escordvi | [Open] May intro

A..zul...A...grumble...

[ she is not going to remember that, luckily, the whole mage thing stands out more as she listens. a lot of people talk about magic here so he might be responsible for that, or that's what every ability is listed under. potions... lounge... a lazy place where no one can bother her... and...

as the coins clink against the counter, her attention is redirected towards that with a nod. ]

Small number: one, two and three. That'll do plenty, whaddya say, Angel Fish?

[ don't mind the glare, surge tends to look like that on a good day. also she isn't expecting him to say it's not enough because that's pretty small to her. ]

[... Oh dear. Azul's smile becomes perhaps a tad pitying as he notes the small amount of copper coins that quietly plink against the counter. It's rather sad to look at, honestly.]

Unfortunately, no. However... [Azul hums a little, tapping his fingers against the counter here as he thinks.] I would also be amendable to trading any objects that are of interest to me in exchange, or a favor you could do in exchange for doing the favor of fixing this for you, or... hmm.

[Azul glances at the coins again.]

Actually, I hope you don't mind my asking, but how have you both been getting by in this place? I assume that you have been able to find a place to stay, but what about jobs? Or at least having enough money for meals and the like?

Now what the fuck do you mean "no"!?

[ can a girl get some explanations here, she's a little offended that he kindly declined their little chump change. if it wasn't for that damn hedgehog, maybe they'd have money still, but they have to scrape and scramble for what they get to ensure kitsunami is taken care of first. ]

What do they call this.... a scam! Byway robbery!

[ is she accusing him. well, yes! if she can accuse eggman, she can accuse him of something underhanded, but not in the same way eggman goes about it. he's fooling the masses with his knock-off toys, this guy is choosing them because of their little change. ]

Somethin' fishy is goin' on and I think it's you, Angel Fish!!

[ can you tell that she doesn't like to be told "no". ]

[ surge is quick to go on the offensive, and kit is hardly one to disagree with her ever, but he seems a bit more thoughtful as she goes throwing accusations. he has to be a bit more pragmatic, not just for himself, but to make sure surge is taken care of too. he has to.

so picking up his copper dubloons and putting them back in his pouch as surge loses his temper, kit will wait a moment until she's done before asking: ]

What kind of favour?

[ if it's something benign like how they waited at the restaurant to pay back their meal, maybe. but kit's trust in others is low. ]

Surge is a hero, but... there isn't a lot for her to save people from or help them with... and the pay isn't always money. I-I've been trying to look for a job too... but...

[ he doesn't exactly have customer service skills. ]

[Thankfully, Azul is used to telling people no, but trying to sound friendly about it all the same.]

An example of a favor I'd appreciate would be keeping me updated on recent events and news, or gathering ingredients I need for my spells and potions: some are difficult for me to obtain, due to either not having the time to get them while I finish work here, or because I don't have the stamina needed in a particular environment to get them. Some past clients of mine have gone this route in lieu of money in exchange for my services, so if you want, I would be willing to consider a favor like that instead of having to pay with money.

[He tilts his head however, considering deeply for a moment as he regards the both of them.]

Actually, if you are looking for jobs, perhaps I could hire you for that rather than just doing a favor exchange. I can pay you for every time you bring back the ingredients I need, or even any deliveries of the potions I make to customers so that I have time to oversee my Lounge. As for hero work...

[He considers Surge for a moment, before his smile waned a little.]

Well, its a shame you weren't here a month or so ago. Perhaps if you had been, someone would have been able to stop the people that had kidnapped myself and several others for a rather greedy chance at wealth and power. So I must admit that since then I have been considering heavily the appeal of finding someone that can assist me in making sure something like that doesn't happen again. Whether that be by having someone around to protect the Lounge and keep unwanted guests out, or even if you were willing to help me out in cases where a particular area that has an ingredient I need is too dangerous for just myself to be working in. I would be happy to hire you for that, if you wish.

Edited 2025-05-23 16:30 (UTC)

[ the tenrec tilts her head when it comes to how to pay him back for his services, and one eye raises in suspicion. it's especially why she listens to him about the work he has in store, it's more of a bodyguard thing, and she clicks her tongue at the thought of it. ]

Uh huh... I've kinda heard this thing before.

[ she doesn't sound too thrilled, like there's an issue she takes up with being someone like that. rather than follow up on it with azul, the girl looks to kitsunami before looking off to the side. ]

If I'm workin' my butt off to keep you safe, that's 24.... seven... that's all my time, I'll need to be paid on the hour of every hour.

[ that sounds about fair to her. especially with what she can do and how this means she has to change her plans based on his whims. despite that, she still seems unsure as her eyes glance off to the side now.

there's a bit of mumbling to herself as she reflects on eggman's choice of words of what it takes to be a hero. sacrificing mind, body and their principles. ]

[ surge seems willing enough, which is saying a lot, but she still has some reservations. kit can tell. through his bangs, he watches azul to see if he has any suspicious tells, any similarities to their previous employer that could raise a red flag for kit to see, but...

well, he does have one question: ]

... What if we want to quit?

[ kit's willing to give it a chance—they really could use the money, but he wants to be sure. ]

Oh my, don't worry, I don't expect you to guard me 24/7, Surge-san! Just whenever I have reason to believe that a particular task might be too much for just myself to handle, and I can call upon your services for it. That would feel like an abuse of power if I expected you to devote all of your time to work for the Lounge and nothing else.

[At Kit's question, Azul tilts his head a little, as if finding the question strange.]

Then you quit. [A beat, before he clarifies.] Granted, I would like a two weeks notice if you do decide to quit so that I can make sure that I have backup plans to make in the event we had something planned that you are no longer able to do since quitting, but given the nature of this place, its not a hard and fast rule. Other than that, we would simply void your contract that will serve as a record of your employment here, though I ask that any private information that affects me or the business stays private. I would not appreciate competitors stealing intel on my ideas for marketing strategies and such from ex-employees, you know?

[ kit's brows furrow. from the insistence that they're only employees during designated working hours, to the reassurance that they can quit (almost) whenever they like. it all sounds like it'd be too good to be true, but when he meets azul's eyes, his gaze doesn't hold that same cockiness of someone like clutch.

he drops his gaze, then turns his attention to surge beside him, a little hesitant, but also a little hopeful. ]

W-we do need the money...

[ but it's not exactly his choice to make either, watching what surge will decide. ]

I dunno what he means by marketing strategies...

[ she mumbles to kit, but she takes this opportunity to look at his face before looking towards azul.

same song and dance, she finds. ]

Fix the thing and I'll offer my hand in agreement, a good ol' shake.

[ because they got to see if he can do it, you know! ]

Fair enough! I can agree to that.

[Azul finishes untangling the broken strings from the instrument before he crosses his arms, thinking. Normally, you would want to remove the broken strings entirely and replace them with new ones, but he doesn't exactly carry spare shamisen strings here in his shop.

So instead, he takes out what looks like a pen with a fancy stone embedded in it from within his coat here, holding it over the shamisen. He doesn't say anything, but the strings of the instrument begin to faintly glow for a moment before the broken strings lift a little, and begin to carefully reattach themselves where they were meant to be alongside the strings that are still intact. Once he's done, he stops using his magic so that he can carefully tug the repaired strings, testing it to see if it won't immediately snap upon implying the pressure before he speaks.]

... Okay. The instrument probably needs to be tuned before it will sound correct, but otherwise the strings should be good again for the time being. They won't last forever and will need to be replaced entirely with new strings eventually. But until I stock some strings specifically for items like this, this shamisen should be able to withstand any damage for at least another month or so, provided you don't apply too much force to the strings or the body of the instrument again, of course.

[ kit listens attentively to the instructions, watching azul with his beady little eyes as the strings return to their former glory... almost. then he'll reach out to accept the instrument from the other, meaning to stash it away in his satchel.

then he looks to surge. the next part is the deal, after all, and she's the leader. ]

[ sure, how to maintain the strings is one thing, but... ]

Damn, Angel Fish, ya got somethin' like that on ya?

[ how did he do that, it just fixed itself, it's not something you really see... or maybe it's been seen and surge is just too young in this second life of hers to know. pretty cool, especially as she stares at it, but it's nothing she'd steal. she's more of someone hands on and waving her arms around would mean less damage applied to her enemies. ]

If you can do that, can't ya like flick your wrist and float someone away or somethin'...

[ it looks like it can do something of that caliber, but maybe it's only meant to fix and not break. lame. her eyes will fall to his hand then to the pen before looking back at him. ]

As a mage, I do have some magic at my disposal for fighting threats, but there's only so much I can do as one person. It's not like I have a sixth sense that allows me to detect any threats that might be sneaking up on me from behind. Or perhaps a situation arises where I need to be focusing my magic on another task that I can't spare any magic elsewhere for. There are many variables that need to be accounted for, and having someone around to help make up for them where I need more than just myself on a job would be quite helpful, you know?

[Azul actually allows himself to be a little more honest here, admitting that even someone like him does need the extra help sometimes. If he didn't ever need help, he wouldn't have asked Jade and Floyd all those years ago to team up with him... even if on some days he would like to pretend otherwise and brag that he's perfectly fine on his own.

Besides, Surge and Kit might understand that feeling: they both came here together for help on this matter with the shamisen, after all. Things are in fact easier, if not management wise than at least mentally and emotionally, when you work with others than alone.

... Not that Azul is going to say that part, because that's too sappy and cheesy to actually say out loud rather than a quiet acknowledgement of that fact to oneself.]

[Open] May intro

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