Festival: Lights Against the Night

There has already been signs of the Palace Lands making efforts to infiltrate and attack the Adventurers of Yamato. Rumors seem to be materializing, and with it, comes fear. There are many who feel safe and secure behind their large expansive houses and territories. The nobles who have rarely ever felt a threat coming to loom against them. But for the commoners of Yamato, the prospect of a war between the Adventurers means that life as they know it could be changing.

The Summer Festival is usually a time when people come together to celebrate. The warmest months, less monsters on the beaches, food in abundance, and generally the world seeming to be a more welcoming place. However, the prospect of war has left a shadow over the festivities. The fireworks have been cancelled, much to the dismay of many. Even this largest of beach-parties has been subdued, with less Landers and Adventurers in attendance, many doing prep work elsewhere.

Even so, there are those who are trying to do their best to bring some light out of the looming darkness. There is a large bonfire which has been lit, casting long shadows in the twilight of the evening. The sunset hangs on the horizon, making a beautiful display of reds and golds across the sky which is darkening towards night, a few stars visible above.

Groups of people are swimming in the warm summer water, dressed in a variety of simple or complex bathing attire. Others are cooking food on open fires, or sitting together, enjoying the company of one another while they have the chance. There is very much a feeling that many are taking advantage of this, possibly last opportunity to be together in social company before the world becomes a very, very different place.

Mikage had returned to the lands of Yamato only recently, having been part of the group that was driven out of the Palace Lands. As such, she has a bit more world-wariness than some others, perhaps. The Were Fang is dressed in a simple bathing suit which Gwen had made her the previous year, wearing a dark cover-up over it which maintains more than the required amount of modesty. She almost seems... shy about that sort of thing.

She had come here with Cyrus, the two had been nearly inseparable since the flight from the Palace Lands. "No sign of anyone unusual." Mikage reports, "Seems like we haven't drawn the attention of that 'Sheriff' yet, so maybe things will remain peaceful tonight." She can hope. Maybe, just maybe the Palace Landers also have some sort of respect for festivals? Probably not.

Rama, the young woman's pet lynx, is staying well clear of the water, but seems to be enjoying himself as he pads through he sandy beaches, sniffing at rocks and wiggling his nub tail as he investigates the festivities.

While preferring not so complex, Giganpor has arrived to the big gathering to relax. Seriously, he's been doing a lot of crafting and tossing about in Nine Tails, so it was good to be back where a lot of stuff began. Even if he hated Tower Climbs for what they brought, it was still the best thing to do to simply be around and near people at times.

And for him, well, he was currently sitting near the bonfire with one of his favorite summons out that was munching on a large bag of what looked like iron ore scraps as Giganpor used it as a back rest. Not that the rock golem seemed to mind at all as it munched and had a curious look on it's face as it people watched with it's summoner.

Giganpor, meanwhile, has at least gotten some food and drink that he's munching on slightly. And he looks at least a good deal relaxed so far!

It is said by some that it is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness. This is usually said by people who don't wake up in the middle of the night because they /really/ have to go to the water closet and end up stubbing a toe. That is time in which it is perfectly appropriate to curse the darkness. Fortunately, stubbed toes are not likely to happen at this festival with that bonfire burning- unless someone were to find a buried treasure chest in the sand.

Gallant has been spending a lengthy amount of time swimming, taking refuge in the soothing waters as he often does, regardless of the obligatory jokes of cats and water that might arise from that. His customary loincloth works perfectly well as swimwear, so all he needed to do was stash the rest of his armor away. After some vigorous swimming and some langorous floating around, he has had enough and decides to head over to the bonfire to see who else might be drawn by the light.

"Food's good?" he remarks to the Giganpor, tying his wet mane back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way.

Yeowang has arrived at the beach festival in sandals and a flowery sarong rather than her normal beachwear as this seems to be more of a social gathering than hanging out on the beach. She's even left her hair down, a sure sign she's not expecting a fight. Not that it slows her down much, but she prefers her hair up, or at least gathered into a pony tail, when she's fighting. One imagines with her athletic style, long hair would go everywhere.

She eats daintily enough from a plate, nibbling at this or that as she discusses current events with various landers, painting a somewhat smoothed over picture of confidence for the Landers. "Oh, it will be difficult, but it won't be catasptrophic, I'm sure," and similarly mollifying statements. She of course intends to make sure thing don't get /too/ bad, and no one who saw her kick the snot out of sea monsters last night is going to question her resolve. Certainly not to her face.

Balancing a life as a monster handling musical kung-fu nurse requires juggling a lot of things. In the case of Uta, the expression is very literal, considering that she also is a part time street performer (thanks to Rylen). This mean that each second of her day has to be squeezed out to provide the maximum benefit to all those activities, so Uta had decided to roll physical training and the relocation of the Slime Labs to the Monster Menagerie into one: she walks onto the beach dragging a cart full of stoppered, opaque ceramic jugs (the large bottle kind, not the pitcher kind), as distracted as one would expect. Notably, she's not dressed any different than usual, and most definitely not for the beach.

It takes her quite a few steps among the gathered people to finally stop, look around, and scratch her head. "Wait a minute, this is not the tower. I might have taken a wrong turn at Alneuquerque."

Cyrus has chosen to remain in battle gear for this particular trip to the beach. With the talk of Palace Landers starting to show their faces and causing chaos, he's been wary about traveling in anything that isn't basically 'optimal gear'.

Luckily, this is Elder Tale Online. Where there are optimally statted swimsuits. So he's wearing a nice jacket, some swim trunks, and is wearing some sandals that absolutely and totally give him a great defensive buff. The youth is carrying a picnic basket that contains his various potions, instead of them being on the inside of his coat. Though there's multiple potion bottles attached to his jacket as well.

Just in case.

The youth stretches his arms in the air. At least he's looking to enjoy himself, sticking close to Mikage and playfully tugging at her cover-up with a single hooking finger.

Haru is one of the people at the festival that does not appear to be wearing the weight of the war on his shoulders. He has a practiced smile on his face and a composed, approachable bounce to his step as he makes his way around the festival. He came here by himself, but he is quick to spot out the various groups and events going on as bubbles of social activity to introduce himself into. Briefly. He has his beach attire, which is a pair of navy blue shorts that are well embroidered with silver tribal-like designs up one side. His feet have sandals, simple wooden things of a washed white color.

Haru runs across a Lander that had the misfortune of losing the last points of the durability on an old hairpin. A momento they would take to the beach. An ill omen for things to come. "May I take a look?" he asks, a stranger to the couple's situation. They give him the small copper pins, something that have been kept from turning green with years of care. It must be something precious. The Artificer looks it over with his monocle, reviewing the relevant stats and repair materials. After a few interactions on it, the pin is restored to its previous glory. "Here you go. It'll last for a few more days now, but it'll be best to get it fully restored at a shop." When asked if Haru wants payment for that he shakes his head, "Enjoy the time here and consider me for the work when you get to a full repair. I make accessories primarily." A merchant's smile is given, practiced with a 'thank you for your patronage' tilt of the head before moving on. Because during these times, cultivating happiness is as much an activity as it is food and armaments.

It was still a time to party, it might be the last time fo ra while that she's able to do so. The elf has got a bikini from somewhere and seems to have been dragging along a few of her friends at some point. Though at the moment they have parted ways. She make her way out of the water to go start being social. There was some killer loose assailing people such as herself but she's not going to let it get her down. She'll end up right behind Uta.

"Welcome to the party! Let's go have some fun!"

Giganpor looks over at the asking on the food, "It is. I got it from over there." He motions off in a direction.

Then he sighs, and shakes his head, "So... when's everyone going to stop doing what you shouldn't be doing and instead having a bit of fun? 'Cause I'm getting tempted to see if I can use Flaris to make some fireworks next."

Oh, Giganpor's getting a bit annoyed! And the large human-form Were Fang moves to his feet. At least he has that color changing cloak in his inventory somewhere. Giving a consideration to the idea, he grins, "In fact, might not be a bad idea.... Granit, mind if I get out Flaris?"

The ape-like earth elemental looks over at Giganpor, then looks at it's bag of apparent treats and throws it over it's shower. Then hops into a summoning circle that appears not far from it.

Giganpor blinks a few times, then shakes his head, "That still amazes me..."

It looks like Kauchemar won't have to start a party, but this one certainly isn't as lively as it could be. Sure, people are concerned with the potential of war coming to Yamato. But at the same time, giving into fear and anxiety is only going to give the future enemy what they want -- low spirits and broken hearts.

Be damned if that's happening on her watch. To let such pessemistic morale continue to fall goes against everything a bard, even one that plays in darkness and shadows, stands for. Sometimes it's in those shadows one has to look to find the light to guide them.

Striding across beach and giving a few nods to familiar faces, the Nightmare Bard finds a nice big beachside rock to sit on, and lifts the lute from her back. Sets it across her legs, and goes about a pre-performance tune-up with the same intense focus as a warrior would preparing their weapon before combat.

To be fair she is about to also go to war, just against a very different and less physical enemy...

"Oh, I missed that," at Giganpor's gesture, the Were Fang lion pads twards the food stall. He returns with a generous helping of treats, including some vegetables. "Did somebody say fireworks?" he says, chomping on a carrot with a grin. His eyes flick across the beach, noticing some of the impromptu companions from yesterday - Yeowang and Haru. He gives them a wave to see if they will notice him... and then he notices Uta's arrival, and the beer jugs she's carting.

It is only natural for him to assume that she is bringing refreshments to the party. Grabbing a carrot from one of the stalls, he chomps on it and reaches over to grab one of those formidable jugs. "Hey, what's up, Doc?" her outfit, after all, does hint at some medical professionalism, "Refreshments, just what the doctor ordered! Do you want one too?" he asks Giganpor, beginning to dislodge one of the jugs from the cart, not paying particular attention to its contents.

At festivals like these, Mikage is usually drawn to food like a moth to a flame, but not this time. Maybe it was the long weeks at sea, or the worry seizing her stomach. Still, she looks towards the sight of Giganpor eating, surrounded by his summons, and thinks better of joining him for the time being.

She gives an idle swat at Cyrus' hand, "Hey." That, at least, draws her attention away, breaking the negative round of her thoughts. She might have said more, but Haru's interaction actually catches her eye. "Huh... I remember hearing on the Chimlink that they worked with accessories. Wonder what he'd think of these." She touches a strange pair of earrings which are a recent addition to her attire.

The girl seems about to inquire when Uta arrives in usual Uta fashion. Blinking, she looks over and offers up, "Where were you heading, Uta? I'm sure we can help point you in the right direction. But you should join in the festivities a little before you go."

Yeowang looks over to Giganpor and wonders, "What are we doing that we should not be doing?" She arches a brow at mention of fireworks, though she says, "I think they may be holding the in case of emergency? Or perhaps to add to the solemnilty of the occasion." She offers a nod to Gallant, who she met yesterday, and watches him go over and assume about Uta's slimes ... oh no, this should ne entirely entertaining. She signals those nearby to watch Gallant try to eat a slime. This should be good.

Cyrus makes an amused sound as Mikage gives him that little 'hey' and swats at his hand, smirking at her. "You seemed lost in thought." He tells her, before looking back towards Haru. "You should ask them." He remarks, and is about to guide Mikage towards Haru when she is distracted by the distractable distraction known as Uta.

So instead, Cyrus waves Haru over!

Mikage is the first person Uta's attention settles on. "Oh. Hi!", she waves. "I'm headed to the Tower. Well, /Aincrad/ Tower, to be precise. We've found out there's more than one now, so we should probably start being precise. Antonomasia is fine and dandy for rhetoric, but in this case precision is becoming of ever increasing importance." A blink, her eyes lose focus. "Where was I? Oh, right. The Tower. I mean, Aincrad. I mean, I wasn't there, but that's where I was trying to be. But am not. Because I'm-" She looks around, opens her mouth, rotates her hand while looking for the right word, and finally sweeps her hand all around to point at her surroundings. "...Here." She allows a few seconds for her brain to catch up, gets tired of waiting, and moves on. "I... I probably should. What festivities are we talking about, again?" And after a short pause. "And what have you been up to, lately? Have you-" She looks between Mikage and Cyrus. Mikage. Cyrus. Mikage. Cyrus. "Oooooh." She looks down and mutters to herself. "Gotta speak with Morri about her shipping wall..."

That is when Gallant shows up. By the time a rather stunned Uta has time to process his greeting, the jug has already been swiped. "No! No!", she protests, even going red in the face. "Nurse! Nurse Uta, really. I never really... I don't really... I... that title's wrong. It's just nurse," she mumbles, turning her face down to avoid eye contact.

Which causes her to miss most of Gallant's shenanigans, especially since, in order to provide herself a distraction, she looks at, and ends up being amazed by, Giganpor's summoning prowess. "Oooh. Giganpor... that was impressive. You know? I... I should probably start looking into something more than slimes. Diversify my obsessions. How did you- WHAT! HOW! YOU! WHAT!" Yes. Uta has finally realized that Gallant might be pouring a mug of Slime at Giganpor, and... is reacting how she knows.

Haru is responsive to hand waves, coffee, and food. Like a moth to the flame, Cyrus' wave brings the white haired Artificer over at a casual pace. "Hey," he offers a friendly wave back and a smile. "Nice to see familiar faces outside of the gnashing of rats and the like," he offers with a quite easily distracted distractable that is Uta. Blue eyes linger there a moment wih he curiosity if she still thinks his name is Natsu or not.

Giganpor sighs, shaking his head, "No thank you." He says towards Gallant. Then he looks at Yeowang, "Hm... never mind. I think we're about to have some entertainment."

Giganpor, meanwhile, considers, "I wish Auris could do some nice light show, but I never learned those spells.... let's see..."

Clearing his throat, Giganpor motions to a side, "Fires of the world, heed my call! Come forth, Flaris!"

A red summoning circle appears beside Giganpor before a fire elemental shaped like a cat appears out of it. Giving a meow, hiss, then looking around before sitting down and looking up at Giganpor.

"Hey, Flaris. Yes, I know, I haven't called you in a while. I thought you might like to cut loose a bit." Giganpor seems to be considering how to setup some sort of fire works bit at the moment, while watching Gallant and Kauchemar particularly.

Gallant lifts the jug and brings it up to his muzzle, and then he frowns at what Uta starts saying. He doesn't get to register it because as the liquid touches his muzzle- it burns.

Putting it down quickly and blinking, he says "Wait... pineapple flavor?" and then he looks at the jug.

In the immortal words of NietzcheBot, 'Bottle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster bottler, and if you gaze into the bottle, the bottle gazes also into you.' That bottle is *gazing back at him*, there are little eyes and a mouth pressed against the glass. Oh, is THAT why his health bar just started to go down and his face is burning?

"YAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The jug hits the sand (bottom-down, fortunately) along with his discarded food, and there is a small whirlwind of sand where Gallant stood. Now there is a golden-furred blur that streaks towards the ocean and jumps off into it with what might be described as a graceful swan dive. Might, because it was started all too soon, and Gallant's legs are left above the water as his face eats wet sand underwater. They twitch, and then splash in a second later. Bubbles bob to the surface, and it is only after at least ten seconds that Gallant emerges, sputtering, and then walks back to the gathering, trying to take refuge in the natural feline swagger to pretend All Of That Did Not Happen. He almost succeeds. Almost.

Getting back to his previous place, he grabs the jug from the sand and presents it to Uta, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"So... you collect... slimes."

Despite how long she has known the unusual 'Nurse', Uta's ability to ramble has always brought out a confused and curious expression on Mikage's features. Her head tilts, an expression mimicked by Rama as the lynx pads forward, trying to get a closer look at the containers that Uta is carrying. "Don't play with those, Rama." Miki advises the cat, who still sniffs at them, regardless.

Then, her blue eyes shift back to Uta. "Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find Aincrad, just... look for the tower." Other than in a few areas where the trees got too thick to see the skyline, it usually wasn't hard to see Aincrad from anywhere on the island. Then again, easy for someone else might not be easy for Uta.

She catches Uta's look between her and Cyrus, then smirks slightly. "Uh, yeah. We're dating, sort of. As much as that sort of thing exists here." The Were Fang shrugs.

And there goes Cyrus, flagging over Haru. While Mikage can be social among people she knows well, she can sometimes be shy around those who are more unfamiliar. "Um... Hey Haru." Mikage might be a high ranking duelist, but... she is about as socially awkward as they come, sometimes. "You know a lot about accessories, right?" She sounds uncertain, "I was wondering if you knew anything about earrings like these." She points she is wearing, "I... sort of got them from one of the Divine Beasts, so I was hoping someone might know something."

Kauchemar looks up from her instrument adjustments. Just to sigh a bit at the sight that is no real surprise. After yesterday Uta is probably even more scatteredbrained than usual. "This is nowhere near the Tower, Uta. Though at least you're on the right continent this time."

She then turns a glance in Giganpor's direction as he calls his fiery summon onto the beach. A slow smirk curls one corner of her mouth. "Hey Giga! Are you planning to do with that fellow what I think you're planning to do?"

"Ah yes, who knew that the people constantly traveling with eachother for one-and-a-half-years might end up together." He remarks playfully to Uta, giving her a bit of a look while putting his hands at his hips and taking a relaxed stance. Not that he and Mikage have exactly been shouting that one down the walls or anything. They've been their usual more quiet selves when it comes to relationships.

The youth turns to Haru and nods; "Hey." He then motions to the earrings on Mikage. "This lovely lady would like your expert eyes on these." He then steps back a bit since Mikage is revealing the accessories in question. A relic in this case, it'd seem.

Giganpor shrugs, looking at Kauchemar, "Sure. I'm just trying to remember the fire spells I'm aware of. Wouldn't mind some help to have fun with it."

He shakes his head, "I should probably work on my spell based attacks at some point. I do wish Lord of Vermillion wasn't locked out to me still. Need to work on that at some point."

The red head rubs his chin, moving over to the regular food stall and not Uta's cart to get a refill of his drink. Looking at Flaris, he seems to consider. "Let's see what I remember. Flaris, flame dart." He points out to the ocean where there aren't swimmers, and the air. The little fire cat spits out darts of flame into the air a few times.

Haru nods his head to Cyrus in understanding the situation. He takes his monocle out from his inventory and puts it over one of his blue eyes, as he had not been wearing it for beach events. The youth already has the 'rich kid' sort of air about him, going to a beach with a monocle on would just be overkill. "Happy to lend a hand or an eye to the situation," the man says.

He extends out a hand to Mikage, "Hi Mikage," he says. Something about her seems familiar, but he can't place it. Like when two people like the same starter Pokemon but cant connect two and two. "Something as world class as Divine Beast accessories may be beyond my talents, but I promise that I'll give it my all." Something he used to say during the Angelic Layer tournaments way back when as an audible, "I won't hold back." But the tone is all off. Warm. A painted on smile.

Once in hand, Haru will hold them up and interface in MMO fashion to start reviewing the stats. There are atrributes in there he has never seen before. Bleep. Bloop. A sweatdrop forms on the side of his face as he focuses. Then with a deep breath he exhales. "These are high grade, for sure," he says as his blue eyes, one behind a monocle, says as he hands them back. "The description doesn't translate well, nor the attributes, but I did get a name. Lillith's Earrings. Masterful craftsmanship. If I grinded for the next year I wouldn't be in the same league as the person who made these. You are very fortunate, I hope they bring you happiness."

Yeowang nods to Giganpor about the entertainment about to begin. As if on cue, Gallant chugs the slime, or starts to, before realizing his mistake. Compounding it with water safety failure #1 (no diving in the shallow end), Gallant provides fuel for amusement for people who haven't seen comedy for a while.

When the entertainment has concluded, she will resume her socializing, talking with various party guests mostly about business plans for the coming crisis, and what they will do and how they plan to manage.

Kauchemar tilts her head. "Locked out how? Not enough hot air?" That's what she's gathering at least. Well we can fuss about specifics later, it's not really relevant.

When Flaris spits fire into the air she runs her fingers up the strings of her instrument, playing out a rising riff in time with the embers that ends in a sharp chord to punctuate the burst at the end. "Not bad, not bad."

Fingers dance across the strings again, using her bardic magic to amplify and empathize the upbead music in hopes of elevating the festival mood a bit more. As she does so it also works as a summoning, as several will-o-wisps appear before her. Then shoot off into the air, leaving glowing streaks in their wake as they zip and spiral about above the beach.

"Okay, that came out less like fireworks and more a light show," she rubs her chin, and then shrugs. "But it still works!"

    Merek seems to be content keeping away from the bonfire, he has his own pile of sticks to keep a flame, while he waves to Uta a little bit, though he seems to be content to watch people for the time being. "How are you?" he asks, while he takes a drink of the flask of the whiskey which he is keeping with him.

Erufu looks over to Uta grinning even wider at her musical friend. "Oh I see the tower huh you'll get there but how about you take a break and party I'm sure we can get you a swimsuit!" Elf is beaming She then pauses looking confused. "Shipping wall?"

"Uta Furore, Founder and Chairspriggan for life of the Royal Society for the Appreciation and Study of Gelatinous Creatures!", Uta rattles out at Gallant, cheerful, with a bow. "Our mission is to collect gelatinous samples, house them in a stimulating, enriched environment to maximize their well-being and to advance our collective knowledge about this world that surrounds us and hopefully unlock the key to a better future through goo-empowered automation of tasks!"

Because 'I like to pet slimes' makes for kind of a crummy mission statement.

"Now, now-", she flicks a finger, navigates through her menu, jabs an option, and a clipboard and pen shimmer into existence. "Now, I am going to need some experimental data," she states, over the noise of scribbling. "Did that taste like-" She looks up straight at Gallant, "Soggy crackers?"

Without waiting for Gallant's answer, she snaps, as she is wont to, at the latest event to compete for her attention. "Oh, hey, it's Natsu! Hi, Natsu!", Uta exclaims, with a wave in Haru's direction. However, seeing how Cyrus calls for the man's attention, she politely postpones further interaction.

At Mikage's reply, Uta turns to look at the gigantic shape on the horizon. "...Uh. I never thought about that. It actually makes a lot of sense. Tall structures have historically served as landmarks across civilizations, sto it would make a lot of sense that..." She trails off, blinks, and shakes her head. "What was I- Hey, what are those?"

Uta squints down at Mikage's item. "Lilith's Earrings, huh?", she says at Haru. "The one given to Lilith by her lover, Apeiron himself? The ones which, over the years, absorbed Lilith's love for Aperion, and allowed her to reach across the vastness of the skies themselves to speak to him, and eventually it allowed her to elude those who chased her? Those Lilith's Earrings?"

She waves at Merek, "Hi Merek!" Before she can elaborate on how she feels, Erufuf chimes in. "A swimsuit? Uh. We're at the beach, I fear that people who came here already had to bring one from home." Her eyes go wide. "You don't know about Morri's shipping wall? We gotta get you up to date on it! And vice versa!"

There is a sort of hesitance as Mikage removes the earrings to allow Haru to inspect them. She had only recently acquired them under unusual circumstances, and knowing Kirin's 'sunny' disposition, the girl seems uncertain what might happen when she places them in Haru's care, even briefly.

Thankfully, it seems that these don't carry any semblance of the Kirin's power in them, which is a good thing for Haru. "Lilith's Earrings... huh." There is curiosity there, but she nods her thanks to Haru, "It was a long shot, either way. Thanks for taking a look at them." She looks towards Cyrus, then, knowing that he tends to be more knowledgeable about matters of deep lore, and oblivious to the fact that Uta might actually have been the better one to look to.

Thankfully, Uta seems to be more than happy to fill in the gaps without being asked, directly. Mikage's eyebrows draw together a little, looking at the earrings and then slowly putting them back on, one at a time. "If that's what you're saying they are, I suppose so. They seem to be tied to one of those unusual abilities."

Just as she mentions that, Merek walks up to talk to Uta. "Not like what he can do, though. This is... something else." She shrugs, as if not really understanding it all.

Giganpor shrugs, "Hm..." Then he turns as he hears some inspection going on. An eyebrow raises, then he reaches into his inventory and pulls out his ever color changing cloak. "Hey, kid?"

"Mind taking a look at this thing? See what you think of it and what you can find out." Looking back at Flaris, Giganpor seems to consider before he looks to Kauchemar, "Yeah, we need something a bit... oh yeah. I think we can chain some together a little..." He looks to Flaris, "Flaris, flame dart, fire bolt, and try a flame pillar?"

This results in a lot more flame darts, a few larger ones, and a big old flame pillar out in the water.

"That's more like it!" Kauchemar's fingers race across the lute strings, matching the display with upbeat revelry tones along with the bursting flames. "~ Gaze upon the glorious blaze above, rememeber there is still a place for love. Flames to chase the fears away, and dream tomorrow is a better day ~"

"It did sort of taste-" but Gallant's reply is lost in a sea of overlapping interactions, as Uta Furore seems to know, and speak to, everyone, almost at the same time. Her sheer amount of energy could power a small planet and he can only stand in quiet admiration of it. He remains there in bewilderment for a few seconds before he bends over and begins to collected his discarded foodstuffs, and brushes the sand off them- at least some of them. As the threads of conversation weave about, he finds himself wandering out of the light of the bonfire, vaguely in the direction of the scent of food.

Cyrus kind of just... stares at Uta as she starts rambling off what she seems to know about the earrings. "I can't tell if she is just saying nonsense, or is actually accurate." He admits to Mikage. "What's your read on this." He rubs his white hair and scratches a bit behind his ear, before rolling his shoulders and putting his hands at his hips. "Those names aren't familiar to me at all to be honest."

He knew it. Haru "Natsu" Nox was recorded in the great Uta databanks under a different name. "Hello Uta," he offers with all the grace of a store clerk that is processing ten coupons individually for the customer. The white haired youth's attention is on the earrings, for the time, as they are one of the most impressive things he has seen with his time here on ETO. The choice to spend more time in adventure life is paying off to be exposed to these things. Of course he also didn't know he was one earring-handing away from Kirin's less-than-pleasant response. Ignorance is bliss!

"Glad it helped move the bar forward," Haru says to Mikage, "I'd love to take a look again after a bit more practice in the craft. It is a good a way to expand abilities and I plan to be world class in accessories one day." Lofty goals and ambitions. With trinkets. Its a choice.

Now he can address Uta. Haru points at the busy lady. "Its Haru, Haru Nox." With someone as popular as Uta, his name could end up Natsu if he isn't careful. For some reason that makes him think of a food, not an accessory crafter. "Also. Nice to see you again. Been well?"

"It's okay, Cyrus," Uta reassures the Cait Sith. "I have no idea of who any of those people they are, either. Of if they are people at all as opposed to, say, goldfish."

Uta stares in surprise at Mikage. "Like him? You mean-"

A beat.

"Do you know more about these... uh... unusual abilities? I've learnt of the possibly three, but- yes, I've never heard of this. It's different from what he can do..." she gestures to Merek, looking at him in acknowledgement, "...or what I can do. I seem to... you know, somehow just, as the epistemological term goes, 'know stuff'. We need to sit down and talk about this, when you have time." After a short pause, she adds, "It is probably worth to still try and somehow find a way to extract the flavour text through appraisal, hard as it may be. While I have no reason to doubt its accuracy, I still don't know the level of completeness of the information I can gather through... ah...my own means."

"That scarf?!", Uta exclaims in surprise at Giganpor, as if she was noticing the scarf for the first time. Regardless of how many times Giganpor has been wearing it. "I... I've seen a similar scarf, once." She turns to Haru, "By all means, yes, do give it a nice appraisal. I am also interested in learning more about it." She turns towards Giganpor again. "If... it's okay with you that I listen."

As her brain catches up to Haru's greeting, she finally beams a cheerful, "Oh, yes, I have, indeed, been well. If we exclude the hangover. So much hangover. And-" Her eyes go blank, lifeless, and her voice sepulchral, "...the accident..."

Silence.

A blink, a shake of her head (Uta has rebooted?), and back she goes to her usual self, "Oh. Which reminds me, if it's okay with you, I would also happen to have a little something to take a look at..."

"I've seen him do his thing once or twice." Mikage motions her head towards Merek, as if confirming that she knows a reasonable amount about these unusual abilities. "That, and he doesn't shut up about it on chimlink most of the time." The girl shrugs, tugging at her cover-up, making sure it is still in place and covering most of her bathing suit.

With a glance for Cyrus, she confirms, "I'm pretty sure Uta knows what she's talking about, at least most of the time. You just have to parse through it from the to time when she gets going too fast."

The idea of comparing the extents of these unusual powers gets a nod from the Were Fang, "I'm not entirely sure the extent of what I can do. It's... not quite so straight forward, I suppose." There is a worry line that forms between her eyebrows.

"If you're heading up towards Aincrad, we can head up that direction tomorrow, maybe meet you in Alne?" She and Cyrus didn't have definitive plans as of yet. Even before the discovery of the Palace Lands, they tended to travel around a lot, without ever settling anywhere.

    Merek will look to Uta and nods a bit, "Is that what it was that you used when you were examining the clouds?" the man asks, taking the time to relax and stand, while he walks up to the people, nodding to Mikage and Cyrus.

"Uta often knows what she's talking about, even if she doesn't know WHAT she knows about it." Kauchemar is entirely unhelpful in trying to quantify Uta's unusual trait. "It's some manner of ... savant."

Giganpor shrugs, "Nice to see someone else pick up the accessories thing. What's your name, kid? I'm Giganpor, and it seems like a lot of New World like to bug me for armor and such."

He looks at Flaris, "Eh, repeat, mix it up, and just let loose?"

The fire cat gives a meow, then starts to fire off fire bolts, flame darts, the occasional fireball, and flame pillars. At least it's something of a show, yes?

Giganpor pulls out some lumber to set down beside it, cut into small pieces. "There you go, Flaris."

He looks to the others, then to Haru and shrugs, "It's tied to those unusual abilities as well, in a way. I can... eh... for lack of a better word, super taunt something with it I've recently found out. I save it for Waves since they typically have giant bosses that need it."

Haru had just introduced himself, well reintroduced himself, to Uta a moment prior. He gives a short laugh. "Its Haru Nox, old man," he says in response to the whole 'kid' thing with Giganpor. At this rate they are going to end up salty mentor and bratty apprentice. "I've been working on accessories for a while now. Doing more field work is the change and it has been an all-in effort." The young Artificer takes a survey of the league of legends around here, "The main thing I have learned is there are some real high tier talents around. Its a good thing, if not eye opening. You only get the occasional glance of that sort of thing in the towns."

Erufu looks to Uta for a moment "I do not know what it is and I'm almost afraid to ask." This has rattled Elf's persona so deeply she almost broke character for a moment. Almost the recovers thinking about the party. "I guess we shall at some point when we are not partying my friend! You should relax a bit given all the work you do with slimes and on song!"

"Speaking of song." Kauchemar pulls out a few music sheets and waves them towards Uta. "When you've got one of the phonographs available I want to make a proper cylinder record of the anthem I wrote for Eas and Baroness Wake."

Giganpor shakes his head at being lumped into the 'legends' category. "Kid, we're not legends. We're just trapped people trying to help the world, or make it better, or get out of it. Once it gets to your head, well... fame's fame, but it's fickle as hell."

"Yes. That is exactly it, Merek. I looked at the clouds of the Wave of Calamity in the Palace Lands, and- well, oh. By the way." Uta gives Mikage a serious look. "Don't overdo it. Seems like headaches and strain of the vocal chords are a common symptom of overuse of Strange Abilities."

She swipes through her menu, jabs an option, and materializes-

-a sphere, organic in look, roughly the size of a baseball, which she offers to Haru. "Here, can you have a look at this, pleas-"

A pause.

"High tiers? Legends?"

She looks down at herself.

She looks sideways at Merek.

"The Goddesses save us all!"

"Consider it done," she says to Kauchemar. "Have I already invited you to join the group of Song Hunters I'm starting? A group of people who'd help record the Lander Songs of Yamato and... well, other songs in the Alv language, let's say, and responsibly share their findings with the rest of the group? Responsibly because... some might be dangerous. But we'd share within the group." She turns to Erufu, and gives her a knowing look. "You're invited too as well."

"Honestly, I respect the fuck out of anyone who has any kind of crafting skill." Mikage replies, "Mostly, all I can do is hunt monsters and animals for crafting supplies, but I'm no good at making anything." She nods her acknowledgement to both Giganpor and Haru.

It's at this point that Rama gives a huff and a paw to her leg. "Looks like that's my queue to get someone fed, though. I appreciate all the intel and we'll touch base a bit later, Uta." She had heard warnings similar to what Uta offers, and so she nods appreciatively.

"Come on, Cy. Let's go get some food cooked up for Rama." She still seems to be 'off' her food for the time being, but taking care of her companion is still a priority. "I'll see you all later."

"...and I suppose we should relax as well, yes", Uta adds to Erufu.

"You did, Uta," Kauchemar replies, "And that is why I'm making sure your repository gets one of the full recordings. And of course Wake will get one as well. I wrote it for her and her people.. and now it will serve as a reminder that as long as they are together working for the future, Eas is wherever they may be. A Nation is it's people, location becomes irrelevant. Not that we won't one day return everyone to that home when it's safe again."

Erufu pauses for a moment as Kauchemar and Uta with a grin.

"Oh this could be fun might i be able to join in and wait Song hunters? I so would love to get in on that Uta! You know of the work I did recently!" She grins even more.

"Old man, when you are throwing out bubbles and rocks a things and they are summoning titanic volcanos of fire death and ten hit combos? Yes, you look like Legends," Haru says to Giganpor. "If you let the fame or status get to your head? Thats your own weakness to work out. Doesn't change how impressive the output of all the hard work looks to people who haven't put the time in, yet." He looks to Uta for a moment on the Legends category. Goddesses save them all.

New topic! "Song Hunters?" the Artificer asks. "Is that through voice or instruments? As I was letting my senile elder here aware of, I am an accessory crafter. Could very well lend a hand on projects for instruments and the like. Honestly it would be a welcome change to the more violent applications of time."

Also he gets some low key praise from Mikage? Glow. The kindest thing anyone has said to him this month.

    "I know that the old powers we are receiving seem to be related to Alv," Merek will note to Uta, and nod a bit to Mikage and to Cyrus, "Either way, it does seem to make your voice and all messed up. I think that they can also be overused, a lot of the times they break that Law of Alba we probably might want to be mindful of that."

"You mean the Song of the Heroes, Erufu? Of course I've heard it. Loved it! We -definitely- need a copy of that for the Conservatory, with your permission, and if we could have an original recording... Truely, the work worthy of a Sage of Song." Uta looks down and mumbles, "I wish I could also be a Sage of Song, one day..." She clenches her fist and stares a head. "But I will do my best, in the meantime."

Uta turns to Haru. "Phonographs. I have come up with a design that works in this world. It wasn't easy. Needles the Metal Slime ate my last needle, at which point it was officially renamed to Needless." She sighs. "Man, was that project problematic. High precision equipment, just like the other sound-related instruments. They needed so much accessory forging." She whimpers. "So much accessory forging..."

Her eyes go wide, as if she realized something for the first time. She turns her head, sloooooowly towards Haru.

"You are -so- invited."

Uta blinks at Merek. "They're related to the Alv? How? And- They... They break the Law of Alba? I don't think mine ever have. As far as I can tell."

Kauchemar cusps a hand to her chin. "I think 'breaking the law' is too vague. Some powers may matter on the context in which they are being used. Like when Boss Monsters seem to have such powers when they shouldn't, something or someone 'broke the law' to give them such power."

Giganpor shakes his head, "Huh... well, I guess I've had enough fun... I need to get back towards the Ninetails anyways. I got some business to take care of there."

He looks over at Haru, "Well, if you need some armor or weapons, you can bug me on the armor. Miho might help on the weapons. We're both pretty good at it."

Giganpor shrugs, "By the way, I only said kid 'cause your avatar looks like it. I'm probably just as young or younger." He gives a wave.

Flaris, meanwhile, continues the fireworks display before noticing Giganpor leaving and consumes literally the wood pieces that Giganpor set down for it. Then bounds after it's summoner.

Haru gives a hand wave over to Giganpor, "I'll look you up for those. Chances are I'll have a need on the armor if nothing else." Weapons, on the other hand, he has feelings about. Them feels. "And it sounds like you'll be busy with both of those given recent evens. Feel free to shift over any backlogged requess for Accessories to me." He doesn't comment on the kid/old-man gag beyond a grin. It was fun banter, he didn't appear to be taking it too seriously.

Now for the phonographs, Haru looks to Uta once more, "Happy to be aboard. Working on something like a phonograph sounds exciting. I think music is a good way to cultivate happiness and that is a resouce we can always use more of." Smile.

"Good, now I know who to harass when my instrument needs some detailing." Or a few other projects down the line that Kauchemar hasn't gotten to yet because she spent a month in that 'strange mood' consuming most of her thoughts and energy.

"It is, it is!", Uta beams at Haru, and with a knowing sideways glance at Kauchemar, "You and me both, Kauchemar, you and me both."

"Bye, Giganpor! See you!", she waves at the departing Lion Were Fang, before turning to Erufu. "So, you were talking about relaxing. What did that involve, again?"

    Fuka strolls into the party, fashionably late. And by fashionable, well, not exactly the absolute truth. She's wearing beach-wear, though not exactly a stereotypical bikini sort of thing. Her outfit is cloth, a pair of short-shorts that leave basically nothing to the imagination, and a short shirt that leaves her midriff bare and reveals all her curves, such as they are. The RNG was not generous with her on that front. She's got nice abs though, at least! With her utterly shameless outfit, it's a lot more clear than usual that she's a strength main.

    Ambling on in, she zeroes in on the biggest crowd of Adventurers. "Good morning!" she calls loudly. It is not, in fact, morning. "Now that I'm here, the party may begin!"

Haru has a fashionable outfit. He has his beach attire, which is a pair of navy blue shorts that are well embroidered with silver tribal-like designs up one side. His feet have sandals, simple wooden things of a washed white color. It is overkill of 'rich kid' as he has a monocle on currently, having been appraising some accessories as of late. Being bare from the waist up otherwise, he has a swimmer's built. Great for casting and unlikely to branch out into beefier professions. "Operation Party, commencing," the Artificer collabs, "morning Fuka." Yes, he has been active on chims lately too. A rare highly social Haru today.

"The party has already started, but you're still welcome to join in Fuka." Kauchemar has taken back to her spot by the large beach rock, idling playin upbeat beach party music to keep people in higher spirits. So they'll actually enjoy themselves. She may be a creature of darkness but she has no love for everyone being all dull and depressing.

    Fuka is, fortunately, almost never depressing. She understands the seriousness of the threat of invasion and war, but is perfectly willing to put her entire focus on what she's doing this very moment. In this case, partying! "You... started? Without ME?" she gasps in outrage at Kauchemar. Her grin making it clear the outrage is fake, naturally. "Well, now that I'm here the party can IMPROVE!"

    She glances over at Haru, looks him up and down. Checking out the shorts? Checking out Haru? "That's an interesting fashion choice. Bold. The monocle really sets it off, I think." she observes. Yeeeah, maybe not quite checking Haru out. "Did I hear you mentioning something about a medal? Surely I deserve medals, but can't you come up with a better option than first place food taster?"

Haru is darkness wrapped in fake smiles. His edgelordliness can only be contained by his love of crafting. Thats how you make the magic happen. "It did happen, its true," the Artificer informs Fuka about being late to the party. Kau is, in fact, right. He nods.

Haru really does look like he would blend in well in some beach episode. He rubs his chin thoughtfully and looks off in the distance to sell the 'I am more than a beach bum, I am sophisticaed' with a bit of monocle glint. "Its trending. Smart and Sunny," the Enchanter says, keeping on top of Enchanter Time's Top Ten Trends for Summer. The pose relaxes to a natural one, "Market polls favored that option compared to the others. Four out of Five Landers agreed, that is the medal of choice." He neglects to mention these fictional Landers were all children.

    "Trending? You're a NERD!" Fuka exclaims with glee. Not that there's anything wrong with nerds. Fuka's favourite people are nerds. She's just not about to let someone put on airs and think they're being taken seriously!

    She shrugs, then strikes a pose herself, putting one hand on a hip and posing in a way that's provocative, if probably not quite as effective as she intends! "Do I look like a champion food tester to you?" she asks. "Look closely! Is there... anything you want to take a closer look at?" she asks. Is she ... flirting? Well, possibly. More likely she's trying to embarrass Haru. At least this time she's not just wearing a bath towel! "Like my.... accessories?" she asks, drawling out the perfectly innocent word in the most lewdly suggestive manner possible.

Haru is not the dense trope. His face does get a shade redder. "The monocle not give it away," he points to the nerd achivement, grinning. Oh yes, he is not difficult to embarasss. The towel thing was one type, but this is a full frontal assault. Cutscene boss fight with provacative actions. Use the items! Check your save point! He looks over Fuka with less bravado then went his way earlier. "Hmm," he intones, "Mmm," he adds in. Yes. Deep thoughtful words not buying for time at all. "I have a conclusion," he closes his eyes and points upwards. He does not have a conclusion. Make one up. "Yes." he opens his eyes back up and looks to her.

Kauchemar finishes her music set and gets up from her spot. "I have done what I needed here." Her lute is slung onto her back. "I am going to go see if any other beach parties need a bit extra help with their morale." She thrusts a hand dramatically in the air. "No party is allowed to be less than stunning under my watch!" Followed by the Nightmare taking off with the fleet and dark speed she's known for, making it hard to tell if she just ran or somehow warped away.

    Fuka finds body obsession kind of hilarious when anyone can basically just turn on the random generator and get a new body. Of course they're all stuck with what they got now, but she's far more interested in the choices people make with hairstyle and fashion. It says a lot more about them than the random numbers that make up their physical form. That includes, it seems, the combination of shorts and monocle.

    Getting a reaction, Fuka takes pity on poor Haru and eases up on the full frontal. A little. She smiles, enjoying the embarassment. At least he's not leering! That would just be creepy, really. Back in the days ETO was just a game, well... okay, she thought that sort of thing was hilarious. Now, less so since it's actually her, as much as anything is.

    Her grin falters. "Yes... what?" she asks. Is Haru mocking her? Teasing her back? Okay, she'll bite. "Yes you want to check out my accessories?" she asks, offering him an out. "Not wearing one right now. Figured that'd be bad, what with all the sand and water. But I have a scarf!" she grins. "Now where did it go..." she ponders, gesturing arcanely to bring up her menu and scroll her inventory, looking for something to equip.

    Also, "Awww leaving so soon? Party just started! Or just IMPROVED!" she calls out after Kauchemar, slightly sulkily.

Haru takes the out. Immediately. "Yes. On the accessories," he is quick to say to get his footing back. "I didn't really see any on you, so Im guessing you have them stored away. Earlier I got to see Mikage's and it was really life altering." Phrasing. "A scarf?" Genuine intrigue hits the Artificer. "Thats fascinating. What material is it made out of? Is it water proof? Did it come from a Divine Beast?"

Yeowang is still here, she's been mingling with landers in the background and isn't generally as outgoing as many of the Alliance personalities. She's also not a typical gamer in several regards, so a lot of the typical gamer goings-on go right past her. On the other hand, she tends to get on with the Landers more easily; they're more like the people she expects them to be. She is currently sitting at a table, watching the exchange between Fuka and Haru. She had almost shouted for Fuka to get a room, but held her tongue, and just as well. That would have caused a disturbance. We already have enough players embarassing us in front of Landers, she won't add to it, if she can avoid it.

    "It's made out of lots of materials!" Fuka exclaims cheerfully. "Not sure if any of them came from a divine beast. Maybe! You're the expert on these things right?" she blathers while rooting through her inventory. Blathering is something she's quite good at after all, it barely takes any concentration; just open mouth and let it go do its thing!

    "Normally I wear this under my armor. It's a bit attention-getting if I wear it openly." Fuka notes, and then ahas as she locates and equips the accessory, which materializes around her neck and shoulders.

    It's made of a bunch of different materials, all of which are probably kind of terrifying. But the scarf itself lets off fascinating glowing patterns. Attention-getting indeed! It is, in fact, entirely fascinating! Especially considering its special effect is to grab and hold attention, and Fuka's certainly not willing it to convey anything different.

"You?" Haru starts in on a tease, "the center of attention? No. Unfathomable." The Artificer vents out some earlier energy in a laugh, taking to looking at the scarf with his monocle. It does the bleep and bloops MMO style of doing an Appraisal assessmeent. Have to make sure this thing doesnt have a power level over 9000. "Wow," he says. If watching him be off guard earlier was cringe, this is cringe-ception. He is just staring at this thing. Enthralled. His surroundings melt away. There is no Haru, only Zuul, assuming Zuul is the scarf's name.

Yeowang boggles as Fuka produces that accessory. It's certainly ... remarkable. She can even see where she might take advantage of such a thing, to distract someone in a negotiation. Though she's probably solid enough in negotiations that it'd be unnecessary. She watches as the scarf captures Haru's attention, but what does she know about accessory forging? Maybe that's how it's supposed to work?

    Unfortunately the scarf is incapable of magically capturing the attention of an Adventurer. Purely mundane fascination, sure that's fine. And Fuka would never be comfortable using it on a Lander, not in a negotiation. She's not big on messing with people in that way, and she's never considered Landers as anything less than people.

    She's also okay with letting others be the centre of attention, like when they're busy nerding out. She enjoys feeding others' passions in that way too. But that sort of thing aside she indeed seeks to be, if not the centre of attention, at least near it. It's only when Haru goes still and actually seems to be caught by the scarf's magic that she considers there might be something wrong. Might Haru actually be a Lander somehow? Pretending to be an Adventurer? Wouldn't that be something?

    "Ha-roooo?" Fuka asks, pitching the name like it's a (relatively quiet) wolfy howl. "Yamato to Haroo. You still with us, boy?" Okay, more dog than wolf perhaps.

Haru has a professional fascination! Like an elegant line of code or a really nice skill rotation in action. He is lost in thought of the materials it took to put this together. All the rare creatures that contributed to the fabric. The skill of the craftsman. He is enthralled for different reasons. There are practically lines of light dancing behind his blue eyes. "Huh, what," he finally says like a distant voice called him back to this virtual reality? "Yeah, I didn't get anything off of it," he says, being too distracted to READ the output of his skills, "but this is really impressive, Fuka." Geuine statement from Haru, aside from his usual synthesized commentary, "How did you get ahold of it?"

Yeowang always considers the Landers as people, but not for the feelie reasons that most seem to have in the Alliance. She considers Landers people, aware that they have hopes, dreams, and goals, and they can be used and manipulated by them just the same as real people can. So, it pays to treat Landers as people, since most of them seem to have the same sorts of hooks. Certainly more like regular people than Adventurers, who seem, in her experience, to deliberately make offbeat choices just to set themselves apart. So while Haru seems to be entranced by Fuka's scarf, she's entirely aware that he's a player. She inspected him the other day in any event. As he describes his inability to learn anything about the item, she will look over at it also. But she's got no particular skill beyond looking at a thing, and Inspect just turns up the basics.

    "What, you don't think I collected all these parts and made it with my Enchanter subclass?" Fuka laughs, reactivating her inventory and putting the relic away. Obviously she didn't make it; people like her just don't make relics... yet. She's not disappointed Haru failed to get anything. It's a relic after all, and one that she imagines is rather hard to study.

    "It just fell out of the sky one day." Fuka lies. The lie is patently false, and she makes no effort to disguise that, making it not really a lie but a cue that she doesn't feel like telling the truth. "Probably a passing god saw me and, fascinated by my beauty, made me an offering. Or just got distracted and dropped it by accident. Either way it's mine now!" she grins.

Haru takes the deep breath like the next words out of his mouth are going to be a loud 'Bulllllllllsshhhhh'. He stops, gulping the air for a moment. Exhale. "If it gets damaged, let me do repairs on it," he asks, "I'll get a better understanding of it that way. And maybe find out what god, coordinates, and," he coughs the withheld 'bullshit' into one of his hands, "required participants needed for it to be summoned." He smiles as he taps his monocle, "If an Artificer can't build artifacts, its really not doing the name justice." He lets it drop, though, wondering, "I wonder how many people own things like that. I thought the earrings Mikage had were something else." There is a particularly thoughtful moment in his thoughts that just kind of slips out, "I wonder if owning them makes them happy. Or. Is it just some sort of prize to be won."

Yeowang peers skeptically at Fuka at the patently false explanation. Well, one more piece of info she doesn;t have, ot's not like it matters. She's not sure where her own relic came from, it was just there one day. And the one time she went to use it, something unrelatedly strange happened. So, she understands zip.

But at Haru's suggestion that artificers might make artifacts, she'll speak up. For the first time in a while, as she'd been just listening. Not quite eavesdropping, it's a public place, a festival, but paying attention more thar most of the rest of the crowd. "Haru, do you think it's /possible/ to make artifacts? As a player? Or is that just a pie-in-the-sky type goal?"

    Fuka snorts in amusement, entirely unladylike, when Haru not-quite calls her out on her BS. Good thing she wasn't trying to seriously lie. She clutches at her neckline though, even though she's already put the item away, at the suggestion. "No breaking my shiny!" she insists. "Get your understanding on something else! Break your own stuff if you want, not mine!" she insists, though still without anger or heat. Deliberately misunderstanding perhaps? Or possibly still teasing?

    "Maybe you can make Artifactuals!" Fuka suggests, apparently trying to blend the words artificial and artifact and kind of mangling it. Oops. Encouraging the nerdery, she continues. "I know a nice accessory makes me happy. I had REALLY cute glasses, back... you know." she notes, trailing off. Then shrugs. "And keychains, phone clips, combs... really, accessories help make a girl a girl!" she claims loftily.

    She glances over at Yeowang. It's a good question, and one she could offer an opinion on, but she holds silent for now.

If Fuka thought Haru was an easy mark for teasing about feminine appeal, he is somehow worse when it comes to artifacts and relics. "Hey, I'll make it worth your while. Free repairs is a good deal! Think of all the talented labor going on here. The children pleased with your big heart and alturistic spirit." He clenches a fist overdramatically. "Think of the children, Fuka." Children that have nothing to do with doing deep inspection of artifacts or relics.

Right there. That is a good question that Yeowang posed. Can Artificers make artifacts? Relics? That is a good one. He shifts from his silly mode over to a more scholarly one. "I think," and his words have this air of 'I am a dreamer' tone to it. A little spotlight on his soul. "I think that they can. That, by calling the Class an Artificer that it is issuing a challenge to us. Like. A crafter's version of conquuering a floor boss. Its not easy and not anyone can do it. But its this little 'you can do it' put right in front of us every time we look at the menu." Spotlight gone. He didn't mean to be that vulnerable about it all. "I mean, wouldn't it be cool if we did? I'd regret not trying more than I would trying and not succeeding. Even if it was just a pair of glasses. Relic: Fashion Glasses. Or a misspelled glove called Globe."

Yeowang considers Haru and his Accessory Forging ways. She's not a big accessory-user, herself, apart from when she's dressing to impress, but that doesn't happen often. Not since she's been here, to be sure. Well, there was the costume party with the Landers, but that was a costume affair rather than White Tie. But if there -is- a White Tie affair in the future, it would be best to be prepared. On the other hand, how likely is a White Tie event during a war?

As Haru waxes ... whichever way he's waxing about crafting artifacts, Yeowang's brow furrows as she separates goals from capabilities. "So, no," she summarizes. "But that's a long term goal?" She seems OK with that as a long term goal. "You just create normal and magical accessories for now?"

    "Maybe an Artificer is called that because they lie?" Fuka suggests playfully. Artifice, after all. "Like an Enchanter is called that because they're enchanting~" she says, posing in a way that's either meant to be seductive when done by someone with the body to pull it off, or it's meant to be silly. Given it's Fuka, probably the latter.

    "Saaay that gives me an idea." Fuka says, glancing between Yeowang and Haru thoughtfully. "I'd love a pair of cute, fashionable glasses. Like, something I could use to do analysis with. I'd probably have to do the inspection using my enchanter subclass of course. Maybe I could engrave some runes on the frame, or even the lens! But then, would they be fashionable?!" she asks. "Oh, maybe some steampunk goggles, so I could wear them on my forehead! That's always super cute and fashionable!" she blathers.

Vertina wasn't really one for the water, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the rest of the pleasant beachside weather. Which was mainly just taking a seaside stroll at the moment. Earlier she had tried to cheer some people up by getting a game of beach volleyball going.... until she kind of forgot to control her elemental powers and spiked a ball so hard it ignited and blew a small crater in the other side of the court.

Well yeah after that she didn't really blame no one for not wanting to play against her, so the Salamander was just wandering aimlessly.

There is a certain coldness to Haru's response after Yeowang responds with steril conclusion, "No," he replies sharply, "Im saying I can't do it now and its an affirmative I can do it in the future." Even if he has to hack the damn code of the game to do it. "An Artificer's primary is Enchanting, so magical items. I don't make or enchant weapons, but there is no shortage of that on the market. I focus on things that make people happy, assuming they have the capacity for it. Some people are content just to destroy." Like PKers. He takes a deep breath and exhales. Find that little place. Smile.

"My monocle is a bit like that, Fuka," he changes the topic, tone, and demeanor, "it helps me appraise items. For you though? I dunno, something silly like swimmer's goggles may work better. Or a monovisor."

Yeowang can only shrug as Fuka suggests magical glasses or goggles. She has no real understanding of anything outside her own class, and only a rudimentary understanding of the capabilities within it. She wasn't told a degree in Forestry was recommended prior to players choosing the Hunter class.

Now beach volleyball is a thing she has done before, and enjoyed, though she's very competitive. And the girl was getting a bit too friendly with the boy she liked, and nevermind that she was the only one that spoke their language. She sighs at not-so-old memories. It seems like forever ago, was it just two-and-a-half years?

Haru's restatement of her conclusion to mean that he will definitely make relics in the future intrigues her. "You're quite confident of this future event. Have you got a timetable for it?" Ever practical, if Haru can guarantee a thing can be done, can he guarantee /when/ it will be done? "If you leave the timetable open, I'm forced to conclude it's a goal rather than a certainty."

Vertina comes upon the trio and slows her stride, tilting her head at the last bits of conversation she caught. Mostly Yeowang's comments about timetables and goals. "What's this, people talking business when it's suppose to be a night of pleasure?" ... Then a moment after her mouth has opened realization of how it sounded occurs to her, and Vertina quickly waves her hands. "But not -that- kind of pleasure! It's a public beach, after all."

    Fuka's grin drops into a scowl when Haru mentions people content just to destroy. That's one of her buttons, yeah. One that she doesn't necessarily want to explode over, of course, just one that makes her sour for much the same reasons Haru doesn't like them, most likely. Rather than brooding, she takes the opportunity to explode in another way. "Are you saying I'm silly!?" she states in mock outrage. "I'll have you know I take my fashion VERY seriously thank you very much!"

    Fuka certainly didn't know anything about magic before she picked her classes. She studied in-game though, and picked it up with the thoroughness that she applies to just about anything she takes an interest in. Sure it takes experimentation and pain and anguish and failure... but the results make it worthwhile! She eyes Yeowang, watching the woman bludgeon her way into what appears to be a sensitive topic for Haru with clinical levels of logical dissection. And wondering whether she does so deliberately or has no idea it might be something sensitive she's trampling on. That is, if she reads Haru's cues right. It's not like Fuka's an expert on people's feelings. An enthusiastic amateur perhaps, but no expert.

    She is, however, saved from witnessing something troubling by Vertina coming around. The salamander's words make Fuka burst out laughing! "Oooooh that's something I would have said! WITHOUT the takeback! A night of pleasure indeed, romantic strolls on the beach, casual confessions of love... or temporary approximations thereof..."

For better or worse, Fuka has a good read on Haru's emotional state. He has his triggers and his reactions. The young man has been here before with his father in the real world. The company. It puts him in a mood and its not a fun one. Part of his upbringing. His responsibilities. "Yes, I do," he says with an air of board room sterility to it, "and as you clearly understand how to apply milestones to a plan, its currently on its projected path to completion within three seasons from now." He has to stop just short of saying 'quarters' there. "But nowhere in the plan does your belief if the product can be delivered on time factor into its success. So you can appreciate that your conclusion doesnt affect the outcome in the slightest and any time dedicated to that effort is misappropriated. Your continued support is appreciated, but not required." Its like a switch someone was flicked on.

And he can't seem to flick it back off, again. He wish he could, but he can't.

The Artificer takes his monocle off and pulls up his menu, storing it back into the inventory. He looks at the time. "It does, however, bring attention to the time." Haru looks to Fuka, "Fukaziroh, a pleasure." A bit of a bow. "Yeowang, a pleasure." Repeated. He looks to Vertina. Smile. "Oh no, simply some thoughtful encouragement from a colleague. Big plans look like an utter fantasy without some cooled thoughts to see it through." The usual easy flustered reference before is met mutely. "Let the pleasure resume, but I have to be getting back," he winks, heading over to a food stall to get something to eat first.

Yeowang takes Vertina's mention of business or pleasure as it's meant, but shrugs. It's /always/ time for business with her. Or, rather, she always has it on her mind. That's just a lifetime's habit that doesn't break easily. "Business /is/ pleasure," she explains simply. "And I was indulging my curiosity on an unfamiliar topic." As to Fuka's curiosity to whether she'd deliberately trampled Haru's hotbutton issues, well, how was she to know? The difference seems very important to her, she's not one to hurt feelings by design. She's got a coldly clinical view of capabilities, both her own and others', and given that we're all trapped here, it feels important to be frank about what one can do, and what one may or will be able to achieve in the future. So, when Haru reports an expected time, she nods, and seems pleased. By his phrasing, it seems he entirely understands her perspective. "Excellent," she says, and ignores the barb about her expectations. She's clearly trodden on his feelings, but what can she do beyond letting it drop at this point? "Farewell," she replies cordially as he makes to exit.

Vertina rubs the side of her head with one hand as the new guy wanders off to the food offerings. "I feel like I missed something... and that it's probably better to leave it lie at that." She may not be the most socially concious of people but she knows a few cues of 'subject best left alone' when she sees them. It comes with running an establishment that tends to deal in people losing some inhibitions after a good drink or three. "But Miss Yeowang IS a businesswoman, so that combination probably holds true for her and isn't just fluff conversation pieces." Then tilts her head to the other woman. "What about you Fukaziroh? You seem to be back in your usual headspace again, much like myself."

    Fuka's familiar with Vertina from a number of dungeon runs, not to mention an epic boss battle or two. Good times, good times. She's a little less certain about whether or not she met Vertina while in her state of distraction. Really, everything that isn't a spell formula is a bit ... hazy from that time. Putting a hand behind her head somewhat sheepishly, she grins. "You can tell by my lack of hair tangles and general cleanliness right?" she laughs. "Yeah, project was a success! And I've got a new quest I have *no* idea how to even start. But that's something for later!"

    Relaxing somewhat, Fuka leans back, watching where Haru disappeared to. Not like a girl pining for a cute guy because ... well, because that's not it. She's trying to figure out some of his reactions. Haru's a little like her in a way, and that's not necessarily a good thing. Yeowang got a strong reaction from him, probably stronger than the one Fuka got with her teasing. That's fine, she's not looking for strong reactions or to freak anyone out. But what exactly was all that about? He sounded... different. Something hidden come to the fore.

    Oh well, mystery for another time. She glances back at Vertina. "And speaking of Fey Moods, I'm actually hungry! Who do I have to beat up to get some good festival food here?"

Yeowang nods at what Vertina says about her being a businesswoman. "A banker, here, technically," she amends, though there's probably not a lot of meaningful difference to most people. "There was certainly no malice in my intent," she says, to assure everyone. She can't help it if some people are sensitive to her businesslike tone. Clearly she struck /some/ chord though. She arches a brow as Fuka mentions a completed project, and says, "I don't think I was asked to contribute to that?" She considers, but the Alliance-wide projects seem few and unfocused. "If I was, I apologize, I'm interested to hear how it went, when you have time?"

Vertina jabs a thumb over her shoulder in the direction Haru left. "I think the other guy went that way, muttering about food? So that must be where the vendors are..." Then rubs the back of her head, "And I can't really comment on personal conditions considering *I* was also such a state of mind, and similarly have such a mysterious quest after the results." Her tail gives a flick as she ahems softly to herself. "But no matter! I'm getting onto a big training regiment to get ready for the tough times ahead and make up for getting behind while dealing with that... state."

    "Oh hey!" Fuka exclaims at that mention. "I was thinking I should do a training regimen too! Was thinking of going on a bunch of dungeon runs where I do fighting rather than magic! So I can bring up my fighting skill and be more the Heavy Blade I am at heart rather than the enchanting maiden I've turned out to be~" she pauses, looks back, and grins. "So yeah, I'm probably gonna need a whole bunch of healing potions and maybe a workout partner..."

Yeowang has, herself, just recently completed a gruelling training. So she's due a few days respite, she feels, though the Palace Landers may control how much break we actually get. "I can help you train that," she offers to Fuka. "I've done a lot of that training recently, to try and get back up to where I was before the game." She nods to Vertina, "Yeah, I'm debating what to train in anticipation of them, I may break from my original plan and train more intensely in hand-to-hand."

Vertina turns and points at Fuka. "That is -exactly- what I am doing. I'm working on my evasion and dexterity... And there's a lot of traps and stray goblins still running around the ruins under Karluin. So hey, training AND cleaning up the loose ends of that mess before they get a chance to regroup or catch up to the Queen Goblin that fled before we could properly put a boot up her ass."

    Fuka grins at that. "I have a few dungeons I'd like to run. That's not one of them but I'd happily trade off with you! Or even just go in swinging for fun!" she offers. She's never been much for trading one for one. She's more the type to believe in doing open favours knowing those who matter will do the same.

Yeowang nods, is of course right behind improving fighting skill, though she's more offense-focused. "It's sort of what I've been doing." But focusing on attack, of course. "I'll run dungeons with either of you, just name the time and place." It's not so much a matter of favors; it's training, and more training's always better.

Vertina nods her head eagerly enough it makes her ponytail swing about. "That's a great idea! I don't want to focus on -just- one dungeon entirely, because just doing one thing is only going so far in training. And this way we all help each other out."

Yeowang nods to Vertina, "Sounds good. I'm closer now to where I was before I started the game, but there's a long way to go. I will need to work on Evasion eventually." But as a Shadowfist, it's lower on her priority list. "Anyhow, it's about time I head out, some stuff to do before I sleep." And with that, she heads out.

Vertina mmhmms. "Since I can also use some elemental magic I have a lot of offensive options covered... but since I'm almost always right up in the enemy's face and thus attack range it was prudent to work on my defenses as well. But we can discuss actual techniques another time. Rest well Yeowang."

Goldenblade has arrived in the midst of festivities, leading a wagon being pulled by a grunty. At first glance, it seems to be stacked with old parts from some maniac blacksmith's shop. The grunty has trouble on the sand, wheels don't like it much, so it takes a bit of chivvying from Goldenblade, which doesn't actually accomplish much as she has no talent for it, and finally she gives up with a sigh.

She sets the wagon's brake and begins unloading it, and what the mess in the wagon turns out to be is a portable forge, wtth a kiln and a large bellows. There is a suit of armor, though it's been modified and looks ... well, strange. And it seems to be connected to the bellows by a leather hose of some kind.

Goldenblade, herself, looks like she's seen better days, unwashed and unfed, but with a manic gleam of anticipation in her eye.

Vertina takes out a flask of smokey red liquid, the results of her own peculiary mood, and takes a hearty sip of it. Then notices the contraption that's been hauled out onto the sand. Huh. ".. Now I'm no armor master, but that looks a bit bulky to be clunking around in." Not to mention the other contraption she's got hooked up to it.

On the other hand, Goldenblade herself has -that- look about it. Which after you've been through a fey mood yourself, you start to understand a bit more. "... Oh. Good grief, no wonder I stayed inside most of the time. You end up looking like a wreck."

Goldenblade doesn't actually greet anyone that doesn't step into her path. Given the Landers' mood lately, none of them do, and Goldenblade proceeds to don the unusual armor, piece by piece. It's mostly standard stuff, but with oiled leather riveted around all the joints. The helmet seals to the neck with a leather collar, and the helmet, itself, appears to have a glass faceplate.

It takes a few minutes to get this all on. When she does, she walks toward the water, and into the water, and just keeps going deeper as the waves crash against her.

Gwen is here and is in quite the showy swimsuit but she's looking quite unsettled for once it's rather odd. She looks almost embrassed for osme reason as she head sover to Goldenblade and Vert. There's also no really hiding her figure in this either. She does eem to perk up.

"Goldenblade! Vertina! Hey...."

When Goldenblade gets suited up and marches down into the water then it starts to make a bit more sense. "Oh! She's.. reinvinting SCUBA? I guess? Huh." Another drink, and an idle wave given in Gwen's direction. "Evening"

Goldenblade has, before Gwen came up, already walked off into the water. One thing that can be said for her strange armor, Goldenblade can't be smelled when it's sealed up. A blessing to everyone outside, and ... she likely does not notice. She proceeds to wade out into the water, deeper and deeper, until it's over her head, and the hose continues to pay out from the back of the wagon for maybe another ten yards. There is a great flurry of bubbles on the surface, and then silence.

And then, about two minutes later, Goldenblade wades back in, her head appearing, then the rest, bit by bit as the level of the waves and water ebb and flow. She walks slowly up to her wagon, and takes the helmet off. A bunch of water spills out. She then turns half a somersault, her back coming to flop heavily against the side of the wagon, and water dumps out the neck of what, as Vertina correctly guesses, is a diving suit.

Gwen is looking to Vertina "Oh she's almost done the project....?!" She bounses in place a bit and nwo she's watching Goldenblade head out. "Well anything's being better than being around Morri and her next idea for what I should wear to here..." Gwens swimsuit is likely staying on to magic enchantment...

Goldenblade, having dumped the water from her diving armor, rocks back upright and puts her helmet back on. -This- time, she climbs into the wagon and begins pumping the bellows. The hose from the cart to the helmet wriggles and withes, and after a minute blows a bit of water out of the neck joint of the suit, which Goldeblade reseals. The pumping, now started, continues automatically, and Goldenblade trudges out to sea once again.

Having done this once before, the Landers watch now with interest as Goldenblade returns to the water, knee-deep, waist-deep, shoulder-deep, and over her head once again. A thin stream of bubbles rises more or less continuously as the bellows pump more or less automagically.

    Inrit heard of a festival from Landers he talks to regularly, and wanted to go at very least have a look. It sounds like it could be fun! Maybe. But when he finally gets there, walking onto the beach, he does so wearing his usual dress-like robe, not swimming gear. At least if he does it's underneath that. And a wood staff he's carrying in his left hand. He was smiling nervously and trying not to meet anyone's eyes but repeatedly fails if anyone looks back at him. They'd meet his eyes and he would immediately avert them as if embarrassed. He didn't really know what he's doing here either but he's keeping a smile up as he tries to find something that seems at least somewhat interesting, and seeing Landers that see to be interestedly watching something, he wanted to see too! So he'd head towards the wagon to get a better look.

Goldenblade is, alas, about fifty to seventy-five feet out to sea, her only visible presence is a wagon with a portable forge in back, the bellows still magiclally pumping air through a hose that disappears into the waves. This makes her about as good a party guest, given her current mental state, as she would be if she were up on the beach.

Abut this time, though, whatever magic was pumping the bewllows on the cart stops, and the bellows cease bellowing.

"Gwen, are you all right? I got your message and I thought you might be in dan-..."

Jazz had hurried onto the beach, leaving tiny little footprints in the sand behind her on account of her being wee. She stops. She stares at Gwen. Then at the others. Then around, slowly.

"... the way you phrased it, I thought you were being murdered. This is not murder."

Another slow look around. The Undine's tentacle-tips are twitching as they waft with hte rest of her entirely too long hair.

Gwen says "I was! my mother had worse ideas than what I am wearing right now!" She loosk embrassed, wait this is new. This is very new meanwhile she looks out to the water. "Golden's test is going well...it looks."

Goldenblade's test /was/ going well, until the bellows stopped. There was a last few bubbles above her position, and now nothing. No indication of how she's doing now, though without air, one can guess. After a few moments more, water leaks out from the hose that had come from the bellows.

"...you can not chim me a muffled scream of horror and not expect me to be unworried!"

Jazz jabs a finger in Gwen's direction, forehead creasing with obvious frustration. She's a little out of breath from the run here, but then there's something about a test and Golden. She looks out onto the water, having no idea what she is supposed to be seeing, or not seeing for that matter.

"What test?" she asks.

    Inrit watched with curiousity, which quickly melted to concern along with his smile drooping. He'd look around before asking to no one in particular while pointing at the water, "they're alright, right?" He'd also fidget slightly with the staff in his left hand and his wings would twitch, flapping slightly before holding still again.

The test, others will fill Jazz in, was Goldenblade, apparently in a Strange Moon (TM) with the usual Hungry and Stinky debuffs, has started pumping air through a bellows and hose into a suit of plate armor that had been sealed as well as the technology allows. She then walked out into the water. It was apparently a particularly Strange Mood. The bellows had since stopped, and the bubbles no longer rise from where she'd been standing underwater.

Goldenblade's wagon remains there, a conversation piece, and Goldenblade is nowhere to be found, if searched for. Where she had been, the hose to her suit had been disconnected manually, and suit and tester are nowhere to be found, though a skilled tracker might find signs of someone coming ashore just out of sight a little ways up the beach, tracks leading to a town inland.

Jazuhanzu will, of course, inevitably get filled in by someone. And she *will* try to locate Goldenblade, what, being an Undine and a Sea-Witch and everything.

It would appear she will not be succesful, this time.

    Inrit was concerned but seeing the Undine take over being worried makes him feel better. He didn't really like swimming anyways. He would put back on a smile and stop fidgeting as much. Surely everything will be okay now and he was relieved.

Jazuhanzu does eventually emerge from the water with a frustrated look on her face. She shakes her head and marches out it, taking a moment to shake her arms and head out and then activating the menu's hygene options to help dry herself out.

"Uff," she squeaks in the most-anime-like possible way. Her voice actress works hard on it, you know, sounding that twee.

    Inrit's eyes show his concern return but he keeps the smile up. Nodding. "Thank you for looking." He'd say to the stranger Undine. Even if she found nothing. At least she didn't give grim news or something.

"Yeah, sure. I think I've heard you on chimlink," remarks Jazz, absently, still staring out onto the water. Then she's marching towards Gwen.

... time to give her a peace of her mind.

    Inrit nods. "Yeah I figured out how to use the Chimlink not very long ago. So I was introducing myself, I'm Inrit." He watches as the Undine walks past him to speak with someone who is also a stranger to him.

"Yeah, that might've been it," remarks Jazz. She's distracted. Distant. She then pokes Gwen in the midsection and exchanges some words with her. They are unhappy words! But then, this is Jazz. Unhappiness is what she does best. She whirls back around to mach off in the sand with a 'hmph'. It's more of a squeaky-sounding sigh than anything else. Tweeness quotient? OVER NINE THOUSAND.

Last we had seen Uta, Erufu was dragging her off to get her a swimsuit and get her to PAR-TAY. It's hard to tell what happened then, and how much Erufu was involved in that chain of events, but the point is, Uta is now back, in the combat bikini she was sporting last year. Not a bikini shaped armor, mind you, but a regular bikini hardened up to be battle-grade: its fabric (with a slime design, of course!) is held in place by metal rings and buckled leather straps, and two magic wands with gems, ready to be wielded in case of danger, dangle from her hips. She also has metal bands around her arms, with a slime-themed gem. Probably some enchanted item to aid floating? Either that, or decoration.

"Hopefully there is no need for battle, but that was a very solid point...", Uta mumbles under her breath as if to further reassure herself while she approaches the area, looking down while scratching the back of her head. "...what if Hypercaffeinated Dire Llamas were to suddenly rain from the sky, and I end up having to seek refuge underwater? There would be no time to change. It's a very real possibility that I must be prepared for."

    Inrit was at least a little shy, and seeing Jazuhanzu be seemingly upset and mostly ignoring him is enough for him to shut up, watching the prodding and hmphing with the same concerned eyes but wearing a smile. He would then let his attention wander and take note of the approaching Uta, giving a wave if she looks over at him. He's at least seen her before, even if he doesn't really know her at all beyond seeing her before. That's more than he can say for most people so he might as well be as friendly as possible!

Good thing Uta is looking down already, so, when she gets close enough to Inrit, she can spot him. "Oh. Oh." A pause. "Hi," she says, still kinda confused and possibly a bit self-conscious, as revealed by taking a step back and her body language that involves a lot of keeping her limbs pressed close to her body.

'Quick, Uta, quick,' she thinks to herself. 'This is no time to be embarrassed. You have to leave a good first impression! Actually, do that. Just focus on socialization. You're good at that. Just start a conversation, and that will make you forget about the embarrassment of wearing a swimsuit! Just... talk of some safe, harmless icebreaker subject. Like... the weather. A classic. Can't go wrong with that.'

"I mean... Hi!", Uta reprises at Inrit, but this time with a smile and a more confident posture. "Nice weather we're having, huh?" She looks off in the distance and taps her lips. "What do you think the chance of it raining Hypercaffeinated Dire Llamas is?"

    Inrit has a hard time NOT noticing Uta's unease, which notably makes him feel less uneasy as the concern in his eyes seems to melt away before she forces out an awkward response. A small giggle slips out of him. But he was at least trying to contain it and not do that. But he would answer her question genuinely enough. "I'm not even sure what a Dire Llama is, and especially how they'd get caffeine and then fall from the sky. But I don't know anything about this world really. So I can't say I'm certain. I didn't expect the crabs either..." It isn't clear what he's talking about but for a moment he gets distracted and has a distant look, but at no point does his smile disappear from his face. And when he snaps out of it he would add much more cheerfully, "oh but the weather is lovely!"

"Well, uh, it's... you start with a llama, right? I will assume you know what a llama is, if not, please stop me." She turns her head away and mumbles, mostly to herself but barely loud enough for Inrit to hear, "To be fair, I've never seen a llama in-game, so... uh..." She turns to Inrit again. "Anyway, you start with your cookie-cutter llama, then you make a monster based on a it. A monstrous llama. A mmonster. I mean, you make it in your head. You don't literally genetically engineer the mmonster. Or corrupt the animallama into a mmonster. Truth is, as far as I can tell, we Adventurers have no idea of where Dire Beasts originate from. Or how. They're monsters based on beasts. And the interesting thing is- you know how we have regular animals here in Yamato, but the Palace Lands have only hybrid beasts, like rat-pigeons? Well, the -monsters-, there, are not hybrid. Except -dire beast- monsters. Those are based on hybrid beasts. That is a fascinating fact I'd like to research more."

Big inhale. "Where was I? Oh, yes. What I was saying is, there is a lot we don't know about this world. But some of us like to peek their nose into things and try to find out more. To understand what happened to us, and how to properly act based on that."

"The weather? Oh, it -is- lovely, it is!", Uta hurries to add. "There are clouds on the horizon, but it looks like we're not having precipitations of hyperactive monstrous artiodactyla in the next few hours." Finally relaxed, she stands with her hands held comfortably behind her back. "Or crustaceans, for that matter."

A short pause, then she turns to look down at Inrit. "My name is Uta, by the way."

    Inrit listens, or... Tries to. Nodding when Uta asks if he knows what a llama is, but that's not the part that confuses him. But he doesn't want to interrupt so he would just keep on smiling and nodding occasionally until she is done, and being given an introduction, would give his own! "I'm Inrit Candlebell, it's very nice to meet you." He'd give a respectful greeting bow before standing back up straight and going on, "I honestly don't think I understood all of that, I'm sorry. But I'm glad others do!"

"Uta Furore. Monster-Handling Musical Kung-Fu Nurse. Seekeer of Answers."

After her full introduction, the Spriggan bows at Inrit. "Ecstatic to meet you as well."

"And it is okay not to understand. Believe me, I've never been into videogames, and during my first session, the Apocalypse happened. At first things were..." She twists her lower lip and bites it. "...rough. But now, after a year and a half of constant training, and nosing into the nooks and crannies of Lore, and never giving up-" She frowns. "...well, they're still rough, to be fair."

    From a little ways up the beach, Fuka comes wandering in. She looks ... well, a little sleepworn, to be fair. Her hair's not as lustrous as it might otherwise be, mostly due to sand. Her clothing is the same as she wore the previous evening. Shorts and a midriff-bareing shirt that could be used for swimming or for beach-lounging. Seems she's been doing the latter.

    It also seems she's been having a bit of an adventure. She's holding a crab in one hand, the little thing dangling from one fist closed around its pincers. It's a moderately large crab, but still little even in comparison to the diminutive sylph. She waves the other hand in greeting, seeing Uta and making a beeline, moving fast despite seeming tired. "Ooooi Uta! Can you cook?" she asks enthusiastically, waving the little crab which ... flops helplessly as it dangles.

    Inrit would listen, but seems surprised when Uta mentions having not been into videogames, seeming to think about that for a few seconds, before blushing as he starts speaking up again. "I... I haven't played a single videogame before this one. And the game said this class could use healing magic when I started, but it never told me how. The Landers eventually taught me how. But I really wasn't getting it at first. And I didn't want to get in anyone's way." When Fuka comes over Inrit would look at her, then the crab and almost seem to flinch at the crab, just for a split second though, before just smiling and offering, "Oh hello. I can cook if she cannot or does not want to."

"I...uh..." Uta looks away and mumbles again, scratching the back of her head. "At least you got that from character generation. I kinda... smashed the random button for everything."

"I was trained by Adventurers, mostly. Xander Scalehart, who, let it be said, is NOT my dad. And Master Miyoda, this short guy with pointy ears and a goatee. He owns Master Miyoda's Swampside Used Cart Lot And Martial Arts Dojo."

"...I can't cook. Any time I try it, something explodes."

    "An explosion... of flavour?" Fuka asks hopefully. Then seems to wilt. "Look, explosions are fine if you're trying to cause explosions. Not so much when you're trying to create food I guess!" she says, not without sympathy. Her own forays into cooking were kind of sad.

    With a shrug, Fuka adjusts her hold on the crab and palms it, then heaves it into the water. She'd seen Inrit's flinch, and has a pretty good idea what it means. Sure he'd cook it if she needed it, but he clearly doesn't seem to like the idea so she's not about to push it. That's not how Fuka rolls.

    "I woke up to it trying to eat me. Seemed like the best payback would be to return the favour, but I kind of want festival food now. There's got to be vendors operating for the festival right?!" she explains, offering a casual excuse for her actions. "Also, I've been gaming like forever. And let me tell you, it's not some magical talent you just pick up! It takes practice and hard work and study, just like every other skill! You want to get good, train! Do it yourself, or do it under a master, just do it!" she exclaims, posing dramatically.

"...and then Rylen trained me in Acrobatics... and Handling Monsters... and Jazuhanzu trained me in controlling Water... she was so adorable when doing so, you should have seen her. Yet so martial. A true Zen approach to the whole thing, just giving you vague hints and letting you figure things out by yourself. She was amazing. I learnt a lot about Pharmacy from Doctor Prophylaxis's Book, and..." She goes on and on and on about all the people who've taught her anything.

"No, a literal explosion. I have never tasted the explosion. I don't plan to any time soon," Uta replies to Fukaziroh. "And I did give the whole 'weaponizing the lack of the Cooking Skill' a thought, but I fear it might be a bit too unreliable."

"There unfortunately don't seem to be as many landers as there used to be in the past, this year. And I don't know if they'd cook food -we- caught, to be fair. Maybe? I haven't really bothered to check in the past. I guess our choice is to either menu-cook it ourselves, as unappetizing as that might sound, or- hm. I think I saw Jazz around here, earlier. Maybe I should look around if she's available. She's a maid, you know, she's great at all maid stuff like cooking. And I'm sure she's also very good at fashion, as that's how the class goes, even though I'm not sure I've ever seen her actually practice." Looking up and away again, gaze lost in the distance, she mutters, to nobody in particular, "It's a pity, so much wasted talent..."

    Fuka has her own suspicions of Jazz's training technique, given what she saw of the undine's surprise when Uta actually turned up with a measurable result, but she stays quiet on that. No purpose would be served by suggesting the Undine was making up quests to get Uta to stop pestering her for a time, would it? Uta had fun and success from the trial, that's what matters.

    She listens patiently to Uta ramble on about cooking, not drawing attention to her dramatic actions of already returning the crab to the ocean. Reality should never stop a good ramble! But as Uta trails off, she decides to add a new output. "Actually speaking of talent and training. I've been meaning to train up my physical stats. Get back to my roots, so to speak." she says, bringing up a hand to run it through her hair, wincing as she feels the tangles sleeping outdoors has wrought, not to mention salt and sand. She needs a nice warm bath! "Got distracted with my enchanting work, but I really need to keep up my training! Was thinking a nice series of dungeon runs, keeping magic use to a minimum, just relying on blade and armour. Want to do some with me?" she asks, grinning.

"Oh, I'd love to, Fuka. I-" Her brow knits in uncomfortable realization. "-uh. I've just realized my skillset as a musical kung-fu nurse makes me a good fit for a training montage coach. I have high Physical stats, I can check and restore your health, and I can even provide the compelling background music. I... I suppose I have no choice but to accept now?" The latter part is not said in an annoyed tone, quite the opposite.

"I think we could both benefit from this, actually. You see, I have been ambushed by a Sheriff from the Palace Lands the other day and... well, a defense style centered on dodging is nice, but I can't keep dodging magical bullets forever. I need to learn how to properly -stop- things coming my way. Probably through magical barriers, and interposing things between things hurtling my way and my rather squishy self. Due to my Godhand fighting style I cannot go around with proper shields or heavy armor, but maybe I can learn to block better with my staff, or grab things from the environment..."

She looks at Fuka, sideways, rubbing her chin. "What do you say about that? Mutual training?"

    Inrit watches as the crab is returned to it's natural habitat, but doesn't seem upset for it to go. Turning to listen to Uta instead, but when Fukaziroh offers a training idea Inrit would turn his attention to her. Letting Uta talk first before adding, "I could maybe help. I know lots of healing and defensive spells but can't really attack very well. And I prefer someone else be in the way of scary things while I just help them take care of it." He'd think for a moment before adding in, "if you tell me what to do I always do my best! But I have no clue what's going on most of the time." He'd still be smiling but seem embarrassed by that admission.

    Restoring Fuka's health is almost certain to be needed when Fuka's intending to go into dungeons and tank while deliberately restricting her skillset, so she wholeheartedly agrees with Uta's assessment, even if it's for different reasons than her description of a training montage. She grins cheerfully, more than happy to trade training with her friend. And of course, more than willing to help even if nothing was offered in trade!

    Still, being Fuka, she couldn't simply accept without making it weird. "I wouldn't let a delicious morsel like you refuse anyways~" she says in a super-exaggerated manner, making the words even creepier than they already sound. She even pitches her voice low, making it sound vaguely like some guy is perving on Uta.

    Incidentally, that's when she realizes Inrit is still there. Rather than explain it as all being a joke and that she'd never do anything non-consentual to a friend, she doubles down. "Wouldn't you agree?" she asks in her normal, cheery tone. "I mean if I was a crab, I'd definitely pinch her before I'd pinch me. She's got so much more to pinch!" the firm-bodied sylph claims, slapping a hand to her hip in emphasis. To Fuka's own hip that is, for clarity.

Uta gives Inrit's proposal a long, serious thought. Rubbing her chin and all. "You know what? A backup healer is a good idea. Especially since the main healer is going to attempt to block things without actually knowing how to block things. A recipe for disaster. So having a secondary healer to heal the main one is a good plan. Yes. Yes, I think it'll be a good idea to take you along." A nod of confirmation, mostly to herself, before she begins to talk shop. "So, what's your style of healing? Pharmacy? Light? Water? Bludgeoning? I still want to develop a Healing Punch at some point. As things stand, experimental results are... disappointing."

Uta, as expected, blushes red, and takes a step back. She waves her extended arm, a shaky finger at the end of which accuses Fuka. "D-don't you say that! Training is cancelled! It-" She frowns. "...or is this one of those zen things where you're trying to scare me into raising my magical shields out of instinct?" After a few seconds of confused grimacing, she says, "...while I admit it's a cunning scheme, I'm -still- not sure I'm comfortable with it."

    Inrit, if he does understand, doesn't show it as his look is more of nervous concern than embarrassment. "I wouldn't like to pinch anyone. That sounds mean and you both seem nice." He'd cock his head slightly to the side, just a few degrees as he tries to think of why he'd attack them if he was a crab. Maybe she means there's more meat to eat? He'd answer Uta with, "Light mostly. Almost entirely. But I know the basics of how to help without magic, I just do not prefer that."

    Fuka cocks her head at Inrit's statement as if confused at being called 'nice'. Between that and Uta's blushing reaction though, it's not long before she's howling with laughter. Just too funny! All of it just too funny!

    It takes her a while to get her laughter under control. Her very breathing seems to be in jeopardy at one point. Fortunately she's currently flanked by healers. With a masterful effort she manages to bring it under control however, simply leaving her with a face-splitting grin that screams mischief as much as anything else.

    "You heard the sylph!" she claims, gesturing to Inrit while a giggle escapes her. "I'm nice, so I'd never do anything like that to you even if it'd be really fun!" Unless Uta agreed that is, but that would just make it weird. Fuka's confident Uta's not into that sort of thing. And if she is, secretly, then she's probably not into that sort of thing with Fuka. She would be a lot more reluctant to play this sort of game if she thought Uta would take it seriously!

    Still, she's had moments while recovering to muse on what was said. Probably part of the reason it took her a while to stop laughing, to be honest. "You know, that WOULD be a good way to train you to block. But you'd probably just run away. Or hit me a lot. So as much fun as that might be, we should probably figure out some other way to do it. Wouldn't you agree? I could never force you to do something you wouldn't want to do, you know." Fuka says. And despite her teasing, there's the ring of truth (and no doubt affection) in those words. Uta's a good friend, loyal and true. Fuka would never want to be anything less.

It takes Uta a little to finally calm down, and relax her pose once more, but she eventually does so. No matter how many times Fuka does that, Uta always goes back to trust her friend.

The Spriggan rubs her chin. Thinks long and hard. "You are probably right, Fuka, yes. Evasion and Melee instincts are too strong. We will have to find another way to do it."

Inner peace restored, Uta can finally turn to talking shop with Inrit again. "Light is good. Perfect for a fight, you can restore HP at a distance while the DPS people take care of the heath of the fight. But there's more to healing than just restoring HP. Pharmacy, for instance, will allow you to -diagnose- your targets, something you cannot do with just Light. A correct diagnosis is a fundamental part of healing people out of combat, and getting a correct diagnosis, or a diagnosis at all, in some cases, is a non-trivial skill which requires a lot of work."

    Inrit was further confused and shrinks from the attention after calling who he thought seemed nice, nice. But Uta teaching him more about healing seems to get his full attention. Nodding as Uta explains. "Well I know how to diagnose someone too. The Landers were teaching me basic diagnosis techniques and during a practice I found I could even do it without touching the person! We both assumed it must be an Adventurer thing."

    It probably helps that, no matter how many times Fuka says something completely inappropriate, she never actually follows through or *does* anything inappropriate. She's all talk, no touch it would seem. Unless it's hugging. Hugging is always welcome.

    Listening to the shop talk of healers, Fuka has little to add. She can do a bit of Light-based healing herself but it's never been a specialty. Protection and damage has been her mainstay. But at one point she does pipe in with her own observation. "Yes, diagnosis is important. It can tell you, for example, that someone's had their leg blown off! This is very important to know when you're planning on healing someone." she solemnnods. "And it could be handy to be able to do it without, you know, poking someone in their wound." she deadpans.

Uta's eye twitches. "You can... do it... without... touching? HOW?", she squeals. "It's... HOW. I've... I've been practicing Pharmacy since the Apocalypse. I've been working with Doctor Prophylaxis, one of the most renown healers in this world! And I -still- have to touch people! HOW!"

Uta's face is tense in shock and surprise by the end. Luckily, Fuka swoops in to save the day! "That is right! One time Fuka got her leg blown off. I went over, medically inspected her, and got the correct diagnosis. By learning through medical inspection that she was missing a leg, I could prepare the most appropriate cure for her limb deficiency."

Uta snaps her fingers and points at Inrit. "You know what? Due to the upcoming war, I had to relocate to the Tower. I'm currently practicing as a nurse at Doctor Prophylaxis's clinic in Tolbana. We should get you hooked up with him. I'm sure he'd be interested in learning about your diagnosing methods, and possibly take you under his metaphorical wings. I'll also take you under my metaphorical wings, mostly because my literal wings are pretty useless. In turn, once you grow, it'll be your turn to take people under your wings, literal or metaphorical they may be."

    Inrit would reflexively shrink as if expecting to be struck as Uta shouts, and would only shrink further as she continues. He'd also raise his staff but not in any casting or combat fashion, more that it looks like he's trying to hide behind the stick. Eventually looking at Uta again and speaking up, "I-I'm sorry I don't know how. But I just want to help where I can. Learning more about healing would be great." He gives an uneasy nervous smile to Uta.

    "To be fair I'm perfectly okay with you touching me!" Fuka claims, almost entirely unlecherously. There's still innuendo there of course, but not nearly as much as there could be. She has to distract Uta from Inrit's cringing after all, not freak her out. Fuka likes it when Uta gets excited over a subject, but Fuka's not entirely typical in all things!

    "I'd probably have to take people under metaphorical wings, you know." she muses, continuing on and rambling somewhat. "Not sure what I'd be teaching them. Maybe how to be super awesome. But I don't think anyone would FIT under my LITERAL wings! Gwen might get away with that sort of thing but I can't!"

Goldenblade returns in the middle of all this as if it were nothing strange. She's still wearing the plate armor from before, though it looks sublty different. Well, she's an armorsmith, presumably she went off to make repairs. It looks a bit Elizabethan with puffed sleeves, but the puffs are oiled leather, now sealed against the plates, but with a dollop of tarring like is used to waterproof ships.

She walks up to where her wagon was mercifully unmolested, the grunty snoozing as she reels in the long hose and steps up to the bellows in the back, pumping it for several minutes as seawater pumps out of the system. She looks like she hasn't eaten since she was seen last night, though apparently the swim counted for bathing.

Noticing Inrit's discomfort, Uta calms down and squirming sligthly, she apologizes, "Oh. Uh. Sorry. Yes, at times I get a bit carried away. Please don't take it as aggression. It's just... emotion."

"You two could probably stand on top of each other, wear a trenchcoat, and pass yourselves off as Gwen, probably," Uta muses to herself, her gaze alternating between Inrit and Fuka. "It'd have to be a very fashionable trenchcoat, tho'."

Uta sighs. "Shield, Fuka, Shield. Remember? We've agreed you'd teach me that." Uta pulls her head back and sideways, quirks an eyebrow, and utters a worried "Your reduced attention span worries me, Fuka."

That is when Goldenblade appears. Uta glances, thinks, points. "I like that style of swimsuit. I think I'll go ask Gwen for one!" And that said, with a bow, she begins to head out. "Bye Fuka! See you at the Tolbana Clinic, Inrit! And say hello to Mysterious Swimsuit Trendsetter over there for me!"

    Fuka grins at Uta's reminder. "To be fair that's not a master/student thing to me. It's just fun! If it helps you out, so much the better! I guess I'm also sort of teaching enchantment though, so if anything's my mastery it might be that. I'm not as good as some I've heard of, of course, but ... you know, that's like saying I'm not as good at swordfighting as that Zettouki girl or as good at fireballs as Schneider! Pretty sure I'm better than Yuu is at fireballs and enchanting though." she notes, amused. "Besides, you distracted me with talk of touching and chasing and wings!" she notes. Fortunately she only says so once Uta's already walked away... so Uta probably won't hear and feel the need to flee faster!

Goldenblade would never have used the term 'swimsuit' for her diving armor, though technically that's what it is. When the water is finally pumped out of the long hose, she'll remove the armor helmet and set it in her lap, and reattach the hose to a fitting in the top, where a spike would have gone in bygone days, and she turns a special sort of wrench until she's got it tightened as hard as she can. Or as hard as she dares, the metal here's not like RL machine-tooled modern steel.

Replacing the helmet, she pumps the bellows again, and the leather at the suits joints bulge out a bit, and then after a moment, a relief valve on the back of her helmet releases a small whistle of air. Satisfied, she looks around, then asks, "Can anyone keep pumping the bellows here," she points to the bellows attached to a small forge in her wagon, "while I test this?"

    Inrit would relax as Uta apologizes, nodding. "Okay. I'll do my best to get used to that." Though seeing the mysterious suited stranger return, does get a relieved sigh as he comments, "Oh, good they are actually okay." Then turn back to Uta as she leaves. Returning the bow, and giving a wave goodbye as well. "Bye Uta!"
Inrit then turns to look at the wagon as the water pumping starts once more. Still curious about what's going on, but not wanting to be too nosey or in the way. He'd just observe for the moment. Butterfly wings twitching idly in small flaps. Inrit, eager to assist, would take a step or two forward and offer, "I could try?"

When Inrit volunteers to come help the bellows, Goldenblade gives the person a critical look. Finally, she shrugs and says, "Well, if your parents say it's OK." Because four feet for /a human/ is about right for a seven year old, and Goldenblade doesn't really understand the other races when she's normal. In a strange mood, she just assumed and moves on with important things. Like Science.

She will help Inrit up into the wagon and show her the way to pump the bellows to get the air moving. "It's not strenuous at first, but you've got to keep it up. I haven't invented radio yet, so just keep going until I get back. I think ten minutes ought to do it."

When Inrit is installed, she will walk back out into the surf again, trailing the air hose behind her.

    Inrit doesn't even correct her, he knows what he looks like. He'd just smile and come forward to be helped up and looks at the bellows, but hearing ten minutes makes the fairy jump and look at her as if to check if she's joking, but with her leaving he can safely assume she isn't. "I don't know if I-... Nevermind! I'll do my best!" He'd look at the bellows and think, there's no WAY he can do that for ten minutes! But he thinks of his usual answer to 'this problem seems difficult'. He raises his staff, and begins to call out to no one, "Spirits of Air, grant me your aid!" The staff would almost immediately get a response, a swirling ball of wind so strong it's visible. "Supply the bellows with air, and maintain flow!" He'd point the staff at the bellows, and the air-ball would almost seem to 'pop' and it almost seems like he isn't doing anything but continuing to aim his staff at it, but he was supplying plenty of air directly to the system through magic. Seems he's not even breaking a sweat from it either.

Goldenblade seems satisfied with the airflow, so she'll walk into the waves /once again/ and trudge out into the breakers, then underwater, and a bit further. And then the waiting begins, because ten minutes is a long time when you're watching the clock. Goldenblade is, in fact, not watching the clock in any event, which probably surprises no one, she's actually having quite a nice look around down there, since the weather is nice. There is a bit of commotion briefly about five minutes in, but then she gets bored, so after about seven minutes, the bubbles in the water begin trudging back to shore. All in all, it's about ten minutes, but that's with the walking back and forth, just not the underwater time. In her arms is a four-foot fish of some kind that the locals will probably recognize, and she will hand it over to whoever's cooking food for this shindig. "Got some nice steaks on him," she says, and will head back to her wagon.

    Inrit even surprises himself at how well he does. But he just assumes the spirits are really on his side today! He can feel his mana being pulled from him still so he knows the air is still flowing. He doesn't want his focus broken though, so he doesn't even notice he can stop now, still aiming his staff at the bellows and channeling. Though this isn't what he'd call fun so his smile faded a while ago, just looking focused. Zoned out.

Goldenblade, herself, hasn't noticed Inrit's still pumping, though Inrit will notice a change in the airflow when she removes the helmet to her diving armor. With no resistance, the air flows much differently. Unlike before, no water spills out of the helmet, which seems to please Goldenblade even more than the fish did. "Not bad, kid," she says to Inrit with a pleased tone. "That went pretty well."

    Inrit noticing the airflow looks to Goldenblade, who clearly doesn't need him to keep doing that, so he'd let the spell end and give her a smile. "Thank you, I always like to help!" He'd say it cheerfully. He would also add, "My name is Inrit Candlebell, by the way. Nice to meet you."

Goldenblade looks up at Inrit, nods slowly. "Nice to meet you, Inrit," she says. "I'm Paula Diena Josephina Francisca de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Goldenblade." It comes out all in one breath. "But call me Goldenblade." She'll draw one of the katanas on her hip about an inch from it's scabbard so he can see that her blade is, indeed, golden. "Builder and smith," she claims, squirming her way out of the armor, unbluckling the plates and letting out a bit of water from there. Looks like it's not yet entirely watertight.

    That long of a name definitely lost Inrit at some point, but a shorter alternative being given gives him an easy out to not make it obvious. Just smiling and pretending he got all that, but her including her profession does make him almost feel bad for forgetting to do so himself! "Oh, I'm a healer and really good at using magic. Also I have been working as a Maid for some Landers until just recently. Now I'm not totally sure what I'm doing but I'm trying to help. Your katana is also very pretty."

Goldenblade nods gravely as Inrit completes her self-introduction. "You're not seven, are you," she says after a minute, peering at Inrit critically. "You're one of them /alien/ races?" Yeah, Goldenblade's not /with it/ for other reasons. But apparently being an alien doesn't bother Goldenblade, which after all, there's more aliens than humans.

She continues divesting herself of the diving armor, putting it into the wagon on a special cloth-covered rack, where it can dry. Goldenblade herself is soaked, the leather under-armor to prevent the steel from chafing your skin peeled off next to reveal a pretty normal tunic and breeches, which stay on, but are subject to an inventory-laundry and get incidentally dried out. She's still starving, the hunger debuff slowly dinging her HP away.

    Inrit's smile droops a tiny bit at being called an alien, but he'd answer with a head tilt. "N-no? I'm a Sylph and just happen to be really short, I know." Inrit would look above Goldenblade's head for a moment, before looking at her, and then looking at invisible things and looking confused. Medical analysis revealed it was hunger but also gave weird reports that he doesn't understand at all about a bunch of seemingly useless info. Though he seems satisfied enough with finding out it's hunger anyways. He'd look over at the cooking fish, acknowledging that the problem is already on it's way to getting fixed. Hopefully. "You should have some of that fish you caught. You caught it after all, should get the first bite!"

Goldenblade nods to Inrit. Apparently sylphs count as aliens to her way of thinking. She just doesn't normally say it to people's faces. "All these kids and alien races and wanting to be different so much that you don't even want to be human," she grumbles. "It's just sad. In my day, we were dang glad just to be human and not eating grubs out of the dirt." Which was still happening, deep in the Amazon and some places in the South Pacific, at least when she was growing up. You saw it in National Geographic in the doctor's office.

At the news food will be arriving, though, Goldenblade seems indifferent. She turns and fires up the cart's forge with a gout of channelled Fire, which sets the coals ablaze, changing positions and selecting a hammer from a small box nailed to the floor of the cart.

    Inrit is... Very much unsure how to respond, staring at Goldenblade with a smile but his eyes betray that he is uncomfortable and trying to be polite. "I'm sorry. I thought the Sylph looked cute so I picked that. I wasn't trying to not be human." He wouldn't push further about food with her seeming so disinterested, and instead like she's going to get back to work. Inrit would climb out of the wagon, preferably with as little faceplanting into sand as possible.

    Once ouside the wagon, he'd turn and say, "It was really nice to meet you Goldenblade, but I think I'm going to go now." He'd offer a respectful bow, before standing up straight again. Waiting for her response to be polite and not just starting to walk away.

Goldenblade is very much into the depths of her strange mood, unfortunately for Inrit. The Sylphs /are/ cute, and short always adds cuteness. Goldenblade is simply not equipped at the moment to deal with it. She's not generally equipped to deal with much, in the social strangeness arena, but even less so now. Goldenblade grunts something to Inrit as she says she's going. It might have been 'Have fun'. It's hard to say, she's got an intense look in her eyes as she gets back to work on her project. That valve -could- block incoming water, maybe, if it went this other way....

And as this is going on, the grunty seems to wake up, and starts trudging off back to the city, pulling the wagon behind it.