godshattering | abraxas inbox + horizon contact

[ The arrival of creatures through the rift have become a strange anomaly against the backdrop of Abraxas. Hilda wouldn't say she's used to it (she's never recovering from an octopus landing on her head) but like many things in this world she's had no choice to adapt. There is one last surprise arrival of creatures from another land however – and this one is the most familiar of all.

She leaves Cyprian's workshop for the Old Public Hall when she hears a screech overhead. A shiver runs down her spine and she turns, half expecting to see Waffle or one of the other wyverns before scolding herself. She isn't in the Horizon. It must be another creature. She turns away only to hear the soft flutter of wings and her head whips around. That's when she sees it perched above on the awning of Cyprian's workshop: the unmistakeable face of a baby wyvern staring back at her.

Hilda acts before she thinks, doesn't even consider that he doesn't want anything to do with her. She's only focused on keeping her eyes trained steadily on the curious creature staring back at her. ]

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘺𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴! 𝘈 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦!

[ Claude's continuing to mind his own business, mostly, and is in the middle of balancing some books when handwriting appears in his vision. It's enough to startle him if only because it's familiar handwriting he's honestly expected to never see again, and it takes him another second to remember to actually read it, which results in: ]

[ ????????? ]

Uh, Hilda? You didn't happen to mean to send this to Sylvain instead, did you?

[ MAKE IT MAKE SENSE ]

[ The minute Claude's handwriting floats into her vision Hilda feels her heart stop again as her eyes widen like saucers.

Oh fuck -

How do you exit out of these weird brain conversations again? ]

[ In moments like this she just has to own it. ]

𝘕𝘰???

𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘺𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯? 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘊𝘺𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯'𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 - 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵?

Edited (i saw a typo bye) 2023-07-26 16:31 (UTC)

[ Well - she's got him there with the horses thing, but that doesn't explain the rest. Or it doesn't feel like it, anyway, even as he glances up to look out the window towards the street where Cyprian's workshop awaits. It's not that far from here. ]

Right.

[ There's a distinct pause which clearly says he's still thinking - even with all the strange occurrences lately, now there's a wyvern? On second thought: that's not even the oddest thing that's ever happened in Abraxas so it's not worth questioning beyond ... well, all of it.

One more skeptical look out of the window, even as Claude's already putting a bookmark in the page he was on and putting everything else away for safekeeping so this next part is rather pointless, but - ]

This isn't some kind of elaborate scheme to trap me in the warehouse again, is it?

[ While her well of anger has long since dried up due to exhaustion, her propensity to sass hasn't dried up yet.

Part of it has to do with the fact that she's trying to ignore how embarrassing a scenario this is. Who accidentally sent a letter to someone that never wanted to see them again? Not Hilda, that's for sure. But then again, the situations she's been finding herself in lately are shaping up to be atypical - not speaking with her best friend amongst them. ]

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘺𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯'𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰.

[ Hopefully he hears the eye roll the text. ]

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺.

[ The eye roll comes through loud and clear as the handwriting moves across his vision, and for what feels like the first time in moons a faint smile crosses his face over what she's said. There's no need to reply to that - it's tempting to jump right back into something like their usual banter when this feels so much like it and it's something he's missed. But then there's still how it started and that Claude's not entirely convinced it wasn't an accident and so: no reply is forthcoming. Better to not push his luck.

Instead, he offers an apology to the merchant and promises to come back in the morning to finish everything before hurrying on his way out into the bright summer day. It's warm but not unbearably so for a wyvern, assuming it really is one waiting for him, and the walk down to Cyprian's warehouse while rummaging in his satchel. He's prepared for this, probably, or as much as one can ever be for seeing something they never thought would ever be possible.

Except that it is, because when he turns the corner there's a familiar enough outline huddled on a perch right where Hilda said, and right by where she's waiting. Claude pauses mid-step to stare without really meaning to, and is jostled back into motion by an impatient passerby not willing to wait for him to move first. No apology leaves him as he hurries forward to come to a stop by Hilda's side this time. ]

Gods. You weren't kidding. [ This is less of a remark on Hilda's believability than the improbability of all of this, but sure enough - there's a baby wyvern peering down at him with great skepticism. Back to his satchel it is to retrieve the jerky he didn't quite locate before but knows is in here somewhere to hand over as an offering. Given how stubborn wyverns can be, Claude knows he should be realistic about this, but it's difficult to feel anything but excitement. ] How long's it been here?

[ When no reply comes (not that she's expecting one. Actually, that's a lie in and of itself; if there had been an answer she would have expected it to be along the line of, "Buzz off, Hilda, I don't want anything to do with you ever again,"), it doesn't occur to Hilda how long she should actually stand here and wait. It's not as if she carries jerky or buckets of raw meat around with her, and it isn't as if this is the Horizon where she can simply will something into existence. If she left there's the very high probability that the wyvern would just take off and she'd never find it again.

So she waits.

Or rather, she trusts that Claude will show up because she knows his love for the creatures runs deep and would probably far outweigh his disinterest in spending time with her.

But what would she do if he never showed up? It's as if running through the exhaustive list of options in her mind is enough to summon him because before she knows it, he's there. His disbelief only briefly causes mild exasperation as she tears her eyes away from the wyvern for a moment. ]

Of course I wasn't kidding.

[ She'd kid about a lot of things but seeing a baby wyvern in the middle of Cadens probably wouldn't have been on that list. Whatever exasperation he had drawn from her evaporates upon hearing the undertone of what she can only identify as excitement in his voice. It softens her hackles and she has to wrangle whatever warmth usually comes with hearing something genuine like that in him. ]

I was just leaving the workshop when I heard it screech, so probably not that long.

[ She holds out her arm as if trying to coax the wyvern down with soft clicks of her tongue, absently blurting out words in a semi-conscious stream as she tries to ger her feelings back in check. ]

But I didn't want to leave either. What if it flew away and I couldn't find it again? Then I'd have to run all over the city by myself so I guess I'm relieved that you showed up when you did.

[ There's a second where he's tempted to point out - everything, from the improbability of a wyvern being in Cadens to that he thought he'd likely never hear from her again save for whatever matters might come up in the loft. Claude thinks better of that too, and only partially because the wyvern shuffling around on its perch yanks his full attention back onto it. ]

Wonder where it came from, [ is what he murmurs halfway without realizing it while his mind's busy going over all the possibilities. Hilda mentioning she's relieved he showed up startles him out of his many looping thoughts and for a second he spares her a sideways look with poorly concealed surprise while she's busy looking at the wyvern. ] I guess we're in luck that it stayed where it is since playing hide and seek with a baby wyvern on a summer day doesn't exactly sound like a good way to do anything except tire us both out.

[ Hilda's trying to lure it down, and he remembers the packet clutched in his hand he'd temporarily forgotten about. It's not meat - well, not the raw kind it'd likely prefer, but he's pretty sure it'll still work and especially so if it's hungry. They can find something better for it to eat on the way home as he unconsciously decides that's the ultimate goal of whatever happens here.

There's a familiar sort of interest he recognizes as its gaze settles on them once more at the sound of the packet rustling around, and Claude intentionally takes his time in unwrapping the long strips of jerky and taking a couple of them before putting the rest away again. One he hands to Hilda and the other he holds onto, and wyvern eyes follow each step of this with great interest. That's a good sign.

What's less so is that it makes no move to shuffle around, lift its wings, whatever else, and that has him frowning slightly in thought. ]

Have you seen it try to fly since you noticed it? It could be this little one needs some help with the getting down from there part beyond food alone as a motivator.

[ At what she has to assume is nothing more than a loose train of thought about where the Wyvern had come from, Hilda glances just in time to see the unfiltered surprise on Claude's face. Did it have to do with the wyvern still? Or had she said something? As she plays what she said back in her mind, realization dawns on her and her eyes whip back towards the wyvern.

Even if it has anything to do with her slip of the tongue (but that in itself isn't the whole truth), why would that surprise him? The narrative she's still following in her mind has everything to do with him being so disinterested in her that surprise definitely doesn't fall under that. But it can't hurt to pad over her little stumble just in case. ]

Exactly. I didn't even wear the right boots for running after a wyvern today and I forgot my hat. I can feel myself turning as red as Sylvain's hair.

[ It's only a half-hearted complaint aimed at deflection instead of garnering pity or causing ire, but she goes through the motions of jutting out her lower lip into a pout all the same. Hopefully it would be taken as such and not provide any clues that her relief had anything to do with her missing Claude.

The unwrapping of jerky in her hand and Claude's observation serve as welcome distractions. Her brow furrows but she doesn't stop her gentle clicks and coaxing. Despite the clear spark of interest in the wyvern's eyes, it only stretches its neck out. ]

It hasn't now that you mention it. What if it can't get down? [ Her eyes turn to him again. ] Cyprian has a ladder in the back. We could probably use it.

[ Before he even thinks about it, Hilda's complaint and the suggestion she's becoming anywhere near the vivid shade of a certain Faerghan's hair gets a laugh from him. It's familiar in all the best ways and feels like a balm he didn't realize he needed, like by virtue of listening to it it'd been easy to be transported back to a different time. Reality follows swiftly right on its heels, though - there'd been a reason it'd been surprising to hear her say she's glad he was here at all, wasn't there? It won't do to forget that so easily.

But. Telling himself this does nothing to suppress the tiny wave of something akin to homesickness which takes its time in going through him like it's sentiment and wants to make sure he notices. Thankfully the wyvern trills above them and he forgets that train of thought to look back up at it. Seems like the jerky's working even if that's still not a motivator enough for it to try flapping down to ground level, but the tiny amount of shuffling back and forth on its perch is an encouraging sign. Like Hilda said, it must have worked up an appetite from being here for who knows how long, and there's a shake of his head at the mention of the ladder as he looks back to her. ]

No need for that ladder when there's one on the side of the building already. I used to climb up here not long after arriving and before I'd ever met Cyprian. C'mon.

[ Thankfully after that proclamation, the wooden ladder built flush against the building is right where he remembered it around the corner. It'll get them high enough up to reach a small section of roof near where the wyvern is. ]

With any luck, we can use the jerky to get it closer and then hopefully one of us can grab it. [ Speaking of that, Claude takes a second to go through the items in his satchel without looking again and successfully comes up with a pair of thick leather gloves he holds up. ] Safety first for when that happens, since I'm guessing this one has teeth as sharp as any other baby wyvern out there. I could've used a pair of these when mine hatched.

What do you mean you used to climb up here?

[ There's a genuine hint of curiosity in her voice that she can't rub out no matter how hard she tries when it comes to matters of Claude. Her attempt at practiced disinterest had so easily come undone. It's frustrating really that she can't just let this go - let him go - and move on, but there will be time to dwell on that later once this wyvern is down from the rafters. Trailing after Claude she's faced with the ladder built into the building that she hadn't noticed before this. ]

Don't tell me you were jumping from rooftop to rooftop to get around the city.
[ Or maybe there was some other deeper meaning there that she was missing. Sylvain had escaped to the roof after their return from the pit. Had something else happened with Claude that had lead him to find escape on the roofs?

Just as she's about to begin climbing, the addition of his leather gloves quickly halts her mind from going down a rabbit hole of worry. Even if that were the case, what happened to him before her arrival here is no longer her concern. He had made that rather clear to her already.

Despite the sobering reminder, the corners of her lips lift just a fraction. ]

Is this your way of voluntelling me to get up there and coax the wyvern down?

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop. [ A slight scoff to go with there being no shortage of amusement in his voice. ] Who do I look like, Altaïr?

[ Considering for all the calculated risks he likes to take - taking a running jump and hoping he'll make it to the building on the other side isn't among them. It's an entertaining thought nonetheless and more amusement makes it into his voice than he means to even while invoking the name of their mutual friend, and he's still smiling slightly as he shakes his head. ]

Studying maps doesn't always tell you what you want to know about a new place, I've found. Climbing up to the roofs was the best option I had for figuring out the city's layout from above considering flying's not exactly an option here.

[ There's a tinge of wistfulness to go with it as he glances up at the sky and then to the baby wyvern to make sure it's still there. He can see part of a wing from here, so that's a good sign. That's just in time to glance back to her with another amused look as voluntelling comes up again; he's caught that reference. ]

It could be, if you're volunteering yourself to get bitten but I didn't think that'd be the case. [ It's too easy to slip back into something he shouldn't, like there's still jokes to be made and anything left after this but more silence between them. Something that'll do nothing but hurt all over again later, he's sure, and something he should be cautious about, but that doesn't change the fact that right now? Right now it feels good as he reaches for the first rung of the ladder. ] Maybe the jerky will work until we can find something for it to chew on that's not one of us.

[ It's both the (slim) opportunity for banter she instinctively senses and the sprinkle of amusement in his voice that prompts her reply to be as instantaneous as it is. ]

You don't wear hoods or have his face structure.

[ As soon as she says it, Hilda can practically see Altaïr's unimpressed expression in her mind's eye. The very thought is enough to lift her lips up a little higher. Claude takes her by surprise again when he goes so far as to offer an explanation that is so typically Claude. A thought rings clear in her mind: At least that hadn't changed about Claude. There's a sudden pang in her heart as she watches him look up wistfully towards the sky. It mingles with the pang of knowing that he had been here alone for a while without anyone else from home - but she has to tell herself to immediately quash, because it's distracting her from the wyvern which is the real reason she had called him here.

By the time he looks back at her, she hopes that she's rearranged her face into something that doesn't reveal how her heart had softened in that moment. Her nose wrinkles playfully, the smile from before still mingling on her face. ]

Mm, let me think. No thanks! [ Once he's part way up the ladder, Hilda tucks the jerky into her pocket before making her way up the ladder. ] When did you start thinking so negatively? Let's just say it'll work until it doesn't because if not, we don't really have any alternatives.

[ There's another loud scoff purely for Hilda's benefit, especially considering he can't just turn around right then thanks to being a little busy with climbing. The same goes for the rest of what she says as he keeps moving, though not without a shake of his head. ]

I'm not thinking negatively, I'm thinking pragmatically about being around teething baby wyverns. Doubly so if this one maybe isn't the fondest of some random person it's never seen before grabbing them even if we know we're going to spoil him. Right?

[ Claude's just assuming the answer to that is a matching right since he's not thinking about the assumptions going into using 'we' rather than something singular. It also feels right, in keeping with a theme, as he hauls himself up and over the top of the ladder to stand on the ledge which fortunately has plenty of room. One glance down at Hilda as she's climbing and while he's pulling on the gloves in hopes of keeping his fingers mostly intact. Or just not punctured, since there's a leathery flap of wings from around the way that could either be interest or alarm as they're soon to find out. ]

There's definitely no good alternatives, though I think the question about whether it can fly away's been answered. If it didn't want us to get close it would've taken off by now and then your boots would be put to the test.

[ Which could still happen, but Claude's feeling confident after being around wyverns long enough to feel he can predict what they're likely to do or not do. Hunger might be winning out for this particular one as he holds a hand out to help Hilda up the last bit of the way if she's not already climbing up and over herself, and that'll be something in their favor. ]

[ Out of his line of sight she rolls her eyes, mimicking him silently as he speaks. It's all in jest though, an old knee-jerk habit that came from their Academy days when she tried to make him laugh whenever he went off on explanations that made him sound serious like the future Duke he would grow up to be some day. More often than not she'd succeed in making him grin or seeing the glimmer of a smile in those green eyes, derailing whatever it was he had been talking about.

Claude may have been too preoccupied with his master plan that involved risk mitigation to miss the "we" but Hilda isn't. Teasing is broken up by silent surprise. Thanks to his attention still focused on the wyvern she can recover before it's noticed, telling herself not to read into it.

Except he's holding out his hand to her and she blinks several times at it before nodding. ]

...Right.

[ Making a big deal out of small things is something she'd normally do but she shakes it away before it has a chance to bloom into something more. With his help she hauls herself the rest of the way up, letting go of his hand to brush himself off. ]

I am not jumping off this building after it and channeling Altaïr if that's what you're suggesting.

[ Jerky back in hand she peers around him at the wyvern who definitely seems alert to the new arrivals – but undeniably wary. ]

Should I put on my best please don't run away face?

[ At some point and somewhat subconsciously, Claude decided for the sake of his own sanity to treat this like an encounter with anyone else. That shouldn't be hard to fake since it's something he'd done for years and years, feigning this feeling or that to get to where he wanted to be, and even as all those things which separate Hilda from everyone else threaten to slip their way in - or do, successfully - he ignores the warning signs that brings about. That it's not working, and this isn't a risk he's calculated out for how poorly it might go like all of their last talks when there's a proven record there, and yet.

She takes his hand and he remembers for a second. It helps to have the gloves in the way, as he tries to convince himself as much, and once she's steady he turns his attention back to the wyvern. ]

I think it couldn't hurt if you looked as placating as possible. Maybe some tears to go with it just to help put the extra touch on it?

[ He's going to joke about that rather than overthink whether it's even something he can joke about since that's too close to old times, but maybe it'll help he says it in a sort of distracted way as he's already taking one slow step after another towards the wyvern. Who, meanwhile, is looking very vigilant as if realizing its incoming fate in the next few moments, and it responds with a small wing lift and something suspiciously like a hiss. ]

Not today, thank you. Wouldn't you rather have a snack instead?

[ Now Claude crouches down which lowers none of the wyvern's wariness, and remembering the jerky in his hand he breaks off a tiny piece of it to stretch out and leave it as an offering, if it doesn't also come with being snapped at. ]

For some reason I don't think that tears are going to work on this one like they do on Waffle.

[ The joke lands, as flippant as it is. But because it's flippant, she responds with a sense of wryness mixed in with her airy but truthful reply (her wyvern apparently was also not immune from her ways).

The thought of Waffle hadn't been too far from her mind ever since she had sighted the baby wyvern. The Horizon had helped soothe some of the balm of missing him, but it wasn't the same. Because of the Horizon substitute, Hilda hadn't stopped to consider that she might never see Waffle again. And if she feels that way, she can't begin to imagine how Claude may feel about not seeing his wyvern.

The hiss they receive from the wyvern prompts her to kneel down, making herself smaller and extending her jerky out too. Out of habit she gives her best doe eyes and a croon. ]

It's pretty tasty. And if you come with us we can get you something even tastier.

[ Another ruffle of its wings. The hiss it gives this time is a little less shrill as it clicks cautiously towards them. ]

That's a good wyvern.

[ There's a flicker of a smile that breaks through his concentration in regards to Waffle also being on the list of those susceptible to those tears while he continues his semi-staring contest with the wyvern. It taps its way along the possibility of getting closer since it has, definitely, but still nowhere near close enough to grab without him risking falling off the building. That's not on his to-do list as part of this, and Claude spares a glance down at the ledge to make sure it's still as wide as he'd assumed before. ]

Yeah, like - something probably not flavored with peppers like this is.

[ That's said apologetically, as though wyverns have deep and serious feelings about peppers, and the wyvern blinks back at him. That's better than a hiss so he'll take it even if it stops moving, so Claude reaches to leave another chunk of jerky next to the first one and then nudges both closer. ]

You're in luck, though, since not only are the markets not far from here but there's usually a butcher who puts the best cuts of meat out right about now, so you know what that means. [ Is he having a full on conversation with this wyvern chewing on one of the pieces of jerky still looking at them both with deep skepticism? Yes, he is. It's working though, Claude thinks, since the wyvern goes to take the other piece of jerky and this time without keeping eyes on them the entire time it moves. ] If you're guessing that means we're about to go take you to find the best of the best cut, you'd be right.

[ Second jerky chunk finished, the wyvern now looks at him expectantly and in a move reminiscent of when he'd wanted his wyvern to do what he wanted when she was a baby, Claude palms his remaining jerky and holds both his hands up with a sad look as if to say, all gone! Very unfortunate for anyone with wings and scales that's still hungry.

That means the wyvern looks next to what Hilda's extending and there's another clear calculation happening as it creeps closer. Claude, for his part, doesn't move a muscle when it puts one tentative clawed foot on his boot to start the process of climbing closer and across him to where Hilda waits. ]

Maybe they likes peppers, Claude.

[ The intrusive thought that Claude looks positively adorable as he carries on a full conversation with the wyvern crosses her mind and there's the unmistakeable sound of amusement in her voice. Unable to help herself she smiles, eyes flitting towards him just in time to watch the theatrics of jerky disappearing plays out for the baby wyvern. Had she not been privy to this sort of thing before, had she not done something incredibly similar to Waffle when she had been gaining his trust, she probably would have poked more fun at Claude. Then again, that had been another time and another place when she and Claude weren't brought together by a message that shouldn't have been sent in the first place.

It's easier to tell herself that the smile has everything to do with the way the baby wyvern is slowly making its way over to them. Their talons clack against the rooftop, hopping clumsily over Claude's boot towards her outstretched hand. ]

But he's right, you know. The cuts at the butcher are so yummy. We'll get you anything you want. How long have you gone without eating, hm?

[ It finally conquers the obstacle of Claude's boots, screeching softly like it's answering her. They clatter the last several inches towards her, small teeth scraping lightly but enthusiastically against her fingers. They break skin and Hilda almost flinches backwards as a result – but with the wyvern now sandwiched between them, it's the perfect opportunity for Claude to grab a hold of it.

There's a sharp intake of breath from Hilda as she wills herself to stay still while reaching for the other piece of jerky in her pocket. As she swaps hands, she can see bright blood droplets appear on her fingers. There's a huff of a laugh from her as her eyes go to Claude, quietly signaling to him that if he's going grab the wyvern now would be the time to do it. ]

A long time apparently.

Edited 2023-08-09 06:04 (UTC)

[ Despite being so animated seconds ago, he's continuing his best impression of a statue. The wyvern scrambles forth in a way which makes him wonder if it's even younger than they'd both guessed or if it's just particularly uncoordinated. That's a better thought than hunger and thirst making it wobbly while it climbs over him and miraculously doesn't try to nip him or part of his clothing in the process. The hunger part they can at least mostly sate since there's still plenty more jerky in his satchel, and now he wishes he'd remembered to fill his waterskin to help with the rest even if they'll be departing shortly. Probably.

The small screech brings a smile to his face, but it's wiped away a second later by a sympathetic wince when those teeth hit somewhere both less protected and more painful on Hilda. It's the distraction he needs - even at the cost of her fingers - to grab it around its middle and immediately be smacked by a wing to the face. ]

I know, I know. The injustice of it all.

[ Said soothingly in response to the upset noise which follows, and after a bit of wrangling he carefully folds those wings up to clutch the wyvern to his chest with a hand over them to keep it from flailing back and forth. When that's tackled, it immediately starts to bite ineffectively at his gloves to communicate its unhappiness in between more screeches, and he sits talking gently to soothe it.

Nothing about that seems to work, so here follows a bit of further bribery when he reveals that palmed jerky and holds it for the wyvern to gnaw on instead of either of them. That distraction means Claude feels safe enough to lean over to look at Hilda's fingers with a slight grimace. ]

I didn't miss those days but looks like plenty of them are in our future now. I can heal those for you when this one's feeling less like escaping.

[ Once Claude manages to grab hold of the wyvern does her attention turn to her bleeding fingers. It's unlike her to sacrifice her well being for something like this (never mind that she has had worse than a baby wyvern nip at her fingers) but then again, she hadn't been acting in ways that would be considered normal for her as of late.

She's rooting around in her bag for a handkerchief or something when Claude offers up something unexpected. Or two something's rather. Unable to concentrate on multiple things at a time in this already confusing scenario however, Hilda brain latches on to the latter half of what he'd said.

Extracting the handkerchief from her bag, she's quick to apply pressure to it. Normally she'd be quick to take him up on his offer. Why yes, he should be taking responsibility for her newly acquired wound. She'd even go as far as to demand that he kiss it better. Except why would he want to touch her after being barely able to stand the thought of being in a warehouse with her? It's flustering and confusing in the most bizarre way. ]

I'll be fine. [ A small wince suggests otherwise. ] I just hope that there isn't some kind of poisonous variation of wyvern roaming around.

[ That would be just her luck, wouldn't it? Sparing a glance towards the wyvern who has been momentarily sated by the jerky given to him by Claude, she realizes she can't be too put out by it. How does it know any better? And it's just so cute gnawing away at the piece of jerky. ]

We'll just have to teach it not to bite when someone is trying to feed it, I guess. Do you think it needs water? I have a waterskin in my bag.

Edited 2023-08-10 04:49 (UTC)

[ A noise from the wyvern which sounds like something happier as it nears the end of this jerky strip distracts Claude for a beat, but not enough - or long enough - to keep him from sending an unimpressed look in Hilda's direction after her proclamation and she'll be fine. Also maybe because of the poisonous comment, since why tempt fate? ]

You won't be if you're planning on working on any of your projects with one hand down today. [ It's matter-of-fact and in a way Claude recognizes he's not exactly entitled to do anymore what with the outright canyon of everything stretching between them he's reminding himself of, so he shakes his head. Not quite in apology since he doesn't think he's wrong, just - ] I learned that the hard way when Sa- Dawn was little. She wanted to bite me at all times until we worked on that.

[ Even though he'd caught himself, nostalgia blanks out the rest considering it's something he thinks this wyvern will have in common with his if the last couple minutes have been anything to go by as he looks down to check the jerky status. Only a little bit left now thanks to that hunger, but he's positive his fingers will again be the next target when it's gone. Nothing that can't be taught as Hilda's said and a phase which won't last long, with any luck, but right now he can't even bring himself to dread being bitten when he's still working to wrap his mind around there even being a wyvern here with them both. ]

Water's a good idea since it's warm out here today. You wouldn't happen to have a dish or container to put it in, would you? I'd offer what's in my bag, but - [ slightly sheepish look here because Claude's self-aware enough to know how predictable this is - ] I was testing out some new plants and I don't think there's any risk, but probably not worth taking it anyway.

Edited (someday i will remember the right word but not today) 2023-08-10 15:40 (UTC)

[ There's a small, appalled gasp from Hilda that earns him a little shove. It also elicits a little chirp from the wyvern who seems more amused by it than anything else. ]

Don't you dare speak that into existence, Claude von Riegan.

[ She almost continues to say that her hands have suffered worse over the last several weeks. Learning how to work on a larger anvil and a forge meant dealing with the work place injuries that came with it. Her fingers and hands had suffered burns and her fingers had been crushed under a hammer because she hadn't been paying as much attention as she should have been. But she stops herself short. Claude doesn't want to hear about any of that.

Her punctured fingers aren't enough to distract from the fact that he almost said something that wasn't Dawn but before she can inquire further, he says something that is so typically Claude that she has to roll her eyes. ]

Of course you were. [ With some difficulty she ties off the handkerchief around her finger. It's loose and probably won't hold for long, but it'll suffice for the task of pulling out her waterskin. ] I don't have anything, I'll just have to feed it by hand.

[ She plants her butt on the roof, albeit a little precariously just as the wyvern finishes the jerky. The unstopping of the cork draws its attention and she takes the moment of stillness to grasp either side of its small head to guide it towards the mouth of the waterskin. It wriggles slightly in Claude's arms but upon realizing that there's water being fed to it, it stills, drinking eagerly. Hilda wonders absently if she should ask about what he had almost said; is it worth it? Should she bother? The silence is too much for her though and she has to break it. ]

I thought your wyvern's name was Dawn. You almost said something else.

Edited 2023-08-10 18:10 (UTC)

— misfire (?) message | end of july

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