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RESPITE BARRACKS - LATE MORNING
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Nesseth leads the way to the barracks, staying a few steps ahead of Leana as he guides her through the entryway of the building. He simply nods at the guards that are passing by, ignoring the curious looks being tossed towards the two as they pass. "I hope you're ready for a little paperwork, Leana. Illegal entry isn't a big deal, but it's just something to get sorted sooner rather than later."
Leana lets out a groan as she shuffles her wings: "Pointless paperwork if you ask me, but I suppose since you came to fetch me you are not really asking." She looks about the barracks: "But I suppose it is best to get it over and done with."
Nesseth chuckles a bit as he rounds a corner and makes his way over to Louma's office with Leana in tow. "Trust me, it keeps the town safe. The only other option is to just get tossed out." He smiles as he knocks on the door, "Shouldn't take too long, anyway."
Leana rolls her eyes when she thinks Nesseth isn't looking, then just gives a soft sigh: "Let us just get this done. I am here for a reason, even if I do not know for certain what that reason is."
Louma is fully settled in in her office, feeling oddly nervous about dealing with this. She hadn't slept very well the previous night, and has perhaps some expectations of how this might go. She looks up as she hears the knock, straightening up and putting the steel in her expression. "The door is unlocked, enter."
Nesseth opens the door and makes his way in first, as he told Louma he would the other day. He holds the door for Leana to follow in after. "Morning, Louma. Here's the new arrival."
Leana follows after... and promptly freezes upon the sight of her Sister. It may have been nearly ten years since she saw her last, but there's no mistaking those steely eyes and those bright white wings. For the moment, she does not move, barely even realizes to breathe.
Louma stiffens a bit on seeing Leana in the flesh and feathers, her eyes drawn to Leana's face... Then up to her new plumage. Back to her face. "Leana."
Leana stares at Louma, frown growing on her face as the surprise fades: "Louma."
Louma gestures at the open floor space across the desk from herself, conveniently open enough for a second snake. "Come in. Take a seat. Thank you for delivering her Nesseth, care to remain in case I need you for clarification?"
Nesseth nods as he shuts the door and just stands near the wall for the time being. "Sure."
Leana crosses her arms and stares at her Sister, not moving from the doorway: "Oh yeah, like hell I will. What is the big idea, set up me, come to take me back to the Family?"
Louma scoffs. "Convenient story. You are the one who appeared in my home, dear sister."
Leana frowns: "I haven't seen you in a decade! How would I have known you are up the buttcreek of nowhereland?"
Louma rises a little, though her voice remains mostly even. "Because it's as far from Orela as I could find to settle. It was only a matter of time before Father caught wind of where I'd gone."
Leana tilts her head: "Well, conveniently I'm as far from Sarn as I possibly could without going, you know, home." She just barely catches herself from spitting on the floor at that mention, even as she really wants to.
Louma humphs. "From Sarn, hmm? And I suppose you have a travel voucher from the gatehouse at Bairnell to prove that?"
Leana frowns deeper: "I can shove it up your mating hole if it makes you happy. I'm not here for you, I did not even know you would be here."
Louma opens her eyes wide. "Leana! Watch your language! What would mother think about that and your ridiculous feathers?!"
Nesseth snerks at the insult that Leana hurls at Louma, but he quickly stifles it in an effort to not escalate the situation.
Leana rolls her eyes: "Probably somewhere between disowning me and extremely disowning me. What do you care, Sis?"
Louma shakes her head. "Because she mattered. That you don't care doesn't help convince me you aren't here on Father's request."
Louma casts a look towards Nesseth on hearing him snerk at Leana. She has to admit to herself, she would've laughed years ago.
Leana raises her eyebrows wide: "F-father! Like - if you pardon my language - fuck I am! I am here to get away, and nothing you can do can make me go back there!"
Louma shouts this time, though it's not the usual quality of upset she might put on at the barracks. "I will not pardon your language, young lady! And I wouldn't send you back, you'd just rat me out like with the fire crackers!"
Leana giggles despite the situation: "'Young lady?' Please, Sis, you're no older than me! And once I again, I did not even know you were here, now I do and I'd honestly rather NOT know it! But here we are!"
Nesseth can't really keep his commentary to himself at this point. "Young lady? Louma, you're only a couple of years older than I am, and you're not even 30 yet." He smirks, "Getting a little matronly, already?"
Louma looks to Nesseth. "I'm just channeling the only caregiver we had that didn't betray us. Look at her ridiculous colors." She looks to Leana. "Are you trying to draw a suitor pretending to be a coatl or something?"
Leana rolls her eyes: "To anyone else, I could say that I woke up with these feathers two weeks ago. To you, you are not going to believe it anyway, so feel free to craft whatever tale you want, in your head."
Louma huffs. "You're right, I don't believe it."
Leana: "Thankfully I am not really asking you to."
Nesseth sighs a bit and steps forward towards the desk. "Well, nice reunion and all, but... maybe we should take care of the paperwork first before anything else?"
Leana: "Although, you might want to explain why I also woke up with a photo of you - and you- " she looks at Nesseth: "-In my shoulderbag."
Louma stops short. "A what where?"
Nesseth blinks, and gives Leana a look. "...A... what now?"
Leana sighs and fishes up a couple of photos from her shoulderbag, clearly showing smiling pictures of Nesseth and Louma: "I had these when I woke up with the bright feathers."
Louma takes the photographs, looking closely at them, then turning to Nesseth and handing them off to him. "Our adventure continues, lieutenant."
Nesseth moves around the desk to look at the pictures as Louma passes them to him. His brow furrows as he realizes the pictures in particular. "...Wait... aren't these the ones we gave to...?"
Leana looks at the pictures, then between the two: "Gave to... whom?"
Louma nods to him, calming down, but looking a little more unnerved. "A friend who left here recently."
Nesseth looks over at Leana as he sets the photos back down on the desk, his eyes wandering towards Leana's wings. "One thing you'll get used to pretty quickly about Respite is that... strange things happen. A lot."
Leana crosses her arms as she looks at Nesseth: "Well, that is maddeningly unhelpful. What is going on?"
Louma sighs, mirroring Leana as she settles back on her coil and crosses her own arms. "Well. It's a bit complicated. What I'll offer right now is that I believe you a little bit that you aren't here on Father's demand."
Leana frowns at her Sister: "If I would have had any desire to save it, I could give you the letter where they want me to return - or else."
Louma chuckles quietly. "That's less subtle than I remember getting when I lived in Odonga that first year." She looks to Nesseth as she shuffles some papers over to Leana's side of the desk top. "We'll have to find someplace for my dear sister to reside."
Leana gives Louma a look: "I did not feel like waiting for them to show up in person. You know how they are."
Nesseth sighs a bit. "There's always space at the Minnow for temporary housing... else there are still some places being built on the west of town." He pauses, then looks over at Leana with a curious look, "Do you have funds, Leana?"
Leana shrugs at Nesseth: "Some. Took what I could, with me."
Louma grins. "There is always room in the barracks. You will have to participate in morning drills, though."
Nesseth shrugs a bit. "She could also stay at your place for a bit. There'd be a little irony in the situation, though."
Leana frowns at her Sister: "You are kidding, yes?"
Louma laughs. "Of course I am, dear sister. There are also afternoon drills."
Leana gives Louma a glare: "I hate you, but I suppose that is not much news at this point. I will do what I need to, then needle you the rest of the time as needed."
Nesseth glances between Louma and Leana, then smiles mischievously. "I can give you some pointers on how to pester Louma, if you like, Leana. I've been doing that pretty consistently for the last several years."
Louma hums. "No, there's no room at my place while we're getting ready for the wedding. What about..." She pauses. "May's not living at the generator building right now. It is still rightfully her place to use." She looks to Nesseth. "She does not need your help. She is already well beyond your skill in that area."
Leana starts to frown, then blinks in surprise: "Wedding? Wait, YOUR wedding? Do you mean to say you've found someone insane enough to want to take your crazy feathers in holy matrimony? This I have to see!"
Nesseth grins at Louma. "In that case, I should just sit back and listen to you both talk wherever you run into each other. I could pick up some pointers to pester you better!"
Louma sighs. "Fortunately, yes. And unfortunately, you probably will."
Leana grins mischievously: "Like you could stop me if you wanted to, now that I am here and I know. Who is the unlucky groom... or bride, I suppose, you always smelled like you would swing that way."
Louma gives her a look. "Bride, and you can drop that judgy tone if you want to be invited to the ceremony."
Leana smirks: "Who said anything about judging? I find myself here just making sure things are going for the better for my Baby Sis."
Nesseth laughs a bit. "Probably for the best, really. The two of us probably would have driven each other even more insane than we already do if Louma was still dating guys."
Louma chuckles, finding herself finally relaxing a bit. "Not for lack of trying, just not with you."
Leana raises an eyebrow at Nesseth: "Something between you two, then? I guess that makes sense, Sis was always trying to 'find herself' back then."
Louma blushes a bit. "No. I don't date within the ranks. Any more."
Nesseth shakes his head at Leana. "Nah, nothing between us. I don't know if my sanity could have survived if anything." He chuckles, "But if I wasn't working under her as her Lieutenant, then... maybe, before she hit it off with May."
Leana frowns, then nods: "Now I really need to know who this 'May' is and how I can find her."
Louma: "You'll meet her tonight at dinner. And not just because I want to keep tabs on you."
Nesseth chuckles. "That'll be a fun dinner, I'm sure."
Leana claps her hands together: "A dinner? Excellent, what better way to get to know potential future family?" The swan-snake is definitely not feeling mischievous. At all. I mean, look at her, picture of innocence!
Nesseth hums a bit as he looks at Leana's expression for a moment. "Now I really wish I could be a fly on the wall at that meal. It'd be a good laugh."
Louma grins, shrugging. "I expect you will." She glances at Nesseth, "You'll get your chance to watch us bicker again in the future, don't worry about missing anything."
Nesseth chuckles and nods. "If you two wind up doing so at the training grounds, let me know beforehand so I can watch it all. If Leana's better at prodding you than I am, I could learn a thing or two."
Leana smirks at her Sis: "What us, bicker?" She waves her hand dismissively: "Perish the thought! I would never, ever... prod you more than what I know that you can take. Possibly more than before now that you're a Big Guard, and all."
Louma glances over Leana, chuckling. "Well you wouldn't be so tiny by comparison if you'd kept up on your training."
Nesseth just innocently drops a detail for fun. "The best time to prod Louma is when she's out and about. She's all about the "stoic guard captain" attitude."
Leana nods at Nesseth, then smiles back at Louma: "Oh, like you? I am sure I could achieve your levels of boredom if I wanted to, Sis."
Louma grins. "You will, living out here, little sister." She turns her gaze to Nesseth, her expression smoothly shifting to full sweetroll. "Runoffs, Thursday and Friday. Keep giving her tips~."
Nesseth sighs, but smiles anyway. "Ah... worth it."
Leana giggles: "I fail to see a downside to me~."
Louma sighs, shaking her head. "I might regret this, but if it means keeping both of us away from Orela, I suppose it's worth it. Sign these and fill out this form, please Leana." She taps the pages in question, passing the ink pot and quill across.
Leana sighs in mirror and slithers to the desk. Paperwork is inescapable, after all.
Nesseth leans against the desk a bit as he, Leana and Louma start to work their way through the paperwork Leana has to do for proper entry into town, and the trio chat (with a good helping of snark) throughout, until they all head out to resume their routines for the day.