The Deciever and the Black Feathered Weaver (Azure;Copper)

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure)

Ragna shrugged at Azure's words. "Guess it's your call, boss." he stated flatly. "If it turns out you're pushing him though, it'll be on you." Ragna cautioned her about pushing Marth beyond what he can do.

Watching Ragna walk ahead, leaving Azure to follow with Marth in her arms, Capri stared at his back for a moment before finding something to say. "Is it just me... Or is Ragna protective of him?" Capri inquired, looking to the frail young man.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure)

"Well, let's get him home and get him woken up. If he doesn't think he's up for it, I won't push him into going." Seems she wants to get Marth's input on the matter, since, well, he knows himself better than anyone, at least one would hope.

"They all seem to be, but I think you're right." She shrugs a little. "Nothing wrong with it. Marth needs someone to protect him while he's working his magic and having someone to watch his back in instances like this helps, too."

Given that Ragna's admitted to having good hearing, it's clear she's making it a point to not say anything that might upset or embarrass the young man while she's talking to Capri. For now, the objective seems to get Marth home, get him awake, and then make plans for the journey to Waymeet.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure)

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Marth was taken back to their little get together home, and Azure would be directed to the only place to clearly belong to Marth, the bed roll surrounded by books and bizarre items that have absolutely no practical use at first glance.

"I protect him because Marth is a good kid. We've all got some bad story to tell, except him." Ragna explained. "Out of all of us, he smiles the most. That won't last forever, but he should be allowed to enjoy it, even if we couldn't."

"Is the world of mamono really that rough for men?" Capri inquired. "Is what you guys go through normal?"

Ragna merely twisted his lips at Capri. "This isn't a man's world. What do you think? Is being a powerless member of society easy?" Ragna inquired towards Capri. Though that seemed to answer his question. "Do you think we feel happy about Azure's appearance? About relying on her because a man's word means nothing? Men are defended as much as they are ignored. Though that's just here... Marth has told us what it's like on the other side. The world ruled by men... It sounds good to us, but what about when you really think about it? Many men in the mamono world think that things would be so much better if men led society... It honestly doesn't make a difference." Said Ragna, as he finally got to his point. "So don't worry about us, Capri. If we weren't suffering like this, then someone else would be. We've luckily got the strength to endure this oppression. Not everyone in our condition can say the same."

Capri looked to be taking it all in, getting used to the idea of a world where women had social power and men did not. "So... What of Azure? Surely she's more than just an enabler for you to move about in the world."

Ragna shrugged. "I don't know what she is, or honestly who she is. I don't know her last name, I don't know where she was born. I think she's kind of a pervert, but that's just me. We'll all make our opinions of her as time goes on."

Capri nodded. "What about attractiveness...? None of you seem to react too much to how she looks."

Ragna shrugged again. "Sure... Appearance is fine. She's good looking. But I think personality is more important, and responsibility. And strength." he nodded.

Capri cleared his throat. "Well... That's something."

Then, as they talked, Marth began to move a bit. The drugs in his system seemed to be clearing up, as he seemed to awaken. "Congrats on your marriage to Azure." Ragna suddenly announced, lying.

"WHAT!?" Marth shouted and bolted upright in shock.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure)

Azure will settle Marth onto his bed, being mindful of his things and doing her best to not upset any of them while she does so. Given the conversation, she lets Marth come around on his own while eavesdropping on the other two for the time being. Maybe hearing things from a man's point of view might help Capri with the culture shock, so, for the time being, she keeps quiet and let's Ragna answer the other man's questions, quietly taking in his remarks.

Perhaps if she had an opportunity for a more one-on-one conversation with Ragna, she'd answer his questions, or, at the very least, when it was a more appropriate time. Butting in on the conversation seemed rude. Though he did bring up some interesting topics. She hadn't realized Marth was from the other side. Granted, she should have suspected it, his being pure human, after all, but it hadn't occurred to her. Maybe a conversation with him and Capri about the place would be good, too, given how Ragna's remarks stirred a bit of curiosity in her.

As Ragna calls her a pervert, though, her lips twist up some, her nose scrunching a little. "Hey," she protests, making a bit of a face at him, part challenge, part tease. Clearly, though, she's just doing it to give him hell.

"Ragna!" she clucks as he teases Marth. "Clearly you have truth issues." Her attention goes back to the young wizard, putting a gentle hand on him to keep him from bolting further. "Easy, Marth. Ragna's just pulling your leg." She'll look him over, looking for any lingering signs of the drug's effects. "How do you feel?"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure)

Ragna merely shrugged at Azure when she gave her gesture in reply to his statement of her being a pervert. He didn't seem too keen on changing his opinion. Though following her scolding him after he gave Marth a scare, he seemed to take it like he deserved it, which he knew he did.

Marth meanwhile simply looked content that it was all just a prank. "Thank goodness... I was worried your tattoo would be drawn somewhere on my body. A development so large in my life would impact my heart for sure." he declared, though was keen on answering Azure's question. "I'm feeling a little drowsy still. I'm just glad you came to get me out of there before I passed out in that woman's presence... Perish the thought." he shuddered.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure)

"Then you really might have woken up with a tattoo somewhere," she remarks as he mentions passing out in front of the other woman. "Hopefully the worst of it's worked out of your system. Given what happened to you, we're not entirely sure if her job is legitimate or if it's a more elaborate set-up to catch more folks unawares. If you still want to do it, I say we be prepared in case it is a trick. Hopefully we won't be proven right." She crosses her arms, frowning slightly, the expression softening as she speaks with Marth again. "Do you think you'll be up to going? Or would you rather sit this one out?" A thought occurs to her as well. "She mentioned a 'cat' when she was talking to you. Zidane wasn't there was he?"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure)

Marth swallows a lump in his throat when Azure tells him that he just may have gotten such a tattoo and be bound to some stranger. "O-oh..." he replies initially. "I think I'm okay... I'm still a little woozy, but I can move around." he stated. "Zidane actually was with me for a little while, but he didn't like the elf over the counter, so he left while Ragna went to get you, because all she did was flirt with us."

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure)

She relaxes a little as he tells here that the werecat left. "Good. I'd hate to think that we came to your rescue only to leave him behind." At his remarks about still being woozy, she gives his arm a gentle squeeze. "We still need time to pack up, get supplies, and figure out which route we're going to take. If you're going to come with us, then hopefully you'll be fine by then. Though, come to think of it," she glances around, "what's Zwei up to? Does he know about the job?"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure)

Marth nodded a little. "Y-yeah... I think some rest may be good." he agreed.

Ragna was the one to answer the question about Zwei. "He's probably doing that meditation thing under one of the waterfalls. He says it helps him stay calm." he declared, before standing up to look out one of the windows. "There he is." Ragna said, pointing to a small rock just above the surface of the water, with a certain tan man with white streaks in his hair sitting cross legged and directly under the waterfall.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure)

"Rest up then, Marth. If there's anything you think you might need for the trip, just let us know and we'll see about picking it up in the meantime." She doesn't see a need to disturb Zwei right now. It might be good to let him get his meditations in for the time being. "So, anyone know the route to Waymeet or should we trust the one we're going to be escorting?" She taps the missive in her hand. "I'd like to know just what we're getting ourselves into here, in case the whole letter is a ruse, I don't want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere and not know which way is back. Or forward, for that matter."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure)

"Never been to Waymeet?" Ragna inquired, with an astonished look on his face. "You're really new to traveling, huh? Anyone traveling that isn't stuck in the north coast ends up at Waymeet sooner or later. It's a popular place, known as the most prosperous location to have mamono and humans, male and female, living together in peace." he stated.

"Their peace is disturbed though," Marth adds. "There's a lot of people on both sides that don't agree with their race living with the other on terms of equality. Humans for their xenophobia, and mamono because they feel that humans are too weak, short sighted, and selfish to lead or even be considered equal to a mamono. Humans are proud individualists, and many mamono function on a hive mind, so it seems pointless to them. And individualistic mamono just view the individual human as pathetic in comparison, so there's a lot of reasons that others don't agree on equality."

"I heard one mamono say, 'why would we allow our food to assume a leadership position?' " Ragna chuckled.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure)

"I kept more to my end of the coast," Azure admits. "Found the climate there to my liking and I kind of have a thing for the water, though not quite enough to wind up here when I was on my own," she tacks on with a bit of a chuckle.

She takes in what Marth has to say about the place. "So, suffice to say we won't be that much of an oddity if and when we get there but there's still a chance a group like ours might raise a few eyebrows. And tempers. Good to know." She pauses a bit more, still thinking, it looks like. "We will just be visiting for the time being, so hopefully there won't be a need to get rolled up into their politics. We'll just have to remember that we're only visitors and what we'll be dealing with will be temporary. Sounds like we'll have to keep an eye on you two, though," she says of Marth and Capri. "Last thing I want is someone running off with you because they're feeling a bit peckish. About how far from here would you say it is, Ragna, if you've a notion?"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure)

Marth and Capri both flushed at Azure's words. Neither seemed to truly appreciate the danger of the wilds, though Marth seemed to appreciate it a little more than Capri, as the worst that happened to Capri when he got captured is that he was romanced in the middle of a forest just off the coast. He wouldn't know how odd of a case Azure was, and how violent many of her other kin would have been. Capri would have been crushed to the point of week long injury, and raped until he was broken. Not many in Azure's world act with mercy.

"It'll take about five days, in good weather." Ragna replied to Azure while Marth and Capri pondered over what they were told.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure)

“So, five days out and back. Granted, we should be able to get supplies for the return trip there, but best to be prepared. How are you for gear? Most of my things are back at my home, but I've enough to replace needed items. Personally, I'm for having the one we're escorting chip in on this, since we're doing them the service, after all. At least the weather's good."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure)

Marth had to chip in to the conversation when Azure mentioned weather. "There's actually rainfall in the distance. Likely to hit us a few days later depending on the wind. I'd expect a full trip to take between ten to fifteen days." he explained. "The general threats between this location and Waymeet are also very minimal. Thinking about it now, it's very odd that someone would ask for an escort to guide them there, one that even a human could reasonably make. You're correct to have suspicions. There is a lot not adding up about this task." he stated.

"Then why don't we quit pissin' around and go talk to the one who will be giving us our job?" Ragna declared, showing impatience.

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An answer came not from anyone in the room, but from outside, an observer having overheard them somewhat. "You need look no further~" cooed a calm female voice, one that seemed to be at peace with serenity and with such an aura that was powerful enough to calm even Ragna a little. "You must be the ones who took up my request~ Thank you so much." she thanked them, before they'd all have a chance to get a good look at the woman, Crystal Claire.

"... Ever heard of clothes?" Ragna inquired towards Claire in a smart tone of voice.

"No, thank you~" Claire replied with a sweet smile. "My name is Crystal Clare, and I don't wear clothes because of one day in my life when a beautiful man complimented me, saying my form was true beauty. Was he wrong? Does my appearance disturb you?" she inquired, though Ragna didn't seem to have more to say after that, keeping quiet and allowing their new guest to speak, and be let into the house if Azure came over and opened the door for her so she wasn't standing in a window. "I don't like fighting or dealing with aggressive people, so if someone were with me, I feel like I could make it to Waymeet without any incidents occurring." she explained.

No one seemed to think much of this feminine, animated material and it's announcement as a pacifist, other than Marth, who seemed to know who and what she was, more than the others anyway, even Azure, who wouldn't recall hearing of such a person. "You're really 'the' Crystal Clare? The one who was imprisoned in a magic crystal by the Magi when you tried teaching them peace between our races?" he inquired with excitement.

Claire looked surprised, raising one hand up to rub her nose while lowering her head. "My~ That was a long time ago. Seventy years? It's amazing someone as young as you knows that." she said with a bit of awe.

"I-I read a lot about you!" Marth replied, looking happy to have had his intelligence complimented. "B-but still, is traveling to Waymeet such a big deal for someone as powerful as you?" he asked.

Claire frowned, and shook her head. "If someone were to attack me, they might hurt themselves..." she stated with concern.

Ragna looked as if he were ready to laugh as he sat on the ground with his legs folded. "So the ones we're protecting are the ones along the path? That's amusing." he chuckled, unable to hold quite all of it in.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure;Copper)

Azure's nose wrinkled as Marth mentioned the bad weather. She wasn't happy with the news but it wasn't as though a little water was going to stop her. She did have to hold in a giggle, though, just imagining Zidane, and possibly Ragna's, reaction to hiking in the rain. Maybe some protection from the elements would be a nice gesture. Her gaze flicked around the building to determine if they had anything like that already. Wouldn't do to duplicate a gift.

Clearly, Ragna was a creature of immediacy, even if he was saying (mostly) what she was thinking. The serendipitous voice at the window, though startled her a little. Granted, in asking the right questions, it wouldn't have been too hard to find out who'd been hired for the job, but to show up just then? She wasn't about to let her suspicions, that the thing was a set-up, get in the way until she'd heard the other woman out.

Listening to her, Azure's fears quelled some and she did, indeed, move to invite the other woman in. Given that Ragna had quieted down, she saw no need to chide him on his manners for the time being. She listened with interest to Marth's introduction of the woman, her curiosity definitely perked, though, despite the passage of time, it might be a bit of a sore subject to bring up. Best to be professional now and the curious one later.

"Your letter said that you'd encountered trouble before. How many trips have you made before we came along? And what sort of trouble have you run into?"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure;Copper)

Marth would likely have his own means via magic, though Ragna looked like he'd get certainly wet should it rain, with little to see in his corner of the building other than a whet stone, a sleeping bag, and a simple, small, green cloth bag with shoulder straps.

Meanwhile, Claire nodded. "Various creatures see me and realize my unique appearance due to there not being a whole lot of me where they live. Goblins began swinging their clubs at me, harpies thought I was shiny and valuable, so they tried to steal me, and some dark elves thought the same thing, wondering how much the material of my body would sell for. I ran away from most, but when the goblins jumped on me, I had to throw them off, and I really have trouble containing my power, so many of them were badly hurt when I'm sure all that they were doing was defending their territory." Claire defended their actions. "I've tried to leave several times, only to flee back here. I've given up and decided to ask for help." she explained.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure;Copper)

And given that he's sitting under a waterfall, a downpour isn't likely to bother Zwei. Though, still, it might be nice to keep his clothes dry. Zidane might like something as well, given his aversion to water, though whether or not it applied to downpours was uncertain. Still, she doubted he liked to get wet either. Something to look into while they’re getting supplies together.

Whatever reason the other mamono might have for attacking Claire, her request seemed reasonable enough. Maybe just the increased numbers would deter anyone that might consider attacking their employer. Granted, numbers didn’t often sway the truly desperate, or ones that were legends in their own minds, but if it could keep at least a few folk at bay, she’d be willing to call it a win. She also had little doubt of the fighting skills of the men, especially if they worked together which they didn’t seem to have any issue doing.

“Well, Claire, we’ll certainly do our best to help get you there and back. We’re going to need a little time to gather together again and get ourselves some supplies for the journey. Would setting out tomorrow be acceptable? Seems a little late in the day to get going now. Unless we want to try to beat the rain, but that’s only delaying the inevitable.”

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Competition (Azure;Copper)

Claire nodded, "I don't mind at all! One day should be fine. I just need to make it to Waymeet to request their aid for a future battle that is to take place here. We're going to need all the help I can, so I'm doing the best I can to help my friends." she explained herself. "So please do not take too long. A day or two should be fine!" she said with a smile. "I stay at Undine's temple with Undine. I'll be there waiting for you!" she announced. And if Azure had nothing more to say, then Claire would head out.

"... Am I the only one who thought that the fact that you could see through her was a bit weird?" Ragna inquired. "I mean, even if you look at her face, you're also looking at the wall... It's like looking at see-through glass."

"I'm quite fascinated by it." Marth added. "Seeing Claire in person... And even going on a trip with her to Waymeet? Certainly a very lucky event!" the thin mage said with a grin.

"I missed Claire, it seems." Said Zwei, suddenly walking into the room, slightly damp but wearing dry clothing. "Hello Azure," he greeted the lamia in the room with a neutral yet respectful tone.

 

[Copper]

Re: Competition (Azure;Copper)

Azure's eyebrows arch up slightly, given that was not what Claire's original request had been. Similar, but this was a far cry from a "figurine for a friend." But then again, saying you were going to rally an army might not get you many takers when it came to finding a job. The notion of a battle taking place here bothered her as well. Still, it was one of those instances where there was so much to say that there wasn't anything she could say, simply nodding as the other woman departed.

"Zwei," she says by way of greeting, giving him a bit of a nod. Finally seeming to find her voice, she chuckles a little. "Has there been talk of the battle she mentioned?" She looks between the three men, they having been here at the temple longer than both she and Capri. She'd heard Ragna mention it but the overall atmosphere of the temple didn't seem to reflect what might be going on.