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VARIOUS PLACES - VARIOUS TIMES
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Narrator: Following the aftermath of her weakening of Tarbin's curse to the detriment of her own physical health, Teis has spent a week confined to her room in The Bouquet Estate. But this morning, Teis has finally finally managed to convince the servants and Della herself that she is fine. But still, very little conversation, if any, has been had with Della. With a heavy heart and a sullen mind, Teis heads to her lab.
Narrator: She hopes that immersing herself in her work will help to get her mind off of the turmoil she's feeling between herself and Della. Half an hour on her schoolwork. No, that isn't doing it. Perhaps working more on Tarbin's curse? Fifteen minutes on that, and she gives up, unable to focus. What about trying to make money for the family? A solid two hours spent trying.
Narrator: All the lab time has really done is left Teis even more alone with her thoughts, now additionally frustrated that she can't even work. The guilt of her actions and Della are simply weighing down her mind too much. A late Lunch in the town, perhaps? Food is the great equalizer, after all. Several stores later, Teis finds the snacking to be only of temporary relief.
Narrator: With nothing left to eat and a full belly, the thoughts return. Perhaps the library? Reading a random, unrelated book might help. She tries to keep at it, though eventually quits in frustration. Maybe spend the evening up on a secluded wall of the town, practising her magic? Magic. The thing that has come to define her life and now is the source of her unease.
Narrator: At her wits end, having tried everythig that would normally soothe and entertain her, Teis turns to the one thing new experience Respite herself has offered her, something that offered her great joy when she first tried it. Alcohol.
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Narrator: A sad kitty sits at a lone table, drinking away her fruity alcoholic beverages. Her thoughts have only swelled in her mind since she began drinking, and yet, she cannot help but to drink more in a vain attempt to outrun them.
Nesseth wanders into the Minnow a little later, having gotten off of an early evening patrol not too long prior. He wanders his way over to the bar to get himself a drink before he looks around at the patrons going about their evening.
Teis: After a few moments of mostly looking into the ice of her glass, Teis' eyes scan the bar for yet another time with a soft sigh. She's seeking desperately to look at anyone or anything to get lost in. A conversation to eavesdrop on, the bartender pouring a drink. . .Anything. Then she spots Nesseth. Nesseth! Yes. Maybe some good news? Was her notes helpful? Was she helpful? Please let her be helpful. Despite her watery eyes, Teis takes a deep breath in, doing her best to put all of that behind a facade, though it's a thin veil at best. "Hey!" Teis calls over to Nesseth, waving at him.
Nesseth looks over towards the voice upon hearing it, then smiles and waves at Teis. "Oh, evening, Teis! Good to see you!" He picks up his drink and makes his way over to her table, "Mind if I join you?"
Teis seems to perk up a bit upon mention of Nesseth wanting to join. "Yes! Please!" Teis gives a strained smile. She doesn't waste any time, however, seeking out what it is she wants to know. Her one-track mind is lasered onto wanting to distract herself, to be useful, that she hasn't quite thought what happens two minutes from now. "How are my notes? You make any progress on the doppelgangers?" She enthusiastically asks.
Nesseth hums as he takes a seat. "Mmh, it's been helpful for general information so far. I've yet to try to match it all with the suspects, but I'll keep you updated on it as we go." He nods, "But yeah, that aside your info's been helpful so far."
Teis nods. "Good! Very good!" She voices. And then. . .She realises she has nothing else to actually talk about. Her enthusiasm rapidly dips, as now the reality of her situation dawns on her, her sadness slowly creeping back over her face. She stares back into her glass. Maybe. . .He'll just leave? Yeah. Yeah. . .That's the new plan. He'll just leave. No problem.
Nesseth tilts his head curiously as Teis' expression rapidly shifts. His eyes flick from her face to the drink she's got in hand, then back to her face. "Uh... you okay, Teis?"
Narrator: The concern causes Teis to begin breaking down, though she fights it as best she can. Alas, it isn't enough. Her eyes start to slowly water, Teis herself unresponsive as she begins her descent. Eventually, she simply shakes her head, sniffing a little, seemingly unable to talk.
Nesseth blinks again when he sees Teis starting to cry, and he reaches a hand out, only to hesitate for a moment, but only for a moment. Taking some knowledge from what he knows Vix appreciates, he reaches across the table and lightly scritches behind Teis' ears, hoping that it at least helps the feline calm down a little. "Hey, hey... what's wrong? Your notes have been helpful, seriously."
Teis notices the hand, though does little to stop it. As it touches her ears and begins to scritch, Teis closes her eyes tightly and leans into it, rubbing against it lightly. It serves to comfort Teis, though in the direction of feeling as if it's okay to cry outright. Just before she begins wailing, though, she offers. "Iiii-Iii-its n-not t-that! D-d-d-della W-w-w-won't T-t-t-t-t-alk to me!" She begins crying. Teis takes her hand off her drink, crossing her arms on the tabletop and lowering her head into the cradle of her own fluff.
Nesseth is a bit taken aback by Teis starting to bawl her eyes out, but he instead just leans a little against the table and continues to provide comfort scritches. "Della? Your sister? Oh, no... what happened?"
Teis nods into her arms in response to the question. With the comfort of Nesseth, Teis cries for a solid two minutes before picking herself up enough to respond, using a napkin to wipe her nose. She looks to Nesseth, then glances down and to the side. "I. . .I weakened part of Tarbin's curse." Teis begins to explain through involuntary gasps and stutters. "B-but I pushed myself too far in doing so. And now Della won't talk to me."
Nesseth tilts his head curiously. "You... managed to weaken the curse Tarbin has... and I'm guessing that strained you in some manner?" He pauses, his brow furrowing a little in confusion, "And your sister's not talking to you because of that...?"
Teis nods to the first, and to the second. "It's. . .Sis thinks I'm overworking myself, while also not doing enough to help the family. . .I. . .She's normally there for me whenever I get hurt. But. . .Not this time." Teis manages to avoid going back into full bawling mode. "I. . .What I did upset her. Tarbin says I should just talk to her, but. . .I don't know. I don't know if she wants to talk, or even cares. Maybe she just thinks we're going to fail and she's already accepted that. . .And maybe she's just waiting until we're forced to leave. . .And maybe after that she can forget I ever existed. . ." Teis goes down a rabbit hole.
Nesseth sighs a bit and gives Teis a more proper petting as she starts to spiral again. "Hey, it'll be fine, Teis... It wouldn't hurt to talk to Della if you're worried." He gives her a little smile, "And... well, if you want, I could speak with her first just to sort of test the waters. I might be busy with the whole doppelganger thing, but I can still take time to help a friend out."
Teis closes her eyes once more, rubbing into Nesseth's hand. "I don't know. That might just make it worse. I don't know. . .I don't know. . ." Teis repeats. "I don't know. . .I just. . .I just want her to talk to me again."
Nesseth hums quietly. "It might make things worse, but it might make things better, but either way is better than just fretting over it. We won't know unless we try, right? Maybe this is just the first time she's been extremely worried."
Teis sighs. Then sighs again. And again. "Yeah. . .Yeah. Yeah. . .You're right. Doing something is better than doing nothing." Teis unhappily grumbles, opening her eyes and looking to Nesseth. "So. . .You'll talk to her?" Teis questions.
Nesseth nods, smiling reassuringly. "If you want me to give it a go, I can. Remember, I'm a guard, so I want to make sure things are okay."
Teis nods. "Yes. . .Please. I just. Find out if she hates me. . .She doesn't typically open up to people, so. .Not sure if you'll be able to get out much more than that."
Nesseth gives a bit of a half shrug. "Maybe, but I'll give it a good try at least. I've not met her personally yet, but I'm sure she knows I've been at the manor before. At the very least, maybe I can figure out why she isn't talking to you."
Teis: "Thank you, Nesseth. . ." Teis offers a faint smile. "I should. . .Probably get back, or something. . .Aside from talking to you, today has. . .Been a bad day."
Nesseth offers a kind smile in turn as he gives Teis one last gentle pet and then sits back in his seat again. "Always happy to try and brighten a day if I can, Teis. If you want to chat a little more about anything, I could see you back to the manor." He nods at his drink, "I only came by for a quick drink before heading home, anyway."
Teis purrs for a brief moment. "You can if you want." Teis drinks the slim remainder of her drink, then stands. "But it isn't necessary. I'll be okay." Teis forces a smile.
Nesseth knocks back the rest of his drink, which was a relatively small one anyway, and smiles as he likewise stands. "Sure, I don't mind tagging along for a walk."
Narrator: Thus, the pair leave. Teis is relatively quiet on the walk back, offering only small, quiet responses to Nesseth. She's still sad by the time they get to the estate, though she's certainly less so than back at the tavern. Perhaps Teis will be able to find sleep tonight.