Living in a Story

Log Info

• Title: Living in a Story

• Emitter: Slixvah

• Characters: Slixvah, Rune

• Place: Lower Gardens

• Summary: Slix lands on a gazebo while Rune is bleaching her hair in preparation for hair dye, which leads into a long conversation about personal relationships, gossip, world shaking topics, and general reassurance.

Lower Gardens, Early Afternoon

The towering clouds shine lavender and pink as the sun crests downward amongst a spattered red sky, stars glimmering a greeting over the Redridge to the east. Summer flowers' bloom closing to sleep, nocturnal bats and bugs coming out and thrumming.

And a ribboned figure floats out of the sky in a lazy corkscrew. Down. Down. Down.

Thud.

Slixvah, tired, but looking quite pleased with herself, lands prone upon the top of a gazeebo. "... eh... close enough..." she croons, laying there, half hanging off.

The Garden District is one of the only places that Rune can commonly acquire certain flowers which are of a particular need to her. In fact, while Slixvah corkscrews down from above, she may just catch sight of Rune exchanging some coin with one of the keepers for some discarded petals which she just so happens to take towards the gazeebo.

It must be fate that they are heading to the same place, or so it seems.

Rune is just settling herself, taking out a mortar and pestle and seeming to prepare herself for some sort of alchemical task with the flowers...

When Slixvah THUDS onto the top of the gazeebo.

"Shit. What the..." Oh, it's Slixvah. "Uh, are you okay up there?" She asks, peering towards the feathered bits of Egalrin hanging off the roof.

A tired yet warm and smooth force chirps from above. "Oh I'm doin' jus' fine-- Wait. Is that-?"

Feathered bits are replaced with a feathered head, as Slix peers into the gazeebo upside down. Her fatigue mostly vanishes as a smile spills across her features. "Ruru! Darling!" she coos as she pulls herself down.

Sort of. Those animated feathers that sprout up from time to time make themselves known, anchoring to the roof and supports. They suspend her like a puppet briefly before twisting and righting the egalrin, taloned feet clacking onto the wood. "Good afternoon, hon! What'cha woooorkin' on?"

"Your usual state of fine does not include dangling half off a gazeebo." Rune points out, her brows raised as she watches the animated feathers and the strange dismount that Slixvah manages before touching down on the wooden surface. "Out for a flight?" Tilting her head, she looks up towards the sky, "I prefer to keep my feet on the ground if I can help it."

And then, the question is met with Rune looking towards her strange setup. "Oh, I... was just going to work on my hair." It may take a moment to notice, but it does look like she's had a trim recently, meaning that there is distinctly less color at the ends. "My color was burnt out, and it needed a trim, so... I need to strip the black out again and re-dye it all." She explains.

Pulling a bag from her side, Rune starts taking out various things that she clearly did not make herself. She must keep some of the alchemists in business by the look of it. "What about you, what has you flapping into the Garden District at this time of day?"

Slix waves her hand about as if dismissing the notion. "Flyin' from the Redridge ta here is always a tirin' journey. I'll take half landing on a gazeebo ova landin' in the river," she chuckles. "Do you? I could take ya on a fly sometime? It'll put some mojo on ya so if ya fall ya won't have problems. It'll be fuuuun!"

The egalrin looks down from upon her perch of the wood railing, quirking her head to the side as she examines the setup, Rune's hair- she perks. "Oh! Splendid! I always like th' lil' blue ya do. It's cute!"

She hops down, not walking the rest of the way as she ends up just flopping down on the ground next to where Rune is working. "Came back from th' Aerie," she says, the word not holding much more hesitance like it did before. "Irshya and Telamon had an ingenious idea. I didn't kno' th' man was cranking out tha' much anti-plague. Between Reithak, Simony and th' healers, they kept 'em stable. Tel's medicine eradicated most of it, and Rishrish and I cured out the worst cases!"

"So!" Her back thuds against the floor, ribboned wings splayed out. Several feathers elongated and getting pushed about from the mild breeze. "I'm exhausted! But it's heck of a good end ta see a grand friend!"

"I did fly once, it was on a giant wasp, and it was terrifying!" Rune exclaims, though she seems to temper that reaction just a bit. "Harkashan seems to enjoy it, sprouting wings and flapping around like a dragon." A slight roll of her blue eyes follows this. "Maybe it's fun for you, but for those of us without magic or wings it's pretty damn terrifying."

Still, even as she takes out some of the objects within her bag of alchemical goodies, Rune is still listening intently. A block of some white powder is tossed into the mortar and she starts grinding it, the soft material crushing easily into powder. "Telamon may keep saying that he isn't an archmage, but that boy has a magical solution to just about any problem." A warm smile lingers on her face as she nods, "Progress, though. I'm so glad you were able to find people that could help."

A bit of liquid is poured into the mortar as Rune mixes it into a paste. "As for the hair... it's my little bit of rebellion against my genetics." She explains, "I might have to look like my father, but that doesn't mean I can't make it my own." Slixvah had seen Rune's mother during that encounter in Am'shere. In coloration, the two are all but polar opposites, the only similarities being their lithe builds and the more human set of Rune's facial features.

"Always good to see you, too. Just... don't exhaust yourself too much. I wouldn't want to have to drag you out of the river looking like a drowned pidgeon."

Slix's grins. "Tha's ri', ya did! It was funny ta see that!" She gives a little sigh, nodding. "Yeah, so I've been told. I get it, been in wingless forms many a time, I get super worried 'bout heights. It /is/ fun tho' once ya get over th' whole fallin' bit."

The witch turns some to prop her head up on an arm, watching the process curiously. "Honestly, yeah. He's rad. Wish I could do a thimble of what he can, but hey. He can't do Fortunamancy like I do~," she singsongs. Her face softens. "... yeah. I'm glad they could help. My Aerie was not doin' so hot. But now tha's... less of an issue."

She sits up, looking Rune's face over, sky blue eyes soft. "Ya don't /have/ ta look like anything but ya'self. And ya doin' a mighty fine job of that," she coos. "Shoo'. Genetics for me too, hon. I find my colors a bit drab. Lady egalrins always a bit muted in hue. Why d'ya think I wear all these ribbons? I wanna /pop/."

She blinks. "A /pigeon/?!" she gasps, putting a hand over her heart in mock offence. "I'll have you know I loo' mo' like a wiry chicken when sopping wet! But a /pidgeon/? Rude!"

She sticks her tongue out playfully.

"Was less funny being up on that thing, that's for certain." At least, Rune is able to laugh about the experience. "Then again, you only live once, right? Tell you what, I'll let you cast a flight spell on me as part of your experiments into my shadow abilities. That way you can test out what impact it has. Sound good, yeah?" She raises a brow.

Then, she starts to apply some of the paste onto the ends of her hair. Based on what Rune had said, it must be something that bleaches out the hair strands so that she can color it later. "We each have our skills. You both have magics far beyond me, but I can sure make someone regret they got up and decided to do 'bad' in the world. Everyone has to have a talent." Her lip quirks.

It is a bit surprising that Slixvah would find herself to be drab. "Honestly, I always thought you were quite striking. The colors of your feathers, and the ribbons." She lifts a brow, "I'd wondered for a while if they were related to Aelwyn. It's one of the features you two share and it's quite a stunning look for the both of you."

Then, at the mock-offense, Rune seems to squint in Slixvah's direction as she rubs more of the strange paste into the ends of her hair, "Yes, but what /kind/ of chicken? One of those floofy ones that just look like drowned rats on spindly legs or the big fat kind that just sort of sit there and puff up and look disgruntled?"

"Deal," Slix agrees with a wide smile. "I reall' loo' forward ta seein' that rollin' on ya. And ta see what up wit' the shade."

Her eyes crinkle in a light smile that she does. She picks up the bowl containing the paste, holding it up closer to Rune so she doesn't have to move too much for her hair. "And you are quite good at it. Honestly, kinda jealous. Wish I could do teeny bit of what you do," she mock whispers, pretending to share a big secret.

The red and white egalrin blinks. The feathers on her face floofing up- a mild blush. "Really? Oh, thank ya sweetie, ya too kind," she croons. "Naw we both had that idea on our own, but we've exchanged ribbons before. He is... annoyingly stunning," she grumbles goodheartedly, shaking her head.

"The first one, floofy but looks like a drowned rat. You should see me in the bathhouse. My mamaw is the one that looks disgruntled," she snickers.

"Who knows. You probably have a better idea than I do about how magics interact with each other." Rune is, steadfastly, one of those people who just does not understand magic. Though this strange shadowy aspect of herself may exist, it isn't exactly something she seems to have any control over.

As the Egalrin helps her by holding onto the bowl, Rune continues to work the paste into more strands. The stuff has an absolutely foul smell. It's enough to turn most people's noses. "Honestly, I never really know what you're going to pull out of your bag of tricks. Me? I'm pretty much a one-trick pony when it comes to a fight. Something is an asshole? It's going to get stabbed." She lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug.

"It's true, though. I really do think you're beautiful." Rune confirms, offering the bird a smile. "And don't even get me started on Aelwyn and his obsession with being the shiniest of all Makari." There is a soft laugh that follows, "Did you know that those ribbons seem to represent people? I mean, I haven't /confirmed/ it and Aelwyn is an enigmatic butthead on the best of days, so he probably wouldn't give me a straight answer if I asked, but... I think so, anyways."

Carrying on the light teasing, she asks, "Do your kind puff themselves up when it's raining, too? That's probably freaking adorable."

Slixvah nods once, she is the magic person. And weird magic is her favorite. She squints at the smell, covering her nose holes with a finger. "Tha's my best, keep 'em guessin'. Ya may be one-trick, but damn ya do it well, and reliably. I jus' make sure ya'll do that extra reliable."

The bowl wobbles a bit as Slix stifles a cough. "... thank you." The floof gets worse. She giggles, shaking her head. "I didn' kno' tha'. It's a pain ta get stuff out of him. He's a big butthead. In need of a cold shower, attractive, sexy, butt head."

A hand tries to press the floofing down on her face. "Oh yes, of course," she giggles. "Turn into big fluff balls when it rains. You should see it when its lighting. It's downright cute as hell, though, its hard ta beat you on that front," she fires back.

"Except against elementals. Or spiders with deadly poison. Or mimics that want to give me an nonconsentual tongue bathing." Rune shudders slightly at that.

"Sorry about the smell. It should fade relatively quickly once I've got it all on there." The rogue explains, trying to quicken her movements to get the last of the alchemical paste onto the ends of her hair. True to her word, the stench increases ever so slightly after application, and then fades off a bit. "There, now I just have to sit here and do nothing for a bit."

Reaching out, Rune takes the bowl back and uses a very bleached rag to wipe it out before starting to put some of the other items away. "When we last talked, he kept fidgeting with one ribbon while trying to flirt with me, and when he realized Hark and I were intimately connected, he tied that one to another one he had in his horns." Rune explains, as if that might lead to her current understanding of the elusive Makari. "And trust me, I know all too well about him being an attractive, sexy, butthead."

Rune gives a little chuff of sound that is almost Makari, "Told him that if he wants to bed me he better talk to Hark first. Makari aren't generally monogamous, but as my Cihuaa, we've got our own set of rules to make sure that doesn't cause issues." She smirks and gives a small laugh, "Not that I'm spending time in anyone's bed as of late."

A little color lingers on her cheeks, perhaps because of the topic of conversation or perhaps because Slixvah had just called her cute. "Oh don't you start, too." She playfully pokes at the Egalrin's beak.

Slix giggles. "And I did soooo goood against tha' shambling mound. But I'll take that over nonconsensual tongue bathing. Ew."

She shakes her head. "All good, hon. I'm used ta weird smells." Bowl taken, she scoots closer and sits cross legged, her tilting her head to the side. "Perceptive. And interesting. And of course he'd flirt with you. He does that to me all the time. I'll press him about th' ribbons."

She giggles. "Tha's why I have a spray bottle behind the bar to spritz him when he's bein' too much." The laugh settles down, a look of respect crossing her visage. "Good. Wit' my relationships, I have ta spell out a lot of lines 'cause it can get really mixed up if everyone ain't on the same page."

She snorts. "Well, anyone except lava boy," she teases with a wink.

The boop on the beak is met with a grin, and she returns it with poke to a cheek. "Honey, I've started since day one," she coos, sky blue eyes crinkled and bright. "I love people, and you're lovely people."

"I've been thinking of possibly getting this corset that Alaryn had suggested to me. It's supposed to help you slip out of the grasp of anything that wants to take hold." Rune explains, packing up the rest of the items with the exception of the container of flower petals, likely not wanting it to get exposed to the rest of the alchemical items in her bag. "Seems that monsters trying to grapple people is becoming more and more common place. And most of them aren't nearly sexy enough to warrant a prolonged hug."

Rune smirks at that, "I don't know, I think Aelwyn would be upset if I started spritzing him with water. Can't cool the flames, that would be an abomination!" She exclaims jokingly.

Then, with a lift of the eyebrow at that wink, Rune folds her arms across her chest, "I mean, it wouldn't offend me if you wanted to flirt with him. He's hot, I can't deny that much." She gives a playful waggle of her eyebrows. Apparently, Rune is not all that worried about such matters.

"So, what happens now?" She asks softly, her question quite vague, "You're Aerie is in better shape, your people aren't under threat any more, at least for now. What's next for the most colorful Egalrin I know?"

"Smart. I should look inta somethin' like tha' and get on from her," Slix ponders, rubbing her beak. "Usually most things can't get ta me, but after last time... yeah. Gonna look into that."

A snickering fit rips through her at that. "Oh he /hates/ it every time. Just as he thinks he's finally won me over, bam, he goes too far, pew pew pew. Steamy makari, literally," she giggles.

The egalrin settles down as she lulls her head back. "But I dooooooooo flirt with him! All the time when we're out! Right in front of you!" she playfully bemoans. "I think he's just being oblivious about tha'. Which. Honestly. Makes it kinda funny."

The air quiets. Slix's gaze drifts over the half-sil's face before simply taking in the bleached ends of dark threads. "Ah, what's next?" she hums, unable to hide the floofing of her face. "Oh I dunno... take a bit of a break. Drink a bit. Talk to some friends." Eyes flit to Rune. "Maybe get closer to some. Really wherever th' winds take me, ya kno'?"

"It just seems like more and more creatures we face have some sort of tentacles, tendrils, or grappling prowess as of late. I've seen it nearly lock down one of our best fighters before." Rune explains, giving a shake of her head. "The last thing I want is to get taken out of a fight and have my friends end up suffering for it."

Her lip quirks, perhaps because of the mental image of Aelwyn steaming after being spritzed, or perhaps because of Harkashan being oblivious. "You do know that I traveled with him for close to three years before either of us made a move on each other, right?" She asks, raising a brow. "I honestly don't know if he's oblivious, or he just pretends to be."

Her head tilts, eyes flicking to briefly check the progress of her hair before looking back to Slixvah, "Nothing wrong with a bit of downtime. I imagine for me it's one of a handful of things: Find our blue butterfly friend, track down an stop the Charneth in Am'shere, deal with that demon 'V' that was associated with Marsward and company, or ... figure out what the fuck the Elunite prophesy is about." Rune's face goes deadpan, "It's probably the end of the world. Again."

"Our foes get more dastardly, so more creative we have ta be. Though, our friends too delve more bastardly," Slixvah grins, thumbing her beak. "So united our prowess grows nastily." She winks. "Aye. But we suffer together."

The egalrin snorts, shaking her head, the ribbons on her wings swaying from the motion. "Oh gods, three years? I'd be driven up a wall!" she laughs. "Probably just oblivious, got a lot goin' on in tha' lava brain of his. I'll jus' lay it on thicker next time."

A thoughly amused, cheeky smile crosses visage. "I'm being coy with you,-" accentuated with a gentle boop on the half-sil's nose, "-maybe I'm the one who's too subtle," she giggles. "A little break before I delve back into mysteries of mana and helpin' you."

A feathered brow quirks. "That is... quite a lot on your plate, hon. I'll do what I can ta help alleviate at least one of..." She trails off. The coy and teasing air she's been harboring ebbing, replaced with an academic curiosity. "Elunite prophesy?" she repeats. "End of the world? Last time those two things happened, my magic came about."

"Ahh, I didn't know you were a poet as well." Rune chuckles to herself, "Could have used that while writing the lyrics for that song of mine. Thankfully... 'Lana is pretty good at that, herself." There is a bit of self deprecating there. When one lives with a performer, it's hard to see one's own skills as anywhere close.

"Well, it's probably because a lot of Makari just seem to be way more physical than us soft-skinned races." Rune rolls her eyes at the term. "I mean, our old traveling party used to sleep in one big pile, all draped on each other. It's hard to read into touch when it's just such a common thing, for them, yeah?"

The half-sil wiggles her nose at that boop, then leans a little towards the Egalrin, nudging her with her shoulder. "I get flirted with more often than you'd think, so I never really know when it's serious or not." Rune admits, then offers a soft shrug.

Of course, that playful conversation does give way to the more worrying shift of recent events. Biting at her lower lip in an expression that seems pensive, Rune explains, "So, apparently there was some sort of vision... a man standing in the sea, and the moon setting and the sea becoming red with blood." Her brows furrow, "I'm... not sure I follow most of it, because religious lore isn't my strong suit but... everyone seemed to think it had something to do with Animus, and a possible end of the world."

"I am known on occasion to drop a few lyrical miracles," Slixvah smiles. "'tis why I offered ta help wit' ya song if ya need a tinge mo' spice." Feeling a breeze, she pulls her ribboned wings around herself, akin to a large blanket. "I totes understand. Those snooze piles are to die for tho'. Ran wit' a group of three fo' a little bi', boy was tha' sleepy time coooozy."

She's nudged, a quiet chuckle escaping her. "Well, in tha' case, ya can take it as serious as ya want it ta be." A hand slides out of the winged-blanket, gesticulating as she talks, but ends up alighting on Rune's hand. "Like I said, you're lovely people."

The touch is kept for a beat, then withdrawn to rest in her lap. Pensive fiddling with a ribbon, a yellow one. "A vision." Her eyes half lid. "Man standing at the sea. Moon setting. Sea rife with blood." Dots connect as her brow furrows. "Aye, makes sense it has somethin' ta do wit' Animus. Ya see, my magic- witchcraft- came about 'cause Animus died. Magic got at all wobbly. Then it sorta settled. And now its gettin' wobbly again, which is worrisome, me thinks." She looks at Rune. "Perhaps th' end of the world-" she raises a finger, "-as we know it. I'd be interested in this, as it directly relates to my entire, well, shtick. Is there a plan, hon?"

"Well, you're welcome to come over and take a look at what we've got, see if you can offer any suggestions." Rune explains, "We're staying at the Fernwood for the time being, at least while in town, anyways." She and Harkashan are hard easy enough to find. There aren't many lava-scaled Makari running about.

The lingering touch seems to cause Rune to lift her fingers a little. It's a tentative thing, as if not quite certain, but the hint of color that flashes on her freckled cheeks seems to speak volumes.

Clearing her throat, focusing on the more dire part of the discussion, Rune nods her head at Slixvah's summary of the vision. "I... honestly don't know much about Animus. My father never thought much of the gods. He thought it was a waste of time." Rune explains, looking a little uncertain, "But... Seldan was saying the Sea of Mana is in chaos, and that the leylines in the world are out of whack." Her head tilts, looking to the Slixvah curiously.

"I'm... not sure. As usual, if it isn't something I can stab, steal, or sneak around, it usually is outside of my realm of expertise." She is selling herself short, there, but Rune certainly lacks magical prowess. "I think Harkashan was going to commune with the Deathsinger before talking further with Seldan. Seldan seemed to know more about what was going on, at least around the Sea of Mana."

"I'd love to," Slix agrees to aid. "I'll swing by sometime in the coming eves. See what ya got, add some dots, shuffle some around for extra shots."

The uncertainness is clearly noted, but Slix's warm demeanor doesn't falter in disappointment nor swell in hope. It's simply there, like the open hand that releases the ribbon to let it rest in her lap. "Well, a long story short, Animus used ta be the god of magic. A god of twilight, akin to Kor and others of neutrality. Then he died, Navos gave up their compassion to keep the balance in twilight, then Eluna and Taara stepped up to fight over who was the goddess of magic. That disruption of the Sea made new forms of magic appear, and old magics ot change. And... lots of things going awry."

She inhales. "Buuut. I've felt the wobbliness. And Seldan if sayin' that, then its gotta be true." Her eyes soften. "Honey. You are more than just stabbing and stealing. You are smart. Resourceful. Determined. Sharp witted. So what if you don't get magic? Your insight is just as valuable as mine, Shashan's, or Seldan's," she coos. "I see. Sounds like ya'll need a big powwow ta get all the puzzle pieces down. My information is outdated, but maybe I can contribute."

With a nod confirming the song-writing plans, Rune focuses on the strange turn of events brought on by the Elunite vision.

As is common with Rune, she seems to latch on to stories and this is no exception. "If... our experience with Caracoroth taught me anything, it's that the gods were meant to exist together. Losing one, regardless of if they are good, neutral, or evil, have side effects that impact not only the other gods, but the world, itself." However, her expression is still a bit wary, likely due to her own connection with Eluna.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm useless, only that I can't sense magic the way that you, or Seldan, or Harkashan, or any number of the othres can." She explains, "Which means that when it comes to finding the source of imbalances, I'm about as good as a blind hound dog with a cold." Her lip quirks with amusement.

"I know Harkashan wanted to meet with Seldan after he finishes his commune with Vardama. I'll see if I can invite you along, too. Otherwise... I'm sure we'll there will be lots more need to pow-wow on next steps." She swallows with a hint of anxiety, "It may be the end of the world, or just the end of the world as we know it, but whatever the case... if we don't deal with the problem, it's obvious that a whole lot of death will come in the wake of it."

Slixvah visibly grimaces. "Ugh. Caracoroth. My people as a whole have... history with them," she pulls her wing blanket closer, as if it'd ward off an ancestral memory. "But yuh. You gots the right of it. It's a delicate balancing act. Th' world is a representation of the gods, magic, life, everything."

A twittering chuckle escapes Slix. "And the silver lining is if we get overloaded wit' magic from wonky magic, you can slide in to take care of things," she counters, equally amused.

She bobs her head, flashing a thumbs up as she doffs her wing-blanket. "Sounds good. If I can't make it, no sweat. I'll just write a report on what I kno' and pass it to y'all."

The witch affords a moment to let the weight of the situation sink in. She leans forward, grey hands tipped with small talons collect both of Rune's. "And that is why we are doin' what we doin'. It's hard. It's scary. And the fallout of failure is daunting." She gives the hands an encouraging squeeze. "But won't that make such a lovely, fetching, fantastic story? Filled with tension and triumph? Despair and catharsis? To subvert something disasterous and to know you had a hand in it? I wouldn't shut the hell up re-telling it for the rest of my centuries."

She smiles warmly. "Think its time to get the blue in?"

"Trust me, I don't think anyone I know of is particularly fond of them, but... seems to me that things would be way worse without that balance." Her brows draw down, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before she laughs softly, "I guess that's true enough. Only problem is... I do have a connection to Eluna, the Sky-singer." Rune wraps her hand around the puzzle-necklace she so often wears, "So, if she gets fucked with, I might have issues, too."

Then again, it also seems obvious that Rune has no idea just what her connection to Eluna actually is. Visions can be a blessing and a curse in that regard.

As Slixvah takes her hands, Rune seems to listen, and there is a relization that she is right. "I guess, listening to my mother's stories, I never thought I'd be living one." And that, seems to hearten her, in some ways. "We'll get through it, one way or the other." Her hands clasp Slixvah's and there is true smile that follows.

That is, until she is reminded about her hair. "Shit. Uh... I need to get this washed out." Rune pushes herself to her feet and grabs her things. "I still need to gather some more flowers before I can make the dye, so... that's a task for another time. I'm going to go run and dunk my head in the well before this stuff fucks my hair. I'll catch you around, okay?"

Slix's gaze flits down to the necklace. "Yuh. It might get complicated wit' ya. So it's our best interest ta get thi' dealt wit'. I can empahtize. The essense of wisdom bestows their gifts unto me. Which I think comes from... Althea. Maybe. So we gotta woo this butterfly and get tha' resolved fo' ya so whatever impact comes from this is lessened."

Her eyes crinkle in a bright smile as those words seem to directly hit the mark she was aiming for. "And what a lovely one you're in. We will." Another squeeze, and she pulls away.

The colorful egalrin laughs, rising to her feet. "Go go, shoo, I've kept you long enough, dear." She stretches her wings, taking a half step towards uncovered sky. "Thank you oh so very much for th' chat."

A thumbs up is flashed, along with a winning wink. "I'll catch you on th' flip, Ruru."

-End Scene-