RP:Coffee, Bows, Playdates

Summary: Meri takes a trip to Frostmaw with the hope of commissioning a new bow. She is pleasantly surprised to find that Alvina has returned. The two women catch up on life, discuss the details of a new bow, and make plans for playdates.

Smithing Supplies

Alvina's office in Frostmaw Towers was a nightmare. Papers were scattered on every surface, empty cups of coffee from the café downstairs had piled up nicely along the window sill. It was painfully evident that she'd been spending too much time here. On her desk, she'll rolled out old blueprints for swords and bows. One odd-looking bowl mechanism. Sketches of roses and various flowers line a particularly old piece of parchment, covered in ink stains. The Eyrie's Engineer herself was fast asleep at her desk, cheek pressed to a blueprint of twin daggers, that superimposed itself on her pale skin. She fixes her crooked glasses and smoothed back a few stray strands of red hair that refused to be pinned back, and decided (not for the first time today) that she needed a cup of coffee. || Frostmaw Towers was luxurious in it's own way for it's workers. There was a child care service, which Alvina had absolutely depended on many years ago. It also had a lovely café that served food that was actually edible. She'd gotten pie there with Khitti many years ago too. This place may as well be a second home as much as she'd once used it. So it only felt right to come back here again, many years later. Alvina orders a fluffy coffee drink, more sugar than coffee, and pays the cashier distractedly. She's blissfully ignorant to her new face 'tattoo' or the state of her hair. In a building this big, no one was paying her any extra attention. Compared to Cenril, that was nice too.

Meri’s sentiments toward Frostmaw had not changed over the years, the cold was just never something that the blonde could ever adjust to. Yet it’s freezing temperatures were not enough to keep Meri from visiting the region on occasion, usually to make some sort of appearance at a public event. Today though, she was here for a more personal matter. The blonde was hoping to commission someone to make her a new bow. There was not a smith in the Kelay-Sage area that was suitable for the task, Larket was just never an acceptable region to support. Cenril was not exactly out of the question, but the tattooed blonde was hoping that she might be able to cross paths with either of the two blacksmiths that she knew sometimes frequented Frostmaw. It had been far too long since she had seen either Leone or Alvina. Meri hoped the probability was high she’d meet with one of them, yet she also acknowledged that there was a chance that they had both left the lands entirely. The bow that Alvina had originally been commissioned to make for Meri has been brought as an example, for Meri had no idea who she would end up seeing on this venture for today. While Meri slowly pokes around the area, she sees one tired and familiar looking redhead slink from her office and into a cafe. Alvina’s scent was instantly familiar, as was that flash of redhair, and so Meri followed. The tattooed woman had an inkling that Alvina would be easily able to sense the lycan woman’s presence. They may not be a pack, but there was no denying that there was an unbreakable connection between the two women. So Meri’s following cheeky antics are hardly sneaky, there is no point. She simply comes to stand immediately next to Alvina, picking the side that gives her the best view of that “tattoo” on Alvina’s cheek. Which prompts Meri to greet her with a teasing, “Wow, you got a tattoo and didn’t even think about hitting up your favorite artist for the piece? I don’t know if I should be hurt, or offended, or both…”

Alvina does have an inkling that someone is nearby. Someone very important. Before she can take a look around, over the rim of her coffee cup, Meri is at her side. Half asleep, Alvina answers like they'd been in the middle of the a conversation instead of seeing each other for the time in a long time. "You know if I got a tattoo I wouldn't ask anyone else." Then. "What tattoo?" And then, finally, she turns to look at Meri like she's the ghost of Yule times past. Her wide emerald eyes look big enough to pop. "I'm holding coffee!!" She says excitedly, instead of what she wants to say which is 'Oh my gods, I'm so happy to see you.' Alvina balances the urgency to hug Meri with the more urgent task of putting the coffee down but she's not near any tables. Forget it. Alvina puts the hot coffee mug directly on the floor before reaching out to hug Meri (against her will if need be). The familiar twang and warm prickle of family filled her to the brim. Her wolf link, though they weren't a pack, still felt Meri as an undeniable kinsman (kinswoman?). "Oh my gods, let me look at you." A beat. "Look at you!" Meri hadn't aged a single day. "How are you?" Alvina blurts out, seemingly unaware that they are in a crowded area and she's just put a hazardous coffee obstacle in the path of other people.

Meri was not normally the hugging sort but she could make some exceptions for Alvina. The blonde could not help but chuckle softly at her friend between the way she awkwardly blurts out that she has coffee only to place that coffee on the ground just to hug her. The psion tries to keep half her attention on that coffee so that it is not inadvertently knocked over but it is challenging to do so between the hug and the numerous questions that are asked. If Meri had a mirror, she would pull it out so that Alvina could see exactly what tattoo Meri was talking about. Alas, Meri will have to try and direct the bardic engineer’s attention to it a different way. After the hug is broken, Meri gives the woman’s cheek a teasing and gentle little pinch, “The one that is on your cheek, of course. Though I suspect it is not as permanent as the work that I do.” Hinting that Alvina might want to wash it off. “I am doing good, life has been full of it’s ups and downs. Why don’t you grab your coffee…? And we can find ourselves a place to sit so that I can tell you all about what’s new and what brings me up here. And then you can tell me all about how you are.” Though Meri has a slight inclination, he had briefly crossed paths with Hudson at a Yule event. Meri’s blue eyes briefly scan the room to see if there was a suitable place for them to sit down, ultimately she would leave it to Alvina to decide once the redhead collected that cup of coffee.

Alvina's palm touches the pinched cheek, smudges of old ink tarnishing her fingerpads. "Oh dear," She laughs, rubbing it thoroughly while she gathers her coffee at Meri's suggestion. "Of course, absolutely, let's..." Looking around, Alvina settles on a small corner of the cafe, tucked away from the traffic flow. "Let's try sitting there." She points with her free hand before leading the way. It was her second favorite spot in the building. "I'll come get my next tattoo from you, I swear." She smiles, gesturing for Meri to take a seat across from her at the table. Most of the smudged ink is gone or barely visible, like a shadow on her skin. She'll finish the task later. She can't imagine Meri will mind much if she looks a little tired. Truly, Meri wasn't kidding. Life has been full of it's ups and downs. The Engineer stretches, arms unfurling overhead, before settling into her own chair and blowing on her now mostly safe, not in the floor coffee. "Why -are- you out all this way? Not that I'm saying you shouldn't, I'm so happy to see you. It's a wonderful surprise." Tired as she may be, Alvina is still attentive and warmly smiling at the woman she'd accidentally bitten so long ago.

Meri definitely did not mind the smudge. Heck, she had not even minded the ink print to begin with, but she could not fully bring herself to ignore it’s presence. It’d be like not telling your friend that her makeup had begun to run. Some things just need to be brought to a friend’s attention. She would hate for Alvina to later find a mirror and then wonder why Meri didn’t have the spine to tell her. The moment is all done and past, though. Meri settles into a seat across from Alvina, having to remove the bow she brought with her from it’s resting place across her back to do so. The bow is leaned against Meri’s thigh while the two women catch up on life and what brings Meri up here. “Well, I was hoping to find someone to commission me a new bow,” Meri confesses. “Not that I have any complaints with the structural design…It’s a very fine bow, and I would not mind almost an exact copy. I…just feel weird wielding it these days. I know that Khitti was the one who commissioned it for me and I plan on keeping it regardless, it’s just…” Meri allows a bit of a frown to tug at the corners of her red lips. “A lot of the design elements remind me of Callum? And while I am over him and have moved on with life,” Alvina would probably see a black diamond engagement ring on a certain finger, which is telling as to just how much Meri has moved on. “It’s still…I don’t know, it’s weird to me, you know?” Cal was the plant lover, his favorite color was green, so the ivy and the splash of emeralds….However, Meri does not mean to be straight down to business. “But, I don’t want to get into the fine details just yet. How have you been? How are the kids doing? Are you up in Frostmaw full time…? Or…?”

Alvina had eyed the bow but didn't say anything at the time. It -was- a beautiful thing, even though it was linked to a past Alvina was just learning about. Last time she'd seen them, Callum and Meri were moving in together at her studio. A frown tugs at the corner of her lips. "I'm sorry." She whispers. Even though Meri has moved on, her feelings of it being weird were exceptionally valid. Alvina understood perfectly. In case her face didn't convey that thought, she added. "I completely understand that. You don't have to be sad, or still be in love with someone or want them back to find reminders weird." Everything in life changed. It only made sense to upgrade other things to match pace. The ring is noted, and will be brought up before Meri escapes, rest assured. "Whenever you want to get into fine details...I'd be more than happy to give it a make over. If you'd have me do it, that is." Suddenly self conscious of her ability to revamp the bow, she laughs and rubs the back of her neck with her free hand. Meri's questions about the bard brings an end to the akward laughter Alvina was offering. "Oh gods, you should see the kids Meri..." Alvina groans in a way only a parent can. "Luna and Harper are proper teenagers now. They are so moody and grumpy and EMOTIONAL. Again, I can not understand how people with NONE werewolf children can endure that for so long. You and I are lucky it's not so long. Bryce is getting there, almost as tall as I am now and Meadow, the one who loves you so much she turned human for the first time for you, isn't always a wolf now. She's still a feral little thing though." Geez. "We're going to have to get the kids together so they can wear each other out." Said like a true, exhausted parent. "How is little Fleur?" Meri asks if she's up in Frostmaw full time and Alvina looks caught. "Haha, yeah for now. The house in Cenril got packed up when we left for a little while. With Cenril being kind of a mess, I think I wanna get the kids out of there for now. They're still in Elsewhere (the filler for the place they'd fled to) waiting. We brought our lovely nanny, who adores them and embarrassingly I think the kids are used to us being gone for short periods of time." Alvina drinks from her coffee, thinking about the bow, thoughtlessly twirling her wedding ring with her thumb. "Hudson's busy with work in Cenril, so we've just been busy." Not entirely true. Mostly true. On paper, they were still married but... "We're actually separated but maybe keep that between us. It's too much bad press right now, you know...to publically divorce with Cenril being the way it is...or was. I don't really know what's going on there right now." Originally meant as a precaution against backlash from Hudson's murder of Candice Snow, he'd come back to tie up loose ends and stayed distant to keep the family safe. Time passed and they both just found themselves growing distant too. Not even the wolf bond could repair the damage. He still sent money, to take care of the kids and her, but they weren't in contact. "So not sure if Frostmaw will be full time but it's all about putting down the ground work." Alvina smiles, eager to hear more about Meri's ring and life. "Are you gonna fess up to this or do I have to ask nicely?" She points to Meri's engagement band and gives her a sly smirk.

Meri grins when Alvina talks about her children and how they have been. Years ago when Meri and Alvina first met, it was so hard to imagine the tattooed woman making playdate plans. It’s no secret that having a child was not exact a top item on Meri’s to-do list. Yet, it happened. Fleur was born and Meri had managed to embrace more of the aspects of mom-life. She was still a troublemaker and adventurer at heart, but Fleur had also grown accustomed to Meri’s brief absences. It had become easier for the child to accept in recent months, given the new family situation. That grin fades as she goes on to assure Alvina, “You know me, I am good at keeping bits of information to myself. Spreading gossip about someone’s separation, especially your own, is not something that I am keen on doing. Whatever you tell me, will stay with me.” Meri gives pause, another frown, “I hope that it is not too raw and that you are starting to heal, same with your children. It’s hard, I know the feeling. Callum and I had been together for how long. Three years? Four years? Something like that. We had a long engagement, and when we finally got married, we only lasted for two months or so before he just up and left.” Meri glances down at the ring on her finger, “But shortly before we did divorce, I met a man by the name of Magikrios. We were friends for awhile, until we weren’t, and he was very patient with me while I tried to figure my crap out. He also has a daughter of his own, she’s much older than Fleur and, thankfully, absolutely adores my own kid. So does he? I am convinced that he might actually care for Fleur more than Callum did.” A bold assertion, but there were many reasons that Meri had managed to come to this opinion. “As for Fleur, she would absolutely love to play with your kids. She’s getting big too, but she doesn’t have too many kids to play with. There is Berry, who she absolutely adores, but…it’d be good for her to have some more friends. Next time we meet up? I will be sure to bring her. We can meet up in Frostmaw, or…Magik prefers his place be somewhat private but perhaps we could do a picnic in Sage..or..I still have my gallery in Cenril.” Yet she understood why Cenril may not be Alvina’s top pick. “As for the design changes, what if…we incorporated some wolves instead of the ivy and emeralds?” Meri was not an expert in this area, she was just an artist. Alvina would know best if this was realistically possible.

Alvina smiled gratefully at Meri's confidence. "If anyone would keep it safe, I know it's you." Alvina wasn't much of a gossip in her own right. Maybe she should be grateful Hudson didn't just get up and leave one day out of nowhere. Instead they just took little steps away from each other every day until they were facing different ends of the path. It happened so slowly she almost didn't notice...until she did. One thing Alvina could say about Hudson was that he loved his kids and she never doubted that. She should feel grateful...but endings are still endings and beginnings are still beginnings. "I can't imagine...but...I'm so glad you found someone who valued you and your daughter more that Callum did. Who can make you a priority in his life and love you in a way you really deserve." Emerald eyes trace the outline of the bow that she can see from Meri's lap. It could be good for them to change it. Together. Meri suggests getting the kids together the next time they meet and Alvina beams. "Absolutely. They'd love that, as much as teenagers can love anything. And Berry is Magikrois daughter?" The idea of a quiet, private play date sounds like heaven. "I'll bring some wine." Alvina promises to solidify the future play date before flicking her eyes back to the bow to imagine the possibilities. "Something around wolves..." Paw print indents were always an option. Switch the jewels to colors fitting wolf eyes..but what could replace the vines? "We could strip the vines and restructure them to be a little wolf face? One side from the top, the other from the bottom. They can meet right where you'd nock the arrow in the middle?" She taps her bottom lip while she thinks. "Little teeth and everything." She imagines. "But in an intimidating way more than cutesy, I promise." The Engineer considers structure. It should be possible. "What color would you want it to be? A mix or a solid wolf coat color?"

Meri steered the conversation away from both Hudson and Callum. The action was not done because Meri did not care about the happenings in Alvina’s life, but out of some awareness that neither woman wanted to spend too much time dwelling on their exes. It was better to look toward the future, focus their sights on finalizing their playdate plans and Alvina tweaking the bow to be more suitable to Meri’s liking in terms of the design. First though, “Wine would be great. Berry is not the name of Magik’s daughter. Berry is actually close to Fleur’s age, he is the adopted son of Quintessa. They have been inseparable since they’ve met.” Meri considers. “Maybe we can see if Khitti feels like bringing Dominic out for this playdate too…” Meri makes a mental note to check before shifting the subject back to the bow. “I think that would be pretty freakin’ fierce.” Meri’s mind was going toward the vision of intimidating automatically, not cute, when though Alvina was using adorable terms like ‘little wolf face.’ The two women were on the same page. “My wolf is black, and so is Fleur’s. So, I think that it would be fitting for it to be solid black.” Mention of Khitti has Meri wondering though, “You know, I did not actually speak with Khitti about making these design changes. Do you think she would be offended with the request to revamp the bow that she commissioned for me?” Meri should know, they were supposed to be sister’s. She was pretty sure no, but she also wanted to make sure she was not entirely off base. Meri crinkles her nose up just a bit before she ultimately settles on no. “Speaking of Khitti, I would imagine that the two of you are going to catch up sometime soon as well? A lot has changed with her…” Would Khitti tell Alvina the full extent of these changes? Meri could not even begin to guess. “But it is probably best that I let her decide how much she wants to share.” At least Meri was proving that she could keep good on her assurance that she was not much in favor of telling other people’s business.

Alvina || Meri's question about Khitti gave her pause. "Oh shoot, maybe...but also, I think if Khitti gave it to you, she'd want you to be happy with it. Even if that means changing it a little now. Best to ask though but that's my bet." Alvina winks. She's happy for this future play date of this colosseum of children while the parents sip wine in sunglasses. What a glorious life. "I haven't seen Khitti in ages either, gods..." Alvina sighs dramatically. "I've been slacking. And I don't think I've met Quintessa. Hmm." She never thought she'd be so hype to hang out with her parent friends. Meri's mention that Khitti's changed a lot is somehow ominous. The bard tries to read it in Meri's face, what it might be, but it's difficult to decipher alone. Alvina'd murdered a small girl, Candice's daughter, before she left. Which she's told absolutely no one about and aimed to never do. Better to shove that darkness way down deep and forget it ever existed...if she could. At length, Alvina nods in agreement with Meri's assessment. "Probably best to let her tell me but as long as she's okay. I hope it's a good change for her." A change that makes her happier or more herself. "I know it's still a loose idea but...why don't you let me keep the bow here for a while. We can meet up before I do anything, I promise." So she can take dimensions and scale designs. "I probably have the blueprint upstairs in my office if you'd rather not, so don't feel obligated." The idea of taking something weirdly old and making it new again. It felt like something she just -had- to do. For Meri and herself. Maybe there was more to their meeting than either woman knew.

Meri bobs her head in a nod of agreement, it would be best to check with Khitti first. She did not want to inadvertently cause her sister offense, but she mostly agreed with Alvina’s logic that Khitti would want her to be happy with the bow. Speaking of that bow, it had been leaning against Meri for the duration of the conversation, that changes when Alvina suggests that she hang on to it for a bit. The blonde picks the bow up and places it in the middle of the table, not wanting to nudge it too far forward. Alvina may have been the duration of their conversation sipping on her coffee and it was probably nearing empty, but Meri did not have a clear line of vision and did not want to accidentally cause a spill by knocking it with her bow. “By all means. I will reach out to Khitti and once I know? I will let you know.” Meri nods, feeling this matter is resolved. “In the meantime, we’ll be in touch about this playdate? It will be a good time for us, and if I can convince Khitti to bring Dominic. Or Quintessa to bring Berry, then I absolutely will. But if it is just me, you, and our minions? That will be absolutely wonderful too.” Meri studies the very tired Alvina. “I suppose that I should probably head out for the night though, let you catch up on some sleep and make my way home before the family starts to wonder where I have gone off to.” Meri stands, and in a rare show of affection she opens her arms up to give one final hug to Alvina before they say goodbye for the night. It may not become a regular occurrence, but Meri wanted to make an effort to show the engineer just how much she has actually missed her during her absence. “Don’t you dare go disappearing on me again anytime soon, yeah?”

Alvina picks up her empty coffee cup almost on cue with Meri placing the bow on the table. "That sounds absolutely perfect." She agrees, about the bow and Khitti and the future playdate. Even if it's just the two of them and pack of children, they'll make a good day of it. When Meri calls her out on being tired, Alvina rubs at the nearly gone tattoo still on her cheek in embarrassment. Meeting up so disheveled wasn't ideal but, there are worse things. They'd gotten to see each other, that's what really mattered. They stand together and Alvina is washed in a sea of affection when Meri opens her arms for another hug. She knows the psion isn't the touchy feely type but Alvina very much is. As if physical touch worked as solar power for her. It was especially helpful here in Frostmaw, where everything was already cold and distant. "I missed you too and I promise I'll stay around, at least for a little while." The bard hugs her, maybe a little too tight for a second, before letting her go. "And for now I can't, I've got this and I got to give it back to you." Alvina picks up the bow for show with an easy smile. It was a talisman of existence now. A link that tethered her to this realm. "I'll be here."