Curious Cafe Conversation [Private: Poko and Eero]

Xiolan...? The name sounded familiar. Eero was sure that he stumbled upon it before, but he didn't remember much, as it wasn't important to him then. Now he considered adding an another topic to his research collection. When Poko declined his offer, he was secretly glad. Eero wasn't sure how long his tiny amount of Jewels would last him, but he assumed not very long, even if he skipped morning and evening meals. However, he was slightly surprised when Poko said that she wasn't exactly familiar area. Eero thought that she looked like someone who knew their way around. Then again, he shouldn't have made assumptions like that in the first place, which was his mistake. Still, Poko had a suggestion for a place and Eero followed, with Poko's familiar still in his hair.

After a short walk they arrived at their destination. It was a cozy-looking cafe, with several seating spots on the outside for those, who prefered fresh air. Eero noticed a distinct lack of people around the cafe and in the cafe, which made feel a bit more at ease. He needed a break from earlier. Poko officially marked their arrival and entered, a soft door bell jingled, annoucing them entering the cafe. Inside was coloured a deep green with a plants to complete the look, a number of tables scattered around. There was a counter with a display of different pastries, sweet and savoury foods. The selection didn't make Eero exactly happy, as he would've prefered a regular meal to fill him up, but he would have to make do. Besides them, there was only one other person present in the cafe. They were sitting in a far back corner, enjoying their coffee.

After a moment s black-haired woman appreared in the kitchen's doorway, telling them to take grab a seat and that she will be with them in a bit. Poko then asked Eero to pick a seat for them. He would decide on a spot that was situated somewhat close to the counter, but was close to a wall. They would sit down, the reverse pyramid giving Eero little trouble. Poko then inquired him about her familiar, who was still resting in his hair. If he had to honest, he didn't mind that. Eero just found it strange, how Zephyr found his hair comfortable. "It's okay, don't worry about it." He would reply to Poko's question, as he carefully detached his chained artifact from his black choker, giving it a quick glance as he put it on top of his stuffed bag on the floor. He was going to give Poko a question of his own, but the lady from before came by with menus, that she set down on the table. "Here you go! Sorry about the wait!" She would say and walk behind the counter, to give them time to pick, Eero only managing to mutter a quick 'thanks' before she walked away. The menu was a single sheet of paper of a rather large size, with green background and columns with items listed highlighted in sort of a creamy colour. Eero only took a brief look at it and settled on simple cup of tea. No food, in order to save money. Being poor didn't bode well for the boy. He reckoned he would have to try and pick a job or two, even though he had no faith in his magical abilities. "You must be quite a strong mage to summon a being like that." Eero would make a comment on the recent adventure, but then he realised that it was probably a rude thing to say. "Apologies, I'm just thinking out loud." He would say as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrasment.

So Xiolan was an inherited summon? Was it a family trait or it had a more sinister background? Regardless, Eero decided not to ask. What surprised him was when Poko said that she was a novice mage. Even if this Xiolan was something separate from her magic, one must have a strong will, right? He was probably just overthinking things again. But Poko mentioned a guild, which intrigued Eero. He knew that there was a number of guilds for mages, but haven't done any excessive studying on them. Eero was familiar with a few names, however, most of his knowledge came from reading random newspapers and magazine covers. Eero took this kind of information with a great pinch of salt, though. As a result, he was unsure whether what he knew was true or not. Eero pondered the idea of joining a guild. /"Is there a guild that accept someone like me, though...?"/ It was no use thinking about that. He will never know, if he doesn't ask.

Poko then described her actual magic - air manipulation, that she apparently acquired from the rascal that was sitting in Eero's hair. The magic itself seemed pretty straight forward, but he was sure that Poko had a few aces up her sleeves when it came to her techniques. The blonde girl also told him about her secondary magic, that let her summon various creatures. That meant that there was a way for him to not completely rely on his primary magic. Eero wondered if the secondary magic was exclusive to mages who were members of a guild or if anyone with magical potential could do it. However, his heart stopped for a moment, when Poko asked him about his magic, but he was momentarily saved by the lady who came by to collect their order.

Eero would avoid Poko's eyes, as he spoke up: My magic is... Fueled by emotions. Not the good kind." He would put his hands onto his lap as they started to slightly tremble. "Think anger, fear and the like." He would almost whisper. The topic of his magic wasn't too comfortable for Eero, but sooner or later he would have to talk about it. "It isn't really my magic. I'm almost sure that it is just a power awoken by my life's.. Circumstances." He would continue. Eero didn't want to reveal anything more than he already had and luckily for him, the lady came back, but this time with their orders. If his thoughts weren't all over the place he would probably be almost jealous of Poko's dessert. Eero would take a quick a sip of his scalding hot green tea, burning his tongue in the process and then shakily placing the mug back on the table.

Eero immediatelly regretted mentioning his magic. He just neededlessly made the atmosphere heavy, leaving a strange quietness between him and Poko. He was thankful that Poko didn't pry more information out of him, though. But still, the situation suddenly got uncomfortable for both sides. The boy was lost in his head, not realising that Poko had already started to put together a plan to brighten the situation, which didn't even occur to Eero in the first place.

He raised his head to look at the blonde girl when she asked him to try some of her dessert. Eero was caught off-guard, despite him overthinking things, he still didn't see this one coming. Poko seemed a bit torn about her decision which made Eero feel a bit worse, but then she really smiled as she was moving the piece of the dessert she cut beforehand. Eero would put up his hands in defence. He really didn't need to get embarrased, again. "It's fine, really, please enjoy your dessert!" Eero already felt bad because it was Poko who got them the passports, she also declined his offer to pay for their order and now she was offering him a piece of her dessert to lift up the atmosphere for which he was responsible. There was only so much his heart could take.

Eero was somewhat afraid of the consequences of him declining this offer, but he really wasn't in a position to accept it. Instead, he would try to sway it around and try a topic that should be okay for both him and Poko. "How about you talk about your guild instead? I would like to hear more." Eero would ask the girl, his hands still in defensive position, just in case anything happened. It was the best solution he could come up with on the spot and a pretty bad one at that.

The boy was glad that the crisis was averted and Poko, somewhat reluctantly, ate the cake that she was offering him. Still, she looked content to have the piece for herself. The question about the guild proved to be quite the atmosphere cleanser. Eero listened intently as the blonde girl rambled on about her guild. According to her, the guild - Silver Wolf - was located in the mountain, with magic enchantments to make it warm and liveable. The boy briefly wondered what kind of enchantment it was. The guild also seemed to have other useful people around, aside from the mages themselves. Eero decided to pretend that he didn't see the light blush rise to Poko's cheeks at the mention of the guild master and took a sip of his tea. The girl then talked about the members that the guild had - both the highs and lows. It seemed like a colourful place to be a part of.

However, when Poko started talking about the goals and ideals of the guild, did he truly become intrigued. A guild that opens their door to anybody. /"Does that mean that they would even accept someone like me...?"/ Eero pondered as Poko continued. She then said that the Silver Wolf was working with magic and research. The more Poko talked and the more Eero listened, the more he was in disbelief. The guild's description was just too perfect. One could say suspicious, but the guild was most likely around for longer than Eero's "magic".

The boy would take a sip of his tea when Poko said that her talk was boring. Eero would smile and set the mug down on the table. "Quite the opposite, really. I'm interested in Silver Wolf now." He would say and continue as he sat back in his chair. "I am a bit of scholar and researcher myself. I've been trying to uncover the secret of what makes various types of magic tick." Eero would explain his field of research. If he had to be honest, though, the research was coming along extremely slowly and as of then, he didn't have any real results that he could show. "So all in all, I think that your guild is just too perfect for this scholar!" Eero would laugh and point to himself. Who knew? Maybe in several weeks he could be working under a guild, much to his own surprise.

At first, the girl seemed somewhat perplexed by Eero's words, which made him worry. But the perplexed look got very soon replaced by a smile. That was when he noticed her purple eyes. Were they always like that, though? For some reason Eero couldn't put a finger on it, but decided that it would be best not to get distracted from the conversation at hand. Poko invited him for a trip to the Silver Fang, which he wasn't sure if he was supposed to say yes to, as the blonde girl downed an another portion of her sweet and continued. Poko gave him a quick rundown of what they would probably do if he visited the guild. It was a tempting offer, but it felt like he would be rushing ahead of himself. He was surprised, however, when the girl said that she wanted to read every tome. It seemed that she loved spending time buried in books, of which Eero approved.

Eero wanted to see Silver Fang for himself, but it had to wait. Just a little bit longer. The boy took a sip of his tea. "I'd love to see the guild for myself, someday. But I have to do something first, before I do that." He would say and continue with a light chuckle. "Why would you want to read every book and tome, though? If you read everything, there will be nothing left to learn, no excitement for the unknown left either." As much as Eero wanted to learn as much as he could, he was hoping that there would always be something left to learn, something else to discover. "I will accept your offer for the invitation once I've a part of my notes presentable. Sounds good?" Eero would offer a counter-offer to Poko in return, since he declined, for now.

Eero had to admit that was truth to Poko's words, but it was to be expected. He wasn't good at talking to people, especially absolute strangers, so he only took books, tomes, scrolls for granted. Fair enough. He noticed the blonde girl finish her dessert and drink, deciding that it would be best if he finished his tea aswell. Poko told him the way to get to Silver Wolf's guildhall as best as she could. Eero made a mental note of the Pheonix mountains and the snowstorm, so that he would be able to note it down on actual paper - namely his journal. The boy nodded at the girl, to show that he understood the instructions. After Poko made sure that she didn't forget to mention anything else to him, she offered her hand for a handshake, which Eero accepted. A friendship sealed, perhaps?

Poko then rose up and took Zephyr from his head. Eero finally could take a look as to what took such a liking to him - or just his hair, he didn't know - a fluffy creature, whose appearance he couldn't quite pinpoint. Long ears and tail with a tiny horn on its head. That was definitely going to the research list. The boy hoped that Zephyr at least had a good nap, though. Poko nodded at Eero with her companion in her arms, saying goodbye. "Likewise, Poko. I hope we meet again soon, aswell." The boy would smile at the girl leaving the table. Eero himself would take his bag and re-attach the artifact to his choker. With a little sigh he would put down the required Jewels on the table and wave at the lady behond the counter as he left.



[Exit]