07-11-2018, 03:24 PM
A bell jangled as the door swung open, admitting them into the spacious interior. The guild's house was relatively narrow, but deep. The entire width of the interior floor was clad in worn, polished wood slats. Windows on the front and the sides gave view of the street outside and alleyways, respectively. The ceiling was two stories high, a wrought-iron brazier hanging from it, a long chain of rings spreading out to three points along its circumference. Candles burned along it, as well as in several wall sconces, casting a warm glow.
The entry was furnished, and seemed to serve as a sort of waiting room. Directly ten meters ahead was a counter where a heavyset man and small woman were pouring over a stack of papers. To either side of the counter were two halls, marked A and B by hanging signs, that stretched further back into the building. The halls were lined with doors, which appeared to have removable labels placed onto the front of each.
Still further to the side, running up the side walls, were two large staircases, terminating one floor above, leading to what seemed to be a large hall that dominated the rest of the interior. Wisteria could hear muted talking and the occasional laugh, as someone strummed inexpertly on a mandolin.
The man and woman looked up as they approached. The man stared at Wisteria, then grunted. "Whatever it is you're selling, we're not buying," he gestured to the other two. "We don't have any live capture contracts out right now. Try the circus - they're always looking for more monsters."
Wisteria looked down. The other two looked at her, then Weiss sighed. "This is getting ridiculous," the white-haired maiden muttered. "She's not a - what did you call it - capture contract? She's with us." She strode up to the counter. "We're not looking to sell, we're looking for work."
The man and woman exchanged glances. "This is the adventurer's guild," Weiss prompted, putting her hands on her hips. "Right?"
"She's so good at that," Wisteria murmured aside to Yukika as Weiss continued. "It makes you think of a princess, doesn't it?"
"Mm."
Wisteria tilted her head. "Is something the matter?"
Yukika was looking at Weiss with an expression Wisteria didn't recognize. Was it ... Pity? Had something happened while she was asleep?
Yukika noticed her glance, and slowly pulled her mask over her face. "No," she said finally. "Nothing."
"- so believe me when I tell you that we're tougher than we look," Weiss continued as Wisteria's attention swiveled back to her. Her hand rested meaningfully on the hilt of the rapier at her waist.
"W-well," the woman finally broke in. She was younger than the man by about ten years, in her mid twenties, with a low-cut vest that exposed more real estate than was practical. Her blonde hair was drawn back messily into a bun, leaving two long, wavy bangs that hung to her shoulders. "I suppose, if you wanted to, we do have a few contracts for beginners."
"What kind of contracts?"
"Well, there's the Hanged Man's Fancy, the inn a few blocks over, that has a giant rat problem in its basement. Then there's, uhm," the woman looked around, snagging a paper that hung from a corkboard positioned above and behind the counter. "How about this one? The dairy is requesting someone go out and try and retrieve its prize yak. Just outside town! It's a little skittish, and the owner is old, so that's why they're asking for help..."
Yukika snorted, sound muffled behind her mask. "That's something a child could do!"
The man slammed his fist down on the counter. "And you're children! This is where everyone starts. You want to hunt dragons?" He slapped his other hand on the board behind him, where a picture of a hulking draconic figure loomed atop a mountain. The letter 'A' had been stamped in red ink across it. "You gotta start with the small stuff! Everyone here's done it!"
The sounds from above had stopped. Three figures came to the railing of the hall above, looking down curiously. A figure in full armor, visor down, a woman in what seemed to be a witch's robe and hat that might have come out of a Halloween store, and a young man with short blonde hair, idly picking at the strings of a mandolin as he leaned over. "Newbies, Mags?" the boy inquired, leaning far over to look down the shirt of the woman below.
"Yes," the woman - Maggie, by the tag that Wisteria now noticed on the left of her vest. "I mean, no? I-..." she sighed, then laid her hand on the man's wrist. "Look, we can see that you're not ... ordinary." Her eyes shot to Wisteria. Wisteria looked away, her cheeks burning. "So how about this? There's a caravan leaving tomorrow. They're heading the next town over, bringing supplies. The Underhill Company, it's called. They've had a few problems with bandits lately, so they've been asking for some more guards to make sure everything goes smoothly." She lifted her hand. "You won't be alone," she extended her index, "you probably won't have to do anything," she extended her middle, "and you won't be paid very well. But we're short on hands right now."
"Maggie, you can't just give them that!" The man scoffed. "They're... well, they're rude ...!"
It was Maggie's turn to put her hands on her hips. "Well, what are we supposed to do? We need more bodies, they want to prove themselves, and this is barely more than a milk run anyway." She waved one hand towards the trio above. "Besides, we've got these three on the job. It'll be fine."
The man grumbled, folding his arms and looking grumpy. The boy with the mandolin winked, smiling. The young witch wiggled her fingers with a grin. The hulking suit of armor grunted. "Fine," the man glowered, and bend over to rummage under the counter before coming out with a small mountain of papers. "These are your application forms, as well as a small test to make sure you aren't soft in the head and to waive our liability if you die. Make sure you fill out every entry. And write clearly, dammit! I like my records legible."
Weiss grunted as she retrieved the papers and quills from the counter, bringing them over to a dark-wood table surrounded by comfy sofas and chairs.
"Y-you handled that well, Weiss," Wisteria attempted to console her. She seemed annoyed.
"I didn't really do anything. They're just throwing us a bone," Weiss muttered, picking up the first roll of parchment as she flounced back into a couch. "This all looks pretty standard."
"This feels like a video game," Wisteria commented, smiling. "Doesn't it?"
Yukika leaned forward, squinted at the parchment, then leaned back, removing the mask. "I don't get why you didn't just tell them who we are," she said. "If you just said we're p-"
The feather of a quill pressed to Yukika's lips. Weiss glanced over her shoulder, then lowered it. "Because," she said, keeping her voice low, "a lot of people are afraid of ... them. Primes throw their weight around a lot of the time. And usually when people hear about them, it's for... Well. When something goes wrong."
"Is it really that bad...?" Wisteria whispered, frowning.
Weiss shrugged, flicking her long side ponytail over her shoulder as she started to write. "Well, I was overhearing that the big thing that everyone's interested in right now is a competition that's going on where Primes are trying to murder each other. So you tell me." A few scribbles, then she dipped her quill in the ink well. "Besides, you guys want to prove yourselves on your own merits, right? No special treatment. Well, beyond what they'd give anyone else."
Wisteria used one of her feelers to pink up a quill. The underside of her two feelers were coated with small, pink, tongue-like nubs, each extraordinarily sensitive to touch, as well as being able to taste and smell. They shifted, helping to delicately grasp and manipulate the quill as she started to fill out her own form, nodding.
The entry was furnished, and seemed to serve as a sort of waiting room. Directly ten meters ahead was a counter where a heavyset man and small woman were pouring over a stack of papers. To either side of the counter were two halls, marked A and B by hanging signs, that stretched further back into the building. The halls were lined with doors, which appeared to have removable labels placed onto the front of each.
Still further to the side, running up the side walls, were two large staircases, terminating one floor above, leading to what seemed to be a large hall that dominated the rest of the interior. Wisteria could hear muted talking and the occasional laugh, as someone strummed inexpertly on a mandolin.
The man and woman looked up as they approached. The man stared at Wisteria, then grunted. "Whatever it is you're selling, we're not buying," he gestured to the other two. "We don't have any live capture contracts out right now. Try the circus - they're always looking for more monsters."
Wisteria looked down. The other two looked at her, then Weiss sighed. "This is getting ridiculous," the white-haired maiden muttered. "She's not a - what did you call it - capture contract? She's with us." She strode up to the counter. "We're not looking to sell, we're looking for work."
The man and woman exchanged glances. "This is the adventurer's guild," Weiss prompted, putting her hands on her hips. "Right?"
"She's so good at that," Wisteria murmured aside to Yukika as Weiss continued. "It makes you think of a princess, doesn't it?"
"Mm."
Wisteria tilted her head. "Is something the matter?"
Yukika was looking at Weiss with an expression Wisteria didn't recognize. Was it ... Pity? Had something happened while she was asleep?
Yukika noticed her glance, and slowly pulled her mask over her face. "No," she said finally. "Nothing."
"- so believe me when I tell you that we're tougher than we look," Weiss continued as Wisteria's attention swiveled back to her. Her hand rested meaningfully on the hilt of the rapier at her waist.
"W-well," the woman finally broke in. She was younger than the man by about ten years, in her mid twenties, with a low-cut vest that exposed more real estate than was practical. Her blonde hair was drawn back messily into a bun, leaving two long, wavy bangs that hung to her shoulders. "I suppose, if you wanted to, we do have a few contracts for beginners."
"What kind of contracts?"
"Well, there's the Hanged Man's Fancy, the inn a few blocks over, that has a giant rat problem in its basement. Then there's, uhm," the woman looked around, snagging a paper that hung from a corkboard positioned above and behind the counter. "How about this one? The dairy is requesting someone go out and try and retrieve its prize yak. Just outside town! It's a little skittish, and the owner is old, so that's why they're asking for help..."
Yukika snorted, sound muffled behind her mask. "That's something a child could do!"
The man slammed his fist down on the counter. "And you're children! This is where everyone starts. You want to hunt dragons?" He slapped his other hand on the board behind him, where a picture of a hulking draconic figure loomed atop a mountain. The letter 'A' had been stamped in red ink across it. "You gotta start with the small stuff! Everyone here's done it!"
The sounds from above had stopped. Three figures came to the railing of the hall above, looking down curiously. A figure in full armor, visor down, a woman in what seemed to be a witch's robe and hat that might have come out of a Halloween store, and a young man with short blonde hair, idly picking at the strings of a mandolin as he leaned over. "Newbies, Mags?" the boy inquired, leaning far over to look down the shirt of the woman below.
"Yes," the woman - Maggie, by the tag that Wisteria now noticed on the left of her vest. "I mean, no? I-..." she sighed, then laid her hand on the man's wrist. "Look, we can see that you're not ... ordinary." Her eyes shot to Wisteria. Wisteria looked away, her cheeks burning. "So how about this? There's a caravan leaving tomorrow. They're heading the next town over, bringing supplies. The Underhill Company, it's called. They've had a few problems with bandits lately, so they've been asking for some more guards to make sure everything goes smoothly." She lifted her hand. "You won't be alone," she extended her index, "you probably won't have to do anything," she extended her middle, "and you won't be paid very well. But we're short on hands right now."
"Maggie, you can't just give them that!" The man scoffed. "They're... well, they're rude ...!"
It was Maggie's turn to put her hands on her hips. "Well, what are we supposed to do? We need more bodies, they want to prove themselves, and this is barely more than a milk run anyway." She waved one hand towards the trio above. "Besides, we've got these three on the job. It'll be fine."
The man grumbled, folding his arms and looking grumpy. The boy with the mandolin winked, smiling. The young witch wiggled her fingers with a grin. The hulking suit of armor grunted. "Fine," the man glowered, and bend over to rummage under the counter before coming out with a small mountain of papers. "These are your application forms, as well as a small test to make sure you aren't soft in the head and to waive our liability if you die. Make sure you fill out every entry. And write clearly, dammit! I like my records legible."
Weiss grunted as she retrieved the papers and quills from the counter, bringing them over to a dark-wood table surrounded by comfy sofas and chairs.
"Y-you handled that well, Weiss," Wisteria attempted to console her. She seemed annoyed.
"I didn't really do anything. They're just throwing us a bone," Weiss muttered, picking up the first roll of parchment as she flounced back into a couch. "This all looks pretty standard."
"This feels like a video game," Wisteria commented, smiling. "Doesn't it?"
Yukika leaned forward, squinted at the parchment, then leaned back, removing the mask. "I don't get why you didn't just tell them who we are," she said. "If you just said we're p-"
The feather of a quill pressed to Yukika's lips. Weiss glanced over her shoulder, then lowered it. "Because," she said, keeping her voice low, "a lot of people are afraid of ... them. Primes throw their weight around a lot of the time. And usually when people hear about them, it's for... Well. When something goes wrong."
"Is it really that bad...?" Wisteria whispered, frowning.
Weiss shrugged, flicking her long side ponytail over her shoulder as she started to write. "Well, I was overhearing that the big thing that everyone's interested in right now is a competition that's going on where Primes are trying to murder each other. So you tell me." A few scribbles, then she dipped her quill in the ink well. "Besides, you guys want to prove yourselves on your own merits, right? No special treatment. Well, beyond what they'd give anyone else."
Wisteria used one of her feelers to pink up a quill. The underside of her two feelers were coated with small, pink, tongue-like nubs, each extraordinarily sensitive to touch, as well as being able to taste and smell. They shifted, helping to delicately grasp and manipulate the quill as she started to fill out her own form, nodding.