Welcome to Gaia! ::

With a close eye Aruna watched Ara prepare a cocktail for her. He certainly demonstrated some showmanship with all of those precise moves. At the very least he was a decent bartender. The nagini outwardly applauded his efforts. She accepted the drink and took a few sips. Yes, this would be the kind of neon, showy drink to serve a young, mystery woman. One that would be hard to go wrong with. A save move. He passed the first test.

“Thank you, darling. I'm curious. How long did it take you to learn mixology? Although I suppose as a laguz, time isn't an issue.” A little small talk never hurt when trying to get to know someone. "Hobbies are very nice things to have."



As the days went on Lethe began feeling more and more homesick. The feline warrior knew war all too well, but since day 1 Learania never felt like where she belonged. The people from her homeworld weren't the same ones she use to know. Tibarn had changed. Honestly she felt it's been for the worst. It became harder and harder to respect him as a leader. She could never forgive him for the fiasco at the bachelor auction ages ago. This kitty could hold one hell of a grudge.

Perhaps Sunil could sense this dissatisfaction in Lethe. Maybe two miserable souls could cheer each other up. Time after time, the blue cat tried to invite her out. Work and training were always the excuse. But today was different. A nagging feeling pushed her to don a cloak and make her way to the rendezvous point.

Reluctantly she entered the bar. This kind of scene really wasn't her style, but it was Sunil's choice. She had to humor him this one time. Lethe waited at the entrance.

Ah, the night was young and the air was sweet. As the sounds of patrons grew into a louder hum, Annis could feel excitement burn deep in the pit of her chest, like a low candleflame growing brighter. With Ara handling the bar for the time being, Annis was free to mingle, slipping through the crowd and around tables as best as her wings would permit, greeting guests as she passed. This was partly a bar, after all; it would get busier as the night wore on, guaranteed. But for now, until she was back behind the bar, the crowd was just thin enough to allow for some personalizing of the experience. And that was always so much more fun!

She stopped by the table in the far corner as she made her rounds, giving a warm, but gentle greeting to the young woman that had taken the liberty of sitting herself down in the corner. Still wearing her platemail? Perfectly acceptable. We all have our security blankets, I suppose, and if it makes her more comfortable in a public space around unfamiliar faces, all the better for her. Annis put a menu down in front of her, following it with a glass of ice water. "Take your time perusin' through, got it? I know for a fact pretty much anything baked is gonna be good, and the chef's a deft hand with chicken. Not too dry, not too gamey, nicely spiced. Just a thought!" Annis winked and grinned. "I'll be back to get your order, and wave at the bar if you want anything stronger than that water. If I gotta relieve that feather-headed nerd at the bar 'fore you're ready, trust me, someone'll be back here. Promise." She offered Lilith a playful salute and swept away, a single ebony feather twirling down to the floor behind her.

"Lethe! And Sunil, you're here! This is a nice surprise." Annis put her hand on her hip, grinning broadly at the two cat laguz seated at the table. Sunil's behavior had been rather worrisome lately, and quite honestly Lethe had never been one for big events, either, so seeing the two of them not only present but together was absolutely wonderful. Annis' used car salesman-level of cheer softened into something more genuine as she dealt a menu to the both of them. After everything that had happened in Eyris in the past couple of years-- hell, the past couple of months-- she was grateful to see them there, making even a token attempt at normalcy. And who knew, maybe Lethe would crack a smile sometime that night.

Bigger wishes had been granted before, after all.

"If I'm not behind the bar when you're ready, holler at me then, otherwise I'll send someone over to let you two know they've tagged in. Loch signed off on everything that's available tonight for order, and according to him, at least half'a the baked goods were made by Ridell, so I'm positive they're good. Chicken's also fantastic tonight, but the venison and the lamb are also real high-quality. Good stuff. Loch and Ganon have been really uppin' their game sourcing ingredients." She poured their waters as she spoke, then set the pitcher back down on the table in easy reach. She grinned at the two of them, pad of paper loose in one hand as she rolled her pen across her knuckles like a magician would work a coin, as easy as breathing. "In the meantime, got a drink order I can fill? I've got more than enough spirits, liquers, whatever you want to sate your thirst. Trust me, I'm quite flexible."

As oblivious as ever, Ewan's brief all-encompassing hesitation completely missed Amelia's attention as she watched Evelyn and Blossom chatter on. "Gods, yes, I know what you mean. Sometimes people just keep missing such obvious clues, it's infuriating," she said airily. She rested a hand against Ewan's shoulder as she pulled herself to her feet again, dusting her skirt off around her neatly. Ewan's presence alone was very relaxing, even if his usual attitude was... anything but calming. Amelia suspected it was only due to his recent overexertion that he wasn't already firing off a wilder plan to try to indirectly convince his friend to take the plunge.

It was still surreal seeing Ewan so much older-- thanks to the nature of parallel dimensions, older than her now, even if only by a couple of years-- than when she saw him last, when the both of them were young, bright-faced, and ready to take on a world that was willing, ready, and capable of fighting back, and winning. Still, Ewan was her friend, one of the best friends she had ever had, and she had always supported his ideas. Today was no exception. Amelia's tone softened a touch as she patted Ewan's back. "I'll go speak to them after you've taken their orders. I'll meet you near the kitchen after I've gotten up from their table. Get you something to drink and off your feet for a bit, your bags have bags." Amelia grinned and flexed, then tidied Ewan's fringe for him before hurrying him on. "To hell with Ara for a bit, let's get you a little time to relax after this. I'm sure we've still got catching up to do. He'll have to come through me if he's gonna try and stop you."

Ewan did still have a job to do for now, though, and Amelia watched Ewan approach the two girls from their hiding spot, suppressing a giggle. Seeing him use his grandiose ideas for other people was heartwarming in a way she couldn't quite describe. She paused, considering her options, as her gaze scanned away from Blossom and Evelyn toward the performer's stage where Issac had recently stepped down to take a well-deserved break, and the wide, table-less space in front of it. Well, there was an idea... She slipped away, waving to Aruna before disappearing into the back to locate a familiar hgi-val. "Ganon! I've got a question for you, my good sir!" Amelia folded her arms under her chest, smiling broadly. "You got any music in your arsenal that could get a little friend of yours and her ladyfriend up and dancing?"

~

"Oh, y'don't really wanna hear me sing anythin'," Blossom started to protest, face turning red. Then Ewan arrived, and Blossom relaxed in her chair, hoping this would suffice to change the subject. She let Evelyn handle the food order, smiling broadly back at her in response. "Thanks so-- so much, Ewan," Blossom stammered out, similarly turning red as Ewan complimented them and scooted out of sight.

"So that was, um... th-that happened," Blossom murmured, running a hand sheepishly through her hair. She looked back at Evelyn and managed to smile a little more genuinely, though her face remained pink amid all the freckles. "Anyway, um... right! So, the grocer's has that real nice cake flour again, an' I bought some yesterday when I was gettin' milk an' all the stuff you needed for dinner last night." Evelyn was doing her damnedest to wear Blossom down and allow her to handle the cooking at home, but not even Evelyn could get Blossom to step away from the oven and the lure of fresh-baked bread. "An' I thought I could make those lemon cakes again, 'cept this time you can make 'em with me. So y'know how to make 'em if y'want more some other time an' I'm busy with work or... whatever else." Blossom sipped from her water, then rested her chin on her hand. "S'more fun if y'share it with the people y'like." She sat back a little in her chair. "Like sharin' 'bout that dress, when'd you get it? I don't think I've seen y'wear that before. S'really nice." Blossom's amused expression softened. "It looks real nice with the bare shoulders, I think. Y'look like a porcelain doll once you've got that shawl an' everything, makes lookin' cute look so easy. Maybe I should've worn some flats instead'a these boots, s'kinda military-ish." Blossom looked curiously down at herself, one hand swiping a bit of dust away from the transparent layer on the top of her dress.

So far, so good. She was starting to relax a little. Everything was going according to plan. As long as things didn't veer off in a direction he couldn't account for, things would be fine. Everything is fine.

Or so he thought.

Annis's appearance was a slight miscalculation. Right... something about the Hostess Club helping out or this was supposed to be some sort of nightlife Hostess Club/Cafe. There was something that like in the rumors about the place. His gaze shifted from Annis to Lethe and had realized that she had tensed up completely. That was a terrible reaction, especially to someone they both knew. Scratch that, things were going to go wrong real fast. He mentally kicked himself for not looking into the bar a little more closely.

Maintain poker face, now. Meanwhile, alarms were going off in the blue cat's head as little Sunils wearing lab coats in a control room were flailing about with papers flying everywhere. "This is a catastrophe!" "Abort abort abort, nya!" "It's owl over now!" "Godnyammit Sunil, this is no time for owl puns!" "Nyaro~n." -slam- A grizzly-looking Sunil that clearly looked like the boss had slammed his fist on the chair, causing the other Sunils to stop freaking out. "Sunils!" he roared. "This is no time to panic! It's way too early in the night to lose hope! Everything is still under control! I've got an idea." the other Sunils saluted him. "Nya! We'll back you up, boss!" "Aw, but I was looking forward to tonight's ice cream..." The leader face-palmed. "Godnyammit, Sunil..."

Back in reality, Sunil exhaled and gave an apologetic smile to the bird waitress. "Sorry, we might need a little more time to decide on food. Could we start with two glasses of milk though? Much appreciated."

Once Annis had written down the drink orders and left, Sunil looked back at Lethe and placed both hands on top of one of the girl's hands. "Calm down, Lethe." he said gently, now having a better idea as to why his companion didn't like going out. She just didn't want to go to places where there was a chance where she could run into people that know her, which actually significantly reduced the number of places where he could take her without her reacting tensely. "Deep breaths. Don't worry, Annis is on the job right now, and I'd like to think that she's at least professional enough to not tease you while working. If she does, we can ask for a different waiter or file a complaint to her boss."

That should reduce the amount of contact between Annis and Lethe for the night, right? He hoped it wouldn't ultimately come to that, since he had a feeling that Annis was probably just as worried about Lethe as he was.

As all of this was going on, Lethe became more and more frustrated. Not with anyone in particular, but with how the situation had progressed. After all, her companion didn't give off the impression that he knew her raven counterpart had a side job here beforehand. Likewise the bird laguz was just doing another job and had no idea the feline pair would dine in this evening. However, Sunil and Annis seemed to be misunderstanding how she felt. Honestly she started to get madder at herself for not being able to express her feelings correctly than anything else. (She's not anti-social I swear!)

The Gallian captain wanted to live two separate lives; one that was completely professional and dedicated to protecting the people she cared for and the other, which was fairly new, a private life where she could finally shed her soldier demeanor and open up to those closest to her. In her own controlling way, Lethe wanted these life styles to be completely separate without overlap. But given how things work here in the guild, she was fighting an impossible to win battle.

After Annis had left the first time, Lethe lowered her head so that the hood would try to hide her agitated expression from Sunil. She couldn't hide the fact that her hands were clenched into fists on the table. When the male placed his hands on hers, instinct made them recoil. Realizing what she had just done, Lethe guiltfully put her hands in her lap and turned away. Sunil was only trying to comfort her. At this rate she would have to destroy most of the training ground's dummies just to vent all of these emotions.

Taking a few deep breaths and letting out a sigh, the gold-colored laguz spoke. "That's not the point. It's just," she stopped mid sentence. No, she didn't want to explain herself. At the very least, not here. "Never mind."

Then Annis returned with the glasses of milk. Lethe noticed the silent apology and tensed right back up. Tch. There was nothing to be sorry for. She didn't dislike Annis nor was she mad at her. Just wrong place wrong time. What she hated was unnecessary worry. Which is all being caused by Lethe's reactions. What an unfortunate loop.

Suddenly the feline's stomach growled reminding her why they're here in the first place. Being so worked up sparked her appetite. Lethe fiercely grabbed the menu and used it to block her view of Sunil. She couldn't take his concerned gaze any more. This was a much needed distraction.

Lilith would stiffen a bit as Annis came back over. She would briefly make eye contact with her before looking away to the side. "I would like to have the chicken pot pie please." Lilith knew the woman was just doing her job but the waitress was just so cheerful and pleasant, it was making her feel embarrassed about her own sullen mood. She'd come out here to try and cheer up after all. Lilith's eyes would briefly flicker back to Annis. "...and a brandy."

How long had it been since Naesala had last walked through these halls, Nealuchi wondered. Perhaps it had only been a number of months, but to Nealuchi it felt as if the Nestling had been gone for years. He would have labeled his worries as over dramatic, if it hadn't been for the kingdom proclaiming him missing only days ago. Some rumored him to be dead, others rumored that he had up and left the kingdom.

Nealuchi refused to believe either scenario.

It couldn't be, he had thought. Naesala would not just let himself die. Even assuming he was dead, the Nestling would have made it flashy, and news would have got around quick. The fact that his corpse had yet to be found was reason enough for him to believe he was alright. And as for that other scenario, Nealuchi found it too unbelievable to even consider. They had been through too much for Naesala to just... Leave intentionally.

Intentionally was the keyword, however.

Nealuchi's fear was that perhaps the Nestling had gotten himself stuck somewhere, lost, even. He worried for the poor Nestling.

Unwilling to believe anything he had heard, The crow had begun his own research. He remembered the young one saying something about a door, and to stay away from it. He made it sound as urgent as possible not to get himself involved. And remembering that fact told him exactly what he needed to know. Of course the Nestling would warn him of how dangerous something was, only to jump through himself without telling anyone. Quite like him.

So, he had talked around for three days until hearing information regarding the door. It took some digging to figure out where to find the door, but when he did find it....

Splash.

Enveloped in water, Nealuchi yelled, trying to cry out for help under the raging currents of the water, but to no avail. He was surrounded by water... No one was nearby, and he would soon meet his end. He closed his eyes, not ready to say goodbye, but accepting that this was the fate he had been dealt.

Ah, perhaps that was what this meant... He had hoped so badly that the young one be safe, and now, this twisted fate was giving him what he wanted. Naesala would be alright, but only if he were to die in his stead. Well... He had lived a long life, and he regret none of what he had done. It was time to let go.

And then his feet hit the ground of the pond. Now standing in this shallow village water, Nealuchi caught his breath.

"Goodness..." It seemed no villagers were nearby to see him almost die in a pond. That was probably for the best.

"Ah, my back..." He groaned to himself, hardly able to fish his cane out of the water without falling once more. Thankfully he did not. It wasn't until he walked out of the small pond that he realized... This odd door he had walked through... It was gone, with no way to get back through. That would explain Naesala's absence , wouldn't it?

He had never before seen these buildings. They were similar to what he was used to, but not quite the same. It was evident that wherever he was, it was far from home. However... If he had ended up here, Naesala had most likely appeared in this same place.

But that was over a year ago. If he had come here, he must be long gone by now. No one would remember him even if he had done by, would they? This was no good. But if he could at least try to search... He had a chance of finding him.

With drenched clothing and a sore back, Neauchi limped slowly, relying on his cane most of the way as he let the signs direct him to a bar. Naesala would have gone there had he been in this village... It was his only hope. Walking through, water dripping from him with every step he took, the Raven opened the doors to the bar.

"Excuse me..." Nealuchi spoke, hoping someone could help him. Anyone.

"I need help finding my young nestling."

"Ah, thank you, young one. I am uninjured... Though I do have a sore back after falling in that pond. I appreciate your kindness.." He spoke, using the arm she provided to help him walk with ease.

"My name is Nealuchi. It is always a pleasure to meet a fellow raven." She, too, was without a doubt, a raven. Perhaps she would do well in helping him find the Nestling. As she was a raven herself, it was likely she would remember seeing her brethren.