"Who's a greedy sutesavauru? Yes you are, yes you are!" I eagerly tease Raincloud as they munch away on the treat I snuck in for her just as Masgeo walks in with a pair of buckets.
"She's been growing quite well since you came to lend a hand." he chuckles as he pats Raincloud's fatty belly. The long-bodied biped partially turns towards him, idly chewing as she does so.
"I have a responsibility to see that my friends are well fed." I answer with a smile, placing my hands behind my back as I bounce up onto my tiptoes.
"It's a good thing that the end goal is to build her up to be nice and healthy." the farmhand points out as he inspects the health of her back plates. Running my hand along the farm animal, I go to her opposing side and do what Masgeo showed me to do. Wiggling the plates towards a source of light or by using my magic, I check the way the blood flushes through them.
Lines are good, spots are bad.
"She seems fine on this end." I tell Masgeo as he restrains Raincloud's tail so that her tail spikes don't cause an accident. Moving further down her body, I help him on this far end as well, reassuring the sutesavauru with gentle pats as we fiddle around back here.
"You head away first, I'll be fine." Masgeo tells me as he looks down the length of the farm animal.
"I am literally the one less likely to be hurt." I deadpan and all he has to offer is a smirk.
"Well, then..." he says as he steps away, "RUN!" slapping the animal on a tender spot.
Raincloud cries out with a mouthful of food, waddling away into the distance as the farmhand laughs. Scowling at him, I use some of my own power to shock him back into a bale yet even then, he continues to laugh. Relenting on the revenge I am committing on Raincloud's behalf, I offer my hand. Masgeo smirks up at me as I wait for him.
"Now, see, I am fine on my own there." he chuckles as he picks himself up, knocking the loose reeds stuck to his back with an awkward swipe.
"You'll only encourage them to hit you with their tails if you do that every time you tend to them." I point out and he shakes his head knowingly.
"They focus on nothing but their food so long as their little cattles lives ain't at risk."
"You still shouldn't." I mutter under my breath, pouting slightly at how he is ignoring my advice.
"Of course, my fair lady." he answers back as he offers me his hand as we arrive at a tractor. I blink up at him as he waits with a waning smile.
Slowly getting up onto the back of the tractor, I blink as I think that final word over.
"Einervaene?" Masgeo calls back to me as he withholds himself from starting up the machine.
"S-Sorry..." I answer as I turn around slightly. The farmhand shrugs and twists the key and adjusts the pedals, the farm vehicle rumbles to life. Pops and bangs escape the engine and its aged but still reliable suspension keeps the powerful box of pipes in check. We start to move forward as I have Lightning idly attach a trailer to the back of the tractor.
"Your magic is very helpful, we'll miss it when you move on." he remarks and my mind slows down again. Sighing quietly so that the vehicle hides it, Lightning returns to me with a slow slither. Mother flashes in my head, a very faded memory of her where only the voice seems clear...
"Have you seen Brewbrt, by any chance? I... I think it is about time I talked to him about something important." I ask as I stand up, leaning closer to Masgeo so that he can more likely hear me despite the noise.
"Goldfoot? Let me think... Outside of pillaging our garage for some lubricant to put on his armour... I think I've seen him around the northern fields last time. Was a bunch of green in the ai-" he starts to answer before I bolt away into the sky, striking down outside of the fields once I catch sight of the one I am after.
"I'll apologise later..." I mutter as I step over the fence before heading down to Brewbrt as he does something. Walking in on him as he tinkers with one of his many gizmos, I sit down beside him. Surprising him a little by having Lightning fix whatever might be wrong with it.
"Well, hello there!" my guardian goes as he brings a rarely bare arm around me, pulling me in for a brief, shaky hug. Letting me go, he gets back to his ancient treasures and I sigh as my misery dominates my face.
Something rattles and when I blink, his eyes are facing mine.
"That well, huh?" I question as I try to joke it off.
"Your thoughts are back for another round on your mind?" he guesses easily and correctly, placing one hand on the knuckles of the other.
"It's nothing... Masgeo just called me a lady and I started to think about..."
"Home."
"Yes... I started to think of home. Helping everyone I can has been wonderfully distracting but aren't we wasting our time?" I say then ask him, even though I know we seem to have this conversation every other week like damn clockwork... The insufferable, inescapable movement of life's gears.
He withholds an answer for a minute that lasts far too long, I frown as it goes on.
"Do you want to get back on the move?"
"I..."
"Speak!" he snaps.
"YES, OK!? I WANT TO FIND MY MOTHER! I WANT TO SAVE HER!" I scream and he smiles, nodding as he does so. Confusion freezes the fires of my fury and I slow down before groaning into my hands. He pats my back, coming to a rubbing stop as I heave what I can out through my mouth.
"We'll head out, first thing in the morning. That way we have time to get everything together and we can get a free, full meal out of it while we still can."
"You've eaten enough farmhouse breakfasts..." I mutter as I slide my face along my palms. Bringing it out into the open with a bothered, quiet snort.
"Wrong, I can eat one more." Brewbrt answers as we get up. Using Lightning's power, Brewbrt's equipment is all fixed up and cleaned, leaving him to pack it up.
"When... When I get home, I am going to enjoy even the worst possible meal my mother can cook up."
"Bah, you'll regret it, Eratheen can't even boil water." Brewbrt mocks lightly and I zap him.
"Just pick up your stuff." I groan, smiling only slightly as I know what I am getting into, wanting to try Mother's cooking.