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ERIKA'S GARDEN - AFTERNOON
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Erika is sitting in her garden, leaning on the central tree. She’s really mostly done with her gardening today, and with the herb deliveries she’s gottne mostly back on track by now. She’s also back on just her cloth wraps, having finally put away the pretty dress away. The okapi sighs softly, smiling as she thinks of... largely certain lizard whom she expects to come to see her again as he is able from his duties. That, and she’s pretty sure certain roo is for the moment keeping her distance from the garden, so it’s... ‘safe’. Still not sure how to think about that.
Nesseth arrives at the garden gate as expected. He's just gotten off of work, so he's still wearing some of his personal gear, with the rest of the guard stuff having been stowed back at the barracks. As he opens the gate, he lifts his voice and calls. "Erika! Are you in the garden at the moment? I just got off of work!"
Erika perks up: “I’m here!” She doesn’t get up, admittedly expecting Nesseth to come sit right next to her as they have done in the last couple of days.
Nesseth makes his way through the greenery and emerges into the clearing near the central tree of the garden, smiling as he spots Erika sitting in place. He makes his way over to her and leans down to give her a warm kiss on the lips before taking a seat beside her again as he has the last couple of days. "How were things around the garden today? Plants behaving?"
Erika kisses back happily, before giving Nesseth a smile: "Nothing really of note. The burdenberry bush on the north side-" she nods her head towards it, indicating one part of the impenetrable jungle: "Doesn't really want to be there, might need to move it... somewhere."
Nesseth leans over a bit and looks in the direction Erika nods towards, then nods as he leans back again. "Just need to find a better spot, hm? Hopefully that won't be too much trouble, and I guess it'll free up a bit of space in that spot for something else."
Erika nods slowly: "I'll figure something out. Kinda running out of space here, even after clearing up after Melia's thing happened... but I'll manage. How's your day?"
Nesseth hums quietly. "Honestly really nice... It feels good getting back to the old routine after everything that's happened, even if it does make me feel a bit more tired than usual for some reason."
Erika shrugs... then grins softly: "As long as I'm not contributing to that tired?"
Nesseth grins at the question and playfully nudges Erika's side. "Hardly, dear. If anything, resting here in the garden with you gives me more energy."
Erika hums, leaning on Nesseth: "Well, good. Gives me that too~." She gives a soft sigh: "You're rather bestest, you know that?"
Nesseth leans lightly against Erika and sneaks an arm around her midsection to hug her a bit closer. He chuckles. "Me? Really? I dunno about that. You might beat me out on that contest, I think."
Erika giggles, leaning to give Nesseth's cheek a peck: "Nuh-uh. Resident crazy person, remember? I'm not qualified."
Nesseth wiggles his frills a little at the kiss, letting them lightly tickle against Erika's fur for a moment as he grins happily. "Then, maybe we're both just awesome. We can share the title of crazy, that way."
Erika sticks her tongue towards Nesseth's frills: "Assuming I wanted to share~..." She giggles, leaning back just a bit to look at Nesseth: "Well, maybe I do. I'm crazy like that."
Nesseth tilts his head back a bit and winks at Erika, though his arm remains in place wrapped loosely around her middle. "If you want to share the title with me, that's fine by me~"
Erika leans back in to nuzzle Nesseth as she wraps her arms around Nesseth: "Well, if you insist... you crazy lizard, you."
Nesseth happily leans into the hug, completing his own by wrapping his free arm around Erika in turn. "This sort of crazy isn't bad at all, you know. It's kind of fun, really."
Erika giggles, hugging closer: "I've... kinda wanted and missed this."
Nesseth lightly nuzzles against Erika's fur in the hug, but hums curiously. "The hugs?"
Erika hums with a light chuckle: "Well that, and... well this. Being close. I hug my Sis every time I can, but it's not the same."
Nesseth nods a bit, understanding. "Ahh, right... It's been some months already, hasn't it?" He angles his head a bit to smile up at Erika, "Well... I'm happy to provide this for you, however much you want it."
Erika leans on Nesseth and nuzzles his neck frills: "I... do. Want it. Just a bit... or more." She sighs softly: "...n-not that I want to seem needy, but... y'know."
Nesseth 's frills, warm to the touch as they are, flex softly at the nuzzles "Hey... there's nothing wrong with wanting the companionship, especially since you've been doing without for a while."
Erika sighs happily as she leans: "Y-yeah." Out of words for the moment, she just gives Nesseth's neck another soft kiss.
Nesseth hums warmly and angles his head a bit, giving Erika access to kiss him as he smiles. "So just... let me know, okay? You're welcome to find me wherever I might be if you want my company for any reason." He sighs contentedly, "Just like with Vix and Plume, I've always got time for you, Erika."
Erika giggles softly: "Yeah... it still sounds a bit weird, but like... I don't mind? As long as I get to spend time with you to alleviate the loneliness, doesn't matter much."
Nesseth chuckles as he sneaks a kiss on Erika's neck in turn. "Don't worry, I'll be spending as much time with you as you want. If you want to accompany me on wall patrols, you're more than welcome to, if you have the time." He smiles again, "...And we can still spend a lot of time together whenever I have a hunting trip, or if you want to go herb-gathering."
Erika nods, then brightens up at the mention of a trip: "Ooo. I'd like that. Someone to watch my back when I gather. Even if I mostly manage to stay downwind, but anyway."
Nesseth nods in turn, a maybe-not-quite-innocent smile on his face. "Plenty of time for us to just enjoy together, too, while getting other things done. We're both pretty skilled woodsmen, after all, so we can probably avoid a lot of dangers out there."
Erika blinks, then giggles with a blush: "W-well, when you put it that way...~"
Nesseth grins again. "Just a suggestion, if we happen to find an opportunity~"
Erika sidles ever-closer to Nesseth's side: "It's possible, after all."
Nesseth hugs Erika a bit closer as she presses against him. "Oh yeah, all kinds of possibilities out there while we're busy herb-gathering."
Erika mmh's softly: "Very busy, obviously. Wouldn't want to do anything too untoward." She gaze just coincidentally drifts downward, not related to her statement.
Nesseth smirks as he watches Erika's gaze wandering, and he lightly tickles his fingers against her belly fur, his hand inching down just a little for fun. "Wouldn't do to get too distracted while we're trying to do some very important work all alone together out there."
Erika giggles at the tickling as she looks back up at Nesseth's eyes: "Obviously n-not. It would be all... untoward and scandalous and some other word I could invent here."
Nesseth smiles again as he meets Erika's gaze. "It's probably a good thing we're both just a bit crazy, and don't really mind that, hm?"
Erika lets out a very unladylike snort-giggle: "Pfft! Quite."
Nesseth breaks at Erika's giggle and leans in to bump his forehead against her shoulder for a moment as he laughs. "So yeah, just some thoughts about what we can get up to while out there, in addition to our actual goals~"
Erika sticks her tongue out: "So that wasn't the actual goal? Shame on me for thinking that for some reason."
Nesseth grins. "Well, it can be the primary goal. We'd be gone for at least a week, so we'd have to figure something out to keep us occupied, right?"
Erika gives a totally noncomittal shrug... and a wide grin.
Nesseth chuckles at the answer, then leans up for another kiss, their "plans" pretty well clear for any upcoming trips out to the woods.
Erika grabs Nesseth for a kiss just a bit more forcefully than before, leaning on him with a soft hum as a tasteful curtain wraps around the garden...
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EARLY EVENING
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Maecy pushes open the bar door and drags herself inside, clearly exhausted. She's wearing a blue dress with a fashionable belt around the waist, and short heels that give her just a little extra height. Still, she reaches the bar and takes a moment to climb up onto the seat, then sighs and orders a glass of fine wine, assuming the establishment has any.
Nesseth wanders into the bar, having decided to stop by after a bit of work. He makes his way towards the counter, only to blink and tilt his head when he sees someone familiar dressed up rather fancily sitting at the counter. He wanders over with a grin and takes a seat near the stoat. "Hey there, May! You're back already? That was a quick trip."
Maecy blinks at the stranger calling her name, turning to tilt her head at the lizard, "Oh, wow! I wasn't sure if folks here already knew my name, I uh, I'm flattered, Sir! I suppose the trip wasn't that bad, no. Don't know what you mean by 'already', but if you're familiar with me then I can certainly see how it must seem like I'm an old friend, returned..." She leans her elbow on the bar and cradles her cheek in her hand to look at Nesseth's outfit, only to frown.
Nesseth tilts his head curiously at both the look Maecy's giving his guard gear, as well as the odd statement in general. "Uh... of course we know your name, May...? You've been here for... how long at this point?" He glances around a bit, searching for a certain lesser coatl, though he obviously doesn't find them, "Uh... did you and Louma get a few too many drinks or something?"
Maecy hums, "Louma? I don't know any..." She pauses, then sighs. "Oh. Of course. You think I'm May!"
Nesseth nods slowly, starting to get perhaps a little worried. "Yyyyeah...? You... are May, right?"
Maecy shakes her head, "No, of course not! Just look at me! I'm Mae!"
Maecy flourishes a hand over her outfit to emphasize.
Nesseth blinks as he looks Maecy's outfit over. "You're... May. Yeah, I know you're May."
Maecy: "No, clearly not! If you've met May, then clearly you can tell that I'm not her! I'm Mae! Mae Frecklemeyer!"
Nesseth gets more confused by the second. "You keep saying you're May. I know you're May, May. You're Maybelline Frecklemeyer. We met some months back, remember?"
Maecy pouts, frustrated. "And I'm telling you, I'm not! We've never met! I'm Mae! Maecy Frecklemeyer!"
Nesseth blinks again, then ahhs in understanding. "Ohhh, okay, there's the misunderstanding... You're one of May's siblings, then? Sorry about that, Maecy."
Maecy sighs, wiggling back into her seat. "It's fine. We're twins." She seems awfully non-plussed about it after that argument. "But, ah! Good, you know May! So you can tell me how I get here." She pulls out an envelope with an address and slides it to Nesseth. The letter is addressed from Louma's home.
Nesseth takes a look at the address on the envelope, then chuckles after a moment. "Oh, yeah, that's easy enough. That would be Louma's place, since I think May moved in there not too long ago." He pauses, then looks up at May with a sheepish smile, "But, uh... small problem, there."
Maecy frowns, "I uh... oh. Is it that bad? Her last letter... she mentioned the problems she was having. Her girlfriend went missing, and she sounded like she was really struggling..."
Nesseth shakes his head a bit. "Oh, no, no, nothing bad. Louma came back safe and sound, and all of that stuff adjacent to that got resolved... about a week ago or so." He smiles a bit, "But, uh... Louma and May took a vacation. They left for Sarn some days back."
Maecy straightens up in anger. "She WHAT?! Vacation?! After I came all the way out here to visit and comfort her! She's an absolutely ungrateful excuse for a sister, that's what she is!"
Nesseth leans back in surprise at the sudden outburst. "Uh... wait, the visit was planned? We did have some really bad mail interruptions during the whole conflict against the Saurs, so... I'm not too surprised if your last message was about Louma going missing. Caravans stopped moving for a while a bit after that point, when the road to Bairnell became too dangerous."
Maecy shakes her head, "Well, 'planned', I figured I'd surprise her. She was so depressed, and upset. And now you say she's 'on vacation'? Sheesh. Some nerve, ruining my surprise." She crosses her arms. "Wait, Caravans stopped? Are you all in danger? Am I in danger?!"
Nesseth shakes his head. "No, the caravans are open again, or else you'd have been stuck in Bairnell. There's no danger anymore, since it's all been resolved, so don't worry." He sighs a bit, "But yeah... she left for Sarn with Louma. Pretty sure they're on the boat out that way by this point, too. Their vacation was to be for about a month, too."
Maecy groans dramatically, "Well that's just great isn't it?" She perks up slightly. "Oh! At least that means she'll be upset that I ruined her surprise visit too! Ha! I win!"
Nesseth gives Maecy a look, bemused at her statement. "You... win? Do you and May have some kind of competition going?"
Maecy smirks, "Ah, well, nothing 'official'. But you know... um... yeah. And I'm winning."
Nesseth runs a hand over his frills, smoothing them as he considers. He nods after a moment. "Well, uh... congratulations, Maecy. If you have to head out before May comes back, I'll inform her that she's currently losing."
Maecy giggles, "Well, I'm here for more than just my sister. This isn't vacation for me. I'm here for business!"
Nesseth blinks. "Business, hm? What do you do? I might be able to guide you to some good folks to talk to, depending on that."
Maecy takes back the letter she had handed to Nesseth, opening it to remove the letter. "I'm here because a Weaver asked for me. At least, according to Maybelline. She better not be joking. Spider clothing is serious business. And I... Am a Fashion designer."
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "A Spider weaver? You must mean Lthl. She's got a store near the marketplace, from what I remember."
Maecy nods eagerly, "Yes! Lthl! She asked Maybelline to refer me to her. Well, one doesn't deny that kind of invitation!"
Nesseth chuckles. "Well, in that case, I could give you some directions there, if you like. She's already closed up shop for the night, I think, though."
Maecy nods, "Well, I'm still pretty tired from the trip in, and if I'm not going to be visiting my sister tonight, I may as well wait until tomorrow to do business." She lifts her wine glass, taking a sip, "Besides, I've already started relaxing."
Nesseth takes a moment to get himself an order of food and drink. "A good plan, that. At least that way, you could go and talk to Lthl with a clear head."
Maecy giggles, "It is best to do so when talking business. So what is it you do around Respite Falls? Some kind of..." She eyes his uniform again, "Cheap... theater?"
Nesseth glances at his outfit, then laughs. "No, I'm a guard lieutenant. I also do some hunting in my off time here and there, though I used to do it more a few years back."
Maecy blinks. "Oh... Oh so that's real armor? Huh. Could use a redesign, honestly. Do all the guards have this same... 'uniform'?"
Nesseth shakes his head. "Not quite. I'm wearing lighter gear compared to some of the heavier studded leather and chain others wear. There's a uniform, but it depends on what we specialize in."
Maecy rubs her chin, nodding. "I guess that makes sense... but have you ever considered a waistcoat? Maybe an overcloak with tails? Higher collar? Oh! How about a cute sash! It would all very much say 'military but still fashionable'!"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully as he looks over his gear, then shifts his gaze towards Maecy. "Um... sounds... nice, but I rely on speed to avoid getting hurt. That sounds... kind of heavy."
Maecy: "Maybe a full frock coat? With that sharp vee out the back? Mmm, it'd look good on you! Though maybe the frill would interfere with a high collar. I guess I'd think of it as a... dress uniform, yes?"
Nesseth chuckles a bit weakly, but seems at least a bit intrigued. "A... dress uniform. Heh... something a bit more official for anything outside of normal duties, then?"
Maecy nods excitedly. "Oh yes, exactly! It could be fun! What are the town colors? Does Respite have a flag? A town flower? A town... um... oh, I don't know! Anything really that could provide inspiration!"
Nesseth grimaces a little as he scratches along one of the ridges of his frill. "Uh... that, I'm not sure. You might need to talk to the town administrator for that information, I'm afraid..."
Maecy waves a hand, "Ah, well, it shall come in due time! I'm just... thinking. That's all." She reaches into a pocket of her dress and pulls out a sketchpad, then lays it on the bar and begins to sketch out something. "You're giving me ideas! I like to sketch them out while they're still fresh..."
Nesseth smiles a bit as he leans against the counter to watch the sketching process. "So you're an artist, too? That's pretty neat!"
Maecy shakes her head, "Oh, not really an artist! Just... more of a..." She sticks her tongue out just a bit as she focuses on the drawing. Then, finishing up, she presents it to Nesseth. It's a very crude looking depiction of him, but his proportions seem right, and more importantly the uniform design is quite good, no color, but it seems to try to incorporate Nesseth's physique into the design to make something that seems says 'uniform' and yet has a distinctive flair that only Nesseth could pull off. "There!"
Nesseth tilts his head as he looks the outfit sketch over. His eyebrows rise a bit as he starts to notice the appeal of the design, both functionally and in general looks. "Wow, that... that does look really nice. I could see that being something to wear for any meetings or... I don't know, really official business."
Maecy nods again, "Oh you certainly wouldn't want to wear this out into the wild." She makes a face of horror at the thought, "But I think it'd be rather dashing! This is just a first draft of course. I didn't even account for your tail!"
Nesseth laughs and shakes his head. "Something like that, no, I wouldn't want to wear it out beyond the walls. My hunting kit is a lot more, uh... weather-resistant and stuff I don't mind bumping and scraping against trees and bushes." He grins a little as he turns and wiggles his tail a bit, "Oh yeah, can't forget this!"
Maecy scribbles a few more notes, drawing a little more to the side of the design. "Well, even if I never make it... the idea might give me inspiration for something else!" She finishes the design, then flips through the notepad, showing Nesseth several dozen similar sketches, all outfits seemingly done on the fly to someone Maecy either met or saw somewhere along the line.
Nesseth peruses the drawings that Maecy presents, growing more and more impressed with the sheer creativity of the designs on each person, and how well she seems to work with the wildly varying physiques of said people. "No wonder you want to meet with Lthl. These designs are all really nice."
Maecy blushes a little beneath her fur, "I appreciate you saying so. It's a huge honor to have a Spider know your name. May said she gifted her an outfit... at the request of asking me to visit. Working with one of the Weavers... That kind of thing can make your career for life, but honestly, I just want to work with them and see how it inspires me."
Nesseth reaches over a bit to the side and snags an open pad and a nearby pencil. "Well, in that case, here. I get the feeling you'll want to speak to Lthl sooner rather than later, so here's the address to her business." He spends a few seconds writing the address down in rather neat script, if perhaps just a touch cramped. Once jotted down, he tears the paper from the pad and passes it to Maecy, "She opens pretty early in the day, so you might be able to catch her right when she opens."
Maecy takes the paper and reads the address as if committing it to memory, then tucks it in the back of her sketchbook. "Yeah, will do. Thank you, umm... Lieutenant...?"
Nesseth dips his head with a smile. "Nesseth. But you don't need to worry about the title, Maecy. I don't really stand on guard formality while off-duty."
Maecy giggles, "Well good, I'm not great at formality either. What's my sister's title even? Chief Engineer? Master Engineer? Lead Master Chief Supreme Engineer? I'm not gonna remember any of that."
Nesseth chuckles. "Chief Engineer, I think. Though... I guess she's technically the only engineer, too, at least unless Brunilda gets signed on in a more official capacity."
Maecy tilts her head. "Brunilda, eh? And Louma... but Louma's her girlfriend... you're Nesseth... got it."
Nesseth nods. "Brunilda is a guard, like myself, but she's taken to magitech engineering pretty handily, according to May. Most likely, she's going to end up as an assistant engineer at the generator."
Maecy tilts her head. "So... Friends?" She taps her fingers a moment, wondering. "And she's got a girlfriend...?"
Nesseth nods again. "Yeah, she and Brunilda are friends. Louma's May's girlfriend."
Maecy sips her wine again. "So weird..."
Nesseth tilts his head curiously, though he's momentarily distracted by his order arriving. "Weird? How's that?"
Maecy shrugs, "Eh, nothing. It's just different for her, you know?"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "Hmm... maybe. I can't say I know much about May before she arrived here. She and Louma hit it off pretty nicely together, from what I remember."
Maecy is silent a moment, finishing her wine glass before she speaks again. "Well, that's good. Happy for her to finally get that all... figured out."
Nesseth nods. "From the way you say that, sounds like she's had some, uh... troubles before she arrived here in Aephix. But yeah, she's really happy with Louma." He chuckles, "It's honestly kind of adorable."
Maecy snickers, "Oh, and I'm sure she loves it when you say that."
Nesseth laughs a little. "She gets flustered. It's really funny." He shakes his head a little, then takes a sip of his drink, "But seriously, though, if you happen to be around when May and Louma come back, well... you'll see what I mean."
Maecy hums, putting her glass down, "I suppose I will. I'll be around for a little while at least."
Nesseth smiles at that. "Well, in that case, welcome to Respite Falls, Maecy. If you need any directions, I'd be happy to point you where you want to go."
Maecy nods, "I'll find you if I need you Nesseth! Thanks for the help so far. And I'll keep you posted if any more inspiration comes." She taps her sketchbook before slipping it back into her pocket.
Nesseth grins. "You can usually find me either at the guard barracks, the local clinic, or else just about anywhere around town. Most folks could probably point you towards me if anything." He nods, "Anyway, I should probably let you get some rest, if you're going to go and meet up with Lthl tomorrow."
Maecy laughs, "Appreciate it. Been a... long day. Take care, Nesseth!"
Nesseth waves cheerfully as he turns to start on his meal. "You too, Maecy. Have a good night!"