After waking up, Adam prepared and ate a quick breakfast consisting of some of the food he got from Vadim, then cleaned himself up and got his equipment together so he'd be prepared if something happened. It was unlikely given the fact that he was just taking a quick walk to get to where he wanted to be, but this was a strange world and the unexpected was, well, expected. The man didn't encounter any members of his group on his way out of the hotel, which was probably for the best. The Druid had no idea what his destination's operating hours were and if any of them wanted to (deservedly) yell at him or something, he might miss his chance to visit the place entirely.

After a short walk, Adam had arrived at the place where he could find the information he wanted; the Earth and Fire Domain Library. Thankfully it was open, and it had a superb design, being made out of clay bricks that look like they were glowing as if they're metal in the process of being forged. Interestingly, they were even warm to the touch, but certainly not harmful. There was also a symbol in the center, located above the curved archway that was the building's entrance; a flower whose stem and leaves looked like a green torch, with the petals resembling a flame. The man was impressed by the structure, but noted with amusement that Eric would say something about the fire flower from the Mario games. Really though, the plant reminded him more of the Statue of Liberty, being much more realistic and serious looking than a Nintendo game usually is.

Once he entered, the Druid saw the interior design was more like a classical library, containing wooden shelves holding books as far as the eye could see. The ceiling had an ornate design, featuring bright colors arranged in patterns of different sizes against a black ceiling; Adam realized they were supposed to be fireworks and wondered if this was the way libraries of this sort were usually made. And he also had no idea how he would find what he's looking for, so he went up to the front desk; there, he saw a short, thin elven girl with purple hair and glasses reading a book. The man had no clue how old elves lived to be, but if she were human she would have looked to be in her early 20s. Hearing his footsteps, she looked up at the man.

"How can I help you?" she quietly asked. It seemed at least that part of the library experience remained the same.

"Yes, I was wondering if this place had any books about plants from Mytheria?" he politely asked, matching her volume.

"Oh, are you an enthusiast or something?"

"Something like that, yes. I'm not from here, so any information would be helpful."

"Hmm…I think I know where the books that you'd want are, but do you want to see our garden first? There are native plants there and it would be on the way."

Probably nothing there that would help in battle, but in this world of many unknown things, they could potentially use lethally poisonous plants as good luck charms or something. Actually, what poisonous plants could he use in battle? The thought had never even occurred to him, but now it seemed so obvious and-oh, right, can't be rude to this person. "That sounds nice, lead the way, miss…"

"Fiona. And you are?"

"Adam, it's nice to meet you."

The two made small talk until they arrived at the somewhat small outdoor space, located at the other side of the entrance. The plants were decorative, but there were many he had never seen before, including ones that had stripes like candy canes and ones that were holographic like some of Eric's Pokemon cards. In the center, there was a noticeably empty patch of dirt, so the Druid asked Fiona why it was there.

"Oh, this garden is often used by Druids practicing their invigorating growth techniques,” she told him. “That patch is where the Firaga Rose is grown. Outside of it’s natural habitat, the volcanoes of Dragonsridge, it barely lasts a day before it burns itself out and dies.”

"Sorry to hear that. Wait, was that the plant on the wall outside of the library?"

"Indeed. It's so valuable because it contains actual fire. Obviously not something you'd regularly expose a flower to."

"Could I try growing it? I seem to have a talent for making plants." Adam pointed to the crystal on his left hand with the other as a way of explaining it.

"Well, sure," Fiona reluctantly answered, "but please be careful, and don't be disappointed if you can't do it. It's tough-"

Her thought was interrupted, however, by the sight of a growing torch flower right in front of her very eyes. The flower rose up, slightly malformed, but the rose head and the fire inside was in tact. The moment Adam stopped, it burst into flames and disintegrated.

“You did that, without even knowing what it was…? Having only seen the symbol at the entrance?”

The woman was astonished, but upon seeing her expression, the Druid spoke modestly.

"This isn't that big of a deal, really. I'm sure anyone else in my class could do this."

“Not even close,” another voice intruded. It was a half-orc man sat by a small table who’d watched everything transpire. Glee Artorius was his name - famed adventurer of the party, True Grade. He blinked a bunch, then said. “By the Mother’s crystal tears, you couldn’t be further from the truth if you tried.”

"Ugh," Zell groaned as he awoke under the table. "What a night."

The table and nearby chairs scraped the floor as Zell moved furniture aside with his feet and hands, then stood up groggily. The taproom was pretty quiet, only the sizzling sound of cooking coming from the backroom. The accompanying smell of food was quite appealing. He looked around and noticed MacKensie. "Mornin Mac," he greeted with a sleepy face and a raised hand. Then he gingerly took steps toward the stairs to go up to the washroom.

"You've got showers!?" Zell echoed the maid incredulously.

"Of course," she answered. "What kind of no-good cheap'n'dirty establishment do you take us for?"

"Sorry, I just... I dunno... the medieval look of everything, ye know."

"Medi-what?" the maid asked, confused.

"Never mind. Yeah, I'll take a shower. Don't mind about washing the clothes today, I'll get another day out of em. Get back to you on that one, tomorrow, yeah?"

With that, he grabbed some towels and got himself cleaned up. Coming back downstairs, he saw MacKensie getting her breakfast served and quickly asked Frederick to fix him him up the same thing. Plopping himself on a chair, he stretched his neck to one side and ran a hand through his hair, then let out a breath. What a night indeed. He was still tired, but fortunately not hungover.

"Sleep alright?" he asked the Frenchwoman.

Have you ever thought 'Man, fuck the sun' as it caused you to awaken earlier than you had anticipated? Welp, that was the exact thought that crossed James Sirius's mind as he finished his morning coffee, thank the gods(?) he had the foresight of asking Frederick if he (or someone else) could bring him some in the morning. Without it, he would have been reduced to his 'Zombie' status until midday or until something happened to snap him out of it, that and, well, it was just a nice touch of normalcy being able to enjoy a cup of good coffee in the morning, no threats and no danger involved, just sheer caffeine and sugar greatness.

Finishing his breakfast he started preparing for the day ahead, he had a lot of shit to do for the day, ranging from power testing the new blessings to buying what supplies they might need for the coming quest, checking up on Adam as he was already asleep when he returned yesterday, going back to the temple for the book he asked, checking the Academy and registering Barracker with Second Chance just to name some. A part of him buckled at the thought of having responsibilities to attend even on another world but the more reasonable part of him was just thankful he had something to distract himself with.

Once showered and prepared with his accessories in place and Arth- his anchor safely wrapped around him he made his way downstairs.

As he descended it became apparent only Mac and Zell were on the first floor, the rest of the party likely still asleep or doing their own thing, approaching them he just gave them a quick "Good morning guys" before beelining for the door, he had told Barracker that he would give him an answer today so better search fo-

His though sputtered and died as he exited the Mended Drum and noticed his target laying against the building in front of the Inn

"Well that's convenient"

Waving to the masked man he approached "Hey Barracker! I was just about to search for you" Now how to disclose the news? "I talked with the other guys and they were glad for you to join our party -name's Second Chance by the way- so if you want we can head to the guild to get you registered right away"

After the meeting with James, Fenna had gone to bed. First she had finished her ale in the quiet room and then removed her leather armour so she could go to bed in her undergarments. Although she was exhausted, sleep didn't want to come. Her mind was still processing the fight. In an attempt to stop that, she forced her mind to something that had puzzled her: how had she gotten here? Some of the others had publicly talked about dying, but she had no recollection of that happening herself. With nothing to distract her, she thought back to the last moment she recalled before waking up in the stone box (she refused to call it a coffin or a sarcophagus, or whatever fancy name death boxes could have). She was in the forest, with a colleague. They had parked the car and were outside, she hadn't eaten or drank anything out of the ordinary. Now it was a process of elimination. Signs of a heart attack? No. The sound of snapping branches or falling trees? No. The sound of an approaching vehicle? No. Pain? No. The only thing she could recall was a feeling of light-headedness, or maybe not light-headedness but a general sensation of feeling light. Then darkness and waking up in this world with her ranger gear. She sighed, she still didn't know how she got here.

Eventually she fell asleep, but the early light of day woke her up. Unlike the previous morning where she woke up amid other people, she was alone now. Her bed was empty. How were her husband and children doing? How she missed them. However small the chance was, trying to find a way back to them was what kept her going.

After she put on her leather armour again, she left the room, went downstairs and watched the sleeping Zell with a shake of her head, and went outside. Her eyes scanned the nearby roofs and sky. Where are you, darling, she thought to herself.
As she followed the main road towards the nearest gate, she heard the familiar sounds of a bird of prey. She extended her arm and her falcon companion flew down.

"There you are. I hope you had a good night." She smiled as the falcon looked back at her. "I've been thinking about it, and I'll name you Sil, after my grandmother, who loved the forest as much as I did." With no objections from the falcon, she walked around until she found a baker and bought herself a loaf of sweet bread, with honey and dried fruit in it.

Sat at the table with her legs crossed, braiding her hair into a ponytail, MacKensie was humming a tune to herself, thinking she was all alone. She jumped slightly and froze when she heard the groan, looking over to the corner of the room where the noise came, her fingers mid-braid as she watched the tables and chairs move around, before none other than Zell Brooks arose. Spell broken, she finished her hair, a trace of a smile and shake of her head as she watched him sleepily realise he wasn't alone either.

"Good morning," she greeted in return. It beggared belief to imagine how much drinking the man had done to end up sleeping under the table last night. When he disappeared up the stairs, she sighed exasperatedly. "My Lord, what a blockhead," she muttered, then two notes of a giggle left her lips.

When Frederick came with her food, she smiled graciously at him and thanked him as he put the plate down, then picked up her knife and fork and tucked in. Rampant hunger gave her a strong urge to wolf the food down quickly but table manners wouldn't allow it, now that Zell had sat down. When he asked if she'd slept well, she responded with a "Mm," covering her mouth with her fingers as she finished what was in her mouth before replying properly. "Very well, as a matter fo fact. It was so nice to have a proper bed under a roof, this time. And you?"

She took another bite as she listened to his response. When James appeared, she gave him a smile. "Good morning, James." It seemed he had business to attend to - business that likely included their new party member, Barracker. MacKensie was reminded how glad she was that they were getting some help. "Do have anything planned for today, Zell?"

At whatever point that Zell recieved his food and took a bite, she would smile. "Good isn't it? We French call it 'Croque Madame.' It is commonly served with toasted brioche bread. I am just glad that this world has something resembling our foods, at least."

"Slept like a log, doll." He stretched his neck to one side again. "Got a crook in me neck for it, but still..."

He said hello to James and watched the man zoom off out the door. "There goes a man with things to do," he commented. His stomach growled and he looked over at the backroom door, hoping Frederick would manifest in the frame through the Englishman's sheer will and desire. It didn't work, much to Zell's disappointment. MacKensie distracted him, drawing his attention. "Plans for the day? Hmmm..." He interlocked his fingers behind his head. "Well, I need to get that sword appraised. You know, the one I picked up from the prick who killed Clive? I was thinking; it's probably magic or something - powerful - so I'll get it checked out, see what's up with it. It's a katana. Looks of elven craft, but I'm not so sure because of the black steel blade and hand-guard... doesn't seem like the elves to me." He shrugged. "Don't ask me how I know all this about swords and elves... I have no idea myself... but I'm pretty sure it's worth looking into. An arcance blacksmith should know more. I'll look for one in the city."

Frederick came with his breakfast. "Frederick, my mate. I love you," he said as he looked eagerly at the plate set down in front of him. "Cheers boss." Then he continued his conversation with MacKensie. "After that, my schedules empty."

Unlike the ever-prim MacKensie Trydant, graceful in her eating as she was in everything else, Zell did not require a knife and fork. He picked up the toasted sandwich of ham, cheese and egg with both hands and took a massive, audible chomp. It was delightful.

"Good isn't it?"

"I'm in heaven, darlin," he replied, mouth full.

"We French call it 'Croque Madame.' It is commonly served with toasted brioche bread. I am just glad that this world has something resembling our foods, at least."

His eyebrows raised, impressed as he took another massive bite. He thought French food consisted of all crossaints and frogs legs. Thankfully he didn't speak with his mouth full again. "Oh, I bet brioche bread would be perfect with this," he agreed. "Back on campus, we'd buy loads of brioche buns and just live on bacon-egg buns for breakfast. Loved em." He'd nearly finished already, and was tempted to ask Frederick for another. "What are you up to today?" he asked the Ranger.

The night had been eventful in its own manner of speaking, at least before she'd finally gotten to her bed. But that was a tale to be recollected at another time.

When she had finally gone to bed and tried to get some sleep, the mage found herself splendidly if not exhaustively tired and ready for sleep. The simple sheets and matress were enough for her, compared to the sleeping bag she'd used on occasion back home when she couldn't rest in her bed. Yet this wasn't home, admittedly, but exhaustion kept such thoughts mostly at bay as she'd curled up with her pillow and held it close in her sleep. Even if for just a bit, she was out of all of the crazy events and so forth that had been going on with and around her. One moment being on a beach, the next impaled by a cyborg water ninja, and the next she was bringing an accursed magical object to an academy after waking up and nearly blowing up two people at a hospital in a magical world. So...yes, it had been a lot thus far for her to say the very least.

Yet by the time morning had come, the sun creaking over the horizon once more as it seemed apt to do even in Mytheria, the mage was a hair-tousled mess lying there in her bed and piled-on sheets as her 'mage clothes' sat to the side in a rough pile on the floor. A mess that, had her uncle seen it, would have been entirely normal for the academic without skipping a beat. Instead of an uncle popping his head in, however, a curious younger-looking maid would slowly crack open the door and peek her head in.

"Mhmm...hmm....nooooo, I don't wanna babysit...."

The talking audible just on the other side of the door had made the younger-looking woman curious enough to at least pop her head in to see if the room's occupant was actually awake. She was to go gather clothes for washing from customers in the inn, as had been her job for about six months now, but whoever the mage in the room was she seemed especially talkative in her sleep. Tentatively she stepped into the room, her long and pointed ears barely brushing the door as she tried to at least be gentle about things, before clearing her throat and attempting to call out to the sleeper. She had to ask before simply grabbing someone else's clothes, after all.

"M-Miss? Ahem. Miss Mage?"

The sleeper seemed to turn over, but no response or waking up it seemed. She would try to same call again a little louder, but also to no avail. Then letting out a small sigh, even if a minutely annoyed one, the maid would grab a spare pillow that had made its way to sit next to the door somehow before lightly throwing it at the sleeping mage's exposed and slightly drooling face.

...

...

...

Yet safe to say, the end result of spooking the slumbering Lillianna led to a loud phrase and boom waking up whoever was in the neighboring rooms...and beyond that probably.



It also led to the newer maid getting both an earful and then a calming pat on the back in turn from the older hand who managed herself and the other cleaning maids, at least after she managed to put out the small room fire, gathered the mage's clothes with permission, and then made it back to her peers who were likewise washing clothes and such. Waking an adventurer like that? That was something only the newbies seemed to make a mistake of doing, despite being taught and advised to avoid doing so for safety reasons. Many working the role of cleaning maid and otherwise in the inn had learned quickly enough that it was dangerous to both them and the very inn itself, though the inn itself had seen enough adventurers pass through over the years there to at least have a plan of action for such a case.

...Though the mage did insist on paying three extra silver to the inn for helping with the luckily minor repairs, even though she wasn't asked for it, and wound up tipping the maid she'd nearly fried another three silver for her troubles after apologizing profusely to her as well.

After getting clean clothes back in turn, however, Lillianna would hastily thank the maid once more before qwuickly attempoting to leave the room. She was trying to compose herself a bit better this time, or so Lillianna hoped silently to herself at least, but also to maybe get something to eat or the like. Yet the voice of the same elven maid hit her ears once more, though this time it sounded slightly more amused than 'oh my word is that a fire did i almost get hit by lightning' tone it had been a small while ago. Perhaps the behavior of the one who had nearly turned her into crispy elf was somehoow entertaining? It still felt embarassing enough to the twin-element mage regardless, though she was glad the maid had endeed up ok and that she herself had reigned back the power she'd been initially putting in that lightning blast to boot upon seeing a harmless person in front of her reflex-reaction-spell.

"Miss, we also have a washroom for you to clean up in, if you'd like. I can show you there as well, if you'd like."

The red-faced twin-element mage suddenly stopped in her tracks, her staff gripped a little tighter than nessecary in her hands still, before taking a slow deep breath, relaxing her grip on her staff a little, and then turning back around.

"I...I would like that. Yes. If you do not mind."

Quick silver eyes looked back at her with the same mild amusement now, though as the elven maid's slender face softened a bit into a smile Lillianna felt a small bit of pressure or tension release in the process. Her pale white skin seemed to be different than how the leader of the Adventurere's Guild had looked at least. A different kind of elf, perhaps? Held herself too well and upright to seem like a normal person either, but the mage had no idea for sure in all honesty. The elven maid ultimately, however, walked over and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder before motioning for her to follow along in the hall.

"Certainly. It will be just this way, Miss, but...please do take the time to relax once we get to the showers, ok? If naught else for your own sake I believe...

...Hehe."

A small chuckle at the end appended the rather formal sounding tone of the elven maid with something else, though the mage had no idea what. At the same time, she tried to breathe slowly and continue the effort to cool those nerves of hers as she silently nodded and followed along in turn. If the inn and maid were letting it go, then she ought to herself as well. Right? Even the hospital had been prepared for such things, and she needed to better control herself and her seemingly new habit of panic-prone surprise magic use at that. Yes! So in that vein she just needed to relax, let a nice and hopefully hot shower help her as well to boot.

...

...

To her relief, the showers would turn out to be something quite nice in her book. Simple, yes, but with enough hot water to really just soak it all in and give her time to let the sunlight coming in from the small glass pane above her in the showers to warm her up. Though it did seem they separated two washrooms, one for men and one for women, with each on a different side of the inn to seemingly keep it all separated rather neatly. Even the rooms themselves were nice, though with buckets and water and showers and even hot water being availible it felt like some odd blend of anime or Japanese practice and a massive western-style bathroom like the ones from back home. Kind of? It was all just the closest she could try to define and compare it all to off-the-cuff, but at least the privacy of the individual showers within the Women's Washroom had been nice in her book.

Even the maid she'd nearly friend had gone to simply touch up her clothes for after she took a shower at that, and had left a note simply telling her to 'relax' on them too as Lillianna had found out after she'd gotten out of the shower and found her already-cleaned clothes neatly folded where she'd stored them. And...for a moment, she nearly chuckled at the message as well. At least it put a smile on her face, as silly as the extra reminder was. But perhaps that was the point of it all.

Whatever the case, the mage would pull her clothes on, before extending a hand out to the side and into the air once she had some more space around her. The thing would zip from where it leaned against the wall, luckily with no one in the way between it and its master, landing in the extended left hand of Lillianna comfortably as the mage couldn't help but let a small grin come onto her face as she looked at it. A staff that zipped into her hands at her beck and call? It was...actually pretty cool. Really cool even, almost as much as having and using real magic! But she also had no idea what the staff was either, and that was yet another question on her already-loaded plate as it was. Yes it was a magical staff that came to her hand, but where had it come from? How did it get into the coffin she'd arrived in? Etc.



Ah.

At the behest of her somewhat irate stomach, and before it could try to stage a strike against her out of hunger, the mage would make her way down to the bar to try to get something to eat. Whaever it was they served here at least. The mixture of things she was seeing certianly made her wonder, though upon seeing Zell and MacKensie sitting at a table she would walk over with her staff in hand to the duo. Though she hadn't been perhaps the most overtly 'happy' person before, even now she had to admit she felt a bit happier after cleaning up and putting on clean clothes for sure. Enough for a small smile to be on her face still, without her realizing it, at least.

"Ah, may I join you both here? I must confess I am a tad famished and-"



That time it was audible enough for Zell and MacKensie to hear potentially, putting a light flush in the mage's cheeks for a moment before she let out a small sigh of exasperation. She needed to get food in her, and much sooner than later at that.

Barracker felt like a victim to the sun as if he was water, boiling away. Sweat started to form on his face, he took his mask off and wiped his brow then donned his mask again. It was early in the morning as he waited for James. His eyes were drawn to the door of ‘The Mended Drum’, as he noticed the door open a couple of times but James was not one of them. But these did resemble adventures due to the clothes.

He rose to his feet and walked round the bench and leaned against the building next to his weapons. He wondered if this whole idea of Areleth’s wouldn’t end in disaster. Looking out for people wasn’t on the list of priorities as he was used to working alone, never mind having people to call companions. Especially now he was a vampire. Barracker looked to the sky, lost in his thoughts, speculating the prospect. “Hades, is this a good idea? If so, then please give me a sign,” he muttered ever so quietly to himself.

Sometime later James appeared. Barracker put his equipment back on his back, and took his mask off, greeting the cleric. "Hey Barracker! I was just about to search for you"

Barracker nodded. “I thought i’d come to you.” Barrackers tone was friendly. At least about as friendly as a social outcast gets.

"I talked with the other guys and they were glad for you to join our party -name's Second Chance by the way-

“Second Chance,” Barracker blurted out. He mentally smiled, it was almost too perfect. If anyone needed a second chance it was Barracker, although the paladin probably wouldn’t admit that to himself. Hades had a funny way of giving him the sign he was looking for.

-so if you want we can head to the guild to get you registered right away"

Barracker nodded in agreement, “Lets go.”

The big anchor on James’ back drew the paladin's interest, but he did not ask about it. In fact, as they walked the streets Barracker did not start any conversation at all. James seemed like a normal guy but it was strange that there was no visible reaction to his vampiric face. Not last night, nor this morning. Did the man not care? Or did he just not know? Barracker was puzzled at the idea and felt he would need to address it. So when they arrived outside ‘The Adventurers Guild,’ he touched the cleric's shoulder.

“James, wait…” Barracker paused briefly. “I live with the affliction of vampirism.” He looked for a reaction. “You are not in any danger, I can assure you. I just thought you should be aware. People generally don’t take too kindly to my condition.”

If there were no problems then he would follow James’ lead and go through the registration process.

Dabbing her mouth with a napkin, she fought a smile as he spoke. She could just imagine him and his frat-boy friends all lounging about, stuffing their faces with piles of bacon-egg sandiwches, then heading to the gym or something. Her sorority was, expectedly, quite different. And she was much more strict with her dietary regiment due to being an athlete. Aside from her exploits in the sport of archery, her highschool life had contained track and field, not to mention ballet. Taking care of her body was just a natural habit, at this point. She had no idea whether or not Zell played any sports, but it was an easy guess that he liked the gym, at least, looking at him.

So, he was also studying at the time of his death. Just like her. She was about to ask which degree he was studying for but he asked a question of his own first.

"What are you up to today?"

"Well, I think I'd like to do some walking around - explore the city of Valhiem," she said. She thought about the incredible views she'd seen on the way up the mountain, yesterday. "It is a beautiful place. And if we are to be here for the forseeable future, we should probably know our way around better." In the corner of her eye, she saw another of their group had come down. She greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, Lillianna."

"Ah, may I join you both here? I must confess I am a tad famished and-"

The loud rumble of the wizard's stomach made MacKensie's eyebrows raise joyfully. "So it would seem," she replied with quiet chuckle. "Come, sit. Did you sleep well? The pillows were soft, were they not? I was quite satisfied." She waited for the answer, nodding as she listened with a welcoming smile. The frenchwoman's usual disposition was welcoming and sociable but perhaps she was overdoing a bit here as she guessed that the shy wizard might be having a little trouble socializing with them all. For one thing; she'd just asked to join them both and something about her demeanour suggested that she wasn't simply going through the motions of etiquette - as if she actually wasn't sure what the answer would be. But more than this, Lillianna had been somewhat on the edge of the group since they'd left Hommas, so it felt like, to MacKensie. Quiet and unassuming, sat in her home-made shelter all evening their first night here, then alone at the bar the second evening, even when Zell and MacKensie were right there nearby. Of course, there was nothing wrong with a person liking their own company - nothing wrong at all - but if there was a chance that Lillianna was simply struggling with including herself more, then MacKensie would try to help her. "Zell and I were just telling eachother our plans for the day. I was going to have a walk around the city, enjoy the sights, maybe take some lunch at a restaurant if I find a good one. And then I have some shopping to do as I simply will not live with only a single change of clothes." She chuckled at her own spoiledness and entitlement. "Perhaps you would like to join me. Enjoy some girl-time. What do you say?"

When she got a chance, she also said to Zell, "Oh, I meant to ask; What were you studying at university?" If he asked her: "Sociology."

Fenna ate from the bread she had purchased as she walked back to the Mended Drum. More citizens and adventurers were up now, so she assumed her companions would all be awake by now as well. Now that she had something to eat, the idea of a bath was starting to be more appealing, but she'd settle for a shower as well. Maybe she'd ask about that back in the Mended Drum.

On her way she stopped at a place selling warm herbal drinks. It was very likely they didn't have tea or coffee like she was used to here, but she did want something to wash down the bread with. After wrapping the leftover bread in a cloth and adding it to her bag, she entered the small shop that had a counter and some standing tables. Sil didn't feel like going inside and flew up to the roof of the place.

The selection of warm drinks was more than she had anticipated; the warm water was in the kettle and she could pick from a variety of dried herbs, dried flowers and spices to be added to it. It wasn't long before she had a cup of chamomile tea, which was perfect to end her on-the-go breakfast with.

Once the cup was empty, she returned to the Mended Drum, the falcon following her through the air and settling on the roof of the inn when she went inside.

"...we should probably know our way around better."

"Not a bad plan," Zell said. He looked out towards the nearest window. "Seems a nice day for it too."

When Lillianna appeared, Zell gave a cheer. "Mornin Lily-pad." She asked to join them and he made a friendly gesture to the empty chairs, then laughed loud when he heard her belly grumble. "Sounds like you could eat a horse right about now."

He listened to the women talk, mostly attentive but keeping an eye on the backroom until Frederick appeared, then he grabbed the barman's attention and asked for a cup of tea. When the response was 'what kind of tea?' Zell was perplexed. "Excuse me a moment, ladies," he said before getting up and going to the bar. "You don't have normal tea?" Frederick named a few fruit teas and Zell shook his head. "Nah bruv. Regular tea. I don't know how else to describe it. With tea leaves. In a tea bag."

Frederick said he'd bring him something, so he went back to the table. Not long later he did get his cup of tea but it whatever it was, it wasn't good ol' English tea. And why would it be? Zell grimaced after sipping it. "I guess that'll have to do," he muttered to himself.

Passing conversation with the Wizard and Ranger was a decent morning, and when Fenna appeared, it got even better. "Fenna," Zell greeted with a grin. "You've been out all this time? 'Early bird gets the worm,' n all that. Can you believe this world ain't got no proper tea?"

When MacKensie asked him about university studies, he replied bitterly. "Psycology. You?" Sociology. "Oh, so I study how bonkers a single person is. And you study how bonkers groups of people are. No wonder we make a good team." He grinned, but the smile was wiped off his face after he sipped his tea again. Then he turned his sights onto Lillianna. "What about you, Lily-pad - I'd bet my last silver you were a grade-A student - What was your subject?"

Glee stood up and walked tentatively over, casting a glance over the empty patch of dirt where the Firaga Rose had been, then back at Adam with narrowed eyes.  This was fascinating.

“Glee John Artorius - of True Grade,” he said, offering to shake hands.  “You really thought that just any old Druid can grow plants they haven’t studied or felt, smelled… tasted?  You’re either lying through your teeth or incredibly oblivious to your own talent.  I’m not sure which would be worse.”

He blinked several times.  It was his way of laughing at his own jokes.  He could laugh normally, but he always delivered his own jokes with a straight, dry tone. A weird quirk.

"Adam Phillips. Uh, of Second Chance" the not-old Druid hastily added, not used to introducing himself that way, though he did respond to the handshake in kind. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Completely missing the joke, the man continued. "And yes, I did think that, though I suppose I've never met someone else with my class." He was skeptical that there was anything special about him, but this stranger probably wasn't there to hear him agonize over his lack of special ability, so he went on.

"I'd also rather not taste a torch flower if I can help it, getting burned isn't something I'm fond of." The man chuckled slightly, a more typical indicator of humor than what the experienced adventurer did. 

“Haha! That’s fair enough,” Glee replied.  Strong handshake and a sense of humour.  The half-orc liked him already.

More seriously now, Adam added "are you a Druid?"

“I am.  Come and have a seat.”  They went over to the table and Glee took a seat.  “So, you are talented but dumb as an ox to the whole Druid schtick.  Interesting.  How long have you had that crystal, there, in your hand?”

The less experienced Druid joined his senior counterpart at the table. "Dumb as an ox," with his Druid abilities, huh. Yeah, that sounded about right. The guy wasn't malicious though; quite the opposite really, and he was a Druid. Maybe he would be able to help with this magic. "About a day. There's so much I don't know about all this, yeah. I only learned an hour or so ago why the crystal turned purple after our team apparently got a bounty." It was best not to go in depth about this and mention Aurok; Glee might think he was just bragging or lying, not to mention the red-eyed man didn't want to explain how that fight went if he could help it. 

About a day! Glee screamed in his head.  I’d scream out loud but this is a library.  The half-orc blinked a few times as he listened to Adam speak.  “I’m pretty sure I should be angry right now." When he said this, the red-eyed man's face indicated he was worried he offended the man, but before he could speak up the half-orc continued.

"Most Druids require months of practice to come that close to correctly growing a Firaga Rose.  Lotsa hard work, study and discipline.  And here you are, one day in, and you’ve almost got it.  And have the cheek to act like it’s nothing.”  Glee smiled at him.  “Luckily, folks have always told me I’m not right in the head.” At this, the younger Druid looked relieved, grateful he didn't actually offend the older one. Maybe "I'll have to use that 'not right in the head' thing with our 'party idiot' someday," Adam thought, his expression now matching Glee's.

"Do all Druids have the same two spells?"

“Most, yes.  Plant invigoration and manipulation.  Not all though.  There are some unique sub-classes that The Source might bless one with, where plant control comes later in their journey.  But all the best Druids in history start with plant control.  You’ll find that mastery of those two spells will make you more useful to your party than all those other fancy high-power wizards.  The skill ceiling is extremely high.  The most expert Druid alive today no-doubt still has much to learn about these two spells alone.  Nature is ever-changing.  Life is complex.  There are several thousand species of plant, tree and flower out there in Mytheria.  All have a use.  And more than half will be very useful to an adventurer.  You just have to know what they are.  And know them well.  I’ve been at this adventuring business for eleven years now.  I’ve been up and down the continent, from the sky cities of Cloud elves to the underworld of the Dark elves.  Even with all I’ve learned, I mostly use those two spells.  There’s no end to what you can do with them.  It’s all about what’s up here,” he finished, tapping his temple. “Books are your friend.  Experience is your family.”

Glee was so eager to find out more about Adam, to try and figure out if there was a reason this man was so insanely gifted, but then he was also foaming at the mouth to teach him everything he knew all at once!  He’d always been helpful to others, Druid or not - adventurer or not - but he’d never met anyone he wanted to mentor before.  Pity he wouldn’t be in Valhiem long as True Grade was leaving for the frontlines tomorrow afternoon.

Adam sagely nodded to Glee, his expression thoughtful. There were many things this man spoke of that were new and revelatory, but the plants were of course the nature magic user's focus. More than half?! Yeah, it seems I was on the right track. "You're absolutely right. I was actually here to-"

"Get those books!" Fiona interjected, having still been there the whole time, and perhaps a little more loudly than she should have. Her face red from her excitement, she hastily added "I'll go find those" before quickly disappearing back into the shelves of the library. The Glee was very interested in this boy. The elf followed all the famous adventurer parties, but True Grade was one of her favorites. She would have helped this kid either way, it was just more urgent now.

"That, yeah," the red-eyed man said, "I'm not from here, so there's so much I don't know. I want to learn everything I can. Our group lost a few good people recently and I don't want that to happen again." His tone was sad, yet determined; that of a man who knew what needed to be done and was certain that he would do his best to accomplish it.

Glee knew that look.  He felt his pain.  Druids were often sensitive souls, so connected with nature and life that perhaps death took an extra toll on them.  Who knew?  Whatever the reason, it was like looking into a mirror.  The humility, the talent, the determination to look after his allies…

“It can be tough at the beginning.  Mistakes abound, party not in sync.  And it’s never easy to lose an ally or a friend.  All we can do is be the best version of ourselves and hope that it’s enough.”  Glee leaned across the table and patted the man on the hand before getting up.  “Come.  I’ll show you a few things you can work on to practice your finesse in manipulation.”

Glee stayed with Adam for a couple of hours, showing him some of the finer points of the foundational Druid spells.  He also recommended particular books and plants to research, and taught him about what patterns to look for in enemy hordes that a Druid might be able to capitalize on.  Time flew by so fast, that when Glee had to go, he realized that he’d not probed about Adam’s past at all like he’d wanted to.  A travesty, in of itself, but he had to go.

“Adam, it’s been an honor and a pleasure to meet a man as talented as you, with a soul as nice as yours.”  Glee shook his hand once more.  “I expect great things from you and hope to see you again.”

"Thank you so much for all of your help," the younger Druid replied, grateful for the advice that he felt was useful for more than casting, "I'll be sure to put all that you taught me to good use; I'd like to meet again as well."  After graciously accepting the red-eyed man's appreciation, the half-orc took his leave.  “Oh, before I go,” he suddenly added, turning back around.  “Kragstone Peak is a small mountain, just outside the city, to the north.  There’s an old Druid who lives in a shack up there.  Go to him, when you get a chance.  Elven chap.  Very grumpy.  But he specializes in Shapeshifting - an extremely difficult technique to master.  Usually for high level Druid’s.  But your talent is beyond anything I’ve ever seen.  I think he’d give you a chance.”  Glee nodded, then left Adam.

“Until next time, Fiona,” he told the librarian as he passed her.  “Look after him.  He’s one of the good ones.” 

"So it would seem.

Come, sit. Did you sleep well? The pillows were soft, were they not? I was quite satisfied."

Lillianna would lightly nod her head up and down in response to MacKensie's question before sitting down at the table, joining Zell and MacKensie as she leaned her staff against the side of the table. The pillows had been rather comfortable, enough so that she'd perhaps gone a bit overboard and piled several more spare ones on her bed for the sake of added comfort. Certainly after everything else that had happened, though, the mage felt she could have passed out asleep on a piece of cardboard after all of that....not that she would want to do that in all honesty.

"Mornin Lily-pad."

...She wasn't escaping that nickname any time soon, was she? Ah, but it was all in good spirits wasn't it?

"Things were comfortable enough, though....well, it turns out the poor maid got a magical surprise of her own after trying to wake me. Like the hospital all over again..."

Lillianna lightly grimaced as she remembered the event of not that overly long ago once more, her arms resting on the table as she let her head fall into them with a soft 'clunk' coming from the table underneath. Yes, she'd nearly electrocuted someone else. Again. Or nearly set a building on fire at least. Again. Then again, they hadn't been in this world too long and she'd already nearly died (again, poetically enough) and a slew of other things. All after waking up in a large stone coffin that had nearly hit the ground on its side, suddenly in different clothes and with this staff and all of that mess. It was...it would still be a lot to try to process, even as they had to keep moving onward with all of this. That she knew for a certainty.

"Zell and I were just telling eachother our plans for the day. I was going to have a walk around the city, enjoy the sights, maybe take some lunch at a restaurant if I find a good one. And then I have some shopping to do as I simply will not live with only a single change of clothes.

Perhaps you would like to join me. Enjoy some girl-time. What do you say?"

The mage brought her head back up as MacKensie spoke to her again, though at the invitation to do some shopping and spend some girl-time she breifly seemed to freeze for a second. Like she was reminded of something, perhaps, though as to how pleasant that reminder was would be up for debate. Then after a moment of that she seemed to breathe and relax again, a rather small smile appearing on her face as she looked back at the Frenchwoman.

"I would be delighted to join you, MacKensie. Though if we get the chance, there would be a place I'd like to visit before the end of the day as well."

The Church of Iris. The place she'd been directed to by the Elven Guildmaster the other day after she'd tried to ask about that ghost back in the Mazy Hillocks. She didn't want to forget that, even if the Academy was tugging at her intellectual heartstrings and curiosity well enough right now as well. A day of relaxing before visiting the Church, though, that felt like something of a good idea to her outright. Needed something else to do and occupy herself after everything, and it wasn't like she had some shows to watch like she'd have availible back home. That being said, though, she also felt happy to be invited along by someone else...though she had to remind herself it wasn't the same people who'd have invited her back home in this case. Yes, that was definitely a notable difference there for more than one reason.

When approached about something to eat, the mage would simply ask for the same thing MacKensie and Zell got. It seemed to look and smell good enough to her nose, and she'd get it with a glass of fruit juice if she could as well. This would ultimately get her a most delicious-seeming breakfast, steaming as it came out of the back and over to the table, though she was pleased to find the same fruit juice from the prior night in her glass once more. She'd need to ask about it later in the evening, as for now the self-admittedly hungry mage would begin to politely dig into the plate of food in front of her as her body and muscles shouted for some kind of sustenance. Sustenance indeed was the main thing, but she also hoped for the increased energy to help give her better awareness to not almost electrocute someone and set a building on fire moving forward throughout the rest of the day. If possible.

"Thank god is open"

There was a small worry on his heart as they made their way to the guild, that maybe this was their version of Sunday -Note to self: Investigate the calendar these people used- but maybe luck was on his side for one, now it was just a matter of registering Barracker and then they could be on their merry way, him on the next item of his list and Barracker to do Barracker things.

“James, wait…” Barracker paused briefly. “I live with the affliction of vampirism.” He looked for a reaction. “You are not in any danger, I can assure you. I just thought you should be aware. People generally don’t take too kindly to my condition.”

Hearing Barracker's question left James confused for a second, worried for another, and bemused for a third. Though not for the reasons that should be expected.

"Wait! Are these guys like, racist?"

He couldn't discount the possibility but on the flip side it could be more simple like vampirism=bad/dangerous, something closer to home, at least on the aspect of fearing someone based on their condition "I am going to be honest with you dude, up to this point I had never seen a real vampire and just assumed you were of a different race" Honesty was the way to go in his opinion "But still, if you say your condition is under control I have no reason to doubt you" Better to throw a disclaimer to avoid further misunderstandings "I should also mention, my- well I guess I should say our party members and me come from very far away, to the point that many things around here are really strange to us, other races being one of them. But still don't worry about being judged early and for no reason" A thought crossed his mind and he let out a chuckle "Fuck, I mean, realistically just based on the history of our respective homes with each other Mac and I should dislike each other, Adam and Lilly should hate Joji and viceversa and everyone should be plotting on killing Zell, so don't worry too hard 'kay?"

Sayings so he reached and opened the doors to the guild, before looking back at the Paladin "You coming?"



Moving to the second floor again he knocked on the Guild Master door until he was given permission to enter and once inside didn't waste a second to explain the situation.

"Hey there Lucy, sorry if this is not the correct process but I would like to register a new member for our party please"

The awkward energy at the table was something that MacKensie had tried to ignore, but forced to acknowledge several times. Perhaps it was just her - all in her own head - and thus, she was the one supplying the awkwardness, which would be rare as she was used to being able get along in social situations, even with strangers. Rare but not totally impossible. Either or; words whittling to silence felt rather pronounced to the frenchwoman. Pronounced and very awkward.

"Good morning, Fenna."

Thank god for Fenna. MacKensie hoped that the older woman would recue the situation - a situation that only got worse when Zell turned MacKensie's question about university studies onto the Lillianna, who completely ignored him. The weakest of forced laughs quietly came from the frenchwoman who, because of her upbringing, was so fragile to things like bad etiquette and manners. MacKensie clamoured for a way to brush over the moment. "Errr, and I would bet my last silver that you are quite the opposite of a Grade-A student, Zell Brooks," she said, half-joking. "Let me guess: Late to classes? Late with assignments? Too busy with extra-curricular activites?"

MacKensie uncrossed her legs to cross them the other way. When there was a chance, she decided to beg invite Fenna to come along and spend the day with them. "Umm, Fenna...?" she started. "Lillianna and I are off to the shops to buy a few things for our stay in the city - maybe take a walk and look around, get a bite for lunch. Would you care to join us?"

Fenna went to the table when Zell greeted her. "True, I haven't found tea like we are used to it, but they have a good selection of warm drinks," she told him. "Some very affordable as well." She joined the other three at the table and let them talk about education. There wasn't much that she could add to that conversation, but it was nice listening to them and watching them enjoy their breakfast. Hers had been sober, but it had tasted good and she felt full, so in that regard it had been a good breakfast.

When Mackensie invited her, she turned her attention from her fellow ranger to their elemental mage, and back to her fellow ranger. "That sounds lovely," she said. "I only did a small round through the city and I'd love to explore it further in good company. I also want to buy some supplies and a fresh set of clothes."

After everything that happened, some downtime with the other women of the party sounded enjoyable.

Zell was never the brightest bulb in the box, plus one might even consider himself a little narcissistic, which would explain why he rarely ever considered any negative reaction to him a product of his own doing. Some people, in his position, would've noticed Lillianna's cold non-response to his introduction and joke upon their first meeting. Most would've at least realised something might be amiss when she ignored his call for the team to gather round when he gave them all their first formation, in spite of the life/death importance of it. Or when he greeted her the prior morning and offered a hand to help her up and she ignored it. And now, as she joined them at the table, neglected to respond to his greeting and then proceeded to ignore his question... the average person might realise that maybe, just maybe, the wizard didn't like him.

Wow, she's hungry, the swordsman thought with a grin.

Zell didn't notice a thing.

MacKensie was the one to respond, bouncing back a little banter. "...Let me guess: Late to classes? Late with assignments? Too busy with extra-curricular activites?"

"Ha! Ye know me too well, already." He scratched the back of his head with a cheeky grin. The truth was that he was starting to get his act together in school, the last few months. He'd curtailed any ambitions of scaling up his drug-dealing operation. He was starting to attend all of his lectures without exception. He'd even delegate money-counting, pill-packaging and other duties to more of his boys while he sat in the room and studied for upcoming exams, even yelling for 'quiet' at times when idle conversation was distracting him. Zell was starting to be serious about getting his graduate degree.

After Fenna had sorted plans with MacKensie and Lillianna, Zell nodded. "Sounds like a good time." Then he stood up. "Well, I'll leave you lovely ladies to it, then. Have fun, will ya."

With that, he left them to go to his room and grab ninja's sword. He left his armour pieces and his his own sword in his room, only taking his satchel with his money, then he went back downstairs, throwing a hand up in leui of a wave to his friends as he went across the bar-room floor before exiting the establishment.

As the door shut behind him, he placed his hands on his hips and took a whiff of the air as he looked around. A tour around the city might be a good idea - check out what these Mytherians like to call 'leisure.' He'd also not forgotten MacKensie's warning that; the Witch Queen's war might be hitting the city soon. Information regarding or tangential to that might be worth sniffing out. Lucy Bottrill might be a good source, on that front, was his first thought.

But first; to business. This sword wouldn't appraise itself.

"I am going to be honest with you dude, up to this point I had never seen a real vampire and just assumed you were of a different race"

James was partially correct on the matter, he seemed to think Barracker was a ‘pure blood’; one who was born a vampire. Barracker was turned when he was bitten and so was labelled as a ‘lesser vampire.’ There were several ranks of vampire based on the strength of the blood, but people like Barracker would always be at the bottom of the hierarchy.

"But still, if you say your condition is under control I have no reason to doubt you"

Barracker gave the cleric a nod of reassurance but with an admiration for the cleric's level-headedness about the situation. He felt it was a nice change of reaction, seeing as most people could not be reasoned with so easily.

"I should also mention, my- well I guess I should say our party members and me come from very far away, to the point that many things around here are really strange to us, other races being one of them. But still don't worry about being judged early and for no reason"

Barracker nodded again, in answer to his statement. Feeling at ease and also remarkably interested at his answer. Far away huh, how far could he be to where other races are really strange to humans? There were other races all over Mytheria. He must have been tucked away in the far corners of the empire or maybe even from over the sea, but he had never heard of that before.

"Fuck, I mean, realistically just based on the history of our respective homes with each other Mac and I should dislike each other, Adam and Lilly should hate Joji and viceversa and everyone should be plotting on killing Zell, so don't worry too hard 'kay?"

Barrackers eyebrows lifted slightly, he was taken back a bit by this mystery which got deeper and deeper.

"You coming?"

All in all, James had been more than understanding about it all. Barracker was very grateful and surprised to feel optimistic about the future. He almost cracked a smile at his newly found companion.

As the two went inside and walked through the guild hall. He was reminded of a fond memory, in which he, his best friend Krillen and his childhood sweetheart Evelyne tried to join and make an adventurer party. Not only were they a mere twelve years of age, but none of them had been blessed with the gift of the source crystal yet. The guildmaster had been kind to them, but firmly rejected them. When Barracker saw who was in charge of the running of the guild, he realised it was still fun, Lucy Bottrill.

"Hey there Lucy, sorry if this is not the correct process but I would like to register a new member for our party please"

When Barracker was asked to scan his crystal, he waved his hand over the scanner, and was accepted.

When everything was done they left and Barracker turned to James and thanked him, shaking his hand. “So, what's the next mission?”

He waited for a response and hoped there would be time to briefly split off from James and quickly take care of some errands before they left, but he would do what was asked of him by the party leader.

"James," Lucy greeted heartily after saying goodbye to the adventurer she was dealing with. How could she forget the Cleric who wasn't beholden to any particular diety? (It did help that she'd met him just yesterday.) She listened to his explanation and shrugged with a nod. "Sure, that's no problem at all."

Upon seeing the new party member, her outward reaction stayed muted and professional, but her first thought was that this man must be very ill, because there was no way there was a demon-cursed individual just freely walking around the city of Valhiem. It also couldn't be some kind of Witch Queen agent. Surely the enemy would try to disguise their spies a little better than this!

"If you'd like to scan your crystal just there please," she asked, her eyes narrowing as got a vague feeling of recognition. Her magi-tech screen brought up his details and the man's name jogged her memory some more. "Barracker Kassel," she said, realising who he was now. "You look... different." She remembered the time this young man had first tried to register as adventurer. It was adorable. Funny how to the older elf, it felt like only yesterday, but humans grew up so fast. Probing the adventurers Status page in more detail, she could see the answer as to why he looked like he'd been bathing in the Dark Domain for the last decade. Vampirism. Unfortunate - not just personally but professionally too, seeing as he was a Paladin. "So... I should've known you'd get blessed with the Gift. That fiesty look in your eyes you had as a kid - you can't fake that kind of courage and ambition." She briefly looked at James while pointing her thumb at Barracker. "Would you believe this guy tried to make an adventurer party when he just a child. Him and his cute little friends wanted to slay orcs to keep the trade routes safe to Valhiem safe so the people would never go hungry." She put a hand on her heart as she got all warm and fuzzy. After she was finished potentially embarassing Barracker, she said to him. "I'm glad you got what you wanted."

She turned back to James. "You've got yourself a tough one here, James. That claymore and massive shield aren't just for show, I can promise you that." She pointed at her screen to indicate that his combat history was far from empty. When all was taken care of, she bid them farewell. "Take care of yourselves out there."





The sun moved up and across the sky to take the center of the sky above Valhiem. After the streets quietened post morning rush of everyone going to work, the busy pace of the city, particularly in the commercial districts and up on Citadel Mountain, began to pick up again for the lunchtime hours.

Fo the most part Lillianna didn't even notice that she had missed anything as she tried to poletely as possible wolf down her food. her stomach and body were telling her rather strongly to put something real in her, and by no means was it not glad for that either. It had, however, absorbed much of her attention at the same time as her morning brain was still trying to tuck away the shame of nearly roasting a maid working at this very establishment. Yet as MacKensie talked to the approaching Fenna, and Zell was still sitting there, the mage would suddenly perk up as a light flush came to her cheeks.

Oh. Oh no.

"What about you, Lily-pad - I'd bet my last silver you were a grade-A student - What was your subject?""What about you, Lily-pad - I'd bet my last silver you were a grade-A student - What was your subject?"

She looked over at Zell with a sort of embarassment as she swallowed a large bite of warm hot food down. Ah. But yes, she had been asked something and didn't even bother responding! She'd been afraid to talk to most anyone their first night out there, and it wasn't as if Zell's antics didn't annoy her at times, but he had fought to save their skins and such back there. That bit left an impression on her for sure, and he had been trying to be friendly to them all at least...

"Apologies....I...am actually rather hungry this morning. But to answer your question, Zell, I never had a 'good' subject' I suppose. I did well at most things, delving into mathematical equations and writing english papers and all of those things I suppose.

Um...hmm...I suppose when I got into my early college years mother did have me on a medically-oriented path. My father also pushed for me to take up business classes as well. None of it was that hard, but it was nothing I wanted myself in the end. But I was still a minor and under their care at the time, as well as felt the pressure to do as they said and so I got what degrees they wanted me to in order tro try to keep them happy...among other reasons.

Early on I had decided on Arcaheology as my area of focus, but it wasn't until after other matters that I finally got to pursue it in full earnest without issues or being forced to shift to something else. That is something, well, that I wanted to do for once. Then while working on that matter I ended up here while working on a beach as a lifeguard."

First had been the Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering at the age of fifteen, then had come the Master's Degree in Accounting, and then a mess of classes trying to push things her way before it and her family had all fallen apart. Then she'd gotten sent to live with her maternal uncle and managed to get back on track for her Archaeology degree after attempts here and there to smatter in those classes, picking up a few more scholarships, the like. Had managed to get a Bachelor's in that area and had been working on a higher degree above that for her desired field and even looking at a potential internship for the next summer before....yeah. RIP. Dead. Death. She took a beach umbrella to the head and woke up in another world, before getting more trauma and getting stuck with a group of people she still didn't know that well but who had been kind to her thus far at least.

In that vein, she hoped it wasn't too late to tell the man the answer to his question in a basic sense at least. Not without going into years of degrees and all of that mess along with it. Ugh.

After that quick answer, however, Lillianna would turn her attention back to the other two women before Zell left.

"That sounds lovely," she said. "I only did a small round through the city and I'd love to explore it further in good company. I also want to buy some supplies and a fresh set of clothes."

They did both have a point, MacKensie and Fenna. She did need more than just one set of clothes, though for a mage were there any special requirements? Hmmm. Or perhaps she could choose something to wear outside of her mage attire, at least, for the occasional day off. Perhaps that would be good! Ah, but she hadn't been clothes shopping for a hot minute in reality. Not since that last time she'd gone with her uncle's girlfriend and-....ahem. No thinking about that one. Had been the only trip she hadn't much enjoyed due to its result, so her uncle hadn't pushed her to go after talking with his girlfriend about it all. Embarassing, but they had still been kind to her even though she hadn't gone on shopping trips with them after that point in time about two Earth years ago.

And perhaps she could talk to the girls and they could, well, come with her to the Church of Iris at least. Maybe she could break off to check out the Academy later, or the next day, depending on how the passage of time went for them. Maybe. She'd have to see at least, and it wasn't as if this place and world weren't still totally new to her in ways either. Though if familiar food was around, perhaps there was hope yet she could find a few more comforts like unto home around Valheim in due time (Unless the Witch Queen or that stupid ninja decided to have any say in the matter. She wasn't ignorant, even if she wanted to not think on that problem so much for now..).

...

...

...

The sun moved up and across the sky to take the center of the sky above Valhiem. After the streets quietened post morning rush of everyone going to work, the busy pace of the city, particularly in the commercial districts and up on Citadel Mountain, began to pick up again for the lunchtime hours.

To say this part of Valheim was bustling was an understatement, perhaps, given she'd only seen the evening hours or so (or something) after being brought in unconcious the other day.

Lords and ladies in fancy clothing and wearing or carrying magical trinkets or devices, some of these trinkets or devices simple in nature or more complex. Some of these things even had embedded gemstones in them, or shone with other metallic hues based on what they were made of, and things such as etchings or stylized borders and such were on some of them at that after perhaps having been cutomized to the buyers' desires. Servants moving along behind only the most wealthy on the street as a sign of status were also there more rarely, though the collosal statuary that seemed to defy gravity and the benches and some people walking their pets along on fancy leashes and the smoother streets were certainly just busier versions of what she'd already seen the prior day on the way to the Academy.

Whatever the case was, she had been hanging with Fenna and MacKensie all morning up to this point as they'd gone about some of the open stores and opening merchant stalls on the side of the streets and so forth. Already she had two more outfits for casual garb in a large bag she was carrying on her right shoulder due to its size and weight, all as the left still held her staff. She wasn't leaving it behind, as it felt like a part of her since it had come with her and everything as she'd landed in this new world, but what it could do other than come to her hand and be used for walking was something she still had no idea about.