Open - The Lions

The gentle sway of golden hair in the cool breeze was one of the only interesting sights to see in the part of the city that Ilya was in. The worn down buildings seemed to be forgotten, doors hanging of hinges and holes could be seen in the walls. In this very location of the city was where the destination resided that the short lion was headed to. The rundown tavern that was just a little ways off. The Lion's Pride.. It was a faction system that Ilya had been aware of for quite a while. When she had found out that they were finally accepting new members, Ilya was quick to jump aboard. Her visit to the tavern tonight would be her first time fully seeing what it looked like. The NPC that ran the faction, Zeus, had pin dropped the location and told her a brief description upon her message of confirmation. She had acquired a roster list from the man himself, in which it took her no time at all to have sent out a private message to each member individually. Inviting them to meet at the headquarters for the first time.. Eventually to meet her and other faction members. Whether they showed up or not was entirely up to them.

Violet colored eyes peeked through the golden long locks as the lion tail that was bestowed upon Ilya swished from right to left. Her ears twitching as the abandoned street lay out in front of her. It was an unusual place for the headquarters of such a Pride to be held. Ilya continued to walk forward, the space between each building seemed to grow smaller as she kept heading towards the pinned location. Perhaps one day these streets will be fixed and people will return to fill these streets with glory.. Each thought that entered Ilya's mind seemed of small stature. The rundown area of town she was in, leaving her feel upset slightly.

Never the less, Ilya was headed in the direction of the tavern. The sun was set high in the sky, signifying it was around noon. With a free schedule in her real life, Ilya was dedicating today to Terrasphere. The tavern now stood right in front of her. The sight that the tavern held was nothing short of pleasurable. It was in fact ugly in appearance. The windows all cracked, covered with boards to keep the wind out. The door was falling off, with rope hung too and fro, holding it in place. The lion's lips quivered slightly at the sight. The steps and railing being split all over. With one foot in front of the other, Ilya entered the building. There were broken logs everywhere. A single bar standing with no bartender. Only a few chairs were left to remain unscathed. The floor creaking with each step that Ilya took. Grimacing with the little bits of light that seeped through the windows, alongside the single source of light, set on the ceiling. A light hanging on a thin, rusted chain. The cool air seemed to seep through the boarded windows and rope-bound door, leaving small goosebumps all over Ilya's arms.

Acknowledging the fact that there was barely anything in the building that was worthwhile, Ilya walked to the chair set near the middle. Taking a seat, waiting for the others of the Pride to enter the building. The meeting she had requested was bound to start at any moment in time. Despite the feeling of sadness she had felt while walking to the tavern, Ilya felt slightly overjoyed that she would be meeting more people. Thinking on that fact, and the positive in this given situation, Ilya pushed aside her sad thoughts and a smile drew upon her lips. Her tail now resting, wrapped around her thigh. Her ears perked up, showing she was truly happy to be where she was. Now all that Ilya had to do was wait...

(OOC EDIT: Ohio pointed out that he thought I said she was the only pretty one. Due to being the only one on the street at the time she was heading to the Faction Headquarters, she is pretty in comparison to rundown buildings)

 

Emerath had no sooner joined the roster for the Lion's Pride, when he received a message with coordinates to the headquarters along with a request to meet there for introductions and such. The message had been concise and fairly to the point, which Emerath could respect, but given what he had read about the faction he wasn't expecting a whole lot. Dwindling numbers, an over saturation followed by a lack of funding. All signs pointed to the death of the faction. But if Emerath was being honest, and he usually was, he never minded being one of the few people interested in such things. If anything, a small, hardly established group of people was perfect for him and his introverted ways.

All that said, Emerath couldn't help the chill that ran down his spine as he walked through the eerily deserted streets of abandoned buildings and war torn homes. Emerath couldn't tell if this was like this before the war, or caused by the war. Really, it could have happened either way. But given the state of the location pinned to his map, it appeared that someone had been here at some point. Perhaps the lone man who pleaded with players to join his faction and breathe life back to it. The only visitor, and the only man to board the windows and try to stay warm at night while he waited for someone, anyone to show.

As Emerath pushed his way through the doorway, careful not to press to hard, as the door itself seemed likely to fall of the hinges just by being looked at funny, he was surprised to see not the man who ran the faction, but a lone woman. She sat in the center, and seemed to be waiting. For him? Surely he wasn't the only one who would be showing up. He had only just joined this after all. But she must know more than him, right?

Emerath pushed the wrinkles from his button up shirt, worried about what sort of first impression he may have given her upon her first seeing him and him not actually expecting anyone to have been in this dilapidated building. He slowly let a smile creep across his face, as he awkwardly stepped to the woman, almost wincing at the loud creaks that each step made in the rotten floorboards. He held out a gloved hand in greeting as he said, "Hello! I am Emerath. Emerath Katou," he stated, almost struggling to remember the false name he had given himself for this game. At least as far as the last name was concerned. "I was informed of a meeting, am I just early, or are we the only ones...?" he would ask, trailing off after pulling his hand away, regardless of whether or not she shook or introduced herself.

@Ilya

 

Only having a few acquaintances along her adventure, Corvella thought that joining a faction might change that. Lion's Pride... The name actually sounds much cooler in her head before she actually arrived in the supposedly headquarters of the faction. Standing in a abandoned neighborhood between wartorn houses, the Tavern was nowhere fit for a glorious building. Never judge a book by its cover, they said. In fantasy games, cool factions always have a super-secret underground base.

As soon as Corvella touched the door, it made a loud creaking sound, indicating that it will fall off sooner or later. Corvella immediately stopped and looked at it for some time, before then slowly get through with the slightest force possible. This looked like a test already for her.

If the outside of the tavern wasn't ugly enough, now she is presented with the unsightly condition of the inside. There's no sign of life beside two people near the bar, which she quickly assumed to be adventurers and a member of the Pride. They should be, why else they would be in this 'tavern'. Judging by their face, it seems that they also did not expect this. Zeus, the leader of the faction was nowhere to be seen. Corvella decided that she will approach them so say hi and things while they wait for the remainders of the faction members.

Then comes stage two of the test, the wooden floors. Every step she took was uncomfortable, it's like that the floor might collapse to oblivion at any moment. She hoped that the other two do not look as she clumsily try to walk around the broken floorboards.

The red haired-tinker standing beside the golden haired girl was familiar. It's Emerath from the Eastwatch as Corvella remembered, but she never had the chance to get properly acquainted. She managed to get towards the close vicinity around the two to extend her hand, introducing herself "Greetings, my name's Corvella. New member of Lion's Pride."

 

As Cherish meandered her way through the dilapidated streets towards her destination, the excitement grew inside. She was actually going to get to meet the members of her guild. This was going to be a lot more people than she had meet previously. (Seeing as how she's only met one other player) And while the idea of going to a meeting seemed entirely boring to her, she hoped that boringness would be offset by the new people. Sabrina actually had to take work off today to be able to come to this event, and it wasn't like she could say the true reason she couldn't come in, for risk of exposing herself. I really hope james can handle the animals on his own...

Upon reaching the tavern, Cherish almost walks past it, before realizing that this, battered, creaky shamble of a tavern was indeed where she was headed. While she didn't expect it too be much - this was the bad side of town - she did have the idea it would be a bit... more, than this. Shrugging it off, Cherish headed up up the steps towards the door, and in one swift movement, swung the door open - almost knocking it loose from the hold of the rope - and stepped few, attempting to look cool. But sadly, only three other people saw it. And now she was just standing there, like I a good in front of three of her possible guild mates. "Oh, hello!" She spoke up, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "My name's Cherish, I'm here for the guild meeting?"

 

It was interesting how now there were factions opening their gates, now that the time for rebuilding and (hopefully) prosperity had arrived. From what Vina had heard there were three factions, all three of which must have had different reasons for deciding now of all times to accept newcomers: the Aristocrats probably wanted to use this opportunity to get themselves more connections, gathering the strong adventurers who got through the war stronger and anyone who might be able to take advantage of this new era. The Monster Hunters most likely just wanted more members to help explore the newly revealed Hylands, which had been known but barely accessible before the Caenii made their move and it was clear the region couldn't be left to its own devices any longer.

As for the Lion's Pride... The history of Lion's Pride was of a powerful faction which protected the innocent and the weak, and strived to become heroes of honour and valour. People who valued altruism, determination and honesty. However as dedicated as they were they had dwindled once it became clear that the immortal adventurers were much better at fighting the monsters that would otherwise have threatened the settlements of civilization. It was sad to think of how the arrival of the players had resulted in a once impressive group being reduced to such small numbers. However for them to be opening their gates now it could only mean that they no longer believed that free adventurers could be trusted to protect those who needed it on their own. Even if they were opening their doors to adventurers they were most likely still trying to once again become the force of good that would prevent another war if necessary, and by accepting adventurers they could guide the players as well.

Which Vina was fine with. The idea of a faction which would dedicate themselves to helping the weak and the innocent sounded perfect to her. Granted she had little interest in the glory and valour, and she was more the type to heal and protect than the type to go out and slay monsters, but she was sure Lion's Pride would be just as good for her as it would be of any tall, rugged swordsman who wished to test his blade against the foulest creatures this world had to offer. Any group trying to do good could use a healer, right?

Although as she got closer to the location where she was told that the rest of the Pride could be found she was reminded just how far the faction had fallen into decay: there was barely any sign of life in this place at all, with all the buildings looking abandoned and a good many broken as well. The foxlike Felis frowns, then shakes her head and smiles as she walks onwards, whistling a merry tune while her hair and tail trail behind her. Sure, things didn't look too good right now, but Vina was going to try and keep her chin up while staying positive. It didn't look like Lion's Pride was much right now, but she was sure that many adventurers would be attracted to the idea of becoming a hero in this world, so the Pride shouldn't take too long to expand into something better, and from there on with hard work they could return the Pride to a faction with the strength to do what they needed to do.

Once she reached the tavern where they were supposed to meet Vina halted for a moment to study the building. Just like the rest of this part of the city it looked desolate, abandoned, and in dire need of repairs. However there were signs that there was at least someone still trying to hold it together, no matter how clumsy those attempts were. The white-haired vixen took a deep breath of the fresh winter air, then stepped forward, through the door which was already open.

The first person she saw was another Felis, standing a bit further into the tavern and looking towards the bar, where three others could be seen. Two Felis and two Humans... It was a pretty good start, since Vina doubted that these were all the applicants. Smiling brightly she waved in greeting, her long silken tail swishing from side to side behind her.

"Hello! This is the place were all the Lions are meeting, isn't it? I'm Vina Skysong, it's nice to meet all of you~" She surveyed the rest of the room with a quick glance, but there was no sign of anyone else, including the person who was supposed to be their leader. "Does any one of you know where the leader of the Pride is, or are we all early?" With her staff on her back Vina walked over to join the rest of the group, if Cherish hadn't joined the other three yet motioning for her to come along with a warm smile and an inviting open hand.

 

Emerath was genuinely glad to see others show up, and each of them introduced themselves in turn. But unfortunately for someone like Emerath, each one seemed just as expectant as the last, and despite being the second one in the door, he was just as lost as them. It was Vina who actually approached the subject though, and Emerath couldn't help the wonder that entered his mind at the question. So he formulated the best answer he could, "Well, I'm pretty sure that the messages I received after joining were automated, seeing as I received them rather quickly after signing up for the guild. Whether or not we were actually expected to all meet up here or not is anyone's guess. I just thought to check the place out. And for those new, I'm Emerath!"

This admission seemed to offer nothing in the way of answer, so Emerath added, "Perhaps someone should contact Zeus and get him here? In the meantime, I think I'll see about getting us some drinks or something. At least some water?" Emerath mused as he walked behind the bar into the kitchen area of the tavern, after giving a light wave to the growing group of people. Unfortunately, if there had been water, it wasn't here anymore, or had long since dried up. Emerath sighed, as he should have expected this, but hoped for better.

He sheepishly stood in the doorway to the kitchen, trying to avoid any conversation that may have started in his absence before saying, "Nothing to drink in here. Not even a drop. Does anyone have any magic that could help us here? Maybe a hydromancer among us? I just have aeromancy along with my physical skills, and lightning or wind won't quench our thirst."

Emerath laughed nervously at his poor excuse for a joke, before adding, "Or someone could come with me to get a drink? Surely there must be something nearby, even if this part of town is mostly abandoned."

 

Traveling down the street on her broomstick, Majolica eyed the ruined buildings, rubble, garbage piles, and a few vagrant-looking types darting into allies. The whole area was filthy, looking more like a nest for rats then somewhere humans would dwell.

Geez, what a dump. It looks like what you would get if you mixed a tornado, a sewer, and a war zone. Wow... I’m surprised no dummy has tried to mug me yet. Hehehe, it would spell their doom if they tried! Maybe I should do this place a favor and blow up the whole area? Maybe they’d build me a statue since I got rid of this whole yucky place. It would be easier to get rid of everything and start fresh anyway.

Having been sent an invitation as Oblivion Witch Agatha, and having nothing better to do, Grand Witch Majolica had decided to attend the Lion's Pride meeting. She wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but she assumed it was going to be a whole bunch of, 'We must fight back the darkness! By Gods! A kitten in a tree... ohhhh the humanity... fear not kitten! I shall rescue thee' types.

Having reached her destination, Majolica looked over the run-down trash heap of a building.

Gross! I’m not touching that door or even the ground! But I guess this is the place… well, let's go say hello! Heheh!

A burst of frigid air blew the door off its hinges sending it flying backward until it slammed into the wall. Through the now open doorway floated Majolica atop her broomstick. Seeing that there were, in fact, other people who had ended up joining this guild, Majolica began her speech.

“Hehehe! The Grand Witch has come to join your weak and tiny guild! As future ruler of this world, I have an obligation to defend all of my future subjects from enemies! Hehehe! Also, the aristocrat people looked like they would take themselves too seriously and be really prissy. The monster hunters looked fun, but then I remembered how I tried to host a monster hunt and no one came, so to hell with those sweaty bags of stinking muscle! Heheh… which leaves all of you dorks!”

Majolica eyed the room recognizing @Emerath Katou and grinned at him devilishly. She then turned back towards the general group while floating nearer.

“So, what do you dummies do? Do they pass out holy swords and tabards here? Are there workshops on how to paint your armor white? Witches don’t heal people so don’t expect me to do any of that. I also don’t plan on doing boring things like saving kittens from trees. Hehehe! Now, that being said since this guild is made up of the good guys, eventually, an evil demon, dragon, or king is going to come knocking at that door.”

Majolica pointed towards the opening where a door once stood.

“And then the ball is going to be in Grand Witch Majolica’s court! My magic will rip through any and all enemies of my future subjects, which includes all of you! I mean all of you are my future subjects, not enemies, Hehehe! Think of me like the Lion’s Pride Special Ops! Except I’m the Grand Witch so Witch Ops! Hehehe!"

Witch Ops sounds so cool!

"If there’s a target that needs to be deleted, leave it to Witch Ops!"

Majolica crossed her arms confidently and grinned.

 

In mere minutes, quite a few members of the pride had appeared in the little adobe that Ilya would call their faction hall. First, a boy.. Short like her. His own introduction revealing he went by Emerath. Holding up a small wave, Ilya could not help the grin appearing on her face. "Just the first one to show up.." As if to confirm what she said, a woman entered through the door. The hand that was held out towards both Ilya and Emerath was accepted as Ilya shook the hand. Welcoming the new member to the Pride. After that, people continued to just flood into the tavern that had next to no walking space.
A number of different people had joined the small congregation that had gathered. The small blush appeared on Ilya's face as her lion tail flashed back and forth. With a crack of her neck and knuckles, she thought of what to say. While contemplating what to say, Emerath went to search for a drink.. Coming back with no clue as to where the drinks would be. Nodding her head, Ilya walked over to where Emerath was. "I can conjure water." Looking at where Emerath had been, Ilya looked for a few glasses, finding a couple mugs here and there. Forming her hand wide open, her eyes closed slightly.. Her eyes rolling to the top as her eyelashes flickered. Water began to surround the cups.. Bubbles, signifying the water was boiling appeared in the water. The water pushed the cups into the air.. Floating in the "stick" of water. Once Ilya was sure that the cups were cleaned, she chilled the water, taking all the mugs from the water once it was cooled down. Now, Ilya flicked a few fingers, water appearing from the air and filling the cups. Some had frozen water, taking shape as ice cubes, while some were just normal water. Setting the cups on a nearby table was an easy feat. Motioning to them, another. "Help yourselves." Taking an iced one for herself, Ilya began to lightly sip.. Again thinking of what to say..

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door flew and hit the wall... A breeze filling the building. Ilya's eyes narrowed lightly as a small girl on a broomstick entered. Her ears flicked as she listened. "If you are wanting to be in our faction.. At least treat the property with care.." Ilya walked around the 'Grand' witch and dragged the door back to it's spot. Her eyes narrowing as she squinted at where the door would connect. Tilting her head to the side, Ilya twiddled a bit before it seemed to be in place. Rather than bolts, Ilya used her ice to conjure up a few ice connectors in the spots they needed to be. The door, now functioning once again.

Now walking back to the group, Ilya began to speak on what she had contemplated. "Now that quite a bunch of us are here.. I might as well begin.. I am the one who invited you all here.. Per my own initiative. Due to our guild being in ruins I gathered permission to do so." Leaving out the fact that she really only thought she had permission. "I am Ilya, I have no real social status and no titles, yet here I am.. I am willing to put work and effort into everything. Thus, I gathered us here to meet one another and talk of the faction's future. You have seen the shape of the faction.. You know how bad of a shape it is in. It will take quite a lot of work to regain our former glory.. If you want to help out, then stay here. If not, then you are free to leave and return whenever you want. We would not kick you out of the faction, and we would not drive you off. We are suppose to bring hope to this world, we are suppose to help others and be heros. Yet with the status we are in right now, it seems impossible. I have a few solutions to our problems if any of you would be willing to listen.." The mug was drawn once again to her lips as she drank the iced water. Her tail seemed to be still as she waited for other's replies. "It is up to us to fix the mess that we entered into."

Her eyes fluttered around the company she was in as she waited for any one of them to reply. Her ideas mulling all over. The people giving her satisfaction.. Emerath, Corvella, Cherish, the fox-like Felis.. and even Majolica, despite her flashy way of telling them all that in her mind they all were her subjects..

 

"Uweeeeeeeehhhh why do I hafta get up early on a weekend....in a vidya game no lesz...on a weekenddddd..."

Rubbing her eyes, the adolescent girl rolled out of her makeshift hammock and into her slippers which were waiting just right to catch her feet. She'd just logged in where she'd left her character, Captain Cosma, sleeping. It was a basement cellar of an abandoned decrepit building. This had been the home she'd been squatting in for the past week or so of her career...

"...huh... it's noisy...eh....neighbors...no....huh....whaaaa.....?" Still half asleep, Cosma rubbed the back of her head and gathered her things. Since she didn't bother getting dressed, she was currently wearing a breezy and cheap nightgown. These were her comfy house clothes, though they weren't worth much.

Attempting to smooth out her bedhead, she ascended the stairs while squinting against the daylight, she was off to see what all the commotion was about. What she found was some kind of meeting in her living room, at least she'd designated the space as such, in spite of the hole in the roof, the sunroof as it were...

"hweehhhhh....?"

Still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Cosma quietly shuffled to the bar counter and poured herself a lick of bourbon from her inventory. This was all really weird for her, in fact, she was still half-assuming she was dreaming. Noticing @Emerath Katou 's empty glass, she gently poked him in the back with her index finger and offered him one as well. Her eyes were dead spacey...

Captain Cosma had woken up and logged in early to be at an apparently very special meeting for the new adventurer's faction that she'd joined on a whim. She'd figured that such a group would give her things to do and explore when she wasn't already doings things and exploring on her own. Besides, meeting new people was fun.

Sipping her bourbon, Cosma quietly listened to the lion-eared girl's speech from behind the bar while still completely clueless. When the girl had finished her speech, Captain Cosma quietly muttered...


"I'll listen, but first, what the heck are you people doing in my house...?"

 

The lion-like girl with the golden mane (mascot of the faction?) quickly showed her prowess, conjuring water out of nowhere. In just a short moment, drinks were ready. Wow, impressive. Corvella held herself to not shout in excitement of what just happened and kept it inside her thought instead. She took a cup of iced water and smiled to the lion girl "Thank you." Looking down into the water, a thought appeared in her mind. Is the water drinkable? She certainly never saw someone drinking their own magic-conjured water in any kind of fiction. But as this is only a game, the what could be the worst to happen?

As she sip the cold water slowly, a loud noise almost send her bursting all the water in her mouth. "Wh-" after wiping off some water that spilled around her lips, Corvella glanced behind to find the door that was barely hanging, now lodged in the wall. A little girl hovering in the broomstick was the one responsible for sending the doorway flying with such force. Okay, she might have met all kind of high-spirited people before, but this 'Grand' witch could outright kill people accidentally by recklessly blowing a door.

The situation de-escalated by itself as the lion girl, now having introducing herself as Ilya started to speak to all of the members gathered. Corvella leaned to the wall, listening to Ilya's speech about the future of the faction. Looking again to the left and right to remind herself how in bad shape the tavern was. "I agree" Corvella jumped into the discussion "This tavern will be important for us in the long run. I think that fixing this building is a priority. We are Lion's Pride after all, wouldn't look like one when people look at our tattered headquarters." She stopped for a while to look around before continuing "The problem is to acquire funding...." took Corvella a while before she finally noticed the girl in the nightgown. Since when she was there? Listening to her muttering, more questions appeared. The most important one like, does someone sleep in this barely standing tavern on daily basis to call it a house?

 

Emerath was incredibly pleased as the girl who had been the initial one here was the one who had an answer to the man's (and everyone's) thirst. He enjoyed the show she put on, and quickly took a glass before drinking it down heartily, enjoying the refreshment it provided.

What he hadn't expected was to see Majolica again. As the door was blown off its hinges, and the girl walked in, she seemed to still be off her hinges herself. Emerath still remembered the destruction she wrought in the forest, and couldn't help but frown at the idea that this naive child could be any sort of hero. But he didn't have to work with her right this second. He didn't even need to respond to her. And so he didn't. The little witch was to keep to herself, and that's just how Emerath wanted it.

But then there was another person, a girl in a night gown who appeared to be sleeping in this dilapidated building poked him, offered him some kind of drink. Emerath took a sniff, realized it smelled of alcohol, and politely declined before grabbing another glass of water and sipping on that instead, thankfully not having to down it due to his thirst being mostly quenched.

As Ilya spoke, and the girl Corvella in turn, the wheels in Emerath's head began to turn. "Well, when it comes to fixing the building, I am an engineer. I'm not some architect capable of building houses anew, we'd have to hire someone for that. But things like say, this door..." Emerath trailed off, as he walked over, before pulling a few tools out of his inventory. He chiseled the ice away that Ilya had put to keep it in place, and then a few sturdy screws, before pushing them into the wood. His heroic might gave him the ability to use his strength to force them in without the need for a powered drill, which Emerath was certain didn't exist in this world. So he had to use brute force, and sure enough after a few minutes of demonstration, he had gotten the hinges properly reattached to the frame.

"And just like that, we have a fixed door. Give me a day or two, and I can probably have this place at least looking decent," Emerath smiled, before focusing on the other topic at hand, "In terms of funding, I can put some money into this place. I don't make a ton, but I make a living, and that's good enough for me most of the time. The more money I put in, the more money I get out, I would think. At least once this place starts to get business." Emerath pointed to the "sunroof" saying, "At the very least, I'll pay for supplies needed for basic repairs. We'll start there and work to the next parts."

 

"Hehehe! Well if it's money we need, I'm not giving any! And if we need people to pick up things and labor to fix this place... I'm not doing that either! Hehehe! But, I will do a bake sale!"

Majolica's mouth watered a bit as she said 'bake sale'.

"We can have Majolica Cookies, Majolica Mushroom Tarts, Majolica Cakes, Majolica Poison Apples, Majolica Crepes, Majolica Hard Candy, Majolica taffy, Majolica Chew-Chew gum, Majolica Fun Slime, Majolica Witch Finger Cookies, Majolica Lollipops, Majolica Chocolate Cars with Majolica Nougat and Majolica Peanut Butter, Majolica Ice Cream Cones, Majolica Fudge..."

Majolica scratched her head trying to think of any more sweets that she could put her name in front of.

"Well, you all get the idea, hehehe. We can put out a table in the middle of a town, not this one because everyone here is probably poor anyway and I don't run a charity, then we can charge a lot of money for cute Majolica sweets! I'll give 40% of my profits to the rebuilding of this place and I'll even advertise that we're bringing back the guild... hehe! There's only one catch though! If I give everyone 40% of my money, which will obviously be a lot because who wouldn't want Grand Witch Sweets and....!!! Merchandise! I can sell Grand Witch Majolica T-shirts!!! Hehehe! If I give some money, then I want a Majolica room for Majolica only! It should be purple and have a lock with a special key that I have the only copy of... hehehe!"

Majolica waited to hear everyone's thoughts on her brilliant funding scheme. Honestly, Majolica was only waiting to hear the guild's thoughts because she wanted some people to pre-order goods. Other than that, Whether or not they agreed that her bake sale was either a good or bad idea didn't matter much. Majolica thought her idea sounded like fun, so she was going to do it anyway.

 

While the adventurers organized the effort to clean up the lion's den, Zeus had just finished his breakfast, which consisted of two eggs, sausage, toast with hummus spread. Nothing made him happier than to be able to have hummus throughout the day. Given the choice, Zeus would go as far as incorporating it into everything in his life, resulting in marketable products such as hummus lotion, hummus hair wax, hummus perfume, hummus beer and many more.

Before he was consumed by his entrepreneurial ingenuity, the giant remembered that he should stop slacking off so much and took care of the den. As it stands, the tavern was incredibly rundown thanks to the fact that he couldn't afford to get a better deal, so he settled. Despite the pride's downturn, Zeus had no doubt that he'll be able to get it back on track by hiring an orderly person to take charge of logistics the management of the organization.

Shaking the heavy thoughts from his mind, Zeus wrapped his big, burly hand around the door handle with every intention of opening it with a balet dancer's elegant, he ended up taking the door with him as he passed through the tiny opening leading into the tavern.

"OH NO!" Zeus exclaimed loudly, announcing his brutish entrance to the group of adventurers gathering inside the establishment. Looking up at the bewildered lion cubs whom he had painstakingly recruited a while back, he walked back to the entrance and leaned the door against the gape, pretending as though the door had been that way from the start. To diffuse the awkward tension that hung in the air, Zeus approached @Ilya and put his hand on her head, giving her a rough rub and he addressed the rest of the people who were there.

"What are ALL of you doing here so EARLY in the morning?"

@Grand Witch Majolica @Emerath Katou @Corvella @Captain Cosma @Vina Skysong @Cherish

 

Emerath had, in his continued ignoring of Majolica, immediately turned to the next event to happen in the short span of time since he had finished speaking. The door he had just painstakingly worked to fix was violently ripped off its hinges by a large man. The man Emerath recognized as the one who had recruited him. Emerath was in shock, as his mouth hung open, and he moved forward towards the door with a pained expression on his face. He held the door to the bent hinges after Zeus set it down, and it took all of his willpower to not begin crying in front of everyone in attendance. He had done such a good job fixing it... and now it was broken, again!

Sadness turned to rage, and Emerath had to keep that in check too, as he simply grumbled, before pulling out some sturdier screws and some tools to bend the hinges back into place. Carefully he worked, watching Zeus out of the corner of his eye as he walked over to Ilya, petting the woman, and asking them an asinine question. Why else would they be here? He grumbled some more as he pushed the screws into the hinges again, this time taking it slower to make sure the door STAYED. He'd leave Zeus to the rest of them for the moment.

 

Vina nodded when Emerath explained that it was most likely that the message had been automated, which in turn meant that it wasn't certain that they'd meet the faction leader right away. "Well, even if our leader isn't here we can still use this opportunity to get familiar with one another. After all, if we're all Lions together we'll all be working together to help make this world a better place for everyone, so if we're all friends that'll make it a lot easier and a lot more fun~" She gave the man a small wave in response to his introduction. "I like your name Emerath. It sounds like a name with a lot of dignity and integrity. But yes, some drinks would be nice. Even if the place is in this kind of state there should still be something here." Since Emerath was already heading towards the kitchen and there was little use in both of them going Vina stayed with the rest of the group, folding her arms as she considered Emerath's other suggestion. "Messaging Zeus might work... does anyone know him though? I've yet to try sending a pm to someone I didn't know already."

Her eyes lit up when Emerath declared that there were no drinks, but more importantly also admitted to being an Aeromancer. "You're an Aeromancer? Can you tell me what it's like? I didn't have the space to get Aeromancy myself, but I'm definitely choosing it as my fourth mastery as soon as I'm strong enough for it."

Before the conversation could really get any further than that someone else burst through the doorway, in the process blasting the door away as well to make it a real entrance. Vina spun around, for a moment shock and fear in her eyes as she was startled by the sudden destructive entry. However the newcomer didn't look actually hostile, so the Felis calmed down and instead listened as the witch began to introduce herself in spectacular fashion. Vina frowned slightly at first, but then began to appreciate Majolica's extravagant and impressive demeanour. Stepping forward Vina gave a theatrically deep bow towards the witch, tail swishing behind her before she began to speak.

"Greetings to you Grand Witch Majolica. I am Vina Skysong. It is nice to meet you, and I hope we'll get along." She straightened up and gave Majolica a bright smile, almost a smirk. "The Aristocracy does sound like a place where they'd take themselves seriously, doesn't it? Nothing wrong with being earnest, but it's definitely not the place for us who prefer to enjoy ourselves and not be tied down by rules upon rules. And I doubt the Monster Hunters would be a good place for the Grand Witch, since they'd probably prefer honourable combat over your clever and cunning use of magic." Her friendly smirk widened a bit, even as she spoke completely honestly and genuinely. "If you're willing to join us that means you'd be a good ruler, and the world could use someone who'd rule with fairness and reason."

"As for what we're doing here, it seems we've all been summoned by an automated message so for now we're just getting to know one another. I just arrived myself so you're right on time, actually." Vina indicated the rest of the group. "There's only a few of us here, so you don't have to worry about us acting all stiffly. And it makes sense that as the Grand Witch you wouldn't do the healing. Leave the small jobs to me and the others, so you can focus on defending the world against any evil that'd try to harm your future subjects." She was laying it on pretty thick, but the Felis didn't mind going along with Majolica's approach, especially since that'd probably make the witch more inclined to get along with the rest of the group.

As she took one of the drinks that Ilya had conjured Vina shot the lioness a thankful look. "Thank you very much~" She took one of the glasses without ice cubes, since the chill of winter was enough for her. Taking a sip she watched as Ilya and Emerath get to fixing the door, after which Ilya gave a small speech in which she revealed that she had been the one to gather everyone here. At the end of Ilya's speech Vina spoke up, first taking another sip to make sure her throat was suitably smooth.

"Well, I for one am very grateful and impressed that you'd go through the effort of gathering all of us. It says a lot about your motivation and enthusiasm, which is admirable~ Although you don't have to overdo it. It's my hope that we'll all be friends who help one another just as we try to help those in need, so let's all work together."

"A bake sale would be a good way to raise money, but you're right that it'd be better to do it somewhere else. As it stands Vintergard and Astorea as a whole still is recovering from the war, but we could set up shop in Stockbon. There should be plenty of people willing to buy high quality baked goods there." Vina looked at the door, which had been repaired with the combined efforts of Ilya and Emerath. However it was clear that it wasn't in top condition, and that they'd need more than just some bolts and screws to get this place back into shape. "I'm neither rich nor very experienced in construction, but I can try to contribute in another way... I'm a druid, and while a lot of my plant magic is only temporary I can try to give us a reliable source of wood. I'm not good enough that I could grow an actual house, but it should save us a lot of money if I can grow us trees that we can turn into planks and boards, right?" She wasn't too happy about the idea of growing trees just to have them chopped down, but it was probably the most practical way of dealing with the situation. "Unless you want me to try growing plants in the right shapes, but I can't guarantee that it'd be successful with my current skill."

And then Zeus barged into the room and ruined the door again. Vina had to admit that it was hard not to laugh since it was now beginning to feel like a running gag. However it was clear that Emerath couldn't enjoy it so she instead hastened over, halting when she passed by the giant of a man to bow and smile at him.

"We were invited by the beautiful lioness to get to know one another and talk about how we'd help the Lion's Pride as new recruits. I'm Vina Skysong, and it's a pleasure to meet you master Zeus. However if you'll excuse me I think our friend would like some help." With that she resumed her step, ending up standing next to Emerath and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I can't do much for the metal parts, but I can make the door and frame sturdier and whole so at least those parts won't break as easily."

Moving her hand away she pulled her staff from her back and then grabbed it with both hands, closing her eyes as she concentrated. Once she had a good hold on her magic she opened her azure eyes once more and began to sing softly, focused on the door, as a healthy green glow enveloped the staff. She touched the wooden door with the tip of her staff to have the green glow spread across the wooden surface, removing cracks and tears and mending the abuse of force and time.