Kazuki felt that sometimes Alja either didn't listen or just didn't understand what he said. He supposed it was typical for other people to act before thinking, but he didn't put up any protest as she dragged him in. Unfortunately, he was as wimpy in the game as he was in real life, and that meant getting away from the much-stronger Alja was fruitless. He did roll his eyes a touch, mumbling, "Income from NPCs, not other people." as he was pulled along.
He wasn't sure what to say to Luci's words, though for once it wasn't out of guilt. He still had no idea why they were here only to find that everyone was, once again, clueless as to what to do. He wasn't surprised Luci didn't know anything since she seemed to not be a fan of doing anything she deemed unimportant.
Letting out a small sigh, he figured he should speak up. "Do you have any idea what the other guilds are doing, then?" He asked.
Kazuki's brow furrowed as he took a moment to think. He knew realistically he would prefer to avoid Mystic Prophecy, but if they didn't have a genuine reason to visit, then showing up without reason would likely result in unneeded tension. In truth, everyone was aimless--Benkei had the right of mind seeking out an apprenticeship, but what the next step would be was anyone's guess.
His mind still swum a touch, but it was enough that realistically he could think of a few options they could pursue here and now: seek income, seek a way to get materials, and learn valuable skills. There was, for once, a minor silver lining; the way the skill system worked in this game paralleled real life, so all you had to do was practice enough to get good at something. Real-life skills translated nicely as well, and he figured quick learners had some sort of advantage.
"If Priscillica needs something, I feel she would appreciate us stopping by," He noted out loud. "Otherwise...perhaps we could ask the townfolk if they're in need of help? Isn't that how you get sidequests for extra income sometimes?"
Who knew dirt roads were so impressionable? Not in a good way--Eila wasn't pleased to see that Valentina wasn't kidding when she said paved roads were a luxury. While she no longer stepped awkwardly from adjusting to uneven ground, she did find it interesting how it seemed to take in footsteps. Granted, the large footprints must have belonged to quite the character, but to have them stand out even after others walked was somewhat interesting.
Eila looked at the ground as she walked, absorbed in her thoughts. Before her mind wandered too much, an odd cat appeared in front of her. Coming to a halt, it took her far longer than it should have to notice that said cat was missing some crucial features. As her head snapped up, she heard the sigh of someone unfamiliar. Hm, perhaps she looked vulnerable enough to approach. She was more adept at her bow than her dagger, but at minimum, she wasn't going to let them get away without spilling some blood. Perhaps it would discourage them from attacking?
By the time she finished the thought, however, he spoke. A warning? She frowned as she turned around, though she was caught off guard by how...well, the would-be assailant was just a kid. A dirty one, poor thing. She meant that in the literal sense as his clothes bore specks of dust and his hair was--moving?! What was this?! She initially believed that perhaps it was a trick of the light, but that hair wasn't hair. It was difficult to describe, but it was truly fascinating to look at.
Unfortunately, she hadn't heard a word he had said.
By the time she turned back to his words, she managed to catch something about the Bounty House and skill. And something terrorizing the woods? Odd, she hadn't heard of such a thing at the inn, although she didn't go out of her way to question anyone aside from asking for some directions. A shame, she would have liked to investigate. Unless...this was a ruse? She had read something like that in the paper once, of a group that lured unsuspecting travelers by sending someone unassuming first. If there were others, however, she did not sense them.
She wouldn't quite let down her guard, though she returned her gaze back to the boy. "And knowing this, you are alone?" She asked, a little incredulous. He didn't look like he could hold his own, though there was that...cat.
"Curious, the Genesians I have met and studied were less obvious about their magic," She muttered, narrowing her eyes slightly, though she would speak louder as she continued, "Very well. If you require accompaniment to avoid the creature you claim is roaming around this part of the woods, I have no qualms about going to the Bounty House together."
She wouldn't wait for a response as she continued the trek, though she did make sure she knew where her dagger was in case he did lure her to a trap.
"Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metrics or forms of measure. And all of it... irreplaceable."
Her words were drowned out in the bustle of the town outside, though they weren't aimed at anyone in particular. Fictional stories were not her first choice of reading, but sometimes she came across a line or two that raised an eyebrow, or at the very least kept her reading. This one's plot was fairly simple--a prince that had the weight of his kingdom on his shoulders. His conflict arose as duty and emotion clashed, surrounded by enemies at nearly every turn, his only comfort coming from a peasant girl that he had met in his youth. Compelling, but she had read similar stories where the girl ended up dying, so she hoped that this one would end differently.
Making a note of where she left off, Eila placed the book aside as she approached the open window. Soft Haven was so much smaller than what she was used to. Louder in comparison, somehow, but it had its own charm. With a well-rested night and a quaint breakfast consumed, she supposed it was time to get out to the streets and go to the Bounty House. She had allowed herself this stay as the carriage ride had been rough, but she knew going forward she would have to consider frugality.
Leaving that thought behind, Eila gathered her belongings and fastened her traveling cloak around her. While she wasn't incognito, the hood did give her a small sense of comfort. She exited her room, remembering to thank the innkeeper before she left the inn entirely. She had remembered to ask for directions to the Bounty House so she wouldn't be completely lost, but once she had stepped outside, the small sense of comfort she had quickly gave away to an unusual unease.
No, no time for fear. She mentally scolded herself, ignoring that her first few steps were hesitant and a little meek before she regained her usual stride. She was well-educated, confident, and had something to prove. She headed to the Bounty House, though her pace was slowed as she couldn't help but look around a little.
"In this world, there are many sorrowful things. Feelings that cannot be expressed. Thoughts that I cannot come to understand. Even so, I will venture forth."
Name:
Eila Aurelios | Eilowyn Strigios
Age:
23
Gender:
Female
Appearance:
Standing at a height of 5"9', Eila is a lovely girl with flawless skin, long, luscious blonde hair, and sparkling hazel-green eyes. She has a fairly curvaceous figure, tends to move gracefully, and carries herself with pride as a woman who is keenly aware of her own looks. Her clothing leans towards elegant yet fabulous with a preference for clothing that flows with her. Her current ensemble consists of a simple white dress accompanied by a dark green shoulder top with a pair of trailing, translucent capes. She uses a floral hair pin to keep some of her hair pinned back and wears a pair of short boots. She carries the symbol of Lady Azaiza around her neck at all times.
Classification (Aetherborn Only):
Animas - Physical (Healing Specialty)
Abnormality:
For the most part, Eila's features are unaffected. However, the color of her irises changes color depending on her mood. Stronger emotions elicit brighter colors, and while the intensity varies, her eyes reveal the truth of her feelings.
Hazel-Green - Default, as well as her natural eye color Red - Anger Orange - Anxious Yellow - Focus Blue - Sadness Green - Happiness Purple - Curious Pink - Love in the form of tiny hearts Grey - Emptiness
Personality:
Eila is a proper and prim young lady, unflinchingly polite and formal to a tee. While some may be put off by her formality, in truth she is personable and generally open-minded, making her easy to talk to. Her sunny disposition is accompanied by an endless amount of optimism as she does her best to find the silver linings in even the worst situations. She gives it her all no matter what and tries to help in any way she can, quick to help those in need.
Under the surface, however, there is an unsteadiness. The thought of disappointing someone makes her give her all, and as a result, she puts a lot of pressure on herself even if she is told to take it easy. Despite having an overall warm and gentle nature, she avoids opening up to people even though she likes it when people confide in her. Her tendency to keep people at a distance is somewhat contradictory, often confusing people, but it's clear she has a lot of trouble expressing her true feelings.
Bio:
The Aurelios family has lorded over several mines of gold and jewels for a long time, their name coming from an ancient word once used to describe gold. The Stirgios family has designed each Grand Marshall's ceremonial jewelry since Buscon's beginning, their name known even outside of Relfin. Both are well respected in family and duty, so their union was not only convenient but made logical sense. And so Ellowen Aurelios wed Lorelei Strigios, and the marriage resulted in Eila. The elf has exhibited a thirst for knowledge since the day she learned to read on her own. To call her a prodigy was an understatement; there were few subjects she couldn't grasp, and she was christened as a gifted child. Her enrollment into the Mage's Consortium wasn't a question, it was a manner of when she was ready to take that next step.
Entering the Consortium at the age of five, Eila was introduced to the world of magic. Of course, the Consortium had a reputation for being aggressive in its curriculum, forcing her to focus on nothing but her studies. Her 'gifted' label quickly faded as she was surrounded by the best of the best, though she refused to let herself drown in a sea of mediocrity. As both her mother and aunt were of the guild--the former one of the twelve and the latter the Grand Sorceress--there were great expectations placed on her. Said expectations hung over her every day, threatening to crash down with every mistake made. With time, however, she thrived, falling in love with magic and aether.
There were three main things that helped her keep her sanity during her tenure, with the first being her loving aunt's endless amount of encouragement. While she would never question that her parents cared for her, her aunt was the one that she looked to for familial affection. The second was a slow-growing archery talent. Focusing on something that wasn't related to her studies and could be taken lightly did wonders for her mental state, providing a nice escape and fresh air to accompany her. The last was her worship of Lady Azaiza. When all else failed, knowing that everything she was going through was the Empress' plan for her comforted her in a way.
Once she graduated, she made up her mind to do the impossible: her life's goal would be to create an instrument to measure aether. She was keenly aware of the monumental task in front of her, and so she spent a few years getting her hands on anything that would teach her about aether in order to better understand it. However, her father seemed to disagree with her decision, feeling it was best for her to turn her talents elsewhere. When the two couldn't come to an agreement, Eila decided to strike out on her own and see what the world had to offer. This decision was also met with opposition, but after gaining her mother's reluctant blessing, she decided to head to the new Bounty House, hoping to find adventure.
Likes:
Books are basically like sweets to her. Storybooks, biographies, fiction, non-fiction--if it is something she can read, she will like it. While she has a preference for anything that can add to her arsenal of knowledge, she does enjoy a good story once in a while
Her family. While her father is distant and she relates more to her aunt than her mother, she still loves them dearly.
Being compared to her mother or, more likely, her aunt. She is eager to prove herself worthy of them.
She adores the theatre and used to attend nearly every show from her favorite troupe.
Dislikes:
Not finding what she needs.
She understands why merchants require their coin up front, but she's spoiled from simply flashing her family's crest so that the estate would be charged. Also counting money gets old after a while...and it gets heavy.
Being compared to her mother or, more likely, her aunt. She is also acutely aware that she has a massive legacy to live up to.
Commentary on her aether abilities. Yes, her aunt is one of the most renowned Water Primordial Aetherborn, yes her mother is also a powerful Air Primordial Aetherborn and it would have been nice to have Primordial magic, but she was not born with those abilities and she is not upset about that at all but she would very much like it if people stopped bringing that up. Please.
Dirt. No explanation needed.
Habits:
Her handwriting is absurdly small, yet legible...if you squint.
Once she is on a roll verbally, it's hard for her to stop talking.
Has mastered the art of multitasking during her reading sessions.
Inventory:
Her trusty longbow and quiver of arrows
A satchel for her belongings
A mostly-blank book and pieces of charcoal for writing
A silver dagger
A second necklace adorned with a golden crow used for prayer
Her coinpurse is currently carrying 3 gold, 7 silver, and 6 copper.
"In this world, there are many sorrowful things. Feelings that cannot be expressed. Thoughts that I cannot come to understand. Even so, I will venture forth."
Name:
Eila Aurelios | Eilowyn Strigios
Age:
23
Gender:
Female
Appearance:
Standing at a height of 5"9', Eila is a lovely girl with flawless skin, long, luscious blonde hair, and sparkling hazel-green eyes. She has a fairly curvaceous figure, tends to move gracefully, and carries herself with pride as a woman who is keenly aware of her own looks. Her clothing leans towards elegant yet fabulous with a preference for clothing that flows with her. Her current ensemble consists of a simple white dress accompanied by a dark green shoulder top with a pair of trailing, translucent capes. She uses a floral hair pin to keep some of her hair pinned back and wears a pair of short boots. She carries the symbol of Lady Azaiza around her neck at all times.
Classification (Aetherborn Only):
Animas - Physical (Healing Specialty)
Abnormality:
For the most part, Eila's features are unaffected. However, the color of her irises changes color depending on her mood. Stronger emotions elicit brighter colors, and while the intensity varies, her eyes reveal the truth of her feelings.
Hazel-Green - Default, as well as her natural eye color Red - Anger Orange - Anxious Yellow - Focus Blue - Sadness Green - Happiness Purple - Curious Pink - Love in the form of tiny hearts Grey - Emptiness
Personality:
Eila is a proper and prim young lady, unflinchingly polite and formal to a tee. While some may be put off by her formality, in truth she is personable and generally open-minded, making her easy to talk to. Her sunny disposition is accompanied by an endless amount of optimism as she does her best to find the silver linings in even the worst situations. She gives it her all no matter what and tries to help in any way she can, quick to help those in need.
Under the surface, however, there is an unsteadiness. The thought of disappointing someone makes her give her all, and as a result, she puts a lot of pressure on herself even if she is told to take it easy. Despite having an overall warm and gentle nature, she avoids opening up to people even though she likes it when people confide in her. Her tendency to keep people at a distance is somewhat contradictory, often confusing people, but it's clear she has a lot of trouble expressing her true feelings.
Bio:
The Aurelios family has lorded over several mines of gold and jewels for a long time, their name coming from an ancient word once used to describe gold. The Stirgios family has designed each Grand Marshall's ceremonial jewelry since Buscon's beginning, their name known even outside of Relfin. Both are well respected in family and duty, so their union was not only convenient but made logical sense. And so Ellowen Aurelios wed Lorelei Strigios, and the marriage resulted in Eila. The elf has exhibited a thirst for knowledge since the day she learned to read on her own. To call her a prodigy was an understatement; there were few subjects she couldn't grasp, and she was christened as a gifted child. Her enrollment into the Mage's Consortium wasn't a question, it was a manner of when she was ready to take that next step.
Entering the Consortium at the age of five, Eila was introduced to the world of magic. Of course, the Consortium had a reputation for being aggressive in its curriculum, forcing her to focus on nothing but her studies. Her 'gifted' label quickly faded as she was surrounded by the best of the best, though she refused to let herself drown in a sea of mediocrity. As both her mother and aunt were of the guild--the former one of the twelve and the latter the Grand Sorceress--there were great expectations placed on her. Said expectations hung over her every day, threatening to crash down with every mistake made. With time, however, she thrived, falling in love with magic and aether.
There were three main things that helped her keep her sanity during her tenure, with the first being her loving aunt's endless amount of encouragement. While she would never question that her parents cared for her, her aunt was the one that she looked to for familial affection. The second was a slow-growing archery talent. Focusing on something that wasn't related to her studies and could be taken lightly did wonders for her mental state, providing a nice escape and fresh air to accompany her. The last was her worship of Lady Azaiza. When all else failed, knowing that everything she was going through was the Empress' plan for her comforted her in a way.
Once she graduated, she made up her mind to do the impossible: her life's goal would be to create an instrument to measure aether. She was keenly aware of the monumental task in front of her, and so she spent a few years getting her hands on anything that would teach her about aether in order to better understand it. However, her father seemed to disagree with her decision, feeling it was best for her to turn her talents elsewhere. When the two couldn't come to an agreement, Eila decided to strike out on her own and see what the world had to offer. This decision was also met with opposition, but after gaining her mother's reluctant blessing, she decided to head to the new Bounty House, hoping to find adventure.
Likes:
Books are basically like sweets to her. Storybooks, biographies, fiction, non-fiction--if it is something she can read, she will like it. While she has a preference for anything that can add to her arsenal of knowledge, she does enjoy a good story once in a while
Her family. While her father is distant and she relates more to her aunt than her mother, she still loves them dearly.
Being compared to her mother or, more likely, her aunt. She is eager to prove herself worthy of them.
She adores the theatre and used to attend nearly every show from her favorite troupe.
Dislikes:
Not finding what she needs.
She understands why merchants require their coin up front, but she's spoiled from simply flashing her family's crest so that the estate would be charged. Also counting money gets old after a while...and it gets heavy.
Being compared to her mother or, more likely, her aunt. She is also acutely aware that she has a massive legacy to live up to.
Commentary on her aether abilities. Yes, her aunt is one of the most renowned Water Primordial Aetherborn, yes her mother is also a powerful Air Primordial Aetherborn and it would have been nice to have Primordial magic, but she was not born with those abilities and she is not upset about that at all but she would very much like it if people stopped bringing that up. Please.
Dirt. No explanation needed.
Habits:
Her handwriting is absurdly small, yet legible...if you squint.
Once she is on a roll verbally, it's hard for her to stop talking.
Has mastered the art of multitasking during her reading sessions.
Inventory:
Her trusty longbow and quiver of arrows
A satchel for her belongings
A mostly-blank book and pieces of charcoal for writing
A silver dagger
A second necklace adorned with a golden crow used for prayer
Her coinpurse is currently carrying 3 gold, 7 silver, and 6 copper.
Training naked was...new. Celeste raised an eyebrow at the chatty warrior as the trio headed inside. What sort of training required stripping down? It sounded a little barbaric. Commoners must have a field day with such a suggestion. Her own education was nowhere near as colorful, though she wasn't much of a physical fighter in the first place. She decided not to comment on that for now, but she did agree that it was better to be out from the cold.
She had only been out in the cold briefly, so she wasn't as relieved to be back inside. Sanji didn't speak at all, though Kallun carried much of the conversation. He went so far as to suggest a race of sorts. Celeste let out a genuine laugh at that. Running? In these heels? He certainly had a sense of humor, these may not have been her dancing heels, but they were far too fine to ruin just to jostle along a road in a race she was unlikely to win.
"You're asking a mage to partake in a race?" She asked Kallun, raising an eyebrow. "Darling, I'm a dancer, not a runner. If I wanted to run around, I would have chosen better footwear. Not to mention these heels were worth more than the furniture in this room."
If she wanted to be a runner, she would have chosen to be a swordsman, not a bard.
The first drag was like a nice shower washing away all the grime and filth of the day, cleansing and soothing. The sensation was probably one of many reasons she did it, but it was definitely her favorite thing in the world. Unfortunately, where relief and a tiny rush of satisfaction should have been, instead it was snatched away with the arrival of...actually, being interrupted period was enough to ruin her mood. She did recognize that she was a little more irritable than usual at the moment, so she did her best to stay as neutral as possible.
She did, however, lift her gaze from her cigarette to look at whoever decided to talk to her. And she lifted that gaze up high--Mr. Transfer had been the one that decided to talk to her. Outside. And was asking for a cigarette. He definitely followed her and she was definitely not as careful as she should have been. Well, at least he wasn't looking to narc on her, so that was good.
That did, however, leave her in a weird position. Her eyes flickered from her cigarette to his eyes as she deliberated. She wasn't exactly the sharing type in the first place, but these things were hard to come by considering she had little funds and could only pilfer so much from her father's stash before he would notice. Still, she did feel a little bad for the guy; he was stuck here of all places and apparently hadn't had a smoke for days. Days! She almost lost it over a few hours. Though that did say more about her than anything, but that wasn't the point.
Oh, fine, she could give him one. She could be nice sometimes.
Once her mind was made up, she placed her own cigarette between her lips for a second as she opened up the little box again. Thumbing up another one, she plucked it out and stuffed the pack back into her pocket. "Here," She offered the cigarette. "I can't guarantee you'll have too long with it, it's probably gonna start pouring any second now."
A bad attempt at conversation? Sure. But it was better than just standing around awkwardly, right?
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