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[img]https://i.postimg.cc/L5r26P82/Star-Fox-Final.png[/img]

[i]feat.[/i]

[h3]GM[/h3]
[@Lugubrious]

[color=5edaf6]Level:[/color] 5 (38 -> 43 -> 45/50)
[color=5edaf6]Location:[/color] Sandswept Sky - Al Mamoon
[color=5edaf6]Word Count: 859[/color]/[b]1198[/b] (+2 EXP)
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While the others caught Tora up on the overall scheme and talked around the Conductor who obstructed them, Fox used the distraction to step away from the group to find an isolated area between idle/unused train cars parked in the yard. He checked his surroundings for prying eyes and to make sure he wasn’t being followed before taking a knee and mocking radio contact to summon a messenger from home.

After a couple moments, a familiar puff of smoke heralded the arrival of one of Alcamoth's correspondent moogles. The little white creature appeared with its kind's iconic, whimsical whistling noise, the pom stopped her head a-bobbing, and waved to Fox with both hands. "Hiya! So excited to be here! What can I do ya for, mister?"

[color=5edaf6]“Update: We’re held up in Al Mamoon. Volatile political tensions threaten to break out into civil war. We believe [b]Robin[/b] may be involved, and possibly in immediate danger.”[/color] His emphasis on the individual would be readily apparent in its intent to his Smash cohorts back at Alcamoth, thus further justifying the delay in their progress. [color=5edaf6]“We’re looking into it on our end, but we may not have much time.”[/color] His stolidly professional tone was marked with an undertone of malaise that creeped into his voice with the thought of worst cases and the request that followed. [color=5edaf6]“Ready a diplomatic relief response for the aftermath, for whatever that may look like. The people here could use the outreach either way.”[/color]

“Um...okay!” the moogle responded after a moment, more than a little overwhelmed by both the content of Fox’s request and his tone. “I’ll just tell the boss everything you told me. But, um…” She looked a little hesitant, pawing at the side of her head. “I assume that’s on the map or something, but even if it is, I don’t think the boss likes sending people to unknown areas. He’d probably ask something like, is there a good way to get there? And even if we get a team ready, it might be a long time to get to Elm...or, wherever you are. If only we had a fast-travel system…” Even as she considered the ramifications of Fox’s request, she still stayed mostly upbeat, rattling off things to be aware of in a matter-of-fact manner. “Anything else?”

Fox had, of course, failed to consider the projected cost or potential risks of his request. The more sizable party he travelled in had something of a hard time getting there already, while incurring personnel losses along the way. A smaller party of four might fare worse still. For this reason he bit his tongue on [i]how[/i] they might get there, and abstained from relaying further instruction--on travel or rescue. [color=5edaf6]“We lost four on the train here,”[/color] he told her, shaking his head to confirm a negative. [color=5edaf6]“We may have to figure out a better way. Just keep them on standby until then.”[/color] No more complicated than his order was, he realized he was already asking too much, motivated expressly by a recognized need for assistance and connection, and a desire to help in any way that mattered.

“Ah…” The little creature looked crestfallen. “Can do. Will do.”

He then recalled one out of the previous orders made, incidental to their current situation or how it may further aid any further efforts on either end. [color=5edaf6]“What’s the status on Naboris?”[/color] he asked plainly.

Having not handled that mission’s correspondence herself, the moogle took a moment to identify what Fox meant. “If that’s the one for bringing in the giant stone camel, I don’t think it went that well. I mean, the mercenaries found it pretty easily. It picked up a few hitchhikers or something, but that wasn’t the main issue. I don’t think they ever figured out a way to control it. So it’s just sort of standing out in the desert near the path leading to the Eryth Sea.” She scratched her head. “Maybe that’s good enough? We don’t have a place to store it anyway.”

Right… there was still [i]that[/i] issue. He didn’t understand to begin with how Midna was able to pilot it short of subsuming its old pilot’s Spirit. They did seem to have a world of origin in common, however. Considering this for a second, he suggested, [color=5edaf6]“Consult any Hylians we have at home. See if they can get it running. We’ll keep you updated on our end where we can in the meantime.”[/color]

“Okay!” The Moogle said, blissfully unaware that Zelda had been on that mission (as Fox had also neglected to ascertain). “Good luck then, and see you later. You got this, guys!” With a final cheer she left.

Fox wordlessly thanked the creature with a parting, affirmative nod before it disappeared. He took one last look around him for good measure before standing back up and heading off to rejoin the others.

He walked in on the exchange of ideas between interested party members on how to possibly track down the local rebels. To Big Band’s address of “control” he simply shook his head in amicable dismissal of presumed protest on his part; as if to say “You’re good.” [color=5edaf6]“I was just going to suggest we go look for trouble, but I’m open to ideas.”[/color] Bounties and commissions then came into the conversation, about which he had compromising thoughts on their relevance to the task. [color=5edaf6]“There’s a chance they may be indirectly responsible for some of these problems people are having,”[/color] he said about the listed and referenced jobs for anyone who considered taking one. [color=5edaf6]“Start with those, if anything.”[/color] To Panther, who expressed understandable interest in regrouping with her own team, he added, [color=5edaf6]“Could you relay to them what we’ve learned when you find them?”[/color] His question was more rhetorical than anything, as he expected she would anyway. If he was later contacted by them afterwards, he would know why.

As he made ready to leave, Fox addressed the group one more time, following Midna’s declaration of intent. [color=5edaf6]“Wherever we all go we should keep ourselves small; split up and cover as much ground as we can,”[/color] he advised in endorsement of Band’s recommendation. [color=5edaf6]“I’ll be seeing what I can’t find on my own.”[/color] With that, he set off at a nonchalant pace out of the marketplace, specifying not where he was going, for he didn’t entirely know himself.

He thought he might start with the ‘Paranormal Thief’, if he had a starting location to go by. He guessed that such activity would make for just the kind of chaos that would attract or be perpetrated by the anarchally-prone. Perhaps coincidentally, and unbeknownst to him, the Phantom Thieves would be coming fresh off of their run in with the culprit. He thus stood to run into them (and/or possibly Big Band, depending), provided his blind path took him in the right direction, but that would depend also on whether or not he encountered anything of interest on his way. There was no telling what he might run into wandering the city looking for its darkest, quietest corners by his lonesome, but he would be carefully looking out for any and all of it.