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RESPITE CLINIC - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Louma arrives some time early for her appointment with Plume, landing just outside of the yard and making her way to the door, shaking the exercise from her wings as they fold back. She straightens the guard uniform and quickly preens her feathers down before knocking twice sharply, waiting for Plume.
Doc Plume is just straightening up the medicine cabinet after a long string of appointments when the knock comes. They look over to the door and call out. "Please come in, Captain."
Louma pushes the door open, giving Plume a friendly smile when she spots them as she brings her tail inside, using the tip to gently shut the door. She gives a short bow in greeting. "Good afternoon, Doctor. How does the day find you?"
Doc Plume latches the cabinet shut at the same moment the door closes before turning and walking over to their desk, giving a similar bow in return. "Well enough. A few of the local kids found a patch of poison thistles, though, so I've been dealing with a lot of rashes all morning, on top of the physicals for the expedition team. Are you really sure about the moth? She seems awfully delicate..."
Louma makes her way to roughly the center of the main room, coiling slightly to relax, though remaining at Plume's eye level. "I've thought about it. She's travelling with an experienced group, and has the advantage of flight in case things do take a bad turn. On the other hand, she's a civilian, and not obligated to join us." She shrugs, smiling faintly. "She seems excited to help. If you're that concerned, I can discuss it with her further."
Doc Plume shakes their head as they finally relax a bit, thinking for a bit. "I'm more worried about Brunilda, but as long as you're satisfied that she's built up the endurance, then I'll trust you." Their eyes begin to scan over Louma's frame, their mind already moving ahead to Louma's own physical.
Louma sighs, looking aside for a moment. "I'm... Not sure about her, actually. Although..." She looks back to plume with a skewed smile, "If you had seen the way she eliminated that dummy at the training grounds the day she asked."
Doc Plume nods. "Up to you, like I said. Just have a plan for getting her out if she aggravates her injuries and can't walk." They tuck their tail into the loop on the back of their suspenders and move over to the sink to wash their hands. "Now then, your turn." They nod toward the exam table.
Louma nods, uncoiling and approaching the table when she realizes an issue, breaking her mild facade for a moment. "Er... How do you want me to..." She shakes her wings and wiggles her tail to emphasize that sitting and lying aren't particularly strong options.
Doc Plume turns back and cocks their head. "Do whatever approximation you can of sitting on the table."
Louma considers the table. She eventually decides on coiling in a U shape around the base at one end, up over the edge on one side, so the edge between her feathers and scales is on the table top. "Ehh... This will do?"
Doc Plume nods. "Good enough, sure." Their nimble fingers begin a practiced insistent yet gentle examination. "Any aches and pains? Anything odd happen lately?"
Louma shakes her head, relaxing for the examination. "Not particularly. For a while I was getting some sore spots along my tail, but shortly after Brunilda started helping with office tasks, those stopped." She tugs at the guard uniform. "Should I remove this?"
Doc Plume nods, having finished the examination of Louma's head and wings. "Please. Have you been sleeping well? Eating normally? Any irregularity in your urine or stool?"
Louma loosens the clasps on the left of the garment, as well as removing the belt that secures it under her wings. She tugs the uniform over her head, folding it carefully and setting it beside her on the table. The feathers underneath are slightly matted down, but clean, except the fluff of downy feathers from her abdomen to her collar bones, which puffs right out. "A little sleep trouble worrying about the expedition, but
Louma everything else has been status quo." She lifts her arms out of the way.
Doc Plume resumes the examination, stretching out Louma's wings one at a time before feeling where they join her back and then moving up to her neck. The examination continues apace, with Plume asking mundane questions and finishing up with Louma's upper half in good time. "All right, now the rest of you..."
Louma answers the questions honestly, with no major issues to hide in the first place. She nods to Plume, bringing her tail slowly up onto the table as she adjusts to maintain her balance. "You legged folks... So much is designed without snakes in mind." She chuckles as most of her tail is zig-zagged on the tabletop. She glances at a spot that has slight discoloration from her bear related injury, frowning slightly.
Doc Plume gives a thorough examination to Louma's tail but finds nothing of note except a few old scars. "Well, looks to me like you're in fine health, as far as I can tell. On the outside at least."
Louma nods, smiling. "Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate you doing this for us." She slides from the table as she speaks, picking up her uniform and quickly slipping it on. "I'm sorry that we're going to be pulling Nesseth out of town for a while, by the way, but he is an exceptionally skilled tracker."
Doc Plume nods, though their face betrays a bit of worry. "Please watch out for him. He means so much to me..." They walk back to the sink and wash their hands again, not wanting to give voice to any of the thoughts floating around in their head.
Louma nods slowly as she refastens everything. "I understand, and will do everything I can to protect my people. It... I feel it was a failure of my own that we have to find this bear. If I could do this task alone, I would."
Doc Plume smiles a bit as they turn back and walk over to the table again. "It's all for a good cause though. If we can get samples of the flower and rescue your transformed guards, then we'll be that much closer to figuring out this problem."
Louma sighs lightly and nods. "Yes, hopefully anything we accomplish will help in the end. Do you think the cure could be linked to the offending flower in some way?"
Doc Plume cocks their head. "It's the best lead we have right now. Isolating the cause would at least give us the ability to figure out how to purge it from the body."
Louma hums as she thinks, pausing. "I know these questions aren't really immediately important, but while they're in mind. How do you intend on testing any flower we return with?"
Doc Plume walks over to their desk and picks up a large book about botanical alchemy, bringing it over. "Mostly with the methods presented here. I'll get Erika's help with it, of course..."
Louma nods, a relived smile coming up as she examines the cover of the book. "Oh good... I didn't want to think you'd do something insane, but the idea of having someone eat it was stubbornly holding in my mind." She chuckles lightly.
Louma: "Probably a holdover from Hooktail's reign of misconduct."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "Oh no, that would be foolhardy." They frown a bit. "The more I learn about that old ape, the less I like him..."
Louma laughs a little more openly, thinking about the previous doctor. "Oh yes. I suppose he could have been called conventional, in that he seemed to ignore progress. If he weren't still effective in his methods, he'd probably be tried for malpractice."
Doc Plume nods. "He sounds like a glorified field medic, from what I've read. Workmanlike but thinking he was more..." They shake their head. "But let's not talk ill about someone not here." They untuck their tail from the suspenders and look Louma over. "How long do you think the expedition will take?"
Louma nods, reeling herself in a bit. "You're right, that was impolite of me. I can't say for sure, but I've had everyone pack a minimum of one week of rations. If we don't find anything before then, the group will return, and another captain will take over for the next week with a new group of volunteers." She gives a light smile. "I promise not to keep Nesseth away for longer than a week."
Doc Plume nods. "Sounds like a wise plan. I assume the second wave becomes a rescue party if you don't return?"
Louma falters slightly, nodding after a bit. "Yes, if it comes to that."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "Sorry. I should stop catastophizing."
Louma smiles, bowing slightly. "You love him, don't you? I understand completely."
Doc Plume gives a small nod. "Deeply."
Louma settles on her tail coil, folding her hands in front of her. "It's nice, isn't it? To have someone that just sees you for you, doesn't care about where you came from, or what your family is."
Doc Plume walks back to their desk and sits down, taking a moment to respond. "Yes... I never expected to find love when I came here. Acceptance, maybe, but that's all..."
Louma nods knowingly. "Neither did I, but I suppose that's how things just tend to go." She seems to grow a bit distant, before continuing. "But Respite is some kind of beast, and takes things away from you when complacency sets in." She shakes her head, a humorless chuckle coming up. "Sorry, I suppose it was my turn to bring the doom and gloom again."
Doc Plume doesn't respond for a moment, but then just nods a bit. "One can never get too comfortable..."
Louma shakes her head again, trying to knock the shadow out of her head. "I don't have a canned speech for love, it's not in my training." She grins a bit, "That flame you two have nurtured will take more than a few cold nights to die, and the warmth will be very welcome when he comes back in one piece."
Doc Plume nods. "I know. I just worry." They stand up again and head to the door. "I think I need a bit of air. Join me outside?"
Louma uncoils and slithers along to the door, 'stepping' outside and immediately feeling relief.
Doc Plume walks outside with Louma. The two keep chatting for a while about life and love. The mood has noticably lightened by the time that Plume's next appointment shows up, bringing an end to the conversation.
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RESPITE MARKETPLACE - AFTERNOON
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Dorri is walking around the marketplace browsing the various stalls as she stocks up for herself and her apprentice for the next week or so. She's already bought most of the dry goods, with the sack she's carrying around already looking much too heavy for a normal person of her size to lug around with such ease.
Maybelline is buying some fresh ingredients with a mind towards preparing lunch, picking out a few things that sound tasty with a mind towards cooking, though she doesn't have a particular recipe in mind or the cooking ability to back it up. She walks alongside Dorri at one of the stalls, smiling up at the larger being, "Oh ah, excuse me."
Dorri has to pull back to keep from swinging her sack square into May's face. She manages to scramble back a couple of feet and the sack swings by harmlessly. "Oh! Careful there... this thing's heavy..." She sets the sack down for a moment to assess the stoat's condition. "Didn't hit ya, did I?"
Maybelline ducks away from the bag, fairly used to dodging folks bigger then her, "Oh! Nope, sorry! I just uh, prefer to let folks know I'm near rather then trying to dodge around. Didn't mean to inconvenience you at all."
Dorri grunts in assent as she resumes browsing the vegetables on offer at this stall. "That's good. Last thing I need is more stories about the crazy old goat up on the mountain getting around..."
Maybelline chuckles, "Well, uh, I'm not much of one to start rumors..." She stares up at the goat a moment. "Sorry... have we met before? The horns look familiar but... I'm awful at names. I'm May, by the way."
Dorri squints at May a bit and ponders. "Maybe? If so, not for long in any case." She offers a well calloused hand from a lifetime of hard work. "Dorri. Good to make your acquaintance, May."
Maybelline reaches up to shake hands, her own hands not quite so calloused, but definitely not a stranger to hard work. "And good to make yours, Dorri. You said the mountain? I... wasn't aware anyone lived outside of the town? I thought it was pretty dangerous?"
Dorri nods. "There's a few farms and the like, but I'm up on the Fall Spire. Got an observatory up there. Watch and chart the stars and the like. Nothing bothers me up on the mountain, really. Too much hassle when there's softer things to eat down here."
Maybelline chuckles a little nervously at the last comment, but can't help but be intrigued. "Oh wow, An observatory? I'd heard about some of the advancements they'd been making with telescopes before I moved here."
Dorri nods. "Been following that. Sounds fancy, but if its stars that sailors can't see, no reason for me to be charting them, which means that my current telescopes are good enough for now... Not that I'm not interested, mind..." They buy a moderately sized bag of mixed root vegetables from the merchant and add it into the sack. "And what do you do here?"
Maybelline points a thumb over her shoulder towards the generator complex, "Uh, official title is Lead Generator Engineer, but I'm the only one. I guess I've sorta got a team, but it's all volunteers mostly. Working on rebuilding after the uh accident awhile back."
Dorri blinks, as vague recollections of an unproductive incident flash in her mind. She leaves those aside. "Ah, well, my tower blew down a while back. Just got done rebuilding it a few weeks back..."
Maybelline starts, "Blew down?! Hope you're alright." She frowns, "Well, you're here talking, and done rebuilding? That's good. I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but I've got the emergency power restored to the town at least."
Dorri hefts up the sack and moves away from the market stall so as to let other patrons peruse the potatoes. "Yeah... just the tower, not where I live... was due for a rebuild anyway... and I picked up an apprentice of sorts along the way, so it worked out for the best, I suppose."
Maybelline follows along, walking with Dorri as she nods along. "Huh... I guess I sort of have too. I'm not much of a teacher though. Glad to hear everything's worked out for the better."
Dorri nods. "It's also made this old goat realize that she should be social a bit more often. A bit too easy to just forget the world exists when you're up on a mountain..."
Maybelline scratches her cheek, "That's... a good lesson. I had to learn it the hard way. Cutting myself off from others was only ensuring that I stayed lonely."
Dorri nods. "I grumbled about my family not sending me an apprentice, but I wasn't exactly the best at keeping in touch." She shrugs a bit. "Besides, the town is nice enough. More folks around than when I first came here, at least."
Maybelline nods back, the influx of new people noticable even in the short time she's been in town. "Guess that includes me. I don't know much about the previous Engineer, but it sounds like they weren't the sociable type. I wasn't either..." She sighs, "Hard lessons, wanting more, and nearly dying in the generator explosion. I just... I realized I need more. I need more folks in my life. More friends." She smiles up at Dorri a bit awkwardly.
Dorri blinks. "Oh right.. that was the generator that blew up..." They look May over. "You seem to be in one piece though, so I'm glad about that... and yeah, having some friends are good. Even if they're just stubborn crabs..."
Maybelline nods, "Or stubborn elephants, yeah. I got lucky. There's a bit of scarring on my side, but I'm up and walking and... alive. It's a lot to think about sometimes."
Dorri laughs. "Better than the alternative." She looks around the market and then up at the bright sun. "Would you mind if we took this talk to the minnow? Blasted sun's got me parched..."
Maybelline shakes her head, "Nah, that sounds good, actually. I could use a coffee and a sandwich, come to think of it."
Dorri gives a happy grin as she gets to her hooves and hefts up the bag with far too much ease for her short frame. "Well, let's go then..."
Maybelline grins as well, walking alongside the larger goat as the two head off to just chat over lunch, making a much better go at friendship this second time around.
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RESPITE MARKETPLACE - AFTERNOON
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Louma has given up her afternoon to take over patrol duty for a sick guard, not really having anything else to do with her time, but wanting to spend time around town before the looming departure. Her route takes her back and forth past Strix's alley and stall a few times before she thinks to peek into either for the kobold.
Strix was behind the stalls, he didn't have anything of huge note on sale beyond what was normal. Light globes, some warm jackets, Strix was mostly bored..this really felt like work, but all the stuff he'd stuck in Louma's coat had actually been pretty expensive, so he needed the money! He perks up a little when Louma arrives "Ah! Yes Louma! Come for Shocker?"
Louma smiles, giving the kobold a shallow bow in greeting. "Hello Strix. Yes, actually. How is that coming along?"
Strix: "Strix made it" He sticks up a sign, with a picture of Strix on it, and a little cross through it, before beckoning him towards a little curtained off area "Strix not want to show everyone else. Strix...not really like making this"
Louma looks at the sign, suppressing a giggle as she moves around the stall into the shrouded area, her upper body entering the relatively small space, though she opts to bunch up her tail just outside the curtain instead of taking up too much room. "I understand, Strix. I hope it makes you feel better that, if all goes as intended, your shocker is going to be rescuing a good friend of mine."
Strix: "Yes, nobody has ever bought weapon and said 'This is for bad reasons'" He reaches into a box, and lifts out a false bottom, before taking out a metallic glove, with a single gem resting in the palm part "First shot launches gem at target, then shock shot after" He places it on the table "Then, third shot returns gem" He taps the gem "When gem returns, gem will shock user" He grows a little serious "Nobody should use a weapon unless they're willing to surface the same effect. Gem will shock as badly as target is shocked" He taps the small dial on the side "Power guage there..and..don't worry. Return shock checks for weight..will get same effect, not same power shock" The shock on the user is 100% added in after the fact, and there's probably a ton of ways to circumvent it (in fact, there's a button on the side labeled 'Return shock on/off) but..it's the principle of the thing.
Louma nods, examining the device n Strix's hands as she listens to his instructions. She can't help but grin at his built in caveat. "I agree with that, in fact. Granted I don't believe a weapon should hurt it's user as badly as it's target, but with something as unique as what you've made, perhaps it's for the best." She turns to the side, retrieving a pouch of coins and setting them upon the box before waiting to be offered the glove. "These are for your efforts, but as for the weapon, we will not be keeping it. After it has served it's purpose, I promise to return it to you."
Strix: "Strix not want to make weapons" He pushes the glove forward, and waves the gold away "and Strix very not want to be paid to make it. If needs to be used, use it. Don't make this about gold"
Louma sighs, shaking her head. "You're too noble, Strix, honestly." She takes the money back before picking the glove up with a little hesitation. She examines it closely before fitting it to her hand. She mutters "Unless they're willing to risk the same, hmm?" before turning the dial to roughly 10%, then points the gem towards the curtain. She sends it out, surprised at how little impact it seems to have on the cloth despite it's fast flight. On triggering it again the curtain is unsurprisingly unaffected. She presses the third button with baited breath, which escapes through a hiss as she feels the aforementioned effect, her arm tingling. "Yes... I understand."
Strix: "Strix has rules, Strix follows. Does not make Strix Good. A good Strix would not need rules" He shrugs, before passing over a small booklet. It's got a -lot- of pictures in it, with small notes "Instruction manual" He passes over another sheet of paper "Indemnity form" That piece of paper relinquishes Strix of any possible harm from use including [Worrying long list, like..what does 'Iskeaisation' even mean!?]
Louma frowns reflexively at the paperwork, noting that only one thing is an actual form. She removes the glove, securing it to her belt instead as she looks over the form and finally signs it with a nod, picking up the rest of the papers. "Alright then. If that's everything, I'll be on my way. Well... Back to patrolling the market, so not that far on my way."
Strix: "Yes" Strix takes the form, and files it away. Strix hasn't learned much about 'Topfolk Culture'..but damnit he's taken the time to learn the glory of paperwork! Just one piece of paper, and people can't get angry at him for things that aren't really his fault. "Good Patrol. Strix can give help if Louma needs it...." He peers outside "Strix must go now" He dashes out to slap away an overly curious Patron that was using his lack of presence to get too landsy with his goods.
Louma exits from the curtained area, giving the kobold's customer a narrowed look before turning to move on. She finds an open area and quickly takes off to drop the weapon and paperwork off at the barracks before returning to her patrol, occasionally rubbing at her arm and considering Strix's words carefully for the rest of her shift.
Narrator: One of the patrons that Strix had chased away hadn't gotten away empty handed. She had snatched one of Strix's 'Float Orbs', and once she had reached her safe house, she tests it, letting it float over her hand. She took out a small mechanic bird, and placed the orb in its little carrier pouch, with a small note. 'Source found. Awaiting Orders'. As the bird zipped off, she settled back to draft one more thing, a Bounty, for the capture of one Kobold Salesclerk.