A Rat in New Orleans

A Rat in New Orleans
Date of Scene:	04 December 2013
Location:	Inner City (New Orleans)
Synopsis:	Hungry for some dinner, Freya encounters Aerith and has her for dinner.
Cast of Characters:	Aerith, Freya Crescent

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Freya Crescent has posed:
The city is going through it's dinner activities as Freya strolls through it, apparently trying to find out if there's a place she can get a bite so to speak. She keeps her head down for the most part, but isn't exactly trying to hide--it's not like she could, though one supposes a hood could help--she does have the cloak Chita gave her still, so from behind with her long white hair she looks like any other person, more or less. Sniffing at the air ever so slightly, she's distracted in her search by the smell of a sandwich stand, or perhaps something spicier and cajun, gravitating toward it.

"Wow, we need bigger traps around here," a man taking another hit from a bottle wrapped in a paper bag remarks, blearily squinting at Freya before discarding the bottle in a nearby waste basket.

Aerith has posed:
Yet another place she'd never been before.

Oh sure, she'd been around the area. The marshlands outside were home to one of the shards that held the key to restoring Manhattan, and she'd taken part in that search. But she'd never taken the time to actually go to the city, and now that she was here, she found it charming.

Aerith had stopped at a restaurant, sitting at one of the outdoor tables, her head bowed and brows furrowed as she worked over a problem. It appeared she was quite focused on it; so much so that she almost didn't pick up the presence of someone closing on her position.

It was familiar. She could have sworn she'd met whoever this was once before, and sure enough, as she looked up...

The features were unmistakable. A native of Burmecia, and female at that. The hood did little to hide her features once she got a good look at them. Sadly, aside from that, she knew nothing about the individual headed toward her.

Aerith did however notice a twitch of the nose, and that was a sure sign that she was tracking a scent. Putting two and two together wasn't that hard from there, and she held up a hand in greeting. "Hungry?"

Freya Crescent has posed:
Freya blinked as she looked toward the noise. Her eyes alighted on Aerith and she seemed to recognize her, likely vaguely from the escapades in Halloween Town when they were rescuing the inhabitants from the dreaded Mecha Zombie Santa.

"Oh, good evening, how do you do?" Freya would begin, feet tapping lightly on the cobblestones as she came just a bit closer, doffing her hat for a respectful bow of the head. "Something like that, was just about to see if I might find a place that would serve me any," she came around to where the flower girl was sitting, seeing if she could have a seat as well.

"Not looking for charity, however I'd love to dine with you, if you'd allow it--some of the people here have never seen a Burmecian before, I do not think, alas," she sighed a little and set her hat down, letting her long white silvery hair down over the collar of her jacket.

Aerith has posed:
A giggle from the flower girl. "I have, quite a few times in fact." A waiter walked by and noticed one new person at the table. Once Aerith reassured him she was with her, he gave a nod and went to fetch a second menu. Flower girl turned toward Freya, one elbow propped on the table and her chin in her upturned hand. "Hmm... first in Burmecia, then in Halloween Town. When I run into someone twice, I no longer call it coincidence."

Freya Crescent has posed:
"Have you indeed?" Freya frowned a little and tilted her head. "I don't suppose you've scene any Burmecian gentlemen around in your travels, have you?" she asked, the hint of interest creeping into her voice. Then she shook her head, as if reminding herself of her manners. "I'm sorry, I'm Dame Freya Crescent of the Burmecian Dragon Knights, it's a pleasure to meet you," she extended a hand that was ungloved, instead long delicate white furred fingers, tipped in nails that might have been lacquered a pearlescent pink to avoid chipping.

"I suppose you are right there, I do remember you in the melee when were fighting that zombified brute in Halloween Town," she nodded in agreement.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded. "I've seen one. The problem is, he's not the one you're looking for. First of all, he's with some kind of religious organization. Second, he wore a unique set of armor." She tilted her head to the right. "But of course, I'm getting ahead of myself." She took Freya's hand and shook it. "Aerith Gainsborough, and while I'm not a dame of anything, it's very nice to meet you."

Freya Crescent has posed:
Freya is keeping up with the conversation, though her attention is also being drawn toward the menu, which she picks up to leaf through while a waitress comes to take their order. "Pulled pork? sounds a bit beastly, but alright," the sandwich is something she's never had before--the pork part that is, she's going to get an interesting introduction to the world of southern barbecue cuisine.

"Again, always a pleasure," she smiled, her shake would be gentle, and fur warm. "Not the one I'm looking for? I may have an understanding of who you mean," she nodded slowly, vaguely remembering Faruja calling after her. "Curious one that."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded. "He's devoted, sure enough... but..." Her eyes narrowed as she recalled his reaction at... whatever the martial artist did to him in Burmecia. "...He's fanatical, and scarred. Not to mention deathly afraid of something."

Freya Crescent has posed:
"Religious organization, is it? Hmm... don't think he's a zealot, do you?" Freya furrowed her brows just a little as she sat back to wait for her food. "Well, most zealots tend to be fanatical, that's farily simple--scarred though, I wonder what from," she shrugged just a bit. "Can't say I have found out, but I intend to find out, when I next see him," she nodded.

"Also afraid of something? Our kind doesn't have a lot of particular fears, save maybe from dragons," she clucked her tongue, in thought.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith shrugged. "Not all scars are on the outside, Freya." She knew that better than anyone. Yet she said nothing about it. "Well, before we get to eating, I'd like to know a few things about you." She smiled. "In return, you can ask me anything you want. Seeing as I've already done this with one person, and had wonderful results, I think this should be equally enlightening for both of us."

Freya Crescent has posed:
"I understand," she replied with a short nod, then tilted her head, one of her long furred ears twitching just a bit. "Oh? Well then, I shall tell you whatever you like, if I can manage," Freya responded to Aerith's request, crossing her legs daintily as she sat. "Well then, whatever you'dlike to know, just ask," she folded her arms loosely about her front.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith smiled. Well, here we go again.

"Right, first things first. I know your name, but I don't know who you are. You might as well start there if nothing else." She sat back in her chair. "What does a dragon knight do?"

Freya Crescent has posed:
"Well, I'm a dragon knight of Burmecia, my order's style might be known as the 'dragoon' of other areas, it is synonymous," Freya replied, leaning closer to the edge of the table. "I was fortunate enough and able to be inducted into their ranks and trained by them, we are a venerable order," she went on, tapping a finger against her chin, one which bore a long slender nail. "If you mean to ask of my birthplace? Well, it is known as the kingdom of eternal rain, it is perpetually foggy and the rain is there in one form or another, though not in fact totally constant."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith gave a nod. "I know where you're from. Pardon me for saying so, but your features give you away." She chuckled. "I'll have to clarify, I suppose. What are, or were, your duties as a dragoon?" She tilted her head to the left. "I'm not going to make any assumptions about it. It's really interesting, since I've heard the term more times than I'd like to count."

Freya Crescent has posed:
"Aye I believe they do, yes," Freya nodded again. "Well, chiefly to defend the land like any other order of knights, but we also harnessed special abilities to deal with the indiginous dragons that descended from the Aerbs mountains--a tall range that our city was built around for defense," she made a few gestures with her hands to show a larger body of mountains with a town and castle built into the side of it, so ostensibly one would only have to worry about attack from the front.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith gave a nod. "So an order of knights specifically trained to deal with dangerous creatures." She smiled. "That sounds exciting! I wish I had the ability to do that." Before she could continue, the smell of tasty food wafted toward their table, and within moments, they both had pulled pork sandwiches with side cups of barbecue sauce. "Well shoot, I was just about to tell you what made me so special. But never mind that." She nodded toward the waiter before picking her sandwich up. "Let's eat!"

Freya Crescent has posed:
"...Something like that, as I said before, we were just a castle town--a city state, we had actual armed invaders to deal with at points in our history, as well," Freya shrugs. "Sometimes I wish there wasn't a need for it, but..." she was however quite distracted by the food. She hadn't eaten apparently in quite a while, it would appear, keeping her table manners however as she dug into the sandwiches--experimentally using the barbecue sauce and finding it good.

"Ahem, my apologies, was rather unlady-like of me there," she excused herself after a little belch.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith wasn't exactly dainty in eating either. "Just call it a compliment to the chef!" She giggled as she dipped into the barbecue sauce again. "So are there any particularly good dragoons? I mean, you have to have some interesting stories, right?"

Freya Crescent has posed:
Freya however doesn't make remark of her host's eating habits, she's polite like that. "Definitely," she nodded, chewing a little and getting to the heel of her sandwich quickly. "Good dragons? you mean as in mighty or as in disposition? Some could be amiable, typically not the larger sorts," Freya blinked a little, thinking it over.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith shook her head. "I meant good dragoons. Good knights... skill, disposition, both. Whichever. Tell me a story about your order, Freya." Aerith put her food down and leaned forward. "I do love stories, after all."

Freya Crescent has posed:
"Well, there was the grand dragon me and Sir Fratley were able to bring down at one point," Freya paused a little and sighed a bit wistfully, looking off. "He was a good friend of mine, he went on a mission a few years ago," she explained, shaking her head a little. "I believe there is something wrong with his recollection however, when I ran into him a short time ago."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith gave a nod. Now things were getting interesting. She'd... seen Fratley and Freya together in Burmecia, before everything went to the pits. She'd watched as Freya willingly stepped through a portal of darkness to follow him.

Where she'd been after that, Aerith had no idea. But the question remained. "He's not just a friend... is he?"

Freya Crescent has posed:
"Little more than that, wouldn't say we're fiancees yet, but," Freya kept herself short on that matter, but didn't seem to mind talking about it exactly. "We were very close," she nodded slowly, reaching up to brush the hair away from her face. "I take it you've seen us before? or rather, together," she tilted her head, watching the flowergirl.

"I might have located a way to restore his memories, though I'm not sure yet..."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith gave a nod. "Once. There was a big hint that you thought fondly of him." She wouldn't ask what that method of restoring his memories was. Aerith was almost certain that someone had offered her something, and that someone was not particularly the best person to trust.

But she said nothing further. "Well I hope you find what you're looking for." Aerith smiled, and left the topic alone. "Well since you shared so much, I guess it's my turn. Ask, and I'll see if I can't answer."

Freya Crescent has posed:
"Well, what's your story then? You were with us when we rescued the villagers in Halloween Town, you are a healer, yes?" Freya nodded a little as she pushed the small plate she'd been served the sandwich and the barbecue sauce. "I take it you were with some of the others that came along wth us?"

Aerith has posed:
Aerith nodded. "Healer, mage, lady that swings a staff around..." She chuckled. "You can say I have many talents. Why limit myself to just one thing?" She leaned back in her chair. "I just came there to have fun, but once things started to happen, well I suppose I couldn't just leave it."

Freya Crescent has posed:
"Hmm, an aesthetic then?" Freya was probably reminded of a monk that used a staff when the stave was mentioned, nodding a little in affirmation. "Just to have fun? You seem like you were able to help rescue those villagers quite handily," Freya rose from the chair, letting a few gil coins slip from her sleeve onto the table. "I appreciate the evening having dinner with you, but now I fear I must seek lodgings for the evening," she donned her hat and tipped it respectfully to Aerith, tired rat.