Scene #7744: Fall Festivities

Owner	Pose
Trudy Grimm	Welcome to Shaleburg; a quaint Medival-era town in an equally quaint countryside of forests and farmland. In the distance is the local fortress, overlooking the valley. But here in Shaleburg all the lanterns are lit and the streets are bright with merriment. The town hall's front deck and railings are positively covered in pumpkins with faces carved in them, the results of an earlier contest with the children no doubt, all glowing with candles inside. A pair of musicians play a fiddle and guitar against one another while townsfolk dance. Three different carts sell confections made with the guts of the pumpkins carved out earlier. Some individual has seen fit to run a ring toss with caramels as prizes. On the edge of all of this, seated on the (closed) blacksmith's front step, is a young woman in a dark green jacket with exceptionally fluffy sleeves. Trudy Grimm simply bobs in place to the bounce of the music. Despite her shark-like teeth, the big smile seems genuine enough. Just here for some good atmosphere. The Grimoire remains bound shut, dangling off her shoulder by its strap like novelty purse.
Kale Hearthward	Ahh, something closer to Kale's home world. The bustle of all these modern, futuristic, or sometimes just weird worlds has made for an interesting year, but it's nice to fall back and get back to something a little bit slower paced. Kale purchases a confectionary of some unspecified kind, and watches the various entertainments appreciatively for a bit, before he gravitates over towards Trudy, recognizing her from her Paladins profile. "Good day!" he calls, gesturing with the hand that's not holding the pumpkin treat. "Quite the little festival, huh?"
Staren	A harvest festival? Well, it's a chance to meet that new voice from the radio. Trudy sounds like an interesting person! Sure, she'll go! Staren stands up from her seat, and goes to her closet to grab-- She freezes. A casual festival probably is a weird time to show up in a labcoat and a heroic scarf. But what DO you wear? Aaaa, Staren's still new to thinking about this! Uhhhhh quick, throw something together! Staren flies in from the warpgate on a broom, wearing a black hooded cloak and goggles. Spotting the familiar face of Kale (well, he sticks out as an offworlder on account of being a bird person), she lands nearby, stuffing the cloak, goggles, and broom into her bag. Under the cloak... her hair is tied in a ponytail with a clumsily-tied bow, she's wearing glasses with big round lenses which somehow stay on her face (the earpieces disappear under her hair...,) around her neck is a long sea-green scarf with the words GATECRASHER'S UNION on it, and she's wearing a cream-colored sweater and long brown skirt with her usual (lighter) brown boots. The trusty messenger bag of holding hangs at her side as always. Staren looks around and waves to Kale and... "You must be Trudy! Hi! I'm Staren!" She approaches and holds out a hand to shake.
Trudy Grimm	"Get some percussion in that!" Trudy shouts from her seat, hands around her mouth. The musicians pause, then the guitarist adds some slaps against his instrument to bring a much-needed beat to their compliment. She's rather easy to pick out, as the one with the most esoteric fashion sense and abnormal pupils. She might not stand out as much as a bird person, but in this fantasy realm Kale doesn't cause too much concern. Mostly small-talk comments about how they hadn't seen someone like him before or how he must have traveled a long way. Addressing the self-proclaimed witch prompts the return of Trudy's wide grin, "Yeah, isn't it? These small town festivals are the best way to unwind." Lifting a hand, she points, "How's the pumpkin pudding? I tried one of the muffins earlier, was pretty alright." Another new arrival gets her attention by virtue of being a voice she's heard quite a bit of; "Ah ha!" Standing up, Trudy takes that hand for a friendly shake, eyes closed, "I can put a face to the voice, hello Staren! I sure am Trudy, last I checked. Come to enjoy the festival, too?"
Staren	Staren looks around at the festival. She reaches behind her and fidgets with her hair behind her head. "...It's just not the same, not knowing the place and barely knowing anyone here. But I wanted to put a face to the voice from the radio..."
Kale Hearthward	"Staren," says Kale, nodding to him. "How is the... Whatever it is you're working on?" He pauses, rubbing the underside of his bea, remembering something. "Actually... I had a question for you. Something you might be a bit be able to help me with." "The pumpkin pudding is great, by the way. I'll have to try one of the muffins..." "... Say, you from around here, Trudy?"
Trudy Grimm	"Can't say I am!" Trudy answers Kale with a laugh, "I am doing some work around here for the Paladins, though. A little investigation sort of thing. I don't really discuss work off the clock, though." Upright now, she glances sidelong towards the carts selling confections. "Well, they do say good treats taste better with good company," Her attention returns to Staren, "Now that you've put this horrid face to this wretched voice, what's your plan?" Her big grin has returned, as sharp as it is, "Might as well have some fun while you're here, right?" A hand lifts and she gives Staren a little fingersnap-point, then ambles over to those carts. A minute or so later, she's back, fresh muffins in either hand, still warm and smelling of pumpkin and cinnamon spices.
Staren	Staren pushes her glasses up on her nose. "At the moment? Fashion and... a new ability I got. Would you like me to try it? To see if I can look into your mind?" She smiles awkwardly, realizing as she says it that's kind of a weird request. "Ah, what might I be able to help with?" She looks concernedly at Trudy, ears perked up. "Neither is horrid nor wretched! They're both cute!" And then she blushes a bit as she realizes what she just shouted. Offered a muffin, she quickly sniffs it and takes a bite so she has an excuse to stop talking. Mmm, muffin.
Kale Hearthward	"Look into my - nevermind. So I'm wondering..." Kale leans against the side of the building they're talking in front of. "How do I get someone like you out of their laboratory?" "Like - let's say you keep promising to make time, you set certain things up specifically to make sure you'd had time, but then you spend all that time on research and making things instead of your boyfriend. Like, how do you deal with that?"
Trudy Grimm	Staren's outburst has Trudy laughing when she wanders back, freely offering the muffins to both catgirl and birdman, "Well if you insist~" At Kale's question, Trudy slides closer to Staren, giving her a gentle elbow in the ribs, "Cute girls and fresh muffins seemed to do the trick, huh?" She laughs again, holding the second muffin out for Kale to accept, "I've got some experience with the bookworm type too. You might try appealing to her other interests. Bait the trap, as it were. Worst comes to worst, you could dangle the idea of more data on a string and lure them out like a stray cat."
Staren	Staren smiles at Trudy, then blushes again at the suggestion that she came here to see Trudy because she was cute. She coughs and considers Kale's question as she chews. She would have happily made time for her ex almost any time. She was just so lucky to have someone like that around her... Although, in retrospect, was it really a romantic relationship? They tried to make it one but neither really knew what they were doing, and /certain underlying assumptions/ have since turned out to be false... Come to think of it, someone in a relationship absent certain issues might look at it completely differently! She had a girlfriend, but perhaps Staren hasn't really had the /experience/ of having a girlfriend. Like her ex arguably didn't have the experience of having a boyfriend. Oh dear. Finally speaking after swallowing the bite of muffin, Staren says, "...Honestly, I would have thought that just having someone like that to spend time with would be reason enough... buuuuut, I'm not sure I really know what I'm talking about there. You like spending time around eachother, right? Has something changed?" Staren shakes her head. "Ugh, I'm so awful at social stuff. That's what the mind-reading is supposed to fix, but I can't read your girlfriend from here even if she wanted me to..."
Kale Hearthward	"... He's got certain new responsibilities, but..." "..." Kale leans against the side of the building some more. He's holding onto his muffin, but it's as yet unpecked. "Well the big thing that changed was, well, unification, I guess. And along with it some other things. There was a disaster, and a lot of his family died, and he got a new position, and I joined the Paladins..." "... I guess... there was a lot that changed, yeah. But I was hoping at least our relationship would... stay the same?" He exhales, a long-drawn out sigh (and on the other side of the street, the pub's sign sways back and forth despite there not being any wind). "So... okay. I don't know what precisely has caused this... so... dangling some interesting possibility for data, you said?"
Trudy Grimm	"I don't know this person at all," Trudy states, holding up one hand, "So, complete disclaimer there." She folds her arms then, eyes closing, "But it sounds like he might be burying himself in his work as a way to deal with something that's bothering him or stressing him out. I know I used to do a lot of that." With a laugh, she adds, "I've started forcing myself to be more social so I don't turn out like my dad, seems to be working out!" OK that might not be entirely relevant but it's honest enough. "I was half-joking before, but maybe what you gotta do is just be there. Learning the world is this huge can be quite a shock, yeah?" One eye finally opens, "Like those books about the 'ancient unknowable terrors' where seeing the monster drives the man to madness. It isn't some 'crazy field' that does it. It's the realization that the world is so much bigger than he thought it was."
Staren	He? Oh. So it's a boy into boys. Even further from Staren's experience. She tilts her head to the side slightly, "Do you want me to try the mind-reading thing and see if I get any clues? Probably would give a better picture than just the words you consciously say. On the other hand, I'm not sure I can make it just focus on the boyfriend, I dunno what I'll get." She nods to Trudy. "She sounds like she knows what she's talking about. Her idea is probably better."
Kale Hearthward	"No!" says Kale in response to the mind reading. He clears his throat. "I mean, no thank you," he says. He composes himself. "So... an expedition. Somewhere safe, but interesting?" "... Got any suggestions on that?"
Trudy Grimm	Trudy makes a dismissive gesture, "I absolutely can't advise on that. I'm the girl who hangs out in dingy castles, creaky houses, and graveyards. My ideas of fun or safe locations are totally not commonplace." She props her hands on her hips, then, leaning forward towards Kale a bit, "What it sounds like, to me, is you guys need a vacation, not an expedition. Maybe look up a cruise? They like to stop in all kinds of exotic places and are pretty safe." Eyes closing, she flips a hand dismissively again, "I mean, unless it goes all Poseidon on you, but what're the chances of that?"
Staren	Staren flinches back slightly at the emphatic NO, but nods understandingly. As eager as she is to give this power a try, she can see how most people would not be down for it -- she wouldn't have been, if not for... well, being in Persephone's presence doesn't really give you a choice. "A vacation can be nice! But you know... given your boyfriend's proclivities, a regular vacation might just be boring; as great as spending time with you might be, you both want to do other stuff too, right?" Staren smiles as she explains her idea: "So here's what I always thought would be neat: Going somewhere new and exotic. Preferably not confined to a vehicle or a guided tour. I'm not saying go all alone with no guidance, but he sounds like the type to want to get to interact with stuff himself and learn about some new alien world first-hand, right? So, I dunno what your world is like, but... Visit a city of magic if they don't have it where you're from, or, like, a space colony if they don't have those, or some weird alien world or, or, whatever, just, someplace neat and new to both of you! You get what I mean?"
Trudy Grimm	"Ooh!" Trudy claps her hands once, "Yes, that probably is the better idea! Explore, perhaps with a guide but not a tour guide."
Staren	Staren nods at Trudy's comment. "Yeah. Not somewhere unsafe, or anything, either."
Kale Hearthward	"Right... I'll have to put out feelers, see what I can find... someplace interesting enough to pull him out, not unsafe, not 'on rails' or confined... where we have a guide..." "... Thanks, Trudy. I'm hoping this'll work out."
Trudy Grimm	Trudy smiles that shark-toothed smile of hers again, "Well, what are coworkers you barely know for if not life-changing relationship advice?" Raising an arm, she wraps it around Staren's shoulders and gives the cat a little shake, "But I can't take all the credit here. You asked her first, I just kinda butted in on private matters." Eyes closing, she adds, "I've got a bit of a nosy problem, couldn't help myself." An eye opens towards Staren, "You're the one who had the knockout idea, so own it! Don't let this tricky warlock take all the kudos, you helped a lot too."
Staren	Staren is suddenly an armrest! She jumps slightly at the contact and blushes a little, but before she can say anything she's shaken. "I uhh, well, I mean, I just said what I hoped to one day do with my ex, but towards the end our schedules were really busy, so, we never got to... It didn't get to make her happy, but if the idea can bring you and your boyfriend happiness, that's something!" She grins, "I've always been a romantic at heart."