RedMageCole

... Due to the quickly-rising popular demand to stop at the swimsuit shop, Kane decided to make the detour for everyone's sake. Thankfully, there was a nice place not too far off from the beach. "Sorry, pal, beach is closed. Orders from Queen Stella, she says she wanted to treat her royal guard. Ain't she a doll?" "No worries, we're well aware and intending on a visit for tomorrow." Kane spoke, evidently enough needing a bit of a visit himself— he had a fine sun orange-colored open overshirt, but his shorts could have stood to be better swimming gear. "Might we be able to browse for a little while?" The guy at the store looked back, seeing all of you— "Hm... Well, how can I refuse?... Looks like a few of you don't really need it, though, but I suppose good taste helps pave the way for other fine tastes. Those are some very lovely hats, ladies," He says with a nod and smile to Mim and Lenore, before— "Alright, alright. Everyone, meet back over here in an hour." Kane headed right off to the swimming trunks area. Arthur and Lucy both stood with the little ragtag group that Mim had pulled together— it was harder to tell which one was having a more difficult time keeping themselves together, both keeping completely quiet.

Pinecone did his usual— standing by and marching alongside everyone, with only Diligence's faint tunes in his ears to accompany him properly. When they were ambushed, Pinecone did not even flinch or hesitate— as soon as Stardust had deployed herself, he was in the field. "Well, it's another busy day at work! You will have to forgive me, I am doing this for everyone else's self defense. I hope you can understand!" With Pinecone's cracked wooden javelin held high, he launched it at one of the lancers, preparing to stand guard for everyone's sake. Pinecone to C8, guard any adjacent and willing units (including Stardust), launch a javelin into Lancer A

Lucy was brought out of her anxiety by Baldur this time, just giving little nods. Justine's entrance, however, made her look a bit happier... It wasn't too difficult to tell that Lucy was still a bit envious of how flashy Justine could look, but there were no grudges held. "O-Okay...! B-but, um... nothing too revealing, I-I don't think I'm ready for... um... well, I-I just want to at least try and... be braver about showing my... arms." On the other hand, Justine's entrance made it difficult to tell whether Arthur was happy or terrified of the idea of her coming with on swimsuit shopping. Horse help me, I am going to die... physically or on the inside...

Baldur's words didn't seem to help Lucy any— even with the idea of a swimsuit being not as revealing seemed... off-putting to her. Mim's words also still made Lucy a bit frantic— despite his faults and all-around terribleness, Lucy still had some fondness for her brother as a lingering regret, making her fiddle with her fingers. However, the last part at least did make her feel a little bit better... somewhat. "O-okay... I'll try to wear a... swimsuit."

Arthur looked like he was taking in breath after being underwater for ten minutes... Until he got a very unfortunate or fortunate look of what Mim was wearing down below, and suddenly turned around a full one hundred and eighty degrees. "O-Oh... I see. I've... um... never really went swimming before... unless bathing counts, I think...?..." Lucy's eyes drifted to Baldur and Arthur, her face absorbing the reddening that Arthur's previously had. "W-Wait, y-you mean- w-we swim with the boys!? B-Brother never let me swim around Famine... He said Famine might look at—" Lucy's expression suddenly turned to mortification as she held herself tightly around her chest region.

Arthur gave a vigorous nod in response to Mim. Lucy, meanwhile, had been nervously pacing around. When nabbed by Mim, her head turned up. She looked a bit confused at Mim's clothing, tilting her head, before suddenly being thrown back into her nervous fit. Mim's words only served to bolster her further. "I... don't actually... know what.... a swimsuit is.... Are you supposed to wear that to the 'beach'...?" Not terribly surprising, considering her heritage or the kinds of people she hung around, but still.

"Ah, I wouldn't get yer hopes up just yet. I've been tryin' te find him an assignment on his own... hopefully someone needs somethin' simple like a lance." Simeon stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Aye, ye may not remember him as well as Mim and Fey might. Jules was the guard that helped me bust outta prison. 'S my apprentice, but I suppose ye can say he's a bit closer ta a son. He was just a tyke I found offa the streets and took in to help out... I hope he's well. If we ever pop into Vaa on a mission, I'll have to check on 'im..." —————————— "Sh-She is holding my hand if you haven't noticed," Arthur wildly misinterpreted Baldur's words in the heat of the moment, looking just about ready to melt despite not even being in the summer heat yet once Mim squeezed his hand. Kane had been digging through the same closet he held most of the typical Virtuous disguises in, two fingers on his head as he tried to gauge what to wear. He turned to Lenore, continuing his deep-in-thought expression... Keeping significantly calmer than Arthur was at the sight of Lenore in a bathing suit. "Prepared as always, Lenore... Guy sounded like a sleazeball through and through. As for myself... I swear I had something decent for beachwear in here, I lived in Vini but my mother surely made something suitable for swimming... My problem is I didn't expect to ever be making any beach trips... though seeing everyone so lively at the idea makes me wonder how I didn't think of one in the first place. I just hope we don't get jumped on our vacation day— I start one up and Ferdiad nearly kills Lizaveta and Lucy in one day..." Kane's voice trailed off as he kept eyeing the outfits, thoroughly distracted... It wasn't hard to tell that Kane needed the break just as much.

Simeon exhaled rather slowly through his nose upon Baldur's apologies. "Don't ye worry about it. When ye get ta be me age, ye don't let things bother ye as much. Ye're still young, so it's quite alright ta be bothered by things. Myself, I've already lived me life and me share of regrets, I can't be gettin' new grudges especially when ye're a valued customer o' mine." As if he hadn't said anything, Simeon went right back to stroking his beard and thinking. "Now, I'm no expert in magic weapons, those were always me weakness and I always just relied on suppliers for me tomes... but for yer sake and dedication, I will do me best to find somethin' for ye. Perhaps Sid might actually be decent enough at makin' magic weapons, I know Jules was quite alright at it..." —————————— "E-eh?" As if Arthur couldn't get even redder in the face, Mim went and grabbed his hand. It was a boon that he had red hair— it masked how red he was in the face. "I-I mean, uh, yeah, I'm okay with that, to go shopping, for a swimsuit." Arthur almost stopped registering that Baldur was even there anymore.

Despite the problems that they had earlier, Simeon eyed Baldur with interest and a willingness to comply. "Of course. What do ye need?" Though his tone was business, he was willing to listen without needing to hear about how the mission went. —————————— Arthur didn't really say anything in response to Baldur— after all, Baldur was going to be Baldur and as far as Arthur could tell, Mim was already going to be the one to sort him out. As he was looking away, however, he was brought back to attention. He had to engage in a struggling endeavor to keep his eyes fully trained on Mim's face, hoping that his blush wasn't too evident despite it actually being pretty evident. "N-no! No, no, it looks perfect! Great, in fact!" Arthur sounded honest, if not extremely forceful in his attempts to keep it together. "D-do not let Baldur think that you look anything but good in that! You look very good!"

Arthur had just been mulling around, uncertain of what to do— unsurprising when one considered both his Rian heritage and status. He probably had to have a beach explained to him by Stella. Regardless, he was definitely not prepared for beach weather and he knew it. There wasn't much embarrassment though— that came after the fact that he was pleasantly surprised that Mim was talking to him again... "..." ...While also wearing that. Arthur attempted to avert his eyes, looking away quite nervously very much trying to keep his eyes away so that he didn't screw up Mim talking with him... or provoke Baldur into hitting him. "I don- I don't have anything to change into......." His whisper trails off.

Kane silently watched Baldur leave with a sigh. He turned to Lysander afterwards. "I understand that. And do not worry, I still fully intend on eliminating the Icons of Sin. Famine will be no such exception." ...Lucy was quiet. —————————— Two weeks had passed since that incident. The works of Virtuous had not gotten any easier, especially with Kane losing his focus from time to time despite all of his dedication. Emelia, the girl who once danced for Darcy, had been returned to her home safely in Ulux. Though she was thankful for the hospitality, she could not keep up with all of the frenetic work. Reiko as well had left the group, aspiring to work on taking back what was rightfully hers. Kane could not and did not stop her. Tensions continued to work up, and so too did the tensions between Ria and Perus. It seemed any day now there would be a war that would break out... ...And despite all that, one morning, Arthur came home with a letter. "Official Queen Stella orders." Arthur sounded somewhat annoyed, but not too much. "She says we're working too hard and that we're being ordered to take a vacation day. She also states that we're to spend our day on Languor Beach, having cleared it out specifically for our use." "...What? The beach up north? We can't go, we were planning-" "It doesn't matter what we were planning, if Queen Stella ordered it it's happening." "What kind of a ridiculous order...?" "I think you've completely forgotten what Queen Stella is like." "..." Kane sighed... Dare there seem to be just a tinge of relief on his face? "Change of plans, everyone... Go get something suitable for the beach put on..."

Sid's face turned into a slight blush as Mim grabbed his hand and smiled up at him. She was slowly giving him an excess of sweetness, and if she kept it up he might obtain a large excess of blood sugar. "Y-yeah, I'll get to work... or I'll at least try'ta."

When Mim came into play, Sid tried his best to at least put on somewhat of an okay face despite how tired and grumpy he looked. "Yo, Mim... I'm jus' peachy— I'm even startin' to sound like the old man..." "I'm fine as well. As fer a new weapon... aye, ye always need a backup with bows. Crossbows are fine 'n all, but difficult to wield..." He scratches his beard, thinking for a moment. "Let me think... a slim lance would definitely just throw ye off since ye're so used ta usin' heavy artillery... That bein' said, an iron lance would be yer best bet for a startin' lance, but let me see if I can't fine-tune it just a little bit... Actually, now that I think about it..." "Why ya lookin' at me...?" "A'ight. Ye will be the one forging Mim's new lance. It'll be yer first assignment completely on yer own, a basic iron lance that fits Mim's specifications— light, quick, won't slow her down or take too much room, and will still pack enough of a punch that it'll at least somewhat measure up ta her greatbow." "Th-That fifth thing completely conflicts with the rest of everything you just said!" "And if ye don't do it anyway, ye'll make Mim sad." Simeon says with a cheeky grin, knowing that Mim probably wouldn't be sad but knowing that Sid wouldn't be able to resist— indeed, his face immediately looks defeated. "Alright, alright, ye win... ugh! You win! I'll do it! Just give me a bit to actually get it right, Mim... Knowing this guy I'll be at it for weeks..."

It was clear that visible frustration was forming on Kane's face. For once, it looked as if he was trying to hold himself back from actually somewhat snapping, but Lenore's interruption was enough to give him some time to take a deep breath and speak. "Alright. Firstly, I won't deny that we did uncover something very valuable— knowing Famine's true identity as Herman Daxter gives us not only a tie to the royal family, but also some leverage if we need it. However, that also raises some more questions— namely..." Kane gestured to the boxes, now sitting out in the open. "Why, why was he so willing to let us get away with interrupting his shipment, and even threaten his own supplier when that could have been an easy source of defense? It doesn't add up to any sort of reasonable assumption in my mind..." Kane pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "We'll keep an eye out for more clues. Second, we'll do just as we did last time— don't burn everything, that might release chemicals into the air. We'll get to dumping and burying it, hopefully that shouldn't take us much longer than an hour. Thirdly..." His stern expression turned to Lysander and Baldur. "Marvel, I unfortunately cannot guarantee that request, though I understand your frustration— Orchid, again, you did uncover something quite valuable for us, but the way you went around it was completely foolish. You may have wounded him, but Famine as we've seen is not the type to go down in one stab— you have to kill him in one shot or he'll toy with you. You could have been killed... and I don't want to hear anything about how you would have been fine with it if it killed him. Your life is worth more than that... I'm disappointed in you. I can't in good conscience issue punishment even if you did disobey direct orders, but know that the next time you try something like that, you may not be stabbing someone nearly as valuable or as forgiving."

For completing the Gaiden mission, everyone has attained Level 10 for free! Everyone now gets a bonus Subcategory! Please reply in the thread for which subcategory you would like. At any point until Level 20 where it will be automatic, anyone may also Promote. If anyone wishes to promote, please reply with that information as well. SMALL HOUSERULE: If you are currently only proficient in one weapon type and are promoting into a class that gives you an extra weapon type, you are allowed to take that weapon as a D-rank subcategory. If you do this, the weapon subcategory that you currently have a C-rank in will be bumped up to a higher rank upon promotion. "I... can't see myself being much better than Justine... But I'll try my best...!" Lucy Belial has joined the party! Reiko Masuda has left the party... First Class Level 10

“...Heh... Heheh." Herman's cold eyes stared at Lysander, completely ignoring Baldur's onslaught as if he weren't even there. As if the two sides— Famine and Herman, had merged... His face that once was devoid of emotion twisted into a taunting, if not bored, smirk. “Good luck." A pause as he allowed Baldur to charge, before he vanished into another puff of black smoke a split second before Baldur could take a stab at him... ...He did not reappear. "F-Famine... H-He... Th-That can't be him... H-He was..." "Regardless of who he was, he is now your enemy, Pestilence. Just as he is all of our enemies. He may be taunting us now, but he does not know the extent of our tenacity... We will take him by storm. He will be cornered, no matter how much he runs... I know that sometimes, do a poor job at keeping my promises... but this one I can wholeheartedly promise. He will be brought to justice."

With one deep breath, Mercia attempted to succeed where the others struggled— moving in and firing an arrow right at the bull. Mercia to J3, shoot Asterios, canto to K3 (if she doesn't kill and survives, somehow)

An audible pop sound could be heard as Herman vanished into a mass of black dust, scattering to the ground and fading into the ground just as Baldur would have connected. Herman then proceeded to resurface, his back to the woods as he faced all of you. “Well, it may have worked. You know, if we weren't in a wide-open space with plenty of escape opportunity. But please, keep prattling on about justice when both your teammates and I know you're just trying to pat yourself on the ass."

It was too late for Kane, just as he saw Baldur jump out— He had to begin to hurry up back to the rest of the group. "I cannot believe this— everyone remain on standby, don't jump until I say...!" As Kane got to the group, Famine was completely unaware of the fate that was coming right up behind him. Ethaniel was too distracted by how annoyed he was to point it out, and Baldur's intention was much too swift to allow for someone to stop him. Famine finally noticed just as Baldur drove the knife into his neck— with a gasp, his normally goofy face turning into one of genuine shock, hurriedly ducked to the ground. An audible rip echoed throughout the field as the knife tore through the fabric of Famine's bandana, unraveling it with one accidental swipe. Famine drew a tome, hoarsely laughing a little before coughing up a little bit of blood. "Famine...!" Lucy whispered, despite the man's crimes she sounded genuinely concerned for him as she clutched her hands together and prayed that he would be okay... "Clever, clever... Yes, it's true, I'm a very smart individual, but even I can fall prey to the ever-so-stealthy back attack. Don'tcha mind me, I'll take care of this stray bandit, I got a Luna tome with his name—" Ethaniel's normal-volume stuttering interrupted the hoarse Famine... His gaze jumped around. It mainly landed on Lysander, but also to the recently unmasked Famine, his face angered and very pale at the same time. "H-H-Wh-Huh-What the fuck- what the fuck!? Herman!? Herman!?" Famine was silent, before laughing a little bit... however, this time, his normally joyful laughter was clearly faked. “Heheh. Haha. Funny joke. Why are you thinking I'm Herman? I look nothing like the guy, dude." "N-No! Now that I think about it, y-you are Herman! Y-You just messed up your hair a ton and made your tone sound different and such! Wh-Who the hell is that!?" He frantically looked at Lysander with rage in his face. "You think I'm a fool, huh!? Why, why I- Why I oughta-" Before he could continue his threat, yet another voice cut him off. “So close. So very, very close." His voice was devoid of the emotion that marked Famine. Now that the shell of the Black Rider had melted away, only a man who held no remorse remained. "Well? Did you get your revenge? Are you happy about it? Did it bring your pathetic life any sort of meaning, being able to push a sad little blade inside of me?... Does it even matter considering I don't even know who you are? I'm on so many hitlists, I really can't keep track of all of these people." "Herman! C'mon, let's- Grk—!" Herman had whipped out a dark tome, idly twisting his wrist in the direction of Ethaniel as Ethaniel clutched for his throat in a panic. Herman did not even bother to look at the man. “For his paper thin disguise, he got one thing correct. Honestly, it's not a bad idea, I really should have done that slow lethal poison bullshit to you a long time ago with how much you try my patience. If I turn my head in ten seconds and you are there, I swear on the Lion that I will crush your neck and end your life right now, do I make myself clear?" Without another word but a panicked yelp, Ethaniel ran off, ditching the cart. His bodyguards followed suit. As they did, Kane signaled for the rest of Virtuous to come out of hiding. He leapt out of the bushes, knife drawn on Herman. “Honestly. Did you order that, Phoenix? Sneak attack, ambush? Nah. Even with his mask on I can tell there's nothing but contempt for me in his eyes. Besides, you're too incompetent of a leader to actually do such orders, aren't you?" Kane said nothing, though there was a growl of frustration. If he had anything to say, it was stopped by Lucy running out of the bushes. "F-Famine... Famine...! Y-You can't truly be... You can't be—" “Oh, hey, Pesty, you actually look way better with these guys. Man, I gotta say though, I miss your cooking. War burns like, everything. Ah well. Don't take things too personally, okay?" “Now then. Any last tricks that you all wish to attempt before I go do something that actually takes effort, like folding my laundry?"

Ethaniel got the gesture from Lenore, and was more than willing to get the boxes open and start unloading the goods. Famine yawned as he watched idly, though it didn't seem he had any sort of bored expression. Eventually, most of it got unloaded. A few boxes remained unopened. "There... There. Everything's here, alright? The rest is just stuff for minor deals and I can't really show that off to other customers, but you can find everything you ordered here. Can I get my money now...?"

Despite her wounds, Mercia did not hold up on her assault. "I won't let these wounds stop me..." Mercia to J3, shoot Revenant U, canto to K3 Alunda to L3, heal Mercia Argos to I3, engage Asterios mother fucker

Ethaniel looked heavily intimidated by this gesture— starting to sweat bullets as he looks at his bodyguards who quickly slip him denying looks. "Wh-... What the hell is this...!? Y-You can't be serious! All this crap over just a stupid box— c-come on! I've been doin' this for you forever, h-how could you do this to me, man!?" “But that's just who he is, silly Ethaniel! Evil, evil Herman Daxter! You can't trust him for even a second." "Sh-Shut up! R-Rgh... D-Damn it... a-alright, fine, I'll get the boxes...!" Ethaniel hobbled to the boxes, starting to meekly open them up. Famine continued to silently watch, unknowing of what was going on behind him... "Alright. We're gonna need to make a move here— while the guy's intimidated, we can potentially make a move to swipe some things. Orchid, you'll-" "...Damn it... damn it, Orchid, I said no! Shit— Scarlet, cover me!" Kane slipped into the bushes, trying to find Baldur before it was too late...

Ethaniel's eye twitches slightly. Famine makes a small, muffled chuckle at the same time, and the bodyguards awkwardly looked at each other. "Now look here, I ain't your slave drivin' monkey, I'm the vendor and damned trusted by Herman! You can open a damn box yourself if ya want— who do ya think you are, first day on the job and bossin' me around!? I ain't ever seen you helpin' Herman out before and I am not about to let you mosey in and question my new operation! Come on, Herman," Ethaniel said with an exhausted finger jab at Lysander. "I always respected your business back when I was just one of Diezel's delivery boys and you're sure as hell our top buyer, but I got a new gig goin'! So if you're gonna be whipped over here and let this lady walk all over me, you're wrong! I'll just go back with the excess and be done and your little alchemy gig is up! You won't find any other dealers of Asthéneiatoxin other than myself! I'm the boss, ya hear!? Me!" In the bushes, Kane responded quietly to Lizaveta, growing a bit weary as he tried to shift around and try to look at different angles. "No... I doubt that it's a coincidence. Something's going on with Perus if this kind of thing manages to be endorsed by the King— I highly doubt Famine is here because he just wanted to mess with us... I'm not finding any openings right now, the cargo's out in the open and everything— but if they can just get their hands on the drugs somehow... Ethaniel's looking impatient, though. I hope they know what they're doing... though I shouldn't be doubtful, I trust them. I just get antsy not being able to do anything, damn Famine..."

Famine let out a low 'ooooooh' at Lysander's first sentence. “Dang, that was a really good Herman Daxter impression, did you work on that all night?" Though his mouth was covered, it wasn't hard to tell that his smile was there. However, it was a bit more malicious. “Careful though about whatcha say, the operation is in danger! All I gotta do is go ask the real Herman Daxter to stand up and he'll come running and blow it all sky-high! Why not enjoy my charity a little- yes, hello!" Ethaniel came out, grunting and groaning with his bodyguards— they're all carrying the load, all in boxes and all accounted for. "Th... There. That should be all of it. Can we get payment now?" Herman wiggled his eyebrows curiously at the group.

"Whatdya want me to do, bring it all out here!?" “Yeah!" "I didn't ask you! You're the one messin' everythin' up, you freakin' weirdo!" “Yeah!" "Ugh— dammit!" Ethaniel snaps his fingers, getting his guards to get to rummaging in the back of the wagon. To speed things up, he joined them. With the three gone for a moment, Famine kicks his legs up and begins floating in midair, twirling himself upside down and looking at Lysander with an... oddly serious look. “So, I know you got some personal dealings with the Daxter family, but ya gonna tell me how ya know Herman Daxter personally enough to impersonate him? Gotta say, even with that guy's kinda dumbness you still kiiinda look the part and certainly got the right attitude. But I gotta be honest! I know nothing about who you guys personally are! And do I wanna know who you guys personally are? Nah. I'm not like Death where I wanna hunt down your families just for existing. But call it a curiosity..."