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RESPITE PARK - AFTERNOON
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Aelia finishes the current lap of the routine that Ninell requested from her while she is in his body, stopping besides the small path through the park to do some cool down stretches in the shade of a tree. 'She' isn't quite a 'her' at the moment, as she is currently in the reptilian/wolfish male body of a Sergal, one in rather good shape as well, currently outfitted in some loose exercise clothing. They reach for their canteen, taking a drink in the heat as they try to cool down.
Claudio: With a sly step, the folf steps in through the park gates. Studying the lay of the land, he would exhale with pure content. He was in nature again, and it felt good. He would notice the male not too far from him, pulling his hood back down so he wouldn't be thought of as a threat. He begun his walk around the park, yawning to himself while he took in the breathtaking surroundings.
Aelia takes another sip from Ninell's canteen carefully wiping the top before replacing the lid. She sees the fox-wolf hybrid walking along, and manages a rather dainty wave for such a masculine figure, only to stop and give a much more overextended wave, as if calling the figure over.
Claudio: He would look over curiously, smiling warmly and strolling over nonchalantly. For a stranger, he sure was confident in his steps. He waves shyly at the male, but still attempts to appear confident. He was a little nervous, mostly due to this being the first male he's interacted with the entire time he has been in Respite Falls. "Hello there. How is your afternoon going, Sir?"
Aelia stops waving his arm as the stranger turns towards them, "Err... shoot, I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just trying to be polite and wave hello... guess I got a little carried away?" He shrugs, "Err, no matter! I'm doing well! A bit too hot, but makes the shade much nicer."
Claudio: He giggles to himself mischievously, smiling at the male after he finished. He nodded to show his acknowledgement of the conversation before noticing he was drinking from a canteen, sensing no ice in the drink. "You're hot, huh? Well, I can help with that if you'd like. No pressure."
Aelia nods, "Got a bit of an excercise routine to go through, and the heat isn't helping. I've not been doing it for too long, so still getting used to a few things." He tilts his head, "You can help cool me off? How so?"
Claudio: He chuckles again, holding out both paws in a bowl-like form. He begins shaking them gently, and ice forms out of the palms of his paws. Small, perfect ice cubes that eventually fill the small paw bowl. Water drips from his paws though as it quickly begins to melt in the suns heat. "Here. For your drink."
Aelia blinks, "Oh! Magic?" He untwists the cap on the canteen again and presents it to the folf to place the ice into. "Thank you kindly, Sir! Ah, but how rude of me, I'm Ael-er... no, that's probably fine. I'm Aelia."
Claudio: His smile would remain, the cheerful reply of the male making his heart jump and his brain tingle with happiness. Pouring the ice into the drink, he shakes his paws after to rid the water from his paws. He stretches comfortably, placing his paws on his hips. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Claudio. Though Claud is fine, too. And you're quite welcome, but this weather does weaken me most of the time..."
Aelia takes back the canteen once it's filled, pushing the ice cold canteen against his head, "Ohhhhh that's nice... Good to meet you as well, Claud! I guess that does make sense, ice magic weakened by the heat and all? I'm afraid I don't have any magic knowledge at all."
Claudio: "It's no problem at all. But yeah... this weather makes me exhausted when I use my magic. I thought I'd be n-ice and help you out, heheheh!" He laughs to himself about his own joke, placing his paws in his cloak pockets. "So, what are you doing out here? Just getting your exercise for the day? Would you... like some company?"
Aelia shrugs, "Oh uh, sure? I was jogging, but I think I've just about wrapped that up for the day. I've been doing this routine for a couple hours now, but... it's about noon, yeah?"
Claudio: He nods in response, looking up at the sky in response. "It's about noon, yes. Even if we don't stay here, we can go elsewhere. I'm always happy to meet new people! And it's great to meet you. So, where would you want to go if you're finished here?"
Aelia pauses to conisder, having... not really thought out where to go after finishing Ninell's exercise routine. "Well... maybe through the market for some food, but otherwise I was probably just going to go over to my studio...? If you want to walk along the way?"
Claudio: "Wow, a handsome male asking me to accompany him? Why, I'd be more than happy to! Lead the way, I'll be right beside you." He bowed to show respect, clearly a cultural difference between the two if the male did not pick up on it. He smiled again, clearly full of smiles today despite being drained from the sun's heat.
Aelia blinks, slightly flustered by what she clearly recognizes as flirting, "Oh! Oh um, I don't mind the company, or making a new friend and all, but I wouldn't want to mislead you... I am... not exactly what I seem? It um, is complicated."
Claudio: "Let's talk about it over our walk, hm? If you'd care to, that is." He awaited their movement to follow, placing one foot in front of the other as he was prepared to leave and listen to what ails them.
Aelia nods, motioning back along the path of the park, heading back towards town and towards the marketplace, "Ahh, well um... gosh, it's a long story... but you're familiar with magic, so, I guess it's not too crazy? But, basically, this um, isn't exactly my body..." He cringes a little, awaiting the response.
Claudio: He would stroke his chin slowly, thinking to himself while he is given the rundown of what's going on. With a slight smile, he turns to the male while they walk. He gives a very unphased response, alarmingly so. "So just a body swap then, hm? Interesting. I'm afraid I'm not too adept in the ways of body swapping, my magic lies in what you have already seen. How did this happen?"
Aelia slumps slightly, "Oh, uh, well, Ninell and I, uh this is Ninell, his body anyways. We were trying another spell ritual, which we thought would do... something else. But we ended up swapped somehow? We have a mutual friend who is trying to figure out what happened for us. She's the one who cast the magic on us. So we've just got to wait for her to figure things out and we'll be fine."
Claudio: "Hmm... what a conundrum... Well, let's hope you figure it out soon then, hm? You have my support wherever I can." He would continue to walk with them, thinking in depth to himself. He was clearly deep in thought, seemingly lost as well.
Aelia smiles as they walk, "I appreciate that, it's offering a lot to someone you just met. It's been an experience, that's for sure." He tilts his head at Claud as they walk, giving him a moment to collect himself before he interjects again, "Is um... everything okay?"
Claudio: He would shake his head lightly, trying to shake of whatever malady he had given himself. He returned with a smile, be it forced beyond belief that not even the worlds biggest fool would believe it was genuine. He hid in his cloak a little, keeping the phony smile. "Yes, I am alright. Thanks for your concern. So, do you know a nice place to eat here then?"
Aelia is trained for stage, and knows a fake smile when she sees it... she also is wise enough not to pry if Claud isn't interested in sharing, instead just nodding and turning her head back to the road, "A few, depending on what you want. Lots of folks have made Respite their home from all over, so we've got a lot of different flavors of restaurant. I've started to get a taste for some Orelan cuisine, but there's some good Sarn food too. Though, I really aren't quite sure What to eat right now, so I've been sticking to some of the local fruit from the market."
Claudio: "I see... I'm happy with whatever you would like to eat, personally. I'm not a fussy eater at all. Food is food!" He would keep his own eyes on the road, a stoic expression on his face which could not be shaken. His stomach was grumbling thinking about food, as he had not eaten in a few days. Having been shut in his home, he had hardly been out to eat.
Aelia leads into the market, approaching one of the stalls, talking to one of the vendors who clearly recognizes 'him', naming Ninell by name, which Aelia plays along with as best she can. He buys a half dozen apples, stepping back towards Claud and offering him one, "Least I can do for someone who cooled my drink and listened to my troubles. This body works up an appetite, and I'm not sure fruit is enough, but uh... still unsure about eating meat."
Claudio: He would give a more genuine smile, taking the apple gratefully. He shines it off his clock and takes a large chomp, half of the apple seemingly gone already. His eyes close, the crisp taste assaulting his tongue as he lets out an audible groan at said taste. "So... delicious... and honestly, meat isn't for everyone. But if so, I could totally murder a whole roast right now..."
Aelia laughs, sort of a half-giggle that turns into a deeper laugh, "Ninell eats meat, but I don't. I... or, Aelia... or um, the real me? Gosh this is hard to describe... I'm a deer, normally."
Claudio: "I see. Well, for comforts sake maybe it's not such a great idea to eat meat today. Are you a fan of bread and cheeses?" He would finish his apple in record time, still savouring the taste as it had basically been inhaled by the smaller male.
Aelia perks up, "Oh! I used to love a good charcuterie board back home! Or fondue! Been... awhile since I've had anything like that though. I think there's a place nearby that serves fondue dishes?"
Claudio: "You would know better than I where it would be. Why dont I treat us, then? I still have most of my money, so it should not be a bother at all." With a look of excitement in his eyes, he would almost bounce in place. His cloak fluttered in the breeze, exaggerated by his bouncing.
Aelia giggles again, most unbecoming of the rather masculine body, "Oh! I bet that'll be fun! We could even ask them to cut up the rest of the apples, on top of whatever we order? They'd probably do that! Let's go find out!"
Claudio: With new pep in his stride and a new companion to spend time with, he would await their lead and nod excitedly at their suggestion. With new company, and hopefully more on the horizon, it was looking like a promising future for the folf!
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ERIKA'S GARDEN - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Nesseth roots about under one of the bushes lining the central clearing of Erika's garden, his whole upper body obscured by greenery while he helps the okapi remove anything and everything that doesn't belong in a proper garden. He's dressed normally, which means that Erika's legs are looking a lot more covered than her normal attire. "Hey, Erika? There's a weird little vine sort of plant here, in the dirt. Is that a weed to pull out?"
Erika is standing next to Nesseth, the okapi wearing a longer dress than usual. She's not embarrassed, she's... okay, she's a little embarrassed, in a small kind of way. She hums: "Which vine? And probably not, I don't really do weeds. Every plant has a purpose."
Nesseth calls back. "It kind of has... like... serrated leaves, and little wiggly-looking offshoots. Should I just leave it be?"
Erika nods: "Yeah, leave it for now. I'll... hmm. Actually, can you get one of them off the ground in one piece? I could put it up somewhere better. Hold on a second, love." With that, she walks inside to her house, rummaging for a moment, leaving Nesseth alone for a few seconds.
Mirriam sheds her jacket as she wanders toward Erika's alley, holding both of her empty parcel bags in hand as she tries to cool down a bit. The shade of the garden or the pools of the falls are her usual two haunts on days like this, now, depending on which end of Respite Mirriam ends her route on. She doesn't bother announcing herself on the way in as she pushes a cool plant aside, hears two familiar voices. She pushes her way into the clearing, spotting a familiarly shaped rump hanging out of the bushes. With a mischievous giggle, Mirriam creeps up and gives the curvy okapi backside a playful swat. "Tryin' out trousers, cher? Ya make 'em look good!"
Nesseth jumps in surprise at the swat, his whole backside flailing about for a moment as he lets out a shocked yell. "W-woah!! Who--?" He pushes himself upright, his head popping up on the opposite end of the bush, "M-Mirriam?"
Erika peeks her head out of the back door upon hearing sounds of talking, but seeing who it is, is somewhat unsure how to approach this. For the moment, she says nothing.
Mirriam shouts in mirror, dropping one of her parcel bags and backing up a step. "Nesseth?! Where's yer tail!?"
Nesseth winces a little as he rubs at the spot Mirriam smacked, then slowly tries to extricate himself from under the bush with as few twigs and leaves stuck to him as possible. "Ow... it's kind of stuck on Erika right now."
Mirriam blinks, looking Nesseth up and down. "Uh... Ya care t'repeat that, cher? Erika ain't here'n your backside is bare. N'supple. Also yer curves're all wrong." She's taking this well. "Th'heck'd ya do this time?" Perfectly well.
Erika steps down the porch steps, clearing her throat: "Ah uh... hi, Mirriam." From under her dress, a perfectly lizardine tail swishes into view.
Nesseth sighs a bit as he stands up, showing himself to be his normal, lizard-y self from the tip top of his head down to about his waist, where his shape turns distinctly okapi in form under the clothing. "Uh... we kind of ate a fruit that we found here in the garden. No weird plants from Mean Peak involved this time."
Mirriam glances toward Erika's sound, immediately spotting the tail swishing, then back to Nesseth. "Well uh... I'mma be honest with ya both, I need a moment." She turns about, taking a few steps toward a stump and sitting down, looking between the two.
Nesseth nods at Mirriam, then awkwardly glances towards Erika as he remains in place. "Uh... yeah, take the time you need, Mirriam."
Erika winces as she steps closer: "Sorry, Mir. Didn't exactly plan this." Suddenly she's very aware of her legs ending in lizard feet and claws, and her steps slow as she does.
Mirriam sighs as she gives them each a wide-eyed look over. "Okay well like... First, which fruit was it so I c'n avoid it? Secon'... Y'all alright? Like... Not hurtin' or anything, righ'?"
Erika glances around the foliage: "I only found the one fruit, so don't worry there." She refrains from mentioning that she saved the seeds. "A-and no, we're... far as we're able to tell, just fine. Swapped, transformed again, but... fine." She looks at Nesseth, giving a bit of a helpless smile.
Mirriam huffs a bit, crossing her arms, draping the jacket and her remaining parcel bag onto her lap. "Well... As long as yer not hurtin' and everythin' works uh... Alright." She sighs again, shaking her head a little. "Why's it like you two're magnets fer weird stuff? First ya turned into little critter versions of yerselves, and now ya flipped halves."
Nesseth nods at Erika's comment. "Yeah, we're not hurt or anything. It took some getting used to, but we're managing."
Erika sighs: "Well, insomuch that we're even used to it yet. But put it this way-" She spreads her arms: "At least I still have my hands! Compared to being on all fours and unable to even speak properly, this is so not worth worrying about."
Mirriam glances between them both again, shaking her head with a dry laugh. "I don' know how ya two can handle it. Y'all got some kinda frontier hardiness goin' on, fer sure."
Nesseth grins a bit. "Well, I mean... I am a former member of the Explorers Guild out of Orela, Mirriam, remember? Frontier hardiness comes naturally!"
Erika gives a soft laugh, with just a bit of a nervous edge to it: "Yeah... it's not ideal, but I'm reasonably sure one fruit doesn't have enough magic in it for this to last long. So... just deal with it in the meantime, you know?"
Nesseth sighs as his grin fades. "...You know, speaking of magic... why do I get a sense that a lot of the stuff we find in here is due to Melia's magic? She did spend a while growing every bit of plant life out."
Erika shrugs: "It would explain the random singular fruit and whatnot. I swear, that elemental is crazy."
Mirriam blinks, looking to Nesseth. "Melia? Oh, tha' pretty ghost-lady? I met her before, tried ta help her buy clothin'."
Nesseth nods. "Yeah, that elemental that was here for a while. She occupied Erika's garden for a good while at first."
Mirriam leaves her jacket and parcel bag on her lap, crossing her arms as she relaxes slowly. "Well okay, so why not get her t'come and like... Exercise her weird magic from the garden?"
Erika sighs and leans on a tree: "Yeah... she's weird. Don't know where she's off to now, but if it leaves my garden un-encouraged, works for me." She shakes her head. "Anyway. There is... another thing, Mir."
Mirriam turns to Erika, tilting her head a bit. "Another thing. C'mon, cher, I was just gettin' relaxed now ya got me worryin' again."
Erika frowns: "Yeah I know. But since it's gonna come up anyway." She motions at Nesseth: "We've swapped lower halves, but also... well, that includes this." She blushes fiercely as she lifts her skirt, showing off her usual loincloth... and a rather unusual bulge under it.
Mirriam blinks, blushing a bit as she sees the familiar bulge. "Uh... Oh. Well I m-mean yeah, of course that'd go 'long with that. So that means-" She turns to Nesseth. "-I get why yer wearin' pants, cher."
Nesseth blushes a little under his scales and chuckles quietly in embarrassment. "Ah... yeah. It was a pretty complete change below the waist for both of us."
Erika lets her skirt back down, blushing: "Y-yeah... it's definitely weird." Again with that voice that's telling her she should be freaking out more. Again it is ignored. Instead, she smiles: "But well, we're fine. Kinda weirded out, but fine."
Mirriam ahhs, shaking her head a little. "Well I mean... Makes sense in wha'ever way it is it makes sense, right? Does ah... Everythin'... Work?"
Erika nods, her blush not exactly vanishing: "Woke up this morning with..." She gestures with her hand: "...this thing going all excited. I mean, seen it before but not attached to me..."
Mirriam can't quite stifle her giggle, nodding at Erika. "I mean, yeah. It does tha', doesn' it?" She casts a wry grin at Nesseth. "Guess it's not jus' you ta blame fer it after all."
Nesseth clears his throat a bit, similarly looking embarrassed. "Uh... yeah, things work. We, uh... yeah, we checked this morning." He shoots a bit of a smirk back at Mirriam, "I mean... probably not?"
Mirriam blinks at Nesseth, then shakes her head. "I mean, can' blame ya I s'pose."
Erika shrugs with a grin: "Blame whoever, I guess. And yeah, stuff um... works. We got curious."
Nesseth shrugs in turn. "We're like this for a little while more, so... why not, right? Might as well just figure out the new parts while we've got them, now that we know we're okay, otherwise."
Mirriam looks between the two again, leaning back and supporting herself on the stump with one arm. "Interstin'. So when were y'all gonna tell the rest of us?" She clears her throat after a moment. "An' y'know... Include us?"
Erika tilts her head: "Err... well, it happened last night. Didn't yet really have a chance to... you know."
Nesseth nods. "Yeah... we only just changed like... less than a day ago, I think? Didn't really get a chance to go out and tell folks yet." He gestures at Mirriam, "But, well... now you know."
Mirriam laughs quietly, giving Nesseth a grin. "You think? Ya lost track'f time, cher?"
Erika giggles: "Give us a break, Mir. We're trying our hardest to not freak out."
Nesseth shakes his head a bit with a chuckle. "Hey, we only discovered the change yesterday evening, and we just went straight to bed since we fell asleep out here at first. I can't remember when exactly we dozed off."
Mirriam sighs, looking about the garden. "Sure, I get ya. I s'pose y'all are jus' gonna try an' see if waiting it out lets ya change back to yerselfs, then?"
Erika shrugs: "Kinda. Seems to work that way with a lot of the fruits and berries - the effect is intense, but short." She pauses, humming: "If not, I have the seeds to work out a cure from."
Mirriam looks to Erika. "Oh? Is uh... That all ya plan on doin' with those seeds, cher?"
Erika looks to Mirriam: "Grow 'em, probably. Now that I know what kind of fruit it is."
Nesseth nods and leans against one of the trees, only to slip slightly from how his current hooves don't quite grip the grass quite as effectively as his normal feet do. "Yeah, the effect is short, so it'll probably wear off soon enough. Wouldn't be the first time the seeds helped fix an issue, though."
Mirriam blinks as Nesseth nearly falls down, laughing a bit. "I don' know what ya plan on doin' with the fruits when it grows, Erika, jus' don' feed any t'me, kay?" She grins at Nesseth. "Ya need somewhere soft ta sit, cher? Leanin' don't seem t'be yer strong suit."
Nesseth clambers back upright from his awkward position partway down the side of the tree, having caught himself from actually falling over at least. He sighs and dusts his hands off as he straightens up. "Wouldn't say no to a place to sit. We've been tending the garden all morning through the day." He chuckles, "And I think Erika just means that she can grow them for a cure if this doesn't wear off."
Erika shrugs: "I'm curious, and want to see if there's anything else they can be used for." She smiles: "Don't worry though, won't be spreading any of those around even if I manage to make it grow."
Mirriam nods as she stands up from the stump and stretches a bit. "Well, I don' know what ya could use 'em for, but yer the plant science lady, not me."
Nesseth blinks at Mirriam standing up, then shakes his head. "Oh, uh, I didn't mean you needed to move, Mir. Might even just opt to..." He moves forward onto a more comfortable spot of grass and plops himself down with a sigh, "There we go. Anyway, can't say I'd know what to do with them, either."
Erika gives a nervous giggle: "I'm sorry about my hips, Nesseth. They do look a bit off on you."
Nesseth chuckles a bit as he sticks a leg out to look at it. "I'm not complaining, really. You're just as fit as I am, it feels like, so it's not too big a change."
Mirriam laughs, looking from one to the other. "Yeah, differen' shape, but you two're prolly 'round the same fitness." She slaps her thigh, winking at Erika. "Now if y'were stuck with my legs, ya might have somethin t'get used to."
Erika giggles: "True, very true. Let's hope we don't have to find out..." The three continue talking about the general weirdness of this situation, until eventually making their way to an impromptu dinner date after Mirriam manages to persuade Nesseth and Erika to leave the garden and show up in public.