[Luna]

The muscled knightess puts foot after foot carefully as she carries a large screen down the stairs to her basement. Much and more work had been done already to convert the once dismal and underutilized subfloor into a comfortable tavern setting, but there was still that much left to be done. As she touches down on the flooring proper, she places the fine mahogany screen next to the landing, making sure it's well out of the way. She puts her hands on her hips for a moment and exhales, looking around at the cavalcade of furniture and raw materials meant for such a renovation.

[Pipino]

Seated at one of the tables amongst the flotsam and jetsam that comes from rennovation, PIpino managed to make herself a little nest. An ornate leather-bound ledge lay open in front of her, rows of numbers and labels written in her ornate and effortless calligraphy in neat columns. A small abacus made of rich, dark wood and bearing gilded accents lay next to the book as a gloveless hand deftly runs across the rows, the satisfying click of lacquered wood against lacquered wood underscoring the preparations.

“Luna, when you have a moment, I will need a list of supplies that will be needed for the opening. Ingredients and the like. I think most of the costs for the rennovations are factored in, but I want to make sure we will have enough capital to keep things running while we are in our promotional period getting the name of the tavern out there.”

[Luna]

Luna looks over Pipino's way as she speaks, heading over on request. She puts her hands down gently on the table next to the book, looking it over herself. She definitely did not have the head to do the math and such but she could sort of understand what she was looking at. “Of course, Miss Pipino. Let's see…” she says, putting a gloved hand to her chin and stroking in thought. “Well, most of the cooking I will handle personally… I suppose a large amount of basic ingredients. Meats, seasonings, oils…” she rattles off idly. After a moment of other unimportant errata, she catches herself. “Ah, sorry Miss Pipino. I'm afraid that's not exactly what you wanted.” she says with a slight laugh.

[Pipino]

Pipino laughs a little bit. “Well, it is, just perhaps in a more concrete way. Amounts, estimated costs – something I can put a number next to and feel good about myself.” She turns and grins up at her. “When we are up and running you can just pass me the receipts as they come, but for now, it is more about creating the budget and making sure we are not spreading resources too thin.” She sighs a bit. “I am sorry if this is all insufferable. I personally hate that I have the mind for it as I feel my soul often does not, but I would assist you in any small way I can.”

[Luna]

She thinks for a moment on the lalafell's point. “I'm afraid without finalizing our offerings, I can't give anything wholly concrete. Though I suppose enough materials to prepare near 100 meals and drinks might not be amiss.” she says, perhaps overestimating a bit. “My coffers shall be just fine, doubly so with you helming the Hearth's financials.” she says, confident in the monetarist. You need not worry about being a bother, Miss Pipino. Your talent for this mathematics is greatly appreciated by myself. Were it entirely up to me, I fear what the ledger would look like.“ she admits.

[A'erina]

Wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead A'erina looks at the various items strewn about haphazardly closing the door behind her. ” That should do it for now.“ She tells herself, starting to feel a bit exhausted. Hearing some chatter coming from the basement, she looks around and picks up a few chairs which were stacked neatly. Hoisting them up she loses her balance a little, her mind still occupied, she shrugs it off before finding the stairs. Taking her time with each step she heads downstairs looking to the side of the chairs to look at each step. She looks up from the stairs and sees Pipino and Luna gently laughing with one another and she smile at them, her own problems brushed aside for a short spell seeing her friends in high spirits but forgetting she was supposed to be paying attention to her footsteps down the stairs as she misses last but one step. Hurtling the chairs a distance as she loses grip on them and finding herself landing unceremoniously on the floor.

[Luna]

The knightess moves quickly to the fallen mi'qote's side, bending down to offer a hand in aid. “Are you quite alright, Miss A'erina?” she asks with a small amount of worry. She offers the woman a smile as she helps her up.

[A'erina]

A'erina exhales through her nose, quite upset with herself, as she is assisted back to her feet. ”…I'm fine.“ She says rather quietly, an unusual trait even for her. She taps Luna's shoulder as a means of saying thanks as she passes her by to pick up the chairs she had flung about and stacks them back up before choosing to push them across the room, a rather annoying screeching as they move across the floor before storing them against the wall.

[Luna]

Luna recoils from the shoulder tap, looking quite upset for a moment. After recollecting herself, she goes back over to Pipino to continue assisting with the planning.

[Pipino]

Pipino twists in her chair, but stays seated within it as Luna predictably rushes to A'erina's aid, but the atmospheric click of the abacus ceases as she watches with a look of concern. Once it is clear that no harm had come to her, Pipino turns back to her work, right hand resetting the abacus with an elegant flourish, not unlike striking a harp. “I only hope we are preparing enough. I keep my own accounts, but my business is fairly simple and does not require much figuring. The amount of things that go into a business such as this have me slightly anxious and I am probably trying to plan overmuch in compensation for those worries. Again, once we start it will feel like when I was keeping books for the cafe – expenses become more predictable. Perhaps it is just the unknown that is upsetting me and making me overthink things.”

[A'erina]

A'erina dusts herself off and looks around, leaving Luna and Pipino to discuss adult things. She listens and leans up against the nearest wall for a short time, slowly lowering herself to the ground as she pulls her legs up and rests her arms on her knees, she had helped move quite a few things but was beginning to be overcome with fatigue. She hadn't slept properly in many days and the physical labour had begun taking its toll on her, she was too emotionally broken to care about herself physically and was practically running on empty. She reached over to her satchel and grabbed a small jar full of salted nuts which she presumed would probably be enough to keep her going aswell as drinking some water which she had helped herself to upon arriving at Luna's house earlier that day. She turns her attention to Pipino, ” …Perhaps overthinking is what would make this whole endeavor work? I'm no good with numbers… Or much else for that matter. Maybe someone as knowledgeable as you is the right way to go about it.“

[Pipino]

“That is a dangerous line of thinking for someone such as I, A'erina! I will never have a moment of peace if I am led to believe overthinking makes anything better,” she replies.

[Luna]

The knightess pushes her hands up from the table she had prior been leaning on, giving Pipino a smirk. “Miss Pipino, whether or not overthinking is the name to put to your personal skills, I trust in what you are proficient with. If you require assistance in such an endeavor, you have all of us to aid you where we can. I believe you will do just fine without over-exerting yourself.” she assures as she walks over to the chairs A'erina had brought, unstacking them and placing them against the wall for later.

[A'erina]

A'erina grabs her book and opens it, resting it on her legs, before turning to an empty page. Just looking at the book was enough to make her upset but she had begun to bottle it up instead of outright showing it. She held a piece of charcoal in her right hand, which she had swiped from Pipino without notice, and began drawing on the blank page, a few walls, circles for chairs, bigger circles for tables. Some more lines, some random shapes. If anyone were looking at it they'd be somewhat confused as it looked like a young person's scribbles. She was drawing a sort of plan for how the basement area would look, being renovated into a bar, she doodles some more before waving her arm at Luna to show her as opposed to calling her over. ”…What about this?“

[Luna]

Luna places down one more chair with the rest, walking over to A'erina's seated position on request. She bends down to look at the page the woman had been doodling on. She puts a hand to her chin as she looks it over. “Hrmm. I'm not sure about that item in particular, however this area…” she says, pointing to the booths lined up against the wall, “This i quite like. It looks quite comfortable and cozy for the patrons. Perhaps some nice lamps would go well with the tables. Some brass prickets, mayhap. My knowledge of what the average patron might like is a bit skewed towards Ishgard I'm afraid.”

[A'erina]

A'erina looks at the book, back at Luna and around the room. She nods at Luna ” I can make it work, Don't worry. “ she says reassuringly. ” I spoke to Tod and he assured me he could get some Doman imports for us to use… As well as our own stuff, you leave that to me though, I'll try my best not to let you down.“

[Pipino]

“Honestly, I think some good warm lighting would do this place well. So many of the taverns feel like I'm sitting within some kind of dungeon. It is like people enjoy making them feel dangerous. But in truth, if the floor is clean, I would be impressed,” she says as the abacus clicks back into action.

[Luna]

Luna gives A'erina a stern nod. “I trust that you will do fine, Miss A'erina. I would not enlist you as an employee were I harboring any doubts about your efficacy of tending bar.” she says, in her mind sounding a lot more assuring than she likely actually did.

[A'erina]

She nods at Luna, and, Like a redheaded sponge absorbing information, A'erina listens to Pipino's suggestion of lights and looks at her drawing, adding a few circles to parts around the room that would benefit from a lantern or two. ”…Anything else, Pipino?“ Her ears twitching as she tries to get visuals of what she wants it to look like in our head and down on the paper.

[Pipino]

“Some art might be nice. Should you like, I could provide a few pieces. Of course, I cannot get them ready at short notice, but it would be a gift from me in return for the many kindnesses you all have shown me. If you perhaps let me know of some locations you find would help set the scene, I could provide several canvasses. Oh, and colors. So many places are afraid of colors and so many people insist on living in some moody, brooding color palette in this world. No wonder the mood in places like the Quicksand is so depressing. It helps breed mental disfunction and has people turning back to drown away their sorrows the ambiance inevitably creates. I should like the people would want to return here for the warmth of it.”

[Luna]

Luna strikes her usual hand-at-chin in thought as she pushes herself up from the floor next to A'erina. “A Miss Pipino original, hmm? I would be mad to turn such an offer down. Though I must say, if you were to paint landscape for the Hearth, might I suggest one of Coerthas or Ishgard itself? I know it is quite dreary, but it might serve to remind some the comforts that such a home provides.” she muses towards Pipino.

[Pipino]

Pipino smiles and lets out a small laugh. “Well, it would certainly be more interesting to paint. As loathe as I am to subject myself to the cold, I will have to travel up there again, as snow itself quite tricky capture. Some would just think you just need to slap a bunch of white paint on things, but the colors within snow are quite difficult, and the challenge would be enjoyable nonetheless. I am getting a bit more confident in my ability to travel using my aether now so it should not be too difficult a journey. ”

[Luna]

“Perhaps you will discover what so many of us already know - The beauties of such a harsh waste, pinpricked only by small settlements save for Ishgard itself. There exists a certain serenity to the entire area.” she says proudly. “If you wish me to accompany you when you set out eventually, you need but ask. Coerthas can be rather inhospitable, especially to those unused to the lands.” she offers. She begins to walk across the room to look at the laid-out furniture, trying to visualize it in her mind.

[A'erina]

A'erina closes up her book and sets it down on the floor beside her amongst her other things. She scowls at the mention of Ishgard and Coerthas and Snow and everything related to that place. After being given the option to run the bar at Luna's request she had already decided that while things may have an Ishgardian flair to them, behind the bar would her domain and thus she had a few touches of her own to add when Luna had finished the initial planning.

[Pipino]

“I am always willing to have more company on such a journey, even more so when that company is liable to be much more capable than I. I know well the beauty of the land there, I just only wish the temperature were kinder to my desert-born constitution. If the climes were not so biting, I imagine I could spend much of my time there, but we cannot always obtain all the ideals that we want.”

[Luna]

“Nothing a few nights in Witchdrop won't rectify.” she jokes ominously, giving a small laugh.

[Pipino]

“Something makes me really thing you would enjoy watching me suffer in such a place with as often as you joke about it.”

[Luna]

“You couldn't be farther from the truth, Miss Pipino.” she says, almost hurt. “I would never subject you or anyone I know to Witchdrop voluntarily. It is absolutely terrible.”

[Pipino]

Pipino gives Luna a confused look. “Then perhaps you should not bring it up in such a light-hearted manner. I mentioned it only in jest as you did. Of course I did not think you would actually want me there from what little I have gathered of the place.”

[Luna]

“I apologize, Miss Pipino. It was not my intend to upset you.” she says towards the small grumplepuss.

[Pipino]

“And I am not upset either, but I am about to be if you keep placing sentiments in my brain,” she says with a laugh.

[Luna]

“It will not happen again, or at least for a small period of time.” she says, offering her own light chuckle in return. “Perhaps my humour does not align so much with what many people find 'funny'.” she says, thinking with her hand on her chin.

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