Intro to Zoology (Izzack)

[The Izzack]

Izzack suddenly felt how he assumed a lab rat must feel like. Suddenly, eyes were on him, again. Bad. That's a bad thing. He looked briefly at Sierra, then Engle, then Cardinal, back and forth between the trio before he finally answered. "Uh...I'm not s-s-s-s...I am not sure how to describe it," he began, electing to practically bite off every word in order to avoid stuttering. "It's...weaving. Air, fire, water, earth, and spirit...they are like...well...cloth...or whatever." this was getting real awkward, real quick, and Izzack couldn't think of an easy way out. "I...uh...can't do it now, though. I need my gear for that. And I'm not wearing my gear now...and without my gear I can't do magical...acts...and that's why I can't do that now, because I don't have my gear." he was stuck in that loop for a short while longer before he shut his mouth. He wondered if they thought of him as a fraud? A part of him kinda preferred that. He'd get mocked, but maybe they would ignore him from then on? However, that would mean that he would have completely lost his chance to make a lasting impression on this captain man...well, lost his chance to make a good one anyway, though that might have been an impossibility from the beginning. He continued glancing at the people staring at him. Should he tell them that he didn't like people staring at him? Would that seem rude? Or cowardly? Neither was a good assumption to put forward, so he did his best to keep his mouth shut.

[Lepa]

"Ooh! ...Neat!" The rabbit swayed back and forth, unconscious of her movement. "So that's how you made the rock wall thingy!"

"Haa...? Is that so?" Engle tilted his head up slightly. "And that's what you use to help people, huh...?" He mused thoughtfully. "Granted," He then frowned slightly, near resembling a pout. "I don't quite understand magic myself, but..." He looked aside to the other man with a grin. "Mr. Blackmoore here does."

Cardinal cleared his throat again. "I only do show magic," he quickly clarified. "...but you are correct, I do have... some knowledge of the subject." He glanced back to Izzack. "Your method is interesting. However..." He frowned again. "Be careful not to push yourself too hard. Perhaps it isn't my place to tell you that, but..." The man trailed off, looking aside. It was apparent he was weighed down by some other thought. He shook his head out of it. "Ah... Sorry, but I should go."

"Oh? Not even some coffee before going?"

He shook his head again, looking to the clock on the wall. "The crowds in the park are a bit thicker around this time." He picked up a thick book he'd placed on the reception counter, nestling it under his arm. He smiled weakly. "Prime time for a magic show."

"Ooh, right. Sorry to have kept you," Engle took his hand with a firm shake. "And let me know if you see any rowdy individuals."

"Will do, sir," Cardinal nodded before briskly heading out. Shortly after his leave, Katsurou spoke up.

"How does a magician contribute to... this?” He folded his arms. "He seems too... frail to engage criminals.”

"Mm! Probably information gatherin' or something." Sierra looked back to the captain eagerly. "Right? Right? Am I right? "

"Yes, yes, that's right," Engle assured her. "Examining the faces of a crowd is probably much easier to do them while mesmerizing them with card tricks." He paused. "...Well, for him, anyway."

"I see...”

"Speaking of that, I need to get back to work myself!" He looked to Sierra. "No more trouble today, understand?"

"Yessir, cappytain!" She replied, overzealous as ever. After he turned to leave, she looked back to the other two. "Well..." She beamed. "That went well!"

[The Izzack]

"I will do my best...sir." Izzack said, more to himself than to the departing magician. Magician...most people would probably think of such a man with scorn, or at least mock him, were he not looking, but the job title merely made Izzack respect the elderly man more. To be able to put yourself out there, in front of a crowd of people, knowing that half would likely deride you...This Mr. Blackmoore was a stronger man than Izzack, that much was certain.

Sierra's proclamation drew him out of his admiration for the departed magician, however. He stared at her for a few seconds. Didn't she get...the boss...angry at her? "I, uh, suppose it did. It could have been worse." whatever. If she wasn't going to point it out, Izzack wouldn't either. Maybe it wasn't a big deal anyway. "Sure seems like a lot of different talents are needed to keep this place running well." he offered, not quite knowing what to say. Talking about the combination of intelligence gathering, boss...ing? and actual bounty hunting certainly seemed a safe small talk route, so he stuck with that. "W-what do you think?" he added, almost an afterthought, looking briefly towards Katsurou.

[Lepa]

"...Hm.” Katsurou hummed in response. "It certainly seems that way.” He responded, though his expression was flat. After a few seconds of silence passed, it was clear that he didn't have much to say, either.

"WELP!" Sierra pipped up, clasping her hands together excitedly. "Since, by cappytain's orders, I can't do anymore bounty hunting for today, I'm gonna head to the park!"

"Hm? Are you following Mr. Blackmoore?”

"Naaah, I'm gonna pick wild flowers!" She clenched her fist excitedly. "I think I've earned it!"

"Ah...” The corner of his mouth curled upwards slightly, though his expression neutral. "...Where is this park, anyway?”

"Haa? You don't know where it is?"

Katsurou shook his head. "I've only just arrived here the other day.” He frowned. "This city is mostly unknown to me.”

"Ehhh? Really?! Huh... Well then!" She puffed up her chest confidently, pounding a fist to it."Good thing you're stuck with me! I'll lead the way~! ...Ah!" The rabbit looked to Izzack. "Right! So, since Kitty here is bodyguarding me-"

"Katsurou,” he corrected under his breath.

"-he has to come with me, but what about you?!" She leaned into his personal space. "Do you wanna hang out?" She asked, though quickly withdrew with a few coughs, shielding her face with her arm. She hadn't noticed it before, but getting up close and personal made it much more clear that whatever he was wearing was... kinda stinky. She kept her face covered however, coughing a few more times in attempt at making it seem that it was just a sudden fit. "Haa... sorry 'bout that! So, yeah or nah?"

[The Izzack]

"I think I'll..." Izzack paused. He was about to say no, but an errant thought crossed his mind shortly before he could turn down the offer. If he said yes, he would have to deal with this girl who seemed to...really like making him uncomfortable, for some reason. That was a pretty big negative, but on the upside, if he went to the park, the same park that Mr. Blackmoore went to perform at. Well, maybe he could catch the show. That'd be nice, seeing someone do magic at a crowd of people, even if it wasn't real magic. Perhaps just watching might give him some tips on public interaction...okay, he would probably not be learning anything he could directly use from some card tricks performed in front of entertained citizens, but maybe there would be some nugget of knowledge he could dig out from the performance.

That single little thought changed his entire outlook on the whole situation. Yes, he would probably have to deal with Sierra's...excitable nature, but seeing Mr. Blackmoore's performance would be worth it. It had to be! "You know what? I think I will join you...I mean, if it's okay with you. If you were just saying that to be nice, I completely understand. Sorry if I made it awkward by accepting." he said, realizing the possibility just moments after accepting her offer. What if she was only inviting him to be nice? What if she actually just wanted some alone time with Mr. Katsurou, and he was forcing himself into that picture? God, he should have thought about that before. What kind of idiot doesn't think about those things before hand? Whatever kind of idiot Izzack was, apparently.

[Lepa]

Sierra removed her arm with a pout. The expression on her face immediately changed, however, as she grinned with an excited "Neat!" She started towards the entrance. "Let's go, then!"

"Right behind you,” Katsurou said, following her.

"Great, that's what I wanna hear!" She laughed, switching to a goofy prance. "No need to worry about watching my back when you've got it for me~!" She stopped briefly to jump up in excitement. Katsurou hadn't anticipated it and nearly walked into her. Odd for someone who seemed so crisp in battle... He supposed he'd have to get used to it, though. At least, just for the time being...