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ERIKA'S GARDEN - MORNING
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Cavro is sitting upon a familiar picnic blanket in the shade of Erika's trees, a small campfire burning a few feet away under a suspended pot of vegetable soup. He leans back against Erika's side, splitting a piece of bread in half and setting one part down on a plate for Erika, sighing to himself.
Erika leans onto nibble at the bread, eating it as unmessily as a big herbivore can. She munches in relative silence for a moment, before swallowing and turning to look at Cavro, curiously. The two haven't really spoken much about the current situation since their teary reunion, and it's starting to weigh on both of them.
Cavro turns to look at Erika at her movement, offering a light smile, though he doesn't feel hungry enough to take a bite of his own bread, just limply holding it above his crossed legs. "Is it okay?"
Erika nods, attempting a smile: "Yuh." She considers a moment, then nuzzles Cavro on the shoulder: "Are you?"
Cavro falters in his expression, looking from her down to his uneaten food. After a brief pause, he replies. "I I I am. I'm a a a little tired, sleeping on the ground isn't something I'd wanted to to to try a second time."
Erika pokes her snout at Cavro's shoulder again: "You didn't have to."
Cavro chuckles, leaning his head back against her. "I I I told you you weren't going to be alone." He rolls his head to look at her, smiling faintly again. "Are you comfortable?"
Erika nods, then looks aside before answering. She slightly shifts the position of her legs under her, as though only now becoming aware of how not-natural such a position should be for her normally. "I am."
Cavro drops his gaze towards the idle fire, going silent for a moment as he just listens to the soup bubble and coals crackling. "Ah... How is your your your cousin doing? That guard, Brunilda mentioned she she she was in town."
Erika finds slightly more happiness in her voice: "She's great. Vowed to help me if she can, and I said I'd get her ice cream." She lets out a small giggle: "Fiora's fun."
Cavro nods, finding his smile growing with her happiness. "I I I'm glad. Is she supposed to to to visit you again soon?"
Erika nods, shifting her neck as she does: "She's gonna stay in Respite until I'm fine."
Cavro looks toward Erika's face, his own expression slipping and giving away what he's going to ask before it even comes out. "Even if you you you can't be cured?"
Erika turns to Cavro and is quiet for a moment. She then turns away, resolution in her voice: "I will be. This can't last."
Cavro turns and gives her a sideways hug. "Right, you you you will beat this... Curse." He sighs, releasing the hug.
Erika leans her neck into the hug: "I... I have to believe so."
Cavro looks towards the fire as the lid over the pot jumps from building steam, making an unexpected light clattering noise. He leans away from Erika, poking the lid sideways to let the soup bubble freely before resting in a kneel next to her.
Erika jumps slightly at the noise, but stops herself from getting up completely. She looks around for a moment, then sighs: "...c-could really do without my heart jumping at every scent, movement and noise."
Cavro chuckles lightly. "I I I'm curious, you don't have to to indulge me... What's it like, other than startling? What's different? What's better?"
Erika blinks at the question, considering for a moment: "I... I think I hear and smell a bit better. Though taste almost nothing." She scowls a bit: "I miss having hands."
Cavro looks down at her forelegs, then around at the garden that has clear signs of her attempts to continue working. He rubs his chin for a bit, then chuckles again. "Have you been try try trying to garden, still?"
Erika looks at Cavro as though he just asked if she has continued eating: "Yes?"
Cavro catches the hint in her voice, grinning shyly. "I mean, of course you you have. Sorry." He rubs the back of his neck, looking to her nearby leg again. "Mostly pawing and chewing, I guess?"
Erika looks at her forehooves: "More or less. Tried to hold tools in my mouth... didn't work."
Cavro looks at Erika for a bit, then stands up and wanders over to her. He idly circles her a few times, humming occasionally. He steps up next to her and runs his hands across the base of her neck, clearly thinking.
Erika lets out a small giggle at Cavro touching her neck: "W-what are you d-doing?"
Cavro chuckles at her giggling, leaning down and looking closer at her leg. "Just wondering... How to to to arm an okapi with gardening tools."
Erika turns to look at Cavro: "...y-you're seriously not thinking that. And I know that you are."
Cavro smiles warmly, feeling useful finally. "I I I want you to be happy. And selfishly, I I I want to feel useful, other than just being present." He grins. "If I I I can get you gardening, then we'll both be a a a little happier, right?"
Erika blinks, the nods slowly: "...y-yeah. Just... I will get back to myself soon, r-right?" She isn't quite believing her own words: "S-so there's no need?"
Cavro settles down a bit, his grin falling back to a smile. "Yes, but what are your plants going to to to do without you for that time? Pawing and chewing can only do so so so much."
Erika lets out a sigh, but then nuzzles Cavro on the neck as she attempts to bring the cheer back into her voice: "You're right. They need me."
Cavro hugs Erika, sighing. "I can do stuff like like like watering them, but your touch is greener than anyone elses."
Erika blushes slightly: "Nnnooo it isn't."
Cavro leans out of the hug, rubbing the back of her neck idly. "Sure, if if if you say so, miss jungle-in-a-desert."
Erika blushes further as she looks at Cavro: "...s-stop." She pauses briefly: "Or, um... don't. Mmh~."
Cavro blinks, then grins. "Ah... I bet you you you can't itch here very well, hmm?" He stands up next to Erika, proceeding to gently scratch up and down her neck and back.
Erika leans into the scratching, and if okapis were capable of purring she sure as heck would be doing that right now. "MmmMMm..."
Cavro smiles, reaching the top of her head and scratching delicately around her ears. Part of him is thinking about how to make okapi-styled tools. The other part is wondering how profoundly strange this situation is.
Erika is not thinking much at all, just leaning her head back into the scratching, closing her eyes in bliss.
Cavro continues to lightly scratch and tend to Erika through the day, breaking for serving food and scribbling ideas for feral-capable tools, as they casually discuss their way around difficult subjects for now.
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DOC PLUME'S OFFICE - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Nesseth knocks and peeks into the office a few moments afterwards, hoping Plume is available to chat. He's just come off duty for the day, so he's wearing most of his guard gear. "Plume?"
Doc Plume is just sitting at their desk, not having too many appointments today and just catching up on paperwork and making some lists for supply replenishment for their caravan agent. They look up at the knock and smile when they see Nesseth. "Ah, afternoon handsome."
Nesseth smiles warmly as he steps into the office proper. Shutting the door behind him, he walks over to Plume's desk and gives them a soft hug, being careful to not get their fur or feathers snagged in his armor. "Good afternoon, dear. Are you available for a little while? Something came up with the Guard, so I need to talk with you a bit."
Doc Plume stands and hugs back, squeezing softly. "Of course. I don't have any more appointments until later on..." They move to the kettle, lighting the burner under it before returning to their chair. When they turn back, there's a look of concern on their face. "And I know that tone... you have to go away for a while, right?"
Nesseth hums and nods, thankful that Plume's caught on to that detail quickly. "Yeah... it's partially to do with Erika's predicament. Though... probably more specifically, an event that happened just before her troubles started."
Doc Plume nods a bit. "I heard that tone a lot from my father whenever he would have to go on a trading mission. Mother never liked it, but wouldn't say anything to his face. Family business and all." They shake their head, trying to banish the memories for a moment. "How long?"
Nesseth shrugs a bit and shakes his head. "We're not entirely sure. We're heading up to Mean Peak, myself, Louma and a few of the better trackers and fighters. We've got reason to believe that the bear that attacked Erika during her trip might be one of our guys, which means that Erika's not the only one with this... unique brand of trouble..."
Doc Plume frowns. "Interesting... keep an eye out for that blue flower she keeps talking about. And don't eat anything unfamiliar. I would recommend packing in all your food if possible. And boil your water... distill it if possible." They take a piece of fresh paper and start jotting down notes on it with their quill.
Nesseth nods, making mental notes to follow those instructions with extra care, though he tries to project an air of... at least some confidence. "I'll be sure to keep it all in mind, and I'm glad I finished a hunt not too long ago, since that means I've got enough meat to last for a good while as rations... on top of whatever we get assigned. If need be, I'll see about trying to cobble together a miniature distillery for use out there."
Doc Plume nods a bit. "Perhaps talk to May? I heard that there were some fairly portable magitech ones, but I don't know anything about their specifications..." They look up at Nesseth, trying to not look too worried and failing a fair bit.
Nesseth hums at the idea, nodding again. "I didn't think to do that. I'll stop by May's place in a little bit to see if she's got any ideas in that regard." He shakes his head a bit and smiles at Plume's look, "But we're all going as a decently-sized party, so as long as everyone's careful, we should be fine."
Doc Plume nods some. "I'll still worry." They stand up again and hug Nesseth close. "But I suppose it comes with the job, just like my long days and interrupted sleep..."
Nesseth hums warmly and hugs Plume close, nuzzling into their feathers. "Yeah... thankfully it doesn't happen too often, but... still, I'll miss you while I'm out there." He chuckles a bit, "At least Mean Peak isn't that far away... Not like I'm heading off to Sarn or something."
Doc Plume nuzzles into Nesseth's neck frills in return. "If you say so. I really don't know the geography of the area yet." They squeeze Nesseth a bit. "This is important, right?"
Nesseth nods, not releasing the hug yet. "Yeah... if we don't find out what happened, two of the town's guards will be stuck out there, lost, or worse. Those of us going out are geared for an extended trip, and there are more of us, this time around."
Doc Plume nods, frowning. "Well, if you stay out there too long, I'm going to come and find you."
Nesseth does some quick math in his head, then sighs and nods again. "Well... I'll tell you what, Plume... The trip to Mean Peak takes about a day in either direction, probably a little longer as a larger group loaded down with gear. We're probably going to be spending a while there, so..." He pauses for a moment, "...If we aren't back in... a week or a week and a half, you can come find me, and I promise I won't get upset about it."
Doc Plume nods. "All right. I warn you that I'm not really built for the wilderness, but I'll find you, I swear. I mean, I know my way around a ship, but camps not so much..."
Nesseth gives Plume a slightly somber look. "I know... that's why I gave you that timeframe. If the expedition takes that long, we might actually be in trouble." He shakes his head and gives Plume a gentle squeeze, "I don't want you to get hurt, or have anything bad happen... but I know I can't stop you looking for me if I might be in over my head."
Doc Plume smiles and hugs back. "When are you leaving?"
Nesseth shrugs again. "Soon. Probably within a couple of days, I'm guessing. We're still preparing as much as we can, since we want to make this first attempt the only attempt necessary, but Louma also thinks that the sooner we head out, the better our chances of saving Garwin and Victoria."
Doc Plume nods. "I'll put together an extended field first aid kit together, then." They squeeze Nesseth again. "Are you worried at all about this? It sounds serious..."
Nesseth grimaces a bit. "I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous, yeah. Garwin's a big guy, even for a bear. Add in a feral bear's ferocity, and... we might have some problems trying to catch him." He shakes his head again and looks a little off to the side, "And if Garwin's feral, I just hope Victoria's okay."
Doc Plume releases Nesseth to tend to the boiling kettle, preparing two cups of tea in a comfortable routine. "Quite. Bears aren't ones to trifle with, even if they're usually civilized. At least he's not a polar bear..."
Nesseth nods and reluctantly releases Plume from his hug. "Yeah... that's one good thing. He's still a hulking mountain of muscle, but not as bad as a polar bear would be."
Doc Plume hands a cup of tea to Nesseth before taking their own back to their desk. "Well, let's hope that it all goes smoothly..."
Nesseth smiles and accepts the cup. Taking a moment to just enjoy the mellow scent wafting along on the steam before taking a small sip. "It should, with our group. We've got a strong group of trackers and fighters."
Doc Plume sips their tea and nods. "All right. I trust you..."
Nesseth smiles a little more warmly. "We'll come back just fine, and once I get back, we can do something you really want to to make up for worrying you like this."
Doc Plume takes another sip of tea and nods. "Everyone going should get a physical before they head out, just to be sure."
Nesseth nods as he takes another sip of tea. "I'll go and make the suggestion to Louma when I see her next. Might be when I pop by May's place in a little bit, possibly."
Doc Plume giggles a bit. "Those two are kind of cute together."
Nesseth chuckles. "Yeah, they are. It's funny when Louma tries to act all professional while clearly trying to not gush about May while at work."
Doc Plume giggles and starts talking about their last meeting with May and how distracted she seemed. The two talk for a while over tea, just enjoying time together on a lazy afternoon.
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MAYBELLINE'S QUARTERS - AFTERNOON
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Maybelline is setting up the table a little excitedly, taking a break from her drafting work to make a simple lunch for two, her cooking skills nothing to write home about, but there's at least some effort behind it as she waits for Louma to arrive.
Louma lands with a soft thud outside the large generator building doors, wearing another traditional Orelan styled dress, though more modest than before, with wide strips of auburn silk wrapped around her feathery torso, ending in an asymmetrical drape over her left shoulder. She slithers to the quarters door, relaxing her wings and preening head feathers before she knocks firmly on the frame.
Maybelline is quickly to the door, wearing her much less fancy clothes 'off-duty' clothes, which is basically a plain shirt and shorts, which is thankfully devoid of the grease and residue of working on the generator. She opens the door and smiles, "Louma! You look... wow. That dress is amazing too..."
Louma blushes, looking down at her own dress. "Really? It's supposed to be less flashy than the yellow one." She chuckles, blushing a bit more as she looks to May with a warm smile. "It's really things like this, armor, or cotton shirts, I don't have anything in between."
Maybelline waves Louma inside and grins, "Well, you constantly stand out to me. And I'm no outfit expert, cause I've got a few work overalls, and the rest is like this." She indicates her rather plain outfit. "No dresses, no armor. Just this or my small clothes, and I can't greet guests in my small clothes!" She pauses, then giggles, "Well..."
Louma slithers by May,looking back to eye her up for a moment. "I wouldn't mind if you greeted me in them, though I might take a certain idea if you did." She winks, blushing. She waits for May to have closed the door, leaning down and scooping her into a warm hug.
Maybelline closes the door after Louma's tail comes inside, then eeps at the (not wholly unexpected) scoop, returning the hug readily. "Well, if I ever did that, I'd say I had certain ideas in mind too~." She hums happily, "That or you stopped by on a laundry day."
Louma laughs, letting go of May and looking around to the table, clearly blushing under her feathers. "Well, the two don't need to be mutually exclusive, do they?"
Maybelline chuckles as she plops down to the ground, "I suppose not! I'm sure we'll see some day~." She glances at the table, and chuckles, "Just made a couple salads and crackers and cheese. You're seeing the full extent of my cooking ability here. Sorry."
Louma smiles down at May, giggling. "It's perfect, if you made it." She slithers over to the table, coiling up on the chairless side and settling in as she looks over the spread, sighing happily.
Maybelline blushes as she climbs up into her seat, "I certainly tried. I might have subsisted on snack and bar food back at the university, but I know how to feed myself at least, even if it's nothing fancy."
Louma nods, smiling as she takes up a fork. "Fancy doesn't always mean good. Like snails. Who in their right mind decided snails were a fancy thing to eat?"
Maybelline blechs, "No clue! Or uh, what's that caviar stuff? Fish eggs? I'll pass." She chuckles, "I was raised on noodles, stews, and cheese sandwiches."
Louma chuckles with May, thinking back. "I was raised on... Expensive cuts of meat and fancy soups, then on military rations. That was a jarring change."
Maybelline chuckles, "I can imagine. Always felt like we were just scraping by when I was growing up. Then I got my scholarship, and that included stipends for food, and suddenly I could just buy whatever I wanted? I'm pretty sure I ate nothing but donuts and sweet rolls for a month." She laughs, "You're lucky I'm not a much rounder stoat!"
Louma giggles, enjoying a mouthful of salad as she not-so-subtly admires May. She swallows with a grin. "I'm imagining it, and you'd be just as cute as you are now, I think. Just a little more of you to hug~"
Maybelline giggles, "That's one way to think of it I suppose." She takes a few bites of her salad as well, her eyes wandering to Louma in turn, snickering a little, "Glad to know you'd still be around if I let myself go."
Louma chuckles. "If anything, it just means you're doing well enough to never worry about food." She shrugs, grinning. "Besides, there's already a size difference for us to deal with. I've been thinking about it, actually." She blushes, quickly taking another bite of food.
Maybelline nods, "Yeah, there is that... I can't say I haven't thought about it too." She pauses. "It's not a problem is it? You're a lot bigger then I am, but I'm confident we can make it work!"
Louma nods, smiling again. "I'm sure we can. There's lots of ways we can have fun with it." She gets a little bold, flicking her tongue out, nearly as long as the beak that hides it. It's mostly a distraction, though, as the tip of her tail playfully pats against May's thigh a moment later before retreating back toward Louma's coil.
Maybelline watches the tongue, only to startle at the tail brushing against her side, only to laugh, "You do have plenty of ideas, don't you? Heh, you tease. Well, I have a few too," She lifts her hands up from the table and wiggles her fingers dexterously.
Louma giggles, blushing as she gives May a saucy look. "Oh my, you do look nimble. It's too bad we don't really have all that much time today~" She gets distracted for a moment, looking down at the food in front of her. "And I've got another hunger that you're satisfying right now~" She happily eats a cracker stacked with sliced cheese, smiling warmly at May.
Maybelline giggles, picking up her fork to resume eating her salad. "I mean... we're both adults. We'll have time... I just..." She smiles back, "I really like you, Louma. I don't want to screw that up. A-and I'll be totally honest... I'm not um... experienced with any of that." She quickly takes a bite to hide as she looks away.
Louma blushes, considering May for a moment, a gentle smile taking over. "Well that's alright, as fun as flirting is, we don't have to rush into anything." She blushes brighter, getting a wry grin. "I'll be more than happy to teach you every trick I know. I don't have any diagrams or blueprints, though, we'll have to do everything as practical examples."
Maybelline nods, "W-well... best way to learn, I've found." She lets out a deep sigh of relief and gazes up at Louma. "Thanks."
Louma smiles and laughs, relaxing despite the blush under her feathers... And a slight pinkish tinge starting to show on some of her white belly scales. "Oh don't thank me, I look forward to it." She clears her throat, continuing to finish her meal as she tries to calm down.
Maybelline nods, "Me... me too." She takes a cracker and some cheese to eat, taking a moment to let herself unfluster.
Narrator: Once they've finished their meal, Louma helping with the cleanup, the swansnake relaxes next to May's sofa, settling happily into her coil and smiling warmly at her host.
Maybelline finishes drying her hands up from the dishes, walking over to climb onto the couch, reaching her hand out towards Louma's. "Thank you for sharing lunch with me."
Louma takes May's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you for inviting me." She smiles warmly at May, though her expression falters after a few moments. "We might have very few chances to share time for a little while, Maybelline."
Maybelline 's smile fades as she tilts her head at Louma. "Something's come up?"
Louma nods. "I don't know if you've met her, but an okapi herbalist named Erika has had an accident, and some information she brought up has us worried that two guards may have had a similar accident."
Maybelline frowns. "Erika... yeah, met her. She seemed nice, I hope she's alright... I hope the two guards are too. I'm guessing you're going out of town to find out?"
Louma sighs, nodding slowly. "I'm directly responsible for them being out of town, and messengers had no luck finding them. Nesseth and I, and hopefully one more volunteer, are going to be searching Mean Peak for at least one of them, by Erika's information." She leans against the sofa, smiling. "It shouldn't take long, and we don't have to spend a solid block of time out there."
Maybelline nods, quiet for a moment. "You'll be safe, right? I mean... you know what you need to do to avoid the same thing happening to you?"
Louma shrugs, shaking her head. "I can't promise that, a certain level of risk comes with the job. I can flee almost anything, but I can't leave Nesseth or anyone else on the ground if a threat arises. We have a general idea that whatever happened to Erika and the others is likely related to a certain plant, though, so that shouldn't be an issue."
Maybelline shifts a bit and sighs, "I guess that makes sense. You'll let me know as soon as you're back, right?"
Louma smiles warmly at May, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. "After dealing with things at the barracks, you'll be my first stop~"
Maybelline lifts her free hand to grasp over top of Louma's and nods. "If there's anything I can do, just say the word. I want to be here for you."
Louma looks straight into May's eyes, sighing lightly as she squeezes her hand again. "Just being here is more than I could ask for."
Maybelline stands up on the sofa, still holding Louma's hand, and leans in to kiss Louma's cheek. "Well, that I can promise."
Louma smiles, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment. "I will try to be back as soon as possible, but we also don't leave for a few more days. We're stalling a little bit, hoping Plume can discover something to help us. Time is tight, though."
Maybelline nods, "Then you'll have to let me know when you leave, so that I can properly worry." She chuckles quietly.
Louma chuckles with her, nodding. "That I can promise. Do you have to get back to work soon, or do we have a few minutes?"
Maybelline shakes her head, "I've been working late drawing up plans, so I don't have to be anywhere but right here."
Louma smiles, wordlessly patting the section of tail in front of her torso in invitation.
Maybelline slowly lets go of Louma's hand as she hops off the sofa with a smile, getting herself cozy atop Louma, giving her a hug.
Louma hugs May, wrapping her wings around the two of them, content to find more pleasant subjects to chat about, burning much of the afternoon together. A pleasant time in company that both had desired for a long time.