The Bet

If there was anything more consistent about Kanna than her determination to do her best, it was her quest for cleanliness. One of the commons rooms at Golden Titan headquarters had been left in all kinds of disarray, and the demonatta simply could not stand for it. As soon as she and Rowan had darkened the door at roughly the same time, her gasp should have sent him running if he didn't want to be roped into work. As she'd pinned back her periwinkle locks back from her face and turned to him, a glint in her otherwise gentle eyes of pale red. "I bet you can't clean your half of the room faster than I can," she challenged. Iris, as her mother had called her, wasn't one to be competitive, but she was aware of at least some of the more obvious of her Captain's traits. And while it might be weird for the leader of a faction to get down and dirty with the day to day tasks, she wasn't particularly a respecter of persons in that way. She felt everyone should pull their weight to have things working smoothly and in order, from King to street urchin. She hoped her gamble worked. And it did.

And he lost. Of course, he did. No one cleaned like Kanna Odindale.

The penalty was going out with her to Viridia Overlook. She had a couple of quests to gather materials off of some monsters, but she was actually after a Cosmimo. One of the recruits had been talking about seeing one around the west end of the whimsical cliffs, and it sounded so cute. Kanna had never seen one. Maybe she could tame it? She wasn't a fan of going on her own, though. Traveling alone without knowing who killed her mother had lost a little of its sparkle. The world was colder and even more confusing than it already was. She and Rowan shared faction and the Guardian Knight positions, so he was the closest thing she had to a friend. They'd never really talked about it, but they were at least slightly comfortable in each other's presence.

"Oh, I hope we don't miss the carriage," fretted Kanna softly as she walked out of the southern gates of Engloria. She'd ordered a ride, but sometimes they got impatient and picked up other, more immediate customers. However, as she reached the meeting spot, she saw an empty horse and cart and sighed. "Oh good," she smiled, looking back to see if Rowan was keeping up just as she pulled herself into her seat for the trip.

[wc: 436]

A small frown tugged at her lips as she stared at him, lounged across the seats and ready to sleep. What had she expected? Rowan wasn't one to shirk his duties and always got the job done, but everyone knew that this was ultimately his approach to anything that wasn't a requirement. She'd been selfish to goad him into such a bet and then expect anything more than this. Angling her eyes downward, Kanna picked at the hem of her sleeve.

Work kept her busy. And even if it wasn't official work, Kanna always found something to do. Many called her a workaholic, and whether it was self-inflicted or necessary, it didn't leave much time for friends. She'd never been a girl with many friends. Watching her mother work closely had taken up much of her time even when she was still in school. She'd had acquaintances, but none that kept in touch. It was definitely nobody else's fault but hers. She'd crafted a world for herself consumed with being able to take up her mother's mantle one day and do just as good if not better, which had made the woman her one and only friend. Now that she was gone, and much too early, Kanna Sr.'s 'Iris of Hope' was... drowning.

Not wanting to ride in silence, but also not knowing how to ask the man she'd dragged along for conversation, the young woman pulled a thin book from her bag full of cross-word puzzles. She'd been working on it for an embarrassingly long time since she didn't have much downtime if any, so now seemed as good a time as any to ask him if he knew the answer. "What's an 8 letter word for 'One charging a flat rate?', Captain?" she asked suddenly, once the carriage was already on its way out of the big city and into the sprawling lands of green beyond.

[wc: 318 || total: 1040]

Iris stared at him for a second, registering what he said before her face fell a little and she dropped her eyes. "Oh, okay... sorry," she said quietly, leaving the empty squares once more unanswered. She really couldn't find the answer, since it was one of the more play-on-words types and she usually wasn't good with those. She silently stared at the puzzle for a few more moments before solemnly setting it on top of her bag, fiddling with her hands for a few seconds, then casting her sad eyes out the carriage's window. Iris felt she'd bothered him more than she'd intended, which felt especially bad since it'd been for a selfish reason like loneliness.

Everything felt so empty and strange with her mother gone. Empty, but heavy. She pulled the inside of her bottom lip between her teeth and kneaded it while her mind wandered. Even as a child, Iris had a tendency to overthink. Her mind raced, fretting over the bet and this trip, over her selfishness and loneliness. Over missing her mother. Maybe this was a bad idea. Trying to find a cosmimo wasn't worth this. Maybe she should just tell the driver to turn around and cancel it. But then again, what if that made her seem flighty and dramatic?

Oh, she didn't know what to do now.

[wc: 223 || total: 1560]

Iris side-eyed him worriedly as he sighed and sat up, but the worry turned to interest as he snatched the puzzle off of her bag. She might not have gotten the answer she sought, but the ones he gave would do! Frankly, his involvement brightened her mood considerably. As he handed it back, she hurriedly wrote in the words he'd said, though she did wonder what Galeophobia was. "Thank you. This helps a lot," she smiled at him, eyeballing the elusive one he'd asked the driver. With the answers he gave, it filled in some of the letters of the one that stumped her. That would make it easier, but it was still just out of her reach by the time she was slipping it into her bag and exiting the carriage.

Viridia Outlook was a sight to behold. It looked whimsical and deceptively safe with its grassy paths extending out into the clouds. It was high enough that a fall off the earthen tendrils would send you to a watery death below, but you'd never know it until it was too late. At least you'd have to be in a lot of trouble to fall off the edges since each of the paths were plenty wide for moving around and fighting creatures. Iris had no intentions of venturing over the sides and into the dangerous caves below today. No, her eyes were already on the sky, eagerly looking for what she'd heard was a small, pink dragon-like creature. "It always feels so exciting out here," she said, brimming with energy that seemed both calm and electrifying at the same time. This was about as outwardly excited as the usually mild Iris got.

"Keep your eye out for a really cute pink creature that can fly. That's a cosmimo," she said, unintentionally whispering as if being quiet would allow them to sneak up on one. "I have a couple boiled potatoes in my bag to feed it..."

[wc: 327 || total: 2135]

The member 'Iris' has done the following action : Dices Roll

---

'Monster Spawner' :

Iris was thankfully a fairly patient person, usually. As they wandered, she was a little disappointed they hadn’t spotted one already, but she was also aware that these creatures were rare and that it’d likely take a lot of time to even get a glimpse of one. The beautiful scenery was almost worth the trip on its own. It’d been a little while since she’d been out of the city. Other than for Faction or Guardian Knight duties, she’d just been slaving away at paperwork or cleaning to keep her mind busy. Grief was a funny thing that everyone experienced differently, but in a way, she was trying not to experience it at all. Even now, as she meandered with a slightly dreamy look on her face, just gazing around, it felt like her life was back to the normal she so wanted. Like she’d turn to the side and see her mother walking there instead of Rowan. Or that the woman was waiting for her to return, anxiously awaiting a close look at a tamed Cosmimo.

“Ah!” The sound of a small explosion next to her almost had her jumping out of her skin. Rocketing her wandering mind back into her skull, she whirled with slightly widened eyes to look at him, then to what he was shooting at once it registered that there were monsters. Slimes! Her brows creased with a smidge of anxiety. These things were kinda gross, with all the slimy residue and stickiness. One time she’d been touched by one, and the sting was quite annoying. She’d keep her distance like he was. It was a good thing she brought her mother’s bow with her.

By the time she pulled it off her back and put the butt of an arrow to the string, Rowan had made short work of the first slime. As he took aim at the second, Iris decided to take out the third. As the string drew back, the tip of the arrow began to glow and icy blue. When she released it, it sailed true and thudded into the slime, freezing a large hunk of it with a blast of blizzard’s snow and ice. Those parts of the slime fell away, leaving a nearly dead chunk rolling toward her. Pulling another arrow from her quiver, she loaded it and sent just a normal arrow at what remained, and it exploded into a small puddle much like the first slime had. She made a mental note to add this slime’s life to her void scale ritual for the night, as she did with all lives she took.

Loading one more arrow, she paused in firing it to see if Rowan even needed any help with the slime he’d been aiming at earlier. “I didn’t realize there were slimes out here,” she commented quietly, also surveying for more threats. Right. This wasn’t a place to get lost in thought. It wasn’t only Cosmimo that lived out here.

[wc: 495 || total: 2980]

Iris’s Stats:

"Cossywotsit," Iris repeated quietly, though she had to turn her head to stifle the small giggle that nearly escaped her. She didn't know him very well, but when he said something like that, he just seemed like an old man trapped in a young man's body. It was cute in a weird way. Cute didn't seem like it should apply to the distant leader of the Golden Titans, but in this case, she'd allow her mind to think it before making a note not to do it again.

Nodding her head, Iris turned and headed for the magical paths of land stretching out into the sky. "You're right," she agreed, thinking over what she knew about a Cosmimo's anatomy. They were definitely fliers, so it made sense that they'd live more out into the open air for more room. "I'm sure something like this already exists, but I think I'm going to start keeping a journal of monsters and area notes from these types of travels. Wouldn't that be helpful?" she asked as they walked, though she didn't yet pull out her notebook. Other than slimes, which were fairly common, nothing of note was worth spending the time other than a decent drawing of the area. Iris wasn't half bad at sketching.

Her steps paused as she heard a distant...was that a howl? Her eyes, which had turned more orange in her startlement, scanned for the source of the noise. "I don't think that was a Cossymotsit," she said, accidentally using Rowan's term instead of its proper name. She was momentarily embarrassed enough to flush but moved on quickly as another howl came, but closer. "No one mentioned any wolves out here..." she commented, her hands turning a pale blue and emitting frost. It was only safe to assume whatever it was would be meeting them one way or another, since she wasn't yet ready to give up on her dragon pal.

[wc: 322 || total: 3579]

His joke fell flat on her, and while he was busy strategizing and focusing on the coming threat, she just gaped at him from behind in dismayed surprise. What he must think of her! Had she done something to make him doubt her abilities? She worried over it way more than she should have. Did the other Guardian Knights and Golden Titan share this concern? "Don't worry, I'm actually very skilled, Commander! I would never friendly fire!" she said earnestly, hoping to convince him while she held her position to his back left, waiting for his order to commence attack. "My mother trained me every day--"

His gunfire caused her to flinch again, even though she knew it was coming. The subsequent yelp from the creature hurt her soft heart, but she knew it was unavoidable. Apparently, it was also her turn, and now that the beast was injured it was a little slower. She might be skilled, but it was moving so quickly before now that she worried she wouldn't be able to hit it. Stepping around him, she let another one of her Blizzard Bolts fly after just a moment of tracking its movement. It sailed true and thunked into the trunk of the ghostly wolf and blasted it with ice and snow. It howled in pain, which made Iris wince. "Sorry," she muttered under her breath, moving out of Rowan's way so he could attack while she reached for an arrow from her quiver. Hopefully, she could prove herself to him on this trip!

[wc: 257 || total: 4341]

Iris's Stats:

Rowan loaded his gun and shot it again, quicker this time. She idly wondered if she'd ever get used to the sound of firearms. They were so loud and explosive. Iris could probably safely say she wasn't a fan of them, but they were becoming more common these days. Her mind wouldn't have too much time to wander, as his voice was directed her way once more. He commanded her to hit it again, which she immediately obeyed. Pulling another bolt from her quiver and notching it in the strong, she pulled it back and aimed. Another frost-embued arrow sailed and sunk into its other side as the beast tried to dodge. The yelps of the stubborn creature made her cringe. Iris would fight when she had to and was quite good at it, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it in the least.

The Lupirit, despite its grievous injuries, seemed intent on ending its life trying to take them with it. It lost speed but still raced toward them. It was true, it would be within biting range soon. They would have to fight it up close, which her faction mate noted just before... he ran at the beast?! "Captain!" she gasped, baffled by his actions. As the leader of the factions, he really should have sent her in close instead! What if he was injured?

Within seconds the two were locked in close combat, with Captain Michaelis pistol-whipping it and ultimately being pinned down. He had its mouth occupied, but this was a very narrow opening.

His misunderstood joke, despite his later praise, still lingered in her brain as he wrestled with the creature. She hadn't doubted her aim until now, so now she worried she'd miss and hit him. It was too much of a chance to take.

Running forward, she held her hands out as if she were gripping a hilt. A blade of sharp ice appeared over her hands, gleaming and clear in the sunlight. If she was close range as well, she'd definitely be sure that the Lupirit was the one who took damage and not her captain. As she dashed within range, she all but tackled the beast off of him as she stabbed her glacial blade into the beast's side, where it pierced the white fur and released a substantial amount of blood. Her momentum took the beast with her and they both sailed over Rowan to the soundtrack of shattering ice.

By the time they both stopped moving, Iris had the beast pinned...by the head clamped onto her arm. Though it hurt and she felt like she was about to throw up, she used the arm it had bitten as a gag of sorts. With the beast's mouth full and its head and body firmly pushed into the ground, her free hand twisted into the scruff of its neck and made sure it couldn't get loose. She called for her fellow adventurer. "It's almost dead!" came her voice, tense with pain but clear. Up close she could see the desperation and exhaustion in its face. The damage was extensive and soon its life would fade. It'd be merciful to end it quickly.

[wc: 531 || total: 5257]

Iris's Stats:

Iris was never very fond of killing things, even though she'd had no choice many times, but there was something about this one that really got to her. Maybe it was the ghostly tail wisps plaguing her with flashes of visions of her deceased mother between Rowan's bevy of punches, or maybe even the violence itself against the creature writhing, yelping, and flinching under her grip, but Iris was struggling. Even as its life mercifully gave out, the visions made it so the creature turned its accusatory and baleful gaze on her, bleeding from the mouth and crying as if it possessed the same thoughts and emotions as people. Nausea and guilt crippled her, taking her back away from the limp creature. She knelt with her back to it, bent entirely forward so her forehead touched the cold grass beneath, her wounded arm cradled between her thighs and abdomen. If only they hadn't had to kill it. Her own pain seemed pale compared to what they'd done to the Lupirit.

After a moment of tense silence to quiet any urges to sob or gag, Iris pulled herself from her nearly fetal position and crawled over to Rowan, still careful to keep her back to the white-and-red carcass. "Yes," Iris answered in a neutral tone, though her eyes were flooded with tears that streamed down her face no matter how hard she tried to stop them. Her irises had turned from their neutral magenta-ish color to a deep, sad blue as she looked upon him, assessing his damage as she rustled through her bag for a first aid kit. Looming over him, probably dripping tears on him whether she meant to or not, the demonatta checked for any wounds she needed to disinfect and cleanse. "Where are you hurt, Commander?" she asked. She'd address her own gash to the forearm once she was confident that the man she'd made come along with her was going to be okay. It was really shaping up that she regretted this whole selfish expedition.

[wc: 339 || total: 6038]

Iris's paused as he grabbed her wrist and essentially issued her an order. She didn't like it, and for just a moment, she considered ignoring it. The frown on her lips deepened in frustration, but she ultimately complied in her own way. "..Understood," she responded quietly as she leaned back away from him to hastily tend to herself. If she had taken care of her arm last, she'd have taken more time. As it was, she was in such a rush to get back to Rowan, she grabbed out a bottle of antiseptic and unceremoniously poured it over her wound, hissing as it foamed and cleansed the tears in her skin. Before it could stop it's fizzing, she pulled out some gauze and quickly wrapped her arm, using her teeth to rip it from the roll and a pair of metal bandage clips to keep it from unraveling.

"Done. Now let me see," she said, this time with firmness in her own tone. Iris had done as he asked, even if it was bare minimum, so she wasted no time gently pulling his shirt away from his wound to roll it up further on his body. Demonatta came in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments, but this one had a capacity for selflessness and nurturing that was rather rare, aside from her mother. Pulling out the tweezers, she pinched a cotton ball and soaked it in the antiseptic to begin dabbing carefully at it. "I'm sorry if this hurts," she said, her tone softer this time. She'd work carefully to wipe the blood away and clean the wound, then placed a large bandage over it and taped it to patch him up. Once finished, she leaned back again, still seeming rather down about it all. Her crying had stopped, but her eyes were still blue and a bit watery. "I'm sorry, Commander. We should head back," she said last, her head bowed in apology.

[wc: 323 || total: 6687]

"I guess you're right," Iris agreed quietly, taking a little comfort in his words but still feeling quite guilty. Now that his bandaging was done, she wiped at her tear-streaked cheeks with her good arm. "You're wise, Commander," she told him as he began to move. Sometimes she didn't understand him and a lot of things he said went over her head, but she was able to recognize his kindness in this moment. She trusted that what he said was the truth, just a convenient one that would make her feel better about the fact that he was injured now.

The demonatta would hover at his side as he slowly rose to his feet and lingered close enough to help him should he need it but not so close that she was intruding on his personal space. Or at least, she didn't think she was. She was a bit closer than normal and very attentive, but she had to be in case he needed to lean on her. It wouldn't do for Commander Michaelis to fall or struggle. Iris would be there if he needed it.

Once they reached their rocky refuge, the bluette found she was more worn out than she'd noticed. If he needed help sitting she'd assist, but her arm was starting to ache and her shoulders drooped. Now that her adrenaline had waned, she'd never been so grateful to lean her back against a boulder and slip down to sit in her life. Shrugging out of her satchel's strap, she pushed it off to the side as if to make a pillow of it later. The Guardian Knight heaved out a sigh, trying to ease her tensions. "Do you need anything?" she asked the dark-haired man with her, not wanting to get too comfortable if there were other tasks for her to do.

[wc: 307 || total: 7398 || @Rowan]

Iris's face brightened as Rowan's request accomplished its intended purpose beautifully. "Yes, I do," she responded with eager chipperness, reaching into and rustling around in her bag. However, when she pulled the requested item out of her bag, she paused and pursed her lips in embarrassment. Right, she'd packed juice boxes instead of bottles or canteens of water. That seemed like a huge error now, especially as she handed the small carton over to her commander. "Um...here! It's starfruit and strawberry," she told him with a small, sheepish smile. The image of him sipping a juice box was an... interesting thought. In any other scenario, it might have been a humorous thing to her. Either way, he had what he requested and she'd pulled one out for herself, carefully popping the straw through the hole in the top and sipping a drink.

What he did next surprised her a little. Given their usual interactions, and even more recently, his temperament on the ride here, she'd anticipated that the injured man would just bed down for a well-deserved nap in silence. Instead, he was asking a question, though it was one that made sense for anyone wanting to be prepared. "Oh, Cosmimos can hardly resist boiled potatoes. That's what I read, at least," she answered, pulling a satchel from her bag and opening it to reveal four of them. "If you can get close enough to offer one before they zoom away they're easy to tame."

[wc: 245 || total: 7925]