The Gardening

    It was a new day, Merek had finished assisting in an undead invasion amid farmlands and villages, at the moment he was looking for flowers to pick up for gardening. The man wears a dark attire with a leather belt about the waist, straps keeping his armor about him, though comfortable, while he looks around for a few things.

A grassy plain, with the town of Alne not far away. Currently sitting cross legged atop a rock, Tenko's weapons were laying next to her. The kitsune had her sketchbook out, and was scribbling away at it, occasionally looking up to make sure she was getting the angles and shapes of the town right, before looking back to the book again.

It was on one of these glancing upwards that she spotted Merek, taking a moment to wave to him from her seated position.

    Merek looks up to notice that Tenko is around. He remembers her from the fight in the farmlands with the Were Fang. He nods a bit to the kitsune, then he takes a moment to adjust the blade which he keeps on his back, moving along to pick up a few flowers, checking the seeds. Placed into a pack, he would move to where Tenko is at, "Good evening," he notes, while he places the dark sword next to that rock.
    It still looks like it has an equipment tag next to it, even when it is not in hand. He then takes a sandwich from the pack with him at the hip.

The kitsune closes the book and tucks it away in her pack, "What brings you out here this evening?" She asks, as she leans back a bit on the rock, though keeping her legs folded. "Are you doing well? Did we ever find a place to send that were fang?"

    Merek looks over to Tenko, and blinks a bit owlishly while he thinks about it. "Ah, I'm not sure that we have, we'll get to it eventually. Well it's not really come up since then," he notes. The Magic Knight takes a look at a book he keeps with him, writing about the flowers, then he takes a bite of the sandwich. "I'm just busy finding things to assist me with building my new shop in the Carmina."

"Ah hah. Is that going well?" She asks, "What sort of shop are you opening?" She isn't much for being a shopkeep. Keeps you too grounded, in her opinion. But it is good for some folks

    "An alchemy shop," Merek explains, while he nods a bit to Tenko. "Anyway, what is it that you do?" he asks, lifting a brow while he glances to the woman, then back to the flowers.

"Me?" She asks, as she considers for a second, "I wander. I draw, and I write. And I help people who need helping." She glances to one of her blades sitting near her, "And defend those who cannot defend themselves."

    Merek nods a bit to Tenko, while he seems to think about it. The man looks to the skies while he scratches along his cheek, "Well anyway. It's nice to explore, I like assisting the Landers when I'm able."

The kitsune smiles, though it's impossible to see behind her mask, "It's always good to meet others who are willing to help the locals, rather than take advantage of them." She replies, "Too many adventurers fail to consider the consequences of their actions. They think they can just do what they want, when they want."

    Merek nods a bit to Tenko, and smiles to the kitsune. He does seem a bit curious, looking to the mask, "You stay in that form?" he asks, lifting his brow a bit, while he takes a bite of the sandwich, "I... Used to work for CC, which. Well I feel a little bit responsible for the people, even if I'm just a tester."

Him mentioning he used to work for CC gets her attention, as she tilts her head ever so slightly, "I like this form." She replies, "Though I used to have more tails. Bit of a disappointment, really.." She muses. For a few moments she debates if she should break character or not. She so rarely does it, but if he used to work for CC, maybe they knew each other in the real world. She didn't know more people were trapped in here from the company.

"Even if you were just a tester, there would be no way to test for this." She replies, "I'm sure a lot of people who are here may feel at least partially responsible. But we're still unsure of how, or why, we're here. Or if we're physically here, or just mentally here. There's many questions left unanswered at present."

    Merek nods a bit to Tenko with that, "Well, I suppose you have a point, I was just supposed to test the new things," the man admits, "Though looks like I'm dealing with... Well, just assisting people. It's not like I have a lot to be back to," he notes. Then he takes a look along to the kitsune, "Anyway. I think it will be wonderful to own a shop, I seem to get pulled into fights a lot, all the same it's nice to relax and just do, really anything else."

The kitsune considers for a few moments, "So you were a tester for the game? Or for ALTIMIT in general?" She asks, "I only ask because I worked on the latter, though testing parts of the game was part of it." She finally opts to break character because she would feel as if she were lying, even if it were by omission, without mentioning it to him.

    Merek looks then to Tenko, and nods a bit, "For the game, I was a beta tester hired with a work visa to assist," he mentions, then he takes a drink from the flask with him. "My... Fiance', before being killed, really liked ETO a lot, and played with me in Fragment."

"I...I'm sorry to hear that." She replies, as she looks back off into the distance for a moment, "I lost my father to the Flash of Death, and when he died my mother couldn't take care of me. So she shipped me off to live with his parents." She sighs, faintly, "I generally prefer to keep life, you know..Out there." She makes a vague motion with her left hand, "Here I'm able to be...Well, what I want to be."

    Merek nods a bit to Tenko, while he seems to think about it. "Ya, it's a little nicer for folk in the new place," he notes. Then he offers a look to the kitsune, while he would try to offer a light pat to the shoulder, if permitted. "Anyway, I think there are things we don't know, the Waves, things like that. It all seems that there's a lot to it."

"There is." She says, "And while I am sure in due time people will uncover it all, for now, I think it's best if we keep in mind that the Landers are, well...People, too." She says, "And they deserve the same respect and care that Adventurers get..Even if they don't always return the favor."

    "Just like real people!" Merek notes, amused. A nod along to Tenko, while he watches the skies a bit, "Anyway. It's nice to relax every once in a while. I will be pretty glad to have my own shop to stay in. If you like, I will send you information on it, if you would like to assist in the building."

"I don't know how much assistance I can provide, but I'd be happy to help however I can." She replies, "Like I said, I make it my m ission to help people, regardless of what their issue may be."

    "Thank you," Merek offers, while he takes a moment to look at the blade next to him, that weapon he often keeps about him. "Anyway, there's a lot we don't know, all I know really is that we will be here quite a while likely. I am wanting to settle in and kind of... You know." The man nods, "Carmina is the city of Eternal Night, it'll be wonderful."

"Well, I definitely look forward to seeing what you're able to do with your shop." She says, with a faint smile behind her mask, "I expect I'll be visiting quite often for health potions."

    Merek would nod a bit to Tenko, while he seems to think about it. "You're always welcome to come by, I work on the potions for healing, and also for dealing with magical things. Medicine, anything," he notes. While he speaks, there's a look to the place in full, "What profession do you use?" he asks.

"Scribe." She replies, as she reaches into her bag and pulls out the sketchbook she had been working in earlier, "I used to draw and write a lot, so it made sense to pick that up here...Ended up being very useful." She turns the book around to show him the sketch of the town she had been drawing

    Merek looks to the sketch, nodding a bit to Tenko, "Useful and nice," he notes, smiling a bit to the kitsune, "I like drawing, although I'm not as much a scribe as I am with doing alchemy."

"Everything has it's purpose." Tenko replies, as she folds the book back closed and puts it away, "Are there any particular flowers you're looking for? I can be on the lookout for them while I wander."

    Merek nods a bit to Tenko, while he offers a look to the book for her, "I need flowers which seem to be a bit like that," he notes, then he takes a look along the place, "I appreciate it." A little smile, "You're nice to be around."

"Well I'm glad you think so." She says, taking note of the flowers he's pointing out, "I'll keep an eye out for them on my travels." She makes a note in the book about it, "I try to do my best to make people comfortable around me. Of course, those who wrong me, or others, face my steel. But that is my last choice."

    Merek seems amused a bit, nodding to Tenko. He thinks about it, then he would look to the flowers, "Well, I would like to meet with you again, we could perhaps find a place to eat next time," he notes.

"I'd like that." She replies, "Though I don't have the cooking skill, so unless you know someone who does, we may want to go to that Resturant that Crescent Moon just opened up recently.." She muses, "Unless you like salty crackers."

    Merek looks amusedly to Tenko, while he nods a bit. "Well, we can make basic things, I will see about what would be best," he notes, while he nods to the woman. There's a look to the skies while he seems to think about it, "I still have the quest award from the boss of the tower, might make a nice meal. I am thinking about making indigo tea the thing my shop is known for."

"Oh...Sadly I wasn't there for that battle." She replies, "Truthfully the tower is...Not my primary focus." She says, "Though I need to assist more with the waves that come as a response to the tower.." She considers, "I think the world is trying to find ways to defend itself.."

    Merek seems to think about it, "I think there might be a lot to it, more than we think," he adds, while he nods a bit to Tenko. "I think it will be a bit nice to focus on pursuits that aren't fighting."

"I have to admit." Tenko says, as she seems to look off into the distance for a bit, "If it were possible to get us out of here, that someone would have figured out how by now. I mean the brightest minds in the world are no doubt trying to figure out how to free us from this game, assuming that what most people think, that we're trapped in VR, is true."

    "I'm not sure we're still back in that world, even if we are, it's probably being covered up. Things like this actually happened in Fragment before according to Balmung, though CC covered it up," he notes, with a nod.

"That was before ALTIMIT." Tenko replies, "Which...Makes me wonder if this is an inside job from CC Corp." She frowns at the thought of someone from her company doing that kind of thing.

    Merek nods a bit while he seems to think about it. He then looks a bit distantly to the skies, then back to that kitsune, "I don't know, I generally keep to myself and try not to think on it." The man draws a hand to scratch along his cheek.

Tenko rises up to her feet and then turns to face Merek, giving him a traditional bow, "I should be going." She smiles, but before she leaves, she tosses a friend invite to Merek, so they can keep in touch, "Let me know when getting a meal is good for you. If you find a place."

    Merek would accept it, nodding a bit to Tenko, "I appreciate it, thank you. I will talk to you when I am able to find a place!"