Surprise Visit (Nira)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

81st Day of Summer, 512 AV Tock was having a rough week. She had been spending more and more time down at the infirmary lately. Some weeks ago, she had met a little boy there who wasn't long for this world. As much as she hated kids (and she kept telling herself and telling herself that she did), the little monster had wormed his way into her heart. She was sure it was Hypnosis. It had to be. There was no way he could keep convincing her to come back and visit just with his big, innocent eyes, his pathetic, whiny little voice, and his ever worsening condition that kept convincing her the next visit might be the last one. It also didn't help that she felt such a personal degree of responsibility for him now. Unknown to poor little Mikey, his uncle and last surviving relative had died not long ago, from a disease that had been spreading around town. Tock suspected he had caught it when he was in the infirmary, visiting Mikey. She had watched him die... and then lied to his nephew and claimed that he was fine, and would be along to visit Mikey soon. And the lie didn't even matter. After her last visit, she knew. She knew it was almost over. Mikey would never learn of her lie. She was sure of it. Today she had been distracted all day at work. She kept losing her focus. Which wasn't fair. She had nothing to do with the kid. She wasn't related to him. She wasn't responsible for him, or she shouldn't be at least. It wasn't her fault he was sick. It wasn't her fault he was... He was...

[Nira'lia]

Nira'lia adored Zeltiva. It had been her home for most of her years, and the city she and her sisters had run to after being handed their freedom. She was back in the city now, but only for two days. There was not much one could do in two days. She had spent the morning in the marketplace with Eridanus, and now she had the afternoon free -- and she was musing about how she could spend it. Her mother and sisters were already out of the city. It was silly, but even though she had been there for years, she didn't really have any long-lasting friends. There were those people from the infirmary, but all she had at most there were acquaintances. A part of her even thought about visiting the man named Montaine to tell him about Pash'nar, but she didn't know where he lived. Aside from that, there was one person she really wanted to see for some reason. She wanted to go see Tock -- that quirky girl she had met just before she left Zeltiva. Nira'lia wanted to give Tock a gift, but she had nothing with her. After all, she didn't even know she would find herself in Zeltiva. As such, she decided to stop by West Street and get a linen blouse for Tock. She also shopped for herself, picking out a two linen blouses for herself and a pair of leather pants. With a sigh, she also bought leather gloves. Nira'lia needed the gloves as it was becoming more difficult not to let her Konti gift go haywire when she was travelling with hundreds of strangers. With the items in her bag, she walked towards Tock's house. She had never actually been there before, but Tock had given her address for the reason of being pen pals. Unbeknownst to her, Tock had actually sent her a letter, one she didn't receive because she had left Alvadas before its arrival. It was currently sitting in Alvadas, unread. Nira'lia looked up at Tock's house. Smiling to herself, she knocked on the door, calling out for the red-haired girl. "Tooock! Are you there? It's me, Nira'lia!" Receipt : + 3 linen blouses + 1 pair leather pants + 1 pair leather gloves -1gm 3sm

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock groaned when she heard the knock at her door. She did NOT want a visitor today! She didn't even hear who it was, just the banging on the door and someone calling out her name. It was probably one of her goddamn neighbors coming to complain about something. "Oy!" she shouted, getting up and stomping to the door, wiping the tears from her face. "Ol' lady Jenkins, if'n 'at's yous, I swear I's gonna rip ya damn scraggly 'air right outcha damn--!" she opened the door, and saw... She had a moment of blankness, having almost forgotten the face of the girl she'd only met for one day, more than a full season ago. Then her eyes widened and she grinned wide. "Sook!" she cried out, grabbing the girl and hugging her tight. "Oy, 'ey, lookit!" she said with a smile, undoing the top buttons of her shirt to show off the necklace, which she had worn every day since she got it. It was the only piece of jewelry she owned. The color was shifting from a deep black into a whiteish pink. She frowned at it and said, "Hmm, ain't done never 'ad 'at color 'fore. Wonder what she means...?" She wasn't self-perceptive enough to know what the hell she was feeling right now. But she grabbed Nira and pulled her in for another hug, rubbing her back. "Oy, done been good ta see ya, aye? Didn't think ya was comin' back! Didja get my letter?" She pulled Nira inside, stepping over the wooden blocks that were nailed to the floor right by the door, around Bitey the wooden spider as he scurried past, and past the Animation circles that dominated half of the room. "Done weren't 'spectin' no visitors," she muttered, tapping her fingers on the table. Handy, her wooden hand Automaton, mimicked the motion from where he was sitting across the table. She belatedly realized what a mess her house was. She hadn't cleaned it since... well, ever. She looked around, realizing she had only one chair, and held it out for Nira, plopping herself down on the bed. "So, oy, wotcher, Sook?" she asked.

[Nira'lia]

"Sook...?" asked Nira'lia, a bit disappointed. Did Tock already forget her name? It took her a while to remember that Tock spoke differently from most people she knew. Nira'lia was almost going to say something else when Tock started to unbutton the top of her shirt. Nira'lia gaped, and realized that the girl only wanted to show her the necklace that Nira'lia had sent. The Konti clapped her hands together, delighted. Then she looked at the necklace and saw that dark, depressing color that enveloped it right before it switched to a whitish pink. Nira'lia blinked. She had been around enough Vantha to know what a black symbolized. "N-no, I didn't get your letter..." said Nira'lia. "I had to leave Alvadas almost right away, so it's probably sitting in Alvadas." The Konti looked around, her eyes wide and fascinated by the strangeness of Tock's house. There was a wooden spider! There were also strange drawings, and a moving hand made of wood. She gaped at all the animated objects around her. "W-what is all of this, Tock?" squeaked Nira'lia as she took a seat. It seemed to be a house of a disorganized mage. Nira'lia knew the stigma that was put on mages, and for at that moment, she worried about the red-haired girl. If the ignorant people saw her house, then... She shook the thoughts out of her head. No, she was sure Tock knew what she was doing. Nira'lia grinned and looked back at her friend. She didn't know what 'wotcher' meant, so she decided to pretend like that meant that the quirky gadgeteer was asking what she was doing here. "I don't know if you've heard, but there's a bunch of people from Syliras going on a journey to Sahova, and I'm one of them... we're only staying here for two days, though!" Still wearing a silly grin, Nira'lia paused for a while and then decided to ask about what was bugging her. Tock had eyes that hinted that she had been crying, and other than that, the necklace had been dark. "Are you okay? You seem down," she asked simply.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock's face dropped when she realized her letter had never been received. Then she shrugged and waved her hands, saying, "Oy, ain't no nevermind, Sook! I's tell ya what I done wrote. Gots a perfect memory, I does!" She grinned and tapped her fingers against her temple. She got distracted from the story by Nira's reaction to the house. "What?" she asked, looking around, uncertain what could be so out of place as to warrant such a reaction. "Oh, 'em? 'Ey's my babies!" she wore a proud, motherly grin, and her necklace started to shine the color of sunlight. She reached down to grab Bitey and pull him into her lap, petting him. Programmed to be soothed by her presence, his irritation around the stranger faded and he grew still, curling up in her lap. Sharp metal fangs poked Tock's leg as he nestled in, but she didn't even notice, and just kept petting him. Nira correctly interpreted the question (which was slang for "Whatcher up ta?"), and Tock arched an eyebrow curiously. "Sa'ova, eh?" she asked. "I done spent a few days 'ere once, changin' ships, what right 'fore I done came 'ere, aye? Didn't get much chance fer ta see none o' the city, though. Didn't get much past the docks," she shrugged. She had been set on Zeltiva at the time, and not to keen on lingering in Sahova any longer than she had to. "I's fine," she lied in response to Nira's question. " Ain't nothin' doin'. Jus' could use a night out, s'all..." The last thing she wanted to do right now was think about Mikey. She had to go back and see him, later tonight. But until then, she wanted to distract herself from thoughts of his mortality. Memories of the sendoff she'd given Nira last season gave her an idea how to keep her mind off things. She grinned, though it was forced and never touched her troubled eyes. "Oy, if'n yer only 'ere what fer two days, 'en we's 'avin' a girls' night out, aye?" She set Bitey down and let him scurry under the bed, then stepped over to the table to grab her things. Handy, just smart enough to understand they were 'going somewhere,' grabbed onto Tock's belt and slid his leather tail through it, strapping himself in place. He always went wherever Mommy went. Tock them grabbed Nira's hand and headed to the door. "Ya all stay 'ere," she told the other Automatons. Naily and Choppy had started following her towards the door, but they froze in place upon hearing the 'stay' command. They wouldn't budge an inch until she returned and gave them a new command. "C'mon, Sook," Tock said. "I done needs a drink like nobody's business..." She tried to say that with a cheer in her voice, but it was too hard to fake it, and her eyes were haunted. She DID need a drink. Badly.

[Nira'lia]

Being who she was, Nira'lia had a natural way of knowing if a person was faking a smile. Aside from that, Tock wasn't very good at pretending as well. The Konti gave a slight frown but said nothing about it. As they spoke, the Konti continued to look around the strange house. Witnessing magic wasn't a new concept to her, though she did try really hard not so scream when the other girl took the giant spider in her arms. Then, before she even knew what was going on, she was being dragged out of the house. "Ah, wait, wait!" Nira'lia pulled away from Tock and started to rummage in her things. She had almost forgotten about the linen blouse that she had bought for the girl. It was plain white and feminine, and it was only now that Nira'lia realized it didn't seem like Tock's style. "Uhh, err, I got this from The Saville..." said the Konti sheepishly as she folded it and put cast it on Tock's chair. "I didn't have anything else to bring you, apologies." Before Tock could even react about her lame gift, it was Nira'lia's turn to grab the other girl's hand and pull her out the door. Laughing, Nira'lia waved to the strange moving objects that she regarded as Tock's "pets". "Where are we headed?" asked Nira'lia in an excited tone. She led the way to nowhere in particular, but she was curious as to what Tock had in mind. She remembered the sendoff that Tock had given her before she left Zeltiva. Assuming that they were going to the Kelp Bar, Nira'lia turned to the direction of the bars. Last time, Nira needed the fun night. This time around, the Konti could guess that Tock needed it a lot more than her. With a silly grin, Nira'lia asked as they walked, "So what did you write to me about?"

[Kaeson Dakano]

The Kelp Bar

"So yeuhs off ta Sahova, eh? Off ta look for that, whatchamacallit, uh, godly fragmant?"

"Yeah," Kaeson murmured softly, not really paying attention to the bartender's question. The young man struggled to maintain presence in the bar, his thoughts constantly drifiting out towards the sea and the unknown Kaeson would soon be facing. The drunken laughter hardly heard as he imagined the various imment deaths. By sword, by spell, or be sea were all possibilities, but Kaeson was never one to back down from certain reward, at least if he managed to survive the quest.

"The journey will not be the faint hearted. I cannot promise your safety," the weasely man had said, but Kaeson had scoffed at the man's warning. The young animator had always survived, had always put himself before the rest -- even those he loved were second to his own survival. Now, as he nursed a second beer, Kaeson realized just how little his own selfishness would serve him.

Could he save himself from drowning? Could he escape the wrath of a vengeful soldier, or the anger of a wronged wizard? Would he be able to protect himself?

Kaeson sighed, forcing back thoughts of imment demise away, returning himself to the present. "Another beer, please,"

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tears started to form in Tock's eyes when she realized the girl had brought her a gift. That made two presents she'd received from the Konti, and for a girl like Tock, that was just unheard of. People normally never got her anything. She threw her arms around her friend, wishing this wasn't going to be limited to just another one-day visit. "You's awright, Sook," she said. She immediately stripped off her old shirt and tossed it on the bed, not caring if Nira was seeing her in her underthings. Tock didn't have a shred of modesty in her. She pulled on the new shirt and snorted. "Saville, aye?" she said in amusement. "I done fixed 'at place up awhile back. Made 'em up a new sign an' everythin'. 'Ey done best 'as treated ya right!" she shook a finger in the air, "else 'ey's done gonna answer ta me, aye?" "We done needs a drink," she said, trying to pretend like it was just to celebrate Nira's return. The sentimental moment had gotten her thinking of the dying boy in the infirmary again, and she was eager to drown out the image in alcohol. "I dun s'pose ya done brought back some good Alvadas booze? O' some Syliran wine?" After a season and a half here, she STILL wasn't fond of the seaweed crud, though she had at least gotten used to it. As they walked, she recounted the letter, "Oy, I done been sayin' 'ow she ain't no fair what as the letters take a dang thirty days what fer ta gets 'ere! Were gonna build a carrier pigeon what fer ta does 'er faster, aye? 'Cept now I's gotta know where fer ta send 'er, if'n ya ain't in Alvadas no more. An' what 'ow's I were thankin' ya fer 'is," she touched the pendant hanging in her cleavage, which was warring between black and sunshine colored right now. "She's a beaut, she is. I ain't done never 'ad no jewelry 'fore. Ain't nobody got me none 'fore 'is." For just a moment the sunshine was starting to win out, but it was a struggle. When they reached the bar, Tock grabbed the first man she saw by the arm and said, "Oy, 'owza 'boutcha buy a couple o' pretty girls a drink, aye?" She nodded to Nira, knowing that a perky redhead in a low cut shirt and a Konti (any Konti) would quickly loosen a man's money pouch. "Sure thing, Red," the man replied, ordering a pair of beers for the girls, and earning him a scowl from Tock (she hated being called 'Red'). Once they had the beers in hand, the man paid for them and patted the bench next to him, saying, "How about you lovely ladies sit right here with me?" Tock snorted and walked off, pulling Nira with her. "Didn't say we wanted ta talk ta ya," she said over her shoulder. "Jus' done wanted ya ta buy us some drinks..." She snickered as she left the man behind, ignoring his angry derogatory remarks about her.

[Nira'lia]

'Why is she crying?' "Hm? Oh, yes, the woman at the Saville was pleasant to me," replied the Konti. She looked at Tock warily. Since she was a medic, Nira'lia did not feel embarrassed with what the other girl was doing, although she was a bit surprised. A part of her wanted to ask Tock if she were more modest with other people... especially men. As they walked, Nira'lia eyed the pendant. She was puzzled, but amidst the conversation, she couldn't sneak in a question about the color of the pendant and Tock's strange behavior. She was starting to feel frustrated by the fact that she didn't know how to ask. As soon as they were at the bar, Tock had found a way to get them a free round of drinks. While the red-haired girl had snubbed the man away, Nira'lia gave him an uneasy but thankful grin. "Much appreciated," the Konti said, before turning around to rush after her friend. Nira'lia eyed the kelp beer closely, a frown gracing her lips. She could still remember the foul taste and smell that it emitted. The two of them attempted to look for an empty table, but the bar was currently full of local patrons and Syliran citizens. However, she did spot a personKaeson who was sitting to himself. The bartender was speaking to him, but Nira'lia was comforted by the fact that he didn't seem drunk and rowdy, unlike the other people there. The Konti didn't even ask Tock if she was alright with sitting with this man. "Hi!" called out Nira'lia just as the man ordered another beer. She pointed a finger at Tock, not knowing that the two were already acquainted. Referring to the empty chairs beside him, Nira'lia said, "Mind if my friend and I sit with you?"

[Kaeson Dakano]

"Suppose I should be wishin' yeuhs some good luck, eh? Never one fer words, like, but here ah beer on the house," the bartender offered, handing a newly refilled mug of green slosh to Kaeson. Kaeson offered a nod and a brief smile in return before taking a swig of the semi liquid called 'kelp beer'.

Kaeson managed to control his initial response; an almost instinctual need to spit out the vile sludge, instead he only gagged as the green slosh made its way down to his stomach.
The bartender laughed loudly, "Hehe, suppose yeuhs ain't from -- Oy! Looks like yeuhs gots some mighty fine company comin' this way...," he gestured towards the Konti and the redhead coming his way, turning around to polish another mug.

Kaeson had missed the Konti's question, mustering a quick 'hello' as she came towards the table, then he saw the redhead -- "Tock?" Kaeson asked unsure whether or not the girl was indeed his friend. He was beginning to wonder whether he had already passed his limit.