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ELIZABETH'S MANOR - AFTERNOON
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Louma lands at the porch to a mostly-renovated small 'manor', previously owned by a certain recently exiled mage. The skunk was not allowed back to her property after her arrest, the home being seized by the town to be resold. Property is tight within the walls, after all, and shipping a criminal to Bairnell and beyond isn't free. The guard Captain is dressed in her full uniform, including sporting her spear against her left shoulder as she retrieves an envelope from her breast pocket, the manor's address scrawled in neat writing on the front, and the key kept within. The only other thing she's got is a clipboard under her arm for taking a full inventory.
Louma moves up the porch, blatantly letting herself into the manor without knocking and leaving the door ajar behind her, looking a bit tense as she moves inside slowly with her spear readied for any possible less than friendly elementals or such.
Narrator: Elizabeth has forgotten Teis' lessons again! Oh no! She must've forgotten again under all the stress of these elementals and recovering her magic. To that end, dressed in her magi robes, she seeks out the skunk at their home, much like she's done in the past. As she closes in on the manor, she steels herself to engage with the skunk, knocking on the door.
Narrator: The door pushes open slightly from her knock, noticing in fact, that it was not locked. She tilts her head, curious, though also nervous. "Uh? Lady Catherine?" Teis calls. "Sorry, I don't um, I didn't mean. . .Your ah. . .Your door is open!" She peeks her head through the opening.
Louma humphs, shifting about in the study as she has just started in on her task, her spear set aside as she's already cleared the house as far as she can tell. She's begun pulling everything out of the shelves and setting it on the desk in roughly organized piles. She calls from the room toward the entrance, "She's not in, miss!"
Teis pulls back slightly upon hearing the other voice. The reclusive skunk has more friends? And lets them stay in her house when she's not present? Huh. "Uuuh. . ." Teis pushes her way inside into the hallway, "Do you know when she'll be back? She was supposed to be at the Estate an hour ago!" Teis calls. "Wait, are you the reason she's late?"
Louma hums to herself, setting a journal that was tucked away behind the other books into another pile, one of generally more interest and less potentially publically auctionable goods. "You could say that. She will not be returning. Lawfully, anyhow." She moves on from the now empty shelves to the next set.
Teis' ears flick upon hearing the words, processing momentarily. "Wait, what?" Teis responds. She closes the door behind her, pressing further into the manor and towards the source of the voice. "What do you mean?" She questions, approaching the study to peer her head around the corner, gazing upon the behemoth before her. "Wait. . .You're the office lady. Wait. I mean Captain office lady. What are you doing here?"
Louma looks over as the voice becomes clear at the doorway, turning toward Teis as she sets a handful of books down on the desk. "Oh, good day, Teis. I am here to remove miss Catherine's effects. Well, I'm here to catalogue them, and a few merchants and guards will be by later to remove them."
Teis looks at Louma's uniform. Then the spear resting nearby. Then Elizabeth's personal effects all neatly stacked up. Then she processes Louma's words. Her ears flick. They flick again. "Wait. . ." Her face scrunches up as she finishes processing. "You. . .Were serious? What happened to Lady Catherine?" Teis frowns, hurt and confused.
Louma sighs quietly at Teis' expression. "Miss Catherine has been exiled from this region of Aephix, which includes Respite Falls and Bairnell's Foothold. Her crime was attempted murder in two counts."
Teis doesn't quite seem to hear Louma's words at first. It takes her a couple of seconds before she quietly mumbles, "Exiled?" A second later, she begins shaking her head. "Nope. Uh-uh. Lady Catherine wouldn't. . ." Well, not current Elizabeth anyway. Maybe her past self, but not current self!
Louma shakes her head a bit, not going back to her task immediately. "Multiple witnesses were present at the second attempt, and her first target has a strong supporter for her claim. Along with her ah... Reputation, she without a doubt tried to kill the two elementals, and was the aggressor in both cases."
Teis: "The. . .Elementals. . .?" Teis cants her head. She withdraws further into her hurt expression. "N-no. . .She was. . .Wasn't. . .She promised. . ." Teis mumbles. She shakes her head again.
Louma hums, tilting her head ever so slightly. "Promised? Promised what, Teis?"
Teis: "She promised me that she wouldn't do it alone!" Teis throws her arms towards the floor. "We were supposed to get her magic back together!"
Louma blinks, her tone shifting slightly. "I beg your pardon? I assume you would like a moment to explain that in a way that doesn't paint you as a conspirator to her crimes."
Teis: In the heat of the moment, Teis doesn't particularly think about what she's saying. "What crimes?" Teis replies. "She'd lost her magic, and she was getting it back! She said some weird-squid lady had found some of it and given it back, then we found some in Gareth, then the elementals had some! And there's probably more of it scattered around there somewhere!" Teis huffs, crossing her arms angrily at first. But then, as she holds the pose, her lips begin to quiver and her eyes begin to tear up. "She promised. . ." She mumbles.
Louma softens slightly as Teis seems to start breaking down, but steels her resolve a moment later. Her tone is a bit softer as she speaks. "I am sorry that you were close to miss Catherine, had we known, you would have been informed. That said, what she did to the elementals... They would have ceased to exist if she'd succeeded."
Teis: "That's what I was supposed to be involved for. . ." Teis grumbles. "Not like they're a citizen anyway. . ." She quietly adds, though she doesn't really mean it, and regrets voicing the sentiment almost immediately. She wipes her eyes one at a time with her paw, sniffling and composing herself enough to not completely break down. ". . .Even still, that doesn't give you the right to take her stuff."
Louma narrows her eyes at the statement against the elementals. "We're not taking everything. We likely wont even take most of it. Her personal notes are going to be scoured and catalogued. This property will be cleared and sold to pay off her debts, but most of her personal affects will be shipped back to her last known address. In Sarn. She can deal with it from there. As for the elementals not being citizens, Melia saved many lives during the conflict with those saurs, and many more from lifelong injuries. She's more than earned the simple right to life here. As for the other one, as far as I know that smith has committed infinitely less crimes than miss Catherine. In either case, I believe both of them are using her magic far more responsibly than she usually did."
Teis sighs as the reality of the situation begins to set in. The part of her that wants to believe Elizabeth is innocent has been slowly pacified by her logic. She's still hurt that Elizabeth would do it, though. ". . .I. . .I know. I. . .Didn't mean it like that. I just. . .Wanted Lady Catherine's magic back. Didn't. . .Want them to die. Not again. . ."
Louma: "Again?" She thinks for a second before it clicks. "Of course, you were involved with trying to save Melia before the garden went out of control." She sighs lightly, crossing her hands on her tail. "From what you're saying, Teis, she didn't care about them, only about her own power. If she's retrieved some of her magic from Gareth and Sammi, she'll probably recover the rest naturally over time."
Teis sighs. "Maybe. I don't know. I really thought she'd changed. . ." She falls into silence for a moment. "Can. . .I have her notes?" Teis questions.
Louma glances at the desk beside her, where a stack of journals sits, before looking back to Teis. "They are evidence and need to be catalogued, but I was planning on handing them to the Loremaster for archiving. I suppose it doesn't make much difference if they're kept in the Bouquet Estate. I have suspicions that Aurelius would let you borrow them anyways, if you asked cryptically enough."
Teis: "If she's already exiled then why do you need them. . .?" Teis questions, though then sighs. "Sorry. I. . .Should be grateful you'd be willing to let me have them at all. I just. . .I don't know." Teis trails off into a mumble.
Louma looks out the window as she hears a cart approaching, watching two guards in uniform hop off the back of the merchant's wagon. "Procedure. I do not care for paperwork, but incomplete paperwork is worse by far." She lowers her voice a little as she turns back to Teis. "I understand how you feel, Teis. Miss Catherine made her decisions, you two were close, but perhaps it wasn't all greed. Maybe she acted on her own to protect you from getting the same as her, if she believed killing the elementals would be the only way."
Teis: "I don't know. Maybe. Whatever the case it's clear she didn't want my help. . ." Teis sighs. "I'm. . .Gonna go. . .Process." She begins to leave.
Louma: "Some people would rather rely on nobody but themselves. There are plenty of other folks in Respite who could probably use your help. Folks that would be far more grateful. Perhaps those elementals, even." She turns back to the shelves as the other two guards walk up onto the porch.
Teis: "Yeah. . .Yeah I know. It's just. . ." Teis sighs, shaking her head. Who else in Respite was going to further her magical studies? Sure, she still has Aurelius' books, but she is without a mentor now. She opens the door to the manor, pushing past the two guards and continuing sorrowfully down the street.
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RESPITE - CROISE DANCE ACADEMY - LATE AFTERNOON
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Aelia sits a bit lonely in the 'Academy' the relatively empty storefront she's rented with basically all of the gold that Phoebe portioned out to her this time. After Prachi, there's not been many other interested folks just yet. A few walk-ins have come in to talk to her, but no one asking (let alone paying) for lessons just yet...
Ninell makes his way through the street nearby, still dressed in the outfit he was wearing during his practice session in the training grounds. Though he appears to be completely at ease in the outfit, it's enough out of the ordinary to draw curious glances from others walking by every so often. As he draws up to Aelia's studio, he peeks in through the window, then smiles upon seeing the doe sitting down and not busy. He opens the door as he knocks on the frame. "Hello, Aelia."
Aelia perks up at the sound of the door opening, "Oh! Welcome to the Crois-oh. You're just Ninell." She sounds a little disappointed at that last line, but pushes past it with a smile, "Oh gosh, didn't mean for it to sound like that. I'm more than happy to see you, just, still sorta hoping for someone else to give lessons to."
Ninell chuckles as he steps in and lets the door swing shut behind him. "It is fine, Aelia. I decided to stop by after a bit of training to see how you are doing."
Aelia smiles kindly and gives Ninell a bit of a curtsy, "It's going... well... it's not been great, to be honest. A bit slow, but I don't really think word has gotten out yet? I don't really have much of a sign." She points at the crudely written sign in the window. "So maybe it'll just take time for people to hear about it?"
Ninell nods as he looks at the sign in the window, then looks back at Aelia as he goes to take a seat near her. "Possibly, yes. Though, I did hear just a little while ago that you were offered a... sponsorship, or something of the sort?"
Aelia frowns, "Oh... I guess? He seemed nice enough... but I couldn't exactly deliver on what he wanted, you know? I mean, you know. I can teach like this, and then when... when Phoebe shows up, she can just close the shop down until I'm back. If someone else is depending on me, you know I can't make any promises."
Ninell tilts his head curiously. "Oh? Was he making some uncomfortable demands, or a schedule you might not be able to meet? If it was due to demands, I believe I could have a chat with him."
Aelia sighs, shaking her head, "Well, any demands are too much, aren't they?" She glances away, a bit uncomfortable. "I can't exactly be reliable if I'm going to have to close things down for weeks at a time. And I couldn't exactly explain my situation to him, so I just told him... I couldn't do it." She does seem upset with herself over the choice.
Ninell shakes his head a little. "You may be unavailable for weeks at a time, but it does not mean you have to hobble yourself so. With a little creativity, there could be a way to keep the business moving even when Phoebe is in the lead."
Aelia tilts her head. "Hmm. Do you know Mr. Singequill? I mean, I got a bit excited talking to him, before I had to turn him down, and he seemed enthusiastic."
Ninell nods. "I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance some time back. He is a friendly fellow, as far as I know." He smiles at Aelia, "And he did speak to me of the offer he had made to you, when he found me in the training grounds earlier. If it is simply a matter of scheduling, I believe he would be happy to accommodate."
Aelia hums to herself, thinking. "I... I guess I could talk to him again about it? He did catch me a little off guard."
Ninell hums in agreement. "You could, certainly. Remember, Phoebe wants to work with you if she can, while we try to figure all this out. I doubt she would be too happy to find out you gave up an opportunity to be happy because of her."
Aelia blinks at that last statement, still a bit surprised by that. She takes a deep breath and nods to Ninell. "If you think so... then I'll give it a try! He left me his address, so I'll have to brace myself and just go talk to him." She lets the breath out, a little huff of air with a short laugh. "Hope your training went well otherwise. Sorry you had to worry about all my problems once again."
Ninell smiles and laughs a little. "It went well enough. I was simply just doing what I could to keep my skills sharp while I stay stationed here in Aephix. As for your problems, do not feel like you must apologize. I am happy to help how I can."
Aelia smiles back, "You keep saying that, but I can't help but feel like a burden. But ah well, you're very, very kind to someone in need... even if it's because of you and Phoebe... or even if it's not, honestly. I just feel like I really need to find a way to thank you."
Ninell hums curiously, tilting his head in thought. "Mmh... if you insist, I think I may know of a way you could, perhaps." He looks back at Aelia and smiles again, "I am... familiar with dancing, but I do not know anything of the dances here, that is... on Sarn, or any of the other continents. Perhaps you might be able to teach me some in your spare time?"
Aelia blinks, then her smile slowly grows. "Well it depends on what kind of dancing you'd prefer. Sarn has a great deal of different kinds of dance, but it's more about expression and fun to me. Dancing is about following your heart! But I'd be more than happy to teach you about the dances of Sarn, as well as anything else I know."
Ninell shrugs a bit, having figured there would be numerous different sorts of dances to pick from. "I really do not know, Aelia. I trust you could pick something the two of us would enjoy. I am happy to learn whatever you believe would be the most fun."
Aelia nods. "Well... we could start with stretches, but you've just been doing your fighting practice, so feeling limber enough to just jump right into things?"
Ninell stands up and takes a moment to stretch out, showing that he's quite flexible and loose already after a good bit of time spent practicing. "I would not object to a bit of time spent stretching, but I am... quite limber at this point."
Aelia watches Ninell closely, just to ascertain his potential talent, of course. The blush creeping onto her face is a little unexpected as she watches him. She tilts her neck back and forth, then stretches herself out in similar fashion to Ninell, the deer quite flexible as well. "Well, I've been warming up all day in preparation to teach, so..." She reaches out her hand to Ninell, "I'll show you the steps, and then you follow my lead?"
Ninell smiles a bit as he watches Aelia stretching similarly to him. As he finishes stretching and straightens up again, he nods as he lightly takes hold of Aelia's offered hand. "That sounds like a good plan, Aelia. I will do my best to keep up with whichever dance you decide to show me."
Aelia grips Ninell's hand and starts to guide him through the steps of a high tempo waltz popular in Sarn. "Step, step, step, step, turn. It seems simple, but this dance is played at a higher speed than many other waltzes that are practiced in Sarn."
Ninell follows Aelia's lead, gracefully matching her movements thanks to razor-sharp abilities honed from his service in Eukune. Despite the tempo, he's able to keep up quite nicely barring unexpected step shifts. "A high tempo dance, hm? It works out well, I would say... for a few reasons."
Aelia is impressed with how well Ninell keeps the pace once she's moved beyond the instruction step. "You're a natural! I'm impressed, Ninell. What reasons were you thinking, hm?"
Ninell smiles as he continues to follow Aelia to the beat of the dance, having gotten accustomed to the movements about halfway through the instructions. "Primarily... good footwork is necessary in my duties, even if I may not be required to use them too often. Always knowing how my body is moving and shifting helps me move more effectively." He dips his head, "Likewise... watching, in this case, my partner move lets me anticipate their actions better."
Aelia giggles, continuing to lead Ninell through the steps. "The same as professional dancing. An utter awareness of one's body, and when a partner is involved, you have to move as one. I had no idea that being a knight was so... similar."
Ninell hums as he starts to get into the rhythm, feeling not at all shy of holding Aelia close like the dance requires. "Normally, my movements are meant to gain an advantage over my opponent, but this is not much different at all. We just move in concert, rather than against one another."
Aelia hums, having picked this dance for the difficulty and the speed required to execute it properly, rather than the closeness, but she's not exactly finding that a downside either. "There's no opponent in dance. Like I said, it's all about expression. Open, honest, and pure. It's why I love it so much."
Ninell nods as he continues to dance with Aelia around the dance floor. "Yes, this is why we enjoy dance so much in Eukune. No competition, no enemies... just a simple enjoyment and good music... with good company."
Aelia nods, "It's wonderful, isn't it." She simply enjoys the dance a moment longer before at last she brings the waltz to an end, releasing Ninell's hand to curtsy to him.
Ninell wraps up the dance and takes a step back, giving Aelia a deep bow in turn. "It very much is, yes. That was a pleasure, Aelia, truly."
Aelia rises from her curtsy and smiles. "The pleasure was all mine, Ninell. I..." She looks like she has something else to say, but shakes her head, "Thank you."
Ninell smiles warmly as he rises from his bow. "Thank you very much. I would not mind learning more Sarn dances when you have the time to teach them to me."
Aelia glances towards the door, "Well... unless someone comes in for lessons, seems I have nothing but free time... some of the other dances from Sarn are a bit slower, some a bit faster but less close. Suppose I can show you a bit of everything, and you can tell me which you want to practice."
Ninell nods. "That would work well, I think. And perhaps you could show me some of the dances you particularly enjoy as well? I have plenty of free time as well, after all."
Aelia steps a bit closer to Ninell once again, taking his hand once again. "And perhaps you could show me some of Eukune's dances as well, hm?"
Ninell hums and smiles. "I would be happy to! Considering how graceful you are, I think you will have no trouble learning them at all."
Aelia begins to guide Ninell through another dance, one of the slower ones that does seem to keep the two close together, as she lets the enjoyment of the dance and the good company wash away all the other worries about her dance classes, Calgwen's business proposal, and even the changes between her and Phoebe, for the moment there is only her and Ninell, and the dance.