A grin crept across Raphael's face at Areissa's reaction to his magic. He himself was rather desensitized towards it, as he used it so much. But seeing the wonder that filled her twinkling eyes was a sight to see. It was the same with just about everyone he showed his magic to for the first time. When he asked about her magic, she shyly mentioned it wasn't special, and couldn't explain it. Raphael didn't know what to make of this; she didn't have to hide her magic from him or something. If he were thinking of her still as a possible enemy he would be more wary, but he felt like she was probably just being shy now. So, he tried coaxing it out of her.

"Come on, you can show me! The curiosity will kill me if I don't know what it is."

He would hope for a demonstration, and, some time after whatever events transpired after that comment, Areissa asked about what his favorites were. He took a moment to consider, and began to list some things out.

"Well, I like reading, books are great. I like all sorts of magical stuff..."

He struggled to think of some more things off the top of his head, but right now, he couldn't think of any. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't have any particular strong feelings towards much other things. Well, he did like combat, to some extent, but that wasn't anything he was going to tell Areissa. Were there things he was missing? Or was he just not a very material guy? He shrugged, and decided he would roll with it.

"I mean, that's a lot of the important stuff I feel. What about yourself?"

Areissa waited for his answer and still wondered on how she would explain herself. She didn't want to do what she thought she might do, but what harm could it be? She listened to him say how he liked reading books and magic. Before that though she heard him say how his curiousity is going to kill him. It truly reminded her of her old self (sadly still). Simply she would calmly look at him with a small smile. He was pretty cute and she did enjoy this time with him.

Areissa hoped that they would get to see each other again and met once more. For now she should enjoy this time as of right now. He questioned her on what she liked which made her wonder. What didn't she like? She would cutely-girly giggle towards it and made a happy-like smile. ''I love art, knowledge, singing, magic, cooking/baking and a lot more.'' she'd answer happily in her soft tone.

She knew that it was now her turn, for the magic showing and question. Softly she would sigh, close her eyes as the area became dark to her. 'Is it time?' a voice spoke within her head. 'It is time. For a moment.' Areissa spoke back within her mind. Her body would glow a somewhat purple as a clone would appear next to her. The other difference was is that she had brown eyes and brown/light brown hair. She wouldn't be solid as she was see through. Truly she was her other soul, other self being...

Areissa would open her eyes as she and the other her would look at Raphael. ''My magic could be technically called Soul magic. I control the aura and soul of my own and I can see other peoples souls/auras.'' she started to explain as she then held her hand up for a butterfly to form that was multi-colored, flying towards him in which would then disperse like a mini firework in the middle of them. Softly they would both smile and giggle in perfect sync.

Raphael waited expectantly for Areissa to show him her magic, yet, despite his prompting she still seemed a little hesitant. However, she made a gesture as though she meant for him to wait just a little, so he figured he would do just that; hoping that in a little bit he would get to see. After this, Areissa began to speak about the things that she enjoyed - it was quite a large list, filled with many different hobbies. Many of the things she said Raphael couldn’t help but agree with, maybe he had just forgotten many of the more obvious ones. He nodded his head in acknowledgement, and paused a little as she seemed to be starting to do something. Could this be her showing him her magic? She closed her eyes and, pretty soon, a glow would emit from her body, and a hazy brown copy of herself appeared beside her. It was transparent, and as Raphael observed it, Areissa began to speak. She called her magic “Soul Magic,” and said that se had the ability to control her soul, and see other’s souls. Raphael dimly wondered what she might be seeing his soul as, but this thought was dispersed by the interruption of a multi-colored butterfly, which seemed to be made of similar soul energy, which fluttered around and burst to pieces in front of his face. He raised an eyebrow, and applauded lightly.

“You shouldn’t under sell your magic, that seems really impressive! This soul magic thing seems like it’s really interesting; you’re lucky to have it!”

Raphael kind of just sat there, still looking at the projection Areissa had made; intrigued that it could be so accurate, down to the exact details. Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the earlier concern that he had had when she first mentioned the magic.

“So… What does my soul look like? Is that projection yours? Can you make one of mine, or is that not how it works?"

She sat there with her other self. She surely had to make sure to not really let the other one speak. If the brown one was able to speak, who knows what would happen. She remembered back in the day when her and Karisa first met each other. No one else was able to see her; not her cousin, her father, mother nor anyone. It was like she was never alone. Was it like this for everyone else or only certain people? Areissa was curious, but she decided to let all of that go. They both looked at Raphael and had the same face expression, calm.

'Should I truly explain?' Areissa wondered within her thoughts. 'You should and shall, Areissa.' replied Karisa within her head. Her galaxy color eyes looked at him as she has yet to see his soul. Not only did she not want to for the reason of feeling an auto-connection, but because if she did try to see his true soul she would have to 'become one' with him in some way or form. ''No, I can't see your soul...yet. There are only certain ways for me to see someone else's soul.'' she started with her soft soothing tone. Her head turned towards the brown haired one, ''She's my other self. The only way for me to let her out is by my magic. Since I'm not strong enough, she has to stay like this - not being able to do any action.'' she finished and looked back have Raphael.

This guy was mysterious. She couldn't feel his feelings, his intentions nor read his thoughts. Perhaps it was too soon and maybe she will be able to in the future. Even if that was true Areissa wasn't so highly sure of her capabilities of her own magic. What all could it do? She was weak still and she truly didn't know much on herself. Soon the brown copy would disappear as it would just be the two of them. ''Maybe someday I'll get strong enough to do more...'' she mumbled quietly and lowered her gaze. Raphael was probably quite strong, higher rank and probably knew more.

Raphael was still quite amazed at how lifelike the magical projection was; if it weren’t for the transparency and the brown tinge to it, Raphael would have thought that the projection was a real person; an exact clone of Areissa no less. As he contemplated how the magic actually worked, Areissa’s voice peirced through his thoughts, grabbing his attention. He had asked a question about whether she could see his soul, and her answer was a simple one. She couldn’t. Ariessa did say that there were ways though, which called to mind what were those ways. He thought about it briefly as Areissa explained the nature of the projection. It was her “other self” who was being created, though as of right now that projection was unable to actually interact with the world. Raphael understood the idea of it being intangible, but was confused as to what this other self idea was.

“So, is she like, an alter ego? Straight up a split personality? A manifestation of your true thoughts?”

This sort of thing was straight out of the books; usually this sort of “true-self” was the product of emotions that had been locked away, or were hiding unwanted aspects of their owners personality. It was intriguing, and though he wasn’t going to pry too much, he really wanted to know more about it. As Areissa lamented about her own lack of qualities, the figure slowly faded away. She seemed pretty crestfallen about the whole matter, though Raphael didn’t she why she was. It was natural that in order to do more you had to be stronger, but what she had just done now was already pretty impressive.

“I’m sure you will! I’m impressed by what you’ve already accomplished though, the amount of power and concentration that must go into such a projection; it’s nearly mind boggling! It’s hard enough for me to keep track of a couple letters that I have to use to cast spells, but you have a full sized, life-like projection that you can create on a moment’s notice, it’s incredible!”

He might have been laying it on a little thick, but Raphael truly respected the abilities of Areissa. She was an interesting person for sure, he was surprised that he had been somewhat right when he had first picked her out in the crowd.

Areissa looked forward towards him as she wondered on what he was thinking. Her heart spoke already even though it was too soon. She had to keep it quiet...'Silence...' a dark voice spoke within her thoughts. At an instant her heart was numb and she continued to look at Raphael with a calm expression. A small smile, her bright eyes and her gaze was rather good at hiding how she felt. The blushing stayed hidden under her skin as so he wouldn't think over (if he hasn't already) of her shyness. Her ears would listen clearly as he questioned if it was a personality, some ego or something else.

Softly she'd giggle with her right hand up a little against her soft lips. ''Another part of me. That's locked.'' she would make an innocent face and smile. Soon Areissa would listen to him speak once more. Talking about how she probably will become stronger. She would continue to hold her blush and her expressions. A part of her was afraid to show them as she didn't want him to be weirded out in some way. Perhaps friends will all they'll be and so shall it. There could be a chance in the future, but who knows besides their souls...

''So what do you wish to do now?'' she questioned softly as she took another drink of her milkshake and looked deeply into his eyes. 'I can't read him...' she thought flustered. All she could hear was a dark chuckle within her head. Her eyes halfway closed as her soft lips would be licked slowly and simply. Her thoughts within her mind were going crazy, constant and couldn't stop thinking. It was between him, her past and what could happen within her future. It'll be all good, right?

Raphael looked forward at Areissa as she vaguely explained her connection to the other self. It was "another part of her that was locked." Intriguing, to say the least. He didn't know what to make of it, but he had to respect her commitment to secrecy, it was similar to how he often was shifty with his magic. It was never good to show all your cards right from the start, after all. He stretched a little; he had finished all the food, surprisingly, and he was feeling pretty sluggish. He wondered what time it was; if he was going to be information hunting with a partner the next morning, he couldn't afford to miss any sleep. Areissa, as if anticipating this thought, asked him a question that made him think. What did he want to do? Would it be rude to just say he wanted to get sleep? He felt that would be far too abrupt, and besides, he didn't really want to leave too badly. But what else could they do? He was too full to dance or sing; he wasn't sure how long he could keep a conversation going, and other than that he was out of ideas.

"Errr... I don't know... Any thoughts?"

He hoped Areissa would have some sort of good idea, she was generally a fountain of them. The idea of going out in general, the place they went to, the food choice, they were all pretty solid choices. He would leave it in her hands how the night would finish off. He hoped she wouldn't mind the responsibility.

Her eyes would look into his emerald eyes, his leafy teal hair and his rather cute face. Areissa wondered now on what he was thinking. 'Such an interesting fellow.' the darker voice spoke. 'He is...but something about him...what he does without doing...It makes him more interesting.' she softly spoke within her thoughts. 'Maybe you liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike him.~' a playful voice spoke within her thoughts. So many thoughts were going, so many different voices and souls. Her mind felt like a meeting room yet there she was sitting alone with Raphael up front in this reality. Her heart was pounding rather calmly now instead of just being numb.

Simply she finished her milkshake right as he asked her if she had any thoughts. She sort of guessed that she was in control at this point. Areissa rather choose for them though instead of him just up and leaving. She would wonder on what to choose for the two. There wasn't much more to do. Her mind then went right to the hotel. They had stuff to do, right? Her facial expression turned light and then looked away. Her body started to shift towards the exit of the booth and turn towards Raphael. ''Let's go to the hotel. I'm sure they have stuff to do or something. Plus...I need to book a room.'' she spoke softly and bubbly. Her blue, purple and pink eyes would glisten as she looked into his. Hopefully he would grab her hand and then they'd leave this place.

Raphael was somewhat relieved that Areissa needed to go back to the inn; it would serve as a great segue into him being able to get some rest for the day tomorrow. Trying not to show his appreciation of the suggestion to heavily, he nodded his head.

"All right, that sounds like a pretty good course of action. I have some things to do in the morning tomorrow, so staying out too late wouldn't work out for me anyway."

Raphael shifted towards the edge of the booth when he noticed Areissa had done it, but went the extra step and actually exited it first. He then gestured to the exit with his hand, motioning towards it.

"Well, shall we get going?"

Waiting for Areissa to move, he would eventually make his way to the door, with her following behind him. Making his way up the stairs was a bit more effort than he had expected, he was still pretty full from all the food that he had eaten. He then made his way through the loud, flashing dance floor, until he made it out into the cool night. Once he was outside, he turned to look for Areissa, hoping that she had been able to follow him out without trouble. Once they were both out, he began to walk in line with her to the inn. As they walked, he decided to spark up some conversation.

"Well, that was a nice meal. Thank you for that."

As she was going to go by his booth to offer her hand, he already started to move. It somewhat disappointed her for some odd reason that she didn't get to hold his hand. Why was this? She wasn't quite sure. 'A count of rejection.' a dark voice spoke. She shook her head slowly. 'No...that's not it.' she thought back to the voice. Her eyes would look up towards the stairs as Raphael went on ahead of her. Her eyes would then wander to look at all the people dancing. Man she wished she could join, but she had to get a room and get to the person she was hanging out with.

She would matrix her way through the people and then fancy model walked up the stairs. Her head tilted up to make sure that she could still somewhat see Raphael. Her heart would beat uneasily. Her eyes would finally see the darkness of which was outside and Raphael with it. She would feel a sudden warmness when she saw him and caught up to him. Soon they would walk a line and towards the inn. From here she could feel the warmness of his aura. It felt nice and relaxing yet it was starting to get to her. It was feeling rather addicting. 'No...can't be.' she thought calmly and softly. Her eyes would corner to look at his, but then they would finally be in the front of the inn.

Softly she would sigh and open the door before or after he went in. Slowly walking towards the counter she would bend over the counter, her chest against it. Her eyes would look around. ''Hellllloooooooooo?~'' she would speak in a rather chirpy tune. Within seconds a man would come out with a rather calm yet irritated facial expression. ''What can I do...for you?'' he spoke in a calm cold tone. Slowly Areissa would get off and stand up straight with a rather afraid smile. ''U-urmm...Have any rooms open?'' she questioned. He looked at her and then sighed. He acted like he had better things to do. 'How rude.' she thought and crossed her arms against her chest. ''Yes. One. The suite. Can you afford it even?'' he questioned as he cocked his right brow and looked at her.

Her eyes looked left and right and wondered. ''Ah! Yea. Here ya go.~'' she spoke bubbly as she reached for her pockets and took out some money. Slowly she would put a wade of jewels on the counter. His eyes somewhat widened and just gave her the key. ''Urm...Here you go. Sorry for my rudeness.'' he spoke, bowed and left. Slowly she would turn to Raphael and smiled at him. Soon she would walk up to him and gave him a sudden close warm hug. ''Thank you for the time.'' she'd whisper softly enjoying his aura and soul that was rather close to hers. Areissa slowly smiled and then backed up. She didn't want him to leave nor her leave by his side...but he wanted to go. She felt it so.

Raphael walked alongside Areissa back to the inn. It was a little awkward, Raphael didn't really know what to say, and Areissa hadn't really responded to his first question, so they just walked in silence, reaching their destination pretty quickly. It was funny to think back on when they had first officially met at the inn's entrance, when he had toyed with the idea of her being some evil witch out to take him down. After a night with no incidents, there was no way that could be true, unless she was going for the long-con. But Raphael was not a dumb person, and he was pretty darn sure that the girl was being genuine with him. He held open the door for her as a polite gesture, and she walked in, approaching the man at the desk for a room. After a fairly straight-forward encounter with that man, she then approached Raphael. He figured that she was going to say goodbye, and he began running through responses in his head that would sound cool, and leave a positive, heroic impression of him on her. However, he was completely taken by surprise by the hug he received. It was a pleasant feeling, without a doubt, being hugged, but he couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the whole thing. Blushing up a storm as Areissa thanked him, he muttered out a quick "No problem..." to her. Once the hug was over, he would back off, and begin to head up to his room. As he approached the stairs, he began to come to his senses, realizing it was important for him to have the last word. Raphael turned around, and addressed Areissa one last time before heading up to his room.

"Although... I should be the one thanking you. I had a marvelous time, I'm glad that we were able to meet. See you around, Areissa."

Was that ok? Would that be cool enough? He didn't have any other chances so he hoped it would suffice. He then proceeded to glide up the stairs, moving just a bit faster than what one would consider normal, and made his way to his room. It had been a tiring day, but he figured it was worth it. He had gotten a sense for the city down, met a new guild mate and enjoyed a wonderful night with Areissa. Though, he thought as he practically fell into bed, he certainly would enjoy the rest he was going to have.

[EXIT]

Areissa looked at Raphael as she saw him saying goodbye to her. It was rather simple, but it was good enough for her. She didn't expect much on their first meeting and their first parting as he would leave. She smiled sweetly even though she felt funny at the same time. Her heart was beating as she saw him go and leave to wherever his room was located. She didn't want to stalk him or anything so she turned around to get her stuff and looked at the counter man. ''Alright, I'm ready to go now.'' she spoke sweetly.

He would smile and nod as he swiftly went for her bags and walked slowly to the elevator, escorting her. He would look at her nervously as they would go up and as she saw her room, her eyes brightened. ''It's amazing up here.~'' she spoke happily and ran through the room. The man had a sweat drop as he would put her bags by the bed in which was in a whole different room. ''W-well urm miss...I must go. Please ding the bell if you need anything.'' he would say and bowed his head to then leave. Her eyes would watch him go making her then undress and unpack. Yawning softly she would plop on the bed after some moments and fell asleep thinking of the nice night she had.

-exit-