Morning Shift

Log Info

• Title: Morning Shift
• Emitter: Irshya
• Characters: Irshya, Slixvah
• Place: The TarRaCe
• Time: September 21st, 2022

A sunny day dawns, and despite bright sunshine streaming through the Tarrace's windows, the fires have been lit to guard against the chill that blows outside.

The morning is quiet, with few customers enjoying a late breakfast... or perhaps an early lunch.

THe Gobbo at the bar is chipper and energetic, going about chores with zeal. More ale is pulled from the cellar, glasses are set into neat patterns under the bar, and new bottles of liquor are nestles in little cubby holes on the back wall.

The night shift is here.

Well, was here. The snow elf from last night has taken refuge in one of the comfy chairs off to the side and has curled up into a deep sleep. The rain meant no leaving, so she crashed here for the night.

She awakens with a yawn, though her illusory disguise has messed up a bit. One ear was of the snow elf, the other a green pointed half-oruch one. A smattering of her face was tanned, and another olive green. Her hair was... all over the place. From a braid on one side, to wild and frizzy on the other. Sleepily, she plods her way to the bar. Sits. Then thuds her face against the bartop. "... coffee please..." she bemoans.

There's a giggle from somewhere over near the bar, and the vague sounds of people moving around.

But presently, there is a warm mug pressed into Slixvah's hand.

"You're like, three people right now.", says a familiar, scratchy, little voice.

Slix-mash burbles nonsense as she rises slightly, wafts a hand over the cup to magically cool it a touch, and mumbles, "Thanks..."

Her face falls into the cup with a >plunk<. Then a >clank<. Oh. The beak is still there under all that guise. She's drinking it in the most lazy way possible.

After she's had joe to fire up the mojo, multi-Slix gasps and sits upright as she wipes off her face. An errant gaze goes to a mirror behind the bar- "Oh. Oops. Guess I did that in m'sleep. I'll... fix it in a minute."

The Gobbo blinks and points to the mug. "You got a little of yourself in your caw-fee.", she says with a snort.

Yawning, she returns to setting the bar. "How do you do that stuff anyways? Magic? But it seems ... real."

Slix-ture sleepily chuckles, her rubbing her eyes with the back of her arm. "I was wonderin' why it was tastin' s-tweet."

She stretches one way, then another, and her wings break out of the illusion from her back as she streeeeeeetches those too. They don't fold back, so it's ruining the facade. "Yeah. Magic. Well. It's this." She reaches up and grabs a red hairband on her head. As she pulls it, the colors melt away, revealing a multi hued, extravagant ribbon in hand. The rest of the illusion wavers as the source if removed, then slowly fades away in lingering wisps as the egalrin underneath is revealed. "Hella useful. Wanna try it? Just gotta think of what ya wanna look like then mutter 'Lutatio'."

She offers the Ribbon of Disguise.

Irshya stares at the Ribbon, and she squints. "How many of the other ribbons do things besides look pretty?", she wonders of the now-birdlike birdtender. She sniffs at the Ribbon, and her expression seems conflicted. Lifting a hand, she shakes her head softly.

"Irshya should leave play for after work. It could be too much fun, yes? Afterwards? Raincheck?"

She goes back to her work, though a short time later she brings another mug of coffee. "Irshya wonders, though. Why the disguise?"

Slixvah's eyes crinkle in a sleepy yet cheeky smile. A finger raises to her beak. "Who knows?"

She bobs her head in understanding, withdrawing the offer and tying the multi-hued ribbon back off on her head. She doesn't bother changing guises. "Totes getcha'. Raincheck."

The feathered woman relaxes there as she's given a moment to wake up, her giving an appreciative nod as she gets another mug of wake-up juice. "Thanks." Sip. The answer to the question is given easily, like she's been asked it many times before. "Because it's fun! Get ta play around with a lot of stuff. Heck, I even know some magic ta /actually/ turn inta somethin' else. Bein' something else, totally outta ya comforts, can be eye opening."

The pool-shark's eye wanders over the other ribbons curiously, and she sticks out her tongue at Slixvah. "Fine, keep your secrets!" She laughs and pats at one of Slix's hands. "Irshya is tempted to touch or play with them now, but is unsure of what might happen."

The Gobbo nods. "Irshya supposes that might be fun, playing in different disguises." An eyebrow rises and she cants her head. "Oh? What sorts of something else?"

The wings with the ribbons ruffle slightly, the pieces of fabric rustling tauntingly. "Nothing bad, I promise ya that, but you'll have ta find out on ya own!"

Slix leans against the bar, one wing folding behind her as the other props her up. She counts on her fingers. "Been a lot of somethin' elses. Been a Nar, a gobbo- like you!-, a human, a sith-makar, an oruch-touched... loads really. Can't keep it goin' fo' long, a handful of minutes, but its certainly a learning experience. Especially for me. Things you might take for granted I had ta learn how ta use. Lips, one voice box, no wings, flat feet, no feathers, so on and so on. Heck, first time I turned into a human, I was fallin' all ova tha place and sputterin' like I was drunk," she laughs.

"Just 'cause magic lets ya do somethin' doesn't mean it teaches ya how ta be the thing."

The Gobbo looks impressed, and nods. "Irshya can understand."

She giggles then, and shuffles closer. "Did you try being a boy being? How was uh... their thingy?"

She glances around to see if anyone is listening. "Irshya is curious."

Slixvah blinks. Her beak opens. Then closes. Then she looks into her cup. Drinks. Sets cup down. "No, I haven't tried," she answers finally. Then, she's smiling in her eyes. "... but I will eventually. Rather try being a guy egalrin first so the change isn't so... drastic, ya dig?"

She chuffs. "Besides, at that point, there's already so much stuff rearranging it probably won't be any weirder to me than suddenly having a rack and no wings," she mentions bluntly.

Irshya looks down at her own chest a moment, before glancing at Slix's. "Irshya had never noticed, to be honest. Irshya supposes growing anything where you didn't have anything would be pretty strange. Sounds like practice is good... doing it in a rush might be disasterous!"

She pats at the birdtender's shoulder. "If you want to sit, Irshya will go and get you breakfast. Did you want anything in particular?"

As inspected and expected, the front of the egalrin is flush with a robe. Slixvah snaps a fingergun towards Irshya. "Hence why I try all bein' different folk. Because when it matters- and trust me, I've had it matter quite often- you don't wanna goof it."

The bird was already sitting at the bar, but she bobs her head. "Whatever ya got fo' breakfast back there that's ready, ta be honest. I ain't picky. When ya get back, wanna chat wit' ya 'bout somethin' since its slo'."

"Sure thing!", she says with a grin. The Gobbo heads into the kitchen, and after several minutes, returns with a tray.

It's weighed down by a bowl of hot oatmeal, and smells of cinnamon and brown sugar, a glass of orange juice, another mug of coffee and a few thick slices of freshly baked bread, slathered in butter.

"Irshya guesses it was the kisses on the cheek last night?"

Slix clears a space for the tray, eyes softening at the arrangement. "Ah, thank you, shug," she coos, reaching into her pocket and placing a few coins onto the counter. It's slid over, then the stack is tapped with a >clack<. She's paying for it, regardless of generosity.

A slice of bread is picked up, then dunked into the oatmeal before being folded over and eaten like a breakfast taco.

She wipes her beak off. "Sorta. Now, I /certainly/ don't mind that kind of attention," she hums, gaze flicking over Irshya. "You're a bit of a flirt. I'm a bit of a flirt. I try ta keep it to a minimum when I'm on shift. But now we've got some breathin' time..."

She nurses her OJ, studying the gobbo. "... what's your intentions?"

"You're most welcome!", the Gobbo says cheerfully. The coins make her frown slightly, and she counts the coins thoughtfully. Fully half of the money is slid back. "Employee discount.", Irshya says firmly. The coins she keeps disappear behind the bar, as she goes about her duties.

"Irshya does find you attractive, and she notes that yourself and Patch have a... special relationship. Irshya felt comfortable flirting."

A glass is getting a really good shining with a clean rag as she speaks.

"And with uhm the discussion we had the other night, yourself, myself and Patch... well. Irshya thought she would show that she could be comfortable being part of that. She won't step further if her attention is unwanted. Irshya would accept rejection."

Slix budges on the discount, and reclaims the change. Despite the topic, the bartender was taking it all in stride. "Thanks. You're cute yourself," she hums. Still watching. A little sigh leaves her, a hand reaching out to cease the over cleaning to take Irshya's hand. "It's complicated, and it it's not complicated at the same time," she starts. "I am not one to be romantic. And I like people. So my relationships tend to be non-exclusive. So if you want Pattie wanna be a thing, sure, I don't mind. Flip it over, you and me, I'm sure she won't mind. But just know I'm not gonna be 'the one'. There's some things about me that make it difficult to be close to the same people for extended periods of time."

Her tone is soft and comforting. "I am well. Your attention is not unwanted. And you are sweet. But, non-sequitur, I need to know, what makes little Rish Rish tick? What gets you up in the mornin'?"

Irshya listens in silence, her face remaining expressively cheerful. She rubs her cheek and nods slowly after the Egalrin has finished.

"Irshya is very similar in mind to yourself. Irshya believes Patch to be similar also. Either way, Irshya understands."

The glass is set aside, and she starts working on the next one, less obsessively though.

"Irshya will still maintain a fondness though. She cherishes you in a way above other people."

The last few questions has the Gobbo deeper in thought. "Irshya is thankful for her life, and gives thanks every morning. What gets her up? A powerful urge to be better to the world than her mother. To help people in need, and who are not in need. Even if all Irshya could do to improve a life was to offer a smile, then she will do this willingly and cheerfully. She also serves her God as diligently as she can, offering his blessings to the world freely."

Slix bobs her head slowly, eating spoonfulls of oatmeal as she explains. But, she ends up setting the spoon down. And she pays full attention. Calculation exists behind those warm eyes, thinking. Assessing. Weighing. Slix /appears/ carefree, but she's anything but that. But then-

"Alright. I'll tell you."

The egalrin inhales deeply. "So. I dabble in esoteric magics. Esoteric magics mean esoteric problems. I fuss wit' luck and fate. There's an underlying theory that everything is connected. I twist and pluck and snip threads of this grand Tapestry. It aligns with a lot of magic theories nowadays."

She holds a finger up. "But. The longer I stay in one spot, the more... lucky, things get. It's not a good thing. This extends to people. So... that's why when workin' wit'cha I was adamant about being scheduled only up to two days in a row. 'cause if I didn't? The TarRaCe would get really, /really/ weird."

She exhales slowly, and steeples her fingers, resting her beak on it. "Witches be weird."

Irshya grows all the more thoughtful the longer Slixvah speaks.

"You're a witch. Have to be, considering how you speak of fate and luck. Snipping threads here and there. Making things line up just so... so one thing happens instead of another. Like the three fates... The daughter, mother and crone."

The Gobbo hmmms. "Irshya can understand. Maybe... maybe people who need it can find the Tarrace... where they can get what they need. Maybe it would be a chance to have random GOOD things happen to people."

Slix is quick to shake her head. "No, that's a problem. The more GOOD things happen, the more BAD things happen elsewhere," she elucidates. "It's harmless in small doses. But larger ones...? I don't want to imagine the fall out. And besides, what is life without the random? All highs? No lows?"

"It does sound like that, don't it?" she sighs, nibbling on her bread. "Besides. Luck isn't random. Luck is just when preparation meets opportunity. See it as I create a lot of opportunity with very little preparation needed."

"Nono, is not what Irshya meant. Irshya would hope that if good things happen here, people who don't get good things usually.. might find them."

the pool-shark rubs her chin. "But Irshya gets what you mean."

Her eyes narrow, and she grins cheekily at Slixvah. "You're saying that one can make their own luck."

Slixvah ahs. "I getcha. I suppose that would be nice fo' them. But... like I said. I don't know the people. And I don't wanna cause the wrong people ta get the good luck. See my predicament?"

She laughs quietly. "Yes. People can. It's weird and wonderful, and I love it. I do it all the time."

Irshya grins then and nods enthusiastically. "Irshya does. That's got to make it harder to do you thing then. If you stay, irshya will help in whatever way she can. Just show her what needs doing!" She bounces up and down a few times on her little stool.

"You do?" She blinks a few times. "So last night... did Irshya do that, or did you?"

"... your enthusiasm is cute. But the best thing that can be done at present is me being absent for a few days at a time to let things mellow out," Slix giggles, reaching out to rest a hand on the pool-shark's shoulder.

She tilts her head to the side. "Do what? Gimmie a kiss? That was all you. Me rolling up right as things heckin' busy and swappin' out near seamlessly? You and me. The timing? That was luck. Me flippin' empty mugs and catchin' 'em without half a care? Luck."

The witch looks down at Irshya. "... so. All that bein' said, what's ya thoughts?"

"Irshya is okay with everything she has just learned. It doesn't change how she feels, and she will help make things work." She gestures to the Tarrace at large, "Hopefully a few days away is all that is needed. You have other places to stay, yes? It won't do to have you out in the coming cold. Irshya can make arrangements, if you like?"

Slix shakes her heand and holds up a hand. "I am well arranged and have that covered. I've been livin' tha nomadic life fo' like, ten years, so don't worry 'bout that. It's 'preciated tho'."

She leans against the bar, nursing her second coffee with a raised brow, eyes playful. "So. You like me. I think you're cute. And you understand my situation. What do we do with this development then?" she coos, teasing.

The Gobbo nods, "That's good to know, Slix." She pauses a moment. "Irshya would love to travel with you, some time. Even if it's just to another little comfy hidey hole somewhere. Irshya misses her exploration of the world after leaving home.

Irshya cants her head slightly. "Irshya ah uh.. hmmm. We should tell Patch!"

Slix's face smiles. Her eyes warm. But she sighs. "As nice as that sounds, like I said: the longer I spend around someone, the weirder stuff gets. So... maybe in the future if I can sort this stuff out, hmm?"

She cants her head the other way. "Of course. Open communication is the cornerstone of anyone having fun with the other," cheekily says.

Rubbing her cheek, Irshya can't hold back the giggles. "Irshya gets the feeling that wasn't what you were expecting her to say." The Gobbo vanishes a moment, coming 'round the front of the bar a moment later, ending up leaning on her elbow on Slixvah's stool. "What does the magical birdtender think we should do with the recent development?"

Slix subtly shakes her head. "Contrary, I expected as such. Most don't understand when I warn them about these things until it rears its head."

She finishes up her breakfast, her looking down at the gobbo. There's a quiet laugh, as some feathers animate from her wing as they pick up Irshya and plop her on the birdtender's lap. "I dunno, shug, you were the one askin'. But if it were me..." She wraps an arm around Irysha as she hums warmly. "... just vibe for now, yeah?"

"Perhaps some vibe in the baths? Snuggle up. Let someone else deal with a slow-ish day.", the Gobbo suggests. She gasps lightly as she's pulled into Slixvah's lap. The arm is hugged by her, and the pool-shark lets out a little, pleased sound. "Sneaky feathers... have to keep an eye on them."

"Now there's a good idea. Snuggle up. Chill out," Slix hums, rising to a stand as feather and arm hold the gobbo against her. A hand wafts over her dishes, and they're cleaned off. "Just do go breakin' tha rules in there, hmm?" she snickers.

Laughing, she clings to that arm as the Egalrin stands. "Irshya is not suggesting to break any of the rules. Snuggling up and chilling out is not against the rules." Her little eyebrows waggle. "Irshya will be certain to give us both stern warnings if we break the rules." She can't keep a straight face, and breaks out in giggles.

Slixvah snorts, gliding with slow steps towards the baths. "Rather we break the rules someplace else," she coos. "If that happens. Unbecoming of the owner to break their own rules, hmm?"

"Luckily if someone says get a room... Irshya has one." She leans back, content to be carried along. "So how did you get into the uhm... esoteric? magics? Irshya would think that such things don't get taught in a school or university. Did it come with your calling as a witch?"

"Good to know," Slix hums, slipping past the doorway to the bathhouse, her hanging a right to the woman's baths.

The question makes her look down at Irshya. "Well. A little birdie told me." A pause. Then a snicker. "No, really. My familiar. Theys was injured, I helped 'em, and they showed me some stuff. I tried ta get the info into university, but they barred me from being a wizard. So... just been delving mo' in tha' weird and unknowns. I wouldn't call it a 'calling'. I'd say it was more of a... mutual understanding."

The Gobbo gently wiggles free from Slix' hold, landing on her feet. Her uniform is quickly and carefully removed, and after being folded, is delicately placed in one of the cubby holes.

With a cheerful squeak, she runs and throws herself into the pool, her little form more easily seen by her shadow, her skin matching closely to the pool's bottom colour.

Slix opens her beak, then closes it, her watching the gobbo disrobe and throw herself into the pool. There's a little chuckle as she makes her way over to one of the chairs as she starts the slow process of removing all her outer layers. And ribbons. There's so many ribbons.

-End Scene-