Before Her Coffee

So it's Gwen's shop but it's before opening the door is unlocked and the opening time is left on the door. However she has told people she knows well enough they can come into the main area if the door's unlocked in the morning. Which it is also there's the smell of food cooking, eggs, meat and something else wafts out of the shop.

Closing time o/` Time to return to the places that you will be from. Wait. No. Its opening time. Is pre-opening time just post-closing time? Haru has the big brain questions going on right now. It may be why he is not paying too much attention to the present. A problem when adventuring. Not as much a problem in a town. The silver haired Artificer opens the door with the marketable jingle of the bell. "Mage needs food badly," he announces in a deep Gauntlets style voice. He has a small box in one of his hands, the kind that has a lock and used to carry semi precious merchandise like gemstones or rare minerals. Unless you have that sweet Adventurer inventory system. Which Haru does, but its not as immersive as HOLDING the items sometimes.

Curtana has never been one for fashion or even the lighter armor used by many Adventurers. He prefers form over function, and the higher defense values of heavy armor has always appealed to him. As for why he would head to a light armor shop with a rather...suggestive name? The promise of freshly cooked food over trail rations this morning. While not as bad as some people, Curtana never really bothered to level the Cooking skill, which tends to bite him in the rear whenever hunger strikes.

Having heard Haru's voice, he follows the Enchanter inside and laughing as he steps indoors. "This Elf won't shoot the food, I promise!" Smiling at his rare joke in the morning hours, the Pooka takes a curious look around the Chain Mail Bikini, seeing it on the inside for the first time.

The shop is filled with light armor and clothing, ranging from simpler undergarments, to light cloth armor. All of it is very well made but in the back? That's where the small kitchen is for the food stand that the shop also runs. One might see the towering form of Gwen there, but one her hair's a mess, and she's wearing a tank top and shorts. She's standing over a wooden stove cooking food.

"Wait what?! Curtana?! Haru?!"

She sounds groggy as she looks over her shoulder and has that look of someone. Who has not had coffee yet. "Ya'll need to stop hangfing there and come to the counter."

The Artificer is all about fashion. When you have a class that wears, effectively, cloth armor? Fashion. Fashion for days. Haru is fit for more urban adventurers over ones in the wilderness. "I'll hold you to that," Haru grins to Curtana at the notion of shooting food. "Unless you are shooting something that becomes food. Like, say, a wall hiding a turkey." Oh Castlevania, will your turkey wall wonders ever cease?

Haru does not have coffee. However. He does have potions. The life of an Enchanter requires Alchemy! Did you know that Enchanting requires Alchemical Catalysts in order to transfer or apply the enchantment effects? The more you know~ It is unknown what Haru is transferring as he finds Gwen's mug, uncorks a blue bottle, and starts pouring 'this is not coffee' into it, "And you need to stay hydrated." He hands the ETO brand Powerthirst (tm) mug to Gwen. "With everything going on with Shibuya, trips to Alne feel fewer and farer between. Here is hoping we crack the code on the Chaos Gates."

Thankfully, Curtana is quick to catch onto this inside joke as well. Likely due to being a morning person. "Wall turkey gives you health! Well, as long as it's not expired. If I break a wall and out comes green meat...i'm not touching it." It does raise the question if wall meat is a thing in ETO...

It seems that Haru is quicker than he is on the potion draw, and Curtana puts away the bottle he just materalizes containing a pitch black substance. Alchemy is one side of a coin, the other being Pharmacy, so it stands to reason Haru wasn't the only one to attempt to recreate coffee. "Honestly would be nice if we could do such a thing. The Chaos Gates sound like they would open up so much for us if we could get them working again." Taking a good look towards Gwen now, the knight frowns slightly. "Sorry if we're intruding this morning, Gwen. The door was unlocked, and when I saw Haru come inside, I thought it was fine."

Gwen is so groggy the accent is out in full at the moment. Texan accent speaking japanese? Heavens help you all though she is interstanable.

She'll take the drink and down it without much word. "I could kiss Merek for figuring out coffee though."

She notes as she goes to get some more food to put on for her guests.

"We need to be heading out to put the boot on the Palace Land ruler's throats. This is the sort of situation where you start callen for a rope."

she'll put some more bacon on and grins.

"It is you know me well enough and getting them fixed would be wonderful. It would be a lot easier to get around but the Palace landers could use em or worse forces out there."

Haru's potions taste like utter garbage due to the lack of the Brewing skill. He gives an Alchemy nod to Curtana on the potion idea. "Don't worry about Gwen, Curt. She loves the company. The whole Pendragon family is about as welcoming as it can get. Just be careful with Morri or you will end up on 'the wall'!" Dun dun dun.

Gwen gets a low whistle for taking it back like it was a dirty bar special as he watches. "Long night, Gwen?" he asks. Not that the Artificer is one to talk. Even in the New World he is known for a strong work ethic and ambition. Also known as being a workaholic. That emo energy has to go somewhere now that he has graducated out of his My Chemical Linkin Park phase as of recent. "I'll leave the Advance Force to the other Silver Sword guild leader. Combat is Shiruba's forte, not mine. Now Craft logistics? Covered. Expeditions don't supply or fund themselves," he motions, as the Craft Commander promotion comes with its share of paperwork. "I'd just as soon focus on rebuilding our infrastructure and economy with Shibuya than pursue the war effort. There is such a thing as war fatigue and fighting a war on foreign soil has historically not worked out well during times of such fatigue."

With a sigh, Curtana pinches the bridge of his nose before nodding. "As much as I wish otherwise...I get the feeling the leaders of the Palace Landers won't stop until we stop them for good. Maybe by cutting off the heads we can broker some peace, but it's going to be a bloody battle..." It's like a switch was flicked while Curtana muses about this out loud. His cheerful mood replaced with a more somber one.

The name of Pendragon is quick to flip that switch again, and he seems to be back to his normal self. "Pendragon, huh? A famous name...but...do I want to know what the wall is?"

Curtana nods alongside Haru. "War fatigue is a real issue to be sure. It was a crippling issue for the Crusades in the old world, between the constant battles and culture shock." Frowning softly, he pats his sheathed longsword for a moment. "Shore leave is important for troops, to unwind and relax for the battles ahead. Best to make sure everything is fine back at home so everyone can continue helping those repressed by the Palace Landers, at least in my book."

Gwen says "Oh Curtana's on the wall already." Gwen notes darkly "I was getting a large order done by hand so yes. Mmm William's Guild are good people and damn good raiders. If you leave em there alone they will come back. They rulers of the Palace Lands will not stop till we are dead, mindwiped or enslaved. I'm for taking the head of the snake off, go for the ones who ordered it and take them out. The shipping wall, my mother enjoys being 20 something again way too much. Also the folks go through too many beds..."

She makes a face.

"There's also care for those we have decrowned too..."

Haru is well versed in the art of politics. At least he has a wide field of vision on what it means to govern, conquer, and the nuances of leadership. The artificial smile on his face is a give away, making him difficult to read and overall 'pleasant' otherwise. "The most important thing to do is to act and act we have. A foreign power was removed from Yamato. Seeker's Landing was reclaimed, giving us a beach head to resume operations. The notion of lopping off heads, though?" The one visible blue eye closes and thinks about this for a moment. "Be sure on that one. You have to live with yourself afterwards and its just as likely that all you did was take out a figurehead while the actual puppet master remains safe. You'd remove the shield, not the head, and it would just be a moments notice before the fighter grabbed another shield to replace it." There is a deep breath. Will there be more eludication from the Artificer? No.

"You are on the wall, Curt," he pats the Pooka on the shoulder, "your fate is sealed. I will think of our carefree days together fondly. Only drama is ahead of you." He does the Buzz Lightyear extension of his other hand, "Drama. Drama everywhere." It does land on Gwen at the end of that, grinning. "They are, and as Shiruba is quick to point out they are also good explorers. The New World Alliance has solid people in it who are looking to cultivate the world as it is." As for the Decrowned, Haru remains tight lipped, as he has been the one doing the decrowning alongside his Palace Land associate. It never gets any easier to see the flash of raw terror and guilt in a maelstrom every time it happens. Like sticking your soul into a garbage disposal.

With a heavy sigh, Curtana nods his head to Haru. "That is exactly why I would be a poor choice to send out to the Palace Lands, unfortunately. I didn't even think about the chance they could be figureheads. I never was skilled at politics or anything more advanced than normal battlefield tactics. I'm a knight, not a king." Not that it was painful to say, but it is rather unfortunate. "Which is honestly a shame, as I would love to see what is going on in that part of the world."

First Gwen mentions this 'wall', and Haru clearly seems to be in the know. Just what was this mysterious 'wall' and why did it fill the knight with a feeling of dread? Looking back and forth between the duo, an edge of uneasiness creeps into his voice. "Can I...elect to not be put on the wall, please? I rather not deal with...whatever it is."

Gwen says "It needs to be done they won't stop Haru." She leaves it at that and goes back to making with the food. "We got people hunting that information down so far as I'm aware." She looks about to Curt.

"Oh Morri keeps liking to ship you ... Haru."

She notes with a sly grin.

"So it's eggs bacon and hashbrowns. Also coffee if you want it." She'll start portioning out the food.

Haru gives a trace of a frown at the dismissal of the situation. "I won't be staying that long, Gwen," he notes as he glances back to the window where the daylight hours are starting. "There are boats you can take, Curt, and decide with your own eyes what needs to be done. I'll be making a trip out to follow a lead on a Divine Beast. It'll be a dangerous trek, but all we have to lose is our memories at worst. It'll save me time on the trip back home."

Gwen stops drops the other topic and looks at Haru with a look of concern on her face. "Please tell me you are going alone and don't talk like that. One we can die for good, two if you bottom out you'll...." She chokes up abit. First Merek now Haru? "Look Haru if you need help you just have to ask..."

She'll set his food down iunfront of him.

"Don't act like you are worth nothing!"

It takes Curt a few moments for him to recall what a Divine Beast was but once that realization hits, he focuses on Haru for a few moments longer, concerns about the 'wall' forgotten. "Our memories, either good or bad, makes us who we are today. Losing them is no joke, Haru...don't take such things lightly."

Turning to his full plate, he gives Gwen a thankful smile before tucking into the freshly cooked breakfast, a thoughtful look on his face. After a few minutes, he comes to a realization and starts to notably pick up speed in his eating, different from his usual polite manner. Finishing up the plate, he slides it forward slightly. "He won't be alone. Looks like I need to pick up a few things. And before you say otherwise, Haru, think of it me coming along to sightsee if nothing else."

Haru closes his one visible blue eye. He tsunderes, "What a hassle, you two," with a 'what am I going to do with you?' tone of voice. The blue eye opens crisp, like deep ice against the laden snow of his silvery hair, "There is an open expedition request that you are welcome to respond to. It lays out the high risks, low rewards, and what you would need to bring over a long period of time. It is a personal curiosity of mine to locate a Phoenix. Yamato does not have one. The Palace Lands do, Feng Huang. One of the formidable enemies of ours, Middray, is bound to it. But knowing what we know about Divine Beasts, it is more than a little odd that a creature of spirtual balance and rebirth would bind itself to a mindless murderer like we assume he is." He lets a hand rest on the table, tapping it as he looks at the meal directed in front of him with gusto, "You are a terrible judge of character, Gwen, as I do not think I am worth nothing." Not a lie. People that are worth nothing are not in debt. "We take risks. Some of these risks claim our lives. For an Adventurer, it is a possibly a memory or two. For a Lander, its all their memories and their ability to act at all. Merek and I share bravado, but I also believe we have measured twice the weight of our risks. We act." A flick of his eye to Gwen, "It needs to be done, and I won't stop." He, too, is stubborn as all hell.

Gwen beams at bit at Curtana on the food. "Hope you liked it, it was just something quick." She looks a bit sheepish. Gwen downs more coffee as she looks to Haru and nods.

"Someone's got to make sure you come home, right?" Sounds like she'll be signing up.

"With you talking about using the Death Express...it had me concerned. We keep having to sit on merek to keep from losing hime..."

While Curtana's plans was originally to help keep things orderly back at Shibuya with local threats, hearing Haru now makes him realize that those plans are going have to be placed on hold. "I'll be there when we set sail, you can count on it. And while you're right, we're going to make sure you don't anything stupid." That's what friends do for those they care about, after all.

Grinning at Gwen and hoping to lighten up the mood on this cheerful morning, he nods. "Trust me, it's far better than what I can do. Best I can do here is throw some potatoes in a pot of water and call it a stew."

Haru hand motions away the ideal that he needs to be tetheerd like Merek to keep from dying. There is a light scowling at the notion. "You do realize that I am accomplished duelist? That I have defeated Shirin in single combat during the attack on Shibuya when our lives were on the line. Protected Eas from invaders as well as Carmina." A finger points upwards, "A commander in a guild known for raiding and exploration. Defender of Fort Ouph's special interests below ground." The finger curls, "So try to keep up if you plan on coming along. That bird waits for no one and I have my eyes set on it."

Dueling. That reminds him, "Are you both participating in the annual tournament? New World is sponsoring it this year."

Curtana just waits as Haru goes on about his accomplishments before interjecting. "And? 'Overconfidence breeds carelessness.' Bad luck can kill anyone...and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

As for the dueling tournament? Curtana awkwardly looks aside at that. "I...never been or tried my hand at dueling, honestly. Pretty sure i'm not a good duelist in the slightest."

Gwen nods "Aye i am in and... you are correct." She's now going to finally eat her meala nd get some coffee into it.