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RESPITE FALLS NATURAL PARK - AFTERNOON
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Vix naps on a low tree branch, letting her tail and one leg hang down as she snoozes in the shade.
Nesseth wanders through the park, having apparently missed Vix at the marketplace in his quest to acquire a magitech power supply for the distiller that May told him about. He's been combing the town for the better part of an hour so far, searching some of Vix's favored napping spots, and his search eventually brought him to the park. After some time spent looking around, he notices a patch of dark fur dangling down from the branches of a nearby tree.
Vix snoozes peacefully, her ear twitching in the wind.
Nesseth gets a bit of an idea as he watches Vix sleeping up in the tree, and approaches as carefully and quietly as he can.
Vix stays motionless, enjoying her nap
Nesseth comes to a stop on a spot just beneath the branch Vix is snoozing on. He watches her for another few moments, hesitating between actually pulling a bit of a turnabout and not, before the desire for some playful revenge wins out. With the quietest of sounds, he jumps up and snags the branch by the tip, letting his weight bend it down towards the ground.
Vix stirs a little as she starts to wake. "Hhmyaa~? Wha...?"
Nesseth waits until his toes lightly brush the grass below before he lets go, dropping lightly back onto the ground.
Vix eeps as she suddenly finds herself flung off the branch, arcing a dozen feet off the ground. She flails her limbs and lets out a panicked meow as she instinctively twists her body in the air.
Nesseth watches Vix sailing up into the air with an expression somewhere between guilty, amused and worried. He sets off at a half-run in the direction the feline is flying, just in case he needs to catch her or tend to any injuries.
Vix aligns herself with the ground paws-first at the last moment, landing smoothly on all fours. She shivers a bit before shaking the feeling out of her bones. "Ness! Is that you? Did you see who messed with my tree?"
Nesseth slows to a stop just in front of Vix, clearly relieved when she lands cleanly and without injury. He sighs and nods. "Yeah, I saw who it was." He grins sheepishly, "Because it was me."
Vix glares at Nesseth for a quick moment, then busts out laughing and rolls over onto her back. "Hahaha, for real?? That was wild!"
Nesseth chuckles a bit after Vix bursts into laughter, kneeling down as she catches her breath. "Yeah, I, uh... I saw you sleeping and I figured I might try to switch things up a bit, since you're always surprising me while I'm sleeping." He smiles, "I'm glad you landed alright."
Vix grins up at Nesseth. "I guess I deserved it for scaring you so often. That was kind of thrilling though!"
Nesseth offers Vix a hand up. "Then maybe you won't mind if I do that on occasion, huh? Sorry I ruined your nap, though."
Vix takes Nesseth's hand and springs to her feet. "Eh, I'll make it up later~"
Nesseth chuckles and spares his other hand to give Vix a couple of light scratches behind her ears. "I guess I'll have to keep an eye open, then. Anyway... I was looking for you in the marketplace, but obviously you weren't there."
Vix purrs as Nesseth scratches behind her ear. "Oh! Did you want to buy something?"
Nesseth nods. "If you happen to have it, yeah. I'm looking for a magitech power supply unit... a small one about..." He holds his hands apart about a foot or so, "...This big, give or take. It's for a miniature water distiller, since I'll be up at Mean Peak with some of the other guards for a few days."
Vix scratches her head. "Magitech uhh....thingy...like a battery? I bought a few from a merchant that came to town last week, in case you still needed stuff for your crossbow."
Nesseth hums and smiles. "Well, thank you for that. I hope the ones you got are a bit bigger than what I usually get, though. The distiller needs a heating element to boil water."
Vix hums. "Let's get back to my stall. Maybe you can stick two small ones together if I don't have a big one!"
Nesseth nods. "Alright, lead the way. Maybe we can put something together that'll work to what May needs."
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VIX'S STALL - A SHORT WALK LATER
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Vix ducks behind her stall to rummage in a lockbox. Her stall seems a little nicer than it used to be.
Nesseth hums a bit as he approaches the stall from the front. "Looks like you're doing pretty well for yourself now. Business must be picking up."
Vix hums from behind the stall. "I still haven't found that orb thing, but the initial reward helped pay for some upgrades."
Nesseth leans lightly on the stall's counter. "I'm guessing Elizabeth, Yengrisk and Dorri haven't had any leads?"
Vix hums. "More like...I haven't been very focused on it. Hehe..."
Nesseth lets out a little laugh. "Heh... well, you're lucky your client's patient, I guess. Just be careful they don't end up thinking you took the money and ran."
Vix pops up from behind the counter. "Heh...I've just been busy planning out the upgrades!"
Nesseth smiles as Vix pops back into view. "Not surprising. Setting up this stall probably took some doing, but it's a really nice upgrade from your original shop setup."
Vix sets a few magitek components on the counter. "Any of these look good, Ness?"
Nesseth hums as he leans in a little and examines the components. "Hm... Individually, they're pretty small, but... I wonder if May might be able to hook something together with them."
Vix smiles. "Wanna give them a try? You can pay me later if they work."
Nesseth tilts his head a bit. "You sure? If you don't mind waiting on the payment, and losing out on the parts if May can't work anything with them."
Vix sticks out her tongue. "Well, I'm gonna need you to return them if they don't end up working. And uh...don't worry if they break. I'll put those on your tab."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully, then nods. "Alright, then. That sounds like a fair deal. I'll have to take these to May as soon as I can."
Vix notes the price tag on each component before handing them over to Nesseth. "Sorry I don't have anything bigger. The merchant had some, but smaller ones are easier to sell, ya know?"
Nesseth nods as he accepts the components and tucks them safely away into a pouch. "Well, we'll only be gone for a few days or so. These should do the trick for that, at least." He smiles, "Though, the next time you stock up, if you can snag a bigger piece, it'll be handy to have around, just in case I need to use that thing again."
Vix nods. "I'll keep it in mind!"
Nesseth smiles warmly. "Thank you, then, and thank you for these, as well."
Vix smirks. "I'll swing by your place later to collect interest. Dinner, mostly~"
Nesseth chuckles. "Sounds like a plan, then. I'll figure out something nice and delicious."
Vix giggles and winks. "Take care, Ness~"
Nesseth waves as he turns to leave, smirking. "I'll see you this evening, Vix. Thanks again!"
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XOCHI'S HOUSE - EARLY EVENING
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Louma finds herself slithering up to Xochi's home, a self-defeating air about her as she beats herself up over forgetting her promise to Erika, though she could probably try to excuse it for everything being so hectic after that meeting. She doesn't see any lights on through the windows, but opts to knock firmly on the door anyways, waiting a minute before knocking again.
Kira is fluttering around the kitchen, making a very light snack. At the sound of the knock, she flutters over to the door and peeks out the window. Seeing Louma, she opens it and flutters at eye level. "Hello Louma. Xochi isn't here."
Louma blinks before smiling and giving a slight bow to Kira. "Good evening, Kira. That's unfortunate, I have a message for her... Are you two living together?"
Kira gives a 'bow' in return. "I can take the message. She has been at the waterfall for most of the day, it seems. And yes. I was living in a nook in the roof before Louma moved in..." She gives a little giggle. "It has worked out well, though. She has allowed me to stay and we spend some time together."
Louma nods, smiling. "I'm glad that she's found a friend in you. So the message boils down to; The herbalist Erika has had an incident, her body has become a feral version of itself. She seems to still have her mind, but can not tend to her garden in her state. If Xochi could keep her company and help with her plants, it would likely be very good for Erika. Understood?"
Kira nods. "Noted, yes... I've seen Erika in her garden, but she's been sleeping when I visited and I didn't want to wake her..." They flutter a little lower, seeming to want to ask something.
Louma gives a polite bow to Kira, smiling. "Thank you, your help is appreciated. That is a lot off my mind, honestly. There's been a lot going on lately, I haven't had the time to come by."
Kira nods some. "Yes... all the guards have been so busy. No one seems to have time to talk with me lately... what's happening?"
Louma sighs lightly. "Yes, some of the guards have had their schedules moved around a bit, it's causing a little unrest. It's related to Erika's problem, actually. A number of us are heading out to try and find the flower that may have caused her transformation... And possibly find a peculiar bear that had chased her at one point. I think our stalling is causing a little unrest in the ranks, as well."
Kira frowns. "Ah... I don't like it... everyone is a bit angry... I wish I could help somehow..."
Louma gives Kira a warm smile, shrugging. "I suppose with the temporary generator running, a lot of the street lights are functioning? I'm not sure what else we could ask of you."
Kira nods, looking around to see the lights turning on as the evening light fades. "Maybe I could help with the search?"
Louma pauses, leaning slightly back as she thinks. "I... Don't see any reason why not? We weren't considering taking any citizens with us, but you could fly away from any danger. And en extra pair of eyes above could be helpful..."
Kira smiles a bit. "Only if you think I won't hinder you..."
Louma rubs the underside of her beak, honestly considering the pros and cons. "I could carry your rations for you, but everyone has to provide most of what they'll need for up to a week."
Kira nods. "As long as there are flowers about, I'll be fine for food and water..." She looks at Louma. "What else would I need?"
Louma chuckles lightly, then hums. "Well... One of our objectives is a flower that I would heavily suggest not eating, it's blue, and may be the root of our problems. Outside of that... Your lantern could be immensely helpful."
Kira nods. "I'll avoid any unfamiliar flowers. I could also just extract some extra nectar to bring along..."
Louma: "That might be wise. We're only highly suspicious of the flower. Nesseth is sourcing a way to get quickly distill water for everyone, on top of all food being brought from town." She sighs, smiling warmly at Kira. "Well, our party just keeps growing. Unlike everyone else, I can't order you to get a checkup with Plume, but I'd like to ask you to."
Kira nods. "I will, yes..." They flutter in place a bit and look around. "Um, would you like to come in and talk about this more?"
Louma nods. "Sure. I'd also like to catch up with you in general, if you like. It's been a while." She slithers into the home who's familiarity is slightly tainted in her memory, spending a few hours with Kira as they discuss recent events and Kira's new friendship.