Welcome to Gaia! ::

Veiris moved to let Claudette pass him. He found this whole situation ridiculous- from start to the rather anti-climatic finish as the Immortal dropped back into her seat, saying something about fun and party-poopers. "Insane" he muttered more to himself than anyone else. He moved more slowly back to the table than the others did, wanting to keep distance between himself and the volatile Immortal. He'd been struck by magic too many times in his life, and was content to only ever feel his magic and his alone for the rest of his life.

He grabbed his chair and pulled it back a little to maintain his distance. "Another spice tea," he shouted at the waiter. He thought of getting something stronger, but he alcohol always seemed to dull his instincts and the power of his Shifts.

Veiris resettled in his chair, but he kept his griffin shift. A few more feathers sprouted in his hair and the skin on his fingers started to lighten as if tinged by the same white and blue of the feathers.

This time, Svana did gut her when she tried to touch her face. Using the beard of her tomahawk, she hooked it under the girl's sternum and ripped upward. No armor, no problem. She stepped calmly back, well aware that this wouldn't kill her like it would somebody normal, although it would ruin her clothes. She didn't know what Kira was, nor did she care.

Matching her earlier smile, she said evenly, "Do not touch me, girl. You find a nice corner of this cafe that doesn't contain me and you stay there. I don't need this fight, and burn it all, kill me. Go on. Smush like the parasite I am. Do what your people failed to do five hundred years ago." She held her arms out invitingly, standing her ground. Perhaps she would be seeing Amund again sooner than she thought, and maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. Half of her people were already dead. The rest on their way under this foolhardy mission to take over the dwarven lands. Thank the gods she didn't have to explain this to Larus if she died.

Maybe this would at least be an interesting way to go.

Before Kira's body could hit the floor, there was a blinding, green light, and Kira's wounds were healed.

"How rude," she said lightly. "I was only trying to help. You really can't blame me for wanting your face to be back to normal; anyone would want their boo-boos to be all better." She spoke as though she would dote on a child. "You'd have to be a fool to not let me help. It would be better than that weird medicine Claudette has. For all you know, it could kill you."

"Please stop," Claudette said quietly, not wanting to instigate another fight.

"You know what? I've been, shall we say, out of line," Kira said as she motioned a waiter over. "Let's have a feast. We'll dine like royalty."

She threw money at the waiter, and he left to the kitchen to prepare the meal Kira had in mind. Claudette, still feeling unsettled, gave a look of apology to both Svana, Veiris, and Sean. This was unnecessary tension, and she felt responsible for it.

Svana let her arms drop with a bland look toward Sean. "I know. But it did have a nice, dramatic flare. If any of my people were here I'd never hear the end of it."

Flashing another grin toward Kira, she said, "And let you ruin my face? You should have seen the dwarf that did this to me. I barely escaped getting my whole face taken off from that battle ax. If I don't have at least a few weeks of bragging rights I will be sorely disappointed."

She wiped blood away. Hanna was going to kill her for ruining the stitches so quickly.

Kira looked offended when Veiris and Sean said they wouldn't participate in her feast. "How dare you. Ugh. I'm trying to be nice, and you have to be a party pooper. You should do more than drink tea, birdman," she snapped. "And hookhand, get over here, too!"

To Svana, she grinned hugely, and said, "You know, I think you and I are going to be the best of friends. Come join us in our meal, friend."

Claudette felt a rush of gratitude towards Veiris for asking, and she replied with, "I'm okay, thank you. Are you? I'm sorry about her."

The waiter followed by two more who were holding large trays of food began putting individual dishes of food down on the table in front of Kira, who was looking like an overexcited child about to eat cake and ice cream.

"Everyone should come eat! Even you, birdman and hookhand!"

Claudette apologized for Kira again to Sean and Veiris, knowing that Kira would never, ever apologize for herself.

The other elf abruptly ditched the scene for a table occupied by two rather unusual looking individuals. Blotting her cheek, she returned to the counter to track down her forgotten glass of whiskey. Her head was starting to throb, so drinking seemed like the logical conclusion to numb it up.

The door to the cafe opened, emitting a new patron. Another elf, tall, his face carrying a few nasty, but old, scars. Without them, he might have been handsome. His long, pale blond hair was coming loose from its braid, falling in a disheveled queue down his back, which also contained a large, b*****d sword strapped across it. He wore armor, although his was in a much different style than Svana's before she took it off. Sweeping a quick look around the cafe, he pinned the elven queen under his stare and headed over to her. He had a few similar black veins like she did showing, although not quite as many.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, his accent distinctly different than Svana's.

She lofted her glass before tipping it back. "I'm drinking."

"We have a bloody war council going on right now trying to figure out our next move and you're here wallowing? Larus is going insane out there and your people are just milling about..."

She held up her hand to stop him.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing. I was just hoping you would shut up. Are you hungry? My new best friend here has decided to have a feast. I'm starving..."

He gaped after her, shocked. "You...you want to eat? We have an army of dwarves marching down our throats and you want food? And who the hell is this?" he demanded, gesturing toward her "new best friend."

Sean ignored the two girls' words and focused on the boy's reply.

"Nothing I won't heal from," Sean said, and smiled, then turned to the odd-one who offered him some odd napkin. William, easy enough name to remember, human name. Marlc, that wasn't a name he knew, but it was easy enough to say.

"I lost the taste for wine, love, but I think I was working my way through some whiskey if you'd like," he said, and motioned for the waitress to bring it out. Despite being quite small, it took quite a bit to actually make him drunk and the few shots had barely managed to dull the pain from the brooming bruise.

In doing so he watched the newest elf enter and walk towards Svana. They exchanged words and Sean took in the sight before he turned back to the two at the table. "Glad I left when I did, he doesn't look like much fun."

"Can't say I've ever had whiskey before," Marlc said, elbows on the table and chin in his hands. "What's in it, exactly?"

Will frowned, uneasy without knowing quite why. "Pretty sure it's made from corn or something," he offered. He ought to be the Earth expert. Marlc cocked an ear at him and proceeded to ignore his comment.

"That's to say," he continued, "I'm perfectly willing to try some. This wine isn't quite exotic enough."

Will rolled his eyes. "You're not supposed to mix drinks, Marlc." Probably. Not that he actually knew, but he remembered hearing something along those lines.

"You're free to finish off the bottle, boyo," Marlc said, patting Will's head. Will tried to brush him off, but his friend only redoubled his efforts.

He finally freed himself in time for Sean to mention the elf-party he'd just left. Curious, Will glanced back at the scary elf lady with the axes and the blood, and saw that someone else had joined her. Another elf? It was starting to feel like a nerd convention in here.

He perked up at the mention of dwarves, though, and hoped one of those walked in next.