highfiving | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ with her latest idea for an article revolving around the different ways that people from Rieze Maxia lived, it was only right that Leia would need to do some legwork before she could start writing. even if she had been born and raised there, she didn't know all of the ins and outs of every city, and besides— research was an important part of journalism.

of course, even the best reporters needed ~~sidekicks~~ help once in a while so, naturally, she had decided to drag Alvin along on her little adventure. he wasn't bad company these days, and she figured he would be especially useful when it came to their first stop: Xian Du.

... which brings her to where she is now, knocking on the door to his room in Kanbalar's inn. ]

Hey! Are you ready? We should probably head out soon, you know.

[ she might sound a little impatient, but there's no real bite behind her words; even if they're out here on business (sort of), she's not that uptight. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[~~would you like hold hands, Leia?~~]

Hm...well it's been a couple of years since I've been here, and they've probably changed a few things for this particular event, anyway.

But since we just ate, we can skip the food stalls. Let's check by the river—they usually have pretty interesting stuff down there since a lot of the traveling merchants use it to transport their goods. You might even meet a few interesting people there.

[ ~~they should...~~ ]

All right! [ she does a quick, enthusiastic fist pump. ] Keep your eyes peeled for people who look like they'd be good to talk to.

[ and, since she knows where she's going here, she's going to attempt to lead the way. she has to carefully maneuver her way past people, but it isn't going too badly, all things considered. ]

[~~may or may not happen. circumstances depending of course~~~

he'll follow close behind, a bit amused by her enthusiasm. at least he knows that if they ever get separated, he should be able to pick her out of the crowd. it's one of his skills. but the boats are just as picked as apparently others had similar ideas.]

Man...talk about feeling like a can of sardines...how about trying over there, where it's less crowded?

[he has to half shout for her to hear him, yeesh.]

[ the closer they get to their destination, the harder it gets to make progress without almost elbowing or stepping on someone, so she's pretty quick to take his advice when she hears him.

she works her way through the crowd, making sure to stay as close as she can, and when she finally reaches a spot that isn't as densely crowded, she turns to him. ]

This is definitely the hardest I've ever had to work for a story! [ it's not a complaint, though— it's really more of a joking observation. ] I think I see something over here that I want to check out, though, so we kind of lucked out.

[ she points over her shoulder toward a stall that has a variety of traditional-looking trinkets on display, along with a few colorful accessories and pieces of clothing. there's a small crowd nearby, but it's nowhere near as bad as what they were heading toward before. ]

Do you wanna come, or would you rather wait for me here?

I think it's better if we stick together, so I'll come along. Plus there are a few stalls near it that I can check out, too.

[in case this one proves to be way too girly for his tastes.]

Remember not to spend too much!

[ a joke, of course.

and now she's going start to lead the way toward the stall. when they get there, she immediately strikes up a conversation with the vendor (because there aren't any other customers around and this is a good opportunity) while she takes a closer look at the goods that are on display. ]

[haha, very funny. he just gives her a wry, pointed look, but he is amused.

he'll follow quietly behind her, making his way through and keeping an eye on that bobbing hat of hers. when they reach the stall, he stands a little off to the side, giving her some room.

as she talks to the merchant (who is at first surprised but then gets interested in the conversation), he takes a look at the items. not too bad... definitely some traditional, Rieze Maxian stuff. he even picks up a trinket or two to take a closer look. of course it's not like HE could tell if something were fake enough—that's more of Rowen's job. though maybe it would be good practice for him as a rising businessman to be able to do so...

anyway, he'll be half listening to their conversation while also inspecting the wares.]

[ after she takes the time to explain that— in spite of her style of dressing— she's not actually an elympion, the merchant even lets her grill them a little.

at some point, when she feels like alvin isn't paying attention, she also makes a purchase, which definitely helps her score points. as a result, the conversation goes really smoothly, and after some more talking and a little bit of note-taking, she turns to him and taps him on the shoulder. ]

All right! I think I've got everything I need here. [ and she takes a quick look at whatever he's checking out. ] What about you?

[by this point he had taken his attention to the neighboring stall. mostly because that is one pretty lady and she was totally eying him. it would be a travesty if he didn't pay her a little attention, right? some casual sweet talk here, maybe work on a business (real business) deal there, oh is this really crafted through the use of earth spirit artes? Elympions really dig that thing right now you'd be a big hit if you opened a branch in either Drellin or Trigleph.

yes, he's networking. yes there may have been a side ulterior motive for her to come down here.

so it takes a few taps before Alvin notices and he glances back at her.]

Huh? Finished?

[CLEARLY he had missed what she said since she did just tell him she was finished.]

Uh, yeah. Weren't you paying attention?

[ and now she's going to put her hands on her hips and give him a look. ]

I was!

....In the beginning. For maybe half of it.

Then I guess you totally missed seeing me score an awesome interview, and the part where I asked if you were done.

[sheepish grin.]

Yeah...I kind of did. But I made some progress on my own end?

Oh yeah? What were you up to?

[ she actually sounds genuinely curious! ]

Just creating some more network connections.

You know—business talk.

I should've known. [ she elbows him playfully. ] Can't you just take the day off from all of that?

What, and miss a golden opportunity like this?

[you know how he rolls.]

So how did that interview go? Get anything interesting?

Yep! I got all kinds of good info.

[ she tucks the bag from her purchase against her side and fishes out her notepad, then holds it up for him to see. sure enough, there's a page full of notes and ideas. there's even some writing in the margins. ]

At this rate, I should only need to talk to a handful of people before I'm ready to start writing.

[he leans down a bit to take a closer to look and read a few lines. damn girl.]

Impressive.

[and then his eyes shift down to that bag.]

And it seems that's not the only thing you came away with.

[ she nods, tucking away the notepad so she can hold the bag properly. ]

Wanna see what I picked up?

You're going to show it to me sooner or late, so yeah, go ahead.

[admittedly a bit curious as well.]

Do you trust me enough to close your eyes?

[ since last time she asked him to do that, she threw a snowball at him. ]

...Well let's see. We're in a public place, not to mention a crowded one, and I doubt you'd really try to pull a crazy stunt like last time.

[he is giving her a wry look. but he let's out a small sigh and shrugs as he cross his arms.]

But yeah, I trust you. [he starts to close his eyes, but then he opens one of them.] But seriously, if you try to pull another prank like that again, it's not snowballs you'll be eating.

No more pranks, I promise!

[ and once his eyes are closed, she pulls a scarf out of the bag and shifts up onto her toes so she can drape it over his shoulders. even if he's already wearing one. this is just a better way of handing it over, okay.

it's similar in style to the ones he typically wears, and it's a soft, gray color. ]

All right, you can open them now.

[there had been a slight twitch of the brow when he felt something put over his shoulder. but he's patient, and when she gives the cue, he opens his eyes and—??]

...A scarf?

[he reaches up to touch it, glancing down as he does to take a better look. definitely not what he had been expecting.]