2023-05-31: Sew How Do You Do?

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  • Log: Sew How Do You Do?
  • Cast: Dean Stark, Hannah Curie
  • Where: Klein Central Ward
  • Date: May 31, 2023
  • Summary: Dean is needs to restock on some sewing supplies and is looking for the store in Klein when Hannah blows past him shouting for someone to stop. Dean joins the chase to help out, only to find that she was chasing... a bird?

============================<* Klein Central Ward *>============================

The central ward of Klein City is dominated by the great, imposing castle of House Klein, black stones with great spires stretching up to the sky atop a high cliff overlooking the rest of the city, with a fine view of the sea far below. ...But while the fortress could be imposing, it is largely open to the public, the government offices of the city sprawling from within the castle itself into the sprawling buildings that have sprung up somewhat less securely. The bureaucratic machine that oversees most of the trade of Meria Boule with other nations requires a great deal of upkeep, and many industries have sprung up to provide for and cater to the officials and merchants involved in the process. Klein City occupies a notable place at the east coast of Meria Boule, and it is in many ways its gateway to the rest of Filgaia, particularly outside Aquvy. Accordingly it is fairly cosmopolitan, favoring bright fashions and a sophistication that can sometimes grate on those who prefer more straightforward talk and manner. The rocky terrain means people are often closer together than not, but it is not known for its great machinery or production as a rule, even if it is one of the more bustling cities of Meria Boule.

BGM: Chrono Cross - Another Termina
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    It's been a few weeks since the revelations Captain Bartholomew and Kaguya shared with Dean and his friends. He's had a lot to think about since then--and a neat airship to travel around on. But sooner or later he's had to get his feet on the ground and talk to people, hear what's been going on since the battle against the Fell Dragon that was once Harmaus.
    
    Which really means a trip back to Filgaia. It feels like ages since Dean's been back to Filgaia. It's a little bit of a weird feeling, but not really, since when you think about it, he's connected to Filgaia (or at least a couple of its Guardians) wherever he goes.
    
    Why Klein City specifically, though? Well, why *not* Klein City? Avril or Rebecca might have had some business here, but we'll leave that waveform uncollapsed.
    
    For now, he strolls in from the ports into the heart of the city, the central ward. He hasn't really spent a lot of time here before, so he looks around with wide, curious eyes, his long red scarf, a contrast to his blue hair and eyes, trailing in his wake. For a grown man of 22, he's pretty short--5'5" if that--so it might be easy to mistake him for still a teenager, especially since he still has a boyish cast to his face.
    
    There's something about his gait that might imply someone who's seen a lot more of the world than... actually, there are a lot of world-traveled teenagers out there, aren't there?
    
    For now, he pulls a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and reads it over again. "Need more thread, some spare cloth, and a replacement needle... Sure hope this is the right area for that," he remarks, looking back up and around. If it were groceries, the docks would be fine, but something for sewing would be around where the fashionable shops are, right?

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah hasn't really left the terrestrial sphere of Filgaia, but is fairly well traveled on it, at least in the general area of Aquvy. Recently she's... not exactly taken up residence, per se, in Klein, but she does find herself based out of there recently.

A chance reunion with her old school friend, Eleanor Klein, after vanishing without contact for five years (leading said friend to think she died, in fact) has lead her to insist that Hannah stick around, in her family's manor, no less. So Hannah finds herself travelling Klein's treets fairly often recently, which means that when she recently ran out of a few supplies, she needed to find a store in Klein to restock.

It is not Hannah that makes an appearance on the same street Dean is on first, though--that goes to Zephyr, a red-tailed hawk who comes zipping through the street far too low, bobbing and waving around peoples' heads, leaving the sudden ruffling of wing and feather in his wake.

Including right by Dean's head, in fact.

Hannah makes an appearance a moment later, coming around a corner. She appears to be about 20, if just barely, and is a tad on the shorter side at 5'. She's young, but she too has a way of carrying herself and watching the world around her that speaks of worldly experience. Mostly she's frowning or scowling, though at this moment she looks distinctly annoyed as she rouds the corner. She doesn't read much like a city dweller, with denim shorts, a plain short-sleeved shirt, a cropped denim vest, and a pair of sturdy hiking boots. She looks rather more at home in the desert or on a trail. She has bright green eyes, short, pink hair.

Her courier bag swings out from her body as she rounds the corner. "Come back here, you!" She takes off running down the street, ducking and weaving through the sidewalk traffic. "'scuse me, pardon, sorry!"

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    It's always nice to reconnect with someone you knew when you were a kid! One of these days, Dean ought to visit his own hometown again. For now, though, saving the world and helping people is a full-time job.
    
    He looks up as a red-tailed hawk soars over the crowd. Some people might flinch away, but Dean looks up in awe and wonder before breaking out into a grin. It's a cool experience to have a bird that size fly so close to your head!
    
    Of course, since he's looking where Zephyr *went*, that means he's not looking at where he *came from*, and so he isn't looking when Hannah nearly crashes into him, yelling for someone to 'come back here.'
    
    "Woah!" he utters. Then he chases after Hannah, completely assuming that she's chasing after a thief and might need some help. Maybe the bird is the thief?? Pshaww, it's just a bird.
    
    "Don't worry, I got your back!! Who're we looking for?" he reassures Hannah, which is probably less than reassuring coming from a total stranger. Dean means it fully and sincerely, though.
    
    He has already forgotten about his errand.

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Connecting with a school friend is nice, but this reunion was a bit awkward considering she'd intentionally stayed out of contact to sort through some problems on her own. And she wasn't the only one, sadly. But for the moment...

Hannah is definitely chasing after the bird--when he banks sharply to the right around a corner, Hannah again turns at the same corner (just like the corner they came from just before flying past Dean). She's got her eyes firmly fixed on the bird, who is leading Hannah (and by extension, Dean), on a winding path through the city streets. Almost as if he's looking for something.

When Dean shouts, Hannah pauses and looks back, a bit perplexed and a lot cross. "I'm fine!" she says with a distinct small-town drawl--but even in that brief moment Zephyr has turned another corner, and she curses as she takes off running again.

The impromptu chase ends in front of a shop. The hawk is perched on the sign, and Hannah is right below it, panting a bit as she catches her breath. "I told you we was gonna go. Ain't no need to be so gosh dang impatient," she says to... nobody in particular, apparently.

Zephyr, if it can be said that a bird looks pleased with itself, definitely looks very pleased with itself.

Conveniently, the sign dangling from the pole that Zephyr is resting on depicts a spool of thred and a sewing needle.

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    It takes Dean several turns to realize: "Wait, we're chasing the *bird*?" he wonders. Hannah stops and insists she's fine, and he looks confused for a moment as he stumbles to a stop.
    
    "But birds are really fast!!" he protests, just before Zephyr zips off again and Hannah chases after, completely proving his point. Hannah might *say* she's fine, but she sure doesn't *seem* fine, so Dean gives chase again. She can always turn him down again if it turns out she doesn't need help after all! Besides, they've been chasing this one for a while now and they still haven't caught up, so he's pretty sure she *does* need help! And Zephyr doesn't seem like he's even flying that fast!!
    
    But it does turn out she didn't *really* need the help. The hawk perches on a shop sign all on his own, and Hannah catches up--out of breath, but catches up. Dean's less out of breath, but he does need a moment.
    
    "Sorry. I thought you were chasing a thief at first," he tells Hannah then. He looks over at Zephyr. "Is this your pet, or your friend, or what?"
    
    The slight sway of the shop sign in the wind draws his eye. He perks when he recognizes it. "Oh hey! Exactly where I needed to be!" He beams at Hannah and Zephyr. "Thanks a bunch, you guys!"

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah is definitely chasing the bird. And even though Zephyr is fast, he's not flying so fast that Hannah (and also Dean) can't keep up... and even in the few instances where it seems like Zephyr might've gotten ahead, Hannah somehow always seems to pick the right direction to go.

Funny, that.

Dean thought she was chasing a thief. Hannah shakes her head, taking a few more gulps of air before answering. "Ain't no thief," she says in that same drawl. "Just a gosh darn impatient fool of a bird, is all. Didn't want to wait for me t' ask directions."

Zephyr seems to bristle a bit, wingtips ruffling at the suggestion of 'pet'. "He's my friend," says Hannah. "And sometimes an annoyance," she says, rather pointedly.

She blinks as Dean declares this is where he needed to be. "Oh, well... you're welcome, I s'pose. We were lookin' for this shop as well, so at least some good came outta this wild hawk chase."

"I'm Hannah. This dang fool of a bird is Zephyr. 'pologies for the inconvenience, though... I guess it helped you out, in the end."

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Funny, that. But not that weird. One of Dean's best friends also has keen intuition like that. (Well, we say 'intuition,' but only because it's his best understanding of it at present--for Avril and Hannah both.)
    
    "Oh, he was waiting for you?" Dean repeats, looking over at Zephyr. Hannah names him a friend rather than a pet, and he nods, taking this in stride. He's genuinely more surprised to hear that they were also looking for this shop. "Wow, really? That's great for all three of us, then!" He grins, rubbing a finger under his nose. "Nothing to be sorry for, then. We found the store we were looking for, we met some new people, and we got a good run in, too! Today's been a great day!"
    
    Even if Zephyr is 'sometimes' an annoyance. Dean laughs at that. "Nice meeting you both, Hannah and Zephyr! I'm Dean. Dean Stark!" THe holds out a hand for Hannah to shake if she likes, and then--a finger for Zephyr to grip if *he* likes. "Sorry for calling you a pet. I wasn't sure," he adds.
    
    Yeah. Not that weird.
    
    "Let's head on in, then!" he adds, taking the initiative to enter first. He'll hold the door for Hannah and Zephyr both, waiting until they're inside to let go. "So what stuff're you guys looking for?" he wonders, looking around at the shop. "My friend needs to mend some stuff, so I'm just looking to stock up on some basics."

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah might have something a little more than just intuition in manners concerning Zephyr, but that's not something she discusses with people.

"He was," confirms Hannah, on whether Zephyr was waiting for her. She does look a bit askance at Dean as he cheerfully declares it was a great day with a list of reasons, the last of which includes 'gettiung a good run in'. There's no small amount of skepticism in her voice as she says, "... Yeaahhh. Right."

Hannah reaches out and gives Dean's hand a firm shake when he introduces himself. She's pretty clearly the active type, and just because she's on the shorter side doesn't mean she's lacking in grip. Zephyr, meanwhile, with a gentle flapping of his wings comes down from the sign and lands squarly on Hannah's shoulder. The perfect landing and Hannah's complete lack of reaction suggests that this is common for them.

She didn't exchange the 'nice to meet you' pleasantry with the handshake, but she does give a short nod and a "Thank you" when Dean holds the door open. "Much the same, honestly. Been patchin' my cloak so often I need some more thread n' fabric. This one though--" meaning Zephyr "--is just hungry and impatient."

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    "What, you don't like running?" Dean wonders at Hannah's open skepticism, possibly missing the point completely. He doesn't mind her lack of pleasantries, and he takes a moment to admire Hannah and Zephyr's easy camaraderie. Friendship truly is the greatest treasure of all.
    
    "You're welcome!" he tells her cheerfully. "D'you do all your darning yourself? My friend Rebecca's usually doing that kind of stuff, but we all take turns--that is, her and me and our other friend Avril. The three of us have been traveling together for ages, so we all do our part!"
    
    After what might seem like a deluge of friendly chatter, he looks at Zephyr curiously. "Hungry, huh? But there wouldn't be hawk food in here, right? You just trying to hurry the errands along so you can have dinner, huh?" He grins. "I know how that feels! I'm pretty hungry myself. But this's gotta get done, so it's gotta get done!"

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Isn't not really the running she has a problem with. But instead she just says, "Prefer my running when it has a point to it." There's a small, corner-of-her-eyes glance in Zephyr's direction, as she says that. Zephyr pretends not to notice. Despite that, they do seem pretty comfortable with each other, with Zephyr easily taking up a different perch whenever Hannah needs to reach for something, and she doesn't even show the slightest bit of concern for the possibility of bird talons digging into her shoulder whenever he resumes his perch.

At times it even seems like he'll fetch something off of a tall shelf for her as she's looking around.

"I do," she says. "Usually just the two of us. He helps in other ways." Can't really expect a bird to do any sewing. (And now that she's calmer, she also seems to be speaking more carefully, deliberately evoking a more city-appropraite accent and a terser speaking pattern.)

"That is exactly what he was doing," says Hannah, a bit grumpily. "I told him this shop was closer, but apparently it wasn't close enough for his liking." Zephyr, meanwhile, just puffs up his chest from where he's currently perched. He did get them there faster, apparently. Though one might wonder how a bird knew what store they were even looking for to begin with.

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Dean considers this counterpoint; then he shrugs and nods. "Yeah, I getcha." Probably in her shoes he'd be a lot more annoyed. And she does seem pretty annoyed! But it also seems like she's *just* annoyed, not angry or hurt, so that's good.
    
    Zephyr seems like a really good friend, anyway. Hannah's a pretty good chunk shorter than him, and he's already pretty short, so it's really nice of him to fly up and get stuff for her when she needs it.
    
    "It'd be hard for a bird to hold a needle with those claws," Dean says with an understanding (?) nod. "What kinda stuff does he do instead?" He laughs then. "Hope you two get your shopping done quick, then!"
    
    It won't take him long, either; a couple spools of white and black thread, a set of sharp new needles, and a few measures of cloth, and he's ready to go. As they're walking around together, though, he wonders, "Hey, by the way, are you okay? You're talking different all of a sudden."
    
    His guileless expression hopefully makes it clear he doesn't mean anything bad by this, but one never knows when one might be treading on a sore spot for others. That doesn't occur to him right now, thogh.
    
    He doesn't even wonder about Zephyr knowing where to go. Some things are just like that. Maybe that'll be easier on Hannah, at least.

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah doesn't stay mad at Zephyr for long. Besides, there's plenty of times where Zephyr is the more mature one in their partnership, believe it or not.

"Indeed it would," confirms Hannah. And as for what Zephyr does instead, she says, "Scouting, lookout. Things like that." There's a moment's pause before she quietly adds, "It's good you have friends to share your burdens with."

She finds what she needs easily enough as well, though she stops before a larger bolt of black cloth, looking contemplative. That cloak she's got has... some sentimental value to her, but it's also getting prety raggedy. It might stretch her budget a bit to replace it, but if she made one herself...

A cloak can't be that hard to make, can it?

She's distracted from her musing by Dean's question. "Hmm?" And then blinks. There might be a bit of a blush as she glances away, though she's pretending she's just looking at a different bolt of cloth. "... Yes, I'm fine. It's..." She pauses, trying to consider how to explain it, before finishing with, "... don't worry about it."

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Dean nods. Scouting and lookout both sound like tasks a hawk would be naturally good at, so that makes sense to him. He smiles, eyes crinkling, at her quiet addition, apparently not hearing the undertone of sadness that might be there. "Yeah, it is. I'm glad you've got Zephyr, too."
    
    ...after all, why would there be any sadness when she's got a friend to share her own burdens with right there?
    
    Shopping continues, and Dean eventually asks about Hannah's manner of speech. Hannah blushes and brushes it off. He gives her a puzzled look, but ultimately nods and accepts it with a simple, "Okay."
    
    A few moments later, he's made his purchases and leaves the shop with his goods in a cloth bag he'd had stuffed in another pocket. He holds the door for Hannah and Zephyr again, and when they all leave, he says, "So hey, if you're hungry, d'you want to hit the port for something to eat? I don't know this city too well, but the best food's always where it's freshest!"

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Scouting, lookout, and as demonstrated, the occassaionl getting of things from a high shelf. But despite her apparent annoyance with Zephyr earlier, when Dean expresses that he's glad she has Zephyr, there is a small, but warm smile tugging at the edge of her lips as she looks to Zephyr. Zephyr chirps softly and the two lean in towards each other to touch heads for a moment.

Just a moment though, as she she catches herself and straightens up again, that faint blush continuing.

Zephyr is great, but... she's also isolated herself a bit.

Her own purchases are slipped into her courier bag--she decided against the larger bolt of cloth, for the moment, and just picked up her regular supplies.

She gives Dean a thankful nod for holding the door open, and looks about ready to turn and go her own way when he makes the offer to get dinner together. She pauses, and looks a bit taken aback by the offer. "Ah..." There's some internal conflict within her--go about her own way and be brooding and miserable, or... literally anything else other than that.

It... should be fine, right? It's just dinner. There shouldn't be any fighting or casting of magic, no reason she should be a harm to anyone else, and she already promised Zephyr they'd go get dinner after this...

Zephyr cranes his head to look at her as she is locked in indecision. He gives her an encouraging chirp. Hannah seems to look at him and actually nod a little. "I know.... I know." She glances aside a bit, considering a moment longer, and then looks up to Dean. "Okay. I'm... still not all that familiar with Klein, but restaurants and cafes are easy to find."

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Dean's smile grows as he watches the moment of affection between hawk and human. See? Friendship really *is* the greatest treasure of all!
    
    And this time, at least, he doesn't remark on it.
    
    Dean's never been one to let people isolate themselves, either. He doesn't really have a concept that Hannah *is* doing that--they only just met, and he knows she has at least one friend right by her side--but once he's met a new friend, he'd like to spend time with them, and they were all talking about dinner earlier, so the more, the merrier, right?
    
    He waits for her answer, giving her another puzzled look at that opaque exchange between Hannah and Zephyr. Still, they agree to it in the end, so he grins. "Yeah! It'll be an adventure! An adventure in sauces and noodles and fish!" Why fish? Well, obviously fish, if you're right near the coast. He jerks his thumb towards the docks. "Let's go see what looks good, then! Obviously we gotta find a place with food Zephyr likes, too!"
    
    He's not *totally* sure what hawks eat. But he figures that they probably aren't into salad, at the least.

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Zephyr really is Hannah's oldest and most loyal friend--and she is not lacking in affection for him, despite her occasional annoyance. But honestly, they tend to balance each other out.

Dean might not know that Hannah is isolating herself, but... there might be tells. She knows all the pleasantries but isn't necessarily effusive in practicing them, she tends not to initiate a lot of the conversation (except between herself and Zephyr, of course), and she may just seem plain awkward walking down to the port district with someone she literally just met. But she doesn't get a bad vibe from him, so... it's probably fine, right?

"They do seem to favor a lot of fish-based dishes," she admits. "Which is quite understandable. Zephyr will be fine. He'll eat most kinds of animals, as long as we get it raw and not cooked. I'm not partial to anything in particular, though..." If she's going to be down in the port section town without her cloak... "... something warm and filling might be nice. But lots of things fix that."

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Dean doesn't *not* notice those tells. He just assumes that she's shy, though. Having grown up with a best friend who's a lot more private and suspicious of others than he is, and having made friends with generally timid demeanors (he still thinks Matilda looked good in that red scarf), he figures she's just slow to warm up. Nothing wrong with that.
    
    It *is* true that it's generally unwise to just walk off with someone you just met and don't know anything about, but fortunately for Hannah, Dean's a good person. It's definitely fine.
    
    "Getting a fresh fish somewhere should be pretty easy! Especially if it doesn't even have to be cooked," he agrees. "Have you ever had fried noodles? I *love* those! There's this town called Honeysday that has *the most amazing* fried noodles--it's pretty far away from here, but if you ever get the chance to visit, you should definitely..."
    
    Dean will continue to chatter like that as they walk through the docks, find a respectable fish restaurant that serves hot, hearty dishes, and sit themselves down for dinner. He does ask Hannah some questions about herself, but if she continues to prove reluctant to talk about herself, he won't press her. There's always next time--and right now, there is delicious dinner to be had!

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

<poem> Hannah *is* an accomplished mage, though, so that helps offset the danger of having dinner with a stranger/new friend. And there's always Zephyr for support.

Dean asks about fried noodles, and Hannah has to think on that. "Can't rightly say I have... Maybe... if the place we end up at has them I can give them a try?" She's trying to be friendly and sociable, even if she's still a bit awkward at it. Honeysday? Never been, but I think I've heard of it... If I'm ever out that way I'll check it out."

She does her best to be sociable but there is still a lot about herself she's not willing to talk about with Dean, turning evasive when it comes to most things regarding her backstory. But she does admit to a profession ('freelancer', 'crest sorceress'), and will share a few stories about Zephyr if prompted ('once fought off a bear'). If the topic strays to magic or ARMs she'll become a lot more talkative, and perhaps even downright excited. But other than that, she mostly sticks to reflecting questions back to Dean, and doing her best to think of interesting things to ask or talk about. It's not perfect, but the evening should be pleasant enough as they order and then chat over dinner.

So all in all, not too bad of a first meeting with a new friend.