Tabula Rasa: Adventures In A New World

“I-I-I-I-I...” That stuttered attempt at speaking echoes through this empty room. Adeline pulls her shoulders in as she shrinks even further into herself. “S-sorry...”

“It’s alright.” Krvavy softly reassures, forcing herself to speak as slowly and as calmly as she can. “Take your time.”

Adeline does not follow that advice, quickly stammering out a response. “A st-stool i-is f-f-fi-f-fine...! I-I-I d-don-don’t ne–eep!” She squeaks in shock as she sees just the slightest bit of annoyance enter the Drakling’s expression.

Holding back an increasingly frustrated sigh, Krvavy turns her attention away from that timid girl in. Hopefully doing so will make it easier for Adeline to, well, exist. “I know that you could just use a stool,” her emerald eyes pointedly stare at the stone countertop that is, stupidly, the source of all this stress, “but you shouldn’t have to.”

“I-I-I...!” The Halfling stumbles over her almost shouted words. “Ireallydon’tneedmyowncountertop!”

The barbarian takes a very deep breath. “We’ve been over this so many times that I just don’t care any more...” Her grumbled words cause the tiny blonde to flinch back a step. “These counters are not all going to remain at the same height. At least one part is going to be lowered so that it is at the perfect height for you to comfortably use. Do. You. Understand?”

A fair bit of fear fills this tiny blonde’s big hazel eyes. “Ye-y-yes-s...!” She frantically nods her head.

“Good...” Krvavy can’t help but sigh in relief. “So... What height would be the most comfortable for you?”

“I-I-I-I d-d-do-d-don’t know!”

Krvavy’s eye twitches as she stares down at the increasingly terrified Halfling. Doing her best to keep a scowl off of her face... the barbarian slowly lowers herself even further, going from squatting down to sitting on the ground.

“Eeeii!” A high-pitched squeak escapes past Adeline’s little lips as the significantly larger Drakling suddenly grabs onto her rather wide hips, fingers digging into the blue fabric of her peasant dress.

“Calm down...” Krvavy tiredly grumbles, slowly lifting the Halfling up into the air and holding that timid girl up to the counter in front of them. “I’m going to raise you up and down so that you can get an idea of what a good height would be for you. I’m not going to put you back down until you give me an answer. An actual answer. Okay?”

“O-okay!” An audible gulp follows that single, stuttered word. Adeline’s little bunny paw feet dangle just a short distance above the ground, but the way she is trembling and grabbing so tightly onto the barbarian’s big fingers makes it seem like she is being held over the edge of a cliff, afraid of being dropped to her death.

The bunny-mouse girl’s fur-tipped tail slowly coils around Krvavy’s forearm, that dark-blonde tuft of hair brushing over black scales in search of something, anything, to comfort her. The Drakling’s frustration wanes as that tail tightens its grip, her own heart beating just a bit faster.

“H-here!” The bunny-mouse girl’s whole body bucks as her short arms suddenly shoot forward, her hands grabbing at the edge of that counter. “Th-this-is is g-g-g-good...!”

Krvavy furrows her brow as she holds the Halfling steady. This seems... a little high. Adeline’s elbows are just a bit below the surface of that countertop. Which might make using the sink a little awkward... “You sure?”

“Y-y-ye-yes...!” The timid girl shakily stutters back, sounding more than a little unsure of herself.

“You aren’t just saying that to trick me into putting you back down, are you?”

“N-no!” Adeline hastily shakes her head, before nervously glancing back over her shoulder to look straight at the barbarian, as if trying to show that she isn’t lying. “Th-th-this i-is l-l-l-like th-the c-c-coun-counters and t-tables b-back-ck h-home!”

Krvavy slowly moves her eyes from that large slab of stone to the Halfling, and then back again. It would probably be better to make it a little shorter, but this isn’t a bad height either... Especially since it’ll be perfect for Inanna as well, and the Dwarf would definitely appreciate the utility of that...

“Eeep!” The tiny blonde squeaks in surprise as a stone platform rises out of the ground beneath her bunny paw feet, giving her something to stand on.

“Are you sure that’s a good height?” The barbarian asks again, letting go of Adeline’s ridiculously wide hips.

The Halfling presses her palms flat against the polished countertop. “Y-yes!” She replies, sounding far more certain now.

“Alright.” Krvavy slowly exhales, feeling relieved to finally have that over with. A slight frown makes its way onto her face as her eyes trail across the counter. This might be a better height, at least once she lowers it, but the whole thing is still far too deep. Adeline would have to bend over quite a bit just to turn on the tap... Maybe if Krvavy were to scale that down proportionally...? That would save her from having to go through all of this again, at the very least...

“Ca-c-can I g-go n-now...?” Adeline quietly asks, shuffling in place atop her short stone plinth.

“No,” Krvavy answers after a couple seconds, pushing her thoughts aside. “I’d like to talk with you a bit first.”

“Eeeeeee...” The bunny-mouse girl’s shoulders slump as she makes that sad sound, her hazel eyes nervously glancing around the bathroom.

“Relax.” The barbarian gently sighs, staying where she is sitting on the ground, having to actually look up a bit to meet Adeline’s shifting gaze. “I just want to know how you’re doing. You’ve been here for a few weeks now, and I haven’t been around for most of that time.”

A slight bit of confusion fills the Halfling’s face as she stares at Krvavy, clearly having no real idea on how to respond.

“What do you think of the others?” Krvavy calmly and casually asks. “You’ve been living with us for a while now, so I’m sure you’ve got some opinions.”

“I-I-I-I...!” The girl skittishly stutters and struggles to speak, forcing her eyes shut as she takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down... followed by another, and another still... Eventually though, she does compose herself well enough to continue, even if her eyes remain closed... “Miss Beryl i-is very kind. She is n-nice, gentle, and c-c-c-caring. Sh-she... she c-can be a l-little... f-firm t-t-t-too... Like M-mum...” Her voice cracks a little and she anxiously grabs onto her floppy bunny ears.

The Drakling idly nods her head as she patiently waits for the little Halfling to continue, not wanting to spook the girl by speaking up.

“M-miss Inanna i-is also k-k-kind... but c-c-can be a l-l-little in-in-int...intimidating... H-her eyes a-a-a-are... Sh-she st-stares a-a lot...! B-but i-it-it... I-I-I...!” Adeline’s thumbs rub back and forth across the silky brownish fur near the tips of her ears as she pauses to take another few deep breaths. “I-it is n-nice t-t-to be ar-around s-someone who i-i-is-isn’t s-s-so t-t-t-t-tall, even if sh-she is still s-so b-b-b-big...!”

A faint flush fills Adeline’s face as she slowly lifts her bunny ears up, stopping when the tips are roughly in front of her chin. Her nervous fiddling of those floppy things continues and even grows a little more frantic as she fights the overwhelming urge to hide behind them.

“M-m-miss K-khalia... Miss Khalia is v-v-very sc-scary!” The Halfling girl flinches at her own words as a shiver runs through her compact body. “B-but...! Sh-sh-she d-doesn-n’t mean t-t-to be...! St-still... I-I-I...!” Adeline shudders again and briefly covers her mouth with her ears, before leaving whatever thought she had behind and just moving on. “Miss S-s-s-s... Miss Severina... Sh-she isn’t mean!”

It is a good thing that Adeline is saying all of this with her eyes closed, as otherwise she probably would have been spooked by the harsh scowl that suddenly found its way onto the Drakling’s face. Krvavy isn’t upset with the fact that this Halfling is apparently terrified of Khalia. That is rather understandable, after all. Nor is she upset about the fact that Adeline immediately clarified that Thea isn’t mean to her, even though that is a little suspicious.

No, Krvavy is unhappy with the fact that Adeline is referring to Thea by the brat’s last name.

“M-miss Severina...! Sh-she do-do-doesn’t l-l-l-like m-me... Sh-sh-she tries t-to be n-n-nice... b-but i-i-i-is u-usu-sual...su... u-usually j-just r-r-r-ru-r-rude...” The tiny blonde shrinks into herself as she struggles to get all of that out, clearly uncomfortable about saying something even slightly negative about someone else.

Krvavy’s sigh startles the Halfling, causing Adeline’s hazel brown eyes to shoot open as she unconsciously takes a step back.

“Eeeep!” The bunny-mouse girl squeaks in surprise as the Drakling’s hands dart towards her, grabbing onto her hips and keeping her from falling off of the stone pedestal that she is still standing on. Her round cheeks grow even more rosy than usual as this barbarian continues holding her bottom-heavy body steady.

“Is Thea making you call her that?” Krvavy quickly questions, trying to keep any annoyance or negative feelings that might further spook the Halfling out of her voice and expression. She may not be doing the best job at that. She does, after all, have a bit of a resting bitch face to begin with.

“H-huh...?!” Confusion underlines that startled gasp, only to be quickly pushed aside by a startled squeak. “Eeeeie!” An embarrassed blush fills Adeline’s round face as she sees that her fur-tipped tail is still coiled around Krvavy’s wrist.

“Is Thea making you call her ‘Miss Severina’?” Krvavy clarifies, doing her best to ignore the fact that Adeline is frantically pulling at her own tail in a futile attempt to unwrap its surprisingly tight grip.

“N-n-nn-n-n-n-no!” The tiny blonde almost falls backwards as she wrenches her tail free, hurriedly bringing that tufted tip up to her face as if to hide behind it. “M-miss Severina i-is-is-is a H-h-human! A-and a n-no-no-noble!”

Krvavy quirks a brow as she meets Adeline’s frantic hazel eyes. “Just call her ‘Thea’.”

“B-b-b-b-b-bu-b-b-but!”

“She doesn’t need special treatment or anything like that.” Krvavy plainly states, gently shaking her head. “That girl already has enough of an ego.”

“O-oh! Sh-sh-should I c-c-c-call Miss Beryl... Mi-miss W-woods-woodswal-k-ker ins-ste-stead...?!” Adeline desperately asks, her pinprick pupils quivering and shaking at a worryingly rapid pace. “An-and Miss Inanna... M-m-m-miss Ki... Miss Ki-Ningal...?!”

“What? No.” A bit of concern enters Krvavy’s face as she watches Adeline’s panic grow with each shaky breath that the girl takes. “You don’t need to be so... so formal. Just call us all by our first names.”

“B-b-b-b-b-but M-m-m-mi-miss Severina i-i-i-is a-a-a-a-a H-h-h-h-hu-hu-human an-an-and a-a-a-a-a-a-a n-n-n-n-no-no-noble! I-I-I-I-I-I-I c-c-ca-c-can-can’t...!”

“Shhh!” The Drakling’s attempt at gently shushing that hyperventilating girl comes across as more of a hiss... which startles Adeline enough to force her into silence. With a sigh, Krvavy gently lifts the bottom-heavy bunny-mouse off of that little stone plinth and places her back onto the ground.

Only for Adeline’s shaking legs to immediately buckle beneath her. But, luckily, the barbarian is still holding onto her impressively wide hips, those strong hands safely guiding this trembling blonde down onto her knees without letting her limply collapse like she otherwise would have.

“Close your eyes and take a deep breath.” Krvavy firmly orders the panicked Halfling, who immediately does as she says. “Breathe out. Then in again. Then out again...”

A pair of big hazel eyes stare up at the Drakling, watery and unfocused with tears welling up in their corners. It takes well over a minute for this nervous wreck of a girl to even begin to calm down, and another until she no longer needs guidance reminding her to breath steadily and slowly...

The barbarian gently bites the inside of her cheek, her brow knit together in concern.

Halfling’s are, supposedly, an artificial race. The others – mainly Inanna – had explained that they were created as slaves by some Human wizard. So... is Adeline’s current panic attack a result of that? Is she breaking down because Krvavy tried making her go against some sort of genetic or magical programming? Or is this just a nervous girl having trouble going against something that was taught to her as an inalienable truth as she was growing up?

It is honestly hard to tell.

“You good?” Krvavy gently asks, one of her hands slowly trailing up that short girl’s back, coming to rest on a slim and shuddering shoulder.

Rather than respond, Adeline simply stares at Krvavy while looking quite distraught.

“Why can’t you call Thea by her first name?” The barbarian verbally prods this tiny blonde, trying to draw out a response.

“Sh-sh-she i-is a Human! A-and a-a noble!”

“So? Why does that matter?”

Adeline blinks a couple times as bewildered confusion begins to overwhelm her panicked stress. “I-I-I...” Her little eyebrows furrow into an adorably thoughtful expression as she trails off, taking well over a minute to think about how to answer. “I-it w-w-woul-wouldn’t be r-r-r-right t-to b-b-be so... so pers-personal...?”

Is that it? While Krvavy is able to keep herself from blurting that out, she can’t stop a rather dissatisfied expression from filling her face.

“Eeep!” The bunny-mouse girl squeaks and timidly brings her floppy ears up to cover her mouth, muffling her nervous words. “H-humans a-a-are ab-a-a-above H-h-h-halflings! I-I-I-I-I sh-shoul-shouldn’t b-b-b-be s-s-so fa-fa-fam-familiar! Esp...especially n-not with one ab-ab-above oth-other Humans!”

Krvavy’s lips curl into the faintest scowl... which makes that poor Halfling flinch, her back bumping into the stone counter as she recoils in instinctual fear.

Is all of this because Adeline sees Humans as above her? Does the girl have some sort of racial hierarchy in her mind...? Probably not, as Adeline would definitely see Elves and Dwarves as above Halflings as well, yet she hasn’t been calling Beryl and Inanna by their last names...

“Well...” The barbarian slowly begins, “I am above Thea. I own her, after all. She is mine. So... what would you do if I were to order you to refer to her by her first name?”

“I-I-I-I...!” The Halfling stutters, her little mouth opening and closing without any proper words making it past her lips. Those stammering sounds continue for just a few more seconds before she falls into silence. “I...” An audible gulp accompanies the start to her answer. “I w-would call her... M-miss... The-Theadosia...?”

“Good enough.” A tinge of disappointment lingers in the Drakling’s tone as she sighs and very slowly shakes her head. That was far, far too much work for something that honestly didn’t matter all that much... Krvavy definitely overreacted and made it a bigger deal than it actually is... Still, it’ll be good for Adeline to see herself as an equal to Thea and not as someone who is below that brat... “Okay, I order you to refer to Thea by her first name. If she asks you about it, just tell her that I told you to call her that. Got it?”

“Y-y-y-yes...?”

“I also order you to be a bit more casual and comfortable around her. Actually... around all of us.” Krvavy leans forwards, her scaled finger so delicately pressing into the underside of that Halfling’s chin, tilting Adeline’s head up and trying to make eye contact with the girl. Who nervously looks away. “You aren’t a servant. This is your home as much as it is Thea’s. Got it?”

A flush fills the tiny blonde’s cheeks as she shuffles in place, unable to retreat even slightly with her back pressed against the stone counter like this. “I-I-I... I un...understand...”

“Good girl.” Krvavy pats the increasingly flustered Halfling on the head before pulling back and giving the girl some space.

“W-what sh-sh-should I-I-I c-c-c-call y-you...?” Those stuttered words hesitantly leave Adeline’s mouth. She flinches slightly as her question draws out a faint sigh.

“Krvavy. I’m just Krvavy. That’s the only name I have.”

The bunny-mouse girl shakily nods her head as her eyes dart side to side, like a cornered animal looking for somewhere to flee.

“Well...” The barbarian idly clicks her tongue a few times, unsure if she should just let the girl go or try talking a bit more first. After a few seconds, she makes up her mind. “You’ve said what you think about the others, so... what do you think about me?”

“You’re weird.” Silence hangs in the air for barely more than a moment before Adeline realizes what she just said. “I-I-I! Y-you! I-I!” Panicked embarrassment flashes across her face as she utterly fails to explain herself. “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeii...” That quiet squeak is soon muffled behind the Halfling’s floppy bunny ears, her body trembling as she slowly drops to the ground and curls up on her side with her knees held close to her nearly flat chest.

The barbarian blinks as the girl in front of her goes from nervous and confused to dying from embarrassment in the span of a couple seconds. “It’s okay.” She immediately tries to reassure Adeline, gently giving the tiny blonde’s head another few pats. “That is far from the worst thing I’ve ever been called. And I get it. I am weird.”

“No...” Adeline’s whispered voice is barely audible. A single big brown eye peeks past those soft and floppy ears. “Y-you... should be scary... but y-y-you are n-nice...”

Krvavy waits a moment for Adeline to continue, but it quickly becomes clear that the Halfling has nothing else to say. Or, if Adeline does have something else to say, that she simply doesn’t know how to say it. Which is a little awkward, as Krvavy doesn’t know how to really respond either...

“Well...” Krvavy turns her head to the side, breaking their slightly uncomfortable eye contact. “Are you alright with your spot being at the end of each row?”

“Eei...?” The bunny-mouse girl makes rather confused squeak, before suddenly gasping as she realizes that Krvavy is talking about the countertops again. “Y-yes!”

“And would it be alright if I stacked a taller one above it? For myself? If it doesn’t look weird, at least. You know, to double up and save some space? Not that we really need to save some space...” A soft shake of the head accompanies Krvavy’s idly muttering. “Still,” she clears her throat. “I’d have to ask Inanna to see if she’s alright with it as well, but I think that it’d be fine...? There would still be plenty of room for a mirror, when we eventually get any...”

“Y-y-yes...!” Adeline quickly replies, nodding again and again as she pushes herself back into an upright position. Even though she looks rather relieved right now... her eyes still find themselves drawn to the side, towards the bathroom door and the freedom beyond it.

“Okay. Uh... I guess you can go now...?” The barbarian awkwardly states, scooting back to give Adeline plenty of space before she even bothers rising to her feet.

The bunny-mouse girl simply stares up at the Drakling towering above her for nearly a full minute before snapping free from her daze with a jumpy twitch. She slowly stands up and nervously pats down her dress, all while keeping her eyes on Krvavy. Her mouth opens to say something but no words come out. After a moment of slightly uncomfortable silence, the girl turns and bolts out of sight, running off as fast as her little legs can carry her.

“Hahhh...” Krvavy leans heavily onto the nearby counter as she lets out that long sigh, her head hanging and her shoulders slumping. Her less than impressive social skills just seem to get brought down even further when trying to talk with that far too anxious girl...

Even though she let Adeline leave, Krvavy wasn’t exactly done talking with that Halfling. It would have been nice to hear more about how Adeline is doing, and to ask if she is alright living here. It would have also been nice to talk more about Adeline’s family, as long as doing that wouldn’t upset her. Krvavy still feels guilty about essentially taking her away from them.

On top of that, Krvavy wanted to talk about the kitchen that she will eventually be making. Considering that Adeline already seems to be their cook, it’ll pretty much be her kitchen. Which means that she’ll need the Halfling’s input on... a lot of things. But it isn’t too bad that they didn’t get to talk about that. After all, Krvavy hasn’t even dug that area out yet...

Shaking her head, the Drakling turns her attention down towards the little pedestal of stone that she created for Adeline. Hopefully that will be enough to get a couple countertops to the right height...

Guess she should get to work...