[Memory, Loras] The First Day II

[Ricky]

The First Day II

Ash 19th, 117 AoS
(Continued from here)

Light from the sun filtered passed through the cracked doors as they all left, the two ladies behind Ricky as he squinted in turn, from the brightness which assailed his eyes after their departure. Just outside the doors to the Terras Manor was Captain Malkea, his arms firmly crossed as he looked to be expecting the wolf for a bit now. "A little bird told me I was to keep an eye on you! So don't get all ass hurt over me deciding to tag along with ya." The weathred looking man told him as Ricky walked outside into the sun, his blue eyes still narrowed in a squint as he simply groaned as a response.

"Wait Captain Malkea." Telion called out as she approached the both of them, with a brief smile shot to Ricky before she looked up to Malkea. Both Ricky and the captain looked down at her with vivid curiosity, though Ricky already knew where it was she'd be going with this. Her friend Hannah too evidently for she stood back, her arms crossed as she watched her friend speak with the grizzled man. "Would you mind if I watched after Rickter? I know Lady Milana put him under your watch, but I would personally like to see this man work his debt off myself if that's okay with you." She requested humbly with a smile still present on her face, leading the Captain to stroke his beard a few times after he listened to her.

"I dunno miss Telion, do you think you could handle him?" The man checked firmly with an eyebrow raised, his eyes warily upon Ricky when he asked the question. The wolf merely scoffed and folded his arms over one another, with a dismissive look shot to the side as he listened further.

"Don't worry," the short blonde answered with soft confidence, "I'm sure he won't be too much of a problem." Hannah scoffed behind Ricky and for a moment he almost smiled, yet Captain Malkea could see something in the woman Ricky could not apparently, for he seemed to raise his hands up in the form of surrender not long afterward.

"Well... alright then." Malkea's face went from soft to firm in one quick instant, as he looked back to Ricky when he spoke once more. "The moment your business with the lady is concluded, you better check back in with me afterward. Got it?"

The wolf's eyes gravitated back to Malkea then, with a brief bite of his lower lip before answering in turn. "Understood."

"Well then, better hop to it." Malkea finally gave a small grin to the three of them, a farewell waved to them as he started to head back into the town. "Look after her well, Rickter." He called out as Hannah started to walk past Ricky, a glare shot up to him as she stopped in place next to him.

"Do anything to hurt her, and you can bet I'll be hurtin' you afterwards!" She threatened him with an expectant look given to Telion, the two exchanging smiles before she bade her friend well, and doing the same as Malkea did with going back into the heart of Loras. With those two gone before too long Ricky and Telion were alone then, the blonde turning to giggle briefly before she tucked her hands behind her back.

"Sorry, don't take anything she says personal. Okay?" She told him with almost a compassionate look, something the wolf didn't expect honestly, therefore a brief look of confusion was given before he answered in turn.

"She don't scare me." Ricky deflected almost dismissively as he looked to the side once more, avoiding the inclination to stare at the woman for too long. "Besides yer the one I'm workin' fer now."

"Ah, ah!" Telion raised a finger to wave it in the air. "With! You and I are gonna do this together!" Now Ricky was utterly confused by this woman, mostly because it was her he had wronged after all, so why should she deem it necessary to help him? Didn't that contradict the idea of repaying her for the broken instrument? She noticed how lost he looked in his vacant stare, and yet somehow she had the audacity to laugh at him a little. Was he really so funny to her? "What? The idea of help scares you that much?"

"No..." The wolf answered quickly but fell silent afterward, his eyes squinted at her as he tried to understand this woman. "Just find it odd that you actually want to help, since it's your instrument that I broke."

"Well..." Her hands went away behind her back once more, as Telion looked to the side with a cheeky grin. "Someone once told me it's always easier when you work together. Besides there's nothing wrong with wanting to help... is there?" Teamwork huh? Suddenly Ricky started to see why Hannah was so protective of this one, as Telion was a true human being to her very core. The fact she actually felt the need to go out of her way, to help others above herself no less, told Ricky that she had to be somebody different from the rest. Somebody that he clearly didn't need to be involved with, for the fact he'd only probably ruin things for her.

He was so used to doing everyone's dirty work, so naturally, he felt suspicious of her gracious attitude. "Alright, fine... What's the first job?" He caved in with a shrug as he lowered his arms finally, planting his palms at his hips as he waited to hear what she had to say.

"Great!!" Suddenly Telion looked about ready to jump for joy, as she took a few steps closer to him while she bounced fists eagerly before her. "We'll get started by showing you around Loras! We can take on a few odd jobs while we're at it." Ricky looked from her down to the street that led back into town, his lips tightened into a firm expression as he looked to her once more.

"Okay..." He said with a nod added with it, giving Telion incentive to smile wider it seems. "You lead."

"It would be my pleasure!" She responded in turn with a slight twirl, the brim of her dress spinning around in the air as she started to walk. "We'll stop by Erma's first and see how she's doing. I'm sure she'll have something fairly easy we can handle!"

"Sure..." The wolf answered in turn as he walked along behind her, his eyes directed towards the ground where Telion walked more than anything.


"Speech"

Party Hub

RickterTelion

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"I remember lookin' at her... and for whatever reason I just wanted to smile..."

[Ricky]

The First Day II

Ash 19th, 117 AoS
(Continued from here)

Telion led onward as they both walked past the gate leading up to the estate, with the blonde strolling along before Rickter as she led him towards a building nearby. It looked to be a mix between an old cottage and some kind of hospice, riddled with vines along it's paneled wooden structure as they walked along a manmade walkway to it. Plants of all kinds decorated the walkway and even the porch, from different colors of flowers, to shrubs and what may even have looked like weeds to the wolf. Rickter felt reluctant to mention anything thus deferred to watching Telion, who seemed to enjoy her time admiring the plants in their stroll forward.

"Well hello Telion!" An lilted yet weathered voice nearly cooed as somebody walked out from their open doorway, an older woman who looked to be well into her twilight years by now. With frilly hair the color of snow, the wrinkly old lady offered the two a warm and hearty grin, as she walked towards the steps of her front porch; with a cane in hand for support. "What brings you here today?"

"Hello miss Erma! It's good to see you!" Telion nearly cheered as she tucked her arms behind her back, her fingers entwining together as Ricky watched both women interact. "I just wanted to check in, see if you needed anything."

"Oooh, thank ya dear!" Erma sounded delighted by Telion, finally noticing the giant standing behind her in silence. "Who's your friend dear?"

"Oh! This is Rickter, he's new to the area." And just like that the smile on Erma's face lessened a little, indicating to Rickter that the woman held some speculations of her own. It was likely word had already spread throughout the rest of town, no thanks to that damnable idiot Aaron, who had nothing better to do than spread his own slander. Still the wolf felt the need to at least wave, as to present some small courtesy to the older lady anyways.

"Welcome to Loras young man, I hope you grow to like it here!" Erma then suddenly greeted him in turn with a warm smile, causing Ricky to avert his eyes with sudden uncertainty.

"He's a little shy miss Erma!" Telion noted when she glanced back to witness the reaction, her expression still warm and friendly as she took a few steps closer to Rickter.

"Awe! For someone his size he must be a big softie!" Erma added with a light bit of laughter, causing Rickter to nearly blush as he snorted in response.

"So about that job?" He remarked afterward with a nervous glance to Telion, who reacted with a hint of surprise before turning to look at Erma once more.

"Oh! Are there any herbs you need restocked miss Erma? My friend here needs some work, so I was hoping you could help us."

The old woman looked to think heavily on the request, before raising her eyebrows in a somewhat enthusiastic response. "Why yes! You recall those flowers you bring to me? I've used the last of them to make a few poultices, maybe you and your friend could help find me more?"

"The white flowers?" Telion checked curiously, to which Erma nodded in response. "No problem! I know exactly where to find some more." She assured the elder with a confident grin to Rickter. "You ready?"

"Uh, sure." The wolf responded with his firmness still in his face, as he looked back and forth between Erma and Telion.

"Hmm." Telion then began to eye him up and down, even went so far as to walk around him to investigate his backside. While the wolf didn't really move around much, he watched her diligently as she examined him, stopping a few feet in front of him once more before her observant gaze changed back to a hearty smile. "Well you definitely look strong enough."

"What?" The wolf inquired a little lost, his eyebrows somewhat furrowed in confusion.

"You're a traveler obviously, but adventuring out in the wilds is dangerous!"

"I... know that."

"So then where's all your travel gear? Or do you wander everywhere without a weapon or gear?"

"...It's back in my room?" He finally answered with a very mildly irritated tone.

"Well then young man, I'd suggest you be sure to grab it before you head out!" Erma added in with another hearty chuckle, before slowly waddling her way back into the hospice with her cane.

"Erma's right. Even a quick forage is dangerous without a weapon, not that I don't think you can't handle yourself without one." Telion responded in turn as they began to move in the direction towards the southwest gate.

"Okay. So what about you?" The wolf deflected as he noted Telion also possessed no weaponry on her.

"Me? I can take care of myself. Why don't we get your things first, and then we'll stop by my house so I can grab my own things." She responded in turn with a small bounce in her step, as they turned onto the main road that led them towards the Duedrop Inn. "Shall we?" She inquired with a gesture towards the door of the establishment.

"I guess..." Rickter responded in turn as he followed after her, ducking his head to avoid the doorway as he went inside.


"Speech"

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"I remember lookin' at her... and for whatever reason I just wanted to smile..."

[Ricky]

The First Day II

Ash 19th, 117 AoS
(Continued from here)

Rickter moved passed Telion, who had approached the bar to greet her friendly barmaid, so that he could return back to the door down at the end of the hall. The wolf didn't waste any time in unlocking the door, so that when he entered the room, he could approach the pile of belongings he had dropped at the foot of his bed. He was so damn tired last night, that he didn't even feel like sorting anything out. Then again being here for only a few days, like he planned to, generally didn't motivate one to unpack and repack so diligently. So while this whole work business became a minor setback for him, the wolf merely saw it for what it was, and therefore reasoned that he'd be able to resolve it fairly quickly.

Lifting the bag up from the floor Rickter dropped the leathery sack onto his bed, undoing the straps that held his sword in place on the side of the bag. He really didn't have much to begin with, hell when he had left Tirek he had almost nothing. Just the clothes on his figure, and the few essentials he could scrap together before meeting with the peddler. When he unlinked the sword Rickter brought the leather straps towards the belt at his waist, tying the weapon onto the left side so that it hung relatively close to him. Taking the waterskin out of his bag next, the wolf then repeated the same process with the right side of his waist. After the straps on the container were tied, Rickter then moved back towards the door to shut it on his way out.

After locking it with the key, which he replaced in his pocket afterward, the wolf then returned back to the lobby where Telion and Hannah remained. "I mean it Telly, you be careful goin' out there. 'Kay?"

"No worries, it's just a quick venture is all." The bard assured her barmaid friend before noticing the return of the wolf, to which they both looked to him a little baffled. "Wow. That was fast."

"Didn't have much to grab t' begin with." He answered bluntly in turn with his eyes still focused on Telion.

"Well, perfect! Saves me a lot of time!" Telion teased with a brief giggle, before turning to finish the conversation with Hannah. Rickter didn't really pay much attention to what they were saying, more or less because when he saw her giggle, he felt yet another innate need to smile in response to her attitude. Of course, he did his best to shrug it off and pretend otherwise, but there was no denying that her warm and vibrant personality had an effect. One he didn't quite understand much less want to, mostly because it was getting annoying trying to keep from smiling at her.

"Well, just don't do anythin' rash. Be smart out there!" Hannah finished as she resumed pouring drinks for a few customers, leaving Telion to approach Rickter since he'd waited patiently on her.

"We will!" She assured the barmaid before looking up to Rickter once more. "Ready for our next stop?"

"Sure. Lead on." The wolf gestured for her to go ahead, indicating that he would follow her when she started.

"Great! Let's go." And just like that he smiled. Though he waited until she turned her back to him, before it finally broke through that stern front he always maintained. Rickter didn't let the reaction linger for long, as others could very well likely see that he grinned. But the sheer fact this woman could stir a reaction out of him... it was perplexing. Rickter had always been stoic and serious even as a boy, with few memories of him genuinely smiling as a result of something good. Often times when he did it was typically out of amusement, or just a sudden reaction towards a situation he found ridiculous. Like with Aaron's claims at the Terras Manor.

Nevertheless, they were both out on the streets once again, heading towards the Southwestern gate from the Inn as Telion led on. "So Rickter," Telion started as they walked down the street, the wolf briefly glancing at some of the onlookers that watched the two passing, "where are you from exactly?"

"Kamdin." He quickly responded in turn as they continued the walk.

"Anywhere specific?" Telion tried to inquire further with a curious tone.

"Somewhere Oi'm not particularly fond o' honestly."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Telion sounded sympathetic towards him now. "Is that why you're traveling? Looking for a new place to call home?"

"Somethin' like that." The wolf bluntly answered in turn as they were nearing the gate, before Telion took a left turn down another street.

"I've lived in Loras all my life. Any parents?"

"Nope." He answered in turn with no change in his firm expression.

"Really?" Telion stopped then to turn and look up at him, her blue eyes heavily locked on Ricky as he tried keeping his gaze from meeting hers. "What happened to them?"

"... Just never knew them is all." He finally came to answer her after a moment of silence, leading Telion to ease off a little, with a sudden apologetic look given to him in return.

"Wow... So then who helped raise you?"

"It's... complicated." Rickter responded in turn with a dismissive look to the bard. "We should keep movin'. Where's this next stop?"

"Oh! It's my house. Dad's away on one a trip, so it'll be just us when we get there." Telion assured him as she resumed leading on, the pair now approaching a cottage house with a small but well-maintained yard.

"What 'bout yer mother?" Ricky inquired with a brief hint of curiosity, and yet his expression still remained solid as stone.

"She's gone. Passed when I was young." She briefly explained as they walked up towards the front porch of her abode. "Um... wait here for a bit? I'll be right back."

"Sure." The wolf responded in turn with a nod, watching as the bard slipped past her door to enter the house. Rickter didn't really move after she'd disappeared inside, not until almost an actual minute had passed before he turned to look at the yard of the place. There were a few flowers and shrubs that were well taken care of, but what struck his curiosity most was the apple tree found at the center of their yard. Already red apples had started to weigh down branches, some even fallen on the ground as they'd passed their ripened stage. Even so, Rickter could not resist approaching the tree, getting a closer inspection of the fruit that dangled from it's branches, before selectively picking one that looked ripe with on couple small dark spots.

"That tree has been here since I was a kid." Telion called out as he held onto his apple, with a curious look shot to the porch after hearing the bard speak again. Telion came out still dressed in her blue dress, but with a cotton-made jacket that had sleeves rolled up past her elbows. There were also a few more straps around her waist now, along with a pouched leather belt for carrying extra materials, yet what was even more noticeable was the wooden staff she held in her left hand. "Go on," she encouraged as she walked down the steps to approach, "try one and see how you like it."

Part of Ricky felt a little odd after just taking fruit off the tree, probably because he never really got her consent prior. Now that she encouraged him though, he began to feel weird about the idea. Thus he hesitated before finally raising the red fruit up to his mouth, taking a reluctant bite from the apple as his teeth tore off a piece. The juice of the fruit began to bleed and trickle down his lips in turn, while the sliver he bit off had a naturally sweet flavor as he chewed. Admittedly he nodded to show that her that he liked the taste, giving Telion reason to giggle a little as she looked among the apples herself. Before too long she found one that she wanted, and reached to attempt picking off one that was just out of her reach.

Rickter saw that she was reaching for a half reddened apple, as a portion of its skin still maintained a yellow pigmentation. Still since he noticed her effort to reach for it, the wolf promptly reached at it with a brief tug, yanking the apple off its branch so that he could lower it down into her hand. "Thank you!" She appraised him with a vibrant smile, nearly forcing Ricky to smile before her once more.

"No problem." He answered in turn, turning his head away as he took another bite from his own apple.

"Shall we?" Telion checked with a bit of a cute sideways lean in her head, with Ricky looking back down at her with a brief amount of confusion. Until he realized she meant getting back on task, which was getting those flowers for Erma as planned. Rickter answered her with a firm nod as a result, and in turn, Telion shot him another warm grin, before twisting into a walk back towards the gate. The wolf followed alongside her when she moved, trying to watch her discreetly without being so obvious, as they both walked back onto the street and then onward. The bard took a bite from the apple Rickter grabbed for her, and in turn, the wolf resumed tearing into his own apple, while they drew closer towards the town's alternate entrance.

"Speech"

"I remember lookin' at her... and for whatever reason I just wanted to smile..."

[Mirage]

Ricky

Lores
Etiquette: Keeping To Your Word
Leadership: Partnering Up With Other Individuals
Rhetoric: The Antics Of Help
Leadership: Things Are Easier When Working Together
Rhetoric: What Travelers Wear For Gear
Etiquette: Helping Others When They Need A Hand

Loras: Erma's Herbal Remedies
Memory: Doing Freelance Work With Telion
Memory: Telion And The Apple Tree

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points 5

Comments: First day on the job! I really like Telion and her and Ricky's interactions. I can't way to see where this relationship goes, despite the fact that we already know the ending

Question your Reality,
Mirage