She gives a nod, quietly inviting the tale and enraptured by the telling. Some equines may not think her, daresay, intelligent. They thought the little bird a dense beast. Unwilling to learn new things, unwilling to change her view... Willoughby was not that sort. She loved to learn new things. She loved to hear new stories. This one came with fact, logic and learning.
Vervain. Nerve damage. Stress reliever. "Oh, I wish I could give it away for free then" she tuts a bit, looking down at the pretty purple plant "I just... really need the coin" Willoughby sighs "the instrument would assist my routine. I am an aspiring bard, you see. It would help bring in more money so I can live."
But she goes on, a bright smile as she speaks of her music. "It is a flute. Silver with ivy etchings wrapping around it like a vine... Oh, it is also enchanted I'm told. It links with my mind and plays for its owner the music that I want it to play" Willoughby giggles softly "I do not have any sort of magic, so this is very helpful."
she was powerful not because she wasn't scared,
but because she went on strongly despite her fear.
There was not much space in the girl's expressions for Maerys to input much of her thought, but she found it rather pleasant to listen to the stranger's words. It was clear the girl's passion for music was grand, and the warrior was glad to meet such a driven individual.
As she explained the flute, Maerys' thoughts shifted to the music she remembered from her home thousands of miles away. She could vividly recall the performers that played in the streets on their flutes. The notes had been stories for her, soothing her soul as the Blackbird's call.
"It sounds most lovely," Maerys offered. The girl's enthusiasm mirrored the warrior's when she first got her ax. The double-edged armament had been the most exquisite thing Maerys had seen in a very long time, with aurelian engravings and keen blades. The weapon almost instantly had become an extension of herself; Maerys wielded it with frightening accuracy and efficiency. "And do not feel guilty about selling the vervain instead of gifting it," she told the pegasus. "Those that need it can acquire it for free here shouldst they decide to maketh the journey."
Willoughby knew she would have to leave eventually. Delumine was always a joy to travel to, even if she stayed for a little while. And the sad fact is she had to deliver the herb before it withered. Then it's use would be none, and the item would be worthless. No signos. Nothing to be sold. "I am sad we had to pluck it from the earth" she muses quietly.
"The earth surely already misses it" Willoughby goes on, having a compassion for nature in any form. "I do hope it does not mind. It is a selfish buy" a frown graces her lips before collecting the vervain properly in her jaws - yet she pauses to address the other. "thank you, Maerys. For the lesson and the company."
"I do hope to see you again!" She gives the woman a lasting smile before plucking the herb and continuing on her merry way.
she was powerful not because she wasn't scared,
but because she went on strongly despite her fear.
The girl was unsettled that the herb was pulled from the ground but unrooted it would soothe the aching body of the hurt and stressed; the vervain's use still planted was limited. Maerys, however, grasped that the merchants in Denocte would dive over each other for even one stalk of the plant, after all, Dawn and Night were so removed from each other that it was rare the midnight souls of that court would venture to Delumine frequently enough to have little need to purchase the plant.
"Apologize to the realm by spreading joy with thy music," Maerys responded to the girl's grief, her tone tender and the whisper of a smile adorning her whiskered features. The earth would flourish under the girl's succulent noises; the fowl would purr, the breeze would sway, and the heavens would rage cerulean.
As Willoughby thanked the soldier, she dipped her skull and replied, "tis my own pleasure." Maerys' fondness for information and education had made it so she was eternally prepared to impart her wisdom to others. She was exhilarated that the pegasus was open to listening and learning, perhaps even enjoying becoming more intimate with the meadow's diverse flora.
They'd only known each other briefly, at first just strangers able to smile and greet each other with hellos, but after their chat, Maerys knew the next time she saw the girl she would refer to her as a friend, a bond she believed would only blossom should they run into each other more frequently. "Goodbye," she replied as the girl began to retreat.
After just a momentary pause, before Maerys began her duties once more, she called to the pegasus one last time: "Stayeth safe during thy travels!"