----------------------------------------------
ERIKA'S GARDEN - MORNING
----------------------------------------------
Mirriam trots along the streets with a warm smile and a little extra sway to her tail, her mind occasionally returning to a certain passionate afternoon with her long-time crush and a bonus okapi. She does her best not to giggle to herself when it comes up. Her route is decidedly more focused on the South half of Respite today, leading her to Erika's home after the first couple hours. She pauses at the front door of the small-ish house, knowing there's something she needs to recall about the place... She blushes brightly after a moment, shaking her head. "No no not that... Oh! The alley!" She takes a few quick steps aside of he door, peering down the dimly lit passage. "Mh... Shouldn't be any bandits 'ere..." She walks slowly through the foliage, careful not to break anything. A frond whapping her in the snout leaves her to let out a whimper. "E~rika? I... I'm lost, I think? Are you home, cher?"
Erika is nearly shoulder-deep under one of the bushes. This time around she actually has clothes on... well, as much as she ever has, her tight cloth wraps around relevant places. She calls from the foliage: "Mirriam! I'm here!" She carefully makes her way out from the bush, ending up showing her rear end to Mirriam as she comes into the roo's view.
Mirriam peeks out, using Erika's voice as sonar, and eventually her rear as a beacon. She giggles a bit, looking to the okapi's face. "Everything has really grown out in three years, hmm?" She shifts her parcel bags, letting out a tsk when she finds a broken branch stuck between her ribs and the right satchel. "Sorry, I didn't mean to!"
Erika swishes her tail before actually getting up to kneeling position and facing Mirriam: "Hey there, big girl. And no worries, those are due for some pruning anyway." She gives Mirriam a soft, sheepish but proud grin, thinking of their last encounter.
Mirriam nods, setting the broken plant down to the side. She smiles back at Erika, catching herself mid-recollection. "Ah, a um... Box of seeds was in Bairnell for you?" She fishes in the right satchel, finding the package. The paper is faded, and it rattles like a lot of different small somethings are loose inside. "But... I think it was there for a while. Like, at the very back of the postal. No idea how old it is." She holds it our for Erika, giggling.
Erika takes the package curiously, looking at it. After a moment she brightens up: "Ooo. These are the Serash Seeds I asked for like... at least three forevers ago. I'd completely forgotten!" She glances around, clearly already planning where to plant them.
Mirriam chuckles at Erika's excitement, tilting her head a little. "They'll still be good? I guess the postal is pretty dry and warm, but even so..."
Erika shrugs with a smile: "Only one way to find out!" She shifts in her kneeling position to a 'free' spot and starts picking up the seeds from the package. With careful expertise, she finds a spot for each of the dozen seeds and has soon buried them in just the perfect spots. Everything around them is a chaotic mini-jungle, but something about the spot she is in right now seems to work... at least to the okapi herself.
Mirriam grins, watching Erika work. Her eyes drift to Erika's hips for a moment before returning to watch her hands, the roo's cheek a bit redder than a moment ago. "You'll remember they're there, hm?"
Erika finishes with the seeds before looking up: "Yeah, it's easy enough. Just below the pomegranates and next to the 'chaos' seedlings that have weeped a bit lately." Almost nothing in her description is visible to a casual viewer but the okapi seems to know what she's doing... "Why?"
Mirriam shakes her head, smiling in appreciation of Erika's apparently archival memory. "No reason I guess, naught to worry with you in charge. Momika must be right proud of your work, cher!" She glances around the garden, eyes lingering on a particularly huge tree.
Erika lets out a giggle, back in kneeling position as she looks at Mirriam: "I mean, what kind of herbalist do you take me for?" She grins cheesily, because that's the level of seriousness her question deserves.
Mirriam shrugs, replying immediately. "A wild one~" She steps closer to Erika, looking around the garden. "You've got quite a touch, after all."
Erika sticks her tongue out at Mirriam: "Quite the touch, hmm? That's one way to put it."
Mirriam grins at Erika, shrugging. "I guess, don't mean anything 'bad' by it if'n you don't want." She crouches facing Erika, though she looks aside and examines the leaves of the fern next to her. "Heard a rumor y'were dating Cavro... I ah... Hope yesterday wont hurt that any..."
Erika 's expression darkens for a second, but she then shakes her head: "That... came and went. We're not a thing anymore, so no worries." She doesn't sound too pained... relieved, if anything. "Nothing to hurt." She offers Mirriam a smile.
Mirriam smiles back, opening her arms in an offer of hug. "I get it... Hard to be with a smith. Always so sooty and talking about... Charcoal... Or whatever." She grins, giggling.
Erika gives a soft chuckle, leaning onto the hug: "We realized we're better off apart. He didn't like me going out there, and I didn't care for him sticking in the forge all the time. Wouldn't have worked out."
Mirriam gives Erika a squeeze, shaking her head. "True, you deserve someone that likes t'go wandering on adventures with ya and stuff!"
Erika squeezes back, smiling: "Don't know if 'deserve' is the word I'd use... 'want', though, that one works."
Mirriam bumps her cheek against Erika's before releasing the hug, grinning. "Both, I think. Y'need a doubly adventurous person! With a pith helmet and strong arms!"
Erika laughs at that: "Where would I find a pith helmet?"
Mirriam shrugs, shaking her head. "I dunno! If you order one, I'll deliver it to you, though."
Erika shakes her head as well, rather amused: "I'll keep that in mind." She gives Mirriam's head a look as though sizing a pith helmet there, before turning to look aside with a grin: "Or something. I don't know."
Mirriam blinks at the look, having no idea what Erika's thinking. "You'll figure it out! After all, y'meet more people than almost anyone else in town does when ya greet at the gate, right? Definitely some handsome travelers coming and going that'd be happy to stay with you~"
Erika hums appreciatively, thinking of at least on rather good-looking sergal: "You're not wrong..." She gives a shrug and a grin: "You know, can never know who you meet or why you end up together!"
Mirriam nods, blushing as she looks at Erika, again recalling the day before. "Could meet a partner literally anywhere!"
Erika grins brightly and totally not blushing: "Totally! Like, who knows?"
Mirriam giggles, her mind stuck wandering for a few moments, eyes drawn toward Erika's rather scant top. "Mhm, just about anywhere~"
Erika looks at Mirriam, then blinks and picks a finger at the edge of her chest-wrap cloth, staring down at her cleavage: "Here? Are you sure, it's quite the small space..."
Mirriam blinks, looking back to Erika's face with a nervous laugh. "Huh? Oh uh sorry, I might still be thinking about... Well our afternoon yesterday. Didn't think about it much then... I think with a good reason, but you really just like being comfortable, hm? Not a whole lot of folks dressing like you 'round here."
Erika looks back up: "Comfortable? I guess. It's just hot here and clothing gets lotsa impractical in my garden." She pauses, musing: "I guess not that many dress like I do." She shrugs with a smile.
Mirriam grins, standing up and taking a step back from Erika so she can easily stand if she wants. "Can't say it hurts how much attention you draw!"
Erika gets up as well, after maybe a second or two of admiring the sight in front of her... the plants behind Mirriam, obviously. "Pff, I don't draw attention. People just look at me, but that's not the same thing."
Mirriam chuckles, shaking her head. "Nah, ya get admired. Confident as all hell and a sleek body, and wicked smart about gardening!"
Erika laughs: "I'm not confident! I just..." She pauses, frowning a second: "...okay, maybe. A bit. But there's no way my body compares to yours!"
Mirriam blinks, looking down at herself, the comfortably fit clothes generally hiding her curves, the satchels in particular completely obscuring her hips. "Nobody can tell! And it was dim'n the baths, but guess I wouldn't actually deny it."
Erika sticks her tongue out: "You can deny it, but you'd be all wrong if you did."
Mirriam tsks, shaking her head. "Not gonna, says me. Nothin special though, really." She tugs the back of her green coat, squishing her chest a bit as it tightens across the front.
Erika glances at Mirriam's chest before looking back up: "Mmmhm. You can try saying that again and it'd still be a lie. Plenty special, and whoever you strike your eyes on is a lucky being indeed."
Mirriam chuckles, releasing her shirt. "Well that I know is true!"
Erika nods: "See! You agree with me, therefore you are right."
Mirriam sticks her tongue out at Erika, giggling. "Sure, I can agree that you're right about me bein' right, cher!"
Erika sticks her own tongue out in mirror: "As long as we agree, and we do, no worries."
Mirriam blushes a little again, glancing a bit aside. "And that's where we'll leave it, nothin' to debate. I ah... Have to deliver to all kinds today..." She looks back to Erika, chuckling. "I'll be at the Minnow tonight though, if ya want to continue telling eachother we're the sexiest ladies in Respite over a drink."
Erika shrugs but gives a sly smile: "Iiiit's entirely possible I could fit that into my busy schedule today..."
Mirriam giggles, stepping up to Erika and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good, look forward to stunning the crowd together~"
Erika blushes slightly at the kiss, but her grin doesn't vanish. The opposite, really. "I'll best put on my best clothes, then."
Mirriam briefly sets her hand on Erika's hip, grinning as well. "I'm sure you'll make them look good! See ya later, cher~" She lingers by Erika for a moment before turning with a swishing tail, making her way back into the alley a little more carefully than on arrival.
Erika looks at Mirriam go with a goofy grin. After the roo is gone, she only realizes to blink: "...wait, did I just get a date?"
----------------------------------------------
RESPITE FALLS MARKETPLACE - LATE MORNING
----------------------------------------------
Nesseth wanders around the marketplace, a couple of sacks of goods already slung over his shoulder as he goes about making the usual purchase for the week. He's got a couple of days more of vacation, so he wants to make sure he has everything he normally does sorted out before he takes over for Oikonny in performing Louma's duties. He's already acquired most of his things, and is just milling about and taking his time with the rest.
Tarbin is wandering the marketplace, not looking for anything in particular, just enjoying the nice day and happy crowd. He spots Nesseth at a stall, waiting to approach the other lizard when he's not poring over the goods. "[Good morning, brother!] Don't strain that arm yet, the doctor would be most upset with you!" He grins, clearly joking, knowing the state of Nesseth's healing quite well.
Nesseth looks around once he's decided he doesn't need anything from that particular stall, then smiles and waves with his free hand upon seeing Tarbin. "[Good morning, brother!] Don't worry, I'm taking care of the arm just as directed." He grins happily as he lifts the sacks for a moment, demonstrating the strength of his injured arm, "Thanks to all three of you, I'm healing way faster than I thought I would."
Tarbin chuckles, patting Nesseth on his good shoulder. "Of course, Respite is a little overfed with medical help, maybe? Well, was until the new citizens. How have they been settling?"
Nesseth chuckles and shakes his head. "One can never have too much medical staff. It keeps everyone safe if something bad happens." He tilts his head curiously, only glancing aside for a moment as he steps aside to let another customer look at the stall's wares, "The Saurs? They're settling in well enough. Some of the townsfolk are still suspicious, but last I heard we've not had any real troubles."
Tarbin nods to the other customer, giving Nesseth a little nudge. "Come, we should sit there and be not in the path." He gestures toward a couple benches in a sunny patch, vacant unlike the others because, well, they're in a sunny patch. VIP lizard parking.
Nesseth nods and follows Tarbin over to the benches and takes a seat on one of them, setting the sacks down on the ground next to it. "Yeah, probably for the best. How've things been going with you, though? Aside from helping Plume with all the medical stuff most days, that is."
Tarbin settles onto the bench taking a few moments to consider his answer. "I've been... Conflicted. I am worried, for Melia. She is unsure. I think she is a little afraid, she can't take refuge in my body any more. Even when we want to." He sighs, shaking his head slightly. "She has to keep safe, but also must learn to be alone. Er... [independant] would be a better phrase."
Nesseth listens curiously, then hums and nods. "It's a big change, now that she's split off from you. You two had an extremely deep connection, and it was something Melia always had since she started going by Melia. I can't imagine it's at all comfortable for her, having lost it."
Tarbin nods, though after a moment he easily smiles. "It will be good for her. She can do much more without me holding her back. I told her that, too. She says I never held her back, but she'll see."
Nesseth chuckles. "A bit of independence instead of having to always accompany you all over the place. Hopefully she sees things like that, though. It's still a big change she just sort of got thrown into."
Tarbin smirks, looking to Nesseth. "My situation was a little... Extreme on arriving to Respite. How did yours go, though? Perhaps there is some advice there one of us can pass on?"
Nesseth tilts his head a bit. "What do you mean? Like... when I first arrived here in Respite?"
Tarbin nods shortly, sitting back a bit. "Yes. I know, maybe it is a bit of stretching? I mean, you are not an elemental of guard, right?"
Nesseth chuckles and shakes his head. "No, I'm not an elemental of guard as far as I'm aware. But, well... when I first arrived, I didn't sign on to be a guard straight away. I spent a bunch of my time taking advantage of my skills as a hunter, and supported myself for a bit just helping the butcher's shop gather up materials and such."
Tarbin hums, looking into the crowd. "I thought that would work... She's already honing her skills to help. More than I had!" He chuckles, shaking his head. "If she has that, then should be easier to meet friends. Yes? Settle into a home."
Nesseth hums a bit. "Assuming she wants to live anywhere that isn't with you, anyway. Might be hard for her to be away after spending most of her self-aware life with you as a constant companion."
Tarbin looks down at the cobblestones, nodding slowly. "Yes, that is a possibility. We could expand the hut, or grow her her own. Or pay for lodgings. A little separation would not hurt, though. I am happy to let her lean on me when she needs, but she can't need all the time..."
Nesseth nods in agreement. "Oh yeah, she needs to be able to live on her own to a degree, including making her own decisions on what she wants to do and when." He falls quiet for a moment, then tilts his head at Tarbin, "I'm guessing you're not too enthused about potentially having Melia as a constant presence in your life, then?"
Tarbin side-eyes Nesseth, sitting upright and looking toward the sky. He lets out a sigh, shaking his head a little bit. "Do you hear that?"
Nesseth hums curiously, his frills flexing as he takes the cue to focus on listening to everything nearby, like he would while tracking. He hears... nothing out of the ordinary, though, which causes him to give Tarbin a curious look after several seconds. "Nnnno? What is it?"
Tarbin smirks, though his eyes close. "That's right. Months... With her voice there. Her presence... She's so kind. And strong. A [literal force of Nature.] Beautiful... But... I suddenly have a moment without her."
Nesseth nods slowly, thinking he's understanding. "Mmh... true, she wasn't always at least slightly separated from you. You were essentially her transport for a while before she could manifest, right?" He sighs a little, "She's beautiful, kind and strong, yeah, but... I'm guessing she was always a constant presence."
Tarbin opens his eyes, nodding as he turns to Nesseth. "Too much. She didn't really sleep... I could catch her thoughts in my dreams. She is rightfully curious... But just trying to be among the plants..." His expression shifts, hardening. "I can not let her back in..."
Nesseth listens, and nods. "I can see that... I love Vix and Plume a lot, but... even then, I really doubt I'd be able to handle always hearing their thoughts in my own head every hour of every day." He gives Tarbin a sympathetic look, "At the very least, you'd probably have to establish that you need a bit of peace in your own head."
Tarbin nods, grimacing. "Not just a 'bit'. I can't allow her back in. Will not. The moment I realized that she was outside...[It was as she approached, {that night}. I saw her, heard her, but not inside]. Am I cruel? [Locked her out... She's strong enough, yes? Pulling plenty from the {Flow}... Yes.]" His smile returns, nodding to himself. "We're both free." He starts speaking faster as he rambles, returning to the shared language of lizards for a short period.
Nesseth blinks as he tries to untangle the jumble of Trade Common, Lizard and Yurettan as Tarbin rambles. He slowly nods. "She's strong enough to be split off from you, or else she would have disappeared the moment you two stepped too far apart." He furrows his brow curiously and tilts his head, "But... you managed to lock her out?"
Tarbin chuckles humorlessly, glancing at Nesseth, then down at the ground again. "I think so... Maybe not but... I know that in my soul, I do not want her back. Maybe it's will, maybe it's just... How things are now." He lets out a low sigh, closing his eyes. "[Brother]... What is worse? That I have done this... Or that I don't know if I would go back, even if she were fading?"
Nesseth hums quietly, thinking on the question. "Which is worse...? I honestly can't say, since you two shared something entirely unique, as far as I'm aware. The fact that she now can link directly with nature, she should be okay no matter what." He sighs a little, "And she's also an elemental, which means she won't have the same, uh... mortality issues we have, I think. Her figuring out how to deal with separation now is probably better than if you two stayed linked until you'd passed on."
Tarbin nods after a few moments of silence once Nesseth has spoken. "That is certain..." He sits back on the bench again, nodding. "Maybe can live with that."
Nesseth sighs a little as he likewise sits back on the bench. "Part of this will definitely depend on Melia, too. If you're that serious about making sure Melia can live on her own, or at least separate from you, you're going to have to help her along."
Tarbin lets out a humorless laugh. "I promised I would. I am not a villain, [brother]." He closes his eyes for a few moments before turning to Nesseth. "I am sorry for burdening you so, Nesseth. I beg you do not think too much less of me..."
Nesseth smiles a bit and lightly nudges Tarbin on the shoulder with a fist. "Oh, come on, [brother], we've already been through a lot, so I can understand where you're coming from. If I can help you and Melia out in any way, just let me know, and I'll do what I can."
Tarbin sighs, nodding slowly. "Thank you, I will rely on you a bit in that case." He looks relieved and tired for speaking about the issue. He manages a smile at Nesseth, glancing at his grocery sacks. "In turn, I can at least help carry something back to your house!"
Nesseth nods. "Just let me know. You both know where I live, if I recall? If not, you can likely find me at Plume's place, of course." He chuckles as he looks over at his grocery sacks, and then picks one up to pass to Tarbin, "I won't say no to a little help, though!"
Tarbin smiles, nodding. "I think I'll remember after today." He lifts the sack, the considerably more wiry lizard grunting a bit. "Y-you were going to carry two of these?"
Nesseth lifts up the other sack with apparent ease, even if his injured arm does quake just a little during the initial lift. "Yeah... my pantry needed a lot of restocking after I was gone for a couple of months. I'll have to do it bit by bit, of course."
Tarbin glances at the the one Nesseth is carrying. "You... Ran out of food while you were gone?"
Nesseth laughs a little and nods. "Yeah, remember, Vix had access to my pantry for all the baking and whatnot while I was gone. Not all of the flour and other materials she used to bake all that bread came from the markets."
Tarbin hums, thinking for a few seconds. "Oh! That cat, yes? Her food was a great comfort to folks in the clinic."
Nesseth smiles warmly. "Yeah, she's an extremely good cook. When she told me about her idea to bake up stuff, I told her she can use whatever she needs from my pantry to help out."
Tarbin hikes the sack up, nodding in agreement. "So both of you are to thank for the uplifting snacks." They try to keep conversation on more upbeat topics as the two make their way to Nesseth's home, though Tarbin will certainly be feeling the fallout of the conversation before, as he has all the time and echoing silence in the world, now.