[9:16 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Once at the dining hall, Ekmeros noticed Mallon but didn't make a move to really acknowledge them, focused on just getting some food and survivingcontinuing the conversation with Zerada. He picked up a handful of food before he sat down with his plate. "It is good food," he repeated, now with proof in front of him.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[10:06 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“It is, I like it a lot.” Zerada hummed. She only grabbed herself an orange juice before she joined him at the table. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[10:11 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros ate as he thought of a conversation piece. "...orange juice is good." Great conversation starter, Ekmeros, 10/10.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[10:14 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“Yeah, it is.” Zerada paused for a moment. “You can tell it’s fresh and hand squeezed. It’s even more delicious that way.” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[10:23 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"Things do taste best when they're fresh," Ekmeros commented with a nod, taking a sip from the glass of water he totally picked up I totally know what he's eating right now I'm not making it up as I go along.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[11:30 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

Zerada hummed as she took another sip of her drink.

“So, out of curiosity- How long have you been playing your instrument?” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[11:33 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros sat up a little straighter. "Oh, for most of my life. It's always been there, really. I was taught it, then I taught myself further while I travelled."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[11:34 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“Is that so?” Zerada managed a small smile. “That’s nice. Impressive, too, that you continued on your own.” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[11:54 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros nodded again. "Well, it helped me travel and I enjoy playing the viol anyway. I was taught most things as a child so it was easier to teach myself the more advanced things."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[11:56 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“That’s nice,” Zerada was quiet for a moment. “I always wanted to learn an instrument. The guitar, in particular. I never quite had the chance to.” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[12:00 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"I have never played the guitar." Great contribution. "I did try to play other instruments but... never took to them so easily."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[12:22 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"That's okay, maybe this one is the one that's meant to be." Zerada suggested before she took another sip of her drink. "But I'm sure if you were to keep at it, you'd become quite skilled in those instruments as well." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[12:37 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"Hm... I am just very used to the precise positioning and method of playing the viol. Other instruments do not sit well with me." He took the case off his shoulder and held it as if to play the viol while still encased. "You hold it like this, you see? Whereas the... guitar, for example, you hold in a different way. It's unusual for me to hold an instrument like that. And, for the viol you use a bow to play the strings, rather than plucking the guitar strings with your fingers. I have not played the guitar but I have played other instruments where you pluck the strings like that, and come to the conclusion that I do not like it." Autism alert.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[2:49 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“Huh, that makes sense,” Zerada nodded. “I can understand how the positioning and textures of some instruments can be off-putting. It’d likely bug me as well.” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[4:02 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"Holding the viol has become habitual and thus... feels wrong to break the habit." Ekmeros took another bite of his food and stopped talking. Polite old man.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[8:20 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“It’s understandable. I’m sure I’d feel the same way if I had grown up playing an instrument, and then tried to switch.” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[8:29 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros just nodded as he continued to eat. Good food.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[8:56 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

Zerada fell into silence as she drank her juice as well. Very nice. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[9:11 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Good food. They're hanging out look they're bonding.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[9:18 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

Nice bonding time.

“.. So..”

@soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[9:47 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros swallowed his bite and took a sip of water as Zerada spoke. "Hm? Sorry, I'm... concentrating."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[10:42 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“Oh, no, It’s okay, I didn’t really- Say anything..” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[10:59 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"Oh." Ekmeros paused, did the :| face again before awkwardly continuing to eat, though he was slow to actually put the food in his mouth in case Zerada did in fact say something.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[2:28 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

Zerada took another sip of her juice. She waited until after Ekmeros was done chewing and eating to speak.

"So, uh- Where are you from?" Zerada asked cautiously. That was always a bit of a rough question to ask, but she was quite curious as to just where in the world he was from. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[2:40 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"Oh, ah, a village, very far from where the boat picked us up. My village is called Stonewatch, though I don't really live there anymore. Because I travel." Ekmeros took another quick sip of his water after answering the question. "Would... would you like to tell me where you are from?"

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[3:20 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"Ah- Yeah, I can say I've never heard of it before." Zerada hummed. "It sounds like a quaint little place. I'm from Chicago, but my family originates from Mexico." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[4:25 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"...villages are small," he said as if to remind Zerada of that fact. "I've never been to... 'Cher-cargo' or 'Mexicko'."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[5:33 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"They are small," Zerada nodded her head in agreement. "And it's okay. If you get the chance to ever visit Chicago, I recommend it. It's a big city, but it has a lot to offer." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[5:34 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"...I do not go to cities," Ekmeros said very plainly. "I've found that people in cities are not often interested in my instrument. And they're louder."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[5:36 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"Yeah, I can- Understand that," Zerada paused. "Some villages in Mexico would really like your music." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[5:38 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"Is that so? Well... I suppose once I leave the island, I may try travel there." Ekmeros nodded sharply to affirm that to himself. "Travelling for so long has forced my hand to visit new places... such as here."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[7:01 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"I can understand that. I've done quite a bit of traveling of my own." Zerada sighed. "It's surprising that it's led us to ultimately the same place." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[7:04 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros tilted his head. "How long have you been travelling, then?" He didn't comment on the latter statement but nodded in mild acknowledgement.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[7:07 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

Zerada paused. "Almost four, five years? It's been quite a while.." Doing the math, since she was sixteen or fifteen. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[7:09 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros paused, narrowing his eyes as he also did the math. "...I have been travelling for a long time now." He decided that saying twenty years might make him sound a little pathetic, or sad.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[7:11 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"Is that so? Huh," Zerada paused for another moment. ".. Hopefully, we both can come to stop traveling once we've-.. Achieved our goals.."

Zerada knew that only someone who traveled for this long of a time had something they were seeking. Something, somewhere, someone. Rest sounded so, so nice. Maybe they'd both get it one of these days. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[7:16 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Just another :| face as Ekmeros nodded. He ate a bit more food as he thought over what Zerada had said, then swallowing and drinking some water to wash his mouth out. "That would be nice... though travelling for so long, it would be strange to stop, even after we have accomplished our reasons for it."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[7:21 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"I'll admit, I can't quite- Imagine being able to stop," Zerada took her glass of orange juice and held it in both of her hands. She stared into the liquid as she rotated the glass, causing the juice to swirl and create a small vortex.

"It's weird to think of stopping, it's even weirder to think of what comes after that." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[7:25 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros had finished his glass of water and settled to just stare at the remaining droplets in the glass. "After a while, it becomes... habit, doesn't it? And habit is hard to break, even when there's no reason for it anymore." His hand absentmindedly ran across the case of the viol. "Then there is... the chance we never complete our goals. Forever travelling. It's nice to see new lands but... how far can one go?"

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[7:27 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

".. People always say that there's so much of this world to be seen, that one can't use a single lifetime to see it all," Zerada spoke quietly. "At what point do we just- Stop, and accept that all that we've seen is enough?"

She remained quiet for a few more moments before she sighed. "There's a direct end to my goal. I don't know when or how I'll reach it, but I know that an end is there. I just want to get to it soon." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[7:30 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros quietly pondered over her statement before he practically whispered, "I suppose when we've seen the thing we've always wanted the most. But perhaps the point is to relearn what we want." He put more food on his cutlery but didn't actually move to eat it.

He frowned. "My goal is... a lot less concise. I don't know what the ending is, but there will be something for me to find. And now, I don't particularly how it ends. Just that it does."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[7:41 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

Zerada leaned back in her chair. Her gaze remained on her juice.

".. Mine ends in two ways. Either someone else meets their end, or I meet my own. It's as simple as that for me." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I hope that yours isn't-.. So complicated as mine. I hope your quest is kind the rest of the way for you, and that you'll find what you're looking for." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[7:46 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros was silent. Goddamn these kids had issues. Not that he could really talk. "...I see." He had no idea what to fucking say sorry Zerada. "I will find something, one day. There's a whole world out there, I will find... it somewhere."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[7:48 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

Zerada was edgy. She was doing her best, Ekmeros.

"Yeah.. Anyways, I hope you find it out there. Soon. Hopefully, soon." Zerada took a long sip of her orange juice and finished it quickly. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[7:55 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"...hopefully you will... not die?" Man did not sound certain, more likely worried that he misunderstood rather than being uncertain that Zerada would live. Ekmeros set his empty glass back down.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[7:55 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"Oh- Uh, thanks," Zerada cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly. "I hope I won't either.. But hey, you never know..?" @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[7:59 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"...no, you do never know. But still." More :| face. Man did not know what to make of this. He didn't even move to continue eating he was just sat there. Concerned for this child.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[8:01 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

".. Thaaanks.." Zerada nodded her head. She looked back to her empty glass of juice. She wished that she hadn't had all of it in one go, now she couldn't awkwardly sip at it. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[8:02 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros just sat there, clearly having no clue what to say. Yep. Just chilling, sort of.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[8:07 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

Zerada tapped her fingers on the table. Yup. Normal conversation. Yup. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[8:10 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros pushed his food around before deciding he was no longer hungry. "...the food is good here."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[8:27 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"It is.." Zerada cleared her throat. "The, uh, pasta was good." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[8:43 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"Thank you for the recommendation." So good at conversation.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[8:51 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

"Cool. No problem." Zerada tapped the table. "Well, uh- This was a nice meal.. I'm glad we got to spend this time together and just- Talk.." @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[9:31 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros nodded. "Yes, it was good to talk more since we didn't have much conversation at the gala. I think Taisto is the more... conversational one."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[9:40 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“I think he is,” Zerada nodded. “He seems good at this..” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[9:43 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"Yes..." Ekmeros decided not to point out that he - or either of them, really, sorry Zerada - wasn't very good at conversation in turn.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[9:46 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

It’s okay, Zerada was in full agreement.

She fiddled with the empty glass in her hand and cleared her throat. “Anyways, uh- D’you wanna talk about anything else, or- Would you wanna eat the rest of your breakfast in peace..?” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[9:48 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

"...oh, right. Breakfast." Ekmeros looked down at his plate. "I think I've finished for now." However, it was very obvious he had no more ideas for conversation topics that weren't infodumps for viols that I personally am not at all qualified to write. "Thank you for accompanying me. I don't usually eat with other people."

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[10:23 PM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“Of course, thanks for having me. This was- Nice.” As awkward as it was, Zerada had to admit that it was nice to sit and enjoy a nice orange juice. “I’ll see you later, okay?” @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[10:27 PM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros nodded. "I will... dispose of this food waste." Not that he really knew where to put it but he'd work that out later. Later being once Zerada dipped.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[6:04 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

“Okay, well- Have a good one?” Zerada awkwardly gave him a wave.

She made her leave from the dining hall. As she passed by the trash cans, she gave it a tap with her hand, as if to let Ekmeros know where to throw his trash out at.

She left. @soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻

[10:36 AM]soul | peregrine 🎭 + ekmeros 🎻:

Ekmeros nodded to acknowledge the trash can and still just sat there for a second. Then, once Zerada had been gone for a little while, he stood up, threw the waste away, set his plate down where it seemed to supposedly go, then also left. So good at conversation.

@🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐

[10:39 AM]🌙Vanessa🌙 | Zerada⚡+ Kal⭐:

So very good!!