Sulking (Intro)

“Maybe I made a mistake,” Siennah had her face down, one side on the table.

Even though she had visited the Lamia Scale Guildhall several times between missions, it always seemed painfully empty. In the end, she had chosen a guild with a good reputation for being involved in only legal activities. But, did it even matter at this point?

Yes. There she was. Alone. A spinster. An old lady. Just like how she would die. The wizard bit at one of her knuckles as she rested her cheek against the wood. Maybe she shouldn’t have left home like that. Maybe it was a mistake. Siennah felt like crying. Or laughing. Or both. Maybe at the same time.

The dark-haired wizard continued to space out, waiting for the laughter or tears to come. Since when did it seem like you were on the outs when you were past twenty and a wizard? Always? Or was it just now, in that time since Siennah had entered the realm of Christmas Cake that she noticed? Leave it to age. Youth was wasted on the young.

Even the wait staff seemed to have noticed the gloom spilling off of Siennah like a dark fog.  Was there a point to even asking the woman in strange clothes for her order? It didn’t seem like she had looked at the menu at all…Maybe she should be left alone.

A small black cat had been sitting on top of the rafters in the little inn he was delighted to see as a home. The cat was silently watching people doing various things such as eat, talk, and apparently sulking on a table. The tabby had trouble deciphering human behaviors but humans had their cues to show they are upset. Habika was currently in his cat form and was watching curiously at the human that stuck out. As much as he enjoyed ease dropping on the conversations of the civilians he couldn't help but pay attention to the odd human. She didn't seem to be hungry as he never saw her look at a menu or call down one of the waiters. Yet this confused him as what other reason would their be to be in a restaurant. Then he thought back to only recently of what he had done just this week. He had join the guild only recently but if he were to interact with the human would he be able to help at all?

Habika thought on this for a few more moments until he decided he might as well interact with her. He didn't like the idea seeing as he had little information on her but there was little else he could think of. He jumped down from the rafters landing on lowered edges just so he can get to the table without seriously hurting himself. He eventually landed with as much grace as a cat could on the table the woman was sulking on. The black tabby poked the lady with his paws. "I didn't think humans liked biting their own hands." Habika said to the human. He saw something odd on the left palm of the person's hand but he could not make exactly what it was. He thought back to his earlier mention of humans. "Though I don't suppose they like biting other's hands?" The tabby said tilting it's head and causing the bell to jingle.

"What mistake?" if you were in Rose Garden chances were that someone in Black Rose could and was going to hear any single word you said. In terms of almost being the mafia, wait no Black Rose was the mafia, or something like that. Honestly the half demoness could barely keep her head straight, she was heading off today in order to make a very important purchase, well pick up actually, but it didn't matter. After she had spoken Jiyu had noticed her mistake, she was on the other side of the room, literally clear across the cafe at the bar. Her comment? Had only brought laughter from the waiter's working around, people who had gotten used to the canine's acute senses. Maybe the woman did not know she had been referring to her, considering there were people sitting at the bar! Easily she could have been speaking to one of the drunks before her, thought the drunk she wanted to deal with was not nestled there right now, making her slightly irate.

"Geez your all babies, take my station!" she barked it out at one of the people managing the floor, passing off a bottle of vodka to them, and taking their note pad from them, walking over towards the new face. Of course? Another new face beat the dress clad female to her new victim, erm friend. "Habi, most humans dislike both." she clicked her tongue after speaking, plopping her butt into the seat across from the older woman, giving her a smile. In terms of a face around fiore? She was one that could be recognized rather easily, due to the fact that she was a very active wizard, and an ace of a powerful guild. If someone knew her or not thought, it didn't really matter, Jiyu just wanted to have her fun and nothing would stop her from doing that.

"soo, you going to eat, or do you need something else~" the elfin eared girl sounded playful, as one hand raised to play with waist long hair.

Oh all the stars in the sky, it was already starting. As if to put the final nail in the coffin of Siennah’s spinster fate, a cat was talking to her. Was this her first step into the world of Crazy Cat Lady? Could be. Could very well be. This was the beginning of the end. And yet, Siennah couldn’t feel any tears coming.

“No, I just…I wonder if I’ve made a poor choice,” Siennah said to the cat.

“I thought joining a guild and becoming a wizard would be better than becoming a doctor, but it’s pretty lonely,” the dark haired woman said. Who cared if she was talking to a cat, right? It couldn’t actually talk and thus it couldn’t go spilling her secrets.

“And I’m already twenty-six. My parents were right. I’m already too old to get a date, never mind get married. So I guess all I have left to do is get an apartment and maybe some cats. Do you think six is enough cats to be a crazy cat lady?” Siennah asked Habika.

Still convinced that she was having a mental breakdown, the petite woman reached forward, about to pet the black cat who sat at the table.

Siennah rolled her head to the side, facing the outside of the booth, when she heard Jiyu. She then looked back at the cat, then at Jiyu, then back at the cat before settling on Jiyu. If the waitress could hear the cat then. Then.

“I…uh. I think I’ve misunderstood something. I’ll just take some tea,” the wizard stammered.

Habika's ears twitched as he looked over his shoulders seeing what everyone was laughing at. He had forgot that Miss Jiyu was working today and wondered if she had made a good joke. He watched Jiyu yell something and begin to make her way over here. "So they prefer to bite each other's necks?" The cat questioned Miss Jiyu as he thought of the pair of humans he had seen earlier today. He turned his attention back to the women who had her head on the table. She began going on about how being 26 was a curse or something similar.

His tail swished back and forward as he listened to the woman in the colorful dress continue her speech. "I thought humans weren't expected to die until their 80s. Surely that would be enough time." Habika thought for moment on the situation. "Would that mean you already have 5 cats if you were including me..." The tabby yokai said thinking hard about the conversation. The tabby looked back at Miss Jiyu. "I'd like some honey milk tea if you are getting some Miss Jiyu." The cat said cheerfully as he jumped down into the seat next to the woman opposite of the Sulker. He took his more human like shape and scratched the cat-like ears on the top of his head.

Jiyu would never suit being some crazy old cat lady herself, due to the fact that the Ace Of Hearts was a literal dog, well half dog to be honest, however until her night of weakness you could barely tell she was only half demon. Once that night came thought? She’d find out how screwed she would be on the thirteenth night of every single month, and mourn her life state once more, shame really she was just beginning to accept herself again. With every movement made, her long tail flicked softly, no attempt to hide that or her elfin ears, the claws she had, anything that told she was demon. However she did sometimes leave her senses out of things, because it would weird people out, the fact she could eavesdrop with ease and they might never even know she was able to hear them. Right now however, her attuned sight took in every little detail of the woman seated across from her, the chick wasn’t the best looking but she also didn’t have anything to mope about like this either. Even with sense’s like her’s and natural cunning? It took several minutes for the girl to figure out what was going on, her gaze falling over to Habika with a small glare in her gaze. The first task here, would to be to prove that the other female was not going nuts, just because a feline happened to be talking.

“Also cats normally just say meow Habika, go back to humanoid form would you? Stop confusing the poor woman!” Jiyu pulled her feet up beneath her and crouched in the seat, finger tracing the seam of the booth gingerly. Now, she had a set task to accomplish and another order had come in from the table behind them, so she had to do some work before she could go back to this activity. “I’ll be right back.” the wind user stood up in the booth, jumping from the seat to the other side of the cafe, cheating to get over there basically, displaying her demonic abilities in broad daylight without any care. When she saw the name on the second order? The Ace was rather ticked to see how lazy the guild master was being, Iza was capable of getting the items for herself, yet she ordered them and waited to be served?! Damn tanuki.

“Iza if you're going to sit somewhere you can hear other people's conversations, at least sit in the conversation.” Jiyu scolded their guildmaster in a playful voice as she came out with the food. She had grown adept at carrying several trays, but chose to balance all the required items on one tray, moving distinctly and swiftly across the floor. When she arrived at the table, that was when things picked up, because she didn’t give the racoon dog her food, instead set everything in it’s place, leaving a seat for Iza at the booth. The wind user lowered the fork for her guildmasters cake, picking up the knife, cutting a small square, once this small piece was securely stabbed onto the fork, Jiyu lifted it up. “Iza” her velvet voice accompanioed her turning in the booth, to dangle the fork in the tanuki’s vision. “You want this cake and your tea right?” she would than pull away the fork before Iza could bite the cake “You have to come over here to get it!” the ace of hearts smirked, leaning back with the  fork held so Iza  could take it when she finally entered the actual conversation. “I’m Jiyu by the way. What’s your name and what are you doing around here?” geeze wasn’t the wind user nosy.

Siennah sighed and put one of her hands on her cheek.

“I guess it must be different here than in the town I was raised. Where I grew up, if you weren’t married by twenty-five, you pretty much had zero chances after that. But, I suppose I should be relieved that it isn’t the case everywhere,” the black-haired woman nodded to herself.

When the friendly, talking black cat turned into a more human form, Siennah pressed her lips together in a thin line. Probably, she shouldn’t be as surprised as she was. This was, after all, a wizard guild. Things like that were probably considered common place. Still, Siennah had been raised among the non-magic using population.  It was still enough to make her jump a little in her seat.

“My name is Siennah Burke. It’s a pleasure to meet you. As for why I’m here,” The dark haired woman looked to the side.

“I was on my way back from a job for my guild, and decided to stop by for a rest. But, Lamia Scale has been so empty; it feels like I’m the only one there these days. I suppose it just feels like maybe I picked incorrectly,” Siennah tried to laugh it off.

She wasn’t going to mention the fact that she was still second-guessing leaving home, and her uncertainty around trying to go pro as a wizard. It was a little too private of a thing to share with strangers.

The dark haired woman balked as Jiyu waved the piece of cake at the woman sitting in the other booth and put her hands up close to her face in a hesitant gesture. H-hey…it wasn’t good to antagonize others like that. Wasn’t that pretty rude? After all, the other woman could certainly sit by herself if she wanted…

Siennah wasn’t sure if she wanted to get involved or not, and ended up looking at the tea Jiyu had brought to the table.

The colorfully dressed lady talked about how 26 was an unacceptable age from where she had come from. Habika was a bit confused at why that was an odd age, in his home town some of them wouldn't even marry for a century or two. Habika shrugged and gave a chuckle at the oddity of humans. He looked curiously at Jiyu as she claimed that cats only said meow. "That seems rather silly. Maybe you just can't hear what they say." He said with a slight mocking tone towards the Ace. He watched Jiyu leave the table for which he assumed was to get the wonderful tea for the cat lady and himself. He was glad she didn't take to long as it had been awhile since the last time he had tea. Habika's tail had begun swishing back and forward with curiosity as he saw something that didn't seem much like tea at all. Thought he knew the item wasn't his specifically it did cross his mind to take a nibble, but at the mention of a Iza he had to pause. Habika wasn't sure that Jiyu meant the Guild Master Izayuki, but if she did then first time meeting his guild master would not go well if he grabbed the cake. Habika took the tea he knew was his and decided he would like to keep one of his lives. "Thank you" He said taking a swift drink as his ears twitched.

The colorful lady finally said her name. That was good to the cat yokai thought it was always a nice to know another's name. ' Not having people around where you called home. I suppose that would be a reason to feel upset about huh?" Habika said with a fleeting hint of sorrow on his face that disappeared as he watched the Ace taunt someone with the delicious looking item he considered nicking earlier. He could make a pretty good guess that the person that she was talking to was the guild master, but he had no real way of knowing for the moment.

Siennah nodded, staring into her own tea cup.

"So in the end, I ended up stopping in here. It felt just as lonely to go back, so it seemed almost pointless," the petite woman admitted.

The wizard folded her hands in her lap, idly running her thumbs over each other. She wasn't sure why she bothered telling these people, these strangers, such personal matters. It was a matter of the dark-haired woman's policy not to bother others with her personal problems if she could avoid it. And, after all, they had just met her. This shouldn't be anything more than tea. And then, and then Siennah would return.

Somewhere.

Even though she had a place to return to, she felt just as lost as an unanchored boat at sea. Drifting.