[THE ROSE DINER]
[7:00pm that evening]
"Hector! It's sooo good to see you again. It always a pleasure to take care of you and your needs." Lily, the hostess, said with a flirtatious smile.
"Thanks. From now on we will be five." Hector replied in a neutral voice.
"Oh? I see. Your group keeps growing and growing…I wonder if there will be space for one more single and available hostess in your group?" She batted her long eye lashes making a cute-kitty face that pulled at the heart strings.
Hector remained silent.
"Well, maybe another day perhaps. Let me take you to your table…if there is anything you need to be more comfortable, anything at all, just let me know." The hostess offered as she looked straight at Hector.
[…]
"Don't tell me you guys didn't see that! She was clearly flirting with you! She basically threw herself at you bro." Kristan teased Hector.
"Judging by her elevated heart rate, shallow breathing, and tension in her body…I agree. She is showing all the classic signs of a person in love." Percy added calmly as he assessed the hostess's physical changes.
"Lucky. I wish I had a girl," Wain whispered.
"Can we talk about something else?" Hector pleaded as he desperately tried to redirect the attention away from his love life.
"So, guys. During the last raid my level reached 52! That means I'm ready for a job promotion. What do I need to do to promote classes?" Arthos asked as he redirected the conversation.
"Me too…I hit level 53," Kristan added.
Hector said, "58."
"I also reached level 52…looks like the four of us are ready for a job promotion! It's a pretty simply process, all you need is a Promotion Stone. Those are pretty common and are sold cheaply in Enchanters and Jeweler shops. I believe they cost 20 to 25 coins." Wain explained.
During dinner Arthos said, "thank you again Percy for the loan…I was meaning to ask you…why are you homeless if you have so much coin saved up?"
"I'm not homeless."
"Really? Why are you always sitting at the same street corner? We thought you were homeless."
"I rent an apartment nearby…I just like to feel the city from that corner. It's like feeling the city's pulse."
[…]
[AVALOR]
[The Next Morning]
The excitement in the air was thick with anticipation like Christmas morning before opening gifts. The party strolled down the streets of Avalor with a childlike enthusiasm as they made their way to the Guild & Dungeon Registration Office located on the east side of town near the guild halls.
The Office stood like a majestic mountain carved from granite from the very earth itself. It gave onlookers a sense of permanence and stability as if the building had always been there. The party eagerly climbed up the broad granite steps…as if each step as an "ascension" of sorts.
"Welcome to the Guild and Dungeon Registration Office. Here you may apply for and register a new guild. In addition, you may purchase Dungeon Raid tickets, and schedule raids. What can we help you with?"
"We wish to apply for and register a new guild," Arthos said with excitement.
"We can definitely help with that. Please fill out and complete the following form. In addition, we will require $1,000,000 Nanocoins and a copy of guild hall lease or building title."
"Wait? Guild hall lease or title? That requirement is not listed in the instructions online." Wain said as he protested the additional unexpected requirement.
"I apologize for any misunderstanding, that requirement is new and went into effect this week. Here is the ordinance describing the change."
"Ok, may we take the form and return with the paperwork?" Arthos asked hiding his annoyance.
"Certainly."
[…]
"Well, that sucked." Kristan said in a deflated voice.
"A guild hall? That sounds expensive…how much money is that going to cost?" Arthos asked.
"Maybe we should split up into groups of 2 or 3 and ask around. There are a number of available buildings here…maybe we can find a good deal on a lease." Wain suggested.
"Good idea…let's see what we find. Hector and I will take the east side. Wain, you and Kristan cover the buildings in the west side. We will both make our way toward the center of town. Percy, can you handle buying Promotion Stones? We will meet at Golden Parlor at noon."
[…]
"Well, that was a giant waste of three hours," Kristan complained. They had visited over a dozen buildings with little success.
"The lease rates are very high…anywhere from 25,000 to 50,000 coins a month. The worst part is that most buildings require a 1 million Nancoin deposit! We don't have that kind of coin." Wain said as he summarized the facts.
Arthos let out a long and slow sigh. He said, "hmm…ok. We will keep looking later. Let's just take a break and redeem our gear tickets for now."
[...]
The shopkeeper welcomed the group with a delighted voice and quickly arranged for the tickets to be redeemed for new gear.
"Why the long face? Is the gear not to your satisfaction?" The shopkeeper asked Arthos as he tried on his new cape.
"It's perfect…it's not that…it's just that we are struggling to find a guild hall for the new guild we are creating." Arthos said flatly.
"Why! You are in luck! I happen to own the building behind this shop. The original plan was to convert it into an inn…sadly the contract fell through at the last minute. The building itself has been empty for a few months but it was recently renovated, and the rooms were refurbished. Why don't we go take a look together? I'm sure we can reach a reasonable agreement." The shopkeeper said with a bright smile.