Blissful Joya [Job; Vincent Gauss and Theo Silversong]

job info:

Vincent, still cursed, had come across a curious job which was advertised as taking place in a foreign land: Joya. While it wasn't, strictly speaking, landlocked, there was only one route by sea that travelers could take from Fiore if they wanted to go to the land of the felines. By chance, a novice Crystal Swan wizard has returned to the guild with a tablet whose writing indicated a hidden water system beneath a jungle's waterfall. This tablet was written in a language that he could barely decipher due to a lack of experience: ancient Joyen. All he could initially understand were the words "water system," "jungle," and "waterfall." Upon further study, Vincent eventually managed to work out that this tablet contained a map of a particular part of Joya with a marking on the place that they were to explore. Due to the nature of Crystal Swan, as well as his own curiosity, Vincent decided to enlist Captain Donnager and Theo Silversong on this expedition to map out a hidden area of a faraway land.

Hopefully this water system contains something of value... though this will be a nice break from the oppressive jobs I've been taking with Elvira and by myself. It's always a good idea to at least have one other person on expeditions in case I get myself into a situation that I can't get out of without assistance. Vincent had met Theo Silversong once before, though without properly introducing himself due to the chaotic circumstances surrounding their first encounter. I don't know much about Theo aside from that he's partnered with two other aces from the guild and that he needs... a bit of time before he wakes up in the morning. Hopefully he doesn't mind walking through a potentially dangerous jungle. Due to what little he knew about Theo, Vincent decided to ask Captain Donnager to be ready to set sail by one in the afternoon.

It was currently about five minutes to one and the captain was preparing to set sail as instructed. He didn't talk much, well, at all, but Vincent experienced first hand how reliable this captain was when he traveled to Enca. His ship was lightning fast compared to others, powered by some kind of advanced water magic. The ship itself was very dated in its design and shape, but the way it cut through the ocean was everything but typical. When asked about it, Captain Donnager simply shrugged and gave no response. Obviously, there was more to the old sea captain than he let on, but he would never speak about it. Maybe it has something to do with what's inside his great cabin. I wouldn't be surprised if there were scrolls full of advanced water magic. What I wouldn't give to just see one of these supposed scrolls... he thought, eyeing the locked door to the captain's quarters. "Don't worry captain, he should be here soon. We'll be off before you know it." In response, Captain Donnager simply nodded. I swear if I didn't hear his name through Joseph I wouldn't know it...

WC: 515/8000

Time and Theo weren't usually friends, but this was not something he could really forget about. He hadn't been outside of Fiore since he was brought here as a coffee bean around two years ago. While the Sugar Squad went on many exciting jobs, nothing had the sound of a pure exploration treasure hunt as the job Vincent Gauss had requested his help with. He might not directly know the fellow through proper introduction, but it mattered not. Theo was thrilled to help any member of Crystal Swan, ever striving to be a vital and worthy member of the popular guild. He may never be worth as much as someone like their guild master, but he'd take what he could get. It was merely an added bonus that this job was right up his alley, and on an island of cat people like the ones he and Rin had met when they helped secure their resource supply line. The jello mage was naturally curious, as any tomb raider should be, so he was all sorts of jazzed for what the day had in store.

The bag he was furiously packing so not to be late for this every important date might be a mess, but it had what he needed. Usually his magic accounted for all the tools and items, but nothing could replace an accurate compass and some rope. He doubted his job partner would be able to climb, jump, and slip through the areas he could with the help of his abilities, so he had to make allowances for that. A rock pick, chisel and hammer, a couple of very small underwater breathing apparatus, pouches of rations. Lester wouldn't be with him for their to be an abundance of absurdly delicious food under that mysterious cloak, so emergency military-grade food would have to do. Oh, can't forget his iLac for pictures and mapping! He'd only just learned to use it, and had yet to find the end of its usefulness. Despite it having a flashlight in it, he also packed a backup regular flashlight that was waterproof. Was that everything? He was a bit scatterbrained, so probably not. But, at least he had most of it and had his good exploring clothes on! Glancing at the clock beside his bed, he yowled and barreled out the door.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed as if it was early morning and the entire day remained ahead of him, Theo materialized on the boat in complete silence. Despite being audibly loud and clumsy at times, the young man had a knack for walking and moving silently if there was nothing to trip over and no one to talk to. "Good morning!" he called in excitement from just behind Vincent, his anticipation of exploration and mapping barely contained in his bubbly body. "Let's go! I'm ready to see Joya! Jungles! Waterfalls! Secrets!" Theo dropped his bag off near the mast, already lingering at the edge of the ship in preparation to watch the journey. Hopefully he wouldn't get thrown off the ship to fight some huge armored fish this time. His magic wasn't so great under water...

[525/8,000]

A chipper voice came from behind him. "Morning? It's a bit late for that, though I admire your enthusiasm. Before we go, allow me to introduce myself properly: I am Vincent. You might've already known that, but I thought it best to be safe." He has come well prepared. That's a promising sign of a successful journey. Without another word, Vincent gestured for Theo to join him on the ship. When the two were on board, the captain of the ship would wordlessly unfurl the sails to begin the trip to the land of the cat people. The ship would speed up to an alarming degree to cut a normally lengthy sea voyage to just under an hour. As they sailed Vincent would take the opportunity to solicit some valuable information from the dark blue-haired mage. "So, I suppose that in the guild of artists and explorers you would fall under the latter category. Is that right?" Vincent stood on the bow when he asked this, staring at the vast ocean sprawling out in front of him. Once he got an answer, he would turn to the Ace of Lapis and materialize a perfectly working compass in his raised left hand.

"Would you mind sharing your own magical ability with me? Aside from pure curiosity, I would like to know if it may benefit us in our mission to chart out the hidden water system, once be find it. As you can see, my own powers should prove helpful; I'm one who can manipulate space and the objects in it." Vincent was quite interested in what potentially destructive power the explorer before him had to offer. Perhaps he had a command of the elements in nature like what Vincent once had, or perhaps the young wizard used an assortment of powerful cards to overwhelm enemies with unpredictable effects. The possibilities, at the moment, were truly endless. One way or another, the two magi would eventually get to their destination after only forty-five minutes. Vincent would thank Captain Donnager who would wait in the Joyan port town until the two returned. Upon arrival, the white haired wizard noticed some fishermen sitting on a wooden pier attempting to catch themselves a meal. Further up the pier one would see a handful of buildings spread out across a small square of land.

"The waterfall should be about a two hours walk south east of here" the wizard said as he looked down at his new compass before pointing out in the same direction. "I would recommend that we stock up on resources here, but judging from your pack it seems as thought you came prepared." Despite his casual demeanor it really seems as though he takes his role as an explorer quite seriously. "If we find any treasure in the water systems, I'll only ask for a small portion. I'm here primarily for the expansion of our knowledge of the area as well as rare magical reagents. Can I trust that you will inform me about any suspiciously magical materials you come across?" Vincent made no attempts to hide his motivations for taking this job. At this present time he was currently receiving more than adequate compensation by the Magic Council, so he had little need for riches. What the mage was really after were magical ingredients that he may use to create powerful and unique enchantments. They would be of little use to those without the proper knowledge but to him, they were the real treasure.

WC: 1100/8000

Theo was used to a very different and much older type of ship, so the sudden lurch to insane speed sent him toppling to the ground. A normal person might be embarrassed, but he was so consistently clumsy that falling in front of anyone and everyone hardly bothered him anymore. He simple stood back up and brushed himself off with a sheepish grin before following the other Crystal Swan mage to the bow of the magical ship.

"Yup. Exploring, treasure hunting, tomb raiding, that's all my department-- holy cow!" Theo's eyes grew wide as the compass was formed, shifting from the item to Vincent in awe. He may have been around a while, but all the different magics still bumfuzzled him, having grown up in an environment hostile to mages. Before arriving in Fiore, he'd only ever seen magic used in emergency situations only, so the last two years had been filled literally with magic and wonder. "That's so helpful! I don't even understand all you can do with spacey stuff magic," the young man continued to marvel. If he could just bring stuff out of thin air...oh, the implications! Theo was a little jealous, but comparing his own magic finally snapped him out of his awe enough to inform his job partner of his own brand. "I use jello magic. It's hard to explain, but very useful, especially in what we'll be doing. I can slip, slide, bounce, and squeeze anywhere I need to, plus it can be slippery or sticky, hot or cold...you'll just have to see..." Theo trailed off with a laugh, scratching the back of his head. He wished he was better at describing it, but it was what it was.

Reaching another country in just forty-five minutes was lunacy! It had taken days just to get to the waters to fight Thally, and long ago when he'd been a mercenary, it could take weeks of boat life to reach somewhere. Theo was leaning far over the railing of the boat, not believing his eyes as Joya came into view. If the captain had talked at all, he'd have badgered him about the ship and how exactly it worked, but that was a futile task. Theo hated having unanswered questions, yet was doomed with countless of them.

As they disembarked and Vincent laid out the plan of attack for the day, the jello mage just nodded in idle agreement as he looked around. It was so distracting! He was easily distracted and scatterbrained anyway, so seeing more cat people doing such mundane things was intensely interesting. That, and it seemed all of them had gorgeous jewelry around their necks, wrists, ankles, and hanging delicately from their adorable ears. Everything was bursting with color and exotic smells he wasn't used to! The only thing that brought him back was the talk fo treasure, which sharpened his frosty eyes for just a second as he turned his attention back to the spacial mage. The expression passed, a remnant from the old days where the aspect of working with someone when there was treasure to be found was a deadly game to play. He was like Smaug when it came to treasure, so his gut reaction was to resist sharing, but Theo wasn't like that anymore. Sure, he sought after it and hoarded it when he could, but he played by fair rules, and was a nice enough guy to be able to easily let Vincent have what was rightfully his. "Of course you can trust me. We'll alert each other of what we find and split it evenly. We'll work together and accomplish all the things!" he exclaimed, grinning in anticipation. His enthusiasm was interrupted by a loud growling from his stomach region, physically weakening him on the spot "But first...we need to breakfast. Breakfast somewhere...with muffins...and waffles...." His glacier eyes roved around, looking for such a place while he mourned the lack of Lester's presence.

[1,183/8,000]

Vincent wasn't exactly expecting someone like... Theo to be an experienced treasure hunter. He seemed to lack focus, precision, and had a sort of childish wonder to him that most would take for inexperience. Then again, there was that saying about not judging books by their cover. The spatial mage would cling to this saying upon hearing what greats feats of magic the blue-haired mage specialized in: jello magic. I have heard of jello and I have heard of magic, but never in my lengthy studies have I ever heard about someone using a jello magic as their primary specialty. I suppose it would be beneficial in the realm of scaling large walls or traversing dangerous passages due to its shock absorption, but I cannot see how it could be beneficial in that ever so important realm of combat. The robed wizard wasn't so inexperienced that he would immediately write of "jello magic," but rather hearing about this bizarre specialization made him hungrily curious to see it in action. What was interesting was what happened when Vincent requested that Theo inform him of any suspiciously magical materials, should he come across any. At the mere mention of treasure the scatterbrained mage focused intently for just a few moments before he mellowed out again. I see... I suppose he is a real treasure hunter if the mere mention of it is enough to break his fascination with the locals. Theo informed the white haired wizard that he was more than happy to split the treasure up with him and inform each other of what was found, which wasn't exactly what he had asked but he took it to mean that his request would be fulfilled regardless.

That's when he heard the sound of an animal growling - an animal which made its home in the Theo's stomach. It demanded food, specifically waffles and muffins. Vincent, having not eaten yet either, thought that the idea was a good one. "I suppose that we cannot explore to the fullest extent on an empty stomach. Let's look for such a place." The wizard walked off of the wooden pier and found the nearest Joyan to ask for directions. "Excuse me miss, we're looking for a breakfast eatery. Would you happen to know where just such a place is?" To this, she responded with an excited shriek which gave Vincent a temporary case of tinnitus. When the ringing in his hears stopped be managed to hear what she was saying. "Foreigners! You two are so cute!" She patted Vincent on his head where ears on a typical Joyan would be and looked behind him to see the absence of a tail. The woman would hop over to Theo and do the same. "Lemme guess, Fiore! Wait, no yeah Fiore! Final answer!" The robed wizard nodded. It was much too early for all this excitement. "Ooo I've always been so good at recognizing where foreigners came from, though we get so few for me to put those skills to the test! You said you were looking for breakfast? Like pancakes and muffins? Here let me show you to our humble little breakfast shack!" This was good enough for Vincent, so he followed the woman to a building located at the center of town. "This is the place!"

WC: 1651/8000

The weakened and obviously fading male followed Vincent, hands at his empty tummy and wearing the forlorn puppy eyes that begged for food from the brink of death. Theo had an intense appetite. Even so, Theo's barely retrained interest in the cat people was suddenly reflected back at him ten fold by the girl Vincent made inquiries to. The squeal startled him to the point that he nearly fell down, but managed to save his footing while he was examined. Well, if he'd known they were so touchy-feely, since his own cat-earless head was being patted, he'd have let himself be more invasive of the strangers' personal space already! "I'm from Desierto, actually," Theo replied, though possibly on deaf ears since their helper seemed so energetic and perky. He'd kept many secrets up until recently, but he'd promised Rin that he'd be more open so no more nasty surprises would happen. Apparently his most recent attempts were telling perfect foreign strangers where he was really from, though it seemed inappropriate to toss in how long ago it'd been since he'd lived there. Maybe if she asked more questions.

However, the jello mage's mind jumped to the food track when she mentioned the very foods he craved. "Pancakes and muffins? Yes! W-What about waffles?" Theo chattered, following and rubbing his hands together. "Desierto?! Well, I was still half right, I bet!" she chirped, turning to nod at Theo to his second question. "Last I checked she had all that, so I wouldn't worry!"

Soon a brightly colored building came into view, with a quaintly carved sign, hand painted with flowers and Nyan Nyum scrawled on it. It was a bungalow style, and very welcoming! "No matter what you want, this is the best breakfast in town. Just head on inside. They'll take really good care of you!" She watched the newcomers walk inside while continuing to peer at them with interest. Once inside, Theo wasted no time snagging a seat and pouring over the menu. Pouring in the sense of nearly crying over it rather than reading it, since that was a thing he couldn't do. He took a quick inventory of the images on both sides before pouting. He saw no pictures of waffles and muffins, but that nice lady had made it sound like such delicacies were sold at this establishment, so perhaps he could just take a chance and order such a thing. It made him a little nervous to order something he wasn't sure was actually available, but was it more embarrassing to admit he couldn't read it to see?

His worries were unwarranted, since the waitress that arrived brought a basket of complementary muffins for the obviously cat-traitless mages. Like the others her eyes roved over the normal humans, so Theo didn't feel so bad staring at her ears and tail in return. How cool~ "Heyoooo! I'm Cali and I'll be taking your orders," she greeted, laughing as Theo shoved a muffin into his mouth with reckless abandon. "Waahmmphs, prreeemhs," he grunted through a full mouth, almost choking in the meantime. The good-natured waitress gave him a pat on the back so he didn't suffocate, laughing. "What was that? Didn't catch it with your mouth full, silly!" Theo's face reddened slightly and he swallowed hard. "Er...waffles...please..." he answered more clearly, increasingly sheepish and anxious about whether waffles were here to be devoured. "Sure thing, doll. Want fruit topping?" she asked next, to which Theo nodded vigorously.

When she turned to take Vincent's order, Theo grabbed another of the muffins and again crammed it into his mouth, not having ever learned his lesson about this particular thing.

[1,793/8,000]

Desierto, huh? Interesting - I don't think I've ever been there before he thought as he raised an eyebrow in the direction of the jello mage. "Similarly, my country of origin is not Fiore - I hail from the Pergrande Kingdom. That said, we are both currently residing in Fiore." "Desierto?! Well, I was still half right, I bet! And Pergrade?! Aren't you a mage!" Vincent remained silent. Theo was trying to discern if his choice of breakfast item was available at the restaurant to which the kind native had brought them. She answered in the affirmative and, before he knew it, the two were sitting down in the restaurant and ordering their meal from the similarly eared and tailed waitress. Vincent thought on the potential health risks associated with furry creatures handling food so close to their extra hair, though this thought was pushed to the back of his mind when he was prompted to order. "To drink... do you happen to have white tea?" She responded in the negative. "I'll just take hot water then. And to eat I'll have... two fried eggs, four sausages, and four pieces of french toast. Thank you." These three different foods composed the perfect breakfast in his mind - mostly protein with a bit of sugar. Thankfully, modern day Joyans spoke the same language that was spoken back in their own home of Fiore. Vincent reached over to the basket of muffins and took one before the garbage disposal named Theo managed to consume all of them. He took a bite of the muffin and thought that it was alright - he would finish this one but not return for seconds so as to save his appetite for the real breakfast.

Eventually, the orders made by the two would be prepared and placed in front of them. The waitress told them to enjoy in her consistently upbeat tone and walked to a different table to assist different patrons. "So Theo, you're from Desierto and you use jello magic. I'm sure that's quite a story and, given that we're probably going to be here a while, I'd love to hear it. I'm quite fascinated by topics I know little to nothing about; your magic and nation of origin are just two such things." Vincent took a piece of his toast and broke the yolk of his egg with it in order to use the yellow substance as a kind of sauce. He would bring it up to his mouth and take a modest bite to taste it. Delicious! After the initial bite of caution he would take large bites until all of it was gone. He had usually eaten at a small restaurant in Hargeon Town that was open way into the hours of the night which accommodated his own schedule, but tasting what other restaurants had to offer really made him consider finding another place to eat from time to time. Vincent would summon a small bag of white tea in his hand and place it gently into the hot water to soak. Eventually, his hot water would become white tea and he would happily drink some while listening to Theo's response to his inquiry.

WC: 2184

True to his garbage disposal nature, as soon as the food was placed down he more or less inhaled it. While not a disgusting sight, he wasn't an animal after all, it was probably an entertaining thing to witness as whole sections of waffles complete with syrup and strawberry slices were shoved into his mouth that might debatably unhinge to accommodate. The process was complete before Vincent even made his tea, his own grape juice slurped up to wash it all down, since even the rest of the muffins had fallen victim to his impressive appetite. Pleasantly full and now safe from the brink of certain starvation, Theo sighed and leaned back in his chair, patting his bell with contentment.

Vincent wanted to know about his past. Old habits died hard, so he nearly clammed up tighter than a child who broke a mother's lamp, but he managed to ease himself back out of it. He was being honest now. This was a guild mate. It was probably bad practice for an ace to lie or mislead someone meant to trust him, so all the more reason to get used to being open about his backstory. "Hm. Let's start with Desierto. I can't claim to know what it's like now, but around 300 years ago, it was pretty rough. It was super hot all the time, so it was almost all sand. No one could farm much, so stuff had to be imported, which meant that supply lines were constantly being raided. You know, because not everyone could share and have enough. Some wanted it all. Wanted the power to ransom food and goods and gouge prices. Most guilds were mercenaries that'd do anything for money, so they were hired to basically fight for food for whoever could pay, thus starving those that couldn't. The three desert sultans were the worst. They employed guilds not only to get supplies, but also to enforce their rule and eradicate mages. They were very anti-mage," he began, unable to keep a little bit of guilt and sadness from his voice. He'd not been the man he is now back then.

"So yeah, rough country to survive in in those days. I didn't learn my magic there, though. I had no magic until I was taught two years ago, when I...er...arrived in Fiore and this old lady took me in. She taught me everything I know about using Jello in new and exciting ways. Ms. Bramblebunch really helped me out! Invaluable for exploring, and not bad in combat either." These memories were more fond, though it may be a little obvious that he left out pieces of his story. Okay, so he needed to work on being forthcoming. But did his guild mates really need to know his mistakes? How would they ever respect him as a rising star and ace if they knew his darker secrets he was very much not proud of? Perhaps he wouldn't ask.

"So you're from Pergrande Kingdom? Oh man, that place was huge and even worse on mages than Desierto. At least they didn't flat out kill hunt mages unless they were on the radar or interfering in their stuff in some way. We were sent there once to rush a shipment of medicine for one of the Sultans, and thankfully my guild had split from our mage half or we'd had an even worse time! Is it still like that? Is that why you're in Fiore now?" Theo inquired with interest, leaning his elbows on the table and leaning forward. The jello mage might be a lot of weird and crazy things, but he wasn't a dummy who hated to learn. If anything, all the time he'd missed plus his inability to read made him even more hungry for information on the world, among other subjects. He had once been a very travelled man, but a lot could change in the time he'd missed.

[2,450/8,000]

Vincent listened politely to Theo's tale of Desierto and Ms. Bramblebunch before responding to his own questions about the Pergrande Kingdom. "Yeah, the Pergrande Kingdom is led by a well-intentioned, but ultimately misguided king. They call me Sir Vincent because I'm the son of two Paladins - our strongest warriors and first line of defense against the monsters of Sin. We essentially occupy a social class right beneath the royalty, though I have no need for such titles here in Fiore. You should have seen my mother when she found out that her son was a mage; suffice to say that she did not sleep a wink for a few nights. I didn't know why she was so distressed at the time, nor did I really understand why she sent me away to a place far away from any cities within the kingdom with what was a stranger to me at the time. I do now, of course, and I'm thankful that she made that decision. She'll never admit it, but I know she thinks herself as terribly weak for not executing me the minute she realized that I had an affinity for magic. My father is not as 'weak,' he feels no pity for magi and sees them as he does the beasts of Sin. I hope to never meet him, for I fear that it will result in a tragic death." The young mage took a sip of his tea before continuing. Theo had been the first mage with which he had shared an extended summary of his past. It was nice finally chronicling these events aloud rather than having them swirl around in his mind and lacking proper organization. Upon setting his cup back down on the table, he continued.

"After my mother gave me away, I found myself in what was effectively an Academy for lucky young mages of the Pergrande Kingdom. Typically the older instructors would roam around the various cities and abduct children with magical abilities - preferably before they were strong enough to be sensed by the keener soldiers which routinely patrolled around the cities. These children were generally too young to really miss their old family after a few weeks of acclimation to their new environment. We're fed, clothed, and provided with unparalleled instruction, though saying it now the whole practice seems quite morally ambiguous. I suppose the thought is that if we're not taken from our homes then we'll eventually meet a gruesome end by means of a public execution which is quite popular for mages - it reminds everyone that the threat is not yet eradicated and reignites that hatred which started with the eternally famous enchantress." The wizard took another sip of his drink. "I studied hard and became one of the best students at the Academy. I rejected the magic I was naturally suited for as a means to rebel against my horrible heritage of magical hatred and adopted an elemental manipulation. I only recently came to terms with my past and adopted the spatial manipulation that you've seen me use. After graduating I came to Fiore; there are a lot more opportunities here for a mage than in the Pergrande Kingdom if you could believe it. I would have joined Silver Wolf, but I was afraid that some of their more 'independent' members would steal any of the work that I would perform, so I opted to join Crystal Swan instead. That's... just about everything. You now know my life story, Theo - I hope you didn't mind. I tend to break out rambling when talking about the things which are important to me. You're also the first person I think I've told all this - I don't even think I've told Elvira, and she's my teammate!"

The white haired wizard smiled as he finished that his little narration of his life's events. He thought that he should probably sit down and tell Elvira a more condensed version of this at some point for the sake of allowing her to get to know the kind of person she was partnered with a little better. "Now Theo, I seem to recall you said something about Desierto three hundred years ago - is that when you were last there? If that's the case, are you even human? You also left out exactly how you came to Fiore. I used locomotives, but I feel like transportation might've been a bit different three hundred years ago."

WC: 2929

Theo beamed at him. People usually confided in people of worth, meaning Vincent must place some sort of value on him to have elaborated so greatly. Good to know Pergrande Kingdom hadn't changed much in three hundred years..well, good in the sense that not everything had changed, yet bad since they still had that horrible mage killing thing. A complex feeling, but whatever. Either way, he felt he knew this man across from him much better. "I don't mind. I feel special," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I've been trying to be more open to others, myself. My teammates only just learned all my life story, and that's because I didn't have a choice," the ace said sheepishly, still a bit uncomfortable with his new way of life. Conditioning oneself to reject old memories and bottle negative emotions for years was a hard thing to break in just a few months. "If Rin confided in her roommate about it, then Elvira knows about my issues, too, but I kinda hope not..."

As Vincent asked the inevitable question, Theo resigned to doing just as he'd just said; be more open. "Yes, I was last there a long time ago. I am human, though. What happened was...it's a long story..." he trailed off, struggling a little. This was a growing experience. "Those mercenary guilds I mentioned earlier. I was part of one since I was little. My dad and I decided I should be sold to them because my mom and unborn sister needed the money to survive. Dad didn't want to, but I threatened to do it anyway. It was for the best. Mercenary guilds were always looking for small children to fit into spaces too big for adults, making good thieves and treasure hunters. Plus, if we were caught, our punishments weren't nearly as harsh. Aaanyway...When the Sultans cracked down on mages a bit harder and wanted to hire my guild to punish and execute the ones they chose, the secret mage population of my guild split for their own safety and so they wouldn't have to kill their own kind. I secretly remained part of both guilds, since my girlfriend was in the mage half. I got double the work. It was selfish, but at the time I didn't care," Theo explained, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. His glacial hues shifted from Vincent to out the window to the bustling cat people, but his sight and mind were far away. "As you can expect, playing both sides was a dumb idea I'd pay for. The mage half took jobs counter productive to the three desert Sultans, so the non-mage half was dispatched to take them out. They'd have remained hidden and safe if they hadn't discovered that I knew where they were and followed me one night. The guild came back together only to kill each other. In the battle, I was killed." He paused there, mouth twitching into a frown. His mental discomfort now seemed more physical. Squirming in his hair a bit, his body favored his chest, where his heart had actually been ripped out. Realizing he was getting carried away, he glanced back to Vincent and smiled. Yeah, a weird place in the story to smile, but Theo didn't like being too serious.

"So!" he suddenly burst out, feigning levity to try and make the next parts, somehow worse than what he'd already said, seem less bad. This was the major part he still struggled with to this day. Yet, this was the information that, now in context, would answer Vincent's questions more directly. "I didn't get a chance to see my girlfriend's fate. So, only now having the morals to know what was important in life, my spirit threw a fit. I caught the attention of a demon, who saw opportunity in my determination. Taking advantage, he granted my wish, but had robbed me of my consciousness and will. When I came to...ah...my girlfriend was dying at my hand. She'd probably have survived if I hadn't made a deal with Drathir. I killed everyone indiscriminately, ending the battle and getting his version of revenge, but failing in my own purpose. As he dragged me back in, I was furious. I wanted to go back and try to save her. I wanted to blame the sultans and take misguided revenge on them, even though they did quite deserve it. Drathir was amused and agreed to another deal. If I could beat him in battle, he'd give me second life with my wits. Of course, I agreed. He never dreamed I'd actually manage to defeat him. He was so pissed off, he kept his word, but instead of being a stand-up demon...he sent me back as a coffee bean," the blue-back haired man chattered, still trying to vaguely smile. It still sounded both miserable and ridiculous aloud. He was such an idiot. After giving the intellectual across from him digest that next hunk of Theo-history meat, he continued on again. "So my method of transportation was as a coffee bean in a burlap sack delivered to an old lady's house in Fiore. Just add water, and poof, I was a real boy again. Only there was no revenge to be had, because time runs a looot different in afterlife. My battle had taken over three hundred years in the real world. So after nearly giving Ms. Bramblebunch a heart attack, she took a very confused and time-shocked boy under her wing."

[3,374/8,000]

Vincent shrugged - if Elvira knew anything about Theo then she hadn't shared it with him. As Theo continued, the young mage listened closely. The fact that the person sitting before him was human was a bit surprising, though the story that ensued seemed to be one out of a story! Once the story came to a conclusion, the white haired wizard took a breath upon realizing that he had held it for the duration. "All I can say is... wow! To best a demon in battle - quite the feat Theo. Don't take this the wrong way, but you didn't exactly strike me as the warrior type." After the comment, Vincent took a sip of his tea which was cooled off after the grand tale told by the ace. "As for the demon, Drathir I think you called him - I'm not shocked that he kept his end of the bargain. You wouldn't think it, but I've never heard of a demon ever breaking a deal they've made. That said, I doubt I have to tell you the consequences of breaking one on your end." The Crystal Swan mage finished his drink before noticing that the waitress had put the check on the table without him noticing. I suppose I must have just been that engrossed in Theo's life story that I didn't realize how much time had gone by. It was nice of her not to interrupt us. "I don't mind paying for that delicious breakfast of ours; I made sure to exchange a fair amount of jewels for Joya's currency before boarding the boat. Now that we're fully energized and more familiar with each other, all that's left now is to actually get down to business."

The white haired mage would stand from his wooden chair and gesture towards Theo to follow him to a counter towards the front of the restaurant so that he could pay for the meal. He decided to leave a generous tip partly because of the quality of the food, but also because he knew that he probably wouldn't be returning here anytime soon, so he wanted to leave a bit of a good impression as a representative of Fiore and Crystal Swan. Just as soon as they left, they were off. The two magi from relatively faraway lands would travel the dirt path towards the. Before long, their first obstacle would present itself in the form of what could only be described as beautiful humanoid cat women. These cat women seemed to be camped on either side of the road to the jungle in tepees, tents, and carts. Vincent thought the scene was quite reminiscent of nomadic natives in the Pergrandian countryside. With tablet in hand, Vincent figured that he and Theo would simply wave to them as they continued on their journey, but the second one of them noticed what Vincent was carrying, she approached. "Why hello there you two travelers~ You seem to be tired - would you like to take a brief rest among our little group? A musical show is about to start and it would be such a shame if we couldn't share our traditional songs with a couple of visitors~" Vincent raised his eyebrow in brief suspicion. We have been walking for many miles it seems.... And traditional music does seem quite enticing. He turned his head to his partner - "What do you think Theo? It would be quite cold to turn down such hospitality, but we are here on business."

WC: 3516

"Thank you!" Theo easily replied to Vincent's comment about him not looking like a warrior. To be honest, he'd tried to make sure that was the case. Other than using his magic for legal things and good causes, the jello man had made extra effort to take life a little less seriously. He'd laid down the primary use of swords, and though he did own one again, he took care to only use it in emergencies for a variety of reasons that weren't important right now. Distancing himself from his old self had been a priority as soon as he popped up in Fiore, so to hear it was working was a victory he'd gladly accept! Another thing he'd accept was free food, so when his new friend offered to pay, Theo drummed his fingers excitedly on the table, a grin stretching across his lips. "Thanks, buddy. That's nice of you!" chirped the young man, pouncing up from his seat with renewed energy to follow his scholarly partner to the cashier.

Despite the miles of dirt path, Theo seemed undaunted. His steps were light, the dust and dirt on his old worn boots predating this adventure several times over to the point that anything short of catastrophic boot failure would go unnoticed. His tracksuit made it seem as though he'd be hot in this more tropical climate with the layers, but the fabric was stretchy comfortable, and no too thick. Additionally, cutting his teeth in Desierto meant his internal thermostat was adjusted to extreme heat and absent humidity, making anything less than that feel like cool springtime or downright frigid. Since Vincent at the tablet, Theo fussed over an iLac he barely knew how to operate, snapping pictures and eyeing a map to make sure they stayed exactly on course.

What wasn't on course in a different way were these kitty cat gypsies. The ace of lapis was a lot of things, derpy and impulsive being the two more prevalent, but he turned into nearly a different person when exploring. As much as he had reveled in the distance between his current self and his less savory original persona, he would forever be forced to draw from his past life to enjoy his hobby now. Once being a cutthroat merc that frequently thieved, raided, and killed during even the simplest of exploration jobs, an otherwise non-present distrust manifested in his face. A seriousness he didn't often display, but honestly was necessary to be any good at this particular thing. A veiled extended look at the camp had Theo under the impression that while they looked nomadic, these tents and teepees had been here a while. Only the cart seemed to move, obviously to bring in supplies and transport goods. So a band of faux-nomads just happened to remain camped on the only path to the mountain. A good ruse to fool a lesser explorer.

However, the young man did fear hostilities. There were enough of this tribe present to take the two of them four to one at least. If their level of beauty somehow managed to indicate their threat level, then the two of them would be in trouble if they ticked them off. Theo was a loyal man, so his solid relationship with Rin offered him the confidence that he wouldn't be seduced, but he couldn't be sure about Vincent. That was a snippet of info he didn't have yet, so this could be an effective trap yet.

Putting on a smile, he turned his bright gaze from the catgirl to his expedition partner. "Well, it probably wouldn't hurt to rest a moment before we get to the real meat of our trek. Climbing is much more strenuous than the simple walk so far," he started, aware of the focused and expectant stares upon himself, Vincent, and the tablet. Being the first to turn toward the camp and accept the offer, he stepped in front of Vincent, clapping his shoulder on the way but pausing ever so briefly once the tribe began flurrying around in preparation. "Keep aware. Secure tablet and valuables either in space or bag," he hissed quickly, hoping his guild mate understood as he ambled on soon after. Covering for himself in hopes of keeping everything smooth, Theo clapped his hands and burst into a grin, allowing the original stunner to loop his arm and dance him to a seat on a comfortably carved log facing a quirky but well-used stage. "Sit down and relax! Someone will be by with traditional foods and drinks for the both of you in just a moment. Allow us just a few moments to get organized! Our musical show is very involved, and we so love to perform! The best is witnessing people seeing it for the first time. First times are always the best~" Beauty no.1 cooed, spinning away so that her short skirt fluttered up to reveal modesty wasn't particularly her top concern. Upon a longer look, there was quite a lot of skin showing on everyone.

Let the game begin! ....Assuming there was a game, that is.

[4225/8000]

Vincent nodded in response to Theo's hurried warnings. He found this group of provocatively dressed cat women to be suspiciously disarming and thus felt as though he should be cautious around them, though this probably couldn't be avoided due to the fact that he was naturally distrusting of strangers. Still, they offered respite and entertainment which improved his opinion of the group somewhat. One of the participants grabbed Vincent by the arm just after he managed to place the tablet safely in his pocket dimension and spun him around so that he was standing right in front of a carved out log. The feline dancer pressed down gently on his shoulders and he took the hint to sit down. Once both he and the jello mage were comfortable, the show began. A guitar, a fiddle, and a cimbalom could be heard playing an upbeat and exotic sounding piece as five dancers emerged one by one - all of them dressed in a different color, but in a similarly revealing manner. The white haired wizard was no musician, but he had some ability in sketching. Wanting to record this moment, Vincent removed his notebook and pencil from the pouch he kept at his side and focused intently on the performers as they danced in the gentle breeze that was blowing. During the performance, plates of food were brought to the two Crystal Swan magi with food that smelled quite delicious, but was also unlike anything he had ever seen before. Vincent decided that it seemed safe enough to eat the food, so he did. The white haired wizard made sure to savor the bite of what tasted and looked vaguely like meat. It was great!

"This is delicious, what am I eating?" The cat woman who had provided him smiled before responding that he was eating the stomach of a pig. He stared at her for a moment as he parsed what she had said before returning the smile and nodding. I didn't even know that pig stomach could be edible... interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind in case I ever want to try it again. After about thirty minutes, the show was beginning to wrap up and one of the dancers swayed over to him. Without a word, she raised him and led the two of them in a dance away from the musicians, Theo, and her fellow dancers. Vincent was willing to play along, though was a bit concerned about being separated from his partner. Before he knew it, the space mage found himself sitting alone with the dancer in a large tent full of ornate looking pillows and blankets. He raised and eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could do so the woman shushed him and leaned in closer so that her eyes were inches from his own. The white haired wizard valued his personal space, so he moved his head back without taking his eyes off of the Joyan who had led him here. Her eyes began to glow a fluorescent pink and he could feel magical energy coursing through her - magical energy that was very well hidden. "Just relax and hand over that tablet darling~" The black necklace around Vincent's neck began to glow a dark grey before letting out a small field of energy which caused the dancer's eyes to return to normal. Vincent, thanks to his amulet, was unaffected by reasonably powerful magics that related to illusions or mind control. I can't be sure that Theo is similarly steeled against such strong magic of that type! His eyes widened after the thought and he disappeared into a back hole which swallowed him up before the dancer could tackle him. Vincent would reappear next to the log and turn his attention towards Theo. "Theo we need to get out of here. I have a strong suspicion this is a group of illusionists after the tablet. They didn't get to you did they?"

WC: 4180

"YA THINK?!" came Theo's sharp reply from a bush, though really he couldn't be seen. On the stump where he'd formally been seated was his tracksuit jacket, and in the bush that shook from vigorous activity had his shirt snagged in the front of it, almost acting as a curtain.


Theo had been increasingly less comfortable the longer they spent in the camp, which was decidedly not the relaxing haven they were promised. The food, despite the alarming source of meat, was pretty good. Theo loved food, so it would take more than a pig stomach to gross him out enough to leave a hot meal. Actually, it would take spice. Spicy things were his nemesis in life, but thankfully what was on his plate was fairly tame. There was one item wrapped in some sort of leaf that he strayed from simply because it looked like its spice would burn his tongue and render him a toddler. The problem with all this was all the skin and the dancing. The jello man was a loyal one to be sure, but he wasn't blind or dead. The exotic ears and tails coupled with the absence of clothes, tossed in a nice dressing of music and flirty dancing was enough to make him feel ashamed. He tried to avert his eyes. Temptation would not claim a victim here because he was smart enough to know it was indeed just that, temptation. He loved Rin with all his heart, but he was a man and this was a lot for anyone to handle. It would be best to try and remove himself without offending these suspiciously hospitable people, but he didn't get the chance before the crap hit the fan.

Vincent was whisked off to a tent with a stunner, and Theo chided himself for having the brief thought that the white haired male was lucky. The ace didn't want this! If anything he wanted Rin...Rin here showing some skin and dancing-- No, that wouldn't happen. She was so innocent and pure it was infuriating but that was okay because he was a good guy and would be okay. But he'd made a crucial mistake! Theo's face was always an open book, so his discomfort in the situation was like a beacon calling to be tested. A cat girl sashayed over while his arctic eyes were getting very familiar with the dirt under his feet, catching him off guard. It seemed she wanted to test for weaknesses in his anti-charmed armor. Unlike Vincent, Theo had no wards against their magic. He sensed it only just before it was too late. As long-nailed hands put pressure on his knees and he jerked his head up to protest, glowing eyes bewitched him. His brain went kinda fuzzy, as if wrapped in the warmest, fluffiest blanket patterned in hearts. Did he even know his name at the moment? There was a reason he didn't want her going through his bag, right? For the life of him he couldn't put his finger on just why he didn't want her paws in his travel bag, and furthermore why he hadn't wanted her skin touching his. In his useless jar of neurons between his ears, the word "tablet" seemed like nothing more than a euphemism, and the more he said he didn't know what she was talking about, the more she touched him. Even if he did know, why would he want to tell her if he was already being rewarded? Whoop, there went his jacket... "Ey! Dun take my shirt...it's cold-- ACK!" They both crashed into a bush, where she continued to grill him and play the clothes removal game. It wasn't until he heard the words of someone he knew...that's right, he came here with a guild mate. Vincent. They needed to leave. Illusionists? Was he gotten?

He was gotten. Crap!


"HELP!" Theo yowled forcefully, fully at himself and fighting off grabby spoopy illusionist hands, embarrassed that he'd been charmed and even more flustered just thinking about it. It turned out he didn't really need help, though. Now that the brain blanket was gone, he had the wits to produce a large glob of jello to engulf his seducer, restraining her easily so he could push her away. With a shriek she bounced and rolled back toward the stage and Theo leapt out of the bush. A red-faced man covered in lipstick angrily grabbed up his shirt and jacket as he stalked past Vincent. "Never speak of this," he grunted at his partner, using the back of his hand to wipe off his face. "Let's get out of here."

5,000/8000

The assault of the illusionists was luckily short lived though still presented the two Crystal Swan magi with a bit of a speed bump in their goal of exploring the hidden waterway. "Don't worry Theo, I didn't see a thing." he said as the two fled the caravan of dangerous natives aiming to relieve them of their map. Both Theo and Vincent would soon find themselves close to their ultimate destination; a giant swamp would stand between them and the mountain they would need to scale in order to reach the waterways. The smell was sulfurous and the air was saturated with moisture - it was an overall quite unpleasant place to be. "You know, Theo, I've explored places whose very air sapped my life energy from me and places where you could see nothing for miles in every direction. A literal void, if you can imagine that. That said, I would much prefer to return to those places than deal with this assault on my senses." Vincent was now breathing exclusively through his mouth so as to mitigate the horrid smell of the swamp through which he and his jello mage companion now waded. This is a rather unique environment, now that I think about it. I can't remember the last time I've waded through a swamp. I'm sure that some potent alchemical reagents can be found around here. "As unpleasant as it is to wade through this muck, I'll have to ask you to be a bit patient with me. I just had a thought that perhaps I may find some powerful ingredients here that I cannot find elsewhere. I don't think we even have swamps back in Fiore, as odd as that sounds. That said, I need to make the most of our time here and collect as much of the flora as I can so that I may grow them back aboard the Crystalli."

With that, Vincent got to work. He waded through the thick muck and felt thankful now more than ever that he always wore leather boots that went up high. If it wasn't for his choice of attire he knew that his shoes would be filled with whatever he waded through. Every new flower and group of plants he found prompted him to talk about basic alchemical concepts with Theo so long as he was willing to listen. "I'm always on the lookout for ingredients with strange properties. One of the most enjoyable things to do is finding out some new combination of plants which alone aren't very helpful, but together form something you never knew you needed." Once Vincent had collected a sizable number of swamp flowers, a rustling in the thicket caught his attention. He squinted his eyes and leaned forward to get a better look at the approaching creature. A polished silver insect crawled out of the darkness and reflected the sunlight onto the surface of the swamp. It fascinated him. It looked as if someone scaled an ant up and gave it a set of silver armor. Vincent pointed his palm at the giant silver ant and fired off a blast of compressed air which was swiftly deflected into a tree, shattering the center of the trunk and causing it to fall into the swamp. This little deflection caused Vincent's attention to become fixated on the strange creature. "Theo. We must take this thing with us. It looks like it reflects magic. I can count the amount of things with such a property on my hand. I cannot let this thing from me!"

WC: 4,774

"If you just breathe through your nose, you'll desensitize to the stench within ten seconds or so," Theo informed the man, speaking from experience rather than knowledge learned from a book. "I've explored many places that smelled pretty frickin' bad. Stagnate water, ruins turned into sewer systems, tombs that have been flooded...general decay and trapped air..." the jello mage continued to ramble, having already acclimated to the smell to the point that it no longer bothered him, though the horrid squenchy sound of muck trying to suck down his faithful boots was highly irritating. But again, he'd been in worse. At least he wasn't crawling in it, just able to keep his nose up for air and even scraping that on ancient bricks.

As his new friend nerded out over the waterlogged plants, the ace would listen intently. Not because he understood any of it, it was actually quite the opposite, but rather that he was completely used to and oddly comforted by the chatter of a researcher. "You remind me of Lester," he chuckled after a while. His best friend, the Gentleman Florist, was always searching out and sending him to dig up various flora for growing and studying. He hadn't considered the two white-haired mages alike until this moment. Yes, definitely some similarities here, though it seemed to highlight the many differences as well. As for Theo, other than listening he was generally disinterested and itching to get to the mountain. There were no shiny things or treasures here, and unless it held a submerged tomb, it was just stu--

A shiny! The gleaming silver thing immediately caught his keen senses, drawing his gleaming ice eyes to it with nearly hostile intent. Nothing made him more serious than something sparkling or valuable. even if it was an insect with magical properties, it might as well been a mysteriously flying crown of pure gold. Despite the warning, Theo shot a blob of jello at it in hopes of harmlessly encasing it, but it was just bumped back into his face. "Ow..." he mumbled, now knowing what it felt like to get 'punched' with his jello blobs. Resorting to more physical means, cupped hands were raised as he hazardously scrambled and tried to capture it. After nearly tripping and ruining his day completely by taking a swamp bath, the young man considered other methods. "I'll get it!" he bellowed, momentarily testing the strength of the trees around him. Steady enough, he supposed. Reaching an arm out, its jello consistency stretching it way beyond normal human capabilities, he latched on to a tree opposite him. Undoing its elasticity, he rocketed at said tree, curling into a human ball and bouncing off the trunk. He ping-ponged off of the many surrounding trees, sailing past both Vincent and the bug as it tried to escape him. Finally, the trajectory looked good so he reached out as he zinged by, coming to a hard stop on the next tree in line. The stickiness of his feet kept him standing, bizarrely parallel with the ground. Holding his hand out, Theo seemed nervous. "Come see if I got it..." he said, not seeing the shiny bug anymore, but afraid he'd botched his chance.


[5537/8000]

It was a dark day indeed as the jello mage showed off a bit of what he was capable of in the ensuing scramble to grab the creature that attempted to flee from them. Vincent instinctively ducked while watching in amazement at the kind of movement that Theo was capable of performing. Like a pinball he bounced between the trees in an attempt to speedily grab the bug which was making its escape and, when Vincent approached to see whether Theo had caught it, was disappointed to see that the tricky silver beetle had managed to successfully abscond. "It was a fine attempt, Theo, but that little beetle was just a bit too quick for us. We'll be quicker the next time we find one so that it cannot give us the slip, right?" he said, hoping that Theo wasn't too upset about the loss of a shiny object. By now the white haired wizard had gotten used to the stench of the swamp and, considering he had more or less memorized the way they needed to go, led the way through the thicket and towards the largest mountain in the immediate area. "If I'm correct, that mountain over there should have a 'sacred' waterfall on its edge. It is behind that waterfall that we'll find a blockage that one of us could most likely clear. I'm not exactly sure what makes the waterfall divine, but I'm sure we'll find out when we get to it." The two would eventually arrive to the mountain and climb halfway up to find the waterfall in question. Tons of water poured off a cliff that stretched much further up the mountain and into a large basin. Vincent stood at the edge and stared intently at the curtain of water that hid a pile of boulders which blocked the way into the hidden area, according to the tablet at least.

The white haired mage held his arm up and fired off another blast of compressed air which cut through the blue curtain and crashed into boulders on which old moss grew. He fired off another blast of compressed air and then another and, both times, the two could hear the boom of the air against the rocks. They weren't budging. "Huh. Either there's no hidden area behind the waterfall, we're at the wrong waterfall, or my blasts just aren't cutting it. In any case, would you happen to have the ability to create some sort of explosive variation on jello? I have sticky explosives in mind - something like that, placed at the base of the blockage, would most likely clear it out."

WC: 5,213