2017-08-22: A Little Moment

• Log: 2017-08-22: A Little Moment
• Cast: Rose, Alisha Diphda
• Where: November City - Market Street
• Date: 2017-08-22
• Summary: Alisha and Rose have a little peace and quiet to themselves. Relatively speaking.

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=======================<* November City - Market Street *>========================

November City is the greatest and the largest of the Seed Cities. When it appeared after the Night of Falling Stars, it was already a large settlement, built by the survivors of that day quickly. It has since grown enormously, appealing to people in the Badlands in search of some security and the refugees from failed and lost Seed Cities. Market Street, its main thoroughfare, demonstrates this. On the outskirts of the city, shantytowns and shacks pop up along the street, gradually becoming the larger buildings in the heart of November.

The street is named for the huge market that has sprung up across it, occupying the three and four story brick buildings along each side. It's a wide, paved road (a rare thing in the Badlands) and connected to Central Station, where all of the railways come. Here, one can find anything they want. The laissez-faire nature of November City's government makes the black market an open one, and this is one of the few places where ARMs and stolen goods from Aveh and Kislev can be bought with ease.

There are also saloons, taverns, restaurants, and hotels to be found. November City is a true melting pot, where Drifters from across Filgaia mix with foreign merchants and locals of every class. Men wearing suits brush by peasants in homespun, while Drifters and knights bump into each other. The police force usually prevents outright gunfights in the streets, but November City's officials are infamously easy to bribe.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFi2pwQRRzQ

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

Rose had been gone for most of the day since arriving in November City. Thanks to Sorey, Alisha and the four Seraphim, the Sparrowfeathers made it in one piece, with Gears no less. Sure, they aren't outfitted for combat, they completely ruined the paintjobs, and you really really shouldn't entrust your life to those machines in their current state, but Gears!!!

And so while Eguille was handling getting the guild situated, Rose had been shopping for a conspicuous warehouse to stuff the Gears into until she figures out what to do with them. You know, so Aveh doesn't sniff around and find stolen military Gears.

But Rose had time to do a few more things. Namely, get everyone rooms in a very comfortable inn, as payment for escorting her and her men, and because she may or may not be the party's purse right now.

It's late evening now, and after a hard day of looking around, Alisha is on her way back to the inn! To her room, specifically. It's odd, did she leave the door slightly open when she left? Oh, it's probably nothing.

But when Alisha penetrates her room, she is greeted to Rose with a vuvuzela and a air horn. Also a big CONGRATULATIONS!!! banner, confetti, cake (that she bought, don't worry) and fine wine. That is, once she recovers from the air horn+vuvuzela induced hellstun.

"Heeeeey princess! I didn't forget! This is for almost winning the tournament! I've got drinks and everyone else is off doing other stuff!"

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha decided to explore November City after they arrived. The city is unlike anything she has seen before. Parts of Adlehyde and Lacour looked like home. This does not. She hasn't seen a skyscraper in her life, nor has she seen so much advanced technology in one place. Her outfit stood out before, but it especially stands out now. The blonde-haired princess enjoyed her trip, but...

It feels nice to get back to the hotel. Even if, she thinks, she would like to go see Rose. But, she must be busy. She had a lot to do today. She--

The door to her room is cracked open. Alisha isn't quite suspicious of attempts on her life, here, but that gives her a brief pause. She steps to the room, nudging it open, and peers inside. She leaps back with a yelp at the air horn/vuvuzela combination, nearly stumbling, and then she blinks.

Her eyes fall onto the cake -- then to the banner -- then to the wine -- and finally at the redhead, before she breaks out into one of those rare, big smiles. "Rose!" she exclaims. "Y-You didn't have to go to all of this trouble for my sake! Oh, but this all looks wonderful...!"

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"Psht, what trouble? The banner and the hellish noisemakers are surplus from the tournament and there's a bakery just down the street! The wine's expensive, I GUESS, but this is actually a free sample from a client. You know how people are, right? Please pay attention to my wares, here's free stuff to influence your decision!" No doubt Alisha has to deal with that as royalty a lot. Well, had to deal with that. Rose shrugs, grinning.

"Now come on, stop worrying about the trouble people give themselves being nice to you and just enjoy the nice stuff instead! Wine bottle won't pop itself open, and that cake won't eat itself. It's strawberry and cinnamon!" Both great flavors, and both suitable for Alisha.

Rose hops down onto the bed, putting her hands behind her head and closing her eyes. A few moments of relaxing after rushing this setup won't hurt. "So how do you like the city? Kind of an abrupt move for my tastes, but when opportunity knocks you gotta answer. Have you and Sorey been in this region before?"

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha does, in fact, love cinnamon and strawberry. She also loves cake. She also likes wine a lot. She smiles brightly, head tilted to the side, before she nods. "Yes," she says, "I know the type. I suppose you are right--ah, thank you so much, though!"

She walks over to her bed, before she sits down on it -- next to, if a good foot or two away from, Rose -- and then she pops the wine cork out with practiced fingers. She has poured herself wine before. She does it now, producing two glasses, before she passes one over to her. "Here you are."

She pauses, then.

The princess tilts her head again, then shakes it. "No, we never have. I heard of the Badlands, but... I have never seen a place like this," she admits. "November City is... it is truly impressive. Though... my uniform stands out even more here. I look quite strange, compared to the usual modes of dress!"

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

The glass of wine causes Rose to lie down a bit more upright around the head level, although it's definitely not a safe position to drink from! She's a highly trained assassin though, she'll manage it. Big poofy pillows are great, okay, don't judge her.

"Ooh, is that so? Well! I guess this time I won't be joining the party late and I can discover this place's secrets alongside you two instead of playing catch-up! The perks keep adding up!" A positive outlook is, as ever, her secret weapon in all things.

"For the clothes, we could always go shopping. Nothing wrong with blending in with local fashion if you want! I like my usual style though, but I have to admit wearing this many layers in the desert heat might not be the greatest plan. Can't imagine what it's like under your armor!" She suddenly wonders if Sorey can use Mikleo to keep himself cool at all times. Important questions for later.

She raises her glass up. "Before I forget! To your almost victory!" Once Alisha has been sufficiently toasted, Rose follows with, while sipping: "So any plans? Ruins you really want to go see already?"

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha sits upright as she drinks. This isn't because Alisha is incapable of drinking wine while she leans back, but because she always has to be a little prim and a little proper. Thus, she looks down at the red-haired assassin, before she smiles brightly. "Yes, you will. I'm pleased that you'll be with us while we're here. You certainly brighten the mood, Rose."

She blinks, before she smiles a little wider at the offer of shopping. Then, she nods. "It does get quite hot--oh, not that I dislike my armor. Not at all!" she says. "But... it may not hurt to get some different clothing, too."

She hesitates, then she reaches out. Her glass clinks against against Rose's, before she takes a long sip. "Thank you! I am pleased I did so well. Though... I wish I could have won it. It would have drawn in even more business."

It made her think. She looks back down at the wineglass, still smiling. Truth be told, she is doing what she wanted to do first. "Well... I would like to look around and get to know the city. And I do want to go shooting with you, some time. We could find ARMs here, too, I am certain." She looks to Rose. "What about you?"

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

Rose, in a rare moment of being caught offguard, almost blushes at Alisha's remark. "Glad to hear all my energy isn't being wasted, then! Honestly I always worry I'm being a bit of a third wheel sometimes, like I'm jamming myself between people and they're too polite to say anything." Those thoughts don't tend to stay long, but Rose isn't totally lacking in the self-awareness department.

What about her, though? "Oh, you know. I've gotta set up contacts, replace stocks. Gotta show those Gears to a couple folks, as fun as it was piloting those things it's really not my thing and I don't want to keep military Gears from an uptight, paranoid military for longer than I have to. I already run one shadowy organization that might land us all into trouble one day, it's best if I don't turn the Sparrowfeathers into another!" Rose is fairly sure she already has a buyer or two for the Gears, anyway, and that money'll go towards funding maybe getting a third wagon and a couple more horses. Among other things.

"That and I've been thinking about the whole Squire thing a bit. My mind's mostly made up, but I guess I'm worried about what Lailah said, how it'd take a heavy toll on Sorey and all that. She was being kind of vague."

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"Oh--oh, no, you aren't at all!" Alisha says, with a quick shake of her head. She catches the almost-blush, though, and that quiets her. It is a rare thing to fluster Rose. She hasn't flustered her before. She watches her, quietly, and keeps watching when Rose bounces back so neatly.

She nods to what Rose says, not commenting -- at least, not yet -- about being a third wheel. She can understand the work that the Sparrowfeathers have to do, intellectually. She still doesn't really understand what it entails. Alisha cuts them both a couple slices of cake. Then, she tops her wineglass off.

She puts the bottle down, before she looks back at Rose.

"I've thought upon it, too," she says, quietly. "It sounds like it will take a toll. Sometimes... Lailah does not share everything, but I believe in her intentions. My fear is... I have my obligations to Hyland. I would be taking on a second responsibility, of equal importance."

She quiets, for a moment. "Is it like that for you? As the leader of the Scattered Bones?"

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

Rose smiles at being reassured. She sips from her glass to hide the embarassment, and then hides behind the serious topic. "Well, you might not have a country left to be a princess of if Malevolence takes over. Your duty as the princess is to make your kingdom a better place, and by being with the Shepherd you're doing just that. Besides, all those obligations, that's what you have all kinds of other people in the palace for. Delegate, princess! Pick people in the royal court you trust to handle matters while you're away. The people'll understand if you're honest about it."

Then onto herself. Rose hehs. "Naaaaaah. Us Scattered Bones, we'd be happy to close shop and not be needed anymore. Just be merchants. We do what we have to because it's needed, but... I think we're going to reach a point, eventually, where only people like the Shepherd can really help the world along. And that's fine! That's why I want to take up Sorey on his offer. I see it more as letting me cover a new angle than conflicting with my priorities. If I can make sure, when I think someone really needs to die, that they're ALSO free of Malevolence, or if I can solve a problem just by purifying someone instead of killing them, it's win-win. But..."

She looks thoughtful, for a second, before closing her eyes and leaning back down, her glass empty. "I also don't want to tarnish the Shepherd's image. Sorey doesn't deserve that. I'll have to be very careful, and show what he's offering the respect it deserves."

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"That... mm. Yes. That is what I fear," Alisha murmurs, softly. "I would not want to lose Hyland to Malevolence. And... I saw what Kislev and Aveh did. They fought a war even as the Metal Demons seek to do this to the Guardians. I know that, in the face of Malevolence, Hyland and Rolance would do the same. if being a Squire could help..."

She looks down. Her eyes lose some of their focus. People she can trust. She has few enough of those. The girl looks up, though, and she nods.

"That... mm. Yes," she says. "That makes a great deal of sense to me, Rose. But..." She hesitates a moment. Then, she slides a little closer to her. Just a little closer. "...I don't think you will tarnish Sorey's reputation. You are, even if you don't always wish to let it show, too thoughtful for that. And there is--there is another matter."

She glances to the side. She tries to look like she is studying her wine, but it is the princess's turn to look flustered. "I know you... said you do not wish to be a third wheel. Before you arrived, though, I did not know my place. I believed in Sorey and the Seraphim. I wanted to help. But... I did not know how to balance who I was and what I wanted. I still do not, entirely."

Her cheeks flush. "But, then I met you. You had no such inhibitions. You knew your place--and what you wanted, and how it fit who you have to be. I realized... if you are going to be a Squire, then I could be one, because you are there. That inspires me to do more."

She sips her wine, a little too quickly, after she finishes speaking.

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"Aveh and Kislev... tell me about it. I'd heard about them, you know? Tried to cross the borders a few times. Bart explained to me they've been at war for so long they don't even remember why. They're at war BECAUSE they're at war. Still... I'd have liked to think if a common enemy appeared they'd unite. The Metal Demons, for instance! That's not what happened at all. What's more, there were armies there I'd never seen before." The Garlyle forces, namely.

"They're going to plunge the entire area into war over some petty feud from so long ago they don't even remember it. If Sorey's right it'll even create Malevolence, because war and Metal Demons aren't enough trouble."

Rose sighs, waving a hand in the air. "It's a mess, that's what it is. And that's why your travels are more important than sitting in a throne room signing papers!"

Then Alisha decides to open up. Now she turns red the entire way, evidently receiving far more praise than she's used to. She rights herself up and tries to act cool but just looks like she's flailing instead.

"G-Geez, princess! Way to put me on the spot! I-I mean, I'm glad you feel that way, but maybe I deserve a bit less credit and you a bit... more?" Or is that just an attempt to change the subject or deflect the praise?

"At the same time I'm... at least a bit happy I could do that much. We kind of set off on the wrong foot, didn't we? It's the least I could do." And now she's just trying to call it righting a wrong and nothing more! For an assassin Rose isn't the greatest liar when flustered.

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"Mm... yes. Politics means nothing, if the world falls apart before it can be made better." The princess looks down, thoughtful, and her brow furrows. Rose waves a hand, while Alisha looks more thoughtful and subdued -- but suffice to say, she is as bothered as ther merchant.

And, looking down, she doesn't notice Rose turning that shade of red at first. When she glances at her -- right when she says 'Geez!' -- Alisha blinks, before she smiles, a little wider than before. Her face starts to redden, too, though. She looks ahead, and then shakes her head.

"You deserve credit, too, though! You... ah." She hesitates, but nods. "...We did. But... we still ended up here, together, as friends. And helping Sorey. Even if we started off with a misunderstanding that could have been tragic, it was all worth it."

There are, maybe, things the princess holds back -- but there often are.

"And, I think you should take pride in that. You did help me, and it was far from the least you could have done. You did more than that. So... we should be Squires, together. Because if we work together, then we're sure to be the best Squires that the Shepherd could find."

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"Well, you're... helping me, too. If not for you and Sorey I wouldn't be able to see this whole other side of the world. I'm still having trouble reconciling it with everything I know and have seen so far, but I'm not in denial anymore. Sure, that came with some new problems, mostly hat-wearing ones," said in reference to two certain Seraphim, "But it brought more solutions and ideas than problems. I'm learning to accept it all."

Having returned that favor, she becomes a bit less flustered, the playing field being a bit more even.

"You're right, though! Besides, Sorey is way too much of a handful for either one of us to babysit alone. It's just a good idea to have twice the amount of eyes on him so he doesn't overwork himself or fall into awful traps." She's not wrong, really. "Bet you he's already making a list of at least ten areas nearby he wants to go check out soon. That's IF he hasn't gone off without telling us." Which, Rose realizes, he probably does all the time.

"On the bright side we're the perfect party to solve this mess. We've got a sheltered, impulsive boy from a village of ghosts, a righteous princess and a ruthless assassin. We'll just outmess the problem until everyone realizes they have to stop this nonsense!" If only it worked that way.

But Rose is sure she can keep Alisha in a good mood like this.

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"It is... it explains a lot about the world," Alisha says. "Knowing about Malevolence--understanding how it can affect people. And... I'm glad that your eyes are opened." She chose that phrasing carefully, after all. The Trial Knight told Rose that. She remembers well enough. She looks up at her, then tilts her head. "I think you're doing well."

She smiles a little brighter, then. "I may have overheard Mikleo talking about some map he found, already," she says, with a sigh. "So... I think it a matter of time. But, you are right."

She hopes. It could be much more complicated. It almost certainly will. After all, Malevolence was spreading throughout Filgaia now. But she wants to focus on something happy -- at least for today, when they can be glad to be alive, and celebrate her near victory.

"Though--I would add that we have a ruthless assassin who is also a master merchant." She holds her wineglass up, for another toast. "And has excellent taste in wine, besides!"

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"Honestly, I almost want to go find that guy and thank him, because as brutal as his lessons were, they aren't... baseless. I still think he's trying to help us in his own roundabout way. Not that it changes my opinion of him much. I still want to get him back for the repeated impalements." Rose knows that won't be as easy as just saying that, but let her have this.

"And hey, I'm not JUST a good merchant! I'm THE BEST merchant! I'm also the best at a lot of other things, and you can't prove me wrong on most of them."

Her glass might be empty but she acknowledges the toast regardless. And then refills, because you can't have too much wine.

"Like choosing my company. I'm the best at that, which is why I'm friends with the best princess." She omits to mention she doesn't know enough princesses for this to be an objective statement.

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"Mm... I am less certain," Alisha admits. "I know it may seem that way. But... I knew too many people, when I was younger, who would point out flaws that were true -- but it was to have power over you. To remind you of your failings, not to inspire you to change. It... I am unsure this knight means us any good."

She doesn't quite look sad, though -- just thoughtful. And the smile is back, when Rose declares that, though she raises an eyebrow. The uncertain look on her face is entirely in jest.

"Best princess--" She stammers, though, and this time it is her turn to blush more fully. She covers her face with her hand. "Rose! You simply cannot declare me better than every other princess! E-Even if you are the best merchant, that--I--"

She stammers more.

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

Rose reaches over and pats Alisha on the head. "Maybe you'd like most adorable princess instead? I guess that's the same as saying best though." She giggles. See, now that she's recovered from being flustered she can easily bounce back to teasing at full force.

Then she slumps onto the bed, also at full force. "Well, I'm beat! I'm taking a nap, it's been a long couple days! You don't mind if I stay in your room, right? I don't want to deal with people looking for me, Eguille's in charge for now, they can go bug him instead."

He does that to her sometimes too so it's fair game.

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha sputters more, and she almost tries to hide her face completely. But in the end, she looks to the side, beet red and shaking her head as quickly as she can. "That--that is hardly fair," she stammers out. "But--I think--"

The bed shakes when Rose slumps down on it. Alisha blinks, sitting up straighter. She has her hand to her mouth, and then the look of confusion becomes a smile again. She nods, some of the flush leaving her cheeks. "You can," she says. "I won't tell. I thought I might read."

She reaches out -- a little tentatively, like she isn't sure if she should -- then pats Rose on the shoulder. "I won't keep you up, though."

She says it sincerely. Even though reading would never keep Rose awake.