Masami simply nodded over Rania's statements and nodding once more as he followed right behind her, like the little duckling following a mother goose. It was a funny analogy he silently thought, since he has duckling-like colors and willfully following a person he'd just met. So far, he hasn't met any child abductors. Let alone here in Marigold, wherein safety is often assured and chaos is extremely rare, guarded by the Syllas guards and the Penumbral Guard mages. Since the start, Masami didn't even question why he decided to follow the two, but he had nothing else to do. There are no more strict schedules and requirements for him to accomplish every single minute – although the loose air felt disorienting and unproductive, Masami still tried convincing himself that he deserved this type of rest he had been longing for.

When both of them stood in front of the restaurant, Masami sniffed the air and automatically disconnected himself from Rania, peeking through the windows of the restaurant as he stands on tip toe, touching the window frames. It didn't smell entirely like Joya, but the culture is definitely there, and it immediately attracted Masami's attention enough for him to silently detach himself from the companion. As expected, everyone there looks far from a typical Joyan would look like, though it was still quite disappointing. He didn't take his time looking at the menu written high above, not having enough skill to quickly scan through those types of letters. His whole life, including his body and overall system, is composed of Joya. Masami remembered how he filled in the guild application, writing the letters very slowly, making sure that each of them were aligned correctly, as if typed out. Embarrassing, he shouldn't have reminded himself. 'I wonder how he even thought of me.' referring to the guild's master, Masami pouted a little over his own humiliation.

He turned his head behind to look at Rania, and Jan Ren, who came just recently. That makes two of them to look at and observe, but what mainly caught his attention back to reality was Jan Ren's noisiness, expressing his amazement over the restaurant. Rania seemed to force a smile, while the other... umm. 'What in the world?' Masami couldn't even laugh at all, his face was entirely smug, exaggerated, even, not believing what his own eyes were showing. 'T-That... v-very...' he was so unhitched that he even stuttered in his own mind. Since the start, he had found Jan Ren pleasingly hilarious but this time, Masami doesn't even think that the Sinese is trying to make a joke this time, and that's concerning.

"I'll go ahead." it doesn't matter if the two of them heard him, but Masami pointed in the direction of the entrance when he spoke, then turned around to distance himself away from the two, and also to find a seat. He can't just abandon the two, even if the other one appeared displeasingly hilarious enough for Masami. It was just over the top, and Masami couldn't read Jan Ren at all, whether if he was joking or being serious. Even if it was a joke, Masami wouldn't spend money on that sort of thing, it even felt utterly illegal to look at. Without turning away, Masami continued to walk despite Jan Ren referred statements to Masami, which made him raise a brow. 'Lofty role?' confused and ignorant, he approached the island table near the cashier (and the chefs), looking at the menu above. 'Did I even have a role? Lofty, how does that even mean?' Masami refused to answer, unsure whether he perceived his words correctly. Jan Ren had started to become uncontrollably unpredictable that Masami weren't sure whether he was insulting the humbleness or if he was honestly praising it. However, Masami didn't continue his attempt in reading the non-Joyan scripts written over the menu and followed the seats where Rania and Jan Ren were allocated upon.

Oddly, he yawned after taking a moment to place himself upon one of the seats – laying his crossed arms on top of the table. It was just then that Masami realized that Rania still had his overcoat, which was why his shoulders felt awfully light and his body cooler in temperature. The coat didn't exactly fit Rania due to her current outfit, in Masami's opinion, but it appeared fine if he only looked at the face and the collar of the overcoat. After all, the coat was already too big for Masami, which was why he loosely wore it, hanging below his shoulders. His shoulder blades felt so empty that Masami was already getting insecure over the amount of skin that was out in the air, even if the distance between the inner sleeves and the wedding gauntlets weren't too far off. On the other hand, he couldn't stop looking at Jan Ren, either. Lowkey, Masami hoped that, since Fiore has already a lot of magic on going, something happens that his attire changes. You can either believe everything or not believe anything at all if you're new to magical exposure like this.

He let Jan Ren finish speaking first, then Masami raised a hand to answer Rania's question. "Theater works." if they knew about how the theater worked, at least just a little idea over it, they should immediately get that Masami meant literally everything in those two words. Masami doesn't remember how much information he gave Jan Ren in their past conversation, which was why it was probably more reliable to let him speak for Masami, as he might say something he wasn't supposed to say (such as accidentally exposing himself, for example). Until now, assuming Jan Ren was still not coming to a near realization, even if Masami's overall appearance (such as his body build under the overcoat) was already showing his real identity, he thought that it would be fun if he sat and ate like a boy while he kept that thought. Rania wasn't saying anything regards him, so she probably knows already. Masami took a moment of silence before looking down at the menu, immediately scanning for the Joyan recipes with the intention of judging whether it tastes nice or not. The Sinese will be the one paying, right?

Rania was surprised to see Jan Ren throwing somewhat of a hissy fit at her comment regarding his situation, but decided not to take it all too seriously. She merely smiled at the man, muttered something along the lines of ‘whatever you say’ under her breath–more to herself than to him–and continued on her merry way to the restaurant.  

“A wizard’s guild? There’s quite a few of those in this country,” said Rania. It’s true that there was an abundance of both humans and otherworldly races in Fiore that wielded magical powers and even though Rania herself was quite magical, she still found it odd to meet so many people who were capable of something so strange and rare–all in the same place. “That’s quite admirable, Jan Ren,” her voice was laced with admiration, for Rania believed that guilds were certainly the right place to be for any wizard, even though she herself hadn’t thought about joining one herself. She didn’t struggle in making new friends, but permanently committing herself to an institution, their believes and their ideals was something the young woman wasn’t quite ready for.

Eventually their table was approached by a waitress and Rania began ordering a cup of mango juice, as well as some rice with curry for herself to eat. In the meantime, she answered the remaining questions the Sinese male had for her. “It hasn’t been that long actually. 5 years, give or take? I didn’t discover my abilities until my teenage years, so I guess you could say I was somewhat of a late bloomer,” soft laughter followed her words as Rania passed both him, and Masami a smile. She didn’t mind admitting that her talents had slumbered for the majority of her life and considering her childhood that shouldn’t really come as a surprise. It wasn’t something Rania wanted to go into depth about though.

Once they had all ordered their meals and drinks, the waitress disappeared and shortly after approached with a set of glasses and cups containing whatever beverages she and the boys had ordered. Rania thanked the woman politely and took a sip from her glass of juice.

The midday sun had risen high upon the skies of Marigold and the weather was mild and warm; eventually realizing that she no longer needed the coat she was now wearing, Rania removed it from her shoulders and slowly slid it back over to Masami. “Thank you,” she nodded towards him and listened as he explained what his occupation was. To be fair, Masami appeared to be very young so it wouldn’t have surprised her if he didn’t have a job at all. “Theatre? That sounds lovely. You certainly have the looks for it. Here in Marigold too?” After all the city was famous for its prestigious theatre plays.

From a foreign wizard's perspective, it wasn't much of a big deal; though the Sinese could see how it would impress someone that he was serving in a guild. He'd come to understand, the system Fiore operated through mostly involved these mage guilds, and as such outsiders could easily see it as beneficial, if not outright noble. ...Most of the time, anyway. Even Masami happened to join a guild in the span of a single day, since their last encounter just yesterday. Regardless, he happily took Rania's acknowledgement, feeling somewhat accomplished. His efforts were paying off! He already knew his guild to have a good public image. It finally caught onto him some!

There has been a particular item on the menu Jan Ren had wanted to try, ordering it without a moment's hesitation once the waitress had approached, along with a glass of water. He'd abstain from drinking alcohol, if just not to drink alone or to force the two girls to join him. As they waited on their meal, the Sinese simply listened to the Paladin's background, leaning forward some as his elbows rested on the table. "Ah ha, that happens sometimes, huh." He laughed in response; "Despite that you've put them to good use for five whole years. That, is quite admirable, miss." The Sinese complimented with a smile, deliberately using the same words this young woman has offered him.

Though the young man had found it a bit typical for Masami to refrain from explaining too much about her, it had also dawned on him that mayhaps he should pitch in. It was rather obvious through her borderline absolute silence, that the girl wasn't willing to speak. So... "Ahh. Masami here has been in theater for a long while in Joya. She's practically an expert in all fields it suggets." Jan Ren started; "I wouldn't be surprised if she happens to become the manager for Marigold's own, actually! She practically grew up there. You can't get much more of a natural than that." He praised, realizing as he spoke that this blond hadn't shared too much with him, either. He knew the name of her signature performance style, but lacked in substantial detail. It never stopped him from sharing the bare necessities, in his mind anyway.

Shortly, their respective dishes had arrived. Jan Ren had ordered a Tenshinhan, and had to restrain himself from excitedly reaching for the first bite; first clapping his palms together in regular procedure. It was beyond simple gratitude to the world, but in a sense, to Rania for bringing him to a place that offered food from his home country (which proved to be extremely rare in Fiore!). Taking two chopsticks in hand and cutting a small piece first to judge. "...!!" It was... It was...!! ...Honestly quite lacking. Frozen in place as his taste buds received the subpar taste, eye slightly twitching at the taste. The usually sharp warmness was a bit lukewarm, and the crab meat tasted, funny. "(Well...)" He gulped it down; "(...I had to guess. This isn't Sin after all...)" Darn foreigners and their localized, cheap imitations...!!

--Nevertheless.... "A-Amazing! I didn't think I'd get to eat Sinese dishes if I didn't have to cook it myself!" ...Stay positive. It's just a BIT, cheap. He'd chew out the owners at a later time, probably.

--Continue. "It, does seem like the country has a large selection of guilds." Jan Ren admitted, taking a break from his bites (also in his favor), to prolong their interaction. "Many seem new, but if you're a wizard, it's surely the best way to improve yourself. We'd be facing many different jobs as practical 'handymen', us guild wizards." The young man commented, glancing at Masami; acknowledging the girl to now classify along with him. The mark on her cheek spoke loud enough, even without him stating the obvious; though he didn't know how far Masami had gotten, after barely a day in a guild. "Rania, I think you could help many others if you contemplated joining one. Even one with no social name would be blessed to have you among their ranks."

'Five years... really isn't so long.' Masami had started being trained ever since he was too young to even remember when he started training. His hometown in Joya mainly resonated in agriculture and entertainment, even slavery if it gets them income. Masami's mother never consented in his theater training, but his older siblings believed that it was for the best. All fields – even farming, fishing... hunting, which Masami actually liked, then performing. He was already great at entertaining guests because he had to be great, else they've got no meals for tonight's dinner. Masami was convinced that the woman, Rania, had been almost in the same situation as him (mainly because she mentioned that she had Joyan blood), and that she'd understand if Masami told her the story of Masami's life in Joya.

He didn't react much when he was listening to Rania, and even nodding in agreement when Jan Ren complimented her efforts (even if it was slightly obvious that he was merely trying to get on her heart's tendinous cords), because it was true. Although Masami believes that even a year of slavery and bondage is nothing, he was well aware that not everybody could experience something like this. In fact, it was better if nobody received this sort of occupation, where every minute is equivalent to conducting more than three types of jobs every time. "Busy lives, yikes." this was the only reaction Masami could envelop, having no responses being created in his head. He didn't want to make things awkward or feel left out either, but considering the fact that all of them are still acquaintances, Masami believed that he shouldn't get too comfortable. The boy must've been already getting quite tired of walking around and communicating.

The waitress arrived with a tray containing everyone's orders. Masami had his Joyan-inspired maki zushi, which appeared better than he had expected. The chefs must've used a palette or a mold, else it is impossible to turn every piece into a perfect circle (not unless perhaps they are experts), in Masami's perception. He used a pair of chopsticks and took a piece, dipping it in normal soy sauce and immediately placing them inside his mouth before the piece disorients. "Mmm, tasty!" Masami exclaimed in joy, almost releasing a cherry blossom flower from his head in adoration. It was unexpected... in a good way, he didn't believe that an imitation could taste better than it looked in the menu. He took another piece and dipped it in the soy sauce, opening his mouth for preparation then... his hands gave up and released the piece back in the plate. The Sinese started talking about Masami... no, he started to praise him in a way. This startled the boy, causing him to stare at Jan Ren directly in the eyes with his mouth open and empty chopsticks near his lips. "Excuse–?" he raised a brow, lightly slamming his hand upon the table. "To say something like that... you're really–!"

Masami couldn't help turning into a cherry. Although he was praised a lot, he wasn't praised like that. "S-So troublesome..." with aggression, he took the piece and ate it, then looked away, creating no eye contact with anyone else. However, right after he did that, Rania offered the overcoat back to Masami's shoulders and thanked him. 'Right... I even forgot that a girl's here, how lousy of me.' he couldn't help but be embarrassed, being in a tight situation, just like that. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals... especially Jan Ren. When he was praising the meal, Masami used his chopsticks and swooped a piece off of Jan Ren's bowl. 'Not so bad, after all.' his thoughts responded, bearing no knowledge over what the food was supposed to taste like whatsoever. Masami timed it; when the Sinese had his eyes on Rania when they were talking about guilds, the boy swooped a bigger piece of food and dashed it in his mouth before anyone could see, and chewed it quickly. Though convinced that the Sinese would be the one paying (the girls shouldn't be the one paying, right?), Masami thought that it would still make a mark to steal someone else's food in the table.

Before Masami had much of a chance to respond, Jan Ren took it upon himself to praise the young boy–or girl. Everyone’s meal arrived as they spoke and once Rania wished her friends happy dining, the woman cheerfully munched away at her curry. It was a simple dish, honestly, but the Paladin was a simple woman–and this was plenty for her. “A natural, hm? Well, I do hope I get to see you perform one day, Masami.” And she meant it. Of course their conversation added more to her initial confusion about the potential misunderstanding between Jan Ren and Masami regarding the latter person’s gender, but Rania decided that it was a) none of her business and b) perhaps she was the one who had misgendered Masami in first place. Although she doubted that–she had the keen eyes of a nurse after all–it was rude to assume people’s gender these days.

The blonde’s attention was mostly occupied by their food and Rania could tell by a glance, that neither of them was too impressed by the authenticity of the cuisine, and that Jan Ren had a significantly more difficult time in hiding it–unlike Masami, he wasn’t an actor after all. Rania on the other hand was pleasantly surprised, but then again: the girl had always been fairly low maintenance and she wasn’t very picky either.

Rania observed the Sinese male as well; he was eating properly and his expression showed no further signs of exhaustion. He was also feeling quite talkative. It seemed he had healed after all and she wouldn’t have to worry about him any longer. The conversation moved on to the topic of guilds and Rania silently nodded along as Jan Ren spoke. “I know, and you’re probably right,” she agreed with him, although she had to admit that she didn’t feel quite ready yet. “It’s just that I haven’t been able to connect with anyone yet, really – and I don’t think this is something I want to rush.” He indirectly complimented her skillset again, and the woman blushed and smiled at the man. “Thank you.” They continued their meal until the end and Jan Ren generously paid for all of them.

As they stood up from their table, Rania decided that it was time to leave and take care of some personal business. She approached both and took first Masami’s, then Jan Ren’s hands and squeezed them gently as a sign of affection. “You two have been a delightful distraction from my usually bland daily routine. Thank you for having me, I do hope we meet again under less dramatic circumstances. And thank you for the meal.” She bowed to both before departing to take care of her own, personal business. Rania was positive that someday she would meet those two oddballs again.

Right after Rania's comment regards Masami performing, he immediately clasped both of his hands in front of him with a bowed head. "Yes, ma'am!" a reaction of enthusiasm, very excited for that day to come. It was a quick expression, though – he took his chopsticks once more to take a piece of... oh? Masami didn't realize that he was already out of food, must be the reason why he had been stealing from the Sinese. He left about 1/4 of food in his place just so he wouldn't notice that Masami had been taking pieces off... maybe.

He took a sip from the glass of iced red tea, drinking its contents while listening to Rania and Jan Ren's conversation, looking left and right each time. Chilly – the drink was sweet in a very pleasant way. It was usually just water-tasting, back then in Joya, but that would also mean healthy. The drink in Masami's hands must be filled with sugar rather than ingredients beneficial for the body (especially the skin), but it was okay every once in a while. 'Must be nice being independent 'n all...' Masami looked at Rania this time, making responses in his head. He recalled how it felt like being guildless at first, and having reasons of joining a guild, etc. Although he lowkey missed being part of a guild, simply travelling without a cause (excluding all those bad memories) was sort of boring. Masami believed that he should be having some fun at his age, and should well know how to take his time.

"Well, don't rush it." Masami uttered after finishing the glass of iced tea, gently placing it back to the table. "Rushing has a very low chance of succeeding." this goes well for making friends, too. At an early age, Masami was taught to choose the people he wants to get acquainted with. Although generally friendly among everybody and anybody (including elders), Masami made sure that people only know what Masami allows them to know. The rest were hidden, even if Masami appeared very open and outgoing. "I hope that, sometime soon, you end up trusting us!" Masami believed that people like Rania would not easily trust people, even if she had accepted Jan Ren's offer and even eating with two guys (assuming that she had already guessed Masami correctly); Masami was quite the same, too, in a way, especially if he had no faith in God or any creator there was in the heavens.

Rania gently squeezed Masami's hands. He didn't know why (though had an idea of what it possibly meant) nor quite understood what it meant, but he lightly jumped up in surprise. 'Ah, soft.' he internally repeated, keeping his hands into that position even after Rania let it go. He had his eyes squinted when he gazed at Jan Ren's hands, now being done the same. 'That guy obviously liked that!' he tried not to pout, smiling instead. Since she was already going, it was natural for Masami to go as well. It was quite late (not really) and he didn't want the guild's gates to lock up on him. "Thank you as well, and see you soon, Miss Rania!" he enthusiastically waved his hand up in the air after standing up, even standing on one foot. Before he'd finally take a leave, he first brushed his over coat and fixed its' position around the shoulders. Then, he smirked at Jan Ren.

With an elbow, he lightly struck the Sinese's sides and leaned closer for a whisper. "Guess I'm the one getting more lady points." with a slightly deeper voice, he uttered this. When he finally stepped away, he raised another hand in the air. "Well, thanks for the meal, Mister Jan Ren, sir!" finally, he skipped out of the restaurant. A good night sleep would be nice, now that the very modest weight has been lifted up... a bit.

He took note of the woman's apparent distrust. He'd come to argue with her opinion if he could help it, staying under a different set of belief. However, he'd be a hypocrite to do so, seeing how he himself hasn't made any connections with anyone from his own guild in the first place. If Rania was wary of that happening, he would understand. Regardless, Jan Ren definitely wanted to mellow into offering the woman a spot by him, in his guild.

By the end of the meal, the Sinese had taken a short detour inside to pay for their table's orders, finding it to be mildly cheap. Despite the crab tasting funny even after he finished his meal, and the aftertaste somewhat lingering in his mouth, the young man would mentally give credit to the restaurant's owner, for going as far as to learn Joyan and (half-)Sinese cuisine if for the sake of widening Marigold's horizons, or out of passion. It was nice, albeit cheaply executed.

Jan Ren would return Rania's smile as he looked straight in her eyes once the woman had gave her final statement; squeezing gently at her own in proper reply. "It's been a pleasure here too." He admitted; then placing his free palm over her own, clasping the soft hand in both of his; "I stand by what I said. Any guild will be happy to have you. But do, take it at your own leisure." The hint may not have been that obvious, though Rania seemed like a deviously perceptive woman. He'd speculated she would understand the overall underlying message, below his honest-yet-flat compliment.

Seeing her off, the Sinese remained in place for a bit, along the blond it seems. Said young girl suddenly reaching out with a suspiciously deeper voice, whispering in his ear as his eyes widened in some surprise. Quickly backing away, staring into the young woman's eyes. Then, letting out a small chuckle. Right. Girls always have it easy scoring lady points. But, he wasn't worried. "Of course, Masami." He approved, bowing at the young lady with a wide smile; though taking good note of her behavior throughout their interaction. He still saw the lie in her from earlier, but chose to feign ignorance. "Until next time." Turning his own way, the Sinese went on.

'More lady points?' I wonder about that.

...That night, Jan Ren suffered heavy stomach ache again. Supposedly... Masami would suffer the same condition.