[IC] ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

[Hero]

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@EvictedElement@Alfhedil

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The few closest to X'Gihl looked up at his offer to help, a majority halting their actions as they straightened up. One older looking hyur beckoned towards the rest, and they continued to work while he approached them. He did a quick look between the two, lingering a little longer on X'Gihl before his expression broke into a curious one. He scratched his chin as he looked back to the moving crew, then back to the pair.

"Who are we to deny a helping hand?" The man grinned, beckoning for the pair to follow him. "Reckon no one would turn down that offer." He walked to the boat and motioned for one of the sailors to clear the way. "I should warn you that this'll be hard work. You can rescind your offer at any time."

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@Achronum

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The pink haired lalafell looked around as her name was called, not finding the source over the calls of the crowd right away. She looked this way and that, though once she found the source of the call, she gasped. "Kajin!" His greeting was met with surprise, and she carefully climbed off the well and approached him. "Long time no see! What brings you to the Bazaar?"

---

---

[Bounce]

_{[ who we want to be ]}

The young Padjal was too taken with the sense of awe and amazement to have paid much attention to the plight of Lyveva.

Like a child, the dark haired boy's eyes were large as he disembarked the carriage. Mouth agape, the horned youth took in the sight of the bazaar. The peculiar, distinct architecture of the structures -- so unlike that found in the Shroud. The picturesque view of the port with its ocean horizon. A boundless sea that stretched out from the parched desert, painted red with the setting of the sun.

It was magnificent. Eyes sparkling with all the wonder of youth, a bubbly squeak of excitement escaped his lips.

“Okay, okay. I know she said all those people but how about you stick with me and we can try something else?”

"Huh?" the boy asked, turning his head and instinctively looking up as he did so. It was the second time he'd done that now. Realizing that he was staring over the top of Kajin's head, the Padjal looked down. He'd been so taken with the view that he'd obviously missed something.

Who was she? And what people? Stealing a glance up to the left and the right, the boy realized that he'd completely spaced for a spell and had no idea just what they were supposed to be doing. "Oh," the boy uttered, an entirely guilty expression plain on his face even as he tried to recover when he just summarily agreed with what the Lalafell had said. "Right!"

Falling into step behind the Lalafell, the boy watched as the thaumaturge exchanged pleasantries with another of his kind. Kiki... pu?

Was that one word or two?

The boy gave a shake of his head. The Lalafell naming convention was an oddity indeed. Though, there was something simply endearing about it all the same.

Bowing toward the Lilliputian woman, the boy offered his silent respects in greetings. Obviously, Kajin and Kikipu were acquainted. As such, he'd allow Kajin to supply the introductions -- should he deem such necessary.

Planting the butt of his shepherd's creek down against the sandstone, the Padjal rested the staff against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around the crook and simply observed.

[Amalyra]

---

A’lythana groaned as she picked herself up from the floor, taking the Hyur’s hand in front of her with a bit of color on her cheeks from being put on the spot by both Lyveva and her own clumsiness. She then looked towards a fellow Miqo’te who seemed to have found some amusement out of the spectacle she caused.

”Very. You wouldn’t believe the things I had to go through just to get these…” She replied with a sigh, thanking the Seeker as he helped with gathering her books. As she rose to put her own little stack of books onto the table, she looked to the other person helping, a Hyur, the same one which helped her up.

”It’s a bit of a long story how I ended up like this… I’m fine though, it’s all fairly minor injuries. Thank you for your help.” She replied to him, offering up a small smile before taking a seat at the table with her books.

---

During the carriage ride, A’lythana took a moment to patch herself up with a bit of magic before she pulled out one of her new books to read and completely tuned out everything around her. Once the carriage halted, A’lythana glanced up from her book and took note of her surroundings before stashing her book away into a pouch at her hip and following the others off. It had been a while since she had last visited the hamlet and it certainly looked better than she last remembered with all the merchants about. She heard from her mentor that the place used to be a popular point of trade and even fishing before Dalamud fell, and with it, the Silver Bazaar.

Once off the carriage, she looked over to Lyveva with a bit of worry upon seeing how pale she was. She was about to reach for a potion to give the woman before she spoke up, seeming to recover enough to at least address the group. She crossed her arms across her chest, left hand taking her chin as she worked through her course of action. Before she could decide however, her train of thought was interrupted as Lyveva panicked and ran off to try and save what she could of the guild’s belongings.

Seeing that some of the others decided that they would make their way towards the port, she decided she would look into acquiring some more help, just in case the deed to the property ended up on the auction block. With that, the Miqo’te donned her crimson chapeau and made her way over to the blue-haired Lalafell known as Fafafono.

“It’s not often a crowd of this size gathers in the Silver Bazaar is it?” She spoke casually, glancing over to the crowd in question.

[Obscene Symphony]

Though J’torha was disappointed that the carriage was full of killjoys who wouldn’t join the song, he didn’t let it get him down, keeping the tune until the carriage jerked to a stop.

He jumped out gratefully, clearing away from the chocobos as soon as he could, standing some distance away and getting a good look at the place. It wasn’t his first jaunt to the Silver Bazaar by any stretch, and it hardly surprised him that a swarm of seedy deals would be going on. He listened closely to the free company leader’s information - what was her name again? Lydia? Leverne? - until, of course, she went running after someone selling a tome. So they weren’t just stealing a deed, but everything inside the house too? J’torha was certainly no expert in staying in one place, but everything he heard about buying and selling property said that the belongings in homes that were bought and sold would be stored somewhere, not swept up in the purchase. There must have been some wealth of stuff inside the home for the frauds to go through such trouble; either that, or they couldn’t resist another handful of gil.

J’torha wrinkled his nose. His record might have been far from clean, but he was no thief, and had no patience for them either. To his surprise, though, none other in the party seemed concerned about the leader’s sudden dash.

He shrugged, sighing, “I suppose this means I have to be the one to save the day.”

He took off at a jog in the direction the girl had fled, though he didn’t even have to go far to find her; just at the centre of the square, a crowd had gathered around an auctioneer on a platform, gesturing grandly at a tome and pontificating about its quality and value. The book was of less interest to him than the head of blonde hair bobbing up and down in the crowd, however, desperately trying to get the auctioneer’s attention.

Worming his way through the crowd, J’torha found the free company girl, looking like she was on the verge of tears. “What’s the panic, L-” seven hells, what was her name again? “...Lyvia? Does that book belong to you?”

@Hero

[Trainerblue192]

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As River sat on the bench in the carriage, his small legs dangling in the air, he glanced around the group he was with, noticing the chummy relationship budding between the other mages in the group River had opted to keep to himself for the time being. His moment would come when he would inevitably make his introduction but now didnt seem like the right time. As he sat there, legs swaying, he began to get bored of the silence that was building up and thusly took out his book to study up on some more complex geometric designs that he had been having trouble with as of late. His head tilted down, hidden by the book, he began to smile when a familiar song broke out between two of the miqo'tes on the carriage. If it wasn't so close to home he wouldve opted to drench the sorry lot and ask them to pipe down, but the melody was fond and the entertainment lively so he kept his peace with a hidden grin behind his tome. As time pressed on the music lulled him into a deep slumber, his head bobbing ever so slightly as he continued to hold onto his book, only awakening when the chocobos came to a stop causing his book to jostle and fall on the floor, jolting him awake from the sound.

River wiped his tired eyes and took notice of his new surroundings, seeing that he was now located at some waterside bazaar. He blinked slowly before finally hoping off the carriage and making his way towards the group, missing Lyvs exasperated display of dizziness and only catching her when finally able to make full sentences. It appeared that more than just the home was now being stolen and this caught their leaders attention, calling her away as she left the newly formed party behind. One miqo'te ran off while being followed by another, a lancer of sorts. The others stood idly by with the exception of the Thaumaturge and White Mage, both of whom seemed to make their way towards another Lalafell. Surely they couldnt be trusted but they could be a wealth of information. River began to wonder if strong arming a few denizens of this bazaar might speed things up? Or would it simply end with the guards hot on his heels. Safety was key for this mission so he decided to follow the Thaumaturges lead and speak with this kikipu. His head peeking up behind the right leg of the padjal.

[The Irish Tree]

Theodore had to admit, when he had heard of this place being called the "Silver Bazaar", he couldn't help but imagine something a tad less...

Dingy. To put it nicely. The merchants looked haggard, many of them looking like an attempt at bartering would leave one leaving with not only less gil than they hoped, but less ear attached to their skull for trying their time. Compared to the bustling Merchant Strip, it was almost a ghost town.

No matter though. He wasn't there to judge, especially since he himself was little more than a poor boy with dreams of grandeur and a sword at his hip. What did matter however as everyone broke apart to take care of their respective investigations, Theodore found himself outpaced as he pondered just who would be best to talk to. A favor for a favor was a nebulous agreement, one he didn't necessarily feel altogether comfortable with. A fisherman seemed a strange choice for one to ask for advice on such a thing, and so the one that Theodore felt was the strongest bet was the one who was known to frequently buy up new real estate. As such, the Hellsguard would soon find the silver haired youth approach with a quickness to his step. He was however patient enough to allow the man to finish conversing with the women before him. As soon as he was able to however, the hyuran swordsman would stand before the man that towered over him. Theodore didn't have an ounce of mercantilism in his bones, so any kind of bribery was out. Instead, pleasantries would be how he attempted to gain information.

Theodore would look the Hellsguard in the eyes, before humbly bowing his head. "Pardon me sir, but I was wondering if I may trouble you for just a bit of your time? I've heard of something odd of late, of a man impersonating an Immortal Flame Sergeant. A Highlander bearing two scars on his face. Have you heard of or seen any persons like that?" To Theodore, a question as simple as this would result in a simple enough answer. Though he did have a sneaking suspicion that coin may need to change hands for such information from one as shrewd looking.

[Hero]

---

The blue haired Fafafono looked up when he was addressed, arms crossed and a permanent scowl on his face. His distaste with the crowd was all too obvious, his interest in the negatives. Despite that, he still threw a glance once in a while, half-listening, half-judging.

"Of course not," He scoffed, thinking little of A’lythana's comment. "You're more likely to find a crowd like this in the city or Vesper Bay. Place is deader than a pirate thrown overboard, but suddenlt some folks bring in merchandise and the bazaar lights up with would-be 'treasure hunters' and the like."

He shook his head as he stared at the crowd disapprovingly. "I'll bet most of that was stolen from some idiot who let their guard down. What with the recent surge of robberies and the like, Ul'dah's corruption is seeping into other parts of the land."

---

Lyveva stopped long enough to look at J'torha, her expression torn between what could be construed as horror and a much more obvious helplessness. She looked like she could burst into tears at any moment, clutching one book for dear life with her left hand.

"N-No," Despite the lack of tears, the girl was clearly having a hard time. "And th-that's the w-worst part! It isn't m-mine! Or anyone's! I have to g-get them all back!" Her teary expression changed to one filled with dread. "If I don't get them back, I can never show my face to the FC again. Never. Never ever. Because I'll be murdered in my sleep!"

She paused for a second, suddenly realizing something. "Lyveva! Not Lyvia!" She seemed a little peeved, but it quickly went away. "Maybe that's what I'll change my name to when I flee the country..."

---

The Hellsguard didn't seem surprised to be addressed, looking over Theodore with an interested expression. After a few seconds of drumming up some sort of judgement in his head, he brought a hand to his chin as he took a moment to consider his words. He stayed silent for some time, almost to the point where one would wonder if he was truly thinking of a response.

Fortunately, he did have something for the hyur. "I can't say I've heard of anyone like that specifically, but it does sound like something the Merchants of Mercy would do," He chuckled darkly at the end of his sentence, though it faded into a sigh. "There's been a lot of pockets picked and carriages stolen lately, all in the name of gaining more coin. Now that you ask, however, I think I did see someone like that recently."

He gestured towards one of the buildings. "Yesterday there was someone with that description asking for Kikipu and her lot to sell some goods on his behalf. He didn't have a uniform, but he did have two scars. I can't guarantee it's the same person, but what are the odds?"

[EvictedElement]

Aye, hard work’s not so hard if you’re used to it and miss it so. X’gihl grinned cheek to cheek at the older Hyur’s agreement. Perhaps this nostalgic mood wouldn’t be so bad after all. A little hard work, that was right up his alley. Work took the edge off, work kept you busy, work made boredom and bad memories a forgotten thing. And it ensured his flask wouldn’t be so empty by the end.

Now, about that straggler. X'gihl turned to face her with an expression of bemusement. Yes, she had been in the Quicksand and the carriage. She'd been the one that J'torha had nudged to no avail. But who was she again? A mix of plate and chainmail covered her figure, and her posture seemed...proud? That might be the word for it. Aside from the clear Highlander heritage, he wasn't quite sure how to peg her. The lance could have been Ishgardian or Gridanian. The bearing of her presence left enough to be unclear on the matter. But she appeared somewhat experienced, if the appearance was any judge. Beneath those gauntlets, X'gihl pondered, would one find callused skin or soft pads?

Put it aside, he told himself. The Hyur that had responded clearly seemed to expect X'gihl's offer referred to both adventurers. Problem with that, X'gihl had only meant to offer his own. And the blond lady seemed to have her misgivings for his offering, not that they were unfounded. "Aye, mayhap we should. But then, coming down this way was more for meself.". The privateer bowed his head apologetically for a brief moment before looking back at her with a pleading expression. "Forgive me that, lass. Hadn't intended to drag you into the work as well, though my intention be to trade labor for information, if ye follow. If ye want no part, I wouldn't blame ya."

That having been said, X'gihl quietly hoped that an extra pair of hands would come in handy to take more weight off the shoulders of the fishers. The more he could assuage, the more happy they'd be about it surely. The happier a customer, the more likely he'd get what he wanted. 'Twas simple business. Well, simple business with a spot of mercenary perspective. One thing for another, that being. X'gihl stepped further down the pier, expecting to begin the boat's nightly cleanings and maintenance. He'd find Galfridus among them eventually, not a doubt to that. When he did, maybe the sailors would be happy to take part in that drink J'torha had declined earlier.

[Amalyra]

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A'lythana took not of Fafafono's expression, though it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out the Lalafell's disposition to the current situation. She couldn't help but wince at his last statement though, pitying Lyveva in her thoughts since Fafafono wasn't exactly wrong about the goods.

"Is that so? Well, this doesn't bode well for the Silver Bazaar's reputation. I know the place has seen better days, but this kind of activity won't be doing it any favors. Next thing you know, the Silver Bazaar will become a hub for the black market faster than you can say 'gil,' and though it would bring business, it would most likely be of the less savory kind..." The Miqo'te replied carelessly as she looked off to the crowd, discreetly looking in the corner of her eye to gauge Fafafono's reaction.

"You wouldn't have happened to have seen the leader of these so-called 'treasure hunters' have you? Maybe seen or heard of some of their 'featured goods' for this auction of theirs?" She inquired, turning towards the Lalafell and looking down at him.

[Obscene Symphony]

A pang of pity struck J’torha as he watched Lyveva - that was it - all but give up hope, the poor girl scared to death. He gently patted her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture, but turned his eyes back to the auctioneer. The man didn’t only have the book he was currently trying to sell, but a number of other items looking like they were in queue to be put up for auction.

Looking back to Lyveva, J’torha jerked a thumb in the direction of the other items. “And were any of those things stolen from your house as well?”

"I'm more concerned about the books," Lyveva admitted, hugging the one in her arms. "We could always replace the candlesticks and knickknacks but...but the books are all originals, they were all borrowed from an archive that a few of us frequent."

Strange answer, but J’torha would take it as a ‘yes’. He looked back to the auctioneer, slitted eyes scanning for… something. He could probably afford to buy the tome he was selling, but not the others, and… well, the Seeker wasn’t too fond of the idea of emptying his pockets for a stranger. At least, not in these circumstances—

J’torha’s face split into a grin.

But he wiped it away soon enough, replacing it with what he believed was a suitably indignant snarl. He had to play his part well if he was to be believed, and if it worked, well, at the very least he could buy the young lady some time.

Lowering his ears and twitching his tail in a flawless display of irritation, J’torha wove his way through the crowd until he came upon a sturdy pole holding up a canopy. Climbing up it with relative ease, he stopped once he was two heads or so above the taller members of the crowd and cupped his free hand around his mouth, staring down the auctioneer.

“You RAT!”

_{Interacting with: @Hero but also easily heard by anyone near the well}

[The Irish Tree]

Theodore was actually amazed that not only was the information incredibly helpful, but it was also simply given for free. A warm smile spread across Theodore's lips before he would nod, understanding the gravity of the situation if a widespread net of thievery had been cast, ensnaring the destitute merchants and civilians alike, then it was growing ever more apparent that this needed some justice to set this right! Theodore would bow his head, fist rapping twice against his breastplate. "I thank you for this information. I'll have to question Kikipu about this man, as its the best shot I have at apprehending him. Good day, sir," Theodore would say, before starting to head towards Kikipu's demesne.

...That is, until he heard the familiar voice of one of the Sunseeker Miqo'te shouting out an insult to someone. Had something happened. His head turned quickly to take in the sight of J'torha halfway up a pole, Theodore's eyes looking to where J'torha's gaze was fixed, upon the auctioneer that was presiding over the sale of Lyveva's goods. He couldn't see exactly what the auctioneer looked like, so far all that Theodore knew the man with two scars had come to collect on what he had sold. "Pardon, excuse me, sorry, just a moment," Theodore's numerous apologies came as he weaves his way through the crowd, trying not to step upon any toes, or get any rogue Roegadyn elbows to his nose.

Once he was near the front of the crowd, Theodore would have a chance to see this "rat" at face value, and be prepared to step in to apprehend him if it was indeed their target. Merchants of Mercy or not, he assumed that there was indeed some reason for J'torha to cry out so loudly. Perhaps it was a signal for the group to convene?

[Achronum]

“I finally got out from under my brother’s thumb! I got transferred and now I get to travel like I wanted!” Kajin explained, beaming all the while. The lalafell practically vibrated with excitement. “So as soon as I could, I answered the call from an FC asking for members. Turns out, some rat cheated them out of their housing deed by posing as a flame sargent. Some hyur guy with two scars on his face and we got a tip an estate sale was going on here so we popped by to see if this was it. The woman that runs it recognized some of the stuff being sold here so we have a good chance this is our guy. So I thought to ask the foremost expert on the bazaar and here you are! Happen to know anything about this?”

Kajin’s head snapped up as Ja familiar voice carried across the crowd, clear even to the lalafell barely brushing hip height of the crowd. If looks could kill, J’thora would have died on the spot as Kajin’s gaze found him. What was that twelves damned Mi’quote thinking? What if he scared off whoever was selling the damn thing and they couldn’t bring them to justice? It was quite possible the auctioneer had nothing to do with this entire situation and sending a bazaar’s woth of people panicking would only make this more difficult. Especially for the crushable lalafells!

“Oh! How rude of me!” Kajin snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering his manners. Introductions were in order. “Kikipu, this is E-Siri, a Padjal of Gridanna. He’s helping out as well on this!” He blinked at the other lalafell peeking out from behind the Padjal. He recognized him from the carriage ride but he had no idea who this other one was. “And this is another prospective member of the FC but I have not had the opportunity to get to know him yet.”

[Bounce]

_{[ THEME: TO THE SUN ]}

The horned boy's vantage point from the central area of the bazaar gave him a good perspective on the place.

The lengthening shadows. The colors of the painted Thanalan desert. The sounds of the dark sea. The people mulling about, gathering around the auctioneer that was hawking the wares that had drawn the crowd there.

Rats?

Head turned down, the young Padjal scanned the cobblestones for any signs of scampering marmots. Not seeing any, he was quite at a loss to explain why their Mi'qote companion would have hoisted himself up the proverbial flagpole. Let alone be shouting about rats. He could easily put a fright into some people that way, and there was narry a marmot to be found as near as E-Siri could see!

“Kikipu, this is E-Siri, a Padjal of Gridania."

It appeared that introductions were in order. Straightening up, the horned child crossed his arms out before him and then bowed in the customary salute of Stillglade Fane. "Salutations," the boy offered in his childish tone of voice "We would be most grateful if you had any news to share of any strange lot that might have passed through thine bazaar."

The boy paused there a moment.

"Other than ourselves, that is," he amended after a think.

[Alfhedil]

---

Of course things would become complicated, and if it hadn't been through the miqo'te before her offering assistance without strings, there likely would have been some other minor issue that would have cropped up. At the very least they were a friendly bunch, made all the more so from that offer and despite that she wasn't necessarily included in it, she would shrug and come alongside him anyways. He did actually have the right idea of things, in that normally people were a little more conducive to helping you out if you did something for them first, so she couldn't hold it against him and offered a slight weary smile.

"I'm not exactly a stranger to hard work, so that won't be an issue with me." She said, both to X'gihl and her fellow Hyur. "Not that I've done much dock work, so you'll have to forgive a lay hand." And with that she was off down the dock as well, giving a light stretch that made a little jingling sound of metal against metal, the plate armor rubbing against itself as she did so. Once at the boat she left her gear at the side, knowing that it would really only get in the way of things, and stopped only to dab at her face with a little bit of that ointment to relieve the burning of her sunburn once more. "Should note, that despite the enthusiasm of my fellow here, we've really got to be back to helping our comrade up at the bazaar."

Hard-working folk like them would surely understand the bonds of camaraderie, and more so the need to keep them intact and help their own. Isabella came up to take off her gauntlets, revealing the worn and calloused palms that had been seen years of spear-work to hone her skill, and nodded over to the man who seemed to be in charge of things, or at least who they volunteered to assist. "Might have heard something about it actually, Lyveva of that group the Blessed Twelve? They've had a spot of bad luck lately and so we've agreed to lend them a helping hand in maybe turning that around. Not for the gil mind you, and not just because they don't have much of it to spare nowadays. She just seems like the kind of person to have invested her heart and soul into her company, and there's a shortage of those kinds of people in the world."

[Squad 404]

A collab between @Valor and @Hero

---

It had been a long day for Byssu.

Starting out was a brief return of the nervousness that she had first encountered when leaving Gridania. It made its triumphant return as Byssu entered into Ul’dah. The local of Ul’dah was bustling and industrious, quite unlike the quiet and serene greenery of Gridania that Byssu had grown accustomed to during her stay in the forest. Not to mention that transitioning from The Wood to Gridania had been a relatively smooth experience since it was moving from a lush forest to a lush forest. Ul’dah was a harsh city of brick and stone. Magnificent in its own way, but still quite intimidating for someone that was used to trees and brush.

Byssu could feel the presence of many eyes upon her as she moved throughout the city. Thankfully, she knew they were drawn more to her prominent ears than anything else thanks to the traveler's cloak that was draped around her body. It hid everything below her neck from view, which thankfully included her bulging travel pack and gunblade. No doubt that they’d be tantalizing targets for the quick fingered or the foolhardy. Byssu had gone to the meeting place described on the recruitment flier. Arriving at the quicksand, Byssu looked around for anyone that appeared to be hosting a meeting.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone. Approaching what appeared to be the innkeeper, Byssu presented the copy of the flier that she had brought and asked where the meeting way. Momodi explained that Byssu had missed the meeting by several minutes, but helpfully pointed out the location that they’d agreed to travel to: The Goblet. Thankfully, it wasn’t that far away. Byssu thanked Momodi and began to travel once more, this time in the direction of The Goblet, and hopefully somewhere where she would be on-time.

Byssu shook some of the sand from her traveler’s cloak as she entered into The Goblet. There’d be no way to get it all off without washing, but Byssu wanted to at least not leave a trail of sand everywhere. Looking around, Byssu spotted the house that she had been instructed to seek out and began to head towards it…

As Byssu walked, three small figures whizzed through the path, each one taking special care to avoid colliding with her. They all converged onto the northwestern-most plot, splitting up shortly afterwards. A female Mi’qote stood at the entrance to the property, ginger hair tied up in a long braid while what remained spiraled down as it rested on her shoulders. Despite both her long dress and well placed hands in front of her, her expression was anything but relaxed; green eyes glared sharply at the authority figure before her. She was accompanied by a smaller kit, hair kept down by a lovely red ribbon as she clung onto the green dress, looking up nervously at the man.

”...is simply ridiculous,” Their conversation was more audible the closer Byssu got. ”The Goblet’s housing specialists should be the only ones removing anything. It is neither the Brass Blades’ nor the Immortal Flames’ duty to act on their behalf.”

The man in uniform seemed unamused by her protest, crossing his arms. The Elezen seemed to get more irritated, shaking his head in disagreement. ”You lot should have thought about that before carelessly giving away your title,” He replied coldly.

The conversation that Byssu overheard was quite concerning. Something fishy seemed to be going on. This was the house that she was told to head to, but the house was abandoned? Or moved out of? That made no sense. Why would someone set an abandoned or recently forsaken home as their meeting grounds? Something didn’t add up.

Stepping quickly, Byssu’s shadow loomed over the female Mi’qote as she approached and began to speak. [color= #00FFFF]”Pardon my intrusion, but I was told to come to this location for a meeting. However, I overheard that things are being removed from this house? Why would that be?”[/color]

Byssu’s stance was stiff and authoritative. Her old guard tendances were kicking in and she had taken on an authoritative stance, though the stance was mostly hidden by the fact that Byssu still had her traveling cloak on. As another method to assert her authority, Byssu maintained fierce eye contact with the Elezen as, from what little context Byssu had gathered, he seemed to be someone that was contributing to the shaky situation. Or, at the very least, he spoke like someone that was perpetuating the problem instead of trying to solve it.

Regardless, Byssu could do nothing more than question. If she went for her gunblade it would certainly draw attention and, as was told to her many times during guard training, if she drew first blade the consequences of the outcome would rest firmly upon her shoulders. There would be little that could be done to fix a perfectly legal punishment, so Byssu kept her hands by her sides for now.

There was a tiny squeak heard as the kit jumped in place and promptly hid under the Mi'qote's long skirt, causing the woman to look up at the Viera for a moment with wide eyes. "A meeting? You must have seen Lyveva's flyer," She said once she regained her composure, gently patting a bump under her.

"That would be because the new owner of this place would like to occupy it sooner than later," The Elezen ignored her remark, addressing Byssu directly. "You lot already sent someone that caused quite a stirrup at the Immortal Flames; you're only making things worse by causing trouble."

Byssu gave a nod to the Mi’qote before she blinked in annoyance at the Elezen. It was incredibly rude of him to automatically assume that Byssu was here to cause trouble. But Byssu didn’t bring the subject up after considering a few factors that might have contributed to his sour mood. Perhaps it had been a long day? Perhaps the Elezen needed to rest from the heat? Perhaps he needed a drink to cool his throat? A number of factors could have made the Elezen grumpy, and Byssu was not inclined to make trouble for him. Clearing her throat, Byssu spoke again. ”New owner? Who would the new owner be? Can you give me their name? Or, even better, their location? I’m sure that if we talk things over with the people involved that we can get this situation sorted out in a manner that ends well for everyone.”

Byssu did not like how the Elezen was speaking. Homes were not sold so quickly. At least, not in Gridania they weren’t. Buying a home was a lengthy and competitive process and on a routinely normal basis when a home was sold the previous occupants belongings were already well moved out, so the belongings of the previous occupant being removed after the home was already sold meant that something quite fishy was going on. However, Byssu did not directly blame the Elezen. By his authoritative uniform and insistence upon things Byssu assumed that the Elezen might just be a cog in the machine. Neither wholly good or evil, just doing the role that he was meant to do which unfortunately placed him at odds with Byssu and the Mi’qote.

An unfortunate situation, and one that probably caused him quite a lot of irritation.

"Unfortunately, that information is classified until the new tenant comes in, though I wouldn't know it off the top of my head myself," The Elezen replied. "Though I suppose that's the better direction to go in, but I'll say it again: if you keep causing trouble, you're only going to land the free company in more hot water. I suspect the new tenant will go to Ul'dah to collect their new title."

The woman shook her head in disagreement, though she said nothing. The Elezen nodded to the pair, turning to make his leave before a mighty yell startled the two of them. From the lamppost above something leapt down and onto the Elezen, knocking him down. It looked like a young male Mi'qote, expression contorted into one determined to bring justice, much to the woman's horror.

"Suki'a!" She exclaimed, shocked.

The other child poked her head out from under her long skirt, apparently encouraged by the battle cry. She ran out and jumped on the Elezen as well, the two terrorizing the man in uniform.

Byssu was caught in quite a pickle now. If she intervened, she risked provoking the wrath of the mother, who Byssu was standing next to. If she did not intervene, the Elezen did potentially risk injury and, beyond that, would potentially foist his wrath upon her as well for the crime of not intervening. Quite a problem, there. Looking to the Mi’qote Byssu spoke quickly and gently. ”I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what I should do here. Part of me wants to assist the Elezen since he doesn’t seem to deserve being randomly attacked as far as I feel, but then again I don’t want to make you angry if I were to grab them by the scruff or otherwise stop them. So I suppose I’ll ask you: Do you want me to intervene or would you rather I stand back and you’ll handle it?”

Byssu eagerly awaited the Mi’qote’s reply, as the longer the attack went on the greater the risk of serious injury to the Elezen.

The woman stared at Byssu incredulously, though before she could properly respond a pair of yelps caught her attention. The Elezen had risen to his feet, promptly throwing both kits off. The younger one fell off, tears in her eyes as she rubbed her shoulder. The older boy hissed at the Elezen, pulling out a slingshot and a rock as he aimed it at the uniformed man. The woman's hands flew up to her head, mouth wide with shock.

"Suki'a no--!" By the time his name was said he had released the rock, pelting the Elezen in his right eye. He let out a howl of pain, doubling over as the woman ran over to her son. "Have you gone mad?! What in the world do you think you're doing?!" She scolded him, snatching the wooden toy out of his hands.

Byssu stood fairly dumbfounded as she watched the Mi’qote discipline the kit, At this point she was frankly paralyzed. Regaining her senses, Byssu shrugged her shoulders to remove her traveling pack and began to fish around within it beneath her cloak. Since Byssu was guided by touch it took her a few moments to find what she was looking for, but she let out a soft ”Aha.” when it was located.

Closing her travel pack up and putting it back on, Byssu stepped forward and offered a bright blue potion to the wounded Elezen. It probably wasn’t a bad hit, but swift treatment would surely help regardless. Beyond this, Byssu could do no more.

The Elezen grumbled something resembling thanks as he took the potion, straightening up as a rather shiny black eye was revealed. The Mi'qote winced slightly as the young boy hid behind her, figuring any more negotiations were off the table, so to speak. He inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm himself down, leveling a look at the shorter woman.

"I will see if I can inform the new tenants that you have yet to vacate. However!" He punctuated his word carefully, pointing at the kit. "You lot are walking on thin ice. Do I make myself clear?"

Suki'a stuck his tongue out at the Elezen, much to his mother's dismay. She nodded on his behalf, kneeling down to pick up the younger of the pair. "We understand," She said. He seemed satisfied, giving Byssu a nod as he took his leave. She sighed, looking up at the Viera. "Forgive me, but I need to find the other children. I know you saw Lyveva's flyer, but I'm sure she went after the lead she found in the Silver Bazaar."

Byssu watched as the Elezen spoke to the Mi’qote and her kits before they turned their attention to her. Giving a nod to the Mi’qote’s statement and gave a look around before looking back to her. ”Well. I can help you look for your kits if you want, or I can simply remain here and wait. Or I could attempt to seek out the others at the Silver Bazaar, though I do not know where it is. I don’t mind either way. Standing around for hours on end is something that I’m quite accustomed to.”

"I'd appreciate the help, but I would feel bad keeping you," She admitted, gently rubbing her little one's arm. "My name is Suki. This is my daughter, Rika, and my son, Suki'a," At hearing his name he poked out his head, his hands behind his back. Now that he was still, it was easier to see him. He bore male Mi'qote marks near his big, hazel eyes. Both he and Rika had the same shade of eye color, though Rika's hair was more on the brown side while Suki'a's was redder, like Suki's.

"Nice to meet you," He replied, tugging on Suki's dress. "May I have my slingshot back?"

"No, you may not, and we will discuss its proper usage later," She replied without skipping a beat, letting out a weary sigh. "I'm sure Nikulas and Eji are around, if Suki'a was planning to attack the officer, I'm sure the other two weren't far behind. They should be close. But if you'd rather join the others, simply tell them you're with Lyveva, and they'll take you to the Bazaar free of cost."

Bysso nodded at Suki, pleased to finally learn her name. Bringing a hand up to her chest, Byssu gave a slight bow before she spoke. “I am pleased to formally meet you Suki, Suki’a, and Rika. My name is Byssu.” Returning to a full standing position, Byssu thought for a moment before she made her decision. ”Well. I am already here, and searching for lost children isn’t something that I have no experience in. Before I came here I used to be a guard in Gridania after I left The Wood and from time to time reuniting a lost child with their parents in a busy marketplace wasn’t too uncommon. Additionally. I would not like to arrive late to the Silver Bazaar and have to run around trying to find everyone once more. If they’re going to arrive here again remaining here is a logical course of action.”

Gesturing to the area around them, Byssu made one final comment. ”Well, I am yours as you request. Lead the way?”

[Hero]

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@Obscene Symphony @Achronum @Trainerblue192 @Bounce @The Irish Tree

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The word J’torha threw out was definitely heard by all surrounding the well, the merchant in question having a look of pure confusion. A Midlander, fair in complexion and looking very much average in height, build, and even hair color. There was a small lapse in nearly every conversation, as if waiting in anticipation for his response. At first, it seemed like he was just about ready to protest the accusation, opening his mouth to respond when a small scoff from another seller seemed to catch his attention.

“Reckon that is where the missing gil went, eh Tilman?” The other merchant chuckled darkly.

Tilman’s head snapped in his direction, throwing him an incredulous look. “What are ye talking about?” He asked, offended. “I’ve never seen this Mi’qote before in my life!”

“Missing--!” J’torha practically growled as he fell off the pole, marching up to the merchant. The crowd parted as he came, letting him through and likely eager to see where this all was going.

“I see I’m not the only one you short-changed, you gil-pinching cur!” J’torha’s accusations could clearly be heard all across the square, and he perched his hands on his hips, gesturing indignantly. “Isn’t it amazing! Anytime I come after a customer for payment, it’s the first time we’ve met!” He raised his voice a little and threw his hands up in frustration, the suggestion clear. “But I’d say we were awfully familiar back when you were begging for just another bell, promisin’ you’d have the money to me by morning!”

He turned on his heel, striding theatrically over to the other wares for auction. “Oh, but you’ve got plenty of money now for nice fancy things to sell, don’t you?” he accused, leaning on the cart of goods awaiting auction. “Or are you a debtor and a thief?”

Lyveva’s jaw dropped, though the blonde decided to slip into the crowd. Meanwhile, Tilman was completely shocked at the accusation, ears positively burning underneath his turban as he realized that nearly everyone was watching. He was at a loss, shaking his head as he put down the book he had in his hand to step down from the well.

“I believe you’re mistaken,” He seemed to be trying to keep his calm for the moment.

Once again, the other merchant laughed, jumping down from the well to glare at him. Much like the merchant, he seemed to be an average Midlander as well, with the exception of a mop of dark hair poking out this way and that. “And I suppose this is why you wouldn’t spend the night?!” He gestured to J’torha wildly.

”This?” J’torha questioned back, ignoring Tilman’s refusal for the moment and gesturing to himself. “I’ll have you know that this is in high demand.” He sounded insulted.

“‘Course, if I was a smarter man I’d be taking my payments up front.” He aimed that comment at Tilman, a dangerous edge to his voice.

“How could you blow me off for this stray cat?!” The brunet rounded on Tilman, clearly peeved.

He held his hands up in an effort to defend himself. “Hold on, now, I just told ye, I don’t know him!” He insisted, his annoyance peppered with a nervous edge.

“Stray?!” J’torha’s ears flattened further, tail twitching even more noticeably than before. He glared at the dark-haired Midlander. “Hey now, it should be him you have a problem with, not me. I didn’t know he was a cheat!”

He turned on Tilman, jabbing a finger into his chest. “And don’t you go tryin’ to worm out of this now. I performed a service, and I want my payment. It’s a simple transaction, surely a businessman like you can figure it out. Or…” J’torha took an exaggerated look around, and turned back to Tilman, feigning sympathy. “I’m sorry, did you not want your less ‘reputable’ business out in the open?”

Tilman was at a complete loss at this point, torn between wanting to properly defend himself and wanting to turn tail and run. All the extra attention and ire didn’t seem to be worth it, the hyur shaking his head as he let out an irritated sigh. “Just...come now, we can handle this business out of public eye,” He muttered, turning back to the well. To his shock, the book he had previously was gone. “...I swore I just put this down…”

“No excuses! We’re getting to the bottom of this!” The brunet insisted, a hand on Tilman’s shoulder as he unceremoniously dragged him towards one of the buildings. He threw J’torha a look. “Come along then, if you want your payment, Desert Kit, as well as whatever else was taken from you.”

Kikipu’s jaw was agape, watching the situation unfold. She put her hand to her chin and frowned as she looked over at the goods. Something seemed to click in her head, a tiny gasp escaping her before a realization hit her. Her brow creased as she shook her head, turning back to the trio.

”Now that you mention it, the man who dropped off these goods did seem strange,“ She referred to E-Siri’s comment as she seemed to recall something. ”Not the man himself, I suppose, as scarred faces and ugly mugs are commonplace, but the fact that he was alone and had all this to sell. Normally we go by a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy--asking too many questions tends to make heads roll--but it was curious.”

---

@Amalyra

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The lalafel watched the commotion go down with something resembling amusement, but at the end he simply scoffed. ”There you go, then. Reckon Kikipu or Tilman will point you in the right direction,” He stifled a yawn before putting his hands behind his head. ”I’d be awfully careful if I was you. Pretty sure I saw you come in with that other Mi’qote. Causing a ruckus tends to get unwanted attention, moreso if people find out you’re sniffing around. Or do whatever you want, it’s none of my business.” He didn’t wait for a response, simply walking off.

---

@EvictedElement@Alfhedil

---

The resounding cheer at getting an extra pair of hands made it clear that their help was appreciated, the men and women scrambling to make sure the extra help wouldn’t go to waste. The hyur chuckled, shaking his head as he motioned for the pair to wait a moment as a smaller boat came into the port. Despite its size, it carried a massive amount of fish wrangled up in a net, with only a pair of sailors manning it.

”I’ll only bother you for this, then--small boat, small catch,” He said as he leaned over, hands outstretched and waiting. Dragging this over to the cart won’t take long, but it’s one less thing my weary men need to do.”

Catching a thick rope, he motioned for the pair to grab it, pulling it towards the pier. At Isabella’s mention of Lyveva, he did look back at the pair with a small frown on his face. ”That’s...Aidric’s little sister. Huh, so that’s what she’s up to these days,” He frowned. ”Thought those people disbanded a long time ago, what with Avalon fleeing Ul’dah and Etith’to’s disappearance.”

He sighed, continuing to pull as he backed up slightly. “Yeah, they helped me out back when I first started off. Didn’t matter if you had one gil or one million, they’d help out whoever. I don’t think I saw the original founder too often, but when Aidric took the reigns, all sorts of hopeful folks came from all over. It’s a shame he’s not around anymore, but it’s nice to see the company active. Like you said, Eorzea’s in need of good folk.”

Tying the rope to the dock, he scratched the back of his head as he looked around. ”If they’re in a spot of trouble, it’s not too surprising that she’d come here, prolly looking for ol’ Galfridus. He looked after the Gwennael siblings for some time. But I don’t think his ship is coming back today. Maybe in the morning."

---

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[Trainerblue192]

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---

---

River came out from behind the Pajals legs and held his head high. A slight clearing of his throat as he held his right fist over it before speaking. "The names River, and don't you go forgetting it. I am a mage as well...of a sense." River placed his hand upon his chin in an inquisitive manner, listening to what it is that the Pajal was asking. Good, his seclusion in plant life and elementals hasn't dulled his brain as well. The Thaumaturge he was certain has a sharp brain, or a penchant for disaster, that was yet to be seen. Before he could say anymore there was a loud raucous coming from none other than the noisy cat. Why he had half a mind to summon his egi and spray that cat down. Haha! Half a brain, that's more than that miqo'te could eve dare to achieve!

Rivers jaw dropped at the display. He couldn't stop himself from starin in utter disbelief as to what had just happened. He stood there thinking over and over again and the more he thought about it the more it didnt make sense. Perhaps things weren't always as they appeared, and he of all people should know that. A wicked grin spread across his face, a sure sign that a Lalafell was up to no good. His eyes seemed to brighten as he tipped his hat lower and a shadow painted over them. "I had no idea there was a brain between those miqo'te ears of his. Perhaps he's more useful than I pegged him for." He cleared his throat once more as he kwaited for Kikipu to finish speaking. "Yes yes that's all well and fine, dont ask dont tell and you make your ill gotten gains and profit. Now tell me kikipu, was that the man you speak of? And what's the likelyhood a fight would break out between the two as soon as they leave the crowds sight in private?"

[Achronum]

Kajin stared―dumbfounded, flabbergasted, bewildered, and every other way of floored―as the Miqo’te went on and on about being cheated. Was that true? Did he really sell… his time to others? Kajin shook his head. He shouldn’t really judge that. True or not, it served a purpose other than putting him, Kikipu, and the other lalafell in smooshing range of a stampede of furious buyers. Hopefully, the stalling would give them enough time to recover the deed and anything else the ne'er do well managed to abscond with.

But then River added his two damned gil to this mess. Ill gotten gains? If Kajin could launch himself into the Void and never return, he probably would have but instead he settled for gaping helplessly like an Orobon at the stupidest lalafell he’d ever laid eyes on. Yes, his accusation may have… some truth to it, this very situation being example A, but they were here asking for help. They weren’t there to antagonize what a struggling community did to survive in the aftermath of the Calamity. He narrowed his eyes at his own line of thought, marking the hypocrisy and mentally noting it for review later. He couldn’t judge the Miqo’te on his pastime in one breath and then make excuses for the Silver Bazaar in another.

He could however smack some sense into the Lalafell and so he did just that, popping him on the back of the head. “Were you born in a dirty choco pen? You don’t insult someone and then ask for their help in the same breath, you glorified goblue dropping! The Silver Bazaar struggles since the Calamity stole everything from it and you don’t get to judge how they make their living.” Kajin snapped. As if he’d let someone disrespect a friend of his. The Silver Bazaar, and Kikipu, had been his escape from the brutal monotony of Ul’dah since he arrived and no one disrespected his friends. He turned back to Kikipu apologetically. “Just ignore him, please? Clearly he needs to learn some manners before he interacts with anyone. Do you know if the guy who turned all this in is staying around here? Should be able to convince him to withdraw his remaining “property” from the auction before it sells without much trouble.”

[Alfhedil]

---

_{With @EvictedElement}

As the dockworkers invigorated themselves to getting the job done and making as much use of their newfound help as possible, Isabella resolved herself to ensuring that even if not exactly her first choice, she would not slack either. Both hands caught hold of the boat as it came in, assisting in guiding it to rest at the pier and looking over the catch. She recognized the fish well enough, a staple food of the region and migrating in with the change in seasons. It had been a decent bit since she had done any ocean fishing, but the Indigo Herring was familiar with her and so she knew how to handle the writhing net a little better.

Putting both hands into the net, she grabbed hold of the thicker strands and motioned for X'gihl to take up the other side. "One quick, but strong motion. Otherwise with all of them flopping about in the net, they'll take us in one way or the other. I'm sure you don't want to go for a swim about as much as I would, and we shouldn't spill the catch they worked hard on." Waiting on him to signal his readiness, she would brace herself carefully, and do a three count before hefting the entire net with him over into the cart with a dull thud of fish meeting wood.

"Wasn't too bad, a pretty good haul too." Isabella commented, standing upright and brushing her hands off against the leather underlayer of her armor exposed along the sides of her legs. Fishing in bulk and with a net didn't nearly have as much of the sport to it that she liked personally, but these people had to eat and this was how many of the coastal towns made a living. "Anyways, though Galfridus was who we were looking to talk to for Lyveva, you seem to know quite a bit about the goings on and are right here, so I don't suppose we could trouble you for some assistance in that matter?"

"Right now all we really have to go on is that another Highlander was responsible, or believed to be responsible for seizing the title to their company house, and that he was preparing to put it and everything inside on auction fairly soon. From the looks of things up at the square, it feels like he intends to do so by end of day." Pausing for just a moment, her expression went pensive as she thought back to Lyveva's description of the man in particular in order to be sure she had the details correct. "Otkar was his name, had two scars on his face and fairly recognizable I would say by the description we were given. And if thieving someone's home out from under them wasn't bad enough, we were also told he's a habit of parading about as a flame sergeant in order to seem more legitimate."

[Bounce]

_{[ theme: in the end ]}

As he straightened back up, the young Padjal was aware of the fact that the Lalafell, who had been sheltering behind him, had now stepped forward.

"The names River, and don't you go forgetting it."

Outspoken fellow, for having seemed so quiet or shy before. Clutching his staff, the boy's eyes just blinked as he stared down as River thrust himself into the conversation with...

...well, it was all rather direct. For a moment, E-Siri was not certain whether River was a Lalafell or just a very small Roegadyn for how very blunt the delivery was. Which, might have gotten the point across very quickly, but didn't seem very polite.

It was with that very thought in mind that E-Siri put one finger aloft. He had hoped to garner the attention of the three Lalafell. After all, in Gridania, all a Padjal had to do was blink and suddenly everyone was paying them mind. Here, not so much no. So, clearing his throat, the horned child meekly began, "I have some concerns..."

That was as far as he got before Kajin leapt into action. The boy winced as the smack was delivered. Thankfully, Kajin re-engaged Kikipu in conversation to try and smooth over the matter.

Though being that they were two Lalafell and a Padjal, E-Siri was curious just how Kajin intended to go about strong-arming a man into doing anything.