BEES

[heartsteals]

Who: Lupin, Minato, Estelle, Cairngorm, You?!?
Where: In the forest, in search of BEES.
When: Throughout September
What: Gentleman Thief Arsène Lupin is on a quest to steal the queen's sweet stuff! Help him out.
Warnings: None
Other: If you want to do this quest with Lupin, he can be ICly contacted on the quest post here! Or you can PM this journal and we can figure something out! Threads will be in the comments.

Comments

MINATO

[heartsteals]

[ he talks big, but he actually has no idea how to get honey out of a beehive that isn't a big box being managed by a beekeeper. He can deal with the insects. Probably. Extracting the honey is the hard part.

Naturally, he picks Minato as his partner, who definitely doesn't know any better than him, but here they are anyway, heading off into the woods. Lupin is quite proud of his 100% success rate - he's not going to fail this heist, either! ]

I'm guessing you haven't done any beekeeping, either.

[messianic]

[We all know Lupin brought Minato so that he wouldn't be the most clueless person on this quest.

Because Minato's definitely just... shaking his head, hands tucked in his pockets idly as they stroll into the woods.]

Nope. Never. All I know is that honey comes from bees. That's...about it.

[OFF TO A GOOD START.]

[heartsteals]

[ that is honestly more true than he'd like to admit ]

Unfortunately, that leaves us on the same page. We've got to steal a honeycomb... The question is what we do with the bees.

[ where's one of those beekeeping suits when you need them?! Lupin's considering putting on his full thief ensemble and wrapping his cape around his face to try and avoid getting stung, but there has to be a better way. ]

I don't suppose you have any spells that could scare them away?

[messianic]

... That depends on what kind of bees they are.

[Minato's at least realistic after months of these quests... he just shakes his head, shrugging a little (with his hands still in his pockets, nerd).]

If they're regular bees I could probably blow them away for a bit. [With a gentle gust of wind...] Or smoke them out.

[...]

But if they aren't... I'm really not sure.

[heartsteals]

... For the time being, let's assume they'll just be normal bees.

[ they definitely won't be, because Chroma sucks, but if they pause to consider all the horrible possibilities, they'll never get anywhere. ]

I'm pretty sure beekeepers use smoke, so let's go with that. I'll steal a piece while you work your magic.

[messianic]

Hm... okay. It's a deal.

[They're really a little too hopeful here, all things considered--but it's fine. Sometimes you gotta be hopeful.]

Let's find a bee... nest? [IS THAT...WHAT THEY'RE CALLED.]

[heartsteals]

Beehive, [ provides Lupin helpfully. ] We'll workshop the plan once we actually find one. I'll admit that I'm not sure how to track them down... They're just up in the trees, usually, so I suppose we keep our eyes pointed that way until we see something.

[ he hopes the beehive actually looks like a beehive, and not like something weird, but hopefully they'll know it when they see it either way?! ]

CAIRNGORM

[heartsteals]

[ This is a much better idea. ]

You're perfect for this! [ of course, his crystal friend is totally immune to being stung by 5000 bees! This can't fail. Probably. How much cajoling did Lupin have to do to get Cairngorm to actually come along with him for this forest stroll? Who knows. At least it's daytime out this time; they won't have to be falling asleep while trying to complete a quest. ] Just do what I say, and we'll have this little errand done in a flash.

[ he will also probably have to explain what a bee is, but that's okay. ]

[unghost]

"Just do what I say", huh...

[ It definitely took some cajoling, because the more they're getting into this errand, the more it occurs to them that they absolutely don't want to be here. And yet, despite their metaphorical feet dragging, they're still walking in stride with him, letting out a prolonged sigh. ]

If you're only dragging me out here to boss me around and make me do all the work, I'm going home.

[ They only have a vague understanding that a bee is a type of insect, so they're not really sure why he's insisting they're perfect for this— which isn't great for convincing them to not turn heel and go take a nap instead. ]

[heartsteals]

Boss you around? Perish the thought. You just probably don't know what bees or honey are, right?

[ he's here to be helpful! ]

[unghost]

...No, not really.

[ It must be some sort of creature that lives in the forest with something else. That's such a broad understanding, though, so they have no idea what they're walking into here— probably evident by how they've brought their huge ass sword on this trip, which is not delicate bee handling material. ]

It'd help if you'd explain it to me beforehand.

[heartsteals]

I'm about to, so listen well.

[ he's mostly just being cheesy rather than patronizing when he says that. ]

Bees are a kind of insect. They live in huge groups, build big houses called "hives" out of wax to live in, and they produce this sweet substance called honey that they store in those hives. They guard it, of course. The problem is that they've all got stingers, too - for us soft humans, getting stung by one really hurts, and usually makes us itchy for a while, too. [ he looks over at Cairngorm with a smile. ] But as far as bee stings are concerned, you're invincible. I don't think they could do worse than annoy you.

[unghost]

Hold on.

[ They make a flat expression, slowing their pace a smidge. ]

You're bringing me on this quest so you won't get stung? [ And from the sounds of it, by hundreds of them? They're not scared of any bugs (or stingers for that matter), but somehow it seems like a very bad idea for humans to even get near these "beehives" if one sting is so allegedly painful. ] How do you know they won't just attack both of us.

[ That's half-rhetorical, half-an actual question. ]

[heartsteals]

[ don't call him out, gormy, he's still trying to figure out his role in all this....... when they slow down, he does, too, although he moves a step or two ahead so he can face them while he walks. ]

I'll stay out of the way. They won't even know I'm there! Hiding is one of a thief's main skills, you know.

ESTELLE

[heartsteals]

So, I hear you're something like a bodyguard?

[ Lupin doesn't know Estelle that well, but she seemed sweet and friendly the last time they spoke, especially considering she walked in on him pilfering her stuff. According to Joshua, the two of them are mercenaries. Which, normally, would have absolutely nothing to do with harvesting some wild honey, but these aren't your average bees, so he took it upon himself to recruit her for the job. ]

[brightlyshines]

[Estelle was well prepared for fighting monster bugs: It wouldn't be the first or last time by far for her, after all. She's got her orbment tucked in the bag at her hip, and her staff in hand as she follows after Lupin.

Honestly, she seems rather pleased about the job from the delight on her face as she stretches a bit, though she'll shoot Lupin a curious look at his question.]

Bodyguard....? Well, sometimes. It depends on what jobs people need done.

[heartsteals]

Sometimes is good enough for me. I'm worried about these bees being... bigger than I expected.

[ or maybe they'll also fire lasers at him. That happened last time he went in the woods. Would laser bees be better or worse than laser bears? A question he may soon learn the answer to... ]

I'm no good at fighting, myself.

[brightlyshines]

Eheheh.... well... I've fought some big bees in my day?

[Not laser bees, unfortunately. That would be weird even for Estelle's standards, and her world had killer penguins and sheep that used martial arts.]

Oh.... hm..... Well, I can always fight them to distract them while you go in to grab the honey, maybe? You any good at sneaking?

[heartsteals]

As a matter of fact, I'm an expert.

[ still, he doesn't seem super thrilled about this plan, frowning. ]

But are you sure you want to put yourself in that much danger? I mean, they might just be regular-sized bees - a bit harder to fight those off.

IT IS I, sometime in September

[osuni]

[Okuni is still doing her very best at the "absolutely ruin someone's day" quest despite her utter failure in ACHIEVING THIS SO FAR... if Lupin is looking for her for once, then he'll have the fortune of finding her right outside his house...

Here she is... doing her best... She's rigged a very simple rope snare trap near Lupin's house because she likes Lupin (????) enough to try and GET HIM. He doesn't seem as nearly as easy to fool as some people though, so Okuni does her best to disguise the trap with all the skill of someone who's used to using leaves and sticks to do just that.

JUST WAIT UNTIL SHE KNOWS LUPIN'S TRUE POWER

For now, she just squeezes into a bush to like wait for however long until Lupin wanders on by... OH BOY SHE HOPES THIS WORKS!! (it won't)]

[heartsteals]

[ it won't take too long...! Lupin keeps odd hours, and doesn't like to stay in his house for very long (he gets restless), but he has to come back and take a nap sooner or later. Early one morning, after he's finished his run with Minato, he's making his way back to his abode...

And stops a good 15 feet away, staring at the front of it, in a way that clearly says he knows something is off. He stays that way for a good while, too, rubbing his chin and looking at the ground (or the trap). Then, finally, he reaches into his pocket, pulls out a decently-sized acorn, and proceeds to lob it - straight into the bush where Okuni is, hoping to bean whoever's hiding there on the head.

Sorry, Okuni. ]

[osuni]

[What did Okuni do to deserve a decently sized acorn to the head... don't answer that.

Okuni has hair ridiculous enough to like soften the impact, though it still hits her there anyway. She makes an OFFENDED noise like she can't believe this happened to her and that Lupin was savvy enough to spot her hiding place.

Popping out of the bushes to complain -- ]

You could have just asked me to come out if you knew I was there! You're so rude, Lu-chan.

[heartsteals]

[ he didn't know it was her?! he does now, though. Actually, he looks a little surprised to see Okuni popping up, of all people. ]

Miss Okuni! You've picked an unusual place to relax today. [ does that mean she's the one who set up this trap?? probably. but why. ] It looks like some little trickster is trying to pull the wool over my eyes. Can you believe that?

[osuni]

[Should Okuni pretend it wasn't her?? She thinks about it, then she shrugs because she always ends up revealing herself right after the trap. It's the best way to gain a bad reputation!!]

What I can't believe is that you found it so quickly! You're sharper than I thought...

[She thought he was pretty observant thanks to their forest stint already, but still!! she was hoping he'd fall in anyway...! ]

And I really worked hard on that one too... I can't believe it didn't work...

[NONE OF HER TRAPS HAVE WORKED??? either no one falls into them or the people who do have hearts too big for their days to be ruined... Okuni... kneels down on the ground like she's about to Give UP]

[heartsteals]

[ wow, she's not even denying it. Between this and the thing with the bears, there's clearly a lot more going on with Okuni than he'd previously assumed. Lupin casually rests one hand on his hip, raising an eyebrow at her in amusement even as she kneels down on the ground. ]

You're a thousand years too early to spring a trap on the great Lupin, my dear. So? What did I do to earn your disfavor?

[ he has to assume he's annoyed her in some way for her to be pulling this on him. ]