[Alma]

Thoughts b4360eScribe e93ccd Talking 327965

---

Hard to think the city had come along to be a bit more comfortable than intended. The sheer size and layout turned out to be not as scary or densely populated as one would expect it to be. Adventurers who were keen for their coin hit the trails. Some say clothes closer to home were in production as well as food to supplement the cravings. For those without the talent to cook or craft any of those wonderful foods were the want for customers to spend said hard-earned money. Apprenticeships were becoming a fashion in the form of a hobby to take up in the downtime. Forms of entertainment were still in the process making simple things such as reading and gardening had become more commonplace than ever. It wasn't a full-blown renaissance just yet but the stones were paved toward it.

Into the market on this vibrant holiday, a tall deer woman sporting a pixie cut hairstyle strolled with a flyer in hand marking a cafe special. There were other things she wanted to search for in the market as she subconsciously stroked one of her antlers but having some food was tantalizing. She wore a lightly dyed mossy belted tunic and shorts along with some strapped sandals. Simple street clothes for what savings could buy without being too fancy but it was better than wearing the starter clothes and her monk gear all the time. For now, she was busy occupying herself with following the directions on the aforementioned flyer. Romalia still wasn't a straight forward cityscape to her with its roads more like a spider web than the blocky ones back home. It shouldn't take her much longer to find the location in the market district so there was no hurry in her steps.

Eventually, as she now recognized a matching emblem on the flyer, Alma had arrived at the cafe in question. Its design and layout was very open air and far more spacious than previous buildings she's stayed in. "Wow," she exhaled in awe of the site. It wasn't just a cafe but a multi-tiered facility. Almost too convenient of a place. An item store was tucked away somewhere but the scent of fresh herbs and spices in the air was enough to make her stomach roll and beg for more. Based on what she saw and the flyer, the cafe held two-floor areas to be as open as possible. Intrigued and in the wonder of who the owners or people that ran this place, Alma browsed around for a moment. Reading the names of the people and items in her view would Alma gather that most of the people here were Romalian citizens who ran this location but there were a few players mingling with them either as shoppers or workers. However, the items presented weren't exactly the ones she had in mind was it key to remember that this place would be a local to visit more in the future. What Alma hoped to find was a potion to change appearances. Being tall was great at first but it started to make her self conscious about it. Especially how taller her antlers are as well. Changing them to something shorter along with the overall height of her body was something to be desired to fit in beds.

An item like that wasn't going to sit on the shelf for cheap though so she took her empty stomach and went for the cafe section on the second floor. Some tables were taken or left open. On the flyer, it also mentions something of a group discount for parties of two people and above. "A discount would be nice," she whispered and noted how most people have already ordered and began eating or drinking away. Not wanting to disturb them did the deer woman continued her search for a free table and, if possible, some light company to make the most out of today's special.

---

Words: 660
Link to cafe appearance: cafe

[Rime]

Rime was not looking for anything in particular while exploring the town for the afternoon. She'd been curious to see what was available for sale in general and also to see what some of the other players were up to in regards to in-town work and the like. She'd been out of town a few times in an attempt to get some money through combat, but with how different everything here was compared to the game she once played on a computer... well, she had her reservations about fighting. So now she was considering what it would take to work on her crafting talent and use that as a means of survival. The whole reason she took Artisan was that she wanted to explore glasswork and jewelry making. And this new world made that quite possible.

Rumble. Rime grabbed at her belly lightly as it complained about the smells emanating from the nearby cafe. She wasn't necessarily interested in the cafe when she stopped here, having seen the variety of shops mixed in, but she thought that perhaps she was guided subconsciously here by her now apparent hunger. She sighed as she resigned herself to spending her already low funds on something to eat.

Reading the sign that was posted just outside the side entrance she was entering from, she took note of the discount being applied to groups greater than one. It's like someone is forcing socialization on her. Nothing wrong with that, she supposed as she glanced around at the various others that were already present in the cafe. She easily spotted the one other that seemed to be alone, a tall woman with large antlers on her head. She seemed to be heading up to the second floor of the cafe. The sign said groups greater than one. That means two is enough. She planned her approach of the other lone faunri as she trekked up the stairs. As she reached the top she noted one other person sitting at a table alone but had already committed to approaching the other newcomer. If this fellow faunri wasn't alone, at least there was a backup.

Rapping on Alma's shoulder perhaps a few too many times, Rime spoke up from behind the significantly taller woman before her. "Hello there. Are you alone? May I join you for some food so we may both benefit from the discount this cafe is offering?" Direct. Hopefully not rude. She smiled slightly, then awkwardly threw out some more words before giving her conversational partner a chance to reply. "If that's okay with you.." She stood off to Alma's side now wearing the basic starter shirt and pants, but with a light sleeveless vest over them that hung just past her hips.

---

---

Words: 464
Total: 464

[Alma]

Thoughts b4360eScribe e93ccd Talking 327965

---

Her ears twitched a little, up and forward to the noises around her. Just when Alma was about to move in for a table was it swiftly taken up by a group of not 2 but 5 people. Her mossy head lowered in some surprise to this. Surprise and mildly forgetful that Romali was a far more social culture but with the names floating above their heads and similar levels would it be easier to deduce another surprise. The group was an actual group. The makings of a small party squad. Distracted a little in their presence did she feel Clair, her inner self, start to feel more self-conscious. How lucky they must be. To be in a group like that. They could be from the same guild or something. As gloomy as her thoughts were becoming by simply seeing them would this also mean a few tables and chairs were taken away.

"Ah, miss, is our group too big?" One of them asked wearing some jeweled magic accessories. Likely a mage using the basic items to accent their simple dress robe.
"No no, please," a cafe worker replied as they carried a chair over. "Actually, we give out discounts per head."

Per head?!

Arousing awe and pleased smiles were shared all around as though they have scored a lucky rare item today. Alma almost felt the same. If a sizable group could pull that off then won't the cafe be taking a loss? No. Why think in business terms. There's always a loss somewhere but more importantly, was to find a group more than ever. Even if it were to be a single dining partner for today not just for the discount but to be less of a standout. It was then a voice reached her as she turned to find a girl with cat ears. Another of her character's kind; the faunri. Pointedly she cut to the chase of being alone. No denying that here.

"Y-yeah, kinda am." Alma folded up the flyer into sixths and pocketed it away. "Wouldn't hurt to eat together. I just learned that the larger the group we'd get more of a discount but seems like everyone else is kinda taken." Her hand motioned to the group of five who were new pouring over their menu options. "Let's go snag ourselves a table and get right to it at least. Not that far along." Standing around any longer wasn't filling their bellies quicker. "How's there look?" A slender set of fingers pointed toward the tables closer to the railings. There were smaller groups there  mildly divided by small shrubbery planter boxes that could house of to four people if they angle their chairs right. The deer went ahead and took a set closer to the rails so she could rest her right elbow on it. The view from up here had a nice outlook of the street below as well as the northern and southern stretches of the path.  Menus were already laid out on the table giving a free look of the dish names. No prices listed though.

"So, you're here because of the flyer as well?" Alma asked for the sake of opening the air with some dialogue. 

---

word:537
total: 1197

[Isabelle Erabus]

[attr=class,xiontext]
It had been a few days, and needless to say, she was in the minority. After the initial wave of panic that was felt by most people, and still being felt by others, to be honest.... she felt at peace. Like for once in her life, or more accurately for the first time in a long time, she was going to be in full control of her life. No longer was she some housewife that was feeding whatever woman her husband brought back that night. Now... she could truly be her own person. Make her own story. A little more literally than she had dreamed of back in the real world, but still something that she had always wanted to do.

Now of course, she had kept her opinions a little more to herself. She wasn't going to be one of the people out there championing about how it was much better in the game than it was in the world, even if she actually felt that way. But she certainly appreciated the vocal minority who were saying that for her. She had managed to speak to one such person in private. He seemed disheartened at the fact she wasn't willing to be as vocal about it, but also understood that not everyone was near as outgoing as he was.... which was nice to hear.

But, she still had to face the fact that they didn't even know if there was a way back. And that to the best of their knowledge, this was going to be their life from now on. So rather than try and waste it, she was going to have to see if she could make the best of it. And to be honest, she didn't want to fall into the same pattern here that she did in real life.... which meant she was going to have to start putting herself out there. And as she was walking down the street, she noticed someone else approaching a local cafe. And well, as she was getting closer and would read the sign herself, figured that any person offering a discount meant that she was more than happy to eat there... not only that, but she also figured that she wanted to do it so that she could introduce herself to a few people....

Making her way upstairs though, it quickly became evident that the flyer was rather popular, because well, this place was packed. And at a deal like what was being offered, she honestly shouldn't have been as surprised as she was seeming. Though, it also made trying to find an actual group all that much harder, snaking her way through the crowd until she saw a spot with two other faunri.... Walking up to the table she'd just ask "Hey! My name's Isabelle.... mind if I join you?" She'd ask, trying to be confident, but still having a bit of that insecurity about her, like she was expecting them to say no.

[attr=class,xiontext]

Alma Rime
WC: 498
TWC: 498

[newclass=".xiontext"]color:black;font-family:roboto condensed;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
[newclass=".xiontext b"]color:#8991B9[/newclass][newclass=".xiontext i"]color:#8991B9[/newclass]

[Maruem]

Music/Atmophere

The swirling steam from the cup across the table from his own drifted upwards into the air slowly and calmly, the little wisps hanging in the air for a moment before a light breeze carried them away. Far off by the edge of the rooftop, a sturdy looking man with very good posture sat and sipped his tea quietly. He looked comfortable and content by the edge as he looked over the city. Despite his ruggedly handsome appearance, he would look almost refined all things considered, if not for the clothes he wore. A pair of light grey linen pants with slight fraying around the ankles, and a sun bleached cotton shirt which was a just a little bit too tight for his strong and healthy physique, especially showing its fairly diminutive size around his arms and chest. His skin tone was clearly tanned in recent days by many hours spent in the direct scathing light of the sun, but no where did it appear that his skin had been burned or injured by the suns rays, nor that he had tanned unevenly, and if ever his sleeve shifted from reaching for a dish or spoon on the table, there would be no tan line visible.

Maruem liked sitting by the parapet and having much of the rooftop's bountiful plant life nearby. The view of the city was excellent, and he was glad he had shared it with some company even if only for a short while. It was an older Lander woman of darker skin and long blonde hair. She had been loud and full of life, and said she was just in town visiting some friends since spending almost a week on her own with her husband was a drag. He was quite the oaf if her description was accurate, but it was clear she loved him very much, even if she did not seem the type to admit it to him. She had invited Maruem to get a table to share in a nice cup of tea that afternoon, now a bit late in the day for coffee. Apparently this cafe had a special deal which gave a discount for more patrons present in a group, and Maruem saw no reason to reject her kind offer, especially after she had been so kind in helping him purchase his new home at the fancy housing registry. She had finished most of her drink, and they exchanged pleasant conversation before she expressed it was time she left for the day. Maruem offered to go along, but she was quite confident in going on her own and so they parted amicably.

Looking around, the cafe was pretty busy, and as he scanned over his fellow patrons in the crowd, a massive pair of horns on the head of a woman standing with her back to him caught his attention. She was quite the tall one, and he felt it was probably safe to assume she was an adventurer given how her appearance stood out in the crowd. He made sure his eyes did not linger for long though, staring would be rude, and he looked over a few others in the crowd who seemed to stand out a bit. Admittedly the majority of those who did stand out were faunri, though there were a couple enochs and even an antas to break the racial iron grip faunri had on looking flashy and standing out rather obviously.

Activating his user interface with a simple thought of it appearing, Maruem sat straight and faced forward at his table. He leaned on an elbow as he grabbed a few of the character displays in the area and moved them to right in front of his field of view. He was not the only one on his UI either though, it was apparent that many people were doing various tasks that were invisible to those around them. But it was also obvious that Maruem was not the only one who pulled up other people's displays, though he was definitely far more subtle than much of the others. There was a party studying him intently as they glanced back and forth between him and their Invisible menus. Eventually, they stood, came toward him, and asked if he was interested in going hunting together. Apparently they had not played with a gladiator yet, and he was the only one in the cafe so they were interested in seeing what he was capable of, but he had had an emotionally exciting day already and rejected their offer as kindly as he could, though he did offer to join them another time. He returned his attention to the UI after they left and the tall faunri dear sat where they had with her companion.

It was a very brief read over what with the scarce details the UI offered on a few on the people at the cafe. He was curious about the various builds others had gone with, and with the prospects of a guild on the horizon maybe he would even find someone he would consider adding. Their build obviously was not the end all be all for whether or not they would even be qualified to join, who they truly were as an individual and their values in this situation mattered a lot more, but it was still nice to learn about and have access to.

One of the Enochs was an Assassin, Tracker, Tailor. A pretty common build that worked synergistically. The other Enoth was an Enchanter, Apothecary, Pharmacist, a very supportive build for their assassin friend, and of course the Antas in their party was a tank, it only made sense with their racial ability. He was a Vanguard, Berserker, Chef, an interesting combination. Technically the Chef talent did make him tankier as it offered immunity to debuffs and poisons in food, though that was not a very common mechanic in Maruem's experience. Still, good food was good food, and Berserker worked well to keep his aggro up.

Looking over to the other builds, he gave the giant deer woman's a once over. Alma, Monk, Sigilmaker, Scribe, an interesting setup. Her size worked well for monk, with her longer limbs serving to enhance and expand the reach of her unarmed attacks, and sigilmaker could definitely help to enhance those unarmed strikes further, but scribe confused just a little. Of course, not all builds were about synergy, and talents had their uses outside of just building up the main class, but he wondered what her goal with taking scribe had been. Did she have plans to use a grimoire or was she just in it for the utility of enhanced writing capabilities and map making. Grimoires could be useful for a monk as he thought a bit more on it. Adding some much needed range to the mobile fortress.

Out of curiosity, he raised a finger and slid the display of the woman sitting with the deer faunri in front of him. She was a cat faunri with blue hair, though at first glance he had missed her ears as they sat somewhat low in her hair. Looking at the UI he found that Rime was a Sorcerer, Pathfinder, Artisan. A high dps class, mobility and a free skill, and an all around versatile crafting talent. Another build that was not necessarily synergistic, but definitely had it's merits.

Maruem idly took another sip of his tea as he leaned forward and looked over the various character displays in front of him. It was too early to be as analytical with all this as he was being. He had just decided to make a guild only a few hours prior, reading into just peoples builds without getting to know them was not going to get him anywhere. "Oh someone's joining them!" he quickly grabbed her display over to his field of view as well. "I... have no self control" he though over his impulses as he began to read over her info. He could not tell her race just by looking, but if he had to guess he would say that she was probably an alv, with her prominent pointed ears.

The girl looked by far the youngest of the group, probably in her late teens or very early twenties compared to the other two women who both looked about Maruem's age. The long haired new girl had long wavy hair, and as he looked at her details he found that she was, like himself, a specialist. Duelist, Acrobat, Tailor, a very synergistic and focused build. Clearly in previous iterations of Gaia Isabelle the duelist had played with a much heavier combat focus, while Alma the Monk and Rime the Sorcerer probably played with a bit more RP and crafting back in the day.

Maruem waved the various player's and lander's character details from his UI and sat back, taking a final sip of the now significantly cooled tea. He stared at his own details and wondered what others would judge them as if they saw them. Gladiator, sigilmaker, carpenter. He was not certain, but he did not plan on keeping that build as it was forever. He felt like he wanted to change his sigilmaker talent for certain, and he was still debating on whether or not he wanted to switch away from his carpentry. Closing the UI with a thought, he placed his tea cup down on its dish, and thought he saw a glance and maybe even a wave in his direction from the table with the three ladies. He gave a slight nod in acknowledgement and a warm smile before getting to his feet, ready to pay for his tea.

Word Count: 1619
Tags: Alma , Rime , Isabelle Erabus

[Rime]

Taking a brief moment to look down at the various people in the street, Rime noted how nice the cafe was in location and atmosphere before sitting down across from her new food companion.

"Hm, I am here to explore and found this place. The discount flyer is an unexpected bonus." She picked up one of the menus from the small stack of them on the table but didn't open it just yet.

While Rime was hoping to spend a tiny amount of her limited funds today on something just for the experience of shopping, everything that had garnered her attention was outside of her price range. One day soon she'd really need to find a proper solution to that, she surmised. Still, sustenance was in high demand by her stomach, so spending the money on that would not be so bad. Well, depending on the prices of this cafe... Probably should have considered that before sitting down. This place is quite nice, after all. A small sigh escaped her as she contemplated how it would be possible to join that nearby group of five to extort a higher discount, but gave the idea up after looking at them for a few moments.

Relief filled her face the moment someone had approached her table, requesting a seat. "Please!", she said with just a slight hint of desperation in her voice as she motioned toward the third chair. She silently cursed herself for said desperation as she quickly corrected her demeanor and smiled quite pleasantly as the back of her mind thought about the new discount... err, the friend that arrived. She briefly looked Isabelle over as she took her seat. "Rime is my name. Nice to have you join us." She turned toward Alma after realizing their introductions had not happened yet either.

Rime had noticed Maruem observing them and their table, and while it looked like he was mostly taking stock of the cafe visitors, her eyes danced around the cafe before stopping at her menu when they met his. While she didn't want to draw any more attention to their small but growing little group... another person meant another discount. And it did look like he was alone... The only issue was that he was drinking something already.

"Shall.. we invite one more? The man over that way..." Rime nods her head slightly in Maruem's direction, "...has been looking at us for a short bit. Not that I'm trying to garner extra discounts or anything.. but I am, and he appears to be alone." She looked back towards Maruem again, nodding and smiling politely. She wasn't excited to be the one to invite someone. She was already reaching critical mass for socializing just by sitting with two strangers. But... discounts...

In fact, if she invited everyone in the cafe to be in her group... would that just make the discount 100% off? Rime mused to herself about an impossible scenario before returning her attention to her companions, hopeful that they would invite that person more directly, and then lead the conversation. What do you even talk about with people at a cafe? She supposed the weather, or the food itself. No no... the more obvious one is how people are doing ever since this whole thing started.

While Rime's mind danced around several issues at once, her expression remained fairly consistent, maintaining her passive smile she tended to wear most of the time. She did take note that the distant onlooker had just stood from his table, before returning her attention to Alma expectantly.

---

---

Words: 596

Total:  1060

Alma , Isabelle Erabus , Maruem

[Alma]

Thoughts b4360eScribe e93ccd Talking 327965

Her eyes looked focused at the feline across from her as she deer woman seemed to relax in her corner. An arm propping an elbow on the table and her chest nestled into her palm. Now so much bored but relaxed as her ears stood tall from the noises around them and the shopping plaza below. They too were out exploring with the flyer, once more, as an added bonus. "Really is something. Never heard a place doing this or at all for that matter." Almost as if this place wants to try going out of business. Alma's ruby eyes followed the trail of bodies as they went up and down the street as if following a little line drawn on their paths. Something must be in the air other than food that drove people out here today. Alma had spent more time in the city doing chores and small jobs for money. This place wasn't the usual hub looking area for travel goods and supplies. A side shoppe for more like it. Her hand brought the flyer out again to look at its design lay out. It was simple with build color choices that was both inviting and striking. Special care in its design was made to have the cafe's discount be the highlight with pictures of items drawn on the side to indicate an example of the shopping collection. Whoever made this had it in mind to make it easy to understand and read without worrying about the text or names. Almost child friendly in a way.

The paper was tilted away as her ears flicked toward the newer voice and something of an excitable earthly rumble rising above the doldrums of customers at ground level. Another female Faunri to add to their table of menagerie. The feline, Rime, was all to eager to welcome them first. The girl's arms practically shooting forward to welcome them to the fold. "Alma. Nice of you to join us," the deer greeted with a hand wave and a twitch of her ears. That air of unease about them squeezed at her inner self. Just have to play it... nonchalant. No one would honestly know Claire in this world but these empathetic reminders made it a struggle to not cave in herself and join in on the emotional level hidden behind the persona that is the deer Faunri, Alma. "Have a seat and pull up a menu. Everything here has been smelling pretty good with the all the plates on the table." Three discounts now at the table but still available seating for a few more. If nothing else would Alma offer to sit on the edge of the awning and fence line to have her meal there.

Trying to find which pasta and oil seasoned vegetable dish she wanted, considering the options weren't too many heavy meat items on the list, when Rime brought up about a male not far from them. This could explain that voice she's been picking up that sounded out of place but it may as well be a rumble in the crowd. The words weren’t clear or so much as replying to anyone in particular or following any conversational strings but, again, it’s likely some other shopper a floor below them or heading down the road. So why sit alone? Maybe this loner thinks he's so rich or above the discount. Alma considered it for a moment but felt bad for having these thoughts at all. They’re just a stranger and looked...maybe a bit plain. Was that basic gear when players remove all armor type items? A guess really. This place started to become a hassle without checking an online guide. Less game like by the day.

Rime voiced how the man seems to be by himself with a glass in their possession. May have finished his meal ages ago so what's the hold up on leaving? "Well, maybe we should wave him over. The flyers doesn't seem strict about the discount. We just have to dine together and then the discount will apply to our total bill even if he drinks water the whole time." The flyer was spread out on the table to point out the lack of fine printed details seen on real world coupons. "In theory we could swing by here again strictly for desserts if we wanted to and still get a discount."

Having two votes to have the strange gentleman to join them, all that left was the new girl Isabelle to make it unanimous. Once that was achieved Alma would flag him down with a beckoning motion of her arm.

-----------
WC: 692

[Isabelle Erabus]

[attr=class,xiontext]
Unbeknownst to her, she had no idea that the group of them were being watched by another individual in the corner. Rather, she was more than happy to just have found a small group with which she could sit down and just enjoy a nice cup of tea. And well, honestly, she was just happy to have not been immediately rejected by them as she would perk up a little at her lack of a rejection. "Thanks!" She would chime in happily as she would now look between the other two.

The first one, being a cat-eared girl who would identify herself as Rime. Taking note of her appearance, before watching the other girl introduce herself. A deer of some kind, based upon the antlers on her head, though she had always thought it was just bucks that grew antlers? She would definitely have to learn more about deer when she got the chance. If, she got the chance. Bowing slightly to the two of them as she would take her seat. Quickly glossing over the menu in front of her just to check to see if they have it..

Before laughing slightly at Alma's notion she would nod her head. "I could smell it outside, it's actually what got me to come in in the first place. Well, that and the deal they had about if you drink with more people you get a bigger discount." She would overexplain, something she didn't need to do, but she was fairly nervous, and afraid of messing up. Something that would somewhat show on the timid girl's face.

However, it didn't matter too much now, as the conversation was quickly directed over towards another individual, one that could possibly be added to their table for an even bigger discount, and not only that, but she was more concerned about the fact that he had apparently been watching them. She wasn't really used to stalkers, but wasn't that normally like, stalker behavior? Watching them from afar and the like? Though, it would prove he wasn't if he was more than willing to come introduce himself or something... right? She didn't really know a ton about this anymore, but these two seemed to be more open to the idea, both seeming in favour of it. And well, not only that, but even she couldn't shy away from the discount that it would give, especially once Alma pointed out that he didn't really need to drink anything special while there, just be a warm body. And now the other two were looking at her.

"Sure! Yeah definitely!" She would nervously blurt out, not wanting to be the one to spoil the mood in this situation. Though, she would definitely look to one of the other two to be the one to officially wave him over, she wasn't going to be the one to do it.

That was for sure.

[attr=class,xiontext]

TAG GOES HERE
WC: 487
TWC: 985

[newclass=".xiontext"]color:black;font-family:roboto condensed;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
[newclass=".xiontext b"]color:#8991B9[/newclass][newclass=".xiontext i"]color:#8991B9[/newclass]

[Maruem]

Maruem stood at the side of his table and began to neatly stack the dishes from his small shared meal with his older companion, his attention fully absorbed in the simple and mundane task of making the used table a bit easier to clean up for the servers who came around every so often. It hardly seemed reasonable to give them more work than necessary. He was young and healthy, and had plenty of free time, a little help here and there was the least he could expect from himself.

So engrossed in the task was Maruem, that he would initially easily miss anyone trying to wave him over. He placed the dishes neatly in a stack and pushed the two chairs in quietly, lifting them slightly off the ground one by one to ensure that they did not screech against the flooring. His tanned skin almost glowed in the bright afternoon light. He then took a step back and turned to begin making his way toward the stairs which lead from the roof top garden to the cafe interior below.

As he turned, he noted a stranger waving at him, the deer like faunri woman who had been with the blue haired cat faunri that had stared at him earlier before he smiled and nodded her way. Having looked at a multitude of builds that day it took a moment to place the group he was looking at, but he eventually remembered that the deer faunri Monk had had the Scribe talent which had made him curious.

Had they been watching him while he sipped his tea and haphazardly studied a couple dozen builds in the area on this rather laid back afternoon? "How long have they been keeping an eye on me? Is it stalking, or flirtation, or just boredom?" He wondered as he began to make his was over to the very tall woman waving him over.

He reached the vicinity of their table with a bow. "Hello there, I don't believe we've met. My name is Maruem. It's a pleasure to meet you all." He finished with a nod to each of the three ladies one after the other. He was still unsure as to why he was waved over, but who was he to reject the opportunity to make friends, if anything, it was a good opportunity to rest a bit longer, it had been a long week after all. He began to converse with a pleasant expression on his face. He was earnest and friendly with them, although admittedly a little confused at being waved over.

"I noticed your friend here glancing at me earlier." He said indicating toward Rime with a nod of the head and glance of the eyes as he spoke to Alma. "I wasn't sure if I reminded you of someone or I just has something stuck to my face." He said to the cat faunri with a chuckle, joking quite obviously in a friendly manor, his clean face aglow with a sociable smile.

As he spoke he had a little more time to think and remembered the flier he had seen down below when he first entered the building. "Is it possible you all wished to add another member to your table for a larger discount? If so, I must warn you about the fine print. I can join but I'll be the last one for this particular table. Seems the cafe thought ahead. The discount only applies per table, and specifies that we're not allowed to move tables together for larger groups or even add extra chairs to a table. So with this one only having four chairs I leave the choice to you if indeed that was your intention."

Word Count: 622
Total Word Count: 2241
Tags: Alma , Rime , Isabelle Erabus

[Rime]

As Maruem approached the table, Rime's mind focused on something it really didn't need to. Was I staring at him? Not for long, right? Oh no. Rime tried to hide her nervousness as she considered she may have been looking at him for too long. There was no time for that, however, as Maruem had just introduced himself and even commented on the staring. That's what he said, right? Staring? Ugh.

"Ah, no, um, I just thought that maybe... " Thoroughly overthinking things, Rime paused before deciding to just follow up on his introduction, though her long pause caused Maruem to follow up on the conversation and explain exactly what she wanted. Perfect.

Extending a hand toward the empty chair, Rime gathered her thoughts. "My name is Rime... that is what I was hoping for, is all. You don't appear to have anything on your face. Apologies for staring." She trailed off with her brief apology at the end, having convinced herself that she had been staring at him when that was not the case. Conversation is hard, especially on an empty stomach. Rime wondered if there was a skill she could get for improved charisma as she gave up and turned her attention to the menu she still had in hand. Opening it, she began perusing it for the cheapest item she could find that still looked appetizing.

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Words: 230

Total:  1290

Alma , Isabelle Erabus , Maruem

[Alma]

Thoughts b4360eScribe e93ccd Talking 327965


"I'm Alma. Nice of you to join us. And...uh, alright. Close enough." Alma shrugged a bit sheepishly to the man. That does cut out anyone else from sharing in on the discount but that might be a good cut-off. Their numbers about covered all corners of their dining table. Now all that leaves is the pleasantries and sorting of any further inconveniences. When browsing the menu to eye out whatever was cheap and flavorful, Alma noted a few aspects. Now may not be the best time to delve into these though. She settled on what sounded like a tossed pasta salad with some cheese with a basket of bread and the region's choice of spread. Her head nodded and stuck with that choice till the waitress returned to collect what they ordered. Eyes turned to Muren if he could stand another round of a snack after his previous one.

"I'm sure even a small dessert would go over well if you prefer another drink for this collective discount, be our guest." She motioned welcomingly with one hand while sitting partially slouched into her corner of the table and the railings. "So, um, assuming this is everyone's first time to a place like this, what does everyone think of being here? I've never seen a building a bit more cleaned up. The locals certainly take a measure of pride in appearances. Maybe everyone is coming around to accessing fresh business." Fresh, as in the sudden slew of adventurers that raise the population count of the city in a span of a few hours.

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[Isabelle Erabus]

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Finally noticing the new individual as he'd make his way over to their table, the new man would introduce himself as Mareum, to which she would nod her head back at him. "Hello, pleasure to meet you." She'd say back to him with a faint smile on her face. However, when he mentioned something about the friend glancing at him earlier, it immediately made her worried that it was some sort of flirtation thing going on. After all, she did remember the days of swooning boys with a quick gaze and a wink.

However, as if he could read her mind, he would remind them about the discount and the fine print on it. Something that well, ok she didn't exactly read it. But it didn't really matter to her as she would just shrug at his suggestion. It's not like she was really opposed to him joining their table after all. Though she would look to her other companions to see what their reaction was before saying anything else personally. However, the way that Rime seemed flustered, she couldn't help but wonder more if she truly had actually been staring at him for more impure reasons. But, it's not like she was going to ask that. Definitely not here. "Seems like you're more than welcome to sit." She'd finally surmize.

As she'd continue looking over the menu though, she would have to ask to the group. "Anyone been here before? Anyone know what's good?" She'd ask to the group, figuring maybe somebody had. Though, she would also take the time to answer Alma's question as well. "Honestly, it feels a bit more homely than before. It is kinda weird how everything is, well, you know." She'd say, finding it a bit hard to actually say it.

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TWC: 1286

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[Maruem]

The sorcerer extended one of her hands toward the last empty chair while introducing herself as Rime. It seemed like Maruem had hit the nail on the head. The cat faunri had not, in fact, been just idly watching him, not that he would find anything particularly wrong with that, but she had simply been in search of another table member to increase their discount. He felt it was safe to assume they were all adventurers, and that being the case, she simply had a very pragmatic approach to a very real issue of the first week. Many adventurers were poor, saving as much as they could was the obvious solution aside from stealing, and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of a Royal Guard's blade.

She finished by confirming he did not have anything on his face, seemingly haven taken his joke seriously, and apologized for staring. "Staring...?" Maruem thought to himself. "I only mentioned she had glanced my way, had she really been watching me that long? Huh... well ok then I guess, no harm in being admired I suppose." It was then that he heard a growl come not from the cat's mouth as one might expect, but from her stomach. He was about to comment when the third young lady of the group finally seemed to take notice of him and gave him a small nod. She greeted him without offering her own introduction, not that it troubled Maruem, he would just have to ask for it later when the opportunity arose. She seemed to take in her companions dispositions toward Maruem joining them and decided she was alright with it, stating that he was seemingly permitted to join them.

By this point Rime had already dove into browsing her menu, her cheeks seemingly painted with a faint hint of red. Maybe he would not comment on her stomach growling after all, but go for a more general and polite approach. His intention was never to call her out of course but even still, he was glad he caught himself thanks to that distraction from the duelist girl. Maruem pulled the chair out without a sound and sat, deftly sliding forward with minimal noise and settling into his new group.

It was then that Alma introduced herself and sheepishly confirmed his theory as well. It may not have been completely spot on in her eyes, but apparently it worked well enough. She returned to browsing her menu and seemed to have made a choice as she nodded and set it down. She once again turned her attention to him from her somewhat slouched position by the railing of the rooftop, opposite in seating position to him. She seemed keen on him also taking advantage of the discount.

She then moved on to assuming it was everyone's first time at the cafe. She was going for some small talk to get everyone's feelings on the place, not a bad approach. He agreed that the locals seemed quite skilled at making their homes look nice, if not for the ruins dotted around the place the city would be a truly magical place to visit. The other girl, took a more active approach and asked if anyone had in fact actually been there before and what was good. She seemed to find it hard to describe everything that had happened up until then, but noted that it did feel more homely now.

Maruem raised two fingers to indicate he had something to say without interrupting anyone or cutting them off. With a slight smile on his lips he began, "I don't know if you'd count it as being here before per say, but I was literally just here at that other table. If you're looking for dinner, the lamb roast is incredible, the meat is so tender it basically just melts in your mouth without being too fatty. As for desserts, the black moss cupcakes are a sleeper. They don't seem to sell very highly because of the name, but the flavor is incredible. Think matcha with a slightly earthy chocolate undertone in the flavor. From what I've seen you can't go wrong with any of their teas either, and the coffee I had at the end, the Potenzila blend imported from the Kingdom of Basili, was very smooth and rich, I could drink that all day, and honestly I'll probably be buying a bag downstairs when it comes time to leave." He gave what information he could, but sadly he had only eaten so much in his short first visit.

"Actually, if I may be so bold, going back to what you said before Alma, rather than me being your guest, would you do me the pleasure of being mine. I've been rather fortunate in finding work this past week, difficult as it was for so many of us. If all of you ladies are alright with it, I'd like to offer for the meals to be on me. Many people are still going hungry, many more still don't have a stable roof over their head, if possible I'd like to do my part in helping out where I can. I would like to help out where a can, even if this time 'my part' is only paying for a meal so some new companions can hold onto their savings for that much longer."

Maruem smiled hopefully at the group. He hoped he had not come off as condescending or flirtatious at all, sometimes it could feel that way when money was involved, but he had seen first hand how brutal the first week had been for so many adventurers. These three ladies were all together at a café now, sure, but who could say what each of them had endured to get here, now able to enjoy a more jovial and friendly atmosphere. He truly hoped they would accept his offer to pay.

Word Count: 989
Total Word Count: 2241 + 989 = 3230
Tags: Rime , Alma , Isabelle Erabus

[Alma]

Thoughts b4360eScribe e93ccd Talking 327965

The Kingdom of Basili? Alma started off a bit and then checked out over the railing. Odd to think that there were Kingdoms around here but now it was time to start thinking that there are kingdoms now rather than why are there. The way this guy spoke so casually about it left a sense that he is a bit more worldly knowledge than a fresh starter. The deer Faunri continued to look off somewhere as if trying to see past the building around them for where this Kingdom resided. Her ears kept upwards for the voices and conversation though before gradually turned her head inwards to the table. Rather than splitting the bill amongst themselves would Maruem lead an offering hand to shoe the bill as well. Could this guy be any more senior? Alma wanted to ask more about this but the setting didn't feel in tune with her questions.

"Honestly, my thoughts were to have the discount pile up so our own individual bills are smaller in comparison," she explained the cheap tactic in mind. Almost too naive to even work in the first place. "But if you're going to do that then what about we do something afterward to make up for it." Normally Alma would just fork over money and call it a trade but that would polish down her savings. The cycle of odd jobs continues. "Not say everyone is required to hop after my idea but, hmm, how to put it." She needed a moment to think this over to word it more delicately.

"Maybe it would be nice to hang around after the meal. Walk it off and maybe compare notes? It's been something of a rough week that it'd be nice to take it easy for a change."

That sounded like the right words to say. The Clair in her mind nodded in hopes that sounded like the mature thing to say. Alma hoped to not have offended anyone to draw up bad memories over that. No. This was more of an attempt at finding some normality in this new life.

In due time the waitress returned for the group to deliver the orders and kick back a few drinks. The colorful vibrant plates to soon decorate their once empty table with fresh aromas tied with it. Like that first real meal at that tavern. A shining home cooked experience in what would normally have been a modern cafe.


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