Save the Gambos! (Job)

Yanking the last stitch tight, Neru tied off the string and cut the excess away. She held up her project happily, looking the boot up and down. Though they'd taken a while to finish, she was glad Sapho would now have a little pair of shoes to wear. The fairy in question was flitting around her fingers excitedly, examining the footwear in fascination. The other boot was secured onto Sapho's foot, the little white flowers adorned on the ends of the strings fluttering with her movement. "I know, I know," Neru replied, hiding a giggle behind her free hand. Her orbs turned yellow, dancing about them in an imitation of Sapho. "Exciting, huh? They're finished!"

Sapho nodded and gladly took the shoe from Neru's outstretched hand. She put it on with little trouble, lacing together the ties carefully, just as she'd been taught. "All ready?" The fairy nodded, kicking her feet forward and laughing, momentarily covering the room with the beautiful sounds. Neru smiled involuntarily at the sound, standing and brushing her skirt off. She had a job today, and she had no intention to be late. She'd even put on a nicer outfit, even if it was similar to her usual. The charity organization CPWC, or Citizens for the Protection of Wild Creatures, had recently been doing a conservation project on gambos, medium sized creatures that inhabited lakes and streams. They were known for their eyes, which are important ingredients used to make most magic objects that allow vision in low light. However, their overhunting is causing their population to decline a bit too rapidly. Neru had jumped on the chance to help them when she saw the sign up on the job board.

HP=100
MP=100%

Neru made her way to the door of her home, pausing to allow Sapho to settle easily on her shoulder. It was always easier if the fairy stayed there, especially in the hustle and bustle of the town around them. Checking her head to be sure that her headphones were properly adjusted, the light mage pulled open the door and made her way out into town.

The charity event was only a few minutes away from her home, held in an open plaza in hopes of attracting more people. Her job was to help attract more. When they'd heard that she was a light mage they'd even postponed the event to a later time in the day. Now, the moon rose on the horizon and the streets were no less busy than they'd been during the day; many still out on the market as was common, especially at the end of the day. Those who wanted fish at a cheaper price often went at night, when they could buy older fish for less. Not to mention, those who were out simply for a bit of fun would be around as well.

What with the crowd, Neru was glad she'd brought her headphones. It kept the noise at a manageable level and helped her arrive at the plaza in one piece. The representative of the group was waiting for her and waved her over when he saw her. Waving in return, Neru checked that Sapho was still safe and beelined her way to him.

HP=100
MP=100%

"Thank you for coming!" he told Neru as she came within an appropriate earshot. "I'm glad we're not the only ones who care about nature these days!" He squinted at her shoulder for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Is that a fairy!?"

Sapho hid a giggle behind a dainty hand, and Neru put a polite smile on her face, hoping it didn't seem strained. Sometimes, she really hated social interaction. "Shapho's a friend of mind. I'm Neru Faye, by the way. What did you need us to do?"

The man reluctantly turned his attention away from Sapho and gestured behind him. "We've constructed a little wooden platform, for the speech on the subject. All you need to do is go up there and catch some attention. We asked a mage guild because it seems more likely that a mage would be able to do that." Neru followed his gaze to the platform, and nodded.

"I can do that," she replied, glancing over at Sapho. The fairy removed her hands from her face and nodded, fluttering off of her shoulder and up towards the stage. Pulling her flute from the holder draped over her back, Neru followed.

HP=100
MP=100%

After she mounted the stage, Neru didn't speak to the crowd. She was sure that some people would simply walk away if she tried. Instead, she moved her light orbs down to surround Sapho on the back and sides. The little fairy had landed on the floor of the stage and waved. Already, people drew closer, curious about the little figure. Allowing their attention to stay on Sapho, Neru lifted the flute to her lips as the Sapho lifted her hands, and began to play.

It was a song originally meant for piano accompaniment but now she played it on her own, providing a background to the sudden explosion of movement in front of her. As though she were the one controlling the magic, Sapho had begun to dance with the orbs of light, sending them away from and towards her in waves with a simple flick of her wrist. As the song came to a slight decrescendo, Sapho and the orbs spiraled inward and rose towards the air. The light scattered about the stage, casting a beautiful blue light upon all those who neared.

HP=100
MP=100%

Though the song was only about five minutes long, it felt as though it only lasted a few seconds. Neru played and carefully cast the lights back and forth through the entire piece, using Sapho as her exotic centerpiece. The fairy was consistently delighted, the white glint of her teeth visible whenever she turned towards Neru. She'd wanted to go on a job with her more than once only to be kept home, and Neru had no doubt that she was ecstatic now that she was finally able to go along. As the song came near the end, they began to imply towards the charity, with images of the Gambo and rivers and lakes frequenting the shapes the light took in aid of Sapho's dance. Removing a few of her lights, she created a frame high above the stage, which Sapho took to on the ending notes and used her own fairy dust to write "CPWC Event".

The sounds faded out as the song came to a close, leaving just the glowing title as Sapho came down, swirling excitedly around Neru's head before settling on her shoulder. From what little she knew of the fairy's language so far, Neru caught the word "happy". Whether it was in reference to her or to the crowd, or even to Sapho herself, Neru would have to ask later. She drew the orbs no longer in use back towards her, extinguishing the ones that didn't typically follow her around. That done, she sat back and waited. The chairman of the group came back up and began his speech. Having been at the rehearsal, Neru barely listened, simply sending in her lights to illustrate his speech every so often, and keep the crowd interested. And a crowd it was. A fairy dancing in light wasn't something many saw every day, so the gathering of people about the little platform was tremendous. Even just standing there Neru felt a glow of happiness inside her chest, a yellow color overtaking the blue orbs with a sudden flash.

When the speech and the event was over, leaving only for people to gather to donate what they could, Neru descended the stage, taking her flute out of its holster (where she'd placed it after performing) and checking it over carefully for any dirt or marks. Deciding it was clean enough to travel home, she tucked it back away.

Neru was thanked and dismissed soon after, leaving her to wander home happily, listening to Sapho's excited babbling along the way, commenting every so often to what she understood.

HP=100
MP=100%