leave this place and start a real life."
Brunilda looks at Maybelline curiously: "What are you planning on afterwards?"
Maybelline frowns, kicking her feet against the counter a little. "I... don't know. Back to the University... if I can afford it. The world's changing with the magitek stuff, AMP technology." She sighs. "Gotta start from scratch."
Brunilda frowns, nodding: "I can see that. Wanted to learn new ways of weaponry when I was learnin' the Guard thing, but my family insisted on the traditional." Her expression gets noticeably more sour as she mentions 'family'.
Maybelline raises an eyebrow at the way Brunilda speaks, but simply shrugs it off for the moment. "I'm not much of a weapons person. I saw your halberd. Doubt I could even lift the damn thing... p-plus... y-you know..." She swallows. "Blood..."
Brunilda glances at Maybelline: "It's not for everyone, that's for sure. And I suppose it favors creatures my size more than a bit..."
Maybelline chuckles, sipping her tea. "A bit, yeah." She frowns for a moment. "Well, regardless, at least you can learn what you want here. It took me years to graduate, but you can probably just pick up whatever weapon you want and go give it a try, right?"
Brunilda nods, musing: "I could, technically." She looks thoughtful for a moment: "...though I'm not sure I even want to. Weapons, that is."
Maybelline waves a hand towards one of the many boxes still lying around the floor. "It'd be more impressive if I'd unpacked those, but... uh, well, there's always books. Sky's the limit on what you can learn. ...well, whatever this town has that passes for a library is the limit, I suppose."
Brunilda gives a soft chuckle as she switches which hand she's leaning on: "I suppose, yeah. I've been always fascinated with magitech, but... never really got the chance." She looks as though she just admitted on a huge faux pas, and more than a bit guilty.
Maybelline nods, "I spent years with it... most people don't know anything beyond 'science makes the magic work for everyone.' That's a nice tag line, but so far from the truth. And everything I know is a generation behind, now." She drops her head in a similar fashion.
Brunilda lets out a deep sigh and is quiet for a moment. "I have to uphold the tradition of the family."
Maybelline hums, "Traditions? I guess I don't really have any of those to uphold. I just want to make my family proud."
Brunilda glances at Maybelline: "My family is proud... as long as I do what I am expected to. And I want to. But I also..." She sighs again "...kinda want to do more with my life."
Maybelline sighs, setting her tea cup aside and folding her hands into her lap. "My parents... wel, they just wanted me to live a better life then they had. So, you know... ass end of the middle of nowhere. I'm doing great."
Brunilda looks down: "I'm here to make my family proud, to continue the tradition, but... spending my days counting sand dunes isn't my idea of... w-well, anything." She winces: "...and by this point my Grandpa would have smacked me around the head for saying that."
Maybelline shrugs, "Well, I'm not gonna smack anyone, so you're safe from that, at least."
Brunilda looks a bit haunted for a second before shaking her head: "Y-yeah."
Maybelline blinks, "Hey uh, you okay?"
Brunilda blinks and looks up: "...sorry. Just... memories. Got a tradition to keep up, no worries."
Maybelline frowns, staying silent for awhile, then shrugs again, though she sounds a bit less certain, "Yeah uh... no worries. Right."
Brunilda looks at Maybelline: "I must sound crazy to you."
Maybelline chuckles, "Just a little, but to each their own, right? My family didn't have traditions... well... our family tradition was breaking away from traditions."
Brunilda gives a weak smile: "I sometimes wish I could do that. Just... whatever feels 'me', instead of this." She motions at her armor.
Maybelline shrugs again, "Some traditions are crap. Not saying yours are, I just mean..." Her voice gets low, a bit of a growl in it. "Not all stoats are thieves and gutter rats. My parents were determined to prove that tradition wrong. So am I. I'm all for honoring family, I wouldn't be anywhere without them. But just don't be stupid about it."
Brunilda nods slowly: "I guess... some part of me would like to prove that us elephants are more than just brute force where needed."
Maybelline hmphs. "Well, up to you, ultimately. But any tradition that gets someone smacked over it doesn't seem like it's worth honoring to me." If she wasn't in her own home she'd spit. "Bet tradition doesn't say butts about reading a book off duty, now does it?"
Brunilda winces a bit at Maybelline's bluntness, but nods regardless: "Y-yeah... I don't know..." She looks down, shuddering a bit as her mind attempts to make any sense of things.
Maybelline jumps down off the counter and walks to the sink, standing on a small step-stool she's placed there to rinse out the mug. "Well, do what you want. They're not my traditions. But you seem smart. It feels like a waste, that's all."
Brunilda sighs, then starts getting up: "Yeah... but..." She pauses and looks at Maybelline: "I think... thank you. You've given something to think about."
Maybelline finishes up with her mug and turns to nod at Brunilda. "Yeah, well, good. Thanks for visiting... next time, I'm happy to talk about whatever, but... not so late in the evening, okay?"
Brunilda gives a lopsided smile: "Yeah, sorry about that. The mind, it doesn't choose when it churns, you know?"
Maybelline grins, "Yeah... definitely true."
Maybelline points towards the door to her living quarters. "You can use that door too, not the generator room door."
Brunilda nods at Maybelline: "Didn't know that. But will knock there next time." She gives a small wave of hand: "Be seeing you around, I reckon?"
Maybelline chuckles, "Feel free to knock, yeah. And it's a small town, so I'm sure we'll bump into each other again."
Brunilda smiles as she turns to go: "I'm sure we will. Have a good night, May." With that, she bows down to head out of the apartment and back home, her head churning with conflicting ideas.
Maybelline hops off the step stool and glances around her kitchen, then face palms, "Dumb ass didn't even offer them any tea. Awesome. Nice work, May." She sighs, grumbling to herself as she heads back to bed.