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TARBIN'S CAMP - WEST GATE - AFTERNOON
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Tarbin lies awake on a soft bed of new growth vines and leaves, the sun streaming green light through the leaf-covered gaps in his living dome-shaped hut. He runs his palm across his forehead, staring toward the ceiling. He'd spent little more than a day at the clinic healing. Even while his mind was consuming itself in grief, the Flow found it's way to Tarbin, coursing through his scales and repairing the damage he'd received from shedding the miscolored scales. His emotions had recovered somewhat as well, knowing that Nature was in fact holding no grudge against him for what he did. The healing was testament enough to that. He's still lying in regret of the elemental's apparent death, wishing inwardly that he'd not opted for such a brutish, rash attempt. He sits up now from the natural bed, swinging his legs to walk out to the open doorway and stare out into the magic making up the woods, sighing.
Narrator: Another presence stirs near Tarbin. Or within him, to be more accurate. Not of him, either, it seems. The presence feels confused, bedraggled, tired.
Tarbin holds at the door for a moment, scratching behind one of his horns before quickly shaking his head and wandering out into the woods. He walks along a path that's starting to wear until reaching a sunny patch with clusters of different shoots. He bends, casually tending to the leaves of some wild carrots, both gently coaxing them to grow only a little faster and occupying his mind.
Narrator: The presence makes itself known, talking - or thinking - out loud to Tarbin: [Wha... where am I?]
Tarbin freezes in place, turning to look around - not that that is very useful to him. Even though he can't see, something in his mind tells him that he wouldn't find the source of the voice anyhow. "H...ello?"
Akire: [Um... h-hello?]
Tarbin stands and turns in place. He feels like the voice is coming from just behind his ear, despite knowing nothing is there. "Hello... Ah... Who is there?"
Akire: [I'm not really sure... I'm me and like, I wasn't... why can't I see anything?]
Tarbin huffs, sitting down on the ground rather roughly. "Maybe you are blind like me? I am sorry."
Akire lets out a sort of mental version of a sigh as she attempts to make sense of this: [I remember a ritual, someone was... severing... me...]
Tarbin hesitates again, letting out a rough sigh. "Oh. You're a haunting memory of guilt, then..."
Akire: [...I am? I mean, what? I don't think I am a memory, but...]
Tarbin pulls his knees to his chest, closing his eyes despite it not changing what he perceives. "Are you sure? I don't know much about elementals, but I don't think you become ghosts."
Akire gives the mental equivalent of a shrug: [B-beats me. I uh... I think I'm not a ghost? Probably? I really don't know how this whole anything works.]
Tarbin sighs, turning to the plants at his side and setting a hand on the earth next to them, gently coursing magic through them. "Perhaps you're Nature's chosen punishment, a shadow of the elemental that died."
Akire feels the magic flow through Tarbin's (her?) hands, starting to get a grip of at least part of the situation: [I think... I'm in you, T-tarbin. Like, for reals. I don't wanna be a punishment either.]
Tarbin blinks, halting the magic, but his hand remains in place. "Wh... What does that mean? You're Erika's elemental?" His heart is starting to pound, though he's not entirely convinced this isn't some sort of guilt-created hallucination.
Akire feels herself blink, growing slightly afraid. A pit in her figurative, non-existing stomach. [I was an elemental, y-yeah. In the garden that was this Erika's. Now uh... the ritual did not go as planned, did it?]
Tarbin shakes his head slightly. While his brain is saying he should be panicking, he also wants to take this opportunity for closure, if that's the only outcome. "No... I failed... Expected that you would have enough magic to travel, at least... You faded. Crumbled to nothing in my arms as... As we left..." His hand comes to his face, pushing away the tears that well up.
Akire feels her heart (again, figuratively) fall: [F-faded... b-but... but but... wait what? I'm here now?] She feels the very real tears: [I uh... this is a mess], she concludes.
Tarbin nods, still wiping tears. "I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what happened. For failing you... For killing you."
Akire: [...but I don't think I am dead? Am I? How does one tell if they're dead and don't know it?]
Tarbin blinks again, shaking his head. "I... You're not, are you? Does that mean... You're really inside me?" He looks at the carrots next to his hand. "But... Why?"
Akire gives another mental shrug, staring at the carrots as Tarbin does: [Beats me. I woke up like five minutes ago, you tell me.]
Tarbin feels the Flow, directing the magic to grow the carrots again, one starting to push it's way from the ground as the dirt refuses to give way. "I... Impossible. You're magic, I have a curse that doesn't allow magic to move between me and the Flow, beyond my scales." Even as he says this he knows that something was different, considering how quickly he'd healed.
Akire feels the Flow just as Tarbin does, considering this. [I guess so? I dunno, I just remember the ritual and now I'm here.] She pushes the Flow just as naturally as she ever did, the carrot growing noticeably as she does. [At least, I think I am.]
Tarbin sees the change in the lines, retracting his hand. "What... You really are. You are!" His expression lights up as he stands. "You are alive! Oh thank the gods!"
Akire feels the cheer lighting herself up as well: [Yeah, I am. I am!]
Tarbin hugs his arms across his chest, confused excitement filling him. "I... Mean it's not ideal, but you're still here... But I... Is it gone, then?" Everything that happened had been occupying his mind, but now that he looks around, he can see the Flow so much farther than before, the nearest of it like a detailed web.
Akire wonders slightly: [Is what gone?] The elemental inside Tarbin is not quite understanding right now. [Did something happen? I mean, besides this. Us. Whatever this is.]
Tarbin nods, looking in awe around them. "Yes. I have a curse that makes it hard to speak with Nature... Though I think... I think you helped me shed it after what happened at the garden..."
Akire follows Tarbin's gaze, thinking: [Well... I sorta am Nature, and you're talking to me, right?]
Tarbin gives a tilted nod, shrugging. "You are right. It wasn't completely muting... Meant for mages with inner magic. I... I wonder..." He sits again, taking a deep breath. His tails lay out, many of his scales shifting orange as they continue their conversation. "Well... If you are here... What do I call you? Erika does not seem right."
Akire frowns inwardly: [I uh... no. It does not. Aside from that, haven't... had a name? What do you think?]
Tarbin thinks as the power in the earth slowly progresses over his scales. "I don't know... What would you like? I know some female names from back home, but don't know many of this land."
Akire gives another mental shrug as she feels the magic in Tarbin's scales: [I really do not know.]
Tarbin hums, closing his eyes. "Well... I believe the name Natura or Flora are a little... on the nose."
Akire: [And I don't even have a nose, now.]
Tarbin can't help but let out a little choked laugh at that. "Sorry, that was rude of me. Ah... Yurrin?" He only has to think for a second back to a conversation with Plume. "Though it sounds like a Common word for... Well... Nevermind that one."
Akire gives a little giggle herself, an odd sound in Tarbin's head: [Common word for what? Do I even want to know?]
Tarbin shakes his head slightly, twitching it a bit to the left as a strange sensation starts creeping into his eyes. "N-ah... Probably not. Ah... M...Meliovana?"
Akire muses on this: [What's that mean? I like the sound, but it better not mean something dumb.]
Tarbin hesitates, more for concentrating on the magic moving to his eyes. "It means selfless, and caregiver. Seemed appropriate for an avatar of Nature."
Akire hums quietly, giving a mental nod to the thought: [S-sounds better, if not too accurate for a pest people just want to be rid of...] Her mood drops rather noticeably for a second. [...d-does shortening it to 'Melia' change any meaning?]
Tarbin shakes his head, feeling his mood slip a bit with hers. "You are no pest. And Melia... It's certainly easier to say. I believe it means 'honey from an ash tree'. It's... Suitable. Not many ash trees in Yuretti, and not many of them are chosen by bees. Rare, and delightful. It suits you."
Akire is quiet for a second, then her mood slowly rises again: [It... I like it. Melia.] She sort of tests the 'sound' of the name in her out-loud thinking a few times: [Melia. Melia... y-yeah, that works. I'm Melia.]
Tarbin chuckles lightly as their moods improve. "It is nice to meet you, then, Melia."
Melia lets out a nervous mental giggle: [Nice to meet you too, Tarbin. And uh... t-thank you? Or not. I'm not really sure. You kinda both did me in and s-saved me? Does that even make sense?]
Tarbin nods, flinching at the sensation in his eyes. "A-ah-a little of both... If this is real and I'm not having some strange dream, then at least you're not trapped in the garden, waiting for the town's reaction."
Melia: [Mm, true. Hmm. Let me try something.] She attempts to detach herself from Tarbin, but only manages to manifest a slight wisp of green magic outward from his arm, swirling for a moment before turning back inwards and into him. [Well, that didn't work. Seems I'm here and about as real as I can be. Sorta.]
Tarbin notes the wisp in his bubble of awareness. "[Wow! You're completely detached from the surrounding magic like that...] Er, sorry. Not sure if you understood that."
Melia blinks slightly in confusion. [Err... something about magic? Or not?]
Tarbin chuckles, nodding. "Yes. It's not that important... I ah... Mh. You can move like that... Can you move within me? Such as toward my eyes?"
Melia considers this, then shifts her focus towards Tarbin's eyes. [Think I can. See what you do, yeah?]
Tarbin nods. "Well, you'll see nothing... But if you're still all magic..." He directs the magic he's been using to try and heal his eyes, unable to tell if Melia's there, and wondering if she's able to interact with it like this.
Melia considers the odd combination of feelings: [Your eyes... they don't quite work? I see a snag here?]
Tarbin chuckles, shrugging. "The curse made me mostly blind... Miss Teis' first step towards a cure made me completely blind. See if you can nudge the magic, it's hard to direct within myself."
Melia prods at the magic inside Tarbin and his eyes: [Hmm. Might be able to do something once I recover more? It's a stubborn snag, but I can sorta see where to heal it?]
Tarbin nods, relaxing a bit. He can feel her interacting with the magic that he'd been directing, chuckling quietly. "That seems like it... If this is possible, there may be things we can do that I'd never imagined before."
Melia: [Well, if it helps, I didn't imagine any of this either.]
Tarbin feels the magic working as desired, clenching his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut.
Melia attempts to poke at the magical snag behind Tarbin's eyes for a moment longer, before shrugging. [I... I think I need to get used to this more, know what I'm doing. Like, I sorta know, but so I don't break anything in here? That makes like zero sense but that's what I'm feeling.]
Tarbin sighs, opening is eyes to nothing, as usual. "That's fine, we'll see if your power starts to return to you." He leans forward, resting his arms on his knees, and his chin on his arms. "I'm glad you're alive, in a sense."
Melia: [Well again, if it helps... so am I. Dunno if I had the time to think I was a goner, but I'm glad I'm not? Augh, this makes no sense at all but here we are?]
Tarbin nods slowly, staring out into the magic around them. "Here we are."
Melia feels the magic around them and mildly alters the flow of it around Tarbin's hands: [I uh... what do we do now? Or is that a thought best left for like later... a lot later?]
Tarbin: "Perhaps for later. If... If you're trapped within me, at least it means we have no time limit now. Perhaps there will be a way to give you a new body? One that doesn't rely on magic..."
Melia gives a mental nod: [Maybe... don't know anything about any of that.]
Tarbin nods as well, turning and continuing to tend to his wild gardens. "We'll see. Until then, I'm happy to carry you around. We'll find a solution. I promise to do it better than my first attempt."
Melia continues altering the flow of natural magic as Tarbin works: [Yeah... that works for now. Not that we can change this easily, I think?]
Tarbin continues talking with the voice in his head, the voice that can alter magic alongside him, as they spend the rest of the day doing their shared hobby of tending the wild plants around his makeshift hut.
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RESPITE GUARD BARRACKS - LATE AFTERNOON
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Fiora leans against the wall outside the Barracks, dressed in a fairly simple set of shorts and shirt, the small stone necklace hanging around her neck. She's carefully contemplating a package while she waits, seemingly lost in thought staring at the plainly wrapped box.
Brunilda walks out of the Barracks, the elephant likewise dressed relatively simply in just a shirt and shorts having changed after her shift of glorious paperwork. Her mood lights up as she spots the giraffe: "Hey there."
Fiora turns towards Brun's voice and grins, "Hey Brun! Done conquering the mighty foes of forms and papers at last?"
Brunilda chuckles, lifting her hand on Fiora's shoulder as she steps close enough: "Plenty enough for today. All kinds of odd things happening around the town it seems."
Fiora gives Brun a hug, careful with the package. "Yeah, well, we heard they got rid of the elemental-thing in the garden, so Erika's a bit confused about how to feel about that. But I'm just happy it's taken care of at last."
Brunilda hugs back lightly, before letting go and nodding towards the street ahead of them: "Y-yeah, whatever all that really was, I don't know. Not sure I honestly want to know, way above my pay grade all that." She starts walking along their usual path for their walk: "All kinds of weird things."
Fiora releases the hug and begins to walk alongside Brun, "Weird things are weird. I sorta wanted to mark off 'elemental plant thing' from my list, but... eh... probably for the best I didn't get involved." She leans her neck down and smirks, "But I do have some less weird things today." She holds up the package.
Brunilda looks at the package curiously: "Oh? What do you have in there?"
Fiora laughs a little ominously, "This... is the payoff for the Kobold job. Or at least, the best part of it, since Gareth went to Sarn to deliver the whatever-it-was he's turning in for the bounty to get your friend out of trouble."
Brunilda tilts her head, looking at Fiora just slightly dubiously: "...the best part of it? What do you mean?" She's not suspicious, but... well, she's definitely curious.
Fiora starts to rip open the package, nodding in confirmation at the packaging. "Oh shoot~. He really came through. Two packages? He must have felt like I was just utterly miserable over here without him. Ha." She turns the first package towards Brun, a simple white box labeled 'Cawminka Valley Fudge'.
Brunilda takes the package, raising an eyebrow as she reads the label: "Fudge? I mean, I guess that's fair, but... huh. Heh."
Fiora shakes her head, slipping out the second box from the package, "I don't think you understand. This isn't just any fudge. This is top tier Sarn Fudge, from the Cawminka Valley. It's like, a whole history of fudge making and top secret recipes, designed to make the single greatest fudge experience you will ever have! Ever!"
Brunilda blinks in surprise at the excite explanation: "Oh. Well then, I best give this back to you before I break 'em."
Fiora raises an eyebrow, "What? Why! Don't you wanna try it? I figured I was gonna share with you even when I only thought there was one box."
Brunilda holds onto the box, blushing: "U-oh. Right. Of course." She gives a sheepish smile: "I do want to try, I just thought... something. Dunno."
Fiora tilts her head towards Brun, "Thought... something? Like I wouldn't want to share? I mean, it is fudge worth hoarding all to yourself, so I can see why you'd think that. But eh, it's good! You should get a chance to experience it, right?"
Brunilda lets out a nervous giggle before shaking her head: "Nevermind. We've seen before that I should not really think. Let's try this fudge."
Fiora purses her lips at Brun. "I don't know. You're smarter than I am. I can respect that." She digs into her package, pulling out an irregularly shaped cube of fudge and popping it into her mouth. "Mmmrhgh ohhh~. Jusht ashamashing as ah 'member".
Brunilda opens the package's lid with her trunk and likewise finds a piece to eat: "Mmmrfs~. Mmm. Oh mwow."
Fiora grins wide. "Told ya~. Sarn fudge kicks the crap out of fudge from anywhere else. And I've tried a lot of fudge."
Brunilda giggles as she finishes eating the piece: "I must trust your expertise here. This is delicious."
Fiora grins, "Bounty Hunting is a big job, takes you all over the place. Get to see a lot of great sights and try a lot of great food. You know, inbetween all the violence and slogging through swamps and stuff... so... I guess it's a mixed bag." She pops another piece into her mouth.
Brunilda looks at Fiora with a degree of amusement: "Still not sure if that'd be for me. Paperwork and occasional generator maintenance may not be the most exciting things, but... they're sort of non-stressy comfort zones, yea?"
Fiora nods, tilting her head down to examine the package. "It's... definitely stressy. And it's definitely all about violating comfort zones. I don't know. Maybe if I'd been raised in Respite I'd be happy with being a Guard. I mean, all I really wanted was to do the right thing. Growing up in Westport just meant it was harder to do than I'd wanted."
Brunilda hums understandingly as she pops a piece of fudge into her mouth: "Mmm, I can see that. I was raised to this life from the get-go. Military, Guard, protecting someone with more money and importance than you, all that."
Fiora snorts. "I was raised that there's no one more important than you. I mean uh, me. I mean... well, you too. More money doesn't make someone more important than anyone else. Trust me, we all bleed the same when thrown through a window."
Brunilda chuckle-snorts despite herself: "Fair enough. And it's not like I'm claiming my family is right or else I wouldn't have started studying magitech as well."
Fiora eats another piece of fudge, taking time to chew it before speaking again, "How's that whole thing going anyways? Magitech is way over my head. If it's anything more than 'point at push button' I'm kinda lost."
Brunilda smiles softly: "It's going, I guess. Learning what I can on the side. Not like Respite has actual career chances for that sort of stuff, really. But it's fun, and that's kinda enough for me."
Fiora: "Fun is plenty enough reason to do something. And just say nuts to anyone who says otherwise." She makes a rather rude gesture at no one in particular, just to demonstrate. "I mean, I guess as long as it's not throwing rocks at folks or such. Or at windows... me and window have a weird relationship I guess."
Brunilda laughs at Fiora's gesturing: "If I have to throw rocks to create magitech, I'm probably doing something wrong."
Fiora laughs along, "Probably not a whole lot of rocks in any of it, eh? That makes sense, I guess."
Brunilda shrugs, musing: "Well, if you want to get technical, a lot of the materials for it do come from underground, but..." She winks.
Fiora raises an eyebrow, "Eh? Well, I guess that makes sense? Everything starts out as rocks, right?" She pauses, frowning slightly.
Brunilda shakes her head: "Something like that." She pops another piece of fudge into her mouth, smiling: "These really are delish~."
Fiora perks back up, grinning, "I'm glad you like it! I always make a special trip for it when I'm in Sarn. I'm glad It's something I can share with you."
Brunilda smiles: "Finding things to share... reckon that's a good goal." She is thoughtful for a second: "Speaking of... do you still have a room at the Minnow?"
Fiora chuckles wryly, "Yeah, I do. I was sorta looking for someplace a bit more permanent, but... well, keep getting interrupted by... whatever around here."
Brunilda nods, hesitating for a moment: "Well, I also just have my room at the Barracks... so..." She holds the box of fudge with her trunk in order to slightly nervously tap her fingers together: "So uh... yeah."
Fiora blinks at the elephant, almost tripping in step, "Eh? You thinking we uh... should try to find someplace together? I mean... we could try? It would need to be a big place... and I mean, I'm not opposed really... it just... uh... yeah."
Brunilda gives a wry smile: "W-well, yeah. That was my thought. It would be sorta nice?"
Fiora returns the smile just a bit and chuckles, "It would be, sure... it'd be like... sharing a place with a really good friend, right? One you really like, and... uh... you sure you're gonna be able to tolerate my dumb ass that much?"
Brunilda chuckles, glancing at Fiora: "Only if you're going to tolerate my smart ass, beautiful." She blushes at using that term, but doesn't retract what she said.
Fiora turns to grin at the elephant, "Well, I like your smarts." She blushes a bit, feeling a bit ashamed at her own mix of feelings, "You're uh, pretty good looking yourself too, you know."
Brunilda now definitely blushes, almost dropping the box of sweets from her hands: "O-oh. I am?" She steps just a bit closer, looking Fiora in the eyes, whispering: "...I like your smarts too. You're not as dumb as you act, you know that."
Fiora shrugs a bit awkwardly, managing a smile as Brun closes the distance between them. "Don't know about that... I uh, can try to take your word on it I guess."
Brunilda smirks, lifting her trunk to light touch Fiora's neck before withdrawing: "Well, or you can try to prove me right yourself."
Fiora hums, lowering her head and closing her eyes a moment at that touch, "Mmmm. Don't make me get a rock. But I guess we'll see if you feel that way living with me."
Brunilda shrugs as she continues walking: "Worst that happens is that we annoy the living heck out of each other, which is still an improvement over... whatever that was that we had before."
Fiora pokes Brun playfully, "Oh fair. See, that was stupid. Guess we both wised up a bit at least to get this far."
Brunilda giggles at the poke: "We can agree that we're both plenty able to be stupid."
Fiora smirks, "Potential to be stupid, heh. That's a bottomless well for me. Guess we'll just have to see if I can swing this whole 'smart' thing a little better though."
Brunilda chuckles, winking: "Well, I can always help you. Tackle whatever obstacles we come across together, right?"
Fiora laughs loudly, leaning her head down to plant a kiss on the base of Brun's snout. "Damn straight. No one wants to be on the receiving end of that tackle. Heh. Except maybe me."
Brunilda glances at Fiora, grinning: "Was that an invitation or a warning?"
Fiora laughs again, poking at Brun, "Both? An invitation for you, and a warning for anyone else."
Brunilda laughs, poking back at Fiora: "Fair enough. I'll keep it in mind next time we spar."
Fiora hums, turning to continue their walk, though staying a bit closer to Brun than before, not quite leaning against her, "Heh, can't wait."
Brunilda continues walking as well, though can't quite keep her eyes off of Fiora all that long: "We'll just have to see if we tolerate each other in the long run. For now, I'm happy just spending time with you."
Fiora nods, "Same. Guess we can start looking for someplace and see what comes up, and then see what we can do together, eh?"
Brunilda shrugs, smiling: "Honestly, works for me. I don't pretend to have any grand plan here, exactly."
Fiora laughs, "I wouldn't know a grand plan if it bit me in the face. Gareth is good for that, but I'm just the 'charge headlong' kind of lady. I guess why should moving in with you be any different?"
Brunilda laughs as well, poking Fiora again: "As long as you don't charge against the walls, doubt they'd take that well."
Fiora feigns hurt, "Who? Me? I don't charge through walls, Brun. It's windows I have a grudge against. So uh, maybe no fourth story rooms with a view." She glances around the buildings in Respite, with barely any buildings going beyond two stories. "Probably not a problem here."
Brunilda chuckle-snorts, shaking her head: "You're impossible, and I love you." She glances at Fiora, smiling in very much 'yeah, I meant that' kind of way.
Fiora cranes her neck up proudly, "Heh. Yeah, I know I am." She looks back down at Brun, "And... I know you do. Crazy or stupid, who can say. But I love you too."
Brunilda smirks: "Why does it need to be an 'or'. Can't I be both crazy AND stupid? It sounds better that way."
Fiora snorts, "I meant me... but whatever we need to make it work for us."
Brunilda laughs, waving her hand: "Fair enough. And yeah, whatever we need to do."
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TRAINING GROUNDS - MIDDAY
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Louma lands in the street outside the grounds, slithering in through the gate and roughly depositing her wrap of training gear. She leaves the gear alone for the moment, moving to an open space to begin a set of stretches which start normal, but begin to include a lot of full body twists that legged folk wouldn't dream of doing. It's been a little bit, and the captain plans on running herself tired with agility drills. Better that than to remain in her office reading a dozen reports on invasive growths. From guards clearing the excess jungle in the roads, of course.
Nesseth has been in a slightly sour mood for the past while, since the incident at the garden resolved in a... not necessarily exceptional way. He stalks the sparring grounds feeling a bit agitated, but almost entirely at himself more than anything else, and he doesn't quite notice Louma stretching as he passes by her, his attention turned mostly inward as he tries to think of ways that he could have turned the situation around for the better for everyone involved.
Louma gives Nesseth a quick wave during her stretch, turning fully around to face him again when she doesn't receive a wave in return. She clears her throat, watching him as she continues her routine. "Good day Nesseth. Join me for a little workout."
Nesseth comes out of his reverie at the sound of Louma addressing him, causing him to slow to a stop. He spends a moment or two just gazing at the ground a little ways in front of him, his back towards his captain, before he sighs and turns around with a nod. "Sure, why not..."
Louma nods, offering a quick smile as she waits for him to step back to her before continuing. She shifts to a more standard upper body set that the guard might be able to follow. "Good, thnk you. Always smart to have a spotter for exercise." She leaves out that stretching isn't particularly dangerous, but that's likely not her intention.
Nesseth hums quietly as he moves to a spot next to Louma and prepares to do his best to match her lead in their stretches. "Mmh, definitely helps if someone accidentally pulls something."
Louma nods, keeping her choices relatively easy. "It gives us a chance to talk, as well. Somewhere a little less stuffy than the office." She pulls her arms across her chest, left shoulder popping ever so slightly. "Like about the report you submitted on the elemental."
Nesseth pauses mid-stretch, his arms stretched just as Louma's arms are. He holds the position for a few silent seconds, then sighs and just drops his arms to his sides as he looks at her with an expression somewhere between 'not in the mood for this' and 'really?'. "Right, what do you want to know, then?"
Louma catches his expression, similarly pausing, though she does resume her movements as she speaks. "It was very... Sterile. Not that I expect or want a lot of emotion or wandering in reports, that one certainly stood out from your others. I can tell you're upset about something, still, of course. I don't understand though, you were successful. The creature is gone, Erika can return home."
Nesseth looks off to the side for a few moments, then snorts quietly. "Feh... yeah, Erika can get back to her garden, we can clear out the vegetation encroaching everywhere outside of the property, maybe help Erika repair the damage done to her house..." He shrugs a bit as he looks towards Louma again, "All it took was the killing of a creature as intelligent as any of us."
Louma blinks at Nesseth, humming for a moment as she does a twist with her body he wouldn't have been likely to follow anyways, returning to rest before she replies. "That's what has you caught up, then? The elemental's intelligence? That it was a thinking, talking being that looked an awful lot like Erika. That's understandable, but-" She leans horizontally sideways, "-It wasn't a person."
Nesseth shakes his head, his eyes tracking Louma as she bends in oddly mesmerizing ways that are basically impossible for bipeds to even have a hope of attempting. "It was a thinking, talking being that looked an awful lot like Erika... could reason with us, and was afraid and alone, and trapped in a way. And in an effort to help her leave town to live elsewhere, we killed her."
Louma sighs as she returns to rest again, pausing in her stretches for the time being. She settles to roughly Nesseth's eye level, considering him for a few moments. "For one thing, you and perhaps Xochi had no way to know that a magic creature like that would die when you tried to move it. Don't hold so much blame to yourself, Nesseth, you did what you thought was right. That said..."
Nesseth looses a rather loud, singular laugh at that, the statement seeming to have opened up some kind of floodgate within him. "Hah! I did what I thought was the only thing we could have done before the neighbors complaints started turning into actual non-Guard actions! What I thought was right would have taken way too much time, and half the town would be a jungle by the time it actually worked, if it even did work!"
Louma looks surprised to be interrupted for one brief moment before resetting to neutral, allowing the lizard to get his rant out.
Nesseth shifts a bit, then starts to pace a little as he continues to rant. "Instead, what happened was a plan that none of us even knew what the consequences were, that caused her a lot of pain, and then killed her! Hell, the strain of the effort almost killed Tarbin, too! I'm a hunter, someone that hunts wild animals for meat, fur - sometimes scales - and skins. This wasn't a hunt, Captain, we as good as killed someone, not something."
Louma can feel Nesseth's emotion settling into her, catching the impact that these events have had on him. She sighs, lowering her eyes for a moment before turning back to look at Nesseth, her hands crossing in front of her until he's finished speaking. "You think so, and nothing will convince you differently, hmm? Alright then." She clears a catch in her throat, a little too much empathy for Nesseth's state. "Do you want this treated as if she were a person, in that case?" She levels her gaze at Nesseth. "Do we arrest Tarbin for her death?"
Nesseth almost defiantly holds Louma's gaze. "Arrest myself and Tarbin if that's how we want to handle this, Captain. Teis wasn't a contributor beyond lending the Guard her notes on doppelgangers, and Xochi just wanted to be supportive of the elemental." He shakes his head slowly, a couple of tears spilling forth after being held back for days, "I don't care if this is penance or punishment, but it shouldn't have ended this way."
Louma moves closer to Nesseth so they can lower their voices, and to block the view from the rest of the training grounds, though very few have paid much attention to them at this point. She lets out a light sigh, placing a hand on Nesseth's shoulder. "I've been looking at this the wrong way... I'm sorry. Nesseth... You failed, and someone died, but it's not your fault. This was too much for you, there was not enough time to do anything else. That elemental's fate was clearly on a short path, no matter what anyone tried to do to help. If you had not made a move, eventually someone would have felt forced to kill her." She lowers herself more to look levelly at him. "At least it ended with folks trying to be kind to her, you didn't leave her to be alone. Even if you didn't succeed, I'm sure she would be grateful for that."
Nesseth hands slowly clench, his head bowed a bit as he listens to Louma. She can no doubt feel the subtle shaking of his shoulders after his rant, even as his hands slowly unclench again. "We didn't leave her alone, we didn't succeed, but her last moments were painful, best as I can tell. For all she knew, we'd taken her trust and stomped on it at the last second."
Louma bows her head slightly, shaking it after a moment. "We'll never know, all you can do is find closure and improve yourself. Take a few more days off, perhaps speak to the others." She gives his should a reassuring squeeze. "I'm here for you too, if you want."
Nesseth seems to just lose the desire to stand straight for a moment, causing him to suddenly lean forward and bump his forehead against Louma's shoulder before he can catch himself. "I... don't even know what to do at the moment. Nothing's helping. I can't shoot straight even with my goggles, I broke training weapons on the dummies, I can't sit still at the clinic for more than a couple of minutes."
Louma is startled by the movement, sighing as she gives her friend a hug. "You're taking this that hard, mh? I'm no therapist... All I can advise is take time to yourself to work through this. I can find someone else to follow up on Cavro's side of this, if you don't think you can handle it."
Nesseth pulls back after a moment and shakes his head rather firmly. "No, now that we know what to do, we can take our time figuring out what to do with the elemental at the forge. Cavro's neighbors haven't complained yet about much of anything to do with the smithy, I think, so we've still got time."
Louma lets him go when he wants, relaxing with a sigh. "Sure, that's fine. Take as much time as you need. We'll find somewhere for Cavro to stay in between, though from what I've heard he's already sharpened and repaired every weapon at the armory." She gives him a cautious smile. "That might be your time limit."
Nesseth angles his gaze down a bit, nodding. By the time he shifts his eyes back to Louma's face, he seems mostly back to normal, though that might just be a mask. "I'll probably have to talk to Cavro, see what he thinks we should do."
Louma: "Not sure what you expect the badger might know that you don't. I think someone is going to have to talk to Erika, though. She will likely not take the news well, all things considered."
Nesseth hums quietly. "Not really thinking Cavro would know anything we don't, considering he and Erika both have been missing since this started, but he could maybe come up with some ideas for what to do." He pauses, scratching his chin, "As for Erika... maybe Xochi could talk to her? I could ask."
Louma nods, starting into her stretches again. "Alright, that sounds like the best idea for now. You might be right, your report said the garden elemental was tethered there somehow... Maybe Cavro can give a clue as to what, if anything, might be holding the forge elemental in place."
Nesseth shrugs. "Maybe. I don't know, really. Hopefully he does, because this kind of flies over most of our heads otherwise." He dips his head, "But I'll let you get back to your stretching for now, Louma."
Louma chuckles dryly, shrugging. "Make sure to take some time to stretch, yourself. It's good for clearing the mind."
Nesseth seems to give the idea some thought before shrugging again. "Mmh, maybe. We'll see, I guess."
Louma watches Nesseth head out, returning to her exercises with considerably more to think about now, and an underlying worry for her friend's state of mind. She'll have to pay a visit to Plume, perhaps, and make sure the doctor takes proper care of her guard.
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BOUQUET ESTATE - EARLY EVENING
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Enver hadn't seen Teis in a few days, so he had decided to pay her a social call. He was dressed in his nicer clothes again and was carrying a box of pastries from the local bakery as he approached the gate where Jax is standing guard.
Narrator: With movement on the path, Jax has his attention on Enver long before the two are able to exchange words. "Evening, Enver." Jax greets with a small smile, though it quickly fades as does his tone, into one of solemn apology. "If you're here to see Teis, I'm afraid she isn't accepting any visitors right now. Sorry Lad."
Enver nods back to Jax. "Evening, Mr. Jax." He frowns at the news and cocks his head. "Oh, um... all right... is she OK?" He looks past the gate to the house, though he can't see either Teis's balcony or lab from this vantage.
Jax: "I'm not officially allowed to share that information. I could get fired." Jax withholds, trying to figure out how to obey the letter of his employment rather than the intent, though perhaps his skewed expression states it all.
Enver gives a little sigh, but knows better than to try to get by Jax. "Oh, all right. Uh... would you tell her that I came by, then? Give her these?" He proffers the box of pastries to the wolf.
Jax looks thoughtfully at the box of pastries, hesitating to take it, instead responding, ". . .Perhaps you might be better off giving them to Lady Rondelethia?" Jax hints.
Enver cocks his head. "Oh, um yes, if she'll see me..." He blinks a bit at the wolf as he pulls back the box, still wary, still wary that he's being tested somehow.
Jax gives a little nod to Enver. "I figure you're trusted enough to no longer need an escort, Lad. And if you just so happen to get lost? I'm sure no one would blame you." Jax gives a wink. Additionally, Jax moves to open the gate.
Enver just gives a little nod to the gate guard. "All right, so uh... where is Teis? So I can respect her wishes to not be seen and all?"
Jax: "Miss Teis hasn't left her room in the last couple of days, so I wouldn't worry about running into her by accident." Jax replies, calmly, allowing Enver entry to the estate.
Enver tips his hat a bit to Jax before proceeding into the estate.
Jax politely bows to Enver, with an arm folded in front of his chest. He closes the gate and returns to his post, watching Enver walk into the manor.
Enver makes his way into the manor house and, upon not finding Rondelethia anywhere to chat with, he moves upstairs, just staring at Teis's closed door in silence for a few moments as he tries to think of how to approach this.
Enver decides on a course of action soon enough. He quietly sets the box of pastries outside Teis's door and then gives a quick knock before moving down the hallway to crouch beside a sideboard out of view from anyone in the room but allowing him to watch it still.
Teis: There is some grumpy, uneven shuffling in the room in response to the knock. Soon enough, the door opens. "I THOUGHT I-" Teis' shouting voice briefly fills the hall before she realises no one is there. What? She steps out of the door a bit, revealing her somewhat messy and ungroomed form, adorned in her pyjamas. She curiously looks down at the box, then up and down the hallway to look for the culprit.
Enver stays quiet for the moment, just watching Teis still, though his heart leaps at seeing here before sinking a bit at her state.
Teis: Who would knock and run? With a box of pastries, no less? ". . .I guess I have been rather rude to the staff. . ." She sighs and grumbles, feeling sorry for herself almost immediately as a result, defensively crossing her arms, looking down at the pastries again. Her eyes begin to water more and more the longer she looks at them, her lip quivering into a sad frown, as if paralysed looking at them.
Enver can't stand to see Teis on the verge of tears, so he slowly stands up, making his presence known with a loud breath. "Uh, hi Teis."
Teis startles, looking down the hall at Enver. "Oh! Oh. Um. Hi, Enver. I'm. . .Guessing these are from you, then?" Teis questions, weakly forcing a smile. "Why. . .Were you hiding?" She questions.
Enver blushes a bit and slowly approaches. "Oh, uh, well... Jax at the gate said you weren't taking visitors so I figured I'd make sure you weren't like, angry or something. Don't know really... I mean, just being careful?"
Teis: "What?" Teis tilts her head, thinking out loud, "When did I. . .? Oh. . .Yeah I guess I did tell him that." Teis takes in a deep breath, sighing. "No, no. . .I'm. . .Not angry." Teis reaches down for the pastries. "I'm just. . .Look, come in." Teis enters her room, leaving the door open for Enver to follow. Teis' room is a slight mess - As messy as a room is capable of becoming in two days.
Enver follows Teis in and closes the door behind him. "Oh, okay... uh... what's going on?"
Teis places the box of pastries on her bedside table, crawling into bed though sitting up against the headrest. Her watering eyes shimmer in response to the question, her expression quivering as she fights breaking down for the moment. ". . .I. . .I messed up. . ." Teis stutter sout.
Enver takes off his cap and sweater and boots before getting into bed with Teis and hugging up against her. "We all make mistakes..."
Teis remains silent, merely hugging back into Enver, more strongly than she ever has before. She thinks that once she tells Enver what happened that he'll never want to see her again, so she's getting the best damn hug in she can beforehand.
Enver returns the hug in kind, cuddling in happily and nuzzling against her cheek. "Hey now... it'll be OK."
Teis sighs, managing to keep composure enough to speak despite the tears starting to streak down her face and dampen her fur. "No. . .It won't. I. . .Someone is dead, Enver. . .And it's. . .My fault. . ."
Enver squeezes Teis more, not saying anything and just focusing on making as much contact with her as he can, his tail curling around her waist.
Teis remains silent in the wake of her rather brief statement, continuing to hug Enver tightly, bracing herself for him to simply leave thanks to that information. But it doesn't come. ". . .You're. . .Not leaving?" Teis questions, sad, shocked, thankful. . .Confused.
Enver shakes his head. "It obviously wasn't on purpose, and you're not in a cell, so it can't have been that bad..." He squeezes again. "Plus, you're you."
Teis: "It doesn't matter if it was or wasn't on purpose. . .In fact it's worse that it isn't, really. . .my stupidity got someone killed. The only reason I'm not in a cell simply because it was an Elemental that died. . .The. . .Being that's been making that garden in the middle of town grow wild . .Not. . .What the law would call a person." Teis explains. "But. . .That doesn't make it okay. . ."
Enver cocks his head for a moment and then just squeezes again. "Yes, but you can't change that now."
Teis: "And that makes it better?" Teis semi-snaps at Enver, sighing immediately and squeezing him back in apology, sheepishly burying her face into Enver's side.
Enver sighs. "No... just saying that fretting over it won't fix it." He nuzzles at her neck. "Look, I'm no expert on anything really, but like, I know that you're sad and I want you to not be sad..."
Teis: "Nothing'll fix this. It's Death. It's absolute." Teis muffles into Enver's fur, deciding to remove herself from Enver's fur to continue speaking. "Look, Enver. . .I'm. . .I appreciate what you're trying to do. . .And the pastries. I do. But. . .Like. I can't just. . .Move on from this."
Enver frowns. "All right, well just let me... be here... with you... for whatever good it will do. And I'll stop trying to use my brain since that's not working."
Teis nods her head against Enver. "It's. . .Maybe a little more bearable with you here, admittedly. . .At least I'm not alone with my thoughts."
Enver rubs his real hand through Teis's headfur. "Your thoughts are usually good, but right now they're not. How about we just...don't think for a bit?" He looks into her eyes and leans in to very tentatively plant a nervous kiss on her lips.
Teis looks back into Enver's eyes, opening her mouth to talk but ultimately getting intercepted. In a moment of brief passion, she pulls Enver in closer to more solidly seal the kiss.
Enver melts into the kiss a bit, his body letting out a sound akin to a purr, though a bit more rattling.
Teis enjoys the kiss as well for a moment, before she just as suddenly pulls away. "What is wrong with me? Why am I enjoying this? How can I enjoy this, after what I've done? Someone is. . .And I'm just. . .I don't. . .I. . ." Teis' tears flow once more, though this time Teis herself begins to audibly sob.
Enver isn't sure how to react to this, other than to return to hugging Teis and pull her close, giving her a literal shoulder to cry on. "I'm here... I'm not going anywhere."
Teis: Utterly confused and conflicted with her inner strife, Teis simply decides to let her instincts take hold. Despite the sorrow inside of her, she realises that it's simply easier to forget for a moment than it is to deal with it all. She pulls herself back into Enver, kissing him deeply again, digging her claws lightly into his back possessively.
Enver follows Teis's lead and kisses her enthusiastically, being whatever she needs him to be in the moment. He really enjoys the kisses, of course. He spends the rest of the evening with Teis until she drifts off into a still troubled sleep eventually.