( zeph. )

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

❝ Yᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀʀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ. Nᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴀʀ. ❞

—✧ zeph.
—✧ mirrored detail.
—✧ #otrp ; #octopathrp
—✧ ↻ + ♡

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@Dohters_Charity m...mieu.

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

meow ? 🐱

[Alf🌿 @Dohters_Charity]

Nya?

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@MSTRTHIEF a-ah! i misspoke, it wasn't me! i swear!

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

has anyone seen my wives

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

oh this isn't partitio . hold on

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

🐰?

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

apple bunnies ...

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@Dohters_Charity Oh? Are you talking about yourself, or me? [ A gentle nudge to his shoulder. ] But thanks, Alf. I'll enjoy them while they last.

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

sitting on @Dohters_Charity's shoulders!

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@Dohters_Charity Hmmm... Well, alright. I did use you as a ladder, after all. Go ahead and take whichever ones you like.

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@Dohters_Charity Nope! It's gonna be my treat, so be good and stay off to the side, okay? It won't be the same if you help out.

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@Dohters_Charity and your friends some pie before you all head out again.

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@Dohters_Charity [ It's enough for Zeph to glance at him, if only for a split second before he tightens his grip on the basket of apples and nods. ]

Alright. Okay, that's...good enough for me.

[ He turns around, aiming for the village again. ]

Let's walk back. I'm gonna make you +

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@Dohters_Charity You can't promise me that.

[ He looks down, eyes on the ground between them. They're so close, but the distance feels like acres. ]

You can't predict what'll happen in this life of yours, so... Just promise me you'll try to be safe instead. Trying is enough.

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@eirsapothecary Thanks, that'd be much appreciated. Oh, if any of you do see him, make sure he's got some money on him! Say he can't go off doing free work /all/ the time. And make sure he's eaten, Alf tends to forget himself often. Oh, and—...U-um, nevermind. Just tell him to write, please.

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

what am i gonna do? worry all day? 🥲

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

what do i normally do when alf is away? wait for him to come back. 🥹

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

Carefully, Zeph starts to clean the wounds before he applies the freshly-made salve.

"...I'm glad I caught you before these could get worse," he says as he holds her hand gently, speaking just to fill the air. "They aren't bad, but infections can come out of nowhere, y'know?"

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@eirsapothecary dirty blond hair? And he's always going out of his way to help people. You'll know it's him if he says "shucks."

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@eirsapothecary [ The hug surprises him for a second, but that same second is all it takes for him to gently squeeze back before he pulls himself away with a slight frown. ]

Well, he's... His name is Alfyn. He's really, really tall, wears an outfit just like mine. He has sort of light, light +

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

"Eat it?" He asks, as if he isn't sure if whether or not she's being serious. But after a moment, he simply smiles again and shakes his head.

"No, no. Come here. It's a salve for your wounds that needs to be applied over them."

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@eirsapothecary terribly unbecoming to start tearing up in front of a stranger, but... ]

Right, r-right. I'll just...make sure to keep my eyes open and all for if he ever decides to stop by home, eheh. Sorry, I know this is a lot all of a sudden...

[( zeph. ) @clearbrookdoc]

@eirsapothecary I...I guess that's true enough.

[ Because that is, in all the encompassing knowings of the world, all he can do. Not that it's a bad thing; and not that it's a particularly good thing either, but it is his limit.

He rubs at his eye and resists the urge to sniffle. It would be +