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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - RHASK'S ROOM - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Rhask rests, curled up under the sheets still, feeling somewhat grateful that the window set into the wall of her room has a good, thick curtain on it, though she knows that if the dragon decides to try and attack, a simple curtain won't stop it. Still, remembering that roar, and seeing it swooping down on the town's shield, she's refused to come out of her room for more than food, water, and other such bodily needs. She ends up replaying that moment of terror in her mind again, and she ends up shivering as she huddles tighter under the blanket.
Emmeline walks up the stairs of the Minnow after having confirmed which room is Rhask's with the barkeep. She looks over her shoulder to Jennica, who's following behind. "Almost a week since she was last at the stall, right? I hope nothing is wrong..."
Jennica is following behind, still a kobold even though technically speaking she already is in possession of the cure. She nods resolutely: "Yep, t-that's not right. I hope she's home."
Emmeline sighs a bit. "Right... well, let's see if we can help..." She approaches Rhask's door and gives a couple of firm knocks.
Rhask startles and squeaks in surprise at the seemingly abnormally (to her amped up senses) loud knock. Her rational brain says that there's nothing to worry about, since it's likely just someone checking in on her, but the fear she's been dealing with since the dragon's appearance tells her it's just a ruse. She huddles tighter under the blanket and scoots to the far corner of the bed, believing her fear more than her rational side right now.
Jennica hears the slight movement from inside and looks at Emmeline questioningly.
Emmeline cocks her head. "Did you hear something in there? Should I knock again?"
Jennica nods with a careful smile.
Emmeline knocks again. "Rhask? Are you in there? It's Emmeline."
Rhask huddles tighter, her tail wrapping defensively around her legs as she shivers a bit. She hears Emmeline calling out, but when she tries to answer, it's stammered, nearly incoherent and still on the quieter side, as though she's afraid raising her voice would draw the dragon's attention back onto her. "E-E-Emm... Emmeline...? Wh-why are... wh-where...? J-just... th-the dragon...!"
Jennica blinks at this, then calls out: "The d-dragon's been out for a time now. I-it's been clear skies for days." In truth she never heard or saw any dragon, only knew it from everyone talking about it.
Emmeline nods in agreement, not that Rhask can see it. "It just happened once. Can... can we come in? We're worried about you."
Rhask remains quiet for several seconds, before she nods mostly to herself. "Th-the door's... unlocked... Get... g-get inside, a-and h-h-hurry, please...!"
Jennica gives Emmeline a look, then reaches up enough to open the door, then peeking in: "Rhask, we're worried about you." She glances over her shoulder at Emmeline again, then skulks in.
Emmeline follows Jennica inside and closes the door behind her with a solid click of the latch. "Everything is OK out there..."
Rhask is currently out of sight, but her location should be obvious from the shivering mound of a bedsheet stuffed way into the corner of the room on the bed. "N-no... th-that thing... it'll c-come back...! When w-we least expect it to...!"
Jennica shifts on her short legs: "W-well... maybe, but that might take years. Decades. L-least from what I understand."
Emmeline walks over and sits on the edge of the bed, not too near Rhask. "The guards are watching the skies really hard. They even have that observatory up on the mountain helping out from what I heard... And the dragon didn't get through the shield..."
Rhask scoots a little further into the corner as best as she can as Emmeline taking a seat causes the mattress to dip towards her. She keeps herself concealed. "I-it didn't get through this time... W-when I saw it... it looked like it was... going s-straight for me before... b-before the shield stopped it..."
Jennica considers this, then tilts her head: "But... the shield did stop it, r-right? We should have n-nothing to worry about?" She's not sounding terribly confident herself.
Emmeline looks down at the floor away from Rhask. "When... when they had me in those caves, it was hard, feeling helpless, worthless, small... but there was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide." She looks over to stare at the curtained window. "There are lots of things stronger than us out in the world, and if they want to get us, they can. There's no reason to curl up and hide. If that dragon really wants all of us dead, it can probably do it, but we can't just... be afraid all the time. It just makes you scared and sad..."
Jennica looks down: "I'm... I'm afraid most of the time. I-it's no fun."
Rhask 's voice comes through sharp and almost hostile, even though she doesn't come out of her blanket. "W-who said I'm afraid all the time?! I'm f-from the northern reaches of Vamas, wh-where people vanish all the time from the snow and wild animals! I-I knew that land, and what it could do, but I'm not a fighter!" She shifts under the blanket, but it's probably pretty obvious she's staring at the spot Emmeline is sitting at, "I h-heard from the guards th-that you managed to escape from that cave or w-whatever it was. You had the strength to get out! I'd have been stuck there until the guards showed up if our shoes were swapped... I'm not brave, or strong or any of that stuff!""
Jennica starts and takes a step back. "U-um."
Emmeline blinks slowly, not moving from her seated position. "I'm just a pudgy cow... or I was. I just... I don't know... I just couldn't give up there. Too many folks that were worse off than me, that I needed to try to help..." She sighs. "I'm not saying you need to be a hero... just... hiding under that blanket isn't going to matter if the Dragon comes back..."
Rhask lets out a quiet huff. "Maybe not, but it'll keep me concealed to maybe run away if I have to. I set out from home partly because I had to, and because I wanted to see places all around the world! I didn't want to feel like I was going to die before I hit 25, like I felt when that thing was swooping down on the shield..."
Jennica nods quietly, still startled by Rhask's outburst. "But... we're all still here."
Emmeline looks to Jennica and then down at the floor. "I don't have the answers here... I'm sorry... but we care about you..."
Rhask clenches at the blanket for a few seconds of silence before quietly asking. "S-so... how come it took you a week to check on me?"
Jennica blinks: "Well... we didn't know where you were, so just assumed you had whatever, um, business to take care of...?"
Emmeline looks down at the floor. "The days sort of blur together for me... I wanted to... sooner... I just..." She trails off, her voice quiet.
Rhask stays quiet for another couple of seconds, then sighs. "I-it's fine... I know you both have been through a lot, so... it's fine..."
Jennica looks at herself: "I mean... not that much. Not me, anyway." She looks at Emmeline and gives a lopsided smile.
Emmeline gives a little smile back, but stays quiet for the moment, some dark thoughts clearly playing through her head.
Rhask: "...Thanks for checking in on me, you two. I'm fine, now."
Jennica nods at Rhask with a smile: "I-it's what friends do, right?"
Emmeline turns to look at Rhask. "I... I wish I could help more... but my head... it's still all wrong..." She sighs a bit.
Rhask chuckles a bit, though it sounds perhaps just a touch weird. "Then... then you and Jennica should get back home. I c-can tend the stall still, like I have been."
Jennica pauses, then shakes her head: "...nuh-uh. Y-you need to get out, g-get something to eat." She glances at Emmeline: "With us."
Emmeline nods, smiling at Jennica again. She manages to push away the dark thoughts and gets to her hooves, walking over to hug the Kobold.
Rhask hums quietly. "I've been... eating just fine, thank you... The Minnow's food is good, and the owner doesn't mind if I bring meals up here to eat."
Jennica nods, looks aside... then back up. "T-that's not what I meant. B-being alone is no good, Rhask."
Emmeline nods. "Yeah... let's go get... noodles or something?"
Rhask sighs again, pulling the blanket off of her head, finally. "A-alright... If you insist."
Jennica hesitates a second, then offers her hand towards Rhask with a smile. "Yuh."
Emmeline walks over to the door, waiting for the other two. "All right then, let's go."