RP:Niix and Pen

Summary: Meri meets Niix for the first time.

Grassy Knoll

Niix with tuna at her heel finds herself at a rather peculiar spot. Standing at the top of the knoll with stones sliding and crunching underfoot, the half-elf turns a slow circle. Trees there. More hills over there. Over the trees wisps of smoke from chimney’s and cook fires rose. It was strangely peaceful here. Tuna felt the same as the large cub turned a circle and laid down; the tip of her tail twitching to some inner beat. Niix sat next to the big cat, picked up a stone and chucked in in some random direction and just listened to the silence. Even Pen was quiet, and he usually liked to chatter at the most inappropriate times.

Meri slides through the shadows of the forest, but stealth was not something that the blonde woman intentionally sought on this night. It was just a natural occurrence, the forest offered sufficient coverage and the night amplified the shadows. Tuna would be the first of the two to notice Meri's approach, a slight breeze carries Meri's scent to the feline. Initially, Meri had no real interest in the form that sat upon the hill...but when she saw that it was two figures, and one of those figures was a very familiar feline...Meri could not help but approach. Meri comes to stand in front of Niix, carried by long strides, and Tuna greets her with a friendly chuffing noise. The two have a history, one that developed at The Office in company of Hudson, Eleanor, and occasionally Leoxander. Meri's fondess of the tiger is not going to soften the greeting that Niix gets. Meri's voice is a stern one, demanding an answer to the question, "Where did you get this cat?" And based on Meri's harsh tone? Her behavior is bound to get worse should she find the answer Niix gives to be unsatisfactory.

Niix is alerted to the arrival if Meri when Tuna rolls to her feet and her eyes peer towards the forest. Niix stood at about the same time, one hand rested on the squarish head. Even though Tuna is friendly to the stranger, Niix is more wary. The teen looked Meri up and down, head to toe, then met the other woman’s eyes. “She was entrusted to me by a good friend who has gone on a journey she couldn’t take Tuna on.” A simple answer. “How do you know Tuna?” Tuna slid under Niix’s hand to but her head into Meri’s hip demanding attention. Such a house-cat she could be sometimes, that Tuna.

It is obvious that Meri is thinking, trying to pull back a name that Eleanor once dropped to her -- encouraged her to meet. Go to The Office and meet ______. Before Meri's name can fill in the blank, Tuna is bumping Meri's hip in a bid for attention, uncaring to the tension that is currently existing between Niix and Meri. Meri's fingers give Tuna's head a good scratch and just as she finishes the name she was looking for finally slips into her mind. "Niix. You must be Niix." A smirk soon curves across Meri's red lips, her shoulders relaxing and her tone of voice softening. "I have known Tuna longer than you have." Though Niix as of late admittedly gets more of Tuna's company. "Almost as long as Eleanor, but not quite." The hand that was scratching Tuna upon the head is lifted away from the feline and offered toward Niix. "Meri."

The sudden change in demeanor almost throws Niix off balance but she recovers quickly and takes the offered hand right before Tuna pushes harder against Meri for more scratches. “Yeah, I’m Niix.” Pen hadn’t given any warning that she might be in any danger from Meri so that’s gotta mean something, right? Relaxed but still alert, because one never knows, Niix smiles back. “Tuna and I might not go back as far as the rest of you, but I like to think we have a special relationship.” The thief laughs fondly. “Honestly, when I first met her I thought I was going to become Kitty Food.” Her smile fades thinking about that day. Frankly, Niix was starting to miss and worry about Eleanor. She hadn’t heard from the Boss in a while. “So. Um.” Awkward teen entered, “have you heard from El lately? Tuna and I, we’ve been up in Frostmaw working. Well, I’ve been working. Tuna’s been enjoying the snow.”

Meri shared these concerns, to an extent. Eleanor is known for her disappearances, but the last time that she had an extended stint off the radar she -was- in a lick of trouble. The blonde shakes her head slowly to answer the question, "Has to have been a bit over three months since I have seen her last." Meri tries to recall the details of when, a ball. They had wanted to stir up some mischief, but it had not really panned out. Too much notice was put upon them, so they just enjoyed a few drinks instead. The thought of Tuna playing in the snow brings another smile to Meri's lips, but it is a fleeting one. "When was the last time that you saw her? What sort of work is Frostmaw bringing you? I thought you were the gal she was all excited to have helping her with The Office and managing that...? So that she could get business in Rynvale settled?" Meri regards Niix with another scrutinizing glance, this one is not a hostile one...it's purely analytical. She was trying to size the pickpocket up.

Niix thinks back, glancing down towards her right in thought. “Right before she left when she asked me to watch Tuna.” The Cat in question had resumed her most comfortable position on the ground; an ear flicked at some random sound or other. “I’m doing some work with Lionel up there. I don’t figure it’s much of a secret, but he and his friend helped me in a jam so I offered a few of my services.” She made it sound like not a big deal but freeing people who would otherwise have been slaves from Karhan’s hands might not be seen as nothing. Anyway, Niix wasn’t a glory hound. The news that El was going to set her up as the manager of the Office was news. “Oh. Uhm. Maybe? She didn’t say anything to me about that. I mean, not that I’d say no if she did.” Because who could say no to El? But anyway, “Ah, so. Anyway.” She trailed off, not really sure what to say now.

Meri chuckles at Niix's 'maybe', "Ah well, maybe she did, maybe she meant to, her accent is so thick that who the hell knows what she was actually saying half the time." If Niix believed otherwise, Meri was not going to push or press the issue. Ultimately, Hudson was also co-manager of the business and if he was concerned about the state of his business then he was more than capable of dealing with it himself. The woman shifts her gaze to the sky, turning them in the general direction of Frostmaw. Doing some work with Lionel up there, that was another name that she was familiar with. Which jogs another memory, twice now she has been told to meet Niix. "He has instructed me to try and meet with you too. Well, he said that he was going to arrange the meeting, so that we could start working together to help Kahran." Lionel, presumably, just has not had a chance to arrange said meeting. "It looks like we beat him to the punch. Doubly nice to meet you in that case." Meri furrows her brows together, trying to further recall the details of that discussion. It has been a couple months since they agreed that this should happen.

Niix laughed at that, “I know, but I think I’m getting better at translating!” Laughing was good! Laughter made everything feel like it was normal. Niix watched Meri, observing her new acquaintance while she turned her gaze towards the north. “It seems like we were fated to meet then. I’m glad we did.” She didn’t quite know why yet, but Niix was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason. Sometimes it took a while for that reason to become apparent but there was always a reason. When Meri mentioned Kahran, the pendant beneath her shirt heated. Meri, if she happened to look her way just then, would see Niix clasp her hand against her chest. The other pulls at the chain around her neck and the corrupted pendant of Arkhan is drawn out. A huge X mars the surface and dark energy entwined with streaks of amber is revealed. “Ow, Pen. What in the hells is wrong?” Freeing the chain from her grasp, Niix rubs at the sore spot the heat had left behind. Glancing up at Meri then, Niix introduces the two. “Meri, this is Pen. Pen meet Meri.” The pendant, however, remains silent but the half-elf can sense a sort of tension in ‘him’.

"I don't entirely know what Lionel had in mind," Meri goes on to explain. "Hopefully we'll get the chance to learn what he had planned sooner rather than later." The last time that Meri encountered anyone that had a pendant that seemed to have a mind of it's own, any time Meri touched said pendant she would see something. Meri has never been certain if it it was just the nature of that pendant in particular, or if it was Meri's psionic capabilities that lended to being able to see these visions. Emilia once told Meri she saw them too. That being said, curiosity gets the better of Meri despite any pain that Niix was clearly feeling. The woman reaches out with a tattooed hand to try and take hold of the pendant, cautiously expecting to be burned as well. "Pen. Nice to meet you." Burns pending. Blue eyes cut back to Niix, then to the pendant. Still curious. "What is Pen? I mean, clearly this is not your average puppy." It might even be more exotic than Niix's white tiger companion.

Meri wouldn’t get burned as Pen had seemed to calm down by then. The mark on Niix’s chest still smarted, however. Whatever Meri had seen with that other pendant it didn’t seem to be the case with Pen. Pen, being sentient, sent his own thoughts directly towards the psion ~I am Niix’s companion and protector. And I am not pleased she kept me hidden for so long.~ Even Niix got that from the petulant bit of jewelry. She rolled her eyes. “Didn’t have to burn me.” She was hoping that Meri wouldn’t ask how she had come into possession of such a trinket. She’d have to tell most of the truth, then. “Meri, I am sorry. Pen here, he’s quite protective.” And sometimes she wondered if he had an ulterior motive behind that protection. The dark amber threaded aura seemed to sink into the jagged X that marred what would have been a rather beautiful Arkhan symbol. Not entirely. It would appear like a heat mirage on the surface if one looked close enough. “I’m not entirely sure what he is.” One slender should rose under the duster and dropped just as quickly and carelessly. “Maybe this is why Lionel wanted us to meet? I mean do you maybe know anything about magic talking trinkets?” The last was obviously a jab at the sentient object.

Meri points at herself and smirks, shaking her head. "Do I know anything about talking trinkets? No. I do not. I would suspect your talking trinket knows the most about talking trinkets." Her blue eyes travel back to Pen. "Don't you? Burning her is not such a nice way to get her attention, protector." Not that Meri is always apt toward kindness herself, she towed the line, often. "You could have just asked nicely," the blonde teases. "So what's your story?" She asks of Pen, instead of asking Niix. Given Meri's penchant for dishonesty (look she likes to steal sometimes, nothing too major), she did not expect a straight answer out of Niix. The pendant though? The sentient being might be more inclined to speak in earnest. Before Pen can get into the story, should he even be so inclined to humor Meri, the blonde does think to add on. "I do know someone with a sentient sword. You might want to talk to her sometime. Khitti. She owns a bakery in Cenril, I would send word to her there and ask to meet." Now, it is all eyes on Pen. Well, at least all of Meri's eyes...she only has two though.

Pen would have puffed up his chest, if he had one to puff up, with pride having the attention of Meri and Niix both. “She rarely listens to me so I had to get her attention somehow,” is Pen’s response to slightly scorching some small patch of skin. “I don’t know my story, Ms. Meri. You see, Niix rescued me from a bunch of hooligans who thought to sell my Jade box, with me in it, to Kahran. If you don’t mind me saying so, that would be a rather bad idea. You see; somewhere between my being forged and meeting my lovely Niix, someone thought to imbue me with some rather dark magics; I’m sure you can tell that for yourself, but the who or why are unknown to me. I do know that they were not successful in completing that task and thus I am.” Pen’s voice was rather soothing; a deep warm baritone that slid over the inner ear rather nicely. As he ‘spoke’ the darkness pulsed with expended energy. Niix supposed ‘rescue’ was as good a way as putting it even if stealing was more accurate. Clearing her throat with a cough the half-elf continued. “It was Lionel’s companion I met first. The old Elf, the bald one.” Niix forgets names easily. “I was actually looking for him and somehow found myself in the middle of a battle with frost giants of some sort or other.” Niix didn’t pay attention to what they called themselves. “And then some old lady showed up, killed all of them which is good because, well, I didn’t think I’d make it out of there. I saw El up there too but there was just so much happening all at once...” Niix stopped to take a breath and glance at Meri to see how she was taking all this in. And why, for the love of the Gods, was Niix telling her all this? “Meri, I honestly have no idea what the hells I’m doing. I have a talking magic pendant and I’m doing jobs from a frozen home-base in a war I don’t quite understand but think it would really bad if we lost. And I don’t have any idea why I’m telling you all this!”

Meri listens to Pen's story, unsurprising by most of the details. One detail sticks out to her like a sore thumb, it would be bad if Kahran got ahold of this pendent? A nod to Pen, an indication that she heard all that was said to her. Niix's story comes hot on Pen's words, and Meri seems to harbor no judgement that Niix was spilling an usual amount of information. Somehow Meri usually (but not always) had a knack for getting people talking, sometimes it was more intentional that others. Sometimes it was more obvious than others. This time it was quite intentional and but also obvious, suggesting she had no ill intention with these inquiries. "Leave a note for Khitti. She will either be in Cenril or Venturil, so just leave word for her and arrange a meeting. She might be able to tell you something else, maybe it will be something that the both of you want to know. She is the leader of the Paladin's guild, and she and Lionel are practically family. You can trust her." Meri jerks a thumb over her shoulder, "I will be returning home." Home being somewhere off in the distant forest. Before she departs, Tuna is given some goodbye ear-scratchies. They last long enough for Niix to get any final words out to Meri.

Niix regains control of herself and her tongue, listening to Meri and her advise. "Yeah. I'll do that." She trusted Lionel and by extention now Meri and thus probably Khitti. To some extent. Niix reserved her natural proclivity towards suspicion at any moment. "Thanks, Meri and it really was nice to meet you, finally." Since two people had already told Meri to find her; which was odd when you think about it. "Safe journey." Niix would go the opposite direction and as much as Tuna might want to follow Meri, the collar around her neck bound her to Niix until El's return and she followed behind at a more lumbering pace than normal.