RP: A Quiet Night In

From HollowWiki

Summary: The day after healing Talyara, Zahrani comes to check on the witch she has come to care for, sharing food, time, and care.


Talyara's Cottage

Zahrani silently walks through the familiar woods, the athletic paladin still bearing her more humanoid visage from the previous night. The weather in the forest had gotten slightly warmer, so she enjoys the slightly cool wind on bare, dark skin. She carries a large satchel over her shoulder, the contents of which were a gift provided by a local farmer who needed her help. His child had fallen ill, and the panther was in the neighborhood. After healing the young boy, the farmer sent Zahrani off with enough food to last her awhile. So here she is, walking towards Taly's cottage, knowing exactly with whom she wants to share her bounty.


Talyara spent the previous day traveling back to Sage from Enchantment and had opted to spend the day in bed, relaxing. Zahrani had done a perfect job healing her side, but she still had some residual pain and inflammation. Since it hindered her from being able to climb the ladder into her loft, Taly had made a makeshift bed on a small couch she had purchased. Her back was pressed against the armrest and she was burrowed under a warm quilt as she quietly read a book. She was dressed in baggy sweatpants and a tank top, her hair loose and unruly as ever.


Zahrani comes up to the cabin, hearing the sounds of some of the animals just off to the barn. They had likely smelled or heard her coming, as they are probably going to be a bit noisy with a visitor coming to see their caretaker. The paladin steps up to the doorway, her head turned to the side while one of her black-furred, elf-like ears listens for any sound. A closed hand reaches up to politely knock, while her other hand readjusts the strap on the satchel.


Talyara picks her head up and looks towards the door curiously—she hadn’t been expecting any visitors. The witch gently places a strap of leather in the book to hold her place before peeling the quilt back and standing with a grimace. Her hand unconsciously presses to her sore side as she pads barefoot to the door before pulling it open. She smiles brightly when she sees the familiar face and pulls the door open more, stepping to the side to allow the paladin to enter. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today."


Zahrani's face lights up upon seeing Talyara at the door, the panther entering the cottage with a slight bow. She gently places the satchel of food on the floor, before offering a warm embrace to the elf and saying, "Well, I just finished helping a young farmboy who had fallen ill today, but I wanted to see you again, and to make sure you're doing okay after last night." The feline seems to have recovered quickly, considering that she could just carry on tending to other people the following day.


Talyara smiles and returns Rani’s embrace before inviting her to sit somewhere in the open space area as she returns to her place on the couch. “I guess you’re feeling better if you’re already healing others,” she says with a small chuckle. “I’m doing okay. Just sore, so I’ve been taking it easy today."


Zahrani takes up the satchel once more and sits across from Taly, nodding in understanding at the witch's last statement, "I'm glad you are resting up." The feline reaches into the satchel, producing a pear and smelling it for freshness. Looking back at the elf, the paladin asks, "Have you had anything to eat? The farmboy's father gave me some fresh food as thanks, and it's more than I could eat." Some of it would need to be cooked, but that's not a difficult task for Rani.


Talyara pulls the quilt back over herself as she tucks her legs underneath her body, placing the book she had been reading on a side table. She studies her friend for a moment and feels her cheeks flush a pale pink as the panther poses her question about eating. “I’m not hungry, thank you. But that was nice of him to give you all the foodstuffs."


Zahrani has a somewhat neutral look on her face, the feline taking a bite out of the pear in response. A calm smile returns to her face as she reaches into the satchel and pulls out a small sack of rice. It appears as though she's taking inventory of what exactly she received from the farmer. Some root and cruciferous veggies, more fruit, a loaf of fresh sourdough, some legumes. As she takes stock, she asks the witch, "Can you tell me more about this plan you mentioned last night? About resurrecting Valrae?"


Talyara tents her elbow on the armrest of the couch, leaning her head into the palm of her hand as she watches Zahrani take inventory of what the thankful farmer had bequeathed to her. Taly toys with a loose lock of hair, twirling it around her finger idly. When Rani questions her about the plan on Valrae, the witch’s face screws up in concentration. “I don’t exactly know all the details,” she confides in the panther. “We had a meeting in Cenril and it was told to us that there were these crystal skulls hidden around Lithrydel and that if we could find them and bring them together, we might be able to resurrect Valrae."


Zahrani raises a brow. She had heard of the concept of resurrection in magic and divine intervention. She had also listened in on a few of the many philosophical debates that sought to answer questions like ~Would you truly be bringing back the same person?~ and the more straightforward question of ~Is this the right thing to do?~ Zahrani's question was slightly more practical, "Do you know who provided this information?" She takes another bite of her pear, the fruit making a soft crunch as the juicy flesh gives way to her teeth.


Talyara gives her head a small nod. “The mayor of Cenril. Valrae lived there, she protected them when things were going badly. Apparently, whatever spell she placed upon the beach town is dwindling in her death. There is no way for us to restore the spell without bringing the original practitioner back. So if we bring Valrae back, we restore her protective spell and undo her murder."


Zahrani examines a head of Napa cabbage, some onion, and garlic while she listens to Talyara. She looks back at the elf, the paladin appearing satisfied with the answer before sniffing at a packaged block of foodstuff. Tofu. There is also seasoning for flavor and preservation. Zahrani looks over to the cottage's fireplace, scanning for cookware. She turns her head back to Taly, a look of resolve in her eyes, "Then I have a challenge for you, my friend. I want you to prove to me that you are can keep up your strength for this coming resurrection. Your magic is strong, but I challenge you to keep your body strong as well. I challenge you to show me that you won't...I dunno...blow away in the wind as soon as this resurrection starts." She offers a wry grin at the last remark, before adding, "That challenge includes eating every day, even when your brain says it's not up to the challenge."


Talyara arches her brow curiously when Zahrani declares that she has a challenge for the witch. She listens to her friend speak the challenge and lets out a small sigh before offering a tight lipped smile to her friend. “I’m not hungry,” she reinforces to the paladin earnestly. “But I promise I will eat when I’m hungry.” Taly notices that Rani seems to be looking around and points towards the kitchen area. “If you are hungry, however, and want to cook, help yourself to my kitchen. There’s utensils and cookery in the cupboards."


Zahrani sighs in return, before getting to her feet using only the strength in her legs. Within minutes, she has rice in a pot with fresh water, salt, and whole cumin seed, and the pot near the fire. She efficiently chops an onion and a couple cloves of garlic, along with some fresh cuts of chicken. The chicken is cut into bite-size pieces. The paladin uses a pan over heat to render out oil from the chicken skin; she would use that to cook the chicken thoroughly, before tossing in the onion, garlic, and after a few minutes, some diced cabbage. The smell of well-seasoned stir fry would fill the cabin.


Talyara watches her friend flawlessly make her way around the kitchen and the pan, smiling softly as she does so. “You certainly have cooking skills. Do you enjoy it? I always preferred baking myself.” Eventually she pushes herself to a stand and moves to the ice chest, deciding to be useful. “Do you want anything to drink? Is there something I can do to help you?"


Zahrani pauses for a second to make sure her tightly braided hair is out of her face. With a couple of hot-pads, she removes the rice pot from the heat, taking a wooden spoon and checking it for done-ness. It's just the rice consistency for fried rice. She places it in the large pan with the stir-fry, along with some black garlic oil from a small bottle she had received as a gift from another person she had helped. As she finishes preparing the dish, which looks like it could serve 2 people...twice...she looks back at Taly with a smile, "I do enjoy cooking. I have helped restaurants with baking before, but it's been a few years." She finds a small bowl and helps herself to some of the chicken-fried rice. She closes her eyes serenely at the aroma, smiling and adding, "I especially enjoy cooking for people I love." At the question of what she would like to drink, she says, "I'll take water."


Talyara couldn’t deny that the food that Zahrani was making smelt delicious and had she had an appetite probably would have jumped at the chance to partake in some. However, stress caused a disconnect for the witch and it’s like her mind and body shut down and rejected food. “That’s nice that you enjoy cooking. Some of my best memories growing up were in the kitchen with my Mom and Lana when she was still around.” Taly pulls a pitcher of water from the ice chest and two glasses from the cupboard pouring one for herself and for the panther. “Here you go,” she says handing Rani her water.


Zahrani smiles, accepting the water, "Thank you." She had actually almost finished her bowl. After taking a swig of fresh water, she stands up, washing her utentils and placing the remainder of the rice in a container that was easier seal than a simple pan. There's plenty for the elf for when she does get hungry, and it could be reheated easily enough. As she cleans the cookware that she had been using, the panther asks, "What was your favorite thing to cook with Lana and your mother?"


Talyara grips the edge of the counter and hoists herself up as Zahrani cleans up from her meal. “I can do that you know,” she says with a smile smile, swinging her legs idly. “Hmm, well Lanara liked these chocolate chip cookies with homemade strawberry jam to dip them in. I always preferred oatmeal cookies.” Taly blushes before continuing with her story. “There was a farmer that lived not far from our small village and we used to get our oats from him. He had a young son who I had such a crush on. I would always sneak over there when I had the chance."


Zahrani looks at Talyara dramatically, sarcastically scandalized as she brings a hand to her chest and says, "I would never leave my host's kitchen a mess..." She grins, making room for the elf to stand next to her and help clean up. The feline clearly has a sense of humor, and her divine aura has a warm and relaxing quality to it. Upon cleaning up the kitchen and putting the container of fried rice wherever Taly keeps food, the paladin says, "Cookies are nice to have from time to time." Zahrani smiles as Taly tells her story. It reminded her of her own past a little bit. "I was like that when I was a teenager. When I wasn't training or studying, there was at least one boy or girl that caught my eye wherever we went. My foster father noticed, but strangely enough, he didn't chastise me the way other parents would. He simply reminded me that we have a duty as paladins to help those who need it most. He said we could have love and affection for any number of people, but the time and energy we have are the true limiting factors."


Talyara hops off the counter to assist Rani in her cleaning, picking up a towel and drying the cookery and utensils and putting the items away as the paladin washed. “My father and I weren’t close. Or rather, the man I thought was my father. My mother wasn’t mad per say, but she would worry because I would run off for a full day and not tell her where I was going.” Taly takes the container of food and puts it in her ice chest, swearing to herself if she couldn’t eat it she would give it someone who would so it wouldn’t go to waste. “It must be hard being a paladin. Being so selfless and not putting your own needs first."


Zahrani finishes the cleanup, before taking a seat and saying with a shrug, "It's just something I got used to. I've been training since I was 8. That's almost 21 years now. And I find that putting the needs of others first also helps me meet my own needs as well. I don't do my work in exchange for money, but I also don't turn down the things people give me." She ponders for a moment, watching Talyara with a thoughtful gaze before asking, "Could I check your wound? It would give me some peace of mind to see how you're doing."


Talyara nods her head slowly. She didn’t hold the same beliefs that Zahrani did; however, she had a big heart and was always out to help others no matter what even if that meant she got injured herself. When the paladin requests seeing her wound, Taly smiles sweetly and pads over to where the panther sits. She would turn to her side so it’s facing Rani and lifts her tank top so that she could inspect it for herself.


Zahrani shifts so she could face Taly, examining where the elf had been wounded with keen eyes and gentle hands. One hand rests on the small of the woman's back, as if to provide support, but also to check for muscle tension and signs of stress. She takes note of the inflammation, before standing up and grabbing a clean hand-towel. At the ice box, she puts some ice (or whatever cooling pack is available) in the towel, returning to Taly and gently applying it. Her cyan gaze meets the witch's emerald hues, before saying, "If you want, I can help massage out some of the tension. The more relaxed your body is, the better it will heal." She adds, "And the better you'll be able to help others."


Talyara ’s eyes flutter closed as Zahrani places her hands gently on the small of her back and then the wounded area itself. Taly is a lithe thing, her ribs clearly visible under her skin. Her eyes reopen as Rani moves away to put some chipped ice in a towel and the witch inhales sharply when the cold presses against her bare skin. “I mean, you’ve done so much for me already I don’t want to bother you anymore,” she says with a sweet smile to the paladin.


Zahrani sighs, smiling warmly at Taly's words and responding, "If you were bothering me, you would definitely know it by now." She gently rubs the elf's back. "Like me, you have others who rely on you. The least I can do is make sure you are taken care of." Even underneath all of her insistence that the witch actually do basic things like ~eating~ and ~relaxing,~ the paladin knows exactly how Taly feels. Sometimes it's really hard for her to accept things that would help her greatly, because she doesn't want to be 'a bother' or 'be pampered.' But she remembers that, as long as she continues to use her body, mind, and heart for others, anything to nourish those things will only make her better at it.


Talyara lets out a long contented sigh as Zahrani begins to rub her lower back. Because she is standing she reaches out to grab the paladin’s shoulder to keep her balance and blushes slightly. “Sorry, that just feels really good.” Of course there was plenty of tension in her muscles from the injury, the journey to and from Enchantment, and everyday stress and worry that the little witch carried around with her.


Zahrani continues to gently locate the various points of tension in Taly's back, the panther laughing softly at her words, "No need to apologize." The feline is thorough and mindful in her massage, idly noticing the contrast in their respective skintones as she works out a knot near the elf's shoulder blade. The paladin quietly hums a tune, her divine aura playing across her body and brushing against her companion's, "Just as much as you love others, know that you are also loved. Your strong heart and the love you carry for others are wonderful...I would show you my love through the work my hands do, so you might have a strong body to support your heart."


Talyara eventually can’t seem to hold her own weight, especially as Zahrani moves up towards her shoulder blades. The paladin was sure to feel the jagged skin there of hundreds of scars on her back and shoulders. Eventually the witch kneels in front of the paladin, smiling as her eyes drift closed again, enjoying the feeling of the massage and the aura that envelops the pair. “Thank you for saying such nice things about me,” she says in a kind voice. “You are a wonderful person, a wonderful healer, too. I am lucky to have met you."


Zahrani helps Talyara to a kneeling position, kneeling behind her and wrapping one of her arms around the elf's waist. She finishes the massage with a gentle back rub, noticing the scars but not commenting on them. She has some of her own as well. She rests her head gently on Taly's shoulder, her eyes closed as well, "It warms my heart to hear you say that." as her other arm gently wraps around the elf. She opens her eyes again, reaching for Taly's water glass and handing it to her, "One interesting thing about deep-tissue massages is that they'll make you thirsty."


Talyara sighs contently as Zahrani finishes her massage, leaning back against the paladin before peeking her eye open and accepting the glass of water, drinking from it deeply until the glass is drained. She turns her head to look back at Rani and smiles. “I’m staying on the couch because it’s too hard for me to climb to the loft. But if you are tired you are welcome to sleep up there again if you want.” Taly stands and reaches down to embrace the paladin before heading over to her makeshift bed on the couch, laying down, and snuggling under the quilt.