"Look mommy, that lady just won a soda drinking contest! Can I try?" The light voice of a little girl managed to reach the aforementioned contest, and the ears of the aforementioned winner.

Arianna broke out into a smile, finding the girl's comment simply adorable. She had heard it called many things over the years, but 'Soda' was a new one. That the little girl genuinely thought it was soda just made it more endearing. From another direction, behind her, a little boy's voice rang out in excitement.

"No way! You're Fero Maze, the best Mercenary in Guardia!"

"And don't you forget it!" An older voice responded, in a tone that oozed confidence.

The green haired young woman shook her head lightly in amusement. She idly wondered if the mercenary was just humoring the boy, or if he really did talk like that? The answer to that question came swift enough as a man with shaggy blue hair came up next to her and shot her a smile.

"Count me in!" The man said, the cocky tone and sound of his voice identifying him as the same man she had overheard moments ago. As his gaze shifted to the pile of cans in front of her, the slightest widening of his eyes betrayed a moment of hesitation.

Any response she might have had was distracted by a young teenager entering himself as well, taking the seat on the other side of Fero. The youth reached an arm out, shoving Fero backwards so he could see her clearly.

"What's a girl like you doing in a drinking contest?" The question was meant to be flirty and playful, but there was a presumptuousness to it that irked her. The fact that he was so rude as to shove someone out of the way didn't improve the impression any.

She didn't show her annoyance, however. Instead she shifted on her stool, so that she was facing him. Bringing one leg lightly across the other, in the feminine manner to account for her skirt, she propped an elbow up on the table. Taking care not to disturb the pyramid of cans in front of her, she brought the side of her head to rest in her palm. Able to see the young teenager clearly without the need for Fero being shoved backward as he was, she fixed her blue eyes on his. The corners of her lips twitched upward into a small smile.

"Winning, so far." Her tone was friendly, no hint of offense or sarcasm present. A mischievous twinkle lit up in her eyes as she asked a question of her own. "What do you think a girl [i]like me[/i] should be doing?"

Anyone who had heard such a question before would recognize it for the trap it was.