RP:Emotions Runneth Over

Summary: Meri drops by Tiber and Lanara's apartment, in Cenril, to have lunch and catch up. After some lighthearted conversation involving overtaking a slave ship and fending off a stalker, the psion confesses that Callum changed the locks on the house and left Meri and Fleur to start a new life on their own. The witch is upset to hear that her best friend is dealing with a broken heart as well as life as a single mom, but she agrees to babysit Fleur in the coming days to help out. Before they part, Lana has an emotional moment and nearly divulges that she's on borrowed time.

Part of the Lunar Tides and Silver Linings Arc

Lanara had sent a letter to Meri the day prior, inviting her to Tiber’s apartment in Cenril, for some lunch and to play some catch up. The last time the two had been in each other’s presence had left the witch with great confusion, as they had snuck onto a slaver’s ship, killed the crew, freed those that were being held captive, stole a random piece of equestrian equipment, and then parted ways as though nothing had happened. And for some reason that the brunette cannot fathom, Penelope Halifax, the sweet and innocent healer, had managed to be corrupted and aided in the slaughter! Lana is in the kitchen at the approximate time that Meri is due to arrive, checking on some cookies that she had just put in the oven. Today she’s dressed for comfort, in a pair of leggings, an oversized sweater, and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers on her feet. Long locks have been brushed into a ballerina’s bun, and the tattoo that Meri had done a few weeks ago had healed nicely. Upon hearing a knock at the door, Lana shoos the two cats into another room, as she didn’t trust them in the kitchen alone. The door is opened and a smile is on her face as she locks eyes with Meri, “Hey! Come on in!” The smile fades a moment too soon and Lana shyly tilts her face to the left, trying desperately to hide the awful bruise that ran from her jaw to her eye. Varying in shades of blue and purple, with obvious swelling, it looks as though the witch had lost a pretty horrific fight. “Tiber is resting in the bedroom; we had a little scuffle with some jerk in Xalious.” A ‘scuffle’ that happened to end with the lycan shifting and killing a random man that had stalked the witch for the past few years. “How have you been?” The two bedroom apartment is immaculate and in monotone colors, welcoming to any visitors.

Meri :: Yes, the last encounter was indeed a confusing one and admittedly Meri should have provided more information….but c’est la vie. The blonde’s attire is about how it normally is, meaning there is nothing fashionable enough that is really worth nothing. There are pants, there are boots, she’s got a shirt on! And with how life has been for Meri as of late? That’s a good day for her, even more impressive that she actually managed to set foot out of the house with some amount of sobriety. The smell of cookies would normally be a welcome and inviting scent, but today they’re just a reminder of Khitti, enough said on that subject. As this is the first time that Meri has actually been inside of Tiber and Lanara’s shared space, the blonde takes a moment to really take in the details. “I have a feeling that a lot of these decorative choices are yours and not Tiber’s.” Meri smirks a bit but the expression does not linger for long. Lanara’s description of a scuffle in Cenril causes Meri to lift a brow, letting her gaze linger on the woman’s bruised face. “Yeah, it looks like you guys were in quite the scuffle.” There is a pause before Meri goes on. “Ah,” Meri says in response to the question of how she has been. Meri has never been good about spilling her guts, it is going to take the woman some time to warm up about talking about these life changes that have taken place. “Been better, been worse. Such is life, I guess.” Meri crinkles up her nose, her thoughts twisting around in her mind but she manages to silence them. “Are you guys both doing alright?” This inquiry comes as a direct result of hearing there was a scuffle. Meri doesn’t quite settle into a seat yet, she’s still a bit too distracted with taking in the details of the apartment.

Lanara isn’t sensing that anything is amiss with her best friend, likely because Meri has managed to put up an impeccable façade that everything is alright. The blonde peers around the apartment as though trying to gauge which decorative items belonged to Tiber and which had come along with Lanara. “Actually… Only the frilly pillows on the couch came here with me, and I have added a few touches in the kitchen, but aside from that… It’s mostly Tiber’s stuff.” The two cats pad over to greet the stranger, the tikifhlee the psion has met on a few occasions, but the long-haired housecat with vivid green eyes would be a new face. “That’s Cinder, and as you know her sister Ella, belongs to Taly.” They were gifted to the sister’s as kittens from Khitti, but Lanara doesn’t bother wasting her breath on the redheads name as she’s still obviously salty about their shattered friendship. “And this!” Plucking the cat from the carpet, she hugs the small male to her chest, “Is Salem! However, he’s not in his true state, appearance-wise. Tiber spilled one of my glamour potions and Salem drank from it… I’m unable to reverse the effect and it’s been like six months, so I think this new look is here to stay. He was a bottle fed black newborn when I found him in a back alley, and now he’s… This.” The cat purrs and proudly shows off his lustrous coat, and if Meri is to pet him, he will gently head butt her hand in greeting. “Come on in the kitchen! I made my famous egg salad, and I picked up a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery this morning.” The psion is ushered further into the home, and Lana lowers her voice as she answers the question about Tiber’s condition, “It was touch and go the first night… But, you know how quickly you guys heal?” Tiberius had healed slower, as he wasn’t bitten or born by natural wolf means; rather he was experimented on and turned by injection. “Broken ribs, lots of cuts and bruises, but he’s much better.” Lana’s smile is forced as she pours them each a glass of iced tea, though there are stronger options available if Meri desires anything with a kick! “The scuffle was a long time coming, unfortunately. A man tried to ‘buy’ me a few years back on the slave market, as he always wanted a Kelvarian Elf to be his wife? It’s actually the day that I met Tiber! Anyways… We interfered with that plan, he lost a lot of gold, and things were fine for a few years. But, of course, we crossed paths and he tried to take me back to wherever he is from, and things escalated.” A large bowl of egg salad is unwrapped, and it looks as though the witch had added some parsley, onions, and mayo to the mix. There were even homemade lightly salted potato skins to eat on the side, as well as the cookies, which are nearly done. “Eat all you want, I always make way more than we eat, and I end up tossing it in the garbage.” She could feed a small army with the amount in the bowl! “Speaking of slavery…” Lana pointedly looks at Meri as she bites into a chip, “That boat with the slaves… And the saddle? What –was- all that about?!”

Meri :: Egg salad? Eggs could be turned into salads? Alright, fine, to an extent Meri did understand this...but it was just one of those things that blonde has never been brave enough to try. Thankfully Lanara is telling a story that is not pleasant in nature, so it should be hard for the witch to tell if Meri is wrinkling her nose up because of the story or because of the egg salad. People just eat this straight off the plate? Well, Meri would do her best to not cause her best friend’s efforts to go entirely to waste, whatever Lanara is serving? Meri will be eating. At least she would afford Lanara this courtesy until the day the witch manages to give the lycan a case of food poisoning, which will hopefully be never. “Well Salem seems like a good looking cat either way,” Meri begins once Lanara is finished introducing her to the cats and has expanded upon the details of the scuffle. Meri frowns as she continues on, “Yeah, I know how fast we heal.” It was one of the few blessings that Meri actually saw when it came to being a lycan. “And it definitely sounds like this fight was a long time in coming. I hope that you guys put him in his place…” If they had not? Perhaps Meri and Tiber would have to pay this man a visit together, but Meri does not dwell on that thought for long. Lanara shifts the subject to the saddle and while Meri would love to be able to share every juicy little detail with Lanara, she’s limited. “I guess there really is not much to say about that? I mean, slave trading is bad. Those slavers were transporting slaves through Rynvale via the saddle we took from them. It’s safe now, no one can use the saddle going forward. And the slave traders are dead.” Meri shrugs, “The only good slave trader is a dead one anyway.” There is no remorse for what Meri did that night, that much is evident. However, Meri does not want to dwell on the subject of the saddle for long. “However, I went to pick Fleur up from the sitters, and we went to head on home. But. I guess Callum decided to change the locks on me. Put us both out. Fleur and I are back to staying in Cenril.”

Lanara is daintily dropping spoonfuls of egg salad onto some bread, as she means to eat it as a sandwich, and she nods her head in agreement to the fact that her stalker had been put in his place. He’s six feet under, in fact, but she keeps that detail silent because she doesn’t want to blurt out that her boyfriend is a murderer with the lycan resting in the next room. Not that Meri would mind, she is of the same protective and bestial nature, and Lana’s conscience has been long gone for quite some time. She just keeps Tiber’s life private, because he preferred things that way, whereas the witch would tell her best friend every gritty detail if given the chance. “Hm. That’s different. I guess the saddle had some magical attributes that masked exactly what they were transporting at sea.” The witch is drawing conclusions and not prying, being careful not to press Meri as she knows that Quintessa was in on the collecting of the saddle, as well. The swamp witchling amuses Lana, mostly because she singlehandedly took over Larewen’s house, but she is eager to use magic, and in that they have similar interests. “I was surprised at some that showed up… I had assumed that Leo died or fled the lands years ago, and I –never- expected Penny to sign up for something so violent!” Fox seemed to circulate in rogue-ish areas, always a bit of a mystery to Lana, and Rilla is a new face, entirely. The sandwich is lifted to her lips, but no bite is taken, as those brown eyes widen and she gasps, “Cal did WHAT!?” Lana’s eyes darken dangerously, but she tries to contain her outrage at the herbalists’ actions, “How could he just lock out his wife and daughter?! Did you guys have a fight? Or did he perhaps come down with temporary madness?!” She wants to be angry, she wants to cry, she wants to hug her best friend, but most of all Lana wants to punch Callum in his pretty face for hurting the psion. “I’m so sorry… Is there anything I can do?” Thankfully, a little bell chimes from somewhere in the room, and the witch is momentarily distracted as she pulls the cookies from the oven and sets them on a cooling rack. Lana’s allegiance is with Meri, as she had only begun to call Cal a friend in the past two years and she had worked in his greenhouse for about a week. But she would gladly hex the male, if the blonde gave her the okay.

Meri was a murderer before she could use the wolf as an excuse for her bad behavior, being a lycan just amplified her temper. Meri is also okay not knowing Tiber’s secret, the less people knew the better, a fact that the blonde understood very well. Anyway, Meri is too busy boggling over the fact that the egg salad is supposed to go on BREAD. That actually makes egg salad seem considerably more appetizing than it did before, the psion knows. She’s a lycan. She can smell these things. It also increases her eagerness to actually eat, noticeably too. It’s like a little light bulb has gone off inside of Meri’s head. “Oh no, Leo is a far cry from dead. Though I have heard talk and rumors.” About a certain death duel but it has never been a subject that Meri has broached specifically. “What can I say though? I’ve got friends in low places?” Though Meri is not entirely sure that she would consider every single face that showed up that night to be a friend. A bulk, but not all of them. “Anyway, I don’t think we had a fight. At least if we did have a fight, I have no idea what the fight is about.” Meri shrugs at the subject of temporary madness, she was pretty sure that was not the case either. “Honestly, I think plain and simple that at some point he realized he was not in love with me anymore. I wish he would have realized that before he even married me, as I am not even sure that he really wanted to be with me then? Things fizzled out between us a long time ago. Our dates stopped. I stopped feeling like his best friend.” As Lanara has already noted, the blonde is good at putting on a front and she’s going to continue to do so at this moment. Break down into tears? It was tempting but Meri resists, she’ll hide those tears in the bottom of a bottle later once she returns home. For a moment Meri’s mind drifts over when things started fade between her and Callum, but she in the end shrugs the thought away. “If he will be happier without me, then that is his decision to make. Hopefully he will enjoy his life finally.”

Lanara picks at her sandwich as her attention is glued to Meri and she tries not to judge Cal –too- harshly when she replies, “I must admit that I didn’t see much chemistry between you and Callum… And when he told me that he identifies as ‘gay’ and that you were the only woman he felt romantic towards, I was very concerned…” The storm mage’s sexuality is the least of Lana’s concerns though, as she steers the conversation to focus solely on her best friend, “You are hot, Meri! Honest! If I was a guy? I would be showering you in diamonds and sweeping you off of your feet.” Lana smiles, and carries on, “Seriously! You are so pretty, smart, funny, adventurous, and you have a dark side with a touch of mystery… Who wouldn’t want that in a partner!? I think that when you are ready to date again, we will arrange a girl’s night out, and we will find you a perfect match. Just… Don’t give up on love or that fairytale ending, because it –is- real and you are more than worthy of everlasting happiness.” Lana reaches across the table as Meri is figuring out that she has to put the egg salad onto the bread, and gives her free hand a gentle squeeze, “I’m here for you if you ever need to cry, vent, talk, laugh, or just want someone to sit next to you in complete silence.” There is a pause. “Okay, probably silence on your end, as we both know that I literally never shut up. Just ask… Anyone!” After her little speech about love, life, and laughter, Lanara focuses on eating her lunch and thinks about how her words reflect perfectly on what she feels for Tiber. It’s a shame they won’t have that fairytale ending though, as she only has a few weeks to live. Goodbye happily ever after and hello tragedy, she thinks, as she idly twirls the hourglass pendant that hangs from her neck. “Have you thought where you and Fleur will live? Are you going to remain in Cenril or relocate?”

Meri issues a bit of a shrug when Lanara brings up the subject of Callum and his sexuality. “It’s never been a detail that upset me. I always trusted that he had an interest in me, because he said that he did.” At least until the end, when Meri started feeling certain that Callum just wasn’t even in love with her anymore but she’s pretty certain it is not because he found a new lover. Anyway, dwelling over her divorce is not something that Meri wants to do. Actually, it’s more like she’s not good at doing it. It involved exposing her feelings, vulnerability has never been Meri’s strong suit. The blonde does spend a moment wrinkling up her nose at the thought of a man showering her with diamonds. “Ah come on now, diamonds are not this girl’s best friend. But, I appreciate the sentiments. I know where you are coming from with it.” The thought of participating in a girl’s night out was also...intimidating to Meri. Let alone going out on a date. The blonde shakes her head to dismiss this idea. “Honestly though, my plate is full. I am just going to focus on Fleur and myself, and keeping the gold coming in for both her and I.” Meri frowns. “Which. Speaking of. Now that I am a single mother. Again. You are going to need to mentally prepare Tiber for babysitting duty.” Sure, maybe most would think that Meri would run straight to Khitti for this issue but Meri was not going to let Fleur get anywhere near Viera. She just could not bring herself to trust that woman, not for anything. Try as Meri might, this conversation was starting to weigh at her spirits and thus was starting to affect her appetite. Even with the bread, Meri was not going to be able to finish her egg salad sandwich. Surely Lanara can understand, the witch has suffered through her own share of heartache. “I think you’re well aware that art is not what really rakes in the gold for me, and it is not exactly like I can bring Fleur along to a lot of the jobs.” Meri frowns. “Unless you and Tiber end up on those jobs too...Then I am really going to be in a pickle for babysitters.” At least ones that she may not actually have to pay an obscene amount of gold.

Lanara senses that Meri isn’t comfortable discussing any future plans including her heart at this time, and she honestly can’t blame the woman. She had the worst luck when it came to love, as two had died, one had vanished, and another left her at the altar! Her current relationship is solid, but Tiber and Lana had so many ups and downs over the years that she had stopped keeping count of all their separations and feuds. “In time, when you’re ready to broach the topic of dating, we will talk.” That’s all she says on the matter, before they move onto the fact that Meri is a single mother, again. It has to be hard on both Fleur and Meri, for Callum to keep entering and exiting their lives, and Lana feels a strong pang of empathy as she knows that finding a permanent place is one of the hardest things to accomplish. How many times had she been left without a job or place to live? “Of course we will watch Fleur! I’m sure Tiber will love having a little one around, especially since she’s a little she-wolf! We can bring her to the sanctuary to visit the animals, maybe bring her by the museum and tell her of our adventures, and there is always that playhouse with the live shows that she would adore! And if you ever need to do a job that is far away or even if you just need a weekend to yourself? There is an extra bedroom, so Fleur would have a place to spend the night.” Lana explains, “Tiber’s old friend Nadine used to crash here when she visited the lands, but she hasn’t made an appearance in years, so the room is currently unused.” Aside from all the extra close space that Lanara had stuffed from floor to ceiling with endless pairs of shoes, expensive garments, and some crafting supplies. As Meri continues and states that it could be a job that requires Tiber and Lana and in that event she’d have to hire another sitter, the witch swallows hard, because she knows that in a few weeks she won’t be able to babysit Fleur. She won’t be able to go on a top secret job. She won’t be able to coax Tiber into anything, or have a fun night with Meri. The glass of iced tea is drained in a few quick gulps as she collects her thoughts, “Meri… If anything were to happen to me, or if Tiber and I had plans or were on a job with you? You know that Taly would be over the moon to spend some time with Fleur.” Rising from the table, the witch slides some chocolate chip cookies onto a plate and rests it atop the table, “Cookie?”

Meri manages something of a smile when Lanara is excited about watching Fleur, though the lycan is more than certain that Tiber is not going to share Lanara’s enthusiasm. “Next time I come to visit, I will make a point of bringing Fleur. I just figured that it would be better for her to not be around for this conversation.” Given all divorce things. Meri might not be happy with Callum but she saw no reason to trash him within earshot of his own daughter. Even if it was questionable if Callum would even acknowledge Fleur going forward, Meri would just have to cross that bridge when her daughter started asking more questions. “If you and Tiber decided that watching Fleur is too much? Please don’t be shy. She’s both a witch and a wolf and takes after her mother, which means she’s quite the handful.” Meri sighs, because of course she would end up having a child as pleasant as herself. Mention of Talyara causes Meri to frown and not because the blonde has any amount of dislike for Lanara’s sister. No, Meri just becomes keenly aware that she has failed at keeping in touch with the other witch. “I should make a point of paying Talyara a visit….” the blonde admits, resolving to do so very soon. “Anyway, enough talking about me and my problem.” Meri really did not want her divorce to monopolize the conversation. The news has been shared, time to bury the rest of the feels. “Outside of your little scuffle in Cenril….How have things been going for you? You and Tiber seem to be doing well?” At least Meri presumed it was going well, given how ornery Tiber could be at times! Lanara has not complained yet. “Is anything else new? I trust that you have seen Talyara? And I bet Penelope was excited to see you back too, eh? Have you two talked?”

Lanara is flattered that Meri confided in her about the divorce, and that she trusts her to babysit Fleur in the future and the smile that she gives to the psion is genuine. She is looking forward to looking after the little girl and she would help her friend in any way that she could. Trust is something that has always been strong between the two women, never buckling as its wont to do in most relationships, and that’s why the urge to confess her big secret leaves her with a heavy heart. Meri and Lana didn’t keep things from each other. Sure, they would omit details about a job here and there, and they didn’t get too explicit with speaking of their love lives, but the big things that mattered were always immediately brought to the surface and dealt with to the best of their abilities. The witch falters to find her verbal footing, as her mind is elsewhere, and she rests her half-eaten cookie back on the plate, as she replies, “Things with Tiber are strong and we grow closer every day… The, uh, super physical stuff hasn’t happened yet.” A faint blush appears in the cheek that isn’t covered in ugly bruises. “Taly is wonderful! She still lives up in Frostmaw with Krice, in that little cottage north of the berry garden, and she’s very happy. Even her cooking has improved! It was great seeing her again… But, of course, she doesn’t know about Nat’s death… I didn’t want to tell her, at least not on the first day that I’ve seen her in a year.” Meri knew that Lana’s aunt and daughter had died, but she didn’t know everything that had transpired in Kelvar. “Penny and I met a few days before the ship job, and I taught her how to make milk of the poppy, in case she has to treat anyone experiencing intense pain.” It’s much easier to talk about others, but it’s in the back of Lana’s mind that she’s keeping something –huge- from her best friend, and so she blurts out, “Meri. There is something I need to tell you, something huge, but I can’t right now… I want to talk about it, badly, but it’s not the right time and I’m not ready. I just… I need you to know that it’s about what happened during my time away from the lands, and it also involves why I can’t use my magic. But, it’s nothing that would change our friendship, or interfere with Tiber and I babysitting Fleur! I just want you to know that I’m keeping something bottled, but when I feel it’s the right time, you will be one of the first to know.” A single tear escapes Lana’s right eye, which she quickly swats away, before she begins to clean up the dishes, “Would you like to take some egg salad to Fleur? I’m sure she would love some of the cookies.” This is probably the most depressing lunch the women ever shared, but at least they both feel lighter having gotten things off of their chest. Hopefully.

Meri :: To be fair, it was probably mostly Meri’s fault that they did not always communicate to the fullest as expressing those deeper emotions really has never been her best selling point. Want her to break into something? Punch someone? These are all things Meri is considerably better at. She’s also not very good at dealing with tears, which means that when Lanara sheds that single tear, Meri just ends up dumbfounded. Much like that time she decided to tattoo Tiber even though he was in some sort of weird trance. She tries her best, but is definitely lacking in certain areas. Hopefully she does not fall too short in her response to Lanara, “I am here for you to talk to whenever you would like to yeah? And if you would like to. I fully understand the need to keep certain things to one’s self…So whenever you want to. Or not.” The blonde hoped that came off right, she knows she’s got a talent for saying the wrong things in these situations. Lanara brings the subject back to Meri’s daughter and the blonde’s eyes go wide. Look at the time. It certainly flies when two women get to talking. No wonder the woman struggles to keep babysitters in her employ, she’s always failing to turn up at the time that she promises to be back. “Oh. Dinner. Right. Dinner. It. Looks like..we’re having egg salad and cookies for dinner.” Meri would not be shy about packing herself up a container of food along with some cookies for Fleur. “Which reminds me...I need to really head out and pick her up. I only told the sitter two hours.” A sheepish grin crosses Meri’s lips. Are you sure this is what you want to sign up for, Tibara? Meri lifts the container of food she has claimed for herself and Fleur, “I’ll bring your dish back soon. Or. Well you know where I am staying these days. Whatever is clever.” It feels awkward a bit, suddenly dashing out the door right after such a deep confession from Lanara. Meri is confident she’ll be forgiven, it’s just the single-mom-life, yo.