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Post by Noa on Apr 30, 2022 21:03:35 GMT -6
Every so often, Noa decided he wanted a little variety in his life... Or, more occasionally, he was so short on cash that he couldn't afford to be picky about how he picked up more income. Fortunately the latter circumstance didn't arise very often anymore, though he didn't let on to anyone who knew him that it ever happened at all. Even when he felt the financial strain, he kept up the appearance that it was merely a whim of his to go, say, to the job board to see what was there. It was one of the basic principles of running a household like his -- even if it was a ghost of what it had been under his parents, which had in and of itself been a ghost to what the Saint-Clair family had been at its peak. He had grown up on stories of its grandeur, magical and otherwise. 1
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Post by Noa on Apr 30, 2022 21:07:34 GMT -6
The house and property itself was a testament to that, sprawling over a space meant to occupy a small community, and not the two men and nest of monsters that lived there now. But men were of no use to Noa, and anyway they were much harder to keep in line. On the whole, he found he preferred his present arrangement.
He was finding himself rather bored and frustrated with his current projects, however, and after another day of mostly futile notes shuffling, he decided he might as well pick up a short-term job. A one-off job, even. And it occurred to him, when he saw the listing, that he never had tried to pet-sit anyone else's creatures before. There was no reason to, of course; he didn't see any material long term benefit to doing so. But since all he wanted right now was a novel experience, well... why not?
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Post by Noa on Apr 30, 2022 21:12:52 GMT -6
But more amusingly, he had seen several other people reacting to the photo of the creature in question -- which the listing had described in rather frothy terms for a PHIL. He wasn't fazed, however; his own beasts could probably eat PHILs for lunch.
Pity he couldn't bring any of them along, but it was still mostly frowned upon to have Wiurn or Pliathor indoors. Perhaps it was time for him to invest in some more... medium-sized companions. He ruminated on the issue as he made his way to the address on the listing. The trouble with smaller creatures, not to say small creatures, was that they just didn't pack any punch, for the most part. But there were all kinds of laboratories offering augmented specimens now, and perhaps if one were augmented enough, they might be of more practical use...
{We're here,} said Rhys, dragging Noa out of his thoughts.
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Post by Noa on Apr 30, 2022 21:15:20 GMT -6
And so, indeed, they were. It didn't look like the kind of house one would expect to find a PHIL in, but then, this close to the heart of the city... Well, it wasn't as if it had anything to do with him. And maybe if the people living closer to downtown were keeping bigger pets, maybe it wouldn't be too long before he could go anywhere he liked with, say, Azalea, and have no one hassle him for the trouble.
Rhys was, of course, with him. As much magical prowess as he had, and as experienced as he was working with large predators, he wasn't about to go meet one that he didn't know alone. And if Rhys was with him, he didn't have to bother with the hassle of, say, ringing the doorbell himself, when Rhys could manage it with his telekinesis just as well, and from a distance.
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Post by Noa on Apr 30, 2022 21:18:38 GMT -6
There was a loud thump somewhere behind the door, which could only have been the Fifi in question. Ah, not very well trained then, Noa thought -- but he hadn't really expected any less, not with everything he had seen from the listing. It might not have been enough to provide a full picture, but he could at least make an educated guess about what he could hope to expect.
The door opened eventually, revealing a woman who looked surprisingly put together for all the ruckus they had heard in the meantime. She greeted them effusively. "Oh, you must be the sitter! Do come in, I've got tea made up for you. You can meet Fifi! She's been dying to see some new friends." The strong scent of perfume assailed him as she moved in for what he could only assume was either a hug or a kiss on the cheek.
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Post by Noa on Sept 30, 2022 15:26:59 GMT -6
Noa stepped back, smiling at the woman as she came up short, blinking at him with evident confusion. Fortunately she decided not to comment on it, and simply plowed on with her greetings and explanations. Noa tuned out most of it, since it quickly proved not to be particularly worthwhile to listen to. He knew some of the basics about PHIL care because he had a specimen of his own, and had let it run around a bit in its natural state before realizing it was not as useful a creature as he had hoped and put it into stasis. The rest, he concluded, was nothing but the frillish talk of a pet owner who was projecting too much onto the object of their affections.
Not that he said as much to her, of course. It wouldn't have boded well for their job if he did, so he kept it to himself.
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Post by Noa on Sept 30, 2022 15:27:09 GMT -6
Noa simply smiled blandly, and allowed himself to be invited in. He took a single sip of the tea she offered before setting it down, which the woman didn't pay any mind to as she regaled him with the difficulties of having any time to herself, owing to how tough it was to find a sitter who was willing to look past the poor PHIL's utterly undeserved reputation as a beast of violence.
And then the Fifi in question ambled into the quaint sitting room -- a regular, which was to say standard issue, brown PHIL wearing a garish bow and a little hat. She didn't look terribly happy, though she was rather too fat to be agile, or even particularly energetic. It wouldn't be hard to keep an eye on her, though whether he could prevent any instances of collateral damage to the woman's house and property was another question entirely.
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Post by Noa on Sept 30, 2022 15:27:21 GMT -6
"Well, now that everyone's friends, I'll be on my way. You behave for the good young man, you hear?" The woman chided the PHIL in a voice generally reserved for speaking to very young children, then kissed the beast on its hairy cheek before flouncing out the door. Noa noticed, with no small amount of amusement, that the PHIL huffed and turned away from the woman when she drew close. Fifi didn't care for her master's perfume either, which was one thing they had in common.
Once the door closed behind the woman, it was just the three of them. The PHIL gazed balefully at Noa and Rhys, and Noa returned its look with one of his own, arching a brow in a wordless dare for the PHIL to try anything. In truth, he didn't yet have a measure of the creature and its character from the few moments they'd been acquainted.
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Post by Noa on Sept 30, 2022 15:27:40 GMT -6
And a creature without its master could sometimes reveal a temperament not at all like what the owner described, much like a child who was only on their best behavior when with their parents, who could inflict long term consequences. But if the PHIL had such intentions, she must have decided not to act on them after all; or perhaps she was really just as sedentary as she seemed. Noa figured she would have had to be, for the interior of the home to be even as intact as it was. There were long gouges along the walls, likely from the spikes on the PHIL's shell scraping along them as she moved, and some of the furniture had definitely seen better days. But a PHIL was capable of wreaking much greater havoc on a building if it so desired.
This one knew better than to push its luck with him, apparently.
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Post by Noa on Sept 30, 2022 15:27:54 GMT -6
It was a wise choice, considering the fact that Noa would have had no qualms resorting to magical restraints if the need arose. Part of the agreement was not to harm the pet being taken care of, but there were restraints that didn't inflict harm, even if they were nevertheless not particularly pleasant.
In the end, the pet-sitting session passed in relative peace. In short order Noa had turned to his books -- what tomes he could bring with him, anyway, which consisted merely of those he was actively working through, or on. Rhys kept an eye on the PHIL, and even seemed to strike up some friendly, if rather limited, conversation. Time passed quickly with the distraction of his own work, and by the time the woman returned, Noa had almost forgotten where he was.
Not bad for one of the board's jobs. He'd certainly had worse ones than this.
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Post by NPC on Dec 5, 2022 14:23:39 GMT -6
Congratulations, you have successfully completed the quest! Your QP will be added to the bank, and your prize will be sent out shortly.
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