Reunite the Magic

Daiyu walks out of the Hunter's Guild, letting out a soft sigh of relief as she does. She did not blame anyone for the extra scrutiny she got, it was just smart on their part to be wary of someone that was a bitter enemy of the nation just a few weeks prior. But that did not mean it wasn't annoying, and it showed in her tails still twitching back and forth some. But persistance, politeness and providing some information on the bizarre fusion nature of the Beasts in the Palace Lands paid off, and she was now cleared for doing quests for the Guild here in Yamato.

That's one small step towards redeeming herself with these people.

She glanced up, checking the time by the sun's position. It was late in the morning but still young in the day, so she opened her parasol for some shade and rested it on her shoulder. What else could she get done...

"Relax," comes a familiar voice from behind Daiyu. "I know that twiching in the tails. It's one of your main tells."

It is counterproductive for an eager card player, and Shenmi in particular, to give tells away to potential opponents. But Daiyu is no ordinary opponent. There's history going on here, and this is likely not about card games, despite Shenmi currently lying against a post and, without looking up, idly shuffling a deck, an exceptionally artful one at that. This is not, however, merely tossing cards around, it involves a lot of hand-sliding, fanning, and spinning sub-decks around his hands in a sort of curious ever-flowing origami dance. "Which means it's either a terrible or excellent moment to get to talk to you."

His eyes finally turn up to face Daiyu, and with a grin framed by his goatee, he adds, "Definitely an excellent moment to play poker." He crosses his arms, fanning each half of the deck open, in a geometrically perfect circle, to reveal one red and one dark suit in each hand, each sorted red first, black next, and the cards within each suit sorted from ace to king. "Want to try a couple of hands?", he jokes.

Daiyu pauses mid-stride, and ear twitching in the direction of the familiar voice speaking up. Then she turns partially to look for herself, which leads into a brief roll of her eyes and the fancy card acrobatics. But it's with the small hint of a smile as well. "Typical." A graceful turn and the fox strolls over to the showman's reclining position against the post. "I should question how you just happen to be here at the time I am passing through, but mayhaps for once the fates are just being kind." Her steps stop when close, and she briefly bows as a proper greeting should be. "It is good to see you again, Shenmi. I was.. finalizing necessities so I can engage in this region's Hunter's Guild quests. Hone a better reputation with these people." A pause. Then another roll of the eyes. "You know I am more of a chess type." Even if she is an exceptionally good card counter.

"You know I'm not much the chess type," Shenmi comments with a push of his shoulder that sends him to stand straight. "They're so hard to shuffle. And it takes significantly more skill to pull a piece out of your sleeve and place it on the board."

By now he has covered most of the distance towards Daiyu, fanned the card closed and recomposed the original deck, which he idly toys with, doing more of a regular overhand shuffle as one would expect among casual players at an inn. "Interesting coincidence indeed, don't you find? I guess the fates are, indeed, being kind." With a sly roll of his eyes up and away, he scratches the side of his goatee. "Not that surprising, after all. You know that I have a way with the fates. I help them a lot... and they, in turn, help me."

Quick expression of mischievousness archived, he offers what, for him, counts as a more genuine smile. "Glad you're getting started with the Hunter's Guild. Did it myself a while ago. It's not as bad as I feared. You'll get used to this pretty quickly. Especially with your..." he gestures towards Daiyu, with some hesitation. "...experience, which I could not boast at the time."

Implying, as a Crowned, at least you have had the option to practice (possibly in the Arena), and train, and grow.

Daiyu tilts her head slightly. Not at the implication made, she got that clear as day. Just the way Shenmi danced his words around that one specific notion... Though in the end, decides it is probably for the best. The less the Crowns are spoken of in public, the better. Let them just be a memory for these people. The true source of their problem lies in their homeland, and maybe these Adventurers, with their preculiarity for adaptation and putting aside differences against greater threats, will be able to put an eventual end to that, as well.

It will all make quite the interesting story, when it's done.

"Yes, experience. Fufilling experience..." Her tails give an idle sway, and over their anxious twitching from earlier, settle into their use arrangement of two aside two. "But never quite the same performance as the ones we put on. A certain.. spark that they missed." Pause. "That I missed."

Though that is as far as Daiyu gets in letting her composure down, simply standing next to her companion. "Now that I am free to aid in questing I can work on my standing with these Adventurers. And collect materials for my other works." Enchantments and alchemy regeants don't appear out of thin air, magic or not. Then her gaze shifts, looking over her spectacles towards the tower looming just outside of Alne. "And I shall have to align myself with one of this region's alliances. Safety in numbers. As much as I appreciate the Baroness giving me a safe place to recoup, I fear her tendancy to keep Eas out of major conflict will... bore me eventually."

Shenmi nods. "I understand what you mean with this Spark, even if I can probably not put it to words. I had the opportunity to quest with these people, and... as you say... impressive, and intriguing. They got to advance -fields of knowledge-. As Adventurers. I'll never forget the first time I was informed of this. Some Adventurer or other advanced the field of Slimology. I still boggle at the thought." He frowns. "Especially because of -Slimology-. Who even -thinks- about Slimes after gaining the first few levels?"

"The Baroness is a kind person, but based on my visits... I think she's starting to enjoy the taste of lotus a bit too much." Without giving a hint of noticing himself, the overhand shuffle becomes more convoluted. The decks are flipped around every now and then, direction reversed, hands switched.

That is one of -his- tells, he's getting tied up in the conversation and neglecting the world around.

"From what I could gather, she seems to be progressively embracing this opium dream." Shuffle, spin, shuffle. "I don't blame her. But I'm not sure it's the team I'd want to play for." She smirks. "You might want to check out the Scale Emblem Alliance at some point. We got purpose, commitment, and a tendency to somehow end up involved into every major conflict. We might or might not have been the accidental originators of said major conflict ourselves due to our proactivity in doing all it takes to get the out of this cursed game at all costs." His card manipulation stops at once. "Believe it or not, it was the case even before I joined."

He continues, "And it comes with a lot of perks! For instance..." He takes a step back, and makes a sweeping gesture towards the Aincrad Tower. "...the best pillow fort in existence. Perfect for retreating into whenever major conflict ensues."

"Not without it's own dangers from what I hear," Daiyu replies. She's not watching the cards. She's watching the hands moving them, flashy in the flow from one to the other, but at the same time... for Shenmi it's almost a reflex. An idle animation, if one wants, while his attention is on something else. Like the conversation with his former partner. "But the invasions were never able to get inside, so as 'fort' it did its job." Save one incursion to activate one of those killer automatrons. But that took artifacts for invisibility, and isn't an event that's known amongst the ranks that it happened. So no one really knows that's what started in an attempt to keep that alliance busy within their tower.

A clawed fingertip is raised to adjust her spectacles. Then point in a dramatic fashion, though not at anything in particular. "That is also a reason these Adventurers have succeeded. They have a -purpose-. One made of their own needs and desires. Not... forced upon them. Their freedom to choose was given a direction, not left the fumble and foul into self-destructive chaos."

"Nothing is without danger in this world," Shenmi throws out with a shrug, as he reaches into his jacket with the deck-holding hand. "I think this is all that makes a difference, yes. A purpose. I've heard that Yamato got some sort of... recorded message, telling them to climb the Towers." He looks up. "They joined, formed Alliances. Mostly to get back home..." He gestures, "But they also improve the local living conditions. Either by bringing in innovations from real life, or exploiting the unique rules of this game. They formed Alliances. Somehow the local nobility seems to work -with- them as opposed to against them." Yes, the mind boggles.

There is some silence, as Shenmi's hand is extracted, deckless, and placed behind his back, with the other. "There is some sort of Unity. A sense of Community. Nobles, Landers, Adventurers... they might not have an -Idyllic- relationship, mind you, the Landers still think they're kind of weirdos, and maybe possibly arrogant at times, but they definitely get along with -their- Adventurers." He turns to Daiyu. "It's strange, don't you think? What seems to have gotten us in trouble, trying to improve the world... is exactly what makes -this- Server work so well."

"It's facinating," Daiyu agrees with a slight nod of her head. "Part of the reason I came back was the investigate it farther. And some of those 'innovations' that had been used against the invasion forces." They both know where that curiousity got her, though it was for the better in the end. "I am sure by now they have noticed I am.. disposed from aiding them. Though with the Yamatoans having made a return to their holding on the Palace Lands coast, they are likely too preoccupied to send anyone to 'retrieve' me." In other words, beat her dead so she respawns in Kallamore and can have a crown shoved back on her head. Or thrown in a dungeon if there aren't any left...

"Eventually I will have to go back and face things... but not until I do not have to do so alone."

"I am sure they know I am here," Shenmi continues from where Daiyu left off. "Someone who knew I wass here must have been forced to inform the people back in the Palace Lands." He smirks at Daiyu. "Unless said someone thought Yours Truly to be too insignificant a menace." He removes his hat, flips it over, and a certain bun-bun we all know peeks his head out. "...but I'm positive that said informer will not have overlooked the world-class threat that Mr.Bao is," He smirks. "And yet," he says, spreading his arms in a way that his jacket flares a little at the back, and causes Bao to be startled a little. "here we both are, unharmed."

Bao is pushed back in, and the hat plopped back onto his head. "You're more cunning than me, I'm sure you'll do great."

His voice lowers, and takes on a more personal, caring tone. "And yes. You will not have to be alone. Not any more."

At the same time, Bao peeks out from Shenmi's Jacket. "No, no, Bao...", he rebuffs, gently pushing the rabbit-like creature back in. "No taking the lift downstairs without a reason. You know the last electric bill was exorbitant..."

Daiyu stares at Bao. Not in anger or spite as one might expect, just stares. Mayhaps because with her mind now clear she realizes how much she had been projecting onto the bun-bun because she didn't want to be mad at Shenmi directly. Frustration that he had not joined her (even if that had proved to be the wiser choice in the end) and found a replacement, a species foxes prey on no less. And that he had even fooled her into thinking he was too sunk in the Kallamore underbelly to be a possible threat.

The bun is put away. Only to insistently make his prescene known through other means. Which isn't helped by Daiyu doing a little flourish of her own slight-of-hand to pull out a small cluster of herbal greens, which are held towards the long eared pest as a sort of peace offering. "I am not fond of you taking my old position, but we will have to learn to coexist." A faint smirk and a wink, though to who is hard to tell. "For Shenmi's sake."

"Well, I would be delighted, of course, to take you back as an assistant," Shenmi mentions, offhandedly. "But I am under the impression that you have moved on. You outgrew the role." He smirks. "Time for little fun time games is over, you have grown-up responsibilities to take care of."

There is pride and some sort of light that flares in his eyes at the little flourish with apparition, which settles into a melancholic fondness. He scratches the head of the bun-bun, as it curiously twitches its nose, peeks out, and ventures on his owner's arm to nibble on the greens. "To be honest? Bao is enthusiastic and works hard, but his lack of experience is... palpable. He can't set up the simplest tricks. No Dark/illusion elemental abilities. He can't enchant his way out of a paper bag. And at his current skill level, he can only learn and has very little to teach." With a pointedly exaggerated grumble, he adds, "And despite that, he -still- steals all the ladies for himself and leaves me dateless on our nights out." The playfulness returns to a smirk, as he faces Daiyu briefly. "Hardly an improvement. He's more like a fallback than a step up."

He glances in the distance, again. "But time marches on, inexorable. We grow, we change. We take on bigger challenges. We tackle bigger and bigger monsters. As it should be. We may move on to parties or guilds more fit to the skills we discover we have. As much as we'd love to remain the low level newbies who stomped randomly on the easy beginners' areas... we'll have to accept that we have to move on from the slimes at some point."

"Reunions happen though." A flourish, mirroring Daiyu's in style but with a personal interpretation, and a bouquet matching Daiyu's outfit is produced. A trick, as Daiyu will remember, Shenmi loved to pull with all the ladies he met for the first time, as part of his introduction. "But sometimes, those paths unexpectedly, inexplicably cross again. And they reunite the magic that seemed to be kept apart forever."

Well in a way they are meeting for the first time, again, with how long it's been. So Daiyu politely accepts the bouquet with one hand, now free of the greens having become Bao's snack, while the other retains her parasol against her shoulder. Briefly waggles the floral arrangement at Shenmi. "While all that is true... not yet have I said I do not wish to perform again. There is still room for entertainment. People sometimes need the reminder to enjoy life, even when darkness and chaos looms near."

She takes one flower from the bouquet, and tucks it behind a vulpine ear. "We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." There's the authorly elegance with words Shenmi would be familiar in hearing.

"Well, most people move on from slimes." Unless you're that one person so facinated with them that you (re)invented an entirely xenological field of study for them. The foxwoman smiles ruefully as she shakes her head a bit. "I would of never been as sharp a scout and sapper as I was without what I learned performing with you, either. Getting out of places I should never of been in."

Shenmi's smile is polite and contained, as the stage persona he constructed over the early days demands. But an experienced can recognize the glint in his eyes, a remnant of the early, marginally (but not completely) less projected-image-conscious Shenmi of the early days, the one that would just run into low level monsters and beat them with whatever weapon was dropped by the last mob for the pure fun of it, at least until he got to grips with the basics of the system and started using his build more purposedly.

Ah, those rat-chicken quests.

That spark of sincere excitement is kept reined in, and another bow is offered, carefully balancing Bao in the process. "Wise as always, Daiyu-Xiansheng. I missed this."

He stands up again, and taps the top of his hat. "I will be delighted to cooperate on that when our busy schedules would so allow." He leans over to Daiyu, and with a grin, he mimes elbowing her, without, however, engaging in actual physical contact. "We should play more then. We're too good looking to grow old. Gotta work on our rejuvenation treatment. And since you mention that..." He truns to look at the tower again, raising his arm the way a proud falconeer would. Except he has a bun-bun resting on it, and one which is still nibbling on some greens. "...just let me know if you ever have any interest at giving Scale Emblem a look. Getting out of places we should never have been in is precisely what we're about."

Daiyu again turns her attention towards the Tower. The ultimate escape act, if what the local Adventurers were told about its heights true. Considers, and a thought makes her contemplate how this long overdue reunion could also be of a practical use.

"Mayhaps then," she replies, a couple of tails giving a contemplative swish sway behind her, "you could see to getting me clearance to enter. I do not think finding the way past the extensive security they've put in place would make a proper impression, even if it was merely displaying my skills." The bouquet has disappeared for the time being, both hands idly gripping the parasol. "If you and Robert will vouch for me, then they will at least hopefully be willing to give me an oppritunity to prove I have no desire to go back the former fold. I am no zealot." That is Shirin's job.

Shenmi doffs his hat. "I will endeavour to put a good word in. We've made inroads, but mutual building trust between Yamato and the Uncrowned is still a work in progress," he offers, with the appropriate blend of hope and caution. "If my gut feelings are correct, getting Baroness Wake involved in the process would provide a significant help when it comes to oiling the gears."

The hat is already in a convenient position, so Bao is simply slid in, before the headgear is placed back in his original place, and Shenmi taps its top. "Robert is a good fellow. Thorough, but fair. I am confidents we'll get you in, sooner or later."

As if realizing something for the first time, he stiffens, "Oh, uh, am I holding you up? You were going somewhere, and I so rudely interrupted you..."

The realization seems sincere. He apparently has gotten what he believed to be the important bits out. "There are still so many things I wish to share, and to ask... but I fear that they would take the whole day if we addressed them now. And even if we did, well, I am not sure how ready you would be to discuss them. Too soon, possibly."

Daiyu glances over her shoulder towards the Hunter's Guild building, then shakes her head slowly. Her dark hair, kept as neat and prim as ever, swishes a little more freely with the motion now that there is no headpiece restricting it. "No, I was finished here. It will take time for me to work through the lower Guild quests and get to where I can tackle the actual Duties with a party. But I should speak to Wake, let her know I am without hassle so far. I do not need her worrying about me, when she has so many other things on her mind currently, between getting Eas back into order and planning a wedding."

"Ah, the burdens of nobility. Orchestrating massive social events." He shakes his head. "You know me, I'm a simple man. I am not qualified to concern myself with such organizational tasks for convivial gatherings. I'd much rather take part in them, thank you very much. I'll gladly ensure that no food goes uneaten, no drink goes unconsumed, no damsel is left unmatched, and no games left unplayed. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it."

After the jocular aside has been taken care of, more serious, he offers, "Let me know if you ever need any help with the quests. Was there already, maybe I can offer a pointer or two."

Daiyu laughs softly. A dignified lady's laugh. "That about you has not changed I see.... Ah. Speaking of." A hand rises from the parasol and points down one of the streets out of the square. "Until I establish a long term arrangement with an alliance I have been staying at one of the Inns. A few alchemical batchs of rat poison to keep their cellar uninfested and they ask no other questions of my presence. It suffices for now." As much as she misses the higher society life she is learning to cope. "Take care, Shenmi. We can finish catching up another time, when we are both more... accomidated to our situations here."

Shenmi takes a short bow, once again. The bow before the curtain. "You take care as well, Daiyu. And until then-"

He reaches for his mantle to give it a swirl. Daiyu might remember the routine he was going for: grab mantle. Wrap it over yourself. A swirl, as the Conjurer is enveloped in it, and then the mantle just keeps falling, leaving nobody in sight. The wind just carries the mantle away, empty.

Excpet that his hands just grasp at thin air. "...Right. Had to sell a good portion of the outfit for the trip and the early stay," he laughs, scratching his head. "I guess we're both making do any way we can." That playful smirk returns, along with that spark. "It's the rat-chickens and trading in whatever loot we find all over again, isn't it?", he laughs, scratching the back of his head. "I guess we've pushed off growing old by another day," he says.

Shenmi turns, and begins to walk away, like the average person on the street. He had to give up his grandiose exit because of a clumsy blunder, and yet, as he walks- is he laughing? A hearty, deep, sincere laughter, as he shakes his head and disappears into the tangle of streets, like any other person would.