aefenglom | She sings! She dances! She can help you pay your taxes!

She sings! She dances! She can help you pay your taxes!

Name: un: Taru
Date: Feb 13th
Format: Video

_{[When the feed connects there's nothing to be seen other than a standard sized, wooden chair in the middle of a meagerly furnished dorm room. Soon however a rather petite figure comes into view, one with a cute face and rather large, pointy ears. She can't be more than three feet tall by the looks of it and once she's clambered atop the chair she's left standing on it, only to thrust her arms dramatically in the air for a big wave, a high pitched voice following the action.]}

Hullo! I'm Tataru Taru but just Tataru will do. Twenty one summers old and at your service!

_{[That's right, she's just fun sized. Her arms drop to her sides as she continues.]}

Now I know I haven't been here for very long, but I realized rather quickly that not many here have heard of Lalafell. No I am not a Fae, nor am I anything but a fully grown lady - we Lalafell are simply a small, youthful race - and quite successful might I add, especially when it comes to trade and magic.

_{[She gestures to herself, pointing to her chest.]}

So, for those curious Monsters and Witches out there, not only am I a Lalafell lady but I'm almost a whole Yalm in height. Quite tall!

_{[And she's proud of it too. Now that that's out of the way...it's time for The Hustle.]}

Anyroad, since I've to make a home for myself here and have only found part time work...I wanted to offer my services! Surly tax season is creeping up on everyone, yes? Keeping track of finances and spending, either business or personal, is my specialty! I'm also a very skilled seamstress. If there's something you need made I can sew it! Cooking? Cleaning? Mining? Juggling? Entertainment in the form of song and dance? I can do it all!

If you've any questions don't be shy! Send me a message or come say hello when I'm working at Precogstitchin' or The Sly Seadog! Hope to hear from you all!

_{[With a smile and big wave she's hopping off the chair, only for the feed to cease a moment later.]}

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O-kaay, traps disarmed and curses cleaned! But don't think it'll be like that forever, nya ha!

[here's the trick. there have never been traps. he just says there are.]

But, um... Room thirteen? And don't prepare to sleep on the wet floor, 'cause you're not going to. [He seems pretty determined about that, and he shakes his head.]

_{[Of course it's room thirteen.]}

I'll be there soon. I've to collect a few things first.

Take your time. I'm just sitting here, practicing some sinister blood magic, no big deal...

[Sinister Blood Magic. It really is going to be a horrid sight to walk in on, because for once, Henry's not cracking an over-exaggerated joke...]

There better not be blood everywhere when I arrive.

_{[Yes, sinister blood magic. Of course.]}

Anyroad, I'll be off now.

_{[And she is, hurrying off to collect the Necessary Items and tools needed to fix a fucking hole in the ceiling. When she's made her way finally to Henry's room she gives the door a knock and when Henry opens the door to greet her he'll see a wheelbarrow full of various supplies and tools, along with Tataru herself, dressed up in something that looks like mining gear, minus the helmet.

Don't ask her where she managed to find everything. She has her ways.]}

Hullo!

[Oh, wow... She's such a go-getter. So prepared! Henry laughs at the sight, but it's not a malicious laugh. Just one of surprise!]

Heya! Long time no see, hee hee! Come in, Tataru.

[Come in to the sad state of affairs known as Henry's Room, The Barracks: a one-room arrangement with sparse furnishings. Henry's room is... about as sparse as it was when he first claimed it. There's a cot. There's a wooden chair. And there's a wooden chest. There are some books, though they're stacked on the floor at the end of the bed — many of the titles appear to be curiosities about transformative magic, even a fiction novel called "Human Eyes" with an illustration of a girl with Merrow fins on one half of her face, and a human ear on the other. On the window sill is a lily in a cup of water, accompanied by... Erm. Some petrified hands and claws.

Never mind any of that. On the floor are a number of tools — sticks of cinnamon (one which has been gnawed), licorice root, a ceramic dish with ashes, and some metal implements... a dish of deep, dark fluid, and at its side, the bodies of various songbirds, dead.

Oh, yeah. Then there's the third of the room that appears unused, thanks to the hole in the ceiling! At least it lets in some light, but there's obvious water damage on the floorboards. Henry regards the hole with a huff.]

I told you, it's preeeetty bad. I don't think anybody would wanna live here, if I left it...

Seven Hells...

_{[Yeah it's...pretty bad. That's one way of putting it. It doesn't help that aside from the obvious hole in the ceiling that the eclectic collection of various items in his room is pretty, uh, weird. She's definitely giving that dish of liquid and dead birds a look.

Does she want to ask where he even found those? Yes. Is she going to?

No.]}

You're right. No one should live here. Not even you.

_{[But she knows well enough that he's the sort of person who clearly is willing to put up with pretty much anything. Part of her wants to shake him and if she knew him better she would. He's still just a fresh acquaintance though.]}

Can you pick up your tools of the trade and set them aside along with the other...items...?

_{[While he does so she's just going to start unloading supplies from her wheelbarrow. Yup. This is normal. This is fine.]}

["Uh-huuuh," he complies as he moves to collect his cinnamon and blood from the floor.]

I figure I should live here, since I'm not picky! Makes more room for all of the other homeless people who pass through the Mirror.

[While the herbs are dropped onto Henry's bed, the birds, blood, and ceramic dish are placed on the seat of the chair. Henry carries the birds, but he uses magic to lift and deposit everything else.

Welcome to this cursed room. He doesn't need to hex the doorway, it's just a curse being here.]

Where'd you learn how to patch up roofs, Tataru? I sure don't know how to do that! Then again, I haven't lived in an honest home in like... Heck, too long!

_{[Silently as she begins to unpack her items, she takes little peaks at him tidying up his assortment of various 'curiosities'. Her tolerance for weird is surprisingly high and she's seen stranger creatures stuffed into jars for mages to turn into potions. If Henry wants to mess about with dead birds then that's his prerogative, as long as he washes his hands afterward.]}

Hm? Oh...well, this will be my first time. I've patched holes of other sorts though.

_{[His comment is one she makes a note of to come back to later. An honest home, huh? There's definitely a story there. One she wants to hear.

But first - the hole.

As he finishes tidying up by levitating items to whisk them away, Tataru can't help but watch with a bit of amazement. It's no flashy spell but to her magic has always been impressive.]}

Do you think you could do that with me? Make me float?

_{[Since now that she's finally ready to tackle the problem she's realized reaching the hole is going to be a problem.]}

[He hums at her response, an ascending note of curiosity as he cleans. For being so gung-ho about helping, he would've thought that she knew what she was doing! But then again, any other DIY repair experience might be all she needs — he's repair incompetent, but he trusts she knows what she's doing. She has that air of confidence about her that reassures him.

When he returns to his room from down the hall, his hands wadded in his cape, she asks if he can levitate her and he notices that... Yeah, she doesn't have a ladder or anything. He looks up, then down, then up again, and snickers.]

Yeah, that'd be a long reach up, even for me. Can't expect you to get all the way up there! No wonder you've never repaired a roof before.

[Since she can't reach. Henry lifts a finger and, easy as that, he lifts Tataru into the air — but not too high up, not yet.]

Aaaand lift off! Yeah, I can do it. I didn't think you'd be any heavier than me, and I can lug my dead weight into the air, sooo... Looks like we're set! Not scared of heights, are ya?

U-Uwa!

_{[Cue the flailing of little arms but it soon subsides and the look of shock turns into one of delight.]}

Oh...oh! This is fantastic! Amazing! Aha!

_{[Her excitement is sure to be infectious. Turning those large, luminous eyes of hers toward the mage she's grinning, placing both of her gloved hands on either hip. It's time to get to work.]}

I don't think many Lalafell are afraid of heights.

_{[Simply because, well, nothing is made to accommodate their size. They're always having to climb up on things. If heights were a fear she had then she wouldn't be very functional in Eorzean society now, would she?]}

Are you able to pass me supplies and hold the spell as well? Or shall I move myself about like one would if they were swimming in the sea?

Edited 2020-02-15 06:38 (UTC)

Yeah, I guess a little Lalafell couldn't be scared of heights — you're pretty low to the ground, but you're probably clambering all over stuff to get a little leverage in this world for made tall people.

[He doesn't know precisely if tall people exist in her world, but her ability to acknowledge that others are taller than her suggests as much.

Her enthusiasm for flight brings a playful grin to the sorcerer's face, contagious as it is. Even though he's practiced magic for much of his life, it brings him delight when others express genuine pleasure for its use, and this is among some of the best reactions he's had. Henry moves her a little without moving a finger, trying to see how much wiggle room he can allow her without disengaging the spell... And he hums.]

You'll have a little bit of wiggle room, but not enough for me to turn you into an air-born mermaid. Sorry! I can totally hand you stuff, thought!

[He takes a step forward, raising Tataru toward the ceiling while he stands by her supplies.]

I'm glad you like it! Just think: this is among some of the first spells I can teach you! It's in the Universal class, so you'll be able to start it in no time.

Really? So I can learn this right away?

_{[How exciting is that? Pretty darn exciting, that's for sure. Delight is etched onto her features as she claps her hands together with glee. Yeah, she definitely wants to learn how to make stuff levitate on her own.]}

Brilliant! I can't wait for you to teach me.

_{[Especially when Henry seems to, well, know what he's doing. That being said magic lessons can wait, it's time to fix a hole in a ceiling.]}

Pass me a few nails and the sheet of tarp, will you?

_{[It's rolled up neatly, stacked atop the planks of wood she brought. They're not very heavy, the planks. If anything they're more akin to the thickness of the baseboard one would put around their floor. Thin and flat and thankfully long enough to, if layered enough, cover the hole. She also brought tape and a few other...things. But for now, it's best to start with the tarp and nail it in place. At least this way, once she covers it with the wood, there shouldn't be any leakage if everything goes according to plan.]}

[Henry may not know what he's doing socially and as a human, but he does know his way around the magical block. His knowledge of Monsters and beasts is about his only other area of competence, as well as an unhealthy repertoire of what ways to die are the worst.

Turning to her pile of goods, he easily locates the nails. She came awfully prepared, he first notices: there's all kinds of stuff he wouldn't have thought to grab. Honestly, the only thing Henry thought would be necessary would be some wood planks and nails, but it makes a lot of sense why she'd bring along all of these other things. A tarp, for example, is an ingenious idea.

He reaches for that next, and he lifts them up to her in his hands before suspending them in the air, sending them her way.]

Theeeere you go! See, we're gonna be like a well-greased wheel! I didn't think it'd be possible to get my roof fixed...

_{[She may not say it out loud, but the novelty of floating like this and being given a challenge to overcome is extremely fun. It can be seen in her face as she snags the box of nails and plucks one out, taking one of the corners of the tarp and tugging on it to unravel it. She's pretty much working in zero G right now and it makes the whole task at hand all the more approachable.]}

We are, aren't we?

_{[So far things are going pretty smoothly? Yeah. This is good. Right away she begins to hum to herself, working at a surprising pace as she starts hammering nails into the tarp. It's almost dizzying to watch her as she goes about her business and soon enough the tarp is firmly secured in place. Glancing back down at Henry she tucks her hammer back into the belt she has around her waist.]}

Pass me the roll of tape, will you?

[Her radiance doesn't go unnoticed by Henry. In fact, it's contagious, and his perpetual smile takes on genuineness at her eagerness. He nods as he passes her the tape, doing just the same as he did with the planks and nails.]

You're so fast, Tataruuuu. Am I gonna have to pay you? Because you're like a pro, and I feel kinda bad for not doing SOMEthing in return...

[He does, really. And simply teaching her magic doesn't feel adequate, since they already have other arrangements in place for that exchange. He looks a tinge worried.]

Maybe I could... Oh! I could go run errands for you! You're a busy lady, aren't you? If you need a hand, I could even go out into the Wilde for rare stuff. What do you think?

_{[She wasn't thinking of payment since honestly she's kind of triggered by the fact he has a hole in his fucking ceiling but if he wants to repay her with a favour? Well it'd be silly to turn that down. From her spot hovering up by the patchwork in progress she tips her head backwards to look at him.]}

Well...you do pose a tempting offer. _{[She taps her chin.]} I'm not sure as to what I'd need from the Wilde at this moment in time but consider it a favour owed?

_{[Sounds fair, right?]}

Wood next, please.

_{[She's finished taping all the edges down, to ensure it's watertight.]}

[The wood's passed along to her with some fumbling on Henry's part.]

Yeah, we can make it an "I owe you" kind of deal. I'm not scared of going out into the Wilde, so I'll go, no matter how far or how treacherous. Not even the promise of having my fingers torn off my hands will scare me! I make it a policy to kill anything that wants to take my fingers, anyways.

_{[Switching out the tape for the plank she takes it with a breathy thanks before turning her attention back to the task at hand. She's still very much listening though, even if she might look a bit silly, what with the way she's using pretty much her whole body to keep the wood in place as she starts to hammer away.]}

I rather you keep all your fingers, Henry.

_{[She may only have known him for a few weeks thus far, but she's grown a little fond of him. Unlike others here he was one of the few to not question or balk at her size or what she was. He treated her the way any Eorzean would - not as a child but someone his own age.]}

I'll think of something.

I'll keep 'em so we can still get married. Promise!

[Speaking of treating her as her age... HENRY?? He giggles.

Anyway, he doesn't seem to mind how she does her work — use what you have, yeah? Without asking, he offers her some assistance with that wood with a spell, lightening the wood and sticking it in place with magic alone. At least that way if she loses her grip, it won't fall on her.]

You just say the word and I'll nab it. 'Cause I, um, appreciate this. It gets a bit drafty sometimes...

_{[Ah, so that's where his mind went as soon as she mentioned fingers, huh? What a charmer.]}

That's right...you can't wear a ring if you've no fingers.

_{[The assistance is much appreciated when he lightens the load she holds up with her body, finding it much easier to nail the board in place when she's not struggling with it.]}

Drafts are the least of your concerns. You could end up quite ill so you're quite welcome, Henry.

Well, you know what they say. It's the winter chill that lands you ill. Drafts are chilling down to the bone.

[Good thing he hasn't fallen ill yet! Her work's fortunately almost wrapped up. He could easily hold her up there for longer, but he'd feel bad if it was a super lengthy process.]

So when'd you learn to do all of the stuff you listed in your post? It was so much, that I don't even remember it all! Seamstress, miner, singer... If I had a resume that strong, maybe I wouldn't have been stuck in the military. [A pause. Diversion:] Nah, who am I kidding? I TOTALLY would have! Hee hee!

_{[How one may be better than the other she isn't sure. Bone-chilling drafts are just as unpleasant as winter chills, after all. His question and admission of his own employment in the military gives her a quiet pause before she speaks up again. Being stuck in the military and thinking there was nothing else you were better suited for were two different things.

Considering Henry's magical resume though and his interests she can't exactly say she's surprised.]}

In different places over the years, born out of the desire to make myself more useful or to have a new hobby. I learned to sing in Ul'dah, where I'm from. Mining as well. As for sewing, using a needle has always been a hobby of mine, but I really honed my craft while seeking refuge in Ishgard.

[He categorizes her talents based on how she sees them, and mining and singing are sorted into things that she sees are useful while sewing is something she thinks is fun. That gets a smile out of Henry.]

Since it's your hobby and all, I bet you're amazingly talented at it. I don't doubt that for a second. But I bet you're good at everything you do. I mean, look at you!

[Her motivations are remarkably similar to Henry's, and he nods to indicate that he has more to say.]

A lot of the stuff I learned was so that I could be worthwhile, too. If you can't pull your weight, you're dead weight, right? Aside from sewing, are all of your skills for being useful, too?

_{[If you can't pull your weight, you're dead weight.

If only he knew how deeply she felt that statement. It really had been the case for her, hadn't it? With the massive debt her family had ended up with Tataru had to work to help pay it off from a young age. Childhood had been cut somewhat short in that regard. A child helping to support her family had simply been the reality of her situation and she wasn't alone in it either.

If she didn't pull her weight she would've gone hungry.

Even when it came to working for Minfilia she felt very much the same way, always wanting to go above and beyond and do more, as if she needed to compensate for something she lacked.]}

I think all skills are useful to have - why have them in the first place if they aren't? Even if they may not be useful to others they can be to you in some way.

_{[But...she knows what he's getting at.]}

But if you want the honest truth of the matter...most of what I've learned is to make myself a more marketable individual. That isn't to say I don't enjoy singing or dancing or juggling for the sake of it, I do.

Edited 2020-02-23 07:15 (UTC)

[Henry hums; there's a shift in the air, but he's not sure what the matter is. He often says things that end up changing something without his noticing. When he compares her reply to the things he said, he wonders if she's upset that she had to learn things by necessity.

Singing and dancing and juggling are, after all, things one should enjoy. But it sounds like she's worked toward anything that turns profit. And she doesn't strike Henry as greedy... The only logical conclusion is necessity.

Of course, he doesn't expressly comment on it.]

Yeah. It's super cool that you learned to do those things... and I think it would be real great to watch you sing and dance for fun, sometime.

[Not for pay. Money is nice to have, but living off of nothing isn't.]

But trust me, if that was your goal, you sure nailed it! Nailed it as hard as you nailed my roof back together. You're really something! But it's nice to get to enjoy that stuff every once in a while, huh?

She sings! She dances! She can help you pay your taxes!

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