Stephen
*Lyra was exhausted. She'd finally finished a conscription she'd signed up for earlier in the week, hoping it would be quick and she would complete it in a day or two. The conscription in question was for a thief who'd been ransacking a small village, and it had taken Lyra four days and six hours to capture and the thief. Her muscles ached, her bones were weary, and her mind was foggy. Perfect weather for a night at the bar, where she could drink away the feeling of her tired body... Only to have it return tomorrow. Oh well. That was for tomorrow's Lyra to worry about.*

 *Lyra picked up her already-half-empty beer glass and drained its contents. As she did, the Macen noticed an elf walk in, sit down a few seats away from her, and order... Orange juice. The sight was so random, Lyra almost laughed. The Macen eyed the elf for a bit, taking note of his New Sunlight badge and falchion. So, this man was a mercenary... Like herself. Interesting... Lyra looked back at her empty drink. Maybe she should save the booze for another night.*
Gilberto
*The elf produced a few copper coins from his wallet, and set it down on the table. The bartender took it away, and brought out some freshly squeezed, cold orange juice in a mug. He brought it up to his mouth, sipping slowly from the mug, until it is half empty. He closed his eyes, and threw his head backward, letting out an exagerrated sigh, before squeezing his hands together.* 

"Haaah..." *If only he could sleep in a tavern. But it was so rowdy, it never feel like a place he could relax in. It is just awkward. But his house was too empty for him to relax too.* 

*He turned toward the Macen next to him. Quite attractive, and is looking at him too.* 

"Hey there."
Stephen
*The Macen smiled. The elf was an odd fellow, for sure... Lyra glanced over at his direction once more, only to see the elf looking right at her. A slight red tinge plastered itself upon Lyra's cheeks. He was checking her out, wasn't he? Well... Lyra couldn't deny, the elf was pretty good-looking himself. So she smiled at him again when he spoke.* 

"Hello. Sorry, I couldn't help notice, but... You ordered plain orange juice?"
Gilberto
*A cheeky smile came over the elf's face. The red tinge bolstered his confidence. Maybe the girl was receptive.* 

"Oh... Yes." *He turned toward his mug, to confirm he has indeed, ordered orange juice.* 

"I'm a teetotaler. Swore off real alcohol a long time ago. I prefer to stay sober, you see."
Stephen
*Lyra raised her eyebrow at the elf's cheeky grin. What was he thinking?* 

"Yeah, I guessed... But why orange juice? Why not just order a virgin drink? Oranges have got to be pretty expensive to grow, right?"

*The Macen felt a certain aura coming from the elf... It was intriguing, to say the least. It might be that they were both mercenaries... Or it could be something else.*
Gilberto
*The smile on Sirdan subdued.*

"Well, I like orange juice. Not much reason to it. As for virgin drinks..." 

*He scratched his head*

"I'm not familiar with any virgin drinks. Perhaps you could introduce me to them?"
Stephen
*Lyra watched with some small confusion as the elf's smile faded. Had she said something wrong?*

"Hm. Well, I can respect that."

*The Macen tilted her head at the elf's query. Had he never heard of virgin drinks before?*

"No? Well, they're... Essentially the regular drink, albeit without any alcohol. So you still get the overall taste of the drink without any of the... Eh... Drunkenness. Here, I'll order one." *Lyra called the bartender over.* "Two Shirley Temples, please. And- alcohol-free, as well. Thanks." *Lyra placed a few coins on the bar table as payment, then turned back to the elf.*

"You'll like it, I guarantee."
Gilberto
"It is a bit sweet, tangy, a little bit of sourness. A good balance of taste to me. Apple juice... Too tangy, and other juice - well, I'm not a big fan of them myself." 

*He took another sip from his mug, and then closed his hands together, listening to what Lyra said.* 

"Shirley Temples... Interesting name. I'm excited to try this out. But first, we should introduce ourselves, right?" 

*He extended his hand to her.*

"Sirdan. I'm a steppe elf from the south. You?"
Stephen
*Lyra nodded, grinning as the elf gave his take on his drink.* 

"Hm. That's pretty thorough for orange juice."

*The Macen smiled kindly as the elf introduced himself. She stuck her hand out and shook Sirdan's.*

"Lyra. I'm an air macen from... East Mentia." *Lyra chuckled.* "It's nice to meet you, Sirdan." *The Macen let go of Sirdan's hand and went to her drink, holding it up in front of her.* "Cheers!"
Gilberto
*He smiled back.* 

"I'm very observant when it comes to my food." 

*He shook her hand back. His hand was silky smooth, unusual for a warrior - unless you're an elf, of course.* 

"I heard a bit of doubt in that." *He teased, grabbing his own drink and holding it up, and then raised his cup too,*"Cheers! Do you cling your mug together?"
Stephen
"Heh. Well, that's a good trait, I'd say."

*Lyra was surprised at the smoothness of Sirdan's hand- there were no callouses at all. In comparison to the Macen's hand, which was covered in callouses and scars.*

"Well- it's not something I'm necessarily fond of- I'd rather not talk about it, either." *She clinked her cup against the rim of Sirdan's mug.* "Of course!" *Lyra took a long sip of her drink, exhaling contently afterwards.* "So, Sirdan... You're a mercenary then?" *The Macen motioned at Sirdan's New Sunlight badge.*
Gilberto
"I can tell you've trained a lot, Lyra." 

*He let go of her hand, and then clinked his cup back to her.* 

"Oh? I'd like to know more about that. But I'll entertain you first." *He raised the mug and chugged down the drink, stopping right after Lyra, imitating her exhale too,*"Yep, a veteran one to add. I've been working for New Sunlight for a while. After I go to sleep and rest today, I plan to ask for a promotion to a trainer." 

*He exhaled again.*

"It pays well."
Stephen
*Lyra smiled and gave a quick nod.* "Yes. It's exhausting work.. But it pays well, and keeps me fit."

*The Macen chuckled. This Sirdan fellow knew how to impress...* "Impressive. To be honest, I've wanted to join New Sunlight for a while... But it's a bit out of my league. Good for you, though. You must really like your job."

*Lyra laughed again.* "I would hope so. How much, pray tell?"
Gilberto
*He sized Lyra up and down again.* 

"I can see you're fit - And New Sunlight work might be in your league. If you've got good armor, good sword, a shield, and a brain... Plus a willingness to risk your life. You'll make it big." 

*He shook his head.* 

"I don't like my job that much. It is the benefits that come with it. Killing and fighting get to you after a while. As for the pay..." 

*Sirdan lowered his tone.* 

"Around ten gold or so for some easy, low level work, and twenty gold for some harder one. Netted myself a nice flail too. But I won't volunteer for such again. Rather go off to the frontline of some silly Mentian wars."
Stephen
*Lyra smiled as she saw Sirdan looking her over.*

"Hm... You make a compelling argument. I'll think about it." *Joining New Sunlight... Lyra could start a new life! Of course, she was essentially a rookie in the mercenary business. Maybe New Sunlight had a training program or something. Sirdan would know.* "Do they have... I don't know, some sort of training program? Just curious."

*Lyra raised an eyebrow. But... What Sirdan said made sense. The Macen had met her share of traumatized war veterans, and it wasn't fun.*

*Lyra's eyes went wide.* "Ten gold?" *The Macen whispered, shocked.* "That's great- I mean, that's a lot of money." *Lyra tilted her head.* "No? Hm. Maybe I'll follow your wisdom... You seem to know what you're doing."
Gilberto
"I could bring you to the guild and sign you up - joining fee's one hundred silver. Payable to the guild, not me. I don't get any kickback. Oh. Training program." *He paused a bit,*"There's paid for classes - relatively cheap, that you can take, and they will train you up. During initiation they'll try to see if you are fit for the Copper rank, by having you fight against two summoned soldiers. You win, you're a fit adventurer, if not, then you're rankless." 

*Sirdan gave her an affirmative nod.*

"Ten gold. Yes, I'm hoping to access more... Lucrative quests. My last quest involved me dealing with some really powerful vampire cult, paid me a measly twenty gold for that." *He shook his head,*"But I could use battle buddies anyway, and I can offer to mentor you."