A Leaf

Log Info

• Title: A Leaf
• Emitter: Aryia
• Characters: Aryia, Ravenstongue, Telamon, Verna, Seyardu, Halani
• Place: Lower Markets
• Time: May 13th, 2022
• Summary: A group of adventurers run into each other in the lower markets, one of them, Aryia, fuming that her hair dye job makes her look like a walking leaf (her words). Others try to console her (to no avail) and offer various suggestions to fix it. They're all terrible. Discussion is brought up about the face stealing demon elf and their capabilities, and a general wishes of staying safe. Various services are offered (and wished to not be offered, in the mourner's case) before everyone splits off to their doings.

Lower Markets, Midday

Today is a fair weather one, with gentle clouds rolling west from a slow breeze. The markets are alive in a cautious buzz, the recent activities of howling terrors still fresh on the minds of those that frequent the place.

One figure in a familiar mul'neissa woman in a verdant buckle jacket steps out from a shop, a hood drawn over her head snugly as she not so quietly stomps away, fuming and muttering to herself as she's on a course to swing by a food stall of some sort to seek some sort of comfort food to quell whatever has transpired recently.

And there's two figures--well, two figures and a bird--that are also familiar, and are also here to forget recent terrors. Cor'lana's arm is wrapped tightly around Telamon's as the violet-eyed sorceress peers around the marketplace cautiously, like she expects something to arrive any minute to come snatch her away.

She even startles as Pothy hops off her shoulder and cries out, "Snacks!" as he goes to bug one of his favorite food stalls for free samples. "Well, at least that's normal," she remarks, looking back to Telamon with a little smile--

And then she looks over at the jacketed mul'niessa woman, peering at her. "Aryia!" Cor'lana calls out, violet eyes sparkling. "I think that's you under that hood, anyway. How are you?"

Telamon is arm in arm with Cor'lana, standing there maybe a trifle protectively. But... this is healing. For her, and for him. To just walk through the market, and enjoy the buzz. When Pothy vaults off Lana's shoulder, Tel laughs softly. "Some things never change, dear. I think he'll always be that way, thank the gods."

He gives Lana little squeeze, as the two move further in, but when Lana calls out to Aryia he pauses as well, smiling. "I think it is. The stride is right." His eyes twinkle gently, and his grin is broad and happy.

Verna is out in the market this day to acquire a few further items... which is the purpose of the market, afterall. Judging by the satchel she bears, the majority are common foodstuffs, though some items are more aligned with travel: jerked meat, hardtack, et cetera. Her own hood is doffed due to the fair weather and that her current browsing is not related to her temple.

She is not overly focused upon her peers and fellow browsers until the call out. Presumably the one to Aryia, rather than snacks, though the direction towards which her attention is drawn is generally the same regardless. A gloved hand lifts in greeting to one or more of called and caller and company, though she stops short of her own call.

The familiar call out makes the figure stop in their tracks and pull their hood down further before turning to face those approaching. Her head is tilted down to keep from meeting gaze, but she wave a hand back. "Hey. Good to see you all," she gestures to peoples' legs.

Her lips her pursed in a frown. <Handspeech>

She doesn't answer the question.

Cor'lana frowns a little as she sees that Aryia isn't quite so happy about... something. She looks briefly at Telamon, as though to see if he's noticed it, too, before she turns her gaze back to Aryia and asks, "Ummm... Everything okay, Aryia? You seem... upset about something. Can we do something to help?"

Pothy flies back to Cor'lana's shoulder at this moment with a kebab that's about half his overall length from beak to tail in his mouth. Cor'lana looks at him with wide eyes. "Pothy, that looks like more than a free sample."

"It's on the house!" Pothy says, imitating a deep voice. Cor'lana just sighs and shrugs, taking the kebab from him to hold it out so that he can actually eat.

Telamon looks to Lana as well, his brows coming together for a moment, before he turns his gaze back to Aryia. "I know I said it before," he comments, as the pair come closer to Aryia. "But thank you. Again. I'll probably be saying it for at least a month, if not longer." He colors a bit at his own admission, but shakes it off.

"So yes, if something's wrong, Aryia... you know you can ask us for help. Even if it's just someone to complain to. Gods know, we both owe you." He spreads his hands.

Verna approaches the quartet, catching further bits of the comments as she nears. "Is something the matter?" She looks between Lana, Telamon, Aryia and, last yet not least, Pothy.

Another day, and another pleasant morning in the markets of Alexandria. This time, there was a familiar silver sith-makar who perused the stalls, already with one barrel propper up over a shoulder as she discussed business with on of the merchants. But more important was those she recognized, the sith-makar spinning in place and waving.

"Peace on your nests, and good day. I hope that it is finding you all well, and you in particular, Ravenstongue."

Halani is on a mission. Well, more accurately an errand. well, she just carries a message. Dropping down from the roof of a nearby stall rather close to Verna, initially heedless of the others, she says, "Heya mourner. one of the uppity grand mourner hoobahs wanted me to let you know your appoinent today was moved to tomorrow, yeah?" Only then soes she notice the other three. Aryia gera a squinty look, but then when she sees Telamon and Ravenstongue she frowns.

The mute gives a thumbs up as Telamon gives his thanks. "Wish I snapped that asshole's neck, but at least he'll rot. Glad I could help is all."

The hood shifts some to face the silver legs that approached. And the vaguely familiar one. She waves to them.

After some hesitation after the Halani enters, Aryia shifts a bit on her feet as others express their worries. A heavy sigh leaves her lips.

"It's the perfect color for it to work they said. It'll look great they said. It'll match perfectly they said," she motions slowly, hands rising with each sentence before she grabs the edges of her hood. "A leaf."

She pulls her hood down, and her hair spill outs everywhere. Properly groomed, curled, and well kept. But instead of its moon-hue, it's a verdant, forest green.

"I look like a fucking LEAF!" she exasperates, hissing as her hands stab at the air. <Handspeech>

The expression on Tel's face is distinctly nonplussed. This is... definitely a new look, and it's only Aryia's obvious distress that prevents him from chuckling. That and she'd probably kill him. "That's, ah... that is very green." Mentally he kicks himself. Hurriedly, he looks to Lana, hoping she has something more meaningful.

Still, he forges on. "It's not, ah, permanent, is it? Can you strip it out with something? Also, um... where'd you get it? So I know to -avoid- them."

Verna's attention is drawn to Halani at her unexpected arrival and, more specifically, her addressing Verna. "Oh? I understand. My thanks for the message, though recent events may prompt me to postpone that particular appointment further. How fare you? Your sleep improved, I trust?" Alas, she misses Arya's initial grand reveal.

It is not until she notes the exuberant gestures in her peripheral (and possibly the verdant locks) in her peripheral that she looks back to Aryia. She considers the simile offered and the mul'niessa a moment. "I would opine that you resemble more a struggling branch with only a single green bud atop it, more than a leaf," she suggests helpfully.

Cor'lana doesn't quite notice Halani, her former best-friend-forever (for the span of a few moments, anyway), yet. However, she does absolutely notice the leaf-colored hair. It's like looking at a veritable forest in the marketplace.

Then Tel chimes in, and Cor'lana gives a small cough. "It's green, yeah. But..."

She puts a hand to her chin in thought. "I kind of... Like it--"

She looks at Telamon. "Wait. You get your hair done? I... kind of thought you just... looked like that?" Violet eyes blink a few times, and then they squint. Cor'lana's learning new things today, potentially.

Seyardu blinks, and sets the barrel down on the floor, and she rests her hands on top of it as she squints at Aryia. "Is it green?" The sith-makar asks curiously. "It looks dark, and somewhat like tree leaves, but it could be any number of things. But judging by the reactions, it is definitely quite green."

"Is it not to your liking? Personally, I quite like the color, or what I believe the color is." The cleric offers. Could be personal bias, but it was true.

"I think it looks great." Shut up Halani. Nobody asked you. Still, she continues. "Ah! You're right mourner! Like a tree! Does it match your boat?" Halani's expression goes thoughtful for a moment before turning into faint frustration. "Don't remember who it was that told me all elf's have leaf boats." Then she shrugs, looking back at Verna again. "Sleeping fine, mourner. I think. Maybe? Not remembering my dreams much."

Telamon looks at Lana. "What? No, I do not get my hair done, dear. But I know -you- like various concoctions for hair care, and I'd like to not buy something that turns your hair green."

He rolls his eyes to the sky wearily. "...And I tried dyeing my hair a few years back and it looked ridiculous. I tried to add a slight blue tint. I wound up looking like I was wearing a giant blueberry for a hat."

Aryia's face is full of huffy frustration as she looks to Telamon. "... yes it's very green and way too loud." Her expression is sharp and reading. Thankfully he diplomatically resolves it. "Yes, it's removable. I got it from there," she points to the building none to far away. "Fucking gnomes."

To Ravenstongue. "... well I'm glad SOMEONE likes it, I didn't realize how annoying it'd be to look at in the mirror." Ire averted.

To Verna. And by extension Halani, she scowls. "I will beat you both with the branch I rip from the tree this color comes from then nail it to my boat." A pause. "No, it's not a leaf boat, not all elves have a leaf boat."

To Seyardu, she sighs. "Thanks, I guess. What's that?" she asks, pointing to the barrel.<Handspeech>

"I intended no offense," Verna clarifies to Aryia, "nor to imply that the color is unpleasant in any way. I find the hue to be soothing as it reminds of our budding garden." She acknowledges Halani's update with a nod. "I am pleased to hear you are well-rested and your dreams are not disturbing."

The idea of Telamon dyeing his hair blue seems to strike a deep chord within Cor'lana. She looks up at him for a long moment, considering it. There's even a twinkle of something in her eye. "Hmm... I think you might look nice with it now, actually," she says. "Of course, I love you any way you look, Tel, so that's probably a given..."

Then she shakes her head. "But don't worry about buying me any kind of dye. I like my hair color. ...It was my mother's, after all."

She looks at Aryia as she threatens to beat Verna and Halani, blinking a few more times in fright. "I, umm--please don't hurt anyone, Aryia. Honestly, maybe if you got someone to dye over it with a bit of black hair dye, you could get a deep olive green color that would look really nice."

Maybe don't take fashion advice from a feytouched girl, though.

Halani shrugs at Verna, perhaps a little uncomfortably. Perhaps a little quick to respond to Aryia, holding her hands out placatingly. "Whoah. Hey now. So much anger, yeah? It's okay. it's okay. Looks good yeah? Very elffy. " She even tries smiling for the Pocket Full of Violence. Teeth and everything. Then, without taking her eyes off of Aryia, she says to Verna, "Are those the people that the demon in the elf lady's skin was looking for?"

"Well, at least what is done can be undone." Telamon's expression is genial. "That's not something you get to say all the time." He chuckles at Lana, and shakes his head. "I think you're biased. And besides, I'm kind of used to my natural color at this point. But still, you never know..."

At Halani's mention, his eyes glitter sharply. "Oh, -dandy-. That--" he uses a word here that qualifies as 'extremely impolite' "--again? Dolan mentioned her. I thought she was dead, or at least banished."

"Aryia, I don't believe Verna means any ill by what she is saying." The silver sith-makar sighs. "It is just hair, and I am glad that you are alright. Though I do not believe hair darkens before falling out the way scales do, still."

"Oh, this? It is simply a barrel of apples. I was gathering some supplies for the temple, as I did not have much to do." She explains. "They were not looking for us in particular, but yes." She adds to the monk. "But if they have the poor judgement to show up again, they will find themselves ejected back to the seven hells even more swiftly than before."

Aryia rolls her eyes as there's multiple worried attempts to placate her. "It's a joke, for fuck's sake. If I was actually offended I wouldn't be sitting here signing to you all. There would be guards involved and me getting hauled away."

She looks to Cor'lana. Blinks slowly. "No. Don't ruin my favorite color even more."

She rubs her face at Halani's mention of the demon-elf. "Yeah, that fucker is running around again. It was killed, but it crawled out of that pit or something. Don't know."

she looks to Seyardu and gives a slight nod as her question was answered. <Handspeech>

She glances to Halani, squints. "Very elfy? Maybe I should rip my ears off and dye it brown, think it'll look very humany?" <Handspeech>

Verna is slow to answer Halani's inquiry to find it handled thoroughly by several. She simply affirms the others' comments with a general "Indeed" before turning to Aryia. "If you find the color wholly untenable, it is easy enough to shave the hair to the scalp. It will regrow, but the dye would not." A much more practical suggestion, this time.

"Oh!" Cor'lana brightens considerably as Aryia reveals the comedy bit. "Well, anyway, I really do like the leaf-green color. It's unconventional, sure, but I like it."

She looks back to Telamon as he swears about the demon-elf. Worry crosses her features. "It takes a lot of stuff to truly kill something like that, I believe. We just need to keep training and then we can handle her ourselves."

Cor'lana gives him a smile. It's something like a brave face and a reassuring smile.

Telamon gives Lana a squeeze. "I've got all the materials I need to reactivate the house wards, anyways. And Verna," he nods to the Mourner, "has graciously offered to advise on things as well." He smiles mirthlessly. "And I have a few ideas as well. She caught us off guard last time. We might be able to surprise her for a change, if she wants to try again."

He shakes his head. "Enough. Don't borrow trouble from tomorrow. We'll work it out." He grins suddenly. "Besides, Lana, at some point you and I need to sit out at night, and watch the fireflies."

Halani shrugs. This is probably her favourite gesture. "Nah, don't think so," she tells Aryia after thinking it over a minute. "Don't know any humans with green hair, yeah?" And when Verna mentions shaving it off, "Being bald isn't so bad either. I was bald once. It all burnt off when I exploded. Friend loaned me a wig for a bit. Ah! you could cover it with a wig!" Halani has so many terrible ideas. Then more soberly she looks straight at Telemon and Ravenstongue. "Careful, yeah? Looks like she can turn people into wolfmen. "

Aryia stares at everyone one by one. First to Verna with her suggestion of shaving it, a grimace crossing her visage at the thought of her hair being gone. Then to Cor'lana with her comment. Telamon. Seyardu. Another flicker of a grimace for Halani at the mere /thought/ of donning a wig and the endorsement of beign bald.

Her hands gesture flatly. "I appreciate all of your kind words and thoughtful suggestions, but your fashion advice is terrible and would discredit me as a seamstress in a heartbeat. Don't take it personally."

She jabs a finger at Telamon. "Except you, you're cool."

She raises a brow at the new piece of knowledge, then rubs her arm with a sigh. <Handspeech>

"To be clear," Verna adds to Halani's statement, "evidence confirmed that the vendor was previously afflicted. The fiend merely encouraged or forced the change. Still, there is reason to believe that she has some interest or involvement with the lycanthrope's activities." More directly to Lana and Telamon, "I will gladly apply whatever protections are desired and feasible for your home. My preference is for your continued comfort and well-being. To that, I also strongly urge that you seek refuge, flight, or other defensive measures should you encounter her again." A pause. "Such is not intended to belittle any abilities nor courage," a frown, "only that I do not wish to encounter acquaintances, allies, nor friends in the context of my temple duties."

"That is true, if you do not like it, you could just grow it back to normal. But I do not feel that is necessary." The silver sith-makar chuckles. "But, it seems the best option is to simply grin and bear it. Best not to take advice from the person who can not tell a brown from a green or dark red or so many other things, whose entire wardrobe consists of the robes given to all the clerics at the temple, various tanned hides and the like, a single outfit for going out day to day, and what I have been told is an excessively rainbow colored dress made almost entirely of feathers."

"I should get some more clothes to be honest, now that I say that. As for werewolves wandering about, that is, a bit concerning."

Before Cor'lana can speak up in defense of herself, Pothy says--imitating the voice of a rather flamboyant individual--"Girl, you hella cute!"

Cor'lana looks at Pothy with a blink. "Where did you even learn how to say that?" she asks, befuddled.

She nods to Verna's words, however. "Yeah, that's a good point--if she has a grudge against Telamon and I, then we'd better arrange some things. Thankfully, we might have a really good 'escape route'... if I can figure out where Grandfather's gotten to recently, that is," she murmurs.

Halani just grins at Aryia, possibly finding a joke in there that only she is aware of. Then she puts one fist in her other hand, bobbing her chin over the pair as she takes a half step back. "Well, more places to go, people to see, yeah? Hopefully see all of you again soon, and without the extra fur and teeth!" Then she's off, moving swiftly down the way I until she finds a convenient place to take to the stall tops and roofs again.

Telamon rubs his jaw. "I heard something about that incident here in the market. Something about a giant crow-golem wrestling a werewolf into submission? It was kind of garbled and honestly, I think the storyteller was a little drunk." He shrugs. "In any case, yes. I have no intention of hiding but I'm not going to roll the dice if I don't think I can win. Sometimes, you have to make your own luck."

He smirks at Pothy, before hugging Cor'lana again. "We'll figure it out. Both of us."

Aryia just rubs her face as Halani heads on out. The mute gives a halfhearted wave before she gestures more, "I like my hair, I never got to keep it longer, so I'm /not/ shaving it. I'll just get the dye out with some stuff."

A glance to Pothy. A confused look. "... t.. thanks?" she offers, disarmed by just that.

Shaking her head, taps her chest. "Seyardu, you know I can make you stuff, right? Make it so you can tell which goes what what. Unlike Sandy I won't put you in absurd stuff."

She gives a light sigh. "Yes, I know, I'll be careful." Aryia glances down the road, and takes a half step towards that way. "... I'm going to go buy stuff to get rid of this stupid color." <Handspeech>

Once again, Pothy steals any remark that Cor'lana might have: but in this case, he just goes, "MORE snacks," in his mistress's voice, and takes flight into the sky.

Cor'lana sighs. "He probably wants to go to that bakery down the way... You can just use your words, you know, Pothy! And /ask!/" she calls up at the sky. (Feytouched girl yells at clouds.)

She looks at Telamon and smiles. "Well, we ought to go chase him down and enjoy ourselves in the process. Aryia, Seyardu, Verna--it was really nice to see all of you again."

The two half-elves depart with waves and go to follow their wayward raven.

The silver makari shrugs. "I can't tell which color is which, so I avoid bothering with it when I can, it's just a mess waiting to happen. Easiest to stay with what I have at least been told looks alright. But some proper identification, it could not hurt, and more options is not a bad thing."

The cleric waves all the others who are leaving off, with a "Good day to you all, and take care.", before looking to those remaining. "It is so much easier to wash paint off of scales than to strip dyes out of hair. I suppose that is lucky, at least."

Aryia shrugs as she walks backwards. "Yeah, sew like some number or something on the inside that's a different color so you can tell what's supposed to go together. There's some temporary stuff we can use, but it's kind of lacking in quality sometimes."

"See you all later," she waves as she looks up at Pothy taking off. She shakes her head, pulls her hood back up, and ambles off into the markets to look for a solution. <Handspeech>

-End Scene-