@PaulHaynek

"What now?" Bart asked, obviously not looking for conversation. "Got something important to say or are you just here to tell me off again?"

"We're sorry about what we said at dinner, and if it's any consolation, we sent someone to talk to Neil about his behavior," Sylvia began softly, "And we know that you just have the Guild's best interests at heart..."

"...but we can tell that something else is bothering you...about Varjo," Vivian added, "But if you don't tell us, we can't empathize with you, and people will continue to argue against your stance without taking your feelings into consideration. Sure, you could enforce your will as Guildmaster, but I don't think that's the kind of guild you want to build."

The sisters hoped they hadn't pissed off Bart a second time, and hoped he would open up to them. They turned to each other with looks of conviction, silently agreeing on something; that they would use the fragrance of their pollen and nectar to intoxicate Bart if absolutely necessary to get him to calm down and divulge his secrets.

"Hey, thanks for the compliment. And don't be too embarrassed telling monster girls they look good. We're always fishing for that. Don't go too far, though, or you'll definitely end up getting snatched."

"Ohhh, so you'd like to be the 'teacher' in a 'teacher-student' relationship, eh? Oh my, I didn't expect you to be so... different. I'm sorry but seriously, if I meet a Hakutaku, I'll send her your way."

"So flattery will get you everywhere?" He said trying to return the playfulness. Flirting seemed to be fine, but actually romance, and anything intimate got him ruffled? His head worked in strange ways. "Ill take it under advisement. Though I figure actions speak louder than words."

She called him out on his reasonings. "It's not like that." He said, blushing and smiling through embarrassment but then his fingers go back to playing with eachother. "Maybe its a little like that." The response of a Hakutaku however really got him steaming. He raised both wings, splashing the contents of the bath. "No thank you! I knew one as a family friend and coming on too strong doesn't do her justice." He then tried to explain him. "But I mean- that was like her, not exactly the species..." He teettered off. "But I guess that's the stereotype."

@13org

Ada got involved, and it was infectious. It was moments like this where he actually felt his age. It was dumb, stupid, and just fun. No book smarts to be had. He knew tomorrow was going to be another day of Yang's training, then chasing down that gentleman with his map, so now it was about having fun. He almost completely forgot about the baths, the towels. He raised his wings to shield himself as Ada used her tail. "Hey!" He laughed. "No fair, you got spacing with that tail!" Her sinuous tail was like that of a snake before she moved out of a proper splash. He got up on his bird feet to dive at her, when he noticed Ditzy wanting in.

@Restalaan

Ozzy had prepared for Ditzy's counter but Yang shut it down. Ozzy defended himself against Ditzy strong reply, it could have been worse, but it made the owl harpy look like a drowned pigeon. He shoke it off before he nodded to Yang. "Thanks Sensei. Tomorrow its back to work!" he said flexing his fist and a wing. Then he looked back to the Hobglobin. "If you guys are going to gang up on me, I'll get devious too!" He used his talons to grip a wash tub, then flew in the air to drop it on them, nevermind Ada sneaking through the water or Ditzy's bulk, he had them in the air.

And so he just acted like a kid with his friends. He was in that time between teens and adult, so what did it matter. It was fun hanging with Ada and Ditzy. No expectations, just movement.

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

A few minutes of playing later, a laughing Ozzy settled back into the pool. "Dang did I need that! Things have been so dreary and tense the last few days! If it's not Varjo, or zombies, or bear traps, or Bart and Neil going at it, the only time I get to relax is when I cook dinner or during Sensei Yangs murderous training. She's got a point. We should make a day out. Head to a lake or the beach, have a cook out or a picnic. Really get the guild back together. What do you guys think?" He was proud of the idea as he got up to make his way to the other towels, going to dry himself and straighten things up. "We should bring it up at dinner... and speaking of, it should be ready by now."

@PaulHaynek

Having volunteered to invite Neil to dinner, Talia pointed you to his room at the second floor. With a few knocks, Neil answered the door. He was a bit surprised at first but then sported a friendly smile.

"Oh, hey. You're-- you're one of the new members, right?" Neil remembered. "I-I don't think we've been properly introduced. I suppose now's a good time as any. Ahem." He extended a hand for you to shake. "H-Hello, I'm Neil. I'm one of the original members of the guild. Back then, we've-we've got quite the number of members but... well, nothing lasts forever, I guess."

"Kira Gigas. Pleased to meet you, Neil.", she replied, shaking his hand with a smile. Upon hearing the latter part of his comment, she raised an eyebrow.

There used to be more of us? Wonder what happened? Probably Neil and Bart's arguing drove the others away, I'm betting., the young Beelzebub thought to herself.

You notice his eyes occasionally flit away, taking brief glances at your body and wings. Try as he might, but he could not hide that he was nervous talking to you.

"So uhh, what's up?"

"Might wanna be careful with the ogling there, pal. Some mamono I know would take that as an open invitation.", Kira joked with a giggle, flattered that her appearance was causing Neil to stutter and stumble, but she wasn't here to tease him. With a sigh, she looked to the young man with a sober expression. "I'm here to tell you that dinner's ready, but I'm also here to talk to you about....what happened earlier. Look, I know you don't wanna hear more of it, but come on. This thing between you and Bart has to stop. I may have just gotten here, but from what I hear, this feud has been going on for a time. And you to admit at this point: This is getting stupid."

Kira hoped she wasn't being too blunt and confrontational, but with being a new arrival, she didn't have much to go on except being honest and willing to listen. Perhaps if Neil vented, even just little bit, he'll calm down enough to be civil with Bart. Or, at the very least, ignore the guildmaster and not get into another argument.

~@Rezod92~

"I'm here to tell you that dinner's ready, but I'm also here to talk to you about....what happened earlier. Look, I know you don't wanna hear more of it, but come on. This thing between you and Bart has to stop. I may have just gotten here, but from what I hear, this feud has been going on for a time. And you have to admit at this point: This is getting stupid."

Neil sighed and took a moment to reply. "Look, I want it to stop too. I just don't know how." He shrugged. "I can't figure out what Bart's mad at. I mean on one hand he lets us do requests against Varjo but on the other hand, he hasn't forgiven me for... who knows what I did. It's like I personally offended him somehow." He sighed one more time. "I-I don't know what to do about this, Miss Gigas."

"Anyway, I'm not joining you all at dinner. Better that me and Bart stay away from each other for now so as not to spoil the mood and all." You remember that Neil was not yet aware that Bart was not attending dinner tonight.

---

~@Stern Algorithm~

"We're sorry about what we said at dinner, and if it's any consolation, we sent someone to talk to Neil about his behavior, and we know that you just have the Guild's best interests at heart..."

"...but we can tell that something else is bothering you...about Varjo. But if you don't tell us, we can't empathize with you, and people will continue to argue against your stance without taking your feelings into consideration. Sure, you could enforce your will as Guildmaster, but I don't think that's the kind of guild you want to build."

Bart inhaled before sharply looking at the Altissima's sisters "I don't need to tell you that Varjo's dangerous. If I could have, I would have built the guild somewhere far away from here. But this was the best I could achieve. Years of preparation, saving up, cutting corners..." Bart trailed off. "I will not let anything happen to this guild. I will not let all my effort to get here go to waste."

"And if anyone wants to take this guild away from me, they can pry it from my cold, dead hands. Be they Varjo, or Neil, or whoever."

---

~@Restalaan (YNG & DIT), @13org (ADA & FYR), @ShwiggityShwah~

"Dang did I need that! Things have been so dreary and tense the last few days! If it's not Varjo, or zombies, or bear traps, or Bart and Neil going at it, the only time I get to relax is when I cook dinner or during Sensei Yangs murderous training. She's got a point. We should make a day out. Head to a lake or the beach, have a cook out or a picnic. Really get the guild back together. What do you guys think? We should bring it up at dinner... and speaking of, it should be ready by now."

Heeding Ozzy's idea, Haley was the first to speak out for a brief guild vacation to lift everyone's spirits in light of recent events. Perhaps mend personal rifts while they were at it. "Hey Yang, didn't you have a flyer about some celebration or festival from Boreal Port? We could go there for our little retreat!"

"That's... actually a good idea." Talia agreed. "Perhaps a chance to unwind is just what we need. A release to all this tension may lead to things working out." The Cyclops finished her thoughts and came to fully be onboard to the idea. "I suggest we do this. What do the rest of you think?"

^{@Restalaan@ShwiggityShwah@Stern Algorithm@Rezod92}

Ada watched from a safe distance getting ready for the big splash as she saw Ditzy jumping into the pool until Yang stopped him in mid air before dropping him again. When Ditzy finally got inside the pool they resumed playing. Needless to say, they were already making quite a mess but when Ozzy flew in the air to splash them from above, things got even messier. Despite that, it was good fun until it was time to leave, which it was announced by Talia and Freyr who came to tell them the food was ready.

Getting out of the pool, Ada shook her body to get most of the water off her before looking to the others, who went towards one of the fluffy pieces of cloth and used them to dry themselves. Following them, Ada took one of them both out of curiosity and trying to imitate them. Surprisingly enough, she ended up liking that quite a bit due to the fluffy and soft feeling that piece of cloth had and the fact that made her completely dry.

While she was in the middle of getting herself dry, or better... playing with the towel, since she was almost completely dry, she heard someone say something about go somewhere, which immediately drew her attention. She didn't even got to eat anything yet and they were already going somewhere? Haley and Talia seemed to like the idea as they talked about it. Ada was a bit uncertain though, she did like to go to different places but she was really hungry right now... Ada's troubled expression was evident to those around her.

Her misunderstanding was quickly cleared though when Ozzy mentioned the dinner and how they would discuss that after eating, which made Ada get much happier and less troubled. Judging by how her tongue was going in and out of her mouth from time to time, not only she was looking forward the dinner but she was already able to smell it being prepared. The talk about going somewhere surely could wait until she was satisfied, after all, she was quite hungry after spending an entire day out and playing now at the pool.

When the guild was reunited in the dining area, Ada couldn't help but feel a strange thing in the air. It was almost as if something had happened. She didn't know how to explain it but everybody was really quiet. Turning to those who were at the bath with her, Ada looked at them with a confused expression, almost as if silently asking what was happening.

---

Freyr

Having already finished helping with the food and not really being able or knowing what to do regarding Neil and Bart, Freyr went together with Talia to tell the guild members that were in the bath that the food was ready. He couldn't help but to let out a discreet smirk as he heard the noises coming from inside. It was clear that they were having some fun. A welcome change of airs compared to the entire confusion regarding Neil and Bart.

After calling them, Freyr went to the dining area to help put the dishes and just finish the preparations for everyone to eat. When everyone was reunited, the matter of having a day off for everyone to just unwind and relax came up as a few people started talking about it, clearly motivated for the recent problems between Neil and Bart.

"It might be a good idea. Just forget about everything and relax for a day." Freyr replied as he looked at Talia and Haley, who were the ones who brought it up.

"A single day won't hurt too much as well. We can resume taking missions after it." Freyr finished. The tensions were undoubtedly higher than normal and that idea might be just exactly what they needed to 'unite' the guild again.

@PaulHaynek@ShwiggityShwah@13org@13org

Yang Bethlehem & Ditzy Stoneclub

Taking and finishing her bath refreshed her tremendously as they stepped out of place. Yang feeling much better and Ditzy moved with a skip in his steps.

When Yang heard the alteration between Bart and the group again, she let out a silent sigh with her shoulders drooping down.

"This is perhaps partly my fault, I didn't have the opportunity to explain to everyone." Yang finally said as she quickly tried to keep everyone up to date. "Guildmaster Bart, while he doesn't support Varjo, also needs to put the guild well-being into mind. Us aligning or doing too much to stand out will eventually have Varjo catching wind of our guild name."

"He means well, and to an extent, would prefer us to be united as one together. We have neither the resource, numbers and alliesto stand against them alone." Yang explained it as simple as she can to them, reaching forward and patting Ada head gently to reassure her. The latter who seemed to be confused on the sudden change of atmosphere and lingering tension. "Until then, let's not catch Varjo attention until the time is right.

When Ozzy and Haley changed the subject, Yang was more than happy to contribute as she waved the flyer to them.

"Yup, heard it's gonna be fun from Rinas. Besides, it's been awhile since we all unwind ourselves." Yang sunny smile came as she ushered everyone to their seats for dinner. "Come on, let's get some dinner."

"Okay!" Ditzy joined in as he was thrilled to hear that they're going for a trip. He love trips, they're always so fun and he can meet new friends!

"Ditzy been working every day, now Ditzy can get a day to play!"

@PaulHaynek

Neil sighed and took a moment to reply. "Look, I want it to stop too. I just don't know how." He shrugged. "I can't figure out what Bart's mad at. I mean on one hand he lets us do requests against Varjo but on the other hand, he hasn't forgiven me for... who knows what I did. It's like I personally offended him somehow." He sighed one more time. "I-I don't know what to do about this, Miss Gigas."

"Please, just call me Kira. I never really cared for formalities.", she replied with a reassuring smile. "I don't think Bart is mad at you, per say. I think he's more upset at the idea that your actions are, unintentionally, causing Varjo to turn their attention towards us. He doesn't want to run the risk of having a maniacal nation come crashing down on our doorstep. As for not knowing what to do.....This is just a suggestion, but why don't you and Bart take on a quest together? It doesn't even have to be a hard one, just one where you two can relax, be calm and....well, maybe talk it out. It ain't much but, hey, it might prove to be the start you two need."

"Anyway, I'm not joining you all at dinner. Better that me and Bart stay away from each other for now so as not to spoil the mood and all."

"Oh, Bart actually isn't joining for dinner either....but, if you're really don't want to join us, then I won't force you.", Kira responded before turning away and began walking down the hall. However, she stopped halfway and spoke again, her back toward Neil. "You know....the others are worried about what's happening to this guild. Even I can tell and I'm the brand spankin' new member. And I'm damn certain, even as we speak, they're thinking up ways to help you two and the guild. Just some food for thought."

With that statement said, Kira made her exit and headed toward the dining hall.

@13org (ADA & FYR) @Restalaan (YNG & DIT) @ShwiggityShwah

Upon seeing everyone sitting at the dinner, Kira made her way over and took her seat next to Freyr and Haley.

"Welp, you can't say I didn't try. I talked to Neil for a bit. He agrees that the feud between him and Bart needs to stop, but he doesn't know how to do that. And that's mainly because he doesn't know what Bart is mad at. Also, Neil won't be joining us for dinner as well."

@PaulHaynek

Bart inhaled before sharply looking at the Altissima's sisters "I don't need to tell you that Varjo's dangerous. If I could have, I would have built the guild somewhere far away from here. But this was the best I could achieve. Years of preparation, saving up, cutting corners..." Bart trailed off. "I will not let anything happen to this guild. I will not let all my effort to get here go to waste."

"And if anyone wants to take this guild away from me, they can pry it from my cold, dead hands. Be they Varjo, or Neil, or whoever."

"That's the thing, nobody's trying to take this guild from you, at least Neil isn't. Sure, going against your wishes undermines your leadership, but you have to remember that he's a kid, and he looks at the situation from a place of emotion, not logic. If you want to change his mind, you have to appeal to that," Vivian began.

Sylvia continued, "Your reaction to this whole thing shows that you're using pragmatism to hide your actual reasons. If it was just about the guild's safety, you wouldn't be getting so worked up about it. You would be able to sit down calmly and talk it over with Neil. But right now, when you explain your reasons, people can tell it's not sincere, which makes your argument less convincing. And just giving everyone the cold shoulder who doesn't agree with you weakens your position as guildmaster." Sylvia was only guessing right now, but she pushed ahead, "If you...tell Neil how Varjo has hurt you in the past, maybe Neil will realize how much his stubbornness has hurt you and will be more willing to compromise. Yes, you are the guildmaster, and to a certain degree, you're supposed to be above us, but we would rather that you were one of us, and rather than working for you, we would prefer that we were helping you."

The sisters hoped that Bart would divulge what his actual beef with Varjo was, and maybe they could finally get to the bottom if this.

Ozzy had dried up and appeared back with the group in his shirt and a pair of shorts. There was a certain type of tension in the room that was easy to figure out considering the two subjects. Neil and Bart, what actually happened? It was something that Ozzy couldn't really help with until he got the full story. He met the Varjo on one of his missions, heck he even fought with a few of them. It was one of the scariest morally gray days he ever lived through, and wished he would never have to go through it again. He and Sensei Yang lived through that day, but just barely. It was easy to see where the anxiety came from.

Ozzy wasn't going to let the melancholy get everyone down. He just had some stupid mindless fun with Ada and Ditzy, his spirits were still high.

"Welp, you can't say I didn't try. I talked to Neil for a bit. He agrees that the feud between him and Bart needs to stop, but he doesn't know how to do that. And that's mainly because he doesn't know what Bart is mad at. Also, Neil won't be joining us for dinner as well."

Kira, the new comer was already embroiling herself in the exchanges... maybe she has a bit of history with Neil and Bart. Shame if she didn't, to wander into all this. "It's a step in the right direction." He said sitting down and reaching for cup of water. "Maybe we should lock them in a closet. That will get a dialogue going." He recommended, obviously kidding.

He considered a couple of suggestions about the Varjo issue but that was neither happy, nor comforting. He decided to get to know Kira, make a new friend tonight while he's riding the joy from the baths- and then Haley brought up his idea, and the idea caught on like wildfire.

Ozzy stood up. "A festival at Boreal Port!?" He asked back to the group, if Yang was nearby he'd hold out his hand for the flyer to try to get more information. "This is great! A festival is the perfect display of cultural significance for a country! And I never got a chance that far West yet! I wonder what its for? What will they have? Swimming? Boating contests? Maybe a circus! Theatre! We could have a picnic but like, on the beach!" He was definitely excited.

"A single day won't hurt too much as well. We can resume taking missions after it." Freyr finished. The tensions were undoubtedly higher than normal and that idea might be just exactly what they needed to 'unite' the guild again.

Incidentally it was Freyr's comment that kind of snapped Ozzy back to earth. "Ahh rats!" He slumped down in his chair. "We still got that map from our last job. What if that guy demands we finish the job? Someone would have to..." He seemed more annoyed then upset at the prospect, mostly cause if it's going to happen tomorrow, someone might have to miss it... and in his head he'd probably volunteer. He could fly, meaning he could get it to where it needs to go and then meet up later, but he'd still be missing on the fun.

He still owed the guild atleast some money considering he didn't get the money on two jobs.

~@Stern Algorithm~

"Your reaction to this whole thing shows that you're using pragmatism to hide your actual reasons. If it was just about the guild's safety, you wouldn't be getting so worked up about it. You would be able to sit down calmly and talk it over with Neil. But right now, when you explain your reasons, people can tell it's not sincere, which makes your argument less convincing. And just giving everyone the cold shoulder who doesn't agree with you weakens your position as guildmaster. If you...tell Neil how Varjo has hurt you in the past, maybe Neil will realize how much his stubbornness has hurt you and will be more willing to compromise. Yes, you are the guildmaster, and to a certain degree, you're supposed to be above us, but we would rather that you were one of us, and rather than working for you, we would prefer that we were helping you."

"Wha--? Varjo hasn't hurt me." Bart was perplexed at Sylvia's incorrect guess. "If they did, they would've finished me off... or worse. I wouldn't have built this guild and none of us would be here. They're not the kind that 'leaves people for dead'." Bart explained. "That's why I'm afraid to attract their attention."

He then sighed, getting tired of this conversation. "You know what, you two are right. Perhaps I'm approaching this wrong." He resigned to the Liliraune's argument. "I-I'll think about it, okay? Maybe find a chance to talk to Neil. Thanks for coming to see me, and for bringing dinner. You two should head back, though. You might run out of dinner to eat."

Bart closed the door and the conversation was over and the Altissima sisters returned to the dining hall.

---

~@Restalaan (YNG & DIT), @13org (ADA & FYR), @ShwiggityShwah, @Rezod92~

"Welp, you can't say I didn't try. I talked to Neil for a bit. He agrees that the feud between him and Bart needs to stop, but he doesn't know how to do that. And that's mainly because he doesn't know what Bart is mad at. Also, Neil won't be joining us for dinner as well."

"Hold on, now. Who said I won't be joining?" Neil suddenly appeared behind Kira. "It's been a while since I've joined you guys in dinner. Now what're we having?"

Neil was brought up with the guild's planned activity for tomorrow: The festival at Boreal Port. "Sounds fun. I think we should go. And yeah, maybe that'll break the ice between me and Bart. I mean, I doubt it but it's worth a shot."

"This is great! A festival is the perfect display of cultural significance for a country! And I never got a chance that far West yet! I wonder what its for? What will they have? Swimming? Boating contests? Maybe a circus! Theatre! We could have a picnic but like, on the beach!"

"Well, the flyer only says about the festival but I bet there'll be contests there." Haley answered. "Hey, maybe we can win some prizes there for the Guild. If nothing else, there'll be free food!"

Soon, the dinner concluded and the members retired for the night. Some probably excited for the festival in Boreal Port tomorrow.



The next day arrived quickly arrived. Everyone save Neil had only begun awakening. Should anyone head outside, they would see Neil with the encrypted map, alongside a ragged, dirty boy known as Forde Briar to those familiar. It appeared they were in a minor argument.

"...ain't head about no darn Zombies. How'd they get close to an Order city anyhow?" Forde retorted.

"Well, they weren't there first but they awakened when we lingered there. Shortly after you left." Neil replied. "Regardless, we had to get through a horde of Zombies to get this map. Understand?"

Forde clicked his tongue. "I s'pose you did get the map. Here." The ragged boy tossed Neil a small pouch. "And here. For the trouble." Another was tossed, giving Neil two pouches. "Once I get the treasure, that'll be nothin' to me anyway." And with that, Forde walked away from the guild.

Neil sighed and returned back inside.

{INCOME YESTERDAY}
{@ShwiggityShwah, @Restalaan (DIT), @13org (ADA), @Stern Algorithm: 200 G}
{@13org (FYR), @Rezod92: 300 G}
{@Restalaan (YNG): 0 G}

"Not bad." Haley said. "We can use these to enjoy ourselves in Boreal Port." She suggested. "We ARE going to the port's festival, right?"

"I think it's a unanimous decision at dinner." Neil said. "Still, if anyone wants to change their minds. Now's the time, while we're all still here."

The trotting of a horse was suddenly heard outside. Looking out, the guild would find an arriving figure. He appeared to be a knight who has seen better days. His apparel consisted of several unpainted armor pieces: Helmet, greaves, spaulders and gauntlets. His blue tabard was tattered and a lone symbol of a yellow cross emblazoned on it. His only weapon was an average longsword with no notable features.

He disembarked his packed horse in front of the guild. "Hello? Is there anyone here? Is this the Guild?"

Sylvia and Vivian were a bit taken aback by Bart's statement. They were sure that his immature way of dealing with the situation was a result of some unaddressed trauma. "Oh, well, sorry, we assumed that...you know what? never mind. I'm just glad that you're willing to try and reconcile with Neil. It will do wonders for the guild." With that, the sisters left Bart to his own devices and went down and joined the others for dinner, hearing their plans to attend a festival at the port, and use it as a way to get Bart and Neil to talk it out. It gave the sisters an idea...

---

In the morning, the sisters headed outside to check on the progress of some herbs that they had preemptively planted in the yard while the greenhouse was still under construction, and saw Neil negotiating with Forde. When he finished, they came up to Neil. "Good on you for standing your ground and insisting he pay us a second bag," Vivian said. She then followed him inside, but soon heard the sound of a horse. When the knight dismounted, Sylvia greeted him, "Yes, this is the Guild. Do you have a quest to post? We were planning on taking the holiday to attend to festival at Boreal Port, so I hope it's not urgent." Though she said this, she had a sinking feeling that the matter indeed was urgent.

~@Stern Algorithm~

"Yes, this is the Guild. Do you have a quest to post? We were planning on taking the holiday to attend to festival at Boreal Port, so I hope it's not urgent."

"Ahh, so this is truly the Guild." The knight did not answer Sylvia. At least, not yet. Rather, he went and took a good look at the guild's entrance, taking note of anything interesting. "It's certainly different than I imagined. I did not think it would be primarily be made of stone. Although, the entrance contrasts heavily against the rest of the structure. Still, I can see the charm in the unusual design."

He then returned to the Altissima sisters. "I am Sir Reed of Thrakan, a village in Ortus. I am a humble knight on a... journey of enlightenment." The knight introduced himself. "I am not here to for a request. I am here to join the Guild, in the hopes that I might find... enlightenment here. And to contribute something to the world at large, even if it is small." A momentary pause before he continued. "Sooo, how do I register?"

"Ah, before I forget. May you grace me your names, miladies?"

@PaulHaynek @Stern Algorithm

The front doors to the Guild opened, revealing Kira aimlessly wandering out to the threshold with a yawn, her eye closed. The sleepwear she wore was a nightgown that only went as far down as mid thigh and one of the straps teasingly slipped off one of her shoulders.

"Morning, everyone.", she mumbled, still half asleep before taking a bite out of one of the two biscuits she was able to pilfer from the kitchen. As she ate her light breakfast, she opened one eye and saw the exchange take place between Neil and, apparently, one of their clients. As Neil accepted the payment, the Altissima sisters joined them outside before a ragged knight mounted on a horse was seen approaching them. More awake and now curious of this new arrival, Kira finished off her first biscuit and walked down to stand beside Neil and the twins.

"Hello? Is there anyone here? Is this the Guild?"

"Yes, this is the Guild. Do you have a quest to post? We were planning on taking the holiday to attend to festival at Boreal Port, so I hope it's not urgent."

Gods, I hope not. I'm actually looking forward to the festival today and I don't want business interrupting the rising morale., the Beelzebub thought to herself as she began scarfing down her second biscuit.

"I am Sir Reed of Thrakan, a village in Ortus. I am a humble knight on a... journey of enlightenment." The knight introduced himself. "I am not here to for a request. I am here to join the Guild, in the hopes that I might find... enlightenment here. And to contribute something to the world at large, even if it is small." A momentary pause before he continued. "Sooo, how do I register?"

"Ah, before I forget. May you grace me your names, miladies?"

The young flygirl raised an eyebrow at that statement. Enlightenment? In this line of work?

"I mean, I don't think you're gonna find much enlightenment working as a guild member, but to each their own, I guess.", she said with a shrug, taking another bite of her biscuit. "Name's Kira. Nice to meet you. We could always have more people, right guys?"

@13org@PaulHaynek@Stern Algorithm

Yang Bethlehem

@ShwiggityShwah

As the group went to sleep, Yang halted Ozzy for a brief period.

"Since tomorrow we're going to play. There won't be any morning training, take it as a chance to also rest your body and mind too." She said before patting his head and nudged him gently. "Sleep well."

With that, everyone went to bed for a good rest. The night passing wistfully.

However, just before dawn broke, Yang woke up automatically, dress herself up and went outside. Sighting a few trees that are large enough for her purpose, she walked up towards, took a stance and raised her fist.

Despite her words to Ozzy to take it easy, It was a different story for her. Ozzy had yet to truly even take a step, an apt comparison would be she was just learning to stand upright.

But as the top student of White Tiger temple, and possible successor?

There was no such thing as stopping.

A simple twist of her hips and toes, her fist snapped forward and the impact rang across the tree. Loose leaves fell from it, showering everything underneath it.

Yang sprung into action, every leaf that fell close enough to her was obliterated as both fists and kicks cut through the air. It was a flurry of explosive and graceful movement as Yang didn't move from her spot while striking every leaf that came into her range.

A moment passed as the leaves finally stop coming down, she then struck the tree base again and shot right back into action. Doing partial, technique, and speed practice all in one.

This went on until dawn finally broke and Yang could see her surroundings clearly. All around her were discarded leaves and a perfect circle devoid of the former with Yang at the center. Letting a relief sigh, she headed inwards for a morning bath.

Once done, Yang saw others awake like the Altissima sisters and Kira. Giving a wave and greeting to them, she partakes in nothing but bread and water.

Then when the sounds of horse hoof and neighs, curiosity piqued in her and she followed Kira to see what was outside.

When she saw a knight, immediately, her hackles rose and schooled a passive face as best as she can. Thoughts wondering what a knight is doing here and the lack of the Varjo sigil just made her more suspicious.

I'll keep an eye out for this one. Yang bowed her head in greeting at the knight even as he requested if he can join their guild. "It shall be up to Guildmaster Bart to consider thy request, sir knight."

@Rezod92

"Kira, would you go and get Guildmaster Bart? I shall keep our guest...entertain." Yang said sweetly to Kira before winking one of her eyes. Whether or not Kira gets the right message, Yang will be insistent on standing by here in case the knight decides to do something.

---

Ditzy Stoneclub

Finishing his dinner and heading to bed, Ditzy was so excited that it felt like he wouldn't go to bed until that passed and straight into sleep.

Waking up, Ditzy nearly shot up from his bed and headed to clean himself at a fast pace. Taking a few tumbles and flat faces but that didn't stop him at all as he headed down straight away the moment he was cleaned.

"All done! Let's go play!" Ditzy shouted loudly as he raised both hands to the top, not even bothering to eat breakfast or read the mood until he saw the knight outside.

"Oh, who's that?" He tilted his head to the side as he walked forward and stopped just at the door. "You wanna come and play with us?"

@Restalaan (YNG)

"Kira, would you go and get Guildmaster Bart? I shall keep our guest...entertain."

Upon hearing the busty monk's statement, Kira turned her gaze toward Yang.....then back to the knight for a moment.....before settling back on Yang, this time with a raised eyebrow.

From the tone she was using, Yang clearly doesn't trust this knight and wants to keep an eye on him. Though, I don't think he's gonna try anything. Even if his reasons for coming here turn out to be bogus and full of horseshit, he'd have to be the biggest idiot in all of the lands to try and start a fight IN FRONT OF A GUILD of all places, BY HIMSELF no less., she thought to herself, wanting to tell Yang that she was being silly and making a big deal out of, potentially, nothing....

…..Then again….

"Sure thing, Yang. Needed to go change anyway.", the Beelzebub replied, finishing off her last biscuit before pulling an about-face before walking back toward the entrance, giving Ditzy a greeting smile and wave as she past him.

Hey, maybe we can win some prizes there for the Guild.

"I hope there's a trivia contest!"

Yang Bethlehem

"Since tomorrow we're going to play. There won't be any morning training, take it as a chance to also rest your body and mind too." She said before patting his head and nudged him gently. "Sleep well."

Ozzy was taken aback by this, blinking. He was actually looking forward to the suffering of the morning training. His excitement would probably make it work harder. But he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He gave a big smile back at that. "Thank you sensei, but I doubt I'd be able to sleep. Good night." He bowed his head a little to her in respect before looking to the stairs, then remembering.

@13org

He wondered if Ada knew what was going to happen. "Ada! This is going to be the first time you went to a city! You'll love it. So much to see and do." He then thought a moment. "I wonder if she'd need a change of clothes..." He then sparked some before evening conversation. "Freyr what do you think? Is Ada a red to match her eyes or a blue? Really make the white pop."

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

The next day, and yes Ozzy did sleep in. He was pouring over his books and writing his journal but eventually fatigue did get to him and he slept rather soundly, head swimming with the anticipation of a great day with his friends. He rose up almost in a flash, getting himself ready with his shorts, sandles, a shirt, keeping his clothing for the day loose compared to his usual traveling clothes.

He was flying down the stairs when he heard the commotion coming from outside. He figured he'd take initiative and get breakfast going. He was so peppy he could take on the Varjo again with a grin. He was heading towards the voices when He met Kira coming in.

@Rezod92

"Good morning Kira!" He said, his wings puffing out as he was standing on one of his talons, his voice sing songy. "I'm taking breakfast orders. How do you take your coffee? I hope Master Bart doesn't mind if I use the good stuff." He found some beans in a bag a few days ago while looking for utensils for dinner.

^{@Restalaan@ShwiggityShwah@Stern Algorithm@Rezod92}

Ada was still curious about what the others were talking about and why they seemed to be feeling a bit down, but she was too entertained in looking at the meat over the table. There was grilled and seasoned meat, which was something that Ada had never eaten before but since the smell was really good, she didn't think twice in trying it. Surprisingly enough, there was also a single piece of raw meat over the table. Initially, she looked around, trying to see if anyone else liked raw meat, just as she did but after a moment, she saw the bunny man nodding towards the meat with a discreet smile on his face. A clear indication that he did get that piece specifically for her. Not thinking twice, Ada grabbed both the raw one and a grilled one to eat, with a satisfied expression on her face.

When Ozzy mentioned going to a city, she looked at him with a curious expression. She did hear about the entire guild going somewhere on the next day and they did sound to be pretty happy about it but she didn't know what a 'festival' was or a 'city'. Being extremely curious as she was though, she was eager to go there. That said, she was a bit confused when Ozzy mentioned that she would need something called 'clothes'.

After eating a surprisingly large amount of meat, Ada was ready to sleep, immediately going to her now favorite sleeping place, the couch right on front of the fireplace, as she laid down on it with her tail curled up around her, ready to sleep.

On the next day, Ada had woken up early, waiting for the others as she played around by hanging herself from the wooden beams in the ceiling and lazily laying down on them, letting her tail dangling over. As the other guild members started appearing, Ada simply looked at them going on their own business from up the ceiling. Ozzy was making some strange brown liquid with a strong smell which he, strangely enough, was going to drink while some others like the bunny man, the blonde woman, the plant sisters and the insect girl were going outside to check on something.

Letting out a surprisingly cute yawn, Ada got out from the roof, curious about what was going own outside. She did hear the voice of someone she didn't know, the sound and smell of a horse, which she often saw a few people riding on near the forest she lived. After getting down from the ceiling, instead of going right outside though, Ada was sure to go to where Ozzy, Haley and the others were to greet them, which she did with a cute smile before she dashed outside, curiously looking from a safe distance to the metal man above the horse.

---

Freyr

"This might get even more problematic..." Freyr said with a sigh as Kira came back, saying how Neil wouldn't be joining for dinner.

"No matter if one wants to end this little conflict, if there is no communication between both of them..." he said, shaking his head as he put some food in his dish and slowly began eating.

When Ozzy mentioned locking them both in the closet though, Freyr couldn't help but let out a chuckle, thinking on what might happen.

"Either that or they will just stand awkwardly, looking away from each other while trying to avoid physical and visual contact." he said, laughing a bit. It was honestly funny on how childish that entire situation showed to be if one looked at it like that.

A few moments later though, Freyr was surprised to see Neil, appearing just behind Kira who was sitting down next to him. Judging by his tone of voice, he was feeling much better, saying that he would indeed join them.

"Good to see you're better, Neil." Freyr said with a smile, nodding his head towards an empty chair on the dining table.

Most of the members, Neil included seemed to be pretty satisfied with the idea of going to the festival on Boreal Port. Engaging in some friendly contests, just like Haley said, could be fun and interesting too. A good way to lighten up the mood going on the guild, both due to the issue between Bart and Neil and the whole stuff about Varjo.

A few moments after Freyr finished eating, he heard him talking with Ada, about being her first time in a city. Freyr couldn't help but wondering how she would react to all that. Someone would certainly have to keep an eye on her, seeing how curious she was and the fact that she didn't understand what 'personal space' was.

"I don't think she ever used clothes in her entire life. It might be a bit troublesome to explain what they are for her and to make she wear them." Freyr said with a chuckle.


"Well... I guess we will find out it rather quickly if we try to make her wear clothes. In the worse of the cases, she will just tear them to shreds." he said, laughing.

The dinner went on without any problems and soon after they were finished, each member went to their respective rooms to sleep for the night.

The next morning was a bit unlike the others. Just like it was decided on the other day, today they were going to have a day off to relax in the festival. The funds they received from the quests from the last day would be used to fund their day on the festival.

The moment Freyr got downstairs though, he heard a voice coming from outside. The moment got to the door, he saw Neil with a strange map in his hand and next to a rather ragged and dirty boy.

According to what they were talking about, that boy was Forde Briar, the client from the graveyard quest the other day. It was fortunate for the boy that Neil was the one talking to him. According to what had happened and what he heard, Freyr had a small suspicion that the guild members who were on that quest wouldn't be that happy to see him again. At least they were paid though, with Forde throwing two small pouches of gold to Neil. Since Neil had already taken care of it, Freyr simply went back inside to eat something.

"Neil, good morning." Freyr replied as Neil got back inside and the ragged boy had gone away.

When the Altissima sisters mentioned how Neil was able to make Forde pay them a second bag of gold, Freyr nodded, agreeing with them.

"After lying about the request, I think it's the least he could do." he said.

A few moments after that, when Freyr was already finishing eating his breakfast, a voice came from outside the guild, together with the distinct noise of a horse's hooves trotting on the ground and a rather muffled voice, asking for the guild. The Altissima sisters were the first to go. Freyr did get up too but said nothing, instead just went after the sisters just to be sure of what the strange knight wanted.

Kira soon came out, introducing herself, mentioning that it should be fine for him to join.

"It is always good to have more people to help with the guild. You should be welcome to join, but you should speak with Guildmaster Bartholomew first." Freyr said as he gave a step forward.

"Freyr, pleased to meet you, Sir Reed." he replied, introducing himself with a nod of his head.

The commotion outside soon attracted the rest of the members, with Yang coming out soon after, probably with the same idea as Freyr, to stand around just to see what the knight wanted. That said, he sounded courteous and didn't look like the type of person who would want to get into a fight with no reason. Besides... It would be almost suicide to start a fight against an entire guild... By himself.

@PaulHaynek @13org @Rezod92 @Restalaan

"I am Sir Reed of Thrakan, a village in Ortus. I am a humble knight on a... journey of enlightenment. I am not here for a request. I am here to join the Guild, in the hopes that I might find... enlightenment here. And to contribute something to the world at large, even if it is small. Sooo, how do I register? Ah, before I forget. May you grace me your names, miladies?"

"A pleasure, Sir Reed. I'm Sylvia, and this is my sister, Vivian," Sylvia introduced herself.

"Enlightenment, you say?" Vivian asked, somewhat skeptically. Her first thoughts were of Yang, their resident monk, and luckily, said individual approached soon, but before Vivian could let Reed know to seek Yang's advice concerning his quest, Vivian saw Yang become...defensive? Yang sent Kira to get Bart, so Vivian decided to make small talk, "So, what's new in Ortus? Actually, where is Ortus?"

Sylvia jammed an elbow into her sister's rib, eliciting a wince. It was rude to ask about someone's home in a way that made it seem insignificant, and Sylvia could always just show Vivian where it was on a map later. "Please excuse my sister. We were about to have a light breakfast. It's not much, but you're welcome to join us if you'd like while we wait for the Guildmaster," Sylvia offered an invitation, hoping to make up for Vivian's faux pas, having missed Yang's negative reaction to the knight.

@PaulHaynek @ShwiggityShwah

"Good morning Kira! I'm taking breakfast orders. How do you take your coffee? I hope Master Bart doesn't mind if I use the good stuff."

"Morning, Oz.", Kira replied with a smile, already giving Ozzy a nickname. The owl boy's eager and cheerful demeanor reminded her of some of her younger siblings back home, filling her with a bit of nostalgia. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass. I'm not a fan of the black brew. Speaking of Bart though, is he up yet? There's a knight outside wanting to join, says he seeks 'enlightenment'. If you ask me, I don't buy it. Of all the places you could go to find that sort of thing, he thinks coming here would help find what he's looking for? But hey, who am I to judge?"

~@Restalaan (YNG & DIT), @13org (ADA & FYR), @ShwiggityShwah, @Rezod92, @Stern Algorithm~

"I mean, I don't think you're gonna find much enlightenment working as a guild member, but to each their own, I guess. Name's Kira. Nice to meet you. We could always have more people, right guys?"

"I disagree, Lady Kira. Enlightenment is just as often found in unlikely places as in typical ones." Sir Reed politely retorted.

"So, what's new in Ortus? Actually, where is Ortus?"

"Please excuse my sister. We were about to have a light breakfast. It's not much, but you're welcome to join us if you'd like while we wait for the Guildmaster,"

"Thank you for the offer, Lady Sylvia, but I have already broken my fast. As for Lady Vivian's questions..." Sir Reed then looked to the pink-haired sister. "Ortus is pretty far away from here. We will have to cross a lot of borders just to reach its most far-flung village. As for what's new... well, we're still at war with The Order and its allies but it's a stalemate last I heard. Meanwhile, I did hear rumors of an undead region wanting to be part of Ortus."

"Speaking of undead, were you the ones that abandoned that horde of Zombies near Pravar?" The Ortusian knight asked. "They could've been slaughtered had the Order spotted them. I had to lead them to the safety of the mountains, delaying my arrival here."

"It shall be up to Guildmaster Bart to consider thy request, sir knight."

"Freyr, pleased to meet you, Sir Reed."

"A pleasure to meet you too, Sir Freyr." Sir Reed slightly tilted his head at Freyr, though. "You are a... Wererabbit? A male Wererabbit?" Before Freyr could respond, Reed quickly moved on from it to address the passive, almost cold, greeting he got from Yang.

"I-Is she normally like that? Or is this some sort of hazing or initiation?" Reed asked Freyr, not wanting to deal with the suspicious Yang just yet. "Her fiery appearance belies a cold demeanor, it seems."

------

Kira soon located Bart and brought him up to speed about the aspiring Sir Reed. Bart had everyone assembled outside to meet the Ortusian knight. "So you would like to join us, Sir Reed? We could always use more people in the guild so I would like for you to be with us." But then he added. "But I'd like to hear about what the others say about this."

"I think he's alright." Neil was the first to answer.

"I, too, would be in favor of him joining the Guild." Talia said.

"He's good in my book, but what's with the sudden vetting process?" Haley questioned the sudden appearance of the vote. "You accepted people willy-nilly back then, didn't you?"

"Some recent... got me thinking that I should involve the rest of the guild in its decisions more." Bart replied, not breaking eye contact with Sir Reed.

Haley said nothing in response. Not satisfied with the answer but not willing to ask further.