Crystal
*Hitoshi had returned to Irunia to settle something with her old dad. As much as she could. It gnawed at her insides, the fact that it had been years and she never gave her father the respect that he deserved upon his death. So that's what she did. Hitoshi had thanked her lucky stars that they believed "The Salamander" Long dead, or gone. Which in a way, he is. Both physically and mentally.

As Hitoshi kneeled beside her old father's grave, swallowed up by her own guilt, her immense, overpowering guilt, the voices that always haunted the back of Hitoshi's mind came back. They told her things. Things she didn't like.*

*"Why didn't you save Arthur from this? You are disgusting. This predicament you found yourself in is pitiful compared to what you deserve. You evil, evil bastard."*

*She heard it in her father's voice. It's what he would've said. Hitoshi wouldn't even be able to pretend it's not. Even as she paid respects to her mother, that voice wouldn't shut up. It followed her.

Merciless. Judging. Unforgiving. Just as she deserved.

*Hitoshi is now sitting at a spot next to the fountain, a haunted look in her eyes. Her mind is in a horrible spot. Zed was right. She's evil. She can't pretend otherwise. She didn't even bother trying to stop him. She (he?) just sat next to a tree. Hearing that wretched screaming, the crying, the burning smell...*

*Hitoshi had tried forgiving herself before. But she can't. No amount of repentance will ever pay back what she's done.*

**She shakes her head. "Come on, snap out of it, people are staring. You're hungry, right? No? Get something anyway, you haven't eaten anything in a while. Something cheap. You had to flaunt your membership to actually get on that boat."*
Dorothy
**Cough** "Ah, fuck..."
Crystal
*Hitoshi instinctively talks Silnari Standard these days. The Irunian accent is still there, but it's losing its strength. She pronounces most words right these days, and can string together longer sentences. She has that much to be proud of.*
Carla
*Ralki walks down the market, wondering how she got here. Was this for selling pottery? Perhaps it was but despite that there was a familiar scent in the air... Is that Hitoshi? Ralki has participated in a quest with him once and never met him again, maybe it's time to see him again! She follows the scent of Hitoshi until she finds... Her? Bah whatever, I know I don't have the greatest memory. Ralki walks up to the girl and waves and then greets herself* "Hello there Hitoshi! I haven't seen you since that quest we've been on together!"
Dorothy
**Ow-** Hi, uhh... I want to say "Riley"?

"No, that sounds wrong..."
Crystal
*Ah, God, her legs. Cramp. Been sitting for longer than she thought.*
Weldon
*Zeras stood and walked towards the cart, his head turning to observe what seemed to be a reunion between old friends, wondering how wholesome and happy they must of been, a smile appearing on his unseen face, putting about 5 gold onto the window of the cart.* 

"**I would like a beer good ma'am, and i want the rest of the money to pay for every other person who wants to buy a drink, I'm in a generous mood.**" 

*Zeras would take his cup and sit back down, a strange cloaked figure hunched over a nursing a beer, looking very suspicious as a blue hand with black nails held the bottom of his cup.*
Crystal
**HOLY SHIT, 5 GOLD!?**

*Hitoshi voices that opinion very quickly, with her now much more feminine, "Cutesy" Voice. Goddamn, it sounds horrible.*
Dorothy
"Whoa, 5 gold for some beer!? Holy shit!"
Jason
"She's also paying for whoever wants it, which is quite nice... Though the beer certainly leaves much to be desired... As I can smell from here."
Dorothy
"**FIVE. GOLD.** That's enough money to pay rent for years!"
Weldon
*The cloaked figure removes his hood, a young looking male dark elf under the hood revealed, a soft smile on his face, his ash grey hair tied back into a very messy ponytail.* 

"**The Market is busy, and I have seen much of the evil of this world on the way here, I felt inclined to give back for once, lest I feel like the world fall apart.**" 

*The Mans voice didn't match his young face, it was deep, warm, and hearty, as if it was a old kind grandpa, he spoke slowly and deliberately.*
Jason
"I mean some people like to splurge, I wouldn't do it but some people who don't care about money would"
Weldon
"**Hopefully, It does pay that ones rent for years.**"

*With that the elf gave a hearty laugh, taking a large gulp of bear.*
Crystal
*Hitoshi takes about 10 solid seconds to even comprehend the thought of randomly giving that much money away to... Charity? Kinda?

As someone who could charitably be called a bit frugal in regards to daily life (ignoring her high quality gear), she would never dream of paying someone that much! Ever! Even Mevis or Arthur would be expected to pay it back! Maybe without interest. Maybe.

Hitoshi shrugs. May as well get the best out of it. She buys a beer and some udon noodles for herself. Just because it's free. Free is good. Even if it tastes bad. It's free. Free food and drink.*

*The beer is predictably bad. And the noodles are bland. But good old Shetoshi doesn't really mind. The noodles were tolerable enough. And it's nice to eat something she remembers from her childhood. Salvanian cuisine is nice but it doesn't compare to Irunia's food.*
Carla
*Ralki already has her meal gotten, she starts to eat and drink. She comments* "The beer is disgusting but the noodles are pretty nice, not many would taste its hidden flavours though..." *She keeps eating irregardless as she's quite hungry.*
Weldon
*The elf, obviously a lightweight is already slightly tipsy, laughing at the smaller macens statement* 

"**To drink alcohol for flavor, truly these foreign lands hold culture eluding my sensibilities.**"
Dorothy
"Oh yeah, Salvanians just want to get drunk..."
Jason
"Yeah! I can barely get drunk anyways!"
Crystal
*Hitoshi is a bit of lightweight, especially since she had **The incident,** But one watered down beer wouldn't affect her to badly. Just a tad tipsy.*
Weldon
*Once again, the talking from the two of them drew some hearty laughter straight from the dark elf's belly, they were almost dying from laughter over seemingly nothing*

"**I am no Salvanian, I ought to be offended at such a heinous accusation, if it were only the strangest thing I had heard all week.**"
Dorothy
"No? Where you from, then?"
Weldon
"**From the only other place where people have blue skin, Lymia.**" 

*All of the dark elf's speech was accompanied by a giggle, his head was practically a bobble head.*
Crystal
*Hitoshi rolls her eyes.

"...Yeah, duh, why did that never come to mind?"

Hitoshi almost instinctively assumes everyone is from there now. It's not really intentional, she just does it. Maybe she's acclimating more than she thinks.

Hitoshi's tail begins to slowly wag, bobbing back and forth rhythmically. It's nice to meet new people. Sometimes.*

*Her ears constantly tilted to and fro, a little erratically for a Kitsune, as Hitoshi inadvertently listens to everything around her. All of the commotion, Hitoshi would often accidentally find herself eavesdropping in. Assuming no loud noises gave her a massive headache.*

*Oh no. She looks toward a tavern, hearing something... Not very child friendly to say the least. She quickly allows her ears to block it out.*
Jason
"Yawn, so how have y'all been? I haven't met you, silnari. What's your name?"
Weldon
*Zeras despite his slight tipsiness picks up on the strange behaviour of Hitoshi, a frown appearing on his face* 

"**Are you well friend? Does something trouble you?**"

*Zeras halfway through his questioning turns to the macen a smile appearing on his face again.*

"**My name Is Zeras Tassadar, and these days, we often go by Lymians, times are changing it seems, what are your names?**"
Jason
"The names Ralki Golden, aspiring adventurer and master artisan. This is Hitoshi, he's... I mean she's a ninja if I recall correctly... Then again I remembered her being a guy..."
Weldon
*Zeras scratches his face at the closing words of the sentence, a confused look on his face as he turns to Hitoshi.*
Crystal
*Hitoshi's eyes widen when Ralki says that and her complexion turns beet red.*
Dorothy
"What!? No! I, uhh... Umm..."
Crystal
*Normally Hitoshi is a decent liar. But that... That caught her off guard.*
Weldon
*Zeras finishes off his beer, standing up to go and get more, but not before whispering under his breathe, having already assumed there was some strange truth to what Ralki was saying from Hitoshi's reaction.* 

"**The world is truly more strange and expansive then I could of imagined.**"
Carla
*Ralki just smiles with confusion emanating from her eyes... Soooo, Ralki's memory wasn't wrong and now she has no idea what's going on...*
Jason
"Uhhh, this confuses me... When I smelt you it was undeniably you, which it is... But now you're a girl... But I remember you being a guy..."

"I kind of just assumed my memory was wrong..."
Crystal
*Well there isn't much weaselling out of it, is there? I mean... Hitoshi is a **Male name.***
Carla
*Ralki wouldn't know that*
Crystal
*Yeah but arguing about that would still make Hitoshi look like an idiot to nearby natives and she can't be bothered with that kind of attention*
Weldon
*Zeras would arrive back, sitting once again at the edge of the fountain as he watched the two of them caught in the awkward yet humorous situation, sipping a new tankard of beer.*
Dorothy
"I think... Look, it's not important. Not important."
Crystal
*Goddamn it, Hatsy Patsy, can't even think up a proper lie now.*
Jason
"Wait a minute, genderswap potions exist right, so you've been saving up money for something like that. I hadn't known you've wanted to become a girl!"
Weldon
*Zeras while finding the situation amusing, considered the anxiety caused by being caught in a corner, and whether or not he would want to be in that situation, not wanting to make it any more awkward for Hitoshi, he interrupted and changed the topic.*

"**Uhh, do either of you come from these lands? Truly I have yet to meet a native, this market is full of, tourists, dignitaries and merchants from affar.**"
Dorothy
"**That's not what happ-** Yeah, I'm native. Why?"
Weldon
"**Few nations I have seen hold more foreigners than natives, but that is just because I have not reached the city. The Oni elite have made it, rather difficult to gain entry into the capital, I'm not sure if it is elitism or fear, though it surely is a new experience for me.**"

*Zeras swirls his beer around before taking a gulp.*

"**Either way, I have seen few Natives, you are the first young Hitoshi.**"
Dorothy
"Yeah, the Blue Oni country has no Blue Oni in it. They're all the higher ups. I couldn't tell you why they don't let foreign people in."
Jason
"Hmm, I think I'm losing my taste... I can't taste this horrible beer anymore... Higher ups Blue Oni?"
Weldon
"**The Blue Oni run this country, yet they are not its foremost ethnic group, they seem to hold power that lies not within numbers or masses, but something else, and they leverage it to some extent, entrance to the capital is... Limited.**"
Dorothy
"Yeah, that. Same goes for us Kitsune. Come to think of it, what places do we have... Besides Keguntan, but that doesn't... Feel like home to me. Feel like an outsider there."
Weldon
"**I have heard that the itchsunian beastkin have built a land for all of your ilk, and although it is not for the kitsune, it is welcoming, I have also heard it wars with the tribes regularly, and those lands are full of blood shed and violence, truth be told, I know not the truth, I have not been there**."

"**Where do you hail from, young Ralki?**"
Crystal
~~magic8ball must sl33p now, 'tis way too fuckin late, just assume Hitoshi is doing the listen~~
Jason
"Pachiuasa, specifically uptopla! I lived in this village that's so small that I don't think many people know about it."
Weldon
"**Heh, truly a quaint and humble beginning, and now you are a great adventurer! And master artisan at that, who says all talent lies in big cities, bless your skills Ralki, may you live long and well.**"

*Zeras raises his cup in the air, a toast.*