deernet | text ; un: dovahkiin

[These weird introverts gotta stick together!! And help each other. And be vaguely social at each other.]

[He appreciates this. More than he really knows how to express to her. Or anyone, really. It's nice to have someone who's... still here.]

you can the door is open i tried to open the shop today

[ There's a bit of a delay in her next message. Mostly because Chizuru is busy gathering her things and then going out of the door - figuring that she can continue to text him while she's on her way, even though she momentarily needs her hands for other stuff like grabbing everything and getting ready.

But once she's outside, she's already back to sending him the next message. ]

how did it go
?

[He shrugs, and almost leaves it at that.]

[Until, belatedly, he remembers this is text and Chizuru can't exactly see his shrug.]

the door is unlocked that is all that it is

[He unlocked the door and then retreated into the back to play with his experiments.]

[ Melius...

.. then again, this sort of thing probably shouldn't be too surprising. Especially when one of the people who kind of helped protect him from people he found too intimidating in the shop is gone..

At least it makes Chizuru feel more glad about coming over. With everything she's hearing, it just feels like the right choice. ]

no one has come in yet at all
?

[ Which would be a good thing in this scenario. ]

no just just the old lady who needs healing potions in her tea so thats not a problem.

[She was half blind, had a cane, and basically shuffled in, took her potions and left with a little wave.]

[So that wasn't a problem. That was nice and routine.]

that is good

[ Because.. yeah, that definitely sounds like it's on the level of something Melius can handle. Even if Chizuru isn't always the best at guessing where exactly that level is at..

But surely this has got to still be below his treshold, right. ]

if anyone else comes in i can help
i do not mind talking to people

[ Sure, she's a little shy too, but.. at least not as much as Melius. ]

[Way below the threshold. Half the time, the old lady doesn't say two words - just plunks her trade down on the counter and shuffles out with her bottle. Melius' favorite kind of customer, honestly.]

okay that that would be good better than Aakhahnu

[His horrible little dragon omen who likes to give people cursewords as nicknames.]

[ .. Chizuru does wonder for a moment whether he means his Omen. She's seen the creature plenty of times now, but she actually never asked for a name..

E-Especially since she didn't want it to cuss her out..

She feels like it's got to be that within this context though. She's never heard of anyone with that name here in Trench otherwise, and it does kind of look like that dragon tongue.. ]

well

[ Noticable pause... ]

i think she has her own charm

[ N-Nailed it. Maybe?? ]

but some customers might appreciate a softer touch yes

[There's a pause.]

[A lengthy pause.]

that is too nice of you to say. she is mean and i know that

[But she's his omen, and he can't really change her. He just has to accept this.]

but i think you are a better person to help

[ Please, Melius, you can't just call your Omen mean! E-Even if she's.. very aggressive.. and knows more colourful curse words than most men in Chizuru's life..

S-Still!! ]

maybe it is better to not call her that
where she might be able to see it

[ The last thing she'd want for poor Melius is to be tormented by his Omen when he's already dealing with so much right now.. ]

oh its okay she knows i think she likes it

[Yes, yes she does. His terrible little omen definitely likes being called mean, nasty and rude. The polar opposite of her lizard.]

[ ... ]

she
likes it
?

[ Usually she wouldn't bother Melius with such questions, but.. maybe the more he thinks about this while she's still on her way, the better? Better to think about this than about his recent loss, right.. ]

yes because she is small and dragons in tamriel are not so if she is mean she is as scary as one of them

[Listen, it's not great logic, but he never said his omen was a genius on top of her mean streak.]

why do you think she wants to be scary
?

i assume you mean it is because dragons are scary
but there are a lot of ways to be intimidating that do not involve being mean to people
maybe we could teach her that

[ Clearly that'll work, right.

Obviously. ]

because dragons are because... Dov wahlaan fah rel dragons were made for domination over mortals she is a dragon and she isn't Paarthurnax so i dont think she wants to learn

[ .. ah.

That hits a little bit closer to home, considering some of the things she's heard other demons talk back home.. Which was basically the same thing.

It makes Chizuru be quiet for a moment instead of sending something back right away, lightly chewing her lower lip as she walks and glances at her Omni. ]

but you are a dragon person too right
?

[ Maybe "dragon person" isn't the most elegant way to put it.. Sorry, Melius, she means well.. ]

and you do not seem to believe that
you are always kind
you seemed to want to do the right thing even in your memories

argonian but dragonborn too it's - i don't know how that happened but I am argonian first

[He's not upset about it, though. Chizuru doesn't really know. He doesn't expect her to know. Mostly because he doesn't talk about it. He doesn't enjoy talking about it. So how could his friend know?]

i i know i do i dont know if that is going to be me someday though

i know you will never be
that is not what you are like

[ It's.. being a little bold on her part, which is scary, but.. Chizuru does fiercely believe in this. Enough to put it that way. ]

and your omen is part of you
so i am sure she has the same good heart as you deep down

[you will never be]

[He has to read that several times. And it keeps him from replying. He's too busy reading it over, and over again. How it wars against the cautionary tales from Paarthurnax, the only other being who seemed to actually be looking out for a petrified Argonian's welfare.]

[Dov wahlaan fah rel - you will never be - The will to power is in our blood - that is not what you are like]

i i want that to be true

[ See, with Melius needing a few moments to read that message over and over.. It seems like it's given the girl some time to actually arrive at the store, letting herself in with the door being unlocked and all.

At least she does call out with a soft, but polite: ]

I'm here..

[ But she has seen the message that appeared on her Omni only a moment before entering, and it makes her smile as she heads a little further into the shop in order to be able to see Melius himself. ]

Um, you know.. Forgive me for suddenly continuing the talk like this, but.. If you want it to be true, then there's nothing to worry about. You're already a good person, Melius. That means you don't have to change anything about yourself. I know you'll just stay this way.

[Melius is... slotted into the back room of the shop. The door's open a crack, though. With his omen peering out - a clear indication of where he's hiding. Once she spots Chizuru, though, the dragon ducks back inside the room.]

[And perches on Melius' head. Mercifully silent, for once.]

Hi... [He doesn't look up. There are bags of dried material, seeds, containers - it's storage. And Melius appears to be sorting through it all.]

I don't - I don't know. I don't know anything about... being what I am. There's - there's no one else. Like me.

[Well, there's Miraak, but Melius hasn't met him yet in his timeline.]

[ Thank you, little fierce dragon Omen... Chizuru likes to think that she's being quiet because this conversation is good for Melius, but honestly, it might just be a lucky coincidence.

Chizuru will take it anyway, especially when Melius is already dealing with enough right now to have to tame a dragon on top of it. ]

.. do you think that's a bad thing?

[ The girl softly asks him that, like she doesn't want to fully break him out of whatever concentration he's using for what he's doing right now.

Instead she looks around to find any spot to sit, before sitting down there, her bag neatly and carefully placed on her lap. ]

I... I don't know.

[He stops sorting through the herbs. Stops moving his hands. So he can wrap his arms around his knees and better huddle up.]

I - I don't know anything. About - About Dovahkiin. Just - just they have... dragon souls.

[Dragon blood. They are for lack of better words, dragons in all but body. How can anyone think they would be decent people? Only Paarthurnax resigned himself from dragon nature. Through so many centuries of work and effort.]

[How is someone like Melius supposed to measure up?]

And I can't - I can't ask. Anyone! They just want me - want me to save them.

You know.. I-- um.

[ It's not easy for Chizuru to talk about any of this. But when her friend is here like this, clearly struggling with this topic, how could she hold back and not talk about this herself? If she has to do one difficult thing to maybe be able to help a friend a little, if not just by letting them know she can relate, then she should do it.

She just has to summon some courage within herself. ]

It wasn't.. really that long ago when I found out I wasn't like all the other people around me either. And I know it's.. strange, and hard.

[ Hence why it's so difficult for Chizuru to talk about, especially when she feels like sharing her problems with other people is a little rude.. especially when said other people probably already have enough to struggle with themselves without adding her trouble on top of it.

Case in point: Melius himself. ]

Especially when there's no one to ask about these things. [ Sure, there had been some other demons in Chizuru's world, but most of them were actively trying to kidnap her, so.. not exactly the best types to ask stuff to, huh.. ]

But even when you don't know stuff, and even when it feels overwhelming.. sometimes all you can do is just-- um. Just doing what feels right to you, you know..?

[ That's what she's been doing all this time. ]

Do... do you mean - how you don't die?

[He asks it very quietly. Like he's worried about the answer. Should he not be asking? Is that rude? His omen doesn't even comment, for once, just curls her way around his horns with a sigh.]

[He doesn't know the full story behind her ability - but he's grateful for it. Grateful he doesn't have to worry one day he'll turn around and this friend will be murdered. Skyrim had a nasty habit of killing nice people.]

Some - some people say - they understand, here. But I ... I don't know what to say. Maybe ... maybe they um. Can help you. Too?

[There has to be someone here who knows what's going on with her that can help. Right?]

Is - is that... really enough...?

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