made it in the nick of time | open, JOINING

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It was quite the odd sight.

A small rabbit hopped gingerly towards the river separating the island from the mainland. She was your typical wild bunny - brown, long ears, white tail and all. Yet she stood out like a sore thumb against the natural landscape. A worn pair of leather goggles were strapped to her head and propped just in front of two narrow ears. A little flask floated along beside her, enveloped by a pale blue glow. A small satchel was thrown over her back, and with each hop, the sound of glass bottles banging against various materials could be heard. She showed no concern for whatever the bag was hiding, however. Her ears were perked and nose twitching curiously as she approached the water's edge. The scent of various other creatures was strong and thick in the air. A clan, no doubt. Wasn't what she'd had in mind, but if she was lucky, it meant a roof over her head. At least temporarily. She was used to the solitary life.

"Hey, anyone there?" the rabbit would call into the air. The place seemed pretty empty. Well, as she was waiting, she decided to treat her shoulder. Dropping the satchel clumsily, the rabbit unwrapped the bandage and examined the burn. It was healing well; though still bare and vulnerable. She stepped warily into the shallows, allowing the water to rise over it. Though cold, it was a relief on her injured limb. Wary of anybody watching, the small creature backed out of the river hastily, shaking off the excess water. Should she try again? "Hello?"

- - - - -

Ah, yes. Now things were going the way they were supposed to. Clanners greet the guest, name and business, offer their services. At least these ones seemed friendly. She wasn't picky, but murderers and kidnappers were not the kind of people she liked to surround herself with. The bunny raised her head to acknowledge the arrival of the shepherd dog. Young; quiet; he didn't seem to pose a threat. "Hey there," the rabbit responded casually, raising a soggy paw in greeting. "Name's Tea. Teagan. Call me Tea." That part of the question was easy enough. Tea took a moment to ponder her business. Joining, she supposed. But how to phrase it? She was without a home following the fire that burnt her old hut to the ground. "Looking for somewhere to put a roof over my head," she admitted, an ear twitching. "Joining, I guess. 'Least for a while."

Her nose twitched as he mentioned her injury. It didn't look that bad to her; was it worse than she'd thought? She was no medical expert, but she knew to keep it clean, to avoid infections. She would bandage it for a day or two, and then let it air out. It had been healing up well and naturally that way. "Oh, no, no. I can manage it just fine." She'd rather treat it herself than let a stranger handle it. She'd make sure this group was one of the friendlier ones, first, and ensure their medics were experienced before allowing a weak spot to be touched. "Say, what can I call you?" If she was indeed going to stick around, why not get to know the guy?

- - - - -

Tea cracked a smile at the dog's compliment. How sweet. Wasn't every day she received a genuine compliment, but then again, she rarely bumped into anybody at all. She wrapped up the exposed skin once again, shivering slightly as the breeze nipped at her damp fur. As he spoke, the flask glided to her lips; the rabbit took a sip of the sweet vanilla tea. True to her nickname, she was a sucker for tea, and the sweeter the better.

"Thanks," the small creature would respond with a smile. She glanced to her bag as it began to glow a soft blue, and levitated to the other side of the river. Did she need an invitation? She'd stated her business. The rabbit would adjust her goggles and cross the water at a shallow section in a few bounds, claws scraping for a grip on the pebbles beneath. She joined the Australian shepherd with a cheerful beam, thumping her feet to rid of the water once again. Once she had composed herself, she responded further. "I'll be sure to let you know if it gets bad," she promised, though knew she probably wouldn't. She was confident in her own remedies. They'd kept her alive this long, eh? "Your name's quite cool too, I must say. Never met an Arcane before." Well, she'd never met a Teagan either. Guess they were both special.

- - - - -

"Great, thanks a bunch," Tea responded to the white dog, acknowledging her with a polite nod. What she hoped was a polite nod. She hadn't socialised in quite a while. That being said, she'd forgotten how exhausting it was. All the niceties and trying desperately not to offend anybody - that was hard work. She was a little surprised to hear that the fluffy canine claimed to be leader - at such a young age, too - but shrugged it off. At least she was a nice young fluffy dog. "Your name's sweet, too," she decided to speak, a tired smile directed to Ivylee. "Thanks for the hospitality and such." She didn't have anything to offer in return, unless they wanted tea. She smiled silently, hoping she wasn't coming across as rude. Or strange. Usually people went for the latter to describe her. She'd have to try hard to avoid that - but in the end, did it really matter?