Ize: Then I guess Selfarion himself is smiling upon me... Man... It's really beautiful seeing this city... Not to mention, a very nice welcome. Plus, fortune smiles on me by giving me the best tour guide. A beautiful girl named Marlene Steel giving me the tour, if that's not fortune, I don't know what is. [It feels natural now.... On the ship, it felt like my heart was ready to jump out of my chest.... I guess that's mom and dad helping from beyond huh.]

"Oh?~ It's like that nap woke up a whole new person in you, didn't it? I can already tell today's gonna be exciting.." Marlene said, walking up to him again. "Selfarion is such a big city that it'd practically be impossible for me to show you everything. Sooo, here's what I was thinking: First, I wanna stop by Eiko and Lucia so you can meet them! Then, I'll probably bring you to some of the spots you'll frequent the most. Maybe some of my favorite spots too, hehe... Thenn, the last place is gonna be a surprise!" She placed her hands on her hips, "Once you find out what it is, I'm not letting you have any say in it because I'm gonna drag you there anyways! Sounds good?"

Ize: Sounds good that I'll have no say in the last place we're going.... Ah, whatever... I'm sure wherever that place could be should be interesting... Honestly, we don't have to see everything... *He put his hands on her shoulders with a smile* As long as I'm with you, it's worth it either way.

"Sounds like to me your time in Selfarion is gonna be amazing then if most of it is gonna be with me, hehe." Marlene said, enjoying every little bit of this of this new confidence Ize had. She started walking ahead again, leading Ize down the beautiful streets of Selfarion to their first destination. "Now let's go, first stop is Thorin's Smithy! He's one of the many great blacksmith's in Selfarion, and Eiko happens to be his apprentice! So, my assumption is that both Eiko and Lucia are there. We'll drop off their gifts and maybe you'd wanna introduce yourself?"

Ize: So, Eiko's an apprentice huh? I'm sure he'll be forging with the rest of em soon enough. But, I wouldn't mind introducing myself... Plus, it's always good to check out a town's smithy... At least, just as a thing of curiosity. *He continued observing and looking around* This really is beautiful you know? Well, I know you know... Especially since you get to live here.

"Well that is true, but that doesn't mean I never stop admiring it. And since you'll be staying with me now, I get to enjoy it with you.." Marlene told him with a smile.
After walking along the streets for a while longer, they were soon entering Thorin's Smithy. The shop was practically filled with armor and weapons galore, but there didn't seem to be many people in today. However, just like Marlene expected, Lucia was sitting on top of the counter with her legs crossed, searching through a small bag of jewels she had in her hand.
Hearing the door open, Lucia was quick to glance up and notice Marlene. "Marlene, you're back..!"
A different voice then yelled from another room, "Marlene!?" Behind the counter, there was a different door that seemed to lead into the main workspace area. There were sounds of tumbling and things falling from that room until Eiko's head finally peaked through the door. "Marlene! Welcome back!!" He greeted.
"Hey, guys!" Marlene sweatdropped as Eiko walked out, "I hope nothing broke back there..."
"How was your job at Aralos?" Lucia asked, curious about the trip. "You were gone for a while considering it was just a delivery..."
"The delivery went fine, I just have to report back to Mystic now. I may or may not have gotten sidetracked in Aralos..." Marlene said, scratching the back of her head.
Lucia chuckled as she put down the bag of jewels beside her, "Yeah, I can tell.. Who's your new friend?"
With a happy grin, Marlene wrapped her arm around Ize, "I'd like you guys to meet Ize! He's an assassin I met in Aralos and I stayed back to help with a few things on his end... Let's just sayy, a lot of things happened.. and we've gotten pretty close to each other since."
"Pretty close, huh?" Lucia then introduced herself, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Ize. My name is Lucia, but feel free to call me Lucy."
Eiko stood beside Lucia with his hands leaning on the table, "And I'm Eiko! I'm the one who usually helps run this shop besides Thorin."

Ize: It's a pleasure to meet you both... Though, I'll always admit my appreciation of Marlene for helping me out... *He then looked around the place* If I didn't know better, I'd say Thorin gives Joza and Sylvie a run for their money combined... *He smirked* But, long enough.... I'm sure you'll end up taking his mantle in time.. [Looking at her, I'd thought about how materialistic Lucia was... But, all in all... She's not bad company to keep.. Marlene did say she wasn't heartless after all.] *He then thought about it* Wait a sec... Who, or maybe what, is Mystic?

Marlene scratched the back of her head, "Well.. He's someone I'm just taking jobs from currently."
Lucia rolled her eyes, "Someone I wished Marlene didn't bother taking jobs from..."
Marlene sighed, "It isn't that bad!" She then turned to Ize, holding onto his hands, "This probably just makes you even more curious, but I'll give you more of the details a little later, ok? It's nothing bad, I promise. I just rather.. not start your day with Mystic."

Ize: [I won't think on it for too long, but Lucia doesn't have much of an affinity towards him.. I may have to keep my guard up a bit. Hoping it isn't what I think it is, but her employment to him may need to end soon if things are out of hand.] It's fine.... I just never heard his name before.. Nonetheless, I can wait on that..

"Ok good.. I won't keep you waiting long since I don't want to just leave you in the dark." Marlene then looked back to Eiko and Lucia, "Anyways, back to our little trip.... Ize and I also happened to go to Yeres together too."
"You went to both cities!?" Eiko exclaimed. "No wonder you were gone for so long..."
"Sorryy, but look, I got you guys some cute souvenirs!" Marlene took off her bag and placed it on the counter, rummaging through until she was able to find the badge and the ring. "Here we go.. The badge here is for Eiko and the ring is for Lucy." She said, handing them each of their gifts.
Just like Marlene already expected from Eiko, he practically fell in love with the badge. "Woah, this looks so well made! And I don't think I've ever seen an ore like this before.. what is it?"
"Hmm.." Marlene thought about it for a minute, trying to see if she could remember the name of it. "Now that I think about it, I don't think Myra ever mentioned the name of it... But, I know it's an ore native to the Yeres Mountains. Maybe if you show Thorin, he might know what it is? Speaking of, where is he?" She asked.
Lucia responded while she carefully opened the casing for the ring and analyzed it closely, "He's out right now, stocking up on some materials that were missing... Not sure when he'll be back." She then took the ring out of its box and placed it on her finger, looking at her hand up in the air. "You know, I'll give it to you, Marlene.. The ring isn't 100% me, but you got pretty damn close to it..."
"You know what, I'll take that! That only means I'm getting closer and closer..." Marlene sweatdropped again, "Although I still don't understand how to get '100%'...."
Lucia chuckled, "Eh, I don't expect you to.. But, seems like you guys did a lot together considering you even had time to pick these up for us."

Ize: Yeah.... I know this is gonna come out of nowhere, especially coming from someone you just met.... But, thank you for being Marlene's friends... I've been told about some things, but it makes me glad to see that she does have some good friends here... *He then blushed* Hold on, I'm sounding like her parent... That isn't how I wanted that to go..

Lucia smiled, "It's a sign that you care for her, so we appreciate seeing that from you too! That being said if you do anything wrong to her, don't think I won't hesitate from using any of these weapons.." She said, just casually threatening him with a smile.
Eiko immediately shot a look at her, "Hey, hold on you gotta be so hostile now.. Also, just cause you're here most of the time doesn't mean that gives you the privilege to use the weapons!"
Lucia giggled a bit, "Oh c'mon... I'm kiddinggg. Seriously though, you seem like a sweet guy, Ize so I trust you'll treat her just as well.."

Ize: After everything she's been through for me.... I'd rather use the weapons on myself if I didn't treat her well... That's why I'm going to do everything in my power for her... She's become a very important person in my life, going back on that now.... I'd rather die than go back on that... Who knows, you may see me beside her a lot more in the future. *He said, dropping a maybe subtle hint*

Marlene turned her head away, blushing a bit, "Well I definitely wasn't expecting you to say all that...."
Lucia and Eiko stared at each other with suspicious looks on their faces. They basically talked to each other just between their eyes, starting with Eiko. "Does he mean like..?
Lucia nodded, "Even considering everything he said, there's no way he doesn't..."
Lucia's looked back to them with a slight grin, "Well, well.. Honestly, I didn't think you'd be so adamant on protecting her like this. When Marlene said you two were pretty close, I guess I somewhat underestimated it."
"I wasn't just saying it to say itt.." Marlene said. "He's gonna be staying at my place for a while and I wanna show him some parts of Selfarion today.. If you guys wanna join?"
Eiko shook his head, "Sadly, no.. If Thorin was here then maybe, but gotta stay here to make sure the shop's in check. Enjoy your time though!"
"I'll stay with Eiko and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.." Lucia smirked again, "Not to mention, I don't just want to be a third wheel.."
Marlene just slightly rolled her eyes at her, not really wanting to completely deny it. "Mm, it's not like thattt... But, we'll talk to you guys later then!"

Ize: We'll be seeing you.. [I was dumb back then.... Though, she'll tell me otherwise.. She was there for me, even when i didn't feel like I'd needed her help.. That's why..] *He would then wave them off, as he would exit with Marlene, ready for their next destination*

Marlene walked out with Ize, also waving them goodbye as Lucia and Eiko waved back. They went back to walking along the streets of Selfarion again, Marlene walking beside him this time. "Alright, the next place I want to take you to is the Grand Plaza! If you're staying in Selfarion, it's one of the places you'll probably visit the most. It's so beautifully designed and so many markets surround it too... and it's right in the very center of the City too, so if you ever get lost, it's a pretty nice landmark to reference."

Ize: Grand Plaza, center of the city... Noted... I imagine the markets are very lively and always bustling. [Come to think of it, when I cooked in my dream... I guess I cooked in what I imagined Marlene's place looked like.. We shopped together too... Either way..] Good to know I won't get lost here..

Marlene nodded, "Mhm! A lot of the City was built with the Grand Plaza in reference, so it makes it easy to navigate. Keep walking north from the Grand Plaza and you'll even hit the Aether Eldertree for Selfarion and the Central Council too. Not that I think you'll go there often, but it's cool to think about... That'll probably be the last place I take you to today."

Ize: The last place? Hold on, is the Council the last place that I would be dragged to with no say? The only reason I ask, is because I wouldn't have really rejected the idea.... If the masters are gonna be there, then that means seeing Rylon and maybe even Kurota... Even Claudia... Meeting my best friend's parent for the first time.. [Even though that isn't how I really feel, but not yet.] Meeting family, it's just a warm feeling you know?

"Wellll... Ok, so technically the Council is where I wanted to drag you to, but not in the sense you think.... I am going to be bringing you around the area, and yeah there are chances we'll see the guildmasters around! Maybe not Claudia, since she usually stays in Easea unless there's a meeting... But either way, that was all going to be part of the grand tour anyways." She scratched the back of her head now, "Now, for the 'dragging' thing... At the end of all this, I was thinking to bring you onto the rooftops of the Central Council building.... Even though I'm Claudia's daughter, it doesn't really give me easy access to the building unless I have reason since I'm not actually in the Council. Obviously, they're not going to let me in just to go on rooftops, soooo.... our only option is sneaking up there." Marlene started blushing again realizing how silly it probably sounds and she turned her head away so he couldn't notice, "I thought it would be nice and a cool first time experience in Selfarion...."

Ize: Sneaking up to the rooftop huh? Come on, you're asking me of all people... *Though she looked away, he looked at her with a smirk* A guy who's snuck into a share of camps... Whether it be retrieval or elimination... *He would move around her in a flash, looking at Marlene's blushing face* And I'll agree with you... It would be a pretty cool first time in Selfarion..

Marlene felt her cheeks become even hotter, turning into an even deeper shade of red, "Damn it, how do I tell him he's about to make my heart explode without telling him... Get it together, Marlene, he just said he's fine with it..!"
Marlene quickly grabbed his shoulders to turn him around, horribly trying to play it off as getting him to keep walking. "I'm happy you think so then.. It really is nice up there. I- I guess I somehow forgot you're an assassin, even though I literally introduced you as one..."

Ize: I guess during our time I never really demonstrated my abilities as an assassin... While yes, I can utilize speed to move fast.. But, the true charm of an assassin... Sticking to the shadows, blending in and keeping your adversary none the wiser to where you are... *Though as he was explaining, he did begin to think about Marlene* You alright there Red? I can't help but notice you're feeling just as I did on the ship...

"Hmm?" Marlene tried taking in a small breath in hopes it'd calm her down a little bit. "Uh, nope.. I think you might just be a little delusional.... You know, it's funny since I was thinking I'd have to help lead you up there, but in reality it might be the other way around..."

Ize: *He didn't quite buy him being delusional about her, but he did find it cute nonetheless* Well, we won't be there for a while... So, you should take that time to get your composure back.. Besides, we'll both need to be on our A-Game if we want to make our way... Take time to cool off. Think you can do that for me?

"Welll, I would say yes... If I knew what you're talking about." Marlene said with a little giggle, already starting to feel a little better from before.
"I already felt pretty flustered about bringing him up to the roof, but him turning to me like that... It caught me off guard and he made my heart feel so...... No, no, if I start thinking about it, it's gonna get me all blushy with him again!!" She thought to herself.
Marlene then walked beside him again, holding onto his arm. "See, that implies I ever lost composure in the first place!" She said, still being completely in-denial with him. "I'm sure I'm gonna be finee, so no worries.."

Ize: Is that so? I'll let it go for now.... But, believe me when I say this conversation is far from over... Actually, a question for you... So, I know Selfarion is The Capital City and all that... Have you ever got a chance to meet the royal family at all? Or maybe even one of the elite families?

"Gods... All I hope for is my heart to stay in tact if he comes back to this.." She thought.
Marlene quickly shook her thoughts away and then nodded, "Actually, yeah! I've introduced myself to the royal family before, but never anything more than that. During major festivals hosted in Selfarion, usually the Guildmasters or any of the families are encouraged to come. But, oddly enough, I don't think I've seen any of the elite families... Maybe I just never noticed?"

Ize: Perhaps.... I've heard good things about the royal family. A lot of people would think since they're higher in the social hierarchy, they'd be pretty power hungry and always wanting war... But, they're actually pretty gentle for their people.. They only give due punishment to those who truly deserve it. At least, that's what I'd been hearing.. The elite families though..... Well, they're a bit of an odder story... Perfectionists, rich and within high society.. Not a single thing can be wrong... Of course, I don't know to what extent all of this is even true.. For all I know I may have something wrong somewhere..

"At the very least, I can vouch what you said about the royal family. They seemed like sweet people when I got to meet them and I've heard a lot things from my mom too! They're pretty well-balanced and understand when it's necessary to put their foot down.." She placed her hand on her chin, trying to think more about this, "For the elite families though.. I guess I've heard a little bit of the same? But, I've also heard that the Forrester's and Voss' act pretty differently from each other, even though they're both considered elite families.... Oh well, who knows? Maybe one day we'll come across at least one of them together?"

Ize: Maybe so... If they act differently, then who knows? Still, id like to hope at least one person within the families is actually reasonable.... *His stomach growled* Huh? It has been a while since we've eaten... We had breakfast at Veras' place... But we haven't eaten since then... *He looked back at her* Well, looks like we've got our next stop planned.. I know you've got to be hungry too.

"Surprisingly, I'm actually not that hungry right no--" The moment she said that, her stomach growled next. ".... Ok, maybe I am. But you know what, this works perfectly! Grand Plaza was the next place I was taking you to anyways and luckily for us, there's a lot of food vendors around there too! It's just a little further so...." Marlene took his hand and sped up their pace, finally arriving to the bustling center of Selfarion; the Grand Plaza! It was an incredibly large and spacious area, with a grand three-tier fountain directly in the middle, surrounded by many seats to relax and bushes with filled beautiful flora. Moving outward from this central part is where you could find all of the markets and vendors that surrounded it, filled with everything and anything you could probably think of! "Welcome to the Grand Plaza! Which a lot of people like to call it the 'Grand Marketplace' too, considering how much you can probably find here." She looked to him, "Are you craving in particular? You got me that blueberry pie last time, so I'll get ya whatever you want."

Ize: Mmmm..... What's a good beef place around here? Oh, is there a place that sells good Beef skewers? Honestly, it's been a while since I've had a good skewer from a vendor. Well done beef on a wooden skewer. How do they even cook it to such perfection? I need to know the secret to how they do it so well.. *He blushed* What? It just tastes so good, why shouldn't I learn it? *He'd say knowing he eventually wants to just cook it himself*

Marlene giggled, "I wasn't going to say anything against it. Though, sounds like you have a little more of a reason for wanting to know how it's cooked other than the fact that it tastes good."
"Maybe if I wake up early enough, I can go out ask around, get all the stuff for him and surprise him... Then, he can make it whenever he gets curious! ..... Mm, that wouldn't be too much, right..?" She thought to herself.
She then tried glancing out from where she stood, to see if she could see any vendors selling beef skewers. "I'm sure there's gotta be one.. How many would you want? 1? 2? Maybe 3?" She asked, gesturing the number with her hand. "I'll get as many as you'd like!"

Ize: For real? Oh, I'll take 3 then.. *He realized he'd say with little to no hesitation* Oh, but that's only if youre sure... *He said as he blushed slightly deeper* I dont want to feel like I'm just taking advantage. *He'd say, but still having a small bit of excitement to eat the beef skewers*

Marlene walked around the Grand Plaza with Ize, searching for a vendor with skewers and glancing around while she spoke. "You don't gotta worry, this is my little treat to you! I want you to enjoy your time here after all. Even if it meant buying you hundreds, I'd do it in a heartbeat for ya." Before she could even process how that sentence might've come off, she spotted exactly what they were looking for just ahead. "Oh look there's one!" They got onto the short line and while they waited, Marlene took out her small pouch of gold. "Oooh, they have so many options too... Maybe I'll get a chicken and beef one for myself.."

Ize: The chicken skewers are usually pretty satisfactory... Seriously, whichever you end up getting.. I'm sure you'll enjoy it... *He thought about it, but he didn't want to bring up what she'd just said.. At least, not yet* But, thanks for this... I appreciate this. *He said with a smile on his face*

His smile still continued to give her a warm feeling and she smiled back. "Of course! Like I said, it's my treat."
They were then up next in line and the vendor spoke, "Welcome, what could I get for you guys?"
"Could we get 4 beef skewers and 1 chicken, please?" Marlene asked.
"Yup! Just give a quick minute andd..." The vendor went ahead and started preparing their skewers, organizing and grilling them to absolute perfection. Since it'd be a lot to hold, the vendor separated them on two paper trays; 3 beef skewers in one and 1 beef and chicken skewer in the other. "Alright, here's your food!" They said, handing it over to Marlene.
"Ooh, they smell so good... Thank you!!" Marlene handed the paper tray with the 3 beef skewers over to Ize and then paid the vendor. "Wanna go sit by the fountain to eat these?" She asked Ize.

Ize: *He nodded, then making his way over to the fountain with her, sitting down* Not far off from Aralos... Us together like this, eating on a delicacy.. Last time we were exchanging our backgrounds, it wasn't even that long ago... Yet, why do I feel like we've come such a long way?

"Hmm.." She started eating her beef skewer, admiring the fountain ahead of them. "Well, if you think about it... We haven't really been apart all that often ever since we met each other. We've talked and shared so much with each other and I went through one of the biggest moments of your life with you.." She turned her head to him and smiled, "It's been a short amount of time, yeah.. but, a lot really has happened since."

Ize: Yeah, it sure has... I won't gush about it too long... But, I'm always gonna remind you how grateful I am.. First meeting, this was the furthest thing on my mind... Hanging out with you and eating beef skewers... Not to mention in Selfarion... *He had more he wanted to say, but he knew what it would eventually lead to, so he just smiled* So, thank you... For all of this... Hm, I'm sure I'll be saying that for the rest of my life... *He said as he began eating his beef skewers, happily content with the taste* [There it is!! That perfect taste, how do they do it?!]

Marlene giggled, "And to follow that, I'll always remind you that you don't have to thank me... It was a path I definitely didn't think I'd be taking when I went to Aralos, but.. I'm really happy I did.." She said, looking back to the fountain. "So, what do you think of the skewers? As good as you were imagining it to be?"

Ize: Hm, is it? They're amazing... It's not enough that the presentation is just amazing... Once you get the taste in your mouth, it's absolutely phenomenal.. It's one thing to have a recipe, but to cook it into absolute perfection like this.... The cook is absolutely skilled.

"Yay, I'm glad you're enjoying them! I'll admit, I never had any of their skewers before, but I didn't expect them to be this good." Marlene then tried a bite of the chicken one, her eyes instantly sparkling. "Mmm!! Even the chicken one is amazing... Do you wanna try it?" She asked casually yet excitedly, holding the skewer up to Ize.

Ize: Sure..... *He took a bite from the chicken skewer and his eyes lit up again* This really is perfection..... Between Veras and now here.... This must be what it's like when you put so much love and passion into meals.

"Mhmm! I hope that means you're still taking little mental notes up there.." Marlene said, taking another bite of her skewer. "Remember, I wanna be the first one to try whatever you make! Considering you'll be staying with me, it's your perfect chance to learn and experiment."

Ize: Right, of course.. [From the flavor, I can analyze it a bit.... There's a marinade, that's what makes the flavor of the beef... The beef is a sirloin, that's for sure... And the chicken... It must be the breast...] You know, the mental notes.. It reminds me of a mission or two where I've had to use poisons... Knowing them, inside and out... An ability gramps taught us is distinguishing tastes.... Honestly, it's thanks to that I can figure what kind of meat they use to cook.. Not to mention the marinade that they use for these... It's incredible... The beef is a sirloin tip... While the chicken is a cut of grilled chicken breast... Placing onions and peppers in between... Now the question is how to cook it and put it into practice? *He said as he then continued eating in delight*

"Does that mean all you need to do is taste it and you can already tell what type of ingredients they used?? You wouldn't even need the full recipe anymore, the methods are all you really need for any recipe.." Marlene giggled a bit, thinking about it a little more. "It's really interesting how something you learned to help assassinate someone is also helping you figure out how to cook yourself a nice delicious meal.."

Ize: It's been said that some crsfts are good inside and outside of battle... That just happens to be one of the ones that came through... Not to mention some poisons are hard to identify visually if mixed correctly... The same goes for taste... But, enough about poison.... Once I figure out how they bring it all together, I'll make sure you're eating good, and not even having to pay for it.

"You say enough about the poison, and yet.. that's somehow the part that's making me curious the most...." Marlene shrugged, "Oh well! I won't poke at you for your interesting taste training.... for now. But, it's so cute seeing how interested you are in this, and especially for me! So, thank you.. I'm happy I got to bring you to Selfarion with me, but I didn't think I'd be bringing a cute upcoming chef with me too."