A New Face

Storm and Nill walk through the orc village. Some orcs look their way while others just continue about their business. The Draconian soldiers look at them both, their noses twitching, but they either greet them before returning to what they were doing or they simply look away. Orc children run through the streets playing some sort of game with pinecones. The general energy of the village is very upbeat and it seems as though everyone they see is just going about their daily tasks.

Storm leads her to the outer edge of the village where there is a small house and beyond it, the frame of a large building is being pieced together. There are undead putting together some sort of building, though it is clearly in the very early stages of development as the frame is not complete. At the small home, the door stands wide open and there are voices drifting outside. There is a man with short, brown hair and pointed ears poking out standing near the edge of the house, looking over at the work being done with a scrunched up face, clearly disapproving of something. 

Storm leans over to Nill as they approach. The Elf hasn't noticed them yet.

"So, I want to prepare you. My partner is kinda... Strange. And her family lives here too. They are all pretty weird and take some getting used to but they are good people who truly mean no harm." Storm says and then points to the frame of the building. "And that. That is going to be our new home when it's finished. Don't mind the undead. They are just workers and won't pay any attention to us."

She winces. "If they get to be too much, just whistle really loudly. It'll confuse them and let me know you've had enough. But I'll try to keep introductions short so you can get some rest."

“I have the understanding. I will do the whistling if I am having the need.” 

 Nill slips off her hood, carefully threading her horns back through the worn holes before giving a small shake of her head to settle her dark hair. With the fabric gone, her pointed ears are fully visible, each adorned with nearly a dozen piercings. She tilts her chin upwards, studying the structure before them. 

“Why are undead doing the building of the structure?” She asks, head cocked in quiet curiosity. “I have not had the seeing of one before.”

"Undead are doing the construction instead of living people because they don't need to rest or eat or anything. They can just keep going all day and all night." Storm replies. "That's the way it should be honestly. Let the undead do the hard labor while the living folks focus on... Living."

She sucks in a deep breath as they approach the house and the Elf turns to look at them at the same time. He smiles and waves. 

"Sup, Ruvean." Storm says in greeting and then gestures to Nill. "This is my friend, Nill. She's new in town and has nowhere to stay so I'm going to give her a bed for a while."

The Elf looks down at Nill and gives her an easy smile. "Well, hello there. My name is Ruvean. Nice to meet you."

Storm reaches in her pocket and pulls out the rock Nill gave her. She holds it up, twisting it around in her fingers to show Ruvean. "She gave me a rock so we're friends now."

Ruvean laughs. "Well look at that. My daughter is going to love meeting you."

There is a screech from inside the house. Both Ruvean and Storm jerk their attention to the door. 

Storm shakes her head. "So, it begins."

Ruvean chuckles and then his face turns deadly serious. "Storm." She looks at him. "Is... Is this safe? I mean... She's... And last time we helped-"

Storm holds up her hand. "It's fine. I'm here. And I'll be here whenever she is. You guys aren't alone this time if something happens. There's a whole village willing to help."

Ruvean nods hesitantly and then smiles again. "Then. Be welcome, Nill."

At the sound of the screeching, Nill startles, springing into a defensive stance, wings twitching slightly as if ready to bolt. Seeing no alarm from Storm or Ruvean, she hesitantly relaxes back into a normal posture. When Ruvean greets her, she performs her series of odd hand movements, then holds her fingers out expectantly. 

“It is nice to have the meeting of you.” She tilts her head slightly. “Please be excusing me, but may I be asking of why there is the screeching? Is there not being the danger? I have the confusion."

Storm chuckles. "Screeching is kind of part of our life here. It's just the rest of the family being... Themselves. But don't worry. I'll ask them to quiet down while you rest. That should work. Maybe."

Ruvean mimics Nill's gestures and throws in a few of his own before taking her hand and shaking it. "Apologies for all the noise. I will ask them to quiet down for you while you're here but... I can't guarantee it will stay that way for very long. Especially with the twins around."

Storm snorts a chuckle and then turns to Nill. "Let's get you inside and settled. I'll introduce you to whoever screeched and then show you where you'll be staying."

She smiles at Nill and then heads for the door. 

When they step into the house, there is a big mess in the middle of the living area. In the floor are various pieces of wood, clearly prepared for the house building project, as well as some not so prepared sticks and dried leaves as well as dirt. Kneeling on the floor is a young Elven male who is scrubbing viciously at the dirt on the floor. Standing around the pile are two red haired female elves. One is crying and the other is giggling. And on top of the pile in the middle of the room is another young elven male.

The man atop the pile spots Storm and Nill walk in and his eyes widen. He quickly scrambles down off the pile, making a bigger mess as he goes. The young man scrubbing the floor throws his hands in the air and screeches.

"MY FLOOOOOOOR!!!!!"

But the one scrambling down the pile ignores him and walks right up to Nill. He reaches down to take her hand and kisses her knuckles then wiggles his eyebrows at her. "Well hello. Do you-?"

Storm reaches out and throws her hand over his mouth. "No. Hands off Valerian."

Valerian drops Nill's hand and steps back but winks at Nill. Storm sighs heavily.

She looks around the room. One by one, she points them out. "Okay. So you know Valerian now. The one crying is Lavender. The one giggling is Clove. The one screeching and cleaning is Fennel."

She looks around and then a sung melody drifts through the house and she nods. "The one singing is Rosemary. Must be in one of the rooms." She looks out at the Elves in the room. "This is my friend, Nill. She needs a place to stay so I'm letting her stay here. She's had a really hard journey and needs some rest. Can we try to keep the noise to a minimum so she can sleep?"

The other Elves nod in agreement. Storm looks over at Nill and jerks her chin towards the hall. 

"With me."

She leads Nill down the hall and to a bedroom. Inside the room is a single bed, a small makeshift dresser, and a glaive leaning against the wall. There are tons of rocks everywhere, some plain stone while others Nill would recognize as precious gems. There are animal hides and parts on the walls and around the small space. 

"This may end up being a terrible idea but..." Storm sighs and gestures to the bed. "There aren't enough beds for everyone since the house is so small. This is my bed. Well. Mine and Saige's. You can sleep here. I'll be around. I won't go far. So if you need me, just... Whistle. I'll come running. Okay?"

Storm smiles at Nill. 

As they move through the house, Nill keeps her expression perfectly neutral, even when Valerian suddenly grabs her hand. Her eyes flick to the elves around her with quiet curiosity, but she follows Storm without hesitation.

Once inside the room, she examines the scattered rocks, gems, and furs with attention. Her gaze drifts to the bed, but she simply tilts her head.

“Storm, I am thinking you have the confusion. This room is not having the place for the sleeping.” She shakes her head slightly. “But that is being fine. I can do the climbing on the roof.”

Without waiting for a response, she turns around and begins walking back out into the house.