Every Time I Think I'm Free [Social - Closed]

Magnolia was a place of memories for Eli. It was here that he first lived with his parents, here where he met Emilia, and here where he developed his magic. No matter how he looked at it, it was just being in this city that had lead to him becoming who he was today. While he hadn't visited the city much after leaving it to start traveling, coming back to it almost felt like coming home from a long trip. It felt like he had been visiting a lot of rarer places lately. As much as he hated to admit it, it was almost like he was hiding. Being in the guildhall felt almost suffocating to him. It wasn't anything like he imagined, and that was the problem. He felt if he stayed there too much he might find himself being absorbed into it, and he couldn't let that happen.

Strolling through the streets, he scanned every corner and alleyway. The first part about setting up a gig was finding the ideal location. He still remembered almost every nook and cranny from growing up, but deciding where the traffic would be that day was the challenge. Today he planned on an actual show, not a con. He needed to cheer himself up, and besides, Magnolia was often pretty good on tips. Stopping at a small corner, he took the chance to lean against it and relax for a bit. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a coin and began to casually flip it. He seemed to be paying almost no attention to his surroundings at the moment, blankly starring in front of him as the coin flipped before his face.

Lost in his own thought, he felt a wave of nostalgia flow before him, and that wasn't exactly a good thing. He was in a fairly sour mood today, and it seemed to only bring back the worst memories. Of his parents, of his departure, With a heavy sigh, he continued to watch the coin briefly fly before his eyes before quickly dropping down. He was trying to empty his mind and was failing spectacularly at it. Falling more and more out of touch with the world around him, Eli seemed almost as if he was in a trance for the moment.

When Eli felt the force hit him, it made him snap back to reality and realize how dead he could have been there. 'If someone wanted to kill me right there, they totally could have. I was way too focused on myself. Idiot.' His coin flew away from him, clashing across the ground and landing a few feet away. Eli himself was barely moved from his spot, but he was slightly shaken from suddenly being forced from his memories. Pushing himself off the wall, he dusted himself off. Turning to Victoria, he gave her a friendly smile. "No no, that was all my fault, I was completely zoned out."

He looked around, trying to find his coin. Spotting it a few feet to his left, he bent down and picked it up, returning to idly flipping it. He looked back at Victoria, curious about the woman. Maybe it'd do him some good to make a new acquaintance. It was definitely better than sulking by himself. "Say, I hope you don't think me too forward for asking, but what are the chances a beautiful woman like yourself is free right now? It's been a long time since I was last here, and having someone show me somewhere good to eat wouldn't be a bad idea." He gave her a warm smile, catching the coin as it finally landed. "It'll be my treat, of course."

He couldn't help but notice the creature on her shoulder. It wasn't like anything he had seen before, and that interested him as well. There was always something to learn from the unknown. Plus, it's not like there was anything wrong with joining a pretty young girl for dinner. There was also no Emilia to spoil anything for him. So far, things seemed to be starting to turn into his favor. Hopefully they stayed that way.

Placing his hands in his pocket, Eli gave a nod of recognition to both Victoria and Catsume. No direct reaction to his compliment, so he decided not to push it too far. Trying to hard was never appealing. "The pleasure is all mine Victoria, to you as well, Catsume." Following closely behind the pair as they walked, he wondered where she would take him. He actually did know a few restaurants in Magnolia from before he left, but it was always a good way to judge someone based on where they took him. What type of restaurant they selected, as well as how expensive it was after he offered to pay could tell him the tastes and values of a person fairly easily. It was often through the more lesser actions one could get a greater grasp of a person.

He chuckled slightly at her comment, raising his shoulders in a shrug. "Who am I indeed? I believe our collision has rocked me of my memory completely. I was hoping you'd know who I was." He gave her a playful smile. As bad of a joke as it was, he really wouldn't mind being separated from his memories right now. It'd help to improve his mood at least. "I'm Eli Validus, just Eli is preferred. I'm a wandering man, just looking to spread my craft and entertainment. I could say much more, but I don't want to talk about myself too much and deny the pleasure of getting to learn about you." Moving his hands from his pocket, he placed them both behind his head, looking up at the sky briefly before turning to her. "If don't mind me asking, would you grace my ears with your story?" Eli was feeling awfully playful for the moment, and he wasn't exactly sure why. However, when trying to distract oneself, a sudden burst of energy wasn't something to deny. Following Victoria closely, he tried to see if he could figure out where she was leading him, but was so far unsuccessful.

Following Victoria into the restaurant, Eli noted it was one he had never been to before. Alright, so he'd be in for a surprise at the very least. He gave a small bow to Castume as he flew off, not saying anything to the creature though. He wasn't exactly a fan of animals, so seeing it leave was slightly relieving. Following Victoria to their table, he smiled at her as she spoke, giving a slight chuckle at her explanation of her story. Was she shy, humble, or hiding something? He'd have to find out at some point. "Personally, I think that's a massive down-statement. It takes a lot to shape a person, and belittling that devalues all you've done and everyone you've affected. Take pride in yourself and every action you take." For once, Eli spoke from the heart. If you couldn't live with pride in what you've done, what point is there in living? Not everything is an amazing decision, but always picking what you felt was right is something to be proud of regardless. "Plus, if looks are anything to judge off, you've at least got one thing to be proud of."

He couldn't help but through a compliment or two in there, it was a habit at this point. Plus, it doesn't hurt to come off as pleasing, does it? Relaxing back in his chair, he gave her a warm smile. "As for me, I could say that I'm just a simple man as well. Like I said before, I'm an entertainer, and until recently, I made a living off of travelling for odd jobs and donations from my shows." Donations, sure. He wasn't going to tell Victoria about all of the gambling, cheating, stealing he participated in till now. Not like she needed to know. "As of right now, I'm in the moment of a change in my life, so it's hard to say much else. I'd say more, but I fear I'd waste your precious time with a boring story."

He turned to face the waiter as he approached, watching Victoria's reaction in the corner of his eye. He surprised a chuckle at it; it looked most likely he was just a fairly shy person. He was curious what exactly to order; he had no idea what type of restaurant it was, nor did he know the menu. Maybe it'd be best to just start with some drinks. "I'm afraid you're ahead of yourself a bit my friend. I'm not nearly lucky enough to be in a relationship with a woman like her. As for our order- rather, mine at least, I'll just start with a drink for now. Could I get some whisky, any variety is fine, and a pitcher of water with some glasses, if you can." He turned to Victoria, looking expectantly to see what she ordered. He was already drinking, but then again, that wasn't very uncommon for Eli.

Taking the drink from the waiter as he returned with it, Eli gave the man a grateful nod as he left. He took a drink of it, somewhat disappointing. It was strong, but so far he hadn't found anything yet that could beat the firewater found in the Sabertooth hall, as much as he hated to praise the place. Placing the drink down, he took the chance to analyze Victoria. She responded to his compliments exceptionally well; he wasn't sure if it was from interest or if she was just open to them. At least it was a sign to continue with them. She seemed like a fairly pleasant girl, albeit a bit restrained. Then again, it's not like he was one to spill his guts to a random stranger either. She also drank hard like him, so he was already fond of her if not just for that.

Eli raised an eyebrow when she mentioned being the Thunder God Slayer. That was a name drop right there. While he didn't tend to care much about the politics and world around him outside of what was directly relevant to him, even he understood the power behind being a slayer. 'Well, it looks like fate brought me something interesting today. I can't tell if she's downplaying it out of humbleness or to make it seem bigger. Regardless, it would be best to watch myself here.' He leaned back in his chair, giving a shrug to Victoria. "You could say I am. I'm fairly proud of myself though, I just don't agree with needless boasting." He looked around the restaurant, trying to figure out what type it was exactly. "I'm more interested in hearing the stories of others, I don't like to talk about myself much." Lie, he could talk about himself for hours. "If you want to hear more about myself however, I guess I could share some stories. I've spent the last few years developing my magic and living off the streets. I worked for everything I have on my own, with the scars to prove it." Eli's eyes settle upon Gloria as he spoke that line, a sadness overtaking his face before returning to a casual appearance. "I was recently..... drafted into Sabertooth, but I don't plan on staying long. I prefer being a free agent, or at least a guild that isn't so high upon itself."

Eli felt almost obligated to tell her a bit more about himself now, she had given a fairly large tidbit about herself to him. Still, he wasn't exactly comfortable talking about being guilded. It still felt wrong to him; as if he was a dog on the council's leash, despite what Zenshin had said before. He couldn't deny he was growing to like the benefits however. It was certainly not matching up entirely with what he had thought guilds were like. "I can talk more about myself if you want, who am I to deny the requests of a wonderful woman giving me the time of day?" He gave her a small smile, taking another sip of his drink. "For the time being, I am completely at your mercy. I do hope however that my story was at least entertaining to you, and you might understand why my previous statement wasn't exactly a down statement, especially when compared to the Thunder God Slayer calling herself a simple girl."