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[hider=Kazuki gets bullied]Getting up early without the help of alarms was a little more challenging than anticipated. Still, where there is a will, there is a way. He made sure to sleep on the couch, leaving the curtains open so that the sunlight would wake him up. Sure enough, once the sun hit him, Kazuki got up and went about his morning routine. The desire to go back to sleep was strong, but he made sure to avoid going back to the couch for any reason. Once he deemed himself presentable, he left his house and made his way to the castle.

The walk woke him up some, though what shocked him awake was the sheer amount of people waiting in the massive line. He was so sure he was up earlier than his usual time--the streets being empty had assured him it was earlier than usual--but this line made it seem like he had rolled out of bed in the afternoon!

Wordlessly taking his place at the back of the line, Kazuki let out a tiny sigh. Oh well, he had anticipated some waiting, so he supposed there was nothing he could do about it. Rubbing his eye, he stifled a yawn. This action seemed to have earned him a few looks from the NPCs. He was a little confused at that. Was that considered rude here? He figured he should try to preoccupy himself, pulling out a medical text to study.

"If you're going to read, you may as well go home, lad," The man behind him said. "The Queen won't hear any of your excuses if you won't even deign to plan your time properly."

What? Kazuki turned, frowning. [color=plum]"I beg your pardon?"[/color] He asked.

The man in front of him looked back at Kazuki as well. "I swear, these wayfarers get worse as the years pass," He stated. "If you're going to make a case for Her Majesty, at least have the decency to show up earlier."

[color=plum]"It [i]is[/i] early,"[/color] Kazuki said.

The pair of men suddenly burst out laughing, alarming the kid. "Early? The cock crowed hours ago!" One hollered.

"If I got up at the same time this schmuck did, my wife's breakfast would be ice cold!" The other chortled.

Kazuki was utterly confused, though he was well aware he was being mocked. Unfortunately, he wasn't entirely sure why. A woman close to them sighed, shaking her head. "Young man, while you wayfarers get to snooze away at the inns, the rest of us have fields to tend, chores to do, and businesses to run," She told him. "Wayfarers like yourself usually go earlier so that the rest of us who have actual things to do can appropriately address Her Majesty before the courts close."

He would hardly call sleepless nights "snoozing away," albeit he wasn't about to argue when the consensus was clear; the majority of people around him were open about their disdain of an adventurer just waltzing into line. Their definition of 'early' must be before sunrise. He couldn't entirely blame them, either; he wasn't sure how long he would need to speak with the Queen, so he was very well robbing some people of the chance to speak.

Closing his book, Kazuki stepped out of the line, giving the trio a bow. [color=plum]"You have my sincerest apologies. I'll endeavor to arrive earlier,"[/color] He said once he straightened up.

While he got no response, he did get a few looks.  It was unfortunate, but it was good to keep in mind. Of course, now that he was aware he needed to get up even earlier, he needed to think of a way to go about that.  
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As Kazuki's trip to the castle had been for naught, he made sure to spend the early hours playing. At the very least, the merchants weren't opposed to his playing. Some passersby tipped him as they usually did, though he'd be lying if he said he couldn't sense the hostility some had for him. He wondered what the denizens thought of him. On the one hand, he was an adventurer, but on the other, he never really did much adventuring, did he? His focus had always been on the creative side of the game. His crafting and playing were leagues higher than his combat abilities. He had a few awards for some "server first" on maxing out his musical skills, and used most of his time just lounging around the plaza playing songs. Either his reputation meant he was out of the same scrutiny, or...it was worse.

Whatever the case, once he figured the rest of the crew was up and about, he pocketed his earnings and decided to end his song. He spotted Marianna at a merchant's stall as she waved at him. He really didn't want to be on the bad side of the NPCs, but at this point, it was probably better to come up with a solid plan instead of speculating. Once he returned the wave, he set off to the meeting place. Fortunately, it seemed like he arrived at a good time. He listened to the conversation as he took his seat, pulling his bag in front of him to count out what he had made. Well, the tips seemed to make what he usually did, so he would take that as a good sign for now. 

Once Graves finished speaking, Kazuki looked up. [color=plum]"Considering we're shirking our one and only duty, I doubt that a small group of wayfarers taking on one dungeon would gain any gratitude,"[/color] He stated, securing his bag. [color=plum]"The hostility between denizen and adventurer grows by the day, too. I'd like to think meeting with the Queen would resolve the tension, but I'm not so sure anymore."[/color]

He paused for a moment. [color=plum]"Graves brings up a good point. We have to sustain ourselves somehow. That said, a majority of my wealth is located in Iblenar,"[/color] He informed them. [color=plum]"My income hasn't been impacted yet and I could support everyone with what I have here, but it would be finite."[/color]

Not wanting to stop on a negative note, he continued, [color=plum]"I also still have my crafting skills, so I can maintain our gear and weapons well enough. I can also cook when needed, so if you find yourself hungry, I can feed you,"[/color] He looked down at the papers Kazuma had, frowning. [color=plum]"I suppose it's a question of what problem to handle first: do we find a way to go out in order to gain income or should we try stabilizing ourselves?"[/color]

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