Confused Bloomer

“Oh? I always had the impression that hot chocolate was more of a winter drink than a summer one. But I suppose it is delicious no matter what time of year~” Even if it is a little hot for the season. But delicious is delicious, nonetheless!

“Heheh, certainly everyone’s a lot more complicated than they seem on the surface. Like I’m sure you are, yeah?” Considering his cursed status, after all. She really does wonder how that whole fiasco went down… Well, she wonders a lot of things regarding his past. But all good things in due time!

Ah, he managed to look her in the eyes again! An accomplishment! (She guesses? Seeing as he’s always focusing his gaze on the plants and all.) Though his comment gives her conflicted feelings… But the following praise flusters her, and she can’t help but smile. Goddess of Good Fortune, he said!

“Oh, no no, I’m certainly not better than anyone, haha!” This comes out less stern than she had originally intended, but it must be said, one way or another. “I mean, it would be nice if the favor were returned, I’ll give ya that. But if you’re gonna go and do something kind out of the goodness of your heart, then it wouldn’t be right to expect anything in return! ‘Cause then it wouldn’t be a gift! It would be a… A… An investment! A ‘you owe me’ type of thing! And I don’t want to put anyone under that kind of obligation if I only wanted to make them smile, you know?” She folds her arms with finality, regaining the sternness that she had lost before. “If the lack of repayment was really too much of a burden, then I wouldn’t go so out of my way to please them. Simple as that!”

At this point, she wonders if she was mostly talking to herself. She did digress a bit after he’d already redirected his attention to his plants again. Always gotta over-explain herself…

“Although an investment makes it sound like that fellow with the blonde hair.” Gael paused, plucking one of the fire flowers and watching it with a ponderous gaze. He had thought the stranger might deserve a four-leaf clover, but after hearing him speak, “I ended up giving him a fire flower.”

-

I’m not your friend, pal. Artem enjoyed his own humor and responses he thought up, but they never reached past his lips. Besides, he didn’t know this stranger. What if he became aggressive? But on a completely different note, he was strangely… dressed? Was that a fashion statement? No, wait, there were more problems past his attire. Although Artem didn’t move past that thought until the fellow began speaking again.

“Agni…” The name slipped his lips before he had even comprehended the second sentence. Wait, was he floating? He was too close. Was there a problem with his face? What if he thought his name didn’t match? That would be quite a disappointment. Touching a finger to his cheek, he wondered if the face paint covered the slight red in his cheeks. He didn’t appreciate compliments from strangers. They made him nervous. It was still a compliment, though. He should be polite.

Give him your name. The thought disappeared as Artem took a step back. His entire mind had shifted to the fact that he had finally moved. What if he tripped? What if he was in someone’s way? This was a problem. A much bigger problem than the conversation. Derailed from the introduction entirely, he responded, “That outfit doesn’t match.”

Dear Ventuswill, swoop out of your castle and destroy all of Selphia before this conversation continues. Where was Sasha? Artem mentally cursed her at least twice for this outcome… and then quietly rescinded those curses.

Agni blinked, thrown for a loop for a moment, before looking down at his own clothing. “You really think so? What do you think would look better then?” He had thought that the pattern suited him but surely this elegant stranger might have more of an eye for fashion than he did. He was a hairdresser not a fashion designer. Looking up at the man that had taken a step back, Agni tilted his head, concern for the other quieting any concern over his choice of fashion.

“I’m fine.” His grip tightened over his parasol, uncertain of this fellows motives. He seemed nice enough. Possibly a bit overly concerned, though. The humans in Sharance were the same way, though. Then again, he didn’t appear to be human. This was too much to digest. He was starting to get a headache. He should have never left home. Sharance was perfectly fine. Why did he agree with Sasha in the first place? Why wasn’t it raining yet?

reponse to this    “Where did she go…” Artem stared off into the distance, his gaze being one more often described as empty rather than longing. He had taken a total of five steps outside of the inn when his sister left, and… truth be told, he hadn’t moved since. Well, what if something went horribly wrong? What if he knocked someone over? What if he damaged the door trying to open it? What if he interrupted the innkeeper trying to find his room again? He ought to just remain here until the crowd died down. For now, he would just avoid eye contact. He didn’t want to make it look like he was lost. Well, it was impossible to be lost if you didn’t have a destination. Really, he wanted to go back to Sharance, but Sasha had promised him inspiration, so he ought to at least see what she was plotting. Although… it had been over an hour since he began occupying his perch. At this rate, he wouldn’t be surprised if someone thought he was a statue. Then again, statues weren’t constantly fidgeting with their parasol.

Agni had noticed the man standing outside the inn towards the beginning of his errand, but upon his return, seeing that he was still standing there roughly an hour or more later, he was concerned something was amiss. Approaching the fidgety stranger, Agni offered a smile. “Hello friend, are you lost? I haven’t seen your face around here before.” Taking a moment to observe the other, he noted a more eastern influenced outfit, though of what region didn’t quite come to mind. But altogether an elegant outfit it would seem. Fitting.

“Agni...” The name slipped his lips before he had even comprehended the second sentence. Wait, was he floating? He was too close. Was there a problem with his face? What if he thought his name didn’t match? That would be quite a disappointment. Touching a finger to his cheek, he wondered if the face paint covered the slight red in his cheeks. He didn’t appreciate compliments from strangers. They made him nervous. It was still a compliment, though. He should be polite.

Give him your name. The thought disappeared as Artem took a step back. His entire mind had shifted to the fact that he had finally moved. What if he tripped? What if he was in someone’s way? This was a problem. A much bigger problem than the conversation. Derailed from the introduction entirely, he responded, “That outfit doesn’t match.”

-

“Jordan–” Gael paused, the sudden motion of a certain mermaid friend (using the definition loosely at this point) pulling his attention away from the boy who had been cooking a meal just moments ago. In the lack of an appropriate weapon, she had picked up one of his pots. She already knew the object would just phase through Nasim, but that wasn’t stopping her, apparently. “– no, NO. Sasha!”

Between the barbarian trying to destroy his shop and Nasim unconsciously whipping up a storm, ‘think fast’ was the first phrase that came to mind. Prying the pot from Sasha’s hand, he rose his voice, “You’re making a bad first impression!”

The comment had actually been directed at Nasim. Sasha was making a very accurate impression. At the mention of a third party involved, the battle simmered into quieter (but still rather loud) bickering.

“Is that one of your friends?” Sasha spoke in a low, suspicious voice, eyeing Nasim for a short moment.

“I don’t know him.” Nasim, who had never actually introduced himself to Jordan at any point (he pretty much went into hiding whenever the squirrel came over), wasn’t very fond of having the half-monster’s eyes on him. He didn’t like being stared at. “What? We’ve got monster parts so we must know each other? How shallow can you possibly swim, you idiotic whale.”

Gael knew that phrase would probably end with something about suffocation, so he cut off the commentary, setting a weary hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “Jordan. This is Sasha. I used to work for her in Sharance.”

“… And that’s Nasim. He’s been here the entire time.” Gael cleared his throat, a small flicker of a smile appearing on his face, “He’s just shy.”

“I’m not shy.” Nasim growled, refusing to let that slide.

Jordan smiled at the bickering twosome. “Its nice to meet you Sasha! Oh, and it’s good to finally get a proper meeting Nasim. I noticed your presence for a while but i figure it’s better to leave well-enough alone. I’m Jordan, and I used to travel a bit before settling down in Selphia!” He politely dipped his head, pretending to ignore the whispers that might as well be spoken right at him with how badly they were concealed.

Nasim, on the other hand, didn’t take the greeting so well. He knew? If he knew why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t Gael say anything? Nasim didn’t want to be a part of this stupid charade. A low, disapproving noise bubbled in the back of his throat as his face reacted to the emotion that was a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “If you know, then say something!”

“Now, now,” Gael’s wrist swung, as if to brush away the fellow’s emotions with a sweeping gesture, “All’s well that ends well, right?”

The sylph muttered something under his breath as he gave up and retreated. Sasha, on the other hand, only liked Jordan more after that exchange. “I’m glad someone’s finally using that kitchen that took us weeks to build!”

“Unfortunately, I’ll have to take a rain check on lunch! I ditched my brother back in town and I doubt he’ll last much longer without me.” Sasha gave a hearty laugh as though this were incredibly hilarious.