Elric nodded thoughtfully, still smiling, as he took in the information. “If she’s willing, I think having her along would be a helpful addition to our party.” he reiterated as the waiter left the table.
“We can ask Daisy about her experience when we visit her.” Charlie pointed out. “She’s an elf, and we don't know exactly how old she is so it's very possible that she’s been on quite a few adventures before she settled down here.”
Irae nodded. "We can ask. It would be helpful. She did say she's a mage, though she didn't specify sorcerer, wizard, cleric, paladin, or otherwise. She had a bit of healing magic. It seems like she probably developed that for a more adventure-y lifestyle." She noted.
(I am so tired, sorry for shorter response. Would have liked to do more but I can't think well right now)
(That's ok)
Elric nodded again. “Let's just interview her once we know if she’s even interested or available to join us.” he pointed out.
“That's true.” Charlie shrugged. “We don't know if she would want to leave town yet. But it's clear none of us are against Daisy joining us if she wants to.”
Irae nodded. "Alright. We'll head over right after we eat then. Is the porridge been ordered?" She asked Charlie.
“Yep.” Charlie smiled, flashing her fangs. “It's a good, quick, hearty breakfast, especially for travelers.” she explained, ignoring any questioning looks Elric might be giving them.
“And I ordered some black tea for all of us.” Elric added casually despite his confusion. “I hope that’s alright.”
Irae shrugged. "Should be. I'll try it. Never had it before." She said, before quickly coming up with a story as an excuse, deciding to use it if Eldric asked.
“Personally, I've always been partial to green tea but black teas are fine too.” Charlie admitted, not complaining about Eldric’s choice. “But it turns out my preference for tea is not the same as Rae’s.” she added with a playful smile, as if she was teasing.
Elric nodded, taking note of Charlie’s preferred tastes, and her deflection. “Never had black tea but not a fan of green tea?” he wondered but not judging. “What’s the story behind that?”
Irae shrugged. "I just escaped a cult. They beat me to bear death, when Charlie found me. Two days ago. It was pretty strict, there wasn't much I ate there." She said softly, glad to have thought of a cover story.
"I had green tea yesterday." She added.
Charlie was glad that their tea hadn't arrived yet because she was sure she and/or Elric would have choked on it at Irae’s “story”. But she simply cleared her throat and shyly looked down as if this was an uncomfortable topic.
“My apologies!” Elric said, his eyes wide in shock. “I didn't mean to…” he trailed off uncertainly.
Irae nodded. "It's fine, you didn't know. I'm glad to be out of there, and Charlie has helped a lot." She said, in a tone that suggested not to talk about it anymore. "I'm glad she found me."
Charlie smiled softly at Irae, blushing a little. "I'm glad to have found you too." she admitted sincerely. As unexpected as it was, she enjoyed being Irae's… guide to mortal life.
Elric nodded, picking up on Rae's tone and not pressing for more information at this time as the waiter appeared with their breakfast. Though he still couldn't help but wonder at how well she seemed to be after something so traumatic.
Irae smiled at Charlie, and politely thanked the waiter, trying the tea and the porridge. She didn't comment on it, but confined eating. It was fine, it seemed..
Charlie quickly dressed up her tea and portage with some milk and sugar, placing the containers near Irae in case she wanted to follow her lead, before digging in.
Elric didn't comment and simply leaned back in his seat as he drained his first cup of tea.
Irae watched Charlie, and put a little of each in. She took a bite, and seemed to eat it a bit quicker afterwards. She didn't really like the texture, but it was fine. The tea wasn't her favorite either, but she found it fine.
Charlie couldn't help smiling as she suppressed a soft chuckle at Irae’s reaction to adding the milk and sugar. How the goddess of justice and wrath could be so adorable was beyond her understanding.
Elric decided to keep his options to himself as he ate, assuming that Rae just hadn't had much proper food since… her time. Though he continued to observe both of his new companions.
Irae finished quickly, occasionally glancing to see if Eldric was still watching her. When she finished, she started looking at him the way he had been observing her. She didn't say anything, just watched.
Elric chuckled when he saw Rae watching him, clearly not offended. If anything, he seemed to understand and respect her actions. It was only fair anyway, especially since they didn't really know each other and Rae, apparently, had… a rather unfortunate past.
Charlie finished her meal a little slower than Irae finished hers, her tail twitching thoughtfully. Obviously, none of them knew how long this… adventure would last or how long they would be traveling together, but she just hoped that she, Daisy, and Irae would be able to keep Irae’s identity a secret as long as they needed to.
Irae stopped watching Eldric after a minute, instead turning to Charlie. She wasn't staring at Charlie, moreso using her as a place to look, seemingly unsure of where else she could look without it being strange. "Do you think Daisy will come?" She asked.
“I don't know.” Charlie admitted with a shrug. “I would like her to cause it’d be nice to…” she paused for a near imperceptible moment, glancing at Elric before looking back at Irae, “have the assurance of a professional healer with us. These kinds of quests can be pretty dangerous if you don't know what to expect.” she chose to say instead of how helpful Daisy could be in keeping Irae and her identity safe.
Irae nodded. "It would be helpful. And she seems like the kind of person to join if she believes in the cause." She said, sighing. "And she'll likely have more knowledge in what wild plants are edible or poisonous."
“That's true too.” Charlie nodded. “As much as I love traveling and being on the road, my cooking skills are a bit limited.” she chuckled as her cheeks flushed faintly.
“Do you prefer wild fare when traveling, Ms. Rae?” Eldric asked as he finished his meal.
Irae blinked. "I mean- it's cheaper? I think?" She said, shrugging. "Unless you poison yourself." She noted. "The medical costs would not be cheaper. But its good to know in case you get stranded and run out of rations, right?"
Charlie chuckled at Irae's answer, nodding since she wasn't wrong. "I agree. I always make sure to have enough rations, but on the off chance of running out… it is smart to have some degree of foraging knowledge."
Elric shrugged, accepting Rae's confused response as just another thing she wasn't familiar with because… of reasons. "Well, shall we go and ask your healer if she would like to join us?" he asked, changing the topic as he stood.
Irae nodded. "Is everyone ready then?" She checked, standing and grabbing her stuff. "I think I remember the way, but Charlie should probably lead us there in case I forgot." She mentioned.
"I'm ready." Charlie agreed as she got up and smoothly picked up her pack, swinging it onto her back.
"Then lead the way, ladies." Elric smiled with a polite gesture for them to take him to Daisy the healer.
Irae followed closely behind Charlie, watching Eldric from the corner of her eye. It wasn't that she didn't trust him (though she didn't, not really), but she was also keeping an eye out for any other attackers.
Daisy was sitting outside her porch when the group approached, and smiled and waved. "Hey! Looks like you found a new friend! What can I do for you?" She asked, not sure how much the stranger knew.
Charlie grinned widely and waved back as they approached. “Daisy, this is Elric.” she introduced. “And as good as it is to see you again… we were wondering if you'd like to join us on an adventure.”
Elric bowed theatrically as the tiefling gave his name. “And a friend I hope to be to you as well. Especially if you choose to come with us.” he winked before letting his expression turn more serious. “Though, this quest of our is likely to be dangerous. I only met Charlie and Rae yesterday because they saw me about to get beaten… at the very least.” he admitted.
Daisy looked around at them. "What does this adventure entail?" She asked. "It sounds nice to go out and do something, but I'm not blindly following people in a quest. And when are we going?"
Irae nodded. "That is fair. I think Eldric will be able to explain it best. We're leaving as soon as we have an answer from you."
Elric nodded, understanding her logic. “Of course. And you are welcome to refuse, but if you do, I must ask you to keep this knowledge to yourself.” he prefaced.
“Trust me, Elric.” Charlie smirked. “Daisy knows how to keep a secret.” she assured.
“Very well.” he shrugged before explaining their quest.
Daisy smiled slightly. "If you can give me twenty minutes, I'm in." She said, already starting to gather supplies. She quickly packed a bag for the adventure, then scribbled out a few notes. "I have to deliver some medication and tell a couple people where to find another medic in town." She explained, picking up a delivery bag and the notes.
Irae nodded. "I think we can spare 20 minutes." She said, looking to the others for confirmation.