How come they never call free space?

[connatural]

WHO: Ashley Magnus
WHERE: Around the village
WHEN: Last half of October
OPEN TO: Anyone
WARNINGS: None applicable except the Observer is mean

---

What's the worse that could happen?

Unarmed. No back up in the form of the Sanctuary. Little tech. Ashley is not in the best of moods about this place, and a few weeks there isn't making it much better for her. Trying to avoid outright stealing from others, such as taking knives and such from the storerooms and not returning them, Ashley has been on a hunt to try and make things easier for her in ways she's familiar with. Sadly there is little in the place that really feels normal, except for the plethora of abnormals that can be found in the forests and waters.

It's while studying those, seeking to find ones that might have natural weapons she can utilize, that Ashley watches some birds picking open the purple seeds she's found throughout the woods. Waiting and watching to see that they don't keel over from it, she picks a moment when one is just opening a seed before darting forward and scaring the bird away. It hasn't killed them, so she's willing to take a chance. Maybe it's a chance she shouldn't take, but listening to that kind of inner logic is never priority with Ashley.

Which is why, moments later, she is rushing through the woods towards town, amazed at her speed, dashing around trees and delighting in the ability that she knew could do her well. Careful not to run into people, though when it looks as if she might, panic grips her, causing her to phase right through people and objects in her path the same as she phased out of the fountain when she arrived.

The aftermath

Sometimes that mental question of, What's the worst that can happen? is answered in a swift and harsh manner. Such as finding herself bent double, puking up what seems to be everything she's eaten for the last few years, and then curling up against the foundation of the Inn, not making it much further than that before her eyes close.

Even the next day she still feels disjointed and not completely okay, following advice she's heard from others and heading down for the springs to try and see if a soak will help with the dizziness and the lethargic state of her body.

Comments

[ataashihunter]

Bull blinks as someone comes running fast at him and then just seems to go right through him. This looks like some sort of magic and he frowns as he turns. One hand on his axe.

"Hello?"

He calls out after her "Slow down? What is going on?"

[connatural]

With the blur caused by running, Ashley doesn't see much. Though she turns at the sound of a voice, skidding to a stop.

"Hey! Just... Whoa. Dude." She stares at him for a long time, and if a hand goes to her hip, it's really force of habit. "My mom would love you if she was here. She'd want to know everything."

So much for manners.

[ataashihunter]

He grins a little at the awe in her voice. "Is that so?" He notices the hand going to her hip and tenses slightly. He doubts he has much to fear but he can't help it, it is instinct by now.

"I don't think we've met, have we?"

[connatural]

"Yeah, she is big into the research of the what and the how and the where. Kind of her life," she says, which is the truth, without revealing too much about the Sanctuary. Still believing the Cabal has a hand in this, many others may be as much victims as the abnormals they helped in her own life, and no sense getting their hopes of of a place like Sanctuary until they got here and set things right. Which she did believe was still going to happen sooner than later.

"Nooo. Trust me. I'd remember you," she admits, looking him over, considering him as she might any other abnormal, though trying not to seem too aggressive. Mostly in that he's one of the few she can be fairly certain aren't working the Cabal, given their fight to betray and get the abnormals destroyed. "Ashley Magnus. You?"

[ataashihunter]

Bull laughs. "Most people would remember me. I am the Iron Bull." He offers his hand to her.

"So this whole running. You always this fast or?" Because that didn't seem natural even for his world. But from people's reactions to him the worlds around here are very different. "

Text for Ty

[connatural]

Hey. So I need to get out of the Inn. How hard is it setting up a house in this place?

[She knew he had one and figures he's the one she would trust in answering this.]

1/2

[succored]

Cashing in your favor already? That was quick.

2/2

[succored]

It's not that hard. Most of the places here still have a solid foundation and most of the fixing up is pretty minor.

But the Inn is a nice place. Is everything okay?

[connatural]

Hey, the longer you let things go, the harder they are to cash in on.

There's that at least. I guess I'll start looking around. Nothing's wrong.

Okay so my Dad's here. Been here longer than I have. Not sure I'm comfortable forging out a winter trapped in a building with him.

I need space to think.

[succored]

That may be true in most instances, but why do I have a feeling it would just accrue interest with you?

Hey sometimes family is best experienced at a distance, I get it. If you need help looking, I'll keep my eyes open.

Or if you like, I got a lot of space. So long as you don't think your dad would kill me for shacking up with his daughter.

[connatural]

Because already you know me well?.

...

You serious? I mean, I'm totally not used to living alone, because the Sanctuary is mom and everyone else but I don't want to put you out.

And let him try. Last thing he wants is pissing me off like that.

Honestly? He JUST came back into my life. I never knew him, and none of it is the best, and he better not try that shit.

The Aftermath

[championofsnark]

Hawke's wandering about, chomping on a piece of fruit she found inside the inn, and flipping a knife casually in her fingers in a speedy circle. She rather likes it here, in an interesting afterlife sort of way, and she's humming under her breath. That is, until she sees a woman curled up looking most certainly sick. "Ohhhh, oh." Her face scrunches up in sympathy. If she had a handful of coins for every time she was carried back home by Fenris or Varric. Hard to say if the woman is drunk or sick.

Hawke disappears for a moment, and then returns with a glass of water and a wet cloth. She is gentle as she approaches the woman. "You alright, love? You awake? Come, have a sip of this." She offers the cloth to Ashley to put on her face. That always made her feel a little better when sick.

[connatural]

At first Ashley isn't entirely she's being spoken too. Somewhere in the back of her mind though is a voice telling her she needs to pay attention.

Slowly lifting her head, staring bleary eyed at the woman for a moment.

"I... I think so," she murmurs, hating that anyone is seeing her like this. It's enough to make her shift, to move and sit up a bit, propped on her elbow. "Everything just hurts," she admits, her voice so soft as one shaking hand moves to take the glass to hold it as she sips. Managing not to spill it, even as she's trying to get her head straight.

"Think it was the seeds."

[championofsnark]

Hawke takes a seat across from her, not wanting to be the looming type when she's feeling sick. She knows what it's like to hate other people seeing you sick, and a stranger at that. "There's healing herbs back where I come from, but I don't think anything grows the same here. Sorry." They didn't have access to a healer like Andes either. It would be nice if she never thought of that name again, but healing is directly tied to the man that broke her.

Stop it, Hawke, focus. Unnecessary line of thinking. It's better to focus on the pretty girl. "Ooh, yeah, I haven't had any, but I've heard some of the natural things around here only seem nice." Hawke's sympathetic. She's absolutely the type to say 'why not' and try something when she probably shouldn't. "But! They seem to indicate they don't last long, so you might only be miserable for a bit." That has to be better than being like this for a long while.

[connatural]

"I'm... I'm not sure what would help," she murmurs, licking lips that were way too dry, swallowing and wincing because her mouth is try. Sighing as she shifts to rest her face against her hand, elbow braced on the table so she can see the other woman.

"I think... that's what happened," she manages, speaking slowly and having trouble putting words together. "There was this nut, and it was okay and then..." Another exhalation, a soft sigh, trying to think of the words she's missing. "I was running, so fast. Which is probably why it all hurts. Body isn't meant to do that."

And she is really thinking that is it. She pushed her body to places it's never been and she's paying for it now.

"My own damn fault," she says, rolling her eyes and then wincing at how that feels.

[championofsnark]

"It must have given you powers. There's a machine in the below area, you can pick them there. Maybe the nut's part of that." Who knows. Hawke should probably go looking at that book. She's already curious about the nut which is absolutely insane as she's looking at the consequences of doing that right now. But who knows if they're in an emergency later and need to get out fast. She'll lock that away in the back of her mind.

"Nah, it's not like you knew, there's safe food around here. It probably looked alright." Poor thing. It is kind of her fault, but that's not the sort of thing you say to someone when they're feeling sick. She's only occasionally that much of a bitch. Hawke pats her hand gently. "You drink that all up and I'll get you more. Your body's probably dehydrated." if it was pushed that hard, yeah, sounds about right. "I'm Hawke."

Aftermath

[fishingfortrouble]

Phryne has, admittedly, not yet taken it in her mind to try any of the local plantlife. Largely because she isn't entirely certain that any of it wouldn't prove to be deadly - she's hardly a botanist, and while Melbourne itself might be relatively safe, there are some habits that are hard to break when you come from a continent that has something of habit of trying to kill people on a regular basis. But even she can't help but be concerned when she comes across someone being violently ill; while she can't say she recognizes Ashley any, instinct kicks in and she makes her way on over without so much as a second thought.

"Are you alright?"

She knows the answer is most likely to be 'no'. But it never hurts to have the basics out of the way first, or so she figures.

[connatural]

Despite herself, Ashley manages what may be a smile. Or a grimace. Take it as a smile.

"Nope, not at all," she admits, eyes closing tight a moment as she takes a breath before exhaling slowly. "Kinda over did it I think. Toying around with things I shouldn't."

Which is the warning she should have heeded the moment she ran herself running at that speed.

"Funny as it sounds, might be something I ate."

[fishingfortrouble]

Under the circumstances, Phryne absolutely takes it as being the next best thing to a smile. After all, she knows very few people who can be said to be particularly thrilled after having vomited a significant portion of what they've just eaten. Not to mention the fact that the grimace alone tells her a good deal as it is.

"That does seem to be one of the more common reasons for something like this," she agrees with a nod. "Do you mind if I ask what it was?"

There's not likely to be much that she can do to help the nausea, at this point. She knows where the hospital is, yes. But she's not sure how much use that's going to be, when she hasn't any idea of what caused this and hasn't exactly spent much time familiarizing herself with the supplies the hospital has besides. She might certainly have been a nurse, yes. But just at the moment she would much prefer to not have to do so full-time, if she has the option to not.

[connatural]

"Not usually like this," she says, rolling her eyes. Which hurt as well, but it is sadly the truth. "Usually when I get like this it's from having too much to drink."

Which is a cheap joke, especially given she's never been one to drink that much. But it made more sense than the truth. A truth that she is still working out in her head, not sure what to think about it.

"Honestly? I think it was a nut. Like a walnut maybe? I thought it would be safe, since I saw some birds eating them and that's always historically been a sign of safety. Though depending on how they process foods but..." She shakes his head. "Right. Not the point. It was this purple walnut, and next thing I know? I'm running like seventy miles an hour or something. It was crazy and fun and..."

She sighs, slumping. "And then my body reacted naturally to being pushed harder than it is used to."

[fishingfortrouble]

Cheap joke or not, it does earn Ashley an understanding sort of smile. Phryne certainly makes every effort to not drink to excess, herself. But even so there have been times when she's ended up distinctly more inebriated than she's intended to be. Not terribly recently of course. But it has happened all the same, even if it seems like there's not much point in admitting to it just at the moment.

"It does sound like it would be a decent sign? Although given that we're most likely not anywhere near where we would normally be from, it's possible they're more used to the side effects?"

Thus the somewhat unfortunate reaction when the apparent effect of the nuts had worn off. Of course, Phryne isn't much of a biologist and there's every possibility that she's completely off-base, but as far as she's concerned the logic is reasonably sound. Especially given what little she knows about the situation thus far.

[tosavecocoon]

At some point in the day, Ashley will speed around to where Vanille stands outside, grazing her herd. They've been pretty good so far, barely startled by anything, even things she would have expected them to be startled by. So when Ashley breezes by them, Vanille lets out a soft squeal of surprise, lifting her hands in the air as though doing that will keep her from getting knocked over. The llamas seem less interested in whatever is going on.

"Hey!" Vanille squeaks, breaking into a giggle. "What are you doing? How are you going so fast?"

[connatural]

Ashley hears the sound, laughing as she spins around, zooming back towards the woman and the animals. Coming to a stop comes with a bit of a skid, skittering to a stop.

"Hi! Uhmm... Running?" She snickers at that. "I... think it's something I ate," she says, having started to put this all together. "There was this purple seed I ate, like a nut, and then next thing I know I was running like this."

[tosavecocoon]

Vanille giggles a little at the explanation. It's not the most helpful, but also not the worst she's ever heard. So much about this entire area is so unusual to her. Everything is a surprise. Including seeds that apparently make people very fast.

And since she's not always the best at impulse control, she tilts her head. "Where did you find it?" She may or may not want to try one herself.

[connatural]

Perhaps it's not the smartest thing she can do to show her, but Ashley grins at that. She can't blame another for wanting to try it out. Not in the least.

"Just over that way. I can try and go slower and show you?"