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RESPITE MARKETPLACE - AFTERNOON
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Rikard Dresden, badger entrepeneur, has had better days, he admitted, but so far the search for supplies has been slim, not to mention trying to find lodgings for more than one day that doesn't require him sleeping with Montag back at the Palamedes. Not to disparage his mechanic compatriot, but the canine DOES have a habit of snoring. Still, he has kept his clothing neat and his spirits high as he browses the market, checking from his list.
Annika was heading through the market, tails flicking behind her as she carries a small stack of parcels, weaving through the crowds. She stops by the stall that Rikard is browsing, dropping off a package, before turning around, and starting to move along again. She's not in a hurry exactly, but she's bustling!
Rikard barely has time to move as Annika passes. Vulpines I think they're called, but...so many tails! And a few nearly slap his face as he lets her go aside. It does give the badger a lapse in judgement to just...stare...watching this beautiful creature work her deliveries from stall to stall, tilting his head.
Annika is doing a delivery run through all the stalls. She's quick with her job, and eventually finishes her run up, and is settling down at the food stall, ordering herself a burger, with many, many toppings. Mostly meat based toppings. Delicious.
Rikard will...not so subtly follow Annika, standing behind her as she orders, quietly observing as he pockets the list. It has been a while since he's seen something so beautiful...well...okay, that guard that helped him was quite as beautiful but...dangerous looking. This fox, however was light, bouncy, almost...cheerful. It intrigued him.
Annika is moving quickly through the burger, before she pauses, tilting her head, before she looks up to Rikard "Any particular reason you're following me?" She's not being hostile, but..she's spotted him.
Rikard stops. He clears his throat, noting he wasn't exactly making it a secret. "It was not for malicious purposes, I assure you. I am still new to town and I was just making sure that I had a feel of the locals and..." Rik trails off a little, scratching behind his head. "...I think I might have gotten distracted..."
Annika pulls out a bit of bacon that was on the burger, and snaps it up "Distracted? How exactly?"
Rikard smirks. "You know how you find something so natural and beautiful like a butterfly or a glistening mote of dust in the air and you cannot help but let your eyes trace its path and follow it?"
Annika: "I bet you say that to all the girls" She smirks in return, continuing to make her way through the burger "Very flowery though, I'll grant you that"
Rikard gives a grin. "Only those who I believe the complement, yes." He looks over to the burger Annika eats. "Is that an especially good burger? I haven't eaten yet myself. Perhaps I can join you before you go skittering off."
Annika: "Well, it's sort of a bit much, but I'm got a lot of energy needs, so I like it. It's just a lot of meat between some bits of bread. You can't go too wrong with that" She hmms, raising an eyebrow "You're very forward, aren't you?"
Rikard turns, going to the stall. "I have to be in my profession. I'm an inventor and an entrepeneur. You don't find many of my type who are shy and introverted. It's all about sharing and networking for me." He indicated he'll have what Annika had. Soon, he takes the offered burger, pays for it, going over to the vixen. "Does it unnerve you?"
Annika: "Not really. Just curious about the motivations. I'm not so sure I'm the best networkee. I'm just a humble delivery girl" She doesn't stop him from sitting down next to her, just keeps eating "What do you invent and or entrep?"
Rikard eats with Annika. "Flying contraptions, mostly. I brought one with me, in fact. The Palamedes. Lighter than air craft that can be used for reconnaisance and exploration of the untamed lands. A sturdy ship with interchangable power systems and parts to make for less matinence costs." He grins. "I've had a few offers from some cartographer guilds and a few military services."
Annika: "Oh. Airships?" She tilts her head "You know anything behind the pair of airships that crashed recently? Made a bit of a mess, or so I heard..."
Rikard blinked. "Pair of airships? I was only aware of the one...mine." He looks sheepish. "We managed to make a landing outside of town, though. Minor damage, though that nice tigress guard did give us quite a fussing over."
Annika: "Tigress?" She hmms "When you say Tigress, what colour was her fur?"
Rikard would think. "It contrasted very well. Red hair like glowing fire, fur flecked orange and gray like coals. She just seemed to radiate fire. Sharpish claws too. Very fetching if I am allowed to compliment her." He looks back at midchomp of the burger. "Familiar to you?"
Annika: "Maybe?" She ponders "It seems familiar, but..what, some really hot Tigress lady? I'm sure she'd stand out if I ever saw her"
Rikard: "Well, now that I think about it...they weren't stripes on her as much as they were spots...and...I guess that nice loincloth she wore did provide me with a bit of distraction." The badger put down the burger. "I was unaware the constabulary in this town possessed both duty and beauty..."
Annika: "Oh, they certainly have a vibe to them" She smiles a little "But yeah, you could certainly say they're..what? Duty and Beauty? Maybe it's just the ones you've met? Or it's just that one lady?"
Rikard: "Perhaps." He looks back to Annika. "She introduced herself as...Victoria?"
Annika: "Victoria?" She ponders "I suppose, that name sounds familiar. I think we've met once or twice"
Rikard raises an eyebrow. "I'm sure when you see her again, thank her for her service. Montag and I would hardly not have felt so welcomed if not for her." He crumples up the wrapping for the burger. "And there's always something about those amazon types that bring out the mischief in me. One time, I had a craft land close to one of the feral tribes. Females were the leading warriors, you see, and..." He pauses, checking himself. "I seem to have started getting familiar with you and I have yet to know YOUR name. I do apologize..."
Annika: "Annika" She nods her head "I'm sure she'll be delighted to learn about your feelings on the subject" She taps her jaw "So you think she's like..from some semi-feral tribe? I know nobody is local, so its a solid theory, I think"
Rikard shrugs. "It's a possibility. I didn't have much time to discuss their origin. Most of it was hands-on research."
Annika: "Hands on with Victoria?"
Rikard pauses. "I...I'm not sure that'd be a good idea. I've seen her claws. And I suppose she'd already have some sort of admirers already in this town. It'd be improper to try for me to..." He looks back to Annika, as if to see if she were joking.
Annika: "I think I know those claws. I bet they could really dig into someone..." She might not be joking..but there's clearly something she knows that she's not saying
Rikard will give a chuckle. "Sometimes you cannot rely on weapons, so you just have to rely on what nature gifted you with." He shows off his badger claws, well manicured, but still sharpish. "Fortunately, I don't need to do as much fighting and digging as I did in my youth."
Annika: "You're inventing, and Entrepping instead, right?"
Rikard: Yes...and right now just trying to get the right materials to rebuild my airship so I can continue on some test flights. I think Montag, my engineer, has enough to get the craft sufficiently airworthy. I'm just anticipating what we'll need in order to conduct the tests in this climate. It's quite...balmy, I should say."
Annika: "It is rather warm, yes. I always need to make sure I've got ways to cool down"
Rikard smiles. "You certainly dress for the climate. I trust your coat of fur is a bit thinner than usual. Is the air like this year round?"
Annika: "Well, it's pretty cool right now. It'll start getting warmer as we head into Summer" She fluffs up her fur a little "It's variable, if I'm being honest"
Rikard takes note. "I may need to shift to a more suitable wardrobe. Tell me, are there any local tailors that have set root in this town?"
Annika: "There's a few around the Market Square" She points "Hard to miss"
Rikard will finally straighten up. "Just as well. I shall pay my respects to them and look into their wares. My thanks to you, Miss Annika. My name is Rikard Dresden, by the way. I'd offer you a card but...I never got around to making one. I'll just have to hope I shall spot you again."
Annika: "Enjoy!" She smiles and gives him a wave "I'm sure we'll see each other agian!"
Rikard gives a bow, and the two go their seperate ways...for now.
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THE EAST ROAD - AFTERNOON
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Vandal stretches, yawning a bit as he does. He looks about after picking his crossbow back up and slinging it onto his shoulder. This road is always pretty much quiet, though it being the side-road in from Bairnell leaves it necessary to patrol simply because of the low traffic. "Day six. Civilization nowhere in sight. Road still empty like my tum."
Baldwin yawns similarly as he looks around, his strung bow currently secure and strapped to his back. He dryly hums at Vandal's comment. "Town walls are totally out of view, nobody in sight, everything's quiet except for the birds and wind... I'm starting to realize why folks doze off on the job sometimes."
Vandal gives Baldwin a glance, chuckling a bit nervously at that comment. "See, it's not my fault... The boring tasks just drive me... Some folks to nap."
Baldwin laughs quietly as he looks over at Vandal. "Well, see, we've nothing to worry about when Nesseth does it more often than either of us."
Vandal hums, nodding after a few moments. "You might be right, think I've stumbled across him snoring away more often than he's caught me... You think that's why he still gets wall duty instead of a cushy office task?"
Baldwin shrugs. "Probably. I wouldn't be surprised if the captains figure he'd just sleep away the entire day every day at a desk, if he wasn't covering for someone."
Vandal nods, stretching for a moment before continuing to plod along their patrol route. "Oh for sure, yeah. I mean, he did pretty good, but man he was hard to approach in the office, all stressed out. Can't blame him though. I still can't believe Captain Louma took off for two months like that, just left the lieutenant to fend for himself."
Baldwin scoffs a bit with a half-grin as he continues along the route with Vandal. "Maybe it was just revenge for him always pulling those stupid pranks on her? They've known each other for like... six, seven years now, and he's still pulling all kinds of idiotic things on her for a cheap laugh."
Vandal laughs, his quills clattering a bit as he nods. "Oh well yeah, probably. I'd never wanna piss her off, but the Captain has always been cold and stuck up long as I've known her. Did she even ever smile before the mechanic started dating her?"
Baldwin tilts his head a bit as he thinks. "Pretty sure I've seen her smile once or twice here and there in the past. Always off-duty, though, and she'd always mask it the moment anyone noticed. She really needs to relax a bit, I think. Not sure who she's trying to impress acting all dour all the time."
Vandal grins, shrugging. "Heard she was proper military, maybe that's just how she thinks leaders need to act. Bet that just drives Nesseth to bother her more though."
Baldwin chuckles, smiling. "I wouldn't be surprised on both of those. I'd figure he'd try for other methods than pranks that get her feathers all ruffled, though. Y'know, try for stuff that's actually funny?"
Vandal hums, nodding. "He did enlist me to move everything in her office a few inches to the side. Whole time I was thinking 'Isn't she just going to sit slightly to the side and not notice?' Lo and see, she didn't say a damn thing. He was chuckling to himself all day."
Baldwin shakes his head in bemusement. "I wonder what he even sees in pulling those pranks? It's not like Captain Louma notices them, like you said. I'd figure he has better things to do with his time than that sort of stuff."
Vandal chuckles. "Oh she notices some of them. Should've heard her reaming him out over mixing glue into her ink pot. They seem to work together pretty decent though. But uh... Kinda wish we had another Captain. She's... Not bad. But I mean, the other captains get things done with a lot less... Drama."
Baldwin snerks. "Ahh, damn, I must've missed the day that happened. Now I wish I was around when she was yelling at him, because that must've been great fun for everyone but him." He nods a bit, "And... yeah, I get you. It just seems like all the other Captains are always full up on their rosters."
Vandal shrugs the crossbow off his shoulder, adjusting his uniform a bit. "Yeah, well I mean we haven't really recruited any new guards anyways. Still, wouldn't mind someone else takes stick-in-the-mud snake's place. Maybe not Nesseth. I could do her job. What's it, like four hours of paperwork and boss people around a bit? Easy."
Baldwin shrugs again. "Something like that, I guess? Captains got it easy, the way they can just delegate to their Lieutenants... who just delegate these boring jobs to us, and all of them get paid to do that."
Vandal humphs. "Cushy job."
Baldwin chuckles. "I know, right? Give orders, sit in a chair, do paperwork, do the grunt work when you want to... and get paid more for it."
Vandal nods, then hums. "Actually... Well no, I probably shouldn't... Ah screw it, doesn't really make a difference. She actually gets paid less than us. In coin, I mean. The big bonus is the town provided her a house, but if ya think about it, that doesn't really get too much more valuable over a 20 year career. Least not out here."
Baldwin raises an eyebrow as he looks over at Vandal for a moment. "Wait, really? Free housing? Where'd you hear that one from?" He pauses, looking pretty impressed, "Still, not having to worry about having a place to live and not having to pay for it? Long as she stays in her position, she can pad out her bank nicely."
Vandal nods, chuckling. "Yeah, no rent must be nice. I shouldn't say nothin, so don't gab about it, eh? Just seen the pay stubs. I just sleep in the free bed at the barracks cause my brother's got a place in Bairnell. pocket more a week than she does. Other than the sand gators and the war, I'd say we got it pretty cushy, too."
Baldwin nods. "Yeah, I keep the barracks mostly, but I do like renting a room at the Minnow here and there just to get a little privacy once in a while, y'know? The more we pocket, the faster it'll be to just get a couple of places for ourselves, especially with all that new housing going up." He laughs a little, "At least the sand gators seem to be staying far away ever since Brunilda and her girlfriend started working together out that way, huh?"
Vandal shudders a bit. "Oh yeah, Fury. You know I saw her in action, hm? Out in the war. But I think I ran into her before moving out here, in Glaushire. Didn't recognize her 'til the war. Besides that though, we are technically employed by the city. Could easily have ordered us to help with the saurs construction."
Baldwin sighs a little. "Would have been more interesting than wandering way out this way, really. For all the stuff that happened during the war, the feathery ones are weirdly willing to help out around town."
Vandal shrugs. "Probably a lot to do with that Youzid fellow. I think they were tricked up pretty bad by their god leader whatever he was."
Baldwin nods. "Yeah, that's kind of the thing I've been hearing around the place whenever I go on patrol nearby. It's still a little hard to understand them, but I'm getting a grasp on it, I think."
Vandal hums. "I mean, I still don't forgive 'em."
Baldwin raises a hand and rubs the shoulder he'd gotten shot in while defending Louma during the latter's escape from the Prominence. "Neither do I, really. At least the ones that shot me in the shoulder are dead, now. No chance of them causing more problems."
Vandal nods along, looking ahead as they continue their patrol. He shudders after a few moments, recalling the sounds Nyzai had made. He shakes his head, opting to shift the conversation to the styles of houses they'd been able to see going up outside the wall, then back to mocking their bosses while fully out of earshot of any snitches.