[center] [img]https://i.postimg.cc/DyH88WMW/Kid-s-Hat-Final.png[/img] [color=8258fa]Level:[/color] 6 (58 -> 60/60) [color=yellow]LEVEL UP![/color] ---> 7 (0/70) [color=8258fa]Location:[/color] Edge of the Blue - Limsa Lominscuttle Town -> The Bismarck [color=8258fa]Word Count:[/color] 876 (+2 EXP) [/center] On her way (literally) down to street-level to regroup with the rest of her party, Hat Kid spotted them passing by in an apparent hurry on their way to somewhere else. She tilted her head in curiosity at the sight while swinging from her line attached bottom-side to suspended cargo mid-haul, then detached on the forward swing into a gainer tuck to hit the street in a run, augmented with a quick switch to her Sprint Hat. Whatever was so important to inspire the sudden sense of urgency in everyone she was swiftly on her way to finding out for herself, as a few corner-cutting bounds, dives and boosted somersaults coupled with a creative shortcut choice or two would likely have her passing at least half of them in a matter of seconds along the way. She ended up getting ahead of even herself as she ended up nearly tripping over her own feet correctively doubling back to huddle in with Ace and his new companion after she noticed them stop at their target destination in passing. She concluded upon closer inspection that they had arrived at what seemed to be a nice looking outdoor restaurant at an oddly slow hour for late afternoon. She mentally raced to answer her own questions as to exactly [i]why[/i] they were there. She admitted to herself that the day had been long, having ventured and fought through one region just earlier the same morning into this one, and she could use a good bite and a nap, if that’s what was on the itinerary. She wondered then if the plan was to have their team meeting over food, as if that might make sense of the rush. Why not just place a tentative reservation for an as of yet indeterminately sized party of at least a dozen or more, if they were that worried about landing a seat in the establishment. [i][color=8258fa]Did they even check the ratings on this place?[/color][/i] Then she spotted the [i]real[/i] reason for their being there. [i][color=8258fa]Oh, hey! It’s that guy,[/color][/i] she thought to herself when noticing Link already seated. [i][color=8258fa]I know it’s only been a little over an hour or two, but I almost forgot about him. And who’s the lady he’s sitting across from? It’s pretty obvious she’s trying to impress [b]someone[/b] with the immodest getup. This must be what they call ‘dating’, where strangers talk about themselves to each other over dinner, sit silently in a theater together afterwards, argue about who’s paying for it all, then go home, right? Do we really have time for that though? Aren’t we at war, or something? She should just let him down easy and- Ooooh! [b]She[/b] brought [b]him[/b] here and is keeping him against his will. I see.[/color][/i] As she was catching up on the truth of the situation at hand, Cadet and the Frog were deliberating briefly on a course of action, neither of whom bothered to address the waiter. Rude! Hat Kid decided not to leave the already underappreciated service worker hanging, and counted on her fingers the total number of mouths in their party as she went over it in her head before simply flashing the waiter all ten digits as a broad answer requesting a table for [i]at least[/i] that many, with room for more if and as need be. With that aside, and an apparent plan of attack in place, Hat Kid assumed her best game face and posture for stealth, complete with finger gun, and quickly, quietly assumed ‘cover’ beneath a nearby table set with an insufficiently sized cloth to conceal her as she drew out a path for approach in her head. She would have plenty of time to figure it out, as the witch didn’t seem to notice or otherwise care about their presence, save for the Cadet providing for a successful, if unconvincing, distraction. She used this chance to dive behind a bussing cart to send it into motion while she remained hidden behind it. This move, while principally sound, turned out to be counterintuitive, for it accomplished nothing as far as improving her positioning and in fact wheeled her further away from the objective table than she had started. She realized at this point not to get playfully caught up in the stealth aspect and gently scooted back the way she came. Ace’s ill-conceived ploy began to falter as things looked to be on their way to breaking down. The child alone was close, keen, and aware enough to spot the sinister irregularity in Link’s shadow, its weapon at the ready where his wasn’t. She couldn’t guess whether it could affect or be affected by other shadows only or the physical objects that cast them as well. It was safe to assume a voodoo-esque effect either way, and she didn’t have time to warn Ace about it. Her immediate idea to counter it was to shove the cart his way to obscure Link’s shadow with its own, crashing it harmlessly into the Cadet if she had to, in hopes that might nullify any action by the umbral puppet. The child’s next action would depend on those taken by the sorceress, for which she would wait as she moved back into hiding, however she could manage. [hr] [center] [img]https://i.postimg.cc/Zn05qZPF/Jiggy-Final.png[/img] [color=fed428]Level:[/color] 6 (24 -> 42 -> 43/60) [color=fed428]Location:[/color] Smash City Alcamoth [color=fed428]Word Count:[/color] 691 (+1 EXP) [/center] Being no strangers to portal travel (as of their debut), the duo strode seamlessly through the teleporter to arrive within the ever busy Smash City. Probably slower than they should have given the apparent urgency of their departure. After the day’s events, they were similarly in no hurry to head off to anywhere else just yet, so they decided instead to wander away from the pack and take the opportunity to explore the hub and savor their much needed momentary reprieve from their ongoing endeavor. Perhaps it was a good time to revisit and sneakily raid the Cucco pens in Lumbridge again to stock back up on their essential materials. Banjo would have felt slightly bad about robbing the caretaker (again) of resources he may have not even known he had or were at all valuable, if not for the question of who else he would otherwise sell them to--both better left unsaid, he thought, lest the owner attempt and succeed, thus diminishing their supply chain. If they were lucky, their repeat pilfering might miraculously yield a Golden Feather or two, or a different Egg type, but they would take what they could get if they didn’t get caught doing it. [hr] Following the success or failure of their Egg hunt, the two decided to check on the status of the Dead Zone in the best way they knew how: by making a precarious climb to Alcamoth’s highest point in search of a vantage point to survey it from. It took some doing, creativity, and time, having to work with and around smooth surfaces, but eventually Banjo managed to laboriously haul himself and Kazooie atop the grand tower, having forgone the convenience of Flight for the sake of resource conservation. The effort spared turned out a fruitless waste, however, for they could see naught from the peak of their respective island but the Eryth Sea and the mountainous rim that encompassed it, with a sparse glimpse of the Sandswept Sky beyond its northeastern edge. Banjo futily peered out into the horizon, squinting, straining his sight for focus from underneath a visoring hand to no avail. [color=0aaaff]“Anything on your end, Kazooie?”[/color] Banjo asked redundantly, as if her foot of neck height on him would make any meaningful amount of difference. [color=f60000]“Nothing,”[/color] she answered, shaking her head. [color=f60000]“You’d think a floating island could at least sit high enough to make it worth it,”[/color] she complained, mostly from a perspective of situational inconvenience. [color=0aaaff]“Should we maybe go ask one of the others who know more about it?”[/color] [color=f60000]“That would’ve been the smarter thing to start with, yeah.”[/color] Banjo answered with a nod before adding, [color=0aaaff]“Alright. Your turn to get us back down.”[/color] [color=f60000]“That’s fair,”[/color] she agreed, and proceeded to lift them both skyward and direct them on a slow, careful descent back to the main atrium. A quick inquiry to Vandham (or the next available de facto authority figure) regarding Nero’s direction or whereabouts would have the duo shortly on their way to finding him. Though the question/s they had were simple enough that anyone in charge might have been able to answer them, Nero was the only one of the Dead Zone party to exposit any knowledge or awareness of a plan to obliterate the region with whatever kind of ‘bomb’ could accomplish that, so that made him the best closest person to ask about it. [hr] Once they found the Devil Hunter trio again--probably wherever Dante could get pizza, a strawberry sundae and a cheap drink in the same place--Banjo worked his way awkwardly into the line of questioning. [color=0aaaff]“Excuse me, Mr… uhh… Niro, right?”[/color] Only half, deducting for misspelling and pronunciation, with Kazooie above him vaguely signing ‘close enough’. [color=0aaaff]“Since we can’t see the place we just left from here,”[/color] he started. [color=f60000]“Believe it; we tried,”[/color] Kazooie briefly interrupted to clarify, met with an affirming nod from Banjo as he continued. [color=0aaaff]“When this ‘bomb’ does go off, [i][b]how will we know?[/b][/i]”[/color] As almost stupidly simple as his opening question was in its simplicity, for critical punctuality’s sake (assuming anyone cared about that), it was one no less deserving of a valid answer.