[IC] Guild of Renta-Experts [[CANCELLED]]

[Xaltwind]

Karin looked at Alice with a neutral, unplussed face. The tanuki-woman readjusted her glasses which had slid down a bit along her nose, and replied indifferently to the werewolf's comment.

"Well, if that's how you feel. These kinds of matters are always your own to decide on." The receptionist stated, which was probably just a nice way of saying: Whatever, I don't really care.

Once their little conversation had died down though, the sound of hopping hooves and perky papayas could be heard once more. In an instant, almost as if on cue, Brandy appeared yet again next to Alice. She had a different scrap of paper in her hand this time, and with no hesitation, she shoved said scrap of documentation in the litteral face of their receptionist.

"Hey, hey! This one! What's this one? The lil' bunny-critter is 'totes cute in like, all the right ways! Do we get to walk this one too?" She, excitedly, inquired while leaning forward over the desk.
".... No, Miss Vanillarin. That's a quest to exterminate a particularly pesky horned rabbit that's been causing trouble around the village lately."
"... Ex... Termite... Wut?"
"The job is to get rid off it. With force. Lethal force."
"Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!? You want us to actually murderize this lil' cutie? But lookit'im! He's so fluffy and small and got the chubby cheeks and a unicorn-horn! Kariiiiin! Do we hafta?" Brandy pleaded, while looking like apuppy that had just been kicked. The receptionist sighed.
"If you decide to take that quest, then yes. You'll have to make that little fuzz-ball into a new set of slippers, as per the client's request."
"Wait... Hold up. I dunno how to make shoes... I... uh... I kinda don't use 'em. Ehehe..."
"It was a metaphor, you don't actually need to make any kind of shoes from it."
"Oh! Well, good! No, wait! It's still bad! I don't wanna splatter this guy! Can't we just like, chase him off or something? Scare him away, or lure him deeper into the forest?"
"We already tried that, but the pest just keeps coming back. The client of this quest has had enough, and just wants to get rid off the little rodent once and for all."
"Aaawwww.... Aliiiiiiice~ Back me up here, girl!" Brandy pleaded, now having turned to Alice, grabbing the werewolf's hands with both of her own and having the most pouty face you'd ever seen, and watery, moist eyes.

[The Irish Tree]

Alice was glad that Karin understood...or at least pretended to so that the conversation would end. Brandy would return with plans for a new job, the likes of which had Alice thinking...

She hadn't had lunch.

And a horn...she could use that!

Alice beamed, softly placing a hand on Brandy's shoulder. "Brandy, I know it might look cute, but that horn means its not an ordinary cute and cuddly rabbit. Its basically a monster...also... Alice clenched her hands. "Its got meat! Rabbit meat! Meat for a stew, a pelt for a pillow!

Alice rubbed her hands together, drooling a bit as she added: "And that HORN! I bet I could make some great potion stock with it! Maybe even use it for some medicine!"

Clearing her throat, Alice nodded her head before saying: "Anyways, its being a pest, so we have to get rid of it. If it breeds and has a litter, it'll take them to the client's plants and wipe them out for good! This is bigger than rabbit stew! Its a real quest, Brandy!"

Alice seemed awful excited about getting to eat some real meat. Might have had something to do with the werewolf blood in her body.

She was also immune to pouts. She worked customer service before.

[Xaltwind]

Brandy blinked a few times, still pouting, and looked at the scrap of paper in her hand. She eyed the cute drawing of the horned bunny. Then looked back at Alice. Then back at the drawing. Then at Karen. Then back to the drawing. Then back at Alice.

"You sure, Al? I hear unicorns have horns too, but those ain't ever called monsters, right?" She asked, apparently still not entirely convinced that the rather inaccurately and overly cute sketch of the horned rabbit was actually even remotely likely to be any kind of threat. After some time though, the satyr sighed a small sigh and placed the piece of paper onto Karen's desk though, before looking back at Alice, clenching her fist and getting a very determined look on her face.

"But alright! If you say this thingy is a bad bunny, then I'll believe it! And if it's the kinda bad bunny that goes and makes a mess for people, then we need to take it down, all heroic-like and stuff, right?" She was apparently very fired u now, having seemingly completely forgotten that she'd wanted to hug and pe the damn thing mere moments ago.

Karen sighed as well, though for a completely different reason. Moving her chair and shifting her weight upon it, the raccoon-receptionist took the scrap of quest-paper and read it herself, before nodding and rummaging around in her filing cabinet for a bit.

"Right then. So, you two want to take on this job next? Alright. Let me go over the specifics. Ahem!" Karen cleared her throat before proceeding. "The client is a farmer out in the western fields, at a small homestead. His name is Krug Dooch. He's requested that the guild come to his home, find the Hroned Rabbit that's been terrorizing his crops and get rid off it, permanently. He asks that anyone attempting the job bring back physical proof of their deed before he'll agree to pay. He asks that you bring along a receipt that he can sign to confirm that he's satisfied." Karen finished fishing about in one of her drawers and pulled up a small, thing strip of parchment, with the guild's logo printed in one of the corners. Some text and legal mumbo-jumbo was scribble don it already, and there was a small dotted line at the bottom, likely meant for a signature.

Brandy picked up the piece of additional paperwork, looked it over, twisted and turned it in her hands, and then looked back at karen.

"So, this iiiiiiiiiiiiiis...?"
"The receipt. You'll need to get Mr. Dooch to sign his name on it once you've completed the quest. Otherwise, you won't get paid."
"... But what if we mess up and write his name ourselves, or somethin'?" Brandy questioned - giving a fairly sinister suggestion to a potentially otherwise unlucrative result.
"That won't be an issue. Just like you, Ms. Vanillarihn, Mr. Dooch has a very... Distinct... Way of writing. I'm fairly sure neither of you could forge his signature. But, since you brought it up, I guess I'll have to tell the Guild Mistress to keep an eye on you from now on." The clever tanuki said, with an evil smile. Brandy's ears slouched and her eyes went wide.
"Wha-?! No! I wasn't gonna! That's wrong, and mean! I was just wonderin' cause someone did that to Pa' back home once. He had to pay for somethin' he didn't buy, so-"
"I was just joking around, please relax." She said, but her eyes told a different story.
"... Oh, phew! You had me going there, Kar-kar! Maa-haa-haa~!" Brandy replied, oblivious and happy-go-lucky as usual, before playfully slapping Karen's shoulders from across the other side of the desk, causing the raccoon to nearly drop her glasses.
"Ow, hey! Cut it out. Gah. So, anyway! Do you want this job or not?" The receptionist retorted in mild annoyance. Brandy smiled like a thousand suns in response.
"Of course, sign us up, chief! We'll show that meaty ball of fur who's boss and what happens when ya try'n steal honest farmer's work!" Apparently, her upbringin on a farm had made her very protective of crops and the like.

Turning to Alice again, Brandy flashed a big smile and pointed at the werewolf meaningfully, then balled her fist up and pointed at herself with the thumb of the same hand.

"Yup, you and me, Al! We'll handle this like it's no big whoop!" Se paused, and then looked down at herself. "... But before we go, I'm just gonna head on over to where I'm stayin' and put on a chang eof clothes, yeah? If we're gonna go trekkin' through some fields, I dun wanna be wearing my totes best outfit, y'know? Be right baaaaaack!"

With taht, Brandy launched into a comedically fast sprint, leaving the guild hall with a sound that was somehow similar to that of a roaring race car. Leaving not but a trail of stirred up dust behind, the satyress vanished into the town-proper... For a few minutes at most... Then came bounding back, with a similarily ridiculous sound, but now in a fnew outfit. To describe it, it looked more like a fusion of a jeans-apron and leotard.... And for some reason, Brandy was quite clearly not wearing the red bra she'd had on before... In fact, she probably wasn't wearing one at all. But if nothing else, this apparel at least looked far more sturdy and less prone to getting torn, or dirty, than her skirt and shirt from before.

The satyr looked very pleased as she returned, going over to her alchemist-ally and striking a few dozen poses.

"Whaddya think? Neat,. huh? This is what I used to wear back when I helped out back home. It's super-easy to move in and easy to wash, so it's totes perfect for this job, right?" She commented, with great enthusiasm.

[The Irish Tree]

Alice couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange at hand between Brandy and Karen. Even if Brandy wasn't really smart, she was really funny when she played to her strengths of being naive and eager. "Mr. Dooch can count on us, Karen. I promise I won't screw up on technicalities like last time. I'll handle the receipt," she said, before Brandy started mentioning that she needed to go change clothes. Alice was...surprised, honestly, that Brandy had the self-awareness to know her clothes would get ruined, but she HAD worked on a farm all her life.

When she returned, Alice smiled, almost feeling like this look suited Brandy a lot more than her other outfit. "My ouftit's made to handle chemicals, so it getting dirty is no big deal. You look really cute in that though Brandy," Alice praised sincerely, tail swishing before she pointed at the door.

"Anyways, off to a real quest! Let's go find us a rabbit!"

[Xaltwind]

At being complimented, the satyress would puff her (rather significantly sized) chest out and put both hands on her hips, smiling broadly and proudly, as if she'd just been awarded the most distinguishing medal of honor you could imagine.

"I know right? Mama- err, I mean, Mom made this especially for me, since the one I used to wear was so ugly and boring! Dad always whined about it, but old men, right? Whadda they know 'bout looking fahionable! Maa-haa-haa!" She half-bragged, half-gloated, half-explained. At the notion of going on a real quest though, Brandy nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Let's go and show that lil' fuzzball who the real deal is around these parts! Hear that, bunny-breath! There're new sheriffs in tpoooooown!" She half half-yelled, half-exclaimed, half-laughed-out-loud-while-saying.

After the brief moment of grand posturing and hyping-up, the two girls were off. Off towards the western fields, in the western region of the rural area, to meet and help an orcish farmer... A farmer named Dooch. While they walked, Brandy happily bounced abouy next to Alice, talking about poretty much anything and everything you could imagine - from mundane things like how apple pies were delicious, to what color and length of lace she prefered on her underrwear. The satyress also complimented the werewolf's attire, saying it looked cool - but a bit too warm for Brandy's own personal wardrobe... She sure seemed to like... Breezy attire...

Leaving the village proper, they travelled along a thin, winding dirt path - one well-travelled, but not important enough to be paved or marked. They passed through a sparsely wooded area before finally emerging at the fields. And fields they were indeed. Vaast acres of green, stretching out for a good while, with plowed and tilled soil being fenced in by simple wooden... well,... fence! A few farmhands were present, mostly humans and a few orcs, working the fields with hoes and baskets, dressed in the most stereotypical farmer's garb you could imagine.

There were three major buildings of note. One was a large farmhouse, likely the residence of Mr. Dooch himself. The others were a rather tall silo, and the last was something akin to a barn. Funnily enough, there weren't any animals around though - not even horses to pull plows or carts. Perhaps that was where the workers slept? Regardless, as soon as they laid eyes on the quaint little farmstead, Brandy's eyes widened and sparkled like diamonds and she clasped her hands together while her little tail swished to and fro ecstatically.

"Oh woooooow! It's a farm! Al! It's a real farm, you see it!? It's just like back hoe, but 'totes different! It's so big, and there're so many workers!" There actually weren't that many... "Wowzers! If dad could see this, he'd be so jealous! Maa-haa-haa~! I wonder what they're planting? Ooh, should we help out? Should we? We should, right!? RIGHT!?!" It seemed she had already forgotten why they came here in the first place...

Meanwhile, as the satyr tugged at Alice's sleeve and bounded around her companion happily, a large, gruff-looking orc, with a straw hat on his bald head, and a stalk of wheat-grasss inbetixt his teeth, was looking down at and overseeing the affairs in the fields from a slightly elevated mound next to the residential farmhouse. He was a broad-shouldered fellow, with a muscular and toned frame, large strong hands and a stern but calm expression on his orc-ish face. His slightly pointy ears twitched at the noise of unfamiliar young women, but he didn't look away from or get distracted from his cool, dandy-like countenance. Arms folded over his chest, the man gave off the impression of a strong, serious and silent type... Perhaps he was the Dooch?

_{... He totally is!}

[The Irish Tree]

Alice had to admit, just talking about small things with Brandy was a lot of fun. She loved shepherd's pies herself, but didn't mind a good apple one...even eventually coming to admit that she wore cotton bloomers, the most utterly boring underwear, because they were way cheaper than anything else. Alice was also revealing she was kind of a penny pincher when it came to herself, which was probably obvious from her lack of casual clothes.

"It sure is a real farm," Alice said, tail wagging. The wide open space and smell of nature all around...how heavenly it was to travel outside of town for once. Though, at the mention of helping them plant, Alice had the feeling it'd be a recurring theme of her having to remind Brandy they were here to kill a rabbit, not help as farmhands. Speaking of the job, the overseer HAD to be Dooch. He matched the client description that was mandatory, otherwise...how would adventurers know who's actually hiring them, and who's mooching free work and skipping out on paying them.

"That's our client right there Brandy," Alice said, dragging Brandy on over."Hello there! I take it that you're Mr. Dooch, the man who put up the job for that rabbit?" Alice felt like the faster she got to getting this done, the less likely Brandy was to run off and do farm work while Alice did the hunting.

[Xaltwind]

"That guy? pffffft... Maa-haa-haa~! What's with that hat? It's sooooooo 'totes not stylin' at all!" Bradny burst out in laughter while her werewolf-friend was pulling, and explaining to her, towards the orcish farmer up on his perched mound of grass. As Alice greete the fellow, he tipped his hat slightly with a nod and then looked the two girls over, up and down, top to toe. Asomewhat... Disconcerned expression... formed on his face and he raised one of his - now visible and very bushy - eyebrows.

"Eyup, that'd be me, lil' lady. But... You sayin' ya'll here from that there G.O.R.E-place? Beggin yer pardon but, well, I thought they'd be sendin' someone a bit more... Uh... Brawny, I guess?" The orc said, with a thick souhern accent even though that isn'ät a thing in this world, while scratching the nape of his neck.
"Hey! What's that 'spose to mean, gramps!? We're plenty brawly! Just lookit these guns!" Brandy retorted in a defensive manner, then proceeding to flex her arms and show off her biceps... Which, admittedly were there, but weren't nearly as impressive as the satyress probably imagined. The farmer laughed though, surprisngly, despite his otherwise serious-looking disposition it seemed he was an easy-going fellow.
"Haha! Apologies, ma'am. I guess that was rude o' me t'say. So, yeah, name's Dooch. I run this'n here farm 'n fields." He began introducing and explaining. "About three weeks ago, I started noticin' the crops on the outskirts o' my fields were damaged though. First I thought it was jus' some pesky vermin, so I had them fellas down there lay out some traps 'n what-not. Buuuuut, instead o' catching us some regular bunnies or rodents, turns out wha'ever was causin' the mischief couldn't care less about some lil' ol' snappy-traps or snares... In fact, it broke most o'em."
"Yeah, okay, we get it! No need for the drawn-out exposition, guy! Just point us in the direction and we'll make mince-meat outta the horned furball freak!" Brandy, impatiently, interjected. Mr. Dooch raised another eyebrow in response.
"Uh... Well, I honestly dunno where that critter be hidin' out now... Seems he shows up on the edges of the fields durin' dusk or dawn, nibbles up some o' our crops and then scampers off before we can do anything. Murray down there almost had it once b ut he got himself gored in the side when the damn thing escaped. Luckily he weren't heard none too bad, but still... That thing packs a mean charge. If'n ya lil' missies gonna be huntin' him down, ya best be careful, y'hear?" The orc warned in a kind but stern fashion. Brandy puffed up her cheeks in response.
"So, basically... You don't know where this bun-bun is hiding and we're supposed to find it on our own? That what you saying, old man?" Brandy stated, both hands on her hips and leaning forward... Enough so to show off a gratuitous amount of her ample chest, which caused the straw-hat-wearing orc to avert his eyes bashfully and let out a clearing-his-throat-noise.
"Uh, uhm... Yeah... So, I'd ask them boys and gals down in the field if'n they'd seen any tracks or signs recently... Maybe ya'll can pick up the trail that way? Y-you won't be gettin' paid 'til I see that horned menace's head in yer hands, ya gots it? Already paid some folk last week after they said they'd gotten rid off the damn thing, but right as rain it showed up the very next day 'gain."
"Hmph! Don't you fear, Mr. Douche. me and AL are gonna pound that fluff-ball and make a carpet outa him for sure!" Brandy announced brazenly while cracking her knuckles... Apparently having forgotten that earlier she wanted to cuddle an d make the thing her pet back at the guild hall...

The orc chuckled a bit and then informed the pair that he had to get back to supervising the other farmhands... Which got a snide remark from Brandy about supervisors not actually doing anything actual 'work' on a farm... Just like how big brother back home used to do that when it was her sister, her own and his job to take care of the fields... Lazy bum. Still, with the weather being nice and pleasant, it wasn't going to be too hard to find any signs of the little scamp's presence, if there were any. The farm was divided into three fields, one to the north, one to the south and one to the west of the mound that Dooch was standing on.

"So... Whadda we do now, Al-Al? We just sniff and poke around the edges of the crops and look for bite-marks on cabbage and carrots?" Brandy asked, tilting her head quizzically. Alice was the more experienced one, and had bragged about her skills in hunting, so the satyr was more or less completely and utterly relying on her friend to take charge of this endeavor.

[The Irish Tree]

Alice listened attentively to Dooch's explanation, and smiled confidently. "I think we can handle this pretty easily. I have a trap in mind that should take care of it without anyone getting hurt," Alice bragged to Brandy, puffing her chest out and wagging her tail. With her statement made, she would begin leading Brandy around to the various field hands. "Most important part of hunting is knowing where you're actually supposed to look. Otherwise we're just wasting our time," she explained.

"Excuse me sir?"

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Excuse me, if I could just have a moment of your time?"

Alice would zoom about, taking testimonies from people while also examining the various crops around the poriferae of the farmlands, seeing just how far the rabbit dared venture in before fleeing. Also, she got on all fours and started sniffing tracks, before immediately getting back up. A tinge of red on her cheeks, she cleared her throat and said: "I think I have an idea. Generally."

[Xaltwind]

At Alice's questioning of the farmhands, she'd learn taht the rabbit apparnelty either showed up near the north and west edges of the farm, usually at dawn or dusk. There were isolated incidents where it'd shown up elsewhere and at different, other times of day, but generally the previous testimonies seemed to be the general agreed-upon consensus aamongst the workers.

When Alice got down on all fours and started sniffing about, Brandy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and let out a stifled, snorting chuckle briefly. It was the first time she saw the otherwise cool, calm and pro-like Alice get down and dirty and looking like she had a good time while doing it. Completely different from the whole Francoise-disaster, where the other girl had looked like she was ready to cry and sink through the earth. This put a smile on the little satyrss' face.

"Sure, sounds good, Al!" Brandy exclaimed, once the alchemist-werewolf relayed that she had figured out(?) where they should be heading. "Although, looking at this farm..." Brandy paused, putting a finger on her chin and scanning the area from left to right with a full semi-circle-swivel of her head. "I'm kinda surprised, y'know? They don't even have proper fences around the fields or nothing. We had some bun-buns come pester us back home too, but we at least had a fence 'round our vegetable patches. Are these guys newbie-farmers? Or ... Maybe they're too poor to afford a fence!? AL! ARE WE EXPLOITING THE POOR!?" Brandy's remark about the farm lacking proper fencing around all of its field was accurate. Her outburst about the place's finanical situation, not so much... Most likely. "A-anyway! Whadda e do now, girflriend? Thems folk said the critter shows up at dusk and dawn, yeah? Wanna hide in a bush 'til it shows its fuzzy face so we can pounce on it?" Brandy asked, her face taking on a strangely - and comically - feline-like expression, and she even balled her hand into a paw and made swatting-motions with it.

[The Irish Tree]

Alice was at least MOSTLY sure that her plan would work. And if not... "The moon's full tonight, so...it'll work out, one way or another."

With that meaningless statement, Alice would address Brandy's fears by saying: "Well, I don't think they're poor. It may just be sharecropping, or something. Also, basically, yes. My plan is to set up a tripwire that will launch one of my bombs, make a noise so loud that it paralyzes it, and then we pounce for the kill. Sound good?"

Alice's plan seemed relatively simple, but...really, it was a rabbit with extra steps. "Plus, if it winds up escaping, I can just chase after it. Us werewolves get crazy strong and fast during full moons. ...Though uh...if that happens...don't take anything I say too personally. Aggression, and all."

With a rough map made of the area where the rabbit-beast came out of the woods at dusk, Alice would get her trap ready, along with a set of earplugs for herself and Brandy. Wouldn't do them much good to stun the beast and then be stunned themselves, after all. Her Flashpowder bomb would be the equivalent of a grenade going off sound-wise, so anything with sensitive ears was liable to get spooked and stunned. That was the idea, at least.

[Xaltwind]

With things said and done, trap set and the girls prepped, there was little else to do but hide and wait. The pair would watch as the hours of the day slowly whittled away, with the workers in the fields milling about, doing their chores and laboring tirelessly. Brandy had no shortage of comments and 'insight' about farm-work and was none too shy about sharing this with Alice... Like, non-stop sharing... To the point where the werewolf would later have to shush the farm-enthusiast-satyr so as to not give away their position before their prey even made an attempt at appearing.

The sun sailed across the sky slowly,a nd as noon turned to evening and evening to dusk, more clouds had formed and begun shrouding the sky. It might end up raining during the night, or at least there wouldn't be any moon or starlight once the sun had set. Fortunately, the red glow of the setting sun was still enough to illuminate the surroundings for both of the girls to see. The setting sun also signalled the end of today's work, and the farmers began packing up for the day - storing away their tools and supplies, with some heading for the barn-like bunkhouse while others began their trek back towards the village of Litroot.

When Alice offered the earplugs to Brandy, the satyr looked at them confused. She then seemed to have a proverbial candle light above her head, and was just about to eat the damned things before she noticed Alice shoving them into her ears. The tanned little satyr looked at the werewolf and blinked a few times, then looked at the plugs in her hand, then back at Alice. She shrugged and then clumbsily placed them into her own ears, making a discomfortable face as she did so... Apparently she'd neither ever seen nor heard of these devices before, and had for some reason mistaken them for those little crisp-bread things you put in meals...

Eventually, after many hours of waiting and minutes of scanning their immediate vicinity, the two girls were treated to some good fortune. A pair of erect, suspiscious rabbit-like ears appeared at the fringes of the farm, not too far from their position. Lured by a bit of bait and the trap set by Alice, the horned rabbit - which was a tad larger than one might expect - made its appearance, complete with Mega Man-boss selection theme and intro-slide-cards. In truth, the 'rabbit' was less of a rabbit and more along the size of fully-grown Boxer (the dog, not the athelete). With moist black eyes, it scanned the farmlands, sniffed the air with its small pink nose and twitched it ears like audio-parabols to try and pick up any hints of potential threats. Brandy almost squeed and spoiled their position, but was able to cover up her mouth and just let hot air escape instead of a high-pitched and girly squeal.

Slowly approaching, the horned bunny got closer and closer, foot by foot, inch by inch... And then...

Flomp!
KABRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!

Trap triggered and bomb exploded.

The hairs on Brandy's neck, as well as the fur on her tail, ears and extremities all stood on end, evn with the earplugs. This was the first time she had ever heard something so loud so close up and personal. Her eyes were wide and agape, and she had a genuinely stupified expression on her stupid face. Their quarry was, as expected, equally disoriented, frightened and confused, looking around in bewilderment and not being sure where to go or what to do, stamping its hind-foot hard against the grassy ground and making panicked squeaky noises... Mixed with hissing.

Brandy shook her head, slapped her own cheek - lightly - and thens tood up, arms raised in a fighting-like-stance and, with her head turned skywards, let out some kind of battle cry.

"RAAAAAAAAH! OKAY, AL! LEY'S GET 'IM!"

With speed similar to what she had dsiplayed earlier when going to change clothes, the satyr hopped over the shrubbery they had used as a hiding spot and charged ahead, full speed, towards the perplexed and frightened critter. Hearing the clippity-clops of hooves, the tiny (not actually tiny) bunny turned its gaze towards the oncoming threat. What followed was a scene that would have likely made for a very good choice of a tale at a local tavern.

As Brandy drew closer, the horned rabbit narrowed its eyes. When she just about to get within reach, the creature hopped up - straight from where it had been sitting - and somehow performed what could only be described as a rabbit's version of a roundhouse kick. Time seemed to slow down to slow-motion-levels of crawl, and the bunny's fuzzy eet connected with Brandy's not-so-fuzzy-face. Had this been an action-movie, the camera would've zoomed in as Brandy's face was twisted and contorted as the force of the rabbit's kick rippled through her... But what was even more surprising than this, was that the creature had enough force in its attack to actually cause Brandy's body to lift from the ground, become airborne and go sailing backwards and land with a mix of a thumping and rustling noise as the bodacious babe went and landed several feet away in a small collection of bushes.

Oh, and while the kick was connecting with her face, she let out a bullet-time scream of: "Nooooooooooo!"

The horned rabbit then turned its gaze towards where Alice and Brandy had been hiding, spotting the werewolf. Its face and eyes seemd to be saying: 'Well? Come get some!' or something along those lines. Meandwhile, Brandy was lying rather unceremoniously on her back in a crumpled fashion, with eyes spinning and a mix of shock, horror and confusion plastered on her face.

[The Irish Tree]

Similar to how Brandy had screamed in bullet-time, Alice would gasp in slow-mo, shocked that the rabbit was still able to move so well even after getting its ears hurt by the bomb. Maybe it was a lot tougher than they anticipated...but that didn't matter now! Alice had no choice but to square up with the horned rabbit to preserver Brandy's dignity, and so that they could get paid!

Alice would flash her claws and take up a fighting pose before dashing in close, using all four of her limbs to keep up. It was a dog eat dog situation, and thankfully, she was half-wolf. Which was like...a super dog. Clashing with a fellow beast wasn't as dramatic as it sounded though, as the rabbit kept delivering swift kicks to her hands each time she'd try to reach out. Its legs were powerful, but they weren't designed for attacking. That horn on the other hand would prove dangerous if it gored Alice...which, judging from its sudden mad dash at her, that was exactly what it intended to do.

The werewolf would grit her teeth and grab the rabbit like it was an incoming football (The cultural sport of werewolves) and slide back as she caught the speeding bullet of a rabbit, struggling against its powerful momentum. The horn just barely poked at her stomach, the rabbit stopped and forced to squirm before a swift blow was delivered to the back of its neck, a death sentence for any rabbit. Sighing, Alice collapsed back and onto her back. "THAT WAS SCARY! I WAS COUNTING ON THE FULL MOON TO FIGHT, AND ITS CLOUDY!?" she yelled aloud, before remembering Brandy. Brandy! Are you alright!?" she asked, after raising a club and unceremoniously bashing the rabbit over the head to make sure it was dead.

[Xaltwind]

A semi-limp satyress was lying in a pile of crumpled shrubbery and bush. Her mouth was open in an undignified manner, her eyes looked like swirls of swirling swirliness as they - probably - stared up at the darkening sky above. The girl's head slightly rolled around on her shoulders, as if it was one of those tea cup-rides at the carnival. Then, a voice called out to the humiliatingly defeated former farmer, and her eyes blinked, returning to their regular reddish brown. She sat up straight, looking around herelf, confused, as if she didn't remember what had just happened.

Then, getting back onto her feet and brushing herself off, Brandy took a bit of time to straighten her outfit and make sure any and all twigs, leaves and dirt were proeprly removed from her person, before finally turning towards where Alice and the now squashed-head bunny were.

"whERE'S THAT CARROT-HUMPIN' SHIT!? I'LL KILL'IM!" A very enraged Brandy yelled, clenching her fist and shakingly it violently in the direction of her werewolf companion. She was almost forthing at the mouth and looked as if she was about ready to rip the head straight from the spine of anyone who dared get within arm's reach of her.

Stomping ahead like she was some kind of half-bear, half-man nightmare, the little satyr drew closer to ALice... And then, spotted the bunny on the ground. A moment of silence followed

...

Then Brandy kicked the dead rabbit. Sending it flying several feet off to the side and into some shrubbery opposite the bushes she herself had landed.

"That'll teach ya, ya damn hole-dwelling turd! Nobody messes with the face! NOBODY!" Brandy expressed her unhappiness with having had her precious mug exposed to potential disfiguring. After a couple of heavy and ragged breahts though, she seemed to calm down a bit and finally turned to her friend.

"Ah... Al... Good work, girl. Ya took down that critter like a champ, yeah! I thought you were jut some brainy book-worm-kinda-girl with a 'totes adorb tail and ears, but dang. You can bring the hurt, huh? Maa-haa-haa~!" Brandy praised, happily patting Alice on the shoulders in a firm but friendly manner. "By thebutt, Al. That... That bunny didn't mess up my face, did he?" She then asked, considerably more concerned and less spirited.

Alice would have many options here. She could tell the truth, and say that all the bunny had managed to do was leave a red mark where it'd hit the satyr... Which would probably fade by tomorrow. Or, she could play a mean prank and exaggerate the damage - which would undeniably cause Brandy no end ot anguish and may launch her into a fit. Regardless of what the werewolf chose, their job was for the most part done now. ALl that was left was to bring the dead creature to Dooch as proof, and then head back to Litroot.

[The Irish Tree]

Alice felt her ears fall flat against her head as she heard Brandy scream bloody murder, and wince at seeing her punt that thing like she'd invented a new sport out of it. She'd run after the rabbit's corpse, knowing they'd need it to prove they had done the deed before returning to hear Brandy compliment her on her work. Puffing her chest out, Alice would say: "I'm pretty handy when it comes to stuff like this. Comes with being part dog, I think. Also, thank you, I brush my tail a lot."

At being questioned whether or not the bunny had messed up Brandy's face, approaching her companion and getting a good look at it. "Its only a small mark. It should heal up by tomorrow morning, if I'm going to be honest. You're lucky he didn't try to gore you with his horn, like he tried with me," she said, putting a hand over the small gouge in her tunic, stained with a bit of her blood, yet her skin beneath was completely healed. "Being a werewolf is kinda cool sometimes, since that didn't even hurt all that bad and now I'm healed. But, anyways...time to get paid!" she would say, holding up the rabbit by its legs, looking proud as hell at their successful job.

It was pretty late, admittedly, but Alice wanted to get the job done and over with...and besides, after that loud bang and squabble and scream, the farmhands were probably awake. As such, Alice would present their rabbit to Dooch, and hopefully get to keep the body for stew and...research purposes.

[Xaltwind]

"He... Scratched... My... Face!?! YOU LIL' BASTAAAAAAARD! I'LL KILL YOU!!

Brandy, furious once more, snatched the recovered horned rabbit from Alice, and began throttling it - despite the fact the said rabbit's head wasa already a smushed bag of meat, blood, bone and brain. The satyress didn't seem to register that though, and was quite fervently trying to choke the bunny to death, despite it being - y'know? - dead. After a bit of pointlessness, Brandy calmed down, and handed the dead critter back to Alice, while wiping her now sweaty brow with the side of her arm.

"Haah... Haah... Phew. That'll teach'im! Nobody messes with a woman's face. Especially one as pretty as me! Right, Al? Riiiight? Riiiiiiiiiiight!?" Brandy insisted, geting closer to Alice with each repetition, the light of the world seeming to be sucked away as she got closer, and closer, and closer and was now merely half an inch away from Alice's own face... Was Brandy's eyes glowing? No, no, that was just an optical illusion, yeah! That's it, nothing to worry about!

After the uncomfortable invasion of personal space, Brandy would slip past and behind Alice, and quickly grab her the werewolf girl's tail. She'd hold in both her hands, running one along its length while inspecting it from various angles - intently.

"Hmm, yeah. I can tell. The hairs are all neatly pointing in the same direction and there ain't no tufts or knots or clots at all. Still, gotta be a lot of hard work takin' care of this bushy thing." She said, stroking the tail firmly but gently. "Nothin' like my own lil' buddy, maa-haa-haa~!" Brandy laughed, letting go of Alice's tail, sticking her own butt out and wagging her considerably smalelr and shorter goat-like tail at the werewolf.

After the shennanigans were over and done with though, the pair would return to the residential-looking farmhouse, the one Dooch had been standing just outside of ontop of that little mound earlier in the day. Approaching the rustic building, the little satyr bounced ahead and would gingerly knock on the door, a big old smile on her face, standing in place, bobbing up and down, chest bouncing along with her movements. A voice was heard from inside... But... It was very femenine. The door opened, and... Well... Either Dooch had a very sudden anatomical change, or this was someone else...

A young orc female stood in the doorway. Hair tired into twin pigtails, dark brown in color. She wore a white and red polka-dotted top which was very revealing, along with a pair of blue, low-cut jeans short-shorts... Otherwise, she didn't seem to be wearing anything, no shoes, no socks, no bra... The girl looked at the two other girls perplexed, tilting her head at them.

"Who be you gals? Ya 'ere to ask Pa' for work?" She aid, in a very thick and southern accent.
"Dooch!? That you?! Damn, ya turned in a total smokeshow!"
"Uh, wha'? Wha'cha talkin'bout, girlie? I mean, I'm Dooch'n all, but wha's all this'bout a smokin' show-nonsense? It dun make a lick-o'-sense."
"... Did... Did you hit your head? Ya seem to be talkin' a lot different now."
"Huh!? This 'ere be the first time we be meetin', ya silly goat-girl!"

... It didn't seem this was going anywhere anytime soon, unless Alice interefered and managed to puzzle together what was actually going on here... But, given that this was a young orc-girl, roughtly the same age as Brandy or perhaps even a bit younger, and her name was apparently Dooch, it wasn't too hard to figure out the answer... Unless you were Brandy, of course.

[The Irish Tree]

Alice, being the shareholder of the party's braincells, would gently pat Brandy's shoulder before saying: "Brandy, this is Dooch's daughter, most likely. Hello, we took a job from your father to take care of a...pest problem. One horned rabbit, to be precise."

Alice had no idea where Brandy had come from where people suddenly got sex changes in the middle of the day...though, she had heard there was some experimental research being done into an alchemical sex-change potion. Results on that were varied and often resulted in hormonal imbalance, but hey, progress! Either way, Alice thankfully had the nose of a true hunting dog, and could smell the difference as well as see it. Wheras Dooch smelled like decades of hard work and other masculine things, his daughter, while also a hard worker, definitely at least used a little something here and there to have a scent that was pleasant.

"Ohh, the jackalope Pa' hired some 'venturers for. Them's you?" she would ask, to which Alice said: "Mhm!"

"Lemme jus' go get him out here so you gals can be on yer way," the young orc would say, before heading inside. Alice would wait outside with Brandy, while the very-much-not-genderbent Mr. Dooch would arrive. "I don't know how you girls did it, but that there is the rodent we've been looking to have off our lands. Much obliged, ladies."

Alice would proudly present the rather beaten up looking horned hare, showing that they had in fact done the deed, though the actual head-removal might have to come later if Dooch wanted to keep it as a trophy. A slight gurgle would resound from Alice's stomach as well. "Um...I don't suppose you would mind if we kept everything below its neck? Kinda staked out for a long time waiting for it."

[Xaltwind]

"Double-Dooches!? ... Sounds naughty, maa-haa-haa~" Brandy would exclaim, and then snicker, as Dooch's daughter ran off to ger her old man.

When the big guy reappeared, the satyr let out a breath of relief. Yeah, she definetely prefered Dooch looking like an old, grizzled, hard-laboring farmer-man, rather than a busty, teenage southern-themed bumpkin babe. She stayed quiet for most of the exchange between Alice and the orc, still bobbing up and down, swaying to and fro on her hooves with her hands behind her back. Then Alice's stomach growled.

"That there was a powerful growl o' hunger if I ever did hear it." Dooch said, an amused and toothy grin on his previously serious and business-only-like face. Brandy burst out laughing and almost fell onto her back, rolling around on the ground and chirping for air. She didn't. But it was close. "But yeah, ya gals can go 'head and keep that their pesky varmint for yerselves, lemme jus'" Crackk, Pop! "-aaaand there we go." The orc just grabbed the hare, twisted the head off like it was nothing more than the lid of some pickle-jar, and handed back the now decapitated body to Alice, without batting an eye. He then proceeded o reach into his burlap-y-looking pants and pulled out a small pouch.

"Job's done 'n all's well, here's the pay, lil' ladies. If'n I ever be needin' more o' them critters gone, I'll be sure to call on ya guild-folk 'gain. Ya'll take care now on yer way back home, y'hear?" Dooch said, with a hint of friendliness for the first time. He then proceeded to close the door in their faces, not inviting them in for dinner despite having heard the plaintive wail of a werewolf maiden's rumbling tum-tum. Luckily, Branndy had swiped the pouch of coinage, so all was good!

They now had a headless carcass, and a sack of coins. The only thing left to do was head back to litroot and report their success. Brandy positively beamed with pride and confidence, burning as brightly as the sun which had - for the most part - fully set by now. Hands on her sides and chest puffed out, she had a positively horizon-spanning smile on her face, that almost seemed to reach from one ear to the other.

"Al! We did it! We did it, Al! We're full-fledged, undeniable, unquestionable, irresistible, impossible adventurers!" Brandy exclaimed, jovially, as she struck a dramatic pose on Dooch's porch. "We've taken on and beaten a tough quest full of danger and mystery! Ain't nobody gonna be able to doubt our legit, deflowered adventuring skills anymore! Hm-hmm!" ... Brandy's choice of adjectives aside, it seemed she was very excited about having finished this particular quest. Likely because this was the first bit of actual 'combat' she'd ever been in, aside from possible squabbles and spats with her adoptive siblings and neighbours back home.

"I'm so glad you teamed up with me, girlfriend! You're like, 'totes adorbs, super-smart and a champ at fightin' too! I'm almost a bit jealous of how great you are! But don'cha fret, 'cuz this bombshell's gonna catch up to ya one day, alright?" Brandy stated, brazenly and without any sort of credible merits or talents with which to back up such claims, but she was in a good mood regardless. though, she calmed down as the two were leaving the farm and looked over to her side as the girls were walking. "By the by, Al. Yer tum was growlin' something firece back thar." She was obviously trying to imitate Dooch's manner of speak. Especially noticeable since she had a mischievous grin on her face. "Ya wanna wrangle up sum grub'n then have atussle in the hay~?" She asked, gingerly wiggling her eyevrows while still grinning.

[The Irish Tree]

At the "Double Dooch" comment, Alice didn't laugh...but her cheeks ballooned to almost double their size as she held in a MIGHTY snicker at that absolutely horrendous joke.

Also, wow, that was some strength to just *pop* that rabbit's head off. She wished she could have kept the horn, but making rabbit stew would have to suffice. "Thank you very much Sir, and if there are ever anymore, we'll be happy to take more jobs," Alice said, bowing her head to hide her bright red cheeks, embarrassed by her stomach outing her like a snitch. And Brandy, at being paid, seemed absolutely ecstatic.

But...Irresistible? Impossible? Alice wondered if Brandy knew what those words really meant...along with many others as Alice was left stunned by her calling them "de-flowered adventurers". "Um...that...doesn't mean that. That means we're not virgins," Alice said, trying to avoid the assertions about her stomach. Then...wait, was Brandy hitting on her. "T-T-T-Tussle!?" she asked. "I don't really swing that..." she started, before falling silent, staring up at the moving clouds overhead, shifting and parting to reveal the full moon overhead. "...Balls," she started, before she clutched her sides, growling as she said: "Brandy. Go back to town without me. Werewolves don't act right in full moons..." Already, her brown hair was taking on a silver hue to it, her claws turning from what had previously just been decently sharp looking nails turning into hardened things resembling actual claws. "I'll just...sleep in the woods. Good 'ol woods."

[Xaltwind]

"Hmm~? But we aren't virgins, right?" Brandy asked, all smiles and sunshine when Alice retorted about her remark being, grammatically and socially, incorrect. When the werewolf got flustered and nervous about the whole tussle-in the-hay though, a mischievous smirk spread across the little satyr's face. "Oh-ho~? Are you suuuuure? Ever tried it~? Shouldn't knock it 'til you try somethin', Al..." Brandy teased, a grin on her lips and a held infront of it to slightly cover it up. Then she burst out into her usual, jovial laughgter. "Relax! Relax! Jeez, you're too cute! Could 'totes have foo- Eh?"

Brandy's laughing was intterupted by Alice's sudden comment. At first, the girl looked a bit perplexed and stunned, as if she'd just been told to leave a store for no particular reason... But then, once she saw the werewolf-lass have a change of hair color, and sudden growth of her claws, the satyr's epxression changed.

... Into that of sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks and the biggest, dumbest smile you'd ever seen.

"What the whaaaaat!? Al! You can dye your hair and grow your nails out just like that!? That's awesome! I wanna be able to do that too, then I wouldn't hafta worry about breaking my nails!"

Brandy was, unsurprisingly, not in the least bit concerned that her partner was going through an obvious metamorphic event, nor seemed the least bit concerned that she was now assuming a more threatenihg appearance. Indeed, the little satyress' inability to sense danger or read the situation was astounding, to the point of mind-boggling.

"Still!" She said, putting her hoof down, turning to her friend and wagging a finger. "That was kinda rude, y'know. Tellin' me to run off and leave ya here to sleep in the woods. I'd never do somethin' like that. C'mon! Let's head back to town and celebrate. Oh, and brag to karin and that lil' girl. Bet they'll praise us!" She said, obviously having missed the entire point of why Alice had wanted her to go ahead and leave her behind. And now she had grabbed onto the werewolf's sleeve and was gently but playfully tugging at it in order to make her come along.

[The Irish Tree]

Alice was dumbfounded, that even as her own IQ dropped, it was still watching Brandy's seemingly plummet with every word that left her mouth. "...Brandy, I'm fated to turn into a big dumb monster whenever there's a full moon out in full. This isn't hair dye and press-on nails," she said, much ruder sounding than usual. "But, if you insist, let's get going back to the guild hall..." Alice said, haughtily raising her nose and walking, shaking her sleeve free of Brandy's grasp before heading...in the complete wrong direction.

Looking back at Brandy, she said: "...Which way was it?" she asked, grabbing the rabbit and biting an entire leg off like it was nothing, chewing and swallowing it, fur and all. Alice was a whole lot less nice when it was this time of the month.