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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 1, 2024 0:07:20 GMT -5
Rena hums softly to herself, carefully cleaning the ash from her bayonets before sliding the blades up her sleeves, smiling a little as she feels them resting against the feathers of her forearms. one of the feathers on the side of her head twitches, and she glances up just in time to spot Tatalia's approach, "...well, I suppose it's about time. figured you'd be looking for me once the cleanup was over. didn't see much point in running; you seem more the type t' settle things peacefully than not...s'pose that's one o' the differences 'tween you an' me," the crow trills thoughtfully, opening the satchel holding her clutch and pulling one out to begin gently polishing its surface, cradling the ovular orb close as she slowly, gently rubs over its surface with a warm, damp cloth.
"...what's this about? the medicine y' tried t' get me t' take? I s'pose it's worth a shot, but like I said, the only thing I've found that helps is meat...and my curse prefers it still twitching," she lets out a bitter laugh, gently setting the egg back in its slot within the satchel before slowly pulling free the next and re-wetting the cloth from a pot set to gently simmer, "...kinda in the middle o' something at the moment. got to keep the little ones warm an' clean, I cannae exactly stop until I'm done here..."
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 1, 2024 2:08:17 GMT -5
The goblin watched quietly for a while, letting the crow speak her mind. Her gaze was focused most on the attentive, gentle motions of the avian woman's hands as she warmed the egg as best she could. It was such a kind and motherly touch, and brought to Tatalia memories she could only barely remember, back when her own mother... when-
Well, that was all in the past, wasn't it?
"You're a good mother," the goblin mused, her words very off topic for what was being discussed. She couldn't help but verbalize the observation nevertheless. "I can tell that you'd do anything to protect them. But you can't take care of them if you don't take care of yourself. Those little ones need you."
The goblin considered how best to make her point. She flicked a few drifting bits of ash off her arm, then glanced around to make sure nobody was listening. The area seemed safe enough... and quiet enough...
Tatalia took a deep breath, then stepped forward and sat down on a sizable rock. She slipped the little bottle she had offered earlier the same day out from her pouch and turned it about in her hand.
"I think this medicine will help, and there's a reason for that," the goblin began, flicking her gaze up toward the avian. "I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but... My name is Tatalia, and I'm, ah, a little bit like you?
"I know you can tell! It's as plain as day to me," the goblin began, shooting a stare across at the avian to meet her eyes. "You're a predator. It's always right at the tip of your fingers, at the edge of your skin, a beast waiting to come out. It writhes, and it shakes, and it tries to rip itself out of you, doesn't it? It feels like your body could come apart at any moment, like... like your skin is a cage, and it's just barely keeping that thing inside."
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 1, 2024 2:25:41 GMT -5
The crow smiles softly as she gently rubs down the egg in her hands, humming a gentle, lilting tune to herself as the trills. She considers the goblin's words as she works, paying extra attention to every blemish, every spot of ash and every little cold spot, not stopping until the egg is warm to the touch and sparkling clean. "...you're right. I think I knew when I first spotted you, just didn't realize what that particular bit of gnawing meant. these beasts of ours...they don't like being among their own kind, do they? host cooperation makes it harder for them to feed unchecked"
Rena sighs, gently tucking the egg back into the feather-filled satchel and dipping the cloth in the simmering water before moving on to the next of her unhatched offspring, gently trilling and cooing to the egg before speaking once more, "...I came down with my curse because I was forced to consume the flesh of my clanspeople to survive. Had my husband lived...I imagine he'd have a similar flavor of this affliction we share," she tilts her head slightly, examining the egg in her hands, gently caressing its surface, "...I had six, originally. six of these tiny, perfect eggs. the other three vanished in the snow with my Bell. I almost went back to try and find them, when I heard the snow had stopped falling..."
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 1, 2024 3:40:01 GMT -5
Tatalia couldn't help but smile sadly as she listened again and watched the crow work. She contemplated how to continue, but it was difficult. Silence just lingered in the air because she wanted to make sure she used the right words.
The right words were too hard to find, so Tatalia decided to cut to the chase.
"Your children need you," the goblin said, echoing her words from before, "and you can't be there for them if your curse overcomes you. You may not be able to get rid of it... but you need a means of coping. You need a way to get control. And- and I think I can help?"
Tatalia held the same little phial of yellow liquid she'd offered before, the one with the smoky vapors near the top. Even sealed as it was, it had a foul smell, a scent especially uncomfortable to anyone with advanced senses. Tatalia offered the bottle to the other cursed one.
"I can teach you how to make something like this," Tatalia began explaining, folding her hands over each other and onto her lap. "The first ingredients are, well... you need something to relax you. Horse Grass is actually the most common component I use for that," Tatalia noted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "There's different varieties of mushrooms that could work as well. You also need a magical catalyst of some kind, some raw magical energy of your own, and some fairly common herbs I can write on a list for you. Mash in mortar and pestle; heat slowly until boil; let cool; bottle. Easy as stone soup!
"It won't fix you. You could even grow dependent on the stuff if you overdo it," Tatalia cautioned, raising a finger up as if to urge the avian to stop. "But! But... it can help relieve your symptoms, particularly the pain and the aggression. It can calm you down in a pinch. Well, assuming it works on you at all the same way it does on me, that is..."
Tatalia paused, then reached into her belt pouch and pulled out another bottle, though this one was much larger. She held it on out.
"Take both," she suggested quietly. "The small one is a single dose, and you can refill it with the big one. If it helps, then I'll have done my job! And if it doesn't... well, at least I can say I tried."
Tatalia offered a small, sad smile across at the avian, seeming devoid of her usual energy.
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 1, 2024 3:59:37 GMT -5
The crow tilts her head, gently setting the egg she's working on to rest between her knees before reaching to take the vials, raising the smaller one up to the light and staring through it with one silver eye, "...alright. I'll...try this concoction of yours, the next time I feel my affliction risks overpowering me," then slips both bottles into a pocket on her dress - her dress. has pockets. what in the lands of wonder - before returning to her work polishing her egg, softly humming all the while, "...I've got a simple spell I usually use for altering my blades for a bit. uses the ice I get from that...thing inside me. think that'll work?"
Even as she asks the question, she finishes polishing and warming her egg, shifting to gently set it into its little nook in her satchel before glancing to the goblin, "...y'know what, a demonstration would probably help..."
one of her arms snaps out to the side, a long, thin bayonet flashing out to rest in her palm before a frosty sheen shimmers over it, leaving the blade white as snow and even sharper than before, as well as just a bit longer to accommodate for the extra mass. a flick of her wrist sends the blade sinking into the stone next to the goblin's leg what the hell.
"I've heard that this effect is called 'Cold Touch' among mages. 's all about channeling ice to infuse into a weapon to either blunt or sharpen the edge. think that'll work for this potion o' yours?"
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 1, 2024 5:25:54 GMT -5
Tatalia seemed to be distracted at the moment that Rena was asking her question post-demonstration. Why, she seemed to have her nose in a book, and had a quill in her hand and- oh, she was drawing Rena. She was drawing Rena's ice magic quickly, scrawling what she saw in her journal for some reason.
"Oh, yes! More than sufficient!" Tatalia piped happily. "Only... you only need a teensy bit of magic," she added, squeezing her index and thumb together demonstrably before focusing on her drawing and note taking again. "You see, you only need a small amount of mana to be injected into the potion when making it - in this case, probably just enough ice to coat a single fingertip. The mana catalyst inside the potion will do the rest, multiplying the measure of its own strength by the power of your spell to achieve the appropriate magnitude of power!
"It's a delicate process, alchemy, equal parts art and science," Tatalia continued, stowing her quill pen away and snapping her book shut. "I'm still less than a journeyman at the trade, but desperate times call for desperate measures and all that. I'll provide you with a rough formula to follow, though in the end your own magic shall be a sort of random factor for the brew.
"And remember..." Tatalia's cheerful voice took on a serious tone once again, and she leveled her gaze with Rena's. "You must be very careful. This is not a cure, and it will not solve your problems. It will only lessen the symptoms such that they should be manageable. And in times of extreme stress, it will probably not be enough to prevent the beast from getting out."
Tatalia's voice softened again toward the end, and so did her expression. She seemed to realize something and immediately she smacked her forehead.
"I- I just realized I never asked for your name! Or I forgot it. I'm not sure which is worse!" Tatalia held her hand out to the bird-like woman. "Please, may I ask? You know mine now, I believe!"
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 1, 2024 5:44:29 GMT -5
The crow chuckles softly, moving to retrieve her blade and idly dispelling the magic before sliding it back up her sleeve. "...I'll try and keep that in mind. little sliver of mana for the potion, let the catalyst do the rest," she nods, humming softly, "...calming drug for the base, mana catalyst and some various herbs, as well as a sliver of my own power. anything else?"
those silver eyes stare back at the goblin for a moment, before the crow nods once more, "...potentially addictive treatment, not a cure. that...hopefully won't be a problem. I've already got enough of an addiction to spider meat, no need to deal with another. in any case, I'll try to only use it when I need it...that said, worst case scenario the calming agent loosens the bindings on my curse, so I'll try and stick to less populated areas when I first try it"
Rena sighs, buttoning her satchel shut before glancing back up at the allegedly disguised goblin, "...my name's Rena. Rena Brighteyes, of the Blackfeather Clan, formerly clanless, formerly of the Brighteye Clan," then she smirks, "...yes, the eyes are a bloodline thing. I was actually next in line for the clan seat before my idiot brother decided he didn't care about our mother's decision"
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 1, 2024 6:33:17 GMT -5
"Ah! I wouldn't know much about idiot brothers. Never really had one," Tatalia noted idly, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. Then her brow furrowed. "Well... Unless I did and I just forgot."
That was not a very comforting thought. Tatalia sighed, brushed her hand through her hair, and shook her head wearily. She looked back across at the avian, cracking a thin smile before continuing the conversation.
"Well, either way, hopefully neither of us ever gets too beastly around the other. It just so happens that my curse is of the arachnid variety, and I'm awfully used to eating crow!"
The goblin laughed. She really laughed, thinking the wordplay very clever, given the meaning of the phrase 'eat crow.' It probably wasn't that funny. No, it really, really wasn't that funny. But it was funny to Tatalia!
That laughter slowly broke at Tatalia's lips, fading beneath the whistle of the wind as it kicked up around the pair. Tatalia simply smiled back at the raven, folded her arms over her chest, and focused on the important questions.
"You're right about the potion - just do exactly as you just said! it's nothing too complicated, and even the most novice of novices could handle it!" And to emphasize the point, the goblin scrawled a few notes in her journal again, tore out the page, and handed it to the avian. "Here's a list of herbs and suggested dosages, though you'll probably have to adjust to find what works for you... if it works for you."
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 1, 2024 15:46:03 GMT -5
Rena blinks, then snickers, one hand going up to her beak to stifle her giggles as she shudders with suppressed laughter, finally gasping out "a-at least take me t' dinner first!" before breaking down in giggles once more. it's a little bit before her laughter fades and she glances back up, smirking a little, "...but before ye get all blushy an' flustered, I'm not particularly interested, an' I doubt ye are either"
the crow-mother chuckles again, shaking her head and muttering "...eating crow, stars..." before stretching a little and accepting the page in her dull-taloned hands, silver eyes looking the recipe over with interest as she hums, "...well, I'll definitely try this potion o' yours sometime. see what clicks, as it were. in the meantime, I really should get going..." there's a knowing glint to those silver eyes, "...and p'raps you'd best get back t' that cleric o' yours..."
she chuckles again, gently hefting her satchel up to hang off one shoulder before moving to head out of town...despite her best efforts, she really hadn't made many friends during the cleanup operation...too many people had seen her transformation for her comfort, and while there may be the beginnings of tales of a strange, twisted creature which endeavors to save any it can, she certainly won't hear of such stories for a while yet...
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 1, 2024 16:36:54 GMT -5
Poor Tatalia was left without words for a long moment as she grappled with the idea that she had somehow, apparently, just flirted with the crow.
"Wh- I do beg your pardon?" the short scholar stammered in confusion, looking utterly confused and flabbergasted herself. She adjusted her goggles in a nervous manner as she tried to put the broken puzzle pieces of their conversation together in her head. "I do not recall making any advances toward you, miss! I truly don't know how you came to that conclusion, but I can assure you that was not the intention of my words!"
Honestly, Tatalia wasn't even sure which words gave off that impression. Was it the comment about being "beastly?" That seemed most likely. Tatalia made a note not to use the word so idly in the future. Nevertheless, she recovered her wits and her composure and shot off a toothy smile.
"Nevertheless, I will be finding my friend again, yes!" Tatalia agreed, glancing behind her toward the rest of the city. "Truthfully, we've probably used much more time attending to the needs of the city than we should have. It'll mean journeying late into the day tomorrow to reach out destination...
"Well, I wish you luck wherever you may be going." The young explorer looked to Rena again, and she raised her hand in a light wave goodbye. "'Til next we meet! And if you should ever find yourself in the Marsh Flats and in need of help, just tell the locals you're a friend of Tatalia! They'll point you toward my direction. Farewell!"
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