Winter Camp Disaster

Details:

Zincarla had been partnered up with Khadim, a young mage from the guild, for this job. As she reviewed the slip of paper detailing the mission, she was at least glad she had met him before hand. The last time she was put on a job with a guild member, she ended up making a horrible mistake in thinking the D Rank mage was going to be a child and not an adult. It didn't go very well that day, she recalled thoughtfully. And although Khadim was young, he wasn't literally a child in the definition's sense. He was able, had enough power for her to offer him a bit of respect considering his age, and though strange to look at, she suspected most of her job was going to be in keeping certain that he made it out alive. After all, if anything happened to Khadim, who else but her could they blame?

It would seem the old legend of Camp Killer of Azure Lake had been restored when a group of teenagers decided to go visit the lake. Despite that the dare was stupid and childish, only two of the eight teenagers had returned. They made wild claims that the Camp Killer was still alive and had murdered their friends. Zincarla had her doubts about the details, yet the teenagers still hadn't showed up and it was up to her and Khadim to figure out what had happened to them. She personally suspected that the kids might have tried pranking each other, only to end up injuring themselves. The people who once ran the camp likely left supplies there, to be cleaned up each Spring, and the lake was probably freezing cold. Maybe the teenagers had tried to go out on the ice and sunk through?

The witch had already bought the two train tickets needed for travel to Clover Town and now awaited Khadim at the train station not far from the Luminous Rose base of operations. She wondered if he was the sort to be late or on time, but was determined to hold off on any other judgments this time. She wouldn't be caught looking like an idiot as she had for her last job.

WC: 371

@Khadim

"To think that a chance encounter would lead to us being assigned a job with Luminous Rose's newest recruit, Zincarla."

"They say that life is dealing with the unexpected turns of humanity."

"Who says that? I know everyone you can talk to... doesn't sound like something Dub would say."

"Rrrgh."

"Do you think we're supposed to spy on her and report back if she does something wrong?

"Nahh."

"But, you did hear the rumors right?"

"Aye, and you know what they say about summoners..."

"They're never alone?"

"No! They're out of shape, spend too much time making their servants do work for them."

"That's not the worst part."

"BOO! Are the gods scared of a couple ghosts?" Khadim teased the assorted gods that lay within his brain as they made their way to the train station. In the distance, the group could see Zincarla standing on the platform.

"Don't mock us boy. You just don't know enough to be scared."

"Gods die too."

As Khadim approached, they spoke "Hello, we're here to assist you however we can." Rih believed that powerful beings, like Zincarla and his former self, liked to be treated as superior, so he hoped doing so now would ensure a solid working relationship.

"Are we intending to tell her about us?"

"Oh sh... bro, you messed up."

"I mean, I hope we can work well together."

"Solid recovery dude."

WC: 232
TWC: 603

Zincarla stood up from where she was waiting when she saw the three-eyed boy heading her way. There was no mistaking who he was on sight as the others in the train station moved out of his way and clustered in whispers; even strangers spoke under their breath together about him. Zincarla tensed somewhat understanding how it might feel to be Khadim in this place. The dark haired woman figured that if people could mistreat her, especially once they found out about her criminal past, at least she could trace that to some obvious danger about herself. She had gotten stares and whispers when she was first released and had mostly hidden her history from strangers to stop getting that response when she walked down the street. However, Khadim couldn't help what he looked like, as far as she knew anyway. It made her want to protect him, just a little, but it was also her belief that one ought to protect themselves. He was able enough from her standpoint so Zincarla didn't comment on it.

Zincarla passed him the ticket she bought him and then the folded file she had kept in her side bag. "You can read this on the train. It includes all the details the locals have on the case and should give us a head start once we arrive in Clover Town. The train should take us to the town center, then we'll have to walk to the lake." Khadim stated that 'we' were there to help and cocked an eyebrow at him before looking around. Her magenta eyes scanned the area but nobody else appeared to be approaching. "I only bought one extra ticket," She began, turning back to Khadim, "And the guild didn't mention anyone else. Who is with you?"

He tried to cover himself up in nervousness, changing his words to 'I', but something didn't sit right with her. Just as when they first met, he seemed so odd to her. There was something unsettling, past his eyes, which she tried not to stare at. It wasn't just his magic either, as she could only feel that he had a valid amount of power for a job like this. Zincarla narrowed her eyes again on the station but saw nobody: no lurkers hiding behind trash cans, no eyes carefully catching glances over a newspaper article, and no loners leaning against the wall pretending to not hear but actually eavesdrop the whole time. Maybe it was just a mess up with words, but Zincarla would have to investigate that later.

A sharp piercing whistle broke through the air, too loud to talk or ask questions through and a loud rumbling signaled that the train had been started up. "Time to go," Zincarla shouted over the sounds. She drew out her own ticket and held it tightly in her fingers, then with her free hand she grabbed Khadim's elbow and dragged him forward. The mage pulled him through a crowd and then up onto the platform for boarding as swiftly as she could move. Granted, she wasn't that fast, but it was as urgent as she could act. Zincarla placed her ticket in the uniformed woman's hand, then slipped past her into the train's long carpeted hallway. The train's inside was decorated with a plush red carpet that transitioned to a flat browning rug the farther back it traveled. It was easy to see where most travelers could afford to sit based on that. The trip wasn't long enough to be picky about a seat, however.

Zincarla gestured wordlessly and led the way down the dirty hallway carpet towards the back of the train until she found a small cabin with glass windows, red velvet curtains, and a gold handled door. It matched the number on her ticket and she entered the room, finding it to be peacefully empty inside. Two plush red-cushioned benches faced each other and a large glass window inside showed the station outside and a bit of roiling smoke from the engine's kick start. The dark haired woman entered and took a seat, crossing her arms and preparing for the long trip. She had already read through the file and it might be a good time for a nap, after all her traveling partner would be busy reading the file himself. Or at least he should be.

"I think I'm going to take a nap. You can wake me when we get there, and not before." Zincarla declared. She slipped off her side bag and positioned it like a pillow by the end of the bench. Then she kicked off her boots, and stretched out on the bench. If Khadim wanted to talk, she would indulge him, but otherwise, her magenta eyes would close and she would drift off to sleep before the train even officially left the station.

WC: 809+ 371= 1180
@Khadim