----------------------------------------------
RESPITE WATERFALL - MORNING
----------------------------------------------
Louma flies over the wall near the North Gate, making her way quickly toward the waterfalls. She had wanted to go for a quiet swim since they had begun their return, though alone so she could be a little more herself. Louma circles over the clearing for a moment before coming down for a soft landing, shaking her wings out and beginning to pull her cotton shirt up as she spots an odd, yet familiar shape under the trees, some thirty feet away from where she'd landed. Squinting, she realizes that someone's set up a tent, which causes her to hesitate and let her shirt drop back into place as she slowly slithers closer to investigate.
Narrator: The tent isn't fancy in the least. Simple oilcloth stretched over three polls with a front flap that's tied shut. The sound of someone sleeping inside can be heard, though the sleeping is restful and the sound not really audible over the noise of the songbirds and waterfall.
Louma slithers through the grass, entering the shade of the trees as she lowers her head a little, squinting less as her eyes adjust to the lower light. She tucks her wings in tight and stops around five feet from the cloth, examining it. She can't hear the breathing from inside over the other sounds, but does notice the flap is tied shut. She looks around for a moment before breaking the relative silence. "Hello? Is there anyone in there?"
Narrator: The sound of a mumble and movement comes from inside the tent and then stops again, as the resident seemingly returns to sleep after rolling over or the like.
Louma definitely hears the sleepy mumbling, wondering if she should continue trying to wake the person up. There's no law against people making camp near Respite, and she's not on duty at the moment anyways. She shrugs to herself, deciding to leave well enough alone as she turns to return to her own business. She brushes against some low bushes on her way, the branches snapping as she goes.
Enver wakes up at the sound of the snapping branches and slowly comes to. He reaches up to untie the flap of the tent and peeks out quietly, noticing the larger stranger nearby.
Louma hears the rustling of the cloth behind her, pausing and turning back. Upon spotting the mongooses face, she gives a slight bow. "Ah, my apologies, I wasn't intending to wake you."
Enver blinks up at Louma and pulls back inside the tent. "I don't have anything worth stealing," he says matter-of-factly. "If that's what your after, it's not worth it." He emerges a few moments later, moving slowly and dressed only in his smallclothes. He ties the flap of the tent again and begins to move toward the pool at the base of the waterfall.
Louma watches the mongoose balking slightly at his words. She puts a hand to her chest as she turns and heads towards the pool as well. "I might take offense at that accusation, why would you think I'm a thief?"
Enver shrugs. "Who else would be sneaking around someone's tent at this hour?" He reaches the pool and slides gracefully into the water, the coarser guardhairs of his coat sticking out even more dramatically than normal.
Louma shakes her head, chuckling quietly to herself. "Hmm, good question. I might not be a thief, but I could be a kidnapper, or a killer." She doesn't hesitate to pull off her cotton shirt before also slipping into the water, causing surprisingly little disturbance until her wings dip in and make a larger pair of ripples.
Enver laughs a bit. "Just being realistic. Can't do much to defend myself or my stuff, so better if i'm honest with folks that I ain't got nothing." He plunges his head under the water for a moment before surfacing again. "I wouldn't be the easiest prey, but I'm no soldier, so..."
Louma grins, splashing water on herself before sinking down to her shoulders. "That's pretty wise for someone so young. Did you earn that wisdom the hard way?"
Enver shrugs. "Define hard way. Nobody's robbed me here, but I've been out on my own for a couple of months now and no one else is looking out for me, so it's best to be pragmatic..."
Louma nods, sighing in slight relief. "Glad to know you haven't run into trouble out here, that would mean more work for me and my comrades." She dives under the water, swimming out towards the center of the pool before looping back toward the shore before surfacing a short way out, her feathers shedding the water easily.
Enver swims closer to the shore, but stays away from the cascade itself, where the water is much colder. "Worst that's happened is I had someone sit on a log I was sleeping in and break it..."
Louma chuckles, settling into the water again. "I'm afraid you can't report that to the guards, unless you owned the log."
Enver laughs. "All I own is in that tent.. and the tent itself, though that was a gift from the one who broke my log..." He scoops up some water and pours it over his head. "So, if you're not here to rob me, you just come for a bath?"
Louma nods. "Yes, exactly. I didn't feel like a hot bath at the bath house, and the tub in my house is big enough for me to curl up in, but not swim." She begins slowly turning in the water as her tail circles, working the stiffness from slithering for a week out of her body. "I suppose you chose this spot because it's normally fairly quiet?"
Enver nods. "Yeah, quiet, pretty safe. Usually some folks about at most hours. Also, the mountain blocks sunrise for a bit, so it stays dark longer in the mornings for more sleep..." He swims out to a largish rock and climbs on top of it gracefully. "Hoping that soon enough I'll have enough coin to take a room at that inn, though, but gotta keep myself fed first of all."
Louma watches Enver, nodding. "I see. Are you here on your own, then?"
Enver stretches out on the rock and nods. "Yeah... just me." His tail flicks back and forth, making little splashes as it hits the top of the water.
Louma sinks into the water a bit, humming. She pauses for a long moment before continuing with her next question. "May I ask what brought you to Respite?"
Enver blinks. "A ship... and then a caravan... isn't that how everyone gets here?" He rolls over onto his belly and drags his left hand through the water, watching it swirl around his fingers.
Louma chuckles dryly, giving him a bit of a look. "Yes, I've not heard that one in a few years, you must be a jester then."
Enver looks up at Louma. "Juggler, mostly. Some acrobatics, but never been trained in that end of it. Would love to learn though."
Louma hesitates, blinking. "Oh, so you are an entertainer? Hm, I never thought there was much demand for that around here, but also never really had the time to seek any out. Would you care to show me, sometime?"
Enver nods. "Yeah. You can find me in the market most afternoons..." He slides off the rock and float on top fo the water. "What about you? What do you do?"
Louma nods, realizing he must be a fairly recent arrival in that case. "Ah, of course. I am Louma, a captain of the guard." She rises out of the water, giving Enver a polite bow before settling back into the refreshing coolness.
Enver blinks. "Oh, uh, I'm not doing anything wrong, right?" He rolls over onto his back, his eyes closing as his long slender body just floats in the cool water while the morning sun warms his belly.
Louma chuckles quietly. "No, the land around the town is free to use. There's also no laws against public entertainers, just against major disruption. Honestly, patrol can be so boring, I'm sure my guards would be happy to run across you on their routes. Just try not to distract the wall patrols too much." She winks at Enver, chuckling to herself again.
Enver laughs. "Not enough folks near the walls, honestly. The guards in the market do stop for a bit sometimes, though." His floating causes him to accidentally bump into Louma. He flails a bit and loses his balance atop the water, falling in and splashing Louma right in the face. "Whoa... sorry..."
Louma laughs, moving slightly away from Enver as he splashes around. "I was wondering what you were up to, awfully bold to just float into an undressed lady like that."
Enver blushes hotly and swims away, putting some distance between them again. "Didn't mean nothing by it, ma'am... I'm sorry..."
Louma laughs again, shaking her head. "You could have introduced yourself first, at least. But I'm not offended, don't worry." She pats her flat avian chest, the pouff of feathers giving way to her taloned fingers. "Nothing there for you to have been after anyways."
Enver blushes more. He turns to face Louma. "I'm Enver, ma'am... glad you didn't take offence. Last thing I need is a guard captain on my case..."
Louma settles back into the water, calming down. "Glad to meet you, Enver. As long as you don't do anything illegal, there's nothing to worry about. You seem to be on a rough start, but so have a lot of people in Respite. If you ever need help, just ask, people around here are usually willing to give what they can."
Enver leans against one of the rocks at the edge of the pool. "Yes ma'am, but I'm not here to be anyone's charity case."
Louma shakes her head. "All of us need some help sometimes."
Enver nods. "I know... but I'm not there yet. Hope not to be..."
Louma shrugs, leaning onto her back in the water as her wings spread out, floating about on the surface as her tail slowly paddles her in a wide circle. "That's good, I'll hope you never have to ask for help, as well. I'm just trying to make sure you know you're in a good place."
Enver smiles. "Thanks. That's good to know. Sorry, what was the name again? Louda?"
Louma chuckles quietly. "Close, it's Louma."
Enver laughs. "Right, sorry..." He looks at Louma again. "So what exactly does a guard captain do?"
Louma grunts in an exaggerated way at being reminded of work right now. "A lot of paperwork, meetings, briefings, and scheduling. Once in a while I'll fill in for one of my guards just for something else to do. The expedition that I just returned from was a welcome change of pace, especially since it was a success."
Enver cocks his head. "Expedition?"
Louma straightens up, shaking the water off her wings. "Yes, looking for a couple lost people, as well as a plant suspected of poisoning someone here in town."
Narrator: The two continue chatting for a bit, enjoying each others' company while they bathe.
----------------------------------------------
THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
----------------------------------------------
Louma sits atop her coiled tail alone at a side table, a large bowl of hot, meaty stew and a quarter loaf of bread in front of her, and a book written in Orelan Snakescript spread out at an angle beside the food. Finishing a paragraph, she covers the book with a ready napkin, then enjoys a few moments with her food before uncovering and returning to the pages to continue.
Brunilda walks in, looking bit dusty and worn again, as though she's spent time at the training grounds yet again. She leaves her halberd at the door before making her way to the bar, getting herself her usual pint. The elephant seems to be rather deep in thought, not noticing Louma on the side at first.
Louma continues to read through the next paragraph, humming quietly to herself as she turns the page, then goes through the same routine of covering the book before turning to her food again. As she looks up from the bowl she sees Brunilda at the bar, pausing as she glances about and spotting the halberd by the door. She considers the elephant for a moment before clearing her throat of food and speaking up. "Good evening Brunilda! How does the day find you?"
Brunilda blinks and turns to look up: "Oh. Hey there Louma." She picks up her pint and walks towards her friend and captain: "Just came from the training grounds, had to spend some energy again I guess. How about you?"
Louma nods, smiling as she shifts her stew towards her a bit to make a little more room for Brun. "Understandable. Just enjoying a bit of time off as well as I can. How many poor defenseless dummies did your halberd tear apart today?"
Brunilda shrugs a bit: "Four or five. Don't worry, I replaced them as usual." She sits down a bit heavily, showing just how tired she actually is.
Louma nods, taking note of Brun's posture. "Well just don't wear yourself out too hard. You're irreplacable, Brunilda."
Brunilda chuckles, shaking her head: "Heh. Hardly. Just the only elephant in the guard right now."
Louma shakes her head slightly, dipping a piece of her bread into the stew. "Who cares what the guard needs?" She quickly eats the chunk of dripping bread, but doesn't return to her book right away.
Brunilda takes a gulp from her pint: "You?"
Louma chuckles, shrugging. "I suppose I do, but the wellbeing of my subordinates is a little more important than filling the ranks."
Brunilda shrugs, leaning back on the chair: "Guess so. I'm fine, anyway."
Louma nods curtly, picking up another piece of her bread. "Good. How were things around here while we were away? Any interesting new arrivals? Fires? Murders? Mysteries?" She dips the bread and lets it soak for a moment.
Brunilda shrugs again, sipping at her pint: "Nothing of note I guess."
Louma eats the bread while nodding. She finishes her food, licking the side of her beak. "Mmph, excuse me. I suppose it was only a week, but then you can't blame me for expecting to come back to catastrophy after last time, can you?" She grins at Brun, chuckling quietly.
Brunilda raises an eyebrow: "Last time?" She pauses: "Oh, you mean when we first met. Yeah, dunno. I've just been spending time at the training grounds with Fiora..."
Louma smiles, nodding. "Ah, so you've become friends with Fiora? That's good to hear. Have you two been training together?"
Brunilda smiles, thinking back on the several afternoon spent with the giraffe: "Yeah. She's fun. And for once I don't have to look down to talk."
Louma chuckles, nodding. "I suppose that would be a nice change of pace, hmm? I'm happy for you. Any interesting new techniques?"
Brunilda nods, smiling: "Yeah, she's shown me some of the errors in my ways - I'm a bit too forward and predictable. Works with sand gators, but less so with a savvy opponent, you know."
Louma nods, continuing with her stew as Brun talks. "Mhmm, that's a core principle in the snake military, using a lot of false cues to throw off opponent predictions. It helps that we don't only have two points of contact with the ground to move from, I suppose. Have you noticed a lot of improvement?"
Brunilda shrugs, leaning back again: "Don't know. Hard to tell if I'm improving, but at least it's a good way to keep in shape."
Louma chuckles again. "That's very true. In any case, you seem to be happy. Have you tried sparring with your new techniques?"
Brunilda smirks a bit: "A bit, but I've only gotten to learning."
Louma finishes the last of her stew, setting the bowl and spoon aside as she centers her book in front of herself, though she leaves the cloth over it for the moment. "What about things at the generator? Everything going alright with your studies?"
Brunilda takes a sip of her pint: "Still waiting for May to finish up the design, mostly. Helping where I can, but it's not too much at the moment."
Louma nods, humming quietly. "I suppose that's true. She said she's waiting on the Oldhammer smith to start working on the parts, but he's too concerned with Erika's condition, correct?"
Brunilda frowns, nodding: "Yeah, Cavro's been busy with Erika from what I understand."
Louma sighs, shrugging. "Not much one can really ask in that situation. I'm confident Plume will figure something out."
Brunilda nods slowly: "Let's hope so. All I can really do is wait. Distract myself..." She thinks of a particular giraffe and blushes ever-so-slightly.
Louma: "Finding a good distraction is tough in Respite, but I think training with Fiora is a good start."
Brunilda blinks, then chuckles: "Yeah, probably..." She shrugs: "It's fun, at least."
Louma pays the barkeep for her food as he arrives to take her bowl away, then moves the cloth from her book. "For now, anyways. Don't get too enamoured with her. Arms-length is a safe bet with bounty hunters."
Brunilda raises an eyebrow: "That sounds like it came from experience."
Louma shrugs, leaning back onto her coil a bit. "Some from experience, some from word of mouth. Bounty hunters are usually not afraid to break the law and hurt people to get their mark."
Brunilda considers this: "Yeah, guess that is so... still, no harm in just brawling, right?"
Louma shakes her head. "No harm in brawling, no harm in talking or being friendly. Just keep it in mind, Brunilda. I don't forsee an issue, and I don't mean any ill against Fiora, but if she should choose to do something wrong, it can't be a choice for you to do something about it."
Brunilda nods: "Of course. I wouldn't put anyone in harm's way."
Louma smiles warmly, nodding. "I figured that was the case."
Brunilda gives a small smile and a sigh: "Still, she's... well, hard to put to words. But she's fun to be with."
Louma chuckles, nodding. "I can wager she's told you some rather exciting adventure stories, hmm?"
Brunilda nods, smiling: "She's certainly seen more of the world than me."
Louma tilts her head a bit, smiling. "Does it give you a bit of wanderlust?"
Brunilda humms a bit: "I don't know. Kind of, but... maybe not really. Respite is my home, and travel doesn't agree with me."
Louma leans her elbows on the table, glancing down at the book briefly. "It is a little hard to leave once you're here. Whether that's a good thing or not depends, I suppose."
Brunilda nods, taking a sip of her drink: "Yeah... I dunno. Just thoughts I guess."
Narrator: The two continue talking for a while, catching up on recent events.
----------------------------------------------
RESPITE MARKET - EVENING
----------------------------------------------
Maria steps out of the modest work shop having dressed in evening attire, a simple dress of fine quality and high fashion in the larger cities. Silver hair tied up to keep off her neck while she trai ed her staff, the summer breeze cooled her olive skin. Se watched as some ships closed for the night but with basket in hand she walked towards the poorer districts. A large silver furred fox tail winging near her ankles cause the thin dress to swish from side to side. When approached by a small group of children it was clear she had found her targets. She knelt down with a smile. she spoke sweetly almost in a song like fashion, due to her heritage it was how she always sounded. She produces small colored bottle for each of them. One by one as she passed them to the children they crackled and fogged as an icy chill ran through the bottle. "where i am from, everyone deserves a treat. should you ever need a thing i am on main street, please do come by." She says as they scamper away. she stands with easy brushing her dress off. Her family had made a name for themselves, she herself was bred for business purposes but when she came of age she struck out on her own... to start her own adventure, here no one knee her family, or their fortune... she was simply another citizen trying to make a living.
Maria turns humming a soft almost unnaturally alluring tone as she continued to had out her froze. Juice drinks till she was all out. People in this town made her choice to leave home feel more and more right. she walked out the back out the back of her property when she arrived the cooling fans having been outfitted with small bottles and condensers. a simple touch of her fingers energized the jars causing them to blow out cool misting air. When she found her seat on the porch she began to cool down, the sign that hung above in bright letters now read, simply. "Ice and Air"
Maria before long began to see the sun peak which brought her a great deal of excitement. As the day got warmer she could have her first official day of business, she was filled with nerves and excitement about it. soon even shift was headed out but not minutes behind them was their relief. she stood at the entrance to the building enjoying the nice cool air. the. Nobles in her home land all quite enjoyed the air conditioning her family was known for, but it shouldn't be a staple for the rich.., that wasn't fair.