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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EARLY EVENING
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Narrator: It must be another dark day for the young white feline, Teis, to have found her way back to the bottom of a glass at The Thirsty Minnow. Sure, she and Enver had officially broken up more than a week ago, on somewhat good terms even. But the relationship didn't truly feel as if it was over until Enver had left Respite - And by extension the Manor. So, here she is, back in the rustic charm of Respite's most reputable tavern.
Narrator: While being in a somewhat unfamiliar place, the young folf would navigate into town with nothing but the directions of old, rickety wooden signs and the words of others. His intention was to find a fine drink to start off the evening. Pushing the old wooden door of the tavern open, he took his first steps inside. The rugged, brown leather boots he wore clacking against the hard wood, he wore normal fabric trousers that tucked into his boots accompanied by a tan tunic which didn't hide the crescent moon charm which hung from his fluffy neck. The long, flowing jacket that he wore reaching down to the backsides of his knees, wrapping around his body snuggly. He pulled down the hood, revealing his face, the hard to miss scar on his left eye displayed on full to the patrons. With a careful step towards the bar, he ordered a simple ale and paid in full, standing at the bar as his flame like tail swayed calmly behind him.
Teis tries to take another sip from her empty glass, though is met only with her nose being booped by the remaining ice. She places the glass down with a grumble. Why couldn't there just be more in the glass? She hops off her chair with a rather ungracefully, trying to save herself with the chair though instead only pushing it away with a loud screech. She stumbles, careening towards the Folf at the bar clumsily. Either she's going head first into his lower backside, or the solid wooden bar on the other side!
Claudio, hearing the disturbance and the squee'ing of polished wooden floor become ever closer. He turned on his heels, in defence mode as he say the feline heading towards him. With one swift movement, he shifted the wooden chair and caught the feline in his arms, picking them up and steadying their balance by lightly pressing his boot against their own feet, making sure they don't fall but also not trying to hurt them. "Are you alright there, Miss? You took quite the tumble there."
Teis' small and light frame is easily stopped by the larger individual, though instead of gratitude The Folf is met with, "Unhand me!" Teis drunkenly slurs, doing her best to wiggle out of The Folf's grasp. The fur under her eyes is stained, evident of her recent crying.
Claudio quickly let the feline go, his face painted with a very stoic expression as he nodded and turned back to his liquid comfort. He sighed softly, looking down at the feline. "Are you at least alright? I didn't mean to cause you harm if I did."
Teis readjusts herself somewhat. "Yes!" Teis replies, still somewhat loud, "No! I don't know!" Teis begins to sob audibly, burying her paws into her eyes momentarily. After a few seconds, she steels herself somewhat with a deep breath. She's very obviously not emotionally okay, but she suppresses it enough that she's able to pull her paws away from her eyes.
Narrator: In a quieter, albeit shakier voice, "Sorry. I'm. . .I didn't. . .I don't. . ." She stutters briefly, "Thank you." She plants her paws on a bar stool, pulling herself up and onto it.
Claudio would sit on a bar stool next to the feline. Not too close, has he didn't want to cause any discomfort to the unfamiliar patron. His nerves were just as steely, showing no signs of discomfort or fear. He took a sip from his tankard, turning to the feline with a somewhat forced warm expression. "So... what's someone like you doing here with all those tears in your eyes? Surely someone as tough as you has nothing to cry about?"
Narrator: In a spare moment, Teis orders herself another drink. Her ears flick at the question and she sighs, "Just. . .Coming out of a relationship." She turns to face the stranger, giving him a quivering smile, forced of course. Trying not to dwell on it too much, she immediately moves on, "Also. . .Tough? You sure that eye of yours works, mister?" Classy.
Claudio kept up a serious demeanour until the question about his eye working arose. He let out a low chuckle, downing the rest of his drink and ordering another. He took a moment to think before responding. "I've been with many a partner myself. I know the pain. It hurts, but it's not something that will kill you. Dust yourself off, and get back into the fight, you know? And yes, the eye works just fine." He would then down half of his drink and smile to himself, glancing at the many patrons that sat enjoying their evenings.
Teis eyes The Folf's drink. She can't really knock them back like he is doing. "The. . .Fight of romance?" Teis confusedly questions. "That's weird. You're weird." Teis affirms, "So do you like, go around. . .Uh. . .Punching potential partners? Hey that's alliteration. . ." Teis gets distracted.
Claudio would laugh this time, kicking back a second drink. Yet again, he orders another. His voice doesn't change either, it's like he isn't phased by the alcohol at all. "Not quite, no. More like... love is a fight that doesn't end until you find the one for you. If that makes any sense at all. And if you find them, don't let them go. And yeah... I sure am a weird one, huh?" He sips his new third drink, smiling softly to himself as he mumbles something under his breath about the great quality of the alcohol here.
Teis: "Oh good. I was worried that you took 'hitting on people' literally." Teis snerks to herself, sipping gently at her own drink. She sighs, visibly deflating, "I don't know. I really liked him. . .But I don't know. Guess I wasn't enough for him. . ." Teis rests her head atop the bar, frowning.
Claudio: The male would sigh, placing his drink on the bar before thinking to himself for a moment. He dug into his past experiences and thinking if he'd had anything similar happen. Of course, he had, and sighed to himself again. "Then he wasn't good enough for you. He clearly had little to no regard for your feelings if he left as abruptly as it seems he did. You are destined for greater things. Don't concern yourself with the past. That's how we foster hate and regret for not only ourselves but those we once loved."
Teis: "Maybe. Maybe not." Teis laments. "At least Sis'll be happy. . .No more 'scandal' or whatever. . ." Teis sighs.
Claudio: "Please do not doubt yourself. It pains me to see you this way. Just focus on what's ahead now, hm?" He would gently place a paw on the felines back and rub in a friendly way, showing he somehow cared so much for a complete stranger that he'd only just met. "So why not let go for tonight? Just let yourself feel free for once. No scandal can keep you chained down forever."
Teis glances at the Folf quizzically, a touch confused at the readily available empathy. "I mean. . .I am. I'm here, drinking. . .Although. . ." She turns back to look into her glass, ". . .Coming here whenever I'm upset is beginning to become a bit of a problem. . ."
Claudio: "I know. Learning to moderate what you do can be hard. But surely there are people here who care for you as much as this lousy folf stranger does, hmm?" He would finish his third drink, setting the tankard aside and turning to the feline. He smiled warmly, something that the ale had done to relax him. "So, is there anything you can do to maybe... stop this problem you're having? Think hard about it, too."
Teis: "I know I have people who care about me. Sis, for starters. . ." Teis rolls her head back to the Folf, still firmly glued to the bar top. "I. . .Could stop having emotions?"
Claudio: The folf refrains from petting the cat anymore to not seem patronising. He sighs softly and meets the felines head at the bar counter top. "You know that's not what you want. You don't want that at all. Am I right?"
Narrator: Rather enjoying messing with the Folf instead of thinking about her sorrow further, Teis pulls herself to sit upright. "Yeah yeah, just like. . ." She brings her paws up, "Take my soul. . ." She pretends to take something from her chest, "Put it in a little box. . ." She pretends to stuff it into a box. "Mm. Perfect idea."
Claudio, seemingly defeated, pokes the felines cheek playfully before sitting upright again. He watches as they act out stuffing their soul into a box, giggling softly to himself. "Only you know what you really want. I don't think any of those things are what you want at all, are they?"
Teis idly attempts to bite the Folf's finger as it approaches, unsuccessfully. "Mmm I don't know. . .All magic, all the time. . ." She hums, "Prrreeeeetty sweet deal?"
Claudio smiles at the felines attempt to bite him, yawning softly to himself. "I know magic. Does that count for anything at all? If that interests you. Maybe."
Teis' ears flick. "You do? How much? Decent amount of folk around here work with magitech, but almost none with any drive or aptitude for the raw stuff. Makes me miss The Academy, actually. . ." Teis pauses, "I mean, there was one other, but. . .She's gone now too. . ." Teis sighs deeply, threatening to swing back into sadness.
Claudio: The folf nodded his head slowly, listening to every word the feline was telling him. It took him a moment, but he noticed the ice had been forgotten in their drink when it had been ordered. The folf hovered his hand above the glass as cube-like shapes appear out of his paw, like they're phasing through. They drop into the glass, and upon further inspection they appear to be normal ice cubes, a steamy fog coming from the glass. "Does this answer your question?"
Teis: "Fair enough." Teis points a clawtip at her glass, sending out a thin bluish-white beam at the base of the glass. On contact, ice begins to build up around the base of the glass, though she promptly dismisses the beam before it builds up any further. "Not as pretty as the cubes you made, though. Never practised beyond the practical need to chill my alchemical liquids. Though I guess chilling a drink optimally is also practical. Huh. . ." Teis pauses, humming. "You formerly trained, or. . .?" Teis questions.
Claudio: The folf watches, just as impressed by their capabilities as his own. He smiles as they show what they can do, listening to their talking before replying to their question. "I was born with this. Practiced by myself. Back where I came from magic is seen as a sin. I was outcasted and so here I am. In Respite Falls. I self taught myself on how to use and harness my magic while I was on my trip here." He creates a perfect sphere of ice in his paw, then closes his paw around it as a puff of steam comes out of his paw. He opens his paw, and the sphere is gone.
Teis: "That's unfortunate. I don't really understand why so many look down on it, when so much of it powers our world. Even in Sarn. . .Ugh. You'd think the stiffs in Glaushire would at least be beyond it. But no, give the engineers the credit, ignore the magi part of MAGI-tech. . ." Teis huffs. "Sorry. Rambling."
Claudio: "No, I understand. It was the same back home. The engineers and workers got all the credit while those with magical capability were left to work harder than anyone else with no respect at all. It makes me sick..." He balls his paw up into a fist, his eyes growing angered as he sighs to release it. "But what matters now is I'm here. I can't be outcasted for something that I can't help anymore."
Teis: "Mm." Teis nods, sipping at her drink some more. "You should have a chat to Loremaster Aurelius. He ah, runs the library. Even as remote as we are, he's still been able to get his hands on suitable education material, and has been very supportive."
Claudio: "For what purpose should I go? To learn more about my power? Or perhaps how to harness it even more?" He sips the last of his drink, too. Despite having had so much, he doesn't appear to be even slightly inebriated. Maybe due to tolerance or how fast he drank it. Regardless, he pondered the felines suggestion for a little while, gazing off into space.
Teis: "Ah. I um. Yeah? Maybe? Or I'm just overreaching." Teis hums, staring at her drink in contemplation for a moment before turning back, "Name's Teis, by the way."
Claudio would smile, giggling to himself as he realised they'd been sat here for quite a long time before even introducing themselves to each other. "The name's Claudio. Claud is just as acceptable though. It's great to meet you, Teis."
Teis: "Nice to meet you, Claud." Teis smiles. "I, ah. . .Thanks for talking to me. But I need to be getting back. You're, um, welcome to the rest of my drink if you want? Probably isn't your style given what you were knocking back, but. . ."
Claudio nods, smiling back at them. He yawns, listening to them finish their sentence as he thinks for a minute. Without hesitation, he picks up the glass and knocks whatever is in it back, letting out a satisfied "Ahhh" as he places it back down. "I'll probably be here until close, so... If I don't see you tonight, I'll see you around, Teis."
Teis: "Definitely around. . .I'm gonna be out for like a day with the hangover." Teis groans, slipping herself off the stool carefully, making her way out of the Minnow.
Claudio disengaged in conversation, the folf would remain. He continues to drink, even when Teis leaves.
Fleuret steps into the Minnow, passing by Teis along the way. The deep purple horse is dressed modestly tonight in her favorite blue dress.
Mia was already there, tucked into a corner, with a little bobble toy, flicking it over and back, the technokitty for the moment, embroiled in her toy.
Fleuret minds her own business for now, heading up to the bar to order a glass of white wine. A drink seems appealing tonight.
Mia looks up at the horse, and gives her a brief nod, having finished her little thing "Hey. Want to test something for me?"
Fleuret peeks over at Mia, curiously. "Test something? What do you have in mind?"
Mia: "Oh, I've got a little toy thingy. I want to see if its fun" She comes up to the bar, and puts it down "It's a bobbly toy" It looks like a little cat "You just..push it down" She pushes it down "And the let go" It flies up about a foot in the air, then falls down on its side "The idea is to try and make it jump up, and land on its feet!"
Fleuret tilts her head as she gets a closer look at Mia, clearly more interested in her than the toy itself. "Fascinating. Are you some sort of.. automaton, perhaps? Incredible construction."
Claudio turns his head slightly, his hood back up over his head and hiding most of his head. He takes a glance at the toy, then at the two folks who joined the bar. He would chuckle softly at the small toy that sat beside him. "Cute toy."
Mia: "Well. You're not constructed too badly yourself. Also, my eyes are up here" She smiles politely, before tossing one of the toys to Claudio "Try one out then!"
Fleuret is taken aback for a moment, but laughs good naturedly. "My apologies. I can say I have never seen anything quite like you before, at any rate." She also nods politely to Claudio, a light glint highlighting the crystalline "horn" embedded in her forehead.
Claudio chuckles, catching it quite easily as he begins playing with it. His laugh becomes childlike and almost innocent as he enjoys playing with the wooden toy. "This is just the cutest thing ever~."
Mia: The toy was on closer examination, more metal than wood, with little springs in it to make it jump up. "In any case, Mia. I may be somewhat unique, but everyone is, in their own way"
Fleuret nods softly. "I know that well, to be sure. My name is Fleuret."
Claudio would watch, placing the toy back down gently and taking his hood off. He smiled at the two, smelling of ale but also something else that was slightly sweeter. He cares about his appearance, after all. "And who might you two be?"
Mia: "Ah. I already said it! Mia" She puts out a paw "Nice to meet you too, Mr Mysterious Hooded fellow"
Fleuret giggles, as she turns to the stranger as well. "Just a local enchanter and trinketsmith, no one special."
Claudio would extend his own paw to shake theirs, smiling softly at them. "Nice to meet you both. And sorry, I enjoy the formalities."
Fleuret shakes the offered paw. "What ought we call you, then?"
Claudio: "Claudio is my name. Though, I don't mind nicknames like Claud." He winked at them, placing his 5th drink down to give the two his full attention.
Mia: "Claudio eh? We can see if we get to Claud. It could happen quickly though, I just don't want to rush"
Fleuret nods. "Alright, Claudio. I must admit that I tend towards formality in most cases."
Claudio nods again, smiling at the two before him. "Good to know we share that in common then. And yes, let's see where this takes us. Could I interest you two in a drink? My treat."
Mia: "Oh, I don't really..drink alcohol. Messes with the internals"
Fleuret raises her wine. "I have a drink already, but the offer is appreciated."
Mia: "I can drink water though! We're still drinking together, right?"
Claudio: "That's fine. Well, cheers to new connections, eh?" He raises his tankard, smiling as he lets out yet another yawn.
Fleuret smiles, settling in with potential new friends to relax for an evening.
Mia: "Indeed!" She raises her glass back
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PLUME'S APARTMENT - EVENING
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Narrator: The good doctor isn't one to be late for anything, and yet here it is, 15 minutes after the time of the dinner reservation and they're still not even dressed. Instead, they just stand in front of the full length mirror, examing their own reflection in minute detail.
Nesseth comes walking into the bedroom of Plume's apartment, just about finishing buttoning up the front of his outfit for their date for the night. He spots Plume standing in front of the mirror and, without saying a word, goes to move behind them to give them a warm hug around the waist. "Hey, you... you've been standing there for a little bit. Something on your mind?"
Plume flutters their wings and half melts into the hug, their eyes squeezing shut. "Mmm. A lot actually. I don't think..." they pause. "I just..." they trail off again. Finally they pull away from Nesseth and just stand before him. "Love, when you look at me, my body? What do you see? And I mean physically... our relationship aside."
Nesseth hums quietly as he just rests his chin on Plume's shoulder, knowing that they could very much need the contact after they'd spent the last year almost completely checked-out and just going through the motions. He takes some time to examine Plume in the mirror, his eyes wandering all over to take in as much as he can. "What do I see? I see... hm..." He trails off, then tilts his head as his eyes meet Plume's in the mirror, "Are we talking objective or subjective, dear?"
Plume turns too kiss their lover on the cheek before moving down to preen at his frill. "Both dear. Just be honest with me."
Nesseth hums against, his frill wiggling slightly at the gentle preening. "Well, you know to me you're always one of the most beautiful people I know, but I'm also aware that I'm very much biased in that regard." He smiles a bit and turns his head to give Plume a soft kiss in turn, "But objectively...? Androgyny. I still remember you asking me if I thought you were a man or a woman when we first started dating."
Plume nods. "Exactly." They gaze at themself in the mirror, frowning. "I look... like a doll. Featureless and smooth..."
Nesseth lets out a quiet breath through his nose, the puff of air tickling against the feathers on Plume's neck. "You're not featureless, dear, it's just hidden." He gives them a little squeeze, "And hardly smooth, too. Though I suppose that might be only because I know you so well."
Plume enjoys the erotic touching, squirming against their lover's hands. "Yes, love, you're biased..." They're still just staring at themselves. "I've spent this last year just... being inside my own head. It's so easy to go there when there's too much going on." They finally turn away from the mirror to look Nesseth in the eyes. "I feel like I've come out of my head now, but when I look at myself in the mirror it makes it harder to stay out when I look like a blank slate." They pull away from Nesseth and move to sit on the bed. "And now I'm making us late for dinner..."
Nesseth lets Plume slip out of his arms as they go to sit on the bed, and he turns to watch them with a soft, if somewhat sad expression. He waits for a moment or two, then moves to sit beside his lover. "Dinner can always wait, dear. You're more important to me than a plate of food, you know, so we'll talk all we need to." He sighs and nods as he slides an arm around Plume again, just gently holding them close against his side, "We were all worried about you this past year. Me, Vix and Erika... so I'm glad to see you coming back from all of that."
Plume hugs Nesseth back and sighs a bit. "I... well I'm not fine, but I think I'll get better, as long as I try. I just need to keep pushing myself, find ways to become who I want to see in that mirror." She looks him in the eyes. "I don't want to see that blank doll anymore. I want to be more than that."
Nesseth hums quietly and just gives Plume some warm snuggles for a few seconds, before he speaks up to continue the conversation. "Well... you said you were kind of a blank slate. That just means... you can change how you look however you like." He gives Plume a curious look, "...I'm curious, though... what do you want to look like?"
Plume smiles at that thought. "Tabula rasa, yes... I just need to find a way... maybe some of Erika's strange plants?" It's clear that their brain is now spinning up ideas, possibilities, the seeds of plans. It's certainly better than just bemoaning their current reality. "I don't know exactly... I just know that I want to see more..." They turn their head and look at the wardrobe again. "Love... would you pick out something for me to wear tonight?"
Nesseth spends a moment or two nuzzling against Plume's neck feathers before he nods and stands up, though not without giving them a soft kiss on the side of the beak. "Of course, dear. How are you generally feeling tonight for clothing? Handsome? Pretty?" He pauses, only to smirk and wink at Plume as he carefully looks through their wardrobe, "Stunning as always?"