-FLOREM GARDENS-
Ah, how the fairies and flowers calmed mind and soul!
Mephilia always enjoyed sitting amongst lavender flowers and watching the Flories fly by. They were the guardian spirits of Florem, and although the city no longer followed the ways of druids, the fairies were respected and protected. Now, even moreso, as traders found that their wings fetch a pretty penny if brought to a vain, greedy noblewoman.
Yes, poachers nearly ruined the beauty of the Florem Gardens, hunting the Flories to near extinction. They cared little for the environment, for the ecosystem in which they came. No, their souls were tainted with the call of greed. Life meant nothing to them, unless it could fetch millions of pg. She despised them most of all, the poachers.
And so, when the Lord Marshal called for volunteers to help protect the sacred fey, Mephilia was more than eager to leave her sisters' side for this duty. It was something she must do. Something she had to do. A summoner is no summoner if they cannot understand the world around them, understand the creatures and anchorites they call forth. Their creed was to value all life, big or small. Day in and out, she would stay here, watching over the woodland fey with careful eye, calling forth the anchorite of wind to keep an eye out for poachers who would dare sneak by her.
As she sat here, she closed her eyes for but a moment, taking in the scent of flowers and enjoying the tickly feeling she got when a Florie landed on her head. Only a moment, to enjoy nature, life itself, at its finest.
Something screeched in pain, her inner peace broken. She stood up, scanning the area, scaring the poor fairy away. Another screech, this time from her summon, Hresvelgr, who came swooping down from the skies. She turned towards it, seeing it pecking at a strange little thing. A person.
"Who are you?" she asked. "You have no business here!"
The person turned to her. Mephilia could only gasp as she saw his (or was it her?) face, all but her smile covered by a paper with a strange symbol, draped in dark robes.... His arms... his hands... tentacles.
"Oh, I have plenty of business here," came the response with a giggle. "Mistress Kuroma said so! And her word is law! I'm afraid the only one who has no business here...
is you."
The last thing the summoner heard were endless, childish giggles, before she was swallowed up by darkness.
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-FLOREM, RANDOM COFFEE SHOP-
"She's gone?!"
Tiz couldn't help but sigh as Ringabel slamed his hands on the table, wide eyed. Agnes looked a bit uncomfortable with his reaction, but she took a sip of tea to try to calm her nerves.
"Well, for now at least," Tiz responded, picking up his mug of coffee and taking a long, deep drink. "This Kogasa person seems to be a pretty busy lady. I spoke to that woman who was with her before, and they said they were going out to see Eternia for a bit. "
The casanova deflated like an accordion and slumped in his seat. "Gone in a blink of an eye," he said wistfully, clutching at his breast. "Like a sweet dream, she was: so sweet, I would never leave her side! Oh, woe, that I must awaken, to see the dream fade before my very eyes!"
"She'll be back in a day or two, they're just sightseeing-"
Ringabel, clearly unaware of what Tiz was saying, continued, "How I will yearn to see her again! Her eyes, deep as the blue seas.... Her hair, long and reminicent of clear blue skies! Her hands, small and soft to the touch! And her lips, my, they look as if they belonged on an angel! And her rea-"
Agnes shot Ringabel a glare and said calmly, yet coldly, "Speak not another word!"
"Yeah, don't finish that," Tiz agreed with a shrug. "Unless you want to deal with Edea."
Ringabel let out yet another dramatic sigh before finally taking a gulp of his coffee. "In any case," he said, "there isn't any work for us to do here. Certainly, there was the dragon, but it's only a matter of time before even the pg we gained from that flows out of our pockets. We need another assignment, and quickly! Especially after Edea may have purchased parfaits on my dime."
"I guess so, but for the most part, everything is peaceful," Tiz pointed out. "There are only a few monsters that go on a rampage like that. And the last worrisome incident was about a year or so ago, when I heard that two succubi were driven out of Florem. That happened around the same time DeRosa disappeared, I think. Or maybe that was a year later?"
Agnes took another sip of tea and added in a worried voice, "The disappearance of DeRosa concerns me, however. We were tasked to bring him to justice for using women in Eternia as test subjects of this new... 'project' he was performing, but we have scoured the entirety of Luxendarc with no trace of his whereabouts!"
"I wouldn't be surprised if women enacted their revenge on him and dumped his corpse into the seas," Ringabel said bluntly after another gulp of black coffee. "Never did hear good news of him, after all. Went against the Lord Marshal's orders several times, caring little of the opinions of anyone aside from himself. Why, I even heard from one particularly angry victim of his crimes that he treated women as nothing but tools!" Indignant, he crossed his arms and let out a huff. "Tools, they said! The nerve of it all!"
The knight shrugged once more, shaking his head. "Well, with him gone, that's one less problem to worry about, and that's fine by me. For now, we should try to relax, and think of other ways to help the people out."
"Agreed," Agnes said with a nod. "I much prefer helping with small errands and cooking to fighting monsters, even if it does not pay as well."
Ringabel stared at his companions for a bit before standing up and stretching. "Well, it's fine by me if you wish to aid others like that, but I rather be a little more active. At the very least, I need to keep body and mind sharp in battle, in case there is a surge of monster appearances."
"Nothing's stopping you from just going, you know," Tiz pointed out with a confused look. "We'll just hang around Florem if you need us!"
Ringabel couldn't help but bow before he took his leave, heading towards the square. Worry for his companions crossed his mind, but he quickly pushed it away. Tiz was quite the capable defender. No harm would come to them as long as he was around. And as for Agnes... Well, her magic was nothing to sneeze at. Anyone who came within 10 feet of her with malicious intent would find themselves charred black in an instant. What was there to worry about?
He looked up at the bright, clear skies, taking a seat near Florem's flower fountain. A little bit of relaxing before training on Mandrakes wouldn't hurt, would it? Of course not. And all the more time to think of the many angels he met throughout his journeys with his merry band of adventurers. Oh, how he wished one of them would descend from the skies and welcome him into their arms!
Perhaps the gods took him too seriously, however, as the screech of the anchorite of wind echoed throughout the city before a black blur covered the sun for an instant, dropping a certain, tangled up summoner right onto his head.
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