RP:Spilling Secrets

Part of the Seven Dwarves All Around Me Arc

This is a Rogue's Guild RP.

Summary: Eleanor and Callum meet in Meri's art gallery to speak about her freaky hybrid plant and the two end up spilling some secrets to each other finally. Aw, look. They're bonding.

Rebel Room: Art Gallery, Cenril

Callum || With the samples of Eleanor’s hybrid plant secreted away in a box within a box within a box within a box in Callum’s satchel (look he still doesn’t trust this thing), the mage-turned-witch headed through Cenril to Meri’s gallery, the key close at hand. The problem? He went through the merchant district during rush hour. Yeah, bad move. Not only was his satchel getting shoved around and the box(es) within rattling amongst some books he’d also packed away, but people kept recognizing him. He was really starting to regret restarting his botany business for a third time. His plants were -too- good, and when something was that good, people remembered. He almost didn’t make it in time to open the door and give himself a few moments breath before the leader of the Rogue’s Guild was supposed to show up and once he finally got in and lit minimal lights (so as not to let people think the shop was open), he stuffed a bunch of orders he’d taken along the way into the satchel too. These people were frakking lucky he loved money so much or else… well… he wouldn’t have done anything because (mostly) pacifist, but that’s not the point! The point was that now he had more work to do and it mildly annoyed him--and the wolf within. Not a single minute went by when the samples had not made him feel on edge and now was no different. Breathing a heavy sigh, he ran into the flat Meri had once lived in with Fleur, grabbed a couple chairs and the small table that had been in the kitchen and brought it out into the gallery, making sure to lock the door behind him. And once that was finished? He’d sit and he’d wait. And after a few moments of doing nothing, he got anxious and pulled those boxes within boxes within boxes out of the bag and set it on the table. It’s like he expected it to do tricks when he was not looking, like toys that were actually alive. But it was doing nothing but the usual and he saw as much, staring through each of those glass walls all the way through to its center. The whole thing continued to confound him and likely would for some time.

Eleanor was crouched down in the shadows of a building opposite the art gallery, half-hidden behind a stack of crates and barrels. She couldn't have been there for long when she caught Callum entering The Rebel Room, but the spellrogue remained cloaked beneath her familiar adumbrations. The Guild Leader counted out in her mind five, ten ... thirty ... sixty ... Beneath the low cowl of her hood, El's pale green eyes darted pointedly around the street, looking for any signs of someone following the witch or otherwise making a move on the gallery. Once she was sufficiently satisfied that her botanist hadn't been tailed, she finally departed from her position and let a few layers of the more supernatural obscurations fade away. Skirting around her chosen building until coming to the streetcorner, gaze sweeping left and then right, El crossed quickly, her now-quite-normal cloak flapping about her calves. Once at the door, she paused, glancing warily behind her toward the ebbing crowd. To the best of her ability, she could sense no enemies—but that made the tenured rogue all the more suspicious. Gritting her teeth, the spellrogue drew in a steadying breath before ducking inside the gallery at last. Eleanor had only been to The Rebel Room a couple of times, but it seemed appropriate for a rendezvous, being as far detached from herself as it appeared to be. It was just private enough that they could speak though (or so she dearly hoped). Once inside, El let her cowl puddle around her shoulders, revealing her flaxen hair twisted into a fishtail. The cloak continued to conceal the rest of her figure. Moving further into the gallery, she gave the end of the tail an anxious little tug before tucking both arms within her cloak and seeking out Callum and her plants. Finding him staring profoundly at the latter, El lifted a brow. "Shoods Ah come back anither time an' leave ye to it, 'en?" she found herself teasing, even if there was a subtle timbre of nervousness hiding under her words.

Callum || The spellrogue’s scent was caught first before Callum ever set his sights on her and when she -had- made herself known, the werewolf shifted his ocean blue eyes in her direction. “No. That won’t be necessary.” Cal was as serious as ever, his attention eventually leaving her and returning to the samples. “Your plant is infuriating. Apart, the two function almost as normal. I kept them separate for a time, to study the two. What you thought was blue topaz is actually aquamarine--they do look similar however. And much like it’s normal form, it helps to steady the wielder’s mind, to allow them to be more conscious of their feelings and thoughts and express them more freely. It’s supposed to help with anger as well, but I don’t think it’s quite strong enough to work specifically in that way on werewolves, which explains how things went during our last meetup.” He had not forgotten the way he’d yelled at her, and while he was a little regretful of the way he’d gone about it, his feelings were still the same. “It also seems well-attuned to me… perhaps because it’s my birthstone and nothing more. It seemed to enhance my water magic a bit.” The Catalian shook his head and sighed, “The flower is just the same. Alone, its properties are the same as any other hyacinth. I took just enough of the root to test it, as well as some of the flowers and leaves. They all work as intended in the medicinal world. All of the concoctions I’ve made with that specific flower all came out perfectly fine. But… when they’re together?” He pushed the cube with more cubes--and the plant pieces--within, towards the other chair with a bit of force. “When they are together, they act as if they’d never been separated. The flowers spew their spores, the leaves sprout that same ivy that was beneath The Office, and the roots seek to dig themselves deep, like they were a damned tree. I don’t really know what the spores do, beyond the normal for spores. I tried testing it on a rabbit and the spores only clung to themselves, making more ivy until it suffocated the rabbit. If it has any effects, I haven’t found it yet, but considering how much of an aberration this thing is, it could still take more time.”

Eleanor lips twisted into a wry smirk at Cal's response. "Och aye," she softly snickered, " 'at it is, which is why Ah've come to ye fur help, loove." She began to circle around the table, casting sidelong glances toward the plant hybrids before lifting her arms and crossing them. "Aquamarine? Yer birthstain? Ye dornt say ..." Halfway around the table, she paused, frowning as Cal went on about their last encounter, particularly the part about werewolves and anger. That part drained the color from her usually sun-brushed cheeks, and a crease formed underneath the iron diadem fitting snugly on her brow. When she spoke again, that troubled quiver had returned. "Ah need tae get the rest ay th' plants out ay Th' Office." Beat. "Immediately." She paused again, but this time it was to pivot away from the table, scooping up the interceptacube in the process. "Ah've packed up puckle ay th' plants awreddy, but it's gettin' harder an' harder tae get intae th' sub-basement." The spellrogue's celadon twins stumbled over Callum before she added soberly, "Did ye keep onie at home, ur is thes it?"

Callu, nodded somewhat when she asked about his birthstone. “Yeah. I dunno. It’s a witch thing, I guess. Before Lanara had to leave for her homeland, her and I talked about a couple different stones. Some resonated with me, others not so much. It’s complicated.” It really -wasn’t- complicated, but Cal wasn’t keen on speaking about it much now. The tree in their yard in Sage, and the spirit attached to it--and him-- was not something he wanted to discuss, even if it was the culprit behind the hematite stone, that Lanara had brought, not feeling right to him. “And yes, that’s it. All that’s left of what I didn’t use anyway.” As perceptive as ever, the raven-haired werewolf studied his guild leader, brows furrowed, concern joining the ever-growing seriousness of his demeanor. “What is it, Eleanor? Something has happened, hasn’t it? And don’t lie to me this time… I can’t help if you lie. I know the plant can grow quickly, but all ivy does--and I don’t think you’d be as keen on getting rid of it if it was just that.” Cal stood up from his seat, continuing to watch her body language. “You’re better than most at hiding your emotions, I’ll give you that, but you’ve been slacking lately in that department. If things keep up this way, it won’t be just me or Meri that notices.” This was literally part of what he did for a living after all, the people-watching and gathering information.

Eleanor dipped her chin in a few slight nods. She knew a little bit about stones—there was one embedded in her skull after all—but she left the witch stuff to the witches, and so when Cal said, 'It's complicated,' she didn't really push. Especially as it was her turn to build up a few defenses, the water-witch's questions bouncing back at her quicker than she could shield herself from them. Her arm tightened instinctively around the cubes, and the spellrogue took a step backward as if the single pace could protect her from the dangerous answers bounding around in her mind. A bitter scoff rose up, and she very nearly replied with, 'It's complicated.' In the end, her husky voice crossed the table to share a truth not yet uttered even to herself. "Leo is back ..." Her stomach was twisting into a series of knots. "Ah did some things ... gart a mess ay things while he was gone an' ... an' Ah hae tae clean them up, onie Ah—" There was only so much she could bring herself to tell Callum, and right now, she felt like she was standing on the edge of a steep cliff. It wasn't easy for her to be straight with those in the guild; it was so much easier for the spellrogue to compartmentalize. She'd been doing it her entire life, and it looked like it was working up until now. Only now, the tapestry of her life was unraveling. "Biodh na diathan air mo bhualadh sios." The lilting D'Vainese flowed out of her like a spell, but with the way El drew in a deep breath and heaved her shoulders with the resulting sigh, it was more likely a vulgar curse. "Weel, he knows whit Ah've dain." Lifting her eyes back to the kingfisher, the rogue continued, "But he got angry—really, truly radge, an' he turned. In th' club. Ah—Ah didnea ken whit tae do, Ah jist wanted tae help." Eleanor pushed her lips together a moment, debating on whether she could, in fact, tell Cal precisely what she'd done; how would he take it, being a werewolf himself? Could he take it? Would he be sickened, inspired? Disgusted? El wasn't even sure where she stood on the whole Leo-walking-around-in-wolf's-skin. "Ah hink Ah trapped him, thocht." Now, she wasn't sure if the plants had played a part in the binding spell she'd used; her mind was reeling, replaying Callum's words. "Whit Ah mean is, I didnae ken if ... Leo is ... himself."

Callum’s brow couldn’t possibly wrinkle anymore right now, but if it could, it would. What exactly should he say to any of this? That Leo is back. That he’s not himself. That he turned on her. It took awhile for Cal to process it all and try to shove away all his not so savory thoughts about Leoxander. The man had not been the best person in the world, and that was a lot coming from someone else who also worked in the darkness. “Leo is… I don’t have any nice words for or about the guy. But if he continues to hurt you, in whatever form he chooses, then perhaps you shouldn’t be around him anymore, Eleanor. So, he’s been gone for awhile. Wherever the hell it is that he went, it sounds like he went a bit feral. From what I’ve read, it can happen to any werewolf that’s been by themselves for too long--and I’ve had to do a hell of a lot of studying about that subject. If he’s been bound, then it’s for the better. If it wasn’t you, then it would’ve been someone else. He should feel lucky that it -was- you, because I don’t know if he’d be alive anymore if it was anyone else.” He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, “I’m only going to ask this once. If you choose not to answer, and it’s something that further endangers my family, I will not ask nicely again.” Callum let his words sink in a bit, and then continued, “What did you do, Eleanor?”

Eleanor quickly shook her head. "Nae," she told him earnestly, "Leo wouldnae hurt me." Not the way Cal meant, at least. Dal'ken, on the other hand? The wolf-half of the equation was all beast, but El had seen to him. Or so she hoped. As the wolf in front of her came to his conclusions, the spellrogue nodded wearily. "Aye." The admission was soft but honest. "He went feral, puckle years ago. It's ... nae his fault, ye dornt ken whit he's bin through." To visit Death and come back again, how many did? El was among the few who shared that experience with Leo, and she pinched her lips momentarily. His visions still came to her at night. "Ah did bin' him." Her arm had slackened somewhat around the cubes, but still, the spellrogue remained standing, torn between staying and the urgent need to leave to clean up her supposed messes. "Ah put every oonce ay magic Ah had intae it." Continuing with her confessional, Eleanor added regretfully, "That's why Ah had nane 'at day at th' Inn ..." The chair across from Cal finally called out to her, and she sank readily into it, returning the cubes to the table. "Ah'm nae a wolf loch ye." Stating the obvious, the vestiges of her opportune-as-ever humor crept back into the right corner of her mouth. "But whit Ah dae ken is 'at it's nae aye easy. It's ... a war inside." Beat. "At leest, it was fur Leo. When he turns, it's loch ... somethin' else takes ower, but ... thes time, Ah got ... Ah got Leo tae take ower, an' ... an' Ah boond him loch 'at." Another beat. "Ah dunnae ken if th' plants ur th' crystals will hae onie effect on whit Ah did tae him, thocht."

Callum || “I’m sure you did everything to keep him and everyone else safe, El,” Cal said with a frown. “I have not gone wolf very many times. The first time was not pleasant. Meri and I were attacked by witch hunters at our home. We almost died. Fleur likely would’ve joined us. I don’t quite understand what Leo is specifically going through, but I think I know a little. If you’re not careful, the wolf can take over for longer than you want. If he’s got that much trauma from his past, it’s likely as much of a coping mechanism as a bottle of whiskey.” Sigh. With as much as Cal understood how a person worked, mind-wise, it’s a wonder he didn’t just go through the Healer’s Guild to become some sort of psych doctor. “And if it’s been really bad lately, whiskey won’t help at all. You need something to numb the pain and letting the wolf take over means you don’t have to feel anything anymore.” He finally sank back into his own chair and eyed the table, “Seems I may have to give up my little concoction again.” There’s another sigh from the werewolf as his attention settled back on Eleanor, “I can give you wolfsbane... and a milk of the poppy mixture that might help him. I’ve had to up the dosage in my recipe for when it’s still needed nowadays for myself. The wolfsbane would weaken him, the poppy mixture would keep him calm. I… used it quite a bit when Meri left me awhile back and some other things transpired… so I know it works. I don’t use it much anymore though. Not unless my anxiety gets the better of me. She doesn’t want me getting addicted to it again. Not around Fleur.” Cal felt inclined to share some of his secrets with Eleanor, since she was sharing her own. Obviously, Meri and him were back together, but that had certainly been a bad time. “But, I think you should only give it to him if he wants it. And if he does want it, then he needs to be monitored as best as you can. It’s not some sort of wonder cure. As for the plants… who are you getting to take care of it? Where is it being taken? I suppose I should probably be there when it’s removed from the sewer.”

Eleanor wanted to hold out hope that the binding spell inked into the pirate's skin these last days, weeks, or even months by now would somehow unite Leo with his wolf-self. "Ye dornt ken, Cal," she told him heavily. "Th' wolf awreddy took ower fur tois years. Awreddy took him awa' frae me fur tois years. When Ah saw th' wolf 'at nicht again—Ah refused." Eleanor exhaled slowly. "Ah /refused/ tae let him tak' Leo again." And it very nearly killed her. Just thinking about that night was dredging up shattered flashes, disjointed images, visions of streets ablaze, cursed hearts on fire. Whether it was stubbornness or shame coaxed the ruddiness to her cheeks, El took a moment to tear her gaze away from the witch. Chewing on her lip, her nostrils flared a beat, before she nodded. "Awrecht. Ah'll tak' yer concoction tae him." Edging her pale eyes back toward the other, she relented with another morsel of information she usually might not have shared, "Ah /was/ gonna put it ben th' crew, smuggle them ben tae th' islain, figure Leo's got a place fur them, but ... Ah'm nae sae sure if it's auld Ah th' horn tae pit him in th' sam buildin' as these plants. Nae until we ken mair abit them." Leo wasn't even in Rynvale, but she didn't want to risk it if he went back without telling her. "We cannae lae them haur, nae if she—" A simple indication toward the art gallery at large. "—is still runnin' business ben haur..." Pursing her full lips, Eleanor shook her head. "Nae, Ah hink Ah need fresh ground." She followed this with a nod, then another. Scooping up the cubes for a second time, she rose to her feet, and with her other hand, moved to return her hood to its rightful place over her head. "Ur a ship."

Callum wasn’t going to argue with Eleanor. It’s true he didn’t -really- know what was going on; he was still a pup in werewolf years, after all. He merely nodded and pulled out one of the bits of paper with an order on it from earlier and scribbled the poppy mixture and the wolfsbane down as a reminder before shoving it back into his satchel. “New ground... Hrm,” he said eventually, thinking on what she said as she stood up. “What about the desert? It’s a bit, uh, warm there but I’ve heard there’s an abandoned palace on the southside of it. Meri knows her way around Gualon too. I guess she more or less lived there for a while. The only real thing we’d have to worry about out there besides the elements are the bandits that attack some of the small villages. Meri’s dealt with those too, with the Ranger’s Guild. So, at the very least, we wouldn’t entirely be going in there blind.” He stood too finally and pushed his chair in. “At any rate, there’s likely quite a bit of room there to deal with this thing you made.”

Eleanor tucked her braid into the shadows of her cowl before lifting her celadon gaze to Callum. "Th' desert, ye say?" she repeated, evidently intrigued by the prospect. She hadn't really considered it, but a glimmer of something emerged in her pale eyes. "Now, Gualon, we've hud some dealings wi', in fact." Terra had helped to save Leo's life when they'd come up from the Underdark, his body ravaged by the Drow when the two of them had sought to travel through the fated subterranean tunnels as a means of getting to Rynvale. More recently, El had offered some semblance of vengeance by way of Drow ears, a debt still to be paid. Despite all that darkness, the smirk was back in the corner of the spellrogue's mouth, the gears in her mind beginning to whirr. "Ye ken, loove," she proceeded thoughtfully, pivoting towards the exit. "Ah ne'er thooght anyain woods make a desert soond sae appealin'." Balancing the cubeception against the swell of her hip, she draped the cloak over the cube, relying on the subtle arcana woven into her gear to diminish the box's appearance from the outside. With any luck, it wouldn't stand out too much against her silhouette, keeping her from appearing a prime target for the type of bandits that apparently spooked Callum. "Ah'll tak' it tae mah place tonecht," she eventually decided, turning back to glance at Callum with a nod. "See if Ah cannae ride it tae thes castle ye mentioned first hin' tha' moorns." Before she left, though, there was a subtle softening around the crinkles around her eyes. "If ye feel onie lingerin' effects efter Ah've gain, ye come fin' me. Ye can caa fur Eun if ye cannae fin' me, an' he can." Very much on cue, the blue-feathered bird landed outside one of the high windows of the gallery, pecking at the glass with its beak. "Och aye, Ah hear ye, Ah year ye," she shushed at it, before sparing Callum a parting glance. "Onie effects at all. Ye fin' me." Eun rapped at the glass more insistently this time, drawing out an exasperated cry from the spellrogue. She waved dismissively at the window, and the bird flew off, leaving the guild leader to tend to her shadows before checking the door; she'd not exit without ensuring they were both safe to do so.