Two Birds and a Story
Log Info
- Title: Two Birds and a Story
- Emitter: Slixvah
- Place: TarRaCe Bathhouse
- Summary: Slix and Reithak have a chat in the TarRaCe baths.
- The TarRaCe Bathhouse, Early Evening
With the recent oncoming of summer and humidity, the bathhouse isn't one that is frequented too often, save to be rid of unsavory dirt and grime from daily life. Double so since the weather outside is damp and grey.
Currently, it is sparsely populated. The men's and women's sections harboring their own clientele, but the center pool with few patrons is all but aggressively joined by a rather drab looking egalrin woman. A runt by her culture's standards, and quite skinny. But she was more wing than woman, it seemed, especially since she was bereft of her usual rainbow and multihued garb and feathers, save for a singular pair of modest cerulean bathing trunks.
She falls into the waters with a splash face first, groaning in blurbles before flipping over and spreading her wings out to get them soaked. "Ugh. That was prolly th' grossest job ever..."
Reithak had rather enjoyed her time at the colosseum, but one thing was for certain, it left one rather dusty, especially from the work being done preparing the area for whatever event was next. Seeking some respite, the egalrin decided it would be best to wash off nearby.
On their way to one side of the baths with a towel held over one hand, the well dressed egalrin peers down into the water. "Everything alright there, Slix?" They ask curiously. "What's got you sounding so bothered?"
Slixvah rubs her face into the warm waters briefly, only to perk up at hearing her name. She blinks, stretches out, and acts nonchalant as she floats on her side. "Oh! Heya Rei-Rei-"
It doesn't last long. "Blblblbgrhh!" Flap! Flap! She surfaces, cackling as she looks more like a damp chicken than anything resplendent. Getting herself under control, her laughing dies down to a sighing chuckle. "Oh you know, doin' guild jobs, gettin' locked into a manor ta play sick games wit' lots of blood getting everywhere, eventually finding messed up golems in the end," she explains, rubbing her face. "Korites talk 'bout a blood bath, but trus' me, they ain't fun."
Reithak can't help but laugh loudly at the attempted and partially complete greeting, and the large egalrin is wiping at her eyes when Slixvah resurfaces. "Not lacking for confidence at the very least." Reithak sighs once she's got herself back under control. Slixvah's further explanation certainly helps. "You got locked in a bloody manor? That already sounds awful, Slix, but at least you're safe." Reithak responds, sounding more than a bit concerned. "You wait here a moment, and I'll be right back, and you can unload all your frustrations and musings on me, alright?"
"Of course not! Wha' kinda gal you take me fo'?" Slixvah grins, splaying her wings out behind her as she leans back in the waters, floating closer to Reithak. A small huff escapes her. "Yeah. Was pretty terrible, ain't gonna lie."
She nods, giving a little wave of a wing. "Aight sugar, I'll be right here, waitin' for ya~" she sing songs.
"Tough question, that one." The large egalrin hums, resting one hand under her beak in mock thought. "A confident one, like I just said, cute one maybe, and certainly one who looks like they could use someone to listen to them." They rattle off. "I'm sorry you went through that, I won't keep you long." Reithak waves away, turning for one of the changing booths, and exiting after a while in a dark blue swimsuit. "Alright, clear the landing area!" They exclaim before diving in headfirst, resurfacing after another moment near Slixvah.
"There ain't no maybe 'bout tha' cute," Slix fires back, her giggling to herself, but she just gives a slight nod of agreement about probably needing someone to listen to them.
She gets lost in her own head as she waits for Reithak's return, but the tall egalrin's warning gets her to look back. She blinks, face floofing up a bit before realizing she needs to get out of the splash zone! The runt scrabbles out of the way, only to get hit with a wave of water.
She sputters and laughs, shaking her head off before grinning up at Reithak. "Well hello there," she hums warmly. There's a moment where she ponders before gliding forward towards Reithak. "Yeeah. So... some sick elf thought'd it be funny to get a lacky to hire some adventurers and put 'em through some sick puzzle wit' a lot of blood. They's was using divinations to watch us go through it the entire time," she starts to explain, leaning against Rei.
Reithak wipes off their face for a moment, before they turn to Slixvah. "Hello, Slixvah, good to see ya!" The large egalrin laughs, before settling in to listen, one arm around the witch as she leaned against her. "That's, sick seems like a good word for something like that." Reithak sighs. "And they were watching you the whole time? How'd you figure that out?"
Slixvah settles in, one wing wrapping around Reithak as she closes her eyes. Letting the taller, stronger egalrin keep her aloft in the waters. She reaches up, tapping the side of her own skull. "I kno' some mojo ta see things that are meant ta be unseen. I saw theys scryin' sensor. Was hard as heck, but I unwove th' magic. And again, the second time when he was watchin' I uh, put a barrel over it," she snickers, shaking her head.
She lets her legs float up to the surface, her just floating. "They didn't get ta watch long, I made sure of it. But it's just.. Rei, after we'd complete a piece of the puzzle, somethin' would blow up and/or explode in a spray of blood. It was just..." She shudders. "Ugh..."
"A way to see invisible objects? Sounds real handy to have, last thing you want to do is get caught off guard." Reithak notes before chuckling loudly. "I bet they weren't expecting to have their magic thwarted like that. If it works, it works, right?"
The chuckle died down again, and the large egalrin gave Slixvah a sympathetic look, hugging the witch. "I don't want to think how they sorted something like that out, sounds like they wanted to mess with you, so best thing you can do is work past it and not give them the satisfaction, right?" They suggest. "You and everyone you went with alright? How are they holding up?"
Slixvah bobs her head slowly. "Yeah, they wasn't expectin' it. They was prett' sour that I thwarted their... research? Kinda why I keep those things at th' ready so I can unmake th' bad."
She relaxes in the hug, a hand resting on Reithak's arm. "I don' wanna think 'bout it either. Tha's what I'm thinkin'. Wanted ta maybe study our reaction or somethin'. Regardless, felt real good ta screw wit' em."
She looks up to Reithak. "Everyone's alright physically. Patched up any boo-boos left over. I think theys a hardened group, so I doubt they'd have too many lastin' effects. Still. Gotta go check up on em. How you been? What'chu been up to?"
"Proper preparation is key to any job, especially if it goes bad, right?" Reithak hums, bobbing a bit in the water with the extra weight of the witchand paddling with their feet to stay afloat. Reithak looks down, and nods, smiling with their eyes. "That's good to hear, I was worried someone may have got seriously harmed by someone like that. I don't agree all the time, but for someone like that, they deserve to have all their plans go south."
"As for myself? Well, I've not been up to too much at the moment, just sort of getting used to the city, still. Some weird business in the forests near the city with an old Elunan temple, but we're managing for the time being. Got my ribs cracked pretty bad the first time, but they're healed up and investigations are going well, only thing is they're kind of restricted by the phases of the moon, so it's taking some time between expeditions."
"Mhmm," Slix hums, sending Reithak a wink. "Shame they showed me their face. Real shame I can show that face to many, many authorities." The witch does has a reputation of having many guises. "I'm jus' glad I'm flexible enough fo' mos' stuff. /Except/ fo' extended physical labor. I uh, heh, ain't that hearty." She is a skinny runt, after all.
The runt listens to Reithak, a brow quirking from such news. "At least yous and I got the benefit of time. Lemme guess... Elunan temple, weird forest stuff, phases of the moon. Lookin' inta weird and unstable magics are ya?"
"Mind like a steel trap, maybe more like adamantine, yeah?" Reithak chuckles. "I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of it, and they'll see justice."
The large egalrin raises one brow, and winks back to the witch. "Real flexible, huh? Always a good thing. You ever need someone to do physical labor, just hit me up, and I'll get it sorted. Gotta play to our strengths and all that."
"Yeah, I'm not worried about the time yet, at least, as long as it isn't immediately pressing. Yes and no. Seems like something really messed up the felwood near here, hence the name. The spires in question are well, they're from before it was the felwood. No one knows what happened to them, but something went wrong. That's what we're figuring out, what's causing that corruption, and how we can fix it."
Slixvah can't help but laugh. "Something like that. Best weapon I got is my mind, but ya already knew tha'. But ye, they'll get ta justice." The witch tilts her head to the side. "Hit ya up fo' physical labor? Hrmm... that sounds like a right fine show. Oh. Did I say that out loud?" she teases, eyes squinting in a cheeky grin.
She rubs the underside of her beak in thought. "Interestin'... I wonda how it connects ta all th' stuff I did research on. I'd love ta get m'talons in on tha'. Weird magics is my fav. Speakin' of..."
She looks up at Rei. "You said somethin' 'bout a lil' bit o' divine guidance. You know a lil' mojo too?" she inquires. Mind like a steel trap. Or, adamantine. Doesn't seem like anything gets by her.
"Mm? I don't normally make a show of physical labor, though." The Egalrin considers, thinking for a moment and sticking their tongue out of a side of their beak. The inquisitor flexes their arm around the witch, underneath the sodden feathers was a not insignificant amount of muscle. "I'd make an exception for a cutie like you, though!." She teases back, before chuckling quietly.
"Bet there's all sorts of interesting magic here for you, Slix. Thought I was listening to you, though?" The large egalrin wonders, before laughing again. "Yeah, just a bit, enough to get by. Learned a lot in my travels, and while I didn't think settling down as a priest of the cloth was my cup of tea, doesn't mean I don't appreciate everything the gods do. Bit of healing, bit of divine guidance, those sorts of things, nothing like what you could do no doubt."
Slixvah giggles as she is wrapped up in an arm. "I would totally like such an exception," she hums, letting her legs float to the top of the warm waters. She nestles into the hold, keeping herself there.
She bobs her head, looking up and snickering. "I mean, yeah, but listenin' goes two ways," she says. A brow quirks. "Ain't one of the cloth, but a little bit of divine guidance..." she hums, opting to run a hand across the sodden arm around her in thought. "I mean, in a rough way I sorta do tha'. Ain't divine tho', bu' one could argue it's from a dead god. I ain't much of a priestess, but I reckon a bit of reverence ain't hurt no one. Besides, what I do and what you prolly do ain't reall' comparable. They different tools."
She closes her eyes in thought. Seemingly trying to come to a conclusion from extrapolation.
"It's an exception for the exceptional isn't it?" Reithak laughs, pulling the witch up and into her lap as they nestle closer. "Fair enough, not like I'm unhappy to talk to you 'bout myself anyways Slix, if that's what you want."
"I dunno, seem pretty divine to me." The inquisitor teases, before chuckling again. "But I get what you mean. Something to do with the fall of animus, right? That's what I've gotten from my travels, at the very least. Sometimes it hurts people, but I think the good outweighs the ill, and that's only in real weird cases."
"You're right, no sense comparing the two." The egalrin nods.
Slixvah opens her eyes. "Well, I fo' one ain't gonna compl- oh!" The runt is relocated. Her face feathers floof up. "We'll ain't you a flatterer. You think ya smooth moves and words is workin'?" She looks up, grins with her eyes. "'cause it is."
She bobs her head. "Mhmm. Fall of Animus made some wonkiness, aspects of reality made manifest. I gots a little bit of that. It can hurt, but sometimes ya got hurt things ta make it heal."
She hums in thought, resting her head against Reithak's shoulder. "Hmmm. You are a wily woman. I like that."
The large egalrin looks down, and hums a happy tune, wrapping her other arm around the witch in a hug. "Well, I'd say something is, takes a lot to get floofed up like that when you're completely drenched." Reithak giggles. "It's cute, makes me want to give you a big old hug."
"Sounds like some real interesting stuff, I can't say I know much about warping reality." Reithak muses as she leans back against a wall of the pool. "I get it, sometimes the right option isn't always easy, but you're a smart one Slix, and I'd trust your judgement."
Reithak looks down, smiling back in the way an egalrin might, ruffling the back of Slixvah's head. "I dunno, I like to think that I'm pretty honest, but I'm glad you like something about me." The egalrin laughs.
Slixvah has no qualms about that embrace. "I am fully willing to be subject ta big ol' hugs," she preens, positively relaxed. She keeps her spot, opting to stay in the living chair. "I mean, all magic is warpin' of reality, jus' in different ways," she coos, pointing that aspect of magic out. "And sometimes that reality gets ta hard, but correct, options. But I appreciate ya judgement, I do try my best ta give what I do a betta name."
The ruffling gets a low trill to leave the runt. "Oh, that is positively wonderful," she murmurs, closing her eyes. "Honest is admittance of truth, and ya have been very truthful, but ya say I'm smart. I can tell there's shades and colors missin'. Bu' tha's half the fun, figurin' that out."
A comfortable beat of silence. "... so, Rei-Rei. You think I'm cute, I think you're cute," she puts out there to start. "I am none too shy at this sorta thing. I can see where this is goin'. 'cause I see it goin' wit' us at a date up in the mountains wit' a picnic lunch." She looks at Reithak, smiling, but also open. Vulnerable? No. Honest. "Tho'. Kno' this. I'm a bit less formal wit' all thi'. Jus' puttin' it out there tha' I ain't an exclusive person."
She shifts to look up at Reithak, a mildly sober look about her. "If ya cool wit' tha', then great. If not, that's cool too. I ain' peg ya ta be a jealous type, but I like ta be honest wit' people."
"Hugs are free, and I like giving them. Especially for you, since I think you could use more. I want you to know you're always welcome." Reithak hums happily. "Different ways, though. There's a difference between the arcane formulae of a wizard, the way a bard plucks on the weave, and a sorceror who just well, does it."
Reithak pauses, looking down to Slixvah, and her head tilts slightly to regard the smaller egalrin. "Ah, right. Well, there's more to a lot of things, don't want to go into too many specifics just yet, but know that I'm always open if you've got any questions." They answer. "But I'd rather save some things for more conversations later, you know?"
"A picnic date on a mountaintop? Sounds absolutely wonderful, Slixvah~" Reithak answers, pausing to give the witch another squeeze in the hug. "I'd like to know what you mean fully, just so it's clear, but I appreciate the honesty." Reithak adds, looking down at Slixvah. "But that's okay with me, Slix, just so you know. As long as I'm making you happy to be around, that's the important thing, and you aren't doing that sort of thing just because I'm boring you. Alright?"
"Excellent," Slixvah chirps. "And yeah, lotta different ways. Trust me, especially mine is very, very different." She glances up at Reithak, her bobbing her head. "Oh yeah naw I totally get it! Heck, I feel th' same 'bout keepin' some stuff fo' later conversations!"
She giggles in the hug as the idea is accepted, her letting her wings give the embrace back. "Great! We'll get the details sorted out later," she hums before shifting to turn around and look up at Reithak.
She blinks. "What? No, you ain't borin' me," she quickly and firmly shuts down. "I am happy bein' 'round ya. I jus' fully mean tha' I see other people too. If tha's okay wit' ya, then cool!" she grins. "I'm jus' a lil' bird wit' a lotta love ta give, ya kno'?"
"Well, different is good in a lot of ways. Would be a boring world if everyone slinging spells was the exact same, wouldn't it?" Reithak chuckles. "Glad you're alright with it, even though I don't think I could get tired of talkin to you regardless, or not saying anything at all."
The large egalrin nestles slightly into one of the wings with a low sounding hum. She looks back down, and shakes her head. "Didn't think you meant that, Slix, I'm just making sure things are clear, too. Any good relationship starts with proper communication and honesty." They answer, ruffling the witch's head again. "I don't think you're that kind of person, but I wouldn't want to be around just because someone wants to see new people, especially if they're already seeing others you know?"
"Now, you came here to clean up from some work, right?" The large egalrin notes. "Want some help cleaning out all those feathers?"
Slixvah bobs her head once. "On that, we can agree," she hums warmly before a wing shifts to help support Reithak. She watches the other woman, blinking before closing her eyes at the ruffle, a happy sort of sound escaping her. "Naw naw, I ain't th' kind of person ta jus' finds new people fo' th' sake of it. You're interestin'! I also know a lot of other intestin' folk! I like learnin' what makes people tick, ya know? Like I said, I got a lotta love ta give. Will we work out? We'll see!" she smiles warmly. The ease of the topic makes it apparent she's used to openly explaining this.
Her brows raise, beak opening slightly before shutting. She grins, shifting a bit to make a bit of space as she unfurls those large, gifted wings. "Oh please, dear Rei-Rei, I would most certainly appreciate it!" she happily coos.
-End Scene-