Adjacent Jennies: The Bit Before The Middle [IC]

[Hazuki]

"A while." Ser Azure smiles. "I don't keep track."

[PersonMan]

"Don't keep track...does that mean you don't follow your age, either?" Arday asks, curious - she's heard of some who don't properly track their own age, and that seems to be the only good explanation for Ser Azure not knowing, at all, when she began.

[Hazuki]

"Should I?" Ser Azure asks. "If I get old enough for it to matter, I'll notice it without keeping track, won't I?"

[PersonMan]

Arday considers the woman's answer, and eventually shrugs. "I think it's fairly important to know things like that about yourself, but...I can see how it wouldn't be especially relevant, moreso for your lifestyle," she says. "Oh - that reminds me. Do you know of any work, here in The Jennies, for a scholar?" She asks, not expecting much but still hopeful.

[Hazuki]

"None for you, adam." Ser Azure replies, glancing at the scholar. "Gotta keep the good jobs for Jennies. If you can get into the Bell, you can find a job there."

[PersonMan]

Arday nods. "I understand. Would...would it be rude of me to ask where you live? Today when I looked for you, I was lucky that you were where you were."

[Hazuki]

"You'll see me if you need me." Ser Azure winks at Arday.

[PersonMan]

Arday frowns for a moment before responding. "Well, I hope so. I also hope I don't always find you halfway through blowing up a building, that would be...unpleasant."

[Hazuki]

"Nah. Shouters are new." Ser Azure grins. "Well, that'll be all, yeah? Busy busy."

[PersonMan]

Arday nods. "It is, yes. Good luck, and a good day, Ser Azure," she says, giving a slight flourish and bow at the end of her words.

Once she and Ser Azure part ways, Arday makes her way back into Cloister Bell proper and to the Academic District, bringing all of her modest social skills to bear in searching for employment or some sort of academic-social gathering of like-minded residents she could look to join.

[Hazuki]

Arday unfortunately finds that there aren't many social groups that she can discover merely by stalking the streets, and soon deduces that she'd have to make acquaintances to discover those gatherings. But, she does manage to find an assortment of other tiny jobs with brief times and small pay. There's one to help a smith organize their inventory. There's another to taste a chef's food before it's served to customers. And more, to help a performer switch between outfits. She could probably earn enough for consistent living, if she tied a handful of those jobs together, although it would involve a lot of moving around and keeping track of the oddjobs.

[PersonMan]

Arday, considering the jobs she's found, decides to relax rather than continue her search, looking for a relatively inexpensive place to stop and have tea, ideally with a more laid-back atmosphere, though something more lively wouldn't drive her off.

[Hazuki]

Arday manages to find The Wandering Field not far from the town gates, which is a teahouse with a somewhat short architecture that favors low-seated chairs and tables, along with faint light along the walls that provide just enough illumination to not bump into things. A fair few of the tables are occupied, but the counter is rather bare, as a pink-haired woman tends to some of the flowers that are on display in the otherwise barebones decor.

[PersonMan]

The unique atmosphere of The Wandering Field brings a smile to Arday's face as she enters, looking around briefly before approaching the woman at the counter, waiting for her to finish with her current task before speaking.

"Good evening. I'd, ehm - what teas do you have?"

[Hazuki]

The woman salutes Arday when she approaches. "Good evening. The question you should be asking is: What tea do I want?" The woman asks, as she wipes her hands off on a cloth. "We grow specimens from all over the known world."

[PersonMan]

Arday returns the salute after a brief pause. "All over the world?" She repeats, impressed by the variety, before pondering her choice for a few moments. "In that case...do you have Sworterii Black? I'd like a cup of that, if you do."

Assuming the teahouse does have Sworterii Black, Arday finds herself a comfortable seat, either waiting for or with her tea.

[Hazuki]

"Hmm...no, we just ran out of that." The woman replies, briefly checking a shelf beneath the counter before shaking her head.

[PersonMan]

"In that case, I'll have a local dark blend," Arday says after a moment's consideration.

[Hazuki]

"Oh. Very well." The woman's brow furrows as she turns to the tools at her disposal. "It'll be with you shortly."

[PersonMan]

Arday nods and finds herself a seat close by, relaxing a bit and taking in the atmosphere as she waits.

[Hazuki]

Arday soon finds the bowl of tea delivered to her table, before the woman returns to her counter and awaits the next customer. A few more people fill the room as the scholar sips at her tea, but only one stands out. It's a lithe elven woman, whose head nearly reaches the doorframe, and she strides over to the counter with disarming grace. Of particular note is her fashion, as her bottom-half is clad in a plain white skirt, and her breasts are covered by wrappings of bandages. A lack of color would be strange enough, were it not for the fact that her muscles seem lithe, whereas her stomach is heavily pregnant and rather on display.

After ordering her drink, the elven woman approaches the table Arday has chosen and salutes her. "Excuse me. I normally sit here." She nods at the wide stool on the other side of the small table. "May I?"

[PersonMan]

Arday returns the salute and offers the elven woman a smile. "Of course," she says with a nod, before taking a sip from her cup as the newcomer sits down. "My name is Arday," she adds a moment later, as introduction.

[Hazuki]

"And I am Golsierre Hiravia." The elf replies, as she lowers herself to the stool and crosses her legs. "You are a visitor."

[PersonMan]

Arday blinks, briefly surprised, then nods. It isn't too surprising, she thinks, that she was correctly identified as a foreigner by a local. "I've only recently arrived in Cloister Bell, yes," she says. "Though I do intend to stay for longer."

[Hazuki]

"I'm pleased your time thus far hasn't dissuaded you." The elf informs Arday, as her tea is delivered and she shifts the bowl on the table. It is an unusually grey color, and she observes it carefully before taking a sip. "You have a scholar's build." She notes, her purple eyes flicking over at Arday.

[PersonMan]

Arday nods. "Cloister Bell has been welcoming, so far. Apart from one odd experience, everyone I've met has been friendly. And, yes," she shifts somewhat, a bit of self-consciousness rolling over her at the implication of the elf's evaluation. "I studied various subjects at home - well, what was home. Now I'm looking to learn more, and use the knowledge I already have."

[Hazuki]

"You ought to report anything strange to the guards." Golsierre comments. "I've often enjoyed the company of scholars. What is your specialty?"

[PersonMan]

"I did," Arday assures the woman. "My specialty...well, I've spent a great deal of time studying systems, and their application to various areas of life. Organization of groups and such, often."

[Hazuki]

Golsierre raises an eyebrow and tilts her head at Arday's explanation.

[PersonMan]

"Well, there are often systems, patterns, that can describe how things work. A group of people, performing a task, who tend to act in a certain way, can be represented fairly accurately with a certain kind," Arday explains. "Using what we know, we can extrapolate to the unknown situations, or find ways to cut away the unnecessary parts of a system; extra steps in a task, for example."