[ Action / Fayren ]

[celestial_wizard]

[ Morning ]
[ If Lucy had butterflies the previous evening, by morning they had metamorphized into hornets. She'd been telling herself for a while she was going to see the guild, and could only validate putting it off for a month, so that she (and Natsu) could settle in. Temporarily staying in one of Fayren's Inns, that morning she was unnaturally quiet, until she finally announced that she wanted to go. Anyone in Fayren was bound to encounter Lucy (and Natsu at her side most likely) as they are out and about in Fayren. Feel free to approach, although her attention will be distracted at best. If not at the 'guild', she'll probably go to the market or the lake to look into rumors that Natsu heard about 'Nessie'. Maybe they'll get a sighting! That'd be exciting. ]

[ Late Afternoon ]
[ Regardless of how her trip to the 'guild' ended, Lucy didn't head out again until mid to late afternoon, reviewing the details of the job that was claimed. It sounded simple enough, just catch a thief and his thieving parrot. Easy peasy lemon squeezy right? So with Natsu and Wendy in tow, the celestial mage put as much mental space between herself and thought of the Guild as possible, focusing on the job. Surely an apparently distracted party of three would look like a tempting target for a thief and his thiefbird right? Heck, with two people who had amazing senses of smell, it was in the bag. ]

And believe it or not, we still have more crab from the last job, even after I sold a bunch to the fish market. I don't think I can think of more ways to prepare it.

[ She was chuckling to her companions, to all appearances looking like a common traveler, ripe for the picking. Here thiefy thiefy~! ]

[ OOC: The Late Afternoon prompt is a closed thread for her teammates, Wendy and Natsu, but feel free to run into her in the morning or anywhere else~! ]

Comments

Morning, Open to All/Threadjack ok~

[celestial_wizard]

[ Of course, 'SAYING' she wanted to go was a little easier than doing. She let herself get distracted by small things that were necessary down the line, but it would be obvious to anyone who watched her enough, that there was definitely something she was avoiding. After a while she would shake her head, and finally resolutely head out with her partner. Better to get the thing she dreaded most over with quickly, right? ]

[switch_over]

[...Eas had been watching the girl for a little while from afar. At first she was just interested in how easily the girl let herself get distracted, it wasn't for a little while that she realized that Lucy was openly avoiding something. That was enough to get her interested, if she could find out what Lucy was avoiding she could find a way to draw out misfortune energy.

And so she transformed into her Setsuna guise and approached Lucy, tossing her a curious glance.]

Looking for something?

Ohgod no

[celestial_wizard]

[ Lucy's attention shifted from eyeing a booth with some random trinkets to glancing at Setsuna, smiling in recognition. ]

Oh, not really I'm just sort of...window shopping, I guess. Only without the windows. [ Eheh. ] How have you been?

Ohgod yes

[switch_over]

[Setsuna returns the smile, though it's somewhat lacking in actual emotion.]

...So you're just shopping?

[How can you shop for windows if you know there aren't going to be any windows? That just sounds stupid.]

Well enough, I can't really complain. Yourself?

Re: Ohgod yes

[celestial_wizard]

[ Hey she didn't come up with the saying, missy! ]

... Yeah, I guess you could say that. I'm not really shopping for anything in particular though.

[ As for herself? ]

Oh ... well I've been keeping busy! We have enough crab to last for days, still. I'd have thought I'd be sick of making crab dishes by now.

[switch_over]

[Humans for other worlds just have weird sayings. They really need to just stick with "Everything for Lord Moebius" or something. Setsuna really thinks it'll catch on.]

...Then why are you shopping if you don't need anything?

[That just makes no sense, why are people in this world so illogical?]

I'd imagine so if you have that much crab. ...I can't say I've ever tried it before.

[celestial_wizard]

[ Nah, that one sucks beans. Lucy giggles faintly. ]

It's... just a way of passing the time. And besides, I might see something that I will want down the line. Just browsing can be fun.

[ She looked surprised. ]

Really? You should try it at least once. Unless you're allergic. I could bring some by the next time I see you, if you're here often?

[switch_over]

That sounds... Alright, I suppose.

...But very pointless.

[She doesn't normally do things for the fun of it. That's not what happens when you spend your life just following orders.]

I'm here often enough. If you bring some by I could at least give it a try.

[celestial_wizard]

[ Jeez Eas, get a hobby! ]

That's the good thing about doing things for fun. You don't really need a 'point' other than that. It's just something to enjoy.

[ SOLD. She grinned. ]

I'll be sure to do that then. Do you live in Fayren, or you just visit often?

Afternoon, Closed Job Thread

[celestial_wizard]

[ As an afterthought, Lucy glanced at her two companions, murmuring faintly. ]

I don't think I have to say it, but we'll have to be extra careful not to start a forest fire. I think it'd be best if we try to lure the thief to a less flammable area, if possible.

[ She didn't want them to get a paycut. But after that quick note, she was back to playing the part of the oblivious traveler, scanning the trees for any colorful birds. ]

[vernier]

Unless they can use magic, I don't think we'll need to use too much force. [It doesn't matter to her whether she's paid or not, but she'd like to avoid causing any property damage regardless.

Anyway, she'll look around for any signs of the parrot, too.]

[explodewiththerage]

Even if we start a forest fire I an always eat the flames that spread.

[Since the only flames he couldn't eat were those that came right out of his body not the stuff that caught fire during a fight. He looks a little bored about it though. Almost wishing the attack happened so he could cut loose.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ Lucy sighed faintly. ]

That's not the point, you know. [ Even if they could contain the fire damage, their pay would still be reduced~! She could tell he was bored though. Maybe she'd pick something with a little more risk and gain next time to make up for it. ]

Let's just wrap this up quickly. [ She wanted to invite Wendy back for dinner. Even if it was more crab. They were almost done with it! Poor Natsu was going to have to put up with the boring a little longer, as it takes a bit before they may catch sight of a parrot perched in the trees with some other birds. Don't mind him, he's just a bird doing bird things~! ]

[vernier]

Some animals may lose their home if we cause any destruction. [Sighs.] I'd feel bad for them if that happened...

[Though she can understand how this sort of job would bore Natsu, it still wouldn't be good to cause unnecessary damage. As she continues her search for the bird, she begins thinking about possible entertainment for Natsu after they complete this job. Maybe they can find someone or something for him to fight, or—if given permission—he can beat up the parrot trainer in a place where he can't cause too much damage.]

[explodewiththerage]

So what kind of bird we lookin for again? Would've helped if could've gotten something with its scent before but oh well.

[He shrugs as keen sharp eyes scanned the canopy overhead for signs of life that fit the description of their goal]

[celestial_wizard]

A parrot. They didn't give a very good description of its coloring or size or anything, but I don't think those kinds of birds would normally be seen in a forest around here. They're usually pretty colorful; a bird that's red, yellow and blue should stand out pretty well in a forest.

[ What with all the greenery. She glanced at Wendy, grinning and ruffling the girl's hair lightly. ]

That's why I want to see if we can keep the fight contained away from the trees. [ That and not wanting to lose any moneys. BUT there was definitely a colorful bird or two in the branches, some with the same coloration that Lucy described. Most of them were ignoring the noisy people below, but there was always an exception to the rule. At least three were eyeing the humans. ]

I'm not sure if the trainer is nearby als-

[ And there's a parrot suddenly diving at people's heads. Ohgod it's going to get in your hair and give you a bad hairdo! ]

[vernier]

[She quickly ducks as the bird attempts to dive bomb her. It'd be great if Happy or Carla were here, but they'll have to do without them.]

I-I'll use my Dragon Slayer magic to try and knock it down! [She takes a deep breath, preparing to use her Roar. Before she can act, however, she realizes her teammates may be in her line of fire.]

The parrot's too close! ...Maybe we can catch it if we're faster! [She begins casting the spell.] O swift wind that dashes through the heavens! ...VERNIER! [Even if the spell only lasts a brief period of time, it'll hopefully help them avoid the parrot and enable them to capture it more quickly.]

[explodewiththerage]

If he'd seen the parrot coming, Natsu could have potentially grabbed it on the first dive. As it were he was just as surprised as Lucy to come under the attack of their target.]

Cocky feather-duster just you wait until I get my hands on you!

[And just then he felt the familiar surge of power from Wendy's spell.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ Lucy kept a hand over her keys, not wanting to chance the bird getting close enough to nab them. ]

Good idea, Wendy~!

[ If nothing else they could also dodge it's dives - Lucy unhooked her whip as she felt the speed magic take over, snapping her whip out to try to catch the bird. The parrot squawked and dodged just barely, clearly flustered by the sudden speed from the targets, trying to check its route and zip past Natsu. Operative word being Trying. Parrot vs Dragons ... who wins? ]

[vernier]

[She runs after the bird; once she's ahead of it, she jumps into the sky to attack.]

Sky Dragon's Claw!

[She swings her leg down, producing gusts of wind in the process. They should hopefully be strong enough to push the parrot back toward Natsu's direction.]

[explodewiththerage]

It'd be so easy to roast this little guy!

[Natsu yells as he follows the bird ready to intercept it the moment it comes within his range. It's even easier than before with Wendy boosting his abilities with her magic though.]

[celestial_wizard]

[ Being just an itty bitty puny parrot, it obviously was no match for people who had magic. The gust of wind from Wendy's attack knocked it tumbling head over ...uh...claws with wings flailing in a desperate attempt to get its balance again, squawking angrily. Good thing Natsu was keeping a good eye on it, otherwise it'd smack right into his face - save him Natsu! SAVE HEEEM. ]

Don't roast it...! [ It didn't even need to be said, though it would be really easy to, sure. She's pretty sure they need it alive though, and not...dinner. Lucy cast a glance around, though she didn't see anyone nearby. Wherever his trainer was, it was probably not nearby - but they should be able to get the guy's scent off of the bird, right? ]

[vernier]

[Nonono, roasting it would be bad.] If we hurt it, it may be difficult to track down its owner. [If they can't pick up the owner's scent, they might be able to convince it to take them to the person.]

[explodewiththerage]

I get it already!

[HE says just before the parrot gets sent tumbling his way. Natsu reaches out his two hands and braces to catch the dazed bird. Your freedome days are over, bird!]

[celestial_wizard]

[ They may not be able to hurt it, but they may WANT to hurt it, the way it pitches a fit, flapping its wings and - when Natsu caught it - biting with its beaky. This probably has about as much effect as a nerf ball hitting an elephant, what with Natsu's tougher skin. And there was also the possibility of being squished to pieces.

Lucy raised a hand to scritch her head. ]

What do you guys think? Can you pick up the owner's smell? If we let it go here, it might not go back to its trainer.

[ But fortunately sensitive dragon noses would be able to pick out at least three different human scents. One of them was bound to be the trainer, right? ]