[IC] The Blue Moon Tavern

[Sessamaru]

[Priest] Priest turned his attention from the board to Naida, his smile widening. "Ah, Miss Marcoon!" He greeted cheerfully, taking a small break from hanging the requests. "It's a pleasure to see you again, and don't worry about adding your job. It helps pay for the Church, too, you know! Always a pleasure that the proceeds go to the orphanage. Poor kids..." His expression went from cheerful to melancholy in quite a short span. However, before he could continue his conversation with Naida, Rimau stole his attention. Priest listened to him with a smile on his face, taking the jokes with much patience and good humor. Priest laughed before Rimau did, extending a hand. "Well, I was an orphan and had the darkest of days, friend," Priest told him when all was said and done. "I woke up with no memory to my past and I was ignored on the streets. When all was bleak, and the storm clouds closed in, there was a light... an elderly man from the Church came to me and took me in. He taught me to read and write, to love and to see the light in this world. It was his teachings that shown me the way. Without it, I would be just as cynical as you are," Priest jested. Before Priest could get his handshake, however, a new person came to him. A tall, muscular knight seeming eager to know about Remnants. "O-oh," Priest began, his expression worrisome. "The Remnants aren't as active as they were. The past several weeks, there was nary a sight of them. I think the only job referencing them is the one involving a mysterious gem in a cave. It's infested with them, and those are the only ones found." He explained, frowning. Then another patron approached him, a beautiful woman, asking about the quest involving the mages and the gem. "I don't know much, honestly. It is the Arcane Collective, the mages' guild here in Belheim, and the gem they seek is quite rare, almost legendary. It is a jewel said to be formed from areas heavily concentrated with magical energies. However, it is being guarded by Drakas, Remnants from the continent of Shoba. I highly suggest you bring a few more people before taking the job... otherwise, their sheer numbers would overpower you." He explained, fully, concern shadowing his once-cheerful face. [Sessamaru] The half-breed waited eagerly for his food, too focused on eating to pay any attention to Priest. When Naida finally grabbed him another bowl, he began to eat it with ferocity equal to the initial dish. He finished the meal swiftly and raised the bowl again. Naida subtly suggested he do a mission and he contemplated on it. Perhaps I should... but not on an empty stomach! he thought, smiling brightly. "I think I will, Miss Naida. It has been a while since I last enjoyed the outside world." He told her, eyes shining. "But first! More food, please!"

[ScarlettWaters16]

Naida

Blue Moon Tavern

Naida rolls her eyes as Sess asks for another bowl. She quickly dishes him some more, this time adding a little fairy dust to it so it will quell his hunger for at least a good hour, and says, "Alright, great! You and I can do a job together. I get to choose." She sets the bowl down in front of him, sticking her tongue out at him in a childish way as she does, and flits over to the job board, hovering above most of the people's heads. She notices one that looks very interesting and pulls it down off the board. Taken She reads the description quickly and flits back over to Sess, showing him the job. "How's this one? I think I know the daughter; I've seen her in here with her parents more than once." She then notices that it says that the island is on the river nearby. She smiles, delighted. It has been a long time since she has been in her mermaid form and she fears that she would die of withdrawal if she were to go any longer. "If we do this job, we need to stop by my house before we head out," she tells Sess. "Ileft my bow and arrows back there, along with a few of my knives. I hope that's alright." Her eyes scan over the paper again, curious on how much the reward is. It doesn't say, but from what she has seen from the parents, they are quite rich. She looks over at Bernard and says, "Hey, Bernard! I might be leaving a little early today." She grins at him and holds up the paper. "Gotta job to do."

[Sessamaru]

[Sessamaru] Sess swiftly continues to eat the stew, slowing down when he noticed a strange new flavor, almost like an exotic spice. The swordsman looked at the bowl, then to Naida. With a sigh and a shrug, he finished the new dish and wandered away into the kitchen. There was a commotion, a lot of yelling from the chef, and the kitchen door explodes open with Sessamaru running out of it, holding a giant pot full of the stew. "Miss Naida! Let's go!" He cried, fearing for his life whilst being chased by the chef and the other cooks. The cooks and chef began to throw objects at the fleeing Sess, who chugged the pot down while running, each object miraculously missing him. Dropping the now empty pot, the swordsman reached the door and left the tavern, leaving Naida to her own devices.

[pure493]

Rouen looked hard at the priest. He shifted his gaze to the wall behind him. There were several papers attached to it. "Okay thank you," he replied curtly to the man. Other people seemed to be trying to talk to the priest so Rouen maneuvered around them to look at the board. He searched the wall with a finger for anything mentioning a cave. "A help board? Well that is a new idea," he thought looking at the variety of requests. Many of the requests seemed juvenile, like petty thievery or missing pets. They were jobs meant for squires and the local guard force. Things that were of no interest to Rouen at all. He found what the priest was talking about."A cave eh? Well hopefully I get the luck of the draw this time around," he thought. "I wouldn't be surprised if what this priest thinks a remnant is turned out to be another overgrown solitary fay creature." Rouen had searched many caves, abandoned houses, and valleys in the past nine months of travelling. Most of them were just that. Caves, abandoned houses, and valleys. Occasionally he would run into some fay creature like an ogre or harpy. Even then the majority of them were fairly harmless. None had actual Remnants. He sighed, "Well this is the only information I have so far, maybe it will actually lead me somewhere."However, as he turned around a smile grew on his face. "Back to the field," he thought happily thinking of this next part of his journey. The field was a term he used for where the action occurs. It was where battles took place, quests were completed, and history happens. Rouen didn't care if this cave turned out to be just some abandoned spookhole. He was a knight. The field, whether it be some cave, castle, forest, or a plain landscape was his duty. It was where he found his purpose. He walked toward the bar where there was an empty bowl of soup and half a mug of ale. Shuffling through his pouch he put down two silver coins. Looking at the big man who looked like the bartender Rouen said, "This should cover the stew," he said. He then put another silver coin down, "And this is for the lady. Please pass on my compliments." He turned and it looked like people in the bar seemed to be crowding over the message board. "So many people willing to help each other. This may be a fay tavern but the community seems to be healthy. It must be the human aspect," he thought. His eyes shifted to some of the more conspicuous folks. There was a woman wearing a robe made of a swirl of vibrant colors. "She must be important, I've only seen diplomats and high nobility wear such expensive gowns," he thought and couldn't help but admire her figure. He next looked at the one-armed village girl and glared. "Bah, someone will teach her manners one day. I shouldn't overreact like that again, it is beneath my station," he thought. Smile on his face, Rouen turned towards the tavern door and began to walk onto the road.

[Klaudus]

After his little spat with the witch, Viggo swung by the bar, sitting down on a stool nearby his iced bucket of beer bottles. He uncorked one with his teeth and quickly consumed its contents, resting his idle hand flat on his guitars strings. Once sated, the guitarist stood again, wiping his lips with this thumb, and cast his gaze in the direction of Rouen who had been looking over the various contracts pinned to the large message board. With a huff, Viggo pushed himself off his seat and made his way over to the board to see if he could find something to do. Viggo poured over the messages, rolling his eyes at more than one. "Boo hoo, you lost a dog.. Buy a new one.." he uttered quietly while hunched forward to pour over the rest of the notices. At last, his eyes fixated on one that seemed worthy of his talents. After noting the details to memory, Viggo moved towards the bar, whistling to get Bernard's attention. "Hey, Bernie, what's the deal with this daughter situation. The island quest, with the uh, disgusting tribespeople" he would question, leaning forward onto the bar, having swung his guitar behind his back once more.

[ScarlettWaters16]

Naida

Blue Moon Tavern

Naida stares after Sess as he runs out the door, mouth agape, before slamming her palm into her forehead and dragging it down her face with an exasperated sigh. "You've got to be kidding," she murmurs to herself. She quickly helps the cooks and chefs pick up their things, apologizing profusely for her friend's behavior before grabbing the job and flying toward the door. She sees Sessamaru walking farther up and she sighs. She probably isn't going to be able to get him to go toward her house. She begins to fly slightly above the ground before she flies over to her house rapidly. Not bothering to go in through the door, she flies in through the window she always keeps open. She quickly grabs her quiver of arrows and her wooden bow that she got from her mother's former friends. She stares at the bow for a brief moment, tears beginning to form at the edge of her eyes. She quickly wipes them away and pulls the quiver and bow over her shoulders. She then walks over to her closet and pulls out a few knives, shoving them in her boots. She then grabs her dark blue head back and pushes her hair back out of her face. She is about to fly back out the window when she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She notices the scar on her stomach, slightly exposed under her mid-length cropped t-shirt. She sighs, running her hand along it for a moment before she flits back out then window in a dash of fairy dust and glitter. She flies above the road for a brief moment before she sees Sess still walking down the road. She flies down and lands next to him, still gripping the job in her hand. She shakes herself a little bit and smiles at him. "So, you ready?"

[Guilty Spark]

In response to Priest’s concerns, Tahira expressed her agreement with a polite nod. While she appeared distant and mysterious to some, it were those very qualities which would point the astute observer to one of her defining traits, caution. If the priest thought the mission was too difficult to perform alone, she would seek out at least one partner to join her on the job, despite their potential to get in the way of her own scholarly interests in the gem. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long to find a prospective partner. As Rouen walked away from the board, and others came and went, Kat stepped up and pulled down the Arcane Collective’s flyer. Glancing at her leopard, she said "Wanna kill some Drakas?" Although the question had not been directed at her, Tahira stepped closer and provided her own answer. “If you seek another partner to accompany you, I am quite interested in this quest,” while speaking, she turned her eyes from Kat to Hel and back, as if addressing them both. She had not had much interaction with these two, as they did not stray near the library in which she spent most of her time, but they had proven themselves capable trackers from what she had heard.

[The Patriarch]

Azzrix heard their responses and was slightly disappointed that Mysaren wasn't interested in going on missions with him yet, but he decided that he would have to wait for some other time. Azzrix excused himself to go look at the mission board and then he overheard Naida talking about a mission to find the daughter of a patron to the tavern who had gone missing. Azzrix also heard her mention the possibility of the patron being rich and he became even more interested. He then noticed a commotion going on in the kitchen and saw the weird dog like man run out with a pot of stew with the cooks screaming at him as he fled. Azzrix shook his head at the foolishness of the man, he would make a terrible thief if that's what he thought was worth stealing. Azzrix was interested in the mission so he followed them to wherever they were headed. He decided to follow Naida and soon saw that she was headed back to her home. Azzrix thought that it would be best to quickly go get his things. He quickly headed back to the place where he was staying to get his things and change his clothes. Once in his room he put on his darker robes and traveling cloak which were his thieving clothes when he wasn't robbing people in plain sight. Azzrix attached his rapier and Parrying Dagger to his belt and got his throwing knives and hand crossbow. Once he got the arrows for his crossbow Azzrix left his home and went look for Naida. He eventually found her waiting around and walked up to her calmly. "If you don't mind I would like to partake in this mission, a person with my kind of talents would be a great asset on a mission like this" he said to her with a polite tone to his voice.

[HHShetland]

"If y'say so, m'good... person." Rimau said after listening to what the Priest had to say, still unsure over what pronouns to use. He scratched his head as the Priest's words came tumbling into his mind, and back out again. 'Heh... poor kid.' He thought, remembering the standards of life set for him and the rest of his kind. 'Where I come from, people who try an' see the light usually end up makin' a bloody mess of 'emselves on the streets, heheh.' He was about to shake his hand, until his attention was stolen by the big-pauldron dumbass. The Zizz squinted at that man with suspicion for a good while, listening in on his words. He didn't say that much, but he had a blank expression of purpose on his face, something Rimau was all too familiar with, to the point of it seemingly transcending the racial boundaries. It was the sort of expression made by a dedicated servant. A loyal attack dog. There was something about him that Rimau just didn't like, beyond simply looking ridiculous with his oversized equipment. Rimau decided to turn away from him until he walked away from the nearby mission board, slapping the side of his head. He was worrying too much. Once he was out the way, Rimau took the opportunity to leave a coin on the bar (with the face of someone he didn't recognise on it) and turn his head around to inspect the board; his eyesight enabled him to see what was on the papers without having to clamber down and navigate the masses again; it wasn't that far away, anyways. "Well now, what do we 'ave 'ere?" He muttered to himself as he took a look, scratching the side of his chin. There were a few jobs in the city, which weren't really his thing; he'd seen enough of urban warfare in his time, and none of them seemed suited to his skillset anyway. Ignoring the fetch-quests, there were a couple of jobs offered by some local noblemen. They both demanded the return of something, that something having been stolen from them. One of them, a golden mask, and the other, his daughter. The rescue mission seemed easier, with the tribe responsible for the kidnapping in open territory, but Rimau was never one for babysitting spoilt princess-types. Plus, if he knew human nobility, they'd pay a lot more for a trinket than for their trophy daughters. Tough decision.

[Mysaren]

Mysaren stood to stretch, noticing the mission board cleared up a bit. Fine, she'd go look. She waltzed over, to looking at the papers curiously. She noticed a specific mission, one about a thief and a golden mask. Seemed easy enough, and returning something that expensive had to have a good reward for it. She grabbed the paper, looking at it curiously before smiling. Yeah, she could do this. She needed someone to do it with though, she knew that. As helpful as necromancy was, it wasn't exactly the most useful of powers in combat. Talking with the dead and raising them to fight for her was great, and bodies were kinda plentiful around these parts, but it required a lot of energy, and she wasn't the best of controlling them. She felt someone staring at her, and she turned, her eyes darting to the lizard guy. Oh yeah, that ass. Well, maybe he was nice, just a bit rude in the "don't blow smoke all around the tavern." department. Was he looking at her, or... Surely his eyesight couldn't be that good? She didn't really know anything about whatever species he was, besides, well, they were obviously rather large lizards.

[HHShetland]

Rimau was about to look further into the job about the golden mask when the paper was suddenly taken off the board by some kid in fancy robes. He attempted to position himself in such a manner that he could continue reading, but no such luck; the kid was simply too big for him to not obscure Rimau's vision. He screwed up his face and grumbled for a brief moment. Alas, if he could see through solid objects, not only would he be the world's greatest marksman, without a doubt, but this sort of annoyance wouldn't happen. Soon, however, the kid suddenly turned around and looked Rimau directly in the eyes, the invisible 'force' of which prompted Rimau's own eyes to widen and his the line that was his mouth to upturn in a more friendly manner. It was then he realised something; the kid was actually a woman. A square-jawed woman, sure, but still a woman. Those were some thick robes. The sort of robes Rimau would die in if he wore them. Deciding that you can always get more done in life if you're nice to people, Rimau decided to clamber down off of his stool and make his way over to the lady; as fun as it was to keep rivalries, most of the time it tended to be impractical and juvenile to insist on a professional rivalry with a specific individual, especially if the job was well-paying. Merely competing with other mercs and hunters was a fact of business. But 'sportsmanlike' rivalry? Laughable. "Heyo there, kid. Couldn't 'elp but notice y'took down that mighty interestin' job proposition off the wall. ...Can't say I've seen y'round 'ere before, either." He said as he approached the lady, that weird muffle effect the Tavern seemed to have turning on. He stopped to look her over, see if she was the trustworthy type. She was certainly a lot taller than she looked, even taller than most humans he'd seen, who all tended to be taller than Rimau anyway. Made them easier to target. Raising one brow, he looked over her scars; clearly, she had experience with fighting, then. You don't get the sorts of scars on her face from cutting yourself while shaving... not that she'd need to shave, but still. Her attire seemed to suggest a magic user; magic and him didn't get along too well, but its practitioners had their uses. Their flashy tricks were very distracting for most people, and Skrin'Ko was indeed bound to him by an enchantier. Very nice fellow, he was. After a few seconds, Rimau decided he may as well introduce himself; after all, a name doesn't convey much. But he kept his hands close to his body, in case she was the twitchy kind. "...Th'name's Rimau. Rimau Ekoy-Rimau Eng-Dasku, but that's, uh... well, y'don't wanna know m'full name. Believe me, some'un once asked for it, an' lemme tell ya... uh, never mind. What's your name, kid?" He asked, smiling a little.

[Mysaren]

Mysaren quirked an eyebrow when the lizard man came over to her, and she finally looked him over. He dressed... he dressed in an interesting manner, with large goggles, and bright feathers on the side of some leather vest. His skin was a rather drab looking green, and from the cracks, he was probably very old. She smiled when he spoke to her finally, looking at the paper in her hand again. "Ah, well, I'm new. I... I travel a lot," she said finally, not bothering to make up some elaborate lie. No need. "I was hoping to find some work around here." He looked weathered, the type of person (lizard?) who had seen a lot, and she could respect that. She craned her neck down to look at him, and even then she couldn't see that much. She was at least a foot taller than him, but she felt that maybe it would be a bit rude to kneel down, so she decided not to. "My name is Mysaren," she said. "Pleasure to meet you, Rimau. It's alright, I don't...don't need a full name." Full names were perhaps too much. Hell, telling people her name in the first place made her itch, but she would look suspicious if she didn't. "Actually, Rimau, I was just about to go looking for someone who may assist me on this mission, yeah? Seems dangerous, and while I won't say that I'm not a good fighter, I could always use an extra hand. Were you also interested?" Maybe going on a mission with a strange lizard she just met wasn't the best of ideas, but he seemed trustworthy enough. Besides, if he did betray her, well, she could handle herself pretty well. She could probably pick him up if she truly wanted to, and she knew her way around a sword, as well as magic. Mysaren always preferred using magic, something that most folk didn't like, especially the type of magic she used. Necromancy was rather frowned upon, considering that bringing people back from the dead as nothing more than zombies to be controlled might be a bit of a problem for most people, but she hoped that Rimau didn't have any prejudices in that department. She was rather excited to go on a mission, and a good companion could be the difference between life and death for her.

[HHShetland]

Rimau stood and listened to Mysaren's proposition carefully, with his arms crossed and his eyes squinting with focus to let her know he was listening. "Well, as it 'appens, I was mighty interested in that particular employment opportunity." He replied, curtly. "An' from the looks o' yer, I'd bet m'grand-pappy's soul that y'were some kinda magic specialista." After he said that, he idly sniffed at the lady by sticking his long, reptilian tongue out for a brief second. It was half-unconscious really, an old habit of his. When a Zizz met a new colleague, it was considered normal to sniff at them to show that they trusted them enough to disregard any blood they may have on them. Which was quite often. Unfortunately for Rimau, though, the scent he picked up off Mysaren's robes made him wince slightly. She had the stench of death coming off her, there was no doubt. And not just the figurative stench of a killer, but a literal stench of corpses. "...Necromancy, p'raps?" He asked, in as friendly as polite a tone he could manage. If she was, it'd be understandable if she wanted to hide it, but Rimau had nothing against Necromancers. If anything, he thought zombies made for an excellent barrel of laughs on a dull day, and that's ignoring his religious beliefs. "...Skills like that work 'specially well as a distraction." He continued, with interest. "...Lemme tell ya, some kids get real touchy when they see dead folks walkin', an' that makes fer a mighty effective distraction. From, say, the barrel of a nice Rifle trained at their 'ead." He said with a slightly devilish grin, pointing at Skrin-Ko's stock on his back; if he was right about her being a Necromancer, it only seemed fair he let her know what his preferred form of combat was. "I think we could work well t'gether."

[Mysaren]

It took a moment for Mysaren to decipher Rimau's accent, before she nodded. "Yeah, I dabble a bit in magic." She said, watching as Rimau sniffed her curiously. She noticed the wince and mentally slapped herself. He smelled the corpses, she could tell that much. "Yeah, Necromancy." She thanked the gods that he didn't ask why she smelled like that. If anyone found out about her robbing graves, well, she was in a crowded tavern. She could try to run, but she wouldn't get far, and that made her feel might claustrophobic. "They work for more than distractions," She said, glad that Rimau didn't seem to mind the necromancy thing, "They're not bad at fighting. Not great, but you know. Yeah, most people get a bit.. skeeved out by it. Never understood why." People's concerns and disgust with the idea of death confused Mysaren. Maybe she just grew up around so much of it, maybe her blessing/curse made her desensitized, but she saw nothing wrong or morbid about death. Death was just as natural as life to her, the two forces working together instead of in opposition. Mysaren smiled, noting the rifle on his back. It definitely looked dangerous, and Mysaren wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it. "I do think that we would make a rather effective team, no? Yes, we could split the reward." They'd get plenty from the mission, and then she could split her half of the reward, and everything would be fine. Yes, she could make this work. She considered telling Rimau about her gift, the muttering and screaming in her head, but decided against it. He didn't need to know that, at least not right now. A power like that could be exploited, and even if she thought that she could take on Rimau by herself, she wouldn't know what to do if someone else in the tavern heard, someone bigger and stronger with more friends. Someone who would use her power to do bad things. Someone who woul- she decided to not think anymore about bad things happening to her. "I'm ready when you are, chief."

[deadpixel101]

Claire watched as their small group was halved by a board with papers pasted on it. People buzzed around the thing, taking in information and mulling about with each other, some people pairing off and small groups formed here and there. Some people left without much of a fuss, and eventually the board was cleared up a bit. Claire looked from Mysaren to Historia. It seemed it would just be the two of them instead for the moment. "I don't suppose you would want to take a look?" She asked still looking at the board. She was curious herself, and she would like to make some more gold. She needed a place to stay while she searched the area...And staying anywhere took gold. "There might be something that could let us..." She went to search for a choice word yet again. "Explore?" She asked instead of stated, looking back to her partner once again. She searched vacantly for some reassurance to her word, but in a second she simply nodded slightly. "Explore." She repeated.

[Sessamaru]

[Moments Ago...] The Chef wandered about his kitchen, his once jovial face strained with anger, his long braid thrown around his neck like a noose. His eyes were greedy, angry slits, pupils and irises barely visible despite the bloodshot scleras being perfectly visible. "You call that food?" He asked one of the cooks, arms crossed and judgement in his eyes. "I call that a bucket of dung! Make it again!" He shouted, slapping the poor boy upside the head. He continued to go around and berate his cooks, until the door opened. The face of an irate chef was replaced with a kind, pleasing expression. In came Sess, his steps powerful strides with the grace of a jungle cat. The young man, with long white hair bound into a high horsetail with thick locks falling about his face, perfectly groomed for a stylish swordsman. "Ah! Master Sess!" The Chef greeted, looking over the strangely dressed swordsman. "What can I do for you? Was there a problem with my stew?" Sessamaru stared at the Chef with eager, hungry eyes. "Actually, Master Chef," Sessamaru began, his nose twitching trying to follow the scent of the stew. "I'm here to get the rest of the stew for the road." "Oh, I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that," the Chef frowned, his squinting eyes opening slightly to glance at large pot. "This is meant to feed the entire tavern." Sess, not listening, approached the pot. It was still steaming and the aroma nearly carried the youth. "I'll pay you back when I return from my mission, Master Chef." Sessamaru told him, grabbing the pot. The Chef's gentle expression faded into fury, and picking up the nearest rolling pin. "Leave my kitchen, mutt!" "Gladly!" Sessamaru said cheerfully, only to be bashed in the head with a rolling pin by the Chef. Sessamaru yelped and ran, holding to deer life as he attempted to the door. "Stop him, you idiots!" The Chef cried, forcing the cooks to react, grabbing kitchenware and throwing it at Sess. Knives, pots, pans, plates, tomatoes, amongst other things were thrown, only for Sess to beeline his way out the door. The Chef and the cooks took chase, shouting out threats all the while. [Sessamaru] Sessamaru rubbed the back of his head as he made his through the inner ring of the city, searching for Naida's house. He didn't know it, but he was going the wrong way and was on a path towards the exit leading to the city's middle ring. "Ouch, that really hurt..." Sess mumbled, wincing as his hand ran along the bump. He sighed, looking around. "I told him I would pay him back. He didn't have to hit me!" He whined. However, the half-breed was happy that his hunger was sated, though he could have went for a dessert. Although, even the bakery would run out of food if he decided to grab something. "Ah well!" Sess said cheerily, letting his arms rest at his side. "I could probably get a snack on the island. Perhaps Miss Naida could help, too?" All the while, he found himself more and more lost, only stopping for a brief second to take a look around. With a sigh, he continued his path, only to be stopped by Miss Naida. "Are you ready?" She asked him, and Sess couldn't help but smile widely and nod. "Of course!" However, Azzrix approached them. Sessamaru found himself somewhat drawn to the ratman, as though he was a good person to rely on in case of danger. Though, Sess also knew the man for what he was: a thief. Nevertheless, Sessamaru had nothing of value upon his person, save for his katana that had survived the many centuries since the Great War. "Of course you may join us, Master Azzrix," Sess chimed in without a second thought. This would be his very first adventure that did not involve being a lonely wanderer. The thought of friends being at his side from beginning to end filled the half-breed with much warmth, melting away the solitude that he had experienced since his birth. A very joyous day, indeed.

[c3p-0h]

Kat blinked when the priest's words finally trickled in through her 'annoying shit I don't need to hear' filter. "However, it is being guarded by Drakas, Remnants from the continent of Shoba." She very nearly slammed the paper back onto the board then and there. Remnants… After what happened last time, Kat'd done all she could to avoid them. Memories surfaced through a fog: a Remant's shriek, pain like fire igniting her blood, a snow leopard's yowl… she felt her breath catch in her throat at the idea of facing one again. She felt like a child, letting herself be paralyzed so, but she couldn't bring herself back from her reaction. Hel watched her with a heavy gaze, sensing her unrest. A new voice cut through the air, jolting her out of her thoughts. It was the witch, Tahira, asking to come along on the quest Kat'd just claimed. She was half tempted to just shove the paper at the other woman and tell her to do it on her own, but she hesitated. Kat eyed her, and looked back at Hel. The great cat's tail swayed easily behind him, back and forth, measuring the seconds. Kat remembered the silver coin the knight had given her, and how he'd reassured her she could live a fulfilling life in spite of her 'impairment.' She remembered how easily Hel had killed the boar they'd spent the night hunting, carrying it on his back all the way to the tavern, never slowing or tiring, or needing any help at all. She remembered the memories she'd long trained herself to not think on, and the feeling of helplessness that came with them. It was a feeling that had once been alien to her. Kat's gaze focused then, and she turned back to Tahira. "Come along if you want," she replied, her voice bored and uncaring as ever. "Guess you're a better pick than most of these other idiots." The witch was… unsettling, but she had yet to do anything to annoy Kat. Hel didn't trust her, but that didn't say much. Hel rarely trusted anyone. Besides, she was almost as big a mystery to Kat as Bernard was, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit curious. That's what Kat thought, at least, when she asked herself why now of all times she accepted the idea of another companion on a job.

[onenote]

Historia watched as not only Mr. Grimmor left the group, but also Miss Mysaren followed suit as well, both of them going over to look for jobs at the board. "Uh, bye?" She called out to them before sitting back in her seat, continuing sipping on the drink Bernard was kind enough to give to her. She watched as the two found jobs and partners for themselves (or in Mr. Grimmor's case, rushing out the door to find his partners). Historia began to wonder if there would be that many jobs left as she watched people still look at all the jobs at the boards. Well, all the well paying jobs would most likely be taken, the ones that had higher difficulty. Historia didn't usually take those jobs, mainly cause she wasn't a very strong fighter. She preferred easier, albeit less paying most of the time, jobs. Historia looked at Miss Claire when she spoke up, asking about looking at the board. "Yes, I was going to take a look at the board anyways. It'd be nice to see what you might want to do as well." Historia told her with a smile as she got up and walked over with her to the board. There was only three jobs that really interested Histoira. A missing memory book that could be anywhere in the city, a quest to find a teenage thief, and a quest to find a lost dog. The dog one would most likely be the easiest to do for Historia as she could just fly above the city and look for it that way. But Miss Claire couldn't fly so that one was out of the question. AS for the one with the thief, Historia didn't really want to get involved with a quest that had a really good chance of confronting someone that might fight back. So for now, that also wasn't a good option. That left the memory book. That was something that she and Claire could do rather easily, and the quest giver was a nobleman so they might get paid decently after all. "Does this sound good to you?" Historia asked Miss Claire as she handed her the paper to look at.

[Guilty Spark]

"Come along if you want," she replied, her voice bored and uncaring as ever. "Guess you're a better pick than most of these other idiots." Kat was clearly on edge. Tahira was not an expert on interpreting body language, but the leopard was eyeing her master uneasily and, considering how close the two were, that was the only cue she needed to sense the woman’s discomfort. However, she had long ago learned when it was best to stifle her curiosity. As long as it did not interfere with their mission, the diminutive woman’s issues were none of her concern. Cocking her head to the side, she recalled something that might be of use to the two of them. “I believe the library holds a tome which refers to these ‘Drakas’ at some length,” Tahira said. “You can make ready to depart while I retrieve it.” Turning her back on the duo, she moved away from the job board and went through the door to the library. Her fingers traced a path along the spine of several books as she moved up and down the shelves, seeking the one she had mentioned. [i]Ah, there[i]. Her hand touched the well-worn bindings of a tome which was simply entitled On Shoba, and penned by an unknown scholar on the subject. She had yet to read it, but its inclusion in the tavern’s surprisingly extensive library lent something to its credibility, so she removed it from the shelf, making a note of where it belonged. Leaving the library as quickly as she had entered, she ascended to the second floor to receive the leather satchel that hung from a hook in the wall of her room. Slipping the book into one of its pockets, she returned to the place she had left Kat, satisfied she was prepared.

[c3p-0h]

Kat stood where Tahira left her for a moment, staring after the woman as she made her way to the library. Stuffing any memories she had down, she thought on the witch. She was a fair sort, didn't talk down to either Kat or Hel, smart, probably useful if you had her on your side… but something about her made Kat want to always know where she was. It was probably just her stoicism and ethereal nature that peaked Kat's curiosity, but still. She looked back to Hel, and said "Watch her, yeah?" This probably meant that any vindictive plans Kat had been concocting were off limits in regards to the jewel. She didn't know much about Tahira, but she struck her as someone respectful and dutiful. She'd probably frown on how Kat was not. The two made their way to their room in the tavern and Kat scooped up her bag, tossing things in or out of it as she thought of what they might need. Once they were done, they walked back to the kitchen and grabbed some handfuls of dried meat ("We killed it, we can take it," she called back to a waitress glaring at them) and filled her water flask from the tap. After that, they made their way back to the area by the board, Tahira already waiting for them. "You ready?" she asked.