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Sept 14, 2016 12:27:57 GMT
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Post by Tulf on Jul 15, 2016 12:41:40 GMT
Despite being supposedly organised by Lakecrest’s ever-organised mayor, the matter of this enigmatic VIP seemed to be a bit of mess… given only vague directions to the rendezvous point, it would be a wonder if the rag-tag group intended for the job managed to get there in the first place. Organised on the edge of the city amongst the rural outskirts bordering the nearby national park (and the city’s titular lake), there were no street names or landmarks to help in their work… not to mention all kinds of unpleasant shrubbery in the way of their transit. On the plus side, it was a rather lovely sunny day, but it really was a dreadful locale to meet at. Thankfully, there was at least indication that they had found the right place should they get so lucky in the first place – a clearing by the lake was marked with a small wooden spoke, freshly painted red just as it was described in what little briefing notes they were offered. And on the topic of those notes, it was rather blatant that they’d been thrown together in a hurry too. It wasn’t entirely a surprise that the job was low priority for the mayor given the trouble in Elkhorn and more violent issues of supernatural relations, but when it didn’t even describe a dress code beyond ‘semi-formal’ (a dangerous term to use in the modern world as it is) and hardly a note on how to handle the VIP beyond the expected ‘be polite’ and the easily inferred ‘try not to be awful’… well, it was a bit of a worry for all involved. One could only pray that the actual individual hadn’t gotten the same notes, but maybe it’d be better to have their standards set low. For better or worse, their quarry was already on site; waiting rather patiently in the late morning sunshine – and what a sight, indeed. A single glance really explained all their worries about their safety. A centaur, certainly; but definitely different to the norm – such presence, such grace, such… a horn coming from their forehead. While most of her lower body was hidden beneath a knee-length black skirt, their near-sparkling white pelt beneath it and their blue-hued tail looked like it had just jumped out of a fairy tale. Their human side was somewhat more modest, at least; with a white polo matching her luxurious blonde hair; but hardly detracting from the air of fantastical elegance that she bore with just her presence.  While seeming as if they were making the very environment more serene around them, the unicorn was clearly not quite as graceful as they’d hope for – they were admittedly a bit pudgier than the usual centaur, and given the race’s reputation for their fitness it was a bit bemusing to see, though she wore it well. Adding to that was what seemed to be an attempt to hide her horn… either that, or the chullo hat she was holding rather gingerly was intended to have a hole torn in it. It really wasn’t clear whether the unicorn had been given similarly unhelpful notes as the group, or if she was just a bit new to all this… but the situation certainly wasn’t the most professional one. Oh well, at least the unlikely guard team couldn’t say they were the unprepared ones. Still, on the plus side, danger really didn’t seem like the forecast for the occasion – hunting about in one of Lakecrest’s parks seemed crazy on the best of days, and after the meeting it ought to be smooth sailing assuming the improvised bodyguards could handle basic social cues. As far as Mystic Kind icons went, unicorns were one the more affable side of the scale; so there was some hope to be found in that – and despite looking as if she might have been kept waiting, the lady seemed as serene as her race’s stereotype thus far. Maybe it’d just be a lovely day out after all? OOC: Though the mission's up, there is still certainly room for one more. Sign up on the mission thread and make up a fun excuse to jump in and things will be right as rain. |
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Post by YammaY on Jul 15, 2016 13:56:52 GMT
Well, it could be worse. Sure there were twigs and leaves stuck in his hair now, his directions had got practically shredded by a shrub (thank god for eidetic memory), and is wardrobe really didn't have much in between "Casual" and "Work," leading his current outfit to be a white shirt and tie he'd managed to hide his body armor under under his usual hoody, with jeans and his boots. It was the closest to semi-formal he came up with that morning and wasn't sure how he felt about the look . . .
Especially now that the shirt and jeans were both slightly grubby from hiking through the park and brushing up against all sorts of shrubs and plants.
At least he had a thermos of coffee with him though.
Finally he made it to the edge of the lake though, the supposed rendezvous point, and brushed the worse of the debris from the plants out of his hair.
He scanned over the centaur waiting there and immediately understood the situation. He started making a quick list of things to prioritize going after a unicorn.
Zell wanted to be surprised or shocked. He mostly just didn't know what to say so he shrugged and approached the VIP. "Hello. My name is Zell Ophiucus. I'll be one of the people guiding you and managing your security today." Zell said nonchalantly while picking another small bit of twig out of his hair.
He glared at it for a moment, just even more aware his laundry was going to be a pain, then flicked it away. "The rest of your guides should be here soon . . . I think." Zell said. The instructions were pretty awful. Zell was amazed he'd made it here at all.
Arwen was on this job too right? Well, as long as she didn't try to have tea with an assassin this would be fine. She'd at least make for a good guide. He had no idea who this "Sachiko" person was though. "Oh, I brought an extra thermos of coffee if you want some. If you're more of a tea person, I'm pretty sure one of the other people on the team will be bringing tea." Zell commented. Well, less just tea, a whole picnic was more likely.
That said, Zell took the top off of his personal thermos, took a swig, then recapped it.
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Sept 11, 2016 5:31:39 GMT
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Post by Restkastel on Jul 15, 2016 19:44:38 GMT
 As i made my way through the forest on my way to the meeting point, I reviewed what I had been told before as well as the events leading up to now. The other day, I had been given orders and a note telling me to meet here at this clearing to guide a VIP, not that much had been explained besides to dress neither totally casually, which I never did, or totally formally, which I rarely did, and that while they were not expecting violence, it was a possibility. As such, I had brought along my bow and arrows, however I kept the arrows covered and the bow slung across my back. It didn't look out of place at all, as it was designed to go with this outfit, which I had multiples of, and was practically all I would wear unless forced to do otherwise by an occasion. I rather liked these clothes, they covered enough to be fairly modest, but were loose enough and breathed well enough that they were very comfortable.
I did not know what to expect in the VIP's tastes, so I prepared more than usual this morning, and put it into my purse, taking out some more unnecessary things and leaving them at home, such as reading material and a number of other things that were more suited to a casual outing than business. I had brought along a couple thermoses of tea, specifically Darjeeling and Earl grey to cater to different tastes, as well as an assortment of baked goods, including cherry scones, snickerdoodles, and carrot cake, with a dash of some other things I had that were still fresh.
The forest was a beautiful place to be, it was sunny, and it made me feel far more at ease than anywhere in the city, and I swiftly made my way through the forest with the skills I had been taught by my mother, making it through without disturbing the wildlife or messing up my clothes or hair. It took a bit longer than it might have normally took if I was rushing because of it, but it was worth it, after all, I had to be looking my best for this sort of job. I couldn't afford to look less than my best when guiding a VIP around the town, that was for sure. Both for their sake and for the dignity of my family and organization, it would simply not do for me to appear otherwise.
As I made my way into the clearing, it seemed that one of my other compatriots had made it here before me, though it seemed it was because he had made his way through in a rush, if the different plant debris across his clothes had anything to weigh in on the matter. I walked in as he was talking to our VIP, who seemed to be a Unicorn, at least thats what I gathered from her appearance. A centaur with a horn could not be anything else, right? It seemed that I had walked in just as he was indirectly mentioning me, mentioning that a team member would likely be bringing tea. It was nice that he had remembered that, and I decided to chime in as I exited the forest walking towards them. "Good afternoon, Zell, Miss. I am Arwen Drake, and as Zell mentioned, I did in fact bring tea, plenty for all of us in fact, as well as plenty of homemade pastries. After all, it would simply not do to not afford someone such as yourself full hospitality during your stay here in our city," I said, smiling graciously as I gave a curtsy as I was introducing myself. "I do apologize if we have made you wait, and it seems our third person is not quite here yet, so I apologize again for making you wait. Would you care for some tea and pastries while we wait?" I said, smiling as I prepared to get some of my tea and pastries from my bag to offer the two of them. |
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Post by Yun on Jul 15, 2016 21:53:56 GMT
The information given to Sachi couldn't be more simple than it was. To meet up with a VIP and protect them from any possible threat sure seemed like an ideal job for her... Or so she thought until she continued on reading the letter sent to her. Not only she had to keep said VIP protected but she would also participate in a team to guide her, on top of that, wearing the 'adequate' attire was also important for this mission's success. "..." Sachi couldn't help but gasp, it was early in the morning and already too late to decline the job. As a matter of honor, Sachi would be doing her best to finish the mission. The meeting point was somewhere by the Lake of the 'Lakecrest' s forest. Getting there as a humanoid would be very impractical if one didn't know the way to get there. Even if you were skilled enough it would take quite the time to reach the group in time. The only option left for Sachiko was to arrive in her fox form, she was not really happy about the idea but there was no other choice. She had yet to change her clothes to something more "fitting" and it was getting late for her as well. "... I guess this will do, right?" Sachiko was not really prepared for a last minute plan but she grabbed the first thing that seemed "fitting" in her wardrobe and put it on as fast as she could. Her daily attire was still the same except for a pretty brown sweater that she was now wearing on top of her vest to look more girly and hopefully, enough to blend in with the rest of her team. She also found a red flower headdress that she never really used before. She bought it one day because she thought it was cute but apparently that wouldn't be money wasted anymore. "I guess I can be cute if I try.. hehe!" Sachi giggled a little bit while fixing the headdress on her hair. The time had finally come and what was left now was to hurry to the meeting point. After finally fixing her weapons on the side of her skirt, Sachi focused her mana on her inner spirit. Before she could change back into a fox, she had to channel for one minute straight to be able to transform. The time and the process were not a problem, it was the reactions caused by the shapeshift itself that Sachi hated. Once she managed to turn into a fox despite her 3 tails, Sachi was now finally ready to leave her place and rush to where the VIP and her team would be. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late for her. The way from her place to the park was a piece of cake for her in her fox form. Sachi was faster and sprinting in that form shortened the time more than she expected. There were still moments where Sachi had to make small stops to hold in the urges to vomit, she was not really used to shapeshifting and doing so always ended up in messing up her stomach, vomiting right away most of the times. This time however she had to overcome it somehow, It was her first formal job and she didn't want to mess it up at all. After a few minutes running in the park to the meeting up and feeling a bit better with the stops she made, Sachi was finally able to reach the meeting point. For her own luck it seemed that she was not late, another person who called herself "Arwen Drake" was introducing herself to who seemed to be the VIP. In the letter addressed to Sachi, the names of her team members were listed there so she was able to tell who were her teammates and who was the VIP. "A Centaur...?" Thought Sachi for a moment while approaching the meeting point in her fox form. She heard about them but she never saw one in person before. "And an elf too...?" The surprises were coming one after another. She then turned her head over to her other teammate, a male apparently but he seemed to be more "normal" compared to the rest of the people in the meeting point, Sachi included. There are times where Sachiko can be dumb. Times where she make mistakes and even times when she does things that she never really wanted to do. Today didn't seem to be an exception to this. Sachi closed her eyes for a moment while focusing on her human form, the preparation took another minute and during this time Sachi was unable to realize she had yet to recover from the nausea she was carrying from her home to the park. In Sachi's mind, she was very eager to introduce herself to her team and the VIP. All she wanted was to meet the persons she would be sharing her time with for the day and nothing else... But the worse was yet to happen. After finally changing back into her humanoid form (her fox ears and tails still visible), Sachi was now ready to properly introduce herself. She smiled towards everyone in front of her, it was clear that she meant no harm and she was more than sure that her introduction would be the best. Sachi took a step forward and that's when it happened. "..."She stopped right after that step, she realized it when it was already too late. She was going to pay the consequences of her careless actions.
".........."Sachi fell on her knees with her hands barely holding her on the ground. The feeling in her stomach was probably twice as worse as it was before and there was no way to stop it this time. Sachi closed her eyes and held it in as much as she could but the nausea this time was way stronger than her. The next second Sachi was puking her breakfast and probably more on the ground while holding her stomach with her arms. She couldn't help it as it was only natural but she couldn't have anybody while puking either. She wanted to die there, there was no possible way she could face anybody after that show. Once she was finished and eventually feeling better all she could really do was move a bit away from the small pool she had created and turn away from the people watching her. Sachi was now crying to herself with no idea on how to handle the situation that she had just created. |
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Sept 14, 2016 12:27:57 GMT
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Post by Tulf on Jul 21, 2016 12:24:44 GMT
The prompt introduction from Zell was met with a gentle smile from the unicorn once he appeared, not seeming too bothered by his current state – in fact, as she trotted over she began to idly scuff some of the twigs he’d missed.”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mister Oph… Err, Mister Zell,” she began, giving an apologetic smile for her poor pronunciation; her gentle voice hinting at some eastern European heritages; ”I’ve been assured that you and your friends are the best in the body-guard business, so I have total faith that you’ll take good care of me. I hope your trip here wasn’t too rough. Though… I’m afraid I’m more of a tea person.”
But, with admirable promptness, Arwen appeared; making the unicorn’s eyes light up with recognition. ”Oh, an elf! How cute! I haven’t seen an elf in years.” remarked the lady happily, seeming all the more pleased upon being met with the promise of tea and sweets. ”Such a polite girl, too. I’ve always heard such horror stories about the state of these cities, but you all seem quite respectable so far. I’ve only been waiting a short time, so please don’t fret. But… something to snack on wouldn’t be too bad…~”
Haunting over Arwen’s shoulder as best as anything the size of a centaur could, the lady seemed a bit too keen on something to eat for the moment – but was soon distracted by the entrance of the group’s third member rustling through the bushes in human form, making the unicorn’s eyes light up once again. ”Ah, a werewolf, is it? Or, something similarly exciting? Such a cute outfit, too. I didn’t think bodyguards would be quite so suave.” crooned the lady, glancing between the trio with a mix of amusement and excitement; ”And what’s your name, Miss…?”
But, the newcomer stayed quiet! Tilting her head slightly, the VIP stared at Sachiko with a tiny frown, now a bit confused – had she messed up some matter of etiquette? Taking a careful step forward as the poor kitsune keeled over, the unicorn would approach her very hesitantly, clearly utterly confused. Was this some sort of…? Carefully folding her four legs, the centaur would awkwardly attempt to return the ‘bow’… and promptly regretted it.
”Oh my goodness!”
While thankfully not having gotten too close, anyone standing behind the unicorn would earn about 650 kilograms of horse slamming into them as their charge jumped back; hooves thundering as her body readjusted itself. Seeming unsure whether to be annoyed or worried for her guard, the lady glanced about the trio in confusion. ”Err, is this… normal?” asked the unicorn after a few seconds of hesitation, giving in and admitting her inexperience; ”Is she alright…?”
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Post by YammaY on Jul 21, 2016 13:35:10 GMT
Zell shied away from the centaur's hands a little uncomfortably. "Please don't. I don't like being touched." Zell said, a bit sharply, but returning to composure once his charge stopped brushing away the twigs. He noted the accent and tried to pin it down further. Though he'd been born in Hungary, it'd been a long time since he was in Eastern Europe.
Well, the tea preference meant more coffee for him, which was perfectly fine. More of a relief honestly. American coffee shops were so expensive for what you got out of the coffee. "You're in luck then." Zell replied. "I don't think I've seen Arwen not immediately offer someone tea and pastries."
And speak of the devil, Arwen arrived and near immediately offered them tea. "Keep my part of the pastries for later. I had a big breakfast." Zell stated to Arwen. Besides, since he now had the second thermos of coffee to himself, he'd rather wait to have the pastry as a snack later.
Then without much more ado, their final party member showed, transformed and promptly vomited. He narrowly sidestepped the backwards leap of the VIP, though he almost got his foot stepped on.
"Er . . . I believe she's a Japanese Kitsune rather than a werewolf, and I guess that was normal if she's feeling sick to her stomach." Zell replied, starting to get increasingly perturbed with the way this mission was starting out. "I wouldn't worry about it too much."
It could only get better from here though, Right? . . . Right? He doubted it.
Zell uncapped his thermos and took another drink of coffee. "You must be Sachiko Sawamura." Zell said to Sachiko, a little flatly. "I'm Zell Ophiucus from the IACSB. This is Arwen Drake, also from the IACSB and our charge is . . . er . . ."
Zell realized that the V.I.P. hadn't actually introduced herself yet. "A unicorn from . . ." Zell once again tried to pin the accent, well, a shot in the dark couldn't hurt, "Hungary, I think?" He thought he'd have recognized the accent better given his upbringing . . . but then, he wasn't really used to hearing English in a Hungarian accent. Mostly Hungarian and Church Latin.
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Sept 11, 2016 5:31:39 GMT
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Post by Restkastel on Jul 22, 2016 0:58:27 GMT
Zell seemed to be rather quick about his response to me offering snacks, and I had made sure to bring somethign that would go along well with his coffee too! "Okay, I didn't make it today like most of what I brought, but I do have some coffee cake I made yesterday that I packed, hopefully it goes well with what you brought along for yourself," I said, giving him a smile before turning to our charge. "I do not mean to disappoint you, Miss, but to say I am an elf would only be half correct. I am actually a hybrid, though its not quite obvious as I take heavily after my mother. My father was a mage though, and I get much of my skill in it from his family, your words do honor me and my house, however, and I give you my humble thanks for your compliments," I said, giving her a polite curtsy before going to rummage in my purse for what would probably be the best for the VIP.
However, this was interrupted by the entrance of our last squad member, who seemed not to be looking too well after she transformed. I was a bit concerned for her, and that was only magnified by what was to come next. As the VIP went up to greet her, she promptly fell to the ground and looked sick for a moment before puking all over the ground, and quickly moving a bit from the pool she had created on the ground, and sulked, looking rather embarrassed at what happened. I then turned to the VIP, who had almost hit Zell when she leaped back, and spoke. "If you do not mind waiting a little bit, I think seeing if our squadmate is okay comes before tea and snacks. Please excuse me for a moment," I said, excusing myself and walking over to the girl.
From what Zell had said and what I could gather on my own, she was a Kitsune, seemingly of three tails and rather pretty, despite looking a little disheveled from being distraught. I would go over to the girl and pat her on the head, trying to comfort her the same way I comforted Lili when she was feeling down. "Are you okay now, Sachiko? Its alright, no need to be embarrassed. Bad things happen sometimes and it happens to the best of us. Is there anything I can do to help make you feel better?" I asked, trying to make the girl feel better with a soothing voice and a kind pat on the head, moving to scratch her behind the ear a little as well. Hopefully I wasn't being too rude, but I found that it always made Lili feel a lot better when I did something like this, and while they were not the same breed, I figured that a mystic kind with canine influences would probably react similarly to another mystic kind with canine influences, though that was not certain.
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Post by Yun on Jul 22, 2016 13:22:50 GMT
There were many words that could easily describe how Sachi was feeling after such... display. It was the first time her confidence betrayed her and there was only a few things she could do in the situation she had just created. The VIP seemed surprised after the show, Who wouldn't right? Even Sachi would if she was in her place but it couldn't be really helped. She had no words for the VIP after she leaped away nor she really wanted to face her, yet she had to find the way to somehow introduce herself before they could continue.
While still on her knees and somehow managing to stop crying, the only man in the party spoke. He didn't seem to care much about what had just happened and that gave Sachi some confidence back. He also introduced himself properly letting her know who they were working as well... Or what at least? Not that she or anybody in the team could say anything about it given everybody's particularities.
Sachiko took a brief moment to use her sleeves to clean herself before taking her sweater off. Although she always cared about looking pretty regardless of the situation, she lacked delicacy and a few manners here and there. She had no handkerchief or anything to clean herself with either and the sweater would just be in the way if anything bad happened anyways. For a short moment after cleaning herself and using a small ball of fire created by her foxfire ability to dispose of the dirty clothes, Sachi was vulnerable. She had lowered her guard for a short moment, she would use this time to regain her composure and start over again. The "cute" approach didn't work for her so now she would be trying a serious one, but...
"...Eek!"
When Sachi was vulnerable the most, Arwen approached her. The pat on her head caught her by surprise and scared her a lot, she was being very careless but things didn't stop there. Sachi jumped forwards and away from her partner after feeling her fingers scratching behind her ears, it was one of her weak spots that she had yet to discover herself and the sensation was new to her combined with the embarrassment of puking just a while ago.
"W-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! ARE YOU INSANE?!!" Sachi immediately shouted at Arwen while blushing. Strike two you could say given how she has now lost two chances of redeeming herself and making up with a proper introduction.
"You can't just touch people like that you know?!" Sachi looked away, from everybody. Facing Arwen would mean having to face the VIP and Zell as well but turning her back at them again would be too rude. This was the best she could do.
"A-At least be more careful next time..." Sachi mumbled while glaring at Arwen. Was she really the right person to say that in this moment?
What was done was done and Sachi's lack of delicacy would actually help in this situation. It's needless to say that Arwen's approach and Zell's words helped her a lot to regain her composure, she would have to thank them later but not now. Pride comes first after all... If she could say so after such a show. The playtime was over and giving the VIP, her first job the impression that the city has crazy people who just love to puke around instead of talking would be bad. Sachi would definitely do it right this time.
"Ehem!" Sachi cleaned her throat a little and came back to normal, her confidence was back and she was now looking better than when she first arrived the meeting spot. She bowed politely to everybody in front of her with her arms firm on her sides. Her voice changed to a more serious tone to fit her serious look, hopefully nothing else would shake her up this time... right?
"Please forgive me. What you just saw is the worst case after you shapeshift..." A little explanation was in order prior her introduction. "I am a Kitsune yes, you got that Right Sir... Zell. My name is Sachiko Sawamura, I am a capable fighter and also here to serve you" Said Sachi turning her gaze over to the VIP. She stood firm in place again and made sure that her words wouldn't be misleading.
"Unlike my team members here, I don't belong to an organization so I am what you could call... A Mercenary" Sachi then closed her eyes, she just wanted to make sure she said everything from the start.
"I'll do my best to keep you safe while the rest of my team guide you. Again, pleased to meet you all." An introduction that would have probably gone better but there was nothing else she could possibly do. She was also treating Arwen as if nothing happened. Sachi's mission was first so forgetting about embarrassing moments would be easy for her, another approach like that however would get that side of her back up again.
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Post by Tulf on Jul 27, 2016 7:16:02 GMT
Zell’s reaction to the unicorn’s concerns would be met with an awkward but apologetic smile – though she seemed a bit put off, the lady accepted his request all the same. But, her mood wouldn’t particularly improve upon being met with Arwen’s explanation for her state; as her heritage as a hybrid seemed to earn a somewhat concerned frown from the VIP. All the same, their charge would continue to smile awkwardly in the midst of the chaos that Sachiko brought with her, seeming fairly concerned by her current situation at this point… probably understandably so. And now all this yelling and squealing and bickering; it was giving her an awful headache. ”Professionals, huh…”
Sighing slightly as the trio regained their composure somewhat, the unicorn would hastily go back to an awkward smile as she was met with their introductions – though, she seemed especially confused that the group didn’t seem to know each other. And even worse, they didn’t know her?! ”Your charge is Miss Alkaev… from Chelyabinsk, though it was a good guess. Err, you’re just checking my identity, right? I didn’t think it’d be necessary with all…” The unicorn would gesture dismissively at her horn; ”… this and that. But, if it’s routine, I can’t really complain, I suppose.”
It would be fairly obvious at this point that the lady was rather ticked off by the state of affairs, but to her credit she’d keep a straight face through all the nonsense around her. ”I hope your job here hasn’t come at a… bad time…” mused the unicorn, glancing nervously as Sachiko; unsurprisingly still on edge over the whole mess; ”A mercenary, too… I didn’t think I’d have someone like that in my entourage, but I guess I’m glad you’re on my side at the very least.”
While unsettled, Alkaev would do her utmost to regain her composure, dusting off her skirt slightly and giving a polite cough as she revived her gentle smile. ”Alright, well, now that you’re all here, I would like to start moving… however, given the… state of Miss, err, Sawa… Sach… err, t-the fox, perhaps it’s best you settled down and ate first. I don’t really want my guards to pass out on the job.” With a gentle sigh, the unicorn seemed to accept that things weren’t going to go her way – if she was going to have to deal with this sort of reception, she at least wanted to do so with some dignity intact.
”So, it’s Zell, Arzen, and… Sarchi, correct? Excuse my pronounciation, I’m not very good with foreign names. Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you all, regardless; I am Natasha Alkaev. Though I may be a unicorn, I don’t really believe I demand any kind of special treatment, so please just be yourselves. Though… perhaps not quite as much as dear Sarchi did, fufu.” A tiny smirk coloured the centaur’s face as she glanced at the poor kitsune in question; apparently she was not quite as pure-hearted as her race was said to be. ”I don’t make a habit of earning enemies or attention, so hopefully this should be utterly uneventful. You’ll just have to be entertaining in the meantime, or at least easy on the eyes, hm?”
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Post by YammaY on Jul 27, 2016 17:55:40 GMT
Zell sighed a little when the VIP finally identified herself and implied it was just to confirm her identity. "Well . . . actually Miss Alkaev, we weren't given any information about you before taking the job. I frankly gathered that you were the VIP we're to guide around the city from the horn alone." Zell explained, obviously a little bothered by what seemed to be a shocking lack of communication present in the whole situation. "I think there's been an error in communication of some kind. Maybe you want to explain what you requested from the city and we can explain what we were told to do so there aren't anymore unpleasant surprises." This whole situation seemed bothersome. Zell could at least empathize with that.
He exhaled a little. She obviously wasn't happy and he couldn't blame her. She was obviously just thinking of having a pleasant afternoon out and it wasn't really starting well. He felt less like a body guard, more like he was in some version of speed dating for finding friends. "Oh, er, sorry for snapping at you. You were just trying to help with the twigs, right?" Zell said, a little flatly, but there was sincerity in the apology. He couldn't really blame her, he guessed. She was just trying to be nice. Honestly, he just wanted to put it behind him but everything about the situation was obviously perturbing Miss Alkaev, which was bad for the "make a positive representation of Lake Crest and be a good guide" part of the mission. "I guess I should thank you for trying to help so, thanks. But really, I don't like being touched." He just needed to stay calm and the whole situation would smooth out and go fine. There wasn't really anything worth getting upset over yet. He had a feeling Sachiko might lead to one given her behavior thus far, but what was there to do about that? He certainly couldn't just up and chew her out in front of the VIP. That was counter productive to the job at hand.
Sachiko seemed intent on making a big show of things. This had to be what the incident in the maid cafe looked like. It was kind of embarrassing all things considered, looking at it from the outside now, though maybe Arwen's actions were a bit more reasonable in this situation than Hua's were. At least Zell could tell himself that. He sort of wanted to tell Sachiko off for her bombastics, but now he felt like he had been there and he couldn't really bring himself to do it. Instead he just frowned a little and returned his attention to the V.I.P. "I wouldn't worry too much about the mercenary thing. I think Sachiko wasn't thinking this would be quite so low key. I wasn't either, to be perfectly honest, but low key is probably better. I'm thinking 'Freelancer' might be a better word." Zell commented. He hadn't really taken a vacation day in awhile. In fact, he tended to take them all at once and then find excuses to come into work anyways. Maybe having a low key pleasant day out wouldn't be so bad? He just had to think of this as a paid vacation day where he needed to be on his guard a little. That would be perfect.
Everyone seemed to be supplying the V.I.P. with some form of anxiety or another. It's a good thing he'd brought an extra bottle of acetaminophen as well as the extra thermos of coffee inside his jacket.
Food that was good. That was something at least to move out of this awkward stretch. "What are you in the mood to eat?" Zell asked. "Most of the restaurants in the city have some kind of vegetarian option on the menu, even if it's just a Salad Bar . . . or maybe you'd rather move to a different location in the park and have Arwen's pastries?" He had no doubt Sachiko would weigh in since she was probably the one who needed food the most. On the other hand, he started getting together a list of restaurants he knew had a lot of vegetarian options. Most of them were Chinese. There was also an Indian restaurant and a Greek restaurant he could think of. Maybe she'd like something a bit more taste of home?
She didn't make enemies? That was good. Narrowed it down to "mundane" possible attackers, and he doubted a mage after a unicorn's horn would attack in broad daylight in the first place.
"I believe being easy on the eyes is out of the question for me, so I'll just have to be entertaining." Zell replied to Natasha, aiming for a bit of witty banter, but the delivery came across a little flat so he just cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head a little. ". . . I'll just stick to trying to make good conversation."
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Sept 11, 2016 5:31:39 GMT
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Post by Restkastel on Jul 28, 2016 8:11:13 GMT
When I made mention that I was a hybrid, the woman gave a slight frown of concern of sorts. It was annoying, frustrating, and honestly a bit miffing, but what it was not was unexpected. I often got by without anyone ever suspecting that I was a hybrid, as I looked almost completely elven, and only someone who was familiar with what to look for in an elf hybrid might be able to guess if they looked at me closely. But I had seen it before, not usually aimed at me, but often towards Lili and other hybrids. The fear, and even hatred in some cases, of hybrids was nothing that I was not aware of, but I did not feel it right to hide it if it came up directly in a conversation such as this. To do so would be to admit I am ashamed of what I am, and admit that I am somehow something lesser and to be feared simply because of what I am rather than who I am. Once again resolving myself to change such attitudes for all hybrids in the world, I turned my attention to Sachiko.
She had reacted much differently than I had expected to what I had done to calm her down, seemingly having the opposite effect. That was odd, whenever I did it for Lili she seemed to calm down quite immensely, maybe it was different for Kitsune than it was for werewolf hybrids like Lili, but in any case it only made sense that I would apologize for my behavior, as it had obviously upset her. "I do apologize for that, Miss Sawamura, I work with a werewolf hybrid and I have found it often helps calm her nerves when I do that, so I figured the same would be the case for you. I did not mean any offense, so I hope you will accept my humble apologies for any behavior you deemed too forward," I said, my ears drooping a tiny bit as I gave my apology, I really felt bad that I had caused her more distress when I had intended to do the exact opposite.
After waiting for the girl's response I turned my attention to the VIP, who had introduced herself ass a one Miss Alkaev. Zell had mentioned that we didn't receive any briefing about who we would be meeting and I decided to agree, saying "Indeed, I am unsure of why our briefing was rather vague, but all I got was this note telling me to be here at this time, to dress in semi-formal attire, and to 'not be awful' in the words of the note. I had only gathered you were the VIP due to the way that Zell here was interacting with you," I said, looking rather apologetic, despite the lack of information not being any fault of ours. Whoever had given us this mission was being rather careless it seemed, I wonder what had been going on in his or her day to distract them so. "I am more than familiar with many of the restaurants in the town, as I find it a good source of recipe ideas to see what other chefs have made and improve upon it. If you have any preference in where you would like to dine, please do let me know. I do have plenty of pastries to go around as well, I made sure to pack more than enough for everyone, I wasn't sure what you would like so I made a variety of things," I said, giving her a bright smile, "As for hte types of tea I bhave with me to compliment them, I have Darjeeling and Earl Grey, and I brought sugar and milk as well if you prefer your tea with those."
She said she didn't have the habit of making enemies, so hopefully I wouldn't need to take my bow out or use my magic, which was a relief. I never liked violence, though I could use it if it was absolutely necessary, so it was quite the relief to hear it was unlikely to happen. "I shall do my best to help you enjoy your day on the town Miss Alkaev, so please, do just let me know if there is anything in particular I can do to that end," I stated, giving her a bright smile as I did. If she had a bad opinion of hybrids, I would just have to change it through my own behavior.
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Post by Yun on Jul 28, 2016 9:26:32 GMT
The times for formalities was long gone, Sachi stood in place confused for a moment listening to everyone speaking. She remembered what was wrote in her note but compared to Zell's and Arwen's hers was way more vague, she felt out of place and she frowned at the situation. The word "Freelancer" was new to her, in her clan they'd use the word mercenaries but that was just a small detail, on top of that the ViP or rather Miss Alkaev? seemed to be rather annoying. Sure the mission being first was Sachi's priority but her pride will always be on top of anything, nobody would make fun of her and she wouldn't make herself be useless for her party either.
"Please, even with the... incident... that I just went through, I don't really need much food" She then crossed her arms and smiled carelessly at everyone "If we're heading to a restaurant then I know a few that are really good but why are you suggesting her to eat vegetables?" Again, Sachi's dumb self kicking in like crazy "You can't go to any restaurant in the city if you don't have a big, juicy piece of meat in your plate!" Sachi almost drooled while speaking her mind up, she couldn't really help it and she was not informed either about the ViP tastes "Vegetables and such are fine yes but you can't go on if you don't eat meat! That's what give us all strength after all!"
But before she could continue, Alkaev's words did nothing but trigger her inside more. She would let it slip for now but if she continued she would be sure to have a word with her. ViP or not, Sachi would make sure to leave it clear.
"What happened earlier, again, it was something natural... Unfortunate but natural miss Alkaev" Said Sachi trying to excuse herself. Arwen tried to apologize to Sachi about what she did as well but that was something to worry about later. The ViP wanted to move from the gathering point and have something to eat so it would only be fair that she chose somebody to guide her while the rest of the team followed.
"If you do let me make a suggestion Miss, you should pick one of us to guide you to one of the restaurants so we could have something to eat... If that's okay with you... I can guide you to a few but I'll be mostly here as your bodyguard."
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Sept 14, 2016 12:27:57 GMT
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Post by Tulf on Aug 4, 2016 10:59:36 GMT
Zell’s explanation, backed by Arwen’s testimony, earned a troubled frown from the unicorn; seeming fairly miffed by the situation. ”So that’s how it is… I guess that’s one way of handling security, but I’m not sure I’m a supporter. I can’t argue with the fact that I wish for you to ‘not be awful’, but… I merely asked to have an escort to my new home and preferably by people who knew the town well enough to give me some pointers; though given my race I did expect some… decent security…” replied Alkaev, her tone slowing a bit as she mulled over her current company; clearly trying to deduce whether or not they could be called ‘decent’. Zell’s politeness and straightforwardness seemed to be going over well, but… it seemed Arwen’s own explanation of her orders hadn’t earned her any brownie points, and Sachiko… well…
The centaur would nod politely as Zell gave his awkward thanks and apology in one, not seeming too bothered by the thought – in fact, perhaps quite the opposite; a good observer might notice a very concerning smirk for a second. But, surely it was but a fleeting thought. ”I’m not really in a hurry to dash-and-dine, but I wouldn’t mind some recommendations for the future. Tea will have to wait, though… I don’t really like the idea of hanging about in the middle of the woods, if you’ll excuse my impetuousness. Err, is that weird for a unicorn to complain about, though?” It looked like Alkaev was about as awkward as her associates at this point, glancing around a little bit nervously… well, at least she hadn’t stepped in kitsune upchuck yet.
Her mood didn’t seem to be improved much by the source of said trouble chiming in with her own opinion on centaur diets, which earned a somewhat pained expression from Alkaev – it didn’t look like the thought of dripping, juicy meat was especially exciting to her. ”Err… well, that’s not quite…” begun the lady awkwardly, a bit overwhelmed by Sachiko’s continued talk about the importance of eating flesh and bone, but she soon gained her second wind – interjecting by giving the fox another scratch behind the ears; albeit quite a bit more roughly than Arwen’s accidental affection. ”No no no, centaurs don’t eat meat, puppy!” scolded the centaur playfully – though Sachiko’s punishment would be short-lived, it was blatantly an intentional mistake on the lady’s part.
”Alright, let’s not tarry any more. While I have fleeting hopes that maybe you were at least given a map to my residence, I somewhat doubt it; so I’ll take that matter into my own hands.” With a tiny huff, the unicorn shuffled through her blouse with rather…questionable intent, but soon emerged with an exceptionally well-folded map; snapping the sizable tourist guide out to full size in front of her. For a moment, the lady seemed like a man on a mission, marching ahead of the group, but… ”…Err, let’s leave the park first. I need at least a street to start from…”
To someone with an ear for the woods, Alkaev’s shuffling about was probably quite the cacophony; her size being anything but built for stealth – but yet, an observant eye might notice that there were other things upsetting the canopy by the lake… despite an absence of birdlife, branches shook up above… and then, there was nothing. Was this just a unicorn thing, or…?
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Post by YammaY on Aug 4, 2016 23:14:27 GMT
The request was reasonable enough and basically the same in both cases, but the emphasis in Miss Alkaev's request and the mission assignment were different. "I think we can handle not being awful. Mostly." Zell said with a quick glance at Sachiko. "And I can at least vouch for Arwen's competence, and I'm sure she can vouch for mine. I haven't worked with Miss Sawamura before so I can't testify." However, in spite of his words of praise, Arwen decided to go and dash them into the ground with what she said . . . or rather what she didn't say. ". . . Wait, Arwen, really, you didn't think a Unicorn was anything out of the ordinary . . . I mean . . ." Zell sighed and rubbed his temples a little, then took a deep breath. Restraint. This mission was going to require restraint.
Sachiko looked like she was going to be painful as is. Her naivete and overly bubbly exuberance aside, Arwen could at least be worked with. He wasn't so sure about this Kitsune.
"Issues for later." Zell stated, with something of a resigned sigh. That didn't reflect well on what he'd just said. He had wanted to build confidence with the V.I.P. (just to smooth things over), but he was increasingly wondering if that was even going to be possible.
To prove this theory Sachiko had decided to chime in and Zell turned and stared, his jaw hanging a little agape and his eyes squinting a little. He was about to have some choice words for the Kitsune, but miss Alkaev thankfully jumped on the issue and prevented Zell from saying anything he was going to regret. He straightened himself out while the Unicorn rifled through he blouse, producing a map.
"At least one of us around here knows what they're doing." Zell replied as the map was produced. "If you'd like, I can put a complaint through to city hall for you about this whole mess. It'd probably be a token effort at best, but at least your grievances would be heard."
Among the cacophany, Zell almost missed the rustling in the trees. A rare advantage of his somewhat constant militants. Not wanting to spook their VIP (nearly being trampled once being enough times for the day by his measure) he instead chose to give Arwen a significant look, a quick nudge with his elbow that almost turned into a jab with how quickly he did it to try and minimize contact, then a gesture with his head at the tree tops. He tried to further cover the attempt at concealing the silent communication, "I elect Arwen as our guide back to civilization. She seems to have had the easiest time getting out here, aside from yourself, Miss Alkaev."
Come to think of it how did she get out here and what was with the odd meeting point? Something about this whole situation was starting to feel off. Zell didn't openly voice his suspicions however. Hit the panic button look for hard evidence later tended not to go over well with people, even if waiting until you were certain tended to go worse.
"Sawamura, I think you should have a chat with Miss Alkaev about norms among Centaur and Unicorns for your own edification." Zell had decided to go with a bit more authoritative tone to try and communicate that Sachiko was on thin ice with him. Was it clear or concise enough? Would Sachiko's apparently airheaded (though enthusiastic) attitude be receptive? Zell wasn't sure, he just didn't want to openly start Drama in front of the V.I.P. He had a sneaking suspicion he had have both Miss Alkaev and Arwen down his throat if he tried to be more abrasive. Sachiko was obviously the most trigger happy and thought of herself as just there to hit things, even with the apparent expectations of the V.IP. made. She should be closest then. She'd probably at least go along regardless. "Unless of course, Miss Alkaev would rather talk about something else."
She was also a wild card right now . . . that was troublesome. It could be advantageous, but for now, Zell knew what one of his two allies were capable of. Hopefully if worst came to worst, Miss Alkaev could heal someo--
Low key. This was supposed to be low key. Just a nice afternoon out guiding the newcomer around the city. Caution was warranted, but he didn't need to try and come up with battle plans yet . . . he hadn't even had the time to at least learn the basics of tactics yet.
"By the way, Miss Alkaev, I'm a smoker. If you dislike the smoke, I'll at the very least try and stay down wind of you. Just say the word." Zell said. "Come to think of it, I need a smoke now. I'll try to keep a safe distance behind you all to make sure you're not bothered."
There, at least that made for a good excuse to stay behind and either justify or dissuade his paranoia . . .
Shit, even if Sachiko walked along side the VIP she still had one side unguarded.
Zell realized he wouldn't be getting any peace of mind on this until he saw what was up in the trees.
"Eyes on." he muttered to himself, and his eyes flashed gold as he took a quick moment to survey the tree tops, slowly advancing forward on whatever path Arwen was going to take them while rolling himself a cigarette.
So much for a low key quasi-vacation with a paycheck. The whole thing had switched to feeling like a wreck because of what could unfounded paranoia or what could leave him relying on two people, only one of which he felt he could rely on, and only that half of the time.
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 8, 2016 16:56:07 GMT
Zell seemed rather flabber ghasted at the fact I didn't think that a Unicorn necessarily meant she was the VIP. I decided to respond saying, "Well, while unicorns are rare, so are a number of other beings in our world here. There are members of the IACSB from all sorts of relatively rare races, such as Dragonkin, and I have personally met a very nice demon hybrid. To assume something about a person from what they are instead of who they are would be beyond rude. If she had indeed been a team member, it would have been beyond the pale to assume she was the VIP instead of a precious ally and a teammate. Judging a person on their appearance is something I try not to do if at all possible, Zell," I said, explaining my reaction to him with a smile. I was about to respond to Miss Alkaev's statement about wanting to get out of the woods, and give her an offer to lead everyone out and ask where she needed to go, but then Sachiko chimed in about how she thought our VIP needed meat. I was rather uncomfortable, not wanting to interrupt her little rant, as she seemed rather pleased with herself about it and I didn't want to pop her bubble. However, when she was finished I was about to say something about it, Miss Alkaev rather quickly and bluntly dashed what she had said with the rather obvious fact that Unicorns don't eat meat, and the matter was settled, although I feel it could have been done in a nicer manner, as it was obviously just Sachiko acting without full knowledge. However, rather quickly after that, I noticed something in the trees from a rustling sound, and it seemed that Zell had noticed it as well given how he gave me a nudge and made a slight gesture towards it. It was rather obvious he didn't want to spook the VIP, and I agreed. It wouldn't due to stress the VIP for what could have just been a bird moving through the trees. I immediately agreed to his proposal, "I would be glad to take that honor, after all, while this is a nice enough day it simply would not due to stay in the woods all day if Miss Alkaev would rather not." With that said, I took up a point position with my back to the group, trusting Zell and Sachiko to protect the flank and rear of our group. I kept my eyes out for trouble as I gestured for the group to follow me, not showing my tension as best as possible, and I decided the best way to keep calm and concentrated without showing it would be to begin reciting the rites of the hunt to myself in my head, all in order to prepare for an eventuality that might not come to pass. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry. I would not let Miss Alkaev or my allies be hurt on my watch, that simply would not do. Vestele, Goddess of the hunt, I implore you, bestow upon your disciple the fortitude of the ironwood, the speed of the hawk, the strength of the bear, and the cunning of the fox. For now is my hour of need and I take up my bow not to sustain my family, but to protect it. Not to hunt, but to protect. In your name, I pray that my success will be guaranteed and that my comrades and charge may come out unharmed, and all that stands in our way will be overcome. |
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