thief quest

[heartsteals]

WHO: Lupin and Pals From Other Dimensions
WHERE: About town
WHEN: April
WHAT: Looking for leaves, writing stories, maybe hunting big game, maybe not! If you're interested in doing any quests with Lupin, please feel free to send me a PM and we can hash it out - I promise I don't bite.
WARNINGS: probably someone being an idiot



[ actual questing will be in threads below! ]

Comments

writing a story, it seemed like a good idea at the time

[heartsteals]

[ did you think Lupin's interpretation of one of their many quests sounded reasonable? Did you talk to him about pitching in? The quest asks for one of each color, after all, meaning Lupin can't do it on his own.

He'll be hosting an impromptu creative writing club in his residence in Ruga, which he's done his best to describe to anyone who agreed to come. Inside the home - which has been cleaned fairly decently after last month, and is approaching "not a horrible place to live" - sits the master thief, a blank book placed on the rickety kitchen table before him as he awaits the arrival of his potential co-authors.

What ideas are you bringing to the table?! ]

[cestmagnifique]

[ Mitsuru has spent most of her time in Bluo, succumbing to the strange pull of that particular area that she's heard of from others, but Ruga's layout is becoming more familiar to her. The houses are just as run down, but she's impressed with the improvements that have been made thus far. A good step in the right direction.

Speaking of steps, she takes the last few to the door of Lupin's abode and knocks sharply three times. ]

[heartsteals]

[ and, naturally, he's there in a hurry to open it. Though he'd spoken to her over the network a handful of times, he's never actually met Mitsuru - still, process of elimination makes it easy enough for him to deduce who the young woman standing in front of him must be. ]

"M. Kirijo," I presume? I've known your name, but it's nice to have a face to go with it - especially one as lovely as yours. [ he flashes a good-natured grin, coupled with a shallow bow as he beckons her inside. ] Arsène Lupin - but just Lupin is fine. Bring any good ideas with you?

[cestmagnifique]

[ That sort of flattery won't get him anywhere with her, but she can recognize that it's meant to be an ice breaker, of sorts, rather than honesty. (It is, right? That's the safer way for her to take it and he has been nothing but polite to her.) ]

It's nice to meet you as well.

[ She gives a slight bow of her head in return before stepping over the threshold of the doorway. ]

I have been brainstorming...

[ Which she produces a small notebook, of sorts, old with pages that might be yellowing if not for their...unique situation. ]

I must admit I'm not known for my creativity, but I will do my part.

[heartsteals]

[ There's a little of both in his voice. The gentleman thief might lie about plenty of things, but he's very honest when it comes to the fairer sex! He steps aside to let her in, leading her over to a seat at the table. ]

The chair's sort of wobbly... But all of them are like that, so I promise you're not drawing the short stick.

[ he did his best to at least give all of them 4 legs... it was worse before. He takes a seat, himself, glancing curiously at her notebook. ]

In any case, we'll work something out together. They didn't exactly give us a great prompt - it just has to be "worthy." Whatever that means.

[totheno1]

[Hey look, it's time for someone else to arrive just a short while later before he can begin to sprinkle some more of that gentleman thief magic on her wow that came out more wrong than I wanted it to be.

If he bothers to go at his door again, he will find one(1) Kei Nanjo waiting at the door.]

Mister Lupin I presume? I'm Kei Nanjo. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[He resists saying Monsieur instead...of course he'd know of the Lupin version in his world. He extends his hand - if he's right the man would be from somewhere in Europe. Nanjo for his part had no notes - he might not be creative, but he knew of a lot of things. Maybe getting inspired from myths and legends might be all they need for this to work.]

[youwillbeunequaled]

[Only moments after the gentleman makes his entrance into Lupin's home, Tonbokiri is walking towards the house and quickens his pace. It would be a shame to have the door close only so he'd have to knock on it an instant later.

He calls out towards the two in the doorway, relieved when Lupin comes into his line of sight.]

Ah, this is the correct home. Good day to you- all.

[Coming to the threshold and seeing everyone has arrived he takes a moment to bow towards the lady and the gentleman.]

I am called Tonbokiri, one of the Three Great Spears of Japan. It is a pleasure to meet you in person. And to see you again, Lupin-dono. [He turns towards the man, smiling a bit hopefully - he'd been practising how to pronounce the French name, so it sounds significantly better than at their initial meeting, although still accented.]

okay

[pursestrings]

[Maybe Okuyasu reads the forum thread for Clues... maybe not!! Either way, somehow he finds Lupin's house by eventual dumb luck, and he does not knock politely so much as bang a fist on the door like twice, then wait.

Come on, fancy boy!!! There's a 15-second expiry time on this peace, before he starts hitting the door again.]

[heartsteals]

[ okuyasu's deductive skills are breathtaking. Lupin also has no idea what he looks like, so he opens the door, and sees... someone. A really huge and somewhat scary-looking guy. Well... All right. He raises an eyebrow. ]

Just a normal knock would have worked, you know. Can I help you, monsieur?

[ and the jig is up immediately ]

[pursestrings]

[The jig is about half up when Lupin comes to the door looking like a Fancy Boy, which definitely fits Okuyasu's mental image of Lupin minus a half-dozen bowties... but ah, yes. The jig has exited the building.

He is... very pleased with himself!!! THIS is great detective work.]

What's up, old man?

[heartsteals]

[ he is wearing one bowtie so he wasn't completely wrong ]

-- Sockyasus?

[ THAT HAS TO BE WHO THIS IS, RIGHT. He is so much bigger than Lupin expected, but he can't think of anyone else who'd call him that, and he does fit the attitude his texts projected, even if he's also huge. Really huge. How old is he, again?

Still, he's apparently not huge enough to scare Lupin out of purposely calling him by his screenname. ]

[pursestrings]

[so fancy]

Okuyasu! [You remembered!!! That burns Lupin's single free pass to call him after socks; every time after this one, Okuyasu reserves the right to threaten an Ass Kicking. Anyway let him inside.] What'd I tell you? I'm here.

[READY for ACTION]

akechi + caramia

[heartsteals]

Are you sure about this? You were in really bad shape for a while there, you know.

[ Far be it from him to get in the way of his roommate's search for answers. That said, he can't help but be a little bit concerned about him going out to search for a wolf tooth on his own after he'd spent the better part of the past few days gray as a corpse (and about as talkative.) This forest is clearly way too dangerous for anyone to go wandering around in on their lonesome - let alone an already-compromised teenager. And if Caramia's insistence on coming along means anything, Lupin's not the only one who thinks so. They're already a little ways into the woods, but he's clearly not yet convinced that this is a good idea at all. ]

[doublecrowss]

[ It's not that Akechi doesn't like the attention, much on the contrary. And for the past few days, he's gotten more of it than he has probably had in his entire life, from strangers and acquaintances alike. It's... overwhelming, but also very nice.

Right now, though? It's an inconvenience.

He'd wanted to come on his own, unbound by secrets and free to use his Persona-- really, the only reason he had fallen victim to the forest's whims was because he couldn't use his powers in front of others. He couldn't trust them. ]

Yes, I am sure. [ He reassures Lupin once more, eyes focused straight ahead, determined. ] I will not allow one minor setback to bring me down. I need to go on this quest, for myself and for the sake of everyone else in the town.

[ That's his heroic excuse, anyway, but the truth is he really just wants to take out his frustration on some forest creatures. ]

[ifionlyhadthecourage]

[ Well, Akechi, maybe don't make deals with demons and lose all your color! Then we wouldn't have this inconvenience! Still, Caramia would be one hell of a liar if he said he wouldn't be tagging along even if Akechi wasn't just a grey husk. He couldn't really fathom letting any of these kids trying to face up against this weird, practically mutated forest creatures.

Admittedly, he would've been fine with just Lupin, but... well, he also just wanted an excuse to get out and about himself. Even if the weather hasn't been so kind lately. ]

I admire your dedication, but it's okay to take things easy after something like that-- which I wouldn't exactly call "minor". We were worried about you.

[heartsteals]

[ all he can do is heave a sigh at Akechi's proclamation. ]

I can't say I don't admire your dedication, too, but just remember there's a thin line between "brave" and "stupid." I'd rather not see you cross it.

[ "A good thief always has a plan," after all - not that he's going to say that out loud here. Naturally, he already has one. He just hopes Akechi learns to do the same soon. Wolves are nothing to be trifled with, and strange, monstrous ones least of all. If he's honest, he's glad Caramia is here, too, if only to bump up their numbers. It would be nice if they managed to find just one, but he's fairly certain wolves don't work that way. ]

Anyway, stealing a wolf tooth... I've an idea of how we might do it, but I'll hear out whatever you two have in mind first. Monsieur Lion seems to think he's a hunter.

[doublecrowss]

[ Worried about him, huh...? He's been hearing a lot of that, lately, more so than he's ever heard in his entire life. It really isn't a bad feeling - now that he can even feel anything again - but it can get overwhelming, for someone who wasn't used to it.

Still, keeping an eye out on him, visiting him and even making sure he was still eating - he does appreciate everything both Lupin and Caramia have done for him when he was out of commission. He may not get it, but there's a chance these two might be exceptions to the rule as he knows it. ]

I... apologize for having worried you. [ He offers in a softer voice, and this much is genuine. ] And I'm grateful that you took care of me, both of you. But I assure you, I will be fine. This time, I will not fail.

[ Even if he has to split from the group so he can use his Persona, but. Shh. ]

As for completing this quest, I have access to a bow and arrows. [ Again, technically not a lie, since he's got Robin Hood and all. ] But of course I am willing to hear both Lupin-san's and Caramia-san's expertise on the matter.

[ifionlyhadthecourage]

[ He scowled a bit at Lupin's words, straightening himself out to make himself appear a little bigger. ]

I don't think I'm a hunter-- I am a hunter! Naturally speaking, but against wolves, guns definitely help...

[ Not that he wanted to use anymore ammo than he already had back in the forest exploration, but... Well, if he had to, then there was nothing to be done about it. Plus, Akechi mentioned something about arrows? Much better than a gun, or at least, in terms of it's ammo. Once you fire a bullet, there was no getting it back, after all.

However, this was briefly ignored in favor of Akechi's previous statement, wherein Caramia slipped himself between these two dorks, immediately tugging them both closer to fling his arm around their shoulders. Look at this bonding time! Such family, much bond. ]

Well, even so, it doesn't hurt to have a little support, right?? We'll be there to make sure things go smoothly. [ He gave a small nod towards Lupin. ] Right, mon ami?

[ He sported a chipper grin to top it all off! Someone take this boy's optimism away from him. ]

yuuya (backdated to shadow event)

[heartsteals]

[ so it may not be the best idea to try and do this while their shadows are going rogue, essentially leaving them stuck hanging out with a personal assassin all day... but time waits for no man (or pigeon, as Lupin will soon find out), and there are still golden leaves to find.

Lupin contacts his francophile friend beforehand, and now stands waiting for him by the edge of the forest, twirling his cane idly in one hand. He is, of course, expecting to see a human walk up to him... ]

[salutations]

[There are several degrees of surprise to be had. The first is, of course, that a very large pigeon appears. The second is that the very large pigeon also appears to have a very large gun with him. It's a rifle of some sort that he appears to hold perfectly well despite every part of it being designed for fingers and not feathers.]

[... and, of course, the fact the pigeon starts talking.]

This is the time and place, so you must be Lupin, then! I've been hoping for something to do to get my mind off things, so you messaged me at the exact right time, my friend.

1/2

[heartsteals]

[ okay this is

a lot to take in, even for lupin

give him a second ]

2/2

[heartsteals]

[ mitsuru did mention there was a giant, talking pigeon... this must be him. She did not mention that it had some kind of huge futuristic gun with it. All he can do is stare alternatingly between the bird and the BFG for a few seconds before he remembers his manners. ]

Y -- Yuuya? Is that you? Sorry, you're, uh, not what I was expecting...

[salutations]

[There's a laugh. It's not quite the carefree laughter he's usually got, it's been a hell of a start to the week, but it's a laugh.]

Let me guess, you were expecting someone with hands. [he moves a wing from his rifle in order to hold it up and idly flex the feathers there] You wouldn't be the first! Rest assured, I'm still every bit as capable of a partner for a mission like this.

Maybe even more capable, since I can look from above.

[heartsteals]

No, I wasn't worried about that...

[ though he's not wrong - having someone who can fly will make finding this leaf a lot easier. It's mostly just absurd. Absolutely absurd. His world doesn't have anything like him in it whatsoever. Lupin's staring continues for a few more moments; then he laughs, rubbing the back of his head. ]

You're fantastic. This place really is something else.

[salutations]

[That's something, at least. He's more than gotten used to the fact humans here need a bit of extra time to get used to him. All things considered, he managed it well.]

Well, make sure not to fall for me. [He'd accept either definition of fantastic, really. As a fantail pigeon that was even technically a pun! The best of all possible worlds!] And I'll try to do the same, of course. [Since he makes a pretty good statement of not being into dudes. At this point, his shadow feels the need to chime in,]

"Maybe not try hard, I do get lonely. ☆"