"Who."

"That girl who wanted to be a mage then changed her mind and decided to be an elemental monk instead."

"I don't know."

"No, I think she hadn't left the Academy by the time I did either so I'm not sure what happened to her. But I imagine it must've been quite a readjustment, at that point, to try to become a monk after spending so long preparing to be a mage."

"...I guess."

What's up with the non-sequitur?

"Do you wanna come with me to Prontera to grab something to eat somewhere?"

"Why."

"I told you, I wanted to see my friend."

"We're not friends."

"But we will be. Come on, it's not going to hurt, relaxing sometimes is good."

"Not for me."

"Yeah? Do your instructors look like they're wound up all tense the same way as you all the time? Because they all look pretty relaxed to me."

Well, they're not trying to deal with Surt.

"...and I'm pretty sure you're going to need more than just your physical form to be a proper monk. You haven't gotten your first Spirit Sphere yet, have you?"

"...how did you know?"

"Guessed. I really think you won't regret it. Come on!"

"Fine. Let me wash up first."

Prontera, capital of the Kingdom of Rune-Midgard, is not as cosmopolitan as an Eden Group lounge but it's definitely aiming for something like it. It's by far the largest city in the Kingdom, and it is, to a large extent, "where it's all at". The palace, the guard and the army, the Cathedral of the Church of Odin, the Prontera Merchant Strip, Odin's Plaza, the Blacksmith Guild. Adventurers have Eden, but everyone else has Prontera.

And the St. Capitolina Abbey, where prospective monks can train their bodies and minds to razor-sharp points, is a short walk from it, and it's where Annika and Taharqi are coming from.

Even when not training she's still dressed like a monk: handwraps and footwraps and chestwraps and the loose trousers tied to her waist and ankles. The only concession to casualness she's made was a loose tunic and a satchel over her shoulder. "Where are we going?"

"Aren't you from Prontera? You should tell me."

She gives him a look.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. There's a—oh, but I should ask, do you have any dietary restrictions?"

"No."

"Likes or dislikes?"

"No."