The Worst Kind of People

The Worst Kind of People
Date of Scene:	19 May 2013
Location:	Traverse Town
Synopsis:	A few upstanding members of the Church run into some ruffians in Traverse Town! Avira is really bad at taking advice and picks a fight almost immediately.
Cast of Characters:	Tifa Lockhart, Avira, Morrighan Alazne, Ophelia, Alma Hyral

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Avira has posed:
Twilight Town, the ever-present night. In spite of the darkness, the city never slept. Residents set their own schedules and their own hours as they saw fit-meaning good many businesses were open 24/7 with owners working in shifts. Down time could mean lost revenue, after all.

However, some places with sole owners did close and of course, these were the places notable or useful enough to get away with it. Namely, people would happily wait for their services. Merlin was one of those people.

Without a way to contact him, Avira was forced to make frequent visits to the wizard's house. On far too many occasions to count, he had not been present. He was a mercurial, forgetful sort that enjoyed going on vacatons and outings (something about a Wart?). Therefore it wasn't so much a surprise to Avira that he was not present when she had checked upon him today. Her plans to speak with him thwarted again, she'd quickly left.

There are a handful of people on the street when Avira ascends the stairway that lead to the lower level of this district (and to the waterway where Merlin's mysterious house was). The scarred huntress pays them only passing attention. For now.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Ahhhh, such nonsense..." Morrighan grumbled to herself as she casually strolled through the streets of Traverse Town. Having just finished visiting with Rosemarie some time earlier, she had decided to step out and survey the town for a bit. Morrighan never really came out to Traverse Town that much. There never really was a reason after all. Everything she could possibly obtain from here, she could get elsewhere. At least until recently.

Dressed in her usual extravagant dress, the dark elf looked a bit out of place among the more casually dressed locals. But it didn't seem to bother her any. Her red eyes slowly scanned through, observing people and places with only a passing interest as she moved.

Eventually, Morrighan caught sight of a familiar figure descending some stairs nearby. "....Really?" She mumbled, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked a little closer. Was that Avira? She hadn't seen or heard about her in so long. ...Not that she cared or wondered. ...Maybe. Probably. Perhaps.

...Yeah.

But really, there was no way they could possibly miss each other now. With a sigh, she gave up and moved to approach, not calling for her just yet.

Ophelia has posed:
Many people from the more 'normal' worlds, if one can even really pin down what normal is, are used to the typical cycles of night and day. Sunlight provides a great many benefits and visual cues that are difficult to go without: physical health in the form of certain vitamins, the emotional uplift that many undergo when the day is bright and cheery, and ofcourse the visual aid of time keeping. Without the sun to nourish them, plants are also not very common to find in Traverse save for the occasional variety of night-blooming flowers and grasses and those made out of plastic.

There are, ofcourse, those who flourish in such circumstances as well. The night provides a sense of serenity and peace, almost as if the moon's pale glow carries with it a tranquilizing effect on the world below. The hot neon signs of the main shopping district of the small city attempt to battle this overcast with their own brightly energetic aura but here away from the bustle of the main thoroughfare, the moon's gentle touch holds sway.

It is precisely because the sun never shines here that Ophelia has taken a keen liking to Traverse. Her rather specific 'condition' prevents her from fully enjoying the light of the daystar as she once used to but she came to terms with that fact decades ago. Adjusting to night life wasn't terribly difficult, despite her reservations, and she was surprised to find that even in her hometown back in Ordallia that there was much entertainment to be found in the dark.

Traverse makes for an ample replacement to the red light district the vampire had grown so fond of, particularly because it is well beyond the prying eyes on the Glabados clergy. The young woman makes her way along one of the back roads, taking her time as she strolls through the less illuminated section of town. A young woman hangs off her arm, her face marked by a docile smile as she treads alongside Ophelia. Though not much can be gleaned about her from here appearance alone the girl is extremely pretty and clearly dressed to draw attention to herself and the vampire does little to hide her knowing smile whenever someone's head turns to follow them.

Eventually the pair make their way down the street and turn the corner, only to come upon the slowly approaching women. Caught square in the middle, Ophelia pauses, her companion obediently coming to a halt at her side without being told, and peers back and forth between them curiously. One she recognizes immediately and a warm smile turns the corner of her lips up.

"Oh, Morrighan!" She waves at the elf with her free hand, flagging her down. "How nice to see you again."

Avira has posed:
Avira seems lost in her own thoughts as she walks along. Whatever appears to be on her mind is quite consuming-but not so much that she doesn't pay attention to her surroundings. Her various teachers had drilled that particular lesson into her quite brutally!

Brown eyes fall upon the familiar dark elf, though she doesn't recognize her quite at first. It's moreso the luxurious dress Morrighan wears that catches Avira's eye-a lone member of royalty maybe? But no, Avira looks a little harder and recognizes Morrighan's face. Her gait slows as the elf seems to be approaching her, realizing the last they had met, Avira was a mutate and Morrighan was helping Seith take her to hell.

"Morrighan." she says in a guarded tone, "What brings you here? Isn't it a little bit...dangerous?"

Somebody calls out to Morrighan by name, which immediately draws Avira's attention. Very carefully, she sizes up the-well, it's definitely a woman with a woman on her arm. Not something Avira was unfamiliar with, though it wasn't what really caught her attention. The dark-haired woman had weapons on her. "Well...maybe not so dangerous if you have protection."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
There's always lots of people in this area of town, but most of them are just keeping busy with their own things, the 'faceless NPC' syndrome. You know, they inhabit towns, they are only there when you need them to populate the crowd scenes, the rest of the time they are all work-eat-sleep in some non-descript home and with an unknown family, somehow turning the gears of this world's economy. Well, yeah, lots of those here.

But out of those, there's a girl sitting there. She must be important to the story, she has a unique character model and all, sticking out from the crowd. Actually its only Tifa, for those that know her. She was sitting down by the fountain, a book in hand, leafing through it at random, while munching on an apple. The hand holding the apple is flipping the pages with a finger whenever she can. She has a bag of those books next to her too. Apparently found a few things of interest.

But when she hears talking nearby, she raises her head. Well, there's Avira, but she doesn't remember the other two. They might have crossed somewhere... She's met lots of people since she got here, and with her lot of regular customers and frequent adventuring companions, there was alot to remember by. She hmms, tapping her chin a bit, and observing for now. No need to get mingled in discussions that she has nothing to talk about after all. If it comes to troubles or heartless though, she's totally in.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Morrighan slowed her approach, tilting her head at Avira's greeting. "Avira." She greeted back, her tone much less guarded. It didn't seem like she was up to anything sinister today. Just taking a walk. Yep. "Dangerous? How so? Unless you mean all these filthy peasants assaulting my senses at every turn?" Following that came the signature hand to the side of the face and the haughty laugh! "Ohohoho~" Ah, how long had it been since she last did that?

But before she could continue on with the usual routine, someone called out to her. A familiar voice in fact. Morrighan hadn't forgotten. Turning to face the source, the dark elf smiled at the sight of Ophelia...with some woman hanging off of her arm. "Aha, Ophelia. We meet again." Pause as she stared, sizing up the other woman with her eyes. "...Come to have yourself some fun away from...prying eyes, I see."

There was hardly any reason to bother asking why she was here now. It all made sense just by looking.

Ophelia has posed:
Ophelia casually ignores the stares of the other woman as she turns to converse with Morrighan. Her grin only spreads at her recent acquantaince's quick uptake of the situation though, as always, she makes sure her lips never part far enough to show her teeth. The effect gives her a somewhat awkward smile which is out of place with her otherwise composed and elegant demeanor but she doesn't seem particularly self-conscious about it.

"Ofcourse. Those damned monks wouldn't know how to properly enjoy themselves if their lives depended on it," she states matter-of-factly. "Just because I have to work for them doesn't mean I have to obey their silly rules on my own time."

Ophelia tilts her head to peer at Avira, sizing her up for a moment and quickly adopting an equally snobbish smirk before turning back to the elf. "So what brings you here, my dear? I do hope it's not to dally about with such unsavory sorts."

Avira has posed:
Being around Morrighan long enough has given Avira an almost Pavlovian response to that haughty laughter of hers. Even though it isn't directed at her, Avira grimaces at it either way. "Dangerous because that bounty is still a thing, you know. And..." she trails off.

Sure, Avira could tell about the fallout from defying Garland. That this city was going to be subject to his anger because the TDA stopped him from taking out his rage upon the dark elf. Why, she could even imply that it was all Morrighan's fault.

Avira shuts her mouth and does not, realizing how little that would accomplish here. "...anyway you've been pretty quiet lately, is all I'm saying. Though you might be, well, hiding."

That being said, she looks over to Ophelia again, noting Morrighan's reaction to her with some curiosity. A brief flicker of discomfort follows-or...jealousy maybe?-as the dark elf greets the dark-haired woman in a friendly fashion.

For now, Avira chooses to believe that 'such unsavory sorts' doesn't refer to her-even though that look on Ophelia's face pretty much said it did. The only real reaction to this is that she slowly folds her arms across her chest.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart takes another bite of her apple. Doesn't seem like Avira is too comfortable around that laughing girl. Oh, yeah, that laugh. It doesn't make her too comfortable either. So much of that upppity manner in it too. She stands up, picking her book, moving a bit closer, if only to even the odds a bit "Hey Avira. Some of your friends?"

She turns those red eyes to the two other girls. Red, but that sweetness and softness in them that you wouldn't think her capable of any violence in normal circunstances. But heartless changed the 'normalcy' of things around here, even the kind ones need a way to defend themselves at the very least.

And heartless don't really count anyway.

She holds her bacg of book under one arm, tossing her finished apple up, and kicking it haki-style into a gargabe bina s she walks past one.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Hmm?" Oh, right. Bounty. Garland. Of course. She hadn't forgotten of course, but well...Really, what point was there in worrying? If Garland was going to do something, he'd do it. Morrighan just shrugged at Avira after and replied. "Well, I am not exactly worrying. There is nowhere for someone to run if he really wanted to do something about it."

Ophelia's comment about 'unsavory sorts' drew an amused giggle from the elf who took a moment to glance away, covering her mouth to try and stifle it. To no avail of course. "Oh Ophelia...you may be right. Uncouth, ill mannered, barbarians such as these..." Apparently the just arriving Tifa was included in that as well if the glance briefly thrown her way was any indication.

"...But nevertheless, despite her scarred exterior, she can still be rather appealing if you take a second look~" Avira is given an amused smile before Morrighan added. "Especially in proper dress. Say...a maid's uniform?" No, that was never going to die. Ever. ...Which caused her to remember that Ivo still had her memory sphere!

Ophelia has posed:
"Hmm..."

Ophelia turns about and stares directly at Avira, her hand resting on her chin as she looks her over once more in a manner similar to that of a jeweler inspecting a rough stone. Her head tilts to the side as she mentally overlays several different outfits on the woman's body, making absolutely zero attempt to hide her intent and after a few moments she turns back to Morrighan with another smirk.

"I suppose she does have a certain... rugged charm. I could indeed see her being suitable as a servant. Does this insight come from prior experience perhaps? Come now, if you have pictures, do not hold back."

Even though the vampire hasn't the slightly clue about Avira's aversion to maid uniforms the subtle mocking tone in her co-conspirator's voice is hard to miss and she attempts to play along. Tifa gets a passing glance but is dismissed for the moment.

Avira has posed:
"No." Avira reflects, "From him, there really isn't. He expects other people to do his dirty work..and it seems like nobody's biting." Oddly enough, Avira sounded pretty pleased by that. Almost cheerful! Avira herself seems to realize this and she immediately stops sounding cheerful about it at all.

It helps that Morrighan immediately gives her something to not be so cheerful about. The giggling over peasants and barbarians earns an eyeroll from Avira. "Oh please." she mutters, lifting a hand to give a wave to Tifa. "They're more like...acquaintances."

Then Morrighan goes -there-. Tifa, or even Morrighan and Ophelia, might notice Avira's entire body shudder and her muscles tense. In that moment, she is expending a sort of herculean effort to not haul off and deck Morrighan in the face. Speaking of faces, Avira's turns a bright red. "I respectfully disagree." she says, her voice tight. "That particular job is a waste of my talents."

In regards to the photographic evidence of that moment, Avira's pretty aware that Morrighan no longer had possession of it! Unfortunately, Ivo went about spreading it in his own way. Avira is quick to meet Ophelia's evaluating gaze, if only to show that she is completely undaunted by the mental dress-up. "But really." Avira says, looking back to Morrighan as she frantically tries to change the subject, "What /have/ you been up to?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart was there as a maid too. Well, at the maid's event that happened... how long ago already? She had to chide Faruja, which honestly was even more of an oddity to see dressed as a maid that Avira would be. Unless, of course, they are talking about something else entirely that she could have missed.

She ignores the condescending remarks thrown her way. She's a barmaid, she's heard worse, she learned to ignore those, especially with this one literally thrown at large. You can bundle her up in any group you want, doesn't make it true.

"Is there something particularly degrading about serving people and making them happy?" She asks the two, that seems ready to poke at Avira for no apparenty reason like that. "Or are you those people that only feel better by stepping down on others, giving yourself a false sense of superiority?" She doesn't like it when people make fun of her friends, that's for sure. She's pretty protective.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Blink.

Perhaps she was hearing things in her not!old age. But it almost seemed as if Avira was happy that Morrighan was not captured and split asunder but Garland already. Curious. That all quickly is dashed away though as the maid subject came back up.

"Oh yes, indeed. I do have prior experience. But alas a certain blue caped buffon has run off with my evidence. I have yet to locate him. Truly a shame." With a wistful sigh, Morrighan brought a hand to her cheek, smiling as she looked back on the incident. Good times. ...Well, right up until Angantyr decided ANG SMASH everything. Brainless fool.

Dismissing the subject at that, Morrighan let her arms fall, idly keeping one over the other in front of her as she addressed Avira, smiling in amusement at her barely contained annoyance. "Me? ...Nothing of real interest. Working on the church when needed, doing my own research when not. I suppose you will be happy to know that I have not been stealing things from angry embodiments of darkness since last time."

Apparently the elf must have been in a good mood today. She smiled and leaned forward towards Avira, poking her cheek with a finger. "And what of you? Earning more scars to add to your already large collection, hmm~?" Pause as she considered her own words, and then added. "Ah, but then, I suppose they do suit you now! Ohohohoho~" Cue haughty laugh routine once again as she leaned back and did so.

Tifa's interjection is heard last and she glances over at the barmaid, raising an eyebrow. ...Who was this again? "Oh no, no. I simply adore those who serve others. There is just a certain...charm to be held in people who do such things, no?" Her eyes moved to glance over at Ophelia upon asking that question.

Ophelia has posed:
Opehlia steps back for a moment to let the exchange between the elf and the mercenary play out, smiling faintly to herself in amusement. Her hand rests on those of the young woman still latched firmly to her arm and the contact seems to breath a hint of life into her finally. She looks up at at the vampire with a half-vacant stare and Ophelia gives her a quick smile and a pat on the back of her hand which causes her companion to sigh in an almost eerily dreamlike manner. However, when Ophelia turns her attention back to the conversation, the girl resumes her silent vigil, staring off into the distance.

"A shame that," she interjects upon hearing of the loss of evidence, since Avira seems quite reluctant to broach the subject. It seems unlikely she's going to be offering to model for her convenience though if she /really/ wanted there are ways of making that happen. Nah, too much trouble. And she's not particularly interested in Avira.

Her eyes shift to Tifa as she also speaks up and the barmaid gets a once over by the vampire's roaming gaze as well. "Hmm. Now here's an interesting specimen." She nods to Morrighan with a smirk. "Indeed, there is great beauty to be found in the acceptance of one's place in society. Hmmhmmhmm."

Avira has posed:
Falling silent, Avira's attention is drawn by the interaction between Ophelia and the girl on her arm. Strange-the girl seemed almost drugged in a way-spaced out. On pause?

Morrighan is clearly hearing things. Yes. Avira couldn't /possibly/ be happy that Morrighan was not being subjugated by Garland right now. ...right?

She continues to smoulder angrily as Morrighan mentions 'prior experience'. Tifa quickly interjects with some heated words on her behalf and Avira reddens again. "It wasn't the Maid Cafe, Tifa, it was something else." she quickly murmurs to the barmaid, hoping that the other two remained unaware of the maid cafe-she'd rather not Morrighan know that she actually put that outfit on willingly at one point.

Fortunately, Morrighan, invited to talk about herself, happily does so. There's a bit of surprise from Avira, "You're working with the Church now? Well, yes, I am happy to know /that/-" She is poked in the cheek, which Avira puffs, then moves to shoo Morrighan's finger away. "Well yeah. Business has been good."

Morrighan's response to Tifa gives her pause though. Adored...did that mean that Morrighan really-nah, that couldn't be the case. The haughtiness between this pair was really starting to grate upon her and she twitches again.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart has heard stories about that Garland, she hasn't had the displeasure of meeting him, but with the story of his warrant going around town, it reached the bar's rumormill. Still, she frowns as the two give her answers in that way. Looks like some people can't be exactly reasonned with, or just like to push others around like that. Well, she tried to help Avira, she hopes that the meaning got through at least, but opts for a subject change before she actually makes it worse instead.

"What about that Garland? I didn't get the full story about what he did, or what's going to happen if you find him. But if you need some extra hands to hold him down, you can always call me up, Avira." She shows her support to the cause in whatever way she can.

She doesn't think she'll be friends with either of the other twos...

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Oh yes, you /would/ be happy to know that, would you not?" Morrighan scoffed then and crossed her arms in a huff. "Truly, the church is an irritating organization. But nevertheless, they will do for now. Their facilities and resources are...convenient." Which is to say striking out alone isn't quite feasible yet. ...Yet. But maybe some day she wouldn't need to work for some organization and just do whatever she wanted.

Her smile returned afterward, deciding to dispel bad or annoying thoughts. Now was not the time for them. "Oh, but would you look at the time? I seem to have gotten rather side tracked." Glancing at a watching that seemed to have been constructed on the spot. Ah, time magic. But still, she seemed to have realized that she was in a hurry. And so she turned away from the others and stepped away.

"Well then, I suppose I must bid you all adieu." Glancing back, she gave Ophelia a smile, not midning the vacant woman on her arm. Far be it for her to question what others did for enjoyment now. "We will meet soon I am sure, Ophelia." And then to Avira and Tifa. "And I will no doubt run into you barbarians some time eventually again. Excuse me~"

And with that, Morrighan strode off, leaving the three to converse amongst themselves.

Ophelia has posed:
Ophelia looks a little surprised as her friendly conversation partner decides to make a quick exit but she doesn't take offense, assuming she either had a prior engagement or simply got tired of being around such low-born commoners. She nods and waves demurely as the elf heads out, confirming the desire to meet with Morrighan again in the future before turning her attention back to the others.

The vampire chuckles at the parting joke and with the other woman gone, she gives an almost predatory smirk to Avira and Tifa. "Well, then. It would seem introductions are in order. I~," she places her hand on her chest in a dramatic fashion, "am Ophelia Rosai Lovett. Since I am feeling generous today you may call me Ophelia. Though, should your desire to serve overwhelm you, Lady Lovett will do just fine, ohoho."

Her hand goes up to halfway cover her mouth as she laughs in an almost exact mimicry of Morrighan's snobbish fashion. Yep, there's two of them.

Avira has posed:
A groan escapes Avira. "Can we talk about Garland...not now? I've had to explain that so many times lately." But hey, at least there was a lot of support. Goes to show what happens when a whole city is threatened. "I don't want to spend any more energy thinking about that guy than I need to or else the whole damn thing will drive me crazy."

There's a thoughtful look on her face as Morrighan speaks about her connection with the church-namely the 'facilities and resources'. "Hm, do they happen to have a library...?" she ventures, only to have the dark elf flounce off to parts unknown shortly afterwards. "/Barbarians/? Hey!"

The huntress promptly looks disgruntled again. Since Morrighan has departed and she, in fact, was the one Avira actually wanted to check up on (not because she cares or anything of course she's just curious!!), Avira's about to leave.

But politeness would dictate that if introductions are in order, she would introduce herself and do everything to dispell this silly notion that she was some kind of barbarian peasant. "My name is Avira." she offers, unwinding her arms to gesture to herself. "Avira of Ivalice." Dryly, and perhaps with the intention of lightly mocking Ophelia's introduction, she adds, "Just Avira is fine."

Already, she's shuddering at Ophelia's haughty laughter. It sounds the exact same! Noooo! One was enough!!

Alma Hyral has posed:
So Alma had intended to wake up earlier today to follow Avira around town... get used to her routine. Maybe even encounter.. /You Know Who/.

/FOUR HOURS AGO/

Alma wakes up in VALKYRI HQ, only to find that not only had Sanel climbed into her bed, but that Sanel is little more cuddly than is seemly in his sleep. She tries to extricate herself, only to find that he's holding onto her even tighter. /OHSWEETCOSMAWHYISHEDOINGTHAT?/ were her only thoughts as she whimpered, trying to get out of this extremely awkward position.

/ONE HOUR AGO/

She finally manages to get out of bed, without waking up Sanel. Cleans herself up, changes, and is out the door. Breathing a sigh of relief that Helena or Annia hadn't been there to see any of that.

/NOW/

Alma Hyral was in her typical dowdy white mage robes, having shouldered a backpack and a leather satchel, it took some time roaming around town before she spotted Avira, catching sight of her and the two other women in one of the lower districts of the town. She'd approach which an affable smile which would... slowly fade as she got closer.

Ever get the feeling that something just walked over your grave? As she looked at Ophelia, she had that feeling.. which quickly faded away. It was gone, just as soon as she felt it. And for some reason, that made her fearful of her.

She would just sort of mumble, "H-Hello Avira." In a meek tone of voice, while nodding to each of the two women with her. She just kind of... stood in a way that had Avira interposed between herself and Ophelia. It looked sort of absurd, since Avira was actually slightly shorter than the girl who was ten years younger than her, but she more than made up for that in ferocity.

"My n-name is A-Alma, A-Alma H-Hyral, nice to m-meet you both."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart poinst at herself, holding her bag of books under her arm still "And I'm Tifa Lockhart. I manage the Cloud Nine and Seventh Heaven bars." She's a barmaid, and has no complex about it either. She lets the 'barbarian' comment slide, since that girl clearly doesn't know any other fancy words to describe them right now. Not everyone can be gifted with a good vocabulary, instead she covers it with obnoxious laughter. She knows that type. And now there's another too.

She loosk over to Alma stumbling over... She smiles kindly, and offers her hand "Hi Alma, nice to meet you." At least one girl that is kind, she wants people to be comfortable around her. Poor girl seems nervous.

Ophelia has posed:
If Ophelia has something of a disturbing glint in her eyes before, she's practically predatory now that Alma has arrived. The meekness practically wafts off the small girl in waves and to someone like her she looks just like a little snack waiting to be gobbled up.

"Ivalice." Despite the tempting morsel before her, the mention of that name causes the woman's nose to wrinkle up as if she has been subjected to some awful stench. She stands up a little straighter giving Avira a haughty expression. "I should have known. You practically reek of barns and inbreeding."

Ophelia turns to the side, pulling her pretty female companion on the opposite side of her body from the mercenary as if to shield her from being contaminated. "So... how does someone such as /you/ become acquainted with a woman like Morrighan? Oh yes, she did mention how you look rather fetching as a servant, though..." She pauses and looks down her nose at the much smaller woman for a moment. "I still have my doubts. Perhaps you were one of her maids, non?"

Avira has posed:
"Alma. You followed me?" Seems Avira is half surprised by this. Less so when the younger girl slips behind her, clearly for protection. It wasn't unknown that a healer ought to be protected because, all too often, they would be the first to be targeted in a fight. Once Alma's behind her, she seems to stand up just a little bit straighter.

"/Excuse me/?" Now Avira cannot contain her displeasure at the woman's comments. A barbarian could be a respectable title in some circles! An inbred hick, on the other hand, cannot. "Now where do you get off making such assumptions about heritage and breeding? There are many respectable cities in Ivalice-though perhaps you've never been there if you're going to talk about it so ignorantly."

Quite calmly, Avira rests her left hand on the hilt of the Spine. "Morrighan and I met on the battlefield, long ago, when she /served/-" Quite a bit of emphasis on that word, "-the kingdom of Baron." Mentally, she debates telling this woman her version of events before Morrighan gets the chance to fill her in on the whole story...and decides against it.

No need to describe that embarassing incident in full in front of Tifa and Alma. Just having Ophelia refer to it already has Avira flushing in embarassment.

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma would smile briefly to Tifa, before responding, "The C-Cloud Nine? It's a w-wonderful e-establishment. I c-cooked t-there for a few days after I l-lost a bet to M-Mister S-Sherman."

And then Ophelia spoke as some sort of elitist, insulting Avira's life. There were few times in Alma's life when she wasn't timid, or meek. She rather liked Avira, and she wasn't going to let anyone speak badly of her. She would at least refute the point.. but she still couldn't muster enough confidence to get past her anxiety the.. bad feeling about this woman had left her when she spoke up, "It's a-alright A-Avira. F-From the way she s-speaks she's p-probably just an O-Ordallian who is b-bitter about nearly l-losing their C-Capital in the F-Fifty Years W-War. T-They k-kind of lash out at e-everyone, or so I'm t-told, have to p-prove their s-superiority and get past their f-feelings of i-inadequacy."

What, you didn't think she wasn't reading up on history too while she was doing all that research on the Ivalician Zodiac?

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles at Alma "Oh, really? You must be the cook that Mercade talked about then? The food was very delicious those few days you know, the customers mentionned it quite often. You're welcomed to come cook for us more often if you want to." She offers the girl some work good naturedly, without any pressure.

She looks over to the bickering starting between Avira and Ophelia (so many names in -a here today). "I think that was rather unfounded either. There's different kinds of people in every world, and there's some very classy ones even in Ivalice. And what you said doesn't even get close to describing Avira either."

Ophelia has posed:
"Hmph. Pardon me if I do not take the word of peasants as suitable evidence to the contrary." Ophelia waves a dismissive hand at Tifa and Avira before letting it rest on her hip, jostling the ridiculously ornate scabbard hanging about her waist. Infact, everything about her seems to scream 'money' from the intricate designs that are interwoven into every single scrap of silk on her body to the golden gildwork that is infused into her armor and weapons.

She smirks back at the mercenary woman, hardly put off by the united front being established against her. "I assume because it is safe to do so. Ivalice is full of nothing but uncouth mongrels who think rattling a few swords makes them impressive. Though from the looks of you, you never even learned which end to rattle."

Her gaze shifts to Alma who has drawn aggro by attempting to wave history around like a weapon against her beloved homeland. "And you, rodent, should learn some respect when speaking of your betters. Not to mention, proper history. Ivalice's horde of barbarians never even broached the borders of our land, much less threatened the capitol. Too busy stabbing each other in the back to lead a proper force, hmph."

Avira has posed:
"Then if you will not take my word...." Avira is quick to answer, her gaze hardening and her grip firming up on her unusual-looking weapon. "...perhaps you will take my sword instead."

She doesn't draw her weapon here, though, forcing herself to remaing calm before the haughty woman. Inwardly, she is thankful of both Tifa and Alma for their words of support, even if they did little to phase this lady's attitude against them.

"A duel." she specifies. "Unless that saber at your hips is purely for show." Given the fancy design of Ophelia's armor, Avira sort of assumed it was /all/ for show. As someone who went through gear herself pretty frequently, she knew better than to ride into battle with stuff that fancy.

"A duel with stakes." she clarifies. "Since I'm sure neither of us want to waste our time in meaningless combat."

Alma Hyral has posed:
"My b-betters?" She sounds extremely amused by that, despite her meekness. After all, on her world her family would be considered the closest equivalent to nobility that any world would have, and she'd just give the woman a small smile. "O-Oh I beg to differ. B-Barbaneth B-Beoulve, M-Messam Elmdor, and Cidolfus O-Orlandeau nearly took Viura. It was a v-very fortunate turn of events that a-allowed you to s-stave them off. As it h-happened, your P-Prince Lennard came b-begging to B-Barbaneth Beoulve for a treaty in the end. N-Now if you'd like to a-act the r-revisionist and say o-otherwise, I can hardly b-blame you. I-I'd want to conceal that s-shame too."

She'd whisper into Avira's ear, "I f-followed you, yes.. but A-Avira.. don't d-duel her. I h-have a really bad f-feeling about her." She'd glance sidelong, suspiciously at Ophelia.

And then she'd glance to Tifa, flushing with pleasure, "W-Well I might c-consider it, whenever I'm in t-town.. I a-actually rather liked it."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles, patting Alma's shoulder as she reassures the meek girl of her good intentions. But she blinks at Avira and Ophelia. Looks like its getting mroe bitter now. A duel too? Well, she can mediate the two from the sidelines. She doesn't know that Alma is a healer either. "A duel might be a good way to break an argument, as long as it doesn't get too bloody..." She says to herself as much as to Alma, as it looks like Avira is raring to go at least.

She looks at Ophelia, to see what's her answer to that. She looks like she has a sharper toungue than sword though, but she's not going to say that outloud.

Ophelia has posed:
Ophelia tilts her head back and laughs outright, a truly amused sound pouring out of her instead of the haughty chuckle that she had displayed before. "You rattle off names like you were there. Foolish child. No doubt your sources were scrawled by some Ivalician dog seeking to cast their nation of curs in a favorable light. You've hardly room to speak to me of 'revisionist history' when you quote blindly from musty books."

Her glare shifts back to Avira, the expression of amusement shifting back into her predatory smirk. "As for you... do you make a habit of bad life decisions? Perhaps your warped barbarian mind merely believes that those scars are somehow marks of growth? Hmph. No matter."

The vampire tilts her head to the side, appraising her would-be opponent once more. "While I highly doubt that you have anything of actual worth to put forth as collateral, I shant turn down a chance to add another mark to that peasant face of yours. Name your terms."

Avira has posed:
"Bad life decisions?" Avira smirks back, "Or exciting ones? Surely even a stuffy ~lady~" the word is spoken as if it were an insult, "-would know a thing or two about excitement."

She whispers to Alma. "I doubt she'll actually accept. She doesn't look like she does any actual fighting."

However, Avira isn't the spectacular judge of character that, say, Max is, apparently. It is a bit of a surprise to hear her actually accept the challenge. Carefully, she manages to mask her surprise and continues with hardly a beat missed. "Oh? I disagree. My terms are this...should you /happen/ to win, then I will acquiesce to showing you that awful outfit that Morrighan had me in. The very one she was referring to earlier. However, if I win, then I will see you in Dalamascan clothing. The clothing of my countrymen that you continue to slander with your ignorance."

Not that they're /actually/ Avira's 'countrymen', but Ivalice has certainly grown on her and she would readily accept it as a second world, issues and all.

Alma Hyral has posed:
"O-Oh. Y-You think so? M-Maybe I'll have to s-show you t-those musty old b-books one day. So y-you can refute the O-Ordallian historians." She says this in an idle tone, clearly no longer interested in bandying words with the pompous woman.

She whispers back to Avira, "N-No.. I think she's d-dangerous..be c-careful."

And then a glance back to Tifa, "W-Well.. I-I'm a healer. If A-Avira w-wins too h-handily I can a-always put the other l-lady back together."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart nods to Alma, patting her again "I'll treat you to a drink after this then, just make sure they don't kill each other hm?" She's going to do the same, but not with healing. She takes a step back though, not wanting to get in the way of the two. "Avira's strong, I'm not too worried, but I have no idea what that girl can do..."

Ophelia has posed:
Ophelia ignores the mage completely now, having decided that such childish arguing with someone who is clearly out to show her up is pointless. Instead she focuses on the duel that is being laid out. The vampire looks thoughtful for a few moments, weighing the amount of effort it would take to actually show up to the duel over the enterainment she would get from rubbing this uppity woman's face in the dirt. It's a pretty easy decision because the thought that she might lose doesn't even touch her mind.

"Very well, your terms are acceptable. I do hope you look as appealing in them as Morrighan claims, I would hate to waste my time for nothing."

Her hand goes up to run through her hair flippantly, showing no signs of trepidation or worry. "Unfortunately, I cannot grace you with a proper beating right at this moment. My schedule is rather occupied." She turns and runs her fingers along the cheeks of the woman attached to her arm as if to emphasize her point. "Tomorrow. When the clock strikes twelve. Meet me on the beach. If I must dirty my hands, I atleast would prefer someplace comfortable."

Avira has posed:
"Oh, not right now? What a /shame/." Avira says icly. "Well, I suppose if you want to come up with an excuse between now and then to back out, I will allow for that." she taps a finger to her chin thoughtfully, "Though it would reflect so poorly on your reputation."

Losing really doesn't enter Avira's mind either, which is why she had wagered such a humiliating outcome on her part. That and offering such would make actually attending the duel more tempting since she had noticed this woman had an inordinate amount of interest in that past event when Morrighan brought it up.

"Then it is settled. Tomorrow at twelve on the beach. And /do/ be ready to provide your clothing sizes." Avira smiles in a far too cheerful manner, standing her ground, continuing to keep herself between Alma and Ophelia.

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma would have found that ironic given all the pompous insults that the woman had been throwing around earlier. But she's kind of glad it was done with. She didn't /like/ to show that side of herself. She portrayed herself as far stupider than she actually was in general because she was so socially awkward that she'd just run her mouth off all the time, say the wrong thing, and just draw even more bullying and hatred her way. She wasn't strong enough to take the /extra aggro/ so to speak. Acting as non-threatening as possible allowed her to not provoke fights that have others test her.. especially since as a pacifist, she wouldn't fight back in general.

That's why she didn't like to do this.. something about Ophelia just.. rubbed her the wrong way, and she wasn't going to take her insults against Avira laying down. "A-Alright. I-I'll be there too. J-Just in c-case one of you n-needs p-patching up."

She'd look sidelong to Tifa, and nod, "A-Alright, I w-will. I p-promise."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart tugs Alma back toward the fountain to sit down... hopefully out of range. The citizens also learned not to get in the way of those, and the plaza gets strangely empty, pretty fast! Actually many of them are some lenght away, watching, creating a circle of curious people around the two.

Ophelia has posed:
"I don't expect peasants to understand the perks that money can bring. But by all means, bring all the people you like. They'll just be there to witness your defeat, ohohoho!"

Ophelia casually brushes off barbed words with another wave of her hand and turns to leave. Her silent companion instantly becomes animated again, quickly moving to keep up, and within a few moments the pair disappear into the small crowd that has formed.

Avira has posed:
Avira rolls her eyes SO HARD as she watches the haughty woman leave.

"Good Faram." she mutters, turning around to face Tifa and Alma, ignoring the small crowd they've drawn with their heated exchanges. "Good then...so you know healing magic, is it? And you've picked up Ivalician history pretty well for not being a native. You must love to read."

Avira nods appreciatively.

Alma Hyral has posed:
"O-Oh yes. I k-know healing magic." She decides to leave it at that on her magic, "And I'm a r-researcher. In a-astronomy in p-particular. I-Ivalice's Z-Zodiac is intimately t-tied into its h-history and r-religious history, so I had to read up on it quite a bit."

She'd just smile a bit. "I d-do love to r-read. On e-everything. T-Though some s-subjects interest me m-more than others."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles to Alma "I don't now any magic. I have some materias that allow me to boost up my speed and strength, but that's it. I thought about maybe training to learn magic too." She ponders about it too, putting her bag of books beside herself. She blinks as Ophelia just ups an eleaves though. The crowd murmurs and dissipates rapidly. "Looks like she didn't want to get the attention huh? You know her weak point now." She kids.

Avira has posed:
Avira starts to walk in the direction OPPOSITE of where Ophelia left. "It /is/. Fascinating, isn't it? I know how it is though...reading a lot in order to catch up." She stops herself at that point, deciding not to clarify any further. After that performance, she didn't want to spill to these two that she lied and wasn't really from Ivalice.

"Well, we'll see if she shows up tomorrow. Anyway, no need to be standing around here anymore."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma would follow Avira from the fountain like a puppy, "W-Well, I h-have had a lot of f-free time. I-It's not like m-much is e-expected of me.."

She'd look between the two women and just say, "W-Well.. what about we go h-have an early d-dinner? I c-could w-whip you up s-something fast."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart smiles at Alma, nodding "Well found sounds good right now. Especially with your cooking Alma." She nods to Avira "I'm still not sure what her deal was... I mean, why throw insults at random like that..." She sighs. She'll never understand those kinds of people.

Avira has posed:
"Sold. I am all for dinner." Avira grins, changing direction to what is no doubt the path to the VALKYRI headquarters. "Her deal? Well, she simply thought she was better than us and saw it fit to remind us of that constantly. Tomorrow, however, I will prove this to not be the case when I best her in combat."

Alma Hyral has posed:
She remains quiet for a few more steps as she listens and follows before saying, "A-Avira.. I s-still have a r-really bad f-feeling about her..I w-wish you w-wouldn't fight her."

She'd continue to walk with them, all the way back to the headquarters.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart follows suit, not turning down the offer for food. Plus that Alma girl seems pretty nice too. Making new friends is always nice. "Yeah, she seems to look down at everyone without exception. That's what I tried to bring out when I interrupted you at first, but obviously she doesn't care about that. Its not 'accidental', its purely willing there." She sighs.

Avira has posed:
"Bad feeling exactly?" She doesn't sound disbelieving of Alma, just curious. Maybe she had some kind of magic sense that elluded Avira. It wouldn't be the first person that did! "But I can't back down now. Don't worry, nothing too bad will happen if you are around."

Well, except for losing. That would be pretty humiliating.

"Maybe she'll change her tune with a bit of...fisticuffs." Avira's eyes gleam.

Alma Hyral has posed:
"I d-don't know. I g-get it s-sometimes..and s-some people.." The girl kind of looks down at her feet, "T-They get it a-about me.."