Jumping straight into it. (Aussa, Anisha, Leonardo, CLOSED)

[Wood]

Aussa was running about the library for several hours now. Gathering books about strange monsters, odd plant life, ancient architecture, tool construction, map making, and some other odd things. The library has a number of side rooms, with long tables built into it, and one was given to her today for her planning. These rooms are meant for meetings, and Aussa did tell the librarian that she'd be expecting visitors. She'd posted a number of signs around town, asking for adventurers to meet her here. The adventure would be a simple one. Something ordinary humans ought to be able to handle.

She'd heard of some ruins nearby hidden away in a dark part of the woods a few miles away from Aster City. Having brought her little Eidolon Tidbits to the entrance of the ruins, she was able to get a read on the place. It seemed to be an abandoned temple, one with middle eastern influences. It must have been built at least 500 years ago, if not longer. Or at least that's what her books said about the large dilapidated dome roof. Aussa felt as though the place was older than that. The fact that the forest and swamp were starting to eat it, and make it sink even deeper into the ground, made this expedition feel urgent. Given another 50 years even, the entry points would have to be dug out, and it could very well be completely full of water.

Parts of the temple were already flooded. When Tidbits went in, he'd seen aquatic plant life, and some strange crustaceans skittering around. A handful of human sized crawdad like creatures were patrolling the halls, likely hiding and protecting a cluster of eggs. Defeating these creatures would probably prove to be difficult. Their armor like exoskeleton hard to pierce. Fighting these creatures would be the hard part. The other hazard was the moss. Floating about the surface of the water, in large green patches, was moss. At first glance, nothing to worry about. However, Tidbits had walked through some and his body tensed up. This moss seems to send paralyzing currents through whatever touches it. If somebody swam through it, they'd surely be unable to swim and would sink like a rock to the bottom. 

These hazards are something to consider, sure, but the goal? The goal is at the bottom of the temple. It's built with a ground level, and 3 basement levels, each deeper than the last. When a person enters, they are on the top floor, which is built like a ring. Standing at the top, you can look down and see the other 3 floors. The bottom floor is a large hub room, with a statue standing in the center. Water comes up to its ankles, but it's standing on a pedestal. The water would likely be up to a regular sized persons chest. If anything else lurks in that water, Aussa could not be sure. But one of the goals is a necklace wrapped around this statues neck. Despite it's age, and the environment it's been residing in, it shines bright. The other goal, somewhere on B2 should be a library. Ancient scrolls have value to some people, and the monks of this temple may have had knowledge of some magic spells. The last goal, and the most ambitious one, is to bring back as many eggs as they could. These eggs make a mean omelet. Aussa knows many cooks who have dreamed of using these things in a meal, and part of her just really wants to try it.

So there she is. Sitting in her conference room, making maps and taking notes. Reading books about crustaceans and how to make rope ladders. Figuring out what kind of tools to bring. All the while Tidbits sat curled up in a chair, half asleep. Both waiting for their first volunteer to step in through that door.

[TDD25]

Anisha grumbled as she glanced into the room where a blue-haired woman was quickly alternating between gathering books and flipping through their pages. That’s what had brought her here, in fact. She had been using one of the dusty tomes that lined the shelves as a makeshift pillow; the woman in question had barely paused as she yanked the book from the shelf, Anisha’s head taking a rather unpleasant bump off the wood. Sure, most people didn’t notice her when she slept, but Anisha still found it a problem that she was unable to get a rest in arguably the quietest place in the bustling city. By this point, the woman seemed to have settled down. She was in one of those meeting rooms that people could talk in inside the library, so Anisha reached upwards and opened the door, hoping to at least air her grievances.

[Wood]

"Come in! Come in!" decried Aussa, whom was excited to meet her first volunteer of the day. "You must be here to join the adventure! Am I right?" She stood up and walked around the table to try to get a better view of her new slightly grumpy looking comrade. Oh my, she's little... Thought Aussa. I wonder what she can do. "Do you have any adventuring experience? What do you bring to the table?"

Tidbits, Aussas small eidolon companion was clinging to the corner between the door frame and the ceiling, eyes giddy with amusement, yet hiding himself from anybody that would think to look anywhere but straight up. Curious as he was he was more hesitant to greet the newcomer. The mental wave-link between Aussa and Tidbits sparked awkwardly making her realize herself.

Having suddenly come to the conclusion that she might be scaring the new person away, she straightened out her dress and gave a curt bow. "Sorry about that. My Name is Aussa. Pleasure to meet you."

[TDD25]

Taken aback by the woman's demeanor, Anisha forgot her purpose in entering the room, her mind instead flooded with Aussa's words. Anisha eventually settled on the words that stood out most, "adventuring experience," and by reflex, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, on which were scrawled her various employers and experiences. The most recent happened to be the well known game corner across town, and while it was dubious she would be getting a stellar reference from there given recent events, she figured that the rest of the page would be sufficient to show how capable she was. She handed over the paper to the woman before taking a seat at the table and looking over the various books and maps, her irritation now completely forgotten in the wake of a new prospect.

[Wood]

Aussas eyes quickly darted over the paper. It looks like this small girl enjoys working a large variety of jobs. Flexibility in life, moving from one position to another could be helpful during a raid. That and her weapons. If she's skilled with those, the piercing ability of the rapier might be able to get between the armored shells of the monsters down there. Her size could make her good at sneaking around. Yes. This girl will do.
"If you'd want to join me, I'd be happy to have you."

[TDD25]

Anisha awoke from what felt like a seven month, eight day, nine hour, and twenty-eight minute nap.

She simply nodded before sitting in the corner. All that was left to do was wait for more members to show up, which meant she could just sleep again. All in all, this had actually been a pretty good trip to the library. A new job and more naps. What's not to like?

[Lepa]

Leonardo Aurelius slouched over with a huff as he made his way into the library. "I'll do what I want," he grumbled to himself. Though he carried the responsibility for the relatively new branch of Heliosoft stationed in the city, he had pushed aside today's corporate duties to do... whatever this was. Was it irresponsible? No! ...Well, okay, maybe a little, but he knew someone else could take care of it. Sometimes, Leo just needed a break; not to say work was too much for him (because nothing was ever too much for him) but his upbringing made him... antsy.

Luckily for him, one of Aussa's fliers had somehow made it into the Heliosoft building. Leo had idly glanced over it to amuse himself for a minute or two, but... perhaps his ego convinced him to take up the challenge. After all, the corporate prince was raised to prove his strength on a constant basis, and what better way to do that than by demonstrating his amazing swordsmanship and cutting down any fools that would get in his way?

At least, that's what he hoped he would be doing.

Finding the assigned meeting room, he snapped opened the door (much more forcefully than necessary) and was just about ready to announce the declaration of his arrival before grasping the sight in front of him. He paused.

"...Hmph." He crossed his arms with a haughty grunt. "This is the "group" of adventurers? Tch... What a sorry state." He clicked his tongue in disappointment, glancing down at Anisha, then to Aussa. "You're lucky I showed up." He jabbed a thumb into his chest with a smirk. "The name is Leonardo Aurelius, and you won't need any other "adventurers" to show up now that I'm here." He snapped a finger, his thumb motioning to the blade strapped to his back.

In all honesty, he didn't look like much of an adventurer himself. The sword was one thing, and... well, he sure had some armor. It was highly stylized and modern knight-like armor, but... it looked lightweight and didn't seem to offer much protection. The most telling sign was not the fact that it barely covered up half of his body, but the fact that what he wore underneath was very clearly... business casual. Any other person would probably assume this was a prank, or a maybe poor, delusional fool, but... the way Leo carried himself was clear that he was very intent on doing this - especially in dress pants, of all things.

[Wood]

Surprised at the incredible force of the man that just entered the room, Aussa blinked twice- three times. It worked.
"Welcome, Mr. Aurelius." She was expecting him. She had gone through some trial in and of itself just to get the flier into the Heliosoft building. They had pretty heavy security, but Tidbits was able to make it into the ventilation system and work his way to the break room, where the flier became a source of workplace hubbub. It was only natural to have found its way to the fierce and hot headed Leonardo. Word around town was that he was fairly skilled with his blade, and very prideful of himself. He couldn't back down from a challenge. Even if he turned out to be reckless or a hindrance to the mission, Aussa would have the opportunity to make a new and important business partner. If all else fails, she might be able to get some blackmail on the guy.

"Why would the heir to such an important and influential business conglomerate be interested in such a messy quest?" She asked. "Surely, you have more important things to worry about. Are you sure you're up to this? She poked at his pride with these questions. If she could make him think he needs to prove himself to her, he'd be in the palm of her hands. Aussa looked over to Anisha to see if she was still sleeping through this. Since she was part of the team now, she should have some say over this new guy, but it also didn't really look like he'd take no for an answer anyway.

[TDD25]

Anisha, feeling the atmosphere of the room change rapidly, reopened her eyes. The figure standing before her was interesting in quite a few ways. His fashion was definitely on the stranger side; while she saw much worse in her time, those kinds of people were the ones she'd purposefully nap around. You can't be hassled if they don't know you're there. Leo, on the other hand, had an entirely different demeanor. The man practically oozed with confidence, which in this case, was a very good thing.

The list of jobs Anisha had failed to complete was rather small, and she liked to keep it that way. Of course, not everything can go onto a paper resume you hand around, but she was mentally keeping track. If there was anyone motivated enough to fight through the dangers of a mission, be it talking swords or transforming bears, it would be him. At the very least, if they failed, it wouldn't be due to lack of drive, and that was reassuring to her, so she simply nodded at Aussa when the woman glanced back at her.

[Lepa]

Leo smirked when he was addressed as "Mr. Aurelius." Damn straight, he thought. There were countless times he had to correct people who had the gall to call him by his first name - as if they were equals. It was laughable. He had no equals. So long as it pertained to the things that mattered - business and combat - he outclassed everyone he knew.

"Are you sure you're up to this?"

...Did he hear her right? He did, didn't he?

Leo's face quickly scrunched up in disdain. He hated a lot of things, and questioning his competence was one of them. The confidence in his stance quickly shifted to hostility. He leaned over to look down at Aussa, sneering in her face. "Are you underestimating me?" He growled, audibly bristling with anger. "Do you really think that's a wise idea?" He spat with an indignant "tch." "You're the one calling adventurers to your little "expedition," he air quoted. "Clearly, you're either one of two things: weak, or cowardly. In fact, it seems there's a high possibility that you could be both." He pulled away, arms folded defiantly. "The fact that you would even need help is pathetic. You should feel grateful that someone as powerful as myself has even considered joining you," He paused, then punctuated his words for emphasis. "Because I am the best at what I do."

[Wood]

Aussa hesitated a long moment, feeling as if she was seconds away from being grabbed by the collar of her blouse. "Ohh, no no no. I wasn't questioning if you were capable or not, I have heard many things about you, and I am sure you could handle the task. I was questioning your availability. I figure you are a busy man. But, if you came down here, I am sure you have successfully set aside the necessary time for it. I would expect no less from somebody as resourceful as you." She stepped forward towards him. Just a step. Enough so that she had to look up to him. Hands on her waist, she surely looked bold, even if not very intimidating. "We can set out right now". She was not about to ask him if he was ready or not. Because, surely, he was born ready.

[Lepa]

Leo stared back at her with a silent but terrifying intensity.

"...Heh."

He snerked, pulling away. That smug sneer was still plastered on his face, but he seemed to be more amused than anything. Lesser people would crumple under mere the weight of his gaze, but this woman hadn't. Perhaps he was the tiniest bit impressed at her careful wording. Perhaps he was mentally scoffing at her for fearing what he could do. perhaps it was both? Either way, he seemed to no longer feel slighted, which was probably in the best interest for all involved.

"Yeah, fine," he affirmed, waving a hand at her suggestion to begin their quest. "Like I said..." He shrugged conceitedly. "Why bother with other so-called "adventurers" when Leonardo Aurelius is here?"

[Wood]

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