Ozwin couldn't believe how barren this country was. It took him absolutely forever to find a place that even had a population though the small settlement didn't exactly seem to be bustling with activity. Rather... hell even from a distance this place was depressing. "Well now I know what a town of people waiting on the world to end looks like..." Grimacing Ozwin looked at his partner for this little mission, a felis who he happened to meet on taking this assignment. "I am not sure if these people would have noticed the source of the rumors over this thick air of impending doom, but who knows, maybe someone was having a good enough day to notice and be dragged back into the mud... A place this miserable is bound to have some sort of place to try to drink the mind away, may as well find it and... I don't know... try and make them forget how awful this place feels for a bit?" The approach to the town itself only seemed to become drearier. A few people noticed them but didn't seem interested in them past the first glance as if they didn't care if they were traders or raiders... Well he couldn't blame them, most of the land around here seemed to have been torn apart and drained. It was a wonder how they were feeding themselves. Eventually they came upon an establishment that simply had the word 'Inn' written on it... Direct, he supposed. Only building outsiders would really be looking for here anyway. Walking inside... well the place was surprisingly clean but otherwise bland and lifeless despite the numerous people sitting around drinking. "Seen crypts livelier and this place," Ozwin muttered. Who knows perhaps it would be simple enough to bully the information out of such weak willed people... But Ozwin wasn't much for kicking people while they were down... might as well try and bring them up a bit. Who knows maybe if people thought they were here to help they might get more information. "A song... maybe a story... Not terribly sure either would be very effective right off the bat... Best to get a good feel for the room first... I'm going to talk up a few people sitting alone in the corners, they seem like they need something more inspiring at least. See if you can pull any life from the people sitting at the bar I guess... Or anyone really, as long as we get some momentum in this room going it should make it easier to pull others in." Rather than head straight for them though Ozwin went to the bar took a mug and bought a pitcher of... ale? Goodness for even the booze to lack enthusiasm... Then he sought out his first target practically sitting in the dark and alone at his table, rather weathered sort, and sat down at the table and topped off the man's mug. "You got a look I know well old timer. It helped me remember what this town reminds me of. You have the look of uncertainty of an experienced sailor seeing a vicious storm on the path home. Resigned to face it and knowing full well that if not you, it is very likely another member of the crew will be lost to the sea. That young man there a friend of yours? He has the face of a greener hand who has seen the ship's cat has gone missing at some point and that the rats have torn into the rations. Hey you, come join us for a drink. Yes come over here. There you go, here let me fill your cup..." Ozwin held a knowing gaze despite working a bit on the fly here. "Now as I was saying your faces and this town are quite familiar to me. This town is a ship that has been suffering bad weather for days, and storms on and off for weeks. Worse yet you feel sure you know monsters are lurking in the waters... Now as a sailor I am limited in how I can help some problems, such as guiding the ship to less turbulent parts of the storm and singing a shanty or two to make the work easier, no person can truly control nature, whether that nature be of the world or of people... But monsters at the least are a solvable issue, and not all monsters come in the forms of scaly or fanged beasts. Apart from the leviathans and serpents of the deep, the sea also has monsters called pirates and raiders, animals wearing the faces of people who prey on and ruin the hard work of honest folk. Yes! You over there I liked the anger I just saw in your eyes, don't sit there eavesdropping, come join us." Ozwin was starting to feel his own pace pick up at this point, riled was better than dead after all. "It isn't right to mess with a person's livelihood, is it? Such sinners deserve not the protection of a silent tongue or your fear. And it isn't even just the ones you have already had to watch steal or ruin your work now is it? You've eyes and ears don'tcha? You know a new threat is in the waters don't you? You've felt it in your gut. But in this story of a vicious sea and storm you are only... say a fisherman trying to bring food home to feed his family and earn some coin. The storms are a thing you have dealt with before and either your experience and luck get you through or they don't. But that unknown beast? That ship whose marks you don't recognize? You don't know what to do. But from past a swell you see another ship come up bearing the flags of a monster hunter. He is already on the coin of well off folk and is here to search these waters and investigate the very threat that has you worked up. He wants nothing from you but what signs you may have seen. All you have to do is point him in the right direction and he will try to get rid of the threat, or learn its true nature and come back in full force. He may not be able to scare off a storm, but every threat eliminated makes it that much more likely that you can get home to your family with food for their bellies and fuel for the hearth." @Kyupin Felnya
Kyupin watched her partner, Ozwin, with pursed lips as he callously described the sorry state of the town they had decided to visit. Okay, sure, it looked a little… depressing, and most of the buildings were in shambles and the population in rags, but still! Wasn't it a bit too rude to say it so simply? His only saving grace was his idea to help alleviate the stress that would come with living in this place. Though she shook her head, she trotted after him obediently, occasionally wiggling her fingers at people as they passed by. They ignored her greetings. "Ah," she mumbled. The dreary feeling of the town applied to the villagers too, she supposed. Peeking around the inn, Kyupin tugged uncomfortably at her skirts. She felt almost too clean for this place, as if she were intruding on their space. She turned to discuss with Ozwin, but he was long gone, holding a platter of ale and talking up some men. "H-Hey! Ozwin!" she squeaked out, suddenly nervous. Why had he just abandoned her?! The way he so easily riled them up, gathering eager men around him and lifting their spirits… she envied that. People were easily drawn to him, hanging from his every word. He fed them hope. Just like the others, she found herself stepping closer, his excitement warming her up. Within the crowd, she could hear murmurs of agreement. Whispers of rumours and a mix of hope and fear blending into one chaotic storm. One particular duo caught her eyes. She edged closer to them, shifting through the crowd until she was by their side. A tall, battered old man with burns along his right arm, and a younger street urchin tending to the man's needs. "Hello," she said once she was close enough, raising her voice just enough to be heard. The younger one jumped in fright at the sound of her and spun around with a snarl. "Oh! I'm sorry. Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." Her apologies did nothing. "Yeah? Then go away!" She frowned at the urchin and slowly reached to her pouch, drawing out a bag of medicinal herbs. "My name's Kyupin Felnya," she said, staring into his eyes. Behind her, Ozwin continued to cheer the crowd on. "Those burns," she nodded at the older man, "look painful. Got into a fight recently?" She laid the pouch on the table and then backed up, her hands in the air. "What's it to you, huh? Wanna fight?" The urchin took a threatening step towards her, and it took everything Kyupin had in her to stay still. Luckily, the older man stepped in, leaning his burned arm in front of the kid. "Hello, miss Felnya." His wizened eyes narrowed at the urchin as he nodded towards the bag of herbs. "Be a dear and check those are safe?" "Kyupin's fine." She smiled, exuding her usual gently warmth. "Medicinal herbs. You can use them if you want. I keep extras on me all the time." "I know what medicinal herbs are, you cu–OW! What the heck, old man?! Geez…" The older man snorted. "Forgive my son. You're a fighter then?" His... son? Huh. She shook her head. "Adventurer," she corrected. "I heard something about a cult terrorizing this area and," she shrugged helplessly, "I wanted to see if I could help." "Yeah? You and what arm—owwwwwwww. Fine, fine!" Lifting his burned arm, the older man tentatively applied an herb to the wounds. It stung initially, but slowly he could see the burns retracting. "I've heard of your kinds. The weirdly strong ones, like cockroaches you are. Never the kind to stay down." He looked at her, assessing her worth. Her strength. "You might be able to do something. Alright…" @Asch Charm Approach
