Blue-haired girls have more fun! [Zee!]

[Ivory]

Why was it that made her feel so guilty, all of a sudden?  Eliana looked her over critically, then shook her head.  "That wouldn't be fair on your birthday."  Especially since it might be her last, from the way she was acting!

"Why don't I take you somewhere nice?  There's a lovely little restaurant on the next block.  We're dressed for a night on the town, and since our time at the tavern has ended early..."

It left little choice!

[zozee9]

"To the lovely little restaurant it is!" exclaimed Elaina, thrusting her fist into the sky while she laughed. "What kind of food do they have?" She was hoping for something sweet and savory, but honestly didn't care. Anything would taste good at this point. After all, she had been traveling all day and was planning on eating at the tavern... but that didn't work out.

She avoided pointing out that she wasn't dressed for a night in the town, whatever that meant. She was dressed normally. But no use sweating the details, Elaina figured.

[Ivory]

"Well, it is a cafe, so...  The usual, I suppose," Eliana replied with a slight shrug.  "They have a pretty good selection, considering.  I rarely get to visit these days, but I've never been disappointed."

It had, once upon a time, been one of her favorite haunts...  Right up until the urge to find something new to steal had taken her out of this town!

"So, you said you're travelling.  To anywhere in particular?"

[zozee9]

From her experience, different cafes could have completely different foods. A lot of it depended on what country you were in. But Elaina figured that Eliana was simply talking about sandwiches and salads and soups.

"I'm just traveling. Or adventurer-ing, if you want to be more accurate. Life at home was too boring, so I set out!" Elaina exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. While she missed her mom and her dad, she had no regrets leaving. It was so much more fun not knowing what was going to happen at any given time.

[Ivory]

"And where is home?"  Who in their right mind let their daughter go adventuring?  She was liable to get herself killed!  "And if you aren't a thief and you aren't a whore, what is it, exactly, that you do for money?"

Stopping outside a small, brick building, that, frankly, wasn't much to look at it, the older woman opened up the door.  Behind the frosted glass existed a whole new world.  The restaurant wasn't very big, but the design made it look spacious enough inside.  Candles flickered on the tables and art hung on the walls.  The atmosphere here was comfortable, classy, and private, it seemed, and the maitre'd stepped up to greet them with an easy smile.

"Good evening, ladies.  Do you have a reservation?"

Eliana's smile could have charmed the robes off a celibate monk.  "Hutch sent us."

The man bowed, picked up the menus, and showed the pair to a booth.  "Right this way, please."

[zozee9]

Elaina was just about to respond to Eliana's questions when they reached the building. The door was opened and she was left speechless. Not because she hadn't ever been somewhere that fancy—she definitely had—but because that wasn't at all what she was expecting. Instead, she thought they'd be going to some sort of cheap café with homie food.

She followed Eliana into the booth and slid into it. At last, she decided to speak. "This place is gorgeous. Seems a bit romantic but that's perfect! Romantic places tend to have the best customer service... which has already been proven." She paused to glance around. The ambience was quite something.

"Back to your earlier questions, though. I'm from Serendipity, and I get my money from my parents. Lame, I know, but that was their agreement for letting me leave on my own. I do some work here and there, but mostly just things people request me to do seeing as I never stay in one place for too long." Elaina smiled, not knowing what else to say. Although she left it unspoken, most of the requests she accepted she did for free. Only those who obviously had tons of money she actually agreed to be compensated by.

[Ivory]

"Romantic?  Do you think so?"  Eliana glanced around, appraising the cozy atmosphere a moment before dismissing it with a shrug.  "The mayor owns this place.  The waiter probably thinks we've just come back from Hutch's bed."  She glanced up from the menu, then.  "So don't do anything to discourage him.  I'll make sure he knows how grateful we are in the next day or so..."  The corner of her lips turned upwards in a smirk.  She wouldn't mind the excuse to see him again.  He had been a rather sweet man...

Perhaps he'd even forgiven her from stealing from him by now.

"What sort of work do you do?  The odd job?  Or do you have a specialty?"

[zozee9]

Before responding to Eliana's question, Elaina decided to ask something of her own. "Who is Hutch? You keep mentioning him." She paused as she skimmed the menu to see just what kind of food they had.

Then, looking back up at her companion, she added, "I do whatever I can to help people. I suppose my specialty is probably chasing thieves or making clothes or something, but I try to do anything needed. How about you? Any jobs other than thieving?"

[Ivory]

"Hutch?  Oh, he's the mayor," Eliana answered dismissively.  "He's been the mayor forever.  He's a good man, but he isn't someone to be trifled with.  He owns most of the town."

The menu was closed softly and set aside as Elaina answered the question.  "You chase thieves for a living?"  She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice...or the suspicion from her face.  That was not particularly good news...

She could see how she might be successful in that trade, though...  After all, even Eliana had fell for it.

Rather than answer the question, she asked, quite seriously, "Were you sent here after me?"  She'd had enough bounties on her head over the years that it was a more-than legitimate question.

[zozee9]

Elaina paused, and then gasped as she realized what it must have sounded like she was implying. "Oh, no! I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I wasn't sent after you. By thieves, I mean people that steal from the innocent. Well, I suppose that is what you did. But today is different, as I previously mentioned. Normally I'll help people that barely have enough money to scrape by. Don't get me wrong—I don't believe that you were justified with what you did—but that isn't what I focus on. Plus, I don't typically actually turn the thieves in to the police. So don't worry." She said this all quickly, making sure that the girl didn't get the wrong idea.

After a brief pause to catch her breath, she slowed down and added, "I went up to you because you have blue hair and it looked like it would be fun. That was the only reason, I swear."

[Ivory]

Fool me once, Eliana thought as she regarded the other girl with equal suspicion.

"If you don't turn thieves in to the police, what, exactly, do you do with them once you catch them?"

Really!  This girl made less and less sense...  Unless, perhaps, she just killed them?  Eliana looked at the girl more critically.  Yes, that could very well be a possibility.  Some folks didn't want to keep her ilk alive, after all.

[zozee9]

Elaina got the idea that the girl didn't quite trust her. Not like she really cared.

Unconcerned, she truthfully responded, "Lecture them. Make them return the money. And, more often than not, give them some of my money in order to help them." Elaina paused, thinking about the question a little more. "Sometimes—especially for the kids—I help them find jobs. Or I let them stay with me for a night or two. It all depends on why they were doing what they were doing, you know? Most people don't steal because they have a bad soul." She smiled innocently.

To anyone else, it might have been weird to say this to somebody who you had just caught stealing. But Elaina didn't see it that way. There was never any harm in telling the truth.

[Ivory]

"Well," the woman answered with a soft sigh.  "You are an odd one, aren't you?"  Where would her life have gone if someone had found her a job in a shop or something, rather than leaving her out on the street to learn the true worth of a coin...and what she was willing to do for it.

Well, there was no use thinking about that now.  She didn't even like to consider how many years ago that was...

"Just be careful on the Southroad.  The thieves in these parts aren't very friendly.  Some of them are contract killers.  Most of them wouldn't leave the life if you offered them the chance.  And they never work alone.  There's always someone nearby -- both to watch their backs and to keep them honest.  It's a dangerous place for that kind of work...but if you succeed, I'm sure somebody, somewhere will pay you well for your trouble."

[zozee9]

Without even pausing, Elaina responded, "That sounds like a perfect place for me to be! Don't worry—I'm strong. I can try to help those people of, if I'm not able to aid them like you say, I suppose I could report them. Well, when you say not friendly, do you mean violence? Because that's not okay."

Elaina glanced back down at her menu and decided that she would order the fancy sandwich that had salmon and ginger and sesame oil alongside other things. It sounded good.

"I don't really need money right now, though. I somehow ended up with a lot last week. Of course, that wouldn't stop me from helping."

[Ivory]

Eliana laughed softly and shook her head.  "Oh, they've been reported.  Many, many times.  But they live in a fortified tower, and no one has had any luck breaking their defense.  Plus, they're led by a mordecai.  You know what a mordecai does, don't you?"

The waiter appeared then, a bottle of fine wine and two glasses already in tow.  "With the compliments of the House."

"Thank you," the blue-haired temptress beamed, then nodded her satisfaction after a sip.  Hutch always did have good taste, after all...

"What would you ladies like this evening?" the waiter continued calmly.

Eliana glanced at the menu, then pushed it over to the waiter.  "Lamb, with the rice and salad."

The waiter bowed slightly, then turned expectantly towards the younger girl.  "And for you, Miss?"

[zozee9]

Elaina smiled delightedly as she sipped the wine. It was truly superb. Looking up at the waiter, she pointed at the food she wanted and responded, "I would love this sandwich, please." The waiter took her menu and walked away.

Turning towards Eliana, a mischievous smile on her face, she said, "Of course I know what a mordecai does. And they're quite fun to deal with... And if the thugs are led by mordecai, I see no logical reason for us not to go and stop them." Elaina winked. "What do you think? You can keep all the reward money..."

[Ivory]

Eliana stared at the younger woman, looking very much like she had just been slapped.  "You're crazy.  What, exactly, do you think you can do that armed guards cannot?  They would kill you, and most of them would feel no remorse for it."

And some of them would probably rape her first.  And at least one after...  No, these were not people Elaina should cross.

"Haven't you been listening?  I'm trying to save your life."

[zozee9]

With a pout, Elaina responded, "And I thought you'd be all for the idea! Where's your sense of fun?" She looked down at her hands for a second before returning her gaze back upwards. "Plus, I have plenty of experience fighting!" If it were one on one, Elaina was pretty confident in her ability to win a fight. But if there were many people against her... well, the probability of her winning would drop.

But it got her wondering: did her water magic still work around mordecai? She had never tried it out before. She had never met a mordecai before. Her ability to control water was part of her blood, so it would be possible for it to work. If nothing else, she figured water still wouldn't be able to hurt her.

And now that she wondered this, she had to know.

"Come on, let's do it! I have to test something out, anyway."

[Ivory]

"I'm not interested in dying," Eliana answered with an immediate frown.  "And you should be in no hurry yourself.  Even if you can find their base of operations, you can't just walk in. And they aren't going to stand there and let you give them a lecture about their evil ways."  Most of them, anyway.  There were a few who might find it amusing...

[zozee9]

Elaina sighed and explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "We wouldn't die! That's not why we'd be going there. And I don't see why I couldn't just walk in. Plus, I never said I'd be going there to lecture... from what you already said, I guessed that they wouldn't listen. Just because talking is my first option doesn't mean it's my only option!"

She took a sip of her wine and once again knew how fancy this place must be. Elaina felt kind of bad about it since Eliana said she'd be paying... but no use getting hung over it. She might as well enjoy it.