2023-05-17: The Start of a School Adventure
- Log: The Start of a School Adventure
- Cast: Eleanor Klein, Hannah Curie
- Where: Sielje City
- Date: May 17, 2023
- IC Date: ~498 PC (Approximately 7 years ago)
- Summary: We cast our gaze back to the past to see the start of a friendship. Hannah arrives at Sielje with Zephyr to start her new scholastic adventure. Eleanor volunteers to help show the new girl around, and the two nerds quickly hit it off.
===============================<* Sielje City *>================================ A strange stone structure in the center of the Freykragg Isle houses a teleporter that leads to an astonishing sight: a school, a very town in the sky, floating far, far above Sielje suspended farther than even the birds fly, held up presumably by the same magic studied there. Sielje, the namesake of the entire region, is said by the scholars to in truth be housed in a nearby dimension, close enough that it shares the same sky but distant enough to shield the atmosphere from the strange arcane energies that some of their work could call into being. Regardless, it cannot be reached by air; only by the teleporter. The Academy has many programs of study, from sciences to sorceries, but it is most famous for two: its Crest Sorcery program, and the premier Observatory, perhaps the greatest place to study the heavens and their movements in all Filgaia. Outside the grand old structure of the Academy, a small town has sprung up, supporting the school and those who work and study there both. It is snowy, but cozy, if one avoids looking down and keeps warm. The observatory is out in this town. Looking up and to the sky, however, shows not just sky, but strange colors in the distance, perhaps the proof of the scholars' claims. Whatever you do, though, don't fall off the walkways. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj2d8U-CO9E
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
While many would describe the people of Sielje as warm, and while the buildings can be very cozy... It's cold. It's really cold! The trip across the snowfields to get to the teleporter is cold, and then there's ice and snow on all the buildings once you do arrive here. Beneath there is darkness, brick-foundationed platforms serving as walkways about the place, with invisible barriers to prevent people falling off the edges... though this doesn't always stop people from throwing things over said barriers.
Kids, after all.
The dormitories are between the school and the 'town' that's sprung up to support it, which includes inns (The 'Lucky Day' is a favorite), eateries, and various shops for things people might need, all supported by trade. And right now, in this alternate dimension... There are beautiful lanterns, done up in stone and metal. There are buildings in the same gray stone, though the Academy's more bronze. And a girl is walking along the way...
With honey-blonde hair and warm brown eyes, Eleanor Klein steps along the way toward the town square, looking around. She is wearing a pink coat over her clothes--a uniform coat--with a silver tie, and her boots crunch crunch in the snow. SHe isn't wearing gloves; she's not out here for that long. That reveals the engagement ring on her left hand, though she looks a bit young for it. Eleanor is a warm figure regardless, and happens to be looking for someone!
The young elf couldn't be older than fifteen--maybe younger. But there is someone still younger out here--
"Miss Curie?" Eleanor asks, looking around. "Miss Hannah Curie?"
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
It is cold, but at least one girl wandering about doesn't seem phased by it. Oh, she's shivering a bit, but she's also excitedly looking at different building features, marveling at the sight of the observatory in the distance, and while she's mindful of the school's precarious positioning, isn't afraid of straying off the beaten path to go look at something that's caught her interest.
She looks about 13, so about the right age to be a fresh student. Bright pink hair spills out from under her cap down to the middle of her back, wide green eyes are staring at everything in amazement, and she's all bundled up in a green wool coat--with gloves--and a pair of boots look more meant for hiking in the desert than in the snow.
Less enthused is the red-tailed hawk riding around on her shoulder. He's pressed as closely to Hannah as he can be, with a little red scarf wrapped around his neck for some extra warmth.
When Eleanor spies her, she appears to be talking to herself. "... Oh look, there's the observatory! Gosh I wonder what the view must be like from there... Must be awfully amazin', don't you think?"
At hearing her name called, though, she stops and turns her head. "Oh! Ah, howdy. That's me. What c'n I do for you, miss...?"
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
There!! Someone looking around in wonder, excitedly taking in the sights, and--more to the point--who answers to the name Eleanor was given! The young heiress brightens when she hears Hannah answer. Sure, she's talking to herself, but--
Oh wait no! There's a hawk!
"Hi there!" Eleanor greets her warmly, and starts to walk over. "My name is Eleanor! Eleanor Klein," she introduces herself, "I'm a senior in the Crest Sorcery department!" She does look a little young for that. Regardless, "The observatory is open to students, when it's not being used for important research," she offers.
Then she smiles. "Welcome to Sielje Academy! Who's your friend?" She looks to the hawk, of course, and then back to Hannah.
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
Hannah is ahving a totally normal conversation with a bird. It's probably fine.
Hannah smiles as Eleanor introduces herself. "Oh! Well, howdy Miss Klein, it's a pleasure to meetcha!" But she positively lights up when Eleanor mentions she's in the Crest Sorcery program. "Oh! Me too! Well, I ain't a senior, of course, on account of I just got here n' all, but I did get let in to study Crest Sorcery! I'm sure I'll be a senior just like you someday, though."
"Really? Well that'd sure be somethin' I'd like to see, then..." Hannah looks back to the observatory. "Did a little stargazin' back home but not that much... Always gotta be ready to rise early, you know?"
She looks back to Eleanor again. "Thank you kindly! Oh!" She reaches up to stroke Zephyr under his beak. "This here is Zephyr, he's my best friend." She drops her voice a little in a bit of a stage whisper, even though Zephyr is right next to her head. "He's a mite grumpy on account of how cold it is. Can't say I blame him, though."
Zephyr just lets out an indignant squawk.
"So, Miss Klein, what brings you lookin' for little ol' me?"
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
Eleanor doesn't usually have conversations with birds, but that doesn't mean she should judge Hannah for it! Certainly not upon hearing that it's her friend! Eleanor is already bright and bubbly as regards New Friend, so it's even better when Hannah seems so excitedtoo. "Naturally! I've been here for years already," she confirms, "But I bet you will be sooner than you think! Don't worry about rushing it, though; school life here has a lot to offer! You'll want to stop and enjoy it."
She smiles. "I love Crest Sorcery, myself. It's a wonderful field." A beat, "And the stars, too!" She considers the next, "So, you're from a place where you tended to get up early? That's very hardworking of you."
Eleanor... tended to sleep in. For reasons.
Then, "Zephyr! It's lovely to meet you," she says, and waves to the hawk, then laughs faintly, a hand over her mouth. "How about we get you somewhere warmer, then?" she offers. "There's a little cafe just down the road where we can talk about getting you two settled in."
Then she says, "I've been assigned to help you get to know the place a bit, to make sure you settle in well. Though 'assigned' is putting it formally... When I heard we had a new student I asked for the job. I love meeting new students."
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
Hannah was probably only talking to Zephyr rhetorically. She definitely wasn't expecting Zephyr to reply back to her.
That'd just be silly.
"Oh I can imagine that it does. Ah..." She looks bashful for a moment. "Truth be told' it's a lot different'n where I'm from, but... it's got snow! We never get snow out in the desert, you know? Sure the nights can get right frigid but there's hardly the moisure for snow, so... Can't imagine I'll ever get tired of seein' it."
Zephyr just squawks grumpily again.
But Eleanor also loves Crest Sorcery, which is fortunate, if it's her field of study. "Me too! Well, magic is really fascinatin' in general but since I had to pick one... Oh, and I love reading about ARMs and technology. B'fore I got the scholarship I was apprenticed to our town's handyman, so I did a bit of fixin' stuff up, too."
She nods, "Oh, I'm from Damzen. Most people get up early. Lots to do in the mornin' 'for it heats up too much, you know?"
Zephyr seems to regard Eleanor for a moment as she greets him, and gives a small chirp by way of reply. "Why that sounds right lovely. Zephyr n' I would both appreciate it mightily. Please, lead the way, Miss Klein. And it's so kind of you to volunteer! You must be awfully busy bein' a senior an' all."
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
"Oh, yes?" Eleanor asks. She smiles. "I imagine not, in the desert! I do hear it still gets very cold out there, but up here, well--we're quite far from Filgaia's warmth." She smiles, though. "...I hope that's true! I certainly don't. We get snow where I come from, but it's not like..." She twirls around, looking up. "Like this!"
She loves her school so much that it shows clearly.
"Oh, you're familiar with others? I had to think very deeply about which I would study, too. ...Truth be told, part of the decision miiiight've been that I don't much favor needles," the older girl says with a wink. Then she looks impressed. "Oh? I've never been allowed around much of the stuff," she admits, meaning machinery. "That must be very interesting! Perhaps we'll see your skills in that field, too! We do have machinery around here.."
Then--Damzen. "Ohh, Damzen! Then we're both from Meria!" she says brightly. "I'm from Klein, myself." Pause. That might be obvious, from her name.
Then, "Wonderful. And sure, I do have a lot to do... but I try to spend my time doing the things I like whenever I can. This way!"
Eleanor leads them up the street, towars a lovely cafe with a warm interior, and cream tile along with brown counters. There's coffee in the air, the smell of it obvious, and the sight of many baked goods.
"We'll have two slices of cake and--" Pause. "Do you like coffee?"
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
"Oh it certainly does." Get cold in the desert at night. "Has to do with stuff like..." She thinks for a moment, recalling back to some of what she's read. "Ain't as many plants n' such soakin' up the heat durin' the day, so when the sun sets, the ground releases its heat real quick like so there's no residual heat for the rest'a the night."
She smiles and nods. "Yeah! It's real pretty n' all."
"Wellll, they said I could pick symbology, too, but..." Eleanor confesses--or jokes--about her dislike of needles and she giggles. "Right? But also, I mean... Once you put a symbol on and you're stuck with it forever? I don't think I could ever pick what spells I wanna use for forever, you know? Crest Sorcery seemed like the easy choice, there."
"Aww, shucks. I only know a little bit n' all. Ain't like we get super fancy things where I'm from, you know? Though..." She grins a bit. "Even if I'm not an expert on the types of wondrous machines this place must have, I'd sure like to take a look sometime. Could probably learn me a thing or thirty."
"Oh! You don't say!" She blinks a bit as Eleanor reveals where she's from, and then smacks her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Oh of course. I knew I'd heard that name before. So iffin' you have the same last name as the city, then you must be... Like, those Kleins?"
"Never been to Klein before, but always wanted to go... Well, I've always wanted to go lots of placves, really."
Eleanor likes spending her time doing the things she likes. "Well that's a mighty fine way to be."
She follows along happily to the cafe, marveling at the inside of the store. "Well I'll be..." She gets a bit lost looking at all the baked goods on display for a moment. "Hmm? Oh! Yes, I sure do."
While Eleanor is handling the ordering, Zephyr makes a quiet squawking sound. Hannah gives him a gentle pet. "Don't worry. We'll find you something after this, okay? Suzie said there was a shop that could help us."
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
Hannah may posit herself as from a 'smaller' locale, but she sure proves her merit in that scholarship at a glance; not many know the mechanics of climate in that way at her age. Eleanor is duly impressed, considering that she hasn't even started at their school yet. "Yes, that makes perfect sense," she says.
And then she is happy to hear Hannah call it pretty. But the Symbology, well--
"That's a good point," Eleanor answers. "I also like the way that I can learn a variety of different magics, admittedly. I like to explore so many! But I have started to 'focus', by now. I can tell you about it sometime."
Eleanor smiles back. "I'm sure that can be arranged. They love to see students learn, after all."
She smiles, lopsided, when Hannah asks after her name. "It's all right. We have a few nobles like me here, but we don't stand on ceremony that way at the Academy; 'Miss' Klein is just fine, or even 'Eleanor', if we become friends. Which I'd like to." She nods along. "I love visiting new places. If you're ever in Klein while I'm there, I'd love to show you around there, too." Then, "Your last name... It's actually the same as my fiance's," she says. She assumes they're not related, but, "Isn't that nice?"
She beams. A fine way to be... And there's a lot on display. "This is my favorite cake they make," she explains, and then looks apologetically to Zephyr. "I'm not sure what a hawk prefers," she admits, "But probably not baked goods..." A beat, "We do have shops for most everything though."
She orders coffee and then leads them to a seat; soon, their orders will be here.
"So you'll be in the dorms, right? We can have your things sent over there without any trouble. Animals are allowed, of course--not that they wouldn't have told you, otherwise." A beat, "May I ask who Suzie is? I'm curious!"
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
Hannah might've been the nerd in her orphanage. Just possibly.
"Yeah, there's so much amazin' magic out there," agrees Hannah. And then she perks up. "Oh! I'd sure love to hear about it sometime. If I wouldn't be takin' too much time away from you actually studyin' it, of course," she jokes.
"Well I'd sure like that then!" Getting to study the machines, that is. "I'm hopin', well... hopin' someday I can go explore ruins, and knowing about both magic and tech is sure goin' to be useful for that, you know?"
Hannah, for a brief moment, looks a bit tense, before Eleanor assures her the nobles don't stand on ceremony. She lets out a sigh of relief. "Whew. 'Ppreciate you saying that. I'm afraid I don't know a lot about bein' around nobility and such." She smiles about becoming friends. "Well that'd be right nice. And bein' shown around Klein sounds lovely, too."
She blinks on the subject of the last name. "You don't say?" She looks at Eleanor for a moment, and only then finally spots the right. Huh. She's kind of young, isn't she? But she's a senior, so maybe she's not that young...
Does aging work differently for elves? She's honestly not sure, and doesn't think it'd be polite to ask.
"Well, that's kinda funny, but surely it's just a coincidence. If I was related to any nobles I'm sure I would've found out by now." Wait, why would one not know they were a noble at all?
"Well shoot, if it's your favorite I sure can't wait to try it. I do a fair bit of cooking to take care of the younglings, but usually we can't afford to do cakes."
Hannah also seems largely unconcerned with walking into a cafe with an animal riding on her shoulder. Or having Zephyr on her shoulder in general. "Oh, he ain't too fussy. He'll eat rodents, rabbits, lizards, even a smaller bird sometimes. Think I heard there's some mice up here, but also heard tale there might be a shop that can help, so..."
She happily takes a seat, and Zephyr, just for a change of pace, flutters off of Hannah's shoulder and onto the back of an unoccupied chair. One especially near a heat source, in fact.
"Sure thing!" She says, regarding the dorms. "Right! I don't have much--well, I have more now, but still too much for one person to carry considerin' I'm gonna be here full time, so I do appreciate it." That coat she's wearing looks brand new, in fact. "Oh! Suzie's my sister. Right now she's handlin' all the paperwork and arrangements and all that, so she told me to go and look around a bit, try to meet some new people."
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
Nerrrrrrd.
"Wonderful! Oh no no, discussing with one's peers is an important part of our studies! You'll see--there's a lot of time allocated with exactly that." She smiles. ...She does appreciate the humor, but it's important to reassure!!
"Ahhh, so? Well, I'm planning to do some ruin exploration myself after I graduate. Maybe you can get a job as support for some of the groups in the Great Sea? There's plenty of interesting ruins there, and doing a job or two for them is a good start. ...Once you graduate, of course. I'm hoping to do that myself."
She smiles. "Of course, if I'm not there, I can still give you some recommendations!" she says. And then--
Eleanor smiles at the surprised reaction anyway. "I know I'm a little young," she says, "But we're not actually expected to marry until we're older. Until then I just have a very dreamy young man to spend time with and get to know!" Then a nod, "I'm sure it is. You don't resemble his family much." Pause. But she wouldn't know...
Hmmm. Orphan?
"Oh! That's lovely. I'm not much of a cook myself..."
The staff of the cafe might have more issue with a wild(?) animal inside, but seeing Eleanor they don't worry so much about it. The benefits of being shown around by someone well-known!
...and who gives them quite a bit of business...
"There definitely is," Eleanor says of the shop. "I can think of the one you probably have in mind."
Zephyr gets warm! Eleanor beams at him.
"Of course! We have people for that." Then, "Ahh, a sister! How wonderful! Well, you're doing as she asked, so that's nice. I have sisters, myself. And brothers!"
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
"Oh! Well that does sound mighty nice, then." Hannah appreciates the collaborative nature.
"The Great Sea, huh? I'll have to remember that... Oh, of course, after I graduate. Gosh, that feels like it's so far away, though..." She looks thoughtful for a moment as she contemplates just... living here for the next few years.
"Ohhh, I see. Never really thought about marriage myself... well, I'm even younger'n you, so maybe that's not surprising, but... I do hear some of the other girls in town talk about it sometimes. ... Anyway, it's nice that you have someone like that."
"I only know a few things, mind, but... it's nice, makin' food for other people. If you ever want a nice, hearty stew... and if I can get the use of a kitchen, I'll make some for you sometime."
Zephyr is, fortunately, extremely well behaved, so that might be reassuring, too. But it's definitely a plus having someone show you around, too. He also looks a bit less grumpy now that he's out of the cold.
"Yeah! She's great. I don't think I could've managed all this without her here to help me. It's so hard for Miss Rochelle to get away, so Suzie kindly offered to help." She smiles as Eleanor says she has brothers and sisters. "Oh that's so nice! There's a bunch of little ones I help take care of, and it's nice. I kind of think of them all as my little brothers and sisters, sometimes."
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
"Haha, it does feel that way, doesn't it?" Eleanor asks. "Just something to look forward to. It's nice to think of the future... but important to enjoy the present, too." She does look thoughtful. Maybe she's thinking about the school!
"Oh no, not at all surprising," Eleanor agrees. "I've thought about it a lot, but because I knew my parents would arrange a suitable match for me eventually. ...It helps that he's smart, and very handsome, of course. Perhaps you'll meet him when he comes to visit!" Eleanor practically glows when talking about Montgomery Curie, her fiance. "Thank you! Of course, here at school we're largely less concerned with marriage and more concerned with who likes who right here and now..."
A few things... "Hmmm. If you get the chance, I'd love to try it," she says.
Eleanor keeps looking at Zephyr sometimes. He's such a pretty bird!
"It's important for an older sister to take care of her younger siblings," Eleanor says fervently. "I try to do that for Danielle... though she's almost my age; we're practically twins." A smile. "I'm glad she was able to help. And oh?? Aah, I love children," she says happily. "I'm lucky--my parents keep having more, so I get to see them as they start growing up. In fact, Mother is having another baby soon..."
"I think that's lovely." She's not sure if she should bring up her suspicions of Hannah's background. So she doesn't, just yet. "I hope you can make as good of friends as that here."
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
"I'm definitely getting forward to learning all sorts of new things here, that's for sure. I guess that other stuff can wait for later."
"Oh, yeah, I guess your parents would be the ones to set that up, huh? Well, it's nice of them to find someone you seem to like so much. Oh! That'd be nice." She never imagined she would meet one noble, let alone two. She giggles, "Oh, it's like that in Damzen, too. People talking about who likes who, who looked at who funny. Glad to know not everythin' is different here..." She looks out the window. "Sure am gonna miss them, though..."
Hannah takes very good care of Zephyr, so he is, indeed, a very handsome bird. He puffs his chest up whenever he notices Eleanor looking in his direction.
"Yeah, Suzie's been amazing. I don't know how I'll ever repay me for all the help she's given me." She smiles a bit as Eleanor mentions that her parents keep having children. "Sounds like you have a pretty large family, then. That must be really nice." She sighs wistfully. "I hope the younglings are getting along okay without me. And Miss Rochelle too, for that matter."
Making friends. "Yeah, I hope so too. I..." She looks down a bit, silent for a moment. "... Well, you're nice, so I'm sure there'll be others just as nice as you are."
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
"I'm sure you will! We have so very many things to learn--the libraries are extraordinary! With magic, obviously, but with other things, too! History, and geography, and mathematics, and..." Many, many things. Eleanor is also a nerd.
"I was worried about it at first," Eleanor says, "But I really do. I think things are going to work out very well." Then she giggles back. "I'm glad then! There's definitely a lot of that..." A beat, "...Yes. It's difficult to go away from home, isn't it...?" She looks at her with sympathy.
"That's the nice thing about family. You'll find a way," she assures her. ANd then she laughs a little. "I do," she says. "My parents really love one another. It's... nice, yes." But that wistful sigh... She didn't mean to brag. But she lves her family very much. "I'm sure they're happy that you have this opportunity," Eleanor encourages. And then she says, "...There's plenty of people at least as nice as me. Oh, not everyone, I suppose, but it's important to have a good rival or two too, I suppose..."
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
Hannah's eyes light up when Eleanor mentions 'libraries'. "There's more'n one...?" she asks, wondrously. "I love books, but there's not really that many back home, and... well, there's a friend of mine who visits and brings some of hers, which are amazing, but she's also busy with her own thing, so..." She figits in her seat a bit. "... Do you think we could go see some of the libraries next? Unless there's somewhere else we should visit first..."
"Yeah, I've... well, I've barely left Damzen before. Sometimes someone makes a trip to a few of the nearby towns and I'll tag along if I don't have other things I need to take care of but that wasn't a lot, and most of them were even smaller'n Damzen, so..." She looks out the window. "Lots of new things to see here, though..."
Hannah... has a slightly unreadable expression when Eleanor references 'family', despite having mentioned having a sister. "Yeah..." But she sighs. "Well, the littlest ones don't really understand, I think... but all of the grown-ups understand, at least, and... well, they're happy I'm not wastin' my potential n'all that. Might've taken a fair bit of convincing me not to waste my potential to get me on board, too..." she says with an embarrassed smile. She laughs a little, "Oh come now, I don't wanna be rivals with nobody. What happened to all that collaboration you were talkin' about earlier?"
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
"Yes! There's the main library of course, but then there's a few sub-libraries..." She smiles. "Oh, yes?" she asks of a fried. "Well, now you'll have the chance to read many more than that." Then she nods. "We certainly can. We will have to find a place for Zephyr to stay, though; animals aren't allowed in the stacks, generally." She looks apologetically at that--but at Hannah, this time. Presumably Zephyr doesn't understand such an idea..
"I see! Well, let's hope this is the start of many adventures, yes?" She's bright and her brown eyes are warm; she does like Hannah, so far.
She can't read the unreadable, of course, so she doesn't. Still, "They wouldn't," Eleanor acknowledges. "....I'm very glad they were able to convince you. I think you'll be really happy here. And perhaps when you graduate you can help home, a bit."
Then a laugh. "Well, most of them are very nice!! It's certainly what I prefer. But I'd be remiss not to mention that sometimes people can be very... competitive, with one another."
"Still, mostly nice! And if anyone gives you trouble you can send them to me, all right?"
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
"Awww, but Zephyr wouldn't cause a fuss or nothin'. See, he's not even causin' a fuss right now." And indeed, Zephyr has been waiting patiently, seemingly following the flow of conversation, though... maybe he's just tracking the source of the sounds.
Meanwhile, Zephyr's wings shuffle a bit, and if one were particularly imaginative they could imagine him bristling at Eleanor's words.
Probably just shuffling a bit after being still for so long.
Hannah looks back to Eleanor and smiles back. "Yeah! Like I said, I always dreamed of explorin' ruins and goin' on adventures, so... I guess maybe this can be my first one!"
"Yeah, I hope so... And yeah, I guess if I get to bein' a big time explorer then I can send money back home to Damzen. I know Miss Rochelle always appreciates any help she can get, and it's not like I need that much to live on..."
Hannah reconsiders the subject of rivals. "Well... me n' this other boy were learnin' to shoot rifles at the same time, and I s'pose it was pretty fun seein' who could hit targets the furthest... So maybe a rival wouldn't be that bad..."
But she smiles appreciatively. "Well, that's right kindly of you, Miss Klein. I do appreciate it."
Outside, heading towards the cafe, is a feline beastfolk woman. She appears to be early to mid 30's, with short gray hair and a long white winter coat. She doesn't look like any of the usual locals.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
"He's very well-behaved," Eleanor notes. "But that's the rules." He looks apologetic at Zephyr when he seems to bristle. "I didn't make them!" the little NERD says. She happens to be very imaginative.
"Yes!" Eleanor says with excitement at Hannah's dream. "That's a beautiful dream. There are so very many ruins to explore and adventures to be had in this world!" She doesn't really expect to have most of them herself, of course. But a few!
She is still smiling when Hannah talks about sending money back home. It's a lovely idea. But Eleanor is not the one to comment on the needs of money; after all, her family is very wealthy. So instead she speaks of rivals, "Then you have the right attitude, I think," she says. "And, well. You're very welcome! I want everyone to love Sielje as much as I do. It's such a wonderful, beautiful place..."
"I've really come to think of it as 'home' just like back in Klein."
She doesn't notice the woman outside, of course. But when she steps inside, the shopkeep will welcome her like any other.
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
Zephyr, once again, puffs his chest up a bit at being called very well behaved. But when Eleanor apologizes... he turns his head away a little with another bristling of those feathers.
"Aww, c'mon, Zephyr. She don't mean anything personal by it," says Hannah.
As if she expects Zephyr to understand.
"When I left he had the record between us," confesses Hannah. But then she grins a little. "But I'm the one he came to when he needed help fixin' something with the rifle." Her own personal victory, of sorts.
"Yeah, I'm so excited to see more of this here school... I mean, I'm still kind of nervous, too, but... mostly excited! Even just the little bit I've seen is so amazing..."
"Hmm. Wonder if I'll feel that way, too..."
The door opens, and the chime hanging over it rings pleasantly. The woman sticks her head in, scans around, and stops when she sees Hannah. "Hannah, there you are!" She smiles to the shopkeep. "Oh, maybe in a bit, darlin', but I'm just looking for this girl here right now."
Hannah looks over to the door and lights up. "Oh! Sis! Are you all done with the paperwork?"
The older woman has cat ears and a tail, but meanwhile, Hannah doesn't seem to have a single beastfolk trait about her. She appears to be human.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
Hmmm. Well, Zephyr is her best friend... Eleanor wishes she had a pet. Alas, she does not.
"Ooh. I think that's the moral victory, really," Eleanor says of fixing the rifle. But Hannah is excited, and nervous, and excited! Eleanor beams "You'll love it, I'm sure," she says. And she hopes that Hannah will feel the same way that she does! In the meantime, there si the door opening, and Eleanor wouldn't look up to it if not for the fact that the woman calls to Hannah.
At this point their cake and coffee arrives, but the waitress sets them down and scoots away to allow for the reunion occuring here.
Eleanor turns towards the older woman, "Oh! Hi!" She beams. And she doesn't blink at 'Sis' being both much older and not human; Eleanor is pretty good at being mannerly on her feet, for one. "I'm Eleanor," she explains. "I was just welcoming Hannah to the school!"
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
Zephyr is many things but 'pet'... is debatable.
Hannah grins a little more and nods in agreement at the mention of 'moral victory.' "Yup!"
Hannah looks up to the waitress, "Thank you, kindly" before waving the woman over. "Suzie, come join us!" Zephyr, without prompting, flutters off of the seatback to a different perch, allowing Susanna to take the seat, which she promptly does.
Eleanor introduces herself, so Hannah simply makes the other introduction. "Miss Klein, this is my sister, Susanna Tanner." They don't even have the same last name?
"Well that's mighty neighborly of you, dear," says the older woman. But an ear perks up when Hannah addresses Eleanor by her last name, and she looks to Eleanor curiously. Clearly she's wondering about that last name, but she lets it pass without comment. "And to answer your question, 'mostly'. Few little finishing touches left, but we needed to take a break. Thouhgt I'd check on you to see how you were gettin' along. Seems like you've made a friend already."
"Well," hedges Hannah looking at Eleanor. "At least we're not new rivals?"
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.
Eleanor doesn't understand... yet.
Eleanor smiles at the waitress too, of course. But then she notices Zephyr move without prompting, and she marvels at how smart he is. But Hannah introduces... "Miss Tanner! It's lovely to meet you!" she says. This more or less confirms a few things she was guessing about Hannah, but it would be rude to bring them up aloud before Hannah brings them up, so she doesn't.
She smiles, and then nods, when that curious look comes her way. She doesn't elaborate for now. "Yes," Eleanor agrees with a smile, and then laughs softly. "At least that."
"Well!" She says. "I think we've kept Zephyr waiting for a while; if you'd like anything to eat, it's on me for now, and then we can visit the shop to get some things for Zephyr? I was going to show Hannah the main library, too."
<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.
Susanna doesn't seem to comment on Zephyr moving. She's used to it by now. And even if they're not biologically related, Susanna and Hannah seem really comfortable around each other, with Susanna giving Hannah's hair a playful tousle as she sits.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, dear." Susanna, herself a drifter, seems a bit more rugged than Hannah, but nonetheless, they do seem to share some similarities just the same. "Oh that's just sweet of you to offer, but I won't be staying long. I really only wanted to check on how Hannah was getting along."
From his new parch, Zephyr chirps. Susanna smiles to him, "And see how you're doing too, Zephyr." She leans over to getnly pet him. "You keep an eye on our girl now, alright?"
Zephyr puffs up his chest and chirps again.
"Well, those both sound like wonderful things to do. Don't let me slow either of you down. Hannah, come find me in an hour or so, okay?"
"Sure!" Hannah turns to her cake, taking a first forkful... "Hmmm! This is really good! And yeah, let's do both!"
Hannah and Susanna chat amicably with Eleanor for a while, until Susanna excuses herself, leaving the two girls (and one bird!) to eagerly continue their adventure.