thistle be the best

Lena

Today’s herb collection had been quite a process, but the Caretaker was dedicated to her multiple roles and tasks. She’d procured quite a bit from the markets, but the necessities of lichen and moss for some of the Dragoons’ satchels and medicinal packets were sorely out of stock – so what better alternative than to go directly to the source?

Upon reaching the entrance of Rae’s Fingers, she could see why. Most of any remaining portions, stretching towards the brief glimmers of sun through shadow and murk, seemed to be along the top of the aperture. And while not a difficult feat for her, given her shifts, she could understand why many others simply hadn’t snagged them yet.

“You guard my things, mm?” She granted to Mittens, at which the snowball rolled its eyes but grabbed her bag and basket in its mouth and hovered out of reach, while the Attuned altered. Rising upward on plumage of gray and rose, her little talons and beak aimed for the spry collection of plants along the rocks and crag.

we are more weather pattern than stone monument
sunlight on mist; summer lightning

don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel
top of the world, but your world isn't real

The young attuned had not ventured out this far before, though she isn’t sure why she hasn’t yet. Supposedly it had a lot to do with her father and had its own little secret network that honestly Calypso couldn’t be more excited to learn about. Of course, she doesn’t want to be too overt about it, preferring to snoop around rather than blatantly ask about the secret network that thrived within these dark caves.

So as the bird drifts into the tunnels, it’s toward a pale tide jaguar with golden rosettes that seems to be peering around the edge of an entrance into a cave – one littered with broken crates and stones with moss sat within, nestled amongst broken down metal items, rusting from being forgotten or unused within. Her tail flickers curiously as she ducks her head to step into it, scouting for anyone around despite how her hearing has proven to her otherwise there isn’t much more than the lapping of the water from a pool within against the rockery and the flapping of bird wings. Hmm… What’s in here I wonder. She muses to herself, curiosity getting the best of her.

Calypso

your world's an ideal

Lena

Lena was an attentive sort. It came with the territory of prey shifts and features, the ability to think through flight or fight mode, and frequently venture into the former rather than the latter. Her avian eyes darted to the tide jaguar rustling through the cave entrance, and though she was safe clinging to the aperture, mouth and beak full of moss and lichen, it took her more than a moment to filter through the familiar ache of evasion flickering through her smaller form.

Reality dawned soon after, as it was want to do, upon knowing full well that such animals wouldn’t be meandering their way through crates, boxes, nor musing to themselves. A welling of relief plucked at her heart, and then she was on the other side of the eaves, one talon grabbing at some of the other herbs nearby. Hello, she extended, precarious and gentle, amiable and affable, intending to read the situation further before doing much else.

we are more weather pattern than stone monument
sunlight on mist; summer lightning

don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel
top of the world, but your world isn't real

Curiosity thankfully doesn’t kill the tide jaguar as she drifts into the cavern, stepping through small stagnant pools of water that have remained from when the tide had come in earlier and subsequently left. For now, though, the young woman investigates, searching through a spilled open crate, through rusted metals that don’t call to her except for the gold trinkets here and there.

Not that they’re of any use, of course, but they’re shiny and could maybe be cleaned up. It’s as she snags one of them in her jowls that she hears the hello, pale ears perking up as she whips her head up to scan the room – spotting a small colorful bird. Hello..? She asks curiously. It isn’t her first time with the attuned bond, but it is her first where it isn’t solely shared with her siblings.

Calypso

your world's an ideal

Lena

The confusion and surprise were a palpable thing, even without the answer. Lena flickered in and out again, depositing some more moss for Mittens to guard, before clinging to some of the crag once more. Her head tilted this way and that, avian senses meandering over to potential threats, and when nothing seemed or was deemed dangerous, she proceeded in her usual cheer. I’m Lena. By way of introductions, always striving to be polite, even when in animal form.

Given the way the jaguar had been snooping through boxes, the Caretaker figured she was striving to find some semblance of an item, all the way out here in the midst of tunnels and rocky labyrinths. Are you looking for something?

we are more weather pattern than stone monument
sunlight on mist; summer lightning

don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel
top of the world, but your world isn't real

Following her own internal line of thoughts, the pulse of curiosity knows no bounds for the young tide jaguar. She drifts toward where the pale pink bird flits and clings to the crag in the wall, her head tilting and whiskers flexing as she inspects. I’m Calypso. She offers easily, finding a place that’s less wet to sit and let her pale ears perk toward the bird now that she’s spotted Lena.

The question has a feline flick of amusement escaping her, one that she doesn’t quite know how to hide yet to keep her intentions from being known. So, poor Lena gets the full brunt of all the whims that take the young woman this way and that. I was lookin’ for some gems or gold jewelry that might’ve been forgotten about. Smuggler tunnels seemed a pretty good place to find something that others didn’t want to find, all things considered.

Calypso

your world's an ideal

Lena

Calypso wasn’t a name Lena recognized; but that didn’t mean much. There’d been years where anyone in Stormbreak, besides members of the Order, ventured outward at all. And though she was making up for time lost, that meant she was also meeting for all sorts of other individuals. Nice to meet you! she chirped in response, head tilting back and forth in that avian way; catching a number of sounds nearby – echoes of the water funneling along the tunnels, bats screeching further down the pathways and tunnels – before her attention went back to the jaguar.

Her eyes widened briefly, amusement and whims buzzing through the bond at the perplexity of the search. Oh. Do you think they’d leave it behind? An innocent inquiry, but worldly enough to know that it was very unlikely. I can help look she offered, by way of curiosity alone – having no actual intentions of taking anything from these lairs.

we are more weather pattern than stone monument
sunlight on mist; summer lightning

don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel
top of the world, but your world isn't real

Nice to meet you too, Lena. Calypso purrs back, a feline smile offered the small bird’s way before she’s answering the question of just what she was doing around here. She returns to her task, nosing and swiping at crates and peering inside with a bright golden gaze, whiskers twitching as she contemplates Lena’s question.

Her tail flicks back and forth as she debates, before she nods decisively. I think they would if they thought it wasn’t worth much. Y’can always get a good deal on something, though, if you know how to play your cards right. That much she learned from her father and after studying Torchline’s ways. That and I’m pretty sure some of the smugglers don’t have a careful touch when it comes to the crates. Amusement pours down the bond before she straightens up and bounds to the next one. You’re welcome to help look if you want to!

Calypso

your world's an ideal

Lena

She listened, dropping further down the crag until she was a flutter of gray and rosy hued wings, landing upon a large crate, small enough not to up-end it if the box was empty. Oh, I see, she mused, pondering over the bartering of wares. The Caretaker had always been more than fair in her efforts, but that didn’t mean anyone else was – and Torchline seemed the perfect place for more…nefarious deals. Given Stormbreak’s smuggling efforts, there might’ve been more to learn in those aspects, especially to take back to the Dragoons.

But she glanced innocently into the chest below, finding nothing but a few scattered bones – not bothering to inquire what sort of why. Peering into the next revealed bits and pieces of knives and daggers, small, almost insubstantial. Nothing gold here, unless you’re looking for sharp objects. She gave a birdy wink, and then flickered over to the next.

we are more weather pattern than stone monument
sunlight on mist; summer lightning

don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel
top of the world, but your world isn't real

It can be kinda fun. Caly chimes playfully, flashing a bright feline smile as she trudges over to the next crate, peering into it to find a little sapphire hidden beneath a pile of old, moldy clothes. Dipping her paw into it to push away the clothes that are falling apart, she snags the little gemstone with an amused flick of her tail, dropping it into the pool of water to clean it up before she plucks it up with her maw.

Tilting her head to see the box the bird looks into, she can’t see the internals of it but she takes Lena’s word for it with a pulse of playful amusement from the tide jaguar as she wanders to a larger box that’s still closed. Prying it open with her paws and sharp claws, she immediately recoils as rotting fish begins to fall out of the box – hopping back as the scent and muck hit the air. Ugh, ew! She whines, pushing the box over entirely to close it up again as best she can with her shoulder to the opening, ears flattening against her skull as she gives it a wide berth.

Calypso

your world's an ideal

Lena

Lena didn’t notice the slip of the jewel; far too attentive to the boxes’ contents. Though the smell of fish happened to pull her focus away from the next crate – briefly amused by the jaguar’s reaction. Not a fan? she twittered and chirped; she could imagine some individuals would find that a welcome find; especially those from the days lodged in the Grounds.

Regardless, she fluttered over to another, opting to hop in this time when there were piles of clothing covering the bottom. Maneuvering the fabric around with her talons, she didn’t find anything significant, until…

A neat little glint of gold sparked and peeked out from underneath.

we are more weather pattern than stone monument
sunlight on mist; summer lightning

don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel
top of the world, but your world isn't real

Keeping the sapphire within her maw was a relatively easy task, one that the tide jaguar continues when she stumbles upon the horrid rotten fish crate. Nose wrinkling, the bond bubbles with amusement and laughter, tinkling like bells as she recoils and her tail flits back and forth, annoyed. Oh no, not at all! Who would be, she wants to ask – but already she’s forgetting the scent and the crate behind to see where Lena’s flit over to.

Her pale head lifts over the crate, a golden eye peering down as Lena moves around the pieces of clothing until something gold sparkled from beneath them. Ooh, what’s that? Curiosity killed the cat, as they say, and her curiosity knows no bounds right here with the glint that matches the rosettes on her pelt and her eyes.

Calypso

your world's an ideal

Lena

Having expected nothing at all on these little finds, Lena couldn’t help that little glint of excitement flowing through her either. It would be quite a discovery – to find some elusive gold down in the middle of all this chaos and mazework –

And then, as with most mysteries and enigmas, it was solved with a slight bout of disappointment.

The semblance didn’t last long though. She couldn’t quite help herself as the laughter buoyed through her, and with an avian shake of her head, pulled back the last of the rags and fabric around to reveal…

I think someone’s missing a tooth.

we are more weather pattern than stone monument
sunlight on mist; summer lightning

don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel
top of the world, but your world isn't real

Truth be told, Caly expects a wide variety of things. Her mind filling with the potentials of the edge of a ring or a pendant from a bracelet that’s gone missing, snagging on something to fall into this box of clothes. What she doesn’t expect is the disappointment, nor the laughter that flickers through the bond that has her very confused as she shoves her head back in to get a good look.

Of course, it’s a horrible idea, because the golden item is a tooth and it has Calypso withdrawing sharply with a bright sunshine laughter that echoes through the attuned bond before she fights to take a deep breath both mentally and physically – the jaguar humming an awkward sound to make up for the laughter. How much do you think they paid for it? She asks around another fit of laughter, already giving up on her personal task at hand.

Looks like she wouldn’t be lucky in her searches today.

Calypso

your world's an ideal