The town of Kizun was, as usual, at peace. A calm breeze drifting through the air, the leaves on the trees dotting the area shook quietly, the early morning dew on them all dripping down lightly. With the sun barely peeking over the horizon, the residents of this quiet place were only barely waking. It was, after all, late autumn; with the crops already harvested, many of those who worked the fields had the rare luxury to rest easy. That was merely an option, though; of course, not everyone would choose to be lazy at a time like this. Though the crops had been harvested, there was still work to be done in making it last the winter or processing it for other goods.

To Mamoru, though, none of this really mattered much. Though he had chosen to wake up early, this was only done to watch the sun rise way over yonder. The sight of it all was always something calming, in a sense; though not the most peculiar way to bask in the morning sunlight, lying down on the roof of his house was, admittedly, not the most normal of places to watch from. But considering how quaint it had been since the first time he had done so, well... There was no reason to stop now. It had become a routine of sorts, and though he wasn't enough of a stickler (or an idiot) to do something like this when there was rain or snow or something of the sort, doing as he did... Well, it was nothing he had qualms about.

With the sunrise over, though, Mamoru climbed to his feet and casually hopped off his roof, landing on his feet as he touched down on the ground. The first few times he had done this, the results were... Less than savory, to be quite frank, but by now he had gotten used to it all.

"Those two are probably sleeping in a bit later, though, huh...? Well, that's fine, I guess. Maybe I'll go check out the tavern for now, then. Need to grab some pocket money for the winter," he mused to himself, placing his right hand on the hilt at his side. "Those fanged bears get a bit more aggressive around this time of year, if I recall correctly. Really don't want to deal with them, though. Last time, one of the adventurers tagging along lost an eye. Ugh."

A noticeable frown on his face, the purple-eyed swordsman brushed himself off and promptly walked off into town. Though he didn't much like odd jobs, if it came down to it, he'd take those up too.
...
But then the thought of bears wandering near town popped into his head again. Hell if he'd let those things get near his family.

---

The walk over to the tavern from his home had taken a decent while, and the town was now abuzz with activity. People were milling about and the markets and shops had all opened by now, which gave Mamoru a chance to soak in all the atmosphere of the place. Waving hello towards one of the local tailors (the other had only moved in a year or so ago, leading to a blooming rivalry between the two), the young man stood leisurely in front of his destination.

Though it did have a name, the locals seldom called it anything other than 'the tavern', mainly because it was the only place that could be considered a tavern in the entire area. Eventually, the owners themselves had given up selling the name, opting to just call it as such themselves. It was a bit of a strange phenomenon, but it worked for the townspeople, and so it worked for him as well.

The smell of alcohol that usually permeated the location at night was all but gone, now replaced by the smell of rice steaming in the kitchen and assorted meats and vegetables being cooked every which way across the board. It was inviting, and to be honest, the tavern felt more like an inn than anything else right now.

Which was, well, fitting, considering that it was meant to cater from those rare few who decided to journey all the way here. There were other places to go to and such, but food wasn't the priority here. It was the job listing, of course. His growling stomach, however, made Mamoru reconsider a bit. Maybe some food was important. Probably was, actually. Walking up to the counter, the swordsman casually asked for a small vegetable bao, which he was given (and he paid for) in short order. Snacking on the food as he walked back to the board, Mamoru slowly began to read the assorted help requests plastered all over it.

"...Ah, damn. Bears. Of course this'd happen...."

An Xing spend days walking all the way over to this location in the middle of nowhere really. This town was as quiet and out of the way as they came. She had actually spend only a few hours of sleep last night and walked for the rest so by sunrise she had arrived at the town of Kizun.

She stretched her arms once she was inside the settlement.” I hope this journey was worth it!” She said to herself with a smile as a nice fragrance of food reached her nose. Only now did she realize how hungry she actually was. An Xing hadn’t had any real food since yesterday noon, when she finished the last of her provisions.’ I really should stock up better next time!’ She thought as she walked down the street, following the sweet smell of delicious food!

Finally she tracked it down to a tavern/inn looking building. Her eyes were sparkling like those of a child who just got a present as she entered the tavern with a big smile on her face. The day so far was going great, she arrived at her destination, she was about to get some food and later after that she was going to start selling her wares. She had currently all manners of small trinkets from around the continent, a bunch of ornamental hairpins and hairbrushes and some small statuettes. Each of decent to great quality!

“Tavern keeper, I want a double serving of steamed rice, meat and some vegetables!” She said happily as she walked over to the counter, pulling her coin purse to pay for her order. An Xing felt so hungry that she was sure she can eat a whole roasted boar if she was given one!

She hadn’t even taken a notice of the job listing, she just took her meal and sat on a table nearby, taking off her big leather backpack and leaning it on her leg while she ate.” So good~!” She said happily, feeling the rice as if melt in her mouth. After all it was true what people said - to a hungry man every bitter thing is sweet.

Eventually her blissful experience of a good morning meal was interrupted as she heard someone say the word ‘Bears’. An Xing immediately rose her head and looked around the tavern, searching for the source of the voice. She saw a young man who appeared to be reading a job notice! Bears did have rather nice pelts and furs once properly treated. Even if she didn’t get too great of a payment from the job itself, she could probably find a person or two to sell some great fur coats!

“Excuse me, yes you, the young master by the job board.” An Xing called to attract his attention without leaving her chair. Talking with the young man would also present an excellent opportunity to gather some information about the area. She now evaluated his clothing and the way he stood.” Surely a young swordsman like yourself has a lady he likes and wants to impress? I have a selection of a fine accessories, trinkets and general curiosities from all around the continent. Care to take a look?”

"If not for courting a lady, I also have a rather good selection for gifts for your elders!" She said, pulling her rather big backpack from the ground and opening it up, pulling a big wooden box from it. Opening it, An Xing revealed a number of well crafted hairbrushes and hairpins, ranging from simple ones to highly decorated and ornamental ones.

"Wow! This is beautiful!"

"I know! The image is so clear, but it doesn't draw too much away from the rest."

Tagi held the coin in his hands. It about the diameter of his thumb and sat heavy in his palm. He felt the dragon etched on the surface. The lines were clearly there, but they were so fine that he couldn't even make them out. It was almost as if someone drew them on, but there was no smudging the surface.

"I can give you the name of the artist, if you'd like."

"Please."

The merchant scribbled something down on a piece of parchment and placed it in Tagi's hand. After a bit of small-talk, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Tagi frequented Kizun a couple times a year. It's market scene was not the most extravagant, but it certainly remained one of the more interesting places for art. He would get glimpses of rare and not-so-well-known pieces, much like the one he had just seen today. Artists waiting to be discovered, techniques pleading to be heard, talent begging to be recognized...are things Tagi found to deserve the most appreciation.

---

After a little browsing, peeping kiosks and seeing more and more generic works, Tagi grew famished. He soon wandered into a tavern. The smells emanating from the kitchen watered his mouth. Drifting aromas of cooking meats made his stomach rumble. The room grew cozy, and maybe even a bit disorienting, both stimulating and relaxing, the way any customer should be when they await a meal they actually look forward to.

"Meat over rice, please!"

Tagi left his satchel and quiver on as he took his seat. He was always cautious about putting his stuff down in public. Slight paranoia always stuck him when it came to his belongings. He only brought what he thought was absolutely necessary, and in his mind, that meant he couldn't afford to lose any of it.

The first bite of his meal made his jaw quiver. It was still hot, but the flavors of the meat coated his tongue. He couldn't help but crack a smile, and soon began engorging himself in his plate. He sat alone somewhere around the middle of the room and shamelessly shoveled his food into his mouth.

Nearing the end of his plate, with the initial relief meeting a satisfaction that creeped up on his mind and stomach, Tagi took more notice of the rest of the tavern. He glanced over his shoulder and saw some people checking out some board at the end of the room. Bears was the only word that his brain managed to process. He thought nothing of it, but stayed curious as a young woman appeared to be making a pitch to another customer. Curious himself, Tagi stood up and walked over to see the board for himself.

As the Sun slowly climbed into the sky, a dry warmth sank through the canopy of dark orange leaves and reached the long, curtained boughs on which Fei Lan slept. The crisp autumn breeze felt cool and refreshing as it brushed against her skin. With a stir, her eyes slowly opened to the amber glow engulfing the treetop. She stretched lazily, drinking in the morning air. With the side of her hand, she dabbed her eyes, rubbing gently away the lingering malaise of her deep slumber.

Sitting up, she fumbled for the rucksack she had been using as a bed cushion and hung the strap over her shoulder. She cast her legs over the side of the bough to dangle freely and peered through the branches at ground below; no immediate threats caught her attention. She could easily outrun a hungry bear or a sprinting tiger, but being caught unaware was always a dangerous possibility, and Fei Lan was keen on not becoming some furry woodland creature's breakfast.

With a leap of faith, she dropped to the ground with a muffled sound; her footfalls rustled the leaves as she landed. She glanced around again, still wary. The woods were still, but the chorus of birds around never changed. Neither she nor anything else seemed to startle them.

Good.

A sigh of relief escaped her parted lips and her fingers ran through the bracelet of charms on her wrist and found a deep blue lapis bauble. She held it close to her chest and began to chant in a quiet cadence, using it as a focus to gather her Qi and manifest it. A current of vital energy coursed into her lungs at her beckoning call. She drew in a long, deep breath and exhaled her accumulated Qi as a cloud of fine mist that quickly eveloped her body and immediate environs.

She preferred travelling this way. With a nimbus of loose mist around her, most predators could not track her masked scent and brigands never found her. Having lost her previous travelling companions, it was necessary to take steps to protect herself.

---

Within a couple hours the beaten trail led her to the small town of Kizun. Upon seeing it, her heart sank.

"What rotten luck..." She grumbled quietly.

If she had known there was a town this close by, she would have travelled a bit further and slept in an actual bed rather than sleeping on a uncomfortable wooden hammock in the middle of nowhere.

After dispersing the envelope of mist she had created, she trudged into town with a sullen expression. Fortunately, her face was somewhat obscured by long hooded robes. The last thing she needed was some well-meaning numbskull to misinterpret her pretty face and sour mood as her being a "damsel in distress". It wouldn't be the first time.

Presently, she wandered toward the local tavern eager to find some breakfast. A real breakfast. Stale trail rations could only hold their appeal for so long. Her mouth began to water as soon as she caught the tempting aroma of cooked meat and rice.

From the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of three strangers gathering around some kind of sign board. Torn between a sudden pique in curiosity and the smell of hot food, she froze in place.

"...Eh? Huh?"

The sudden sales pitch caught Mamoru off guard; with a quick glance to both his left and his right, he ascertained that the 'young master' being referred to was, in fact, him. That alone made his situation feel somewhat awkward, but before he could say anything of his own, the merchant who had caught him earlier continued on, leaving him no chance to respond on his own without being rude.

And it seemed they were drawing a crowd. What great timing that was.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Mamoru turned around and calmly shook his head, a slight smile on his face as he began to counter with his own words.

"While under most circumstances I would be pleased to browse your wares, the logical side of me is saying that carrying anything extra while attempting to handle a request runs a risk of me breaking it under pressure. I also cannot simply hide a gift at home, for those who it would be intended for would find it, and the impact would be lost. It is regrettable, but I must decline your offer. Maybe another one of the patrons here would like to browse in my stead...?"

Of course, the fact of the matter was that the money he had was to be used on essentials, anyhow. His mother's insistence on teaching him all that stuff about the city ended up coming in handy, after all. Maybe his speech would entice others to look those goods over instead. Two birds with one stone, right?

With that (hopefully) out of the way, Mamoru bowed his head and turned his attention back to the board of requests. While the usual things like herb gathering and log retrieval were there (as expected), the young swordsman could not help but think that none of the other jobs were doable without considerable risk because of the bears he had been bemoaning just moments ago.

"...Well. I don't believe I have a choice any more. Did everyone else just decide to take the easy job in town today or something?" he thought to himself as he took the notice off the board. "You'd think that more people would prioritize the safety of the town over their own, but what do I know?"

“That’s too bad, mister swordsman.” An Xing stated replied with a smile, noticing that a crowd was now gathering around. People were starting to take interest in her wares, so she quickly pulled 2 more wooden boxes and lined them on the table. After opening them, they revealed a number of more trinkets, hairbrushes, hairpins and other curios.

She then quickly started showing and pitching her wares, but first paid a few more coins to the tavern keeper to get her a cup of wine and to not hinder her selling her wares inside his tavern.

“Well, mister swordsman, do not fear to browse my things later then after you finish that task of yours.” The woman in white clothing stated, crossing her legs with a smile. One of her hands was resting on her sword that was now lined by the wooden boxes to allow extremely easy draw.

“So bears?” She suddenly asked, throwing a glance at the board that was nearby.” Anyone around here collecting those pelts?” She added another question, after putting away the money she was given for one of the hairpins.” I’d pay good money for one of those pelts and may be even ready to help hunting them if I’m given one instead of money payment.”

This one is strange... I didn't think Dragon domain merchants were so aggressive. Maybe she's behind on sales or can't find a good market stall?

Lacking enough etiquette to prevent her own impropriety, she stared long at the gathering, before starting to lose interest. She wasn't in the mood to entertain a traveling merchant. They were usually selling snake oil and fake antiques anyway. Nor did she believe hunting bears would be to her benefit. Sure, they were cute and fluffy when you saw them at a distance, but they were all teeth and claws up close. Fei Lan wanted nothing to do with it.

She approached the bar and fumbled for the coin purse she had stashed in her sleeves. It jingled and shifted under her grip, but felt lighter than she had remembered.

Oh no...

Quickly, she pulled the drawstring on her coin pouch and checked the contents, desperately hoping her fears weren't true. Her lips curled into a pout. She winced as she counted only three stamped silver coins left, and frantically wracked her brain, trying to remember where the rest of it had been spent. There was barely enough here to buy breakfast, let alone a night's stay at an inn. Her trail rations were running low as well.

The tavern keeper shot her an expectant look. His wrinkled brow seemed to say "Either buy something or get out," as if he already knew what her dilemma was.

She choked down her exasperation, letting only a curt sigh escape. Often, she would stop by small villages to perform "miracles", cleansing wells and healing minor injuries to cover her travel expenses, but she hadn't come across even the smallest oasis of human life in the past week. Either she had terrible luck or this town was in the middle of nowhere.

Bears, hunh?

She definitely needed the money, and any job as dangerous as hunting bears would definitely pay well. She put two fingers against her brow and began kneading the tension under skin, hoping to massage away the frustration as she weighed her options. Fighting was not well-suited to her abilities, but she could be a scout. Very few beasts could sense her presence while she was shrouded in fog, and she could just call on the local water spirits to find the bears.

With a quick glance as the tavern keeper, she swallowed her anxiety, put down her last three coins on the counter and order a flagon of stew and skewered meat for the road. The food was promptly furnished in thin cloth bindings. She nodded in thanks to the bar maid who brought it, and started towards the job board.

In a soft voice, she hailed the adventurers and directed her attention at the swordsman.

"If you'll have me, I can offer my services as a scout."

There. She said it. Not an ounce of nervousness in her voice, but it knotted and bundled itself in her chest instead.
She wore a shimmering steel-white hanfu dress beneath a simple hooded cloth robe that was obviously much too big for her small frame. All of her clothes were immaculately clean and in pristine condition. She thought of the rangers she'd met previously, and recalled their tattered cloaks, dirty faces, week-old body odor. No forest tracker in the history of the world looked like she did, or so she believed.
She didn't know the first thing about tracking animals like those rugged mountain men in her homeland, and she was sure to garner some suspicion from this group. She kept her head lowered a bit to keep her face covered, leaving only the delicate features of her mouth and chin visible.

Thankful that the merchant had become occupied with trying to sell her wares to the other people milling about, Mamoru let out a sigh of relief as he began to read over the notice in a bit more detail. It seemed straightforward enough--kill bears, bring back the corpses, obtain money. That meant, though, that if he was going to take on the job, he'd be needing to hire someone to bring them all back. Logically, that could be handled afterwards, but for now...

Right, taking on bears alone was a death sentence. Though they are often solitary creatures, a bear is still a bear. And then there were the fringe cases where bears could control qi...

It wasn't as if it hadn't happened before, to be fair; there were a few cases in the past where animals had some instinctual reaction to qi or something, and the resulting messes were never pretty. But hey, at least they usually went for a lot of money.
...
Granted, that money usually went to the families of those who died, but it was better than the families and the men dying, right?

Before he could begin walking around to the usual hunters, though, Mamoru paused for a moment as two women (one of which being the merchant who was attempting to have him buy her goods) offering their services. The swordsman gave them a quick once-over before shrugging and nodding his head.

"I don't think there's any problem with that, you two. Scouts are always a bit more troublesome to come by in this region because everyone's so focused on strengthening their bodies for their work, so your help would be appreciated; as for you, miss merchant... Remember that the bears are a bit more dangerous this time of year. I'd recommend you stay alert if you wish to come along; the more the merrier, correct?"

With that said, Mamoru moved off to the side before beginning to converse with a few of the regulars. After all, if there was anyone with experience with this sort of thing, it was them. Even if they decided they had better things to do for the day, their advice might still help in the long run.

“I see, I will keep alert.” She replied with a smile, finishing up to serve her customers and started to put her merchandise back into their boxes and finally in her backpack. She had the feeling the young swordsman underestimated her just now. Granted she didn’t really look like a fighter and that was part of the point in how she dressed and acted. Usually many would reconsider trying to cause her trouble just by the mere presence of her rather peculiar blue sword.

She then focused her eyes on the other girl that offered her services. She appeared rather… hmmm… clean in fact about as clean as An Xing was if not actually even more! Not the usual get up for a scout that one. Still the air about the way the girl’s body moved did show some traces of skill or experience at least. Well or so An Xing thought at least.

‘Not my business really~’ An Xing finally concluded in her mind with a nod to herself and a smile. She reached to her sword only to pull it an inch before putting it back into the scabbard to hear the sounds it made. A clear though quiet metal ringing sound reached her ears and she smiled happy with it. It’s been a while since she had the chance to give it proper maintenance, not that she really needed to do it often as her abilities made sure her blade was always in perfect condition when she used it. Still it was nice to do it manually every now and then, maybe after this hunt was over.

In a musty corner, three grisled men sat lazily around a ale-stained table. Two lithe men with weathered faces and wolf pelt jackets reclined against the wall behind them and shared a pipe, each taking long drags from it in turn. The third was a heavy, bald man had a square face framed by a thick, wiry beard. He torn into the plates of sauced meat and bowls of rice. As Mamoru approached, cords of tight muscle shifted under the man's bulk betraying his overweight pearancece.

The other two lithe men sitting turned away from their pipes, and regarded him with cordial, if somewhat cautious looks.
The larger man, with his jowls still packed with rice, greeted Mamoru with a boisterous flair.

"Mamoru, Come! Sit with the Great Yama!"
He gestured to the open space on the floor next to him.

"Unless my ears fail me, you're hunting bears, no? Dangerous business these days. Haven't you heard the rumors? It's already killed three people."
He swallowed another mouthful, before nodding toward the two men sitting across from him.

"Nobu and Sei could tell you more. They found just found a mauled corpse on the road, halfway to the next village."
The two trappers shot Yama a scathing glare for a moment, both reluctant to be included in this conversation. After a long pause, Nobu began.

"There's not much to say. The road north has always been dangerous. Bears, tigers, and snakes.... Pick a season. If you're on the road, guaranteed some beast will see you as its next meal."

Sei shrugged and drew a long breath from his pipe, ambivalent to the topic.

The boisterous nature of the overly muscle-bound hunter caused a bit of a pained smile to creep its way onto Mamoru's face. While he couldn't deny the skill of the hunter so aggressively calling him over, to call himself Yama was...
Well, a little pretentious, wasn't it? Even so, though, information was information, and playing along meant little mre to him that a simple stroking of the man's ego.

"Yes, yes, coming," he responded, casually taking a seat near the three men as he waited for his own chance to cut in. He knew the dangers in hunting beasts, of course, but a single creature taking out three men already...?

"So... It's 'awakened' in that sense, then? Or was it just a bunch of unlucky travelers? One dead man is usually a fluke, but two or three seems a tad unlikely unless there's some other forces at play here," he reasoned to the hunters, looking over the notice once again. "Regardless, if three people have been killed, then I would expect a larger bounty. Unless... There's a reason that people are keeping quiet about it?"

If that was truly the case, then there was something much more important than just 'bear hunt' going on here...

Nobu and Sei shifted uncomfortable at the word "awakened." They exchanged a wary glance with Yama, before their stoic expression returned. Yama took another large bite from his skewer of meat, and chewed thoughtfully on Mamoru's theory. Time stretched out as the silence grew longer. At last, Yama let out a rumble of laughter.

"Well.. if it is that dangerous, I bet you could strongarm a better price out of that bounty!"

Nobu cut in, not wanting to hear anymore of Yama's simple-minded drivel.
"If there's anything needs awakening, its you, Yama."
He looked like he would say more, but stopped himself, and turned to Mamoru.
"Yes, three people have died. It would be double that, had it been a tiger. Don't look to superstitions for your answers when a man's own carelessness is more likely."
He sighed emphatically.
"You see myth and conspiracy where this is none."

Sei puffed out a rising plume of white smoke and finally added with a relaxed tone.
"Nobu is just grouchy from being on the hunt for too long."
He took another hit from his pipe, and gazed wistfully at the ceiling.
"The traveller we found had been without water for at least two days. His waterskin was bone dry and the tracks showed he'd been wandering aimlessly for awhile. It wouldn't have mattered what killed him--he would have been defeated by the elements soon enough."
Sei regarded mamoru with a somewhat disappointed expression.
"I couldn't say about the other two. I have not seen the bodies and I don't trust the rumor mill to get anything right. It may be unusual to have so many deaths with the season having just started, but nothing out of the ordinary has been revealed to me during my hunts. If an awakened beast is out there, it's more elusive than any bear I've stalked."

"May the spirits safeguard your travels." He nodded solemnly and returned to indulging his pipe.

An Xing waited for Mamoru to finish dealing up with the men he was talking to, before she reached to her backpack’s and quickly putting it on without much difficulty. Naturally it had a good volume as it harbored a lot of merchandise, but luckily for her she kept her merchandise to small things so it didn’t really reach the size of some traveling merchants whom she has seen. Their backpacks were sometimes bigger then their torsos. Hers was just big enough to harbor 6 wooden boxes with trinkets such as hairpins, combs, brushes and other small merchandise like that. That and her other few possessions she kept on herself like her additional set of clothes that was neatly placed in a sturdy woven bag.

“So I guess it’s time to get hunting?” An Xing asked, smiling to her two companions on this job.” Before we head out, I must inform both of you that I do have training in combat and I’m not just tagging along without reason or desire to help. I can and will help in taking down the bears!”

A small laugh left Mamoru's lips, and a slightly forced one at that. The more he talked, the more worrisome this incident seemed to look. Even so, though, at least there was some idea of what to prepare for...

"Understood. Thank you for the information; I'll be careful during my search," he said, bowing in thanks before getting up from his seat and walking over to the two people who had offered their services earlier. The merchant claimed that she had combat experience, at least, so that was somewhat less worrisome, at least. In any case, the longer they waited, the less time they would have to seek their prey. That wouldn't do; not at all, no.

"I think I've gathered enough information for now, at least. We still might want to be careful, though; bears are bears, after all..." he trailed off, shaking his head before showing the two a smile. "It should be fine, though. I think."

Though there was some part of him that wanted to warn his two companions of the possible danger ahead, the commentary from the two more rational hunters made it seem more unlikely than not that an awakened beast would pop up. It wasn't as if they couldn't just run, though... Right?

"In any case, we should head out now. I'll meet you two near the path to the forest on the west exit of the town, all right?" he asked (somewhat rhetorically) as he walked out of the building, mulling over his thoughts as he moved in contemplative silence. There was probably no need for anything like armor, right? They were just bears, after all...
...
Right?

Patience may be a virtue, but Fei Lan didn't have the attention span for it. She struggled to keep her mind from wandering as Mamoru's conversation with the hunter drew on. She stole a few subtle glances at An Xing trying to figure out what the strange blue sword at her side was for. Fei Lan assumed it was for combat, but was curious to know if it did anything special.

Before she could mull over the possibilities, Mamoru returned. But something seemed... off. She hadn't paid close--or really any--attention to his conversation, but something about this bear problem unsettled him.

In any case, she wouldn't worry too much. Bears she could easily deal with on her own by not dealing with them. Given a wide berth and masking her presence did the job quite well. Now she would be seeking them out and confronting them directly. Maybe that's what was behind Mamoru's uncertainty? Was he uneasy about fighting bears as well?

Without any money, there wasn't much more she could prepare. She nodded at Mamoru in confirmation.
"Hopefully, we can resolve this quickly."

The merchant girl cut-in, declaring she was combat-trained, almost as an afterthought. Fei Lan was silent for a moment--half-relieved, half-surprised--and could only think to say. ""Oh, is that so? I'll be in your care then." She bowed slightly, and turned to leave. "We should be on our way, if we plan to find one of these bears before nightfall."
With that, she started towards the west end of town to the meeting place.

"Perfect, then meet you at the meeting spot soon!" An Xing stated as the rest left to quickly head off towards the quest they were about to do. The merchant on the other hand had a slightly different plans though. Sure she was going to soon follow, but by no means was she stupid. Hunting bears was dangerous job that led to quite a few deaths even to people trained in martial arts. Before heading off to meet with the rest, she passed by the blacksmith, quickly making a deal to buy 4 big spearheads, still slightly rough and unpolished. Whith those new tools in her possession, An Xing quickly began moving in the direction Mamoru indicated earlier.

"And I'm ready for hunting!" She stated confidently when she arrived at the spot and met with the rest. Her not really that shiny new possessions were tied around her tights with 2 ribbons, one on each leg holding 2 spearheads." So what's the plan for taking down the bears?" She finally asked, wondering if Mamoru actually had any plan or if they were going to have to improvise on the spot. Sure enough without knowing each other's abilities it was hard to formulate a plan, but hey no one said forming adventuring/hunting parties was easy.

Having left the building, Mamoru bought a few pieces of berry bread from a stall along the road for his group to eat later. Given that he had absolutely zero clue how long the three of them would be out hunting bears, it was only natural that he'd bring along a little something for them for lunch. Besides... It was bears they were hunting. Maybe the smell would attract them?
...
No, that was silly. There was no way that'd be the case.

Quickly confirming all the goods on his person at the moment, Mamoru caught up to the other two who were planning to tag along with him, bread packed in a small bag tied to one side and his sword to the other. The merchant lady from earlier mentioned the preparation of a plan. That, of course, was a bit easier said than done. Luckily, the young swordsman had been on enough hunts to know (to some degree) what the usual process for this was.

"Well, most groups usually stake out a river or a cave and keep watch, but that only works about half of the time. Fanged bears have a sharp sense of smell after all, so they can tell something's looking for them just as well as they know where their food is. Luckily enough, though, there's another way to go about this--tracking. During this period of time, these bears usually go around the same path seeking their meals, so as long as we can find out where the creature's headed, we might be able to intercept and kill it. The hard part is the fighting, though, but it'll go better if we can catch them off guard. Are you two okay with that?"

The explanation was a tad lengthy, yes, but for someone who had just entered town for the first time this sort of exposition was fairly necessary. Otherwise, they could just as easily wait for nothing to happen and still get the same result.

Fei Lan kept quiet as Mamoru laid out his plans, nodding at key points but only half-listening. Her mind wandered a bit as she tried to recall the natural watering holes and streams in the area. She had stopped at a few along the way, but hadn't bothered to commune with the spirits to find the other ones in the area. She hadn't spoken with many of the ones in this area. Normally they would fawn over her very presence, but they seemed a bit reclusive around here. I'll need to entice them a little bit...

"Are you two okay with that"

"Oh...Uh, yes, that's fine." She replied thoughtlessly, only catching the general idea behind his plan. "If you could lead us to the largest pond or lake in this area, I could find this bear much easier. It would spare us a lot of needless searching..."
She knew her request was a little unorthodox and, in actuality, she had no need to request such a thing. She could find it herself without too much effort, but she wanted to get know her escorts better. And this seemed like a good enough excuse. She had every intention of just communing with the local spirits to find this bear when they arrived,