RP:Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls

Synopsis: After having his portrait sketched, Trent is stung by a bee and Meri gets more than she bargained for when she grasps at the man's amulet.

Characters: Trent, Meri

Location: Gualon

Date: April 17th, 2016

Gualon Gardens

Trent appears. As usual, he would wander into view with both hands in his pockets, eyes glued to the earth beneath his feet as he ventured onward through the city of Gualon. Although he had visited many times, the blonde haired male never really took to exploring the area in whole. Having made a brief stop at the Grogshop and not finding the one he sought, Trent decided to take a bit of a browse around swamp-land city to see what sorts of things he might find. perhaps something familiar would register? it was when he came upon the Gualon Gardens that he would finally look up and take note of the beautiful scenery that was showcased. The land surrounding may have been grimy swampland, but the residents of Gualon seemed to take great pride in their home.

Meri is still rather prone to frequenting the gardens of Gualon despite suffering from a lack of her memories. No surprise, the woman has taken up many of her habits. The tattooed woman is presently settled in a nice patch of grass with all of her art supplies spread out in front of her, though they were not numerous. Her preferred media was fairly simplistic and her supplies were limited to a sketch book and several sticks of colored charcoal. At present, the woman is working on nothing and though her sketchbook is in front of her, it is closed. Blue eyes are fixed on a patch of flowers before her and with how intently she's staring at them, it's plausible that she's not really looking at -them- but more likely just lost in thought.

Trent 's eyes scan the marble architechture both with a mild sense of awe and a hope for any sort of former affiliation. It was upon determining that nothing clicked that he would finally spy Meri not too far from where he stood, his cool gaze held upon her seated form for a few moments of study. He made no attempt at first to move toward her; Lingering thoughts nagging in the back of his mind of the troubling incidents that had come to pass since their first meeting. A deep inhale is taken and the ebon-donning male forces himself to push forward to where the artist were in rest. When he arrived at his destination, a mere foot away from the blonde woman, he said simply, "Afternoon." and lowered his hood.

Meri would eventually come to notice Trent as well, shortly before he actually approaches. Those blue eyes come to rest upon his form, taking a moment to look him over prior to his approach. There was plenty of opportunity for that since he seemed rather hesitant about approaching or even saying hello. An observation that has Meri pinning him with a confused look and a lofted brow. "Afternoon, Trent," comes her response as she rises to a stand, it felt weird to stay seated while Trent seemed to be opting to stand. That feeling that someone was looming over? Yeah, it was awkward. "Is everything alright?"

Trent offered something akin to a smile as he looked the woman in the eyes; Perhaps even further, as if trying to look within. Her condition continued to puzzle him deeply, and no matter how much she did not want to further dig into the issue, Trent could not help but to feel obligated to push forward. For now, he would relax on thinking abou the issue, instead taking turn to answer Meri's question. "Yes, I think so. I am... just wandering. How are you?" He tore his eyes away from hers, the art supplies taken into consideration next. "Still drawing, I see?"

Meri 's blue eyes remain locked on Trent's own steel colored eyes long enough for him to attempt to peer deep enough into them, as if this would reveal something about her condition. No answers would come forward from this look. The woman would just end up pulling her gaze away from Trent after a time and motioning to her little artistic set up that she has going on. "Well let me distract you from your wandering a bit, sit down with me for awhile." As if she could already guess that the answer she was going to get was a yes, Meri was already settling her rear back into the earth. "Yes, I am still drawing." A beat. "Let me draw you, have I ever done that before?"

Trent nodded to Meri's request, leather satchel and sword removed from his shoulder and tossed to the ground a good couple of feet from where they sat. "Very well." he stated as he found himself a nice even patch of grass to rest upon. Cross-legged he situated himself, a curious glance taken to the small amount of supplies. "I am glad that you are still drawing. You are very talented. It would have been a shame to see such talent have vanished." He pondered then- were there any talents that he might be missing out on since his awakening? Was he perhaps some sort of master swordsman? A genius composer? Unlikely. "No, you have never drawn me before. I have only seen your sketch book once. In the Grogshop." His armored appendage idly began picking single blades of grass.

Meri flips open her sketchbook about a quarter of the way through to try and locate a blank page. Art within was not the same art that Trent had witnessed in Gualon during the one and only time Meri shared her work with the guy. "No? Never? Well..." They were going to change that right now evidently. No surprise that the black stick of charcoal is what Meri first selects, the artist setting the pencil to paper and swiftly starting to form a rough start to Trent's face. "It has been a few days since you and I have bumped into each other. What have you been up to? Anything exciting?"

Trent wasn't sure how this sort of thing normally went down, so he tried not to move a whole lot. His head hung, turned a little, strands of hair draping to the left. He was in thought with Meri's posed question. "No, not particularly. I have... been working down at the dock in Cenril. I was able to talk the foreman into hiring me. It seemed the former crews have all been replaced." He looked up, watching the artist work her special brand of magic. "I found the library once again, so I have been attempting to sort through history. Hoping something makes sense. So far, it has been without result." A soft chuckle escapes, his smile finding its way to the surface. "What of you? What has kept you busy as of late?"

Meri 's red lips turn into a vague smirk, Trent's mannerisms and attempts to keep still not escaping her note. "You can move around and what not if you want to. I'm not one of those artists. Besides, it is not like you are commissioning me for perfection." The tattooed woman continues, adding details of eyes, nose and lips to the face she is drawing. The hair would be next. "Nothing in particular has been keeping me busy. Just wandering much like your own self has been, met a few people who want to do a piece for them. So a bit of work too."

Trent finally relaxed a little more with Meri's assurances, sitting a little more straight and proper as he watched the artist work. "That is great. I am glad for you." he stated, a firm nod following. "You'll be famous soon enough if you keep getting requests." Encouragement of sorts. While she drew, Trent reached over for his satchel and propped it open, the metal encased hand put to work then to rifle inside for an object or two. "Are you thirsty?" The question was followed by an offering of a small corked bottle of water. Always prepared!

Meri crinkles her nose up just a touch at the notion of being famous, though the compliment is taken for what it is. "Thanks," she says. "...but I'm good on the fame thing, that's not really one of my goals." A beat, her charcoal pencil temporarily stopping it's work as she reconsiders that statement, "I think at least." Her drawing resumes, away from the face to fill in other details around the neck, down to the coat. "Naw, I'm good for now. But thanks." Another minute or two and then the sketchbook is passed to Trent to let him study her handiwork.

Trent smiles before popping open the cork and taking a good long draw of the recently offered water, downing half the bottle in one go. He was pretty thirst, it seems. "I suppose. Fame has its drawbacks I would think. People would crave your attention constantly. I'm sure there are those that would use said fame to get themselves into the light, or use you for your wealth. Such is the way of many in this land, as I've seen." When the book is passed over, Trent wastes no time to get a peek. He was quite interested in seeing how she had progressed in the time they had been apart. At first, his face lost all sense of emotion; He stared, no word to be let out while he took in every detail she managed to cram into that short time frame. "Amazing..." he finally said in a tone that was barely audible. He showcased then another smile and a look of wonder., his gaze turning toward the artist. "This is just fantastic, Meri. You are very... very talented." Trent handed her back the book.

Meri did not manage to cram every single detail into the drawing, it was a rough sketch at best which is what allowed her to get so far with the work so quickly. Enough details were put it to make it clear who she was drawing but her main art that got most of the details out of Meri came in the form of ink upon flesh. "You're so rigid and serious Trent," a complaint she has voiced before but perhaps with different wording. A shrug, "Fame has it's perks, fame has it's draw backs. It's just not something that I am interested in chasing. I think that's a sentiment you can understand. You don't seem interested in being famous yourself."

Trent mimicked the woman with a shrug as he thought over her observation. "I suppose not, no. I do not know whether, in my case, fame would be a good or a bad thing. I don't even know whom I once was." A deep exhale as his brow knit. "I think it would be more than trouble to be famous." That complaint of her would not go unnoticed, either. So many times in the past she had prodded him about it, she tried to dig under that hardened exterior- and at one point, she began to chip away to bring out his more eased, humorous state. "And I suppose.. you are right. I am sorry if it is off putting. It's just ... I am not sure. The personality I awoke with? Perhaps I was brought up in a strict environment in my past? I am not sure. I will try to loosen up a little." A smirk.

Meri begins to carefully gather up her art supplies with the intention of shoving them into her satchel, not because she means to leave either. This was gone with the purpose of keeping them safe from feet, one just never knew. Things happened sometimes that could cause people to be jumpy. Like right now? There was a be buzzing ever so curiously around Trent, perhaps mistaking him for a flower some how. That would be something that would get many chicks jumping, hopefully Trent is not too womanly on this front. Meri might make fun of him, "Naw, it's not off putting or anything. That's not how I would describe it. But no point in changing your personality on my account, I mean don't loosen up if it is just who you are."

Trent wasn't completely womanly. No. Hardly. Still, that buzzing. his naked hand lifted and swatted at the bee, probably angering the thing in doing so. "It would probably be best anyhow. I agree that perhaps I am a little serious in how I handle myself. I've been going about life recently lost, confused... worried. Perhaps I should stop worrying and look to the more positive side of life." Another idle swat as that damn bee came back for a second and third time. Blonde locks waved left and right as he began to dodge his head like some sort of trained boxer.

Meri bites down lightly on her bottom lip for all she can really do is shrug, her memories on Trent are clearly lacking. She could not claim to be an expert, "I suppose maybe, but it's hard to really fault you." That pesky bee that keeps buzzing around Trent's face? Well all that swatting is indeed angering the little guy, why so rude Trent? He just wants to pollinate a little bit and there Trent is assaulting him. Try as Trent might to bob and weave the little guy is set on some revenge and manages to land square on Trent's nose. Can we guess what happens next? It involves a stinger.

Trent became very, very still when the bee made its very skillful landing on the end of his nose. His eyes crossed and that metallic hand began to slowly lift. He had to be quick.he wasn't quick enough. As the armored hand made its move the bee jammed its needle-sharp stinger into the human's nose causing the male to yell out in surprise, the accompanying word so vile it would make a priest blush. His eyes immediately began to well up and his unadorned hand came to grasp the end of his snout instinctively. The other, acting on its own accord, wasn't quite done with that little buzzing bastard. It was almost as if time began to crawl, the bee had gotten merely a foot away when its flight began to slow, the beating of its wings nearly visible. The armored digits folded in on the palm of Trent's hand, one by one. Suddenly as those talon-like fingers sprung out into a splayed position, the bee just popped like an over-bloated zit, raining bee goo everywhere.

Meri might have been a little bit more bothered by the revenge that the armored hand seeks out were it a creature of more substance. Maybe. But a lowly little bee? It can be squashed and rain bee-goo all over for all that Meri cares. 'Ooooo' Meri exclaims with a cringe at the slew of swear words Trent releases, rising from her seated position to her knees so that she can creep closer to the man. "That is going to suck for the next couple of days, Trent. Ouch. Hell. Sit still so I can see if he left his stinger in your nose or not...If he did, we're going to have to try and get the little sucker out somehow."

Trent removed his hand so that Meri could take a look, his nose already red at the tip and starting to swell, "Cob sit down. Let be draw you. Thanks for the great idea Meri." he said with a bit of a chuckle. At least he had a sense of humor about it! At the tip of that prominent welt, a little bit of a reddish tinge poked out of his nose. "I don't think I've ever been stung before. I don't recommend it." he tried not to fidget or wince too much, he couldn't believe how much a sting could hurt!

Meri rolls her eyes at Trent's humor, smirking at the man, "Oh don't blame me one little bit. I didn't sit there swatting at the bee, making it mad. You did that. If you just ignored it, it would have gone away." Spotting the remains of the stinger upon the tip of Trent's nose, Meri draws her dagger from it's sheathed position within her boot. Given that she was kneeling, it wasn't too much of a reach for her. "Sit still, alright?" There was the presumption that Trent had enough faith in her to trust that she was only going to use the dagger for freeing the stinger but hey, many people would be nervous with having a knife so close to their face. Regardless, Meri goes for it. So long as Trent cooperates, she'll free the stinger pretty quickly...but it won't feel pretty for Trent as barbs are retracted.

Trent eyes Meri closely, his tongue stuck out if she happened to look away for a moment. "Sure. Just... don't cut my nose off? I'm rather fond of this thing." The blonde male sat quite still then, even as much as that pulsating pain rippled through the end of his nose. He would give anything to make it stop. As the artist's dagger drew closer to his face, Trent held his breath and watched on as Meri pressed the tip to the fat red welt. His eyes shut hard, he winced, and as the offending intrusion was removed he began to mutter, "Ow ow ow ow ow...." What a wimp!

Meri came no where even close to cutting of Trent's nose, much to the man's relief no doubt. Once the offending body part of the bee was removed from Trent's nose, the dagger wielding hand is lowered to her side so that she can try and get a clear look to make sure she got it -all-. It looked as though she were successful in her endeavors, but only a few days would tell if she was really or not. All that whining from Trent draws a smirk from Meri who reaches out with her free hand to obnoxiously pinch his cheek in a somewhat patronizing way, "Awe, look at you, you were such a tough little guy for me. You did so good! Do you want a lollipop? We'll get you a lollipop." Yes, she was making fun of him and talking to him like a child who has done great at a doctor's visit.

Trent wrinkled his nose a few times, his index finger lightly touching the tip with a bit of a sniffle. With Meri's cheek pinching, he pulls away a little, eyes narrowed with disapproval. "Oh hah hah, very humorous. Why do I talk to you, again?" A bit of a grin would indicate that the question was merely in tease. Reaching over for that bottle of water, Trent soon uncorks it and pours a little onto a handkerchief he retrieves from his satchel. "Thank you, Meri. Next time I'll opt to not do... well.. whatever I did to upset it." The scrap of cloth is put to his nose with a wince. "By the gods that hurt."

Meri slides her dagger back into it's resting place within her boot once this job is accomplished and falls into a seated position after distancing herself from Trent a scootch. His question of why he keeps talking to her is met with a dry smirk but they both know that even she doesn't know the answer to that question. "Don't know, you could have made a clean break if you wanted to. Yet here you are. I guess you must be a a bit of a sucker." She's also teasing, if he can dish it out then so can she. "Anyway, I am thinking getting stung is just one of those things. Kind of like stubbing your toe. Just happens. Hard to avoid it."

Trent started to chuckle a little harder, a first in some time. "Ah yes, that must be it. A sucker. It's nice to see you still have that acerbic wit about you." Another wince, nose wiggled, and the handkerchief is removed from view. By now his nose is looking a tad bulbous. That bee got him good! "I suppose you are right. I should be rather thankful that it was just a bee and not something worse... like some sort of toxic bite. ...Or a surgical mistake from my oh so fearless savior." He grins as the woman before taking a drink of the water he carried with him.

Meri has herself a good little chuckle as well, the grin that forms on her lips almost reaching her eyes. That bee most certainly did get him good but Meri would show the guy a bit of mercy for now, we'll not highlight the fact he's starting to resemble Rudolph the reindeer. "These are all very good points, you should be quite glad that you didn't jump and I didn't cut your nose off by mistake." Because of course if it was a surgical mistake, it would again be his fault and not her own. As the two converse, Meri reaches out for that pendant that Trent wears. She's going for it, whether he wants her to or not. No permission, she's hoping he's good and distracted with the pain of his nose and their conversation.

Trent was not prepared in the slightest for Meri's quick grabby hands. It all happened so fast, he had no time to properly react. The water bottle was put down on the grass, his head turned for just a second. Suddenly, as he turned to face the woman, her fingers were already wrapped around the crystal. "No!" he cried, that metallic appendage quickly snapping out toward the amnesiac woman. Before Trent could say or do anything, a series of events unfolded. That same azure haze swirling inside of the quartz was now taking over those steel-blues, a soft hazy glow that could be seen in the encroaching night. In unison, the mysterious glyph that stained the palm of the armored hand met Meri's forehead, and those talon-shaped fingers locked onto the woman's scalp just enough to get a firm grip. Suddenly, Trent's head fell forward and a surge of psychic energy were let loose into the woman's mind. This blow would be far more powerful than last, the memories flooding in much clearer than last. First, would be visions of long ago. A blonde, short-haired knight in black armor stood proud amongst an army of soldiers; An army comprised of ghoulish and terrifying entities. Next, a large dark figure surrounded by seven wraiths- his power could be felt. It was near Godly. A flash. The same blonde knight was now upon his knees, shoulders held down by two massive arms. It seems he were prisoner. Forced to watch. Suddenly a woman draped in red fell to the ground, murdered. She could only be seen from the rear, a pool of blood forming beneath flowing blonde locks. Another flash. The blonde knight appears again, upon closer inspection he very much resembles... Trent. A bellowing scream is let loose before a blade is plunged into his stomach- self inflicted. The visions continue to pour out. Fire. Unimaginable creatures. A black castle. The blonde knight is speaking to a figure in black tattered robes. A crimson hand can be seen; The pair shake. Another flash forward, this time it is undoubtedly Trent. It is the Cenril-Kelay bridge. Meri would sense this as a memory of her own. There is a further push in time; A tavern. The two converse, the metal appendage slices open her cheek. It is here that the flashes end; The power of the amulet, or perhaps that dastardly gauntlet draining Meri's energy with every lingering second. Almost instinct, the metal fingers release their grasp and fall to Trent's side.

Meri did it. There was no stopping her either, evidently. It seemed like her and that gauntlet of Trent's might be conspiring against him on this point, with how willingly the thing aided her in her endeavors. As the push that her mind endures is more powerful than the last time, the woman's reaction is going to be more extreme than it was prior. Before she was slightly drained and only experienced a headache, the want to return to Cenril's inn for a bit of rest. This time? Meri's entire body grows tense and rigid as her mind is flooded with a bulk of Trent's memories and only a taste of her own until metal fingers release their hold on her scalp. Once contact is broken, Meri's fingers uncurl from about the pendant and the woman crumples. This time she was rendered entirely unconscious and try as Trent might, she would not be stirring -- not today. This does mean that any memories she might have seen, he's going to have to wait for her to wake up to hear about them. When. If. These were variables that Trent would have to hope for the best on. For now he's left to try and figure out what to do with the unconscious woman, it would not do to leave here exactly where she lays now.

Trent had blacked out the entire incident. When he finally came to his senses, Meri had already hit the floor. "Meri...?" he asked quietly. "Meri?!" He grew concerned again, his hand coming to grasp the woman's shoulder and began to shake her violently. "MERI! Wake up! MERI!!" Panic mode. "No no no, not again... Meri...why?" he cried out, scrambling to gather their things. Her own satchel was stuffed as best it could be into his own, the weapon in turn slung over his shoulder. When everything was gathered, Trent knelt beside the woman and placed two naked fingers upon her throat. A heartbeat put him at ease- if only slightly. "Meri, hang on. I.. I.. I'm going to get you help, okay? Hang on for me, please..." Both hands found themselves reaching under the woman's shoulders and with little effort he had lifted her enough that he could sling her over his own shoulders to carry the woman to safety. The gauntleted arm firmly gripped behind Meri's knees as Trent looked around frantically. Suddenly, it dawned upon him. The clinic! "Hold on Meri... I'm going to get you help." With that, Trent carries the woman off to the Gualon clinic in an attempt to get the woman better aide.

Meri is hauled off to the clinic by Trent, impossible for her to resist. Even once there, even with the care of the nurses that are there, it would seem the blonde would not be waking tonight. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe with a bit of rest? Potentially? Hopefully. Then again, maybe this little incident has friend her mind and turned her into a vegetable. Only time will tell!