Scene #9050: Gathering Herbs

Owner	Pose
Echolalia	Echolalia caused a bit of a stir when she first showed up to badger Odette but shortly after she has stepped away to survey the land around the campsite, though she hasn't moved too far off. Her hair sparks and smolders as she walks around, examining the moss and pulling a bit free to stare at it and, then nibbles at the moss she's gathered experimentally. She frowns thoughtfully and then moves a bit further past to examine the leaves of trees further away from the campsite. It would be easier if she had a book describing the local flora. She hadn't really had to consider plantlife from outside the Nine Moons' perception, so she is seeing this to add to her repertoire. She then takes the moss and rubs it on her inner forearm and leans against a tree, drawing out her pipe and closing her eyes as she waits to see if there's a reaction. "Mia..." She complains. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult...?" In this moment, alone, she feels free to express frustration she wasn't comfortable with sharing in the presence of others. Or at least...she THINKS she's alone...!!
Odette Raskins	Could tonight get any better? A long night to rest after so much pain and hard work, impressing Lucius after months of trying to even reach the starting line in magic, getting a super close hug that's definitely an indicator that she's one step closer to something or another... Odette really needs a breather before she can get any sleep tonight. Normally, that would mean lying in bed watching some random stuff in her room, but being out in Elibe means she's got a chance to just try sleeping outside! Except there's probably wild bears or fish to worry about, so she'll have to stick close to the camp. Her curiosity gets the better of her, though, and she settles on looking for local plants that might be useful for brewing up new concoctions. Although she does find some plants here and there, the light coming off Echolalia's head ends up distracting her from that idea rather quickly. Odette's first instinct is to hide behind a tree, but she sees her rubbing her arm with that moss, and she comes around it just in time to hear her saying something about Mia. "Uh... M-Miss Echolalia?" She says/asks in slight bewilderment, looking at the glowing lady's arm while also trying not to make it too obvious that she totally heard her just now. "Y... Um. Your arm. I-is it itching or something? If that's poisonous, I can... Er. I-I've got stuff for that!"
Echolalia	Echolalia glances over to Odette, smiling, "Oh! No, I mean, I ''am'' testing if it's poisonous because I need to figure out what I can make food or salves with. One of the tests of 'Is this poison?' is it rub it on your body...." She hesitates and then admits, "I'm really resilient to most toxins but if there's a reaction it probably means humans shouldn't eat it." She quirks her head. "You're the prodigy right? THe magical one? What's your name actually??" This person had some...weird ideas about stalkers--wait, was Odette...stalking her?? She's stammering like she got caught doing ''something'' wrong. But she can't imagine what so she just files away ''Maybe up to something??' in her head before asking, "Did you want to learn about Ran afer all??" She asks. "I don't have any of my pamphlets but I'm happy to tell you all about our moth--" She blinks once, trailing off. "Wait is that why you thought we were sisters? Did you already hear about Ran??" Her tone rises up quickly with excitement and joy.
Odette Raskins	"That's... I-I mean, that's one way to do it, but what if it's super poisonous even to you?" Odette asks with evident concern on her face while conveniently ignoring that she probably would do something similar herself. After scratching her cheek lightly, she starts to dig around in her pockets for a specific pill bottle when... "P.. Prodigy? H-huh? Oh! I-it's nothing like that, I... Ah.." Despite saying otherwise, Odette's definitely soaking in that praise, compelte with bashful fidgeting and trying not to smile too much at being reminded of how much Lucius praised her just a while ago. "M.. My name's Odette. Er. It's nice to meet you! Uh. Again." And then Echolalia's question about Ran gets a confused and completely uncomprehending look out of the EMT. "About... Um. Who? Pamphlets?" Giving her a clueless look, Odette almost seems relieved at the followup question about Echolalia and (probably) Dysnomia. "You and Miss Mia? N-no, I've never met anyone named Ran before. I just thought you two acted kind of like the... Some siblings I used to see on another station back home." She pauses, then clears her throat and tries not to blush too much when she recalls what else Echolalia said on the radio. "I-I didn't know you were... Um... A-a different kind of close!"
Echolalia	''I just thought you two acted kind of like the... Some siblings I used to see on another station back home.'' Echolalia blinks a couple times before just overtly asking, "Are you sure they were siblings and not, you know, gay?" Echolalia isn't really sure how Odette would mistake one for the other but apparently she has managed it before. Maybe both pairings were actually not siblings rather than just one! "Did they actually look alike?" ''What if it's super poisonous even to you?'' "Well then I'd probably get a rash or something or I'd feel it on my lips--I can't exactly get the local literature out here..." She smiles. "W...well, I don't really know what's going on between Mia and me now. I guess she's still broken up by everything that happened but--makes sense right? So I can't be too mad, she just...shouldn't have left me behind that's all. ANYWAY!" She clasps a hand on Odette's shoulder, grinning. "Ran is the mother goddess of the Nine Moons territory. She's our sun, but she's also the mother of all eth--dra---...People like Dysnomia and I. In our darkest moments, her Light is always there for us. And she can be there for you too because I believe Ran loves all people with all her heart. And surely someday even her rays will reach here..." She beams at Odette, "Someone as kind as you, I bet she'd love to have you as an acolyte too...!"
Odette Raskins	"Are you sure they were siblings and not, you know, gay?" "Did they actually look alike?" That has Odette pausing. It's not as though she ever asked, and it's not as though they looked all that similar to each other in every other instance of it happening, and that even seems to be the same case here. Perhaps realizing how many times she's made this mistake, her face starts to burn redder as more and more realizations start coming up in her head. "So all those times, they've... A-all those times, it's actually been...?" The idea of Echolalia getting a rash from something otherwise extremely toxic is a welcome distraction from that, and Odette clears her throat as she finally digs that bottle out of her pocket. She flicks three pills out, wraps them up in a neat little napkin, then holds them out. "In case one of these does do that. One when you feel it, one after you wake up, and one before bed." "So I can't be too mad, she just...shouldn't have left me behind that's all." That actually gets a sympathetic look from Odette, and she reaches a hand up to pat Echolalia's hand following the shoulder clasping (with only a minimal amount of flinching). "Well.. A-at least you two aren't separated anymore, right? That must be a huge relief, with... Well, everything going on here. Especially with her getting involvd in this war and all." Odette laughs, but it's a nervous sort of laugh as she realizes she's also involved in a war, but with far less general combat ability than both Echolalia and Dysnomia. Hearing about Ran is a bit of a relief, too, and Odette eventually settles in to listen, leaning against a nearby tree. She pauses to glance at the leaves, making sure they're not hanging too low towards her face (in case they're poisonous) before looking over at Echolalia again. "I-is she your actual mom, or is thia a... Um. Is this more abstract, like with the Solar Order?" If not for being out in the Multiverse for months at this point, she probably would have assumed it was all abstract. "Someone as kind as you, I bet she'd love to have you as an acolyte too...!" "A.. Acolyte? But that'd be.. Er. Wouldn't it be too soon?" She replies with an awkward chuckle, trying to suss out just what that means. "I-i mean, I've only heard of your.. Um. Nine Moons and Ran just now. There's probably way more qualified people to do... Um. Wh-whatever acolytes do, right?"
Echolalia	''Wouldn't it be too soon?'' "Well I'm not saying 'become an acolyte today'--I just mean I can envision that kind of future, you know?" Echolalia doubts she's going to need those pills but it's sweet that Odette is offering and she's not actually stammering about it so she thinks she wants to encourage her by taking them. She sometimes has speaking-issues too, after all, when she repeats stuff repeats stuff repeats stuff. "Thanks! I'll return them if I feel fine." She says, thinking about the 'all the other times'. "I mean it's possible...? If I met them I could prrrrobably tell you?" She finds herself frowning. She doesn't know much about this war, but it does seem like Dysnomia is helping good people who care about her and she's glad for that, but at the same time it feels like she's 'entering another war' when the last conflict she was involved in didn't go so well for her. She's worried. "...It is a relief, though I'm worried... the last time she got involved in anything like this, it went bad. Not that it was ''exactly'' like this..." ''Is she your actual mom--'' "The Solar Order? It might be! I don't know what that is, you should tell me about it!" Echolalia beams sunnily. "I think I could make an argument for either, like, she has made my new life for me, but at the same time I do have like--a mom who isn't a sun, still."
Odette Raskins	"I just mean I can envision that kind of future, you know?" "You can? Ah.. Thanks!" Giggling a bit, Odette rubs her neck while looking back towards the main camp. "Although I've alraedy kind of got my hands full with the.. Um. The EMT stuff, the Trideag Association, and-" Wait. She doesn't know who else Echolalia might be working for. Or with? With. "-and... A-all sorts of other stuff, you know?" "If I met them I could prrrrobably tell you?" That, too, has Odette giggling a bit shortly before looking up at Echolalia's sparking hair. "That could be a little too much for them... Er. I mean, moreso than theusual, anyway. Although.. .Does it hurt, having your hair all.. Like that? Is that your hair?" She looks like she almost wants to reach out and touch her hair, but Odette's upbringing (and also general aversion to getting set on fire) keeps her hands safely at her sides. ". . . the last time she got involved in anything like this, it went bad." Odette's nosiness goes to war with her upbringing once again. On one hand, she really really wants to know, but.. It'd be wrong to ask! At least, it'd be wrong to ask someone besides Dysnomia herself, but considering how scary she is, would it be better...? No, it wouldn't. She has a terrible poker face, though, and Odette can't hide that curious glint in her eyes even though she doesn't actually ask for more details. Instead: "O-oh. That's.. Well, I'm sure she'll be fine here. There's tons of strong people in our group here, although..." She's seen Dysnomia fighting before, so combat strength might not be the issue. "Are you worried about how she'll take all this.. Um. Emotionally?" "The Solar Order? It might be! I don't know what that is, you should tell me about it!" "I do have like--a mom who isn't a sun, still." "The... Oh! Er. S-sorry, I wouldn't really..." Odette admits with a slightly defeated noise. "I-I mean, I've heard about them following Libra, and some stories about at least one of their followers being this crazy-strong swordsman, but as far as their teachings go..." She scratches her cheek lightly, shrugging after a moment. "M-my best guess is it's got a lot to do with knightly stuff, and doing it in Libra's name. Kind of like..." Another pause, then she peers at Echolalia. "Like you and Miss Mia with Ran?"
Echolalia	Echolalia doesn't think she should tell Odette the story instead of Dysnomia but she thinks at the rate things are going, it might come out even if Dysnomia never says anything and probably in the worst possible way. She frowns a little bit, thinking about that, but brightens. "What's the Trideag Association and--ummm are you an EMT? That would explain why you had those pills on hand." Wait, she thinks, is this ARMY the Trideag Association? She has sooooo much reading to catch up on...! ''Does it hurt, having your hair all...'' "Nah." Echolalia says. "The hair is how mother Ran envisioned me, it could never hurt me. Though I always felt like she looked deep into my heart and saw what I really saw myself as... But you know, knowing EVERYTHING about yourself is pretty hard, so I'm not surprised some stuff came out a little differently, you know?" She's smiling again, as thinking on a fond, if bittersweet, memory. "The Collapse isn't always a happy memory, but... I prefer to focus on the happy parts. Thanks to mine, I can actually help my people and... I'm honestly one of the luckier ones." The implication, of course, is that Dysnomia wasn't one of the luckier ones. ''Are you worried about how she'll take all this.. Um. Emotionally?'' "Aghh.... I'm worried about SO MUCH. I mean, it's not like I haven't ... You know, I've totally considered how stuff could go bad... But when you love someone you can't just..." She looks at her hands. "I bet you think I'm pretty foolish, huh? A lot of people out here seem to think I'm a big dummy for still loving her right now. But I can't really help myself. If I'm a big dummy, I guess I'm a big dummy." ''And doing it in Libra's name. Kind of like... Like you and Miss Mia with Ran?'' "Oh! Well I'm not a Knight! Haha, my character class is totally different, eheh... And um... Well, there's a lot of way sto believe in the same ''Mother'' right? If you don't know much about it, I can probably just ask that channel everybody's on. Is Libra a sun too?"
Odette Raskins	"What's the Trideag Association and--ummm are you an EMT?" "Mhm! I-I'm actually a.. Um. An EMT with the Company, and a Fixer for the Trideag Association. It's a..." Odette pauses, going through her mental thesaurus for alternatives to 'company' and 'association'. "... Organization that's working in the City-" Should she be explaining that the City is, in fact, a city? No, that's probably obvious enough, but the name could... No, just keep going. "-to make it less of a... Erm. It's pretty bad there for the people that live there, so we're working to make things better. Not for free or anything like that, but sort of in a... Making things better by being better kind of way?" She's really hoping that makes enough sense. "I'm not surprised some stuff came out a little differently, you know?" "That almost sounds like you got to... Change into this. L-like you had a choice to become cooler than you were before. Is that right?" Odette sounds rather awed by that, and she's most certainly not thinking about what she would change about herself given the opportunity. That thought she isn't having gets interrupted, though, as Echolalia brings up 'luckier ones' and something calle the Collapse. "Did everyone.. Er. Did some people not get to become anything close to what they'd wanted? Is it because of this Collapse?" "I bet you think I'm pretty foolish, huh?" Turning arund to face Echolalia directly, Odette reaches up to clasp her shoulder this time. "N-not at all! I think it's really cool that you're able to be so devoted to someone like that. It's romantic! And not everyone's lucky enough to ever feel like that, or have someone feel like that about them, so... O-of course it's normal to be worried, right?" A pause, and then she strokes her chin lightly. "Although... Miss Mia doesn't seem so happy about you being around. O-or is that just the way she is?" "If you don't know much about it, I can probably just ask that channel everybody's on. Is Libra a sun too?" "Mmmmaybe! I think, if you were going to ask anyone..." Wait. Can she reveal that she's aware that the Redshifts are operating in this section of the Multiverse? How much of that entire event is public knowledge? It's public enough that even Odette heard about it, at least, so... "Y-you should ask White Dwarf or Red Giant. They probably know way more about the Solar Order than me."
Echolalia	"The company?" Echolalia asks. No it felt more like 'The Company'. She wonders if that's similar to the Admiralty? And a ... Fixer? That must be some kind of doctor, she decides. And then there's a 'The City'. Unbeknownst to Echolalia (and seemingly Odette), The City isn't actually all city but it is all The City. Instead Echolalia is simply confused by The City being called The City instead of like 'Philadelphia' or something. Her hair takes a vague mix of shifting colors, like multiple fireowrks went off at once and the colors are competing with one naother. But it settles into a bright yellow when Odette says they're making things better. "Oh that sounds great." She says though privately admits to herself that trying to make things better is easy, successfully doing so is tougher because of all the people who will try to kill you. ''Like you had a choice to become cooler than before.'' Echolalia pulls up from the tree and looks into Odette's eyes like she's trying to memorize them. "Do you think we're...''cooler'' than we were before? I mean, if you're saying that without knowing the 'before' really... That means you think ether--uh... You think Dysnomia and I are cool, right? Or at least our forms?" She is curious, of course, what Odette thinks she would turn into and is trying to get a read on that. "What do you think you'd be? Just off the top of your head? It can be... Your Dragson." Echolalia frowns. "I mean Ethersona. I definitely mean ethersona. Yes." But either way she pulls back to answer the question. "It's just a tough process." Echolalia explains. "The Admiralty wants people to go through Collapse and will try to engineer it sometimes. But they also don't want to--like--respect us. 'Giving up on being human' they call it." She shrugs. "But some people don't Collapse at all. more attached, you know? But I feel like just because the Admiralty doesn't respect us--doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to help our people. Most people are, you know, normal." She kicks at the dirt a little with her foot, thinking about Mia being unhappy she's present. "A lot of wyrms don't like her. I'll just say she did something she shouldn't have--but she also is a victim too. Anything else I think she should say herself, you know? But she might not really have the option to hide it much longer. What with the Bounty." ''You should ask White Dwarf or Red Giant. They probably know way more about the Solar Order than me.'' Echolalia smiles again. "Okay! I will! Which White Dwarf and which Red Giant are you talking about?" For a moment, a pang of loneliness hits her and she asks, "Say." She says. "You want to be friends?"
Odette Raskins	"The company?" "Yes! The Company is.. Um. In control of just about everything where I'm from. Trade, research, security, medical care, basically. .Um. Anything you can think of." Odette explains briefly, trying not to look too conflicted about her thoughts about that. They ARE paying her, after all, but after everything she's heard about and seen ever since the incidents on that one station... "Do you think we're...''cooler'' than we were before?" Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Odette jumps a bit in place as Echolalia makes direct eye contact! "Uh? Um... I-I'd assume so, yes. Er. I mean, if you had the choice to change stuff about yourself even a little, it'd probably be something more impressive than what you already are, right? And..." She swallows lightly, looking up at Echolalia's color-changing hair with another quick nod. "Y-you're both really strong, too, so... You're able to do all sorts of stuff regular people without powers can't, you know?" "What do you think you'd be?" "I definitely mean ethersona." Odette's pretty sure she heard Echolalia say something else first, but she's distracted enough by the question that she doesn't think too hard about what she missed. "My...? Hmm. Definitely something faster. Like..." She closes her eyes, furrowing her brow as a somewhat fuzzy mental image starts to form. It's still unmistakeable Odette-shaped, but taller (mostly via leg-length) and with an electric motif. There's some dragon-ish wings sneaking in there, too, but the thought isn't given much room to breathe compared to the rest of hte 'Odette-but-hotter' mental image. "A... Sprinter?" Admiralty and the Collapse "So the Collapse is a thing that happens? Is it..." No, it's probably not safe, but the results are already unmistakeably visible right in front of her, if what Echolalia says is accurate. "... Did you want to do it? Ah... D-don't worry, I won't ask Miss Mia if it's something that should be quiet. Especially if..." Hearing that Dysnomia's a victim has Odette hesitating further. "At least she... Er. Mmn. If there's others after her... N-no wonder you came out to find her, then. You're a good friend to her, huh?" "Which White Dwarf and which Red Giant are you talking about?" "Oh! The... They're members of a group that-" Odette starts, then clears her throat to try and not sound so excited to talk about them. "Erm. Officially, they're terrorists directly targeting the Company and its assets. Their leader, Red Giant, released a mission sta-um." Another throat clearing. She's totally trying too hard to sound Company-favoring. "Manifesto about why they're doing what they do, so he probably knows plenty about the Solar Order. And White Dwarf fought one of their warriors to a stand still when they blew up a station, and I heard that she.. Um. Heard a lot about the Order from the warrior himself." "You want to be friends?" Odette blinks slowly for a few seconds, then chuckles and nods after a moment. "Sure! I-it never hurts to have more friends, right? Especially in this line of work and all that stuff." A beat, and then she adds: "Do... Erm. A-are you sure? I mean, I don't have anything... Like most other Elites can do, you know?"
Echolalia	Echolalia isn't someone who has to worry about money really. She can handle living outdoors all she wants--and frankly prefers it--and she can make all the food she wants. She has a family, but when you are essentially the 'breadbasket' of your home, there's plenty of incentive to treat them well. Though the term is called 'The Company', Echolalia's mind only reconfirms that it'ssomething like the Admiralty despite the different name. But guessing at it would only be super embarrassing if she was wrong so she ends up saying, "That's a lot. I hope you don't do all of that yourself." But she doesn't know much about other incidents either. Echolalia has plenty of pride in being an etherwyrm--you can tell that just by looking at her She smiles so easily and often. Her hair shifts to a a reddish color as she says, "Eheh...Well, I think you're plenty cool too Odette. Magic aside, you came up to me despite everything and offered me medicine jut in case I needed to eat it and just up and told me how to use it properly too. That's ... damn cool, Odette. Do you have a nickname people like to use for you? Like Odds or something?" She presses a hand to her cheek and adds, "Faster? ... So you can get to people who need medical care more quickly?" Gosh, she thinks this lady's just precious. ''Did you want to do it?'' "More than anything." Echolalia sighs. "But it was still hard. I nearly died, nearly died, nearly died. And a lot of my people died too--starvation, we were in a famine you know?--But it would've been worse if not for Mia by a longshot. I was only able to end after I Collapsed. Mia helped before that." ''Officially they're terrorists directly targeting the Company and its assets.'' Echolalia's mouth hangs open silently because Odette seems to be friends with terrorists who are directly attacking the Company she works for and seems at worst ambivalent about. "She sounds really cool." She admits, but elects to reserve jkudgement on Red Giant. ''I don't have anything... Like most other Elites can do, you know?'' Echolalia is nonplussed by this. "What's that gotta do with anything?" She isn't sure she's ready to admit that she is a little desperate for positive company right now and it feels weirdly insulting to admit that out loud and she DOES like her. So instead she says, "I mean, working to be able to do more stuff is great, if you want to be an etherwyrm I totally support that it'd be hypocritical not to--but I only need a friend to be a friend, not a super soldier or whatever." She didn't have a good opportunity to say that no it's not really safe but she has sort of admitted as such already.
Odette Raskins	"All of...? Oh, no no no. I-I've only got medical training!" Odette clarifies hastily, laughing a moment later and tapping the brim of her cap. "If I was security, I'd... I don't think I'd last in security. Or a lot of the other departments, really." "That's ... damn cool, Odette. Do you have a nickname people like to use for you? Like Odds or something?" "I-it is? Aw, come on .IF you had teh training, I'm sure you could pull the same stuff on top of everything else you can already do!" Odette tries to divert attention away from herself, but it's pretty clear the compliments are just making her more bashful. "I never really had any nicknames at work, no. Er. N-not any good ones, anyway." There's definitely something uncomfortable lingering behind that, but Odette doesn't elaborate further. "Faster? ... So you can get to people who need medical care more quickly?" "Eh? Y-yeah! It'd make my work easier for sure, and..." Odette rubs her neck lightly, looking a little more troubled than before as she's reminded of far too many past failures at once. "... I wouldn't have to worry about being too late to save someone again." "I nearly died . . . Mia helped before that." "Oh... That's awful. Um. S-sorry, I didn't meant to bring up.. Er. Painful memories." She replies with a slow nod, realizing she's inadvertently getting more information about Mia without her being here. She pauses for a moment to try and get her thoughts organized again, eventually offering a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Well... It sounds like things could've been way worse without you and Mia, so that's... Silver lining, you know?" "She sounds really cool." "Oh, she is! She's got some kind of cursed arm.. Or was it an eye? And a spider familiar that's supposed to be holding something back in her, too, and that's before we even get to all the sword skills." Wait. She needs to tamp down the excitement some. "I-I mean.. Um. For an enemy of the Company." "What's that gotta do with anything?" "I only need a friend to be a friend, not a super soldier or whatever." Caught off guard by Echolalia's apparent frankness, Odette can't help but laugh again and shake her head. "N-no, you're.. You're right! It doesn't really matter if we're just... Um. Friends, yeah! Hanging out like this and relaxing and just not doing... Er. Thinking about work stuff all the time." She rests her head back on the tree behind her, then lets out the first yawn she's allowed herself to have in front of anyone else in a long while. "That sounds real nice, mhm..."