On the way back home (Semi-open, PM to Join)

[hoffman]

A satisfied yawn escaped the green-haired soldier's mouth as he turned an alleyway, walking out into what appeared to be one of Traverse Town's many intricate courtyards.

Street lamps lined the courtyard's perimeter, peppering its backdrop but not so much that it was overcrowded. Oddly reminiscent of something one would expect from the Victorian era, the courtyard carried a characteristically 'warm', 'home-sweet-home' feeling. A welcoming feeling.

Yet, Leiss knew that this isn't where he belonged, no matter how embracing or loving its surroundings appeared to be. In fact, much like he had thought about the mythos behind Traverse Town's close-knit community, he loathed it. He truly knew - or thought - that it was a red herring, established to divert one's eyes from the fact that all its denizens feigned affection. That they were all actually vultures on the inside, and that they were all working together to bring visitors down.

In the youth's case, however, none of these 'vultures' wanted a single thing to do with him because of how he was dressed. Or at least they didn't want to inquire too heavily into his business.

A straw-woven cowboy hat adorned his temples, shading his face under the dim light of the Victorian street lamps - it would have nearly hidden his face if it weren't for the fact that it had been slightly tipped upward. Perhaps what stood out more, though, was the brown leather duster that hung down like a robe over his frame, masking all traits of his musculature save for the soft outline of a four-pack showing out through his stark white dress shirt. Tight denim blue jeans ran down from his waist to his ankle, covered by knee-height cowboy boots. It complemented the idea of this green-haired boy being a 'space cowboy' visitor of sorts, helping the youth take on a theme.

There was some humor to be found in the boy's appearance in spite of all this. His height was meager, five-foot-three to be exact, and as far as any passersby were concerned, he was either a small punk or a very 'tomboyish' girl. Both descriptions seemed as equally likely, and given their own set of biases, it could be said that the boy's business in town wouldn't be taken all that seriously. At least not by a majority of the townsfolk.

In a way, that's what he wanted but hadn't ever expected to pull off. Truthfully, keeping a low profile was one of his lesser talents... he knew he would have to study it more in-depth. Especially if his superiors wanted him to do more reconnaissance.

Standing near a lamp post, Leiss surveyed the courtyard's surroundings, pondering whether to stay or go; He had thought that perhaps the First District had more secrets and tales that might be worth knowing.

"A few more minutes wouldn't hurt."

((So yeah, this thread is semi-open. PM to ask if you can join. You don't have to be interacting with Leiss to necessarily be in it, but make sure you stray from corniness such as getting involved in already-large conversations.))

[antique]

It seemed that every time Antique had went to practice her magic, something had happened to eventually distract her. Whether it was meeting with friends, or a swarm of Heartless to interrupt her, it seemed as if it was almost too hard to practice magic herself. Maybe what she needed was a sparring partner.

Walking through the first district, her arms folded over her chest, and delicate looking hand rubbing her chin, she pondered. How exactly had she learned how to use Clarent? It was such a long time ago sine she had had her initial training with the large claymore strapped to her back. There had always been other children being trained too...

Wait.

She paused in her walking when a light bulb went off. She always had another knight-in-training to spar with. Was that what that was? She needed a sparring partner? Pointing a finger to the air dramatically, she decided that it couldn't be a bad idea! But...who was she going to spar with?

Everyone she knew was at a by far advanced stage of magic than her! Antique hung her blue and pink haired head in defeat in an exaggerated manner. Oh well. Something was sure to make itself apparent to her. Perhaps she should go back to the waterway to train again...

"Hmmm...Cake sounds good about now..." she said wistfully, as she looked up to the eternal night sky, unaware that anyone could hear her.

[hoffman]

Leiss held his head low as he stood a few mere feet from the nearest source of light. The orange glow of the street lantern cast out on the back of his duster, making him clearly visible... but perhaps not so much to those caught up in their own lives. For him, it was all the better; being a watcher, an observer... that was his purpose here.

"...cake sounds good about now," echoed a voice into the night. He found it to be both gingerly and captivating, clearly a female's voice.

The green-haired space cowboy was as keen to this as anything else. Silent and static as a statue, he hadn't outwardly reacted at what he had heard, what had been spoken; however, his eyes had darted from under the rim of his head-worn attire to glance at the owner of the voice.

A girl dressed from head to toe in a casual number, cleanly matted and ironed no less. Were it not for gravity, her clothing would be devoid of wrinkles, devoid of that uncharismatic carelessness... he initially attributed this to the fact that she was a girl, but - there were other reasons for this, he felt. Only a hunch.

Somehow, he felt a need to speak out after a few moments, deciding that silence was a double-edged sword. He could remain discrete for the remainder of his time on the world, but it would be that much more difficult to gather information. He recounted his past conversation with the mad scientist inhabiting the town - were it not for her approach and his willingness to be sociable, he wouldn't learn a thing.

So he spoke.

"Girls and their sweets," he snidely remarked under his own breath.

[antique]

"...Girls and their sweets."

Ever watch a cat while it seemed to be staring at space, then you snapped your fingers behind it, and it automatically snapped it's head in your direction? That was what the girl seemed like. Granted her care-free attitude, dreaming about light and fluffy pastries was a little bit lost in the moment, it was all lost in the snap of a moment.

Her eyes searched the area for the voice, her body tense for a few moments. But it soon melted into a friendly, almost disarming smile

The girl in pink and blue laughed lightly and rubbed the back of her head. "Hahah," she chuckled. "Guess I'm really no different than other girls then," she said to the owner of the voice, smiling.

She idly wondered if it was a new person in town. If they had simply tasted the cakes at the First District cafe, they certainly wouldn't be making such snide remarks!

[hoffman]

"Guess I'm really no different than other girls, then."

"...what? I don't think she can see me from here - or, maybe she can..."

Chewing harshly on the end of a toothpick he had put into his mouth only a few seconds prior, he nearly snapped it in two. But before he could've given off a frustrated vibe, he refrained from pressing too hard down on the toothpick as it might have alluded to how he felt.

"She totally meant that as an insult! I'm not a girl, damn it...!"

Leiss focused his eyes on the girl, beckoning her with a raised hand that seemed both greeting and inviting. He wasn't sure if she would come... if anything, he was certain that she'd ask him to come over to her. Although Traverse Town was always shrouded in the dark of night, people DID have schedules, and this was the time of day where people were either sleeping or resting at home. It didn't exactly make anyone feel safe traversing - mind the pun - the town at night.

"...'lo," he greeted her aloud.

[antique]

Tilting her head at the beckoning hand, Antique kind of froze in her spot...not exactly sure if she should go to the source of the voice. A hand gesture like that, at this time of night. She blinked.

Was s/he a merchant? S/he probably wasn't. The cultural differences between her world and this one were abounding, and not always that predictable. For example, the vast amount of desserts that were available for the lower and fighting class. Those things were usually reserved for the noble and upper class!

Nevertheless, she approached, though the expression on her face showed a bit of caution.

She smiled sweetly at the person as she came closer. At closer inspection....she couldn't tell if this person was a girl or boy.

"Um...hello," she said cheerfully.

Obviously she never learned that rule about talking to strangers.

[hoffman]

"Appearances are deceiving," the boy thought, watching warily as the female approached him. He kept his hands pocketed in his overcoat as she approached, as if concealing something... yet clearly not holding on to anything.

"...I need to find something to say."

Clearing his throat in a somewhat urgent and premature manner that might have been surprising, Leiss prepared to speak again. He still wasn't sure whether to inquire into the girl's business, to open with a proposition, or even ask how she was; whichever he chose, he knew that he had to keep a low profile.

"You seemed scatterbrained," he murmured, continuing without much of an intermission, "It's weird when you see people talk to themselves."

[antique]

Antique blinked in surprise. Scatterbrained?

...Well, yeah. The girl with blue hair could definitely see where he got that. But this situation seemed a little bit weird to her. His/her overcoat, a random conversation...it seemed alot like something else from her own world.

"Ah...you're not trying to sell me anything, are you?" she looked at him/her wearily. She took a step back, lifting her hands in front of her in a defensive gesture.

Overcoat, this time of night, and trying to keep a low-profile?

"Because...ah...I'm not into that kind of stuff!" she smiled sweetly. She would definitely need to let Lady Jadis know about this.

((LOL. So much for first impressions!))

[hoffman]

Drooping his head in speechless astonishment, Leiss nearly facepalmed at the girl's assumption.

"Who does she think I am? I'm not that kind of person..."

He mulled over the remark she had made, wondering where she had drawn her conclusions from. It was only a moment later that he realized that it was his clothing - perhaps the lack of adequate lighting in this particular area made him seem worse - or even the fact that it wasn't well-populated here.

"...relax, ma'am," Leiss suggested, raising his head once more. Lifting up the rim of his cowboy hat, he revealed his face to the female. The boy's face spoke more volumes than his body frame or stature - he definitely didn't look manly at all.

"Just a little lost. I'm wondering if you know anything at all about this place."

[antique]

Antique wasn't exactly sure how to deal with -that- kind of person. An opium dealer in Traverse Town! What was she supposed to do with this? Clearly, a knights arrest should have been appropriate. But when was the last time she had done something like that? And was he truely a drug dealer? This person had not shown their...merchandise afterall.

But s/he did lift his hat to show his/her face.

Which completely threw her off.

"You're ah...not from around here, are you?" she said, lowering her defensive gesture. "I'm not native to here, but I think I know my way around a little bit. Where do you need to go?"

[hoffman]

Resisting the urge to furrow his brow in disappointment, Leiss tried to seem a bit more casual as he stretched backward.

"...actually, ma'am - I'm... not lost..." he trailed off with a quiet hum, lifting his cowboy hat for a moment to scratch his thick, green hair. And for what seemed only a speck of sand in the grand hourglass of time itself, his green hair sheened magnificently upon contact with the orange light of the street lamp.

The boy realized, then, that he'd seem even more of a shady fellow if he continued to seem passive-aggressive about learning all these small, obscure details surrounding Traverse Town. He already knew the place quite well, so it wouldn't do him any good to ask about general knowledge.

He needed an innocent-sounding goal. Then he wouldn't seem as suspicious.

And he thought of one. This whole time he had kept up an uncertain glare... the kind of one you'd see on a person trying to keep a secret, no less.

"It might sound like some broad claim because of what I'm wearing, but... I'm just a starving journalist. I'm about 10 parsecs from home, yeah. I came out here because my paper is looking for a good story somewhere amidst the stars, and truth be told, they're gonna fire my keister if I don't put out."

He twiddled his thumbs, staring innocently. "I didn't want to have to tell you because I hate pity. But if I didn't say anything, you'd think I was a freak."

[antique]

This person's slag was lost on her, and it was apparent. Journalist? Keister? Antique had no idea what any of those things were...though she hoped they weren't bad things. But they sounded completely like they were.

"I'm a little confused as to what you want from me, Miss...ter..." she said cautiously, only because she wasn't sure what this person was, or if it was one of those people that were in the middle.

"But I'll do my best to help...or direct you to someone who'd know alot more about things around here than I do," she said, smiling cheerfully. "Though it seems like what you're seeking is information...or food. You did say that you were starving, afterall."

[Ellie who has 0%]

"About damn time," brown puffed at the cool air watching her exhale curl like steam. Being in the airship for a long time can get to her, despite how much she loved Creme's company whether it was agitating her, getting her candy stolen, or toying with her ears. She needed to get back to work, or she will get rusty. No bounty hunter needs to loose their skill; it was too fun to get new hits and baits.

Heels clicked along the night drenched cobblestone. Dark brown red hued eyes glanced up at the fire lamps. Her nose wrinkled at how so outdated the world felt. Red velvet eyes drifted around taking notice and looking at who was around her, while not looking at them. It was as if she was looking through them as if the buildings were far more entertaining than their existence.

Her hair swayed very little since it was short; the cropped silver strands brushed against her halberd strapped along her back. Tall white rabbit ears with black speckles on top twitched at the single sound of the metal rubbing up against the little clothing she wore. People may find it obnoxious in how prideful it revealed her curves, while some may fancy in hopes to fit in it, but it's a typical traditonal viera wear despite the fact that in the eyes of the viera she wasn't one of them.

Walking on her high shoes for her long feet, the brown skinned long legged athlete sat on a black iron chair of the little cafe this world had, but removed the halberd from her back to be comfortable. Her clawed hand tightened around it as most of the weight was supported on the ground. The right leg crossed over the other revealing her inhuman feet as she waited patiently.

A waitress came to her instantly and merely stared at her. The viera didn't have regards to acknowledge her first; she was occupied picking her nails, but her eyes soon drifted towards her in a mere glance. "Hot coffee, lots of creme, vanilla caramal. That would be all."

She ended it quickly locking her eyes with the other. Whether it showed agitation was unclear, but intimidation rippled off of her as the waitress scurried away, "hmph".

Typical humes...can't keep their eyes in their sockets before quivering like a leaf. Already with a mere first impression, the waitress was dubbed pathetic, and Coffee may toy with her more to see how predictable she really was. "I might as well get my benefits."