Crissandra made her way down the streets of Port Hargeon in search of the perfect outfit for the Guilds Beach party. She wore a large white sunhat, it covered her perfectly from the harsh summer sun above. While not brutally hot, it was brighter then most could handle. She didnt ask for it to go away or get mad about it however. Instead she told the flowers and trees she passed to take in as much as they could and grow strong. She wore a white and light weight sundress as well as a pair of pure white sandles. She made her way down the brick roads. Nearby, carts drawn by horses were pulled beside her.

The little wood elf smiled as she saw the travelers and sailors as they went along their normal routines. She made her way down the store streets and window gazed as much as she could. She didnt have much experience buying things, and unfortunately she wasnt exactly overflowing with jewels. She made her way happily, before stopping infront of an alley way. She felt a shiver go up her spine. She looked down the alleyway, only to see a cloaked figure barely able to move. He was leaned against the wall.

She wanted to offer help, but every fiber in her body told her to run. Instead she froze up.

744/2000

It had been… forever since Daiko attended the last Beach Event hosted by Blue Pegasus. Fun fact, he wasn’t part of the guild last time; he came as a guest from Lamia Scale along with Arisa, participating in small and fun contests and only winning one of them in his memory. He got beat pretty harshly during the piggyback-riding tug-o-war in the pool, but he was no pushover today… and no Lamia Scale Wizard, either. He was a Blue Pegasus Mage now, and it was high time for him to become part of this annual celebration.
 
That required him to go fetch a new pair of trunks as the last pair got ruined by that bastard cod from his swimming lesson with Alisa. Eating that cod afterwards was for revenge, not for sating his belly.
 
The sun baked on the granite roads of Port Hargeon today. Luckily, Daiko wasn’t phased by strong temperatures, for they paled in comparison to what he could pull off. Such hubris would likely bite him in the butt later, but until then, he jolted across the road in search of the same fashion store where he got his previous trunks from. It was nearby here…
 
…
 
…
 
“H-“


…

“He-“


…
 
“Hell-“


…
 
“Hello! Criss, you there?”
 
Daiko had been waving his hand in front of the wood elf for a good dozen of seconds with no response. Coda, too, eyed the strangely stiff wood elf who was glancing towards none but a random stranger in the alley way, inciting no sense of danger to the Fire Mage. Instead, he was more interested in her choice of wear. “I heard that white is easier to get dirty. You should wear something darker,” he informed her, oblivious to the level of superstition that his claim possessed. There was no malice in his voice or face; he looked genuinely helping.

WC. 310

Crissandra snapped out of it, and then felt an odd sense of confusion before turning to face Daiko and Coda. She smiled happily, Having completely forgotten the figure in the alley. She tickled under Codas Chin and asked Daiko what he was doing there. The figure walked down the alley and dissapeared out of sight. She smiled and would giggle after he gave his Answer. If he asked her the same question she would blush slighty. Would it be appropriate to ask hyim for help? She didnt know the area well yet, but she was a quick learner when it came to navigation.

“Well...Im here to look for a Swim suit for the beach party. I dont have a lot of cloths, besides this outfit all ive got rigbt now is the clothes you saw me in when we first met.” She sighed softly. Despite her appearance, she was still just a little kid. She didnt know certain things and wasnt sure even what kind of swimsuit she should get. She grew quiet and looked back towards Daiko and Coda. She tried to speak, but got choked up by it as she blushed. She was to nervous to ask anything.

944/2000

Coda was always welcoming for scratches under her chin, just the right place to win her heart over. Daiko wasn’t exactly into being scratched - or not that he knew of it - but he too smiled at the encounter. It was always a delight to see Coda open up to their guildmates like this, for it could grow into much stronger bonds in the long run - something that every guild required, if you asked him. He had seen the rise and fall of his previous guild, so he should know about these things…
 
He hadn’t opened up to many people back in Lamia Scale, now that he thought about it. It was relative; Keira, Kai, Arisa, Kon and the Guildmaster were the first ones to come to mind when he remembered back to his old guild. The rest? Phantom images, really… it had been so long.
 
He shook the thought out of his mind and answered Criss: “I’m trying to find that store where I bought my trunks. Y’know, swimming trunks… I had a pair before, but they broke.” Darn fish tore through his trunks like wet paper, embarrassing him in front of his present Guildmaster. As if he hadn’t been thoroughly grinded down by her own, jabbing demeanor, now there was that one memory to haunt him at night forever. Great, just marvelous. It drove him mad, causing veins to pop up on his forehead.
 
“What are you doing here? You also looking for threads?” he asked her back, assuming that she had a similar objective to his. She stutteringly responded that she was looking for a swimsuit herself for the same party, the future beach party that they were going to hold. Oh, how Daiko was eager to go to that party; he had to help lift it up, though, so that first - party after. It would obviously be a problem if the only set of clothes that Criss had was the one she wore when they first met… not that Daiko used to be much different in times past.
 
“… Well, guess we’re looking for the same store. I’m pretty sure it’s around the other side of that alley, though,” Daiko informed her before walking ahead towards the same alley that she found herself standing next to. She had, oddly enough, been standing there for quite a moment, which was what drew Daiko to her position in mere curiosity. The alley, though, appeared to be closed off to any other road, in which he sighed… but he could make up the sign on the other side through the fence.
 
Funnily enough, no signs of another person was here. Just a gritted fence.
 
“Juuuust on the other side over here, Criss!” he called over to her while climbing up over the fence. He managed to bend it just a little with his ruthless climbing, but ultimately ended up atop the fence where he glanced back at the wood elf. He reached a hand out to help her up, since this way was much quicker than walking around the block - and if you found it unorthodox or straight up weird, then remember that it was a guy who spent 16 years in a dense forest cut away from civilization. Norms weren’t his strong suit.

WC: 549
TWC: 859