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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 14, 2024 21:55:47 GMT -5
Rena smiles softly, trilling quietly as she moves the pile, a faint sadness in her eyes as she works. Soon enough the nest has been moved, now mere feet from the door, just far enough away so as to not get in the way.
The crow sighs softly, returning to the table and picking up her mug to quietly sip at her chai. She lets out a soft sigh, “...good…not as good as with milk, but the stuff I’ve got in the icebox probably went bad while I was leading you through the forest…”
Rena shakes her head, smiling and sipping at her tea some more, “...’n any case, I make enough money off odd-jobs in town that I can comfortably feed ye until y’ve got y’re feet back under ye,” her accent is…oddly inconsistent, listing from one side of normal to the other as she speaks, “so I’ll prob’ly be spendin’ some time diggin’ out the floor. Gonna need t’ move the furniture out o’ each room as I dig it out…hm…” her head cocks to one side like a curious bird, “...I think it’d be best if’n I kept the furnishings in me bedroom ‘til it’s over…willnae need t’ navigate ‘round the stuff with the dirt that way…”
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Post by Lucian Lucifen on Jan 15, 2024 0:42:14 GMT -5
The draconynh nodded at her words as he followed her back towards the table, figuring that her plan was as good as any. As a noble, he honestly knew very little about home renovation. Any changes that needed to happen were often organized by some sort of... home renovator? He didn't know the exact role, but there was a commoner for it. Moving the furniture out of the areas when digging into the dirt would at least prevent dirt from getting on the furniture.
At the mention of Rena supporting him, though, he shifted a little in the seat he had just returned to, almost uncomfortable. He should at least contribute somehow. He wasn't exactly strong or smart, though, he only had the basic spells he started with. Well, those, and now the ability to wield knives. There really wasn't much he could do, not unless he wanted to be a magician or a circus performer. He just didn't have many skills that could be useful.
"I'll at least try my best to contribute to the household while under your care," Lucian spoke, his tone earnest. "I may not be all that good at much, but I'm sure I could at least do something."
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 15, 2024 2:24:34 GMT -5
Rena tilts her head, trilling softly as she considers for a moment, “...well…it’d probably be a good idea t’ teach ye how t’ hunt, how t’ properly skin and clean a kill…the ability to provide fresh meat and hides is usually enough t’ at least keep up in all but the big cities…’n I could prob’ly teach ye how t’ cure a hide…” yes, that’ll do nicely. She’ll teach him how to fend for himself. Everything she knows that he doesn’t, she’ll do her best to instill that knowledge into him. On that note, she should probably do the same with her fledgling…though Elvira is a fledgling for a reason, able to fend for herself and take care of a good deal of threats with little to no assistance…
The crow shakes her head to bring herself back to the present. She can plan out lessons later, once he’s agreed to learn more than just throwing knives. In the meantime, she can host him for as long as he’ll let her, do her best to make her guest comfortable, and try to ignore the itch in the back of her mind demanding that she claim the defenseless hatchling as one of her own...
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Post by Lucian Lucifen on Jan 15, 2024 18:08:41 GMT -5
"Ah, that would likely be useful for me to learn!" Lucian agreed, a smile on his face. "I learned how to fish before, so I assume some of those skills would help me learn a bit better."
Although, to be fair, he had learned to fish more for fun and sport, rather than survival. He knew both how to cast a rod and how to spear fish, but he didn't catch anything more often than not. He also never had to clean or gut any of his kills. But, at least now, he could throw knives decently. He wasn't an expert, but being able to hit something where it hurts would likely assist in any endeavors to learn how to hunt.
The more instinctual part of Lucian couldn't help but be excited, though. The thrill of the hunt was a magnificent thing. He wouldn't likely be chasing anything down and chomping on it until it dies, but even just the stealthy stalking of prey was enough to fuel his more carnivorous instincts.
His tail swished back and forth during his thought process, a quiet hum to himself. ...At least until he realized that he should at least be a bit more polite about accepting.
"But only if you would actually like to teach me, of course." He added.
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 15, 2024 19:08:20 GMT -5
Rena grins, trilling softly as she nods, “...alright. we’ll plan out the details in a bit…probably while I’m loosening the floor so I can actually dig it up…” the crow hums softly, quietly sipping at her tea as she considers, idly spinning a bayonet in her free hand as she relaxes a little.
Once her tea is finished, Rena takes her mug to the kitchen so she can wash it later, promptly bustling back out to begin moving all the furniture into her bedroom, humming a lilting tune as she works.
it’s…rather intimidating, actually. this tiny little crow woman is moving furniture as big or larger than her own body with little to no visible effort, a small smile on her beak and silver eyes dancing with quiet amusement.
she stops and glances around at one point, feathery brows furrowing as she swears she felt...something. something hauntingly familiar and yet frustratingly impossible to pin down. In the reflection of the bayonet she left embedded in the wall, Lucian can see another, smaller crow place one black-scaled hand on her shoulder before pulling away, the reflected figure glancing back through the blade, amber eyes seeming to pierce into Lucian's very soul despite the distance and warping caused by the shape of the metal.
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Post by Lucian Lucifen on Jan 15, 2024 20:37:45 GMT -5
Lucian was about to move to assist Rena, but then froze when he felt the eyes staring at him. Something was watching him. It took a bit for his golden eyes to scan around, but he realized that it was a reflection in the bayonet. A crow in the reflection that wasn't Rena. He averted his eyes, instantly becoming nervous by the staring. That was a ghost, that was definitely a ghost. Or, at least, that was what Lucian's rushing thoughts came up with as an explanation. Maybe it was just a trick of his imagination, though, so he didn't exactly want to call attention to it.
His tail swished back and forth with the sudden anxiety. The sudden appearance of a ghost of sorts was enough to escalate his nervousness about being within the house. Clearly this place was haunted. Or, perhaps, it was the blade itself that was haunted. Either way, it was enough for Lucian to be on edge.
Instead, he quickly began to channel his bundle of nerves into something productive. He began to help Rena with the furniture, helping carry some of the pieces around. Even if she was strong enough to do this herself, his help could at least speed up the process. And, it would give him something to focus on that wasn't the apparition.
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 15, 2024 20:56:19 GMT -5
Rena hums softly to herself, not seeming to notice the cause of Lucian’s distress as she moves, trilling happily as she works. The crow’s silver eyes glance over the draconynh’s face as she passes him, feathered brows furrowing as she tilts her head and turns back to face him, “...you alright? Y’look like y’ve seen a ghost,” even as she speaks she’s Summoning the bayonet he’d seen the figure in and slipping it up her sleeve to join…the others…
Are all her blades haunted like that? Is it one spirit, or one spirit in each blade? and why had the ghost's eyes seemed so...appraising? something strange is going on.
The crow chuckles softly, idly rubbing at her neck as she trills, "...well, I wouldnae be surprised...a number o' clerics an' such 'ave confirmed that he's in those blades 'e made for me...an' I 'ave been workin' on tryin' t' summon 'im up outta 'em..."
She sighs softly, leaning back against the wall as she gazes at Lucian, "...'ow would ye feel if'n the love o' your life up an' died t' save you? 'ow 'bout if ye lost 'alf your kids with 'em? now imagine learnin' that not only are they refusin' t' pass on, not only that they're actively protectin' ye, but there's a way t' get them back, if only in a 'alf corporeal manner? 'cause that's the situation I'm in"
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Post by Lucian Lucifen on Jan 15, 2024 21:21:29 GMT -5
"Doesn't change the fact he was staring at me, that was kind of freaky-" Lucian blurted out, before quickly cutting himself off. That was... very rude of him to say. "Sorry, sorry, just got a little... freaked out over that is all." He apologized.
He thought over Rena's words, however. So this was her... boyfriend? Husband? Someone she really clearly loved and cared about trapped within the blades, having passed away. That likely explained the change in eye color within the reflection a while ago in the water at the forest. But it also meant that her blades were haunted. On one hand, it was freaky that a spirit was living on within her blades. On the other hand... It was actually a little touching that her lover continued to live on through the blades, able to protect her.
Lucian himself had never lost anyone. Or, well, no one he remembered well. His biological parents were lost to him, but he had never known them all that much in the first place. So, he was a bit out of his element in possibly comforting Rena.
"Well... I'm sure that you'll be getting him back soon." He assured. "Clearly you already know a way, now it's just a matter of making it happen."
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 15, 2024 21:49:14 GMT -5
Rena smiles wanly, letting out a low trill and relaxing a little as she sighs, “...mhm. ‘S not easy. Not going to be easy, either. The lore on becoming a Spirit Guardian is…sparse, and those who’ve managed it are frustratingly close-lipped. But I’m makin’ progress…”
She shakes her head, breaking free of her thoughts and smiling a little wider at Lucian, “...a-anyhoo, I rather think we ought to get back to it. This furniture willnae move itself, y’ken?” and promptly follows her own advice, trilling softly as she putters around the house, gathering up the furniture as best she can and moving as much as she can manage with each armful.
The crow hums as she works, carefully balancing each load in her arms and idly flexing the digits of her dull-taloned feet to bring her skates out, allowing her to glide rather more literally across the earthen floor, now moving with greatly increased speed.
With her skates extended, she zips around the room, pausing only to snatch up some piece of furniture before darting toward her bedroom to deposit it. All in all, it's only a few more minutes for everything to get cleaned up, even Lucian's pillow-pile having been moved.
That's when she retracts the skates and allows two of those strange bayonets to slide free and settle into her palms, "...alright...now we start digging"
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Post by Lucian Lucifen on Jan 15, 2024 22:23:53 GMT -5
Right. Digging. Unfortunately, unlike Rena's bayonets, Lucian's new knives weren't really designed for digging. However... He still had his claws. A sea-based draconynh's claws weren't exactly made for digging either. They were better for grasping onto fish, or clinging to the face of a rock when currents were strong. But, they were better than nothing.
His claws dug into the earthen floor, tearing up chunks and creating a pile of dirt near the door for easier removal. He wasn't used to such hard effort on his hands either. As a noble, it was his job to handle the politics. He had never really dug into the dirt before, much less dig far enough into the dirt to make an area at least two feet deeper. His hands quickly became covered in dirt, getting under parts of his scales. His scales will definitely need a thorough cleaning after this, but it wouldn't be too hard as long as he found a body of water to jump into.
He let Rena guide him, to make sure that he only dug into the areas that she'd want to be expanded.
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 15, 2024 23:42:19 GMT -5
Rena grins, her feathers and dress quickly getting filthy as she uses her bayonets to break up the packed dirt, a quick dual-casting of Permafrost and Cold Touch coating the blades with durable ice to prevent any potential damage and make the work itself a good bit easier. But it's still hard work, dirt getting into her feathers and caking his scales as they slowly excavate the living room's floor...and then the kitchen...and then they're done. even as long as hard as it was, the burrow only has the three rooms at the moment, so it doesn't take more than a couple hours.
At the end of it Rena's slightly shaking with exhaustion, her feathers slicked with sweat and caked with dirt as she takes slow, deep breathes to try and help cool off, "...w-well...th-that was faster than last time...though I suppose less work 'n more hands'll do that...a-anyhoo, there's a stream behind the hill. I figure we can clean off, cool off, and then work on movin' everything back into place. or we can move the furniture back tomorrow and spend the rest o' t'day training. 's your choice, Lucian"
In truth, she wants this task to be over so she can collapse in her nest and dream of sitting by a fire with her husband and all six of their children...but that's past, now. The best she can hope for is three chicks and her husband's ghost.
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Post by Lucian Lucifen on Jan 16, 2024 11:35:23 GMT -5
The draconynh leaned against a wall once the task was over, using it as support. If he had been mammalian, he likely would have been panting. But, he was a reptile, and so he mainly just stood there against the wall as he tried to cool down from overworking his body.
Lucian looked down at his dirt caked claws, the earth having dulled his normally brilliant sapphire scales. It had been a long time since he had gotten so filthy. At least it would be easy enough to kill two birds with one stone, so to say. …Perhaps that phrasing was rather inappropriate considering his current company. The phrase wasn’t meant to be taken literally, of course, he wasn’t going to kill Rena and her dead husband with a rock. It was rather that washing himself off would clear away all of the accumulated dirt while also regulating his body temperature back to normal.
The stream would definitely be a good idea, especially as a break. It shouldn’t take too long, since it was mainly his arms and claws that were covered in dirt.
“That would likely be a good idea.” He agreed. “Let’s go to the stream, just take a break and relax, and then maybe we can figure out what exactly to do next today.”
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 16, 2024 13:11:43 GMT -5
Rena hums softly, nodding and stretching for a moment before heading out of the burrow, trilling to herself and slowly walking around the hill. She leads Lucian around the burrow, humming to herself and idly flicking her bayonets into a nearby tree before slipping into the water, the dirt beginning to slough from her feathers, scales and dress almost immediately. The crow hums softly, tilting her head as she picks at the now soaked fabric of her dress and glances up at the draconynh…no, she can wash the dress and tunic later. She’s got spares…and Lucian might get uncomfortable if she strips to start scrubbing her clothes clean. She doesn’t particularly mind - she’s actually rather proud of her body, actually. Many crows get and stay out of shape once they have a clutch, but she’s managed to keep rather fit - but her guest’s comfort is second only to the safety of herself and her surviving clutch.
The crow shakes her head, clearing away the thoughts as she lets herself sink in up to her beak, savoring the cool water on her overworked and overheated body as she slowly scrubs the filth from her feathers. she...really doesn't want to preen until her feathers are already some flavor of clean...
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Post by Lucian Lucifen on Jan 16, 2024 15:08:00 GMT -5
Lucian stood by the stream for a moment, contemplating. Would it be better to leave his coat on, or should he remove it to prevent it from getting wet? It was expensive material after all… And then he realized the dirt had also gotten onto the sleeves. Right, he never rolled up his sleeves to work on the digging. An oversight on his part. Oh well, at least this way the jacket could be potentially washed off the dirt if he entered the stream.
He rolled up the cuffs of his pants, turning them into temporary shorts so that he wouldn’t accidentally get them wet. He made his way into the water, wading in. He immediately felt comfort from the way the water moved around his legs, and the way it cooled him down. The claws of his feet dug into the sand as he kept himself in place. The current may not be all that strong here, but it would still be better to avoid falling over.
He leaned down, letting his arms dip into the water as he began to scrub away at the dirt. Thankfully, a combination of the water and his natural biology made it easy for the dirt to be scrubbed away from his scales. His clothes, however… Not so much. He let out a quiet hiss of frustration as it took more effort to get the earth off of the sleeves of his coat.
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 16, 2024 16:01:05 GMT -5
She hums softly, doing her best to scrub the dirt from her dress, the water making this...marginally easier. a quick Summoning brings a thick-bristled brush to her hand to let her scrub more effectively. Once the brush is in hand, the dirt-turned-mud sloughs off quickly, the only stuff that remains being the stains in her feathers and the fabric of her dress.
Rena groans a little, cursing under her breath as she scrubs at her dress, doing her best to get the mud out as she grimaces, "ta'f, ta'f, ta'f! should've taken the time to get changed into work clothes...maybe could've gotten you some too, Luci," she continues scrubbing, intent on working the fabric until it's something resembling clean.
And, well, it does work. Eventually. Each specific spot winds up needing to be scrubbed for a few minutes before the stains fade completely, and scrubbing feathers is an endeavor that the crow isn't particularly keen on...she can just preen it out. sure, it'll taste nasty, but cannibalism was much worse than mud. stars, she ate mud for fun when she was a chick. the stuff always came back up a little later - to her parent's great dismay - but that was quantities comparable to an actual meal, rather than the gravel she occasionally swallows down for her gizzard.
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