You've Changed [Owlet]

[Anonymous]

Melissa Takia lead the way for her knight through a rather substantial crowd.  Colorful people in colorful clothes pressed in on her from every direction, talking, shouting and generally making a distracting racket. Merchants had set up shop, farmers had set up stands, and the Takia Cloth Company was hunting for clothiers.  She'd already visited several merchants, but most were uninterested in dealing with a Connlaoth industry. Melissa sighed and looked at her small map of Ketra. There was one major clothier they hadn't visited yet.  She forcibly shoved aside a shirtless man, having tired of politely pushing people out of her way.  Culven chuckled at the furious blonde.

"Calm down, Mel." He rumbled. Mel glanced back as they became free of the throngs, indignant at her guardian.

"Culven, we've got a schedule to keep to." She snapped.  The knight shrugged.

"You add days to it the moment you find a boy or girl you like, sweety." He replied.  Mel glared at him.

"But still, I'd rather not linger here." She said. Culven chuckled.

"You know there's a famous brothel here," The knight mentioned.  Mel's eyes lit up.

"I'm surprised we've even gotten this much done in Ketra." Culven mumbled. The lit eyes turned to another indignant glare.  Then her eyes became was wide as dinner plates as a small, blonde figure collided with her.

"You had best explain yourself." Mel snapped, turning to stare at the shorter girl.

[Anonymous]

"She seems to be doing better."

Kri nodded slowly at his words. She was on her knees, wringing a wet rag over a bucket full of soapy water. Her shirt sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. The smell of vomit in the room was much less overpowering after someone had opened all the windows.

"You sure you don't need help with that?" Koba, her grandfather, was healthy for his age. He was sitting on the bed next to his sleeping wife.

The woman gave a slight grunt. "Almost done."

Koba scratched his bald head after a fly landed there. "You look like shit," he observed with a slight frown. Kri looked up at him. Her hair had been pulled up into a messy ponytail, with locks drooping every which way in front of her. Strands of hair clung to the sweat on her forehead. Dark circles had formed under her bloodshot eyes.

"Hm. You know how it is with Nana." Kri motioned slightly to the sleeping, elderly woman. The illness was evening out -- not getting worse, not getting better -- but she still had tough nights. Fever, vomiting and such.

"Get some fresh air. I can look out for her for a few days," Koba rumbled just as Kri finished scrubbing off the last of the stains.

"I don't know-"

"You're killing yourself in here. Go on." His voice was firm.

The girl was too tired to argue. She got up, kissed her grandmother on the forehead, and left the room, carrying the bucket with her. After dumping it outside, Kri paused for a moment, processing what had just happened. There didn't seem like much she could do here for fun; work and caring for her Nana sucked up all her time. The city was in kind of a lull when it came to offering jobs for single mercenaries. Kri found herself wandering toward the city center, realizing she probably needed a meal. Hopefully something at the market would smell good enough to stimulate her appetite.

Unfortunately, the market was at a peak in activity, and crowds were almost impossible to navigate. On the way to a section of stands that sold various Adelan foods, Kri accidentally slammed into a tall, well-dressed woman, possibly a noble. When the mercenary tried to continue, though, the other woman demanded she "explain herself."

Stopping and turning, Kri stared at the noble and paused before speaking. "Ah, sorry. Was my fault. Wasn't watching where I was going, an' such, you know how that goes..."

[Anonymous]

Melissa's eyes widened, she looked closer at the girl she'd just snapped at.  Culven began to grumble about something or other, but Mel didn't care.

"Kri! It's me, Melissa Takia!" Mel squeaked, immediately hugging the girl tightly against her chest.

"Remember me?" She inquired, smiling.

[Anonymous]

Kri anticipated an angry outburst or a long, time-consuming speech about respecting those of a higher class. Instead, the woman just kept staring. Her eyes had widened, and then she leaned in uncomfortably close. The mercenary shifted uneasily. "Something wrong?" she asked.

Finally, the woman said something surprising. Kri was actually taken aback by the sudden familiarity. After staring dumbly at the girl for a few moments post-hugging, she finally spoke. "Ah, Mel! It's been a while." She smiled politely at her old friend, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the base of her wrist to make herself look more presentable. "You're much taller than I remember. Heh. What are you doing here?"

She noticed that a middle-aged man was following Melissa around. "Got married? Or just a boyfriend?" Kri asked her, motioning toward the knight.

[Anonymous]

Mel giggled at the height comment, before releasing the girl.  She took Kri off to the side of the road so a wagon could get by.

"Me? Yeah, I'm really tall! I kinda wish I wasn't so tall, Kri.  I'm here to sell contracts for the Takia Cloth Company." Mel said.  Culven started laughing at Kri's comment, very slowly getting hysterical.

"Her? Mel? I wouldn't touch her.  For one, she's a terrible person, for two, I prefer the touch of a gentleman." Culven chuckled. Melissa glared at him, thwapping him lightly across his half-shaven cheek.

"He's the knight daddy assigned to protect me.  Dad said he didn't trust a squad of mercs or Connlaoth regulars, so I got this excuse for a soldier." Mel snapped. Culven didn't stop laughing.

[Anonymous]

"Still with your father's business," Kri observed. "I hope that's going well for you." What else could she have said? It had been over ten years since they last spoke. They were practically strangers now.

Kri listened politely as Sir Culven introduced himself, and the two bantered lightly. "Hmm. Probably a good idea." She was rubbing one of her forearms in an uncomfortable gesture. "Your father probably knows full well what those kinds of people can do. Not something you'd want around your daughter. And it's a pleasure, Sir Culven." Holding out her hand to shake the knight's, Kri gave a soft smile at him before regarding her old friend again.

"I left the service three months ago," she continued. "My grandmother is ill, and my grandfather needed help caring for her. They both live here. I don't have any useful skills other than fighting, so I work as a mercenary when I can. Not many people interested in hiring, though, especially for someone who can't travel very far." It was probably a little too much information for what Kri anticipated to be a single, quick conversation, but it was her best attempt at explaining why she was in Adela. "Um, I was actually on my way to go get some food. Haven't eaten or slept in almost two days, heh. So if you'll excuse me -- but it was nice seeing you again, really. Maybe we can write letters, kind of like we used to. Keep in touch an' all that. Yeah?"

[Anonymous]

Mel nodded and smiled.

"I'm doing well, yes." She said. Culven shook her hand and smiled, he wasn't one for words unless he could snark.  Mel listened to the girl's plight, slowly looking more and more depressed. The moment Kri suggested letters she hugged the girl tightly.

"Uh, no, I'm going to get you a bath, then a steak dinner, then we'll sleep in my inn room.  Just like a sleepover, right? And no refusing allowed." Mel stated.  She gripped the shorter blonde on the arm and dragged her away.  They weaved their way to the nicest inn in the town, then dragged her into the bath chamber, with the blessings of the girl at the desk. Culven waved as they entered and went upstairs. The room was dominated by a rough stone pit, filled with slightly dirty, but steamy water. Mel had heard it was from something like a geyser.  She really didn't know, Melissa's schooling had focused on business.

"In, Kri. You smell awful, and I need to give you a good scrub, I think." Mel ordered. The taller girl began undressing herself.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps in a completely unconscious gesture, Kri's pointed ears tilted heavily downward, similar to how various sorts of animals press their ears against their skulls when stressed or agitated. Her old friend insisted that she bathe before eating. Really, at this point, Kri wouldn't have minded disgusting a few vendors or waitresses if it meant that she could actually eat something, like, now. A wave of indignation hit her, prompting that response, but she realized that it was probably rude to reject the kindness of an old friend. Especially someone with access to nice baths; at Nana's house, there wasn't even running water available. After all, she'd gone this long without eating, couldn't she wait just a bit longer? The steak would certainly pay off.

"That sounds great," she answered, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. Her ears were still drooped. "I guess I should get cleaned up before I start attracting looks in the street, heh." That was all there was to it; she was dragged off by the over-eager Connlaothian woman, all the way to what was quite possibly the nicest inn in town. Damn. The Takia Cloth Company must have really hit it big in the time they were separated. Sure, the Takia family was well-off back then, but they weren't rich. Well -- good for them.

They were showed to Melissa's room. Kri's gaze dropped to the huge pool in the middle of the whole thing. "Uh." And the bed was humongous! Was all this extravagance necessary? "So... so it's right in the middle of the room, huh. Do you have to worry about privacy from Culven at all?"

Then Mel instructed her to get in, beginning to strip down herself as she did so. "Whoah, whoah, whoah," Kri interjected. "Mel-- oh, Mel, you know I've missed you, but this is seriously not necessary. I could've... sheesh, this thing is right out in the open in this room-... maybe you, I dunno- you really don't have to come in with me. Couldn't I just kind of slip in alone while you wait in the lobby, if you're so intent on me getting cleaned up? Please?" This whole thing was really freaking her out. It was all so sudden, so different from what Kri would normally expect from Mel. The mercenary had a hand lightly over her eyes for modesty's sake.

[Anonymous]

Mel, who was having none of her shenanigans, undressed Kri, menaced her with soap, then forced the girl into the caldera. She scrubbed vigorously.

"Kri, you smell awful and grime is just pouring off you. I don't think a single reputable, or disreputable establishment would have let you in their doors." Melissa explained. She continued to wash  up her battered old friend, resisting the urge to hum as she did. It was pleasant in an odd way, even though Mel felt queasy at the filth she managed to remove.  Of course, when they were kids, filth was pretty frequent.

"Remember when we tried to make a little vegetable garden in my mom's gardens? That was pretty fun.  I'm surprised the carrots even grew!" Melissa reminisced.  Her mind fled back to that time, the greenery, the constant presence of a smiling, caring figure. The garden would later lose its vegetables in favor of manicured hedges and flowering plants.

[Anonymous]

Kri supposed Mel was right. But, "You're exaggerating. Grime isn't just 'pouring' off me. I'd say it's a light trickle, at best. ...Watch where you're going with that soap." She slapped Mel's sudzy hand away.

Her old friend mentioned the vegetable garden. "That was a long time ago. I'm surprised you remembered." Kri had forgotten. But her almost indignant stare softened into a smile at the thought of that story. "We were so little, and didn't know a thing about gardening. And then somehow I always ended up covered in mud every time we went out there to take care of the plants. My father started to assume you were just pushing me in."

Kri's smile disappeared after a short time, though. "You should let me wash up myself. This is degrading."

[Anonymous]

Mel's hand immediately retreated with a mischievous giggle. She went back to scrubbing her friend down, even as she protested.

"Yeah! Your dad didn't want us to play anymore, but my mom made sure we could!  She was a pretty nice lady." Mel said.  She slowly eased her hands off Kri, and patted the girl on the shoulder.

"On second though, maybe you should just wash yourself. It's  a little odd when a grown woman does it to another, isn't it?" Mel inquired.