riverviewlogs | It's only a date if you want it to be

Freya confirms their meeting spot and then waits until the designated time before heading out. Her idea of a tour might be a little lack-luster for the Colonel but she was excited to get free food.

When Roy arrives he'll find a five foot tall blonde a with diverse collection of tattoos littering her arms and shoulders. She's wearing a pair of black goth-like pants and a black tank top. In a rare turn of events, Freya was wearing shoes, a pair of black boots that were obviously very well worn. Light stormy gray eyes turned towards Roy as he approached.

"Hey. You looked like a cute dinner date. I'm Freya." Freya flashed him a flirty smile. "I never asked, did you want the tour first or food first."

Roy had to admit that Freya wasn't exactly what he was expecting. Sure, there were people with tattoos in Amestris, but they were rare to see among the general populace. Most people he had seen wearing them tended to be less savory people.

However, Roy wasn't about to judge. There were people from other worlds here, which meant different cultures and different attitudes about such things. He returned the smile and extended his hand. "You're Freya, correct? I'm Roy Mustang." Fiddling around on that Friendr thing had its props. It was how he had found out Edward was here after all.

"I think I'd like to work up an appetite first if that's fine with you." He had just come from Edward's place, and their discussion had left him without one. Hopefully a nice distraction would help with that.

"Someone did their homework." Freya's head canted to the side, spilling long threads of silky blonde hair over her shoulder. "It's nice to formally meet you Roy. You got it right. I'm Freya." She was very relaxed for someone who had agreed to meet a strange for food.

"Sure. I figured a walk through the city and then towards the beach since that's my favorite place. If you see a food place along the way point it out, we can double back to it." It wasn't much of a plan but it was what Freya had. Plus, the beach was her favorite part of the city.

"Ready to go?" She asked as she turned gracefully on the heel of her boot.

Upon closer inspection, Freya's tattoos were quite tasteful. Pretty, even. They weren't just random symbols or pictures, but seemed chosen to accentuate her features (unlike the tattoo of someone he was the most familiar with). He would have to ask about them when they were a little better acquainted.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, though you're free to choose where we go for dinner if you have a place in mind." Always the gentleman, Roy would give that decision to Freya unless she insisted otherwise.

Roy made a sweeping motion with his arms, inviting Freya to start off first. "After you," he said with a flirtatious smirk playing on his lips.

Each tattoos had a story, not to mention a rather painful process of getting them since everything in Freya's skin had to be done with filaments of silver for it to heal or not heal properly. Earrings were easier. All of her studs were silver, as long as she didn't take them out, they wouldn't heal.

Freya lifted her shoulders in a shrug as she began to lead Roy down the streets. There were some places she knew but he'd quickly realize that a lot of what she did involved reading signs. The real tour would start closer to the beach because Freya knew the area better.

"I'm good with whatever. I'm not to picky but I am very allergic to chocolate." It's annoying since there are so many Valentine's deals going on. "So, Roy~" Freya flashed him a flirty smile in return. "Tell me about your world while we walk." She'll interrupt with a fact or two about the city or a shop but was pretty good at working stories into a conversation.

Roy followed Freya and noticed that she must be somewhat of a newcomer herself as he saw her read from signs more often than not. He said nothing about it though, as her cheerful attitude was more important to him than the names of streets and buildings. Nevertheless, he paid close attention when she pointed things out so he could lern at least some of the city's layout.

"Oh, that's too bad," Roy responded about her allergy. Chocolate was such an easy way to treat some women, but there were plenty of other things he could get her. "You'll have to let me know what you like." At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about getting expensive chocolates for her.

Roy smiled as Freya encouraged him to share about his world. "Well, I come from a country called Amestris. I had recently been transferred to Central, which is the capital and largest city. I have to admit though, it pales in comparison to Riverview." He rose his arm to gesture at the tall skyscrapers and wide streets. "I think the biggest difference would be the level of technology. We have cars and machines where I'm from, but nothing as advanced as what you see here." He glanced at her. "What about where you're from?"

The city was simple in the way that only cities could be. The streets were laid out in a grid that looked like a waffle if you viewed at it from the sky. Some streets had names while others had numbers and most stores had very obvious signs that dictated what it was. Freya's been to a lot of cities and they were generally the same.

"I like food." She flashed him a flirty smile. "I'm honestly not that picky. I just can't eat chocolate." Freya also tried to avoid smelling chocolate since it smelled delicious and she couldn't eat it. "Smarties are my favorite candy if that's what you're asking. If you are just asking what I like-" Her head tilted to the side. "That's a dauntingly long list." She liked a lot of stuff.

Freya logged away each location as Roy spoke. "Central isn't a creative name." Assuming that it's the central location of government and travel. "Well, there are cities and a lot of different terrains. I was born in Montana, it's a lot of mountains and forests and cold weather, but I've spent the last eleven years or so traveling all over the world. I don't have one place I call home."

Perhaps Roy would have to worry a bit. He didn't have access to the grant money he was given every year by the government for his state license. He wouldn't let that show though.

He had to give her props. It was rare for Roy to run into women who weren't concerned about their figure, especially those outside the military. Personally, Roy found it refreshing. He gave a good-hearted laugh. "Everything but chocolate, right? I got it."

Roy shook his head. "No, it isn't. I suppose Amestrians prefer more straight-forward names." The major cities were all named like that. East City in the east, North City in the north, and so on. At least it wasn't the case for every city there.

Freya's description of her lifestyle was strikingly similar to that of Edward and Alphonse. But this was a date, damnit. He wasn't going to dwell on either of those two right now. He pushed them out of his head. "It seems like we have something in common then. We're both from the boonies." As he was constantly reminded now that he was in Central. "I'm from an area that boarded a large desert to the east. There's nothing much out there, really." Well, not anymore.

While walking, the pair came upon a quaint little street cart selling roasted and sugared nuts. The smell alone could warm you up. He stopped by the short line that had formed. "Would you like some?"

"Yup. I'm easy like that." At least when it came to food, though her favorite food will always be pizza.

Freya's fingers laced together as she stretched her arm over head. "Sounds like it. I bet it's a world with a heavily military force while things like arts is lacking." She smiled over at Roy, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Military is always putting things in left, right." She dropped her arms before gesturing along with her directions. "East, west and so on." Her hand rotated at it's wrist in a gestured that didn't exactly make sense.

"That sounds awesome though. I've been to a desert once in my life but I prefer colder climates." Her body temperature natural ran a few degrees higher than most.

The sight and smell of the roasted nuts was distracting. It filled her nose with a sweet and delightful small, making her stomach rumble softly. "Yes!" She half skipped up next to Roy and looped an arm around his. "I've only found roasted nuts like these at fairs or carnivals."

"Is it that obvious?" Roy was surprised with how easily she seemed to guess that Amestris was a military state. Then again, she had mentioned that she had traveled quite a bit. Perhaps she had seen similar nations in her world and could pick up on similarities, such as the lack of creativity in naming places. "I wouldn't say that the arts are lacking, per say, though the majority of government funding does go to the military."

Roy wears a wide grin as he and Freya stand in line for the nuts. He was already warming up to her bubbly nature. It was certainly a very nice distraction from Roy's concerns about the quarantine and what he had left behind in Amestris. The line moved quickly, and it was soon their turn. "Pick whatever you'd like." There were a few varieties. Sugar-coated, spicy, plain, and salty. Roy wasn't picky.

"A little bit but I'm also very good at reading people." She had also spent most of her free time studying different text and cultures. It wasn't hard to pin point similarities from what she knew to what Roy had described. Not only that, it looked like he was a military man, shirt tucked in and everything.

It was a little hard for someone to hide.

Freya released his arm once they reached the front of the line and eyed the nuts. There were so many kinds, she wasn't sure which to pick. "Let's go with sugar-coasted and salty. Then we can eat them together and have both salty and sweet."

Roy would have to keep that in mind about Freya. Someone who was good at reading people would make for a good ally. He made a mental note of it before shifting back to the date.

"That sounds like an excellent choice." He nods to the stall keeper who grabs a bag of sugar coated nuts and another bag of salty ones. Roy pays and offers Freya whichever bag she wants. Of course, she didn't have to carry them. She could also decide to grab both.

"So, what did you do in your world before you ended up here?"

"Not a lot."

She grabbed the salty nuts and then used her free hand to dip between the bag that Roy was holding and her own bag. A lot of perverted nut related jokes fluttered around in Freya's head before she looked back up at Roy. "Do people always have to be doing something?" Her lips tugged into a warm teasing smile.

After a bit of an awkward paused Freya laughed. "I'm kidding." Amusement flickered in the light gray hue of her gaze. "I was soul searching in a way. Traveling from place to place to find what I wanted to do. I got a degree in engineering and spent a month at an architecture firm before I got bored and left."

Roy munched on the nuts as well. They were quite good, and had just the right amount of sugar to compliment the earthy taste of the nut.

"There's nothing wrong with taking the time to look for something you're happy with." He spoke from experience, having made the choice to join the military without having much previous experience in the wider world and having regrets because of that. "A steady job has its perks, but its not all it's cracked up to be." Like the paperwork. Cursed paperwork. "Do you know what you're going to do with yourself here?"

"Yeah. I got a job at a company called Prometheus. It's a pretty interesting place and they're letting me select my own protects. Right now I'm toying with the idea of creating a robot prototype that will be able to pick up and compost trash. There are more chemicals here than I'm used too so while the mechanical parts are easy for me, I'm dabbling in chemistry to see if I can produce something that doesn't have any harmful by products." Though anything in high concentrations can be considered harmful.

"I'm a fan of renewable energy sources and since the last time this place went bonkers was for materials, it stands to reason that we should work on a way for that to not happen again." Freya didn't want some asshole high and might race to portal to her Earth and try to ninja all the resources there. "I'm also toying with the idea of taking a useless material and trying to find a way that it can be used." Like trash though Freya's current model is absolutely based on Wall-E.

"What about you? Got any plans here military man?"

Robots to do work for people? Roy could get behind that, especially if one was able to do his paperwork for him. His subordinates back home would certainly be grateful for such a thing.

"Renewable energy sources?" That was a new phrase for Mustang. Everything in Amestris ran on fossil fuels or steam power. Her plans to find uses for materials that currently had none was certainly a noble pursuit.

"Honestly I can't say I have much of an idea of what to do with myself. I've joined the Perimeter Guard for the time being, though it's still a lot different from what I'm used to in Central." He had free time here. Well, he did in Central too, but that was spent either investigating Hughes' murder or looking into his information networks that were disguised as dates. "Right now I was just going to see how things operated here and work from there."

Freya's lips twitched but her smile remained in place as she popped a salty nut into her mouth. She following up by reaching over and grabbing a sweet nut from Roy's bag.

"Yeah. It means that the material we use to produce energy can be reused, instead of burning and polluting the air and the earth. Which will eventually destroy our air quality and kill everyone." As a member of this world, Freya cared very much about not dying. Of course, she left out the usual timeline in which fossil fuels disintegrated the atmosphere. "Like using water and damn's to produce energy or solar power."

Damn's were tricky since they had environmental impacts but using solar power was fairly simple.

"What do you think of the city so far? From what I've seen, most cities are the same though this one does seem to have magic in it and I'm not sure how that will affect everything else." Magic in Freya's world was more natural than the magic she's found here.

"I see." Roy had honestly never thought about the environmental impact of the things that were used to fuel daily life. To his knowledge, it wasn't something that was on the mind of scientists or researchers, especially since a majority of funding for research went into military use. "That's not something that the people from my world have ever showed much concern about." When he returned to Amestris and became Fuhrer himself, he would have to keep all of this in mind.

"For me, this city is amazing." He pulled out his phone from his pocket. "Where I'm from, things like this are just science fiction at best." He put the phone back in his pocket. "As for magic, it's nothing but a superstition. There are a few things still mistaken for it from time to time, especially out in rural areas." He shrugs, not really taking Freya's comment very seriously. "On the whole we're taught that there's always a scientific explanation for everything."

"That's a little sad. We need the planet to survive and if we don't take care of it." Her voice trailed off, her head tilting playfully to the side. "Let's just say that the planet will be around a lot longer than everyone living on it." She hoped that he took the time to think about it. It was easier to make a change in the early states of cultural development though if someone in power said it was important, than maybe Roy can help his world in that respect too.

"Really? My world has magic and science but they're both separate. Magic's sort of the worlds best kept secret. Those who know it, know about it, but that's really it." Freya knew about it despite not knowing magic herself.

"Magic can be explained, well, what I know can. There are still laws of conservation and things that you find in science." She held out her nuts to him and flashed a flirty smile. "Nut?" There was no way to say that without it sounding like an innuendo.

This is the first time that Iona has gone out since her arrival. Gone out with someone other than Dorian. Purposefully. Explored on her own, naturally, and gone to work. But not gone out like this. It’s a little odd, but she finds that she’s looking forward to it, too. She hasn’t had much time for anything like this. Too busy trying to save the bloody world. She still doesn’t know quite what to do with herself, still has nightmares about any number of things, and still feels as though she’s abandoned the Inquisition... but there’s nothing she can do about it.

Except keep busy.

And apparently that means an evening out showing Roy around. And going to dinner. She chooses a place for him to pick her up and heads there a little bit early, out of habit. She’s adapted to the clothing style of the Quarantine reasonably well, although a lot of that is due to Dorian’s influence. He’s been here a fair bit longer than she has, after all. But she does well enough for herself, now. Clad in jeans that fit her like a glove, knee high boots and a dark blue sleeveless shirt under a burgundy leather jacket, her blonde hair pulled back in a braid and fingerless gloves covering her hands, she looks up as he approaches and gives him a grin.

“It’s good to meet you in person, Colonel Mustang. Shall we?”

Roy is dressed more formally, but he was never one to dress casually anyway, and living in the quarantine was probably not going to change that. He waved as he approached.

"It's a pleasure. You can just call me Roy. Is Miss Lavellan too formal?"

Iona had a very exotic look to her in Roy's opinion. He thought he had seen her oddly shaped ears in the video, but up close and with her hair tied back, he could see how long they were. While strange to him, they fit her facial features quite well. The tattoo on her forehead, while also not a familiar custom to Roy, seemed to add a layer of mystery about her. He was quite intrigued about the world she must have come from.

"Where are we headed first?"

Iona gives him an appreciative once-over once he’s closer. She feels a bit under-dressed now, but it doesn’t really bother her all that much. After all, what she’s most comfortable in is armour. And she is who she is no matter what she’s wearing.

She grins up at him. “Iona. Call me Iona.”

This is a very new experience for her, playing tour-guide. But she thinks it might be enjoyable. Particularly the trade of information. “I was thinking that we would take a walk through the Quarantine, first. With a focus on the more interesting areas. Schools, government buildings, spots with entertainment and shops. Where I figure we can pick somewhere to eat. Or maybe go to the beach, after. I’m saving the abandoned city for our second night out.”

Her smirk is a little bit playful at that last, on the casual assumption that they might do this again. The abandoned city is by far the most interesting to her, out of everything there. It’s also one of the more riskier places to explore, from what she’s learned.

Iona was already much different from Freya, who just seemed to pick a direction toward the beach. Iona on the other hand had a plan mapped out, and Roy took note of it. It made sense, since she had mentioned being a leader of some sort. He had been interested in getting to know her just from their conversation over the phone, but now it rose a bit more.

Roy smirked at the mention of a second date. "I'm already looking forward to it," he said with a laugh. Roy had yet to learn much about the abandoned city, save that it was in ruins and was supposedly full of monsters. He knew he would learn more through working with the Perimeter Guard since they seemed very interested in it. "After you." He sweeps out in front of him with his hand, inviting Iona to take the lead.

Iona might not currently think all that much of her leadership abilities, but it didn’t mean that she wasn’t one. No matter how she’d actually come to have the job. And he had asked her to show him around. She wanted to do it properly. As he was a military man of some kind, she had gone with the assumption that he might be interested in more than just the simply entertaining sights of the Quanrantine. It had made the most sense.

“Good,” she replied. “So am I." Smirk shifting into a grin, she gladly took the lead, expecting Roy to keep up as the pace she set wasn’t altogether that brisk as she led them out into the Quarantine proper. It was an exploration pace, something suitable for showing someone around. Fast enough that it wouldn’t take ages for their tour to be completed, but slow enough to enjoy their bloody surroundings.

Roy could keep up with whatever pace was chosen, and the one that Iona chose suited him just fine. Now that they had gotten started on their little tour, they could start learning about each other.

"So, what can you tell me about your world? You said you were the leader of an Inquisition, correct?"

“What would you like to know?” Iona returned with a smile. There was a considerable amount to tell. History, blights, darkspawn. The Dalish. The Inquisition. It was just a matter of where to start.

And that was as good a place as any. “Yes. I don’t know if there’s anything by that name in your world,” she couldn’t help but think about her conversation with Billy, and the subject of parallel worlds that had come up during it, “but in Thedas it’s an organization that came back into existence as a result of what basically amounts to a civil war between mages and Templars.” Although that had become only a part of what they had dealt with. “And turned into the only force to really stand against Corypheus in his quest for godhood.” Which would have very bad consequences for the world were he to succeed.

Roy felt like he was dropped into the middle of a fantasy epic. Mages and quests for godhood, huh? As fantastical as it sounded, it certainly wasn't boring.

"I can't say there's been any kind of inquisition that I know of in Amestris." The proper words to use for what went on there would be 'massacres' and 'genocide.' "I'm afraid you lost me at 'mages and Templars.' What were they fighting about?"

As they talked, they continued down the sidewalk wherever Iona lead them.

“That is... complicated.” Which was putting it mildly. “Incredibly so.” But there needed to be some explanation, a bit of groundwork laid. “The Templars are an order who nominally watch over mages, with the ability to counter their magical abilities if needed. They’re also tasked with hunting apostates and malificars. And mages are ostracised and treated with fear more often than not. Overall. In Tevinter mages are in charge.” She was getting off topic a little. “They were fighting about their treatment, about the rights of mages to live as they choose, rather than being forced into a Circle. And maybe fighting because they could, now.”

A complicated issues. Most things seemed to be complicated, in Thedas.

And they were certainly diving right into the intricacies of her world, weren’t they. She wasn’t a mage, hadn’t any magical ability at all until the Anchor, but she couldn’t help but understand where they were coming from. Elves had their own... difficulties, were treated badly in a different way from mages, but there was enough that she felt for the mages. Particularly the ones that had been thrust into a war they hadn’t asked for, simply because they were a mage. It was why she’d offered an alliance to them, rather than conscripting them or siding with the Templars. Why she gave them a chance to help fix this. “And Orders and Circles are made of people. Good, and bad, and everywhere in between. And drastic actions were taken long before I got involved that help light the fuse in the first bloody place.”

Roy understood from experience that civil wars were always complicated. Even though the Ishvalan campaign was more or less staged to happen, the murder of that Ishvalan child wouldn't have sparked the violence it did without the previous tensions over religion and other issues that had been deteriorating Amestrian and Ishvalan relations. There were some names and places Roy didn't have much context for, but he didn't need them to understand that one group had felt like they were mistreated by the other.

"I see. I'd be surprised to learn about any world where there weren't tensions between different groups of people. Amestris is no different in that regard."
Granted, magic and mages didn't exist, but that wasn't really the issue here. "And you got your position right in the middle of everything?" She had hinted at it with her comment about lighting fuses.

“Some things remain the same no matter what world you call home.” Iona couldn’t help but think of Billy, and their conversation. “Good, and bad.” Kindness, prejudice. Tensions between those that were different.

“I suppose I did, yes. I was attending a conclave, an attempt to bring an end to the war between mages and Templars. Corypheus decided to use it for his own ends, and I interrupted his attempt to activate a magical artefact he’d crafted ‘to assault the heavens’.” She rubbed absently at her left hand, where the Anchor now burned, hidden under her fingerless glove. “There was an explosion. I was the only survivor.” A wry smile twisted at her lips. “When I stepped out of the Fade it was believed that I had been delivered there by Andraste herself, and they called me her Herald. Despite the fact that I’m an elf and don’t actually subscribe to that particular religion.”

She’d pointed out the ears. A lot.

“The appointment to leader of the Inquisition came a little bit later. After I brought a mountain down on my head and Corypheus’ army to buy my people time enough to escape.” She could mostly joke about it now, although she still hated the cold, and snow.

Roy hadn't been expecting Iona to open up about her own life story so quickly. He knew full well that it was an advantage to keep some information to yourself, and you had to be careful about what you let other people know. Perhaps that was a cultural difference, or perhaps it was a result of Roy's own experiences in dealing with a corrupt puppet government that kept his mouth shut on the details of what was happening in his own world. Trust was something that shouldn't be given out lightly, and giving it to the wrong person could have dire consequences. This was something he learned the hard way.

He noted her fidgeting with her hand, but decided not to ask of it. Instead, he tried to make sense of what she was saying. "So this Corypheus wanted the war to continue?" Probably to take advantage of the two groups fighting to usurp power while everyone else was distracted maybe? "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by the Fade, nor do I know who Andraste is."

Ah yes, her ears. Roy wasn't sure if calling her out on looking like an elf would have been offensive to her or not, but now that she called herself one, it seemed like an open topic. "There aren't any elves from my world. Is it just that physical difference, or is there more to it?"

It was the surface details. All factual and known by the Inquisition at large. Although she couldn't help the mildly sarcastic additions here and there. But the personal bits, the parts that were important, made a difference to her, weighed on her (Adamant, the horrible future she’d travelled to with Dorian, and so many others), those she kept closer to her chest.

Trust was something she was careful with. She trusted, in varying degrees, most of her companions and advisors; even if for some of those it had been damaged. But she’d agreed to tell him about her world, and there were details that were necessary. “He manipulates, uses those he can to advance his plan. So the chaos the war sows benefits him.” Demoralises, hurts innocents and gives him room to move unnoticed. “Andraste is the prophet of the primary religion in Thedas. And the Fade, the Beyond, is a realm of spirits, once home to the gods if you listen to the tales of my people. It’s where people go mentally, when they dream. Going there physically is impossible.”

Or it was, anyway. Until she’d done it. Twice.

“The physical differences are the most immediately noticeable, but our history and culture are as well.” Their experiences in the world, too, but that was something she planned to avoid bringing up for the moment.

Iona's description of Corypheus reminded him very strongly of the homunculi he had been dealing with before he had been pulled into the quarantine. He didn't know the details of what they were up to yet, but he did know that they had been pulling the strings behind every conflict Amestris had been involved in, using the people and soldiers for their own benefit. He decides not to comment on it, not wanting to sour the mood with too much worries from home.

Roy didn't have much interest in religion or mythology, but he knew he had to understand the culture people came from in order to understand the people themselves. He found the idea of the Fade to be an interesting one. "That's interesting. Dreams are just considered a part of your unconscious where I'm from. There are people who look for meaning in them, but I've ever been interested in such things." His dreams generally weren't good ones anyway.

"There are many different cultures in my world as well, though they're all human cultures. Unfortunately, Amestris seems to have more trouble working with those from different backgrounds." It had more to do with the top of the government wanting to force conflict on certain areas more than the attitude of the people, though the army followed its orders without question, and that certainly said something about them as a culture. "It's something I'd really like to change."

Iona would have questions enough about his world, should the occasion arise for her to ask them. She was curious to learn about this Amestris of his. And the different human cultures he spoke of.

“The Fade can be shaped by dreams, as well as the spirits and demons that reside there, and mages tap into it when they cast their spells.” She laughed softly. “It’s a complicated, rather involved subject.” A little bit more so, for Iona, now that she’d gone there physically. Twice. “According to the Chantry the Fade is the realm the Maker formed the physical world from.” She’d done a little bit of reading, after the Conclave. “My people call it the Beyond, and believe it is a holy place that was once the home of the gods.”

That he wanted to change that situation in his world made her like him just that much more. “I’m glad to hear that,” she told him quietly. “Nothing changes without someone first having the desire to do so.”

She isn't really dressed for a date. That's likely because she isn't thinking of this as one. Not really. Rose didn't really do the whole dating thing, so. Y'know. The blond rolls up in jeans and a loose-fitting obscure band T-shirt. Her hair was left down and she's smiling wide as she walks up to the man she recognizes from the network.

They meet where there's a beautiful view of the river that this quarantined zone seemed to be aptly named for. She figured the nature walk route was probably a good way to go. If no, she can easily swing them back towards the shopping districts. For such a short amount of time, Rose has gotten pretty familiar with the layout inside the walls.

"Yo, dude," she says, lifting her hand up in a casual wave as greeting. "Good to officially meet you. I'm Rose." She'll go for a handshake rather than a hug too since that seems a bit safer for right now. Don't want to give the wrong message.

Madame Christmas had raised Roy to be a gentleman, so he was almost always dressed as one. He approached Rose and returned the wave, also taking her hand in a friendly shake. Her slang was still something new for Roy, but he would get used to it with more exposure. "The pleasure's all mine."

He took a moment to take a look at the scenery. "You chose a very nice spot for us to meet," he said with a flirtatious tone. "Where would you like to go first?"

Ah. Rose isn't new to fliration but it definitely does put her a little more on guard. Not that it shows. She's just as friendly as ever, smile still just as strong. After Charlie, however, she's just a bit more wary about handsome men with an immediate interest.

Which, y'know, means she thinks Roy is handsome. So there is that!

"Depends on you, dude! I'm pretty flexible. I figured a nice nature walk would be cool. As much as I like the hustle and bustle of the city, thought maybe you might be a little tired or overwhelmed with that being new and all."

Fortunately for Rose, Roy had no intention of getting very intimate. While he was known as a shameless flirt among his colleagues and subordinates, his relationships with women were more formal and focused on conversation far more than physical affection.

"That's very thoughtful of you, thank you. It'll take me a little bit to get used to such a big city. I'd appreciate learning about a few spots to go to get away from it." He wasn't exaggerating. Central had felt large to him when he was transferred from East City. Riverview was even larger than that, not to mention that most of the buildings seemed tall enough to touch the sky. "After you."

"I feel you," she says to that. "I moved around a lot back home so this isn't, like, new to me but... It was definitely an adjustment at first going from a tiny little island village to the big cities." Even at the tail end of the eighties, there was so much humanity had architectuarlly that the yokai didn't. They preffered simplicity and quaint, small houses secreted away in secluded villages. Most of them just lived on the land since they felt that was a purer existence. While she misses it sometimes, she enjoys the social atmosphere of cities more. Always something to do, new things to see. It kept her busy, which was what she needed.

She leads him to a park with big wide open green spaces. By the time they've wound around it, she's sure it'll be time for a dinner date. But before then- "So, your world doesn't have big cities like this?"

Ah, another wanderer. It seemed that a lot of the people pulled in here from other worlds had experience travelling. It made sense, since the portal apparently chose people who felt displaced.

"Oh, there are large cities, though only Central would probably be near the same scale as Riverview. The main difference are the buildings. You wouldn't find any nearly as tall as the ones downtown." Skyscrapers did not exist in Amestris. The largest buildings were government buildings, whether administration centers or laboratories, but they didn't grow further than four or five stories most of the time. "What about yourself? Does your world have cities that match this one?"

Her story was more common here, it seemed. Back home, people like here were the envy of some and pity of others. Wayward souls without homes. Rose felt displaced long before the portal found her.

"It does! Tokyo's probably as big as this... Maybe even bigger? Or New York! There's definitely huge skyscrapers there. Also, just. So many people. It's crazy. I was kind of surprised that for how large this place seems to be it isn't overpopulated like most the big cities back home."

Roy gives her a surprised look. "Really? I'd say that there's quite a lot of people here." He shrugs it off and cracks a smile. "Then again, it seems I'm from the boonies as far as worlds go."

"So, what did you in your world before ending up here?"

"I don't know, Tokyo's got like... nine million people? Give or take? I definitely don't think there's that many here. But who knows!" She'd be surprised if it was anywhere close. Tokyo wasn't even the largest city in the world. Some in China had populations in the twenty millions...

"I was a roadie! I followed band and, like, helped them set up and stuff. Music's kind of my thing, so- It was just a good opportunity. Got to travel a lot and pursue music. It was awesome."

Roy was taken aback. Nine million people? "That's quite impressive. Central is the largest city in Amestris and it can't have a population too far over six hundred thousand." It seems that Roy wasn't too far off when he described his entire world as being in the boonies. He had to admit that he was feeling fairly small at the moment.

"Music, huh?" Well now, that was something he could relate to. He couldn't play anything or sing worth a damn, but everyone enjoyed some kind of music, right? "Do you play anything yourself?"

"There are a lot of cities in America with smaller populations like that! Most big cities have into the millions though. Some think there's too many people, but... I don't know! I like it, so much individuality. It's interesting." Yokai were pretty diverse, too, but Rose is a bit of a misanthrope in that regard. She didn't find the uniqueness near as interesting in the way she did humanity's.

"I play four things, actually! Piano and guitar are what I'm best at, but I play a pretty mean violin and flute. I can do the drums but not very well... Bass, too, but I'm super rusty. I prefer to do vocals, if anything, but. It's good to have more proficiency than not!"

For Roy, it sounded a little overwhelming. He had enough work on his shoulders in Central, and that was just a fraction of the size Rose was describing. Still, he had to admit that he'd like to see something like that for himself, especially since she mentioned individuality being something she liked despite the large population. "Are American cities diverse? Amestris became what it is by expanding and absorbing smaller, neighboring peoples, so there's a bit of diversity depending on where you go."

"You must be quite talented. I'm no musician myself, but I know people can spend their whole lives just trying to master just one instrument. Would you mind playing something for me sometime?"

"Yeah, America's called the 'melting pot.' It's cause a lot of people immigrated there from other countries at some point, so- Bam! Diversity. It's kind of cool." It sounds like they've got something similar going on in this Amestris place. Maybe not people migrating so much as being integrated due to expansion, but... She doesn't think it's necessarily a bad thing.

"I'd be happy to play for you, dude! Anytime, you just say the word. And what instrument I guess. I wouldn't say I'm super talented or anything, just... Gotta' lot of free time."

"It sounds like an interesting place. It's too bad you can't show me around there." Roy wouldn't call Amestris a 'melting pot,' mostly because the people that were absorbed into the country seemed to assimilate themselves within Amestrian culture rather than sticking to their own. The exception was the Ishvalan people, and the cultural tensions between them and the rest of Amestris didn't turn out well.

"Sounds good! I'd love to hear your 'mean violin.'" Roy grinned. He appreciated Rose's enthusiasm. "I'm sorry to say that I don't have any kind of artistic talent." Drawing transmutation circles didn't count. That was science. "I've spent most of my time studying alchemy when I was younger."

"It is! Super fun. And so many parts of it are so different, too. I love the southwest's style. They're a lot more laid back and kind than people on the east coast." As Roy can probably already tell, Rose is fairly lively herself. At the very least, she tries to be a colorful character. Keeping people entertained was part of being a(n aspiring) musician though, so, it made sense that she tried to be so at all times.

"Aw, dude, artistic talent isn't everything- I mean, I can't paint or anything worth a darn so mad respect for people who can. I'm sure you got some kind of cool skill." Oh. Alchemy. She remembers that word, the blond kid on Friendr mentioned it once a while back she thinks... "Alchemy, huh? That sounds neat.

It's only a date if you want it to be

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Sorry, had to do some demographic research

haha np i play a final fantasy i know all abt them research tags

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