The World's Requiem: Act 1 Truth in Lies

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Alouette folded her arms as she listened. Ichika was attentive, and intuited that Alouette had some reasonable understanding of the city from the number of people who had recognized her as well as how easily she seemed to move from place to place. Alouette sighed, looking around, "Yes, I am rather well acquainted with the city... saying I'm from Phantasma isn't entirely correct. I... lived here for a time, so I know the lay of the city quite well." Ichika didn't need to know more necessarily. Ichika continued talking, and a bit a through line was established between the two. Alouette had taken notice of it, but it really hadn't come up at all. She and Ichika were of a similar build, both short, and noticeably buxom women, and such a combination had a draw for lascivious eyes, and those who sought to intimidate. Neither she nor Ichika were particularly susceptible to it--her with her magic, and Ichika with her blade--but having someone in a similar situation who knew what to look out for always made thing more comfortable. 

Alouette let her head bob a moment, "Haha... I admit this is not how I expected to have my figure mentioned first thing in the morning, but... it's certainly more preferable." Ichika's fluster over the rather blunt question softened Alouette's image of the priestess a bit more; her frustration with Luce, and her stance with the mission had painted her as a bit more no-nonsense, but there appeared to be more to it than that. A bit of a similarity. Speaking of Luce, Alouette heard their voice over with what had to have been Nathan; she still had to talk to him to see how exactly he knew her. She was a Celti so if he was from around here, then it was entirely possible to know who she was, but she was rather sure that she had never met him personally. Alouette's hands slipped back to her still undone harness, "I... would quite appreciate the eyes looking out for me, so doing the same for you is the bare minimum. I will be doing the same for Princess Lorelei, so she'll be along with us." Speaking of the princess, Alouette was sure that she had something in store--Lorelei was good at surprises as much as Alouette was poor with them. Alouette fixed the blue orchid once more, and fiddled with her harness, noticing that it was starting to fray in places. It had been a couple years at this point, "Mmm... not again." 

Another moment or two passed, and Alouette finished putting her things in the bag around her waist, "Alright, I believe that's everything..."

[scorri]

"Eve's stray, that's me~" Though they had protested the title yesterday, it did amuse them quite a bit and it wouldn't hurt to have people thinking of them in that way. They waltzed into the room, quickly making themselves comfortable on Nathan's bed before staring at him for a long moment, tail twitching, pupils narrowed to tight slits. "Hmmhmmhmm... you seem surprised to be called the second in command. Is there a title other than that you prefer? Or are you just like the rest of us, along for Eve's Wild Ride?~ I was just coming to get to know you a little better and see what all you know about this whole thing~ So many of the group seemed surprised by the mission, I would have thought more of them would have been told up front like I was. Though I suppose if you're asking someone to be the pretty face of a group like this, you have to make sure they know the risk that face is taking... It is a very important part of how I make my money after all~" 

They smiled, tilting their head to the side as they looked the man over once again, expression much more pleasant and open now. "Still~ I figure Eve must have told you some to get you involved. After all, you didn't seem very surprised when she revealed her Regalia... Just how dangerous did she say this was going to be? I got a lot of 'investigation and not a lot of fighting but given how things went when we weren't even officially on the job, well! You can see why I might be slightly concerned~" Time to see if he bites or if he knows enough to know why I'm asking...

[Bluemask 96]

Mikhail didn't stop his stride, though he did smile brightly as Prince Alister joined him. "You knew exactly what I wanted to do~ I wanted to wander around most of the festival, though that Luce mentioned a performance later. That would be good for a story for home. Grandmother would love that, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of things to try. I'll follow you, so where should we go first?" Mikhail was pleased to spend such a time with the prince. He was always approachable, and sometimes, felt like they were just friends and not a prince and his healer. 

"So the church put us all on this mission?" Mikhail ask the question without a change in step or demeanor.  Maybe there was something more to learn. The other swordsman from the day before had passed by at this point,  probably to meet his liege as well. He was oddly serious, compared to the princess he arrived with.

Edited October 10, 2023 by Bluemask 96

[Nanami Touko]

"My apologies!" Ichika bowed deeply and raised back up with a heavier blush of embarrassment on her face, really not wanting to have brought up the point. She was happy that Alouette agreed in the end, but it didn't make it any easier to say. "If you are sure that you are fine with that, then, thank you. I am in your care, Alouette. If Princess Lorelei wishes to join us as well, I see no issues; she seemed like a very charming and well meaning individual from my short time meeting with her. I shall endeavour to keep you both safe from prying eyes if I am able." A walk about the town with the two of them felt like quite the enjoyable day, especially if she learned about the city and its people, its wares, its culture... She had to learn everything she could. That was part of her duty. "If you would then, Alouette. I shall follow close behind, and do not be afraid to take me anywhere. All information and learning is good for one's mind."

[TheRoon]

Nate noted how quick the cat was to get down to business, he gave the girls one last look before he went back in his room and closed the door. I'll find her later, maybe she'll be at Kat's place. Nate's room was fairly simple, there was a bag on the side of the bed and some weights he had out near Luce's feet. "Second in command is...technically right, I think I have the most experience other than her. It was just a position she put on me." He leaned against the wall and pocketed his hands. "It's just...odd hearing that honestly, I'm not a military man." He looked Luce in the eye. "A lot of this was thrown together at the last minute from what I understand. Eve's superiors scrambled around to find bodies to fill the ranks, though...I think certain people were picked for very specific reasons. Who those people were and why that was the case is anybody's guess, though Alouette seems to be picked from her ability to sense Regalia."

He tilted his head briefly when Luce went on about the dangers of their job, and at some point he did catch a little of what they were jabbing at. "I know who you are, Luce. At least the basic gist of it, I'm not exactly made privy to everything the church has access to. Not like Eve. Truth be told I had to beg for my position." He pulled his hands out and stepped from the wall. "I'm a wandering fighter, spent a lot of time in Akatsuki. When I came back to the main land I got terrible news, but I couldn't do anything about it on my own. So I used some contacts I knew to connect with Albion, after enough pestering I managed to land a place in this group. Eve is someone I ran into during my training journey."

----------------

The prince returned the wave to the man of Lohen before he set off with Mikhail. "There's certainly a lot to learn in Isolde, I've been here more times than I can count and I'm still taking new things in." He chuckled as he walked along side Mikhail. "Let's see...I think you'd enjoy the local food stalls in town, if you haven't eaten breakfast by this point. Even then I know you have room for more." Mikhail's stomach always astounded Alister. "As Eve said this group is made up of multiple organizations with a common goal, but at the same time everyone has their own agenda. The church of course wants to find the lost Regalia. Lohengrin wants reinforcements for the frontline, Phantasma wants to join the alliance officially, I'm not so sure what Isolde wants." He paused. "And Gottfried is simply settled to see duty being done across Arkus." He turned to Mikhail. "I'm sorry if that sounds like a blanket statement."

----------------

As Miles walked to the town square he would find a small purple tent nearby with a sign next to it that simply said "fortune teller" with quite a few stars on the sign to make it look pretty. It didn't seem busy at all, in fact there was no line to enter at all. If he were to step inside he would notice a petite figure sat before a table with a big book open, they seemed like they were just trying to pass the time waiting for actual activity.

[scorri]

Luce's tail swayed slightly as they listened to Nate talk, taking mental notes as he explained what he knew of the group. Alouette's magical abilities had been confirmed, both in battle and from what Eve had said, so it made sense why she had been picked. There was more there that Luce hoped to learn about at some point, but it was clearly sensitive so they weren't about to start poking around without a plan there. Hmm... perhaps if she comes to my show I can talk with her after... The rest of the group that had been hand picked... well they could potentially talk to Eve about that, see what she knew. 

Their internal musings were interrupted by Nate calling them out specifically, saying he knew who Luce was. Purple furred ears flicked back briefly, before an innocent smile appeared. "Who I am? I told everyone that yesterday~ A dancer who has been recruited by the church as a liaison for this mission, able to use my job as a cover to find information. Surely that's what you mean?" They tilted their head, looking at Nate, eyes wide and innocent. "As for the rest of that, I'm sure that you were picked for this group for a reason too. Albion seems to do everything they do for a reason. Perhaps it was just you begging, perhaps it was something more. They trusted you enough to let you join though, and that's what matters." The cat stood up, and linked their hands together, raising them up towards the ceiling in a long stretch with a quiet groan. "Mmm, all that fighting left me stiff. I should go find my set up for the performance today. You're more than welcome to come watch if you're interested~ I plan for it to be a good one~" They started to head for the door, their tail gently swaying before brushing up against Nate as Luce passed. "Oh, one more thing! Since Eve so rudely left you behind, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of weapons do you use? Just so I know so I can figure out who is best to hide behind in future battles~"

[Mercenary on the Winds]

It was suddenly very humanizing to see Ichika suddenly so flustered. It was a flustering topic to be sure, but from their first interaction, and her composure on the battlefield, Ichika seemed more stoic than she actually was. Though, perhaps that should have been obvious from the woman's frustration with Luce's antics. Alouette supposed that was another similarity that the pair had--Alouette was sure that she came off more unapproachable than she intended. Alouette sighed, and waved a hand, "It's... really fine, Ichika. I'm used to stuff like this, and at the very least, you have an understandable reason for bringing it up. It remains embarrassing, but... I suppose we can be a little embarrassed about it together, then." Alouette offered a smile, she have liked to be more proud of her figure--contrary to belief by some, Alouette did work to maintain herself--but the frustration from being known more for that over her magical control, or her knowledge of the flowers of Isolde really got to her. The fact that she'd gotten this far with her circuity issue was nothing short of impressive, and the number of people who understood that was vanishingly few. So she had to do everything she could to prove them all wrong, all of this was Alouette. 

"Alright... I believe it was said that Lorelei would be staying at the Castle..." Alouette started making her way downstairs after closing her door, "So, let's head through Gardenia Park. That will take us down pass a couple stores, and likely a lot of the stalls are up and running now too, so I'm sure we may find something interesting on our way--Oh, hmm, do you know much about the festival, Ichika? The meaning of some of the flowers around? Isolde ascribes a lot of meaning to flowers, the way they bloom, the colors... many have special meanings, and you'll be seeing many of them. Come on." Alouette led the priestess outside, and onto the streets, where the bustle was starting to grow. Alouette wondered if it was a good idea for her to pull her hood up, but, her attire, and even the way she styled her hair were different from years ago, and she had matured in other ways that might make it a little difficult to recognize her immediately. She pulled the hood up enough to hide her from behind, but not enough to cover the blue flower, or her face. 

[MRDRHAWK]

Miles couldn’t help but let out a slight snicker at the sight of the tent. In his honest opinion, it more resembled a child’s attraction than something at a proper festival, but he decided to withhold his judgment until after he heard his fortune. It wouldn’t be right, to simply dismiss the novelty of it all, without giving it a fair chance.

”Pardon, but I’m interested in your… services?” Miles couldn’t help but be surprised by the petite woman, raising an eyebrow as she looked rather… distracted. Given how quiet it seemed to be in for the woman, he suspected business was slow, and she was resigned to merely whiling away the day. Look at him, ruining the woman’s plans. “Erm, I admit, I’m terribly new to the whole matter of fortune telling. I’ve never truly been one for… er, superstition.” He didn’t know if that was the right word for it, but hopefully the woman understood what he meant.

[Nanami Touko]

Ichika smoothed out entirely as Alouette promised her it was fine, smiling gently and nodding when she followed. "A park..." It sounded lovely, and it had been over a decade since she'd visited a local park just for the sake of visiting it. "I do not know anything about the festival, I am afraid to say, but I am happy to learn all you are willing to share with me. Any knowledge is good knowledge, and this town seems quite... welcoming and refreshing. It is much different from most towns and cities back home." It had a safe and comforting vibe to it.

Ichika followed after Alouette, taking in some of the sights and sounds. It was truly much more alive than it had been during her morning run. She saw Alouette pull up her hood and mimicked the motion, unsure of why she was doing it, but she didn't want to make a faux pas, so she didn't chance it. "Where to first?"

[TheRoon]

Luce seemed a little evasive, but Nate understood they had to keep up appearances. "Aah, yeah. A dancer is quite handy for gathering information, I can see why Eve likes you so much." He watched Luce leave and raised a fist. "You're lookin' at them." He smiled a little, and waved as the cat left. When he was alone he stepped up to the window and sighed. "Picked for a reason, huh? Really makes me wonder what that is..."

-------------------

"ACK!" Miles didn't have a booming voice by any means, but it still startled the poor figure, to the point where they very nearly dropped their huge book. "O-oh! A customer! Hello, salutations, felicitations and uh...all that jazz." She cleared her small voice. "Oooh, interested in fortune telling? Well of course you are, considering you're here." She put the book away and put her hands on the table. "Well, let me be your guide to your destiny! Perhaps it is superstition, or perhaps it may be real. Only one way to find out." Miles would notice the figure was robed and hooded now that he got closer. "There are many ways to have your fortune told, for example I could take your palm and read your future from that. Tarot cards, the crystal ball. Unfortunately I can't use the stars since it's the middle of the day, but which would you prefer, good sir?"

-------------------

"Pardon me, young lady." Taka would sense someone step up to her bench, the same dark haired young man Alouette had encountered from the wagon. He wore mostly white with a brown mantle over his shoulders, his right arm was mostly covered by that mantle, and his right eye still had a black eyepatch over it. "Could you perhaps spare a moment of your time for...oh wait a moment! You were one of the gate defenders the other day, isn't that right?" He smiled. "What a fortuitous encounter, I was hoping to repay you and your comrades for your deeds. My name is Lindt, a traveler from the desert sands of Saratara. What might your name be, milady?"

Edited October 23, 2023 by TheRoon

[MRDRHAWK]

Miles couldn’t stifle the chuckle at her shocked reaction in time, but quickly schooled his face into something… slightly more neutral, and less amused. “I apologize for… er, frightening you.” He began, once more having to stifle a laugh. At least this time, he was more successful.

”I admit, I have no knowledge of how any of these things work, so… I suppose the tarot cards. It might be interesting to have a few cards dictate the future.” Miles was never one for the idea of divination, but there was novelty in the idea, at the least. “I may need to come back later, for a second reading. The idea of the stars showing the future is… well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.”

[GoldsbroTSG]

Taka turned to the voice as the person approached her. Unfortunately for him, the ninja carried the same blank look she gave everyone, though, she was listening. One of her eyes gave a raise, as she pondered a moment. Surely someone else was better capable of accepting this offer of repayment than she was. She didn't need rewards. Her job was all she needed.

She tried though, standing up, giving a small bow. "I go by Taka. I apologize, I may not be... the most qualified for doing something for you, but I will help the best I can." When she returned up straight, her face continued to remain blank. She gave a light nod.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Alouette looked over at Ichika noticing that the woman had followed her lead, almost literally, by also putting her hood up. "Oh, uh... you don't need that up, Ichika. I'm wearing it because... there are some people who might be around that I would like to avoid if at all possible. I, uh... stand out, so trying to downplay that a little for right now." It would be better to explain why the hood was up than to just say that she didn't need it. "Anyway, we can go this way. There are a bunch of shops down this way... armor, weaponry, clothing... a lot of other things on the way too, as well as florists."

Alouette started her way down the street as she spoke, "You'll see a lot of florists around because flowers have a lot of special meanings here in Isolde. The Festival itself was created in the aftermath of Requiem, and was intended as celebration. Isolde was one of the countries least affected by Requiem, and it is one of the most peaceful countries on Arkus. So with that responsibility, Isolde does its best to represent itself and its culture within the festival."

Alouette pointed at a couple wandering by, both wearing a red orchid either on their person or in their hair. "Orchids are Isolde's national flower, and you'll see them everywhere. The different colors all have various associations and meanings; the pair that just walked by are recently married. The red orchid is usually something announcing that they are single, and actively looking for a good time so to speak. But when they're worn together, and opposite like they were, it means that they were recently married. Ah, there's a blue one... blue is a particularly rare orchid to see during the festival. It typically means that today is a special day, or that something special happened. It could symbolize a marriage proposal, a needed promotion, or a birthday. Really just something that's genuinely important to the wearer. There are others that mean different things in relation to the festival as a whole..." Alouette's own blue orchid began peeking out of her hood, as she looked around at some of the stores on their way down the street. Most of it was things she'd seen before, but it had been so long. The familiar colors, and clothing, the sights and sounds, Alouette could feel the nostalgia starting to seep in. "Do you see anything you like? We can stop in any of the stores, if you'd like?"

[Bluemask 96]

There was a brief flash of contemplation on Mikhail's mind a the prince's words, before he returned to his usual visage. "OK then. Let's find this food stalls!" Without missing a beat Mikhail continued off into the town.

As the two continued their walk through the festival, they happed to pass by a handful of game stalls. Mikhail hadn’t paid too much attention, until he noticed one filled with apples in water. "Prince Alister, what's this stall?"

[TheRoon]

Alister walked along side Mikhail with his head in his thoughts. I'm glad he's taken to this deal rather well, Mikhail has always been the type to go with the flow. He turned his head to the side slightly. Though, news of the battle in Lohen is troubling. I'll be busy soon. Best to relax while I have the time...? The prince was brought out of his thoughts by Mikhail when he asked about a stand. "Oh, that's a game where you grab an apple. The catch is it has to be with your teeth." He smiled. "Seems right up your alley if you ask me."

-------------

Aaah, she has quite a unique aura. Lindt noticed the blank stare, but it didn't seem to phase is grin. "You needn't worry yourself over qualifications, miss Taka. I simply wanted to kill some time, my comrade is busy with his own business so he set me about the capital to occupy myself." He lifted his left arm to brush some hair out of his eyes. "As a storyteller I always have an ear out to exchange tales, care to indulge me?"

-------------

The small hooded girl looked through a bag and pulled out a deck of cards. "Oh there's a lot to learn from even small hints of one's future, I assure you! A card reading is worth a thousand words." She deftly shuffled the deck and quickly spread the cards out across the table. "Three cards shall tell your past, present and future. Now let us begin..." She turned a card over, and looked it over. "The Fool Upright, it signifies new beginnings. Perhaps you found one in your past?"

-------------

"I see you're already readjusting to Isolde, Alouette." The hooded woman heard a familiar voice ahead, which belonged to a princess in purple she guarded. Lorelei came into view of the two women, she gave them both a curtsy and a smile. "Good morning to you, and you as well miss Ichika. Thank you for keeping Alouette company, and I hope you had a good rest after the battle." She turned back to Ali. "I heard quite a few civilians talk about that attack actually, if it weren't for you two and the others today would have carried a much more dreadful tone to say the least."

[Nanami Touko]

"Do I see anything that I like? ... I am a bit overwhelmed, if I am being honest. There was nowhere... No, that is not true. There were plenty of cities like this back home. I was simply never near any of them..." The talk of flowers hadn't gone over her head, though, slowly adjusting her hood on Alouette's correction and catching sight of her blue orchid. "I would not be opposed to eating or looking at clothing, but since you have gone through the kindness to explain what all of these flowers mean, what is the special occasion for your own orchid, Alouette?" Before she could be answered, their walk was interrupted by the princess from before, Ichika bowing towards her as she approached.

"I did nothing extraordinary. I must admit, that the city would have carried a more somber tone worries me to the quality of its own guards, but that is conjecture for a different time and place. Alouette was showing me about the city at my request; if you require her, then I shall not keep... Mmm, no." Ichika pulled herself up from her bow and gently folded her arms. "I am going to be a bit selfish and say, that if you require Alouette, you will have to wait until we are finished. I am on this journey to learn, and shall not give up this opportunity, even to royalty. Pardon my words, if I have overly assumed your intentions.'

[GoldsbroTSG]

Taka was silent as she listened to the man speak. He wanted to kill some time with conversation. Something that could almost considered the ninja's weakest point. Her face never faltered, but she thought as best she could. She sighed, and nodded.

"I will... share what I'm allowed, to the best of my ability. I cannot promise much, though." She answered honestly.

"I am a ninja from Akatsuki. I'm mainly here due to my charge's request. She thinks that a traveling group would... help." She waved her hand around her face. "I apologize again, I am... one would call boring."

[MRDRHAWK]

Miles couldn’t help but find himself curious. At the very least, he’s glad he didn’t need to ask for an explanation himself, but at the same time… finding a new beginning for him was something that needed a bit more in the way of specifics.

“You could say that. I… actually believe I’m about to embark upon a new beginning after the festival.” Miles knew he needed to be careful and not say too much, just to be safe. This wasn’t his first special assignment, after all. “What might the next two cards entail? I must admit, you have my interest now.”

[Mercenary on the Winds]

"Oh, so this isn't only your first time with the festival, but also one of your first times in a larger city?" The surprise was evident on Alouette's face; it felt like Ichika was considerably more traveled than it sounded, but it was possible that her pilgrimage as well as whatever she did back at her shrine just kept her away from the cities. "Aha, well, I think this is a good place for it to be your first then... the stores themselves are good, but with the festival starting you'll find plenty from other countries as well." Alouette then paused as Ichika mentioned her orchid, the blue orchid that she had just finished explaining, and realized that it was peeking out from her hood. "Oh, uh... well... Aha... I did mention that it was an uncommon color to see, but... Today is my birthday, actually. It coincides with the beginning of the festival." Alouette flushed slightly, "It's... not all that special, but I've always--" 

Lorelei's voice broke out over her own, bring a smile to Alouette's face, the faint red still on her face, "Good morning to you as well, Lorelei. We were just coming to find you." The red didn't leave Alouette's face, as a pout came to her face, and crossed her arms, "I, I was just leading Ichika through the city. Not readjusting as you say... It's quite different from what I remember." A bold faced lie; Alouette almost felt as if she could walk through the streets with her eyes closed. She sighed, "I'm glad that our efforts kept the mirth that the festival is known for... Still, the questions over who it was and why remain..." Ichika then stated her intent to have her request fulfilled, even if Lorelei needed Alouette, the forwardness brought a raised eyebrow from the red haired woman, "...Well, with words like that, I don't think it would be right to turn her down. Were you heading somewhere, princess? Or would you be fine joining us for the moment?"

[TheRoon]

The man in white simply nodded at Taka's words, he seemed to really be into her story despite it being so short. "Ah, a shinobi from Akatsuki...or is it kunoichi in your case?" He gave Taka yet another smile. "Forgive me for being forward, but if that is what you call boring then the land of Akatsuki sounds like an inspiring place! Color me impressed." He folded his arms and tapped his chin with a finger. "Well, I certainly hope you learn and grow in this group. That being said, since you were so nice to tell me a small tale would you allow me to tell you something in return? A story for a story, though perhaps you might find mine boring in comparison."

-------------

"Oooh! So I was right on the money with that, very good. Now your present is..." She flipped another card. "The Lovers upright, which signifies fellowships and unification. Perhaps your new beginning is with others? The Lovers normally doesn't mean a significant other, it could be with comrades." The hooded girl really didn't know, she simply guessed. As she looked over the rest of the cards, Miles could make out a pair of horns that the hood barely covered.

-------------

"Oooh, is that right? You are quite a bold one, miss Ichika, addressing royalty like that." She giggled. "I kid, it's quite alright I'm not here to take Alouette away from you. If anything I don't mind giving you two time to bond, as allies you'll be doing a lot of that anyway so being used to each other's company is important." The princess turned her head toward Alouette. "I just got done with a short meeting with the other royals, there's still a lot to be done but I found enough time for a break. The royal guard has caught one of the attackers and they're being questioned, but no information has been brought to light just yet. Whoever these people work for must have some tight contract with them." The princess sighed for a moment.

"But that's a problem for the guards now, you needn't worry for the moment. Take your rest now, you'll need it for tomorrow..." She stopped for a moment. "Oh, aha. I may have let that one slip...but your next destination has already been decided."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Taka tilted her head as the man spoke. Is a ninja so surprising to people outside of Akatsuki? The girl never thought much of her duty. She was born to dedicate her life to this specific job, whoever could use her service. And the things it took...

The ninja's head straightened, continuing to listen as the man spoke. A hand finally escaped from her cloak as she moved some hair from her face, and scratched her head. Lindt was offering her a story as well. When thinking about it, Taka considered it like how she used to listen to Yukari talk, even if she didn't know what to respond with. Her arm retracted back into her cloak, and she nodded.

"Of course. I'd... like that." She tried to answer.

[Bluemask 96]

"If it's suited for me, I don’t why not." Mikhail, emboldened by the prince's recommendation, approached the stall and put down the necessary gold for a shot. "As they say, an apple a day..." were the last words the healer spoke before going down for his red prize.

[Nanami Touko]

The princess hadn't made clear if she'd be joining them or not, leaving Ichika a mite confused on if to move on or not. She was still speaking with them, so would it be rude to leave now? Drag Alouette along back on their city tour? She awkwardly held her arm and listened, frowning ever so slightly. "I see. It is good that it has been decided where we are going, then." She didn't have more to say to this princess; her joke about addressing royalty so roughly was simply how Ichika was. "If it is your birthday, Alouette, should we not go to celebrate it? Birthdays are special, after all. One day of the whole year... If you wish to go somewhere to eat or if you wish for me to pick out a gift for you, I am more than open to the idea. Simply state your wishes... But, since you did not mention it until I asked about your flower, perhaps you would rather stick to our tour."

[MRDRHAWK]

If Miles hadn’t been at least a little suspicious before, he was now. Either that, or this fortune stuff was a lot more on the nose than he had anticipated. “Hm. You could say that, yes.” He really didn’t know what to make of this new group, though nobody had him exactly wishing to get out immediately.

No, he had his own, entirely unrelated reasons for that.

”Well, I’d like to know what the last card tells me. If you would be so kind, miss…?” Miles paused, realizing that in all his desire to indulge this little curiosity, he hadn’t had the manners to ask her name. He could always ask her later, though, assuming she wasn’t just some spy who’d been peeking in on their luncheon the other day.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

"They caught one of the attackers?" That was a good sign, perhaps they would be able to get something out of them about the goal of the assault. It was mildly frustrating that they thought to invade during the setup for the festival. This was supposed to a time of merriment, love, and devotion to creating a better future. Unfortunately, that good sign was very quickly extinguished as Lorelei mentioned that they hadn't said anything, which was rather surprising for hired muscle. That implied a very strong contract, or perhaps something so pressing that their attacker couldn't speak up without fear. It was Lorelei's continuation that warranted the most attention, "They've already figured out where were heading, have they?" That's a lightning turn around... either it means that they know exactly what they're looking for and how we are to find it, or they're panicking and rushing us out hoping that we can make things right... Can't exactly rule out the first given how prepared they seemed to be for our arrival... 

Ichika then spoke up bringing the lightest flush to Alouette's face, "I, uh, well," She cleared her throat, and shook her head, "That won't really be necessary. It is my birthday, but there's no need to go out of your way. The flower is just tradition for me; it's not all that important. I think for now we can just stick to our tour, and..." Alouette looked around, "Perhaps its best to continue to the park, there are some statues, and I'm sure that there will be plenty of performers over there as well. That will give us some time to figure out where we go next. I have a couple ideas, and I'll run them by you as we head over there." Alouette kept her head on a swivel the whole time, she'd been pretty lucky so far that no one seemed to recognize her, although, she hadn't caught a glimpse of anyone who would identify her on sight. That likelihood would probably rise as they moved through the town towards the park.

"Sorry to take you back the way you came, Princess, but off we go." Alouette led the pair of women towards the end of the shopping district. Right at the end of the stretch, was a stand of jewelry; it didn't look like the person in charge was from Isolde due to their attire, but the jewelry on display was clearly designed for the festival, and with Isolde in mind--small hair pins, bracelets, and even more intricate pieces of jewelry, and almost all of them done with flower motifs. Alouette's eyes held on the stand for a moment longer than anything else before, as she shepherded both Ichika and Lorelei towards the park.