Post-Shopping Shenanigans (w/Berggeit and Hana Suzuki)

In the sleepy streets of Oak Town walked a tall, young, blonde man in dark glasses, a white dress shirt, black vest, and dark brown khakis, held up by his black belt. The clopping of his black shoes was accompanied by a low rumble from his vocal chords.

Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmm hmm hm...

As was his tendency, Sigurd hummed songs that he had heard growing up on his walk home. In his hands, he held three bags. Within the bag held on his right elbow was a collection of various meats and poultry, in the outermost bag on his left elbow was a few loaves of bread, and in the final bag were the vegetables and fruits he had picked out that day from the vendors. He was headed to his apartment in Oak Town. Sigurd adored where he had chosen to live, due to Oak Town's rich embrace of the history of great mages, who Sigurd viewed as the greatest paragons of humanity to ever be.

Which reminded him of his rut.

Sigurd dreamed of one day becoming a famous mage, though he would never admit it in public, as he preferred anonymous fame. Although he had chosen a secret identity, he was simply too timid to try and take any jobs for magicians, and didn't know where to start. If he were to ask a mage for advice, it would give away his identity. Where did Sigurd's obsession with secret identities come from? Of course, none other than the comic books he read, such as the one in his hands at the moment. It was this very comic book that would lead him to a chance encounter, and a potential learning experience for the young mage.

Hmmmm hm hm hm, hm hm hm, hm---

Peeling his eyes off the pages at exactly the wrong moment, Sigurd's humming was interrupted as he ducked to the side just short of running into a... horse? What was a horse doing in Oak Town?

His jerky movement had caused him to drop his reading material, and both bags on his left arm, though he managed to save the meat from tumbling to the floor. Out of the bags spilled a loaf of bread, some cucumbers, some carrots, and two more comics.

"Ah man, I'll have to make sure to clean those vegetables thoroughly when I make the stew tonight... I guess that's what I get for not paying attention. Sorry Miss, it's totally my fault for not looking where I was walking," he said, looking at the woman on the horse, nervously scratching his head, and trying to hide his blush. He never really did well with awkward moments like this.

Akane had just finished a job and was on her way back, not to her guild, but her own place. She wore her usual garb. A dress with adamant blue and crimson red and pink ribbons in her long adamant, brighter as her dress, coloured hair. Her Tachi was around her hip and her bow was fixed into a quiver next to her arrow quivers on the saddle.

On her way, she would ride through Oak Town. Will I stay in Oak Town or will I press on to home? Where her thoughts. "Raimei, do you remember if I still got food in my house?" Asked Akane to Raimei. "There is enough hay for a half a year and enough grain for a few months." Whinned Raimei with a sarcastic tone "How would I know, I don't go about in your kitchen." Akane looked at the back of Raimei's head. "Oh, of course," said Akane, she could slap herself for her stupid question. Wake up sleepyhead. They had now entered the town. "Why are you always so sarcastic to me?"Asked Akane. Raimei bent his neck and looked at Akane. "Why are you so.." Whinned Raimei as he got interrupted. Someone bumped into Raimei. The poor man dropped his bags and was apologising for what he did. For a moment she thought if she should move on, that was what she had learned from her parents. But she wasn't in the country of her parents and a samurai stood here no higher as an ordinary man. "The fault was mine, I should have looked where I was going and shouldn't have chatted with my horse." Said Akane from her saddle. "I've a name!" Whinned Raimei. "Sush you" Said Akane as she dismounted. She helped him picking up his fallen goods and uncovered a few thin books, she looked at them oddly. What are those She thought.

She stood up and handed him the thin books. Bowed slightly and introduced herself. "I'm Akane of house Hishi." It was at this point where she could truly see him and look at his appearance. The man was still young and had blond hair. He wore a white and black and three bags with him full of groceries.

My functions for colours and such are a bit screwed up so I can't acces them at the moment.
Note: Akane can talk with her horse through her lineage, others wouldn't hear Raimei unless they have such abilities them self.

The late morning saw Lillias wandering about Oak Town, occasionally ducking briefly into alleyways and shady shops to exchange a little underground gossip with contacts and receive updates.

Stifling a yawn, the blonde stretched her arms backwards, rolled her shoulders and rubbed at the back of her neck with gloved hands in an attempt to rid her muscles of their stiffness. She had pulled another all nighter working on some contracts and paperwork. Then she clocked in about four hours of sleep, before she had to go run some errands. Naturally, with how much work she piled on herself and the nature of it, her sleep schedule was a mess, if her ever prominent eyebags didn't already give it away.

She was running on coffee and pure greed, as always.

Rounding a corner with a cup of coffee in hand, she casually stepped out of the alleyway that acted as an entrance to one of her favourite haunts. The people there were just her sort of crowd, quick and business-minded. Lost in her thoughts (and truthfully, tired beyond words), her foot met something that was round most definitely not the ground, and before she knew it, she was looking at the sky, falling backwards towards what would likely be one hell of a concussion. She was fortunate to have remembered how to use magic, however, and immediately righted her center of gravity, narrowly avoiding a nasty fall. But that didn't stop a string of vulgarities from leaving her mouth.

She all but glared at the offending object, a green, zucchini looking thing that had miraculously survived being stepped on with a small depression in its side. Her coffee however, was not quite so lucky. She groaned, picking up her, regrettably, now empty cup and crumpling it frustratedly in her hands. That had only been her fourth cup, she thought, frowning. Then she turned towards its source - a man whose groceries had spilled, a woman and a horse. Lillias easily put two and two together and figured that he'd nearly run into the horse while reading - was that a comic? - and dropped his shopping. She picked up the offending vegetable, grimacing at the thought of how dirty it must be, and walked up to the pair where she discarded it in one of the bags.

"At least clean up properly - there's two of you here. If I'd been a lesser being I'd be dead by now," she sneered, then studied the girl. A noble, she recognized, dwelling on the name Hishi a little longer than she would've liked to admit, before breaking into a sly smile. "Well now, a long ways from home aren't we, little Hishi-hime?"

"The fault was mine, I should have looked where I was going and shouldn't have chatted with my horse."

Sigurd raised an eyebrow as she said this, wondering what exactly she was saying to her steed. Though he had met plenty of strange characters around Earthland, he had never heard of people having conversations with horses, though he supposed anything was possible. Then again, he could be overthinking it, and she was just having a one-sided conversation with the beast. Yeah, that seemed to be the most likely scenario now that he thought about it.

"No, I'm at fault. See, I was reading this issue of Birdman, Defender of the Skies, and I wasn't watching where I was going. Though I didn't expect a horse to be coming through, that's not really an excuse," he apologized, laughing lightly as he picked up his things. That's when he felt a weight drop into his bag of vegetables. Turning, he met eyes with the blonde. She did seem rather upset, which only made the situation more awkward, and what did she mean by "lesser being?" He was pondering the possible answers to these questions when he realized who the lady on the horse must be. "House Hishi? Hime?" he gawked, "You mean you're royalty?" Sigurd dropped to his kness, bowing, and causing the food he just picked up to spill out of his bags again. "MY GREATEST APOLOGIES YOUR MAJESTY, I AM SIGURD SIEGFRIED, RESIDENT OF OAK TOWN. IT'S AN HONOR TO MEET YOU." He hoped he did all his introductions right. Despite his background, it had been a while since Sigurd had learned how to great royalty.

Snapping to his senses, he realized that he had spilled again, and began picking up everything once again, looking at the blonde who had just joined the interaction, he noticed that crushed cup in her hand, and the spilled liquid a few steps away. He dropped to the floor again, spilling his things for a third time. "I'M SO SORRY I CAUSED SUCH AN INCONVENIENCE," he bowed his head up and down, his dress pants now covered in dirt, "SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, I'M SO SORRY! LET ME PAY FOR YOUR DRINK PLEASE, IT'S THE LEAST I COULD DO." Well, if nothing else, the maids and butlers from his past taught him humility, though perhaps not discretion. Sigurd continued to mutter apologies under his breath, the vegetables and bread lying on the ground.

Needless to say, Sigurd's stress at the situation seemed to have gotten the better of him. Things were not going well for the young man.

"Birdman? defender of the skies?" Said Akane with a confused tone, she didn't understand what he meant with that. "It's best not to read while walking, accidents are bound to happen that way." Said Akane now with a voice of disdain. Then she heard a female voice who spoke to them. She wasn't happy to hear what the voice said. "Yes, we are lighting fast with cleaning things up but we are just too lazy to do so." Said Akane with irritated, how can one clean up an accident like this so fast. She raised her right eyebrow after she heard "Little Hishi-hime" Little she thought Little! What an insolence. The young man rattled about before she was able to say something. He almost shouted so hard he spoke. her head turned as red as a strawberry Why does this have to happen to me. She didn't really know what to say "Eh, I might have been born as the daughter of a samurai lord but that is the past... Eh... I gave my title's up... now I serve King Andere of Infinite Hydra." How did that girl knew that I'm from a noble family. "Ow hime what should we do." Whinned Raimei. Akane replied directly with "Shut up" not realising that the others might not know to whom she talked to.

The young man, Sigurd, was now in the stress about the coffee that had been spilt that the new girl had with her. And again he almost shouted his apologies. Can't he speak in a normal tone. She doubted for a moment if she should hop on Raimei and ride away or keep on helping. She decided the later and kept on collecting the groceries that had fallen and filled the bags of Sigurd.

Lillias cocked an eyebrow of her own back at the Hishi, unimpressed and unfazed by the look she gave her. She'd been ready to toss more insults her way in retort, but alas the bumbling blonde fool's timely interruption distracted them both.

She gave an amused smile at his flusteredness, pondering if he truly was as... dull as he portrayed himself to be. Certainly, he was not lacking in appearance nor build. It was odd for someone so tall and well built to be so timid and clutsy. The logical part of her was dismissing him as a threat, or anyone of significance, but her guts spoke otherwise. If it was an act though, then it was a very good one.

Lillias would've left, but her interest in the blonde male, after much consideration, had not yet subsided. Hishi be damned - the blonde knew enough to satisfy her for the moment. Plus, Akane was too noble and righteous for her likening (and too boring to mess with), fitting right into the description of the typical Hydra. She wanted to know more. If he was hiding something - what was it? And then she saw her chance. Or heard it, rather, wincing at the sheer volume of his voice.

Bending down to aid him in picking up the newly spilled groceries for the second time in less than ten minutes, the girl gave a troubled sigh. "I'll have you know that coffee took me hours to get, and it's nowhere near this area," The thought not really briefly crossed her mind, but she shrugged it off. "But seeing as you're so sincere and apologetic, I think I'll let you off with a little discount..." she drawled, seemingly stopping to think for a moment before her eyes all but lit up. Gaze bearing piercingly into Sigurd's similarly purple ones, she smiled convincingly kindly.  "How about a secret? I won't accept anything otherwise, and that had been a very good cup of joe..."

"Eh?" Sigurd's ears perked up "You're a mage of Infinite Hydra? That's... that's... that's..." a bright smile spread across his face as he jolted up to a standing position, "INCREDIBLE! I would never have guessed today would be the lucky day I actually got to meet someone from Infinite Hydra! I mean, all legal mages are heroes to me, but you guys are the most righteous among the righteous, so much so that you were featured in the latest issue of Sorcerer's Magizine!" his eyes shone as he continued on, "Tell me tell me, what's the guild hall like? What sort of magic do you use? Are you on a team of any kind? Who else is on that team? Can your horse use magic too? HAVE YOU MET ARDERE?" The blonde man had swiftly gone from being apologetic and repentant to having childish excitement as he had a total "fan-boy moment" towards Akane.

"Shut up," demanded the latter, although not to Sigurd, though he wasn't aware of that.

At first being visibly heartbroken, he regained composure, "Right, I should have realized, a guild mage like yourself had no place talking to an ordinary human like me, who can't even use magic. Sorry, once again," he bowed his head this time instead of dropping to the floor like an idiot, "For however I have inconvenienced you."

That's when he heard the other blonde start to talk. He looked over at her, and then felt her violet irises bearing into his soul, like a deer having just met eyes with a wolf.

"How about a secret? I won't accept anything otherwise, and that had been a very good cup of joe..."

Sigurd took a gulp of his own saliva, trying to come up with something that would be a good enough secret that he was willing to divulge. He definitely didn't want to reveal his magic powers to these people, especially not the blonde, as he barely knew who she was, and she seemed the kind of person who would take advantage of the information he gave her. He thought a while, then smiled, "I don't have that many secrets, I'm kind of an open book. Just a normal civilian living in Oak Town who's a fan of cooking, comic books, and legal mages," he then glanced to the side, a smirk growing across his face as he figured out what he would say, "Although... I suppose I do have one secret right now. If it will really make up for my carelessness, I'll tell you something I haven't told anyone since I started living here."

He snapped his fingers and flashed a smile, "My name isn't really Sigurd Siegfried. That's the name of my best friend growing up who unfortunately passed away when we were young," he articulated his sentence as if it weren't finished, secretly hoping that was enough to satisfy the blonde girl, but at the same time, encouraging her to ask what his actual real name was.

Akane wasn't sure what happened now.  The guy basically exploded into chatter about Infinite Hydra, legal mages and the Sorcerer's Magazine. And asked many many questions.

Sigurd started apologising to Akane and it took her some time before realising that he thought that she said shut up to him. Her head turned once against tomato red. "That wasn't meant for you but for the horse." Said Akane, "I can talk with my horse, but he can't use magic." She felt now obligated to give him some answers. "The guild hall is quite like a normal castle but is made of metal." She forgot the fact that he might have never seen a Samurai castle from the inside, let alone a castle. She continued "I use Elemental Requip Magic, here take a look at them." Said Akane as she grabbed a few of her cards from her satchel on her left hip.

Cards:

 "I team up sometimes but I do not have a fixed team, so far it has been jobs where I just got thrown into a group..." The last part was spoken with a little bit of disappointment. "I've never met King Andere, I probably should spend more time in the guild anyway." Said Akane. Ow, I shouldn't forget to tell him. "We are humans too, making us just as ordinary as others." Said Akane in a voice that sounded wise, at least she hoped it sounded that way.

The blonde girl wanted to know a secret from Sigurd. Why is she interested into that? Though Akane. Sigurd first went on about himself before giving a secret. What! Why would one use the name of a dead friend? "With all respect, you say you're an open book but your wear the name of a dead friend? Please explain me that." She was curious for the reason why.

'Eugh, he's a fanboy. Now I see where he gets his poor taste in literature from.' she grimaced at the thought, flinching at his overly enthusiastic rebound from 'I'm-so-sorry-please-forgive-me' to 'Oh-my-god-she's-a-hero'. Imagine, of all people she could've run into this fateful day, it had to be a hero worshipper. What was all the fuss about? So what if they were heroes? They were not gods. They were not omnipotent.

Fortunately, Akane handled it admirably, dismissing his praise and explaining (thank you) that at the end of the day, they were merely humans. As ordinary as others, although Lillias was not quite content with being labeled as such. She did not want to be ordinary. Also, what was her deal with Ardere? Last she checked, he was no king.

Goodness, another fan girl?!

She gleaned whatever she could from Akane, delighting in the information on her magic she so freely shared. For someone so stern and... stony, she was unbelievably trusting. Or foolish; not everyone had the common sense she did. And who the hell would have such sensitive information about their own magic on paper in the first place? If her opponents got their hands on it, wouldn't it give them the upper hand? Knowledge was a very useful weapon in the right hands after all. "Cute shield. Very tacky and ooh, I'll wager it makes a brilliant sled!" she beamed, eyes widening innocently.

"That's all? Cooking, reading and swooning over heroes? Why, you're awfully well built for a simple nerd," she remarked, stepping back to take in his appearance again.

Fanboy had revealed another interesting fact, and Lillias hadn't known the little thing had it in him. He was the stereotypical sort of nerd, she supposed.

But a nerd nonetheless.

Smiling, she took all that Sigurd told them in stride. She smirked. Open book her ass. He wasn't even using his real name - who knew what else he could be hiding. Heck, he could be a 'superhero' for all she knew, something ridiculous and likely out of one of his comics. Or perhaps a villain, with an innate talent to fool anyone with his acting. If so, kudos to him, because she was fairly confused right now. And one should know, that Lillias hated being misled.

She hummed thoughtfully, arms folded as she lightly drummed her fingers against her elbow, the leather of her gloves producing light pattering against her skin. "Hmm. Not exactly an auspicious name, is it, considering he's dead. What is your birth name, then?"

"Ah, well that's..." Sigurd smiled, "I don't know how your relationships with your families are, but whatever name you wear, it's significant isn't it? Whether someone calls you Akane, or Hishi-Hime, that's important, right? Akane is a name that someone gave you, and the name Hishi..." he looked at the horse-mounted samurai, "As long as you're called that, you'll always be reminded of the family you came from, won't you?"

He held up his copy of Birdman, Defender of the Skies' latest issue, "Even the names of fictional characters are important. The name Birdman was something he picked for himself. It's a name that carries all of his adventures on his back. Meanwhile, his title ties him to his teammates. They're all defenders, and they all share a naming pattern. They're family," as he finished, he put away his comic, "Basically, names are important. As for your question," he turned to the girl that had spurred on this whole tangent "My birth name is Maxwell Chevalier, but it's a name that rejects me as much as I reject it. Perhaps you recognize the family name, but in case you haven't," his face straightened to become as serious as it had been the entire conversation, "Let's just say that the Chevalier's have very high standards, and many, many enemies. As I'm unable to use magic, my father wasn't keen on giving me much from the family, though the name still made me a target for criminals and political figures. A kid from an infamous family of wealthy magicians who can't use magic or use his family for money has no point in life, And that's what the reality of my situation is."

"Around the time I realized that, my best friend, Sigurd, passed away. Though I'd like to forget the man I was born, I'll never forget the man he was, or the man he would have been. If he had lived longer, I'm sure he would have had a family, and a restaurant, and been happy," Sigurd looked to the ground as he remembered what it was like growing up with his friend, "But he's not here anymore. I have no interest in bringing my own name any success, but his name deserves it. I want his name, not mine, to ring in people's hearts when I open my restaurant."

His gaze once again shifted to the coffee-drinker, "So hopefully, that was enough to repay my debt Miss..." he thought for a moment, "Ha! All this talk about names, and I don't think I know yours. May I ask?

.... Posted with the wrong account, sorry D:

Akane looked at the blonde girl after she had said something about the Tate. Hmmm. "You are resourceful." Said Akane. I need to remember that, who knows when it would be useful. The blonde girl kept talking on, but on Sigurd.

Once Akane would have agreed with this statement of Sigurd, that the name is important. It shows you your lineage and a lineage was needed sometimes to claim certain title's, to claim a heroic ancestor. But Akane once visited with her father the regent and he was mentally ill but held the regent title solely because he was the son of the Regent before. "Yes, it does remind me of my ancestors but they their achievements were in the past and not done by me. I'm not them and I do not share their achievements either. One must make achievements for them selfs in order to make a claim." Said Akane stern, she didn't like it to remember what had happened in the palace of the Regent. The Emperor's Regent needs his own regent. pathetic. Though Akane.

"Eh, that... makes kinda sense I guess? But I find it still odd that you use the name of a dead person, why didn't you used founded your own family branch?" Asked Akane, who wasn't really aware of how families structures work in Fiore.

Raimei grew inpatient and noticed an apple in one of the bags and walked to it and took an apple out. He was quick and Akane couldn't stop him from doing so. "Delicious." Whinned Raimei as he chewed on it. "Gosh, those apple's aren't mine!" Said Akane a bit shocked. Raimei snorted, he didn't care about it, he had his apple. "Sorry Sigurd.. Maxwell." Said Akane as she bowed to him. Once again her face turned red. Why does he always do these things.

Frowning, the alabaster-pale girl pinched at the area between her eyes. She'd caught the interest of little Hishi-home, and while that was flattering and great for her reputation, she hadn't intended to reveal herself to legals so early. While she was looking to spread word of her capability as an informant, she didn't exactly want to do business with the legals. Not yet, when she wasn't even feeling ready yet. That could put her on the authorities' radar. Infinity Hydra was famous (or infamous to some) for their righteousness and firm beliefs in justice, possibly more than or rival to that of Sabertooth.

For a moment, she entertained the thought of the Hishi heiress going missing overnight. No one would know who it was, would they?

Lillias rolled her eyes at the blonde, scoffing. "You're clinging to a dead person's name. And not in a very honest way either - you can't bring honour to a person's name for them. Why, it seems like you're merely using his name as a means of escaping from your own life." She accused, irked by how sentimental and absurd his reason seemed. There was no point in dwelling on the past, or the dead. Bringing honour to them meant nothing, if it was not something they had earned. 'What ifs' were not concrete evidence, merely speculations of what could have been. On another note, she duly took note of his actual name, making it a point to look it up later on and do a little excavating. The mere prospect of it excited her.

Lillias then flashed a charming smile at him at the mention of her name. "No you may not. It's Noel to you both - I quite hope you'll never have to use it, though." she replied habitually. Knowing herself, she'd probably never want to see them ever again. If she did, she hoped it would be on mere business, and not for the pleasures of social interaction. There were more things she could do with her spare time than chit-chat with others, surely.

Her gaze slid over to Akane's horse, whom she'd noticed was zeroing in on that shiny red apple peeking out of Sigurd's groceries. She had intended to warn him but- oh, the horse had gotten round to it before she could. She watched with mild amusement as Akane bowed, shamefully apologising for her mule's actions.

Sigurd had taken a liking to the Infinity Hydra girl. Though it seemed her standards are different than those of Fiore, as she was from another land, she had a good heart, clearly, and treated Sigurd kindly despite her noble background. This he could appreciate. "Please, call me Sigurd. Don't worry about the apple," he smiled, "There's plenty more where that came from, and feeding your hungry horse is the least I could do to make up for running into you earlier. As for why I don't start my own family name, I suppose I'm simply an unoriginal person, you could say." This was not true, but it was the best he could do in this situation. "If you're ever in Oak Town and are feeling hungry, feel free to find me, I always have plenty of good food, and room at my place for a guest or two."

He turned to the blonde girl, losing his smile. He hadn't appreciated when he asked for a secret. It meant she was a nosy person, and, as smart as she seemed, it meant she had motives beyond simple gossip. These were not the traits of a hero, nor of anyone he was particularly keen on associating himself with. Not only that, but her response to his explanation was particularly rude, and how could she have the gaul to keep her own name from him after such a lengthy divulgence of his own past? Though the girl's nerve got to him, it was not in Sigurd's nature to be upset or hold grudges, "Of course, the same courtesy is extended to you, Noel, should the thought ever strike you, unlikely as it may seem."

Remarking on Noel's comment about not having to use her name, Sigurd gaze became more focused and serious, "Who knows? Fiore is a small place. Perhaps you'll never see me again, but our friend Akane here is part of a legal guild mage. There's all sorts of reasons you might see her around... and no clear reasons you wouldn't want to build rapport with her," he shifted his gaze to Akane, "If I may ask, when you meet people on the street and introduce yourself as a member of Infinity Hydra, is their first reaction usually to mock your equipment?" he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, "Sorry, I don't mean to be overstepping my boundaries... but as suspicious as I may seem to you both right now, I find it hard to believe that Noel has no interesting secrets of her own. I suppose it's a good thing for all of us that I have not intention on finding any of them out, huh?"

Akane listened to the complaints that the blonde girl made about Sigurd. She didn't react to it.

"Noel, that is a lovely name." Said Akane. "But why would you say the later." She straightened her back and looked strict at Noel. What she had said had brought in doubt about this 'Noel' motives. But she shook off the thoughts and decided to focus her attention to Sigurd.

"Maybe but he should just eat something of someone else." Said Akane as she looked strict at Raimei. Who smiled back with his ears. "I like him." Snorted he. Akane sighed It seems you like everyone better than me. Raimei snorted agreeing as if he had heard Akane's thoughts. She turned back to Sigurd. "I will remember that." Said Akane with a smile. She glanced back at 'Noel' a smile faded for a moment but she forced it back. Will she leave soon?

Akane was surprised with what Sigurd said to 'Noel'. "No one ever really asked if I belonged to a guild, my guild tattoo isn't visible so I assume that they think I'm guildless. Now I come to think of it, no one ever gave a comment on my magic or weaponry. " Said Akane, looking with the later part at 'Noel' in her eyes. 

OOC: Sorry for the short post, I thought it was a bit difficult to write this one. This was the second try.

Akane Hishi was either a very civil person, or generally couldn't give a single hoot about Lily's views. Either way, Lillias had no doubt that her discipline was at play here. Usually someone would've tried to hit her now. At least, that was how most of her previous social experiences went. It was nice to meet someone with restraint once in a while.

It gave her something new to work with, after all.

Her eyes widened slightly, betraying her surprise when Sigurd began staring - she'd assume it was his way of mutely glaring - with an expression that was all but pleased with her. There was an edge to husband voice a son well, however light it was, and she certainly didn't no the miss the look he gave her, as if he were trying to pick her apart. She gave a cheshire like smile, half-losses eyes piercing back into his, as if daring him to try something. Even as Akane spoke, she kept her eyes trained on him, anticipating even the most minuscule of changes in his demeanor that might hint at anything. What a pleasant surprise, she thought. She knew she'd struck a nerve, but ah, should she keep pushing? There was more she wanted to know, to see. What was he like, underneath it all? How easily did he break?

Her gaze shifted to Akane at the realization that the former noble had gotten suspicious herself.

'Bloody hell, couldn't you have have been any more obvious?' she groaned inwardly, pondering her next move. Meanwhile, the headache her coffee had been keeping at bay was beginning to set in, and she allowed herself to briefly display a moment a weakness and brought her fingers to her temples in a futile attempt to alleviate the pain. Perhaps this would lower their guard? "I doubt you'd seek me for work, and I frankly have little interest for anything but work. I travel lots, too, so I don't stay in one place for long." she answered, perfectly honest. If it was one thing Lillias was good at, it was not elaborating.

Pale pink lips pulled into a scowl, and she removed her gloved hands from her temples and opting to fold them beneath her bust. "I have a billion and one reasons why I do not want any rapport with her. One being that horse," she eyed the creature with disdain, repressing the urge to shudder at the memory of how much manure she had to clear in that one stable job. "Two, I like my solitude. And peace. Guilds tend to disrupt that. I mean, have you seen how the Fairy Tail lot are?" she argued, hands gesturing exaggeratedly.

She rolled her eyes at Sigurd once more, attempting to play his suspicions off as a joke. "Oh yes, at the height of five foot two, I am such a threat. All those secrets weighing down on me must explain my height. Do try to remember that you willingly volunteered the information - all I did was say I didn't want to receive any other compensation. You could've chose not to compensate me. And if you really want to know more, then all you need is to ask. I'll gladly answer them for you." She sneered, albeit bitterly at the thought of her below average height, once more turning to face Akane at her last remark. Hopefully, that would be enough to convince them. Or lower their guard a little. It wasn't uncommon to find a simply bitchy and shrewd business woman in one's everyday life, after all, and she could perfectly fit the role.

Lillias finished with a piece of advice for the Akane, although whether she saw it as such depended on her. She probably wouldn't, given how roughly they had all started off. With her, at least. "Get used to it, hime. Mummy and daddy can't protect you here - I may be the first, but I certainly won't be the last."

The mage in disguise sat back into his hip with a sigh, "I suppose that explains things then. My apologies for coming at you, I think perhaps..." he looked down at his stomach with an expression of disappointment, "I may be hungry. I really should be hurrying home to start on my dinner, my apologies to the both of you once again for all this trouble, here, take these," he looked at the blonde girl.

"That is, if you'd like. If not, don't worry, I won't be offended. People have their priorities, and while neither of your lives are any more my priority than mine is yours, company and connections are always nice," and with that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two small rectangular pieces of stiff paper, "These are my business cards. Should either of you need to contact me for anything: a warm meal, a place to say, information on Oak Town or those passing through it... simply contact me at this address. I'm pretty good with names and faces, so I'll remember who you two are likely."

On the cards were Sigurd's name, his address in Oak Town, and the words "We cater!"
"And given that I fully intend to stick around here and open up a restaurant here in the future, my address shouldn't change any time soon."

He hoisted his bags up into his arms, and bowed slightly to the other three "people," "With that, Miss Akane, Miss Noel, and Mr. Horse, I bid you all farewell," he stood back up, snapped a finger, and gave them a wink, "If you need me,
you know how to find me."

And with that, the man began walking back to his apartment, pulling out a comic as he walked.

Lillias released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, relieved that she had done a decent job of convincing them. Hopefully. They didn't push the matter any further, and that was enough.

The little headache she'd been developing lessens by a pinch, but it still bothered her to the point where she decided now would be as good a time as any to head home. A relaxing bath seemed like a good idea right now, and while doing so she could go over the terms of that one contract for a high paying client - it couldn't hurt to be careful.

Oh, and a little background digging too - on both the Chevaliers and Hishi. Particularly the former. She was especially interested in Maxwell Chevalier; a self-proclaimed open book, yet Lillias couldn't help but feel there had to be more depth to him than he let on. That, or Lillias was just really expecting too much from him. Maybe he was just your average humble nobleborn. Well raised and read, but down to earth with a simple life.

She accepted his name card coolly, eyes flickering down to scan the neatly printed details on it. Perhaps she should get herself some as well - although it couldn't be a typical one, with her full name and details on it. Perhaps a symbol, or some sort of code where common people would not understand.

"Apology accepted," she paused briefly, contemplating if it was worth it to extend the same offer to them. She supposed it would help to cover her dealings with the darker side of society. She did run a legal side to her business, after all. " I hope that if we somehow do meet again, it'll be on business. If you ever need a diplomat, negotiatior or broker. As for finding me... I suppose we'll have to leave it to fate." she gave a coy smile, flashing perfectly straight and polished teeth. She tucked Sigurd's card into the waistband of her apron, frowning with disapproval at the whinnying horse. Quite the talkative one, assuming Akane could really hear it speak.

As they parted ways, Lillias could've sworn she heard Akane speaking to her horse - likely about her and the fact she didn't like horses. Chuckling, she continued on her way nonchalantly, a triumphant glint in her eyes. An enlightening encounter, albeit annoying. Her thoughts drifted, from the talking horse, to the mysterious Sigurd, then to wondering if there was a reward for returning either of them to their respective families. Or for tattling on their whereabouts.

'What a coincidental gathering - of three noble houses, no less.'

{Exit}