[Oba] High Noon and Rock Bottom [Dris/Tes]

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

Teslaron was growing accustomed to waking in a piss-poor mood, with his body, mind, and the very universe rebelling against him. His eyelids were like lead, tongue dry as the Oban sands, and his heartbeat was just loud enough to make an already uncomfortable daybreak skull-splittingly painful. So the day would be like most others, then. It wasn't much of a convincing reason to get out of bed. Though on this particular morn (or noon? Time escaped him at this point), the universe decided not to give him a choice in the matter.

He could hear little feet descending the stairs to the basement, taking them briskly and landing heavily on every. Single. One. Tes grimaced and buried his face in the pillow. When Neora reached the bottom landing, she jumped from the second-to-last step and landed on the packed dirt floor with a surprisingly hearty and unwelcome 'thud!' She shuffled from the landing, past the dividing wall, and he swore he could hear her feet scuffling as she moved. He knew when her fingers perched on the door frame, and when her head peeked into 'his' room.

"Teslaron?" She asked softly. He pinched his eyes shut and wondered why she chose now to be quiet. It took him a moment to realize that she was waiting on a response. He grunted, and she continued. "Dad says if- uhm- if it's your new habit to be out all night and sleep all day, you can go..." He picked his head up to look at her, and she dropped her gaze immediately. "He says you better find someplace else to stay, if you're not going to do your job." And then she was scurrying, quick as a loud, pudgy rodent, back up the stairs.

'I don't care. I don't. Care.' There was no telling if he actually said the words, or if he just thought them obnoxiously loudly.

Either way, Neora hadn't stuck around long enough to answer, and after some indeterminate span of minutes of groaning and hating himself and his life and the world, Teslaron picked himself up and ascended the steps, because the family was apparently waiting on him to make lunch. And they were clearly all helpless, useless asswipes incapable of doing anything for themselves.  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

Dris'rynne had become accustomed to waking up alone in a cold bedroll with nothing more than her swords to greet her. It was a hard adjustment; ever since her family had returned to Jauhar she had accomplished little more than moping. Her sisters, her babies, were gone once more. She missed them most of all; just a taste of their fervor and love of life had been worst than going without for months on end. It was the equivalent of giving an addict a sip of their chosen drink; just enough to cause them to obsess. And now, with Talisia gone, that ache had grown.

She was truly alone now, in a foreign country with little more than a cart to her name. A reputation was being built for her through hard work and dedication, but that would take time. As for now...Dris'rynne was in a middle ground, one that left her thinking more and working less.

Which, inevitably, brought her mind around to Teslaron.

It was a later morning for her, quite possibly an early one to some since she had the habit of waking with the sun, when the shifter arrived at his 'home'. In her hand was a folded note, a particular piece of parchment that she knew he would want returned. Tes had seemed so lost that day at the bar...so unlike the openly obnoxious water man she'd fought perzi with. True, he had been just as audacious then, but he had been working through issues.

So, as it came to pass, when she had returned to the tavern and found the letter....Dris'rynne hadn't really been given a choice. An annoying honor code forced her to arrive back at his doorstop, fist hovering over the wood. She didn't wait long to knock; just enough to help her gather up her nerves. While she wasn't at all nervous about addressing Tes, she was on edge around his 'family'. Roommates? Former masters? She couldn't quite figure it out. Either way, there was a good chance they had heard about a one eyed shifter leading a band of mercenaries under the name of Korres, which boded ill for her, I mean you no harm, shtick.

Rapping her knuckles against the wood thrice in loud, quick succession Dris'rynne took a half step back to wait.  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

He'd cleaned himself up enough to pass as presentable, made it to the kitchen, donned an apron, and was well into preparing brunch by the time there came a knock on the door.

"Get the door, Teslaron!" The voice came from the adjoining room, deep, impatient, and perpetually displeased. A feeling Tes could relate to, himself. He sucked in a steadying breath, tipped his gaze to the ceiling, and drummed his fingers against the counter top. It was still too early for him to snap. And doing any such thing would as good as ruin any chance he had at a decently passable day. So they were all displeased. It was fine. He was fine. The tone was unappealing, but it was at least a simple and easy command. "Now! Hurry up!"

There really never was a great chance for a good day.

"I'm going," Tes spat back, wrenching the towel from his apron pocket and tossing it on the counter in an agitated huff. He grumbled at muted complaints as he stalked toward the entryway. To his knowledge, the family hadn't invited anyone over. They weren't expecting any messages, and it was kind of rude to appear unannounced, wasn't it? These Fire people. They were all the same. He wrenched open the door. "What could you possibly want at-"

He blinked, stilled, and clicked his mouth shut. The perzi woman. Ah, what was her name? Dris- something-or-other. And boy did she look the very faintest bit uncomfortable.

Fortunately, he couldn't imagine any reason she'd be here to see them, so Tes stepped out onto the threshold, clicked the door shut behind him, and crossed his arms. He fixed her with a not-quite-as-fully-amused-as-usual smirk and tipped his head. "I wasn't aware you knew where I lived, Moon Goddess. But, my, my, this is a treat, isn't it? I can only think of a handful of reasons a woman would show up at a man's doorstep with that kind of expression..."  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

Dris smoothed down the fabric of her top, and tried not to appear too fidgety. She very rarely, if ever, made house calls; if one of her contacts needed her they either came to her or relayed a message through her men. Plus, this was a nicer dwelling than any of those she'd entered in the past. Most of the upper elite she dealt with preferred not to have a merc show up on their door step; they were usually more low key than that.

And all at once she went from fidgety to a sort of shocked pause. It was as if all the nerve endings in her body had clamped shut at the same time. She certainly had known Tes lived her, but she hadn't expected him to fling the door open in such a huff. Wasn't it a little early to be so riled up? Surely he wasn't drinking again already-

Scrunching her face up from the almost nervous twitch to an impassive scowl, Dris'rynne allowed her hands to fall to her sides. The edges of her palms bumped against the hilts of her swords, causing the blades to brush up against her thighs from within their sheaths. "My sister and I escorted you home before you could drown yourself in ale. Or have you already forgotten?"

That...didn't bode well for him. Drowning his sorrows in drink was a waste of both his time and his health. Her nose twitched, like a small mammal's, before she held up the letter. "You left this at the bar. I thought you might like to have it returned to you, but if you'd rather dance around the topic with more pointless banter I could just mail it to you."  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

"Ahh..." Tes rolled his eyes skyward and sagged to bump his shoulder to the door frame as Dris' expression continued to remain not-quite-as-pleased as the Water man might've hoped. Really, if it was such a chore to come around, she shouldn't have bothered. Especially since he couldn't imagine she'd been particularly thrilled during her first visit here, not if he couldn't even recall it, himself. Not that that was surprising either. He rubbed the pads of his fingers against his eye sockets. "I suppose I have. Forgotten, that is," Tes admitted with a shrug.

Admittedly, it drew several questions to mind. Why hadn't Diaeni come to retrieve him from the tavern that night? How bad off had he been that he couldn't even recall this woman's presence that night? And was there any chance he'd actually get to see Dris'rynne's sister again? The Shifter woman seemed so stoic and distempered, that he passively assumed she was an only child. Dris and her sister enjoying their night out in a pub; Tes would've liked to see that.

He cracked a grin and thought to apologize, or at least inquire 'how bad' it'd been, or maybe even thank her for getting him home, but the woman's next words cut him off.

He blinked down at the scrap of parchment in her hand, momentarily confused, but recognition was quick to flutter through his yellow gaze, and he reached for the letter. "No, I- No. This- Thank you, for this." He flicked the note open, scanned it briefly, then refolded the paper and tucked it into an apron pocket. What precisely had he said to her that night, that she knew this one scrap of paper was important enough that he'd want it returned, and then feel the need to carry out the deed herself?

Apologizing was starting to sound better and better. "I hope you didn't go through too much trouble. Today or otherwise..." He tried to fix his grin back in place, though it wasn't quite as broad as previously. "Your sister didn't feel a need to join you in your adventures today?" he questioned coyly.  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

Dris'rynne's expression softened just enough to allow her to crack the barest wisp of a smile. It had been the right thing to return such important property to the man, especially after seeing how much his....boyfriends?...passing had been. She felt guilty for not remembering much of the details, but then again, a lot had happened that night. Enough so that missing a few details here and there was only to be expected.

Then again, his memory seemed to be failing him so the likelihood of Tes even remembering their conversation was slim. All the better, then. He wouldn't remember the way she had reacted to Talisia dousing him in water, nor the actual care she had taken in seeing to his safety. Really, it still surprised her and she hadn't been drinking. So, then, what would a sober Tes think of it all? He might think she was soft, or at least, softening to him, which she most certainly was not.

Her smile slipped away when Talisia was brought up, however. "She left. She was only visiting Oba for a short while, and that night was our last together." Surely someday in the future they would meet up again, but Dris'rynne wasn't exactly sure when. It bothered her more than she thought it would to have her family scattered about. She wanted them with her so she could smother them in affection, and make sure they weren't wasting their lives lazing about. Her shoulders slumped a touch, just enough to show how much it irked her.

"I'm flying solo now." Which wasn't exactly the truth. She she had last seen him Dris'rynne had taken up the mantle as leader to a merc gang, gained a new alias, and seen far too much bloodshed in such a short period of time. In all honesty she was glad for this mundane chatter, even if it was awkward as all get out.

"...I should probably let you get back to doing...whatever it was you were doing." She eyed his apron and raised a brow. Had he been cooking? Would anything Tes made actually be edible? "I've taken up enough of your time."  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

Their last night together, huh? "Oh. I see." Teslaron glanced downward and raised a hand to rake through the back of his hair in quiet, awkward agitation. Hopefully he hadn't been a blight on the sisters' meager time together, then. Although, in his defense, Tes, a blight on anything? Oh, please. Their night had probably been quite dull until he'd come along. And he was sure they were grateful for his company. Or it at least wasn't so bad that Dris'rynne never wanted to see him again. It couldn't possibly have gone poorly, if that was the case.

He beamed. "Ah, you know, now that I think on it, I don't guess I ever much pegged you for the 'sisterly' type." He put a hand to his chin, tilted his weight far enough back to take in the full sight of her, and gave the woman before him a scrutinizing once over. "Well, you're certainly not whimsical enough to be the youngest, anyway... And middle children are more... humble and poised than you could manage." He shot her a narrowed golden stare that dared argument. "So, let me guess, you're the oldest? Was she your only sibling?"

No, wait. The other woman had been a hybrid. "Half-sibling." Tes clarified. Unless Dris was especially talented at hiding her heritage... Another flick of his gaze down her figure. No, he didn't think so. "Strange, though, older sisters are supposed to be loving. You're sort of..." His gaze flicked downward, and he gave his chin a few thoughtful taps. "Crass. And mean."

Maybe Shifters were just raised differently. Who could say?

Regardless, he gave a shrug and reached to capture her arm in defiance of her latest comments. "Nonsense!" Teslaron cooed, stepping back into the house and tugging her with him. "I was just making brunch, and you're clearly very desperate for my attention if you've come all the way out here. Stay, staaaay, this is just boring, quiet, busy-work without company, anyway."

Though he'd be lying if he said his family would be pleased to see a strange Shifter in their kitchen. But they'd only be displeased if they saw her at all. It was a risk Tes was willing to take.  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

Sisterly type? Was there even such a thing? Any female could be a sister, so long as more than one child was birthed from their mother or crafted by their father. His once over as a little too critical for her tastes and made her feel even more awkward than she already did. "What? What's the sisterly type?" Not whimsical...more humble and poised than you could manage... Evidently this was simply an opportunity to point out all of her flaws.

Glorious.

"How would you know what a sister is supposed to act like, anyway? Do you have any sisters? Or are you just the a** that makes the assumptions on 'crass, mean' women who take time out of their work day to bring you letters from dead men." She didn't have to explain her family history to him, nor was she going to. There was a reason why he had only seen one side of her and that was because he seemed to relish in bringing it out! Oooooh, she wanted to punch him so bad!

She had stepped away from him, moving to leave when he caught her, then to her horror began tugging her into the house. The last thing she wanted to do was barge into someone elses home unannounced, and on top of that, loiter while watching him work. Her voice was a hissed whisper, lowered so that she could attempt to hide her presence, "Tes, let me go. You're going to get us both in trouble."  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

Teslaron blinked in open startlement at Dris' questions. Not because he felt offended at her very clear efforts to prove just how 'crass' she was, but because now, as ever, he still didn't know how to properly communicate anything about how he felt regarding his family bonds. Did he have any sisters? His attention flicked briefly to the dining hall, where his 'family' waited semi-patiently to be served. For all intents and purposes, he considered his masters' children to be his siblings. They had grown up together, and it was consistently easier to serve people he liked and felt related to rather than not. Easier to take care of his poor, defenseless baby siblings, who were only rude because they didn't know any better.

They weren't related, though. Telling anyone otherwise, particularly in Oba, would probably just get him laughed at. That, and... His efforts at legitimately joining the family, by marrying Laric, were all but wasted by this point.

He clucked his tongue, shifted his weight, and hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose I don't," he decided at length, giving her captive limb another slightly-less-than-patient tug. "Doesn't mean I don't have ideas how sisters should behave toward each other..." He grinned. "And you didn't tell me if I was riiiight."

"Furthermore, what trouble are you worried about, precisely? I laugh at trouble," he chirped coyly. "Even if anyone saw you and was displeased by you, what do you think would actually happen? A whole lot of nothing. And I'm sure," His fingers skated from her wrist upward, dipped into the notch of her elbow and slipped to curve over her bicep. "You could stop anyone who tried to prove me wrong. Right?"  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

Faced without a choice, Dris'rynne went along with him. No doubt making a scene about escaping would only draw the 'families' attention faster. "I'm the oldest of five." She answered at length, "Talisia and her brother, Kian, are my half siblings through my father. I only met her recently and Kian...has passed." She knew he was still alive, but the man had made it clear that he wanted to keep up the 'act' of being deceased. So, that's what she intended to do. "Through my mother I have two identical sisters, both younger, that I've raised." Just thinking about having them live with their mother, alone, without Dris'rynne to help....it was enough to give her panic.

It was odd being the only non-twin in a family full of them. In some ways it made her more unique, but it also meant she was meant to meander her way through life a little lonelier than the rest.

She wasn't exactly displeased by his touch, but neither was Dris'rynne melting into it. Dris reached up to try to 'gently' pick his fingers off her bicep. "I would but that would be assault in their home. I'm a 'guest', remember? And a non-Oban at that. Where are we going, anyway? What is it exactly that you do here?"  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

"Aaah," Tes hummed, clearly too-pleased with himself as he dragged his new guest through the hall. "I was right, then. I suppose it suits you. I thought you seemed a little young to be that critical when we met, but I suppose if you had such a great responsibility on your shoulders... Raising children. Hopefully they aren't too much like you. The world could stand to be a little brighter than the very dim glow you give off."

He thought to ask if perhaps her mother had passed, and that was why she'd had to raise them. Or how much younger than her could they really be? Dris'rynne was by no means old, and if she wasn't with them now, then even her sisters must be old enough to care for themselves now... Presumably.

But, he supposed it wasn't much his business one way or the other, and the Shifter woman didn't seem terribly enthused to be speaking to him at all.

Instead, he guided her into the kitchen and wondered how to go about continuing his tasks without also giving her opportunity to leave. "Oh, many things," Teslaron replied with a shrug. "Chef, babysitter, seamstress, housekeeper... Teacher, when appropriate... And I defy you to say you think I don't do a bang-up job." He quirked her a sly, toothy grin. "Why don't you be my taste mistress?"  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

"I've been a mother since I was ten; excuse me for my lack of perk." Dris'rynne stated drily. It wasn't as if her mother hadn't helped, but it had been few and far between. Raising twins on her own...it made Dris'rynne never want to be in that situation again. One day she was going to be someone's wife and be settled before having children. Simple as that.

Still, in her eyes, she was lucky. She had three amazing sisters to care for, and her life wasn't too terrible by comparison. Certainly she'd never been a slave and forced to take care of them. Or...well now that she thought about it...

Free now to go on her own, Dris'rynne chose to stand against a wall instead of leave. "So, you're a mister mom." She smiled. "And trust me, I have all the respect in the world for that. I'm sure they keep you on your toes around here." The shifter crossed one booted foot across the other with a snort. "If you think my sense of taste will impress your family then go on with it. Is there something else I can help you with? I'm not very good at standing around."  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

Ten did seem rather young to start that whole... mothering process. Even when he'd been that age, the family'd had an older, more reliable, more experienced servant in Eialyn. Tes couldn't remember doing anything of notable use in his earliest years in Oba, and he hardly entertained the thought that he'd had the ability to care for anything during that time. Still, apparently some could manage it.

"That's... all the more reason to be perky, I think," he murmured as he stepped toward the countertop and began washing vegetables in preparation for cutting. "It seems like you'd need to have a more chipper attitude if you were dealing with young children all the time." He dried the current morsels with the towel he discarded earlier, cut them into bite-sized portions, and plopped them into a pot. "Though I suppose if you're pouring all your happiness into them, there's less to go around for anyone else."

He wiped off the counter, pulling stringy bits and ends into his palm before discarding them into the waste bin. "And I'm hardly a 'mom' of any sort. Just an ordinary, if not exceptionally talented servant boy. And while you may not be good at standing around, I'm not very good at asking for or needing help, so you may as well just take the hit this time, Sky Princess."  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

"I'm better around them. I've just...never been one for socializing. Never had the time." She reached over to pick at some weird kitchen utensil - a whisk? - and flicked it with a finger. Between working in the forge, looking after her mother, looking after the girls...and her awkwardness after the accident..."If all of us were as annoyingly perky as you then who would be around for you to pester?"

Dris'rynne kicked off from the wall and moved closer to his work station. She took a seat atop some sort of crate - vegetables, perhaps? - and picked up a nearby parry knife. As she inspected it in the light she pulled a small sharpening stone from the pouch at her side. "Well, like it or not, you're getting help." With an experienced ease Dris'rynne began the process of sharpening the blade.

"Why do you call me so many names? Sky Princess, Moon Goddess...Is this something you do for everyone, or am I just feeding you by giving the right reaction?"  

[Fluffesu]

Panted Moose

"That's good." Though, the instant the words left Tes' lips, he couldn't fathom why it was so 'good' at all. Good that Dris'rynne could at least be happy with her siblings, instead of the no one at all Tes had come to expect, he supposed. He decided it didn't matter one way or another and instead of continuing that thought, busied himself with preparing the lump of still-mostly-frozen meat from the ice cellar. Why did raw meat always smell so weird. He'd never understand.

Teslaron eyed her as she moved and thought to inform her that if she messed anything up, he'd be sure to let her know in just the most personal way he could manage. But that seemed unnecessary, so he shrugged and let her be. "If everyone were like me, the world would be in a constant state of upheaval and deep, deep annoyance." He laughed. "And I realize it's like that quite a bit already, so could you even imagine?" He shot her a coy grin, before returning to the butchering task at hand, stalling only briefly when she asked about his (very clever, in Tes' personal opinion) nicknames for her.

He hummed thoughtfully, tone dipping lower then higher arrhythmically as he stalled. Realistically, there was no great need to tell her anything he didn't want to. That being said, there was also virtually no reason to not. "I suppose it's because I don't respect you enough yet to give credit to your real name. So, no, it isn't just you."