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RESPITE NORTH GATE - MORNING
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Narrator: Louma and Maybelline take a short detour from their route home after a bit of discussion, kissing before parting at the generator, May going to check on how Brun's been holding up, while Louma heads home with their travel things. A few minutes later, she slithers up to the door and sets the bag down. Instead of unlocking the door, she spreads her wings and flies up to the roof, retrieving the key from under a loose tile, and returning to the ground.
Louma picks their things up, setting the key into the lock and turning it... Noticing the lock doesn't click open. Narrowing her eyes, Louma pushes the door open, slowly slithering into the house with the pack in one hand, and her spear carried in the other, looking around slowly.
Xochicoatl has been sleeping upon the ground of living room, letting the morning light wake her early before starting breakfast each morning. She is currently in the kitchen eating breakfast, having emptied what remained of the pantry awhile ago, and having refilled it since from the market. She hears the door, and her first response is to call out, "Oh! Um, yes? Who isss there?"
Louma vaguely recognizes the voice, but can't quite place it, her attention brought to the kitchen. She approaches the room, dropping the pack inside the entrance, and stopping at the kitchen doorway with the spear just out of view behind the doorframe. She goes from suspicious to surprised and back to mildly suspicious again on seeing the familiar coloration on a very much more plumed and youthful snake. "...Hello? This house hasn't been sold within the past month, has it?"
Xochicoatl perks up at the sight of the coatl, lesser though she may be, "Ah! You have returned! No no, my apologiesss! You are Captain Louma, yes? Vix led me here, ssshe sssaid you were expecting me?"
Louma blinks at the mention of Vix, the lock suddenly making sense. "I... Might have been? My time away may have muddied my memory a little bit. May I ask your name, since you know mine?"
Xochicoatl nods thoughtfully, "My apologiesss, I am Xochicoatl, Princessss in exile. Vix sssaid you were waiting for my return, that you would know my next sssteps, and that ssstaying here would be sssafest for me. I have held your home in the utmossst of ressspect." She crosses an arm over her chest and gives a respectful bow.
Louma feels a bit of a twinge, an old blood urge. She leans the spear into the corner, letting it lean there and she crosses her arm over her chest, bowing lower in respect to the coatl. "I thank you, Xochicoatl. I ah..." She rises from the bow rather quickly, nodding. "Appreciate that. Y-yesss. I was waiting for you, and yesss, this place would be sssafer than... Another until I had returned."
Xochicoatl lifts her head back up, wings, giving a subtle flap, though it is apparent that groups of feathers are in disarray from Xochicoatl's nightly attempts at flight training. "I know my presence must be a ssshock. I wasss locked away for many years, but ssseized the moment to essscape when it came. I doubt many even know I exissst. But in time, I can do right by my father, and retake the throne. I need alliesss such as yourssself, Louma."
Louma looks to Xochicoatl's wings, about to comment on them when the end of her statement catches her attention. "Retake the throne? What sort of talk is that?" She catches herself mid sentence, but doesn't stop, redirecting the course of ehr tone as she slithers up to Xochicoatl. "How can you retake the throne in such disarray?" She reaches to Xochicoatl's right wing, gently but efficiently settling each and every misplaced feather. "Honestly, how've you done all this to yourself, highness?"
Xochicoatl spreads the wing slightly, to aid Louma's work. She would blush if she could, "Ah, well, your roof is not quite high enough for me to get lift that I require! I am of age! It is perfectly reasssonable that I want to fly!"
Louma huffs, giving Xochicoatl a look. "With your wings?" She notes as she goes that the wing seems strong and the feathers healthy, only bringing more questions to her. "Tsk. Of course the roof is too low. You may be of age, but you didn't fly at all in the palace, did you? You haven't built the strength or the muscle memory." She gently pats the right wing, moving on to the left. "That won't do. I'll have to teach you myself."
Xochicoatl 's expression shifts from 'pouty teenager' to one of utter delight, "You ssshall!? Ah, yesss! I mean, of courssse! Ah, thank you, Louma! You are another true, true friend."
Louma nods, holding back comment for the moment as she fixes the colorful stray feathers, shuffling back a bit to check her work with another firm nod. "Of course. Can't have the future empress unable to use her beautiful wings." She pauses, humming. "How long have I kept you waiting?"
Xochicoatl dips her head, folding her arms in front of her and letting her wings spread out a bit more. "Ahh, only a few weeks. I met a moth named Kira who explained you were on vacation. I can hardly blame you for living your life, you could not have known when I would arrive. She told me of another Coatl in town as well... you know of them?"
Louma hums, nodding briefly. "I do, but I do not think she is in town. I will ask Kira, she knows the other coatl quite well. Tell me, what do you know from your life in the palace? I'll know better what I need to tell and teach from that."
Xochicoatl chuckles, "Ahh, it isss a boring ssstory, I am afraid. To my knowledge, I wasss taken as a child, raisssed in captivity within a grand mansssion. A boring life... perhapsss it isss what they felt a Princessss dessserved? I wasss not allowed to leave, or do what I wissshed. My sssixteenth birthday... I wasss ssso excited to fly... but they told me 'no'... and ssso, one evening, sssomeone left the window to my chambersss open. The guardsss, led by my only true friend, looked the other way... and I essscaped. And then..." She pauses seeming to struggle a moment before finally shaking her head, "I came here, of courssse!"
Louma listens to the familiar story, putting on a warm smile by the end. "Of course. Well then... There certainly is a lot to teach. My home is yours, highness, until we find some more private lodgings for you, though I ah... Would warn that extravagance is going to have to be forgone while in hiding. Mostly for convenience and expense. I do have a partner living with me, who is exceptionally trustworthy. Beyond that, I will be honored to help you toward your goals."
Xochicoatl lets out a rasping laugh, but turns upon her tail to face Louma. "I did not essscape for extravagance, Captain Louma. I essscaped for freedom, and ssso that one day I might bring peace to our people. I ssshall do what I mussst towardsss that goal, and for now, while I ssstay here with you, I ssshall do my part however you may require of me. I ssshall do my bessst not to be a nuisssance to you and your partner."
Louma smiles, bowing her head slightly to Xochicoatl. "Then I will do everything I can for you, though I must also attend my duties here. I admire your desire to return to our people, to lead snakes to prosperity and peace again, but perhaps we should keep that goal between us for now. There are enemies of that cause outside of Orela, after all."
Xochicoatl frowns, but nods, "Of courssse... of courssse. I ssshall follow your lead, while I am within your city. But I ssshall not be caged again, I will sssay that much."
Louma grins, nodding. "Don't worry, I am going to give you the key to never being caged again. I'll let you get back to what you were doing before something burns, highness. I must put away my things before Maybelline returns." She slithers back to the entryway, picking up the pack and spear and turning toward the stairs.
Xochicoatl eeps at the mention of burning and goes back to preparing her breakfast, "Ah! Apologiesss! Thank you!"
Louma sighs to herself as she passes the kitchen, looking in to the young coatl within before heading for the stairs. "Enjoy your meal, highness. We'll talk more in a little bit." She bows again, heading upstairs and fighting the urge to panic at the strange situation. "Definitely Xochi... But not."
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RESPITE GENERATOR - MORNING
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Brunilda finishes doing her first round of morning checks on the generator, the elephant yawning widely as nothing really has changed from yesterday. She sits down at a work bench, looking over the machinery that has more or less worked like a dream.
Maybelline kisses Louma goodbye for the moment, watching her slither off with a bit of a lingering sigh before turning back to Generator door, her keys still safe at home, and knocks waiting for Brunilda to come answer.
Brunilda perks up from her half-dozing thinkery, getting up and towards the door: "Who could that be, this early...?" She opens the door, and instantly smiles upon seeing who it is: "Maybelline! You're back already?"
Maybelline grins, "Technically. I've still got one more day off to unpack and rest up, but figured I'd stop by to tell you we're home, make sure nothing happened that you couldn't handle."
Brunilda chuckles, leaning to the side of the door: "Nothing happened... that is, almost nothing at ALL happened, while you were away. I think your last-minute operations made this baby so smooth, I didn't really have to do much anything beyond the basics all month."
Maybelline hums, lifting a hand towards Brun, "Ah, welcome to the life of a Magitech Engineer. Watching meters while nothing happens. Your first few months of exciting explosions and frantic construction are sadly not the usual. But still, good to hear she's been well behaved for you."
Brunilda takes Maybelline's hand, then easily lifting the stoat up to a soft hug: "Good to see you back. Missed working with you."
Maybelline hugs back, "Missed you too, Brun. I really, really appreciate you helping out with this so we could go. How about Mayfeld? He been behaving for you too?"
Brunilda chuckles: "For all the zero caretaking he needs, yeah, he's been fine. Occasionally gives wistful looks the generator, but I reckon it'd be a bad idea to let him be free there..."
Maybelline hums, tilting her head to think, "Yeeeeah. Reasonable belief. I've had some thoughts about that, but I also don't want to give him too big a playground. I'm sure he'll be happy to see me again though. So. Nothing wrong with the generator. Anything come up around town? I know I left you that little list of projects, if you were feeling daring."
Brunilda lets Maybelline back down as the two get inside the building once more: "I don't think there's been anything earthshaking going on, just people getting used to the whole influx of Saurs and whatnot." She shrugs: "Or I have not just heard it, I've pretty much spent the month either here or with Fiora."
Maybelline giggles, "Well can't fault you for that. I spent the whole trip with Louma." She pauses at the mention of the Saur, frowning. "Right... the refuges. Guessing that's getting a little more settled since we left? I submitted some very simple expansion proposals to the town office in Bairnell before we left."
Brunilda nods, humming: "Yeah, things are a bit less... tense, I think. We're all just trying to live and let live, after all." She shrugs: "Not that I am anyone to judge, being a refugee of sorts myself, just a short time ago."
Maybelline glances around the familiar generator room, breathing in the vaguely oil and ozone scented air. "Ahh. It is good being home." She gives Brun an odd glance, "Well, I think your story is a little different than theirs. Not that I bear them ill will either... it's just... you know."
Brunilda shrugs again, smiling slightly: "True, I was forced here by family, not by my hometown blowing up. Technically I could still probably return to Ondonga if I wanted to."
Maybelline sighs, "Guess I forget that about you. Feels so weird being like, the only one here who wasn't running or forced here by anything... I mean the job was sorta my only choice, but I still hired on."
Brunilda leans on the wall: "I was hired as a Guard, but that didn't stay my calling, now did it? I've slowly been learning that if you want something in life... gotta work for it yourself."
Maybelline walks over to the terrarium and taps at the glass, watching the excited Mayfeld dash around and squeak at her. "Well, guess I was just lucky that my parents always told me to do that from the start. Going back home to see them again really just proved it more."
Brunilda tilts her head: "What was it like, going back?"
Maybelline laughs, "Very, very weird. Like, I'd only been gone a little over a year? But it felt like everything was the same, but totally different. Louma wanted to go to my university too, and that was the strangest part, being there as a guest and not a student."
Brunilda chuckles: "I can only imagine... this place kinda changes you, doesn't it?"
Maybelline nods, turning back to look up at Brun, "Heh, yeah. But not in a bad way, I'd say. I'm a much happier stoat, on the whole. For a lot of reasons."
Brunilda shrugs with a smile: "I mean, same really. I can at least some of my time spend doing what I really enjoy, and good chunk of the rest with a giraffe I love."
Maybelline grins. "Louma and I had fun on vacation cause we were together. But I do love this job too, for as much as I thought I'd hate coming here."
Brunilda chuckles: "Guess we've both sort of learned that sort of thing the hard way."
Maybelline waves a hand, "The hard way... I don't really consider it that..." She pauses, considering the explosion, the work afterwards, the feelings when Louma had been held captive, and slowly lowers her hand. "Guess it has been pretty rough..."
Brunilda shrugs: "It's all relative, I guess, what one considers such... for myself, I'm plenty good without further excitement for a bit."
Maybelline nods, "I'm looking forward to get home, helping Louma unpack, and spending one more day resting before we get back to work. It'll be nice to go forward with no more surprise for awhile."
Brunilda smiles, leaning back as she crosses her arms: "I would sure hope so. I'll take sparring with my love over actual war, any day..."
Maybelline giggles, "That what you two call it, hm?" She tilts her head, "No wait... she's that bounty hunter right? You mean actual sparring?"
Brunilda blinks, then smiles: "Oh! Yeah... we actually fight, like that."
Maybelline shakes her head, "I don't get that... Louma has fun with that too, her and Nesseth. And you too, I suppose. I um... guess I'm a lover, not a fighter."
Brunilda chuckles: "Why not both? Although sometimes I question if I'm any good as a lover... is that normal, do you think?"
Maybelline: "Probably pretty normal. More a question for that giraffe than for yourself. Louma and I are pretty open about that stuff with each other."
Brunilda shrugs with a sigh: "Yeah. We are too, I think... though it's been a while since we talked about that stuff... neither of us being all that good with words, really."
Maybelline hums, "I suppose? You do fine with me. Though, I guess that's a whole other topic, harder to talk about for sure sometimes." She steps forward to put a support have against Brunilda and smiles, "You'll be fine though. You ran the whole town's generator for a month and did just fine, after all!"
Brunilda chuckles: "Yeah, not... quite the same thing. But yeah. Gotta talk to her." She shakes her head, then gives Maybelline a smile: "Thank you, though, for your trust."
Maybelline nods. "Thank you, then, for being worthy of it. Just hold out another day and a half, and if anything comes up, you know where I'll be, alright?"
Brunilda smiles: "Yeah. I mean, you've made this thing so easy to maintenance..."
Maybelline giggles, "Well, mostly easy for someone your size. Probably easier still for me, but I did try to design it with both of us in mind. And you helped build it too, don't forget."
Brunilda shrugs, looking up with a smile: "Alright, you got me. I did a tweak or two to make it easier for someone bigger too."
Maybelline: "I clearly don't always think in that scale. Between the two of us, we had it all covered."
Brunilda laughs softly: "Unless someone 'normal-sized' comes in and has to do all of this. Then they're just screwed."
Maybelline nods, still laughing, "Oh well, if they're 'normal', I honestly don't know what they're doing in Respite Falls."
Brunilda shakes her head: "Touché."
Maybelline puts her hands on her hips and looks around, "Well, good. I just wanted to make sure you were doing fine, not over stressed or anything, since I know you were working double duty here and helping make sure everything was still under control back at the Barracks."
Brunilda shrugs with a smile: "Yeah, reckon everything kinda is... for all the stress I had about it beforehand, turned out to be nothing much at all."
Maybelline glances back, resisting the urge to take a bow. "You had a decent teacher, but have been an amazing student. But I know even the simplest job can get tedious and stressful if you're worrying about it."
Brunilda smirks: "Don't we all know that, yeah... but everything is fine, I think."
Maybelline nods. "Ah, I know it is. I'm just making sure you're all good to go before I head out to catch up with Louma."
Brunilda smiles: "Go. I survived a month, I think I can take another day."
Maybelline lifts her arms up to invite another hug, "Alright, good. Then I'm gonna head for home and leave the rest to you!"
Brunilda lifts Maybelline up for a strong hug: "You have at least as many reasons to spend time at home as I do." She then lets the stoat back down, smiling: "I'll be here."
Maybelline oofs at the unexpectedly strong hug, not that she's complaining mind you, doing her best to hug back just as tightly. "Well, don't feel obligated to stay too long if everything's running fine. We can start up some maintenance routines and stress tests when I get back. I've got some work to send back to Sarn as well, so we'll have plenty to do."
Brunilda smiles warmly: "Sounds good. Looking forward to seeing what ideas you have."
Maybelline releases the hug and lets Brun set her down before she starts to head towards the door. "Same! I'm eager to hear your input on a few thoughts, as always! Thanks for everything, again."
Brunilda nods: "No worries... I'm pretty sure."
Maybelline pushes the door open and throws Brun a thumbs up "You've already got this. No worries at all."
Brunilda smiles and gives a thumbs up in mirror: "Yeah, you're right. See you soon enough."