TRP: Gavi and Nico (Lost)

**LINA**

[Setting: Evening 223, the castle.]

Nico really just wanted to make sure Ombre was okay. He was
worried because her spellbook and staff were still missing, and right away, his
mind went to work trying to figure out some solution: he could let her copy his
own spellbook, maybe; it would take a long time but might be worth the effort.
He could help pay for a new focus for her--he'd just gotten all that money,
after all.

.

She showed him the den she'd made under a table in the
castle library, which he liked, but it was hard to relax because he wasn't the
only one fretting over her. There was that cleric, Goro. The one who'd healed
Nico during the fight before, no questions asked, but who'd kind of made a face
while he was doing it.

Now Goro would not stop staring at him.

Nico kept trying to avoid it. It felt dangerous, somehow, to
look at Goro head-on, like looking directly into the sun. He had an unsettling,
piercing gaze.

"What's your deal, anyway?" Goro asked him after a
while--after Nico had said goodbye to Ombre for the evening and was on his way
out of the castle. Goro followed him.

"My... deal?"

"Yeah, you know, what are you after? What game do you
think you're playing?"

"I just want to make sure Ombre's okay," Nico
said.

Goro's eyes narrowed. "Magnanimous of you."

Nico could have defended himself, but he wasn't sure there
was any point. Goro seemed like somebody who just didn't want people
trespassing on his property, so Nico thought it would be best if he left as
quickly as possible. "Thank you for healing me, before," he said when
his hand was on the front door handle.

Goro had a cut on his own lip he hadn't bothered to heal. He
prodded at it now with his tongue. "You know, at the Church in Skyport,
they charge good money for that kinda healing."

"Are you asking me to pay you?" Nico reached into
his pocket. "I can pay, if that's what the problem is."

Goro scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. "Get the
fuck outta here."

Nico was baffled. Goro didn't even watch to make sure Nico
left; he turned and strode off up the stairs.

Nico stepped outside, and headed for the woods. He could
find a good place to camp for the night.

**ABBY**

Gavi was just minding her own business. Yep. She sure was.
It was boring as shit. The cave was in good shape, for a cave, she had a good
stash of supplies, firewood-- basically had her business in order.

She missed having a bunch of unruly orcs to boss around.
Sure enough, somebody would have gotten in trouble, and she would have had to
step in and manage it. Now she had to go cause her own trouble. Cept now she
had a job, and part of that job was not causing trouble in Glimmerton.

Boring. As. Shit. So here she was, wandering around the
woods instead. Maybe she'd find another bear to fight. Or... a half-elf? Huh.
"Hey!" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Hey
buddy!" There. Her presence announced she jogged over towards him.
"Watcha doing out here? Lost or something?" she asked. He kinda had
that look.

**LINA**

"Um." Nico was badly startled by the half-orc
running up to him and yelling, but it didn't seem like she was threatening him,
per se. "I'm... not lost, no. Thank you."

**ABBY**

"Uh huh," Gavi said skeptically. Skittish too, she
noted. "C'mon, I know the way to town. It's not all that far," she
said, turning and gesturing for him to follow. Helping dopey half-elves lost in
the woods was at least something to do.

**LINA**

"That's alright," Nico said. "I'm not headed
to town. I'm looking for a place to camp. Is this your land? I can find another
area."

**ABBY**

Oh huh. Camping. Gavi stopped and turned to size him up
again. Yeah. He was gonna freeze to death if she left him alone. "I'm
squatting just as much as you, buddy," she said. "C'mon. I got a good
set up, you can come stay with me." She threw her arm over the half-elf's
shoulders and switched directions, steering him towards the cave. "Fought
a bear for it, too. Shoulda seen it, I was badass."

**LINA**

"Oh. Um." Nico stumbled in an attempt to keep up
with her. "That's... you don't have to do that, really, I'm... uh, what
happened to the bear?"

**ABBY**

"I killed it," Gavi said, proud of herself.
"Hey what's your name anyway?"

**LINA**

"Nico." Maybe it had been a small bear.

**ABBY**

Nico, huh? Decent enough name. "Gavriella, the
Spineripper, of the Sarachet Tribe," Gavi said, thumping her fist to her
chest. Now that was a name. "Y'can call me Gavi. Other one's a
mouthful."

**LINA**

Spineripper? Worrying. She seemed friendly enough, though.

"Gavi," Nico said. "Where are we... going,
exactly?"

**ABBY**

"My cave- didn't I mention that?" Could have sworn
she did. Maybe not though. Or maybe this guy was more dopey than she'd
initially pegged him for. "Don't worry about it, I'll keep you from
freezing to death," she said, patting Nico's back.

**LINA**

"Oh. I'm not--" There seemed to have been some
miscommunication, here. "I don't... maybe we should go back to town, after
all."

**ABBY**

Gavi slowed to a stop. Man, this guy. "You always
change your mind this much?" she asked.

**LINA**

"I just changed my mind one time, I think."

**ABBY**

Gavi frowned. That didn't seem right. Except wait- it had
been her idea for town in the first place- oh. Huh. "Okay guess you got a
point then. Town it is then," she said, switching directions (again) and
steering Nico towards town. "Watcha doing wandering around alone in the
woods anyway?"

**LINA**

"I think I already said. I'm looking for a place to camp."
What he would do now was let this woman lead him into town, pretend he was
going to stay at an inn and say goodbye to her, and then go find some very
different woods to camp in.

**ABBY**

"I mean, what are you doing wandering around these
woods?" Gavi asked. Dense guy. "Not much around here. Small town,
castle, some woods."

**LINA**

"Ah. A friend of mine is living in the castle, and I
was visiting with her. I'll probably head back to Skyport at some point."
Or not. He didn't want Bala to find him again.

**ABBY**

"Oh yeah? I got a nephew up there too, Griffin."
He was such a good kid, Gavi loved him so much. "I'd be living up there
too 'cept I don't think I'm that welcome. Kinda freaked out and broke some
fingers."

**LINA**

Also worrying. "I don't think I met Griffin," Nico
said. "Just... Ombre, and Jasper, and Goro, and Raef and Roddy." They
were a very odd group of people, and Nico was afraid to ask exactly how they
were all related, if they were related at all.

**ABBY**

"Oh yeah. Raef's my nephew's husband. Not exactly sure
what to think of him, but he makes Griffin happy. Kinda gives me the creeps
though." Made him feel safe, and happy. Gavi sighed softly, feeling a pang
again about how Griffin hadn't felt that way back home.

**LINA**

"Raef gives you the creeps?" Well, he did seem to
be an assassin of some kind. Nico supposed that was reasonable.

**ABBY**

"Yeah. Y'know, he's just all quiet and shit. Hard to
read." Gavi shuddered slightly. Yeah- change of subject. "Hey you got
anyone special?" she asked. "Someone keeping the bed warm for
ya?" she grinned, bobbing her eyebrows at him.

**LINA**

"No, I don't," Nico said. And to be polite, he
added, "Do you?"

**ABBY**

"Nah," Gavi said, waving her hand dismissively.
"Never been that great at relationships. Too contrary and stuck in my own
ways."

**LINA**

"Aha," Nico said. "That sounds like my sister.
I think the two of you might get along." Well, that, or they'd hate each
other. It was always hard to say which way it was going to go with Thea.

**ABBY**

"Yeah? Maybe you'll have a chance to introduce us
sometime," Gavi said. Or maybe not. She didn't have any plans to go to
Skyport, less it was tagging along with Griffin. "Though in my experience
putting two stubborn as shit folks in the same room ain't always the best way
to make friends," she said dryly.

**LINA**

"I guess not," Nico agreed. "Unless you happen
to align, perfectly, on whatever you're stubborn about."

**ABBY**

"Mhm, and see, half the fun of being stubborn is
getting into scraps over whatever it is." Gavi grinned- now she wanted a
fight. Too bad Nico was so scrawny. "Or for me anyway. Y'look like a strong
breeze could knock you over," she said critically, shoving him lightly.

**LINA**

Nico was surprised by the shove, but managed to keep his
footing. "Usually when Thea gets to that point, I give up and stop talking
to her."

**ABBY**

Gavi snorted in amusement. Who let this guy wander around on
his own anyway. "Y'know, one time someone tried that on me and I punched
him in the face," Gavi said. "Course he was also a jackass and I was
looking for an excuse."

**LINA**

"You... you punched someone in the face for not talking
to you?"

**ABBY**

"Eeeeh," Gavi rocked her hand back and forth.
"It was more a final straw sort of deal. First he blows our ambush, then
he doesn't actually kill anybody, then blames someone else, then he tries to
walk off cause I'm too emotional. So yeah I punched him."

**LINA**

"I see." Nico felt some relief at seeing the
lights of the town up ahead. "So, uh, there's an inn there that I can stay
at?"

**ABBY**

"Yep," Gavi said. Thought about giving directions-
but nah better make sure he got there. Once at the doors to the in she gave him
a friendly backslap. "There you go buddy. Don't get lost now," she
teased, then turned to amble off to her home away from home. Quiet guy. All
right though. For a half-elf.

**LINA**

"Thanks," he called as she wandered away. Slightly
relieved she was leaving at all, and hadn't stood there watching him pay for
the room--although now that he was inside, he had to admit a real bed with a
mattress sounded nice.

A very odd lady. Nicer than he'd expected, though.

[end]

Title: Lost. Summary: Nico is not lost in the woods. Gavi
helps him find civilization anyway.