[PP-F11] Mewls & Mistletoe

[Telrenya 0]

"W-wait!" Telrenya hurried after the Irishman as he made his way past the nerve-wracked player, and the blonde couldn't help but cast an apologetic, sympathetic glance towards Mercury when she passed him by. "Jomei, I think he's telling the truth. We should be careful," She urged, quickening her pace to catch up with him on the way through the alley.

Nestled in a corner of Taft's side-streets, a small grove rested with a single tree in the center of the square, its snow-covered branches reaching at least twenty feet tall. Sitting atop one of its many bare, frozen branches sat a small black kitten, letting out tiny mews. The shortest of three figures, a girl with medium-length raven hair pulled into a low ponytail over her shoulder stood with arms outstretched above her, jumping to try and reach the lowest-hanging branch with hands clad in fingerless leather gloves. The hood of Kirana's half-cloak threatened to fall back on her shoulders more than once, and she impatiently pulled it forward when her arms fell and a scoff escaped her.

"As much fun as watching this is, how much longer are you gonna be?" Kaminari stood with his back pressed up against the side of a building that blocked in the grove, arms crossed over his chest. The man's bright red eyes were noticeably bored, and he soon brought a hand over his mouth in a rather obnoxious yawn. His companion was quick to shoot a glare his way, violet eyes sharp and accusatory. "You could help, you know." She grumbled, knowing that the concept was lost on the blonde. She turned her attention back upwards, giving another jump only for her reach to come up short and her boots to hit the frosted ground. The slick frost that coated the grass failed to catch on her heel, and Kirana's foot slipped forward as a result. The girl fell back onto her rear, a look of discomfort quickly taking over her features at the rough landing.

The man with the short, unkempt blonde hair promptly burst into a fit of laughter in response. "Oh my God, Ran!" He managed, clutching his sides while he ignored another piercing glare from the woman. "Okay, okay, you can keep goin', it's funny again." He brought a hand up to wipe a bit of moisture from the corner of his eye. All the while, a third figure stood quietly on the opposite side of Kirana, a generous distance between them. Caesura wore a blank expression, his straight black fringe falling half-way past his left stormy grey eye.

[Jomei 0]

The Irishman carried himself down the alleyway, turning whenever they hit a dead end. The man would follow the cat's cries as they seemed to get louder and louder. Telrenya behind him called out to Jomei that the two of them should be careful, and that she believed the other player from before was telling the truth. The ginger stopped in his step and turned his body to face Telrenya, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know love. I'll be careful. You know what happened last time I ran into a situation without thinking first." the man said with a chuckle, reminiscing the two's trip to the Floor 21 hot springs, which ended up landing them in the prison of a crazy cult. His fingers gently squeezed her shoulder, reassuring her a bit with a smile. "And like I said, we are still in the safe zone. If they really are that strong, the worst they can do is push us around." Before turning to continue their search for the cat, Jomei crossed his arms at his chest, and spoke with a more serious tone, "Besides.. if the guy with the glasses was telling the truth, and these guys stole all the possessions of some player. Then who are we to let that stand.. Remember what we stand for as the Holy Dragon Alliance; the protection of Aincrad's people." Jomei knew that they would not be getting into any real fights.. though the man did not look the part of a front liner in simple casual wear. Swiping his hand upwards, the man's clothes had been replaced by a new set of armor, which consisted of a long green coat over a black shirt and brown pants, plates of armor shoulders and chest, the latter with the Holy Dragon Alliance logo engraved into it. On his hip, Saint Andrew's Bane had not appeared, but a larger, more powerful looking rapier. Once the man's new equipment had been donned, he looked at Telrenya once more with a nod before continuing forward.

The end of the alley let into a small grove, which was, in fact, a dead end except for the back doors and windows of shops and homes. In the center, a single, frost covered tree that stood about twenty feet above them, the mews of a small cat could be heard towards the top. At its base, a hooded player who was struggling to stand after just slipping, trying to reach up and grab the closest hanging branch. Across from them, another player, who stood quiet.. simply observing with no words. The last player, to Jomei's right, had just finished with a laughing fit before he took notice to the ginger haired player. Jomei wore a determined, stoic look on his face, looking between the three players before finally looking up the tree to see where the cat had been hiding. "I'm just here for the cat. There's a little girl who's waiting for her."

 

[Telrenya 0]

With Jomei's hand resting on her shoulder, Telrenya looked up to meet his reassuring gaze. Then, as he continued to remind her of their guild's creed, the blonde blinked before the corner of her mouth hooked into a wide smirk. "Yeah, you're right." She nodded. As easy as it was to worry about the Irishman, they had a responsibility to their guild and what it stood for. Besides, being in a safe zone was about as reassuring as the situation could get, and so when Jomei swapped out his casual clothing for a new set of gear, Telrenya's brows raised. "Looks like I'm not the only one who got some cool new clothes." She grinned, bringing up her own menus to swap out her winter clothing for the white button-up shirt, dark gray blazer, and wavy pink skirt with thigh-high stockings. The outfit was reminiscent of a stylish school uniform, adorned with small golden star-shaped accents throughout, from the ribbon tied around her neck to the matching straps around her ankles. With Erin's Favor still hanging from her wrist, the combat set was rounded off by the gold-and-black hilt of a rapier at her hip, an ornate golden guard swirling around to the edge of its scabbard.

With the couple prepared for whatever dangers might be thrown at them, they hurried off to the end of the alleyway where they would stumble upon a trio of players spread over the small area around a tall tree. Upon their arrival, Kaminari would be the second to take notice of them, but the first to speak among them. His expression was initially sharp and uninviting, but he quickly took on half a smirk. "Hey Ran, these guys wanna storm in on your noble crusade." His eyes were trained on the ginger and blonde while he spoke in a mocking tone to the raven-haired girl that was dusting the loose powder from the back of her clothes. Kirana looked over her shoulder to the newcomers, a slight scowl on her face. Turning herself forward to face the thick base of the tree, her tone was flat and dismissive. "Thanks, but we got it." With her back to Jomei and Telrenya, her chin tilted up to the branches above her again, Hana's soft mewls filling the air all the while.

[Jomei 0]

The three players simply looked at Jomei and Tel as if they were not welcome into their little alcove of Taft. From what it looked like, the shorter, dark haired girl in the group had been trying to get up into the tree, the same mission as the couple's-- to retrieve the cat from high up in the tree. Jomei looked to the two men who stood on the side, simply watching their friend try to reach a branch that was obviously too high for her. "..And neither of you are gonna help her with that? I mean.. she did say we." The ginger chuckled, his head turning to the girl yet again, "Don't give them credit if they're not going to help." Jomei then stepped forward, so he stood under the branch that the dark haired girl tried to reach. Easily, the man was able to hop up and grab onto the branch. "Allow me." Jomei said kindly to the girl as he pulled himself up into the tree. As the ginger pulled himself up onto the first branch, he could see he immediately got the cat's attention, yelling down at him for making the tree shake a bit. "Sorry girl." he said in a voice under his breath. Inching his way to the bark of the tree, Jomei was able to climb his way up to the next branch with ease, thanks to the Acrobatics perk he had. 

The man worked his way up the tree, trying to avoid any distractions from down below. Finally, Jomei found himself on the branch opposite of the small kitten, that looked at him-- curious, yet frightened. The ginger calmly reached a hand out towards the cat with his palm up, smiling at the feline. "Its okay." he said in a soft voice. Slowly, the kitten approached Jomei, its fidgeting nose making contact with Jomei's gloved finger, taking in his scent before taking a step into the palm of his hand, and slowly working its way up his arm until it secured itself to his shoulders. Trying to contain his own excitement, the man began to lower himself down back to the ground where the others waited for him. 

[Telrenya 0]

"Tch." Kaminari let out a scoff of distaste when Jomei's criticism reached his ears, but did not offer a rebuttal. His garnet eyes traveled to the other noirette standing off on the other side of their female companion. As if reading some sort of invisible cue from Cae's impassive expression, he could hardly manage to hide the corner of his mouth pulling up into a sadistic smirk.

"H-Hey!" Ran's brows narrowed into another glare as the man stepped beside her and pulled himself up into the tree. She opened her mouth to protest his actions, but before she could get another sound out, something yanked sharply at the scruff of her cloak. She stumbled backwards, gritting her teeth as her head whipped around to meet the blonde's eyes. Another silent exchange of information, and Ran's eyes carefully darted to the man across from her in turn. She tensed for a moment when she met Caesura's icy stare, but didn't make any attempt to free herself from her companion's grasp.

"Stop being such a brat, just let him do it." Kaminari took a few steps to continue dragging the raven-haired girl back, and it was at this point that Telrenya's concerned, narrowed gaze danced between the trio. She drew in a breath of courage through her nose and directed her attention to the blonde. "Hey, don't push her around." She commanded in an attempt to stick up for the girl. Kaminari stopped, having to wait only seconds before his bait had drawn an interest. The man turned his amused gaze onto Telrenya, boring into the woman before they gave her a quick once-over. His grip on the bunched cloth tightened a bit, and he lifted his arm a couple of inches higher in the air, bringing Kirana to the balls of her feet before he shoved her forward towards the base of the tree. She stumbled again, bringing her arms up to brace herself against the sturdy structure before her face would have crashed into it. "Mind your own business, blondie. I can push her around all I want."

Telrenya bristled with anger at the sight that played out before her. In the event that the violent man greatly outleveled her, it really was a good thing they were in a safe zone, because her feet would have carried her forward regardless. She stepped in between the two players, turning to face Kaminari with a protective fire in her eyes. "No, you can't." She said defiantly. The man was unfazed by Telrenya's bravado, simply shifting his weight while wearing an amused smirk. "Oh? Why's that, you offering to take her place?"

[Jomei 0]

As the Irishman made his way up the tree, he tried his best to drown out any of the distractions below. The arguments going on between the cocky guy and the raven haired girl who tried to climb into the tree herself. Jomei could hear the tensions rising a bit, the blonde haired man telling his companion to stop her antics and let Jomei take care of it. Though his gaze had not returned to the ground, as to avoid missing a branch, he could hear the sound of boots moving around and crunching the snow under them, soon followed by the sound of Telrenya's voice, demanding that he stop pushing her around. At this point, the man could not help but take a look back down, the make sure that Tel was alright. In response for the blonde woman sticking up for the girl, the blonde man lifted the smaller girl onto the balls of her feet, before tossing her into the base of the tree. Jomei grit his teeth and grabbed onto the trunk of the tree next to him as it gently shook from the weight of the girl crashing into the trunk.

By now, Jomei had already rescued the small kitten, which secured itself to the cloth of Jomei's cloak as he made his way back down the tree, which served to be a much easier task then climbing up. On his way down, he could hear the voices of the others yet again, the blonde haired man snapping at Tel that he could boss his companion around if he wanted to. After Tel had once again persisted that he could not, the man made the mistake of asking if Tel would want to take her place and be pushed around by him instead. By now, Jomei's boots had finally hit the ground again, the snow crunching beneath his weight as he spun around and stormed over to the man immediately. With the small, black kitten still on his shoulders, Jomei stepped right against the man, his arms crossed as he looked at the blonde, daring him to try and oppose Jomei. "I'd like to see you try." he said in a threatening voice, glaring down at the man. Hana, on his shoulders, arched her back and let out a tiny hiss at the man, glaring at the blonde just as Jomei had. "You so much as lay a finger on her.. or your friend again, and you answer to me. Got it?" 

[Telrenya 0]

With a new, imposing presence beside him, Kaminari offered Jomei little more than a sidelong glance, the level of his eyes just a few inches lower. 'Well that was too easy.'He inwardly mused. Catching sight of the kitten that stood on the Irishman's shoulder and mirrored his treatening tone, he couldn't help the corner of his amused smirk pulling a centimeter higher. 'It's no fun when it's easy.' His garnet gaze shifted back to the two women, the shorter blonde shielding off the other. "You and blondie really oughta mind your own business." His shoulders pulled up as a sigh escaped his lips. "If you keep sticking your noses where they don't belong, you'll end up gettin' 'em cut off."

His hands planted on his hips and his shoulders turned. "C'mon Ran, we got better things to do." While Kaminari began to carry himself towards the lone path that Jomei and Telrenya had earlier emerged from, Kirana was nervously fixing the collar of her half-cloak. The girl moved to walk past Telrenya when she was prompted, causing the blonde to blink in surprise at her willingness to follow after such a violent person. "Wait!" Without thinking, her hand reached out to grasp the noirette's leather-clad wrist. Kirana's impassive gaze turned on her, causing her bravery to falter. "You... You shouldn't go with him." She urged in a softer voice. Despite the nerves, and worrying that she was indeed sticking her nose farther than she could manage, she kept a tight enough grip to hold the girl in place.

Kirana's expression showed the slightest hint of unease, and she spoke to both Telrenya and Jomei in little more than a whisper. "Don't get involved."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei stood unnerved at the man's empty threats about Jomei and Tel staying out of their business. His ginger brows rose as he looked down a couple inches at the man, wondering if he would try to cause himself or Telrenya any harm. As his arms fell to his sides, his finger twitched, preparing himself for any quick attacks. However, the man seemed to call himself off, calling over the rest of his group to follow him. Jomei simply watched as the man walked away taking a couple of paces so he stood next to Telrenya. As if summoned like some sort of pet, the dark haired girl made her way past the two to rejoin her blonde friend. Telrenya quickly reacted, grabbing onto the girl's wrist, and offering her an alternative to not go with the man. Silence fell over the grove, as all eyes were on the two women. Yet Estelle held strong, and pleaded with the woman, who soon told her to also stay out of their business.

The ginger shook his head before taking a step forward, "Theres more to you than this group.. You're different. Why hang around with a couple of thieves that don't care about you? You can do so much more." His eyes shot over to the blonde haired man after calling the group thieves, revealing that he had been told of the group's role in other affairs. 

[Telrenya 0]

Kaminari's brows narrowed at the accusation that was shot his way, turning to look over his shoulder and catch the Irishman's olive gaze. "Hey hey, where do you get off on calling us thieves, huh?" He stopped in his tracks, a genuine curiosity intermingling with the amusement in his voice. He snickered, "Aren't you the one that swooped in and took that cat she was trying so hard to get?"

Caesura wordlessly turned to the alleyway leading back to Taft's main streets without offering any of the players another glance. Kaminari's eyes followed as his companion passed by him, allowing a couple of paces between the two men while he called back over his shoulder with a shrug. "Whatever, she's your problem now." Slipping his hands into his pockets, the pair of players disappeared seconds later.

Kirana stared at her companions' backs with a hint of disbelief in her violet eyes. Telrenya's bottom lip stiffened as a silence settled over the trio that remained. "S-sorry..." The blonde eventually forced out, releasing her grasp on the girl. "I just didn't want them to keep treating you like that. It's...it's not worth it." She lowered her gaze with a soft, defeated voice.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's upper lip seemed to twitch as he scowled at Kaminara, who snapped at Jomei for calling them bandits. "We know what you did. So no point in denying it.. And its not like either of you were going to help her get the cat down anyway. So don't pin this on me." Jomei said, pointing his finger at the blonde with each word he spoke. The ginger's eyes watched as the mysterious member of the group, who had kept quiet the entire time, seemed to become bored of the situation, and simply removed himself by leaving through the alleyway. Following suit, the blonde followed, leaving the raven haired girl behind for Jomei and Telrenya to deal with. Jomei took in a deep breath through his nostrils to calm his nerves, letting the fist that had balled up to relax and open. Jomei turned to Telrenya as she apologized to the girl left behind for getting involved, and he soon stepped over to join the two women. "You're better off without them. There really is no point in hanging around with scumbags like that." His gaze shifted back to the alleyway to see that the backs of the two men were no longer in sight. Feeling a bit of relief, Jomei turned back to the girl, "Why did you even bother sticking around with them if they treated you like that?" 

[Telrenya 0]

Kirana's wrist moved to the palm of her other hand, rubbing at the joint more out of impulse rather than an actual discomfort brought about by Telrenya's earlier grip. She seemed to tense up a bit when Jomei addressed her, prompting for an explanation as to why she stuck around such disrespectful people. She nervously averted her gaze, a mixture of guilt and embarrassment lingering in her expression. "They're not usually that bad." She said in a small voice before trying to offer a better response. "They helped me a while ago, and let me stick around. But I'm weaker than them, so I ended up slowing them down. I don't blame them for not wanting to babysit me anymore." Her violet eyes flickered back to Jomei, until they quickly found the bright blue of the kitten on his shoulder. They lingered for a few moments until she pulled them away again, trailing over to the corner of the alleyway. "Um... Thanks for getting the cat down." The apology seemed almost begrudging, as if she was still bitter from not being able to do so herself, but was not disingenuous.

Telrenya took on a small, sympathetic smile once the tension slowly dissipated. Her shoulders relaxed, and she was able to turn her attention back to Jomei now that she felt the girl was no longer in danger. Seeing the Irishman with the black-and-white kitten resting atop his cloak, Telrenya's cheeks would have gone pink if it weren't for the cold air having already lightly colored them. "Ahh, yeah, she's really cute." She forced herself to speak so as not to continue staring in silence. Turning her attention back to the stranger across from them, the blonde gave a small shake of her head. "Well, I'm sorry that they left like that, but it looks to me like they weren't really your friends." She frowned before stepping forward with an outstretched hand. "I'm Telrenya, by the way. What's your name?"

"Kira." She said plainly, reaching out after a moment to accept a quick handshake. Her eyes ran over the blonde's shorter frame and the unique outfit that she wore, taking note of the ornate handle of a rapier at her hip and the pieces of jewelry at her chest and wrist. Then, to Jomei, violet orbs ran over the similar type of blade at his side and a necklace resting below the collar of his cloak. She took in the sight of the two players in turn before speaking up again, "Nobody ever stands up to them... Are you two frontliners or something?"

[Jomei 0]

Jomei nodded in understanding at the girl's story about how she ended up with the other two men. A typical matter of them helping her out at one point, and she just stuck around for the ride. Though, from the sounds of it, they never helped her much with leveling up to meet their level. Jomei shrugged his shoulders and shook his head before offering the girl a kind smile, "You're probably better off." After her violet eyes looked in Jomei's direction for a moment, they trailed off, thanking him for rescuing Hana from the tree. Nearly forgetting about the feline on his shoulders from the small encounter with the girl's old companions, Jomei's eyes widened. The small kitten nuzzled its head on Jomei's cheek letting out a loud purr that filled the man's ear. 

Jomei reached his arms up to take the kitten in his hands, holding it in front of him and looking into its small blue eyes, his own orbs nearly shimmering with happiness. "Hi there." he said in a soft voice, before turning the cat over on its back and holding it in one arm, gently wiggling the other one in front of its face. The cat's pupils began to become larger as it watched Jomei's finger, before batting at the moving appendage with soft paws. The man could not help but chuckle, playing with the small kitten in his arms. His gaze soon returned up to the other two women, who were introducing each other. "Sorry, I'm Jomei. I fight on the front lines, yeah. We also are the leaders of Holy Dragon Alliance."

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's eyes drifted back to Jomei when he lifted the kitten from his shoulder. The sight of the enthralled ginger was too adorable for words, causing her cheeks to flush a shade or two deeper than the winter air would have otherwise tinted them while she watched him play with Hana. It wasn't until he lifted his gaze back up to them that she snapped to attention and stopped herself from staring.

Kirana's attention turned from one player to the next as they introduced themselves and she added a mental note that the man claimed to be a frontline player while the woman made no such mention. It would have been so much easier if she could just drop her group and had an excuse to party up with them. Then she could at least get a better gauge on the orange-haired man, who seemed to be the larger threat of the two by far. 'So, do I have to try to get her alone, or...?' She inwardly mused, trying to come up with a half-decent plan in the short silence that followed their introductions.

It wasn't long before the atmosphere between the three players began to grow awkward, and Kirana shifted her weight with a nervous expression. "Well, uhh, I guess I should probably go." She brought up a hand to rub at her opposite arm, and her attempted farewell caught Telreyna's attention. "Oh, well, why don't you at least come with us to return the kitten?" She cast Jomei a short glance in hopes that he wouldn't mind her offering for the girl to tag a long a bit longer.

[Jomei 0]

The ginger's gaze returned to Hana as he felt a nibble on his finger, a small chuckle bubbling up from inside passing his lips with a wide smile. Pulling from the vicious vice grip of the tiny kitten's teeth, Jomei began to scratch at the soft underbelly of the cat, its blue eyes closing in satisfaction. Jomei's eyes returned upwards to the two, to see Telrenya and Kira looking his way. He had heard Telrenya mention returning the cat, to which he looked at her with a pleading look in his eyes for a moment, "Do we have to?" he said in a soft voice, before looking to Kira and realizing what she had really asked. "Oh, I-I mean of course you can tag along when we.... go to.. bring the ..cat back." Jomei sighed at the end of the second part of his sentence, realizing that there was a young girl crying over her lost friend Hana.

Walking up to the two women who spoke to eachother, Jomei smiled at Telrenya, holding out Hana like one passing a young baby in their arms to another. Jomei knew that Telrenya was not the fondest of animals, though the innocent look of the kitten was enough to change anyone's mind on that. With the black and white kitten now in Tel's arms, Jomei gave it one more gentle pet on the head before its blue eyes turned to Telrenya, letting out a small mew before nuzzling up into her arms. Jomei could not help but express a warm smile, his cold cheeks warming up with a pink blush before he turned to the alley way. "Right, lets go find that young girl." 

The group retraced their steps through the narrow streets and alleyways, making their way back to the main road where they had first run into the shady man with the glasses. Jomei kept his eyes on his surroundings, making sure that the two men from before hadn't laid some sort of trap for them. Despite being in the safe zone, and no harm actually being able to be done to them, he would prefer to not go through another altercation. The Irishman turned to look over his shoulder at Kira, his mind was curious whether or not the bespectacled man had been truthful or not. "So..what I said before.. about them being thieves, is it true?.. A man from earlier warned us about you guys in the grove, said you stole all the gear from another player." Before Kira had a chance to reply, Jomei turned his shoulder a bit more, offering her a friendly smile, "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, you're better than those other two. I'm sure you didn't have any part of it, or at least didn't want to."

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's bottom lip pursed lightly in sympathy when she met Jomei's widened olive eyes. The disappointment present in his voice at the realization that they would have to return the kitten nearly broke her heart, but before she could consider the possibility of delaying their return, Jomei approached her with the tiny cat in his outstretched arms. She stared back into Hana's bright blue eyes, entranced for a second before she managed to shoot the Irishman a nervous glance. She hesitated when she reached out to take the kitten, clearly unsure of how to handle the small animal. Jomei's fingers grazed over the top of her head one more time, and the tiny sound that left Hana as her attention turned on her new caretaker caused a new pink shade to fill Telrenya's cheeks. The kitten nestled herself into the blonde's arms, burying the top of her head against the crook of her elbow. The girl was slightly overwhelmed with the innocent and adorable creature in her care, but she couldn't help the smile that pulled up at the corners of her mouth when the sound of Hana's purring reached her ears.

When the trio worked their way back to the main streets of Taft, Kirana's head tilted to the side at Jomei's question. "I was wondering if you were bluffing, or what." She mumbled the thought aloud in the same even tone she normally spoke with before shaking her head. "That guy's a bully, but we're not thieves." She stated, speaking for all three of the players with the second half of her statement. While she held onto her impassive expression, the gears of her mind turned with his mention of another player that had tried to warn the couple. It took her a few seconds to recall the lanky brunette that they had passed by earlier that day, and being unable to remember anyone else they had encountered to raise suspicion, she made a mental note. 'Kami is going to have a field day when he hears that guy talked.'

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's head turned to look at Kira as she voiced her thought on whether or not Jomei was bluffing or not. His head shook from side to side, his words were truthful to what he knew. At this point, either Kira was lying to him, or the man with the glasses from before was. Jomei shot a quick look towards Telrenya, wondering what her thoughts on this development were. Either way, it did not sit well in Jomei's gut, nor did it make him feel very happy about the whole situation. Jomei thought himself to be a very kind and forgiving man to most. However, if his trust was placed in someone, and then it was tampered with and he was betrayed, that was a different story. The man knew his patience would be tested with these two shady characters, though which to believe he could not be sure. "Well, I'm happy to hear my information was wrong then." Jomei said with a chuckle.

Eventually, the group had made their way back to the busier street of Taft, where they saw the young girl patiently waiting for her heroes' return with her tiny feline friend. Jomei turned back towards Telrenya, his olive eyes looking at the kitten in her arms, before moving up to Telrenya's chocolate brown orbs. "She's going to be really happy to find out that her friend is okay."  he said with a soft voice, walking over to the woman and petting the cat on the head one last time. 

[Telrenya 0]

It looked like the original plan was a bust. The tall guy was too dangerous, and stayed too close to the blonde girl. While Kirana wore the same impassive expression that seemed typical of the teen, she inwardly sighed. Still, it seemed like they had some good stuff on them, and that was just going by items they had equipped. If the ginger was a frontliner, he probably had plenty of valuable stuff on him. Now it was a matter of weighing risk versus reward. That would be Cae's job, not hers.

Meanwhile, Telrenya felt just as conflicted as Jomei about the different information they had been given. While she couldn't take back her denouncement of having previously met Mercury on their way to the grove, she had thought the short adventure they shared had given her more than enough insight on the type of person he was to know that he was truthfully trying to warn him. The two men that had been hanging around Kira were no good, that was for sure, but why would she vouch for them--lie for them, even--if they abandoned her like that? She felt Jomei's gaze turn to her and lifted hers back in return, brows knit with slight concern.

When the trio returned to find the young girl standing anxiously beside the bench they had originally found her, she was no longer sobbing. Just waiting, her movements programmed and repetitive to have her rock back and forth on her feet, fidget by pushing the tips of her index fingers together, and occasionally adjust the scarf that was wrapped around her neck. The two women stopped when Jomei turned and approached the blonde still holding the kitten in her arms. Hana let out a satisfied purr when his fingers glided over the top of her head, and she nuzzled further against Telrenya's arms, causing her lips to purse with a fresh blush on her cheeks. For a fleeting moment, she shared in Jomei's sentiment of wanting to keep Hana with them. The thought of taking her back to their home just a few streets down was more tempting that she would have imagined, but after snapping herself out of the vision she took on a small smile while looking down at the black-and-white kitten. "Yeah, I'm sure she will."

Resigning herself to the fact that they did indeed have to return Hana to her rightful owner, Telrenya drew in a breath and carried the still-purring cat over to the little girl. Once she was close enough to get her attention, she looked up and stared at the blonde for a moment until her eyes lit up like the festive lights that decorated the streets of Taft. "Hana!" She exclaimed, eagerly taking the kitten into her arms when Telrenya offered the small creature. Hana let out several tiny mews, and the girl giggled as she began to chat with the talkative kitten, explaining how much she missed her friend and how worried she'd been. She then turned her attention back up to the players, a wide smile stretching from ear to ear on her young face. "Thank you! Thank you so much! Now Hana and I can be together for Christmas!"

[Jomei 0]

After Telrenya's agreement with Jomei, the group approached the young girl who anxiously awaited the kitten's return. Once the three were close enough, her large eyes, red and puffy from crying earlier, lit up with excitement. "Hana!" She called out as she ran to meet the players. Jomei's own smile brightened as the child took the cat into her arms, nuzzling her face against the soft fur of the kitten, who also seemed to show happiness to be back with her young companion. The two seemed to talk back and forth as if they could completely understand each other, though the girl spoke in her language while the kitten simply meowed to reply. Jomei could not help but smile brightly at the exchange, placing a gently hand upon the curve of Telrenya's back as he stepped next to her. Jomei felt a surge of happiness when the girl turned to them, tears of joy and thankfulness in her eyes, thanking the players for finding her kitten, and that the two could spend the holiday together. The ginger felt a lump in his own throat, letting out a small laugh to express his happiness for the two. "I'm happy that we could help." Jomei said with a bright smile and wave of his hand. "Just be sure to be careful next time, you don't Hana freezing out here. Maybe play inside with her." he said with a chuckle.

After parting ways with the small girl, who Jomei had completely forgotten was an NPC, Kira stopped and turned to the couple. "Well.. now that we dropped off the cat, I'm gonna get out of here." Jomei looked at the younger girl for a moment before offering a smile, "You know you can stick around if you want.."  The slight hint of a smirk pulled at the corner of her lips before she waved her hand in front of her, gesturing that she would decline his offer, "Thanks.. but I'm good.. Thanks again for sticking up for me." Realizing his words would not reach the girl, Jomei simply nodded and smiled again, "Of course. Take care of yourself Kira." After his farewell, the girl turned and walked away from the couple, readjusting the collar of her half cloak. Once she was far enough away, Jomei turned to look at Telrenya before smiling, "Can we get a kitten now?" he said with a small laugh, knowing the game would not allow them a second familiar. 

[Telrenya 0]

Their exchange with the little NPC girl warmed Telrenya's heart, and she had a wide smile of her own stretching across her face while she carried her kitten back towards their home. Kira spoke up to take her leave, and the blonde's expression dimmed with half-disappointment and half-concern. She was still a bit uneasy with the whole exchange, but as the noirette seemed intent on parting ways, Telrenya resigned herself to a mental shrug, her eyes turning up to meet Jomei's shortly after.

She laughed, only able to imagine how unbearably cute it might be to have a small kitten to roam around the house they shared. Just watching the ginger playing with Hana had practically made her heart melt, and for a moment she wondered what it might be like outside of Sword Art Online. If Nick and Estelle might one day be able to share a home there, where they could care for their own kitten and spend Christmas together. "I'd really like that..."

Before she had realized it, a thick shade of pink had worked its way over her cheeks. Whether she had spoke up to answer his rhetorical question, or she was thinking aloud in response to her own fantasizing, she looked away and let out a tiny laugh. A few moments passed, and her chocolate eyes then turned up towards the sky. It was overcast with the earlier snowfall, and as a result it was difficult to tell how much time they would have before sunset. She could tell the sky had dimmed since they had first set out for a stroll, and it was then that a thought crossed Telrenya's mind. She perked up, smiling widely while she turned back to the Irishman and moved to lace her fingers with his once again. "I know! Let's go look at the lights." She suggested, recalling the most dense arrangements of festive lights and decor that lay in the town's square.

[Jomei 0]

As Telrenya's cheeks turned a pink color after agreeing with Jomei about wishing the two could have a kitten running around their house, the man could not help bet let out a small laugh and a big smile. His gloved hand reached up and placed itself on her cheek, his thumb gently caressing at the warm skin of her face as her eyes looked up to the overcast sky. Olive eyes remained locked on her though, his smile widening just a bit as his cheeks turned a hint of pink. His loving gaze remained on the girl until she finally snapped back to Jomei's own eyes, blinking in a bit of surprise when as her face lit up. Jomei let out a small Hm of questioning before Telrenya's fingers intertwined with his own, stating that the two should go look at the illuminated decorations. 

Jomei's own smile widened before nodding "Thats a good idea. Most of the shops around the square should the most lights set up, and they should be lighting up the tree in the center of town soon." As Telrenya's fingers intertwined with his own, Jomei gripped his hand around hers with a bright smile, before leading the girl down the street in a rushed walk. Though the decorations had begun to set up the week before the Holiday, they slowly became more prominent throughout the town-- trees showing up in house windows, lights lining the lamp posts and awnings of stores. By now, most of the town had some sort of decorations set up to celebrate Christmas, and the center of the town was the place to see the best of them. 

The part of the town where the two had started off seemed to be a bit less decorated, simple wreathes and light fixtures. However, the closer the two got to the center of town, the more vibrant the decorations. By the time the two had neared the center of the European styled city, Taft had become a pure Christmas town. Colorful lights lined all of the shop windows, the decorated trees sitting right inside the window for all to see. Jomei turned to look at Telrenya to see the excitement in her eyes.