~[@Stern Algorithm]~

[quote=Vivian Altissima][color=f49ac2]"Vară and Nagare seem nice. Were they in the Guild long before they left? Were you close?"[/color][/quote]

Neil dutifully wheeled the [u]Altissima sisters[/u] towards his surprise gift for them. "Hmm, I wouldn't say 'long' but they were with the Guild for several days before they had to leave for their personal matters." He answered immediately. "I... guess you could say we're close. Good friends and all." It seemed Neil decided not to reveal anything specific.

Soon, Riñas lead them into an empty space. The darkness of the night made it hard to see anything but with a snap of the Dark Priest's fingers and the place was lit up by several pyres. The area had two cooking stations, tables filled with kitchenware from pans to spatulas and various food ingredients from vegetables and herbs to condiments like salt and spices. The sight... looked very much like the cooking competition from earlier. Albeit smaller.

"You two, err... I guess Vivian, really wanted to join the cooking contest earlier but instead, you got stuck working with me." Neil said as he took his place on one of the cooking stations and putting on an apron. "So to show my gratitude, I asked Riñas to prepare another one of these. Thanks again, Sister Riñas."

"[color=mediumpurple]No problem, Neil. Sorry it's not as extravagant as the one from earlier but it was all last-minute, you know?[/color]" The Dark Priest replied. "[color=mediumpurple]You also mentioned that you wanted to ask me something regarding the Fallen God? Well, we can talk about later after you're done with this threesome. Farewell and have fun![/color]" And with that, Riñas took off to handle the festival.

Neil sighed at the parting remarks. "Well then, you two. You may be professional chefs, but I'll have you know that I'm no slouch at this. En garde, Sylvia and Vivian!"

~[@13org] (ADA & FYR), [@Restalaan] (DIT), [@AzureKnight] (VRA & NAG)~

[quote=Nagare][color=00aeef]“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Reed-san. Though a dragon I may be, I’m not all that amazing I’m afraid! I hope that I don’t end up being too much of a burden on you.”[/color][/quote]

Sir Reed chuckled. "[color=steelblue]Don't be so tense around me, Madam Nagare.[/color]" It seemed he noticed the ice dragon's anxious feeling towards him. "[color=steelblue]I know I look like I'm ready to slay a dragon and save a princess but I guarantee you, I am not looking to spill any monster blood. Besides, who in their right mind would raise a blade against a beauty like you?[/color]"

Talia the Cyclops raised her single eyebrow. "[color=lavender]Smitten with her, Sir Reed?[/color]"

"[color=steelblue]What? Can a man not compliment a lady without getting accused of courtship?[/color]" Reed retorted.

[quote=Nagare][color=00aeef]“The kidnapping sounded like a serious problem, I’m glad to hear you resolve it in the end! We’d love to hear it, right Vară?”[/color][/quote]

[quote=Freyr][color=8dc73f]"Regarding the kidnapping... It was quite a complex issue... I may not be the best to discuss these particular things but it had to do with unrequited love... From both parts, due to an Oath he took... As weird as it sounds."[/color][/quote]

Haley shrugged. "[color=royalblue]Mmm, long story short: A dude here has a Kikimora pining for him. He kept turning her down until she chugged a Doppelganger potion so she have more bodies with which to kidnap him with. We put a stop to that but turns out, the dude is a former Order soldier with an oath that got betrayed by the Order itself. His feelings on that is driving him to want to die fighting against his betrayers.[/color]"

"[color=royalblue]We talked some sense into him. Hopefully it sticks.[/color]" Haley finished.

Noticing that [u]Ditzy[/u] was tired, Talia felt the exhaustion of the day catch up to her. The excitement from seeing the fireworks had subsided and the Cyclops let out a little yawn. "[color=lavender]Hey all, since the festival's mostly over, why don't we head on home? Me and Ditzy are worn out for the day.[/color]"

"[color=royalblue]Yeah, I agree. We should probably say goodbye to the Dark Priest before we leave.[/color]" Haley said. "[color=royalblue]Is everyone in agreement?[/color]"

[hr]
~[@Rezod92], [@Restalaan] (YNG)~

After the talk with Ozzy, the Owl Harpy Margaret suddenly appeared and frantically looking for him. She explained that an arrangement she encountered was a great opportunity, both for her and the male Harpy Ozzy. She didn't go into specifics but it was something about meeting some high-rank monsters and this was a chance for them to witness the existence of male monsters.

The departure for the meeting was imminent and Ozzy accepted, saying farewell to [u]Kira[/u], [u]Yang[/u] and Bart, lamenting he could not say goodbye to the others and leaving that to the Beelzebub and the monk. It was unknown when Ozzy would be back but for now and the immediate future, the Guild would be missing a member.

"[color=f26522]I can't believe he left just like that.[/color]" Bart said as he dined with the present guild members. "[color=f26522]But it's like that, isn't it? I've heard from Neil that a lot of us just went up and left like that.[/color]" Turning his gaze to [u]Kira[/u], he asked. "[color=f26522]Say, you left for the Guild after the incident with the Kikimora, didn't you? Everything alright?[/color]"