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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EARLY MORNING
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Aelia mrphs, feeling that grogginess of one who has slept overly long, and yet none of it was all that restful. She's slow to get moving, the warmth and weight of the blankets... unusual? But not uncomfortable. It's taking a moment for the deer to fully process things.
Ninell is sleeping quite soundly in Phoebe's bed, the previous night's activities having left him well enough exhausted that he opted to spend the entire night with the wolf. One arm is lightly wrapped around his companion as he continues to slumber peacefully, blissfully unaware of the world at the moment.
Aelia tries to shift position, only to find herself held in place, and that's when she wakes up into a state of panic. There's some one else in the bed with her. With a scream, she struggles to push the arm off of her, frantically pulling herself out of bed.
Ninell 's arm falls off of Aelia easily enough, but the scream is more of what wakes him up. The suddenness of the reawakening, plus the urgency of the scream leaves him disoriented as he tries to sit up, clearly still almost entirely asleep. He hastily rubs his eyes with a hand and looks over towards the source of the scream, only to yell out in surprise as he flips head over heels off of the bed on the side opposite of Aelia.
Aelia rolls of the bed, tangled up in the sheets that she pulls off along with her. She pushes herself away from the bed, pulling the sheets up around her to cover her nakedness. "W-Who are you!? Where am I!?"
Ninell has no such benefits, having fallen off the bed in a much less prepared manner than Aelia. A little dazed from the fall and ensuing impact on the floor, he stays in place, his legs dangling up in the air a bit before he can roll over to stand up. He cringes as he rubs the back of his neck to work out a kink, only to give Aelia an incredulous look. "Who am I? Who are you? Where is Phoebe??"
Aelia slowly recognizes her room, standing up awkwardly while clutching the sheet to her chest. "P-Phoebe? Phoebe!" She rushes to the desk, looking at the blank parchment. She flips back to the preceeding page of the journal, scanning her notes, but certainly nothing about any stranger. Her hand shakes as she finds the knife on the table, and she spins back towards Ninell, holding the blade towards him in a scared, but untrained fashion, "T-there's no note. What did you do to her?!"
Ninell holds his hands up as Aelia grabs the knife and angles it at him. "What did I do to her? She wanted a night of fun, or so she told me." He chances a glance at the journal, though he can't read much of anything at his distance, then he tilts his head, "And... a note? Why would she leave a note? What are you two, a thief pair? One to put a traveler's guard down and the other to rob them?"
Aelia 's resolve with the knife wavers, though she's still half-heartedly holding the blade towards Ninell, it's pretty obvious it'd take a lot to get her to use the weapon. She's no fighter. "A night of... o-oh. Oh." She seems strangely crestfallen by this news. "D-Damn't Phoebe..."
Ninell keeps his hands up and remains in place, knowing that even an inexperienced fighter with a blade is just as deadly as a skilled one if the circumstances call for it. He does, however, give Aelia a curious and sympathetic tilt of his head as her expression saddens. "I... seem to be missing something, here. Is something the matter?"
Aelia sighs, turning away from Ninell to lean against the desk, knife down, trying to catch her breath. "How could she... how could she do this? Is it some kind of joke? Or... or..." She glances back at Ninell. "It's... complicated, but... Phoebe is... me. S-sorta..."
Ninell shakes his head, though he keeps his hands up, just in case Aelia doesn't feel fully safe yet. "Unless Phoebe was lying, she seemed quite sincere about enjoying a night for herself like this." He furrows his brow a little, confused, "Phoebe is... you? But she is a wolf, and you are... well, a deer."
Aelia nods, still struck by that. "A wolf... y-yes. Oh gosh... how do I even... i-it's a curse. I... I shouldn't even be telling you this. Not like you'll believe it anyways. Or you'll think I'm some kind of freak."
Ninell shrugs a little, though he seems perhaps still a bit disbelieving. "Other than you and Phoebe potentially being thieves that switch out while your mark is asleep, well... how else could I explain going to sleep with Phoebe curled up beside me... and waking up with you in my arms?"
Aelia nods. "N-not like I can control what Phoebe does... She seems to make a habit out of finding new ways to ruin my life..." She finally lets go of the knife, moving her hand away from it. "I don't want to steal anything... you can take whatever you came in here with and just go..."
Ninell slowly lowers his arms again once it's clear Aelia's relaxed to the point she's not going to go for the knife immediately the moment he moves. Instead of gathering up his stuff, however, he simply crosses his arms with his elbows tucked in each hand. "Ruining your life? I, ah..." He glances aside a bit, looking rather contrite, "I... did not realize any of this beforehand. I am sorry, miss, truly. Phoebe just wished for the one night, with no extra obligations attached."
Aelia looks down at the empty journal, not even sure what day it is. "She and I are sharing this body... it's... random., when we change. Is it a day later? A week? A month? No extra obligations... guess you know why, now. Cause how can either of us do anything when we're never sure who's waking up in the morning?"
Ninell hums thoughtfully. "What day was it when you were last awake, then? I could at least answer that for you." He shakes his head slowly, "Though... I doubt it would make up for the shock of what happened."
Aelia flips through the journal. "Yesterday for Phoebe was Wednesday... no note after that... so I guess it's Friday? For me, yesterday was a month ago..." She sighs, "Don't... don't worry about it. You couldn't have known. I doubt Phoebe did either."
Ninell nods at Aelia's assessment. "That sounds correct, yes. I believe Phoebe was about to start writing when I stopped by last night. I could fill you in on some of the details, if you wish, as I ran into her a bit earlier in the day."
Aelia reads through the pages, breathing out a sigh of relief. "...they ended the war. Thank goodness." She turns back to Ninell, then gasps, "Oh gosh! I never introduced myself. I um, I'm Aelia. Aelia Brightleaf."
Ninell seems to relax a bit as Aelia calms down. Once she introduces herself, he offers a smile and a rather formal bow. "A beautiful name, Aelia. My name is Ninell. I am a knight of Eukune, at your service."
Aelia quickly turns back away, "Y-yes, Ninell. Well... it is good to meet you. Err, Sorta. I mean, circumstances being what they are and all. No offense to you or anything, I'm sure you're very nice. Just... you know. With Phoebe and everything... it's kinda awkward."
Ninell straightens up from his bow and awkwardly clears his throat, though he makes no moves to cover himself up considering his size and the lack of anything capable of doing so within immediate reach. "Ah... yes, that is true. It was quite a... surprise awakening, to say the least. If, er... if you need me to leave now, I will gather my things and leave." He dips his head respectfully, "I do hope we can talk under more... normal circumstances, one day soon, though."
Aelia nods, keeping the sheets pulled up over her and her eyes averted as Ninell goes about getting dressed, "W-well... I'm trusting you, about me... and Phoebe. And I don't know what you two have, or if it really was just a one-night thing..." She frowns. "But y-yes. Please go... and maybe we can talk later, once I... once I figure things out again."
Ninell starts to get dressed, keeping his eyes averted from Aelia's sheet-covered form, though Aelia's voice readily draws his attention, from the way his ears shift about whenever she talks. "I will not break that trust, Aelia, of that you can be certain." He sighs a bit as he straightens up again, fully dressed (and having made sure nothing was missing at the same time), "If... you need my help with anything that might arise as a result of this... whole thing, please be sure to tell me. I did not know, yes, but I cannot just ignore something I had a hand in, however tangentially."
Ninell offers Aelia one more respectful bow, then turns and makes his way towards the door leading to the hall, waiting for a couple of seconds so Aelia can better cover herself in case someone is passing by outside when he leaves.
Aelia chuckles sadly, standing back from the door as he makes his way out. "You didn't curse me, Sir. But thank you."
Ninell hums quietly as he gives Aelia one last little glance and a little smile before he shuts the door behind him. "Perhaps not, but I did cause you additional grief unintentionally. Take care, Aelia."
Aelia hears Ninell's words, followed by the door closing behind him. She stands still a moment before she slumps into a seat, unsure how to feel about this whole mess Phoebe got her into.
Ninell keeps his hand on the door's handle for a few moments, just thinking through what happened. He's not sure about everything to do with Phoebe and Aelia, even if the night with Phoebe was a very enjoyable one, but as alertness fully asserts itself in his head after such a sudden awakening, he comes to the conclusion that yes, if any troubles arise because of this, he owes it to Aelia and Phoebe to do what he can to help them figure it all out. He sighs to himself and lets his hand drop from the handle before he turns and makes his way down the hall and back to his own room in order to ponder more on the morning's developments.
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Brunilda is sitting at a table, idly and slowly downing a pint as she wanders in her thoughts. Long day behind her, so she's just winding down with no particular train of thought.
Gareth wanders into the Minnow, having decided to get himself a bit of a drink after a day of... well, not much, really. Not to say he's been inactive, but there hasn't been much of anything of note aside from taking in the celebrations with Sammi and Lianne here and there over the past few days. He doesn't immediately notice Brunilda amidst the crowd in the bar as he winds his way towards an open spot at the counter.
Brunilda notices Gareth coming in though doesn't wave right away. First an appropriate amount of tussling with her own conflicting and probably not entirely correct thoughts about the wolf. Once that's done, she does look up with a smile: "H-hey, Gareth. Been a bit."
Gareth blinks and turns towards the voice, only to smile and raise a hand in greeting as he waits for his order. "Ah, Brunilda, good to see ye. How've things been goin' since ye got back?"
Brunilda shrugs with a lopsided smile: "Mostly okay, just dealing with the downfall of all that. Taking care of Fiora, whether or not she wants me to."
Gareth chuckles. "I hope she's not been givin' ye too much trouble. Hard-headed lass can be a handful at times when she needs to be recoverin'." He grins a bit, "O' course, ye bein' here means she's at least listenin' to ye enough that ye don't have to worry too much."
Brunilda gives a bit of a sigh, then nods: "She's... well, as stubborn as I am, really. And yeah, she can take care of herself mostly, I just worry, you know?"
Gareth laughs a little. "She's independent, but havin' someone worryin' over her is a good thing. She listened whenever I got insistent with her restin' up to heal, but it took a while before she actually would. If ye can make her listen to reason faster, great."
Brunilda shakes her head, ears flopping as she does: "Not sure I count as 'reason', but whatever makes her strain herself less does it. ...not that I am really the best example of that, but right now I'm not the one hurt either."
Gareth shrugs a bit. "Eh... maybe not, but the main thing is that ye keep her recoverin' nicely. I get the sense that she's more likely to listen to ye than me at this point."
Brunilda hums and nods as though agreeing, then pauses: "...what do you mean? You have known her a lot longer than I."
Gareth chuckles again as he smoothly catches the mug that slides to a stop in front of him. He takes a good drink before he answers. "Just call it a hunch. I'm like a brother to her, so we're always goin' to maybe disregard each other once in a while just to get the other's dander up." He points at Brunilda, "Ye, though? I'd be impressed if she was that obstinate with ye."
Brunilda nods, then smiles as she listens: "I... I guess that makes sense. I was never that close to my siblings and of course now they are a continent away." She hums softly: "Fiora is obstinate... but I guess I am too. We solve a lot of disagreements with arm-wrestling."
Gareth watches Brunilda with bemusement at that, but then snorts out a laugh. "Aye, that sounds about right. Fiora and I, we just arm-wrestle fer fun." He sighs a little and shakes his head, "I was close with me own family before I turned to piracy, so I know how stupid siblin's can be when it comes to doin' just about anythin'."
Brunilda leans back on her chair, sighing: "I do miss them at times, but there's something a lot less... rigid, about life out here."
Gareth hums in agreement. "Aye, main reason I turned to piracy way back, meself. Me family's a merchant one, and has been fer a couple o' generations, best as I can tell. I learned the ins and outs o' the job when I was young, but it was all too constrainin'."
Brunilda leans on her arm: "Not sure if that's better or worse than an entire family of guards, bodyguards and military types. The Guard out here are way less stiff on the rather pointless pomp and circumstance, as our trip out there certainly proved."
Gareth chuckles as he leans back in his seat. "I'd probably argue it's the same, just different circumstances. Ye don't even want to know how many rules there are in conduct fer merchant businesses..." He flashes a grin, "Piratin' was kind o' the same. Got to make use o' what I learned without bein' bogged down by the unnecessary flair."
Brunilda nods and hums: "I suppose I am still being a Guard... well, part-time anyway. But I don't really spend any time doing drills for no darn reason either. I like the way it is here; keep your ability up to par, but it's on you how you do it."
Gareth nods. "Aye, less rigidity makes it easier fer folks to be effective, rather than gettin' somethin' drilled into ye day in and day out."
Brunilda sighs with a smile at Gareth: "Yeah... yeah. I'm really glad to be away from my Uncle Cornelius. Old ass who could not even comprehend interests other than holding a big menacing weapon and looking serious."
Gareth smiles in turn, amused. "Rigid trainin' only goes so far, anyway, and it makes ye easier to figure out if ye run into someone that doesn't play by the rules. Same thing I figured out once I'd gotten away from bein' a merchant. Rules are nice, but ye need to be ready to play outside o' them if ye run into someone already doin' that."
Brunilda laughs a bit: "Something I learned pretty quickly here. A lot of different styles of fighting... got my stiff halberd-wielding ass handed to me so many times by folks half my size."
Gareth chuckles again. "Aye, thankfully, I got me knocks when I was younger and still learnin' the ways o' survivin' on the seas. I saw so many different fightin' styles while helpin' yer comrades train, I was impressed at the variety."
Brunilda nods, smiling: "It's quite the variety indeed... definitely helps keep me on my toes while sparring. Although Fiora alone can do that once she's able again."
Gareth smiles as he takes another sip of his drink. "Be careful o' that, though. She's an unconventional fighter, but she's still also only really usin' her battleaxe or that sword." He grins, "Ye'll still want to practice against other weapons here and there, too."
Brunilda smirks, leaning back again: "Well, no real worries about that. I love fighting her, but I spar every day, probably more than she does."
Gareth laughs a bit. "Then ye'll be just fine, I'm sure. She doesn't really spar, because she's got the brute force to clean out just about anyone we run into. Her armor helps a lot with that, especially if the target decides to start slingin' spells around the place."
Brunilda nods slowly: "Her armor is fairly impressive... admittedly makes me think about having armor too, even if I really don't need more than what I already wear. I could, though, if a similar need to this 'Saur' issue happened again..." She stares down at her glass, musing on this notion as her thoughts wander for a moment.
Gareth hums. "I've seen her shrug off attacks that should have dropped her if she wasn't wearin' armor. Sure, it slows her down a bit, but she's got the strength and the skill to make up fer that." He grins at Brunilda, "Ye could even consider them trainin' weights if ye want. Makes ye faster on yer feet out o' the stuff, too."
Brunilda chuckles a bit as she looks back up: "...guess that's true. Didn't consider that, but I could pretty much always stand to be faster..."
Gareth nods. "Speed keeps ye from gettin' hurt. Eyes and awareness are key fer that, not how hard ye can swing a weapon." He smirks, "I might be smaller than Fiora, but we're pretty damn even in sparrin' wins against each other."
Brunilda drains the rest of her pint: "True, very true. I got some lessons on that out... there..." She pauses for a second, then shakes her head: "Wasn't pretty, but learned a thing or two."
Gareth reaches over and lightly claps Brunilda on the arm not holding her drink. "The main thing is that ye come away alive and learn from it. Doesn't matter what ye learn so long as ye learn it."
Brunilda gives a weak smile: "I suppose. Though I prefer learning about tech... and at least taking care of the generator for the coming weeks isn't too likely to injure me further."
Gareth tilts his head. "Takin' care o' the generator? Oh, right, I'd heard that Louma and her partner were plannin' to head away fer a while. So, miss Maybelline recruited ye to maintain that thing, eh?"
Brunilda shrugs: "I already do a decent part of it, I guess." She pauses for a second: "...not entirely confident I can do it, but at least on paper it's fairly simple."
Gareth shrugs a little in turn. "That sort o' thing, I doubt she'd have hired ye on if she didn't think ye could handle it. I'm sure she's got things in place to keep ye steady while she's away, too."
Brunilda nods: "She's going to be double-and-triple checking everything 'til about five minutes before her caravan leaves."
Gareth hums. "Meticulous, isn't she? Might be worthwhile gettin' Louma to distract her before they leave, just so she doesn't stress out."
Brunilda shrugs slightly as she leans back: "Not really my problem... and really, Louma is also leaving me with extra work, so whatever they can reduce from me I'll happily take."
Gareth raises an eyebrow. "On top o' maintainin' the reactor? I hope that doesn't burn ye out any, lass."
Brunilda gives a small grunt: "I can take it." She pauses. "Probably."
Gareth hums thoughtfully. "Ye could probably snag one o' the Sergeants to help out at the barracks if ye need it, I bet."
Brunilda nods slowly: "I might have to. We'll see... at least the river of paperwork has slowed down now."
Gareth shakes his head with a bit of a smile. "Can't say I envy ye, havin' to deal with paperwork like that, but all the same I hope it stays nice and smooth fer ye while Louma's out."
Brunilda: "I certainly hope so... though I suppose if the generator is working smoothly, I can do a lot of the paperwork over there, just glancing that things keep up as they should."
Gareth nods at the thought. "True enough. No rule sayin' ye have to do all the paperwork in the office, so long as ye keep it all in order, aye? Might make it easier fer Fiora to hang around, too. Those chairs in Louma's office aren't all too comfortable to sit on."
Brunilda chuckles: "True, that." She waves at the Barkeep for another drink: "I'll figure something out. Much as I'm not a fan of the impending workload, Louma and Maybelline do deserve having a bit of travel time."
Gareth nods. "Aye, everyone that went out, or had somethin' happenin' as part o' that whole thing with the Saurs probably deserves a break fer a bit. Just a matter o' shufflin' around the schedule so folks can take one." He smiles at Brunilda, "Besides, if ye work now, ye can get a vacation when Louma comes back, and Fiora should be healed by then. Ye can go travelin' together or somethin'."
Brunilda gives a small smile: "Maybe... I can't leave my post so easily, and sea travel does not really agree with me. But maybe, if Fiora wants that..."
Gareth shrugs a little. "A vacation is a vacation, however ye want to spend it together. I won't be pullin' her away on any bounties fer a while anyway, since she's still recoverin', so that'll give ye some good time to do what ye two want."
Brunilda leans back as she sips of her drink: "Don't know fully yet. We'll find out what we want to do once she's able and our house is slightly more done."
Gareth tilts his head curiously. "Oh yeah, ye two were busy puttin' that house o' yers back together, aye? How's that comin' along?"
Brunilda sighs with a smile: "Not quite as fast as we'd have hoped because of all that stuff that happened, nor are we really... exactly quite as handy as we perhaps thought we would be, but it's sort of fun keeping at it anyway?"
Gareth chuckles. "Buildin' somethin' fer yerselves with yer own two hands. Fiora's got much the same feelin' on that, since she smithed her own armor from scratch." He grins, "If ye need an extra set o' hands, though, feel free to let me know. I've been puttin' together me own house down near that bay close by town, but I'd be happy to help ye two out if ye need it."
Brunilda looks at Gareth with slight surprise: "Oh? You've been building too? What are you planning, hmm?"
Gareth tilts his head curiously at the question. "What am I plannin'? Just a nice little place fer meself and whoever wants to stop by, be it Sammi or Lianne or whoever. Been buildin' it out o' ship-grade wood, so it's sturdy and resistant to weather."
Brunilda: "I'd definitely like to see it once you get there. Never been that curious about this stuff before, but now that I'm doing my own... you know."
Gareth grins at that and nods. "Aye, I'd be happy to show ye some things about construction if ye like. Had to learn some o' that stuff while workin' aboard one o' the older ships I'd set foot on, and..." He starts to tell Brunilda about some of the things he'd learned about construction, some of which are obvious, but other details are things that he either learned the hard way, or else were taught as "trade secrets" to make life easier. The latter, he lowers his voice for, just so no one else can really hear him except for Brunilda.