[Veldi]

[Blue]

It had been a relatively peaceful morning over at Bentbranch. Keyword peaceful. An early riser, Blue made her way over to the meadow with a skip to her step, humming to herself and wondering whether she'd have time to play some hide and seek with the fledglings or not. Before she even reaches the stable the smell of alcohol and bile is enough to make the small Au'ri stop and blink. Had one of the chocobos gotten into the rum again? Skipping turned into a run towards the birds, turning the corner to- oh.

Well this was a new one. More curious than upset, the lizard observes for a moment before running over and pulling a gysahl green from a sack full of them. She'd run over to the fighting pair of 'birds' and wave the new green in the air before the irritated chocobo who immediately let go of the tattered green it was fighting over in favor of something fresh- the force of it letting go would render this strange yellow-coated woman a winner?

Blue coughs awkwardly, tilts her head at the interesting smelly stranger. “Do you want a fresh one?” she'd ask, referring to the green she fought laboriously over.

[Veldi]

The mystery woman falls back onto a small stack of hay, further dirtying her already messy appearance. She was chewing down the bitter greens like they were candy before her eyes lazily settled on Blue, which caused her to freeze. She stared unblinking for some time before half crawling towards her, pulling a broken bottle from her coat before tossing it along with whatever mud colored contents were inside off into the distance somewhere.

“Now look here, this ain't what it looks like. Ahm not fighting aight, this stingy scab just tried to steal my chaser! I can pay double alright?”

[Blue]

As the stranger crawls towards her, Blue sits down across from her, tilting her head at the thrown bottle before observing the woman's ragged and mussed appearance. She shakes her head, “Dun need to pay for nothing. The chocobo's alright and so's you. No harm friend.”

She points over to the sack from which she'd obtained the greens in the first place- “Have as many as you need! Though, aren't there better things for chasing? I can gather some herbs real quick- do you want water, will that help?”

Her scaley tail wags merrily at the thought of helping a new friend- she is however breathing slowly through her mouth - only way to function clearly with the embodiment of booze before her. Even the chocobos have backed into the very ends of their paddocks, looking away from the pair and shuffling from foot to foot restlessly.

[Veldi]

The woman plops onto her stomach before rolling over onto her back, sticking another clump of the greens into her mouth.

“Water? Nah…..you got a comb?”

[Blue]

Wishing her dress had pockets, she hurriedly gets up and skips on over to a small little shed where most equipment is kept for the Chocobos. On her tiptoes she rummages around until she finds a brush covered with bits of yellow downy feather fluff.

Back to the stranger, hand outstretched with her offering. “Best I can do here. It may help though!”

[Veldi]

The woman wriggles her arms and kicks her legs like a kid now, still chomping greens in her mouth.

“Do it for me~ my eyes are tired!”

[Blue]

Blue didn't need coercing! She'd plop down on her knees beside the woman and begin brushing the tangles out of her hair with care.

“So, if I may ask. Not everyday someone wanders in and starts chewing on food meant for chocobos. I mean it's an okay flavor but I've had better.. how exactly did you end up here? Where do you come from? Do you need a bath?”

[Veldi]

The woman's eyes glaze over as Blue's questions increase, the twigs and dirt in her hair snagging on Blue's comb.

“Uhh…I think I was trying to run away from the eyes, and then I got in a fight with the ground. Bunch o' scunts out in Thanalan wouldn't know a good party if it yanked em by the short hairs, and I might have made out with the sand people. I think I got a helmet at some point and then I got hungry. Found some food and then that rude shite-bird tried to snag my snacks–AND I WONT BE MISHANDLED–urk!”

She squirms a bit and holds a hand over her mouth.

“I need more drink is what I need. Stomach is thirsty.”

[Blue]

Blue's earfins gave a flick, interest peaked in the story, only to wince at the sudden yelling. Eye widen, “S-sorry!” she murmurs, briefly stopping her brushing. With the other hand she plucks out the twigs and dusts off the debris as best as she's able.

At the mention of drink, Blue shakes her head. “I have water and — do you think you should be drinking more alcohol stuff? You might end up in an even stranger place than here.”

[Veld]i

“Yer always being like that. I’ll be fine even if you’re not here yeah? Strange is better than dead you cheeky stickler.”

[Blue]

Blue shrugs her shoulders.

“You can die from alcohol too and I don't want my new friend to die a terrible inside-out body death!”

She resumes brushing out the woman's hair peacefully enough.

[Veldi]

“Yeah? Well…maybe I want that. You fuckin' PROMISED me you'd outlive me and now yer dead an now the only way I can see you is at the bottom of a godsdamned bottle. Maybe its fuckin' worth it yeah? Whats the point trying to save everyone and everything when we can't even save the people we love huh? What's so wrong about a couple of bottles so I can talk to you an pretend yer here an brushing my hair again!? Maybe I'm sick of still being here. Still being the one left while you get to be preachy even when yer fuckin' haunting me! FUCK!”

She reaches to throw a bottle but realizes its gone already and begins feeling around in her coat for something, eventually pulling out a badly wrapped and clearly reused cigar before sticking it into her mouth, snapping her fingers in vain as if that would light it. She eventually closed her eyes, tears streaming out of the corners of her eyes as she wept silently. From the trail already blazed in what was previously possibly seen as a messy and shoddy paint job on her features, this was not the first time this had happened.

[Blue]

Blue continues to brush the woman's hair even as she vents and seems to hallucinate. She feels an odd fluttering sensation in her chest and closes her eyes briefly.

“You're selfish. It's not always about what you want. You can't do anything about it. You disrespect her memory and her desires.” If the Au'ri is talking to the stranger directly, it's quite hard to tell as the gentle brushing continues.

She opens her eyes and begins to pull away. “Let me get you some water and clean you up some. You're really pretty and those tears hide it too well.”

[Veldi]

“I will blow snot on you!”

[Blue]

“Wouldn't be the first time I've had snot on me. Won't be the last.”

[Veldi]

She begins growling and thrashing at nothing in particular, but doesnt seem to be moving from her spot.

[Blue]

Blue takes this cue to run off. She doesn't have too much to work with but perhaps it's just enough. Filling a bucket of water up to the brim, the small Au'ri returns a few minutes later with the bucket, a loose shawl, and a towel. With reluctantance, she also pulls out a small flask filled with the moonshine Tretesta had been hiding in one of the paddocks.

“I'll give you a drink if you tell me your name. My name's Blue. I take care of the birds here.”

[Veldi]

“Name? What in the fu–”

She closes her left eye, staring pointedly in Blue's direction for a while before eventually giving a long and disappointed sigh.

“Dammit, you're not her. I didn't steal your bra did I?”

[Blue]

“I don't wear a bra. And nuh, I'm not. What's your name?”

[Veldi]

“….Veldi.”

She holds out her hand for the flask.

[Blue]

Blue passes Veldi the flask. But there's a gleam in that bi-colored eye of hers. Before the woman has time to take a swig of the liquid courage, the Au'ri pounces on top of her, drawing the water bucket up and over the other lizard to douse her in clean, purifying H20. “Sorry not sorry!” Blue yells out. If not stopped in all this, Blue would be scrambling for a towel to begin wiping Veldi down, dirt, vomit, makeup, and all.

[Veldi]

Veldi did not seem to be resisting, but she was unnaturally stiff and rigid. Her head began to swivel a bit, but obscured by glorious H2O and towel she could not see properly.

“Mind pointing out where the nearest wall is?”

[Blue]

Blue took every capable moment she could to clean the other, even purposefully pausing in her answer to make certain she'd dabbed her now-wet cloth underneath Veldi's eyes for good measure. Pause dab. Pause dab. “Nearest…wall…” She glanced away briefly. “Uhm, little bit to your left, bout a yalm away.”

[Veldi]

“Alright then, lets get going.”

She still was not fighting the wipe down, but her eyes were now following Blue without pause.

[Blue]

Blue paused in her insistent scrubbing, pulling her towel away from Veldi's face and tilting her head curiously. “Go where?”

[Veldi]

“To the wall. So I can put you through it.”

[Blue]

“Are you able to go to the wall yourself?”

[Veldi]

“You ain't listening you bra-less bluetail! Who the fuck even are you!?”

She pointed towards the ground now, immediately seething.

“You doused my damn cigar! You have any idea how good that was before you went and drenched it in yer damn whatever the fuck this is! Not booze thats for sure! Why shouldnt I drag you by the tits and put you through that fucking wall!?”

[Blue]

Blue looks at the scruppled mess of a cigar, poking through it with the pointy end of her tail and lifting it up to the woman.

“You can have it back if you like. And I'm not one to stop you from what you want to do, whether it's to throw me through a wall or not. But you're my sister, and I just want to look out for you if there's no one else that can do so better.”

She seems pretty pleased with her handiwork. The magic of H20 does wonders when it comes from washing away the grime of several night's worth of drinking. It's a start at least. “Think I'm gonna have to have you chomp on some mint to clear out your breath a bit…perhaps in your next partaking of gysahl greens.”

[Veldi]

Veldi still seemed fairly pissed but something about Blue's words calmed her down a bit. She took the cigar and crumpled it in her hand before just sorta….standing there.

“Ain't really interested if it ain't gonna keep the buzz goin you know.”

She twisted open the flask and promptly began chugging from it.

“Know any close tavern?”

[Blue]

Blue thinks about how she should go about telling her mate that the chocobos got into the alcohol again but shakes her head of such thoughts. She gets off the Veldi and scrambles back up to her feet.

At the question, Blue bites her lip. That would be more a Tretty question. “Ah…I think Fallgourd Float might have the closest bar set up, though that is still a bit away. You can try Gridania itself, but if you wanna avoid more officer types, you might wanna avoid that one.”

“Do you need some help getting up?”

[Veldi]

“Been standing all my life I have! I don’t need—“

She falls over onto her face and just lies there ass up….until she turns over to take another swig from the flask.

“Where my linkpearl go?”

[Blue]

The blue-haired Au'ri gives a light sigh before reaching over, grabbing for Veldi's hand holding the flask, and pulling very very hard! Which may or may not have much affect with Blue's own light frame doing the pulling.

“Uff…linkpearl?” That was a foreign word to her. What even is a linkpearl? A shiny pearl? Clams? Clams have pearls. People carry clams around? The female has a blank expression on her face, trying to remember if Tret had told her what those were at any point.

“I-hmm, I don't see it anywhere.” She looks for strange clams on the ground that shouldn't be there.

[Veldi]

Veldi's grip was like that of the dead, and Blue's attempts to prize the flask from her fingers was met with some stubborn resistance. Due to either Veldi's stupor, her still slightly wet hands, Blue's own strength, or all of the above however the flask was pulled free. She turns as Blue speaks, seemingly half asleep now.

“Whats your damn name again?”

[Blue]

Blue sets the near-emptied flask in the very empty bucket along with towel and now makes an attempt to grab the woman herself off the ground. The poor lizard's gonna be worn out before she even finishes feeding the chocobos today.

“Rrr….My..name's Blue. Like..the color. Get uuuup. Don't fall asleep in a field where chocobos graze. Let me get you to a place you can rest. Don't think you can even make it to another tavern on your own.”

[Veldi]

“Sounds like a bloody challenge to me!”

She starts crawling like a snake that was suddenly given arms and legs.

[Blue]

“Oh you…so now it'll just take weeks before you get anywhere?” Still in the midst of trying to pull the slithering woman up, she brings her free arm up, fingers to her lips, and whistles.

An explosion of sound from back near the stables is heard followed by a series of little kwehs. The ground shakes as a small herd of baby chocobos stampede over to the two of them. Not large enough by any means to be carrying either of the women, they instead form a fluffy living wall before Veldi, chirping and bouncing and patting her down with wings barely-feathered.

…She'd expected an adult or two would come. Guess the babies were hungry. Still..she releases her fellow lizard to the gaggle of fluff and runs back over to the stable to get a proper chocobo for the short journey.

“You're going for a ride, Veldi! Whether you want it or not!”

[Veldi]

“I meant it when I said it! You'll never take me alive!”

She reaches into her coat once more and pulls out a rather large revolver, with a number of pipes and strange attachments welded and slotted into its sides.

She does not point it at the chocobos however, seeming satisfied with jabbing the barrel into the dirt like she were stabbing it.

[Blue]

Blue doesn't seem to take Veldi's bluff seriously, though she does stop the moment she sees the gun- and then stops further in confusion as she busies herself with stabbing at the dirt. She doesn't know whether or not to be more alarmed when the ever curious feathered children begin pecking at the revolver out of curiousity.

“I'm just trying to help, Veldi. You'd be a snake if you were meant to wriggle and slither around like you do.” The chocobo she returns with slowly struts towards the woman, hatchlings parting like a wave for the pair to get closer. “I'll get you to your tavern. You can even drink more if you want.”

[Veldi]

“I just need another drink and I'll sober up just fine you'll see! First round's on me!”

Blue

The adult chocobo lowers its head all the way down, the bottom of its beak grazing over the dirt. In one swift motion, it would make to slide right underneath Veldi before flipping its head up in one fluid motion, aiming to flip the bedraggled woman up and onto its back.

Blue meanwhile is patting the heads of the hatchlings, cooing at them and shooing them back to the stables. “Shush, I'll feed you all later, promise. Go home!” She directs her attention to the other lizard. “Yeah, let's get you that drink.”

If the woman didn't immediately fall off the chocobo, which was still quite possible, Blue would hop onto the bird as well and direct it to make for Fallgoard. At the very least, it would be better than being in the middle of nowhere, and there was certain to be beds there too.

[Veldi]

Veldi was apparently cognizant enough to hold onto the chocobo and had even prepared some strange technique for the act, sort of tying herself into the saddle a bit through a weird series of weak knots.

“What's yer favorite slosh eh?”

[Blue]

Blue is just relieved that the woman is holding on, patting at the chocobo who would go a little bit faster in response. She holds onto the reigns albeit a little awkwardly. She's not usually the one steering the birds, made more obvious by the jerking motions the bird makes in response to its rider.

“Ah, hot chocolate is my favorite. There's nothing better to me.”

[Veldi]

“Whiskey in chocolate is rancid. Eh whatever….”

[Blue]

“Whiskey? Ick! Nuh! Just chocolate liquid goodness.”

At the very least the journey to Fallgourd Float would be uneventful along the way to the tavern there. Across from water, past some fishers, and up a wooden landing the chocobo would go, stopping short of the entrance.

“Okay..we're here.” Blue'd hop off the bird and begin trying to untangle the knots that Veldi had made to keep herself on the bird. “No more slithering. Just lean on me and we can get you a seat and a drink.”

[Veldi]

“Ehhhhh….fine. Think I’ll start with the clear stuff this time. Opens up the senses.”

She obediently leans onto Blue, apparently ready to drink.

[Blue]

Blue is having some regrets about doing the opposite of sobering her companion up, but at the very least the pair are now surrounded by other tavern-goers. And again. Nice warm bed. That's the end game here.

“Sure, sounds good,” she'd respond, half dragging the woman up to the center of the bar and helping her onto a stool. Her tail flicks nervously, not terribly akin to being in a bar in the first place. But here she was, raising a hand for the bartender to see.

“May I have a hot chocolate?”

[Veldi]

“Gimme somethin’ with sparkles in it and a…a….ahhhhhhhhhhh….no ice! Leave the bottle!”

[Blue]

Blue breathed a sigh. At least everything was peaceful. Bringing her elbows up on the counter and resting her head. What a morning, side-eying Veldi in silence

[Veldi]

Veldi took the bottle, pouring a shaky glass for herself before lifting it up and squinting at it.

“I’ll just have one drink to set me straight this time. Gotta get back to work.”

[Blue]

An earfin twitched at the mention of work, peaking Blue's curiousity. “Work? What do you do?” A tail wagged slowly as the bartender brought a steaming cup and placed it in front of her. Sniff sniff, licking at the froth.

[Veldi]

“I help helpless people get my friends killed so they can still be insufferable shites later.”

[Blue]

Blue stares at the other woman and shakes her head, choosing not to pursue that answer too deeply. “It ah..sounds tiring. I'm certain there are better jobs than that.”

[Veldi]

“Probably all of em. But….someones gotta do it. If you only help people cause you like it what happens when that wears…uh….somethin’, I dunno.”

She downs the cup like its water before running a hand through her hair.

“So you a foster parent or something?”

[Blue]

Blue brought the mug to her lips for a sip with care, watching the other down the glass whole with amusement. She couldn't do that with her drink. Too hot. Would burn.

“That's an odd question to ask. I'm not a parent of anything other than chocobo hatchlings.”

[Veldi]

“That don’t count?”

[Blue]

“Not when the birds still have their families, silly.” Blue looks away for a moment, thoughtful. “Are you just asking because I'm trying to take care of you too? I used to take care of others, several years ago. I suppose you might remind me of them in a way. In despair all the same.” She waves a hand for the bartender's attention once more. “Do you have any rooms available for my friend here? I think a night of sleep would do them good.” Blue looks to Veldi, “Or come back after your next job.”

[Veldi]

“I'm not in any fuckin' despair! I'm happy as a dodo in a nest!”

She pours another cup and downs it immediately.

“This ain't no damned despair–it ain't! Less people to pay, I'm saving money! This is a damn celebration!”

[Blue]

Blue raises a finger. “You've already had more than one drink that I count. Also, denial is one of the first signs of it!” The bartender butts in awkwardly between the two women, belated answer being “Yah, there's always a room available here. We are a bit o' a backwoods tavern, not too many come'n stay the night.” He shuffles off to tend to another patron while Blue makes a grab for the bottle. “You have a strange way of celebrating.”

[Veldi]

“I'm just greasing the wheels a bit mo–”

She snatches the bottle as Blue makes a grab for it, clutching it to her chest.

“Thought you wanted Chocolate? Why you gettin' all sticky fingered?”

[Blue]

“…Just making sure you don't drink the whole bottle and end up playing tug of war with an actual beast the next time I see you.”

[Veldi]

“Can't help where I wake up.”

[Blue]

“If you go to sleep in a bed you should wake up in one .” The Au'ri rubs her temple. “Fine, I won't try and stop you from drinking, but I am going to watch you until you pass out. That way I know at least, that you won't end up in a ditch the moment I turn away.”

[Veldi]

“Thats weird.”

[Blue]

“You're weird.”

[Veldi]

“You're blue!”

She suddenly takes a long swig from the bottle before shaking her head wildly.

“So anyone ever try to steal the birds?”

[Blue]

Blue nods. “A couple of times. My mate dispatched the first group of them rather soundly. He really likes traps. The second time a big wolf thing scared them away before they could touch a feather. Haven't had much trouble since.”

[Veldi]

“Mate sounds weird.”

[Blue]

“Everything seems weird to you, dun it?”

[Veldi]

“Sounds like you pop out babies.”

[Blue]

“What about pirates then? They popping out babies too?”

[Veldi]

“Its obviously referring to something different though…”

[Blue]

“I dunno, same word to me…I could be using lover, husband, partner, beloved, significant other too. I just don't want to be too mushy for you.” Blue finishes her mug finally, sliding it away from her, tail giving a flick in satisfaction.

[Veldi]

Veldi picks up her bottle and waves it, stumbling a bit as she stands up. I'll see you around then. Happy uh….life and all that.“

[Blue]

Blue tilts her head. “And where are you heading off to thens?”

[Veldi]

”….Probably work.“

[Blue]

Blue shrugs softly. “Alright…If you need a place to stay, you know where to go. Just be safe.” Blue'd twist around on the seat to face the retreating woman and give a wary wave, still uncertain as to whether she'd find the woman in a similar state when next she saw her.

[Veldi]

Veldi looks around blankly for a bit, not really paying attention in general before sort of wandering off with the bottle in her hand into the woods outside.

---

Home –> Roleplay Scene Index –> Discord Roleplays

Home –> Character Index –> Veldi — Blue