The Midnight Sun

After Takhana and Zaor have seated themselves and had a few moments to settle into their seats and come to terms with the features of the room, they are treated to a few minutes of silence.

Even through the silencing runes, the din of the floors below makes itself present in oscillating murmurs that sometimes vibrate the floor. The candelabra overhead burns away quietly.

Just as one might begin to say something, to offer some manner of comment, or otherwise break the silence of the room, Madame Naoki beats them to it, pushing the door open without preamble or fanfare. For this meeting of meetings, it seems as she has chosen to wear one of one of her sweater dresses, a longer, sort of burgundy-colored one that nearly comes down to her knees. To match the pigmentation of her dress, an uncharacteristic bit of color seems to have seeped its way onto her face as well. Whether it is the result of exertion, embarrassment, or some other cause entirely is hard to say.

Regardless, as she enters the room, Naoki deposits a small handbag just to the side of the door before raising a hand in greeting to the room’s occupants. “Mr. Brytis, I presume, and Takhana.” She inclines her head in greeting to each of them in turn before moving to seat herself.

However, before Naoki can finish seating herself, and before the door can finish closing behind her, it is again pushed open. Into the room comes handsome, but not otherwise fairly plain looking waiter. In one hand, he holds a small notepad, presumably for taking orders upon. He looks to Takhana and Zaor expectantly as Naoki seem to be having some manner of issue settling her tail into the chair.

"Oh, yes, Lamina Manira. A pleasure," she said confidently. She gave Skarlet a real smile that bespoke a complete shift in mood from when she was at the Sun Marshal's Headquarters not too long ago. She was aware that this was an effect of the Avalon, knowing the drinks here were special, but this was something she wasn't quite expecting. It was almost a sudden shift to her old, pre-Goraia self, where she felt considerably more independent and in control.

She found herself feeling a whole lot more confident and in charge of her presentation, but felt it strange and foreign all the same... just how long was this to last?

"Yyyyeah. That's sort of how it went." Lamina skipped over some of those other details. "It was both of them, actually. But..." Lamina had to ask about something she thought she heard Skarlet say, "Lady Naoki is your mother? Really?"
She suspected Skarlet had to have been telling the truth. How else would she already know that Lamina was getting into the Sun Marshals?

"Thank you," she said, living up the moment. Hearing praise made her feel good again, and her current Avalonian mindset much preferred that to the depression of this morning. "I was taken from my family by bandits when I was little, and they sold me to an arena master. I grew up in the underhalls training to become a gladiator, practicing with the best, so that the arena master could make money off the entertainment," she said. Her almost nonchalant tone masked the fact that her very young childhood was really quite traumatizing and she wasn't raised in the best of conditions, or that the arena master fully intended for her to eventually die.

She settled in her chair, appearing comfortable with Skarlet's company. "Eventually someone took me under their wing and began mentoring me closely, and taught me a school of fencing called La Verdadera Destreza."

Lamina lowered the strap of her dress down her left shoulder, revealing a single cut-shaped scar that just slightly flawed her shoulder. Lamina also had just one major scar she could attribute to her rough and tumble youth--and one she acquired only within this last year.
"Not.. really actually, just this one," she said, then letting go of her dress. "But I did have magical healing," she said. "So I was curious," the girl went on, having found a foreign, newfound confidence in the Avalon, "um... do you know where.. Sakand is?"

"Yyeah," she replied matter-of-factly, "that's the place."
Lamina generally wasn't so forward with requests, but she found herself in quite the predicament with getting in touch with old habits or the material luxuries she used to enjoy on her lonesome while fighting for (and living in) the coliseum.
"Are there any... places around town, that might carry Sakandian goods or luxuries? There was this really cool plant, you see, and I want to see if I can find someone who has it again."

"A secret garden you say? And how do I get to this place?"
Lamina's interest definitely was piqued by this. Knowing that the Avalon was only one of many different special drinks on the menu at this establishment, she knew there had to be a wealth of magical and psychoactive plants in that basement. Suddenly, the likelihood of her finding what she wanted seemed very apparent.
Lamina was beginning to like this Avalon. It had an excellent way of making her very... lucky.

Wow. This Avalon was only getting stronger and stronger!

"Really?? Yes, let's go now!" She seemed playfully excited, her tone sort of raising an octave at the end while she kept her speech considerately quiet. "I'm done with my drink, I am very impressed with the Avalon."

She was very curious where Skarlet would lead her or what this place would look like.