RP:How Long Has It Been?

Summary: It has been a long time since Lita and Meri have seen one another. They agree they'll have to catch up over drinks with no kids.

Coastal Breeze

Meri's presence in Cenril was far from unheard of, especially since she moved her business from Larket to Cenril...with a few tweaks. Yet today it was not work that brings Meri out into the city, and the tattooed blonde was not alone. The tattooed blonde can be seen walking out of the Schoolhouse of all places holding the hand of a toddler. Now, it has been awhile since Meri and Lita have seen each other, but it certainly has not been long enough for Meri to become pregnant, give birth, and for said child to have aged about four years. Then again, stranger things happen in these lands. All in all, Meri herself looks to be the same woman that Lita has known throughout the year, with the addition of the child. She's still got the same style of dress that she has over the years. That is to say that she is still wearing form-fitting black pants that are tucked into a pair of black combat-style boots. Instead of a bodice, she's wearing a far more comfortable black tank for today's outing with her daughter. The child with Meri has black hair, which should not be surprising. So does Callum. She is also dressed in the exact opposite manner as Meri, evidently preferring the dresses and frills. Much to Meri's chagrin, shopping for Fleur was not a fun activitiy for this momma. From the Schoolhouse, they seem to be heading down to the beach. Fleur insists.

Lita hadn't taken an active role in society the last few years. Between being held captive by a mage in Gualon, the deaths of her beloved hound Chio and sequestering herself to a little cabin in the middle of nowhere in Venturil, she'd been rather reluctant to be around people again. But she needed it now, to find something she could be drawn to again and live with. She'd always loved the ocean, even when she was human. She missed the beach house and the shop and Rynvale, missed having a place in the world. But she'd been milling around Cenril's markets for the last few hours, unable to bring herself to get on the ferry back to the island. She caught sight of Meri- she was pretty sure it was Meri, save for the surprise daughter at her side- and followed the pair down towards the beach from a distance. She chewed at her lower lip, trying to calculate time in her head. Time did funny things in captivity. You lost track of hours and then days and then weeks and months, even faster underground. When was the last time she'd even seen the blonde? The last real thing she could remember of her was the wedding but surely it hadn't been so long? Her brain hurt trying to think of it. With a steadying breath she closed the distance between them, apprehensive if only because of the child. She wore her usual little black sundress, a leather satchel over her shoulder and laced boots on her feet. It felt strange to not be barefoot. "Meri," she called out from a couple yards back and continuing nearer. "Hey you."

Lita's voice was a welcome surprise. She had always figured that she would run into her fellow artist at some point, that seems to be the way with them. Meri equally could not place the last time that she had seen Lita. Was it a wedding? Was it after? Near enough. A lot has changed, like the fact that the blonde standing before her was not even human -- nor was the daughter -- not that Lita would be aware based on appearance alone. And with Lita having been through so much, she probably missed the scandal that made that hit the papers surrounding Alvina and Meri, about Alvina being a dangerous and bitey werewolf now too. Meri's lips curl up into an easy smile at the sight of Lita. For many, there was no sincerity behind the smiles that Meri might send their way, but Lita was one of the few exceptions to the rule. "Lita. It's been a long time..." Meri gives her a look over and then points to the boots on Lita's feet. "What's this? Boots?" Meri is well aware of Lita's preference to go barefoot. "This is my little one, Fleur." And to her daughter, "And this is one of my oldest friends, Lita. Why don't you go play a bit, hm?" Going to play was always on the agenda for Fleur, but now at least Meri would have someone to chat with while her daughter plays. Every parent enjoys a good conversation with an actual adult. "Where have your travels taken you this time?" Meri says to Lita once Fleur scurries off.

Lita was no stranger to being around werewolves. As much as they were supposed to be enemies- vampires and werewolves, as it were- she'd befriended a few over the years. But it wasn't her place to ask about it and she was far more interested in this new little one in her old friend's life. She lifted a hand a wriggled her fingers in a wave at the toddler as Meri introduced them and watched as she went prattling off towards the coastline. She offered a knowing smile at Meri's questioning of her boots. "Trekked in from Venturil." That was mostly true. The side-trip to Gualon to kill a mage had been unsuccessful, after all, since he was nowhere to be found. "But not nearly as far as yours have taken you, apparently." She lofted a brow at the blonde and leaned sideways a bit to brush her shoulder with the fellow artist's. "Callum's?" She asked, almost hesitantly, not sure what kind of trouble she might be stirring up.

Lita was no stranger to being around werewolves. As much as they were supposed to be enemies- vampires and werewolves, as it were- she'd befriended a few over the years. But it wasn't her place to ask about it and she was far more interested in this new little one in her old friend's life. She lifted a hand a wriggled her fingers in a wave at the toddler as Meri introduced them and watched as she went prattling off towards the coastline. She offered a knowing smile at Meri's questioning of her boots. "Trekked in from Venturil." That was mostly true. The side-trip to Gualon to kill a mage had been unsuccessful, after all, since he was nowhere to be found. "But not nearly as far as yours have taken you, apparently." She lofted a brow at the blonde and leaned sideways a bit to brush her shoulder with the fellow artist's. "Callum's?" She asked, almost hesitantly, not sure what kind of trouble she might be stirring up.

Meri gives pause at the brevity of Lita's answer. On one hand, she has never known Lita to go onto a long diatribe over what she has been up to over the years, on the other...the answer felt brief. Meri lifts a brow as she tries to analyze this, but even if the blonde was more certain in her feelings...? She would not be one to press needlessly. That has not changed with Meri, the blonde values her own secrets and values privacy. She affords the same respect to others, they'll talk if they want to talk. "Ah, yeah. Callum's." Meri says briefly. There was a lot to catch Lita up with on the subject of Callum, "We've been engaged for....I don't even know how long now." This is not spoken like a woman who is gushing with excitement. Mention of the length of their engagement was meant to be a subtle hint that she's not entirely sure that they'll ever actually be married. There are many things that Meri won't say in front of Fleur. The child might be distracted playing in the sand, but kids have a knack for hearing all the things they're not meant to hear. "But I won't drag on over the boring familial details..." Meri musters up a smile. "What else is new with us..? My business is out in Cenril now. I could not stomach staying in Larket. Um." A brief pause. "I am leading the Adventurer's Guild now. I think you'd fit into our ranks quite nicely, you know, if you were thinking about sticking around for awhile...Any plans on where your feet will be taking you next?"

Lita had never been one to open with people, even if the blonde had been one to pry. At least not without a bottle of good whiskey in hand. The last thing she wanted anyway was anyone's pity and what was done was done, there was no changing that now. The best she could do was try and put the pieces back together. She glanced sideways at Meri as she dragged out the mention of that engagement, the unspoken words lingering in the air in neon colors but she'd spent enough time around the kids at Venturil's shelter to understand that they tended to repeat and question even things they didn't entirely understand. She was grateful when Meri steered the conversation and she could listen. She'd never been so good at being a friend to people but she knew how to listen. "Back to Rynvale, hopefully." If her feet would allow it. "Feels like time." She hadn't quite lived there full time since Hanan's death years ago. It was time to let the ghosts be ghosts. "Shop's been closed for a while and I miss it, having something to do." There was a hammock at the back of a beach house with her name on it too. "Can't say I know much about the adventurer's guild but if you ever venture east, we should get a drink. You can tell me more about," she flickered a glance towards Fleur again, "everything." Her smile broadened slightly. "I'm glad you're doing well. You look happy." It was an honest observation, if nothing else. "And I look forward to getting to see the new shop set-up, as well! I mean, I assume there's a generous friends' discount, yeah?" She was only teasing.

Meri would strongly disagree with Lita were she the sort of psion that could read minds. Some might be relieved that she cannot, others would find it more preferable to the psionic abilities that she was born with. But! If Meri could read minds, she would be an instant fuss over Lita being a better friend than she gives herself credit for. "Aye. Rynvale. Funny how it always seems to try and call us back, hm? I was trying to convince Callum to consider property out there...even just part-time." Meri gives a shrug, as if to say 'we'll see'. Meri goes on, another easy going smile forming on her lips. "Either way, I still travel out that direction. Myself and some other member's of the guild were just out there the other day on a job to obtain dragonscales for a seamstress. We can definitely meet up for a drink. I wonder how Simon would feel about us being under the same roof at the same time again." Meri's smirk grows wider. It was hit or miss as to how chatty Meri could be these days, but she was managing just fine for the moment. "And yes, there is a generous friends discount. It's an art gallery though, not all the pieces are mine. So that discount can only be extended to my own pieces." Meri actually takes a moment to point to a a building that looks more like a warehouse than a gallery, positioned within walking distance. "That's me right there actually."

Lita nodded in agreement at Meri's mention of Rynvale calling them back. That was a good way to describe it. Whether it was the memories there or just the want to be a part of something more, the island was a much a part of them as they were of it at one time. "Well, if you ever just want to visit, the beach house has a guest room. Private beach, little orchard on a bit of land." It had been a wedding gift to Hanan and herself from Jolie and Leo. It was another lifetime ago but the house was still hers now, still loved, long missed. "You guys are always welcome." She left that open for interpretation on purpose. Meri, Callum, Fleur, the guild. Krice had said she needed people in her life again, to find a way past everything else. She wasn't sure she agreed with him but she'd try it. She raised a brow at this quest for dragonscales- sounded like fun! But was immediately distracted by mention of Simon. "Gods I have missed his whiskey!" She said, a little laughter on her lips. "Nothing comes close, I'll tell you that. He's one of the few that doesn't take any of our shyte, either." Lita was surprised to find herself talking like this. Laughing. As if she'd simply been on vacation for the last year or so. It felt good. She followed Meri as she pointed out the gallery building and made a mental note of it. "I will definitely make a point to stop by soon. With plenty of coin." She added. "Do you feature local artists only or is it an open forum?" She'd never felt outside of her comfort zone when it came to art in any form.

Despite being engrossed in conversation with Lita, Meri was still managing to keep a watchful eye on Fleur. Meri was not entirely sure what Lita has been up to all of these time, but it was good to see the woman finally start to relax and laugh a bit. Alas, the child is pretty determined to not let her mother continue this conversation for much longer. "Mom! I've got to go potty!" And judging by the way the child is dancing and wiggling around, she has probably had to go potty for awhile and now it is an emergency situation. Which means Meri is going to have to scramble to find a bathroom. Maybe back at the Schoolhouse? Meri's mind is already racing to figure out the 'where' lest Fleur just goes potty in her dress. Oi. #parentproblems "The short answer to your answer is I will feature whomever wants to be featured. We can talk more about it over drinks, I would love to have you flit through the gallery and create some pieces of your own if you were interested." Fleur whines as her mother talks, "Mooooom!" Which causes Meri to roll her eyes and take her daughter by the hand, "You'll have to forgive me. Someone has to pee, I guess, so I must escort the mini to the nearest bathroom."

Lita waved a hand at Meri, a 'no apology necessary' gesture. "Go, go, we'll catch up soon. Good to see you again!" She'd turn back towards the ferry then. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.