Ordinary Errands {Gripheenix}

The day's air and atmosphere was so nice. Mei was really glad she had decided to come all the way out to this Magnolia Town today to go to some of the magic shops. She needed more things to keep her fridges in prime condition anyway, and her home town wasn't providing the right ingredients, or really letting her shop in their stores anymore. Apparently demanding the highest in quality is too demanding, especially when such demands couldn't become met by any manufacturers! Seriously they needed to get on the bandwagon of awesome that was the keeping all foods clean, and fresh forever!

Still while she didn't find anything of real value within the town for her strange tastes in food maintenance, she had found a few nice little trinkets. perhaps one day she would actually end up using them, especially if what the store clerks and managers said about them were true. Perhaps she had lucked out, or was just scammed, anything was possible in this world, well except for getting an everlasting fridge for storing perpetual food freshness. That was impossible, and she almost felt like freezing herself till it became a reality. Sadly she knew that doing such a thing would result in becoming incredibly cold and not knowing anyone in the future, so she would sit here and suffer.

Settling down in the park before she would take the train back to Hargeon Town, Mei just sighed to herself and closed her eyes. it was so nice outside and she had just managed to sit down for the first time since the train. maybe it would be okay to take a little nap?

Then suddenly as she drifted off into dream land, she felt a tug on her arm. Stirring, her eyes flickered open and she looked to her side as her bag of goods were taken by someone! The man freaking out a bit as she looked at him jerked the bag off her arm and began to run. It took only a second before Mei yelled out towards him.

"Thief get back here, that was good money that could have gone towards my food purchases!"

Jumping to attention she was going to attempt to chase after him, but not knowing the layout of the town she was at a disadvantage, and would probably end up losing her purchases. If only there was someone who knew the area or at least could distract him, but who was she kidding, not many people were like that, or would really care beyond a glance.

It had been a slow morning.  Unfortunately, those were becoming a more common occurrence lately.  An uneventful morning meant a day off, and a day off meant no paycheck.  It seemed as there wasn't much work for a second rate mage, who didn't use some sort of flashy techniques that could wipe out an entire city.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.  There were menial, tedious, laborious tasks.  Someone always needed help moving their junk around, or cleaning up after vandals.  Those were things that even people without the aid of magic could do.  And, as such, there was actually more competition for those jobs, than the ones that actually had a decent payout.  Maybe what they say about success being more who you know, than what, wasn't so far off.

With a defeated sigh, a young man sauntered down the street, gloved hands hooked by the thumbs, to the waist of a pair of tan slacks.  His expression was one of fatigue, of someone who had been up and moving for too long.  All things considered, he hadn't been awake that long, but he had been walking around for a while now.  At that particular moment, he was looking for a place to just sit for a time, and a park bench was not only conveniently nearby, but also had the added benefit of being by other people.

The sound of pounding footsteps raced toward him, prompting a shift in gaze, from beyond the pavement, to the source of the sound.  A person was running his direction, seemingly in a big hurry, with their head held low, and an arm wrapped around a package of some sort.  Perhaps he was a courier?  Or maybe they were just in a hurry to catch up with someone.  Either way, the young man paid it little mind, and instead focused his attention on the approaching park, his destination.

It was then, that he noticed a young woman, distraught, looking toward the person who had just run past.  He stopped, dead in his stride, as his ears caught just a single word:  'Thief.'  Of course!  That made much more sense, when he thought about it.  And he just let the guy slip away, without giving it a second thought.  Maybe it wasn't such a slow morning, after all.

He raised a single hand toward the woman, giving a gesture that he only hoped would translate close to 'Give me a minute, I'll get that back for you,' assuming she had even noticed him in the first place.  Turning the opposite direction, he started after the little punk, who was, fortunately, still in view.  Hands were removed from their holstered position, now pumping at his sides, to match the rhythm of his footsteps.

"Someone stop that guy!" he shouted, hoping that someone would be kind enough to help.  A finger was even pointed toward the thief, to help clarify who it was that needed to be stopped.  Of course, not many people would go out of their way to get involved in the matters of another, unless it benefited them in some way.  Most of the onlookers simply backed away from the middle of the road, to make a clear path.  Well, at least they did that much for him.

The culprit took a sudden left, darting down a narrow alleyway.  Following still, the pursuer vaulted over a trash can that had been knocked over to slow him down.  He was faster than this kid, and both of them knew it now.  When the thief reached the end of the alley, he hesitated for just a moment, seemingly torn between escape routes.  That was a mistake on his part.

A gloved hand landed on the guy's shoulder, gripping tightly before pulling backward, and twisting.  Spun around now, he tried to break free of the young man's grip, letting out a pained whimper as he only managed to force a finger into a nerve.  He was clearly afraid, possibly on the verge of tears.  But, he did drop what he had been holding.

"Now then," the pursuer spoke, grabbing hold with both hands now, one on each shoulder, "If it's alright with you, I'll take the liberty of returning that.  Promise me that you won't be stealing again, and I won't get the authorities involved.  Deal?"  The thief's eyes widened, clearly stunned by the options given to him.  "I asked you a question, kid.  Do we have a deal, or am I going to have to carry you four blocks, and hand you over to the guard?"  Slowly, the captive nodded.

"Good!  You are free to go, then."  The young man loosed his grip, bending down to pick up the stolen bag.  Carefully slinging it over his shoulder, he started back down the alley, toward the park again.  Not hearing any sort of movement behind him, it was clear that the kid was still standing where he was, most likely staring after the man in disbelief.  "You should know, I expect you to hold true to your promise.  I've seen your face now, and if I ever catch you doing something like this again, I won't be taking you in.  I'll be making sure that you never walk out of the next alley you run through."  The threat echoed off the walls, and was promptly followed by the decaying clack of feet slapping against pavement.

It wasn't long before he reached the park again, a small smirk on his face as he held the bag out to the woman.  He had...  Probably done the right thing.  There wasn't any real guarantee that he'd never see that guy stealing again, but if that's what it came down to, then he'd have to break a leg or two.  But, that was a bridge to cross, upon arrival.  "Miss, I believe this belongs to you."  Before she'd even have a chance to respond, he took a seat on the bench she had presumably been occupying before this whole dilemma.  "You mind if I sit?  No?  Thanks."

There was she was, ready to fight for her treasure when suddenly a man, who frankly looked a little down on his luck, decided to hop in on the rescue. While he looked down on his luck, Mei supposed she was up on her luck. She didn't actually know the guy or anything and hopefully he wasn't a thief, but at the very least someone chasing after it knew the layout of the area. Sadly by now the guy was long gone, along with supposed hero, so she had to wait. Mei felt pretty terrible, she felt like a damsel in distress or something, if only she had actually thought about keeping such things safer, or at least not fall asleep this wouldn't be a worry. She was feeling pretty foolish now.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, and pondering just re-buying half of the items, since she actually had an excess of jewels now, Mei saw the man come back. He had actually retrieved her bag, though how much was still in there Mei would have to question. No one knows how desperate someone could be for any kind of prize, still she didn't have food in there so that was a good thing, they would only get rare magical trinkets and not her food. Priorities yo.

As the man returned he the bag to her, and taking it to check that everything was there, she was pleasantly surprised to find all of her purchases accounted for. it was a huge relief, but then the man quite rudely sat down. Really was that sarcasm needed? Oh well she could cut him some slack, he had actually been kind to her in helping her out, she he had earned a bit of rudeness.

Sighing slightly as she placed the bag at her hip with her arm wrapped tightly around it, Mei looked towards the stranger who had helped her.

"Thank you, I was foolish and I apologize for wasting your time. Would you like anything for helping me? I have jewels or I can buy you a meal, or an item if needed."

Wow, she was actually able to speak normally, maybe the shock of the fast few minutes had managed to made her tense enough to have the opposite effect apply. Still her offer was valid, this guy had done a good job, and she hoped he would at least let her thank him. Still there was one last thing she had to add to the offer before she would fully let him retort.

"My name is Mei, so what's your's hero?"

"Jack," the man introduced himself, "Jack Golding.  It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mei."  He met her gaze, raising a few fingers at an upward angle, as a sort of wave.  Normally, he'd offer a handshake, but in his experience, women usually reacted rather awkwardly to that.  So, a more reserved gesture was in order.  "And, please.  I'm no hero.  Just a simple man, trying to do right by the world.  If you really insist on repaying me, then all I ask is that you be more careful in the future."

Turning his head, Jack looked out, over the park.  It wasn't anything spectacular.  Just a simple clearing, with a few walkways, scattered with lampposts, and a handful of benches, all centered around a fountain that some used as a wishing well.  The grass was kept neat, and relatively free of litter, and a large tree grew from the far corner, overshadowing a good half of the park.  There were others present, mostly families with children, and young couples.  Most of them gave small, confused glances, but tried not to make eye contact for too long.  It wasn't every day, that one saw such events unfold.  And, most of them probably had the wrong idea of him, by now.

"You aren't a local, huh," he added without too much pause.  Normally, this town wasn't exactly a hotspot for lowlifes, but they were out there, just the same as anywhere else.  What struck Jack as odd, though, was how the thief tried to make his escape.  It was sloppy, and brought attention to the crime.  The guy definitely didn't have much experience under his belt.  Probably caught the girl dozing off, and thought it an easy way to make a quick buck.  "I can show you around, if you want.  Or play bodyguard, or whatever."  That probably would have skewed the opinions of any eavesdroppers even further in the wrong direction.  Golding's tongue stumbled for a brief second, realizing that fact.  "N-not that I'm trying to pick you up, or anything like that.  It would just be safer that way.  Besides, I haven't got anything better to do today..."

He stopped talking, before he stepped on feelings.  Jack had a way with words, it seemed.  A way that sometimes was the wrong way.  Eyes fell to the ground, ashamed of their owner.  Not even a minute in, and he'd already been certain to kill the conversation.  In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a big deal.  Chances of running across this girl ever again, were pretty slim, once she left town.  Still, he did regret not being better at making small talk.  And it wouldn't sit well, knowing that he'd offended someone he'd just helped.

Golding debated for a moment, about making up a reason to see himself out.  But that would have been incredibly rude.  For the moment, he pretended to watch the other park-goers, most of whom weren't pretending to watch him.  His hands folded and fell between his knees, as he tried to take up less of the bench.  He didn't want to just leave those words hanging there, but just about anything else he would have said, would have only made the situation worse.

Was this guy serious? He was acting quite awkward around Mei after all, and she didn't know how to fully respond to it. He seemed like the type of guy who did good things, but then couldn't stand to get the credit for it, or to deal with anyone he had just helped. She could relate to that, she didn't like to get the credit for things most of the time, and found it normally awkward to talk with people. In all reality she should probably just thank him and move on, but that didn't feel quite right. he deserved some credit for doing deeds like this, and even though she barely knew him, it wasn't fair to just walk away after that. That's probably what the majority of people would do, but Mei felt a little different right now, besides for some strange reason she had overcome her inability to speak to strangers for a moment, so she might as well go with the flow.

"Normally I wouldn't say that being a body guard, or showing someone else around town is really a reward for doing a good deed, but it would be good to get to know everything around here. If you are up for it, I wouldn't mind you showing me around for a bit."

Ending her little statement at that, she would see if he'd go with it, if he didn't that would be fine, she'd just go on her way back home, but if he did she could at least get to know this town. Either way a win technically so no real downside at all.