This atmosphere was almost like something you would have seen in the real world and it was interesting to see the village of people celebrating amid the events happening in different places but it was always interesting for her. The legend of the Yokai Village was intense, and the vibe was all it took for Tear to want to immerse herself in the story. It tied to [The World] in too many ways for her not to see what it was all about. It was definitely a party here, and judging by the story, even at this party, one of the Yokai was hiding amongst the people and partying just as hard. This entire village was an instance dungeon, and since it was an event, they more than likely couldn't use weapons since it was treated like the server city.

Looking around, the Long Arm would watch the hustle and bustle for a moment, debating about where to sit before her eyes fell on the familiar form of the steam gunner she had met at the Hulle Granz Cathedral. With a smile, Tear would allow her to finish asking the NPC about the Spirit Sake before stopping the same NPC briefly. "If you could make that two of the Spirit Sake, please." Watching as the NPC disappeared, Tear would direct her attention Eden. "It's a pleasure to meet you here!" she'd beam excitedly. "I was looking at the quest list and after having learned the story of this place, I figured this one would be a great start." she'd ask as she looked around.

Of course, the quest was to defeat a shadow, but that meant they would have to play by rules, just which ones. Judging by the story, it could have ben a shadow of anything honestly, but that was neither here nor there. " I hope you've recovered the from the last time. I know that was a bit aggressive." she'd nod.

The thought probably wasn't too pleasant for Eden, but at least, with all that was happening back then Tear had explained what she could.

Tear thought the initial jump based on her approach was realistic and warranted. All things considered, Tear had put the Steam Gunner through quite a few paces before even beginning to communicate with her about anything. So it only made sense that the woman was wary when approached, if not just startled. Her bell tone of voice wasn't frightening, technically, although pointed words could be, especially in the position she had been in.

"I am glad everything worked out for you in the end. Remember to stay alert in those dungeons. It can be easy to be caught unaware at times. Would you say you're happy here in [The World] so far?" she'd ask with a bright smile. Taking a place near her, blueish grey eyes roamed the tavern portion of the inn. To think this entire village had become an instance dungeon. It reminded her of the theft quest in Mac Anu, which she would need to get to at some point.

Listening to the other pause briefly was quickly understood once the Grunty came into view. "Ah yes, a Grunty!" she exclaimed excitedly. I have only heard about them in the legends, and I know all about their origins, but I have never actually gotten to see one up close. It's extremely cute." Pausing for a moment, her left arm folded under her chest while her right-hand rest under her chin. As much as she wanted to pet the Grunty, she wouldn't because that would be rude without permission.

" I should probably do the quest in Mac Anu for that. I remember seeing a Grunty quest on the board to help protect the village." It was always a blessing to have some sort of knowledge of the past that would become useful in the future, and it seemed to be a thing, although she and Eden probably wouldn't get into a lore fest here, but you never really knew. What kind of informant would she be if she didn't have the history of the creatures of [The World].

The current setting they were in was historical in a fashion while also revealing nothing out of the ordinary. To complete this place, the Shadow needed to be defeated. The only issue was, as Eden had stated. Where do you even start to find the Shadow, and what if they weren't looking for something out of the ordinary but just something ordinary? For example, just off of the name alone, she doubted the actual Shadow had a shadow, considering it was one itself. "Well, I was just thinking about that, actually..." she'd pause for a moment, her eyes looking to the floor for a moment before turning back to Eden.

"Would a Shadow have a shadow? I mean, with all these people here and being demons themselves in some cases, clearly, it would have shadows unless it created clones of itself or something. I'm just assuming things based on the entity being called a Shadow. Don't mind my musings." she'd say, taking in the sights around her.

It was wonderful to hear of someone else speak of their true enjoyment of [The World]. "I am glad you find it to be such a beautiful place. There is much and more for you to see. As for your level, I wouldn't be too concerned as I, too, have yet to go and see them. I plan on completing all quests and missions each server has to offer before moving to the next. Compiling an archive of it's beauty and mystery....so to speak." she'd pause, stopping herself as the grunty literally disappeared. It wasn't her place to watch the little one but Tear still hadn't seen one before and instead of losing her cool or manners, she would resign herself to looking after it from afar.

Even the place they currently stood was immersed in a different type of beauty itself. This was an event but the story was somewhat similar to other tragedies and so Tear could only go back to remembering how so much tragedy seemed to befall [The World]. Still, she hadn't expected so much beauty to rise from the ashes each and every time there was an incident that occurred.

The tragedies birthed both curses and blessings upon the people, whether they realized it or not. She felt as if they were in a place that was moving along in time itself, but maybe she was overthinking. She did have the tendency to do that often. Her mind returned to that of the shadow as Eden mentioned possibilities to her statements. "Very true. Shadows themselves can take on many different form. It's both metaphorical and physical by technical standards." she'd paused.

Her mind was going to progress a little further and she was opening her mouth to speak before of course, the scream. That wasn't one of someone who was happy either and to her dismay, the grunty, whom Eden so lovingly petted was the immediate cause. With a slight laugh, Tear would register that the animals or entities known as grunties, could be as mischievous as humans.

While created to be completely pure of heart and without sin, they lost that when they were betrayed and then lost the gifts they were given. Even so, they were intelligent creatures prior to that but who was to say they still didn't have their intelligence. That was neither here nor there though, and did she REALLY name the Grunty, in a plural form. GRUNTIES......just wow but not her business.

ANYWAY, it was time to focus on on the new debacle that stood before them. Tear wouldn't run as she would take in the scene before her, considering she couldn't control the Grunty herself. Knowing that, she would be there as back up to help Eden as was necessary. Upon looking the Grunty locked onto the arm of the individual, Tear would look the specific individual up and down repeatedly with the flailing Grunty attached.

Listening to Eden speak. Tear wasn't going to say anything......at first, however, upon looking at the individual's shadow, everything matched except for the horns on the shadow itself. Looking back up to the person and then back to the ground again, Tear would smile. "I would say we need to apologize Eden but it was well warranted.....of course." Tear would tap Eden's should and point to the ground. She was practically purring at the fact that the Grunty had led them to their destination in the midst of the madness.

"It seems we found the shadow in question. Much sooner than we expected." she'd say with a small curtsy. "Sorry for the inconvenience but we have been searching for you." the bell voice would ring. So this shadow had attached to someone else. Her eyes remained fixated on the ground. If the individual before them had used magic to change their appearance, then that was one thing, but her eyes remained glued to the feet of the person in case they needed to defend themselves. If they moved, Tear would be there beside Eden to act.

Everything would definitely be smoother from here on out, or so she assumed. The hardest portion or rather the most tedious task was handled right her on the spot thanks to the lovely Gruntles. Tear was quite happy with the work the pet had done, and thankfully, Tear paid attention to the details. “Gruntles, you did a wonderful job, my dear.” No later than the sentence left her lips than the true appearance of the demon became a thing. It was to be expected, although it was partially as Tear had thought earlier. The Demon had used some kind of magic to change their appearance but the Shadow did not conform to the magic sequence either.

Violence was generally what the expected outcome would require, but this Demon had other plans for them. Based on the history of this place, the fact that the Demon mentioned the word civil, was almost laughable. There was nothing civil about this experience or, rather the situation. However, people had things to lose, and of course, nothing was ever just set in stone. Upon hearing of his drinking contest, Eden seemed to have other plans.

Tear stood stationery as she listened to the information flow in a constant state. It was well put together and seemed to have been studied intensely. Tear learned a few things herself. To hear of a demon having been drunk for 500 years…..”That must have been potent. What percentage of alcohol was that, I wonder?” she wondered, having voiced her thoughts. It was a lesson, but she was still stuck on the drunk part.

Tear wasn’t sure that Eden had all of her ducks in a row, but it never hurt to let someone else take the lead when they were equipped. Tear had read fan stories in the real world as well. However, she did not have as much of an in-depth understanding. That being said, now was the time to simply listen in and absorb all of the information being put on display openly. Who knew that something from the real world would translate to [The World]. It only further proved that they were working among sentience of some sort in the system as well and that in itself could be dangerous considering some of the past rumors she had heard about too.

The conversation seemed to move more so in their favor as Eden seemed to be negotiating the coming event. To her surprise, though, Eden deemed a performance to be the battle of choice, and to top it off, the audience would have to be the judges. Well, it wouldn’t exactly have been her approach, but she wasn’t the expert here in this matter.

Tear simply assumed that Eden was willing to pick this as the battle of choice. She had a game plan that could assure their victory, or so it seemed. There would be no complaints from the Long Arm. While she usually didn’t perform, there were things that she knew from the real world that would allow her to fend for herself in this event.

“Well then, I guess we better give them all a show.” She’d smile brightly in agreement with the option provided.

It seemed that when they agreed to a performance the demon was wasting absolutely no time. Before they could even utter another word, he had already removed himself from the conversation and stripped half naked in the middle of the Inn. Well, at least Tear knew that this demon didn't have the patience for a lot of things which would mean that he didn't think about his performance either. Some people were already blessed with special talents that would make up for blunders just because of the ability itself. For this demon, it didn't seem to be the case.

Eden had chosen performance, and in this case, Tear would be able to assist, fortunately. Anyone who didn't know Tear's actual identity in the real world wouldn't have any of this knowledge, but if the Steam Gunner aimed to do something that she was good at, it would only be fair for Tear to step up to the plate as well. If Eden weren't confident in her ability, then she wouldn't have suggested this, to begin with.

It didn't take long for Tear to simply watch Eden focus in on the performance before her. Tear usually never liked watching the performances right before anything she did. While it was a blessing to sit and watch the arts, admiring the people who have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into a performance, she felt it was for grounding herself to give the show the people sought after.

People usually paid to see a performance, and in this case, not performing to the best of your ability was considered a disservice. While in this case, she didn't need to stretch or anything physically, it seemed her normal instinct took over, her eyes closing as she counted to the small beat in her head. After a moment, Tear turned her head to Eden, her eyes opening as she spoke, "So, what did you have in mind for our performance?" she'd ask curiously.

Eden was going to take the lead, and Tear had no problem following a teammate. Especially when they were better suited or oriented to the task at hand. One thing that was always constant was this simple truth. No matter how competent you were as an individual, you couldn't do everything yourself.

An essential element and aspect to any merchant was another person. Different people held different charms and curried different types of favor, alongside different knowledge. Learning was a constant thing that seemed to switch when you least expected it. You had to learn when to be the student and when to be the teacher. This was to be a learning experience for Tear, too. Not just about performance but also Eden.

At this point, teamwork was what was going to make this dream work but thankfully, it wasn’t going to be as painful or possibly not as painful due to the specific request at hand. Growing up, Tear was trained in using traditional instruments as she was taught and immersed in culture. Knowing music and the arts in general was a part of her mandatory studies. It was quite fortuitous indeed that they had been challenged in such a manner that made sense. Finding a way to blend the music with song was simple enough given keeping in time with the singer. Staying in the right key for both would be the best course of action and that would also be the most difficult portion. Regardless, Tear didn’t even question it when Eden mentioned her ability to sing.

A wide grin would appear upon her face as she looked to the demon banging his drums. Oh….oh this was too good. He had just the drums she needed to go in concert with her own instrument, which would be useful in and of itself. Even without him playing she would choose the easier of the string instruments that allowed for various sounds just in case she needed to switch it up a bit. Not knowing the music made it difficult but the string instrument of choice was a Chinese one, known as the Guzheng.

“As they say fortune favors the bold. It would appear lady luck is on our side. I just so happen to have been trained in using traditional string instruments, so I’ll use the Guzheng. It’s a Chinese string instrument but considering the era of this venue, which is the Sengoku era, this instrument comes from its equivalent, the Warring States era in China. Let’s go with your plan, it can work.” The energy she was exuding was complete confidence, never having been one to shirk from a challenge or something that she normally couldn’t solve. That literally only added fuel to the fire.

“Send me the track. I can make it work.” she’d say confidently. There was no need for her to go further in depth right now. They needed to focus. The Oni wasn’t going to make it easy, nor would he allow them extra time.

While she waited for the set up of the Guzheng to be completed, Tear was able to speed through the music and get a feel for the performance to come. It was a rough draft but was all she needed to keep going. In this case, while noting the music, it was also key to stay in tune with Eden. Eden would be the focus and Tear would be the buffer to her showcase. Formulating what kind of solo she would play in her own mind; she would make sure to keep an eye son Eden. Fortunately, she was skilled enough to use the Guzheng without having to look down at it, so that eliminated some aspects but this new user HUD for the instrument was only slightly more difficult. Everything appeared before her in a flat and expanded HUD that would require her hands to slide along the sliders provided for the music to sound as intended. As she strummed a few strings, she’d briefly glance over to Eden in hopes that she was ready herself. The battle was just about to begin.

Tear would straighten her back, her arms raised to a certain level of comfortability as she played. Closing her eyes briefly, immersing herself in the strings, she would open her eyes just as Eden started to sing. Now it was to stay in key with her. Her face held a light smile as the song seemed to require that based on Eden’s jovial expressions and while she was slightly bewildered by the alcohol moment, it made perfect sense. The only thing was that liquor was said to be extremely potent, so how that would affect the performance, was up in the air. Eden would be fighting for her life at this point.

Everything seemed to be moving apace, Tear even playing in between with light notes to give Eden time to prep for the next verse. Eden looked as if she was indeed enjoying herself and that was good, having a stage presence that in this sense rivaled that of the demon previously. However, due to their song choice, the vibe was much more relaxed, yet relatable in a reminiscent sense. She was watching the crowd become engaged with the performance, Eden having captured their attention further with the raise of the gourd. Alarm bells ringing in her head for the singer to maybe relax but it wasn’t like she was going to stop her. Tear had ordered two of the Spirit Sakes to take with her for later, just in case, but they had yet to see the effects on other players. High risk demanded high reward and she was sure that would work in this instance as well.

Tear was into the performance, her fingers moving along the HUD seamlessly now as there had been a certain level of speed maintained. Giving the singer a break, Tear took over. Mixing two melodies into the one maintained by Eden was all her ears focused on, her eyes still glued to the girl for cues before allowing her to take the reins of the performance again. “Oh…..OH….she is drunk drunk……..oh my……” Those were her thoughts as she prayed that Eden could hang on until the song finished. Face maintaining composure, Tear was worried that Eden was going to fall off the stage as she walked forward, but she had faith in her partner and was making no obvious emotion aside from the performance despite her mind doing otherwise. It was much harder to keep in rhythm with her, but Eden was moving slow enough to allow the strings to enter a step behind her in movement. So, it appeared as if she was ushering in the song to its end. That was fitting in more ways than one for this place and Tear kept that flow to find the new balance for the music.

As Eden finally ended, Tear’s fingers would hold the note, ending seamlessly. Tear would then look to the crowd to signal the performance had of course ended. Smiling brightly to the audience Tear would stand, clapping for Eden as well alongside the crowd. Once Eden could straighten herself or at least try to, Tear would make sure to try and catch her before she fell, but for performance’s sake, she would allow whatever was about to happen to happen. The show must go on.