Death and Discovery

Yona Hisamori had found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror for far too long. What had been a quick attire check had turned into a literal inward self-reflection. She had put on an old outfit.  It had been more than a year ago now, maybe closer to two years, when she had boarded the WFTC trading ship and stowed away beneath the deck. Her goal had been to grab a handful of "free" items and accept a "free" ride to some other shoreline. Travel was expensive and looking for the man who had killed her family had worn her down to desperate measures. As a woman instead of a girl, she adorned short brown shorts, a cropped black halter top, and the large brown coat with many pockets. She moved slightly in her old knee-high boots, feeling her toes press against the thin material, threatening to burst through. Her hands were stuffed into the pocket and she could smell the salt upon the coat still from all those days ago. Forced to face her past and Cirven himself had been an ordeal, and somehow she had gone from a stowaway thief to a VP of Onyx Moon. Yona blinked, unable to quite come to terms with the woman in the mirror and the memory in her heart. "Keep staring at the mirror and you'll invite me to pluck your eyes out," Ketsueki teased with a short set of disturbing giggles. Yona looked away with a shake of her head. It wasn't that she thought he could do it, but more so that she didn't feel like debating it.

She pulled off her old coat and boots, sliding on her WFTC coat and boots. She looked better in white, which amused her to no end after her recollection of how she had hated the idea of wearing white so often when she had first joined. Nothing would make her feel more like herself than taking up a job. There was no reason why the title of VP had to make her feel so unworthy, so strange. Yona would just continue to do all she had been doing, only she would see it as a challenge and do it better. The plant mage had come to this decision the day before and had signed up for Haraka's job. She enjoyed the ocean, despite how terrifyingly deep and unknown it remained to the woman with strictly earthly talents. If he was going to help her to breathe, then she could help him. Yona still didn't care much for him, but her meager accusations and distaste for Haraka were made by an older version of her. She was more mature, more experienced, and as a VP she would not let anything get in her way of helping the members of the guild. So what if he talked like an old man and his long-winded stories reminded her of child's fairy tales? Yona could find it in her to be helpful and knew also that further interaction might solidify a new judgment of Haraka's character, seeing him through unjaded eyes.

She buttoned the black buttons of her pearly white coat, leaving the lofted collar with black lining to frame her delicate neck. She didn't need to bring anything with her on missions or jobs anymore, finding security that her own power was indeed enough in most situations. Yona left the guild, locking her room on the way out and stepping out to the docks. She saw Adalinda and Tammy there, and an odd looking dragon creature with a long white neck. Yona paused at her distance and then continued onward. It was likely Haraka, but she had never seen him look like that before. Knowing Haraka would be less than thrilled to see her in particular, she made an effort to be congenial. She gave a wave and walked up to the small group. "So," She started to say, looking around to see that there were no boats closeby preparing to set sail, "Are we not taking a boat? Is it so close that we could swim there?" The demon inside her mind grinned, his face stretching over his fangs until it reached a full 180 degrees of his head. "I was so good last time. You'll have to let me play again. You just have to!" Yona waved a hand dismissively as if swatting a gnat away and continued addressing the others. "Hi Ada, Hi Tammy! It's been a while. With the three of us, this job should be very easy indeed. Have no worries Haraka," Yona said catching the expression on his face, "We are unstoppable." She gestured with her thumb at Ada and herself, chuckling as she reminisced about SwollenMan.

WC: 803

Yona listened to Haraka's long-winded description of the place and tried hard to pay attention. It was like he was an old man and she noted that although it had been some time since she had seen him, Haraka had not really changed. Other than the physical, and strange-looking, dragon shape. That, Yona could say, was new. She heard him say something about holy ice, a wildland with a sky somehow sustained underneath the ocean, and an ancient attack that had left behind demonic miasma. Yona looked to Ketsueki, but her demon gave a nonchalant shrug as if to say that because she had ignored him before that he was now going to choose the if-and-when to help her with this miasma thing. At the thought of needing to get wet to get to the location, Yona pursed her lips. She supposed if they were going underwater then there was no way around that, and to her fortune, she had learned to make use of the plants micro and macroscopic as they were, to her advantage with spells.

Yona was already planning the steps out, coming up with ideas and solutions, and of course, Yona had plenty of questions. When Adalinda turned to acknowledge her, it took her a second to face Ada and respond. The plant mage smiled slowly, a grin that broader and broader with Adalinda's excitement and support. She reciprocated the fist bump as was customary between friends and looked up at the dragon lady and down to Tammy, speaking quickly with the thrill of being promoted compounded by Adalinda's evident own support for the decision, "Well thanks! I.. I got to say I never expected it. It's been a great and welcome surprise!" She relaxed her body, taking in all that joy and encouragement with a hearty breath. Yona had to stay focused on the job for Haraka's sake. As a VP, the people in the company and guild now mattered more to her, as she had a role and a duty to protect them unlike before.

Keeping the location of the place would be easy for Yona, as she had doubted its existence to start when Haraka had brought it up before. Yona wouldn't be about long-winded stories or ancient complicated histories if they weren't even her own to tell. She had no desire to come off as an old lady the way that Haraka came off as an old man to her. At the comment of Gorgon cities by Adalinda, her eyes widened and her eyebrows raised. She looked at Haraka, "Looking at the city won't harm us physically, will it? From my understanding, you only meant to protect us... psychologically from the trauma of witnessing the deceased?" Yona wasn't sure how she had heard something so different than Adalinda, but the truth was that she wasn't paying as much attention as she should have been. Then again, Yona had to admit that the warning to not look at the cities might be as Ada had concluded, due to some harmful magic. Ketsueki sprawled out on his stomach and leaned forward, feet and claws bent into the air like a child; he was eagerly listening to the stories of the dead and the description of this miasma.

As the suggestion to protect this hidden country came about, Yona thought about for a moment and then nodded her head in agreement. She flicked her green hair and gestured an open palm towards Ada, "That is a very good idea. I don't think Ruvel or Sol would disagree, but of course, we should ask them. If the idea doesn't go against the whole 'secret country' thing, Haraka." Yona waited for his reply with Adalinda, supporting her idea with a hands-on-her-hips stance. "You can think about it first if you want, I am ready to leave." She threw a look at Adalinda as if to say, 'if I have to ride Haraka as a dragon thing down to the bottom of the ocean, you're riding with me'. Without any further prompting, at the end of the conversation, Yona would awkwardly attempt to find a seat on Haraka, feeling quite uncomfortable with riding him and with a speedy soaking trip to his country.


WC: 803+726= 1529