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RESPITE FALLS NORTH GATE - MID-MORNING
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Nesseth sits on a little bench at one of the gate's sides, on a small, raised platform meant to give the folks guarding the gate a bit of a sight advantage as they watch the comings and goings of everyone, as well as any dangers that might be off in the distance. His crossbow is currently unslung and resting against his shoulder, supported from beneath by a hand, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice as he scans around with sharp eyes.
Dorri approaches the gate from inside of town, her eyes just looking out to the mountains as she takes a walk to clear her mind.
Nesseth notices Dorri as she passes through the gate on her way out. He simply smiles and waves. "Good morning! Heading out for a bit of a morning walk, I take it?"
Dorri looks up at Ness and squints. "That you, Ness? Yeah... was supposed to be out on the caravan today, but it's delayed now... just heading to the mountains for a bit. Been on flat ground for too long."
Nesseth nods as he stands up and makes his way to the edge of the platform, where he leans against the railing to chat a bit. "Ah, that's unfortunate... Hopefully the delay isn't too long, so you can get back to doing what you need to." He looks out towards the north, and the mountains in the distance, "You should have an easy time today, haven't seen anything out of the ordinary yet."
Dorri leans against a post as she chats with Nesseth. "I'd rather just be up on my mountain, but can't exactly live in a collapsed tower..."
Nesseth hums softly. "Yeah, I'd heard what happened about that... Did you manage to get some of your equipment out of there, though? I can't imagine the large telescope was salvageable, though..."
Dorri shakes her head. "I knew the storm was coming, so I'd brought it down for safety. Everything is fine, just not safe to live there if another storm comes." They sigh a bit. "It's time to rebuild anyway. The main timbers are almost as older Uncle Pasha would have been, so best to just redo the whole tower."
Nesseth nods again. "Makes sense... Still, it's a shame that storm caused so much damage, but I guess it also means you can set things up however you want. Any idea how long until it can get built back up?"
Dorri shrugs as she looks up to the mountain. "Depends if they have enough big timbers readily available in Folly. If they do, a few weeks at most."
Nesseth adjusts his crossbow against his shoulder as he continues to scan around the land. "So not too long a wait, if they've got enough wood... that's good to hear." He turns his attention back to Dorri with a smile, "Well, if it's the mountains you're pining for, I shouldn't keep you waiting too long, Dorri."
Dorri smiles. "Would be quicker if anyone could keep up with me to help out." They nod to Nesseth as they walk through the gate. "You take care, Ness. Nice boy like you shouldn't have to be on guard duty."
Nesseth chuckles and waves. "I just kind of fill in wherever I'm needed to keep the town running smooth, even if it's just up here, sunning myself. You take care too, Dorri. I'll see you around!"
Dorri heads off toward the foothills, more of a spring in her step now that she's out of the town.
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NORTH GATE - LATE MORNING
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Nesseth leans against the railing of his post, still scanning around for dangers that might attempt to approach the wagon path leading out towards Bairnell's Foothold, further north. From his somewhat bored expression, however, it's pretty clear that nothing interesting has happened in all the time since his chat with Dorri, earlier that morning.
Damina approaches the gate, with a conveniently dramatic wind blowing her coat to the side. Time says it's her shift at the gate, and she's frankly been needing something to do lately. As she gets closer, she recognizes Nesseth already there and quickens her pace to meet him.
Nesseth 's ear frills flex a little as he hears the telltale sound of someone approaching the gate from within the city. He gives one last quick scan around the land to confirm no threats are nearby, then turns to see who might be leaving the safety of the walls. Upon spotting Damina, he raises a hand in greeting. "Oh, Damina! Good to see you. Heading out for a hunt, today?"
Damina laughs a bit, biting her lip. "Ah, I wish. No, I'm actually filling in today, helping to guard this damn wall from... stuff." She sits down and takes out her magic bag, sticking her hand deep inside, apparently having never learned that it's best to leave the most needed items in convenient reach, even if you're using a magic space bag.
Nesseth blinks and smiles. "Ahh, taking up a bit of guard duty, then? Well, I hope you don't get bored too easily, because today seems pretty light on... much of anything showing up along the trail."
Damina shrugs. "Hey, if it's an excuse to slack off, I'll take it. I... have a lot on my mind."
Nesseth tilts his head a bit as he shifts more of his attention towards Damina. "Oh? Hopefully it's nothing too troubling, though?"
Damina turns away, watching the area outside the border walls. "I... well, I'm not sure if you want to hear it. It's a bunch of personal baggage, I don't think you want to mess with that." She rubs her left arm absent-mindedly.
Nesseth shrugs a bit as he casts a short glance out. "Well, hey, I'm always willing to lend an ear to a friend if they need someone to talk to. But, I understand if it's something you'd rather not chat about."
Damina goes silent for a bit. She continues to watch outside, her eyes almost obsessively fixing on any moving detail she can find.
Nesseth nods a bit and turns to help Damina scan the land, his own sharp eyes latching onto any odd movement out in the distance. He continues to lean against the railing, his ear frills flexing and shifting as he continues to listen for any sounds out of the ordinary.
Damina takes in a deep breath. "Well... so you remember that... thing that happened a few weeks ago?"
Nesseth tilts his head as he looks back to Damina, not having expected her to continue. "That 'thing'? Which thing?"
Damina coughs to hide her stress. "That... the bathhouse thing."
Nesseth blinks, then nods. "Oh, right. When you, me and Vix went to, uh... go and wash up together that one time. What about it?"
Damina turns away from Nesseth again. "Well, ever since that happened I've been, uh, well, I've been... feeling things."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow. "Feeling...?" He blinks again, then nods slowly, comprehension dawning, "Ahh, I see. Uh... for who?"
Damina weaves her fingers together and squeezes them tightly. "That's the thing. I don't know who! It just feels like a huge mess and... wow, it's amazing I've managed to just. Avoid talking about it for so long!"
Nesseth lets out a soft laugh and nods. "'A huge mess' just about describes most folks dealing with those kinds of feelings..." He tilts his head again, "And it's been something that's been bothering you since the bathhouse thing? I know folks can keep stuff under wraps like nothing's wrong, but it usually builds up over time until you either burst, or talk about it..."
Damina: "And the worst part is, I haven't... really gotten the chance to talk to Vix about it either. She just seems to be constantly... messing with me."
Nesseth hums, rolling his eyes a little. "Yeah, that's kind of Vix's style. My suggestion would be to try and catch her while she's doing her merchant thing in the market square. She's usually more focused on making a sale than causing problems during that time."
Damina: "Probably for the best." She hesitates for a moment. "And... what about you?"
Nesseth tilts his head curiously. "Me? Like I said, I'm happy to lend an ear if need be, and if advice is what's being asked of me, I try to help as much as I can."
Damina undoes her finger mess and rubs her arm again. "Well, not that. More, uh, how do you feel about it? About... me?"
Nesseth pauses, then smiles bashfully, now understanding the question. "O-oh, heh... I do like you, Damina, but even though we've spent a bit of time together, and the whole bathhouse thing... I kind of feel like I don't really know you know you, if that makes sense..."
Damina: "I suppose. Like... what's missing?"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "How do you mean? Like... information and such?"
Damina is thinking about things. "Yeah, like... what do you want to know?"
Nesseth shrugs a little as he turns to face Damina again. "Well, I suppose we could just start with... you in general. Where are you from, what brought you to Respite Falls, that kind of thing, y'know?"
Damina ponders these questions.
Damina: "Well, I came from an absolute dump of a town in the desert. Whole lot of fighting going on and not a lot of future for a young lady, so I ended up learning how to not die."
Nesseth cringes a bit as he watches Damina a bit. "So that would explain your skills with that crossbow... not to mention those magisters that tried attacking you."
Damina: "As it would turn out, the best way to not die involves a lot of beating other people senseless. Keeps them from trying to kill you, or rob you, or... whatever it is those people do. I never really learned what they liked to do to people, and frankly I'd like to keep it that way."
Nesseth nods. "Makes sense. If you develop a reputation for it, others won't attempt to bother you, no matter how you look." He sighs and shakes his head, "And I'm guessing you came to Respite to get away from all of that, huh?"
Damina nods. "Pretty much. Learned my way around bow and blade and... whatever other fantastic weapons people are coming up with nowadays. I'll find my way around those, just you wait!" She accentuates this last statement with a finger waggle.
Nesseth smiles. "I don't doubt it, Damina. The town will be a lot safer with someone like you helping to watch the place, too." He gestures back towards the gate, "A frontier town like this, everyone's gotta watch out for each other in some manner. It's safe like no other place, but... out in the wilds, not so much."
Damina glances back out, and closes her eyes a bit. When she opens them again she continues. "So, yeah. I did stick around for a little bit, offered my services here and there, but things were getting far too crazy for me to feel safe there." Damina pauses and grips her bag. "Although, get this: one of my last clients was one of those eccentric inventor types. Had to help him while he packed up all his stuff and got out. Nearly broke my arm fending off some dumb highwayman, so I payed him back by breaking his ribs." She lets out a morbid bit of laughter.
Nesseth chuckles a little weakly. "Well, I suppose payback is payback when it's deserved, especially in a rough and tumble town like that. I'm glad to see you got out safe, though, even with the trouble in your last job."
Damina: "Yeah well, I doubt anything could kill me at this rate. The genius guy actually gave me this bag as thanks for helping him. Wonder how he's doing now..."
Nesseth nods a bit. "Still, it never hurts to be cautious. Don't want to get overconfident and end up on the ground after being blindsided..." He looks at the bag for a few moments, "You helped the guy escape, right? Maybe he's still wherever you helped him escape to?"
Damina: "He ran off in his steam wagon last I checked. Back was all loaded up in metal-plated boxes. He insisted that metal-plated boxes were 'the future' or something along those lines."
Nesseth frowns in confusion at the last bit. "Metal-plated boxes, huh? I can't imagine that was an easy travel for his wagon... but I guess I could see it being really good at keeping stuff safe. Even with magitech, it's hard to brute-force any sort of metal box open."
Damina drags her finger with a claw out on some wood, making absent-minded doodles no one will ever see unless they look really hard. "So... what else... what else do you want to know?"
Nesseth gestures at Damina's arm. "I remember seeing all those golden markings on your arm, back and tail, but I never did get a chance to ask you about them in detail..."
Damina glances down her arm. "Ah, so, funny story. You know how I said that highwayman nearly broke my arm?"
Nesseth nods. "Yup, and you paid him back by breaking his ribs."
Damina: "Yeah, so..." She internally rages about how crazy this next part is gonna sound. "It still hurt like an absolute motherfucker, so first thing I did when I was out of town was find a way to heal it. Just my luck, I come across these incredibly eager life mages."
Nesseth hums quietly. "I'm guessing the highwayman tried to break your arm by bending it back the opposite way from normal, so a hyperextension..." He tilts his head, "And I'm guessing those life mages offered to heal your arm up?"
Damina nods. "Yeah, they did. And frankly I still have no idea why I agreed. But it worked! For the most part... the gold marks didn't actually go all the way around my body, they just... seemed to grow. And the weirdest part? It's across other areas that got broken way back when. It just... magic is confusing!" Damina throws up her hands, accidentally knocking her hat off her head.
Nesseth stoops down and picks up Damina's hat, then passes it back to her. "So the magic must have healed up every injury you'd gotten while growing up... That's some pretty powerful stuff." He tilts his head again after a moment, "But... I'd also figure the marks would have disappeared after healing you."
Damina catches her hat and snaps it back on. "That's the thing. I'm pretty sure it didn't stop at just healing me. I'm pretty sure it... did something else. But... I haven't figured out what."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully as he looks Damina up and down. "Well... hopefully it's not anything bad... You've already gone through a lot to make it this far, after all."
Damina: "Yyyep... hope it's nothing too bad..."
Nesseth sighs a bit. "Well, it's life magic, as you said, so... it can't be anything really bad, right?" He smiles a little, "But, that aside... I do have to say, the designs look nice on you, from what I saw back at the bathhouse."
Damina blushes a bit.
Nesseth pauses a bit, then smiles. "I gotta say, Damina, I'm glad you chose to come to Respite Falls when you left your hometown. After all that stuff you went through growing up, you definitely deserve a peaceful place to live and start anew."
Damina: "Heh, well... thanks. Having some peace for once is a strange experience but I'm glad I have it."
Nesseth hums and nods. "A bit of peace definitely helps to soothe the soul, I find."
Damina raises her hand up to her head, and takes in a deep breath. As she does this her vision suddenly goes dark and she almost falls down. Damina manages to recover, but not before she sees... something, fading from her vision.
Nesseth pushes himself away from the railing when he notices Damina wobbling. By the time he starts forward to catch her, however, she's recovered, though he watches her with concern. "Woah... are you okay, Damina? What happened?"
Damina steadies herself on the railing. "Yeah, it's ok, I'm fine, we're fine here... I think... I just need something to drink..."
Nesseth steps over to his pile of gear and digs through it for his canteen. When he finds it, he passes it over to Damina. "Here... Feeling a little dehydrated, hm?"
Damina quickly downs as much of it as can fit in her mouth. "Not taking any chances!"
Nesseth nods. "Better safe than sorry, but just be careful not to drink it too fast. You might get a cramp that way."
Damina eventually stops. "Hhh... hm... I swear though, I thought I saw something out there."
Nesseth twists and stares out onto the landscape. "You did? Which direction?"
Damina: "I thought I saw it walking out from behind... agh, it was just a hallucination..."
Nesseth frowns a bit as he continues to scan the fields beyond the wall before looking back at Damina. "Are you sure you're feeling well enough to continue guard duty today?"
Damina: "I'm fine. I felt fine coming up here, but... man, I don't know what even happened!"
Nesseth hums and nods. "Well... I'm here on an extended shift, so just let me know if you start feeling weird, alright? I can get you to Doc Plume's office in a heartbeat if you need it."
Damina: "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
Nesseth nods again, then takes a seat on the bench to give his legs a chance to rest. "So... are you still feeling up to chatting after that?"
Damina thinks about it for a second, then realizes she's not feeling sick at all, so what's stopping her? "Yeah, sure."
Damina: "Any questions you still got or what?"
Nesseth watches Damina for a few moments. "Alright, if you're sure, and... kind of." He pauses to marshal his thoughts again, then continues, "So, uh... getting back to the original topic, I'm guessing you've been feeling things for both me and Vix?"
Damina goes silent as she remembers, yeah that's what we were talking about. "...yeah... it's, uh, somewhat hard to handle."
Nesseth tilts his head a bit, curious. "Hmm... what's making it difficult for you?"
Damina: "Like, do I just... tell you guys? What do I do?"
Nesseth chuckles. "Well, I mean, you're already telling me about it, so... yes? I mean... you could try and chat up Vix and get to know her, too, see what she thinks of you, like what you asked me earlier." He sighs a little, "But bottling it up won't help, much like any other emotion."
Damina mutters nervously, "So like, do I just. Ask her out or something?"
Nesseth shakes his head. "While I'd normally say 'no harm in trying', it'd definitely help to... y'know, at least talk with her a bit more before asking. Of course, you could just dive in blind and see what happens. Vix does seem impulsive enough to accept if she thinks it sounds fun."
Damina: "Well, yeah. I just... hope she stops acting so weird around me first. You noticed that?"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully as he rubs a finger against his chin. "Hmm... weird... I'm assuming you mean weird in a way I'm not really familiar with. How does she act around you?"
Damina: "Like... she got super clingy around you..."
Nesseth spends a few more seconds thinking, then nods upon remembering Vix wrapping around his arm. "Oh, right... like when she ambushed me that time I was sunning myself up on the roof of my house?"
Damina nods. "Yeah, that. What's her game?"
Nesseth shrugs a little. "I'm afraid I don't know... Though, if you're trying to ask her out on a date, you could ask her about that as well." He nods, "And again, it'd probably be easiest to get an answer from her when she's running her stall in the marketplace."
Damina: "Hmm, alright. I'll see if I can get into contact with her then..."
Damina leans against the railing and sighs.
Nesseth nods back towards the gate. "I know she opens up her shop near the beginning of the week. You could probably catch her tomorrow or the day after, since she's usually selling stuff she's found over the weekend."
Damina turns around and looks out again, wondering if she can see anything outside the wall, but no such luck, so she turns around again and watches the dust floating around in town.
Nesseth moves to join Damina at the railing, resting so he watches the outside while she watches the inside. "As for myself... I'm afraid it might be up in the air with you and me... Doc Plume and I have a... bit of a thing going, but I'm still not entirely certain where the two of us are in that thing, like if we're dating, or..."
Damina: "That's... fine, really." She rummages around in her bag again and actually manages to retrieve Ol' Repentance, but sets the beast of bones on the floor.
Nesseth nods and looks over as Damina puts her crossbow down. "Alright, I just didn't want to get your hopes up too high about the two of us. There's always a maybe, but you're probably better off talking to Vix about dating her."
Damina doesn't respond verbally, just absent-mindedly nodding along.
Nesseth hums softly and continues to scan around the surroundings with Damina, ensuring nothing tries to get to the gate while also tracking who enters and leaves the town.
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NESSETH'S HOUSE - EARLY EVENING
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Nesseth unlocks the door to his house and steps in, having finished a rather long day out and about doing his usual duties around town. Flicking on a light, he takes a moment to hang his satchel by the door, and then carefully sets his crossbow and bolt quiver on their respective hooks. He stretches a bit and yawns, feeling like taking a quick nap before doing much else.
Nesseth unbuttons his vest and tosses it over the back of the sofa before he steps around and flops onto the cushions, feeling too lazy to bother removing anything more than that.
Vix flails and lets out a confused meow as something big flops onto her!
Nesseth startles and rolls back off of the sofa, thumping onto the floor in surprise as some fuzzy thing starts squirming and meowing underneath him. "Gah! Wha--?"
Vix rolls on top of Nesseth in her confusion and ends up on the floor with him. "Ack! You're...already home??"
Nesseth oofs as the furry mass lands on him, and is about to roll over to pin the interloper down when he recognizes the voice. He blinks, only recognizing the voice once he has the 'intruder' pinned beneath him. "V-Vix...? How'd you...? The door was locked."
Vix grins up at Nesseth from the floor, also shirtless. "Of course, silly! I locked it for you!"
Nesseth tilts his head a bit as he gets a better look at Vix, his eyes darting down momentarily to note that she's not wearing a shirt. He clears his throat and pushes himself up onto his knees. "Well, uh... thanks." He takes a moment to rub the shoulder he landed on, "Sorry about plopping myself on you like that. I didn't think anyone was on the couch."
Vix sits up as well, not really making any effort to cover herself. "Next time you wanna lay on top of me, I'll be ready for you~"
Nesseth blushes a little. "Then I suppose I should give you more warning next time, huh?"
Vix smirks. "You'll have to be a little more gentle...or maybe not~"
Nesseth adjusts himself so he's sitting cross-legged on the floor, then smirks a bit. "Heh... well, I suppose I can be gentle. I'm usually only rough when I need to subdue someone."
Vix 's eyes wander over Nesseth's chest. "Well, I am known to be a bit rowdy sometimes~"
Nesseth snorts in amusement. "I remember. Wasn't our first encounter me chasing you around near the north gate because someone thought you stole their purse?"
Vix laughs as she grabs her shirt from the couch and drapes it over her shoulders. "You put up a good chase! I didn't even steal the purse~"
Nesseth nods. "Yeah, and you could have just said that at the start, but you ran off, so I had to chase you." He shakes his head in amusement at the memory, then he smirks a bit at Vix, "You seem pretty comfortable around here, I have to say, walking around topless."
Vix sticks out her tongue. "Nyeh, you've already seen 'em though. Not much to worry about, because you're more interested in my rear~"
Nesseth laughs a bit. "Hey, that was just the one time. I couldn't pass up the opportunity! Besides, seeing that reaction when you jumped about a mile made it even better."
Vix looks down at her chest. "Wait, so...are you into boobs or butts, Ness?"
Nesseth blinks and tilts his head at the question, even as his eyes follow Vix's back down to her fluffy chest for a moment. "Uh... both? Butts, maybe?"
Vix leans a bit and looks down at her rear. "Hmmm...brains or beauty?"
Nesseth hums as he leans back a touch, making himself a bit more comfortable. "I can appreciate both, in that comparison."
Vix smiles. "Mmhm...wanna ask me one now?"
Nesseth laughs and nods. "Alright, then. What do you prefer, Vix? Brains, or good looks?"
Vix moves to hold her paws about a foot apart, then shakes her head and puts them down. "Er, brains! Being outsmarted is a bit of a turn-on, you know? A frustrating turn-on, though..."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow. "Frustrating, huh? How so?"
Vix thinks for a second. "Like when someone knows you've been stealing from the cookie jar, so they replace all the cookies with your least favorite. It's nice that they know you well enough to best you!"
Nesseth chuckles. "Ah, I see. You like being outsmarted, but at the same time, it makes things harder for you." He smirks cheekily, "Then I guess I'd best stay on my toes~"
Vix glances around the room. "Not that I uh...make a habit of stealing things. You understand."
Nesseth shakes his head a bit. "Well, no, I mean I need to stay on my toes if I want to outwit you." He smirks knowingly, "After all, you're not a thief, you're a merchant."
Vix: A valuable member of the community!
Nesseth nods. "Very valuable!"
Vix scoots a bit closer. "Okay one more...how's your sex life lately~?"
Nesseth blinks, caught off-guard by the question. "My... sex life? Uh... I did get a bit not too long ago with Doc Plume, but before that... nothing much at all?"
Vix leans forward with interest. "Oooh, with Doc?? Beak-kisses and everything??"
Nesseth nods. "Yeah, beak-kisses and all."
Vix chuckles. "I did notice a bit of a spring in your step lately. I guess a night of intimacy does that to a guy~"
Nesseth blushes. "Did my demeanor really change that much?"
Vix nods. "You've been getting lost in thought, smiling to yourself, all that stuff~"
Nesseth chuckles quietly. "Well, I suppose it was a really nice thing to happen. It kind of came out of nowhere, I'll admit, but... it was really nice~..."
Vix: Hmmm...now you've got me all curious~. I bet you're a great lover~
Nesseth idly scratches one of the frills on his head in thought. "I'm not sure... but Plume said they enjoyed the night a lot."
Vix smirks. "Is Doc pretty good, too~?"
Nesseth smiles a bit. "I want to say yes, yes they are."
Vix sighs a bit. "I wonder how I'd compare...I think I need more practice, you know?"
Nesseth raises an eyebrow. "Practice... having sex?"
Vix: Er...yeah! That's the only way to get good at it, right?
Nesseth thinks about it for a moment, then chuckles and nods. "Fair enough, yeah, when you put it that way."
Vix blushes and fidgets. "I'd ask if you want to practice together, but I think you're taken, and I don't wanna make Doc sad..."
Nesseth blushes and smiles. "I appreciate the foresight, Vix. Truth is, things have moved so fast between me and Doc, I really don't know where we even stand as a pair. I know Doc wants to go on a little date to the falls one day soon, but... all considered, we kind of barreled right past the whole 'first date' thing that night."
Vix grabs a pillow from the couch and buries her face in it. "Ahh, w-well...l-let me know if you want to um...practice..."
Nesseth nods. "I will, Vix. I can have a chat with Plume one day soon, and maybe get a better grasp on what the two of us are together." He smirks a little, "If there's some flexibility, I'll let you know if I'm able to, er... help you get some practice."
Vix looks up from the pillow with a smile. "In the meantime...I can keep br--...er, sleeping on your couch, right?"
Nesseth smiles in turn and nods. "Yeah, of course. I'll just make sure I don't flop on you on accident like tonight. I can't imagine that felt good..."
Vix nods. "All flops had better be on purpose from now on! Body slams, cuddles, and otherwise~
Nesseth snorts in laughter. "I might pass on the body slams, I'm afraid I might squish you if I did that." He grins a bit, "But cuddles and otherwise sound perfectly fine~"
Vix climbs back onto the couch and slips back under the blanket she left there. "Not right now, of course...right?"
Nesseth stands up and makes his way to the couch as well, then takes a seat on the one free cushion available. "Well, I don't see the harm in snuggles, if that's what you want. As for the rest... it'll have to wait until I chat with Plume." He smiles, "Consider it a non-committal 'maybe', for now."
Vix hums and leans against Nesseth. "Hmm...good enough~"
Nesseth slips an arm around Vix and gives her a soft, one-armed hug. "I'm guessing you're going to be spending the night here, with that pillow and blanket you've commandeered?"
Vix grins. "Yeah! What's for dinner, eh~?"
Nesseth chuckles. "Well, let's see... if I recall, I've got some stuff in the pantry that you might like..." He starts to talk with Vix about potential plans for dinner, which segues into idle chit-chat again before too long.
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - NIGHT
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Annika: Annika groans, and puts her head down, resting gently on the table. Briefly trying to get some sleep, like she could someone wring relief out of the wood..but its not how that works, so she picks her fork back up, and returns to eating a few more vestiges of her stew, head still on the table as she eats, looking a little blankly out at the rest of the room.
Brunilda walks into the Minnow, not looking all to enthused or excited herself as she makes her way to the bar, getting herself a pint before even looking around. Spotting Annika, she gives a small wave of hand and a smile.
Annika: "mmm.." She puts a hand up, before slowly pulling herself up in her seat, trying to look presentable. She's clean, but that sort of strained looking clean that only comes from someone who has very recently given themselves a thorough scrubbing. Everything looks a little raw "Afternoon...Doing..well?"
Brunilda shrugs as she steps closer: "I suppose. Sort of. You?"
Annika: "Tired." She puts another bit of food in her mouth "Worked all day..and got more to do this evening....Just got a chance to get something to eat now..."
Brunilda nods, leaning on a nearby wall: "I can see that. I'm just off-duty now and just sort of feeling... directionless, I suppose."
Annika: "Mmm...Off-Duty.." That's a great idea "Well...what do you do for fun?.." She slowly eats another bite
Brunilda shrugs and gives a lopsided smile: "That's really been my problem. A big city girl like me can't find things to do, here."
Annika: "Uh...I..don't know. I've never really had enough free time to worry about not using it..."
Brunilda frowns, but nods softly: "I suppose that is a thing about the Guard... big shifts, but decent breaks too. A tired Guard is a dead Guard, after all."
Annika: "Then..uh..maybe find something you can do? Like..um..gardening?"
Brunilda blinks, setting her pint down on the table: "...gardening?"
Annika: "Well..um..I dunno! I don't know what you like?" She looks at her, her eyes wobbling, dark rings all around her.
Brunilda gives a small sigh: "I wish I knew, I guess." She shakes her head, flapping her big ears as she does: "Nevermind about that. You're having a long enough day without me whining at you."
Annika: "It's..fine I guess...not your fault" She smiles wanely "It's nice to listen to someone with problems I care about"
Brunilda nods, finding a small smile around her tusks: "Yeah, it's... odd. Listening to someone else's dilemmas makes your own seem a bit more distant."
Annika: "Something like that..." She pushes herself up, resting her head on her paws instead. "Better than just being hear feeling sorry for myself at least"
Brunilda is in the process of picking up her pint, but pauses: "...true."
Annika: "Well...maybe just try and..do things! See what you like..and uh..start from there? Have some big plan..like..I want to have somewhere safe of my own"
Brunilda lifts her pint as she looks at the small fox: "A respectable plan, that. I don't really have one, been just surviving one day at a time."
Annika: "Then..make some plan! If you have all these opportunities to do things, then..do something! Just..anything!" She seems to be almost..offended? Well, not offended, but some level of upset, by Brun's attitude
Brunilda takes a sip of her pint and sets it back down on the table: "Yeah, been... sort of thinking about that, though thinking is not really my strong suit much."
Annika: "Just..pick something, and do it then. You've got loads of free time, so you can't really worry about wasting it"
Brunilda: "I suppose you're not wrong there."
Annika: "So..Gardening?"
Brunilda gives a soft chuckle: "I don't think I have it in me." She looks at her hand: "Not much for delicate work, these fingers."
Annika: "But you don't need to be delicate. Just..plant bigger things"
Brunilda looks at Annika and gives a bit of a shrug: "Eh, perhaps. Guess I have all the time to think on it, at least."
Annika: "Well..that's it. I'm saying..try something, instead of finding reasons for why you don't think you could do it" She sighs "I'm sorry..I'm..not really thinking that good right now. I can't really even that that longer. I've got a shift starting in half an hour the other side of the town"
Brunilda nods, picking up her pint again: "Fair enough. I'm sorry for bringing it up. Just a bored guard thinkin' out loud."
Annika: "Right..yeah. I..I get it" She sighs again, slowly picking herself up "I..need to get going..work..and all"
Brunilda nods, trying to find a small smile again: "Yeah, you do that. Take care."
Annika slowly makes her way out into the streets, to start her second shift of the day.
Brunilda looks at the fox go, then shrugs and heads into the 'big creature table' again to enjoy her pint. For a given value of 'enjoy', anyway, as her thoughts attempt to race and trip at times.