The Festival of Dunes, a time of year where citizens of the village would come together and celebrate their way of life. Many of the more patriotic citizens would view it as a necessary time to look at the country and to celebrate it in some sense. Others, including Ren, would view it as just another party for everyone to take their minds off of the harsh realities of life. Besides, what a dumb name for it... there had to have been a better choice for it, or someone needed to be fired from their job.

Although, it was a nice night, out of the many parties this one also brought the best out of most people. A large gathering of people would meet in the Bazaar and things would be for sale, people eating and drinking and being merry. Decorations would line the streets and there were always fireworks at the end, which Ren did so enjoy. This year, she accompanied her two brothers, who all but had to drag her out of the house to go, given how little she cared for it all. They on the other hand were avid patrons of the cheap alcohol and promiscuous women, so almost directly upon arrival, they both disappeared one at a time to wherever their night would take them.

This little tidbit left Ren to wander around a bit, seeing the sites and picking her spirit up a little just by how happy everyone else seemed. After wandering for a moment she decided to make a stop, finding a nearby tea shop with a great view of the central block of the Grand Bazaar. Sitting down at a table just outside the small shop, she looked around and began to observe the people all bustling about. Ordering a house tea to sip on while she waited around, watching the occasional firework set off and smiling at each one. Ren came to a point where she would fold her arms across the table and rest her head apathetically on her arms. Taking a sip of her tea and watching people stumble around this evening and make fools of themselves.

All the while the shop she sat at began to fill up and Ren was stuck waiting for something to happen. Perhaps someone to distract her or a bit of a show to get put on. But for the meantime, there was a drunk man (or becoming drunk?) who was about to make a fool of himself trying to carry three cups at the same time across the street. There was a cliche scenario you don't get to witness in actual time every day...

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Ren lazily kept her attention on the surrounding events, a short sigh came as she took another sip of her tea and went back to her resting place. The hustle of it was rather annoying, mainly because she was on the outside looking in, getting ditched by her two brothers for whatever they might be doing. Thoughts of heading out early began to creep into her head, she could probably see the fireworks faintly from home, or maybe even a nearby rooftop where things wouldn't be so chaotically boring. A voice rang into to break her thoughts though, “Anyone sitting here?” she asked looking towards a waiter and not Ren.

Ren's response was to raise her head up, her eyes inquisitively glanced over the girl quickly before she spoke up, "Oh... Yeah, that's fine. Feel free..." Ren would motion towards the chair with her hand, watching the stranger take the seat. Ren leaned back into her chair as the waiter appeared, taking a quick sip to finish off the last bit of tea in her cup. Once the stranger had placed her order Ren would bashfully chime in after asking for a refill of her own while he was at it. Ren then sighed a bit resting into the chair, an awkward pause as the waiter departed and left the two of them there. It would be a bit rude, wouldn't it? To not say anything at all, given that there was a bit of a party going on all around them, to be social was the given atmosphere and such.

Ren would speak up, a bit quiet at first before finding her voice, "So... it's a nice evening and all." Ren would add with a bit of a chuckle and smile as genuinely as she could before realizing how dumb her comment sounded. "I mean, the festival and stuff, it's a nice party and everything." she stopped herself before she started rambling on. Social skills are probably one thing that she should definitely learn to work on, not that she couldn't hold a conversation or anything but to start one was always a problem. And it wasn't even like she didn't have an appropriate topic on hand, but the best she could do was simple observation. No matter, hopefully it would at least spark something until their waiter returned, whenever that might be as well.

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The stranger reclined back after Ren spoke, it was a rather odd and awkward pause for Ren, even given how it brief it was. Ren fidgeting about in her chair watching and waiting for something to come about. Taking a sip of her own tea, quickly, as not to break her attention for too long, or was it so that she wouldn't miss anything? Whatever she told herself...

But the response back was with some prowess of confidence, “And what’s a cute girl like you doing in here when there’s a nice party going on outside on this nice evening?” Ren would spark up a bit and catch attention to the adjective she used, blushing a bit at the thought. Cute, huh? she thought, writing it off as nothing more than flattery for the moment. People always seemed to have the weirdest mannerisms and given the festivities it wouldn't be unusual for some unique hospitalities to ring out. Whether that be the confidence to get drunk in public and make a fool of yourself, or to act flirtatious with strangers regardless of who they are. Ren couldn't exactly disown it inherently, but her mind would move quickly from it as she thought about it.

In truth, she wasn't sure what she was doing here. Her brothers dragging Ren along and then disappearing not long after their arrival and now she was just here to relax a while before finding something to do. Those thoughts of leaving and making an escape from it were ever present but she couldn't leave again this very second. She had just gotten another drink and now there was a conversation to be had, though she could finish the drink quickly and, if the conversation was nothing more than small talk, find an excuse to escape away.

"I'm just relaxing a bit and watching the fireworks. I was never one for parties or crowds or anything like that." Ren would ramble on, still a bit fidgety in her motions as she adjusted her chair and tried to slide it forward a bit closer to the table for the sake of hearing the conversation a bit better. "But tell me, if the party is so important, why are you over here too?" Ren would ask directly, her small movements stopped as she crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair while taking a sip of tea.

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“Oh, I don’t know. Just relaxing a bit and watching the fireworks, I guess,” Ren chuckled in response, the clever turn about in words. Despite the wit of it all, Ren wouldn't notice the subtle deflection of her question, whether it was to continue her flirtatious behavior or to stay closed up didn't really matter. Not yet at least, and the event going on would keep her from pressing into it. “Besides, you seemed a bit lonely here, and I never leave a girlfriend lonely if I can help it,” Ren would blush a bit more in response and uncross her legs into a more... formal position. Sitting up straight as she thought about it all, it definitely ruled out that idea about her just being nice though.

Now Ren would have to come to a decision on what she would do, whether to try to politely decline the advances and make that known from the beginning? I mean, what did she think of her after all? She knew almost nothing of her other than her aptitude for turn about, but that didn't change the situation. For all of Ren's own ineptitude as far as social situations went, those with romantic flair took on a whole new level of... well, awkwardness. She broke the short pause, “My name’s Lyralei.” Ren smiled and took her cup too nodding and tapping her cup against hers, "My name's Ren. It's nice to meet you." she responded with a bit of an akward smile, then taking a sip from the tea cup before setting it down.

The next bit would be a bit difficult as she had to make a decision, whether to continue on with wherever this was going or start distancing herself from the whole endeavor? The truth was that she didn't even know this girl, and what would be the harm in getting to know her? As long as it didn't get taken too far... but what the efficacy of it all? Would it be leading her on and did Ren care that much for all of that or even any of it? Ren would take another sip after their short toast, using it to distract herself for a short moment.

Setting the tea cup back down, she wouldn't make eye contact with Lyralei or say anything. Short gestures and such, making it obvious that she was in a bit of an awkward situation. A short scratch at the back of her neck, running her fingers briefly through her hair, always keeping her eyes and gaze down or away. Her mind would run a bit tangent to her actions, thinking a moment on how she was fairly attractive and it wasn't often that she would get to let loose and relax a bit. But that wouldn't deter her from acting out the part of the unassured young girl sitting there in a situation she'd thought through many a times but had never really been stuck into.

Perhaps taking a bold stance earlier would be counter-intuitive body language to her true lack of confidence but it didn't last long anyways. Ren wouldn't be the one to initiate anything, even if it may seem a bit rude, she would just not rather lead her onto anything... down that path for the evening? If Lyralei had anything to add she would engage in the conversation well enough but, Ren didn't want to make any attempts to make it known right off the bat that she was the sort of person to let loose at a party. Her interests at the time, despite her joking at times, would be on a more serious playing field, and not exactly into the chance at a one-night stand or into the bar scene. No, if Lyralei wanted to fill that role even temporarily, she'd have to earn and with hopefully more than clever or suave wordplay.

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It would be obvious, Ren's discomfort at the situation, or at least psuedo-expressed discomfort for whatever that would be worth. Probably going to make the entire situation worse for the both of them, their attention on the outside and the party going on. Ren enjoyed the fireworks as they appeared against the backdrop of the night sky. She had nothing to really muse to herself over, other than what she was doing or would want to do, not knowing that either. Not that the situation was new to her but... well it was new as far as she was concerned. She could shut down the occasional idiot that would show up and hit on her in broad daylight just fine. Abrasive and rude as it would typically be, but this was different, it was subtle and flirtatious and a part of Ren very much enjoyed and entertained the idea.

Regardless, it wasn't that she wanted to be rude or anything like that, especially not on a night like tonight, but she didn't want to waste anyone's time. Her thoughts broken as Lyralei spoke up, “You know,” Ren slowly brought her attention back to the table to listen in, “If it’s really that uncomfortable to you, it’s much much much,” she said shaking her head. Ren watched the motion inquisitively, not sure what to make of it but a pretty good idea of where she was going. “easier to just say so early on. Just a little advice for when other guys and girls come knocking,” she stopped and gave Ren a smile, a small gulp as Ren began to think how to respond. Letting the silence fall between them as Lyralei waved back to the waiter for a refill, her attention going back to the fireworks.

Ren would hold her gaze, musing over her thoughts as she waited to see whether Lyralei would turn back or add anything else, Ren would go on after a short moment. "It's not... well, it's not that it's uncomfortable, I mean it is now. But not as a whole..." she stammered through, her thoughts were failing her as she didn't want to be rude but also didn't want to throw everything out of the window completely either. She would continue on, "It's not that, I mean, it's fine and all, I guess I just wasn't expecting it... I don't know really..." she would add. In her mind she knew that all that meant absolutely nothing but she wasn't sure that she had anything else she could add. The two parts of herself still vying over whatever would or might happen, whatever implications of entertaining the idea or leaving it as it was.

Ren had to make a choice, part of her was yelling out, Live a little! You won't live forever! Take the chance and entertain the night away, you might even enjoy it! her conscious would cry out. Her mind telling her to retreat away and that this wasn't how she should go about it all. Ren knew that in this moment she could lose the opportunity or save, but uncertainty had creeped in and there was no way she would just make a decision so easily anymore. "Sorry, it's just that the whole meet at a party, or one night stand thing isn't exactly my cup of tea or anything." Ren would add with a chuckle and raise her cup and took a sip, it was cheesy and dumb and she knew it, she just wanted to say something to avoid the inherent argument, a distraction to her thoughts. "I'm just used to a more traditional approach is all..." she would add in and set her cup down.

Even as she said the words, she wasn't sure what else that was supposed to add, whether it be justification for her uncertainty or an attempt to maintain the conversation by beating around the bush. Again, in her mind, Ren had absolutely no idea about anything at all... and was more just waiting for a response to her ramblings than anything.

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The fireworks continued to go off and the party raged onwards, and inside that greater event was a much more awkward one unfolding before Ren. The whole time she wondered if Lyralei were paying attention, a short confirmation that she was gave her the signal to go on and explain herself. It was obvious that her gesture being rejected made her quite short, probably for good reason but it was a shift in tone nonetheless. Going on through her whole awkward stammering, her attention remained on the fireworks as almost if trying to ignore it, not that it would change anything.

Ren watched as she took a deep breathe and reached for her coins to pay for the tea, it was obvious and impending. Ren couldn't, however, tell if the sigh to center herself was because she was annoyed or for some other reason. Noticing the hefty tip, Ren watched with a neutral expression as she began to depart from the table and her company. “Well, my advice still stands. Have fun,” she would offer as she headed away from the shop and back into the party.

Ren would chuckle a bit at the thought, watching for a short moment as Lyralei faded into the background of the event, more fireworks going off over head. "Yup, fun indeed..." she added quietly to herself. Ren sighed and took the last sip of her tea before reaching for her own money and dropping it on the table. Tip and all before she stood up and stretched a bit in her spot. A quick wave to the waiter as she decided to head off, he quickly approached from behind her to bus the table and take the money and all.

She wondered for a short moment on how awkward things would be if she were ever to run into Lyralei again. Perhaps it would only be that way if she made it so, but where else would she run into her at? It was a large world though, who knows, for now she wouldn't worry about it and would aim to forget the encounter as a whole.

Ren made her way through the streets and began to head home to do whatever it was that she would do. Maybe some reading, maybe head straight to sleep, That's enough of that for one night though. My brothers can find their way home on their own... she thought to herself as she made her way around. Keeping an eye on the sky to admire the starry night and occasional explosion of color from the fireworks. Maybe next time it won't be such a drag, or at least next time, she won't end up making an awkward mess of herself... Still, for all it was worth, the short time that she was there was a little fun. Maybe she would go find a rooftop to hide on and watch things from a distance.

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