[Alkaid]

At the chocobo stables, a figure stood mostly alone in front of a small purple-feathered chocobo, staring it down in silence while the chocobo seemed content to stare back with its wings raised.

The figure was clearly a rather short miqo’te, but was covered head to toe in some strange metallic suit, with only her deep red hair and tail directly visible.

It seems that someone made the attempt to dress her, as above the extremely form fitting metal suit, there was a hastily and loosely fastened hakama over her lower body, with a robe lying on the grass not far away.

[Blue]

Blue had not immediately made her way to the stables on this early morning, distracted on her way to the Manor by a small frog that had been wandering across the worn path from their cabin in the Shroud. The Xaela would try and scoop up the frog, only to be surprised again and again when it hopped just out of her grasp. This process would go on for several yalms before the girl gave up and retraced her steps and started heading to the Stables proper.

Her voice would be the first to be heard by the stranger, genuine guilt reflected in her voice as she'd call out to the birds in the stalls, “Sorry I'm late, my friends! I hope you're not too hungry!”

She turned around the corner of the barn holding a bucket full of Gysahl Greens and Krakka Roots before spotting the strange figure standing in front of the purple chocobo. Blue observes the stranger curiously as she approaches, tail wagging merrily at the idea of new friends! She seems nonplussed by the metallic suit the woman wore, dropping her bucket briefly to pick up the stranger's robe before skipping over to her. “I think you dropped this, Ma'm!”

She casts a glance over to the purple chocobo and clicks her tongue. “Shh shh. You are among friends, little one. Settle.”

[Alkaid]

The woman does not turn around, still staring down the purple chocobo. After a few more moments, the chocobo lunges forward, tackling the girl to the ground while a metallic scraping filled the air. It seemed to be an attack at first glance, but the girl did not resist and, after some enthusiastic pecking, the chocobo eventually resettled, sitting down on top of the girl and 'warking' down at her metal covered head.

[Blue]

Blue is very visibly alarmed the moment the chocobo lunged, nonexistent hackles raising. “Wha..” She was about to lunge on the bird herself were the sound of metal scraping not causing the Xaela to wince in place, bringing her hands to her ears. She continues to watch the pair however, heart settling a bit as the bird calmed itself down.

“So sorry about that,” Blue murmurs out to the metallic miquo'te before drawing closer and placing her hand on the chocobo's neck.

She tsked softly to the bird before looking to the stranger, smile brightening her features once more. “I guess this one really likes you!”

[Alkaid]

“…Aeka.”

The voice was a bit deeper than what might be expected from a miqo'te woman–especially one so small–but her words were clear even through her mask. There was a bit of a scratchy quality to it, but she did not seem inconvenienced in the slightest by the intrusion.

“…Friend.”

[Blue]

Blue tilts her head, earfins wiggling at the woman's words. “Aeka?” She questions, before looking between the pair. Was that the name of the stranger- or the chocobo?

In either case, the lil Xaela pats the purple bird's neck gently, seemingly content with letting the chocobo decide when it wished to get off the metal kitty while Blue retreats back to her bucket to fetch a treat for the creature. She drops down on her knees next to the two of them, passing a root to the bird and curiously poking at the woman's metal casing thing.

Her tail gives a wag. “Can we be friends too?”

[Alkaid]

“…Why?”

[Blue]

Blue giggles and scoots closer to the woman, her tail thumping rhythmically in time. “Because the world's a much better place with more friends!”

[Alkaid]

There is a long, dead silence as the reply.

“…Aeka likes you.”

[Blue]

Deciding that Aeka was surely the woman's name this time, Blue positively beams at her words, wriggling in place like a hyperactive puppy.

“I like you too! But what are you doing here?” She peers closely at the metal plating once more, pondering. “Are you cold?” She asks. Metal was cold. The Xaela glances over to where she'd previously discarded the robe, once again retrieving it with the brightest of smiles.

[Alkaid]

“I'm doing nothing. Waiting for the recovery to complete.”

She lifted the chocobo over her head and stood up before walking back over towards the stables and placing her inside, resuming her earlier staring and still silence.

“What are you doing here?”

[Blue]

Blue drops back as the miquo'te lifts the chocobo quite easily and starts wallking off with the bird. The female's jaw drops only the slightest bit. She wanted to be able to do that to the stubborn chocos who never wanted to get in their stalls! She'd follow after the woman with a skip to her step.

“Recovery? What are you recovering from? Are you hurt, can I help?” Then a pause for breath. “I work here at the stables taking care of the birds! Aren't they cute?”

[Alkaid]

The woman does not seem very comfortable with the excitment, not quite sure how to handle it or all the talking. Apparently overwhelmed by it all, she jumps into the stables behind the purple chocobo, quickly throwing some stray hay over herself in some vain attempt to hide.

[Blue]

Blue nearly launches herself into the straw with the woman but stops short. She didn't want her to hop away like the frog from earlier. Reluctantly, the Xaela keeps her distance and leans against one of the columns nearby instead, tucking her legs under her as she looks out at the poorly hiding woman.

She decides to give talking a rest and simply watch the other curiously.

[Alkaid]

The woman does not move an inch for quite some time before finally peeking (or at least it seemed so as the eyes on the mask suddenly blinked back on as if she opened her eyelids) from behind the stray pieces of hay.

“….Do you want to attack me?”

[Blue]

Blue flicks an earfin. “Do you want me to?”

[Alkaid]

“…..No.”

[Blue]

Blue wags her tail and chirps up. “Then no! I wouldn't wanna hurt a friend anyway.”

[Alkaid]

“Then why do you ask questions?”

[Blue]

“I just wanna make sure you're okay.”

[Alkaid]

“….But why?”

[Blue]

“Because we're friends silly, and that's what friends do.” Blue giggles at the woman and maybe inches a bit closer. “Anyway, now you're asking all the questions.”

[Alkaid]

The girl suddenly lunged out of the stables, her masked face now very close to Blue;s.

“….Why are we friends?”

[Blue]

Blue doesn't seem phased by the masked miquo'te that is now inches from her own face. Rather, the Xaela lifts up a hand and attempts to touch the mask itself gently with the tips of her fingers, curiosity peaked.

“Because we can be.” The Xaela answers simply and without hesitation. “You seem nice and I wanna know you.”

[Alkaid]

The surface of the mask is, possibly surprisingly, quite smooth and cool to the touch. It seems it was made out of some strange metal as it did not seem hard to the touch at a soft touch, even squishing slightly under light prodding.

“Caution was advised. Appearance causes fear. Fear increases danger.”

[Blue]

Blue tilts her head. Indeed this was no metal the woman was familiar with, though she'd never claim to be an expert on such things. Now if the woman had been made of bark..

Blue shakes her head, even leans in close to Aeka with a warm grin.

“Your appearance is different and special and interesting and lovely! Why should it bring fear?”

Blue pulls her hand back and crosses her arms. “Some won't understand…but others will and they won't cause you harm.”

[Alkaid]

“Staying here is safe?”

[Blue]

Blue considers for a moment.

“It's pretty safe here…not many people come by that I've noticed. And those that do..” She blinked a bit and tilted her head. “I don't think they'd do any harm, not that I've seen.”

[Alkaid]

“…Is it a trap?”

[Blue]

Blue shakes her head. “But if you don't trust me, I understand…” Blue wouldn't really understand.

[Alkaid]

The Miqo’te stares for a while longer, the lights on her mask audibly clicking on and off over and over again before she finally seemed to have reached a decision.

“….Okay.”

[Blue]

Blue pulls away from the Miquo'te and gestures with a hand to the stables they were in.

“Here at the very least, you're among friends who'd never wanna hurt you.” Nodding over to the purple chocobo nearby. “And that one seems to like you especially!” She giggles, rapping her tail against the straw pleasantly. She kept making all sorts of new friends everytime she went to the Manor!

[Alkaid] “………”

The woman stared for a while before jumping back into the stables, covering herself with stray hay.

[Blue]

Blue watched the woman cover herself up with hay once more and slowly got up onto her feet. She stretched and turned away from the straw pile, walking over and retrieving the gysahl greens.

As fascinated as the Xaela was, Blue still had her duties to the birds here, and mayhaps not being the focus of the Au ri's attention would give the metallic woman confidence as well. Or so Blue hoped! She went to the food bin, dropping various vegetables and greens for the purple chocobo before fetching a bristled brush from her pocket. “There there you pretty thing. Let's make you even prettier!” She'd sing gently to the bird before reaching up and brushing along its head and face affectionately.

[Alkaid]

The woman simply watched quietly, having run out of some hay to cover herself with, she settled with watching Blue like a hawk.

[Blue]

Blue chances a glance at the woman from the corner of her eyes but keeps on tending to the bird. Bristled brush would find its way from face to neck, and here the Xaela would slip her fingers right into the neck fluff, scritching down at the base until feather dust would start falling right off the chocobo like a rainshower. “Doesn't that feel good?” Blue asks before continuing her brushing from top to bottom.

[Alkaid]

“Why are you grooming them?”

[Blue]

Blue perks up at the question. “Lotsa reasons! Birds are always growing feathers, and brushing helps new feathers replace those that have fallen off or broken.”

She looks over at the Miquo'te and offers the brush to her with the slightest tilt of her head.

“And course, chocobos run a lot and get dirt and grime stuck to them. They get nutrients from sunlight, so being all dirt-covered might eventually make them sick.”

[Alkaid]

“You are after the dirt then?”

She dashes out of the stables to the fenceline before jumping on top of the stables and lying down on her stomach to continue watching.

[Blue]

Blue's eyes follow the woman as she darts out and back. At least she was out of the straw this time!

“Yes, I'm after the dirt!”

She resumes brushing just that little bit longer before putting the brush back in her pocket and whistling into the air.

Almost immediately a deep wark could be heard in the distance, stampeding feet coming closer and closer before a much larger chocobo would trot towards Blue. The Xaela looks up at the woman. “This is one of my birds. His name is Derrick!”

The chocobo was by all accounts, massive, large black eyes staring up at the stranger patiently before it started to preen itself.

[Alkaid]

A series of small shining threads emerge from the back of the woman's suit, surrounding the other chocobo in the stables before moving around underneath the feathers, shifting around quickly like some strange, wriggly fingers.

[Blue]

Blue blinks at the strange threads shooting out from the woman, and very briefly the Xaela tenses in response, a reactionary bark -almost- escaping her lips.

Derrick too, is rather alarmed at the threads, nervously shuffling from one clawed foot to the next before he feels them shifting and brushing under his feathers- a feather dust storm if there was any! The bird adjusts and moves against the threads in earnest, trying to get them to scratch at just the right spots.

Blue visibly relaxes at the sight and laughs with delight. “Yes, like that!” She glees.

[Alkaid]

She remains mostly silent as is usual by now, but after a while she begins talking, seemingly relaxing a bit as the threads did their work.

“I remember a story. It was one of the first I was told, to help me remember the old lessons.”

“I woke up alone in the forest, but I could always feel everything moving. Writhing. Living. It all seemed so offended that I'd been there. It seemed angry that I just suddenly showed up in the middle of nowhere. But I had no idea how it happened either. I was just there, and I for some reason, I could only remember how to fight. Eventually, a tree with eyes came for me and attacked, angry at me for existing I suppose. But it turned out it wasnt just after me. There was this small purple chocobo with bristled feathers, trying to kick and thrash at everything around her. That was when we saw each other. It was instant, and did not need words to explain anything. We were comrades–friends, from that moment forward.”

“We fought our way out together, and went on many adventures since. She helped me, I helped her. We ate and slept and ran together, and we never needed a single word between us. One day someone else I knew, a miqo'te a lot like you actually, with red hair and full of energy, asked me what her name was. I was shocked. She thought my friend belonged to me. When I explained that she was not someone I could just call whatever I wanted, I was stopped. My friend wanted a name. She wanted me to name her. Or at least, that's what I thought. Everything I proposed got me pecked directly on the head over and over again until I realized she was trying to get me to figure out what she wanted to be named. It took a lot of pecking, but after about two nights I managed to string the sounds she wanted together. Aeka. Even though I had to recover from the bleeding after, it was nice to hear her name. I want you to remember that. Remember that one day you might find a friend and it won't even be a question or a need. There wont be any pretenses. Both of you will just know.”

The woman finished reciting the story (apparently word for word) and went quiet, the lights on her mask going out.

[Blue]

Blue leaned forward curiously and reached out a finger to poke at the threads as they continued to move and shift about. When the woman spoke however, she stopped and drew her hand up to the chocobo's beak, patting him gently as she listened intently to the tale. Her tail gave a little flick at the end of every pause as Blue envisioned the story for herself before it came to an end. Rather than respond to the lesson of the tale directly, the woman simply adds to it.

“The road you travel will have cracks and bumps. You'll stumble and fall on the way, and sometimes, it's those very friends who will come and support you the rest of the way there. Goodness knows I wouldn't be where I am without them. My life is made the better for knowing them- and so yours might be as well.”

She looks over at the smaller purple chocobo with a different bit of perspective, a warm smile to the bird as she scratches the feathers around the back of her neck gently. “So you're Aeka then? A beautiful name for a beautiful bird, and one so brave as the tale has said.”

[Alkaid]

“I don't know what to feed her.”

[Blue]

“Oh that's easy.” The female skips right out of the stable completely, seemingly unsatisfied with the pickings in the bucket she'd been hoisting around. A few minutes would pass, and the Xaela would bring a full armful of different plants, vegetables, and roots. Someone in a nearby manor would probably not be amused.

She drops the various plants in front of the woman. “Chocobos all have their favorites. Gysahls are always popular-” She'd point to the leafy green but then shake her head firmly. “But every bird has their own preference. Hold some of these out to her. Let her decide what she wants.”

[Alkaid] Aeka digs into cabbage as the miqo’te presents it with the ferocity of a predator, stomping it underneath her clawed foot before quickly ripping it apart with her sharp beak.

Unfortunately, this causes the miqo’te to shrink away and hide behind Blue.

[Blue]

Blue clasps her hands together. “That's the spirit! You eat your heart out Aeka!” The Xaela cheers for the ravenous bird. She looks over her shoulder at the woman behind her. “No need to fear- unless you're a cabbage at least.” She turns around and watches her with her bi-colored eyes before gently taking the feline's hand and turning it so her palm was held outward to the bird. “Click your tongue a couple times.” The Xaela requests before doing it herself. “And look at Aeka.”

[Alkaid]

The girl seems confused, but after a while her mask mimics the clicking sound Blue made.

[Blue]

“You want Aeka to know you're requesting her attention. It's her decision if she decides to come to you. But she sees you looking and clicking. And you just gave her a treat! To her, you are an interesting thing- but are you a good thing?”

[Alkaid]

“…..No.”

[Blue]

Blue looks puzzled, briefly derailed from her lesson. “How do you know you're not?”

[Alkaid]

“I am infected. Without purpose, I should not be awake. I will bring harm.”

[Blue]

Blue is silent for a moment, closing her eyes as she ponders. Finally she speaks up, ready smile always on the Xaela's face. “Even is that is the case, you've not brought harm to me or the birds, so I see you as good. And now that you're awake from whenever or wherever you were sleeping from, you can make your own purpose!”

[Alkaid]

“…..Request: Time to reflect required.”

[Blue]

Blue nods happily. “Request granted!” She flops on her back and stares up at the sky “….Can I have your name yet?”

[Alkaid]

“……………..Alkaid.”

She departs with enough speed to leave a gust in her wake, entering the manor behind them and disappearing from view.

[Veldi]

Around the same time, a familiar sound of someone arriving via teleport sounded; Veldi had arrived at the manor wearing what could only be called a pirates outfit, with a black bandana covering her left eye.

[Blue]

Blue jots the name in her head someplace safe, watching the feline fly back into the manor before the Xaela could make a move to get up herself.

She breathes a sigh, still staring up at the clouds when the teleporty sound hits her ears and she tilts her head back to look at….VELDI?!?“ Immediately Blue scampers and straightens and even finds some time to brush a hand through her at-this-point mess of hair. The girl is positively ecstatic, only briefly taking note of Veldi's change in clothing before she hops onto her feet and rushes the lizard unabashed for hugs and the like. “Veeeeldi….” Finally taking note of the bandana covering her eye. “Nooo…you lost an eye??!?”

[Veldi]

Her right eye opened wide as the pain spread through her body in a series of loud pops.

“EIGHTH FUCKIN' HELL WHAT THE GOBBUE-ROASTED SHITE!?”

She seemed to immediately be gathering aether in tandem with a rising bloodlust, ready to obliterate whatever just assaulted her when she noticed it was Blue, Much of her venom was lost, but her glare was still apparent.

“No my fuckin' eye ain't gone. Just got burned a little is all. Why are you hugging whoever shows up!?”

[Blue]

Blue lessens her hold on Veldi at the strange popping sound coming from the woman, soon springing away, if only to plop down on the ground nearby, her tail a hyperactive waggy mess. The Xaela is still nothing but the epitome of happiness even through the yelling and the glaring. She shakes her head playfully, countering with a series of “Why do you think I hug just anybody? I missed you, you've been gone forever! I was worried!”

[Veldi]

“Forever? I was jus' workin' out east for a while, dunno why yer bein' all dramatic like I'd been cannon fired out of the planet.”

[Blue]

Blue brings an arm up to her face and sniffles. “That's forever!”, she'd counter. “And now you're here and grumpy again and I'm so happy you're safe!”

Blue peaks out from behind her arm after a while, this time silent, seeming to look over the woman as if searching for something.

[Veldi]

“W-what?”

Veldi backs away and pulls out a cigar, sticking it into the corner of her mouth.

[Blue]

Blue drops her hand to her lap and observes Veldi and her cigar. “I've met a lotta nice people here at the manor while you've been away.” She perks up and smiles. “They were all really nice to me. Novine and Antares and Lami and a very sweet metal kitty named Alkaid helped me groom the chocobos today!”

[Veldi]

She stops mid-motion, her a slight spark that was never quite a fire crackling at her thumb.

“Antares? ALKAID? Ah hells.”

She reaches into her coat, pulling out a large high tech looking revolver almost too big for her hand.

[Blue]

Blue looks on almost casually as Veldi withdraws the weapon, chirping up cheerfully, “Oooh is that the book thing? Lami said it came in different forms n shapes and stuff!”

[Veldi]

“Now I have three people to shoot. Great.”

[Blue]

Blue hops onto her feet and takes a step towards Veldi. “Is it true that you hear a lot of voices? Are they mean?” The Xaela rubbed her arm, a look of concern on her face.

[Veldi]

Her eye slides over to Blue, her yellow limbal rings seemingly flaring a bit.

“I didn't about what's goin' on with you, so why'm I gettin interrogated?”

[Blue]

“Cause I care about you.”

[Veldi]

“And? Ain't like anyone can do anythin' about it. Ain't that why yer all quiet too?”

[Blue]

Blue pouts at the woman, hopping over to her with her hands on her hips. “Even if I can't do anything about it- if I can't - doesn't mean I don't wanna know more and understand what all is going on. Crazy books and voices and blood n weapons! You all make it soooo secret and soooo hush! I want to help you, or at least try!”

She drops her gaze and her forthright posture. “I'm not gonna be quiet with you. I trust you.”

“I've been wanting to tell you everything anyway. You've just been away.”

[Veldi]

“You ain't gotta do all that. Yer gut told you to hide it yeah? Not like I'm gonna shoo you off just cause you got a secret…”

She trails off, clearly experiencing a memory.

”….Fuck it. Don't me I'm gonna be all kissies and hugs just cause I heard it.“

She stares at the entrance to the manor as if she were looking through it and settles on lowering the weapon to her sides instead of holstering it entirely, walking with some obvious tenderness towards a nearby wall before leaning against it and sliding into a sitting position, taking a moment to light her cigar soon after before gesturing for Blue to continue.

[Blue]

Blue drops her arms, earfins flattening against her head as she follows after the woman. She too glances at the manor with ready wariness, and as an afterthought, asks, “Nobody'll hear us out here?” She recalled Lami warning her of saying anything inside the manor itself, but drops down in front of Veldi and curls her tail into her lap, quiet and likely thinking on how to explain it all properly.

[Veldi]

“I dunno, but unless you tell me you eat babies or somethin' I dun care who hears it. They got the stones to do somethin' then they'd obviously better be ready for a bullet directly up their arse.”

She brandishes her weapon and takes a long drag from her cigar.

“Look at me, I couldnt stop a damn cat from spilling my mess out in the open. Rumors gonna travel whether you want em or not.”

[Blue]

Blue rests her elbows on her legs, cradling her head in her hands. “Yeah..you've got a point. They already gots a file and stuff anyway.” The Xaela takes a breath and closes her eyes.

“Truth is, I'm not from around here. Never lived in this world. It was confusing. I was just heading back to a place I'd lived for years, only to find it had vanished and everything was different. Monsters on the roads… Big birds people ride…some weird war going on…A blue eye peaks open.

“And there are different types of people. Elezen and lalafell and hyurs and more- But who I am and what I am, it doesn't exist here at all.”

[Veldi]

“So you're not a glamoured dragon. Ah well.”

“Then what are ye then? Some kind of slimy ooze thing?”

[Blue]

Blue's eyes widen briefly at Veldi's suggestions, before shaking her head with a giggle. “I mean…I could be either of those really! I'd just rather not be slimy.”

She flicks an earfin. “I'm a shapeshifter.” She sees no need to explain further what simply showing would do much better, though in the confined space and with an effort not to draw more attention than its worth she takes a breath.

What would happen would need little prompting on Blue's part as she feels the familiar ripple course from the markings on her forehead to the rest of her body, a warm heat blanketing the feeling of bones, ligaments, and muscle contorting and twisting into something entirely new. More surprising would be the relative speed, for where a Xaela sat before Veldi, not 5 seconds later would a large chocobo loom over the woman, warking in her face. Another few seconds and feathers would fall off the bird, dissipating into the air and revealing a small coeurl kitten mewling and licking at its paws. An opo-opo, an antelope, a kokopurr, and a dodo would follow, each faster than the last and all done with relative ease and little differentiation between the actual thing. Seems she kept her blue eye in each form though.

Finally and ever so briefly, Blue would morph and change into the very Veldi before her-clothing and all, before shaking her head firmly and falling back into a Xaela. She tilts her head, silent.

[Veldi]

Veldi stares fairly calmly for a while until she sees her face staring back at her. For a brief moment, there is something like a reflex, moving to hug her until she saw her own clothes and facepaint reflected and leans back, resuming her half-lidded posture.

When she had finished, Veldi took a long drag from her cigar and held it in for a long time before blowing it out directly in front of herself, the form of her tongue moving over her teeth visible through her mouth before she scratches at the side of her head with the barrel of her gun, shrugging a bit.

”…Yeah, that's pretty scary. But not really something I'd go hunting over. Can see why other people would want to though.”

[Blue]

Blue beams, clearly pleased with the response- and relieved as well. “Well course you wouldn't go hunting over it. You got a gun, what more do you need?” She teases, before leaning forward and poking Veldi on the nose. “I just wanted to show you…cause it's hard to show anybody else. And.” She pauses before wriggling in place and wagging her tail. “If you need help, I can help!”

[Veldi]

“Well as an aside, I already knew you were from a different world. But I cheated, so I guess it don't matter. Pretty sure that's all anyone else knows for sure too. I don't think anyone would imagine you're able to do…uh….any of that. Otherwise he'd be trying to take blood samples or summat.”

[Blue]

Blue tilts her head but doesn't question Veldi on how she knew. Rather she shrugs her shoulders softly. “Far as I've heard, Eligor went someplace so I think I should be fine for a while. The others dun look like the blood sample type.”

She crawls over to Veldi's side to partially lean both against the wall and the face-painted lizard. Gesturing with a hand to the gun, the Shapeshifter remarks, “I've told you my piece, now don't leave me in the dark too.”

[Veldi]

“Ain’t like you answered everythin’ and it’s all wrapped up. I still got plenty of questions.”

She rolled the cigar over in her mouth and continued smoking, glaring at nothing.

“What exactly you want me to tell you anyway? Sounds like my fuckin’ loudmouth associates already spilled everythin’.”

[Blue]

“I didn't know you had any questions!” Blue exclaims before leaning back, staring past the top of the manor and to the clouds above. “Ask away. And I guess I just wanna know…”

She pauses, her fingertips kneading into her dress anxiously.. “..I guess I just want to know what it is, really. Does it help you do what you need to do for your missions and things?”

“You're not…trapped by it or anything?”

[Veldi]

“What what is exactly? My gun? It shoots things. Helps me shoot things. Ain’t no use dancin around it if you tryna hear somethin’ if anyone got words for me they’ll get a brownie bullet all the same.”

[Blue]

“A book doesn't usually turn into a gun you know. Can't a regular one do the same?”

[Veldi]

“So it’s the grimoire then.”

She lifted her gun, turning it so it reflects in the sunlight.

“This ain’t that. It’s just a gun. Grimoire is deeper inside.”

“Never shuts up either.”

[Blue]

Blue tilts her head at Veldi's answer, bright eyes staring from the gun to the rest of the still-injured woman. She scoots closer and attempts looks behind the lizard, then in front, then to the sides, searching and searching and scrambling around with the ferocity of a child looking for some hidden toy. “Deeper where? And you should tell it to shut up!”

[Veldi]

“Uuuugh…..sounds easier to shoot some cats. You’ve seen some cats?”

[Blue]

Blue pulls back from her mindless searching at the question, thinks for a moment, then says in earnest. “Yes! They're in - hey! You're changing the subject!”

[Veldi]

“Yeah, I tend to do that when it's more annoyin' to explain and the book is screaming at me because of you.”

“And it is true that I gotta go shoot em, so that sounds easier.”

[Blue]

“What is it screaming about?” She insists, attempting to seek out any little droplet of knowledge that she can afford. “And it probably is easier- but they probably don't deserve it. I'm just trying to be more like you.”

[Veldi]

“Look–if they are out here, that means that very bad not good things are happening. Especially if the big one is here. And more than likely they are going to hit things first and ask questions once there's a crater.”

She runs a hand through her hair, wincing again from the sudden movement.

“And its screaming because I'm getting grilled about the damn thing.”

“I fuckin' can't stand the thing, but I can say at least this once that it does have good reason. Call it history.”

“But I'm tired.”

“Let's see….”

“It's in my blood right now. But it can also be my skin. Hair. New face.”

“The grimoire ain't just a weapon. Can help in some ways…but the damn thing always comes with a cost.”

[Veldi]

Blue listens intently to the woman opposite her, processing and putting away what information she could. She sighs softly. “So I guess you couldn't get rid of it even if you wanted to, huh?” The Xaela is briefly lost in thought, murmuring something softly unintelligible under her breath before the looks to Veldi.

“Okay, that's sated my curiosity for now! I don't want to keep you from what you gotta do..” She'd nod in the direction of the Manor. “I know the nice metal kitty is in there, but she is really sweet when you get to know her. Everyone else…dunno..there are a lot of cats.”

[Veldi]

“Nice how?”

[Blue]

“She seemed really frightened but wanted to learn how to be friends with the chocobos.”

[Veldi]

“……..”

“….My bones are cracked anyway. She has til they ain't to prove she ain't death incarnate by like….setting the entire ward on fire or something.”

“Why do you want to get rid of my grimoire anyway?”

[Blue]

Blue seems to take comfort in Veldi's promise not to mess with Alkaid just yet, tail resuming a steady series of tail wags in response.

“Is there anything I can do to help while you recover?”

At the latter question, the Xaela purses her lips. “I never said I want you to get rid of it. If you're happy with the grimbook, then I'm happy.”

She tilts her head. “It's just..I know a little about voices. Sometimes I seek them out. Other times I don't. But you should be allowed to have your own voice inside your head sometimes. Not nobody elses. Everyone deserves the peace and quiet.”

[Veldi]

“Voices are there with or without it.”

[Blue]

“Are you happy with it?”

[Veldi]

“That's a loaded question ain't it? I'll have to get back to you on that.”

[Blue]

Blue flicks an ear but chooses not to pursue it. “Okay..”

[Veldi]

She gets up and walks off without another word, putting out her cigar on her coat sleeve before entering the building and going out of view.

[Blue]

Blue frowns as Veldi gets up and heads off, watching after the woman before she slowly rises too, dusting off dirt from her dress distractedly. “Take care of yourself Veldi..” Blue says to the open air before she goes to the stables.

A few minutes later and Blue mounts the large chocobo Derrick, waving over at Aeka with a smile. “You be good too, friend! Watch over things..” She pats her own bird and gives the reigns a gentle tug, setting the bird into a canter towards home, where Blue could spend some proper time processing the entirety of the day.

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