[IC] Botanist And Bards

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

"Ack!" Charlotte shouted, not entirely sure what to do about the situation. She had left all of her potions and things inside. This dress was not suited towards carrying things! Her cloak and clothes had tons of little pockets specifically designed to carry vials, flasks, and other things! This dress? Was barely enough to be called 'modest'! She felt incredibly defenseless right now, really. Cait was not helping in the slightest, so Charlotte did the only thing she could think of to do in this situation.

She ducked under the next rock that had been thrown, falling to her back in the process from having the physical co-ordination of a drunk donkey. She rolled over before quickly standing back up and...making a run for the trees, and away from Cait.

"For the love of all the dim stars! Are you trying to kill me!?" She shouted leaning against a tree where Cait's rocks wouldn't reach.

[Roleplayer001]

Cait shouted back at Charlotte as she seemed clearly annoyed. "No, I'm trying to do science? How is it working?" Having no concept of what that really meant, the native decided that enough was probably enough as she set the stones down and stealthily approached the large tree, standing on the other side of it. She gradually inched around until the other woman was right next to her, catching her while she was looking the other way. "Hey. Charlotte. Is it working?" The other woman would feel a hug as Cait gave her a mischievous smirk. After the conversation the previous day, she really couldn't resist it.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

"This is not science!" Charlotte shouted back. "Science requires specific methods! Theories to test, conclusions made, and then testing something!" Well, perhaps this was a form of science. More hands on put into practice science. At least she stopped throwing stones, though. Charlotte peered around the corner of the tree, seeing Cait gone from where she was standing.

Oh no, what was she doin-

"Eep!" An uncharacteristically girlish squeal echoed through the woods as Charlotte was suddenly hugged, emotions doing an almost complete 180 from highly annoyed, to embarrassed and a tiny bit of annoyed. "C-cait?!" Charlotte weakly struggled to removed herself from the hug, but she wasn't exactly the physically strongest sort. If she had her vials with her she could just break one of the ones containing a sort of tear gas, but she didn't even have that.

"N-no, it is not!" She continued Charlotte's face was almost completely red at this point. "Let me go!"

[Roleplayer001]

In response to Charlotte's pleas, the native simply hugged the woman tighter as she squirmed and leaned her head in slightly and spoke softly. "Remember, I said these tattoos allow our people to smell your arousal." Of course that wasn't true, but she was sort of hoping that the other woman would believe her anyways. And she was also hoping that the other girl would figure out how to use her strength tattoos - rocks could hurt, but hugs couldn't. "I know those tattoos can grant you strength. If you really wanted out you'd turn them on and toss me off, wouldn't you?" The native gave the taller woman a wink before giving her a suggestive grin.

If this didn't make them activate she wasn't sure what would.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

By the stars.

fine!

If Cait wanted to forcibly be shoved off she'd do it. She didn't mind getting a little rough every now and then to accomplish her goals. Besides, Cait was being just plain annoying. This was not how you treated or talked to people you wanted to be friendly with at all!

"Fine then!" With a growl, the tattoos suddenly began to glow slightly with power. Charlotte didn't realize much of what she was doing, but it was quick, and fairly noticeable. Filled with some sort of unknown strength, the alchemist did almost exactly what the native suggested. Grabbing Cait by the arm, Charlotte twisted it, hopefully not enough to actually do any harm but she didn't know the upper limits of her strength at the moment. Using her free arm, a swift jab right to Cait's stomach, hopefully enough to wind the native enough to loosen her grip on her. She should have stopped there, but she was still holding onto Cait's arm. With a powerful pull, Charlotte practically tossed the native off of her.

After it was done, Charlotte was not happy. Not in the slightest. She dusted off her dress with a frown, barely even looking to see if Cait had been hurt. She had asked for it, after all, and Charlotte was not going to apologize.

[Roleplayer001]

Cait felt herself twist into an uncomfortable position as Charlotte's blue tattoos changed to a lighter color as they glowed from power. The native was ready to let the bigger woman go and congratulate her, but a sudden pain erupted in her stomach and she felt the urge to curl up as suddenly she was tossed to the ground. The girl with multicolored hair landed after rolling over once or twice, not moving for a bit.

Eventually she started to adjust for a full minute, eyes flowing with tears from the pain as she tried to sit up and breathe normally - but her ribs suggested she shouldn't. The girl ran a hand over the area, where likely a massive bruise was forming. Maybe a slight crack internally? Either way, the native looked up to Charlotte as she tried to speak clearly. "... it worked ..."

Her arm also hurt from being tossed around, and although Cait internally was upset at Charlotte for being a bit too forceful she realized the black haired girl didn't really have control of the situation either. The orange hair girl instinctively whimpered as she tried to stand up, grabbing a fallen branch to help. "... I ... I think I'm going to rest for ... today ... yeah ..."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

Charlotte may have felt bad, if Cait hadn't been asking for it. With a frown, Charlotte glared at the other woman.

"Next time when I say let go, by all the bright stars in the sky let go." Charlotte said, obviously annoyed. For a few seconds she merely watched Cait get back to her feet. She really hadn't meant to go that far, but that's what happened when people didn't think about their actions - people got hurt. If she knew how it worked and could properly practice, then it'd be easy enough. At the moment she was basically swinging a sword around without any idea how to use one. Still, Cait looked pretty roughed up...maybe she should help, just a bit.

With a sigh, she walked over to Cait a small annoyed sigh escaping her lips as she helped Cait up and walked back over to the cave.

"Come on, lets get you inside." She grunted. "I have something that can help." Leading the native back inside the cave, she told her to sit on the bed.

"Off with the shirt. I need to see where exactly you're hurt at." She could hazard a guess, but she needed to see how exactly bad she was hurt. Anything to strong would be a waste, and could potentially have dangerous side effects. Anything too weak, and it wouldn't be too effective.

[Roleplayer001]

The native nodded as Charlotte ranted at her, but was relieved as the black haired girl helped her up and into the cave. Cait sat down on the bed, removing her dress to reveal a large black spot just above her stomach that was clearly where the impact had occurred. She wasn't able to hold back a few tears from forming, but she still had a tough smile on her face as she persevered through the pain and tried to hold onto a tough act. She'd been playing with powers she barely understood - she had no tattoos herself - and earned the reward for it. She didn't get to complain about the pain it caused.

"... Like ... Like what you see?" The girl with multicolored hair tried to form an honest smirk as referenced her largely naked body, but winced as a wave of pain washed over her. Either way, some rest was probably going to be in order although the girl seriously doubted the wound was permanent.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

Charlotte gave Cait a critical look as she made a comment. Ugh, always with the flirting and teasing. to quickly silence any sort of other comments she might have, Charlotte pressed a finger hard against Cait's lips. She wasn't putting up with this right now.

"No, I don't. I've seen much better, so moving on," Well, maybe not entirely true but she wasn't here to flirt or make goo-goo eyes at Cait. She wanted to get this over with. Charlotte pressed the other hand gently against the forming bruise. Had she really hit her that hard? Well, the power and effects of these tattoos were real, weren't they? She just needed to get a better reign on them. It didn't look or feel too bad.

"Deep breaths." Charlotte continued as her hand started trace along Cait's ribs around the area the bruise was. Didn't feel like anything was broken, at least. That'd be a bit worse, but still manageable. With a grunt, Charlotte removed her hand from Cait's lips, and stood, walking over to her work station.

"Nothing serious, just a bruise. Maybe a small fracture but nothing too bad." She didn't have the tools to see if it was anything worse, but she doubted it was serious. "Something to reduce the swelling," Her hands moved over a few glass flasks before setting on one filled with a pale green clear liquid before shaking her head. "And a bit of nature extract for quick healing, just in case." Her hand moved over to a flask able to fit in the palm of someone's hand, picking it up before bringing it over to Cait. The liquid inside was a bright green color, and upon removing the covering one would be able to smell the pleasant scent of some wild flowers - which it was hard to pinpoint.

"Drink." Charlotte said, shoving it into Cait's hands. Normally she'd ask for payment, but she doubted the native had anything that would be of value to her.

[Roleplayer001]

A little surprised as she was silenced, Cait pouted slightly as Charlotte did not want to play along with her teasing, but obediently followed her directions as she took in deep breaths, whimpering slightly as the black haired woman examined her wound with a gentle touch of her hand. Soon a diagnosis followed, which Cait nodded to. She could have guessed that, but it hurt a lot more than expected and the girl let off a few small whimpers in spite of herself.

The native was naturally curious what exactly 'nature extract' consisted off, sniffing the potion and getting the scent of a few flowers drifting into her nose from the emerald liquid. As she heard the direction to drink, Cait tossed Charlotte a questioning look but didn't argue as she tilted her head back and almost spit the liquid out due to how differently it tasted from the smell. That wasn't to say the concoction was awful, but rather that the scent of flowers had been misleading. Soon enough though, the native was done drinking as she passed the empty flask back into Charlotte's hands.

A few seconds later she looked at the bed she was laying on and looked back up at Charlotte. "I'm ... feeling tired. Should I rest medicine woman?" Cait winked as she gave Charlotte that title, then simply decided she would lay there and perhaps talk a bit until she started feeling sleep.

Aislinn however had waken up during this entire process, looking between her old ... friend and the black haired woman. Her eyes drifted over to the black bruise on Cait's stomach, which she gasped slightly at before giving Charlotte a poke in the side to catch her attention. "Charlotte ... what happened?" The native was clearly concerned for the other of her kind, not having the context for the entire situation. She kneeled next to the beside giving the senior native a critical look before looking back at Charlotte ... "The tattoos ... is this their work?"

Cait giggled slightly, but it started to hurt so she stopped. "... They were successful in hurting me, at least."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

"If you want." Charlotte said with a dismissive wave in response to Cait's question of resting. "It's nothing serious, and that should help heal it by the end of the day. You'll feel a little drowsy though, so I wouldn't start doing anything strenuous." Well, now she was going to have to make more of that. She'd have to find some of those funny blue flowers again. Well, whatever. Nothing to be done about it now so no use in complaining. Instead, she turned to Aislinn who wanted to know what happened.

"I was trying to get a feel for the tattoos," Charlotte said, heading back over to the table with the empty vial and setting it back on the table. "And Cait thought it'd be funny to 'surprise' me with a hug. You can see how well that went. She'll be fine - it's nothing serious, maybe a small fracture or two but I know my medicine. It should heal by the end of the day." Charlotte walked back over to Aislinn. "Now, before any other incidents happen - perhaps I could use a bit more help in both control and how to use them properly."

[Roleplayer001]

Cait nodded as the other woman spoke to her dismissively, although she smirked at Charlotte's story as she closed her eyes to begin the process of resting. Aislinn on the other hand still seemed concerned for her friend, but when the older native absentmindedly waved a hand at the black haired woman the girl reluctantly changed the focus of her attention. "Well ... at least they are working then?" The native gave a nervous smile over to the meat eater before taking a quick look at her group mate for a few seconds. "Although ... perhaps we should let Caitriona rest, and go outside instead to talk?"

The girl with lighter hair tried to not appear too worried about her mate - it was only a minor injury apparently lacking even a single completely broken bone and the two of them had no intention of being a pair in the long term - so she forced herself to put on a fake smile as she began to walk towards the cave exit.

If Charlotte was willing to follow, Aislinn would guide the pair of them outside and a short distance from the cave right up to the tree line where she looked upwards a little nervously as she thought about how to explain it. Perhaps ... Perhaps it would be best to ask the woman herself? "Charlotte ... do you know ... how you managed to summon the strength?" The previous day she had mentioned the runes possibly causing exhaustion, which made the native look up with concern. "Does anything hurt, do you feel unusual in any way?"

And perhaps it would be a good idea to start brightening the mood genuinely. "And by the way, they look nice on you. Blue was a good choice, I think."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

Charlotte simply followed Aislinn out of the cave without too much argument. She wasn't in the mood for any more possible shenanigans from Cait. Honestly, Cait was a fool. While she had nothing really against the native, she was simply too...foolish for her own good. She wasn't being dishonest either - Charlotte genuinely disliked such behavior. Not to say it was bad or she disliked Cait - but it was simply...unfathomable. Aislinn while she had a bit of energy, she seemed to at least have a decent head on her shoulders.

Well, the compliment was a bit unexpected though.

"...It's just a color." Charlotte replied in a somewhat dismissive manner. "But thank you - moving on though, I...well." Charlotte seemed a bit hesitant to say what exactly happened, but she supposed there was really no way around it if she wanted to potentially make any progress.

"...Cait hugged me." Charlotte replied, a hint of red crossing her cheeks. "And told me if I really wanted her off, I'd toss her off myself." Charlotte sighed, shaking her head. "It happened rather fast, and I was fairly annoyed so I can't really say. She is lucky she isn't more hurt than she is, when someone is messing with something they hardly understand making rash actions like that can easily get one harmed or worse." Perhaps she was being slightly dishonest. At least, she'd worry somewhat herself if Cait had been injured. "But no, I do not feel tired. It was only for a few seconds until I was able to reign in...whatever it was."

[Roleplayer001]

Aislinn

Aislinn frowned as Charlotte called it just a color, although it turned back into a slight smile as she was thanked. And ... was Charlotte blushing? The native raised any eyebrow, but remembered the previous day's events. The black haired woman had practically gone mad upon being hugged.

Still though ... this meant that the other woman was able to activate her abilities when they were stressed. That either meant that Charlotte's people were only able to use the tattoos when in some sort of danger or being stressed allowed the alchemist to stop thinking and just accept. Of course, the nightvision the previous day had activated in a perfectly normal manner. "I'm ... how were you thinking of the tattoos when you ... activated them?" Despite the fact that Cait had only suffered a small injury in the grand scheme of things, it was obvious the younger native wanted to avoid thinking about her mate being injured. "Perhaps you should try invoking a similar sensation as then? What happened was unfortunate ... but if we could gleam something from it perhaps it would be worthwhile?" The native gave Charlotte a weak and uncertain smile.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

"You are...not wrong." Charlotte said with a small frown. That is how science worked, after all. Theories, testing, rethinking said theory if something went wrong, and then trying again. With live subjects though, it was something less than...easily done, unless you were a callous individual. Something could go wrong, and unless you took every precaution needed someone including yourself could get harmed beyond what was necessary or in certain bad cases, recoverable.

"But...I wasn't thinking." Charlotte replied sharply. "It just...sort of happened. I wanted Cait off of me, so I almost did exactly as she suggested - threw her completely off. That would not be a good idea to try and replicate that. Not thinking about what you are doing causes people to get hurt, especially regarding things you do not understand." Charlotte shifted her weight slightly, right hand unconsciously resting on the scar.

"If it could happen in a more controlled environment, perhaps we could attempt something similar. Not with the other party throwing rocks at someone and then surprise hugging them."

[Roleplayer001]

Aislinn

Aislinn nodded in agreement - she didn't want to get injured by trying to get Charlotte to hit her either as being tied up the previous day was already scary enough. Though soon enough an idea appeared in the native's mind as she thought up a new game. "I have an idea! How about we go down to the river and put a small branch across it! Then we could try and play a game of balance! Perhaps the thought of being drenched will be enough to activate the ones for balance?" A wide grin ran across the girl's face.

"I don't have any tunes for balance, but I'm Queen so therefore I expect to win anyways!" The girl assumed a more assertive stance towards Charlotte, already pumping herself up for a challenge that hadn't even been accepted yet, sticking out her chest slightly and pointing at the black haired girl to see if she would accept it.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

At Aislinn's suggestion, Charlotte placed a hand on her chin, seeming to ponder the suggestion. Well, it certainly would have been much better than her trying anything on her own. There would be very little chances anyone could get seriously hurt, though she wouldn't really be too worried about getting wet. This dress wasn't one she was too extremely attached too, and it'd be easy enough to dry her hair.

"A fair suggestion. It's certainly better than having rocks thrown at you." Charlotte replied. She had never actually tried balancing on anything before, so this would be fairly interesting. She had climbed a few ledges before with the aid of some alchemy and natural hand-holds but for the most part she wasn't very good at it. At least, not better than average. Plus, she'd be lying if it didn't seem like a bit of fun to try and beat Aislinn. As much of a 'queen' she was, she certainly would be at least a tiny bit fun to mess with. So perhaps she could bring herself to actually want to win this little challenge.

"Well," She said with a small smile. "We'll see, but I don't expect to get soaked. Lead the way then, 'your highness'"

[Roleplayer001]

Aislinn

Aislinn practically jumped in excitement as she started leading Charlotte and herself towards the nearby river. She sensed something was up with the way the black haired woman was speaking but was glad to finally be recognize for the Queen of the forest that she was. For the first minute of the walk the girl with multicolored hair pictured how she wanted to completely prove to her subject how mighty she was in every single respect but eventually looked over towards her friend and gave her a beaming smile.

For a moment she seemed to reach her hand out to Charlotte's, but ended up withholding it as she realized that would likely make the other woman uncomfortable. It made her a little sad, but if she needed time to prepare herself for hugs then it would be rude to stop her.

Eventually the pair arrived to a narrower section of the river where a recently dead tree lay across forming a natural bridge over. The river itself was about thirty feet wide although the tree was much narrower with two feet hardly being able to be placed next to eachother. The native was curious about what felled such a young thing, but it served it's purpose. Although now she wasn't sure what this competition would consist of. "Ummmmmm ... let's start simple! Just going across it!" Aislinn jumped up onto the tree, feeling it shift just slightly beneath her feet as she walked across it with a completely normal pace. Eventually she arrived on the other side, giving Charlotte a confident smile as the river rushed beneath the log. "Your turn Charlotte! Your majesty will see you drenched!"

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Charlotte LaChance~

---

Before leaving, Charlotte quickly grabbed her cloak. While Aislinn would likely object, Charlotte wasn't leaving without at least some form of self defense. The cloak had a few pockets sewn into the inside of it for keeping things, in case of emergencies. An alchemist always had to be prepared, simple as that. She didn't have anything else to rely on, and she couldn't expect the tattoos to work as intended. For the most part, Charlotte walked in silence, making small mental notes of any plants in the area she hadn't noticed. She had a fairly good idea of the flora around the cave after living here for a bit, but it was always a good idea to check for new growth.

When they finally reached the river, Charlotte took note of the tree. Something felled it, perhaps? It certainly didn't seem old or rotten in any places. It could mean that there was something lurking in the area, but it was just an assumption. She'd keep her eyes and ears open. If it was something, she'd at least be able to make a reasonable getaway hopefully. For now, she focused on the tree and the river. About thirty feet wide, and not too deep. Well, she might as well.

With a sigh and a small, confident smirk Charlotte began walking across. The alchemist definitely wasn't as good as Aslinn, and had to take her time a bit and use her arms for balance. After a bit longer than Aislinn though, she made it. It wasn't anything she hadn't done before, so she could at least do this much.

"If it is simply walking across a log, I have done it a number of times. The freezing rivers back home make for ample incentive to not take a swim in one."

[Roleplayer001]

Aislinn

Aislinn pouted as Charlotte completed the task without taking a swim, but then smiled widely in excitement as it meant the competition would be more intense. The native decided to take this to the next level. "How about we go across, but like a rabbit?" The native ran back towards the log but this time instead of walking hopped across it jumping from steady area to steady area. The tree shifted beneath her feet but stayed in place well enough that the girl managed to get across without a soak.

"Now your turn! This river may not be cold, but my reign upon my victory shall be!" The native posed with her hands on her hips, face turned towards the sky in an attempt to be regal.