The Shopkeeper's Daughter: Act 1

[desertbloomed]

Characters: Ashelia, and other Heroes that answered her call
Where: Her house, B-05
When: 09/10
Summary: Ashelia has an interesting proposal: that the Heroes of Light start acting like them.
Format: Prose or action is fine
Warnings: none!

Everything was set up perfectly. The table was laid out with a bowl of (non-spiked) punch and some sugar biscuits. Chairs were arranged into a circle. Ashelia paced around the living room anxiously. We haven't the time for this. That little girl was dying, and here she was, holding a meeting to propose a plan of action on what to do about it. That's what Queen Ashelia would do - that's all a queen could do. But I am no queen here. She should be out there, finding the seeds herself. The battle with the Chocobo Eater continued to gnaw at her, though. She'd gotten out of it relatively unscathed, but only because there were people more able to take the hits. She needed the other Heroes for this. As much time as she felt she was wasting with this meeting, she couldn't be in two places at once.

Comments

The meeting: Infodump and discussion

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia clears her throat as the assembled Heroes seat themselves. "Good evening. I am very pleased to see you all, and would like to thank you for taking the time to be here. This is a matter in grave need of discussion and, shortly, action.

"Nearby, in the Eighth District, there is a shop. A few of you may have been there already. It is run by a man whose daughter is gravely ill. He tells me he needs Baltoro's Seeds to complete the potion to ease her suffering. Alas, these seeds have not been seen within or without the walls of Aqures Ixen for months. We will find these seeds. We've two leads at the moment.

"The shopkeeper has provided me with a map of the area the flowers, Baltoro's Blooms, are said to grow in. I propose we mount an expedition to see if we cannot discern the cause for their disappearance.

"There is also the matter of Gerad." Ashelia pauses here, making sure she still has the Heroes' attention. When she's sure she does, she continues. "Gerad is a sellsword that was part of a caravan that was attacked not a fortnight ago. The caravan was utterly ransacked; Gerad is, as far as the shopkeeper knows, the only man involved still in the city. Despite my best efforts I have been unable to contact him. He sits in the hospital, refusing absolutely any visitors. This man will be our best lead on how to obtain the seeds, should the expedition prove fruitless.

"And so we come to the crux of the discussion. I propose we split into two groups and attack, so to speak, both of these objectives simultaneously. Our time runs short as that young woman's breath. What say you?"

[her_rose_is_red]

A small hand goes up in the back. She's embarrassed to have to ask, but....

"What's a 'fortnight?'

She doesn't know that word.

[goddessofthesky]

Zelda walked over with a smile.

"It means two weeks."

She didn't mind explaining things and it was nice to be able to gather everyone with the goal of helping out.

The meeting

[wear_tear_rust]

He stood at the back with his arms folded and his head down as he listened. It was his thinking posture and since he was a large man, he didn't want to obstruct the view of anyone that needed to see the speaker. He wasn't sure which path he wanted to take in this but the venture to find the seeds seemed right up his alley as a hobby botanist.

He thought on what other rare plants that didn't grow within Aqures Ixen, but that would take too long to gather that sort of data. Instead, he thought on collecting seeds from as many plants as possible just in case. It was also a good time to explore a few places for a crude map.

He had his own plan, it was getting things together that he had left to do as well as forming the party that would go with him. He waited patiently to make his decision toward the end of Ashelia's speech.

[kobatonotdobato]

Kobato had never really been in meetings before that weren't just her and Ioryogi and the children's park, but this one seemed very different from that one. More serious and less fire attacking her for once. She kept her hand on her legs as she listened to what had to be said first, taking everything in before giving a small look of sadness. That poor girl. Helping in this case seemed like a good idea and something she knew she'd want to try and help in.

So raising her hand slightly. "I'll be happy to help the best I can should I be needed. I wouldn't want to see a poor girl suffer after all."

[comeoutswinging]

"I'll be super honest... I'm not the best with words with other people... Especially ones in the hospital." she answers after Kobato's spoken up.

"But I'll be glad to head out and try and find the seeds on foot. You'll help me out, right Kobato?"

Meeting

[umslay]

A minute after Ashe finished her speech, Ales spoke up.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me more about these seeds?"

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia tilted her head to the side, nodding cautiously. "I can certainly try. I am not as learned in Botany as some, and while I was able to perform some superficial research into the flower and its seeds, the knowledge falls somewhat out of the scope of this mission. What would you know?"

[red_planet_blues]

The marshal sat somewhere near the back of the room, arms folded behind his head as he listened. Not exactly the sort of job he was expecting, but a noble cause nonetheless.

"We got any idea why this guy is refusin' to talk to anyone? Sounds fishy. Ya think if he was robbed, he'd be lookin' for some help. Or maybe he's too afraid to talk."

The latter was probably unlikely from a sword-for-hire, but you never knew.

"As far as lookin' for the flowers, I can probably cover a lotta ground with my rocket steed. So whichever side ya need me for, I'm in."

[desertbloomed]

"None, unfortunately." Ashelia folded her hands behind her back as she recalled her multiple attempts to visit the man. "I've considered many options, but until we are able to question the man ourselves, they are no more than conjecture. The shopkeeper knew only the man's name and where he is being housed while he coalesces. Gerad was not hired by our friend directly. Presumably he was in the employ of the company shipping the goods."

"As for which party you join, I would prefer you as part of the scouting expedition. Your talents do seem somewhat equally distributed for these tasks; however, this rocket steed of yours should ease the journey considerably, saving us precious time."

[iknowtheconsequences]

The overall problem seems easy enough. Putting it into terms that Kaji can understand, there is a specific kind of medicine, unseen in the city for months. That likely means there's a secondary use for them. In Kaji's world this would be some other- chemical properties. But here, they could have some other magical use, or who even knows?

"My particular skill set might not be as useful in the wild. But, a man to get information out of? Now that's my specialty," Kaji pipes up with a self-assured smile. "Do we know anything about this Gerad, other than his occupation?"

[desertbloomed]

"I am glad to hear it." To be honest, Ashelia was more expecting results out of the interrogation than the scouting expedition. The men and women who needed the seeds had no trouble obtaining them from their natural habitat before six months ago - the fact they were gone from the city completely probably meant something happened to the area. It was what happened to the area that she meant to find out with the expedition. Gerad was a more solid connection to the seeds than somewhere they likely no longer grew, in Ashelia's opinion.

"As for Gerad, unfortunately not. Our friend the shopkeeper knows only where Gerad coalesces and his name. Presumably Gerad was in the employ of the company shipping the goods. The shopkeeper did not hire him directly to procure the seeds."

Meeting

[thegreatninja]

Yuffie had managed to sneak in right before the meeting started. She had no idea what it was about or why everyone was gathered but it seemed like a good chance to asses those who called themselves heroes. She snuck to the back of the room and watch everyone as the meeting continued.

She kept her thoughts to herself as she listened closely to Ashile and then the conversations around her.

[urnotafraid]

He stood in the back, having really not much to say about everything. He wasn't the best person to call himself a hero - in fact, he was about as heroic as a piece of fluff being a bird. He was a crook and despite Zal's attempts at making him feel like he was a part of this, Sho just was idling on by and trying to make sense of this world.

"It should be easy enough to make the guy talk," Sho said, shrugging slightly. He remembered the girl from the fight and while he still questioned her abilities to lead mainly because look more like they were assuming what they need instead of what they will need, he was still listening..

"'Course that depends on exactly what you're gonna need in your scouting mission. Fighters and soldiers and even a cop or three you've got, but what other problems are you gonna run into? Would you need people to take apart traps and who's got that skill? What about marksmen and magics? You might wanna also figure out who would work with best as what."

[umslay]

Sho's housemate, who hadn't been seen since he arrived the previous week, was still skeptical about what they were to do with the mission. How were they to find the seeds if they knew so little about them? And why would they need to send a large group to retrieve something so small?

Ales listened carefully to Sho's comment. He was right: they would need more than traditionally heroic skills.

"I'll have to agree with this fellow here," he said as he stood up on his chair. "Not only would they need physical protection, but someone skilled in subterfuge and trap detecting as well. Plus, we need someone who will be able to identify the seeds by sight." Ales was prepared to research them himself whether he decided to join the mission or not, but he wasn't going to volunteer on a whim.

[shinrasfinest]

"It's a noble enough cause," Sephiroth nodded in Ashelia's direction and dropped his folded arms back down to his sides. The stretching of his lightly sun-caught skin itched a little but he did his best to ignore it. Much like Angeal, the tall silver-haired man had been stood near the outskirts of the circle listening to all that was discussed and taking it all quietly on board.

Picking around in the wilderness after some rare planet seed wasn't his idea of fun at all, though perhaps his Chocobo might be able to assist with it? He frowned some at the thought, considering how uncomfortable he felt around the big bird. Though, this Gerad character-

"This Gerad sounds more like a lead that needs to be followed up first. If he's been trading in the seeds then he might well know a more specific source for them."

[desertbloomed]

"To my knowledge, Gerad is but a simple sellsword. The caravan he was working for was transporting a number of goods, the seeds just one amongst them. While he may know something of the seeds, I should think it more likely he knows of who may have attacked the caravan and where they may have taken their spoils."

Re: The meeting: Infodump and discussion

[unitesearthandsky]

"I see no reason to not make way towards the seeds. You.. say that they will ease the young girl's suffering, right?"

He turns his eyes to the hostess, seemingly worried at what her response might be and the circumstances that will come with it.

"Do you mean that it will cure her, or will it only delay the inevitable?"

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia meets Link's gaze, nodding slowly. "That is so. The symptoms of her affliction are quite...physically taxing. Without the potion, the toll they take on her body...she hasn't long left."

Infodump Reaction

[gomu_ningen]

The would-be King props himself against a nearby table, his arms crossed over his chest as he tries to give his focus to the words spoken by Ashe. So much of him was used to leaping into the fray and getting things done without worrying about the details, and that notion is still as fresh as ever in his veins. Putting both his feet flat onto the floor, Luffy slams a closed fist into his open palm. The echo of knuckles cracking breaks the momentary silence after Ashe has finished, giving his answer with a nod.

"Whoever is going after the seeds, I'm going. No reason to let a girl die.. Not when there are so many delicious things for her to taste and eat here. I'm gonna' need a Pirate Lunch Box and a rucksack. I'll have my crew with me, too. Ib, Ales, that Knight I met the other day.. Mordred, and if I can find myself a musician we should be solid!"

[umslay]

The Teensie was in the middle of discussion with Ashelia, pondering how to offer his services, though unwilling to go on either mission, when Luffy spoke up. Ales' locks nearly hit him in the face with how quickly he turned to face him.

"Are you volunteering me for this?!" He tilted the brim of his hat up to have a better view of the so-called pirate. This boy just made it impossible for him to back out now that he was expected to participate.

No matter. After a few seconds of looking at Luffy incredulously, Ales took in a quick breath and relaxed. "I have to say this: I'm no physical fighter. If you're bringing me along, expect someone else watching out for my back."

replied to the wrong comment, orz

[desertbloomed]

"Let me be absolutely clear when I say that Ib will not be joining the scouting expedition. I forbid it." Ashelia fixed Luffy in her very formidable gaze. The very fact that he suggested she go along is enough to earn her wrath. What if he gives her ideas?

so late, sorry! i just thought i should stick a comment in to know she's present... aheh... !!

[grandsummon]

After Ashelia concluded, Yuna closed her eyes briefly letting some of the others ask their questions, and listening intently from the clarification that they received. Her hands rested in her lap, clasped together, but still relaxed as she took in all of the information, before finally raising her own voice when there was a moment of quiet.

"White magic is something that I've always been able to help with but... plants aren't exactly my expertise, I'm afraid. If... there is somewhere where skills like mine would be best suited, well -- I'd like to help in any way that I can."

dooon't worry! there's more than enough room on this crazy train

[desertbloomed]

"A white mage would be more than welcome on the scouting expedition." Ashelia nodded at Yuna cordially. "If you are willing to accompany us, we would be glad to have you."

Father knows Zelda is one of the few reasons we survived the Chocobo Eater.

Meeting

[neverfirstclass]

Cloud listened to the whole story quietly but intently. The whole thing seemed straightforward enough. He recalled how hard it could be to get supplies for medicine in Nibelheim on occasion. They always found a way to manage, but when the weather got particularly bad the town was fairly isolated. If the ingredients were rare it was even worse.

The other part of the operation still confuses him however, "Why are we interested in this mercenary? How is he involved in all of this? I mean, how do we know he knows anything at all?"