video; un: dovahkiin (backdated to early Nov)

[fusrodaaaah]

Um.

[Wow, it's a rare show of video from Melius. The Argonian is sitting on the beach, in the cold, at his little tent. A lizard, in the cold. But he doesn't seem at all bothered by it.]

[He shifts where he sits, and then just. Straight up thrusts a basket of mushrooms at the camera.]

I was - I was um. [He ducks his head, hiding behind the basket.]

I know mushrooms! Really well! I um - if you need! To know! I can - I can tell you!

Goodbye!

[He shuts it off, right there.]

[... basically, Melius is offering his services as a mushroom expert. With a lot more anxious yelling than necessary.]

Comments

[droptheious]

[Oh bless his heart, he's trying.]

It was a big help! You did really well!!

[Mayve enough encouragement might help him with his crippling anxiety, who knows!]

Sulfur shelves? For real?! That's so cool!

[fusrodaaaah]

[HECK YEAH - praise! From a friend!]

Y-yes, I found some. The other day. I found a lot.

Do you - um. Need some?

[droptheious]

[HE'S PROUD OF YOU, BUDDY!!]

Oh wow, you bet! I'd love some, thanks!! I wanna see if they have any unusual qualities, given where we are. I imagine they've gotta do something weird.

[fusrodaaaah]

I - I think some of them are... just mushrooms. The - edible ones. Mostly.

But there's - there's a lot I haven't seen before. Like the ones with water on the crowns.

[droptheious]

That's good, too though! In a place like this, we need all the potential food we can find!

Oh yeah, those are...interesting. The blue ones I've seen are super poisonous for us non-Argonians. Just...you know, so you know.

[Because it won't hurt Melius to eat but everyone else would have a real bad time.]

[fusrodaaaah]

I um. I can... send a list. Of ones to eat. Some um. Some of them are really... easy to see. Like puffballs.

Y-yeah don't. Don't eat those. Or touch them. Ever.

[droptheious]

I'd appreciate that, thanks! You're a lifesaver.

[He appreciates you SO MUCH, Buddy.]

Exactly. Just give them a wide berth. They'd probably make a pretty good weapon coating, though.

[You know, if you REALLY wanted to kill something attacking you. ]

[fusrodaaaah]

Okay, um. Do you want it - do you want to come by or um. I can. Ask the dragon to bring it.

[Or send your raccoon, bro.]

... I can make poisons for that. They're. They're probably... safer.

[droptheious]

I can come by! I like spending time with you, Buddy.

[Something something friendship.]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. They'd make a great poison.

[fusrodaaaah]

Oh! Oh um. Okay. I have um - soup.

[He almost always has soup. It's just easy to keep boiling it on a daily basis.]

I um. I'd have to... taste them. To know. How they work.

[droptheious]

Your company and soup? Sounds like an amazing deal to me.

[Buddy please look after yourself better, he has concerns. ]

That's fine. I have some samples, I can bring them with me.

[fusrodaaaah]

Oh. Okay. I'll - I'll be here.

[On the beach. In winter.]

Yes - that would. That would be good.

[droptheious]

Great! I'll gather my samples and be right there!

[And as promised (thanks to the Lamps) it doesn't take Varian long to get there. He's also carrying a basket with him. While the promised mushrooms are in there, there's also some blankets and a thermos of hot chocolate. He knows how to bring the good stuff.

He casts the tent a worried look, buddy, before raising a hand in greeting. ]

Heeeeeey, Bud. Um- you still doing okay out here? In the tent? It's... well, I know we don't feel the cold the same as other people do, but it's getting more wintery. The snow's gonna be a problem sooner or later.

[fusrodaaaah]

[Varian is probably one of two people who don't actually alarm Melius these days. That's a positive step. He probably would have still jumped out of his skin even knowing full well his friend was coming, not too long ago.]

[Instead, he perks up.]

It's fine! Um. It's not... it's not cold. Too cold. And the - the fire helps.

[droptheious]

[Varian's going to take the lack of intense anxiety as progress to be sure.]

Uh-

[He looks around at the light dusting of snow on the ground, then back at Melius.]

It's definitely going to get colder though- and we might end up with pretty bad storms? Are you sure you don't wanna sleep somewhere...safer?

[fusrodaaaah]

I um.

[He hunkers down. Poking idly at the fire with a stick. And otherwise generally not looking at Varian. Safer for who, though? If he's still setting things on fire without the right words?]

[Then it's dangerous to be near him. The beach is always so empty. Isn't that better?]

I don't... know. I don't - I don't want to burn things. Down.

[droptheious]

Well, Buddy-

[He opens his hand, palm-up, fire blooming up there.]

That's...kind of a chance we're stuck with. I made sure there's lots of fire extinguishers in my home - just in case. You just need to prepare, is all.

[fusrodaaaah]

[His head snaps up, startled, at the sudden fire there - but let's be real, that's his default reaction. It settles, fairly quickly, to where Melius ends up picking at his scales.]

What... what is a fire. Extinguisher?

[droptheious]

[Varian's well used to Melius being startled by anything and everything like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. ]

It's a canister filled with either water or some chemical mixture - you aim it at a fire and shoot out the pressurised contents. It puts the fire out quickly. It's pretty clever!

[fusrodaaaah]

So...

It's um. Alchemy?

[Because that's what it sounds like. And if it's really Alchemy, then there's hope.]

[droptheious]

Yeah! Pretty much it's alchemy! It's just the right mix of chemicals and boom, fire out. It's great to have in an alchemy lab too, just so you know.

[fusrodaaaah]

Oh. I um. I don't... work with chemicals.

Is it - is it hard?

[droptheious]

Nah, it's not hard at all. And chemicals are just the same as alchemy- it's just the stuff you'd normally used stripped down to their most basic elements.

[fusrodaaaah]

That... that sounds hard.

[Elements mean things like fire and frost right?]

[droptheious]

Aww, come on, Meli. You can do alchemy, too. You'd be able to figure it out no problem!