A Missing Proposal

    A private room in the Hostess of Fertility has been temporarily taken over for Official Alliance Business. Which is to say it's a nice little comfortable place to chat about something. Something Misa didn't go into a lot of detail about when she sent the messages to Nureha and Shiroe to request their presence. Just something along the lines of, 'You might be interested in this.'

    Misa is naturally already here, waiting for the other two alliance leaders to show up. Occasionally she picks at a small plate of apple slices. It's a good thing she likes apples.

    Misa is not alone though, apparently joined by another, dragged here by Misa to speak with the other alliances about an idea.

Kita would not be a particularly familiar face to most. More Adventurers arrived from Ezzo every day on the evacuation ships. The Imp has the look of it, someone just a little too thin, carrying dark circles under her eyes from lack of proper food and rest. She sits at a table, a book set out in front of her, a simple drawing implement in her fingers as it moves across the page.

The book, itself, is clearly some sort of relic. The girl is quiet, perhaps a bit intense in the way she portrays herself. "Thank you for this." She offers to Misa, though her eyes are more on the page than on the other woman. At the moment, she seems to be completing a simple profile shot of what appears to be a female Salamander, the details of which seem quite accurate to real life. It's likely a skill she brought with her from the real world.

Nureha has a similar look to Kita, dark circles under her eyes as she enters wearing a simple dark blue dress that is in good-repair but otherwise unremarkable. It's not showy, or flashy. There is a little grey half-jacket that goes over it, contrasting her hair which has fallen loose in clumps and spirals.

It's presentable, but what image it presents is a contradiction. She looks.. tired. Her face is more expressive than usual, crinkling into a massive yawn that she hides behind a hand. Nureha hovers at the entrance to the private room, eyes turned inwards while holding a steaming tea-pot between her hands without evident discomfort. It smells faintly of cinnamon and mint. In this distracted state, she waits at the door to be acknowledged rather than taking a seat immediately.

    As far as Official Alliance Business was concerned, this technically would have been Shiroe's debut as the NWA's representative, but apparently even if he had only been with them for a short period of time, Misa was already aware of it. It went to show how quick word had apparently traveled whether he had intended to or not. Though beyond the fact that he was a representative now he was a bit curious as to what Misa had called them for. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't be calling them out if it wasn't something significant so of course the moment he received the message he made sure to get the details on where they were planning to meet.

    Shiroe's arrival would be rather mundane. The sound of the door creaking ever so slightly as he arrived into the private room. The man that would appear before Kita's eye was a rather tall Pooka, actually he was just tall even for regular standards. His lithe physique mostly covered by a white cloak that enveloped most of his figure, though did nothing to conceal one of his most prominent features. His sanpaku eyes shielded by the frame of his glasses would look to Kita for the briefest of moments, but looking back to Misa as if in some sort of confirmation. Yet even with that, follow in Nureha's example. Not immediately seating himself till Misa acknowledged that everything was set. Yet there was something else that caught his attention from the entrance. A fragrance that was poking at his senses, it brings his eyes to shift downward towards the tea-pot, but only for a moment before returning his gaze back to the two at the table.

    Misa nods in response to Kita's thanks, "Of course. It's a worthwhile cause. I've met my fair share of people in similar situations, who will benefit from your idea."

    Soon enough, Nureha and then Shiroe join the two already waiting. Nureha's tired look doesn't go unnoticed, but Misa doesn't bring any attention to it. As for Shiroe, Misa had indeed heard some of the details of his new position. Adventurers tend to be talkative types. Though it hadn't surprised Misa much upon hearing it.

    Misa stands to greet the other two leaders, "Thank you both for agreeing to meet. I felt it was about time we speak together regarding larger matters. Please, take a seat." Misa motions to the table and chairs she and Kita are already at. Misa then proceeds to sit herself. The smell wafting from the tea-pot being carried by Nureha draws a quick glance in that direction. It smells nice. Like most food and drink. But why bother, given the taste?

    Moving on from the tempting fragrence, Misa says, "Before we get to other matters though..." Misa looks at Kita, "Kita..." Misa motions to Nureha and then Shiroe, "These are Nureha of the guild Plant Hwyaden and Shiroe, recognised representatives of the Olympus and New World alliances respectively." Misa looks back at Kita, "Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself and your proposal?"

The scent of the fragant tea catches Kita's nose, causing the girl to blink and look up, eyes settling on Nureha. It's the distraction needed to cause her to look around at the others, taking in each of them. These were people who held power in this world, even after such a short period of time. So, there is some uncertainty there as she looks from one face to another.

"Thank you for your time. All of you." The Imp's tail twitches once before curling around the leg of the chair. She sets down the pencil, laying her hand briefly on the page before straightening herself and pushing to her feet.

"My name is Kita Blacthorne. I arrived only a few days ago on one of the rescue ships sent to Ezzo." There is something in her expression that likely contains some glimpse of the trauma many from that region had experienced, but she keeps her face relatively impassive. "Many people had friends and family who joined the game for the new expansion. People who would have been relatively new to the game, so either unaware of the friend system or simply didn't think of it."

She takes a breath, then turns the page she had been working on towards them so they can see the drawing. "My proposal is to create a sort of common board where members of the Alliances can reach out looking for people they lost in the disaster. I'm willing to volunteer my time to create drawings like this of missing people. I'm sure others will, too once the word gets out."

Nureha acknowledges Shiroe at the door but there is no spark of mischief today. No grand overture. Her dress and mannerisms are tuned towards 'quietly competent' although the calculation of that attunement is up to the gentle reader to determine. She takes a seat in a swirl of spiced vapor, placing the teapot in the center of the table. "I thought." she says in a quiet voice. "..since this is just a small gathering, I would bring something small."

She listens intently, her face immediately sympathetic when she hears Kita was part of the rescue effort.. only, sadly, on the receiving end. She puts her hands on the table, one resting over the other. "Now that the initial surge of chaos has past, I think something can be worked out. I can't imagine how many are stranded and afraid, not knowing anyone and not knowing the system itself."

    As Misa gives introduces them, encouraging them to finally take their seats, he takes no time to situate himself at the table. He briefly nods, offering a smile to the gothic imp. He's not sure what the girl has to offer, but at the very least he wanted her to feel comfortable enough to be able to present her idea without feeling too nervous. So for that reason there's no hint of the Villain in Glasses before this person. Just a rather humdrum enchanter who honestly didn't look like he fit the appearence of someone who was holding such a position of leadership.

    That humdrum enchanter though would keep quiet and attentive as Kita began to talk. His gaze focused on her brief as she gave her proposal. It might have been somewhat intimidating as his face seemed to get a bit more serious, but at the very least she would know that he was taking her words at face value.

    By the time she finally finishes, and Nureha adds her own remarks does he speak. "MMm, the sight in Ezzo was definitely not a pleasant one...At the very least we're glad we were able to get people out safely to a certain degree. As for your proposal, Miss Kita, I think everyone here can agree that your idea definitely has merit. Personally, I can see a few instances of this being applicable already." The idea was well enough that truth be told, besides planning out the logistics of it, seemed like something that would be approved without much fuss.

    Misa listens along as Kita explains her situation and the basic idea of her proposal. Misa had clearly already heard some of the basics already, when the series of circumstances had led to Misa being approached by Kita. But she had decided to refrain from organizing any further details until after bringing it to the attention of the other alliances. As this seemed like a concern for every Adventurer. Not just the SEA.

Hersnd of course, Misa had other reasons for getting the other two alliances involved. Not that she would voice them.

    Once Kita has finished speaking and both Nureha and Shiroe have shared their thoughts on the matter, Misa provides her own fairly simply, "Agreed. I believe with the three alliances involved, we'll be able to reach the largest amount of players to make them aware of this service. And from there it will spread to the rest. Managing the requests might involve a fair bit of work, though. As will the creation of the images."

"I'll reach out to my Alliance partners."

Nureha says with a small sweep of a hand. "If they agree, and there's no real reason to believe they wouldn't, it won't be all that much trouble to establish the beginnings of a set of generalized practices we can use going forwards, with adventurers with appropriate skills to act as investigators."

She pauses, very still for a few heartbeats before saying. "I think we should also have someone verify the reports coming in, if only for peace of mind. This would be just as vulnerable to abuse as any other endeavor that involves a great deal of frightened, disadvantaged people."

"It will definitely be work. Which is why I hope that others will be willing to step forward to help the process." Kita's eyes look down at the girl drawn in her book. Without a doubt, she is searching for this person. That is likely what brought this idea to the forefront.

"If the Alliances can spare the space, maybe a bulletin board in some common area, then I'll see about recruiting artists." She volunteers to at least take this on. It isn't something she expects the alliances to be responsible for. "If there are specific people that are of importance to the Alliances, I'd be happy to work on those as a priority."

She looks to Shiroe, inclining her head. "I imagine it might have other uses in the long run, as well. A central place for people looking for information." Kita lightly closes the book, her fingertips lingering on it, then she sits down.

"I have no issue if you want to appoint someone to verify requests. All I ask is I get to post up mine among the first group that goes out. It's... important to me." Kita adds.

    "No arguments there. I'm in the same position as Nureha. There should be no reason that anyone objects though. Still I imagine that most the affiliated guilds in the Round Table Alliance make up a considerable amount of the Adventurers in Alne at the moment. Even more so with the recent recruitment fair that happened, as well as the return of the Adventurer's from Ezzo. I don't doubt as long as the alliance is in agreement here this could turn out to be a rather useful system. Nureha also brings up a valid point about verifying the reports as well, as to how we decide who verifies these reports I imagine we can deliberate on once we have confirmation from the rest of the respective guild leaders. That said, there is one thing I'm a bit concerned on."

    Shiroe's glasses push up for a moment... "Miss Kita, I'm assuming if you're drawing that you're some form of artisan correct? If that's the case I know this might seem an odd question but can I ask you how long do your drawings tend to last before they get damaged or deformed?"

    Misa nods along in agreement with most of what the others say, "On the matter of validating the requests, I recommend that each alliance contributes at least one person for this purpose. I'm sure we all wish to be aware of how the initiative progresses. Additionally, each person can be responsible for comparing requests to their respective alliance membership lists."

    "As for the matter of who should head up this initiative, I am not opposed to naming Kita for the role." Misa looks between Nureha and Shiroe for their thoughts.

"I have no objections."

Nureha says, reaching for the teapot in the center and pouring out a cup. Another small burst of steam. "And I agree that pooling our resources will serve to balance out any competiting interests, and in time, make this a safer world. Especially for those who did not choose it at the start." She pours another cup, placing them all in the center like a decorative flower arrangement.

Tea Serving as Flower Arrangement as Idle thing to keep hands busy.

"And it only makes sense, seeing how personal a stake they have in such an arrangement."

"I was an art-design major at university before the Apocalypse." Where some people might avoid talking about themselves in the real world, Kita doesn't seem to have any such qualms. Shiroe's question is met with a thoughtful expression. She catches her lower lip between her teeth. "I'm not sure. This..." Her fingers tap the book. "Is a relic, so I'm sure it functions a bit differently than standard paper."

"It isn't particularly humid here, so as long as paper is kept indoors and out of sunlight, it should last a relatively long time." She taps the pencil to her cheek, then bites at the back of it. "I haven't tested the paper here. If you're looking for something that will survive sunlight or travel, though... you probably want some kind of scroll case, or possibly a varnish to seal the paper."

She goes quiet as they talk about specifics of verification and who should head up the initiative. The girl takes her book, tucking it into a shoulder bag, but otherwise offers no further comment. This is where she leaves the specifics to them.

    Shiroe smiles as Misa brings up the mention of having each group bring in one of their own members. "I second the opinion. It'll be good to have some form of accountability amongst one another. As for having Kita head the initiative, as long as she feels comfortable with the responsibility I have no qualms with it." He does seem curious as Kita brings up the mention of her relic, he looks at the book inquisitively for a moment before looking back to her.

    "The only reason I ask is because my profession is a scribe. Part of that profession entails writing of documents which includes the use of creating ink and paper. It's not exactly a popular profession but surprisingly I think it applies here. At the moment most of the items whether it's ink or paper is probably low level. It can probably be used for drawing but due to issues of quality I can see us running into an issue of constantly needing to continue drawing the same faces over time to deal with paper that ends up ruined over time. I don't think it'll be the biggest issue per se, but it could become an tedious waste of resources and time, so I think it'd be important to make sure that if there's scribes in the other guilds they be requested to take some time to work with these sketch artists to make sure that they can get paper and ink that will last. Other than that and the logistical matters that'd need to be handled I don't think there's much else that'd need to be discussed on approving this."

    Truth be told, this probably wasn't the biggest issue, but if this was going to happen he figure he should address even the smaller details that might arise. Speaking of smaller details, he does take notice of Nureha who seems rather eager to hand out tea amongst the group. The aroma continuing to fill the senses yet what would be the point of simply teasing them with what would amount to heated water?

    It seems like they are in agreement about Kita being selected to head the initiative. So Misa nods, "Very well." She looks at Kita, "Go ahead and begin working on this. I believe Plant Hywaden has recently opened a crafting complex. Nureha may be able to assist you in getting the construction necessary for the announcement boards. Once you've got them and found some appropriate locations for them, speak to me and I'll organise to have the SEA's security plans updated to post a guard at them. So that we can ensure they're properly monitored." And Shiroe seems to have his own interest in Kita.

    "With that discussion resolved, there is another thing I'd like to mention... But first..." Misa stares at Nureha, asking rather plainly, "What's with the tea?"

"If I had any issue with the responsibility, I wouldn't be here proposing the idea." Kita answers, though there is an edge of something akin to nervousness in her gaze. It's just the slight flick her eyes between them. "The fact is, I know intimately what it's like to be looking for someone. No one should be left searching alone."

She gives a nod to Shiroe, "We can test a couple of different types when we get the first round of drawings. See what holds up best. If there's a guard on hand, we can be pretty sure that they won't end up vandalized." The girl shoulders her bag, pushing herself up from her place at the table.

"If there's nothing else for me, I'll leave you three to your business. I imagine you have more important matters to attend to." Her hands wrap around the strap of her bag, a sign of some measure of discomfort. The girl's Imp tail also twitches, a sign of lingering anxiety.

"Hmm." Nureha fiddles with the arrangement, making it just so with the air of someone using an opportunity to be mildly but throughly distracted. Her eyes drift close and she bolts rigid in her seat, clearing her throat with mild chagrin for almost falling asleep.

"Yes. That can certainly be done." she says to Misa about the announcement boards and their construction. "I do wonder if higher quality materials lose something in the refining process though." her words are long and drawn out, as though continuing a much earlier thought she was having. "That could be a source of drain as well. But still.." she chuckles faintly.

"Only minutae really. It will sort itself out, soon enough." she raises her cup. "A toast, as gracious thanks to the one who brought us together tonight." she inclines her head to Kita slightly. "Come. Sit with us, my dear. May we always strive.. to better understand eachother, and where we stand. "

    The smile on the mundane enchanter's face still shows as she demonstrates her resolve. There's even a bit of a light hearted chuckle as she mentions the fact of no one needing to search alone, "I think I can agree with you whole-heartedly on that endeavor. If anything I think it only reaffirms that you're best suited for the job. As for the paper, I appreciate you taking the time."

    At that point Kita looks like she's about to head off, and honestly Shiroe did have a few more things he wanted to bring up before she left, but before he's able to... Nureha is the one to call her back. And for what reason?

    "A toast?" His eyes dart back over to Nureha's for a moment trying to figure out what exactly she was up to. He knew that she was one that tended to try and make appearences. Yet, there was nothing that should have be appealing about this 'tea' besides the mild fragrance. As far as taste went though it should have literally been nothing but hot water...Unless. Shiroe's pushes up his frames, the sheen hiding the look of his eyes before he looks down to the cup. Was it possible that...?

    He wants to make an excuse. Anything that could cut the conversation short. To simply say that 'He doesn't want to drink hot water', or that 'They really needed to start heading out,' but one response simply gave Nureha the opportunity to make more of a spectacle, and the other put him in a position where if it was true, he was left out of any further dialogue. It felt like a lose-lose scenario. So he does nothing...Simply waiting to see how the other two react on the matter before even contemplating to reach for the cup. Cause if it was true...

    Misa looks doubtfully at the cup set aside for her... But as Nureha proceeds to raise a toast with hers, Misa sighs quietly. It would be rude to ignore it.

    So Misa takes her cup, silently raising it to join in on the toast. She doesn't seem quite as keen to echo Nureha's words. Out loud, anyway. It's not to say that cooperation and understanding is bad. It's just an embarassing social moment that Misa doesn't do well.

    Still. She finally takes a sip from her cup, not noticing that Shiroe has left her to be the guinea pig, then continues, "On to other matters..."

Nureha flicks an ear, struggling in vain against the assault of another jaw-cracking yawn. She hides this one behind a hand too, ducking her head in modesty as she gets up from the chair. She pushes it in, letting it scrape ever so faintly against the floor before she puts her hands on the back of it.

Her eyes go distant and she raises a hand to one ear. "My apologies." she says to the table. "I'm afraid this simply cannot wait. I'll return presently." she steps out of the private room murmuring something under her breath the whole time.

As for the tea?

It's not bad. Not earth-shaking, really. It's basic, run of the mill, mint tea with the harsh bite of raw cinnamon and another faint but complementary spice in there.

But it's tea.

The girl pauses, or more aptly she freezes in place. The only motion is the slight movement in her throat as she swallows, then a look towards Nureha. Then, she closes her eyes for a brief moment. When they open again, it is almost like looking at a different person. That anxiety is still there in her eyes, but her expression is calm. "If you insist. I just don't wish to intrude."

She sits down with an eerie grace, but keeps her bag protectively across her lap. "I appreciate your faith in me." Kita replies to Shiroe, then accepts one of the cups, the smell still strong in her nose. The warmth of it feels good against her fingers, a contrast to the chill in the air outside.

Lifting the cup, she accepts it for what it is, taking a sip of the liquid along with Misa. There is a faint look of surprise on her features at the taste, looking in the direction that Nureha has excused herself in. "I'm not... going crazy am I?" She looks at Misa, then at the tea.

    To be fair, it's not that he's having Misa be the guinea pig. It's more like he's just not immediately grasping for a cup till the others do. Do rest assure that if one's drinking hot water, they're all drinking hot water. Even if it's gonna suck... Though Nureha having to leave before drinking the tea raises a few flags. It's at this point now he waits a moment before drinking any...This could probably just be left to a 'Villain in Glasses' moment.

     Though the moment he sees Kita's response he knows he has to, even if he'll regret it. He takes the cup and finally indulges in the drink after eyeing it for those few moments. In the next instant. Coughing. Lots of coughing ends up happening. Shiroe pounds at his chest for a moment looking like he's in a bit of discomfort. Though after a moment or two, it looks like he recovers.

    "Sorry...I wasn't expecting the taste, and it went down the wrong pipe." That was the key word though...Taste. It had taste, it had flavor. The tea might not have been the best, but it /had/ something. That in and of itself was the most significant part. So much so that he finds himself looking back towards where Nureha had left from to wait for her return...

    Misa essentially stops mid sentence as she notices something. Her own thoughts echo Kita's words, wondering if it might just be a trick of the mind. A lingering reminder of what tea used to be and she's just drinking hot water. Misa tests the theory by taking a larger sip.

    Finally Misa concludes, "Unless we both are, I imagine not."

    Misa turns to look at the flashing outline of a fox where Nureha used to be, or rather the empty space, "She did that on purpose, I think..."

    Shiroe seems to take it well, nearly dying from the surprise. Misa just takes another sip, "Well. This changes things."

"Huh..." Kita's voice is soft as she takes another drink of the tea. After weeks of nothing but the stale nothingness of food, it is like waking up to a new sensation. "Well, at least someone has figured out an answer." She laughs. The sound seems so odd from her otherwise stoic features.

The Imp shakes her head, her multi-colored hair moving over her horns. "I will never understand people." She runs her fingers on the edge of the cup, then lifts it, "Here's to what will hopefully not be the last good drink in Yamato..."

    As Shiroe collects himself, and the realization comes that Nureha was no longer returning he lets out a sigh. "It could very well change everything..." He stays silent for a moment as he watches Kita indulge in the tea. Even something that was so strong, was able to provide such a comfort to the girl. "Yeah...if a way to add flavor to things has been uncovered than it's a big step for all Adventurers. I wonder if that's the reason she was so exhausted..." He finds himself pushing up his glasses saying those words. Funnily enough, he should be happy. He's one of the only three people from outside of the Olympus Alliance, no if she had only just got this to work, if this was the reason she was so tired they could have been one of the first three people to actually get a taste of something besides raw ingredients. Yet the look on his face shows more concern than joy.

    He scratches at the back of his head. "It looks like even without being here Nureha was able to get the last word in. For the time being though, Miss Kita would it be alright to ask to friend you? There's a few things I'd like to discuss with you about possible people that might need use of your services."

    Misa continues to sip tea calmly, "An answer that took them long enough..." More quietly Misa murmurs, "I wonder if they can make some sweets next..."

    At Shiroe's theory about Nureha's exhaustion, Misa nods, "Makes sense. A discovery like this has wide reaching implications to capitalise on quickly. She's probably been busy." It's a good thing Misa doesn't care much for business or she might feel left behind.
        As the other two talk, Misa just continues sipping tea.

When the tea is finished, Kita lays the glass back onto the table. She nibbles at her lower lip again, the edge of it sporting a small pink scar. The taste seems to bring back some sort of memory, her gaze not settling on either Misa or Shiroe at first.

It isn't until her name is directly addressed that her gaze snaps up again, looking at Shiroe. "Oh. Of course." She brings up the menu with a swipe of her fingers, then sends an invitation out to him. Her ease with it suggests that she has some experience with the game prior to the Apocalypse.

"I'm... not really a social butterfly. But... use it as you will." Her hands slip back around her bag then, "I should go. I need to get started on this as soon as possible." The girl she is looking for, the one in the drawing, must be important to her. Important enough that exhaustion be damned, she was going to find her.

    "Much indeed..." It's all he can say on the matter, at least in an open fashion. Though he has a few ideas that come to mind of the leverage Nureha might start to have with this card in her repetoire. He'd like to think that there won't be any issues. That Nureha will simply use this to benefit the Adventurers as a whole. Yet there's something eating at him. Though he doesn't ponder it for too long as Kita sends him the request. "Huh, ah...Don't sweat it. Despite my position I can't really say I'm much of one either. When you get your sketches done do feel free to call me. We can send them out as the first round. Though, I'd when you finish to please reach out to me."

    It was clear that he was picking up on just how anxious she was to get started. She had come to them for this after all, and there obviously must have been some kind of story to why she was doing this. While Shiroe was interested to hear it if she was willing to share, he wanted to make it a point for her to know that she wasn't the only one hoping to rely on her skills now. In fact... Just as she's about to leave, Shiroe pushing up his glasses with a bit of a smile, an ominous aura begins to enshroud his person. The rather mundane presence becomes one that really does start to bring up a sense of foreboding.

    "Miss Kita, please be aware now that you've got a big responsibility ahead of you. You've offered your services to the Alliance and to be quite blunt...I intend to use the services to the fullest..." A fun reminder she just gave a friend request to this person. And just as that reminder comes to mind, a hand is placed on the gothic imp's shoulder with a less ominous but still somewhat unsettling. "I'll be looking forward to hearing back from you soon.~"

Pushing to her feet, Kita gives him a nod. "If you have anyone who you think should be in this first round of drawings, send them my way. I should have a handful done in the next day or two." She reaches up, toying with the fringe of white hair next to her cheek. "Assuming I manage some kind of food and sleep and don't just pass out somewhere."

She doesn't need the reminder of just what sort of responsibility what she is doing might carry with it. "I know." Her voice takes on a slightly harder edge to it. "Finding Jurou is the most important thing to me right now." Kita explains, "I brought her into this game. I got her trapped here. I've already had to lose her. I'm not sure how many more times I can before I break."

She holds her bag, containing that relic book, to her chest, "I expect I'll owe more than my fair share to the Alliances. And I know you'll come calling sooner or later." The hand on her shoulder is met with a look from the girl's icy eyes. "Whatever I have to trade for this, it's worth it."

    Shiroe was known by a few nicknames since his time in Eldertale. The one most prominent...The Villain in Glasses. A title he had garnered for a few reasons, but one that occasionally came from when he may have seemed like he'd go about any methods inorder to do what needs to be done. Generally when that was the case though, when he came across in this demeanor there were those who would flinch at this persona. Those that would look at the villain and feel worried, anxious, or something within that spectrum.

    Kita shows no sign of that. In fact, as she looks into the eyes of the would be villain, one who people would occasionally call Dark Kuroe, her resolve shines through rather brilliantly. Enough that he finds himself feeling like he's taken a second loss tonight. He lets loose his hand from her should and tries to give her a more reassuring smile. "If you can back up those kinds of words, then I don't think you'll have any issues finding your friend. As for owing anyone...I imagine many more people in the Alliance will end up owing you than the other way around. Also, if you feel comfortable with it, would you be willing to tell me what happened to your friend Jurou? I know it's one thing to have a face to a name, but I imagine sharing the details of what happened to them would also help." It probably didn't come off as much, but this was his way of showing he was invested. That he cared. Maybe it would only come off as mild, but he hoped that even after his more unsavory display his more altruistic nature would show through.

The anxiety that Kita might have felt earlier seems to fade underneath her will to see her plan succeed. Shiroe might be the 'Villian in Glasses', but she would likely make a deal with the devil himself if it would solve the problem laid at her feet.

The question has her looking away from him. Trust isn't something she finds an easy thing, but if there is any small glimmer there that might help her find Jurou, perhaps it was worth the story. "Jurou isn't just a friend. She's my girlfriend. We've been together three years." Kita admits. Japan is slightly more progressive than some places, especially in Tokyo, so such relationships aren't completely outside of the norm. "She moved to the US for university and I hadn't seen her for almost a year whe she came home for Christmas."

Kita's hands clench into fists. "I got the bright idea of inviting her to Elder Tale. I thought maybe the expansion might include some connection to the US servers. Something that would let us actually /see/ each other instead of just phone calls at odd hours." Long distance relationships are rough, it seems. "So it's my fault she's stuck here. And worse, she's been stuck here alone because whatever the fuck happened swept me to Ezzo."

The anger she feels seems to override her anxiety. Anger turned inward.

    He rubs at his chin as he hears that story. He is a little surprised about the girlfriend thing, but not in a bad way. Just more 'Oh okay' kind of way. "I see. Well...If they weren't in Ezzo, your friend Jurou might have had a few issues here and there but I imagine she's probably in a better position than you are. As long as she stayed within Alne she'll have interacted with one of the alliance guilds in some capacity. If that's the case someone should be able to recognize her. I'll also make sure to thoroughly request that any of the New World Alliance members recall if they recall a new player of that name. So be sure to get the sketches ready. Once those are done we can worry about the second group of sketches. That sound fair?"

"She wasn't with us." Kita confirms, sighing to herself. "And I'm glad of it. Ezzo was hell." That is all she seems willing to say on that matter. Those who have seen how broken that land is, know that it is no understatement.

"I'll get to work. I should have something in the next couple of days. Just send anyone that seems to vet out to me. I'll get a room here in Alne at the inn." She tugs at her shoulder bag. "Thank you again, both of you. I'm going to get to work."

So, Kita retreats for the time being, likely to spend the next hours working on capturing the faces of those who have been lost.