To say Alisea was pleased with how the meeting had concluded would be an overstatement; however, she felt like it had ended better than she could have expected.  They had a large party and plans to leap ahead in level and power.  And (although she wouldn't tell it to anyone) when Aura had walked back through the door with Reylan, Alisea had felt the tension building in her neck and shoulders disappear.  With her vocal support of taking the necessary risk, the discussion had turned that direction and everyone was--if not in agreement--ready to move forward together.

That left only the final few hours of the day.  Night was settling over Genesis City like a blanket, wrapping up all the activity the town had seen for the day.  Alisea quietly stepped out into the growing dark, pulling the inn's door shut behind her.  She paused for a moment to suck in a cool, calming breath.  She had spent the entire day focused on what she needed to do to stay ahead, to grow strong.  Now, as she caught sight of an elderly gentleman hobbling down the street with his cane, the girl finally let her thoughts wander over what an intricate world this was.  It was apparent this man was only an NPC, and yet Alisea could see so much personality in his three-step shuffle.

When the elder was near to where she stood, Alisea called out to him.  He stopped his steps and turned his whole body toward her, bushy eyebrows raising, then lowering as he squinted to get a good look at her face.  Alisea walked over to his side and, with a gentle smile, asked if she might accompany him on his walk.  With a twinkle in his eye (how an NPC eye in a virtual reality could twinkle Alisea would never know), the man accepted her offer.

They walked slowly, leisurely, toward the market.  As they walked they talked--about him, mostly, and his city she had just arrived in.  His name was Vincenzo, and he was on his way to pick up his wife, Francesca, after she closed their small shop.  Tonight he was running a little late, but (Alisea picked out from his ramblings) he was usually running late and his wife expected that.  He rambled quite a lot--about how exciting it was to have so many adventurers, about how the town had grown over the years and the way things used to be, about his kids that had grown up and made their own families and shops in other floors--but Alisea didn't mind.  In fact, she was happy to pick up as much lore as she could from the kind, old man.  Upon inquiry, Vincenzo informed her that the shops (the good ones, the ones run by good, hardworking men and women, he said) opened shortly after the dawn--approximately 7:00 in the morning.  She found he didn't know anything more about Malgoth than his location at the top of the tower, but he did know a little about monsters surrounding the city:  there were the boars to the south, and a goblin warcamp beyond; there were some rumors, he said, of a strange beast in the shape of a man that hunted in the northeastern mountains, though he was quick to admit many of his neighbors were prone to fanciful tales; and the ferrymen spoke often of the howls of (what they assumed were) wolves in the west, which they heard on nights they were still out on Lake Crystal.  He said he knew there were more monsters further from the city, but he didn't know what they were and he was too old to worry over it.

By the time they reached the market, Alisea was laughing along with Vincenzo.  She liked him; his felicity seemed to reach out and grab onto her as well, calming her troubled heart.  He even invited her into the store to meet his wife.  It was a very small shop indeed; they supplied only miscellaneous goods that were non-perishable.  Alisea, in her early-game rush, had simply wandered into the large general store to buy what she needed; but now she wondered how many of these small shops there were in the city.  Francesca, who stopped cleaning the counter to come over and greet Alisea, was just as kind and sweet as her husband.  They were a wonderful pair; they even agreed to keep the shop open just a minute longer so Alisea could purchase an empty book and ink.  Alisea expressed her gratitude, but the couple waved off any especial praise, saying it's what any good man or woman would do for a friend.  Alisea promised she would come back when she needed more--and it was a true promise.  They were NPCs, she knew in her head; nevertheless, Alisea liked their company and would come back here as often as she could for her purchases.  She may even steer her new teammates toward doing so.

Wishing Vincenzo and Francesca a good night, Alisea stepped out to find the rest of the market had indeed closed down already.  She checked the time:  she could be back at the inn by 8:00.  Her mind switched back over to calculations immediately.  The market opens at 7:00; if she wanted to use the morning hours, she should be up by 6:00, so being asleep by 10:00 would be adequate; that left plenty of time to write in her new journal, and probably speak to some of the party--if they were still around.

Building her schedule and thinking through what she needed to learn and do, the magess made her way back to the inn her team was staying in.  Before the meeting time next morning, she had many, many things to do.