[center] [img]https://i.postimg.cc/DyH88WMW/Kid-s-Hat-Final.png[/img] [color=8258fa]Level:[/color] 6 (57 -> 58/60) [color=8258fa]Location:[/color] Limsa Lominscuttle Town - Sky’s Hatchery -> Pirate’s Cove? [color=8258fa]Word Count:[/color] 523 (+1 EXP) [/center] Hat Kid confirmed her intentions to Sky with a nod, and her expression fell a couple of steps when she received answers to her own questions--that being a hard ‘no’ on all accounts. To start, Sky didn’t seem too happy with the child’s idea of crossing the Bottomless Sea on the back of one of her ‘babies’ (her fondness presumably extended even to the likes of the Crow Demon), but tried to reel in her displeasure with the idea as she expressed her concerns, further highlighting the apparent dangers of the child’s target destination. [i][color=8258fa]What was that about “dog fights” though? Like, with planes--NOT birds (or bird-like)--or are dogs somehow involved too?[/color][/i] Whatever meaning the child took, the avian caretaker seemed oddly versed in the subject either way, but she didn’t have time to worry about dog ethics. More importantly, it was made abundantly clear that none of them would be able to survive long enough to facilitate a round trip as needed, as expressed from a point of reasonable doubt by Sky herself. Thus, they were deemed unfit and ineligible for the prospective journey over the treacherous Sea, even if their owner were to allow for it. Still, Kid didn’t mean to upset her at all with her request, unaware of what it constituted until then. [color=8258fa]“Sowry,”[/color] she said simply, coming dangerously close (though not entirely by accident) to cutely bending all of the consonants in her apology. It was right around the time that Sky was making an exception for the Cheepoofs that a familiar from the child’s adventuring party had arrived with a plus one, specifically looking for her. The Ace Cadet announced himself in, waving her down to fill her in on the next step, and introduced her to a [url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EpN5LaDWEBAGWE9.jpg]frog[/url] he picked up along the way. Between owls, penguins, crows, goats, seals, and now frogs, she figured [i][b]for no particular reason[/b][/i] that she could probably do worse as far as new animal species to [s][url=https://herecomesniko.com/]collaborate[/url][/s] get acquainted with. When asked by Cadet about the fruitfulness of her detour, she simply responded with a shrug and a head shake, but then she caught herself ‘speaking’ too soon and paused, squinting thoughtfully. Leaning in to whisper in the hunter’s ear, she relayed the perils spoken of by the shopkeeper; “saves big enough to drown ships whole, tentacled leviathans,” and something about a nondescript “machine” that some “girl” told her about. Cadet could inquire or investigate further from there if he wanted, but as far as she was concerned, her business there was concluded (albeit empty-handedly). After Ace said his piece in response, Hat Kid would saunter over to the open deck area of the Hatchery where she came in at (in lieu of the door in the closed half) as she made ready to leave back out the same way, in accordance with the assembly call delivered unto her. [color=8258fa]“Bye!”[/color] She bid Sky adieu as a monosyllabic thanks for her time and unfulfilled business as she leapt from the deck and began making her quick, controlled descent to the port where she last saw everyone to reconvene with them.