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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 17:49:47 GMT -6
San could be a real bully sometimes. Seveth had thought they were finally making progress. Finally getting somewhere, with all this teamwork business. The last few weeks had been... nice, actually -- surprisingly so, in light of everything that had happened to the both of them. Suffice to say that sharing a body with someone else had never been something Seveth had even thought of trying, but it was starting to almost feel like it could work. He'd never had anyone make him meals before, not since... Well, it was nice to have things he looked forward to eating, ready and waiting for him. Even if they did also come with the somewhat annoying reminders stuck to every surface he used around the house. But if he was being really, perfectly honest, the part that felt the most rewarding had been the sense of... what? Camaraderie? No, it went deeper than that.
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 17:56:23 GMT -6
He remembered the way his heart had been in his throat, penning the words in their shared journal: I want to trust you. And I want you to trust me. Can't we? And miracle of miracles, San had acquiesced, just a little. San would have killed Seveth for the thought, but Seveth felt as though he had tamed some sort of rare, elusive creature. There was that same sense of relief and wonder, all at once.
And to be fair, San and a wild animal had some things in common. Trust issues. Being deadly. Maybe even trauma. Were wild animals traumatized, generally speaking?
Alas, all honeymoon periods must come to an end. And so, one morning Seveth saw a terrible edict in San's almost robotically neat handwriting tacked to the bathroom mirror.
Earn your keep.
Below that were an address, a date, and a time. The date wasn't necessary, strictly speaking; evidently it was today.
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 18:21:08 GMT -6
But this was just more proof that San was paying attention; without the date written, Seveth could say he simply didn't know when the appointment was supposed to be, and assumed that it was for this weekend, or perhaps three weeks from now.
Seveth sighed. There was no getting out of this one, not without disappointing San. And he could hardly disappoint San now, not after they had come so far with all this... which San had probably known, too. Curse him.
{That is all very well and good,} said Ichaival, one hectic morning later, {but I do not see why I had to come.}
"I want company," Seveth said blithely. Misery always did, after all. "And unlike some people, I have no real fighting prowess, so if he signed me up for some kind of spicy secret mission, I'm going to need you to get me out of it!"
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 18:25:51 GMT -6
It was the perfect plan. Or at least it was as painless a plan as Seveth could think of under the circumstances, anyway. What he had said hadn't been entirely true and the both of them knew it -- of the two of them, Seveth was the one who could access the unfettered powers of the Chaos elemental that they had become. This was still true even with Seveth working to teach San magic, though to his credit, San was making more headway with this than Seveth was making with combat practice. But they had a cover to maintain, so even if he would have liked to, Seveth couldn't really use magic as he liked where he might be seen by someone else.
Thus, Ichaival. Fortunately a dragon companion wasn't so strange in this city.
The address turned out to be a fancy estate in a fashionable part of the city, which seemed promising.
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 18:29:38 GMT -6
At the very least, the idea that he would be tasked with murdering a giant monster had lessened. He hoped. One could never be entirely sure of these things, but hope sprang eternal. You could live for years on almost nothing but hope, really.
Then the door flew open, and a woman in a true statement piece of a hat greeted him by clasping both his hands in hers. "Oh, you must be the sitter! Please do come in, Fifi is dying to meet you!"
He wasn't given much of a choice, as far as coming in or staying out. Seveth found that he was being hauled in by his clasped hands, with a strength he hadn't expected -- he had been taken by surprise at first, but even after getting his bearings and attempting to free himself, she held him fast, and didn't seem to so much as notice his efforts.
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 19:57:46 GMT -6
{Help,} he said to Ichaival, but the dragon was infuriatingly silent. Well, he supposed it wasn't as if Chai could roast a woman alive for just manhandling him, but the lack of support still felt a little...
Whatever thought he had was abruptly cut off as he came face to face with a massive armored bear.
"This is Fifi! Fifi, this is your sitter for the day. Try not to rough him up too much, will you, dear?" She laughed as if inviting him to laugh with her, as if what she had said was some obvious joke and Fifi would never in a million years pose any threat to anybody. Which Seveth would have liked to believe, but Fifi did not at all suit her -- his? -- name, and looked very much as if it would like to maul him and then have what was left of him for dinner.
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 20:00:14 GMT -6
There was a whirlwind of care instructions, none of which Seveth managed to absorb. He was still stuck at the premise of the job that San had signed him up for. He was petsitting... an armored bear! Had San known it would be an armored bear? Did he really think this would be okay? Seveth had Ichaival but Ichaival was civilized! This was an animal, and he didn't even know how well trained it was.
But then the woman swept out, and Seveth followed her to the door, desperate to -- to what? Ask questions? Ask if she was serious? Whatever it was, he didn't get to. She was into a carriage and away before he could. And in the meantime, his running had prompted the PHIL to give chase. It wasn't very fast, but it was very large, and Seveth didn't know if it was practical to try outrunning it for any length of time.
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 20:04:38 GMT -6
Fortunately Ichaival was still at the door, and that brought the bear to a halt, though it snorted as though it was reluctant to give up the chase. Ichaival also seemed unhappy to see it, head recoiling from the PHIL as it made its presence known. But then Ichaival stepped closer -- for the first time protective, and Seveth sighed a little, relieved for it.
"I don't suppose you can put this thing to sleep? That would make my job easier," said Seveth.
{No,} said Ichaival, though the way that it said this made Seveth think that if it could, it would have tried. Ichaival didn't always like to do favors, even for Seveth, and he knew that the dragon thought he ought to take on some knocks if those knocks felt earned. But Chai did still watch over him, as Chai had watched over him for a long time now.
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 20:09:38 GMT -6
It had been a very good idea to bring Ichaival after all. Seveth did not bring this up, and did not gloat, but only because he knew that it might ruin the moment. Though given that Chai could skim his thoughts, maybe it already knew.
Ichaival's presence, or maybe some modicum of training, kept Fifi from making too much trouble. Seveth stayed nervy and uneasy the entire time, but eventually boredom got the better of the PHIL and it really did return to what Seveth could have sworn was the world's largest pet bed to curl up and take a nap. The decor of the house made it obvious that Fifi wasn't a beast of battle, or even a guard. Why someone would choose a PHIL as their companion animal to spoil and lavish attention upon, Seveth couldn't imagine, but then he supposed it really did take all sorts in this city.
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Post by Linyü on Sept 30, 2021 20:13:52 GMT -6
He didn't do much, but he went home exhausted. Being on alert for that long wasn't exactly a relaxing way for him to spend his time. He collapsed onto the bed as soon as he got home, having badgered Chai for a ride and been rebuffed. At least Ichaival might have carried him by the scruff of his coat... But no, then again, that probably would have ruined the garment. It hadn't been cheap either, as San liked to remind him.
"Earn my keep, he says... San, I hope you're happy," he muttered into his pillow. He would have liked to give San a piece of his mind, but he was too tired to write. He was sure Ichaival could fill San in on the details. For now all he wanted to do was rest, maybe have a nice shower, then go straight to bed again to pass out for the night.
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Post by NPC on Oct 12, 2021 16:06:20 GMT -6
Congratulations, you've successfully completed the quest! Your QP will be added to your bank shortly.
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