Strongestestest Warrior

Log Info

• Title: Strongestestest Warrior
• Emitter: Slixvah
• Characters: Slixvah, Aelwyn, Robert, Mikilos
• Place: Lower Gardens
• Time: July 26th, 2022
• Summary: Slix is in the infamous gazebo, feeding elixirs to her familiar of varying question Aelwyn sees what's going on, joined shortly by Robert and two of his grandkids. Introductions are passed around, with everyone making sure that Wodeleah was indeed the strongestestest warrior of the Trnmwrrrr. They all depart just as Mikilos floats in. Slix and him talk some magic theory and some history before the egalrin notes that she should depart before things get too... lucky.

Lower Gardens, Midday

In the gardens, the pale grey and misty outlook is mostly warded, even the warm humidity that seeps into everything is thwarted mostly. Ergo, its a populous place.

Mostly.

One egalrin woman is sitting in a gazebo, cross legged on the floor with a white plumed thrush plopped down across from her. There's various vials around her, some half empty, the rest corked. And the one she has in hand is a brackish black.

"This one again?" the little bird chirps.

"It's a precaution, baby doll," Slixvah hums. Her wing spars shift some, the veritable rainbow of dozens upon dozens of ribbons fluttering faintly with the motion.

"Can we not do another?"

"Hon, you said that for the past three. The sooner we get this one dealt with, the better."

The warm and humid weather never seems to leave the city alone for long. At least that's how it feels to the certain ruddy Dragoon. If he had been from the Am'shere, maybe he would have found it homely. Now the sith-makar was just enjoying the warmth as he meanders along the gardens; large leather satchel over his shoulder, his spear on the other.

It didn't take too long for the sith-makar to notice the Egalrins from afar, even with all the people roaming around. The red ribboned shifts direction above the crowd; and soon Aelwyn stands a respectable distance away, watching the scene play out with a curious tilt of his head.

The scene before him is Slixvah and her sometimes seen familiar.

The familiar give a languid sigh, which sounds like a deflating squeaky toy. "... fine. Let us get this over with."

Slix grins, corking the vial with a bird feeder drip to as she shakes it really hard. "I know its unpleasant, but we gotta balance out the weal with woe, Fiadh."

The familiar, Fiadh, closes their golden eyes. "I know. Things are unstable. Let us get this over with," they tweet before hopping forward and drinking from the feeder. They don't have much in the way of expression, but they're grimacing hard.

Aelwyn continues tilting his head. Slowly, his head rolls to tilt towards the other side. He was standing there staring enough that some other people were also stopping momentarily, looking to see what was so interesting - though perhaps fortunately for Slixvah, the Dragoon finally makes his way over towards her.

"Ribbon," Aelwyn greets with a bow of his head. "A rough drinking time?" He asks, with a questioning tilt of his head.

Slixvah somewhat startles as she hears someone approach, but she halts herself from jostling the vial too much while her familiar was halfway done with it.

Said familiar's eyes are dulling to a sickly green hue.

"Wuh- oh, heya Cutie," Slix chirps. "Yeah, you could say that." Another look over, and he's questioning. "... Slix uses magic in a roundabout way," she starts. "I learn shortcuts. Fiadh here teaches me other shortcuts. I feed them magic, and they points me in th' right direction. Fiadh hates this kind of magic I'm givin' 'em, but its' necessary."

The familiar finishes the vial, their wings splaying out to steady themselves as they stagger. The feathers on them wither slightly. Slix gives them a reassuring stroke on the back.

Aelwyn's slit pupils narrow slightly as he attempts to consider this. "She feeds magic?" The draconian finally asks. Yep, a completely clueless sith-makar about the world of magic and all the things beyond physical.

The Dragoon tilts his hip, hefting the heavy satchel on his shoulder a touch. It chimed pretty audibly. "She learns shortcuts? Shortcuts throughout the city?"

Slixvah bobs her head. "Yuppers. Use a magic scroll the right way, jam it into a concoction before it fizzles, and it imbues it's pure essence into a drink. Fiadh here glugs it, and can figure out how ta make it so I can replicate what the scroll does."

She looks up to him. "Simply put, Cutie: eat magic to learn magic. That's the shortcut."

Fiadh flops over and shudders. "It's okay baby..." she coos softly.

Aelwyn stares at the scene unfolding in front of him; then he considers the magic users he knows. The method Slixvah was describing explained plenty of things for him. Sliding closer with a slow step, he crouches down. "Will the little bird be fine?" He asks, setting down his satchel momentarily, then he suddenly turns to look towards the egalrin proper. "Just what kind of magic is Ribbon feeding the bird?"

Tiny, booted feet stomp rapidly along the cobbles and swish through the grass. "Missy Slix! Missy Slix!" A familiar yrchblood child in mixed dress approaches, calling out her charge with no mind for the peace of the garden. Her white sundress is juxtaposed by leather bracers, a wide braided leather belt, and sturdy traveling shoes. Wodeleah considers the stairs up into the gazeebo with her hands on her hips, her lower jaw and blunted tusks jutted out in thought. "Mmf!" she decides, forgoing the stairs and worming her way through the railing posts of the secluded awning with a few grunts of effort.

Bob isn't far behind, his long strides up-tempo to keep pace with the running grandchild. He holds another grandchild against his chest by the rump. The napping toddler with limp arms dangling shares more physical features in common with the red-skinned Cerenzan. The artificer lifts a hand in a wave as he draws closer, smiling and shaking his head in mild apology for Leah's boisterous nature.

"Hmmm--rrf," she turns her hips and finally stumbles through, catching herself against the egalrin's back. She ooohs and draws her short little fingers through the myriad of ribbons. "Hi," she offers Aelwyn as an after thought. "Whatcha doin', Missy Slix?"

Slixvah eyes Aelwyn. "Fiadh will be just fine, it just sucks for right now."

The little thrush shudders one more time before the life returns to them: feathers going back to their white plumage, and eyes going gold. "I... I got it..." they pant.

The egalrin inhales. "Well. To be honest, it's necrom-"

And like a switch, her expression goes chipper as she perks up, the ribboned wing spars flexing to tickle the little one. "-antics of children!" she pivots her words quickly. "Well /hellooooo/ there little cutie pie!" she coos. "What are ya and-" glance to spy Robert, a wave given over to him as she continues, "-Robby Bobby up ta today?"

Slixvah, knowing kids don't like to be ignored, adds, "Oh, just playin' with some silly potions, wanna know what this one does?" The bird woman holds up one that looks like a dense fog bottled into a tiny, tiny space.

Aelwyn's eyes fly wide as the egalrin just flat out gets attacked. The horned Dragoon straightens back up to his feet, tilting his head towards the kid. "Stranger." He greets, hauling the boxy looking leather satchel back over his shoulder. Robert gets a glance from him as well, and he bows his head at him whenever he gets closer. "Ribbon seems well-versed defending against the younglings," The Dragoon compliments with a bit of a tooth showing. "Friends of hers?"

"We went't to the armorerurer," Leah giggles, twisting and pulling her arms in close when the ribbons tickle. She gives a sniff and fixes her bracers, going back to running her fingers over the ribbons until the egalrin mentions potions. "Ooh! I'ma guess!" She takes hold of Slixvah's shoulder and crouches down next to her, leaning forward. "Iiiiiiiiit's to make you fly! No! It makes you big like Granda Bob!" She pops back up into a wide stance and holds her arms out wide. "Like this..!" she stretches.

"Give miss Slix some space, Leah," Bob croaks, his voice hoarse and scratchy. He smiles his hellos and gently rubs the back of his carried charge. "Muse' grace, friend. I'm Bob," he tells Aelwyn.

"Granpa Bob!" Leah adds, quitting her pose to consider Aelwyn more closely. "Of Grandpa Bob 'n missy Nemori 'n Golem Gracy's Smiffery." She tosses a thumb into her chest. "I'm Wodoleah and I'm getting armor!" She squints her black-on-black eyes at the sith-makar. "Who're you?"

Slivah laughs, her turning around some to give Leah an easy side hug and pat on the back. "Ooooh, those look reaaaaal nice on ya! Keep ya arms all safe!" she coos. Her brows raise up, another laugh leaves her, and she holds a finger up. "Almost had it!"

The finger boops Leah on the nose. "It's for flyin'! Sorta. If ya got wings, it makes 'em suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper strong!"

An aside for Aelwyn, her talking out of the side of her beak. "I got more brothers and sisters than I got fingers, used ta lil' 'uns."

Introductions are being made, and Slix supplements, gesturing out towards the ruddy scaled makari. "This here is Aelwyn. He's really good at dancin'. We like to exchange ribbons." The last bit shown with a pointed finger up to his beribboned horns.

Aelwyn bows his head towards Robert, and was about to introduce himself, before Leah gets very excited. Tilting his head at the young child, "Hmh? Rapier as well?" Then he gives a wide toothed grin towards Leah - it was somewhat unsettling, considering how it split up his lips and jaws upon his very blunted face. "Aelwyn, a Dragoon. Nests in peace, Woodleaf." The Dragoon squints at the small one and hops on one claw. "And what kind of armor would that be?"

The Dragoon then turns towards Robert and bows his head. "Peace of nest, Grandsmith. Ribbon is accurate. She has an admirable collection." He gestures towards the wings covered in ribbons. "Makes her very eyecatching." Grin.

"I had these!" Leah corrects Slixvah. Duh! "Theida Dacy sent me monies aaaaaaaaall the way from Sendor. So I'm getting a jerk." She grabs at the top part of her dress indicatively.

"Jerkin," Bob explains hoarsely. The big man settles against a post of the gazeebo, happy for the rest. "She didn't want a dress. Or paints."

"I -have- a dress," Leah puts on an air of Great Exasperation; they've had this conversation SO MANY TIMES! "And bampa has all the paints in the world already." She looks over at Slixvah and gesticulates in big circles: "(so many paints..!)"

She stomps away from Slixvah to look up at the sith-makar and then sticks out her hand. "Well met, Elwinna Dragoon!" She blinks up at him. "Were apposed to clasp wrists."

Slixvah snorts at Aelwyn, shaking her head. "Flatterer," she tuts before turning back to-

She smacks her forehead in dramatic indignation. "D'oh! Silly me for getting it all confusedy!"

A glance between grandpa Bobby and little Leah during their back and forth. She nods twice. "So many paints..." she whispers back conspiratorially.

As Leah was getting acquainted with the Dragoon, Slixvah rifles around in her many robes and pulls out a waterskin. "Want some wata', Robby?" she chirps.

In the other hand, her familiar scooped up and plopped into her lap. The potion is picked back up, corked with a bird feeder, and she feeds the normally sleepy thrush without looking.

Aelwyn nods his head down at her. "Jerkin is a fine choice-..." He begins and then tilts his head as the great conversation seems to begin again. "Aelwyn, it is Aelwyn, Woodleaf." He attempts to correct her and then stares at the offered wrist in a momentary confusion. Well, who is he to say no? He holds his hand out, fingers splayed, waiting for Leah to do the greeting. "Do not take the whole hand with her, they do not grow back." He rumbles.

"We did a panto last night," Bob smiles, and touches his throat. "I got a little carried away is all." And then he pats her ever-present hip-satchel; there's bound to be a waterskin or two in there. "Olo hadn't been before," he adds after clearing his throat, patting the dozzing toddlers back gently before giving it a rub.

"Ale. When." Wodoleah nods, reaching past Aelwyn's hand and trying to take hold of his wrist when her hand isn't quite large enough yet. Reinforcements are called in and she uses both hands before giving it a single enthusiastic shake. "Well--" she says on the down beat-- "Met!" as it comes up. "Now we are honored in Adom's eyes," she explains. This Is Important.

"Are you married?" Leah wonders, looking from the sith-makar to the egalrin. "Cuz the ribbons, I mean. I know you've got scales and you've got feathers but different's OK." She looks at her granda for confirmation and he just smiles. "Bampa is an artist 'n mama is the strongest warrior-- like me." She sniffs.

"We went on a boat today! On the Trnmwrrrr. Trrrrwrrrrr. Rrrrrmrrrmrrr." She's lost the word and now she's just having fun making noise.

"Sorry," Bob offers, unable to keep from having a little bit of a laugh at the manic energy of his granddaughter.

Slixvah makes a clicking sound in her throat of understanding as she recends her offer of water. The little bird in her lap finishes their own drink, their wings subtly growing in size for a moment before they shrink back to normal. They chirp something quietly. Slix pats them. "I see, I see. Sounds like it was a ton of fun."

She can't help but giggle at Leah's antics. And she rubs her neck. "Naw, ain't married, lil' Leah," she clears up. "We jus' like ribbons. 'Sides, lil Slix is a bit too young to settle down juuuuust yet."

She reaches over and pats her on the head. "You are the strongest-est-est-est warrior. Warrior of the Trrrrwrrrrr!" she chirps, copying Leah's voice and making the noise with her.

Seems like no sorry need be had.

"YUSS..!" Leah agrees with Slixvah, looking at her fully, drawing her elbows against her hips and making tiny little fists.

Close enough, Aelwyn decides, though with a sway of his tail and a grumpy rumble. "Well met and peace nest." He offers her a toothy grin, which fades into a tilt of his head when she just goes off and on again. Teeth showing again, he lets out a heartier hiss. "Not married, Woodleaf. How can one marry the wind and fire?" He throws a look over towards Slixvah, and then shakes his head. "This one should carry this satchel," He points at his chest. "Walk... run, ssh," The Dragoon attempts, then lets out a sigh. "Well, Woodleaf. Be well."

Ribboned head turning towards Robert, "May the sky bless him, Grandsmith." Then a grin towards Slixvah. "Be safe, Ribbon." And with that, he begins to walk away, tail swaying behind him. His step was just a little lighter though, as he shakes his head.

"Enjoy the day, Aelwyn," Bob offers, straining to catch the sith-makar before he's entirely out of earshot. He gives a little cough, after, and gives Slixvah an amused look. "... those poor sailors are going to have to hear about her new title the next time we take a ride," he chastises her mildly.

"Yes! Mister Strawberry and his big bushy face!" Leah puffs out her cheeks and puts a pointer finger under her nose. "Oh! And those sildimari kissing under the bridge. Bleeeech!" She sticks out a purple tongue and squints her eyes shut, leaning forward.

"Leah..." Bob calls, his tone shifting. The half-orc girl stops making a face and looks over at the big smith dubiously. "Granda wants a hug," he explains, kneelnig down and waving her over. Wodoleah turns to look at Slixvah, dubious, and then back at Bob.

There's a little hup as she hops and quickly runs over into the big man's arm. He leans in and kisses the top of her braided hair and rubs her back, cradling her close and standing back up.

"No!" She struggles a little. "No up-- aaawwwgh" her protests melt into a yawn as the fight quickly drains from her.

Slixvah laughs with Leah. "So strong!" she chirps with the little one's pose.

Her attention shifts to Aelwyn, sharing the look before making a chuffing sound (that the makari tend to do) and shaking her head. "Later Flutter!" she coos. "You too!"

The bird woman rubs her neck. "... sorry...!" she whispers to Robert before her attention shifts to Leah. She shrugs at her as the secret granda technique defuses the tyrant toddler's tenacity. Slix chuckles warmly. "Even greatest-est-est warriors need big nappies."

The egalrin moves on to the next potion, this one a cloudy, dull cyan. "Sounds like you've been real, real busy Robby," she intones, a breeze ruffling the ribbons on her featherless wings.

Mikilos desends from the heavens, bringing good tidings unto- oh wait, he's just landing from a bit of flying. Which might be impressive if you're not used to that sort of thing, but in a city of Adventurers, doesn't stand out too much. And for the record, the elf wears pants under his fluttering robe.

Landing, the wizard glances about, raising a hand in greeting to Bob, Slixvah, and company.

"It's fine," Bob answers Slixvah's apology, dismissing it with a shake of his head. "I was only teasing. She loves the attention; the baby at the house keep Codrin and Shuf plenty busy and Leah isn't quite big enough to help yet."

Leah, for her part, has snuggled in close and planted her cheek against Bob's shoulder. She's fighting to keep her eyes open but the lids are suddenly quite heavy. "Mmm-- big," she does manage to counter.

"The biggest," the Cerenzan agrees, tilting his head into hers. "The kids were a little jealous of the baby's nameday, so I thought it would be nice to spend a few days just the three of us.

"We're all having supper together tonight and then granda is off the hook." He hugs the pair close even as he relishes the idea of a break. "You're looking plenty busy yourself," he adds.

Upon Mikilos' arrival, the artificer turns and smiles a greeting. He doesn't have a hand free to wave.

Slixvah bobs her head along. "Wise of ya to do, and smart. I know my nest would get their feathers in a ruffle if even one soul got a second more of attention than the other. But! Almost off the hook soon! Though, it's more a comfy chair that creaks a lotthan a hook."

Miki descends. Slix gives an up nod. "Ah, it's Stick. What's good."

"That which benifits the most people without causeing harm. Why do you ask?" The wizard grins. "Seemed a good time to take a break and get some fresh air."

"Oh, of course," Bob agrees again. "I'll miss them as soon as they're back with Cod and Shuf-- well, maybe after a nap of my own." He clears his throat again and chuckles silently at Mikilos' turn of phrase. "But we should go get cleaned up. We'll need to stop by the market on the way over, too."

There's a careful hoisting of his precious cargo and he leans away from the gazeebo's beam. "Muse' grace," he wishes before he starts back on his way west.

Slixvah waves to Robert as he gets going. "Like I said, even warriors need nappies. Catch ya later, handsome. Good seeing y'all three."

Her attention shifts to Mikilos, her having corked another elixir with a bird feeder as the white thrush sips from it. "Smartass," she chuckles.

Looks like he caught a witch in the process of getting new magics. "Break from what?"

Mikilos shrugs. "It's that or dumbass, and as a wizard the choice is obvious. Anyway, break from daily work. Building comissions, general reseach, taking care of the shop, fending off the unknowable horrors from beyond the edges of reality, dusting."

Slixvah tuts as she finishes up giving this mixture to the little bird, their eyelids fluttering as they flop to one side. Slix just pats them as she raises a brow. "Oh? Dusting? You actually do that by hand?" she snipes. "Or do you let the horrors do that?"

Mikilos blinks in mock horror. "By hand? You think me some sort of mundane? And really it's not fair of me to call them horrors, we're just as strange to them, the majority are just curious. Wanting to know what sort of music we like, foods we eat, why we breathe..."

Slixvah continues the list, "... what we taste like, what it's like ta break a mind..." She chuckles. "Glad I don't deal with that stuff. Mostly focus on other things."

Mikilos winces and nods. "There are those ones, a few, again, merely curious, but the malicious ones are out there. Try to avoid them. It can be hard work, but most understand trade, so they answer questions as well. What's obvious to them can be unknowable to us."

Slixvah shakes her head. "And sometimes their curiosity exists outside the bounds of our own morality. What's curious to them kills us in droves."

"Trust me Stick, I know about these things. Don't do what I do without knowing something ya shouldn't."

Mikilos nods. "Fair enough. I suspect we deal with different circles, but sure is some overlap." He smiles. "Of course, knowing something you shouldn't can be fun, if is the right sort of thing."

Slixvah snaps a finger gun towards him. "Mhmm. That's where the fun can start if ya know the right thing. But sometimes the right thing has the wrong stuff with it, and it sure makes the right hella hard to justify."

The ribbons that have replaced her flight feathers on her wings rustle in the wind. "Yeah. Different circles, but the same in many respects."

Mikilos nods again. "I tend to work with what would be academics, those who want to learn for it's own sake. Not exclusively, of course, but the majority."

Slixvah points to herself. "I knows, I'm one of thems. But the academics like ta kick me out all the time because they don't like their fundamentals being challenged."

Mikilos frowns mildly. "I'm inclined to say those aren't real academics. Finding out a core concept is incomplete is a great oppertunity for learning new things, not a personal attack."

The little thrush in her lap has all but rolled upside down after the dull cyan mixture has been consumed. Slix gives a little sigh, and she gathers the last few elixirs remaining and shoves them into her robes. "Then the Arcanists' Society needs a real swift wake up kick in the understudy, 'cause every time I go there to learn more, I get kicked out for bitchin' about somethin' bein' wrong," she elucidates, slowly rising to her feet with the bird nestled in her arm upside down.

Mikilos snorts, and nods. "Over all the Society is pretty decent, but are certainly members running their own ideas of how the universe works... to be fair, a few are able to -make- the universe work the way they want, but are still jerks." He peers a moment, and inquires softly. "What's the little one's name? Have yet to catch it."

"I've ran into a couple that got they heads on straight, but a lot of the lower classes need a shake up," Slixvah agrees somewhat, turning her attention down towards the zonked out bird.

She gently brushes them with a hand, the thrush relaxing and falling deeper asleep. "... Fiadh," she intones. "Taught me everything I need ta know after I helped 'em out many, many moons ago."

She looks up to Mikilos. "They a sweet bab that jus' wants ta fix what Animus dropped in whatever lil' way they can. Sleeps all the time 'cause they so helpful helpin' me with my mojo."

She swaddles the familiar.

Mikilos frowns mildly and nods. "So much has changed in the past few years, far too late to change things back to the way they were. But maybe can at least make them better, fix some of the damage done by the Dark Bitch's power grab."

The familiar deeply inhales, then sighs out sleepily, "The wheel of fate is turning."

"The wheel of fate is turning," Slix echoes quietly, carefully folding the familiar's wings back up, righting them, and gently deposits Fiadh into one of the many, many robes on her pocket. "Meanin'," she continues. "Stuff can't go back. It can only go forward. And way too many folks lookin' back at once was, rather than what wilt. A broken pot can't be what it once was before, but it can be fixed to something new. Filled with gold and what have you."

Her eyes crinkle with a smile. "Then beat the shit out of the bitch with the new pot."

Mikilos snorts and smiles. "Good way to break the pot again, but might be worth it." He considers a moment. "A wheel turns, moves to a new place, but the wheel itself is back the way it was. Going back to the way some things were isn't back, it's trying to bring back everything, or the wrong things. Of course, not always easy to know which things are the wrong ones. Rune being a magic city? No problem. A focus of magic? Sure. In -charge- of magic? Never really were, and never should have tried to act like they were."

Slixvah nods along, humming quietly as her wings shift some. The ribbons sway in their multicolored rainbow spread. "And even the wheel turning back might have a turn or two in it that it misses. And now nothing is right. But forward, the tapestry flows ever forward. Unblemished? No. It's full of holes and frayed strings. But it's unexplored."

She shakes her head. "Rune... tch. Been there, done that. Cool place, but hates me waaaay more than that of the Society."

Her eyes shift towards a stray leaf floating her way, and it swishes in a loop between the rails in the gazebo.

Mikilos nods. "Feel sorta responsible for the place, going to war for it and all. Knocked down a few pegs when was almost sacked by Dran, but still has a pretty high opinion of itself." The elf considers and snorts. "Not sure what country I've done the most to help out. Was part of the war in Sendor, helped the new Dwarven King, tried to keep out of the civil war in Myrr, but not fully, have done a fair bit for Alexandros, and of course done what I can to aid Llyranost... includeing being an accessory to stealing the national treasure... might never live that down."

Slixvah blinks at the tall elf as he gets further in his explanation. "... Stick, gonna be real wit' ya, prolly should keep those last couple o' things to y'self," she mentions. "Loose beaks hit streets, and I already can't fly right now."

Another glance towards something else: a squirrel rattling a tree limb that causes it to drop an entire bushel of nuts at once from the weight.

She holds up a hand. "While I'd love ta sit and chat about the long life of our two kinds, I needs ta split. I'm causin' a bit of a disturbance in the tapestry. Catch ya later, Stick."

Her wing spars flare out, the rainbow of ribbons fluttering about as she gives a deep bow, and she steps aside to set off.

A wood plank breaks off the gazebo and crashes right into where she was standing.

Slix isn't fazed, and doesn't look back to see what nearly bonked her.

Mikilos shrugs, unconcered at being an international theif, and nods, eyeing the improbible events with mild curiousity. "...need to remeber to ask about that." Shrugging againg, the wizard picks up the broken plank, murmuring a quiet spell to fix it back in place.

-End Scene-