[PP-NK-F5] In a League of Their Own

[Teion 0]

Teion was ready to turn away from the brunette, already planning to organize the unsatisfactory crafts that had been produced from the past couple of orders. Before she had the chance to give the woman a nod of goodbye, she took on a strange expression after repeating the blacksmith's name. The violet-haired woman tilted her head, blinking in confusion at her outburst. "Sorry... Have we met before?" She frowned, beginning to worry that her memory was getting even worse. Surely she would remember meeting someone that had given her a nickname like that. "Wait--" Teion didn't have to wrack her brain for long before the familiarity of the brunette's words pulled at far-off memories. Saturday nights, staying up until the early morning playing online games with the company of some snacks and a girl who only played support characters.

"Sophie?!" After a moment of disbelief, Teion's voice echoed a similar shock. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt a mixture of so many emotions, although she was certain it wasn't the first experience. She nearly broke into a grin of joy and relief--maybe not necessarily a familiar face, but a person she knew was here and fighting just the same as she was. The knot that quickly formed in her stomach stirred up the emotional conflict. Should she feel relief that the brunette was here with her, or dismay that they were simply trapped alongside one another?

@Piera

[Piera 0]

Watching the recognition dawn on the other girl's face was priceless. For once, she wasn't the first one not to immediately remember something or someone! Grinning from ear to ear now, Piera nodded enthusiastically at the purple haired girl's question regarding her name. "Yup! Piera, Sophia, Sophie, whatever. I decided to go with my middle name on here, something I'd respond to more easily if someone yelled it out...depending on the pronunciation that is." She waved a hand, not sweating the details. Especially since it had been over two years since the two had spoken.

"I didn't recognize your voice at all. I'm terrible with that sort of thing. But I hardly ever forget a username! Something about letters." Inventorying the perfectly crafted spear that she had just bought, the brunette rested a hand on her hip as she asked tentatively, "So...how've, erm." She barely stopped herself from asking the typical, 'how've you been?' question, knowing that there were slim chances that it was good considering where they were currently and instead focused on the present, "How are you? Besides being one of the best blacksmiths around obviously." Attempting a wink and mostly managing the tricky feat.

Glancing around at the other player that had just concluded his business and was leaving, the alchemist asked, "Do you want to go out and talk? If you're not busy that is. I'm sure as one of the top blacksmiths you have plenty of orders." At this point she was teasing her for all this small conversation point was worth, but only until she could get reacquainted with her old gaming friend. Also it was always good to give someone an out if they weren't very socially inclined or simply weren't that into you as you were them. No feelings hurt with little white lies.

[Teion 0]

"Piera..." Teion echoed in a whisper. She wouldn't have recognized the brunette from her name or appearance, and her voice would have been a long shot. If not for their familiar nicknames, the blacksmith wondered if they might have passed by each other as nothing more than acquaintances. The thought wasn't a happy one, so she focused herself on the alchemist's words instead. Though her simple question could easily lead to rather unhappy feelings, the violet-haired woman gave a half-smile that quickly turned into a chuckle at her praise. "Really, how many blacksmiths have you been to?" She didn't expect an answer, but gave a small shake of her head. Sure, her blacksmithing skill was getting rather high, but she hardly consider herself among the best.

"Hmm, sure." She continued past the brunette's sugar-coated words with a small, lingering smile. "I'm holding my own, I guess." She offered a vague answer while putting away a couple of her tools and heading towards the door. Teion motioned for Piera to follow her outside, already thinking of a small cafe they could visit. The place was nothing impressive, but it was located in the smaller settlement and would save them a trip through the desert to get back to Armadillo.

"I'm not nearly as high a level as I could be." She sighed, of course choosing the game itself as the topic of conversation. "But what's this about a potion shop?" She inquired after locking the shop's door behind them.

[Piera 0]

Taking the other woman's question as a serious one, Piera glanced up to the right which then wandered left as she began counting fingers as she tallied them up in her head before brightening, "Yer the fifth! And we're on the fifth floor, hah." Snapping her fingers to catch Jareth's attention, the griffon would let out a disgruntled yowl, still lacking in energy due to the heat. But he still managed to flap up to rest on her shoulder, amber eyes sinking closed as he rested. The brunette followed behind Teion with a small understanding smile as she stated that she was holding her own. "Hey, that's all we can do in here. It's good to see that you are. Could be worse."

The pair strolled through Fortaleza on their way to whatever destination the blacksmith chose. Shrugging at her long lost friend's disheartened comment, Piera countered, "Pretty much ninety five percent of us aren't 'nearly as high leveled as we should be'. Don't sweat it. You're doing the best you can under your circumstances I'm sure. Making a business, taking care of yourself, surviving. All good things in my book."

Perking up slightly at the question regarding her own shop, the heavily armored woman stated, "Ah yeah, on the third floor just like I mentioned. This was before I discovered the First Aid skill. You know me and my determination to be support. Well I thought I could support with potions and crystals. Now I'm supporting with potions, crystals and First Aid. Heh, and a little bit of 'peel' too." Referencing an term from the game they had met on as well as the fact that she had bought a weapon with high damage from the woman.

"I went heavy armor." Gesturing to her full suit of armor that she was wearing currently before motioning towrads the purple haired woman. "And of course you know what my preferred weapon is. Other than the first ranks in those, I pretty much put every single skill point I get into First Aid. What about you? You were sort of all over the place, but you were a really good support and mid laner too. Too bad we don't have magic."

[Teion 0]

"Pfft, of course you are." Teion refrained from rolling her eyes as a smile rested on her face. It didn't surprise her that the brunette had continued to 'main' a support role to such a degree, but it did impress her. Teion couldn't stand the idea of having to rely so heavily on others, at least not anymore. In Aincrad, she had made it pretty clear to herself that she had only herself to depend on. When questioned about her own build, Teion opened her menus to summon her weapon, holding the black scythe in both hands once it came into being. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but the blacksmith was proud to show off one of her newest creations. "It's typed as a two-handed battle axe," She explained. "I tried getting creative since I can use second-tier equipment now, and this is what happened." The violet-haired woman smiled.

She only kept the weapon out for a bit before dismissing the item back to her inventory. The pair had reached the destination Teion had chosen for them, a humble-looking shop named 'The Desert Willow Cafe'. Teion and Piera would enter the building, taking a seat at a booth. The blacksmith felt herself relax, leaning back into the padded bench as their conversation continued. "Right, though? I don't understand the idea behind an MMO without real magic. It limits character building so bad." The corners of her mouth turned down in a pout.

It had been so long since she remembered speaking so casually with someone. Piera existence across from her felt like a sudden reprieve; despite the fact that the two women had only ever been online friends, the brunette felt like the most real person she'd interacted with in quite some time. Though she found them occupying her subconscious from time to time, she didn't like thinking about the only other links she had to the real world that were alive in Aincrad. Not anymore. A chasm had grown between herself and the Endilix brothers, and she was beginning to think it better that it stay that way. Dwelling on the past and their broken, fading relationships had done nothing but wear on her heart over the past months.

[Piera 0]

Pouting a little playfully at Teion's teasing tone concerning her chosen build and path for SAO, Piera realized she was predictable, but hey, why not stick with what you were good at? She had never been a particularly independent or take charge sort of person, but preferred being able to help others from the sidelines.

Eyebrows raising as a beautifully crafted scythe appeared in the other woman's hands, the brunette eyed it up and down critically with impressed gaze. "It's gorgeous." Piera commented as she met Teion's eyes as the weapon was expanded upon. "A battle axe? Whoa, you can really expand your limits as a crafter as you get higher ranked, huh?" Feeling a slight pang of envy upon hearing that her friend was able to use tier two items now, she then quashed it down with a smile, able to just be happy for her. "Wow, lookit you, the beautiful bad@ss axe wielding blacksmith. The Violet Haired Executioner~" The bespectacled woman lavished with waggling eyebrows. She always enjoyed teasing her friends, especially if it was praising them at the same time.

Glancing up at the cafe they were approaching, Piera nodded approvingly before following her friend into a booth, relaxing on the other side of the table against the cushioned booth. It certainly did feel cooler in here, a nice reprieve from the rest of the floor. Grinning at Teion's pout as she shared her lamentation about the lack of magic, the alchemist questioned with genuine curiosity, "What kind of magic would you like to use? I could see you as like a water mage or something. Personally I sort of see First Aid and Howl and Teleport Crystals as a sort of magic, but I guess that's just wishful thinking." 

Even though it was a fairly casual conversation, Piera just couldn't stop the wide grin on her face, too happy to even properly express at finding someone she knew. And could talk to. She and Lee had kept to themselves for too long after what happened to them. If she would've let fear rule her, she might never have found Teion again. Despite the butterflies in her stomach, the reality of the situation was finally sinking in for the bespectacled woman and the grin dimmed down to a small smile that turned to one of friendly concern. "Tei Tei....jeez I never would've thought that you were playing this game too. I uh...wish I could say wholeheartedly that I'm glad to see you, but..." Shrugging with a sad sort of smile, the brunette finished, "Sorry you're stuck in here too. But putting aside the circumstances, it really is nice to talk to you again. How've you been holding up Tei Tei? I know..." 

How awful this place could be? How cruel people were? How hard it could be just to get by? 

Changing her question mid-sentence, Piera asked with genuine concern, "...Are you okay?"

[Teion 0]

Teion's left leg picked up and crossed over the other as she leaned back against the booth. "What kind of magic..." She echoed, her pupils drifting upward toward the ceiling as she frowned in thoughtful consideration. "Water mage would be fun." She would find herself adding little else to the conversation before shifting slightly in her seat at the next topic that the brunette inquired about. Teion looked down to the table fixed between the two players, her expression rather blank as her eyes traced over the notches in the wood, her mind busy determining how to answer the alchemist's question.

For several months now, Teion hadn't considered opening up to other players, save for a rather tentative relationship she had found herself forming as of late. That was another story entirely, and one she often grew anxious dwelling on. Piera--Sophie was different. Though this could be considered the closest they had been to meeting in person, Teion always thought she was a sweet girl. Even now, the healer was focused on expressing concern about Teion's well-being. A wry smile soon found itself taking over her expression, and the blacksmith let out a small sigh--practically one of defeat--as she made up her mind. As she opened her mouth to speak, another voice brought her attention back to their surroundings.

"Can I bring you ladies something to drink?" The friendly voice had Teion's eyes shift over to the player it belonged to. With blonde hair tied into a braid, a girl glanced between the two players with expectant emerald eyes. With a smile on her face and the attire of a waitress, Teion recognized the hard-working girl as the shop's owner and only staff member. The blacksmith's wry smile shifted into a soft one before speaking, first to Piera. "Want anything? On me." Whether the brunette accepted or declined the offer, Teion didn't leave her any time to protest her paying before turning her attention back to the waitress and asking the blonde for a strawberry lemonade.

When the good-natured interruption had passed, Teion's expression dulled again when she was forced to shift back to the conversation at hand. "It's been rough." She admitted vaguely, giving a small shake of her head shortly after. "Still, I can't complain much. I'm still alive and all that." She had thought of little else to say, leaving her response lackluster. Compared to some of the stories she'd heard, Teion considered herself rather well-off; while loneliness had taken its toll and hardened the bright outlook she once had, she had still managed to keep herself together. The few people she did care about in Aincrad were still alive, and she hadn't been exposed to the murder, lies, and betrayal that seemed to plague many others. "Bittersweet, but I gotta say that I'm glad to hear your voice again." She glanced back up to Piera with a small half-smile. "I just hope you're holding up alright yourself? She prodded lightly with the question.

[Piera 0]

Smiling softly at the purple haired woman's agreement that being a water mage would be fun, Piera stared at her blank expression, wondering if she was making her awkward or if socialization was just harder for her. She was much the same sometimes, but today was a better day than most. She remembered Teion as a very straight forward sort of person, if a bit stoic. Perhaps she shouldn't have jumped into the hard questions so early. Who knew what she'd been through. Considering deflecting her question for something lighter, the alchemist opened her mouth but then a question was asked of the pair, causing her to blink, looking up at the woman who asked. It was an actual player opposed to an NPC and Piera smiled in polite greeting. Considering Teion's order, the brunette was quiet for a moment before she asked, "Apple juice, or whatever the Aincrad equivalent is, if you have it please." Watching the blonde leave, her focus then turned back to the blacksmith, noticing her expression dim slightly now that they were alone again. But she did finally answer.

Face open but blank, Piera listened, filling in the blanks. "Psh, we all could complain. The ones that are alive have the most right to complain I think. They've seen the most. The dead have it easy." The left corner of her mouth twitched as she thought of what one of said dead people would say about that. Shaking her head, brown locks fell over her shoulder as she leaned her elbows and arms on the table. Lips twisting in a lopsided smile that was very nearly a smirk, Piera nodded, "I know just how you feel. Nice to see ya but sucks at the same time, right? Could be worse. Could've met by seeing your name crossed out on the Monument of Life. Good to see that you're surviving. Hell, thriving even if your shop is anything to go by." Her smile slowly grew into a grin as she spoke until Teion turned the tides and asked her a question in turn.

Smile becoming tight, a jerky nod was given as the healer replied, "Holding up 'okay'. It could be worse. And I don't even mean being dead. Uhh, you remember Lee? My boyfriend. You'd sometimes hear him on voice chat with me. Anyway, we logged in together. I don't know what I would've done if I was doing this without him. Probably either be dead or stuck on the first floor for all eternity, heh. But he's been there to kick my butt in gear, lighten me up." Shrugging, she then asked with a curious and sly smile, "Sooo, what about you? Anyone helpin' kick or otherwise touch yer butt? ...In a good way." She tacked on as an afterthought, suddenly concerned that perhaps she had crossed a line.

[Teion 0]

Their topics of conversation seemed to naturally drift more and more to bleak and morbid. Teion didn't mind enough to be the one to awkwardly shift them back to light-hearted words. Though she disagreed with some of the brunette's points, she also thought it best to keep that to herself.

Through the dreary feelings, Teion's head tilted slightly as the name Lee left the alchemist's lips. "Ah," She mumbled as the faint memory of Piera's boyfriend came back to her. Teion had hardly interacted with the man herself, but the way the brunette spoke had a soft smile pulling up at the corners of her mouth. The violet-haired woman was about to speak up about how nice that sounded, having someone you love from the real world who supported you through life here. Thankfully, before she got the chance to get mushy, the brunette spoke up again. Not so thankfully, her smile had twisted into a teasing expression.

Teion tensed up at the question, frowning ever-so-slightly as she mentally debated how to answer. Feeling her cheeks grow warm while the question hung in the air between them, Teion let out a sigh as if she had been holding her breath. There was no point in trying to fib to Sophie. "Well, uhh..." She averted her gaze, staring out over the other tables in the cafe that were sparsely populated. "I might have started going out with someone." She answered vaguely, the words leaving her shyly like some kind of confession.

[Piera 0]

Eyebrows rising as she saw Teion's cheeks begin to flush, Piera's smile turned into an open mouthed grin as the purple haired woman admitted to going out with 'someone'. "OOooOOOoooOOOooo~! Scandalous~" The alchemist gushed in her best 'Ashley' voice from a childhood cartoon, 'Recess'.

Linking her fingers together as she leaned forward over the table, she asked, "So wait, what's with the 'might have'? Are you not sure? Or are they not sure?" Then she gasped as she asked with mock seriousness, "You haven't become a stalker have you Tei Tei? Going out with them and they don't even know it? For shame..."

Chuckling, she hoped to at least get another smile out of the reserved girl before she gently pried, "So do I get to know this elusive 'someone's name? It's okay if it's a secret." A warmth was buoying inside of Piera, feeling good to tease someone like this. It had certainly been a while.

[Teion 0]

Immediately flustered by the girl's reaction, Teion shifted nervously and glared at Piera with a small pouting expression. She knew that the brunette would tease her the moment she said anything, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing. Her cheeks puffed up slightly before the air escaped her with a defensive "What? No!"

The woman grumbled lightly in mild frustration. Perhaps this is how the two women would talk in the real world about relationships. Teion hadn't dated for a few years now, although she couldn't recall if she'd told Sophie that. Still, sharing these kinds of things and being teased for it made everything feel so much more real. There wasn't another person on Aincrad Teion could act so naturally around; there was never a wall in front of Sophie to keep her out, so the thought of putting one up now just felt wrong.

As the blonde waitress placed two glasses on the table in front of each player, Teion immediately pulled hers in front of her and leaned forward on her arms while her fingers fidgeted around the cold glass. Now that she was done pouting, a small smile grew on Teion's face as she stared at the pink liquid. "No, he asked me out, alright?" The corner of her mouth pulled up a bit further into a smirk. "And no, it's not a secret. His username is Beatbox." While she had no idea whether or not the name would mean anything to Sophie, another wave of reality washed over her. As if telling someone else suddenly validated everything and made it real.

[Piera 0]

At Teion's violent and adorable protestation to her accusation about stalking, Piera simply continued to grin, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as her elbow leaned on the table. Obviously fully enjoying her friend's reactions and getting her to show a bit more emotion. She remembered doing much of the same when they gamed together, making all sorts of weird jokes and comments to get provoke a reaction from the woman, hearing her laugh over her headset.

Sitting up straight as their drinks arrived, the alchemist nodded and thanked the blonde waitress before raising the glass to her lips and taking a sip. The 'apple' juice was very refreshing and tasted like apples essentially...along with something else? Whatever it was, it was certainly welcome in this heat. A smirk toyed at Piera's lips as she watched the woman across from her start to smile as well before admitting that the mystery person was a man and that he had asked her out. "Ooo, lookit you, catchin' men's eyes. Well good to know he isn't blind." It might have been a little bit of flattery, but to be honest Teion was a beautiful woman. Though Piera might be a bit biased due to her love of her hair color, she was sure she looked just as beautiful with her natural hair tone.

Eyebrows raising slightly at the name of her friend's beau, the brunette's eyes flicked down to her drink as she forced her smile not to diminish and tried not to think about the circumstances of their meeting, "Yeah? I met him once actually. Didn't take you for a cougar though Tei Tei~" She tacked on the tease effortlessly to mask any reticence. No need to get the blacksmith all concerned over literally nothing. Fingertips trailing down the glass and catching the condensation, Piera asked with genuine curiosity, "Soooo? Wana tell me about him?" Giving Teion full opportunity to gush about her crush.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Piera

[Teion 0]

Teion could tell all too well that Piera was amused by the situation. Ever the instigator, there seemed to be no end to her teasing comments. Harmless as they were, it was as if the lack of Sophie's presence was suddenly catching up with itself. Was she making up for lost time, or did she simply forget how playfully insufferable she could be? The subject matter was largely to blame; Teion hadn't been in a situation like this for Sophie to prod her about, so it was coming out in full force now.

Sipping at her own drink, the taste caused a rush of nostalgia to hit her. Different from the strawberry lemonade that Endilix had once made for her, but reminiscent and just as sweet. Pushing the memories aside, Teion let out an exaggerated sigh towards the brunette woman, curling her fingers and resting her cheek against her knuckles, elbow propped up on the wooden tabletop. Her lips curled up into a smirk while her eyebrows remained narrow. She watched the alchemist's reaction to the blonde's name, a bit surprised that Sophie had met him before. Quickly moving from one subject to another, Teion's metaphorical feathers were ruffled once more. "Wait, what?!" A cougar? Wasn't that when an older woman went after young men? Should she be more bothered that Sophie was insinuating that she was old, or--

'Wait, how old is he?' Teion's expression had blanked, realizing that she didn't know the answer to such a simple question. Her mind soon caught up with her, and the violet-haired woman let out another sigh, this one a bit more genuine. She slid her arm against the table's surface, keeping her arm folded and resting her left temple against her forearm as she stared at the empty space of the booth beside Piera. She took a moment before speaking up again. "I don't know... Sophie--oh, is it okay if I still call you that?" Her eyes flickered over to the brunette for a moment before she would continue. "It's weird. I know that he's really reckless sometimes," Her memory drifted back to the night of the Valentine's dance where the swordsman had risked his life. "He has a really cute fox familiar." She began to frown. "For some reason I guess he really likes me. I just don't know why." The woman wasn't trying to fish for compliments or throw a pity party, but the situation genuinely confused her at times. What was it that had the blonde so interested in her so quickly? Wasn't dating something that came later, after you had gotten close to someone and got to know them? Weren't there more steps that they had skipped over? Her head rocked back and forth a couple of times in a small shake. "I'm probably just bad at this dating thing. It just happened really fast, I suppose."

[Piera 0]

Piera let out a surprised bark of laughter at Teion's protestation at being called a cougar, apparently taking offense. But at her following expression, the brunette cleared her throat awkwardly and tried to soothe, "I'm sure he's not that much younger than you. Hell when Lee shaves he looks sixteen, not twenty seven. But if I had to guess, he looked like...seventeen, maybe eighteen? Just wait until he's legal before pouncing, hm?" With a joking wink for added emphasis.

Her slightly over the top joking attitude finally began to dim at Teion's listless and lost in thought expression. Taking another sip of odd apple juice, she rested her elbows on the table, ankles crossing under the table as she surveyed her friend, quietly listening before nodding with wave of her hand at the suddenly posed question. "Yeah, Sophia, Sophie, Piera, b****, 'hey you', whatever's easiest for you."

Cheek sinking into the palm of her hand as the purple haired woman shed a dim light on Beatbox, the alchemist chewed the other cheek thoughtfully. "Mmm... Personally I'd be somewhat suspicious of anyone truly good at 'this dating thing'. But he asked you out for a reason. Sup to you to figure out what and if you see something in him too. ...More than just that 'he's reckless' and 'has a cute familiar'." Her tone and intent was serious, though she allowed a sympathetic smile to show.

"Sounds like you guys just need to take it slow for just a bit. Get to know each other, spend more time hanging out and go from there. Maybe try a double date or group activity." She shrugged, hoping that that was sound advice.

[Teion 0]

Clearly, she needed to get to know Beatbox better, but why was it so hard to talk to anyone who wasn't Sophie? She disregarded the question shortly, realizing that the answer was obvious. Her casual response regarding her name caused Teion to chuckle. Yeah, she knew Sophie before all of this. Talking with her now, it felt like nothing had changed between the two, and that was an incredible relief. The fear and anxiety would set in later, but for now she would just reassure herself that she and Lee were here to keep the brunette safe.

The corners of Teion's mouth quickly drooped into a frown at the healer's wisdom. "Yeah, you're right..." Her words dragged a bit in a pouting tone. Piera had hardly finished speaking when Teion's head perked up from resting against her arm. Her hands placed themselves flat with her fingers spread as a look of excitement took over her features. "Sophie you're a genius!" She stared expectantly into the brunette's eyes. "Go on a double date with me." It came out more as a demand than a request before the blacksmith laced her fingers together in front of her chest. "Pleeeeease?" She was exaggerating, no doubt, but if it got the woman to agree to her request then Teion didn't care. She would be so much more relaxed around the brunette, at least she hoped. She hadn't actually met Lee before either, the thought of which entered her mind as a convenient bonus.

[Piera 0]

Chewing on the inside of her cheek a little more in concern that perhaps her advice wasn't the best, or at least not what her friend exactly wanted to hear at the moment, Piera wondered what else to suggest or how to perk her up. At least until she perked up like magic, hands pressed together as she made an exclamation of the alchemist's genius, to which the brunette quirked an eyebrow with an amused smile, not refuting her but having to ask, "....Why?" A hint of laughter in her voice before the purple haired woman posed her demand.

The other eyebrow followed the first, rising upwards in surprise. She hadn't expected such a request from the usually reserved girl. But she was anything but as she clasped her hands together and literally begged her to do it, but at least in a polite manner. Laughter finally bubbling up from her throat, catching Piera slightly off guard as she pressed a hand to her mouth, shaking her head before sighing with a fond smile.

"I can't make any promises." She cautioned with hands splayed before continuing with a nod, "But I'll ask Lee and try to get him to agree. I certainly don't have a problem with it." Leaning forwards on the table, Piera grinned over at Teion, "So I'll finally be able to go on that date with you~ Albeit in a roundabout way." Winking slyly at her friend, not able to stop her joking flirtations. If anything, she may ramp them up. Maybe making Beatbox jealous would help things along.

[Teion 0]

Teion shifted nervously at Piera's initial reactions. Her sudden exclamation wasn't completely out of character for her, at least not two years ago. Still, even she began to realize how out of the blue it had been. 'Urgh... I overreacted.' The woman pulled her palms away from each other just enough to allow her thumbs to lightly fidget with each other while she sunk a bit in her seat. Just as she was about to mentally kick herself for so quickly trying to rely on Piera for such a trivial matter, the brunette gave her an answer that caused a small smile to form. Teion's expression flashed that of playful exasperation at the never-ending teasing, but the blacksmith then gave her a small nod before taking another sip of her drink. "Well...thank you." She spoke up again, almost unsure of how to voice her thoughts. "I guess, I act more...normal when you're around." She continued to choose her words carefully. Even to her, it sounded like an odd explanation, but she felt that her just-as-odd outburst warranted something. "Besides, I've never met Lee before." She pulled what she had considered a bonus as a convenient point to her defense.

The blonde waitress approached the booth tentatively, tilting her head to the side slightly as she inquired if the pair needed anything. Teion glanced to Piera for her response and would give a small shake of her head afterwards. Whether Piera would ask for another else or not, Teion would open a quick trade with the girl to pay for everything. Once the player had scurried on her way to other tables, Teion leaned back against the cushioned bench. "I definitely wouldn't mind doing this again sometime." She smiled softly at her friend. "Or anything," She tacked on. "If there are any quests you need to do or things you need to kill, my build is basically all damage."

[Piera 0]

Smiling warmly as her friend thanked her, Piera waved the words away as she assured, "It's no problem." crossing her arms on the table as she leaned over it just a little with a fond smile as Teion explained that she thought she acted more 'normal' (whatever that was) when Piera was around her. "Not sure why, but hell I'm not gonna argue with ya. If it'll help, I'll do my best." Then at her statement that she hadn't met Lee yet, the brunette blinked in realization. "Oh yeah. Heh. Well you might change your mind after meeting him. Sometimes he can be an....acquired taste for others." Though her words were dubious, the alchemist's expression was fond as she spoke about the love of her life.

Glancing up and sidelong at the waitress that approached once more, Piera met the purple haired woman's eyes simultaneously an shook her head with a shrug. As she paid, Piera commented, "I'll foot the bill next time." Giving her assurance that there most assuredly would be a next time. Mirroring her friend's soft smile, the healer nodded in agreement as she said that she wouldn't mind doing this again. But when she offered her services in quests or killing things since her build was pure delicious damage, Piera's eyes widened with serious expression, sitting up ramrod straight as she then grabbed hold of her friend's hands across the table and said with apparent deadly seriousness, "If I hadn't already been proposed to, I might just ask you to marry me. Aaaah, I deal like no damage Tei! That's why I had to come to you to get a new weapon, heh. It seemed like everyone was being DPS or tank so I devoted myself to support as always. But now that I have I can't ever seem to find someone to support! Well, other than Lee of course. But we both do sh** damage so...." Piera let go of her hands with a shrug and a sigh.

[Teion 0]

Teion could feel her head tilting slightly to one side at Piera's vague description of her significant other. She shrugged off the comment, assuming that Lee was just an odd individual in the eyes of others, or something along those lines. As she finished off her drink, Teion placed the emptied glass back down on the table. Her fingers flinched slightly around it as the item--presumably left with zero durability--shattered into shards of light and quickly dissipated. 'Convenient, I suppose...' She thought with a small frown, once again reminded that the world around them was simply a complex projection.

Her expression shifted again, back to a small smile when Piera hinted at them spending more time together in the future. A spark nearly appeared in the brunette's eyes as she reached forward and clasped Teion's hands. It was the violet-haired woman's turn to be surprised at her friend's reaction, but after her words processed in Teion's mind the blacksmith reactively let out a small "Pfft." A proud smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she exaggerated a bit by filling her lungs with air to puff out her chest. "One DPS build, at your service, ma'am!" She exhaled with a breathy chuckle. Her eyebrows narrowed slightly as she stared back into the alchemists eyes, casting her a suspicious gaze. "But hold on, proposed to? I thought you two were just boyfriend and girlfriend... Unless!" Teion's mouth formed an 'o' as she took in air for a small, fake gasp. "A scandal?!"

[Piera 0]

Mirroring Teion's frown as the glass shattered, not into glass, but pixels, the brunette stared as they disintegrated atop the table. Her gaze seemed unfocused, not truly looking at what was before her before shaking herself out of her reverie. A smile slowly returning as she took in Teion's pride in her damage dealing, Piera made a finger gun, stating, "I'm counting on you to carry me to victory like always Tei Tei." Referring to the numerous times they would duo together, Piera supporting and Teion playing primary team damage dealer. Attack Damage Carry, ADC.

Head tilting slightly under the scrutiny of her friend's narrowed gaze, she then realized what she'd said and huffed a mildly embarrassed laugh. "No scandal here, calm yer tits woman. But uh..." Piera fidgeted in her seat slightly, ears actually becoming slightly flushed as she admitted, "He did propose. Not too long ago actually. But not sure when we're actually gonna get hitched. Still need to get the rings and get everyone together, yada yada, etc etc." She waved a hand before a genuine smile spread across her lips as she assured her, "You're definitely invited whenever we get around to it. And Beatbox too if our double date goes well and I approve, heh." Though she was mostly joking about the latter part.