Looking for Work (Open)

[Melodia]

Rurutani took a deep breath and checked the note again, ensuring it was correct. He wanted to get her attention, but was starting to wonder if this was the best way. He resigned himself to the fact that Miqo'te was intimidating and rather than clam up at the last second, he wanted to make sure he asked what he wanted without ending up in a cell somewhere for public stupidity.

 

He checked the area and saw a few folks down the way but no one was close enought to the Sultansworn office to notice him in any detail. He quickly tacked the notice on the board next to the office and walked away, afraid she might bound out of the office at any moment.

 

The note read:

 

"To the Sultansworn known as Natalie, I am looking for work, perhaps within the Sultansworn, if you'll have me. My name is Rurutani and I know one of your members, Kage. I look forward to hearing from you."

[Kage]

Kage looked around the Chamber, having not seen any of his friends lately. He had been searching for clues about "The Rose" as well as on Roen, his friend who he has not seen since her Trial of Courage. His worry multiplied twelve-fold when he had his re-trial, this time with Lambert. The worry increased because he found out that Roen had failed the Trial of Loyalty as he had but she had not shown to do re-do the test. Where was she? He had hoped he could find some clues but he hadn't seen anything. At this point he wondered if Natalie had any news about it.

 

Walking past the board near the office his eyes caught two notes. He pursed his lips as he read the note about Ser Anelia. Kage still felt like something had gone horribly wrong but he just didn't know what. Then he caught another note, written by someone with a familiar name. Reading it, a small smile started to grow on his face. After peering around the chamber, Kage took the note off the board and headed to see Natalie.

 

"Hey Natalie! A friend of mine left a note outside... said he's looking for work! Any chance you can help him? He's pretty good with a bow."

[111]

"Hmmm?" Natalie said distractedly as Kage told her, "Work...? This isn't a job agency Kage".

 

She sees the disappointment on Kage's face, and softens, "Ah well perhaps I can work something out, a friend of yours you said?". Natalie taps a finger on her jaw absentmindedly, "Actually, we do need help, we are not receiving as many recruits as planned".

 

She paces back and forth for a moment, "I was going to give this job to Roen but..." she stops for a moment her face conflicted, "I suppose it falls to you now". She turns to Kage, "Your archer friend, is he a tracker as well?"

[Kage]

Kage completely forgot about why he thought the note was something he was excited about and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "To be honest, I'd been trying to get Ruru interested in being Sultansworn, or at least a Paladin who we may find useful while short-staffed... But I think he'd be like me when I first met you in terms of sword skill."

 

He straightened in concern and worry at the mention at Roen before continuing, "He seems to carry a sense of justice and love for Ul'dah as well as Thanalan. He mentioned the area being his home and his being an Ul'dahn native."

 

Kage nodded, thinking about to the conversation he had had with Rurutani at Quicksand awhile ago. He remembered Ruru about trying to find someone... "I believe he said that he's a tracker by heritage."

 

Kage bit his lip and decided to push further. "Is... did you hear anything about Roen? Did she... Is she...?"

 

Kage couldn't bring himself to ask. If Roen was gone... he should have been with her someway, somehow.

[111]

Natalie purses her lips and walks over to her desk, "Roen has decided to place other concerns ahead of her duties". Her voice is level and measured as she flips through a stack of papers, "I thanked her for her work until now, and gave her my blessing".

 

Natalie sighs, and meets him with tired eyes "She wouldn't tell me where she was, and why she was missing. Kage, if she can't trust me, how can I trust her?".

 

She shakes her head, "Enough of Roen, she made her choice". Natalie exhales, as if trying to release her doubts, "I have a job for you and your tracker"

 

"You remember those Lancers I presume?" she laughs seeing his negative reaction, "Well then, I hope you remember their faces, because I want you to find them". She taps her jaw, "Gridania and Ul'dah may be allies, but that doesn't mean armed bands of foreigners can romp through our streets without consequence. Find those lancers, figure out what power they represent, and determine if it is a threat to our city".

 

She hands him a folded, official looking document. "This should get you onto an airship, and the funds to hire that tracker" She nods, "I'll be awaiting your report, contact me if you need further support"

[Kage]

Kage bit his bottom lip, resolving to see what happened to Roen and finding out what was wrong. He nodded, affirming that it would be best to move onto the matter at hand before grimacing. He grit his teeth, his upper lip curled into a silent snarl. Oh he remembered quite fine the one lancer who annoyed him the most. Calling him a lackey when he had only wanted to make sure that Natalie and Kayah were not being harassed or in danger.

 

Kage took the document, glancing at it briefly before folding it and placing it under his surcoat. He remembered the female Keeper's face but the others had been masked, hooded or covered in some way. He would have to find her in order for him to find anything out. He would ask Ruru if he could seek her out, or perhaps an outright confrontation was in order. She and her group had done the same to Natalie and Kayah after all.

 

Kage nodded before giving Natalie a salute. "I'll find out what threat, if any, they represent and report to you with my findings."

 

He turned around, leaving the offices in search of Rurutani to tell him he had work. While Ruru got ready, Kage was going to see if he could repair what happened.

[Kage]

Tired but so very relieved, Kage looked for the other Lalafell that he hoped would consider becoming an applicant to the Sultansworn. The oath-sworn family was one he cherished; never more was it apparent than last night when he finally caught Roen. It was an emotional event but it all worked out. It was quite silly the reasons that she would not delve into, but the persistence of Natalie and Roen's friends seemed to finally break Roen down. Stopping his search to stand in a small dark alcove on the street, Kage leaned against a building wall to rest his back against the wall. He tilted his head back a little as he closed his eyes, smiling.

 

"We'll finally be working as equals... as oathsworn family," he whispered. "How Roen could think that..." He shook his head, it did not matter. Things would work out, he'd do all he possibly could to make sure of it. The company would too, he was sure.

 

Kage continued on his way, finally finding Rurutani. He held out Ruru's note and waved it in the air saying, "Ruru! I've got a job for ya. I've got a mission and you're going to help me track someone down who was leading a group of lancers as they harassed Natalie while she was off duty. They were particularly interested in one of my dear friends and her lover, seeming to want to exercise some vigilante justice."

He pulled out a document, "I've got the funds to hire you to put some tracking skills to work as well as access to the airship as we need to travel to Gridania. Most of the lancers were masked, but the leader was a female Keeper. From what I remember she had pale skin, a faint scar near her right eye, and an interesting tattoo of a teardrop on her forehead. We won't be attacking her; this is simply a mission of reconnaissance."

 

Kage folded the document once more, placing it in his surcoat, "We'll need to find out what her group is for, what they were after, and if they represent any danger to the city we all love here, Ul'dah."

 

He finally paused, giving Rurutani a small grin and a raised brow. "Get your stuff ready, when done we head out on an airship to Gridania. I'll pay you half when we get to Gridania for any tracking materials you'll need. I'll pay you the rest when we return to Ul'dah with the information we need. If we'll need to contact Ser Natalie about support, it may come later."

[Melodia]

Rurutani narrowed his eyes and sighed. He'd ben hoping for something a bit more permanent and this sounded like contract work, something his father had always warned him about in the past ("Son, a contract is just one ripped document away from being kicked to the curb."). However, the work sounded interesting and he had enjoyed his time in Gridania so going back would be a welcome trip.

 

He smiled and said "Thank you, Kage. I appreciate the offer and am glad to have the work." 

 

He wondered and then asked, "Do you think this will get me in your boss' good graces? I am looking for more long term work. And I'm willing to do whatever is necessary....well, we'll talk. Let me get my gear and I will meet you at the airship landing dock."

 

He was eager to get going and felt a chill wind in the air that made him think leaving sooner than later would be the best option for all involved.

[Kage]

Kage beamed, it was what he was hoping. He wasn't sure if Ruru was considering the Sultansworn or law-folk life but perhaps he would.

 

"Ruru, I think during and after this mission... if you're interested I'd love to see you apply to be a recruit to be a Sultansworn," he responded. Continuing, "The Sultansworn are in need of actual recruits. We don't just hand out jobs or work because that's for the sworn."

 

Kage met Ruru's gaze and said, "So think about that while we're on this mission. Granted you will need to learn how to use sword and shield like other Paladins... but not all Sultansworn keep using the sword after their training. There are in fact healers, casters and archers after all. So if you feel more comfortable with a bow after your training and swearing, I believe you can keep it as your main weapon."

 

"We can talk more after the mission but for now we'll both get ready before we head out."

 

((So I've PM'd Kiht and hopefully when we're all on we're not rando-busy. When we have a good time set up between /tells we can head out through airship to the gridania dock~))

[Melodia]

((Apologies for any dialogue errors...I don't have the chat logs as a PS3 player and am doing this the day after it happened.))

 

-Some Days Later-

Rurutani was completely nervous. Kage had informed him earlier that Ser Natalie of the Sultansworn wanted to to speak to him. This notion slightly terrified him as he had never met her in person and only knew of her in the city. His father had always drilled into his head the idea that certain folks were at different stations in society and Rurutani's family was one that existed in one of the lower circles. Ser Natalie and the Sultansworn were ones who were much higher up in society, so proper respect and honor were to be given, his father would say, were he still alive.

 

The red carpeting near the Chamber of Rule was impressive and the entire atmosphere was one that was almost overwhelming to the diminutive Lalafell who's life within Ul'dah previously would never have brought him here. No....this was the type of place that Nonotano would have come, but never Rurutani. His life had always been limited to the camps and outposts outside of the city. Thus, he was incredibly nervous about this meeting. Why couldn't Kage have been with him. Then at least he'd have a friend (he assumed they were friends at this point) nearby. But alas, he was going to go through this by himself.

 

He saw the Miqo'te woman approach and was taken aback. First, he noticed she was quite a beautiful woman, but then gathered his thoughts as he was then struck by the authority in which she carried herself. And it was not the garb she wore that projected that authority. That, as his father would have told him, was natural power she was projecting. She spoke first, "You are Ruru correct? I am Ser Natalie of the Sultansworn."

 

Rurutani said yes and bowed courteously to Ser Natalie with the respect due her position. She asked him, "Kage has informed me you have expressed interest in perhaps joining the Sultansworn. Is this true?" Rurutani was surprised Kage had told her but was also glad. "Yes. I'd like to be able to help my city, to be a part of it again. But...."

 

She looked a bit surprised, "Again...?"

 

"I have to tell you that my family....they were killed. Killed by my brother....and I suspect he is still alive out there. If this is a problem and will stop me from joining, I understand," he said, looking sad.

 

She smiled and asked, "Why would that stop you from joining? It is not your past I am interested but your future." Rurutani smiled and said "Thank you."

 

She asked, "How are your skills with a sword? All members of the Sultansworn must be skilled in the arts of the sword and shield." He looked at her and responded he had had some basic training at the local guild in Ul'dah but needed a lot of work. She brightened and said, "Perfect. I will have you work with Kage, in an apprentice role, and he can train you in the skills you need."

 

The idea appealed to Rurutani and he nodded in agreement. "I look forward to it. I will not let you down Ser Natalie." At that she said "No need for the formalities just yet. Once you are a member, we will worry about that then."

 

Rurutani nodded and said it had been his father who had taught him to show respect. He then asked if he should report to Kage and she agreed. He looked at the Miqo'te and expressed his happiness, "Thank you so much, Ser Natalie. You won't regret this." And with that he bowed again and left to go find his new mentor, Kage.

 

His world, it seemed, might be brighter than he thought it would be.

[Kage]

((2nd attempt at writing this out, forgot to use a word doc. Going through it I see I missed some dialogue while RPing with Kiht because of too many active chats ><; Like well, telling Kiht Kage’s name /facepalms))

 

-A Couple of Suns before Ruru's Meeting with Natalie-

 

Kage took a deep breath as he stood on the airship that would soon be arriving in Gridania. He was apprehensive and nervous. He didn’t want to cause an incident and it was already so chaotic when the group charged into Ul’dah looking to confront C’kayah. He still didn’t know why they would but they did. The call for assistance over the linkshell was unexpected and worrying, so Kage had charged out of the Quicksand to see what was going on. Seeing Natalie and C’kayah blocked off by 4 lancers surrounding them irked Kage to no end. Nevermind the fact that one of them deemed it necessary to insult his intelligence and want to be there to support his friends. Lackey? Pah!

 

 

The lalafell stepped off the airship into the landing dock, looking for his friend Ruru. Seeing him seated on a bench, Kage waved in greeting to Rurutani. "Hello, Ruru. I see you're ready. To tell you the truth, I won't be subtle about what I'm here for but we're not interested in nor do we have the authority for any type of thing such as arresting this person."”

 

 

“Sounds good to me. I am good with whatever the plan is....wait...we do have a plan, right?”

 

 

“... we ask questions.”

 

 

“That works for me. When do we head out? I’m eager to get started.”

 

 

"We head out now, let's make sure we have everything. Here, your first half of payment. I'll need you to make sure your sources are correct." Kage hands Ruru some of the coin that Kage received from Natalie as payment for Rurutani.  "I want to make sure, so you should ask at the Lancer's guild about it. I’m sure that since she’s sometimes been known to be found some place at the leatherworkers' guild, we'll know for sure if you head to the Lancers' guild."

 

 

Accepting the coins, Rurutani said, “Let’s head out then.”

 

Kage nodded to Rurutani and they set off. It was confirmed that the female Keeper they described to people at the Lancers’ guild could be found sometimes near the Leatherworkers’ guild. Based on their descriptions of her, it was learned that her name was Kiht, of the Jakkya family. They just needed to find her. As they approached the Leatherworkers’ Guild, Kage turned and gave Ruru a look, pointing into the distance. The Keeper was sitting on a rock. They approached her, trying to appear non-threatening and non-hostile. Kage bowed to her and Rurutani followed suit. The Keeper stood, regarding the two Lalafell who approached her.

 

 

“Um, greetings…” She said.

 

 

Kage gave a small smile responding, “I'm sure you recognize me from when you and your friends were in Ul'dah... I'm here... a little on official business. No harm to you and your friends though."

 

 

She rose an eyebrow at Kage, then her eyes widened in surprise. "You! Now I remember. You are a Sultansworn?"

 

 

Kage smiled and answered, "I've only recently finished my trials. I'm not a full-fledged sworn. Of course, Sultansworn do not have authority here in Gridania, and I'm only here as one who is in training so I'm not quite yet allowed to be in the garb. I think you might understand that.”

 

 

‘We're not here to harm you and such. We're just here to ascertain if there's any troubles we need to look into. We're curious as to why you would travel so far to confront an Ul'dahn citizen,” Kage continued. Rurutani looked at Kiht Jakkya and smiled, "We aren't looking for trouble...just answers."

 

 

She regarded them both. "I see. I am impressed that you have tracked me down, and wish to talk. I half expected the next Sultansworn I saw to arrest me. Very well. I will tell you why I was there, and why I wanted to speak with that....Sun-brother."

 

 

Kage nodded and murmured his thanks as she continued, “I am in the process of trying to gather and protect a group of people. They are Exiles in great danger." Kiht pauses and takes a deep breath.

 

 

Kage gazed upon Kiht Jakkya in deep reflection, “I see. That is, in fact, a very good cause. What did he do?"

 

 

Kiht continued, "While I was talking to a recent member of the group named Miss Rissa, a mercenary was discovered hiding in the bushes." She scowled, furrowing her brow.

 

 

Frowning, Kage asked her, "I assume you mean to say that this mercenary was hired to... kill her? By the Seeker you went to question?"

 

 

She shook her head. "That mercenary began interrogating Miss Rissa. The mercenary was heavily armed, and had vials of poison."

 

 

Kage Kiryuu frowned, visibly upset and bothered at the news. He believed he knew C’kayah, believing them to be good friends. This didn’t sound good. "Interrogation? Do you know about what?"

 

 

"I was alarmed. I had my weapon at the ready. This mercenary likely heard too much about the group I am trying to protect." Kiht paused to recollect the details to answer Kage's question. "The mercenary was asking about the Rose. I know not what she meant, but Miss Rissa denied knowing anything about it."

 

 

Rurutani looked to Kage, confusion written on his brow and in his eyes. Kage didn’t notice it though. He was upset, having twitched at the very mention of the Rose. It was very easily noticeable that he had a reaction to the name. He bit his lip to control himself but it was obvious that he was angry. "I will have to tell you this in confidence, as perhaps there is reason this mercenary was armed. 'The Rose' is an alias of a Miqo'te who fooled some of us Sultansworn and those in-training. We were duped into believing that we were confronting smugglers, those attempting to take ceruleam to bomb Ul'dah."

 

 

At his information, Kiht’s eyes widened. She paused for a moment in contemplation. "I see. However, Miss Rissa is no Miqo'te. She is a Hyur."

 

 

Kage continued, "These 'smugglers' were in fact what I believe to be Ala Mhigan refugees. While trying to defuse the situation, 'the Rose' caused a great deal of damage to the Nanawa mines, setting off an explosion. During the chaos of the event, a man died and a female midlander by the name Roen Deneith was wounded."

 

 

Kiht’s eyes grew wide at his words. "Roen?! What happened to Roen!" Kiht asked in an alrmed tone.

 

 

Kage answered, "Roen is a dear friend to me. The fact that we were duped by his Rose, and that she was hurt is maddening. Roen is fine now. But in that chaos at the time, she received some arrows to herself."

 

 

He shook his head, "I cannot help but wonder why this Seeker sent someone after one you protect, but 'the Rose' is dangerous."

 

 

Kiht looked deeply concerned. However she lets out a sigh of relief when she hears that Roen is alive. Kage continued, "I dearly hope that she is truly unconnected to the Miqo'te."

 

 

Kiht gazed upon Kage in deep reflection, contemplating something. It seemed as if she was suddenly lost in thought. Her expression betrayed her concern.

 

 

Concerned, Kage asked, "Are you ok, Miss?"

 

 

Concerned himself, Ruru asked, "Yeah...are you all right?"

 

 

"I-I will speak with Miss Rissa. I will find out if she has the connection." Kiht paused. " However, how I found out about C'kayah was through this mercenary that attacked me. She mentioned his name."

 

 

Kage nodded, "I do not want to displace your own confidence in your people, but please be safe. 'The Rose' has shown to be dangerous and if she is connected... I hope that you will not be harmed. Please, stay safe."

 

 

Rurutani nodded solemnly. Kage tapped his goatee, "I will handle C'kayah and bring it up with my own superiors."

 

 

Kiht nodded slowly still seeming a bit concerned. "There is one more thing that I must ask you..."

 

 

Kage nodded, "Please, ask away."

 

 

“I-I went to Ul'dah to seek out C'kayah because I thought he was a threat to the ones I protect. I came with armed guards because I knew he had mercenaries working for him who are highly trained. In the end, I only wished to talk....I suppose that didn't go well." Kiht paused for a moment. "If I went to Ul'dah once more... to.... see Roen....would I be arrested?"

 

 

Shaking his head Kage answered, "No. I highly doubt it. First you didn't break any laws. Second, I'll talk to my superiors." Kage grinned, "If you do come visit Roen, congratulate her on finishing her trials. Thank you, Miss. You've been very kind and helpful. I'll be sure to let Roen know you were concerned."

 

 

“My gratitude! I....I misunderstood the Sultansworn. I-I should have trusted you and your friends," said Kiht.

 

 

Kage smiled and bowed. Rurutani did the same as Kiht saluted them both. "I'll leave you to your business. Thank you once again,” Kage thanked the female Keeper. He bid farewell as Kiht said, "Menphina guide you both."

 

 

Leaving the airship landing dock in Ul’dah, Kage turned to Ruru and said, “I think that went well. You helped me locate her and nothing troubling happened. Here, the rest of the coin. I’ll have to report my findings to Natalie.”

 

Kage handed the rest of the payment to Rurutani and turned around. Waving a hand in farewell, “Don’t leave Ul’dah for work Ruru! I’ve got plans.”