RP:A Venturil Venture

From HollowWiki

Summary: Meri and Cal go on a mini-vacay.

Inn and Stables in Venturil - Beaches of Chartsend

After the boat from Rynvale to Cenril, a decently comfortable carriage would be taken from Cenril to their destination in Venturil. A slight detour is made in Larket as Cal needed to get a spare change of clothes, check on the gardens quickly, and grabbed a bite to eat for the road for both him and Meri, a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of wine included in the meal. Once that was dealt with, they’d be off, uninterrupted, to the west side of Lithrydel.

The ride itself was mostly uneventful, though perhaps there’d be a bit of cuddling on the way if either of them felt the need for a nap. Once they got there, they’d check into the inn, get their rooms, and then be free to do as they pleased. Lucky for both of them, since the gardens were still in good shape, it allowed Cal to take an extra day or two off to lengthen their ‘vacation’. Stepping outside of the inn, Cal stretched, a few joints popping here and there, signalling that maybe they should’ve gotten out to stretch once or twice along the way. “So, a trip to the stables to get a horse and get it sent off to Larket...and then what? You likely need as much of a break as I do, so I don’t want to make all the decisions. There’s the spring and the river we could check out. There’s always the beach in Chartsend too.”

When Meri had made the request to go out to Venturil on the basis that Callum really should have a horse of his own, she was not expecting the royal treatment for the trip. I mean, a carriage? It was one of the nicer ways to travel. As nice as it is, Meri cannot help but be slightly suspicious. Blame those past boys in her life, Cal. She is not used to someone being quite this nice to her without some sort of reason. These thoughts are kept to herself but from Cenril to Larket she is trying to puzzle through what the heck he did wrong to decide to be so nice to her. Another woman? Probably not. A dude? No, Cal really seems like the sort who needs to get to know someone. Did he have bad news and he was trying to soften the blow? He is not trying to get her to put out or anyrhing either. By the time they reach Larket she has finally concluded that she is probably being paranoid and that he has done nothing. Their brief pit stop is a welcome one but they are soon back on the road again, where cuddling and napping probably does happen. In fact Meri is probably out cold and needs to be woken up by the time they do reach the Inn. She is not hard to wake up and checking in to their respective rooms goes smoothly. "Hrm. I think to get to the river you are talking about, we might have to go through Dino-country. If we go to Chartsend and hitch the beach, I believe they also have an herb shop too." Not the type of herb she is fond of, the sort Callum would like to planet-geek over. "I am leaning toward Chartsend, I think we could both enjoy that one."

Cal hasn’t done anything, Meri! He swears. Can’t he treat his woman to a nice drive through Lithrydel? Sheesh. “Ah, yeah. Probably should avoid Dino-Country. I’m not exactly the fighting sort, you know. Chartsend it is, then.” He’d lead the way to the stables, occasionally eyeing Meri and, then their surroundings, and then Meri again. A constant worry of his was whether or not he’d been doing alright with this boyfriend thing, yet he really didn’t know how to ask. Would she even tell him if he -did- do something wrong? Now really wasn’t the time to dwell on it, Cal, because it didn’t take long for them to find the stables on the southside of the town. Frethwi would greet them once they were taken note of, and Cal would point out that they were here about a horse. Well, duh. “Hey, uh, you know Kadence better than I do. Maybe you should pick out the horse once we get a feel for them? Don’t want to get one that she might not approve of.” In reality, this was mainly being said because he knew absolutely nothing about horses.

Meri understood the reality of it, it had nothing to do with Kadence and their ability to get along. "Well horses are typically social creatures so don't worry too much about that." They should make friends naturally, but sometimes a horse could tend toward more aggressive. "Different breeds of horse are good for different purposes...That is what you want to focus on. A big ol' work horse is going to be great for hauling things but slower to travel. A sleek horse," Meri motions to an example of a horse that could easily pass for a race horse, to explain what she means by sleek -- and it is a horse that very much resembles Kadence. 'Sleek' was also not actually horse jargon, just Meri's chatting and describing. "May be fast in long, open areas but -may- not be as confident on a mountain trial. Kind of like Kadence. Who is a Thoroughbred." The woman points to a horse that is painted both brown and white and a couple of hands smaller than Kadence, "Something like that tends to make for better trail horses. But none of this is any solid rule of thumb. You can work with your horse to build confidence in traveling in any environment." Footing just might come naturally to some breeds, a worse horse might be big and clumsy. Maybe. Please note, Cal, Meri seems much more enthused about shopping for a horse than she does some outfit for some King's birthday party. Beware. "Ooor if none of that matters to you, you can just pick by whatever horse you think looks the coolest. I mean if you want to go by color alone...If I had gone horse shopping myself, I am rather partial to the blue roans." Which are not blue at all. "So why don't we start by narrowing this search down to color and type...You could...always ride in on a white stallion to save me from dinos and leviathans." Meri smirks, because as Cal said, he is not the fighting sort. Dinos. Leviathans. He'd probably faint and fall of his horse, so Meri speculates. Nah, he did alright with the nagas though.

Cal inspected each horse carefully as Meri went over them, nodding along with her info. He had about as much interest in horses as she did in plants, but he still made an effort to listen--especially since he was going to be buying one soon! “Hm. Not too fond of white, so no white knights for you, unfortunately.” He gave her a smirk right back, then continued on with his train of thought. “The blue roan sounds interesting. Would it be good for what I need? The occasional hauling around of things and coming to visit you or going anywhere else that -isn’t- Larket or Rynvale? I’m not exactly one to spend money on carriages for just myself.” Meaning he thinks she’s super awesome and deserves not to walk around all the time.

Red lips twist up into a brief grin at the bit about the carriage, "You don't need to spend any gold on me. Besides, soon..." They will both have horses and this will eliminate the need for a carriage all together. Talk of white knights is forgotten, they both knew that Meri was not the sort of woman to want one of those. That might mean she has to behave herself, why would she want to do that? Anyway, Meri leads Callum over to the first horse with the blue roan coloration they are discussing, one booted foot stepping onto the bottom rail so that Meri can push up and stand upon it. A few clicking noises are made to try and coax the horse over to where she and Callum are standing, this particular horse seems more than curious and thus willing to trot on over to investigate. Meri backs off just a bit so that Cal can meet his potential new horse. "You may not have to travel out to Rynvale too much soon...But. Meet this guy here. See if you two don't get along. I am going to go inquire about prices." There would be a grin for Callum and then Meri would leave his side completely to go chat with Frethwi so that Cal can have some personal time with the beasty that is trying to nose his shoulder presently. Don't ignore me, dude.

“Yeah, but what if I -want- to spend money on you,” Cal interjected before allowing her to continue. And then she left him there with the horse that was getting rather pushy with his nose on Cal’s shoulder. The Catalian blinked a few times as Meri wandered off to deal with the stable owner, “Oh. But. Alright.” Nudge, nudge, Cal. The blue roan that was not blue at all continued to nuzzle Cal and snorted at his hair. “You’re a--you’re a good horsey, aren’t you? Yeah.” The raven-haired male reached a hand up and patted the beast on the snout carefully, to which the horse returned the affection with some of his own. Cal looked the horse over, letting out a ‘hm’ as he inspected the roan. Its coat pattern was rather dark, the heavy blue-grey setting the backdrop for black, light grey, and even white speckles here and there. The way they all blended in together reminded Callum of storm clouds and he was pretty certain that this was a thing he liked. “We’re getting this one,” he said rather quickly after only giving it a few pets--thankfully the horse seemed to like him too.

What if he wanted to spend his money on her? Did Meri just hear this? The same guy who has definitely told her she is not allowed to spend all his frakkin' gold at least on one occasion? Meri is pretty sure more than once. At least two to three. Meri is not going to argue about this at all. She needs to sneak off and chat with the stable owner while Callum is making friends with his new horse. Except when she said that she was going to chat with the guy and inquire about prices, what she meant was she that was going to have a conversation with the man about how she was buying whatever horse it was they selected. Which. Oh. They were going to take that horse? Meri nods to Callum as indication that she has heard him but she does not move to return to his side. Nope. Now that he has settled upon his horse, Meri returns to her conversation. Words are had, exchanges are made, this chick is definitely buying her boyfriend a cool new ride. Which is exactly why she is not arguing too much about him trying to spend his gold on her. What is she doing right now? EXACTLY THAT. It's not until things are made official that Meri returns to Callum with a proud look on her face to declare, "Well! We can hang out here as long as we want, chill with our new friend. When we leave, they will have him send to the stables in Larket where he will be waiting for you when we get back." Per their discussion on how this would play out prior to even making their way down to the Venturil stables. "Merriy Christmas? Happy birthday? Oh! Have we been together a month yet? Happy one month anniversary?" She is joking, Cal. Meri was not that sort of girlfriend to do the one month and the six month...

Callum blinked a few times as she mentioned the one month anniversary, “Has it really been that long already? I s’pose it’s about time for me to move on then, right? That’s how guys like Sargaso works, isn’t it?” He gives her that smirk to let her know that he’s joking (plzdon’tkillmeIlike-likeyou). “So you paid for it then, eh? I mean, I’m not complaining, but also lemme do something nice for you without you paying for things damn it.” He wasn’t really offended, but liked to give her as much hell as she did him. “But thank you.” Cal would give his lovely but also frustrating woman a kiss, give his brand new horse a few pats, then think to himself. “Hm. He needs a name. What about Storm? Or…” Another smirk. “Cloud.” Hopefully that doesn’t summon Brand out of nowhere. Had Brand ever even been to Venturil? Cal didn’t know and for a moment, he glanced around warily before setting those ocean-blue sights on that woman of his. “Or we could always go the dog route and name him Spot.”

Had it really been that long? Eh roughly, probably not quite, but it was also not quite the point that either of them were trying to make. The threat that it was time for Callum to move on earns him a squinty-eyed look. Despite this look, the guy is definitely successful in giving her a kiss and she is more than happy to return it, but revenge for the dudebro joke is going to come in the form of a pinch to his gut. "It's a damn good thing you're not a guy like Sargaso then, hm?" Because Meri would be sad, so sad. Cal stews over names and has a briefly paranoid moment over Brand while Meri sets her sights on the horse and trying to befriend him. He does not make this hard, please give me nose scratches, he says to Meri. At least until he hears the name spot, which clearly their new horse friend does not approve of. Someone is getting another nose to the shoulder, this one in the form of a bit of a bump that says 'NO'. "I don't think he likes the name spot, Cal. "We could call him Mr. Cloud, Mr. Rochester. And then if people ask what his first name is we'll tell them it is Storm. Mr. Storm Cloud." Does the horse agree? Well he does not seem to object as vehemently as he did to spot. Does Callum agree? Meri's gaze moves from the horse back to the boyfriend.

Cal thought about this. Cal thought about this name that was to be bestowed upon this horse of his super hard. But, not before he let out an ‘OW!’ when Meri pinches him, and then proceeded to rub that spot on his stomach where he was BRUTALLY ATTACKED BY HIS OWN WOMAN. Rude. “Mr. Storm Cloud. Yes. Yes, this is good. I like this. But, now it looks like I can’t spend money on you because you assaulted me.” Innocent smile. A little eye-batting. “Gonna have to spend it all on the horse! Get him some platinum horse shoes. A nice fur coat. You know, the works. Can’t take you on this lovely getaway trip to Chartsend now. I’m sure you understand.” The raven-haired Catalian shrugged, gave Mr. Cloud a few more pats and left him to graze for awhile with a promise of Cal coming back for him, then shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly made his way away from Meri and the stables. He’s joking, of course, and she should know this.

Brutally attacked by his own woman indeed, poor Cal! The heck did you sign up for with this she-devil? Mr. Storm Cloud would get a blown kiss because someone is now walking away from her. No offense is taken to any of this, Meri knows quite well that Callum is joking. She will follow along, both in the steps she takes after him and with the teasing that he has started. "What is this! You are particularly feisty today! Threatening to run off on me first and now this? And all of this after I buy you a horse-friend?" Red lips briefly twist up into a smirk because she is just trying to turn the tables on Cal. How successful will she be? Who knows. There is no book for her to steal so...He may have the upper hand here. Maybe. That smirk fades and red lips form a pout as Meri takes a few long strides ahead of Cal to do that walking backward in front of him thing. Not the first time. It won't be the last. This means he'll have full view of a pouting Meri, take that. "Are you going to tell the guys at the Inn that I am not allowed in that room you booked for me next? That's it? Vacation over?" Blue eyes are all wide and sad looking now. Oh no, Cal. This is all a ruse though.

“Yep! Vacation’s over! Guess you’ll have to sleep out here with Cloud. Sorry, Meri!” Cal would keep a straight face for as long as he could before that smirk of his finally surfaced and he’d close the distance between them, a hand seeking to grab her wrist and pull the blonde close. “Okay, so I lied. I don’t think I’d be able to go without a bit of cuddling before I fell asleep, heh. Especially since when we go back, you’ll likely head all the way back to Rynvale again.” It’s almost like he missed her when she was gone or something. Weird. “Thank you. For the horse. He’s lovely and I’m sure he’ll get along great with Kadence.” He was about to start heading off again, with her hand in his, in the direction of Chartsend before stopping again, “Hm. How do you want to get there? Carriage? Horse? Or walking? I don’t think it’s -too- far, but it’s up to you.”

Meri knew Callum was joking. So while she tries to look offended at the thought of sleeping with a horse, it was impossible for her to keep a smirk from forming across her red lips. And when he grabs her wrist and pulls her closer? She doesn't even bother trying to hide the smirk, which is actually a smile at this point. It's almost like she likes him or something. Weird. "You are welcome, for the horse, we'll introduce them one of these days and see how they get on." But first, they had a trip to Chartsend to make. Well they did not have to, but they wanted to, in the name of spending time and hanging out with bae. Taking a horse could be enjoyable, but then they would be left in charge of figuring out which direction to go on there own. Not that it was that hard, but still. "Carriage," Meri states. And carriage it would be, on Cal's coin too. Back to the Venturil in they would go, where they were initially dropped off for this venture, and for just long enough to flag down a carriage and catch a lift into Chartsend. Sand and carriage wheels do not always mix, it is easy to get the weight of a carriage stuck upon the beach, so the carriage would instead drop the two off just down the road from the beach. This still significantly shortens there walk. The ride from Venturil to their newest destination spot is not a silent one. Meri circles back to that point of Rynvale again, "So I have been thinking about opening up a business on the mainland..." is how it opens, and then Meri promptly begins to gab about all the details about this business plan she is brewing in her mind -- which Cal's player is already quite familiar with. This ends with, "...which means, if it happens, maybe I won't end up disappearing out to Rynvale nearly as much." It of course has happened.

Cal was fine with the carriage route, of course, as he didn’t fancy walking and wasn’t entirely sure of the horse yet--though he would’ve pretended to be fine with those too had Meri chosen them! He’s nice like that (only to Meri though). “An art studio? Won’t that Lita chick be upset with you for ducking out on her?” He still didn’t know the owner of SoulsKin very well, and while he may be a pacifist, he’d fight a bitch if he had to. That’s a secret Cal’s kept to himself; it likely won’t be kept forever though because Catalians are feisty sometimes. “Still not entirely sure about her or those other shady friends of yours anyway.” Like you’re not at all shady, Cal. Also, dudebros. He hates dudebros. “But, I definitely think it’s a good idea. You’ve been at SoulsKin for how long? You’ve got plenty of customers and friends--some of which I’m sure are artistically-inclined--that’ll start lining up to get lessons from you or anything else once you get the word out.” Callum let out a ‘hm’ and eyed the beach once they got out of the carriage, “I could help you with the paints and such too. I’d much rather help you specifically with different pigments for art supplies as opposed to someone I’ve met once. Maybe I could grow you some plants to help fill up the place and give it a nice atmosphere?” And then, as if he’d been struck by lightning, it dawned on him, “Wait. How are you going to pay for all of this? Do you have enough for a place and stuff to get started?” Sure Meri’d pilfered some things from the naga, but sometimes fencing was a tough business, and you didn’t always get what the original owner paid for. He sounded excited for her, though. Running his own business certainly made him happy--tired, but happy--and he was pleased with her plans.

Matters of money were not something that Meri and Callum have ever sat down and discussed, outside of his occasional demand that she stay off his frakkin' money. No he will not take you out on a date. My how that has changed. It is because gold-related-things have taken on a different tone that Meri opens up about her own income. Toward the beach they go during this discussion, "Hm. I mean. How much does it cost to start a business? I was thinking that maybe, a bank loan if I get in a pinch." Hitting the boyfriend up is not her go to though in this matter. "But I mean, I have not blown through all the money I have earned from tattooing. And I have been working odd jobs for Hudson every so often too...Plus when I go and see Chisel, I usually make out like a bandit....taking the loot from the bandits she's offed over the years. With her blessing. She's not going to try and kill me or anything." By now they have made it to the beach, but Meri does not run off to go frolic into the water. Her steps take her to that point just beyond the reach of the waves that rush up the beach. Boots and water don't mix, wet socks you see. "And, yeah, I was hoping that I would be able to enlist the help of this super hot botanist I know for all of my pigment and flower needs. Apparently he might even come with some decorating services too? And! I think that if I flirt with him enough, I might be able to get a discount too." Or, she'll just end up making him blush/embarrassing him as usually seems to be the case. She's okay with that too.

The dark-haired male smirked at the blonde, his attention half on her, half on the sea. He’s definitely blushing thanks to that last bit she said, but tried to ignore it. “A discount? Pfft. You can have it for free. Growing is practically a hobby now again.” Cal stepped past her, closer to the water itself, a hand outstretched towards the horizon. “And a loan? Banks are no good. They can pick your pockets worse than any of our kind can--and that’s not even including the interest they charge.” Of course, by ‘our kind’ he meant ‘us shady folk’. It was almost like he’d dealt with banks before (he had; had to start somewhere, unfortunately). “You find out how much you need for the place and let me know” is all he said before falling silent. The extended appendage made a bit of a flowing motion, reminiscent of a monk practicing one of their chi techniques to manipulate the life force. Pushing and pulling the water, it did what Cal wanted, ebbing and flowing carefully, but not enough to splash Meri’s feet and get her boots wet. “I’ve never been here before,” he said at length, sounding somewhat like he approved of the ocean here--not that it was much different from the ocean next to Cenril besides the temperature and perhaps the wildlife that floated about in it.

There would be no argument from Meri, she would figure out the costs and the consult with the boyfriend bank but there would be no more talk from her on that subject. It would be accepted with a nod, she would figure out the costs and if she needed any assistance he would be the one to know. Meri does not trail after Callum, she holds her ground but her eyes are fully on the Catalian. She can of course see what he is bidding the ocean do with her peripheral vision. Red lips twist up into a fond smile, she definitely like-likes this guy. Trusting that this would not be one of those moments that Callum would decide to shower her in ocean water (we both know he has thought of this), Meri hunkers down into a seat onto the sand. "It is a nice little beach. Quieter than any beach in Cenril that I have been on. I like it here." A small pause before Meri shifts subjects to something a little bit more personal. Okay, a lot a bit more personal. "So. Are you still happy with your decision to be in a relationship with me?" She does not have the tone of girlfriend gone emotional. Which means that she probably is inquiring because this is a big decision for Callum.

“Yeah, it is,” Cal would say, half distracted by the sea, the ebb and flow still in his control. Then she decided to shift things and that drew him back to the present. A few blinks were given as he spun around and no longer found her standing there, but instead seated in the sand. “What? Of course I am.” The Catalian would move to sit in front of Meri, one hand moving out towards her own, aiming to gingerly take hers into his. “Are -you- okay with this? I know we’re not exactly a ‘normal’ couple.” Whatever that meant. Callum knew absolutely nothing about being someone’s significant other. He fell silent for a moment, thinking things over as he scanned the town’s horizon behind the blonde. “I think I’m pretty close to owning my own place. A house, that is.” He had -a lot- put away money-wise. He’s gonna be Hollow’s Scrooge McDuck one day. “And, it’s probably too soon, and you’re allowed to say no, but…” Cal squeezed her hand a bit, her line of sight falling back onto her,” Do you...want to move in with me? If you don’t, you could at least stay there when you’re in Larket.” He didn’t seem like he’d be too bothered one way or the other, if she’d decided to turn him down. “Like I said, I have no idea if this is too soon or not, so if it is, you can just tell me to frak off. I still don’t really know how this is supposed to go.”


As Callum sat in front of her and took hold of her hands, letting her thumb idly run back and forth over his.. Some of this conversation she was anticipating and had prepared for mentally, some of this not so much. There were three major points the woman would like to address but those words do not come with haste, but they do come. "Yeah, I am. Actually. And for that matter, I happen to think we're not exactly an abnormal couple...?" But Meri is not going to ramble on about her thoughts and sentiments about that because there were other very important subjects that were brought up here. Would Meri want to live with Callum? "As for living together...I mean." Meri begins to frown. "Maybe we haven't exactly been a couple for awhile but it's not like we just met a month ago. I don't think it is too soon, because of that.." Those blue eyes are trained on Callum, giving him a mildly squinty-eyed look, like she were trying to x-ray vision her way into his mind to figure out if this was something he had really thought about. "But well. I saw how you were in that castle, when you found that drawer of ladies undergarments. You do know...I'm going to want a drawer of ladies undergarments too. You might open it one day too. And that is probably the tip of the iceberg. Like...one day you are probably going to end up seeing me in those ladies undergarments. Or...less. So while...I kind of want to say yes...Are you sure?"

Callum wrinkled his nose as Meri reminded him of how he acted back in the naga palace. “Look, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before. I’m a water mage, yeah? I helped do laundry and such on the Sunderia. There was plenty of ladyfolk on that ship. I was just on edge and it surprised me. Sargaso is… somewhat intimidating, I guess. Not in the sense of I’m terrified he’s going to beat the hell out of me, but just I’m not this big macho dude like he is.” He let go of her hands and sat back into the sand, propping himself up as he kept fixed on her face, “I don’t really care about that stuff, you know? It’s not a big deal. You’re a woman, you’re gonna have these things. It just caught me off guard. Kind of like with me fainting on Brand’s ship. Then again, the Shadow Plane seems about the type of place to make anyone faint.” He paused, studying her a bit before adding, “You really don’t think we’re an abnormal couple? I didn’t mean it badly, but I mainly mean me over you. Only thing I know how to do right is make it rain and grow plants.”

Meri wrinkles her nose right back at Callum, but no additional questions come. Not justifications for why she would want to know -- she was honestly just trying to be thoughtful to his comfort. "So then it sounds like it is settled and that we are going to live together. I will have you know this if a first for me. Never actually agreed to live with a boyfriend..." Meri does not keep her gaze trained on Cal as she keeps talking, she finds a point off in the horizon to watch. There is no reason in particular, this talk is not a bad one. "I think we like to kiss, hold hands, cuddle, go out on dates and all sorts of other things that 'normal' couples like to do. So we have not had sex yet. Maybe we won't ever even. I mean we have never sat down and actually tried to talk that one out. But some couples like some really freaky stuff, Cal. So no. I don't honk we are abnormal. Heck. I definitely don't think you are abnormal. If you can't tell? I am sort of crazy about you, just like you are." Meri shrugs, leaving it there before this tough girl sounds like too much of a sap. "Now. Why the heck do you think dudes like Sargaso are intimidating?"

The Catalian tilted his head, watching her as she eyed the horizon, “Really? You haven’t?” Cal let out a thoughtful ‘hm’, then scooted over next to her, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Yeah, okay, so we’re normal. I trust your judgement.” There was that grin of his as he took her hand again, lacing his fingers with hers. “And no, we haven’t, uh, talked about sex yet. I guess we’re working our way down the list of super important couple things to talk about right now, yeah?” Funny enough, he’d much rather talk about sex instead of dudes like Sargaso. “You’d, erm, have to show me, you know. I feel like I should promise you desserts and flowers and such for an entire month as an advanced apology in case of if it’s awkward. You’ve taken on quite a chore you know.” He was joking, though, mostly. It probably wouldn’t be -that- awkward once things got started, but you never know! “And Sarge… I dunno. Just never felt right around guys like him. Always felt inferior somehow. It’s just been the way of things since day one.”


The kiss on the earns Callum a warm smile, and she is more than receptive when he takes hold of her hand and laces his fingers with her. The smile fades just a touch as it shifts to the subjects of dudebros and why they intimidate Callum, that earns the guy a faint frown but that was how he -felt-. "You seem to have a rough opinion of yourself at times there, Cal." This is not the first time she has noticed this, even when she told him she thought he was great during more awkward times. "So? Go find us a witness so that we can put this statement on record...." Except her grip on Cal's hand tights just a touch because, naw, don't really go anywhere. Stay here on the beach, enjoying the sound of the waves and warm sand. "I'd pick you over all the other guys out there any day of the week." This is punctuated with a firm nod before Meri leans in to smooch Callum upon his own cheek. "There is nothing inferior about you, not in my view. And yes, it seems like we are making are way down the list of important things to talk about...and yes..." She had sort of figured that it would be awkward, and bad, with some blushing and Meri having to take control of that show. "Don't worry, your she-devil will be quite nice to you. No desserts or flowers or apologies." Meri's voice drops a bit in volume as she takes a moment to lean in toward Cal to whisper, "It's best not to overthink these things."

Callum rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as the discussion about Sargaso and that type of dude continued. “It’s not really much of anything. Just kind of brought back stuff from when I was a kid, you know? I’ll get over it eventually--especially if I’ll be around him a bit. It’s not anything to worry about.” That grin of his re-emerges when he’s smooched--and he was definitely blushing again right now at this point--and he’s soon leaning in for another kiss, this time on the lips. “Okay, so, then let’s stay here awhile longer and relax. Maybe go back and get a bite to eat, and see where things go later on?” Heh. See where things go. Get it? Okay, he didn’t actually -mean- it like that, but his writer’s also awful.

See where things go. Meri herself did not actually think that her sweet, innocent Cal had meant much by that comment but....well Meri is still a she-devil and she just cannot help herself sometimes. "Yeah. I think this sounds great. Let's just relax a little bit and then...." She trails off here, because she has every intention of pushing her lips against the guy's -again-, this time she does not intend for a short and sweet case. She means for it to be a lingering one. With tongue. OhgodCalwhatisshetryingtodo. Well what she is not trying to do is have a full on make out session on the beach with the guy. He may definitely have to suffer through some lipstick transfer, red lips for everyone. If she gets her kiss it will find it's end, be it Cal who ends it or Meri. In a sultry tone of voice, the tattooed woman will go right ahead and tease Callum just a little bit, "We can see where things go later on." With a proud smirk and a bit of a chuckle Meri releases her hold on Callum's hand and flops out onto her back, staring up at the blue sky above. "Do you have any idea where you want to go eat? I suppose we can just take the lazy route and eat the Inn. I don't think the food there is too bad? Or...." Meri would turn her head just enough to get a view of Cal. "Hey! Maybe we will get lucky and find a place with a special on calamari." No, if they find sushi that is on sale ever again it is probably because something is wrong with it. Do not eat.

Oh my, Meri. That, uh… that sure was a thing you just did. Meri would end up being the one to break that kiss because poor Cal’s brain is flatlining. Too bad he’s not with it enough right now to shock his own mind back into functioning properly. We need a doctor in here! Stat! “I-I-I-I…” is all that poor Cal can manage at the moment. “Food? Um.” Food. Yes, Cal. You need to eat. You cannot survive off of Meri’s kisses alone. Sorry, bruh. “Right. Food. Eating. Yes. Maybe no fish. I get enough of that in Cenril. Steak maybe. And potatoes. And other veggies.” Yes, Cal likes his veggies. “The inn should do, I think. If they can’t manage that, then they shouldn’t be in business.”

This kiss was meant to test the waters, to see how Callum would actually react to well...anything even remotely more physically intimate than what they have already done. Though there is a light half a smile on her lips because of Callum's stuttering, Meri admittedly cannot make heads or tails of how to read into it. The guy is probably not super impressed with the kiss, that much she can figure out on her own, but he is also not running away from her full speed. Still. He's certainly...something. Should Meri ask if that kiss was okay? Part of her is inclined to say yes, that she should inquire, but the way that Callum is rambling about food suggests that he might want to stick to that much safer subject. Why are these things so complicated to read and understand? She could not blame the guy though. Meri clears her throat and pushes up to her feet, turning to offer Cal a hand so that she can help him to his. No effort to brush the dirt off of her yet. "Well, steak, potatoes, and all the veggies you want are still a carriage ride away, babe. And I am so hungry I could eat that horse that I just bought you. So, we should probably get a move on..." Meri is quick to add on, "I mean unless you want to stay here a bit longer." But Meri tries to sway his opinion by pointing to her stomach and pouting those red lips of hers.

The Catalian took the offered hand and stood up. He let her speak about food and such and even point at her stomach and give him that pout. There was that smirk, of course, and he’d nod, “Yes, yes. You’re starving. You poor thing. I’m a terrible person for keeping you here for so long. We can go.” Buuuut, first, he’d put her close and return that kiss finally that she’d just given him. It’s perhaps not quite as passionate as Meri’s kiss, but that’s only because he’s still learning! “Okay. -Now- we can go,” he’d say finally before leading her off to hail a carriage to get them back to Venturil for dinner.

To say that Meri would love nothing more than to object to Cal's negative commentary is not entirely accurate, because she is definitely enjoying this surprise kiss quite a bit. Well that answered her prior unspoken questions, what a good boyfriend she has. Not that he seems to think so. Away from Chartsend they go via carriage in what is sure to be a quick ride back to Venturil. This carriage does not ride as smoothly as some of the others they have been in but they manage to make it to their destination in one piece. Conversation for the ride back, Cal would get to hear a bit about how he's definitely going this boyfriend thing quite well. There will also be some indecisive rambling about what she wants to eat. Callum would be left with the honor of paying for the ride once they arrive, of course, and the meal once they actually have a chance to enjoy it. With Venturil not exactly being the most popular vacation/travel destination, their wait for a table is also not a long one. All the better for a woman who claims to be starving. The couple are shown to their seat and their orders are placed. For all of Meri's talk? She ends up getting steak and potatoes, just like her guy, unless he has changed his mind. All of these affairs dealt with, "So let's see..We have talked a bit about you. Time spent on a ship." Other private subjects. "But I think there is still plenty I don't know about you. Family...?"

Cal was about as hungry as Meri was by time they got back to the inn and he couldn’t help but wolf down some of the complimentary bread and cheese they were given while they waited on their food. Om nom nom. “Me? There’s not much to tell and it’s not like it matters because apparently they’re all dead anyway.” He shrugged nonchalantly, stuffing more food into his mouth and swallowing before he continued, “What about -you-, hm? Sometimes I feel like you know practically everything about me and I don’t know anything about you. Besides the fact that you like whiskey and hate dresses.”

Did Meri know practically everything about Cal? Well if she did then she would not trying to be inquire about his family. "Well...I don't want to make you talk about things that you perhaps would rather not." Perhaps being a key word, maybe he was also fine with it. And especially not in a public setting. "But you know, cheesy, sappy, mushy gushy stuff about how it matters to me because you do. Blah blah." Tattooed shoulders are rolled in a shrug, Meri wasn't always good at this stuff either, Cal! The sentiments he expresses about feeling like he does not know her does not come as too much of a surprise, Meri is not always an open book. Which is okay, at least she seems willing to open up to Cal. "Well, maybe we should not drag the mood of dinner down by talking about our families. Uh. But same. For a long time now." Meri presses her red lips together, wrinkles her nose up and then shrugs her shoulders. "Hit me with another question, anything you want. I'll answer." There is a brief glance around the room to ascertain the position of their server, but it seems he is busy with another table which means food will still be another moment. So Meri helps herself to some of that bread too.

Cal frowned a little as Meri made mention of her own family, only to find out that they were gone much like his own. “I mean, I didn’t particularly care for my family. They were your stereotypical rich folk.” As he finished his thought, their meal finally arrived and he dug into that gloriously large, medium rare steak of his (there’s probably a joke here about Cal liking large cuts of meat or something along those lines). It wasn’t necessarily a ‘good riddance’, but it was obvious that there was a little bit of resentment there. ‘Hm’ was said, as he ate, trying to ponder on what to ask her. “How long have you been an artist?”, “Are you from Lithrydel or elsewhere?”, and “Why do you like the ocean so much?” were rattled off with pauses and bites in between. The last of the questions wasn’t said with disdain, as one might think; Cal was just curious.

That resentment is picked up on. Usually when Meri asks Callum a question she manages to generate at least two more for every answer she gets. This was not a bad thing, she just wants to know her guy. Food comes, providing slight distraction, but for a change Meri is not embracing this distraction as a means of avoiding the question. She does need to shove at least two fat bites of steak into her mouth before she will give Callum her story. "I was not born here in Lithrydel, no. Twenty-seven years ago I was born to a man named Aaron and a woman named Chelise. I grew up in a port town, but not one so large as either Cenril or Rynvale. We did not leave in city itself but outside of its walls," because she was poor as dirt, Cal. "I have always doodled and drawn yes, but I would say I really got into it at about seventeen when I got my first tattoo. That is when I started apprenticing at shops....Until I hopped onto a ship and ended up in Cenril. Then found my way to Rynvale eventually. Where I met Lita....As for how come I love the ocean? How can I not. She is everything I would like to be."

Cal stuffed more food into his mouth as she spoke, listening to her words intently. That last bit about the ocean though made him grin. “For once, I’m not sure what else to ask besides the basics--you know, favorite color and food and such and all that. You’d think I’d be good at this, considering all I ever do is get info on people. Hm. You ask me something, I s’pose, since you’re so interested. Can be about anything, I guess.” There. He’s given you free reign with the questions!

Meri points at her own chest briefly, "Me? I ask you all the questions whenever I want to, really. It's not like I am shy with them." The woman smirks. "And I am sure that you know me better than she hates dresses and likes whiskey. C'mon now. My favorite color is blue, like your eyes. And you do have very pretty eyes." Meri gives pause to cut her steak and enjoy another bite, so it will take her a moment to get back to that talking thing. She's not going to be gross and chew with her mouth open, or while talking. Ew. "And I know that your favorite color is green. I don't really have a favorite food, just a bunch of moods..." Red lips are pursed together in thought for a fraction of a second before she starts firing off the questions, "What about you? Favorite food? Hm. You don't strike me the sort to want kids, but...? It's a no for me. What about marriage? Indifferent, but I really don't want to cake shop or dress shop." This is not exactly date one, couples should know these things at some point. Also, clearly Callum would have the flower shopping #takencareof. "I was an orphan and did not really know my parents. Did you get along with yours? Only child? I could keep going but..." Cal now has a number of questions to answer and Meri gets to shove some steak into her mouth.

Callum studied his girlfriend quietly as she recited some of her favorite things, then went on to more serious stuff, and even more serious stuff still! Sheesh, woman. Well, she didn’t exactly bring the mood down like she thought she was going to, but he thoughts things over enough while she went on that he decided to give her a little taste of his own past--as boring as it may be. “While we’re on the subject, I like your eyes too. Can’t imagine why though.” He’s joking of course; hers were totally a similar ocean hue and he definitely liked it just as much. “Green is definitely a favorite, but ruby red and this distinct shade of yellow that I just can’t quite place my finger on yet is definitely making its way up there. Probably in my top five, even.” He means your lips and your hair, you know. “I don’t particularly have a favorite food, no. Just whatever I’m craving. I’m also not sure how I’d be with kids and marriage is never something I’ve ever really given much thought about.” Cal shrugged, eyeing what was left of his food as he continued, “Didn’t think I’d get this far, really. But, that’s not meant to sound as sad as it might seem. I’m definitely happy that this has happened. Us, that is.” He gave her a reassuring smile, hoping she wouldn’t take it the wrong way. The Catalian let out a sigh and put down his utensils, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms in thought. “I’ll tell you, about home, but it’s really not all that great. -If- you really want to know.”

Yes, Meri was full of serious questions today. A lot of them serious in nature, it is probably the mood of things, what with them deciding to get even more serious and take things to the 'living together' level. Things are not so serious that a wide grin is not displayed, because she definitely got the reference to her lips and her hair. This guy. "Aren't there roses with all of your favorite colors? A bit of red to them, a bit of yellow to them. Green is a given. We should have these roses in the front lawn of our home. Or the back. Or wherever Cal thinks they would look good, because he is the frakkin' plant guy and knows this stuff." That grin morphs into a smirk. Callum eyed his plate, Meri eyed her own, the waitress sees this and decides to venture over to inquire, "Is everything alright?" Along with the other standard inquiries of if desert is wanted, is the check wanted, and are boxes wanted. Meri who has eaten a bulk of her steak and most of her potatoes opts to let the waitress just take her plate but she's not rushing Cal into anything. "Do I really want to know?" Meri would say once the waitress has moved on her way. "I mean of course I want to know. Haven't I told you I'm after all of your secrets?" Okay, perhaps some of these weren't really secrets, but the point remains! Everything, Cal. Everything.

Cal would actually get an idea from Meri’s teasing about plants and such and specific colors. The idea, which will remain unnamed for now because surprises!, would get a smirk but his thoughts would soon be deterred by the waitress. A wave of his hand would be given as if to say ‘go ahead and take it’ before saying, “Two glasses, a bottle of whiskey, and dessert. Your pick; just no pie.” He really didn’t want food poisoning again, thanks. Even if it wasn’t at this inn. “Hm,” he’d say again, thinking on things. “Alright.” It didn’t take long for the other portion of their order to show up: the alcohol and what looked like some sort of turtle brownie, still warm and with ice cream on top. “I was born in Catal, obviously. My parents were Bridgit and Devlin, and I had older sister named Fionnah. We weren’t nobles, despite being rather well off, but that didn’t stop them from hanging around all the people that were much higher on the food chain than us. They were like leeches. I s’pose the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, though, funny enough.” He means of course, that he’s a bit of a leech with secrets. “ ‘Fifi’, as she so loved to be called, was a princess in their minds. First born, graced with fair hair, skin, and lovely looks. They attended balls and coronations and whatever else that could shove her into to try to get her married off to one of the higher ups. It hadn’t worked -entirely- by time I ran away on the Sunderia, but she certainly had several suitors. I, however, wasn’t allowed to go. ‘What sort of noble wants to be seen with some skinny kid who talks about plants all day?’, they said. ‘Why don’t you show interest in things like hunting or the military or any sort of other “manly” activity?’, they whined. So, they got sick of my weirdness and shipped me off to one of the better mage academies on the far side of the city.” He wasn’t quite finished, but he let her take all of that in as he tended to one side of the brownie and his whiskey.

Chocolate, ice cream and whiskey. Yes. Please. Meri does not remain seated across the table from Callum though, nope. She scoots her hair around so that she is sitting immediately next to him. For both the purposes of listening to his story and sharing that desert. He still has his half, she still has hers, she's just sitting a little closer now. For the most part Meri does not really have any questions, or interjections of her own. Was there more to the story? Meri could not quite makes heads or tails of if there was or was not at this point but she would give Callum plenty of room to keep speaking if he so decided to. During what is meant to be a pause in his story, Meri will reach out to take hold of Callum's hand. It's given a reassuring squeeze and then his knuckles are brought to her lips so that she can give them a kiss because, "You're great." Just a little reassurance that at least one person in his life does absolutely adore him. A smile would briefly take hold of her red lips and then his hand would be released, eating and drinking does often require the use of two hands. Both of them might like to have free use of both of their hands for drinks and desert.

Oh, Meri. You made him blush again. Look at you with the feels and the mushiness and it’s just too much for the poor guy. He’d give her hand a squeeze in return before she released him, and the two ate and drank their fill of dessert. “The mage academy wasn’t much better, unfortunately, if only because all the other rich snobs sent their kids there too. A year before I was supposed to graduate, I ran off. Got sick of all the bullying and whatnot. The professors were fine, the students were not. There was one professor in particular; he knew about my love of plants, so he taught me how to make it rain and about herbomancy. Probably one of the only adults that ever gave a damn about me.” He paused, leaning over onto her as he sunk down into his chair a bit, his head on her shoulder, “S’pose he’s gone too.” Cal sighed, thoughts of what had been home running through his head. “I should probably go talk to them finally, shouldn’t I? Lionel and Brand, that is. I imagine it’s been long enough.”

Poor Cal, got himself a hot woman that has this big ol' crush on him who ends up making him blush all the time. What's a guy to do? Life is so hard. Cal's head comes to rest on her shoulder and Meri plants a chaste kiss on his temple. There she goes again, being all mushy. It's like she likes him or something, damn. "Kids are jerks," Meri affirms, as they do not often think of the repercussions to their actions or words. Hell, sometimes adults do not even. Meri would tilt her head so that it comes to rest upon Cal's for a few moments, "Like I told you, if you want to talk to either of them? I am more than happy to go there with you." Just in case Cal was right and neither of them would play nice? Obviously Meri wanted to be there as a just in case measure. Did she believe that something would go wrong? It was a tough call for her to make. Cal seemed to believe that it would be horrible and she had no reason to doubt him. Her own interactions with Lionel and Brand often left her confused on this matter. "Whenever you want to...I mean, I do know them both so..." Who does not Meri know. "But lets think about that another day. Because..." Meri's head is no longer resting on Cal's now. "I'd like to go upstairs, curl up into bed, and..." Meri's going to do that thing where she tries to make Cal blush again. "...to practice what we were doing on the beach some more. They call it making out." Oh my. Oh no. Cal.