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Gabby couldn't believe it. Melissa was completely fine with planning things. Had her suggestion really worked so well? And the things that the girl was saying made her feel like maybe, just maybe, Melissa was excited for what they were going to do. Which served to at the same time increase her own excitement but also send her nerves into overtime. The latter was only enhanced when Melissa asked the best way to contact her. Right. Contact. Phones. That was a normal thing for people to have. Regular, everyday, folk always had phones. She saw them everywhere. But she didn't have one and she wasn't entirely sure how to go about getting one. Should she tell Melissa to contact her via mail? Maybe she could spin it to sound sophisticated...but she had already take Melissa's phone number earlier without an issue. So she just smiled at the girl. "Yes, a text would be quite alright. I shall contact you first so that you can be sure you're sending the information to the right source. After all it would be dreadful for some commoner to receive our plans instead." After the positive response Gabriela started to feel better about the whole situation. It was all going so well! She was really doing this. She wasn't even aware of the big, somewhat goofy, smile that had spread across her face. "Absolutely wonderful!" Gabriela said, clapping her hands together. "That's settled then. I shall see you at another time then." With that said she turned and practically skipped away. It wasn't until she had reached her room when she realized just how bizarre and, frankly, scary, this was. It was going so fast. She hadn't even had much chance to think about how she felt about....all this. And it turned out it would be a bit longer before she could. As she entered the room the first thing she noticed was that her roommate hadn't turned off the lights. The second was the photographs strewn all across the floor, walls, and even the beds. Including her own. With a sigh Gabby began to pick them up. This wasn't the first time that she had returned to a mess like this and it was almost getting to be a habit for her to pick it up. Of course if her roommate were around she wouldn't have done so. A princess cleaning would just not make much sense. But she was alone here. Meaning she could just relax and do her thing. The last place she began to clean was her bed. There weren't as many pictures as elsewhere but there was still plenty. One of them caught her eye and she decided to take a look at it. It depicted a rather dainty looking blonde girl. But that wasn't what was most interesting. There was something behind her. Some kind of shadowy figure. Eyes widening slightly Gabby turned the picture over and saw her roommate's handwriting. "Allison Collidge, Occult Club, Haunted?" She stared at the picture for a bit longer before putting it with the rest and deciding that she totally did not just see that and it was Completely Fake Nothing To See Here. Thankfully a distraction came in the form of a note that was underneath all the photos. "To, Princess Gabriella. Sorry for the mess had to go real quick but thank the 'dark spirits for cleaning up again!" "PS I noticed you must have lost yours so I got this for you." And under the note was a cell phone. A cheap one, to be sure, but a phone nonetheless. Clutching it with a big smile on her face she immediately began to look through it to figure out how it worked. Once she got a basic handle on it she sent a message to the number that Melissa had given her. It took a few times to get the spelling and grammar right but she finally sent it. "Greetings! I am sending this missive as I had said I would. It would be best if you responded post-haste." After sending it Gabby flopped back on her bed, staring up at the phone and grinning giddily. Then a thought struck her and she hastily sent out. "This is gabby" "Gabriela" "Not gabby" "Dont call me gabby" Worried she came off rude she began to type out "Unless you want to" but then shook her head and erased it. She had to stick to her guns. She was Gabriela. Not Gabby. And now she had her first phone. Letting out a small squeal she rolled back and forth. Clutching the phone to her chest. She had a phone. She had a friend! ....She had a date? Whatever happened from this she was certain of one thing. Despite everything she was already much happier here than she had ever been at home.

She’d never seen a market so lively before! A few here and there along her travels, but something about the atmosphere here felt distinctly more “more-y” to Pyrrha. Her shopping had been pretty light overall, just some extra arrows to stock up with, a single apple to snack on as she explored, and she was on the search for a nice new bow as well. Out the corner of her eye though, something else caught her attention. Or, as she soon learned, someone else. It was Reinaan! And he was… incredibly shiny! Pyrrha could practically see her reflection on his scales! “Heeey!” Making her way over to her fellow Chosen, Pyrrha couldn’t help but give him a look over again. She’d already done this when they first met at the tower, but just the newfound shine of his scales was such a huge difference. “Your scales are super-shiny,” she commented, even if it was pretty obvious. With enthusiasm and clear interest, the Chosen of Wind asked, “What happened?” "Huh?" Reinaan started, not immediately recognizing the voice that had addressed him. Pyrrha's figure came into view soon after he shifted to face her. A brief irritation flashed across his face but all she wanted to know about was his scales. They were having the intended effect and even if it was the new Wind Chosen talking it still felt good. "There was some guy selling polish for it and figured I'd give it a try." he said, his chest puffing a bit. “It looks great!” It was tempting to touch them. If they were super-shiny, perhaps they were also super-smooth? But that would be a bit much for somebody she’d only just met earlier today. “It kind of makes me wish I had scales too. You definitely got your money’s worth.” I wonder if skin can be polished like that? ...probably not. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you’d be able to glow in the dark like that.” "If I had more white scales maybe…" the Draken trailed off in response. Her energy had him uncertain how to proceed. In part it reminded him of Gilly who was no longer with them which added a somber note to things. But more than that it made it difficult to keep his suspicions about her in the forefront of his mind. "...So, you're not gonna like ask about me or anything? Would have thought the Council would pay pretty nicely for a direct info source like you" he said, trying to be serious in hopes the girl would reveal her true colors if he pressed her enough. “Mmm? Why would I do that?” Glancing around to the other people going to and fro in the market, Pyrrha continued “I mean, I’m curious about all of you, but it’s the same as any of the regular old adventurer groups I used to travel with. What’s Keres’s favorite food? What does Lindow do on his downtime? Are you good at sports? I’m more curious about those kinds of questions than anything to do with Chosen business. Though I have to admit, I’m a bit more curious about you in particular, but that’s because I’ve never met a draken before today.” Pyrrha paused for a bit, to think about that last comment. “Okay, I’ve seen some, but those templars are all so stiff and antisocial. I’ve never really spoken with a draken before, I should say.” "I guess… I haven't ever really seen an elf before either." Reinaan said after some thought. As much as he wanted to keep up this insidious narrative about the council going, Pyrrha seemed to be playing no real part in it. He let out a sigh through his nostrils for a moment before speaking again. "I never did introduce myself. Reinaan Malyol, a fire Draken from Blagos." came the late introduction. He could only think of how he was going to regret trying to show any trust to this obvious council spy. But it seemed unfair to presume she couldn't be trusted just because of the circumstances. “Pyrrha Varan, a regular old elf from Bresa. N, Not literally old mind you. Pleased to meet you.” Pyrrha held out her hand. All in all, Reinaan seemed like a pretty okay guy. And shiny. She really couldn’t get her attention off just how well that polish guy did. Maybe now she’d get to find out if shiny meant smooth. The Fire Chosen still wasn't incredibly used to the idea of handshakes but saw the elf's extended hand and so awkwardly raised his own to grasp it. It still surprised him how soft skin was and he couldn't think how these creatures got by without scales. Even armor couldn't cover their whole body. "What's old for an elf anyway?" Reinaan questioned out of honest curiosity. “Uhhh… you might have to ask a different elf.” Rubbing the back of her head, Pyrrha answered with only a small twinge of regret, “I grew up mostly around humans; the only other elves I knew were my family, so I don’t actually know that much about elf stuff.” Adventure stuff? Sure. City guard stuff? Absolutely! But elf stuff? Not really Pyrrha’s field of expertise, ironically enough. “What about you? Was it mostly draken when you were growing up, or were there lots of humans too?” "Oh yeah, I lived in a village of just Draken. The Elders don't much trust humans though we do occasionally do some business with them. I'd never been to a human town before all this Chosen stuff." For having been so suspicious before he wasn't struggling to share information now. "I've seen so many people in the last few weeks it makes the last forty eight years seem kinda empty when I think about it." Reinaan pondered aloud. Forty-eight. He’s older than me. By quite a bit at that! “I see. The way I heard it as a little girl, elves have the same problem. Pretty sure that’s why mom & pop left home to go to Bresa. They were tired of the stuck-up attitudes or something.” As Pyrrha looked around at the nearby shops, she found it. The item she’d longed for! A better bow. “Did you buy anything else around town, or was it just the nice polish job?” she asked, heading for the spot where the precious weapon was being sold. "Yeah I got a weapon and this amulet thing from some guy selling magic stuff" he said pointing to the necklace which made up the only article of anything on his body. The girl seemed captivated by something and he started walking with her, dragging Kloqah along slowly behind them. "Sounds like you haven't made the rounds yet." “I picked up a snack while I was looking around, and also stocked up on some more arrows. But what I was really looking for was something like this.” Pyrrha picked up the bow. Not too heavy. String seemed sturdy. Flexible enough. And certainly higher quality than the old wooden bow she’d been carrying around for the last three years. It was perfect! Pyrrha talked prices with the owner for a bit, before paying the appropriate sum and holding the new bow at various angles, adjusting to the weight. It was certainly a bit heavier than her old one, but she could adjust. “I’ve been trying not to spend too much, see. I’d feel bad digging into the funds of people I only just met today and all.” "I'm sure you'll have a chance to earn some of it yourself before too long." Reinaan said wondering when the next misfortune might befall the group. This town didn't seem to be in immediate danger like the desert village but given the bees on their way here he could only imagine what might be coming for them the moment they left. “Here’s hoping. We should probably start looking for the others, come to think of it. I’ve got a sharp eye, so with my skill at finding people and your shiny scales being so nice-looking and good at getting attention, finding them will be easy! Let’s go.”