Don't be Evil

SUMMARY Murder helps Erakirak figure out what's going on with his spontaneously magical bow, and Rak promises not to kill her. True love!

Erakirak is sitting cross-legged on the floor of their dwelling, staring intently at his bow on the floor.

Murder soon arrives in the doorway, soaking wet and dripping. She walks right up to Erakirak, and stops, dripping on him a little as she, too, stares at the bow. "Whatchadoing?", she wonders in a scratchy voice.

Erakirak looks up as Murder arrives, and smiles warmly, giving her a cheerful hug as she approaches. That she's soaking wet doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest. "I... don't know," he admits. He looks kind of embarrassed. "I guess I'm talking to my bow. Is that too weird?"

Redwing flies in as the two chat, and lands contentedly in Murder's hair.

Murder eyes the bird in her hair, and slowly breathes out, and looks to 'Rak. "Erm, well, is it talking back? I can't hear anything." She goes about removing her wet furs, and leather armor, leaving her in just underwear. She grabs some homespun clothing from a small, neat pile on a table, and is soon back to standing next to Erakirak. Only now warmer and a bit dryer. Still with a bird in her hair though.

Redwing seems to be building a nest in her hair. Rak notices this and sighs fondly. "It's... no, it's not _talking_," he explains. "It's more... well, it's more like with Silverwing. It's like it _wants_ things, sometimes. Which, I mean, I would say I was just imagining things, except, well, it already turned out to be magic and I don't know how that happened either, so..." He shrugs. "I don't understand this stuff," he says plaintively. "I mean, I know I can channel magic and stuff now, and I was expecting that, but not like this, you know?"

Murder reaches out to hug the Egalrin, squeezing hard. "Don't let it bother you so much, love. Magic is a funny thing, you know?" She rubs at the back of her neck, and then pokes at Redwing. "Think of how amazing it is to simply be alive. Then add on consciousness. That is magical, don't you think? So it's not a huge leap to magical things having life. Being alive. Having a purpose, like we yearn to have."

Erakirak returns the hug, happy to just hold the gobber for a while. Then he sits back and thinks about what she said for a while, then, tentatively... "I guess so. I guess I just wish I knew what to expect," he adds. "But I guess being surprised sometimes isn't so bad. Anyway... enough about me, what have you been up to?"

Murder runs a hand along his cheek and kisses his beak. "As long as you aren't thinking someone's out to get you with this, it'll be okay." She miles to him, showing off many teef. "But I like talking about you. I've just been getting supplies from Alexandria, and managed to fall into a pond on the way into the Aerie."

Erakirak tilts his head to one side. "Fall into a pond?" he echoes curiously.

Murder nods with a shy grin. "Yep, exactly that. Just as I said. Woooops, sploooosh! Bluub blub.*

Erakirak regards Murder with some skepticism. "You're usually more... agile than that. I think there's a story there?"

Murder laces her fingers behind her back and looks away slightly. "Nooooo, it was wet. I slipped!"

"Reeeeally?"

Murder tries very hard to look innocent. "I just wanted one of the koi fishes.", she complains.

Erakirak nods. "Aaah. And the koi, of course, were in the pond." That makes more sense. "Did you catch it?"

Murder hiccups. "Noooo." More innocent "didndonuddin" Gobbo looks.

Erakirak grins. "I've never tried koi. What do they taste like?"

Murder makes a face. "Not very good. It's like they feed them garbage or something." She leans in and hugs him more firmly. "Is Redwing still building a nest in my hair? They better not poop in my hair, Imma going to be mad."

Erakirak gives a quick whistle and snaps his fingers twice, pointing to the hawk's perch, and Redwing relocates with a squawk of complaint. "Housetraining hawks takes a while," he says apologetically, not for the first time.

Murder turns away and gives her head a quick and violent shaking. Drops of water go everywhere. When she turns back, her hair is ... floofy, to say the least. "So what does your bow want, what are you feeling from it?"

"Well," Rak replies, trying to put his thoughts in order. "You know how I told you about when the Chaos Lich attacked the Mictlan, right? And all the undead soldiers she had? And then all the wights... the ones in Dragonier with the artifice heart thing, and the ones attacking the Bludgun party, and all of that, and how I can kind of sniff them out now? Undead, I mean?" He plays with the feathers on his arm before continuing "So, I think it wants to do more of that. Like, fighting undead, or stopping them, or... like that."

Murder's eyes focus on the feathers he picks at, her pupils dilating wide, the black eating up the red until it's a very thin line. "Well. That does sound like it wants to do stuff you're already doing, that is easy to deal with. What will you do if it wants you to do something you don't want to do?"

"...not do it?" Rak replies uncertainly.

Murder hmms. "Like if it decides it wants to kill me, for example?"

"DEFINITELY not do it!" Rak squawks, emphatically.

Murder giggles and pulls him close. "If it is evil, it won't start off with that, yes? It'll be subtle and insidious. So, pay attention to what it wants." She hugs him closely once more.

Erakirak nods. _That_ part, he knows full well about... that was how the marauders he was raised by operated. "I will," he promises. "And... I mean, I've heard stories about magic items that take over their wielders' minds, and things... if you see me acting strange, or stranger than usual, you'll tell someone right?"

Murder nods softly to what he asks. "I'll try to slap you out of it first, though. And I may break that bow, if I have to. I'm not going to lose you." She buries her face in his chest.

Erakirak nods. Then, trying to lighten the mood: "I'm sure that'll do the trick... you slap pretty hard."

Murder giggles into his chest, but sniffles a moment later. "So. What did you want to have for dinner?"

"Anything but koi!" Rak laughs. "Silverwing brought some rabbits to the common pot this afternoon... there should still be some left, if you want."

Murder shakes her head. "No, I want to make you something special.", she says with a grin.