Cadoras smiles. "Aw, Ambre... Oh, it isn't a kick, I've always loved pickles! Would you like one? Maybe you, Aelyn? You sound like you might be a fan. Oh, and, I play an archer! I spent way too much money on that prop bow to justify playing anything else!"

Aurora winks at Aelyn. She then looks to Aithne. "Performance anxiety, you say? Well, have you ever tried imagining them all in their underwear?" She giggles. "I'm kidding, that never works. Honestly, something that helps me is channelling all my anxiety about the performance into something else. I try to imagine the audience looking forward to what I have to perform, imagine them cheering and being moved by my art. When I think of those happy faces, how could I possibly be nervous?"

"Okay then." Aelyn says to Arvol, taking the last pastry, a danish with lots of chocolate, taking a big bite. "Mmm, delicious. Thanks again Aithne."
He then turns to Aurora beside him. "Share?"

"Pickles? Um, not right now thank you." Aelyn says still eating his pastry. "And I'm more into getting out of them I guess." He says with a chuckle.
"So, you're playing yourself then Cadoras?" Aelyn asks a little confused. "Wouldn´t it be more of a challenge to play something dull and boring rather than the dashing hero you already are?" He asks with a friendly smile.

"Oh, that you wouldn't have to imagine my love." Aelyn says to Aurora, giving her a quick kiss. "Not at Bow's End at least. But I agree with the advice Aithne." He says turning to the aasimar. "It was a very sweet poem you read us the other night, very sweet, and I for one am looking forward to more of that, and then you will know that you will have an appreciating audience, us, your freinds." Aelyn says, sending the aasimar a warm smile. "Sometimes I wish I had some of that anxiety actually, could have stopped me from a number of less than thought through performances." He adds chuckling, leaning back close to Aurora.

Imagine them in their underwear? The suggestion had Aithne's cheeks heating in an immediate blush. The idea seemed terribly counterproductive to anything that might help her to calm herself in a testing situation. And who was she supposed to imagine in their underwear? The professor? When Aurora revealed that the recommendation was a joke, Aithne breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. That seemed more likely to make her more tense, rather than less.

She listened attentively to both Aurora and Aelyn, hoping that their suggestions would help. "The two of you are so confident. I would willingly trade you some of my nerves, Aelyn, for even a little of your self-assurance." Aithne shook her head. When she started to get anxious, it was all she could focus on. Perhaps, as Aurora had suggested, she could channel that nervous energy into productivity. She'd have to try next time they were in a crowd or the next time they had an exam. Which would be sooner than she wanted, she suspected. 

Arvol just listens to the conversation between Aithine, Aurora, and Aelyn.  At the end he speaks up quietly. "You do have a lot to be confident about Aithne. Maybe you could just focus on that."  He reaches over, softly resting his hand on hers and giving a small squeeze. 

He then looks over at Aelyn, "What would we do if you started to become more reserved! I mean, that's like half of our entertainment!  Plus, it makes me look far less of a fool than I actually am." He gets a grin on his face. 

"Ehm, you know Aithne, I at least am not always confident you know. I'm was certainly not confident as I did the exam today for instance." Aelyn says, chuckling now at his own behaviour. "But I don't think I've been in a situation like that ever before. Hopefully I will get used to it. I'm confident that if I studied as hard as all of you did I would be much less nervous about it though. I was lucky today and I don't really deserve what I got." He says, looking down now. "I promise I will be more focusd on my studies in the future." He says to Aurora, giving her another quick kiss on the cheek.

"How would you ever look like a fool my friend?" Aelyn says to Arvol with a warm smile. "Oh, you mean I will be the one looking like a fool and then people won't notice you're one too, is that it?" He says with a chuckle. "Well then you're welcome my friend, I'm so glad I could be of service in some way."

Arvol laughs, "Yep, you got it Aelyn. I am deeply appreciative of your service too." 

Aithne turned her hand over, intertwining her fingers with Arvol's. Leaning into him, she buried her face in his shoulder and said softly, "I'm trying." It seemed so simple when they all said it. So why couldn't she just get rid of the anxiety that slicked her palms with sweat and filled her stomach with nausea? She'd have to work at it. And try to keep in mind what they'd all said. Already she was doing better in crowded spaces thanks to her friends' assistance. Maybe this would be similar. Straightening back up, she gave Arvol's hand a light squeeze in return for his own and nodded at the others. "Thank you for the, ah, advice. I promise I'll work at it."

"It's up to you of course Aithne but I actually think that game you taught us could help you out here. Doing something that you think might be embarassing and then being with friends and just laugh about it together afterwards would be great, umm, cognitive behavioral therapy for what you are experiencing I believe. I'm sure you could find science to back this statement up in some book too." Aelyn says with a wink and a friendly smile.

Arvol smiles as Aithne leans into him. And at Aelyn's suggestion Arvol speaks up. "Are you proposing we play now? Here?"  He glances around the crowded place a bit nervously. "You mean maybe back at the dormitory later? Or I guess we could soon." He remains with his fingers intertwined with Aithne's as they talk.  "What do you think?"  The question might be for the whole group, but Arvol seems to particularly be looking at Aithine as he asks. 

"Oh no, not here and now, that would be bold, even for me." Aelyn chuckles. "But later perhaps, I'm sure Ms. Wynterstarr is game." He says, giving Aurora a wink.

A game? Which game? Oh! Aelyn meant "Daring Truths!" Or Ambre had called it "Truth or Dare," which was probably a better representation of the game. If you didn't answer the question, you had to perform a dare. They'd last played many weeks ago, only shortly after their orientation. The evening had been embarrassing certainly, but nothing like the anxiety she felt over crowded spaces or the exam they'd just taken. And she felt confident enough in her friends that if they believed the game could help her manage her nerves more effectively, she was inclined to agree.

"I think I'd, um, like that?" Her initial response was hesitant, but Aithne took a breath and answered more seriously. "I'll try anything if it will help. And I, ah, enjoyed our last game? I'd like to play again." She confirmed more firmly. That decided, she took another bite of her pastry. She'd eaten little at the morning meal and now that the feeling of nausea was fading, she was actually hungry. Maybe she could stop at the Biblioplex cafe after this for a proper meal?

"Hey, he's getting better at using the bow!" Ambre says proudly. 

"So, another game then, just tell us when and where Aithne." Aelyn says with a nod and a smile.

"Firing Cupid arrows no doubt." Aelyn nods to Cadoras giving him a friendly smile.

"Oh, almost forgot Mina, I think I have a new song for you, or rather the cafe." He says and grabs his lute again, a set of new blues chords sounding before he starts to sing again.

"The studies for your exam causing grief and dismay,
your books and your notes in total disarray,
the clouds in the sky and in your heart so grey,.
Where should you go? To the Firejolt Cafe

As soon as you enter and pick up your tray,
lovely Mina and Ellina greet you with a Hey!
checking out the pastry heaven on display
Where are you at? At the Firejolt Cafe

You sit down with your friends waiting there all day
for you to join them making everything okay
you chat and flirt and laugh, until closing time you stay
And there you will stay, at the Firejolt cafe."

"Well, sounds like we have our plans set for tonight then!" Arvol says with a smile.  He glances at Aithine. "More sweet rolls? Maybe they have muffins?"  He's mostly teasing but has certainly realized she likes sweet things.  

He stops and listens to Aelyn's song.  "Very nice Aelyn!  You keep this up and they really ought to start paying you for the advertising."

Aithne laughed, wrinkling her nose in response to Arvol's playful tease. "I do eat other things." She informed him, very tempted to stick out her tongue in a childish reply. Stifling the impulse, she shook her head as a more serious response. "I should probably have a proper meal. But I can make a stop at the Biblioplex cafe once we're done with our celebration." She added quickly, not wanting to leave before her friends did.

In response to Aelyn's song, she clapped enthusiastically. The bard's talent was remarkable. His ability to develop songs from seemingly nothing was something Aithne was truly in awe over. "That was wonderful, Aelyn."  

"All right, all right!" Arvol says in a cheerful tone as he looks at Aithne. "I guess I have seen you eat the sandwiches at the Biblioplex Cafe. I don't think those had any icing..."  He makes a show of scratching his head as though he's trying to remember. 

"Why don't we just go get something to eat back at the dormitories? I'd be glad to go with you. Either there or the Biblioplex Cafe if you'd prefer," he says, clearly directed to Aithine. He then adds, "Everyone's welcome.  Then maybe join up at the lounge after dinner time for 'Daring Truths'? And have a little bit of tea, I could make some for everyone to have during the game."

"You brew tea?" Somehow, that was the most intriguing part of what Arvol had shared. Realizing that she hadn't provided a response to any of the rest,  Aithne backtracked and said, "I don't mind eating at the dormitories. It's practically time for the evening meal anyway. And I would love to have your company." A light squeeze of Arvol's hand and Aithne looked around the table at everyone in attendance. "If you'd all, um, like to join, you'd be welcome? Cadoras? Rosie? The two of you weren't, ah, part of our last game, but if you'd like to come with, we'd love you to join us? Ambre had mentioned a, ah, variant of the game that we could try? Would you be interested in dinner and a game of 'Daring Truths?"'

"Thank you Arvol, thank you Aithne, just trying to entertain." Aelyn responded with a nod and a warm smile to the couple on the other side of the table, then looking back to Mina again for any reactions from her.

"Tea, excellent, mind if I bring along some wine, just in case we run out of tea." Aelyn says with a wink and a smile.

Arvol shrugs.  "Yea, I brew tea.  Does that sound strange to you Aithne? I just magically heat a pot of water. I keep a small supply of dried tea...  Why does that seem strange?"  He looks around at the others as though he expected they all probably kept a bit of tea in their room.  "This way I can have a cup of tea at night while I read."  

He does start to grab his pack and is ready to stand and head back to the dormitory. "Well? Who all is coming?" 

"Tea is my favorite drink! I often add a little sprinkle of ground up plants depending on my mood" Klok says as he gets up to head back