Fate - First Reply A Morning Strait

[Lamirose]

Lami watched silently as Rook calmly scoped up Giibi and took her to his 'room' to calm down. She turned around to find Miz'ri about two inches from her face, asking question after question. Lami paused a moment, trying to understand what she meant so she would not sound stupid upon answering.

"Um...Ale? And... cakes? Kitties? And big hills," She had never tried berry juice, so stuck with ale, which she had tried. And Rook had mentioned earlier about making cakes so she chose cakes instead of cookies, and she had no idea what a 'doggy' or a 'kitty' was but she thought kitty sounded right. And as for the hills, she knew Rook had said there were lovely hills and a small hill wasn't 'lovely', was it? It was hardly anything to talk about. So big hills it was.

She wondered if this was rather how landers who didn't know how to swim felt when they were forced to swim. She felt as if she were struggling to keep her head above water in this strange new environment, but how else would she learn to swim?

She gave Miz'ri a hopeful, tentative smile, and wished Rook would come back and maybe kiss her to distract her. But now, he was too oblivious for that.

 

[Giibi]

"Phew...! Safe at last!" Giibi said once they were in Rook's room. Yet, despite this apparent atmosphere of safety, Giibi stayed clutched to Rook as though the spider might come back at any moment and bring with it a legion of his skittering brethren to take revenge.

She looked up to him, smiling eagerly.

"So who was that?" Giibi gave her head a little backward jerk, out vaguely toward their guest in the main room. "Lami? Was that her name? Ooooo, where'd you find her, huh? What's she good at? Huh? What's she good at? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Rook Lamirose Miz'ri

 

[Miz'ri]

Miz'ri stared long and hard into Lami's eyes as if searching for the faintest hints of deceit. Finding none, she sighed as if relieved, and nodded solemnly. "Mhm. Mhm. Good answers." Lami had lost a point for picking ale over berry juice, but overall, her responses had pleased the small elf. As far as she was concerned, Lami was near perfect, and so Miz saw no issue with her being Rook's girlfriend.

"Sit." she instructed, pointing to a rickety table with a bench seat. "I go get snacks!" Miz finally released Dinner from her grip to roam the house as she pushed aside the curtain to the kitchen. She ignored the small fabric sign sewn to it that read "gobblins onlee!" -good thing she couldn't read- and began rummaging through Giibi's sparse pantry.

After a brief, but very noisy search, Miz'ri reappeared with two apples and a bottle of something that had smelled strongly of alcohol. She handed the bottle and an apple to Lami, and plopped herself down next to her. "So how meet Rook?" Miz asked, taking a bite of her own apple.

Lamirose Giibi Rook

 

[Rook]

Rook made no attempts to remove Giibi off of him. It was a fool's errand to do so. Only would end in her taking a bite out of him... again. Also he was comfortable with her like this. He was comfortable being this close with everyone he lived with. As cramped of spaces as they had to get use to it would be a surprise if he wasn't.

His comfort though ended a bit when Giibi finally calmed down and went from the topic of spider to their guest. How even to explain all of it? He knew they must have wild imaginations now that he actually could stop to think about it. That wasn't good, especially with Mizzie and Giibi's imaginations. There was also the whole Lami being a kivren thing. He had to keep that a secret.

What to say?

It didn't take him more than a moment to fumble out, "Met Lami today."

"Was down by the docks after I got done working on the fishing boat."

He paused and began to rummage through his pouch. "Oh right. Got my pay minus breakfast for me and her."

He handed his bag of coins over to Giibi for safe keeping. "She is new to the city and didn't have much on her so treated her to a meal. And she is really good at swimming and singing.... Could say her voice is rather enthralling."

He felt proud of himself for that one. He shouldn't, but he did. A little smirk on his face as he finished speaking that no doubt would just make him look like a goober. Well more of a goober.

"Talked about you guys and she asked to meet you. So here we are.... How are you feeling by the way? Been up to anything today?"

Lamirose Miz'ri Giibi

 

[Lamirose]

Lami could not help the sigh of relief when Miz'ri decided her answers were worthy, but she didn't know what they were worthy of.

She sat down when Miz'ri told her to and waited as the drow dug around noisily for something to eat. Lami was too nervous to say that she wasn't really hungry since breakfast but she took the offered apple and bottle. It smelled strong and she set it down, still too nervous to drink it.

"I met him on the docks. I was lost and didn't have any money. He bought me breakfast," she replied, conveniently forgetting to mention that she had only just met him today.

"Rook talked about you and Giibi a lot, and I wanted to meet you," she added, hoping a compliment would help her case. Though she still wasn't sure what her case was.

 

[Giibi]

An enthralling voice!? Excellent! That's what they needed! Rook was good at fixing, Giibi was good at cleaning, Sig was good at sleeping, Miz was good at stabbing, so what they could all use was someone who was good at singing! A performer! They didn't have one of those yet! Imagine how many coppers Lami could earn!

Been up to anything today?

Giibi slid out of Rook's grasp, poured out the pouch of coins down on his bed, and casually began counting as she answered, "I cleaned some adventurer's shield! He was sailing this-a-way or that-a-way along the Strait, I dunno which way, but he stopped for a day here in Alliria and I saw that his shield still had some blood and guts on it and I said 'HEY! That's nasty! You should get a goblin like me to clean that' and he said 'You're right! It is nasty. And it stinks' and it did stink a little bit because, you know, the sun and the metal and all that time, ew, it wasn't the best, but it was a lot easier than it looked, but don't go telling him that! I made it look like magic and I had it done quick, before he could even finish his meal at the Sunken Galleon, and he gave me a nice shiny coin! Silver!"

Giibi scooped up the coins and dropped them back into the pouch.

"So, beside being viciously attacked by the spider in my room, everything has been a-okay-today-hoo-ray!"

Rook Miz'ri Lamirose

 

[Miz'ri]

"Rook very kind," Miz'ri stated. It came as no surprise to her that he would help somebody lost and in need. It was just who he was. "He help when I come to city too. Meet Rook one day while outside tavern begging for scraps. Offered snacks and place to stay." As much as Miz ragged on Rook and bullied him, she would never forget what her had done for her.

Miz'ri smiled smugly at Lamirose's compliment, sitting up proudly in her seat. Flattery would get Lami everywhere. Of course Rook had told Lami about her, as well he should have. Miz liked to think of herself the queen of the misfits after all. Not to mention she was the smartest and the prettiest of them all. Besides Lami of course. The tiny elf could only dream of such beauty.

Lamirose had it all. A beautiful face like a goddess... A heavenly voice... Curves in all the right places... Lovely hills... Which now that Miz could get a closer look were every bit as big as Lami had claimed. Miz stared boldly, making no attempt to hide what she was doing.

"You going to eat apple?" Miz'ri asked hopefully, her gaze still fixated on Lami's chest. "Can I have?"

Rook Lamirose Giibi

 

[Rook]

Rook nodded and listened as he watched Giibi get to work counting out the coins. She loved doing that. Something about collecting shiny stuff. Like a crow. Both liked to keep on talking once you got them started too and both liked to play tricks when you didn't watch them closely enough. Course a crow was safer to be around. He had been pecked before but not once did they draw blood. Giibi had yet to nibble him and not break his skin in the process.

As she went on about the shield, he began to frown. The crafty part of him was disgusted at what he heard. Who didn't maintain their shield well if they were a fighter? One who wouldn't live long that was who!

Once Giibi stopped talking he had to get his opinion out. "I hope you charged him extra for that job! If he left all that blood on his shield then it means he didn't oil it and that means it likely began to rust. Especially if it was around salt water on a boat or near the coast. Everyone knows you treat your steel right and it will never let you down. Treat your steel wrong and you won't live long! Kind of like people being mean to you. Be mean and get a fist in their face! My fist."

He balled up his hand into a fist and punched his open palm a few times for emphasis. Not once was he joking or kidding or being sarcastic with any of his words.

"So feeling better now? Ready to meet Lami or would you like to stay in here with me a bit longer?"

Giibi was a real people goblin, but she also got really shaken up by spiders. Good chance her goblin instincts told her it was better to hide in a safe place full of shiny stuff for awhile rather than risk danger in a place not full of shiny stuff. His room was rather shiny with all the metal tools and materials scattered about. Shiny stuff that easily doubled as a weapon. What place would be safer for a scared goblin?

Probably a treasure vault with the door shut.

Lamirose Giibi Miz'ri

 

[Lamirose]

Lami nodded, smiling as Miz'ri described how kind Rook was. This, she understood. Though she still could not understand how Rook could be so oblivious. Her past lover would have already taken her by now with all the hints she'd been dropping.

Lami blinked back to reality when she noticed Miz'ri's lingering gaze on her chest. Suddenly it clicked in Lami's head. Oh, hills, she thought, a blush coloring her cheeks. She had wished a couple times that they were smaller but perhaps she could use it in her favor.

Lami handed the drow girl her apple, smiling again, this time a bit more nervously. The strange girl in front of her was so unpredictable. She wished Rook would come back in here, but she didn't know how much use he would be. She was better off saving herself. She just wasn't sure she particularly wanted to.

Rook Giibi Miz'ri

 

[Giibi]

"All there!" Giibi said of the coins, scooping them back into the pouch with a dutiful alacrity. Each coin was precious! If you let them out for too long, they could just grow legs and walk away! You had to guard them, keep them, hoard them in nice safe spot where not even the greatest wizards of the age would find them! That's what all the best goblins did: hide their stuff in secret caches only they ever knew about. And it worked! Pirates were dumb! Never mark your treasure on a map, dummy, that's how it gets stolen!

Anyway.

Rook offered to punch the spider (or the adventurer, to be honest, Giibi didn't know which but was glad for both) and she grinned and then he asked if she was feeling better and she said:

"I am! Crisis averted! That was scarier than Geladryx! Now I'm ready to meet Lami! Again! And if I need to, and I think I need to, I'll sit on Miz's shoulders again so I can look Lami eye-to-eye and I'll tell her—" Giibi tried to make her voice as deep and "scary" as she could, "—'There is no escape from the hidey-hole, mortal! Mwahaha!'"

Rook Miz'ri Lamirose

 

[Miz'ri]

Miz'ri greedily took the apple from Lamirose. It wasn't everyday that she got to have two snacks. Especially not with the way Giibi rationed out food like there was an ongoing famine. Her gaze momentarily abandoned Lamirose's chest and focused on her food. She polished it off in a few quick bites and threw the apple core on the floor for Dinner. Miz took a large sip of the fiery liquid in the bottle, coughing and sputtering as she tried to think of something to talk about.

And what was taking Rook and Giibi so long? she mused. Were they trying to wrestle again? Probably not, she decided. As far as Miz knew, Giibi hadn't had any ale yet. But that hadn't stopped them before. Maybe they were just talking about work? Didn't they say something about a job later that afternoon?

Miz'ri turned her attention back to Lami with a small shrug. Hmm... Could she get Lami to wrestle with her while they waited, she wondered. It didn't seem like the rules were too complicated. Roll around together and whoever ended up on top or made the most noise won. Maybe Lami had already wrestled with Rook before they get there? Still, it couldn't hurt to ask.

But before she could propose her idea to Lamirose, the curtain to Rook's room slid to the side. Miz'ri cursed in annoyance, crossing her arms and pouting, as she grumbled about never getting her chance to wrestle.

Rook Lamirose Giibi

 

[Rook]

A smile crossed his face as the green girl went from her terrified state to back to her chipper chatter. She was certainly feeling better. He gave her a couple pats on the head then stood up. A motion for Giibi to follow then he went back to the main room of the house. A quick and easy trip given their house wasn't that big and no one had an actual door just some heavish cloth they had scavenged and hung up over the door frames. A bit of privacy although not really that much given how easy it was to go in and out.

The young man would hold the "door" for Giibi to exit then let it slide back into place behind him. As he returned he would offer an apologetic smile to Lami and Mizzie. "Sorry. All better now.... Right?"

He looked at Giibi. Was she actually better? The goblin gal was quick to shift around in all senses so it was hard to say if she was actually over things just because she was better for that earlier moment. For all he knew it was a momentary excitement because he gave her those coins.

Lamirose Giibi Miz'ri

 

[Lamirose]

Lamirose was glad when Rook returned to the main space of the technically one-roomed house. Miz'ri was giving her strange looks, and her black eyes were near impossible to read.

She stood when Rook re-entered, immediately wondering why she had done so. Feeling foolish, she shifted her feet as Rook claimed everything was all better now. Giibi's fear seemed to be forgotten, a grin that Lami would bet was usual back on her face.

She smiled nervously at the two of them. What now? Were they to eat the chicken that was now roaming the house clucking softly to itself?

Giibi Miz'ri Rook

 

[Miz'ri]

Miz'ri stood up with Lamirose, and hugged her arm. As far as Miz was concerned, Lami was already a part of their family and her new favorite member. They might have just met, but Miz was already feeling a sisterly connection between them.

She looked up to Lami, then over to Rook. Closing her eyes, she nodded solemnly, and opened her inky black eyes once more. "Lami? Perfect." Miz'ri paused for a moment as if she were thinking then continued. "Big hills?" Nodded her head again. "Mhm. Mhm. Pretty voice? Yes. Nice? Very!" She smiled devilishly at Rook. "Lami pass. Can be girlfriend!"

After giving Lami's arm a squeeze, Miz released her and scooped up Dinner. "Time for wrestle," she warned the hen. "So we leave alone and play outside!" With that decided, Miz'ri marched out the back door and into the small patch of grass they called a yard.

Lamirose Rook