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The capital was bustling as always.

The city of Chrana, located on the coast of the powerful Magocracy of Entei Bahara, had been a center of trade and the study and advancement of magical technology almost since the area had first been settled. That coupled with what would later be discovered to be an absolutely ridiculous density of aetherium deposits in the surrounding area, and the city was all but destined to become a melting pot for all manner of cultures.

Nowhere was this better represented than in the central bazaar, a section of the city designated specifically for merchants to set up their stalls and pedal their wares to anyone who happened to pass by. No matter what a person might need, whether they be weapons, food, ancient artifacts or simply useless magical knick knacks, odds were that it could be found there. Whether you could haggle well enough to actually purchase it for a reasonable price was another matter altogether, but that rarely stopped most people. In fact, it seemed like it only drew in even more people, with hundreds of people, possibly even thousands, passing through each day.

“It’s too loud…”

Honestly, Argo wasn’t a fan. Every time he’d enter the bazaar, it’d just remind him about how peaceful most other marketplaces were, mostly in the smaller towns and villages. Not that he didn’t regularly end up visiting it whenever he was in the city anyway, because you could find all kinds of field guides on monster ecology and other neat stuff in there, but that didn’t make it any easier to actually go in. Thankfully however, that wasn’t actually necessary this time. No, what he was actually going for was only located near the bazaar. Depending on who you asked, it was also far worse.

The Chrana Guildhall.

Honestly, Argo agreed with that on some level. It somehow managed to be louder and rowdier than the bazaar half the time, and brawls in the common area were a lot less uncommon than he would’ve liked. However, he’d noticed an interesting looking job advertisement in a town just a few days away, calling adventurers to the capital. He still wasn’t sure what to expect though, as the ad had been pretty vague. A lot of travellers probably would’ve thought it was kind of sketchy, honestly. Argo didn’t mind that as much though, he was just hoping to find something to keep him out on the road. Besides, if he decided he didn’t approve of the job when the details were explained, he could always back out then, right?

Upon entering the building, he almost felt himself wince as he was assaulted by an even louder racket than what he’d faced while passing the bazaar. It was difficult to make out anything distinct, although a few complete sentences managed to stand out.

“Hey, didja hear? That catgirl’s still hangin’ around askin’ people to make a contract wit’ her!”
“Ya mean the one who keeps tryin’ to convince er’ryone she’s a spirit? I ‘member she tried to come up ta me jus’ th’other day! Barely made a few snowflakes an’ tried ta tell me she was an ice spirit! As if a kid like that could be one’a dose monsters!”

He did his best to ignore it, honestly. It wasn’t something he really felt like thinking all that much about, and even if he did, what was he going to do? It sounded like some Lesser Beastfolk kid was looking for someone to take them in, trying to trick them into it by using their animal features to convince some poor adventurer they were a spirit. Not only did he not particularly feel like being taken advantage of today, he also knew for a fact that he wouldn’t be able to take care of a child with his current lifestyle.

And on the off chance it actually was a spirit… well, that was also impossible…

“Well well, do my eyes deceive me, or is that actually Argo Lecht approaching my quest counter?”

Argo snapped himself out of his thoughts at the sound of a voice that he could only describe as ‘impeccably refined’, looking to the quest counter to see a wirey, well-dressed man, with a smirk that seemed too large for his face.

“Nivaan.” He greeted, nodding to the man. The guildmaster of Chrana’s hall was just as he remembered him, always doing his best to remain as well-dressed as he was well-spoken. He would’ve been surprised at the fact that he held so much respect among the other guildmasters if he wasn’t so well aware of what the man could do. “I’d rather have met you somewhere less…” He gestured to the area around him, particularly the crowded tavern area. “But the poster said I should come here.”

“Oh?” Nivaan asked, the surprise in his voice not quite making it to his face. “You actually came here for a job this time, hmm? Let’s take a look then.”

He took the paper from Argo’s hand, his eyes flicking across the page for barely two seconds before he glanced back up to him. Argo felt the sigh welling up within his lungs as soon as he saw the guildmaster’s face. The bastard looked even more smug than he had before.

“I must say, out of every job we’ve registered in the last few months, this has to be the one that I’m least surprised at you bringing me.”

He hopped over the quest counter, earning a small scowl from one of the nearby attendants, before gesturing to Argo to follow him. After travelling down a few different halls and corridors, he found himself in a nice, surprisingly quiet room, lit only by the large window at the back. A number of empty chairs were set up not far from the door, and he was actually a little surprised at how many there were.

“Don’t worry.” Nivaan said, catching the nervousness on Argo’s face before it could even really emerge. “We aren’t expecting a big crowd. Honestly, I doubt we’ll fill even a quarter of these.”

He then gestured to the seats.

“Anyway, I’ll just have you take a seat while we wait for anyone else who might have accepted the job.” He gestured to a pair of bookshelves lined up against the wall. “Feel free to look through the books I’ve collected. I’m sure you’ll find a fair few monster manuals to hold your interest while you wait.”

And then he was gone, heading back down the hall to greet anyone else who might have been drawn in by the ad. Argo watched after him for a moment, before turning to the bookshelves. A grin of his own appeared as he found a guide to the monsters of the Tulleyan caverns, one which had only been published recently, and subsequently eluded his attempts to track a copy down.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all...

The road to Chrana was a long one, taking Morton nearly a week to get there with his carriage that was practically his whole restaurant remodeled into a long carriage. What was worse, Morton didn't own any ox to pull the cart, so the man then made it as if it was a large rickshaw and moved the whole shop along himself, up steep hills, and having to restrain it once going down hill, It was tiring work, but they had finally made it. Morton was surely going to sleep well as soon as he had a proper bed. So far the only place to sleep on the trip here has been some sleeping rolls he and his daughter Meeka brought along. They would lay them out in the floor of the food carriage and sleep inside withe the window shutters closed. He had purchased a spot on the market street to dock his portable restaurant into a more permanent position, the flyer promised them accommodations with the guild so long as they could pay rent for it. Honestly, it was that thought of a nice bed driving him to go faster once the city's front gate was just ahead.

Morton looked over his shoulder and noticed that he couldn't see Meeka through the window. Not surprising, it seemed like she was still asleep, or she would be sitting in one of the stools that were crammed into the little walking space that was left in the carriage. "Meeka?" he called over his shoulder, "Time to wake up, we are finally here!"

Meeka drearily sat up, stretching and yawning atop of the two stacked up bed rolls, having used both stacked atop one another for extra comfort since her father wasn't using it at the time. Meeka rose up for a moment to see their surroundings and instantly ducked back down out of sight. "F-father! You woke me up too late! I will look like a wreck by the time we enter the gates!" she exclaimed panic as she quickly reached for a brush and frantically tried to start brushing the bedhead out of her hair. It wasn't enough that people didn't like greater beastfolk already, but at least looking well groomed and tidy seemed to take the edge off of most of their scorn. Plus, what if she was able to meet new beastfolk? Should couldn't meet anyone new looking like a vagabond! She could feel the carriage leave the dirt road and begin rolling into one that felt stone paved, and Morton's loud voice already calling to the guards at the gate, striking up friendly chit chat as he stated his business. Meeka tried to brush faster and then started to tie up her hair, only to notice that her tail had also suffered some form of bedhead as she started to work frantically on it as well. She then moved on to her arms and legs. While the fur was short here, it helped keep the fur flowing in the right directions, keeping it from looking as scruffy. She took a deep breath once satisfied and looking into a mirror. Just as she went to set it down, the carriage stopped, and then felt like it dropped a foot or two onto the ground, Meeka letting out a yip of surprise as it dropped.

"Okay, this is our stop!" Morton boomed over the bustle of the market. He leaned back and stretched, causing a few joints to pop here and there much to his relief. He turned to Meeka who was still trying to compose herself, craning over the counter. "Alright, I will see about getting us checked into our new home, and get word to the company that leased us this plot for our restaurant. Go on ahead to the orientation, I will catch up and you can tell me all about it tonight," he said as she made her way out of the carriage, smoothing out her clothes. Morton raised an eyebrow with a smirk, "see? You got ready in enough time," he chuckled, "the guard said that the Chrana guildhall is just down that way, but I need to run to the leasing office first," he said as he closed the shutters and locked the carriage up. "Just be careful, I don't know who all is here, and I'd rather not have to start our stay by cracking a skulls. I mean, I wouldn't mind it but it may be bad for business," he laughed heartily as he waved to her, "Be back pronto, we can explore the town later," he finished as he tossed Meeka some keys to the carriage doors.

Meeka's ears perked up as she saw the keys being tossed her way, catching them with ease and inspecting them for a moment. She looked over to where Morton told her to go and nodded. She couldn't help but smile a little at her father's jab at her being able to get ready in a mad panic now that it was all said and done. "Yes sir," she answered. With any luck they wouldn't have to sleep in the restaurant tonight, she was dying for a decent bed herself. She could feel the eyes staring at her nearly immediately as she had left the carriage, though she did her best to ignore them as usual. She did notice a couple more greater beastfolk here and there, but there was still a very low number of them. She had hoped maybe here would be better, but... every now and then a face would wrinkle up in disgust to say otherwise. Finally making it to the guildhall, Meeka reluctantly pushed the doors open to walk inside.

Surprisingly, it was louder in here than it was out in the market, even when she did attract some stares away from their conversation. Meeka took a deep breath and looked for a counter, that seemed to be on the other side of a sea of people. She tried to make her way through politely, and squeezing by when she could, getting bumped into here ad there and eventually getting stuck in the crowd where the movement between everyone milling about and yelling at each other, and drinking ended up trapping her in their midst. Meeka growled slightly to herself as she squatted down slightly and kicked off the ground, jumping over a good number of people and landing in a clear spot in front of the counter. She stood up calmly and once again flattened out her skirt and pulled her hair back and out of her face.

She looked up and saw a rather dapper and distinguished looking man conversing with another at his counter. He showed him a flyer similar to the one she had and noticed the man lead him away, so she assumed she had the right person. Waiting for him to return, when he finally did, Meeka gave a small bow to him and stated her business. "H-hello, I am Meeka Halsey, here with my father Morton Halsey to take part in a job with your guild if you will have us." She took out the flyer that had led them here and presented it to the man. "My father is in town making arrangements for us, I hope this does not trouble you any," she said hoping that they wouldn't mind Morton not being at the orientation, "but I can relay any information I need to him." Meeka was admittedly nervous being in a new town full of new eyes and unknown people. at least back at home, she was familiar with the small number of people and knew who to stay away from and who didn't mind her so much, but this was all too new, and admittedly had her a bit anxious. As it was, she heard a group talking about what seemed to be a lesser beastfolk girl as she made her way up here, and despite what it seemed she was doing, spirit or not, it seemed like they didn't hold them to much esteem here either.

Eshima traveled to Chrana by foot, often cutting through places without paths to reduce her journey. Once finally on the final stretch, the gate in sight, the tall woman settled into an amble, making her way to the guards. Before getting within earshot, Eshima pulled a couple twigs and leaves from her hair and adjusted her rifle and mace to leave them a bit more comfortable. Then, she chatted with the guards amiably, getting entrance without a stir. Once inside, the city's hustle and bustle hit her, causing her to almost feel crushed by the weighty commotion. She was used to smaller cities and towns rather than something this metropolitan.

To escape the cluster of entering merchants, wanderers, and citizens, she made her way to the bazaar, not realizing it would increase in volume. It was slightly less chaotic as people filtered about between and along stalls, giving her just enough room to squeeze in the middle. Some people looked up at her in awe given she was over eight feet tall and had a very distinct appearance. A few stared at her in disgust, prompting her to change her gait to more of a swagger, showing them that she didn't care that they disliked her. This swagger continued as she entered and crossed the common area of the guildhall despite the seemingly impossible increase in commotion.

She almost made it to the door without incident, but a couple men accosted her. Both were drunk, and both had weird ideas of her reason for being there. The first slurred words out of their mouths were, "Oy! You sleepin' wit us tonight whether ya wan to or not." With a sigh, she narrowed her eyes at the two men attempting to drag her off for their own pleasure. The first man to grab at her was met with a swift left cross to the nose. A sickening crunch and gushing spray of blood later and the man lay unconscious on the ground. The second man decided to get rougher and clamped onto her arm. She used the opening to grab the extended arm, her free hand grabbing his limp unused arm. With a forceful roar, she swung him bodily, using the nearby wall as a proper place to slam his entire body into. At least three cracks rang out and the hand lost its grip on Eshima's arm. She dropped him into a bloodied heap consisting of drunken pain and more than a few broken bones. She dusted her hands off, then her clothes. "If every guy treats women like that, I won't get bored at least."

The others, even the drunker ones, decided it best to not accost the half-oni after the spectacle. There was a localized hush as a couple of friends of the knocked out men dragged them off, probably to a healer given the damage she inflicted on them. Eshima didn't care what they did with the perverted would be abusers and entered the hall. Inside, she saw a dapper man returning to the counter as some sort of wolfgirl started to talk to him. Eshima smiled and walked up behind the girl, waiting her turn patiently. While she waited, she began to scan the inside of the guildhall, looking for any sign of the job she planned to join.

Shuyi absent-mindedly drove her donkey cart that was trailing at the end of a merchant caravan. It was a long journey to Chrana, so she was glad to have found a group to travel with. The merchants that led this group was insistent on a tight schedule, so there wasn’t much chance for Shuyi to get to know anyone; only a few mercenaries tried to make conversation with her when they made camp, but Shuyi would always be exhausted to the point of passing out.

As they drew closer to the Entei Baharan city, Shuyi began to feel anxious. This was the first time she’s been this far from home – she hasn’t even gone far from the imperial capital since birth. She wondered about what the guild is like, and what kinds of people she may meet there. At least it’s better than adventuring alone , she thought as she was reminded of her failed attempt a few weeks prior.

At this point, it was late afternoon, and the caravan had stopped at a clearing just inside the gates of Chrana. The journey was complete, and the caravan was disbanding. Shuyi found the merchant leader, paid the other half of the due, and wish each other good fortune. Despite seeming stern, and maybe even a bit… unscrupulous? Shuyi wouldn’t mind doing business with the merchant again. With that thought, Shuyi started for the guildhall with her donkey cart.

It was nearly sundown when Shuyi finally arrived in front of the guildhall. Normally it shouldn’t have taken that long, but it was difficult for the cart to move through the crowd that did not seem deterred by the setting sun. Plus, Shuyi was so dazzled by the city, she was unable to make a beeline. This was a brand-new world to her. At first, she was shocked by the amount of people and things, but that slowly turned into intrigue. Many times, she stopped herself from taking a detour, by telling herself that she should get settled first, and that she will get plenty of chances to wander later.

After leaving her cart in a safe place, Shuyi cautiously stepped into the guildhall. She almost immediately ran out since she wasn’t prepared for the rowdiness. She expected order and discipline, and this was the opposite. This is what adventurers are like, I guess? She could only attempt to reassure herself as the anxiety in her grew stronger.

Surveying the almost tavern-like place, she caught a glimpse of a well-dress, well-mannered man, who, surprisingly, didn’t jut out like a sore thumb. That’s gotta be someone in charge. I should go talk to him. Deciding that was the best course of action, Shuyi makes her way towards the man while attempting to skirt around clusters of people. Along the way, she caught words like “beastfolk”, “spirit”, “contract”, “oni”, and “violent”. Shuyi has heard of other races but have never met any. She has seen spirits, though, as it was common for the upper-class to form contract with them. Maybe there will be people from other races that are also taking this job. The thought was short-lasted as she arrived at the counter where the man stood.

Taking out the flyer, she hesitantly asked, “Um, hi, are you Nivaan?” After a little pause, she realized she hasn’t introduced herself. “Excuse my manners, I am Shuyi Zheng. I was given this flyer during my travels and was told to come here to find Nivaan for the job.” She tried not to wince at the word “travels”. The truth was, less than two days after she left for the wilderness, she got attacked by beasts. She was saved by an adventurer, who, upon hearing her intentions, gave her the flyer and instructions. However, she wasn’t about to tell a complete stranger something this embarrassing.

clicky to read the Pre-rp with @Satoshi Kyou

Yuuris dusted off his pants, stareing down at the small cat in front of him. He let out a heavy sigh, wondering just what he'd gotten himself into. After all, He'd only come here due to a...dubious note, and now he was the contractor to a spirit who'd been on the verge of death. He wasn't exactly happy with this situation, but there had been no way he was going to walk away knowing he had the ability to save someone....

Save someone from the same fate as....

No. He wasn't going to think about that right now. He blamed these sudden thoughts on the details of this...contract, pulling up memories that he didn't want to think about.

"It better only be a day." he muttered before lifting the shield up and stareing at it...wondering how he was going to carry it for the time being. After a moment, he decided to attach it to his bag, unshouldering it and buckling the shield's grips to it before placing the bag back over his shoulder. He stared down at his new companion and chewed his lip. Her current size was....impossible. She was just too small....there was no way she'd be able to keep up with his pace in this form.

With a grumble, and without asking, he bent down and grasped the cat by the scruff, lifting her up and setting her on the shoulder opposite of the silk cape that wrapped around half of him. He wasn't going to take the chance of her little claws pulling a hole in the fabric, since he rather liked this particular cape.

"Stay." he saidd sternly, keeping dull grey eyes on her for only a brief moment before looking elsewhere. After all, he still had some things to do here. He still needed to meet with the person who'd left that note. Interestingly enough, he didn't seem too bothered by the coldness that radiated off of her....

With that, he set off, only pausing briefly to make sure that the spirit on his shoulder wasn't going to fall off. His pace was brisk....he'd wasted too much time with this little event and now he was behind schedule. And it didn't take long for him to reach the guildhall....not when the crowd around them seemed to part for the young man. He was used to this; his lack of personality and cold blunt nature often gave people the feeling that something was wrong. He'd been told once that he gave off the feeling of someone who was dead but alive at the same time. But he couldn't remember by who.

Finally, the guildhall was in sight, and he grunted, pushing the door open and entering the rowdy...almost arena. As usual, many people looked up to see who'd entered...and almost instantly there was a hush that briefly ran through the place. It didn't last long, as people quickly turned their attention away...but the conversations shifted....

"What's the Stonehearted Hunter doing here of all places?!" "Damn, I thought he'd already died....." "Don't look at him you idiot! You'll be cursed!" "He brings bad luck wherever he goes...guess it's time to leave...."

Yuuris paid no mind to the whispers, to the hushed tones underneath the brawls and rowdy drunks. He made his way directly to the guild counter, standing just behind a young lady. He heard her introduce herself, and hand the man behind the desk the exact same flyer. He gave a grunt, leaning around her and placed his own flyer down on the counter, showing that he was here for the same thing.

He really didn't seem like he was the friendly type.

This was far from Wilben's first time Chrana. It was a bustling city in a bustling region, thousands moving in and out of it every day. Wilben had visited more than a few times for many reasons: meeting investors, picking through local markets, and scouting the competition to name a few - though for that last part, of course none came close to his perfect vision, Le Paradis. Coincidentally, Le Paradis was the reason the Gnome was there now. When his kitchen staff brought a certain advertisement to his attention, he'd thought that it would be a good opportunity to push his business to true world stardom. After all, if it's owner was part of some famous crew touring the world, wouldn't that bring in a lot people hoping to get a glimpse of said crew? Of course, once these star chasers tasted the menu, well, that would be that. New regulars. The plan made perfect sense to him.

The chef had arrived in the capital late last night and spent not even a single moment outside of his hotel room until the dawn came and he was refreshed and ready to meet with the city's guildmaster. After taking some time to double check his appearance (wouldn't want to look sloppy in a business meeting, however informal!), Wilben was off through the bazaar and towards the guildhall. Now, it was common knowledge that Gnomes were a small people. Wilben was no exception. At a normal pace it would probably take a Gnome twice the amount of time it would take a Human to get to the same place. Wilben did not walk at a normal pace. His ego was larger than life, and he took bold strides - which had him crashing into a lot of legs just trying to make it through the crowd.

"Ugh, get out of the way!" he grumbled, physically shoving any poor soul that happened to be standing in his path. The bazaar was a sea of humans - and not-so-humans - yelping and looking down at their feet. It was a trail of bruised knees and stepped on toes right up to the guild's door, when someone snatched Wilben by the back of his jacket and lifted him into the air.

"Yer bein' awful rude, don'cha think?" The man that grabbed him was nearly as wide as he was tall, with a scar or three on each of his muscular arms. The ruffian looked Wilben up and down, taking in all three feet of him, and snorted. The Gnome just crossed his arms. "It's obvious you ain't from around here. In Chrana we do things a certain--"

"Stop," Wilben interrupted, raising a hand in front of the man's face who blinked in genuine surprise. "I have somewhere to be, so I will pay you five hundred gold right now to fuck off. Deal?"

"What--"

It was clear that Wilben's would-be captor was getting angry, so the chef wiggled out of his grip and mustered all the strength in his little body to deliver a kick right to the man's shin. As he howled in pain, Wilben went right through the guild's doors. Not his problem the guy didn't know a sweet deal when he heard it.

Straightening his coat, Wilben ducked under an unruly but ultimately friendly couple of gents and halfway towards the counter he paused seeing a crowd there. "Great," he sighed. No one liked waiting in line. He hadn't had to wait in a line since - wait, who said he had to? He was Wilben Felpip Oventamer!
The rather loud clearing of his throat quietened the guildhall for just a few moments before it roared back to life again, people chatting, singing, fighting and swapping rumors. The guild's master raised a brow, a humorous smile tugging at his lips as he nodded his head toward the side to indicate a hallway. An invitation of sorts, Wilben supposed. That was good, clearly his reputation preceded him.

Without further ado the Gnome turned and headed towards the meeting area, a room tucked away towards the back of the guild. He knew he'd found the right place when he'd found a room that wasn't totally empty nor filled to the brim with gung-ho adventurers. The room's sole occupant was a human man with shaggy dark hair. He couldn't say he'd every seen the man before, but after a while a lot of humans started to look the same. This one in particular sort of looked like a hobo. _{"Books and covers, Felpip,"} Wilben muttered to himself, looking away from the man and climbing into one of the chairs.

[Post Redacted as part of Fixing Undesired Narrative, FUN for short]

Meeka was a bit surprised at the commotion coming from behind her. She would have never thought that someone would get sent flying across the room. Though, from what her ears picked up, it was quite deserved. Thinking about it, Meeka never really got into a fight with her antagonizers. There were plenty where she was from, and unless Morton was there to handle it there was little to dissuade them. Meeka usually tried to ignore nasty comments, aggressive people, or people she didn't like in particular. Sure she could make threats with her shooting skills, and shoot examples to show she could make good on those threats, but if it came to a physical struggle, she wouldn't be able to pull off what the half oni just did. In a pinch she was sure she could use her fangs and claws, and she would, but that would probably only serve to make them think of her as some rabid beast when its all said and done.

Meeka refocused on her task at hand, following the man she presented the flyer to into a back room where it looked like some chairs were set out for them. Meeka scanned the room, seeing a human and a gnome already inside and waiting. She went to a chair that was the furthest from the two as not to seem like she was intruding in their space, and neatly took a seat, smoothing out her dress to reduce visible wrinkles in the fabric. She sat straight and proper with her hands resting in her lap as she waited. To pass the time in her mind, she started to think about the different places she would go. Maybe she would find other wolf beastfolk? That could be interesting. Maybe even learn some new spells, though she would have to work on her calligraphy a bit more before moving on to new talisman designs.

Eshima's turn came relatively quickly. She had no flyer, but she did mention the job and its description. The man behind the counter was satisfied enough, but he had another matter to attend. The body of one of her antagonizers had managed, surprisingly, to crack the wall. She figured it was fair to ask her to fix it given she was the one who used it to break the man's body. She pulled a pristine wyvern's claw from her pack and placed it on the counter. It was overkill to be sure, but the extra worth meant she would be in his good graces as she obviously did not have hostile intentions.

Once led inside of the waiting room, she found a chair and sat down, folding one foot underneath her opposite knee. Despite not really needing to protect her modesty as she wore a short cut pair of shorts under her waist belt, she still habitually did it to prevent people ogling her when undesired. She then slipped her rifle and instruments off, laying them beside the wall she set up by. Then, she placed her club and sword on the floor beside them. From her instruments, she picked up the shamisen and drew the bachi from her waist belt. Then, she quickly made sure it remained tuned before beginning to play. Her song was far from slow and calming. It was not intended for anything but entertainment and to keep her occupied.

Before the dashing gentleman in front of Shuyi could reply to her, she noticed the chatter around her changing. It sounded much more hush, with surprise and fear mixed in. She soon realized the source of the change was the hand that had just reached around her to show the same flyer she had. She turned her head to see a menacing-looking young man towering over her, unintentionally, of course. He had cold eyes, and a stiff air about him. She did everything she could, but still let a small squeak pass her lips. She quickly whipped her head back to the gentleman over the counter, hints of red spreading across her cheeks. Scary as he was, it was certainly rude to make such a sound at another’s appearance. Shuyi desperately hoped that her misdemeanor had escaped the notice of who, she presumed, would be her future colleague.

Thankfully, she was saved from further embarrassment as Nivaan confirmed his identity. Nivaan seemed pleasantly surprised at the number of people showing up for this job, as he led the two towards the meeting room where several were already waiting in. As both men were taller than her and had longer strides, Shuyi found herself falling behind. Although, Nivaan had kept the pace slow enough that she was just a step behind the two. She soon caught a glimpse of a small blue cat sitting on top of the young man’s shoulder. Her smiled to herself at the conflicting image in front of her. Maybe he isn’t a bad person. After all, no bad person would have such a cute pet. Maybe she could ask to pet the cat later.

Nivaan was taking them through a series of corridors and hallways. The inside of the guild hall was bigger than what Shuyi had expected. Trotting behind the two, Shuyi found her gaze drifting back to the cat and its owner every now and then. She was intrigue by the pair and was imagining all sorts of stories between them. Somewhere along the way, Shuyi noticed a pleasant and upbeat music that was getting louder. It didn’t sound like any music she’d heard before. She was pleasantly surprised when Nivaan showed them to the room the music was coming from. However, he didn’t linger around before leaving in the direction they came from. I wonder if we’re still waiting for people. It’s getting quite late.

Shuyi stepped into the room and looked around. There were a number of chairs, four of which were already filled. A large window sat at the back of the room, with a pair of bookshelves lining an adjacent wall. Her eyes lit up at the bookshelves, knowing that she was sure to find something interesting amongst the pages. She briskly walked to one of them, fingering the spines are she read the titles. Already, she’d found a few that she would love to read, as well as ones that she had read. Deciding that it was best to ask for permission first, before taking any of them, she returned her attention to the other occupants in the room.

Besides Shuyi and the young man with the cat, the only other human was a scruff-looking uncle, who appeared to be reading a book. His piercing eyes and stern expression remined her of one of her great-uncles. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it reminded her of how far she was from home. There was Gnome sitting on a chair that was comically too tall for him. Something about the way he’s been sitting told her that he wouldn’t appreciate any jokes about his size though. Sitting far from the previous two, was a beautiful Beastfolk girl. Shuyi was entranced by how soft her white fur looked but moved her gaze when she realized she was staring. At last, Shuyi focused on the source of the music she’d been hearing – a tall Blue Oni… well, more like giant by Shuyi’s standards. She was playing a string instrument, but Shuyi wasn’t well-versed in music enough to know what it was.

It seemed that everyone was waiting, patiently or not, for Nivaan to come back to start the meeting. Shuyi ended up choosing a seat between two other girls. Her thoughts drifting about to the rhythm of the music. I’m so excited to get to know the non-humans… maybe not the Gnome? He reminds me of the Consorts... Oh, how I want to touch her soft-looking fur… her tail too!... but that would be rude, wouldn’t it?... what do the other people do?... is that a rifle?!... the cat! I must pet the cat… its owner is a little… I hope I didn’t leave a bad impression with him… the other human both seems a little intimidating too… when is Mr. Nivaan gonna come back?...

As he was placing the flyer onto the counter, he made sure not to crowd the young woman....though it seemed to do little good. After all, he was pretty sure she'd just...wait. Did she squeak? Briefly he blinked down at her in slight surprise....but his focus was quickly elsewhere as the man directed the two of them to follow after him.

Yuuris didn't pay much more attention to the young woman, ignoring the stares he got. He was used too it, after all. The corridors they passed meant nothing to him....had he been here before? It was likely....but he didn't remember. Oh. Right. He shifted his gait slightly, tilting his head to the side to make sure that the spirit on his shoulder hadn't fallen off....or was in danger of falling off. He should probably apologize to the thing.....he wasn't the most talkative of sorts, after all.

The room that the group entered was obviously a waiting room. These people were ones he would likely be working with for the time being, he realized which made Yuuris pause, leaning his weight almost nonchalantly onto his left leg and rested a hand on the hilt of his sword in a way that wasn't threatening but telling that he was ready at a moments notice to defend himself. He scanned the people, eyes landing on the Oni woman first. Formidable and quick to anger, if he remembered about the Oni correctly....so he made a note to speak to her as little as possible. Still, she was showing off a rather soft side, playing her instrument to pass the time....was it to throw the rest of the group off? Shifting his gaze from her, he moved on...assessing the Beastfolk girl next. He was unaccustomed to dealing with Beastfolk, though he did remember that most didn't look quite as...well groomed as this one. Prideful, possibly? Nearby was a Gnome, sitting in a chair with an air around him that Yuuris was quite familiar with; don't fuck with me. Noted. There was a middle aged man sitting not far off, reading, but there was not much Yuuris could tell from him. Still, of all the people in this group so far, humans were by far the craftiest. He'd have to stay on his toes. Finally, he assessed the young woman he'd been brought to the room with. She was small, petite in stature he gathered as he watched her make her way to the table, sitting between the two other women in the room. But the smallest were often times the fastest, so he had no doubt she was quick on her feet. That being said....she didn't much look like a fighter.

Assessment done, he moved to the window, taking a spot leaning against the wall and stareing out it with his arms crossed over his chest. This...wasn't what he was expecting. To be dealing with such a large group was not high up on his to-do list....but the pay was decent. And it was harder and harder for him to find decent jobs. Merc work wasn't exactly the most stable of lines, after all. On top of that, he was now contracted to a little tiny spirit....oh, he should probably check on the thing, shouldn't he? He reached up a hand, turning his head to where he could see the cat, and hesitantly brushed gloved fingers along it, at the very least to make sure it wasn't dead.

Cat rode around on Yuuris's shoulder resting up as she would trying her best to not fall off, arriving in a room full of people mostly looking at everyone in the room, she could tell what Yuuris was thinking of them... but decided to not comment on his thoughts she looked at everyone as well, they seemed to be reasonable people not that she saw much of them as she was napping before they arrived at a waiting room

she spends some time making up her thoughts, shutting her eyes in the process until her fur was suddenly brushed snapping her out of her thought bubble imagining what everyone is like "You don't need to worry, I'm okay, nice of you to think of me tho!" She sends out another mental message to Yuuris as she would prefer to not talk in front of everyone and quickly jumped off his shoulder lightening his load on the shoulder now having recovered enough to least move around properly like a cat

She recalled the girl seemed to be very much looking at her with starry eyes and approached her "Hello!" She said in the traditional Cat language hoping to least try and get to know someone, she stretched for a bit before politely sitting in front of her swishing her fluffy tail left and right

A few awkward words were exchanged with the man already inside the room, and after that... silence. For a while. Now waiting in silence wasn't something that Wilben particularly enjoyed, but he was a grown adult and he could stand to be a little patient. So he sat in his chair with his arms crossed and his chin down and waited. And waited. And waited until his patience was worn a bit thin. The next time the room's door opened, Wilben flicked his head up and intended to give that guildmaster a piece of his mind, but he was surprised to see a beastfolk enter. The gnome wasn't exactly subtle with his staring, his eyebrows perched high over his eyes. It wasn't a hateful look, just one of confusion. Wasn't this a culinary adventure?

She's probably here to guide us into unknown beastfolk territory, he thought to himself with a muted shrug. Content with coming to his own conclusion, Wilben watched others begin to file into the room. An oni, and two humans. Oh, and a cat. Great, more fur. The little pastry professional scoffed aloud at the sight and tucked his arms in tighter. Despite the holier-than-thou attitude he put out, Wilben wasn't completely discouraged by the group that had formed in the little room. Most of them seemed well prepared for a journey like the one they were apparently going to undertake. Some even carried the smell of food with them, which was a plus. Dedication to the craft. The large oni woman could even play entertainment on dull nights!

After another little while of silence, save for the notes expertly played from the shamisen, and no introductions, Wilben sighed and stood up on his chair. He barely came to some of the human's heights while seated, let alone the musician's, but still during a lull in her played the gnome cleared his throat in a similar manner as he'd done out in the open guild hall. With on hand on his hip and the other hanging in the area gesturing, he spoke in a deeper voice than one might have expected for someone as small as he.

"Friendly bunch we've got here, huh? I don't blame you, I'm not the friendliest gnome myself. But while we wait for Nivaan to get his slow arse in here, we could do something besides sit around and listen to music." After a moment he blinked and looked at the oni woman. "Which is lovely, by the way. I'd even invite you to play in my café. Speaking of which - "

The gnome proudly slapped his chest, and with a smirk he introduced himself. "I, Wilben Felpip Overtamer, of the Gnomingham Felpips, am the prestigious owner of Le Paradis - a café which needs no introduction for any that considers themself of high culture."

He jumped back into his seat, his smirk still fixed in place. "Naturally a man wants to know what his fellows can bring to the table. So? Credentials. All of you." He pointed at each person in the room in turn, his words not quite a command, but rather a strong suggestion. He was more than used to being the captain of his own ship, and since there were many more people gathered now he didn't see a reason to wait however long Nivaan wanted them to before they got to know each other. In particular, Wilben wanted to know the caliber of each individual signed up for this crazy mission before he committed to going. He wasn't going to waste his precious time going on a wild goose chase with incompetents, after all.

Meeka listened curiously to the small man, a gnome to be more precise. His title and position sounded rather 'prestigious' as he had put it, and he seemed to carry himself with his pride on full display. It took her away from the music she was contentedly listening to, using it to calm herself, but she didn't seem to mind it so much. She did however, decide to go first before she became to shy to do so after everyone else. She stood and gracefully gave a small bow to the room as she introduced herself. "My name is Meeka Halsey. I hunt to help supply fresh meat and ingredients for my father's restaurant, Belle's Kitchen, though I can't quite say I am much help with cooking," she admitted a bit sheepishly. My father, Morton, should have been joining us, but he had to se to some paperwork to have us settled in the living quarters and to establish our stand in the market," she explained. "I apologize that he hasn't been able to make it in yet, but is a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope that I will be able to help wherever I can." She then bowed once more and took a seat, her heart racing. That was a lot tougher than she had thought! She hoped her stage fright didn't show too much, she believed that she made it through all right. If only her dad was here, he was much better at talking with people. What if they thought she was too stiff? She tried to calm down and concentrate on the music again if Eshima was still playing.

Eshima, on the other hand, may have started to feel a familiar disturbance in her chest. Or rather.... under it. She would be able to feel something working up from under her cleavage and then through it, till at one point, a struggling arm seemed to pop out... followed by another.....then two more. They did their best to part her bosom to where if Eshima looked down she would be able to see two orange glowing eyes contorted with concentration as a small creature struggled to pull itself up. There was a small high pitched chirp of frustration as the small strange creature pulled through. It chirped a greeting to Eshima as it got its upper half through, nuzzling her for a moment before pulling it's two legs up, a thin rope hooked onto it. It looped the rope around one arm and started pulling with the other three as suddenly a small drum popped out from Eshima's cleavage as well, the little imp squeaking in surprise as it did. It stumbeled back, nearly falling off Eshima's chest as it grabbed ahold of her shirt as if hanging off a cliff ledge, the drum slung behind it and luckily not pulling her shirt down. It scurried back up and then plopped itself right in the middle of her chest, now seeming content. It set the drum in front of itself, using it's legs to hold it and tapping on the drum to test its sound with one of its four hands.

The forest tinker looked around the room at all the others with wide nocturnal eyes, the slightly dim lighting perfect for it, before it gazed back up to Eshima, its head looking upside down to her as it looked straight up. "Shiima Shiima! Kitchi lehhav kiri?" the tiny voice asked.

Before she could start to introduce herself, she felt Kitchi wake up and decide to see what the commotion was. She sat quite still, seemingly used to the feeling of the little spirit essentially living in her cleavage. After all, for a tinker imp, there was plenty of space given Eshima's size. She wanted to play her drum, which was always welcome, but Eshima had to stop playing to allow the conversation.

"Kitchi, yth tepoha ekess kikrem hesina vur hak nymuer zahae vi geth. Hak yth shilta lehhav ulnaus."

She then put her bachi back into her waist band and then set her shamisen aside. Turning slightly to see the rest of the room, she did not stand up seeing as she was already head height for most of the room even sitting. "I am Eshima. By profession, I make my living by hunting monsters and crafting their pieces into useful items to sell or use. I am also an artificer. I can weave magic into items and smith items. This rifle here was made from scratch by me and uses magic and crystals rather than any sort of propellant powder. My cooking skills are average and enough for tasty home meals, but I do have a peculiar skill with making survival meals like pemmican. So, if we need long lasting trail food, I can do so. I also am very skilled at gardening. As such, I have the skills to grow and identify many useful plants for various uses, both cooking and medicinal."

She paused and gave Kitchi a little scratch under the chin with one finger. "I am a skilled fighter as well. This little one goes by Kitchi. She is a spirit called a tinker imp. She makes her own little items and has a penchant for taking small items any time she thinks she can use them. So, if you suddenly are missing something, let me know and I can probably find it if Kitchi took it. I am still teaching her about personal property. She also is not something you want to get angry. Her fighting technique is...a spectacle we shall say."

Bright-eyes got to the guild hall the same way they had been traveling since they were a kid, walking with style. Never hurt to put a bit of a strut in your step. Better to walk with a bit of confidence in your step rather than to run everywhere, especially as a Beastfolk. It probably did not matter too much when it came to being employed though, as long as you got where you needed to go. That was probably the unlucky bit, seeing as they were not sure if they were running late or going to be on time. One way or another, he was definitely going to show up. It was better than waiting around a house all day while coin and skill steadily running dry.

The guild hall was indeed a bit of a surprise. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was expecting. Seemed he was running late to the party, as there was already a couple of cracks in the wall, the sound of music not too far off and a brief glimpse of a swordsman who seemed somewhat familiar. It didn’t quite hit Bright-eyes, who the other person was yet. At least not yet, but there would be introductions soon enough. It was a matter of getting hired after all, and probably working as a team. Bright-eyes kept the flier in the inner pockets of the vests, if it was really needed but that seemed doubtful.

Deciding to rush a little instead of waiting at the desk, handing over the flier, go through the motions and then being lead to the backroom for an interview and so on it seemed easier to just go to the room right now. He was going to get to talk to everyone there. Simply following someone wasn’t exactly a hard task or out of his skill set. He’d follow the swordsman at a distance, trying to figure out why they were familiar. It wasn’t quite hitting him yet, as they made it the backroom. He paused in his step to think about it. Where, did they hear or see about that guy. It would hit him about a full minute later.

It hit him about a good three minutes later, at which point he’d try and slip into the backroom. “Stonehearted hunter, is that you? Think it is but correct me if I’m wrong.” The tall Beastfolk would look around the room. “Oh my bad, hope I am not ruining introductions here now. Although, hello everybody, I’ll be going last by the looks of it. Guess I was really running late”

A couple of beastfolk (including himself), an oni, a gnome, and a couple humans all walked into this guild hall. Yeah, it was probably the right place. One of them looked like a chef at the least.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samir would look around for a bit. Seeing as everyone was quiet. He then took the time to realize he was at the wrong guild building. He was supposed to be in a different one a couple blocks away for another assignment. Seems he had gotten lost and distracted having seen a mercenary legend in the flesh.

"Well, it was nice to see you all. But I think I'm in the wrong place." He would then, proceed to make a swift exit and do his best to not bother anyone else.

Yuuris was slightly surprised, blinking as the spirit jumped down from his shoulder. Well, at least it was okay. Still, his facial expression didn't change, that stoic look only shifting slightly as he watched the cat meander around and settling down to listen to the music.

And then the small gnome was talking. Yuuris' eyes narrowed a bit at the other's seemingly sudden desire to get to know each other coming from the man who had originally seemed like he could care less. Yuuris shifted, pulling his scarf up closer to his chin in a slightly anxious motion. So the Gnome's name was Wilben? Noted...though he doubted he'd remember that later. What a loud little one....

Then the beastfolk was talking, and her words contradicted the thought he'd had earlier. She wasn't prideful.....in fact she was extremely courteous. Color him....intrigued, slightly at least. Meeka was at least a bit more interesting than he'd expected. A hunter....He hoped she was competent in her abilities....he didn't need her getting in the way and accidentally....A frown made itself known on his face. He didn't need to be responsible for injuries....he'd have to say that when it was his turn, wouldn't he?

Ah.....the oni spoke up next and in such a strange language. He'd heard it in passing but he had never put in the effort to learn it. After all, what use did he need of it? Obviously it would have been useful now, but oh well. That was the past, wasn't it? Personally, Yuuris didn't see Eshima's skills to match her appearance. She seemed to be a warrior, not...a creator. And Especially not a botanist....but then again, Yuuris himself didn't particularly look the part of Mercenary.

He supposed it was his turn after Eshima's....and he'd even opened his mouth, pulling himself away from the window just barely, but he was interrupted by the door opening and another beastfolk walking through the door. The other looked around, and then singled in on him, which caused him to snap his jaw shut and his shoulders tense up slightly. His posture straightened, and he clenched his hands into fists at his side, absently running his thumb along his index finger in an attempt to sooth the flare of anxiety ridden anger.

Yuuris hated that title. He wasn't.....like that. He wasn't!

The inner turmoil didn't show on his face for the most part, except for the narrowing of dark eyes and a huff leaving his nose.

"My name is Yuuris, but yes. That is the title that the guilds have given me." his voice was hollow as he spoke, and he looked all around uninterested in what was going on around him. Yet, he was still courteous, giving a short bow of his head. "As stated, My name is Yuuris Ishii. I am a 4 Star Mercenary with the Guilds." He laid a hand on his sword as a passing thought. "I specialize in swordplay, but I am able to use traps, bombs and knives should the need arise. This job got my attention due to the pay, and the advertisement mentions hunting monsters. While we are hunting and fighting, I ask that you please stay out of my way for your own safety. I focus entirely on my opponent, and while I'm fighting I may accidentally turn my blade on you if you get in my way. Please understand this is not intentional." It was never on purpose, he just tended to get tunnel vision. "I also do not have the best memory, so I will likely forget your names. Forgive me for that."

His words were sharp, hollow, and lacked a lot of emotion. Despite hating the nickname that the Guilds had given him, he understood why it'd been given to him. He was fully aware of how broken and cold he seemed to people. He was very to the point. And it did not help that he had taken numerous unsavory jobs.

Shuyi was pleasantly surprised when her wandering thoughts were interrupted by a cute “meow” and finding the cat that was on the young man’s shoulder had sat down in front of her. The swaying of its tail caught her attention. While the dissonance between the cat’s polite attitude and the connotation of a wagging tail drifted across her mind, it was quickly replaced by how cute and fluffy the cat was. While petting the soft blue fur on and off, she talked to the cat in a voice just above a whisper. “Hello there, little friend. Nice to meet you, I’m Shuyi. What’s your name? Well, I guess you can’t tell me that. I’ll have to ask your owner. Hopefully both me and your owner can stay for the job, and I can pet you every single day. Ooo~, you’re cold.” At this point, Shuyi has planted her face into the cat’s fur. “Hmmm~. Are you a variant species or a spirit? I mean, I don’t care either way, as long as you’re soft.” The nuzzling continued.

Soon, an arrogant voice pulled Shuyi back to reality. Of course, it was the gnome. It was time for introductions, so Shuyi removed her face from the cat, and straightened herself out reluctantly. Her hand was still petting the cat on and off though. As she listened to gnome talk, well, now he has a name attached, she had to admit that he did have the right to be arrogant. Goods from Wilben’s café are delicacies sought after by many ladies-of-the-courts. After Wilben was Meeka, the other target of Shuyi’s lust for softness. Her personality’s as soft as how she looks! Would her father be as soft as she is? The oni went next, along with her spirit. More fluffies! Eshima’s skillsets intrigued Shuyi. Not only were they diverse, they also included knowledge on plants. Shuyi was delighted to find someone with a common interest.

A Greater Beastfolk interrupted the introductions and turned everyone’s attention to the young man. Although Shuyi was happy to see another fluffy joining the group, she grew up in a culture where close contact with the opposite sex was frowned upon, especially for females. Her pale cheeks showed a shade of pink as she remembered the encounter with a certain... well, person. Yuuris spoke of fighting, but Shuyi hoped that it wouldn’t happen that often. She knew that it was inevitable for this quest, but, as someone who had zero fighting skills, it was a situation she’d like to avoid. At least, many in this group seemed capable.

After a short silence in the room, Shuyi decided it was her turn to speak. She stood up from her seat, while picking up the cat. “My name is Shuyi Zheng. I am an apprentice of the Imperial Kitchens of Xin Lu. I am well-trained in the basic cooking techniques and specializes in working with plant materials. I also do research with plants, mostly for the purpose of cooking, but occasionally I get results that are better suited for other purposes. This cat here,” motioning to the bundle of fur in her arms, “appears to be the pet of Mr. Yuuris. Nice to make acquaintances with you all.” With a small bow, she sat back down. Even if she disliked acting formal, it was trained into her.

---

"Whaaaah Umi, we're super late!"

Running through the streets was a normal girl with an abnormally large sword on her back. She had a thick leather bag in her arms as she ran through the streets heading towards the guild hall. But not just any guild hall: It was Chrana Guildhall, where a new group of adventurers, warriors, and craftsmen were gathering for an epic quest: to stave off starvation! For most it was just fear mongering, but Yumi has it on good info that there's going to be a famine that'll ravage the lands soon. Already her family was working to capitalize on the disaster but Yumi was given a specific task to join these people and learn all she can from them. Befriend them, get them to help her, to talk to her, so she can help her family and their business. To that end Yumi had already been in town for a short while, having spent a better part of her days preparing gifts for her new coworkers.

Soon Yumi would arrive to the guild hall, which was absolutely bustling with activity. All sorts of people were going out and about their lives, either returning to collect pay, heading out for a quest, or gathering fellow adventurers for a job. Yumi had been here before but this would be the first time she was here for official business, and that context alone made this place feel so much more immense. It almost made Yumi nervous. However she steeled herself and continued onwards. She knew where she needed to go. But while it seemed like Yumi was just walking straight towards the meeting rooms, she was also listening in on recent bits of rumors, gossip, and other possibly important info. Something about a beastkin masquerading as a spirit, some sort of fight happening, and the general affairs of people's lives and concerns. For most people it was useless info, but Yumi has always learned that there is no such thing as useless info. Anything she learns can always be woven into other tidbits of news to either see the full picture, or fabricate one.

Eventually Yumi would arrive to the meeting room. She opened the door as quietly as she could as she entered, closing the door behind her as she bowed. "I apologize for my tardiness! My name is Yumi Umami, and I heard about the job here! I wish to join, and I come bearing gifts." Yumi approaches the table and sets down various metal hip flasks, each one embroider with the Yozakura-Kai emblem. There was enough for everyone to have one. She would happily pass the flasks around, and anyone who'd open them would be able to smell the beer inside of them. "My father was a baker and brewer, and I'm skilled in both. My mother taught me how to hunt and handle large swords, so I can assist you in the field as well. However my true specialty comes in alchemy, specifically infusing the drinks I brew with magical properties. These flasks contain not just beer, but also a healing elixir that helps rejuvenate your stamina. I call it the Hunter's Brew."

As Yumi introduced herself, her spirit companion manifested behind her, floating around playfully. "Oh right, this is Umi! She's my spirit who helps me brew alcohol and helps me here and there. We'll glad to make your acquaintance and I hope you'll take care of us!" Once the flasks had been passed around, Yumi took a seat. She had to take her sword off her back and carefully hold it so it wouldn't fall over and hit someone. She looked around to everyone to see how they reacted to her gift. She really wished she wasn't late anymore since now she has to figure out who these people are and what they said while she wasn't here. But she'll learn soon enough.

Argo was surprised to see just how many people had arrived for the quest. From what Nivaan had said, he'd only really been expecting two or three other people, but it was beginning to look like quite the team here. While this was most likely a good thing, Argo couldn't help but be a little nervous. After all, there were a lot of new people he'd have to talk to now...

Still, he put that from his mind as the gnome, Wilben, introduced himself, and started asking the others to do the same. The beastfolk woman, Meeka, seemed friendly enough. Her hunting skills would likely help out significantly when the time came to actually fight, although he did frown a bit when she mentioned her father going to do the paperwork to set up their stall in the marketplace. He'd been under the impression that this quest would mostly involve travelling rather than staying in Chrana, otherwise he probably wouldn't have joined in the first place...

These thoughts quickly faded from his mind when he heard draconic of all things being spoken, and turned to see a small creature emerge from the oni womans clothes. He had already been starting to suspect it's identity, but his thoughts were confirmed when the woman, Eshima, introduced herself and the creature. This was extremely exciting, actually! He'd read about Tinker Imps before, but he'd never gotten the chance to see one up close. He'd have to find a chance at to speak either to Eshima or the creature itself some point. Speaking of whom, Eshima too seemed like a welcome addition to the group, even more than Meeka. From the sounds of it, she was most likely more experienced in the hunting of monsters than the wolf girl was, and along with her solid understanding of wilderness survival, it sounded like she'd at least be easier for him to talk to than most...

Before the next person, a swordsman who gave off an aura of stoicism, could introduce themselves, they were interrupted by a Gnoll man who decided to wait for the end to introduce themselves. They did however give away the identity of the swordsman, and the look the man sent him in return almost had Argo subconsciously reaching for his rifle. Thankfully however, he managed to restrain that instinct before it made the transition from thought to action. Equally fortunately, the swordsman apparently managed to do the same on his own end, and went on to introduce himself as Yuuris. Though, like many, Argo had heard rumours of the Stonehearted Hunter before, he decided to set any initial judgement aside and wait to see the mans own merits before figuring out his opinion on him. He did frown slightly at the idea that he might turn his blade on them if they got too close during a fight. Even if it was unintentional as he said, it would still be fairly dangerous. Perhaps he could show him some of the techniques he'd learnt in the war to avoid that kind of thing.

Next was the woman from Xin Lu, Shuyi. From the sounds of it, she would be less helpful in the areas of monster hunting than most of the others so far, but the poster on the noticeboards did ask for cooks as well, so he supposed she would still be quite helpful, at least in the areas where those were necessary. And, like Meeka, she seemed rather friendly as well, if maybe a little more formal than most people he met.

The cat on her lap, which was apparently Yuuris's, was also rather interesting, possibly due to the fact that it was blue. He assumed from this that it might be some kind of spirit, likely the one he'd heard the rumours about when he first entered the city. That would be another thing he'd have to ask when he found the time...

At that point, he came close to panicking for a moment as he realised that it was his turn now, but as he was trying to figure out how to start, he was interrupted by another newcomer, a young woman with a sizable sword on her back and a peppy attitude entered the room, apologizing for running late and introducing herself as Yumi. From the sounds of it, she was quite skilled at both food preparation and hunting, which made her a good all rounder for what the job had been asking. His nose did wrinkle slightly when he opened the flask she'd handed him, as despite what may tended to assume from his appearance, he wasn't especially much of a beer drinker, but he had to admit that the brewing abilities she described would most likely be fairly useful as well.

And then, once more, it was his turn. And, as usual, his mind was trying desperately not to panic as he introduced himself to his new teammates.

"I am Argo Lecht." He said, the stoic rumble of his voice far from accurately conveying his current nervousness. "I am an ex-soldier, and currently a wanderer. I am skilled with many forms of weaponry, but prefer a rifle, and I am talented in surviving and finding my way through the wilderness. I also greatly enjoy the study and observation of the many species of monsters in the world, as well as spirits. I am a passable cook."

And then he sat back down. There! Done! That was a good response, right? Nice and efficient, but also open enough about things like hobbies that anyone who was interested could start a conversation out of it!

---

Meanwhile, Nivaan watched the events taking place in the meeting room through his mirror with a chuckle. He had expected a worse introduction from his old friend, so to see that he'd managed even just that was a pleasant surprise. However, he still decided that it would be best to wait and see if anymore else was planning to appear and sign up at the last minute. Besides, there were still a few more minutes before the meeting was officially supposed to begin.