Both Myouga and Yabashira stopped bickering as the arcanist looked over at the lavender-haired girl. "Hm? Oh me? Weeell…" She looked thoughtful for a moment, before cutely winking with one eye. "That's a seeecret~" Yabashira rolled his eyes, having seen it all before. "Anywaaay, let's go get some snacks Allyria! If I stay any longer, meanie-bashira will kick me out again. Wanna go around the capital for a tour? There's lots of pretty places to see! And I know all the best places for snacks from salty to sweet!" She put her hands on her hips proudly. Nisshoki was one of the best places to life in all of Revaliir, according to her great and sagacious self. Sure there were places like Arri and maybe even Iria but nobody could compete when it came to the leisurely-city atmosphere like the pride and joy of Ataiyo. It was the place where you could be formal and casual at the same time without being stuffy.

"For today's tour, we have all sorts of locations to tickle your fancy: historic buildings and traditional architecture, the beautiful seaside view of the west, the night market of the city streets, a visit to the religious district's temples and monasteries, and the famous Ainochi district! If you ask me, I'd probably avoid the religious district. There's nothing to do there unless you want to learn martial arts or stare at rocks and sand patterns all day. It's a great place to take a nap–er, meditate. Anywhere else is definitely more fun." 

"I would love to go on a tour" She giggled. Allyria was, without a doubt, hopelessly excited. The city was so rich in historical architecture and beautiful scenery, she completely forgot about asking Myouga's mysterious age. It took almost everything in her not to let out a unladylike squeal at the thought of it all. Plus, she definitely agreed that going to the religious district would be horrendously dull. 

"Yeah, lets skip the religious district! But you choose where to go, after all, you know the city best!" She flashed a warm smile at her friend, waiting in anticipation for the upcoming tour…

"Aaaalright! Let's go! First stop–the southern district! If you're gonna tour the city, you oughta see the best parts first instead of last!" The southern district was the Ainochi district, where the powdered faces of female entertainers were a common sight on the streets. Less savory things aside, it was the place if you wanted to experience Nisshoki's traditional pastimes and culture. The atmosphere was different here compared to the business of the commercial district. Here it was quieter, and more cosmopolitan. This area was home to the more artistic members of the city's population, as there were few market criers hawking their wares and more open air stalls showcasing various artworks made by the young artisans. Scrolls of ink paintings, wood block prints, and more valuable carvings and accessories of jade and agate were the standard. High-quality trinkets for the infrequent traveler. Today none of the things interested Myouga, as she already had her fill of polished wood sculptures. Most of the works on display were more towards a religious bent, with Ataiyan style depictions of deities and mythical figures from legend.

But her main reason for coming was to show the girl the grand tea houses. Here they were beautiful two-storied buildings with rounded pillars and upturned roof corners covered in brightly colored tiles. One of the most renowned was the Peony Pavilion, famous for its high quality tea and traditional entertainment. Unlike smaller establishments, the Peony Pavilion exclusively served only tea, not wine or other strong drink. However here you could order a pot of some of the most rare and prized brews normally the upper-class could afford. The  biggest attraction for Myouga was their afternoon tea session, where you could sample an assortment of tea snacks with any pot of tea you wanted. These snacks ranged from savory to sweet, and were typically eaten in the late afternoon. Everything was bite-sized, but you could order as many kinds as you wanted.

Stopping before the Peony Pavilion, she pointed to the structure eagerly tapping her feet. "This here's the Peony Pavilion–one of the biggest tea houses in the district! They have both food and entertainment, but they only serve tea in their drink menu. And the best part is their afternoon tea time, which we're right on time for! Oooh I can't wait! They rotate their menu four times a year, and I haven't been here in a while."

Allyria let out an ungraceful, but cute, squee of delight at the sight of the tea house; she had never been to one herself, however, she had often over heard some wealthy women talk about them fondly. She smiled a genuine, pretty smile aimed at her friend, excitement bubbling up insides of her.  The girl took a moment to marvel at the beautiful architectural structures and admire the fascinating array colours all around the area. With every passing second, her excitement was getting harder and harder to contain - a feeling she had only felt a few times before.

She wondered what the traditional entertainment was, trying to remember if Myouga had told her when she was only half listening, focusing the majority of her attention on the terrific sights they strolled past on their way to the tea house. The hybrid decided it would be so much better to just go inside and experience it firsthand rather than stress about it internally. 

" Shall we? " she asked her companion, with a swift motion to the Peony Pavallion…

"Let's go!" Myouga cheered. She was glad her new acquaintance was as excited as she was. They both went to the front door, a grand double-door entry with carvings on the pillars of flowers and serpentine dragons. A large wooden plaque bearing the tea house's name had Ataiyan script mounted above the door frame. They were greeted by one of the women in blue-powdered makeup dressed in a kimono of a rich, glossy sunset orange. Her black hair was long, pulled back into an elaborate hairstyle with hairpins and flowers adorning the tresses. "An afternoon tea table for two, please!" The arcanist replied to the woman's inquiry. The hostess then told them to follow her to their table, and led them down the hall to one of the rooms with a window view overlooking the streets below. The window was not a simple square in the wall with glass panes fitted in, but a circle carved from a single piece of wood. A single pane of glass filled the frame, matching the elegant and unique surroundings inside their room. Wall scrolls of cranes and waterfalls draped the walls, while the walls themselves were a combination of intricate wooden partitions with screens. It was both public with a hint of privacy, as many other small rooms like theirs made up the entirety of the Peony Pavilion. The wood carving and artistic placement gave a natural feel, from the polished wood floors to the table and chairs. Small potted plants with simple leaves sat in blue and white porcelain containers on wooden stands adding to the atmosphere. Above them hung a large white lantern in the shape of a peony in full-bloom with wooden butterflies and tassels adorning the fixture. 

To Myouga, she had seen all of these before. The mahogany furnishings, the potted orchids, the crane carvings in the wood partitions. Taking one of the two seats in the room, she took the menu and started planning her strategy of attack, focusing on the tea snacks she hadn't tried before and any seasonal items. There was an entirely separate menu just for tea, and it had every kind of tea you could imagine. Rose tea, all kinds of green tea, black teas, red teas, oolong, ginger, chrysanthemum, lily, wolfberry–you name it. "Go ahead and pick what you want! We can choose ten different types of tea snacks with any pot of tea of our choice for the afternoon tea special. If you'd like, we can both choose five and try out each other's."

The siren diverted her attention from the beautiful and intricate decor of the tea house, to the menus sitting in front of her. So many things to taste, where could she begin? Needless to say, she was slightly overwhelmed. The teas all sounded delicious (especially the chrysanthemum and wolfberry, whatever they are) and the tea treats even more so. In her benighted state of confusion, she began racking her brain,trying to remember what the elderly woman had been gloating to her friend about: a something cake, she thought. Allyria wished she knew what all of these were, alas, she didn't even have a slight clue on half of them. 

Swallowing her pride, she asked her friend: " What would you recommend? " Despite the fact she was trying to make herself sound a lot calmer than she felt, a part of her felt like Myouga could detect her frustration. This is ridiculous - afternoon tea should not make me feel anxious! She let out a miniature, internal sigh. " Actually, you're the tea expert here; I think it would be better if you choose all the snacks. That way you could try some of the new treats, and also have any favourites from past visits! " 

Yep, tea and tea treats had somehow gotten the best of the stress free Allyria Hollern…

"Huuuh…well that's difficult. There's too many things, too many things!" The arcanist said, as if the repetition emphasized her point. "Hrm…well let's go with something safe for the tea and instead make a gamble on the tea snacks. It would be awful to get stuck with something we don't want to drink when we only get one choice for tea." She thought a bit, looking over the tea selection. Some of the teas were a bit strong tasting, others were more of an acquired taste. Regular plain teas were a waste of money for a place like this, so she had to pick something special. "Well it's getting close to Ignius, and the heat will start to pick up. How about chrysanthemum tea? It's light and clean, while cooling the body. It comes chilled, with notes of orange so it's a good palate cleanser."

Next came the tea snacks. Pulling the menu before her, she produced a pair of divining talismans shaped like various polyhedrons. Regardless of their official purpose, she called them dice. She used them as dice, therefore they were dice. "Alright! Funny-shaped dice, don't fail me now!" Taking them into her hands she shook them violently before releasing them onto the table's surface. The clattering of the talismans ended on certain numbers, which she then referred to on the menu's list. "…Let's see, a four and a ten. Four…four…'savory pork puff pastries'. And now ten…'shrimp dumplings'." She proceeded to roll four more times until she came up with the other eight dishes: steamed soup dumplings, stuffed eggplant, spring rolls, deep fried egg puffs, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, fried sesame balls, steamed crystal dumplings with coconut and sweet mung bean filling, and potstickers with seasonal wild vegetables. Once the selections were done, she looked them over and waited for Allyria to have the final say. Personally Myouga could eat anything, but most people were more picky when it came to food.