Musical Accompaniment

Though the main festivities for the upcoming holiday might be happening in the Ninetails Dominion, it doesn't mean that other areas aren't showing signs of it. Red, pink, and white decorations are visible around the city of Alne, with a few establishments holding special sales or promotions centered around gifts.

There is a general buzz in the main square, with both Adventurers and Landers coming and going throughout the day. Amongst those is Kita, Scale Emblem's resident artist. She is sitting at one end of the square with a large pad of paper propped up. She hands over a drawing and accepts a small pouch of coins from a passing Adventurer, offering them a charming smile.

"Thank you so much, I hope he enjoys the gift." There doesn't seem to be anyone else waiting, so she tucks the coinage away, lightly doodling in a smaller sketch pad while watching people go by.

She isn't the only one, though, there are plenty of other Adventurer crafters taking advantage of the day to try to increase sales. Everything from clothing, simple smithed goods, candies, and food are all being sold at various makeshift stalls.

    Uta, today wrapped in a black double-breasted coat that reaches down to her feet, wanders by, distractedly, otherwise looking her usual self were it not that she's juggling three stoppered flasks containing colorful liquids. The liquid inside sloshes and makes the bottles follow slightly lopsided trajectories, but this does not seem to deter the landers who applaud as she passes by, and children and adults alike, amused, clap and toss coins of various denominations into a crate-on-a-strap she's got hanging from a side. She happens to pass next to where Kite is, and when she does, she stops walking (but does not stop juggling). "...wait, I remember you," she abruptly exclaims at Kite. "You were there the day Jazz fell into a trap, weren't you?"

o/~ Every now and then I get a little bit lonely, and you're never coming 'round o/~

The unusually soft and somewhat somber music is not the typical herald of the dark figure ambling down the streets of Alne. Probably because Kauchemar herself was feeling a bit more skulky and sullen than usual.
This holiday was usually a big night in the clubs as couples flooded them for a night of dancing and drinking and more dancing and maybe a few other things in private back rooms.

o/~ Turn around... Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears
Turn around... Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by
Turn around... Every now and then I get a little bit terrified, and then I see the look in your eyes.. o/~

But this year, there would be none of that for her to keep hopping and bopping into the wee hours of the morning. Just people fussing over what they should give when there's no chocolate, or trying to figure out if you're suppose to go by your avatar or the 'real' you on if you're giving or getting gifts.

o/~ Turn around, bright eyes... Every now and then I fall apart... Turn around, bright eyes... Every now and then I fall apart... o/~

So while it certainly fits the holiday, the song the bard is performing is not exactly the most cheerful, reflecting her own being rather dispassionate about the whole affair right now....

It's hard not to have your eyes drawn to the sight of the Spriggan juggling those precarious bottles of unknown liquids. Kita's stormy blue-gray eyes flick up from the page, following the path of a bottle. Without really thinking about it, she flips to the next page in her book and begins to rough out something that seems to resemble a person juggling. Apparently, Uta is good drawing practice.

When she stops nearby, the Imp inclines her head, "That would be me. Not my best of days, admittedly. I was just off the boat from Ezzo back then." A hand reaches up, lightly tipping the edge of her witch's hat in greeting. "I'm Kita Blackthorne." She offers easily, "You were the one Xander was acting all stuffy with, right? Like a soldier barking orders?" Her lip is quirked, though, as if she were amused by this.

Then, the sound of that melancholy song hits her ears. "Sounds like someone isn't feeling very happy for the upcoming holiday." After a pause she adds, "Not that I don't understand that feeling." Some others seem to be drawn by the song as well, some who might find it familiar, others who simply understand the meaning. A little gathering forms to listen.

Kita remains at her little stall, watching, her hands having stilled from her drawing. Her toes lightly tap to the the beat of the song, drawn in by music.

    "o/~ And I need you now tonight... and I need you more than ever... and if you hold me tight... we'll be holding on forever... o/~"

    Uta continues the song, in what is actually a pretty good singing voice; it's actual English, not auto-translated Japanese, and her pronunciation is either perfect if the post-Apocalypse language system takes care of correcting a Japanese speaker's English, or if not, still so good it would take someone with really advanced skills in the language to detect minor imperfections. The only oddity is that, either way, her accent is a 'Standard British' (or, more accurately, Received Pronunciation) variant.

    "...That would be me," she replies to Kita, a hint of shame resurfacing on her features as she snaps back to the point at hand. "Not my best of days, either. And, well, yeah. Xander is sort of training me to survive in this harsh enviroment teeming with danger, monsters, mystery, and confusing social customs."

    During all this, she does not stop juggling. She even injects some variations like tossing a bottle far high behind her back, pivoting on a 360 spin on one foot, and catching the bottle as it lands, still keeping the rotatory motion going. An applause and a moderate ticking of a few coins on wood follow this.

    "...He means well, actually, and, to be honest, I deserved that little reprimand."

    "...I kind of understand the feeling myself, to be honest, mostly because I don't understand anything else. Oh, by the way, I'm Uta." She hesitates for a moment. "...Uta Furore, I guess."

o/~ And I need you now tonight... And I need you more than ever o/~

Kauchemar smirked just a little as she heard a familiar voice chime in on a few lines, and gave a brief nod in Uta's direction.

o/~ And if you only hold me tight... We'll be holding on forever o/~

That was the beauty of music. It could convey emotion and resonate with one regardless if you understood the words or not. Likely Landers wouldn't completely comprehend some of the lyrics, but the impression behind the song was there for anyone to pick up, player or otherwise.

o/~ And we'll only be making it right, 'Cause we'll never be wrong
Together we can take it to the end of the line, your love is like a shadow on me all of the time o/~

Who knows how many people are trapped here without their significant others or life partners? Couples literally worlds apart, alone despite being amongst so many like themselves. It was a performance as much for them as it was for her own sulky mood.

o/~ I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark... We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight... Forever's gonna start tonight... Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do... A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say... A total eclipse of the heart o/~

Hearing Uta join in with the music has Kita closing her eyes, listening briefly to the voices joined together. "You've got a pretty voice." She murmurs, quiet in her own appraisal. "But she's downright haunting." Kita motions to Kauchemar. Setting down her sketchbook, the Imp moves her fingers through the air, gracefully selecting through her inventory before selecting something.

A simple lute appears, one of the starting musician instruments, but she flexes her fingers on it, playing a soft bit of harmony over Kauchemar's singing. Kita doesn't join in her voice, but she can at least offer some accompaniment in song. It runs all too close to reality for her, knowing that she could have spent this holiday alone.

"I know he does." Kita replies then, her voice soft as to not interrupt the music too much. "He's a little squishy beneath the scales, that one." She smirks, "It's a pleasure to meet you officially."

"I got the impression that you and Jazz aren't exactly experienced with the game. I had to help Jazz with their hair a while back. Having it that long is a bit hard to get used to, it seems." There is some fondness in her voice for the Undine.

Gwen had finished up the lunch rush and was cleaned out again, there was little she could do to keep up with the demand. Save hire another maid who had cooking.

What did catch her attention was the singing and wait that was Uta? Uta could sing? Idly in the back of her mind ideas for Jpop costumes start to float about while she approach and the other singer well? Gwen's actually quiet taking in the performance for a bit before she comments.

"Long hair and having those tentacles to deal with must be hard for Jazz."

Gwen notes and should anyone be paying attention she's in what looks like a French Maid outfit with a scarf. She really should make a coat for herself.

"I didn't expect us to have so many talented entertainers to be on for new years."

She notes to Kita and then grins.

"I also have some work for you now as well. Need some art done for the shop's signage."

    "Never in my wildest dreams would I dare compare my musical abilities to Kauchemar's," Uta replies to both Kita and Gwen. "I think I'm decent at keeping a tune in-game merely by virtue of having a minor in Bard and a music-based spellcasting system, but the mare over there..." she just trails off, gaze lost in the distance. A single nod in respect and admiration, and then back to Kita it is. "Xander's a pretty decent fellow if one bothers to scratch under that layer of murder and concerns. I owe him a lot."

    "Yeah, getting used to the hair was not easy for me either. The wings were the worst by far, to be honest, but the long hair is still not fun. Although..."

    Chin turned up, eyes slightly crossed, off she goes into one of her space cadet tangents, mumbling something that even other people can hear, "...Jazz has tentacles, that is true. If anyone were to invent a magical hair drier powered by Fire and Air magic, would it also work as a tentacle drier? /Should/ it work as a tentacle drier? Do Undines' tentacles have to stay hydrated? Would she need a hair-dryer/super soaker combo for proper hair care?"

    "Wait, you can do art?", Uta asks, snapping back to reality and addressing the young woman who has pretty much been drawing in front of her... probably this whole time? "...that's awesome. If we can get Jazz on board, maybe we can sell pictures of her. Those would sell like hotcakes, I'm sure!"

Kauchemar finishes the song, bows a couple of times and slips alway while the crowd gets back to their various doings of the day. She feels a little better after giving others that little spark of a better day even if she's still feeling a little ... not really caring isn't the proper discription but it's the easiest one to use. It's a thing Bards do.

Despite not being a thief or ninja the nightmare seems to have a knack for moving about, and not being entirely noticed until she's standing right next to you. Or she's just taking advantage of Uta being a little scattershot in the attention department as she slinks up next to the gathering. Brushes fingers through her thick mane as some of it has gotten loose while she was moving about. "At least you don't have hair growing out of your butt to deal with," she jokes, her tail giving a sashay of it's own behind her.

"My wings aren't so bad, they fold up mostly." Kita flexes the small bat-like appendages on her back which are usually kept flush against her dress, causing them to blend in as if they were simply some part of her ensamble. "The horns were probably the hardest to get used to, but I keep my hair short so it hasn't been too much of a problem." Her horns usually end up hidden beneath her hat or amongst the strands of her outlandishly colored hair.

Her eyes flick towards Gwen, a slight smirk playing there, "I'm always up for some paid work. The Lost Adventurer Network doesn't really put food on the table." She chuckles softly as Uta seems to realize just what it is that Kita had been selling. You know, or the fact that there is a rough outline that looks like someone juggling that is now sitting on the easel in front of her.

"Mmm. It's what I was going to school for before the Apocalypse." Then, to Gwen, she adds, "Do you mind if I do it after Valentines day? It's kind of a big deal when you're in a relationship and I didn't get to spend it with them last year."

The approach of the nightmare then draws her eyes, a soft laugh following, "I guess my tail is a little easier to manage than yours, certainly. Then again, I think you've got a very striking aesthetic, my dear. Not to mention a truly haunting way of singing."

Gwen says "Not at all Kita, I can wait on it. Ah yeah, depressed singles day."

With bitterness in her voice which rapidly fades as she turns her attention back to new and interesting body parts.

"Tails, wings, horns? It opens up all sorts of new Jewelry options."

She looks to Kauchemar.

"It could be worse you know at least you seem to have mane it your own."

She looks back to Kita nd Uta dor a moment.

"To think I nearly rolled a Salamander. The Scales like shead..."

"So on Valentines day? Do you need any custom orders, Kita? I already have an order from Morri so what is one more."

She looks pained at this, it's clear her mother is getting some form of Revenge upon her daughter, maybe it's for being a teenager.

Gwen she puses for an addtional moment.

"We could make us and Jazz a small fortune Uta...good thinking."

    Uta blinks at Kauchemar in confusion. "...actually, I've never undressed since the Apocalypse. Only menu-bathed-and-laundered. As far as I know, uh, I... might actually have hair growing out of OH GOODNESS NO, don't make me think of that! Quick, quick, brain bleach, brain bleach, think of something else, something hairless, som- AUGH!! NO, UTA, DON'T THINK OF THE SHAVED CHIHUAUA WERE FANGS!!"

    Luckily, another sudden gear-switch in that head causes Uta to snaps her fingers and turn-point to Kita. "Right! That's what I've been meaning to ask you this whole time, and forgot to! Back when we met, you were looking for someone! Did you manage to find that particular person you were looking for?"

    Not that the recent discussion was any hint about it, was it?

    "...Custom orders? For Valentine?", Uta blinks at Gwen. "Like... for the food stand? I've checked around, seems like chocolate is not available, so I doubt I will be able to order that. But I think I will order some sweets if you make those. I've also been- Oh, which reminds me!"

    Uta catches her up-to-now-still-being-juggled jars, one after the other, accumulating them into one hand, held by the neck. "...my Friendship Health Potions should be done being mixed." She twists her waist to place them into the strapped-wooden-crate at her side. "Time to place them back into their proper carrying cas-"

    A blink."...how did all this money get here?"

"Thank you." The compliments get her amusement, particularly the 'haunting way of singing'. Its true to her brand or whatever you want to phrase it. The equine were fang makes a low and extra flashy bow to Kita. "Kauchemar Tenebrae, Musical Muse of Men and Monsters alike, at your service."

With introductions appropriately done she stands back upright, only to stare at a bit at Uta's outburst. "... You certainly don't need my help with disturbing imagery," she murmurs. But those little quirks are why Uta is one of the people she enjoys messing with on occassion. "Yeah, sweets and flowers are the local standbys as I understand." A nickering snicker escapes her. "Locals probably thought you method of mixology was a show," she adds, mimicing the juggling motion with her own hands. "Don't knock it. It's what street performers perform for."

"I'm not drawing Jazz unless I have their permission." Kita rolls her eyes, amusement sparked in them. "They've gone through enough without me adding to the torture."

Then, she seems to get side-tracked as Uta begins to ramble something about shaved Were Fangs, which just gets a puzzled expression from the witch. Then, just as quickly, the attention is turned back to her, and she nods once, "I did. Jurou spotted one of the posters I put up in the guild halls. They're pretty new to the game, so it's been a learning experience."

The elaborate introduction from the nightmare has Kita stowing her lute with a flick of her fingers across the menu before rising from the stool she'd been sitting atop. The girl gracefully bows, removing her witch's hat which reveals blue hair, white bangs, and a small set of horns. "The pleasure is all mine. Kita Blackthorne, artist for the Lost Adventurer Network. Though I have a little bit of musical talent, myself." As she rises her expression is almost playful.

"Hmm. Maybe some kind of glazed strawberries?" Kita asks, "Jurou is pretty fond of that sort of thing. I was thinking of just trying to find some plain ones since I'm not much of a cook."

Gwen says "Gwen Pendragon owner of the Chain Mail Bikini +1. Clothing shop and food stall."

She looks her over for a moment.

"We should have fun with it."

She nods to Kita

"We'll have to talk to her but if she rejects it we'll have to leave it be. I should be able to do that, I am a cook so I can help you there."

Kauchemar licks her lips. "If you can make glaze somehow candied fruit or berries does sound rather sweet.... would be hard to give though, I'd probably eat them all myself before I got that far." She laughs.

And hurts a little on the inside. Too use to getting all kinds of goodies left after the holiday club shows from hyped up fans. Sigh. Darn crossplaying.

    Uta is still in awe at her newfound wealth. All of a sudden, she replies to Kauchemar's comment about disturbing imagery just by screaming, "DIVING SUIT MADE ENTIERELY OF BEES!", which would probably be lost on most people (except, of course, Gwen). And then returns to boggle at the coins in her crate. "Oh. Uh. Actually, no, I'm not knocking the mixology. Uh. I might actually start doing this more regularly." Turning back to Kauchemar, she continues, "...I got a Godhand/Bard combo for my avatar, so I have access to this skill. Pretty handy, you just hint at the motions and the rest pretty much happens by itself. Figured I could save time by walking around town /and/ get some mixing done that way, instead of being holed up in a room shaking them the whole time..."

    "Of course we are asking for Jazz's permission, of course! I'm not going to- wait, wait, you're an artist for the Lost Adventurer Network?"

    Blank stare

    "...think you could draw me one of these days, so you have my picture on file in case I get lost?", she asks, pointing at her nose.

"I appreciate it. It's always a little bit tricky, figuring out how to balance the holidays. But I was the first one to get them something for Valentines, so it sort of stuck after that." Kita explains. "I'll stop by tomorrow morning then, pick it up before she gets up."

Looking to Kauchemar, "Oh, I know. I'm dying for some chocolate right about now. That's my favorite, but the Landers don't seem familiar with it at all." Which means the ingredients are probably not something easily available.

Once again, Uta's outburst is enough to seize Kita's full attention. She blinks, pushing her glasses up along her nose. "Is that what you were doing? I thought it was a juggling performance." She pulls the sketch over from the easel, showing the rough outline. "I was going to use it for dyanmic pose practice." It doesn't look like Uta just yet, mostly just lines and circles.

At the question of drawing Uta incase she gets lost... Kita gives a somewhat puzzled expression, "I suppose I can? I've never been asked to draw someone who isn't lost yet, but I imagine it will be a lot more accurate drawing from life than from a description."

"You knooooooow..." Kauchemar leans down a little closer to Uta's height. "There are spiders that use bubbles as tiny air helmets to hunt underwater. Diving bees might not be that far off." Just to tease her a little more.

With Frenemy status maintained she stands backup. "The combination does explain it, though. You're probably better at the movement and rhythm part of being a Bard. Not that you don't have a nice voice when you do use it."

To Kita and her confusion all the nightmare can really do is shrug. "This is normal for her. Don't let it bother you too much."

Gwen pauses for a moment and she looks at Uta "What is it with you and clothing made out of bees?!"

She just stares at her for a moment and then listen to a bit more of the tale of Uta's character generation.

"so that's how it went down?"

"Yeah I heard of spiders like that..."

There's a look of horror on Gewn's face at his bit odf understanding.

"I think everyone would like to get chocolate. We'll have to figure it out, right?"

    "People who embark in high-risk travel don't leave a picture behind in case they go missing?", asks Uta, puzzled. "I would have guessed it would have been standard practice... that shows how much I know." She shrugs. "I think of the future. Knowing myself, I'm sure I'll get lost some time or other, and I'd better be prepared. Can't really change who I am, but I can manage it." She looks down at the sketches. "Oh, nice construction there. I'm no artist myself, but I've read up on the subject." She shudders at the mention of underwater spiders, and promptly turns and faces up, index jabbing the air in the night-mare's direction. "I'll tell you what I think about underwater spiders: one, NO. Two: let's change subjects. Three: everyone here seems to be into music, huh?" Shhh. Gwen didn't say one way or the other, but we won't mention that for now. "...we should have a karaoke night together."

And Gwen gets a shrug. "That's pretty much how it went down, I guess."

"I'm starting to see that." Kita's lip quirks, showing a hint of a fang as she shakes her head, still faintly amused at Uta's behavior. "I couldn't imagine not being able to play music, even in Elder Tale, so I had to pick up Messenger as my profession. No bard levels, though." It would explain why she looks more like some sort of mage, but still has some musical aptitute.

"The problem seems to be the ingredients, Gwen." Her hand motions in the vague direction of the tower, "Then again, I heard that one of the Landers started selling cactus after finding it on the second level of Aincrad, so it's possible we might find other new ingredients as we go further up." She shrugs at that, reaching for her sketchpad and starting to do a rough outline for a headshot of Uta as they sit there, at least enough to get started on the request.

"I wouldn't mind karaoke, though... I'm guessing we'd need a couple of musicians to really make it work." Kita chews on her lower lip in an idle fashion, "In the real world, I play guitar and piano, but all I've managed so far is a lute. I need to track down some craftsman and get a proper instrument."

Kauchemar just grins with her viper fangs visible when Uta turns to give her the finger (but only the pointer) and demand they change the topic. "You didn't run away in terror. That's a step up," she replies with a giggle.

"Bard -and- Messenger here... In the real world I was a club DJ, so technically I didn't use an instrument instead of electronic equipment." She pulls her lute back out of inventory, and gives it a light strum. Then fiddles with the tuning pegs a little. "But out of curiousity I studied a lot of different instruments to learn how their sounds work together."

Gwen says "That's not a bad idea for the next time I run off after rare materials."

Gwen "So I have some ideas forming for later this year when things warm up, Uta and seriously just menu washing. I went on a trek to find a water fall and I didn't care how cold it was. I can't sing but I like it I hear some rumbling about someone working on a Queen song book."

She has stars in her eyes at this idea.

"Or when we explore elsewhere. Food was a major driver for Europe going all over the world after all."

"So a Bard on Earth and still a Bard here."

    Uta looks to the left. Next to where Kita is drawing, there's a stand selling buckets. Off to the right, it's an armorer with a nice display of helmets of different sizes on its bench, and shields in front of it.

    Uta turns to face frontally, and says, "As for me..."

    She calls up her menu with a flick of her hand, navigates through her inventory, and produces two consecutive shimmers: one to stash away her recently shaken, not stirred, potions, which disappear in a shimmer of light, and another one to materialize her staff, its arrival also announced by a staff-shaped shimmer in the air.

    "...I can do this."

    She tosses her staff in the air, lets it twirl, and catches it at the narrow end with a swiping motion, motion which proceeds in an arc downwards; she follows smoothly into hitting very specific buckets, with very specific timings, in a very specific sequence. As she does so, the buckets produce a distinct note, sounding like, well, a hit bucket, or perhaps a very strange xylophone? It could literally be either; the noise /is/ compatible with a bucket being struck, but it's also rather musical as well. The staff and bucket, however, briefly light up with a magical aura.

    The sequence of buckethpone tones will be easy to recognise, each not bringing to mind a specific syllable:

    "Is-this-the-real-life..."

    Pause.

    "Is-this-just-fan-ta-sy..."

    Pause.

    "Caught-in-a-land-slide, no es-cape from rea-li-ty..."

"Oh? Where did you DJ at? Anywhere in Tokyo?" There were aspects of Kita's appearance that would give away that her avatar is the result of a body scan rather than randomizer, like a faint scar just at the edge of her lip. Her outlandish hair-color shows that streak of rebellion that just might have found her in the club scene. "I learned from my father, mostly. He plays lead-guitar and does vocals for Prophetic Underground." Which is an underground jrock band, which isn't particularly well known.

"If food can drive more people up the tower, I'd be all for it. That last battle against those Kobolds was rough." Unlike other members of Scale Emblem, Kita isn't exactly gung ho about diving in head-first into the tower, but it is a goal, none the less.

Then, well, she ends up watching Uta use her staff to begin playing musical tones on the buckets. She gives a low sort of impressed whistle. "This game never stops amazing me. Well, both the game, and its players."

"..." Despite the somewhat awkward and impromptu implimentcation of improvised instruments, Kauchemar does tap a hoof along for a bit. "Boy, those lyrics are -so- much deeper now..." Almost too deep to really want to think about too much.

Fortunately Kita has a nice diversion from that line of thinking. "Noctural Transmissions." A pause, and then because she's accustomed to it being the follow-up adds "Yes, that's intentionally spelt like that. Meant to be a combination of nocturnal and neural." Holds her hands up. "I am not the one that named."

Then a bob of the head is given to Kita. "I've heard of it. The clubs like less 'published' sounds... especially during the Dark Ages, when it could be really expensive to license the popular overseas bands." Or you pirate them. But we don't talk about that.

Gwen watches Uta sing with a fgin and will note to Kita and Kauchemar.

"Never went to Tokyo much myself, I never felt comfortable there it's just so packed in like a stack of cordwood."

She seem lost though for a moment on all of this.

"It got real bad and any of us who beta tested SAO? Have a lot less to offer. The Dark Ages...showed how addicted we had become to the net..."

"I've been there a couple of times." Kita's eyes light up at that, her smile seeming to almost come alive from her usual wry expression. "I wonder if I was ever there during one of your sets." She smirks then, "Never could get Jurou into the club scene, but it was a good place to dance and socialize when they were off in America. I would probably never tell them the name of the club, though. It raises... questions."

It's hard not to keep having her gaze drawn to Uta as she continues to make a mess of the stall owned by the poor guy selling buckets. He's probably staring on, in horror. But, it at least gives her time to flesh in some of the important parts of her sketch.

"Small world, though." Sometimes, the way people connect with one another is downright amazing. Or eerie, depending on how you look at it.

Then, glancing at Gwen, she adds, "My family lives outside the main city. I took the train to university. It isn't so bad if you don't mind having the commute. Jurou lives closer to the city proper, but their family is rich. Mine, not so much."

"Yeah, I can only imagine what some of those people have to go through," Kauchemar agrees with Gwen. "And it is pretty crowded. But that's one of the reasons a lot of people prefer the night life. Much more to do than the hustle and bustle of the day. T"hen grins a bit more at Kita. "Also did a lot of danceoff compatitions during the big rhytmn game craze... Of course, we've probably seen each other and wouldn't notice it. I certainly looked nothing like this."

Gwen is going to slip the stall owner some gikd after this is over.

"When I mean Rual as in I could have random encounters with wildlife." She grins a bit. "Eh it's how it goes some times. Ha I'd be hard to forget if you met me back on Earth. Shiruba accused me all the time of being some kind of Oni."

"I looked pretty close to this." Kita confirms, "Minus the horns, wings, and tail, anyways." She gives a glance down at herself, then shrugs, "Though I probably dressed more like the crowd there. This is just an adaptation on a style. At least until Gwen figures out something else to put me in." Because she seems to fully expect that Gwen will use her as a life-sized dress up doll at some point or another.

Then, she looks at Gwen, as if trying to figure out how she could be described as an Oni in the real world. "Well, you don't look like an Oni to me." She shrugs.

"Music is often compared to dreams with it's ability to provoke ideas and emotions. So I got a form that also has a relevance to dreams and ominence." She shrugs, and tilts her head to the side. "An Oni? You mean, like the demon? And here I'm the one parading around as a dread horse of darkness." She's not entirely sure she sees the connection, either.

Gwen says "Yes an Oni, if it wasn't the hair it be my size." She nots with a half grin on her face. "I might as well been a giant when I was away from the base." She noted and then sizes the other two up. "IT's funny I hit Random for my apperance...too."

"I think the whole nightmare thing looks wicked if you ask me. Then again..." Kita motions to herself, with her particularly dark, somewhat gothic attire. The girl clearly has an aestetic all her own. "Though it does make me wonder what your human form looks like, since I know the two don't have to look similar at all."

Instead, she sets her pencil down, looking at Gwen again with a curious expression. While the Imp isn't as small as Jazuhanzu, she's still short compared to most westerners. "How tall are you in real life? I mean, I'm pretty average for a Japanese girl. But Jurou is might be pushing 175cms or so. I forget exactly, just that they make me feel tiny."

Kauchemar tilts her head at the mention of hair being one of the things she was called a demon for. Considers it a moment. "Red hair? That's not a common coloration in Japan." It's followed by a bemused chuckle, her tail flicking as horse's idly do. "I've heard a few ... interesting things about redheads when I was in the States."

"The look is good on you, Kita... As for me, that's a mystery for another time~"

Gwen Says "Red head here too and ugg metric. About Five 5'10" also pale as a sheet." She grins a bit at this. "See why I kept getting called the Oni? I won't say if I was a Red or a Blue though. Don't think about it much anymore more you know?" She laughs a bit. "These are our new skins now and we might as well get used to it."

"Red-heads are amazing." Kita comments, a smirk playing on her lips. "I would know, I've been dating one for years now." The crowds around them seem to be thining a bit, perhaps because of Uta's impromptu performance. That's enough for Kita to start breaking down her little art stand, a few menu commands stowing them into her inventory, along with the stool. "Jurou's a little shorter than you are in real life, but not by much. They compete in track, so the long legs help. They're good for other things, too." Kita winks in Gwen's direction, then laughs.

"Anyways, I should probably get going. Need to finish up this piece for Uta, and then help Jurou with learning their class a bit. It was nice talking to you both." She bows, in a formal, very Japanese way.

"Long agile legs are good for dancing." Kauchemar agrees, smirking because that's better than letting the conversation turn down a little too risque path. "Yeah. I have guild related things I should really get started on. Elementals are easier to summon if I have a bit of corrosponding material to entice it with." She returns the bow, then huffs at her mane to keep it from entirely covering her face as she stands up again.

Gwen bursts out laughing at Kita. "I would have to agree." She notes and she now looks to Kita for a moment and just seems very amused at that. "I look forward to meeting Jurou." She notes before she looks at Kita bowing. "You take care." Gwen tries to return the gesture.

"I'll be honest I don't like thinking about Earth too much that's the past, this is the now. Here where ever we now are."