Isa forced a smile in return as the newcomer tried to lighten the mood. How generous of him. Still. Two weeks of travel time with no pay, and now she was returning with trash....

Before her heart could sink again, Isa met the male's eyes. They were strangely soft looking. The Hatter took a step back and looked Hotaru up and down subtly. He was a Pyrate. She could tell because of the set of his shoulders, and how he carried himself. Relaxed, but ready - like a lounging lion, perhaps. The thought made her perk up a bit.

Hotaru's next words caught her attention. "Go with you?" Isa tilted her head and readjusted her hold on the bundle of antiques. "What, are you hitting on me, Pyrate?" With a laugh, she stepped back and shook some water from her face. "I need to dry these off, then I'll let you know if they can be salvaged."

Sighing, Isa moved to step behind Hotaru and squeeze past him in order to continue down the street without stepping into the rain. "I've got a few minutes to get to the shop before it's closed, Hero. Where can I meet you in an hour?" She knew that Hero wasn't his name, but the Hatter had a habit of making up nicknames for the people around her. Hero just seemed to fit.
-

Vos' eyes were locked on the two in the corner as tension built in the room. The Pyrate looked ready to get involved. If anything, he looked eager to get involved. He wouldn't, though. Not when the tension seemed to die down again.

Rayne was going on about how much she worried about her brother. A strange expression came across Derek's face, and he was about to say something equally rude and hurtful about how this little girl shouldn't be worrying when Rayne apologized and returned to her drink.

"Don't worry about him." The words were blunt, and held no semblance of trying to comfort her. "He's a Pyrate. We're built for survivability. Even if he's been going on suicide missions, the death rate is below thirty percent. He'll be fine."

With a quiet sigh, Vos looked back at the cups in front of him. Reaching for one of them, he finished off his cocoa. "I've seen Pyrates survive bombs and warfare. If he's not telling you what he's up to, then it's likely because he doesn't want to relive it." The male looked back to Rayne, looking torn between wanting to walk away and stay long enough to pay the tip.
-

"The most useless surrogate body anyone could wish for," Cain muttered, still leaning his elbows against the table. The fact that Odessa could read him so clearly was irritating. Yes, he gave off a distinctly bothered aura, but Cain had prided himself on being able to keep his calm. Obviously, he wasn't as good at hiding his emotion as he'd thought.

The only part of him that moved was when his eyes darted from the paper in Odessa's hand to meet her gaze. The slightest of smiles appeared, and Cain didn't respond to Odessa's question. How did he know Adin Clark's name? Simple. He'd known his name just as he'd known the cafe owner's name. Or the girl there, named Rayne Lunair. Beside her was Derek Vos. Cain knew their names because ... he knew.

Conversation continued, and Odessa's words made Cain close his eyes in thought. It was true. Everything was a challenge, but not everyone could rise to meet it. Some were too weak. Others were ruled by fear or indecision. Odessa, though ... she was different. Perhaps that was why Cain was so drawn to her. "Correct."

As Odessa gave her quote, Cain tilted his head. Oh, how true it was. Every man drove themselves from their own Eden. He'd certainly done his fair share of abandoning peace. As Odessa's mood lightened, Cain seemed to become more complacent as well. His pale blue eyes harbored understanding - approval, even - for the first time since they'd met.

"Quite right, Odessa. Very good." Cain leaned back, eying the table where Adin Clark sat. "Though on occasion Eden is stolen by the opportunistic." Looking back to his companion, the male sighed quietly. "Finish whatever business you have here." He obviously wasn't fond of the cafe.

((Hmm. I'm thinking I'll wait to have my thief talk to Adin ;)

I'm also thinking that Cain is drawn to Odessa because he doesn't know her name - or didn't know it beforehand. Perhaps it's due to some sort of glitch in the system, or that she simply didn't use her real name when she received her avatar. What do you think, Rose?

And Kilia: We're gonna have to get Derek stuck with Rayne so they have no choice but to get to know one another. >:3 Maybe a collapsed building at the edge of town, or something? Oh mai, what if she follows her brother out on a mission (which is where both Hotaru and Derek will be) and almost gets killed? We could get Rayne and Derek stuck together, and then Hotaru would be all looking for them sadly for a while. D:))