Complete Private Lyrwick Beneath our Feet

[Magnolia]

Trevor's Estate

Opening the door of the estate, Magnolia gazed upon @Lucille Fer, the one that had accepted the request to fend off an issue that had been the greatest of the headaches for the town of Cindershine, a small town somewhere near the border of Lyrwick. One of the few that wasn't engulfed by the corruption that crawled across that cursed region.

"Greetings." Magnolia bowed politely. "You must be madam Lucille, correct?"

Regardless of confirmation, Magnolia knew who she was. The description fitted perfectly. Caenis, dark skin, golden eyes, black fur, freckles. It was hard to miss the traits. "Please, follow me." The maid gestured, guiding the girl into the building, and showing her the way through the estate.

In the path, Magnolia would take any belonging the girl needed to keep on a safe place, and couldn't bring with her into the job she would take. Eventually, they would reach a dining room, with a red haired man waiting for the two of them patiently, with a dignified stance until the women approached him enough... In which he gestured for Lucille to sit.

"Hmph, you must be Ms. Lucille?" The man said. "Sure looks as tough as the rumors says. It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Trevor... But I'm short in time today, so let's go straight to the point." He strummed his fingers on the table. "The problem is simple. Our town has been suffering from a problem... That is rather intriguing. The sewers barely work anymore, something has been clogging it. And when we send people to fix it, we expect the worst to be them saying it will take some weeks to solve it." He shrugged.

He took his coffee, taking a small sip of it and letting out a brief sigh, before continuing with a reveal:

"What I don't expect is for those we send to fix the problem to never come back." He said with a gravely serious expression. "I need someone more... Skilled... To go there and check this problem for me."

While he left the words to sink in, Magnolia approached with a platter, filled with teapots and cups. "Do you wish anything to drink, madam?" She asked.

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

"Uh, yeah, sure."

Lucille's reply almost sounded like she was unsure of herself, even though she was merely affirming that she was indeed herself. But being invited to such a fancy place, and addressed as 'madam' was nothing short of unnerving to her. In fact, the whole place was nurturing a rather unpleasant feeling inside of her, making her want to simply bare her fangs and claw the whole interior up!

Thankfully she had at least some self-control and followed the maid instead, nervously looking all around her until they met who was presumably the owner of this monstrosity of property. He hardly came across as charismatic to the wolf. Dismissive, self-important... nonetheless, she took a seat across the table from him, golden eyes piercing the fool of a man.

"That was a really long and roundabout way of getting to the point. What you're saying is that there is probably a monster down there, snacking on anyone you send. First, you nearly scoff the moment you see me, then you take that long to explain something so simple... whatever, I can investigate for you and kill whatever is making the workers disappear."

Turning her gaze toward the maid, she wasn't really sure what to say.

"Uh... yeah, something... whatever is fine, I guess."

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia bowed her head in acknowledgement to the request, soon taking a particular teapot. She already knew what to expect from the beastfolk lady, so she had prepared the perfect tea for her beforehand: Chamomile with peppermint.

The former to calm her down slightly, hopefully. She had been even more nervous than the maid had anticipated. The latter to sparkle focus on her, both for the success of the mission and to negate the sleep inducing effects of the chamomile. The taste was strong too, just like a woman like she was.

Filling her cup, Magnolia soon handed it to her. "Here you are, madam."

Meanwhile, the man, that had a serious expression on his face, grew a smirk on his lips.

"Perfect. She is exactly what we need." He said, standing from his seat. "Deal with this problem to me, and I will reward you enough gold for you to not worry about it for at least seven full moons, and one non-living thing of this mansion that is at most 5 cubic feet of size."

His gaze then swiftly turned to the maid. "Magnolia, you go and assist this lady with anything she needs, and witness her mission. I will want a report." His eyes returned to the beastfolk. "At night, you shall go. The streets around here are desert when the moon raise. I would rather no one else to witness it." He turned around, ready to leave. "You can stay until then, if you wish."

Magnolia bowed. "Yes, master..." She spoke, soon turning her gaze to look at the beastfolk lady.

"My apologies if my master had unsettled you, madam Lucille. He is eccentric, but he is a kind man." Magnolia explained, trying to be a bit diplomatic, even if her lack of expressions didn't allow her to muster an apologetic smile.

"Do you wish to wait for the night inside, or outside?" She asked, knowing the beastfolk was a bit hesitant about this whole ordeal.

@Lucille Fer

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

'Still talking as if I wasn't even here...' That was Lucille's first through when the man stood up and started addressing... no one in particular? About how the wolf girl was apparently the perfect fit. Well, no matter. The tea was placed in front of her and she certainly did not waste one moment picking the delicate cup up and nearly drinking the whole thing in one swig. Heat aside, it caused her to stick her tongue out briefly as her expression twisted a slight bit at the strong taste.

"Er, right... I suppose it's at least better than 'The first unexpected thing you find upon your return home' or whatever. We have a deal, I'll tear your problem apart, whatever it'll turn out to be."

Frankly she was more hoping to find a strong opponent that she could defeat and grow stronger herself as a result. The reward, both gold and this innanimate object yet to be determined? Something for later. At least it seemed like the man did not have any intentions of staying behind now and the maid had addressed her once more.

"As if someone like that could possibly unsettle the Wolf of Darkness! I'll wait outside... this place smells too 'clean'."

In reality, she was growing more and more uncomfortable the longer she stayed inside of the mansion for an entirely different reason. It was far too similar to home.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia listened to the bravado with an amusement that didn't show on her face. This wolf girl, regardless of what was her intentions to take this mission, surely didn't seem to falter before a figure like her master. Usually others would have trouble to speak up, or to even retort him.

She wondered if this was just part of the beastfolk girl's behavior, or if she had seen through her master's rude facade.

"Too clean... I am honoured, madam Lucille. Allow me to thank you for the kind words in the place of the maids that work relentless to keep the estate in peak conditions." She bowed, keeping her usual tone and face, then looking up at Lucille's eyes and gesturing for her to follow.

"If that's so, madam, allow me to escort you. My master trusted your care in my hands, so I will be with you so I can serve for anything you wish." Magnolia said, ready to guide Lucille to the central garden of the estate, unless Lucille didn't wIsh the company.

@Lucille Fer

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

The wolf almost gave the maid a look of utter confusion when the comment about cleanliness was taken... well, the way that it was. No matter, she just lightly sighed as she was escorted into the gardens of the estate. Now quite what she had imagined, given that what she had imagined was, well, getting tossed out the front door and being told the meetup location before being left well alone. What happened instead was almost the opposite of that.

"Err, you will be with me..? What, you gonna sleep on the grass just like that if that's what I do? You're proper weird. And stop calling me 'madam' already."

Looking up at the Sun in the skies, Lucille... just kinda blinded herself for no reason. She couldn't tell the time from the position of the big orb up high, so why did she even try? With no idea how long it would be until nightfall and until the start of this commission, she just looked around and took in the smell of the flowers. It was pleasant and rather ill-fitting of her presence as the seeker of darkness.

"Sure is... colorful here..."

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia shook her head at Lucille's questioning, glancing at her eyes. "I would never sleep on the grass with you, madam. First because it would be inappropriate for a servant to sleep next to a madam without her permission. Second because I must serve you, and I can't do it asleep." She explained, even if she found the hypotetical situation the beastfolk brought up to be rather confusing.

Then, she paused, nodding slowly at her words. "My apologies, Ms. Lucille. I will avoid calling you 'madam' from now and on, if that makes you uncomfortable. This is but an etiquette." She explained herself, to not cause further misunderstanding or to let the girl think she was doing it on purpose.

When the garden was mentioned, Magnolia nodded in agreement to Lucille's observation.

"Indeed, they are colourful. My master thought that had something colourful within the estate would bring hope of maybe bringing Lyrwick to its former glory, and of course, Cindershine as well, given its dark state." Magnolia explained, soon turning to glance at Lucille.

"Master Trevor may not show, but he is a romantic person, in a way."

@Lucille Fer

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

"I- wh-huh..?"

The wolf girl reacted in a rather confused manner at the maid's explanation as to why she could not possibly spend some time lying next to the wolf on the grass while they awaited the day to shift into another stage. It was indeed rather confusing to someone like Lucille who did not even remotely try to comprehend all this rich people mumbo jumbo. As far as she was concerned, etiquette and the like was just about the dumbest thing one could shackle themselves to.

"-whatever."

She ultimately gave up and sat down on the nearest patch of grass that did not look like it was part of a path for people to walk on. A brief thought crossed her mind... with how colorful this garden was, did the local atmosphere clash with her obvious presence of mighty darkness?

"The only romance I'm interested in is the intimate exchange between two enemies as they rip each other into pieces. That is all I need. Your... master, or however you want to call him, is a weirdo."

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia tilted her head. "I don't understand, madam. Do you wish me to lay with you on the grass? From your previous words, it seemed like an undesired thing to you." She was puzzled, but her face didn't show, nor her tone, just her words, which weren't exactly the best source of genuineness.

Following, the maid remained standing next to Lucille, looking at the sky while praying for the time to pass faster, and for their mission to be a success. Whatever it was that was happening in the sewers, seemed to be a type of danger her master was underestimating... But hopefully, the hire would be able to easily vanquish whatever was down there, even if the maid's help came as necessary.

"I see, so you are a lover for blood and battle." Magnolia muttered, glancing at Lucille.

"My master is eccentric at times, but he is a kind man that wishes the best for others... I do hope you can meet this side of him someday, madam Lucille." She said.

"Perhaps, you are even similar to him in this aspect. You didn't come for this mission just for gold, did you?"

@Lucille Fer

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

"That's not- Bwah!."

An expression of clear frustration with the maid was unleashed from Lucille's mouth as the wolf girl decided to lay flat on the ground for a bit, getting at least somewhat comfortable on the well-kept grass.

"What I mean is that it's really bloody weird for someone to stay with someone else at literally all times just in case that someone needs something. Go live yer own life, for crying out loud, or someone will ask you to wipe their arse for them sooner or later..."

Seemed like a horrible waste of one's life, constantly just following orders from others, trying to see to their every whim.Doubly so given Lucille's own situation at home. But she hardly wanted to think about that right now.

"Also, didn't you just say that you would stop calling me 'madam'? I really couldn't be further from one of them muted aristocrats. So yeah, I don't need the gold, I just need to get stronger... as strong as I possibly can. And if I defeat whatever powerful thing is in your severs, I will get stronger from it, dammit!"

She almost sounded frustrated, desperate...

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia watched as Lucille elaborated what she meant, in her own way. The maid listened carefully, with her face not moving a single muscle no matter how some of the words prickled or interested her. That beastfolk woman was as brash as one would expect, yet, Magnolia gave enough ears for her words.

"I see... My apologies, Lucille. It is an habit that is hard to get rid of, to call one in an appropriate way." Magnolia said.

"But if you do not desire formalities, or etiquettes of aristocracy, all that is left to me is to adapt to you." With that said, Magnolia tugged the edges of her dress, soon kneeling next to Lucille, still with an elegant posture but giving little care for her high-thigh socks to be dirt, along with the white uniform with frills that were certain to collect grasses upon contact with it.

"So you desire power, Lucille." She muttered. "My master could probably help you with that, if you prove to be a valuable ally... But excuse me for my invasive question: What are you fighting for, that you need so much power?"

Her gaze fell to the eyes of the beastfolk.

"You want to protect someone you care for? Save them?" She wondered. "Is it ambition? Self-accomplishment?"

@Lucille Fer

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

Magnolia's explanation only earned an eye roll and a sigh from Lucille. The wolf girl couldn't really understand. Was it really so difficult not to behave like a stuck-up prick who was so disconnected from the life of ordinary people that they could never possibly fit in, even if they tried? Perhaps she didn't want to understand... or really even think about any of that stuff.

"What kinda question is that? Isn't that pretty obvious?"

Her golden gaze fell upon the now-kneeling maid briefly before it returned to being fixated on the skies high above, a brief scoff before she continued with an elaboration, even if unprompted.

"Just for myself. I gotta get strong for my own sake, so no one can decide anything for me. That includes this master of yours, no matter how almighty you think him to be!"

It was terribly simple in her mind. And it didn't matter if anyone would think it selfish. She had no friends here that would need saving or even protecting. She had no real goal to accomplish, either. The only person like that... was herself. She had herself and she had to protect herself to ensure that, at least in this world, she would remain a free person who could do as she pleased.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia quietly listened to @Lucille Fer's reasoning, slowly nodding and pondering about it. "So it is to yourself. Do you intend to become a boss then? Or is it just for the sake of your personal freedom?" She wondered, truly curious about what could be in Lucille's mind. Yet, she couldn't help but not ignore her words regarding her master, that she didn't take into offense, but truly felt like there was some sort of misunderstanding.

"Lucille, I do not think of my master as someone that is almighty." She said. "Nor he orders me around. I stay with him out of my own volation and with all my consent." Magnolia said, resting a hand over her chest for emphasis.

"The path to become strong is a hard one. But my master could probably help you in it as well. He pays no mind lending other powers, which was why he allowed you to choose an artifact as your reward."

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

"A boss? Hah, if I could become a boss in this game that will annihilate all the foolish players who come trying to conquer me, then that would be fun!"

Clearly, the girl misunderstood the maid's words a little bit. But perhaps that didn't matter, as it might have given an answer anyway. Yes, it was for the sake of the girl's personal freedom... be that the freedom to lead a peaceful life free of trouble, or the life of a mighty tyrant that could indeed be seen as one of the many bosses that the game liked to throw at unsuspecting players.

"And you're clearly one of those people who are into being owned by someone else and ordered to do just about anything. I won't judge, it's all fine~"

With that, she grinned and stretched some more.

"That said, I don't need help. I will become powerful on my own. I don't accept silly shortcuts that end up biting you in the arse."

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

A murderhobo.

Magnolia was already expecting such a thing, but she did take the mental note regardless, now that Lucille herself had confirmed her expectations. Truly, she was an intriguing fellow, but Magnolia wondered just how far she was willing to go...

Her 'teasing', however, made Magnolia shift her gaze to Lucille, with her lips pursing slightly as she took a breath and held back enough for only a very mild flush to cross her cheeks. "You may be misunderstanding me, Lady Lucille. I will do nearly everything for the happiness of my master, and of his guests as well, but I will keep my integrity and dignity. Unless immensely necessary, I would never return someone's feelings with fake ones."

After the explanation, she did notice the woman had some sense of honor. No shortcuts, huh?

"If it is how you wish. I can only hope for lady Lucille to have a smooth progression and a very bright future." She bowed her head slightly.

@Lucille Fer

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

"I already said I won't judge, but whatever. I don't really care what kind of freaky stuff people are into. It never involves me, anyway."

Lucille threw her arms to the side as she shrugged. This whole master and servant business had only reminded her of the fact that she had lost to Ginevra. More than once, even. Something that she was still rather butthurt over. How was she supposed to showcase her superior combat prowess when she kept on losing every fight she got involved in?

"And I don't want no bright future! Being in a bright place makes it really hard to use my powers, and they're nowhere near as strong as they usually are. The future must be filled with darkness beyond imagination!"

Then, in a delightful display of just how empty her head was most of the time, the wolf looked around and frowned a little bit.

"So why were we waiting here again? I vaguely remember something about killing a thing..."

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

Magnolia couldn't help but wonder what were the intentions of that lady as she continued the provocation. But the carefree words that followed it perhaps explained enough of what she was trying to achieve with it: Nothing. And it wasn't in a bad way, it just meant she had no particular intentions with what she was doing or saying.

Such raw emotions were rare, and Magnolia was interested on seeing it unfold as the girl opened up more. If she did, that is.

"Of course. I think your powers will be the greatest here, in Cindershine then. Sun is always faint due to the thick clouds, and where we will be... The sun will certainly never touch us." She then stood up, taking a couple slaps on her skirt, trying to clean it quickly as Lucille asked why they were there again.

"Oh, Lady Lucille." Magnolia looked at the woman. "We were waiting the night, and the darkness, your beloved companion."

Town of Cindershine - The Sewers
Time: Early Evening
Weather: Cloudy

Nearing the entrance of the sewers, Magnolia pushed away the only cover of the entrance. It was dark time, which meant the streets were silent and empty enough for them to do it so without any curious eyes locked on them.

"... Remember, the beast that awakes at night is ferocious. We will be at its lair... Or at least what it has claimed to be its lair, so let's be careful." Magnolia warned, looking at @Lucille Fer once again, wondering if the other was actually going to listen to her.

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

Nighttime was certainly far more to the girl's liking. It was thematically appropriate, even if practically the lack of sunlight left Lucille nearly tripping over every stone or uneven surface. Sure, she was a beastfolk... but she was also very poor and could not afford to pick up a trait that would allow her to see better in the dark. Not that she would ever admit this to anyone... or even herself, honestly.

"Careful? Careful is for people who want to give their enemy a chance to escape or get in the first move! Quick and brutal is the way to go!"

Naturally, she had pumped her fist in the air as she enlightened Magnolia about the best tactic available to them.

"Bosses in most games are stupid, saving up their most powerful moves for when they're almost dead. Just gotta use them right away and blow the opponent away before they even have a chance to do anything!"

Giggling to herself about the brilliant idea, it was clear that Lucille thought of herself as one such boss in a video game. Except she would never be defeated by players, obviously.

@Magnolia

 

[Magnolia]

"Games? Boss? I'm sorry, lady Lucille, but I'm not understanding what you are trying to tell with this." Playing dumb was annoying, but Magnolia kept it up as she took the initiative of entering into the sewer, with the smell invading her nostrils and lungs, causing a mild discomfort that she tried to push away, not wishing it to disrupt her attention.

"But you aren't wrong in one thing." She set her feet on the ground just as she finished climbing down the ladder, slapping her hands together. "Creatures fight with all their might when they are cornered... So it is better to kill them right away."

If they would manage it now, was another question, but Magnolia kept her march, litting up a torch and hoping for @Lucille Fer to follow as they ventured through the sewers, that were a maze of its own, with rats rushing away and past the women, and the bubbling sewer water running between the platforms they stepped on and the other.

Drops clashing against the stone and against the metal bars echoed, making it difficult for the two to listen to any enemy, so they had to trust on their eyes.

 

[Lucille Fer]

‎

"Fufufu, you don't have to worry about it! You can just take those words as proof of my tactical genius and vast knowledge when it comes to just about anything and everything!"

One could almost see the girl's nose grow longer with pride as she spoke, trying to come up with anything that would make her seem smarter than she was. Even if the gamer words she used meant little in this world, and even if she used them completely wrong, people of the land would surely be impressed in her, right?

"That said, why are you still here? You showed me where the sewers are, now you should hurry back, no? Your silly skirt and fancy boots are gonna get dirty."

That probably already happened once the maid entered. Even Lucille was quick to notice that the place was beyond filthy, and as they moved into the darkness illuminated by the torch's light, the suffocating smell would make a shiver run down the wolf's spine. While she always spouted on about how darkness was the best and all, this place certainly wasn't her vibe in the slightest.

@Magnolia