Before the dashing gentleman in front of Shuyi could reply to her, she noticed the chatter around her changing. It sounded much more hush, with surprise and fear mixed in. She soon realized the source of the change was the hand that had just reached around her to show the same flyer she had. She turned her head to see a menacing-looking young man towering over her, unintentionally, of course. He had cold eyes, and a stiff air about him. She did everything she could, but still let a small squeak pass her lips. She quickly whipped her head back to the gentleman over the counter, hints of red spreading across her cheeks. Scary as he was, it was certainly rude to make such a sound at another’s appearance. Shuyi desperately hoped that her misdemeanor had escaped the notice of who, she presumed, would be her future colleague.

Thankfully, she was saved from further embarrassment as Nivaan confirmed his identity. Nivaan seemed pleasantly surprised at the number of people showing up for this job, as he led the two towards the meeting room where several were already waiting in. As both men were taller than her and had longer strides, Shuyi found herself falling behind. Although, Nivaan had kept the pace slow enough that she was just a step behind the two. She soon caught a glimpse of a small blue cat sitting on top of the young man’s shoulder. Her smiled to herself at the conflicting image in front of her. [color=bd2600][i]Maybe he isn’t a bad person. After all, no bad person would have such a cute pet.[/i][/color] Maybe she could ask to pet the cat later.

Nivaan was taking them through a series of corridors and hallways. The inside of the guild hall was bigger than what Shuyi had expected. Trotting behind the two, Shuyi found her gaze drifting back to the cat and its owner every now and then. She was intrigue by the pair and was imagining all sorts of stories between them. Somewhere along the way, Shuyi noticed a pleasant and upbeat music that was getting louder. It didn’t sound like any music she’d heard before. She was pleasantly surprised when Nivaan showed them to the room the music was coming from. However, he didn’t linger around before leaving in the direction they came from. [color=bd2600][i]I wonder if we’re still waiting for people. It’s getting quite late.[/i] [/color]

Shuyi stepped into the room and looked around. There were a number of chairs, four of which were already filled. A large window sat at the back of the room, with a pair of bookshelves lining an adjacent wall. Her eyes lit up at the bookshelves, knowing that she was sure to find something interesting amongst the pages. She briskly walked to one of them, fingering the spines are she read the titles. Already, she’d found a few that she would love to read, as well as ones that she had read. Deciding that it was best to ask for permission first, before taking any of them, she returned her attention to the other occupants in the room.

Besides Shuyi and the young man with the cat, the only other human was a scruff-looking uncle, who appeared to be reading a book. His piercing eyes and stern expression remined her of one of her great-uncles. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it reminded her of how far she was from home. There was Gnome sitting on a chair that was comically too tall for him. Something about the way he’s been sitting told her that he wouldn’t appreciate any jokes about his size though. Sitting far from the previous two, was a beautiful Beastfolk girl. Shuyi was entranced by how soft her white fur looked but moved her gaze when she realized she was staring. At last, Shuyi focused on the source of the music she’d been hearing – a tall Blue Oni… well, more like giant by Shuyi’s standards. She was playing a string instrument, but Shuyi wasn’t well-versed in music enough to know what it was.

It seemed that everyone was waiting, patiently or not, for Nivaan to come back to start the meeting. Shuyi ended up choosing a seat between two other girls. Her thoughts drifting about to the rhythm of the music. [color=bd2600][i]I’m so excited to get to know the non-humans… maybe not the Gnome? He reminds me of the Consorts... Oh, how I want to touch her soft-looking fur… her tail too!... but that would be rude, wouldn’t it?... what do the other people do?... is that a rifle?!... the cat! I must pet the cat… its owner is a little… I hope I didn’t leave a bad impression with him… the other human both seems a little intimidating too… when is Mr. Nivaan gonna come back?... [/i] [/color]