Feathers to Dye For

Hayatiento Aerie, Midday

A torrential downpour scours the outside tunnel entrance to the Aerie, the rope bridge swinging in the wind. This section of the Residential tunnels has settled in to be more alive and vibrant.

Speaking of vibrant, there is a multi robed rust red and white egalrin woman, holding out a basket of what appears to be egalrin feather dyes out towards a starkly purple and towering egalrin man in leather armors with a spear to his side in the middle of the residential square. "We only used mostly th' blues!" Slixvah explains to them.

He huffs, taking the basket and peering into it. "... and most of the purple," he loudly grumbles.

Slix's face feathers seem to be dyed blue and purple where they were once white. She squints in a sheepish smile. "... oops!"

Reithak was looking like a half drowned creature when they wandered into the covered tunnels of the aerie. The Egalrin looke like a mess, given the fact that the rain had soaked through the tattered white robes they were wearing, and washed out the white powder they dusted their feather with, leaving a few messy streaks remaining.

At least their spirits were one of the few things not dampened. "Heya, Slix!" The large egalrin chirps as she sees a familiar face. "And you're looking positively regal, I'd say! What's going on here though, not happy with it? I think it looks quite nice, you know."

GAME: Simony rolls stealth: (1)+3: 4 (EPIC FAIL)

The Goblin drips, water trickling down her back, and dropping from the hem of her hood. Her thick leather cloak is worth one hundred times its weight in gold on a day like today. She wanders slowly, taking her time, occasionally reaching up to play with the two feathers in her hair: one red, one white. Her hair also has a number of red stripes, alternating with white, and a noticeably purple purple one.

Simony slowly approaches where Slixvah stands with her basket of feathers, using Reithak as a distraction to get closer.

The tall purple egalrin gives a dejected sigh, slinging the basket over a shoulder. "Well ya owe me, Slivvie," he loudly chuffs.

Slix holds up a hand as if she's about to counter, but the tall and half drowned egalrin make their appearance. She perks. "Reirei! Darlin'!" she coos warmly, stepping forth and- stopping abruptly. "Oh goodness, did ya fall inta a vat of flour?" she giggles. "And thankies! I think it looks really nice!"

A quiet chirp from her robes, and Slix glances to the side- leans around Reithak. Her crest pops up. "Boo!"

"If she owes you, I know Slix is good for her word. Don't worry, if something needs fixing, I'm sure she'll be good for her word." The Large egalrin hums, swaying a bit of the spot, before abruptly tapping the witch on the beak. "I'll have you know that I purposefully dumped a vat of flour on myself, and paid little mind for the possibility of rain." They chuckle. "There was barely any clouds in the sky, till there were."

One brow raises slightly, but the large egalrin shrugs, feigning obliviousness. "So, what has you testing out some new feather dyes?"

The Gobbo is just about to peek around Reithak, and squeaks in surprise at the boo! She peers up immediately, and giggles. "Slixvah, how'd you see me? I was using Reithak as a shield to hide behind!" Looking at the larger male, Simony grins. "Purple is a great colour, you look very regal. Are you king here, your majesty?" There's a subtle wink sent Slixvah's way, before the Gobbo turns to regard Reithak. "Uhm. Got ambushed in the kitchen?", she wonders, before moving forward to hug at Slixvah. "How're you both? Quite the ugly day outside, isn't it?"

"I kno' she is," the man grumbles, rubbing his beak with a hand. "Fo' three decades an' some change, bu' she's flighty."

Slix sticks her tongue out at the purple man. Her about to retort, but soon squawks from the sudden tap. "Tssh- ya silly, hon! Ya want me ta help clean dat off?" she inquires before smiling.

There's just a wink towards Simony. "I have my ways. But she right there-" she points to Simony's new hair colors, "-has th' way of it! Had a slumber party wit' some friends, dyed some hair, gossip, all tha' fun stuff!"

She looks between the two. "Oh! Right! Ya'll know each other-! Doin' good, lil' headache but good!" she smiles, stepping up to Reithak and leaning against her despite the color run off.

The purple egalrin squints down at Simony. "Ha ha, very funny," he deadpans loudly. "The only royalty here is the royal pain my sis' is bein' stealin' my dyes."

"Well, I'm afraid I may have sold you out, Simony." The large egalrin laughs loudly. "I saw you coming behind me on the way here, and I saw Slixvah up to something, so I figured I'd play along. And well, nah, I figured I'd dress up as a really spooky ghost for a pumpkin festival they were having in the nearby town. Still, I wouldn't mind getting rid of it. Maybe join me in the baths if you aren't too busy later?" They tease, before stopping, and huffing once. "You telling me you and Simony had a slumber party, were doing each others hair and feathers and gossiping, and I wasn't invited?" She asks in mock incredulity, before winking back to Simony. "If you need some more dyes, I'd be happy to let you use some of mine in the meantime. Seems they needed some for a worthy cause after all."

"I'm serious though. You do look very regal, and purple is a big part of that. Thank you for letting her use your dyes. Do you go to Alexandria to sell them?"

Simony smiles sweetly up at the large Egalrin before looking to Slixvah. "Haah, yeah, woke out with a bit of a headache also. I wonder why that is... oh, right, the sleepover. How many did I drink? And yes, I met Kalthi here uhm... at dinner? And once before I think."

She eyes the messier Egalrin, and chuckles. "Ah, well, it's an excuse to go have a nice soak in a hot bath after. Were you baking or having a flour fight or something?"

Slixvah giggles, it growing louder at Reithak playing dress up. "Oooh! That sounds like a fun time, being dressed up as a spooooky ghost!"

She blinks. Dyed face feathers floof, and she nods once. "Yeah sure, Reirei," she agrees before putting her hands up. "Hey hey, I /totally/ would have, but it wasn't my party!"

A glance to Simony. "You had uh... I don' remember, I drank way too much too," she snickers.

Kalthi sharply nods. "Tha's I. The dinner Telamon made was prett' good. Ya helped Baby Bani out quite a bit."

Slix looks up to Reithak. "Oh? Did ya have a good time? Anything fun?"

Kalthi shifts some. "I suppose. But no, they're for the Aerie. And I would have let 'er 'ave 'em if she asked."

Slix innocently whistles.

"Well, sounds good then! You know, I was thinking of going with a cute witch costume, but I don't think I could ever pull it off better than you, Slix." Reithak hums, ruffling Slixvah's head feathers. "It was fun! Until the pumpkins started burning people and exploding, that was a lot less fun. Thankfully, no one was harmed too bad by them." She answers. "All good, but maybe put a good word in for me next time?"

"Large amounts of alcohol tends to do that, but sounds like quite the night." Reithak laughs. I wanted something that would make me look whiter, without bleaching all my feathers. It seemed like a good idea, and it was, until it started raining. Don't regret it one bit though, it looked great beforehand! You know Slix's family too, then?"

"Telamon is a good chef, like Mamaw." Simony's grin broadens. "It was a good dinner, we should do that again soon. Such a good feeling being there." She nods to Kalthi, "Ah, I see. Well, if you have excess, you should consider selling them or trading them in the market. I think they would fetch decent coin, which you could use to buy other things the Aerie needs, right? Do you make them yourself?

Simony nods to Reithak, "Yes, I've been over for dinner, and slept there too. I came here to work in the infirmary when Slix' family migrated here, it was such a hard time on them all. I was just glad to help out, and I made some friends long they way. So you were pretending to be a ghost? My mother used to put an old sheet over my head, and cut out holes for the eyes. That was my ghost costume, when I was wee." Her eyes flick back to Kalthi. "I am glad Bani has headed up well. We'll get her wing straightened out soon, and she'll be flying in no time!"

Glancing at Slixvah, the Gobbo rubs at her ears. "I hope it wasn't more than two, that's the last I remember. I uhm... don't hold my alcohol as well as you do."

Slix belts out a laugh at the idea, as well as the ruffle. "Oh I woulda /paid/ ta see ya dressed up li' a witch! Bu' me thinks I'm th' least witchy lokin' witch 'round!" It dies down briefly. "Oh goodness- no tha's no good. M'glad ya got it sorted tho'!"

Kalthi shakes his head, a hand resting on his hip as he leans against his spear. "I give dyes where the Aerie needs, I'm too busy guardin' it ta search fo' coin. Better ta just do it as hobby. But yes. I make 'em myself."

Slix and her brother's expression hardens slightly. "Aye, we need ta get tha' sorted next. It's overdue, and I think m'mojo is strong nuff ta at least try," Slix mentions, rubbing the side of her head.

A snort. "Oh heck no, it was like five. And I can't handle mo' than two either!"

"Hey, maybe I'll try it out just for you sometime, Slix. And what's that? Kalthi here is a dye maker too?" Reithak blinks, before breaking out into laughter. "Clearly I need to get to know your family better, I always need new dyes for things! We'll have to talk shop sometime, I'm sure I could pay you for some of them."

"And, yeah, I hope your lil' sister is holding in there, she went through an awful lot getting here, you all did. Just let me know if you ever need me to help." She adds with a more subdued tone as she glances between the others. "That's one way to look like a ghost! But with all these feathers, it'd be a shame not to keep em visible when I can make them look so many ways. Went through a lot of trouble to get them looking all wispy, too."

"Well, just an idea is all.", she says, regarding the dyes and selling them. Her expression saddens slightly, and she nods to Slixvah. "I am ready when you are. It will work out well!" The Gobbo grins, trying to remain upbeat.

Giggling, she eyes Reithak. "If I had feathers, I might try it your way. But.." She holds out her arms, looking down at her body. "This is all I have, pasty white skin. I suppose I didn't need the sheet, but well, needed to remain decent so...!"

Kalthi's demeanor breaks into a slight smile. "We can do that, Reithak," he nods towards her before looking back out to the rain with a mild sigh. "Right, need to get back to my job. Pleasure to see you two." The purple dyed egalrin leaves to resume his rounds, spear clacking like a walking stick.

Slix gives her brother a little wave before turning to the two. She snickers. "Good luck, there's a lot of fam ta learn." A little sigh. "She's doin' okay. She's over da sickness, jus' gotta get some medicines together ta numb her up, knock her out wit' it, and get ta some rough, honest healin' work. Might need ya strong arms. And you too Simony, fo' th' proper healin's."

The witch grins, ruffling Reithak's feathers on her arm. "Good ta not keep 'em hidden! I bet it looked ri' cool!"

A pondering thought. "Well, Simony, I have a thing that could let ya /try/ out feathers and what not. It's VERY discombobulating and you probably won' like it, but if you wanna try..."

"Good to meet you proper too!" Reithak smiles back with their eyes, waving Slixvah's brother away. "I'm sure it will, too. I'll be there if you need me, I'm no healer but I'm no stranger to helping out when people are sick or injured, either."

"Hey now, you say that's all ya got like it's some bad thing. I think you look real swell!" The inquisitor hums, reaching to pat the gobber on the head, and resting her arm against slixvah afterwards. "Sounds like a fun spell though, might be a new experience, yeah?"

The Goblin gasps and runs to hug at Kalthi's waist. "Aw, take care then. Nice to see you again, too! Pass on my hellos to your siblings and parents."

Waving as he strides off, she turns back to the other Egalrin.

"Aww, I think your healing is proper healing too, it just works differently than mine. And yes, she will want to be as 'out of it' as you can manage. It will be a traumatizing amount of pain, I think. It will be hard on us, mentally and emotionally, too."

Simony nods in agreement with the rust-coloured bird-lady, looking to Reithak. "I'll bet it was a neat costume! And I am not dissing myself, just the honest truth. No feathers except the two in my hair now." She pokes at a stray drop of water hanging from the edge of her hood, glancing to Slixvah. "Oh? Erm. I am willing to try. Will I get to fly, too? Does it work with clothing? If not... maybe we should try it later?"

Kalthi seems entirely unexpecting of the hug. He blinks, then gives an awkward pat on the head before trying to pry to goblin off. "Will do... clear skies." And he's off.

Slix shrugs. "It's healin'," is all she says about it before slowly nodding. "Trust me, I kno'. Ain' my first gig doin' somethin' rough like this."

The witch grins. "Works wit' clothin', shifts it 'round. Buuuuuuuuuut- yes this ain't a 'try it now!' question. I have no clue if you'll be able ta, but I can guarantee it'll be suuuuuper weird. First time I turned inta a softskin, I was spittling everywhere, wobbly knees, sore back, friggin' too many toes! Lips! Imagine tha' for yaself- no lips, no different knees, limbs on ya back, so different!"

"Not my first time dealing with it either." Reithak nods slowly, with a soft exhale. "Yeah, Slix is capable of being all sorts of things! Pretty much anything if she makes her mind up, that's what I like about her!" The large egalrin laughs. "I think being an egalrin is pretty swell, though. You should give it a try, if only for a change of perspective!"

Simony grins at the retreating Kalthi. "I think I got him flustered, he doesn't hug much, does he?", she wonders of Slixvah. Nodding then, "Healing is healing. And I know, but I've only done it once. And I threw up, because, well... having to.. t.t.to break the bone to fix it." Her expression is an apt demonstration of 'green around the gills'.

"But I think I would give that uh magic a try, if we could be somewhere private. I don't want to super embarrass myself."

The Gobbo grins at Reithak, "Oh yes, Slix has snuck up on me a number of times, fooled me most times, I think once I was able to guess before she revealed herself. It's the way she talks, she slips into that easy drawl that gives her away." She glances at the rust-coloured Egalrin. "But only sometimes. She's a good voice actress too."

"Eh, he ain' much of a hugger," Slix waves it off. "Him and Zan are like tha'." There's a little wince. "Yeeeah. I don't blame you. It's right rough work."

The Witch snickers, leaning into the arm around her as she loops her own around Reithak's waist. "Oh no, fo' shure, I like bein' me way too much. Gotta have a certain level of... lets say, self identity, if ya wanna do it as often as I do."

She grins. "Thank ya! I love doin' it. It is a lil' hard ta not accidently slip up, but I do think I do a prett' fine job of it!" She looks back to the entrance, the rain coming down harder. "Yeeeah, private is a good idea. You'll goof loads, trus' me. Bein' a makari was loads easier fo' me than bein' a human."

There's a long inhale of breath. "You know wha' don' change? Bein' hungry. Ya'll wanna get somethin' ta eat? See wha' Mamaw's cookin'?"

"Hard to say, really. Might have to ask him next time you see him or something." Reithak shrugs. "Yeah, it's not pleasant, but necessary, and you get used to things like that."

"I'm not entirely sure how she does it, slipping into so many roles. You'd think she was destined to be an actor or something, with how she manages." They laugh. "Course, if you can fly, not really possible to be private about that, though. Who can say?

"I'll do my best, Slixvah. You can count on me. And Bani can too. We'll have her right as rain."

The Goblin's expression brightens. "Mamaw's cooking sounds excellent right about now." She hops up and down excitedly.

Glancing to Reithak, she nods. "I suspect she'd be an excellent bard, if she put her mind to it. I mean, there's definitely some overlap. Are you hungry?" Simony's stomach gurgles. "Not you, I was asking Reithak!"

Slix nods towards Simony before giving a smile up at Reithak. "Dawh, hush you," she giggles, pattig Reithak on the arm. "Maybe could be, bu' I ain' got th' Hymn's sweet dulcet tones in my head like another close soul to me has. I'll jus' stick ta lil' lyrical miracles and pretending ta be others fo' now. I got a bit much of esoterica goin' on in my brain ta make much room fo' else."

She laughs. "C'mon girls, lets go get somethin' ta eat!"

-End Scene-