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ERIKA'S GARDEN - MORNING
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Erika is laying on the small back porch, sound asleep aside from the occasional ear twitch at the town's noises. She's rapidly learned that she's more comfortable sleeping outside, something that mildly bothers her if she thinks about it too much. Not at the moment, though. The Okapi has had more trouble sleeping than she likes to admit, and certainly for reasons she doesn't want to admit - so any improvement to that is one that's taken.
Fiora walks towards Erika's home once again, wearing her full armor, though she's holding her helmet in the crook of an arm, her longaxe is slung across her back in preparation. Last time she spoke to Smitty, she heard that Erika was out on an adventure, and not being one to sit around idly, she's come back to try and find out /where/ she went so she can track her down. She knocks at the front door.
Erika jolts awake at the knock, raising first her ears, then her head. For a moment she looks about, but hearing no further sound nor smelling or seeing anything unusual from her garden, she slowly lays her head back down, tiredness winning this battle relatively easily for the moment.
Fiora waits a few moments, then wanders around back towards the garden, incase Smitty is doing something there. A hunt with no leads is just random walking, and she's not much in the mood for that right now. She turns the corner, looking into the garden, "Hello?"
Erika jolts awake from the almost-sleep and unlike her wild counterparts, lets out a surprised snort-bleat that gives away her position - not that she was particularly hidden from sight anyway. She looks about, not quite spotting anyone but now almost certain there is someone. She clears her throat and works her mouth again: "H-hello?"
Fiora spins at the snort, hand going up to the handle of her axe before she spots the Okapi and relaxes. And then the wild okapi speaks and her eyes go wide. She waves a hand as she approaches, "Uh, hello?"
Erika starts a bit upon noticing the giraffe in her garden, raising her head further up. She swallows, but then tilts her head: "H-hi. Need, uh... come here for herbs?"
Fiora shakes her head, "Uhh... no. I'm looking for someone." She pauses examining the Okapi's patterns, which seem oddly familiar to her own, her voice growing a bit quieter as dots connect. "Someone who lives... here."
Erika blinks, looking the armored giraffe up and down: "W-well... I am the only one who lives here. My name's Erika."
Fiora drops her helmet, "Holy crap it is you... Y-you're different then how I expected from your letters."
Erika blinks. Then blinks again for good measure as she stands up on suddenly a bit shaky legs: "...F-Fiora?"
Fiora nods, swallowing nervously "Yuh... this... isn't how I pictured this... Are you okay?"
Erika hesitates, shifting her long legs a bit: "...d-define 'okay'. A-and not, no, I'm not. It's... I'm... Goddesses I forgot about your coming altogether. Stupid blunder..." She trails off, looking back up: "...I'm not not usually this... four-legged."
Fiora clenches her fist slowly, a slow anger boiling in her, not at Erika, but at the situation. "Didn't think so. Did someone do this to you? Do you need me to do anything?"
Erika quickly shakes her head: "U-unless you are able to reverse this, n-no." She looks aside, scowling slightly: "No one but me to blame."
Fiora growls, but slowly slumps in place. She unslings her axe and sets it down as she steps forward to take a seat on the porch steps. "Nope... I'm not magical the slightest. Armor is, my axe is. But not me." She hangs her neck low. "This... isn't how I imagined this was gonna go, but it's not the worst case scenario. I mean... what even did this? You can't just say 'blunder' either, you definitely didn't do this to yourself unless you've got a lot more magic then you told me about in your letters!"
Erika sits back down next to Fiora, looking at her: "I... I go careless. I was out near Mean Peak, got ambushed by this bear." She shudders a bit: "Had to escape... to a cave, spend the night there." She looks aside again, frowning: "Only thing I could eat was the herbs and flowers I'd gathered while I waited."
Fiora reaches out slowly towards Erika, then draws her hand back, to look at the fully gauntleted arm. "Ah shoot. Full armor isn't the way I wanted to meet you, let along hug you, but dang it you probably need a hug real bad. I'd need a hug real bad if I were you. But none of that is your fault! Bear's fault maybe, though he was probably just hungry. So you better not be blaming yourself for a mistake made in the moment! We all make those!"
Erika sighs, nodding slowly. She then looks back up at her cousin: "Guess... so." She then sighs: "Cavro's still gone."
Fiora blanches, "Oh jeez... your little friend? Did... this happen to him too? Did the bear get him?" She reaches for the axe again, "Do you need me to go kill that bear? I mean, it won't bring him back, but... they say vengeance doesn't fix anything but I don't know, always feels good in the moment."
Erika blinks, then quickly shakes her head: "Oh! No no no. He's fine! I think. Just... left me."
Fiora narrows her eyes. "You want me to kill him?" She waves a hand quickly, "Joking! Joking of course... but uh... wait, you two are just friends, aren't you?"
Erika looks down. She'd blush if she could: "W-well... m-maybe we were more. Felt like it, anyway."
Fiora frowns, "Guess that all happened after the last letter..." She sighs, "You gotta admit... this is kinda scary. I've seen a lot of scary stuff, so I'm kinda used to weird, but even I've never seen something quite like this."
Erika nods, looking at the ground in thought still: "...I-I c-can't deny that. It is scary. I c-can't blame Cavro, I'm not who I was. I'm some beast."
Fiora snorts. "You're no beast. You're my..." She pauses, looking at Erika. Not the time. "Cousin, and you mean a ton to me. You're still thinking, you're still breathing. And I'm sure Cavro will figure it out..." She pauses. "I can find him if you want. No violence and no threats, I promise!"
Erika takes a deep breath before looking up: "T-thank you. And... I don't know." Her voice breaks, making her attempt at speaking even harder: "W-what i-if no cure exists?"
Fiora shakes her head, "First, you don't think like that. There's always a cure. And if no cure exists, the you find folks who can discover one. Lots of people smarter then me find ways to make new stuff all the time. Some of them would probably see it as a fun challenge. Thirdly. Secondly? Nextly, you'll deal with it."
Fiora taps her chest. "We've got toughness in our blood, cuz."
Erika nods, then attempts a smile that doesn't quite work. "...I needed that. Sorry. Been just so... well, down." She sticks her tongue out before pulling it back in: "F-for one, talking is so hard now. Is annoying."
Fiora frowns. "Sorry, it's a mess to be sure. I wish I'd known beforehand... but I guess it doesn't matter to me. I just wanted to spend time with my cousin, and I'm gonna do that. There's a whole lot I want to know and say and do. I guess maybe it's harder now, but still worth doing."
Erika looks at Fiora: "Well, I can still talk. And... I can probably still eat ice cream." She blinks: "...haven't tried since the change."
Fiora blinks, "They DO have ice cream in this town?! No body I've asked has any clue!" She narrows her eyes. "Or they won't tell me. Hmph."
Erika lets out a small laughing snort, her mood clearly improving: "Gotta know where. Old Lorenda - Mom's friend - sells 'em, but doesn't actually keep a shop."
Fiora grins wide, "Of course! Secret ice cream! Haha! This town is looking better already!"
Erika looks at her cousin: "Best town." She considers: "So... plan on staying in Respite?"
Fiora sighs, "Well, I gotta now. I was going to stay awhile anyways, but... no way I'm leaving while you're like that, so reckon I'll stay a while. Even if my partner doesn't like it, I'm sure he can find something to occupy him."
Erika feels a warmth in her heart, then tilts her head at the second part: "Partner?"
Fiora nods, "Oh! Yeah, Gareth. He's a pirate. I beat him up, and he surrendered, gave me some info to catch his captain, and then he was a turncoat and they'd have killed him on sight, so he hangs out with me now. He says I'd be lost without him, which is probably true, but he'd be dead without me."
Erika nods, cracking her long neck as she does, her short mane swaying from side to side: "'Can see that... not my sort of thing, but... well, you know. Not guard or mercenary material."
Fiora giggles, "Well, I don't know why I am, but fighting's fun! And fighting is most fun when you're beating up people who deserve it. For me at least, and I made this armor myself, and that's a labor of love, right there. We're pretty different... but I know we've got a lot in common too... I guess I just want to explore that a bit... felt like us meeting and talking was long overdue."
Erika nodnods, looking up at her cousin again: "It is! Been wanting to like... forever, at least. Can only write so much in letters."
Fiora: "Ugh, I know right! You get to the end of a page and it still feels like there's so much left to say!"
Erika snort-laughs again: "Tons. Like I never got to tell you about most of the plants I have here. My pride and joy."
Fiora turns away from Erika to look out at the garden. "I have... no idea what any of them are! But if you're excited about telling me I'm excited about learning about them!"
Erika shakes her head as she gets up, working the kinks in her legs as she does: "If you wanna listen me ramble about them. Some of them have really interesting effects though!" She pauses, leaning her neck to look at at her quadroped body: "...case in point."
Fiora nods, giggling, "No matter what you call what happened, it is definitely at the very least an 'interesting effect'! I'm guessing you don't have much else that can do that."
Erika shakes her head as she steps down from the porch, looking about her garden: "I don't have that plant here, don't worry. But... don't taste stuff. About third aren't good, if nothing else they give you the oogies in your tummy."
Fiora stands up, clanking about in her armor as she feigns looking hurt, "I wasn't gonna taste anything! No plant leaf is going to taste as good as ice cream anyways. ...unless it's mint, which I guess is a leaf AND tastes good as ice cream."
Erika snort-giggles as she glances at her cousin: "Okay. You can eat a bit of the mint."
Fiora hees, "Oh! So you DO have mint! Excellent!"
Erika glances at Fiora and you just know she'd be grinning if she could: "But can you find it?"
Fiora glances around, "Oh, uh... it's green and... leaf shaped? So probably, definitely not."
Erika giggles as she steps ahead into her garden, looking over it in a knowing way: "Well, all the better for me to show you a thing or seven! Maybe we'll even find the mint, who knows!"
Fiora sticks her tongue out behind Erika, "Sure thing! Except I bet you know, cause you sound like you know to me."
Erika cranes her neck to look back: "Do I know, or am I just yankin' your chain?"
Fiora blinks, then raises an eyebrow at her cousin. "I guess I don't know. But I don't know how else I'm going to find out unless I'm listening! I don't have much of a head for greenery though, so just keep it simple."
Erika nods: "Will do! And don't worry, I'll get you your minty reward in the end." She shakes her head: "I don't even what I'm talking about. Whatever." She looks about the mini-jungle that is her backyard garden: "So, yeah, this is my Mom's garden... now mine I guess."
Fiora crosses her arms with a chuckles, muttering to herself, "Well, if you don't know, then I'm totally lost..." She follows the okapi into the garden, though. "You obviously take good care of it."
Erika glances back a Fiora: "Thank you. I guess I... grew into it." She laughs softly at her own joke.
Fiora giggles along, "Definitely did, cuz."
Erika shakes her head in amusement, then actually starts showing her newly-present cousin the wonders of the small jungle: "So, most of these are local... or mostly-local. Gotten some seeds from further away..." The two spend quite the time talking about plants... and probably a lot about not-plants too as they get to know each other beyond what mere letters can convey.
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ELIZABETH'S HOUSE - LATE MORNING
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Doc Plume walks up the street with Nesseth trailing behind them. After confirming that the dilapidated house is the correct one, they step up to the door and knock on it firmly but politely. They're dressed a bit more formally than usual, with a smart waistcoat and tie adorning their usual shirt and trousers look, as well as their wide-brimmed flat hat on their head.
Elizabeth looks up from her sitting position at the kitchen table, slightly jolting awake from her staring at nothingness and thinking of years long gone. She gets up, straightening her 'home' dress enough to be at least presentable. She walks to the door and opens it slightly: "Yes?"
Doc Plume takes off their hat, holding it in their hand as they give a shallow bow. "Good morning, ma'am. I'm Plume, the town doctor. Might you be Elizabeth O'Williams?"
Elizabeth opens the door fully, nodding slowly: "...I am." She looks somewhere between dubious, concerned and curious: "...has something happened?"
Doc Plume tucks their hat under their left arm and looks at Elizabeth. "Not to anyone that you know, no. I've come to ask for your help, that is if you are what folks say you are, which is one skilled in the arcane arts." They look over their shoulder to Nesseth, "This is Nesseth, one of the town guards. He's aiding me in this matter. Might we bother you for a bit of your time this morning?"
Elizabeth considers this for a moment, then nods and steps back, letting the two in: "I am somewhat versed in magic, yes. Please, come on in."
Doc Plume walks inside, hanging their hat on the rack near the door. "Thank you." They wait for further direction from Elizabeth before moving beyond the entrance hall. "What do you know of transformation? A resident of the town finds themself changed quite thoroughly."
Elizabeth blinks as she leads the way the the relatively sparse living room, with just a few chairs and no table yet. She glances at Plume over head shoulder: "...not much. My specialty is more in the... manipulation of the aether, of luck, of fate."
Doc Plume waits for their host to sit before taking a seat nearby. Nesseth chooses to stand by the door, letting the other two talk for the moment.
Elizabeth looks at Plume as she sits down, curious: "...what kind of change are we talking about?"
Doc Plume takes out a folder of papers from their slim bag and opens it up. "One Erika Smithens, the local horticulturalist, was out collecting plants when she ran afoul of a bear and had to hide in a cave. In the morning, she found herself transformed into a more animalistic version of herself. A wild okapi rather than a bipedal one. She still seems to possess her faculties and can speak with some difficulty. She thinks it may be the effect of one of the plants she ate, but is unsure..."
Elizabeth blinks as she listens, humming: "...I have heard and even witnessed such effects, but... those kind of permanent changes are difficult. Incredibly difficult to do on purpose."
Doc Plume takes out a pencil from their waistcoat pocket and jots down a few brief notes at the end of the file. "I see... and you haven't heard of any sort of plant with those effects?"
Elizabeth shakes her head: "Plants are largely beyond my purview, even as a witch." She lifts her hand, having her favourite runes dance around her claws for a second before snapping them off with a flick: "My magic is inner."
Doc Plume watches the runes with interest and smiles a bit at the corner of their beak. More notes are jotted down. "Ah, I see. Do you think examining her or speaking with her yourself would provide any insight into her condition? We're at a loss how to proceed otherwise, so even the smallest nudge toward a cure would be helpful."
Elizabeth muses for a moment. She hesitates as she thinks, but then finally nods with a small smile: "I can't promise anything, but... I'll try."
Doc Plume nods some. "All right." They pull out a small diary and flip through it. "Hmm. Most of next week is packed with appointments. But perhaps you can come see me later in the week when you have some time and we'll figure out a time to go see Erika? In the interim could I bother you to do any research you might be able to on the subject?"
Elizabeth nods, glancing around: "Well... I don't really have much to research from, but..."
Doc Plume smiles. "Anything at all would be appreciated. I'll of course pay you for your time as a consultant." They close the folder and replace it and the diary in their bag as they stand. "We won't take any more of your time today, though. I have another appointment soon, but thank you for your help."
Elizabeth nods, clearly already in thought about this dilemma. To the victim of this, to Doc... to herself. "I'll... be in touch."
Doc Plume gives another shallow bow. "Thank you again. Have a good day, ma'am." Nesseth and them head for the door again, Plume putting on their hat again as the two show themselves out.
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - AFTERNOON
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Maybelline steps into the bar with a yawn, another long night drafting up plans, she stretches her arms as she heads for the bar for some coffee and something to eat, a smile across her face as she tiredly climbs into a seat.
Bracvar sets the chocks to his carts wheels in the market, quickly peeking under the heavy pelt cover. As soon as he moves the side of it, a wave of icy mist rolls out toward the ground, leaving him with a satisfied grin as he drops the cover back into place and turns around. "It might be too late to set up today, but it's never too early to hit the minnow for an ale!" He boasts to a random stranger, clapping the confused looking tortoise on his shell. "Ah well... Maybe you don't wish to join me, old timer, that's okay!" He laughs heartily and scuttles through the marketplace, entering the Minnow a minute later with a wide grin and a decent coinpurse. He heads straight to the bar, nodding to each and every other patron with that gleeful smile crinkling the corner of his one exposed eye. "One dark ale, barkeep, and don't let it sit dry!"
Maybelline laughs, giving a wave to the newcomer before turning to the task of stirring sugar into her coffee, "I always prefer my drinks wet too."
Bracvar laughs with her, turning to face May after his drink arrives. "A kindred spirit then! Though... I've never seen an ale that needed sugar before."
Maybelline shakes her head, "Coffee, not ale. Had to give up drinking the hard stuff. I'm Maybelline, but just call me May."
Bracvar ahhs, nodding. "I understand that for sure. It happens, seen a lot of friends have to give up the drink after it started to poison them. I haven't had a coffee in a long time... A little too bitter for my taste."
Maybelline laughs, "Well, that's what the sugar is for!" She adds another spoonful and takes a sip. "Poison me... yeah. Gave it up when someone pointed out that I drinking to escape being unhappy, but it wasn't making me any happier. Sorta... stopped drinking for them, but haven't drank again since for me."
Bracvar nods, sobering up in attitude slightly. "Aye, have seen that a number of times too, especially confined on a ship. Then they get confined to their tankard,even when they're not on the sea. I'm glad that you've chosen a more steady path, you're stronger than many a sailor, miss."
Maybelline brightenes up and chuckles, "Well, definitely not physically, I'd wager. But... thank you. It's definitely been hard when I was down, but things have been looking up lately and I don't even miss it."
Bracvar nods, raising his tankard... Which is probably almost large enough for the stoat to bathe in. "Good on you! A toast to personal strength, then!" He takes a deep draught of the drink, emptying half the drink in one.
Maybelline shrugs, "Sure, a toast!" She sips her still very hot coffee happily, but maybe not quite as eagerly. "So... I'm still sorta new in town, don't think I've see you around before. You new here as well?"
Bracvar sets his tankard down with a satisfied sigh, grinning at May. "No, not at all. Ah... A decade and a half, I believe, that Respite has been a stop for me. I'm a merchant of many things. For example, this week will be fresh fish!"
Maybelline: "Oh! I see! So we're a stop on the route, gotcha. And fresh fish, eh? I really wish I could cook..."
Bracvar nods. "I've heard the Halftone Flounder I've brought is good raw with salt and rice, but I've never tried it that way. Any time I've wanted something cooked up, I'd get a guard here to do it for me, a lizard named Nesseth."
Maybelline blinks, tilting her head "Nesseth is a good cook? I had no idea, but I've only talked with him a couple of times. Maybe I could ask for tips."
Bracvar shrugs. "As far as I can tell, he is. Honestly, I'm not much of a conni... Corna... I don't have very discriminating taste."
Maybelline chuckles, "Me either. I'll eat what's put in front of me. I mean, some stuff tastes better then others, but I never really had a chance to be picky as a kid, so I never really got picky as an adult either."
Bracvar nods, sipping his ale again. "I think I know, I've met quite a few stoats in my day. Many of them were excellent sources of information for coin. What brought you to Respite, miss?"
Maybelline frowns a little before she clears her throat, "I'm actually the new engineer on the town generator."
Bracvar nods, not catching her sour expression. "That's excellent! An honorable profession indeed. Where did you study?"
Maybelline 's smile returns "Sarn Central University in Glaushire." She postures a little, her pride obvious. "I was the best in my class."
Bracvar grins wide. "A ha! I had a feeling I was sitting in the presence of a genius! Cheers to good studies!" He raises his tankard again, polishing it off with a smug sigh.
Maybelline snorts, "Genius? Hardly." She slowly smirks, "But I make do. I've been drawing up plans for the new generator, and pretty proud of what I'm coming up with, to be honest." She pauses, "You're a trader? How easily can you get ICEE generator parts?"
Bracvar pauses, setting his tankard where the barkeep can tend to it. "Well... I do in fact know a vendor in Orela with a line on gently used parts. Depends what you need, of course."
Maybelline hums, "I guess I don't know how long it would take to get, and the budget isn't that great, but I can get you a list of the parts that'd be harder to manufacture here." She chuckles, "Maybe you can deliver a miracle!"
Bracvar nods, smiling. "Maybe indeed! I'm sorry, I didn't properly introduce myself." He gives her a bit of a dramatic bow. "Bracvar of the sea, glad to be of service to you, miss."
Maybelline dips her head politely, giggling a little, "Don't know but if that makes me Maybelline of the land, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Bracvar."
Bracvar chuckles, nodding at the barkeep as his tankard returns refreshed. "I'd be happy to continue our conversation, but you don't need to feel obliged to keep an old crab company. I know your job is quite demanding of your time, after all."
Maybelline yawns slightly, shaking her head. "I was up all night working on it. I just needed to get a bit of air before I head back and uh, honestly I might sleep."
Bracvar: "That sounds like an even better idea. I'll let you to it, then, Maybelline of the land." He raises his tankard politely to her, only taking a sip this time.
Maybelline finishes her coffee and slips off of her chair back to the ground with a tiny hop. "Yeah, a nap and then back to the drawing board, uh, actually pretty literally. I'll write up a list of parts and get that to you tomorrow? Do I just look for you in the marketplace?"
Bracvar nods. "Yes, I should be there all day. Just look for the blue covered stall with a crab beside it." He chuckles quietly to himself.
Maybelline waves to the crab with a smile as she heads out the door, "I'll see you there, then! Have a good day!"
Bracvar waves as he watches her leave, turning to the next patron down the bar. "She completely forgot who I am! That's incredible, wouldn't you say? So what do you say, want to buy some fish?"
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Fiora returns back to the Minnow in her full armor, walking over to the larger table and depositing her helmet atop it before taking a seat, her determination to 'go out and find her cousin' apparently a bust. She looks strangely haunted, crossing her arms as she settles in at the table and ordering a beer.
Gareth wanders down from upstairs, having spent the better part of the afternoon maintaining his pistols and sword. He takes a look around the bar's main room, turning a bit in place to let his good eye scan his blind spots, then blinks when he sees Fiora at a table. He grunts to himself as he strides over and takes a seat. "Ah, I see yer back, lass."
Fiora grunts at Gareth, "Something like that, sure am." She gets a funny look on her face. "Found Erika. She's in town now."
Gareth leans against the table, adopting his familiar position as he rests against his arm. "Yer cousin, eh? Somethin' didn't go as ye'd hoped, I take it? Ye look like ye saw a ghost or somethin'."
Fiora shakes her head, then sighs, letting her neck arc down. "She was great! Everything I thought she'd be! Better! But..." She hesitates. "Got herself cursed by something on her trip out... her body's... feral. Her mind's still there, thank the gods, but it's disturbing to think about."
Gareth blinks and raises an eyebrow, clearly dubious. "Feral. Like, four legs and all o' that? Ye sure ye just weren't... hallucinatin' or somethin', lass? Ye said yer cousin's an herbologist or whatever? Maybe ye ran through a cloud o' somethin' pretty wild."
Fiora shakes her head, "I'm sober!" She glances down at the beer, "A little too sober right now. Four legs and all of that, yeah... spent the day with her, and she's dealing with it. She ran into some plant or another near that big mountain on the horizon. Said she woke up just... changed." She supresses a shudder.
Gareth leans up a little and peers into Fiora's drink for a moment, then glances up to look into her eyes. "Yer sure? Hrm... sounds like a curse, alright... Did she find anythin' weird while out and about?"
Fiora shakes her head, "Said it might have been some new flower she found, but hell if I know." She sighs, "No crazy alchemist or creepy old mage to go punch this time. I offered to beat up her boyfriend, but I don't really think she wants that." She snorts. "He better treat her right though."
Gareth snorts. "Pfft... might not be a bad idea to intimidate 'em a little, at least. Make 'em realize who he's dealin' with."
Fiora lifts her beer and takes a drink, then sighs, "Don't know what the heck to do... I wanted to have a talk with her about family stuff, but how can I even start to tell her what I gotta tell her when she's already suffering through this?" She groans, "So much less complicated when 'family' was just me and Mom."
Gareth shrugs. "Well, ye got two options, I figure. One: Ye can just pull her aside and talk about whatever it is ye need to talk about.... or two: ye can wait until she gets better, then talk to her."
Fiora sighs, "Yeah... guess it might have to be the second though. I'll wait and see, for now at least. I guess the local Doctor is looking into it." She sighs, "What a mess... but she Is family, regardless. Not gonna turn away from her."
Gareth shrugs. "Ye do what ye want with it, lass. But I guess this means yer stuck here in Respite for a bit, then?"
Fiora nods, "Guess it does. I got enough earnings from our last few jobs to keep me comfortable awhile." She raises an eyebrow, "What about you? I can't ask you to stay for... who knows how long here on account of me."
Gareth: "Eh... I'll think o' somethin'. Frontier town like this has got to have some kind of opportunities."
Fiora smiles down at Gareth, "Thanks." She sits back and takes another drink, "Guess you can't go too far if you want to keep me around as a shield though."
Gareth scoffs. "Or if ye need me to haul your tin arse out of whatever madness ye get yerself into. 'Sides, I've got enough to tide me over for a while, too. I can handle a bit o' idle time."
Fiora giggles, "Suit yourself!" She taps her armor, "Guess I can take all this off again if I'm not gonna go hunting my cousin down in the wilderness. Hate getting all dressed up without getting to dance though."
Gareth laughs a bit and shakes his head. "Why not go and stop by the guard trainin' grounds, then? I bet they'd enjoy havin' a new face to spar with." He pauses, smirking, "Or beat the tar out o', anyway."
Fiora chuckles, "Bit late for that, even if any of these frontier guards could even keep up with me."
Gareth rolls his eyes. "Yer a merc, lass. Ye've got trainin', but guards are nothin' to mess with if ye've got any sense." He glances around a bit, "Unless ye've got an advantage o' some sort, anyway."
Fiora postures a little, "You mean besides my striking good looks, superior armor, and natural born fighting sense?"
Gareth eyes Fiora as she poses, then shrugs. "Two out o' three ain't bad, I suppose. Ye got the good looks, ye got the superior armor, but some o' the swabbies on me old ship had better fightin' sense."
Fiora snorts, "They didn't have much sense at all when I finished with them."
Gareth shoots Fiora a cheeky grin. "Kind o' hard to have much sense at all with a giant axe lodged in 'em. They must've been blackout drunk to miss a giraffe sneakin' aboard the ship."
Fiora laughs, "'Sneaking', sure, we'll go with that."
Gareth shakes his head. "Then again, I guess I was the only one with enough sense to get out before somethin' like that happened."
Fiora chuckles, "Yeah, well, that's why you're sitting here in a cozy bar and not rotting in the Westport prison."
Gareth scoffs. "I'm sittin' here, cozy in this bar, while me former mates are probably plannin' to find me and slit me throat for sellin' 'em out like that."
Fiora grins, "And that's why you stick with me. Even if you do seem to think so little of my combat skills. Anyone comes to slit your throat, I'll break their skulls."
Gareth laughs a bit. "Heh... well, be far it for me to say I don't at least appreciate the back up, lass. So... thank ye for that."
Fiora sighs, "And you know what, I'm feeling generous tonight, so I'll even buy the first round." She waves to the barkeep to get Gareth a drink. "I need to figure this stuff out with Erika, but that can wait for tonight."
Gareth smiles and smacks a hand against the tabletop. "Now that's more like it, lass! Ye'll figure this stuff with yer cousin out. Just enjoy the break for the night!"
Fiora nods finishing her own beer and waving for the barkeep to bring a second along with Gareth's drink. "Yep, I'll drink to that!"
Gareth quickly settles into a night of friendly drinking with Fiora as the two finally take an opportunity to relax after their long trip to Respite. The night passes quickly enough, with drink and merriment aplenty, and it's with a nice buzz that the two finally make their ways up their respective rooms for a good sleep a few hours later.