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RESPITE FALLS - STREETS NEAR THE OLDHAMMER FORGE - LATE AFTERNOON
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Phoebe stalks through the street a little cautiously, having 'woken up' this morning to a laundry list of things to take care of. She growls a bit in frustration at all the potential problems Aelia has been causing, the foremost of which might be this Badger who the deer carelessly told everything to! Stupid deer is going to get her killed. Best to nip this whole thing in the bud, or... something. She really doesn't know. Just a matter of finding this 'Cavro' first, as she heads towards that closed cafe the two had sat in.
Cavro is seated on a bench around the corner from the smithy, staring blankly down into a cup of water, half-eaten sandwich laying in front of him. The little cafe is only a couple doors and a corner away from the smithy, but Cavro knows that the other badger hasn't left the smithy at all in at least two weeks. So there he sits, hood up but face visible, and looking a bit sad.
Phoebe examines the cafe, basically retracing Aelia's steps as she checks the only places that she had 'seen' Cavro before, continuing to walk around the block, turning the corner around the smithy, eyeing it carefully before her mismatched eyes settle on the hooded badger. She approaches cautiously, moving towards the bench to take a seat, leaving a respectful distance between them. Eyes forward, as if she were trying not to draw attention to herself, she clears her throat softly. "Cavro, yes." It's not a question, though she knows she must seem a stranger to him.
Cavro nods absently to the statement, before blinking and looking around to find Phoebe. He sets his cup down next to him on the bench, nodding again to her. "Yes, hello. Did did did you need something? I I I ah... Am not working... Today."
Phoebe is doing a fairly adequate job of looking like she's not paying attention to Cavro, but she's watching him out of the corner of her eye. "Don't know what I need. Figured we should talk. We've met through a mutual friend, so to speak. You're the one Aelia spoke to."
Cavro hums, nodding after a moment, sitting back on the bench. "Oh oh oh yes, the nice deer lady. How is is is she? I haven't seen her for for for a bit, but I imagine she's had a a a few bad dreams after all that happened..."
Phoebe flinches a little at 'bad dreams', but shakes her head. "She's fine. Overwhelmed, probably... but she's managing." She pauses, finally turning her head over towards Cavro. "She told you some stuff, hm?"
Cavro shrugs slightly, prodding at the sandwich on his lap. "About the the the caravan, yes. And and and that she has a ah... Close friend who who who travels with her." He chuckles, looking to her. "So so so that's you, right?"
Phoebe tenses up, somewhere between scared and uncertain. She slowly nods. "Yeah... yeah that's me, I guess. I go by Phoebe."
Cavro hums again, shaking his head a little as he mutters more to himself. "Wonder how how how I'd react if... Well..." He looks to her again. "So so so you met Erika, then? Aelia had a map, said you you you left it for her."
Phoebe slowly relaxes, staring down at the ground. "Yeah. She uh... greeted me at caravan gates. Gave me the map. Keeps bothering me about friendship and stuff. Hmph. Kinda annnoying, if you ask me... but uh... hard to say no to."
Cavro chuckles, nodding along. "She can can can be a bit eager, yes. Her heart is is is in the right place, though. She's had a similar experience to mine, actually." He glances toward the smithy, "You know know know about it, right? Aelia probably told you."
Phoebe nods. "Erika mentioned something about the elemental in the garden to me. And uh, Aelia told me about the other smith you've been dealing with." She pauses. "I know about your 'deal' with Aelia too. She helps you, and you help her, right?"
Cavro pauses to take a drink from his water, nodding shortly after. "Yes, I I I did make a promise to to to help her. And you, by by by extension, hmm?"
Phoebe glances at Cavro curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah... and me..." She slowly frowns and pokes a thumb against her chest. "I'm not as trusting as Aelia. And I feel like I've got more to lose here. I'm the 'invader' after all. You really sure you want to help me and not just rid Aelia of me?" Her tone is a bit accusational, but there's a real fear behind it.
Cavro blinks at Phoebe, looking a bit scared, though his expression softens by the time she's finished. "If if if you think that, why is the other badger still in in in the smithy? He's the 'invader', but he's not hurting anyone. That badger is his own self, even if he looks just just just like me. You are your your your own self, too, right? So if if if you want to stay, we will work together to to to find a way to stay."
Phoebe unclenches the fist that she'd subconciously gripped tight, taking a deep breath. "I don't want to hurt anyone either. But I don't want to go away, Cavro. I know I'm causing Aelia pain but..." She closes her mouth, settling back into her guarded position after a moment of vulnerability. "I don't have much choice though. She trusted you, so I have to as well, so I guess I'm here to help too."
Cavro smiles at Phoebe, nodding. "Good, it it it would be very awkward if if if you were working against our efforts." He chuckles again, picking his sandwich up and finally biting into that second half.
Phoebe snorts slightly, but nods. "Yeah, well... tried that and didn't get anywhere. Aelia walking around telling folks doesn't make it easy for me. So uh, do me a favor and keep this whole situation kinda quiet, okay?"
Cavro nods, still smiling after he finishes his mouthful of food. "Of course. I I I know who can help, maybe. They're just a a a bit busy right now."
Phoebe shifts in her seat, folding her arms, "Yeah, that makes sense. Well... a lead is good. Neither Aelia or I have really found out anything about this, not that we've really had time either. But now that we can hopefully be settled in here, we can figure something out."
Cavro tilts his head a bit, humming. "So you you you don't have any ideas on on on what happened, then?"
Phoebe shakes her head, "Nope. I... I literally just woke up one day. Like this." She motions a hand over her body. "I... sorta have some memories? I think they're Aelia's, but they're foggy. Some spell or curse or something 'made me'. I don't know if I'm some kind of punishment for Aelia, or just a mistake. A joke."
Cavro sighs, shaking his head slightly. "Well, anything is is is better than nothing. You can can can trust me to keep mum about it, I'll find one one one of you two before telling anyone who might be be be able to help."
Phoebe glances at Cavro carefully, then sighs, slumping her shoulders. "Not much choice, since Aelia already told you. But... thanks. The last thing I want is... is a solution that someone springs on us that just... gets rid of me. That's probably really selfish, since I'm the one hijacking Aelia's life."
Cavro sighs, shaking his head slowly as he looks at Phoebe. "I I I wouldn't want that, would never be able to to to live with it, if I knew it were were were my fault. You're here. You seem to to to have your own thoughts and feelings, different from Aelia." He hesitates before continuing, "I I I can't promise to find a way to fix things. I'm just a a a smith, after all. But I'm here to to to talk, at least."
Phoebe leans back in her seat, looking up at the sky. "That's something I've never had... and something I cost Aelia. I guess a few of her 'friends' felt bad afterwards, but I don't know. If that's all you can do for us, honestly it's a lot."
Cavro smiles, nodding. "If it's what I I I can do, I'll do what what what I can. I ah... Also know a few folks with with with a bit more ah... Knowledge than me? I I I can try asking questions. After all, who who who has a better reason to than than than me?" He glances toward the smithy door, chuckling quietly.
Phoebe leans forward once again and glances towards the smithy as well. "...You want me to try to talk to him? You can relate to Aelia. Maybe I can relate to him?"
Cavro shakes his head suddenly, then tugs his hood forward a little bit. "No. No no, thank thank thank you. He doesn't know I I I exist. As far as as as I know, he thinks he's Cavro and well... For now, that's fine. If you do... Just as as as yourself. I don't exist."
Phoebe glances between the door and Cavro for a minute, then settles back down with a shrug, "Alright, then. Guess that's your call. I'd be a hypocrite if I told you to force them out and take back your life, considering... you know." She glances down at herself.
Cavro nods shortly, sighing. "I don't mean... You're free to to to do whatever you like. If it might help, then then then do it. Just keep my secret like I I I'm keeping yours, hmm?"
Phoebe chuckles, "Alright. Least I can do for you. But maybe I'll poke around. See if I can't get to know him. You know, one freak to another."
Cavro frowns at her, but doesn't prod at the freak line. "I'll see about some some some more savvy folks. The library is is is supposed to be much more useful than it it it was a year ago. We even have a a a Loremaster now!"
Phoebe tilts her head. Although Aelia is somewhat more classically educated, a lot of that information doesn't seem to have bled over to Phoebe. "I'm not so great with books... and what's a Loremaster? Like... just a... fancy librarian?"
Cavro lightens in expression, shrugging a bit. "As far as as as I know. Like a master librarian. They share knowledge between the the the continents, I think."
Phoebe: "Huh... guess they might be worth asking. I'll admit I uh... I don't actually... know that much, like, about the world. I know a lot about how to live, but not like, places. Or history. None of that seems to matter to me, I guess. Maybe just because of how I came about."
Cavro smiles at Phoebe, nodding. "That that that makes sense but really, a lot of people are are are just living their lives, trying to to to get by. Most of what any average person knows is is is what they picked up along the way."
Phoebe crosses her arms, "I guess. I just worry, cause like... I don't have any of that. Or, what I do have feels like it isn't mine." She snorts. "Bah, not that it matters. I use what I've got, and I'll make it work."
Cavro nods again. "There is a a a place for anyone in Respite. I think you you you will find your place in in in time."
Phoebe shrinks a bit guiltily. "Yeah, maybe. Making it work for both me and Aelia though... that'll be the hard part. She's already building dreams and plans, making a theater in Respite and holding plays with a local theater group. I don't fit into any of that vision. Me being here isn't doing anything but stopping her from finding her place, and I'm not even sure I'm sorry, cause I only get to really live when she's sleeping like this." Her initial talk gets a bit heated as she goes on, until at the end she's clearly venting.
Cavro pays close attention to the short rant, nodding by the end of it. "And that that that isn't something you are interested in?"
Phoebe laughs, shaking her head. "No. Uh, not really at all, no. I... don't even know what I'm interested in. Feels like I've been doing nothing but figuring out where my next meal is coming from since I woke up. I guess I've not even really had time to think about myself..."
Cavro hums, scratching his chin for a moment. "Well you you you have a lot of time now. I I I can spare some money to help with meals, if if if you two stumble."
Phoebe shrugs, her mouth twisting into a little smirk. "Well, I appreciate that offer, but money's not a worry right now at least, so don't worry about that. I've been making sure Aelia knows she has enough too."
Cavro lets out a quiet sigh of relief, shrugging. "Then then then emotional support it is." He looks up at the rooftop across the road from them, the sun beginning to peek around it, his end of the bench slowly revealed from the shop's shadow. "Where are you you you two staying? I don't think Aelia told me."
Phoebe points down the road, "The Thirsty Minnow. Cheap. Good food. Erika recommended it when I first got into town."
Cavro grins, nodding. "It's well... The nicest inn we we we have. Probably helps that it it it is the closest one to the main gate."
Phoebe chuckles, "I've been in worse. Some of the dockside inns in Policaster are real trash. So I'll take it. There's a few other folks that seem to hang out there that Aelia trusts now... so seems to be a good choice."
Cavro glances back to Phoebe with a smile. "Then I I I know where I can at least drop off a a a note if something comes up. I live there, three doors down from that cafe." He points in the general direction of his house, which isn't anything fancy. "I might be there, or or or at one of the guardhouses... Or the barracks... Or or or right here." He looks at Phoebe again. "It might be easier to leave a a a note for me, too."
Phoebe nods, "It's how I communicate with Aelia too... I leave her notes, every night, just in case she wakes up instead of me. I'll keep you updated as well. Thanks, Cavro."
Cavro nods, standing up with a tired grunt. "You're welcome and... Thank you, too. For the offer to to to talk to the other badger." He chuckles. "I'll add the library to my morning walks, I I I think."
Phoebe nods, "I might too... err, if Erika put it on her map at least. And I guess I'll try to think up a reason to talk to him. See if we've got anything in common."
Cavro chuckles, shrugging. "I I I don't think Erika used the library much, she is is is pretty close to self-taught." He gives her a genuine smile, offering a hand to shake. "Good luck, Phoebe."
Phoebe hesitates a moment, then reaches out to shake his hand. "To you too, Cavro."