final fantasy//endless abyss

[Pierre42]

Oassu nodded "I'll have what Hebal's having" he told the Gria giving Felina a confused look having no idea what Yani was talking about with his little extras. "Still that sounds like our Alpha, but don't worry we aren't expecting you to put yourself out there for us." he said waving a hand dismissively "We just need a place to stay really and figured it would give you and Alpha a chance to catch up" he shrugged.

Jeckhart nodded in agreement with Hebal looking at the Gria sadly "I would also like a cold drink if possible please" he said politely "So what are you doing to treat the patients in the Quarantine zone right now then?" he asked curious.

Itaka chuckled sliding in the door behind Seph "You look fine in those clothes, believe it or not most of the world lives in them without looking stupid" he reassured her pausing to take in the scene "Hey, I'm Itaka," he said waving as he pushed the door fully open so he could stand there "Little cramped in there isn't it? Eh, you must be Psy...and your Gria friend...ain't you a rarity." he said looking at both of them respectively.  

[Captain Glomps]

The gria diverted his eyes away from Jeckhart sensing the sort of look he might be getting "nice to meet you Mr. Itaka. I'm Yani" he politely introuced himself before landing on the other side of the room by the door. "Will try and get you some cool water. May take a while... since its a fire demon and a cold blooded species living here there is little need to chill the stuff over medicine or keeping meat fresh. Though if you are staying here I will get some beds set up for you guys while there and try to get rid of the smell. And of course a separate room for you Alpha so everyone else can have a good night sleep without your snoring" he added at the older demon before flying out the room while attempting to sneak an extra glimpse at Seph.

Seph raised her eyebrow noticing the colour fade from Psy's face "My skin will be fine but what about youself? You look really pale all of a sudden. Its about time I visited I guess and we need to be here anyway. You know dragon festival just passed and you're practically family and all" she shrugged.

Psy paused scrathing his head in thought "Oh well no, staying here is not a problem by all means and we are grearful if you do have supplies. Im just thinking of the best way to ship them here as I would really rather not have to go back to the Klossovsky family to strike a deal of protection if can avoid it. Anyway can think on that matter later. Anyway we can worry about that later, feel free to make yourselves at home. Have a snoop around just don't touch anything in a glass container without asking first ok? Plus we have people round early morning to deliver the supplies to the quarentine area" he warned then got up to shake Itaka's hand "nice to meet you sir. I take it you are Seph's new partner. You better take care of her because you got lucky"

Hebal smiled saluting the pair "Got it no bottles without permission and a few early rises. I can totally do that" she agreed bouncing slightly on her chair. "We'll be really awesome roomies and hope your gria pal isn't too worked up about us being here and I don't mind if the water isn't really really cold" she smiled glancing over at Jeckhart "Psst are you ok there?"

Alpha yawned ignoring the comment about the snoring "Hey all my presents, even the contraceptives I am sure have proved useful to you kid though worry not. Let me deal with the cargo delivery and you just keep doing your thing. A deal with that family of thugs is the last thing anyone here would wan't too so we will get it moved stealthily before we go" he promised Psy.  

[lack-of-originality]

Felina scratched her head "Your friend is enthusiastic today though really neither of you need to go out of your way to accommodate us since I know you are busy. We can keep to ourselves if need be. Still thank you for putting us up here" she politely told Psy regretting not having asked for something to drink also."Hey Oassu, mind if I have just a little sip of your drink?" she then quietly asked

"Please don'tgo getting the Klossosky family involved willingly. We have too many people of interest in our group to have them poking around any more than they have to. The plan is we take advantage of of few cooling spells and the fact we have a big fire demon in our group and move them all at the hottest time of the day when people start to nap" Hayate explained feeling slightly on edge. "Out of curiousity how do you keep this place secure. Desperate times like this I would suspect you would get a few folks trying to creep in after the medicine"  

[Pierre42]

Oassu sighed figuring Felina should have asked for her own "Of course dear" he assured her "Though yeah avoiding notorious crime families would be a big plus if that's alright, none of us really want to see them anytime soon" he said shuffling around failing to find a place to sit.

Itaka gave Psy a confused look surprised by the very intense greeting before extending one metal-clad hand to shake his arm "Well...thanks I suppose, it's nice to meet you too," he said releasing Psy's hand before folding his arms and looking at Alpha "Though if we are really pressed for supplies we could always send some people back to sleep on the airship. Might not be a bad idea to keep some security there after all." he suggested to Alpha.

Jeckhart glanced at Hebal surprised as she snapped him out of his stupor "Oh sorry Hebal, it's just...seeing that Gria just flying around the room...makes me miss it quite a bit" he mumbled somewhat embarrassed.

"Don't be sad Mr Jeckhart, Mr Kimino and everyone are working to help you. I'm sure they'll come up with something to fix you" Zadina said brightly as he loosened his cloak slightly and frowned "It somehow feels even hotter in here than out in the sun now," he grumbled.  

[Captain Glomps]

Alpha nodded his head "Might be a good idea, will take a couple of days to move whats in the cargo hold anyway so people watching over stuff isn't such a bad idea at night for security. Plus Psy may be too polite to turn us away but look at how cramped we are just in this little room already. Might I suggest Felina, Oassu, Zadina Jeckhart and Hebal stay in the airship. Them steel doors will probably help keep you cooler and more secure at night" he suggested.

Psy quickly put his hand away once released sensing he may have been too forward "Well sure if thats how you wish to do it I shall refrain from making a deal with the Klossovsky group. Just means everyone should stay on high alert and I should probably sleep with my gun under my pillow. Anyway if you guys wish to arrange your sleeping arrangements I could give you a your of the house and take a look at your item list if you still have it" he shrugged.

Hebal paused "Hope you dont take offence to me preferring to sleep on the airship Mr Psy. Its just its so much cooler there and my little forge is on there too. Im just really not made for this place. I shaved my fur yesterday and I am still too hot" she complained after having given Jeckheart a small hug.

Seph smirked amused at the awkward moment between Psy and Itaka "I may have mentioned you a few times in some of my letters" she whispered then gave him a nod having thought over the sleeping arrangements "Sounds like a good plan I guess" she decided privately wishing to join the airship group.  

[lack-of-originality]

Felina paused spacing out for a moment "Oh right sure you can take a look. Maybe we might get lucky and find something we need in your lab and will pay very well if that is the case. Im ok with the sleeping arrangements too" she agreed moving closer to Oassu leaving room for Yani as he carefuly flew back in with a tray full of drinks.

Hayate shrugged "Yeah sure whatever not that any of us need to sleep just yet. I mean the bestt time for us to go digging for pearls is when its dark and we all just got up. So if you happen to know where any active nests are Psy, you would save us a good deal of work tracking antlions"  

[Pierre42]

Oassu nodded thanking Yani as he took a drink from the tray giving Felina a concerned look "You alright there? Seemed to zone out a bit..." he said offering her his drink "Maybe the heat is getting to you, have some" he said passing Felina the drink before turning his attention back to Alpha "I'm fine with that plan, too many newcomers in town would only draw attention to this place in any case," he shrugged trying not to appear too pleased.

Jeckhart tilted his head "Surely the Forge is just as hot at this place?" he puzzled quietly to himself hearing Hebal before taking a drink "Indeed it seems a good plan for the first night at least, it'll allow our VIPs more protection should anything happen" he agreed.

Zadina frowned "Well there's no reason for other people to be put at risk for our sake if it's really going to be so dangerous." he said crossing his arms "I don't mind swapping with someone else if they want," he said bowing "Though it is quite warm out here" he said loosening his cloak slightly around his neck.

Itaka watched Psy as moved away before looking at Seph quietly "Good things I hope, just seemed a bit...weird there. Don't think he greeted anyone else like that," he whispered back while the others discussed the plan "Still that sounds good then, last thing we want is the Klossovsky family involved in this. Though I doubt you need to worry you'll have plenty of protection here anyway" he chuckled jerking a thumb at his sword slung over his back.  

[Captain Glomps]

Psy paused glancing over at Yani while he thought "I haven't seen any nearby antlion nests lately where I have been wandering though I haven't got out much lately. Though you know sooner or later someone is going to investigate the airship right. So don't stay any longer than you need to is my advice. Klossovskys have a natural habit of poking their heads around in everyone elses affairs. Had to shoot a fair few away from the house when the plague first broke out but its calmed down a lot since then" he quickly added.

"I know a place where there are antlions at the moment. The problem is the area currently suffers from sandstorms. I couldnt see a thing and tried to set up camp right above an opening to a nest and wont be trying that again. Could probably take you roughtlly there assuming the landscape hasn't changed

Hebal shrugged at Jeckhart "well you cant get sunburn from a forge for starters and it doesnt make me all blind and dizzy either. Plus when I focus really really hard on making some real nice armour, I forget about the heat entirely and just occasionally get myself a nice drink or imagine myelf in a nice shady place under a tree"

Seph smirked "oh trust me they were all good things I said about you" she whispered giving Itaka a quick squeeze "Sand storms are ok with me and easy to take shelter from and all. Also better than the other option of giant creepy sandworms" she shuddered

"Pff you can feel the ground shake long before they can ambush you so I dunno why you get so paranoid about the worms" Alpha laughed.  

[lack-of-originality]

Hayate paused not too confident in Yani having heard his story "You know antlions are really easy to track if you know what to look out for if you want to avoid sitting on a bunch again. As for in here if theres any trouble I shall be sure to let you know. I don't intend to sleep at all during our visit here. Me and Klossovsky don't tend to mix so not taking any chances"

Felina smiled "Oh sure I am fine Oassu. I think its just the heat thats getting to me a little. It's getting warmer as the day goes on afterall. Though I suspect most of us can still keep quiet if havent already attracted too much attention. Seph and Hebal are the only ones who majorly stand out afterall" she pointed out.  

[Pierre42]

Oassu glanced at Seph "Perhaps, hadn't really considered how much she'd stand out here" he shrugged "Still that plan sounds fine, it wouldn't be too much of a pain for you" he groaned "Though Antlions sound pretty horrific, I'm not much of a fan of camping above them either" he grunted quietly to Felina.

Itaka chuckled nuzzling Seph slightly "Well I doubt you'll be able to fly much in the storm but there shouldn't be any worries. Antlions shouldn't be any trouble provided we know they are coming." he shrugged

Zadina nodded "Perhaps so but its a new experience for me so I'd appreciate if we still learned as much as possible and were careful in any case" he added pointedly to Itaka.

Mari nodded meekly "I'm not especially sure what an Antlion is anyway" she mumbled quietly somewhat embarrassed "It's quite a new place to me, and many of us aren't stable on our feet so I would appreciate a plan please" she added quietly.  

[Captain Glomps]

Seph shrugged "I stand out everywhere. Thats the life of a demon for ya though and most people think you are scary enough to leave you alone also. And Antlions if above ground they are so easy to detect if they are tunnelling under you that you have more than enough time to move out the way if need be"

Psy nodded "That is true. Same for sandworms really. If you feel the sands shifting under you then its time to shift your a** away from that spot as far as you can" he stated pulling out a small notebook "Antlions are basically large insects with giant pinsirs that live in tunnels under the sands. Their secretions react with moonlight for some reason to become what we call a sand pearl which is what you are here for. I thought you already had a plan though? Did you not come here because during this phase of the moon the things are most active looking for new nests? If not guess you got lucky" he explained to Mari tearing out and handing a small sketch of the fiend he had been working on as he spoke.

Alpha smiled "Yep I had that knowledge in mind the whole time. I learned about that a while ago when some idiot told me that sand pearls were actually a real type of pearl that had value. Got a lot of nips off the antlions in the process of learning though"  

[lack-of-originality]

Hayate raised his eyebrow peering at the picture from over Mari's shoulder "not bad a drawing though they don't look that cute in reality and drool a lot more. "It was the idea to go when they are most actively away from their nests but Alpha isnt exactly the best at explaining things like this to everyone. We all only just got back from time away a the dragon festival" he shrugged.

Felina shuddered slightly at the mention of secretions "There was me thinking they just did something to the sand to make it all pretty. So would that mean that some of us would collect the pearl where as the rest of us would keep the medical supplies nice and safe if we wish to stay here as little as possible?"  

[Pierre42]

Mari frowned tilting the picture around somewhat "It does not seem that bad, though it has some very strange eyes" she pondered aloud deciding it might not be best to trust Psy's depiction of it. Peering over at the drawing Sophia made a stabbing motion with her bottle at the picture. "Hehe yes Sophia, that's what we're going to go and do" she cooed praising Sophia quickly discarding the drawing.

Oassu chuckled squeezing Felina's hand gently "You didn't think it would all be fancy nice things did you?" he asked "Though will be my first time seeing an Antlion but they can't be any tougher than stuff we've already fought" he said shrugging.

Itaka raised an eyebrow spying the drawing "Well if all goes well we won't need to deal with them, like folks say it's easy enough to avoid them if you are wary" he said leaning towards Seph "Y'know if these things have no actual value surely we could just have picked one up on a market somewhere?" he whispered.  

[Captain Glomps]

Alpha scratched his chin "Well yeah a split might not be such a bad idea to save time. Those who sleep on the airship can stick around here while the rest of us go out into the desert I guess. That sound like enough of a plan for you Mari, coming out in the desert? You might make some cactuar friends" he laughed.

"Well why go to effort of risking harm creeping into an antlion for a worthless item when you can just stick a fake map on a piece of paper, dye it with tea to make it look old then sell it to ignorant treasure seekers. Its just as profitable and only take half the effort and you probably wont see them again. I know thats what I would do" Seph whispered back to Itaka with a smirk.

Yani shuffled further into the corner somewhat concerned with Sophia's behaviour "Umm maybe try to avoid the stabbing and killing part when you can. They do actually have some benefit for the environment. Clear up the sand dunes making easier travel. Anyway we'll take good care of you whatever plans you eventually decide on. Your party is tiny compared to some groups we deal with."

Hebal giggled seeing Yani watching Sophia "Shes a cute little thing isn't she. Don't be shy if you feel like petting her she is lovely if you give her a good tickle" she told the gira oblivious to his discomfort.  

[lack-of-originality]

Felina paused and quietly whispered to Oassu "Hey the only pearls I am familiar with are the expensive ones people try to give me so yes was execting something nicer" she admitted trying not to laugh at Yani's reaction. "Sophia is harmless really, Just a little toberry with no weapon anyway" she assured him.

Hayate shrugged "I guess the plan works with how we have split the party though if Im out hunting for antlions I expect you will help keep the rest of the group out of trouble. I don't trust Oassu on that one. Could easily see him pissing off the wrong person the moment he is left alone" he added jokingly.