A rather shy older gent is looking for someone to deliver his letters to a beautiful young noble woman, claiming that his visage is so dreadful any attempts himself would surely drive her away. Please do not open these envelopes, which smell faintly of roses, and mind not that the young noblewoman has a husband and son.
[ They've been summoned in pairs to try to keep them accountable. If there's two of them they're less likely to open that letter, aren't they? Will Henry was never going to open it in the first place, he was used to a chore like this. Doctor Warthrop sent him to the post office with letters all the time with strict orders to go there and right back. Don't talk to anyone, don't look at the contents, etc.
That's what makes it odd to have a companion, but Will Henry also knows better than to argue. So he just looks up at the girl. ]
[ sylvia is tempted to open the letter, but nah. she understands the need for privacy. and yet, something about this feels wrong, especially considering the woman has a family... ]
Oh, yeah! Of course. You're Will, right? I'm Sylvia.
[ just to make a formal introduction! ]
...You know, is it just me or does this quest seem pretty weird?
A little, but people do weird things when they're in love.
[ Will Henry has definitely stopped trying to make any rhyme or reason of it. He's met a few of the men and women who have at some point or another been in love with his master and it is... weird. ]
[ The love letters just have the woman's name on them, but Will Henry had indeed jotted down the address in a little notebook. He pulls it out of his back pocket. It's a battered thing that he clearly uses often. ]
I wrote it down, although he said it was a big house with a rose garden and we'd know it when we saw it.
[ Hrm. He continues to be aware of the lesson he was meant to learn from the time Lillian Bates had snuck him into the Monstrumarium. She had gotten him bitten by a poison specimen, and she had been equally cheerful and self-assured. ]
All right, if you say so.
[ What a doormat this kid is. He points down the next street as a guide. ]
I can see the rose garden from here.
[ The house and its garden dominated the furthers end of the street. ]
[ she's going to casually start walking down the street, then. totally as if they aren't, you know, about to sneak onto someone's property. first things first, though: ]
Alright. There's a couple of brushes in the garden -- we can crawl behind those to get closer to the house. Let's see if we can find a crack in a window or something to slip the envelope through so we don't have to actually go inside.
With the weather warming, beekeepers' hives are growing more active as the bees emerge to pollinate again. Out past the Wall, several farmers keep bees on their land as well as farm, and request helping hands collecting honey and comb from the beehouses, as well as splitting off the bees into new hives to prevent crowding. Dangers include getting stung, of course, but protective equipment, smoke and bee-sleep charms will be provided. Unfortunately, this year, the bears and honey-badgers are also quite interested in their hives, more active than in previous years. Mildly infected, these animals are more aggressive than usual and pose a danger to both beekeepers and the hives - danger of injury and danger of spreading the infection to the hives themselves.
[ Will Henry is, plainly, very easy to boss around. It's his day in and day out as the assistant to a cold and mercurial scientist who refuses to do anything for himself unless he absolutely has to. So it's not any surprise to find the mousy teenage boy out by the beehives getting his lessons. Beekeeping has a bit of renaissance after 1850 when the modern hive was invented, so he's a little less stupid than he might otherwise be. He learned a lot of these animal discoveries and innovations through Doctor Warthrop despite their isolated living situation on the East Coast.
What WH is less familiar with is magic. He spends a long time with the beekeeper struggling to make sense of the bee-sleep charms, and he's not so confident about working it safely. Kaede is all but given the boy to watch.
He looks up with the red eyes that mark him as obviously a little Naga boy, half a fang exposed when he makes a very poor attempt at a smile. ]
[The other Monster in the equation had been avoiding the beehives, for the most part, until it was absolutely necessary that she approach. The sound of buzzing made her unusually wary, and the bees seemed to pick up on her unease whenever the Chimera lingered too long, their sounds becoming more agitated.
It was almost a relief to find a person to look at instead. A tufted ear flicked forwards when he introduced himself, the other turned towards the hives.]
Kaede.
[The Chimera, in comparison, had a whole grab bag of Monster parts attached; a full spread of antlers, those ears of course, arms that were too long and sharp clawed to be arms but too short to be wings, feathers that lay folded against her forearms, legs that bent into a tiger's, and a feathered tail far too showy to be a cat's but too bendy to be a bird's.
And there was that gaze of hers; predatory and not terribly welcoming, like a tiger deciding whether it wanted to run down this new thing in its space or not. Kaede had been wearing the same impassive expression all day, though. Maybe her face was just stuck like that.]
Any weapons?
[She hadn't really seen any Nagas before; were it not for the slit eyes, a few scales peeking out of his sleeves, and how little the day seemed to be troubling him, Kaede would have assumed Vampire first. Off the top of her head, she didn't know what tricks they were capable of. The two short, curved swords she brought with her by custom were hooked at her belt, the handle of an empty smoke canister looped around a clawed hand. ]
[ Unfortunately enough, he's been looked at like that before. He was the young assistant of a Monstrumologist-- A scientist who studied the monsters of their world. He has many times been faced with such a look from man and monster alike. He has also killed some of them, though his soft mousy appearance wouldn't make that clear. Maybe the tired weight in his eyes, but then he seems like an underweight, tired little thing. No need to read into that either. ]
I... have my dagger. I don't think I can slice a bee with it though.
[ Where this dagger is is not obvious. He hides it. Better to look like a helpless child and keep the element of surprise. ]
[The Chimera's impassive expression broke slightly, drawing back into a little exasperated grimace. And her ears flicked back, a bigger motion.]
Fine. Better than punching whatever comes out of the woods. If it does.
[The hives were well on their way to a productive spring; the beekeeper wouldn't have posted that request if all he needed seeing off were birds.
She doesn't inquire further about the dagger, or question that such a seemingly young person has one. She was quite the...terror, at his apparent age. His secrets would be safe with a murderer.
But what Kaede did note was the tiredness in his gaze. A bit like hers was, and still lapsed into during too-quiet moments.]
[ Maybe another child would be surprised that she expected his help in that, but Will Henry just takes in her grimn expression and knows that she's being absolutely serious in her expectations. So he takes the dagger from where it was tucked under his clothes. What he calls a dagger is a Somali pirate's dirk knife, but weapon names are no specialty of his. He knows a pistol and he knows a dagger. He sticks it into the ground and then sits, his arms draped around his knees. ]
What kind of creatures live out there?
[ Are they going to be familiar to him, or are the animals as strange and surreal as the monsterfolk? ]
[Huh, that wasn't where she expected that to be. Kaede's head tilts a little bit, but not too much.]
Mostly the normal stuff. Bears. Boars, deer. [The Chimera's ears flick back, scowling again at the memory of one who kept charging her because of her antlers. She'd probably have to deal with that again soon.] Wolves too, but they don't come out here where there are people during the day.
[Kaede rolled her shoulders, casting her gaze back to the tree line.]
Sometimes stranger things. Or infected things. Don't let those touch you.
The city is requesting extra hands to assist with the annual springtime river cleanup. Volunteers will help remove garbage and debris from the River Temese that cuts through Aefenglom alongside many of the native Merrow and make it both habitable and nice enough for swimming as the weather heats up.
[ He's extremely used to waterways being disgusting, considering water sanitation hasn't quite taken off full force in his time yet. But he still thinks it is pretty rude of people to throw their garbage into a river that people know the Merrow use. Rude, but also unsurprising. People don't care. So here he is, hip dip in the river when a few pebbles sprinkle into the water near him. He looks up. ]
[ Iramaat is bored. So what better thing to do than harass the annoying child who keeps turning up in unexpected places and being strange and rude? She tosses another pebble at him. Enough to annoy but certainly not enough to hurt. ]
[ This makes him... vigorously uncomfortable. He tenses up a little. If Doctor Warthrop cared at all, they would make a bond but of course... Doctor Warthrop would rather go super nova than contemplate it. ]
[ Oh. Interesting. She puts her chin in her hands and smiles. ]
You shoudl start thinking about it. I speak from experience when I say that it can be very unpleasant. How has naga really impacted you so far? Call me curious.
[ Gratitude........ He almost grimaces. No, not really. He wishes he had never met the man. ]
My father was his assistant first. He thought Doctor Warthrop did great work, and people really respected my father and thought he was a good man...
[ So he had thought maybe that's how it would go for him too. That he'd be a good man, that they'd be doing good work. He sighs, mucks up some more trash. ]
[ This is an exceedingly strange question to WH. It was extremely common to follow in your father's footsteps, even if you didn't admire him you often ended up in his profession because he showed it to you. He gives her a look. ]
I was just a child, so he showed me all the best parts of himself. But nobody else has ever spoken ill of him either, so maybe he was that great.
[ A sliver of defiance that he can't help. Maybe he was. Sometimes he wants to clutch that certainty in his palm until it bleeds. Sometimes he feels like no one, nothing, existing nowhere. ]
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BEAUTY UNDERNEATH
[ They've been summoned in pairs to try to keep them accountable. If there's two of them they're less likely to open that letter, aren't they? Will Henry was never going to open it in the first place, he was used to a chore like this. Doctor Warthrop sent him to the post office with letters all the time with strict orders to go there and right back. Don't talk to anyone, don't look at the contents, etc.
That's what makes it odd to have a companion, but Will Henry also knows better than to argue. So he just looks up at the girl. ]
Thanks for helping.
\o/
Oh, yeah! Of course. You're Will, right? I'm Sylvia.
[ just to make a formal introduction! ]
...You know, is it just me or does this quest seem pretty weird?
no subject
[ Will Henry has definitely stopped trying to make any rhyme or reason of it. He's met a few of the men and women who have at some point or another been in love with his master and it is... weird. ]
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[ she figures it's probably best to stop questioning it but she can't help but feel a little uneasy. well, only one way to see how this goes down... ]
Do you have the address on you?
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I wrote it down, although he said it was a big house with a rose garden and we'd know it when we saw it.
[ He considers this. ]
Are they even going to let us on the grounds?
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[ she says this, then pauses. it's a very poignant pause, and her brow furrows in thought.
and then...she smiles. smirks, even. ]
Because if that's the case, I'm in.
i return from the deep....
You're just going to leave me to get caught, aren't you.
[ A flat tone, a furrowed little frown. What a distrustful boy! ]
welcome back!
[ she sounds so alarmed at this accusation. ]
No, of course not! I'm expecting you to follow me closely!
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...all right. Have you done this kind of thing before?
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[ except. uhhhh. she was never really the one leading the sneaking in, so this should be interesting. ]
Don't worry. If you get caught I've got you covered. We'll try to not let that happen though!
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All right, if you say so.
[ What a doormat this kid is. He points down the next street as a guide. ]
I can see the rose garden from here.
[ The house and its garden dominated the furthers end of the street. ]
no subject
[ she's going to casually start walking down the street, then. totally as if they aren't, you know, about to sneak onto someone's property. first things first, though: ]
Alright. There's a couple of brushes in the garden -- we can crawl behind those to get closer to the house. Let's see if we can find a crack in a window or something to slip the envelope through so we don't have to actually go inside.
APIARY ADVENTURES
[ Will Henry is, plainly, very easy to boss around. It's his day in and day out as the assistant to a cold and mercurial scientist who refuses to do anything for himself unless he absolutely has to. So it's not any surprise to find the mousy teenage boy out by the beehives getting his lessons. Beekeeping has a bit of renaissance after 1850 when the modern hive was invented, so he's a little less stupid than he might otherwise be. He learned a lot of these animal discoveries and innovations through Doctor Warthrop despite their isolated living situation on the East Coast.
What WH is less familiar with is magic. He spends a long time with the beekeeper struggling to make sense of the bee-sleep charms, and he's not so confident about working it safely. Kaede is all but given the boy to watch.
He looks up with the red eyes that mark him as obviously a little Naga boy, half a fang exposed when he makes a very poor attempt at a smile. ]
Ah... I'm Will Henry. It's nice to meet you.
Apologies for the delay!
It was almost a relief to find a person to look at instead. A tufted ear flicked forwards when he introduced himself, the other turned towards the hives.]
Kaede.
[The Chimera, in comparison, had a whole grab bag of Monster parts attached; a full spread of antlers, those ears of course, arms that were too long and sharp clawed to be arms but too short to be wings, feathers that lay folded against her forearms, legs that bent into a tiger's, and a feathered tail far too showy to be a cat's but too bendy to be a bird's.
And there was that gaze of hers; predatory and not terribly welcoming, like a tiger deciding whether it wanted to run down this new thing in its space or not. Kaede had been wearing the same impassive expression all day, though. Maybe her face was just stuck like that.]
Any weapons?
[She hadn't really seen any Nagas before; were it not for the slit eyes, a few scales peeking out of his sleeves, and how little the day seemed to be troubling him, Kaede would have assumed Vampire first. Off the top of her head, she didn't know what tricks they were capable of. The two short, curved swords she brought with her by custom were hooked at her belt, the handle of an empty smoke canister looped around a clawed hand. ]
no subject
I... have my dagger. I don't think I can slice a bee with it though.
[ Where this dagger is is not obvious. He hides it. Better to look like a helpless child and keep the element of surprise. ]
no subject
Fine. Better than punching whatever comes out of the woods. If it does.
[The hives were well on their way to a productive spring; the beekeeper wouldn't have posted that request if all he needed seeing off were birds.
She doesn't inquire further about the dagger, or question that such a seemingly young person has one. She was quite the...terror, at his apparent age. His secrets would be safe with a murderer.
But what Kaede did note was the tiredness in his gaze. A bit like hers was, and still lapsed into during too-quiet moments.]
no subject
What kind of creatures live out there?
[ Are they going to be familiar to him, or are the animals as strange and surreal as the monsterfolk? ]
no subject
Mostly the normal stuff. Bears. Boars, deer. [The Chimera's ears flick back, scowling again at the memory of one who kept charging her because of her antlers. She'd probably have to deal with that again soon.] Wolves too, but they don't come out here where there are people during the day.
[Kaede rolled her shoulders, casting her gaze back to the tree line.]
Sometimes stranger things. Or infected things. Don't let those touch you.
I'm back woops....
[ He says this, but he also has no expectation of being provided one. He just sighs, gazing along the forests edge, ]
The Doctor will be irritated if I get bitten again.
RIVER CLEANUP
[ He's extremely used to waterways being disgusting, considering water sanitation hasn't quite taken off full force in his time yet. But he still thinks it is pretty rude of people to throw their garbage into a river that people know the Merrow use. Rude, but also unsurprising. People don't care. So here he is, hip dip in the river when a few pebbles sprinkle into the water near him. He looks up. ]
Oh. It's you.
[ The troublesome faun who makes people cry. ]
no subject
[ Iramaat is bored. So what better thing to do than harass the annoying child who keeps turning up in unexpected places and being strange and rude? She tosses another pebble at him. Enough to annoy but certainly not enough to hurt. ]
What are you doing out there?
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[ If he's going to be such a little jerk, he should introduce himself first but he's really just trying to gauge if it's worth the bother. ]
no subject
[ There, that's an introduction. She tosses another pebble at him. Dance, urchin, dance! ]
And who are you?
no subject
I'm Will Henry. We're cleaning up the river so that it's nicer for the merrow to swim in.
[ But you definitely seem like the kind of person who would have thrown garbage in here in the first place!! ]
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[ Another one, aimed at his head. It probably won't hurt him too much. ]
You're not a merrow, are you?
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No, I think I'm a Naga but Doctor Warthrop says I should wait until I transform more to confirm it.
no subject
[ She actually stops throwing things. ]
Are you going to get a bond with someone? Or are you just planning on riding it out?
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...I don't know.
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You shoudl start thinking about it. I speak from experience when I say that it can be very unpleasant. How has naga really impacted you so far? Call me curious.
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I'm shedding a lot of skin. It's really thin and papery but it comes off in sheets.
[ He has on a long sleeved shirt that doesn't make this fact obvious, but that he's out in the sun mucking a river in long sleeves maybe does. ]
The fangs coming in make my mouth kind of sore, and not really needing to blink anymore is strange.
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[ She watches him from the bank attentively. ]
I don't think my change was as uncomfortable as all that.
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[ It's a little more gross than he's used to his own body being, but he's also definitely definitely thrown up over worse encounters with the body. ]
The Doctor complains.
[ The Doctor always complains. ]
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[ Iramaat waves her hand dismissively. ]
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[ He doesn't sound aghast and as though he cares deeply for the man. He sounds a bit wilted. ]
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[ She arches a brow, still watching from the bank. She's not going out there anytime soon. ]
Or do you just feel a sense of gratitude?
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My father was his assistant first. He thought Doctor Warthrop did great work, and people really respected my father and thought he was a good man...
[ So he had thought maybe that's how it would go for him too. That he'd be a good man, that they'd be doing good work. He sighs, mucks up some more trash. ]
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[ Iramaat thinks this is quite obvious. Of course, she never had parents, so she doesn't really get why some people are so attached... ]
Why are you trying to be him?
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Because I looked up to him.
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[ She shrugs, not quite grasping it. ]
What made him worthy of that? Of imitating? Anything at all?
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[ A sliver of defiance that he can't help. Maybe he was. Sometimes he wants to clutch that certainty in his palm until it bleeds. Sometimes he feels like no one, nothing, existing nowhere. ]
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[ She skips a rock (away from him this time) over the surface of the water. ]
And I didn't know your father. But can you say that you did?
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How were you never a child? You can't just be born -- like that.
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[ She waves a hand, as if that will explain everything. ]
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[ Woops did he say that out loud. ]
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[ Iramaat says as she argues with a literal child. ]
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[ This is a very solid logical argument. ]
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