Gathering escort

The hour is early. Dawn peaks over the nearby hills, painting them a warm rose, and sending the day's first fingers of warmth down the dirt alleys of one of many one-horse, rural villages--population 265--that dot the land of Yamato. In the distance, farmers can be observed to already be tending their crops in mid-Spring's green-fuzzed fields.

SpritesHero is also already at work, sitting by his lonesome in front of two wooden signs that have been aggressively pounded into the ground just outside the town's entrance.

'CAUTION: Local aggressive monsters!'
reads one.

'Scale means Security! Free escorts for your peace of mind!'
reads the other.

Yes. It's yet -another- attempt by Scale to resuscitate their rapidly worsening reputation.

"Not sure if I need to uncover a card first," The tall Imp tells their companion, a slightly shorter, more curvacous Sylpyh. "But I figure it's worth a try, and worst come to worst, we'll just find someone who's a miner or whatnot and have them work for us. I should pick up fishing, though, if I'm going to get back into cooking. Which I should, if Gwen is going to be my mentor." They note. Pausing to look over the Adventurer and his signs, idly, bringing up the display to get a read on him.

They are, as noted, a tall Imp, with curved horns and almost-luminescent skin. Their hair a wild cascade of dark locks, and their garb all sweeping sleeves and layered skirts and voluminous blouses in black, silver, and crimson. Very baroque. Very elaborate. Very unfitting for adventuring.

"Hello."

Ayame gestures quite easily with one gloved hand as she trots along, the golden chain draped from her hip bouncing with every quick little step in the confining skirt. The other remains fixed against a shield, and she smiles a very little to the imp as she moves "You've never been satisfied just with one field" She notes "It's like you're making up for lost time" With a small chuckle. Her own attire is just as impractical; fitted skirts, an underbust corset over a shirt, gloves. A wand tucked behind a pointed ear. She gives the adventurer a slightly more friendly look, wiggling her shieldarm fingers at him a moment "Work busy, or busywork?" She asks. And grins.

SpritesHero doesn't judge. Well, he probably does judge, for there's a quick eye-flick of an assessment, and then he's rapidly rising to his feet. For -his- part, he's dressed for adventuring and is clad in well-fitted clothes that cover him from neck to fingertips to toe-tips. At the same time, said clothes will likely only turn aside branches and thorns. Not so much the claws or teeth of dire beasts. "Mornin'!" he greets the pair, with a cheery smile that tints with roguishness in reply to Ayame's teasing. "Busily staying out of too much trouble, but you two are the first to come by today. You keeping to the roads, or bushwhacking?" Kuroyuri gets a bit of an odd look. Wistfulness flickers for the briefest of moments, before being immediately shoved into an iron safe. The lid is emphatically (and metaphorically) slammed shut.

"Ah, little bit of both," Kuroyuri admits, with a shy smile and a glance over to their Sylph travelling companion. "I'm looking to get into crafting, so I need to, you know, get something to craft WITH." They explain. Exhaling a sigh. "And I AM," They insist to their Sylph. "I've spent so much time doing nothing, both before and now, I absolutely want to make up for it."

Ayame glances across at the imp by her side, and then across at the spriggan before then. She tilts her head to the side, and then nods comfortably "We can work with you on those cards" She tells Kuroyuri in a long-suffering tone. Then she looks back, considering "I do a fair ammount of escorting people around. However, this one" She taps the imp with her elbow "Needs keeping in line" Her grin is wide, a moment, then falling back "Business is slow? In context, that's a good thing, I suppose, but it is always worrying."

Whatever may have prompted that earlier odd look is now well and truly gone; Sprites is purely professional at this point. "Local economy's mostly built around farming, and the hunters are pretty good at taking care of themselves already," he explains, "so really we only have Adventurers who may need assistance." Light flashes as he summons a map and a stick of charcoal from his inventory. The map is unfolded and slapped down atop one of his signs. A makeshift-table of sorts. "Right. So, we're here," he begins, indicating a region in the bottom left corner. "Roads heading north and east--that road is this one here. Hills up here, forest here, lake here." As he speaks, his hand whips over the map surface, indicating the mentioned regions. Hazards have been pre-labeled--unfortunately in charcoal. So they're a bit smudged, but still mostly legible. "Where were you thinking of heading? Any materials in particular?"

"Well, honestly, I will eventually want to master every craft, so what I can't use now I'm sure I'll find a use for later, as long as my inventory holds. But Cooking, Alchemy, Brewing, Enchanting, that kind of stuff - oh and tailoring, of course." There's a satisfied nod from Kuroyuri there. Giving Ayame's arm a squeeze. "I know you will help me, you already said that like, five times. And I don't need keeping in line, I help you keep rhythm." They click their tongue. "...It's not my fault we need a healer." They note to the Sylph, then looks over to Sprites, giving a nod. "Wait. How is it a business if you're offering free escorts?" They ask, confused.

Ayame nods understandingly and tucks a little hair behind her ear, the thin leather of her gloves stretches and flexing a moment "Please excuse my sister" She nods to Sprites "She doesn't always understand the benefits of networking and finding contacts. It can be a reward in itself." She lets out a soft little sigh "Let's see. Anything that she can get her hands on to help with tailoring or cooking, as I believe those are her two present interests. Where would you recommend?"

SpritesHero inclines his head to Ayame in agreement. "It's networking and contacts, but also more than that," he explain to Kuroyuri. "Perhaps it might help to think of it as an investment? Scale realizes that many individuals prefer to use their time here for creation and innovation rather than combat and scouting. It still serves a critical function, and we figure it's best if they can focus on their talents, rather than emphasizing development in areas they have no interest in. In short, you have your talents, we have ours, so we both offer what we can. In my case, Scale offers Security." A thousand-watt smile. Yes, he did just plug his organization. But then it's back to business. Removing one black glove, he stashes it under his arm as he begins leafing through a series of papers, several of which are offered to Ayame and Kuroyuri. "Spring onions are available. No berries or fruits. Most herbs are available at this point if they don't involve seeds. I hear the fish down by the lake are pretty reliable biters." More shuffling. "Drops, drops...not so much there, though I've got records of low-quality cotton off some snake species, and spools of thread off giant silkworms. You interested in hunting as well, or no?"

Kuroyuri quirks a brow at Ayame, then crosses their arms over their chest. "Ever. Lasting. Solitude." They point out to Ayame. "And Gwen wanted to experiment with combining Enchanting with Tailoring too, so that's where I figure that gem I got might go." They muse. Looking to Sprites, now, with interest. "Scale, huh?" They note. "I'm with Grandeur, but I'm the lowest rank. And Ayame is with the Silver Swords, because she's just the kindest heart around. Oh. Also, yes." They sketch a small bow. "Konnichiwa. I am Fuhenna Kodoku no Kuroyuri, but most people stick with Kuroyuri for short. This is Shitsuyona Hagosha no Tate Ayame, but most people call her Ayame."

Ayame sketches a short bob of a curtsy in her fitted skirt, absent and immediate, and makes a tiny, amused and exasperated wrinkle of her nose as she bounces back up "Ayame will be just fine. And yes; I'll be glad to work with a member of Scale on this" She has a little amusement, there, in those clear eyes, behind her half-moon glasses, which she tugs off and folds away "Hunting is fine with me. The forest sounds like the option for drops for tailoring, then." A small, quick smile "I'm not much of a one for crafting. I prefer to work with my shield."

"Konnichiwa," Sprites responds, with a perfectly executed bow. Too perfect, really; it's as though someone spent weeks drilling into him the optimal bow-angle to convey a polite, business relationship. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you, Kuroyuri and Ayame. Please call me Robert." No, that's not what his tag says. Or his Alias. There's more shuffling of papers, then, and his gaze rapidly scans over the contents. "Used to have a friend named Lily way back in elementary school," he comments off-handedly. "Lovely girl. Hair almost the same color as yours, really," His eyes flick upwards to indicate Kuroyuri, "but just a bit more coiled. Made the most elegant Halloween costumes I ever saw, by hand. Ah! Here we are." The sheet is offered to Ayame. "We've got a rabbit nest, the occasional deer, and...uhh...spherical bouncing cows. I don't think I've ever tried the cows myself, but the rabbits make for a most excellent stew. If you're adventurous we could try the cows."

"Spherical Bouncing cows? We should try that if only for the novelty," Kuroyuri notes, violet eyes gleaming as they look to the sheet offered to Ayame. "She's very good with her shield. Wand-and-Shield style is the future for tanks, mark my words," Kuroyuri offers, brightly. Considering the pair. And then looking to Robert with a shrug. "...Not quite my style. I wasn't very good with my hands outside. And uh, my hair's a different colour," They appear to not have much issue switching from "in character" to "out of character", at least.

Studying it briefly, lifting the glasses back to her eyes - but not slipping them on - Ayame nods, after a moment "I concur. That sounds just fine. And yes; I quite think the works well" She beams "As for hair, I'm sure Kuroyuri will coil it up and down and all around for you once we're done, Robert. It's good to meet you" She tucks the glasses award, and lifts the wand from behind her ear "They sound fascinating to see. I'd love to know the logic behind them. Full of gas, maybe? Balloons?"

SpritesHero gives Ayame a look of faint amusement. "I would neither want to, nor dare, ask," he responds. "Elementary school friends stay in elementary school. One moment, please." Turning away from the pair, he lifts his hand to his ear, murmuring something rapidly under his breath. Chimlink communication, most likely, but it doesn't last very long. He turns back, gaze shifting between the two. "To confirm. We're aiming for the bouncing cows?" he queries, his regard ending up on Ayame. "And you are specced for defense? Or magic? Or both?"

"I will do a lot with my hair, yes." Kuroyuri gives a little nod. "...Maybe I'll be the first to discover the Hairdresser profession or something. Though I expect that would be a bit redundant." They note. Then watching Sprites with his chimlink. Crossing their arms, and tapping their foot. "I'm a Symphonist, so I mostly do support-type stuff, but I have some offensive and defensive magics."

"That sounds right" Ayame confirms "Both. Sentinel. I'll be leading and using the shield as needed; I can do a little healing and striking. I do tend towards defensive, however" She agrees, adjusting her grip on the shield gripped to her left arm

"And I'm specced into dark and fire magic, with ranged support," Robert offers, tucking his maps and papers back into his knapsack before looping it over one shoulder. "This way, please." And with that, he's off at an easy enough pace, keeping to the main road for now. Behind them, a solitary figure may be observed to emerge from a nearby house. It takes up Sprites's old position. "Freeeeee escorts!" it yells, projecting from the diaphragm. "You want info, we got info. You want support, we're your support. Soldier, tailor, candle-stick maker, Scale is your Security!" It would appear that this is definitely a concerted effort.

Kuroyuri gathers their skirts, and moves along after Bob - though they are happy to take up the aft, and let Ayame pass them, if it pleases the Sentinel. "I'm fairly decent at Dark myself." No duh, Imp Symphonist. "More Air than Fire though." They admit. Wandering along, giving a curious look at the figure behind them. "Huh."

"It's a good little thing you have going there" Ayame smiles, hustling forward with a quickstep and shimmy of her hips in the tight, knee length skirt. She tugs the wand down to her right hand, twirling it in her fingers "I'm fairly well rounded" She tells the others, obliviously "A little more water and fire, but there's not much to it."

"We try," Robert allows, with a sideways glance towards Ayame. "It's good work, and I like to think it is helpful." To whom, he leaves unspoken, and he gives no sign of registering intentional or unintentional puns. As the trio progress his eyes are constantly scanning his surroundings, restlessly shifting this way and that, though the careful observer might note that they seem to target three specific directions more often than the others. "Just a bit further," he announces, turning off the main road to head for a game trail. "So what made you decide to generally aim at crafting?" he queries, hazarding a quick look backward over his shoulder towards Kuroyuri.

Kuroyuri also has a wand, though theirs is more slender, and inscribed with notes rather than any sort of arcane glyphs. It's a very fancy conductor's stick, at a glance. They twirl it among their fingers, idly. Which is an animation that the two siblings apparently have mastered synchronizing. "You know a little bit of everything, just about." They agree with Ayame, and looks to Robert. Pausing. "...I... I like feeling like I affect the world. Quests are repeatable for every player or just plain repeatable. And so much of the changes here we don't control. But being useful, being helpful, and putting my mark out there in the world letting others help, too? That's really nice. Plus, I love, y'know... Aesthethics. Fashion goes way beyond just clothes."

"It's as much how you wear it as what" Ayame agrees absently. Her eyes flick around, but she keeps a deliberately stiff stance despite the ease of her voice "Helpful is relative, but helping to patrol the countryside and keep the land safe - yes, I think it's something you'd think our guilds would agree on" She tells Robert, trotting along the game trail

"So you're thinking modeling, almost?" Robert queries. For all that his tones seem relaxed, the tension in his form is distinctly that of someone who is on edge. "Crafting for modeling?" A pause. "Aesthetic creation in general?" After a few more moments of pushing past shrubs and twigs, the trio emerge onto a long, sun-lit meadow. Though the sun is still low the rose of dawn has turned to the bright yellow of early morning and sparkles off the rippling wavelets of the lake that borders the southern-most edge of the meadow. Flowers are everywhere, in full bloom, and the scene might be one straight out of a painting...if it were not for the cows. They truly are spherical, their symmetry broken only where their tails, flailing legs, and head poke out. Most of them simply rest in place, tails in the air, heads oriented downwards for grazing. But two bulls appear to have gotten into a tussle, and are currently engaged in ping-ponging off each other. Slowly. Very slowly.

"Sort of. I know Gwen does some of that, but it's not just modelling. But knowing that I have an impact. I control a small bit of the world. Changing one thing to the other. And giving people a Chainmail Bikini+1, or something." Which incidentally is the name of Gwen's store. "But yeah, Fashion is a lot and is just the basics of it, sort of. Like. Crafted goods help people better express themselves. Y'know? It's very robuse and flexible." They exhale again. Looking to their sister, and then back to the meadow and the cows. "...Wow. They're so ROUND."

"Kuroyuri, I will - oh, right" Ayame laughs, looking back at the cows. Looking back at her sister, and then at Robert, before back up to the cows "I'm inclined to suggest fire. If only to see if they do rocket around, if it's a gas of some sort" She offers, with a wide smile that fades quickly. Her forehead furrowing.

SpritesHero studies Kuroyuri for a moment, then returns his gaze to the cows to study them in turn. "Could be gas," he acknowledges, noting the way the bulls ripple and distort every time they make contact with the ground. Which they do rather often. In a way, it's rather admirable that they manage to lock horns at all (even if they do just ping off each other right afterwards). Maintaining orientation, as a sphere, can't be trivial. Interestingly, the bulls don't just continue bouncing away. They do bounce for a decent distance, but then slowly reverse direction--in mid-air--and continue back towards each other. "Only one way to tell, I suppose. Would either of you care to do the honors?" A pause. "Might be best to remember where the trail is, in case the whole herd comes bouncing after us."

Kuroyuri watches the cows more than their compatriots, right now. Their brow furrowed, their violet gaze intense. "My magic is mostly dark. I could hold them still with some thorns, but we'd risk puncturing them..." They stick to the trail. They are squishy.

Ayame shakes her head, glancing back at the two "Part of me wants to see if they can actually land a hit; but actually -" And a chuckle. She twirls the wand, before dropping to a knee - the shield rising instinctively - to press the crystal tip to the ground. There's a flare of magic, greens, blacks, racing across the ground and up to wrap around one of the two duelling bulls; wrapping them in shifting, loosely turned thorns. She looks amused "Let's see how this makes the little fight go"

Part of Robert thinks this is a horrendously, horrifically, no-good idea. A second part just stares on in wide-eyed fascination, the same type of fascination one might have for a slow-mo train-wreck. The last is simply curious. For science! "They seemed to be hitting each other alright earlier," he observes, contemplatively, tracking the progress of Ayame's spell.

One bull is almost completely unaffected, save for its progress in mid-air being abruptly arrested. Red marks appear everywhere on its hide, where Ayame's thorns break its skin. The other bull gets hit somewhere critical. There's a flash, a marked drop in its hp bar, and the high pitched sustained whistle of steadily escaping air. Mind, it doesn't go rocketing off into the forest, or anything dramatic like that. But it does begin to accelerate, and is soon zipping along the ground at a pretty nice pace while steadily deflating. The rest of the herd freezes, and two dozen eyes turn upon the trio. Silence. Dead silence, save for that whistling.

"Uuuh." Kuroyuri swallows. "...So do these group-aggro or run away?" They ask, nervously, shifting a little further behind Ayame.

"No clue. I'd suggest the trees if they bounce over here" Ayame is biting her lower lip hard at the sound of the bull whistling away, her shoulders shaking slightly. Still facing away from them, as she straightens with the shield up, her voice tightly controlled. Not laughing at all. No.

And with that, the whistling abruptly stops. The erstwhile proudly rotund bull collapses in a wrinkled, deflated heap, letting out one last, forelorn moan as its hp drops to zero. For the rest of the herd, that may as well have been a starting gun. 'Moo.' says one. 'MOOOO' says another. There's the sharp 'pft' 'pft' 'pft' of escaping air, and the entire herd surges towards the trio. Well, not really surges. They're slow starters, but steadily gain speed. It is at this point that two things become abundantly clear. The first is that the herd is upset. The second is that, in spite of being inflated, they are not balloons. They are gassy thousand pound plus animals that are now chasing, and causing the ground to shudder ominously with each bounce. "I agree," Robert announces, backing away.

"LEAVING!" Kuroyuri exclaims! "WE ARE LEAVING!" They move. Quickly. As suggested, towards the trees. In fact, they move LIGHTNING QUICK towards the trees. Thank goodness for spells.