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[h2]+[/h2]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/zwmtO3n.png[/img]
[color=a187be]Level 9 - EXP 28/90[/color]
[color=#FF5349]Level 8 - EXP 46/80[/color]
The Midnight Walk
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[hr][h2]Puzzling Recruitment[/h2][h3]Midnight Walk - Christmas Village[/h3]
Featuring: Ramattra, Tenna, and Layton
[b]Word Count: 1204[/b] // +2 EXP[/center]

The evening of festivities finally came to a natural conclusion as the larger gathering of crowds of townspeople began dissipating later into the evening. Ramattra and Tenna, like other members of their squad, had no purpose to eat, but joined the others in company, as the larger number of Seekers gathered at one large round table. Ramattra listened to the chatter amongst his allies in silence, trying his best to find a relevant conversation point to his interest. Tenna, however, was among the loudest at the dinner, boisterously singing along with nearby choirs and practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. 

Once Sandaphlon had exchanged her farewells with Christmas Villages’ lead representative, Ramattra felt a strange sensation in his mainframe. It was odd for the stoic commander to explain, but somehow he felt oddly content and calm alongside his fellow adventurers, and with the storm finally having passed, he chalked the odd feeling down to some weird magic that had altered his mind.

“Bah. The longer we wait here, the more chance of running into an actual storm.” The Omnic protested his internal jolliness, being the first at the table to help get the Stagecoach back on the road. While there was no point in the inexperienced Omnic repairing any faults aboard, he knew that reigning in the Shieldrixes would be a welcome task. 

Then, another realization hit him. Looking at the faces among the Seekers, one in particular stood out with the faint red glow of his eyes and fog-patched skin. Tenna, as nosy as usual, saw the hesitation in the Omnic’s face as he connected his stare towards Layton’s ongoing possession. A silent exchange happened between the CRT and Ramattra before the stoic robot called for his attention. “Professor. A word with you.”

As same as the rest of the day, Layton found himself once more in the company of the Seekers, with any questions on his mind left unasked in the face of the holiday celebration. No point bringing down the mood by grilling his new acquaintances. As he was enjoying the food and company, he followed Ramattra’s call, a cup of peppermint tea still in hand.

[color=b99e6b]”Merry Christmas to you,”[/color] he said in greeting, holding his teacup in a mock cheer. [color=b99e6b]”Was there something you wanted from me?”[/color]

The Omnic turned his gaze to Sandaphlon, almost as if indirectly asking [i]’what do we do about him?’[/i] A stern nod was all that could be communicated between the two, before the Archangel’s attention was directed at the town’s chatty Christmas pixie, a silent [i]‘do what you need to’[/i] exchanged. Tenna pulled at the loincloth-like tentacle appendage on Ramattra’s waist. With an annoyed gaze, the Omnic was surprised by helpful information. “If this newbie needs to be added to our party, just knock some sense into him! That’s what that bug lady did for me!”

The commander scratched his chin, still putting together his plan to “recruit” Layton. It seemed like, without any nearby threats, naturally befriending the Professor with a Friend Heart would be inconvenient. He gestured for Tenna and Layton to follow him in the direction of the Stagecoach, as he began collecting the Shieldrix's rope, collecting the steeds and mounting them to the vehicle. “I was curious about what your plan was, seeing as you’ve helped us across the village today. Did you want to take the journey to Moon Mountain with us? Truly? There is a lot to consider. The road will be harsh in many regards, but you’ve earned some trust among our ranks.”

Tenna tailed behind the Omnic, a huge grin spread across his display as he brought two well-wrapped gifts to Ramattra’s attention. “There’s one for all of us! Even you, detective! I uh… Forgot yours, though. You should grab it later!” The commander accepted the gift, begrudgingly; however, he was curious about its contents. 

[color=b99e6b]”Ah, thank you,”[/color] Layton addressed Tenna, somewhat offhandedly. He considered the question Ramattra posed, arms crossed and eyes closed. After this moment of deliberation, he said, [color=b99e6b]”if I may ask a question myself… earlier you called your traveling group ‘the Seekers’. From what I’ve read, Moon Mountain is quite a desolate place. What is it, exactly, that you are seeking there?”[/color]

Ramattra observed the professor with a cautious size-up, still having to withhold his opinion on humans. He considered his next words carefully as Tenna sat to the side, offering hay into the mouth of the impossible creatures mounted to the Stagecoach. “We’re investigating a large-scale threat to the region. We’d like to put an end to our target for personal reasons, although the road ahead won’t be purely fight after fight. Your skills could be invaluable to us, but we travel under harsh conditions.” Honestly, the Omnic was more skeptical about the man still Gleaming rather than being human. The nature of Galeem’s curse was still confusing to him.

The Professor wasn’t blind to the tension in the air, though he had no way of telling where it was coming from. Was the Omnic just being protective of his group and their goal? Layton was a stranger, after all. [color=b99e6b]”I see.”[/color] Trying to lighten the atmosphere, he smiled and let out a small chuckle. [color=b99e6b]”I can’t promise I’d be as invaluable as you claim. I’m simply a professor of archaeology. But if what you say is true, I can’t in good conscience turn down a chance to help.”[/color]

“Don’t let the PARTY-POOPER scare ya off! I’ve been here about as long as he has, and I’m doing just fine!” Tenna chipped in, tucking his thumb under the collar of his coat proudly. Ramattra’s cold stare turned to the chipper Television Set as he sighed under his breath.

“The choice, of course, is yours. So long as you’re capable of fending for yourself when the moment calls for it, there shouldn’t be any significant threats. You could see some more of the world?” He suggested, unsure if more traveling was in the Detective’s agenda, as he had only known the man for a few hours.

[color=b99e6b]”I can hold my own if the need arises,”[/color] Layton answered, [color=b99e6b]”so if you’ll have me, then I would like to join you on your journey to Moon Mountain.”[/color] He couldn’t help but feel like there was something more left unsaid… but he knew not to pry, not this soon into their ‘partnership’ at least. If it was important, the details would come to light eventually.

The grip on his staff tightened. For a moment, Ramattra pondered how to handle the new Seekers’ dilemma with Galeem’s curse. It would be easy enough to just quickly incapacitate Layton, though the thought for needless violence seemed off-putting. He released the tension from his staff, now directing Tenna to wrangle the group of beasts to a side road they could later take. “Then of course. Welcome to our cause. I’m unsure when we’re set to travel, but I’m sure the townsfolk could use more of our support.”

[color=b99e6b]”I suppose we’ll have plenty to occupy ourselves with, then.”[/color]