Location: Dragon's Hearth Second floor _____Kaede sat calmly at her reserved room, the many tables still empty as she was still waiting for anyone who might be interested in a slight interview for forming a party with her or able to reach out to them when she needed a hand. She was sure she sent out messages on the public boards for players and left her written request around towns she visited and popular spots to the best of her ability. She wanted to take the initiative to gather people she was similar to or could trust and one way to do that was ask them to meet her here to talk. _____Just showing up was enough for kaede to mark them in a positive matter, if they are willing to show up to talk they showed just a job with a reward was not all that mattered. Watching one of the staff approach Kaede would calmly wave to politely decline the drink services the location provided. Her mind still hurting from the first mug she drank and odd imagines that felt like past events still clouded parts of her mind. Her hand rising to rub the still healing wound on her skull as she tried to figure out what caused it. ”There has gotta be somebody who will show up… Don’t give up on it or you can only think what could have been Kaede…” _____Her small pep talk on deaf ears as she still sat alone. Well, the only person in the room, her wolf pup sleeping beside Kaede happily enjoying the soft seat over the cave floor with a blanket over it they two called home. It was another motive for Kaede, find people to trust and slowly get herself a better home with a real bed and door for her avatar and wolf pup. Calmly adjusting her coat and removing the hood her internal time counter clicked slowly to the seconds. She would try to find people over the weekends and until the next month. ”Worst case nobody shows and I only trust people until they prove to me otherwise right?”
People were right when they said the Dragon's Hearth is the dark souls tavern of the taverns. Just looking at the size made other taverns that Corvella has been in a small fry. She walks around in the ground floor for some while, looking for something before she decided to go upstairs. Corvella did stop for a while to check the underground, only to be met by a blocked gate, but she wasn't here for that though. After wandering for ten minutes or so in this enormous establishment, the black-clad knight finally found the private room she was looking for. A few hours ago Corvella was minding her own business in the streets of Vintergard, looking for jobs posted on the notice board. A familiar name caught her attention in the midst of goblin-killing requests. It was Kaede looking to form a party. From what Corvella could understand, Kaede was looking for a longer-term one, not just for a simple quest. Permanent groups in MMOs are hard, but let's see where this goes. Having more people, err, players to trust is an asset in case something bad happen again. But for now, something like a small hunting party should suffice for Kaede. Now, the meeting point is in the tavern called Dragon's Hearth. She had never heard of it before, let alone being there. Apparently this tavern stood in the forest, so after preparing some weapons in case she met hostile creatures, she set off to meet Kaede. Hope that there's other people too. And there Kaede was, waiting in the room sitting on a seat, accompanied by a pup. Wolf? Corvella waved to greet her "Hello, Kaede. I'm here because I saw the messages. You were looking to form a group, err, party, right?" she said as she looks around. Looks like there's no other people here yet.
Aalam was tired, and he was hot, so he had decided to come to the Dragon’s hearth, they had some of the most robust ale in the country. It was a beautiful place, an earthy feel and enough chairs that if he drank himself to oblivion. He wouldn’t end up on the floor robbed he might still end up being robbed but at least when he passed out his head would be on a table. Getting a mug from the bar full of that ale and gulping down a good mouth full. Now he had a choice he could say there and drank the rest of the night away, or he could look at the reason that he had come here in the first place and look into that job. He had seen the message that Kaede had sent out the girl was looking for people to join her in the formation of a party. He had remembered the girl from back then and that she was able to put out a message that wasn’t dripping that was different. Even the way that she had written, it was not in the same method, it read differently like the girl he had met. So he said as waited and watched he wasn’t the first person to arrive he had followed behind another woman. A player in fact, and as much he would have to love to see Kaede in her natural habit he should be up to those stairs while clothing was still on. She did have much restraint as he could remember especially when it came to woman. Grabbing his mug off the counter and making his way upstairs, he was here for a job after all. He didn’t have to like her to work with her. However it wouldn’t be right to go to such a meeting will his bow, un-equipping it and his quiver. By the time that he made it up the stair, it seemed that it would be more than just one person at the meeting. Dragging a chair over to the table and taking a seat. Planting mug on the table as he looked at her, she seemed different there was the lack of confidence that use to be a fixture of her character. There was the possibility she had gained humility. “You put up a message Kaede I am here to reply to that message.”
_____As people began to arrive Kaede would bow to both of them as best she could from her seat. Her head ringing loudly as she tried to focus on them, the old wound once on her forehead still giving Kaede Issues as she held it lightly with her hand and tried to work around the pain. It was not exactly good if she did not look professional or in pain trying to recruit people, it was a clear sign of weakness and being the weak link of the party was not her intentions. Moving to adjust her cloak again before she spoke up. ”If we have met before I must apologize. I can’t recall anything before waking up in Hylands about a week ago… ...With that out of the way… Do you two mind if I ask you a few questions starting with your names and what interested you in coming here today? Hopefully not the free food and drinks at my expanse ha-ha…” _____Kaede nervously laughed as she looked back to the table. It was not exactly expected for people to show, a deep nagging part of Kaede told her she was not exactly the most liked person as she sat trying to listen to what the two might have to say. Her wolf pup picking up on the vibe and moving his head to rest on Kaede’s lap to help relax the girl before he fell back to sleep as if not wishing to pass up a good day’s sleep on something comfy. Once she got a reply from both, or enough time passed while they seemed intent not to reply she would speak up again. ”My next question… What role in the party would you prefer, in both aspect of position and ranking… Would you want to lead the group while being a tank, just a helping hand without getting orders barked at you from others… that sort of thing…” _____Kaede tried her best to sound reasonable and certain this time. Some of her real life showing as the air around her began to drift into a lawer double checking facts with their client and trying to see if they should take up their case, or in this aspect pick them for party members for something Kaede had found while gathering information during her last trip to Vintergard. If everything went smoothly, it was one less thing for her to worry about. @Corvella | @Aalam Abungu
It had been quite some time since Mizuki had last seen Kaede. She knew that if she really wanted to get into contact with the woman she could just have sent her a PM, but she hadn't been sure what to say, and besides Kaede was usually pretty straightforward with staying in contact with people. Which made the radio silence that had suddenly interrupted their relationship made Mizuki worried, even if she tried to dismiss it as nothing serious and went on with her own business. It wasn't like players could permanently die, so Kaede probably was just busy and didn't have much time to log on or explore the world together with Mizuki. It was understandable, since even if Terrasphere was the world of freedom and adventure the players were still restricted by the time schedules of Earth, the world of civilization and regulation. But now there was a message for people looking for adventure and companionship, which had Mizuki heading for the Dragon's Hearth. One of the things she liked about Kaede was that she was good companionship while exploring the world, so this definitely attracted her attention... although there were other motivations as well. The first motivation was that Mizuki had heard of the Dragon's Hearth but never really had gotten around to visit it. Now that there was more reason to visit the place she might as well get to it, since it was said that it was the most impressive tavern you'd be able to find in this world unless you were willing to abandon the explored world and head into the unknown. The last motivation was that Mizuki was somewhat confused why Kaede would send out public messages instead of just contacting her friends. Kaede knew that the Caenis would have no reason to refuse an invitation to go out and have fun together, and Kaede had been adventurous enough that she knew more people than just Mizuki who'd be willing to go out and leave a mark on the world of Terrasphere. Maybe she wanted to meet new people? If that was the case Mizuki going would be a bit awkward. Was she still mad about what happened during the invasion? Either way it would be awkward for Mizuki to join, but... She wanted to go nevertheless. Entering the Dragon's Hearth she looked around, heterochromatic eyes exploring the main room of the tavern and immediately widening as she was impressed by what she saw. When people said that this tavern put other taverns to shame they weren't kidding. This place was so much the essence of a fantasy tavern that Mizuki had a hard time believing that it was build. She earnestly considered the possibility that the designers of this world just placed this tavern and used some tricks to keep it functional, but then decided that either way, she was glad it existed. She made her way through the room, avoiding the happy party-goers and the heavy drinkers as she kept looking around, keeping her tail close but nevertheless having her fifth, furry limb move from side to side behind her as her eyes were filled with curiosity and awe. She definitely was regretting not visiting Dragon's Hearth sooner. Well, impressive tavern or not, Mizuki came here with a clear goal. The message had said that Kaede would be somewhere on the second floor, so the wolfwoman searched for the stairs. The one downside of this big tavern was that it took some searching to find what you were looking for, unless you were looking to get drunk in which case you could stick out your hand and a drink would appear in it. Walking up the stairs the sounds of merriment dimmed slightly, although her lupine ears still picked up on them even as she ascended to the second floor, where the sounds from below were just faint enough that MIzuki's own footsteps became clearly audible for herself. She didn't know which room she was supposed to head for, so Mizuki began the somewhat awkward process of opening rooms and sticking her head in to see if it was the correct one. Fortunately a lot of them were locked, which made it a lot easier to disqualify them, but if it wasn't for Mizuki doing her best to be relatively subtle about it she'd probably have entered more than one awkward situation with her search. When she finally found the right room she suppressed a sigh of relief and stepped inside, eyes immediately searching out the person she was looking for while her ears also turned towards the red-themed woman. Kaede looked... Well, she still looked familiar. Honestly Mizuki wasn't sure what she had been expecting. There were two others already here, people who Mizuki had met before but who she wasn't very close with. However neither of them looked like newcomers, so so far the group would consist of people who already knew how adventuring worked. Good. Although first she'd want to catch up with Kaede, so the Lupi smiled as she stepped towards the table Kaede was at, raising one hand in greeting. "Greetings Kaede. It's been a while, hasn't it?" She'd say more, but some of the things she wanted to say she wasn't sure if she should say them in front of people she barely knew, and she also wanted to see if Kaede was still willing to treat her as a friend. A small part of her was worried that Kaede in fact was still upset about what had happened during the invasion, in which case reconciliation would be difficult. Fortunately Mizuki's thoughts were somewhat distracted when she first smelled, then saw, a wolf pup with its head on Kaede's lap. Mizuki's wolf ears twitched as she stared at the pup, clearly intrigued. @Kaede Hoshi @Aalam Abungu @Corvella
Memory loss? That answered most of her questions and raised some more. She came to sit on one of the seats before asking to Kaede with a deep concern "You lost your memory? Are you alright?" Not that she was one of Kaede's close friends, but Corvella had been fighting along her in many occasion, mainly in the Azog business and the Eastwatch. And the girl sitting in front of her seemed like another person. If this is what the VR is capable of, she should be careful. All that memory loss things aside, Corvella reintroduced herself to the cloaked girl "I'm Corvella, we have pretty much met before. I came because well, I expected adventures from your party recruitment. But hearing what happened, you might need some companions." Kaede did look much more different than she remembered, whatever that happened in Hylands. Soon other people came into the room after getting the same message, though they appear to be more acquainted with her (before her memory loss thingy of course). Both were no strangers to her, but Corvella took time to nod and bow to them regardless. Looking back to Kaede, she joked a bit to liven the situation "Though I do appreciate the free drinks." Her attention then shifted to the wolf pup that seems familiar somehow. "He's cute, what's his name?" Corvella pointed to the pup sleeping on the lap. Soon the conversation began to slow down before Kaede asked something concerning the party, mainly how they will function as a group and the roles. "As much as I want to call the shots, I follow orders much better than I command. I also function mainly as a tank and disruptor, so anything works for me basically." Corvella replied, waiting for inputs from the others.
Aalam down the rest of his drink and rest the glass on the table as he waited to see if anyone else was going to arrive. He doubted it was just going to be the three of them Kaede was well known enough that if the call when out that a few more people would poke there head in to check it out, but there was the chance that they thought it was one of Kaede ploy to get sex. She was famous for that after all, or maybe this Kaede wasn’t, she did have the grin on her face. Her body posture was wrong as well it was like she was cautious and nervous that didn’t fit how she was in the past. Hell, the woman was willing to fight a collection of players to save a bitch that she liked. That was the person that he knew and the fact that this wasn’t an act was s surprising that he had raised an eyebrow. So this was a new person that he was interacting, that was interesting if nothing else. He was going to need more alcohol if he was going to get through this meeting, grabbing another two tankers off a passing waiter and downing half in one go. Well, it seemed that the one served watered down fruit juice to their customers on the floor. Or well he needed to get a stronger drink or a lot more of these lighter ones but that would run up Kaede’s tab, and that would be impolite. However in her state brought up the thought of what to do, she was practically a clean slate. If a well enough lie was told, he could be able to change the woman’s entire perceptions of herself, iron out traits that he wasn’t too fond of and place in others that would benefit him. He banished those thoughts in the second that they came that was not how he operated if he wanted to kill someone then he killed them. If he needed to keep a secret then, he keeps and if a person needed to know something, then he would tell them. As he listens to her, speak the stutter, the breaking up of sentences even the forced laugh, well she would learn of she would die. Then she would die again and again until she was able to pull herself together. He was also sure that there were enough people that would miss the person she was and would gladly tell her about who she was and how she used to act. That was something he didn’t care about however he was here for a job. Draining his second tanker and taking a sip from his tankard before he spoke. “Well, that is a shame I hope it returns in time. I am called Aalam, and as with Corvella, we have met before some time ago. I am here because that I heard your request for the recruitment of a party.” His eyes were drifting down towards the puppy well that was something new or was it something old either way it was cute in a way. It was a shame that wasn’t the focus of today’s meeting. “I have led before, and I would lead again if I have to, but now I do not prefer it. As for damage, I kill things from afar, simple as that.”
_____While the first two caused some issues with Kaede’s mind the third arrival sent Kaede into a state she felt exposed. Her face turning crimson and her head hurting badly at the sight causing her to try and advert her eyes from the newest guest to ease the feeling. Clearly this person was not just someone Kaede had crossed paths with once but a number of times and to the nature she would be very nervous or bashful about seeing them but nothing struck her mind. She had no idea how to word it, how to try and explain or justify her actions so she simply tried to speak. ”I’m sorry,... If we have met before I can’t seem to recall your name miss… I just hope I did not do anything to harm or trouble you in the past… but with how I seem to react i’m guess the case was more to the opposite field of things… ...As for his name… Tsuki-Yumi… He was the only thing I can seem to remember since I woke up in the mountains…” _____Kaede watched as the wolf pup looked over to the group after hearing his name only for him to lay back and sleep. Kaede felt sad she could not do the same, or walk away from the growing bad idea. Her sliver of confidence was lost again and she could not bring herself to meet the eyes of anyone or kill the blush that burnt away at her face. Her heart rapidly beating as she tried to calm down and stop her body’s reactions. ”Just to catch the newest arrival up… I asked for names and choice role in party and what you do in terms of combat… My next set of questions is what level of risk would you be willing to go for on a scale of one to ten with one being cakewalk… while ten is death around every corner… Just making sure so that if I know the likely risk level and if it is to easy or to hard I’ll try not to contact unless i can’t find others to help…” _____Kaede moved her focus to the table, hand reaching for her glass to take a small sip to hope the cold water could chill her somewhat without much luck. If anything it only made her mouth dry and worry more about everything around her. Remembering she herself had not been giving her own replies to each question hit her like a bullet train. Here she was asking people things without giving them her own reply to each. ”While I know war tactics and strategy thanks to my father i doubt i can lead anyone in my current state… or my normal state ha-ha… I try to keep myself versatile so I’ll likely just fill in where there is a need for something but ranged combat is far from my skill book… As for risk… I’m fine with anything from a high four to a ten… Why play a game if your afraid to die in it? That and I think the only good loot is from the deadly roads leading to it…”
When the others spoke Mizuki realized that she'd been ignoring them for the most part, which made her feel a tad guilty since even if this was Kaede's gathering that didn't mean she should be going around ignoring others. However that guilt was quickly overpowered by a strong sense of worry as it didn't take long before Mizuki noticed that there was something strange about Kaede. The red-haired woman had always been very confident: even when she was embarrassed or feeling down she always had a kind of strength in her, as if at all times she was at least certain of herself even if her position in the world was brought into question. However now Kaede seemed to find herself unable to even meet Mizuki's eyes, and her overall attitude also wasn't what the Caenis female would have expected from her friend. When Kaede spoke Mizuki listened attentively, her eyes widening as it was made clear that this Kaede didn't remember her past. Her tail went up and down once in agitation as she stepped closer and studied Kaede more closely, for a moment forgetting that now the red-haired girl wasn't quite as comfortable with closeness as before. "You lost your memories?" Her first response was the most obvious one, Mizuki's face etched with worry as she seemed to be at a loss at what to do. She had the urge to check for injuries but she doubted that would help here, and she also wanted to hug Kaede but even if she had been so blunt as to step closer she was still aware that a hug in this situation might not be the best action. That and Mizuki hadn't been the best at taking initiative with gestures like hugs anyway. "Do you have any idea how it happened? Does it also extend into your life on Earth?" That last question was honestly the most important, since it could be really problematic for Kaede if she had no memories of her life on Earth either. It was one thing for it to happen in Terrasphere itself, but if it carried over... Mizuki took a deep breath, stepping backwards again to instead return her focus to the wolf pup, trying to avoid pressuring Kaede too much. "You've given him a nice name." She reached to pet the wolf slowly and gently, then stepping backwards further as her shock at Kaede's revelation finally began to settle and she began to think logically again. It was clear that Kaede wasn't in any mood to deal with Mizuki acting too personal right now, so the Lupi female sat down and listened as Kaede explained once more why they were here, what she wanted from them and what they should be expecting from her. As the others introduced themselves Mizuki also listened attentively, remembering what they said and incorporating that information even as she still gave Kaede some looks of worry. Memory loss was a serious issue, and honestly the wolfess would have preferred to immediately drag Kaede to a healer to see if there was anything to heal, or... or... something, at least. Maybe just talk to her and see if there was anything she could remember that would help her remember more. When it was her turn to introduce herself and explain what she was capable of Mizuki took a deep breath, for a moment setting all that worry aside as she instead spoke calmly. "I'm Ueno Mizuki, Mizuki for short. I don't usually lead, but I've done so and if nobody else is comfortable with it I can try to do so again. My masteries are Martial Arts, Berserk, Hunting, Acrobat and Nature Magic. My focus is high physical damage and disruption from up close with good mobility, although I have some healing and supportive magic available in case it's needed. As for your question before..." Mizuki took another deep breath. "We had known each other for some time before, and I would like to believe we were very close. We did several things together, and you helped me a lot as well. If you need help regaining your lost memories I will gladly do what I can." She wanted to say more, but now wasn't the time. Instead she just finished the rest of her new introduction. "I'm fine with any level of danger, although I will always advice against heading straight into certain death if there is a safer path available. I joined the Monster Hunters so I definitely am not afraid to die, but I would rather not die due to negligence or carelessness." There was a difference between courage and suicidal behaviour, after all.
After a while, the blonde-haired knight's throat started to feel sore. She stopped one of the waiters to grab a mug of drink, gulping it down before realizing it was an alcohol. Nothing too strong like the ones she drank at the Ale King tent back in the last Dark Harvest festival. But still, she doesn't want to look drunk in a meeting, not that one mug is enough to make her feel tipsy though. While Kaede was speaking, she took the moment to notice the other two people. Aalam Abungu, he was one of the commanders of Southwatch. Even that the Southwatch fell to the everlasting assault of Falderen, the fact that he and Kijin rallied the rest of the Southwatch company to assist Eastwatch without much resting is commendable. Might be the best candidate for the party leader, also considering Kaede's lost memories. As for the other one, Ueno Mizuki seems familiar. Oh, she was in the Eastwatch too with her. Although Corvella did not remember her for being this... wolfy? Rumor has it that she ate the heart of the lunatic princess, resulting in her transformation into Caenis. She quickly disposes the thought as she cannot visualize someone like Mizuki ripping and eating one's heart. Responding to Kaede's question, Corvella half-jokingly replied "Well, I would not be wearing all this heavy armor and tank the others if I am not willing to endanger myself." She continued as she recalled the fight Falderen prison "But on a serious note, I've been in several encounter with the death. I always win everyone though, so I guess my judgment always saved me, and I'd like to believe it so." The girl paused for a while, thinking over about the question while looking back and forth to the other two. "As long as there's a chance that we will survive it, even one percent, I'm up for anything. Not the type who jumps on certain death, so that might put me on the nine on the scale." She put the mug on the table and waited for the others to finish letting out their thoughts, before she took turn to ask Kaede back. "By the way Kaede, it's quite out of ordinary to gather up a party like this. I mean, are you looking forward to tackle something dangerous soon?" Corvella asked cautiously. She wanted to add that with Kaede's lost memory would it be a good idea, but she waited for the cloaked girl to respond.
Once again Aalam looked at Kaede of his mug watching the woman but not saying a word, he needed to make sure. If this were a trick to get a clean slate, then it would be annoying to deal with but if she were genuine however then he would have to treat her as a new person. So he did what he did best in times like this he watched the room and how people reacted to the news. Then, in turn, watch how she responded to the reaction. It was the best way to read people, and he had started doing it so often that it had become second nature. What was interesting was to see the way that Mizuki reacted to the news that Kaede has lost her memory, it wasn’t a slight reaction it was a big one. The level of concern wasn’t for a person that was just a friend; no this was for a person that was loved. Kaede’s reaction was in a similar vein the blush and stammering; he could have imaged what they had shared together. The old Kaede wasn’t chaise in any way and well Mizuki was a player that took what she wanted when she wanted it badly enough. Both worked on emotions….. Well, that was a good match if nothing else. However, it was worrying people tend to forget the job when feelings got involved. Cain was an example of that, one of the best support that he ever had the pleasure of working with, but the man was too emotional. He let it get the better of him at times, he simply cared too much, and that was something that no one could ever accuse Aalam of being. A job was always a job, and he wasn’t going to allow anything or anyone to change that. As for Corvella, he had seen her ability on the Eastwatch she had stood against the wolves when they had come that alone would is a mark of commendation in his eyes. Not many people could do what she did at that time. She seemed to be committed to the idea of fighting and being a tank and if she had survived the wall that meant at least some skills. As he looked at those that were gathered it was a decently balanced party, there was a tank, with both close distance and range combat fighters. If it were lead with skill, there would be a slim chance of death. “A job is a job, and if I have agreed to work it, then I have committed to the task. No matter how difficult it gets I will see it through, for the only reason I will accept a job is if it interests me. Your offer has interested me, so if you call I will come to assist.”
_____Listening as best she could before a faint smile crossed Kaede’s face at the mention of Corvella’s question. While it was not exactly fully planned to happen it was something Kaede had been mulling over for some time but never fully felt the need to share it with others. So far the group seemed well enough to trust, however one still seemed to be cautious of Kaede or more alert around her, not exactly sure Kaede tried her best to ignore the uneasy, not needing more to worry about. ”Well it was not anything big, but one thing I did mull over was maybe asking the group to come with me to Hylands where I first remember waking up… While I know I woke at a cave entrance I’ve never found that spot since I left trying to figure out what was going on. But until I find the way into that place I won’t request any help for that…” _____Kaede would take a moment to pause, her wolf pup whimpering lightly quickly drew Kaede’s attention away from the group. Hand carefully petting the pup’s head and under his chin until his whimpering stopped and she relaxed more. Tsuki was her only anchor at the moment and any time he seemed in peril she felt it also and tried to deal with it. Not wishing to dewl on her memory lose issue Kaede tried to think of another job for the group. ”Aside from that there was a rather tricky job I was asked to deal with by some people I got to know recently. A group of people wanted to start anew in Pormont and have been trying to gather people to help them set up in grass knoll territory and I accidentally agreed to help them just for some peace and quiet.” @Ueno Mizuki | @Corvella | @Aalam Abungu
It looked like they were moving onto the more professional portion of this meeting now, leaving Mizuki to push he feelings and emotions aside and instead don a more calm and serious expression as she sat down at the table with the other three and listened to what they all had to say. The news about Kaede's memories being lost had been disconcerting, but there wasn't anything Mizuki could do about that right this moment and Kaede's memories weren't the topic of this meeting. They'd come here together because Kaede wanted to try and gather people with which she could take on bigger tasks and adventurers which would be taxing to take care of alone, so personal feelings aside they'd have to see if everyone here was willing and capable of working together. She didn't know much about this Corvella woman, but from her looks and attitude she should be fairly capable, although from Mizuki's perspective it looked like she wasn't really the leadership type. Of course Corvella readily admitted this herself, outright stating that she preferred taking orders over giving them, but there was also another sensation to it... Mizuki wasn't sure how to put it, but if she were asked to describe it to the best of her ability she'd say that Corvella gave the impression of an enthusiastic adventurer with good mental fortitude but lacking a certain kind of seriousness and dedication which would be needed for her to be a leader. Of course Mizuki still thought she'd be good to have around, since not everyone had to be a natural leader. In fact she sometimes felt like good leaders had a harder time being good people, since even if they had the natural talent they also more often had to make the more difficult decisions where there wasn't really a right answer, and being able to make those decisions easily... seemed to imply a more ambiguous morality. She did remember Aalam from a job she had taken on during the Dark Harvest Festival, where they were supposed to capture a strange animal for the people at the festival to show off. They'd ended up coming back empty-handed, not for a lack of trying but for a complete absence of things to hunt. They'd tried entering some caves but they'd only found small creatures, until eventually they'd been forced to abandon the place. From what she could remember Aalam had been focused on the task and doing his best to offer reasonable and logical suggestions. However she also remembered that he and the other person who had been with them that day hadn't gotten along, although since that other person had a habit of poking people with her words that might not say much about Aalam other than that he didn't act like a complete doormat. For the most part with Aalam she'd say that he was reliable, although he was making it clear that he wasn't very interested in getting close to anyone here and the way he cautiously observed them he didn't seem to be quick to trust. Which wasn't a bad trait, but it meant that it'd take some time before they'd be able to flawlessly work together as they got used to one another and learned to rely on one another. As Kaede explained what her first idea was Mizuki frowned, immediately wondering just what could have caused Kaede's memory loss once more. A cave somewhere in the Hylands could just rob you of your memories? That sounded a bit much, for a random creature in Terrasphere to have that ability... unless it only affected you as long as you were inside the game, like some kind of fog which only existed as long as you were linked to the game. Some kind of Death Affliction? It would be much more invasive an affliction than the usual, where you either got obsessed with something or deadly afraid of it. "I'm willing to help you find it if you think it'll help, although we'll have to move carefully if our goal is a cave which might have something to do with your memory loss. If you can't find it back even with the map we would have as good a chance of finding it as you, although you'd need to stay with us to recognize it once it's found." Mizuki explained her perspective on the challenge of finding Kaede's cave of potential memory loss. "That other job is probably a better one to start out with, so we can become more familiar with one another before we try anything really dangerous. I assume our part of the job would be to help make sure the grass knolls won't destroy the new settlement, not recruit more people." She crossed her legs, one on top of the other, as she folded her arms. "The grass knolls are very territorial: simply beating them up won't keep them at bay for long, and the settlers wouldn't want to spend their new life constantly in fear of gnoll attacks. We'd have to create a deterrent for the gnolls which would last for a long time." While it was only speculation on Kaede's part Mizuki was already going through the task in her head, trying to think of something that'd fit the job. "Anyway, I'm fine with working together if you'll have me, and I think our cooperation should work out fine. It worked in the past, and even if you've lost your memories of who you once were I think at the core you're still the same person." It was true that this Kaede wasn't as blunt as she used to be, but that could just as easily be a result of being shaken of what happened. @Kaede Hoshi | @Aalam Abungu | @Corvella
Corvella listened as Kaede finally dropped what the potential jobs would be. A cave in Hylands... Not only that the place sounds very dangerous and Hylands were just explorable few weeks back, making intel about places in it very scarce, but also the fact that Kaede woke up without any memory in the cave entrance, so the chance that it was only a coincidence is little. Might not want to force the expedition there too early. The other job seemed more reasonable, with her seconding @Ueno Mizuki's opinion about how the grass knoll job would be better for starters "I agree. We might need time to get used to the party. Teamwork is integral if we going to tackle something far dangerous than grass knolls. I'll be helping if you want to help the settler with their problem." She pushed aside the mug on the table so it looked tidier. "No problem with that, right?" Should they all agree on taking the grass knoll job first, they can start to discuss it, whenever it is that they are going to Pormont to operate. Corvella caught glimpse of a waitress going by and grabbed a bowl of what appears to be crackers-like snack balls. Since she drank earlier it would be wise to fill her stomach with something so she wouldn't feel that drunk. As the snack doesn't seem to be that expensive (maybe) she brought that thing to the table and put it in the middle. The blonde looked at @Kaede Hoshi in the eyes while pointing at the bowl of snack, waiting for approval since the girl is the one who's paying for the drinks and foods before putting one piece of snack in her own mouth. "So.. did you think that the cave holds the secret to your lost memory? And whether there's any chance that you might recover it back by going there again?"
Aalam drained the rest of his drink placing it on the table with a resounding thunk; he did not, however, reach for a third glass. For Kaede had laid out the conditions of the job, that meant it was time to go to work. He was not going to be drunk on shift; there were still somethings that he would not and could not do. So instead he washed down the taste of ale with some water as the listen to what was being said. There was a little feeling of something from the ale, but it was so small that it wouldn’t have classified as a buzz. What he watched her was every word made its way past her lips; he had to make sure that there was nothing else at play. Letting his finger tracing the edge of his current mug feeling the cold glass against his finger as he thought about the options that were provided. She wanted to return to the place of the accident to try and remember something. The Hylands were some distance away, and it would be a substantial journey form terrain if nothing else. That was not counting in the possibility of any things they would be trying to kill them as they made it to the location or anything at the site itself. Looking around at the other and taking their measure, running it through his head. If they went as they were they would die, there was no question about that. They might have been decent fighters on their own, but there was no group chemistry. As they were just a bunch of stranger around a table as of current, for any real progress to be made that would have to change. As he listens to her list the second job that caught his interest more than the first. It would be as difficult in the traditional sense, but it would force them to work together and better than that it would make them learn. Force them to get comfortable with each other in a less dangerous setting, and it would give them a chance to get used to Kaede style of ordering. She would also need to get used to them; the wall was a collect of solider with the players being unusual units. To command player would test her as well, and that was a thought that made him smile. “I will put my vote in for the second job; it is the better of the two options right now. It will be a good test of your leadership and our ability to work together as a party. If we can work as a team there, then your cave will be much easier.”
