[Job - Leona & Eero] Our End

Dressed in her olive green t-shirt and khaki cargo pants with boots, Leona wore her backpack and Argent Gloves with her new custom-made machete secured to her back. She was in Capital Crocus on an errand. She was finally here to locate a copy of To Infernus And Back so that she could find out more about Carl K. Blaskowitz and the artifacts he found and used during his quest to save Earthland. She was trying to find Jobaasa's Rare Romes, but she was not having any luck.

Where was Jobaasa's Rare Tomes? No one around here seemed to know. Either it was no longer open or someone did not want her to find it. Maybe it was not deliberate malice but that people really did not know about the bookstore. From Mr. Wainwright's words, the place catered to a clientele that was different from the ordinary bookstore.

As the name suggested, Jobaasa's Rare Tomes tended to sell a lot of older books, including many that were out of print. Books that were out of print usually commanded a higher price than did books with more recent publishing dates. She was not sure if To Infernus And Back was out of print, but she knew that it was hard to find. No one she had asked had even heard of the book. To say that the search was frustrating was putting it mildly.

Leona was trying to think of where to look next when a blue bird with a golden beak and golden feathers arrived and hovered near her. It was Soho. In its talons was a note. Soho held out its talons for Leona to take the note. She obliged and began to read it.

Hello Leona!
I'm sorry to bother you with an another selfish request. I have been on a search for any information about poison dragons, but so far I haven't been successful. I heard about your trip to Crocus, so I was thinking that two heads would be better than one and meet up. If you are still there and willing to, of course. If you don't have anything to write with, just leave the note with Soho to let me know that you agree. Throw it away if not. I will be already on the way, whichever your answer will be.

Eero

Leona looked at Soho, then handed the note back to the bird. Eero was in Oak Town. Soon Leona would be there too.

"Take this back to Eero. I'll head that way now." Leona said to Soho, who nodded and immediately took off to return to her guildmate. The blonde took one last look around, then began walking towards the city limits. From there she would go to Oak Town as fast as she could. The book would just have to wait. Eero needed her help and she would go to his side.

Slowly winding her way through the crowds that filled the capital's streets, Leona briskly walked towards the city limits. She hoped that Eero had not gotten into any trouble in the meantime. After minutes of walking she was standing outside the city's gates and looking into the wilderness. Leona paused and took a swig from her ever-present canteen. The road to Oak Town would be a long one since she could not fly there.

If the blonde had previously visited Oak Town, she could just hitch a ride with her harpies and get there in a fraction of the time a journey on foot took. However, she had not been there before, so that option was not open to her. She would just have to walk. Moving her machete from her back to her left hip, Leona prepared to face bandits on the road. Many people traveled to Capital Crocus each day, which meant that bandits had plenty of victims to choose from.

Leona would not be one of them. She had taken on bandits before and had won. Today would be no different. Putting away her canteen and readying herself for the road, the blonde took a deep breath and started walking. She would have to get going now if she wanted to complete the trip before nightfall.

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-Just outside Oak Town, late afternoon-

After spending several hours trying to get to Oak Town, Leona realized that she had made a mistake. A very big mistake. Eero was heading to Crocus, not Oak Town! The blonde felt so dumb right about now. Eero probably felt like that she had ditched him... Leona had to hurry back to Capital Crocus ASAP.

Leona summoned her harpies and began the flight back to Capital Crocus. She would fly at treetop level and make it before Eero had missed her for too long. That was the plan, anyway. She had planned to meet Eero, but a misunderstanding on her part put that plan in jeopardy.

"HIT IT!" Leona gave telepathic instructions to the harpy sisters.

"Uh, hit what?" Sylvia asked. Leona blinked. Then she realized that they probably did not know what that term meant.

"Sorry. Let's try this again. GO FAST!" Leona revised her instructions.

"Got it!" Sylvia replied before lifting off and carrying the blonde with her. Now they were on their way. Flying would help her make better time than walking.

-On the outskirts of Capital Crocus-

Leona was flying at treetop level and could see the walls of Capital Crocus off in the distance. She was almost there, but something caught her attention. Rather, someone caught her attention. It was a distraught young woman and young man running from six armed men!

"Drop me near them, then fly high. Wait for my instructions." Leona instructed. Sylvia nodded and flew in front of the girl for a distance, then turned around and slowed down. After dropping in altitude, Sylvia deposited Leona just a short distance from the young couple, who were running towards her. Sylvia took off and joined her sisters at high altitude

"KEEP GOING! GET THE TOWN GUARD!" Leona instructed the young couple. The young man had bruising on his face and dried blood was on one corner of his mouth. The young woman's shirt was ripped around the collar and her long skirt out of place. The terrified couple kept running and did not stop for anything. The men paused in front of Leona.

"Guys, it looks like we have a hero on our hands. Let's show her what we do to heroes." The leader, a bald man with an eyepatch and leather armor, said to his similarly equipped fellows. The group advanced towards her while brandishing clubs, daggers, and shortswords. Leona was not in the least bit intimidated by them. Desierto's bandits were more frightening than this bunch.

"She's wearing a backpack. That means she's got a lot of loot!" One of them said to his colleagues.

"I want those shiny gloves! Selling the rubies in them would mean we'd never have to steal again!" A man with stitches on his right cheek called dibs on her Argent Gloves. Like with the would-be muggers in Tolgalen, he would get them all right. Just not in the way he wanted them. She hoped he liked a fist to the face.

"Back off! They're mine!" The leader asserted his right to first choice of the loot.

Leona simply raised her hand for a Wind Blast and knocked them all down. It was pathetic. Three of them sprang to their feet and tried to rouse their unconscious friends. When they did not succeed, they turned to the source of their troubles.

"You shouldn't have done that, kid. We were just gonna rob you before. Now you're dead!" The leader taunted. Leona only smiled.

"You're alone, kid. The town guard won't make it in time. You're gonna die alone and be buried in a shallow grave in the woods. I hope playing hero was worth it!" Another bandit taunted.

"Whatcha gonna do?" The third asked. Leona laughed. She knew exactly what she was going to do.

"Now. Come get them, but don't kill them. I want them left alive." Leona telepathically instructed the three sisters.

"On the way." Sylvia said. The men walked towards her while chuckling. Leona made a show of drawing her weapon and waited. Moments later three winged forms dive-bombed the bandits, grabbing one by the shoulders and carrying him to treetop level.

"HEY! LEMME GO! STOP! DON'T GO ANY HIGHER! I CAN'T STAND HEIGHTS!" The leader screamed. While the remaining two thugs were distracted, Leona punched the man with stitches in the face with a Mach Straight spell, knocking him out. Leona laughed. He got the gloves first after all.

The last man standing dropped his weapon and ran for the woods. Daphne easily caught up and grabbed him by the shoulders. Leona put away her machete and watched the show as the black-haired harpy ascended to treetop level with her screaming prey.

The two men screamed and protested until they stopped fighting and just clung to the harpies for dear life. At this point Leona had mercy on them. She would react like they did if she were subjected to the same treatment. What she had just done would likely count as torture in some jurisdictions.

"Bring them down. Slowly. I don't want to kill them." Leona ordered.

"OK!" Sylvia and Daphne replied before slowly lowering the men to the ground and letting them go. The two men collapsed to the ground and just sat in place, grateful to be back on solid ground. The town guard arrived behind her.

"We understand you had a bandit problem?" An officer asked Leona. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He looked to be a young man in his twenties.

"Yes, officer. They were chasing a young couple and were about to catch up when I stepped in." Leona replied. The young couple in question walked up to the officer and engaged him in conversation.

"She saved us, officer. Don't arrest her. Arrest those men over there!" The young woman pleaded. She had long red hair in a ponytail and had blue eyes. She wore a white button-up shirt with a black knee-length skirt.

"Those men ambushed us on the road. They demanded our Jewels. We work in Capital Crocus' bookstores. I work in Written Antiquities. She works in Jo- Jo.. Jo-something." The young man chimed in. He had light blond hair and brown eyes. He wore a fancy suit that was more at home in the last century.

"I work in Jobaasa's Rare Tomes. Charles and I were on a date. We were on the way to Capital Crocus to see a movie and get dinner when those men jumped out of the woods and demanded our money. We gave it to them, but they wouldn't let us go. One of them, that bald guy, tried to rip my shirt off." The girl added.

"I jumped in to defend her, but they beat me up. We barely managed to get away. We wouldn't have made it if it weren't for that girl flying in on those bird girls." The young man named Charles concluded, pointing towards Leona.

"I see. It's a good thing she arrived when she did." The officer said as more officers began collecting the bandits and hauling them away. He then turned to Leona.

"We'll need you to come to the station to help us with an incident report." He said.

"Of course, Officer." Leona calmly said before sending away the harpies and following the officers and the young couple to Capital Crocus.

-Capital Crocus, two hours later-

Leona and the young couple emerged from the police station after giving the officers details to help with their incident report. Based on the couple's testimony, the authorities ruled that Leona had acted in defense of others and thus found no reason to press charges. The blonde was happy with that outcome.

"Thanks. Um, what's your name?" The young woman asked.

"Leona. Leona Jarnefeldt." Leona answered.

"Thanks Leona. I'm Claire. He's Charles." Claire said. Charles gave a small wave.

"We were on the way to see the movie The Righters Of Wrongs: Endless Conflict and then go to Ramsee's for dinner, but the bandits took all our money." Charles lamented.

"How much did they take?" Leona asked.

"2,500 Jewels. Ramsee's is an upscale restaurant, so we saved for two months to be able to afford it." Claire chimed in. Leona thought about it a moment. She was going to save her money for To Infernus And Back or a weapon upgrade, but these people needed help. Leona fished out a sum of Jewels equal to 3,000 Jewels and gave it to Claire.

"What? You're just giving us this money?" Claire asked.

"We should be giving YOU something after you saved our lives!" Charles objected.

"Just take it, guys. Go on the date. Don't let those goons ruin your day." Leona told them. Tears welled up in Claire's eyes. Charles looked to be on the verge of tears himself.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Charles happily thanked her.

"We're in your debt! If there's anything we can do..." Claire started.

"You said you worked in Jobaasa's Rare Tomes, right? I've been looking for it all day. I can't find it anywhere." Leona said.

"Yeah, it's kinda hard to find. I'll give you the exact address. Here, take this card!" Claire said before producing a business card, which she handed to Leona. Leona put it in her backpack so that she would not lose it. It was the exact lead she needed.

"Thanks so much, Claire. Now go on that date." Leona said to the young woman.

"We will. Thanks again!" Claire said before walking away with Charles to go on their delayed date. Leona walked away to try and find Eero. It was still daylight, but just barely.

-45 minutes later-

She wandered the city until she found the train station. The blonde began looking for the familiar spiky hair that not too many people had. After a few minutes of searching, she found him waiting around.

"Hey Eero! I'm so sorry about this! I totally misread your note. It's all my fault." Leona greeted him before apologizing for keeping him waiting.

"I misread the note and thought it said you were going to Oak Town. Just when I was about to enter, I remembered that it said you were coming to Crocus. I'm so sorry!" Leona apologized again. She felt so terrible right now. Words could not begin to describe the depths of her embarrassment.

[Word Count: 1,733] [Total Word Count:2,433/4,500]

Leona went from apologetic to kind of angry. She had not hauled ass from Oak Town, dealt with bandits, and suffered moderate humiliation just to be brushed aside like this. It was true that Leona bent over backwards to help people and swallowed her pride a lot, but right now she was not feeling like being a doormat. She was tired from the trip, embarrassed by her reading mistake, and more than a little upset over the mix-up. Now was not the time to push her.

Eero's shift in tone and behavior was most likely brought about by Other Eero's words. Other Eero was a toxic person who kept Original Eero's self-esteem at rock bottom so that the latter felt like he needed the former to do anything. Leona wanted to find a way to end that influence, but the task might be beyond her. Original Eero would have to be the one to break the chains that Other Eero had placed on him. He would need help to do so, mostly someone to stay by his side and tell him that he was not worthless without a voice in his head.

Leona fought to keep the volatile emotional mixture under control, but Eero's statement and the tone in which it was delivered were not what she needed to hear. She had already admitted her mistake and apologized in front of a crowd even when it was humiliating for her to admit it. Now he wanted to give up and scrap the whole venture. NO. NOT TODAY.

Leona's teeth involuntarily clenched. He was not just going to tell her to forget it and walk away. They were going to finish what they had planned to do. She would knock him out and drag him by the legs to their destination if she had to. If Eero should had learned anything during their time together, the most important lesson was that the Ace was determined, even recklessly so.

Taking a deep breath, Leona strode up to the walking Eero and faced him. Like it or not, he was going to hear what she had to say. She had to keep her temper in check because they were in public.

"Look, Eero. I messed up. I admit it. But that's no reason to just give up." Leona started. She had to be careful because Other Eero would likely twist her words to turn Original Eero against her... not that twisting Leona's words was particularly hard to do. The blonde was not the most articulate or erudite speaker in Earthland, especially when emotionally charged.

"I'm not gonna waste your time with corny sayings and emotional appeals, so I'll be quick. What I'm saying is... I'm here for you now, Eero. Let's put this fiasco aside and do what we came here to do." Leona said to Eero plainly. She was not going to beg for his forgiveness, not when she had already apologized twice, and in public too. The blonde was not a clingy person who could not live without him. She had traveled alone numerous times and she could do it again.

Now the ball had been placed in Eero's court. He could accept her offer of help or he could refuse. It was his call. She would not beg. He would have to decide for himself what he wanted to do.

[Word Count: 560] [Total Word Count: 2,993/4,500]

Leona followed along silently, her emotions still in turmoil. On one hand, this whole incident was all her fault. It could have been avoided if she had just stayed put instead of running off to Oak Town on a misunderstanding. She could tell that Eero still felt betrayed by her actions, whether they were intentional or not. Nothing could change that.

On the other hand, Leona was frustrated with Eero for allowing Other Eero to influence his mind so easily. Had their adventure with Soho been just a waste of time? He had braved climbing a tree in the cold and in high wind to save a bird; Leona could not even climb a tree in calm weather without getting frightened. Did she spend all that time and effort supporting Eero just to see him give up in the face of a single lapse in judgment on her part? She did not know anymore.

Leona really wanted to talk to Other Eero and find out why he was so hard on Original Eero. Why did he push Original Eero so hard? Why was he so rude to him? What was the point of him being in Eero's mind? Leona had too many questions and not enough answers.

The situation changed when Other Eero manifested nearby. He was a taller version of Eero with a strong aura of dark magic and a vaguely sinister appearance. Leona was just about to speak to Other Eero when some guards ran up and formed a semi-circle around them. Great. That was a very bad way to deescalate the situation.

Leona recalled the dark magic coming up before, back in Spooky Forest when she had to retreat from the vine that had caught Eero. When she ran before she too could get ensnared by the vine, something happened and caused her guildmate used a powerful acid to melt the vine down. Was it Other Eero's handiwork? The magic signature now matched that of the one back in the forest. It was likely that Eero's alter-ego had used the magic.

Leona was more than a little annoyed by the arrival of the guards. She thought that helping capture the bandit gang on the outskirts of Capital Crocus would give her a tiny bit of leeway, but apparently that was wishful thinking. Things were already tense and then armed men came up and made demands. What was so bad that they had to arrive on the scene? Did the "argument" between Original Eero and Leona disturb the peace that much?

The blonde kept quiet for now. She was not going to deliberately raise the tension any higher than it already was. It seemed like the guards were not happy, but with who? Other Eero or Eero and Leona? She did not know and part of her was afraid to ask.

Leona did not reach for a weapon. She stayed still and waited for someone else to make the next move. Hopefully it would not be the wrong move, like pissing off Other Eero. The death vine in Spooky Forest learned that lesson the hard way with a burst of corrosive acid. She prayed that the guards would not convince Other Eero to spray them with acid and give Silver Wolf a giant black eye.

[Word Count: 547] [Total Word Count: 3,540/4,500]

As upset as Leona was with her guildmate, she could not turn down an appeal from Original Eero. She liked the guy... in a completely platonic way. Despite his self-confidence issues, Original Eero was a good guy and could save the day when the chips were down. He could do a lot more than he gave himself credit for doing.

"I'll help, Eero." Leona said to him. She had promised to help him and she would keep her vow. Even if she did not care for his attitude earlier, he appealed to her for help and she would answer. That was what she did.

Leona noticed that the guards were not exactly eager to fight. That was fine by her. She did not want to fight if she did not have to right now. She was already busy dealing with strong emotions she had not felt in awhile. As the Ace of Silver Wolf, one of her responsibilities was to give the guild a good public face at all times, and one way to do that was to avoid needless fights.

"Look, we don't want trouble with you guys any more than you want to fight with us. We just want to go on our way without anyone getting hurt. And my friend Eero's not giving a half-assed answer. Don't provoke the other guy and everything should be fine." Leona addressed the guards. She would do what she could to defuse the tension in a way that did not involve violence. She was going to try and save the day without hurting anyone. Of course it all depended on Other Eero not deciding he had had it with everyone's issues and just poisoning everyone and everything within reach. If that came to pass, Leona had a rudimentary idea of what to do.

At first she would summon her harpies to try and lift him out of the city, but upon closer examination that would generate its own set of problems. If Other Eero spewed poison in mid-air that would likely spread the poison with greater ease, so using the harpies was not a very good plan to use. She needed another one. Maybe appealing to his fight-happy nature and using herself as bait to lure him out of the city would work. It was not the smartest plan nor would it be guaranteed to work, but if she could prevent an entire city from being poisoned, she would gladly risk her life to make it happen.

"What do you want us to do? Would you like us to leave the city and come back another time?" Leona asked the guards. Her highest priority was avoiding a conflict. Leona and Eero would return later if they had to, but Other Eero might come back as well. There had to be a better way of doing things, but the Ace could not think of any other options right now. If Original Eero had any ideas, now would be a good time to say them.

"Eero, if we were asked to leave, would you mind leaving here for today and coming back later?" Leona asked her guildmate.

[Word Count: 524] [Total Word Count: 4,064/4,500]

Leona sighed with relief as the guards left and the crowd dispersed. The crisis had been defused with no one getting hurt. She felt physically and mentally drained from the ordeal. Other Eero had left without a fight but with some parting words for his host. They would just have to deal with Other Eero later, but for now, she just wanted to go.

"I don't think we should press our luck, Eero. Let's just go home. We'll come back another day." Leona strongly suggested to her guildmate. They would be wise to call it a day and go back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall, where an appearance by Other Eero would be much less trouble because his primary targets would be other mages who could readily defend themselves. There would also be fewer people to hurt because the guild hall was located in the middle of the Phoenix Mountains. She hoped that it would not come to that. Other Eero seemed to be more verbally aggressive than physically aggressive, but it might be a ploy designed to lull Original Eero and Leona into a false sense of security.

"At least we got something out of the day. For what it's worth, I managed to get a business card for Jobaasa's Rare Tomes. It might be a source of books for the guild." Leona said without much enthusiasm. She should be more cheerful, considering she had both managed to get a lead on the bookstore and avert a crisis involving Other Eero. But her good cheer was nullified by lingering memories of the recent conflict with Original Eero. Without external threats to divert her attention, her thoughts turned back to that brief squabble. Leona felt embarrassment, frustration, and resentment over the situation.

Leona felt embarrassed at the mistake that led to the conflict to start with. She felt frustration that Original Eero was willing to give up on the whole day after just one setback. She felt resentment towards him because she had felt all but thrown aside after she had apologized to him twice. Such strong feelings would not simply go away. The blonde would have to deal with them and work through them.

That would take time. Those strong feelings could not go away on their own. However, she would not go back on her pledge to help him. She had given her word and she would keep it. That had not changed, not even after the argument.

"Let's just go home." Leona repeated to Eero. She had had enough of the capital for today. She just wanted to go home and forget about this whole fiasco. Eero probably wanted to do the same thing. She could not blame him.

[Word Count: 452] [Total Word Count:4,516/4,500]