Comforting Company ~ GG Event

   Icarus set down his glass, craning his neck around to–

   Right, crane his head around and downward. Witches. Honestly, ever since they’d arrived at the Moondropped Inn, Icarus hardly had time to take a bite before another colony member greeted him, usually accompanied by the young Jarl’s child. 

   And this was no exception, except he had to crane his head fairly far down to meet the newest one’s gaze. 

   It was a reasonably wide-eyed one. 

   “Ah, hail, friend,” Icarus chirped, turning his body around to face the young kit, keeping eye contact the whole while. “Conscience, what does your family do in the Grove?”

   Young Conscience didn’t answer.

   Young Conscience’s face was rapidly draining of its blue as they stared at a point between Icarus’ eyes. 

   Oh no, he didn’t have sauce on his beak, did he? That would be horrifically embarrassing– especially if someone joked about him needing a kit’s feeding dome. 

   Lilly Ives cut in as Conscience kept staring while Icarus tried to wipe off his beak, disguising it as a motion to smooth his hair. “...Well, the Curtains are some of our Grove’s most respected doctors! They’ve been helping out for generations now, isn’t that right, Coni?”

   Lilly paused for an agreement that never came. 

   “Coni?” she asked, laying a paw on the small kit’s shoulders.

   Conscience– or Coni– who had looked nearly ready to fall over, suddenly startled back to life– practically jumping out of their fur.

   “Doctors!” they squeaked, still staring at Icarus’s forehead. “Yes– doctors! We treat– many– lots of– phlyakardias!–”

   The young Coni was trembling now, eyes wider than saucers as their mouth worked, but no sound came out. 

   Eventually, after much concerned staring from Lilly & Icarus, the kit broke.

   “NOPE!” they squealed, tearing out of Lilly’s grasp, pausing for the quickest bow and “hail jarl” Icarus had ever seen before bolting out the door.

   Lilly and Icarus stared at one another, flinching at the familiar sound of someone falling unconscious to the floor.

   “…Good talk,” Lilly squeaked, nodding towards Icarus. “I’m going to take Coni to the Deaths Door Recovery Lounge.”

   Icarus just nodded along, slowly returning to his plate of greens.