[Set is not the only one who had intimated to her to that he found her lodgings in the stables unsuitable... but he is one of only a few who she even let be privy to where she had lived in the first place, and one of even fewer who then spoke up to her about it. Changing her mind has never been an easy thing, and it was not on this issue either. Jinba lived in stables. It was all she'd ever known. (And she didn't deserve more.)
But here she is now, in front of the home that Liem Talbott had supervised the building of, with its large door and high ceilings and open flooring and all sort of features that made living in it easier for a jinba. It would be more obvious if he came inside. All of those features would apparently be of even more use than usual, seeing as-]
Set... I did not expect you like this...
[Hayame had not expected him to come to her wearing her kind's shape again. The last time she had seen him this way... those forelegs had found tight purchase on her withers, that red coat had been velvet beneath her hands, his breath had been heated against the back of her neck, and he (and she) had... Her unbidden recollections bring a dusting of blush to her cheeks despite her intent to remain stoic, a surprised little swallow working down her throat. She should focus- the time before hadn't been... like that, they had run and run and run away-
And she is not... not happy, not pleased, to see him that way.]
- Of course I shall. I have offerings, as well...
[Is that really price enough for this? Perhaps she should simply pick something else and send it to Akua's home before he might protest, and then never bring it up again so that it did not create feelings of debt? She manages to address that, first, restarting her thoughts where she stands in front of her home (it still feels weird to say or think "her home"), a young persimmon tree in a burlap sack transplanted and laid on the ground near the door, a large, ripe pomegranate fruit held gently in her hands. Knowing how to attend their boughs and roots...
But this brings her to the awkward fact that... Hayame doesn't know how to behave with a house. Now that he is here, and wearing her form, and they are outside, but could so easily be inside thanks to the home's construction... her one eye darts between her door and Set. There is a heavy dark circle under it not hidden by the patch, something caused by recent days of nightmares and restless sleep. Should she... ? No, surely it is more sensible to do outside work first, and then she can tend to his Discord in private where it belongs... ? The refreshment of tea will be more needed once he has exerted magic, surely? Yes, surely-]
... This one has no roots yet, no boughs.
[She proffers the unbroken pomegranate in her hands, red and round. She had scoured the market for the perfect one... to crack open with a slow press, pull, and twist of her hands, revealing the hundreds of glistening jewels of its seeds within. "They look like gems, right?" She can still hear that man's voice saying-]
Is there anything that can be done with it... ?
[The persimmon sapling she could at least get back into the ground by herself if need be, and entrust its fate to the weather above. But this one...
She has never grown anything from seed. Never grown anything at all.]
no subject
But here she is now, in front of the home that Liem Talbott had supervised the building of, with its large door and high ceilings and open flooring and all sort of features that made living in it easier for a jinba. It would be more obvious if he came inside. All of those features would apparently be of even more use than usual, seeing as-]
Set... I did not expect you like this...
[Hayame had not expected him to come to her wearing her kind's shape again. The last time she had seen him this way... those forelegs had found tight purchase on her withers, that red coat had been velvet beneath her hands, his breath had been heated against the back of her neck, and he (and she) had... Her unbidden recollections bring a dusting of blush to her cheeks despite her intent to remain stoic, a surprised little swallow working down her throat. She should focus- the time before hadn't been... like that, they had run and run and run away-
And she is not... not happy, not pleased, to see him that way.]
- Of course I shall. I have offerings, as well...
[Is that really price enough for this? Perhaps she should simply pick something else and send it to Akua's home before he might protest, and then never bring it up again so that it did not create feelings of debt? She manages to address that, first, restarting her thoughts where she stands in front of her home (it still feels weird to say or think "her home"), a young persimmon tree in a burlap sack transplanted and laid on the ground near the door, a large, ripe pomegranate fruit held gently in her hands. Knowing how to attend their boughs and roots...
But this brings her to the awkward fact that... Hayame doesn't know how to behave with a house. Now that he is here, and wearing her form, and they are outside, but could so easily be inside thanks to the home's construction... her one eye darts between her door and Set. There is a heavy dark circle under it not hidden by the patch, something caused by recent days of nightmares and restless sleep. Should she... ? No, surely it is more sensible to do outside work first, and then she can tend to his Discord in private where it belongs... ? The refreshment of tea will be more needed once he has exerted magic, surely? Yes, surely-]
... This one has no roots yet, no boughs.
[She proffers the unbroken pomegranate in her hands, red and round. She had scoured the market for the perfect one... to crack open with a slow press, pull, and twist of her hands, revealing the hundreds of glistening jewels of its seeds within. "They look like gems, right?" She can still hear that man's voice saying-]
Is there anything that can be done with it... ?
[The persimmon sapling she could at least get back into the ground by herself if need be, and entrust its fate to the weather above. But this one...
She has never grown anything from seed. Never grown anything at all.]