You meet in a sleazy dive bar...

    The Isekai Ryokan is, apparently, having one of its infrequent Music Nights. Tonight's minstrel is semi-famous bard, adventuress, and general layabout, Miyako Blacklily, sitting on the edge of a table by the fireplace with guitar in her lap and singing. The room is only lightly populated, most people staying home or 'enjoying' the weather elsewhere.

        "Just sing... sing a song... sing out loud... sing out strong...
        Sing, of good things, not bad
        Sing, of happy, not sad..."

    She carries on singing for a bit, until she declares it time for a break. "Thanks everyone, but thirsty bards gotta wet her whistle. And no, I pay for my own drinks, thanks." To amused laughter, she slides the guitar back into her Inventory and hops down from the table, heading over to the bar to speak to whoever Hifumi has on waitress duty tonight. "Hey, any chance you can do me up a platter of something hot and tasty? Maybe some fried shrimp?" After she and the waitress have settled on that, she orders a drink and settles in to watch the crowd, such as it is.

    Ayame's easy to spot in a crowd, even in a busy inn, with the wind howling and the storm fierce. She's by a window, prim and neat, with a wand stuck in her hair and a shield resting against the wall. She'd listened to Miyako with a thoughtful interest, one elbow on the table and her chin in her hand, as she ate something warm and simple. The drink at her elbow? Juice. With a prim blouse, neat skirt and a general air of restrained enjoyment, it's probably only the wind that kept her in. Probably.
    Still, she did shift, enough to smile across to Miyako as she waits for her meal "That was a good set" She nods up, eyes bright and that quartet of diaphanous wings settled, with only occasional fitful buzzes "You often play this way? The storm caught me quite off guard, so this isn't my usual retreat."

    Miyako nods, smilinh lightly, and sips her cider. "Often enough," the young-looking Spriggan agrees. "I don't exactly need the money, but folks do like the entertainment. And I like to sing and play. So it all works out."

    She examines the Sylph for a moment, and hmms. "Don't think we've met, or if we have, I don't recall it. Sorry, I have an awful memory for pairing names and faces." She holds out a hand. "Miyako Blacklily, Bard, Explorer, and General Nuisance."

    "I don't believe the last. I've met Uta" Ayame responds, moving to shake a hand with a gloved one. Soft leather. She grins just a little at the comment "Ayame. Sentinel, shieldbearer, and on occasion and of late, secretarial support to the sector of Eas." She chatters easily "And yes. Entertainment is more a vocation; it's something you either do, or can't"
    The faintly envious look on the Sylph's face suggests the latter, really. "I might have to come by more often. You put on a good show. As for forgetting - really, don't worry about it" A little wave of a hand, before she sips her drink "There are far, far more colorful people for you to be remembering!"

    "Well," Miyako muses, "-where- I put on a show is more a matter of where I happen to be when the urge strikes, than anywhere in particular or any sort of schedule. Today I was here in town, next week I might be in Fort Ouph, or even up the Tower." She shrugs.

    And makes note of the mention of Eas. "Any friend of Uta's is probably a friend of mine. Working for the Baroness, are you?" The optical examination continues, and then she adds, "Might let your hair down. It'll dry out faster, and I'll bet you the price of dinner tonight that you look great that way." Most of the rumors about her -don't- mention the incorrigible flirt, do they?

Ayame gives Miyako a look. It's a long-suffering look, and more than a tad exasperated before she reaches up to withdraw the wand and tuck it behind an ear. She keeps her eyes on the spriggan as she works a glove off, and then carefully fluffs out her hair.

    It might not be as long as hoped. Past her shoulders, anyway.

    "I am. Eas needs a lot of organisation, and I can just about manage that" She chuckles, removing her other glove and laying them down neatly by the plate "A shield, thankfully, makes a great way to keep the rain off" With a pointed glance at her frilled, white shirt. "I got a little damp. How about you? Roam where the wind takes you?"

    "As often as not," Miyako says, nodding. She smiles lightly as she watches Ayame let her hair down. "Told you it'd be a good look." She grins and salutes with her glass, before sipping from it. "Great choice of outfit, too." She winks playfully, then asks, "So, what brings you out on a mad night like this? Especially waving around that great big lightning rod above your head?"

Ayame looks slightly amused, taking up her drink and sipping, and looking over Miyako thoughtfully "Thank you. It's my sister's suggestion, but I've kept to it" She glances down at herself and nods "A lot of people seem to go for just a one-piece. Separating things out, small accessories, make things so much easier - as you yourself seem to agree" With a wave of her finger at the spriggan

    "Mostly, looking over preparations. Helping make sure the lines are in place for Eas, when the time's needed. Small things, but helpful" She shrugs gently "And it's hardly a great big rod." A touch defensive, there "Were you planning on performing here tonight, or did the storm catch you, as well?"

    Miyako nods. "On the outside I never was much for it - jeans and maybe a decent shirt were my standard - but here, I can get away with so much more." She smiles widely. "So I indulge." She doesn't comment on the amount of jewelry and other finery tucked away in her inventory. There's really no need to.

    "Well, true, true," she temporizes. "And yeah, I was on my way down to catch a ship, but there's no one setting sail in this weather." The spriggan shrugs and continues. "Maybe I should invest in an umbrella. I bet someone could get something workable together pretty easily. I know that fox-girl in Shibuya had one..." She hmms, trailing off a bit, eyes closing for a moment as she reminisces. "Good fight, that was."

"Well, you look good in it" Ayame nods and smiles just a touch, considering again before yanking her eyes back to the window with a sigh, watching the rain smash against it "And I suppose people have expectations of a bard? See you coming as well as hear?" She asks, with just a touch of a teasing tone as her fingers waggle at that sash, without her looking, before she returns her eyes back

    "I think it might be a little bit" She agrees "I'm not sure how long the storm will last, but it'll be a while. And yes - just get a parasol and wax it, maybe? Though in this wind, even that might not be enough. Settle for a heavy coat and hood." She suggests, and glances down at a case by her shield.

The door opens, the wind howls louder and blasts into the area closer to the entrance. A dark-haired figure wrapped in a waxed cloth mantle rushes in, and closes the door immediately after.

The disturbance subsides.

This is why the seats close to the door are among the least desirable at this time of year.

The figure hangs the coat to dry, shakes her dark wings to get humidity off, and, after materializing a towel from her menu, begins to dry her head. "...a hat. I should have worn a hat. Mikage did mention that hats are important. Did I listen to Mikage? Of course I didn't. And now my head is wet."

Her head, face, and thigh-high boots are the part that got the worst from the rain; the main part, not as much, luckily, thanks to the coat.

    Miyako notes the Sylph's reaction, a light smile twitching the corners of her mouth. "Hmm, I suppose I could," she agrees, "But the coat... mmm. It would detract from the Image. Unless I can get a really nice black leather duster, but even then, that's a -different- image." She starts to add something else, but is interrupted by the arrival of another Spriggan! One she recognizes right away!

    "A warm towel and a hot drink for the lady!" she calls over to the waitress, her smile widening into a grin. "Hello there, neighbor!"

"I need to stop mentioning her name" Ayame mutters to Miyako "I swear, she can hear it no matter where you are and she'll show up" A little chuckle before she raises her hand to wave ever so slightly to Uta "Come and get a drink, and maybe you'll find something warm to help you dry off"

    Then a look back to Miyako; catching the light twitch of a smile "Well, there are enough seamstresses and tailors to help you if you choose to. What sort of look are you wanting? Not that your current one doesn't just scream adventurer." She chuckles

"I'll take the hot drink, but warm towels don't agree with my stomach. I-" A blink. "Oh, you meant...", she says, pointing at herself and moving her finger up and down to mimic a drying motion. "Yes, yes! That would be great!", she exclaims. She rubs her head with a quiet "Ow...", and mentions, "And think I'll book a room to clean u-"

Pause.

"Oh, hi Ayame! Hi Miyako!", she exclaims. Her previous mention of a room completely forgotten, she makes a beeline for the table where the other two Adventurers are sitting. "I hope I'm not interrupting-"

A pause.

Talk of seamstresses, tailors, and looks.

She just sits back and lets the discussion continue, while waiting for her hot towel (and beverage) to arrive.

    Miyako chuckles lightly, nodding. "Hey Uta. We were just talking about you." She flashes her grin again, showing white, even teeth. "Good to see you. Have a seat, have some hot mulled cider."

    "As for a look... well. Sassy, sexy, dangerous. I'm a bad, bad, bad, bad girl, and the kind mothers tell their boys not to get involved in." She winks playfully at Ayame. "Which is a good thing, since I'm not interested in them anyways."

Ayame nods along as she listens. And then a blush spreads from her cheeks to the tips of her ears before she clears her throat by finishing her drink and pointedly ordering a new one. A little shake of her head "Honestly, I swear, I'm not sure if they've put something in the water recently to push people to flirt more. Uta? You didn't drop anything in there, did you?" It's a joke, as she chuckles weakly and looks away briefly, before shrugging and responding more seriously

    "I think it's going to be an interesting week, anyway. I normally move about a bunch, but this storm's going to keep us all hemmed in a lot more than we like. Still, better than last time" Her nose wrinkles, lifting her glasses "I was at sea" She laughs "That was not fun."

"You were talking about me?", Uta blinks. "Of me with a sassy, sexy, dangerous look?" She looks between Miyako and Ayame. "What is this, a fanfic writers' club? ETO Adventurers are writing ETO fanfiction?" She asks, scratching her head. "...have you people been hanging around Morri and her Shipping Wall?"

At Ayame's question, Uta blinks and stares deep into Ayame's drinking vessel. "...Water? Isn't that juice?"

But look! A distraction! A warm towel and hot tea are brought to the table. Uta thanks the waitress with a bow, and begins to dry herself up.

    Miyako -might- have had one or two drinks already tonight. Or maybe three or four. Regardless, there is soon enough plates of food for those who want it, and hot drinks as well. "Of -me- with that look," she explains. "Though I bet you'd look good that way too. It's a great look on almost any Spriggan. I mean, it's what we were made for, innit?"

    Then she blinks and pauses, cider glass held just below her lips, about to take a drink. "Fanfic writers' club? Hmm, I used to write a little, but, well..." She shrugs. "I prefer music myself. Or reading. I can't count how many great stories I miss from back there."

"I do a little writing" Ayame smiles, even as she shakes her head "I refute any and all shipping walls, discussions, stories - as far as I'm concerned, shipping begins and ends at ports and has boats in the middle" As she recovers, just a little from her blush.

    "It is juice. Though I'm sure the water's fresh - unless you've been releasing slimes again" She tells Uta with a grin and a shake of her head

    "As I said, you manage the look just fine. I prefer something a little more battened down. The shield does instead of armor, and the boots and gloves cover what it doesn't. No helm, thankfully - not seen anything doing headshots yet"

Uta seems to absorb the slightest hint of Ayame's blush at the mention of her in that kind of look. Quick, quick, move the discussion to a more acceptable subject!

"I thought we Spriggans were made for waging war and perpetrating ruthless genocide?", she says to Miyako. Then, realizing what she just said, she looks down in shame. "Oh, dang, great. I've stereotyped us again." she mumbles.

She stays silent for a moment, over the howling of the wind outside. "There are quite a few stories I miss from out there. So many books..." she mumbles, staring out of the window, chin propped up with one hand.

She takes a sip of her tea, and then turns to Ayame, semi-distractedly. "Agreed. Leave that to ports. And I am trying to learn to project magical barrier. I hope that'll compensate for a lack of a helmet."

Again, that looking down and away, with a mumbled, barely audible "There was no -intentional- release of slimes into the water, no."

Finally, she turns towards Miyako again. "Oh, music. I -love- music."

    Miyako nods, smiling at Ayame. "Good to know it meets with your approval. I bet you could pull it off too, just needs the right accessories and attitude." She hmms, eyes roaming over Ayame once again, then to Uta and her thigh-high boots. "The right set of boots, maybe some fingerless gloves... stockings... hmm, maybe a sash around your waist? Yeah, a little piratical, it could work." She grins impishly as she considers the image.

    "No -intentional- release, hmm? You sure about that?" She has to agree with mourning the loss of outside literature. Still, she's sure that there will be new stories told here. "You still have that pile of songs I wrote down, right? There were some in there I didn't have all the lyrics or tunes for, if you can complete any...."

Ayame just looks at the table, resting her head in her hand as Miyako offers her sartorial opinion "You are never allowed to open my case" She tells the spriggan with a wag of her finger, before she contains herself and picks up the hot cider, sipping it, and listening to Uta with a touch of sympathy

    "I wonder. I can remember a lot of plots to things, especially ones I had to study. There are a lot of Lander books out there - I'm willing to bet at least a few have made it into the libraries in this world. That might be worth looking into, for Eas" She muses in thought a little.

"Stop that, Miyako," Uta replies to Miyako at the discussion of looks. "You'll summon Gwen," then quickly moves on to the next subject: "Your Christmas gift. Loved it," Uta replies to Miyako. She turns to Ayame, and explains, "Miyako gave me a songbook of folk songs from the Anglosphere. Written down from memory. A most appreciated gift." Returning to Ayame, she scratches her head. "I did learn English-language literature. Long ago. In a past life. To be honest, I had never heard most of these songs, and the ones I had heard of, well, you already completed."

"Look into what, exactly? If we have Lander literature?" Uta asks Ayame. "I'm pretty sure we do. There is, for instance, a book with a fairy tale about the Wyvern Riders of Londonia." She looks down and sighs. "And as for -our- literature... I do not feel like recreating an approximation of our literature from Outside. It'd be betraying the vision of the original author." She rubs her head. "And with all the things I have to do, not to mention the War, I barely have time to read for pleasure anymore. Even when I travel, I have to constantly be on the lookout for danger. Only option is traveling with a larger caravan, where adventurers take -turns- for active duty..."

"I meant that I'm fairly sure a some of the original texts might have found a way in here" Ayame responds to Uta with a small smile "If only because people don't always want to write up everything. Besides, it can't hurt to look, can it?" She shakes her head a little "But I understand. I'll leave that for the moment - we have enough to go on, as it is" She chuckles slightly "And yes. I enjoy the caravan trips for that reason. Helping, but still time to rest from the stress and just talk and relax as we go."

    Miyako finishes off the last of her snack while the trio chat. "Well, if you come across anyone who does..." She smiles lightly. "And, oh, we weren't designed for 'genocide', it was 'murder'. Knives in the dark. Assassination, theft, trickery. All the -fun- stuff." Is she serious? Maybe. "As for Gwen, well, that's -her- problem. She knows my style, if she tries to get me to change it again... I'll spike her next meal with ghost peppers."

    Threat delivered, she smiles again, this time wider, and just a bit cruel. Maybe. "She's right about the literature, though," she tells Ayame. "We need to build our own stories, about us and the people of this Land, and how we work together to build our new world." Her smile widens into a grin. "But the stories make a good framework to build on, and, well, I'm not giving up my songs. If you want to share your stories, go right ahead."

    The bartender gives her a -look-, though, when she turns to get a refill on her cider, and she nods, hopping off the stool. "Time for a bit more music, what say? One more set at least, tonight." She produces her guitar and heads up to the stage, with an old fisherman's tune.

        Where do you go, little herring? What do you see, tail and fin?
        Blue and green, cold and dark, seaweed growin' high
        Hills a hundred fathoms deep, where the dead men lie
        Codfish eyes, and mackerel skies, and oh they hunger after me
        Net or weir, I don't care, catch me if you can!

"We can take a look when we have time, sure," Uta replies to Ayame, "but I doubt we'll find any text from our Earth. Agreed, though, one never knows. Maybe we'll find something."

Uta fidgets with her fingers. "...assuming that people from our world wrote things. It might be completely AI-generated material. Or..." She trails off. "This world is ridiculously consistent and original. Any attempt at finding unraveled seams appears to never turn up any conclusive proof. It's unnerving."

"Yes, right," Uta concedes to Miyako. "Assassination. Theft. Trickey. Stuff I've tried to steer the heck clear from," Uta mumbles. "I suppose I don't really make a good Spriggan."

"If you can recreate your songs, by all means, go ahead!", Uta encourages. "Just saying that recreating a song perfectly is far easier than recreating a whole novel. Although..."

She taps her chin. "...preserving at least the plots and major themes would already be huge. Some portions of classical European literature are known to us only through indirect mentions in medieval tomes. Perhaps a limited preservation effort -is- better than nothing...", she trails off, pensive.

Tea sip.

"Music, yes, I like music!", she reiterates, and gets ready to listen to Miyako's performance.

Ayame smiles a little as well, nodding along as Uta chatters, but dropping the avenue of inquiry. She relaxes back with her warm cider, twisting to watch the performance, and murmuring in response at least in part to Uta "Oh, I don't know. Part of all that is raising merry hell, and you certainly manage that part" She grins "I'm hardly a stereotype for the sylphs, now, am I?"

Ayame and Uta chatter a little. They watch Miyako, before Uta's hot towel arrives and - still protesting she didn't release those slimes, which Ayame waves off - she traipses up to the rooms upstairs. Ayame, meanwhile, continued to watch the bard perform, deep in thought following the discussion. A touch of a distant look. Still, she applauded when the piratical spriggan finished, and had more hot drinks brought to her window table, waving her back

        Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand
        I don't care! I'm still free! You can't take the sky from me!

        Take me out into the black, tell 'em I ain't comin' back
        Burn the land, and boil the sea - you can't take the sky from me!

    And with that Miyako finishes her second set, taking a bow and descending from the stage to rejoin Ayame at the bar. "Hey, friend. Enjoy the set?" She grins as she settles next to the Sylph. "I take it Uta ran off to find a hot bath?"

"She did" Ayame grins "Though knowing her, slimes will crawl into it" She shakes her head with a little disbelief, sliding one of the drinks across to Miyako "And I did. It's good to hear music again - especially good music" with a small bob of her head - then a touch of the back of her neck as the loose hair brushes over it

"So. I said I work around Eas. How about you? Just wandering? Finding ways to raise the blood pressure of anyone you meet?" Only teasing a little. With a smile.

    Miyako chuckles at the thought of slimes invading Uta's bath. "If that could happen to anyone, it'd be her," she agrees. "And I happen to be fond of good music, too, especially the kind I sing. But that should be obvious." She grins again. And then hmms softly, reaching into her inventory to produce a length of black silk ribbon. "Here, turn around, let me do something with that hair." It's clear to her that it's bothering Ayame in some way.

    "Me, I tend to wander mostly around Eastal, although of late I've been spending a lot of time in Shibuya. Until we had those rather rude visitors, that is." She shrugs. "So I've been bouncing around between Fort Ouph and Alne, among other places."

Ayame just raises an eyebrow and looks at the silk ribbon, and then at Miyako, with a pointed smirk briefly on her lips before she turns away, holding still and chattering, resting as she stares at the window and the reflections "Nothing wrong with liking your own work. I've heard the whole tortured artist thing before, but it always seems so - well, when someone loves what they do, it comes through in the performance. You do."

And a little nod at the second, though keeping as still as she can, her hands folded on her lap "Yes, most rude. Quite inconsiderate. Though the thought on them travelling at sea in this weather brings a little spite of warmth to my heart" She chuckles

    Miyako nods, smiling as Ayame turns. She reachs up and gathers the Sylph's dark tresses between her fingers. "Yeah, it was kind of my link to sanity when the game blew up," she admits. She weaves the ribbon into the strands of hair, forming a loose-seeming bow that lets the hair flow freely while keeping it off of Ayame's neck. "There," she says, "How's that feel? Better?"

    "And yes, I do pity those who are out on the sea tonight," she murmurs. "The Grey Widow-maker knows no allegiances, takes no sides. She just hungers, and rages." She sighs softly, then decides to change the subject. "Were you interested in the peko races? I hear they're crazy enough to have one in the middle of the storm."

"I am, but not crazy enough to go out for them. I'll stay in with a book, I think" Ayame smiles. She uses the window as a mirror, examining herself and then nodding her thanks "It does. I normally just pin it up to keep it out of the way, but that's a lot more comfortable"

She twists back, musing "You're the gambling type, I'm guessing? Well, try not to lose the shirt from your back. With the rain, it'll be far more uncomfortable than normal" She grins

    Miyako nods, "I wish I could join you, but I have a friend in the race, and she's been trying to get me to join as well. I think she might have even signed me up for it without telling me." She smiles again. "It looks really good on you, though. Much better than the bun." She sets some coin on the bar to pay for her meal and drinks, before rising. "I'll have to introduce you to Ko-chan next time."

"I look forward to it" Ayame smiles as she stands, leaving her own coins. The shield is rested to her back, and she picks up the small case as well, hanging it from the bottom of the shield "You'll have to let me know how it goes, since we're likely stuck around here for the next few days, at least" It's an offer of sorts "Good luck! Try not to get scrapes."

    Miyako nods, grinning, and produces a heavy cloak from her pack, wrapping it around herself and pulling up the hood as she heads towards the exit. Turning to wink at the Sylph, she calls back, "Sure thing! See you next time, cute stuff!" And then she's gone, out into the wind and rain.

There's an immediate blush at that yell across the bar and a little flustered wave, though with no audible sound until Ayame manages "... I need to throw more things at more spriggans" She mutters, pulling out her notebook and making jotting it down, before wandering for the rooms upstairs