“Sorry for the inconvenience,” Aida murmured, bowing slightly to Tyda and his dark-haired companion.
“Not at all! Seems like you and Kuri have a story,” Tyda said, amused. He patted the space on the long bench next to him. “Come and have a seat. Unless you want to clean up a bit first?”
Aida glanced down at her clothes, flustered. She wasn’t in nearly as bad of a shape as Kuri, whose entire shirt had been so shredded by acid that it looked more like a stringy halter top. Regardless, she still looked like a complete mess, with the sticky web-goo still clinging to her clothes, dirt smeared into her skin from all the dust kicked up from the fight - and Aida reached up to her hair, conveniently dislodging a leaf.
“Yes, please,” Aida said faintly, embarrassed by how these two professional Adventurers were clearly trying to hold back their laughter. She was sure they meant well, but what did they say about first impressions mattering?
“Come this way - you can start washing up, and I’ll get Kuri to bring you something to wear so that we can get your clothes sent out for sanitation.” Tyda swung his leg over the bench with the casual confidence of an athlete, not afraid to hide his strength.
Despite her leery perception of athletes in high school (loud, obnoxious braggarts), Annie now appreciated Tyda’s unapologetic confidence in himself: What you see is what you get. I have nothing to hide. If he really was the leader of the Gullbeaks she could see why Kuri embraced her personality so wholeheartedly, even among the other Affiliates who held themselves stiffly and graciously: intent on portraying the most polished versions of themselves.
Tyda led Aida up the stairs to the second floor, pausing briefly to knock on a door that was painted in a garish orange color with an equally garish yellow sign with a smiley face on it.
“Aida’s going to wash first,” Tyda called through the door in response to Kuri’s muffled inquiry. “Can you bring her something she can wear?”
“Take this first!” Kuri’s door popped open a crack, and a towel was thrust through the opening. “I’ll bring something for you in a bit!”
“Thanks, Kuri,” Tyda said, smiling briefly. He waved Aida towards the end of the hall, where he opened the door to a washroom. “Take your time. We’ll all be in the mess when you’re done.”
“Thank you,” Aida said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat, saying in a rush, “Thank you so much for your hospitality.”
“Baw, don’t even mention it,” Tyda said airily, waving his hand dismissively. “We’ll chat in a bit.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After a very thorough shower to get the feeling of phantom spider feet off her skin, Aida made her way back down to the ground floor, her dirty clothes in a laundry sack Kuri had brought her.
“Hey, Aida! You feeling better?” Kuri sang, waving; Kawa was seated next to her, and he leaned back on the bench to avoid her haphazard arm swings. Kuri was dressed in casual, comfortable shorts and a shirt, looking much more like a college girl on laundry day than a formidable warrior.
“So much better,” Aida agreed, smiling. She didn’t realize how much the grime and feeling of spiders crawling on her skin had affected her mood. Even her perception of how the Gullbeaks perceived her seemed refreshed after the shower, the negative, squirmy feeling gone. Everybody was looking at her with cheerful welcome.
“Now that we can actually see your face, let’s do introductions!” Kuri bounced to her feet, skipping around the table to drag Aida over to the group. She swept Aida’s long hair behind her shoulders affectionately, facing her towards the three men at the table. “Everyone! This is Aida Loreh, ranked 15, Water element! Her primary interest is in Healing, and she’s got serious potential!” Kuri shook Aida’s shoulders proudly. She turned to face Aida, pointing at each man as she introduced them.
“You’ve already met Tyda Auyn, our beloved leader, Water element! That old man there is Arryn Rothir, Metal element. He kind of took us in when we first started banding together, so he’s the dad of our family. And that guy there is Kawa Kisa, my brother! He’s Earth element, and it’s his responsibility to keep me alive,” Kuri said, puffing her chest out importantly.
Aida giggled as Kawa and Arryn both sighed at their introductions. Arryn stood up and held out his large hand to Aida, whose fingers were barely able to grasp his entire palm. “Welcome, Aida. Kuri was telling us how you two unexpectedly ended up at headquarters this rest cycle.”
“Thanks for letting me stay with you guys,” Aida said hastily. “If there’s anything I can help with—“
“Don’t be so formal,” Kawa said lightly, standing up to shake her hand as well. “You’re our guest, and it’s technically Kuri’s fault for taking you on an expedition that risked your life.” Just like Arryn’s hand, Kawa’s hand was covered in calluses.
“But she learned Crit Up!” Kuri argued, shaking Aida vigorously as if she was the one arguing. “It wasn’t a total waste.”
“Sit down and relax,” Tyda said, taking the laundry sack from Aida’s hand and bringing it behind the bar. “Lula and Yoon are bringing lunch back, so we can all eat together when they get here.”
Feeling very disoriented by all the chaos, Aida allowed herself to be pressed down onto the bench next to Arryn, just as the tavern door slid open again. Two women entered, one a brunette with short hair and green eyes, and a taller woman with a regal bearing and long black hair done up in elegant braids and red eyes. Both of them were carrying packages wrapped in cloth.
Both women cast a cursory glance around the room, offering Aida small smiles as they approached.
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“Hello, I didn’t realize we would be entertaining Kuri and a student this rest day.”
“Yeah, we got into a scrape with the spider infestations, so we thought we’d recuperate here before heading back to school tomorrow,” Kuri said, abashed. She seemed slightly intimidated by the taller woman, giving her a cursory hug before latching onto the brunette as her usual pert and perky self. “Yoon! I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too,” Yoon said, smiling as she leaned her head against Kuri’s affectionately. “So what happened? I wouldn’t have thought you’d run into issues. We’ve been busy keeping the region clear of monsters ever since that nasty attack on those two Maglica students last moon cycle.”
Aida opened her mouth to ask more details about the development of attacks, their professional opinions and theories, perhaps, but she held herself back as the conversation continued.
“Kuri got overconfident,” Kawa said, sighing. “She thought she could protect Aida, even though Aida warned her combat wasn’t her specialty.”
Kuri made a distressed noise, swatting at her brother.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, we’re being rude - I’m Yoon, Wood element,” the brunette said brightly, turning to Aida with Kuri still clinging to her. Her bright green eyes crinkled in a sweet smile as she deposited her parcel on the table. “I’m actually Kuri and Kawa’s cousin!”
“And I’m Lula,” the taller woman said, inclining her head. Her voice was deep and soothing. “I’m a Fire, so I’ve been filling in for Kuri while she’s been at Maglica.”
“Nice to meet you,” Aida said softly, dipping her head at the two women. Their self-confidence was intimidating - quite different from Kuri’s own energetic spunk. Will I ever be like them one day?
“Thanks for bringing lunch,” Tyda said, taking Lula’s package from her hands to the other side of the table. He began unwrapping that stack. “Here, everyone grab something.”
The Gullbeaks fluttered around, setting up the takeout boxes Yoon and Lula brought back.
“So Aida, you said you’re from Maglica. What career are you interested in?” Yoon asked. She was very friendly, and seemed like a less boisterous version of Kuri.
“I want to be a Healer,” Aida confessed, feeling somewhat ashamed that she was such an outlier among these Adventurers. “Kuri knows I have a small mana pool size, so she offered to teach me how to be more efficient with it…it really wasn’t her fault that we got attacked and overwhelmed.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lula said softly, glancing down the table to make sure the men were occupied with their own spread of food. “Kawa is tough on his sister, but it’s only because he cares - he was very worried about her while she was gone, but we can only send one Affiliate to Maglica.”
“How many graduates are you hoping to recruit?” Aida asked, curious.
Yoon and Lula looked at each other. “Well, we’re trying to remain open-minded. If we find the appropriate talent, we’re not going to restrict our budget. Likewise, if we don’t find anybody suitable, we won’t be pressuring ourselves to make an offer. We do want to grow our company,” Yoon said thoughtfully. “But we don’t want to just hire anybody, you know?”
“I understand,” Aida said quickly. She considered for half a beat before saying, “My best friend at school really looks up to you guys, and she’s also in the top five - I think she got along really well with Kuri, too.”
“Oh really?” Yoon asked, smiling in delight. “What element is she?”
“Her name is Suelina Heslia, and she’s a Fire element,” Aida responded. “That’s why she was worried - she said your roster probably doesn’t need another Fire, so she was feeling pretty uncertain.”
Lula leaned back, considering. “That’s not entirely true. Fires tend to burn out pretty quickly if they don’t manage themselves well, so it can be helpful to have more Fires. That was why I agreed to officially join the Gullbeaks in the first place - I hated seeing Kuri push herself so hard every time they have to go on an expedition, because everyone relies on her so much.” Lula also gave Aida a sly smile, glancing at Kuri as she entered a loud conversation with the men, waving her chopsticks vigorously. “That’s also part of why we sent her to Maglica, because I can better manage the burn solo than she can.”
“I see,” Aida said, following Lula’s gaze. She supposed it had to do with age - Sue and Natalie and Myk were more on the energetic side of the spectrum, while Lula and Kozu gave the impression of being steady flames. “I’m sure Sue will be reassured to hear that she still has a chance.”
Lula turned to Yoon. “We don’t have a dedicated Healer.” She glanced at Aida. “Any particular reason you don’t want to join the Gullbeaks? We can arrange for you to get Healer training as well.”
“Ah, well, I don’t think I can keep up with the combat,” Aida said, laughing awkwardly. Especially if it’s going to be worse than today’s encounters. She picked at her food. “And I don’t know how to brew potions yet - I’m not entirely opposed to joining an Adventuring company, but I just feel like I have a lot to learn before I can become a valuable team member.”
“Is there a clinic you’re looking forward to working with?”
“Well…” Aida tapered off, uncertain how much to reveal. “I do like Relief for Health, down in Burston City; but I’ve only had one assignment with Healer Bokar Evins so far, so it’s probably too early to make any commitments.”
“Poisons,” Lula said thoughtfully. “That’s a pretty good field. Not too competitive, if you’re worried about that kind of thing.”
“Ah, yes, Healer Bokar did explain to me about the stigma associated…”
“Don’t worry about it, times are changing.” Yoon nodded reassuringly. “Besides, Poison specialists are finding their own niche in serving the Adventurer market - we’re a less superstitious bunch, compared to the industrialists.”
“Thank you.” Aida paused, hesitating. “Can I ask you…about the increased level of monster activity around the area?”
Yoon and Lula looked at each other, then glanced past Aida to look towards where the rest of the team was chatting. Tyda caught their eyes, and his expression turned serious. The rest of the table quieted, turning towards the young women.
“Before we talk about this, I just want to make it clear that the city council - and even the Strongholds, actually - doesn’t want this getting around. So just keep that in mind,” Yoon said seriously. “We don’t agree with that policy because we believe people deserve to know so that they get a chance to prepare protections for themselves and their families. But…”
“The city council is concerned that panicked citizens might create chaos,” Tyda said softly, picking up the narrative as Yoon trailed off. “And to a certain degree, they’re right. Most citizens wouldn’t be able to fight off the monsters that are starting to approach more aggressively anyway, so getting them agitated wouldn’t help.” He looked around at the rest of his team, who all had grave expressions on their faces. “Regardless, we’re not going to hide any information from anybody who’s asking questions. But neither are we going out of our way to cause panic. However, since you asked…” Tyda looked over to Arryn, handing the floor over to him.
“Let’s do it this way,” Arryn said, his voice deep and taking on a husky quality. “Let’s have a match. If you do well, you’ll get more information.”
Aida blanched, looking to Kuri for help. She leaned on her elbows and cupped her face in her hands, looking at Aida with a charmed expression. What have I gotten myself into?