Awful Advice About Men

Awful Advice About Men
Date of Scene:	05 November 2012
Location:	Wildkat Cafe
Synopsis:	Avira takes it upon herself to give Maira some sisterly advice about men. Hilarity ensues and Mercade guest stars.
Cast of Characters:	Mercade Alexander, Avira, Maira

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Avira has posed:
There had been...a lot eating away at Avira's mind lately, from a certain rooftop fight weeks ago to, more recently, her experiences at the charity auction. More importantly, her thoughts had shifted away from herself to her fellow teammates. Maira especially seemed very vulnerable-not due to lack of skill, of course. The woman was a fantastic mage!

Just certain things about her situation made her a bit more susceptable to unscrupulous characters! Avira had gone through Traverse Town until she located the mage and brought her here to the Wildkat Cafe.

Her treat of course. Not that she can afford all that much beyond a few sodas or tea right now thanks to her recent awful decision to purchase a piece of art at the charity auction.

Avira has selected a table for two and sat herself across from Maira. She leans back in her chair, looking quite casual as she sips her drink. "So Maira. How have things been the past few days? I think that latest mark with the fortress went well...in spite of complications."

Maira has posed:
Maira is all too happy to be meeting her friend Avira for tea. She's quite sure this is the first time anyone has invited her out to do something like this! Very exciting. She sits across from Avira, her tea momentarily forgotten as she looks around the cafe. She's dressed in black pants and a pink sweater, a bow in her hair that looks a little ridiculous. Maira certainly has some things on her mind as well. Things she has never really thought about before.

Called out of her thoughts, Maira straightens in her chair and scoots forward, picking up her tea. The cup, which was no longer steaming, suddenly begins to do so once more as Maira holds it in her hands. Just a trickle of fire magic was all that was needed.

"I've been good! Really, I've never been better! Kind of...confused...lot of new things happening...kind of overwhelming, you know? The mark went very well! Weird....but well. I expect we'll probably run into the Shard Seekers again, huh...?" she asks, chewing her lip lightly. Its easy to see what she is thinking about. Her face is as transparent as plastic wrap.

Avira has posed:
"...that's a cute bow, by the way." Avira laughs, actually meaning this compliment.

Maira's little water-warming trick does not go unnoticed by Avira. In response, she takes her own cup in her hands, which is filled with soda, and concentrates for a second. The liquid contained within starts to solidify until it is roughly the consistency of slush. Pausing, she grabs a spoon and starts eating it from the cup.

"Oh I'm pretty sure we will. I've met a few of their members-including Reize. I think he's officially their leader? Anyway if that last mission was any indication, we're going to be competing with them on marks." Yeah, she's stalling on THAT subject, but it was something important that had to be said. "And I suspect we'll both be running into that Ivo Galvan again."

Avira's eyes narrow just slightly at the mention of the name.

Maira has posed:
Maira watches Avira's trick and giggles, shooting her an appreciative look. What a pair they are! Fire and ice and thick as peas in a pod! Right? Maira likes to think that anyway!

Maira reaches up to touch her bow, smiling brightly. "Thanks! I was trying to tame my hair a bit but...." well, Maira's hair was a creature that could not be tamed.

When she mentions Ivo, Maira blushes a deep shade of red. "That guy...." she begins, taking a sip of her tea to wet her throat. "I...don't know what to make of that guy..." she says, looking down at the table, clearly flustered. "You don't like him, huh?"

Avira has posed:
Fire and ice! It seems silly, but Avira thinks this is actually a part of what's making this friendship work. They just played off of each other so well. "Ahhh...wish I could help, I can't say I'm so great at it myself. I just put it in a ponytail or braid to keep it out of my face. Last night at the charity ball thing was so annoying with it down."

The blushing, oh dear, but Avira supposes it was to be expected. Ivo was laying it on pretty thick every time she saw him around Maira. "Well it's either one of two things. One, he's actually into you-" she holds up a finger and waves it around, "Or two, trying to take advantage of you. That's usually what the flirting means. Now what happens later is really important because if a guy is interested, he'd overcome any obstacle to see you aga..."

She trails off when Maira says 'You don't like him, huh?' "N...no." Now Avira herself seems flustered, "Not really."

Maira has posed:
Maira is still studying the table quite hard. Nice wood. Got a good grain to it.

She forces herself to look up toward Avira, figuring it was important to meet her eyes. She needs to read body language and what not! Maira sighs heavily, her shoulders slumping. "Why would he take advantage of me? What do I have to even take? Then again...I can't....I mean...I can't imagine he's actually, you know, into me," she says, frowning. She's not being modest. She really doesn't believe it. His behavior is completely and totally befuddling to Maira. This is a girl whose only friend for many years has been a dead dude no one else can see. She has a fairly low opinion of herself.

"I don't know Avira....Uist doesn't like him either. I sent him off for a while because he was annoying me! Kept telling me that Ivo only wants one thing but then he wouldn't actually tell me what that was! But....I don't know--" another sigh "--what do you think?"

Avira has posed:
Avira looks still pretty flustered about this whole Ivo business. It's not very clear /why/ though! "What do you have to even ta...ohh." It quickly becomes clear to Avira that Maira has exactly zero experience with guys. She does recall Maira mentioning that she herself is the first friend she ever had but only now does this occur to her that it must've extended to guys too. "Well, you are pretty cute, which is the kind of thing guys get interested in when they see it. There's some kind of evolutionary attractiveness mate-choosing explaination behind it but I don't wanna go into it."

It'd be one of the few times science was too depressing for Avira. "That one thing...well..." oh dear, how to put this? "...well, where I'm from, when a guy wants to take advantage of a girl for one thing, that one thing turns out to be her purity. You're a virgin, right? Now! I don't know enough about Ivo's character to implicate him to this sort of thing...he does purport to be a knight after all..."

She spaces out for a second, that wistful look returning. "...a-anyway, you should be on your guard, especially if he tries to seek alone time with you. Definitely do not let him get you alone."

Maira has posed:
Maira blinks several times. Yes, Maira has exactly zero clues except what she has been told. The only person she'd ever been comfortable enough to ask these questions of before was Uist, who first of all doesn't remember anything about his life, and second, gets all uncomfortable and 'i'll tell you when you're older' about it. So this is new territory! It isn't that she doesn't KNOW in some what what happens. She's not a complete idiot. But experience? None. The idea she'd ever have some? None existent.

Maira blushes again when Avira says she's cute. "Really?" she asks, but there is really no need to confirm. Maira waves it off, embarrassed. She listens to what Avira has to say, nodding to confirm that yeah, she's definitely a virgin. So THAT'S the thing! Silly Uist. Why didn't he just say so?

Still, Maira looks disappointed...and sad...and confused. "So...that's all you think he wants? I don't understand. He should just say so," she says, chewing her lip again.

Hmm. What is that dreamy look on Avira's face? That's odd! Maira has no idea what to make of it, of course.

Avira has posed:
There's a fair bit of relief on Avira's face as she discovers that Maira doesn't need the birds and bees explained. For a few seconds it actually seemed like that might be the case but the fire mage's confusion can be explained by her lack of contact with guys.

"Well yeah, look at that face." That scar of Maira's is pretty old too-Ivo didn't seem to notice it. "And you're petite and proportioned pretty well so it's not hard to see why he's hitting on you. As for what all he wants...well, probably. Anyway, if this is all he wanted and came out and said it, you wouldn't give him the time of day, would you? Nobody wants to be some one-shot trophy, after all."

Avira shrugs, "I've always found Ivo to be a bit of a scoundrel myself. A horrible tease!"

Maira has posed:
Maira flushes again at the description of her attributes. The color she has assumed only a shade or two away from "boiled lobster". "Th-thanks....I never really..." she trails off, sighing with frustration.

When Avira mentions no one wanting to be a one-shot trophy, Maira nods a little, though by the look on her face she had to think about it! "I don't suppose there is anything wrong with being honest...I might listen...but no, you're right. I just..." Her eyes are drawn back to the table. "I don't suppose I really know him well, but he sure is good looking, isn't he? And the things he says...he makes me feel like a princess in a storybook," she sighs. "It's not real though, is it?"

She is clearly depressed now. She doesn't really know what to do. Perhaps she just won't run into him again. And if she does? She's just demand to know his intentions! Or something!

Maira looks up to Avira. "Is it always like this? Do you have someone you uh...like?"

Avira has posed:
"...had that kind of compliment before?" Avira's smile softens a little under that. It must've been very lonely for Maira to grow up. "Eh, I bet you'll see more of it as you get out more. People do notice these things." They also notice the opposite. Yipee.

"Neither of us really do. He might be...hiding part of himself." The flirting being an act-her thoughts go back to that one moment on the rooftop when she had briefly started acting 'maidenly'. "But yeah, he is good looking, I'll say that much. And charming. And a good swordsman. And.."

She forces herself to stop there, nodding grimly. "Who really knows? He might change his tune if he got to know someone more."

Watching Maira now, Avira feels kind of bad. She didn't want to /depress/ her. "...sometimes it works out..." Avira sighs, "It hasn't for me, yet. Yeah there...are a few people I like but none of them have showed any affection towards me. Well...Ivo kind of has but I'm certain in my case that such a thing is just an act to throw me off my game!"

Maira has posed:
Maira smiles warmly toward Avira, reaching up to idly trace the old scar on her cheek. It stood out stark white when she flushed. "Mmm...maybe it is just the only way he knows how to act?"

Maira raises a brow slowly as Avira lists Ivo's pleasant qualities, beginning to wonder...

"Oh, has he flirted with you too!? Well, maybe its you he likes! Or...or maybe he thinks he can have us both!?" she asks, looking complete scandalized for a moment. "If he flirts with me and you...well he must like you too Avira...he may be..." she trails off, looking for the right word "--silly, but I don't think he is cruel! You're so awesome Avira! Strong and pretty and all your scars are really interesting! Bet you have a lot of really great stories to tell too."

Maira purses her lips. "I think we'll just have to confront him."

Avira has posed:
"...yeah. Maybe. Maybe it's the only way he can deal with women." And in spite of what he's said, he literally cannot handle a woman like Avira. She's just too irregular to him? "Well I wouldn't exactly call it /flirting/..."

Avira looks flustered again. "Oh, he doesn't fancy me, I'm sure about that. See, we were fighting and he was just saying things to distract me. I-" Whoah, compliments, Avira was not expecting those. "I'm not really pretty but I'll agree with the other stuff though." She'll be especially proud of being called 'strong.' It showed that all the work was actually paying off.

Avira takes pause in her words. She looks pensive for a long moment, wondering how to deal with the blonde's implications-they should both confront Ivo. Perhaps to Maira's surprise, Avira begins to sing in response.

Cutscene: Don't Want the Guy

Maira has posed:
....And then Avira breaks out in song. Maira sits there, looking absolutely stunned. Her mouth hangs open, her eyes are wide. She's is very seriously trying to figure out of she is hallucinating. Is this really happening!?

The song ends, Avira sits down, and Maira just...stares. Then, she leaps out of her chair and around the table to hug Avira, laughing. "That was the best thing ever! Ahahah! You have a lovely voice too! Ehehehhehe! I can't believe other people joined in! Oh my goodness!" she exclaims, tickled pink. Maira re-takes her seat, still giggling for a good long time before she manages to settle down.

"Oh...oh my," she says, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Oh Avira...you're just the best. Ivo is an idiot if he doesn't like you!"

Avira has posed:
Calmly, Avira grasps her drink, now far more watery than before she made her musical interlude, and takes a long sip. Time for a bit of nourishment for the pipes, of course. "And that's all I have to say about tha-oof!"

She's hugged quite unexpectedly by her giggling friend and Avira turns red again. "That...I...well..." she stutters, suddenly hit with a strong case of 'what the hell came over me?!' At least it sounded like a passable experience. "Thank you."

My how things had changed in the last month. Though honestly, Avira can't complain. "Give him time." Avira smiles sadly, "He might prove himself to be an idiot yet. Anyway, he's clearly interested in you."

Maira has posed:
The young woman drinks the rest of her tea, not bothering to heat it again. "Hehehe...well, who knows! I will just...ask him next time we meet! Then I will see what happens, I guess," she replies. Interestingly enough, Maira hasn't really asked herself yet if SHE is interested in HIM. He's good looking, a smooth talker...but what is he really like? She barely knows him! "....huh. I wonder...I mean, I don't really know him very well, do I? Maybe I wouldn't.....bleh!" she exclaims in frustration. "I don't want to talk about Ivo anymore! Lets talk about something else. What have YOU been up to, besides FUN THINGS without me!?"

Avira has posed:
"Ask him if he likes you, sure. Just don't ask him about me, alright? In fact, if he doesn't find out that we were talking about him, then that would be awesome." Though at that point, she knows there's a lot she doesn't know about Ivo either. Like what world is he even from? Reize's maybe?

"I'm on board for that. Let's not talk about him anymore." Avira is relieved all over again, "Me? Oh, well the charity ball thing was kind of stuffy, actually, but I did get to meet David Xanatos. That's the richest man in Mercade's world. I...uh...also bought some art. A nice statue I wanna put in our future guild house base thingy."

Maira has posed:
Maira nods, making a zipping motion at her lips. Understood!

"Ooooh...but I bet you got to dress up fancy didn't you? I've always wanted to go to a fancy party and wear a pretty dress. Heh, silly, I know. You bought a statue? Cool! I can't wait to see it! It isn't one of those naked lady statues is it? Oh! Yes, we have to get a headquarters! Absolutely! We should start asking around here. Find a building and save up to purchase it....that would be excellent, yes. We keep getting more members! We should have an official meeting or something, don't you think?"

Backtrack! The caffeine in the tea is kicking in. "Mercade is real nice isn't he? He said I'm welcome to visit whenever I like and he just got a chocobo! He said he'll let me ride. I want to meet this David Xanatos guy too. He has helicopters, and I would REALLY like to learn how to fly a helicopter!"

Avira has posed:
"I did have to dress up fancy. Well...mostly fancy. I did the best I could with the money I had for that day. Bought the dress hours before it." It wasn't very impressive either, for a dress, but Avira doesn't want to get into money specifics. She doesn't want to think about how much money it took to attend. "Indeed, I've been trying to save up money for a place from the latest marks."

Avira claps her hands together, "I agree! A meeting would be a good idea." Oh goodness, Maira has gotten really hyper all the sudden. Caffeine maybe? "Mercade is really nice! So nice that he'll be holding on to the statue I purchased for us for a while."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
ELSEWHERE...

Mercade Alexander is staring at a statue. "When did we get this?" He asks Will. Will shrugs. Mercade laboriously shoves it into a corner and begins hanging some ornaments on it.

Maira has posed:
"Eee! I bet you looked so pretty! What color was the dress? What is your favorite color? Mine is red. I really like red...." and Maira trails off into blabbering about various things until Avira gets sick of her and probably makes some excuse to escape...