Waiting on the rich was not how Nadine had predicted spending her morning. The task was as pretentious as it was boring, and although the job hadn’t even started yet the demi-human found her patience waning. She had seen Granny Meirin’s job posting the other day about needing strongarms, but finding out the finer details after showing up, well… Nadine couldn’t help but feel both Lucretia and herself were overkill for the task at hand.

The main walkway into the hotel district was already starting to get busy. Curiously Nadine silently noted that most of the foot traffic was from the working class. ‘No doubt the aristocracy is still waking up,’ she thought to herself with a smirk. Her own stomach growled at the thought of a breakfast buffet, and the woman’s golden eyes narrowed slightly. Involuntarily she slid another small leaf into her mouth and slowly chewed. Perhaps someone with a perceptive gaze might have noticed her pupils were slightly dilated due to the effect of her own herbs, but if her host recognized it she didn’t say anything.

Nadine’s posture was relaxed as she leaned against a streetlight with a shoulder, arms folding across her chest. Beside her a diminutive elder stood holding a small brown dog against her chest.

“Didn’t you say you had a friend coming along, dear?” asked the old woman as she patted her pet’s head.

“She’ll be here,” promised Nadine quietly after swallowing her leaf.

It wasn’t like her to sleep in but after the long day prior and the soreness from some of her other activities the woman was quick to put on her garb and head out. She was kind of stiff here or there but she figured that would go away. Some stretches followed by a quick breakfast that she was still chowing down as she was walking into the hotel district, about half of her sandwich hanging out from her mouth as she was still fixing her tunic.

Though upon seeing nadine and the older woman? Lucretia paused; was this really the picture she felt like painting of herself? Then again Nadine had already seen her but the older woman probably wouldn’t like it too much. Either that or she’d at least appreciate the fact that their ‘guard’ would have at least eaten. Pulling the sandwich out of her mouth Lucretia gave a small wave with it.

”Sorry bout that had to grab a bite to eat real quick. No good doing your work on an empty stomach!”

The woman let out a laugh; she had grabbed a few other things too for throughout the day. Like some jerky and for what would amount to their ‘lunch’ if it went that long would probably be the same thing she was eating now. After all fights did drain a lot of energy.

”Good to see you again Nadine. Who’s the folks we’re tailing?”

There wasn’t really a better word for what they were doing; guarding didn’t really fit since normally guards tended to keep to a strict path while they were following someone willy nilly right?

It wasn't hard to spot Lucretia coming down the street. Most people cleared a path for the tall woman anyways. However, even at a distance Nadine's eyes focused on the sandwich hanging out of the Icebergian's mouth. For a brief moment she closed her eyes and sighed. She had eaten something before coming, but being reminded of food again really wasn't helping her case. When she opened her eyes the demi-human couldn't help but stare at the sandwich again as Lucretia waved with it. She forced herself to look back at the other woman's stark blue eyes and nodded a greeting.

She opened her mouth to say something, but found the words lacking at Lucretia's own initial words. Once more Nadine closed her eyes with a resigned smile before shaking her head and chuckling along with Lucretia.

"A pleasure as always," she said after looking back to the other woman, "and, you're not late at all. If anything, our guests are. The dignified do not rise with the sun like the rest of us, apparently."

"Ms. Archambault," warned Granny Meirin in a patient tone, "I beg your pardon, but these visitors are important clients."

"Of course, of course. I will be on my best behavior, Granny Meirin." Standing straight up and moving away from the streetlight she had been leaning against Nadine took several steps closer to Lucretia, invading her personal space yet again as they stood nearly toe to toe. With one hand on her own hip she brazenly smiled up at the other woman. "Madame Wolfenstein can attest that my manners are impeccable, no?"

With her other hand Nadine would make a slow and deliberate movement to pluck Lucretia's sandwich out of her grasp. If she was successful she'd then take a bite out of it while winking playfully.

"I see. Thank you both for coming on such short notice. I believe the foreign nobles should be arriving soon, though; Kaito will be meeting them here." The old woman looked a bit pensive as she glanced between the two mages. "Listen, dears. He's a nice man, but he doesn't like being helped, but this occasion going well would mean a lot to us all. So could you two please keep the group safe without making it too obvious?"

It wasn’t the first time people got out of her way, she did happen to stand a good head and possibly shoulders over a lot of the people around here. Maybe it was just because her family was built differently or that she got some weird strand of genes. The woman raised a brow at the reaction she got from her greeting. Maybe it was a little off? Hearing that she wasn’t so much late as their guests were, Lucretia sighed.

”Figures, coins in their pockets and over their alarm clocks probably.”

Lucretia gave a small shrug when Nadine was berated by the granny for her comment. The small women glaring at Lucretia t the comment about the guests. She didn’t really care all too much; a lot of people that were that well off didn’t earn their money under their own power but from their parent; to her it didn’t seem like they were deserving. Not like she could do much about that though.

Lucretia’s brows rose again at Nadine stepping closer to her; she could attest to a few things and she wasn’t sure what to say about the other’s manners. Though with that brazen smile and the other taking her sandwich Lucretia couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. It seemed her breakfast would be a bit small; though it was a good thing she had a second sandwich and the jerky for later.  But being called Madame Wolfenstein brought a small tint of red to her otherwise pale cheeks.

”I can indeed attest that; among a few other things. At least we won’t have to worry about any ne'er-do-wells'”

That playful wink was returned with a grin, patting the other on the shoulder before stepping to the side so that she wasn’t blocking the walkway. Perks of being big is that everyone could see you and that you were an effective roadblock. Though with the granny asking for them to make it… not too obvious Lucretia would slowly blink.

”Not to sound rude… but it’s kind of difficult for me to make it anything but obvious.”

The slight shade of color on the pale woman’s face hadn’t gone unnoticed, and Nadine nodded gratefully both for the vote of confidence, or white lie if that’s what that was, as well as the sandwich. She finished off her newfound food in short order as Lucretia and Granny Meirin discussed the issue of stealth.

“Well, I suppose it might be difficult now that you mention it, but people of all types visit Hosenka, hun. If you don’t do much else to draw attention to you, Kaito might not realize what’s going on. Regardless, if it can’t be helped, then so be it. Kaito’s pride isn’t what’s at stake here.” Granny Meirin frowned as she shrugged her shoulders. “What’s important is that the tour continues unmolested, and that you two help maintain Hosenka’s reputation.”

“Then that is what we will do,” stated Nadine as she brushed crumbs off of her gloved hands. “We’ll keep the money flowing, and no one will be the wiser. Pretty as Hosenka is, it’s no stranger to violence or crime. We’ll keep the trash off the streets.”

In truth, if all they needed to do was follow the group at a distance and then act on any suspicious activity, Nadine figured things would be fine. Lucretia’s presence alone would probably ensure most troublemakers kept their heads down, anyways.

“I’m counting on you two.” Looking off to the side Granny Meirin pointed to a man leading a group of well dressed people out of one of the closer hotels. “Ah, there’s Kaito now. Looks like you’re on the clock. If you’ll excuse me I have to return to my duties now.” The old lady then left the two mages in a hurry.

Once Granny Meirin was out of earshot Nadine shook her head and chuckled. She then glanced up to Lucretia with a sly smile.

“So, how much jewels do you think we’d get if we were the ones to rob those people? They look like they carry way more than what we're being paid.”

Lucretia huffed a little bit; not sure if she really should encourage that sort of behaviour with what she felt was a type of flirting. But with her sandwich no longer in her possession the woman instead would turn her attention to the granny. Hearing that as long as she didn’t draw much attention to herself it should be okay. Giving a small shrug Lucretia felt that this would make it a lot easier than what she had originally anticipated. Truth be told this job felt like an absolute cakewalk with the two of them being here.

”All right; it shouldn’t be that difficult to help him out if something goes awry.”

Hosenka was a place that Lucretia still was learning; still trying to get a feel for. But with nadine speaking like that it made her wonder how much longer the other had been around. Or rather how much longer she had her ear to the ground. Lucretia had barely been able to look at a map much less get a good feel at the town over the last couple nights.

”Even if I don’t know this place that well at least I can help out.”

Lucretia gave another shrug and turned to look about; she could scan over the heads of the crowd pretty well. Though there was a lot to take in and with Granny pointing out their ‘mark’ Lucretia’s eyes zeroed in on him. Her expression shifted to that of a serious nature and she’d fold her arms.

Up until Nadine gave her that sly smile; making Lucretia slowly blink as that question was posed. She’d rub at her neck and then shake her head slowly.

”Probably a fair bit yes, but Our reputation would suffer and it’d be harder to get jobs off of the boards if we did. That and how much of a hornet nest do you think we’d kick if we did something like that? Honestly the trouble wouldn’t be worth it.”

Lucretia sounded rather firm about that query. Her eyes were dancing around the crowd; looking for trouble and rather than focusing on where the group that they were supposed to be watching for. Once they were a bit away the woman would reach out to gently pat the top of the other’s head, giving their hair a bit of a ruffle.

”Besides, think of it this way. We get paid more in the long run if we work with granny more than botching up one job and getting her upset. C’mon, once this job is done we can go to a tavern or the spa again.”

The answer she got from Lucretia made sense, and it was delivered in a tone that left no room for debate. Nadine’s smile faded into a neutral expression as she hummed thoughtfully in consideration of the other’s words. She returned her stare to Kaito and the tour group. When Lucretia gave her a small pat on the head the demi-human smirked.

“For the record, that was not a serious proposition. I was just curious about what you’d think of the idea, that’s all. You are an honorable hunter indeed, Lucretia.” She gently brushed the other woman’s hand away from her head with a smug smile.

“I have no love for any sense of nobility that doesn’t come from one’s own actions. Wealth or social status means little to your survival out in the wilds. That being said, I did agree to watch over these fools all the same.”

As the tour group started to move out Nadine also started walking forward. She glanced again towards Lucretia from the corner of her eyes, speaking in a more amused tone.

“On a lighter subject, I’m flattered that you’d like to share drinks with me let alone take me to the hot springs, but... Madame Wolfenstein, may I remind you that we are in the middle of a job?” A teasing smile tugged at her lips, but that’s where her joking would end. For now, at least. Although, a good meal and a hot soak always did sound nice to Nadine.

Kaito moved his flock along at a leisurely pace as they explored the hotel district. In a way it was a good chance for Nadine to brush up on her familiarity with the area as well. A few vendors dotted the street with portable booths. They sold mostly trinkets or food, and it was the latter that inevitably caught the demi-human’s attention.

“I’ll be back,” she said as she made a beeline for one such stand. As promised she did return shortly after, and handed Lucretia a skewered grilled squid in one hand, while holding another for herself in the other.

“You’re still new to Hosenka, right? Don’t be afraid to try the street food around here. Some of it is better than what you’d find in the restaurants.”

Honestly with lucretia she had never really considered doing that sort of stuff to people; what was theirs was theirs. Maybe if it was to give to a better need like… From the rich to the poor or downtrodden. But even then you’d earn enemies everywhere just as fast as you’d make friends.

”Ah so one of those ‘what if’ sort of situations. I try to be; there’s enough injustice and terror in the world. I don’t think I could ever add to it.”

Then again lives were roads that they traveled in one direction; many a fork lay open in front of her and it was as easy if not easier to fall down that path to using her abilities for the worst of it. The woman rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. That was true; then again she never really thought about the wealthy or social status other than that of her clans. Even then it was basically ‘who had which job’.

”Honestly I paid very little attention to social standings up in the north, you knew which jobs people had and what they focused on as a result. So it wasn’t so much social status or wealth as what you were supposed to be doing. Until you got to the bigger cities anyways. Normally I wouldn’t agree to something like this but… this offers me a chance to see the city; make connections. That sort of thing.”

Lucretia found herself chuckling at the other; yes they were on a job but it wouldn’t do them any good just juggling around boring job topics here. Hearing that teasing honorific the woman found that tint coming to her cheeks again and she’d glance away.

”A job yeah, but it’s never a bad thing to plan a little ahead. Especially with good company.”

With Kaito moving his flock along Lucretia wouldn’t hurry; she’d take it as easy as she could. If she got too close she’d adjust some of her garb into a more comfortable position or… Well there were those booths. Some of the trinkets caught her attention since she did just eat.

With the other saying they’d be back the woman slowed her walk again; till she stopped in front of a hawker that was trying to sell her some necklace that… would revitalize her? Lucretia snorted and shook her head, waving the vendor off as the other came back. Accepting the grilled squid with a bit of curiosity.

”I’m still new to everywhere outside of Iceberg. Very familiar with that country to the point where I could still tell you some placements of the bergs here or there. But… the smell of this certainly lends itself to what you say.”

The woman would take a bite out of the squid and raise her brows slowly as the taste sank in. Fish wasn’t the first thing on her list of things that she would eat; being a bit more favored towards the red meat her clan would bring back from hunts… But she had to admit this taste was far different than a lot of the colder fish they could catch.

”Definately a lot tastier than the stuff I remember our fishers catching. Then again they always went for bigger stuff… Hmm..”

Down the line there was a few other booths she could get into; but with herself being distracted in such a way the woman glanced around to make sure Kaito hadn’t escaped them. Seeing him down the street and by one of the stalls that had caught her eye? Well the woman would most definitely want to mosey on that way albeit slowly!

”Nothing I can see so far… Hmm. Fan of sweets per chance?”

The woman would motion to the stall; hopefully pointing out Kaito in the same vein!

Nadine had her own opinions on justice and terror in the world, but she'd keep them to herself. Remembering that Lucretia hunted monsters in the night to slay fear itself, the demi-human didn't feel that her own input would be helpful or even agreed with. For a moment she wondered when was the last time someone had ever called her noble, honorable, or valiant. Honestly she couldn't remember, but as someone who cared little for such descriptions where she herself was concerned Nadine wasn't bothered by it, either.

The Iceberg cultural lesson interesting to hear. While she knew there were large cities in that country most of her own past experiences dealt with the nomadic raiding tribes. The warbands hardly ever reached her homeland since they had to cross another country entirely to do so, but the Minstrese Navy was familiar enough with the more violent aspects of Icebergian traditions. Northern trips around the continent to Pergrande Kingdom would sometimes be harassed, although Nadine had never been that far north herself. The water was too cold for her liking.

Nadine would coyly chuckle though, seeing the older woman avoid eye contact as her cheeks tinted red again.

As she bit into her own grilled squid she listened to Lucretia's verdict on the snack. She was pleased to see the other mage enjoy it being a lover of food herself. The demi-human finished the squid off in short order, nodding in agreement between bites.

“You're not in the frozen north anymore. You should keep up the streak of doing new things, trying out new experiences. Like these squid, taking this job, or the trip to the hot spring.” As she spun her bare skewer around her gloved fingers like one might do a pen or pencil Nadine looked ahead at Kaito. The shift in her gaze was more for Lucretia's benefit though, as her voice took on a playful tone again. “You'd probably look great in one of those fancy Joyan outfits, kimonos. I hear they're a pain to put on, but taking it all off is part of the fun as well; very sensual and intimate if the locals are to be believed. Perfect for the end to an evening date.”

She'd let Lucretia's mind wander with that, looking back only when asked if she liked sugary things.

“Yes I do,” she admitted curiously as she then looked in the direction Lucretia was pointing, “do you see something you want to try?”

Noting that Kaito was in the general vicinity of where she was gesturing to Nadine stared at the man impatiently. Food was an easy way to get her attention, and Granny Meirin had practically said Kaito's feelings were irrelevant in this matter. So long as the foreign nobles were kept safe they would still be paid. She flicked her skewer into a trash can before gesturing for her partner to follow her.

“Let's go see for ourselves. The nobles can't have all the fun, right? Just pretend like they're not there or don't matter. So just act normally.”

Lucretia had a firm grasp on what she thought justice was, what she projected was something bold. Something that struck terror in things that wanted to hurt others. Her views on such an aspect were definitely noble and definitely others could get behind. But it wasn’t for everyone and well… The woman wasn’t about to force her ideals on someone else. She knew better.

Lucretia would share whatever nadine asked for in regards to Iceberg; the things that lucretia knew about the country was actually quite expansive but… It was also mostly from a view of the roaming clans rather than those that stayed in the cities. It built lucretia in such a way that made it next to impossible for her to have the history in sorts.

Hearing that chuckle Lucretia couldn’t help but cough quietly; she wasn’t sure what to say about the constant use of the whole madame wolfenstein. Something that tickled her in both amusement and well… respect? She was older than some of the other hunters she had worked with before the end. But she never had been called something respectful like that. Even ma’am didn’t come that far.

”I mean most of my jobs is me hunting something so… this is definately something new. I wonder what ways you can prepare these squids…”

Lucretia paused at the mention of the hot springs and she’d rub at her shoulder; managing a small smile. She liked the heat of that spa and definitely was able to relax. Though she wasn’t expecting the other to suggest a Joyan kimono. The taller woman blinking a few times as the other continued on; prompting the taller woman to avert her gaze, her cheeks starting to burn.

”Not too unlike this outfit. It can be a hassal to get on and off I’ll say that much. Though this isn’t so much unlike a date huh?”

The woman coughed at that particular thought and when asked about if she wanted to try something? She’d pause and consider. There was a host of sweets she could enjoy and well… a new place meant new tastes!

”Well a lot of this is new so… probably a little bit of everything!”

Lucretia smiled warmly and stepped along lightly. That suggestion of them going and giving it a try while pretending they weren’t there? Well that was easy. Lucretia had more eyes for the food than the noble for the moment. Though she’d spare the man a glance as they got closer; nobles were… strange to her truth be told.

”I suppose they really can’t huh? Hmmm… any suggestions?”

Nadine might have been bullying the shy Icebergian with all of her teasing, but she couldn’t help herself. As Lucretia had pointed out during their first meeting as well, she didn’t mind the attention, either. However, at the mention of this outing being similar to a date the demi-human paused to stare at her partner, vaguely surprised by the other’s boldness. It might have been an awkward execution, but Nadine liked prey that struggled back.

“You say that, but you keep staring at someone else today, no?” Her brows raised slightly, but the accusation was simply another playful poke. Of course they were supposed to be watching Kaito, but that didn’t mean Nadine wouldn’t use that as more ammo for her antics. “That’s the third time now that you’ve made me jealous,” she said lightly as she wagged a finger at Lucretia.

When they got closer to more food stalls she noticed Lucretia had looked at Kaito again. Nadine spared the group a cursory glance, but nothing seemed amiss so she went back to ignoring them.

“Hmm. How about some mochi?” Nadine picked out two of the soft, pink dumpling shaped blobs powdered with fine sugar. Each of them had a large green leaf wrapped around it like a decorative napkin. She offered one up to Lucretia while taking a bite into her own.

As she did so she spotted something suspicious down the pathway they had just come from. A pair of men wearing hoodies and sunglasses were talking together rather closely while staring in the direction of the tour group. Foreigners were a common sight in Hosenka, but troublemakers here knew the telltale signs of the wealthy.

“Hey, back the way we came, the guys wearing hoodies during a summer morning. What do you think of that?” asked Nadine as she finished off her mochi and crumpled the leaf in her hand.

Shy? Lucretia? No. When it came to things like this she was unprepared. For all of her fighting in the night she never really had time to form relationships and many of her hunter compadres were either too young or just didn’t click with her. So there was no such thing projected. The human glanced at the Demi-human at the mention that she… well yes she was staring a lot at Kaito but that was because he was what they were supposed to pay attention to.

”To be fair if I wasn’t having to keep an eye on him…”

Lucretia gave a small shrug and hearing that she made nadine jealous she couldn’t help but chuckle; bringing an earnest smile to bear and an apologetic halfwave of her hand.

”My apologies for that; I didn’t mean for that to happen…”

Lucretia’s eyes were drawn to the smooth dumpling shaped blobs. She’d wipe at her mouth and would gently take the offered food stuff. Biting into it her face lit up like a child and glanced towards where the individuals that nadine pointed out. Grumpily biting into the mochi again she’d roll her shoulders.

”Trouble probably. Don’t look like they’re up to any good. These are really good!”

Lucretia growled and popped the last of the mochi into her mouth; flipping a coin to the vendor in the same motion. They both knew trouble when they saw it and lucretia’s eyes had hardened. She’d glance down to nadine; a smirk spreading on her face.

”Think we should let them get closer or go out to meet them?”

She was fully ignoring the idea of Kaito overhearing them; for all he knew they were part of the same group that were just taking care of some hoodlums. Large enough city after all!

”Thinkin some more squid and mochi after this… though the tavern is sounding really good right now too…”

As sweet as the mochi was, Nadine always had a taste for blood. She flashed her teeth in a hungry smile as Lucretia glanced down at her. With her prey in sight she didn’t see much of a need to waste time. No doubt there already were other people marking the tour group as potential targets as well, so this would send a good message out to everyone watching. Holding her hand in front of herself she snapped her fingers making a green magic seal appear temporarily over her hand as she activated a spell.

“We’ll head their way nice and easy, then jump them and drop them off somewhere quiet. Don’t want to give them the chance to bolt, or else I’d really want to hurt them.” The idea of getting more food after was certainly appealing to Nadine, and she nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we have to watch Kaito’s group until noon anyways. There will be plenty of other street vendors to see along the tour’s route. So long as we stay nearby after this I doubt anyone will try to touch them.”

She then gestured for Lucretia to follow as she started walking back down the street. Her current heading would take them near the two troublemakers, but not intercepting them in a straight line. Hosenka did have a variety of visitors, and while no one would question their presence here, not many people would want to get near the pair either. With enough luck they could take care of this quickly and quietly without causing too much of a scene.

Spoiler:

Perhaps someday Lucretia would share the same taste for blood; maybe when her own inner beast reared it’s ugly head. But for now the woman was content with the mochi that she was chewing. Enjoying it’s sweet taste for as long as she could; she did have a thing for sweets but her desire for wealth or gold was a little higher. Not because of any real reason other than being able to keep herself going!

”Well I’ll have to hold off on using my spells till we get closer anyhow. Ice armor isn’t exactly covert.”

Lucretia growled a little bit and it wasn’t hard to see the steel in her eyes. It was a vastly different lucretia than a few moments before. With the fact that they had to follow kaito’s group till noon remaining… That gave Lucretia plenty of time to figure out their over all ‘reward’ for helping them.

The woman trudged along, her gaze wasn’t hard to find from where nadine was at. But the taller woman wouldn’t hide the fact she had something in mind. That gesture brought lucretia to following after nadine; the pair were given a wide berth by many of those walking through the street.

They could take care of this easily and lucretia would consider for a moment what she should do. If she activated overture a little too early… well the pair would likely run and she’d then also draw way too much attention to herself.

Upon getting closer the difference in height was already apparent; these hoodlums were next to nothing in comparison to what they usually had to deal with. Lucretia paused in her motion and casted a glance at another booth; this time across the street.

”...Puppets huh?”

[Beginning of guild posts as Sleeping Calamity]

Ice armor? Nadine seemed unsure of that, but nodded anyway. She hadn’t felt threatened when studying the two troublemakers from afar, but maybe Lucretia’s magic would help intimidate the men. Then again, getting hit in the face with a solid chunk of ice would definitely break your nose. Trusting her companion knew what she was doing, the demi-human kept walking. She avoided looking at their targets to keep suspicion low.

It wasn’t until Nadine was almost next to the two men did she notice Lucretia had stopped somewhere behind her. She stopped to glance back over her shoulder, golden eyes easily finding the tall woman staring at something across the street. Raising a hand next to her mouth she called out for the Icebergian.

“Hey. Hey!” she shouted as she started walking backwards in the direction of their targets again. Nadine didn’t know if this was part of Lucretia’s plan or not, but she wasn’t going to waste this opportunity herself. Hopefully she could further distance themselves from suspicion by acting like tourists. If anything, it’d help Nadine get that much closer to the troublemakers while looking like she wasn’t trying to go after them.

“I thought you wanted to check out the taverns?!”

She kept walking backwards looking at Lucretia, adjusting her path to collide with their targets. They saw her coming though, especially with the noise she was making. They moved off to the side to continue their talking, though they ignored Nadine after that. When she saw this as she passed by the demi-human smirked and dropped her facade. Using all of her strength she shoved the nearest one towards Lucretia, and then grabbed a hold of the second by the throat.

“Don’t shout,” warned the woman as her fingers clenched around the man’s neck, “it’s much too early for rats to be scurrying.”

Spoiler:

Lucretia figured that the other probably didn’t believe her when it came to the magic. But when it boiled down to it for now the woman would just have to get along without her magic. If she used it too early they’d get scared and if she used it too late it’d just draw attention to them.

The tall woman’s attention on the puppets was meant to make it seem like she wasn’t paying attention to the hoodlums. She figured that the other would get this but her genuine interest in the puppets was hard to shake. Nadine calling out however turned her attention back to nadine.

”Yeah but they got something interesting over there!”

Lucretia huffed a little bit and hurried to follow after the demi human. With the nearest one being shoved towards her Lucretia loomed over them and stared them down. Her hands coming to rest on the hoodlum’s shoulders. Her blue eyes lacked any of her normal kindness. She must of had maybe nearly a foot on the guy making it kind of hard for him to really get out of her reach.

”Now I don’t know what the both of you really think you’re doing… but like my friend here said. It’s too early for your bullshit. So don’t test me got it?”

The smile that spread across Lucretia’s face was not at all friendly and the glint in her eyes was one that spoke levels about what she would do to the individuals here. If they struggled well… that just meant she would send them flying or crush them underfoot.

She was glad to see that Lucretia naturally fell into the plan of things. It made Nadine wonder for a moment how the two of them would work together on more complicated jobs. For the task at hand however, both of them were bullying the two thugs at this point.

"I've got an idea of what they're up to," cooed the woman in reply to Lucretia, "but instead of taking them to the law, perhaps we can take out the trash right here, right now."

There was an edge of finality in Nadine's tone as she lifted the man off of the ground by his throat with little effort. They could easily kill these idiots, but then they'd be the ones under the law's scrutiny. Having them spread the word that this area was off limits to mischief would suit their needs much better, though. Neither of the men seemed willing to resist, although the one Nadine was holding was desperately grasping at the demi-human's wrist to ease the pressure on his throat.

"I do have to wonder if you vermin can remember something for us. Crawl back to the Crimson Quarter. Tell your friends that you pests aren't welcomed here anymore. Do you think you can do that, or should we kill one of you, and break the other's hands to get the point across?"

The man Nadine was choking couldn't voice an opinion, but the one under Lucretia's grasp was quick to shake his head.

"N-No, no! We got it! We're cool!"

"Hmm. What do you think?" asked Nadine as she glanced up at Lucretia."

Spoiler:

Lucretia’s smile didn’t waiver and she’d stare down at the thug in front of her. She didn’t really have to do a thing did she? Glancing at the other woman at the suggestion of them taking out the trash Lucretia couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. She was doing all the work for these two it felt!

”That makes two of us then. I wouldn’t be opposed...”

While likely no where near as strong as Nadine it didn’t matter when your hands were clamped firmly on the thug’s shoulders. Causing him to flinch a bit and lose his sunglasses. Giving lucretia a good look at his face and eyes. She’d glance at Nadine as she spoke; though the threat to kill them was a little high in her opinion…

It definitely worked. The man under her own grasp quailed a bit and the one being lifted off the ground was certainly amicable. She’d hum thoughtfully and lean down to stare at the other human. Not breaking eye contact for a few seconds before letting him go.

”I think they get the picture. But if we see them or their friends again…”

Lucretia gave a little wave, cracking her knuckles and that smile cropped up once more. She didn’t really care for thugs, hoodlums or the ilk. But she definitely felt like these two were getting the picture. With nadine’s strength and Lucretia’s presence… well these two weren’t at all a threat!

”We’ll definitely take out the trash no?”

In a way Nadine was a little disappointed she didn't get to see Lucretia show off. She had been curious about the other woman's ice magic, but maybe that would be overkill at this point if such a thing existed.

"Most certainly," answered Nadine coolly as she squeezed one last time against the man's throat. For a moment she considered how easy it would be to just kill him and be done with it. However, she wasn't alone on this job, and decided it'd be more trouble than it was worth.

In the end she set the man back down on his feet  and released him. Before he had the chance to run off though Nadine raised up a foot and kicked him square in the gut. The movement looked effortless for Nadine, but the man had been sent crashing to the ground in a groaning heap. Seeing his sunglasses had fallen next to her the demi-human stepped on that as well as she turned to face Lucretia.

"I still think they're getting off too easily, but we're not getting paid enough to kill people." With her hands on her hips she watched as the thug near Lucretia bolted to his compatriot, trying to help the man up. It wasn't long before the two troublemakers were hobbling down the sidewalk. Turning her eyes back to the other woman Nadine's tone and expression shifted back into the relaxed and calm manner that she had used earlier.

"Welp, that's that. Let's go grab some more mochi. I got a feeling this is gonna be a boring job, now."

Spoiler:

If lucretia had used her magic in such a place not only would it have drawn attention to herself. It would have likely blown their cover; glancing at Nadine she found herself frowning ever so slightly. There was an odd thought of wonder how her magic didn’t seem to be as overt as Lucretia’s. But then again maybe she was missing something or wasn’t paying enough attention to what was going on.

”You pack quite a wallop.”

She’d comment seeing the man practically get tossed about with such a simple effort from Nadine. It made lucretia wonder just how strong she was and how powerful her magic was. How much of a disparity there was between the two of them and how a fight between the two of them would go. She’d pull her hands away from the thug and fold her arms. Watching them hobble away before scooping up the sunglasses, raising them up to see just how effective they were… to find that they really weren’t. Snorting and tossing them into the trash Lucretia would turn her attention proper to Nadine.

"I think we made the point that we needed to. But it doesn’t hurt being watchful.”

Lucretia would say rather matter of factly; a grin splitting her face as the other suggested that they get some more mochi. Lucretia wasn’t about to turn that down in the slightest. She’d motion towards where they had just come from; wondering to herself if Kaito noticed what they had done.

”Think they might have different kinds? Or all the same?”

It was more curiosity than anything and the motion wasn’t with some work behind it. It’d allow for nadine to see if kaito was still about and where they were in relevance. If they had scooted well… The two of them could always hurry after the man and his group!

“Well that’s what I’m here for,” Nadine said in reply to the Icebergian’s compliment. So far nothing had changed her mind about the both of them being more than enough for a simple job like this. Where Granny Meirin had even scrounged the money to pay two mages was beyond her. “Yeah, we’ll hang around Kaito’s little group until they’re done. There’s definitely more snacks to pick up from the street vendors in this district, so we’ll stop by anything that catches your eye.”

With that being said Nadine would lead her partner around acting as her own personal guide while they followed Kaito. She made sure to make up for the sandwich she had stolen by treating Lucretia to a bento, and anything the other woman wanted Nadine would try as well. She easily kept pace with the taller woman as far as eating went, thanks to her own ridiculous appetite. With them having spread the word that this area wasn’t to be messed with the day went on peacefully. Kaito had noticed the pair being constantly nearby, but he didn’t bother approaching Lucretia or Nadine.

Once the tour ended at noon Granny Meirin met up with the two mages back at where the tour had started. Payment was dispensed, along with the old woman’s gratitude, before she took her leave.

“Y’know, maybe this wasn’t a wasted day after all,” said Nadine as she pocketed her reward, “we roughed up some thugs, saw the sights, and had a good meal along the way. If I remember right, you also wanted to visit a tavern? Let’s see if we can find some Icebergian ale or Minstreli wine.” Nadine nodded her head towards the livelier areas of Hosenka before beginning to walk that way.

[exit]

Spoiler:

”I mean true. But I also feel like I didn’t do too much in comparison. But I spose lookin up for some is scary enough.”

The woman laughed a bit and as they continued on there wasn’t much left to the job. They had scared off pretty much the only other ‘predators’ here if you could even call them that. The thugs still weighed heavily on Lucretia’s mind; like how could it get like where they could walk around like that?

”Another set of mochi wouldn’t be too bad then. Maybe see if they have any more fish...”

Lucretia mumbled a bit and eyeballed a lot of things while Nadine guided her around. Even being surprised by the bento which was definitely much more than just a sandwich but she wasn’t complaining. The two of them were easily noticed by kaito but the man didn’t seem to care or didn’t want to approach the both of them. Lucretia didn’t really blame him in that regard.

With the tour ending and Granny giving them both their payment the woman grinned a little. Counting over the money that she had been given. She’d glance at nadine as they spoke before stuffing her own reward into her coinpurse.

”Really wasn’t if you think about it. Yeah I still want to explore around a bit too but a tavern sounds really good right now. Especially after today. Minstreli wine? Hmm. Never had that before I don’t think at least…”

The woman mulled this over and then started to walk after nadine; casting a glance behind her. Quizzically tilting her head before properly following nadine. She could have sworn she saw something…

[exit]