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OLDHAMMER SMITHY - MORNING
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Melia enters the smithy, feeling odd about a place she knows but only from Erika's memories... it's all familiar though it should not be. The clothes-lacking elemental looks about, curious: "Anyone... anybody here?" She is taken slightly aback at the echo of her own voice, but persists at the door.
Narrator: The smithy is dark, empty, and silent, only the faintest glow of hot coals peeking through the ashes within the forge. The entire room is full of the smell of oil and brimstone, as a smithy should be. In the dim glow cast from the forge, the floor ahead of it can barely be seen, a pile of ashes apparently dumped haphazardly there, though they lack any hot coals. A draft enters the chimney, stirring the forge ash ever so slightly.
Melia steps forward, frowning. This is not how things should look... probably? She really doesn't have much touch on this stuff. Regardless, she looks around, determined to figure out what's been going on. She hums softly: "I guess not..."
Narrator: The ashes seem to stir from another breeze at her voice, coals tickled by the wind shimmering ever so slightly brighter. A hint of the elemental that Phoebe destroyed may exist in that direction. Perhaps in the pile of ashes that she said he'd crumbled into.
Melia looks about though finally focuses on the pile of ashes. She pauses before kneeling down next to it, feeling her Flow into the pile. If there is anything left there, she'll feel it. Probably.
Narrator: The ashes on the floor hold a faint essence similar to Melia's, a vague hint of the shared magic that created her and the other, though it doesn't seem to be the strongest taint of that power within this room. A coal in the forge pops after the ash is removed from atop it, the silent breeze feeding it fresh air.
Melia looks up towards the forge, frowning. She starts feeling for the Flow around, redirecting herself towards the coal as she spots it. "Hmm?"
Narrator: The presence of Elizabeth's magic may be felt stronger the closer Melia searches to the forge, as well as a hint of the other's despair when it realized what Phoebe was saying was true.
Melia hesitates, then feeds some of her Flow into the kindling coal. It stings slightly, but her curiosity is taking the better of her. "This is not right..."
Narrator: The ashes seem to glow with heat spreading from the hot coals, beginning to wash the room in orange light and comfortable heat. Whatever lingering emotion is clinging to that wisp of magic seems to shift from despair to curiosity, encompassing the magic put forth into it and trying to respond in kind, though it knows not how.
Melia feels about the magic, looking around the forge: "Hmm. There's got to be something I can do... I can feel you."
Narrator: The ashes shift, a whisper drawn from them that's nearly drowned under the crackling of the coals.
Presence: "I can feel you, too."
Melia blinks, then turns closer to the crackling: "Oh? Hi there. Uh. Are you, um... Cavro?"
Presence causes the ashes to shift further, though no physical body can be seen. "I... Wasn't. Wolf said so... Made sense. Remembered things, but... Not as my own memories. Are you here to... Destroy me? So Cavro can take my... His life back?" A coal pops in the back of the forge between sentences. "I'm sorry. I wont... Do it again."
Melia sighs, stepping back: "I'm... no, I'm not. Actually, I'm sort of you. You recall Erika? I was sorta.... the elemental that took her place while I guess you took Cavro's." She waves her hands in mild frustration: "It's been a mess to find all that out, but like, you're not really Cavro I guess but like me, an elemental? Or at least I figure so since I'm talking to a coal chunk. Pretty sure that's not a mortal thing to be."
Presence remains silent as it recalls, just the slight crackling of the coals as they're fed. Finally it speaks up again. "Erika... She was there. I remember that. When I woke. Oldest clear memory. Elementals... What are you an elemental for?"
Melia shrugs slightly, scattering green magic from her frills: "Life, nature, plants... that sort of thing. I'm still finding out myself what all I can do, really."
Presence releases a bit of crackling, considering this. "Can you... Give me life? I do not think... I have that."
Melia smiles: "I... I think I can. It might hurt since you're... fire, but... I came here for a reason." She gathers herself, then starts feeding her Flow into the coal, focusing on the effort of feeding life onto the other elemental.
Presence feels her power, the ashes shifting as more coals are exposed to the air. Around the green streams of the Flow, orange tendrils seem to latch as the other attempts to draw off the offered power. Anywhere it succeeds in consuming some of the magic, the orange seems to fade to grey before fizzling out of existence, to be replaced by another clinging orange line. After a few moments of this, the other feels stronger, though some alien magic present in both of them seems to be becoming almost aware of their efforts...
Melia grunts at the effort, but continues channeling her magic: "Are you... f-feeling any better yet?"
Presence clings to Melia's power, the coals glowing hotter as the orange tendrils seem to fall away less often than they latch on. The ash pile begins to... boil? "One more breath... Don't give up... On me."
Melia grunts harder, definitely in pain as she starts feeling her hands and frills get uncomfortably hot: "I will not... give up... on another..."
Presence releases it's magical grip on the Flow all at once as the coals shift, scattering on the floor. An arm pushed them out of the way, the oddly featureless hand at the end of it gripping the edge of the mantle. Something gasps for breath that it doesn't need before the arm flexes and pulls a torso free of the searing hot coals, the head upon softly formed shoulders vaguely badger-like in shape, though lacking in general markings. Two beady eyes stare at Melia, looking like round burnt out charcoal in the dim light.
Melia stumbles back as she gets her Flow back: "A-agh!" She blinks as she looks at the being in front of her: "O-oh. Hi?"
Ashform blinks in mirror, shedding a little ash before the muzzle breaks into a stiff smile. "Hi! Sister? You're... A lizard? Like that Nesseth."
Melia pauses, muses... then just shrugs: "I didn't... pick this form. Not really. I sorta... resided inside another lizard after I was banished and it like influenced me? Haven't really tried to change how I look, it's not like it matters much?"
Ashform hums, dragging himself further from the forge. The other flips down from the mantle, breaking down into a pile of formless ash, though it seems to not notice this as it struggles to newly formed feet seconds later, even encompassing the pile left behind the day before into it's new appendages. The only thing that the other seems to have missed is a right arm. "Oh... Think it is. I was Cavro for too long, seems to have upset some people. Including the smith himself..."
Melia frowns, taking an involuntary step back from the immense heat, but mostly standing her ground: "You're... you f-feel fine, far as I can tell, yes? B-but also yes, I done did upset a lot of people when I uh... sorta took over Erika's garden..."
Ashform takes a step toward Melia in mirror to her step back, the ash making up its body slowly shifting around as he examines her. He nods to her statement. "Yes, I can relate. What happened? How did you solve that? What did they say?"
Melia lifts her hand up, ignoring the light crispness on her arm: "It's uh... Okay for one sorry about this but you're like really uncomfortably hot to me. But Tarbin and uh... others, they did a ritual that got me freed from the garden, but it sort of banished me more than was intented and I ended up residing inside Tarbin for quite a while, making friends while it was really weird and eventually I got enough power to move on my own and yeesh you're hot and I'm gonna guess not all that powerless yourself right now can you please take a step back my frills are burning?"
Ashform blinks, standing in place as it's body comes together more completely. The right arm seems to pull free from it's side as fingers wiggle and ash compresses. "Oh, I'm sorry. Suppose I can't control that much... Haven't known much outside this forge, though I recall walking beyond it a few times." The other's head shifts shape as it speaks, voice changing with it until a more feminine sound ends it's statement. The vague hint of a stubby badger tail has lengthened and tightened in shape to be considerably more lizardlike. In fact, the ash form's entire body seems to have compressed into a near mirror image of that which stands before it, though much less green, with a throbbing red coal cluster strip down its torso. "I can try to figure that out, I promise. I wouldn't want to keep you away by accident."
Melia blinks several times and takes another step back: "O-oh. I guess that's fine? Live and... learn? Why uh... why do you look like me?" The nature elemental is clearly a bit uncomfortable as she looks at her not-mirror.
Ashform blinks, looking down at it's own body and outstretched arms, then back to Melia. It eyes her frills, reaching beside it's own head and feeling frills there. "Huh... I didn't know I was looking like you. I ah... Didn't try to."
Melia nods slowly: "I... t-think I understand. If we don't like focus, we sort of just... take the look from around us? I'm not sure."
Ashform sighs out a puff of smoke, shaking it's head. "Focus... Hum." It stares off into the middle distance as it seems to think about something else. "Did you lose focus? Is that what upset the people in this place?"
Melia hums, looking aside: "I... don't think so? Or maybe I just lost what goal I had... if I had one. Now I just sort of try to heal?"
Ashform nods, seeing another form in it's mind as Melia talks. The deliberate change seems to take a lot more effort, but the result is decent enough; a slightly taller canine that may seem recently familiar to Melia. By less than an hour, even. "I see. That's good. I'm glad, of course, since you seem to have healed me. Thank you."
Melia blinks at this form, and is visibly unsure still, but just nods: "It's... the least I could do? Not sure anyone else could have helped... it's an elemental thing, as I've found myself saying a lot lately."
Ashform chuckles, re-examining the body of ashes, long 'fluffy' tail swishing behind it and leaving a trail of ash in the air. The core of coals seems to have shifted as well, less of a stripe and more of a heart shape on the elementals chest. "Is that... Adequate, for them?" The voice has changed as well, echoing Phoebe's, but off by being a little higher.
Melia pauses, but doesn't really want to make things worse, considering her own experience and a lot more time to getting used to it: "It will... work, I think?"
Ashform tilts its head, smiling stiffly again. "Alright. I er..." The other looks at the forge behind it, without a single living coal left within. "Should leave. The wolf thinks I am dead. Perhaps that is best?" It looks to Melia again, seeming unsure. "Cavro can return, they can have their lives back."
Melia frowns: "Where... where do you think of fleeing? There's not much out there, I think."
Ashform leans back against the mantle, hands helping support it. "I don't know. I don't ant to ask you for all of the answers, but... Do you know any place?"
Melia hums but then just shakes her head: "Not much... I have not really been outside of Respite? But... there can be other solutions, right? Make peace."
Ashform tilts its head, looking around the smithy for a few moments before looking back to Melia. "With the smith? I... Suppose I could. Will he accept an apology from me?"
Melia shrugs with a smile: "Erika accepted my apology, at least. Cavro I think is pretty nice, too?"
Ashform nods, pushing up from the mantle and taking a few steps toward the center of the room, brushing a hand on the surface of the work bench. "Then I will do that, if you think it's best." It turns and smiles at Melia again. "You have the most experience, after all. Oh... Suppose I can't go by 'Cavro' any more..."
Melia nods, lifting a hand to her chin: "Hmm... Tarbin suggested a name for me. There's... well, something's bound to come up, right?"
Ashform hums as well, shrugging. "Suppose I'll have to be patient. Your name is..?"
Melia smiles brightly: "Melia. It comes from... something about trees and honey...? I forget."
Ashform laughs, puffing smoke from the wolfish jaw. "I like Melia. Suppose I can't have that one, either." The other nods to Melia, taking a few steps towards her. "Thank you, Melia. For everything you've done. I needed the reassurance more than anything else, I think."
Melia hums... then thinks of something: "O-oh! Right. Something I needed to tell you! There's this witch that's looking for us I think, wants to drain us of our magic, our Flow! We gotta do something about her... b-by force, if need be."
Ashform hums, stopping in its tracks. "Oh? Hm." It gestures vaguely to the completed weapons around the smithy. "Force is not an issue, though I've never used one of these weapons myself."
Melia looks at a smaller sword herself, humming darkly: "...let us hope we do not need to find out. But we might."
Ashform nods, seemingly nonplussed either way on the topic. "We'll do what has to be done when the time comes. I can promise I will protect you if I am able. You're my sister, after all. In a sense."
Melia gives Ashform a smile: "Yeah... guess we're sort of siblings by way of... whatever this all is. Doesn't matter. I will help you, if need be."
Ashform pats its chest, coals... jiggling convincingly and letting a small swarm of sparks dance briefly in the air. "A pact, then." It hums after a moment, considering the form it has taken for now. "Should talk to the wolf, if I am staying. She seemed to want to help, as well."
Melia nods with a smile: "She... yeah, she was pretty sorry for what happened with you and her. Would ease her mind, and probably yours too."
Ashform nods, turning and walking back toward the forge. "I will do that, as well. Perhaps first, even. Before what happened weighs on her too long." It looks into the forge, at two pieces of steel that sat in the heat for too long, warped and ruined. "And perhaps an offering, as well."
Melia looks at Ashform and slowly nods: "That sounds good. I'm sure we can yet solve all this." She pauses, looking out the door as she thinks of certain witch: "...well, hopefully."
Ashform reaches a hand into the forge, casting aside the damaged steel and rekindling the dead coals within. "Hopefully indeed."
Melia stands aside but doesn't quite feel like leaving despite her obvious uncomfort in the hot forge: "If nothing else... I guess we have each other in this."
Ashform turns back to smile at Melia with the forge beginning to roar to life behind it, casting its front into shadow, except the heart-ish shaped body of coals among it's chest. "Yes, we do. And I think, in the end, that will be enough. You are an elemental of life after all. And I... Well, I don't know yet."
Melia smiles: "We will find out, won't we?" She stands next to a wall, away from the fire as she can but keeping company.
Ashform turns back to the forge after nodding to Melia, setting two pieces of steel into the coals. It takes a little time, but the elemental forges up two knives in almost the exact form that Phoebe had wanted, taking care to get their balance exquisite, all the while making elemental-type smalltalk with Melia.
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - LATE AFTERNOON
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Phoebe has spent the day after her talk with Melia just... coping. She's got a beer on the table with a mostly untouched plate of snacks, not quite drunk yet but starting to feel a buzz, as she just tries not to think about things, holding out hope that Melia will find that Elemental Cavro alive and well, and that... she can do something about her feelings with Aelia, something not helped by the extra night of nightmares.
Ninell hums as he steps back into the Minnow, having spent the better part of the day after his return from the crater of the Prominence offloading his gear, cleaning up and getting his gathered materials sent out to Eukune for study on the fastest possible delivery route. For now, though, he's nice and comfortable again after having been lugging around his gear for a couple of weeks, and is glad to be wearing something looser and easier to breathe in compared to his gear.
Phoebe sighs, taking another drink of beer, slumped at the bar, she doesn't look back at the noise, not really interested in chatting with anyone, and fairly sure no one wants to chat with her.
Ninell makes his way towards the bar, looking to get something nice and cold to drink, and only spots Phoebe about halfway to the counter. He's momentarily surprised, having last spoken to Aelia, but notes that something seems to be up from Phoebe's demeanor. With his current affairs all taken care of, he decides to see what's going on, and makes his way over to take a seat next to the wolf. "Afternoon, Phoebe. Would it be okay if I joined you here?"
Phoebe starts to turn, her face sour and a snarky reply on the tip of her tongue before she spots Ninell. A blush crosses her face, and her jaw drops slightly before she can recover, "Ninell! You're back! Ah, um, please! You can join me anywhere!" She immediately cringes at the turn of phrase.
Ninell raises an eyebrow and chuckles a bit, smiling at the sudden change in demeanor. "Well, that was quite a fast change, hm? Yes, I am back from my trip to the west, and thankfully it proved at least somewhat fruitful." He nods a bit as he settles into his seat and takes a moment to order that drink he'd intended to get, "Everything well, Phoebe? You looked out of sorts a few seconds ago."
Phoebe glances away back down to the table, "Fast change, eh... yeah, just the other day. Guessing you would rather see Aelia, hm?" She sighs, "Glad your trip worked out. Sorry I couldn't help."
Ninell tilts his head. "Hm? No, no, I mean you seemed down right up until I showed up. I am glad to see you, though." He shakes his head a bit, "And do not worry about not helping, Phoebe. You had other issues at the time, since you and Aelia switched."
Phoebe sighs, "Well, that's really the core of the 'seeming down'..." She picks up a chicken bone and taps it against the plate. "There's a lot. You sure you want to dig into this? I already feel like I screwed up by trying to get... you know... closer to you."
Ninell shrugs, nonplussed by the warning. "I said I would help however I could, and though I said that to Aelia, it extends to you, too." He tilts his head curiously after a moment, "Though... why do you feel like you screwed up?"
Phoebe takes a deep breath, falling into silence a moment, her ears folding back. "I was selfish, wanting to be with you like that. I was also selfish in that I was trying to keep me and Aelia's relation a secret. Starting to think... nah, I know I made everything worse for Aelia. I'm pretty sure she hates me now, even if she tried to pretend otherwise."
Ninell leans lightly against the counter as he listens to Phoebe. "Well, if it helps, when I last spoke to Aelia before I left, she did not seem too upset about things. Why do you think she hates you as you say?"
Phoebe thinks, "I know what she said... I heard it all. She told you she's lost everything. That she's 'stuck with me'. That I pulled her away from her home and her life. And she's not wrong. I've ruined her life. And I felt nothing for it. I'd have crushed her if it meant getting to live for real." She shakes her head, dropping the bone back onto the plate. "Then I met someone in a similar situation, who I thought had a real chance to actually work things out like I've never really tried to do with Aelia."
Ninell hums, tilting his head. "You... heard the conversation, hm? I thought you slept while Aelia was in control? She said she sleeps while you're in control..." He pauses, then gives Phoebe another curious look, "And you met someone in a similar situation? As in... another with this... duality that you and Aelia share?"
Phoebe shakes her head, "When she's... gone, she's asleep. Or, was. Maybe not anymore." She frowns, recalling the nightmares. "But when she's here, I see and hear everything she does. As for the others... I met an elemental thing that had taken over the life of the local blacksmith. Two parts of one person, sharing a life. Sorta, at least. I don't know... but it seemed similar enough that I thought, if I could get them working together, maybe there'd be hope for something more for Aelia and I."
Ninell frowns a little. "An elemental...? Powerful beings, those. Though, judging by what you said just now, I imagine the talk did not go quite as you'd imagined it would?"
Phoebe shrinks in her seat, "It... died. Or maybe it didn't? Someone told me you can't really kill things like that. I just... watched it break apart and fade away though. Even if it's still alive, I watched it die, and every thought of me and Aelia figuring our shit out seemed to fade with it... and then the nightmares started... Aelia telling me that it's her... or me."
Ninell 's frown deepens a bit. "Though... you said that the comparison between you and the elemental weren't quite the same, yes? Why, then, would you think a good resolution between you and Aelia is impossible? Nightmares are not real, after all."
Phoebe shakes her head, bringing a hand up to her temple, "I... I don't know. It just felt like, if they had a chance, maybe we did? And then that first nightmare felt so real... I spoke with Melia, and she said it wasn't the same... but still, I can't quite shake that sense, you know? That..." Her voice drops to a whisper, "That maybe I was responsible."
Ninell shakes his head in turn, though he leans in a little to hear the last part of what Phoebe has to say. He rests a hand on her shoulder as he answers. "You and Aelia still have a chance to work things out, Phoebe, and I will continue to help you both however I must, as I said." He pauses, then tilts his head, "Responsible for... what, you and Aelia being linked as you are?"
Phoebe sighs, "No... for killing that Elemental. And that just made me wonder if I could really kill Aelia if... if it really was her or me." She tilts her head to look at Ninell curiously, "Why... are you helping us? I mean... I think you're um... attractive. Obviously. But our whole condition... this curse, it's not your problem."
Ninell hums quietly. "Why? Because of several reasons... Of course, I did cause some upset between you and Aelia, the night we spent together and Aelia woke up in your place, so I do feel responsible for some of your troubles. But, that aside, I also said I would help you both however I need to, and I meant that. I was not just being nice for the sake of smoothing things over."
Phoebe blushes a little at the mention of their night together, then nods. "I enjoyed it... j-just so you know. Don't know if I'd want to put Aelia through that again, though. Not right now. I'm writing her an apology about things. She wrote up one too, when I woke up. She'd never written to me before. Maybe... Maybe It is all in my head. I don't know. But thank you."
Ninell blinks, then smiles a bit. "Ah, so she took my advice, then? I cannot say if the nightmares are entirely within your own head or not, but communicating with Aelia is better than simply assuming, yes? Even if it is in as roundabout a fashion as letters every couple of weeks." He pauses, then clears his throat a bit, "And, er... well, I also wish to help because I do find you quite cute, too. Aelia as well, though in a different manner."
Phoebe blinks, ears popping back upright as she blushes further. She squeezes her hands tight, just to keep them from fiddling with stuff. "I can't say what Aelia thinks of you. I know she was startled, but also... she came to you for help when she was worried about the whole curse thing. It might be harder to admit what you feel for her if she doesn't say something first. N-not that I expect you to want to do anything serious with this... unless we find some solution?" She peeks up at Ninell, a hopeful look upon her face.
Ninell hums quietly, then nods a bit. "I will have to consider what to do, but I will again do everything I can to help you both. I do not wish to get your hopes up, should we fail, but... we could consider something more serious should we find a resolution." He smiles at Phoebe as he finishes talking.
Phoebe nods, giving him a wide smile, "I- aw, shit, Ninell... that's a lot to say either way for someone like me. I... don't even know what I am, let alone... just... thanks. For whatever help you can give, and I'll just leave it at that for now, alright."
Ninell chuckles, still smiling. "You are who you are, Phoebe. To me, you are as real as Aelia is, that is a living, breathing and thinking being with a personality as nuanced and interesting as anyone I have met." He dips his head, "With my affairs back home in order for the time being, I can help you as much as you require from here on."
Phoebe slumps down, but it's not a defeated pose, but one of relief, "Ah, alright then. You and Melia both, I guess. And Cavr-oh hell. I guess I need to tell him what happened to. After the Elemental... I just sorta... ran. It's his forge."
Ninell thinks for a moment. "If it is of any comfort... the forge seemed intact when I passed by the building earlier? It was nowhere near as hot as it was before, but it otherwise seemed undamaged from what I could see."
Phoebe nods, "That's good at least. Sorta... I mean, he'll get his life back at least? Unless Melia's right and the elemental is still alive somehow..."
Ninell shrugs. "I cannot say, since I was away for the last while, when all of this seems to have been happening. But, if the elemental is still alive, then that might be a good sign for you, hm?"
Phoebe hums, "So long as it doesn't hold a grudge, I guess. I... I said some hurtful things to it. To him. Probably because I was thinking them about myself..."
Ninell shrugs again. "Well, more that if you were basing things between you and Aelia on that elemental's survival, that would be a good sign." He pauses, then adds with a curious tilt of his head, "Should we maybe investigate the forge later, then? Perhaps tomorrow or similar?"
Phoebe smiles, "Yeah, might be a start. I can give you all the details, as I know them. About me, and how I first woke up... about Aelia, and as much as I know. Maybe you can check out the forge and I can talk to Cavro to let him know what happened."
Ninell hums softly. "Mmh, however you want to handle this situation, Phoebe. I will see what I can find in the morning, then, since the sun is already beginning to set on today."
Phoebe nods, glancing out the window, she hesitates a moment, looking back at Ninell, then simply smiles and picks up another chicken wing. "I should finish eating, and try to get some more sleep."
Ninell smiles as he takes a moment to order a plate of food for himself, if only to mask the slight rumble of his stomach at the lingering scent of food he'd been valiantly ignoring during their chat. "A good meal and a warm bed sound quite nice right now. I do hope you're able to get some restful sleep tonight, Phoebe."
Phoebe smiles, "And with you." She sighs, "I mean, and you too."
Ninell can't help but chuckle at Phoebe's little slip of the tongue. "Thank you, Phoebe. Though, if you put it that way... how about this? If you need some company overnight, you are more than welcome to stop by my room upstairs, even if you only just need company... or a good hug."
Phoebe 's smile grows just a bit, and she nods, somewhat at a loss for words, before finally whispering, "I think... that'd be nice. Thank you..." The two eat their meals together, before heading back upstairs to bed. Melia's affirmations and Ninell's words of hope but resonating with Phoebe, but it's thoughts of joining Ninell in his room managing to push out many of Phoebe's other ill-thoughts for the night.