Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): Virtus Arach - Chapter 1: Getting to Know You

[Dave ST]

Click to reveal..

This is a completely free form Chapter and its flow will rely solely on your participation. Posted character sheets are not required to participate in this thread, but will be required before you take on your first job.

Basically, use this thread to get to know each other and your fellow guildmates!

Oh, the legal drinking age in Solteria is 15.

The main tap room of the Virtus Arach guildhall was alive with the reckless sounds of the mages who spent more time there than at their homes with their families or taking jobs.

Everyone of the long tables seemed packed with rows of guild mates laughing, drinking, and carrying on. The waitstaff continuously walked about refilling cups and offering up mid day lunches on large round platters.

Behind the bar at the far end of the large tap room was Claire. She tended the bar kept up with all the jobs and by whom they were taken. Although no one said so most considered the guild's 'second in command' since she had generally taken the responsibility of running the guild for Master Hideki... whether he was there or not.

Hagel, one of the guilds oldest members, a bald muscular man with a full mustache was already well into his cups and relaying the stories that the guild had already heard a million times over, this time, the facts had only changed slighty from the last time he told them.

Somewhere in the back the startled ries of Yunis could be heard as the loud clamour of several wooden dishes fell to the ground. Yunis was a sweet young girl whose only magical potential seemed to be washing, drying, and putting away dishes, all without having to touch a single one. She was clumsy however and had broken about every dish the guild had... so they had to move on to wooden ones. Claire smiled and rolled her eyes as she peeked back into the kitchen to make sure she hadn't hurt herself.

The minutes ticked away and mages of Virtus Arach enjoyed their lives with a zest like no other guild in the land...

Among these ranks sat mages who were destined for something more. Although just as loud, cantankerous and rowdy as the rest they weren't content with just being in a guild and partying all day. They wanted more... so much more...

...this is their story.

[Brennan]

Leaning on the Job Board with on arm his fingers skimmed the various posts tacked up for the mages. Rent was due and he was short on cash.

"Hey there Brennan!" A melodic, feminine voice called out to him. "How are you doing to day? Job hunting?"

He looked over his arm to the beautiful blonde behind the counter. "Oh, hey Claire. Yeah, rent is due."

"Gawd, I know how that goes." She snorted. "Why not partner up with Ryoma, you guys did pretty well last month."

"Eh, we'll see. The guy carries all that hardware on him... he's too slow." Brennan shrugged with a sarcastic grin.

"Slow!" Hagel's voice rose up over the commotion. "You were asleep the whole time to hear Ryoma tell the story! And what was it the time before that?! Oh, oh yeah... Rexx kept an eye on you the time before that when you zonked out in the middle of handling those giant fire ants."

The entire guild burst into laughter. It was no secret: for all his great power Brennan's narcolepsy left his guild mates saving his hide more often than the other way around.

"Big deal Hagel," The martial artist replied. "So I was a little tired those times. I'm psyched up today and ready to go. Plenty of energy, you watch."

"Um, take a buddy anyway, hm?" Claire asked with a sweet smile and a caring wink.

He grinned at her. "I would, if I could find one. Where is everyone?"

"Not sure, although I know Deezy was looking for you," she cocked her head to the side and tapped her finger to her lips. "Something about a present for you. You'll just have to wait and see I guess!"

[Crystal Siren]

Crystal didn't say anything at all, as she walked into the guildhall, though she smiled when the rest of the guild laughed, she didn't laugh herself, she simply steped up up behind Brennan to take a look at the board herself. Of course, she drew all kind of admiring stares as she did, the lovely elf was one of the most attractive women in the guild after all.

When she finally did speak, her voice was perfectly pitched, and the entire room went silent just to listen to that perfect voice. "Come now, Hagel, I havn't see you doing any of these jobs, for that matter, you could at least help Yunis with the dishes."

Then she paused, and winked at Clair behind Brennan's back. "Still, perhaps I should write a song about the increadble sleeping warrior.. who knows how famous you might become."

[SalmonMax]

The elf songmage's perfect voice was marred just a bit by the sound of creaking, hissing and clanking coming from outside. A high pitched piping voice could then be dimly heard yelling, "Stay outside! I'm just gonna see if he's in there!"

The door to the hall burst open then, admitting what could be mistaken as being a dandelion mutated into human form. A skinny girl with a puffy tuft of flaming red hair kept in check only by the aviator goggles firmly thrust up onto her forehead. She wore a mid-length short sleeve shirt and brown cargo shorts that didn't quite conceal her knobby knees. Everything she wore hung loosely on her narrow frame, with the exception of the complicated series of buckles and straps that crisscrossed her shoulders and ran down her torso to hook to her oversized, pouch-laden belt. Attached to this harness were all kinds of things...glass orbs, leather bags, ominous little metal cannisters, and lots of pockets. There were also little silvery nozzles fitted at regular intervals all along it, whose function was unclear at best.

Finally, to cap it all off, she wore ridiculously oversized boots made of reinforced hide and metal. They clomped obnoxiously on the wooden slats of the guildhall floor as she pounded across the room towards Brennan.

"Hey!" she cried, pointing at him a finger in a thick leather glove. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Enter Deezy Klatta...who's last name seemed uncannily descriptive most of the time.

[Brennan]

Quote:

Still, perhaps I should write a song about the incredible sleeping warrior.. who knows how famous you might become."

There were things about Crystal Siren's beauty that made the monks life a really bad idea. Thankfully, Brennan thought to himself, he wasn't a monk. Although he really hoped she never found 1% of the things he'd like to have done to her in just the short span of time it took her to join him at the Job Board. "Uhh, hey Crystal." He beamed a smile and scratched his head. "A song for me? Cool, it's not fault no one around here can match my Wind Ki magic, the lack of talent just bores mt to sleep, ya know?"

He laughed and tried not to look embarrassed in front of the gorgeous woman.

Quote:

Hey!" she cried, pointing at him a finger in a thick leather glove. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Brennan nearly leapt out of his shoes as Deezy spotted him and pointed. Panicking, he did the first thing that came to mind... he pointed to Crystal. "She did it."

[Ryoma]

Ryoma ented the bar shortly afterwards, Having already finished his morning workout and getting cleaned up. He sighed at Deezy's level of noise, And people said he couldn't be quiet. He looke to Claire and smiled. "Morning Claire."

"Are we starting hard or are you taking it easy?"

"Taking it easy today." He looks around and smiles seeing Crystal and Brennan.

"So we got anything good up on the board, or did we finish all of them earlier this week?"

He looks at Brenna and smiles. "Honestly man, You're a badass when you're awake, but falling asleep just as we get surrounded is kinda a damn pain."

He laughs and nods. "Still I guess I do owe you a round for taking care of that guy that I missed."

He looks at Haegel. "Weren't you supposed to have some sort of job today?" In the back he heard Yunis drop something else and sighed. For someone who's magical talent was washing dishes she made a mess, even with the wooden dishes.

[Crystal Siren]

Sliding out from behind Crystal's shoulder, the tiny faery and increadibly cute faery fluttered out to fly in front of Brennan's face. "Hey! Crystal didn't do anything! Well, except for the building she smashed last week, while bringing down that rampaging golem.. but no one was living there anyway."

Crystal put one hand to her mouth and giggled, she couldn't help it, watching Shayla speak like that to someone ten times her size was simply too amusing.

"I'm sure he ment that as a complement, Shayla, dear, not as an accusation." Actually, she figured he was simply flustered and uncertain, so he'd done the first thing he could think of, which was sort of cute of him.

"Oh, er, ok, that's alright then." The tiny faery flew to land on Crystal's shoulder, who then turned to face Deezy.

"So, what do you need, Deezy?"

[Brennan]

"Dude, whatever, I have to fall asleep just to give you guys time to catch up to me." He laughed but both warriors knew there would be a sparring match later... that Ryoma would most likely win.

Although a bit of a hot head, Brennan always made his jokes with a light heart and humorous tone. He and the Fairy traded scowls for a moment... but Brennan was pretty sure he could take her... maybe.

[SalmonMax]

Deezy jabbed her finger at Brennan again and proclaimed, "She didn't do it! I did! Look!"

She reached behind her into a knacksack and produced a small package wrapped in brown leather. A flick of her wrist sent the package whirling through the air at Brennan!

The more alert guildmates immediately leaped away. Tables were overturned, meals and mugs went crashing to the floor in a ring all around the students.

Deezy just grinned brightly, her expression never wavering.

[Brennan]

He was pretty sure Deezy wouldn't bring explosives into the guild hall, not after the last time when she lost one in Zeke's (Hagel's son) birthday cake. It was a mess, but Zeke thought it was the coolest thing eve, and blast made sure everyone got some.

"What's this?" he asked catching the package in a cradle-like gesture, like one might do a football. "Cheese of the month?"

[Ryoma]

Ryoma's first reaction was to dive for cover, but no matter what he knew Deezy wouldn't casually toss something destructive around in the hall. then he caught himself, she would and pretty much did.

"Some things never change."

[SalmonMax]

"Open it!" Deezy enthuses, oblivious to the slowly recovering populace around them.

Inside the package is...a thing. It looks like a thin helmet with a bell on each side, roughly where one's ears would go.

"It's for your sleeping problem!" crows Deezy triumphantly, rushing over to take the thing from Brennan, then lifting it up and settling it over his head...something she has to go on tiptoes to do.

"Now whenever you're doing something you need to stay awake for, just put this on...and pull this out..."

She reaches up to a little node in the front of the helmet and pulls. The node detaches and slides out, revealing a tiny metal cage with some kind of large wasp in it. The sleek black insect shakes itself off, looks around, then seems to lock stares with Brennan...and sits perfectly still, looking at him.

"...and when you fall asleep, alarms will go off to wake you up!" Deezy finishes happily.

[Brennan]

Cross eyed, Brennen investigates the wasp-thing. "Uh, thanks Deezy," He replies nervously, waiting for it to sting him in the forehead. "W-what do I feed it?"

Snickers could already be heard as he wore the silly headgear and the bottom lips of many a guild mate were already quivering trying to contain their laughter.

[Rose Pellegrino]

At that moment, the doors to the tavern were flung open, revealing a tall, thin silhouette backed by the dusty, wind-blown swirl of a flowing longcoat. The jingle of spurs and buckles accompanied the thud of bootheels hitting the wooden floor as the figure took two measured steps into the suddenly quiet bar. From beneath the broad brimmed hat, the glint of a devilish grin and a pair of baleful yellow eyes were just visible in the shadows that concealed the wearer's identity. Frothy mugs were frozen mid-swig, and somewhere in the distance, a few keening notes were plucked out on a guitar.

As someone cleared their throat uncomfortably, and a few of the newer recruits' chairs scraped back from their tables, Hagel's voice rang out clearly.

"Knock it off, Rose, you're freakin' out the newbies."

The hat tipped back and the doors swung shut again, revealing the face and figure of the eccentric young mage as the bright sunlight's departure allowed her guildmates' eyes to adjust. Her grin broadened, and she gave them a sheepish shrug.

"Hey, it was worth a shot."

[Crystal Siren]

Crystal covered her mouth to hide the grin as Deezy showed Brennan the unusual hat she had made him. Shayla, however, didn't hide her amusement at all, as she flew around Brennan a few times, giggled and returned to Crystal's shoulder.

When Rose made her entrance, Crystal returned her gaze to the board again. "Hello Rose, we were just checking the board here, to see what was available this week." She ran her fingers over one of the postings.

[Rose Pellegrino]

Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes at the elf's reaction.

"Stuck-up long-ear..." she muttered as she made her way over to the bar, oblivious to the shame-faced glares of Virtus Arach's more recent members. "Oh, look at me, I'm the Sparkle Princess Crystal, from the land of unicorns and fairies and tiaaaraaas. Blagh." Grimacing, she took a seat and leaned against the bar, resting her chin on her hand. "I mean, seriously," she continued conversationally, looking at Claire as if she expected the woman to know what she was talking about. "It's like half the guild has a running bet on what color underwear she's wearing on any given day, and the other half just wants to know if she still sounds pretty when she's being strangled. Okay, so maybe it's not exactly halves, and maybe someone might've started a rumor about her fairy friend there eavesdropping on people, but you get my drift." With a huff, she grabbed the cup of mead Claire had just set down and took a swig. "Yeah, yeah, I know," she went on, waving her hand in a pre-emptively dismissive gesture. "Powerful mage, looks great even when she rolls right out of bed, puts us mere mortals to shame with her very presence, yadda yadda. Still annoys the crap outta me."

Grumbling, she took another drink, ignoring the half-amused, half-pitying glance the erstwhile barmaid gave her.

[SalmonMax]

Deezy was just opening her mouth to answer when Rose's grand entrance distracted her. She turned around and watched Rose swagger in, an admiring smile on her lips.

After a second she remembered Brennan and looked back around at him.

"Uh...oh right, feed. Um, it'll eat pretty much any sort of meat...just...you know try to push it through the cage there. Don't let it out, or the helmet won't be able to tell if you're asleep."

She beamed and pushed the insect's cage back into the slot in the front of the helmet.

"Hopefully by the time it dies I'll have a better system worked out."

[Crystal Siren]

Crystal didn't hear Rose's mutterings or complaints to Claire, instead she continued to look over the board to see if there was any tasks that she or they might take on, that could be interesting. She did pause a moment to glance at the others in the room, but then turned her gaze back the board.

[Brennan]

Rose's entrance would have impressed Brennan if it wern't for two things: 1) Deezy had just informed him that she made a hat with a carnivorous bug in it and put it on him, and 2) it had already worked on him once during last years Amitt Harvest Festival when he was new to the guild. He always liked Rose though, she was fun to be around and certainly entertaining, but man was she opinionated.

"Yeah, yeah, yuck it up," He said to Shayla, giving her a mocking grin as it fluttered about his head for a moment. "You're just jealous of my stylish headgear, admit it."

Then something dawned on him...

"Wait a sec..." Brennan blinked while a bead of sweat started to form on his brow. "You mean this thing is carnivorous? You put a flesh eating wasp-a-thingy in a cage on my forehead? Deezy!"

That was pretty much the icing on the cake of restraint as the entire guild burst into full bellyful laughter at the image of Brennan in silly headgear panicking as a flesh devouring insect grew more and more annoyed with his constant jostling of its cage.

[SalmonMax]

Deezy laughs. "Don't worry!" she assures him. "It only eats DEAD meat. It won't so much as take a bite out of you!"

She pauses, then adds, "As long as you're awake. I mean...you wouldn't want it to get out while you're asleep. But that's just common sense! Besides, it won't get out. That cage is solid brass. No bug will get out of it. Just don't trip or anything."

[Crystal Siren]

Crystal stopped looking at the boards and walked over to look at the bug in the cage, considering it for a moment. She found herself exceptionally glad the creature looked a wasp and not a spider.. in fact that thought made her shiver just a bit, she couldn't stand spiders. In fact, that made her consider a task a few weeks ago that had involved a giant spider, and the shiver became a bit more pronounced. She managed to calm herself by taking a deep breath, and controlling her breathing for a few moments.

"It looks like the bug will be fine to me Brennan, at least it's not a big spider, I don't think that it will eat you.. you look like much to large of a mouthful for it." She paused, and glanced at Deezy. "Unless it's poisonous?"

[Ryoma]

Ryoma nods to Rose as she enters. She was good to have on your side, if you could handle her opinions of everyone and everything. "Hey Rose, Starting early today eh?"

He looks back to Crystal and smiles. "Anything on the boards today?"

[SalmonMax]

Deezy laughs and shakes her head.

"Not at all! Except for the sting, a little, but nothing dangerous to us. See, I was having trouble coming up with a good way to get the helmet to know when he fell asleep. I was trying little pliers that attached to the eyelids, but that had all kinds of problems. But then I read about this fly that will crawl into a sleeping animal's eyes while it's asleep, crawl up into its brain and lay eggs there!"

She claps her hands together once. "And I thought, hey! That's how I'll do it! The fly will know when he's asleep, and try to get to his eyes. That'll push the cage out a bit...which triggers the alarm bells. Then when he wakes up the fly stops trying to get to him, and the alarm turns off."

"So I tried it out on me, and it works like a charm. Of course, the bug will die eventually, and they're pretty rare, so I'll need to come up with some other system soon...but I figured this would work for now."

[Dave ST]

"AHEM!" came a cleared throat that somehow managed to boom over every thing else in the Tap Room. The small old man the everyone in Virtus Arach knew as Master Hideki stood up on the railing of the second floor terrace that over looked the Tap Room below. Everyone looked up at him as he scowled waving a thick stack of papers in his hand. "I have here the latest complaints from the Council of High Sorcery!"

The collective guild sunk low in their seats...

"Crystal!" he snarled. "Destroyed an entire home, abandoned though it may have been, that resulted in structural damage to several other homes in the area. All while taking down a rampaging rock golem. Her actions were, and I quote, 'irresponsible and lacking in foresight'."

"Ryoma!" He shuffled through the listings. "While taking down the thieves along Elentia's border took out a checkpoint and over turned a merchants wagon. The merchant holds us responsible for the lost wares. You were described as 'a walking wrecking crew'."

"Rose!" He scratched his head. "You extorted three times the usual payment from old man Guffery for the return of his priceless heirloom." There was along pause as his words trailed off as he tried to piece the complaint together.. "Well, at any rate, he cried about it! Moving along..."

"Deezy!" He stroked his beard as he read the list. "Your latest mishap with the Sub-Zero Chillabrator flash froze the entire apothecary's shop, including the Apothecary. Thousands of Gil in potions and oils were destroyed. Says here you got the kinks out... hmm."

"Brennan!" His brow cocked a bit as his head tilted. "What the hell is that on your head? Y'know what, never mind. The local Farming Commission has filed a complaint that you obliterated an acre of crops while handling their pest problem. An entire acre!"

He stood there flailing the papers about. "... I tell ya, people just can't appreciate quality work anymore!" The papers were cast up into the air and allowed to fall to the floor in a slow floating fashion. "Keep up the good work! Only through walking your own path and searching your own soul will you discover the secret your art! Keep the people safe, crops will grow back, potions can be rebrewed!"

"Live, laugh, love, and grow in your art!" He thrust his hands up high and the guild cheered. "We are Virtus Arach! Our paths are our own to walk, our potential is unlimited, our time is now! Someone get me a drink, and take those complaints to the latrine, we're low on butt-wipe!"

[Rose Pellegrino]

Rose could only shrug, grinning as the complaint from Guffery was read.

"Y'know, it was a priceless heirloom, and he got it back, didn't he? I'd say he got off pretty cheap! If anything, I got ripped off. I'm the victim here, damnit!"

Rose banged a fist emphatically on the bar top, and took another drink. Master Hideki was so right. People just didn't appreciate quality work, these days. She shook her head, a little sadly, and then hopped down off the bar stool, mug in hand.

"So, Ryoma," she called out over the din of cheers and laughter as she sauntered over in his direction. "Got any ideas what job you'll be taking next? Heard you've got a grudge against some villainous merchant wagons." She grinned over the top of her mug as she took another drink, her bright amber eyes twinkling merrily.

[Crystal Siren]

"Hey, the folks wanted the Rock Golem taken care of, and then they complain when it it is? It would have damaged a lot more homes then I ever did, and it was abandoned after all" She shook her head. "The Council is simply a bunch of jealous, inflexible, arogant, old idiots, who should leave us the hell alone."

She was still looking at the Job board a moment, then called over to Ryoma and Rose. "Hey, looks like there's a bunch of bandits troubling merchants over on the eastern road.. they seem to want some mage to find thier hideout and take care of them. Looks like the Captain of the Watch posted this one. Recommended a team of 2 or 3, Sounds like your sort of job Ryoma."

[Ryoma]

Ryoma looks to Rose and shrugs. "Dunno haven't seen any good ones. And those merchant and their carts, they'll damn near run you over even when you're careful. When they insist on being present when I tok down that band and don't clear the hell out when I say to it's their own damn fault. I can make my magic not effect other living things, but a cart isn't alive."

He smiled, though it was the "I don't care" smile he often used when being grilled on his missions.

When Crystal addressed him and Rose he looked up and nodded. "Take Care of" as in bring back enough to identify, or "take care of" as in "Capture these assholes so we can humiliate and punish them publicly?"

Normally the Captain of the watch was specific, and it was far easier to kill the bandits than it was to capture them, at least for Ryoma.

[Crystal Siren]

"It doesn't say.. apparently it's apply to the Captain of the Watch sort of thing. I expect Captain Hozen either doesn't care, or someone forgot to add it in." She responded, as she went down the list for other things on it.

"You'd think they'd learn to be more specific by now." She continued, as she looked over the rest of the posts. "Hmm... Dana want's someone to see to a ghost problem, and Jessena of the Four Winds want's to restore her father's fortune telling powers."

[Ambrose Reitei]

As the guild's noise level returned to its normal boisterous roar after Master Hideki's speech, there were a couple of shouts of alarm, and the sound of tables and chairs scooting back was heard. Soon, the problem became quite apparent as two men fell over one of the tables, sending plates, cups, and all off into the floor as they both went crashing ass over teakettle, punching and kicking the whole way. Shouts and insults were exchanged, and the two seemed to be going all out until the small crowd converged on them, hiding the brawlers from view for a moment.

The view opened back up as the two were pulled apart, one of the men having inexplicably stripped down to his boxers in the short amount of time that had passed, earning several strange but unsurprised looks. A few more insults were exchanged between them, before the two suddenly grinned at each other and the crowd dispersed as they went their seperate ways. The apparent nudist walked the little way over to the job board like nothing had happened, giving a little nonchalant wave before saying, "Heh, didn't say anything about me this time. So, any decent jobs up yet?"

Enter Ambrose Reitei: Ice Mage, hothead, and all around strange fellow.

[SalmonMax]

Deezy whooped at the Master's speech, grabbed a mug of ale, or something, and quaffed it with gusto far exceeding her apparent capacity for ingestion. With a belch she then handed it back to the stranger at the table she'd swiped it from and thanked him.

"Alright, well my work here's done I think. And that means I'm looking for more work! S'cuse me..."

She shouldered her way through the guildmates to get to the job board and see for herself what's there.

After a second she glanced at Ambrose, then back at the job board.

Then back at Ambrose.

"You haven't got any clothes on," she tells him in a kindly voice...sort of the way you'd tell a socially inept person that he was using the wrong fork to eat his salad.

[Ambrose Reitei]

He watched the strange girl with the flaming hair shove her way through the crowd at the job board, an eyebrow raised, but silent: Obviously he was used to her lack of tact. At Deezy's observation, he seemed to come out of his slight torpor as both eyebrows raised in mild surprise "Huh?"

He looked down at his almost naked body for a second, before raising his gaze back up to the girl, shrugging his shoulders and adopting his former bored expression. "Eh." Looking over at Brennan, a small chuckle left his lips as he remarked, "Nice hat, by the way. Did Deezy cook it up for you?"

[Ryoma]

Ryoma looked to Crystal. "Fine. We can take the first one. I don't think my magic lends well to the other two. You want to go check in with him..." That's when Ambrose showed up bare-assed. "Dammit Ambrose." He shook his head and sighed. "I see today is going to be one of THOSE days..."

[Crystal Siren]

"Alright, Ryoma, Shayla and I will back you up then, I've got the combat spells, but I've got a lot to learn about combat still." She responded, as she turned to look at the commotion regarding Ambrose was all about, then she blinked.

"Lost your clothing again, I see.. what did you lose your temper regarding this time?" For someone who controled the magics of ice and cold, he certainly didn't have the personality for it, you'd think fire was far more fitting to his personality. "You might want to give the ghost or the well thing a lot, Ryoma and I are taking the bandit matter."

Meanwhile, Shayla had left Crystal's shoulder and flown over to to Ryoma and circled around him. "You and Crystal find the bandits and I'll scout them out, we'll work great together, I'm sure."

[Ambrose Reitei]

He looked over at Ryoma, a mildly questioning look on his face as he inquired, "One of those days being...?"

At Crystal's question, he turned, a smile on his face. "Well, it was several things. I mean, for one, the guy was breathing my air. Then, of course, he gave me a weird look...well, weirder than usual. Really, I could check off the list, but who needs details? All that micromanaging just gets in the way of results."

Pulling the notice for "Ghost Needs Busting!" from the board, he turned to the others, giving it a wave. "Which of you wants to help out? Shame you're already going with Ryoma, Crystal. It would be nice to have someone around to sing of my undoubtedly amazing expoits. So that leaves..." He trailed off a bit as he looked around at the rest of the people there, before catching himself and finishing, "Well, who wants to come?"

[Brennan]

Brennan sighed and removed the head gear. "Uh, yeah." He said to Ambrose, feeling a bit embarassed. He knew Deezy meant well, and the thought was certainly a sweet one, but nothing had worked to cure his narcolepsy so he wasn't holding his breath on this new scheme.

Master Hideki's speech stuck with him. His meditative mind wrapped around his words and he found himself lacking faith in the old man. Brennan stood by his actions in the farmers field. His wind magic tore through the crops and sheared away the growth so he could locate the monsters and remove the hive's queen, but in doing so he probably hurt the farmer and his family's lively hood for at least the next season.

For every action, a reaction. For every choice, a consequence. His true master, Zenkuu's, voice echoed in his mind.

"Well, um, I guess that leaves me with the Fortune Teller." He tugged the paper down. "Any takers?"

[Rorx]

Henry frowned down at the remains of his pint after Deezy returned his glass but as she made her way of to the board he could only shrug and shake his head at her retreating back. Standing he made his way over to the board himself, tucking his notebook and pencil away in a beltpouch as he did so.

He was still at the back of the crowd, although his flame red mohawkin showed over the people in front, when Ryoma and Crystal announced they were taking the bandit job. At the others announcements the fire mage frowned slightly before asking around one of his trademark cheroots, "I'll join one of you, but is there any more information than just a ghost job or a restoration of powers?"

[Brennan]

The young wind mage looked to Henry and looked to the paper in his hand that detailed the job. "Well, both jobs are located here in Four Winds. We could go speak to the people who posted them learn more. I was going to hop over to this Jessenia's place after lunch and see what she needs."

[Rorx]

Henry looks up at the list of todays food chalked up on another board behind the bar then shrugs while blowing a smoke ring, "Ok, lets eat and head on over."

He then turns towards Deezy, "Hey Deezy, that's another half of mead you owe me."

[Ryoma]

Ryoma nodded to Shayla. "I'm sure we will." He made his way to Crystal and smiled thinly. "Let's head out. We can Find Captain Hozen, let him no we're taking care of it and then head out."

[SalmonMax]

"I will make it up to you," Deezy volunteered as she trotted back over from the board, "by lending you both my assistance on the job you're going to. Which one is it?"

She leaned over to steal a peek at Brennan's paper, holding her bangs out of her eyes with one hand to get a good look.