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RESPITE FALLS GENERATOR - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Maybelline is setting up her workbench, cleaning off some tools, prepping herself for... well, something. Some project. She just needs some spark of inspiration to really get her going on this new project.
Dorri is wandering around town, taking a bit of time to figure out what's changed since the last time she spent any time in the town a few years back. They end up in the center of town, looking at the old generator building which is looking its full age. She leans against the wall as she ponders how much things have changed, leaning her head back until the tip of her horns tap
Dorri rhythmically against the outer wall.
Maybelline glances up at the tapping then towards the door. Setting her tools down, she wanders over to the door, popping it open to see if she can't locate the source of the noise, "Hello?"
Dorri blinks as she hears the door open and turns, squinting against the sunlight. "Eh? Oh, afternoon. Did they finally find a replacement for Juniper, then? Feels like it was ages ago that that one vanished into thin air."
Maybelline nods, "Uh, yeah, I guess that's me? I don't know who Juniper is, but if you mean the Generator Tech, yeah. Me."
Dorri nods. "Juniper was the old one. Kept to himself..." They shrug. "Only met him a couple of times but when he left, he might as well have been blotted out like a spot of ink..." They stretch a bit and look May over. "Not much of a thing, are you? But I guess that's good for getting behind all the coils and whatnot. Not that I understand much of that magitech stuff."
Maybelline snorts up at the intruder. "I do just fine as I am, thank you. Certainly not big and clumsy like some folk."
Dorri laughs. "Oh I know. The big folks are good for guarding and hauling and stuff, but size isn't everything." They shake their head. "Don't mind me, though. I'm just an old goat that doesn't down off her mountain much."
Maybelline glares a moment longer, then sighs, "Well, whatever. Can I help you?"
Dorri blinks. "Uh, don't think so? Was just walking around town." They lean back against the wall. "Last I heard, that's still not a crime."
Maybelline rolls her eyes, "Nope, no crime." She pauses, watching the goat a moment longer, then shrugs, "Well, have a good day or whatever." She turns and starts to head back into the generator.
Dorri frowns a bit and walks off, hoping to find some place to reminisce without apparently bothering everyone she meets.
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STRIX'S ALLEYWAY - EARLY EVENING
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Strix: Strix had had a good few setbacks recently, but he was now back in action! He had a small fire set up, with a bubbling set of something over it. He was focused, stoking the fire carefully, before he added in his next 'ingredient', a small silver chain. The chain slowly dissolved in whatever was in there already as Strix stepped back, before looking around..checking for anyone that might be around. Not seeing anyone in that moment, he returned back, wrinkling his nose at the rather acrid smell coming from the bottle.
Erika peeks around the corner of the alley, the okapi being curious about the weird sounds and smells coming from the never-used alleyway. She notices the small kobold: "Uhm, hello?"
Strix: "Ack!" He swings his head around before spying Erika "Careful! Science! Shinycrafting in progress! Can't come in unless know how to run away!"
Erika blinks and stays at the corner: "Oh! Sorry! Didn't mean to interrupt... uhm, whatever it is that you are doing. Shiny... crafting?"
Strix: "Yes! Making SilverCore. Need it for other shiny, but explodey! So, need to know when to run!" His tail pokes a cinder that had blazed up too much, putting it out.
Erika keeps peeking from her corner, not sure if she should go closer because curious or leave because danger, so she stays put: "...what do you need, uh, that for?"
Strix: "New Shiny! EarthCrafter Shiny. Can't talk about it much. Strix doesn't know what it will do!"
Erika: "Oh. I guess it's like me experimenting with herbs. Sort of."
Strix: "Yes! Maybe! Strix doesn't know what you do. Strix can't be sure" He ponders, before picking up the bottle, and shaking it gently, before returning back to Erika "But Okapi hasn't said if they know how to run yet!"
Erika blinks: "Oh, I do. Plenty. Um... should I?"
Strix: "Not now. But maybe. Should always be ready to run anyway"
Erika tilts her head, making her look a bit silly as she's already leaning over the alley corner: "Err... even in town?"
Strix: "Especially in town! Can't explode badguys in towns!"
Strix: "....Wouldn't explode badguys anyway, but badguys don't know that"
Erika frowns: "...Bad guys?"
Strix: "Or girls"
Strix: "Strix Equal Opportunity Paranoid Lizard"
Erika nods in approval: "Well, I guess you got that going for y-" She blinks in confusion: "-Paranoid?"
Strix: "Strix knows that not all want to murderthief Strix, but Strix can't be sure"
Erika scratches her neck as she steps fully into view finally: "...murderthief?"
Strix: "Yes! To murderize Strix, or thief Strix. Both bad"
Erika nods slowly: "Well... it's hard to deny that, certainly..." She looks a bit dubious, but not exactly sure about which bit.
Strix: "But Strix doesn't know who wants to murderthief Strix until afterwards, so Strix needs to Paranoid until they're sure"
Erika: "...that sort of makes sense. Although Respite is pretty safe..."
Strix: "Strix can never be too careful!" He turns around, and quickly takes the chemicals off the heat "Aha!" He holds it up, the whole glass is full of some silvery viscious liquid "Success!"
Erika squints at the glass: "Uhm... success?"
Strix: "Probably! Strix will know when they make their machine!" He animatedly starts pour it into a leather bottle for storage.
Erika looks at Strix go about his thing: "...what machine?"
Strix: "Earth Machine! Not made it yet! Don't know what it does yet!" He screws the leather bottle shut with a 'hiss'
Erika opens her mouth as she raises a finger... then shuts up and lowers her hand. "...okay. I guess I'll... leave you to it, then?"
Strix: "Well, maybe! Don't mind unlookers!" He pauses "Hey, Strix has thought" He looks to the bottle, and a small drop of the solution that had fallen outside the bottle...it was dissolving the leather, and..heating up.
Strix: "...Strix thinks this would be a good time to run"
Erika blinks, then her eyes open wide: "Uh... will do." She starts backpedaling from the alley, not really wishing to find out what this leads to.
Strix quickly shoves the bottle into a large metal box,and shuts the lid, before quickly following her, and turning the corner "...Wait...." He's thinking "....Maybe Strix was.." There's a wet thud of a leather bottle bursting.
Erika turns around once she's half a block from the alleyway: "Hmmh?"
Strix: "Dissolves leather. Heats up. Gets bigger. Too big for bottle. Bottle Boomed" He looks around the corner, before returning "Okay now. Not big boom"
Erika nods slowly: "...that's good, I think."
Strix: "Not bad. Not good" He opens the box "Made new thing, with silver and leather. Maybe work better? Strix not know"
Erika shrugs, looking down at the kobold: "Couldn't tell you. My knowledge is with plants, pretty much."
Strix: "Hmm..." He thinks "Strix could try make plant shiny. Shiny that makes plants grow more! Oooohhhhhh" He's got an idea!
Erika blinks: "...grow more? How?"
Strix: "MaaaagicShiny! Make it get all the bits that make plants grow, and fill the plant up!"
Erika considers this: "...color me somewhat dubiously interested, I think?"
Strix: "Yesssssssssssss"
Strix: "Strix will work on it after the shinyproject Strix has now"
Erika takes a step back: "You... do that. I will um... I think I hear my laundry calling."
Strix: "Laundry talks to you?"
Erika nods with a grin: "Yup! Though only every few days or so."
Strix: "..Strix thinks Okapi needs minddoctor"
Erika blinks, then looks back at Strix: "Hey! My mind is perfectly fine and functional, thank you very much!"
Strix: "Okapi hears their laundry. That not normal. Strix not judge. Minddoctors just like normaldoctors"
Erika lifts her hand again to object, but then just sighs: "...yeah, fair."
Strix: "If keep hearing laundry talking. Might be good idea"
Erika rolls her eyes slightly, but then just turns to go: "...will do. Have a good day with... uh, whatever it is that you were doing."
Strix: "Strix will! Thank you for wanting Strix well"
Erika turns enough to give Strix a small wave: "Be seeing you, probably."
Strix waves idly back, before returning to his...whatevering
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Dorri: Me sits at a table eating a simple dinner of bread and stew and drinking more of the bar's exquisite brown ale. She has one of her journals with her, which she flips through between bites, still trying to find ways to fill the days until her caravan leaves for Folly.
Yengrisk heads down from their rented room, entering the bar for some dinner, and to get some time out of their room.
Dorri looks up at the sound of heavy hoofsteps from upstairs. They give a little smirk as they watch the odd-looking yak for a moment before looking back to their dinner.
Yengrisk orders a nice salad, and carries it over towards Dorri, not seeing anyone else in the bar at the moment. They smile and wave a bit. "Hello there! Yak has not met you, yes?"
Dorri looks up and smiles. "No, we haven't. I would remember meeting a cousin." They wave a hand graciously. "Please, sit."
Yengrisk settles in at the table with Dorri, and looks over her horns for a moment. "You are not yak, but similar, yes? Yak is Yengrisk."
Dorri nods. "I'm a markhor, but that's just a fancy mountain goat, pretty much." They offer a hand. "Good to meet you, Yengrisk. I'm Dorri. Don't usually come to town often, so I guess that's why we haven't met."
Yengrisk reaches out to shake hands, their stubby, thick fingers possibly dwarfing Dorri's. "Yak is new to town, seeking magical research outpost, yes? But so far, yak has not had much luck finding one."
Dorri laughs. "Nothing like that around here, I'm afraid. Unless they founded one since the autumn, anyway. Normally the closest thing to an outpost around here is my observatory up on the mountain, but a storm about a week back blew it down."
Yengrisk hmmms. "Observatory sounds interesting. Yak just wants to find someone else who understands magic, to learn from, yes?" They take a moment to demonstrate, their horns glowing faintly as they lift then reposition theirs glasses on their post.
Dorri blinks a bit. "Ah, interesting that. I've got a touch of magic myself, but I can't do that sort of stuff with it." She stands up and stretches a bit. "Hmm, let me show you..." She walks over to a round table and hefts it up by the center post with one hand and rests it over her shoulder with the same ease that most would do the same with an axe. As she does so, there's a hint of magical glow around her hooves. After walking with it a bit, she sets it back into place and returns to the table. "Couldn't explain to you /how/ I do it, mind you, I just want to pick it up, so I do."
Yengrisk ahhhhs, watching curiously. "Indeed, yes! Yak does not really understand how it works, but can move objects if yak concentrates, yes?"
Dorri nods. "Yeah, pretty much. Most I've ever been able to do outside of myself is share it with someone I'm touching. Mind you that works better with the climbing than the carrying, but still..."
Yengrisk smiles. "Yak has been trying to find other magic users, but so far.. no luck, yes? Whoever knows how magic works, they are not talking to Yengrisk."
Dorri shrugs. "I wouldn't know, I'm sorry. Been up on the mountain watching the stars most of my life." The open their journal, showing Yengrisk some of their more recent astronomical observations. "You ever done any astronomy?"
Yengrisk peers at the journal, poring over the information. "Yak has not, but it does look interesting, yes?"
Dorri sips at her ale as she smiles. "There's so much up there to see. We don't understand all of it yet, but it tells us so much about our place in the cosmos. Once I get the observatory rebuilt, you're welcome to come up and study a bit if you like."
Yengrisk claps their hands a bit excitedly. "Yes! Yak would like to help! Yak loves to learn new things, yes?"
Dorri looks Yengrisk over. "I figure a strong young... yak like you won't have any trouble climbing up a mountain or two, right?"
Yengrisk giggles a bit, and nods. "Yak is strong climber, yes! Yak comes from village in the foothills of Glacier Bay, plenty of climbing there."
Dorri sips her ale. "Ah, good stock then. My family is from up in the steppes in Sarn, but my great uncle came to set up the observatory, then my uncle, and now me. I feel like the family forgot about me though, since no one seems to want to apprentice." She shakes her head. "The stars are important. Sailors need them to navigate and the study of them is important. No, there's not a lot of coin in it, and it's a little lonely..."
Yengrisk hmms. "Any coin is better than no coin. Yak has been running low, yes?"
Dorri ponders. "Well, if you're so inclined, you'd be of some use in helping to rebuild and I could give you some coin for that." They smile a bit. "How old are you, anyway?"
Yengrisk smiles. "Yak is fifteen years old, yes? Still has a lot to learn, but the world called to Yengrisk."
Dorri nods. "Aye. Lots to learn out there, or up in the stars..."
Yengrisk instinctively looks up, but sees only the ceiling of the bar.
Dorri chuckles. "Well, not in here, of course." They look back to their bowl of stew. "Say, how would you like your first astronomy lesson after you're done your dinner?"
Yengrisk glances to their untouched salad, and feels the pang of hunger, having gotten completely distracted from the meal. "Yak would appreciate that, yes? Yengrisk thanks friend Dorri."
Dorri smiles. "No problem, calf." They return to their own meal, staying silent so that the yak can eat.