[Firetra]

Storm
Continued from this

Storm led Yani outside, the place had become extremely packed and everyone was in a hurry to get home. "You might want to keep up, you could easily get lost in this crowd." He said, he then started to walk, motioning for her to follow. As the corner neared, he took a sharp turn and was greeted by even more people, as they had entered the most trafficked road in Lamenolai. "Keep close, I don't want to lose you in this." He said to Yani as he stood in the street.

It didn't take long to reach the restaurant but the amount of pushing and shoving that took place to get there exhausted Storm. "I always hate Lamenolai during rush hour, such a pain trying to get past businessmen. They are always so bony and their elbows hurt." The front of the restaurant was very basic, it was mainly just a door with a sign over it. Most places in Lamenolai were like this, they didn't spend much on decoration because most customers learn about the place by word of mouth rather than fancy store-fronts and a plethora of decorations. He went and opened the door and held it open, he then said, "after you."

[SpringsSong]

Nanyanirnë "Yani", 351259

"All right," Yani said when Storm said that she might want to try to keep up.  The sheer amount of people that were around them made her want to cast a barrier spell, but she resisted the urge to do so.  When he said that he wouldn't want to lose her in the crowd, she nodded as she offered a small chuckle.  "I would not want to get lost in this crowd.  I had no idea it could get this busy."

The amount of pushing and shoving it took to get to the restaurant almost had Yani concerned, but once they got to the door, she breathed a sigh of relief.  "My goodness.  I... is it always like this, when everyone leaves from their work to go back to their homes?  How do they not shove one another over in their haste?" she asked.  She observed the simple exterior of the restaurant and reflected that, sometimes, the best advertising for a place was simply less decoration and more focus on their product.

"Thank you," she said, offering a smile as she slipped through the door, waiting for him to join her before approaching the hostess.

[Firetra]

Storm walked into the establishment, closing the door behind him. The noise of the street cut out as the door closed shut and Storm went and joined Yani. The inside of the restaurant was quiet and cozy, the hostess stand stood right in front of them, a short lady with blond hair stood behind it, dressed in the formal attire of the wait staff. Behind the stand was a short wall that made it hard to see the rest of the shop, but it seemed that if you went either left or right from the stand, you would end up in the restaurant. She looked up at them and motioned for them to follow her to an open seat. Storm followed her as she moved between the tables with ease, while he tired hard not to bump into anyone on his way.

The store was only moderately filled, about fifteen people were visible from where he stood, and it seemed like the lady was going to direct them to the back of the store. She then stopped in front of a small table for two people. The table was all the way in the back, and a small lamp was over the table itself. It gave off a soft light, making the area feel cozy and warm. The girl asked if this would be fine and Storm answered "yes, this looks good." She then placed the menus on the table in front of each chair and then went back to the podium. Storm went to hold open the chair for Yani before he took his seat.

[SpringsSong]

"Thank you," Yani said as she sat down, smoothing the skirt as she sat down, and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.  She offered a small smile as she looked across the table at Storm once he sat down, looking over the menu quickly.  While these kinds of establishments weren't uncommon in her home realm, the occasions where she would have had a chance to go to such a place were a rare commodity.  She noticed that the menu was broken down into a few sections, such as appetizers, pastas, other entrees, drinks, and so forth.

"Have you eaten here before, Storm?" she asked.  "I must admit, the number of options is a bit... overwhelming," she said, a slight tint of pink creeping into her cheeks.  Social situations outside of fellow mages were not her area of expertise, and she would willingly admit that.

[Firetra]

After letting Yani take her seat, Storm walked over to his own and sat down. When she asked about being here before, Storm answered, "I've been here a couple of times, but I haven't sampled the entire menu though." He smiled then continued to talk, "I usually recommend the special of the day dish, most of the food they use in those are fresher and taste better." He briefly looked at the menu, gazing at the list made his head hurt a bit, so he set it down.

A minute passed when the waiter returned, she asked if they were ready to order food. "Well, before we order, what is the special for today?" The waiter briefly looked at her note pad, obviously having written it down as a note for her to remember throughout the day. She said that the Ravioli was the special.

"I think I am going to have that, and for the drink I would just like a water." He then looked at Yani, waiting for her response.

[SpringsSong]

"I think I'll have the ravioli as well," Yani said, stealing a glance at the menu before she spoke again.  "As for a drink... I think I'll have a cream soda," she said.  She offered the menu to the waitress after she said this, and she turned her attention back to Storm, her hands relaxing comfortably in her lap.

"I... you'll have to forgive me if I seem a little uncertain about everything that is happening right now," she said, color raising in her cheeks.  "I've... never been invited out for a meal with someone before, much less spent time with someone who isn't a mage for more than a few minutes before.  This world is... strange to me," she admitted, pushing her hair behind her ear again as she bit her lip.

[Firetra]

Storm said, "Well, I am guessing that from what you just said, that mages are discriminated against from where you use to be. But, you don't have to worry about that here, most mages live in harmony with the rest of the population. Heck, some people would give up an arm and a leg just to be a mage!" Storm leaned back in his chair, resting his back.

"But for the mean time, just relax. Everything will be fine, trust me. This city is pretty safe, for the most part." He voice faltered a little bit when he spoke that last part. The recent happenings that have been going on has started to contradict that last statement. But the city was generally safe, but it seemed recently that problems have been rising more and more constantly, and his division was getting more field work than they were used to having. Storm sighed at this, and then looked back at Yani. "But enough about this city, I want to hear where you came from. What was your previous home like?" He said inquisitively.

[SpringsSong]

"My previous home?" Yani echoed, a slight chuckle punctuating this.  Where could she even begin?  After a few moments of thinking, she spoke again.

"In my previous home, mages... were thought of as cursed.  You see, in that world, mages face a constant threat of drawing demons to themselves, because of where our magic originates from.  As such, most mages are sent to these places called Towers.  It's... not a pretty life," she said.  "Children are taken from their parents as soon as they show the tiniest amount of talent, put in these Towers, and when they reach adulthood, they are put through a trial to show that they can resist the lure of demons.  I passed my trial, like many others.  There were, however, those who were not so fortunate... and that's where our guardians came in."

Yani shrugged as she leaned forward slightly, her arms pressed against the table.  Few of her memories of the guardians were fond ones, although there were many that were kind.  There were others who were not, who feared mages for no reason other than the fact that they were, simply, mages.

"If a mage failed their trial, they were possessed by the demon they faced.  The guardians were to slay the mage if they failed, to prevent them from blindly attacking the others.  Some guardians were kind and considerate to mages, while others were cruel and harsh.  Both parties were expected to maintain their distance, which... didn't help," she said.  Indeed, most mages tended to steer clear of the guardians completely, while the guardians were always watching the mages for the first sign that they were breaking.

"But, what little I remember of the landscape I remember was beautiful.  Springtime there was beautiful... from what I remember.  I was taken to a Tower when I was only five, and we were not allowed to leave.  Not unless there was a... special circumstance," she said.  "There... was an incident, back when I was twenty-five--so, five years ago," she said.  "The guardians of another Tower began to restrict the mages more and more.  The mages decided that they were going to fight back... and it escalated into an all-out war."