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Hello there my friend! |
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"Allow Me To Cut Through Those Words!" |
Izar pulled down the hood of his sandy colored cloak as he looked at the job board thoughtfully, skipping the lower class jobs as he always did, he came upon one that caught his eye. Pulling it from the board he began to read it, his interest in the job grew the more he read. The reward being the deciding factor for him " I wonder if Akumu would be interested in going with me if I got those tickets" he thought before his eye caught something that made his heart sink, the job required a team of experienced mages. Izar began to think of the people he might be able to ask to help him out, unfortunately for him, the list began and ended with Akumu. Izar sighed, there was no way he could ask her. Not only had they just completed a job together but if she went along she would get her own ticket and have no reason to go with him.
Izar began to ponder solutions to his predicament, it wasn't long before a thought crossed his mind. Akumu had a brother "He doesn't even know me" he thought looking back down at the paper "and even if he did, if he started asking questions about my and his sisters relationship, Akumu would kill me". Izar dismissed the idea of asking Akumu's brother but then he looked down at the job poster again, his mind wandered as the thought of being able to take Akumu out on a date to a lovely vacation spot outweighed his fear of painful death. Izar decided he would ask Akumu's brother for help. Making his way into the guild hall, Izar scanned the room for Itari, having only seen him a few times, Izar wasn't sure exactly where to look but it wasn't long before he spotted the Blonde haired boy across the guild hall. Izar began to approach him, unsure of exactly what he would say.
Itari was sitting on one of the couches and appeared to be messing with a series of three cups on a coffee table. Noticing Izar approaching, Itari bounces a bit on the couch in excitement. "Hi there friend, check this out!" He said excitedly as he placed the three cups face up on the table. He creates a ball of light in his hands and then places it floating on the table. Placing the cups face down, with the ball hidden beneath the middle cup, and then switches them around a few times. "Alright, which one is the ball under?" Itari says with a huge grin.
Izar was surprised by Itari's friendly personality, very warm and inviting. He began to feel his nervousness die down a little as he allowed himself to relax. He studied the cups for a moment, despite knowing that Itari could easily just extinguish the light even if he chose right. Izar pointed at the cup furthest to the right "I guess that one" he said allowing a friendly smile to appear on his face.
Itari lifts up the cup slowly, bending down to peek underneath, curiosity plaguing his face. Once the cup was up the floating golden light layed still in it's spot. Itari, with mouth still agape, turns to Izar and says, "Well I guess I'm not so good with magic..." He then bursts out in a cheerful laugh as he lifts up the other two cups to reveal similar looking golden orbs that float up above the third one and morph into a smiley face of light. "It's a work in progress. But hi there! I've seen you around but haven't had the honor of meeting you my friend," Itari says with a smile and a bow, "My name is Itari Renato, I'm new to the guild, but it's an honor to make your acquaintance."
Izar watched the man put on his show, it was definitely not what Izar had expected. After Itari's greeting Izar returned the favor "Hello, my name is Izar Tasya, I'm new here as well actually, it's nice to finally meet you" he said holding out his hand to shake Itari's "That was quite the entertaining performance you put on, are you practicing for something?" he asked.
"Glad you enjoyed it! And nope, I just thought it would be fun to try my hand at something new. So what are you up to today Izar?" Itari said as he returned the handshake and then gathered up the cups and began walking over to the guild bar to return them, gesturing for Izar to follow.
Izar followed closely behind Itari "Well, I know we just officially met and all but I was hoping you might be willing to help me with something..." Izar said pulling the job flyer out of his pocket "It looks like a simple enough job, but it requires more than one mage, so I was thinking maybe we could tackle it together?" he did his best to explain why he was asking the equivalent to a total stranger to help him. Trying to sweeten the pot, Izar continued "If you want you can keep the money half of the job, I'm only interested in the tickets".
"Money is of no concern to me, no need to try and bribe me!" Itari chuckles out and brings up a hand to place it on Izar's shoulder. "Just the chance to make a new friend is all the incentive I need; I'll gladly join you on the job!" Itari tries to peek at the paper in Izar's hand and says slowly, "Now, uh, what's this job exactly?"
Izar smiled, Itari being much different than he had expected him to be. Izar mentally face-palmed at Itari's mention that Izar hadn't even shown him the job yet "Oh right!, sorry!" he said handing him the paper "It's just a construction job, helping some townsfolk repair their village. It does mention that a group of dark mages were in the area so I suppose that's an obstacle we may encounter but I'm sure they wouldn't be too much trouble for us".
"Hmm does sound fairly simple, wouldn't want anything too risky for my first job as part of the guild; would be embarrassing if I didn't complete it." Itari says as he rubs the back of his head with a cheesy smile. "So when do we head out?"
"If you're anything like your sister you have nothing to worry about" Izar said with a smile "It's not too far away, an hour or two by train at most. We could leave now if you'd like but if you'd rather leave tomorrow morning that would be fine as well, we can meet up at the train station at say...ten thirty?" Izar continued, feeling much more at ease than he had upon first approaching Itari.
"Oh so your the Izar my sister has mentioned! That's interesting." He says as he runs his hand through his blonde hair. "It's up to you man, I don't have much planned for the day, so I can either train a bit until the morning, or we can head now. What would you like to do?"
Izar began to wonder what exactly Itari had meant by that. How many other Izars are there? He thought before shaking the useless thought away. He looked down at his watch, "If we leave today we'll make it to sea village just before sundown, we could find a place to stay and then start fresh in the morning. Yeah, I think it would be best if we left today." Izar said "We can go grab our things and meet up at the train station in about twenty minutes, does that sound good?".
"That sounds great! I will go get my stuff ready!" Itari said and lightly jogged away to the stairs to head to the boys dorms. "See you in a bit my friend!"Izar waved farewell to Itari "See you soon." He said before making his way home to get packed.
On the Right Track[]
After getting everything ready, Izar made his way down to the train station to purchase their tickets and wait for Itari. Only after a few moments of waiting Izar spots Itari running up to him, waving him down with a big smile.
"Hey sorry I am a bit late, I had to run back and grab my staff real quick." Itari says with his hand behind his head. "Never know if we might run into some trouble! Plus I figure it might help me carry some supplies in buckets or something." He was sporting a more casual look, with a white and black baseball tee and some dark jeans. He smiles at his teammate for the day and says, "Well do we have our train tickets? Should we get on the road? I'm kind of excited to help these people rebuild! Should be a great chance to make new friends, don't ya think?"
Izar waved back at the overly excited man. "It's fine, you're not late. I got the tickets, the train should be arriving soon." Izar said as the train whistle could be heard near by. At Itrai's question Izar spoke "I suppose it's a possibility." He says as the train pulls into the station. "Here you go man. If you wanna sit together I'll find a spot near the exit ." Izar said, handing Itari his ticket before walking toward the train. After handing the conductor his ticket, Izar found an empty spot near the exit. The train car he had entered, to his relief, was not crowded in the least.
"Of course I want to sit with you, we are guild mates after all." Itari says as he follows Izar onto the train and plops down right next to him. Itari took the time to observe the people who were boarding the train with them, wondering what their story was and where they were going. People began taking their seats and the train was quickly off. Turning to Izar, Itari did his best to make small talk to pass the time. "So I figure this is a good time to get to know each other right? Since we are kind of a team for this job." He slightly laughs out. "So who is Izar? What makes him smile?" His cheesy grin hoped to elicit a sense of warmth and comfort despite his profound question.
Izar took a moment to absorb Itari's question. "I suppose, to put it simply, Izar is Izar. He enjoys writing, cooking, and he likes to travel. As to what makes him smile..." Izar trailed off as he began to think. Of course the first thing that popped into his head was the one and only thing he couldn't mention, Akumu. "Nothing in particular," he said with a nervous laugh. "So who is Itari? What does Itari find himself smiling about?"
"Well Izar sounds like I wonderful person! Perhaps one day I could travel along with him, maybe get him to find something to smile about." Itari says with the most sincere smiles and a small laugh, tapping him ever so lightly on the shoulder with his fist. "Well let's see... Itari is a free spirit who is curious about all the wonders that make up this illustrious world. What makes him smile is this right here." Itari says as he points his finger back and forth between them. "I love getting to know people and seeing how they see things through their own unique lens. It's the greatest gift in life to have friends; and nothing is worth more than the memories you make with them. Getting to know someone is just that first step to a lasting friendship; what's more enjoyable than that!" He says enthusiastically.
A bright smile appeared on Izar's face as Itari spoke. "Itari, believe it or not, you actually remind me of a good friend of mine." he said with a chuckle, "I think we'll get along just fine." Izar shifted in his seat, "So tell me Itari, where are you from?" Izar asked before catching himself, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." remembering how Akumu responded when he had brought up her past.
"I think we will too." Itari smile, but it falters a bit as he think back to his home town and the troubles he faced there with his parents. "Oh I thought Akumu would have told you; but we are from Oshibana. Not a far train ride from the guild. But we don't really visit there much after some stuff went down..." He trails off, his face reflecting hidden sadness. He bounces back and apologizes, "Sorry, got lost in my thoughts. Where are you from Izar?" He looks at the window and notices the sea poking over the hills; showing that they were close to their coastal destination.
"She told me a bit; but I don't think she really meant to." Izar says, understanding that neither of them probably wanted to think about it. "A good friend once told me that, while we cannot change our pasts, our futures are ours to mold in any way we see fit; from bad can be born good and from darkness..." Izar said, cupping his hands together so that only a small hole was available to see inside. He held this cupped hands out so that Itari could see inside,"Can be born light." Izar said as he created a small star in his hands, letting it grow to the size of a golf ball before opening his hands. At that moment, the screeching of the train could be heard as they pulled into the station.
Itari look wide eyed in amazement at the small display of his new friend's magic. "Wow! That's amazing! And beautiful, yet true words my friend." Itari said as he began standing up, preparing to get off of the train. "You know, I know I haven't known you long, but just for the conversations we've had so far I can tell we are going to be great friends, you and I." He smiles as he glances back to see Izar following him out of the train car. "Also," He huffs as he jumps down from the car, avoiding the two steps. "Seeing someones magic can tell you a lot about who they are as a person. You magic is beautiful, collected, and bright. Yet has a sense of vastness and wonderment that lies beneath the surface..." He says reflecting on the small display. "I think one day, maybe as a team or something, our lights can shine together." His demeanor puts on a more bashful and sceptical appearance as he feels he may have spoken his mind a bit too much.
Izar smiled as Itari complimented his magic. As Itari continued speaking, Izar's mind wandered back to when he and Akumu fought the spirits in Bosco. What does her magic say about her? he thought, snapping back to reality when Itari mentioned that they could one day be a team of sorts. He nodded, throwing his bag over his shoulder. "I would like that very much Itari; but first the task at hand." Izar said, checking his watch. "It'll be sun down soon. What do you say we find a place to stay and then we'll find..." Izar stops to check the job flyer "Hiro Zenil in the morning?"
"That sounds like a great idea. How much money do you have on you?" He says while he checks his wallet. "Let's try and get a place with a view! Might as well make the most of this coastal visit." He says cheerfully as they exit the station and look around to get their bearings.
"There's no need for that friend, I have more than enough for both of us." Izar said as he repuipped his wallet, "I've been saving up for a long time." He looked around for anything that wasn't under construction "Perhaps that place over there?" Izar asked, pointing at a building that stood just a bit taller than the others. "Hopefully there'll be a restaurant near by too. I'm feeling a bit famished, how about you?" Izar said as he began walking toward the taller building, turning around to get Itari's answer.
Itari turns his head to look at the standing tower that seems a bit more put together than the other construction ridden buildings. It seems to have large windows facing the ocean, so Itari gets a bit excited at the possibility of seeing the sun rise over the sea in the morning. "That place seems perfect! And no doubt we will find a restaurant nearby. I am definitely a bit hungry..."He says as he places his hand on his stomach. "How about since you will be paying for our hotel, I will treat for dinner? I don't want to mooch off of you; I am sure you could save that money for something special."
Izar brought his hand up to his chin, gripping it lightly. "Now that you mention it, there is something I've been meaning to buy." Izar said. " Sure, Hotel on me and dinner on you sounds fair to me." He said as they continued walking until they made their way to the large building which was indeed a hotel, making their way up to the desk "Can we get two rooms, preferably on one of the higher floors? Also, can you point us in the direction of the nearest restaurant?" Izar asked. The man behind the desk nodded, telling Izar the price. Once Izar paid the man slipped him two keys and gave him directions to a sushi place nearby. After thanking the man Izar turned to Itari, handing him the key to his room. "Sushi sounds fine to me, how about you? Should we try to find somewhere else to eat?" Izar asked.
Itari shakes his head while accepting the room key. "Nope, sushi sounds great to me. Should be pretty fresh too I'm assuming. How about we throw our stuff in our rooms and then walk over? I don't know how much longer my stomach can stand before it starts to eat itself." Itari laughs out.
Izar nodded in agreement. "Alright, we'll meet back up down here and head out." The two went their separate ways for a bit, unpacking their things before meeting back up in the hotel lobby and heading out to grab dinner.
Bon Appetit Mes Amis![]
They made their way down to the small restaurant, taking their seats and ordering. "So Itari, have you thought about what you're going to do with your tickets once this job is done? Surely someone like yourself would have no problem finding a date." Izar said in an attempt to make small talk.
"Oh, I don't have my eyes on anyone special right now. But I was going to give my ticket to you; you did mention that you were only interested in them anyways. Then you can take your girl out. I'm assuming a guy like you is bound to have one." He says with a smile as he takes a sip of water, enjoying the little boats that float around the sushi bar carrying a variety of rolls.
Izar twirls is glass a bit, allowing the water to swirl into a small whirlpool. "I'd like to think so friend. It's complicated I suppose, I'm not exactly sure where we stand if I am to be honest." Izar said before sipping his water lightly " Regardless, thank you Itari. It means a lot." Izar picked a piece of sushi off of one of the little boats, placing it on his plate but not eating. "Anyways, Akumu mentioned she liked Reading. Do you have any hobbies of your own?" Izar asked.
"Oh so you have met my sister!" Itari says suprisingly as he reaches for a piece of sushimi and shoves it in his mouth. "I though' chi onnie taks to ou 'n -er s'eep." Itari said through a jumbled mouth of rice and salmon. He swallowed hard, took a sip of water, and then cast a boyish smile to Izar. "Sorry, I guess I bit off more than I could chew!" He laughs out. "Well I wish you the best of luck in asking that girl out. And to answer your question, I guess I have a lot of hobbies. Magic tricks, climbing trees, gardening, shopping, drawing, swimming; I like to switch it up a lot and try my hand at something new." He points his chopsticks at the bridge of Izar's nose, as he narrows his eyes and speaks low. "Don't you dare say anything about gardening and shopping, those are very manly hobbies..." His tone was low and serious, but to the trained ear, you could tell he was joking.
Izar straightened up a bit in his seat, blushing slightly but he shook it off. Even if he had heard what he thought he heard, there was no way Izar was going to let his curiosity get the better of him and ruin everything between him and Akumu. "I-uh, Thank you...about the wishing me luck thing." Izar said. He swallowed hard as he became a bit restless in his seat. She thinks about me he thought, an dopey smile in which he could do nothing about plagued his face. Izar snapped back to reality as Itari continued speaking "I understand friend, not many would consider cooking a manly hobby either." Izar said, his energy restored by both dinner and Itari's revelation. Izar checked his watch "The night is still young friend, what do you say we check out what's in store for tomorrow?" Izar asked, getting up and doing a bit of stretching.
Itari stands as well, stealing one last bite of sushi before placing some bills on the table to cover their meal. "That sounds like a plan! We can check it out and then probably call it a night? I have a feeling we are going to need to be well rested for tomorrow, judging by the looks of the town, I say we have a lot of building to do." Itari says as he rubs his belly in delighted content. He swings his arms in a gesture that tells Izar to lead the way, as they both exit the restaurant.
The Cave You Fear to Enter, Holds the Treasure You Seek[]
"Indeed, I just want to get a look around." Izar said as the two exited the restaurant. The two walked down the empty streets, every once and a while stopping to examine an under construction building or piece of construction equipment. "Hey Itari, Why do you think a bunch of dark mages would attack a place like this?. I just don't see why it would be worth all the trouble." Izar said as they came upon a half destroyed building that overlooked the beach.
Itari shrugged his shoulders as they looked at the site before them. "Who knows what darkness possessed those mages to want to come and destroy such a beautiful town. Money, pleasure, revenge; I don't know. But all we can do now is help rebuild what has been broken and hope the people of this town will see this as a new beginning."
Izar looked out over the waves, they crashed against the shore nearly silently before receding back into the vast ocean. It wasn't long before something that seemed out of place caught his eyes, someone seemed to be walking along the shoreline, normally Izar would brush it off as someone out for a late night walk; but the desolate streets served to make such a theory improbable. Izar tapped Itari on the shoulder with a quiet "Shh, You see that?" Izar asked.
Itari shifted his gaze to the near shoreline and sees the mysterious figure walking slow along the waterline. He notes that from his body posture and strides that this man seems to be acting more like a scout, than a person out for a calm walk. His strides were too slow, and his body too tense. "Izar, you think that's one of them?" Itari said in a low voice, alluding to the dark mages they were previously discussing. "Maybe they came back to finish the town..."
"I say we follow our shady friend and find out." Izar said before jumping over the small guardrail and onto the sand about ten feet below them. Izar turned and silently motioned for Itari to follow him. The made their way across the beach in pursuit of the silhouetted figure that slowly made its way across the beach. They continued to follow the figure for another ten minutes before witnessing it enter a small cave. The two quickly made their way to either side of the entrance. "What do you say we check out what's inside?" Izar asked in a hushed voice.
Itari nods in agreement as he raises his fist that becomes cloaked in light. He slowly turns into the cave and holds his fist out in front to see. The cave was anything but small, the light bounced off smooth passages that extended down 20 feet before fading off into darkness once more. "This isn't your ordinary cave, this was obviously made by people over a long period of time..." Itari said as they travel cautiously down the path, his body became more tense as they went deeper in, as a few magical pressures became apparent around an oncoming corner of the cave. "What's our move here Izar?" Itari asks as he looks to Izar for direction on how to handle the magical energy he is sensing.
Izar thought for a moment before speaking. "We can't forget the fact that we don't know for sure that these people are the dark mages that attacked the town. No matter how likely the possibility, going in there guns blazing wouldn't be smart in the least." Izar whispered before going quiet again for a few moments. "I'll take the lead, using my cosmic magic to increase the gravity in the area. Do you think you can have a spell ready in case my gravity field isn't enough to trap all of them?" Izar asked. "Once we're sure they're no longer a threat we can get some answers out of them." Itari responded with a nod, holding up his hand to create a photon shield. "Alright, on three. One...two...three!" Izar said before quickly turning the corner, followed closely behind by Itari. Izar threw up his hands, creating a gravity field within the much larger open area the cave opened up into.
Much to their surprise there was actually six men standing within the room, seemingly gathered around a table covered in papers with a dagger stabbed in the middle. The men turn at the sound of the countdown and one seems to shoot off a few fireballs at them before they were thrust down by the increased gravity field. One man had his head slammed into a table, knocking him unconscious before he could hit the ground; while another was just as unfortunate and had the blade of a sword slammed down into the center of his thigh, unable to lift it from the applied force. The incoming fireballs hit the photon shield around the two Koma Inu mages and were quickly extinguished. Itari dismantled his photon shield as he looked at the mages who were struggling to stand in the midst of Izar's overwhelming spell. "Look at the symbols. These are definitely dark mages from Slain Oblivion. I wonder what they are doing so far from Shirotsume Town..." Itari said as he preps himself for another attack, knowing well that the dark mages would surely overcome the initial shock of the gravity change eventually.
Izar decreased the gravity for a moment before increasing it again in hopes of possibly staggering them once more. After releasing the gravity spell he quickly threw two throwing knives at different mages, hitting one in the shoulder and the other in the stomach. "I don't know. Whatever the reason, I doubt it's good" he said before the mage who was hit in the shoulder shot a weak beam of light magic their way. "Itari!" Izar yelled before requipping Hikari and Yami, shooting a ball of darkness magic at the wounded light mage and one of light toward the mage with the knife in his stomach.
Itari saw the beam of light coming towards him and smiled as he stuck out his hands a seemingly caught the weak attack. Through his photokinesis he was able to hold onto the weak ball of light and put it into his mouth, swallowing it down with a smile. "Poor choice of magic my friend, especially when you are going up against a Light Phoenix Slayer. Looks like I'll take the remaining two Izar, Arrow Rain!" He said as he shot out beams of light towards the remaining two mages, who had just gotten their ability to stand after the second wave of gravity. One of the mages successfully evaded the beam, seeming to possess High Speed Magic, while the other was hit straight in the chest, knocking him backwards. The High Speed mage appeared in front of Itari, throwing a right hook at his face that merely passed by Itari as he bent backwards to avoid it. Itari charged up his fist with a Hyper Fist and retorted with a swift punch in the gut, followed by an elbow in the back as the dark mage was bent over in pain.
Izar's shots connected sending the two already wounded dark mages flying back, landing on the ground with a thud. Izar ran up to them, making sure they were out cold. He quickly turned back upon hearing Itari's voice. Watching one of the last two remaining mages be hit by Itari's attack as the other seemed to move at an incredible speed, appearing in front of Itari. Izar was about to act but Itari had it handled, making quick work of the final dark mage. Izar let out a relieved sigh as he looked around at the six dark mages lie on the ground in pain. He turned to Itari, "What'do you say we do with them Itari?" Izar asked, tapping one of the unconscious dark mages with his foot.
Gazing down at one of the mages, Itari contemplates their plan of action. "Not quite sure. Perhaps we should make mention to the local Rune Knight squad and have them take the mages into custody. That's probably our best bet since we don't want them running around ruining the town." Itari says calmly as he walks over to the table to look upon the papers lying flat. It appeared to be a map of the town with a few X marks on various buildings, while the dagger penetrated through the box labelled "The Shrine of Aphros". Itari looked at his friend and gestured to the map in front of him. "Hey Izar, what do you make of this? This is where we were just at; the site we are working tomorrow. I think this explains why we saw one of them patrolling there." He says as he wiggles the dagger back and forth in the wood.
"Getting the Rune Knights would probably be a good idea, these guys don't look like they're going anywhere for awhile so I'm sure leaving them here while we go get them wouldn't hurt" Izar said. At Itari's gesture, Izar began walking to the edge of the table. Izar studied the map as Itari spoke. "They're obviously marked for a reason, maybe they're targets?" Izar thought out loud. He continued to stare at the map, "Perhaps they're looking for something in the town?. If their goal was just to destroy the village I'm sure they already would have done so." Izar said touching one of the X marked buildings on the map. "Let's take the map with us and go report these guys to the Rune Knights. We'll check out some of these places tomorrow morning, that way we'll have clearer minds to work with."
"That sounds like a good plan." Itari said as he pulled out the dagger and paperweights and rolled up the paper and put it under his arm. "Let's go alert them and then call it a night, I'm getting a bit tired." As he yawns and begins exiting the cave, turning back to see if Izar is following.
Izar made his way out of the cave, following closely behind Itari. As the two walked Izar's mind began to wander as he began to think of anything a bunch of dark mages would come all the way from Shirotsume for. He let out an audible sigh as he failed to come up with anything, deciding that it was best to stick to the plan of waiting until they'd gotten a full nights rest before trying to come to conclusions. As the two made their way down the street to find the Rune Knights Izar began to feel somewhat guilty for having dragged Itari into something he hadn't signed up for. "Hey Itari, sorry for getting you involved in this mess. This isn't what you signed up for. So I wanna say thanks for sticking around and covering me back there." Izar said as the two spotted a patrol of Rune Knights standing at a corner near the end of the street.
"There is no need to apologize my friend, I agreed to come along with you, remember?" Itari says with a cheeky smile, his energy a bit more calm now that all the commotion is over. "Besides that's what teammates are for, to always have your back." He gives a solid thumbs up to Izar and lightly jogs over to the Rune Knights. He explains the situation to the receptive Knights, and opens up the map they took to show the exact location of their hideout, as well as give support to their story. When the Rune Knights begin jogging towards the nearby location, Itari turns back to Izar and puts one arm around the shoulders of the man. Extending his other across his body for a fist bump, he laughs out, "Well what a successful day, how about we save some fun for tomorrow?"
Izar was a bit shocked by the sudden physical contact but complied, extending his hand out to complete the fist bump. A genuine smile appeared on Izar's face as he begins to laugh lightly. "I suppose you could call it that." He said before turning his head to look back at the hotel. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Hopefully not too much fun though." he continued, slipping out of Itari's grip and moving a few feet away before he turned back to his friend. "Come on friend, we have a full days work ahead of us tomorrow." Izar said as he began walking toward the hotel. The two made their way through the empty streets back to the hotel, stopping in the hotels lobby. " Goodnight Itari, may your dreams be filled with adventure and wonder." Izar said with as he patted his friend on the shoulder.
"Same to you my friend." Itari says through a yawn as he groggily walks towards his room. With a plop on the bed, it seemed as if Itari had less energy than he thought, as he quickly fell asleep with thoughts of the days events racing through his head. There was no telling what tomorrow would bring, but after the fight that transpired within the cave, Itari felt comfortable that him and Izar could handle whatever came their way.
Izar waved goodbye to Itari before heading up to his own room. He locked the door behind him before making his way over to a small desk that sat in the corner of the room. Izar pulled out the chair and sat, pulling out his journal along with a pen. He opened his journal and began to write about the days events, adding side notes now and again of to the right or left side of either page. After writing about three pages, making it up to his and Itari's goodnight, he closed the journal. Izar looked at the clock to see that it was pretty late. After putting up his journal Izar walked over to the bed, plopping down onto the soft mess of blanket, pillow, and mattress. He let out a soft sigh before beginning to think out loud. "I wonder what Thomas would say if he could see me now? A possible girlfriend and possibly a best friend. Is this what being happy is truly like?" he thought before drifting off to sleep.
New Day, New Strength, New Thoughts[]
Izar's eyes cracked open before he was forced to shut them tight as the morning sun through the window stabbed at his eyes. He rolled out of bed with a sigh as he looked at the time. "Itari seems like the early to rise type, I'm sure he's already been up for an hour or two." Izar said to no one but himself before taking a quick shower, grabbing his things and heading out the door.
Coming out to the hotel lobby, Izar sees Itari sitting on the couch sipping a coffee cup and reading a book calmly. Itari looks up from his book and sees Izar approaching and puts the book back in his satchel. Grabbing the extra coffee and paper bag sitting on the table beside him, he stands with a smile to greet Izar. "Hey there man, so I got up a bit early and decided to go out and find a cafe. I got you a plain coffee with sugar, and an everything bagel. I hope that's ok? It's not too far away if you wanted to get something else."
Izar gave Itari a tired smile as he began to regret staying up so late. " It's great Itari, thank you. I'm sorry I kept you waiting" Izar said as he took Itari's kind offer. "I was just beginning to wonder how I would ever stay awake today." He said with a half-hearted, tired laugh before taking a sip of the coffee. "So what's the plan for today? Find Hiro and get to work on helping rebuild the village?" Izar asked before taking a bite of the bagel.
"Yeah I think so."Itari says as he finishes the last of his mocha. "My best guess is this Hiro guy is probably at the sites location overseeing everything, so we can just ask around there until we find him and he gives us our assignment." He begins walking out of the lobby and soaks in the bright sunlight that greats him outside the door. "What do you think?" He asks, referring to his plan to just head straight to the construction site.
Izar followed Itari out into the bright mid mornings light. "Sounds like a fine plan to me." He said before yawning. The two made their way to the construction site to see a crowd of people already at work. "I suppose we should get asking then." Izar said before approaching a burly man wearing a yellow hardhat. After listening to Izar's question the man shrugged, claiming to have not see him since this morning. Izar thanked the man before heading to the next. Four people later they were pointed to a trailer across the site that could barely be seen over the heads of the workers. Izar motioned for Itari to follow him, pointing at the trailer since the noise from the equipment was making it hard to communicate with one another. Once they reached the trailer Izar knocked on the door lightly. A few minutes past before Izar knocked again, figuring the equipment was drowning out his knocks as they had been doing his voice. After getting to response he turned to Itari and shrugged. Turning back to the door, Izar placed his ear upon it. While the noise was still deafening, Izar could swear he heard shifting around inside.
Izar motioned for Itari to follow as he slowly cracked open the door and went inside. The trailer was dark all but for a few candles that lit up the area surrounding a small table at which one man sat, another much taller figure stood beside him. "It's here and you know it Hiro, playing dumb won't help anyone." the figure said. The other remained completely silent as he sat in his chair. "Where is it?!" the tall figure shouted angrily, leaning over the setting man menacingly. Izar turned to Itari, giving him a silent 'what should we do?' look.
Itari peeked in the trailer himself and saw what looked to be an interrogation of sorts, held by lonely candlelight rather than harsh florescent lamps. The two men's shadows seemed to dance in the light, one in frustration and one in a masked fear. Listening in he could faintly hear a mans voice break over the sound of the construction. "You are beginning to test my patience Hiro," The tall man said as he pulled out a dagger from a sheath around his waist. Running it along the cheek of the man Itari assumed was Hiro, the man continued in a sadistically sweet tone. "Now surely you value your life over this measly piece of information. Should you tell me where the Aphros Horn is, I will let you and all these men here live. Should you refuse...well let's say that you won't be able to tell your tongue from your liver when I lay it out here on the table."
Hearing this sadistic bit of information stirred the fire within Itari to burst open the door with vigor, hoping Izar will follow his lead. The ambient construction noise seemed to draw the tall man's attention, as the newly opened door allowed the sound to travel freely through the small trailer. Standing with fist clenched and eyes alive with fury Itari shouts out to the man, "That's enough!" as he throws a ball of light to shoot away the upheld dagger.
The dagger flies out of the mans hand and into the air. Izar quickly warps it into his own hand as the tall man curses loudly. As the man notices Izar and Itari his face fills with intense anger, holding up his other hand he began to pull at the dagger with Telekinesis. Izar grips the dagger tightly, eventually being required to use both hands. Once the man realized that Izar had no intentions of letting go he thrust his arm forward, sending Izar backwards. Izar slammed against the door of the trailer, closing it completely. Izar fell to the ground and attempted to catch the breath that had just been knocked out of him. The man's toothy smile could be seen through the darkness as he waved his hands over his head, creating several more daggers from what seemed like thin air. "It's rude to interrupt other peoples conversations." The man laughed before sending the daggers flying at both of them.
Itari quickly threw up a Photon Shield; the golden light cracking as the daggers are stopped in their path. Before it manages to shatter, Itari steps over to Izars side and helps him back up. "We need to get Hiro out of here, we can't risk him getting hurt by the shrapnel of this fight." He says through hushed tones, standing back up to address the talk man before him.
Itari begins concentrating his magic in his fists, prepared to throw out his gooey orange flames to help immobilize his target. "Politeness is something you shouldn't preach about, considering you have no business being here. You should be with your Slain Oblivion friends in the custody of the Rune Knights." Itari says as he notes the same guild symbol from the night before on the man's neck, which is now visible due to their eyes finally adjusting to the low light of the trailer. Throwing a ball of orange fire, the jelly like flame lands across the waist of the tall man, holding him against the wall of the trailer as they burn with intensity against his skin.
The man smiles and lets out a small laugh. "Like the freedom and intensity it embodies, let a sword appear in my left hand that cuts through the flames that burn and dance among me." A bright red and orange long sword appears in the man's hand as he cuts through the jelly-like flames with ease, emerging from Itari's trap with ease. "You mages shouldn't mess with other peoples business. You see I am after a particular item, one that could elevate my power to a whole nother level. I could transcend the limits of Arc of Embodiment and create a new reality! One where measly scum like you would be akin to pesky flies buzzing around the garbage of your pathetic guild." His face glowed with malice as he turns his newly created sword to point at the throat of Hiro, who is still trapped in the chair. "Now if you would please leave me to my business, Hiro here will tell me where I can find what I desire."
Damn!, none of my spells will work in such a small space. Izar thought as he stood there helplessly. He took in a deep breath, trying to think. I need to get to Hiro. Izar repeated a few times in his head before an idea clicked. "No one cares why you're here. We just need you to leave!" Izar yelled, throwing his jacket at the man. The Slain Oblivion mage swung his sword, cutting the jacket in half just as Izar warped onto the table. Izar tackled Hiro and the chair before warping again back across the room but not before catching the end of the long sword to his upper back. Izar clenched his teeth in pain as he found himself back next to Itari, Hiro to his right still tied to the chair. "It'll heal soon, don't worry about it." Izar said before Itari could ask if he was okay. Blood ran down Izars back, staining his white shirt in the crimson liquid. "We still need to get Hiro out of here and this guy away from everyone else. I don't think I could manage another warp so what do you think we should do?" Izar asked.
Before Itari could even answer he was interrupted by the hiss of the Slain Oblivion mage, "How dare you take him away from me! He is the only one who knows this location inside and out; the only one who can tell me where to find the Aphros Horn! I have no time for your foolish games mages, I will finish this quickly. Come forth Belcusas the Thunderclap!" An enormous, heavily-armored, and physically powerful creature emerges in front of the dark mage, shattering the confinement of the trailer and sending shrapnel in all directions. The construction bystanders scream as the beast roars in intimidation and goes forth with a punch at the ground where Itari, Hiro, and Izar stand.
Izar threw up his hands, casting cosmic shield over them. The beasts fist slammed into the shield with incredible force. Izar's eyes widened as he saw a crack already beginning to form in the shield. "That's impossible." Izar said before casting cosmic arrows outside of the shield. Every last arrow hit the beast but did little to effect it. "We've gotta get to the caster, my spells aren't having much effect on the beast." Izar said straining to keep the shield up as the beast delivered another punch to it's walls. He averted his eyes to see the workers outside scrambling to run away. "Damn!, we're too close to other people. We gotta lead him somewhere else before we can do anything." Izar continued as other fist caused the crack to grow.
"I'm not sure where we can lead him, perhaps to the beach?" Itari says as her scrabbles to shoot off a barrage of Firefly Shrapnel, something that causes large bursts of light around the beasts eyes as he makes a break for it's caster. Crossing both arms in an X formation he shouts out his attack on the Slain Oblivion mage, "Light Phoenix Wing Attack!" Torrents of light energy stream forward in an attempt to distract the caster and buy time for his partner to take the lead. "Make your move Izar, we gotta make sure these people are safe first!"
The Slain Oblivion mage held out his hand, creating a large mirror which completely reflected Itari's attack, sending it out in multiple directions. Izar dropped the shield, grabbing Hiro and running into the middle of the scrambling crowd. Izar cupped his hands together and began yelling. "Everyone evacuate the area now!, head further into town and stay away from the beach!. Everyone head further into town and stay away from the beach at all cost!" Izar yelled until his vocal cords hurt. Many seemed to have heard him and were spreading the message, taking Hiro along with them as they ran. Izar turned back around to see the beast swinging violently at anything it could, blinded by the intense light bursts around its eyes. Izar felt the wound on his back beginning to heal as the bleeding stopped. Izar cast cosmic arrows again, knowing they would do little more than annoy the beast but that was exactly what he was counting on. The beast began to move towards Izar who had began moving toward the beach. "Itari, we'll continue the fight on the beach. Let's focus on leading it there for now!" Izar said, continuing to shoot cosmic arrows at the beast.
With a bit of relief at the fleeting sight of the bystanders, Itari scoffs as his attack is reflected off with nothing but a hit to his ego. "You got it Izar!" He shouts as he attempts a strong willed punch at the Oblivion mage, who blocks it with a smaller shield constructed of the same material. Taking off after Izar, Itari leaves behind a mine field of White Fire orbs that explode with a burst of photons and heat to help trip up the beast and it's caster along the way to the sandy shore. The dark mage follows gracefully behind his brute beast, spouting off with vigor, "You fools, you cannot defeat my imagination! Whatever I can think of, I can create! Pathetic attacks like yours don't stand a chance! Now give me back what is mine before I make this sand your grave!"
Izar decreased the gravity, lifting the sand up from its resting place and into the air. He then cast solar winds, forcing the sand to swirl around the beast which continued forward regardless, walking blindly. When the winds died down they found themselves on the pier. Izar looked around, seeing nothing he could really use to help then until he looked over to Itari who seemed to be looking at the beasts feet. Izar followed Itari's gaze to see that the beast's incredibly weight was cracking and splintering the wood with each step it too. Izar quickly increased the gravity around the beast. It began to sink into the wood, splintering it further but it wouldn't go through. "Of course this is the only thing is this town that isn't broken. Itari, I know you're thinking the same thing. Mind helping me destroy the pier?" he asked.
"Hey, it was the first thing that came to mind, sorry! But glad we're on the same page, lets let the poor beast down easy. Arrow Rain!" He says with a smirk as he shoots off multiple beams of light at the posts of the now cracking pier. Itari runs under the beasts legs, narrowly missing a punch, as he shoots off the remaining arrows to take down the supports holding up the beams. The increased gravity and lack of structure finally give way as the beast roars out between the sound of splitting wood. A large splash can be heard as the beast is plunged into the ocean, unable to swim up to prevent himself from sinking under his outrageous weight. Itari peers over the edge and smiles at the disappearing sight of the beast, but sees the gapping hole they made and sighs, knowing they will have to rebuild."Guess this is going to be a longer job than I thought..."
That realization hit Izar hard as Itari spoke. He mentally face palmed before shaking it off and turning to Itari and letting out a half hearted laugh. "Maybe a bit." He said before turning back to their enemy. "But for now let's take care of this guy before he makes things worse." Izar said readying to cast a spell. The Slain Oblivion mage was fuming, rage clearly present in his features. "You two have been a thorn in my side for much too long! I'm going to end you here and now!, by my own hands." He said holding out his hand, forming a claw like sword that seemed to become his arm. Izar watched as he created the sword, knowing that if he approached to use it he would have no chance against the two of them. The mage pointed the sword toward him and to his surprise the blade rapidly extended toward him. Izar threw up his hand, casting a half prepared cosmic shot which only served to throw the swords trajectory slightly off. The blade slammed into Izar's shoulder rather than his chest, sending him tumbling off to one side and nearly losing his balance. The mage said nothing as he instead just swung the blade toward Itari. "Hey man watch out!" Izar yelled.
"Huh? What th-- oof!" Itari chokes out as the sword comes swinging towards him and hits him square in the side, throwing him off the pier into the water below. Beneath the water a glowing light could be seen, mere seconds later the water gives way to a large ball of light that shoots towards the dark mage with great speed. Itari emerges with a scowl on his face with just enough time to see his Radiant Sphere grazes the side of the dark mage, but overall not doing nearly enough to stop him. "Now I'm mad...Izar can we stop entertaining this guy and finish him off already?!" He shouts as he holds his side, a bit bruised from the hit, but overall recovering faster than normal thanks to his Regeneration abilities.
Izar nodded, "Yeah, let's." he said before falling silent as he began to try thinking of a way to end this for good. Izar's thoughts were cut short as the blade was swung his way again. He jumped to dodge the blade before it retracted back toward the mage. "Just die already!" he yelled sending the blade at Izar once more. An Idea popped into his head as he side stepped the attack, grabbing onto the sword. "Itari!, shoot your most powerful spell at him. We can end this now!" Izar yelled as the blade attempted to retract again. Izar planted his feet onto the ground, refusing to budge despite the pain in his shoulder and back.
"But won't he just-- Well, whatever you say." Itari says with a confused expression as he begins drawing in ethernano and sunlight from the air. The magic pooled together in his mouth and lungs as he shifts the wavelengths before releasing. "Light Phoenix White Scream!" He shouts as he releases the concentrated beam of magic; one who's strength is of the highest calibers Itari can manage at this time. He looks on in waiting, knowing that Izar must have something clever planned to overcome the impenetrable shield that reflected Itari's earlier attacks. Man it sucks not knowing the in's and out's of each others magic...would have made this fight a bit more manageable. Oh well. Now come on Izar let's see what you got! He thinks as he clenches his fist with hope.
Izar let go of the blade, jumping back in the process. He threw up one of his hands, creating a black hole in front of the nameless dark mage. Itair's attack was swallowed whole before the black hole closed. Surprise was easily seen on the dark mage's face as he had already formed the mirror shield. Suddenly, three more black holes opened around him. Itari's light attack had been broken up into three separate beams which now shot out at the mage from the black holes. Unable to block all of them and still surprised by the disappearance of Itari's attack, he was hit by all three blasts. An explosion ensued, forcing Izar to cover his eyes as the blinding light struck. When the light died down the black holes closed and the nameless dark mage who had caused them so much trouble was not completely out cold on the ground. Izar let out a sigh of relief, "I think we got him." Izar said beginning to walk over to Itari, keeping his eye on the man in case he wasn't done yet. When he made it to Itari he requipped Hikari, holding it out to him. "Have your wounds healed yet? If not you can use this."
Itari looks to his side and presses down to examine his wound, he is relieved to find that the pain is minimal. "Yeah I think they did, probably from taking in all that light for the last attack." Itari says as he places his hands along his clothes, using infrared light to heat them up and dry them off from falling in the ocean. Once he was finished he looked up at Izar with surprise. "Man how come you didn't tell me you could do that black hole thing?! That was amazing!" He said with a huge smile as he lifts his hand for a high five. "What should we do about the bozo over there?"
Izar high-fived Itari, cringing slightly as he had used his bruised arm. He ignored it and answered Itari's question. "I don't know, it just hadn't really come up in conversation." He said before turning to look back at their fallen foe. "I suppose we should get the Rune Knights and have him locked up alongside his friends. Then I think we should go see Hiro. Not only to let him know we're here to help rebuild but to get some answers as well. If nothing else I think we deserve to know what that crazy guy was after." Izar said, rolling his right shoulder.
Itari nods and points to an oncoming group of familiar dressed men. "Looks like we don't need to get them, they came to us." The Rune Knights flood past them in a hoard that quickly apprehend the unconscious dark mage. They nod and thank Itari and Izar for their service, followed by a snide remark about repairing the pier. "Well at least they said thank you, that was nice of them. But you're right, let's go find Hiro and get some answers." Itari begins to walk back towards the site from which this whole mess started, and noticed that his body was a bit shaky from their fight. "Hey you know what, that was my first real fight as a Koma Inu mage! I guess I was a bit too invigorated, my muscles are a bit tired." He says with a smile as he flexes his arm back and forth in an effort to loosen it up.
Izar smiled with a nod as he playfully patted Itari on the back. "It was quiet the exciting fight indeed. Truly one worth being your first right?" Izar said as the two came upon the destroyed trailer. "I suppose you're officially a Koma Inu mage now. I'm not actually sure if they have a right of passage thing for that or not, if they do I haven't been part of it. Either way, once we get everything sorted out we can celebrate with a drink. How does that sound friend?" Izar said, seeing that Itari nods in agreement with a large smile. He notices Hiro along with several other men whom Izar recognized as works from earlier. "Did everyone make it out okay? any wounded?" Izar asked, wanting to get those things out of the way before he and Itari bombarded him with questions about the dark mages intentions.
"All the workers are fine, only minor abrasions from the flying debris, but that is about it. I can't thank you guys enough for rescuing me back there. I feared for my life..." Hiro said with a sturdy hand placed on his chest. Itari bows slightly with respect before responding. "It was no trouble at all sir. Do you have any idea what that mage from Slain Oblivion was after? He seemed pretty determined..."
Hiro gives instruction to an approaching group before turning back to respond with a heavy sigh. " I know what he was after, but I can honestly tell you I don't know if it is even real or not. This ground that we are standing on is where the Shrine of Aphros was; god of the sea foam. Our people tell a story of the god who's horn was left among the holy sea foam of his power when he ascended into the stars. Legend says that a passerby managed to hollow out the horn and collect the sea form within it. He then buried it deep within the shrine which our city would be built around." Hiro says as he gestures to the surround buildings, taking in a deep breath before finishing his story. "It says that those who drink this foam are able surpass the limits of magic and achieve their "awakened state", similar to that of the first warlocks of magic. It would allow limits previous placed on magic, such as a dragon slayers abilities to enter dragon force, or a magics ability to alter the state of life and death, be rendered useless. Essentially it would make the mage who drinks it a god as well."
Izar shoved his hands into his pockets. "All this over some legend?" he thought out loud. "That sounds like a pretty crappy reason to go attacking people, especially since no one even knows if it's a true story or not." Izar said, shaking his head. "Enough about that stuff, as far as we know we took care of all the Slain Oblivion mages in the area. I doubt they'll be bothering you again. Anyways, I suppose it's time we get to the real reason why we're here. We're mages from Koma Inu, we took that construction job you all posted. We're here to help rebuild." Izar said looking around at the ruined site.
"Yes I really do appreciate that! And oh, it's a pleasure to meet mages of such a fabled guild! I appreciate you coming to assist us in rebuilding our town after that nasty Slain Oblivion guild re it in search of that drinking horn. " Hiro huffs out in dissatisfaction. He scratches the back of his head as he thinks of something for them to do. "Well there is a lot to rebuild..."
"Perhaps we should start work on the pier that was destroyed; then if we finish we can come help everyone with the shrine?" Itari suggests, not wanting to admit that they were the ones who happened to destroy it. He looks to Izar for a sense of agreement.
Izar nodded. "That would be a good start, considering we're the reason there's a giant hole in it. Sorry for that by the way, there was no other way to take down that monster. We'll make it look better than new, I promise." Hiro nodded before speaking. "It doesn't matter, you did what you had to do. I'm just happy no one got hurt." He said. Izar smiled, feeling a bit less guilty for screwing up. "We'll get right on it as soon as we get some tools." Izar said looking around for a tool box somewhere. "There's a large chest of tools over by the shrine. I'll send a few men to help you as soon as everyone calms down enough to get back to work." Hiro said stroking his beard. Izar bowed respectfully, "thank you." He said before turning back to Itari. "Ready to go clean up our mess?" he asked with a smile. Itari nodded and the two set off.
The next week was spent doing back breaking work as they worked alongside the villagers to rebuild the town, using their magic to help in any way they could. The work went smoothly without interference from any more pesky dark mages. It had taken a lot of work but as the last nail was placed they were all able stand back and admire their great accomplishment. The night after the completion of the village was one of great celebration, a parade and feast was held in honor of all their newly rebuilt home. The next morning Izar and Itari said their goodbyes to Hiro and the rest of the grateful villagers before heading down to the train station, ready to return home.
A Developing Friendship and a Promised Reunion[]
Izar got their train tickets, handing one to Itari. "Well that was definitely fun. I'm really happy we took this job Itari." Izar said as he looked down at the resort tickets in his hand. "Not only because of the tickets but because it felt really good to help these people. To work alongside and get to know them all. It's something I've never experienced before." Izar said as he sat next to Itari on one of the many benches.
Itari's smile beamed with pride and elation, "It was pretty great, huh? So many new stories, new experiences, and new friends! I am really glad you asked me to join you on this job, it was very rewarding; and I am not talking about the Jewels." He laughed out a bit. Though his skin may be blistered from a week worth of construction, it glowed with a new found sense of purpose and joy, as he was secure in calling this guild his new family. "You know what Izar? I really hope that we can one day go on another job together...I think we worked really well together, and getting to know more about the lens in which you view the world would be really fun."
Izar nodded in agreement, " I agree, getting to work beside you again would be most wonderful. I look forward to hopefully being able to see the world through your eyes as well. Then maybe I could be half has cheery and out going as you are Itari." Izar said with a slight laugh as he placed his hand on Itari's shoulder. Izar's smile softened as he began to look out over the train tracks. "I'm really glad I joined Koma Inu. I haven't been there very long but I really feel like I belong there. Also, had I not joined I never would've met you Renatos. I look forward to becoming good friends with the both of you, if you would allow me?" Izar said, shooting Itari a wide smile as the train pulled into the station. He quickly jumped up before Itari could respond to anything he had said. "This is our ride, let's get back home." Izar said before beginning to walk toward the train.
Handing his ticket and hoping on the train, Itari turns back to talk to Izar as he takes his seat first in the back of the train trolley. "Of course man! We were going to form a team right? I'm sure my sister would love to join us...after some convincing..." Itari says the last line under his breath. "But you don't need to be cheery and out going like me, you just have to have confidence in who you are. There is no greater person you can be!" He says with a warm smile at his new friend.
The two found their seats on the train, Itari beginning to talk as they sat. Izar's eyes widened at Itari's suggestion of them being on a team, having not even told Akumu that he had intentions of becoming friends with her brother. He imagined the scorn she would unleash on him upon finding out he had went behind her back, even if he had done so for her. He had been foolish in not thinking this all through. Izar looked down at the tickets in his hand and then to Itari, his hesitation clear as day. "Itari..." Izar says before stopping, looking at the smile on his friends face. Izar let out an internal sigh, Akumu is going to kill me, and then she'll do it again...and again Izar thought with a audible gulp. He cleared his head of such negative thoughts as he returned Itari's smile, " I would love to be part of a team with you and your sister."
"Hey man, don't scare me like that with the hesitation. Thought you were going to say no." He laughs out, scratching the back of his head in nervousness. "Look, if you're scared of asking my sister to join us, don't worry. I can do all the talking, I've kinda learned how to talk to her over the years you could say." Itari smiles brightly as he thinks to Izar's words, I'm really glad I joined Koma Inu. I haven't been there very long but I really feel like I belong there. Itari couldn't feel more the same. He lets out a sigh of exhaustion, laughing at how this seeming easy job turned into a bit of a difficult one, but nothing they couldn't handle. "I hope you and that special someone has fun on the resort trip! I say we split the reward so you can buy them something nice while you're there, yeah?" He wiggles his eyebrows up and down as he laughs at his own innuendo.
Izar laughs a bit. "I hope so too, but my main concern at the moment is figuring out how to get her to say yes." Izar says as he turns to look out the window. Izar shook his head at Itari's suggestion that they split the money. "You should keep it Itari, you've already given me the tickets; the least I could do is let you keep the money. I'm not struggling on funds in any way so I think I'll be fine. Besides, she doesn't seem like the type for lavish gifts. I have more than enough for what I have in mind." Izar said, sending a wink toward his friend. The train screeched to it's first stop in Magnolia. "Whoa, already here? Next stop Onibus." Izar said as he watched as a few people exited and boarded the train before it was off again.
"Well whatever you say friend, I guess I'll just put it into savings for another time then." Itari says with a yawn. "I don't know about you, but I am ready for a long nap when we get back in my own bed. I can't wait to get back to the guild." Izar nods his head in approval as the next twenty minutes were spent in comfortable silence before the train docked at their exit in Onibus Town. "Looks like we are finally home!" Itari says excitedly, jumping up from his seat to grab his stuff and exit the train.
Izar quickly followed behind Itari, catching up to him as the blond haired mage jumped down onto the platform. "You're energy seems to have been renewed quickly. Though, I will admit that it does feel good to be home" Izar says as he throws his backpack over his shoulder. Izar looks around the Onibus town station before turning back to Itari. The word Home rung in Izar's head as he doesn't remember when he began using the word. He shook off the thought as he turned back to Itari. "I suppose this is goodbye for now friend, maybe we can hang out again some time?" Izar said as he extended his fist toward Itari to initiate a fist bump.
"Yeah of course, I look forward to it." Itari says as he returns the fist bump with a sheepish grin. Itari is filled with a sense of calmness at having completed his first job, making what he believes will become a great friend in the future. His exhaustion begins to catch up with him as he heads back, but nothing can surpass the high he feels from his accomplishments in this past week.