Choice to be

Tall Barrel - The Restaurant

"You were in a fight? Without me?" the catfolk asks. 

"Oh, I didn't even have to move. Skia punched the guy to the ground, and the other guy ran away," says the dwarf. 

"You didn't have to hit him that hard. You totally messed up his face!" claims the elf. 

"Wow, I am loving you more every moment. Skia, come with me after this. We are going to win in the gladiator ring," calls the sliteye. 

"Gladiator?" 

"Oh, is that fighting ring still running?" the elf asks. 

"I heard they disbanded after the new law abolishing slavery, and most of them were slaves, so with about every fighter gone, there is nothing to be made, but apparently not if it is still running," adds the plainfolk. 

"The people came back together to fight, and to add the adventurers who don't know where to go when the floor gets sealed," says the nimble. 

"Well, slavery's how I got here," says the catfolk. "Also, I'm not good at anything other than fighting. Also, also, I am hoping to find the guy who kidnapped me and sold me there." 

"Where else are you going?" the dwarf addresses the entire table. 

"Oh, I have a job offer as a clerk from the adventurer's guild," says the plainfolk. 

"I will be visiting my family, Ma and Pa, back at the village. I am going to be gone for however long the seal persists," says the elf. 

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet," says the nimble. 

"As for me, I just saved up enough to catch the next merchant caravan to haul low- to medium-grade metals," says the dwarf. 

With everyone else's entry in, the party looks at Skia with interest. 

"...are we not together? Parties stick together." 

Quiet "Oh..." Everyone looks away.

The catfolk looks up at the ceiling to break eye contact. "No, not this one," she says. "It is complicated." 

"Well, you see..." the elf tries to interject. "I assembled this wonderful team when the news about the boss monster appeared, so we could make sure people don't get left behind when they seal the floor. People..." She looks at Skia for a second too long. "Like you!" She smiles. 

Then, the elf looks away and takes a sip of tea. She says under her breath, "People, huh?" 

"Hey! No need to be depressed! Because it's your payday!" The dwarf tries to insert himself. 

"Yeah!" The catfolk and the nimble shout. 

Everyone takes out their adventurer's card. 

Skia doesn't because she doesn't understand what the purpose is. 

"Well, I know Skia wasn't with us during our skirmish runs, but we wouldn't have gotten out with our skin if she didn't help with the spiders and the bats. We owe her at least something, even if we didn't get the crystals from them," says the human.  

Everyone nods except the dwarf, who reaches into his bag and takes out some chunks of crystals. 

"You got those crystals?" the plainfolk asks. 

"Of course, I did get the crystals. Do you understand how much money it is?" asks the dwarf as he hands some to Skia. "Here is the yellow crystal from the spider, these tiny crystals from all the little bats, and I will put in a red crystal for your efforts against the giant bat." 

"I think you are going to need a pouch for all that. Here, take my old one." The human hands her a crystal pouch. Skia put the crystals in. 

Everyone else gets paid through their cards. They tap their share of crystals and the cards absorb them. They also transfer card to card. 

"You know you should sometimes keep your crystals in your card if you have too much that you can't carry," says the nimble from across the table. "But it eats 10% each way for conversion, so you are losing 20% every time you want to use it." 

"Well, of course, as a merchant, I would feel so bad if I sent you into the world without teaching you how to measure the crystals." The dwarf takes out his scale and color chart. "You take a crystal on the color chart to see its color and put it on the scale to know the weight. Then, you know how much each is worth." He pushes the items towards Skia. "Consider these a gift from me." 

"Oh, we are giving gifts! Then, have my wand. I bought it, and I never used it. It is cheap but a requirement if you want to cast any spell that matters, and if you want to get into a magic-focused class," says the nimble. 

"Here, take my brass knuckles." The sliteye presents her gift. 

Everyone looks at the elf who has yet to give. 

The elf looks at her own fingernails. "Look. I don't do material gifts. But I assure you that I will keep an eye on you. I promise you this is the best gift you've received all night. My years of wisdom is not something even the guild can buy." She takes a sip of the hot tea. "For a first, if you don't have anything to do right now, you should go with Paddy (the sliteye). Both of you are exotics, so the audience will be fascinated." 

"How do you know so much about the slave pits?" The sliteye asks. 

"I-" The elf lets out a long sigh and covers her face. "I am just too long-lived for my own sake." 

"Wait, how old are you?" asks the nimble. 

"I don't want to think about it," the elf replies. 

The dwarf rubs his beard. "The colosseum? Will she be alright?" 

The elf straightens up. She puts her hands down on the table and slowly opens her eyes. "Of course, she will be fine. You just saw her punch a dude. She has all the skills she needs to succeed in the ring." 

The elf turns to Skia. "Trust me. I am the best the world can offer." 

"That is kind of arrogant, isn't it?" the nimble points out. 

"Yeah," the plainfolk agrees. "Sure, you are good with your magic, but surely there are better people." 

The elf leans back. "Well, that's what my mother told me. And I took her word for it." 

The dwarf laughs lightly.