[EVENT] A Great Many Yeets Were Yoten That Day

Aspen began to slowly start regretting her decision to accompany this man called Theo, who at best semed mentally challenged, and at worst an unhinged lunatic who'd lost all grip on reality. She'd assumed that, since the other was a mage within the same guild as herself, he would be a respectable and professional mage, the other quickly working to convince her of the complete opposite, and much the same way as someone would lament a particularly stupid decision, Aspen would feel about being dragged along for an adventure as assistance ... on Theo's literal pirate ship. Maybe she could get away with shooting him now and leaving before things got too out of hand? Yet, before she even had a chance to act on her thoughts, still bewildered that she had even agreed to this in the first place, he spun the wheel of the ship, the whole thing turning, Aspen hastily reaching for a railing, holding on tight lest she be thrown down or even off the ship that she wasn't even sure was safe. For all she knew, the dude was crazy, so why would his flying death machine be any different?

Before Aspen knew, though, he set down his murder machine, spouting something about a festival and ... a what? "Festival? Goblet? What?". The girl from Pergrande would ask the other in a somewhat confused tone, raising an eyebrow at the dude in the tracksuit, eventually just giving up in trying to keep up with his shenanigans, closing her eyes and sighing softly. "Fine, if that's where you wanna go let's get it done. Lead the way, Treasure Hunter"

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"I'll try", the Dragon Slayer quitely muttered under her breath, following Theo into the crowd that seemed to pay little mind to the literal flying pirate ship they had just landed right beside them. Then again, the fact that there even was such a thing as a literal flying pirate was astounding, and although Aspen didn't quite show it ... at all, the contraption did fascinate her, and unfortunately, so did the somewhat mysterious Silver Wolf mage, admittedly. If this was his ship, he was the one who'd made it fly, right? Perhaps the man was a better mage than he made her believe. In any case, the way magic interacted with this land and the people within was fascinating. It was almost like an entirely new world, in a sense, the flood of new things Aspen had never seen before surprising her anew day after day. There wasn't just that, though.

The experience of this autumn festival was entirely new to the girl from Pergrande as well, Aspen unable to hide at least a hint of fascination, her wide-eyed gaze darting from stand to stand, attraction to attraction. Festivals, where she came from, had been unheard of, and her existence, mostly spent on active duty, had been dull, repetitive, if not straight up boring. It hadn't been an exciting life, but at least she survived, unlike many of her peers.

Somewhat lost in her thoughts, however, the girl noticed Theo stop before making a beeline towards a particular direction, heading straight for a tent, Aspen deciding to follow him still, the sweet scent of dessert filling the air, making it obvious what exactly Theo had set his sights on. In honesty, it'd been a while since breakfast, and a snack wasn't out of the question at all. Intrigued, the girl found her way closer to the tent and to the odd fellow's side, looking into the tent. The girl was immediately hit with an overwhelming array of sweet flavours that lingered in the air, her expression as always bored and, for the lack of a better term, quite expressionless, her stomach, however, more than confirming that she, too, had taken interest in the desserts. "An eating contest, you say?", the girl asked, somewhat unfamiliar with contests of that nature, unsure how or why people would turn a simple, boring activity such as eating into a competitive event, though remained interested, especially after Theo issued a challenge. Aspen was quite competitive, so naturally, the man had her attention, and while he appeared like a dunce there remained a certain charisma in the way he approached things. Although her gaze remained unchanged, a small smirk would lift up a corner of her mouth, nodding her head. "Sounds like a plan, Treasure Hunter. Alright ...", the girl raised an arm, and with a confident smirk pointed at Theo, the situation starting to amuse her somewhat. "... I challenge you to a duel at ... eating. May the better, uh, eater win".

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Word Count: 499
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Aspen wondered just what exactly she had agreed to in a moment of competitive delusion, walking towards the rows of tables and plates that had been set up with a somewhat queasy feeling in her stomach ... or maybe that was just a hint of hunger? Still, seeing those rather vast quantities of all kinds of foods made her uneasy, not because she didn't enjoy a good meal, quite the contrary, but she wasn't exactly the most gluttonous eater. Perhaps the man called Theo was different in that regard? She would see. Her face returning to her normal stoicism, she took a seat beside the mage in the tracksuit, a plate immediately being placed before her, Aspen looking directly at a slice of pumpkin pie that, to be honest, smelled quite delicious. Picking up the cutlery, the girl began eating in what seemed like an almost relaxed manner, not at all gobbling down as many foods as possible like some of the other contestants. She looked around, watching some of the other participants for a few seconds before turning back to her own plate, the display of gluttony not exactly serving to bolster her appetite a lot and, when others had already consumed plate after plate after plate, the Dragon Slayer was only just now finishing up her first one, sighing as she placed the fork on the table beside her. That would do it. She leaned back, stretched and stood up. "I give up".

She hated to admit, but the slice of pie and the heavy cream served alongside it had been quite filling, and there was no way she could take more than one of those, so it was the logical option. She wasn't about to lose her grace and descend into a food fueled frenzy. Some of the other contestants raised an eyebrow but didn't pay her much mind, returning to their horrendous display of unappetizing indulgence, Aspen shooting a look back to Theo and her own plate as he moved away from the table. Seemed like someone had already refilled her plate without her even asking. How odd. Well, that would go to waste, probably. Still, she retained a little interest in how the other challenger was holding up, eyeing Theo from the side who seemed to encounter the same odd circumstance as herself, only that the man seemed much more determined than herself, of course also witnessing the display that followed. "You don't appreciate spicy food, huh?", the hint of a teasing smirk formed on Aspen's lips, though would vanish as quickly as it had come, Aspen being handed her own participation trophy. "Well, Treasure Hunter, even if you don't win the contest, it seems like you won our little bet. You're the better eater", her monotonous tone giving away no emotion besides serene boredom. Still, even if she didn't show it, watching him gawk like a chicken had certainly been somewhat amusing, the girl deciding to not regret making the bet and participating in the contest after all.

"Of course", Aspen responded to Theo's offer, "As long as you pay for the food". She was horribly broke still, and although she really didn't wanna give the guy the wrong impression she certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity for a free meal. Although the girl couldn't help but think, perhaps the mage in the tracksuit was more ... interesting, for the lack of a better term, than she had initially thought. Although this was her first-ever experience regarding an actual festival she didn't consider it a waste of time, no, quite the opposite, in fact. He seemed like there was more to him than just his stupidly happy and carefree exterior, and so, Aspen decided to keep following him across the festival grounds ... for now. That was, of course, until he had led her to the next eccentric little event, Aspen looking at a mansion that had been repurposed into a ... "maze"? She wondered what that was. With her admittedly not perfect language skills, she struggled to find an equivalent in her own language she'd heard of, although nothing came to mind. Of course, she wouldn't admit that to Theo. "Sure. Maze sounds good". She'd just have to wait and see what this maze was and what exactly the festival attraction had in store for her, wait for just what exactly she would see within that mansion ...

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Word Count: 734
Word Count Total: 1,506

Confusion was the most appropriate term to describe what Aspen felt, eyeing her fellow Silver Wolf mage with slightly raised eyebrow. She didn't quite understand the appeal, the aim of this "maze", or whatever else this could be called, was to aimlessly wander around until one would find the exit, the value of entertainment such as this escaping her entirely. In her eyes there was no purpose in this action other than mindlessly killing time, which, as she had found, seemed to be the highest goal at this thing people called a festival. Though, of course, that wasn't the only reason why she thought Theo a complete fool. As soon as they had entered the maze the other seemed to go through some kind of nervous episode, wheezing and flailing like a suffocating chicken. "Are ... are you okay?", the girl asked not out of concern, though what could be interpreted as a hint of strange curiosity, the man in the tracksuit, however, quickly confirming that he was fine, a fact Aspen was doubting heavily based on the fact that she had two eyes and assumed she could see fairly well.

Indeed, the other continued his strange antic, calling her by name, the raised eyebrow on the girl's face persisting for just a little longer, replying in a tone that was ever-so-subtly different from her normally monotonous one and laced with an indication of confused questioning, "Yes?", the Treasure Hunter chuckling again, serving to begin to also unnerve the Dragon Slayer, slowly but surely. "What is it?". Of course, this, too, wasn't answered by a straight reply, the other instead going in a strange tirade about ... blood? "What about it? Hello?". Aspen found her patience runnign thinner and thinner, especially considering Theo was rather unresponsive, instead dancing around like a monkey, the sounds he produced not entirely unlike one either. "Are you having a stroke, Treasure Hunter?", the girl would ask quickly, now with a more direct implication of potentially self-serving concern for the other's well-being. Despite his ... somewhat evident mental challenges Aspen wouldn't appreciate the fact that the first festival she would ever go on would leave her associate dead, and with the girl unsure what to make of the man's behavior she couldn't be quite sure either way. Was it possible he'd gotten himself into a rather unpleasant food-poisoning situation, lamenting the pressing absence of a toilet? Perhaps. One of many theories that crossed Aspen's mind, some reasonable, some more absurd, which was of course until Theo clarified.

This still didn't serve to clarify the matter to the girl, though. "Huh?", the girl tilted her head at the mention of speedrunning, staring at the other when he explained that he had been ... tortured? Not just that, in this place? This didn't make sense. At all. The girl stared at the Treasure Hunter for a good few seconds before simply uttering a now openly confused and very much defeated "What?", followed by "Can you ex- Hey!", Theo caring little to do so, the other Silver Wolf mage, in fact, already in the middle of a mad dash, leaving Aspen behind. The girl simply closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh as she lowered her head. After everything that had occured thus far would she have to babysit him as well? Thinking about it ... without Theo, she would be pretty much stranded. She had no idea where in Fiore they actually were, if they even still were in Fiore, and being a new arrival to this land the way back to the guildhall was ... entirely unknown. "Wait! Treasure Hunter!", she opened her eyes with a bit of shock, immediately beginning to make after him and deeper into the maze.

Although Theo had gotten a more than decent head start on her and was out of her sights Aspen managed to follow the man's scent using her slayer senses, which was her one saving grace considering that labeling her sense of direction as terribly inadequate would be a gross understatement, clumsily making her way through the maze and eventually out of the same double doors as Theo, spotting the guy on the ground right outside the Mansion, making her way over and looming over him, listening to his obviously distressed words. Sighing once more, she replied "It's fine, but don't run off all of a sudden", the lack of emotion or tone returning to her voice. In honestly, the low expectations, or rather, the complete lack of any expectations whatsoever prepared Aspen for most setbacks, this festival thus far posing little more than a mildly amusing waste of time, the promise of a "fun festival" particularly lost on her. Well, in a sense, at least, an idea that was somewhat uncharacteristic of the unfeeling Slayer beginning to take shape in her mind, perhaps stemming directly from her morbid intrigue with the guy. "Well, the festival is not yet over yet ...". Aspen extended her hand in an offer to help Theo up from the ground. "... meaning you can explain what is wrong to me over a drink, Treasure Hunter. Come on, or do you wanna lie there and pity yourself all day?", she smirked subtly in a taunt that was, in contrast, all the more characteristic of the Slayer.

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New Word Count: 890
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The ex-Paladin sighed softly after helping the Treasure Hunter up, indirectly pondering the distinct question if this guy was for real or not. Theo, as opposed to herself, seemed like an upbeat man, almost to an annoying degree, a personality trait that contrasted her own rather emotionless approach drastically. Of course, that was not much more than a facade, the Slayer, too, had her own mind, her own emotions and struggles, which, in some capacity, enabled her to relate to what the Treasure Hunter had said. At least, if she had understood him correctly and he was telling her the truth, that was. Nevertheless, he'd certainly captured her intrigue. There was more to her fellow Silver Wolf mage than she had initially anticipated, one way or the other. "Alright. I could go for a drink. Lead the way, Treasure Hunter", she smirked inwardly, patting him on the back in a swift motion that almost equated to an energetic, but playful push, following the man along. Perhaps a cold glass of alcohol could help her warm up to this whole "Festival" idea, something that remained foreign to her, and had thus far proven to be not too different from the usual day at the Silver Wolf guild hall or any other city she'd seen in Fiore so far. It was lively, for sure, but the Slayer, who wasn't particularly social or enjoyed navigating larger groups of people, didn't exactly count that as a big plus.

Regardless, the prospect of enjoying a drink and a conversation made her perk up somewhat, even if the topic of said conversation seemed to be a particularly heavy one. At least, that was what the Metal Slayer deducted from Theo's mention of torture. Either way, until she knew what the man was talking about, and until she knew why he was behaving the way he was, she wouldn't relent, thus following Theo all the way to the row of bar stools, sitting down next to the dark-haired mage.

"I am, but, Treasure Hunter, one thing after the other", she spoke, the otherwise quite prevalent monotony in her accent and voice drowned out by a smug tone accompanied by a small wink. She didn't know why, perhaps it was his happy-go-lucky charm that so heavily contrasted her own openly displayed reclusiveness and reservations, but something about him invoked her desire to tease him. The Soldier from Pergrande turned to the bartender, who was in the process of meticulously attempting to remove a visible water stain from a glass, but shot the two an expecting look. "Two shots of Vodka each. Make them doubles, unless my friend here wants to chicken out now", she giggled, naturally expecting him to reject the order. Two doubles were, after all, quite the heavy dose to start out with. Regardless, once her own shot of alcohol was placed before her, she brought the clear spirit to her lips and knocked it back in one motion.

It burned, a lot, and the taste was abhorrent, if she had to be honest, but ... something about the grain alcohol carried with it a certain nostalgia that reminded her of home. Well, some of the tolerable parts of that "home", at least. She took a deep breath, exhaling sharply with an audible "Phew". The stuff here in Fiore was leaps and bounds better than what she'd had in Pergrande. Pergrandean Vodka had had this oily texture, and a smell more akin to gasoline than spirit. This stuff, though, was quite clean, untainted, one might say, and way, way smoother than what she was used to. What was the same, though, was the sudden onset of warmth she felt in her torso. "Alright then, Theo. I'm all ears. Tell me, what's happened here in, what was it, Shirotsume, that turned you into a frenzied Vulcan?".

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New Thread WC Total: 2,564

Overtly curious how exactly Theo would handle his liqour, Aspen would keep her eyes locked on her fellow Silver Wolf mage in a sideways glance, watching, with a smirk, as he bragged and picked up the double shot of clear spirit that had been placed before him by the bartender. To be honest, he didn't look like the type who readily indulged in alcohol to the girl. Who knew? Appearances were one thing, but she reckoned that they could be deceiptive. She'd see what kind of drinker he was anyway in a matter of seconds, though, so the girl thought it futile to ponder over this question as he brought it to his lips and knocked it back. Naturally, the almost unnatural sounds that he made were made all the more amusing by his previous boast, the girl involuntarily breaking out into a subtle giggle. She had to give it to him, though, Theo owned it, ordering another one right off the bat. The giggle turned into a light smirk. Admittedly, while she usually tried her best to keep her outward appearances stoic and very much neutral, the way he handled himself brought a smile of genuine amusement to her face. Perhaps it was the exaggarated eccentricity that contrasted her own lack thereof that had made her giggle, even smirk to begin with. She rested her head on one of her hands, still wearing the smirk on her face when she spoke up again, the irregular signs of emotion extinguishing some of the monotony in her accented speech as she teased. "Well, that was certainly impressive, Treasure Hunter. Looks like you're a natural".

Indeed, he would even go on as if to not disappoint the sense of fun she got out of the way he would handle the vodka, downing the second double before she had even touched hers. The amusement would come with a sour note, though, the girl beginning to feel bad for teasing him into downing two shots faster than a dehydrated monkey chugged a glass of water. At least, that was what she thought. She was about to open her mouth to tell the fellow mage from Silver Wolf to slow down a little when he himself would again speak up in what Aspen understood as an attempt to answer her earlier question. Well, it wasn't like he really needed to if it bothered him. Perhaps she'd pressured him a little too much? "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to", she would try to swiftly let him know, the smirk vanishing from her expression. It wasn't like she was bad with, as he had put it, "heavy" stuff, quite the opposite, in fact, but she didn't mean to make the man uncomfortable, especially considering that whatever it was that bothered him seemed to run deep if it'd left him in such a state of obvious shock and trauma. Theo, though, seemed like he had made his decision, and so, the girl would turn away towards the bar, or more precisely, her second shot, scooping up the clear shotglass containing the similarly clear liquid before emptying it in one fluid motion, placing the empty glass on the surface before her. The familiar sensation, a feeling that could best be described as a burning of sorts, though not in an unpleasant sense, would fill the back of her throat, the familiar warmth pulsing through her torso once again. The ability to down drinks like this one, highly alcoholic ones, that was, without as much as pulling a face came with, for the lack of a more adequate description, nothing but experience and habituation.

She wouldn't, however, look back to Theo, instead keeping averting her eyes, which were kept locked onto the counter before her. If he would open up to her, if he would share with her this thing that weighed on him so much the least she could do was listen to the man and try to udnerstand where he was coming from, and listen she would.

He certainly wasn't lying when he said heavy.

The story that Theo had to tell was not a pretty one, the Treasure Hunter invoking images that, from the way he described it, would form into torture of a gruesome and brutal sort. If what he said was true, a fact that the girl didn't doubt, then it meant that this was the place where he had gone through an experience that was nothing short of horrifying, Aspen's brows inching closer together ever-so-slightly over the course of his recollection of events, though she would keep her eyes locked on the space before her. Until he finished his explanation, that was, Aspen taking a subtle, but deep breath, trying to sort her thoughts for a few seconds before she would even attempt to say anything. It was evident that the man who'd acted so strange, goofy, and admittedly funny with her had experienced something that no one should be forced to experience. In a somewhat self-centered and self-pitying way, Aspen could relate to that aspect of him, she'd gone through things of her own, but that wasn't what this was about right now.

"I see", was all she could force herself to say, her face and expression locked in the slight frown it had turned to, though her normally monotonous tone was defined by an underlying, almost tragic empathy. "That sounds like some proper fucked up shit you went through, Theo", the girl would follow up in a manner that was obviously not the most eloquent one, but the regret she felt for him, the sadness and tragedy, those were genuine. Leaning a little closer towards him, she would place her hand on his shoulder and try to find his eyes with her own, the emotions she felt reflected within the amber hues within them.

"I'm sorry". The girl honestly didn't know what else to say, how to make him feel better, if there was even a way to do that. As much as she'd have wanted to help him out in this moment, she didn't know how. She felt like there had to be something she could do, but no thought would cross her mind. She'd just have to say what her gut told her. "You know, I understand how you feel ... in a sense". She would pause briefly, once more averting her gaze. "Pain. Fear. Powerlessness. I mean, I understand these emotions", the girl went on, taking her hand off the man's shoulder. "But what matters is that you're still alive, no? As long as that's the case, you'll always have a future, Treasure Hunter. As long as you'll keep living, there'll be hope at some point. That's what I tell myself". The girl signalled the bartender to get her another shot, the man swiftly refilling one of the glasses before her, the girl, without hesitation, emptying the glass as soon as he had finished his pour. She began to feel the impact of the alcohol that rushed to her head, her cheeks flushing with a slight shade of pink, some of the tension she was feeling easing off as she took another deep breath, this time a little more overtly.

"I wish I had better things to say to you, Theo. I'm sorry I don't have some wiser or more sensitive words, but ... well, to be honest, I don't think you're such a bad guy. I don't think you deserve something like that".

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New Thread WC Total: 4,705