---

Peasant's clothing... sure is rough.

Alistair had done his best to pick out clothing that looked... acceptable for someone of his standing, but considering the clothes he was allowed to choose from, this was all but impossible. His wealthy upbringing had the boon of fine furs and designer clothing as a standard, so in reality, not even a nobleman's attire was going to please him. So, with an irritated sigh, he reluctantly chose one of the plain outfits and threw it on. At least his appearance might not stand out so much now, but he'd be keeping track of what he arrived in, and had these people attempting to steal from him, he'd make damn sure they paid tenfold.

Still, it was likely for the best, as the house Alistair and the NPCs others arrived in was, obviously, very unclean. It was also a lawsuit waiting to happen if the stitched up chair was anything to go by. The young, arrogant man would ensure that he did not become careless and trip. He wasn't sure if this place had the same illness as his home, but he figured the smartest action would be to not have to find out the hard way.

Complaining about his situation now would get him nowhere, however, and once Alistair decided to do something, it was not often that said thing was not done to perfection. This house would be as clean as it could get... if he survived.

Alistair did not desire to waste time without reason, and so he found himself tapping his foot on the floor impatiently while the rest of the cast decided to remain quiet. But he did not have to wait long, as Fritzi decided to get this job started with a sudden course in magic, which he did not realize he had. She discovered the 'gate' of the boxer, as well as the other person whom had joined them, and then turned to him. He wasn't sure exactly how strong 'water' and 'shadow' were, but it was apparently rare and he couldn't help but smirk at the obvious result --- that is, he was special.

But he knew as much. It would be more interesting to try out this magic, to see just what he could do. But as he was about to utilize his power word, Huma, encouraged by Fritzi demonstration, the immediate area was onset by a cloud of darkness. Alistair instinctively tried to back away, but it turned out to be harmless.

So that's shadow? Strange, but potentially useful.

”What's the matter guys? You're not scared are you? Or perhaps you're just a little distracted?”

He realized he had been thinking for more than a brief second, as Fritzi began to tease him and the boxer. But it was difficult not to think how he could potentially use the magic against that knight that had dared to slay him. His revenge was at the forefront of his mind, after all. All of his actions should potentially lead him to a favorable outcome against her in battle, except of course when he repaid Doctor Donovan for his kindness.

But first things first.

"I'm certainly capable of using it," he replied to Fritzi's glare and, in his opinion, unnecessary comment. "The word was Huma, right? Simple."

As the girl left the room, Alistair turned his attention towards a nearby bucket. His first attempt at casting... he wouldn't fail it. He was destined for great things, so naturally, nothing should go wrong here. He took a deep breath and concentrated deeply, imagining the bucket filling with the blood of his sworn enemy, that damned knight. And a second later...

He succeeded! As was obviously expected for someone like him. From his hand, he launched a steady stream, initially missing the bucket a bit, but with minor correction he was able to pour the majority of the water he created into the bucket, filling it up. "That was simple enough," he stated, with a hint of pride. "...I wonder what else I'll be able to do..." his voice trailed off for a second before he then walked towards the bucket he filled and grabbed a cloth. "There's no point in wasting time, lets get this done." so saying to the rest of his group, Alistair immediately got to work by first cleaning the small mess he made by missing the bucket.

Golden Quarter, Center Road, Priestella
Deaths: 1
@Letter Bee@ERode@liferusher@BrokenPromise

---

Shammack? No, she didn't recall anything like that being 'chanted' or said. Just the creepy old guy hitting on her. For the most part, Chieko continued her silence. She had nothing more to add. Or at least, nothing else she felt like she needed to add. Instead, she just silently followed the group once more following slowly behind Yuuki. She did at least, feel somewhat more comfortable around a Japanese person even if he probably wasn't all that interesting.

"...there was this creepy old guy hitting on me." Chieko added after a few seconds once Yuuki had finished, just as Flame and Ashton spoke up once again. They had a history with these monks? Something about leaving them to some wolf creatures or something. Chieko simply glanced over to them, giving them a mildly cold and glare. Idiots. If they really were being accused of being criminals back there, then why bring it up? At least only say something if someone else bought it up.

Well, not her business.

It was only when the bright and cheery voice of Aki meet her ears did Chieko's mood seem to brighten. She hadn't really wanted to leave the bubbly little girl, but she couldn't have stayed either, so it made her feel better.

"Ahaha, Aki-chan." Chieko greeted the smaller girl with a nervous laugh. Aaaah, it had felt like ages since she had been called 'Big sis'. "Don't worry. Big sis has to go do some...big sis things." Chieko fumbled around with her words for a bit. Aaaah, she really wanted to just pick this small girl up and cuddle her to death. "I'll meet up with you later and maybe you can show me around?" She gave If her own assumptions were right, things might end badly or at least be...difficult. She didn't want to drag Aki with her, but she couldn't just not go and not get something like a permit.

Besides, if she wanted to become a big goddamn hero, she couldn't be an outlaw.


Golden Quarter

---

Unfortunately for Grisaia, Mie had a way of being fickle and finicky when it came to hanging out with people long term. And those she did hang out with long term, tended to be both teased and may or may not have had their own items stolen and then promptly sold back to them. As soon as she had left the estate, the demi-human led Grisaia on what could only be a wild goose chase in a game of 'catch the fox if you can'. Mie quickly lost the rabbit, and had put herself out of his way and back onto the streets of Pristella.

Better that way anyways.

Now lets see what she could get up to...

---

Hiro was. . . . certainly surprised when Fritzi pressed her forehead to his. Not embarrassed though. Absolutely not. He also didn't have a fever. His body just ran hot. Of course. There was definitely no other reason than that. Right. Anyway.

Hiro took a step back and waited to see what would happen. A cloud of dust. A stream of water. Those seemed. . . . . situationally useful at best. Though if Hiro could shoot a cloud of dust in someone's face mid fight, it would certainly make it easier. Still, he had yet to test out his own power. He closed his eyes and breathed deep. Wiping away the dirty surrounding around him. In an instant he was alone. Nothingness. Through just a few moments of steady breathing, he felt his body harmonize, all in balance. He was in as close to his peak physical and mental condition as he could be given the rather. . . . unfortunate circumstances he had found himself in. Taking one last deep breath, he almost sighed out the word.

"Jiwald."

It was almost that easy. He felt. . . lighter. Stronger. His body felt in a state just higher than his peak fighting form. If he went for the World Championship belt right now, he felt like his odds had gone up from around 70% to closer to 95% or even higher. It was amazing. Power, limitless energy flowed through him.

Now, the energy he had gained was obviously not limitless, but standing still and not using any of that energy felt pretty good. In short.

Regardless, his eyes shot open and a grin, more honest than any smile he had shown his entire time in this world, was plastered across his lips.

"Alright, well. I think we can get to work then. I'll move the furniture that needs to be taken outside. . . Oh. And Fritzi. You can just call me Hiro."

And just like his words, he got to work. Cleaning and moving furniture wasn't something that took up his whole mind, leaving him space to think. He had found something new. Of course he hoped that he would be able to go home as soon as possible, but at the same time he had found something. A path. A way to continue growing stronger. A way around the wall he had run into. It was almost a blessing to be brought here. Almost.

Mie didn't get far before she was spotted by Dr Donovan. He was running a towel over his hands, likely having just washed up after handling a patient. With the bandits around, it seemed like someone was getting hurt every hour. Fortunately few of the attacks seemed to be very serious. ”Why hello there.” Mie and Donovan knew of each other, but they hadn't personally spoken very much. She was a travailing merchant, and Donovan occasionally needed supplies. Usually his water magic was strong enough to heal most wounds, but there was a time where he needed to buy a bottle of alcohol from Mie to disinfect several wounded patients. ”I don't see you're cart with ya.” He smiled. ”Could it be that ya just enjoyin' the sights today?”

---

Fritzi noted the other's efforts with just as much enthusiasm. ”Hmm, your magics seems to be a bit stronger.” She shrugged her shoulders. ”Unfortunately, not everyone's gate is created equal.” Her ears perked up when Hiro informed her of what he'd like to be called. ”You don't like Noble? I guess I can call you Hiro if that's what everyone else is doing.” She turned her back to everyone. ”I'll be upstairs if anyone needs anything.” And in a flash, she vanished from sight.

While Aerith and Alistair remained inside, Hiro stepped out with one of the chairs. He might have been surprised to find that the pick up crew was already there. A woman in a dirty cloak was walking a hand driven cart in front of the house, where she eventually stopped. She made no sudden movements, nor did she speak. She simply stood their watching Hiro from a distance. Her gaze revealed nothing about her intentions, which made her presence a bit unsettling.

"Hiro?" she folded her arms. "Do you know why I'm here?"

---

The monks that Aer had run into didn't respond, instead casting their gazes into the crowd of people following her. She gave a roll of her eyes when Flame explained how they had met before. "No one is going to punish you on account of being a coward. We have laws to prevent that type of behavior. And stop talking like you're going to be executed. That's what Wisp and I are here for." She looked back to the monks. "They're not familiar with things around here. They're from very far away. If they crossed you, I hope you can forgive them. They are not bad people." Aer pressed forth, sensing it probably wasn't best to stay in this area much longer. While she walked, she addressed the others in her group. "I'm just trying to learn as much about the situation as I can. I can't confirm it was cultist activity, but teleportation magic of this nature is difficult to cast." She groaned. "This Earth kingdom, I haven't even heard of it before. It doesn't even sound real." With a shake of her head, Aer looked back at her companions. "Cultists are often run by an archbishop, which have horrible powers called authorities. While it isn't the only thing capable of such powerful teleportation, it is the most suspect at the moment."

It did not take Aer long to find the group of knights standing outside the old guild hall. She was stopped, but she had to do was show them her adventurer's license to get their attention. "I heard Mono is interested in witch related phenomenon. These people behind me are unarmed and-" Aer didn't get much further before Mono came out of the building.

”I am very fucking busy right-” Mono suddenly stopped speaking when he saw the group of people standing behind Aer. ”Who are they?”

"They are foreigners that were teleported into Priestella. They come from a far away kingdom called Earth. I have brought them to you so that you can question them yourself and they can get legal documentation to live and work here." She gestured behind herself. "They are unarmed, and chose to come see you knowing that they might be punished or executed. But they are harmless, Wisp and I can vouch for them."
But Mono was only partially listening to Aer. His eyes were locked on Wisp, and his hands were balled into fists. ”Wisp, the west point of the compass?” Mono's hands were trembling. Anyone looking at Aer's face could see her pupils visibly dilate at the mention of that name. Even the nearby knights started talking to each other in hushed whispers. ”You should still be with Sandra Fotos, should you not?”

Aer took a step folward. "Mono?"

”The foreigners will be taken back to the Hero's district. You will accompany one of my men, who will give each of them an interrogation. They will be given documentation based on the results.” Mono reached out and seized the feline by the scruff of the neck, hoisting Wisp into the air. ”I happen to know Sandra Fotos and Sir Walter are meeting together, and she's been very eager to track you down.” He was growling. ”The rest of you can continue to investigate the guild hall. I don't want a single one of those fucking devil beasts spared!”

And just like that, the knights all ran back inside the guild hall. A single knight waved Aer and the other to follow him, while Mono took a different road leading past the Hero's district. Aer seemed to be at a loss cas to what to do, as her eyes darted between the knight and Mono. "I guess we're going to get you all permits, right?" Aer adjusted her hood and started to walk after the knight, occasionally glancing towards Wisp. "A shame we have to abandon Wisp though."

Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks

While Ashton was glad he wasn't going to be killed, he felt the need to do something for Wisp as it was clear that the Catboy wasn't that bad a person. That and he did try to help them before Kimura chose to sumbit to authority - a gamble that worked. So Ashton decided to do what he felt he was good at doing - talk.

Nevermind that his last attempt at speaking to Mono ended up with him being ran through; he was going to try a different approach. So, the young man audibly cleared his throat, enough for the man in the gas mask to hear. He then spoke as quickly as possible.

"Mr. Mono, sir, while I thank you for not killing us out of hand, I think it might be practical to have Wisp as well as one of your men accompany us to the interrogation; after all, he did show himself to be a skilled fire mage earlier. Now, I don't want to keep a subordinate from his superior, but a member of one of the city's important groups might not only make a notable witness to our... Debriefings. Not just that, but if something does happen, he can be on hand to burn any complications to a crisp. Basically, I think he should be with us as a further guarantee of our good behavior and to prove that we don't mean ill."

This was logically put, as much as a sixteen-year old can do logic. Flame looked at Ashton skeptically, then made his own bow to Mono before saying his own piece.

"But if this does not satisfy you, Mr. Mono," the 'sir' was ommitted, "We'll be off to our interrogations. But I'm sure that this 'Sandra Fotos' and 'Sir Walter' would understand if Wisp, their subordinate, is given a mission from another superior; the important one of watching our case." Flame then tensed, his cynicsm and misanthrophy asserting itself once more. I am going to get another sword through my heart from this, won't I?

Mono paused and looked over his shoulder at Ashton. He waited for the boy to explain everything.

”I do not see why anyone would want to kill a bunch of foreigners. However...” Mono turned completely around, this time looking at Aer. ”He was present when they were discovered?”

Aer steeled herself with a cough. "He approached them, yes. They also appear to have a meteor on them that he took interest in. He would definitely be useful to have around during an interrogation, I would think."

Mono eyed everyone present, then looked at Wisp. ”I hope for your sake, that this isn't all a fucking ruse to escape again. You're going right back to her after this.” Mono gestured for the knight originally accompanying the group to go back into the guild hall. ”Seems we'll all be travailing together. Isn't that nice?” It seemed that Ashton was able to convince Mono to at least let Wisp accompany them to the end of their interrogation. But he didn't look like he was going to let go of the demi-human any time soon.

@BrokenPromise@Ryofu

A second figure, smaller than the one with the hand cart, was waiting out of sight for the moment to come. When their partner began to speak, the smaller one went to work woth the grace and silence of a panther. Cloaked in a long, tattered, and dirty robe, they were behind Hiro without so much as a rustle of cloth. The only sign they were there was the sound of the door closing behind Hiro. Seemingly unarmed, the cloaked figure stood with confidence and merely stared at Hiros direction.
If the man tried to call out to the others, there would be blood.

Aki was met with quite the awkward greeting from Chieko. For some reason the girl always looked so flustered, nervous and shy around others. Did she have a bad case of anxiety or was there more at play. Aki gladly smiled back at Chieko as she looked like she did try really hard.

Chieko told the pinklet that they had to go do some stuff for their own for a while. Aki completely understood and didn't blame the girl. They did look like they were quite the busy bunch. One girl wore a weapon and the rest just seemed to follow her. Seeing how they were foreigners the redhead was likely their guide, she did look confident so she must know the city well.



The market, her most stayed at place, apart from her home being somewhere else she was there often. Aki happily waved at the bunch, mostly at Chieko and gave her a cheerfull smile as Aki kept still till they had moved somewhat away.

Only a few feet further they stopped a brief moment to gain access to the hero district, they had met with not only a few knights but Mono as well. Aki suprisingly gazed at them. She had seen the general a few times already. She knew he was quite vulgar and wasn't scared to hurt anyone. But seeing him like this made her concern only bigger with big sis so close to him. Mono fiercly grabbed the girl Wisp by her neck and attempted to take her away.

Quickly Aki rushed to the group again after seeing how badly he treated her. He couldn't just hurt her like that. There were two other boys that spoke to the general at first but Aki still wanted to protect Wisp. Aki stepped in between Wisp and Mono and spoke aloud.



Aki was being way to heroic for her role. She gulped and tried blocking Mono away from Wisp by moving her arms and legs out.



Off course it was obvious that Aki did look like a girl without home and parents. Her heart was still on the right place however. So hopefully her decision would lead to some good result.

Mono walked with the group all the way to the hero's district. Except for Wisp, who was held firmly in Mono's grasp, with Aki positioning herself under his arm the entire time. She had made it to the hero's district while walking like a crab. As soon as they got there, a guard ran up to Mono.

”Get me Captain Crunch.” The guard saluted, and ran for one of the many buildings. It wasn't long before a woman with green hair stepped out of the building, arms crossed. She wore a black cloak, which was decorated with strange lines and woodland items like leaves and feathers.

”What is it mono? I'm currently off duty.”

”And I'm very sorry about that, but if you were on duty, you'd be sailing somewhere.”

The woman sighed. ”Fair enough.”

Mono gestured towards the group. ”we have an unusual situation here. It involves powerful teleportation magic, possibly cultists, these foreigners, and wisp of all fucking people.” He briefly gave the demi-human a scornful glare. As scornful as you could give through a visor. ”I need to question these three witnesses, as well as interrogate the foreigners.”

Crunch folded her arms. ”Very well. I understand the urgency.” She pointed at a building. ”There are some unused offices. Split the foreigners up among them, I'll question them after I've spoken with the witnesses.” And with that, the guards immidiately guided everyone to where they had to go. The offices were pretty non discript, only featuring a wooden table and seating for a few people. A guard remained with each foreigner until crunch arived.

((Collab Post between BrokenPromise and Letter Bee.))

Ashton Andrews



Flame Brooks

---

Mono was just a ball of fun, wasn't he? Chieko waited as Aer discussed things with the apparent police officer? Guardsmen? Probably a better word. Couldn't he choose a better choice of words? Chieko cringed lightly at the display. Well, whatever. Wasn't like she was going to say anything just yet. She might have been a hero, but she was also currently a tiny little bitty hero with no magical ability or training. And then He had to abduct the small adorable cat.

Ah! No! Why was he hurting the adorable smol kitty? No no, kitties were for petting not for punishing! She took a step forward, intent on saying something.

"You can't hurt and take her! You're a meanie!"

Chieko's head turned towards the sound of the voice. Aki you sweet adorable baby why would you do this.

"Stay behind me y-you, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you again!"

Aki used charm! It was super effective! Perhaps not the intended target of the small girls cuteness, Chieko involuntarily held a hand to her heart, wincing in a mildly comical fashion as she tried her best to get Mono to release the small cat person. Ah, this world was great. She could die happy now. For the rest of the walk to Hero's District, Chieko was smiling in a happy manner.

Heroes District - Interrogation
Deaths: 1

---

”Let’s get started, number three.” She pulled out a chair and sat in it, folding one leg over the other. ”I'm Captain Crunch. I oversee a fair portion of the king's naval fleet and am currently stationed here to make sure the waters remain bandit free.” She folded her arms. ”Tell me the events, as you remember them.”

Chieko sat in the office, mostly keeping to herself. If only Aki was here. She could use a little sister to head pat right about now. After her heroic display in front of Mono, she had almost died then and there from cuteness overload. Thankfully, actually having a little sister gave her some resistance to cute-type attacks.

She kept quiet as Crunch walked in, merely watching her silently. What should she say here? She had no clue, really. She had already pretty much said all she could to Mono and the others. Might as well tell the truth as much as she could. No reason to lie, anyways.

"...I was out shopping. Talking with my little sister..." Chieko's gaze turned to the floor, frowning lightly. What was she doing right now, she wondered? "I look up and suddenly I'm standing in a dark void with some weird old man in front of me. Asks me about love. No idea really, but he was creepy. After that..." Chieko frowned, fidgeting lightly with the ends of her jacket sleeves. She was nervous. "I'm suddenly standing in the middle of the slums." She didn't mention Hiro or Aerith. She didn't want to get them in trouble if she could help it since they had been nice to her.

”The slums?” Crunch leaned closer. ”That's a dangerous place right now, how did you get to the golden quarter?”

"Uhm," Chieko paused for a moment. Oh, maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that. Well, too late now. "A knight by the name of Vasilis and a nice lady by the name of Irene was in the area and helped me." She explained. "Hehe, there were a few bandits in the area but they drove them off. It was really cool! I've never erm, seem magic before." She blushed a bit, trying not to let the previous excitement of Vasilis' magic get to her and quickly moved on. "Then they decided it'd be best if we got some new clothes. Which is where I ran into Miss Aer and the others. Aer offered to help us get some help and get us where we needed to be."

Crunch sat up straight. ”Ahh, Irene. I've heard of her. A shame I couldn't see her today.” The captain stroked her chin. ”So it seems one way or another you all wound up in the golden quarter, and that was when the others spotted you. ” Crunch stood up and scuffed towards Chieko. She stopped suddenly when she was standing just a few feet away from her. ”Um.” She raised an eyebrow. ”You didn't go by the old guild hall by any chance, did you?”

"...um." Why was Crunch coming over here? This close to her? She felt very self conscious all of a sudden and fumbled her words for a few seconds when she was asked the next question. "...Uhm...G-Guild hall?" Chieko gave Crunch a confused look, frowning and shaking her head. "...We didn't stop anywhere, but we might have passed it." Ah, she honestly wanted to be out of here. She needed to find Aki and get a hug.

Crunch placed a hand on her own chin. ”Well, no more questions for now.” she headed for the door. ”Just one more and then I'll have a verdict.”


Golden Quarter

---

"Hmm...?" Donovan's voice bought Mie out of her thoughts. The old doctor was someone she did business with on occasion. Mostly disinfectants, among other medical supplies. "Ah, Donovan." She smiled in her usual cheeky, smug manner as she greeted the human. "Ahh, I wish that's all I was doing. Business was slow today. With all the troubles about it seems no one has coin to spare on a little fox such as myself, so I decided to take a break and play with a funny rabbit." She sighed, shaking her head. "But the rabbit got boring, so I'm just trying to find something to do to pass the time. Hardly anything fun happening today." She walked over, looking up at the taller human and noticing the towel.

"What about you though, hm? Anything interesting going on with you? Bandits got you working hard?" She smiled. "In need of anything to help? I do have some rare herbs from Kararagi used in medicine that help heal people. Some of the usual stuff too, if you need it." More than anything though, she was bored out of her skull. Sure she had that...meeting tonight she needed to go to and take care of, but until then she had absolutely nothing to do. Perhaps she should go back and open up shop. After all, time spent lazing around meant time she certainly wasn't going to get paid.

”You’re the last one.” She pulled out a chair and sat in it, folding one leg over the other. ”I'm Captain Crunch. I oversee a fair portion of the king's naval fleet and am currently stationed here to make sure the waters remain bandit free.” She folded her arms. ”So, tell me what’s up..”

Captain Crunch’s beauty certainly didn’t fit her name, and even her position as a...captain? commander? of the Navy seemed at odds with her hunter-ranger outfit. More than anything, she stood in stark contrast with the faceless Mono, looking more like someone who popped out of a basic eroge than something that, well, existed in ‘reality’. Then again, Aer had also looked weird. Maybe it was simply the way the world was built?

Seated opposite to her, Yuuki brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes as he leaned back against the chair. The walk had been rather tiring, especially with a pack as large as his, and though he was too absorbed in the upcoming interrogation to gripe about it before, the blue-eyed youth was certainly happy to be able to rest now. Almost made him wish he still had his mug with him. Where did that guy go anyways? Yuuki grimaced slightly at the memory, and ended up drinking straight from the thermos instead, almost-scalding tea hitting his tongue and passing down his throat.

Rejuvenating as always.

“So, uh…” Yuuki said, after realizing Captain Crunch wasn’t saying much more, “Are you going to be...asking me questions, I guess? Or, like, what?”

Crunch closed her eyes with a groan. ”I'm asking for an account of what happened to you.” Her eyes opened again. ”You seem to be a bit better equipped than the others though, what were you doing before you were teleported?”

Ah, that was nice and straightforward. “Uh, basically, I was preparing to head out on a trip, and it was winter where I was, so I had all my gear with me, when BAM, I was in a dark place with some shadow-monster-dude? That ring any bells for you?” He paused, then continued with his story. “Anyways, he talked about love and witches and then other stuff and told me to take his hand and was probably going to eat my head off if I didn’t so when I did WHAM I’m here.”

“Oh yeah, would you happen to have a mug or something I could borrow, er...Captain Crunch?”

The corners of Crunch's lips twitched. ”That was a very detailed description, thank you.” She stood up. ”I think I saw Mono holding a strange cup. It was made out of a smooth, shiny stone. Maybe he'll let me borrow it.” Crunch started to approach Yuuki's side of the table when she suddenly stopped and clamped a hand over her nose. ”Mmmmph!”

Yuuki’s light expression faltered, ever so slightly, as the green haired woman suddenly looked nauseated. “Are you ok? What’s wrong?”

She quickly took a step backwards before taking her hand off of her face. ”Your smell...” She coughed. ”This land you came from...” She turned to Yuuki, and her brows were crossed. ”Were there cultists where you lived as well?”

The concern disappeared, twisting into something else. “Yeah,” he spoke, “Why do you ask?”

Crunch folded her arms again, but this time she was standing. When she had perfect posture, it was evident that she was actually very tall for a woman. She could only be a few inches shorter than mono, but crunch might be able to challenge him at arm wrestling. ”Because you smell like them.” Her brow furrowed further. ”More than any of the others I've interrogated.” She slammed her hand down on the table. ”I can only think of two explanations for your smell to be this strong. Either you've been around them for a long time, or you're one of them.” She narrowed her eyes. ”Which is it?”

Blue eyes matched green, and the smile that eventually emerged was half-hesitant. “Why do you think I wanted to go on a trip?” Yuuki’s smile became sharper, harsher, his voice tightening, his fingers white against the table. “Fucking sucks that what they worshipped was the real thing, yeah?”

”A trip huh?” Crunch stood up again and folded her arms. ”Is that what this was? Transporting yourself and all these other foreigners here was just taking a trip to you?”

Yuuki blinked, and with that, the mood was dispelled. “Wait what? No, like, the trip and this whole thing was totally separate. I was actually gonna take the Shinkansen down to Tokyo and then figure things out from there, not like, you know...get dropped by this black dude into Prastalla?”

Crunch's gaze didn't waver. ”Your origins are extremely problematic.” Crunch sighed. ”We will be able to release you as soon as the others, unfortunately. I will discuss your situation with Mono and see what he wants to do. I'll probably have more questions for you later.” She walked towards the door. ”It is probably only a small comfort, but I will return with a mug.” When she got to the door, she stopped and turned to face Yuuki one last time. ”But for now I have one last question; You weren't their leader, were you?”

There was no smile now, only a gaze of fathomless depth.

“My father was.”

@ZekariVoblis

With Anyon in tow, the pair left the scene with whatever haste they could. Thanks to the healing he had recieved by his traveling companion and the knight, Mirts pace was only a tad slower than usual but frequently he would wheeze and cough and rely on Anyon to carry his weight until the pain faded enough for them to continue in silence.
As the older of the two it was tradition that he lead them forward but as to what that meant oe where it would end up was anyones guess till the elder Monk decided to speak. Their footsteps beat a steady rythm as Mirt retraced his steps from before and ended up making a pitstop at the Darkened Honey.
On the outside it seemed like a tavern of sorts but all the female staff were dressed in scandalous attire as they showed more flesh than most. When Anyon went to question the stop he merely pleaded her to have faith in his decision.

Anyon would not notice the customers slip away with a woman as she was merely asked to wait outside. With his clothes all bloody, he needed a wash and a clean set of clothes.
Barely a half hour would pass and Mirt, still sore but dressed in borrowed robes adorned with his various items, finally emerged from within with a serious expression on his face and bloodied knuckles. The bath had been done as a favor from the owner of the establishment, Mistress Beladona, but it had come with a request of its own with dangerous implications.

First, 3 of the workers had been hired as private servers to a shady group somewhere in the city and their clientele had been rough with how they treated others. Worse still, they skipped the bill.
Second, a prize fighter for this shady bunch had been enjoying the establishment and had raised a hand to the Owner in her own home. Two bouncers were injured in the scuffle until Mirt had investigated the commotion and settled the issue with a quick lesson on the importance of paying your bills, respecting fine women, and being polite to the owner. The man in question currently suffered from a broken jaw, black eyes, and the offending hand had been shattered in a rather painful looking display of clever usage involving a doorframe.

On request from Mistress Beladona, Mirt had been given a request with promise of handsome payment. The bath had been covered as a thank you for handling the miscreant, fresh robes as a gift, and a coded password to enter the shady establishment.
The mission was fairly simple. Having been robbed of fairly earned coin and her property/staff being mistreated despite the agreement between both parties, Mirt was asked to aid the Darkened Honey in retrieving their end of the bargain. Not normally a thug for hire, Mirt knew her anger was justified and had agreed.

With a server, clad in a frightfilly short dress and wrapped in a simple brown cloak, Mort escorted the injured woman from the establishment with a direction in mind. A mutual contact of the establishment that often took great care of injured workers sent his way.
Sweeping up Anyon in their wake, Mirts eyes were aflame with a burning hatred.

"Anyon. We are heading to a doctor on request of the owner. Our services have been purchased to retrieve payment for damaged property." A grim smile crept along his face as he looked Anyon in the eyes before continuing. "How would you like to be my prize fighter for our next mission?"

As the 3 walked through the district, Mirt filled in Anyon with the details of their mission before arriving at their destination. A healer by the name of Donovan.

Crunch approached Aki, Wisp, and Aer just as the foreigners were being taken away. ”As you likely already know, I'm Captain Crunch. I oversee a fair portion of the king's naval fleet and am currently stationed here to make sure the waters remain bandit free.” She folded her arms. ”I’d like to know your names and what you you saw today.” Her eyes shifted to Mono. ”You can also put down Wisp now. I don't think there's any need to intimidate him further.”

”Against my better judgment, I will comply.” Mono lowered Wisp onto the ground, but not before handcuffing their arms together. ”Don't even think about squirming away.”

As quickly as Wisp was on the ground, and his handcuffs were firmly secured, he broke towards Aki, and wrapped his bound arms around her. ”Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” He exclaimed rapidly, barely breaking for breath as he continued, ”I dunno who you are or where you came from but Meanie Mono tried to make me go somewhere I didn’t want to, so thank you! Also, I’m Wisp. Nice to meet you~!”

Aki had managed to keep Wisp safe for the entirety of the journey to the hero district by walking in between Mono and Wisp hanging from Mono’s hand. This Mono person had not yet spoken to her, he only appeared visibly annoyed by the looks of it. She did not pay heed to it however, her one and only concern was getting the cat girl out of this situation. Aki turned her attention to this Crunch person. Aki did not understand the origin of her name very well, was she known for crunching much while eating? Or did it perhaps have other meaning, further investigation would be needed. Aki got somewhat less defensive as wisp was now down on the ground, she gave her a sweet smile knowing she was happy as well. Wisp was still somewhat stuck by the handcuffs but at least she did not seem as hurt as before. Wisp hugged Aki close with her bound arms leaving Aki somewhat puzzled at first but she soon followed up to her wrapping her arms around the girl as well. She answered back with a bright nod.



Aer glanced at the cat boy and street performer only momentarily before looking at Crunch. ”My name is Aer Pacifica, I'm a licensed adventurer. I was looking for a missing person near the docs when I stumbled across the forieners. They offered to help with my search, but I knew they would be of little assistance as they were not familiar with the area. I found their attire of interest, so I questioned them. Like you, I was concerned that they might be bandits or cultists. In hindsight though, I suppose I was letting the rumors about the bandits being controlled by a witch cult influence my reasoning. “ She looked at Wisp. ”He came along shortly afterwards. He spotted one of the boy's meteors. Ashton was it? I think he wanted it.” She looked back to Crunch. ”He offered to help them escape, but they chose to remain by my side, even if there was a chance you might execute them. I did not believe they could possibly be cultists or bandits after that.”

Mono yanked on the handcuffs, causing Wisp to fly backwards into his captor. ”Well? The entire reason you're with us is to tell us about the meteor. Did you notice anything interesting about it?”

Aki gasped in surprise as Wisp was janked backwards by the handcuffs. In astounding manner she looked up at mono. Her hand slowly rose up as she spoke up to the general mister.



Aki almost began crying after yelling so loudly and aggressively, she didn’t want people to get hurt. Aki aimed upwards at Mono his hand as she spoke out clearly. It might have not been powerful but maybe that would learn him to keep his hands off of little girls!



”Whatever you think you’re doing, stop it.” Wisp called out. He could accept being dragged around, especially when Mono was involved. But there was a limit to what he could and couldn’t accept - Aki (close to) crying, and raising her hand in an offensive manner, crossed that line. Before she even spoke, he pushed his way out of Mono’s reach, and placed himself between them both. The moment she started speaking, he called out, intent on disrupting whatever magical word she was prepared to speak. ”Eeheheh, no need for violence! Everything’s okay here!” While he spoke equally as cheerily as before, his eyes remained in contact with Aki’s, silently commanding her to hold her actions for the moment.

When Aki tried to hurt Mono with her magic the catgirl called out to her and held eye contact as she slowly held Aki off to attack the general. Aki softly drooped her hand down a tad as she concerningly gazed into Wisp her eyes.



”It’s nice to meet you, Cap’n! I’ve heard lots about you, and might I say it’s reassuring to have someone as capable as you commanding part of the navy! I was just looking around is all, but I saw some people being crowded around and thought I’d say hi. They even gave me their Meteor.” with the word Meteor, he looked back towards Mono, and cautiously took it out of his pouch, ”I didn’t get to test it but… I think it’s a Spatiotemporal Storage Meteor. From what I saw, it captures a point in the world, and replicates it to be displayed later. At least… I think. I was gonna, eheh, experiment with it a bit later~”

”Really now? They handed it to you?” Crunch raised an eyebrow. ”You don't think it's a trap or anything do you? I can't understand why anyone would part with something so valuable. I'd like to see a demonstration.”

Mono hadn't taken his eyes off of the young street performer since she spoke. Before Wisp could respond to Crunch's questions, Mono raised his hand. ”Do it.” He placed a hand over the hand cuffs on his arm, and it popped open. Mono then gently pulled Wisp off to the side and cuffed him to Crunch's arm. ”I want you to finish casting that spell.”

Crunch looked at her arm and then at Mono. ”What are you doing?”

Mono took two big steps forward, so that he was standing directly between Aki and Wisp. He tipped his head down so that he was looking at the pint sized street performer. ”Do it. Now.”

Aki sadly gazed towards the ground just before Mono spoke up to her. Do it… in shock she looked up into Mono his eyes. Was he serious? This was scary, why would he want that. Mono stepped in front of Aki startling her somewhat. She moved her hand backwards somewhat as he was really close now. He could easily outdo her probably. Aki her confidence grew weaker but her will to protect Wisp was still the same. If this man was gone they could get out of here right, no more hurting. Do it… Now.

Aer clenched her teeth together and groaned. ”Aki, right?“ She stepped around to the side of Mono. ”How about you just explain what your roll is in all of this?“ But regardless of what Aer said, Mono didn't move.

Aki just had to tell them what her involvement was in the group. Nervously she gazed to both Wisp and Aer. Did she have anything to do with them?



”Alright then.“ Aer stepped away from the group, letting out a small sigh. ”If that's all you need us for, I have a missing person to find. I'll take Aki with me.“ she extended her hand towards the performer.

As soon as Aer tried to take Aki her hand she moved it away from the elf girl while giving her a confused and scared look. She wouldn't just go with a stranger, her mother had learned her that at least!



Aki bit her lip impatiently and seeing how nothing did help in this situation she did as Mono told her to do.



Aki didn't step away from mono, or otherwise move into a defensive position. She simply thrust her palm folward, creating a slicing vacuum of air. The blade of wind struck mono's chest and created a small tear in his tunic. Other than that, he did not move. ”Again.” Aki hesitated, but managed to fire a second one off. This time it cut into his arm, but he didn't budge. He leaned in closer to Aki and growled. ”Again!” Sensing that her end was near, she put both of her hands in front of herself and fired as many wind blades as she could at Mono. Out of fear that he might attack her, she stepped backwards while firing, yelling “fura” over and over again. But every time mono got hit, he would simply move closer to her and shout at her, over and over. ”Again-again-again-again-again!” Eventually Aki lost her footing and stumbled onto her back. But as soon as her shoulders hit the pavement behind her, Mono was standing over her. Despite how many attacks she hurled at him, nothing seemed to have truly damaged him. His tunic was in tatters, but the hardened armor under his clothing was unscathed. He knelled beside her and pointed his hand at Aki. ”Alhuma.”

Aer slid her hand onto her weapon, but it was clear she had no idea what was going on. She waited to make sure nothing serious was going to happen. ”What are you doing?”

”She's dead.” Mono said simply. ”Or at least, she could have been, if I was actually casting a spell.” Mono opened his hand and offered it to Aki. He was going to help her up. ”It is admirable that you would like to fight me to protect that demi-human, but you should work to understand a situation before you decide to take sides in it. Especially if you're going to bring violence into the mix.” Mono looked to Wisp. ”Isn't that right?”

For the entire duration of the engagement, Wisp was useless. Any attempts he made to get closer, to stop whatever Mono was inciting, was met with resistance from Crunch, forcing him to watch idly from the sidelines while he intimidated a friend into violence. No matter the situation, he couldn’t expect to attack an officer of Mono’s rank and avoid repercussions. There was nothing he had that could help. ”Of course.” was his simple reply, as he attempted to move forward to check on Aki, his lax attitude suitable enough for Crunch to let him advance. With Mono offering to help her up, he didn’t feel the need to say anything to her - simply being between them was enough.

Aki lied with her back on the ground, hair scattered over the floor around her as she blinked a few times in unbelieve. Was she still alive after firing that much with her magic at a person. Mono didn't look dead either. With her mouth agape tears rolled down her cheeks. She had nothing more to say. She softly took Mono his hand her body shaking as she stood upright again. She brushed her tears away and gave a quiet nod with her eyes to the ground. She felt dead beat.

”A-anyway, enough fighting!” he announced, raising the smartphone to show everyone, ”You wanted to see what this does, right~?”

Crunch looked between Mono and Aki with disapproval before looking at Wisp. ”Yes, I think that would be in everyone's best interest.”

Aer only groaned before releasing the hold on her weapon. She didn't say anything and just scuffed off without saying anything.

With the situation simmering down, Wisp began to smile again. He pressed the button on the device, and then swiped across on the screen, much like Ashton had done before. What came up on the screen appeared to be some kind of visual mimicry of whatever the back of the Meteor was faced to, being Mono’s visored face. But from there, he had no idea what to do. He tapped the screen a few more times, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. A few more tries later, he finally, and accidentally, hit the button to take a picture, which he watched slide off to the bottom left corner with childish excitement. With a press he brought it up, being greeted with a digital representation of the guard.

”This thing’s super cool!” he exclaimed as he turned it to face Mono and Crunch, showing them a somewhat blurry, poorly taken, but still identifiable picture of Mono’s head, helmet, and a small portion of his torso,”What’d’ya think~? I dunno how it works yet, but… replication and storage device seems like a good bet?”

Crunch placed a hand on one of her his. ”I mostly wanted to confirm it was real. There does not seem to be anything wrong with it.” She pointed over her shoulder. ”Let me talk to the others real quick and we'll see how it goes.” And with that, Crunch popped the shackle off of her arm clipped wisp to a metal railing. She then walked off to the offices. There would be few words spoke in her absence.

---

It did not take long for Crunch to return. ”A moment, Mono.”

”Do not attempt to escape Wisp. I will not be as forgiving as your handler.” The two walked down an alleyway just out of earshot to begin a conversation. Shortly afterwards, the entered the offices. Chieko, Ashton, Flame, and Yuuki had been gathered in one room.

”Alright.” Crunch nodded. ”We have determined that your stories check out, and you are telling the truth. You will be given visitor passes, which will enable you to to freely move about the city.” She turned to face Yuuki. ”Unfortunately this does not extend to you. We believe that you may unknowingly be under the effects of cultist magic, if not some other witch related phenomenon. We will need to keep a close eye on you, and cannot have you moving around the city. For this reason, we will transport you to a yet to be decided location in the near future.” Crunch placed the visitor passes for Chieko, Ashton, and Flame on a nearby desk before folding her arms.

---

Donovan chuckled. ”You're a piece of work Mie. Between Fritzi and you, I ain't so sure if it's that everything is boring, or the two of ya are just that exciting in comparison.” Mie may have known about Fritzi, but Donovan had a tendency to just name drop whoever he was thinking about, regardless if there was a connection there or not. ”Bandit attacks are getting' worse. Of course the ain't attackin folks like you and me, but it's giving rise to even more hate.” He balled the rag up in his hand and moved it behind his back. There was a little bit of blood on it, but nothing most people hadn't seen before. ”Folks are distrusting demi-humans more and more each day. It's not just rich folks who are getting hurt. Lotta lower class ladies getting' cut up today. Watch yourself Mie. The Bandits may have started this, but there are other folks out there who are lookin' to end it.” After a brief serious look, he smiled a bit. ”I could always use supplies, but I think right now I could use a stiff drink. Something fruity that won't make me too drunk. I'll have to use these hands again before long.”

”Excuse me.“ A young girl with a mature voice approached the group. She held up a picture of Lady Vertti and pointed at it. ”Have either of you seen this woman?“

”Lady Vertti huh?” Donovan placed a hand on his chin. ”I wanna say I saw her a few days ago.”

The woman's eyes shot open beifly before relaxing. ”She's been missing for a while, where did you see her?“

”It was...” Donovan turned around just in time to see Mirt and Aayon approach. ”Hmmm, seems that drink is going to have to wait.”

“Well,” Yuuki said once the two were finished discussing whatever they were doing, “That’s about what I expected.”

While Mono and Captain Crunch had disappeared, Yuuki, with his plastic mug back in his possession, pouring himself a piping hot cup of green tea, the fragrance of the slightly bitter brew wafting through the room. Drinking directly through the thermos was a bit rough, after all, and considering just who was standing before him, the youth sorely needed a drink to steady his nerves. He took a small sip to gauge how hot it was, then a longer, more relaxed sip once he confirmed the tea was the perfect balance between ‘scalding’ and ‘hot’. It spread down his throat and into his stomach, and the brunette let out a satisfied sigh.

Mm, yeah, he could certainly try a little bit harder now. Rolling his sore shoulders, which his large pack still pressed down upon, he cast his gaze towards Mono, trying to make eye contact through the gas mask’s lenses. “So, uh, it doesn’t really sound like you actually know where to send me, so before then, mind if I push forward a suggestion? Keeping a close eye on me and not letting me move around the city sorta sounds like I’ll be tossed into prison, but could you let me, I dunno, temporarily join the guards here? It’ll be easiest to just surround me with a bunch of big dudes constantly, while keeping me too busy to do sneaky stuff too, yeah?”

A wild shrug. “Wouldn’t mind the educational opportunities either, I suppose.”

Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks

Ashton opened his mouth to say something, only to find that Kimura had taken the words right out of his mind: An application to be a Guard. So he said, "I was going to ask the same thing earlier, actually. The way I see it, I have no weapons, no money, and I am literate in my own language, not this Kingdom's. But so that I don't appear to be a bandwagon jumper, I'm going to ask: What branches of the local armed forces are open for a young man, of military age - sixteen - who, despite his suspicious origins, clearly has a bright mind and a strong body?"

A grin. "Plus, Aer said you're short-handed and are dealing with a bandit problem, so it's not like there's a glut of manpower."

Flame looked at Ashton. "Ash, this isn't the best idea. We should go join an Adventurer's Guild instead. Those provide much more independence as well as their own share of money."

Ashton looked at Flame, "Actually, that's a good idea as well. If we can think up a way to keep in contact with each other, we can probably split up; one of us goes adventuring, the other serves in the guard, and we can teach each other useful skills when we visit each other."

Flame's response was, "That's too dangerous, Ashton. We can't afford to be divided." Divided further than we already are. A pause. "But I see your logic. Nevertheless, I don't think a common guard is going to get benefits that will allow one to learn more about why we're here and the troubles that we might come into in the future."

So the redhead turned around to Captain Crunch and Mono and said, "There are two of us and there are two of you. Two people with suspicous origins and two people tasked with watching over people with suspicious origins. We need to know how to survive in this Kingdom, and you two need both manpower and proof that you can trust us." A purse of his lips, which trembled. "So... We're asking for an apprenticeship. This allows you to watch us, and if I recall my knowledge of Pre-Modern law well, also gives you legal rights over us. A fair bargain, won't you agree?"

Ashton said, "Flame, weren't you saying something about adventurers and independence just some time ago?"

His boyfriend nodded. "Yes, but quite frankly, an apprenticeship with these people, if accepted, would put us close to the centre of events in a way that doesn't cause mistrust and provides guarantees for all. It's a fair bargain and would grant us the best opportunities for growth."

Flame turned to Chieko. "Yes, we're ambitious. And yes, I've seen your mean looks."

@Ryofu@FamishedPants@BrokenPromise

---

The green-eyed girl nearly smiled as Fritzi praised her use of magic, albeit held in the feeling of minor excitement instead to exert for a more calming, humble smile at the appreciation physically. But practice? Perhaps that would be the best thing if she was to get any better at this. Or perhaps, er, more survivable at this at least. At least if they died again and actually....ah. The thought sent a chill up the girl's spine as she pondered it. Her mind chased it away like a horrid taboo, with the smallest possible vestiges of cold sweat forming at her hairline. No, there was no way she was going to be bending over for that. Not again. Please, for the love of whomever had brought her here, of whatever gods existed in this world, not again....even the slightest recollection of that almost sent her into a panic internally.

Breathing a couple of times to herself to try to avoid the visage of panic again, Aerith looked over as the other two males as they attempted to use magic as well. These things they could do were....well, interesting to say the least. She wondered if anything like was possible for her....cloud of apparently dark spores aside. Letting out a small, restrained sigh in some attempt to vent the minor inkling of frustration, Aerith began to get to work instantly as Fritzi finally left them all to their business. Though watching Hiro make his way towards the door with a chair, Aerith looked back at a few of the other ones before glancing to Alistair.

"I'll help Hiro with a couple of chairs, at least the smaller ones. If you can fill me one of the other buckets, will start scrubbing as soon as i get back in! Be right back!" she said, her voice channeling a bit of positivity as she went over to pick up a could of the smaller chair in the house nearby.

Had these been for any children, perhaps? Aerith wondered so as she hefted them up a bit onto one arm, her stamina and strength not slacking such as to not be able to stuff like this. She had been an avid swimmer, after all, good stamina and some strength having been built up at least for her over time with that. However, after these she'd see if a stool or two was possible to get out before moving on with things.

Walking carefully over to the door, Aerith raised an eyebrow at how it was closed. Reaching out with her right arm, the dark-haired girl attempted to open it so she could come outside as well to drop off a couple of the smaller chairs. It at least would maybe (in Aerith's mind) help Hiro that much faster get to assisting them in cleaning other bits of the house otherwise, considering his height and all.

Hero's District, Priestella
death count 1

---

After waiting for what seemed like agonizingly long moments, Chieko was finally escorted out of the interrogation room and was reunited with the others. It seemed like all of their meetings had gone well too. Good, that was good, wasn't it? Aside from Yuuki's it seemed. Unknowingly under the effect of some cultist magic? Seemed a little odd, but wasn't any of her business right now. She walked over, picking up her visitors pass and carefully inspecting it as Yuuki said something about working for the guard.

That was a good idea, wasn't it? She could do it, too! In fact, that'd probably be a good way to get on the fast track to fame and heroism, hah! A good occupation for herself. Better than cleaning houses or working in a medical facility, that was certain. Taking the pass and putting it inside of her coat, Chieko turned to face Mono, prepared to ask the same exact question - that is until Flame said something to her.

"...what...?" For the briefest of instant, Chieko's face turned into one of surprise and uncertainty. Mean looks? Was she giving them mean looks? She had been giving them disapproving looks because she felt like they were giving too much information, or were being too candid but she hadn't been doing it with ill intent. An uncomfortable feeling welled up in the pit of her stomach. She didn't do anything bad, did she? She was just...Chieko pulled her scarf over her mouth, hiding her wavering expression. Shoving some unpleasant memories out of her head, she quickly turned her head, closing one of her eyes.

"Mean?" Having regained control a bit, she let the scarf fall, her mouth curling upwards into a smile as she continued in an almost overbearingly painful haughty manner. "The mean one is you, making me endure that face of yours. If you two sickening lovebirds think that was mean, you're nothing but children." She turned her gaze over to Aki, needlessly brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Have fun doing the grunt work for the guard, you fools. Everyone knows the guards are always the bad guys. Meanwhile, I'll be busy making myself into something worthwhile." Quickly moving from Ashton and Flame, Chieko practically ran over to Aki.

"Aki-chan~" Before Aki had a chance to respond, Chieko grabbed her and pulled her into a rather aggressive hug. It also just so happened Aki's head happened to be perfectly chest level with Chieko. "Aki, you want to show big sis Chieko around the city now?"


Golden Quarter

---

"Oh? What is Fritzi getting up to today, hm? I should visit and we could plan a party together, heh." Mie impishly chuckled. She was vaguely aware of the other merchant, though they didn't interact on a regular basis. Mie was far too busy. Plus with the current social and political climate she was working far harder. Chances were, the humans weren't buying from her simply because she was a demi-human. And the Demi-humans were few and far between. All this violence was bad for business. For normal merchants, at least. Profiting off of it was just a simple game of knowing the right people.

Bandits needed weapons just as much as the local guard.

"Concerned for little 'ole me, though?" The fox gave Donovan a grin. "No need. This little tail of mine knows how to handle itself." She could use a drink too though, come to think of it. She'd have chastised him further, were it not for a small girl holding a picture of Lady Vertti up and asking if they had seen her. Curious. Was this the adventurer hired to find her? Well, Grisaia would be happy she was doing her job.

"Ah...Lady Vertti." She smiled, one of her ears twitching curiously. "A regular client of mine, though I haven't been in town until recently. The rabbit is quite concerned for his beloved mistress." A giggle. "I have to say, I'm a little concerned as well...if only for my business, of course." Mie made sure to get that point across. "She's an excellent client. Likes throwing money and silly foreign baubles and luxuries. If by chance you find her, mind informing me? I can usually be found in the Cham somewhere among the rabble." Glancing over to Mirt and Anyon, Mie quickly concluded they were dangerous individuals. The kind of people that would be exceedingly fun to play with.

"Ara? Friends of yours, Donovan? Should I go say hello?" But before Donovan could even reply or stop her, Mie was already running over to the pair. Mie ran in a circle around them, quickly eyeing them and deciding on a course of action. Doing her best impression of a little kid, the fox continued. "Hey hey, old married couple!" She smiled, stopping in front of them. "You guys wanna see a magic trick?"

Chained to a post, left abandoned outside an office building in the middle of the Hero's District, and under the lock and key of Mono was, perhaps, the second last place Wisp wanted to be, beaten out only by Mono's threats of returning him to Mousey. That, by far and out, was the last place he wanted to be; he had escaped for a reason, and he wasn't about to give it up yet. His adventure had barely even begun, and there were so many other nice people that he had met, it'd be an utter waste to rescind his freedom now.

With his free, unchained hand, he grabbed the chain, and felt the heat almost immediately.
"Goa..." he whispered to himself, keeping his voice low on the off chance Crunch or Mono overheard him. Heat enveloped the metal, stemming from his palm, which in the following seconds was covered with the shimmering of the air. In the half a minute that passed, he cautiously looked around, keeping his eyes on everyone the passed by, placing his body in the way to mask his escape plan, and observantly eyeing the door to the office, on the off chance the two superiors exited untimely.

Try as he might, however, nothing came about. Wisp raised his hand, half in frustration and half in disappointment, though he wasn't entirely surprised; such weak power output was hardly going to make a dent in tempered steel certified for use by the military. He had held back to keep the effects of his magic from being noticeable, but the result was equally as reserved. With some more fevered glances, he took his gaze to his surroundings, and anything that could assist.

Whereupon he saw Chieko exiting the office building, and running up to Aki. And he had an idea.
"Pssst! Aki, over here!" he called out, as quietly as possible while still attracting her attention, "I need help! Mono's gonna take me somewhere else, and I don't wanna go, but you have wind magic! You can cut the chains!" it was a desperate attempt, but they were friends - it was the best shot he had without blowing the chains up.

---

This was certainly. . . not what he expected. To be immediately confronted with something outside the norm. Though maybe he should have expected it, given that very little time had passed while he was in this world without some catastrophic even occurring. And now, there was some person that he had never seen before who knew him. This was. . . . awkward to say the least. But he wasn't past the point of no return mentally yet.

That point came when he heard the door close behind him. The spell on his body was still functioning, as it had really only been a few moments since he had cast it. Every muscle in his body was taut. Ready to fire off at a moment's notice. His ragged breathing from panic steadied. He held his ground and opened his senses to the limits, waiting for any possible action to occur. This was how he won so many fights. Even though his physique was strong the say the least, he was a technical fighter. He used his superior sense to outmaneuver his opponent.

Still, his body was screaming at him that it was a dangerous situation and his mind agreed. He could die. It wouldn't be optimal, but it was possible. Before that happened, he had to gather as much information as possible. It might help him get out of it.

"What can I help you with? I'm not sure what you need."

The chair still held lightly in his arms was ready to be used as either a shield or a weapon, whichever was most necessary at the time.

It was then that Aerith attempted to open the door.