[Job - Eero & Leona] Wildlife Rescue

Eero had been telling himself that he needed to socialise for the longest time. It was high time he finally acted on his cursed words. But then again, doing human-esque things was required if he wanted to get better at them. He sat on the floor in his room, working his mind, trying to come up with something, to solve this conundrum. Eero groaned and placed his head into his hands. He was exhausted from trying to think. /"I need some fresh air. A lot of fresh air."/ Wait. That could work. Maybe he could extend an invite to one of his guildmates and see if they were interested in a walk in the Phoenix Mountains? That didn't sound like that bad of an idea. With renewed energy the boy sprung up and scrounged around for some warmer clothes. Surprisingly enough, as time passed, he was getting more used to the cold temperatures of the Guild's surroundings. He didn't particularly like the temperature, but he was just getting used to it. He would grab a pair of black jeans and black boots to match his black t-shirt and then put on a black jacket with fur lining on the collar. While he was happily getting ready for a walk, Eero suddenly stopped in his tracks. He still had no idea who he was going to ask.

Before Eero could stop himself and start overthinking things again, he exited his room. He decided that he would ask the first person that came to his mind. For some reason it was Leona, who came to his mind first. The boy wanted to wonder why his mind went there, but Eero just decided to go with the flow and lay off of the whole overthinking things. He walked around, searching for Leona's room. It didn't take him long to find the right door. He raised up his hand, about to knock, when he hesitated for a moment. The boy would shake his head and force his hand to land the knock on the door. He would then wait if the person in question was inside.

He knew he shouldn't have been this nervous about knocking on a door, especially that of a fellow guildmate. Luckily for Eero, before he could overthink and subsequently overcomplicate this whole idea, the door opened. Leona was standing behind it with an orange coat on, dressed for similar weather as Eero was. Perhaps she was going out for a job? She seemed to be packing more like for a trip of sorts. /"Maybe I shouldn't disturb her."/ The boy thought, but then discarded the idea. He could've always at least asked if she was up to something, right? It was the whole point of this 'socialise with people' excercise. "Hey, Leona. I was just wondering if you would be up for a walk in the Phoenix Mountains." Just a simple question, nothing more, nothing less. Eero was sincerely hoping that Leona would join him, though. It could never hurt to get to know his guildmates, right? He still found it strange how he felt at ease around Poko, but not others so much. Eero was sure that by spending time with other people would help him out. It had to.

The boy placed his question, but he didn't receive an immediate answer. For a moment he was sure that he probably shouldn't have asked, but then he noticed that Leona looked as if.. she was reminiscing about something. It happened to Eero sometimes aswell. That feeling when you just suddenly think about deeds of the past, whether they were good or bad, reminding yourself of what you have done to get to the point you were in, then and there. Sadly for the boy, though, he didn't have exactly that many memories to look back on. Some of his more memorable ones were with Poko and her companion, Zephyr. They helped him remember bits and pieces of his past. At least, that was what he thought they were. The more time passed since he reassembled the artifact, the less he was sure. The memories slowly dissolved into incomprehensible jumble, that he wasn't sure if it was real to begin with. He reckoned that he had to practice his abilities further, if he wanted to know more.

His train of thought was thankfully interrupted by Leona, who seemingly agreed to join him for a walk. Now Eero felt slightly embarrassed, seeing as he himself got lost in his own mind. But Leona had agreed to join him and that was all that mattered. The boy would nod back in acknowledgement. "I'm glad to hear that." He would say, relieved. "I'll wait for you downstairs then, alright?" Eero would add afterwards and start slowly making his way down to the Guildhall, leaving Leona to pack the rest of her things. He briefly wondered whether he should've packed something himself. Probably not. It was just a walk, after all.

Eero left Leona to pack her things and walked downstairs. It was slightly chilly, but more than warm enough for those who sought to warm up a bit themselves. The boy was getting uncomfortably hot under the jacket, so the little bit of coldness helped him out. Eero walked up to the front doors of the Guildhall and leaned on the wall beside them, waiting for Leona. He put his hands into his jacket's pockets. Not because they were cold, but because he had nothing else to do with them. His thoughts started floating about again, returning to his lack of memories. If he had to be honest, he didn't even think about that fact that much since he had joined the Guild. Perhaps the change in environment, having work to do, meeting new people occupied his mind enough to the point he didn't even bother to look back at his missing past. At the time, only Poko knew of his circumstances. Even if she didn't, he would've told her by now, as she became the Guildmaster. But was the time right for him to bring up that tiny tidbit about himself to Leona now? He wasn't sure.

Once more, his train of thought was interrupted. And once more, Eero was glad. She seemed to be ready to head out whenever, prepared for the worst. Unlike him. Sometimes Eero just didn't think ahead or any bad case scenarios that could happen, so he found himself in a bit of panic every now and then. He was hoping that it wouldn't get to that point this time. The boy would smile at his fellow guildmate and push himself off of the wall. Leona asked him, if he was ready to get going. "I'm all set." He would reply and open a portion of the door, letting Leona pass first, out of courtesy, of course. Eero would follow her outside and close the door behind him, not letting too much cold to get into the Guildhall. Then again, it wasn't as cold in the vicinity of the Guildhall, as it was in the actual Mountains that surrounded them. "I don't really have a destination in mind, not sure about you." Eero would say, snow crunching beneath his feet as he walked.

Eero was slightly surprised to hear that Leona hadn't taken a walk in the Mountains. Not that he had done so himself before, but Leona seemed like someone who would've done that plenty of times already. Though it felt good that both of them would be clueless and just wander around without a destination in mind. Leona then spoke up again, about the peacefulness of the trip. Sadly, he couldn't exactly relate to that, as he was almost always buried in books. He did that job with Arghast a while back in the desert and he did feel like dying in the heat, but that was the only danger that he had to face while there. But when his guildmate noted that he was a calm person, he had to disagree with her internally. He may have been calm, but that was because he had to suppress his emotions, in order to keep his other self at bay. Suppress the bad emotions, at least. If all went well, he wouldn't make an appearance today. "Maybe I should get a bit more active in return, I had been mostly studying and reading on various topics to broaden my horizons." Eero would admit. He did need to train and get stronger.

The boy felt like it would be better if he spoke up about certain something. "Leona, just so you know... I am not calm for reasons that you are probably thinking of. Let's just say that I kind of have to keep myself calm, so that I won't hurt anybody." He wasn't ready to share the existence of his other self just yet, with anybody, really. Poko sadly experienced that, but she didn't seem to realise the cause of Eero's sudden shift and he was thankful for that, in a sense. The trees were growing thicker, covered in layers of snow. He wanted to ensure his guildmate that he would do his best to make sure no harm came to anybody, even if his emotions derailed, but the boy would suddenly stop. With his better senses he sometimes picked up various smells and noises that he didn't really want to in particular. They were both a curse and a blessing. Up until then, his senses didn't reveal anything out of the ordinary. But suddenly he heard a faint cry in distance. It was most likely a bird, but Eero couldn't fathom as to what exact bird it could be. "I heard something. In the distance." Since he wasn't anticipating a sudden cry like that, he didn't have time to focus on its point of origin, so he would stay still, until he heard it again. The boy would tilt his head to the side. "I think it may be a bird of some kind. Probably came from up ahead." He would say and start making his way towards where he presumed could be the origin of the cry.

Eero found it somewhat strange, but amusing at the same time, that Leona didn't really get to see any of his anger fueled emotions. That meant that he had done a pretty good job at hiding his other self so far. He knew that he eventually would have to reveal that fact, but that was not the time, nor the place. Leona also explained some of her background, which only stung Eero, as he didn't have anything to fall back on. He simply.. was. However, his guildmate's assurance made him feel more at ease. "Thank you." He would say quietly. Perhaps it would be easier to tell people and get it off his chest, but it just felt too personal. One day he would. Eero had to get back to other, more pressing matters at hands, though.

Leona seemed to have picked up the bird's cry aswell. He was unsure of the direction of the origin himself, still. The boy tried to listen in, properly. It was probably still ahead of them, but perhaps slightly off ro their right? His senses were better not playing with him. Eero would walk in the direction that he presumed was where the cry was coming from. He made sure that he kept on looking around, keeping an eye on the ground and the trees above. It wouldn't take long for the cry to get loud enough so that the mages could pinpoint the location and see what happened. There would be a net, in between some tree branches, where the bird in question got caught. The boy spotted a somewhat sturdy-looking tree branch under it, a little bit on a side, though. "I think that we should help it out." The boy would state the obvious. "I don't know if the branch below that net will be enough to hold both of us." Eero would say, wanting to hear Leona's ideas aswell.

Eero was looking up at the entangled blue bird, as he listened to idea that Leona was proposing. He then looked back at her, as she showed off the gloves that she was mentioning. They glinted in the sunlight that penetrated the tree branches above the mages. He was glad that Leona assured him of his safety, but Eero couldn't guarantee the safety of the bird if he was just on his own. But that was the risk that he most likely had to take. "I'll do my best, but it will be tough on my own." He would say, with a hint of worry in his voice, as he neared the tree that had the branch under the net trap. The boy wasn't the best at climbing, but there was enough leverage for him to get up to the desired point. He did have to do a rather dangerous reach with his arm to the branch he wanted to get to, but he managed everything safely.

His jacket wasn't meant for such physical activity, so he felt slightly uncomfortable. Eero almost took it off, but he knew that it would make things that much worse. The boy was crouching on the tree branch, holding onto the trunk. "Alright, here goes nothing." He would murmur to himself, as he let go and slowly shuffled forward. the branch creaked under his weight and he made a sudden stop at the sound. The bird seemed to have caught on their presence and let out an another cry. It was most likely scared of them. There was an another branch within Eero's reach and he somewhat awkwardly stood up and held onto the second branch. He didn't dare look down, he was only hoping that Leona was at the ready if anything happened. The boy would slowly shuffle towards the net trap. He would reach the wired trap that held the bird captive after a few long moments. The bird flailed in fear and Eero could see that its wing was definitely in a bad shape. "Don't worry buddy, we're here to help you." He would attempt to soothe the bird before he tried anything else.

Eero's hands were starting to get really cold. He was hoping that Leona was somewhere underneath him, ready to catch him or something, if his grasp faltered. He was also hoping that it wouldn't come to that. The blue bird was still visibly afraid of the mages who made a sudden appearance. The boy slowly shuffled forward, to be a bit closer to the net trap. The bird flailed again in desperation, earning a soft 'shhh' from Eero, in a feeble attempt to calm it down. The boy was still onto a branch when he would reach for the wired trap, testing its durability. Needless to say that it was only obnoxiously freezing and too hard to bend. Maybe he could bend the ends to slowly unwrap the contraption, but he would need both hands for that idea to work.

The boy quietly groaned, wondering how he was the one up on a tree, trying to dismantle a wire-based trap, while trying not to further injure an already injured bird. "Don't worry, we're here to help." He would keep on talking to the bird, as he tried to think of something that he could do to help out. Eero then suddenly was hit by the most obvious idea there could be. He had poison-based magic, that he could use in form of acid aswell. That would work. But an another issue arose - how he could remove the bird from the net safely, and then actually getting it to safety? The boy would let go of the upper branch and catiously crouch, making the main branch creak, making him wish that it wouldn't snap. "I can make quick work of the net, but I don't know how to get the bird down safely." Eero would say softly, so as not to alert the bird, but also loud enough for Leona to hear his plea.

Leona seemed to have an idea of sorts, as she dived into her backpack, searching for something. Shortly after she pulled out a cloak out of her backpack. She suggested taking the cloak and putting the bird inside. That could work, but he suspected that he was a bit too high up to just simply take the cloak. Leona was probably thinking along the same line of thought, as she asked him for an idea in return. First, he needed to figure out how to get the cloak up to him and then the bird inside it down.

He didn't want to ask Leona to climb up the tree herself, as it probably wouldn't be the best for the tree's stability. Perhaps she could toss the cloak? It probably wouldn't reach that high up, even if Leona had great throwing arms. But maybe... If she tied it in a knot or something similar, it would be easier to toss it upward and actually reach him? And then, after he got the bird out, he could either wrap it in his jacket and place it into the cloak and lower it down enough so that Leona could grasp it. Or he could just jump off and have Leona catch him. He was unsure whether he wanted to put that much stress on his companion. "Maybe if you tied the cloak together in a knot or something, you could toss it to me?" Eero would questionably propose his first idea. The bird was thankfuly not flailing about in the net, but it was warily waiting for what would happen next. "If that would work, I could then lower the cloak back to you with the bird. Or jump and have you catch me. Whichever works better." He would propose his follow-up ideas, if the first one worked out. The latter idea would probably not go through, but one never knew.

After Eero's suggestion, Leona seemed to have gotten an another idea. While she was getting what she needed, the bird started flailing about again. Eero stood up again and gave it a 'shhh', he thought was calming. It appeared that it worked, albeit most likely only temporarily, as the bird stopped flailing and the boy crouched again. Even if the tree branch protested a bit. /"You have to hold out long enough."/ The boy thought grimly, as he was well aware of what was at stake here. Leona was coming back, possibly with a solution to this obstacle. The cloak was in a knot, just as he had suggested, but his companion added a twist - a tree branch for more stability. She asked him whether that would work. Eero certainly hoped so. "It'll have to do. The bird is getting scared again, we need to work fast." He would say and outstretch his right arm. "Toss it."

With no other choice left, Leona tossed the cloak upwards, as per Eero's request. Well, she launched it as if it were a javelin, which made Eero's heart skip a beat as he momentarily panicked that there was a piece of wood flying through the air, aimed at him. Thankfuly, this only lasted for the moment and he shook himself back to his senses. He had to catch the package, no exceptions; time was ticking on the tree branch he was crouching on. Eero leaned slightly forward, so that he would be a tiny bit closer, just in case. The makeshift cloak javelin started aiming downwards just before it reached the tree branch, but Eero managed to catch it, shaking the branch he was standing on a little bit. He undid the knot, wrap the cloak around his neck, lightly and put the branch that was used to deliver the cloak under his foot. This made his balance much more questionable, but he didn't want to just throw it away, maybe it would prove useful. Leona wished him good luck before she tossed the cloak, and if he had to be honest, he would need it.

Eero had to work fast. The bird was getting restless, his hands were freezing and the tree branch he was standing on was not going to last long. "Just a little longer. I promise." The boy tried to calm down the bird one last time before he began his work. He hoped that the bird would not attempt to peck his fingers, as he tried to get its injured wing untangled. However, with his frozen fingers it just didn't work and he didn't want to injure it further. "Let's just get rid of this net.." Eero murmured to himself, as he coated his left palm with some corrosive acid. Shortly after, there could be heard hissing of the melting wires. Eero was simply running his hand across an edge of the net, making it loose by burning it away with his acid. The bird seemed like it wanted to flail again, but kept itself in place, as if it understood, that Eero truly meant his words that he said earlier. The net was loose. He could try to burn away the other side too, but he thought that such idea would be quite ambitious, considering the branch under him was starting to creak again. "Hurry up..!" Eero would murmur to himself as he attempted to free the bird once more. He had to stop himself, though, as his left hand was still covered in leftover acid. Sadly, his clothes weren't acid-proof, so he just licked the rest of it. It naturally didn't restore any magic power to him, as it was his own acid, but he loved the feeling of it, nonetheless. He would wipe his hand into his jeans and return to his previous task. The bird got itself entangled quite well. But with use of some strength and carefulness, the boy managed to free the bird in one piece.

His fingers burned from the fight with the wires, but Eero held the bird close to him. He decided to abandon the branch that Leona used to deliver cloak, as it only slowed him down at the point. The boy unwrapped the cloak from his neck and shoulders, placed the bird inside of it and wrapped it back again. The bird had a rather terrified look, but decided to place its trust in the boy. As much as Eero wanted to get the bird to safety as swiftly as possible, but dropping it off to Leona was out of the question. "I will pass you the bird once you can reach him, alright?" The boy would call out to Leona, updating her on his current situation and intention. With a little sigh, he would slowly shuffle back on the branch he was standing on. It kept on creaking, but didn't break. However, as Eero was really close to the trunk, he could hear the branch snapping. The boy would dangerously pick up the pace and reach the trunk, leaning on it. He would look back on the branch. It didn't completely break, but it was visibly broken and hanging lower than it was before. Any longer and it most likely would've snapped completely. He would sigh a sigh of relief this time. Now he only needed to get back down, somehow. Eero would manage to scale down a few levels on the tree, getting close to his companion. He would outstretch the wrapped bird downwards. "Hold onto it?" He would ask her.

It took Leona a few tries until she felt comfortable with her grip on the cloak. Eero kept his arm outstretched, wishing that he could outstretch it just a little bit more, to make things a little bit easier for Leona. Once she got a good enough grip on the cloak, the boy let go of it and left the rest to his companion. After she confirmed that she had full, two-handed grip on it, he rested his arm and nodded. He was glad that the bird was safe. Now it was time for Eero himself to descend into safety. The boy scaled down, slowly. He was not exactly on a timer, so his own safety was his priority, not the speed.

After a couple of minutes Eero finally set his feet back on solid earth. Not that he was afraid of heights, no. There was just something about standing on something that was on a timer, as it could break and make him fall. Probably not to his death, but he definitely would have some broken bones. When he approached Leona, he would sigh a heavy sigh of relief. "That was quite stressful. Glad that's over." He would move his fingers a little, trying to get the feel back into them. "Thanks for the help, by the way." Eero would thank his guildmate and look at the cloak wrap. "Shall we head back to the Guild? I don't think that bringing it along for the rest of the walk would do it any good." The boy would suggest to Leona. It was probably for the best, if they got the bird the medical attention it needed as soon as possible.