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THE THIRSTY MINNOW, EARLY EVENING
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Erika walks into the bar, looking contemplative. "Hum. Haven't been here in a while..." She wanders to the bar and gets herself an ice water before sitting down. She picks up a botany book from her shoulder bag and starts reading, having felt like taking a break from the garden for a moment.
Cavro is sitting at the bar, waiting for his food order to arrive. The badger seems to have found his wool coat, though it's just resting over the back of his seat at the moment. He looks to his right as Erika sits down, nodding to her. He reaches out and pats her forearm gently, but draws back after a moment and returns to waiting for his food.
Erika looks at Cavro with a smile, although the smile turns slightly confused at his touch. She withdraws her hand, looking at it as though inspecting for lasting impact. She takes a sip of her water before glancing back to Cavro: "Hey."
Cavro gives her a smile as he looks to Erika again. "Hi. How have you been? And the garden?" He looks to her eyes, a moment longer, before glancing away as his stew is set down.
Erika shrugs, smiling slightly: "It's... fine? No scratch that, it's actually better than it has been I think." She pauses, musing: "...What does 'scratch that' actually mean, where does that saying come from? Never thought about it before."
Cavro hums, looking at the food he'd ordered before turning back to Erika. "I don't know... Scratch something off of paper, maybe? Or scratch an inscription? We could ask someone."
Nesseth steps into the bar with a bit of a yawn, having decided to stop by for a quick drink and some chit-chat on his way out from the barracks after an afternoon patrol. He makes his way to the bar, taking a seat and quickly ordering himself a nice, cool drink before he looks around at the other patrons. He blinks and smiles upon noticing the badger and okapi. "Evening Erika, Cavro."
Erika nods, humming: "Yeah... it's an odd thing to say." She is quiet for a moment, and about to say something else before she notices Nesseth coming in: "Oh! Hey."
Cavro turns to Nesseth with a smile as he's greeted, nodding to him. "Good evening Nesseth, how have you been?"
Nesseth nods as he accepts his drink from the barkeep. "Been pretty good, though guard duty's been slow. How about you two? Things been going well as of late?"
Erika shrugs, glancing at Cavro: "Yeah... pretty good I think? Garden's great as always this time of year, going to make it really thrive."
Cavro gives a noncommital shrug, thinking for a few moments. "Well... I I think most of the orders are caught up, so I have a little more time on on my hands... Have been thinking about borrowing some books from the library."
Nesseth chuckles. "Good to hear things are okay, then. The library's been coming along pretty nicely, from what I've seen, though the librarian... er, sorry, the Loremaster can be a little stiff at times."
Erika blinks, tilting her head: "The Loremaster? Sounds ominous. Is he ominous?"
Cavro tilts his head a bit at this, humming as he looks to Erika. "Maybe a little bit? I I wouldn't know. He isn't really friendly, but not unkind either."
Erika nods, thinking on this: "An un-ominous librarian..."
Nesseth shakes his head. "Not all that ominous from what I remember him saying before... He's just part of an order that want to distribute knowledge to everyone they can."
Erika squints at Nesseth: "An order? But that sounds ominous."
Cavro chuckles quietly, resting his arms against the bar and continuing to ignore his food. "Yes, secret orders of information keepers does sound a a little ominous I think."
Nesseth shrugs with a bit of a smile. "Not really information keepers so much as information... givers?" He pauses, then smiles a bit more, "Sounded better in my head, but oh well."
Erika nods understandingly: "Lots of things sound better in my head, too."
Cavro chuckles, nodding to Erika's comment. "Makes more sense in the head then when said... Or something like that?"
Erika looks at Cavro quizzically: "Said what? And by whom?"
Cavro scratches the back of his neck, shaking his head after a few seconds. "I I don't know, might have made more sense in my head."
Nesseth shrugs again. "Just one of those things that sound great, right up until we say it out loud."
Erika nodnods: "Lots of thing work like that. Or at least, people look at me funny when I say things at times." She pauses: "Guess that's why I prefer staying in the garden. The plants are more civil."
Cavro nods, thinking about it. "The metal in the forge might spit, but it it doesn't really judge either."
Nesseth chuckles. "Sometimes, voicing things is the best way to work them out, though, even if you do get the occasional odd look."
Erika nods, going quieter: "Yeah... but my flowers don't think I'm the town nut." She looks at Nesseth: "Am I the town nut? Like, a crazy person?"
Cavro hums, glancing toward his stew, which has stopped steaming by now before he glances around for the barkeep and orders a glass of water, nudging the untouched food away.
Nesseth laughs a bit. "I've seen crazy during my time with the guild. You're perfectly sane, so don't worry."
Erika smiles, clearly relieved: "Oh, good. My plants were telling me the same, but it's good to have a second opinion."
Cavro nods to Erika's comment, taking a long sip of his water. "I'm glad you're not crazy, I wouldn't have known otherwise."
Nesseth grins playfully. "Well, you probably would have figured out if Erika was crazy sooner or later, if she actually was, Cavro."
Erika blinks, looking at Nesseth: "What do you mean?"
Cavro also looks to Nesseth with curiosity.
Nesseth blinks and glances between the two. "Well, uh... spend enough time around each other and you'd have started to notice if someone was crazy, right?"
Erika looks at Cavro, unsure: "Yeah... I guess so?"
Cavro rubs his chin, looking at Erika. "I guess we have been friends for a long time... Right?"
Erika nods: "Yeah. We'd have noticed."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow, still smirking. "Friends? You two've got a deeper look than that."
Erika blinks: "We do?" She looks at Cavro: "Do we?"
Cavro chuckles nervously. "I... Don't know? Starting to feel a bit of concern though." He looks to Nesseth again. "Are you feeling alright?"
Nesseth blinks again, his smirk sliding away as he looks between the two. "Of course I'm feeling alright. What about you two, though? Or... is it something of a private matter?"
Erika tilts her head: "Is what a private matter? I'm feeling fine, and I think Cavro is too. We're all fine, then?"
Cavro nods after keeping an eye on Nesseth for a moment longer, smiling. "Yes, we're all fine, I think."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully, then shrugs. "Well, alright then, my mistake!" He grins after a moment, "Anyway... what all have you two been up to lately? Anything neat happening in the garden or the forge?"
Erika blinks, then muses on the actual question: "Not much I guess. The thornvines were a bit agitated, but that's probably just the impending rainy season." She whispers conspirationally: "They don't like water even though it's good for them. But don't say I said that."
Cavro shrugs, shaking his head slightly. "Not much, my orders are mostly caught up. Haven't done much else really, it it was a lot to do so I haven't even been sleeping much." He sips the water again, shrugging. "Don't feel especially tired though, working the iron is is too interesting to exhaust me."
Nesseth chuckles, nodding at Erika. "Don't worry, I won't say a word to the plants, I promise." He smiles at Cavro, "Well, it's a job you love doing, so I guess it's as good a reason as any to have a lot of energy for it."
Erika hums, then just takes a sip of her no-longer-icewater.
Cavro grins, nodding after finishing his water. He turns to the bar, setting some coins out next to his glass and nodding to the barkeep. "You're right, and I have a couple things left to do, so I should get back." He slips from his seat, pulling the coat on quickly and nodding to the others.
Erika looks at Cavro go, her expression a bit conflicted. Belatedly, she realizes to say: "Oh. Hey. See you?"
Nesseth raises a hand and waves farewell to Cavro as the badger gets up to leave. "Alright, then. Have yourself a good evening, Cavro."
Cavro looks to Erika, smiling with a slight nod as he goes. "Mhm, see you later too, Erika." He lingers on her for a moment before nodding his farewell to Nesseth and turning to the door, the badger wandering out into the cool evening.
Erika looks at Cavro go, then just turns back to her glass. "It feels weird, our friendship."
Nesseth tilts his head a bit as he looks back to Erika, once Cavro exits. "Feels weird? How so?"
Erika frowns, then slightly shakes her head: "Dunno. Just... different?"
Nesseth scratches his chin a bit, thinking for a moment before he shrugs. "I mean... you two've known each other for a long time, right? Like, over a decade?"
Erika nods, humming a bit: "Mmyeah, we have."
Nesseth gestures a little at Erika. "So... how does it feel different? Like... different from before, or...?"
Erika shrugs: "Maybe. It's just a feeling. We don't spend so much time together, but... it doesn't bother me? Does that make any sense?"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "Well, I guess over time, friendships can drift a little."
Erika nods slowly, musing on this: "Maybe. Oh well." She shrugs.
Nesseth rocks his glass back and forth a little, letting the liquid swirl about within. "But... you're sure things are at least okay? No trouble or anything like that?"
Erika lifts a hand to her chin, thinking: "I... I think I am? Garden's been easier than before, if anything. Season and all that."
Nesseth sighs a little. "Okay, I know this might sound really strange coming from me, but seeing as I'm a guard..." He leans a little more against the bar and looks towards Erika, "You're sure nothing's wrong at all, Erika? Like... between you and Cavro? If there is, you can tell me, alright?"
Erika nods slowly: "Yeah, if there was...? I'd tell you." She seems somewhat confused and unsure: "...is there something wrong, to you?"
Nesseth laces his fingers together a bit and rests his chin on his thumbs. "I don't know... something feels off, but I can't put my finger on what, exactly..." He shakes his head after a moment, "Maybe I'm just fretting over nothing..."
Erika frowns, humming: "Well, I don't usually do this, but... if you want to talk about...?"
Nesseth hums quietly. "I don't know. I don't want to worry you needlessly, especially if nothing's actually wrong."
Erika shrugs, giving a bit of a helpless smile: "I'd help you, but I'm not sure if anything's actually wrong."
Nesseth nods a bit. "Fair enough. Well... when about did you start thinking you and Cavro were drifting apart?"
Erika blinks, stopping to think: "Oh. Hmm. Like... couple of days ago? Maybe? You said I was 'distracted' then, I think."
Nesseth hums. "Oh yeah, I remember that. You and Cavro were working on something, if I'm not mistaken."
Erika nods slowly: "Yeah... I think we were. But we didn't argue over that or anything... we... huh. We did the opposite of that."
Nesseth tilts his head again. "And that was the point you thought you two were drifting apart? Sounds like the opposite of drifting apart."
Erika blinks a bit dumbly: "Y-yeah. Yeah, it does."
Nesseth nods. "And that's what I was wondering about... You two have been really, really close for a good while, now. If you two were drifting apart, something really bad must have happened, right?"
Erika looks a bit afraid as she thinks about this: "D-do you think so? But what?"
Nesseth shrugs again. "I don't know, that's why I was asking you."
Erika looks down at her glass: "I thought everything was okay. Now I'm not sure."
Nesseth shakes his head. "Well, I'm not intending to worry you, or Cavro for that matter. It's just... odd, is all."
Erika shrugs: "I've been told before I'm odd. But this does worry me."
Nesseth hums, his brow furrowing just a little. "Well, no, this is a different sort of odd than what others say you are..."
Erika drinks the last of her water, musing: "I guess. I can't tell what's different... well, except Cavro. And me?" She lifts a hand to her forehead: "Oof."
Nesseth tilts his head as Erika's hand rises up to her forehead. "Headache?"
Erika nods, frowning: "A bit. Dunno. I thought everything was fine...?"
Nesseth gives Erika a sympathetic look. "Well... you should maybe go and get yourself some rest. I don't know if something's actually wrong, but we'll get it sorted, I'm sure."
Erika smiles as she slowly gets up. She then gives Nesseth a tight hug: "T-thank you. I might just need rest, right?"
Nesseth chuckles and hugs Erika in turn. "Probably, especially if you've been working hard in your garden."
Erika shrugs with a smile: "I like working it, and the work never ends. Win-win? Sorta?"
Nesseth smiles. "Fair enough. Like I said to Cavro, it's a job you love doing."
Erika gives a bit of a grin: "Yeah, probably! Anyway, I'm gonna go have that rest-thing now. Headache no good and all that."
Nesseth nods and waves lightly at Erika. "Well, have a good night, then, Erika. I'll see you around."
Erika waves at Nesseth, in lighter spirits than a moment ago at least. "Be seeing you!" She heads out, intent on finding her way back to the garden as quickly as possible.
Nesseth smiles warmly as Erika departs, then goes back to his drink, ruminating over everything he'd just heard from the two. He sighs quietly, finishes up his drink, then sets out to find Plume. He mentally files a note away to see Louma first thing in the morning at the barracks.