[Date: Thursday, Ramuh 12th, 1360 AI.] [Time: Afternoon, say around 4 PM Earth relative time.] [The docks! Such a romantic place for some people, with the sun setting in the background and the moon high in the sky, stars sparkling above and waves crashing below... Unfortunately, the people here aren't interested in those things (as I know) and, hell, the sun isn't even setting yet. So screw that. The sky has many fluffy white clouds in it, with an occasional grey cloud to add some spice.[ [The sun's rays still get through and can be felt, however. We meet whoever down underneath the docks, on the sandy parts of the beach. As boats rarely dock here, most of the docks are in some form of disrepair, and yet they don't fall or collapse from age... The sand is orangish-peach color, and seaweed is common along its miniature dunes. The waves crash in and fall back, making a nice background muffle to the scene.] [Mini Start!] * Sai_Link is giving the air a hard time- those swords of his are out and whirring in the air. His eyes are closed, and his feet are buried in the sand. The bells on his wrist give plenty of warning to everyone around him, though. * Harmony is standing on a dock, arms folded, scarf billowing with the wind. She looks like a true ninja. ( "What if.." Issue #263. 'What if Strider was a Selkie?' ) * Mona approaches Sai through the sand. She's taken off her big lilty shoes and looks slightly unpleased. She's not getting close enough to get whacked, but close enough to watch well, for sure. * Sai_Link is really intent on the swords! Not too intent, though- he waves behind him at the Liltie, then resumes what he was doing. * Harmony glances down at Mona! She steps back apprehensively, despite being all the way up on the docks. * Mona rolls her eyes, and crosses her arms. If there were something to lean on, she might be leaning! Mona. *he sounds distracted.* Forget something? No, I don't think so. *swish, swipe* * Mona doesn't seem to notice Harmony. Naw, no seem. There's no real way she did. Was practicing those chains some more. It's ... I'm not sure. I can't do it too much yet. * Harmony eavesdrops. * Mona chuckles very slightly, then the chuckle trails off. "That's why I've been busy... or was busy before.... which doesn't mean I'm not busy now." * Sai_Link continues stabbing and swiping at nothing. "I haven't heard from Ne Rina since I dropped her off at your place." ... I can guess what happened. * Mona mms slightly and nods. "Yeah," She smiles a bit teasingly. "I figured you were moping." Naaah. Me, moping? Over a silly little thing about not making a sale? Maybe just a little? I'm moping about something else entirely. Oh? Just the chain trick? * Sai_Link stops for a moment, shaking his head at the 'chain trick' comment and letting his arms drop to his sides. "What'd she get?" * Mona frowns slightly, and fiddles with her own red garnet-silver bracelet. "She was looking at a lapis and citrine bracelet, which was gorgeous on her... and then she went with a mixed quartz bracelet. Silver." She chuckles to herself and says in a joking manner, "No accounting for another woman's taste, I suppose." * Sai_Link nods, mostly to himself. "An expensive taste, to be sure." It's not that expensive. * Harmony wouldn't know. * Mona stretches her arms behind her back a little awkwardly. Probably because of the ranseur. * Sai_Link shifts a bit uncomfortably. Well, as much as he can without removing his feet from the sand-piles. ( Sai is stepping on kids' sandcastles ;_; ) Ugh. Well, I'm going to sound like an idiot for asking, but ... um. * Mona smirks slightly. "You can't make me think that much less of you, Sai." Beat. "Which is a joke, so laugh or something. And just say it." ( "Are you really a girl?" ) * Sai_Link laughs, and sheathes the swords. He pauses for a moment, then looks up. "... Ne Rina. She... uh." She uh? * Sai_Link scratches his forehead, in a cross between thinking and nervous. "... uh." ( No, that's what I do. I uh. ) Sai, if I have to stand on this sand and wait for you to come up with something to ask me too much longer, I am going to carry you off and dump you off the pier. * Mona shifts on the sand in her bare feet. * Sai_Link shakes his head. "Forget it. It's a stupid question anyways." Well, you didn't really say much to forget. * Mona smiles a little teasingly. "Except Ne Rina, of course..." * Sai_Link shakes his head, exasperated. "Nevermind already. ... silver and quartz, huh?" * Harmony looks down at the dock. [The dock looks back at Harmony] * Harmony is somewhat freaked by the dock with eyes. [o_o] [No, the dock doesn't have eyes. But it's looking at you anyways!] * Harmony is less freaked. Yeah. Clear and smoky quartz, in a nice pattern. * Sai_Link pulls his feet out of the sand, and opens his eyes. * Mona continues rambling, "It was a decent piece of work... but I always thought that would go better with someone who wears heavy armor, enchantment potential aside." Lots of diamonds and jewels? * Mona eyes Sai. "No, just the various quartz stones. Between you, me, and none of our customers, the expensive gemstones aren't worth an investment unless you plan on enchanting them..." her eyes defocus a little. "... or maybe as a gift..." then she looks back at Sai. "At least, not for someone on a caravan." You wouldn't want to spend all your money on a bracelet. Really, Sai. * Harmony takes note not to shop at Mona's. That's the point of having it, though. To do something with it. Money has no value by itself. And I won't tell a soul. * Mona looks at Sai strangely, then chuckles. "Mom always says, 'There's always something to buy if you look hard enough.' It's actually one of her good pieces of advice." Probably picked it up from dad, though, which explains it. ... Gwesus said that? * Sai_Link frowns, and looks around. "She's the reason I didn't go with Ne Rina. I would have loved to go with her when she looked around at your place, but..." * Mona chuckles faintly. "Would you believe I had that discussion with Ne Rina too?" (Yay, people are scared of Gwesus! ^_^) As long as you don't follow up with chocobos fly. * Mona mms, and adds dryly, "For some reason I cannot fathom, people are afraid of my mom." She looks away and rubs her neck. Probably from looking up at Sai. "I understand it very well." ( I'm scared of everyone ) She wasn't around anyway, so everyone was happy. * Sai_Link snorts to himself. "False alarm after all." ( Harmony's not activetly trying to hide, is she? ) ( Not really. ) * Sai_Link kneels down, since balancing with bent knees is easier for him than Mona craning up her neck at him. * Mona look at Sai's lowering of his head level then shifts on her feet again. "Are you going to do any more dancing, beacuse if not, it would be nice to put my shoes on again." * Sai_Link closes his eyes, and 'mmms' to himself. "I've danced enough for today... and I can hardly keep my thoughts straight enough to get any serious effort in magic-wise." * Mona tilts her head questioningly. "... the question you wanted me to forget about really is bothering you, isn't it?" Distracting. Not bothering. Whichever. * Sai_Link nods. "Something like that." ... you don't have an apple on you, do you? * Mona chuckles. "No. I don't really like them. Star Carrots, now there is a fine fruit or vegetable." She smiles slightly and turns back to the non-sand part of the beach, where her shoes lay. * Sai_Link momentarilly twitches. "... barbs aside, I think there has to be an apple involved for Harmony to approach us." * Mona frowns. "No, I actually like Star Carrots. Harmony?" * Sai_Link thumbs in Harmony's general direction. * Harmony blinks and looks up, blushing. She waves nervously. "Uh... Hi..." * Mona looks over at Harmony. (G'night guys.) * Sai_Link doesn't look at Harmony. He's still making an icky face. ( Night ) ( 'nite. ) * Harmony stops waving and twiddles her thumbs nervously. * Sai_Link composes his face with a final wrinkle of the nose, and turns to look at Harmony. "... am I right about the apple?" Um... Um.... I don't really like, um, apples. * Mona grins. "Excellent, someone else who doesn't like them!" I was worried we'd have to get a supply of them on the caravan to talk to you. And then we wouldn't have any money for real food. * Sai_Link grins, holding in a laugh. * Sai_Link extends a hand. "C'mon, we won't bite. We didn't last time." Um... O... okay. * Harmony reaches out to take Sai's hand. Hers is shaking. * Sai_Link stands back to full height, and gently tugs Harmony closer. "See? Not biting." ... that reminds me. You had a lesson with Gwesus, right? How did that go? * Mona brushes her hair back out of the way, then turns and finishes the walk over to her shoes. * Harmony gets pulled. She blushes fiercely. "F-f-f-f-f-fine." * Sai_Link tugs Harmony to solid land, since she's not making any preference known about whether sand or not sand. * Harmony doesn't seem to care about the land type. Fine...? * Harmony nods. It was, um, fine. * Mona puts her shoes on. "Well, better than interviews, I'd bet." * Harmony nods. I did like it more. Than, um, interviews. ... with Ran Dom? ... that's debatable. * Mona stands up on normal land, with her shoes on! She seems slightly more pleased. "Well, I was talking for mom." * Mona suddenly smiles at what must be a private joke. * Sai_Link looks faintly annoyed. * Harmony nods. "She was, um, a good teacher... I think..." It's something she'd be passionate about, I think. *he makes a face, as if not entirely satisfied with that comment.* * Harmony nods. ... you really don't like apples? I, um... Guess I could eat them....... if I had to. * Mona walks over to the two of them and nods slightly. "A lot of things I'd rather eat than an apple, myself." * Sai_Link shakes his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. So, do you like the docks, or were you just here for the view? * Mona gets a little smile and looks over at Sai. Wonder what she's implying... * Sai_Link is oblivious! Mostly. Um... I guess... I like them. It's calm... except when it's not. And the sunsets are nice... except when it rains. Pretty different from my reason. To, um, cut air? ... well, to do it and keep my feet in one place. And that's helpful how? I move a lot. * Harmony says nothing about that. Not moving a lot takes more focus. * Mona smiles a little teasingly. "... so instead of learning how to focus, you stick your feet in the sand?" * Mona smiles a little over at Harmony then back at Sai and says, "Ah, everyone's got their own way, I guess." * Sai_Link rolls his eyes. "It helps." Um... I guess.... * Sai_Link looks distantly upwards. "Me and my brother came up with some pretty crazy ways of training for different things." ... My brother and I. * Harmony hesitates and adds, "Um... Is how it's supposed to be said." * Harmony pokes her fingers together. * Sai_Link blinkblinks. ... My brother and I came up with some pretty crazy things. * Harmony blushes fiercely, mentally wincing at herself. And then the Triplets helped you make even less sense, eh? * Sai_Link shakes his head. "Nah, they're pretty routine." They didn't strap 15 pounds of metal to each arm and try to jump from tree to tree. Or dodge thrown rocks on stilts. Triplets? * Mona looks at Sai Link like he's crazy, which says something about a woman who's admitted to being burned on a regular basis. "... uh-huh." * Sai_Link nods. "A trio of Clavat sisters, who are ex-Caravaneers." Oh... They've been pretty helpful with technique. That's good... If you'd like, you could give them a visit. They wouldn't mind. * Mona makes a sorta snorting, "Hnh," noise, then says, 'I'm sure mom gave them more than enough to think about. Right?" Um... Um.... * Harmony doesn't know how to respond. So she doesn't! * Sai_Link half-grins, then chuckles and shakes his head. "Mona, you said it yourself, everyone's got their own way." * Mona rubs her neck again. "To a point." She then nudges Sai. "Some better than others." * Harmony chuckles. * Sai_Link steps back a step and mock-gasps. "She laughed! What's next, a chocobo flying?" * Harmony blushes. "Um...." You should do that more. It suits you better. Um... I should go. It's, uh... it's getting late. * Mona smiles in slight amusement and says, "Sai Link's suave yet poor jokes aside, he's probably right." She stretches, then looks up to try to gauge the time. * Sai_Link laughs. "And here I was about to ask for a Lilties opinion." Um... Maybe... I- I should really go. Now. * Harmony waves, and goes! * Mona frowns at the sky. "Well, you'd only get half of one, Mr. Green. Good..." she trails off as Harmony pulls her ninja imitation. ... bye. * Sai_Link raises his eyebrows, then waves after her. ... next time, then. ( Gotta sleep. G'night ^^ ) ( As do we all. ) * Mona shakes her head. "One day, Sai. One day." * Mona pauses, then says, "Sai Link. Spending too much time around you is giving me bad habits." What, like showing off and trying to cheer up people? No, like not using your full name. * Sai_Link shrugs. "It's okay, if it's you." I gather you're going somewhere too. * Mona looks over at him with one arched lilty brow, then brushes her feathers and hair back. "Well, I did more or less what I came to do, so I should most likely return to the library. Should I expect to see you tomorrow or the next day, or do you want me to wait on you again?" (Leaves. Not feathers.) * Sai_Link drops to to a crouch again. "You can expect to see me, and I'll probably show." As for today, I'll probably stay here until it gets dark. * Mona says dryly, "I will remember to praise Bahamut if it happens, and will see you later, then, Sai Link." * Sai_Link nods, then straightens up and pats Mona on her head, ruffling her leaves a little. "You know where to find me." * Mona looks at him with a frown, but it fades into a teasing smile. "Don't make me kick you in the shin, Sai Link." * Sai_Link is already making tracks back to the funfun sand! * Mona shakes her head, then turns and walks off herself. ( You want the honors, or shall I? ) [And then Sai Link goes to do his Squall impression, and Mona geeks it hardcore while Harmony flees! Whatever! Mini end!]