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A Chance for Respite
They had managed to finish their misadventure in the Ruins without further incidents involving gigantic tremor-bastards or It coming out. Upon reaching the Hamlet though, Vesli was in severe need of a nap. Revealing It had been a… harrowing experience, even with the other's acceptance. Too much stress was like snuffing a candle when it came to him. So, it was off to bed after a zombie-like goodbye. The man awoke later to Bird's chatter and her poking him with what felt like a stick. She should be glad her manner of speech was so distinct he'd recognized it even when half-asleep. Otherwise, It might have been startled into attacking first and questioning later. Still, Vesli was not an easy one to rouse. Sleep was a good friend of his.
"W'at 'ou wan' 'ir'?" was his nearly incomprehensible question. Bird paused her insistent poking with what was yes indeed an actual stick she'd picked up somewhere.
"A difficult translation to make. You are asking what it is I want, I believe. But I cannot comprehend what it is you called me. Pronunciation not similar enough be a garbled version of my name or your usual address of 'Doctor'. Therefore, it must be something else. A curse? No. Not enough anger in your tone. A friendly insult? More likely though there is no precedent of such from you." And on she went in her typical Bird manner. Vesli came to the conclusion that she was not going to go away. So, he grudgingly let go of sleep entirely as he stretched in Its typical feline manner before sitting up and rubbing his head.
"The first question is why you are next to my bed poking me with a stick," he gave her a slight glare. Damn mask of hers prevented Vesli from judging if the glare was successful.
"To wake you. You never answered my question. And it is almost dinner time."
"And I guess the answer to your question is what you're wanting?" The man racked about his still sleep fogged brain. "What was the question that I did not respond to? And was getting that answer really deserving of waking me up by getting poked with a stick?"
"I requested samples of claw and horn. You have neither accepted nor rejected my inquiry. Would appreciate a direct answer on the matter," Bird gave him what Vesli could only assume was a puppy dog look as all he saw was the mask tilting about five degrees' counter-clockwise.
"You should know that the mask impedes the effect of any begging expression you may or may not be giving me," he sighed.
"The fact you can sense it regardless allows it to still have some merit," Bird argued.
"What if I decline, hmm?" Vesli was not sure he was in a particularly charitable mood after getting woken up via stick.
"I shall drop the matter for today, but will likely resubmit the request in the future." Well, at least she admitted it.
"And if I acquiesce?" Always best to know as much as possible.
"Any findings made through research with the samples will be shared with you." Hmm…
"Findings?" Bird nodded rapidly, making Vesli wonder just how the mask stayed in place.
"Of course. Can promise nothing but that attempts at research will be made."
A few heartbeats passed. Vesli considered. "Very well. Not here though. Being stuck in the barracks too long will give me claustrophobia."
"Will you need to shift fully? Will It mind?" Bird followed him without pause, as if she wasn't asking if It was likely to murder her in cold blood.
"I will not need to fully change or let It loose. I confess on our adventures I didn't use all my abilities in hopes of never allowing anyone to realize It existed. But a partial shift is not beyond me. I simply cannot remain in-between forever. The between state would result into fully man or fully beast eventually." Vesli pretended to not hear the rapid scribbling of Bird's notes.
"So, what did you call me earlier?" The man gave her a confused head tilt that had what hair he possessed falling into his face. Vesli blew it away in irritation.
"I do not know what you mean," he confessed. Conversations when half-asleep tended to be forgotten.
"You said and I quote: 'W'at 'ou wan' 'ir'?'. I was able to translate the majority but cannot figure out what you called me." Bird was still looking at her notes so his panicked expression went unnoticed. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Vesli of course knew exactly what 'ir' translated to, but sharing that with her would be – a glance here to her belt that held her blade and poisons – unwise.
"Here's a good spot," oh look a distraction! Vesli all but shoved his hand at her and let the serrated claws grow from his fingers. This back alley behind the Abbey was hardly the most private location, and he'd originally been aiming for the woods just outside the Hamlet, but this had been the first Bird-approved side-track that had come to mind. Sure enough, Bird was flitting about his hand making rapid sketches and notes within moments.
"Quite amazing, truly a most impressive mutation," she murmured to herself. Vesli gave a mental sigh of relief. He did give a leery look to the blade she drew, and his claws twitched a little in reflex. But Bird was not dissuaded from her goal. True to her word, she only took a few centimeters off his pinkie, or what Vesli would suppose amounted to his dew claw. "Horns please," Bird looked up at him expectantly. The man wondered if his shorter companion would even be able to reach them. Unlike his hand a partial shift to gain horns would be much harder to hold for very long. Plus, the shifting of bones of the face or head were always the most uncomfortable part in Vesli's opinion. Yet, he simply couldn't resist a look of his own in return when he didn't lower his head for her.
He'd only meant it to be a tease, he had intended to move his horns in range of her hand within the moment. What Vesli hadn't intended was to be pulled down by his ear. He gave a slight yelp and It looked out of his eyes to glare at her. Bird's lens glinted back at him. "If you wish to play, Vesli, I would not recommend doing so with a Plague Doctor. We are notoriously impatient creatures," she claimed a small portion of one of his horns. It gave a growl. Bird whapped his nose with the flat of her blade lightly. "No. Bad beastie." Both It and the man just gave Bird stunned looks as she carefully stored the samples away.
It retreated with an unusual thoughtful sensation. Vesli, now back to his completely human self, had to take a moment to process. "Did you… just treat It like a misbehaving dog?"
"Yes. Lacked a newspaper, so had to improvise."
"You just whapped It on the nose like It was an unruly puppy! With a knife!"
"We just established that. I used the flat of the blade. Your nose is fine."
"You just scolded It. With a knife."
"Must've hit harder than intended. Unforeseen concussion or brain damage has occurred. Will take you back to the barracks."
"… like a troublesome pooch…"
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It was pacing in the shadows of Vesli's mind. Restless. Agitated. Yet there was no sign of the familiar itch under his skin. This left the man confused and disturbed. Bird had left them back at the barracks to recover their wits. This was not going to be an easy task to accomplish if It would not settle down. So, wanting to save the few coins he possessed (the Heir was not above putting an entry fee on the Cloister), Vesli sat cross-legged on his bed and tried as best he could to meditate.
The man envisioned for himself an empty void. Nothingness. Serenity. Then It intruded on his solitude as It was want to do. "Iah!" It spoke, nonsensical grunts and snarls that even Vesli couldn't translate. It growled and instead made Itself known through their mental communication. At least then both could understand one another. An image of Bird appeared.
"What about her?" Vesli questioned. A wave of confusion was his answer. "Frankly, I'm not sure I understand her any more than you do." It remembered being whapped on the nose with the metal-claw. Like It was some sort of four-legged pest! "She's got bigger balls then many men I know," Vesli chuckled slightly. Now was not the time for amusement! She had had no smell of fear! It knew It had met her eyes. She should have been afraid! The man gave an idle shrug. "We 'weak-prey-things' aren't always predictable you know. I still surprise you after all." It grudgingly admitted that Vesli had the capacity for occasionally not being a completely weak prey-thing. "There you go. If I have the capacity, then someone who can surprise even me will definitely have it. But at the same time, she is predictable in her unpredictability. Just point her at something random if you feel you need some air and her brain carries her away before even she realizes it." This made It snort. Bird was like any other bird. Distracted by shiny. There was something that almost resembled concern as It realized this made Bird a prime target. Now It was even more unsettled.
Realizing that he would get very little out of this exchange, Vesli opened his eyes and stood. His feet took him to the training grounds where like the faithful tide Face sat maintaining his mace and armor. "May I ask you something?" He would attempt politeness first.
"Ya jes' did. But from yer face 'm guessin' tha' yer not 'ere fer sparrin' with word or we'pon. Whatcha need pup?"
"Someone to talk to other than myself. I... how… Imagine a puzzle. Every time you go to set a piece in, it doesn't fit, even though it looks like it should."
"Metaphors? Ya migh' be wantin' someun else fer tha' pup."
"Please, Face."
"Alrigh', alrigh'. Puz'le. Got it."
"Now you also have… a dog that really likes to chew puzzle pieces."
"More a cat 'erson maself."
"How do you solve the puzzle without it getting destroyed? And you can't simply get rid of the dog or lock it away from the puzzle either."
"Train the dog ta not eat ma puzzle o' course. Though why 'm so 'vested inna puz'le 'm guessin' only ya know."
Vesli gave a "hmm" noise. It gave him a look from inside his mind. "I… believe you may be onto something, Face. Thank you."
"'Ny time pup. Le' me know iffen ya wan' ta 'ntroduce me ta this puz'le or dog of yers."
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Omake – Quirks
The Hamlet was such a dark and tentacle-filled place that living and working here had… effects on the mind. Aela would do nothing to relieve her stress save visiting the brothel but that halberd of hers hit the weakest spot on the enemy more often than not. Caillot was a fast bastard, nimbly stepping out of range of enemy attacks, yet the man was constantly opening anything that showed the promise of extra gold. Bird was constantly going 'I wonder how this works' or 'I must make observations' and touching the most random things. She'd even touched a highly suspect red orb on a tentacle pedestal once. Thankfully nothing had come of it. But, Bird almost never missed her attacks. It was the rare enemy that could escape her poisons and blade. Vesli freely admitted that he was not an exception to this rule. He flatly refused to drink, now certain that It would take over should he have anything with a drop of alcohol. It also made him prone to poking at anything that smelled of blood and death. Opening that reeking iron maiden just because It wanted to investigate had not been a proud moment in his life. Still, thanks to It, Vesli also could take more attacks than the rest of his fellows. Attacks simply didn't do as much damage to him as they would someone else.
In short, they all had their issues, and if asked Vesli would most certainly admit that he too was an asshole. Though he would also add on that It was the bigger bastard of the two of them. It would not dispute this.
