Forgotten Gears Episode I - Raiders of the Dark Spire

[Gadgeteer Mikami]

((Closed))

In a world full of mystical wonders and untold secrets, no one could argue that this land of elves was anything short of magical splendors. The Raiaeran Elves who dominated this country showed pride in their knowledge of magic in everything that they do, down to the humble passtime of gardening during the balmy afternoon. The Bladsingers of Anebrilith keep watch within the city streets, ensuring that their citizens are well and the law upheld at all times.

Even today, in this balmy autumn day at the waterfront of Anebrilith.

The Singing Blades rested peacefully near the docks, soaking in the salty ocean air through its weathered stone walls. The inn was seeing light traffic this time of day, most of its patrons out patrolling the streets and keeping peace among its populace.

And such, the perfect time to gather a treasure-hunting party. That is, of course, if everyone showed up on time.

"uWA~..."

A young human girl sat yawning at a table, carelessly leaning on the two back legs of her sturdy oak chair. She could have sworn her little time piece had at one point moved backwards, but she knew machines had no such ability. The lass could only sigh and casually glance out the window from time to time, watching the ferries dock and unload their cargo while the sun creeped over the dockhand's heads. Their shadows crawling along the wooden planks, crossing over each other as they slid closer to their masters' feet.

Reina hated waiting alone, especially when the majority of people she had met spoke little to no Tradespeak. Since the moment she had set foot upon the docks, the girl had dreaded that she would not understand a single thing these pointy-eared men would say. It was already a burden to clearly communicate with the Radasanthian dockmaster, her Akashiman accent a strange enough dialect to the city-dwellers of Corone, thus speaking to the elves should prove to be a task no less adventurous than the one her team was about to embark on.

"Boy... Sure is slow today..." Reina mumbled to no one in particular, casting her sight about the nearly-deserted tavern. The room was large enough to hold a banquet, is elegant woodwork already enough to enhance the mood for festivities. There was only a table or two occupied by dockhands resting for lunch while most were out hauling cargo - obviously sneaking in for a quick bite before going back to work. The quaint little place smelled of sea foam and sweat, but somehow not as overbearing like the sweaty Yanbo Harbour taverns back home. Must be an elven thing, this scent... Reina smiled, longing to be home again. But she knew this was something that needed to be done before she could go home. She needed something from this land, but acquiring them legally was probably out of the question.

The fair-skinned barkeeper, golden brown mop cascading down his long face as the man rubbed the glass mug clean, also kept a watchful eye on the Akashiman as well. He was always wary of outsiders, but this particular one looked more interesting than most. The garment she adorned was not that of any lady he had seen - be they elven or human. Not many young girls would brave the discomfort of wearing rough dark-green trousers in place of long, billowing skirts. Her greenish shirt and soiled white undershirt was not very much in fashion as well, especially in the Raiaeran fashion scene. Therefore, it was not hard for the light-skinned elf to figure out she was a treasure-hunter or a lone traveller than someone interested in browsing the fine elven art masterpieces. He would need to keep his eyes on this lady - people who did not fit in were most often trouble-makers in the end.

He could also sense the anticipation lying under her bored demeanor, as if she was waiting for someone to show up. Her eyes, glinting vividly under those thin spectacles, were filled with anticipation only she would know. He merely nodded when she glanced over to him and looked away, taking another order of lunch for the next group of weary workers heading in for lunch.

Reina paid no heed to the prying eyes of the barkeep and glanced back towards the brightly-lit docks outside. She had been waiting for nearly half an hour and the anticipation was just killing her. If the escorts did not show up soon, she would have to go on this journey alone. There was no way she would go home without getting that special something she needed first.

"A slow day, this is..." She muttered, letting the chair rock back on all four before propping her head down on the smooth brown table, watching the assortment of elves wandering about outside. "So~ boring..."

Sercretly, however, she was not just any random human passing by the region. She was merely playing the part of a bored little girl until her party arrived.

Just... any time now...

[Xos]

"Tell me about it. I sure could use a walk, or something man." Xos said to the little girl he was secretly here to meet. He was sitting at the next table idly toying with some string. His odd black and white wizard robes were hard to miss.

He had heard stories here and there of treasure hunters going off and finding many ancient secrets. It was only by luck he had managed to get into one. Maybe he's find a way to go home, or at least a way to find the way home.

Hopefully he wasn't the only one in this little party. He had confidence in his abilities, but there was only so much he could do.

"Maybe we could go on a walk together, it'd help relieve our boredom, you never know what might happen to you on a walk." He said.

[IBB]

Anebrilith, Raiaera. Dayas had heard endless amounts of snippets about the homeland of the high elves; some were complimentary, some not so, and others were just plain contradictory. Those snippets, however, couldn't quite prepare him for the sights that awaited him in this harbor town unlike any other he'd seen.

Raiaeran elves were natural mages, and they wasted no effort in reminding the magicless thief of that fact. As the ship he had hitched a ride on pulled into the docks, he watched as the otherwise normal-seeming elven sailors began working their magic to aid in the disembarking process: using spells to move and lift heavy barrels and crates to the dock below, to aid in the process of anchoring the ship, even to help them lower the gangway to allow passengers and sailors to come and go freely.

Now, normally, Dayas probably would have been more than happy to stand around gawking at the lively use of magic, but there were two things that prevented him from lingering too long: one, he had a schedule to keep-- there was someone that he was supposed to meet in The Singing Blades relatively soon. The other was simply that in the course of his travel by sea, Dayas had come to the sudden realization that sea travel really wasn't his thing.

He and a few other unfortunate passengers who had spent the majority of the trip puking their guts out over the side staggered drunkenly off the ship together, using each other for support. It was a wonder that all four of them managed to reach the bottom without toppling off the plank and into the harbor. One misstep on Dayas's part, however, sent them all tumbling into a heap once they finally reached the dock, and it was several moments before the groaning pile of bodies felt steady enough to free themselves from the pile and stand up. After disentangling himself from the pile, Dayas decided to wander around the docks for a while, at least until his legs stopped shaking and his stomach stopped churning like the ocean in the middle of a storm.

After conjuring up that mental image, Dayas suddenly had to quell the urge to hurl again.

He spent a few hours wandering around the dock, trying to clear his head without clearing his stomach as well. As he passed fair-skinned elf after fair-skinned elf, the darker skinned thief felt very self-consciously out of place. Sure, there were the occasional deeply tanned sailor elves busily working the docks, but the majority of the elves in the city were more on the fair side from what Dayas could see. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his face, more in an attempt to hide his naturally darker skin and his strangely-colored hair than anything else. He rationalized his self-conscious actions to himself by telling himself it would be a bad idea for anyone to get a good look at the would-be treasure hunter, considering where he was planning on going treasure-hunting. Suddenly reminded of his meeting and feeling much better than he had been a few hours ago, he glanced up at the sun and realized it was about time for him to meet his soon-to-be employer. Squinting his black eyes against the sunlight, he scanned the buildings near the docks, looking for any sort of sign indicting the inn he was looking for. Finally spotting the sign for The Singing Blades, Dayas found himself joining a small group of dockworkers as they filtered into the elven establishment.

Upon entering and getting a good look around, Dayas found himself having to lean out the doorway to double-check the sign outside. Were all Raiaeran taverns this... fancy, or was this the wrong place entirely? After affirming that this was, in fact, the right place, Dayas carefully lifted his hood a little bit to enable him to see a little bit better in the relatively dimmer light of the tavern. He lingered near the door as he scanned the crowd for the person he was supposed to meet. The majority of the scarce patrons were dockworkers stopping in for a quick meal or a drink. At least one thing was the same: even elven sailors liked to indulge in a bit of drink when on break.

His eyes soon fell upon a pair of patrons that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the elven tableau. He watched from a distance as a wizard in black and white robes turned to a bored-looking young woman at the table next to him. From this distance, he couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but given how out of place the two of them were in this fancy tavern, he guessed that they were probably the ones he was supposed to meet. He strode purposefully across the room towards the adjacent tables...

...only to trip over a chair he hadn't noticed in his path and go crashing to the floor, flailing uselessly as he did so.

"Ow," he muttered from the floor, realizing the hard way that he still hadn't quite gotten his "land-legs" back yet.

[Xos]

Xos felt sorry for the man. It was obvious he had come in by boat. Sea travel wasn't Xos's Favorite activity either. It was horrible, what with the rocking back and forth all the time. He stood and bent over to help the man up.

"Greetings. I hope the sea was kind to you, though it looks like you still need time to regain your land legs. Maybe a walk would do you some good. I was just asking this young lady if she'd like a walk to relieve her boredom. Maybe a walk would do you some good to, it would help to readjust you to land." Xos said.

After the man got to his feet, either by Xos's help or under his own power...

"You know, for a fancy pants high class establishment like this, you'd think they'd keep the chairs out of the roadway. I think maybe introductions are in order, seeing as how we've all crossed paths. My name is Xos, and I am a wizard by birth, and a scientist by trade. It is a pleasure to meet you." He said.

[Gadgeteer Mikami]

Reina cringed as the two men bumped and jostled about with the chairs, wondering how much attention they had already drawn from the elven patrons lounging about. Thankfully, most of the Raiaerans about the area were neither interested in the affairs of humans and much preferred to steer clear of any and all incidents involving the mundane humans.

That was certainly one good thing about these people - they tend to stay clear of outlanders unless they really felt like you did something wrong.

"Hey, you two." The bespectacled girl called out to them and pushed out two chairs with her feet, causing the sturdy oak furnitures to skid across the seamless floors with not as much as a sound. It was a wonder how the ponty-eared folks kept their drinking establishments so clean, but then she realized it had to either be "Song Magic" or "the Raiaeran Way." She was willing to bet it was the fact Raiaerans did not know what a genuine barfight was. At least it was one less thing to worry about here.

"I assume you are Mr. Dayas and Mr. Xil... umm..." Reina spoke up once they were seated, taking a sip from her cup of Eluriand coffee to clear her mind and get the words straightened out. It also served as a good opportunity to glance out the window to see if the Bladesingers had returned from their patrol.

So far, no sign.

"Umm, yes. Mr. Xilanthes. Am I correct?"

Setting the frail porcelain cup back on its saucer, she propped her head in one hand and casually looked around the area before detailing parts of their expedition. The three of them had to be careful, especially when the Raiaeran Lawkeepers were about.

"OK, so here's the gist. We are going to take a little walk into the Crimson Woods and pay a visit to the Black Tower. Normally, this place is off-limits to anyone and everyone - the Bladesingers are making sure of that, since they believed that crazy old necromancer Xem'Zund is still alive in there." The lass paused once and pushed her glasses up from the tip of her nose, stealing another glance at the surrounding area. No sign of trouble yet.

"But before that, we are going to head to Carnelost to stock up and prepare for the journey. There's a small inn by the name of Daywalker's Respite at the southern edge of town. There's a small sign post with the silhouette of a walking man with a cane and a top hat - very easy to spot if you take the main road. Drop by there to regroup and we'll be ready to go."

It was not really a plan as much as instructions, but speaking anymore than the general gist here would be quite a risk - This inn, after all, was the main rest stop for the Bladesingers who patrol the waterfront city. At any moment, the Lawkeepers may return from their duties and might overhear their nefarious plans... Even though Reina would rather not admit it, but the plan would definitely sound nefarious to the high-and-mighty elves. Anyone interested in the Obsidian Spire who was not of the Council were all suspects.

But she took respite on the fact that the safest place to outline the plan was at the very nest of danger - especially of said danger was elsewhere on duty.

Taking one last sip of the rich, dark beverage, the lass sat the pearly white cup down and promptly rose to her feet.

"Alright, boys~ I'll see you in a few days. Have fun travelling~"

Without even a glance backwards, the Akashiman Gadgeteer was out the door, five gold coins remaining next to the white cup she was drinking from only moments before.

[Xos]

Xos waited a few moments, and then he too headed out, going in the opposite direction of both Mikami, and the city he was supposed to be heading towards. He had a good long pleasant walk here and there on and off the road and made his way towards Carnelost, and The Daywalker's Respite. He would end up being the last one of the three to arrive.

He walked in to the inn, and sat down.

[IBB]

Dayas, after being helped up by the wizard Xos and having a chance to hear the plans in detail, sat down and looked lost in thought for several moments. He needed to figure out a way of getting to Carnelost without getting hopelessly lost along the way.

A while later, he found himself setting out with a small merchant caravan towards Carnelost. How a no-name thief like him managed to get onto a caravan was actually relatively simple: he went around town and chatted up a few good-looking elf girls (with varying degrees of success; he ended up sporting a hand-shaped red mark on his face for the rest of the day due to one encounter gone wrong), who eventually referred him to a merchant's daughter who was about to set out on her way for that very town. After tracking her down and turning on the charm, he managed to get her to convince her father to let them both tag along for the journey. Dayas was glad that she was coming along, too, because her father was a rather intimidating man who towered over Dayas in much the same way as Xos had. While the wizard had been pretty amicable, however, the merchant was very gruff and abrupt. The man was clearly reluctant to have such a shady character on board his caravan and had only caved because of his daughter's insistence.

Gee, I wonder what his wife must be like, Dayas thought to himself with a grin as he watched the merchant's daughter talk him out of throwing Dayas out of the caravan. He had made a harmless joke about the fact that the man seemed to have a permanent scowl etched across his face, which the young woman had gotten a kick out of but clearly hadn't gone over well with the one it was about. Dayas made a mental note to be careful about what he said and when around the merchant, just to make sure he didn't do something that not even the girl would be very fond of. After all, there was no way in hell he could reach Carnelost by himself, let alone by the time limit.

[Gadgeteer Mikami]

Phew, what a day!

Reina wiped a hand across her brows as she finished the last of her tasks, slumping to the floor of the room as she smiled in triumph at the result. The long battle took a toil on her strength to the point of collapse and the young gadgeteer decided to linger on the floor for a few moments longer.

Reina had taken an almost direct route to Carnelost, hitching a ride with a skilled puppeteer and making it to the small town within two day's worth of travel. She did not know where the old man had disappeared to after their arrival into town, but the lass reasoned that he went away to other cities on business. Upon arriving at the Daywalker's Respite, however, she found out that lodging for three people was going to cost her a good deal of money. The proprieter, a long-time friend of her Uncle who had moved here from Akashima, decided that having the glass-wearing girl work as a maid for two days should be sufficient for the stay.

"R time, Reina-chan." A clear, singing voice came from behind the tired young girl. Looking up from her seat on the floor, the gadgeteer found the face of a much older woman staring down at her flanked by twin curls of illustrious black. "Wow, you sure look beat."

"Heehee, sure am Misa-Sempai." Reina replied with a sheepish smile, slowly rising to her feet and brushing away the light brown powder from her apron and gown.

"Take five and then go wait on the tables in the tavern, right? You did good with those bedsheets, so I guess that's reward for your effort then."

Reina nodded with a smile, closing the door behind her and making her way down the hall. Balmy beams of sunlight shone through the open window at the end of the long corridor, throwing a box of bright orange across the floor all the way towards the stairwell at the other end. Reina placed a hand on the weathered hardwood frame, staring out into the red-hue forest just a few yards outside and leapt within at the day that would come. The day her group was going to invade its threshold and onwards towards their destination.

It had been a long day for her, but nonetheless also her last day working as a maid here. By tomorrow morning, the expedition party would be heading out to the Obsidian Spire and on their way to recovering the rumored artifacts. Reina could not contain her excitement at the thought of finding out what the research into lost technology was all about - whatever it was, she was going to get her hands on it.

Just you wait, Obsidian Spire! The gadgeteer grinned, staring forward in determination as she made her way down towards the stairs. Whatever secrets you may have hidden... There's nothing too complex for me to figure out!

-Tap

A sharp, cold chill shot through her spine as Reina was about to take a step down the wooden stairs.

Abruptly turning back, she expected to see one of the residents of the inn walking out of their room on their way down to the tavern for a drink and a meal. The sight which greeted her, however, was the vast emptiness and the still curtain of dust thrown about in the air. No sound was coming from the room Reina had left the elder maid in and no doors creaked open as she expected.

Not wanting to wait any longer and ponder the possibilities, the nervous maid hastily plodded down the stairs on her way to her next duties.

***

Waiting on customers at the tavern proved to be a bit more lively than tucking in bedsheets she was doing earlier, the tinkerer-turned-waitress realized as she flitted across the room with one hand balancing a tray of food and another gripping the handles of three large beer steins to her customers. The tip was good and the customers delightful, evidently the largest gathering of humans and non-Raiaerans she had seen since her arrival into Elfland. After delivering her patrons their orders of steak, mashed potatoes and warm beer, the temporary waitress walked over to a table occupied by a magey character mostly hidden under his wide hat. Whipping out the writing board and a piece of charcoal stick skilfully, as if she had been doing the job for a long time, the maiden went about her job like nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hello, sir. What would you like for today's-" Reina halted in mid-speech, immediately recognizing the mage as one of her escorts that would be entering the forest tomorrow.

"-Hi, Mister Xos!" She exclaimed, catching herself and self-consciously glancing around the room in fear of attracting unwanted attention. However, all eyes and ears remained dedicated to their own business and she sighed with relief.

"Phew. Good of you to finally make it here." She quietly said to the mage, trying not to do anything out of the ordinary. "I've got the rooms for tonight, don't worry. We'll be staying here for the night and head off to the Red Forest come tomorrow morning. In the meantime, please don't attract any unwanted attention, please?"

The waitress straightened herself and, taking her writing board out from the front pocket of her apron once more, resumed her front as a waitress.

"So, sir. What would you like for today? Our special menu for this month is veal in mushroom gravy, mashed potato with lima beans and a side of warm mead. Would you like to try it, sir?"

[Xos]

"That sounds positivly delicous." Xos said. He didn't plan on stirring up any trouble, but as his philosophy teacher was so fond of reminding him, anything could happen. He just hoped it didn't.

He took in the sights of all the bar patrons discussing their various affairs.

He wondered just what he would find in this Dark Spire.

When his meal finally arrived, his stomach gave a low rumble of Joy.

Quietly he ate his meal, savoring every last bite.

[IBB]

The journey was pretty uneventful, though after being in such close proximity to each other Dayas and the merchant were about ready to come to blows. Fortunately for the nonaggressive thief, they managed to reach their destination before such a thing could happen. After bidding the merchant and his daughter farewell (though only the latter was anything near fond), he quickly located the Daywalker's Respite and made a beeline for it. He poked his head in and gave it a cursory glance as he attempted to locate his companions. Spotting Xos sitting at a table, he cautiously strode over, keeping an eye out for any stray chairs in his path this time.

Luck, however, seemed to have it out for this particular thief; he found himself so busy looking out for chairs that he failed to notice someone walking right into his path.

[Gadgeteer Mikami]

Bump-!

"Eya~!"

-Crash!

Reina was pre-occupied with the mage's order she had not seen the thief enter the Daywalker, consequentially not even noticing him even until they "bumped" into each other. In a chaotic fumble of feet and hands, the gadgeteer-turned-waitress landed in a heap on the new arrival, flattening him under her relatively unflattering form. Gasping for air after the initial shock wore off, the Akashiman suddenly realized her transgression and shot straight up on her knees, backing away from Perchik's flattened form.

Gomennasai! Gomennasai!" Reina quickly apologized even before the thief could recover, awkwardly adjusting her maid outfit and fumbling for her glasses. After some effort (and a helpful hand out of nowhere), she managed to get the spectacles back on her blushing face.

"M- Mister Dayas!" She gasped as the young man's face attached itself with a name in her head. "Hi! You're just in time!"

Flustered out of her mind, Reina hastily showed him his seat at the table opposite to Xos and quickly noted down his orders as if nothing really happened. Of course, it was only after she reached the kitchen when she pondered over the encounter.

Uwah!!!

***

"Here you go, sirs."

Reina returned to the table with the orders, placing them in front of Xos and Perchik respectively. Instead of leaving immediately, however, she feigned interest in the pair of guys and leaned in close enough to whisper without drawing unwanted attention.

"Alrighty, boys." She began, casting her sight from the robed man to her wily thief. Catching herself staring into his midnight eyes, the girl's face flushed of colors and she was forced to cough in order to clear her head. "I've got your rooms secured for the night, though we'll need to leave before noon. Mister Xos, your room's number 203. Mister Perchik, your room is 204. They're just up that stair over there, but don't make a fuss once you make your way to bed."

Two sets of keys landed on the table silently as the waitress withdrew herself, disappearing into the crowd of tables on her way to attend to more customers.

[Xos]

Xos heard the crash and fall of bodies and it was his hand that Reina used to help her get back up.

He eyed the young theif, and wondered how anyone could be so clumsy.

"Boy you just have the best luck in the world don't you. What did you do, insult The Fates?" Xos asked.

Xos took his key and hid it in an inside pocket.
Xos turned his attention to his meal, and enjoyed it thorougly.

"So, how'd you get down here?" he asked the theif.

[IBB]

It took several moments for it to register to the thief exactly who he had run into, and even when it did he found himself at something of a loss to understand why she was so flustered at the inadvertent two-person pig-pile. He took the indicated seat across from the mage, muttering,"I must've pissed someone off," in response to his comment.

It wasn't until the young gadgeteer came back with their orders and leaned in conspiratorially that something started to click in his head. Her eyes locked onto his for a moment, and suddenly Dayas felt his own face become a bit hotter just as hers changed colors. He hastily shifted his focus down to the meal placed in front of him and almost ended up not hearing the girl's instructions. The silent thud of the keys being quietly slipped onto the table partially startled the preoccupied thief, and he hastily tried to remember her instructions as she went off to continue her temporary waitressing job.

His key disappeared just as quietly as the mage's into one of his own pockets, and he bent over to have some of the soup he had ordered. He almost ended up spitting out the spoonful of soup he had brought to his mouth when the mage inquired as to the directionally-challenged thief's mode of transportation. He chided himself for feeling guilty about his hitching a ride with a girl he had managed to charm, pointing out to himself that that was the kind of thing he did for a living, after all.

"I managed to hitch a ride with a merchant who was heading this way," Dayas replied, trying to shrug off his near-mishap with a nonchalant, well, shrug. He hoped the mage would not inquire as to how exactly he had come across said ride or said merchant, instead hoping he would draw his own conclusions.

[Xos]

Xos took in the sight of the theif's blushings, and noticed the possible spark of something more than just friendship there.

As the young man did his best not to suddenly gag on the soup he had, Xos decided maybe after they were finished eating was the best time to talk.

But then. after hearing that he hitched a ride with a merchant heading this way, Xos imagined a variety of indecent proposals.

Maybe Dayas didn't like Mikami after all, and was looking for a way to take advantage of her purse after this little raid was done. Maybe not, he didn't know, but he would certainly be keeping a closer eye on things.

"I personally took off in the opposite direction, and made a wide turn and then came down this way, hiking over hill and dale, accross field and stream, and through forests and caves. I was so indirect anyone following me or tracing my path must surely have been shaken off, convinced I was lost, or just a wandering fool by now." Xos said.

A moment later...

"This is good, I wonder if she made it herself." He said.

[Gadgeteer Mikami]

"Alright, Reina. That's enough for today."

The familiar voice of Misa-Sempai reached the ears of the Gadgeteer as she lugged a large tray full of emptied steins and grimy vessels back to the washtubs. The maiden peeked around the tower of wooden bowls in her hands with a smile, carefully guiding the balancing act into the water before heaving a sigh of relief.

"Ha~! Yokatta~" She exclaimed, wiping a weary hand across her sweaty brows. "At least that's the last bunch of dishes from the tavern!"

The dark-hair lady snickered as she rolled up the sleeves of her dress before submerging her arms into the gigantic stone tub. "Yeah, that's the last of all your table-waiting adventures you'll be getting into, ne?"

"E- Eh~?!" Reina stopped dead in her tracks, glancing back at the senior Akashiman elbow-deep in dirty dishes and greasy water.

"I saw that little mishap with a certain customer earlier, little girl." Misa casually mused with a sly wink. "Do you really think you can hide something like that from me?"

The Gadgeteer choked on her own words, stammering incoherently in a bid to try and find her voice. She wanted to persuade Misa-Sempai that it was indeed an accident ,with no underlying motive. She wanted to tell her that the two of them did not know each other before hand and was not planning to do anything together at all. Even though the wizard was also in on the matter, she found the reasons asides from their little secret mission more unbearable to be exposed. What was she to do, after all, as just a young lady unsure of what she should do?

Seeing the flustered lass turning red from head to toe, the older girl smirked in satisfaction. Washing the grime from her hands, she turned around and touched the young inventor on her chin, lifting it up with gentle fingers until they could see each other's alluring brown orbs.

"Doushta no, kimi?" Misa grinned triumphantly as she fixed her eyes on the confused girl, her own eyes disappearing behind the smile on her face. Only the steady drip from an emptied water trough echoed through the small washing room. "Kowakatta?"

Without a word exchanged between them, Misa relaxed her stance and returned to washing the dishes, leaving a stunned young girl standing there with flushed red cheeks. Not even looking back to see if she was alright, the tall waitress ran a wooden bowl through the oily water and casually scrubbed away with a thick, coarse rag.

"Don't you have some business to get to?"

The Gadgeteer snapped back to reality and hurried out the door, her face burning hot as if it was not on fire already. Misa paid no heed to the flurry of footfalls against the floor as she toiled away with the cleaning in hand, her nonchalant gaze never lifting from the mess of plates and cups submerged in the tub.

"Daijoubu ne, Sensei." She muttered quietly, gouging out a sticky blob of leftovers and letting the contents fall into a bin with a plop. The steady dripping sound echoed bacak as the only answer she received, saved for a silent whisper in the wind...