2018-03-21: The Great Misunderstanding

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  • Log: The Great Misunderstanding
  • Cast: Riesenlied, Rebecca Streissand, Maya Schrodinger
  • Where: Wolfsbane Tavern
  • Date: 21st March 2018
  • Summary: Rebecca reunites with Mikaia, Riesenlied and Maya in Lunar. A great misunderstanding happens...


<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied has spent the last couple of days assisting with the 'Wolfsbane' tavern in Vane -- it's... technically an establishment that's been running for years, including the last two years it accidentally got condemned when the sign caved and no one realised it was still open.


The Black Wolves found it and accidentally revitalised life back to it, and that's how we have a respectable pub and watering hole back in the Magic City!


Rumours of a harpist has spread around Vane, and it's certainly drawn its share of residents who long for the days when Althena /didn't/ ban music -- and given her bounty anyway... Riesenlied certainly looks the part of a performer in her new white-and-blue Baskar gown, with detached flaring sleeves resembling the feathers of a great blue bird.


She has a sizeable harp with her, granted to her from the springs of the Sluice Forest after-- ahem-- Lemina outhustled a Turtlez Merchant. She's playing a harmonious, soft and soulful tune...


She's not the only familiar presence around, though -- because Argus has found a little part-timer to go clean his rocks glasses, Mikaia humming the tune as she watches her mom play the strings.

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

She anticipated his touch - she uttered a faint praise unspoken.

She was in full surrender, waiting on her moment with her Prince.

Many a fortnight she stood

Dreaming away her time in this meeting of souls.


Rebecca's at a booth by herself, tapping a feather quill to her cheek as she leaned on the palm of a hand. A cup of fast cooling tea beside her. Considering her next line. Her poetry journal opened in front of her. It wasn't unusual in a town of mages for someone to be writing in a pub. Not unusual in the least - even if she's found out that the town has fallen into disrepute. It was the perfect cover for surreptitiously writing some of her own brand of love poetry.


She still drew looks due to what she was wearing though. The denim shorts with the lacy hem, the vivid cowboy boots and the equally colorful vest... the piece at her side a complete unknown to most of the residents of this place.


When the harp music starts, it's soft and soulful - for a while she doesn't seem to even notice, but then she lets out this sigh of contentment, before her eyes light up as if inspired by a sudden muse.


Swiftly she dipped the quill in an inkwell and wrote the next line-


Again her blissful breath drew in crescendo...


The tune however draws her attention more and more, and eventually she finds herself setting her quill back in the well. Drawing her knees up onto the cushioned bench alongside her, then hoisting herself up on the wooden divider to take a look at the harpist in question. Mikaia might find her like this if she's being attentive for glasses to clean, her hands on the divider lifting the rest of herself up.


Before she double takes, "What the-? Is that?" She thinks about it, "Nah couldn't be."


Her mouth snaps shut as a sensible thought occurs to her as she realizes how many people must have been teleported - "... It really could be..."

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Rebecca's mode of dress might give her away as a native Filgaian lost on the lush and vibrant moon, but Maya Schrodinger's does not. Not to those who don't already know her. Which, in this room right now, is largely just Riesenlied and her kids.


"See, it's simple." the blonde in the billowing black cloak and heavy MMO pauldrons is explaining to herself and a skeptical couple of onlookers as she turns a fake diamond over in a white-gloved hand.


"Everything I've studied here says that--if we buffer the air flow around this here little beauty as a focus, and twist the mana right--poof! Climate control!"


Back in the guise of the sorceress with the limitless gumption, energy, and foolishness to match, Maya is toying with... something magical. Except it clearly doesn't work right because at 'poof!', she snaps her fingers and points them at the diamond like a gun. It responds by sneezing snow all over her, and maybe one or two other patrons. Thankfully, none of it lands on Rebecca or her notebook.


It does, however, sputter a not-quite-steady stream of cold air and bob over in her direction as it hovers out of Maya's grasp while she blinks in disbelief at being reduced to a comedy four-panel.


Okay, at least it isn't disrupting the -show-.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied is-- kind of impossible to mistake. That certainly is the blonde Hyadean with the horns and the scales who she first met in Gounon, the city famous for Johnny Appleseed (the wine)... at that time, Avril had accidentally trapped herself within the Temple of Rejection. Seeking help, Rebecca found Riesenlied, who... seemed as if she'd been drawn to the Temple as well.


Since then, they've met again on multiple occasions, and undoubtedly, she's known in Wayside where Dean and Avril have spent time looking after the kids--


--which is why Mikaia pops up next to her booth as she peeks with a big smile. "Miss Rebecca!" she expresses, super warmly. Wings wiggling to either side of her as she puts up a cool glass of water.


Riesenlied does look unexpectedly at ease in her little corner stage, however -- unintrusive and not really commanding attention, but granting a subtly inspiring sound that carries well to the reaches of the tavern.


Mikaia looks with a smile to Maya as she does her disappearing diamond trick, giggling as it instead blasts cool towards her. "How are you doing? Did you get brought here too...?" she asks with a slightly lower voice. "Is Miss Avril and Mister Dean okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

The small /familiar/ voice identifying her seals it. Because it's Mikaia. And suddenly her knees plop back down and she puts her legs back down as she faces her. "Mikaia! W-What are you doing here? Oh wait silly question - I haven't seen you in so long..."


Suddenly her cheeks are just a little red as she realizes that her love poetry is /still out/ in /plain view/. "Oh shoot... ahaha... let me just..." And Mikaia is a little kid so she wouldn't get it right - and her mother probably wouldn't appreciate her showing it to her?


But the ink is also drying, so instead of reflexively slamming it shut, she leans down and blows over the page a little, once, twice, thrice. And /then/ she shuts it. "T-There we go. Your mama is the one who's playing the harp right? I didn't know she could play!"


The little magic lesson catches her eye after a moment. You see, Rebecca could work magic, but through the Guardians. This isn't something she fretted about, but someone doing magic like that on their own is pretty wondrous to her. She looks just in time to see it blast cool air onto her, sneezing snow on the ones up close. "Wow." She gives the magic tutor the thumbs up and a wide smile as she teases, "Guess diamonds are a girl's best friend in the heat too." She does look a second longer as if wondering if she's familiar though.


The spell may have misfired, but hey look on the bright side. The spell /did/ make things cooler. And that'd be pretty useful in the desert. After a moment though, "Dean's fine!" Rebecca insists immediately, "He's..." What's the best word to describe Dean being a little kid/tourist in a floating magic city? "... himself! And Avril is better than fine! So don't you worry. As for me - I'm just taking a little break."


She rubs the nape of her neck, "When Lucia made that light pass over Lost July I kinda sorta was brought along for the ride. I still can't really believe we're on the moon! I mean..." She lowers her voice, "... the moon! It feels like something out one of those fairy tales I read when I was your age."


She clears her throat, "More importantly anyhow, how are you? Are you holding up alright Mikaia?" She tries to give her a warm smile - she'd heard about Wayside at least, "I mean a lot changed so quickly for you and Janey..."



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

A snowy fool dressed like L*na I*vers* (copyright successfully dodged!) blinks cartoonishly in the wake of her total goofy failure. The sting of screwing it up is softened because--well, because nothing was really at stake. Maya says absolutely nothing to the wary students of Vane who wonder what the heck she's playing at, and silently tiptoes away to try and grab at her escaping magicked gemstone.


This is how she noses into the little meeting between Mikaia and Rebecca.


"'scuse me," Maya quips as she grabs at the diamond as it floats by Rebecca and Mikaia's heads. The infused stone *sputs* an ice cube into the glass of water on the way past, before finally being returned to Maya's gloved hands.


There's a pause, and then Maya grins goofily at everyone involved and rubs the back of her head in a I'm-so-innocent gesture. "Hope I didn't catch either of you with that, g'heh heh..."


I guess that's certainly a 90s translation laugh...

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia pips up and chimes, "It really is you, Miss Rebecca~!" You can just see the flowers shining out of her.


>> GREAT answer! +3 Mikaia progression to Social Link UP.


Mikaia does glance towards the page and, trained classically by Noeline, thinks she's seen the desperate laments of a young maiden whose breath is stolen by a handsome Prince, perhaps on a White Horse. Don't lose that nobility when you grow up, young maiden... to commemorate this meeting, we'll--


'scuse me!'


Mikaia gets shook out of her reverie as she looks towards the diamond, before lecturing, "Heey, Argus' rule is that you break it, you buy it!"


Riesenlied finishes her song, with a bit of a very quiet breath. She looks a little exhausted, smiling bashfully as she rises and bows. "Thank you for listening, everyone... oh?"


Her attention is drawn to the table, where she steps aside and tilts her head. "Goodness, Miss Rebecca...?"

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

Rebecca was always sunny around kids. In a way she was a natural with them. What is that supposed to mean about her future though!?


Rebecca claps her hands together a few times in this polite kind of applause, "Hey no - no. Even if it wasn't how you intended it to turn out - it was kinda fun? And it's not like it hurt anyone! Besides-" She holds up a finger - but Mikaia repeats the rule, and Rebecca suddenly has the startling realization that maybe Mikaia is helping out around here. She was about to say it probably entertained Mikaia. But Mikaia just chewed her out instead.


Rebecca is a 'not make any waves' person by her nature when it comes to abiding by the rules, so with a shrug and a smile she just smiles at Maya as she backpeddles, "Well she's got you there... if that's how it is then maybe you should be a little more careful."


Riese's song has finished, and she didn't realize it because she'd been so swept up in talking to Mikaia /and/ the magic lesson. And that's when Riesenlied walked up.


It's still a really strange feeling - knowing that Riesenlied is a Metal Demon. One of the boogeymen she was told to be scared of as a kid. The scourges of Adlehyde. The bane of humanity. But then again - look at all the good she's done? Sometimes Rebecca might be a little guarded sometimes but...


... she's not /unfriendly/. Quite the opposite.


"Hey there Miss Riesenlied. I caught that performance of yours. It was really something." She has this little embarrassed smile as she holds up a finger, "It was kinda inspiring even." Though she's not about to say /why/ it was inspiring.


What about the rest of her people though? Rebecca probes just a little, "So... is Vane where you and yours have been setting up shop?"


After a moment though she clears her throat and looks at the way at someone who is definitely not <REDACTED> and instead Maya, "Oh right! Don't think we've met. I'm Rebecca Streissand. It's nice to meet you. She's Mikaia... and this is her mother, Riesenlied."



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Maya is leaning over the table grabbing at what certainly -looks- like a precious gem worth a bajillion gellas/silver/zenny. She glances at Mikaia, who admonishes her, but only receives a boorish grin for her troubles. "Oh, c'mon. It's not real, don't worry about it too much!" and straightens up to brush the snow off her shoulders, now tossing the diamond up and down like a baseball.


Maya also slips easily to one side, a hand on the table to lean on, as Riesenlied makes her way over. She jerks a thumb at the horned lady and offers Rebecca a similar ear-to-ear flash of pearly whites in response. "Oh, I know Riese and her family pretty well. Don'tcha worry about me! I'm Maya, Miss 'Becca, nice to make your acquaintance!"


The blonde winks coyly at Riese as she goes for a handshake with Rebecca. "What I didn't know was that she had the musical touch on top of everything else..."


The diamond falls out of the air into the sorceress's pocket. Exit scene left, gem.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia does lighten up immediately after, at the very least; her lecturing is a little more joking than anything, giggling as she says, "That aside, that was a really neat trick, Miss Maya!"


Riesenlied pats Mikaia on the head as she scoops the harp a little closer to herself. "T-thank you... I've only been able to play again very recently, so I'm rather rusty." She bobs her head. "They do not permit music back home amongst my brethren... in a way, Althena's ban of music does remind me very much of that."


Mikaia looks back and forth between Maya and Rebecca, giggling softly. "Hehe... Miss Maya's one of our closest friends!"


Riesenlied nods as she expresses, "She has aided us a lot, at our lowest times, through thick and thin. She is a true friend..." she glances to Maya, blushing. "I-- I am not that skilled. And I do not have any singing ability, so do not even ask...!"

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

"Well if it's not real there's no problem - right Mikaia?"


The totally normal Lunar Mage named Maya she doesn't think is suspicious at all. Even when Mikaia they knew them well. After all if Riese has been here for a while - it's the closest friend part that trips her up some. But maybe they just got along that well? "Well it's good to meet you all the same Maya, even though... I already said that!"


But... Riese as she talks about the music, Rebecca gets a little introspective, "When I heard about the no music, I kinda thought the Church around these parts was gonna be real strict like..." She murmurs more quietly, "The Veruni back home." Raising it back up to a normal volume, "But it's not really like that? At least not that I've seen. Still... I don't get what their problem is with music."


Alcohol maybe she's a little more okay with the ban there.


But she gives Riese a smile after Maya compliments her music, watching the fake diamond vanish, "Hey I thought you were pretty good. Your music got me through..."


She considers how to put it, "... a tough moment!" But then she offers "But hey - something can be good on its own merits. You can be good at an instrument without having the best singing voice. Noone is demanding you do it all! I sure couldn't!"


Her singing voice is actually really good though. That's a talent she keeps to herself.


Why does she have so much talent there?


OOC Note: Because Nana Mizuki. Duh.


Then she quirks an eyebrow, "Hey... don't tell me it's something you only picked up recently?"


It took her /years/ to get her acrobatic shooting routine down.



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

To be fair, here, Maya is used to being the odd one out at times. Being considered one of the eccentric faculty of Vane is just a boon, at this point.


The blonde refrains from petting Riese on the head to comfort her, because she's the bosslady and doing that would be rude. Especially in front of friends. Especially after having her praises sung so readily. "I'm gonna melt from all this praise, but it's all true! Riese is a pretty remarkable lady, so she makes it easy to be a good friend to her and her efforts, you know?"


To Rebecca, Maya then cranes her head and peers at her appraisingly. But not in an unpleasant way, we promise. "Hey now, it's good to meet you to--I wanna say, but haven't you been around Wayside once before? Or was that someone else who looked.... hmm..."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia nods with a big, bright smile. "Uh huh! There sure isn't!" she winks, ever ready to put on the charm. Maybe she really does fit the profile of wait staff, or even front of house at some point...


Riesenlied does put a little hum of thought, sitting down opposite Rebecca at her booth gently as she sets her harp aside. "The reason they gave was that such revelry inspires Malevolence and, in turn, the appearance of the Lord of Calamity. But..." She tilts her head aside. "Something doesn't... feel right. If anything, I would have thought it would drive people to chase after their vice more..."


She can't help but shrug, but-- smiles very warmly as she says, "O-oh? I'm very glad..." She does not know that Rebecca has a wonderful singing voice, but she'd be very happy to have a duet someday!


"I'd be happy to play for friends at any time..."


Mikaia looks to Maya and perks up a little. "Yeah! She's babysat us with Dean and Avril before at times -- she's really talented! Janey wanted to join a circus once too... hehe, I wonder if she still has those ambitions? Probably not..."


Riesenlied is asked if she learnt it recently. A pause, as she shakes her head. "No, it's... actually something I've learnt over the years, for a very long time. I was very poor at it, b-but..."


Her cheeks flush a little. "I-I wanted to catch someone's eye, at the time... a melody that could speak where my courage did not..."


Mikaia gasps, as if she's just been struck by realisation. She surreptitiously glances at Rebecca. This is /prime/ poetry material!!

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

"Wayside?" Rebecca's eyes blink a few times then, "Eh!? You're from Filgaia too? No way!"


Maybe Maya was hiding some Symbology tattoos?


But she's good at rolling with the unexpected. And thus she's rolling with Maya revealing she's not a mage from Lunar.


"You know I'm just more and more convinced they don't know what they're talking about. I mean - Lucia was obviously not some- Lord of Calamity." After all the crying girl that clung to her through the streets of Meribia and took everything super literally made that pretty obvious, "And if they don't know what they're talking about there, why should we assume they're really experts on this sort of thing?"


It's the sensible conclusion to her at least. She's not the type to /defy/ authority usually, but private questioning won't get someone into too much trouble.


"Hey I might take you up on that sometime." But Mikaia, what she says, "Well... you could say by now I'm kind of a veteran babysitter."


The burn in her head is of course that it's not due to Mikaia but due to Dean. She may have a crush on the guy but she certainly /knows/ what he's like.


She beams wide when Mikaia says she's really talented, "Aw shucks Mikaia. I'm just glad you were a fan of my routine!" She turns to face her more head on, "Hey if she still wants to - I'll check out her act anytime! I'm still hoping to get scouted out by them myself!"


But then Riese describes where she learned it and...


Now she has Rebecca's full attention, just as Mikaia gasps. "Wait a second - you did?"


You know despite sticking around Wayside for a while. The idea of Metal Demons being in love never actually occurred to her. Yet now that Riese puts it that way - she realizes it's silly that it hasn't.


"Could you have been-? Oh my gosh. That sounds /so/ romantic!"


Leaning a little towards Riese, she glances towards Mikaia, then murmurs Riese's way, "So?"


So? So what?


"... did he notice? Did your feelings get through to him?"



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Maya is leaning in on both elbows by the time Riese is talking about why she picked up the harp. Trying not to get too many catlike qualities to her knowing smirk. "Oh~, so that's how it is... well, I think it'd done a good job. Heh~, heh~, heh~..." she leans closer with a huge grin, needling poor Riese only gently about it.


She also rocks back the other way, her teasing done. Because Rebecca is shocked to find out that the unruly sorceress who would fit right in here actually ain't a native at all. If she does actually go looking for any signs of symbology tats or hidden crests, there are none to be found.


Spooky ramifications for scenes that aren't this one.


"'fraid so. I'm as new here as you are." answers Maya, to the revelation that she too is from Filgaia. "But it's not such a bad place." a pause. "Not a boring one, even if we -do- need to get home in a hurry." but this is all delivered as an aside before the conversation turns to Love again.


That is why the sorcerous Mimic just steeples her fingers and kufufu~'s quietly at Riesenlied as the poor woman faces the music. How will she explain -this- one!?

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia has a tender smile as she says, "Now you don't have to babysit us anymore, hehe, I'm helping mister Argus out here! You can just have fun at the tavern now."


'Faces the music' is an incredibly apt way to describe this, well done, Sorcerous Mimic Maya I*****e!


Riesenlied's expression goes red herself, as Rebecca starts to look on with interest. And Mikaia, bless her little heart, can be a little bit of an absolute imp sometime. Which is why, while Riesenlied is utterly flummoxed, goes...!


"Ah, mom's expressed her lost love to me on her saddest nights..."


Noeline has no idea that her habit of handing those gella novels to Mikaia is about to backfire spectacularly.


"There was a-- noble one. Possessed of pale, alabaster skin... with eyes that gleam with the tinge of an aged red wine! Garbed in the clothes of night-- their court is the Arctican ball, where gentlemen and ladies of class impress with billows of lace and striking tuxedos..."


At this point, Magilou's theme is probably playing.


Riesenlied steams just a little harder, and at any other moment she'd just express gently that it is Noeline, Mikaia's got her on the back foot today... aaa...


"But--! Alas, love is forbidden, between a Crimson Noble and a Hyadean like mother!"


She's not /denying it/!?!

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

"It's true! If you're responsible enough to be a part timer it means you're too mature for me to babysit you anymore. Instead I'm just your friend Mikaia."


But as Maya needles Riese and she reveals she's new to this planet, "Yeah - it's kind of fun in a way? Like I can't help but worry about getting a little sidetracked... and the kind of... things left behind - like you know, everything with the statues... but I'm mostly enjoying it?"


And if Riese is looking like that - "It must be..."


/Metal Demon Romance/.


Seeing Riese as flummoxed as she'd be if someone called her on her crush on Dean makes it seem more real.


She finds herself mouthing the description, as if she's going to commit it to memory so she can write it down later - create a poem out of it.


"Oh my gosh - a ball. It's like something out of a storybook...!" The sound she makes after is almost like a light whine of envy that Riese had met her love like that.


"And then?" She prompts gently. "And-"


A crimson noble!? And it happened in /Arctica/? That place doesn't even exist anymore! She's pretty sure!


"No way."


Both of her hands are over her mouth right now. It's so wonderful, it strikes every romantic chord she could squeal. Star-crossed romance between a crimson noble and a metal demon!? Two different kinds of Filgaian boogeymen engaged in a torrid affair?


"And then? You didn't let a little thing like /forbidden/ stop you right? You just... met well... clandestine right?"


The thought of those fangs sinking into Riesenlied's neck in throes of passion!


Rebecca is still bright red beneath her hands...



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Maya is pretty much unable to comment on this without ruining the moment--so she elects not to, biting her lip to keep from laughing too uproarously, too quickly, and points briefly at Riese with both fingers. Fingerguns.


You're owned, bosslady.


"Ah," is all the strange woman can bring herself to muster with a truly calculating smile on her face. She appears to appreciate -exactly- what is going on here, and simply egresses from the table on her tiptoes before anyone looks to her to bring things down a notch.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia can't help but giggle further, nodding at Rebecca, proud at being called mature enough to not need babysitting. Well, she has her days... but what kid doesn't?


"Oh, but it doesn't /stop/ there. Passion is forbidden... love doesn't have meaning in a warlike society like Hyades!" Mikaia's putting on an accent now. She's pretty much on overdrive. "Mother didn't understand what love even was... until..."


Riesenlied, bless her heart, is wilfully unaware of when people are egging her on, and thus: "I-it's true... their love for life, their wanderlust was what opened my eyes to lands abroad. To Ignas, Aquvy and further ahead... to hear the stories and see pictures with my own eyes piqued my curiosity like no other..."


"But-- ah! Lord Siegfried would not hear of it," it's like there's a dramatic sting here. "And so, the Crimson Noble departed, to disappear for centuries..."


Riesenlied pauses, lowering her head. "That's true. ... I was not able to express how I felt... it wounded my heart so... so..." she clutches onto her harp, hugging it. "For a while, in secret, I would practice... so that perhaps, my song would be heard one day..."


And before this story can reach its conclusion and be explained for the misunderstanding that it is--


Ringgg!


The door swings open, and Janey huffs as she says, "Hey, I could use a hand out here putting the sign up, it's done!"


Riesenlied jolts out of her reverie, stammering, "Oh-- goodness! Look at the time... I promised Miss Miria I would see her after my performance. I'm sorry, Miss Rebecca, Miss Maya... I must go." She bows her head and rises.


Mikaia nods and waves as she watches mother go.


The scene darkens for a moment, a lance of light shining on her face.


Keikaku doori... (TN: Keikaku means K.K.)


==== <Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed. ====

Riesenlied has spent the last couple of days assisting with the 'Wolfsbane' tavern in Vane -- it's... technically an establishment that's been running for years, including the last two years it accidentally got condemned when the sign caved and no one realised it was still open.


The Black Wolves found it and accidentally revitalised life back to it, and that's how we have a respectable pub and watering hole back in the Magic City!


Rumours of a harpist has spread around Vane, and it's certainly drawn its share of residents who long for the days when Althena /didn't/ ban music -- and given her bounty anyway... Riesenlied certainly looks the part of a performer in her new white-and-blue Baskar gown, with detached flaring sleeves resembling the feathers of a great blue bird.


She has a sizeable harp with her, granted to her from the springs of the Sluice Forest after-- ahem-- Lemina outhustled a Turtlez Merchant. She's playing a harmonious, soft and soulful tune...


She's not the only familiar presence around, though -- because Argus has found a little part-timer to go clean his rocks glasses, Mikaia humming the tune as she watches her mom play the strings.

==== <Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed. ====

She anticipated his touch - she uttered a faint praise unspoken.

She was in full surrender, waiting on her moment with her Prince.

Many a fortnight she stood

Dreaming away her time in this meeting of souls.


Rebecca's at a booth by herself, tapping a feather quill to her cheek as she leaned on the palm of a hand. A cup of fast cooling tea beside her. Considering her next line. Her poetry journal opened in front of her. It wasn't unusual in a town of mages for someone to be writing in a pub. Not unusual in the least - even if she's found out that the town has fallen into disrepute. It was the perfect cover for surreptitiously writing some of her own brand of love poetry.


She still drew looks due to what she was wearing though. The denim shorts with the lacy hem, the vivid cowboy boots and the equally colorful vest... the piece at her side a complete unknown to most of the residents of this place.


When the harp music starts, it's soft and soulful - for a while she doesn't seem to even notice, but then she lets out this sigh of contentment, before her eyes light up as if inspired by a sudden muse.


Swiftly she dipped the quill in an inkwell and wrote the next line-


Again her blissful breath drew in crescendo...


The tune however draws her attention more and more, and eventually she finds herself setting her quill back in the well. Drawing her knees up onto the cushioned bench alongside her, then hoisting herself up on the wooden divider to take a look at the harpist in question. Mikaia might find her like this if she's being attentive for glasses to clean, her hands on the divider lifting the rest of herself up.


Before she double takes, "What the-? Is that?" She thinks about it, "Nah couldn't be."


Her mouth snaps shut as a sensible thought occurs to her as she realizes how many people must have been teleported - "... It really could be..."

==== <Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed. ====

Rebecca's mode of dress might give her away as a native Filgaian lost on the lush and vibrant moon, but Maya Schrodinger's does not. Not to those who don't already know her. Which, in this room right now, is largely just Riesenlied and her kids.


"See, it's simple." the blonde in the billowing black cloak and heavy MMO pauldrons is explaining to herself and a skeptical couple of onlookers as she turns a fake diamond over in a white-gloved hand.


"Everything I've studied here says that--if we buffer the air flow around this here little beauty as a focus, and twist the mana right--poof! Climate control!"


Back in the guise of the sorceress with the limitless gumption, energy, and foolishness to match, Maya is toying with... something magical. Except it clearly doesn't work right because at 'poof!', she snaps her fingers and points them at the diamond like a gun. It responds by sneezing snow all over her, and maybe one or two other patrons. Thankfully, none of it lands on Rebecca or her notebook.


It does, however, sputter a not-quite-steady stream of cold air and bob over in her direction as it hovers out of Maya's grasp while she blinks in disbelief at being reduced to a comedy four-panel.


Okay, at least it isn't disrupting the -show-.

==== <Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed. ====

Riesenlied is-- kind of impossible to mistake. That certainly is the blonde Hyadean with the horns and the scales who she first met in Gounon, the city famous for Johnny Appleseed (the wine)... at that time, Avril had accidentally trapped herself within the Temple of Rejection. Seeking help, Rebecca found Riesenlied, who... seemed as if she'd been drawn to the Temple as well.


Since then, they've met again on multiple occasions, and undoubtedly, she's known in Wayside where Dean and Avril have spent time looking after the kids--


--which is why Mikaia pops up next to her booth as she peeks with a big smile. "Miss Rebecca!" she expresses, super warmly. Wings wiggling to either side of her as she puts up a cool glass of water.


Riesenlied does look unexpectedly at ease in her little corner stage, however -- unintrusive and not really commanding attention, but granting a subtly inspiring sound that carries well to the reaches of the tavern.


Mikaia looks with a smile to Maya as she does her disappearing diamond trick, giggling as it instead blasts cool towards her. "How are you doing? Did you get brought here too...?" she asks with a slightly lower voice. "Is Miss Avril and Mister Dean okay?"

==== <Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed. ====

The small /familiar/ voice identifying her seals it. Because it's Mikaia. And suddenly her knees plop back down and she puts her legs back down as she faces her. "Mikaia! W-What are you doing here? Oh wait silly question - I haven't seen you in so long..."


Suddenly her cheeks are just a little red as she realizes that her love poetry is /still out/ in /plain view/. "Oh shoot... ahaha... let me just..." And Mikaia is a little kid so she wouldn't get it right - and her mother probably wouldn't appreciate her showing it to her?


But the ink is also drying, so instead of reflexively slamming it shut, she leans down and blows over the page a little, once, twice, thrice. And /then/ she shuts it. "T-There we go. Your mama is the one who's playing the harp right? I didn't know she could play!"


The little magic lesson catches her eye after a moment. You see, Rebecca could work magic, but through the Guardians. This isn't something she fretted about, but someone doing magic like that on their own is pretty wondrous to her. She looks just in time to see it blast cool air onto her, sneezing snow on the ones up close. "Wow." She gives the magic tutor the thumbs up and a wide smile as she teases, "Guess diamonds are a girl's best friend in the heat too." She does look a second longer as if wondering if she's familiar though.


The spell may have misfired, but hey look on the bright side. The spell /did/ make things cooler. And that'd be pretty useful in the desert. After a moment though, "Dean's fine!" Rebecca insists immediately, "He's..." What's the best word to describe Dean being a little kid/tourist in a floating magic city? "... himself! And Avril is better than fine! So don't you worry. As for me - I'm just taking a little break."


She rubs the nape of her neck, "When Lucia made that light pass over Lost July I kinda sorta was brought along for the ride. I still can't really believe we're on the moon! I mean..." She lowers her voice, "... the moon! It feels like something out one of those fairy tales I read when I was your age."


She clears her throat, "More importantly anyhow, how are you? Are you holding up alright Mikaia?" She tries to give her a warm smile - she'd heard about Wayside at least, "I mean a lot changed so quickly for you and Janey..."



==== <Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed. ====

A snowy fool dressed like L*na I*vers* (copyright successfully dodged!) blinks cartoonishly in the wake of her total goofy failure. The sting of screwing it up is softened because--well, because nothing was really at stake. Maya says absolutely nothing to the wary students of Vane who wonder what the heck she's playing at, and silently tiptoes away to try and grab at her escaping magicked gemstone.


This is how she noses into the little meeting between Mikaia and Rebecca.


"'scuse me," Maya quips as she grabs at the diamond as it floats by Rebecca and Mikaia's heads. The infused stone *sputs* an ice cube into the glass of water on the way past, before finally being returned to Maya's gloved hands.


There's a pause, and then Maya grins goofily at everyone involved and rubs the back of her head in a I'm-so-innocent gesture. "Hope I didn't catch either of you with that, g'heh heh..."


I guess that's certainly a 90s translation laugh...

==== <Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed. ====

Mikaia pips up and chimes, "It really is you, Miss Rebecca~!" You can just see the flowers shining out of her.


>> GREAT answer! +3 Mikaia progression to Social Link UP.


Mikaia does glance towards the page and, trained classically by Noeline, thinks she's seen the desperate laments of a young maiden whose breath is stolen by a handsome Prince, perhaps on a White Horse. Don't lose that nobility when you grow up, young maiden... to commemorate this meeting, we'll--


'scuse me!'


Mikaia gets shook out of her reverie as she looks towards the diamond, before lecturing, "Heey, Argus' rule is that you break it, you buy it!"


Riesenlied finishes her song, with a bit of a very quiet breath. She looks a little exhausted, smiling bashfully as she rises and bows. "Thank you for listening, everyone... oh?"


Her attention is drawn to the table, where she steps aside and tilts her head. "Goodness, Miss Rebecca...?"

==== <Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed. ====

Rebecca was always sunny around kids. In a way she was a natural with them. What is that supposed to mean about her future though!?


Rebecca claps her hands together a few times in this polite kind of applause, "Hey no - no. Even if it wasn't how you intended it to turn out - it was kinda fun? And it's not like it hurt anyone! Besides-" She holds up a finger - but Mikaia repeats the rule, and Rebecca suddenly has the startling realization that maybe Mikaia is helping out around here. She was about to say it probably entertained Mikaia. But Mikaia just chewed her out instead.


Rebecca is a 'not make any waves' person by her nature when it comes to abiding by the rules, so with a shrug and a smile she just smiles at Maya as she backpeddles, "Well she's got you there... if that's how it is then maybe you should be a little more careful."


Riese's song has finished, and she didn't realize it because she'd been so swept up in talking to Mikaia /and/ the magic lesson. And that's when Riesenlied walked up.


It's still a really strange feeling - knowing that Riesenlied is a Metal Demon. One of the boogeymen she was told to be scared of as a kid. The scourges of Adlehyde. The bane of humanity. But then again - look at all the good she's done? Sometimes Rebecca might be a little guarded sometimes but...


... she's not /unfriendly/. Quite the opposite.


"Hey there Miss Riesenlied. I caught that performance of yours. It was really something." She has this little embarrassed smile as she holds up a finger, "It was kinda inspiring even." Though she's not about to say /why/ it was inspiring.


What about the rest of her people though? Rebecca probes just a little, "So... is Vane where you and yours have been setting up shop?"


After a moment though she clears her throat and looks at the way at someone who is definitely not <REDACTED> and instead Maya, "Oh right! Don't think we've met. I'm Rebecca Streissand. It's nice to meet you. She's Mikaia... and this is her mother, Riesenlied."



==== <Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed. ====

Maya is leaning over the table grabbing at what certainly -looks- like a precious gem worth a bajillion gellas/silver/zenny. She glances at Mikaia, who admonishes her, but only receives a boorish grin for her troubles. "Oh, c'mon. It's not real, don't worry about it too much!" and straightens up to brush the snow off her shoulders, now tossing the diamond up and down like a baseball.


Maya also slips easily to one side, a hand on the table to lean on, as Riesenlied makes her way over. She jerks a thumb at the horned lady and offers Rebecca a similar ear-to-ear flash of pearly whites in response. "Oh, I know Riese and her family pretty well. Don'tcha worry about me! I'm Maya, Miss 'Becca, nice to make your acquaintance!"


The blonde winks coyly at Riese as she goes for a handshake with Rebecca. "What I didn't know was that she had the musical touch on top of everything else..."


The diamond falls out of the air into the sorceress's pocket. Exit scene left, gem.

==== <Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed. ====

Mikaia does lighten up immediately after, at the very least; her lecturing is a little more joking than anything, giggling as she says, "That aside, that was a really neat trick, Miss Maya!"


Riesenlied pats Mikaia on the head as she scoops the harp a little closer to herself. "T-thank you... I've only been able to play again very recently, so I'm rather rusty." She bobs her head. "They do not permit music back home amongst my brethren... in a way, Althena's ban of music does remind me very much of that."


Mikaia looks back and forth between Maya and Rebecca, giggling softly. "Hehe... Miss Maya's one of our closest friends!"


Riesenlied nods as she expresses, "She has aided us a lot, at our lowest times, through thick and thin. She is a true friend..." she glances to Maya, blushing. "I-- I am not that skilled. And I do not have any singing ability, so do not even ask...!"

==== <Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed. ====

"Well if it's not real there's no problem - right Mikaia?"


The totally normal Lunar Mage named Maya she doesn't think is suspicious at all. Even when Mikaia they knew them well. After all if Riese has been here for a while - it's the closest friend part that trips her up some. But maybe they just got along that well? "Well it's good to meet you all the same Maya, even though... I already said that!"


But... Riese as she talks about the music, Rebecca gets a little introspective, "When I heard about the no music, I kinda thought the Church around these parts was gonna be real strict like..." She murmurs more quietly, "The Veruni back home." Raising it back up to a normal volume, "But it's not really like that? At least not that I've seen. Still... I don't get what their problem is with music."


Alcohol maybe she's a little more okay with the ban there.


But she gives Riese a smile after Maya compliments her music, watching the fake diamond vanish, "Hey I thought you were pretty good. Your music got me through..."


She considers how to put it, "... a tough moment!" But then she offers "But hey - something can be good on its own merits. You can be good at an instrument without having the best singing voice. Noone is demanding you do it all! I sure couldn't!"


Her singing voice is actually really good though. That's a talent she keeps to herself.


Why does she have so much talent there?


OOC Note: Because Nana Mizuki. Duh.


Then she quirks an eyebrow, "Hey... don't tell me it's something you only picked up recently?"


It took her /years/ to get her acrobatic shooting routine down.



==== <Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed. ====

To be fair, here, Maya is used to being the odd one out at times. Being considered one of the eccentric faculty of Vane is just a boon, at this point.


The blonde refrains from petting Riese on the head to comfort her, because she's the bosslady and doing that would be rude. Especially in front of friends. Especially after having her praises sung so readily. "I'm gonna melt from all this praise, but it's all true! Riese is a pretty remarkable lady, so she makes it easy to be a good friend to her and her efforts, you know?"


To Rebecca, Maya then cranes her head and peers at her appraisingly. But not in an unpleasant way, we promise. "Hey now, it's good to meet you to--I wanna say, but haven't you been around Wayside once before? Or was that someone else who looked.... hmm..."

==== <Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed. ====

Mikaia nods with a big, bright smile. "Uh huh! There sure isn't!" she winks, ever ready to put on the charm. Maybe she really does fit the profile of wait staff, or even front of house at some point...


Riesenlied does put a little hum of thought, sitting down opposite Rebecca at her booth gently as she sets her harp aside. "The reason they gave was that such revelry inspires Malevolence and, in turn, the appearance of the Lord of Calamity. But..." She tilts her head aside. "Something doesn't... feel right. If anything, I would have thought it would drive people to chase after their vice more..."


She can't help but shrug, but-- smiles very warmly as she says, "O-oh? I'm very glad..." She does not know that Rebecca has a wonderful singing voice, but she'd be very happy to have a duet someday!


"I'd be happy to play for friends at any time..."


Mikaia looks to Maya and perks up a little. "Yeah! She's babysat us with Dean and Avril before at times -- she's really talented! Janey wanted to join a circus once too... hehe, I wonder if she still has those ambitions? Probably not..."


Riesenlied is asked if she learnt it recently. A pause, as she shakes her head. "No, it's... actually something I've learnt over the years, for a very long time. I was very poor at it, b-but..."


Her cheeks flush a little. "I-I wanted to catch someone's eye, at the time... a melody that could speak where my courage did not..."


Mikaia gasps, as if she's just been struck by realisation. She surreptitiously glances at Rebecca. This is /prime/ poetry material!!

==== <Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed. ====

"Wayside?" Rebecca's eyes blink a few times then, "Eh!? You're from Filgaia too? No way!"


Maybe Maya was hiding some Symbology tattoos?


But she's good at rolling with the unexpected. And thus she's rolling with Maya revealing she's not a mage from Lunar.


"You know I'm just more and more convinced they don't know what they're talking about. I mean - Lucia was obviously not some- Lord of Calamity." After all the crying girl that clung to her through the streets of Meribia and took everything super literally made that pretty obvious, "And if they don't know what they're talking about there, why should we assume they're really experts on this sort of thing?"


It's the sensible conclusion to her at least. She's not the type to /defy/ authority usually, but private questioning won't get someone into too much trouble.


"Hey I might take you up on that sometime." But Mikaia, what she says, "Well... you could say by now I'm kind of a veteran babysitter."


The burn in her head is of course that it's not due to Mikaia but due to Dean. She may have a crush on the guy but she certainly /knows/ what he's like.


She beams wide when Mikaia says she's really talented, "Aw shucks Mikaia. I'm just glad you were a fan of my routine!" She turns to face her more head on, "Hey if she still wants to - I'll check out her act anytime! I'm still hoping to get scouted out by them myself!"


But then Riese describes where she learned it and...


Now she has Rebecca's full attention, just as Mikaia gasps. "Wait a second - you did?"


You know despite sticking around Wayside for a while. The idea of Metal Demons being in love never actually occurred to her. Yet now that Riese puts it that way - she realizes it's silly that it hasn't.


"Could you have been-? Oh my gosh. That sounds /so/ romantic!"


Leaning a little towards Riese, she glances towards Mikaia, then murmurs Riese's way, "So?"


So? So what?


"... did he notice? Did your feelings get through to him?"



==== <Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed. ====

Maya is leaning in on both elbows by the time Riese is talking about why she picked up the harp. Trying not to get too many catlike qualities to her knowing smirk. "Oh~, so that's how it is... well, I think it'd done a good job. Heh~, heh~, heh~..." she leans closer with a huge grin, needling poor Riese only gently about it.


She also rocks back the other way, her teasing done. Because Rebecca is shocked to find out that the unruly sorceress who would fit right in here actually ain't a native at all. If she does actually go looking for any signs of symbology tats or hidden crests, there are none to be found.


Spooky ramifications for scenes that aren't this one.


"'fraid so. I'm as new here as you are." answers Maya, to the revelation that she too is from Filgaia. "But it's not such a bad place." a pause. "Not a boring one, even if we -do- need to get home in a hurry." but this is all delivered as an aside before the conversation turns to Love again.


That is why the sorcerous Mimic just steeples her fingers and kufufu~'s quietly at Riesenlied as the poor woman faces the music. How will she explain -this- one!?

==== <Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed. ====

Mikaia has a tender smile as she says, "Now you don't have to babysit us anymore, hehe, I'm helping mister Argus out here! You can just have fun at the tavern now."


'Faces the music' is an incredibly apt way to describe this, well done, Sorcerous Mimic Maya I*****e!


Riesenlied's expression goes red herself, as Rebecca starts to look on with interest. And Mikaia, bless her little heart, can be a little bit of an absolute imp sometime. Which is why, while Riesenlied is utterly flummoxed, goes...!


"Ah, mom's expressed her lost love to me on her saddest nights..."


Noeline has no idea that her habit of handing those gella novels to Mikaia is about to backfire spectacularly.


"There was a-- noble one. Possessed of pale, alabaster skin... with eyes that gleam with the tinge of an aged red wine! Garbed in the clothes of night-- their court is the Arctican ball, where gentlemen and ladies of class impress with billows of lace and striking tuxedos..."


At this point, Magilou's theme is probably playing.


Riesenlied steams just a little harder, and at any other moment she'd just express gently that it is Noeline, Mikaia's got her on the back foot today... aaa...


"But--! Alas, love is forbidden, between a Crimson Noble and a Hyadean like mother!"


She's not /denying it/!?!

==== <Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed. ====

"It's true! If you're responsible enough to be a part timer it means you're too mature for me to babysit you anymore. Instead I'm just your friend Mikaia."


But as Maya needles Riese and she reveals she's new to this planet, "Yeah - it's kind of fun in a way? Like I can't help but worry about getting a little sidetracked... and the kind of... things left behind - like you know, everything with the statues... but I'm mostly enjoying it?"


And if Riese is looking like that - "It must be..."


/Metal Demon Romance/.


Seeing Riese as flummoxed as she'd be if someone called her on her crush on Dean makes it seem more real.


She finds herself mouthing the description, as if she's going to commit it to memory so she can write it down later - create a poem out of it.


"Oh my gosh - a ball. It's like something out of a storybook...!" The sound she makes after is almost like a light whine of envy that Riese had met her love like that.


"And then?" She prompts gently. "And-"


A crimson noble!? And it happened in /Arctica/? That place doesn't even exist anymore! She's pretty sure!


"No way."


Both of her hands are over her mouth right now. It's so wonderful, it strikes every romantic chord she could squeal. Star-crossed romance between a crimson noble and a metal demon!? Two different kinds of Filgaian boogeymen engaged in a torrid affair?


"And then? You didn't let a little thing like /forbidden/ stop you right? You just... met well... clandestine right?"


The thought of those fangs sinking into Riesenlied's neck in throes of passion!


Rebecca is still bright red beneath her hands...



==== <Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed. ====

Maya is pretty much unable to comment on this without ruining the moment--so she elects not to, biting her lip to keep from laughing too uproarously, too quickly, and points briefly at Riese with both fingers. Fingerguns.


You're owned, bosslady.


"Ah," is all the strange woman can bring herself to muster with a truly calculating smile on her face. She appears to appreciate -exactly- what is going on here, and simply egresses from the table on her tiptoes before anyone looks to her to bring things down a notch.

==== <Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed. ====

Mikaia can't help but giggle further, nodding at Rebecca, proud at being called mature enough to not need babysitting. Well, she has her days... but what kid doesn't?


"Oh, but it doesn't /stop/ there. Passion is forbidden... love doesn't have meaning in a warlike society like Hyades!" Mikaia's putting on an accent now. She's pretty much on overdrive. "Mother didn't understand what love even was... until..."


Riesenlied, bless her heart, is wilfully unaware of when people are egging her on, and thus: "I-it's true... their love for life, their wanderlust was what opened my eyes to lands abroad. To Ignas, Aquvy and further ahead... to hear the stories and see pictures with my own eyes piqued my curiosity like no other..."


"But-- ah! Lord Siegfried would not hear of it," it's like there's a dramatic sting here. "And so, the Crimson Noble departed, to disappear for centuries..."


Riesenlied pauses, lowering her head. "That's true. ... I was not able to express how I felt... it wounded my heart so... so..." she clutches onto her harp, hugging it. "For a while, in secret, I would practice... so that perhaps, my song would be heard one day..."


And before this story can reach its conclusion and be explained for the misunderstanding that it is--


Ringgg!


The door swings open, and Janey huffs as she says, "Hey, I could use a hand out here putting the sign up, it's done!"


Riesenlied jolts out of her reverie, stammering, "Oh-- goodness! Look at the time... I promised Miss Miria I would see her after my performance. I'm sorry, Miss Rebecca, Miss Maya... I must go." She bows her head and rises.


Mikaia nods and waves as she watches mother go.


The scene darkens for a moment, a lance of light shining on her face.


Keikaku doori... (TN: Keikaku means K.K.) 


==== <Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed. ====


Riesenlied has spent the last couple of days assisting with the 'Wolfsbane' tavern in Vane -- it's... technically an establishment that's been running for years, including the last two years it accidentally got condemned when the sign caved and no one realised it was still open.


The Black Wolves found it and accidentally revitalised life back to it, and that's how we have a respectable pub and watering hole back in the Magic City!


Rumours of a harpist has spread around Vane, and it's certainly drawn its share of residents who long for the days when Althena /didn't/ ban music -- and given her bounty anyway... Riesenlied certainly looks the part of a performer in her new white-and-blue Baskar gown, with detached flaring sleeves resembling the feathers of a great blue bird.


She has a sizeable harp with her, granted to her from the springs of the Sluice Forest after-- ahem-- Lemina outhustled a Turtlez Merchant. She's playing a harmonious, soft and soulful tune...


She's not the only familiar presence around, though -- because Argus has found a little part-timer to go clean his rocks glasses, Mikaia humming the tune as she watches her mom play the strings.

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

She anticipated his touch - she uttered a faint praise unspoken.

She was in full surrender, waiting on her moment with her Prince.

Many a fortnight she stood

Dreaming away her time in this meeting of souls.


Rebecca's at a booth by herself, tapping a feather quill to her cheek as she leaned on the palm of a hand. A cup of fast cooling tea beside her. Considering her next line. Her poetry journal opened in front of her. It wasn't unusual in a town of mages for someone to be writing in a pub. Not unusual in the least - even if she's found out that the town has fallen into disrepute. It was the perfect cover for surreptitiously writing some of her own brand of love poetry.


She still drew looks due to what she was wearing though. The denim shorts with the lacy hem, the vivid cowboy boots and the equally colorful vest... the piece at her side a complete unknown to most of the residents of this place.


When the harp music starts, it's soft and soulful - for a while she doesn't seem to even notice, but then she lets out this sigh of contentment, before her eyes light up as if inspired by a sudden muse.


Swiftly she dipped the quill in an inkwell and wrote the next line-


Again her blissful breath drew in crescendo...


The tune however draws her attention more and more, and eventually she finds herself setting her quill back in the well. Drawing her knees up onto the cushioned bench alongside her, then hoisting herself up on the wooden divider to take a look at the harpist in question. Mikaia might find her like this if she's being attentive for glasses to clean, her hands on the divider lifting the rest of herself up.


Before she double takes, "What the-? Is that?" She thinks about it, "Nah couldn't be."


Her mouth snaps shut as a sensible thought occurs to her as she realizes how many people must have been teleported - "... It really could be..."

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Rebecca's mode of dress might give her away as a native Filgaian lost on the lush and vibrant moon, but Maya Schrodinger's does not. Not to those who don't already know her. Which, in this room right now, is largely just Riesenlied and her kids.


"See, it's simple." the blonde in the billowing black cloak and heavy MMO pauldrons is explaining to herself and a skeptical couple of onlookers as she turns a fake diamond over in a white-gloved hand.


"Everything I've studied here says that--if we buffer the air flow around this here little beauty as a focus, and twist the mana right--poof! Climate control!"


Back in the guise of the sorceress with the limitless gumption, energy, and foolishness to match, Maya is toying with... something magical. Except it clearly doesn't work right because at 'poof!', she snaps her fingers and points them at the diamond like a gun. It responds by sneezing snow all over her, and maybe one or two other patrons. Thankfully, none of it lands on Rebecca or her notebook.


It does, however, sputter a not-quite-steady stream of cold air and bob over in her direction as it hovers out of Maya's grasp while she blinks in disbelief at being reduced to a comedy four-panel.


Okay, at least it isn't disrupting the -show-.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied is-- kind of impossible to mistake. That certainly is the blonde Hyadean with the horns and the scales who she first met in Gounon, the city famous for Johnny Appleseed (the wine)... at that time, Avril had accidentally trapped herself within the Temple of Rejection. Seeking help, Rebecca found Riesenlied, who... seemed as if she'd been drawn to the Temple as well.


Since then, they've met again on multiple occasions, and undoubtedly, she's known in Wayside where Dean and Avril have spent time looking after the kids--


--which is why Mikaia pops up next to her booth as she peeks with a big smile. "Miss Rebecca!" she expresses, super warmly. Wings wiggling to either side of her as she puts up a cool glass of water.


Riesenlied does look unexpectedly at ease in her little corner stage, however -- unintrusive and not really commanding attention, but granting a subtly inspiring sound that carries well to the reaches of the tavern.


Mikaia looks with a smile to Maya as she does her disappearing diamond trick, giggling as it instead blasts cool towards her. "How are you doing? Did you get brought here too...?" she asks with a slightly lower voice. "Is Miss Avril and Mister Dean okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

The small /familiar/ voice identifying her seals it. Because it's Mikaia. And suddenly her knees plop back down and she puts her legs back down as she faces her. "Mikaia! W-What are you doing here? Oh wait silly question - I haven't seen you in so long..."


Suddenly her cheeks are just a little red as she realizes that her love poetry is /still out/ in /plain view/. "Oh shoot... ahaha... let me just..." And Mikaia is a little kid so she wouldn't get it right - and her mother probably wouldn't appreciate her showing it to her?


But the ink is also drying, so instead of reflexively slamming it shut, she leans down and blows over the page a little, once, twice, thrice. And /then/ she shuts it. "T-There we go. Your mama is the one who's playing the harp right? I didn't know she could play!"


The little magic lesson catches her eye after a moment. You see, Rebecca could work magic, but through the Guardians. This isn't something she fretted about, but someone doing magic like that on their own is pretty wondrous to her. She looks just in time to see it blast cool air onto her, sneezing snow on the ones up close. "Wow." She gives the magic tutor the thumbs up and a wide smile as she teases, "Guess diamonds are a girl's best friend in the heat too." She does look a second longer as if wondering if she's familiar though.


The spell may have misfired, but hey look on the bright side. The spell /did/ make things cooler. And that'd be pretty useful in the desert. After a moment though, "Dean's fine!" Rebecca insists immediately, "He's..." What's the best word to describe Dean being a little kid/tourist in a floating magic city? "... himself! And Avril is better than fine! So don't you worry. As for me - I'm just taking a little break."


She rubs the nape of her neck, "When Lucia made that light pass over Lost July I kinda sorta was brought along for the ride. I still can't really believe we're on the moon! I mean..." She lowers her voice, "... the moon! It feels like something out one of those fairy tales I read when I was your age."


She clears her throat, "More importantly anyhow, how are you? Are you holding up alright Mikaia?" She tries to give her a warm smile - she'd heard about Wayside at least, "I mean a lot changed so quickly for you and Janey..."



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

A snowy fool dressed like L*na I*vers* (copyright successfully dodged!) blinks cartoonishly in the wake of her total goofy failure. The sting of screwing it up is softened because--well, because nothing was really at stake. Maya says absolutely nothing to the wary students of Vane who wonder what the heck she's playing at, and silently tiptoes away to try and grab at her escaping magicked gemstone.


This is how she noses into the little meeting between Mikaia and Rebecca.


"'scuse me," Maya quips as she grabs at the diamond as it floats by Rebecca and Mikaia's heads. The infused stone *sputs* an ice cube into the glass of water on the way past, before finally being returned to Maya's gloved hands.


There's a pause, and then Maya grins goofily at everyone involved and rubs the back of her head in a I'm-so-innocent gesture. "Hope I didn't catch either of you with that, g'heh heh..."


I guess that's certainly a 90s translation laugh...

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia pips up and chimes, "It really is you, Miss Rebecca~!" You can just see the flowers shining out of her.


>> GREAT answer! +3 Mikaia progression to Social Link UP.


Mikaia does glance towards the page and, trained classically by Noeline, thinks she's seen the desperate laments of a young maiden whose breath is stolen by a handsome Prince, perhaps on a White Horse. Don't lose that nobility when you grow up, young maiden... to commemorate this meeting, we'll--


'scuse me!'


Mikaia gets shook out of her reverie as she looks towards the diamond, before lecturing, "Heey, Argus' rule is that you break it, you buy it!"


Riesenlied finishes her song, with a bit of a very quiet breath. She looks a little exhausted, smiling bashfully as she rises and bows. "Thank you for listening, everyone... oh?"


Her attention is drawn to the table, where she steps aside and tilts her head. "Goodness, Miss Rebecca...?"

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

Rebecca was always sunny around kids. In a way she was a natural with them. What is that supposed to mean about her future though!?


Rebecca claps her hands together a few times in this polite kind of applause, "Hey no - no. Even if it wasn't how you intended it to turn out - it was kinda fun? And it's not like it hurt anyone! Besides-" She holds up a finger - but Mikaia repeats the rule, and Rebecca suddenly has the startling realization that maybe Mikaia is helping out around here. She was about to say it probably entertained Mikaia. But Mikaia just chewed her out instead.


Rebecca is a 'not make any waves' person by her nature when it comes to abiding by the rules, so with a shrug and a smile she just smiles at Maya as she backpeddles, "Well she's got you there... if that's how it is then maybe you should be a little more careful."


Riese's song has finished, and she didn't realize it because she'd been so swept up in talking to Mikaia /and/ the magic lesson. And that's when Riesenlied walked up.


It's still a really strange feeling - knowing that Riesenlied is a Metal Demon. One of the boogeymen she was told to be scared of as a kid. The scourges of Adlehyde. The bane of humanity. But then again - look at all the good she's done? Sometimes Rebecca might be a little guarded sometimes but...


... she's not /unfriendly/. Quite the opposite.


"Hey there Miss Riesenlied. I caught that performance of yours. It was really something." She has this little embarrassed smile as she holds up a finger, "It was kinda inspiring even." Though she's not about to say /why/ it was inspiring.


What about the rest of her people though? Rebecca probes just a little, "So... is Vane where you and yours have been setting up shop?"


After a moment though she clears her throat and looks at the way at someone who is definitely not <REDACTED> and instead Maya, "Oh right! Don't think we've met. I'm Rebecca Streissand. It's nice to meet you. She's Mikaia... and this is her mother, Riesenlied."



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Maya is leaning over the table grabbing at what certainly -looks- like a precious gem worth a bajillion gellas/silver/zenny. She glances at Mikaia, who admonishes her, but only receives a boorish grin for her troubles. "Oh, c'mon. It's not real, don't worry about it too much!" and straightens up to brush the snow off her shoulders, now tossing the diamond up and down like a baseball.


Maya also slips easily to one side, a hand on the table to lean on, as Riesenlied makes her way over. She jerks a thumb at the horned lady and offers Rebecca a similar ear-to-ear flash of pearly whites in response. "Oh, I know Riese and her family pretty well. Don'tcha worry about me! I'm Maya, Miss 'Becca, nice to make your acquaintance!"


The blonde winks coyly at Riese as she goes for a handshake with Rebecca. "What I didn't know was that she had the musical touch on top of everything else..."


The diamond falls out of the air into the sorceress's pocket. Exit scene left, gem.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia does lighten up immediately after, at the very least; her lecturing is a little more joking than anything, giggling as she says, "That aside, that was a really neat trick, Miss Maya!"


Riesenlied pats Mikaia on the head as she scoops the harp a little closer to herself. "T-thank you... I've only been able to play again very recently, so I'm rather rusty." She bobs her head. "They do not permit music back home amongst my brethren... in a way, Althena's ban of music does remind me very much of that."


Mikaia looks back and forth between Maya and Rebecca, giggling softly. "Hehe... Miss Maya's one of our closest friends!"


Riesenlied nods as she expresses, "She has aided us a lot, at our lowest times, through thick and thin. She is a true friend..." she glances to Maya, blushing. "I-- I am not that skilled. And I do not have any singing ability, so do not even ask...!"

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

"Well if it's not real there's no problem - right Mikaia?"


The totally normal Lunar Mage named Maya she doesn't think is suspicious at all. Even when Mikaia they knew them well. After all if Riese has been here for a while - it's the closest friend part that trips her up some. But maybe they just got along that well? "Well it's good to meet you all the same Maya, even though... I already said that!"


But... Riese as she talks about the music, Rebecca gets a little introspective, "When I heard about the no music, I kinda thought the Church around these parts was gonna be real strict like..." She murmurs more quietly, "The Veruni back home." Raising it back up to a normal volume, "But it's not really like that? At least not that I've seen. Still... I don't get what their problem is with music."


Alcohol maybe she's a little more okay with the ban there.


But she gives Riese a smile after Maya compliments her music, watching the fake diamond vanish, "Hey I thought you were pretty good. Your music got me through..."


She considers how to put it, "... a tough moment!" But then she offers "But hey - something can be good on its own merits. You can be good at an instrument without having the best singing voice. Noone is demanding you do it all! I sure couldn't!"


Her singing voice is actually really good though. That's a talent she keeps to herself.


Why does she have so much talent there?


OOC Note: Because Nana Mizuki. Duh.


Then she quirks an eyebrow, "Hey... don't tell me it's something you only picked up recently?"


It took her /years/ to get her acrobatic shooting routine down.



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

To be fair, here, Maya is used to being the odd one out at times. Being considered one of the eccentric faculty of Vane is just a boon, at this point.


The blonde refrains from petting Riese on the head to comfort her, because she's the bosslady and doing that would be rude. Especially in front of friends. Especially after having her praises sung so readily. "I'm gonna melt from all this praise, but it's all true! Riese is a pretty remarkable lady, so she makes it easy to be a good friend to her and her efforts, you know?"


To Rebecca, Maya then cranes her head and peers at her appraisingly. But not in an unpleasant way, we promise. "Hey now, it's good to meet you to--I wanna say, but haven't you been around Wayside once before? Or was that someone else who looked.... hmm..."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia nods with a big, bright smile. "Uh huh! There sure isn't!" she winks, ever ready to put on the charm. Maybe she really does fit the profile of wait staff, or even front of house at some point...


Riesenlied does put a little hum of thought, sitting down opposite Rebecca at her booth gently as she sets her harp aside. "The reason they gave was that such revelry inspires Malevolence and, in turn, the appearance of the Lord of Calamity. But..." She tilts her head aside. "Something doesn't... feel right. If anything, I would have thought it would drive people to chase after their vice more..."


She can't help but shrug, but-- smiles very warmly as she says, "O-oh? I'm very glad..." She does not know that Rebecca has a wonderful singing voice, but she'd be very happy to have a duet someday!


"I'd be happy to play for friends at any time..."


Mikaia looks to Maya and perks up a little. "Yeah! She's babysat us with Dean and Avril before at times -- she's really talented! Janey wanted to join a circus once too... hehe, I wonder if she still has those ambitions? Probably not..."


Riesenlied is asked if she learnt it recently. A pause, as she shakes her head. "No, it's... actually something I've learnt over the years, for a very long time. I was very poor at it, b-but..."


Her cheeks flush a little. "I-I wanted to catch someone's eye, at the time... a melody that could speak where my courage did not..."


Mikaia gasps, as if she's just been struck by realisation. She surreptitiously glances at Rebecca. This is /prime/ poetry material!!

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

"Wayside?" Rebecca's eyes blink a few times then, "Eh!? You're from Filgaia too? No way!"


Maybe Maya was hiding some Symbology tattoos?


But she's good at rolling with the unexpected. And thus she's rolling with Maya revealing she's not a mage from Lunar.


"You know I'm just more and more convinced they don't know what they're talking about. I mean - Lucia was obviously not some- Lord of Calamity." After all the crying girl that clung to her through the streets of Meribia and took everything super literally made that pretty obvious, "And if they don't know what they're talking about there, why should we assume they're really experts on this sort of thing?"


It's the sensible conclusion to her at least. She's not the type to /defy/ authority usually, but private questioning won't get someone into too much trouble.


"Hey I might take you up on that sometime." But Mikaia, what she says, "Well... you could say by now I'm kind of a veteran babysitter."


The burn in her head is of course that it's not due to Mikaia but due to Dean. She may have a crush on the guy but she certainly /knows/ what he's like.


She beams wide when Mikaia says she's really talented, "Aw shucks Mikaia. I'm just glad you were a fan of my routine!" She turns to face her more head on, "Hey if she still wants to - I'll check out her act anytime! I'm still hoping to get scouted out by them myself!"


But then Riese describes where she learned it and...


Now she has Rebecca's full attention, just as Mikaia gasps. "Wait a second - you did?"


You know despite sticking around Wayside for a while. The idea of Metal Demons being in love never actually occurred to her. Yet now that Riese puts it that way - she realizes it's silly that it hasn't.


"Could you have been-? Oh my gosh. That sounds /so/ romantic!"


Leaning a little towards Riese, she glances towards Mikaia, then murmurs Riese's way, "So?"


So? So what?


"... did he notice? Did your feelings get through to him?"



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Maya is leaning in on both elbows by the time Riese is talking about why she picked up the harp. Trying not to get too many catlike qualities to her knowing smirk. "Oh~, so that's how it is... well, I think it'd done a good job. Heh~, heh~, heh~..." she leans closer with a huge grin, needling poor Riese only gently about it.


She also rocks back the other way, her teasing done. Because Rebecca is shocked to find out that the unruly sorceress who would fit right in here actually ain't a native at all. If she does actually go looking for any signs of symbology tats or hidden crests, there are none to be found.


Spooky ramifications for scenes that aren't this one.


"'fraid so. I'm as new here as you are." answers Maya, to the revelation that she too is from Filgaia. "But it's not such a bad place." a pause. "Not a boring one, even if we -do- need to get home in a hurry." but this is all delivered as an aside before the conversation turns to Love again.


That is why the sorcerous Mimic just steeples her fingers and kufufu~'s quietly at Riesenlied as the poor woman faces the music. How will she explain -this- one!?

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia has a tender smile as she says, "Now you don't have to babysit us anymore, hehe, I'm helping mister Argus out here! You can just have fun at the tavern now."


'Faces the music' is an incredibly apt way to describe this, well done, Sorcerous Mimic Maya I*****e!


Riesenlied's expression goes red herself, as Rebecca starts to look on with interest. And Mikaia, bless her little heart, can be a little bit of an absolute imp sometime. Which is why, while Riesenlied is utterly flummoxed, goes...!


"Ah, mom's expressed her lost love to me on her saddest nights..."


Noeline has no idea that her habit of handing those gella novels to Mikaia is about to backfire spectacularly.


"There was a-- noble one. Possessed of pale, alabaster skin... with eyes that gleam with the tinge of an aged red wine! Garbed in the clothes of night-- their court is the Arctican ball, where gentlemen and ladies of class impress with billows of lace and striking tuxedos..."


At this point, Magilou's theme is probably playing.


Riesenlied steams just a little harder, and at any other moment she'd just express gently that it is Noeline, Mikaia's got her on the back foot today... aaa...


"But--! Alas, love is forbidden, between a Crimson Noble and a Hyadean like mother!"


She's not /denying it/!?!

<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streissand has posed.

"It's true! If you're responsible enough to be a part timer it means you're too mature for me to babysit you anymore. Instead I'm just your friend Mikaia."


But as Maya needles Riese and she reveals she's new to this planet, "Yeah - it's kind of fun in a way? Like I can't help but worry about getting a little sidetracked... and the kind of... things left behind - like you know, everything with the statues... but I'm mostly enjoying it?"


And if Riese is looking like that - "It must be..."


/Metal Demon Romance/.


Seeing Riese as flummoxed as she'd be if someone called her on her crush on Dean makes it seem more real.


She finds herself mouthing the description, as if she's going to commit it to memory so she can write it down later - create a poem out of it.


"Oh my gosh - a ball. It's like something out of a storybook...!" The sound she makes after is almost like a light whine of envy that Riese had met her love like that.


"And then?" She prompts gently. "And-"


A crimson noble!? And it happened in /Arctica/? That place doesn't even exist anymore! She's pretty sure!


"No way."


Both of her hands are over her mouth right now. It's so wonderful, it strikes every romantic chord she could squeal. Star-crossed romance between a crimson noble and a metal demon!? Two different kinds of Filgaian boogeymen engaged in a torrid affair?


"And then? You didn't let a little thing like /forbidden/ stop you right? You just... met well... clandestine right?"


The thought of those fangs sinking into Riesenlied's neck in throes of passion!


Rebecca is still bright red beneath her hands...



<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Maya is pretty much unable to comment on this without ruining the moment--so she elects not to, biting her lip to keep from laughing too uproarously, too quickly, and points briefly at Riese with both fingers. Fingerguns.


You're owned, bosslady.


"Ah," is all the strange woman can bring herself to muster with a truly calculating smile on her face. She appears to appreciate -exactly- what is going on here, and simply egresses from the table on her tiptoes before anyone looks to her to bring things down a notch.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mikaia can't help but giggle further, nodding at Rebecca, proud at being called mature enough to not need babysitting. Well, she has her days... but what kid doesn't?


"Oh, but it doesn't /stop/ there. Passion is forbidden... love doesn't have meaning in a warlike society like Hyades!" Mikaia's putting on an accent now. She's pretty much on overdrive. "Mother didn't understand what love even was... until..."


Riesenlied, bless her heart, is wilfully unaware of when people are egging her on, and thus: "I-it's true... their love for life, their wanderlust was what opened my eyes to lands abroad. To Ignas, Aquvy and further ahead... to hear the stories and see pictures with my own eyes piqued my curiosity like no other..."


"But-- ah! Lord Siegfried would not hear of it," it's like there's a dramatic sting here. "And so, the Crimson Noble departed, to disappear for centuries..."


Riesenlied pauses, lowering her head. "That's true. ... I was not able to express how I felt... it wounded my heart so... so..." she clutches onto her harp, hugging it. "For a while, in secret, I would practice... so that perhaps, my song would be heard one day..."


And before this story can reach its conclusion and be explained for the misunderstanding that it is--


Ringgg!


The door swings open, and Janey huffs as she says, "Hey, I could use a hand out here putting the sign up, it's done!"


Riesenlied jolts out of her reverie, stammering, "Oh-- goodness! Look at the time... I promised Miss Miria I would see her after my performance. I'm sorry, Miss Rebecca, Miss Maya... I must go." She bows her head and rises.


Mikaia nods and waves as she watches mother go.


The scene darkens for a moment, a lance of light shining on her face.


Keikaku doori... (TN: Keikaku means K.K.)

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