conjuredskies | Lessons in Advanced Door-Opening [for Amelia Ronsam rogueinladysclothing]

Felix tugs his hood up as they step out, shivering a little at the bitterness of the wind. He's got a leather skirt and no trousers beneath, after all. Goodness knows how legionnaires survive that in Skyrim. "And do they have dancing there, or will we need to find somewhere else again for that?"

"Oh, I... hadn't thought that far ahead." Were her cheeks pink before because of the cold? Certainly that must be it. "I really don't know where people go to dance around here. Certainly not how I like to dance, anyway." She may know how to waltz, but she certainly prefers the more lively styles of dance from her world. Sure, a good pavane never bothered her, but she would never pretend that it was her favorite kind of dance.

The restaurant is easy enough to find. No one raises an eyebrow about an armed rogue and a legionnaire walking in together - it's just another day in the Nexus for those that work there. Amelia snags them a booth away from most of the tables in case they decide to speak of less reputable activities while they're here. She orders them each a glass of water and a ginger ale before picking up her menu. "They offer some pre-set pizzas, but feel free to look at the whole ingredients menu before deciding what you'd like. Any combination you'd like to try, we can. We can also order two smaller ones so you can try multiple varieties if you like, too." Because trying new combinations of ingredients on a pizza is something Amelia is more than happy to do today.

"I'm sure we can find something. We'll simply follow the music that sounds most familiar." Business arrangements aside, it's nice to know someone else with the same sort of world as his. Someone whose yardstick for normality is similar- at least in non-magical matters.

"I rather like the idea of experimenting, if you'll indulge me." He flashes her a smile before he peers at the menu. that's quite a list of toppings! "Which combinations have you tried before?"

"The snow has a way of muffling sound outside right now. We might have to step inside quite a few places to find the right kind of music..." Not that she's suggesting this would be a bad thing, of course. She's been enjoying Felix's company since he arrived and that's certainly not going to change in the span of a few heartbeats.

"I've done some very basic things, like fresh basil and oregano, as well as the listed special with all kinds of meats on it. Right here." She leans over the table a bit to point out a pizza offering three different kinds of sausage, pepperoni, and ham on it. Once she's certain he's got it, she sits back down. "I've also tried mushrooms on a pizza, which was surprisingly good."

"Then I may even begin to learn my way around the district." He grins. Really, any chance to explore is fine by him, but having good company is just as important.

"All that meat is tempting," he admits, studying the choices with interest. "This isn't a silly question, I hope- but what is pepperoni?"

"You mean you haven't figured it all out from the seat at your desk?" She grins right back at him. He'll figure out quickly that she's quick to pick up on the teasing, if he hasn't already. It's the habit of an older sister that she'll likely never grow out of.

She laughs softly, shaking her head to make sure he knows she's not laughing at him. "It's a variety of spiced sausage, I think. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure myself. It's delicious, though."

Felix laughs. He's definitely used to fraternal teasing, even if Stratos' style is different. "Not yet. Clearly I need to buy a better telescope."

"Pepperoni and mushroom it is," he says cheerfully, once he's looked over the choices again. "We can find out together."

She tilts her head slightly in question. "What's a telescope?" Apparently she hasn't gotten to read about astrology in her reading of various sciences.

"I like this idea." She smiles and then turn to the waitress when she arrives with their ginger ales. Amelia then orders them two individual-sized pizzas, one with pepperoni and mushrooms, a second with oregano, sausage, and roasted red bell peppers. It seems like a well-rounded variety for them. "

"Ah, it's a device like a metal tube, with glass lenses inside. The smaller varieties fold up so you can pocket them. They're used to see over long distances - by sailors and scouts, for example. Scholars often have them to look more closely at the heavens."

Felix lifts his glass to Amelia once the waitress departs, ready to clink glasses. His cheerful ease is going to be broken by spluttering as soon as he tries to take his first mouthful though - 'ginger ale' in Tamriel definitely doesn't come in a fizzy variety.

"Oh! A spyglass!" She smiles brightly. "I've seen those before. Can't say I've used one myself, but it seems like something useful if you're going to be stuck at a desk for hours on end." More teasing. She really can't help it with him.

Amelia happily clinks glasses with him and then takes a big swig - which she then almost chokes on when Felix loses it from the bubbles. She sets her glass down and laughs for so long it starts to hurt a little. Dreams, how long has it been since she laughed like that? "I'm sorry," she finally manages after a few minutes. "I forgot to warn you about the bubbles. We can get you something else if you'd prefer." Her glass is staying firmly away from her for the time being, given she can't stop giggling. No need for both of them to splutter all over the place and waste the ginger ale.

“Ah, that’s an excellent word for it. A spyglass – that’s exactly what I need.” The Imperial Legion: dare to be a better snooper.

Felix looks abashed, coughing and clearing his throat. “It’s- it’s fine. Fine!” He coughs squeakily, grabbing a napkin to mop up the mess he’s made. “Simply didn’t exp-” cough, “expect that. Ahem. Not quite the drink I expected.”

He takes a much more cautious sip before pronouncing, “I like the taste, I just… need to be careful with this one.”

At this rate, he may have recovered a whole fraction of his poise by the time their pizzas arrive.

"It's the term I'm used to on my world. We don't look up at the stars with something like that." She can see the draw, but why would her world focus on that when there's still so much going on around them for them to study?

...don't laugh at Felix, Amelia. Don't.

...okay, a few more giggles are fine. "I'm sorry I didn't mention them before. I honestly forgot." Which is to say she was too excited for her own that she didn't bother asking him what he would like to drink. "I promise not to buy before I ask what you want next time."

"Oh, no- no need to apologize." He might say that anyway, but he is the one who assumed he knew what the stuff was and decided to gulp it down unthinking. "I like getting recommendations: it's a good way to find new and interesting experiences. Even if sometimes they take me by surprise."

He grins sheepishly: a sense of dignity is not one of his qualities, for better and worse. And it's quite nice to see his roguish companion break down giggling.

"So..." he adds, unable to restrain himself from asking. "How do your people track the stars?"

"I'll still try to let you know next time," she says with one more small laugh. Felix is so much more easy going than any of the men his age she's used to dealing with. Her brothers would have yelled for hours about this and the incident would have caused a fight between her and her closest male friend back home. It's refreshing, and it makes her smile a little more.

"We have a few charts that have been made using sextants, but my world is very small. There's not usually a great need to navigate by the stars, because even the longest journeys take only a few days. And with a compass, there's no need to worry about losing your way." It's almost a sad thought for her, really, to realize how small and insignificant Kairn is compared to the rest of the multiverse. But it's home, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.

“Clever,” he teases back. “Now I’ll feel obliged to warn you in turn.” Being easy-going and attentive is Felix’s winning strategy, especially when he’s dealing with someone he wants to keep working with. He might be a touch of a people-pleaser (and this might be half the reason his brother worries about him).

His curiosity isn’t quite abated. It makes sense that they wouldn’t need stellar navigation, if all the destinations worth reaching are so nearby. But… “What about astrology? Or- oh. Do your people mark the influence of the stars at all?”

"That might not be necessary - I think I'm a little more cautious about new things than you." She flashes him a smirk before taking another drink of her ginger ale. Felix being a people pleaser isn't a bad thing in Amelia's mind, and it certainly makes for a more interesting time together. Then again, she isn't the one controlling his time or asking him to do things, so she's not a great judge of that particular trait.

She blinks at his question. "Influence of the stars? What do you mean? I thought the stars were just..." She flounders for the right word and ends up motioning vaguely into the air above her. "Just there. Are they supposed to mean something?" Different worlds means different beliefs, but she is thoroughly confused by his questions.

“Ah. I don’t suppose you would be familiar with the subject, all things considered. But stars – in my realm, at least – are one of the main sources of magic. Their motions influence events and people on the mortal plane; the great constellations influence the nature of those born under them.”

He sips his ginger ale before adding thoughtfully, “Though if the moons aren’t magical on other worlds, either…"

"That's the thing about my world - there's no reason to believe in the influence of something when you don't believe it has significance." She takes another sip of her ginger ale before continuing. "My world is simple, its people pragmatic. If something doesn't have a practical application, it's likely hasn't been thought of." So she hopes, anyway. Given what she's seen on her world, anything's possible.

The pizzas arrive at an opportune moment, allowing Amelia to ask for more ginger ale while the waitress is at the table. After getting her refill, Amelia turns back to Felix and motions for him to grab the first slices. Once he does, it's time to dig in to the oregano, sausage, and pepper pizza, which turns out to be as delicious as it smells.

From the way Felix blinks at her, this is a whole new worldview to him. Well- perhaps not quite, he's met hard pragmatists before, but it's hard to imagine a realm full of people inclined that way.

He considers this while they start tucking into the pizzas... and is then distracted, perking right up at the taste. "Mf!" Swallow... "This is good!"

She smiles brightly across the table at him. "I'm glad you like it. Try a piece of mine when you can. It's really good." Of course the ulterior motive for telling him to take a slice of hers is so that she, in turn, can take a slice of his. It's much simpler than hers, but equally delicious.

"Your choice of toppings was fantastic," she tells him after a few bites of his pizza. "I really like this, too." Add this combination to the list of 'would eat again.'

Felix is clearly a man who enjoys clever tricks and sneaky motives: Amelia elicits another chuckle when her invitation turns into a trade. All the more reason to enjoy his not-very-hard-earned slice of her pizza.

“I didn’t expect the sausage to work so well on this,” he observes. “But you made a wise choice adding the peppers. Mmm… definitely my new favorite food in the Nexus. I’ll take a chance on some of the stranger toppings next time.”

He’ll let them enjoy the pizza for a while: he has something particular in mind to discuss, after all, but he’s not certain how much discomfort it will bring his roguish companion and he has more manners than to spring indigestion on her at the start of a meal.

"Don't get too overzealous," she warns, pointing a finger at him to distract his attention while she snags another slice of his pizza. Dreams, it's good. "There's plenty of time and pizzas in the multiverse to try all those combination ideas floating around in your head."

After another refill of ginger ale and most of the pizza is gone (did she really eat the equivalent of a full pizza on her own? Yes. Yes she did.), Amelia leans back into the booth they're sitting in with a contented sigh. "It's been such a long time since I had pizza. Thanks for the excuse to come out." She gives him another wink, but it's well-intentioned this time. She's spent far too much time inside as of late and Felix has been a wonderful distraction from her thoughts.

Still, she notices the tension in his shoulders, the slow degradation of his posture. Something's on his mind, something uncomfortable, by the looks of things. She tilts her head to the side slightly. "Something on your mind?"

"Oh, of course," he agrees (only to make a lie of it in the near future). "I'll have to space it out a little. Pizza once a week, perhaps." Did another slice disappear? Hmm. Better steal one back to make sure...

He bows - or, between the stiff leather he's wearing, his full belly, and the enclosed booth, he tries to bow. "Giving my friends an excuse to live well is a fine purpose, in my estimation."

She's noticed his quiet contemplation though. Felix isn't the sort to hide his feelings by default (only when it benefits him), so he lets out a 'hmmm' and nods. "I've been thinking over what you told me of the- ah, demon in your world. I did offer to share my expertise, but I'm uncertain how much you wish to hear. Or whether you'd prefer to discuss it another time."

It's nice to be referred to as a friend. She doesn't think she deserves it yet, but she won't tell him that. No need to bring down the jovial mood.

She nods slowly before offering a small shrug. "I am feeling better. Talking about it earlier... it caught me off guard." She looks around a bit. "We can speak on it now, but perhaps somewhere more private would be appropriate." Discussing her world is hard for her and doing it in public is likely to make things worse. Surely Felix can see that in the way her body has begun to close in on itself.

As far as Felix is concerned, she's a friend until proven otherwise. Even if she doesn't know it yet. Despite what one might assume, it's not naivety, just a knowing and calculated gamble.

Besides, half the trick to making unexpected friends is being willing to come out and declare them so.

"Of course. Some other time, if you prefer. I doubt there's any urgency." He gives her a reassuring smile: she can ask when she feels the need to know, and he won't push her.

Lessons in Advanced Door-Opening [for Amelia Ronsam rogueinladysclothing]

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