"My lady, I would lie if I tried to come up with any grandiose reasons for me choosing your own family to join." Orgos spoke slightly ashamed of what he was about to say. "The reason I chose you is because you were the first member of a noble family I happened to meet. In my mind, I still hoped that you would be someone worth serving in the first place... and I am glad that hope was not misplaced." he said, bowing his head yet again, hoping that he had not insulted her by being so frank as to his reasons for choosing to join her own family.

Upon hearing the mission he had to do, he could not stop a proud smile forming on his expression. "My lady, the mission that my kinsman, Firebelly has for us is not much different than what I usually do as a hunter... it will be something quite easy for me... I accept to accompany you in the mission Mr Firebelly has given us." he spoke with the pride only a hunter such as himself could have, however, upon hearing of special skills, his expression changed to a thougtful one. [color=a0410d]"Well, not only am I skilled as a hunter and all that occupation pertains, I am also quite skilled with fire magic and..."[color] he seemed slightly hesitant to continue. "... I have a special sort of power that allows my flesh to become as tough as steel for a limited time, though I use it only when I really need it as it is quite draining on my body."

He hadn't hit with both of his attacks!? Hiroto had a short look of unbelief on his face before feeling a heavy hit in his stomach. Blood left his mouth as he staggered backwards. He held one arm on the spot the man hit and with the other arm held the cat girl over his shoulder. He clicked his tongue and gritted his teeth before making a full 180 and ran for it. It hurted... It hurted so much, his belly was growing redder and redder together with a flaming sensation rising up. The people around them got over and tried to help the boy too by blocking myst his way whatever it took. They were with plenty so there was no way he could all violently pin them down!

This was absolutely unbearable. The running had somewhat slowed down to brisk shoveling and eventually he fell down about two streets further. Blood gushed out of his mouth while Hamaguchi fell to the street too. Was this girl really worth dying for... He felt his vision getting blurry as he tried to reach out for the girl. If he couldn't keep himself alive he could at least attempt to rescue that of another. As he had almost reached her his hand fell cold down onto the ground. There was not a single bit of life left in him. Hamaguchi slowly opened her eyes and looked at the boy lying in front of her. There was a lot of blood. Hamaguchi shoveled herself forward a little with the strength she could muster and laid her hand on his belly. While her head dropped down to the street she placed all her focus on healing him. It was gonna be alright now.

When myst arrived their bodies would be gone.

Myst Neumann

"Damn them!" shouted Myst, drawing his mercenaries back. Not only have his potential new slaves gotten away, but he had to pay for the various civilians who lived in the slums, as well as local constables, to stay quiet. This, by the way, was what he was going to do, once things had settled down.

Once the man was back in his mansion, everything he had worked for this day ruined, he would review another report; one of his competitors was 'expanding' their operations. One of his competitors in slaving, too. Myst hated his competitors; he took up the slavery business in order to acquire fodder for experiments, carnal relations, and build ties with foriegn countries who can help him in his goals, not just for profit.

"Order is my goal...not continued chaos," he would mutter, as he would give the order for spies, enforcers, and assassins to be set around the 'Slave Institute' controlled by his competitor, in order to seek an opportunity to bring them down. In keeping with his 'equal-opportunity' policies, these criminals and mercenaries were composed of not just humans, but demi-humans as well, and armed with fairly good, but not expensive weapons...

@liferusher@6slyboy6@Melpaws

@FamishedPants@Zelosse

Sean Williams

Having Goliath leap on him honestly wasn't something Sean expected to have to deal with today, yet here he was, with a giant on top of him who believes that Sean's an agent of some sort? "How about you just simmer down a bit, and get off of me. I tend to be pretty understanding, but I'm tempted to launch you a couple hundred feet into the air. I've got no clue why you'd think someone sent me, but you should listen to your calmer pal. Also, thank you for calling me pretty, I try." Sean said with a calm tone that hid the anxiety of having a dangerous paranoid dude on top of him.

Sean figured this guy needed to really reassess himself, maybe figure out what he was really worth and come up with some solid reasoning for someone sending people after him. Then also ask himself why Sean would be so open about pursuing him if he actually had been sent. Sean's quest for a new friend wasn't looking too good right now, and he really was scared enough to actually attempt magic here. The only thing holding him back was the fact that they were in public and if his magic backfired he didn't want to hurt any bystanders.

@PhoenixRising@famishedpants

Aleph jumped after his pal and grabbed onto the arm holding the arrow. Due to the difference in their size, it would have been quite difficult to pull Ollie off the poor sod, so reasoning was likely required. "O-Olipher, my friend.... I think we should take a step back and calm down. Someone attempting to kill you would perhaps be a bit more silent in that pursuit, no?" Banton attempted to reason. Needless bloodshed was not something he wanted to see, after all.

Olipher struggled against Alephs attempt to remove his only weapon, the panic evident as he strained to prevent the enemy from gaining an advantage. Being a mercenary meant striking first! It means surviving against the odds by whatever means necessary! It meant-

@FamishedPants@Zelosse

"How about you just simmer down a bit, and get off of me. I tend to be pretty understanding, but I'm tempted to launch you a couple hundred feet into the air. I've got no clue why you'd think someone sent me, but you should listen to your calmer pal. Also, thank you for calling me pretty, I try." Sean said with a calm tone that hid the anxiety of having a dangerous paranoid dude on top of him.

-putting down your makeshift weapon after you make a complete and total ass of yourself and apologize before you ended up ruining your less than trusted reputation. That was exactly what the Oni did.
Shaking off Alephs hand with a nod of his head, Olipher rose from the pinned Sean beneath him, placing the arrow back in his quiver. Opposite hand extended to help up the poor lad that had been tackled so cruely to the ground. Olly silently hoped this one didn't hold grudges like every other person he had met so far. All of them were just so focused on revenge..

"Sorry about that. Roughed up a lad earlier, couple of lads actually," he said while rubbing his chin in thought, "So I naturally assumed you were here for revenge. Evidently this is not the case. Names Olipher." Olly hooked a thumb at his friend. "He's Aleph. You seem reliable enough. We're going to find a royal pain in the neck and see about any work in the area. If you're not doin' anything why not come along."

Vesta Celestia and Avery Ackbar Celestia

Vesta was a little taken aback by his rather honest and, in her eyes, quite idiotic answer. He had chosen their family to serve, because they were the first one he had come across? That was surefire stupidity in Vesta's eyes, but there was another saying which came to mind which Avery liked to say. What was it again? Beggar's can't be choosers?
No that wasn't it....eh it would come to her eventually. Setting aside those thoughts she instead decided to focus on what else he had to say. So he was agreeing to join the quest to prove his wares?
Excellent. Vesta couldn't have gotten much better of an answer than that. Really there was only one other answer which he could've given, that being he wouldn't join. Of course if he had given that answer Vesta probably wouldn't accept him. If he truly wanted to be a knight, then such opportunities should be taken with both hands.
But that part of his answer didn't particularly interest her, it was the second half however. He mentioned now that he was a skilled hunter. This was something that she had already thought to be the case but she didn't view it as enough of a skill to be valuable enough to the family. There were hundreds of highly skilled hunters after all, if not more.
His mention of being skilled at fire magic surprised her. She couldn't think of too many cases of an orc being a skilled magic user. A skilled magic user, while not overly valuable to the family of skilled magical users, always caught the attention of the Celestia's. If one had enough potential as a magic user, they would easily be inducted into the family.
Noticing now that he was hesitant to continue piqued her interest and she gestured to him to continue. Which he did, and the ability he now spoke of had her interest caught hook, line and sinker. The ability to turn your body as tough as steel? Considering his fire magic capabilities, she could only assume this was a divine protection. Much like Avery's unique power, this one seemed to be one as well.
"I see Mr Orgus. As tough as steel?" Vesta commented thoughtfully as she looked off to the side.
"I'm sure you will have plenty opportunity and no qualms about showing this power during the quest then? If it is as you describe, then such a thing could be quite useful. Though I can only wonder how other families would view us?" Vesta stroked her chin thoughtfully as she spoke, almost seeming like she was off in her own little world before turning her gaze back towards Orgus.
"No matter. We have always been outcasts for our magical prowess, the other families are jealous of it. They call us power hungry mongrels, so the addition of such a power to our ranks might justify such comments. But then again, I can only agree with their views. To our family, power is everything. I hold...slightly different views. Though such talk can be saved for another time, unless you have anything else you wished to discuss I have another appointment. With that of the young girl from last night."

Avery's grin widened at Aya's response. His outfits? Well, why didn't they say so! If it wasn't obvious by his reaction, he couldn't tell that she was speaking rudely nor that it was a lie.
"Oh I have many others. I can go get a few if you wanted?" Avery responded cheerfully. He couldn't help but chuckle softly into his hand at her reaction of the tea and waved off the red-haired maid when she went to go ask Aya if she's alright.
"It's ok Ronni. I'm sure Miss Aya just isn't used to tea." Avery now took a sip of his own tea, glancing towards the doors as they now opened.

Vivi didn't respond to Zin's taunts. It was best not to dignify her comments with a response of any kind. She simply shot a cold, dagger-like glare over her shoulders at the dragon woman. Whether or not it had the desired effect she simply opened the door now to the 'war-room' and now found that not only was Avery in this room, but two other strangers were as well. How many people did Vesta bring back last night anyway?
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she now gave a small curtsy to Aya and Dante as she went about introducing herself.
"Greetings. I am Vivi Celestia, I pray my sister didn't involve you in too much trouble last night?" Vivi straightened herself up before looking with apparent concern at Aya's reaction to Zin entering the room. Did these two know each other or something? Or did Avery simply do something weird before they had entered? She hoped it wasn't the latter reason. Either way she decided to turn her attention to the reason she was here.
Avery.
The trap who had jumped out of his seat to run over and embrace the younger girl, yelling her name excitedly all the while.
"Vivi! How did your talks go? You have to tell me everything." Avery chattered excitedly as he stepped back from the slightly annoyed girl.
"Avery, do remember we have company. Such informality in front of them is extremely rude and Father wouldn't tolerate such actions." Vivi explained with a small sigh. She was used to Avery's informal and impolite ways, but he usually didn't show them in front of guests at least.
"The talks went fine. But as to why I'm here at the moment, Vesta instructed me to bring Miss Zin to you for some minor healing from injuries incurred by their bout. I'm sure nothing is too serious, but Vesta would rather take no risks with infections." With that business out of the way, the younger Celestia turned her attention to both Aya and Dante.
"Miss...are you ok?" Vivi asked Aya as she noticed she was still waving at her tongue. Had someone prepared too hot of tea or something? Well the boy beside her seemed fine...
While Vivi was speaking to the other two, Avery giggled into his hand as per usual habits before turning his playful gaze onto Zin.
"Ah so you're the 'Dragon' woman Shiro has been telling me about? Ooh ooh do you have a tail?!"

Zin looked down on Vivi, not just from being taller than the young girl, but also because she didn't stand up to the dragon woman herself, she just took the insults that Zin managed to think up without speaking back too much to her. Zin shook her head as she watched Vivi speak to Avery formally as if they were simple cohorts and nothing more, then she heard the smaller Celestia speak of their father not liking them showing love towards one another while the company was around." Your family is strange to not show love towards one another."

The dragon woman looked over to the two from last night Zin didn't say anything to the two of them, feeling that she didn't have to speak to the two weaklings after Vivi spoke to Avery about Zin's minor injuries. The younger Celestia made herself scarce and chose to converse with the two other humans the dragon woman looked to Avery who was giggling like a girl Zin remembered that Vesta said this human wasn't a female but dressed like one. Zin cocked her eyebrow at Avery asking if she had a tail." No, I am a rare dragon that didn't hatch with a tail" She told them."Now you answer me."

The dragon woman closed in on Avery and planted a hand on his chest feeling a lack of breast, she then reached her other hand between his legs and grabbed his crotch and squeezed what she felt." Why do you dress up as a female human?" The dragon woman asked him a demanding tone." You, humans, are strange wanting to be things you aren't." She told him ironically." You're a boy down here, do you wish for boy humans to mount you like a female?!" Zin yelled wanting answers. She pulled her hand from his crotch and stared at it before she shook it still awaiting Avery's answer.

"That's what I would like to know. These children aren't causing you problems are they?" Malakaus motioned towards the two nekomimis cowering on the floor. Malakaus didn't know Ease very well, but the few times he's interacted with the man he had a tendency to scream, shout, and devolve into incoherent babble. The way Malakaus toned his question made it somewhat obvious that he wasn't so much concerned about Ease's issue, and more if Ease was the issue. Changing the subject a bit Malakaus was curious were Ease was at yesterday. He wasn't sure what his abilities were, but he could have been helpful when Malakaus was dealing with that madman and his magics.

"Anyways... I'm curious to know what happened to you yesterday. I understand things were very chaotic but you seemed to have missed out on all the fun. It was certainly chaotic yesterday, I could have used the extra hand." Malakaus hid his grin underneath his helmet. Most people don't realize it, but it wouldn't be the first time Malakaus died. Most people tend to go completely unaware of this fact, which was somewhat saddening to Malakaus. He wished to see the surprise on some peoples faces when he comes back from the dead. Alas he simply satisfied himself with the knowledge that he had died fighting yesterday, while everyone else he asked to come along were caught up in other, ideally important business.

@liferusher@Letter Bee@FelixArgyle@Sir Lurksalot@ZekariVoblis

---

Atisha nodded her head solemnly. She supposed that it would have been a bit of a stretch for anyone who have stuck around after seeing the chaos happening there. But at least Tudor gave her one lead: Another warrior who was present. It reminded Atisha of two people in particular, Maria and Tani... Two people that Atisha knew very little about, and she wondered how she knew their names. She knew that Malakaus introduced her to them but the details were blurry. If she had to guess they were people she met yesterday, but when she died she had forgotten her meeting with them. If Atisha remembered correctly, Maria was the Knight Commander that Malakaus reports too. Perhaps it was time to get some answers.

"Thank you very much. I'm glad that you could assist me, and I'm sorry for bringing such stress onto your friend here. I know life for us elves is not an easy one, and I don't wish to bring anymore strife into her life. I have no doubts she has her own fair share already. When she wakes up, if you could give this to her I'd be grateful. I wish I could stay here with her, to make sure our kind can take care of one another... But I'm afraid that I'm not ready to settle down just yet." Atisha took out a sea-green scarf from within her armor. It was made of silk that her mother had made for her so long ago. Practically the only thing left of the village after it's destruction. Atisha wanted to give it to the first elf she'd meet as a sign of friendship, but unfortunately her first meeting with Blanc was anything but friendly. Bowing her head towards the Spirit, Atisha stood up, paid for her food, and walked towards the tavern's exit.

@Seirei No Hai

People on the streets became quiet as the seven soldiers strode over the busy market street of the crescent moon inn. People stopped with what they were doing and looked up for a moment to see Tani and her aids walk past them. Everyone was a bit overwhelmed with the royal guard. They either felt petrified by their power or amazed by their power, either of the two.

Tani soundlessly walked towards the location she chose next to visit, apparently there was an inn around here where most of the people from that night had drunk or even stayed the night at. Tani thought it was the ideal place to promote her quest to kill the beast and find the people she wanted to apologise too. However Tani had caught guard of Malakaus at the side of the street. Her gaze affixed towards the large orc suddenly displaying a bit more of a smile. She told her aids to wait for a moment as she got over towards the orc greeting him softly.



Tani quickly walked off again with the same deadpan face and entered the inn where she looked around for a moment before letting herself hear to the people sitting in it.



Tani quietly sat down at one of the tables and ordered booze by Yoshinobu while the knights handled the applications.



Hamaguchi removed her hand from the boy his body making it fall down next to him. It trembled unbelievable fast. The petite cat girl's chest rapidly moved up and down. Her soft breath could be heard panting meaning she was burning up. She was as hot as daylight, her body unable to move another inch. Hamaguchi was staring at the boy after she had healed him to see if her work had payed off any effort. Her gaze continuosly stared at him to see if he did move, time was ticking by so slowly for her. The boy finally got up himself, Hamaguchi flashed a small smile at him before closing her eyes again still seeming rather happy about what she had done but bothered about her own situation.



Hamaguchi faintly let herself sound as her body had been lifted up by Hiroto. She didn't even feel any senses of her body being moved. She felt so tired, she wanted to sleep but she simply couldn't. It would be bad to sleep now. Hiroto swiftly got them away from that place, she hoped he would take them somewhere useful. It was probably wise right now to seek and experienced healer for the both of them but that wasn't as easy as it sounded without a single cent.



Eh? The wolf next to them was talking? Demi humans weren't all that rare in their world, there were plenty of people with part human and part animal body throughout the city but seeing a talking animal was kind of new for her. She thought she had seen everything by now but she was clearly wrong. Yoshinobu stared at the wolf a little freaked out but was quick to bend down a little and look at him directly instead of the two sitting at the table. With an awkward smile she began speaking back to it.



Yoshinobu gave a short awkward laugh and stood right back up again looking rather confused to that conversation just now. Did she really speak to a wolf or was it just an illusion? Well whatever, this girl looked a little bothersome so she should help whatever reason it has bound to it.

Yoshinobu got either closer towards the table to lift the girl on her back or let atisha and the wolf do it, short after she would lead them all towards the back as she put the girl down on the bed. She made sure that everything was fine with her and stepped towards the door to the front again giving them all a kind smile.





Aya silently looked away from Dante as he replied in a freaked out manner. She knew he clearly wouldn't believe her, but she felt like she had to say it to someone at least how weird it even sounded. Someone that didn't appear to have major influence on other people. Someone close by. She had seen this boy for the second day now and felt really bothered and worried these past two days. It was better to let someone hear her voice.



Avery had entered and clearly irritated her again with his presence, he quick comment had worked on him and caught him in her trap. Aya gave off a brief amused smile at his reaction and continued.



Aya was clearly acting if it didn't seem obvious, she would be actually happy if he left the room right now. Aya glanced away from him again after she was done talking dropping her head onto her hand in boredom fashion. Aya sipped her tea with it and felt rather hurted by the heat, one of Avery his maids had tried helping her but Avery halted her for a moment saying that she wasn't used to her tea. Aya blushed a little and softly pouted at him.



Aya had disappeared from her seat and quietly snooped away under the table sitting on her butt while hugging her knees. Dante could be heard saying the same thing she thought about Zin. She had to keep her distance as much as possible right now. Unsuspicious she sat under the table hearing the conversations unfold.

Zin had immediately caught hold of Avery his dressing habitats too. The fact that he was in fact a boy made her touch his chest and grab for his snake under which Aya clearly saw happening from under the table. She quietly chuckled while holding a hand in front of her mouth, she didn't know if she should laugh seeing this pest getting teased this much but it just erupted out of her mouth. This was bad, the dragon was gonna notice her if this continued. Tears of laughter drooped down the side as she tried to calm herself down.





Ease let them know that there was no money involved for that food this time, he was gonna pay for the three of them it appeared. Eli gave him a short dubious look but slowly got up. Eli and Emi still had to be careful not to fall into a trap off some kind. You could trust no one in this world after all. Eli squated down for a moment to let her little sister on her back. She slowly proceeded to follow the strange man but was caught off guard for a moment.

A large orc in armor appeared from the side of the street clearly displaying that he was from the royal guard of the city. Eli glared at the man clearly being a bit suspicious of him, not all royal guard were as good as the other. They were a sign of protecting the city but that was not even close to the truth most of the times.

Eli slowly backed off after the guard asked if the sisters weren't causing any trouble. Eli suddenly looked furious, everything was the same after all. She knew that she shouldn't have trusted this man in the first place after all. Eli snapped at Ease almost screaming towards him.



Eli turned around and swiftly tried walking away with her little sister on her back, it all looked very unstable and that she was about to fall but she couldn't show that man weakness right now! Her little sister clamped her hands tightly onto her shoulders. As tears fell down to the ground in front of her footsteps. Big sis was crying.

Alexander Sky

Alexander accompanied the heavily-armored knight as he went over to this person called 'Ease', who apparently had taken the catgirls from before under his protection. Of course, the Knight's next words ended up making said catgirls suspicious and causing a minor conflagration, something Alexander knew was not going to end well...for Ease. He could interfere, but at the same time, he'd made things worse too often. However, that didn't mean he would do nothing, rather, he would observe and learn. Looking at the armored knight and Ease, who was shining with a bright, eyestrain-causing glow of red-orange magic, the young man would then say:

"I'm curious, why would a Royal Knight and a Knight-Errant of Lugnica be patrons of this small tavern? You mentioned needing a sellsword; does it have something to do with the monster or monsters the female Iron Bell Knight was talking about?" Yes, he had heard Tani's proclamation from nearby.

"If so, I'm willing to reduce my price to half what a normal mercenary gets...provided someone teaches me to read Lugnican; I'm a foriegner." He would look at the slowly-leaving Eli and Emi. "Also, I don't think we should let the kids alone with their false assumptions, should we?"

@Lucius Cypher@Seirei no Hai@liferusher@Sir Lurksalot@Letter Bee@ZekariVoblis

Sean Black

Sean was a bit surprised that the guy just backed off so easily, but it was a pleasant surprise. Not only had this guy chosen to not pursue tryin to kill him, he didn't have to use his magic, and they seemed pretty strong, he also was successfully reaching his goal of making some new friends. Although perhaps just calling them friends from the get-go was a bit presumptuous, but he was being hopeful about it, and he dude who didn't try to gore him seemed pretty chill. He also wouldn't be too bored anymore. He got up and brushed off before he began to speak.

"Yeah, I'm interested in joining your merry band of mystics. We can be like the three musketeers. Although we're cooler and we've got magic. " It then occurred to Sean that since they weren't even from earth, they wouldn't get that oh-so-accurate comparison that he just made, which was a bit disappointing. Sean then however saw a large group of knights entering the inn that he'd just exited from, carrying scrolls. "Look over there, see those knights going into that inn? That seems like an interesting development that would be worth checking out, if nothing else. They're either searching for someone or recruiting, and either one of those options would provide a job opportunity, we should check it out" Sean observed.

@ADamnFiddle@PhoenixRising@Letter Bee@Noodles@Sir Lurksalot@FamishedPants@ZekariVoblis@Lucius Cypher@Seirei No Hai@Soragoku@Kitsune@liferusher
As Kurokono went back for the streets again after his first failure in a job hunt, he overheard the group of Knights stating that they will be hiring mercenaries or some sort. And, a desperate person like him wouldn't let a chance like this slip away, 'samurais' like them would be very generous on their payments. He followed them without question as he approached the entrance of a seemingly-familiar & safe building.



Kurokono opened the bar doors as he entered the inn, still being engrossed in the amount of money he could get that he couldn't make out his surroundings well.



By the time Kurokono realized where he was, he had already walked in into the middle of the bar where he was completely surrounded with enemies that he had created not long ago.



Kurokono made a futile attempt for another escape from the bar, but he wouldn't be so lucky this time. To think that they've such an elaborate trap, truly have I underestimated them... He thought...

Alexander Sky

Alexander's response to Kurokono's appearance would be to toss a small bag of money at the guy's head to get his attention, then say:

"There, your bills are paid. Pay me back later. Also, let's go on a job together." He would then look at Malakaus, who hadn't replied yet, then say:

"I'll be available for whatever job you have tomorrow. Until then, I'll stay in this tavern." He would turn to Kurokono again, unless the guy was stupid enough to ignore a bag of money being thrown at him, and continue:

"Oh, and you? You're in my debt now, as I rescued you from the law." Okay, this was a long shot, and technically counted as taking advantage of Kurokono being dense, but Alexander had reasons for doing what he did, reasons that made sense. He wanted Kurokono's blade at his side, and he was prepared to further give aid to the 'Ronin' if it ensured that. But first he had to ensure that the flighty man wouldn't leave, first.

@Lucius Cypher@Seirei no Hai@liferusher@Sir Lurksalot@Letter Bee@ZekariVoblis@FelixArgyle@Noodles

@liferusher @Lunarlors34 @FamishedPants @Spriggs27



"Greetings. I am Vivi Celestia, I pray my sister didn't involve you in too much trouble last night?"

Dante then sighed in disappeared. "Actually, it was kind of my fight for causing the problem in the first place. Dante confessed." She said scratching behind his neck. Nevertheless, this Vivi character was so far the nicest character in the Celestia family he ever meant. "Thanks for the hospitality despite which...hmmm" He said before looking away awkwardly. He then saw Zin groping Avery like she didn't give a damn but who was watching and could help but brushed and looked wielded out by the event.

Aya was still hiding under the table so he decided to answer for her. "She...had some bad experiences but she will be okay under my watch," Dante said calmly before addressing Avery and Zin. "Hey! what the hell are you two doing, cut it out!" He said sounding like a disappointed father. Dante didn't really care what lewd thing other people did was long as it in privacy and between to consenting individual, and this was not a privacy room nor does he consent to watch. "Do that somewhere else so we don't have to watch." He ordered them harshly.

”Right then. Evidently you’re unfamiliar with your… New found blessing.” The knight stated, visibly relaxing somewhat ”If Sir Felix allows this, then you’re in no trouble..."

Duncan let out a long breath, evidently he was off the hook no-

"Even so, you… Frankly, you look like a peasant. As a bodyguard of a royal knight, you ought to look the part. Some training to get you accustomed to your power would also be necessary. And, as a foreigner, you'll need to be educated in our country's culture and customs. That is of course if you wish to accept Sir Felix's offer. Otherwise… I do have a job that could use your ability.”

The bald, bloodied man could only stare back at the knight with a blank expression, unsure of whether or not he should be offended by the (frankly, somewhat factual) comment on his appearance. But, seeing as how he apparently wasn't going to plant that axe between his eyes anymore, he figured he might as well just roll with it.

That, of course, segues us quite nicely right back to the cheeky catboy in question, who'd been standing there with a hand outstretched for a little while now (as if waiting for some guy behind a keyboard to get his shit together and write words about some bald asshole) waiting for his answer. Tilting his head slightly, Duncan actually took a quiet minute to weigh his options-

On the one hand, this was the same guy who gave him a good rag-dolling earlier and he had half a mind to take that dainty little hand the feline was offering him and ram it up the guy's ass... a feat he was now keenly aware he was actually quite capable of doing. On the other, well... he was also offering him a steady job, which would be kinda helpful if he intended to continue being able to buy food... even if that meant he'd be going back to square one, as a bodyguard for rich people.

He crossed his arms, a visible bulge shifting behind his lips as his tongue ran over his teeth, clearly indicating he was in his own head as he stepped forward slightly.

'...Fuck it, it's the only steady gig you've been offered so far. Might as well hear the kid out.'

And so, with a small sigh Duncan stepped forward, ignoring Felix's outstretched hand and instead poking a solitary finger dead-centre into the Royal Knight's chest.

"Buy me a beer and we'll talk."

And with that, and a small pat on the boy's shoulder, Duncan turned and wordlessly followed after Malakaus.

Sure, he'd hear the Catboy out... didn't mean he wasn't gonna make the guy work for it, though.

Grian Rothfell_

@ADamnFiddle

Grian didn't like this fool one bit. He seemed like an arrogant idiot who thinks the world revolves around him. So naturally when he offered his hand, Grian made sure to put on the widest smile he could and gripped his hand as hard as he could without breaking the bones in the guy's hand. "Well met, Klaus. I take it you are in charge until commander Maria gets back." He released the hand and threw a ferocious glance at Klaus, the smile still on his face. He turned around to look at the surroundings. It wasn't like the barracks changed a bit since the last day. Grian didn't understand how he didn't see this guy the yesterday, but he didn't really care either. He was here for a purpose after all, and this pawn wasn't a part of it. All to complete the task of the employer. He turned his attention to Klaus once again and asked in a more sincere tone this time. "I heard about something of a merceneray trip yesterday. Killing mabeasts that surround the town or something. Didn't really hear the details." Grian scratched his neck, a body language that he picked up from the humans with his time with them. He found it silly, but it came without him being fully aware that he was doing it. "I was thinking that with all the mess and how I said I would help you all, that I could accompoany you on the trip. If thats still a thing, that is." Grian looked up at the sun, and waited for Klaus to take the bait. He really didn't want the man to see his eyes, in the case that this man was verseed enough to read anything out of it. Instead, he just admired the patterns in the clouds, and waited for the boy to take the bait. Or not take it, and simply invite him to the event.

---

Barkley, the Butler

@Delta44

"Oh, but that is natural Miss Emile. I wouldn't want to let down Mr Grian either." Barkley smiled at Emile and hoped that the girl would feel the same appreciation once they began cooking. But before that could take place, a very specific set of ritual events would have to take place. Barkley opened the door to the pantry, and disappeared in the large room.

The insides were filled with all kinds of materials and ingredients, everything a chef could ever need to cook something. Massive oak shelves were filled with all kinds of spices, their colors varying from red to green, from brown to purple. Massive loafs of meat hung from the cellar on hooks, and a large stack of different breads and flour were stacked in a corner. But teh highlight of the room was a massive book that was gracefully sitting on top of a desk, illuminated by candlelight. The signs of frequesnt use could be seen on it, with amny of the pages being slightly bent on the corners, and coloured by different liquids. There was no dust anywhere on it, so one could guess that this book didn't sit idly by for more than a day or two. Barkley slowly walked up to the book, and ran his hand on the fine leather that encased the pages. He opened the book, and began quickly browsing through the pages. He was looknig for a certain recipe, but he couldn't really be sure what it was jsut yet. He was afraid that he would fail to find something simple that even Emile can make, and something that was to the liking of Grian. Thought it seemed like Grian wanted to test Emile's loyality more than her cooking skills, he considered it a personal achievement to teach her something that makes Grian lick both of his paws.

After some desperate searching, he finally found what he was looking for. "Succulent braised venison" was a recipe that he cooked only once or twice before, but it seemed easy enough for Emile to make, and something that could be appropriate for a dinner. With a gleeful smile on his face, Barkley picked up a small piece of paper from a larger stack that was sitting next to the book. He wrote down all the ingredients, and then closed the book. He left the pantry, closing the door behind him, and waving the piece of paper to Emile. "Here it is Mm Emile. I wrote down everything that you need to get. If you wish to work here, I want you to get yourself acquainted with the pantry by yourself." Barkley extended his arm with the paper towards Emile, his face still, but his eyes smiling.

---

Hendrick Joseph

@Melpaws

"Well, its really up to you big guy." Hendrick stood up from the table, and grabbed his staff. He looked around, looknig for any disturbances that he could see in the aura of the nearby people. "It doesn't strike me like there is any immediate danger here." He turned his head towards Reinhardt, and gently tapped the patches covering his eyes with a playful smile. "On the other hand there are many people who are suffering from slavery in this town every single moment. They truly are in danger, even as we speak." He shook his head, scanning over the crowd. People ran by, on an urgent businees, or loitered around stools waiting for somebody, or trying to steal a fruit or two in the right moment. Waste of time. He wanted to have some action, test his mettle against some gang bosses or whatever. Make friends in low places as well as places high. He could earn a favor or two by taking down this slaver he heard of from dock worker a few towns back in some coastal bay area. He finally turned back to Reinhardt, with a face of determination. "Do you want to waste time here, thinking whether it is worth helping or not, or come with me and actually put an end to the suffering of many people, even some who have not been imprisoned yet, but will soon be?"

The Wolf Spirit Tundo, nodded at Atisha's concerned words, even going to present her "peace offering" to clear up any sort of misunderstanding she was trying to say to the innocent snow elf. With the wag of his tail, he clamped onto the green scarf that the armored elf was holding onto and gently pulled it away from her.

The elf would feel a cool air swirl around her head for a bit before the same voice of Tundo would resound within: "Do not worry. I will make sure to clear up any misunderstanding with Blanc, she is very understanding and trusts my every, honest word. Please do be careful on your journey, Blanc does not like to lose new friends.

Atisha couldn't see his facial expression, but the rapid wagging of his tail signifies that he was happy with what she did to offer her apology.

Whether or not Atisha stayed, the wolf's ears perked up in interest, turning its head towards Tani's party of soldiers as they entered the inn from the door along with the announcement of a beast that was creating havoc among the farmlands. He turned to Blanc, still sleeping on the table peacefully before turning back to the Knight clad in gold.

Perhaps when Blanc reawakens, she might help... and she's showing signs of it, suddenly tussling to the opposite side on how loud the announcement was.

@liferusher @Lucius Cypher @Letter Bee @Noodles

@PhoenixRising@famishedpants

Olipher nodded and nudged Aleph with his elbow. The mention of a bar had the Oni on his heels ready to flee in an instant but the only other option was to wander around looking for miss high and mighty as previousoy discussed. If knights were out in force looking for recruits or whatever, that meant they were looking for mercs to bolster what they could gather.
What luck that Olipher was ine such merc.

"OK, fine. We go back to the bar. But if someone starts trouble about what i did, theres gonna be a repeat!"

Aleph just snickered under his breathe as the trio made their way back down the winding streets to where it had all began not so long ago. Taking a deep breathe, Olly got within 5 feet of the door and froze solid. Not by magic. Not that. What froze him was that instinctual fear of confrontation and inside that bar would be PLENTY of it.

"Uhm.. you two go in. Im gonna.. just... stand here for a bit! Let me know when you find someone to sign up with."

A single man that ran past all the knights towards the middle of the inn had caught Tani her attention. Her head perked up as she took a single gulp of her drink. It was an odd looking man obviously looking like all other people. The man looked confused at first but froze in place when he noticed the group of knights that tried to collect people for the hunt. Two of the knights tried walking up to him in kind manner seeing if he wanted to join them but he had already tried fleeing from them again. Tani stood up and moved in front of him before he could escape the inn. She gave him a sharp glare and questioned the man.



Out of nowhere a bag of gold had been tossed towards Kurokono his head. Tani glanced towards her side where the culprit that threw the bag was she decided to stay silent on what happened and waited for the samurai to reply back to her with a good answer. She wanted to see this man pay first before he could leave this inn.



The inn had become quite busy all of the sudden with the royal knights suddenly walking in. She didn't mind their business here but it sure put a lot of work load on her like that. She glanced behind her once more to see if the wolf and the girl had followed her but they were still at the table. Yoshinobu gave a short look of concern but decided to leave them be for now. She moved towards the bar again and took some orders from the people that came to look at what happened with the knights and the orders from the knights themselves. Well at least it was peaceful in the bar with this much authority in it.