NPC:

LeeAnn was on the first floor of the guildhall. She was tired and run down lately with all the extra work. Though, Lee refused to ask for help, seeing as she didn't want to burden anyone else with it. It was her guild and her building. Everything was in her name. She was piled with papers and sighed, head-desking. Luckily, she managed to force herself to ask Atani to help her with the paperwork. It was to help transfer everything into her name. Her grandfather did place it in her name, but to help work everything over. They still had to perform his funeral once the family recovered. She thought about her parents and Uncle. Tadashi was at least up and at them helping her with the maitnence of the guild. It was starting to come along since the founders had come to her request.

Liam, her personal guard, was outside staring out of th window. He was expecting something of some sort, but Lee had no idea what she was doing. She rather not bother with it. "Thanks for the help, Atani. I really appreciate it. Sorry to bother you with it. Astrid usually helps me, but she is being overworked with taking care of my parents and her father right now" she smiled. The good news had arrived they would live, which was a huge weight off her shoulders. AFter several minutes, Liam had not moved. It was really itching at her. Finally, she gave in.

"Liam, what in the hell you doin'?" She called out loud to him which made him jump. Nervously, he twidling with his hair like he always had done. They knew each other since they were both young. His father, Connor, and her father were best friends in their days as Rune Knights. Lee found him to be too reserved much like his elder brother, but at least he was willing to hold a conversation, unlike Alex. Though, sh could read he was more nervous than usual. He was hiding something by his nverous habits of playing with his hair and tapping his foot. She narrowed her eyes and got closer, smelling the anxious energy. "Spit it out, Liam. What are you hiding? Are you expect a package? Or someone to show up" she hissed.

He gulped. "We're getting some surprise guest..." he rambled a little. LeeAnn narrowed her eyes then punch the wall beside him, leaving a small indent. "What did I tell you about telling people about this place. It's a santuary til' my parents and the other Nakamura's recover" she hissed. Quickly, she grabbed his shirt collar and pushed him against the wall. Her eyes had turned a darker shade of frost blue then red within a instant. "Lee...p-pl-please calm down. I promise it's within good reason! Plenty good reason...my" he was inturrepted by a door swining open.

A tall, burly male with scruffy around the edges came in with a silent, but kind woman besides him. Lee paused within mid-punch. He gave the two of them a weird look then at Atani. "Did I walk in at a bad time" he spoke. Lee dropped Liam to the ground, he landed with an oof. There was no other way she could of responded. "Mom...dad...welcome" Liam spoke kindly. Despite his shaken fear, he greeted his parents with utter kindness that Lee lacked. Her dragon-like eyes faded into a birght frost blue as they ahd always been. "Connor? Alice? What...this is the special guest? You idiot! Why didn't you tell me" she hissed. She was surprised to see his parents here. They were always there for the Nakamura family when in need. Miles, her eldest cousin, was the only Nakamura other than her two brothers, were the ones unscathed. He hired Liam to guard Lee while the storm blew over. They were told what had happened and aimed to help out Nicolas's daughter.

"Atani...this is Connor and Alice Overby. They're close friends of my father's. Practically, like, my second parents in a way. They can be trust" she spoke. Her mood changed on the flip of a dime. Liam rubbed his chest and shirt collar gently trying to ease the pain he had experienced. "Is Alex coming" he asked. Connor rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You know your brother, always having his nose in a book. He took a late train. I keep telling the boy to buy a good griffin, but he doesn't listen" rambled his father. They really didn't see eye to eye as Alex was more of a silent type of guy that focused on his schooling and training rather than women and money. He was much like Lee's brother Hikaru in a sense.

She felt utterly embaressed by her behavior. It was expected of her to lose her temper to protect her family to the best of her ability. The trust in people was starting to slip from her grasp. Right now, she was taking chances with a lot of her choices right now. The guild was a huge risk. It could fall apart as soon as it was created, but she wasn't going to let her grandfather's efforts go to waste. Atani was greeted by Connor giving a hardy handshake probably shaking her hand a little too much. Alice simply just bowed a little and remained silent as ever. "This is the place, hm? Surely need a lot of work. We came to help in whatever way we can. Afteral, you're practically like family" smiled Connor.

LeeAnn nodded. She grew a little pink at the mention of the comment. Rubbing the back of her neck, her gaze shifted to the floor. "I...apologize for my behavior. Things have been stressful lately" she spoke. Connor waved his hand and shook his head. He seemed to already have forgiven her as well as Liam. "I know Nicolas's daughter when I see one. You have a hot temper, loyalty, and selflessness, and the ability to lack care about yourself. I am sure your friend here could agree. Doesn't she have trouble asking for help" He smiled. His attention turned towards Atani for the question. From his appearance alone, he was a down-to-earth man that you could have a conversation with over a mug of mead.

"Alex? Wait...he's in town" she spoke. Her posture had straightened a bit with a slight glow to her eyes. Some childhood memories still dwelled in her a little. LeeAnn grew a small smile hearing his name. It was a mood Lee had rarely expressed. Atani had questioned who Alex was. Connor smiled and looked at LeeAnn who already was eager to answer. "Alex is their oldest son. Liam, him, me, and Hikaru, my elder brother, would train together under his own father's teachings. We were close growing up" she explained. Connor could already see the exciting aura surrounding her like a kid in candy store. LeeAnn handed Atani some water to drink as a offering. They both drank in unison.

"Speak of the devil, here he comes now" called Connor. The door opened to a tall, handsome man with long blonde hair with a right eye patch. He had a serious yet calm expression on his face that mixed well his with blue-eyed complexion. The stunning sculpted body of fine black and blue armor is commented with a red and blue cape. Simply put...he was hot. Lee spit took her drink and coughed a little upon seeing him. She turned away from him to clear her throat. Ragtime was in the corner laughing and cackling like a Hyena.

Alex saw everything with the reaction of the two women from across the room. It didn't phase him with those kinds of reactions. He was popular with the ladies, but he really wasn't good with women. A simple raised eyebrow was the only question he had before turning to his father. "I believe you owe me an explanation of why you forced me to come" he spoke. He seemed a little irritated. The former Rune Knight stared at LeeAnn with a stirred confusion expression. His father spoke about the Nakamura family situation. Once Alex realized it was Lee, his eyes lit up, and began to walk over to him and Atani. If Atani could feel her heart beat or see how she stood, Lee was basically feeling completely nervous. "LeeAnn Nakamura? Wow, have you changed since we were kids. You look...absolutely stunning. It's great to see you...who's your friend? I am sorry, where are my manners. Alexander Overby" he spoke. He had the most gentle voice when he spoke to her. Though, anyone could tell he was really checkig out LeeAnn, which was not something he did lightly.

Ragtime didn't like the thought of Lee dating another guy, but remained silent about it. She grew a goofy smile when he walked over. LeeAnn was starting to fangirl inside with how polite and gentlemen he was. Growing up, she had always admired Alex from afar. They were quiet around each other, but they did have some history together. Anytime someone would pick on LeeAnn as a kid, Alex was the first one to hop on their case. Hikaru was too, but Alex was quicker. He did have some mannerisms of her elder brother which made her think of him. Silently, she could smell Atani's thoughts gearing from how she was behaving.

Atani introduced herself to Alex, giving a small bow. Alex smiled and bowed back the same way. He was amazed to finally meet a wood-elf. "Finally, I get to meet a wood-elf. Now you have me wanting to ask so many questions, but I think that would be for another time. I don't want to bore you or anything. So, a founder, hm? I thought so" he smiled. When she mentioned about good...friends. He blushed a little already growing nervous. Both, he and Lee, turned red and laughed nervously in sync. Lee gave Atani a suspicious look, knowing what she was getting at. "I-I...what? Why...you... I guess we're more like...uhm...Lee what does he mean by 'good friend'" he whimpered.

LeeAnn's face grew even more red. Her draconic eyes stared at him then at Atani. "Uuuhhmmm..." she started, tugging on her collar. Beads of sweat started to go down her face. It wasn't news to Alex's family nor hers that she like Alex, infact she was going to ask him out when they first joined the Rune Knights, but she was already engaged with Hans when he proposed. "Is it hot in here or is it just me?"

Alex felt guilty for putting her through it. "Fire mages don't get hot, Lee. That's rule number one" he laughed. LeeAnn nervously laughed before clear her throat. "We...were very close growing up until I left the Rune Knights. It's been a while since we've seen each other" she explained.

LeeAnn gave an annoyed look to the elf. She knew exactly what she was doing. How Alex worked was far too simple. Nervous guy liking a childhood friend, a tale as old as time. A trope that was performed by numerous people and media. It was so cliché! A shiver went down her spin with how clever this elf was. She knew Atani was intelligent, but this evil Oh boy. Lee and Alex were in for a doozie. Eventually, they grew off of the subject, which was nice. Alex was asked if he was a mage. Unsure if she was trying to trick him into something. A shared glanced was made with LeeAnn. She gave a assuring nod. "I am an ice mage. Been my whole life, though, I do prefer a good weapon in hand. More natural for me that way. What about yourself" he asked.

LeeAnn watched from afar. She relaxed a little, leaning back in her chair. The kitsune was still flustered from Atani's comment before."I must ask, Atani, do you read much? I take you're the type of read a lot? I hope I am not putting any sterotypes on your kind or anything. I don't want to step on any toes" he spoke. The subject of book always interested him since day one. Alex as a bookworm, Lee was more of a fighter and getting her hands dirty. Though, she has recently taken a interest in reading about wildlife and aquatic care for the sake of her daughter's interest. "Well, I am sure you know that Hikari plays with her food like an Orca? Orcas are actually highly intelligent they toss seals into the air, according to the books I have been reading. Sorry, my knowledge only lies with marine biology. Hikari's had a surege interest into it" she spoke.

Alex smiled, nervously a little. He was never the type to be the center of a conversation too often. He really liked conversing about magic and methods of usage for each element. When ice magic came up, he laughed a little. "Why yes, I am an ice mage. It's not as common as I would like it like Lee's fire elemental magic. Though, I do like being an ice mage. It comes in handy like creating ice cubes for my drinks on a hot day" he smiled. Atani explained how no elves could use the frost or ice element. This really peaked his interest as he thought someone with the capabilities of such an amazing race, they would be able to use any form of magic. "So you're limited by element, huh? That's new to me, never heard of such a thing, but then again, I dont come across man books on wood elf culture or met one in the flesh before" he smiled.

His attention was drawn to a magic orb with two elements swirling together. Of course, he was already drawn to it. LeeAnn thought it did look pretty. The magic swirled around in the open palm. It faded into darkness once again. Alex's blue eyes gleamed like Hikari's. LeeAnn stared at Alex, squinting her eyes. There was some similarities between the two. They way their eyes shined at subjects they loved. She smiled a little. Dazing out of what was going on in the world, she was snapped back into reality. "Seems literature is quite common amongst all the races, I am glad I finally have someone to geek out with about books and knowledge" he smiled

LeeAnn gave a weird look at her ace then shook her head. Hikari was most definitely very smart for a girl her age. She was so invested into the world around her, more so the sea than anything. That's one of the reasons why she settled here so her daughter could get hands on learning about marine life. She knew Hikari would become a marine biologist. "No, no no no. I mean she plays with her food. That's not the point, I was just share what I have been reading on marine life. Here" she spoken. Handing her a book that was all over the recorded marine life in Astera. Orcas tend to be the common ones around Astera as they migrate. LeeAnn smiled.

Alex hated boasting about his rare magic. It made him feel as if he had a huge ego. In fact, he really didn't think too much of himself. Though, he had enough confidence in his abilities to be able to hold ins hown in a normal fight. LeeAnn was clearly much more capable than he was in battle and combat. She was more trained than he was due to her the nature of her father. Her father was harder on her due to being a female and wanted her to be able to stand on her own two feet.

Hearing about Atani's limitations really perked him up more. "Really? That's a new thing to me. I can see with you being a wood elf, I am guessing. Forest is more of your element with water and life being all around. Dumb question, can you speak to animals" he asked. He was curious about that seeing how Hikari was extremely interested into animals.

LeeAnn handed her the book and let her look through it. Hikari had already read the book or it was being read to her by her father. He had bought it for her while she had her back turned. She remained silent until everything was done. Yeah feelt free to take it. If you could use it, go for it. Hikari has already read the thing like twenty times. Trust me, she is already trying to memorize the latin names of every sea animal she can find" she laughed.