Weeding or Babysitting

Job Details and Info:

Zincarla crossed her arms, sitting on a bench outside of the herbalist's shop in Beanstalk Village. At her level, the last thing she had thought she would be doing was picking some weeds with a child. The dark haired witch wore her hair in long tresses with a couple of ribboned-up side braids. On this sunny day, she had settled on adorning herself in her usual every day outfit. Would anyone expect her to dress up professionally for the challenge of... weeding. Or baby sitting. Whatever this so-called job was supposed to be. Her pink and black strappy corset paired well with her long black skirt and black boots. As beautiful as she was, she scarcely noticed anyone looking her way, likely sensing her power, she thought. She huffed again to herself and scanned her nails as time passed.

Zincarla recalled the conversation she had clearly with Aidan last night before bedtime. His spirit contract was settled on her helping out mages in need, of his choice not her's. How Aidan had picked this new D rank mage for her had kept her up half the night in confusion. Why would he pick this nobody? He claimed it was a new mage in the guild she was in, and well she was aware that Luminous Rose looked for mages with potential of great magical power, she hadn't met this new mage yet. She didn't even know more than his name: Nikola. A child for sure, Zincarla thought, noting Aidan had a soft spot for the mages he chose. He just had to be a kid, right?

Regardless, she could not refuse Aidan's spirit or else lose the contract or suffer the spirit's powerful abilities. Aidan did have a violent problem in reacting extremely to situations while alive. She cringed at the thought of having to face him down. Not that she couldn't handle it, but Aidan was far better as an ally than an enemy. Zincarla crossed her legs and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Where is this kid?" She asked out loud looking around. She had thought he might have spoken to the herbalist inside already but then Aidan told her to be at this spot first thing in the morning. Maybe she should blame the spirit on her early arrival instead of blaming Nikola's lateness on Aidan's words. She shrugged. Spirits could also just be wrong, so she would continue to wait. After all, she would have to convince Nikola that she was there to help and mentor him and not everyone believed that a dead guild mage "told her to do it."

Word Count: 436
Total Word Count: 436

@Nikola Stillwater

Nikola spoke to the herbalist in Beanstalk Village about the dangerous weeds that had been causing trouble for visitors. The shop owner was very enthusiastic about him taking the job no questions asked. The two laughed and Nikola smiled at the herbalist in the shop, and told him to leave it up to him. After talking to him about the job, he realized at that moment he was probably going to get a bit dirty considering he was going to be pulling weeds. "You can count on me!" Nikola exited the shop the door swung open and a little bell hanging on the door chimed.
He walked out with a small piece of wheat smirking out the side of his lips. Nikola radiated elegance and assurance, almost too much for someone of such a low ranked mage. He tilted his head side to side making a couple crack sounds. His small waist and broad shoulders were almost peeking through with definition on his fitted black suit.
Underneath he wore a freshly pressed clean white shirt and his black leather shoes were shining under the high peaked sun.

He walked out and heard someone with a lighter voice looking for a kid. Nikola figured he had some time to kill in helping her find her lost child so he walked over to her she was sitting on the park bench, dressed very casual but at the least presentable.
"Hey Miss, did you lose your child or something?" Nikola asked stretching. "I got some time to kill, I suppose if you need me to help look for em" Nikola knew he had to be doing the job but figured why not do a good deed whilst he had the time.
He did have to warn her though, he can't spend long.
"I am supposed to be meeting someone and doing a job out here though, so I can't spend too long, but I can definitely help you out! I can imagine a worried mother like you is probably nervous and I cannot sit by while a damsel is in distress!"

Nikola removed his suit jacket and began unbuttoning his cufflinks to roll up his sleeves, his toned forearms revealed themselves as he rolled them up.

"What does he/she look like? Give me a description and I'll help you out. "

Word Count: 393
Total Word Count: 393

A bell chimed on the shop and Zincarla looked over expectantly. But no, it was just some guy. Some very tall, dark, attractive guy. He must've had some business there; given his suit, she didn't doubt that maybe he came from money. However, the piece of wheat in his mouth made him look as poor as the urchins she once grew up with. Zincarla found herself more attracted when she saw him roll up his sleeves and saw the toned muscles below. Power was important to Zincarla, practically everything. Despite the business exterior it was possible this stranger worked hard to get there and she could admire that. Though she did so from a distance away, on her park bench. She still had a job to do.

Zincarla looked away distractedly and then did a double take as she suddenly realized he had been staring back at her. And talking to her. She hadn't heard every word he said, such was her absent-minded moment, but she heard one word very clear. Mother. A quick flash for her sent the pangs of an empty and lonely childhood straight through her heart. She felt the breaking in her heart, the agony of hunger in her belly, and the cold winds of an autumn night. If she had had a mother, or any parents at all, she might have had a home. She might have had young mates to play with in the spring and summer time. Instead, she was a magicless whelp in a region where magic was status, magic was value. Instead, Zincarla had watched in horror as a man fell dead in the streets as a shadowy figure raced through the night. She had gone up to the dead man, just ten years old, trying to stop the bleeding, and before she knew it, sat behind the cold bars of a dark cell. In the second it took her to feel and recall each broken moment, her anger grew and grew. Mother. Her face flushed and she got to her feet, her small hands in fists at her sides. Once she stood up, part of her regretted it considering the height difference, but she learned in prison that height wasn't everything in intimidation.

"Listen you! That might sound sweet but it's not, and you're an ass!" She wagged a finger at him boldly, "I haven't lost some child, I don't even have a child, and I am no one's mother." Her voice had an almost dark edge to it and her magenta eyes were like little flames in their sockets. An echo in her heart sang out silently, 'and no one's child.' Her body felt more heated with each second passing until she was a dark crimson shade. "To hell with children, in fact," she growled, before abruptly looking away and taking a step back. This was too much: that statement had crossed a line, even for her. But she had too much pride to try and take it back. In a  black mood now, she crossed her arms. So what if Aidan got angry with her? She would find some way to make it up to the spirit. She waited and waited for this D Rank kid and now things had gotten out of hand. "Damned kid supposedly needed my guidance," She offered in half-explanation, it not really clear if she was even talking to the dark haired man anymore. Her anger, though palpable, was no longer directed at the man before her.

"I was told to find a D Rank mage around here to help pull weeds," the witch said slowly, emphasizing every other word. She took a deep breath and stabilized herself. She was stronger than her emotions, than her past too. Her eyes closed as she got a handle on herself, trying to ignore the thrum of shame creeping up into her chest. Zincarla kept her arms crossed but a slump in her posture showed that she had run out of the fuel for her anger. Finally, the magenta eyed female uncrossed her arms and took a small step towards him, looking up at his face for his reaction: was it appalling, frightening, or something worse?

Instead of guessing, Zincarla relied on her honesty to get her through this moment, as she had in plenty of others. In almost monotone she gave a small apology. "Anyway, sorry. Guess, I didn't sleep well and my impatience kind of fell out of me before I could stop it. Have you seen a kid around? Goes by Nikolaus, or Niklaren, or Nikola or something like that." She gestured with one hand to the area about the herbalist's shop.

WC: 779
TWC: 779+436= 1215
@Nikola Stillwater

Nikola watched as she got agitated in response to his, what he believed, was a chivalrous act of kindness. Her finger wagged in his face, and he dropped the wheat from his mouth. Nikola felt her feedback was adorable to say the least, as he put his hands up in defenseless manner. He cracked a smile seeing her get so worked up, with an energy that rivaled his own. His raised an eyebrow in curiosity, completely perplexed as she proclaimed that she wasn't a mother. It was at that moment that Nikola was confused. Nikola was trying to be nice, but it seemed he had struck a negative nerve on this woman, and he was admittingly getting worked up himself.

Hearing her complain about the kid, and apparently her annoyance with children altogether, would bother Nikola a bit. He thought to himself, Gee you try to do something nice, and you get stuck with the crazies.

All at once, she mentioned finding a D rank mage to pull the weeds, and it all the confusing puzzle pieces of this situation fell into place. His smile widened as she closed her eyes and seemed to calm down, he knew what to do to fluster and get a rise out of her, based on her recent response.

With her eyes closed, and his sleeves now rolled up, he started to undo his shirt. He unbutton his shirt half-way careful not to wrinkle it as she asked about the kid.
Upon confirming it to be him, he grabbed one side of his long sleeve white shirt and pulled it open, revealing his firm pectoral. There it lay upon his chest a black rose, he spoke to her in a playful voice, "Hey cutie, I think you got it wrong...It's pronounced Nikola, I do not need help, and as you can see I'm no child." He said flexing his pectorals while smirking at her.

He loved her eyes, the color was so unique that it popped off his deep dark appearance. "I also didn't sleep well, by the way, got any food? I missed breakfast" He said. He knew it was going to tick her off but he was actually hungry, so he figured he would ask her anyway.

Word Count: 378
Total Word Count: 393+378=771

To her complete surprise, the man in front of her didn't reply instantly to her questions. He started unbuttoning his shirt. Her magenta eyes watched, both curious and insanely confused. Was this man stripping? Why? Zincarla slid a hand through her hair, her fingers scraping against her scalp, messing the proper look she had put the style into. She felt mortified as she stared, then baffled, then for a moment even a little insane. Maybe she was somehow losing her mind. What in all the chaotic hells was going on this morning?!

And then, the witch saw it: a tattoo of the rose that matched her own, a symbol of the Luminous Rose guild. She felt almost dizzy with understanding, as if her entire world view had suddenly been flipped upside down and she was fighting gravity to not merely float away in the breeze. She couldn't recall the last time someone dared to call her cutie but that wasn't even what was tripping her over herself. He was Nikola. This grown adult man. This man was Nikola. How could he be D Rank and a... she closed her eyes and ran her hands down the side of her face. She rubbed her cheeks and then slapped them a couple times.

Pull yourself together, idiot, Zincarla told herself. She let out a long sigh, her face reddened, She lifted her hands placatingly, "Okay. Okay, fine. You're Nikola." What could she even say that would be anything but insulting? A man at D Rank? Didn't he realize how fine he was? She shook her head, correcting again. Didn't he realize how far behind he was? He looked far too congenial and amused for someone at such a disadvantage. Then again, she could at least be grateful that he wasn't a kid. Helping Nikola was going to be a lot easier on her because of that. Still, he said he didn't need any help. She crossed her arms and lifted her head, trying to radiate power and control. This was really not her morning.

"You can call me Zincarla, and I am here to help you. There's no need to go into the details of it, the sooner you accept it, the sooner we can move on. I am also a member of Luminous Rose." To her benefit, she was an H Rank mage and any mage worth a grain of salt would be able to sense her magical power. He seemed to continue to smirk at her and so she tried to put a stern tone in her voice. "First we have to locate the weeds to pull. Maybe if you do well, I'll treat you to a snack at the cafe after. Now, what can you tell me about the job?" Zincarla asked. She gestured with her hands and then headed away from the herbalist's shop and towards the surrounding fields. Where else to look for plants but with other plants?

She shook her head, trying not to laugh and added, "And you can close your shirt, I'm not putting jewels down the front of your pants."

WC: 517
TWC: 1215+517= 1732

He began to laugh at the situation, such an odd first impression. As Zincarla introduced herself and offered help to Nikola, he just nodded. Nikola was not the type of guy to ask for help, but how could he resist someone offering help to him? She seemed experienced, magic power was brewing, and Nikola could feel it. He could not tell how powerful she was, but he could feel it was much greater than his. Best not to make a fool out of himself on his very first guild mate encounter. His smile widened when Zincarla mentioned that if he did well, she would take him for a snack if he did well good bite to eat after a hard day's work. As she asked about the job, Nikola slightly opened his mouth about to tell her when she commented on him closing his pants. He continued to tell her about the information he had heard from the shop owner about the job.

"Well, according to the shop owner, there are some purple plants around here with three leaves, causing issues for the surrounding villagers. Unfortunately, they are too much to handle for them, and it is putting people in hospitalized states."

Nikola continued to explain what he had heard from the shop owner. Sure this job might be his first, and it might be challenging but he can tell it could be done with ease by the powerful mage standing before him. He continued to explain the sensitivity of the situation.

"The herbalist shop owner says that it seems not to be fatal, as most that have touched them were only out for a couple of days. I would imagine we should be careful anyway." What Nikola truly meant here, was that he is the one that should be careful. "The herbalist wants us to remove them, take a sample of one of them, and the reward is 5,000 jewel. I'll put my shirt back on, and unsure what my pants have to do with anything...but when we get done with the job I will most definitely take you up on the snack."

He said ending with a smirk, and a wink to add to the fun, as he started buttoning up his shirt, covering up the tattoo, and with that his entire chest.

Word Count: 387
Total Word Count: 771 + 379 = 1158

Weeds that sent people to the hospital weren't really all that unusual in and of themselves. Poison oak, poison sumac, hell, even poison ivy reigned through the edges of the woods and favorite fields of the people. Still, those were usually rare cases or cases of allergies. For a weed to send so many to the hospital was strange indeed in her eyes. Zincarla doubted the locals would grab onto any familiar plant that would cause them sores or itching. That mean the weed was a new introduction and she had heard of new plants like these invading the land and wreaking havoc on the native wildlife. Weeding was a stupid job, but she supposed it was important enough to send someone to do it. She cast her eyes to the side at Nikola and thought, especially if they were only D Rank mages.

She would have ordinarily never gotten such a basic mission as this, but Aidan had directed her to help this mage in particular. Zincarla wondered why this grown adult had caught his attention, or why he thought Nikola might need her help. True, any low rank mage would benefit from the presence of a more experienced one, or maybe there was something Aidan knew that he had not shared. Maybe Nikola would face a grander disaster that not just any higher ranked mage could handle.

Zincarla nodded, listening as Nikola explained the direct desires of the herbalist who had commissioned him, and unknowingly her. Her magenta eyes surveyed the surrounding fields that they now found themselves in. The grasses that grew here could reach knee-height sometimes, but despite the sunny day, it was still Winter season. The grasses had folded and crunched, laying mostly flat around the expanse. The shades of brown ranged from a sandy beach to the bark of an old oak tree and it made it easy to spot the purple plant. She pointed her fingers to three places she could view without any further movement. "Unfortunately, there are a lot of those weeds here. It would be impossible to destroy them all on your own unless you wanted to spend days on it. Why don't you focus on these three patches here?"

She kept looking around as she lowered her eyes, pinpointing cluster after cluster of these shiny violet leaves. The winter hadn't killed them off and with the other plants dead or hibernating, these weeds really were invading like a small army upon the field. She could understand the herbalist's concern, especially if helpful plants like lavender or rosemary were even being wiped out. Zincarla dug around in her side bag looking with her fingers and her eyes, speaking without looking at Nikola, "I suppose you'll be needing a bag for the sample. I might have a... ah!" She pulled out a crumpled brown paper bag with a sheepish smile.

"I think this should do the trick more or less. Big enough to hold at least one or two of the weeds with the roots in tact?" Zincarla moved to pass the bag to him, hoping he would take it. If he did, she would crack the knuckles on each hand and stretch out her arms. "All right, think you can handle it? Don't get yourself too beat up~"

WC: 548
TWC: 1732+548= 2280

Nikola thought this job was a bit boring, but he knew that taking jobs like these would be the only way to increase his rank. The landscape of dull browns and grays seemed endless as they walked through the barren fields which had been sucked dry by the midst of the winter season. The dry, cracked earth was strewn with occasional weeds and shaggy grass, but there was no sign of colorful plant life. Nikola followed the witch before him, as she would be the most experienced. The air was soundless and dense, and it was beginning to feel like a hopeless job. Just as he felt so they came upon patches of weeds and there he saw them, this purplish tint.

He could see a bright purple hue in the distance, contrasting with the dark surroundings. As they got closer, he saw the bright purple plants, a weed with leaves that glimmered in the sunlight. It was like a glimmer of hope in an otherwise lifeless field, too bad they are so dangerous because they did bring color to the surrounding browns and grays. Zincarla must have been experienced because the sight of the plants did not phase her at all. She instructed Nikola to a direction on where to focus. She pulled out a bag for the sample collection and handed it to Nikola. He accepted the bag with excitement, finally getting to the action. As he crouched to his knees to examine the plant from a distance, he could not help but wonder how did it survive in such a harsh environment? Everything else was dead. There was something magical about this plant, but best to not overthink it.

Nikola knew from the herbalist that the plant caused issues for those who touched it. Upon receiving the go-ahead from Zincarla he immediately used his lackluster D rank spell.
Nikola slapped his hands together and a magic circle formed with a blade of wind projecting from it as he yelled "Tempest Reckoning!" Surely, that would slice the plant up with no problem, the blade of wind went towards the plant at a high speed, and to his surprise, although he saw the impact, the plant did not die.

He turned to Zincarla with a slight chuckle and turned red in embarrassment putting his arm behind his head.
"This might take a while...Maybe it would be best to attack more than one of them at a time?"
He then grinned at the witch before him and thought how uncool that must have looked, especially after all that big talk.

Word count: 431
Total Word Count: 1158 + 431 = 1589

Zincarla observed Nikola after he took the bag. Though the work was boring and tedious, he acted happy to do it. Was he interested so much in gaining power that he would demean himself here? She considered it as he bent and examined the plants; what other reason was there besides gaining magical power for joining Luminous Rose? Though being low in power, she admitted to herself that he must have been dedicated enough for the guild to let him join in. She supposed every one had to start somewhere, but an adult just starting out still seemed ridiculous to her. Zincarla wouldn't say so unless asked, however.

The dark haired witch took a couple steps away, preparing to do her bid of the work, mostly as a favor to him and so that she wouldn't need to stand out here for hours while he worked through each and every weed on the hill. Zincarla didn't get far when she heard a loud clap and a shout as Nikola cast his spell. She turned, a bit excited to see what the fuss was about, hoping for a shout and a clap so ostentatious that he would be casting a brilliant spell. Instead, she saw a tepid little wind blade batter at the weed before fizzling out. The weed had three leaves and this move managed to remove one.

Finally, the quiet woman let out a laugh, unable to hold back. He looked embarrassed as he should and she laughed harder at his expression. "For hells' sake, you have to hit it more than once. Do it faster this time, double up," She laughed again and shook her head in amusement. "Unless you were joking, because that did kind of appear as a joke." Zincarla turned and walked away, pausing again when she was a few feet farther. She called back to him without looking this time, heading to a farther purple weed. "Be sure to get your sample right and undamaged, yeah?"

A few yards away, the witch looked across the field and counted at least a dozen of these small weeds. To her fortune, it would be easy to remove them all without getting a single injury. With the winter season and the field all around, there was no risk to civilian life or even plant and animal life. She smirked to herself, hiding her expression by keep her back turned to Nikola as surely he was struggling. Perhaps it was self serving to summon a spirit for this job, but she wanted to show off a little now. Though she had reacted strongly and emotionally to Nikola initially, Zincarla hoped to impress him and reframe her image in his mind. She wasn't just a lady who shouted about kids going to hell or who got flustered by a showcase of muscled skin. She was a powerful entity in and of herself and all should know just how great she could be.

A lower level spirit, then, she decided in her head. A B rank spirit should have just enough kick to not anger the spirit for too low a duty, but enough to still emphasize her magical strength. She crossed her arms and sat down on the hill, also crossing her legs. She entered a momentary meditative state to summon up the spirit without any words. A small shimmering blue orb appeared before her, sparkling and dancing in place, clearly full of joy. Then, the blue orb morphed with a twirl into the life size spirit of a heavily overweight man. The green spirit looked almost like ooze with bulbous masses over its bare back and arms and loose, baggy jowls that swayed as he talked.

"Hey Zin!" The spirit cried out in celebration, a strange voice which sounded more like the spirit of the child story Santa Claus. The bolstered and bold voice continued, "It's been so long! What's your pleasure? You didn't want to just chat it out and have a stack of hotcakes or two, or did you change your mind?" Zincarla gave the oozing spirit a smile. He sure was hideous to look at in death, but his personality was refreshingly simple. The spirit always wanted to talk about food and drink, loathing to work as his contract required. Without an immediate reply, the spirit added, "Oh, no, I know that look. You mean to make me work, don't you?"

Zincarla lifted a hand to placate him, "Hey, Tom! You're right, I have business to attend to and need your assistance. You might like this though. I need your big mouth to save the day." The spirit called Tom laughed louder, holding his amorphous torso and shaking like another reference to dear old Saint Nick.

"That's swell, really. Tell me what you need me to eat and I'll get to it soon enough." Tom said, panting from his laughter.

"See these weeds, the purple ones?" Tom nodded and Zincarla finished, "They are damaging the area and need to be removed. Think you can do that for me?" She looked back at Nikola and gave him a little mischievous grin, "Well, all of them need to be removed except for the three behind me. Those are for Nikola." The green ghost gargled out a burst of laughter again and waved a hand at Nikola.

"She's got you working too, huh, kid?" Tom looked down through his translucent body in an unnerving posture and spoke to the witch once more. "Count on me. I don't turn down a free meal." With those words, the ghost's small head seemed to retreat towards his back, as if afraid and shrinking away would help. Tom's fairly normal sized mouth extended and grew wider and wider until it was the size of Zincarla herself. He waved a flaccid arm or hand, Zincarla couldn't tell which, yet she knew it was a gesture asking her to get out of the way.

She took a few steps back and the second she was out of Tom's path a whooshing sound ripped through the field. The crunch of snow and frozen ground mixed with the rasp of shredding crisp grasses as an enormous gout of wind seemed to suck at the area. The purple weeds, shook, trembling in the powerful gale, beginning to loosen from the soil. Zincarla's long dark hair whipped around her frame as Tom began to eat: sucking in small bits of dead plants, stones, and those accursed weeds, he looked like a massive vacuum of a monster. If that didn't intimidate Nikola, then she would have to try harder.

WC: 1100
TWC: 2280+1100= 3380

@Nikola Stillwater