I'm a little less than sold

ira

She lets go of any attempts at continuing to look innocent after Uldren's laugh and keeps the amused look on her face. She could do either entertaining or tiring out, or both at the same time. Might as well try to have any kind of fun of one can't sleep.

As she spots the warehouse she is looking for, she works her jaws in an attempt to get the lingering amused smirk away from her face before they can reach the door, if only to not receive too odd looks from other people. Not that she usually cares much, but she wants to give the best impression to hopefully give them better chances of getting paid for all the plants they had picked.

"Yeah, this should be the one if I remember the notice right." She says, giving Uldren a nod and makes for a door with the same nummer on it, pushing it open with a shoulder and holds it for Uldren to get in before she follows. They come into a smaller room with doors probably leading out into the main warehouse. Some tables have been put up in one end of the room to work as a temporary reception desk. Two people are currently manning the desk and Ira heads over to explain why they are there, and gets it confirmed that they are indeed in the right place. Nodding, she puts her container on the table and takes a couple of steps back.

"Let's hope they aren't too picky. I'd say the plants looks just fine." She whispers to Uldren while watching the two workers starting to look over each plant and making little notes in a book as they inspect and count the plants. After looking over the plants in what might seem like in too great detail, one of the workers pulls out a metal box which is unlocked and some lasti is being counted and stacked on the table for either of them to take.

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

Uldren also grows more serious the further toward the warehouse they get, perked up and attentive even if he looks exhausted beneath the façade. He watches her nod, before he follows her in with his own container, through the door and listens as it closes behind them with a small little whine of a sound, peering immediately into the smaller room to try and figure out where they’re to go.

Luckily, Ira is on top of it as she steps toward the people manning the desk, and when it’s confirmed, he sets his down as well, stepping back and wiping off his hands on a handkerchief that’s been in his back pocket, trying to make sure none of the water and algae have a chance of getting onto him.

Humming a sound of agreement, Uldren watches them, arms folding across his chest as he agrees with Ira. “They look pretty good to me, compared to the rest of ‘em out there.” He murmurs softly, shrugging lightly. And when the amount of lasti is picked out, Uldren steps forward to take it, counting out how much they’d gotten as if to see if it were worth the amount of effort they’d put in.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling

ira

She watches the plants being looked over and tries to not stare the workers down too much, while also spending the time trying to come up with some good arguments in case some of the plants were deemed not acceptable enough. However, the lasti placed out on the table seems to match the amount of plants and Ira slowly exhales when it looks like there won't be any need for arguments, keeping a mask with a friendly enough smile on her face as she nods along with one of the workers going through the usual kind of Thank You-speech and how the hard work is appreciated and all that.

"Mhm, we're doing all the hard work for the better of the city, as always." She mumbles quietly under her breath as she turns to leave once they have gotten all the lasti they should. It's better than nothing at all, at least, and she pushes down whatever other complains that might try to come to her mind. Instead, she turns her attention back to Uldren, watching him with her head a bit to the side and perhaps spots some of his exhaustion. "You feel alright? Still wanna go check on the eels?" She asks in a softer voice and reaches out to hook an arm around one of his.

At least the bath house is in the same general are of the city as the apartment, so it shouldn't be a too much longer trip should he still want to go and she tries to not be too concerned.

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

The amount adds up and Uldren, too, releases a soft exhale of relief. He pockets the lasti once they’re satisfied and starts to step back the way they came when the little thank you speech is completed. “Always.” He agrees with her, keeping his words low and only for her ears, until the tension bleeds from him once they’ve exited the warehouse and his arm links with hers.

He flashes her an easier smile now that the mask has bled away, nodding. “I feel fine, nothing out of the ordinary. I do wanna go see ‘em though.” The bath house was fairly close once Uldren reaches a landmark he recognizes, turning slightly to start heading that way. “’n I think we got enough to grab something to eat on the way back if you wanna?” He asks, shifting slightly to wrap his arm around her shoulders as they walk.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling

ira

Once back outside, she exhales another deep breath and rolls her shoulders to work out some soreness from having been standing hunched over, picking the plants. It had not been that hard work under normal circumstances, but she can feel that she's not fully recovered yet. Nodding at Uldren, she offers him a small smile and tries to push away some of the concern she can't help but feel. "Alright, eels visit it is." A small chuckle leaves her and she hugs her arm around his waist in return when his arm wrap around her shoulders.

"Mhm, might as well take the chance to get some food before I become too busy for it again." She responds with a small huff and shakes her head a bit at it, being fully aware how good she is at completely forgetting about it during the days when it's one job after the other from morning to evening. Sighing quietly, she lifts her gaze and has a look around. "Should be somewhere around here, no? I've mostly spied that bathhouse from the roofs in the past. Looks a bit different from the ground."

She keeps her gaze lifted, as if trying to spot landmarks higher up that she'd recognized, though mostly follows along with where Uldren is going and keeps herself hugged close to him.

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

He flashes her an easier grin as the steps Uldren takes are already in a different direction than home. He hadn’t known where the warehouse to turn the plants in was, but he does have a general idea of where they are now, enough to figure out the route to take back.

His arm squeezes around her shoulders as he huffs a soft laugh beside her, knowing all too well her ability to forget to eat. He, on the other hand, could never get away with it. “S’what I’m here for.” To remind her, because saints, his rumbling stomach was often loud enough that everyone knew he was starving.

As for the bathhouses, Uldren continues to pick the same direction, headed straight for it from what he could remember — having not gone from the rooftops. “Yeah should be around this corner, I think.” He turns with her around the edge of an alley they dip through, turning once more at the end to come face to face with the bathhouse they had helped to clean. And without any hesitation, Uldren takes Ira with him, heading on up to the front steps to get inside.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling

ira

At least she doesn't have any issues with food, she just forgets when wrapped up in everything she has to do normally, her own hunger feelings sneaking up on her so subtly they seem to come out of nowhere by the time she realizes how hungry she actually is. "It's not the only thing I have you for, but I'm happy for it. It's very helpful." She sends Uldren a playful smile. It's just one of the many perks she finds in his company.

They continue on, taking a few turns and Ira puts the route to memory as best she can just in case she will have to come back this way another time. From the ground. She had managed to find her way to the bathhouse when coming to help with the pools, but had not really paid much attention to the actual way then. As they turn the last corner, she spots the suggestive looking sign above the entrance.

"Yep, can't forget that sign at least." She mumbles as they make their way up the steps and head inside. It looks similar to how she remember them leaving it, pools filled with muddy soil and a lot of plants. The bathing guests being the eels instead of people. Remaining next to Uldren for now with her arm still around him, she leans in closer to keep her voice low. "Maybe they should just keep it like this. After seeing all the trash, I'd never want to come here for a dip if the place reopens." Sharing the bathtub at home with Uldren is something she can do, but the idea of joining a bunch of people in pools like these isn't very tempting.

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

Uldren rumbles a soft laugh, lips twisting into an amused smile as they walk. He knows he’s good for more things for her but he can’t help but to poke fun at the fact that he’s like a dinner bell, a reminder to stop and eat purely because he absolutely can’t ignore his own hunger pangs even if he’s in the middle of doing something.

Peering up at the sign as they approach, he nods and hums his agreement on the sign, before stepping up the steps with her to get inside. It’s a little bit different from when they were here, not as clean, but as he approaches the edge of a pool with the eels he’s pleased to see them swimming around, content and healthy looking. Of course, he wasn’t an eel expert, he doesn’t know what a happy eel looks like, but it’s relieving all the same.

His arm squeezes around her and he looks back to her with a soft smile. “A little Drench zoo? I love it.” He hums another laugh, before cocking his head slightly. “Wonder what other attractions they could find.” Make it an aquarium in the Drench. Now that would be unique.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling

ira

She remains close to him as they step up to one of the pools, almost leaning a bit on him too. Not that she needs any support, it's just something she's come to do often and as long as Uldren's not complaining, she'll happily continue to snuggle up against him whenever she gets the chance to.

The eels look happy in her eyes as well, with how they are wriggling around in their mud bath and plants. Not lying still in a corner or trying to escape. "A zoo would be interesting, as long as the animals are alright, I guess." Something seems to come to her mind and she snorts in a small laugh as she looks back to Uldren.

"I'd almost pay to see Platers coming face to face with a full grown mole centipede. Just imagine them all screaming in horror as they lean in to see what's in the exhibit and then that thing just pops up in front of them." She tries to not grin too much at the mental image, but she really isn't making it a secret that she finds the idea of messing with Platers amusing. Just as her early jokes about being "well behaved" when hanging out with him at his booth to not shock the poor tourists coming by.

She finally stops more or less hanging on Uldren, but only to carefully kneel down by the edge of the pool to get a closer look at the eels. One of them even comes wriggling over and she's debating daring to reach down to try and pet it as it lifts its head up from the mud to investigate the movement above. "They're almost cute... In an ugly, odd kinda way." She says with a softer smile and wiggles her fingers at the curious eel, still keeping her hand out of reach. "Don't think you could keep one as a pet, though. They probably need a lot of space and company."

So you can drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand

Uldren

He agrees with that, too, that so long as the animals were alright that it would be nice to have a little zoo down here. But as she leans against him and laughs, he turns his attention away from the eels to look at her to see her explanation – and it isn’t at all what he’s expecting but it certainly sparks a bark of laughter from him. “Saints, I’d totally pay.” He says through his laugh, more than willing to watch Platers get the shit scared out of them any day of the week.

She stops hanging on him, though, and he watches as she kneels down by the pool while he still looks overhead, watching as one comes up toward her curiously and his head tilts slightly. “Maybe it thinks you’re gonna feed it?” He teases, before crouching beside her to look at it. “They’re like… Worms. But like, if dogs were worms.” He hums curiously, before looking over at Ira with a gentler smile. “I like seein’ them as close to out there as we can without gettin’ involved. Besides, how much do ya think these things eat in a week?” He certainly doesn’t have the paycheck to pay for one of them let alone multiples.

I wanna get stuck between your teeth like cotton candy
So you remember me, darling