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EASTERN ROAD - MORNING
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Narrator: Escorted by one of the caravans, sits Teis. A young, short, floofy white cat. Dressed to kill, prim and proper, groomed to perfection. This, however, does not sit well with the cat after those few, painful days on the road. . .Teis begins licking her exposed fur along her arms, grooming herself. . .Undoing someone else's hard work in the process. . .
Narrator: Sitting beside her was an equally prim and proper young lady, a white rabbit dressed in a well tailor blue dressed, sitting with perfect posture, hands clasped around a small fan on her lap. She's been trying to ignore the goings on beside her for a while now, but finally, it really can get to be too much "Teissss" She looks beside her "Come onn, it's only going to be a little while longer! You can hold out"
Teis: "Nope." Lick. "I've." Lick. "Had." Lick. "It with this, Della." Teis speaks, her words interrupted by her licking. "Too hot. Why couldn't I wear my casual clothes for the trip?" Lick.
Rondelethia: "Because we're meeting with everyone that's put so much work into getting everything ready for us when we get here! We want to make a good impression. 'A book is most often judged by its cover' after all" She's quoting again. "Some of these people will be working for us, and we need them to know that we're professional"
Narrator: Lick. Lick. Lick. Teis clearly does not care. She keeps licking while talking. "But I don't judge books by their covers. . ." Teis clearly misses the idiom. "I don't want to be professional. You're the professional one. Besides, couldn't we just do all that just before reaching Respite?" Teis questions. "This is your fault. For grooming me too early."
Rondelethia: "It's too bumpy on the carriage to do any of this stuff, and we'll be meeting them as soon we get off, so we can't do it afterwards" She rolls the fan around in her fingers "Once we're there, you can wear whatever you like, I just need you too be tidy for this one bit.." She's reaching for the hairbrush!
Teis' eyes glance over to Della, noting her reaching for the hairbrush. Defiantly, she frowns, scooting as far away from Della as she can - Which, admittedly, isn't very far away at all. Still licking, of course. "But why do I have to meet them? This business is all you."
Rondelethia: "It's not all me. You're just as important in all of this" The hairbrush is now in her lap, turning over in her fingers "I won't be the one that knows what you need to do what you do" The rabbit straightens out an invisible crease in her dress, before flicking away an equally invisible spec of dust "It won't be that bad, I just need to brush your fur up a little bit"
Teis: "Hiss." Teis speaks, not actually hissing. "I don't want to be the face of this business. All I want to do is meet that librarian the Academy referred me to."
Rondelethia: "And you won't be" Rondelethia assures her "You just need to be Proper" with the capital P "Just this once, and then you can do what you do best, and leave me deal with all the stuffy businessmen for you"
Teis: "Hiss!" Teis repeats, in direct response to the word 'proper'. Lick. Lick.
Rondelethia slowly raises the hairbrush...
Narrator: Della raising the hairbrush only causes Teis to lick even faster. She's already retreated as far away as she can, so she's getting in as many licks as she can before Della strikes, since she knows she can't escape. Might as well get some extra lickin' in first.
Rondelethia descends with the wrath of one that spent hours getting that fur perfectly groomed, and won't be denied now. She attempts to grab the errant cat, and lightly wrestle her into submission, but carefully! She doesn't want to ruffle her own clothing after all!
Teis submits, though not without an audible, distressed 'Mreow!'. This marks the end of Teis' licking and marks the start of her grumpy pouting.
Rondelethia: "And just for that~" She takes out..a ribbon! and ties a little bow around Teis's tail. "Perfect~" She giggles.
Teis pouts, flicking her tail around to the front to see what Della has done. "But why?" She questions, dully. "They're already going to think I'm just some child. The bow just emphasizes that."
Rondelethia: "You're a qualified mage, and they all know that. They won't think you're a child, and I think the bow looks nice" She doesn't pout, ladies don't pout.
Teis: "Well they'd better know. . ." Teis grumbles, flicking her tail back behind her again. She crosses her arms in a huff.
Rondelethia: "I made your outfit so that they'll know just by looking at you. I based it off what a distinguished alumni would be wearing" Then added a ton of extra pomp
Teis sighs. "And I appreciate your work. . ." She grumbles. While she doesn't say anything more, Della would know that there is an implied 'This isn't for me'.
Rondelethia: "Just a little longer. I promise" She doesn't press it any further, instead changing the subject, she'd wanted this to be a surprise..but she looks so down, kitty needs a boost "You're going to be getting your own lab~" She pulls a small folded piece of paper, that would unfold out into some simple plans for a laboratory. Nothing terribly advanced, but well stocked!
Teis: "A LAB?!" Teis exclaims, immediately perking up. She practically pounces on Della, or more specifically, the plans, for confirmation. She rudely snatches the paper from Della, unfurling it out on the floor of the caravan, stretched out on the floor herself with them, hovering over them with a childlike glee in her eyes.
Rondelethia: "Of course! There's no point in having you out here if you don't have somewhere to work, right?" She smiles at the reaction. "I spent some time with folks in the academy to make sure it was all up to specifications. It's also properly sized. Which was something of a challenge"
Teis barely seems to register Della's words as her eyes continue to scan the details of the lab, confirming all of what Della had said for herself regardless. Once she's satisfied, she leaps up from the ground onto Della, hugging her tightly and rubbing her face all over Della's. "Oh thank you! Thank you thank you! I'm sure I'll love it!"
Rondelethia squirms a little "Mind the dre..." She gives up that, and just hugs her back, a little bit less manically however. She's not going to be that much of a kill joy!
Teis even begins purring. D'aww. After a moment, she releases Della. She picks up the plans from the floor, folding them back up and sits next to Della once more, resting her head against Della's shoulder, purring happily. "I love you, Sis. I'll be good. I'll promise."
Rondelethia: "I know you will" She ideally starts rubbing Teis's ears while they're so easily in reach. "I'm looking forward to this too. It will be interesting to be in a brand new town, meeting all the new people"
Teis rubs her head up against Della's hand softly. "People. Yes. Yes. . .It. . .Should be good. . ." She purrs louder, losing track of her words.
Rondelethia gives a small smile as she looks out the window to the town of Respite, swiftly approaching...
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Brunilda is sitting at a table, reading-but-not-really-reading a magitech tome. She's dressed in a relatively light shirt and pants this time around, having skipped training grounds today in favour of reading. At this point her focus seems to be fraying at the edges, though.
Fiora steps into the bar, arms over her head as she stretches from a long workout, the bandaging around her waist finally removed, replaced with her simple shirt as she walk towards Brun's table. "Heh. Figured if you weren't out beating the crap out of training dummies, I'd find you here with your trunk in a book."
Brunilda looks up with a bit of a smile: "...you say that like it's a bad thing, Fiora."
Fiora lowers her arms, shrugging as she takes a seat. "Nah. It's not my thing, that's all. Enjoying the book though?"
Brunilda nods, putting the book aside as she turns to Fiora: "Yeah. Felt like reading today, I guess."
Fiora grins a little sheepishly, "Surprise, surprise, but I was never much of a reader. Or uh... really a reader at all. Had to learn my numbers, for reading bounties. I can make do on those, but else... it was never all that important to me."
Brunilda shrugs with a smile: "Not like I've ever needed any of this for my 'destined' job of being a Guard."
Fiora hmms, "'Destined', eh? Heh. I never much believed in that crap." She waves a hand dismissively, then draws it back into a fist. "Grab life by the throat, you know? That's how I always lived."
Brunilda smirks and puts her hand on the book in front of her: "Well, if I did believe it, I wouldn't be changing what my trade is, now would I?"
Fiora waves to the barkeep for a drink, then grins at Brun, "Guess not. Reading that stuff is sorta helping you forge your own path, eh? I like it."
Brunilda hesitates for a moment, then shrugs: "Yeah, guess it might be. Still not sure what my path IS, but maybe finding out? A bit?"
Fiora chuckles, "That's the hard bit isn't it... guess I'm in the same boat now, eh? What the heck do I even do to live life uh... 'normally'? Is that what I'm doing?"
Brunilda chuckles, lifting her pint: "Whatever 'normal' even means."
Fiora takes her beer as the Barkeep sets it on the table. "Staying in one place. Well, mostly one place. I don't know. My life has never been normal before, why start now?"
Brunilda blinks, then blushes a bit: "W-well... I can think of at least one reason to do so..."
Fiora smirks, "Heh. I didn't mean that to mean I should move on. I'm just saying... hell, I don't know. I'm not exactly the type to just do what I'm supposed ta."
Brunilda glances at her book, then back at Fiora as she recalls one of their previous encounters: "...I suppose that makes two of us..."
Fiora laughs loudly, sticking her tongue out at Brun, "The ribs all healed up, by the way."
Brunilda smiles, though can't quite stop herself from blushing: "Good to hear. And sorry again."
Fiora sips at her beer, "Eh. I should be more sorry for that whole thing. And I'll be fair, it's good to have someone willing to stand up to me when I'm an idiot."
Brunilda looks at Fiora, pausing: "...even when that someone is also being an idiot doing it?"
Fiora chuckles, "I mean, in the previous case, the whole situation was because of idiocy all around, so yeah, probably fine."
Brunilda laughs a bit, then quiets for a second: "So... would you say me kissing you back then was idiotic?"
Fiora stops, somewhat taken aback by that question. She sets her beer down. "Err... I mean... yeah? Probably... bold as hell, I gotta admit. You barely knew me, and I was... not having a fun time here in town." She sits back, folding her arms. "I uh... still sorry about how I reacted though."
Brunilda looks down: "It was pretty dumb of me. I'm not sure how I ended up with that being my solution, but..." She gives a weak shrug: "T'was a good kiss, though."
Fiora chuckles, "Well, glad you enjoyed it?"
Brunilda looks down: "Sorry. Shouldn't have said that."
Fiora leans forward, "You shouldn't be. It's just... I don't know. It was confusing then. It's still a bit confusing now... but I'm not saying it's a mistake at all."
Brunilda looks up at Fiora and gives a small smile. "Confusing is right, at least."
Fiora smiles back. "It's why I'm... taking it slow, I guess? It's probably just frustrating, but in the vast amount of romantic experience I have, which is none at all, I just don't want to screw things up."
Brunilda looks at her hands: "Well... me neither. The experience, or not wanting to screw up."
Fiora sighs. "It's weird... Cause, I dunno. I know it hit you hard. Don't know if you still feel that."
Brunilda looks at Fiora: "Feel like kissing you if I wasn't afraid of forever alienating you with that? Yeah." She blinks: "I, u-uh I mean..."
Fiora grins. "Well, I don't know what I feel like. But I don't rightly feel like alienating anyone forever, even if they did kiss me."
Brunilda looks at Fiora confusedly: "Even if... huh." She then shakes her head: "Sorry. I want to... be with you, but maybe I'm just hopeless like that."
Fiora closes her eyes and nods. "So it's all up to me then, is that what you're saying?" She cranes her neck forward towards Brun and kisses her on the forehead, just a peck. "Cause I'm not much for hopelessness."
Brunilda blinks several times then looks up at Fiora: "Bwuh?"
Fiora tilts her head back, blushing a bit as she glances away, strangely embarrassed. "I don't know! I just... like you too, okay? And still figuring the rest out."
Brunilda blushes, but smiles: "W-well... if you can take on a sparring partner who's also figuring all this out..."
Fiora nods, "I think that's what we're doing, right? 'Sparring'? But like, not actually sparring? Well, sometimes actually sparring."
Brunilda chuckles: "Either way. I like sparring with you. You're creative when you fight."
Fiora grins, "Well, the key is that I make it up as I go! Keep things unpredictable to everyone, even myself!"
Brunilda leans on her hand: "I hope I can learn to do that, one day. I'm not exactly subtle."
Fiora glances down at herself, "You saying I am?"
Brunilda smirks despite herself: "Comparatively."
Fiora snorts. "Whatever that means. Well, I'm still willing to teach you, and willing to learn alongside you, and willing to... be here? With you? And figure it out. Whatever it is."
Brunilda smiles and can't quite make her blush vanish... though she's not sure if she wants to. "I reckon we can find out. Eventually."
Fiora picks her beer back up and takes a drink. "It'll be anything but 'normal', I'm sure."
Brunilda shrugs: "'Normal'. Whatever that means."
Fiora grins, "Don't know. Don't intend to find out."
Brunilda smiles, then waves for another drink. "Fair plan, I guess."
Fiora continues to drink, talking with Brun about their day, and just enjoying a bit of down time together in the quiet bar.