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BOUQUET ESTATE - MAIN ROOM - LATE MORNING
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Rondelethia was sitting in the main room, drumming her fingers on her lap. The normally reserved, and calm rabbit was now visibly nervous. She was waiting for Calgwen to come in for their early lunch (/late breakfast) and was allowing herself this moment to fret, before she takes a breath, and mostly stows her fidgeting away. This was fine. Okay. Not even a problem. She puts on her normal demeanor, though the observant would still be able to notice the tension lines in her neck, and that traitorous twitchy tail
Calgwen steps towards the main room, nodding to the servant as they open the door for him. He spots Rondelethia sitting across the room, giving her a slight bow before walking over to join her, "Apologies, my dear, 'one last correspondance', I told myself, but it was a matter that required a more indepth response than I had believed. Now then, shall we-" He pauses as he draws close, observing her. "Oh dear. Has something gone wrong?"
Rondelethia: "Not wrong exactly" She takes a breath, and was about to lead into it, but then..no, that's not her style "I'm pregnant" She says it, simply, plainly, and just waits for his reaction.
Calgwen 's face falls to confusion at first, but then lights up. "Pregnant...? Why... this is... wonderful! Incredible! Impossible? I hadn't even thought... how we... that is... oh dear. Forgive me. I hadn't even dreamt. Are you doing alright?"
Rondelethia: "Well. Things are making more sense now, with my cravings and my delicate stomach" She takes a breath "It complicates matters, but ultimately, I don't think it's that bad. We're way out here, and there's nobody to bring the 'scandle' back to the city" She's doing her 'cope' of thinking about this in only rational terms
Calgwen scratches his chin, having gotten slightly caught up in the moment, "Oh! Oh yes, forgiveness. I suppose there is the look of things to others... I suppose this would look bad as a 'scandal' for folks back in Sarn." He takes a moment to think and slumps slightly, "Ahhh, I'm sorry, Rondelethia. I should have done better to restrain myself."
Rondelethia: That was enough to snap Rondelethia out of it. The fact that this was real, and that it could be a bad thing. She stands up, and goes to holds his arms "No! Don't think that..I..I'm worried about what this will do, but..I..I don't blame you, because it's a good thing. I didn't think it's possible, but..no. I don't regret this happening in the slightest" She smiles "Can you imagine, a little dragonbun of our own"
Calgwen blinks, but a smile creeps back onto his face as he lowers his head down to nuzzle against her cheek. "As you say, dear. I shall not regret it either." He chuckles to himself, "I do not even know what such a child would look like... but I am sure they will be beautiful."
Rondelethia: "Of course!" She chuckles "They'll be half you after all" She rubs his arms "How could they not be stunning?"
Calgwen laughs along, feeling both relieved and elated, "I was thinking it would be your half that contributes the beauty. I suppose we shall have to push our wedding date ahead, yes?"
Rondelethia: "Yeah" She rubs her ear "That much is true. We'll need to get it done fairly soon. Make sure that I'm not too far along, get a proper dress" She does that little nervous wiggle of overplanningness "So much to do!"
Calgwen lifts his arms to give Rondelethia a careful hug. "I will, of course, help however I can. I already have a suit which will be perfect, of course." He laughs to himself, "So that will give me plenty of time to arrange invitations, food, whatever else we may need. All you will need to do is approve of the choices."
Rondelethia: "I trust in your choices, but it will be good to plan some of it together" She smiles "I've never been a girl to spend all day planning her wedding, but..well, even the most stone hearted has dreams"
Calgwen nods. "Well, we shall do our best to make your dream come true... time permitting."
Rondelethia: "Yeah. We're rather under a clock" She rubs her hands on him again, as a sort of measure of comfort. He's so big! "I suppose I should tell Teis too"
Calgwen hums, nodding. "Best she hear it from you, yes."
Rondelethia: "Probably for the best, yeah"
Calgwen leans down to peck Rondelethia upon the cheek. "This... this is all so wonderful, dear."
Rondelethia giggles a little "It's sort of amazing, in its own way" She leans in "So..is it already too early to talk names?"
Calgwen shakes his head, "I don't think so? I could propose Calgwen II."
Rondelethia: "Calgwen Junior?" She muses "I'm not sure. I don't think it's really the done thing here"
Calgwen feigns a hurt look, but laughs, "I am only kidding in any case."
Rondelethia: "Rondelethia III is a back up choice"
Rondelethia: "There's no Rondelethia II, but you gotta keep people guessing"
Calgwen raises an eyebrow before a grin. He reaches down to take Rondelethia's hand in his, "You did have me wondering if you were the Second."
Rondelethia: "I don't think I am. My parents were commoners. I'm the first member of my family to have such a 'fancy' name"
Calgwen: "That much is certain, my dear. There is nothing 'common' about you, and that has nothing to do with money, or status."
Rondelethia: "I don't mind being called a commoner. It just means that you don't rely on wealth you inherited" She gestures to the flower on the table "All the flowers there are common blooms, but they're all lovely, just like the rarest ones"
Calgwen dips his head a bit sheepishly, "Ah! You turned my compliment against me! I was trying to say I found you beautiful beyond any such labels." He winks, "As we once determined, even if you were the poorest farmer's daughter, I would have come and tried my best to sweep you off your feet."
Rondelethia: "And if you were the lowest dragon.." She giggles, and leans into him "Okay, that doesn't work as well. You're grand from the tip of your head to your claws"
Calgwen unfolds a wing to wrap around her, holding her close. "A unique flower is just a lonely one, dear. Thank you."
Rondelethia cuddles herself into that wing "Um..."
Rondelethia: "There's a metaphor here, but I've never been great at that, just that you're handsome, and nice, and I love you"
Calgwen lifts Rondelethia up carefully, literally sweeping her off her feet to give her a passionate kiss.
Rondelethia was only too happy to be involved in this! She returns it, with equal passion!
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NESSETH'S HOUSE - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Nesseth stretches a bit as he steps into the backyard of his house, looking a lot more at ease as though a weight's been lifted from his shoulders recently. Indeed, ever since Xochi woke up and was pronounced to be in good health by Plume, he'd gone out to try and find Mia to let her know how things have progressed since they last talked in the park a few days prior. He couldn't find her anywhere today, not at the marketplace nor her workshop, so he figured he'd just go and search again tomorrow. Today... well, the sun was warm, and the benches on his rooftop were particularly inviting, so it's with a certain air of eagerness that he climbs the ladder up to the roof in anticipation of a good sunning.
Mia: On the roof, he finds something rather odd. It's a small set up of mirrors, all floating about the roof, around the 'napping spot', which is sporting a Mia, who is purring happily, tail curled around herself as she's in a ball. Once Nesseth got into Mia's 'spot' he'd find it wonderfully warm. It was a nice day, but right here? It's the perfect day!
Nesseth tilts his head at the odd sight of the mirrors floating around, but chuckles when he sees them all aimed at Mia. He makes his way over to the focal point of the mirrors, only to let out a sigh of appreciation at the warmth radiating from the space. "I guess... you figured out why I like this spot, huh? Hey there, Mia."
Mia looks up, and blinks, tilting her head, before checking something at her wrist. She doesn't address Nesseth right away, as she stretches, yawns, with a full stretch, claws out "I set it up for you, but then I wanted to test it out..and..well..I found it really nice"
Nesseth smiles as he waits for Mia to wake up properly. "For me? Thank you, Mia! I'm not even standing in the middle of it and it already feels really nice." He grins and goes to take a seat beside the cat, only to hum warmly at the effect the mirrors have, "Mmh... oh yeah, testing was definitely successful."
Mia moves out of his way, mostly by curling up on his lap. She's been sunning for quite a while, and her body is metallic-ish, and so is very warm itself, quite the ideal lapwarmer! "Yeah. Just make sure you have some way to keep track of time, since you could easily nap longer than you mean to.." She flicks her tail thoughtfully from his lap "I should add that in next..."
Nesseth immediately starts to gently scratch Mia's back as she curls up on his lap. The enveloping warmth of the mirrors and the heat radiating from Mia's body definitely start to make him doze just a little. "A timer of some sort? Really... it wouldn't be the first time I've dozed off and slept for a good portion of the afternoon up here." He chuckles quietly as he talks, seeming in good spirits.
Mia: "Exactly" She kneads his lap gently "There's nothing wrong with wasting an afternoon dozing, but only if you intend to" She curls her tail gently around his leg. She considers him a moment, before continuing. If there was something important to say..well, he could say it, but if it was stressy-ish, then he had his chance now to not worry about it
Nesseth just whiles away a short moment enjoying the warmth. He's sorely tempted to just flop over onto the bench and doze for the afternoon, but he meets Mia's look with a soft smile. "Definitely. But... well, before I indulge in that... well, remember that thing we talked about at the park the other day?"
Mia: "Uh..With Xochi, right?"
Nesseth nods. "Yeah. I got a chance to talk to her, like you'd suggested, and told her everything without concealing any details."
Mia: "And how did it go?"
Nesseth: "She understood our reasoning, Louma and I, even though we could have gone about it a lot more gracefully than we did." He sighs a bit as he gets a little more comfortable, "We'd talked a good bit more after we got that cleared up, and she agreed to help with the effort to get her older self out of the Dark Sea."
Mia: "Oh, well. That's good! ..Right?"
Nesseth nods. "Yeah, she agreed to help on her own, and... well, we all just finished up the ritual not that long ago. Xochi is back, and she's currently at the clinic just getting a last couple of checks from Plume." He pauses, then continues, "We also gave Xochicoatl, her younger self that is, some mementos to keep her spirits up back in her time."
Mia: "Okay. Well, that's good, right? Everything worked out" She nods "The truth won out in the end"
Nesseth hums in agreement. "Yeah, things worked out well, all around." He smiles at Mia, "Thank you for giving me the kick I needed to do things properly."
Mia: "I'm willing to put whatever bit of me where it's needed on or around your body~"
Nesseth chuckles as he messes with one of Mia's ears for a few moments. "And it's always appreciated, Mia~" He stretches a bit, then slowly reclines onto the bench, letting Mia rest on or beside him as she wants, "We could probably get a little more into that a bit from now if you like, buuuuuut I think I'd like to enjoy all this warmth first, before the sun sets~"
Mia: Mia had claimed Nesseth's lap, and wasn't moving! "Sure. I wasn't planning to move anyway. I was designing in my head a nighttime naplamp, but that might be a bit dangerous..."
Nesseth continues to lazily stroke his hand over Mia's back, thoroughly enjoying the warmth coming from all sides. "A heat lamp? Dangerous from... too much warmth?"
Mia: "You could end up napping too long!" She flicks her tail sleepily "I already napped all morning, and until you found me"
Mia doesn't get hungry really, so there's nothing stopping her just..napping
Nesseth laughs a bit. "Oh, I don't think I'd have to worry about that happening. If I missed work from sleeping too long, I'd have a very annoyed lesser coatl chewing me out before noon."
Mia: "True!" She yawns. It's very warm, especially on his lap "I'm planning a nice warm coat for you though. Probably too late now, but next winter"
Nesseth answers the yawn with one of his own as the two bask in the warmth. He can't help but chuckle, though, as he finishes his yawn. "A coat? You're going to spoil me at this rate, Mia." He grins, "I'll need to get you something good in thanks."
Mia: "Well, it's not all kindness~ If I make it for you, and it's great, I can sell it!"
Nesseth: "In that case, you can consider me a fully willing tester for these sorts of things!"
Mia: "Well, this is what this is.." She eyes the mirror "Okay, probably not, but it's still cool"
Nesseth glances around at the mirrors as well. "Even if it's not, I'll just say that if you mean to make this a design to sell... it works really nicely~"
Mia: "It needs too much set-up, and it's a bit delicate, and powering it on a commercial level would be hard"
Nesseth hums and nods as he looks back at Mia. "Ah... I definitely appreciate the amount of effort that went into setting it up. You can bet it'll be getting regular use from me... and a good spot for you to catch a nap in, too~"
Mia: "But for now, want to just test it with me here" She chuckles "You did interupt my nap after all"
Nesseth chuckles and nods. "Yeah... yeah, that sounds like a wonderful idea. Let's do some more testing..." He yawns again, "...with a good afternoon nap~"
Mia was already drifting off at that! She's gotten quite good at this!
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - AFTERNOON
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Victoria wanders into the bar, the leopard dressed in a relatively light getup that covers just slightly more than her usual loincloth and chest wrap. Her twin tails are swishing agitatedly, it's kind of clear the kitty needs some relaxing right now. Beelining to the bar, she gets herself a bottle of unsubtle wine and sits down at a table.
Ninell comes wandering down from upstairs at the Minnow, having spent the better part the day maintaining his armor and otherwise just passing the day without anything particularly strenuous. At the moment, he's back in some of his more casual clothing, which equates to a loincloth, shorts and a loose 'shirt' of sorts that keeps the heat of the day from really bothering him. He wends his way through the bar and makes his way to the counter, where he takes a seat and orders a meal for himself.
Victoria raises an eyebrow at the gentleman wandering near her. Admittedly he is pretty good-looking, though she keeps that thought to herself. She just nods at Ninell, giving her typical half-smile as she's still sizing him up.
Ninell dips his head courteously at Victoria, a slight smile on his face as he simply idles in his seat, waiting for his meal to arrive as he looks around the bar at the folks that are patronizing the establishment. He looks at ease, but he holds himself in a way that shows he's not unaware.
Victoria takes a sip of her wine (gracefully, right from the bottle), before getting up and wandering towards Ninell at the bar. She gives him a toothy smile: "Seen you around, even on the training grounds. What brings someone of your sort to Respite?"
Ninell looks over at Victoria and gives her a kind smile in turn, though perhaps just as toothy as the one she gives him. "Curious, hm? Well, if you have seen me around the training grounds, I suspect you are one of the town's guards. Originally, I was sent here from my home to ascertain the origins of a dragon. Currently, I am awaiting further orders."
Victoria leans on the table, grinning, her early lousy mood now entirely done away by curiosity. "Ooh, I think I know which dragon you're talking about. Didn't see it myself as I was er... kinda occupied after that mountain blew up, but it made a mess of things for sure."
Ninell nods at that. "I would imagine you were likely more concerned with getting away from such a creature. Anyone would do the same, considering the other option was to have a mountain come down on top of you." He hums a little as he leans against the table a bit in turn, "I have already done some investigating out near the crater where the dragon emerged from, and sent back my findings so that those back home may learn of a way to kill it or drive it off. Until I receive new orders, I am to just... stay here in Respite Falls."
Victoria takes a sip of her bottle, smirking: "So just sort of on an extended leave 'til something comes up? Sounds pretty sweet deal to me."
Ninell chuckles quietly, nodding in agreement. "Effectively, yes. There will come a time that I will have to return home, but until then I am to remain here if they need me to find more information."
Victoria tilts her head, humming: "Your home's somewhere way down South, yeah?"
Ninell smiles, though he gives Victoria a curious look. "It is, yes. To the southeast, to be specific, a decent way across the ocean." He tilts his head thoughtfully, "You sound as though you already knew of us."
Victoria shrugs: "Met one of your kind on the seas once, long time ago. We talked a lot since well, when traveling there's not much to do sides talk and sleep."
Ninell seems surprised by this bit of information. "Really? How curious... My kind have not really traveled much beyond our homeland in recent times due to the wars that were being fought for unification." He thinks for a second, "Though... if they were fleeing those wars..."
Victoria nods: "He said something along those lines, though wouldn't say more when pushed. He was getting away, and was very mum on where he was headed. Would change the subject if I asked much about his story so far, if you will."
Ninell hums and nods. "Then it could be possible that he was fleeing the wars. If he was someone attached to one of the faction militaries, he may have feared being sent back."
Victoria glances aside as she takes a sip. After a moment: "...I can understand that sort of fear. I left Fern a long time ago, and it's still in my mind at times."
Ninell shrugs, glancing over at the barkeep with a grateful nod as his meal arrives. "Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do. If there was a good reason for fleeing, of which I am sure there are many, there is always a worry that someone may come after them. I doubt I have ever met this traveling companion of yours, but I suspect there was a bit of kinship there."
Victoria shrugs: "Someone to talk to, if nothing else. I don't mind sea travel, but... it is pretty sinfully boring."
Ninell chuckles again. "Heh... I understand. The trip to Aephix was perhaps not quite so dull for me, as I was being sent this way for a purpose, but without a destination or goal in mind, I could see it feeling rather aimless."
Victoria takes a swig: "Doubly so for being already aimless in terms of where I was going. Didn't know Respite was my future home yet."
Ninell smiles at Victoria. "Since you seem to consider the place your home now, I suspect you've been quite pleased with where your wanderings have taken you since you left, ah... Fern, you said?"
Victoria smiles with an absent nod: "Yeah... reckon I am. Lotsa bumps, but it's gotten me here."
Ninell hums quietly. "Most travels tend to have a bump or two along the way. It makes the truly peaceful trips all the more enjoyable, I find." He trails off for a few seconds as he takes a sip of his drink, only to jump just a touch when he realizes something, "Ah, I just realized that I forgot to introduce myself! My apologies, I am Ninell, a sergal of Eukune... though you already know of Eukune, of course."
Victoria chuckles: "Well, truth be told I'd forgotten the name of your home. But yeah. I'm Victoria. Guard and hunter." Her tails swish: "Pleasure to meet you, I reckon."
Ninell dips his head gracefully. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Victoria." He lets the conversation wane a little, then gives Victoria a curious look again, "So... you have been here for much longer than I. What do you think of Respite?"
Victoria hums for a moment, taking a sip as she considers the question. "It's... remote. You don't really come here by accident. Everyone has a story, and they're definitely not all pretty - mine sure as heck isn't." She pauses: "At the same time, that sort of escape common with most is... it keeps people together. Even when something big happens like the war with the Saurs."
Ninell rubs his chin as he listens to Victoria. "Something of a common background to keep the community together, then? I can see how that would be a powerful bond to share with so many others."
Victoria nods: "We're sort of outside the reach of... pretty much everyone, out here. While it's not quite a small town versus the wilds anymore... that spirit is still pretty strong."
Ninell laughs quietly. "That would go a long way towards explaining why people spared only a few looks when I first arrived. With so many people having a storied history on top of more recent events, I cannot imagine my appearance would have been much out of the ordinary at all."
Victoria glances at her tail...s. "Yeah... this place seems to also attract all kinds of... said events."
Ninell curiously follows Victoria's glance towards her tails, then curiously looks back at her again. "Did you... not always have two tails?"
Victoria turns back with a shrug: "Let's just say that my girlfriend has a lot of magic."
Ninell blinks, then nods with another laugh. "Ahh, I see. Magic can do such curious things, from the mundane to the fantastic..."
Victoria grins: "And sexy."
Ninell gives Victoria a look of mixed curiosity and confusion. "I... huh. I did not think one would mix magic and relations that way... though creativity does go a long way in both, so I suppose it makes sense."
Victoria giggles, taking a sip of her wine again: "Clearly, you should try sometime. If you're with someone and have access to magic stuff I guess."
Ninell chuckles and shrugs with a slight shake of his head. "As far as I am aware, my partner does not have any workable and useable magic. I have no magic that I know of, as well."
Victoria shrugs: "Fair. I mean, not like I magic either. Annika's got it, though. She's good." The leopard gets a dreamy smile for a second, before blinking and giving Ninell a toothier grin.
Ninell notes Victoria's look, then smiles in turn. "From the way you speak to her, I can certainly believe you two are very, very close to one another."
Victoria grins: "That we are." She hums, giving Ninell a curious look: "How about your partner, hmm? Tell me."
Ninell smiles warmly as his own gaze wanders into the distance for a few moments. "I do not know if you have met her, but she has some magical issues of her own that I am attempting to help her with. We have not been together for very long, but there is certainly a strong bond between us."
Victoria shrugs: "Probably seen her at least, since I'm out there most days in this town."
Ninell hums. "Possibly. She is a relatively new arrival in town as well, as far as I am aware."
Victoria hums as the two continue talking about relationships and whatever else for quite a while, Victoria getting quite drunk in the process. When they finally part ways, the leopard wanders towards her home, in hopes of finding certain someone...