Good Vibes I 5/17

[13:35] Leni exclaims, "HEEEEEY!"
[13:35] Leni exclaims, "TIERU!"
[13:35] Tieru Avlee asks, "...Oh, what now?"
[13:35] Leni cups her hands around her mouth, hollering at the Teraphim as she charges in.
(Leni)
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[13:35] Leni exclaims, "Hi!!"
[13:35] Tieru Avlee says, "I'm the same as I ever was. You don't need to be so excited."
[13:35] Tieru Avlee says, "Nor...loud."
[13:36] Leni says, "Too bad! "
[13:36] Leni asks, "I mean...I could be louder? Should I be louder!?"
[13:36] There's an absolute glint of mischief in her eyes. For some reason.
(Leni)
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[13:36] Tieru Avlee says, "Do /not/ become louder. Any louder and you threaten to scare the spirits of the Vale."
[13:37] Leni asks, "...Whoa, really?"
[13:37] Tieru Avlee says, "Likely, yes."
[13:37] Tieru has no idea...
(Tieru Avlee)
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[13:37] Leni exclaims, "Okay. I'll try to be a little quieter. Maybe!"
[13:38] Leni asks, "What's up? How're you? Have you done anything fun? Do you still have that reed in your hair?"
[13:38] Tieru still does!
(Tieru Avlee)
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[13:38] Tieru Avlee says, "I await the High Lady to..."
[13:38] Tieru Avlee says, "<*pauses...*."
[13:38] Tieru Avlee says, "Speak, I suppose."
[13:38] Leni looks absolutely /delighted/ to see that reed in his hair.
(Leni)
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[13:38] Leni exclaims, "Oh, about, like, important stuff? I need to talk to her too!"
[13:38] Leni says, "Well. I don't need to. But I want to ask stuff."
[13:38] Tieru Avlee says, "Fortunately, the High Lady has more business then someone as low as I. I'm sure, when she finds herself bored and want of whimsy, I'll have a chance."
[13:38] Leni gets closer to inspect the condition of the reed stalk, standing up on her tiptoes and peering right into his hair.
(Leni)
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[13:39] The reed, unfortunately, was slightly battered.

Nothing truly to be done to help or avoid it; it had been some time since it was applied and all plant-life, untended by their roots, begin to decay.

It probably had a season or two left before it fully collapsed.
(Tieru Avlee)
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[13:41] The nature magi gasps. Oh no! The poor stalk was withering. It might be the way of things, of the natural order, and she's fully cognizant of this fact.

That doesn't mean that she's going to let it decay though. She'd plucked it from its roots, after all. That makes her responsible. Leni tries to tend to the stalk and impart it with a little more life with her mana.

"There! So you've just been doing boring stuff again?"
(Leni)
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[13:44] All things must die, and even too this stalk.

Still, a touch of mana does well to reinvigorate the green leaflets that seek still water and nutrient from now-nonexistent roots.

If nothing else, it certainly was greener.

"We're on the eve of a war that will shake the world, Leni." Even in downtime it captures the thought of the Teraphim. "If I don't get peace while I can, I may never will.

Besides, can it really be said to be boring if I find myself enjoying it?"

Tieru's head cocks lightly, the sprig ruffling in turn. "Not everything need to be high-intensity. Sometimes, rest and tea is all you need."
(Tieru Avlee)
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[13:48] All things that are born must die, but at least the stalk can still be cared for before it meets its inevitable end. There's a beauty to it that even the chatter box can't put into words. She caresses its fronds, quietly thanks it for its gift, and nods. It's as it should be.

But as she imparts that vigor to it, and Tieru brings up the ever-present war, her spirits wither. Just a bit.

"I know. I know it's everywhere, and it's not over yet," she says, sounding damn near sober by her standards. Leni struggles to bolster her pep back up.

"Yeah! I guess. So long as you're having fun. Just cuz I think it's boring doesn't mean it's boring to you."
(Leni)
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[13:51] "Of course."

A weak smile forms upon his lips as his head nods, seemingly stilling before suddenly perking back up.

"Ah, you remind me."

She had done nothing but exist, but her existence spurs back the thought of an ask he failed to follow through with. Tender, darkened digits ruffle through a pocket of his studded leathers as he searches for something and, upon finding it, presents it!

It glimmers with a gleam, the knife, and it were nothing more then a common butter knife.

What it did have, however, was a wonderous metal engraving that details the tree Yggdrasil upon the metal hilt.

"You asked to see some of the engraving I do when I'm resting.

It's nothing fancy to make. I found, long ago, the same tools I use to enchant can be used to simply carve.

The style may look odd, but..."

It's presented for her to inspect!
(Tieru Avlee)
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[13:56] Leni is a creature that enjoys many things. Skipping, frolicking, exploring, picking flowers, and, certainly not least of all, inspecting anything new.

Her eyes widen and, as she reaches out to touch it and examine it closely. There's a few moments of rare, blessed silence as she's absorbed by running her fingers over the knife and its detailed engraving.

Common butter knife or not, she appears absolutely ensorcelled.

"It's GORGEOUS!" she hollers. As if she's forgotten that literally less than five minutes ago she'd mentioned trying to be quieter for the sake of the spirits she might be scaring.
(Leni)
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[14:00] Though he recoils as if the silence-shattering voice were an attack upon him, the smile that lingers upon Tieru's face lingers.

It was rare that he could carry that upon him for more then but a second.

"Keep it, if you like it so much." It helped that Leni was, knowingly or not, stoking the fires of his personal pride. Of course it was gorgeous, he made it after all.

"I have plenty of items just like that. Though, some aren't as well done..." He wouldn't have, after all, showed off one of his lesser works. That wouldn't have gotten him half the praise!

...Well, it probably would have given the same praise, but it wouldn't have felt as deserved!

"Also, quiet a bit. It's..." He searches for words. "...embarrassing. I don't want people to stare."
(Tieru Avlee)
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[14:00] A delicate curtain of night rests over Myllenoris. It's nothing if not calm out here, and Armondt figured that no time would be better than now to beat path and see what clients he can find.

...It doesn't seem like there's a hell of a lot of them, however, when he approaches the druidic village proper. On the contrary, it was a pretty lazy evening. Not that he seemed to mind, anyway. The courier adjusts his pointless glasses, giving the area a brief survey. He hears a familiar voice and registers some familiar presences, but he was duty-bound to the hustle.

"Hammer Delivery here," he started, speaking as if taste-testing the words as they come out of his mouth. "Any parcels, missives, or messages need sent out to other towns?"
(Armondt)
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[14:03] Leni is entirely unawares of the fact that she may or may not be fanning the flames of Tieru's already prodigious ego. Both fortunately and unfortunately, she can be honest to a fault if she's not careful.

"Really!? I can keep it!? I-"

She pauses, head canting as she looks over the knife.

"But it's super pretty!"

And, as luck would have it, Armondt's arrive right on cue.

"Heeey! Arm! Come look at this! If I'm going to keep it, we have to do a trade. I've gooot..."

For some reason, Leni actually has a butter knife on her person. A mithril one. It's well made, sharp, but certainly not engraved.

"Here!"
(Leni)
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[14:03] Amari began staring in Tieru's direction.
(Amari Nos)
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[14:08] Why did...?

The mithril knife is taken with grand care as if the knife were a sacred offering. It was the same grace that he carried with the gifted bow by Tonak.

It was not that the item itself was spectacular.

It was that it was to be given as a gift from someone he knew. That mean it was to be forever treasured.

For how cruel and rude the Teraphim can be, it was only proper to honor etiquette of gifts.

"My..." Tieru's voice trails, his smile widening. Lost in the moment, it seems he fails to notice the eyes that collect upon him. "...it's wonderful. I suppose it's a trade, then."

There was no need to argue against gifting.

It's tucked gently back where the knife he had made was stored, stepping back lightly to allow Armondt to approach.

For a faint second, he considers the thought if the courier had intel from any other cities...

...but the dark thought is cast aside by the light of the moment. Why ruin it? "Nothing from me." Confesses Tieru to the courier.
(Tieru Avlee)
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[14:13] The aforementioned courier draws nearer, a sense of perplexedness growing on his face. For all of the bluster and righteousness and braggadocio that Tieru seems to have on a daily basis, seeing him humbled was something new. And not humbled in such a way as he remembered from some nights ago, either. The temptation to ask about the matter crosses his mind, but it seems Armondt shares a similar desire not to spoil any moments going on here.

Instead, he simply approaches, stolid as ever, hands at his back. As is (apparently?) his custom, he dips his head in acknowledgement to the Teraphim and then nods with more vigor at Leni. "Guess this is a proper trade happenin'. Or... a gift? Hel, I dunno. Just came for mail."

Now that he's actually gotten closer, however, Armondt attempts to scrutinize Tieru with some modicum of subtlety. Any signs of stress or strain that might have accumulated given the seeming crisis of fatih the courier witnessed those months ago - surely they might still be there, despite his rapturous moment here.

Because if they weren't, then Armondt was definitely not acting with too much subtlety, and was straight up staring at the Teraphim in such a way that literally says he's trying to read him.
(Armondt)
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[14:18] "Yeah! It's a trade!"

This for that. Something old for something new. Leni delights in the shared acquisition of that ever fleeting 'newness'. The mithril knife might have held more technical monetary value- if it did, she truly isn't aware or doesn't seem to care- but the fresh butter knife and its carving is something she hasn't seen before.

"I was telling you Tieru did carving and stuff, right Arm? Look!"

She holds it up for the courier to now inspect it in turn, an offer to share in her delight and excitement. The knife itself is seemingly unremarkable; the handle though is another matter, intricately carved with a representation of Yggdrasil.
(Leni)
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[14:21] Wounds of a fractured mind are carried deep within the thoughts of Tieru, but such grievous injuries are not gleaned through a cursory glance.

Like a broken program, the errors will only crop up when their associated functions are called.

Until then, the machine runs smoothly without a single hiccup.

The knife were a common steel butterknife, not unlike what would have been purchased at the nearby market. What separated it was hand-made etchings of the grand tree of
life along both sides of the hilt.

"Both, I guess."

A gift turning into a trade. It was also nice to know, deep in the back of Tieru's mind, that the girl could be placated so simply.

Endless supplies of etched metals and wood could be tossed like a bone to a dog to occupy them for a period! "Do you truly get many messages? In these times, I can't imagine anyone would bother sending anything that wasn't backed by a retinue of soldiers and their most reliable couriers."

To which a common company may very well not be...

"...Though I suppose you deal far more in civilian matters..."
(Tieru Avlee)
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[14:26] The spot check went about as well as expected. A man who cared that much to cultivate his public image probably wouldn't let those cracks show. Armondt's staring ceases as soon as Leni presents Tieru's own creation, and he forgets about the matter entirely for now. It probably wouldn't ever come up in a meaningful or harmful way, right?

With a surprisingly dainty touch, he takes the knife from Leni's hands, turning over this way and that. He even shines it against the brazier light in order to see the Yggdrasil encarving more clearly. A thumb runs against the delicacy in the carving, and he hands it back before long. "...It's nice. Lotta love put into that detail. Er -- y'know, not that I'm no craftsman or nothin'."

He turns back to Tieru, and shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah. I try to make it clear to folk I'm not particularly interested in deliverin' political messages or somethin' like that. For one, those kinds of messages, if they really wanna get 'em taken seriously, they'll come out somehow." Usually that means someone's death to metaphorically send a message or something.

"Another thing? I... ain't sure how much I trust Esshar folk to not shoot the messenger. Might be it's somethin' I'll do in the future, but people're weird. And paranoid. Still, I get enough work."

Some thoughts come to mind and Armondt grumbles, folding his arms. "Usually means I have to stand in a square for hours and wait for the recipient to come around."
(Armondt)
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[14:26] Armondt says, "There're folk who ain't got nothin' to do with the upper brass, and they usually got a thing or two to send to friends on other sides. Or towns."
[14:31] Armondt's scrutiny of Tieru flies right over her head. All she sees is a nice, friendly exchange and an appreciation of art and the way of the Courier. Clearly that is all that is going on here.

Happily she bequeaths the knife to Armondt so he, too, can appreciate it. When he hands it back she looks it over all over again.

"Uh huh! Do you carve other stuff too, Tieru? I got this staff, but it's kind of...it looks kind of mean!" she says, jabbing her thumb back to the much more official looking weapon on her back.

"Arm and I will also go insult people in other towns for you too, if you want! We've done that before. It's really fun."

The comparison with Leni and a dog, while initially seeming a bit unfair or cruel, is not entirely inaccurate either. Much like one she is simple to deal with- provided you know the tricks and how to keep her attention directed. Sometimes that just happens to involve shiny new things instead of bones.
(Leni)
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