Alora Wickerwood

The Maiden's Whisper was one of the popular taverns to frequent in the culturally mixed city of Divinity's Reach, located in the Rurikton district. Though it wasn't overly large, it had a dedicated customer base that new how skilled the chef was at cooking breakfast and lunch. Though when Alora made her way over, it was past noon, and the building had recently emptied to only a few nursing their drinks.

When she entered a room, she was never opposed to sticking out. Instead of walking, she floated a foot off the ground with a faint, deep blue aura of magic surrounding her figure. It caused her black skirt and hair to wave as if there were a breeze, but it did so unnaturally slow as a flowing magical energy kept her afloat--a supreme sorceress in the making, at least in her opinion. Though she would likely say she was already there.

Her magical entrance brought glances from the tavern goers though mostly kept to themselves, but she drifted up to the counter. The sound of her boot's heels clicking against the wooden floor was heard as she dropped herself down.

Next to her at the counter was a hulking, bald man, looking tired from a day of work despite the time. He was sipping a large stein of frothing beer. He eyed her over and seemed rather suspicious of her oddities.

Eventually she noticed, and she poke up. She was always the social butterfly. "Hi there. Impressed by my magical whimsy and stunning beauty?" she asked with a smug expression. It was unclear if she was joking, or really did have that high an opinion of herself.

"Not really. It's not really wise to bring a lot of attention to yourself, I find."

She rolled her eyes. "Just because you're bald and cranky, doesn't mean I have to be."

He stared, unsure of what to respond with for a moment. He would have been mad if she wasn't so immature. At least for the time being, it was kind of charming, though he could see her getting on his nerves pretty quickly.

"Well, you shouldn't fly around if you're gonna wear a skirt, especially if there's asura standing too near and you wanna give a show," he replied.

Alora's nose coloured pink as she pushed down the front of her short, black skirt. "Whatever. I'm careful."

"I guess you're so short, even an asura wouldn't be able to see under there," he said with a snort.

"Hey! I'm not that short!" she snapped back.

Meanwhile, two other patrons had their attention stolen by Lady Wickerwood.

One was an asura standing in the far back with a magical golem carrying his supplies. It stood only slightly taller than him. He wore a fancy black top hat and a suit as well. He also had no hair, and he had pale brown skin and short but floppy ears. At first glance, one would likely guess he was a successful entrepreneur of some sort, but why he was resting in the back of the tavern was anyone's guess.

The other was more distant, and despite a hood concealing much of his face, he appeared to be a young human man. His snow-white coat looked expensive despite him not carrying any other visible belongings, and it hung over a pair of sleek black trousers. From what could be seen of his face, he was clean-shaven as well, and couldn't have been much older than twenty.

Both considered approaching her.

Alternate Sequence!

You've reached a point in the story where you can take more than one path to reach the destination. At any time, feel free to return to this point to try something else. There aren't many of these in this story, given it's more of a series of liner tales instead of a game. Read the following options, and make your decision.

A: An asuran businessman approaches her, and takes her on as a beautiful representative to peddle his wares.

B: A young mage approaches her, and musters up his courage to put on a brave face for the girl he wants to ask out.