Though the nimble Miqo'te made a speedy retreat into the nearby crowds of the city, she would perhaps catch sight of a darting shadow racing across nearby rooftops out of the corner of her eye.
An instant later, the same blonde haired woman from earlier would seemingly fall from the sky and land deftly in front of the Miqo'te, casually dusting off the long apron she was still wearing.
"Ha! Don't underestimate a former Ul'dahn street-rat! No one knows this city's inner workings better than the owner of the Blue Bangle Bakery!" The woman claimed proudly as she hefted up the gil pouch the Miqo'te had given her. "I need to ask you about this. Were you...told to give it to me, by someone?"
The bakery owner then motioned upwards with her hands, outlining a wide shape at the sides of her head.
"...Wears a big, grey hat, like this? White hair, kind of frowns a lot, tries to be serious and aloof but really just ends up acting kind of awkward most of the time?" The blonde woman smiled softly, not waiting for a response to her question as she looked at the bag of gil wistfully.
"He tried dropping off something like this before on his own. Placed it quietly on the counter all secretively, but I saw it and so he ended up running. I was tending to another customer at the time so I couldn't chase after him like I did you. That hat he wears...seems familiar somehow. I think me and the rest of my gang sewed up something similar many years ago...for a person that we knew." The woman murmured softly as she fingered a light blue bracelet that hung from her wrist.
"We all had an accessory like this. Called ourselves the Blue Bangle Bandits. We..didn't make the most reputable living, but a group of orphan kids on the streets had few other ways of getting by. Every one of them is...gone now, but the bakery belongs as much to them as it does to me. That's why I gave it such a weird name, heh." Her eyes then fell down to the pouch in her hands, as her fingers began to clutch it tightly.
"...Can I be honest with you? Every fiber of my being is yelling at me to give you this pouch back. To tell the Elezen that his kindness is appreciated, but not necessary. To show that I can stand on my own, as I've always had in the past." The blonde woman chewed her bottom lip as she looked into the Miqo'te's eyes. "...But business isn't the best, and I have people working under me now. Good people. People with families. I can't force them and their children to suffer because of my own foolish sense of pride. So...just tell him I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't a strong enough to refuse his charity."
She then held out one of her hands for the Miqo'te to shake.
"And tell him that both of you are welcome at the bakery anytime. You can order anything you like, even things that aren't on the menu. I'll cook it up in a jiffy. The name's Ophidia, by the way." Upon introducing herself, the bakery owner then looked off behind her.
"Well, I'm sure he's still waiting for your report, so I shan't keep you any longer. And, uh...I know it's incredibly selfish to make a request, especially after what you've just given me..." Ophidia trailed off as she looked to the side. "...But...see if you can be a good friend to him, okay? He seems..."
She paused for a moment as she looked back at the Miqo'te, her blue eyes clouded as if they were reflecting a memory she couldn't quite recall.
"...Lonely."Â
With that, she smiled brightly and bowed respectfully, before racing back to her shop.
Meanwhile, back in the Drunken Dune, Ampere continued to sit patiently at the corner table, when suddenly the doors of the tavern's entrance flung open with a heavy force. A disoriented, seemingly intoxicated man stumbled in, passing through a slightly calmer crowd of patrons as he made his way to the Elezen.
"Youuu..." The odorous man drawled as he raised an unsteady finger towards the table Ampere sat at. "...That bow...loooksh...familiar..."
The hat-wearing lancer looked at the bow that he had been guarding rather protectively, then glanced back at the man with an arched eyebrow.
"...It does?"
An instant later, the same blonde haired woman from earlier would seemingly fall from the sky and land deftly in front of the Miqo'te, casually dusting off the long apron she was still wearing.
"Ha! Don't underestimate a former Ul'dahn street-rat! No one knows this city's inner workings better than the owner of the Blue Bangle Bakery!" The woman claimed proudly as she hefted up the gil pouch the Miqo'te had given her. "I need to ask you about this. Were you...told to give it to me, by someone?"
The bakery owner then motioned upwards with her hands, outlining a wide shape at the sides of her head.
"...Wears a big, grey hat, like this? White hair, kind of frowns a lot, tries to be serious and aloof but really just ends up acting kind of awkward most of the time?" The blonde woman smiled softly, not waiting for a response to her question as she looked at the bag of gil wistfully.
"He tried dropping off something like this before on his own. Placed it quietly on the counter all secretively, but I saw it and so he ended up running. I was tending to another customer at the time so I couldn't chase after him like I did you. That hat he wears...seems familiar somehow. I think me and the rest of my gang sewed up something similar many years ago...for a person that we knew." The woman murmured softly as she fingered a light blue bracelet that hung from her wrist.
"We all had an accessory like this. Called ourselves the Blue Bangle Bandits. We..didn't make the most reputable living, but a group of orphan kids on the streets had few other ways of getting by. Every one of them is...gone now, but the bakery belongs as much to them as it does to me. That's why I gave it such a weird name, heh." Her eyes then fell down to the pouch in her hands, as her fingers began to clutch it tightly.
"...Can I be honest with you? Every fiber of my being is yelling at me to give you this pouch back. To tell the Elezen that his kindness is appreciated, but not necessary. To show that I can stand on my own, as I've always had in the past." The blonde woman chewed her bottom lip as she looked into the Miqo'te's eyes. "...But business isn't the best, and I have people working under me now. Good people. People with families. I can't force them and their children to suffer because of my own foolish sense of pride. So...just tell him I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't a strong enough to refuse his charity."
She then held out one of her hands for the Miqo'te to shake.
"And tell him that both of you are welcome at the bakery anytime. You can order anything you like, even things that aren't on the menu. I'll cook it up in a jiffy. The name's Ophidia, by the way." Upon introducing herself, the bakery owner then looked off behind her.
"Well, I'm sure he's still waiting for your report, so I shan't keep you any longer. And, uh...I know it's incredibly selfish to make a request, especially after what you've just given me..." Ophidia trailed off as she looked to the side. "...But...see if you can be a good friend to him, okay? He seems..."
She paused for a moment as she looked back at the Miqo'te, her blue eyes clouded as if they were reflecting a memory she couldn't quite recall.
"...Lonely."Â
With that, she smiled brightly and bowed respectfully, before racing back to her shop.
Meanwhile, back in the Drunken Dune, Ampere continued to sit patiently at the corner table, when suddenly the doors of the tavern's entrance flung open with a heavy force. A disoriented, seemingly intoxicated man stumbled in, passing through a slightly calmer crowd of patrons as he made his way to the Elezen.
"Youuu..." The odorous man drawled as he raised an unsteady finger towards the table Ampere sat at. "...That bow...loooksh...familiar..."
The hat-wearing lancer looked at the bow that he had been guarding rather protectively, then glanced back at the man with an arched eyebrow.
"...It does?"
