Fantasy Tales of Raeligard

[lunar_moth]

Endymion casts the daughter a shy smile; for obvious reasons, he can’t help but feel sympathetic towards those with strained or otherwise unconventional relationships with their parents, but his attention is shortly thereafter drawn to the mother herself.

She grips both his hands in her own, and he has only a moment to ponder how soft the skin of her palms is before he’s nodding his head ferociously. Frankly, the urgency in her voice has him agreeing before her words even sink in, but even after that he can’t help but agree. A dinner party-like situation is not his most favoured but with everyone there, he’s sure the silence will be filled quite naturally. And besides— how could he deny the thrill he gets now when the promise of another adventure is dangled in front of him?

The guild life really is addicting, damn. So much for him being a scholarly type who was above such mortal pleasures.

I have never known you to deny yourself any sort of pleasure you seek, and I’ve only known you for days, Beryl croaks where she is tucked beneath his tunic’s collar and reads him to filth.

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

Location: Tylsen streets
interaction: AnonyMouse​

“Well I try to appear non-threatening bad for business“ he chuckled a little bit smiling as he did so only to get slapped in the back by Sen letting out a small huff from being slightly winded by the strike. "but no no I didn't expect you'd eat a donkey.. that beneath anyone respectable especially one as stubborn that that one no offense" he'd turn to the donkey's owner as he said the last part the man just giving a small nod as if to indicate no offense taken. as his attention went back to Sen... who and mentioned something he'd neglected... so wrapped up in the nearly nostalgic carrying of small goods that he'd forgotten that it wasn't like working with his father no they where supposed to be working in pairs.. of course getting a hold of anyone so he'd done them alone. "well you see.. no one else wanted to actually work with me admittedly and as a merchant at heart, this sort of work felt natural I will admit.." he'd say with a dejected frown. "i know you will have to tell the guild about this i won't make any excuses beyond the reason for my own failure... but.. thank you for helping with the donkey"

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Tylsen
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​

"Ignorance and mystery gives rise to speculation, but I am sure you are aware of that by now, and the quite simple solution," Lucia replied, remarking on the beastkin's statements regarding silence about the whole situation. The elf didn't feel very protected. Ignorance was bliss to some, but she would hardly don it as a shield or view it as an effective one. Lambs were quite happy before they realized they were to be killed for meat. However, it wasn't but the latter of what Viv said that irked the Caskerieth, likely the statement least expected to.

She paused momentarily. "Yes... answer when called upon but no answers to be given when questioned..." She mused aloud. Were they part of an army now? Good soldiers following orders with minimal information. Lucia was sure Thea didn't have any issues with that, a force of habit no doubt. However, not all were so eager to serve. "Regardless, she may move without me. That woman brings back less than pleasant memories."

With a slight huff, she listened to Falco, her mood somewhat soured. However, she was still glad that there was no need to rescue Falco from the woman like Hysydice. The girl got there in the end at least.

Yet, then the comment came, followed by a noticeable twice of the elf's eye. "...Ah, so I am easy, am I?" She asked a none-too-friendly grin. Feeling the hand upon her shoulder, she looked back briefly, before exhaling sharply through her nose and moving in tow. "It will be one of those days it seems."

AnonyMouse RedArmyShogun

 

[AnonyMouse]

Sen Hyazari​

Location: Tylsen, streets​

"No friends, hmm? Well... that's fuckin' sad," Sen said as she stepped back from him. She simply stood there, with her hands on her hips, pondering him for a few quiet seconds. Which, for her, might as well be an eternity. The right thing to do would be to snitch on him. Valdergeuse had not clarified what the punishment would be for violating this 'rule' she'd pulled out of her pompous ass. If she had, Sen would probably just punish him here and now and be done with it. The idea of 'going through the proper channels' irked her.

"Tell ya what," she said. "I'll be your wingman. Seein' as how I'm higher rank, we split the reward, 70-30... cuz we ain't friends or nothin,' got it? And I won't tell nobody, long as you don't get caught doin' this shit again." She grinned at him. "Maybe, next time, don't be such a sadsack loser. How hard can it be to get folks to work wit' ya!? You're a big fuckin' spider! A merchant, too. And not half bad-looking, either... at least from the waist up. Get it together, kid. I don't think anybody's walkin' around sayin 'who the fuck is Risax.'"
Interaction(s): Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Tylsen, leaving the guildhall​

"No, no, of course not!" Falco said, hastily backpedalling in response to Lucia's remark about her being 'easy.' Why is it always hot or cold with this girl!? Every time he thought he was making progress, he walked right into a pitfall. "I just meant you're... approachable. More approachable than you seem to be." He should have stopped there but, in typical Falion fashion, his jaws kept flapping:

"I mean, a couple of years ago, I never would have even talked to a girl like you. I figure she'd tell me to kick rocks 'fore I could get a word in," he said. "But, with you, I usually get... oh, three or four words in before you go back to hating me. So, that's something, I guess!" he laughed nervously.

Done. You've said your piece. Shut up now.

"What I really meant was..." Oh, no, he won't stop... "I know there's gotta be a secret path through that maze you call a heart," he said, with a teasing thumbs up. "And I'm gonna find it. Mark my words."
Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia)

 

[TreasureSniper]

Interaction: Cephilia, Rena & Luna ( AnonyMouse ) Endymion lunar_moth
​

In truth, Talio had a lot to say on the matter, considering the number of things that were just dropped in front of him and his guildmates. Family relations aside, he was frustrated by the lack of forthcomingness from this particular client. He didn't mind her using their low rank and relatively low reputation to their advantage, but what he did not approve of was the lack of transparency.

Fortunately for the lady, the merchant has had his fair share of difficult clients and thankfully has developed some patience for eccentricity. In addition to this, the appearance of Miss Cephalia, was all he needed to see, understanding now that this was no ordinary client at all. Hearing her reprimand the cat lady while making her promise to be more forthcoming with the team assembled was a much-welcomed sight. Aside from that, Talio had also noticed many worrying details that have yet to be confirmed. Some were political by nature, hearing names of people who he assumed were influential to some extent while other matters were a lot more vague, cryptic, and ominous. Perfect plot points for a storybook.


"As you wish, Miss Cephilia." The merchant obediently replied to the clockwork witch, giving her his usual polite bow of respect. It was then that he was reminded how unusual the circumstances of their promotions were. Her acknowledgment of this made it even more intriguing. What was the angle here? Who stands to benefit from the accelerated promotion of a few greenhorns? For now, he will have to save these questions for dinner time.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Tylsen
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​

Lucia briefly paused, folding her arms across her chest and rested the majority of her weight to a single hip as she watched Falco squirm. Staring at him with the single eye, she seemed to allow him to walk his statement back, or dig himself into a deeper hole. It wasn't until he put the shovel down that she spoke again.

"Oh dear Falion... You would know if I hated you," She replied, a dangerous smirk showing on her face. "Perhaps you and Hysydice both benefit from counsel on how to smith your verbiage."

Taunting him a bit at that, her features did seem to soften a bit after she'd had her fun. Her posture relaxed and she continued on her pathing. "That said, I'll await your navigation of the labyrinth with baited breath."

RedArmyShogun AnonyMouse

 

[King Crimson]

Current Location: Guild Hall​

Daring not to so much as breathe, Cressey watched on as the mysterious, noble woman left the Guild's door, her eyes following both her, and her captive stewards as the marched down the street, soon disappearing out of sight.
The coast seemed clear, and Cressey quickly ducked across the cobblestone road, all but bursting through the door, which, with a protracted sigh of relief, she quickly shut behind her, imbibing on the respite the warm, familiar air the guild hall had come to provide for her.
The hall remained somewhat empty, Lupa, Lori, Hyss and Sakura scouring the board for what slim jobs were available, Thea, Lucia, and Falco conversing at the reception desk, and much to Cressey's surprise, Vivienne serving as the guild's receptionist.
Of course, her massive form was almost comical, trapped behind the tiny reception desk, but her warm smile at least played the part.
Better still, she seemed to know something of the stranger, Cressey's ears acutely catching the name "Rhosschana."
"That...woman isn't coming back here, is she?" Cressey asked as she approached the group, taking a nervous glance over her shoulder, as if expecting to see that mysterious woman galivanting back in with that hideous, haughty laughter, leading poor Talio and Endymion around on a leash as her personal manservants, a thought that sent an unpleasant shiver running up her spine.
Crossing her arms across her chest, she loudly sighs in complaint, "Hah...As if we weren't getting enough unwanted attention these days as it is...That woman looks like nothing but trouble!"
Her eyes fell on Falco, as she warily adds, "...And considering that you're not currently following her through the streets, crawling on hands and knees to kiss the floor she walked on, I'm assuming you got much the same impression, Falco."
Craning her neck to look back towards Vivienne, she demandingly asks, "So, pray tell, what business does that woman have being here? Looking to hire someone to blow her nose for her since she can't be bothered to? Some sort of rich, aristocratic benefactor, trying to buy her way into the guild's graces?"
"...Another bored noble, trying to play at being a bold, daring adventurer?"
That last one came out of her mouth without much thought, and not a moment after she uttered it, did she realize the irony that only she would be able to comprehend.


Interacting:
AnonyMouse (Vivienne/Falco)
EmperorsChosen (Lucia)
RedArmyShogun (Thea)
Silver Wolf (Lupa)
ERode (Lori)
Topless (Sakura)
Thalia_Neko (Hyss)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Tyslen - Guild Hall
~~~
​

Listening to Falco's words Thea sighed a bit and knew this would likely be enough to keep Lucia from wanting to hurt him... Maybe. Still her own take at them not being told information was as always. Lucia for whatever reason seemed to despise the very notions of order and rank. Thea had explained her own thoughts on the matter. They were not all that important, to trust people that were inducted not but scant days before with the innerworkings of the guild, to disclose what had happened, would speak only of a grave incompetence and naivety.

Still, Thea did not care to have this talk here and now. If there was a cause to have that talk or to be told these answers, then and there Thea would speak up. Until then she would find her time better spent showing that she had worth to the guild. Shaking off the though, she made way to leave as further exchanges played out between Lucia and Falion. Cressey was then quick to make her presence known with questions aside. Time was wasting, the missions could not wait. They had taken them, the had to finish them or incur a penalty.

"Best as we could tell, unknown. She seemed to be both playing and yet serious. I suspect we'll hear more out of her before the moon waxes above us. Though, we were on the way to do more work, and those two spoke to her, I did not." Thea says in short order, jerking a thumb at Lucia and Falco, as she gave Cressey part of her answer. "Though we were on the way to do some time sensitive jobs, I think we can spare a couple of minutes for their own opinions."

Interactions: Falco, Vivienne AnonyMouse Lucia EmperorsChosen Cressey King Crimson

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

Location: Tylsen Streets
interaction: AnonyMouse​

Risax gave one long respectful bow to Sen as she made such a generous offer. "thank you thank you.. trust me this will never happen again" risax replied swiftly and with confidence he would not do this again he'd grown complacent and that was horrible.. he needed not to do this again and it wouldn't he'd learned his lesson. and this was the last time he'd make this mistake.

however what Sen said next made him blush hard and his ears wiggle. a bit purplish skin having gone more pinkish. "err you... really think that Sen? wow.. um don't know what to say ..." he'd reply awkwardly brushing his hair back "um yeah anyway... it should be down the road.." despite it being a backhanded comment to him he took it as a complement form the hard ass wild woman afterall if she wasn't throwing some kinda insult Risax would be worried someone had replace her.

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Tylsen streets
Time: 3 / 16 / 422AC, midday ​

Another busy day in Tylsen. Falco’s plan to tackle three quests in rapid succession went fairly well, all things considered. His knowledge of the city’s layout allowed himself and his two comrades to navigate the bustling streets and flow from one location to the next, even encountering their fellow adventurers along the way. It seemed everyone was keeping busy. More importantly, he managed to avoid putting his foot in his mouth a second time and keep things civil with the ladies, choosing instead to let his actions speak for themselves.

They were en route to their third destination, their arms laden with packages to be delivered, when they crossed paths with Endymion and Talio, who informed them the acting guildmaster wished for everyone to attend a ‘small gathering’ at her home at sundown. Falco immediately found this strange, but was never one to turn down a free meal, nor an invitation to a beautiful lady’s home at nightfall... not that he had ever received such a thing.

As the two boys departed to spread the word, Falco couldn’t help but feel they were all being roped into something big, yet again. The sewers. Oyten. Heine’s warehouses. Fate seemed to have a way of finding them, inviting them to take a dip, and then roughly shoving them into the deep end, just when they were learning to paddle. But this time was different. This was not mere ‘fate.’ This time, fate had a name: Rhoshanna De Luna.

There was no doubt she would be there. In fact, he was certain this was all her doing. Cephilia was not one for celebrations. She literally said so herself, at their promotion. No, the cat was definitely behind this. This was not a meal given out of the kindness of her heart. They must need something from us, Falco thought, trying to reason through it all, trying to think in four dimensions. Or want something from us, he corrected, his old street rat ways coming back to him. Nobles rarely ever ‘needed’ anything.

But his train of thought terminated there. What could Cephilia and this woman possibly want from a bunch of E Ranks? The latter had an entire guild branch at her disposal, and the former… well, she didn’t appear to be in dire straits either. All he could say is that he didn’t like the way the cat woman talked in circles and toyed with him. Thinking back on their encounter, he now felt his attempts at payback were clumsy and juvenile. Embarrassing, even. The only reason he didn’t fully resent her is because she seemed to notice he was out of his depth and ended things before he could fall any further. A small mercy, given too late.

Falco had spent most of his life trying to avoid fights. Running away or bullshitting his way out of situations and keeping a fistful of sand or a shank for when things really got dire. These days, all he thought about was getting stronger, so he won’t have to back down. But what if that’s the wrong way to go about it? What if there’s a way to fight with words? Since joining Kriegslowe, Falco had spent plenty of time honing his blades and arts, yet none honing what he used to feel was his greatest asset: his silver tongue.

Bwahahaha! Who are you kidding? he thought as he began to fall behind Lucia and Thea, grinning to himself like a madman. You can barely tell anyone how you feel without making a fool of yourself. You're no silver-tongued devil.

Well, maybe it was time to change that...

With newfound resolve, Falco picked up his pace and took the lead. "Sorry," he said, for getting distracted. He wasn’t sure if this woman was a new ally or a new enemy or something in-between. But, just like everything they had faced before, he would rise to the occasion. He couldn’t afford not to. She won’t beat me a second time...

Rhoschanna De Luna​

Location: Tylsen, Marble District, Valdergeuse Estate
Time: sundown​

The aroma of warm food fills the halls of Cephilia Valdergeuse’s home as she and her companions prepare a small feast for their guests. After hours of work, the meal prep is nearly complete and the kitchen can barely contain the amount of activity taking place. They make their final push, just as the sun begins to set.

“Okay, hear me out…” Rhoschanna said, as she paused to take a break from the greenery and vegetables she had been slicing for nearly half an hour. “I have always been a firm believer in specialization, but-”

Cephilia groaned. “I thought we agreed you don’t speak anymore until that salad is done?” she said, looking up from the glazed ham she was carving to side-eye the chatty cat.

“Oh, no, let her go on. I quite enjoy these stimulating discussions,” Viv said, trembling with giddy delight as she paused from icing her cake to fetch a tray of cookies from the oven. “I found your commentary on… what was it… 'the merit-based socioeconomic policies of Valgemian aristocracy versus the dwindling Raelgardin upper-middle class’ to be truly fascinating!”

“Why, thank you! Unlike Cephilia, we enjoy the exchange of ideas through dialogue with others. It is how we grow wiser, together,” Rho said. “Furthermore, friends should not stand in silence. Lady Yvarra, you are a true friend to all, and I cherish you. Cece should follow your example.”

“Well, since Viv approves,” she gave the centaur a death glare, “Carry on. I, too, am morbidly fascinated by how many roundabout ways you can come up with to say we --and, more specifically, you-- shouldn’t be cooking,” Cephilia replied.

“Hmmm? Oh, no, darling, I revel in this! If anything, I feel we should do this more often,” Rhoschanna said, as she set about chopping the salad once more. “These young adventurers are working so incredibly hard. They deserve to be treated once in a while, and it is my pleasure to be of assistance in that endeavor. However…” she paused for emphasis, “I am a believer in specialization. ‘Choose the best person for the job,’ I say.”

“Ergo, we shouldn’t be cooking. It’s ‘beneath us,’” Cephilia summarized.

“No, darling, that is not what I said. Quite the opposite, in fact, if you would let me finish,” Rhoschanna rebutted, wagging her finger at the other woman. “There is a time when choosing the wrong person can have the desired effect. The meal is more impactful because we are not cooks. I see what you are trying to do here and applaud you wholeheartedly. It's actually quite brilliant.”

“Ah, so I'm using food to manipulate them? Don’t be ridiculous,” Cephilia said.

“Oh, but you are, Cece… and there is nothing wrong with that. Some of us are good at using our words to show appreciation. Others, such as yourself, possess a crippling inability to verbalize even the slightest hint of love, as if you are allergic to warm fuzzy thoughts. An apology dinner is sooo you! Don't deny it.”

"She does have a point," Viv proposed. "Cephilia, didn't you spend hours handcrafting arcanizers for a group of total strangers, only to claim you don't have time to train or interact with them? And don't even get me started on Talio's arm..."

Rhoschanna doubled over with laughter. "Yes! That's the Cephilia I know. Our lovable little introvert, ever tinkering. Where would she be without us?"

"I have always said she keeps her heart in her toolbox."

"Vivienne, whose side are you on!?" Cephilia said, exasperated. She cast her eyes down to hide her embarassment. "You're both insane. This dinner is just an excuse to get them all in one room, so I can fill them in on the situation... and so Rho can make a fool of herself. With everything going on, I think we can all use a good laugh about now, and she's good for that much, at least."

"Well, unlike our pointy-eared wallflower, I can endure being the butt of a joke or two. It comes with the territory," Rho said with a knowing smirk. "Laugh all you want. You wouldn't give me an audience if you didn't think my proposition has some merit, darling. I really do think Lord Ainsworth is up to something. I can't prove it yet, but with your help, we'll nail this bastard to the wall."

"You don't know these recruits the way I do," Cephilia scofffed. "Each of them is problematic in their own way. I doubt you'll get the results you expect."

Rhoschanna stifled a small chuckle. "Cece, darling, how many times must I tell you: the world isn't like one of your precious clockwork gizmos. The gears never turn the way you would like them to, but turn they must." In a darker tone, she said, "We'll get results. Nothing is worse than stagnation. I hate to see you idle, darling. I hate to see you afraid."

"Yet again, she has a point," Viv said as she balanced her completed cake on one hand and the still-warm tray of cookies on another. "A guild branch was destroyed. The same nearly happened here. And we still haven't heard from Maze or Kaira. We must do something, even if it means groping in the dark for answers where we may find none."

"This isn't 'groping in the dark.' This is infiltrating the home of a man who already despises Kriegslowe. If discovered, we would be validating his years of falsehoods. Every vile lie will be tainted with truth," Cephilia said. "The world isn't a wind-up toy to be played with, Rho. It's a powderkeg... and you're trying to light the fuse."

Rhoschanna's eyes narrowed on her. "Spare me your pedantic speeches. It's already lit. Ask Kaira or Krafen's guildmaster, if they still live."

The two women stared at one another in silence, an animosity tempered by years of understanding, as the playful banter turned to something much, much more serious. Viv, sensing the tension, began to back toward the dining hall, to deliver her goods to the other room. However, Sen charged in, slapping the centaur's furry flanks as she charged into the kitchen.

"The fuck are you guys doin' in here!?" the Syrieth demanded to know. "It's almost time and the food ain't ready yet? C'mon! Aaron and the girl need more plates. Where y'all keep the dishes?"

"Third cupboard on the right," Rhoschanna said with a friendly smile, as she positioned herself between Cephilia and the wildling. "And it's 'Arien,' darling. Arien Bermille. Why can't anyone get this man's name right?"

"Whatever. You know who I meant," Sen said as she yanked the cupboard open and snatched out a dozen plates. "By the way, what're we drinkin'? I know you got wine in this joint, elf. Where's it at?" she said as she gripped the dinnerware as if she might throw them at any moment.

"Stop calling me 'elf,' elf. And I'm not wasting my good wine on this," Cephilia retorted.

"Of course not. She needs that for drowning her sorrows, alone at night," Rhoschanna teased. "Fear not, Miss Hyazari. I shall prepare some special tea for the ocassion."

"Like hell you are! I've been subjected to your 'special tea' before and this is not that kind of ocassion!" Cephilia said, bristling with anger.

"Oh, but it caaaan be."

"I feel like there's a story here..." Viv commented.

Rhoschanna laughed. "Oh, there is. Shame, she doesn't remember any of it. But I do."

"Okay, you've got my attention. What's in this tea?"

"Only the finest medicinal herbs and spices the law will allow. Enough to liven up even the stodgiest old elf."

"Hit me. That sounds like my kind o' party," Sen said with a satisfied grin as she backed out of the kitchen with a stack of plates and saucers. "We'll talk later 'bout any other 'medicinal herbs' ya got, cat lady. It better be good."

"For a friend of a friend, only the best," Rhoschanna said with a wink.

The moment Sen was out of sight, Cephilia slowly shook her head. "Do you exist to corrupt everyone you meet?" she said with a sigh.

"We can all use a little push toward the edge," Rhoschanna said with an innocent shrug. "But, relax, darling, I won't be making my special blend tonight. This matter is far too important for that. But, perhaps, a little something to sharpen their minds won't go amiss. I want our friends to have their wits about them tonight. We have so much to discuss."

And thus their banter continued into dusk. And, as the sun began to sink below the rooftops, the first of many knocks were heard upon the door as the guests arrived and plans were put into motion...

Chapter 2: The Old Flame​

Location: Tylsen, Marble District Valdergeuse Estate
Time: 3 / 16 / 422AC, nightfall ​

Falco ascended the steps to Cephilia's home with his hands thrust deep into the pockets of his nicest pair of pants. He wasn't quite sure what to wear. Was this a formal event or something casual? He opted for somewhere in-between and choose not to don his armor and adventuring gear. He only brought two small knives and kept them well-concealed within his jacket.

His mind raced, but his heart rate remained steady as his knuckles rapped lightly upon her door. He could hear voices within. He waited for footfalls, but none reached his ears. Instead, the door opened before him without warning or preamble, and there she was.

"Ah, we meet again, Falion. So delighted to see you," the cat said as she beckoned him to enter.

Ugh, it knows my name now. Well, two can play that game, Falco thought as he shuffled inside and the woman shut the door behind him. "Good evening to you as well, Lady De Luna. I am delighted to see she hasn't turned you into a frog yet."

"If she did, I am sure a kiss from you would return me to normal," she teased as she took the lead and guided him toward the dining hall.

Falco briefly gimaced, not at the mental image of that, but at the way she returned fire so swiftly and efficiently. When he bantered with Cephilia, or even Lucia, he could feel their ire. With those two, he sometimes felt he was walking a tightrope over an active volcano. But Rhoschanna seemed unfazed, even when he was taking a dig at her, as if she enjoyed this.

Fortunately, they soon reached the dining hall, where Falco discovered he was neither the first nor the last of the guests to arrive. Many of his E-Rank companions were already present. Vivienne, Arien, and even Sen were there as well, which came as no surprise. Oddly enough, Rena was also in attendance, sitting near Cephilia at the head of the table. Falco breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that their guildmaster was wearing a relatively simple blouse and plain trousers. So, this wasn't a super formal event, after all. She even had her sleeves rolled up, revealing her typical adornments: arcanizer on one wrist and multiple timepieces on the other. Rhoschanna was the only one trying to score fashion points here, which made her look significantly over-dressed as she spoke to Rena in a hushed voice. As he looked at the two feline beastkin together, Falco couldn't help but notice some... similarities.

Naaah, couldn't be, he thought with a subtle shake of his head.

Once all of the attendees arrived, the food was served. There was quite the spread, with a wide variety of meats, vegetables, cheeses, and grains on offer. However, Falco noted the meal was more of a sampling of various things, rather than a heavy banquet, further reinforcing his belief that this was not going to be a proper dinner party, but a 'meeting' with food as a backdrop. Okay, what's really going on? he thought as he returned to his seat with a small pile of sliced meats over rice, and some of Viv’s cookies on the side.

He didn’t have to wait long to find out. Once everyone was served or served themselves, Cephilia took up a position at the head of the table and tapped her glass, to get their attention:

"First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for showing up tonight. We are honored to serve those who serve," she said, her voice even and slightly somber, lacking the sharp edge he had come to expect from the prickly Caskarieth. "I know it is in poor taste to reveal who prepared what, so I will simply say, if anything is not to your liking, that was me. Blame it on the acting guildmaster," she said, regaining a small glimmer of humor.

"More importantly, I want to thank you for your patience," she went on to say, pausing to swirl her glass of red liquid before taking a sip. Wine? No one else had wine. Did she need liquid courage? "I understand the past week has been… difficult for you. For us all. Ever since you joined, you have found yourselves facing unprecedented trials. Threats we never imagined, have attacked from angles we cannot fathom and, by the grace of the Goddess, you all have been there every time.

"Now, each and every one of you is smart enough to know I didn’t invite you here merely to fill your belly, feed your ego, or subject you to my longwinded apologies and floundering attempts at humor." That sharp edge, that cold confidence he had come to expect from Cephilia began to rise once more as she spoke: "No, we’re here for one thing: Krafen."

Cephilia was far from done, but now took her seat, a gesture symbolizing this wasn’t a speech. She wasn’t going to stand over them and talk down. This was an open discussion of the Tylsen branch's future and their role in shaping it. This dining hall was the war room and they were all in this together.

"What happened in Krafen was no accident. We were attacked."

Falco expected this and yet, as it played out before him, it felt surreal -- even more so as she began to lay out the details of what they knew and, more importantly, what they didn't. Their actual guildmaster was missing, or worse. Traces of veracite were found at the scene. The containment devices smuggled into Tylsen’s sewers by the so-called ‘bandits’ suggested the same thing nearly happened here. Falco had heard bits and pieces of some of this information before, but there was so much more than he imagined and so many questions remained unanswered.

After the incident in the sewers, she had opened an internal investigation into the matter. What little they knew about the Krafen attack had come from an adventurers by the name of Integra Masri. Falco had seen the petite black-haired beastfolk hanging around the guildhall after they defeated Lou the Raven and his cohorts. Although she never approached them for questioning, he could tell, just from looking at her, that he would squeal like a newborn piglet if she did… not that he had anything to confess to. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

Cephilia explained that the guild’s silence was only supposed to be temporary, only until they learned enough to mount a response. But in the absence of new developments, rumors and outright lies began to run rampant. The devastation in Krafen was less than a week old and things were already getting out of hand, so she would be releasing an internal statement tomorrow, to bring the other adventurers up to speed, and something more public would be released in the coming days, but only after reaching a consensus with the other guildmasters.

As she spoke, Falco's eyes wandered from the Caskarieth to the other veterans. Vivienne seemed very contemplative, probably not feeling great about keeping this a secret from them. He had always felt she was the heart of this group. Sen, on the other hand, looked uninterested in all of it. She just sat there, feeding bits of fruit to Marcel, and fidgeting with annoyance, as if she might leap up and do a lap around the room at any moment. Arien was the same as always, stoic and professional, nearly to a fault. And Rhoschanna remained uncharacteristically quiet, proving she was capable of not being the center of attention. It didn't really occur to him at first but, as Cephilia continued to speak about guild matters, Falco became increasingly aware that there was one person in their midst who was neither an adventurer nor a staff member. Even Cephilia's old butler, Maurice, wasn't around for this clandestine meeting... yet here was the cat lady, soaking up all of their secrets.

Hmm...

"Now you know as much as we do. But that is not the only reason I have summoned you here, tonight," Cephilia said, her eyes wistfully lingering on her now-empty glass. "I cannot even begin to tell you how delicate this situation is. The sewer map was stolen from our archives and Maze found fake guild crests in Krafen's rubble. I won't be releasing either of those facts in my statement, so they mustn't leave this room. Trust is of the utmost importance here. I am telling you these things because I trust each and every one of you,” Cephilia said, looking to each of them in turn. “Knowledge is power. With power comes responsibility."

"Look, Cephilia is going to dance around the issue all night. I'll get right down to it," Rhoschanna said as she fetched a bottle of wine --Cephilia's wine-- from beneath the table and refilled her glass, before refilling Cephilia's as well and passing the bottle to the nearest adventurer. "Half of you don't trust me. The other half don't like me. But I have actionable intel and you have nothing. I have a job for you... unless you would rather toil around town, with your head in the sand, pretending there aren't enemies moving against you even as we speak. So, if there are no further questions about the doom and gloom, I propose a way forward, but I need to know I can trust you. I'm staking my reputation and perhaps even my life on this, so no more games."

Interaction(s): Reinhardt (Arien, Van) / lunar_moth (Endymion) / Silver Wolf (Lupa) / TreasureSniper (Talio) / ERode (Lori) / RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax) / King Crimson (Cressey)

 

[ERode]

Location: Tylsen, Marble District Valdergeuse Estate
Time: 3 / 16 / 422AC, nightfall
AnonyMouse
​

Head and stomach empty, Lori arrived at the lavish estate with her only set of clothing, but at the very least, she had visited the public bathhouse to get her hair sorted out again. As squeaky clean as her rat friend was squeaky, the birdkin beastfolk oohed and aahed appropriately at the lavish decor and the absolutely delicious cooking. From salad greens to sugary cookies to other things that she never tasted before (except very occasionally and at relatively great cost), there were so many interesting things to eat.

It was pretty surprising then, that no one else was really eating while all the talking was happening. As Lori filled her stomach, she nodded along with everything that was being said. It wasn't as if she had been deaf to the rumors after all. The whole Krafen thing was something that both the citizens of Tylsen and her fellow guildmates had spoken of, the sort of thing that stuck to people's minds, but in the end, she hadn't really expected herself to need to worry too much about it. After all, work as a Kriegslowen was fun, but she wasn't rooted in the business yet, and there were a whole host of others who had been working here longer than she had.

Now, however, it looked like there was something she would do.

The catkin beastfolk handed her a bottle of wine and Lori, her own glass still filled with whole milk, decided to just take a swig of it herself. Fruity and woozy! Her face flushed, alcohol shooting straight into her blood veins, and she nodded happily at yet another novel taste, passing it along to someone else. Yup, it was a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling. And if things appeared as they were, this was going to be another big job too!

"So Lady Cat Lady," Lori said, swinging her head forward and peering at her, "How do you know I don't like or trust you? Because you don't know me. Heck, and I don't even know you! And if I don't know you, and you don't know me, how can you trust me? And uh, I mostly don't know you because you didn't actually introduce yourself yet, so...who are you?" A smile, guileless, crested upon her features immediately afterwards. "Ah, and to be fair, I'm Lori Delivery, same day rates no matter the days."

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Hysydice "Hyss" Maliss

Currently: At the meeting
Thinking: "Hm. What is this mission regarding Krafen?"

Location: Ceph's place
Interacting: Topless AnonyMouse anyone else
​

It was later in the day, after she and Sakura had done some menial job, when Hysydice found herself upon Cephilia's doorstep, looking up at the large estate. She had never been here before. But when she was told to come here later, finding the place wasn't too hard. She simply followed the scent of the clockwork woman, and when she drew closer, familiar scents of her fellow E-rank helped guide her even more. Until she found the place, and here she was, standing at the door.

Before long, she was let inside, and she entered with Sakura in tow, since they had come together straight from their job. She walked the halls until she got to the dining area where the table was laid out with many different foods. The foods masked many of the familiar scents of people she knew who were already present. At least the scents of the food hadn't drifted too far from the mansion to mask those scents out on the streets.

Anyway, the snakekin sat herself at the table and eagerly awaited what all this was about. She wanted to feast like the others, but unfortunately kept her mask up, not taking a bite. It was her own personal hangups that made her suffer like this; so she enviously looked on as others ate, smacking her hungry lips beneath her mask.

Before long the explanation for this meeting began, and with it Cephilia began in her usual tone, eliciting a frown from the snake. But as she went on, Hyss became more appreciative of what the woman was saying. Until she finally dropped the pretense and got down to what they were there to talk about, which is what brought a small smile to the snake's face beneath her mask.

The bird lady began talking, and what she sounded like was a total buffoon. When the wine got to her, Hyss passed it on. "Even though the bird sounds quite ridiculous right now, she is correct. While it is nice to finally be talked to about this, and finally be respected to have this conversation, the question remains: Why do you trust us? You don't know us, at least not really. So why? And why should we on the whole trust you?"

Hyss continued, wanting to get to her own point. Talking in front of so many people made the hooded girl feel anxious. "I now see why you didn't tell us this earlier when I asked you outright what you needed. You were waiting for a majority of us, whom you knew you could trust because we were called here by Cephilia. Regardless, you could've said something along the lines of "Wait till later. I have important intel that I can't trust to just anyone. Or some such similar thing. Anyway, I will stick to the mission. I only seek to fully complete my missions - you can trust me on that."

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Tyslen - Marble District - Valdergeuse Estate
~~~
​

As the delivery went a little slow, Thea took note of whatever it was Falco was going through, laying a gentle and firm pat to his back, it was about time he was back up and ready to go. "You have nothing to be sorry for, but still, we have one more thing to do. Let's go." With that and Falco taking the lead, the final job was finished without issue and pay earned, the reports could wait till tonight or in the morning after training.

And with those short words spoken, it was like no time at all that they were right inside Valdergeuse Estate. Whe4re for all intents and purposes, a feast was laid out before them, though it didn't feel right. These were not cooked by servant hands, pruned, chopped, baked. They all helped with this haven't they? Fixing a plate and taking a bite, it wasn't poisoned, though maybe she should teach them to cook a little. It wasn't bad food at least, but you could tell it was no servant made meal. Still, Thea had no complaints, as she politely enjoyed the meal, with one armored glove removed, Thea's movements stop, as she silently chews on a portion of meat.

The next bit however, had her setting the plate down, as she straightened up, with the words of Rhoschanna, she processes it all as the bottle of wine was passed off to Lori, after this and what was to come, she would likely need a drink herself. Slapping both hands atop the tower as she lets out a brief laugh, an amused one that spoke of being tired, or self-vindicated. "Ah, pardon me. It's not that I find Krafen funny, but that I've thought of this all being connected before. I believe those men we found were the first stage to get beneath us and undermine the guild, likely with some form of explosive, just as in Krafen. And I don't believe aught else we've seen is not somehow connected."

Then turning her attantion to Rhoschanna, Thea tilts her head in a small dip of acknowledgement. Listening to what Lori and Hyss had to say Thea snorts at the later and her notion of duty, she then chimes in with her own words. "I do not hate you, nor do I not trust you. You've done nothing for my ire. However, these crimes cannot be left to go as they wish. It is high treason, and more importantly it targets us."

Pondering the type of mission, she sweeps her ungloved hand over the table. Looking at Cephilia. "A grand meal, all the more so when you all put your efforts into it. Not fanciful enough and uniformed for your butler. You made this, most of you. My first thought was you were sending us to a last battle, but you, Sen, Viv, even Luna there, isn't that the name? But yes, she has an Arcanizer, even sir Arien is here and another aside. We aren't needed for our steel, least it's as a diversion. Even a single one of you could tear through most of us. If it were something illegal, you would make a pretense of firing us." Crossing her arms at that she sighs.

"And I doubt with the two children present you plan to sacrifice us to sword and flame. Lest I was wrong in my judgments of you all."

"It's something for how unknown we are isn't it? Just who are we after and what is expected of us? I would have agreed for the asking or knowing, the meal is nice, but I feel as while unlikely martial, this will be something dangerous. Please, continue. I would know who or what is against us, just what is the source of this betrayal, or malice to the Guild."


Interactions: Reinhardt (Arien, Van) / lunar_moth (Endymion) / Silver Wolf (Lupa) / TreasureSniper (Talio) / ERode (Lori) / AnonyMouse (Various) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax) / King Crimson (Cressey)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Tylsen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
​

After performing their work for the day, Lucia had returned to her lodging, washed, and equipped a nice, albeit not very formal, dress. She never suspected for a moment that this dinner was to serve any kind of celebration of them. Nonetheless, the elf would play along and at least clothe herself as if this was a friendly and willing dinner rather than whatever the administration was using it to conceal.

The elf arrived promptly, awaiting for the others to arrive. She had exchanged some words with Rhoschanna upon entering, and while present Lucia's opinion of the woman or her mannerisms had not changed. Alarm bells still went off around the woman, and certainly her being here confirmed her suspicions that Cephilia hadn't suddenly learned to be happy and social.

As the remaining guests arrived and the soiree officially began, Cephilia began with some remarkably familiar introductions. Lucia was never a fan of such speeches as they were typically such a waste of air; a way of giving mock praise without actually levying any actual commendation. Perhaps Lucia would think differently coming from the elder Caskarieth. However, the woman was in some capacity approachable and helpful, yet within the very next sentence made her expectations of your failure blatantly known. It was hard to see the speech as genuine, when in the morning prior the woman told them she was not fond of such gatherings and eulogies.

Then, they got into the meat. She explained everything, surprisingly, about what they were suspicious about. Lucia couldn't say she was surprised, and certainly this was the cause for the rule of duos.

Once this was done, some raised their exclamations and others inquiries, Lucia for her part simply chuckled. She took the wine as it was passed to her, pouring herself a cup before extending it to the next in line.

"If I may be so bold, Lady De Luna, perhaps your current audience would be more trusting were you to speak plainly. You claim Miss Valderguese is dancing around the issue, yet you speak as if networking at a court. I cannot say, as one who is no stranger to such gatherings, speeches, or mannerisms, that I find your manner of speaking to be all that comforting myself," Lucia stated, putting effort to speak as "aristocratically" as possible. "To be honest, I quite detest it and these falsities. We were brought here because you all have discovered a use for us in whatever it is you need. Had you not, I very much doubt we would have been imparted such information, regardless of your supposed trust."

Swishing her glass of wine, Lucia looked to the feline again. "And if you, Lady De Luna, did not trust us... Rather, if you had any choice in whether or not to, then this conversation with us would not be taking place, no?" Taking a small sip from the glass, Lucia sighed before setting it down. "Make no mistake, I am no traitor and have no plans to prance about the streets proclaiming such information to the masses, but I certainly do not care to play these games of verbiage, especially after several weeks of omission. In common tongue, what do you want from us?"

@AllYouFucks

 

[Topless]

Location: Tylsen

Sakura and Hyss had a field day, doing job after job and after job. It was later in the day that they find themselves in the front steps of Cephilia's manor. They go in and are greeted by the sights of familiar faces. After they have settled down, Cephilia began her speech. As she talked, Sakura could not help but notice that Hyss is still keeping her mask on, not bothering to take her food.

"Hyss..." Sakura said "I can hear your stomach growling even if it is faint. It would be very rude to everyone here if you don't eat what they have prepared. Besides, you look beautiful even without the mask." She said so in the nicest way she could. For a girl who was raised in a nomadic tribe, she does know some table etiquette.

As they ate their fill, they would listen as what others have to say. Sakura remained quiet, her thoughts the same as others when they spoke out.

AnonyMouse @TheRestofYouFucks
​

 

[AnonyMouse]

Rhoschanna De Luna​

Location: Tylsen, Valdergeuse Estate, dining hall​

Rhoschanna stared in confusion at the scaly beastkin, as if wondering if this girl was… ahem, ‘damaged’ in the head. While Lori may be odd, the avian girl had made many valid points. To see her words dismissed as ‘ridiculous’ by this girl who had showed so little tact earlier, and even less now, was rather troubling.

“Young lady, I was waiting for privacy, not numbers, and I thought I dropped numerous hints to that effect,” Rhoschanna said, in response to Hyss’s incorrect assumption that she hadn’t spoken of this earlier because she wanted to amass an audience first.

But the woman said no more, nor did she show any sign of indignation at being so woefully misconstrued. She nodded politely to each word said and, when the knight spoke next, she remained fully engaged, making direct eye contact with the speaker, only breaking when Cephilia offered a small aside.

"The thought has crossed my mind more often than I care to admit," the Caskarieth muttered, at Thea’s mention of putting them all to sword or flame… which actually earned a wry smirk from Rho as well.

And this good-natured placidity did not leave her face, even once the knight finished. “Cephilia has told me a bit about each of you, some good, some bad. So, I must confess, I have been given a slight advantage in these proceedings,” she said, looking first to Thea Schuerer, before slowly panning to Lori Delivery. “However, Lori, you are correct: I don’t know you, nor you me. My dear friend,” she gestured to Cephilia, “neglected to tell me how absolutely adorable you are! I love your hair, dear! We must talk later! Ahem… but she also made no mention of Miss Schuerer’s impressive powers of deduction,” she said, coming full circle back to the knight. "You are correct, on nearly all accounts, Thea. Well met,” she said, with a respectful dip of her head.

Rhoschanna leaned back in her chair, feeling a bit more casual now, crossed one leg over the other, and flicked her long, dark hair before resting her hands in her lap. “To those of you I have not had the pleasure of meeting earlier today, my name is Roschanna De Luna, ‘The Lunar Enchantress,’” she said, with a hand over her bosom. “At least that is how I style myself. I am a healer by trade, hence the arcanizer, and am very sought after amongst Raeligard’s elite. Because when a lord or lady falls ill, they can’t simply waltz into the local temple like ‘you people’ and have a priest lay his dirty hands upon them. Oh, no no no! Can you imagine?” she said, with mock awe and a gasp of insincere shock... but the not-so-subtle roll of her eyes made it clear she was speaking in jest. As she said these things, her eyes briefly settled on Lucia. The Edelgarde girl was likely the only one here who knew of her reputation.

But even she didn’t know it was all a farce.

"How strange..." Rhoschanna said, after the eyepatched Caskarieth had stated her piece. She sat patiently through it all, even as the girl openly mocked and insulted her. "You have voluntarily ascended into the world of the adventurers... yet still possess the same vapid hypocrisy of the upper classes," she said, assessing the girl the way one might observe an ant under a looking glass. "This is networking, Edelgarde. This is my attempt at getting to know you all better, since we will be entering into a high-stakes venture together. This is my attempt at treating you all as more than pieces of meat... yet you mock and ridicule me for that? Would you prefer I talk down to you, like servants, treat you as slaves to my demands? I think not.

“What I was about to say, before your little tirade, is, unlke you, I was not born into nobility,” she said, with a proud smirk, because this wasn’t something she dared say amongst her usual crowd. "My origins are probably closer to theirs," she said, gesturing to Hyss and Sakura. "I was born on a tiny island, south of the mainland, where we shit in the woods and piss in the river," she said, dropping the phony, posh accent they had become accustomed to hearing from her. "My mother was a water priestess, and her mother before her, and her mother before her. And so on and so forth, way back to before these were a thing," she said, brushing her fingers across the chiseled obsidian shell of her bespoke arcanizer. "I worked my way up from nothing, so I am quite accustomed to being looked down upon by people like you, Lucia Edelgarde, so If we are to truly speak plainly, one could say I detest you far more than you can possibly imagine. But that, young lady, would be unfair. Because, once again, we don't know a damned thing about one another other than what we've heard from people we mutually detest."

"I think that's enough, Rho," Cephilia said, giving her a sharp glare. "Explain your plan."

"I'm getting to it, but I'm not done yet. 'Discovered a use for us,' she says," Rhoschanna scoffed, mocking Lucia's tone. "You are a Kriegslowen, girl, a servant of the people! You should be overjoyed that someone has need of you. Your very life is service. But that's not what this is," she said, with a dismissive flip of her wrist. "I am here because you are friends of a friend. I am here because I know this matter hits close to home. My own daughter lives here," she said, placing a hand on Rena's shoulder.

Falco nearly choked on a piece of bread he was chewing.

"My reasons for bringing this matter to your doorstep, rather than another town, another guildmaster, another group of unknown E Ranks, was empathy, not pure arithmetic," Rhoschanna said, looking around at everyone gathered, before her gaze returned to Lucia. "I know it can be hard to accept that someone with a bit more money and power and influence than you is also looking out for you. By all means, go on accusing me of being a creature of cold logic, if it suits your presupposed notions. I'm used to it. I have worn the mask long enough to know its negative sideffects. Which is why I knew..." she looked to Lori and smirked, "'Half won't trust me and half won't like me.' I am here to help, regardless."

She crossed her legs the other way and casually sat back once more, but not before taking another sip of her wine. "Anyway... let's put that unpleasantries behind us," she said, returning to her usual self. "Let's talk business: the mission, since it was asked of me. Are any of you familiar with Garreth Ainsworth, Lord of Eschfel? He is to be the target of our little investigation. As Miss Schuerer correctly surmised, I would like you all to engage in some undercover activities."

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / ERode (Lori)
Mentions: Reinhardt (Arien) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax) / King Crimson (Cressey) / lunar_moth (Endymion) / Silver Wolf (Lupa) / TreasureSniper (Talio)

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Hysydice "Hyss" Maliss

Currently: At the meeting
Thinking: "Hm. What is this mission regarding Krafen?"

Location: Ceph's place
Interacting: Topless AnonyMouse EmperorsChosen anyone else
​

Oh why couldn't her stomach settle down?? Of course with so much food presented to her like this that her stomach would growl annoyingly! Incessantly! Ohhh! Of course, Hyss had planned on sneaking some food when no one was looking. Why did Sakura have to point it out now? Before all of them? Ohhh! "What? Beautiful? Me?" Hyss meekly chuckled. "N-no.. I-I'm okay, I'm not that hungry," she mumbled, looking down bashfully. Her? Beautiful? Sakura was just being nice. It was a nice thing to say, and Hyss appreciated it. To think, she was being called beautiful. That was nice. But Hyss knew better; there was no way this maw could be anything other than completely hideous.

When the cat woman began speaking once again, Hyss' previous bashfulness ebbed away, as she found herself cocking her head. She understood that this Luna woman had been waiting for privacy as well -- was that not something she mentioned in her statement? She thought she had.. If nothing else, she had implied it, since she had asked her out on a busy street, but then Hyss recognized that she wanted a more intimate setting to reveal what she knew. But regardless, the hooded girl didn't say anything. As Rhoschanna continued to speak. This time making biting remarks towards Lucia.

As she responded to Lucia, Hyss frowned a bit under her mask. Playing games was talking down to people. It was condescending. Not to mention she was talking down to them now. She said something else that slightly perturbed the snake. How did she know of Hyss' origins? The snake hadn't really told anyone about where she came from. That was strange, but she let it slide, as the woman went on. Hyss' frown grew. Furthermore, she was being aggressive and mean towards Lucia. The snake girl hadn't a strong opinion of the cat either way before, despite what the cat may have thought. But if she was wary of them not liking her, then that was gradually becoming the case now. Hyss didn't appreciate how this woman back-talked her ally Lucia. That was not a smart way to request allies or aid when one needed it.

Frankly speaking, Hyss did not like to stir the pot. She actually felt her stomach twist into knots when she talked, but she also was not one to hold her tongue just to placate the other person's ability to be offended. "I have tolerated the way you talk, miss Rhoschanna. But you should not speak of Lucia that way; you do not know her. She is a cherished ally, so you should afford her some respect. You may like to play games, and that is fine, but you also need to recognize some of us prefer getting straight to the point. Perhaps that is Cephilia's issue with you as well, though she seems to enjoy it somewhat. Please, it would be better to just get to the point rather than try to show each other up." After talking in front of them, Hyss wanted nothing more than to sink down into her hood and disappear, but something irked her when one of her allies was berated.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Tyslen - Marble District - Valdergeuse Estate
~~~
​

Glaring a bit at Sakura and Hyss's inability to read the room, Thea says nothing, listening instead to all that Rhoschanna had to say. At a few parts Thea thought to speak up, but very little of what the woman had to say wasn't wrong. Thea, while friends with Lucia had to admit, the girl never really got the 'To Serve' aspect of the job down. In fact Thea purposely chose a job in part because of this fact. And then there was the secret. Too prideful for commoner work, and too hateful of the nobility to willingly put on her mask again as she put it.

Words here would do little more than encourage Lucia to push back. She could not do like Sakura and Hyss who only reinforced the negative traits of both when called out on it.

Sorry Friend, no help this time.

Before she could think more on this, the next bit of conversation came in hard enough to stun the knight. While she thought of and even kept some attention on Lucia in case the tirade from Rhoschanna set her off, the fact another bit of her expectations were laid low was something to process. Thea knew there were bad Lords, arrogant ones, stupid ones, ones who had more coin than sense, or were cowards. But they also tended to have self-preservation in mind, and at least outwardly, loyalty to the Royal Family. But were they behind all of this? Racking her brain over it, one so instilled with duty drilled into her very being, this brought a look of confusion to the knight spoke up.

"Garreth Ainsworth, Lord of Eschfel... I know that he exists, and my family did not think highly of him, never met the man... But still, it makes sense with the resources and connections, but why would a Lord do this? I know there is corruption, wealth and stupidity, but he is breaking the highest of Oaths if these accusations are true. What would drive a man to such... Though for it to be a Lord, we must, be able to prove it..." At this point Thea seemed to be chiefly talking to herself, voicing thoughts out loud, before she shakes the thoughts clear.

"Undercover? You do realize who you are hiring yes? I assume you have roles for us or something? As otherwise I don't see this ending well."

Interactions: AnonyMouse (Rhoshanna)

 

[TreasureSniper]

Interactions: Luna AnonyMouse
Mentions: Hyss Thalia_Neko Lucia EmperorsChosen​

As per his usual strategy, Talio would remain silent and listen to whatever had to say on the matter. There was a lot of interesting information put forth in the short meeting, some of which was quite distressing. In all honesty, it sounded like something that way out of their own capabilities which piqued his curiosity even more. Why are they telling them this? Greenhorn adventurers had little to no reputation to the side from one or two missions. Miss Cephilia's brought up a lot more questions than it did answers. He was tempted to ask for more details on the matter, but it seemed like the others had their own opinions to share.

Despite the ruckus going on with the two "high" society ladies, the merchant was quietly enjoying his meal, savoring the fine wine that was served to him. It has been a while since he had such exquisite food. However, behind this guise of civility was something much less pleasant. Whatever excitement and curiosity he had for this client quickly devolved into annoyance and vexation. While Hyss's lack of tact was to be expected, he had expected a bit more appropriate conduct from a lady such as her. But what sealed the deal was how Lady Luna, the supposed client chose to respond. Talio's eyes drifted from the elf to the catgirl, listening to her short biography was..interesting but not necessary at the moment. While he found some of her speech to be "inspirational", he ultimately thought that the entire exchange was unnecessarily long-winded. People here really needed to learn when to hold their tongue. Even when explaining her own plans, she still beat around the bush. So inefficient.

After finishing his glass of wine, Talio let out a gentle sigh while pressing one of his fingers on his temple, trying his best to process all the information that was just dumped on them. "Well....that was a lot to digest." The merchant closed his eyes for a moment, easing whatever frustrations he felt, and quelling his desire to say... unpleasant things to either side. At least Thea is able to keep her composure throughout all this. He was not familiar with the name of the noble, but he was pretty sure the cat lady will soon remedy that if she didn't start another pointless argument with the rest of the team. "But...if Miss Cephilia trusts you then that's good enough for me." he wanted to say a lot more than that, but he felt that any extra details added would only cause another long-winded argument. Besides, anyone that cares enough for her family can't be that bad of a person right?

"Can't say going undercover is my area of expertise, but that also depends on what is expected of us during this undercover investigation." He's read a few books about undercover spies gathering information, but most of that stuff was just a work of fiction.

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

Location: Marble District - Valdergeuse Estate
interaction: AnonyMouse Thalia_Neko EmperorsChosen​

After the donkey incident, and later that day Risax found himself at the Valdergeuse estate like most of the others here, right now the spider was "sitting" as best as it could be described for the centaur-like body structure of the Arachne, happily nibbling on the samples as he listened it was pretty clear this wasn't a total social gathering but more a meeting with snacks like those trade negotiation he'd recalled his father mentioning and how they where dreadfully dull. however, in this case, things quickly got.. interesting to say the least, whatever it was it was something a lot bigger than what he'd expected though the praise was nice coming from the acting guild master it was best not to let it go to one's head in such times. the sewer incident as it where was actually part of something bigger much to Risax own surprise, however, he kept a straight face and just looked on with great concern to the subject, not wishing to say anything though long pointed ears drooping down made it obvious he was worried. there was also this cat lady here that Risax had never seen filling her glass with wine and getting straight to the point on the matter they were heading to "the sand" supposedly and things would be getting all the more dangerous from here on out.. the only real worry Risax had was for what might happen if they failed, after all, he'd signed up for a life of adventure, and he knew it wouldn't be all glitz and glamour, it was time to get down to serious business it seemed. "understood, you can tru-" Risax paused the others began to make their voices heard. of course, Hysydice was the first one to speak.. as at this point was traditional. luckily Thea spoke next and it didn't devolve into some kind of argument like back at the village this was good already. Lucia spoke next and well it promoted their informant..? or well Risax wasn't sure what she was to them but hey least they got a name, a Miss Roschanna De Luna, right then. Risax remained quiet allowing the others to continue speaking the best he could do was wait a bit longer.. and then well Hyss kept on her usual way of speaking.
"look all things aside from our personal feelings on the subject Miss De Luna as well as Miss Cephilia, are entrusting us with something of great importance and frankly we should be Honoured, though the skepticism is warranted Rudeness towards others" His glare turned to Lucia and Hyss for a brief moment before he continued. "but yes if miss Cephilia can trust you then i think we should at least put some trust in your words. i understand our.. lack of a reputation will be useful though I worry some of us may not be able to hold the tounges long enough to make sure our goals are achieved"

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Tylsen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
​

And there it was.

Lucia hadn't fully intended to usurp a full rebuttal from the woman with what she said, even if she did expect some form of retort. Though, if what the Caskarieth said was truly a tirade, certainly the feline's speech was an eruption. A nerve was certainly struck, and while the elf was noticeably surprised to hear that the woman's reputation was partly a farce, she was less concerned about that than the feline seemed to think.

There was one thing that Lucia would agree with her on; she did find it hard to believe. The enchantress said it herself. Her daughter was here. The escapade in the sewers was an attempt on all their lives yet they were led to believe that they were safe when that couldn't be further from the truth. Only as desperation now grew where they all told, and only as they were scouted for this quest were they having this conversation now. To attempt to spin it as an act of benevolence or nurture just aggrieved the young Caskarieth.

"Leave it be Hysydice. Miss De Luna has me pegged, why would I be offended?" Lucia remarked somewhat sarcastically with a small smirk. She knew of this game as well, and the one to lose composure--Well, lost. "Indeed, let's."

Taking a small sip from her own glass, the elf seemed surprisingly to take to what Rhoschanna said and moved on. Though there was a subtle twitch of the eye at what the spider said. Contrary to what Thea was worried about, the only reason that escalated to violence was the nature of Thea's slander. The woman questioned her will to fight and strength of character, thus Lucia sought to prove her wrong. In much the same fashion, such comments spurred her on.

"Ainsworth... Ainsworth... Quite old money, no?" Lucia remarked after humming in thought. She certainly heard of the name, but it didn't carry all that much weight. Certainly she would remember any major players or high nobility. Regardless, Thea was right. Whether the group believed so or not, she was confident she could play a part if needed. However, the same could not be said for everyone. "Undercover how and for why? I presume you have some link between Krafen and Lord Ainsworth to suggest this."

@TheSameFucks

 

[Topless]

Location: Tylsen

Ainsworth, a name that Sakura has no familiarity of. But if that name is connected to the Krafen incident, then surely he must be the prime suspect. "I'm afraid that the name is not familiar to me, nor the names of the other houses save for the ones connected to the guild by association. In fact, I have no idea of what a monarchy is, for my tribe runs under a chief." Sakura spoke as calmly as ever before Roschanna told the group that they will be doing spy work. Most had voiced their opinion on the job and Sakura took a good look at each and one of them on whom can pull the job right.

In her mind, her conclusion was simple; everyone can pull it off...save for Risax. Sorry buddy, you're just way too big. Maybe Thea as well if she would mind taking off the armor, lest she be noticed by the rattling of the metal. "Undercover eh? I believe that would be under my expertise. I'm a hunter by profession after all. However, I assume that it will be more than stalking?" She said.

AnonyMouse @TheSameFucks
​

 

[King Crimson]

Current Location: Valdergeuse Estate
​

For the better part of the day, Cressey had been doing all she could to keep away from the guild, taking on whatever meagre request she could latch on to.
Anything, if it meant keeping a wide berth from that mysterious woman's path.
For most of the day, she found some luck in keeping productive; training, working, buying a few bags of crushed gravel and sand from Talio for her forest hermit friend's new home.
Unfortunately, when she received an invitation to attend dinner at the clockwork witch's estate, she knew her luck had run out.
She would be there.
Cressey was as well aware as anyone else that something as sociable, kind, and affable as hosting a dinner party was not within Cephilia's character.
No, there were other works at play here, and the invitation was but a formality, a thinly veiled command.
And despite her misgivings, there was little Cressey could do but oblige.
She swallowed bitterly at the thought.
Even without that woman being there, she bloody hated dinner parties.

Despite her time in town, Cressey had done little in the ways of shopping for any fanciful clothing, finding liberation in the freedom to go about in sensible, practical clothing, that wouldn't be discarded after just one use.
She did, however, sometimes splurge on the occasional cotton dress, or a fine pair of shoes, if they caught her fancy.
And so she arrived hesitantly at the Valdergeuse estate, in her finest tunic, her tied back in her usual twin tails, and a new pair of slippers, waiting alongside all of the others.
"My, you seem like you're trying hard to impress someone, Falco." Cressey snidely remarked, seeing the boy dressed up in what seemed to be the best clothes he could afford.
"Hoping to speak to that courtesan again, without running away in embarass--"
The door abruptly swung open before she could finish her teasing, and to Cressey's horror, there she was, standing there, welcoming them in.
Time seemed to slow for Cressey, her face a stark pale as she scanned over the woman's face.
There was something oddly familiar about her, but...not in the way she feared.
As was prophesized, the mop-haired scoundrel tried to engage once more with the cat-eared vixen, but much to Cressey's surprise, she not only parried the boy's advance, but countered in a way that, for once, left him absolutely speechless.
it took all of Cressey's being to cover her mouth, stifling out a slight chuckle at the display, the tension draining from her taut shoulders.
Maybe this woman wasn't so bad after all...
With a heavy sigh, Cressey released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and followed the group inside, greeted by the rich scents of homemade cooking as they entered the dining room, and took their seats.

A bit of food, a bit of banter, which soon gave way to the true nature of their gathering, as Cephilia revealed with her trademark lack of flair for the dramatic, which clashed humorously with that of the woman seated next to her.
After introducing herself before the group, and settling matters between herself, and some of the other beastkin present, Rhoschanna De Luna brought forth the topic of the local lord; a man by the name Garreth Ainsworth.
"Hmph...I've heard the name once or twice around town," Cressey grumbled, rolling her eyes at the mention of the name she heard so often spoken among the townsfolk in the past week.
With a wave of her hand, she explains,"...Mostly of how much he hates the guild, what the guild stands for, the people who work at the guild, the ground the people of the guild walk on, etcetera, etcetera..."
"Someone who would prefer the defense of the people be upheld by the shield of a national army, not by the people themselves."
Crossing her arms across her chest, she concludes, "...And with that whole mess in Krafen, I've heard more than a few who've turned an ear to his words."
She'd met such types before, the talking points of those sympathetic to the Lord's views familiar to those she'd heard elsewhere, in another place, another life.
Those talks of politics were painfully boring then, and they were no less boring now, but it was a bit more discomforting, now that she was directly affected.
And that besides, the sobering notion that a man with such power and influence would lay waste to an entire city of innocent townsfolk just to have his way.
Cressey's jaw unconsciously clenched, and unclenched at the thought.

"So, you've reason to believe him having some connection to what happened, on what merit do you suspect him?" Cressey's eyes turned towards the cat woman, narrowed in careful suspicion.
Although she quite enjoyed watching Falco squirm, and Cephilia seethe at the enchantress's antics, it wasn't enough for her to fully believe the woman's actions were entirely out of sheer 'empathy,' as she put it.
It was all honeyed words, and masquerading faces, coming from a woman who intentionally seemed to make themselves as obfuscating as possible.
It couldn't help but remind Cressey of someone she absolutely loathed.
"...And what if we were to be exposed during these 'undercover activities?" Cressey pointedly asked.
"I've no intention of rotting away in a gaol, or being executed for plotting against a local lord."
"...And such trespasses, even if successful, may bring yet more unwanted attention towards the guild."
Her eyes flitted over towards Cephilia, the only one in the room who would perhaps catch the worried thought that crossed through her mind: ...And towards myself.



Interacting:
@Allyoufriends

 

[AnonyMouse]

Rhoschanna De Luna​

Location: Tylsen, Valdergeuse Estate, dining hall​

"I shall begin from the beginning," Rhoschanna said, after many excellent questions had been asked. Some of the adventurers appeared to be interested in Ainsworth. Others were more interested in the undercover aspect, how it could be accomplished, and the ramifications if it were to go awry. All that really mattered, to her, was they were showing interest. However, Rhoschanna still knew far too little about most of them, despite that being the first thing she expressed interest in.

If they are this bad at following basic prompts, this mission is doomed to failure, she thought and more than a few had already expressed concern about that, too. But this opportunity was too important to turn away from. To borrow an old cliche, 'failure is not an option.' She would merely have to find a way to turn their quirks to her advantage. Or, at the very least, do damage control on-the-fly.

"Yes, he comes from old money, but Eschfel is a rather small domain, so he's never been a major player. There isn't much land or manpower to his name, and that is even truer now," Rhoschanna said, looking to Lucia first, after the others had spoken. Despite the sarcastic remark, the elf was being civil now, so Rhoschanna would follow suit. She had successfully destabilized the girl's presumptions about her, so they could now move forward without false notions. This meant their relationship was beginning from zero, but that was much better than having the entirely wrong idea about one another.

"It is as you said," she nodded to Cressey, "They are an old military family... or were a military family. But, with the onset of peacetime, the Ainsworths are mostly known for their wine, not their military prowess. It's quite good, actually, if you can look past his other issues. Anyway, his distate for Kriegslowe was mostly ideological in nature. Nationalistic zeal taken to its extreme, if you will. A man is entitled to his opinions, however crass they may be, but things became a bit more personal after an incident seven or eight years ago."

"Seven," Cephilia said, cutting in. The two women locked eyes for a moment and seemed to reach an unspoken agreement that Cephilia would handle this part. "The official quest reports are likely lost to... well, you know... but I pulled Krafen's internal statement from our archives, to jog my memory. Garreth Ainsworth's main export is wine --expensive wine-- but the familiy has historically wrestled with a major bandit problem. Well-trained, well-organized, and so entrenched, his bannermen couldn't keep up with the attacks. It was once said the reason his wine is so expensive and rare is because half of it is lost in transit. So, he contracted the Krafen branch to intervene. Think of it more as a challenge, really, not an admission that Kriegslowe has any real worth. They swooped in and, through a joint operation with some of Garreth's men, eliminated the threat." She clapped her hands together, to symbolize finality. "Done deal. Bandits gone. He paid the contract and shut his fool mouth after that."

"...Until Eschfel was burned to the ground a few months later, in retalliation," Rhoschanna said.

"A freak accident."

"'Arson,' to him. A 'freak accident,' to most sane people. There was an investigation. Inconclusive, of course," Rhoschanna said, nodding in agreement. She sighed. "Point is, he felt Kriegslowe missed something. He demanded compensation. Krafen countered, hence the 'internal statement' to the other branches, explaining they had followed protocol," she said, with a gesure to Cephilia. "It was a big deal, but I doubt most laypersons know of Krafen's involvement or the details of what went down, just that Ainsworth was mad at Kriegslowe all over again. Same song, different volume. But he had cried wolf too many times, so no one was dancing to that tune. An angry man, all alone."

Cephilia huffed. "This is why we try to take our enemies alive, whenever possible," she said. "According to Krafen's statement, Garreth's men were excessively aggressive. Hard to follow protocol when the people you're working with want a bloodbath. No bandits were left alive, thus no investigation could be made into their leadership structure, other hideouts, fences, financial backers, anything at all. A string of unknown unknowns." She shrugged. "Maybe the fire was an accident. Maybe it was retalliatory arson from a few bandits who made it out alive. I neither know nor care. Point is, it was a sloppy op --through no fault of their own, mind you-- and left the door open for future problems."

"Mhm. Garreth Ainsworth lost his wife and father in the blaze. His son was badly burned. The manor and much of the town was completely razed," Rhoschanna said. "He became a pariah afterward, unhinged, and spouting even more nonsense than before. As the years went by, he pretty much disappeared from court, became the type of person you ocasionally hear whispers about, but never really see. Sort of like that Valdergeuse girl," she added, with a sly smirk at the elf. Although she was taking this discussion seriously, she had always felt that being too serious wasn't good for one's health.

"I honestly thought he was dead," Cephilia said with a shrug, ignoring the woman's jab at her, or perhaps accepting it was truth... because it was. She refilled her wine glass and Rhoschanna took over from there:

"Yes. You and everyone else," Rhoschanna replied before turning her to attention to the audience. "Make no mistake, I'm not saying we should go after this man because of something that happened seven years ago. That's just the motive. Let's jump to present day, shall we?" she said, spreading her hands. "A few months ago, I received a summons to Eschfel for a basic wellness check. He had fallen under the weather while traveling abroad, but now he's back in the motherland and is on the mend, but wants someone to tidy himself up, if you will. Mind you, I barely know this man. Yes, I'm a healer by trade, but there are plenty of others out there. People don't typically call upon the Lunar Enchantress unless they're looking for a bit of... how shall I say this... 'excitement.'" Realizing how that could be interpreted, she quickly explained: "Not in that way! What I mean is... where I go, people talk. A man who has shuttered himself away from high society for years suddenly calls upon someone he knows will draw attention? Odd, don't you think?

"So, naturally, I went," she said, leaning forward. "It is in poor taste to discuss a cleint's health, but I will say he seemed to be in decent condition, for a man of his age. Certainly healthy enough to not need me... yet there I was. He drinks more than one ought to, but the man runs a winery. What can you say?" she shrugged. "He caught some sort of ailment while in Valgem. Looked like veracite exposure to me, but, as you may know, the symptoms of that aren't very different from, say, cancer or certain infections. And his case was very mild. He has plenty of life ahead of him, so long as he takes care of himself. T'was an easy assignment. Most of my treatment regimen was going over meal plans with his chef and preparing daily tonics. I didn't even have to use the ol' mojo on him," she said, wriggling her fingers as if casting a spell. She even squirmed in her seat, as if the thought of this aroused her. Intellectually, that is.

"Can we get to the part where he fucks up Krafen?" Sen said. "Yer puttin' my kid to sleep."

"If we are to investigate this man, an abundance of information is not a bad thing," Rhoschanna said, ceasing her movements. "Deciding what is and is not relevant is up to them," she made a sweeping gesture encompassing the young adventurers. "I am merely trying to arm you with as much knowledge as possible. I trust you all know how to wield 'knowledge,' yes?"

At this, Sen stifled a laugh, but said nothing further. If the subtext was not lost on someone as brash as her, perhaps there was still hope.

"I will accelerate, since patience appears to be in short order here," Rhoschanna said and quickened her cadence of speech. Gone was that lilting, song-like rhythm she often adopted when the mood took her. "This man has been over the moon since Krafen was destroyed. He's hosting an event next week. A 'coming out' ceremony, to reintroduce himself to high society after years of silence. But we all know what he's really celebrating. It's disgusting and distateful! And, worst of all, I'm sure plenty of guests will show up, simply to see what the old son of a bitch has been up to. Morbid curiosity. But, alas, there's more!

"Garreth didn't speak much of his time in Valgem, so I never ascertained why he took an extended trip abroad. He was probably just sick of Raeligard --it's people, it's politics, and a certain adventurers' guild-- and wanted to see how the grass grows on the other side," Rhoschanna said. "But he did let slip a few juicy morsels. While there, he became acquainted with a Valgemian mercenary company: Schwarzwald."

She glanced at Cephilia, but the elf merely shook her head. "Sorry. Never heard of 'em," she said, her face flushed.

"Hmph," Rho said, slightly disappointed, as if she hoped the woman might offer some insight. "They're new upstarts and quite capable, if Garreth's praise is to be believed. I wouldn't say he 'founded' or 'funded' them, but he did get in on the ground floor and became one of their first clients. He talks about them as if they saved his worthless life over there."

"That is not the way a healer should speak of her client, dear," Viv gently warned, with a respectful dip of he head.

"I have faithfully served my patient. Now, we must faithfully serve our nation," Rhoschanna said. "He laughed when news of Krafen reached us! Can you imagine! Garreth and this Knoll fellow toasted to it. Knoll is a captain or something-or-other in this Schwarzwald nonsense," she said, with a dismissive wave. "I could see what's going on, so I charmed Garreth into letting me handle the staffing for this event. Eschfel's not equipped to handle a bunch of high-brow VIP's, you see. He needs more servants and guards and laborers and such. Which is where you all come in.

"It's a three-day event, so you'll have ample time to comb the premises, dig up clues, eavedrop a little. I've tried, but I'm just one person and I can't exactly get around unnoticed. Folks can't seem to keep their eyes off of me! I can't imagine why," she said coyly batting her lashes. "Ahem. Anyway, with more eyes on him, I think we can establish the link to Krafen. I know we can! And there's no risk of jail, because you've done nothing wrong," she said, looking to Cressey, in particular. "You're just the hired help. No crime in that. Even if your identity is blown, there's no crime in hiring Kriegslowen to serve guests or stand guard or haul trash. It's the same thing you would be doing anyway, basic E-Rank work."

"'Basic E-Rank work' in the home of a man who despises us, while surrounded by foreign mercenaries," Cephilia corrected, her cheeks flushed with the increasing effects of the wine... yet still sober enough to have a valid point.

"Oh, he'll be furious with me if you're discovered. But still: not a crime," Rho clarified. "Schwarzwald will be there, but only as representatives, I think. They'll be in suits and gowns. This isn't open warfare, Cephilia, which is why we need to get to the bottom of this before it is." She returned her full attention to the adventurers. "This will be easy if we bring enough people, enough eyes and ears to bear. Three days, friends. Three days of this fool schmoozing it up with people he thinks can further his cause! He's bound to let something slip. We just have to be there to hear it and take him down," she said, pounding her fist into her palm.

"That's not your call to make, Rho. He's a lord, albeit a small one. Even if we have him dead to rights, we take it up the chain for approval."

The cat scoffed. "You need more wine, Cece... but I understand. Caution is warranted," she said, slightly deflated, but still eager to proceed. "My point is, I can get you all in. I already have an idea who can do which role, and I'll be there, too, to cover for you. We can do this! If you find nothing, so be it. You'll be handsomely paid for three days of easy work. Think of it as a vacation. And if you are discovered, at least these people know we're onto them. It changes the state of play... for the better, if you ask me. Even a fumbling attempt will serve as proof that Kriegslowe won't take this lying down. I just need to know you're in."


Interaction(s): Reinhardt (Arien) / RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax) / King Crimson (Cressey) / lunar_moth (Endymion) / Silver Wolf (Lupa) / TreasureSniper (Talio) / ERode (Lori)

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Hysydice "Hyss" Maliss

Currently: At the meeting
Thinking: "This man is vile, but is he really the culprit?"

Location: Ceph's place
Interacting: everyone
​

Hearing Lucia, Hyss glanced the Caskerieth's way. If she was saying so, then Hyss would oblige, holding back her tongue from anymore instigating or untoward remarks. Besides, it seemed the conversation was finally moving in the right direction. Why it couldn't just start that way..? Oh well, never mind.

Hm, undercover work. It was an odd thing to ask of them. After all, they were Kriegslowe. That was supposed to be who they were upfront. That was the whole point of the guild -- to flash their badges and get the info they needed and then do what needed being done. Undercover sort of was antithetical to that. As if saying what they were doing was somehow wrong. They somehow couldn't do what they needed to do under the Guild's usual flamboyant banner. Not that it really mattered to the snake. She'd do her job for the mission either way, but there were undoubtedly those around who would probably feel out of their comfort zone with such a mission.

Putting her kid to sleep? Hyss thought, with a glance over at the wild woman Sen when she interjected. She would've thought that Sen would say 'Putting me to sleep.' Hm, maybe Sen was settling down a bit. Not so 'wild' anymore, huh? Hyss was somewhat in agreement though. While it was good to learn about all the details of a mission, she couldn't help but think this was long-winded. The motive was a busted mission from over 7 years ago? To destroy an entire guild branch now? Somehow Hyss couldn't see it. What dots were missing??

Hearing how he was basically celebrating the destruction of the branch made Hyss frown in distaste and irritation. Not to mention he went to Valgem, and had seemed to enjoy his stay. Everything about this man was a nuisance and bothered her greatly, but she still wasn't seeing the reason for blowing up a branch himself. Hm. Schwarzald. That almost sounded familiar. Did she know the name from somewhere?

Hyss glanced at Sakura and smirked under her mask. Maybe not much more than 'stalking', as stalking sounded like exactly what they were going to be doing. "If approved, then I will perform to the best of my ability in this mission, and see it through," Hyss stated flatly, making her intentions clear. Even if she still wasn't seeing why this cat was going so hard against this man. He seemed to love the destruction of the branch -even if that was vile. But nothing said he was the one that caused it. After all, wasn't he out of country for awhile? Regardless, if he was the one behind it, she'd find that proof.