Best Friends Forever

The weather was perfect. A light breeze playfully tugs at anything not nailed down, but it keeps the almost unseasonable warmth from being too burdensome for those who are less accustomed to the sunlight. After the winter months and the indoor studying, Auranar is arguably one of those. Sunburn is no fun for anyone, and a very real risk on such a lovely day; even if it is not quite as hot or as glaring as it will soon become over the summer months. Auranar glances over at Verna and gives the other woman a squeeze on her hand. "It's a lovely day don't you think?" She's pretty sure that she's asked that question at least six times today already.

It's a lovely day indeed. Or so Pothy thinks.

The white raven soars in the sky overhead, scouting ahead of the half-elf couple that he's bound to--well, one half of the couple, anyway, until that wedding gets off the ground. Naturally, he spots Verna and Auranar first, and he gives a cry of "Snacks!" from the sky as he dives down--

And lands on Verna's head. Tail wagging like a happy dog. "Snacks!" he says.

"Oh no," Cor'lana murmurs. But she's not breaking into a jog, as she and Telamon are not far behind, and the train of her lavender-colored dress, while only a few inches on the ground, means it'd make running a tad awkward. (She'd insisted on wearing the dress out to the shores.)

"Pothy, please get off Verna's head," Cor'lana orders.

Pothy considers this. Then, he nods, and counteroffers: "Snacks." He wants a bribe.

"Quite lovely," Verna assures Aura, though is also pointedly looking to her as she confirms with a return squeeze. Verna may not have as much urge for the outdoors as the syl, being inclined to indoor study regardless of time, weather, season, or most else. This also means she is far more foreign to sunlight.

To say nothing of actually being -exposed- to it, which she is currently far more so than the norm. A simple sundress leaves arms, most of her shoulders, and legs bare. Sandals reveal that she does, indeed, have toes.

"It is a good time to-" and then there is a Pothy on her head! Verna startles and may even begin to utter as her free hand lifts before she realizes whom has perched upon her. "No," she notes, eyes rolled up as far as they can go, "I do not have snacks convenient at this time." The simple dress is a wonderful means to mitigate the heat... however, it has a distinct lack of storage space.

For his part, Telamon has opted for loose-fitting, comfortable garments -- cotton shirt and trousers, with sandals, his skin showing a surprising bronze tone after more than a few days spent in the sunlight. Seeing Pothy stoop on Verna's head, he just laughs softly. "He never changes, does he love?"

Giving Lana's hand a squeeze, he waves with his free hand to Auranar and Verna. "Good day to you! Doing any swimming, or just enjoying the warm weather?" He seems quite happy with the state of things, even with the bright sunshine pouring down on him.

Auranar for her part is dressed similarly to Verna. A light simple sundress adorns her though of a different variation than Verna's. She wears light sandals to go with it but has shirked them off to the side now that she sits on the beach. The wild elf waves enthusiastically to the other couple as they approach and then gives Pothy a light frown that is not particularly normal for her. Particularly given that she is usually pretty happy to see the familiar. "Pothy. That is not polite. I will not give you snacks in exchange for behaving as you should. If you had _asked_ I brought snacks specifically for you." Disappointment drips through her tone and she gives him a perturbed expression which clears as the others approach and she begins to ignore the raven. "Telamon, Cor'lana! A pleasure as always! I have prepared a lovely repast for us."

Drive the knife in a little deeper why don't you?

Pothy looks at Auranar with wide, wide blue eyes. It's clear that the bird's been sent back to school, because he reacts like a student might when told off by the teacher for his rude behavior: he sulks. And he sniffles.

And he hops off Verna's head, and he walks into the water of the shore... And he stops in the shallow part, where he flops down in the water and lets out a little "AAAAAAH."

Okay, that might be more like a child throwing a temper-tantrum. But he's fine. His beak's above water. And indeed, after a moment of just yelling to himself, he seems to realize that he's in the water! ...And so he rolls and splashes around in the shallow lapping of the river water against the bank.

Cor'lana, however, just is snickering. "Well said," she says. "My apologies. Pothy occasionally can be /far/ too playful for his own good--and too bratty. He's like a child--Verna's heard his true voice before, too, and he sounds like a little boy even then."

She squeezes Telamon's hand, too, and smiles. "This is a great spot," she says, before she goes and leads Telamon to sit down on the beach next to Auranar and Verna. "This is where Telamon proposed to me, actually."

Telamon can't wipe the grin off his face as Auranar lays down the law on Pothy. "Aura, you are a marvel. That was masterfully done." He makes sure Lana's comfortable before sitting down next to her, and unlacing his sandals. He checks on Pothy, taking a bath in the river, before turning his gaze back to the ladies in turn.

"But yes. This was where Lana and I first kissed, and I brought her back her to propose. How did I put it? 'Some traditions are worth following because they're important to the people involved.'." He looks over, thinking, then points to a spot about fifteen feet away. "I think it was there, actually. Not far from the tables."

"Well-scolded, Love," Verna notes, though spying Pothy's switch from sulk to splash causes a grin to form, "though I expect he was merely behaving as ...well, he does." The grin is then turned to the other couple, widening at the significance of the location. "That sounds quite ..lovely." A slight dim of her smile and one might be able to see comparative analytics occuring behind her eyes.

Auranar smiles at Telamon and then Verna. "He is quite like a child, but that doesn't mean we have to encourage his bad behavior. Teaching him that good behavior is better rewarded is good for us all." She glances down briefly and then rolls a shoulder. She's glad really of the change in subject, smiling warmly at the fact that Telamon and Cor'lana became engaged in this very location. "That's so true Telamon. Some traditions are worthy of our following them. Not in the least because they bring us joy."

She notices the look in Verna's eyes and smiles softly. "Our engagement was more of a conversation in our home, but I find that for me at least... That simply makes our home all the more special to me." She touches Verna's hand gently.

Telamon glances to Cor'lana with a smile. "It might be time to start being a little more... firm in handling him. Not cruel, not harsh. But he does need to mature a -little- bit." He moves his hands back behind him, leaning back on the heels of his palms as he closes his eyes and basks in the sunlight.

At Aura's mention of her and Verna's own engagement, he pops his eyes open and nods. "Whatever works. Every couple is different, so I can't really argue. What matters is being together, and writing new stories, so to speak." He idly picks up a small stone, turning it over in his hand as he leans against Lana a bit.

"It's all lovely so long as it is in the service of love," Cor'lana says with a grin as she remarks on the differences between their engagement. "I wrote that down earlier--I've been rewriting wedding vows over and over again for weeks. It's that obsessive drive for perfection I sometimes have when it comes to my poetry--"

She catches herself before she goes on and on about her work, however. "Yes, I'll have to be more rigid about Pothy. I... Well, I admittedly spoil him a bit. I grew up with him--he was my mother's familiar before he was mine, and he sort of was like... my brother, in an odd way?" Cor'lana says with a snicker. "He was my only friend for a very long time."

Verna's smile returns, in force, between Auranar's pat and the others' encouragement. "Our home will ever be special," she confirms, tilting her head to indicate Auranar. "She lives there." That is left for a moment, perhaps in jest before she adds, "and we will make many stories there, and elsewhere. For decades to come."

The mention of writing vows causes a new glance to Auranar: one of sudden concern. It passes, or is quashed, almost immediately, however. "I believe, Cor'lana, that all shall be perfect, so long as you are both present. That is the only requirement, yes?"

Telamon chuckles softly. "In defense, writing one's own vows is our own take on things. Indeed, in older days, a marriage could be as simple as jumping or stepping over a sword in front of a witness, with vows spoken solely to each other and to the gods."

He holds up his hand, the gold band on his finger shining. "We already have rings, so we'll be taking on curuchuil instead -- a matching mark on our hands." He pauses, eyes sparkling. "I admit I'm nervous... but I'm excited, and eager, and curious to see what the future holds. I hope it's the same way for you two."

"Ah." Auranar says to Cor'lana. "I can imagine it must be difficult to be in charge of someone who was once your sibling. A friend."

Her eyes move toward Pothy thoughtfully as the bird wallows in the water when Verna gives her a concerned look. She smiles at the other woman and gives her hand a squeeze. "Don't worry dearest. Elvish vows tend to be written jointly, and we've yet to even set a date for when our ceremony will be." She looks at the other two. "I'd like to wait until you and Telamon are settled, as well as Dolan and Andelena. I've invited Verna to add to my families curuchuil."

Verna keeps hold of the lifeline hand. Despite the advice she just gave, she admits,"Nervous and eager, yes. Very much so," to Telamon and Cor'lana before turning to Auranar. "I seek all be perfect, for you. When the time comes." Shifting back to the others, she nods. "There is much to account for and attend to, first." Quite a bit has happened or is, afterall.

Telamon watches Verna holding Auranar's hand, and smiles gently... his own hand linked with Lana's. "A great deal, yes. But look to the future. Lay plans. They may not work at first, but that's why the gods gave us brains -- so we can improvise."

He chuckles softly. "Speaking of brains... Auranar." He rubs his chin. "You've mentioned a couple times being... troubled, by your relative lack of experience. I'd like to help you with that. Every 'talent' is different, so some of my suggestions may not work for you... but I would like to help you develop your talents, if you wish."

For a moment Auranar stares at Verna, her eyes soft. "You deserve for it to be perfect too Verna. For your own sake. I want you to be as happy as you make me." She leans into the other woman and rests there as Verna will allow.

A moment later, Auranar's ears veritably perk up at Telamon's offer and she smiles at him warmly. "I am! I mean... I would really appreciate any assistance that you might lend to helping me figure out how to make myself a more apt spellcaster. It's been endlessly difficult trying to train myself..." She's not had much luck with it frankly. "I know that the ability is there, but reaching it is so difficult!"

Cor'lana nods at this notion that Telamon's brought up. "We both discussed it, actually," she says. "We were in your place not so long ago--and I can understand the frustration of feeling like you have nothing to contribute. So, if there's any way we can possibly help, I'd love to help. After all, you're our friend, and we owe you so much."

Pothy's finished splashing, it seems. His creamy white feathers are glossy and slick with salt water--and... Is that a shell he's found in his beak?

Yes, that is. It's a beautiful cream color that fades into a rusty red at where the clasp would have been, if it was still attached to its bottom half. It's also shiny with the slick of river water, and it's clear why Pothy picked it up at some point in his rolling and splashing.

Pothy steps out of the water line and approaches Auranar in that funny, dawdling manner that ravens sometimes walk. He stops in front of her and just holds it out. "Merp," he croaks.

A peace offering.

Verna reaches an arm up to help support Aura's lean... or keep her there? In any case, there is absolutely no objection. Her own expression brightens at the others' offerings (and Aura's reaction to them). "-We- would welcome any aid or wisdom you could offer. Unfortunately, my talents are not innate, and study is not especially helpful in her, and your, regard. Still, I believe that -someone- is being overly modest, and is far more powerful than she would care to believe." As Pothy arrives with a gift, she notes with a growing grin, "You managed to humble Pothy, for example. That is no small feat."

Auaranar's smile is a warm thing indeed as Cor'lana extends the offer to include herself. "You owe me nothing. What I've done was done out of friendship and I've no doubt you would do the same in my place." She turns her warm smile on Pothy, and offers her hand out to him for the lovely shell he's found. "Pothy is a _good_ boy, and I will accept his apology. Thank you Pothy." This last is added very formally.

Pothy plops it into Auranar's hand carefully... And then he opens his beak. This gets a surprised little gasp from Cor'lana. "Aww, he wants to shake your finger, Auranar!" Cor'lana says. "He does that if it's for a momentous occasion." How she can tell that from what might be interpreted as a begging for snacks behavior is a great mystery. "You just hold your finger out to him and he'll take it carefully in his beak and shake it. He won't hurt you."

She smirks at Pothy for a moment before she considers the topic of mentoring again. "For me, I only started really improving when I started to delve into my ancestry, which was the source of my sorcerous talent. I inherited Pothy from my mother--she's the one with the talent I inherited."

Cor'lana looks thoughtful again. "Maybe with the curuchuil, you'll find some more answers, too, Auranar."

Unless literal black thumbs cause the entire Curuchuil to wilt, someone may wonder in fear. Verna does not mention those thoughts, or who might be thinking them, instead looking to Pothy's atypical actions with curiosity. She would be expecting his to be just begging for more snacks, but if Cor'lana believes this to be momentous... "As I mentioned, great power..." she reminds Aura and gives a light nudge of encouragement as she continues to observe. Not at all to ensure that no fingers are bitten off. Certainly not.

The wild elf laughs lightly, and offers her finger to Pothy. She doesn't seem at all concerned about losing a finger to the bird. Instead she seems to take his apology and the momentousness of the act of having her finger shaken very seriously. With that taken care of however, her gaze darkens slightly and she looks at the bird rather than anything else. "I don't know that much about my ancestry. My parents died when I was just a baby and... it hurts my grandmother to talk about them or the family to me." She flashes a somewhat uncertain smile. "Perhaps there will be answers as you say..."

Pothy very gently takes Auranar's finger in his beak and gives it a nod of his head--which translates into a shake. He lets go of her finger and he crows, in what sounds like a younger Cor'lana's voice: "Best friends forever!"

Apparently Auranar's just agreed to an eternal friendship pact. Here's hoping it didn't come with an agreement to give him snacks.

Cor'lana nods soberly, although she does offer Pothy a little smile for his declaration, looking back up at Auranar. "It's hard," she says. "When I first started looking, I had partial amnesia of my past--and no clue where to start with my father's side of the family until Grandfather came looking for me. Unfortunately, questions are painful sometimes, and they result in knowing things that are painful, too--but pain is a necessary part of life. It's how we know we are alive, and how we are alive to reach for and achieve happiness instead."

Verna gets the distinct impression that Pothy will be expecting more snacks from them, more often. Fortunately, this is not a world-shattering revelation. He always expects all of them. This becomes secondary to the dip in mood and Auranar's shoulder receives a squeeze. The proper accompanying words are more difficult to find. "Their loss is felt, but you are here, Love, due to them." Verna will be ever grateful for that achievement. She nods with the tentative note. "If there are answers, there, they will be found, but it is not the only place they might be."

Telamon steeples his fingers in a contemplative gesture. "It's hard to have that kind of vacancy. I admit, it's not something I've had to deal with -- but that doesn't stop me from wanting to heal it." He smiles, watching Pothy 'shake' Auranar's finger, perhaps remembering a similar gesture on his part a while back.

"Life is a journey, full of questions. Sometimes the answers don't make much sense. Sometimes you don't even know what question to ask. But the alternative is... rather dull, I think."

His eyes glint. "The best memorial to those you've lost is to keep doing things that will make them proud. Try to leave the world a better place."

Auranar blinks at Pothy but nods seriously. "I will keep your gift as a token of our friendship Pothy." She says solemnly, moving the shell to the basket and pulling out a jar that's quite large. It's quite large and holds of all things a huge collection of baked... insects. Specifically grasshoppers. "I hope that this is an appropriate return gift." She sets the jar to the side slightly and twists the top off so that the clever bird can get inside.

She then leans more fully against Verna, relaxing and holding her hand. "I have considered looking into the family tree by other methods, but it feels... almost an infringement of the privacy my grandmother wishes to hold onto. I want to give her time to become comfortable with the idea of talking to me." She smiles slightly at Telamon's words. "I owe Verna a great deal. For allowing me to aid somewhat in killing the demon that was responsible for their deaths. I know that they'd be happy that he's gone from this world and any other. Together with the others, we've already defeated so much evil, and I believe that we will defeat this newest threat as well."

Pothy's eyes go wide at the jar of baked insects. A delicacy that is nutritious! One that isn't had often at the Lupecyll-Atlon household, for that matter, unless he goes rooting around in the garden and risks upsetting the garden pixies. "Snacks!" he says happily, and he occupies himself with the task of getting the lid off so he can reach his prize.

Cor'lana wraps an arm around Telamon's shoulder, smiling. "This is why I think we're all going to be fine," she says. "Do the forces of evil have this much love that spurs them on? I doubt it."

"Perhaps she will be comfortable when we visit?" Verna more easily suggests as she supports physically as well. "I look forward to meeting some your family, if we might?" Not a demand, as she is familiar with ... familial difficulties. To Cor'lana, she shakes her head. "From my vantage point, it is not possible that those forces could approach what we hold here." A slight shift to Telamon before she smirks(?) (that may be somewhat new). "Indeed, I was most kind to -allow- Auranar to decipher key information that enabled us to defeat him..." Perhaps some sarcasm in there as well?

Telamon smiles back at Lana, hugging her back. "Someone once told me that love is at the root of everything. Love, or the lack of it. It does... define us, in many ways. And those who -can't- understand that... well, they will always be trying to catch up, unable to understand what drives us."

He grins at Auranar and Verna. "I know you think we don't owe you. I'm sorry to inform you, Aura, you are wrong. Hence my offer to tutor you. And I think we shall always be friends, and that pleases me -- to know that you are welcome in Lana and my house, and us in yours."

Auranar has the grace to look embarrassed. Both by Verna's comment that she'd found vital information, and Telamon's statement that they owed her anything. "I am glad to have friends such as you all." She includes Pothy in this, after all she did just swear eternal friendship with the bird. "And you are both ever-welcome in our home of course." She smiles. "It is as you said Cor'lana. What can hope to stand in the face of friendship and love? They are bound by a grim determination to be sure, but they are not bound _together_ our interview with the werewolf proved that. Only by killing off their own can they hope to maintain control."

It's at this moment that Pothy successfully pops the lid off. "GREAT SUCCESS!" he announces in a strange voice, before he buries his head into the jar of baked insects. They're high in protein while also being a portable snack that takes up less space than other rations--or so he'd like to say, but cannot on two counts--he can't mimic it from voices without pulling them together like a patchwork quilt, as he's not in the confines of the Lupecyll-Atlon home where he can speak truly... and his beak is currently full of bugs.

"You made him a happy bird, Auranar," Cor'lana says, grinning as she looks over at him. "He's really a sweetheart when he wants to be."

So she says while the bird's got a beak full of bugs, anyway.

"He is not the only one pleased," Verna notes as she shifts her other arm around to make a more proper hug of her Auranar attachment. The matter of lycanthropic culling is not commented upon. Admittedly, she has not interviewed any; besides, what else would be expected from forces of chaos? As well, that could be mildly antithetical to enjoying a pleasant day. "For friends, that is, not snacks." Her eyes do shift to the basket. "Though we did bring some, correct?"

Telamon makes a gesture like he's putting something back on a shelf. "True, Aura, but let's not worry about that for now. We won that battle; it is enough." He bemusedly watches Pothy go right into the jar, boggling a bit. "He did this with a jar of candied fruits once, too. It's like he gets rolling and just cannot stop."

Giving Lana a squeeze, his eyes slide over to the basket. "Agreed, Verna. What's on the menu for today?" He can't help but grin. "And we should probably hurry, before Pothy devours all the crickets and starts throwing sad eyes at us."

Auranar laughs and pulls the basket across. "We've got plenty to share. I made some sandwiches on fresh bread... we've got some fruit cut and whole. I declined the salad, but did pack some vegetables that I thought might survive the warmth alright." As she speaks she starts pulling out the goods. Offering sandwiches to each person, and placing the other things in the middle where everyone can reach with ease. "It's more snacking fare really, but I wanted to be sure that everyone had something that they wanted to eat."

"Snacks?!" Pothy says excitedly as his new eternal best friend Auranar says the word "snacking." Nevermind that he has a jar of bugs all to himself.

Cor'lana shakes her head and smiles. "Ohhh, Pothy--/ask nicely/ and maybe you'll get some," she says. She nibbles on her sandwich that's handed to her, thanking Auranar as the food is distributed.

Pothy looks up at Cor'lana with big blue eyes. He's been a very good bird lately. And by lately, he means the last few or so moments. Don't pay any attention to the fact he landed on Verna's head and then demanded a bribe to get off her head not that long ago. He is a /very/ good bird, because Auranar, his eternal best friend, said so.

Cor'lana seems unmoved by his puppy dog eye act, however. "Verna, I forgot to mention--you look great," she remarks. "That dress is really nice on you."

Verna has just accepted a sandwich and is about to take a bite (maybe she has less and less right to chide Pothy on snacks). Her cheeks color at Lana's compliment and she pauses. "Thank you. I am rather unaccustomed to such ...colorful and limited attire." The dress is canary yellow rather than gray, and skin is actually visible. "To say nothing of the swimwear." Implying its presence given the beach and water.

"Change can be uncomfortable," Telamon accepts his sandwich with aplomb, but addresses Verna. "However, it is the nature of life to change and grow. You are not the same person you were yesterday, or a month ago, or a year." He smiles at Verna reassuringly. "However, what makes change easier is having friends and family to share it with."

He munches on the sandwich meditatively, swallowing, before giving Aura a grin. "This is good. Thank you." Shifting gears back, he comments to Verna, "You might even find in time, your life becoming easier thanks to the changes."

-End