[Cherry Heart] Cherry Heart Guild Main Hall Thread

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"you're applying too, right?"

 

"Kind of. It's a bit complicated."

 

The man, Neru's replies were said in a pretty flat tone. Celica pondered whether she should openly tell anyone except the higher-ups regarding her being a Yggdrasil envoy, but for now she was quite content with keeping it to herself after telling it to the lingerie lady of earlier. At the very least, he seemed to be accepting to her company, which is a really nice thing. Hopefully things could be quite smooth from here on.

 

After Neru picked his form and filled it, Celica promptly did the same thing, filling in her personal information on it before following Neru outside towards a crater on what looked like an arena. She made a mental note on how there was a surprising lack of care regarding selecting who could or could not join the guild, and how the application process was handled quite...dismissively as if the guild didn't seem to care much about the administration. It was probably understandable due to it being a new guild, technically, but even then, the fact she could just come, fill in the form, and suddenly become a guild member felt really weird especially for a supposedly legendary guild.

 

"Perhaps I should report this fact to Lady Violet. She would probably find this interesting enough."

 

The lingerie lady did not actually tell either of them on how they were supposed to fill in and fix the crater. There were some shovels nearby, so they're probably was supposed to take soil from the surrounding to fill that hole in. Well, that, or Celica could use her ability to fix it in no time. While the size of the crater would tire her out really easily, it would save them a lot of time if she did that, and since she had to just replace the soil, it wouldn't be that hard. However...part of her really was not a fan of that idea. Relying on her power for such a menial task would be quite pitiful, after all.

 

"I'm just going to fill this hole in with the surrounding dirt, feel free to join in. Unless you've got some better way."

 

"Sure then, I'll help you."

 

Celica placed her backpack and jacket aside, before grabbing a shovel and a nearby wheelbarrow. Getting somewhat sweaty for her first day wouldn't be a problem. She's not an ace for nothing, even in doing something like this she needed to be someone that others could look up for. Without no hesitations, she shoveled the soil from outside of the arena into her wheelbarrow, and dropped them near Neru so he could fill in the hole without ruining the field. It'd take a bit to finish, so to make things less of a chore, Celica started to hum a tune as she continued doing her work of the day.

 

 

"Ms. Yelena, I have finished the tasks you've asked. Is there any other way I can be of service to you?"

 

"Hmm..." Well, with the two outside filling in the crater of yesterday and Henry having finished cleaning the most important things, there wasn't much left for him to do. Yelena was aware of that, but it felt like quite a waste to let him go this early. There should be something else that she could order him to do.

 

"Ah, right. I just remembered. We haven't gotten the time to use polish covering on the wooden structures in this hall building due to rushing the renovation. So that would be your next task. The varnish drums should be in the storage room at the backside."

 

Well, if he could pull it off, then there's one less expense she had to worry about for now. Cutting corners, ahoy!

 

---

[Wind Rider]

"So... This is Cherry Heart's guild hall," Xia looked around the rather large building, she was expecting the hall to be bustling with adventurers and mages alike but it seemed like there was only a handful of people here. "Seems I'm a little late, or early, I wouldn't know, I'm just glad there isn't a large crowd."

 

----

 

"No, I'm not going to run at the sight of a large group... I know not to make a fool of myself." As usual Xia couldn't help but openly talk with the strange being inside her. In the future this could prove awkward when talking with others. "Do you think anyone here can sense you... Us?"

 

----

 

"Yeah, even if they are mages I doubt they could sense you... Well, I guess I just need to find who's in charge and sign up," Xia looked around the guild hall for a bit before seeing a silvery haired lady giving instructions to a couple of other people before heading off to another room. "She looks like the one in charge... Well here goes nothing," Xia walked to where the lady had gone to, she also noticed another person enter the same room.

 

Xia stood in the doorway and saw the two people having a conversation about cleaning the hall. "Ms. Yelena, I have finished the tasks you've asked. Is there any other way I can be of service to you?"

"Hmm... Ah, right. I just remembered. We haven't gotten the time to use polish covering on the wooden structures in this hall building due to rushing the renovation. So that would be your next task. The varnish drums should be in the storage room at the backside."

 

The lady seemed like the one giving orders, Yelena, maybe she was the one to talk to. "Alright... Gotta make a good impression," Xia thought to herself, though this could be hard as she forgot to take off her hood when entering the guild, her red, glowing eyes may spook the lady and the other guild member. "Ummm, yes I would like to join the guild please," a little bit direct, but Xia never had anyone else to talk to except her acquaintance.

[King K. Azo]

---

Mac walked across the city of Prunus, nothing but the sounds of his breathing coming from him. Well, he didn't really walk so much as he did jog across the city. Jogging was good, as it kept him in shape and got him where he needed to go. It let him clear his mind and flushed away his frustrations. Yes, jogging was good. He passed a lot of people as he moved towards his goal, his pink hoodie and pink sweatpants combined with his short stature attracted stares from all of them, but he didn't care. After two years of travel, he was so close to his goal he could taste it.

"Taste good, doesn't it, kid?" Mac almost could hear his adopted father, Doc say. "Not as good as chocolate, of course, but it's still good. Actually, if success could taste like chocolate, I think I'd achieve more," Mac smiled to himself at the thought. Looking up, he could see it. A tall building that seemed fancier than any of the other buildings surrounding it. It looked like an earthquake and a hurricane passed through this place though. In fact, there seemed to be a crater in the front, but two people were filling it up. Did the place get attacked...?

He walked pass the crater quietly, entering the building and looking around. There was the usual things he would expect... A table with papers he assumed were applications, a board full of questions, and... Well, okay, he didn't expect the silver haired woman looking like she was wearing bed wear to be standing there. Huh... That was... A thing. She had impressive assets as well... There was no way she wasn't taken, that's for sure.

"Just be careful, Mac," His inner Doc told him. "Never trust a big rack and a smile," Mac nodded, agreeing silently as he went over to the table. He was right, there was applications there. He grabbed one before looking at him. It looked pretty standard... Name, age, height... Oh... Oh no... He had to tell his height. Dang... It was embarrassing to let people know he was a measly 4'8... Still, he shouldn't lie.

He quickly finished his app. That was odd. He assumed it could be a hard, grueling process, with many hours poured into thinking of the answers... But no... It was rather simple. With a grin, he headed over to the woman in lingerie, placing his app down next to her before heading outside, looking for a way he could be helpful. Didn't see a point of just standing there like an idiot after all. Even small chores could be considered training. Noticing a tall man and a smaller girl filling in that crater, he decided to help. He headed over, looking over them. Hey, there was a shovel.

He grabbed the spare shovel, before planting it into the dirt to scoop it up. Well, this wasn't a bad start, not at all.

[Alaina]

After stretching his arms out, Neru picked his shovel to go and get to work on filling up this hole. It was going to be a bit of  time and effort to do so, but Neru wasn't exactly expecting to be doing much his first day here anyway. Besides, he hadn't done anything, sans walking, all day so it would most likely be good exercise for him. The main issue was going to be getting dirt from around the area, so much so that he didn't just create more holes, but thankfully he had a partner in this endeavor.With her help in bringing him good shoveling dirt, he was able to get to work almost immediately and with some ease. 

 

The work itself was still as boring as one would expect. Neru thrust his shovel into the pile of dirt, lifted it out, and threw the dirt into the hole. It was an incredibly tedious and repetitive cycle, and it didn't take long for him to start sweating out in the sun. Nevertheless, it was a job that Neru had to do, and one that his pace never really slowed down in doing. It also certainly helped that he had a companion of the opposite sex aiding him in this job. He hadn't had a good look at her earlier before the start of his shoveling expedition, but with the both of them outside in full daylight, he was able to glance over to her every time he went get another shovelful of dirt. Without her jacket on the attire she wore was pretty revealing, though not blatantly sexual. Her skin didn't seem to be any sort of special, though dirtied from the outdoor work she had partaken in, though that added less to a sexual appeal and more a character appeal if anything else. 

 

Overall, the girl's physical features didn't really seem to stand out. The long blue hair, the red eyes, weren't bad but not enticing and her height wasn't remarkable either, just a bid under average. Overall, the woman could be considered completely average in looks. It was a bit of shame, but at the very least, her attitude seemed fine enough and didn't seem to hide any sort of rotten interior, at least not one he could see at the moment. Given the first female he had seen here, it was a bit of a disappointment, but not an unwelcome one at any rate. And so, in order to alleviate the tedium his colleague was probably experiencing, he just asked a simple question to her. "So, Celica, what brings an average looking girl like yourself into joining a once legendary guild like this?" As he asked that question, he then noticed that another new person had come to join them in their shoveling adventures. Taking only a short glance at the new small male figure, he simply gave a small wave and said, "hi," to him before going back to shoveling. 

[Love of Ghibli]

Henry looked behind him as it looked like there was yet another new face who was looking to join the guild. Henry could only smirk at the rapid popularity of the place, but he couldn't let that stop him from doing a good job on his first full day. Henry bowed as he took his marching orders and left Ms. Yelena to handle new business. As he walked out he wondered if there was any way to make polishing wood easier. Surely he's done it before but it was always such a laborious task and one that it sounded like he would have to complete by himself.

Well I guess all quest should have a boss at the end of them shouldn't they? He said out loud to no one in particular. He had retrieved the storage drums. No doubt using his cards to carry them while he examined his hands. I really should've dressed properly for this. Henry thought as he through an apron on to shield his clothes from his boss fight. He made his way back to these wooden structures that Yelena must have been speaking about. With rolled up sleeves and gloves Henry went to work on making sure he got every nook and cranny of these wooden structures were up to the expectations.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

During a long trek towards the South, Basia Yanagizawa had ventured into many towns and many cities, in an effort to try and find a professional enough guild for her to join. But there was no guilds to be found among many of these towns and cities, and the few that existed didn't quite suit her desires. Frustrated by her small pool of options, Basia continued trudging South, going to each to yet another town or city that was along her path. She kept this stubborn pace until she finally reached the city of Prunus. This was it; either she'd find the guild that gave the right first impressions, or Basia would have no choice but to walk all the way back North, back up the mountain in whence there was the shrine that she had previously trained in and, after entering the shrine in what would very likely be an enraged state, report to her Ursine sensei that her efforts of completing the task he'd given her were all for naught. She was not looking forward to the latter at all.

Eventually, Basia was pointed in the direction of the main hall in which the Cherry Heart Guild that she'd heard rumors about used as their base of operations... only to see the sorry state of the city. There was a massive hole in one street in particular, and there was an equally gargantuan pile of dirt off to one side of it. Horrible first impressions. Thankfully, a couple of men were on it immediately, shoveling the dirt into the hole in an attempt to make the place appear more professional. But still... Basia found herself turning to the taller of the two men (Neru). Hopefully this one could shovel and talk at the same time, without feeling obligated to stop shoveling.

"You there. Who's in charge of this mess?" asked a Basia that was not amused by what she was seeing.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"So, Celica, what brings an average looking girl like yourself into joining a once legendary guild like this?"

 

"Cut that attitude out. It's unsightly."

 

Without breaking her rhythm in shoveling soil into the wheelbarrow and placing it near Neru afterwards, Celica replied to Neru's inquiry with a stern tone. That question irritated her, and it somewhat made her annoyed at the young man. Granted, it's not because he said that her look was average. It's rude to say it to anyone up front, but Celica had accepted the fact that she looked pretty plain since a long time ago. It's like a family trait for her and her family - looking plain and having average or shorter height. What actually irritated her was how he inferred that her looks, or looks in general had any business when it came to applying into a guild, and performing in it, no matter what the guild was.

 

"I'm here to join this guild, to do menial works like this, to perform quests whether they're dangerous or tame. Does that have anything to do with what I look like? I can have the look of a deformed ogre and would still perform the above well. Alright, I get it. You're pretty handsome and slick, no doubts about it. That lady in the lingerie earlier was really beautiful, I can also admit that. And well, I'm pretty plain myself. But those has nothing to do with this guild.

 

Remember this, young man. We're here not to pose for a magazine. We're not models. If you still think looks has anything to do with this, then it's probably better for you to scram off."

 

Done saying that, Celica took the time to rest and look at her work so far. While she had done tasks that were a lot physically intensive than this one during her time in Yggdrasil, she's still not really that used to these kind of tasks. It's not really something she's suited for, though at the very least she already did make a mound for Neru to move into the crater. Granted, doing that actually ended up making yet another hole that looked quite unsightly. The blue-haired young woman sighed, and went towards that hole. She placed her hand into it and focused her mind for a bit, imagining how it looked like before she dug there. On the next second, the hole had disappeared as her magic worked out to restore it.

 

"Looks good at new, yep."

 

Turning around once the deed was done, she noticed a new arrival. A short-ish man with a boxer-y vibe with him, who immediately start shoveling without saying much. Decided that there's not much else for her to do with her having moved enough soil, she decided to sit and watch the two of them shoveling. She's been pretty sweaty right now, and her casual clothes felt really sticky. Thankfully she had chosen to wear a less-covering outfit since Spring in a coastal city like this was seriously hot. Of course, she didn't like how it barely covered her body at all, but at least it covered her chest enough to hide any hints of cleavages, leaving only her navel and hips exposed.

 

Why was she thinking about that, anyway?

 

A new girl soon approached. Foxy ears...felt like she had seen one on Yggdrasil, but it's best not to jump to conclusions.

 

"You there. Who's in charge of this mess?"

 

"None of us, actually." Celica answered before Neru could answer the girl. Thinking about it, they kinda sound similar to each other. "You can find the one in charge over there inside the building. Just look for someone indecent enough to walk around in her lingerie, and you'd find her."

 

She turned around to Neru.

 

"Oh, also. To answer your question earlier in a more proper way, Neru. I'm here because...well, it's going to be pretty fun, and I have to make sure that all of you- I mean, it's going to be a pretty nice thing, isn't it?"

 

---

 

"Well I guess all quest should have a boss at the end of them shouldn't they?"

 

"Hey, I can hear that!" Yelena yapped, but Henry had since left the premise to take the drums. Meanwhile, a new girl had arrived, yet another potential guildmember.

 

"Ummm, yes I would like to join the guild please,"

 

The girl looked quite interesting. From her look and the air around her, she might...perhaps she's not really fully human? It seemed to be not of the usual kind though.

 

"Ah, good. You come to the right person. The registration table is over there, and after you're done with it, return to this place and wait for a new direction from me."

 

Thinking about it, there'd be way too many people on the cleaning quest right now. Sooner or later Yelena would need to find these people another activity.

 

---

[Wind Rider]

"Ah, good. You come to the right person. The registration table is over there, and after you're done with it, return to this place and wait for a new direction from me."

 

"Registration table?" Xia looked outside to see a table with multiple papers stacked on it. "Got it, I'll be back in a sec," Xia warped to the table in an instant, taking one of the papers from the table.

 

----

 

"A little to zealous? Hmm, I guess your right, this guild thing has got me so excited though, of course that is until the whole place is packed," after a chat with her acquaintance Xia filled out the app making sure to keep her mysterious friend a secret from the form.

 

----

 

"No I didn't say anything about you... Yes I know, only the guild master, no one else," Xia turned in her app and immediately warped back into Yelena's office. "Application is finished, is there anything for me to do? Oh my hood's still on sorry..." Xia took her hood off, it definitely felt more comfortable with her long hair free and maybe she won't scare anyone now that it's off. "Anyways, you did say you had something for me to do right?"

[King K. Azo]

---

Mac silently dug through the dirt, filling the crater slowly but slowly with the help of all people working on this project. The taller man did say hi to him, which to he responded with the best response ever.

"Hey," He then went back to work quietly, but the taller man starting talking to the girl.

"So, Celica, what brings an average looking girl like yourself into joining a once legendary guild like this?" The black haired man asked. Mac blinked a bit. What kind of pick up line was that? Even Doc's weren't that bad, and he always included chocolate in his lines!

"Cut that attitude out. It's unsightly." the woman known as Celica answered. Well, looks like someone had a good head on their shoulders. "I'm here to join this guild, to do menial works like this, to perform quests whether they're dangerous or tame. Does that have anything to do with what I look like? I can have the look of a deformed ogre and would still perform the above well," Huh, she had a lot of conviction behind her speech. It didn't seem to be about this man insulting(?) her looks. "Alright, I get it. You're pretty handsome and slick, no doubts about it. That lady in the lingerie earlier was really beautiful, I can also admit that. And well, I'm pretty plain myself. But those has nothing to do with this guild.

Well, Mac himself was pretty plain to. He was short, his hair wasn't shiny or soft, he was covered in scars and bruises... Yeah, he was really glad this place didn't accept based on looks. Remember this, young man. We're here not to pose for a magazine. We're not models. If you still think looks has anything to do with this, then it's probably better for you to scram off." Mac wanted to give her a thumbs up, but instead settled for patting the dirt.

Man... It was getting hot today... The shoveling wasn't helping. He grabbed his pink hoodie, taking it off and tossing it to the side for now. He'd pick it up later, but he was sweating. The hoodie coming off revealed that Mac actually was well built, his muscles developed from the intense training Doc put him through. Those were some memories... good ones, mind you. Still, he didn't regret splitting ways with Doc. If he didn't, he never would had seen some of the things he had on the journey to get to Cherry Heart.

Like this girl walking up to the the trio right now. She looked normal, other than two things. One, she was at least a full foot taller than Mac, which, while not strange for guys to be so, it was for a woman. Secondly, she had wolf-like ears on her head. She honestly looked really cute, like a really big puppy. Still, he knew she was not one, but an obviously fully sentient humanoid. Besides, he was too short to pet her...

"You there. Who's in charge of this mess?" the wolf asked the taller man, looking highly unamused. Doc had told Mac how to deal with such a situation. One was to give the woman chocolate, flowers, or chocolate flowers. He had none of those, so he went for the second best option. Running away. Besides, they had finished the crater, it was time to move on.

He noticed a paint bucket and the ruined paint on the building. He headed over, grabbing a brush and starting to carefully paint. No one besides that taller gentleman seemed to acknowledge his existence yet, but that was okay. He was used to that, after all. He would prove himself to his new guild before even expecting any attention. Besides, he had the one thing needed in life to make himself happy.

Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed a chocolate bar, biting into it as he painted. This was a good day.

[Alaina]

As Neru continued to shovel, he heard a rather sharp tone of voice in Celica's retort. Unsightly attitude? Well, she certainly seemed annoyed. He hadn't the faintest idea as to wh- oh. He had heard this tone of voice before, in fact it was fairly familiar to Neru. And as she continued to rant to him, in a very clearly irritated voice, his theory was only further proven with what she had said. Neru made a slight misstep his analysis and was often prone to not exactly splitting recent thoughts and casual conversation. It had probably earned him more slaps in his life from women then most men probably had in their life time...This was not a particularly bad thing either. However, for the sake of this particular conversation, it was most definitely not a good thing. No, there was to be no joy from an average person's scorn and no slap to be had, so it was probably for the best if he apologized. 

 

Neru didn't actually apologize immediately, though, and continued to fill in the hole as his monotonous task continued onward. Thankfully they had another man helping them out here, one who seemed to be in relatively good shape as well, and so it didn't take quite all that long before they were done. Though, while shoveling, another new person had come to the guild, asking for the management. While Neru was perfectly capable of answering her this, it had appeared that Celica had it handled, and so he continued absentmindedly working. Once all was said and done, he stuck the shovel in the ground and wiped the sweat off his brow. 

 

With that job done, Neru rolled his sleeves back down and went to go look at the guild board to see if there was anything of note there. He had thought another quest stuck out to him before, though wasn't sure if what he saw was accurate. Looking at the one on exploring the caves, he saw that it was already being taken and worked on to be completed. However, it still was up and able to be taken by other guild members. That was something odd indeed. Taking the request flier with him, he went to go see Lingerie Lady about it. However, as he walked towards the guild hall, he turned his direction over to the blue haired girl. "Sorry about my 'unsightly' comment from earlier. It wasn't meant to be offensive." While the words of his apology were quite genuine and sincere, his tone was spoken in a sort of monotone that would often detract from that. Without much of a pause between that, he continued to walk before saying, "besides, being average is the best a person could ask for." With that, he went to go see the woman from earlier and ask about the quest. 

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

"You can find the one in charge over there inside the building," a woman that had been nearby said; she wasn't the person that Basia had asked, but as long as the Gyhanid got her answer, it'd be fine, "Just look for someone indecent enough to walk around in her lingerie, and you'd find her."
 
Indecent? Lingerie? That was enough for Basia's eye to twitch right there. To think someone so high up would be that dumb and abandon all sense of modesty in a public place. The hole in the ground was enough of a red flag, but knowing the woman in charge would act the way Basia had perceived her to be was the last straw. She gripped the handle of her katana tightly, as though she intended to take her anger out on someone or something next to her.
 
"I see how this is," Basia said to herself through gritted teeth, before addressing the woman again, "I was going to join your guild, but it's clear to me that your men lack profession; something I take serious offense to. I've walked many miles, entered many towns and cities, and surveyed many guilds along my travels. Apparently that was all for naught. But it doesn't matter now. I will go back to whence I came, and never think about this travesty again. I bid you adieu."
 
...

With that she left the city of Prunus for now, fully intending to walk all the way back to her shrine before she remembered something. Basia had seen a couple of landmarks, which were important to her at least, along her journey South. And there was one in particular that she was tempted to examine before realizing the importance of the mission that her sensei had given her. With a sigh, Basia decided that she may make one stop along the way. But one stop only.

[Kyng]

Tyson was pouring over the dusty office he had to hold for the foreseeable future. Well, phrasing it like that makes it seem like a burden - don’t get it wrong, being a guildmaster is certainly no walk in the park, but it wasn’t the most taxing of duties either. With an assistant like Yelena everything was going smooth and swimmingly. With a soft sigh, though, he could see the evidently enormous task ahead of him. Much like preparing the guildmaster’s quarters, so did he need to ensure the guild itself was prepared and ready, in presentable order. He would not allow the guild’s name to fall of ill repute.

 

“Mm…”

 

He still remembered that dream. The dream that compelled him to take on this task that many would call others foolish to do - taking the reigns of a legendary guild and bringing it from the ashes it stood in. With this all in mind he could no longer remain idle in the office. The festival went well enough, it was time to keep the promise to the fair lady of Cherry Heart, the beauty whose visage haunted his sleep of late. It was time to take charge.

 

Thus, Tyson opened the doors to the office and gazed over the main hall, his eyes weary, bagged and aged but with a stern demeanour. Fortunately, he could smell the scent of fresh paint in the air and see work was being done to repair the site. It was clear everything was working and the cogs of this machine were once again whirring with life. Slowly, certainly, but rolling nonetheless. Furthermore it appeared numerous mages were off on quests, which meant the guild would be rewarded and allow the guildmaster to invest in it, to further develop the hall. His research on Cherry Heart’s history would wait for now.

 

For now, he called out for Yelena. He needed a status update on how the place was coming along and, once finding her, he’d relay necessity to her.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

"...People here are ruder than I thought."

 

Celica mumbled as the foxy girl left after saying how disappointed she was with the guild and its people. And earlier, there's Neru's half-hearted attempt to apologize to her. That wasn't even necessary. The only person that needed to be apologized by the boy would be just himself. The thought that the boy fostered in his mind would be detrimental for the success of the guild moving forward. Though, as she was busy thinking about this, Neru left somewhere once the hole's patched up, and the silent boxer who Celica hadn't even gotten the chance to talk with had silently left and went ahead to repaint the main building.

 

Thinking about it, perhaps the boxer might be worth more of her time to interact with him compared to the other two people.

 

"Hey. You seems to be awfully quiet. May I ask about what's your name? I'm Celica, by the way." Approaching the man before she picked another bucket and start helping him with the paint, Celica wondered whether it's right for them to immediately paint the area instead of waiting for further instructions. But well, a big part of a guild's success is personal initiative. In that case, she'd just go with the flow.

 

"Have you registered for the guild? You seems to come from a far away place. Finally choosing a place to stay, eh?"

 

---

 

The foxy girl seemed to think that it's not worth it to join the guild, judging by her disgusted look. Yelena couldn't really care much about it, though perhaps sooner or later she would need the time to change for a more proper outfit. The black-haired tall youth then approached after finishing his task, and asked whether he could take the Cavern of Lost Treasures quest. It was a bit weird to send in a reinforcement this soon, and there was other factors to consider. But when later on the white-haired oriental-looking girl was also looking for something to do, Yelena relented, and allowed both to join the quest. That's one issue handled.

 

"Application is finished, is there anything for me to do? Oh my hood's still on sorry...

 

Anyways, you did say you had something for me to do right?"

 

"Uh...right.:" The peculiar hooded girl from earlier still needed something to do. The cleaning and renovation crew had mostly been finished with their task, with the polishing and repainting the building being the last, and probably hardest task. "Go help the people over there to paint the building.

 

You can find ladders of varying height in the storeroom at the back of the building."

 

Done addressing her, Yelena thought about the fact that it would probably still not be enough activity for the remaining people there, and with how fast the quest had been going, it's going to be a waste to let them off after this. It's probably best to allocate them into another quest when she could. But before she could start thinking about one, she heard a voice was calling her.

 

It was Tyson's voice. Seeing no reasons to delay herself, she immediately went towards him and started to give him the summary of what's currently happening.

 

"Alright. So first of all, I think there's only 1 person that officially took the cleaning and renovation quest, but Henry, said person, did most of the work on it anyway. He's currently repolishing the wooden parts of the building. Some others, mostly recent additions to the guild that had just arrived this morning, had finished fixing off the crater from yesterday's fight, and now they're repainting the outsides of this hall. With how things are going, it seems that we would be able to save some of the currently limited funds in our guild since we no longer need to hire people to finish the repairs. Everyone else has been delivered to each of their respective quests' location. I'm thinking of sending off the people currently on cleaning duty that hasn't officially entered the quest to join a quest on their own, but that would wait on how fast would they clear this up.

 

One last thing, however.

 

That blue-haired girl over there..." Yelena pointed at Celica, who was still busy talking with Mac while continuing with her task, "is a representative from Yggdrasil. She's here to supposedly "help" us get off from the ground and generally just assisting things, but she's probably here to monitor our activity. I feel like getting rid of her would be for the best, but that would just be risky with how Yggdrasil would play their game afterwards.

 

Some thoughts from you regarding this situation would be quite appreciated."

 

---

[Love of Ghibli]

While it took a little more magical energy than he thought it would need Henry managed to give a nice polish to all of the wooden structures that he was ordered to clean. He actually let out a sigh of relief as he recalled all of his cards. Man that was irksome, having to actually use my card cloning trick to put more hands on this task. My fault for not asking those other for help I guess. He thought out loud. He decided that it would be best for him to report back to say that he slew the beast of his quest and continue onward. 

As he made his way back to the office he definitely noticed that there were more bodies in the place. More random mages doing chores like cleaning and painting. I see...He said a little bit under his breathe. Henry surmised that instead of actually doing other quest that these new people were probably just assigned to cleaning duty. Henry had to shrug. He at the very least chose this quest when he didn't have to, but then again it did help to have...well help. He did not mind doing all the work, but does one truly ever want to do "all" the work. It looked like others were painting but just two of them. A young lady from earlier and a little man.

Hello, hopefulls! He said waving as he walked closure to them still with his apron one and sleeves rolled up. I just joined the guild yesterday and I look forward to becoming friends with you. Do you need any help? He said with a polite smile. 

[Wind Rider]

"Uh...right... Go help the people over there to paint the building. You can find ladders of varying height in the storeroom at the back of the building." Paint the building? It did seem like the building needed some fixing up.

 

----

 

"Shut up, let's just help the guild here, we have to start somewhere..." Xia was probably getting a weird look from Yelena but she didn't notice, right now she had work to do. "Help the others paint, got it," Xia warped out of the office to the hall of the guild, sure enough there was some other painting and fixing up the place. A blue-haired girl, a man who looked like a boxer of sorts, and the man from earlier who was talking with Yelena.

 

----

 

"Look, I may have had a nice-enough talk with Yelena, but that was to make impressions, I'm not sure how to communicate with them," Xia thought for a bit and decided on something... "I'll just help them out..." Xia warped and got a ladder from the storeroom and brought it back to the painters. "Yelena said nothing about talking." Xia grabbed a paintbrush and started on her part of the hall before warping up the ladder to reach where the others couldn't.

 

----

 

"I know I'm not going gain confidence like this but... Just... Let me go at my own pace." Xia would probably get strange looks by talking to her acquaintance, she was the only one who could hear it in the first place.

[King K. Azo]

---

Mac quietly painted the building, memories of the days he would paint buildings to get money... which he would promptly spend on chocolate to keep Doc happy. A chocolate filled Doc was a happy Doc, after all. However, he soon heard the voice of the lady from earlier call out to him. 
 
"Hey. You seems to be awfully quiet. May I ask about what's your name? I'm Celica, by the way." Mac looked over to her. She seemed nice enough, and it would be rude not to answer.

"Mac," He said simply, his voice deeper than one would expect from a person his height, with an accent that suggested he came from a large urban area that may or may not be filled with rage.

 
"Have you registered for the guild? You seems to come from a far away place. Finally choosing a place to stay, eh?" She asked a rapid fire fashion. Mac let her finish before answering.

 

"Yea. East. Doc sent me here," Mac answered just as quickly, yet in a monotone voice.

 

"Hello, hopefuls!" Mac looked over, noticing a man waving, wearing a apron and his sleeves rolled up. "I just joined the guild yesterday and I look forward to becoming friends with you. Do you need any help?" He said with a polite smile. Mac shrugged in response, and then suddenly, a girl teleported right next to the group. Well, that was certainly... magical.

 

"That was bad, kid, and you should feel bad," the inner Doc said to Mac. With a sigh, Mac went back to painting. As he did, his thoughts wandered, and he wondered if he was even worthy of standing with this guild. He could only punch things, after all.

[Kyng]

"Alright. So first of all, I think there's only 1 person that officially took the cleaning and renovation quest, but Henry, said person, did most of the work on it anyway. He's currently repolishing the wooden parts of the building. Some others, mostly recent additions to the guild that had just arrived this morning, had finished fixing off the crater from yesterday's fight, and now they're repainting the outsides of this hall. With how things are going, it seems that we would be able to save some of the currently limited funds in our guild since we no longer need to hire people to finish the repairs.”

Tyson sighed with relief. He could see the work had been going well enough. Though of course he didn’t agree with her last statement - the work the guild members had done was a solid foundation, that much was true enough, however he knew that a contractor would be required to make sure it was all finished and presentable. Though, she was right about the funds being cut a large margin, so much so that they could definitely delay this contractor as the guild was becoming all the more presentable.

“I’m glad to see that. I’m terribly sorry, about taxing you with all this.” Tyson apologized shortly. Yelena was evidently more than efficient to resolve these issues - it's why she was hired after all - but he really should be there on the front helping her.

Yelena went on further to explain where the rest of the folk where. “Everyone else has been delivered to each of their respective quests' location. I'm thinking of sending off the people currently on cleaning duty that hasn't officially entered the quest to join a quest on their own, but that would wait on how fast would they clear this up.”

Naturally this was all pleasant to Tyson’s ears. Until she said “One last thing, however.” To this, Tyson’s attention peaked, his brows rose as he listened to what she had to say - a point over to a blue-haired girl and explaining her presence of Yggdrasil was enough to irritate Tyson. Day 1 of operations, and other guilds were already snooping in their business. Though, it's not entirely like he could just tell a representative of the most powerful guild to begone. He’d have to approach this situation delicately.

“Some thoughts from you regarding this situation would be quite appreciated."

“Mm, yes.” Tyson thought for a moment, before smiling softly to Yelena, gently taking and petting her hand softly, but holding it firmly to express a sense of confidence. To be expected, the fire mage's touch was warm, but it was a very inciting warmth, like that you'd find in a good home, nestled in the flames of a roaring hearth. “I’ll handle her. Keep up your good work - oh, and do make sure she’s not around when you deal with any paperwork.” With an equally firm but confident nod, Tyson parted his hands from Yelena’s and began to head over the so-called representative of Yggdrasil and, in doing so, took the opportunity to read her from a distance before engaging her directly.

She seemed to be talking to a lot of the members - being kind and sincere, Tyson doubted it. It was painfully obvious to him she was scouting out them as early as possible to wage if they were a threat or not. He almost sighed with relief that many of the other mages were away, effectively keeping other cards away from plain sight. Especially with the likes of Kin - a Dragon Slayer was Lost Magic, and for the time being Tyson would keep it that way. She may be a representative of Yggdrasil, but had no place with their documents and administration, or their ulterior motives. Furrowing his brow to an analytic frown as he watched her interact with a boxer who soon went to deal with one of the mages.

He needed to get her away from his youngsters.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

"Hello, hopefuls!"
 

Ah, another guildmember was here. Celica turned around to see him, waving at both herself and Mac.

 

"I just joined the guild yesterday and I look forward to becoming friends with you. Do you need any help?"
 

"Sure, handling the upper side ones would be hard for us, so maybe can you get some ladders here?

 

I'm Celica, by the way. Nice to meet you."

 

After introducing herself to the new man in suit, The boxer, Mac, finally answered her questions earlier. He seemed to be the quiet type, so Celica chose to just give him a smile after acknowledging his answers, and continue with the painting job. Soon a peculiar-looking girl seemingly teleported right into the bunch however. With her smile still etched on her face, Celica waved at her direction.

 

"Hey hey you there, come here! We'd definitely need more help here. I'm Celica, by the way. You seems to come from a faraway place, eh?"

 

She was seemingly talking to herself right now as she picked up the brush and start with her work, but maybe she's just shy. Better be shy than being rude, Celica thought. Either way, she continued with her painting job, still in a pretty upbeat mood as she had accepted her placement here of all places. Once this job's done, she could start observing things to be reported to Captain Rachel, and of course, her own supervisor, Violet.

 

"...Ah. Hello there."

 

She realized that she was being watched. Celica turned around, and saw an imposing-looking mage was standing not that far away from her. He was looking pretty impressive, and Celica had no doubts that he's quite experienced as a mage, a lot more than her definitely. Definitely not on the same level as the other people she had seen here so far. Could he be the guildmaster...? Would be pretty peculiar however - Celica would expect the proper revival of Cherry Heart to be led by someone with a different air than him. Either way, he seemed to be one of the more influential people here.

 

"It is nice to meet you, sir." Celica said as she put back her brush for now as she approached the man. "I am Celica Elirea Solais. I am not sure whether the lady in the lingerie had told you about this, but in case she hadn't and it was not the reason you're staring at me, then let me introduce myself as the representative of Yggdrasil to oversee and assist the revival of this guild.

 

I am aware of the rocky past between the two organization, but I assure you, our intent is pure. Let the past be past. For now, I would perhaps join the activities here as a guildmember, and nothing more. But if you, or this guild, needed any other assistances, then let me establish it here that you're free to ask it to me."

 

Her tone changed a bit to sound a little bit more serious and less flighty as before. Celica couldn't really just sound playful against someone that'd probably be her temporary boss here.

 

"That said, it's really nice to meet you in this beautiful day.

 

Hopefully the rest of your day is as nice as now."

 

---

 

[Wind Rider]

"Hey hey you there, come here! We'd definitely need more help here. I'm Celica, by the way. You seems to come from a faraway place, eh?" The blue-haired girl seemed to be trying to get Xia's attention, Xia kept painting her section of the hall, as much as she wanted to get to know her future teammates she couldn't muster the courage.

 

----

 

"Well what am I supposed to say... *sigh* your right as always, I can't keep pushing people away especially people who are just trying to be friendly... Just be myself? Well ok..." Xia put the brush she was using on top of the ladder she got from the storeroom and teleported to the girl. "Ummm... H...hi Celica my name is uh... Xia, I've been traveling for a bit searching for... Uh well just a place I could learn about different kinds of magic... I heard of the Cherry Heart guild's revival and thought it was a good idea to join, I mean I can contribute with my magic and learn of different kinds at the same time, win win right?"

 

----

 

Xia's acquaintance seemed satisfied with Xia's courage but she knew it was just a means of getting her confidence up. Celica soon started paying attention to another mage, a mage that seemed to radiate an aura of authority, not like Yelena, but something more powerful. "It is nice to meet you, sir. I am Celica Elirea Solais. I am not sure whether the lady in the lingerie had told you about this, but in case she hadn't and it was not the reason you're staring at me, then let me introduce myself as the representative of Yggdrasil to oversee and assist the revival of this guild."

 

----

 

"Yggdrasil? I'm not familiar with a guild like that... 300 years ago they destroyed Cherry Heart? I don't know how you know this but how can you say that? She seems nice, and besides Yggdrasil sent her to aid Cherry Heart so what's in the past is the past."

 

----

 

"Well I trust her... The other mage? Well let's hear what he has to say, he looks important to the guild, maybe he's who we're looking for." Xia waited for Celica or the other mage's responses though her talking to her acquaintance may get some weird looks.

[Kyng]

Tyson furrowed his brow as he listened to Celica’s introduction. As Yelena had explained, this woman was indeed a member of Yggdrasil, a representative. To oversee and assist their revival. This much angered Tyson - oversee? Who were they to impose their authority over Cherry Heart? Tyson’s eyes were shut at this point as he tried to deepen his breathing to keep himself calm. This one was already getting on his nerves, but he wouldn’t do his guild ill by having a tantrum.

Instead he would work with his words and deal with the one before him now. She wished to join the guild as a member - and naturally, this could not stand. She may say the past is the past, but Tyson knew those who did not learn history were doomed to repeat it. And as things stood, it seemed more than apparent to him her allegiances stuck with Yggdrasil. Though this much managed to break the briefest of smirks in the wizard, because with those words he had managed to find the counterplay he was looking for.

“Mm, a guild member, is that?” He asked, finally opening his eyes once more as he looked at Celica in the eyes, quite deadpan at that. It was very much an unwelcoming glance. Certainly not a deathstare, mind you, but one that carried enough weight in it to unnerve.

“Right, well you see there we have a problem.” Tyson elaborated, making hand gestures to visualize his point.

 

“You see, you wish to join as a guild member of Cherry Heart. Normally an application would be enough, but there is a core issue here - as you’ve made apparent, you are a representative of Yggdrasil. The issue I see here is quite clear, in that we welcome those who pledge their loyalty to Cherry Heart; your loyalty does not belong here, and for that reason a representative of another guild, let alone Yggdrasil of all guilds, will not be made a guild member of Cherry Heart while I remain the guildmaster.”

With a deep breath, Tyson glanced over the hall. “Of course, it would be rude for me to turn you away entirely. Make no mistake, you are welcome in these halls, not as a member but an associate. You may remain with your allegiance to Yggdrasil, and may serve as an ambassador and envoy of your guild at ours. But you are not a member of Cherry Heart. Is that clear?” It was more than apparent Tyson would not allow a wolf in sheep's clothing in his guild so suddenly. He would do whatever he could to keep her at an arm’s distance, and his eyes would be firmly cast upon Celica’s back wherever she went in Cherry Heart.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

“You see, you wish to join as a guild member of Cherry Heart. Normally an application would be enough, but there is a core issue here - as you’ve made apparent, you are a representative of Yggdrasil. The issue I see here is quite clear, in that we welcome those who pledge their loyalty to Cherry Heart; your loyalty does not belong here, and for that reason a representative of another guild, let alone Yggdrasil of all guilds, will not be made a guild member of Cherry Heart while I remain the guildmaster.”

 

"That is indeed quite reasonable. While it is a pity that this must be the case, I can accept that decision."

 

 

“Of course, it would be rude for me to turn you away entirely. Make no mistake, you are welcome in these halls, not as a member but an associate. You may remain with your allegiance to Yggdrasil, and may serve as an ambassador and envoy of your guild at ours. But you are not a member of Cherry Heart. Is that clear?”

 

"Understood. In that case, I shall return on doing what I was doing before. Keep in mind that if any forms of assistance is necessary, I will be available for help as it is one of my purposes here. And sooner or later, I would need to also oversee how this guild operates on the field. It is a part of my assignment here too, and thus, I would tag along in some of these field activities of this guild. Of course, not being a member and just an associate would mean that I wouldn't be able to directly act on the quest for the most part, but if help is needed, I will be there.

 

It is nice to have this conversation with you on this beautiful day. You have my gratitude for approaching this topic reasonably, even though it is quite a sensitive topic for you or this guild.

 

With that said, I shall humbly bow out and return to my previous activity. Thank you for your time."

 

That was quite a mouthful. As Celica bowed out and returned to her painting task, she wondered whether she was doing it right. That kind of tone didn't suit her at all, after all. It's just for the sake of occasion, but maybe she could convince the guildmaster so they could have a less tense conversation in another time, probably when he and the others had gotten used to her presence here.

 

That could very well be a distant dream though, with how much the look that he gave her earlier spelled out "get out from this place at once". She could try of course. That's what she's supposed to do. If anything, she could see that the guildmaster was seemingly quite promising. It was too early to judge, but perhaps he really would be capable to bring Cherry Heart back to their former glory. Unless her initial thought was correct, although that was unlikely.

 

"Hey Mac, Xia, Henry. If any of you got some free time after this task's done, mind hanging out a bit together? I want to know you all better. It'll be fun, really."

 

---

[Love of Ghibli]

Henry looked on as one of the new hopefuls went away and soon returned. He wasn't really sure of what to do other than actually going to get ladders. But he did not need ladders since he had something better. Henry flicked his wrist and magically cards flew out of his wrist. The cards then flew around and formed floating platforms. He stood on one of them and floated up to where the group was painting.

 

"Would these work?" he said looking on to the little boxer man who was short on words. It was then that Lady Celica came back from talking to the man who had broke up the fight from earlier. 

 

"Hey Mac, Xia, Henry. If any of you got some free time after this task's done, mind hanging out a bit together? I want to know you all better. It'll be fun, really.

 

I would love to. I too want to get to know everyone and socialize. How else are we going to bond better as guildmates? He said with a smile.

[Wind Rider]

Celica seemed too focused with the other mage to hear what Xia had to say. Though the sudden realization that the older mage was actually the guild master surprised Xia.

 

----

 

"Right, when we get the chance we should talk with him... Well we need to talk in private don't we?" Xia knew the importance of keeping her acquaintance a secret from everyone but the guild master. Celica seemed to be explaining why Yggdrasil had sent her and it seemed like she was really sincere in helping, sad how the guild master didn't except her as a member but at least he let her stay as an acquaintance to the guild.

 

----

 

"How should I know... It was 300 years ago, how would I know what happened that long ago?" Despite her acquaintance having more knowledge than her, Xia couldn't help but be slightly irritated having to explain something to her acquaintance. Celica seemed to have gotten done with talking with the guild master.

 

"Hey Mac, Xia, Henry. If any of you got some free time after this task's done, mind hanging out a bit together? I want to know you all better. It'll be fun, really." It seemed like a nice time to get to know her fellow guildmates even if it made Xia a bit uncomfortable. "Uhhh... Sure I don't have anything else after this... Might as well pass the time until we get our missions, right? Heh, heh." Xia couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh.

[King K. Azo]

---

 
Mac looked over as a tall, imposing man walked over, calling over Celica. With a figure and presence like that, he must have been the guild master. Or just deprived of his chocolate. Either one really applied here. He didn't mean to listen in, but his sharp hearing and well... frankly, the fact they weren't trying to hide it made it impossible. Something about her being from a mystical tree, which did something to the guild. Did it grow all over it like a weed or something? Mac wasn't too sure. He actually didn't know about the other guilds, due to all his time and energy spent training in isolation. Hell, he only knew about this place because Doc told him to come here...

"Would these work?" Mac was brought back to reality by the apron clad mage, who created platforms made of cards... not the most stable looking things, but seeing how they supported the larger mage's weight, he shouldn't have to worry about his own. Mac leap on with a bit of difficulty. He wasn't an air fighter, after all. Mac simply nodded his approval to this card magician before he began to paint higher up. Celica then suddenly called out to the tiny group.

 

"Hey Mac, Xia, Henry. If any of you got some free time after this task's done, mind hanging out a bit together? I want to know you all better. It'll be fun, really." the mage from the mystical tree asked.

 

"I would love to. I too want to get to know everyone and socialize. How else are we going to bond better as guildmates?" The one he assumed was Henry said with a smile.

 

"Uhhh... Sure I don't have anything else after this... Might as well pass the time until we get our missions, right? Heh, heh." Xia let out a nervous laugh as she answered.

 

"Okay," Was Mac's simple reply. He would check to see if there weren't any quests at first though.

[Aix]

A giant of man, over seven feet of bronzed muscles, stood with his head slightly bowed in the doorway. No one had noticed him at first, despite his size he had moved with absolute silence. He wore a grim expression on his face, but looking closer, one would find signs of hesitation, confusion, and pain on his face. It was obvious he was not native to these lands. He whispered to himself, but it was in no language known east of the Tartai mountains.

Twenty minutes ago, Amatlapaliztac awoke on the rocky shores of Prunus, he had unfortunately missed the soft sands of the beach by a kilometre for his landing. Ignoring the pain that racked his body, especially his back, he stood up and made his way into the city. The stares from these small people all around him made him self-conscious, but he reminded himself that he was a proud warrior of the Tonalli. He had tried asking where he was, but no one seemed to be able to speak his language. Finally, one bystander pointed him in the direction of a large, strange building. When he turned to go, he heard a loud gasp behind him and he felt like hiding away forever. He thought it was because of the shamefulness of a scar on the back, but the bystanders were gasping at the horrible state of the wound which was now bleeding heavily. He was lucky though, because the salt of the ocean had killed off much of the bacteria. However, he was heavily weakened by hunger and thirst and wrecked condition of his body didn't help.

And so he found himself now in the doorway of the Cherry Heart Guild Hall. His intuition told him that the people here were not normal. Indeed, two of the people were standing on a floating platform of small, thin sheets. Magic. These people must be magicians. Magic. Yes, he could do magic as well. Perhaps he should show them he was just like them. He reached into his inner reserves but could find nothing. He didn't have any energy. He toppled over, landing facedown with a boom.