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 Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:10 am
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Lily, after much deliberation and depression, had finally found what she felt was her "place" in the Tree. She worked down in the depths, in what might be considered a "boiler room". Using her power to light small fires, she kept the fires lit that warmed the water that went to the rest of the tree. It kept her busy, and made her feel like she was positively contributing to the community, yet away from too many eyes. There were so many kinds of Faun now that she felt like she stood out less, but her soft feet and huge leafy wings still made her feel distinctly like an outsider. She typically kept those wings flat against her back, and under a special corset she'd had made to conceal them. However, it got hot down here and she occasionally had to air out her wings or they got, well, sweaty. Lily was taking a break and fanning out her wings when she heard hoofsteps approaching. |
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:18 am
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Lily Lily jumped slightly and turned, blushing. "Oh! Yes, that's me. What can I help you with? Sorry about these, let me just get them back in their corset." She folded her wings behind her.
Tirzah "Oh, why would you hide them?" asked Tirzah earnestly. "They're so beautiful! My mother has wings like yours."
Lily Lily froze. "I'm sorry, did you say your mother has wings like this?" She'd never heard of anyone having these wings before. Just her and her sister. "Do...are her parents a faun and an angel?" she asked. She couldn't contain her curiosity.
Tirzah "Mhm!" said Tirzah cheerfully. "My grandfathers. My uncle, mom's brother, also has wings like yours, but I haven't seen him in a while, since I was real little." Suddenly she was very curious if Uncle Enki had also moved to the Tree.
Lily Lily nodded slowly. "I've just.....never met anyone else who had them before." She was incredibly curious about how, then, this pae before her came to be a Faun instead of a leaf-winged angel, but this hardly seemed like the kind of question you could ask randomly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. What can I help you with? You said you were looking for me?"
Tirzah "Oh! Right, yeah. I'm kinda new here and I just got my own alcove and someone told me you're the girl to ask if I want heated water to my alcove. How does that work? I'm Tirzah, by the way."
Lily "Nice to meet you, Tirzah," said Lily with a smile. The other femme definitely had an aura that put her at ease, and it wasn't just that she seemed completely unfazed by her appearance, which, understandably, made a lot of the other Faun nervous. "Yeah, so how it works is I'm down here pretty much every day with these fires, which warms the water that circulates through the Tree. Someone else tends the fire at night when I'm not here. So all we gotta do is make sure that your alcove connects the right way and you should be able to have warm water. By the time it gets up there it won't be like, hot for making tea, but it should be much more soothing than a cold shower." She giggled lightly. "So if you don't mind, would you show me up to your alcove and I can check the connection?" Lily now began putting her wings away in her corset; if she was going to leave the boiler room she definitely would be wanting them away.
Tirzah "Sure, as long as you can help me find my way out of here....I'm glad I found you, I was wandering around for ages," responded Tirzah.
The two wound their way up to Tirzah's alcove. Lily ignored the stares and double-takes she received from other Faun as they walked, but Tirzah just couldn't. Once they were inside her alcove, Tirzah shut the door and shook her head. "Why was everyone staring at you? I'm not really from here but that just seems rude."
Lily Lily laughed and blushed. She was used to it by now and almost didn't notice it anymore. "I mean, I don't look much like a Faun. No antlers, no hooves, no fur? With these wings tucked away I don't look like much of anything, but everyone's pretty wary of outsiders since the explosion."
Tirzah "I'm sorry, the what?" asked Tirzah, eyes wide.
Lily "Ah, sorry, you said you only moved here recently. It happened before I moved here as well, but my understanding is that someone, it's suspected an angel or demon, caused some kind of explosion. It took forever to repair and ever since then everyone's been pretty suspicious of anything that seems out of the ordinary. It's not as bad as it used to be, and definitely not as bad since I got this corset. I know I belong here, but that doesn't mean everyone else does."
Tirzah Tirzah nodded along. She'd have to ask Rho about this later, this sounded serious. She wondered if this was also why Rho and Mena talked about how they could have gotten in trouble for going to the resort, but she had assumed it was from being absent from their duties for so long. "Well, it's still super rude to stare," she said defensively. "Hey, look, Lily...y'know anytime you want you can drop by for tea. If I'm not here I'm working in the Branches, and if I'm not there I'm with my friend Rhoea, but you're always welcome to knock." Everyone needed a friend, and she'd be Lily's if no one else would.
Lily Lily smiled, a more genuine, wide smile. "Thanks....thank you, Tirzah," she said, feeling a bit misty-eyed. She was desperate for a friend, and would definitely be taking Tirzah up on her offer. "Now, let's get you some warm water, yeah?"
Tirzah Tirzah directed Lily to her bathing chamber, who made a few tweaks and ensured everything was working right. The next day, she took a refreshing cool-brewed tea down to visit Lily and thank her for her help. And also just to chat and get to know each other. |
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