For the better part of the last several weeks, the weather had been welcoming, even inviting to those who had happened to arrived within the city of Era. Warm weather, clear skies, even in the waning weeks of winter one could reasonably have imagined it to be late spring or even early summer. It was unfortunate, that today of all days when Leyaria had sought and hoped to have taken advantage of the weather and do a bit of exploring, that it decided to rain heavily. A heavy mist lifted itself from the cobblestone pathways that littered Era, making it difficult to see quite what was going on, especially within the more crowded parts of town. Yet in spite of this, the streets were crowded, moreso than perhaps what one not familiar with the city-life would have found to be surprising, Leyaria included.

Seated beneath an umbrella just outside of one of the small cafes that seemed so sufficiently plentiful throughout Era, Leyaria couldn't help but frown and turn her head all about, hoping for any sort of indication that the rain was going to die down. There did not appear to be even the slightest reason to be hopeful, rain continuing to pelt down the ground with an unwavering fervor. "I'd have hoped to see a bit more of the city. Really puts a killer on that idea, doesn't it?" Her words almost seemed lost to the sound of as rain descended upon the umbrella as they fell into a small circle around Leyaria and her golem companion Geth. The two had stumbled upon here by accident, the earlier morning sunlight giving no indication of this only a little earlier ago.

As time went and she remained seated there longer, the more and more she seemed to feel out of place. She wore little to nothing that offered any genuine coverage from the water, whereas almost every other individual she happened to see had at least a hat or overcoat to keep them dry. More to that, Geth was drawing far more curious eyes than what it generally did, seeming to display great joy in playing in the rain much like that of a young child. Leyaria couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the sight of this; moments like this were amongst some of which she most enjoyed since having acquiring the creature. Thinking back to the time that she had spent with Geth, Leyaria couldn't recall any previous instances of rain, so her companion's excitement was certainly warranted, if not expected.

"Hopefully it dies down sooner rather than later..."

Leyaria thought for a moment, contemplating departing from where they were presently, but as the rain continued to pound down upon the ground, she realized how foolish of a decision that was. She knew very of this part of Era, having found this area of shelter only by happenstance than anything else. With how aggressively it was raining, it would be only a short time until she was drenched. As well, given her situation right now in Era at the moment, she couldn't afford to get sick as a result. This basically left her with a lone option of having to wait out the storm and hope that the rain dies down, the sooner the better.

Rain continued to fall, though as time progressed it gradually declined, only to return with as much intensity as before, it being a routine pendulum of inconsistent downpour. Leyaria regaled not to extend beyond the safe confines of the umbrella of this table, the greater concern more than anything else being the possibility of Geth disappearing than the rain returning with a fury that had yet to be seen. To her satisfaction however, the small golem-like creature remained within relatively close proximity to the young Dragon Slayer, not only in sight but also within earshot should she feel the need to recall the small creature.

"Be careful," she called out to Geth, half-inclined to believe that the creature did not hear her; hardly a significant departure compared to other instances between the two. Though if history was any indication, there was little reason for her to be worried in this case as Geth's curiosity had yet to lead the two of them into significant trouble, and those instances were in far less secure locations than compared to within the city of Era. At the same time, while they may have been within Era, they were strangers. This was no their home, nor would they be foolish enough to presume that the fact they were here suddenly made them any more resistant or protected than anyone else who may have walked the streets. Given her limited capability of controlling her Magic as it stood, the argument could be made that she was even less safe than others.

Listening to the rain as it fell against the canvas just a mere few feet above her head, she had begun to pick up on the tendencies of the rain, the softer pounding having an almost artistic attribute to it. For moments, it almost was enough to distract her from what essentially amounted to her confinement here. But for as poetic at times the rain seemed to be, the harder rain was enough to erase whatever beauty there was, the suddenness of it even at times being enough to startle Leyaria, if even slightly so.

It was in this moment that true panic surfaced; Geth appearing to be nowhere in sight.

"Geth? Geth!?" She called out, real concern quickly starting to build within her as she left the confines of the umbrella, utterly forsaking dryness in pursuits of her small companion.

Time seemed to slow, each minute lasting longer and longer than the previous one before it. All the while her heart raced faster and faster with each second that went without her knowing what had happened to the small golem creature.

After a time of fruitless searching, she had begun to fall into despair, the Dragon Slayer paying no heed to her appearance anymore, her clothes, hair, almost everything about her now drenched as heavy rain now begun to pound against Era once more. Looking around for a brief moment and still not seeing Geth in sight, Leyaria looked on with a blank expression on her face, the raindrops masking the tears that began to descend down her cheeks. 

As she began back to where she had last seen Geth, a desperate last attempt at perhaps coming across her friend, a familiar sound seemingly invigorated life into her. Eyes widened with delight at the sight of Geth seemingly right where she had last seen him, along with another creature and a young woman seeming to appear around Leyaria's age.

"Geth!" She squealed as she found herself running towards the Geth; the creature turning its head towards her, echoing out a slight sound of apparent joy as the Dragon Slayer wrapped her arms around it. "Oh God, where did you go!?" She wanted to be upset with the creature, though she ultimately found herself unable to, simply too happy to know that Geth did not abandon her, nor vice versa. Getting up from her crouched position, Leyaria found herself instinctively hugging the woman near them, still elated. "Thank you so much! I was terrified I had lost Geth!" Realizing how things may have appeared to onlookers, Leyaria quickly released her grip of the woman in a hasty effort of recomposing herself. "Sorry. Just, thank you," she said as she wiped away whatever tears that may have remained. "My name's Leyaria."

It felt like a moment of weakness to her, to have allowed Geth to have simply wandered off like that. Leyaria hated that. She felt foolish, and above anything else, responsible. Things had worked out for the better as Geth seemed - by all accounts - fine, if not even a bit joyous, more so than usual. But even then, she felt terrible deep down, guilty of having - even for a brief moment - abandoning Geth. Had it not been for this woman, Leyaria didn't want to imagine what could have happened, how the outcome could have been at all different.

The woman spoke softly, her words remarkably enough standing out from the sound of the heavy rainfall that all surrounded them, as though there were a bubble which shielded and drowned out all that surrounded them. Alice, a name that seemed to compliment the woman perfectly, casually standing in the rain, not even so much as a look of disappointment upon her face. Had Leyaria been in her position, willingly standing out within the rain, she doubted that she could have acted as calm. Even in Hargeon Town, the rain which frequently hit were amongst some of the things that she most despised, and those storms often times did not compare to what was going on right now. That said, the circumstances for her being out were hardly ideal either. Had Geth not wandered off, or more appropriately if she had not taken her eyes off of the small golem creature, then she may well never have been soaked as she was. "Heh, no kidding. Never been much for the rain..."

It took a moment for it to dawn on Leyaria the circumstances of which she had first encountered Alice, a sudden level of dread coming to her mind. "Oh God! I'm sorry! I didn't get you soaked, did I?" Concerned overwhelmed her as frantically looked for something to dry Alice off, only to give up, the realization that they both still stood within the rain coming to her mind in those waning moments. 

To a bit of her surprise, Leyaria couldn't help but perk up slightly at the proposal laid out by the woman, the offer to get some coffee and also warm up, both of them welcome alternatives to either standing out in the rain or being confined to underneath a small umbrella. "Coffee? That sounds lovely!" Leyaria looked down at Geth, determined not to allow it to get out of her sights again. Fortunately, it seemed enamored by Alice's own companion, one of which Leyaria seemed a bit curious of herself. Perhaps once they got out of the rain it would offer Leyaria a chance to inquire to it as well, while getting to know this woman a bit better herself. "Did you have any place in mind?" It was sort of an odd question, but Leyaria was to much a degree a deer in headlights, unfamiliar with the layout of Era still, even less-so given the unhomely conditions that the rainfall seemed to lay upon the city.

The two of them standing there in the rain, it was a curious sight to the few that happened to pass by. While seldom, there were still people who had ventured through the streets of Era, even within these conditions. Merchants forced by deadlines to traverse through Fiore regardless of the weather, workers and professionals returning home from a long day of work to their homes within the city, or those seeking to head out to the nearest tavern for a couple of rounds. While more of them found themselves going through the more common routes of the city, there were still a handful of them who happened upon Leyaria and the woman Alice, alongside their the two small creatures which accompanied them. Leyaria had at this point not seemed to pay much heed to them, what attention of hers that was not towards Alice instead being to that of the rain which continued to descent down.

In a fortunate turn of events, the rain appeared to let up slightly, though there was no indication that the rain would stand to stop. Not with how frequently this had seemed to occur, this alternating between heavy and soft rain. It would ideally only be a short time more that either she or Alice would have to be subjected to the wetness, as every second that passed, for every further moment that Leyaria felt a droplet of water fall upon her already drenched skin, it all the more convinced her of the idea of going to someplace dry. She listened to Alice as she described a place that she had in mind; an inn within Era that the young woman sounded like wasn't too far from where they were. And listening to Alice describe the circumstances, the towels - an otherwise ordinary item that given the circumstances was far more enticing than perhaps what anyone could have possibly imagine - and there being a cafe within the inn itself, Leyaria couldn't help find her jaw dropping slightly in disbelief.

"That sounds, that sounds incredible. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" She felt obligated to ask; the circumstances and change of fortune for Leyaria and Geth being a radical shift, far more than what she had imagined at any point throughout the day before. Era had been less than forgiving towards the young Dragon Slayer up to this point, so while it would make sense for her to jump on an oppurtunity like that presented, the last thing that she wanted was to become a burden for this woman. "The last thing I want to do is be a burden on you two," Leyaria said, lowering head as she directed a weak smile towards Alice's companion. "After all, you have done a great service already, finding me Geth here." It was true. This woman had done her a great thing in finding Geth. So many others may have walked away with Geth, especially given the interest that so many had shown of him over the past several days, but that this woman had not, it showed a great deal of integrity on Alice's part. Because of that, the last thing that Leyaria would want would be to take advantage of her.

There was sort of a wicked irony to the situation. For as long as the day seemed to slog on and on, the rain had been consistent and unrelenting. Although it may have ceased in intensity from time to time, never did it appear that the rain was finally coming to an end. As the Dragon Slayer Leyaria followed Alice towards the inn she was staying in, it almost began to appear that the sky was letting up for the first time in what seemed like hours. Looking up, Leyaria couldn't help but swear beneath her breathe, it seeming to be obvious that this would ultimately be how things played out.

It wasn't long until they had reached the inn, Leyaria surprised not only at how large the building had seemed to be, but also that of how relatively close it had been to them as well. Though she could not say for certain with the rain making it still a bit difficult to diagnose the area, she couldn't help but believe that she had walked past the building several times since she had arrived in Era. "Wow. Impressive place," Leyaria earnestly remarked as she followed Alice inside, the feeling of warm air within the main lobby of the inn seeming to hit her like a ton of bricks.

The sensation was a welcome one, however. Her clothes, her skin, every part about her had become utterly drenched, soaked from head to toe. This had been the case for so long today that her body had just become used to the cold, but now the warm air was not only proving to be a welcome contrast to earlier, but it brought to the foreground how miserable it was to be in drenched clothing. A glance around the room seemed to distract her - if at least momentarily - from the cold as she found herself admiring the overall atmosphere of the place.

Inside, it felt more of a place that she had no business being in than anything else, an irony given its functionality as an inn. It was a place that was meant to assist those, to provide a place to stay for those like Alice, and yet Leyaria didn't seem like she belonged there. In fact, had it not been for Alice, it would be very likely that she wouldn't be here in the first place. Turning her attention back towards the redhead, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the towels in her hand.

"You weren't kidding," she casually remarked as she placed the towel against her face, the warmth and softness being a welcome change against that of the rain from earlier. It took little time until Leyaria had followed Alice through the inn, unable to hide her intrigue as to everything she saw, even within her friend's room. The place was large, larger than anything in which she expected that a woman like Alice could have afforded, though appearances held little bearing when considering a person's status. The reality was while she may have looked wealthy herself, Leyaria was as poor as anyone probably within in Era. That this woman had wealth, it wasn't something to be particularly shocked by.

"This place, it's something else!" Leyaria said as she truly began to feel the warmth that radiated throughout the inn. She didn't want to disturb anything, not wanting to take advantage of Alice's temporary home, but at the same time, she didn't feel at all upset about standing. Standing there was numerous times more ideal than having to be back outside in the rain like earlier. "Alice, I just wanna say thanks! What you've done, I don't know how to thank you."

Leyaria smiled.

Too few times had she encountered anyone within Era - or even Crocus for that matter - who seemed to display any real attributes of politeness, of sincerity or respect towards anyone who may have been 'beneath' them. At first glance, one perhaps could have viewed Alice through the same lense; being able to stay within a nice inn like this, clearly showing that she had money, if not outright living in a completely different - and higher - class than Leyaria. However though, she demonstrated in her brief time with Leyaria that she was far more than that; that she was earnest, polite, and above all else, thoughtful.

Alice had shown it several times already. She didn't have to return Geth to her. It would have been just as easy to leave it to wander about aimlessly in Era. She didn't have to invite Leyaria to the inn she was staying at. She could have well walked away and never spoken to the woman again. Nor did she have to offer the young Dragon Slayer any of the amenities that she had earned for herself, and yet she did.

In the matter of less than an hour, Alice had demonstrated a far greater degree of humanity, not only towards Leyaria specifically, but also that she had seen in most of the people that she had come to have interactions with. It made her feel guilty. Alice had done all of this and while she had not asked for anything in return, Leyaria could not help but feel guilty. Guilty that she wasn't able to provide any means of repaying the kindness shown to her. As the redheaded woman continue to dry off her hair, she turned towards Leyaria, a smile upon her face. Her proposal, Leyaria buying her a coffee, it left her both wanting to smile and thank Alice for allowing her a chance to pay her back, but at the same time despair seemed to come to the forefront as she recalled her actual fiscal situation. Reaching into her soaked pockets, she scrounged around as thoroughly as possible, a bit relieved to pull her hands out with little more than a handful of jewels. Not much, perhaps just enough to cover the cost of maybe 2 cups of coffee and nothing more.


"Certainly," Leyaria said without a second's thought as her mind came to believe that she had enough. Even in a worst case scenario, she at least had enough to pay for Alice's cup of coffee. She had done more than enough to warrant it and Leyaria truly did not need a cup of coffee. She'd much rather return the favor towards Alice than anything else. Before that though, Alice had offered Leyaria something to wear, which seemed to only further shock the young Dragon Slayer. Leyaria did not deserve this sort of hospitality. If her situation was any different, Leyaria would have argued that she had the obligation to offer something to the redhead. That it wasn't a feasible choice, it just disappointed her.

Alice seemed steadfast to the idea all the same though, whether or not Leyaria would have protested it. She indicated the pleasure and excitement to which her companion was having, and the thought occurred to Leyaria that she wasn't sure how Geth would respond to being able to play with another companion. It had never ceased to be amused at what was going on in the world, but for the most part it hadn't the luxury of playing with another creature that was similar to it. The opportunity before it was a rare one and one that undoubtedly it would be thankful of Leyaria for allowing. "That would be nice. I'm sure that Geth wouldn't mind some company outside of me for a change. And thank you for the clothes. Truly, I only wish that there was more I could to repay your kindness than just a cup of coffee..."

[Exit]