Shalquoir tilted her head slightly at the rather rash display of aggression from the young feline. Charlotte was also somewhat confused by it all, but she wasn't dumb enough to not realise that the crow adorned woman was making the new member anxious. Shalquoir took a small step forward. Whilst she didn't move in a manner that would normally be threatening, her imposing demeanor was more than enough to make even Charlotte anxious.
"Aren't we getting hot headed? If you wish not to answer my question, then so be it." Shalquoir spoke with a hint of disdain in her voice, and her harsh tone was the last straw for Charlotte. The young girl, abandoning any nerves that this new woman had given her, stepped between Shalquoir and Shadow.
"Now that's enough! Even I can see that you're just being a big bully. Mr Putty Tat is our friend now, and we stand up for our friends at this guild." Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, staring down the crow woman without fear. Shalquoir was taken back by the courage of the girl who she had just written off as a ditz, smiling underneath her mask. To Charlotte's surprise, the woman bowed respectfully towards the young girl and then towards Shadow.
"Forgive me, it appears my travels have made me uneasy. I meant no disrespect. I hope you'll not think ill of me from this poor display." Shalquoir directly addressed the cat boy, but she decided to not stick around to see his response. Turning swiftly on her heels, Shalquoir headed away from the two to complete her task. She wouldn't admit that his presence disturbed her, but for now she would wait and see how stable the half boy, half beast truly was.
Once Shalquoir was gone, Charlotte dropped her brave face and turned to Shadow with a large grin.
"Now that was scary! Talking to that mask gives me shivers. Pardon my french, but she was acting like a big meanie to you. Are you okay?" She took a giant step towards Shadow, gently patting his ears in comfort. "See? You're safe with Charlotte! Now let's get you something to eat. You'll need to keep your strength up for our mission." She grabbed the boy by the hand and dragged him along to the bar, ordering whatever he wanted for him. As they waited for their food, she couldn't help but remember something of vital importance.
"You never did tell us your name, did you? Go on, spill. Or perhaps you like being called Mr Putty Tat? Heheh"
Meanwhile, Makoto was speechless as the sudden change in behaviour from the strange girl surfaced. She called herself Yuni. She seemed somewhat offended at the way the others were reacting.
"Um, please don't take it the wrong way... I mean, er," He fumbled with his words, trying to choose them carefully. Before he could continue, the girl decided to go on about her animal friends. "Oh, er, if you care about them then I suppose it's okay." Yuni was quite odd, but then again so were the twins at times. Perhaps everyone at this guild was odd, including Makoto.
"So it looks like we're all going to be working together. I'll do my best" He was slightly nervous, but he figured that he hadn't picked the worst people to be with.
The daily activity of the local markets was quite staggering. When Shalquoir walked to the guild this morning, she had assumed that was as busy as it would get. She was mistaken. Just getting to the bakery in question became somewhat of a chore. When she arrived, the baker was already flustered; cursing at an empty basket of bread that he had obviously intended to sell.
"If that dirty thief keeps taking my product like this, I won't be able to afford to rent this building! When is that useless new guild going to get off their as-"
"I beg your pardon," Shalquoir interrupted, taking a step towards the man, "I am here to resolve this issue." The man seemed uncomfortable to have this stranger help him, but she was branded by the guild so he assumed she could be trusted.
"It's about time. This little thief has been running a muck around my shop! I'm not a wealthy man, I can't afford to just be losing profit like this!" Shalquoir didn't appreciate being yelled at, since it wasn't her that was stealing his wares.
"Sir, leave this to me. Return to your duties and I will locate the culprit." In truth, Shalquoir could understand why the man was so upset. The thief in question was probably a young street rat, so she'd be sure to check any alleyway that appeared abandoned. Perhaps the other beggars had valuable information.
With her goal in mind, Shalquoir concentrated before creating a green magic glyph beneath her. A menacing aura surrounded her body as she spoke quietly.
"Let the Hunter's call give me swift success." Her senses flooded with information. Ever smell, sound and movement around her she was suddenly aware of. Whilst her hunter's call was much more effective for tracking monsters, it had it's own uses. For instance, she could clearly see many openings to side streets near the bakery. If this particular bakery had been consistently robbed for a while, then no doubt the culprit had to be holding up somewhere close. Otherwise someone would have clearly noticed a beggar walking around with handfuls of fresh bread. With that, she began scouting the alleyways. It seemed almost like a real hunt, except with the relief of knowing that the odds of being killed by a wild animal were too small to matter. After checking a few alleyways and finding a few strays, yielding no results, she came across a group of young beggar children in an alleyway. She could clearly see bread crumbs on the ground, clearing her throat and gathering the children's attention.
"Please, do not fear, I come with peaceful intentions." Despite her words, the young children were clearly unsettled by the appearance of such an intimidating figure. A few even caught a glimpse of her metal hook and began shaking in fear. "I am only here for answers. There has been someone going around stealing bread from a local baker. Is it a coincidence that not an hour after his wares have gone missing, you all sit here just finishing stuffing your faces?" She could see the guilty expressions on their face, some even looking as though they were about to run. However the fear of what this stranger might do to them kept them in place. With a sigh, Shalquoir expressed her disdain for having to deal with such a delicate situation. She didn't want to see the children starve, but she couldn't just let an honest man's business plummet because of it.
"I'll make you a deal," Shalquoir pulled out the remainder of her jewels, throwing it up and down in her hand. "There's enough here to pay back what you owe to the baker, as well as get you each a few meals for the next few days. The money is yours, provided you tell me who your ring leader is." The children were shocked. Shalquoir wasn't an imbecile. These kids were far too young to be able to steal as quickly and swiftly as the bread had been going missing. Obviously someone was providing it to them, and Shalquoir wanted to speak with the young ring leader. The children talked among themselves before one stepped forward and cautiously grabbed the money from the lady.
"His name is Lance. If you wait here, he should come back to see us soon." Shalquoir nodded politely at the child, noticing a look of regret on her face. Did the child think she was ratting her friend out? Shalquoir knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not here to arrest your friend. I just wish to speak with him." Somewhat reassured, the girl shared the money out with her friends and began discussing how they would go about paying back the baker. Meanwhile, Shalquoir leaned against a wall in the alleyway, patiently waiting for this "Lance" to return to them.
