RP:A Salute To You, Wilson

Synopsis: Penelope is bored, so she goes to the archery range where she finds Meri. The two females both have a similar interest in the field of archery, and Meri is curious about Nel's abilities with the elements--fire. Meri promises that Wilson will come back as Wilson 2.0. The two have a small heart-to-heart and Meri announces her engagement to Magik!

Abandoned Archery

Penelope had the day off. It was strange what a fourth person could do to kick the Ardelian out of the healing hut, but here she was. The woman decided to get up early for the day. She checked the following: made the bed, drank a cup of coffee–okay, two cups–cleaned, fixed breakfast, helped Alexia, Linken’s daughter who Nel was kind of temporarily housing due to things, with school work, told Pakellin, her brother, he was a nerd, and then? Well, what now? Lanara and Ruari always claimed that Nel needed a social life. There was so much more beyond healing and… more healing. So… today was a day that the freckled healer would put her clinical worries aside and… pull out old hobbies. A white crafted bow would be pulled from the closet. It was not much of a social activity, but it was an activity to kill the time, right? With a bow and arrows equipped, the frizzy girl went out in the woods. The girl takes her time dawdling as she fiddles with a few gloomy looking plants along the way–making them pull and twist from the earth. She was getting better at that. Then, she made it to the clearing where Wilson, the old training dummy she called by name with Krice, sat looking rather… cracked. “You poor, poor thing. Sorry, Willy, but I’m back for another round.” The girl, who supposedly talks to inanimate objects, takes an arrow from the quiver, rests it on the arrow shelf before aiming and pulling the string back, letting the arrow fly with a straight ‘thud’ to the chest of Wilson.

Meri :: The archery range has long since been one of Meri’s preferred spots to spend her time, when she had freetime. It became one of her favored locations well before she started living in the area with Magik, the lycan had started frequenting this area way back when she was in a relationship with Callum. It is typically a quiet location, though every now and then the woman has an encounter here with one of the residents of Kelay-Sage, Magik was one of those people that she sometimes had the pleasure of shooting with. As Meri approaches the “abandoned” range, her keen sense of hearing alerts her to the fact that someone might already be here. This is not a detail that Meri minds, so it does not hinder her want to visit the area. If anything it inspires a bit of curiosity to see who else might be there on this fine day. Once Meri is close enough to see that it is Penelope of all people who is getting a bit of practice in, the woman slows her approach and applies a bit more stealth. The goal was not is not to startle the healer, Penelope was one of the few people who was exempt from such pranks. The healer was far too sweet, at least in Meri’s eyes. No, the blonde just wanted to watch her fellow clan member and silently observe her skills. Was Nel any good? It sounded like she was able to hit her target, at least from the distance. Yet Meri did not know for certain, she didn't even know that Nel possessed any skill with the bow to begin with. At some point, she might speak up to alert the Ardelian that she was here…if she was not spotted first, but for now? Meri was silent.

Penelope reaches behind her back for another sculpted arrow. A cheaply crafted wooden arrow for the sake of practice. The woman places the arrow against the nock before pulling back again and releasing to hit the same area the other arrow hit. Once she released, she felt like… she was not alone. Nel was not half-bad, but it was not her number one preferred skill. The skill came a time ago. Years ago, even. Back when Linken and her were lovers. The blonde elf had taught her, and the bow she used was… from him. Now, the perfecting the hit came from Krice when she trained under him when Xicotl came in conflict. The woman had steady practice over and over again to hit the same spot a certain amount of times in a row. It did not hurt that surgical hands had a benefit of not shaking. Patience. Thought. Now would Nel be good on her feet? Well, there had only been a couple instances she had used the skill of archery. The girl walks up to the dummy before stopping to retrieve the arrows before placing her hand over Wilson’s “heart”. The woman was curious to feel vibrations from the earth below her. Thanks, Kailani. Might as well look distracted by doing it. “You can come out, you know. I’d say some smart thing about ‘shooting an arrow at you or else’, but I don’t play that game. But I think I can ask why you’re watching me anyway?” Her voice remains calm and collected as the forest has been familiar to her too for years. Ever since she came to Lithrydel, in fact.

Meri smirks and steps out, making herself visible to Penelope. While Nel might be safe from the woman’s devilish pranks, that did not mean that she would be spared Meri’s smart mouth. “You can try and shoot me, but I think you will learn that shooting as a psion is really not advisable. I have a knack for turning arrows against the person who fired them. Besides, if you did hit me then you’d have to fix me and not only would you feel bad…? But I think Magik might be a little displeased.” If Meri even told him, she was not one to play the role of a snitch, besides it’s not like Nel would need any extra reason to feel guilty in this hypothetical situation. Now that Meri is within plain sight, it will become obvious to Penelope that the woman has her own bow and quiver with her. Unsurprisingly, the wood of Meri’s bow has been stained black. The woman makes no attempt to ready her weapon to fire off any arrows of her own. Instead, she gears up to fire off a couple of questions to Penelope. “And you can ask, but I think the answer is obvious by now. I was watching you because I was curious, in a harmless sort of way. You’re a friend. However, since you have asked me a question…You now get to answer two of mine.” A coy smirk pulls at Meri’s red lips. “Question one. How long have you been shooting? I didn’t even know that you could…Not a bad shot, if I say so myself. And question two, how the heck did you even know that I was there?” It is not everyday that the roguish-ranger of woman is so easily called out when she is trying to be stealthy. She would be a poor hunter indeed if that were the case.

Penelope turns as Meri steps out from beyond thickets. A doe-eyed gaze turns into one of ease and grace. A small smile flicks on the druid’s face. “Eh, I bet I can handle a moody Magik. Besides, how can he be mad at -me-? I’m the one who helps all of you sneaky li’l buggers out in your time of crisis.” She smirks. “Well, when I’m -not- panicking.” She lets out a laugh, clearly herself again as she moves forward to Meri. Penelope had been one of neutral good. A woman who abided, but also saw the line of morals. People of the shadows had not wronged her. They got by, and did what they needed to do without being completely evil. Eyes gloss over the bow and arrows. Very Meri. Of course Meri had the black bow and Nel had the white. Two auras, but two auras that balanced out. Penelope’s face twists as Meri answers, and there is a mild flush that creeps up her neck. Questions. Questions about -her-. A very rare thing, especially in the clinical world. “I, um,” she has to think. Think back. “Six years,” the healer nods her head back and forth. “Give or take. I took some breaks. Necessary ones.” Ones that would help her avoid the thought of Linken, but now, time had passed and although there was some underlying guilt, she needed to move on. “A man named Krice really took the time to help me.” Pause. “As for knowing you were there, Krice helped me with that one too. He taught me to always be aware. A druid helped me sort of learn to… perfect it. I kind of use nature to help feel the world around me. You just happened to sneak into the little bubble. I’m not always on my game, however, but… Well, I’m alone today. In a forest. In the spot where Krice trained me. Gotta keep my guard up somehow, I guess. In honor of him–” Beat. “He’s not dead. That came out weird,” she says quickly. She then looks over the psion. “You look better from when I last saw you. Glad you’re.. Not mangled. You come here often? What’s new with you?” It would not be the first time Penelope ran into Meri in the forest.

Meri chuckles, because Penelope was correct. Magik could likely not be mad at Penelope, just like Meri would not have held it against her anyway if shots were fired. If anything, the blonde would have been proud to see the healer defend herself in a situation where she felt threatened. “A moody Magik is not that bad but I think we may both see toned down versions of ‘moody Magik’ for different reasons.” The reason in Nel’s case is that it was near impossible to be mad at the healer. Meri nods as Penelope gives her answer, soaking in the information. “Six years, that is about as long as I have been practicing. I think maybe I have a year or two more under my belt? But the years become a blur after awhile, you know?” Meri is quite intrigued when Penelope explains that she used nature to help her, in addition to Krice teaching her to always be aware of her surroundings. “It’s good that you stay aware of your surroundings though, definitely a good skill to keep honing and practicing at.” The blonde lycan lets the subject shift back to her for a few moments, “Yes, I am doing a lot better since the last time you saw me. All healed up.” As is evidenced by the fact that Meri was back to wearing the corset that she favored. It would certainly be uncomfortable to wear such tight fighting clothing if the woman was still suffering from the injury on her side. “There are some perks to being a werewolf, I suppose, some downsides too…but some definite perks. And yeah, I definitely come here often. As for what else is new…” Meri doesn’t have too much to say in that department. She does lift a hand and wiggle a certain ring-finger that has since been decorated with a black diamond ring. Despite being excited about her recent engagement, Meri does not want to keep the focus all on herself. “Say, aren’t you a pyromancer like Magik too? Have you ever…tried combining your fire abilities with your archery skills? You know, flaming arrow?”

Penelope smirked at Meri’s response about ‘moody Magik’. “He’s moody because he loves your company, and who else could he be moody with?” She then nods along with Meri’s count. “Probably. Plus you probably had more drive to practice. Not me,” she snorts. Nel was not the weaponry type normally. She gives a wide smile as the blonde talks about feeling a lot better, but Nel tilts her head at the thought of lycanthrope. Something that was coming into full clear in her circle since Lanara changed. Perhaps it was becoming a normal topic? The human had a hard time wrapping her head around things like that. Vampirism, lycanthrope–anything mystical even if grown up around it. It was not a bad thing, but Nel was… human. The druidic abilities had helped with the understanding portion. “The rate that you all heal, holy hell. Back in Ardelia you’d never see anything like that. Ardelia is… well, the village I’m from beyond Lithrydel. But! Besides the point, I had to study up after your little incident. Not to mention Lanara too,” the healer looks a little wide-eyed. One might fall in hysterics at the look of wild disbelief since Meri and Lanara looked… the same. Even before the mark. Nel had her curiosities. She wondered what was so different about it all, but curiosity would remain… curiosity. As Meri lifts her ring finger and the black diamond shimmers. “No -way-,” drop the thought of lycans for now because Nel is going to make a big deal. That is what the girly girl does. “Meri is getting married! How merry!” Really Nel? Nel squeals because she is a simplistic chick. Maybe even a ‘woo’ girl at times. “Congrats! That ring looks so good! Matches you completely! Oh my goodness, I’m so happy for you two!” Clearly, Meri is not in for the attention, but the Ardelian can never help it. Her face then drops as Meri talks of fiery arrows. “No, I guess I haven’t had the reason to, but… it wouldn't be the worst to try,” she then gestures to Wilson, the dummy, “Wilson seems to be on his last… leg. I feel bad sending him off with a flame since we’ve been through so much, but I’m curious to give it a try. Especially because I’m.. trying to find stuff to do today. And, well, I’m determined to strengthen my magic.”

Meri used to be human, years ago, so the blonde would have been fully understanding about how hard it was for Nel to wrap her mind around it all. It took Meri quite a bit of time to adjust. “It is good that you’ve studied up, I might not be the only lycan that you will have to treat one day. What if Fleur is injured? Or Mahri? Some of the things you will read are true, like the allergy to silver. Yet others are really just a matter of opinion. For example, Lanara seems to have a strong inclination to be in a pack…Mahri and I both have more of a lone wolf mindset. With Fleur being the exception, in my case obviously. Even then, she’s only my subordinate in that she’s my child and I have to raise and care for her. Once she is old enough…?” Well Meri’s just never going to try and take on the role of alpha or beta in anyone’s life. Magik was her equal, her partner. “Wolfsbane is also very effective, should you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to defend yourself against one of us. I hope not though…” As for all of the wedding talk, Meri smiles widely. She was not one to need the center of attention be all on her, but she did not mind Peneleope’s excitement. Heck, Meri was also excited. “And yes, in time, there will be a wedding. But this is some very new news, outside of our Mirshann and Fleur? I think you’re probably the first to know.” Meri chuckles, letting the subject drift back to archery. Meri still has not drawn her own bow, but she does retrieve an arrow from her quiver and offers it over to Penelope to encourage the driudic woman to try. “Well how about this, if you give it a try and send poor Wilson off to a fiery death…I will make Wilson the second for you so that you can keep coming out here to practice. I personally would not mind having a pal to shoot some arrows with, when you manage to find free time from all the healing and doctoring that you do, of course.”

Penelope (1 of 2):: Penelope inhales at the thought of having to care for Fleur or Mahri in hypothetical situations. Penelope reflects when Meri was pregnant... with Fleur. That was when they met. On their horses. The druid, however, hardly knew Mahri. Only in the little earpiece she kept, but an oath was an oath to help others in need. Fleur, on the other hand, was another story. Fleur was Meri’s and that was more than an oath. “Fleur is in good hands, Mer. You’re in good hands. I trust myself, and I trust Yerrel or Ruari. I do have a new recruit, and soon I can say that she will be the one running that hut while I’m off finding another practice for myself one of these days. Her name is Celeste.” Since Meri spoke of Lanara being in a pack, Nel felt an ease to be able to confide in Meri. “Lanara introduced me. And she’s… more than alright. Probably a more quick wit than I am. It took me a while, but for her?” Celeste caught on instantly. Perhaps it was the empathy she inherited. The Ardelian was still figuring out the whole group packlife thing, but it seemed as if Lanara had some choices, since Celeste came to Nel’s step. “Allergies to silver is the biggest thing that worries me. Please, please be careful, Mer. I worry about you. You all, I should say.” The healer pauses as she talks of Fleur growing up. Soon enough, due to the venom that ran through veins, Penelope would be gone. Nel being human did not have the advantage of the others around her. “Just know, if I go. Celeste will take care of you… Fleur. Magik. Here in Sage, if you are around.” Forget the dreary talk, however as Meri is excited about the ring on her finger. Nel is taken aback that she is one of the first to know. “Really?!” Nel almost yells in question because of her goofy, lame excitement. Nel cannot keep cool. “You are going to be so gorgeous Meri! Aisle, elopement, courthouse, a night in Cenril and ending up hitched, you will be so beautiful! Magik is lucky. You deserve happiness. He isn’t such a bad guy either. I always kind of liked him–not that way, of course. You know me. But, Magik’s a good guy” She concludes. She did not know much about Callum, but she knew that if Meri was happy, Penelope would be happy all-the-same.

Penelope (2 of 2):: As Meri draws an arrow to offer Penelope, the girl contemplates. “Wilson’s death? Temporary death?” She grins. It makes her feel better about the inanimate dummy who has been with her for a long time. Nel lifts her bow to eye-level and pulls her arm back with the arrow in set. Before she attempts anything further, she looks to Meri with a… grin. “You want to shoot with me?” The freckled girl… laughs. “Archery partners? I’d love to! It’ll get me away from work. Hell, everyone says I need it. There is a first for everything, I guess. Plus, I think now I want to know about updates from you about Magik and life. I need more friends, so Ruari says,” and he said that she needed a new beginning to an interest that had once faded due to… the past. In a blink, a fire draws up the arrow to the tip. An orangish-blue flame lingers. “I’m glad that you understand Wilson. Krice sure didn’t,” then, the fiery arrow is unleashed. As it strikes against the chest of Wilson, the fire begins to set ablaze over the dummy.

Meri ’s feelings toward this conversation are mixed. In one hand, she does not like hearing any amount of talk that Nel might go. Meri has not even met Celeste and while the blonde woman has a strong inclination to trust Penelope’s opinion of her newest recruit, yet Celeste was not Penelope and Meri would always have a strong liking for the Ardelian. “While I am sure that you are right, I would be very sad if you ever decided to go. Especially if you mean for those travels to take you away for good…?” A frown pulls at Meri’s lips, she’s stuck dwelling over this detail even as Penelope is yelling out in excitement over being the first to know, outside of Meri and Magik’s respective children. “Besides, if you did leave? You risk the chance of missing out on the wedding when Magik and I have it. It probably won’t be a large affair, but you, Khitti, Quintessa, Karasu…” The rest of the Shadows. “I think we would like all of you to come, if you are available.” Meri is so stuck on this detail of Penelope maybe leaving that she does not even voice the agreement that Magik is a good guy. Even when Penelope takes the arrow from Meri and attempts to humor Meri and produce a flaming arrow, the blonde’s mind is still half on the thought that the healer might leave. The Ardelian finally manages to put Meri’s worrying mind to some amount of ease when she at least agrees that they could be archery partners. That gave Meri some hope that Penelope would at least not be leaving immediately. A grin finally pulls at her lips, “Heck yes, I would love to be archery partners. It’ll be good for both of us, I love Fleur to pieces but I will take all the adult conversation that I can get, you know?” Meri’s blue eyes focus on Penelope’s movements, watching her form as she draws the arrow, paying attention to how much of the shaft is set ablaze during the healer’s attempts to create a fire arrow. And of course Meri is also paying attention to where on poor Wilson the arrow actually strikes. Chest. Good shot. “Krice is a very serious fellow, I am not surprised he had no great love for Wilson.” The blonde’s humor remains, “Maybe I will even decorate Wilson the Second in some light chainmail so that he won’t burn so easily as Wilson the First?” Meri chuckles at the thought of their new training dummy. “I think that would be a pretty fabulous addition.”

Penelope tilts her head. Meri’s reaction to Penelope leaving has her smirking wide. Meri is going on about her wedding, and the silence follows suit. Meri had it all wrong with the human’s words. Penelope is so casual in the next moment, it’s almost shocking, “Oh I meant death,” Nel grins. Death had been an odd thought with the Ardelian since she was… human. And it had also been a normal thought since that was what she was around consistently. It happened to people everyday... “I meant you, Lanara, and people in the shadows… have the ability to last longer. But my goal is to last until I’m at least eighty.” Pause. Truth, right? “But! Since you’re talking about Lithrydel, you know I couldn’t stay away for -good- if I decided to. Plus, my brother is here. And… Ruari. How could I not stay away from those dorks? Yeah, I’m sure Lithrydel has me locked unless I travel back to Ardelia for a little… vacation!” Penelope exclaims. “You bet your booty I’ll be there for that wedding. Wherever I am! I’m sure it’s not in my future yet to go back to Ardelia.” Penelope watches as Wilson burns up in flame, and there is a blank stare towards the dummy that lights ablaze. She watches silently until the mention of Krice is retorted, and then Penelope smiles. “Krice, in my opinion, could not keep up with Wilson. I think I drove him insane, too, actually.” She smirks. “Does not keep me from bugging the guy in Frostmaw.” As Meri suggests dressing up the dummy in chainmail, Nel claps and laughs. “Yes! Wilson the Second! Glorious. It was a good life for Willy, but I think Willy the Second will prevail. It will definitely be a fabulous addition. The rest will be jealous. Truly.” Nel points at the rest of the dim looking dummies and concludes.

Penelope’s explanation that she meant death only did so much to comfort Meri. The thought of the healer dying, even if she meant in the distant future, was considerably worse than the thought of her leaving. This is the first time since Meri has become a lycanthrope that she has considered that she could potentially outlive the humans that she has come to care for. Granted, given the woman’s love for adventure and her propensity for reckless behavior…? It was hard to say if Meri would outlive her loved ones but still, the thought is sinking in and Meri is frowning outright. “Vacations are permissible. I know Magik periodically has to return to his own homelands. One day I will manage to convince him to take me along with him.” Meri is shifting the subject away from the unpleasantries of death, it’s never been a topic that she was the best at handling. Meri moves away from Penelope and advances toward the burning WIlson as it burns, slowly meeting his end. Not only is the dummy burning, but Meri makes the observation that the wooden shaft of the arrow is also burning. Meri’s mind is slowly turning as watches both the dummy and the arrow turn to ash, soon there would be nothing but a few smoldering remains and the tip of the arrow left. “Really? I know Krice is very serious but I have a hard time imagining you of all people driving him insane. What do you feel like you did?” An idea was slowly brewing in Meri’s mind, but she would not ramble on and hit Penelope with any more questions. The blonde would give Nel a chance to speak on how she felt her training sessions with Krice had gone, why she felt she was driving him insane. It might be good to know for any future archery sessions these two have together. While Meri waits for Nel to speak her pieces, the psionically inclined lycanthrope lifts a hand, anging it so that the palm is facing the burning dummy. Penelope would not be able to see it, but a bubble of telekinetic energy surrounds the dummy and inhibits the flow of air that is able to reach the flames. The smoke would be contained within this transparent barrier and as the oxygen is burned out of the restricted space, the flames would smoother out. Meri’s goal was ultimately to put out the fire so that it would not spread when the two women decided to part ways. Once it was snuffed out, the psion would allow the telekinetic energy to dissipate and she would step forward to try and claim one very charred arrow from poor Wilson’s chest. It is very brittle and more or less crumbles within Meri’s grasp.

Penelope nodded her head firmly, considering Meri was very uncomfortable with this conversation now. The Ardelian had a way of doing that to people, but Nel thought about these things from time to time. Mostly those death thoughts came into play when she was sick with a plague and was knocking on death’s door. She would leave behind Meri and, now, Lanara since her recent mark. She wondered what it was like being a lycan, but she also had no desire. Too fearful, per say. To adjust. For change. Penelope did not cope well with change. Eyes watch Meri from afar as she watches the ashes fall. Wilson crumbles slightly due to the flames into a peaceful slumber in Nel’s eyes. Until another life. “He’s gonna be your husband, he better take you to his homeland.” She imagines that it is probably also a complicated topic, so she does not delve too much into it. “I think I talked too much. He doesn’t do much talking. But I kind of burned a bridge with Krice, too, a little bit due to… an ex-boyfriend. Not my best moment. Should’ve listened. Didn’t.” The topic of Linken was also a hard subject. Maybe not the best time to bring that up either. The flames die down which causes Nel to tilt her head as it dies so… suddenly. “Weird.” She squints before eyes grow big again. “Guess we shouldn’t burn down the entire forest, eh?” For the sake of both their homes. “Well, it’s been fun, but I suppose I should find a way to make Wilson 2.0. I’m sure an armory probably sells training dummies. Enchantment isn’t really far.”

Meri admittedly was only uncomfortable because she cared, though no blame could be placed on Penelope if it was hard for her to ascertain this. Meri was horrible with her words at times, there were few who ended up not faulting Meri for this fact. Talk of Magik taking Meri to his homeland is met with a smile but the blonde lycan does not prattle on about that topic, she let’s it fall to the wayside. Nel’s ‘weird’ commentary is met with a smirk, but that is the only reaction Meri has. Perhaps if the two spent more time together she would see more of Meri’s psionic abilities. “Well, maybe next time we meet you can tell me a bit more of this situation with your ex. If you want to, of course. If you don’t, that’s okay too. If Krice wants to count his bridge with you as burned, then that is unfortunate and also Krice’s loss.” Meri gives brief pause, “Part of living life is making mistakes and growing from them. It might cause us a bit of pain, sometimes that pain can linger for a long time, but as long as your actions did not cause him or his fiance any physical or emotional harm…Then it is just you living your life.” Meri gives a light shrug, “Anyway. I won’t keep you due to my rambling on. Don’t worry yourself about making Wilson the Second, this is my treat to you. Next time you come by for a bit of practice, you’ll have a new friend waiting for you.” Meri tries her best to end their encounter on a lighter note, “And if you come knocking on Magik’s…” A pause and then a smirk, “Well I guess I should count it as my door too now? Either way, should you come knocking and invite me out for another shooting session, well I will have another little surprise waiting for you outside of a rebuilt training dummy.” This statement is punctuated with a wink and then Meri turns her back to Nel so that she can begin step one of adding a new training dummy to the area: clearing away the old and burnt Wilson.

Penelope blinks for a moment as she processes the bridge with Krice. “Well, I mean, it was burned, but then I tried fixing it. Either way! It was hard repairing it due to his sick state. It was just poor, poor timing.” Penelope was awkward at explaining Krice and Nel’s relationship. “He’ll come around. He was just trying to protect me. But, either way, I know what you mean with the mistakes and growing on them. I’m sure he knows that too. I just… have been kind of scared to talk to him. I know he encountered… Linken. My, uh, ex-boyfriend,” she shrugs sheepishly. Time to drop the subject. She inhales sharply when Meri offers to lend an ear to Penelope. There is a softness on her face, but also a worry. “Maybe one day, but… even I can’t wrap my brain around seven years of on and off… pain. With Linken.” Their relationship was complex. She then sighs, “Thank you, Mer. Truly. That’s sweet of you.” Friends… she needed more friends in her life. She giggles at Meri’s adjustment to living with Magik. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon. Expect a lot of care packages outside your door,” she winks before tilting her head at the thought of… a surprise. Nel was very bad at surprises, so her fists ball up in excitement and tight lips as she is dying to know, but Meri’s back turns and she grins sheepishly before letting Meri go. Guess the Ardelian -would- have to wait. Nel is then… alone as she stares at the burnt dummy. She sighs, and then also makes her departure. Until next time.