"Dat's a fancy way ta be askin' me about me hobbies, ain't it lassie?" Yaj refereed to Shana. He felt she was trying too hard to act mysterious but humored her question. "Ain't much ta tell. I'm 'ere cuz it beats livin in da sticks, fightin' an adventurin' cuz it pays well, doin' wot I do cuz dat's just how Yaj does fings." Oh sure, there was also that whole "demon lord" nonsense, but if this life was anything like a video game Yaj was certain that the demon lord wasn't really up to anything aside from the day-to-day management of his army. Sure maybe one day his forces would be at their door, and maybe one day he'll die of old age, but honestly? Yaj didn't care much for it. He wasn't going to bash his head up against a wall until he was certain that he was equipped and ready to survive such an ordeal.

Eventually the party arrived to the BBQ place Yaj was talking about. He was glad they were still open; for some reason a bunch of other shops were closed for the night. He wasn't sure if this was because of the drink still in him or what, but he was pretty sure it was still early in the afternoon (But then again Yaj is drunk). Still his favorite BBQ restaurant was open, so he wasn't going to raise a fuss about it. Everyone piled in and Yaj got them a nice big table, big enough to fit everyone and their food. "Eat up, lassies! Deal like dis don't happen errday!" Taking a hearty swig from a large tankard of ale, Yaj feasted on ribs and steaks as well as warm buns and fresh jam. The usual eating and drinking he'd do at the guild, but now in the privacy of these fine young women. He half wondered what his chances at bedding any of them were, but honestly he didn't care much for that. One step at a time; first earn their friendship, then he'll think about increasing their social links.

As everyone was eating Jasmyn had a question for some of the people here, more importantly for Yaj. She wanted to know why he joined the hero trial, and he actually gave this some thought. Well, he spoke about his thoughts anyways. "Gud question. Loaded one, dat is. Obviously, first impression ez dat I thought it'd be a good idea at the time. Noice lil larf, and I don't regret it seein' that I got ta meet all ya. Course, if dat test wasn't a total joke, ye can be sure I'd take it as seriously as I can, inebriated state aside. Dun't know how long ye been here, lil hero, but dis city ain't exactly Axle. Jaded Wilds ez wot it's name says, wild lands full o' people who's kinda given up on da hero business. Nice lil place to settle down, quiet, not too much about it ta get da demon lord or whoeva to bother us... But most people who git 'ere are at the end of their ropes, see. Or at least just kinda trickle down the barrel, namean?"

Of course Yaj's drunken explanation may have opened up more questions than answers, but he was always willing to talk everyone's ears off. Taking another sip he tried to focus back on the question Jasmyn asked her. "As fer me, well, figured dat these Jaded Wilds could use some spring in their step again. Give people da idea that Jaded Wild's iz just a startin' point for epic adventure and wot. Lots a good fightahs, brave venturer's but no real hero. Wot's a hero ye ask? Hell if I know. But Ima 'bout to find out."

@Fonniku@Ryougu@Hammerman@Lady Athena@Spriggs27

As Metel ate, she realized that it seemed she took the least amount of food in her plate compared to the others. It wasn't because it's not delicious. It was because of her elf physique, making her eat less than the others. Elves tend to be vegetarians, and the only reason why she could enjoy meat was from her human side. She also drank less than the others, but that's because she tend to be easily intoxicated. Her alcohol tolerance was pretty poor. She was quite certain she got it from her mother, though she didn't know whether all elves couldn't hold their drink.

"Well..." Metel sighed at Jasmyn's question, "I suppose I'll just have to look for it in the wilderness myself. I wouldn't really go out of my way to look for it though. It is pretty rare after all and I wouldn't count on my luck to find it easily."

She then heard Yaj's answer to Jasmyn's question. Nothing really wrong with that, she thought. She herself never really cared on that hero business. She didn't see herself as hero material. She would just leave the job to someone more capable.

"How about you, Jasymn? Why are you here?" Metel asked back. She was indeed a little curious on her story so might as well ask it while everyone was sharing their stories.
@Ryougu@Lucius Cypher

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Metel's queston had been so predictable, yet Jasmyn hadn't been prepared for it. What would she tell them? It wouldn't be very believable to say she'd come from another world and that she'd died. As the word 'died' formed in her mind, she rapidly grew uncomfortable. Still, since the others had shared their stories, it'd only be fair to share hers. With a moment of consideration and a few deep breaths, Jasmyn spoke. "Um, it might..." She interrupted herself and scraped her throat when she couldn't even hear her own voice over the cheery noise of the place.

"It might sound a little absurd, but...I died." She once more paused, slightly worried about the way the others would react. However, she'd decided to tell her story, so she continued before anyone could interrupt her. I was born in a city somewhere far away, it was nothing like this village... Anyway, I was raised and schooled in that city, but I didn't have a lot of friends. Rather, I had lots of people preying on me. One night... One night I was walking back home and they attacked me..." For a moment she looked at Shana with sorrow-filled eyes, but once more continued. "I tried to fend for myself, but there were too many. Every time I got up, they beat me down... I wonder, if I'd just given up there, might I have survived that night?"

As she posed her question, she had to put all her effort in not breaking down in tears, regardless, tears formed in the corners of her eyes and a single tear rolled down her cheek. It was more than clear she was having a hard time telling this story. Once more she continued, her voice now wavering and unsteady. "I was beaten to death... I woke up in a strange place and met a green-haired girl. She offered me another life, and well... Here I am."

Jasmyn's words 'Here I am' weren't filled with new hope. Contradictory to the words' normal, peppy spirit, Jasmyn sounded absolutely dejected, the cheerful vibes from before completely vanished from her voice and features. She stood up, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I need a moment." She half-cried, before walking outside and sitting down next to the small river that ran through the town. Taking deep breaths and occasionally wiping tears, Jasmyn tried to calm herself down. On one hand she felt uneasy just for remembering the vivid details of her death, and on the other hand she just felt bad about being such a downer on an otherwise pleasant afternoon.

@Lucius Cypher@Hammerman@Fonniku@Lady Athena