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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Brunilda is sitting on one of the tables, eating a bowl of hearty stew after a day of dealing with paperwork (slightly hung over). The possum is tired, and dressed in simple shirt and pants - much like she would be if she were back herself, really.
Endrit walks into the Minnow after exploring the town a bit. He's not terribly impressed, spoiled a lot by the bustle of Odonga. He's not dressed up much at all, wearing the simple, familiar underclothes of Odongan military; a comfortable long cloth tunic, simple trousers, and no weapon at his side. He walks straight past Brunilda's table, sporting a confident biggest-guy-in-the-room stride as he approaches the bar.
Brunilda glances at Endrit going past, slightly surprised by another elephant around but doesn't think much more of it. She continues eating her stew, though a budding thought starts to bubble in the back of her mind...
Endrit stops at the bar, grinning as he thumps the countertop with his trunk. One arm leans on the bar top, the other doffs his cloth cap, revealing a close-cut buzz of red hair. "Keep! A round for me, kay? Biggest cup you got!"
Brunilda glances up at the shout, then blinks at the bright red hair: "What the... that way of shouting, that hair... Endrit?" Her voice is pretty small, but still out loud.
Endrit twitches his big ears, thinking he'd caught his name as he turns and looks about the bar. "Hmm?" His eyes slide over the red-haired possum, then to the table of folks behind her. He looks back to the possum, tilting his head a bit. "Who're you, a fan?"
Brunilda giggles despite her surprise: "Only if you're talking about the waxed spear incident."
Endrit looks side to side, chuckling nervously. "Don't know what you heard little lady. Harlock dropped it fair'n square and waxed it up after just to make me look bad."
Brunilda smirks: "Oh was that how it went? Harlock said something different to me..." She can't deny it, she's enjoying the elephant's confusion a great deal right now.
Endrit nods. "Just didn't wanna pay out his wager. I-" He pauses. "Wait, you spoke directly to the jerk? You from Odonga? Not some kinda creditor or something, right?"
Brunilda grins, standing up on the table as she shakes her head: "Think closer to home. I've fought you enough to know exactly where you're going to try and hit."
Endrit squints at her, accepting his drink and stepping over to the table occupied by this possum. "I don't rmeember ever wasting my time fighting a possum... Would be more like to step on ya than land a punch, anyways."
Brunilda shrugs, only slightly shaking in her footing at the pint going down next to her: "Well, true, I would have thought the same. I'm kinda very short right now, I'll give you that. Though Endrit, would you really say it was fair the way Harlock got into sweeping duties after that incident?"
Endrit blinks, lowering his voice a bit. "What do you know about that? His own fault as far as anyone else knows."
Brunilda winks: "Weeeell, a little bird in the form of an elephant told me about a BET you guys had..."
Endrit sits down at the table after a moment of realization, setting his ale down with a little splash. "Oh? Oh you know Brunilda? didn't think she's be chattering about stuff back home, but guess it makes sense she'd let me look bad."
Brunilda giggles: "You could say I know her." She tosses her head enough to show her flowy red hair properly: "Hi, brother."
Endrit: "What."
Brunilda steps forward, smiling: "Yeah, I'd probably say something similar. Or did, when this happened."
Endrit tilts his drink and looks into the mostly full tankard, then back to the possum. "What."
Brunilda shrugs: "I mean, didn't really intend this to happen, but here we are. So, uh... hi."
Endrit takes a breath, squinting at her for a few moments. "Well. I didn't think ya could be any more of a runt, but good job proving me wrong."
Brunilda looks up at her brother: "Hey!" She holds her hands on her hips: "Well at least I'm not a piece of muscle that can barely know which end of the spear to point at the opponent."
Endrit grins. "Didn't matter which end I used, when you'd get all tripped up either way."
Brunilda frowns: "Oh laugh it off. It only happened once." She pauses. "And then another time. But that's not the point."
Endrit sits back a bit, crossing his arms. "Well, what'd you do? Spill it. This is too ridiculous to not have a story."
Brunilda sighs and looks aside, then shrugs: "Well, me and my girlfriend were doing some floor renovation, and instead we found that we have a secret basement from a previous owner... some sort of lab dealing with dangerous plants and uh... we sorta crashed some of the stuff in there and next morning we're both possums. So that worked out."
Endrit: "Wait, back up... Girlfriend? Since when were you into girls?"
Brunilda blushes: "S-something else I discovered after coming here, I guess. I'm into girls that can fight me back and enjoy doing so."
Endrit hums, shrugging. "Well guess it makes some kinda sense. Was always hoping to have a niece or nephew to spoil. Ma's not gonna be too thrilled, either."
Brunilda shrugs: "Ma wouldn't be happy with my choices anyway. Kinda why I ended up down here in the first place, remember?"
Brunilda: "I do miss her, but I don't really miss that hinting of wanting grandkids."
Endrit scoffs, shaking his head. "She got grandkids. You know, you left right before Saphra found out we were gonna be parents. Least I was able to cheer Ma up with that."
Brunilda blinks: "Oh? That's... that's something. How's things back home with all that, then?"
Endrit grins, laughing after a moment. "Kiddo's twice as big as ya are, Bruntilda." His smile fades after a bit. "Least, she was when I headed out."
Brunilda chuckles: "Fair enough. So what are you doing out here, anyway? I doubt you came just to see me."
Endrit clears his throat, taking a swig of his ale. "Well... Kind of did, actually. Was gonna ask around the barracks tomorrow, but ya saved me some time."
Brunilda blinks: "Huh. Well, here I am, maybe smaller than you thought you'd find me... what's up?"
Endrit sighs. "Well for one, ya haven't sent a single letter in gods know how long. Pa's all worried." He pauses, clearing his throat and speaking a little quieter. "And I'm... Kinda broke. And they wont lend me any more cash."
Brunilda looks aside at the first part, sighing quietly... then turns to look back up at the second part: "Finally decided you need to get by on your own, hmm? Well, the Guard is always looking for more people to stand at the gates and look menacing, if nothing else."
Endrit: "I would, but I make more doin' stuff for the Explorer's Guild. Unless you get me a gig doin' that just whenever I got the time."
Brunilda chuckles, shaking her head: "Sorry, can't do that. I'm barely in the Guard myself anymore, just doing paperwork."
Endrit grins. "Well yeah, would take you a week to patrol like that."
Brunilda giggles, blushing a bit but nodding regardless: "Yeah, it sort of would. Louma just flat out told me I'm off wall duty 'til I get cured."
Endrit hums, nodding along. "Louma... That sounds Orelan. Seem to have seen a lot of mixin' here. Like, more than Sarn, even. Maybe just cause there's less folks to begin with."
Brunilda nods, looking at her brother and trying to not be weirded out by the size difference: "Yeah, Respite is a darn melting pot. We got people from everywhere that I've ever heard of."
Endrit finishes his ale in one more drink, sighing a bit. "Well, that's fine. Least it wouldn't be boring out here. Gotta get you fixed up though, haven't seen too many folks big enough to win some wagers against."
Brunilda smirks: "As though you would win. I haven't been just standing around with my time here, you know."
Endrit: "Uh huh. No amount of practice and bravado will let you win against me, Bruntilda. Aint no way you'd win the title of family's greatest warrior off me."
Brunilda giggles, brushing off her Brother's eternal way of mispronouncing her name on purpose: "I've no need to win anything I already have."
Endrit grins, shrugging. "Well, ya say that, I aint gonna hit this itty bitty version of ya. Could round off this reunion by buyin' me a second ale, though."
Brunilda smirks: "Only if that comes with a promise from you to fight me when I'm back to being myself." She waves at the Barkeep for a round anyway.
Endrit chuckles. "Obviously. By the way, ya gotten lazy about trimming your hair, as a possum?"
Brunilda glances at her shoulders, then back to her brother: "Well, actually I'd stopped doing the army look a while back. I always liked seeing longer hair on others, so I figured why not? I like it now."
Endrit blinks. "And they let you keep being a guard like that? Geez, very loose rules or what?"
Brunilda shrugs: "Paperwork. Also, yes, Respite Guard just have less strict rules cause it's based on a need to survive, not look pretty at the palace gates or whatnot."
Endrit hums, shrugging. "Well whatever. Long as you're happy here."
Brunilda smiles: "Girlfriend I love, a house to call my own, pursuing a career I actually want to... yeah, I'd say I'm pretty happy here."
Endrit sighs quietly, considering he's managed to lose all of those things just before coming here, but perks up a bit to cover it up. "A career you want? Oh, so guardin' really wasn't good enough for you, huh?"
Brunilda hums: "Well, you sort of knew about my interest in those magitech books..." She explains her not-entirely-explosion-free career of magitech in Respite, as well as her potential prospects of becoming a fleet technician for Gareth, as the two continue talking and catching up for quite a while.