Mairi is admittedly a little discouraged about her set of gifts after her disagreement with Tarantulas, but she's not gonna let it stop her.
Erik is her friend. One of the first people to welcome her here. She's gonna give him the ring, even if her new one fits weird, physically and emotionally. She gives him a buzz on her sending stone.
Re: Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring --- Genasi Phone (boop boop badoopadoop)
Erik is like an old man in many ways. This is one of them. He doesn't tend to rely on these stones yet. He's still getting used to them. So, when his starts to vibrate and glow and make noise he's so startled he almost drops it while trying to take it out of his pocket. Dammit, what is he supposed to do with these again?
"H-hello?" he says to the stone with no confidence that this is how it actually works. "Lord Osborne speaking."
Mairi laughs on the other end. "Hi Erik! Are you busy? I have something to give you, but I know your work hours can be a little sporadic so I wanted to call ahead."
"Oh, Mairi, what a pleasant surprise." Good recovery there, bud.
"You have perfect timing. I'm free for the next two hours. You are welcome to come to my home. I happen to be stocked in some herbal teas; would you like me to put a kettle on?" It's just boiling water so he can't mess that up.
"Ooh, that sounds nice, thank you. It'll take me a bit to get there from Northwest Hollow but I'll go ahead and get movin'. See you soon, okay?"
Once they've said their farewells, Mairi finds her coat and begins making her way over. She catches a trolley and is there within the hour, knocking at his door.
The wait gives him some time to freshen up and air out his home a little. He's taken to burning spiced candles but some smells do tend to linger. That said, he opts not to close his business door so she may, perchance, catch a glimpse of the impressive wooden restraint cross he's recently had installed. Just in case she's curious.
"Come in," he tells her with a welcoming wave of his hand. The kettle is still steaming on his stovetop so he's managed to time it just right. A selection of herbal mixes are set out for her on the table to choose from, next to an empty tea cup and saucer. "Let me take your coat. Please, make yourself comfortable."
Mairi removes her simple coat and hands it to Erik, taking a seat at the table. "Thank you!" He sure wasn't kidding about that "lord" business. He's a gracious host, with high society manners. She picks a tea and starts steeping it. "So, how've you been? Did you and Dahlia have a good time at Merrymeet?"
He quickly hangs her coat on a rack by the door and comes to meet her, taking a seat across the table. "Thank you for asking. I'm very well. Yes, it was an enjoyable time. Some of those disturbances aside. It seems we can't have one simple gathering without the evils on this island raising their heads to attempt to spoil things." Not that he's complaining too hard. He got to witness River putting a demon very firmly in her place.
"Ah, well--- It's been interesting lately." Mairi pulls a face to imply her meaning. "So, ah, back home--- I had this pewter ring that would play a bird call when struck, and my dearest friends all had matching ones. So I got a copy of mine made here, by River, and it disappeared not too long after it was finished. Turns out it was stolen by Tarantulas for some... infernal boon. I don't suppose you know anything about that...?"
His head falls forward in something like a defeated nod. "I'm afraid I do. I wasn't aware of the ring, specifically, but I am aware that Tarantulas trespassed against his friends in order to bargain with a demon for the miraculous birth of his child. I know this because I was present at the birth."
Mairi sighs. "Yeah. That's about the same story I got. At least I know he wasn't lying about that part."
She looks down at her hands, rubbing at the ring she now wears. It's wrong. It isn't hers. The spider lily design doesn't suit her. "I'd told him what the rings were to me. He was the one who helped me figure out how to get siren scales for River to enchant them with. I even made one for him, after this heart-to-heart we had about his past--- I wanted to make them for all my new loved ones. So that we could be connected, like I was with my old friends." She pauses to let out a hollow laugh. "Y'know, I don't know what's worse. The fact that he did it in the first place, or the fact that he apparently only chose me because he 'doesn't have that many friends to betray' or whatever it was he said. After all that, I was just a... a backup option. Probably to get him out of fucking Sally over, so that she could babysit him. Keep it classy, Tarantulas."
Erik's expression crumples with sympathy and pain as she speaks. Tarantulas...how could you?
"I am so sorry. Tarantulas is a fool of the highest order. Stealing from you was terrible enough, but he squandered every last ounce of your goodwill. It's no wonder he has few friends if he cannot see the value before his multitude of eyes. What he's done is unspeakable."
Mairi lets out a long, slow sigh. "Well... at least I found out now, before I got in any deeper. I just wish I hadn't thrown it back at him and worn the one for him instead. It felt like revenge in the moment, but now it just makes me sad." She clacks the ring against the table, and the barking call of a Northern Flicker sounds. The cadence is reminiscent of Tarantulas' distinctive laugh.
"...But, uh, that does remind me." Mairi fishes in her pocket for something. She hasn't known Erik all that long, but he was so helpful and charming when she first arrived--- having her fall caught when she slipped on the ice is an experience that sticks out in her mind as one that first made her feel safe here. And Erik's response to all this just solidifies her resolve. Erik deserves this gift. She didn't make another mistake. Mairi produces a ring with hickory leaf designs on it.
"I've heard you called Lord of the Ozarks. I had to do some asking around to figure out what that meant, but I found out that the hickory trees that grow there are apparently really beautiful, so..." She offers it to him. "Thank you for being my friend."
"I could try to get it back for you, if you like?" His eyes soften with regret as he listens to that birdcall. It really does resemble Tarantula's laughter. Foolish spider. He'll be getting an earful about this.
"No, thank you" he answers in awe. "Yes, you're right. We have great rolling hills filled with Hickory trees that turn magnificent colors in the fall." He accepts her gift by putting his hands over hers, "Mairi, thank you. This is so touchingly thoughtful."
"I'll get it eventually," Mairi sighs, but her smile returns as he describes the beautiful autumns in the Ozarks.
"I'm glad you like it. It plays a goldfinch call when struck," she eagerly tells him. "I used to use them as a signal with my friends back home, so... if you ever need me, strike it and I'll find you."
He gently strikes the ring on the table the way he'd seen her do and listens with his eyes closed and a smile on his face as the birdsong fills the air.
"It's lovely. Thank you for both the gift and the offer to aid me. The sentiment is mutual. I have very good hearing. If you call my name, I will find you just as surely."
His reaction brings a smile to Mairi's face, and a softness to her chest. Erik would have made an excellent druid in another life, she thinks.
"I appreciate you listening to me, too. This whole thing is such a mess, and the weird tension between Tarantulas and River really doesn't help." She considers this for a moment, then grimaces. "Oh, gods, you're probably in that one even deeper than I am, now that I think about it. What happened, anyway?"
His smile turns wry. "Yes. The tension between them is thick enough to cut with a knife." Which is extra awkward when he refuses to turn his back completely on Tarantulas. But that doesn't mean he thinks River should forgive or forget any time soon.
"Tarantulas stole something priceless from her. Something meaningful in a way that shattered all trust she had for him. He is lucky she has not incinerated him yet. She still may." The way Erik's talking, it seems pretty clear he won't do anything to prevent it if she decides the spider's time has come.
"He's lucky all he got from me was some water to the face." She heaves asigh. "Whatever. I've decided not to be worried about him anymore. I'm too busy anyway. Did I tell you I'm building a druid circle?"
"Only? That was rather restrained of you." She didn't even try to suffocate him a little? Erik is impressed.
"No, I hadn't heard that. How exciting. What does building a druid circle involve? Vampires cannot perform magic so I do not have much experience with these things."
"Really? I wonder why that is," Mairi muses. "But basically a circle is just--- like a hobby club, but more intense. I'm going to teach a few people how to do magic like mine and then we'll practice together."
"The best conclusion we've been able to make is that the magic animating us nullifies other magics. Even those who had supernatural abilities before being turned will lose them." History does not look kindly upon how that knowledge was used against the Mediums of the past, but he doesn't want to get into all of that now.
"Who will you be teaching? Have you got many participants yet?"
"So far, I've got César Salazar and Laios Touden, but I'm hoping I can get more folks on board. It'll feel like home," Mairi says, feeling lighter just talking about it. "My mother and sisters and I would participate in our own Circle at home, and it was... I really appreciated the sense of community, you know? I feel like I became a stronger mage as a result."
"I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting Laios yet but I know César well. I'm happy to hear he's branching out," the grin he's wearing says he knows what he did. That pun is intended.
"I'm sorry I cannot participate in a meaningful way with it because it sounds lovely. You're right that having a sense of community can be so beneficial. If there are ways I could contribute unofficially, don't hesitate to ask."
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lordoftheozarks) wrote2023-06-13 08:20 pm
Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring --- Genasi Phone (boop boop badoopadoop)
Erik is her friend. One of the first people to welcome her here. She's gonna give him the ring, even if her new one fits weird, physically and emotionally. She gives him a buzz on her sending stone.
Re: Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring --- Genasi Phone (boop boop badoopadoop)
"H-hello?" he says to the stone with no confidence that this is how it actually works. "Lord Osborne speaking."
no subject
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"You have perfect timing. I'm free for the next two hours. You are welcome to come to my home. I happen to be stocked in some herbal teas; would you like me to put a kettle on?" It's just boiling water so he can't mess that up.
no subject
Once they've said their farewells, Mairi finds her coat and begins making her way over. She catches a trolley and is there within the hour, knocking at his door.
no subject
The wait gives him some time to freshen up and air out his home a little. He's taken to burning spiced candles but some smells do tend to linger. That said, he opts not to close his business door so she may, perchance, catch a glimpse of the impressive wooden restraint cross he's recently had installed. Just in case she's curious.
"Come in," he tells her with a welcoming wave of his hand. The kettle is still steaming on his stovetop so he's managed to time it just right. A selection of herbal mixes are set out for her on the table to choose from, next to an empty tea cup and saucer. "Let me take your coat. Please, make yourself comfortable."
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"What about you? How have you been?"
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She looks down at her hands, rubbing at the ring she now wears. It's wrong. It isn't hers. The spider lily design doesn't suit her. "I'd told him what the rings were to me. He was the one who helped me figure out how to get siren scales for River to enchant them with. I even made one for him, after this heart-to-heart we had about his past--- I wanted to make them for all my new loved ones. So that we could be connected, like I was with my old friends." She pauses to let out a hollow laugh. "Y'know, I don't know what's worse. The fact that he did it in the first place, or the fact that he apparently only chose me because he 'doesn't have that many friends to betray' or whatever it was he said. After all that, I was just a... a backup option. Probably to get him out of fucking Sally over, so that she could babysit him. Keep it classy, Tarantulas."
no subject
"I am so sorry. Tarantulas is a fool of the highest order. Stealing from you was terrible enough, but he squandered every last ounce of your goodwill. It's no wonder he has few friends if he cannot see the value before his multitude of eyes. What he's done is unspeakable."
no subject
"...But, uh, that does remind me." Mairi fishes in her pocket for something. She hasn't known Erik all that long, but he was so helpful and charming when she first arrived--- having her fall caught when she slipped on the ice is an experience that sticks out in her mind as one that first made her feel safe here. And Erik's response to all this just solidifies her resolve. Erik deserves this gift. She didn't make another mistake. Mairi produces a ring with hickory leaf designs on it.
"I've heard you called Lord of the Ozarks. I had to do some asking around to figure out what that meant, but I found out that the hickory trees that grow there are apparently really beautiful, so..." She offers it to him. "Thank you for being my friend."
no subject
"No, thank you" he answers in awe. "Yes, you're right. We have great rolling hills filled with Hickory trees that turn magnificent colors in the fall." He accepts her gift by putting his hands over hers, "Mairi, thank you. This is so touchingly thoughtful."
no subject
"I'm glad you like it. It plays a goldfinch call when struck," she eagerly tells him. "I used to use them as a signal with my friends back home, so... if you ever need me, strike it and I'll find you."
no subject
"It's lovely. Thank you for both the gift and the offer to aid me. The sentiment is mutual. I have very good hearing. If you call my name, I will find you just as surely."
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"I appreciate you listening to me, too. This whole thing is such a mess, and the weird tension between Tarantulas and River really doesn't help." She considers this for a moment, then grimaces. "Oh, gods, you're probably in that one even deeper than I am, now that I think about it. What happened, anyway?"
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"Tarantulas stole something priceless from her. Something meaningful in a way that shattered all trust she had for him. He is lucky she has not incinerated him yet. She still may." The way Erik's talking, it seems pretty clear he won't do anything to prevent it if she decides the spider's time has come.
no subject
"He's lucky all he got from me was some water to the face." She heaves asigh. "Whatever. I've decided not to be worried about him anymore. I'm too busy anyway. Did I tell you I'm building a druid circle?"
no subject
"No, I hadn't heard that. How exciting. What does building a druid circle involve? Vampires cannot perform magic so I do not have much experience with these things."
no subject
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"Who will you be teaching? Have you got many participants yet?"
no subject
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"I'm sorry I cannot participate in a meaningful way with it because it sounds lovely. You're right that having a sense of community can be so beneficial. If there are ways I could contribute unofficially, don't hesitate to ask."