Jin Yeong arrived at his office full of expectation.  It was a rare day when there was less than a dozen scrolls waiting to be purused and a greater number of matters to attend to.  Yet, when he slid the door open, what greeted him was  a desk with two scrolls and a single sheet of message paper.  The two scrolls proved to be for the usual reports and he finished both of them in short order.  Beautifully written and meticulous as always, they were sure to bring the usual pay.

The message was a different matter.  He unfolded the paper and held it in front of him for several long moments.  It was well written, concise, and explained why his desk was so light.  It was from two levels of authority above him in the Guild.

"The cutting planted in hope may all too soon wither away to nothing for the weight of idleness upon it."

Jin Yeong folded the message again and lay it back upon his desk in an upside down manner, to indicate that he had read it.  Then he turned to face the corner of the room and reached out, pulling a spear from the shadow that lurked there most days.  There was dust on the weapon but its high quality and venerable age were both still clearly visible.  He took a small cloth from a drawer of his desk and a small bottle of oil.  Adding a small amount of the oil to the cloth, he proceeded to polish the weapon back to brightness.  Due to his limited size this required several changes of position.  After all, the spear was over nearly six feet long.  It was not so far from being twice his height in length.  As such, he preferred to not carry it unless he had to.  And this time, he would have to.

The message from his superior had to have meant that he was letting a skill or talent remain idle when it should be trained.  With the work he had been doing, there were only two skills that he could think of, which would fit that description well enough.  The first was people skills.  In spite of having worked for the guild for over a year Jin Yeong had managed to avoid forming any kind of social attachments.  He had also avoided writing home for the past fifteen years or so. The other skill was likely his skill with the spear and the powers it possessed.  These were things that he should continue to develop, even though they might seem distasteful to his sense of his ideal self.

He finished polishing the Spear of Heaven's Lake and returned the cloth to its place, properly folded.  It was time for him to pay more attention to the mission board.  So, he tucked the spear under his left arm and proceeded to leave his office with its disappointingly empty desk behind him.  His steps were dutiful but not eager as he came down the stairs into the common area and began trying to work his way toward the board.  There were a number of older and more experienced spirits in the area around the board.  Two, in particular, were familiar from various reports and casual passing greetings.

As such, Jin Yeong bowed formally to Ryuki and Shuroi who had arrived in his absence.  He then bowed again to Shiru, whose seated position must mean that he was considering his options most seriously and should not be disturbed.  There were a number of far younger people there, some who had achievements worthy of respect already behind them and many more who had yet to earn such renown.  Yet, Jin Yeong did not see any of his senior spirits forming traveling parties for any of the available quests.  He did not feel capable enough to lead less experienced agents and dared not disrespect his seniors by attempting to join them as an equal with his limited battle prowess.  Instead, the rabbit in human form took a close look at the missions available, including the one that he had to read through the crook of a certain Nekomata's elbow.

The search for a Kirin looked like it would be fascinating but it seemed that the only person interested in that mission was one of the newer agents, a young Kodama who preferred to be addressed informally as Nao.  She was attempting to enlist one of their seniors in the search.  While Jin Yeong knew that she did not follow the same philosophy as the rabbit, it was difficult to watch her behave in such a way with one so far her elder.  Yet, she did not seem to bear any of the arrogance or contempt that her appearance would suggest.  He found his opinion of her torn between his eyes and his instincts.  With such internal division he could do nothing but reserve judgment.

So he waited.  The other two missions were likely to involve battles on a level that he might not be sufficient for without aid.  He could only hope that an opportunity to assist someone else would become apparent.

[@Zombehs][@sakurasan][@Rekaigan][@Delta44][@AtomicNut]