Dawn Stone Hills - Year 1 Spring - Interlude 1

[4:54 PM] Wick: Wick jumps into the largest pool available, seemingly unconcerned that it's not all that deep. He resurfaces a moment later, smiling contentedly in the bubbling warm water of the springs.
[4:56 PM] Rosalie: Rosalie quietly slips in, not going any deeper than her shoulders as she leans against the edge of the pool.
[4:58 PM] Wick: "Aaaah. See, it's not all sad things Rosalie, sometimes we get to enjoy nice things too! Ever since we started exploring further from town we've found so much!"
[5:00 PM] Rosalie: She nods. "Yes, yes, it's just...hard not to feel the vacuum left by the rest of our family when reminded of it. Though I suppose I am handling it...better. When first they left, there were times I would not leave my tent for days! I had Eduardo hop out to grab food..."
[5:03 PM] Wick: "... Yeah. I mean... I basically just ran off into the woods to be alone, after my parents died. Uncle Walter, Lugh, and his mom were all super nice to me but..."
[5:04 PM] Wick: Wick shrugs, and takes a deep breath, plunging his head into the water again for a moment before rising back up with a splash.
[5:05 PM] Wick: "We have an opportunity to make things different going forward though! We've had our bitter herbs. Now we can wait on the sweet times."
[5:09 PM] Rosalie: "True...though 'wait' does not seem appropriate there! As you yourself just said: we've only just begun to explore, and there must be so much out there! So much we haven't seen. We'll make sure to make Dawn Stone Hills a real home for them to come back to. And...if they are having a hard time coming back. If they are in need of our help. Well we'll just have to find them and drag them back, yes~?"
[5:10 PM] Rosalie: She slides a bit deper into the pool, her feet poking up on the other end awkwardly. She stares at the waters, so dearly wanting to dunk her head in as Wick had, and yet...
[5:12 PM] Wick: "Yeah! You're totally right.  Though... can I... confess something to you?" Wick asks, staring at his own garbled reflection in the water.
[5:13 PM] Rosalie: "But of course!"
[5:14 PM] Wick: "I dunno that Dawn Stone Hills feels much like home to me. I mean, I like you, and Lugh of course, and Gin, but... the others... i-it's not that they're mean, I know I can be weird and off-putting. I don't mean to be. I dunno."
[5:15 PM] Wick: Wick slaps the water lightly in frustration. "I guess what I mean is, it doesn't feel like home really. I mean I like working to.. improve it, but I feel restless actually being there. So I just keep going on all these explorations all the time, or find a reason to stay out in the woods."
[5:22 PM] Rosalie: Her head tilts back and forth as she thinks about it. "That is...I do not think I had really thought about it. But I think I can understand it. I do not think it my ideal home either, it is just...convenient. Especially for wanting to host performances. But if I had to choose...well I think traveling around and exploring, rather than staying stationary, would suit me better too. I was uh...going a little stir crazy before we started making these regular sojourns into the unknown!" She pauses while trying to figure out how to squeeze the water just right to make a small fountain spray into the air. Just as she closes in on mastering it, she pauses, reddening slightly beneath the makeup. "W-Wait, you mean you like me like...f-family, yes? Or...?"
[5:25 PM] Wick: "Family? What? No, you're just a cool person," Wick continues, oblivious to Rosalie's implications. "And... well, I won't say I'm glad you feel that way too, but it's a relief to know I'm not the only one! I look forward to exploring all sorts of things with you then!" Wick says, grinning.
[5:27 PM] Rosalie: "E-E-Eh? Cool?! I...must admit, I thought most found me odd as well...I am glad to have found a comrade who does not mind my...eccentricities!"
[5:28 PM] Wick: "Well, I mean, you're pretty normal - just artsy - aside from the... the make-up. Is there a reason you always have to have it on?"
[5:31 PM] Rosalie: "It uh...hmm..." She pokes her index fingers together in embarrassment. "If I feel like I'm playing a character, it helps me...not feel quite so intimidated by others. I was...catastrophically shy before meeting Coraline and Big Jim. I suppose it just...became habit."
[5:32 PM] Rosalie: "What...does it mean to be 'normal' anyways?"
[5:33 PM] Wick: "Hmm. Good point, I guess I don't know."
[5:33 PM] Rosalie: She giggles.
[5:33 PM] Wick: "Hey wait, do you drink? We should play a game if you do!"
[5:34 PM] Rosalie: "Ah...I suppose that I do. The night before the expedition left, I...well I know that I drank, but I do not recall much else of that night!"
[5:36 PM] Wick: "Okay close your eyes for a sec! I'm gonna climb out!" Wick declares before scrambling awkwardly out of the pool, rushing over to where he dropped his bag, and sorting through its contents for the Victor!Booze. With that in hand, he runs back over, slipping into the water carefully this time.
[5:37 PM] Rosalie: She makes a very big show of covering her eyes and waits patiently to be told otherwise.
[5:39 PM] Wick: "Here!" Wick says, sliding forward to offer Rosalie the brew. "It's a lot better than the stuff we brew in town!"
[5:40 PM] Rosalie: Rosalie gives it a curious sniff and a small sip.
[5:41 PM] Wick: It's strong! But Cast didn't elaborate more iirc so I can't describe it further!
[5:43 PM] Gin: It's definitely very strong! and seems to have been brewed with a number of botanicals to help cover up the crudeness of the alcohol flavor and the sheer strength of the drink. It's surprisingly drinkable, despite that. Well, as long as you're okay with a bit of herby bitterness
[5:44 PM] Rosalie: She shudders from the sheer kick of the drink, but with an amused smirk. "O-Oh my, yes, that is quite a different experience from what I've had! Alright...what's the game then?"
[5:48 PM] Wick: "The game is we ask each other questions, and then we drink. As the challenged, I give you right to first inquiry. Also I think there's supposed to be like, playing cards, colorful coins, removing clothes, and a 'beer can' involved somehow. But beer cans went extinct like two decades ago and we're already not wearing clothes so, I think just asking questions is fine right?"
[5:49 PM] Rosalie: "So, we both drink after a question is asked once we begin?"
[5:50 PM] Wick: "You ask someone a question, and they gotta answer, and you take a sip while they do. It's not a complicated game."
[5:51 PM] Wick: "That's the point of most drinking games right, just being formalized ways of doing something you'd casually do anyway."
[5:52 PM] Rosalie: "Ha, I was just about to say...alright then what to aaaaaask...hmmm...how...do you feel about Xander?" She begins to siiiip her drink, making a bit of a show of it while in reality actually really pacing herself because drowning in a natural hot spring would be embarrassing.
[5:54 PM] Wick: "Xander? Is he that one-armed blacksmith with the hook and the giant beard?"
[5:56 PM] Rosalie: "I...who? He is the one who believes his arm to be cursed with a supernatural power. And in truth, he does seem to hold some sway over the supernatural, but...well I cannot tell if he is simply...odd like you or I or...well, that is what I'm asking you."
[5:57 PM] Wick: "What? Do... you mean Fennel? Did Fennel's arm get cursed or something?"
[5:57 PM] Rosalie: She blinks. "You...you actually do not know the one who speaks like I do but seems to believe it? He has an adorable little candle monster. Wait, are you telling me WICK does not know who has the CANDLE?!"
[5:58 PM] Wick: "I have no idea who you're talking about! Did they leave with the caravan?"
[5:59 PM] Xander: For some reason, Xander, while nowhere near either of these two, finds himself shivering.  He clutches his arm.  Clearly someone has laid a curse on him to make him disappear.
[5:59 PM] Rosalie: She laughs heartily and takes another sip. "Okayokay, let me try again. Just...tell me about the relationship between you and Lugh."
[6:03 PM] Wick: "Oh, sure, that's easy. He's my cousin. His parents looked after me after my parents died in that avalanche, so he almost feels like a brother. I keep an eye out for weird plants or seeds while I'm out exploring for him. We get along well I think!"
[6:05 PM] Rosalie: "Ah, he is such an earnest sprout! I am glad to hear you two get along. Your turn now, yes?"
[6:07 PM] Wick: "Yup," Wick says, grabbing the skin. "Okay, so, goals for the town aside, whats YOUR goal? Whaddya wanna accomplish or change or just... do with yourself?"
[6:12 PM] Rosalie: "I wish..." She hummmms. "I do...not really remember much of my parents. But I do remember when I first met Coraline and Big Jim. I was...to hear them say it, inconsolable. Until they began to perform a number of simple tricks for me: pulling acorns from my ear, shell games, balancing acts, that sort of thing. I was enthralled, and it really helped me warm up to them. And I wish to be able to do that for others. To capture their curiosity and allow them to step forth from their shells of anxiety and self-doubt."
[6:13 PM] Wick: Wick nods as he drinks, gasping as he swallows a big gulp of the liquor. "I see! That's noble, like, really nice. But... I mean, don't you think it's... well, a bit ironic then?"
[6:14 PM] Rosalie: Her head tilts. "Hm? Ironic how?"
[6:16 PM] Wick: "Well, coz like... n-not that I'm criticizing, but,  you use the performance stuff to hide your anxieties and self-doubt.  Like what you said earlier, about playing a character. So it's like you'd be healing people with the same thing that's your crutch."
[6:16 PM] Wick: "Er... maybe I shouldn'ta said all that... s-sorry."
[6:16 PM] Wick: Wick blushes and stares at the water.
[6:20 PM] Rosalie: The playful curiosity slowly fades to realization. Her face falls as she thinks about it. And yet, she suddenly gives another hearty laugh and takes a drink. "OH! I had never thought of that, how absolutely, entirely, positively right you are! Such a fascinating taste of irony! Yes, it is really quite amusing that I should lean so heavily on it as a means to free others from their own crutches. Perhaps, one day I will not need to lean so heavily." As her laughter dies down, she glances over at Wick. "Come now, dear Wick, no need to blush like that unless you've done something worthy of both of us blushing!"
[6:24 PM] Wick: "O-oh. Sorry, usually people get mad at me if I say things like that," he says, smiling shyly. "Plus, we are naked and crammed into a small pool so... I can blush a little right? Anyway it's your turn, here!"
[6:26 PM] Rosalie: As Wick states the obviousness of the situation, she sinks down into the water for a moment to blow bubbles, trying to hide her own embarrassment. She comes back up, missing the lower half of her makeup as it clouds up the pool a little. "W-Well then, I would ask the same question of you: what is it you want to accomplish or change or do with y-yourself?"(edited)
[6:30 PM] Wick: "Me? Oh I wanna have it all! Explore strange and magical places, fight epic battles, discover lost treasures, unearth arcane secrets, make amazing friendships, find awe-inspiring love, chase destiny or rebel against it as necessary, all of it!"
[6:30 PM] Rosalie: She takes a gulp of alcohol, remembering the rules.
[6:31 PM] Wick: "Or as they say, die trying. I think I'm well on my way already!"
[6:31 PM] Rosalie: "I...hope you do not mean to suggest you are half-dead already!"
[6:35 PM] Wick: Wick laughs, and sends a weak splash in Rosalie's direction. "No! Very much alive, thank you! And I've only just begun!" he says with a giggle. "I know it sounds..."
[6:35 PM] Wick: "Well, silly! But I mean, it's what we're really doing right!? We're living in the times they'll romanticize and write about! So... might as well not miss out on romanticizing our own lives."
[6:39 PM] Rosalie: The splash manages to knock off a bit more of her makeup, revealing everything below her eyes. It...well frankly doesn't look that different, cuz it's not really the interesting part! She smirks and shrugs. "I suppose you are right. What better a time to write our stories than when we're still fit to hold the quills! And if you'd like someone to help capture epic battles, arcane secrets, strange and magical places, or...whatever else you mentioned, well I dare say I find you good company for that sort of thing!"
[6:40 PM] Wick: Wick blushes a bit again, taking a sip. "Heh, thanks. I-I like your company too. Forthatsortofthing. A-anyway I'm changing the rules coz I'm out of questions! Next I dare you to remove the rest of your make-up! It's like half off anyway!"
[6:41 PM] Rosalie: "Huh?" She reaches over to the edge of the pool, pulling out her mirror and blinks at herself. "Is...a-are you allowed to do that?"
[6:43 PM] Wick: "Yup. Already did it!"
[6:49 PM] Rosalie: "A-Ah...well then...um....hm..." Rosalie turns away and after considering it for a moment, scrubs off the rest of the makeup, the spring clouding up even more. She scrutinizes herself in the mirror for a bit longer before turning back to face Wick. Had you not just seen her remove her own makeup, it would be hard to recognize her as the same person. Her lips are thin and not nearly as expressive as she seems to usually be. Dark circles line her eyes which don't seem nearly as bubbly, though she still looks around with that same inherent sense of wonder, drinking in her surroundings before settling on Wick's. "T-There."
[6:51 PM] Wick: "Wooooah," Wick says, eyes going wide. "That really does make a huge different! You're so... you look so..."
[6:52 PM] Wick: "Cute! I mean I like your terrifying gargoyle thing too but, you should do this sometimes too!"
[6:53 PM] Rosalie: Though already fairly red between the warmth of the hot springs and the alcohol, she manages to take it a bit further. "...w-wait, gargoyle thing...?" She brushes her hair over her ear nervously. "I have a gargoyle thing?"
[6:54 PM] Wick: "... That's not intentional? How half of your make-up is all distorted and creepy sometimes so that you look like a demonic wax-person conjured from the d- I should stop talking."
[6:56 PM] Rosalie: She snorts a laugh before covering her mouth. "Well, it had not been, no, but maybe I can take it further~. And...what were you saying about me being uh...cute?"
[6:57 PM] Wick: "W-what? Did I say that? Fuck, I just mean, uhm, that, well... yeah, you're cute without your costume stuff!"
[7:00 PM] Rosalie: She wrings her hands nervously and smiles a little, though without her makeup...it just looks like a smirk. "I mean...I believe the rules for this game also state that we have to be as embarrassing as possible, yes~?"
[7:01 PM] Wick: "T-that's in the spirit of the event, that's true..."
[7:03 PM] Rosalie: "So! Then when you say cute...do you just mean 'amazing friendships' cute...or do you mean potentially 'awe-inspiring' cute~?" She winks, and though it lacks some of her usual showmanship, there's something much more real about it.
[7:13 PM] Wick: "I-I, well, that's to say, if I we're looking at the root of those earlier-used neologisms, I suppose it could be said that uhm, well it's a complicated question because, do we say that awe-inspiring is necessarily incompatible with amazing? So I suppose it uhm, depends on the context wherewith you also think one or the other, because er, I mean you get what I'm getting at right? Like if... okay, it's like traveling, if you-"  Wick continues on like that for a while, saying increasingly little as he continues.
[7:14 PM] Wick: "So I guess... uhm...  what do you think I think?"
[7:21 PM] Rosalie: Rosalie grins a bit, understanding the awkwardness. "Okay okay, how about this: I'm open to new experiences, because how else will I know what I like? You also seem open to new experiences, and seem to actively be seeking them out. Right now, it's hard to say whether that means falling in love with the demonic wax-person conjured from the ....depths of hell? Or whether it means palling around with your relatably weird friend, helping challenge one another to new experiences. Or both! Does that sound right?"
[7:23 PM] Wick: "Right! Sure! Something... like that!"
[7:23 PM] Wick: Wick sighs with relief. He'd been 99% sure this was going to have to end with him just bolting into the woods.
[7:26 PM] Rosalie: "Nothing's gotta be decided right away or anything. But well...right now, I feel closer to you than anyone else in our little group. And...well um...i-if you were into it too, I...would be up for seeing how close that closeness...is?"
[7:30 PM] Wick: "R-really? Oh! Well... in that case, yeah! Let's go for it!" Wick says, moving forward and taking Rosalie's hands in his. "We can be exploration buddies in geography - and in romance!"
[7:33 PM] Rosalie: Rosalie's eyes widen a bit, and she blushes as Wick moves towards her and grabs her hands. She smiles at him. "That sounds absolutely ridiculous and I love every part of how ridiculous it sounds~."
[7:35 PM] Wick: "Oh! Does it? But good if you like it! B-but also let's get out of here for now, I can't tell if I'm dizzy because I'm happy or the heat is finally starting to poach my brain."
[7:36 PM] Rosalie: She blinks. Were there...always two Wicks? "I am...not sure the game is helping either!"
[7:36 PM] Rosalie: "But...well it certainly isn't hurting!"
[7:38 PM] Wick: "Right.. uh, well, after you~"
[7:39 PM] Rosalie: Rosalie hops out of the spring and into...a slightly more exciting future!
[7:39 PM] Rosalie: I mean it was already exciting...
[7:39 PM] Rosalie: so...