Wanderer - (Private/Recruiters)

"Hn.. Crisp morning." Quietly speaking to himself while the steps towards the peak of an overlooking hill slowly closed him towards a large building. The sounds of each footfall crunching against the gravel that had been set specifically for the destination ahead.
On either side of the young man, the trees were hued in comfortable reds and oranges, emphasizing a recent and consistent drop in temperature at the time. Scattered piles of leaves were distinguishable further into a nearby dense forest to the East. Only further chilled Copy was the gentle and steady wind that buffeted across his face and body, lifting the tail of his coat behind him in a flutter, also directed towards the East dominantly.

It was only a matter of time afore he drew the last few steps to the stages of the large guild-houses steps. Eyes spotting the wear of the cobblestone that drew to the heavy wooden doors. Perhaps an excuse to himself to take such an interest, granting him some moments of grace without word or a situation. It did pass, while he stood there in silence looking at the few remainder steps to the door it drew him at a snap to the dark wooden double-doors. Raising a hand he rose a hand and pounded four times, hearing within' a resounding boom each knock. A second passed until the wind shifted and picked up, crashing into the door just enough to cause it to creak open. Displaying passage into the chamber within'.

Pausing further, he furrowed his brows and put on an expression un-befit of his otherwise dainty features. One he aimed to express strength, resilience to any fear tactics; upon convincing himself it worked, he planted his right palm against the door and swung it open the remainder ways striding in. Taking the first few steps and nudged it closed from behind.
From there he stood, turning and facing those who may be present and the intake of the hall itself. It was only a matter of dissecting where he could register, the first inclination of a clue was to approach a nearby counter whom should have an attendant. Raising his voice he called out. "Hello! I am here with interest in joining!"

Like others Rohma had cast her eyes towards the entry, most folks quickly returning to their conversations. Someone returning from a job, lost, new, and a variety of other reasons brought people to Infinity Hydra’s doorstop. Sometimes the locals even showed up for a meal or drink, plenty of the non-magical men stopping by to hear stories and weave long-winded fantasy tails of their own. This man didn’t fit the usual bill of “husband deciding to live vicariously through some youths” or anything of that ilk. In fact if nothing else – and perhaps furthered by the sword at his hip – the fellow looked like some young and budding samurai type. The type of youngster looking for a cause to fight and make a name for himself. Well…such were a few first thoughts at any rate.

’Kinda reminds me of some of the newbies mum n’ pop have to drag around.’ Munching on a plate of pancakes at the bar, barely moving her stool to cast her glance at the newcomer, Rohma shrugged. Who was she to judge? The dark haired woman was barely in her twenties, clothes a little worn from travels and a bit of thriftiness – because once you found some comfy clothes for travel you didn’t spend too much on a wardrobe, or so her mother often said – and eating a delicious food favored a bit more by kids than adults. She hadn’t really outgrown that sweet tooth and they could be a bit of a pain to track down in some locations.

She couldn’t fault the lad for walking up to the bar, the current fellow behind the counter reading since things were a bit slow right now. Breakfast crew more or less gone, the night party group not expected for hours yet, and the general crowd dispersed for work either in town or somewhere abroad.

”Ah, very good,” the brunette closed his book, stowing the volume beneath the bar and offering the newcomer his full attention. Producing a second book he flipped through pages before finding the latest one and offering the man a pen, ”Please write your name here while I inform the guild master and retrieve the guild stamp.”

As he left to likely make a call Rohma watched the new fellow with curiosity brewing in her blue eyes, ”What brings you ‘ere? Aside for the obvious a course…” It’d been hard to ignore the question as it stewed in her mind, the woman wondering why he opted for Infinity Hydra over other guilds.

It was apparent after this rather loud entry, he hesitated ever-so slightly at the now recognized mass in the hall. For a guild, he was expecting a scatter of guild-members a few here and there that one might direct him where he'd announced.
It was however, significantly different. In his research it was never particularly detailed that the first floor paired as a public bar for the nearby residents as well as a hall for the guild-members. Thus the looks he received, despite the protest in his mind; was exactly what he deserved. Painting his expression with wide-eyed concerned had only died down when those around all returned to their matter of businesses. "... Thankfully I wasn't too far-fetched then. Just, try to be more reserved I s'pose." while he stood awkwardly there, he had pondered the matter into a edge that granted him the courage to stride forwards, towards the bar entirely.

In this time, those observing would recognize that he was fairly clean both in dress-standards and hygiene, only pieces of clothing that displayed significant marks of wear were his shoes and the bottom of his sharp pant-legs. As he passed, his eyes met Rohma's whom he caught watching for awhile longer; nerving to him. But it wasn't something he would allow his concern collapse him.
Upon his arrival to the counter and acknowledged by the barkeep, or attendant whichever the individual claimed to be he followed the simple instruction of writing down his name in simple form nothing extravagant. 'Copy' it wrote, not the most traditional of names. Although not entirely foreign for a mage to mask their names for the purpose of potential recognition, but that of names can be power over them. Placing the pen next to the book, he pressed his index and thumb fingers against either side of it, pushed forwards and turned to face the inner-stands of the counter so they may read the name and provide a reference point.

At this point he stood there, either hand cupped on the edge of the counter. Socially avoiding contact with anyone or anything behind him if he could help it, each of his fingers curled on the top of the counter. Inevitably the voice of the woman he met eyes with earlier spoke not far from him. While she spoke, he hadn't immediately turned to face her. His spine stiffened and a cold air flowed around him, the mind in process of whether it would be wise to face them now, or in a moment. Social conventions and fluidity was very clearly made apparent to her in a matter of seconds.
A few silent seconds after she finished her sentence, he only then turned his head to face her. Both hands remained on the counter and chest facing the same way. It wasn't very polite, a matter he may need to sort out; another time in his head he thought. In the turn, the pony-tail bobbed in motion. Both eyes did however, re-meet with hers studying the purpose of her conversation as best he could. Gauging the intent of the simple yet prying question.

While he watched her, his lips curled while he formulated a response. His tone held some restraint, it was difficult to tell if the following was fully true, or just partly. What was known is he did sound genuine for what it was worth. "An excuse. An honorable and unified path to walk by my side without feeling useless. -- Infinity Hydra claims to grant its' members freedom in exchange for defying the Dark Guilds. I aim for freedom, and I disagree with the uncouth. So... Two birds, one stone." As he quietened down to suggest he was finished. He squinted only slightly, nothing mocking or even condescending. But a way for him to focus on her a bit more, to observe a reaction- Or lack there of.

From her spot the woman could only make out the letters “Co” and the rest just a little out of reach. ’Doubt his name is Constance unless…hmm….Constantine maybe? No, bit long.’ He hadn’t exactly scribbled out an essay of a name after all, but she shrugged it off as he could’ve simply jotted down a nickname for all she knew. No business making a fuss considering the fellow struck her as rather nervous. Or…maybe he was overly conscious about being proper? ’Some sword folk lean towards codes or some such…maybe he’s just a smidge embarrassed then.’

Contrast to the man’s upright posture and light gripping of the counter the tanned woman leaned over the wood structure, one arm curled beneath her slouching form as the other speared more bits of tasty pastry goodness. A dusty boot went so far as to curl itself beneath one of the rungs of her stool as the other braced against the metal bar that seemed to run close to the floor. Compared to his stiffness Rohma almost passed for languid, her movements unhurried as she waited a beat before finally letting another few cut slices slip past her pearly whites. If nervousness gripped his tongue too harshly then oh well, she’d let it go.

Casual curiosity ebbed and flowed in her eyes, eyebrow slightly raising as he turned his head to stare. More surprising came the response, the dark haired woman almost expecting him to turn back to facing the wall and await the return of the bookkeeper/bartender. The response however came out far more eloquent than she initially anticipated as the other eyebrow raised and then both relaxed. ”Won’t deny that. They’ve been pretty swell ‘bout letting me roam as the wind takes me and finds crop up,” she finally replied, rolling her shoulder and uncurling the hand from beneath her bosom to take a swig of her water. A roguish smile graced her lips as her eyes roamed towards the wall of clean glasses, a small chuckle escaping, ”And you’re already better than the last fellow. Not two seconds after claiming he wanted to join started trying to sell some shoddy goods t’everybody in the room….well…you don’t strike me as the fellow to whip out a frying pan from nowhere at least. As long as you don’t start that up I’m sure you’ll fit in fine ‘nough here.”

The last thing she’d do was tell the fellow to relax a few degrees, tempting as the words were on her tongue. If he strove to hold himself in a different manner then bully for him, though she couldn’t help wondering how he might react meeting some of the wilder members of the guild. ’Though if he is a swordsman type I’m sure he’ll get along well enough with Ards. Maybe he even admires him enough to want to study a bit under him.’

Barely a handful of minutes since leaving the man who’d been behind the counter returned with a stamp in hand. Raising it to show the circling heads of the Infinity Hydra symbol he gave a small smile to the newcomer, ”Everything checks out and welcome to Infinity Hydra. If I may, where would you prefer your guild mark sir?”

It was obvious only a short time into the conversation that his interest to observe her reactions was awarded kindly. Something about it was entertaining to see how his off-putting appearance contrasted so heavily to his actions and personality. He knew this, an advantage typically exploited for the matter of social advantages and of course, entertainment.

As her brows lifted in reaction to his own words; she would catch a calmed smile, almost an unsettling feeling from it- It felt agonizingly genuine. Retaining the structure to his pose, while it was never verbally said; an aura of sensation trembled through his spine as the sensation of judgement lingered, this however did not force any faltering in his conviction. Although, he did loosen his grip on the counter-top and stood without it's support.

"Mh.. No, not a salesman- I don't have the mindset to falsely convince people of kindness and friendship. -- While a good frying pan is hard to object." He paused there as the tavern-keep returned with the stamp and a cheery expression. It was figured more a formality to appear so pleasant than it being truthful, it in the end- Did not matter.
Taking a deep breath, he twisted his left forearm and displayed his wrist. Indicating to the wrist to stamp with the guild-mark. "There will be fine. And say, if I wished to get my feet on the ground running. Where might I find a job-posting for a rookie?" It was a likely fact that the board was somewhere in the chamber they inhabited currently, but it was not something Copy was being meticulous in his searches when he first arrived. First, he had to have accomplished the entry. Which seemed simple enough- "I aught to be careful hm. Entry was easy, perhaps there is a test; or a high chance of death for it to be justified so quickly on their end." the expression on his face suggested thought carefully. While he awaited further action from the keep, or the lady nearby.

Finally the nerves must’ve settled as she noted the smile, hands releasing the counter top as if he no longer required the wooden structure’s inner fortitude. A laugh slipped out at his rebuttal, a small nod as she agreed: never knew when you might require a good frying pan. Heaven knows when someone fishy showed up at a dig and anything within reach might become your primary weapon then it paid to be the one cleaning up after a meal. Something told her to give the man the benefit of the doubt as she couldn’t quite imagine him trying to deceive folks – at least out of a few jewels for whatever reason – otherwise he’d have to be a hell of an actor.

Pressing the stamp to the newcomer’s wrist, the symbol adjusted itself accordingly. For a brief moment it left a cool feeling as the color adjusted to the man’s preference before finally solidifying. ”Our primary selection is placed on that board over there,” after placing the stamp beneath the counter – he’d return it later – the gentleman behind the bar pointed to his right. From their vantage point it remained largely obscured by one of the impressive columns supporting the tower-esque guild hall, but one could make out a quarter of the board with some papers currently pinned in place. Only the newest ones seemed a bit haphazardly placed, most organized in rows and columns by the same person who’d performed Copy’s admittance into the guild hall. Even now someone who’d been at the far end of the bar moved to pin a new application for help up, the older woman leaving the guild cheerfully enough.

”We receive a fair few posts for help in the morning, simple things the people near and further away desire help with while more pressing tasks come straight from organizations such as the council, Rune Knights, and sometimes even other guilds. I’m afraid for now I can only permit you to take something up to C-rank in grade until you prove yourself more capable…though some of those you might want to seek aid to ensure success,” this time when the man smiled it seemed to hold a bit of weariness and concern behind it, ”Fear not if you have true ambition it’ll be but a small amount of time before you’re dipping your toes into more adventurous ones. We simply want to gauge our newcomers’ abilities and make sure they’re prepared. If you require lodgings please let me know as we do provide housing as well in the form of a personal room in the buildings attached to our main hall.”

Greeting the time and care into the explanation with a smile, his attention had inevitably diverted to focus on the board that the man explained "Thank you very much. Your hospitality is quite appreciated." returning to face the bar-keep he offered to shake his hand, a manner of his own respect. His body language was likely his biggest weak-point, he retained the formal composure and strength that he held so dearly too; but with close inspection, he seemed excited. A pursuit with a cause, stir the inner wanderer with some vigor.

Casting a deep breath, he paused. It took a moment in his stasis to turn to the woman that so effortlessly cause him to let loose some information; which was a clear concern from his facial expression. But in his observation of her the visual was conflicting, while he desired a companion for only a short time, there was a vulnerability already present.
Clearing his throat, a quick close of his eyes he extended out a hand facing the ceiling. "As the keep suggested. Aid is welcomed, I'm not particularly familiar with quests in a formality. And you seem well accustomed to the sorts. Would you care to assist me with a mission? Show me some of the ropes and what have you.-- And to break the forms of stranger-hood. I am Copy. Yourself?"

There was a faint glimmer in the whites of his eyes. It was a dawn of a strange and unique day for him.

But, to only strengthen his odd behavior. He turned to the bar-keep mid conversation to Rohma and spoke. "I would also like to request boarding here, while my intentions won't be forever posted here. I would thoroughly enjoy a place to sleep if I stumble back here during some nights."

((Sorry it took so long to respond, had a very busy week))

”Rohma,” she answered after a few gulps of her drink, ”and pick what’s interesting to y-“ Rohma’s words halted as someone sidled up to Copy’s other side and proceeded to spin about. Having been away from the guild for some time on a tip that’d proved rather…unfortunate…she’d become a bit out of touch with some of Infinity Hydra’s latest characters. This fellow she’d spied only a few times at best in the place though from a distance he seemed quite a card. The first words from his mouth only proved it as a sly grin crossed the woman’s face.

”Oooh….Woooolfe…my how you’ve changed in but a few days!” she purred, laughing fiercely on the inside. Their team remained relatively knew so she supposed the fellow either expected her to go along with his little joke, or simply not know the real man behind the name. ”I don’t think you’ve been drinking your milk either…you must’ve shrunken a whole foot!” By now she’d propped her head in her hand, eyeing the fellow with an amused glimmer to her eyes before turning them back to Copy. ”As I was gonna say ‘fore, I’ll let you pick somethin’ out from the board and accompany you. Maybe Mr. Wolfe would like to join us?”

Something about the fellow lead the dark haired woman to believe he hadn’t meant any harm in the little ruse, perhaps a troublemaker sort? Or like a class clown? Regardless she knew little about the fellow so getting to know what felt like “another new person” didn’t seem like a bad idea. Combined with his more lackadaisical approach – considering the stool spinning – compared to Copy and…well, a part of her was just plain curious. Maybe they’d make a wonder duo? Maybe they’d end up bickering like a bitter married couple? Only time would tell.

While the interaction between Rohma and himself ensued, the arrival that caught in his peripherals meandered along to the bar location. At first, he didn't pay much; if any heed to the occurrence after-all, it was a bar people came and went.
That of course faded when he spoke along with Rohma with introductions. Each individual caught a gaze of curiosity with the dictation of their names. It did strike him odd how the man introduced himself, this too however; was disregarded as problematic anyways. "I see. Well, it is a pleasure of course Rohma and Wolfe- Although I must admit, I'm not fully certain the role of this... Ace figure. But it is of no matter right now." Tying the end of his statement with a force flash of a smile. He turned to the barkeep and nodded, "Of course, I'll be sure to get the work put in to find residence there."

Adjusting his position to a more formal stand he turned back to Rohma, remaining silent only for a moment as he considered the proposition of adding the man by the name Wolfe. Only to shrug. "If he wishes to come, I have no issues with it." And with that he without motion, or necessarily suggestion he strolled to the mission board. From the distance he perused the options that stapled to the board until he reached up and snagged a sleeve of parchment. Titled 'Afternoon Freakout' scanning the scribbling for a moment. Dipping his head in acknowledgement of his choice and wandered back to the two. Holding the page out to the two of them to read, "Thoughts?"

Afternoon Freakout

It almost didn’t hit her, the woman blinking as the fellow seemed to go along with it smoothly enough. ’Did…did he believe that?’ Maybe she hadn’t coated it with enough sarcasm though in truth…without a proper name to call the fellow then maybe he defaulted to what he had? Or maybe she needed to stop overthinking it, figuring the rascal could properly introduce himself at some point (or keep reintroducing himself as other people, who knew).

By now her plate bore only a few pieces of the fluffy treat she’d started with and some forlorn puddles of syrup left in the wake of breakfast. Wiping her mouth clean of any final residue she crumpled the napkin on the plate and pushed it forward, eyes glancing over the page. ’Bleh, someone using some mind-messing type magic. Lovely.’ A small part of the woman wanted to ignore the request and not get anywhere near such a fellow. The other “voice” in her head was enough for a lifetime, but ultimately another part of her didn’t want this poor fire mage to continue his rampage on these unfortunate folks. ”Yeah that one’s fine, ‘prolly a good idea to get it done sooner rather than later anyhow,” she agreed with Rowan, unable to help eyeing that reward as well. Travels did require monetary support after all…