Mmm, tasty themes
“Ack!” Aria was hit back hard, again, just like with the Demon Tower. She figured without the bracelet though, she would be in worse trouble than now. “I love and hate this thing,” she mumbled as she glanced down at it and then back to the target. She saw Take get a handle on Bright Eyes and then held her colorful keyblade tightly. “My turn again...” She jumped at the enemy, slashing and retaliating as much as she could. She then finished off with Blitz, figuring now would be the time to use it with all this extra strength behind her attacks. HP: 38/45 AP: 5/32 MP: 12/20
Thieves flowers? Those are pretty thick
@Vladek515 ayeeeeee! Let’s make this awesome. XD
Aria smiled a little as Jim thanked her and gave him a thumbs up. "No problem! Just get out of here. We've got you covered." She was about to raise her keyblade back up when the shadows from Scroop caught her attention for a moment. Her eyes widened as her mind suddenly became unfocused. Spoiler: Tales of a Princess: Darkness on A Sunny Day 7 Months Old It was a beautiful late morning out on the farm. The air was warm, and mildly humid, blowing gently through the leaves on the trees and bushes. Big, fluffy white clouds drifted across a vast blue sky, and wildflowers were beginning to bloom all around. Aria was no older than seven months at the time. She was placed on a colorful, patched quilt on the grass in the shade, while her guardian Aunt Anja was in the garden tending to the variety of vegetables. The infant was on her back, gently rocking back and forth while chewing on her toes in content and babbling to herself. Her aunt had changed her into a short sleeved cotton purple dress with simple white trimmings around the sleeves and bottom of the dress. She had on white baby bloomers to cover her diaper, and a little purple bow in her hair that Aunt Anja carefully put in. Baby Aria could care less about how cute she appeared though. As Aria gummed her foot, a large yellow butterfly crossed her field of vision. The infant ooed and watched as the butterfly fluttered down close to her, only to fly up when Aria reached up to it try to touch it. She giggled and then rolled on her tummy as the butterfly fluttered back down and landed on her nose. Aria crossed her eyes to try to look at the magnificent creature and then wiggled her nose as the butterfly moved its wings slowly and gracefully. Soon it took off, and she let out a belly laugh before crawling after it towards the garden. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her new best friend yet. She crawled into the strawberry patch where little flowers were abloom, blowing raspberries as she crawled after the butterfly. The butterfly took a break on a flower, giving Aria enough time to crawl over to it and sit on her bottom for a quick break. Little did she know she was being watched by a pair of sinister eyes. Their pupils glowed a strange yellow and hissed in the shadows of the thyme, garlic, and borgus growing high nearby. It slithered slowly towards the babe, showing it’s arrowed colors of purple, gold, and green going down its back. It was no other than a poisonous Xogus, one of the most deadly snakes in the countrysides and mountain regions of Amerath. They usually kept to themselves and coiled away from humans, ducking out of sight to hunt small prey like mice and moles, but this one was bold. Anja paused her work from picking the ripened peas, which were not too far away from where Aria and the snake were. She wiped her brow and glanced at the blanket in the shade, only to see no baby Aria. Panic overswept the female, and she sat up taller, spotting the infant giggle and rocking back and forth while sitting in the garden. “Aria,” Anja said with a laugh as she shook of her head. She stood up and brushed off her blue skirt, unaware of the danger nearby. “You almost gave me a heart attack, little one.” As she made her way over to the infant who was talking nonsense to a large butterfly, a strange color caught her eye. She saw the strip of the golden, purples, and peacock greens moving through the plants, and her heart froze. She knew what it was, yet she didn’t think to see one here so close to the house. It was moving towards the baby too, silently yet threateningly. Anja almost let mother’s instincts kick in to run over to sweep Aria up, yet she knew better. The snake would react fast, and perhaps strike not only at Aria, but her as well. Her eyes scanned her environment while trying to find someone or something to help her, and then her eyes landed on a shovel stuck in the ground. Chest heaving in quick breaths, Anja picked it up and then held it like a spear, creeping after the snake carefully. The infant cooed and reached her hand out one last time to try to touch the pretty insect she had discovered. Holding out her hand long enough, the butterfly landed on her arm and sat there for a moment. Little Aria peered her big eyes closely at it and smiled to herself. A shadow loomed over the pair, rearing its ugly head up. The butterfly sensed danger and was off, yet Aria didn’t know better and frowned while flailing her arms after her lost friend. There was a sound of rattling, and then a loud hiss before Aria finally turned. She was face to face with fierce yellow eyes that seemed to glow and had wisps of dark smoke seeping out of it. It’s mouth was opened and huge, sharp fangs glinted in the sunlight with poison dripping off of it. The baby whimpered, and then the creature she was facing bolted towards her in a flash. There was an instant swoosh out of nowhere as something silver slammed down to the ground, cutting off the head of the snake from its body. It landed by where Aria was sitting, rolling away with its mouth wide open. It’s yellow eyes turned suddenly black, and dark wisps poured out of its mouth, and out where its head had been severed. Aria was suddenly snatched from the ground, and the baby let out a scream of fright and began to cry hysterically. Anja held the infant close to her, shushing her in comfort and holding little Aria’s head against her shoulder. Anja only looked back once to see the body of the snake flailing in the air from the shock as darkness spewed from its fresh corpse. Feeling more uneasy, Anja hurried out of the garden with the screaming baby in her arms and barricaded herself and baby Aria in the house for the rest of the day. Aria saw the transformation before her, and was having weird flashbacks of sorts. Although she didn't remember clearly what happened in her guardian's garden that day, she remembered the wisps of darkness and the dangers of it. A sudden vision of the monster in her nightmares made her stagger back and hesitate for a moment. She grabbed the side of her head and then shook it quickly to get it out. Now wasn't the time to be distracted, or scared for that matter. They had a job to do, and the keyblade called her to to do that job. Scroop was uglier than ever, if not a little more intimidating. Take and Chrono seemed to have the first jump on him, and thus she needed to dive in quick. She stood to attention and dropped to an offense position, keyblade ready to swing. "Okay, here it goes!" Aria activated her D-Link with Master Choma, feeling a surge of powerful energy. She felt like she could dish out more than usual and jumped on into the fray. She hit him hard with each swing of her keyblade, letting her frustrations of what this guy did to Take, Glyde, Silver, and Illiana guide her actions. He was now lost to the darkness, and Aria didn't think he could really be saved at this point. Or maybe this would snap him out of it. Either way, they had to take him down quickly before he did more damage. She then dodge-rolled back, coming up on one knee, and pointed her keyblade at Scroop. "THUNDER!" More electricity danced out of blade and struck Bright Eyes once more. HP: 45 AP: 0/32 MP: 12/20
Being choked out sounded worse than getting one’s head bonked, and Aria winced in sympathy. She also felt a little upset she wasn’t there to help, but Master Choma was there. And Aria probably couldn’t do anything anyways if she was there. Scroop freaked her out to be honest, even though she didn’t see much of him on the ship. Speaking of being choked out... Aria heard the gunshot and flinched, then looked over in time to see what Jim was witnessing. Although Silver did what he did, Aria remembered just yesterday how they were enjoying each other’s company in the kitchen while making hot chocolate and Family Stew. She saw Jim was off and glanced at Master Choma. He couldn’t expect her to sit back all the time, not while she was with the group and had a keyblade. “I’m going to go help,” she said. And before anyone could argue, Aria summoned her keyblade and jumped after Jim, sliding down the coins and jewels. She then sprinted fast, running just behind Jim with her keyblade ready. When she got close enough, she aimed her keyblade at Scroop and fired a Thunder spell at him, her eyebrows furrowed and having enough of this spider-psycho already. It was after she fired, she noticed the wisps of darkness coming off of the red scary pirate. She gasped as she sensed an old fear tugging at her heart... like she had seen it somewhere before. “Jim! Stay back!” Aria warned.
Aria was grateful to say the least that everyone made it in one piece... And they weren't tied up. Instead, they were free to walk with Jim. She kept silent on the ride over, and still stayed quiet when everything was going down. Granted, she was getting antsy when the pirate crew was out for blood and was ready to fight them back, but that wasn't necessary. Now she was walking around with a slack jaw in the treasure room. There was so much shiny things, she couldn't help but to google over them for a moment. That was until Jim snatched her attention back by saying they were going to get out of here, and not empty-handed. Captain Amelia pointed out a ship, and a rough plan was set. As she was making her way over to where they needed to be next, her eye caught a small chest laying open on the ground. She stopped to have a quick look, noticing beads of all shapes, sizes, charms and colors scattered on the ground. She gasped when she realized what they were, and grabbed at least five small leather bags, checked them briefly, and then shoved them in her pack with Nini. "These are gonna room with you for a while." The cat meowed in protest as Aria placed a small jewelry kit in a leather pouch on top of her "loot" along with small spools of gold and silver. "Oh hush, you have plenty of room in there," Aria argued with the cat. "See? Now you have a nice comfy... bead pillow." The cat growled quietly in contempt, and Aria patted her gently on the head before closing the flap and getting back to the mission on hand. Aria moved close to Take, keeping her voice low as they walked and kept looking back at the pirates to make sure they stayed occupied with the loot before them. "How's your head doing?" she whispered, wanting to check up on him to see if he was completely okay now.
Village in Peril- Conrad, Everette, Samuel The boy named Samuel waved to his superior as if to acknowledge the allotted time. Chief Yolvun watched as the first mage disappeared and then looked to the others who were left. "I would like Renza to go with you, Conrad. It'll be good for her to get away from all of this gloom and doom for a while, and she loves animals. She knows all about them and the farmers know her well..." The man ruffled the girl's hair, who giggled and try to playfully duck away from it. "If it's alright with you that is. If not, I can arrange for something else. As for myself, I would personally like to inspect our water sources with you, Everette. Maybe there's something we haven't seen or that we missed the first time we checked it out." A Price Unpaid- Gavin, Zephyr, Thea "The curse of the sound of the flute seems to affect all above the age of twelve years old," the Mayor corrected. "At least a drowsiness of sorts comes over them. As for the children ages twelve and under, they are hypnotized by the flute's magic and have no choice but to follow it. At least that's what has been observed. The fog seems to not have magical properties, save that it disorients everyone to know exactly where Necos is located, and the children brought under the spell seem to disappear from our grasp..." He puffed out his pipe and then had a seat in his fancy chair, crossing one leg over the other. "It seems as if you will come up with a plan." He picked up a small bell that was sitting on an end table and rung it. Not long afterwards, a young man walked in through the door and stood to the side of the group. He bowed while placing his hand over his chest. "Yes, Mayor Nudgav." "This is one of my butlers, Kyo. He will escort you to where you will be staying. He can also take you to the children within the city hall if you are still set on to interview and speak to them before nightfall. After the sun sets, the city hall will be locked up tight for the night until sunrise..." Kyo looked a few years older than Maliel, but not by much. He nodded his head. "Yes sir." He then looked up at the group and offered a kind smile. "Are you ready to depart then?"
“Drat,” Aria muttered under her breath. She clenched her fists and then glanced back at the others. “They have a gun pointed at my ma- I mean Master Choma, and Take. We have to come out of hiding...” She was frustrated that she couldn’t do a thing to change the situation. Her eyes landed on the pair being held captive, seeing that her master was standing but Take... She felt a surge of anger swell inside of her and ground her teeth. “Alright, let’s go,” she said to the group as she unsummoned her keyblade and stepped out first. As soon as she let herself down from the house, she held her hands up in the air and walked slowly towards Jim and the other pirates. When she got close enough, she stood close to Jim, glaring at Scroop. “What did you do to Take?” she asked in a low voice, her eyebrows furrowed. He looked as if he was knocked out cold, which bothered her immensely. What happened up there anyways? If no one’s life was in danger, she probably would have shown Scrope a thing or two about hurting her friends. Aria took in a deep breath, keeping her hands up as she looked at Silver. “Can I at least heal him? I can’t stand to see him like that. No tricks,” she promised as she looked to Master Choma and at the guns trained at her.
Let’s goooooo
Aria smiled at Jim when he thanked her for her words. She was really glad it helped and was happy for the kindness in return. “Thank you...” She then giggled when Jim took an interest in Nini, who didn’t mind the extra attention from Jim. “This is Nini... She is-... she was my best friend’s cat. Now we look after her as a team. Well, Take and I do anyways...” She trailed off when Jim’s attention seemed to be focused outside of the hideaway. Seeing the second life boat coming into view, Aria stood to attention as the cat hopped off of her. “Nini, bag,” the girl commanded as she opened the flap. As soon as the cat was safe inside, Aria summoned her keyblade and pressed her back against the wall. She motioned for Jim to hide just out of the way on the other side, and then turned to the others. “Silver found us. Stay low until they try to attack... that means you too, B.E.N.,” Aria added while looking at the robot. “They’re gonna either try to hurt us, or talk to us... I’m not sure which yet.” If Take really had the map like Chrono said, she wondered if he kept it hidden from them and pretended to play along. If not... she wasn’t sure how this was going to go down.
Aria chose to sit on a small, weird mushroom while on watch with Jim. It was sturdy enough, and it didn't spit anything at her... Or try to eat her... So it was safe enough. Surprisingly it was comfy too. She was surprised to hear Jim open up to her, and smiled a little to herself as she looked out over the scenery. "You're not a screw up though. At least from the time we've known you. You've been very helpful, and you're smart too. We couldn't have fought that Heartless swarm without you there with us." Her hand subconsciously fiddled with the Light Chaser bracelet and her thoughts drifted off for a moment. "The map... I mean, if one thing I learned recently, things will happen no matter what. Even if you didn't find the map, the map would have found you anyways and you would have to deal with this... Call it... a call of Fate. It's sometimes not the best thing in the world... But you're never given more than what you can handle in life. At least that's what my aunt told me. Even when you're at you're breaking point, or think you're not good enough... It's times like these you're proven you are more capable than what you thought you were able to deal with." She breathed out softly as she looked down at the trinket she was handling, and then saw Mika's friendship bracelet right beside it. "There's been a lot of things recently that popped up for me too... It's overwhelming, and I don't feel ready for it at all. I feel like I'm going to fail, or let everyone down. But I want to believe things will turn out alright in the end... Like I believe things will turn alright for you and your mother. It sounds like you've already been through so much... And the two of you deserve some peace and happiness after all of this is over. We'll help you fight the pirates and try to protect everyone. That's our job as World Drifters after all; keeping everyone safe from the darkness and the dangers that come with that." Aria felt a weight suddenly hop on her lap and looked down to see the cat staring up at her. Nini meowed at her and then rubbed against her torso to get attention. Seeing that wasn't working as quickly as she wanted it to, Nini nuzzled Aria's hand to try to get the girl to scratch under her chin or behind her ears. In truth, the cat sensed the girl was feeling troubled and was trying to comfort her. Aria couldn't help but to smile and scratch Nini under the chin, which then the cat purred and sat comfortably on the girl's lap.
Village in Peril- Conrad, Everette, Samuel Spoiler Cheif Yolvun nodded his head as he saw the group quickly formulating an idea of what to do. He was surprised how quickly and efficiently they seemed to plan things on the spot to be the most effective. "I can offer to show you around. However, if you are planning to split up to cover more ground, Renza will be able to help as well. She is young, but she is quite mature for her age. As for you, Samuel," he looked to the young man, "Uza will be able to point you to who is in the most need of healing. She is our herb specialist and has been doing her best to keep up with all of this. She will be grateful for your help." Samuel nodded his head and looked to his friends. "You two decide how best to collect data. I'm going to go set up shop inside and start doing some of my own tests after I take care of the sickest people." He offered a smile to Everette and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be fine. I have my healing aura to take care of me just in case. And Conrad, thank you. You have valuable information that's a great help to all of us." With that, Samuel headed to the building and took in a deep breath before heading in to the dimly lit, grim atmosphere. Just as soon as Samuel walked in the doors, Renza rushed out and approached the group in a hurry. She was relieved to be out of there and took in deep, heavy breaths of fresh air before she spoke. "Pardon me... Do you need anything else, Chief Yolvun, sir?" the little girl asked as she stood there expectantly while glancing at Conrad and Everette as well. A Price Unpaid- Gavin, Zephyr, Thea Spoiler As the children explained what was it they were familiar with or not, the Mayor stroked his beard as he sat there and contemplated their words. "Some of you seem conflicted with what the job is about..." He glanced at Maliel who avoided eye contact and seemed to find interest in the floor. "The job was self-explanatory, or so I presumed," he said to Gavin as he stood and began to pace the room, staying at a distance from them. He went to his desk and pulled out a pipe and filled it with dried tobacco leaves. "However, I will humor you and repeat the job quote myself. We hired this mage by the name Necos, a mysterious fellow who kept their face hidden under their cloak, when we had a rat and mice infestation. Mind you, it has taken generations to cultivate a good crop and an excellent food storage system. When those rodents invaded, we were at a panic. Necos was not part of a guild, however, which was perhaps my first mistake in hiring him... He rid of the rats and mice with an enchanted flute as promised, but we did not have adequate pay for him... He ended up demanding more than what was agreed to. So he went away unhappily. I'm positive this is an act of revenge for not giving him the full payment he had expected for doing his job..." It seemed only Maliel noticed the flames behind Thea's back. Not wanting to give the Mayor the wrong impression on the mages he hired, Maliel edged herself to the group stand behind Thea. Carefully, she reached her hand out and gently placed her hand on Thea's shoulder to grab her attention. She could feel how hot the flames were and was cautious as she waited for Thea to look at her. If she was to look at her, Maliel would nod her head to the flames and then shake her head quickly to silently warn her to keep it in control. Mayor Nudgav sighed as he walked to the fireplace and lit a match, placing it in his pipe. He was lost in thought at the moment, and didn't see what was happening in the background. He puffed it a few times until smoke came out of it, and then threw the match in the flames. "It was foolish of me to trust a rogue mage like him... And now our town is paying the ultimate price." He leaned against the fireplace and stared into the roaring light for a moment before inhaling his pipe, and then exhaling smoke gradually through his nose. "I suppose there would be no harm in speaking to the children, but I do not see the point in it... As for what time, it varies. Sometimes early in the evening, sometimes right at midnight, and sometimes during the witching hour.... There is a few things in common with each time we hear the flute... There is a strange fog that rolls into town, the flute sounds to be in one area and then suddenly in another, and the adults who seem to get too close end up becoming drowsy or fainting on the spot... The guards have to wear cotton in their ears at night. It's proven to be helpful, but not much." Mayor Nudgav set down his pipe on the mantel of the fireplace and fiddled with a golden ring with a strange green emerald on it as he went back to sit in his chair heavily. "Somehow, someway... Necos is able to lure one child or two at a time from the Town Hall each time he strikes... Perhaps you will be more clever than we have been and set a better trap for him to capture him once and for all... All we ask is for Necos to be captured, and our missing children to be returned to us safe and sound."
Delivery of Cakes- Shawn, Yukyo, Lakoda Spoiler The old lady chortled at Shawn's request for a compass and a rope. "Deary, the only dangerous things on this journey will be the little rocks that will bump the horse and cart, and the occasional small mosquitoes." She patted Shawn on the head with a giggle. "But I will give you a compass if you so desire and a road. The roads are well kept, and the signs will lead the way if you happen to stray off the road for some odd happenstance." She smiled and then thought for a moment. "There has been some rumors of some ruffians about on the roads, causing some merchants trouble here and there... Though I am not sure what happened to them or if they are still there. But hopefully they shouldn't cause you problems." She then looked to Yukyo and grinned. "The only thing I ask of all of you is to make sure the cakes and goodies arrive safely. Not one morsel missing, or frosting licked, or cakes ruined. Lady Erin will have very important guests at this baby shower celebration, and they will judge her harshly if the desserts are ruined... Which is the last thing I want for her since she has already been through so much." She sighed out and then pulled out a basket with drinks in them, loafs of bread, fruits, biscuits, butter, and jam. "Should you become famish on your journey, I have made you a basket of goodies to eat from. I will provide your actual rewards once I receive word the goodies have arrived safely to their destinations." Lakoda thought that was fair and nodded her head. It sounded like an easy enough job. The ruffians that Madam Madeleine mentioned were concerning, but she was sure her and the others would be able to handle them well. She finished off her cookie while the others talked since she didn't have much to say and then brushed off her hands. "Thank you so much, this is very generous of you," her charm sounded out while she was smiling and tilting her head. "Well, should we be on our way then? Or do you have more questions?" she asked the boys. Although Madam Madeleine's requests and explanations were straightforward, she wanted to make sure everyone else was on the same page. Village in Peril- Conrad, Everette, Samuel Spoiler . "Actually..." Cheif Yolvun pulled down the collar of his robe, showing the group a splotchy, red rash all around his neck and disappeared down his shirt. "I developed the rash just yesterday... But I have been working with the sick since this illness has broken out." Samuel pulled his glasses down from his eyes a bit to look over the rims as he examined the rash more closely. It seemed to almost be acne like, like small ants had bit him and some of the rash bumps looked white and irritated. It was almost like the chicken pox, but he knew that wasn't it. Whatever this was, it looked painful. Chief Yolvun let his collar fall back in place. "As for other sources than it being airborne or on contact, we collect rain water for drinking, and use our well water for large tasks such as laundry, cooking, and bathing. There hadn't been large reactions when people bathe or cook with the water... At least as far as I know. The animals we eat seem to be fine, they are kept outside of town though, save for the horses, some goats, and chickens. We also grow crops, and we have a sort of plant that we drink water from as well, but we've been using that for years..." Samuel scratched his chin as he considered what was said. He looked to the well, wondering that if it was the water, why wouldn't the whole town be dead by now? Or infected for that matter. He creased his eyebrows while thinking, and then looked to the rest of his group and the chief. "I'll have to have a place to study in between healing others. Everette is right. I can heal as much as I want, but no one will be completely cured until we find the source to this. I don't know if it's a bacteria, a virus, or some kind of contamination, or maybe something else entirely we haven't thought of. The most I can heal is five at a time in three hours, then I'll need a break in between to save my strength to heal some more." He then gestured to the building. "Being in there up close to the worst cases is my best bet in this situation to find out what's going on." Chief Yolvun raised an eyebrow. "I can certainly arrange a place for you to study if you wish, but you would stay in there? It's rather... bleak." "I'm sure of it," he said as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "It's probably going to be one of the only ways I can figure out what's happening exactly and where I'll be the most useful. I need some help though. I need to know what everyone uses everyday; what plants they eat, how much and what kind of water they use whether it's the rain, the plant, or the well, and we need to check on the animals and how they're doing as well... What do you think, Everette...?" A Price Unpaid- Gavin, Zephyr, Thea Spoiler The group wasn't following like Maliel suggested and was instead asking more questions. She figured that outsiders would be naturally curious, but she wasn't comfortable sticking around here with the mayor waiting on them. "We don't want to risk it," she said softly to answer Thea and Zephyr's question. "We already lost at least ten children and have maybe around forty to forty-five... The flute player already had seen what our village looked like while getting rid of the rats and mice that infested us. This is the safest place." She then looked confused at Gavin and fiddled with her hands nervously behind her back. "We always had this wall around the town hall... We're out far away from any help close by, so this was built in the beginning of our establishment to keep everyone safe... None of the children in there have magic." She then cleared her throat and gestured for the group to follow. "Come along then, we don't want to keep the mayor waiting. He's expecting you. Maliel led the group along through the village, up a few hills and passed a few houses. The town was eerily quiet without the children running around. Many shutters of windows were closed when the group passed by, or adults were outside doing chores silently without looking at the group once. Finally, they arrived to a manion surrounded by an iron gate with ravens sitting around and cawing. "We're here," Maliel said softly as she approached the large doors of the mansion. She knocked on the large knocker loudly, and soon the door was opened by a butler. "Ah, Maliel, the mayor was wondering what was taking so long." "My apologies," Maliel said sheepishly as she led the group inside. "We took the long way through town..." She then led the group to two oak doors, and knocked softly this time. "Come in," a male voice replied from within. Maliel swallowed hard and then opened the oak doors for the group to go in. In there was a room for them to step in with a bear rug on the floor, a roaring firing, and someone sitting in a chair with their hands interlaced. "Ah, it's good to see you here," the Mayor said with a slight grin as the group finally arrived. "I have been patiently waiting for you. I'm sure Maliel has updated you on what's happening with our children and what has plagued us of late?"
It was nice to say the least of how things panned out after all. They had a place to stay for the night, everyone was safer, and Jim made B.E.N. promise not to touch or hug the air out of them. Aria didn’t know how many of those hugs she would have survived. When Jim suggested to go stand watch, Aria smiled at the group and shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll go with you,” she offered as she followed after Jim. She knew the importance of having a good partner in times like these.
Illiana is sure scary. One minute she wants to beat up someone, the next she has sympathy for them... remind me not to get on her bad side... or evil side. Does she have an evil side?! wait, I’m getting off track here... Nini meowed quietly in her bag, breaking Aria out of her inner monologue. She looked down at the black kitten, who looked up her with wide, curious eyes as she glanced warily at the robot. Aria cleared her throat as she looked at everyone else and approached the insane contraption. “Yeah, I mean, you probably know of a place we can hide, right?” She stopped a little ways from B.E.N. And placed her hands on her knees, offering a small smile. “Come with us. We could use a guide. You’re not as dysfunctional as you think you are. I mean, you’re crazy. But it’s understandable given with how long you’ve been here.”
Delivery of Cakes- Shawn, Yukyo, Lakoda Spoiler "Ah, you have curiosity, and rightfully so," she said with a chuckle as she finished up tying the boxes with feeble, shaky hands. "This family has a long line of powerful mages, yet neither the father or mother has been blessed with these gifts. But I sense something is special with this child. Call it a grandmother's intuition." She chortled happily and then reached for the map behind her on the counter, laying it carefully over the boxes of cakes. "Here we are here in our town of Elinpyre. You will go on the main road through the Garriot Forest, over the Wyseful Bridge near the Renifel River, and then down to Merry Glen and then you will arrive at the Raven Star Manor. I will give you some provisions for the journey for your trouble. It will take most of the day to get there, and most of the day back. Is there anything else you need before you set off, my dears?" Lakoda didn't think they needed anything, but she looked to the two boys to see if they had any more questions or things to ask for. Village in Peril- Conrad, Everette, Samuel Spoiler The little girl stepped back shyly when Conrad and Everette knelt down to her level, tucking her hands behind her back and digging her toe in the dirt while looking down bashfully. "I can go get Chief Yolvun for you, if you'd like," she offered as she resorted to twiddling her fingers together. "I was on my way back with more water. It smells kind of gross in there, and it's kind of sad, but I'm okay with helping out." "Renza!" The girl turned to the door, seeing an older man with blond hair and teal eyes standing at the door. "Chief Yolvun! The mages are here!" The man raised an eyebrow and then looked to the young men standing there. His eyes seemed to suddenly brighten with relief and he stepped out of the building. "Thank you, Renza. Could you take the water to Uka, please?""Yes, Chief Yolvun!" the little girl replied. She then picked up the bucket with both hands and looked back at the mages. "I gotta go, but it was nice meeting you!" She smiled and then hurried off awkwardly, moving passed Chief Yolvun. He patted her on the head before she vanished inside and approached the young men. "It's good to see you here, thank you for coming out." Samuel nodded his head. "Thank you for letting us come out... I'm Samuel, this is Everette and Conrad... How bad is the sickness, chief?" Chief Yolvun sighed out and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's... bad. It's been about four weeks. At first we thought it was a common flu or cold... Or some kind of virus that would pass by. But people became more and more sick. On top of that, we were hit with severe weather with rain and wind, but we hadn't had the time or the manpower to repair our village," he said, gesturing to the shambled buildings. "We only begun to have deaths recently. That's when we knew we needed help..." He looked at the young men with solemn eyes. "What can you do to help us?" A Price Unpaid- Gavin, Zephyr, Thea Spoiler Maliel realized the group wasn't following her anymore and stopped to look back at them. She approached the group as Gavin asked questioned and placed her hands behind her back as she looked at the building. "That's the town hall. It's been converted into a school of sorts, yes. But mostly to keep the children safe from the flute player... He chooses his targets randomly, and so we placed them all in a well guarded area to keep track of everyone. It seems like the enchantment he uses only hypnotizes children twelve years old and under. So far we haven't had any losses the last two weeks, but we still hear the flute at night." She breathed out through her nose and then turned her attention on the others. "Come along then, let's be on our way." She gestured them to follow, not wanting to linger in this area much longer.
The girl was happy that with all the bad stuff that happened, at least Jim got her homemade hot chocolate. She then listened intently to Jim's words of where they were at, and why they were here. Man, he's having a rough time, she thought with a slight frown as she continued to follow Jim. Like everyone else, she was stopped before things got a little crazy. An erratic robot was running around, shouting at them and being overly excited. All Aria could do was blink as she was hugged and squeezed almost to death and then released suddenly. She then was asked to introduce herself, and she took a step back as well. "I'm... Aria....?" Aria replied in a concerned tone. The robot thing didn't seem to be a threat, but his behavior was unpredictable which made her feel a little nervous. Gees this guy is in a sad state... Would I be like this too if I was left alone for... Did he say a hundred years?! As her mind was trying to wrap around that, her eyes went over to Glyde who seemed to be injured from the ordeal. This guy was just not catching a break at all. "Here," she said quietly to him as she summoned her keyblade when her introduction was over. "Cure!" A green light went around Glyde, hopefully healing him of his injuries. "Sorry for not doing that sooner," she said with a slight smile and then made her keyblade disappear.
Aria raised her eyebrow at Illiana. She then blew air out of her lips loosely and rolled her eyes as she shook her head with a smirk. It seemed like that sisterly, kind side that Aria got to see was shut away when everyone else was watching. "It'll be safe," she assured the group, but was mostly trying to assure herself. In the mean time, Aria was glad to know that the spell helped the Captain out a little. She then remembered the breakfast she grabbed and moved over to a log, opening her bag to see Nini curled up inside. "Nini!" The cat mewed at her with wide eyes, and bits of egg on her whiskers. Aria giggled and gently picked the kitten up, scratching her under her chin. "What are you doing? Are you okay, sweetie?" The cat seemed to purr and relaxed in Aria's arms, and then Aria scratched behind her ears. "You helped yourself to some of the breakfast, hm? Let's see if there's any left." Aria moved Nini and then jumped up on her shoulder to rest there as the girl dug in her bag. She pulled out what breakfast she could salvage for the boys on two plates, picking out the stray cat hair and bag fluff she could find and then handed the breakfast plate Glyde with smooshed, sad pieces of breakfast on top. "Here, I grabbed this for you. Illiana made you breakfast. It got a little... squished." Aria smiled sheepishly and then invited Nini back in her bag as she ran to catch up with Jim. She moved alongside of him, actively scanning the surrounding areas and keeping her footing the best she can. "So... um... Did you ever get my hot chocolate?" she asked, trying to start some small talk. Plus, she really wanted to make sure he was able to get some to cheer him up. It seemed like Jim was going through a lot lately.
Lakoda shrugged her shoulders at Shawn's question. "Perhaps it is special, perhaps not. We'll have to see when we get there. Sometimes these quests are very easy to handle and people just need an extra hand." She offered him a smile and then nodded her head. "I think we're ready to head off. Let's speak to Master Midarah and be on our way." "Mmm, it seems as if everyone found jobs today." She smiled warmly at the three that were left and took the job request from Lakoda's hand. "Do a very good job, and try not to eat the sweets," she said all-knowingly to Yukyo with a slight wink and a smile. "Behave. This should be a fun job for all of you." With that, Master Midarah stamped the job request with her special guild stamp and handed it back to the group. Delivery of Cakes- Shawn, Yukyo, Lakoda Spoiler The cake shop wasn't far from the Guild Hall. It was in the marketplace in town, sitting in between a flower shop and a small miscellaneous magic shop that sold odds and ends such as trinkets to change one's clothing color, animal themed key chains that made random cute animal sounds, and so forth. It was a sunny, clear day; a perfect start to an adventure. The cake shoppe was opened, and the group would be able to go inside. They would be met with the wonderful aroma of sugary, fruity, and some spice smells once they ventured inside. Right at the counter was an elderly woman, and she smiles pleasantly at the group as they come in. "Ah, if it isn't the Divine Rose's finest. Welcome to my humble shop, children." Her voice was kind, yet frail. "Would you like a cookie, my dears? They're fresh, and its on the house," Madam Madeleine offered the group a plate of chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, and peanut butter cookies which they may take one or two if they wish. Lakoda smiled and politely bowed her head in respect. "Thank you, Madam Madeleine..." She took a chocolate chip cookie and quietly held it in her hands. "We are happy to take the job." "I am so glad," Madam Madeleine said with a soft chuckle. "I'm afraid I'm not as young as I used to be and I cannot travel far like I have been able to in the past." She rubbed the top of her hand as if to be rid of an old ache and then continued on. "My dear friend Lady Erin is expecting a little girl. After all these years, she finally is able to have a child. Ah, but I am rambling. Excuse me, sweethearts, I tend to carry on sometimes. You are probably wanting to be on your way. There are five boxes that need to be delivered to the Raven Star manor. It is about a fifty mile journey there from here, and I will give you a map." Madam Madeleine moved to five boxes already on the counter and showed the group, still opened so they could have a peak inside. "Two cakes, two dozen cake pops, three dozen cookies, and a baker's dozen of cupcakes. I put my whole heart and soul into these. It is very important that all of these items arrive to their destination in one piece. This unborn child is already very dear to me and my friend who will be receiving the goodies." Madam Madeleine carefully closed the lids on the boxes and began to tie them in pink ribbons. "I know I am not paying much for the job, and I wish I could offer you more jewels... However, if everything arrives in one piece, I'll throw in something special," she said with a wink. "I have a cart and horse you can borrow. I figured using a magic car will exhaust you of your strength. Will that be alright?" Village in Peril- Conrad, Everette, Samuel Spoiler Just then there was a little, timid tug on Everette's jacket. Standing there was a little girl standing there, barely older than six or seven years old looking up at Everette with wide, curious eyes. "Excuse me," she spoke quietly, "are you the mages coming to help us out?" There was a bucket of water sitting by her feet, indicating she was probably sent to go get water from the well and was on her way back. Samuel glanced over to see that a little girl was trying to get the attention of Everette. It seemed like his friend was always attracting the younger ones to him, which was fine by him. He looked at the girl closely, not seeing any marks, rashes, or abnormalities on her from the symptoms of the plague. She hasn't been infected yet... She looks really young though. A Price Unpaid- Gavin, Zephyr, Thea Spoiler Maliel blinked at Thea's response and giggled. "I wouldn't doubt it for a second. I have a sister that's the same age as you. You remind me of her. It's nice to meet you." She stood up and brushed out her skirt. "I work for the mayor, yes. Well, I kind of do. I'm more like his secretary and messenger. He's at his manor. I'll take you to him. Follow me." The group had the option to follow Maliel, which would be the ideal choice given the people seemed to be off-putting towards them. She would check over her shoulder once in a while to make sure they were following, but gave them enough room to talk to one another. They walked by a large building that had iron bars on the outside windows, and a high stone wall about thirty feet blocking the view of the courtyard with decorative iron spikes on top to discourage anyone from sitting on or going over. There were muffled sounds of laughter and play of children, but none could be seen. It was assumed they were on the other side of the wall playing outside in the courtyard. A red ball was suddenly thrown over the wall and rolled in front of the group. "Ah man! You kicked it too high!" a little voice could be heard shouting on the other side. "I'm sorry!" came a reply. "Now we can't play with it anymore..." Maliel was far enough ahead to not really pay attention, yet the group was still in her sight. She seemed to be looking at the building, lost in thought.
