Let's Taco 'Bout it

Kyupin looked out at the land she'd been promised, a beaming smile on her face. After everything that had transpired - Azog, the Yladian Exodus, meeting Vulcan, living in this world of kill or be killed and losing what innocence she might've once held - it felt good to do something simple. To find something to call her own. To make her home.

A home that wouldn't be just for her, but for all the animals that lost their routine to Astorea's expansion, and for all the people who needed a place to sleep but didn't have one. A place where people just lived happily, side by side.

... it would be impossible.

But she could dream, and she could shove away the niggling doubts in the back of her mind that reminded her of the thrill she felt on her first kill. She could settle for a peaceful life. That was why she'd invested all of her money into this land, into building up the starts of a shop.

She slapped her cheeks. "Positive thoughts!" And that was that. She hopped off of her window sill, walking back around the kitchen counter she'd recently finished constructing. Her kitchen was a little rough around the edges, hastily put together, and not exactly to the standards of reality's quality, but it would do for her.

The fire she'd started earlier was strong enough to use for cooking, much to her delight. Fussing one last time over the apple cake she'd assembled in her pan, she hung it over the flames, watched with delight as it heated up and started to cook.

She missed this. Missed baking cakes in her free time with her boyfriend and decorating them, getting each other messy with icing, and trying new recipes to either love or hate. Ever since... ever since the accident, she'd avoided cooking. It didn't help that she was often too short to reach anything or comfortably cut things.

Her thoughts wandered until enough time had passed for the apple cake to finish baking, where she carefully reached in with thick gloves protecting her hands.

"Hot!" Of course it was hot, but still! She hurried to place it on a mat at the table, twirling carefully around Vulcan's resting form, and left it cool by the open window. "Oooh! It's looking good!" Should she call Gwyn? Kyupin smiled to herself, trotting back to the kitchen to start on another dish. Maybe this one would be more savoury than dessert?

She barely noticed the negative thoughts slipping away. She could get used to this again - making food and sharing it with her loved ones.

It couldn't be that hard to make tacos in Terrasphere, right?

 

The First Day​

It’s been weeks since he first started into this game and so far his life here in Terra was just as typical as it can get. Nothing short of hunting for score and after reading the player’s handbook, the BBS guide and the information forums, he realized that in his current state that he is not ready to take on the big leagues or take on the profession of a player killer, an assailant. Perhaps such desire was rooted from his old life, he was quite a Hitman in those days back in Gun Gale, he reaped the rewards and seized resources from other players, including clans and all.

Now he was just a shadow of his former glory, no matter how much experience he has accumulated in GGO, such mechanics won’t work here as the system has strictly enforced accuracy. No matter how good your aim is, the projectile would always deviate because he lacked the rights to shoot one perfectly. Perhaps it was only natural that he’d shoot poorly since he’s just a noob but it was quite the nail bitter that past experience doesn’t work on this game even.

Rules are rules, he did sign up for this game without knowing such penalty.

He had come to like Astorea and pretty much made it his home and the forests its hunting grounds. It would be such a shame if the player populace decided to expand their territories, by clearing sections of the forest. So far the area the villages and the castle take up aren’t that big of a deal, should further expansion becomes an adopted idea, Stampede would reply to that and not in a good way. The forests of Astorea aren’t safezones but that’s where Stamp works best, in field uncertain whether he’d come out of it dead or alive, shooting others from a distance for score, sharpening his skills and growing his ego. The beasts of the forests and some of its animals were good practice targets but a player target was more satisfying and yet he doesn’t have the right stuff to pull an assassination off.

So for now he’s reduced to a common thief.

While he had been avoiding some of the villages in Astorea, perhaps he’d make an exception and pay a visit to these peaceful settlements. For a man who had been in virtual war, the sight of this village was a good change of scenery, people working to improve their village, merchants coming and passing by, some players roaming about and exploring, NPCs doing whatever they can to live out the rest of their lives normally.

That is when he caught a whiff, a delightful smell coming from a partially finished building. Was it some sort of bakery? There’s no mistaking the scent of pastries being made. Out of curiosity and slight bit of hunger he walked towards the direction where the sweet aroma was coming from. From a distance he could see the baker leave their pie out on the open window. The hooded green man looked around to see if anyone was around, he hid himself behind a wall just across that window and drew his small telescope, looking further inside to see if the baker was around.

Once he determined that the baker (@Kyupin Felnya ) was either occupied or gone, he would try to make a run for it and stole the apple cake. Upon holding on to its container, it seared his hands as it was freshly baked from the oven. He pulled out a piece of cloth and swiped it off the window, making a hasty getaway with the culinary creation.

As soon as he made it off the village, he would hide behind the bushes and pulled out his hunting knife, using it to cut a fine slice of the apple cake and taste it.

Should it taste bad, he would use it for bait for the animals he hunts, should it taste good he might come back again to steal another wonderful culinary masterpiece. Either way, he’d get away with it without her knowing who stole it.

He would try to repeat this the next day if he succeeds.

 

Kyupin smiled as she stared at her tacos. It was definitely a lot harder when you had to make everything from scratch, processing ingredients with older methods, but it was satisfying to see it had all worked out! She picked one up and nibbled at it, trotting back to her windowsill to check on the cake. It should've been cool enough now to eat...

Except it wasn't there anymore.

Kyupin blinked once, then twice, and then laughed. Her gaze drifted over to Vulcan. "Did you eat the cake, silly boy?" she teased, trying to catch a hint of guilt in those sleepy canine eyes. But they only stared back at her in drowsy confusion.

Her brow furrowed as Vulcan yawned at her, his eyes drawn to her taco. Without hesitation, she picked out some meat and plopped down to the ground, letting him eat out of her palm. "So it wasn't you, huh? You were sleeping the whole time." Maybe a wild animal had gotten past her fence and made off with the cake? Or a person. A thief had come and taken her cake, probably.

Kyupin continued to mull over it, her smile tinged with sadness. What would make a person steal something? Desperation? Greed? Were they starving or did they just want to take things for the sake of taking?

She couldn't help closing her eyes and trying to picture everything about the mysterious thief. A child, maybe. Laying eyes on a delicious cake and mindlessly taking it to share with his other hungry friends. One who had never learned that you couldn't just take what you liked. Perhaps they'd had no role models in their life to tell them otherwise or they'd grown up ignoring the advice because children would be children. Whatever the reason, they'd still stolen from her. They were still a thief.

Kyupin didn't like thieves. She hated that they lived in a world where people would rather take than ask. If the thief had simply asked, she would've gladly shared! Maybe even gotten some feedback on her cooking so she'd know what to improve on next time.

She struggled to sleep well that night.

[ ★ ]​

In the morning, she went about preparing another sugary dessert. A Boston cream pie, this time, inspired by the kinds her Grandmother used to help her bake.

This time, she watched it as it cooled, almost disappointed the mysterious thief hadn't revealed himself during that time. Which meant he knew what he was doing. Taking when nobody could see him take. That or he wasn't around yet. She wanted to assume the best of them, but how could she?

She sighed and pulled the cake back, ready to bring it back with her to the kitchen. She would slice it up and send out the pieces to her friends, storing the rest for later. But as she finished dividing the cake, she found herself thinking about the mysterious thief again.

Which was how she found herself plating a slice and leaving it on the windowsill with a piece of paper underneath it, held in place by the weight of the cake.

'Why don't you come in next time? You can eat the cake with me.
Sincerely, Kyu.'

Kyupin stared at the plate for a while, debating hiding around a corner and seeing if she could catch a glimpse of the other person (@Stampede), but decided against it. She'd tried. She'd extended her offer to them. If they wanted to keep stealing? Well. Vulcan had a very nasty bite. She'd let them experience that next time.

She went back to her kitchen to nibble on her own slice of cake.

 

The Second Day​

He told himself that he would have visited the village once and be done with it, however circumstances have changed and he started to take interest. He would casually walk inside the village towards its marketplace in order to fetch a good price for the loot he gained from his trip, foraging shrubs herbs and berries, some animal skins and some junk he acquired by eliminating bandits and some ore he mined in one of Astorea’s caves. He arrived quite early than usual and decided to go back to the same place where he stole that apple cake.

He was at it again but this time he exited the village and reentered it while wearing the green hood.

Course this would only raise suspicion and attract attention to the villagers so he walked in shadow, preferably where he won’t be noticed, behind village walls, wooden fences, dividers and trees. Anything he can use to hide himself as he makes his approach, he’d casually walk and make routes just to make his image subside in the unconscious mind of a villager who sees him but doesn't recognize him as someone suspicious. Like the everyday life when you’d walk down in urban streets, you’d see a man hiding his face within his hood or perhaps you’d see a homeless person just sitting there by the wall, even tho you would see them, you won’t recognize them as they are, however the mastery of a rogue skips the process of “becoming part of the environment” and becomes a registered object in the unconscious.

His destination was in sight, he stops where he was and draws out his small scope, adjusting a dial to zoom to the window. There was nobody there as of the moment, however there’s what appears to be some slice left by the window. He withdrew his telescope with a confused expression on his face but then shrugged of the strange question in his head and dismissed it as dumb paranoia.

But only when he got by the window was then that he affirmed his paranoia. He was expected. Just as he would snatch the pie, he’d discover the note. By the time he finished reading what it says, he was spooked by what seems to be the baker’s pet and retreated into the mass greenery. He didn’t care to look what it was but it almost sounded like a dog.

Did they have a pet from the get go? Or was it there to alarm them of the thief? That and the note placed underneath the pie only tells him that now they’re aware, the baker will now be keeping an eye on her pastries from now on.

Once again, he regretted not taking the rouge masteries.

That night…

“I heard she’s rich, she must be some daughter of a noble, she’s got to have something” said one to his partner.


“This better be worth it, the last job we pulled, you mistaken molasses for rum” said the other.

It was at the dead of night, the NPC villagers have all returned to their homes, only players would be around this time of night but barely. Unlike the modern day reality, in this village there were hardly any lights bright enough to properly illuminate a small area, village torches and small oil lamps were scattered apart, most of which were turned off due to the powerful gust of wind. Right in the middle of the intersecting roads, a duo of bandits were making their way towards Kyu’s bakery and home, having received word that she was rich as a noble’s daughter and has been living here for sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend. However on this night they were so sure that the baker was alone this time so it was the perfect opportunity to strike.

A small blue avian would follow them, flying and landing from roof to roof, wondering where the duo was heading.

“I’ve heard plenty of us bandits, some are forming teams now like us”
“Word in the other villages says that there’s some kind of vigilante, throwing scores and been taking down some of our fellow thugs. I mean that’s actually the reason, we can’t go solo raids anymore because there’s some goodie, goodie around and about astorea.”

“Could it be one of King Astor’s men? Or one of the dukes he assigned? A rogue maybe?”
“Huh it better not, I rather not deal with a rogue now that I’m desperate for cash”

“Do you think maybe we could steal like one or two bags of pastry while we’re at it?”
“You just ate quail and mushrooms earlier, is that not enough to satisfy you? But then again we could use provisions.”

The blue bird chirped as it flew across the street, spooking the two bandits heading to the bakery. The sudden action where something was flying pass you and that you can hear it can really startle anyone, especially in the dark.

“Tsk, stupid blue bird” one of the thugs picked up a small pebble and threw it right at the blue bird, injuring it and knocking it down, probably might have broken one of its wings.

“Take it easy and don’t make any noise, we’re already here” they were right outside the fence.
“Alright let’s split up, check the house for cash and valuables, I’ll go check the bakery” and with that they split up.

“Thinking with your damn stomach again…” commented the partner as he attempted to climb over the fence. It was then till he received a sharp and small sting from his arm. Before he would check what stung him, he would drop down on the ground, while conscious he was unable to move his body, nor can he speak. The last thing he saw that night was a phantom in the darkness.

The other one made it over the fence and hid by the tall grass, checking to see if the baker was still awake. After a few minutes he confirmed that the baker was asleep (since it was assumed Kyu she’s either inside preparing for bed or had logged off the game) so it was time to take action and sneak in through the backdoor. Before doing so he looked around to see where his partner was at as they were supposed to meet over the fence in the backyard. Impatient and hungry, he decided to go on ahead and infiltrate the property without them. Before he can even get his hands on the door, his hand was pelted by what seemed to be a small pebble.

Words cannot express how much pain he is in right now because clearly he can’t speak or shout or it might wake up the resident inside. He looked around, spooked to see where it was coming from but the area was dark, the only things you can see are silhouettes of tall long grass. Soon he was stung right by the leg and in a few moments he would drop down.

Move… why can’t I move? Dammit why can’t I move!? Was that… no.. A paralysis dart!? Who…

Before he can make complete sense on what happened to him, he blacked out.

The next morning, the duo found themselves fully tied up in a post in the middle of the intersection. On their feet were the empty plates that belonged to the baker, one that was used for the apple cake and the other for the Boston cream pie.

 

When she woke that morning, Vulcan was staring at her with the equivalent of the world's most adorable wolf pout. "I know," she said soothingly to her companion, "you like to chase the bad boys. But maybe they're just hungry?" She looked at Vulcan, eyes wide. "It's not dumb." She pointed at him. "Well, like it or not, I'm making more!"

After some back and forth between the duo, Kyupin climbed downstairs. She wanted to prepare yet another treat for the mysterious thief. The fact that they'd even taken the cake, and the note, meant they'd seen her writing. Maybe they'd take her offer of coming in seriously. That would be nice.

Still, to begin trying to make anything, she'd have to get some more ingredients. She'd bought enough to last herself, but hadn't really considered buying extra for her unexpected... guest? Was it a guest if they weren't coming in? Regardless. Kyupin finished tying off her apron and plucked her basket from the ground, and then checked her coins. Even with her donations, she had plenty to stock up her kitchen. Perfect.

The cook-in-training slipped through the front door, turning around to lock it with the brass key hanging from the necklace around her neck, and then started down the path towards the market nearby.

"I hope Old Man Regi-- Oh!" she stopped, staring in bewilderment at the intersection.

Two men, tied up tightly to the post, screaming obscenities. Kyupin stared at them, waiting until they noticed her, before offering them a shy wave. One seemed to rile himself up, ready to scream some more, before being knocked breathless by an elbow to his gut from his friend. Vulcan was there, too, and looking quite the unhappy camper with the noise.

"Is that...?" she looked at the plates by their feet, then up to them, and then around the nearby surroundings. Her mysterious thieving guest had tied these two up for a reason. Why?

She frowned and approached, gathering the plates and stacking them in her basket, and then moved to undo the knots holding them in place. "Who did this?" she asked them, brows furrowed. The duo seemed to hold no answers for her other than fear in their eyes and excessive swears.

"I won't hurt you," she said, trying to coax them into talking. It didn't work.

Instead, they shook their heads vehemently and ran away the instant the ropes came undone, swearing the entire way into the trees.

What an odd encounter.

She looked at Vulcan, wondering if he'd understood the situation any more than she had. The wolf stared back, just as bewildered. Well then.

[ ★ ]​

This time, she set the plate on the sill and sat across from the window, chin in her hands. She was determined to catch a glimpse of the stranger. A nice little Pumpkin Cheesecake rested, just waiting to melt in her mouth. But she had to be patient.

Time passed her by as she waited.

She wrote a note. A simple 'thank you'. Still, nothing.

Another hour, another wasted moment.

She took a slice of the cool cake and nibbled on it.

Kyupin's eyes slipped shut, arms crossed on the table and head resting on them.

Whatever determination she'd had to catch the thieving stranger was worn out by an odd tiredness that had her falling asleep at her table, hair splayed all around her. Her chest rose and fell with soft, even breaths, Vulcan napping with his head on her feet.

 

The Third Day​

The blue bird would have found itself in Kyupin’s backyard with a splint on its broken wing being tended to by the hooded green fox as he offered his hand to it only for the little critter to jump back. The green fox wouldn't even move from where he is yet the little blue bird kept skipping away. Understandable since it’s been attacked by humans, he would watch the small blue bird go farther and farther. After confirming that it lost its trust for humans, the Green fox would have continued on with his routine and came to the same window only to discover that the baker was waiting for him. The sudden sight took him by surprise but fortunately she was asleep. Perhaps next time she should lay a trap for him, then again as a hunter, Stamp won’t be easily caught.

Instead of consuming the slice of cheesecake himself, he returned to Kyupin’s backyard and tried to whistle the blue bird back. Fortunately there was a wooden table nearby, allowing him to set the stolen pastry there. He took a chunk and crush it to bits and scattered the small crumbs trailing up to the table.

The scent of cheese drew the little blue bird out as it checked its surroundings to see if the hooded man was around. When the coast seemed clear, it would venture out into Kyupin’s backyard and collect the crumbs. Then it would proceed to climb a wooden ramp up to the table and started feeding.

As much as he wanted to apply ointment to the little blue bird, it was too afraid of humans or distrusts them. Frowning with a sigh of disappointment he pulled out the small jar of ointment and lept out of kyupin’s roof and into the tree, dropping down and leaving the medical ointment by the window as a response to her thank you.

To what message was he trying to send was up to Kyupin to interpret, but only noticed now the note written that says thank you. Did she realize that he tied the two bandits up in the intersection? He was supposed to pin the blame on those two bandits for eating her pastries but perhaps returning those two plates isn’t a good idea for that. He took the note and placed it in his pockets and left before she awakes at the sound of Vulcan borking at him. The only sight that Kyupin would see was a green cape sinking between the shrubs.

When she finds the little blue bird, it would be sleeping on the wooden table right next to the unfinished cheesecake, perhaps exhausted by skipping around with a splint on its wing. It would be startled at first but after realizing that she wasn't human, it would warm up to her given that Kyupin doesn't eat it.

The next day, The green hood did not come and no matter how long she stayed awake he would not come to claim whatever kyupin had prepared.

But then Kyupin would hear that she has a customer wanting to buy some pastry from her.

“Hmm.. I wonder if they sell coconut creampie..” wondered the orange haired man as he strokes his chin.

"I wonder if she still makes more of that cheesecake…” he would stop to realize that Kyupin was close and silence his tongue at the mention of it. This time Stampede decided to come in as a customer.

“Good morning miss! I would like to buy some pastries!” He grinned.

 

She woke with a start to the sound of Vulcan's barks, almost punching herself in the eye in her rush to get a peek at the intruder. With her grogginess, however, she only barely managed to get a peek at... a cape?... disappearing into the trees. She rubbed sleepily at her eyes, then at the corner of her mouth to wipe away the gathered drool.

"Oh no!" Whatever tiredness that still plagued her disappeared in a snap as she spotted the dozing blue bird. "You poor thing..." She tended to the injured bird, reaching out to it with her calming beast-tamer aura and warming it to her. Though it took a while, she managed to encourage it to climb her finger, and then directed it further inside her home. Where had the bird come from? The mystery thief? But why a bird?

After she'd helped it settle into a comfy nest of towels, perched next to a bowl of water and crumbs, Kyupin hopped back to her window. The note she'd left was gone, but other than the bird, they'd left nothing. Confusing.

[ ★ ]​

That day, she'd gotten her hands on some tart blackberries. Thought it took a bit more time and effort than other kinds of pies, she worked it into a delicious blackberry pie. Sweet, with just a hint of that berry tartness! She'd taken a slice for herself this time before propping the pie on the windowsill and waiting. But nobody came to swipe it away.

Kyupin frowned to herself as she forced herself to stay awake, occasionally standing up to check on her new company. The bird, though initially hesitant, seemed to be adapting fairly well to its new nest. It even took a bite of her blackberry pie! And though she enjoyed seeing it recovering so well, Kyupin couldn't help the disappointment she felt when, upon returning to the windowsill, nothing had changed.

She should be glad, shouldn't she? That the thief didn't need to steal anymore? But... Urgh! Kyupin shook her head and sighed.

Kyupin slapped her cheeks. "Bad Kyu! Be thankful! They probably have enough to eat now. That's a good thing!" Still... her eyes swept over to the pie, a small frown on her lips. What would she do with the excess pie? She'd messaged Gwyn a few times now, offering her slices of the sweets. So far, the other huntress hadn't asked about the number of pastries Kyupin was baking, but it wouldn't be long before that question popped up. It was too awkward a thing to explain!

As she was still deep in her thoughts, slapping her cheeks once in a while, Vulcan started to bark again. Kyupin's head swung around to peek at the windowsill, eyes bright with excitement. But nobody was there! It took a moment for her initial confusion to make way for the realization that she had... a customer?

She blinked as she rushed to the front door, trying not to gape at the man. "H-Hello...!"

Had people found out she was going to sell food? She planned on opening a store, yes, but... Maybe her friends had let it slip out early? Or people could smell all the food.

Were it not for her already-reddened cheeks, her flush would've been easy to spot. "Oh! Um, I," She didn't really have an open or closed sign yet, and having her first customer was... startling. Especially since she hadn't considered herself a shop yet!

"I don't really... oh no..." Her ears folded over on themselves. All she had was the pie! "I don't really sell... yet? I have pie, but um, I don't have a price in mind! Oh gosh!" She didn't think herself the type to ramble, not really, but she was a bit too overwhelmed. "How did you hear about us? I mean, well, me. There's only me working here." A whine. "Oh, and Vulc. Vulcan. He's my companion, I promise he won't bite! I hope you don't mind wolves?" She paused and gave her companion a considering look. "Well, Vulc doesn't actually work. He eats the leftovers."

She fumbled around, running back to the window sill to slice the pie, taking one back to the front. "I only have blackberry pie right now... Oh, wait, did you want one... or two? Or more slices?" She put the plate down and hovering between kitchen and the front (still under construction) room, waiting to hear his response.

 

The Fourth Day

“Hmm? Is there something on my face?” he asked the baker who seemed to still be processing the fact that he knew that this was going to be some bakery even if the construction isn’t finished yet.​

“Ahaha, I see but according to the villagers you’re going to like open some store, seeing all this construction work from afar, at least that’s what the curious ones have told me so I came up here to check it out.” He rubbed his hands together and looked around, he speaks the truth as villagers even commented that she tends to leave some pieces of pastry outside her window. It was her attempts to try and spot the thief that exposed her plans for a bakery.

“You have pie? That’s sounds wonderful! I’ll have some pie!” He smiled only to see the sight of the wolf she has as a pet. He spent some weeks into this game and yet he has no idea how to get his own pet, but would he even have time for animals? He kinda got depressed with the blue bird shut him down yesterday.

“I don’t mind wolves, Vulcan eh? What a strange name I like it!” He knelt down to pet the wolf and gave it a good belly rub, a canine’s one weakness. The customer stood up again as the baker returned with a slice of cake.

“Blackberry? Never tried one of those before, but sure I’ll take it! Tell you what, I’ll pay 40g for it how’s that sound?” He would have a positive expression on his face, telling the baker that he was serious. “Mind if I eat it here?” he asked the baker, either way he’d help himself to start eating it right now.

“So do tell me, when is your place gonna open or.. umm when is it gonna be finished and ready for business if I am ask?” He would look down on her wolf Vulcan and back to the baker again.

“Judging by your eyes, you seemed like a passionate baker.”

 

She flushed as he explained his knowledge. Kyupin hadn't realized she'd become a subject of the villagers discussions! And the way he talked, it sounded like he was fairly new to the area. To think, she'd caught the attention of people passing by. Sure, it was her end-game goal with this place. But already? Before she was done with construction?

He seemed to gladly take the lead, pulling Kyupin along into his hasty pace. "Uh?!" One moment he's giving her 40g for a slice of pie, the next he's eating it without a care in the world. And then the questions! She struggled to keep up.

"A-Ah! Yes, eat here! Um, I'm not sure? When construction finishes up, I guess. Y'see, I don't wanna just open a store," she leaned over the counter with a small, wistful smile. "I'm looking to make a shelter of sorts. For all the animals, the people that need it. A little bed and breakfast, if you will! Food and a place to rest for a weary soul between Astorea and Falderen, or wherever else people are going." Her wistful smile turned a tad shy. Flustered. Did it seem like a silly goal?

His sudden compliment took her by surprise. Feline ears folded over on themselves, gaze averting from his as she tried to take the compliment. "Thank you," she managed to say. "I just enjoy cooking. I..." 'missed it'. The words died on her tongue and she hurried to correct herself. "I'm Kyupin."

She looked at him a little more closely, taking in the green hood and the way his hair fell over his face. "We've never met, have we?" Kyupin extended a hand out to him, smiling and waiting for his name.

@Stampede

 

The slice of pie was great, it was probably all he needed to motivate himself to go out once more. Her words caught Stampede’s attention when she said that she wasn't just constructing a bakery but an inn for travelers between Astorea and Falderen. To him that’s a good business goal, he hasn't seen any proper buildings for lounging around Astorea or at least by the roads that separates the regions. Should she be the first, it will allow her to gain such advantage, what more if her business would start to grow.

It was only that he just noticed her character race, a felis if he wasn’t mistaken.

She further explained that it wasn't just a place for people but for animals too. Was this girl playing snow white? Then again everyone has their gig, Stampede wanted to become an assailant but having no such tools for the job, he’s reduced to a common thief, for as long as nobody knows of the Green Hood that lurks within the forest of Astorea, he would encounter no such problems. The baker introduced themselves as Kyupin and the fox casually replied as:

“Name’s stampede, I’m a new adventurer exploring the woods here and there. Gotta say there’s a lot of tough monsters around here, or animals whatever this place calls them” and the things you tend to see while lurking in the woods, sometimes you see animals mating, some man eating another man, couples trying to do it in the woods undisturbed and most of his traps catching the strange ghouls that kept emerging from the caves. But those kinds of sights weren't uncommon to him, the world be a strange place and one of the strangest things you can see them happening is in the woods.

He rather not speak too much about it, let alone the fact that he murdered the duo that tried to rob her establishment after they were untied by her. The money he gave her, was the blood money he looted from their corpse. What she doesn't know won’t hurt her right?

“I’m perplexed, a Felis and a wolf getting along is quite a sight. The last time I saw a relationship between a felis and a wolf was when the wolf was trying to eat them.” He was referring to Aria who nearly became the wolves’ main course on a hunt for the people who sought gold near Falderen. It was hilarious if one could have seen it but in his circumstances it wasn't, @Aria doesn't even have the slightest bit of combat experience, but there’s always room for improvement.

The very thought caused him to laugh.
“I apologize, I remembered something funny, anyways thanks for the cake” The fox stood up and started heading towards the door, waving his hand off.

“I’d like to be the first to know when this bakery opens up, I’m looking forward to seeing your success! See yah!”

 

A new... adventurer? She smiled as he spoke, listening with sparkling eyes. Something about the open grin on her face and the small little nods to each word really made it obvious that Kyupin cared to hear every little bit. She was like this to everybody - giving them a gentle, loving care. She'd missed this. Lately, there had been so much darkness in her life. So to sit back and be happy... yes. It was nice.

She giggled as he spoke of a Felis and wolf's relationship. "Well, Vulcan's mom wasn't so happy with me that first time," she admitted. There was definitely a long story behind Stampede's tale, just as there was one behind hers.

Perhaps another day they'd get to it. It seemed like Stampede had somewhere else to be, and though it disheartened her, she swallowed down that odd feeling, smiled, and then let him go. There was no point trying to keep him in place. It wasn't his fault she missed the simplicity of just... chatting. And she could get that from anybody! Well, anybody that didn't recognize her as the new 'noble'. That had been, and still was, weird.

She waved her fingers at him and leaned back against the counter as he slipped through the door. "See you later then, Stampede!" Only as his figure was completely out of sight did she realize he'd called her humble abode a bakery again. "It's not just a bakery!"

Had he even heard her? Jeez.

She looked at the golden coins in her hands, inspecting them with a slight disbelief. So much for a single slice of pie... Still. Who was she to complain? She used the coins to buy a hefty stock of ingredients for her next batch of meals, busying herself with a little extra pep to her step. A customer! Still recovering from the happy surprise, Kyupin had completely forgotten about the fact that her mystery pie thief had not stolen anything that day.

It looked like she'd have to get the shop up and running a little bit faster...

Maybe she'd hire some helping hands.

@Stampede

 

The Fifth day ​

The little bird would sit in comfort looking out the window with that splint still attached to its wing. It was a wonderful day to fly, to soar high in the blue skies where it would feel free and alive, it would try to flap its wings but to no avail, and it hasn’t fully recovered from its injury. It’s been nearly a day and it already started missing the place where it belongs, not in the inn but out there.

It slowly descended down to the floor, out of curiosity it wishes to explore the place but the sight of Vulcan would scare it away as it hid behind the couch. It wasn’t so sure whether the baker’s pet was friendly or not but it has seen it’s like before, a pack of them can ravage and devour a stag nearly down to the bone. No one would blame it for being oh so scarred of Vulcan.

The Green Fox would head his way towards the village wondering how Kyupin was taking care of the little blue bird he left in her care but why would he go to all the effort of sneaking about from tree to tree and into the shrubs just for that little bird? It was simple, he only just realized that Kyupin is a cat and might devour the little critter whole. No that was complete nonsense, they’re a player, while they appear as a felis, and surely they don’t have the instincts of a cat. If that turn out to be true, he has every reason to be worried. While he’s at it, he might as well try to snatch yet another culinary masterpiece from the baker herself. He had come like the pies Kyupin bakes but dare not reveal to her the identity of the Green Man.

Today he bought some leather armor that worked quite well to his favor, as his cosmetic attire depicts that he’d be wearing that of the sort. But he just wasn’t there yet, there’s still a few more things he had to save up for, like his main weapon, a trap disarm kit, trap materials poor and Trap materials fine as well as a alchemy set that allows him to craft toxins faster while using the workbench for it.

He would then position himself up on the rooftop just a yard away from Kyupin’s Inn and see what he’s sneaking into.

 

The blue bird had become quite the active twitterer! Kyupin giggled as the the little thing hopped about, tweeting and nipping at her skin as if it were grooming her. She rewarded the bird with a generous amount of head scratches, cooing at it. "Soon you can go home to the sky, little guy," she said. "Isn't that exciting?"

Today, she went about her business. Melting chocolate, sifting flour. She had all the ingredients needed to make a delicious brownie!

While she worked, she found that her thoughts kept drifting back to the mysterious thief. They'd been playing back and forth, dodging around each other. Her, leaving delectable pastries on the window sill. Him, coming and going with barely a peep. She had half a mind to sic Vulcan on him! Or them. Or her. Never one to assume a gender, she was. Did it matter? Not really. Whoever it was, they'd been alluding her, and it was starting to bother the sweet Felis. She wanted a name, a face, any kind of hint.

Kyupin folded a blanket over the tin pan, smiling to herself. When it was pulled away, the culprit would see a large 'E' cut out of brown paper. Brown-e's! Hilarious! Underneath, if they bothered to check, there was a note written in her finest handwriting:

'The real stuff is inside. I won't bite if you don't.'

Well, if the note didn't convince them to come in, maybe they'd be so startled by the joke they'd laugh. And then she'd have that as a clue.

It would have to do.

@Stampede

 

Come to think of it, he has been stealing from Kyupin for 3 whole days now and when he last visited the place as himself, she made no mention of the thief stealing from her. Was he found out? No that’s near impossible, he had made sure that once he grabbed the stuff, he’d either run at speeds into thick foliage and out of sight or log out before they conduct investigation mode on him.

Unfortunately he really wanted to try her pastries but is it worth risking to steal a bunch of virtual food for it? Well he could use animal bait tho as certain creatures in the Adecus forest would love this stuff. He would do by all means try to make a distraction first before coming in.

But where and how he will do it? Kyupin doesn’t look like a mage with the ability to set a territory but he could be wrong. If she were a hunter that would be a bit bad but given that he hasn’t been completely identified, its unlikely that even with a high mastery it won’t help. He has been playing this safe so far but now he rather not gamble that he’d just get away with it by snatching that batch off the window…. Without causing a distraction first.

So he circled around and came out from behind the place. There he can see an open window, perfect!

Now all he had to do was throw a pebble but before he could even try to make an attempt, he caught sight of the blue bird he had helped earlier in which he left behind anonymously to the baker’s care. Knowing that he can’t afford to throw a rock while the bird stood observantly by the window he came to see if it was alright and to his surprise, the blue bird doesn't seem to be afraid of him.

“…?” Confused he approached and made it by the window. The curious avian wasn't so afraid rather it was curious as to why he had been visiting this place over and over even before it was struck down by a couple of bandits. Relief was the expression he made. His next move was going to be easy, and that is to whistle a fine tune with the bird.

Eventually the Blue Robin sang long but when they were midway to their chorus, Stampede left before he was discovered, if Kyupin were to see this she’d finally managed to get a better view of him, half his face with a slight bit of orange hair.

No way she responded faster than I expected he thought to himself as he logged out.
He won’t be coming for awhile but then after removing the dive gear he had to come up with a choice.

Would he kill her the next time he comes around sneaking? For all he know, she could have been at a higher level than he was. Looks can be deceiving no matter how fun, happy or innocent they appear to be.


“Well enough about that---“He looked around his bedroom only to see his badminton racket missing and the door slightly opened.

“Meegan…” guess being a thief runs in the family.

 

She'd been sitting against Vulcan's curled up form, running a hand through his soft fur and untangling any knots she found. "Nnnghhhh." The duo were content to laze about as Vulcan thought about wolf-things and Kyupin thought about... well, the thief.

For all her frustrations, she hadn't really been putting much effort into discovering who they were. If they were so eager to keep hidden from her, she wouldn't go out of her way to tear down their defenses. It stung a bit, that they wouldn't reveal themselves, but she wouldn't do anything until they allowed it. Though Kyupin couldn't understand their reasons, she'd let them do as they wished. They weren't directly harming her, after all.

Her thoughts were broken by the sweet chirps of her new avian friend. The bird was unusually loud! Leaping up from her comfy position, Kyupin practically dashed to the source of the sound, ignoring Vulcan's irritated whine.

A flash of green. And orange. A sharp jaw. "Wait!" And then they were gone.

She blinked at the blank space, eyes scanning her surroundings for a bit before flicking to the equally-stunned bluebird. An illusion? No... "He just logged out, didn't he? The thief is... a player?" she mused out loud, looking to the bird for confirmation. It looked back at her in silence. How helpful.

He hadn't even taken the brown-E's!

The Next Day...​

Kyupin sat resolutely at home, staring towards the window with a frown. Her hands absent-mindedly curled around Vulcan's fur, but the felis seemed to be too distracted to do anything particularly useful.

"I don't get it," she sighed. "They're a player. Why steal? Do they not have enough gold?" She looked at her companions huddling around her– the little blue bird and Vulcan –for whatever magical answers they could give her. "Was he the one that brought you here? What does he want? The thief is a guy, isn't he? Looked like one..." She gently scratched the bird's head. It would be good to leave tomorrow. Wouldn't the thief want to say goodbye?

The apple pie was getting cold.

The Day After That...​

She'd spent the morning distributing the pie and the brownies to the various villagers nearby, giving them smiles and striking up a conversation when they had time. Getting out of her home and stretching her legs seemed to do wonders for her souring mood. So even if her investigations into the mysterious man hadn't gone too well, she seemed to be feeling better when she got home.

Perhaps her description of 'A man in a green cloak, with orange hair, I think? He's about, um, yey-high?' wasn't specific enough. Wasn't her fault, though! And she could've sworn she'd seen the curious look of a merchant when she mentioned it, but the man had dodged her questions.

Kyupin needed to stop thinking about this strange thief. She had other things to focus on! Like getting her shop properly built.

For once, she did not bake anything.

Several Days After...​

Perhaps it was because she'd not been putting anything on her windowsills, but the thief had not stopped by recently. Kyupin wanted to say she wasn't disappointed, though it would be a small lie. The bluebird had been sticking around as well, often lurking by the window, as if waiting for something. It did not seem eager to leave, surprising her.

Days had passed and Kyupin was finally getting the shop/house into a reasonable state.

She'd also brought home another companion, a large, tired bear, that often lingered in the open fields outside the home. Persephone seemed to enjoy being outside and often would curl up by the side of the house to sleep through the night. Although the bear's appearance initially scared off the villagers (what crazy little girl has a wolf AND a dire bear?!), they were slowly opening up again. They seemed to accept that Kyupin had a handle on her companions and even some natural skill with stranger animals.

If that thief came by again, hopefully, he'd be smart enough to come through the front door rather than trying to steal. Persephone, as kind as a bear as she was, did not like people threatening her territory.

Kyupin was proud to know that her home now counted as Persephone's territory as well.