Job: Find the Ring! (Malm and Sakura)

Mission Description:

It was early in the afternoon as Malm walked through the streets of Oak Town. As he did so, he was a little surprised to see not many people outside today. He'd admit that it was a little warmer then he would like, but there was a nice, refreshing breeze that did well to relieve that. Maybe there was something else going on around town that he wasn't aware of yet.

As Malm reached the residential section of the town, he pulled out the job form to look over it again. The job he was out here to do today was to find a woman's engagement ring. A simple job sure, but one that he was willing to do. Yet there was one small thing that worried him. From what the form said, she had supposedly dropped it in the river, and Malm couldn't exactly swim.

Oh well. He was sure he would be able to figure something out.

Malm paused to look up and see that he had arrived at the address the job had specify. It was a modest, two story house that seemed to be a pleasant place to live. The front lawn seemed to be well kept, and there was even a small garden with an arrangement of colorful flowers. Malm smiled as he saw this as he began to head towards the door.

The slight breeze tugged at Sakuras ribbon adorned hair as she made her way to the house where she was to meet her partner for this job. She liked doing jobs with other people however she always found it hard to speak to them, especially when her exceed named Ebony wasn't around to help her (just like now). She had had problems with speaking to others all her life which made it very hard for her to make friends.
She walked down the streets a little longer before coming to a stop in front of a homely two story house, the house of the person who put up the job request and the meeting spot for Sakura and her partner. She saw that a boy dressed in green was just in front of her making his way through the garden to the front door. She ran to catch up with him.

As Malm reached the front door, he could of sworn he heard someone running towards him. He immediately stopped and turned around to see a small girl wearing a ribbon. "Uhh... Hello there? Is there something I could do for you?" Malm asked curiously wondering why this girl ran towards him.

It wasn't long after this before the pair would hear someone shuffling around within the house. The door then opened to reveal a middle-aged woman looking at the pair. She was wearing a plain, light blue dress that reached all the way down to her ankles. Malm couldn't help, but also notice that she was wearing a necklace with a colorful pendant of the same type of flowers that were in her garden.

"Excuse me, but are you both here to help find my engagement ring?" She asked in a tired, but pleading voice. That, along with the dark circles around her eyes was enough to show that she probably hasn't gotten any sleep in the few days. This ring must really be important to her.

((Just so you know. If you want to control the client, you can.))

Although the boy spoke to Sakura kindly, she didnt reply. Sakura regretted this as the boy may think she was being rude however she didnt manage to summon up the courage to reply or apologize.
Movement could be heard from beyond the walls of the house, signalling that someone was about to greet them. The door of the house opened to reveal a middle-aged looking woman who was wearing a light blue dress. She spoke wearily "Excuse me, but are you both here to help find my engagement ring?"
Sakura gave a single nod in response to the womans question.
"Please come on in then, I will tell you all about the job" The womans beauty could be seem even though she was clearly tired and worn out. She beckoned for them to follow her into her house.
The house was rather plain, with simple wooden furniture and one consistent colour theme, however it had occasional personal touches throughout, such as family photos or collectible relics such as small glass figures (often angels). The woman lead them into the kitchen where they sat down at the four chaired wooden table. Sakura quickly looked at the boy who was sat next to her before staring at her feet in embarrassment, and waited for the woman to start informing them on their job.

"Yes Ma'am." Malm answered the woman with a nod. The teen noticed that the girl who had ran towards him had also nodded to the woman's question, meaning that she was here for the job too. Yet he was now curious why she didn't say anything earlier.

"Please come on in then. I will tell you all about the job." Malm politely stepped out of the way so that Sakura could enter the home first before he did. Ladies first afterall. The interior of the house had a simple beauty that Malm definitely approved of as he walked through the house. He could definitely see himself living a place. They were then led to a kitchen with a wooden table that had for matching chairs around. Malm took a moment to appreciate the room before taking a seat next to Sakura.

"You have a lovely home miss."

"Ohh... Thank you." The woman said as a small smile appeared on her face from the compliment before returning to a more worried expression. A few seconds of silence then passed as the woman seemed to be deep in thought about something. "I'm sorry. I don't really know where to begin."

"Uhh... Just start from the beginning and work your way from there." Malm advised.

"Well it all began when..." The woman stopped to gather her memories before continuing to speak. Sakura fidgeted in her seat as an awkward silence filled the room.
"The last time I saw the ring- as you know- was by the river a few minutes walk from this house. I was taking an early morning stroll around the town because the weather was beautiful." She sighed as she remembered her tranquil morning walk, "I stopped by the river for a while, I had brought an apple and a sandwich with me which I ate by the river bank, I stayed there for about an hour, just enjoying the view and peacefulness of the scenery around me. Just as I started walking away I realized that my engagement ring was no longer with me. I searched for hours on end but I just couldn't find it. So eventually I gave up and went back home. Then I posted the job request hoping that someone like you would turn up and help me find my beloved ring. The ring means so much to me and was very expensive. Please find it before my fiance comes back home tonight. He will be devastated." Crystal tears rolled down the womans cheeks and dripped onto the table, It was clear how much pain she was in.

Malm sat silently as he carefully listened to their clients story. Images of the event filling his head as he did so. It was apparent that this ring was very important to the woman. They would have to find it as quickly as they can.

"Don't worry ma'am. I promise you we'll find your ring before tonight." He told her with an assuring smile in hopes that it will cheer her up. Malm didn't like to see someone cry, nor was he one to take his promises lightly.

Yet, despite what he had just said, he was having some doubts they would be able to find it in time. Judging from both what she had just told them and the job request, there was little doubt that the ring fell into the river. He did shortly entertain the notion that the ring could of been stolen by a sneaky pickpocket, but that was highly unlikely. The ring would of been on her finger during that whole time, plus she was eating. It'd be near impossible for someone to have steal that ring from her. No, chances were that the ring was somewhere at the bottom of that river just waiting for someone to fish it out.

"Well then. I guess we should be heading off then." Malm saidas he stood up from his chair and pushed it back in, "Thank you for telling us all this. I assure you that we'll be back with your ring as soon as we can." And with that, Malm (and probably Sakura) were heading out the door and towards the bridge that the client had lost her ring at.

((Yeah, I realize this post might not exactly give you much to work with. So if you want me to add, subtract, or change some stuff so you have more room to work with, don't hesitate to ask. Also I have to say that your posts (and your use of descriptions) so far on this job have been outstanding. It's kindof makes me feel jealous. Keep up the good work XD))

Sakura bowed to the woman before exiting the house and catching up to her job partner. They walked in silence. Sakura didnt mind. Silence was something she was used to, not something she avoided like many others. Instead of speaking to the person walking next to her she looked at the scenery and buildings around her.
Oak town was filled with beautiful houses paired with gardens bursting with colourful patches of flowers and dotted with apple trees. A warm summers breeze rustled through the trees as they passed by. And the sun beat down on the thatched roofs of the houses that lined the streets. Birds chirped to one another from the branches high above and bees buzzed around pollen rich flowers. At times like this you simply couldnt help but stare at the marvel of nature. She wondered if the boy was looking at it too, but dared not to look in case they made eye contact and he started speaking.
No doubt he would say unnecessary things just to start a conversation, Sakura found people often did this, they said things that no one cared about or wanted to speak about. At least they speak openly though, Sakura thought.
Sakura walked just behind the green haired boy, as to not bring too much attention to herself. She wondered if he found the silence unpleasant and awkward and if he would start a conversation.

Malm walked without a word as the pair headed towards the tree. He did found it a bit odd that the girl hasn't said anything yet, but he didn't press anything. Instead just took in the sights of the town as they walked. She'll talk to him eventually when, and only when, she wants to. There was no need to force it.

As they soon saw the bridge ahead of them, Malm realized something. He didn't really know the girl's name, and doubted that she would know his. Probably something he should have realized a little earlier, but in his defense, he was distracted at the time. Well no better time in the present.

"I probably should have said this earlier, but my names Malm. Just thought you should know that." He said with a small smile with his head turned slightly so that he could see the girl behind him. It was notable that he didn't ask Sakura her name, or even started a conversation in general. He just wanted her to know what his name for he saw it as the polite thing to do.

It wouldn't be long after that before they finally reached the bridge they were heading for. Malm really needed to think of a way they could easily find and pick up the ring. While he had a few thoughts, nothing worthy of note stood out to him. Well they have some time. Maybe the girl has something already figured out.

"Sakura," She whispered sometime after Malm had introduced himself. She felt happy that Malm had not pushed her to speak like many others do and he was letting her come out in her own time. She decided she liked him.
They were now nearing the bridge which crossed the river where the engagement ring had been lost. The soothing sound of the water lapping against the bank could now be heard.
Sakura had come up with some ideas for how to retrieve the ring however none of them would really work, and she couldn't come up with and more due to her lack of knowledge about Malm and his abilities. Maybe he had a magic that was vital in this job, that would be brilliant however Sakura knew this would be highly unlikely and he probably had a type of magic just as useful as her own when it came to jobs like this "Card magic," She said quietly as they came to a stop at the river bank, maybe if he knew her magic her could come up with an idea for how to get the ring. She watched the water flow past and looked at her reflection on the waters surface, wondering if her water spell would work in this situation or make it harder.

Malm's smile grew as he heard Sakura tell him her name. Despite it being only in a whisper, he was happy to see the girl growing a bit more comfortable around him. Maybe in time she'll become comfortable enough to speak in full sentences, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking.

Malm took a deep breath as they reached the river. The rhythmic sound of the flowing water was surprisingly calming to Malm. He could probably relax here and just listen to that sound all day. Yet that wasn't the reason why they for here. They needed find a way to find that ring.

The green-haired teen then turned and looked at Sakura as she said "Card Magic" out of nowhere before understanding what she meant. "Ohh uhh... I can use plant magic." Malm responded with a nod as he looked back towards the river. He then took notice of something odd. A underwater plant under the bridge seemed to have something small, round, and metal caught on it. Could it be...

"I think I know where the ring is. It's right under the bridge caught on some plant." Malm claimed as he pointed towards where the plant is. Then something occured to him. "Uhh... I hate to ask, but are you able to swim?"

Plant magic? How unusual, she thought, she had come across this type of magic whilst reading but she had never know anyone to actually have it. Sakura observed Malm and realized that it all made sense, he looked like a very down to earth guy and wore green clothing, his magic suited him perfectly. Sakura wondered if her magic suited her. She had always been interested in tarot and arcana however card magic wasnt really something that could be reflect in personality of the way you dress.
His question had surprised her, Sakura had thought that they would be getting the ring out with magic not by diving or swimming. Maybe there was something else to Malms plan, she wondered. She looked at Malm and gave a single nod in response, she had swam in the lake in the woods by her childhood home. Although she hadnt swam for a few years now she was sure she would be able to swim in the rather shallow river.
"Can you?" Sakura asked, hoping for an explanation of the plan as well. After all she didnt want to do something wrong on her very first job did she? That would be terrible... and embarrassing.

While it turned out Sakura could swim, it also seemed that she didn't quite understand Malm's plan. Understandably so seeing how it was pretty simple compared to what one would expect. Perhaps he should think of something else that wouldn't end up getting one of them soaking wet, but what else could they really do. None of his spells could really prove useful for retrieving the ring. It was possible that one Sakura's could, but he had no real way of knowing.

"No, I'm afraid I can't swim." Malm said slightly embarrassed as he looked out towards the river. It wasn't that he never wanted to, it was just that he never really had a chance to. He was often to busy with other things to ever learn how to swim.

Malm sighed, "So I can only think of two plans we could do. One is where one of us simply swims into the river and retrieves the ring. The other is where we make a makeshift fishing pole and try to fish the ring out. Both of which are probably not exactly ideal though. Do you possibly have any better ideas on what we could do?" Malm shared with Sakura, a bit disappointed that those were the only two plans he could come up with. Maybe if he had an idea what Sakura's card magic could do other then the fact that it dealt with cards, he could figure something else out. Yet as things are now, none of his spells could really help them in this situation. Maybe Flash Foliage could help, but he doubted that the river was shallow enough for it to have any effect.

"I cannot swim very well,"l Sakura said as Malm explained his two theory's on how they could get the ring "I think Ive forgotten how to." That kind of ruled out the first idea of Malms. However Sakura was sure she could accomplish this if it was the only way to do so. The second idea belonging to Malm was to create a fishing pole. This would be a good idea if they could find any resources to build a rod, looking around Sakura was sure this would be possible if it came to it.
Malm then asked her if she had any ideas.
To be honest she didnt really think her idea would work however it would be best to share it with Malm anyway, just to see what his opinion on it was. "Well... I have a water spell that shoots of water like a fountain and if I cast it in the middle of the river it might push away the water of the river with the water from the spell so we can reach the ring." Sakura looked down at her feet knowing it was a bad idea and wouldnt work as well as Malms. "Sorry it is a stupid idea," Sakura mumbled as she bit her nails in embarrassment.
She waited for Malms response.

((Sorry for the bad post I am in a rush and didnt want to keep you waiting))

So it seemed like his first idea wouldn't work. That shouldn't be to big of a surprise. Even if she could of swam well enough, there was little chance she would be able to properly locate the ring with the vauge directions he could give. That left them with the fishing pole plan and whatever plan Sakura could come up with. Though he had his doubts that the fishing pole plan would even work too.

He listened carefully as Sakura told him of her idea, but frowned as she quickly dismissed it. "No it isn't. At very least it's worth giving a shot." Malm stated as he looked out to the river. Actually, could they perhaps work both there spells together to divert the water of the river enough in order for them to get the ring. It was worth a shot, but that left them with how exactly they were going to retrieve the ring.

Malm thought on this as he saw a fisherman crossing the bridge. Could it possibly work? It was admittedly a longshot, but they didn't really have much to lose if it failed. "Okay. I think I have an idea. Perhaps if we combine our efforts, using your water spell and Flash Foliage, we could divert the river to be able to actually see the ring. Then one of us could either jump down to grab it, or fish it out. What do you think?" Malm asked as he wanted her feedback. He knew the plan had it's flaws, but at least it was better then having them fish blindly for hours... or drowning.

Sakura nodded eagerly. The plan made perfect sense to her and it seemed easy enough. She departed from Malms side and walked a little further upstream. The river was shallower here which meant Sakura would be able to stand in the middle of the water and cast her spell. She crouched down and pulled her brown lace up shoes and long white stockings off. She then stood up and took her beret of, placing it next to her shoes and socks on the moist grass below. Walking around with wet feet all day didnt exactly appeal to Sakura, and losing her beloved beret was another thing altogether. However she did keep her bag on her shoulders for this contained her magic cards which she would be needing for the job.
After pushing her long locks of silvery hair back and hitching up her skirt she stepped into the river. Cold water engulfed her legs and came up to the middle of her thigh. The temperature of the water was refreshing after the hot glare of the sun.
She looked back over her should to make sure Malm was ready for her to do her spell. She gave a single nod then faced upstream once again. She pulled out the familiar blue card from her bag and held it just above the waters surface. She took a deep breath.
"Prayers fountain!" She whispered. Suddenly water shot from the card, it began to ruffle the surface of the river. Sakura pushed the card further down with a great effort. The card was underwater for less than a second before it pushed all the water away from it. The spell had cleared a space behind Sakura in the riverbed, however she could not see if the ring was there due to the spell needing all of her concentration. "Hurry up Malm! The cards not supposed to be used like this!" She pushed the card down once more and used all of her strength to keep it there.

Malm returned the nod as he looked over at the river. He had no idea if this plan will really work, but he was still optimistic about it. Malm followed Sakura's lead as he took off his shoes and socks before folding his pants up some so that they would hopefully not get wet. He wasn't as much worried about getting wet, but still preferred to avoid if he could.

Taking a deep breath, the green haired teen followed Sakura into the stream. The cold water felt surprising refreshing to Malm's feet, though he could possibly do without the small rocks and dirt. It wasn't that they hurt or anything. It just was that they felt pretty uncomfortable to his feet.

Then once he gave Sakura a nod to show that he was ready they began. He watched as Sakura pulled a card from her bag and say something that caused the card to start shooting out water like a fountain. She then pushed the card underwater, the differing pressures of the card and the river causing the stream to move around the card. Malm could almost not believe it, this plan might work after all.

"Right" Malm responded as Sakura warned him that the spell wasn't meant to be used this way, "Flash Foliage" Malm then called out as a green magic circle appeared in front of his hand. A split second later, a 6 foot tall shrubber appeared near Sakura's fountain, causing more of the stream to divert. And with that, he could see the ring.

"There it is." Malm said as he saw it, and with Sakura busy concentrating with her spell, he elected to go grab it himself. He waded through the water til he reach the dry part the pair had created before grabbing the ring. "I got it." He informed Sakura holding the ring up for her to see.

Sakura gave a small smile to Malm as he confirmed the good news- he had found the ring! She jumped out of the river happily and shoved her feet back into her socks and boots. After placing her beret on her head and her tarot card in her pocket she went over to Malm who was a little further downstream. She bowed politely "Well done."
Sakura couldnt help feeling as though she hadnt really helped in this job that much compared to Malms great efforts however she had to admit it had been a lot of fun. "We should return the ring now," Sakura looked up at the sky where a pale moon had appeared and was now turning into a light orange, it was getting late and the woman who had lost the ring said her fiancee would be back just before nightfall. They needed to hurry.
Sakura wordlessly grabbed the hand of an unsuspecting Malm and began to run as fast as she could, pulling Malm behind her.

Keeping the ring in hand, Malm began negotiating his way back to the rivers bank. It surprised him how shallow the river actually was, being about 2-3 ft. deep. It seemed that they didn't even swimming at all. All that worring for nothing.

Still, they managed to get the ring, so all is good.

Malm gave a small sigh as he reached the shore. Despite his efforts, his pants and the bottom part of his shirt was soaking wet. He probably should have followed Sakura back the way they had entered instead of going straight towards the bank. Well that was hindsight for you. Besides, his clothes should dry here soon enough.

With that hopeful thought in mind, Malm pocketed the ring before attempting to put his socks on. This proved to be more difficult then he had originally expected as his wet foot didn't want to slid into his sock as it usually do. In fact, he only managed to get the one sock on as he felt Sakura grab his hand, with him barely being able to grab his shoes and remaining socks in time.

Malm looked at the usually timid girl, wondering why she'd be in such a hurry. Surely they had enough time to get there. A quick look to the sky showed that he was wrong. It was nearing dusk. Had he just lost complete track of time or was it much later then he originally suspected? That didn't really matter seeing as their client's fiancée could be home any moment now.

Malm pushed himself to run faster, being next to Sakura instead of being pulled by here. It felt odd running barefooted like this, but Malm put those discomforts out of his mind. He could see their clients house just in the distance. Whether they had beat their clients fiancée was yet to be seen though. Hopefully they did.

Down the streets they ran side by side. As they neared the house Sakura felt a stitch appear on left side which slowed her down slightly, she was never really made to run like this. Their destination came into view as their feet pounded the dry ground, the house neared as they ran faster than they had ran so far.
They ran up the garden and rapped on the door quickly, Sakura prayed they had arrived before the poor womans fiancee had.
The door swung open and revealed to woman behind, she looked at them both with hopeful yet tired eyes. Malm handed over the ring and the woman gave a small squeal of surprise. After examining the ring to make sure it was actually hers she pulled the two mages into a tight embrace, "Thank you, you saved me." Sakura couldnt help but smiling a little, it was nice to see that their efforts were appreciated.
"I thought you were going to be to late, or worse- never even show up. Anyway here is your reward and thank you for your service!" The woman shooed them both away from the door so she could close it "Good bye, I will be sure to ask for your help again!" clearly she was anxious for her fiancees return from work. Sakura took the hint, bidded farewell to the woman and walked down the garden path.
She turned to face Malm "Good bye," she bowed once again then set of into the dusk. As she walked away from the house she saw a man wearing a black suit enter it, Sakura smiled to herself knowing that she had helped brighten someones day by being a mage.

Malm's feet were starting to hurt as he continued to run. They were just not use to this, and he could of swore he stepped on a jagged rock a long the way. Hopefully this wouldn't end up giving his barefoot any blisters.

It wasn't long before they had reached the house. The pair ran up the garden pass and Sakura quickly knocked on the door. Malm really hoped that they had made it here in time as they waited. The door soon opened to reveal the woman with a hopeful look to her. Malm didn't disappoint as he quickly wiped it over with his shirt before handing it to the client.

Malm then found himself suddenly in a tight embrace as she expressed her thanks. She them told them that she was worried that they would never come, quickly paid them, then shooed them away from the door. It took him a few seconds, but he did pick up on why she wanted them to leave. So he bid her farewell before following Sakura away from the path.

"Good bye." Malm told the girl as she began to walk off. He went off towards the other direction, looking back to see who he suspected to be the clients fiancee walking down the garden path. So they had made it just in time, that's good.

And so, Malm stretched as he looked forward to getting a room at the inn, and getting out of these wet clothes. Maybe even get a warm shower bath while he was at. He probably should also look at putting his shoes and his other sock on, but he was feeling to tired and lazy to do so at the moment. The inn wasn't that far away anyways.

[End]