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LOUMA'S OFFICE - MID-MORNING
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Louma taps at the top of her page with the end of her quill, her other hand occupied cradling her chin as she stares blankly at the sheet in front of her, that elbow planted firmly on the top of her desk. It's unbearably stuffy today, the air seeming to be nearly viscous with uncommon 'winter' humidity. At least the sun seems to be nice and strong on her coils.
Nesseth knocks on the door to Louma's office, then peeks in a few moments later, sort-of kind-of bypassing the 'door protocol' as usual. He's dressed a bit lighter than normal, reflecting the rather uncomfortable humidity that's permeating the town at the moment. Upon seeing Louma just sitting behind her desk, he enters the room proper and shuts the door behind him before saluting. "Reporting as requested, Louma."
Louma looks up at Nesseth as he steps into the room, giving him a warm smile. Her empty quill hand quickly salute is followed by the same hand wafting a little more air past her beak. "As quick as usual, Nesseth. I do hope you've got the reports ready, though. And please tell me the ink didn't run in this unbelievable weather." She taps the page again, her saluting hand returning to tapping the paper with the tip of an unretrieved quill.
Nesseth chuckles as he hefts a stack of reports, all pretty professionally kept in order and, as far as Louma can see anyway, not at all messy. "Thankfully, the ink dried fast in the heat, before it started getting all sticky and gross out." He makes his way over to the desk and sets the stack down, then takes a seat.
Louma chuckles, leaning back from her resting spot as she watches Nesseth set the reports down, nodding appreciatively. "You really were quite busy, but I'm glad you stuck with the workload." She beams at him with a little pride. "You'll be quite useful, for a sleepy lizard."
Nesseth grins a bit as he sits back in his seat. "Takes a bit of the load off of your shoulders, at least. I might be one to doze during wall duty, but paperwork's no trouble." He stretches his arms up into the air, "It's mostly the sun that makes me tired, when I'm out and about~"
Louma wiggles the end of her tail in the sunlight streaming in from behind her. "Just the right amount of sun in here to avoid the sleepiness." She picks the top pages up from the report pile, reading the first. "'Of the North Gate and a late caravan'..." She looks up at Nesseth with a sigh. "Albert again?"
Nesseth laughs a bit and nods. "He's normally the lead wagon, but we all know he sleeps like a rock if he's tired enough. At least the caravan didn't just leave him and his wagon out there alone like they did last time, remember?"
Louma chuckles, nodding as she sets the report down in front of her. Her left arm jerks as she sees something moving out of the corner of her eye, interrupting her reply. The sound of papers shifting leaves her giggling after a moment of looking worried. "You might need a little more training in stacking papers."
Nesseth chuckles again as he follows Louma's arm movement, barely taking note of the papers tilting precariously over towards him. "Maybe, but that'll come with practice, no doubt. Really, the worst part is sorting them again if they fall over." He reaches over and helps to straighten the stack again, though.
Louma sighs, shaking her head as the two push the stack of spare uniforms straight, the other guards in the small gate post seemingly too busy to care about the near-spill. "Well if we don't sort them by size, how would anyone find one that fits?"
Nesseth shrugs as he gets the stack orderly again, then steps back with his hands on his hips to see if it teeters over again. "Well... there's always the tried and true method of "put one on and see if it fits well", but that does kind of waste a lot of time when they're just jumbled up."
Louma nods, moving back a little as well. "And much like penmanship, not everyone is good at folding clothes back up again." She turns away from the pile, looking to Nesseth. Her posture is relaxed, considering there are other guards around. "I don't know, I suppose I might be a little biased towards such things."
Nesseth grins a bit as he turns to face Louma again. "I dunno, some folks just toss things into a pile and call it good. Convenient, sure, and it saves time." He tilts his head towards the nice stack of clothing they'd just finished setting up, only just barely avoiding getting tapped on the back of the head by a passing guard's spear, "I like keeping these things orderly, though. It saves more time later on if I keep it from getting messy in the first place."
Louma jerks forward, tapping the other guard's spear away from Nesseth, though she seems to forget to reprimand the other as she returns to Nesseth's side a second later. "Ah yes, agreed." She gives him a look, wondering if he'd even noticed the other guard's near-miss. "I have seen your spice pantry, after all. Honestly, that alone might have had a bit of sway in my opinion of you over time."
Nesseth doesn't really seem to take note of the near-miss, but he does smile and nod at Louma as she comes back. "Heh... that sort of thing is essential to keep in order. Mixing up spices just makes dishes taste bad, especially if I end up doing something like adding powdered mustard instead of crushed garlic or something."
Louma chuckles, shrugging. "I suppose you're right, boar-hind buns would taste rather off with powdered mustard..." She pauses, shaking her head. "Not that I even remember how much powdered garlic would be right. The oven and I have never been the greatest of allies."
Nesseth chuckles and grins again as he takes a moment to pull out a recipe card from a box on the counter of his kitchen. "It's mostly a matter of taste, really. You know garlic tastes right with those buns, so I'm sure you'd pick up on the mustard tasting awful pretty fast."
Louma grins, turning the dough over in a large wooden bowl. She hesitates after a few moments, shaking her head before continuing. "I do think I'd catch the difference before pouring any. I'm no good at adding the extra little flair, though. That little bit of a personal dash that makes it your own." She blushes slightly. "I usually go a little too far."
Nesseth laughs a bit and nods as he takes a peek at the dough, then jokingly nudges Louma in the side. "Nothing wrong with a stronger flavor, really. Though, like anything good, it's more in moderation where it really stands out. You'll get it with a bit more practice, I'm sure." He smiles, "Just keep in mind that tastes differ from person to person."
Louma lifts the dough, stretching it out in the air a bit as she turns partly toward Nesseth. "You're right, May doesn't care so much for strong spice as she does sweet things." She sets the split dough rolls into the oven, pausing as she stares into the appliance.
Nesseth picks up the mixing bowl and goes to wash it out in the sink. "She's got that big a sweet tooth, hm? That's a good bit of insight into what to make for her, then. Pretty sure I've got a few recipes that lean sweet, if you want to give them a try one day."
Louma giggles, nodding as she settles a bit to watch Nesseth. "I would appreciate your help, yes. Especially after all you taught her." She feels herself tensing up, something in her peripheral vision irking her again. Her eyes are drawn to a knife, it's point hovering over the edge of Nesseth's counter. "I would like to spoil her a little more, she really does deserve it for putting up with me." She can't draw her eyes from the knife, but does't speak about why it's so fascinating to her.
Nesseth glances over his shoulder as he finishes washing the mixing bowl out. "Careful you don't spoil her too much, though! We'd have to hire her on as an assistant for you if she decides to just never leave your side for fear of missing out on snacks." He grins cheekily, but his smile slides a bit as he finds his eyes drawn to the knife as well, "Oh, could you pass that to me, please? I might as well give it a wash and get it out of the way."
Louma uncoils, nodding as she moves for the knife as if his prompt woke her muscles up. She takes the handle and turns it to hand over to Nesseth, though something feels off to her about how she's moving through the room. "I'd be so lucky, of course. I wouldn't want you to be out of a job, though."
Nesseth accepts the knife and chuckles as he starts to wash it, too. "I'd just go back to doing my usual patrols and such. Though, I guess one thing stopping that situation from happening is that the town needs its magitech engineer on the regular. I doubt May would want to work two jobs at once. Even with all that energy she has."
Louma blushes slightly, feeling like taking a deep breath as she tightens her coil around Nesseth's waist, aiming to push him down into the dirt in the training grounds. "Her energy is incredible, but you should be proud of your own, lizard~"
Nesseth wiggles in Louma's coils, doing his best to keep himself upright even as the lesser coatl's weight slowly tips him over, bit by bit. "These sparring matches help out in that regard... You've got a really tight grip, but I'm learning how to deal with it~"
Louma grins, pushing a bit more before suddenly twitching the wrap back toward herself. "A tight grip is a surefire path to a satisfying victory~"
Nesseth continues to fight the push, before the sudden switch causes him to overbalance and very quickly end up on the ground within the sparring ring. He gets the wind knocked out of him a bit, but stops wiggling and just sighs. "Oof... damn, I guess I need to figure that out, still."
Louma chuckles quietly, drawing the dropped lizard up on her tail to recuperate. "I swear you don't even try to escape that grapple sometimes. Not that I mind the exercise."
Nesseth takes a few moments to find his balance as Louma hauls him upright again, but he grins innocently. "What can I say? I just know I'm not escaping sometimes, so I might as well save my strength."
Louma hums, nodding slowly. "You should save your strength, you'll need it." She shakes her head slightly, grinning. "And sometimes all you need to do for an escape is bide your time and wait for an opportunity."
Nesseth wiggles just a little, still smiling as he puts up a token effort to "try" and escape. "Exactly. If I can't find an opportunity to get away now, I can hang on until something comes up later. My captor's bound to make a slip-up somewhere."
Louma chuckles, giving him a squeeze as she moves her torso a little closer, tapping him on the forehead with the shaft of her training spear. "You could always hope someone will jump to save you, but that's what the training grounds and the wild have in common. Nobody is around that will do that."
Nesseth makes a slight sound of discomfort(?) at the squeeze, only to laugh a little as the spear prods the scales on his forehead. "Oh yeah, I'm aware I'm on my own in solo combat. It's why I'm fine not struggling if I think I can gain an advantage later."
Louma chuckles, her tail shifting and sliding around him as she leans over Nesseth, looming with her beak inches from his face. "Well some predators might see through that, take it as a surrender of sorts. "Are you surrendering to me, prey~?" Her taloned finger traces along the base of his frill.
Nesseth winces a little as Louma shifts about around him, though the twinge passes just a moment after as though it never happened. He wiggles his frills a bit, his grin still being quite cheeky despite his predicament. "I don't know. Are you going to treat me well if I do?"
Louma hums, tilting her head one way, then the other. Her tail seems less indecisive, dragging across the lizard's thighs as she settles on the ground around him. "Only the top rewards for obedient captives. A gentle hand for care and a warm place to sleep after~"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully, then smirks as he watches Louma closely. "Sounds like an ideal exchange, then. I did say I just know I'm not escaping sometimes, and this feels like one of those cases. So yeah, I guess I'm surrendering~"
Louma coos, her voice low as she takes the lead, leaning Nesseth backward onto her pooling tail. Her torso smoothly moves with his until he's leaned back. "Good prey~ I promise you wont mind losing this hunt~" She leans down to kiss as her left hand starts wandering down his side, the scaly lower half of her still shifting slowly around his legs.
Nesseth hums appreciatively as he's slowly tilted over onto his back, resting nice and comfortably against Louma's coils. As she starts leaning in for a kiss, he tilts his head up as though to slowly meet the kiss a bit early. Before they make contact, though, he flinches a bit and grimaces at the touch of Louma's left hand. "N-ngh... h-hang on, Louma... Something's... oww..."
Louma blinks, chuckling with a bit of confusion for a moment. "Sorry, did I push a buckle to pinch?" She draws her hand back, looking at it despite not really wanting to take her hands off him.
Nesseth manages to wiggle his left arm free, though not in any attempt to escape. He reaches across himself and goes to pat at the spot that's causing the pain. "N-no, it feels... different. C-could you loosen up a moment, please?"
Louma nods with an expression slowly shifting to concern, her tail retreating from him without much difficulty. Really it seemed effortless, as she watches him intently.
Nesseth 's breathing contradictorily seems to get a little more labored as Louma's coils loosen and slip away from around him, though he remains comfortable on the coils beneath him. He pats at the spot a bit more, then looks at his hand, which comes away with a thin layer of blood, his own blood it seems. He stares for a moment, then flops his head back with a slightly pained expression. "Ahh damn it..."
Louma feels her heart in her throat as she sees the wound, trying to move for a few moments before her body finally responds, putting pressure on the wound as her breathing quickens. She can see the blood on her wrist feathers already. "Nesseth! Why are you bleeding? Don't be bleeding! Stop..." She presses on his side but can't seem to feel her efforts in her own muscles.
Nesseth leans his head up again as he takes a moment to flick his nails against the shaft of the arrow that's apparently (and mysteriously) lodged firmly in the wound, before setting his hand atop Louma's. The bleeding does seem to slow down as Louma applies pressure with Nesseth's help, but doesn't completely stop it. "Damned... fliers. We walked into an ambush. I'm fine, long as the healers can give it a look." He looks up at Louma for a moment, "How are the others?"
Louma shakes her head, tearing her eyes from Nesseth and looking around them. The area feels familiar, she recognizes the landscape around her from a short time ago, though at the same time it feels as if she'd never see home, even from as high as she could fly. The desert heat obscures figures in the distance, washed in the waves rising from the sand. One common, sharp detail to each is a long, dark shaft with rough feathers, a grim flag above any fallen. "They're... We'll get you back to Plume." She looks back to Nesseth, quickly moving her other hand to his, squeezing it. Despite her words, she can't make an effort to even begin lifting the lizard.
Nesseth gently squeezes Louma's hand in turn. He's hanging on strong, but moving might not be the best idea. "It's... not safe here, Louma. You need to get back to town. I can make my own way back without slowing you down."
Louma shakes her head rapidly, squeezing his hand. Despite her silent protest, Louma's tail has retracted from under Nesseth, her wings extending as she prepares to retreat. A great flapping fills her ears as she turns away from the lizard, looking on with a broken spear in her hands, her wings bound to her back by a heavy net.
Nesseth is on his feet again as Louma goes to take her leave, his crossbow in hand and loaded with a bulky canister bolt. He's got his back facing Louma now, and is instead looking towards the threat looming high in the sky, one hand on the arrow in his chest, the other leveling his crossbow at the lone pterosaur. "She's back... Go, Louma, I can cover you!"
Louma looks up at the familiar shadow, her heart pounding as she instinctively shrinks away for a moment. "Nesseth! No, we both run or we both die! Come on! Nesseth!" Her tail refuses to move in either direction, gaze frozen on the scene, somehow seeing Nesseth and the saurian flyer's growing silhouette in the same moment.
Nesseth doesn't seem to really hear Louma as he levels his crossbow up at the figure and takes the shot. The figure flinches a bit as it continues to descend towards him, the bolt miraculously finding its mark, but it does little to stop its approach as it slams into him moments later.
Louma tries to lunge toward the pair, but is rooted to the spot, her broken spear falling uselessly to the ground in front of her as the saur thrashes toward Nesseth with her talon blades, feeling each aimed strike as her gut knots in fear. "Run! Now is the time to run! Nesseth!" She drops forward, defying her tail's protests as she grabs at the sand, trying fruitlessly to drag herself forward.
Nesseth lifts his open arm to shield himself from Nyzai's sharpened blades as he casts his crossbow aside. It does little but allow the pterosaur to inflict more wounds even as he tries to draw a knife to fight back. However, moments later, even the knife and the additional wounds no longer matter as the two are suddenly engulfed in an explosive blast, the fuse on Nesseth's bolt reaching its end.
Louma sobs into the sand as she watches Nesseth fighting, only to turn with an unhinged cry towards the ceiling of her bedroom. "NESSETH!" She rises, her heart pounding and every breath heavy as she frantically looks around the dark room, drawing her taloned hand off her tail where it threatened to draw blood from her scales.
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LOUMA'S HOME - REALITY - EARLY MORNING
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Maybelline is awoken by the scream, rapidly uncurling from the sleepy ball nestled within Louma's coils into a alert stance, claws out, ready to attack whatever's in the darkness threatening them. "Louma!? Louma!" It takes her only a second to scan the room, heart pumping rapidly, but it feels like forever as she tries to find the danger, before turning her attention towards her lover. "Y-you alright?"
Louma sets her head in her hands, shuddering. "A... Nightmare. I... Nesseth... Everyone. They're not safe." The last moments of her dream replay in her mind, prompting her to shake her head as she suppresses a sob.
Maybelline leans forward toward Louma, wrapping her arms around her and looking towards Louma's face. "Another Nightmare... another nightmare, dear. Nothing more. Nesseth is safe. So are the others."
Louma shudders before wrapping her arms in a tight hug around May, tears rolling down the length of her bill as she tries to relax in May's embrace. Her voice comes as a harsh whisper after the shout earlier. "I... I'm not so sure... Oh May... I-I'm sorry I woke you..."
Maybelline sighs, pulls Louma in closer with all her strength. "That's nothing to be sorry about. I'm sorry you're still hurting like this. It's not your fault." She squeezes. "I'm always here for you for."
Louma rests her chin on May's head for a few moments, the stoat probably able to feel the hard beating of Louma's heart as she tries to relax, but the scenes from her dream continues to replay in her mind. "It was all so vivid, though... It made little sense until... Nyzai appeared. Her shadow, at least. I... Couldn't move. I couldn't stop her from hurting Nesseth... The entire search party were already-" The words catch in her throat, finishing the sentence by squeezing May closer.
Maybelline continues to hold Louma, listening to her retell the story. As she stops and squeezes, May squeezes back, "I... I know. But it's just a nightmare. They're still out there, and they're all just fine." She sighs, "You'll go crazy if you tell yourself anything else, t-trust me."
Louma pauses, looking down at May for a few moments before planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I... You're right, of course. They're more prepared than they might need to be but..." She sighs, pressing her cheek to May's.
Maybelline nuzzles Louma's cheek, "But it still hurts. You still worry. You still have to stop yourself from imagining every little thing that might go wrong." She takes a deep breath, her own tears pooling in her eyes. "Y-you know better than anyone what they're going up against. After everything you've been through, I'm sure it's just... just too easy to imagine that kind of stuff."
Louma closes her eyes, nodding once, slowly releasing her slightly squeezing hug on May into a more comfortable embrace. "I do, and I wish I could protect them from that threat... I hoped it would ease, but it wont until they're home safe. It's only worse now I have healed... But I-I couldn't leave you to worry again, either, my love." She lets out a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. "I already broke that promise once..."
Maybelline reaches up to kiss Louma. "You didn't break any promises. You came back." Her tears are fully flowing now, though her voice doesn't waver, "So will they. Nesseth and Brun and Annika and Vandal and all of them."
Louma returns the kiss, taking a moment after to wipe May's cheek clear of tears, her own eyes watery and threatening to let go. "You're too good for me, sweets. I love you so deeply."
Maybelline smiles up at Louma, her expression full of love, "I love you just as much, dear. So, so much. Is... is there anything I can do to help?"
Louma nuzzles against May's cheek again, sighing. "You're doing it right now." The image doesn't properly disappear, but it is slowed and dulled by the closeness provided by her loving companion.
Maybelline gives a short chuckle. "Do you... do wanna go for a walk or something? I'm guessing sleep isn't going to come anytime soon. And anything I can do to help you work through this... even if it's something that I so selfishly enjoy as holding you close to give you my support."
Louma smiles, shaking her head. "So selfish, my darling. But I would like that, yes." She begins to unwind from their position on the bed-mat, kissing May deeply again. The wander they take in the early morning darkness does much to calm Louma further, the captain appreciative to the deepest core of her being that May is there to support her through this. By the time they circle around to their home an hour and some later, she's left all but the greatest details of her dream out in the morning fog.