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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Brunilda is sitting at a table, lost in thought. The elephant is wearing a light brown shirt and shorts, nothing special. She's staring at a far wall, clearly preoccupied.
Fiora steps into the minnow with gasp, clearly having been running. She's a rather muscular, if still somewhat lanky, giraffe, with a long raven-black pony tail hanging down her back. She's wearing a dark one piece outfit with a headband. "Ahhh, relief!" She steps in smiling, stretching her limbs back and forth as she takes a seat, giving Brunilda a smirk. "Oh hey, there IS someone in this town who can look me in the eyes! Heh."
Brunilda blinks, looking up... and slightly surprised at actually looking up. "Oh. Guess I can now say the same. Hey there."
Fiora giggles, "Well hey there, I'm Fiora! Good to meet you!"
Brunilda smiles: "Brunilda. Guard of this t-..." She pauses: "Well, was a guard of this town, anyway."
Sammi hums to herself happily as she twirls on one webbed foot, looking on in wonder at all around her. Every so often she would be distracted by something or another. She was purple skinned, with the light scaling that marked her out as an aquatic creature of some sort, long red hair flowed into long, wiggling around her ankles. She only had a small bit of clothing, skin tight, and enough to keep her 'modest', but she didn't hold herself as anyone that was trying to 'show skin', just someone who couldn't really do clothing very well. Trousers and water don't do well!. There's a small sachet over his shoulder, presumably holding her personal things. Eventually, she made her way into the Tavern, sticking her head in, and looking around, seemingly impressed by everything, especially one of the chairs! She picked one up, and turned it around, testing how it balanced in multiple ways. "Ooooh" She ...eventually gets her attention away from the wonders of the chair, looking around for more fun things.
Fiora raises an eyebrow. "Was? Figured out guard work was too boring, eh? Same old post all the time... err..." She glances towards the other newcomer and shrugs. "Don't see that every day..."
Brunilda starts to nod at Fiora, then turns to look at the other newcomer... and pauses. "...you certainly don't."
Fiora waves a hand at the newcomer, trying to get their attention, "Well, hello there!"
Sammi waves back happily to those looking at her, before she puts down the chair "ooh..wait.." She sees what the two of them are doing..and sits on the chair! She has to adjust her tail to make it work, but still! Chairs! "oooohhh" She wiggles happily on the chair...before she's distracted by Fiora's wave, and starts scooting over, staying sitting down "Hi! Hi! Do we know each other? Is that why you're waving? I don't know you but maybe I forgot. That could happen right? I'm a bit scatterbrained. See?"
Brunilda blinks several times at the flood of words, looking at Sammi in confusion. Somehow, words fail to locate themselves in her mouth right now.
Fiora glances over at Brun in a bit of confusion as well, then back to the newcomer, "Hehe, nah! I'm just being friendly. I'm a stranger in town, trying to meet whoever. Never know when knowing someone will pay off."
Sammi: "Oooh...we're friends now?" She claps her hands together "That's great!" She turns to Brunilda "Can we be friends too? That way I've made two friends!" She tries to hold up fingers..but that's kinda hard with webbed hands, so she just holds up both her hands vaguely "Oh! Wait..you want to pay off the friendship! That's not a problem! Totes can do that" She opens up her bag, which right away starts emitting dark gargling noises and a pulsing dark light. She reaches inside, and pulls out a few sea shells, before closing the bag again "Here we go! I picked them up on the sea shore! She pushes both of the (totally normal) sea shells, one each. One conch shell, and one spiral shell. Both of them quite colourful!
Brunilda leans back at the sight of the bag doing... whatever the heck that is. She then attempts to summon a less dubious expression, though it's still not exactly a smile. "Um... sure."
Fiora looks at the shell curiously and laughs, "Well, I didn't mean literally! But uh, sure! Thanks!"
Sammi: "Oh..sorry! I don't reallly know how much of this works, I only recently got out of the water" She sits back a little "Soo, friends! I want to learn about you! What you desire, do..all that stuff! Oh! And what you like, and then you can ask me questions! You were having a talk before..so you could go back to that, I can learn what you mortal types up on the land talk about!"
Brunilda blinks again, trying to parse the litany of questions and semi-questions. She looks at Fiora and shrugs. "We just met, as well."
Fiora nods, "Yep! Like I said, new in town. I know one guy here. Well, two. Well, three. I know my partner who came here with me. I know my cousin, and I know her dad. Sorta. I mean, I've not met either of them yet. Well, I've met my partner. But not my cousin. But that's why I'm here!"
Brunilda looks at Fiora. She whispers under her breath: "...there's two of them?"
Sammi: "Ohhh, so you're new too!" She cooes in wonder, before turning to Brunilda "That means you're the old one! You gotta tell me everything about this place! Is it really full of allll sorts of mortally types? Not just like..one kind?" She looks between Fiora and Brunilda "Wait! You're different types! It -is- like that!"
Brunilda blinks at Sammi again: "...well, I've only been here for a few months, myself... what do you want to know? I mean, there's all types..." She trails off, not entirely certain what or why she's answering.
Fiora nods, "Uh, yeah, all sorts of different types. My partner's a wolf! And my cousin's an okapi! And she knows a badger."
Sammi: "Sooo many different types! All getting along! It's inspiriing!" She thinks "Um...So..how do you all get along..an', what do you do..oh! And how quickly do pitchfork and torch wielding mobs form?" She looks on wideeyed to Brunilda, those eyes that are rather a few shades blacker than even those that normally have dark eyes "Oh! And where can you get foods?"
Brunilda quietly mouths 'what the heck' under her trunk, before choosing to answer only the last question by pointing at the bar: "You can buy some here, if you need to."
Fiora raises an eyebrow at Sammi and nods, "Uh... yeah. At the bar. Just talk to them." She points towards the Barkeep. "As for pitchforks and torches, this ain't my town, so who knows?"
Sammi: "Ooh..Okay! I um..I like...fish..uh..the Souls of the Damned Sailors who didn't pay proper tribute to the Deeps Ones of the Oceans, and.uh..oooh! You know those little twisty bits of pastry..and they got cream..and jam? Those! They're super yummy!"
Sammi: "..Could I get any of them?..I kinda think that the last one might be tricky...."
Brunilda once more blinks at the more than a little bit odd list of things, then just points at the Barkeep: "Ask 'em." She's somewhere between confused and... more confused, right now.
Fiora nods, "There's a bakery I found the other day too." She narrows her eyes. "No ice cream though. But plenty of pastries!"
Sammi: "Oh..well..maybe they'll be able to do it! I'll be back! I gotta check this shop out!" She gets up, and zooms out to find this pastry shop!
Brunilda looks at the... whatever that was... go out with great excitement, then turns to Fiora and shrugs helplessly.
Fiora turns back to Brunilda and chuckles, "So. The Deep Ones. Pretty sure I killed the leader of a cult of theres in Northern Sarn once... no large bodies of water near Respite, so you'll probably be fine. You were a guard, you said?"
Brunilda nods slowly, still attempting to figure out what she just even witnessed. "...yeah. Or technically, still am but just doing paperwork now."
Fiora frowns, "Aw, that sucks. Injury?"
Brunilda shakes her head: "Nah. Changing... I suppose, changing 'tradition' to 'what I actually want to do'."
Brunilda blinks: "...and I suppose, injury too. Long story."
Fiora chuckles, "Long injury stories are usually no fun. I did the whole guard thing for like, a year?" She snorts. "We had a difference of opinion about things, so now I freelance."
Brunilda shrugs, giving a wry smile: "Fair enough. I'm now helping to build the town's ICEE generator, learning that trade in the process."
Fiora gives Brun an appraising eye. "Eh, guess that's why they've got you doing paperwork, eh? Smart-type? This town got a good forge? I can do forging. Wouldn't know my left leg from my right leg about building generators, ICEE or otherwise."
Brunilda nods, giving a bit of a chuckle: "I've been told I'm not the dullest spear in the armory, but I'm not sure I believe that. I just do what I can." She pauses, musing: "But yes, we do have a great forge. Or two, though the second one was still starting up last I heard."
Fiora grins, "Might have to hit one up and do some work. Didn't get much chance on repair work. Though, the heat in this town is something else! Not sure how long I'd last. And not a single scoop of ice cream in sight! Can you believe that? I mean, you probably can. You live here."
Brunilda chuckles softly: "Admittedly I have never given it much thought."
Fiora looks at Brunilda incrediously. "You have had ice cream right?"
Brunilda nods. She lifts her trunk: "This thing and cold do not mix well."
Fiora gives a long dramatic sigh, "Ugggggh! Well, it's the best thing ever and I will hear nothing else." She glances away a moment, then looks back, "Oi. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to snap, and I realize you've had a super hard life. No hard feelings, okay?"
Brunilda blinks several times: "I... um, what?"
Fiora: "A life without ice cream must be super hard... I can't even imagine it."
Brunilda looks at Fiora incredulously: "...if you say so."
Fiora shrugs, "It's one of my favorite things, but I guess it's not for everyone." She ponders a moment. "I really hope Erika likes ice cream... oh no! But she might not have ever had it either!"
Brunilda looks at Fiora curiously: "Erika? Our okapi herbalist?"
Fiora nods, "Yep! That's my uh, cousin. She's totally the reason I'm here. I tried to see her the other day, but her Dad said she'd gone out on some adventure. If I can figure out where she went, I'll armor up and go after her."
Brunilda nods, humming: "Come to think of it, haven't seen her around in a while. Though I hear she's pretty adventurous so who knows."
Fiora grins wide. "Runs in the family, I'll bet!"
Brunilda chuckles softly: "Perhaps." She starts to get up: "Anyway, I reckon got to go. Early morning and all that coming."
Fiora gives Brun an incredibly lazy salute and grins, "Well good luck with the paperwork, Bruny! Thanks for chatting with me!"
Brunilda smiles at the giraffe, giving a lazy wave in mirror: "Be seeing you, if you decide to stick around. Good luck finding Erika." She heads out, having had her evening's fill of overly animated conversations.
Fiora turns to the barkeep after the elephant heads out and orders dinner, exhausted from her workout and hoping the local blacksmith will let her 'borrow' the forge for some coin before she heads out to search for her cousin...
Sammi returns back inside! She has acquired Pastries! She has them in a paper bag, and is holding it in her webbed hands "I found them! They've got apple jam! Which I've never had.." She stops "Oh...my friends are all gone..." She frowns, returning to the chair "Oh! I need to give the MinnowMan the metal bits..um..coins! Yes. Coins!" She passes over some oddly marked coins to the barkeep..they get a look, but gold is gold! "And..uh..can I get a bath to sleep in! Um..And..uh..lot of salt!" She returns back to her chair (yaychair!) and starts eating the bag of pastries..starting with the bag.
Damina enters the bar, although she's looking quite different from her usual self. For starters she's not wearing her hat. She seems to be deep in thought about a lot of things, and decides to take a table rather than sit at the counter.
Sammi: "Ooh!" Sammi flips about, keeping the chair under her, as she scoots bonelessly over to Damina "Heyyyyyyyy, you're another new person! I'm trying to make friends! Which..they're like servents, but they don't have to do what you tell them to do, but do anyway because they like you! It's a super fun idea isn't it? How about it! I can give you a seashell!"
Damina looks over the very strange-acting but oddly not strange-looking (at least to her) creature that has proposed friendship to her in the most bizarre of ways. "That's strange. Sure, why not?"
Sammi: "Yay! Making friends is so easy!" She rummages in her bag, which starts emitting an unearthly wail when it's open, pulling out a conch shell, closing the bag "Here you go! I give them to alllll my friends!" She smiles happily "So! Friend! Tell me about yourself!" She leans forward "I'm suuuper eager!"
Damina: "Well," she says while taking the shell, "I'd love to answer that question! Trouble is, I don't quite know the answer myself. I wanna find that out."
Sammi: "...You don't know anything about yourself at all?" She pauses thoughtfully "Oh! Are you like Amnsic!" She appears to struggle with the word "You knoowwww, your memories are all flossy!"
Damina shakes her head. "Oh, no. I know WHO I am, I just don't know WHAT I am."
Sammi squints."oooooo" She brightens up "I know! You're a kitty cat!"
Damina laughs a bit. "What gave you that idea?"
Sammi: "...I found a book once of alllll the mortal races! It had cats, dogs, meese, and loaaads more! I studied loads for coming up here! You all sorta look the same y'know. It's really hard if you don't know what to look for"
Damina starts giving Sammi an odd look. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be from.... not around here, would you?"
Sammi: "Ooh! How could you tell!" She nods "I'm not! I'm from the ocean!"
Damina shrugs. "Mostly the way you looked. Some of the things you were saying kinda clued me in, but eh."
Sammi: "You're suuuper attentive!" She appears impressed "I came up because it was super boring..it was all..'Chains', 'eteneral seals', 'ware the mortal mind that ventures to the depths'" She rolls her black voids of eyes "Soooo lame, but then this super nice guy came around in big black robes and let me out! Then he ..uh..I can't remember what he was saying, he was all rubbing his eyes and screaming..I think he was just super excited to see me!"
Damina starts looking real concerned when she hears "big black robes." She tries to calm her mind by thinking that it surely can't be what she was thinking about... "Well, I'm sure that was a fun experience. What brings you around here specifically?"
Sammi: "Oh! Well, I dunno! Just looked like a fun little city! Don't you? And getting close to the ocean is a bit..wellll, oceany cities tend to get a bit weird and pitchforky, and I don't like pitchforks! They really hurt!" She whines softly "But I've been here a couple of days and NOBODY has tried to angrymob me!"
Damina: "It's... certainly nice. Very quiet, and yeah I do agree on the whole 'nobody wanting to kill you' part."
Sammi: "I've already met TWO new friends!" She adds happily "Oh! You too! That makes three! And I learned about chairs, and pastries! I bet there's loads of new cool things here that I'm just waiting to find out about!"
Damina: "Oh, there's absolutely a lot of stuff to learn about here."
Sammi: "Oh! Tell me! Tell me!"
Damina looks down at her table. "Well, there's an awful lot of things and I don't think I can say them all while I'm here soooo..."
Sammi: "Oh! Come onn, just start with something!" She rolls her shoulders liquidly "I want to know!"
Damina looks at the shell she was given. "...you ever heard of ice cream?"
Sammi: "..I've heard of cream...." She seems shocked and amazed "You can freeze cream and make it all icy? THAT'S AMAZING!"
Damina shakes her hands a bit. "Now now I'm not sure if that's ACTUALLY how it's made, but uhhh..."
Sammi: "But it's super tasty I bet!"
Damina nods. "Haven't had it in a long time but I'm craving some right now."
Sammi: "Oh! There's nowhere you can get it? That's sad..." She slumps her head on the table, headtendrils drooping
Damina: "I don't know of any place around here that I could get some but I'm sure it's gotta be here."
Sammi: "Awwww..." She sighs "That's a shame...I had my hopes up for a while" She sticks her hand into her bag, and pulls out a twisted up piece of..something purple and wiggling, and eats it "...I'll get over it, I suppose"
Damina thinks about it. "Tell you what. I'll go look for a place with ice cream, and if I find it, then find you, I'll tell you."
Sammi: "That sounds like a great idea! Thaaaankkkkk you!"