[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/597506252599328805/1088678313150644284/Ingrids_Header.png[/img][/center] [color=8882be][b]Event:[/b][/color] Metropolis [hr] The ride to the mountain was to take some time by itself and the stopping to shop just made it take even more time. Plenty of things to purchase but today Ingrid found a brilliant sash that looked wonderful on her. As she talked to the seamstress, she gestured that the price was on the sash. Reaching to look it was like her hand disappeared into it revealing a small price tag and one of the hidden pockets. Thoroughly delighted with its tricks, Ingrid bought it and gave a [i]healthy[/i] tip to the seamstress. She should get one for all the girls though one for now is enough as she slipped in some of her own stuff into it like a true hidden operative. The mountain looked brilliant! Maybe it was her fondness for the Dragonspine Mountains but this mountain filled her with great vigor as she climbed it. Yet, under all her excitement to be climbing Ingrid was keenly aware why they were here and intended to be effective. So spreading out was always going to be the plan for her. Until then, she collected slimes. Ingrid was oh so curious about the dragon that Niallus, Rikard, and Abdel saw. And when she heard it could be on the north face she got an itch to go and find out. Plus there was always potential for something to be there. It being out of the way and dangerous could act as great deterrents. Ingrid posed a question to Dai since it seemed like captain Zhu was having some fun. In her best Retaneese she could muster, [color=8882be]"你知道西北山一路上的挑战吗?" (Do you know the challenges along the way in the Northwest Mountain?)[/color] Trying to explain where she wanted to go. Ingrid somewhat assumed that a Skyborn would definitely explore the mountains for fun, well, at least she would. She had planned to go there with Dai since he was a Skyborn and should be familiar enough with the surroundings. When she suddenly turned to see Niallus also declaring on where he was going. The cold air was nice, luckily the cold didn't really bother him. Looking out, he could see the tower where Rikard, Abdel and himself were last night. [color=3d5a88]"Wow.."[/color] he said, his voice trailing off. While everyone was getting ready to head off in different places on the mountain. He wanted to explore, see if he can find something about that dragon. The best bet would be the Northwest part of the mountain. To him it seemed the best bet to try to find slimes, assuming that the dragon didn't blow them up. He had a strong feeling that Ingrid would be going the same way too, after all, she could never resist the urge of adventure, then again he couldn't either. [color=3d5a88]"I'm going to head up the North West face."[/color] Ingrid wasn’t too enthusiastic about this development. She wanted someone like Niallus here to help gather information and would relay it to her and others honestly. [color=8882be]"So Niallus,"[/color] Ingrid felt awkward saying this, [color=8882be]"I don't think we should go together. The mountain is large and if we are the both the furthest away, we can't figure out what's going on over here."[/color] Ingrid held his hand, [color=8882be]"Think you can trust me, I'll be safe."[/color] Niallus is confused by her request. Of course he trusts her, so why would she ask him to go a different route. [color=3d5a88]"Ingrid, I do trust you."[/color] he holds her hand. [color=3d5a88]"The reason why I want to head up the Northwest side was to try to get a better look at the Dragon I told you about last night, That's all."[/color] this brought the question. [color=3d5a88]"If you are wanting to find it, why don't we look for it together. Or could you not take a different route?"[/color] [color=8882be]"Fine,"[/color] Ingrid let go of his hand and gave him an irritated smile. [color=8882be]"You go search for the dragon, I'll stay here and do my own thing,"[/color] Ingrid turned to go stay with Yin. [color=3d5a88]"Ingrid, wait I...."[/color] Seems she's too annoyed to listen to him explain. [color=3d5a88]"Just be careful ok, and I'll be careful too."[/color] Ingrid just gave Rikard the thing Benny showed her and flipped him off with a ‘fuck-you’ smile and crashed in on Yin and Zhu’s time together. She felt annoyed for only a few moments before just putting it aside to try to work her way in with them. Luckily the Captain was very accommodating Captain Zhu, however, was not part of this adventure. He had valiantly opted to remain behind with Yin and... Ingrid was there too. If he had wanted to groan at the presence of a third wheel, he was too nice of a person to do so, and so the lone Eskandr was there with them and more or less integrated into their conversations. [color=a2d39c]"Hey Ingrid!"[/color] Yin chirped. [color=a2d39c]"We should sing a song!"[/color] She pondered. [color=a2d39c]"You know..."[/color] she glanced over at Captain Zhu and smirked. [color=a2d39c]"How about a yasoi rhyme!"[/color] She was busy digging through the dirt for slime bits. They were a little bit removed from most of the crowd now, and if the ground was less stable, the finds were better. She stood up for a moment and her eyes darted to Ingrid. [color=a2d39c]"But!"[/color] she warned, [color=a2d39c]"You'll have to do it in Retanese!"[/color] She stuck her tongue out. [color=a2d39c]"Good practice, right?"[/color] Ingrid took the challenge to sing some Yasoi rhymes in stride. She had studied them last year trying to understand more about Ismette and the other Yasoi at her school. But doing it in Retanese was a challenge. She wanted to mumble it to hide her inadequacy with the language but this was a practice! She embarrassingly gave it her all to the point she almost didn't question why it was yasoi rhymes. [i]Almost.[/i] And so they spent the next twenty minutes bumbling through yasoi-style rhyming songs with a Retanese twist. It was cool, but the sun was out and the weather was pleasant. Here and there, a chunk of ice from above broke loose and slid down the mountain and everyone scrambled to get out of its way and then get over to it in case it contained any good slimes. Ingrid was a bit too slow to join in the usual scramble this time but, as the others started to move, she noticed something that they had not in their haste: a slime that was not red, but... small and blue and... it seemed to have an almost crystalline shape. A few pickers from different groups noticed it as well, and the race was one. Ingrid wanted that thing. It was blue! She wanted it for herself! Boosting her movement with kinetic magic, she bolted forward, dashing bits of shale and loose, icy dirt off of the mountainside. That was when it happened. Her footing went out from under her at just the moment that a rather large boulder came tumbling loose from only a few yards above. It was too quick and sudden for her to catch herself, and Captain Zhu was trying to secure the strange blue slime. You know that moment when you realize that something [i]extremely[/i] bad is about to happen and you brace for it? Ingrid had that moment, but then... the 'bad thing' didn't come. Ingrid froze in midair, long enough for her to catch herself and float gently back down to the ground, and the boulder redirected itself dramatically around her and then around a cluster of gatherers a few yards below. Her dreams came to a sudden and spectacular end as she nearly lost her life to a boulder. But she was saved! By none other than the admittedly charming Captain!... [color=8882be]"Yin?"[/color] For a moment, Captain Zhu froze, just as [i]she[/i] had, only he was holding the strange blue crystalline slime. Then, both of their eyes turned to Yin, who was panting, arm outstretched, focused on the rock. Energy swirled about her and then quickly dissipated: magic that [i]she[/i] had used, in clear view of a captain of the goldcloaks and over a dozen onlookers. Ingrid was quick to her feat, discarding the dirt from herself as she got closer to Yin and tried to make it seem like it was not a big deal. She looked to Captain Zhu, hoping as much as she could that he would do the same. He was the only Goldguard here. Sure some smuks were here but they could be dealt with in some way.