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RESPITE FALLS - PARK - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Maecy returns to her bench, well, not her bench, but the bench she's spent much of her time at during her visit to Respite. A quick walk to get a snack for lunch, and she returns with small paper bag with some bread rolls. A lot of folks walk through or by the park, lots of unique people, like that Melia. Plenty of inspiration to be had as she cracks open her sketchbook again, and tears at a bread roll, idly chewing as she watches and waits for inspiration to strike.
Louma has finally, after defeating or learning to temporarily work around the little changes made by her trusted lieutenant, caught up on the last month's summaries, more or less cramming on guard-related news. Taking the afternoon off, the Captain's opted for a slightly late lunch in the park, her shadow growing as she circles down for a landing. A minute after her shadow first appeared, she descends onto the path just a bit up from Maecy's bench, a small cloud of dust and down kicked up from a fairly graceful landing. She stretches her wings and gives them a relaxing shake-out as she takes a quick glance around for the best spot to settle for food.
Maecy watches folks walk by, not really feeling much of anything today. Uninspiring, not much new, and a little too hot for the start of fall that her slightly changing coat has begun to hint at. She tears another hunk of bread out of the bag and prepares to take a bite when Louma lands before her, causing the stoat to drop her roll. She stares slightly, mouth agog at the sight of the swek.
Louma pauses, smiling brightlly as she sees the stoat sitting on the bench, slithering closer to her. She catches sight of the notepad and bread, slithering towards her. Louma is still dressed in her smart guard uniform jacket, though with added sway to her midsection while approaching. "Oh~? Taking a break in the park to work on some more plans, sweets~? Had I known I-" She pauses mid sentence and stops when she does look to Maecy's eyes, humming.
Maecy blinks, slowly up at the figure as she hits on her, then finally catches herself. "Oh! Um, no no, sorry! It's not like that! Err... of course, you mean the bread! It's not sweet bread, just a few plain rolls. The plans though, uh, yeah I guess you could call them that. Forgive me, you are... wonderful. I absolutely have to draw something for you."
Louma blinks, blushing slightly at the compliment before giggling slightly. "No, I am sorry, I mistook you for someone else, though I ah... Thank you for the compliment. I would be happy to be your muse, though, I do have some time on my hands. You're an artist, then?"
Maecy giggles, "Oh, well, no harm done! I probably sent a bit of the wrong signal there as well, but you just came out of nowhere, and ah, inspiration! How could I not be inspired by such a beautiful entrance!" She flips open her sketchbook, thumbing through to a blank page. "And not much of an artist, at least probably not like you're thinking. I'm a fashion designer. So some artist talent helps me get my ideas straight at least." She quickly begins to sketch a frame of Louma's figure, just basic anatomy without any features.
Louma tilts her head as she settles a little distance from Maecy, enough that she doesn't have to crane around to see anything, but close enough to talk at a comfortable level. "Fashion designer?" She chuckles quietly, shaking her head a bit. "What a small world. My girlfriend's sister is also a fashion designer, though she lives in Sarn." She settles, placing her lunch basket on the end of Maecy's bench and retrieving a sandwich. "It wont ruin anything to have me peck away at my lunch, will it?"
Maecy finishes the fast sketch, and starts drawing over top of it, "Oh, not at all! I don't mean to keep your from your lunch." She hums as she makes something of a shawl over top of the figure to start with. "Oh? I'm from Sarn! Maybe I've met them! I'm still sorta new to the whole fashion scene, but I'm not ashamed to say I've made a bit of a name for myself."
Louma hums, nodding. "Perhaps you have? I mean, it would be hard to go through your entire career never looking in the mirror, Maecy." Looking away from the stoat just as she finishes her sentence, she takes a 'casual' bite of her sandwich, clearly suppressing a bit of a grin.
Maecy blushes a bit, "Ah! So you recognize me too? I had no idea my designs had such a following even this far fr-" She pauses, lifting her pencil up from her sketch. "In the mirror? Y-you're LOUMA!? But you're supposed to be on vacation!"
Louma laughs, grinning at Maecy. "We were! We went to Sarn to meet your parents and tour around for a little while, and you weren't there. Though I don't think we had any idea you were here of all places." She bows gracefully to Maecy. "It's a pleasure to meet you~"
Maecy hmphs, pouting a bit. "You went back Home? And I came Here to find you! Ugh, that's so Maybelline. Ahh, well... at least it was a bit of business for me as well. Good to meet you too!"
Louma smiles, shrugging. "It's just the natural way fate tilts. Sometimes it seems like the universe conspires to keep some people apart, and tosses others into eachother's coils. I hope you've found Respite Falls favorable, though."
Maecy shrugs, "I guess that means May is back too, hm? Finally." She turns back to her drawing, Making a sort of slit-sleeve shirt beneath the shawl, "It's nice. A little too quiet and... casual for me. I can't believe you don't have a dress code for all these naked 'elementals' walking around." She glances at Louma, suddenly giving her a critical eye before shrugging, mumbling "Don't know why a lizard even has a bust... she at least needs to put on some pants..."
Louma leans her head close to Maecy, turning to look over the sketch's progress so far. She laughs at the comments, though, giving Maecy a wondering smile. "Elementals wandering about... We do have an uncommon problem with that, don't we? Though I would protest to a rule on pants, they tend to not be made for daily wear on snake tails."
Maecy waves her free hand dismissively, "Well, between Melia and that and the kangaroo flashing me when she saw me sketching her... I'm just asking for a little bit of decorum! You have that at least. Besides, I've seen snake fashion, very top heavy. The tail is hard to work with, though I've heard some designers use paint to accentuate the fabrics. To beautiful effect when done well."
Louma nods, flexing her tail in the sunlight. "If I may smudge that image you're painting of me in your head a little, I have a bit too much pride in my iridescent sheen to cover these scales with paint. I do like the look on others, though. Fabric wears easily, metals damage flooring, and leather is too stiff to slither in, unfortunately. And if you want to trap a snake, silks are a mortal enemy." Louma makes a mental note to bring Mirriam's apparently broadening boldness up with Nesseth later.
Maecy jots down a few notes in the corner of her sketch. She glances down the length of Louma's tail and nods, "When you've got that kind of natural beauty, look to fashion to accentuate, not cover. If I could get a small silver or gold chain to hang across the sides, down the top of your spine to hang over the sides of the tail, it would only serve to bring that rainbow out all the brighter, but movement would make it impossible to keep on." She hums, getting a familiar look of concentration, drawing a small example of her idea, even if it is somewhat implausible.
Louma watches the idea move from Maecy's brain to the page, letting out an 'ooh'. "That would actually be very nice, but you're right that getting it to stay would be the biggest challenge. The cost is the other challenge." She giggles, tilting her head a little. "I must say, you and May certainly share an incredible flair for putting your thoughts into ink."
Maecy nods, "Ah, well, cost yes. If not cloth or metal or leather, what could possible be used to secure the chains..." She murmurs aloud, clearly caught up in the idea before she draws her attention back to Louma, "Eh? She's more about straight lines and math, though."
Louma shrugs, settling back to her coil. "Perhaps, but the designs she came up with - a ream of blueprints - are bafflingly intricate, if not beautiful in the typical sense. Besides, I think I introduce enough curves into her day to day life to make up for her straight lines."
Maecy glances up at Louma and blinks. A blush slowly crosses her face, "Ah, no wonder she likes you so much. You certainly know how to flatter her, hm?" She hmphs. "So what does that make us, hm? Sisters-in-law?" She taps at the design with her pencil, "This needs something... maybe red to contrast the black of your tail, but I don't want to lose too much of the natural beauty of your feathers either..."
Louma hums, finishing off her sandwich. "That is the plan, yes." She leaves that hint at news hanging as she responds to Maecy's musing. "Red does work well, your instinct is on point. I often favor goldenrod, as close to my billcap as I can find."
Maecy ooo's at that, making another note. "Yes, goldenrod! That'd be a wonderful color! Here, take a look!" She makes a few finishing touches, and shows Louma the final design, a black and white pencil drawing with a few technical measurements and color notes along the side. A shawl around her neck, it hangs loosely with a line of thin tassles that grow longer down the back, giving an illusion of black wings that seem to extend down from her actual wings. A backless dress is worn beneath the shawl, extending down to link several thin chains of jewelry into a patterned loop that traces along a small sash that covers the 'split' between her feathers and scales, and meets back up along her back and down her tail.
Louma leans a bit closer to admire the sketches, cooing appreciatively. "Oh yes~ I do like this very much. It would be a splendid high fashion piece... I would be absolutely honored if you could create that for me. I will pay, of course!" She glances to Maecy, grinning.
Maecy giggles, pulling back the sketch book, "Uh huh. I'm sure you would, Louma. You did just say you were planning to be my sister-in-law, so I'll just close this for now and save it for for a timely gift. Now, if May wants to commission me, that'll be quite different. Sister-in-law is quite different from twin sister."
Louma chuckles, blushing a bit. "Well that would be very generous, thank you. We've discussed it, but we haven't made an official proposal, though. I do look forward to being part of your family."
Maecy hmphs. "I'm guessing Momma gave you the full interrogation, and Dad just took you aside and quiet said;" She harumphs and does a deeper voice in clear imitation of her father, "'You take care of my little girl and you have my approval'? May was always Dad's favorite."
Louma hums, leaning over and giving Maecy a gentle hug. "Perhaps, but they sounded to me as if both your parents were just as proud of you as they are of her. Living there and seeing them so often, maybe it doesn't come up as often as them discussing the daughter who is abroad for worry or curiosity."
Maecy chuckles, "Well of course they're proud of me. May may be Dad's favorite, but she'll tell you I'm Mom's favorite for sure." She gently hugs back, "So... where is she at? If she's back then I'd better go catch up with her I suppose."
Louma nods firmly, releasing the hug. "You should. She's most likely at the generator building, this time of day. ...I could get you there in a few minutes, if you want to take a shortcut." She extends her wings slightly, hinting at her meaning.
Maecy blinks, then glances around curiously. She stands up from the bench and stows her notebook safely in one of her outfits pockets and nods to Louma, "Well... I am rather curious. And I have to assume you wouldn't be offering if May hadn't already done this with you so... I mean, I'm not gonna let her lord that over me."
Louma laughs quietly, smiling at Maecy as she packs the remains of her lunch away and uncoils. "I admire the boldness that runs in your family so much, Maecy. Climb onto my back and grab a handful of feathers, then. And hold tight to that notebook."
Maecy does so, a little cautiously, but no less bold than May's own first flight, she keeps the notebook tight against her breast as she grabs onto Louma and bracers herself.
Louma keeps an eye on Maecy to make sure she's properly settled in before spreading her wings wide. She takes off about as gently as a flyer her size can manage, banking toward the generator building with Maecy saddled in for the ride.