[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/fF6qBZj/Casii.png[/img][/center][hr]Interactions: GM Foodie, FnF with Isii [i]Sugah'n Spice[/i][hr] Casii had spent her time in a not particularly productive fashion for the mission at large. She did, however, profit in her own way. The day she spent checking the yanii shops and sellers, she found a number of goodies. It turned out to be quite the hassle to haggle without being able to speak their language, nor them speaking the common yanii speak. It took a lot of gestures and repeating words to find a way to express ideas. Even then, looking back, she thinks they were misunderstanding more rather than understanding. She, at least, managed. The first place was the spice seller. In Casii's experience, yaniis could [i]occasionally[/i] see to an interesting flavor to a yasoi's palete. In the end, Casii wasn't sure if she had gotten a good deal or not. The spice she had gotten tasted strong but she exchanged a few melons for a small bag. Curious enough, as Casii was going through different things she could offer, the yanii seller seemed to offer her something in exchange for the entire harvest of an orange tree [i]and[/i] some yanii shillings on top of that. It was a case of some thick sauce that was titled with some far-off yanii name: "Bar-bee-Q". Upon dipping her finger and sampling, it tasted rather foul like it had been sitting on shelf for far too long. The yaniis swore it was [i]legendary[/i] but Casii didn't think the yaniis had good taste. She considered just tossing it but decided to give it to one of her yanii friends like Desmond. She could imagine he had the culinary taste that... preferred that kind of rankness. Having spent time in the town, Casii then wandered the border finding a neat garden of rather exotic looking plants. They weren't exotic to the area but they were the more unique plants that grew in the area, gardened here as kind of passion for someone. Casii picked one, a strange cup looking plant. It was a carnivorous plant for small insects, producing a sap in the cup. The yanii whose garden this was came out, alarmed, but quickly assured when Casii displayed her greengrowth ability. He explained in broken common yanii speak about the plant. They use the sap to heal as it had some medicinal properties. Casii gave the man two melons in exchange for letting her cycle one of those plants to obtain seeds for her bag. --- The following day, Casii relinked with Isii, deciding that maybe she had enough time on her own. She didn't like the idea of leaving Ismette alone because from her experience, it drives her all manner of crazy when she is down. Isii was definitely bothered but avoiding it.... Ismette did not feel like herself. That wasn’t a metaphor. She quite literally did not, and it worried her. Deep down in the very marrow of her bones, it worried her. Was she going crazy? Casii was giving her questioning eyes and that was bad. She’d scarce slept a wink the night before and some of it was guilty conscience and some of it was annoyance at herself, at those stupid yaniis for making her act that way and at Casii for being worried. [i]I’m perfectly [b]not[/b] fine, thank you very much, precious one.[/i] Truth be told, it bothered her most that Casii was worried for [i]her[/i]: that she was some active detriment, right now, to someone she cared about. It bothered her most, except for, well… the [i]thing[/i] - the [i]main[/i] thing. She hugged herself as she walked, trying to project her usual level of good cheer, but it was a hollow effort. Casii worked her tongue and jaw extra hard this morning as she swirled around the portion of jamp’ysp she had stuck in her mouth before they set out. It was a habit born out of worry for the yasoi, who usually sought escapism from her life’s problems. The issue this time was, what do you do if they aren’t your problem but someone else’s? Someone important? Someone [i]loved[/i]? Casii glanced over to her partner as the pair walked. She was hugging herself, causing the white-haired yasoi to frown. It seemed a lonely gesture, one that you’d need someone to lift you out of, but she had never been good at being soft. [color=6ecff6]”You know yer huggin’ yerself when you can be huggin’ me all you want. I ain’t mind it, Isii.”[/color] Casii smiled but it was a smile marred by concern. Ismette did what she always did: hugged. It was as natural to her as, well… she didn’t know, but it was natural. It was sudden, too: she wrapped her arms around Casii from the side and tried to squeeze all the strength and reassurance that she could both into and out of her. [i]You’ll think I’m crazy. You won’t say it, or you’ll play it off, but you [b]will[/b], or I’m just dodging responsibility.[/i] They parted after a moment. [i]I remembered. I remembered things that were not mine. I acted: acted in ways that weren’t mine.[/i] It sounded like excuses, though, and she knew it, like she couldn’t acknowledge what she’d done. It had been her, but it was like there were a hundred other versions of herself or something like her with their hands on the reins, gently but implacably guiding hers. It couldn’t have actually been real… [i]could[/i] it have? There was content and comfort in those arms, Casii always thought. How could you worry when someone special embraced you like they’d never let go. Isii had always been capable of causing that feeling. Although Casii felt guilty in a way that she’d never be able to return what Isii gave her. She damn well tried but it always felt like she could never give enough, even returning that squeeze with everything she had somehow felt weak. Silence hung like a cloak over the pair even after they broke apart. It wasn’t fixed, whatever [i]it[/i] was. Isii’s darker side, Casii believed it came from something impure about that magic she used. Dark Magic was named for a reason… [color=6ecff6]”Hey Isii…”[/color] Casii felt her chest tighten and her tongue stick to her mouth. She hadn’t mentioned it yet but she felt like she was feeling it. [color=6ecff6]“You know I love you so you can tell me anything.”[/color] She said, low and quiet, afraid that such an admittance would only be met with closed doors. A risk Casii wouldn’t have made so carelessly a year ago but now… She was either stupid or really in love. [color=6ecff6]“What if that thing was really terrible?”[/color] Ismette asked almost… offhandedly. They were the baggage train of the group, trailing behind it as they went through the market. She glanced at some of the bits and bobs that these yaniis sold, but they were mostly boring people. [color=6ecff6]“So what if it were? I ain’t privy to judgin’ you.”[/color] Casii turned and spat before glancing ahead. She felt like she had been slugged in the stomach, regretting that she let slip the L-word. It was foolish of her to admit it so casually. Her cheeks grew flushed with a faint rosy color. Desperate to take her mind off of it she worked the half nut in her bottom lip as she considered how best to appeal to Ismette. [color=6ecff6]“‘Sides, I know yer sweet’n kind’n lovin’n there ain’t a whole lot terrible ‘bout you, Isii. There ain’t nothin’ that gonna change you to me.”[/color] Ismette lost her nerve right there. [color=6ecff6]“Well, luckily, you’re right!”[/color] she giggled, before her mirth faded. [color=6ecff6]“Truth is, I kind of lost it yesterday. They damn near killed you and… Ugh. For a moment, I wanted to…”[/color] She trailed off with an awkward shrug. [color=6ecff6]“Just smash ‘em. Fuckin’ [i]smash[/i] ‘em like they deserved. It’s got me a bit out of sorts, I guess.”[/color] She sniffed as they drew nearer to a spice vendor. [color=6ecff6]“Sorry if I’ve been ‘off’. That’s it, really,”[/color] she lied. She nodded a long, seemingly unbothered by Ismette’s truths about yesterday, but there was something about it that unnerved Casii. Her grip tightened around her staff, the Living Wood offering a caressing grip back as it encapsulated her hand almost entirely for a moment before it retreated. [color=6ecff6]“Well yer probably just heated in the moment. Those yaniis were right foul ‘specially that one that went’n shocked me.”[/color] She aired casually but eyes narrowed at that being it. If she were better equipped for people, Casii might try to pry out the hard truths but she wasn’t. She just believed that she had to accept someone keeping their secrets. [color=6ecff6]”You know I went’n bought some kind of dried kelp ‘er somethin’ there.”[/color] Casii gestured with her staff towards the spice vendor, deciding on changing the subject. [color=6ecff6]“Kelp?[/color] Ismette squealed, [color=6ecff6]“Like weekos eat!?”[/color] She made a face. Casii shot a scrunched up face back at Isii. [color=6ecff6]“No! It ain’t like for eatin’ like weekos!”[/color] She reached her free hand down into her seed bag and pulled out a small ceramic jar giving it a shake. [color=6ecff6]“Fancy folk go’n use seasonin’ on everythin’ so I gots me some of my own.”[/color] She popped open the jar just enough to let the smell out allowing the two yasoi to intricately indulge in it. It was actually kind of good… for yanii seasoning! [color=6ecff6]“Well, you can colour me skeptical, but I’ll try it,”[/color] Ismette admitted. [color=6ecff6]“Smells alright, I guess.”[/color] They came flooding back to her, then: sitting on a rocky shore, nervous and tired and grateful to have a virgin forest of horrors well behind her. Glancing over her shoulder and pulling her knees up to her chest around a fire. How many stars there were in the sky! She bit into the fish and the seasoning on it: it was like what Casii had, and suddenly Ismette knew exactly how it would taste. It would be no surprise and it would bring her back to that place. Then, just like that, she was back in the moment. There was a bit of an aroma from one of the stands and she was glad of the distraction. [color=6ecff6]“You know what smells better, though?”[/color] she asked rhetorically, [color=6ecff6]“That, over there!”[/color] She pointed at a baker’s. There was something about that salty drudgunzean bread that she’d taken to immediately upon arriving in Constantia. [color=6ecff6]“Yanii bread, huh.”[/color] Casii mused, almost sounding disappointed but she wasn’t really. She just liked to give yaniis and everything they did a hard time. [color=6ecff6]“Only if they’re offerin’ ‘nough butter to go’n make it extra savory. ‘Cuz I ain’t gonna mind it then!”[/color] Casii would follow Ismette over to indulge in their little distraction. Ismette would eagerly accept, in some sort of mutual acknowledgement to avoid the elephant in the room… for the time being.