Hear Xiaoqing out.

A short walk away, the two of you stop.

It's difficult to tell due to much of her face being concealed, though with your Kitty Sense, you can tell she's a little nervous. It doesn't seem to be from anything terrible. It's something more innocent than that. Your best guess at the emotion being felt right now is... shyness. Such a thing certainly betrays her edgy, mysterious appearance. That being said, you're one of the only ones here who has seen the lovely lady who lurks behind the mask.

"Feel free to turn down my request," she says to start. "But may I come with you and Lady Tesgella to Avana?"

"Oh. That's all?" You chuckle. "Of course you can. Not only is Avana open to anyone, but there's no way Nyllia would mind if you specifically came with us. I'd be happy to have you there. But may I ask, what brought this up all of the sudden?"

"Thank you," she responds. "To be honest, it's still a shock to me. Suddenly being away from the Silver Hunters. They kept be sheltered for some time. Despite it being an all-women crew, they accepted that I was the exception. Of course I wasn't actually, but only Captain Silver knew. And now that I'm away, I wish to... come with you, Kyle. We're both from Earth after all. I feel comfortable around you. Is that so strange?"

"No. Not at all. I feel the same. It's still sinking in that I'm speaking with somebody else from Earth. The only other one I can talk to is William, and he's not quite the same."

"That, and I want to see more of Tivera. I never have. I've only heard of it."

"Avana is a moderately sized city. The capital, Tolis, is definitely bigger, but Avana is the first place I went to after waking up in the middle of nowhere. I have a lot of nostalgia there. We lived in a place called Dragonhide Manor until all that shit went down. We fled to the mountains, and the next time we went to that building, it was being used as a rest point above a massive tunnel under the entire Empire. I guess that's still there."

"Wow. Well, thanks again."

"Are you going in the same clothes as you usually do?"

"I mean... yes. That was my plan. Is that bad?"

"No! You can wear anything you want. I think it's stylish. I just wasn't sure."

"I don't know if I feel comfortable enough to reveal myself yet. And to be honest, I don't really like attention. The polar opposite of Mole."

"Yeah. I have a couple Moles here. What's it like by the way, over across the sea?"

"From what I saw before fleeing to the Silver Hunters, I think Tivera isn't quite as advanced in terms of magic technology by comparison. There's still a lot. You have an enchanted stove in your kitchen it seems, and lights are plentiful, but over there it isn't strange to see an airship, for example."

You smile. "You're loosening up pretty quickly. It makes me happy."

Beyond her, you suddenly see a silver shape approaching--vibrant under the sun, with a head of pink hair.

"A-Am I?" Xiaoqing pinches the brim of her cap and pulls it down. "Perhaps it's just that... even though we had fun aboard the Kraken, I always felt tense. Even now, I don't know where I belong. I feel like I'm always needing to look over my shoulder. Absoterra is a frightening world, and there's always some evil to be defeated. Many never are."

"It's also a beautiful one. And if you stand close to us, we'll keep you safe. You can look over my shoulder, and I'll look over yours."

"That is right," says Nyllia from a short walk behind.

Xiaoqing turns swiftly--glance like the pierce of an icicle towards the stranger. Though it takes no time at all to realize it isn't a stranger at all. She lowers her guard, and pretends to the best of her ability that she wasn't taken by surprise. But she does admit, "I didn't see you there."

The elf continues to approach. She points at one of her long, pointed ears. "Our hearing is quite sharp." Then she stops beside you both with a gauntlet to her armoured hip. "It sounds like you are coming with us, Mr. Xue."

She nods. "Yes, Lady Tesgella."

"So polite. I will be glad to have you. Though I would love you to allow Luna to dress you in something lavish."

"... It isn't quite my look."

"Of course. Do not worry, Xue. You look plenty cute as you are. And from what I have heard, you are quite strong and brave. The others have told me tales of what happened on your last adventure. Armies of frozen soldiers. A goddess of storms. I am glad that you all returned safely."

"You know what? We should bring some serious coin with us," you say. "See what we can buy. I know Tolis would have a lot more magic items, and I mean I guess we can check them out pretty easily after, but I'd love to look for anything that can help us. Though on top of that, I kinda just want to shop for gifts."

"Gifts, you say?" asks Nyllia.

"I've realized that I don't really know what sort of holidays are celebrated here. Maybe we've missed some, maybe not. And though it isn't close to Christmas, I feel like we've had a lot of celebrations with the only gifts being from food and drink."

The elf looks you over. "Mm. I can think of a few gifts you have given me."

You try not to blush at her playful glance as you continue your point. "There are so many of us here, but even after repairing and building, our treasury is pretty full. I'm sure I can find at least something small for every single person at Castle Phoenix."

"Santa--" Xiaoqing whispers to herself.

"What was that?" Nyllia asks.

"That's very generous."

"Both of you get ready. Tomorrow morning, we head to Avana! And don't worry. I'll be teleporting us, so you don't need to keep travel in mind. We'll buy bags while we're there too. Wear whatever you want, though I don't think you'll be needing arms or armour."

"Quite the handy trick, that Bunny Hop," Xiaoqing comments.

Nyllia places an arm over her chest and bows her head. "Understood, Your Majesty."