After the grand fiasco with the guild, the guild chef Benvolio and her 'poisoning' the chef, well Yona was reluctant to go out on another job so soon. Johann had thoroughly impressed upon her the need to follow guild rules and a combination of physical pain and emotional shame had kept her to her room for a few days. She might not have left for a few more if it weren't for the letter she had received from the herbalist requesting that she specifically assist her. It was a simple 1000 Jewels job and so Yona had grabbed a small bag and made her way to the docks.
Hours later, the nineteen year old arrived at the Beanstalk Village. Yona wondered what research the herbalist had done, specially considering that her own research had been cut prematurely short thanks to Benvolio and Johann. On her way through the small village, the green haired female noticed a figure in black. The figure had followed discreetly, but not at a drastic distance. Yona assumed the figure was some sort of Black Market salesman waiting to target her for a sale or a raunchy little thief. Yona grabbed her singular bag tighter and kept a peripheral view on the person trailing her. Along the way, she noticed two of those plants she had collected last time she had been in the area, growing out of the ground. Yona didn't bring her gloves with her and so she just avoided touching them.
Yona was able to find the old herbalist fairly easily and entered her home with professionality. Yona wore her all white uniform usual: a coat, her wraps, her tall boots and pants. "Why thank you. Now what exactly did you need me for, ma'am?" Yona questioned, speaking with an air of an intellect, which in the case of plants, she was. The herbalist would soon discover a woman on par with her abilities and the conversation should have been easy, maybe even enjoyable. Yona caught a quick view of the black clothed stalker sliding around to the side of the herbalist's home. Was he going away? Was he really this dedicated to following her?
"The roots of this plant are just incredible," The herbalist explained. "My issue is that it doesn't seem to stop growing! It grows through anything I place it into. Even when I cut the roots back, it seems like they grow back with a vengeance!" Yona walked through the rooms with the old woman until they entered her back room. When they opened the door, Yona could see a large table with a plant whose roots had spread through the table, cracking the thick wood. She made a face, "That doesn't make any sense. There are no nutrients in other substances, and how is the plant getting the energy to grow its roots so wildly?"
The woman gave several nods, gesturing to the room. "So you see the root of my problem!" She laughed at her own joke and Yona smiled obligingly, "It has grown through everything. And once it grows enough, it breaks down the material and grows upwards to form a new plant." This was not an unusual way of reproducing, but that of course meant that what seemed to be multiple different plants, were actually all part of one singular plant. Like basic dandelions or violets, only this plant had stings so painful they could make a person retch. "That isn't that unusual, except for the part where it grows through everything. I can keep my eyes and ears open, do some extra research back at the guild. That sound good to you, ma'am?" The herbalist nodded, "And I plan to reach out to a scientist friend of mine as well. Perhaps the three of us can get to the bottom of this. I appreciate you coming here, I know it is a long way but I thought you ought to see it in person."
"No trouble at all, ma'am," Yona answered politely and began heading for the door. As she neared the door, she thought of the mysterious black clothed stalker outside and decided to see if he was still about. Yona touched her hand to the ground and closed her eyes, focusing on the outside of the building. Yes, he was still there. She drew up her Blade of Thorns from the floor. Yona frowned, bowing her head to give the herbalist a quick goodbye. Then she opened the door and whipped herself around the side of the house in a surprise assault. That damned stalker was going to pay! She led with her blade, aiming it at the chest of the man standing there before he could even react.
"Why are you following me!?" Yona demanded. The man did not answer. She asked him a second time, pressing the tip of the blade into his chest, slightly. In turn, the man lifted his hands as if innocent, and then he flicked out a dagger from under his coat sleeve, aiming it for her. She yelped as it flew past her neck, slicing a cut and narrowly missing a one-hit kill shot. Yona lifted her hand to press against her neck and the stalker leapt backwards out of range and agilely moved around her to lift his blade from the ground. He rushed her from behind, but Yona was ready. She slashed her own weapon at him, having greater range than his weapon, and he had to step to the side to dodge.
Yona ran at him and lifted her leg to kick him in the chest. The man fell backwards, landing hard and Yona felt his dagger again, digging a cut into her leg: the price for kicking him, it seemed. The green haired woman stabbed her own weapon into his leg, the price for going after her, and she snarled down at him. "You stop moving right here, right now, or I will kill you." For good measure, Yona stabbed him in his other leg. "You answer me, or you can answer to the Rune Knights." The man chuckled and whimpered in a mix of pain and insanity driven glee, happy to know it drove her crazy to not get an answer out of him.
The female was in no mood to play, and with her promises to behave while on a job, she called out to the herbalist whom she knew had to have been watching nearby. Sure enough, the curious old woman poked her head around the side. "Do you have some rope I can borrow, ma'am?" The herbalist nodded, vanished and returned passing Yona the rope. "You should be ashamed. What kind of man are you, attacking a pretty woman in the street?" She looked at Yona and said, "I've sent a quick message to the Rune Knights. I will turn him in, I don't want you to miss your ferry." Yona looked down at the stalker and sighed. She forced him onto his stomach, tied his hands and his feet, and then she added a piece to gag him with, just in case he was a spell caster.
"Thank you ma'am. I do believe this makes your research and mine more interesting."
WC: 1206 / 500
Last edited by Yona on 28th March 2018, 6:33 pm; edited 2 times in total
