Yankee

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 56/60 ------ Level: 1 - Total EXP: 8/10
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 893 (+2 exp)
Location: Sandswept Sky

The slog of going up the red stone area against the flow of mad racers was over. The Travelers pulled themselves passed the starting line, all too glad to be out of the race track. Primrose pulled out her fan to cool herself off, while Therion successfully fought the urge to kick over some of the racer's bicycles knowing it would do little harm to them anyway. It would have been a poor way to vent anyway. While the group took a short break to regain their energy, the thief among them was unexpectedly approached.

"...?" Therion furrowed his brows. He couldn't help being suspicious at Tora's generosity, it was just his nature. Though at least he wasn't being singled out or anything, that would have really put him on edge.

"Er, thanks." He fixed the retreating pair of Nopon and Blade with a strange look, though once they moved on he didn't dwell on them. He peered up, judging just how much father they had to go. Coincidentally, Primrose did the same.

Progress indeed, she thought. The snow would be harder to get through in general with the cold and the ice, but hopefully there weren't more racers up there. If there were a bunch of people coming down in sleds and risking an avalanche, then... well, she didn't even want to think about that. It would be enough to wipe out their whole party.

Still, they advanced. Over rocks, into grass, around various little critters. And then -

"Oh, my." Skull had put into words everyone's thoughts. This bear was huge. And apparently blocking the path forward. Pretty quickly the group jumped to discussing the best way to go about this situation. Certainly if they could get by the creature it might shorten the trip as Band suggested.

"...what, you want to wake that thing up?" Therion asked, skepticism written all over his face. Did they not see that was a giant bear? He could picture it chomping down on a handful of the group while the others slipped by. Even if it wasn't aggressive, it was a bear. It'd wake up and see some snacks right in front of it and probably wouldn't be able to stop from helping itself to them. Well, he was going to make sure he wasn't part of the group offering themselves up as this thing's breakfast. He turned about-face, headed away from the bear to watch from a safe distance. If they did it and didn't get eaten then hey, more power to them. Though if he had to choose, that wheel-footed guy's plan of just killing it in it's sleep would be his plan if they absolutely had to get by it. Shrinking and brainwashing... he didn't give either one much thought. He left them to try their ideas out.

Therion didn't get all that far before a face unfamiliar to him collapsed dramatically before the group. "What now?" he groused.

Though the half-demon was unfamiliar to Therion, and surely a couple of others in the group as well, for Primrose that was not the case.

"Laharl?" She was surprised to see him there. Last she knew he was still in Al Mamoon, yet to leave after she'd told him about the Alcamoth. She hadn't seen him on the train either, and yet here he was having trekked up the mountain after them. "Are you alright?"

She could hear Therion's soft snort behind her as she approached Laharl, keeping a bit of distance due to his... condition, even though she was mostly covered up in her cloak. She produced a waterskin and offered it to the boy after Tora and Poppi's rousing. She could only guess why he decided to follow them up the mountain now. A rush of wind blew from behind them with the bear's sneeze, clearing the way forward and sending a couple of their group flying back.

Therion gave an appreciative whistle, watching Midna and Raz be flung away and the bear pushing itself back. I'll be damned, it worked. He trotted over to the spot the giant animal had just vacated, looking out of the opening and into the tunnel that seemed to lead to the next area. The snow forest must be through here. He went through the tunnel, blinking the sudden light away once he emerged. When the bear rose up from the snow bank Therion was immediately on the defensive. His hand went to his short sword's hilt under his cloak, but the bear didn't attack. Instead, it spoke somehow.

"Tch." Being recited poetry by a bear... He tucked the sword back into his belt, loosening the tension in his shoulders somewhat when it fell back asleep. The tail end of the Seekers arrived just before that after getting Laharl situated.

"Too late...?" Primrose murmured, curious as to what that could mean. "You aren't taking a bear's words seriously, are you?"

"An intelligent, prophetic bear apparently." Maybe they were just words that didn't mean anything, but she still wondered about it as the group moved deeper into the snow. Once the dangerous plants were known, she summoned a small flame to her hand as insurance. It was a nice little source of heat as well. Therion clicked his tongue at the sight, as his own flame wouldn't come no matter how much he snapped his fingers together.

Good morning :)

Welcome to the Guild!

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

The banquet ended on a lively note, dance and conversation growing loud and spirited. It was the first time in Inti's life he'd experienced anything like this, and he was quite absorbed with making the most of it. Words flying about, voices overlapping each other, the click-tap of shoes on the dance floor, it was actually quite wonderful. At least, in Inti's opinion. Not all of his conversation partners seemed to agree, but at this point there was nothing that could dampen the Inca's spirits.

...nothing except an upset stomach. As it turned out, eating a ton of foreign food for the first time and coupling it with carbonated or alcoholic drink wasn't the best for digestion. Eventually Inti quieted down, content to watch the other students from the sidelines - and there was plenty of time to think over the events of the day while he did. He decided that both sweet and bitter things were not to his taste. Similarly, any of the drinks that sent a fuzzy feeling right to his head were probably best to stay away from. The dancing and musical performances were splendid, and they demonstrated how amazing humans were. Briefly he wondered if he could learn that kind of skill too. Music, dance, crafts... they were all at the heart of Tawantinsuyu's culture, he knew, but in the Bureau they were focused only on increasing the Polymaths' abilities. It would be nice to get some recreation done while here in Bermuda. As for the assignment given to him... well... it was the first day. Surely he could just have fun and get his bearings and then think about it tomorrow, right? And he would definitely have to think about how to go about fulfilling that assignment without resorting to some kind of disaster.

When the trams came to ferry the students away to their dorms, Inti seemed to regain his energy. He hopped on quickly, taking a window seat and peering out at all of the living areas. They were all so different, maybe they were placing students in familiar looking architecture to ease them in? That didn't turn out to be the case, as Inti's quarters turned out to be very Occidental in style. It was really nice looking on the outside, and as for the inside...

"Ooooh~!" Was this really his dorm? It was so big! Inti went all throughout the space, from bedroom to bedroom, the washrooms and the open areas, appreciating each section. He noted that the bedrooms only had one bed apiece, so did he get a whole bedroom to himself too? There was a kitchen too, already stocked with food. He should probably learn how to cook! There was a nice little area with plants inside, and toward the back of the dorm was a wide viewing area that led right out toward the ocean. The view was amazing!

Once the living area was thoroughly inspected, Inti stood by the bay doors and watched the waves crash against the shore. It was beginning to get dark, but once the sun rose maybe he would check the beach out. Maybe teach himself to swim, or see if someone could give him some pointers. Maybe Shou? No, he didn't have fins or a tail, it was probably a whole different process...

Behind him came the soft mumblings of another person. Inti turned to find a somewhat familiar person laying on the ground of the common area. This was... oh!

"Oh, it's you!" Inti went right over to who he assumed would be his roommate. It was one of those two guys that had come bursting into the Hall of Greats, singing their off-tune hearts out. "Rule Britannia, right?"

This half of the Britannia-duo didn't seem to hear Inti, he just went on about the lodgings and the lack of colors. Inti took another gander around at the space and agreed, though the simplicity of it was familiar. White walls with little decoration. He wouldn't mind any changes his roommate might make, once he was actually in the state to make them. Was he alright? Maybe too much of those mind-fuzz drinks.

"Hm?" He looked at the other boy on the ground, tilting his head. He'd sat up and seemed to be beckoning Inti over. "Actually my name is Inti."

The Inca obeyed, sitting down across from... "And I don't know your name either." His roommate seemed just as friendly now as he had while taking the dance hall by storm earlier, so Inti matched the other boy's smile with one of his own. Now that the guy was sitting up, Inti could see he was quite a bit shorter than his roommate. Was everyone outside of Tawantinsuyu really that big?

"Vapors?" Inti hummed, considering the other boy's words. Vapor: a substance diffused or suspended in the air, especially one normally liquid or solid. Was there anything like that here? Maybe that faint smoke leaking from the contraption between them? As a Dynamicist it was simple enough to take the delicate haze in his hand, though what to do with it after that he had no idea. "Um." Inti looked back to the person across from him, his expression equal parts eager and confused. "Now what?"

_@SgtEasy

World of Light

Oh hey, welcome back!

World of Light

Word Count: 775 (+2 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 54/80
Location: Edge of the Blue

Focus, focus focus. Although humanoid monsters like this one weren't exactly his forte, the Cadet had plenty of experience with them by now. Plus he had taken down bigger, stronger, and probably even smarter monsters before. There was an excellent weapon in his hands, made all the more powerful now thanks to buffs. So why did it feel like be was struggling so much? His usually steady grip had been trembling slightly since Kamek had cast that magic. It made fending off the sharq giant's blows harder, but he was holding his own. In his periphery he could see the others, the Koopas darting around and Nadia recovering enough to go on the offensive. She worked on crippling it while he kept it's attention, and when it rounded on her the Cadet swapped tactics to take her place, dragging the sword across the monster's legs.

She staggered it, giving him an opening - which was made bigger by the Koopas hooking it and pulling it down onto it's back, making it completely vulnerable. The Ace Cadet moved in to make sure it wouldn't stand back up, skewering the sharq's lower stomach with his longsword and drawing it up through the creature's guts and into it's chest. Without it's anchor weapon, the sharq squirmed and tried swiping at or taking hold of anyone it could, but it's hands found no victims. It was on death's door, and the Cadet pushed it through with a sharp twist of the blade still embedded in it.

Finished, finally. As the giant fishman's body dissolved into ash, the Ace Cadet swiftly brought his foot down onto the glowing orb of it's spirit, crushing it. The hunter exhaled, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead. A smudge of blood was left behind. It could have been his, he was banged up after that, but it easily could have been the monster's too given it's death throes had splashed it around. But he'd deal with that in a bit. Now that the spell was draining away, the Cadet was starting to feel better. There were aches and pains from battle, but he but wasn't so tensed up and his mind was clearer. He could tell that it had made him stronger, but man did it just make him feel... uncomfortable. He physically shook himself as if that would hasten the spell's end, and once it's effects were gone the Cadet turned his attention to his teammates.

"Are you guys okay?" He looked them all over, relieved to see that all three of them seemed to be fine... well, maybe not all of them were 'fine' but they were still standing. After putting her head back onto her body Nadia was in one piece again, that Life Gem pulling her back together after the nasty hit she'd taken when he first arrived back into the shack after getting tossed out. It must've hurt like hell.

"You alright?" he asked, giving her another once over. Before Kamek might offer to summon his healing clone again, the Cadet pulled out one of the bags of lifepowder that survived the submarine's crash. "Here." He tossed the powder into the air, and it did it's work healing some of the damage those in the shack had sustained. It was all around less effective then getting a complete heal from a mage, but the thought of that made the Cadet uneasy. He did not want any kind of magic touching him, so he should probably make that clear even if it didn't make sense.

He tucked the longsword back in it's case and looked at the elder Koopa. "Kamek..." he started, wanting to add a "sir" but refraining, "thanks for the help - and you too Junior - but, uh..." When about to put it to words, his worry seemed silly, so he wondered how to word it. "...I'll be fine without that kind of magic stuff, okay? So you can focus on the others." What went unsaid was something like, please don't cast another spell on me! The Cadet seemed a little distressed talking about it, but he flashed a smile afterward. Everything was fine.

Outside the battle was still going on it seemed, though perhaps winding down since the noise level had dropped. One sound that was impossible to miss was that of allies calling for a helping hand. The Cadet head sheathed the Nightsky Ripper, but all of his weapons were just a draw away. The mini cannons on his rigging reloaded themselves, ready for more action. It was time to clean up what was left out there, help their friends and get back on track.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 54/60 ------ Level: 1 - Total EXP: 6/10
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 993 (+2 exp)
Location: Sandswept Sky

It was a muted welcome, though all things considered it made sense. Going over the logistics of moving such a large group up a mountain, and then having to worry about one more? Therion could just imagine what the organizers of this whole thing were thinking. The said, he was glad for this kind of reaction. It was normal, expected. It told him that the "do-gooders" Primrose was traveling with weren't all half-cocked and annoyingly upbeat hero types. That was more than fine with him.

One of the stranger looking of the bunch, and probably one of the strangest looking creatures Therion had ever seen, floated over to him to introduce herself. She also reminded him that oh yeah, the whole reason they were climbing the mountain in the first place was to fight some big bad monster or something. Primrose had mentioned something like that.

"There's nothing I would rather be doing," he responded with a completely flat, deadpan tone. While traveling with the others in Orsterra he'd fought against all sorts of dangerous, disgusting beasts. It completely sucked every time. There were a million things he'd rather be doing. But it wasn't anything new, and he'd already made up his mind. Beside him he could hear a muffled chuckle from Primrose which he chose to ignore.

It wasn't long after that one of the local guardians seemed to think of a solution to the problem of getting everyone up the mountain and led the group out of the restaurant. While everyone filed out after Tostada, Therion among them, Primrose sidled closer to Midna, who was fast, strong, crafty, and had tagged along in her shadow at the start of the journey into the Sandswept Sky. She'd seen that pang of jealousy not just in Midna, but in many others of the group as well. They all wanted to be reunited with their friends and family. Primrose didn't take it personally, instead it reinvigorated her just the same as meeting Therion had.

"...keep an eye on him? He may not look it, but Therion is trustworthy. The sooner that light is gone from him, the better."

It was selfish, but Primrose wasn't above asking such things. Freedom was something she knew Therion cherished above any physical treasure, he certainly wouldn't forgive anyone or anything that stripped it from him with their mind-altering abilities. With favor asked, the dancer continued out of the establishment with the rest of the Seekers.

---

Magical teleport stones seemed to be the answer. It was actually much more practical than anything Primrose imagined they'd come up with. With the climbing team going up, the rest of the group that weren't as well versed would stay behind and wait for their stones to glow. If it worked, then this would indeed be the best option. She thought about staying behind with the ground team, but after convincing Therion to make the trek that just wouldn't do. Plus, she all the exercise she'd been doing the last few days could only make her stronger - which included this climb.

She stepped out of her sandals, slipped on the boots from the sports shop, and wrapped the cloak around herself once more. At some point Therion had acquired some of the items that Band and Peacock had procured for the crew, though she didn't know if they'd offered it to him or he'd just helped himself. His hooks and ropes were secured to his belt, and he tugged his scarf tighter around himself. Both of them supposed that they were as ready for the climb as they could be. All that was left was taking the first step.

Steadily they moved up the trail into the canyon. It was a natural wonder for sure, with all the stones cut into shape by nature. There was little noise besides the sound wind whistling around the spires of rock, and of the Seeker's footsteps as they continued up. There was a faint echo of things moving far above them, which didn't exactly make the first part of the journey peaceful though.

The first rider seemed to come out of nowhere, slamming right into Tora at the head of the pack. Despite the high speed, they both came away from it unscathed. Damn, they weren't kidding, Therion thought as we watched the rider get up and keep on going. If they were part of a race, then the other racers wouldn't be far behind. The canyon practically trembled with the sound of racers rushing down it, complete with boulders rolling after them. It was chaos. After a couple of narrow misses Therion was tired of dodging the riders and was content to duck behind Jesse and her defensive wall, though he wasn't sure how they'd be able to 'get ahead' of the wave of racers besides just waiting them out. They just kept coming. There were probably hundreds of them!

It was probably much easier for their fliers, though not completely free of danger given that some riders were propelling themselves into the air by riding over Sectonia's ramp, or naturally formed ones around the area. Primrose chose to try her odds in the sky, jumping out of the way of one of the riders and using the enchanted scarf to float out of harm's way. When it's magic needed to recharge, Primrose landed behind their bigger, more defensive allies. At one point she took shelter behind Jesse as well, where Therion gave her an incredulous scowl.

"Since when could you do that?" he said, to which his companion replied, "Since yesterday." If she could have shared it with him she probably would have, but it was impossible. They huddled behind the shield as far as it would take them, splitting up again once Jesse needed a break. Primrose took to the sky again, while Therion stuck closer to the wall. They just had to keep moving up, even if it was slow and steady.

World of Light

Word Count: 853 (+2 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 54/80
Location: Edge of the Blue

A solid strike! The Cadet could feel it in the force of his shield. He backed off as the sharq giant reeled, gearing up to follow the Shoryugeki with another blow when some unexpected help arrived. Ms. Fortune came down onto the beast, stabbing into it's hide. She must have tidily taken care of the murlocs she'd lured. Her timing was spot on, but the giant wasn't down just yet. It didn't even give the two time to acknowledge each other, as it launched itself forward in attack. Having already gotten a taste of it's surprise speed, the Cadet skirted out of it's path - though he was quick to follow it and Nadia into the dilapidated shack it had thrown itself into.

He rushed in through the hole the giant had torn in the shack's wall, and was immediately met with the thing standing upright and on the move. Once more the giant's fists met the Cadet's shield. It was a few tense moments where the sharq man beat on the metal trying to get around the monster hunter's defense, slowly driving him backwards. The shield held, and once the creature stopped for a breather the Cadet retaliated with his sword, slashing and stabbing.

Nadia appeared then, jumping down from a higher floor within in the building. There was also riotous noise filtering in from outside, the shouts of friends and foes along with what sounded like cannon fire. The Cadet could only guess that more trouble had shown up.

He met Nadia's eyes, grinning at her despite the current circumstances. If they had made a good team while transformed into children, surely as their adult selves they'd be that much more formidable.

"Sounds like things are getting gnarlycuga. Let's put this thing down and get back out there," he said, confident. He dove back in on the attack, hardly registering that Kamek and Junior had arrived as back up. But when his weapon suddenly burned with magic flame, The Cadet's eyes widened and he faltered.

"Wha-?"

Kamek was saying something, the old wizard must have cast a spell on him. The Cadet was not usually the target of such spells, and before he didn't think he would mind - but now it was making his skin crawl, and because his attention was going from his sword to where Kamek was floating off to down at himself where there was a soft green glow, he was not at all focused on the giant in front of him. The monster raised it's arm and flung it at the Cadet, swatting the redhead hard off to the side and right back out of the shack, making another hole in it's walls as he crashed through.

He bounced on the surface of the water once before managing to right himself, sliding and coming to a stop. Now outside, he could see the state of things - there were a few more little guys, but a lot more big guys. It would definitely behoove them to take care of the sharq fishman they were fighting quickly so they could help tackle these new threats. The Cadet looked at the enchanted sword still clutched tightly in his hand. It was some kind of power-up spell, but it felt... weird, and wrong to use it. He grimaced. Unfortunately he was going to have to spurn Kamek's generosity if he wanted to be of any use, because he doubted he'd be able to concentrate while seeing the magic around the sword. He could hardly concentrate now, outside of battle, because of the feel of the aura cast on him - a constant unpleasant buzz. Plus there were now a bunch of magic clones in the shack too.

The Cadet sheathed the Master Bang, put a knuckle to his forehead and breathed in and out deeply, willing himself to get over it. He couldn't just abandon the fight and move on after all, Nadia was still in there.

"Pull yourself together, Cadet!" he huffed to himself. He gathered himself up, shifting the sheathe of the Nightsky Ripper forward before zipping across the water and back into the battle. If any wandering murlocs thought they'd ambush some easy prey they shot full of holes courtesy of the guns on his rigging as he moved.

His new plan was to end this particular fight as fast as possible. He had swapped his defense for more offense with the long sword, pulling the blade out for a swift attack. To cover up the feeling of Kamek's buff, the Cadet activating Devouring Demon, further powering him up even as he felt his vitality start to drain. He'd unwittingly avoided the healing white mage by being thrown from the shack, and if he was quick enough he could keep avoiding it - and instead do some quick recovery by attacking the giant.

The Ace Cadet reappeared after Junior's antics. His eyes were hard and he pretty much forced his vision to tunnel, focusing only on the giant fishman so he wouldn't catch sight of anything distressing or distracting. The long sword flashed, it's blade finding it's way to the monster.

Sup?

Welcome (back)!

World of Light

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news today, but I figured I'd post this in the OOC: A lot has been going on, and due to personal reasons I'll not get into, I'll be taking an indefinite leave from Guild. This last year has been incredible and a great experience and I'm thankful to have taken part, and I apologize for the potential inconvenience this could cause. But I hope that overall, you all keep trucking and find a ton of fun in the future.

@Potemking

Aw man, sad to see you go but I hope that everything works out for you. Good luck out there, be safe. Wishing you well.

World of Light

Traveling from town to town was something Therion was well accustomed to by now. He'd been moving around pretty much his whole life. He'd trekked through forests, frost, and fields; in sand, sun, and swamp. Visited cities large and small. Alone, and with friends.

Currently, he was the former. Hitched a ride on the caboose of one of those long metal contraptions they'd called a train about a week ago into a town called Tostarena. For a tourist destination, it was pretty small. Compared to the city he'd come from, it was much more difficult for long term guests to go unnoticed just because of the population difference - but the colorful high energy locals liked attention, and newcomers always drew the eyes away, so it was... workable. That being said, there was a lot less coin moving around Tostarena too. A lot of mountain enthusiasts, amateur singers and dancers, but not many deep pockets.

One might ask why was he in this town to begin with if his recent stomping grounds were so superior. The answer was simple: the dark robed cult that had served as law enforcement back in the city was getting a little too aggressive for his tastes. It was better to move on sooner than later, and now he was camped out here waiting to catch a ride out. If he could help it, he did not want to cross the desert on foot. Again.

The morning was spent like most others, idly wandering the town. Therion suspected that he had probably memorized every nook and cranny by now. He was beginning to grow antsy. Maybe he should just hop on the next train out he saw, even if it ran back to the capital. Or whatever that huge city was.

The sun started climbing higher, and Therion retreated toward the slots parlor he'd been frequenting soon after he'd arrived in town. A cutesy little establishment with a large space that matched the town's exterior, opening into a side room with more traditional machines - or so Therion had been told. It had all been foreign to him the first time. He'd never been much of a gambler, but the atmosphere in the parlor was not as oppressive as the cheery, party-like vibe outside.

He passed a man with a wide grin as he slipped into the establishment. Once the door closed behind him, Therion drew a hand out from beneath his shawl.

"Wow, big winner," he said, spinning the floating moon he'd lifted in his palm. The Tostarenan at the counter shook his head at Therion humorously. The thief tossed the moon to the front desk as he passed it, making his way toward the more secluded area. As far as Therion could tell they had no practical worth, just a pretty souvenir. None of the locals would buy them, he'd tried. Now it was kind of like a game to pass the time, and the shop's proprietor kept his skull quiet because ultimately it meant he'd get his prizes back.

Therion parked himself in front of one of the machines, content to listen to the chatter and gossip of the few patrons already inside. Sometimes there was interesting information to be learned this way, but today that didn't seem to be the case - until the town's biggest gossip walked in not too much later.

Biff was always looking for someone to state his opinions too, and since arriving Therion had filled that roll for much the same reason he came to hang out in a casino with no intent gamble: to hear news. Did he like the man? No. Biff was actually pretty annoying. But he hoped tolerating him would pay off at some point. Biff looked around the joint briefly before spotting Therion and making his way over, taking a seat at the machine next to him.

"Yea?"

"You'll never guess what just pulled into town," the man said, emphasizing his statement with a drawn out whistle. Therion rolled his hand in a gesture to get on with it. "Circus just rolled in. Some of the goofiest people I've ever seen. Might be some excitement in ol' Tostarena for once."

"...a circus? What, with animals and tents?"

"They got animals, but no tents exactly. Actually their train is weird. All metal thing with a big gun on the front."

That... doesn't add up. Running in back alleys and black markets, Therion had learned what a gun was pretty quickly. Perhaps if his eyes weren't full of sunset light, he might have questioned why he wasn't perturbed at all about the contraptions, or the odd variety of people using them. As it was, his brows were furrowed in thought, because what would a traveling circus need with a huge gun? And mounted on a train, no less. It was something to look into.

He stood up, heading for the door. Biff, bewildered, called after him. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To see the clowns," Therion answered, lifting a hand in goodbye. He departed quickly, lest Biff try and follow him, and slipped back into the open where tourists and locals mingled. The train was impossible to miss. It was huge. Dark gleaming metal and— okay that was not a gun, that was a cannon. Way to understate, Biff.

There did seem to be a large crew meandering around the train talking though. People of all sorts, every shape and size. Sure, he could see someone mistaking them for a circus... but some of them were pretty intense looking. His first thought was that he was not looking a sideshow act, but a group of ragtag mercenaries. And with a train like that... maybe they were running security for something valuable.

Despite wanting to lay low in town, there were already plots forming in Therion's head about how he'd scope the train out and get into it. None of the ideas got very far, distracted by a flash of red that tickled the recognition part of his mind. The outfit wasn't exactly the same as he remembered, and she looked a little paler, there was a little more muscle definition, but was that...? It was just a flicker moving among the group of strangers, but it was enough to catch his attention - and with his attention, his curiosity.

And as the saying goes, nothing bad ever happened to a cat who was curious.

It turned out that the group heading into town for gear was larger than Primrose had initially thought it would be. They ripped through the shop like a tornado, and if Primrose was bewildered she could only imagine how the poor shop keep felt. Arguing, making messes, pulling strange men from their ears... it must have went beyond a headache into traveled into nightmare territory for the Tostarenan behind the counter. Primrose kept the edge of the chaos, perusing courteously despite her company. When it seemed like Big Band has convinced the shop keeper to lend them the items, she trailed after the group and help up a pair of hiking boots so that the Tostarenan could see them.

"Add these in, please," she said, a pleasant smile plastered on her face. It was nice of Raz to pay for his own gear, he seemed like a good kid, but free was free. Or in this case, borrowed. She sauntered out of the store after the rest of the group. With such a large amount of items, she hoped that the climb wouldn't be too difficult. If they succumbed to the mountain before making it to the Guardian that just wouldn't do.

As they started back towards the restaurants in town to see where the others had ended up, Primrose felt someone bump into right side. She faltered, but when she looked there was no one there. Then, on the opposite side, a clumsy tug at her satchel. She whirled around, clutching the bag close and ready to glare daggers into any would-be thieves, but again there was no one to be seen. However, an inspection of her inventory saw that her coin purse was missing.

"I don't need this right now," she sighed, scanning the area for any suspects. She caught the flutter of a purple shawl disappear into the space between two buildings and her eyes widened. Without a second thought split from the group and she ducked into the alley. There at the end of it, tossing her purse between his hands, was...

"...Therion?"

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 52/60 ------ Level: 1 - Total EXP: 4/10
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 3000 (+4 exp)
Location: Sandswept Sky - Tostarena Town

Out of all the places she could have met one of her friends, those fellow travelers from Orsterra, the last one she would have expected was this small, vibrant little town at the foot of a great desert mountain. Then again, she had first met Therion in a town much like this one, only nestled into the heart of the Clifflands. Was it some kind of fate or destiny that brought them together again?

She approached the thief slowly, almost unbelieving. Therion looked her up and down with an eyebrow raised, but it seemed that he was satisfied with whatever he found. He tossed Primrose's coin purse back to her.

"So it was you," he said. "Your look's not the only thing that's changed. Getting a little carefree, are we?"

Primrose looked confused at first. Her heart was beating hard, spreading intense feelings of pure relief and gladness at finding one of her friends alive and well - and that was all he had to say? She was speechless at first, but just one look at him made her remember that he wouldn't think anything was wrong with this situation. Maybe he wasn't even missing any of the travelers at all. From his one visible eye, a gloomy red light glowed softly. A silence stretched between them, and Therion grew fidgety. Why wasn't she saying anything? Primrose took a deep breath and regrouped, although it was delayed.

"On the contrary, I should think you were losing your touch. You would normally not be caught so easily," she finally replied, but Therion only rolled his eyes.

"It was intentional. You were supposed to notice," he told her, "I'm more surprised at what you didn't notice missing." He produced a dagger from the folds of his clothes, the dagger of House Azelhart. Primrose's eyes widened ever further. Was she really growing complacent, traveling in a group even larger than the eight she was familiar with? She breathed out slowly through her nose, then narrowed her eyes and stuck her hand out to take the weapon back.

"Relax," Therion said. He stepped close to her, pressing the dagger into her waiting palm. "Just testing you. Anyone would feel safe in a big group like that. Can't believe you've already replaced us—"

He met her eyes while he talked, and found a genuine hurt in Primrose's eyes. It surprised Therion so much that he recoiled away from her. The dancer never showed her feelings so easily even with the travelers. She was upset, and only now trying to hide it once she saw how her expression had affected Therion.

"...you know that was a joke, right...?" he tried, his voice soft.

"...I have never known you to be particularly funny."

There was another brief stretch of silence, but a small smirk was steadily growing on Primrose's face. It gave her away, that she was recovering from the wound Therion had unknowingly inflicted on her. "Oh har har," he said, rolling his eyes again.

Gods, Primrose wanted to slap him. But she knew if she did, they'd do battle. She could feel that with a lot of her powers returned, she was probably more powerful than him - but she wasn't sure she'd be able to incapacitate him before he just gutted her.

"I have been looking for you - for all of you. What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here? With that ragtag bunch, riding a train and buying climbing supplies?"

"Going climbing, is that not obvious?" She wanted to question how he knew what a train was given she'd only learned about them that morning, but she went on. "Traveling with a group of do-gooders, helping people. And saving the world."

"...now I can't tell if you're joking."

Primrose shrugged. She didn't have to convince him to believe her, she couldn't. "Are you by yourself? Have you seen any of the others?"

"No, I haven't."

So he was alone. Although they'd been together previously, more or less, when Galeem's light swept over them it also separated all of them. Or so Primrose assumed, given how she and Therion hadn't been with any of the others upon waking up here. Still, finding Therion in such a huge world... it gave Primrose a sense of hope that she hadn't felt in what seemed like a long time.

"Come with us."

Therion blinked. Once, twice. Then he scoffed. "No thanks, you all look like a walking disaster."

She couldn't exactly argue against that. His blunt response didn't dash her spirits just yet though. "Then stay here. Here, in Tostarena, so that I may find you when we descend the mountain." Therion looked skeptical, but she had to lock him down before she lost him again. She wanted to find all of her friends if possible, to make sure they were okay when everything... well, when whatever happened, happened. "I would rather not lose you," she stated.

Therion rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "So my choices are climb a mountain with your traveling circus or stay put in this place for who knows how long?" Primrose tilted her head at his analogy about the Seekers, but otherwise didn't react, knowing he wasn't finished. "Why don't I just tell you where I'm headed, and we can meet there later?"

"Because you don't know where you are headed."

"I - ugh." The thief's shoulders slumped. "I'll think about it. But tell me, really, what are you doing?"

"I did tell you," she said, and again Therion didn't look like he quite believed her. She added on quiet and solemn, "we are helping people, to find their ways home."

---

A half-assed promise was about as good as she could get from Therion. Despite his evasiveness, she had faith that he would at the very least stick around the area. They had talked a little more before parting, if vaguely, about Primrose's plan with the Seekers. That they'd be scaling the mountain and taking down a powerful opponent. If Therion was concerned he hid it well. He had confided after a little while that it "might not be bad" to travel with the crew again, provided they could find them. It was clear that he had the same interests as Primrose, if not the same goal - yet. But that would come with time. If he wasn't going to travel with her, then she would just free him from Galeem on the way back.

...he would definitely be here when they got back. Or so help me Gods, Therion.

When they separated, Primrose made her way back to the large group at the Happy Hongo. The free meal was another nice surprise on top of finding a missing companion. She hadn't thought much on the group size beyond that it was a lot of people. She had assumed they would all trudge up the mountain in one force, or perhaps a long single file line. But maybe Mao was right. A strong core group would be better than a larger, weaker one.

Primrose had a lot on her mind this afternoon, but she considered the current predicament, propping her chin up in her palm. "I veto the cannon," she said. "Everyone should think about if they really want to make the trek. If there's any doubt, it may be better to stay behind. There would be no shame in it... but if all twenty four of us are willing to try, then why should we not try?"

There was a short cough of someone clearing their throat, standing off the side of the mass of people dining. "...make it twenty five, I guess."

She was almost as surprised to see Therion now as she was earlier in the alley. He stood there shifting from one foot to the other with a rucksack thrown over his shoulder. With his shawl and large scarf he was practically ready to venture out, even if it was his regular outfit. After splitting up from Primrose he had thought about her invitation. Her ultimatum, really. He had grumbled, but then thought hadn't be been looking a way out of town? Going up wasn't the direction he'd expected, but it would be more interesting then putzing around Tostarena for the foreseeable future. That we would leave Primrose in the dust didn't even cross his mind. He hadn't thought it strange to be separated from the other seven until running into one, and now it just made sense to stick together. Primrose, himself, and... all these other people.

With his hair falling over part of his face only one eye was visible, and it shifted between the large group. Now that he was up close, he could see that they did indeed have some 'animals' among them, and even children. What the...

He might have started questioning his decision, if it weren't for the soft smile on Primrose's face. She was pleased. He wanted to be annoyed at that, but he just huffed and stayed quiet. Primrose stood up then, bringing a hand to her mouth to clear her own throat and try in vain to wipe away her smile. She glanced slightly at Therion, communicating with her eyes I'm glad you're coming with me, before she looked at the Seekers at large.

"Well. Everyone, this is Therion. A friend I ran into in town," she said. Therion thought her explanation could use some work, but he shrugged and nodded a greeting. He couldn't help but wonder what he was getting himself into.