[F01 | PP] Tutelage Among the Skies | <<Training Your Friend>>

[Morrigan 0]

Morrígan listened quietly as Acanthus returned and chattered, the previously topic skirted as subtly as a plane crashing into a tower. Still, she knew better than to press into conversations that were desired to be left alone; a habitual trait of many she’d once been encircled by in the real world. Instead, Acanthus turned to the topic of Morrígan herself, and she found herself nodding in response to the posed question, as well as the reasoning behind it.

’We actually have; The Morrígu, a tailor shop on the tenth floor. It’s…out of the way, certainly, which is partially why we chose the location. The business is nothing fancy – a simple place to find the clothing and tailored goods some players may want. It has been growing steadily, however.’ She’d seen her fair share of turnout following the limited advertising she’d managed. Word of mouth was still the best sales pitch, and she found herself naturally falling into her sales routine; perhaps not as sly as a true salesperson, but spoken nonetheless.

Her eyes followed Kumaki as the small bear cub lumbered around the area, still wondering at the fact that the player had managed to find a bear in any form as its companion. Not wanting to let the silence settle, however, Morrígan found herself asking her own follow up questions, trying to decipher the other’s willingness to continue talking. ’What about yourself? I know you’re creating performance related crystals…performer, correct?...for some sort of business. But where do you have your own shop? I’d love to drop by some day, if for no reason other than to peruse the area. Although, if Kumaki is allowed to roam free through the studio and shop, that could be…entertaining.’

She’d given a small smile at the end, hoping that the subtle joke would be caught by the other player. She’d meant no disrespect to either – if anything, she found Kumaki’s lumbering somewhat endearing, in a way. Like a child exploring the world for the first time. A flash caught Morrígan’s eyes as she mused upon the existence of the cub, as Phantom dove through the sky towards the ground, aiming for something in the grass.

’We’re lucky to have them with us…’ She mumbled the words, not entirely aware she’d spoken them at all, as her eyes followed the form of Phantom. A small, genuine smile played at the corners of her mouth as she gazed into the sky.

-

ID240181 | CD: 8 | <<Training Familiar>> | Result: Success! [3/3]

Edited January 14 by Morrigan

[Acanthus 0]

Acanthus listened intently as Morrígan talked about her shop. She was a natural salesperson; despite Acanthus’ lack of interest in clothes, she found herself drawn in by the topic. “I’ll have to come by soon. I feel like I should have more than a handful of outfits to choose from. But frankly, most of the time I leave the house, I’m on a quest, and when I’m on a quest, my outfit is picked out for me.” She sheepishly adjusted some of her armor. “Even right now. I didn’t anticipate going on a quest in particular, and here I am, dressed in armor and carrying a sword when neither are necessary. I suppose it’s best to be on your guard when death is at stake.”

Acanthus hated talking about their grim reality, so she quickly swerved topics to talk about her shop. “I do have a shop. It’s in Scalabis, on Floor 24. Just off the main square, near a small bakery. I should have plenty of items ready for you, and I sell a few other things as well: music boxes, non-enhanced recording crystals, and the like. If you come by, I’d be happy to show you around. Perhaps by then, I’ll have Kumaki playing the instruments.”

Kumaki had run off again. “Ah, I’m sorry. I should be trying to train her, instead of talking about nothing. She’s probably just looking for more rocks, silly little thing.” But Kumaki had been out of vision for some time now. “I… will have to find her first. I’m sure she’s nearby.” Her pace quickened. Kumaki wandered away often, but she usually checked in more than this. She kept her voice level, asking her next question innocuously. “I don’t guess you saw which way she went? Perhaps Phantom saw her run off?”
 

Post Action: Training Kumaki
240096 | CD 2 | Failure. Threshold Reduced. (CD 5 -> 3) (1/3)

Edited January 20 by Acanthus

[Morrigan 0]

Anything that Morrígan may have wanted to say was swept away as Acanthus suddenly became frantic about her companion’s lack of appearance. Morrígan signalled into the air, calling Phantom from the sky. The raven descended quickly, landing upon Morrígan’s shoulder before ruffling into place.

’Kumaki has disappeared. Would you do us a kindly favour and look for any sign of the bear in the skies above? If you spot her, give a call and dive towards her once we’ve responded.’ Morrígan spoke quickly, trying to convey a sense of urgency into the raven’s mind. Not that she do such a thing, the form of Phantom leaping into the sky before Morrígan had completed her directive, the words chasing after her like wind following a falling leaf. Once the raven had ascended, Morrígan followed after Acanthus, ensuring to close the distance as she began searching for any sign of the bear herself.

’Phantom is in the sky, and will call out if she spots anything. For now, we need to remain calm and controlled. Kumaki could not have gotten far. We’ll find her.’ There was no hint of doubt in Morrígan’s voice as she finally caught up to Acanthus. She made no move to hinder the other player’s movement or stop them from rushing, instead simply stepping alongside them in a manner that would naturally block their dashing advance, all while keeping an eye out for the missing familiar. ’Is there any specific places that Kumaki enjoys hiding? Whether it be holes in the ground, along river beds, or perhaps under water itself? Anything that would assist our search?’

[Acanthus 0]

Acanthus paused for a moment to think. As much as she wanted to hurry, she knew that slowing down would keep the situation under control. Where would she go off to hide?

“Kumaki isn’t one for holes in the ground, outside of falling into them by accident. Despite her clumsiness, she is a good swimmer. But she prefers to be around water rather than in it. I think the best place to start would be moving out towards the creek east of us. That’s where we were initially foraging for supplies before she decided to run into you and Phantom.”

Phantom circled around the two in a smooth, controlled soar. Whether or not she was trained to hunt, the raven exhibited exceptional tracking qualities. Acanthus felt a twinge of guilt. “I apologize for commandeering your training like this. But it is unusual for her to be gone so long. It’s possible she simply wandered off further than usual, but I’d rather start the search before her disappearance causes more serious concern.”

[Morrigan 0]

’Do not be sorrowful in your request for assistance. It is better to work as one team, rather than an individual, in these instances. How often do you see individuals charging forth into the depths of a dungeon, compared to parties and groups?’ Morrígan gave a soft wave of her hand in response to Acanthus’ attempt to apologise for the fact that she’d essentially transitioned their focus. Morrígan failed to mention, however, that she was confident in Phantom’s completion of the training itself – a fact proven as the raven circled above in search for the fluffy friend that Acanthus was desperately trying to locate. ’If nothing else, Kumaki is a friend…and if there is one thing I have learnt, we do not abandoned those we hold dearest towards ourselves.’

Morrígan followed along behind Acanthus as the two shifted course, heading back towards and earlier area that had been a treading ground for them. Her thoughts wandered on what it must be like to have such an emotional connection with one’s familiar and companion. She knew that Phantom and her held an acquaintanceship towards one another, but she wasn’t entirely sure just how deeply that connection went; whether it was a deep and simply unclear as Acanthus and Kumaki’s own, or if it was something else entirely.

’Do you see anything?’ Morrígan’s eyes had been roaming the area, and although she saw some trails that could have been made by a bear cub, she wasn’t entirely sure how to follow them, or whether it would be worth their time to even try doing so. She was far from the most average hunter, and she doubted her own skills would be plausible in hunting down an animal that desired nothing more than a game of apparent chase. ’She must be around here somewhere…we’ll find her.’