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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Jennica is sitting at the bar, fiddling with a piece of metal that maybe one day will become a useful trinket. The brown cow is dressed in her usual overalls, modified to fit her thick kobold tail through. Kinda gotten used to it with all this time, it's just who she is now.
Aerdrid sighs a bit as he enters the main room of the Minnow, finally deciding to stop by for the first time after hearing so many recommendations by the folks helping build the housing for the Saurs to the west side of town. He's traded his (long since ruined) tabard from his time serving under Nyzai for a more functional and contemporary set of clothing modified for his wings, with magitech clasps holding them in place on either side of his wings' membranes. He looks around a bit, perhaps a bit out of his element, but makes his way over to the counter and takes an available seat. When the barkeep goes to take his order, he gives an uncertain look. "Er... whatever you recommend, I suppose?"
Jennica raises an eyebrow at Aerdrid and is slightly taken aback by him just appearing there without her noticing. We shall refrain from calling her out on zoning in on her work that bad, that definitely did not happen.
Aerdrid looks around a little as he waits for his order, though it's clear he doesn't really feel all too comfortable speaking up to anyone yet. He looks over at Jennica, but simply nods at her when he sees her looking over at him.
Jennica nods a bit timidly, and gives a smile that she at least thinks is big. She turns to refocus on her trinket, although her mind is elsewhere.
Aerdrid vaguely recognizes Jennica from... somewhere, but he can't really place where, though he suspects it's likely from back when Respite and the Saurs were on opposite sides. He lets out a bit of a sigh of relief as the barkeep brings his drink over, which he welcomes as a distraction.
Jennica is focused on her distraction (her trinket) in an attempt to distract herself from the other distraction (Aerdrid), but is then distracted by a stray thought about her recent other distraction (her less-than-great dating life since she and Emmeline decided to stay just friends). In the end, she is too distracted by this all and lets the metal ball slip from her hand, sliding on the bar towards Aerdrid. "Eep!"
Aerdrid glances over at Jennica with a curious tilt of his head, only to see the metal ball roll to a stop just in front of him. His curiosity over the object overrides his reticence in talking, and he picks the orb up in his hand. He spends a few moments just looking at it before he passes it back to Jennica. "Here you go."
Jennica blushes as she takes her trinket back: "T-thank you. It uh, slipped. Didn't mean to."
Aerdrid places the trinket in Jennica's hand, but continues to curiously look at it as it's wrapped in her fingers. "What is that, if I could ask?"
Jennica blinks, staring at the trinket: "Oh, it's just unfinished. Should be a mood helper, but u-uhm, this sounds silly, the metal is being too moody to accept my enchants." Or the maker is being too twitchy and unfocused right now. Take your pick.
Aerdrid tilts his head. "Ah, magic, then? I see... I did not know enchanting was quite so... normal for your people." He pauses, then amends, "That is... the people of this town."
Jennica blinks, then shrugs: "Ah eh... I am not really from Respite either. So um, n-not really 'my people', though it is my home now, i-if that makes sense?"
Aerdrid nods, understanding. "The people helping build homes for the Saur have often spoke of other lands beyond this one, where many others live. Though... this town's... "generator", that operates in the middle of everything, and all these machines you all operate, they work through magic, yes? Is magical talent truly so common that you're able to... bend it in such creative ways?"
Jennica hums: "I-I don't really know... I was the only one of my friends growing up who could do anything?" She gives a helpless shrug: "The generator is magic... or magitech, really, but I am unsure how many actually can do such things?"
Aerdrid reaches up and scratches the top of his head a bit as he continues to eye the metal orb in Jennica's hand. "Manipulating magic is a rare gift among the Saur, from what I know. The blessings given to Nyzai, Dyvrisse, Usid and Zayzzes were unheard of before Xeilzrus became the Whisperer." He looks around the tavern a bit, his gaze readily spotting a half-dozen instances of magitech use in just that short glance, "And yet... you all harness such power to do so much more."
Jennica shrugs: "Maybe Respite attracts people with talent? I don't know. Though... I guess it's also just that... magitech's sort of point is making magic available to those who can't?" She looks at her trinket, which is not quite purely magic, but not really magitech either. She just shrugs again.
Aerdrid hums quietly. "Harnessing such power to help so many, rather than holding tight to it... I see. Another reason why Xeilzrus failed against your people's soldiers. He was... covetous, and only helped those that helped him." He sighs and takes a sip of his drink before continuing, "We still have much to learn from you."
Jennica shrugs with a sigh. "I nearly lost my best friend in all of that..." She glances at Aerdrid: "Much to learn, yes."
Aerdrid looks over at Jennica after a moment. "For what little it may be worth, I regret the part that I played in Nyzai's forces during that time. I have had... a lot of time to realize what we were doing under orders from the Whisperer."
Jennica nods with a weak smile: "I don't... I can't fault you. I don't know who got Emmeline, or what happened out there all that much. She doesn't really want to speak about that time. Which I understand."
Aerdrid shakes his head a bit. "If it is of any comfort, I was not generally tasked with capturing the ones traveling along the path north of this place, between here and the city you call Bairnell's Foothold."
Jennica shrugs: "Does not really matter now, does it?" She pauses, hesitating before giving Aerdrid a soft smile: "It is better if we cooperate."
Aerdrid hums at that and nods with a smile of his own. "Mmh, it would be better for us all, yes. Those that have joined us here in town... and Dyvrisse as well, though she led her followers elsewhere for a time, we are all trying our hardest to make a better life for ourselves and for your people, too."
Jennica nods slowly: "It's... well, it's really all above my head and pay grade. I just don't want to make things worse even if I felt bad back then."
Aerdrid dips his head slowly. "Then... we will just leave the past in the past." He pauses for a moment as he glances at the trinket again, "So... please, tell me. You create these magical objects by hand?"
Jennica looks back at the trinket, then shrugs: "Well... I enchant and shape the metal, but someone else makes the core for me to work on."
Aerdrid: "And you mentioned something a little while ago of the metal being too... er... "moody" to accept your enchantments? I... didn't know metal could be selective like a living being."
Jennica hums as she looks at the piece of metal: "Not as such, but... different pieces and shapes of metal accept magic differently. It's... hard to explain, but in this case, I can not seem to find the way make it stick enough to have an effect."
Aerdrid looks over the orb again. "Is there any particular reason you wish for this one to be so... spherical? If shape plays a part, then would reshaping it not help, possibly?"
Jennica stares for a moment, blinking: "I suppose... not. Spheres are easier to carry with you, and I just naturally lean that way, but... no." She stares at the trinket husk for a moment, thinking.
Aerdrid moves an arm onto the countertop and gestures at an armband he wears that has a string of variously-shaped stones and what looks to be polished and carved large animal teeth. "If you need inspiration for shapes, the Saur are quite adept at stonework and bone carving. You could perhaps chat with a few of our crafters."
Jennica looks at the armband, slowly nodding. "Perhaps... I wonder if I have been stuck in a rut of sorts. There might be idea..." Even if the idea of going out there and talking to Saurs kind of scares the cow.
Aerdrid can't help but chuckle a little. "A world so vast and diverse beyond this land... and your people still have problems with a lack of inspiration? Perhaps the Saur really are more similar to you all than we may have once thought."
Jennica giggles nervously: "Inspiration is hard to find, sometimes. And sometimes..." She glances at the armband: "Need someone to point you to a direction you did not think of."
Aerdrid looks at Jennica, then at his armband for a few moments, before he adjusts himself and spends a second removing the armband from his arm. He sets it down on the counter between himself and Jennica. "Then, if you need inspiration, you may borrow this for now, if you like. I would like it back once you have been properly inspired, though."
Jennica blinks with a blush: "O-oh. I couldn't."
Aerdrid tilts his head. "Why not? I merely wear it, and if it would benefit you more to examine it, then it would be better served that way, yes?"
Jennica hesitates for a moment, before picking up the armband with a blushing smile: "W-well, if you insist." She looks at the band, the wheels in her head clearly turning already. She blinks up after a second, smiling once more: "I will b-bring this back to you uh... um, where?"
Aerdrid thinks for a moment, then nods. "Once you are finished with it, you may find me helping around the construction area to the west of the town. If you cannot find me, then you may take it to one of my kin and they will see to it that I receive it quickly."
Jennica hums with a smile: "S-sounds like a plan, then. I hope I can figure something out then."
Aerdrid smiles a bit. "Take your time as you need, of course. Just treat it well, while you have it."
Jennica shifts slightly: "O-oh, of course. I will do my best."
Aerdrid hums, only to look around as his meal arrives in the hands of the barkeeper. He perks up at the sight of the food. "Ah! This smells wonderful..." He shifts a little to more directly look at his food, though he continues to chat with Jennica as he starts to eat. "You have obviously been in this town longer than I have. Could you perhaps tell me a little more about it from how you see it all?"
Jennica blinks, then shrugs: "S-sure. What do you want to know?" The two continue chatting as Aerdrid eats, long enough that eventually Jennica ends up finding something to snack on as well.