[WPG - RP] Mail Run! - Mathieu and Marie

Math: [flitters briskly towards Marie's house, looking through their bag and pulling out a few envelopes]

The small, humble house before him isn't much, but with how little there is to see both inside and out, it could be easily mistaken that no one was around. However, two golden, glossy eyes are following the newcomer's every movement from the shaggy rooftop, directly above the door frame. With a gentle flick of it's wings, the owl makes a soft noise as Mathieu approaches, making known his presence and to hopefully help not startle the fae.

Mathieu jumps, startled and drops a letter, that is briskly picked up by a quick gust and thrown back into their hands. Math: .... [clears his throat] Mornin'

Echo makes another low trill in response, ruffling his feathers amused. As he does, Marie comes around the back of the building, looking up towards her familiar in a confused manner, before realizing there was a guest. "Oh... Good morning.... Is Echo bothering you?"

''Ah!'' They straighten up and place their cap straight. ''Mornin' miss...'' they take a peak at the letter. ''Cerridwen. Nah they just took me by surprise is all''

She waves her hand, dismissing the formalities. "...Marie is fine, thank you." Her hat tips to examine what he's looking at, realizing he gleaned her name from the mail. "Oh, you're... you deliver the mail?"

''Sure do'' The sniff and flitter upwards to their height, trying to stay as neat and tall as possible. '' Name's Mathieu.'' He nods a little too officially for the occasion. ''Please make sure to empty your mailbox daily to make sure I can properly deliver your mail!'' He pauses, as if considering putting the mail in the box or in Marie's hand

"Nice to meet you." She responded...the sentiment was there, but her tone came across rather flat. Echo suddenly shuffled, making quite the loud, irritated squawk at her--which she shot him quite the glance back. "I'll make sure to keep it clear." Honestly, she wasn't expecting much. Even the current mail he had for her was a shock. Noticing his pause, she held her hand open to receive the letters.

He clears his throat. ''Likewise.'' He jumps back a little at Echo's squawk before hesitatingly handing over the mail to her. ''Er... nice to meet you Echo.'' Friendliness wasn't his strong suit, but he could sure try

Marie peered at Echo again, who seemed to shrug at her with his wings. Carefully placing the parcels in her pockets, she offered a hand up to the curious owl. He gingerly moved his claws to perch there instead, swiveling his head in the direction that the Fae stood. They both were feeling just a touch guilty, as Mathieu was obviously a bit skittish, and reasonably so! Attempt number two at being friendly! "...I hope I'm not keeping you from your duties, but please don't mind Echo. That shrill sound he made was him yelling at me, he's trying to get me to sound...hmm... friendlier?... He also said you feel like the wind." With him close, Marie ruffled the top feathers of his head, which the owl returned by nibbling lightly at her fingertips.

''Unh, oh no it's fine. I'm a little in advance'' they say as they pull out a pocketwatch and bury it again in a pocket after a nod. ''Oh, heh...aight'' they relax a little, and their speech does too. ''Sorry, missed bird learning back in the court. 'S more of a Spring thing.'' They gently float down to the ground, and look up to examine Echo and Marie. ''Guess he'd know the wind hunh. Yeah I unh... it's a buddy.'' A light breeze punctuates their words.

Marie lets out a very soft scoff of a laugh, smirking lightly under the brim of her hat. "He does know the winds well. Echo's vision is impaired, but he heard your presence and the sound of the wind shifting; said it was interesting." Leaning against the door frame, she looks out past the fields in the distance a moment before returning to Mathieu. ".... a Spring thing?" Her curiosity piqued as her gaze looked towards the fae, examining his wings and the like. Honestly, she had few interactions with such before moving here--Walpurgis was very diverse!

''Oh, so that's why you're squawking hunh'' They cock their head. ''Yeah. Courts. I'm fae.'' They point at their ears. ''Not all pixies live in courts but lots do. Help settle the season or the piece of nature they're tied to an' all'' ''How 'bout you? Lived here all your life or...?''

"We just moved in a little while ago... from the southwest." She gestured broadly, her body seeming to slowly intense as their conversation continued. "Haven't met many fae before. That's.. interesting. I didn't know, so you're tied to specific elements?" Despite her monotone voice, Marie seemed rather interested about this detail of him.

''The south hunh. How's that look like?'' They take their hat off to reveal a little iridescent beetle. They whisper something to it, before its wings fan out and it flies off. Mathieu takes a breath, and blows, a gust rising. They throw a few letters upon it, and the beetle catches a ride. They then turn themself to Marie. Taking an advance on work would let them enjoy the conversation for longer. ''Depends. More tied to a place, or an element. 'Was born in a summer court, so helped with.... summer stuff. Making sure the season would settle proper''

"Desert.... warm, like the summer but way more intense. Different kind of beauty, really. The forests are one thing, but out there, life works around the harshness and has created its own level uniqueness..." Marie explains her home with a bit more passion in her voice than before, watching as Mathieu aids the winds for the little beetle. This, too, left her a little awestruck. "That is really cool, what you do." Even Echo agreed, closing his eyes and fluffing up to feel the breeze pass them at his control. "Does that mean you were born out this way, or... where is the court, like, located?"

''More than the summer?'' Gosh. That sounded really otherwordly. A slight smirk paints itself on Mathieu's face as he hears Marie talk. She made it sound so nice ''Oh. 'S not much'' They scratch their cheek. ''My family's known the wind for generations. Just gotta be nice to it, 's all.'' They purse their lips. ''Just a little north. My court, that is. Didn't take me long to find the town when I moved''

"For someone like me, it sounds like a lot. Mastery of elements can take time for witches, even if it's passed down through our mothers." She explained, now sliding down the door frame to sit cross-legged on the welcome mat. Echo, enjoying the sunlight of the morning, settled onto her lap and began to nod off. "Do you like it here, in Walpurgis?" A genuine question. She chose to move here on a whim but was still getting a lay of the land. It was easy for her to adapt, but still, it was a gamble.

''...oh.'' They ponder. They always thought their siblings had a more graceful approach to coaxing the wind. They crack a small grin to themself and shake their head. ''Trust me, ya just gotta trade it trinkets and it'll be happy to listen. 'S invisible so, it like to be heard. Or sparkle. So people don't forget.'' They approach Marie's spot. ''What did your mother teach you?'' Mathieu crosses their arms. '' 'S nice. Nice place. Fun to see... lots of people. Different. Getting used to it. You?''

"Getting used to it as we---wait, trade....it...trinkets?" Now THAT was news; Both Marie and Echo perked up, tilting their heads simultaneously in a comical fashion. "I've..how..? Er--huh, well I guess I haven't tried before." Would it even listen to her? Many questions circled her head, but she tried best not to sound skeptical. "Mothers of the covens all work differently. Our lineage, however, mostly runs through illusion magics. I thought I'd be different, but after finding Echo, we've both found our calling in it that fits us." Marie's hand moved to pat the trinkets tucked away on her sides: two woven ropes intricately detailed with bits of gold, wrapped around orb-like objects on the end.

''Yeah. Wind just wants to be pretty too.'' They hesitate. ''Can show you sometime. If you like. Don't worry, wind's particular to catch, so. Ya gotta coax it little by little'' ''Illusion!'' His brows perk up. ''Like glamours?'' They follow Marie's gesture with their eyes. ''What does that do?''

"Really? Yeah, I'd love to see sometime." Monotone as ever, but her body language said otherwise. She leaned in a little, interested to hear more about his interactions with the wind. "Kinda, yeah. This is poi. It's used for performance dance, but I found I can blend the movements with the spells." She paused, unclipping the items off her belt. "Could show you too, if you want."

They look closely at the poi. ''Yes I wanna see.'' There was no more doubt in Mathieu's eyes. Only brilliant curiosity

Marie nodded to him, standing once again to show how the poi worked. Echo, hopping off her lap, positioned himself next to the fae. "So... the performance uses normal visual queues, a natural illusion if you will... as I spin these two containers..." As she spoke, she began to swirl the two ropes lightly in her hand. Simple circular motions to start, eventually getting more complex as her description continued. "....with the motions, I can cast spells with it too, uh... well, here." The containers suddenly emitted a gentle smoke--a light fragrance of lavender. The smoke at first followed the gentle swaying and circular motions, before very, very subtly forming something else... circles, clovers, flowers, birds, butterflies, the shapes slowly changed and morphed into beautiful patterns. ".... it's... simple, but people seem to like it." her motions slowed again, now just an idle spinning in her hand, the shapes ones formed now gone in the breeze.

Mathieu looks closely, enticed by the movement of the poi. He bristles at the sudden smoke and marvels at the shapes turning into and out of themselves. They are quiet for a moment, an almost sour expression on their face. But when they speak, it is far from displeased. ''That's so fucking cool! What? You create all these things yourself??''

Marie blinked, amused at his reaction. "Yeah, well, kind of. Some are what I want others to see, some are completely based on what others might perceive. Depends on the spell." She paused, "...thank you, though. Do... you think it'll be liked for the founding festival? I planned on performing the night of the bonfire."

''Whoah, so you decide! That's neat...'' They immediately exclaim: ''Are you kidding? That would be so cool! Everyone's gonna love it!''

Not much of a jump, but her shoulders flinched at his enthusiasm. She wasn't expecting that! But... surprisingly, it made her crack a smile--albeit briefly. This little pixie was really warming up to her! They both had a natural amusement of similar topics, and that allowed her to feel a tiny bit more natural. "...Thank you. Really." Clipping the poi to her belt again, she nodded lightly to Mathieu. "So... how do you, uh, trade with the wind? Er--" she looked at the sky a moment before continuing "--if I'm not keeping you."

''Oh!'' Mathieu smack their hand to the side of their hip, as if they were expecting something there, but instead only slapped themself. ''They raise their hand with a pout'' Yeah unh, Hold up.'' They scrounge in the side pocket of their mailbag ''Nah, was almost done and what's left I... need to bring it in person in a bit.'' They pull out a small array of shiny rocks. ''You got a flat... Flat surface somewhere? Like a smooth stone or something?''

Without a word, Marie meanders off the side of the house, bringing back literally just that; a smooth garden stepping stone that had yet to be placed properly in her yard. "Will this work? If not, I have a small table for the porch."

''Oh yeah this is great'' They flutter closer to the stone, and crouch down, rummaging through their bag. They pull out a small teacup, simple, but nicely painted. They then whistle, a short, high-pitched sound. ''You got something ya wanna give?''

".... does it like anything in particular?" She'd never thought of this before! Confused, she dug in her pockets trying to think of something nice to give--but what would it like? Echo, however, waddled over to Mathieu looking like he had a plan: turning his head a moment to prune himself, he pulled one long, beautiful painted feather and held it out so the pixie could offer it.

''Anything cool. Something pretty... something that makes noises. Just a little. Like a little something...'' They don't finish their sentence. Mathieu grins at the owl. ''Yeah. Yeah, something like that it'd like a lot'' They gently take it from Echo and place it next to the teacup.

She exchanged a look with Echo, an unspoken conversation between the two before she shrugged, watching carefully for what Mathieu does next. Marie returns to sitting, this time lowering to her knees and sitting on the back of her feet. Wide-eyed, it's the most emotion she's shown in a while, fascinated at what could happen!

Mathieu welcomes both of them next to him as he places the objects neatly. He claps twice rapidly, and whistles the same high-pitched sounds he made previously, but this time the notes are longer, before pitching and stopping quickly. A gust tumbles forth and blasts past the trio, but the wind almost feels alive. It engulfs itself between Echo's feathers and seems to crawl briskly across Marie's skin and through her hair. The teacup and the feather are picked up and twirl before glinting away, taken. ''Well. Seems like it liked both. Had to call it since it doesn't know your house but. Yeah, that's what it does.'' They stand up tall, or as tall as they can. '' 'M sure if ya need a small favour from it, it'll listen''

Marie closes her eyes briefly to feel the wind bristle at her cheek, watching in awe as it takes the items and glitters off into the sky. "... I don't think I could whistle like that, even." she admitted, admiring his ability to call to it so well. Echo made a little chipper sound again, seeming to enjoy the wind and Mathieu's abilities very much. "I'll... if I can.... save the favor for later... maybe when Echo needs clear skies. He's still learning the routes here so he doesn't have to rely on me." She tips her head to the side in thought, her voice lowering a bit as she talks to herself "Actually, that's not a bad idea. If any favor, make sure Echo is safe." Echo at this point tries to squeak in protest, nibbling at Marie's fingertips again. She responds by tapping his head lightly with her index finger. "....Come on, you need it. New place....'til you know the lay of the land. Plus, you offered it your feather. It's your favor."

Mathieu twirls a curl. '' 'S just practice. S' like a language, I know you could get it.'' He smiles briefly at Echo, a little smile that makes his pointed teeth peek out. '' 'M sure it'll listen. Winds like flying critters a lot.'' He snickers at Echo's protestations.

Marie looks away from him a moment at his comment—knowing full well he had no intentions of it, but the thought of language stung a little anyways. That was, until she mulled the idea over further. She was horrible at being able to speak, but since this was a language without words....? Turning back, a very, very quick glimpse of a smile crept across her face. Just as soon as one might see it, though, it was quickly hidden under the brim of her hat again! "Yeah...? Maybe..." The thought was quite comforting, actually. She went from tapping to now lightly stroking down Echo's head, petting him gently with the flow of his feathers. "... I'm sure they like him, already. He's ridiculous... but a good friend." ".......thank you so much for showing me. You're incredible."

Mathieu sees her look away and cocks their head. The smile that creeps on her face reassures them though, and they smiling more, softly. ''Could show you'' ''Yeah, Echo's fine with me. You're fine with me dude'' they call out to the bird. The pixie's hair seems to lift and bristle at the compliment. They are taken aback. They can only wave their hand in a dismissive manner, but a flush creeps on their cheeks nonetheless. ''Right back atcha''

"...heh, thank you." So! Is what it was like to have a friend, perhaps? Mathieu seemed really neat, he was just as chill as her... it was comforting! And Echo seemed very comfortable with the fae, too. The compliment was indeed meant--this was the first time she had a decent conversation with those in Walpurgis. Echo turned towards Mathieu, feathers lifting in a moment before he opens his wings and squawks happily. It was his way of saying thank you, too! "... you could show me how, though? Really?"

Mathieu smiles, a little startled at the bird's way of saying thanks, but the feeling is well received. They take a moment to look at Marie. The quiet witch had done quite an effect on them. They felt like they didn't need to fight for themself, with her. That was a nice change of pace. And seeing her smile and use her magic. That was a lot on its own ''Yeah I'll show you. It's mostly a... a feeling. And lip muscling. 'M sure you can get it.''

"Yeah...? Alright..." It might be good for her to learn something else that could make her loud--just in case! And he made it seem so easy, how hard could it be? While thinking on it, Echo turned to her and made a trill, as if pushing her to try herself. Pursing her lips, she attempted very briefly to make a sound similar to what Mathieu did.... only to immediately fail and utter quite the awkward pittering sound. Oh was she ever happy she was wearing her hat! Her face turned 10 shades of red from the failed attempt, pulling the brim down to hide her flushed cheeks and irritated look. "..........."

Mathieu's eyes open wide and a smile creep on their face. Anybody else, they would have burst into laughter, but the earnest look and the embarrassment that flashed on her face shut down that old reaction straight away. Maybe back in the court, but here... trying was ok. Trying was good. Marie was good. ''That's!! A start!! Hey look atcha you made a sound!'' They looked to Echo for approval from them. Baby birds had to learn to sing too!

Echo turned to Marie and uttered a chirp of approval. Sure, he wanted to make fun as well, but he HAD pushed her out of her box enough today--time for some encouragement. "...... I guess." She stammered. "... I'll try more later.... next time." She adjusted her hat, calming from the earlier embarrassment and stood again. Brushing down her leggings from the dirt, she softly spoke up again. "Hey.. uh... thanks."

''Yeah... yeah next time for sure''. They were happy about next time. The sound of buzzing wings approached, louder and louder, until Wuther landed softly on Mathieu's shoulder. He buzzed his wings in Echo's direction in an acknowledging manner. ''Ya welcome. Thanks for showing me your magic too. 'S really cool.'' One side of their mouth rose in a little smile

Echo tilted his head gently, making sure Wuther knew he had heard his presence. It was appreciated, actually! "Of course... more at the festival soon, so... hope to see you there." She tips her hat lightly in a nod to Mathieu. "Sorry... I should probably get some stuff done. Uh, so... see you next time, yeah?" His smile was comforting! Although she had a hard time returning one, she did sound a bit lighter in her tone of voice. She was looking forward to it!

''Yunh I'll be there for sure!'' They tip their own hat back. ''Oh yeah yeah I should. Get back to it too. Bigger letters! To hand out!'' The slightly softer sound of her voice was encouraging. Mathieu liked that witch. ''See ya next time!'' They wave briskly as they flitter up, hitching a ride on a passing gust