Into the Den
AN:Inspiration kicked me in the teeth last night courtesy of Mist's gifsets. Who am I to say no?
Brave Vesperia is a pack of wolves.
It's one of the first things you hear about the famous guild, right after they saved the world and they do any kind of job and frankly you'd have laughed yourself silly at the first if it wasn't for the earnest look in the man's eyes as he said it. You still snorted half your beer up your nose anyway, but there was something in his face that sat with you long after you and your group had left the bar, poorly drawn map to their headquarters nestled in your back pocket.
The guys are rather vocal on your walk over, debating what was meant by wolves - you all eventually agree the guild must look very intimidating, because there's no other way the statement makes a lick of sense. A few of your coworkers cast doubts over just how true the "legendary tales of Brave Vesperia" might be, and you can't bring yourself to blame them, but the fact is you need an escort to make it to Cados, the guild was heavily recommended and, well, beggars can't be choosers.
Or at least, that's how you all felt until you met Vesperia's boss.
Karol Capel. Short stature, bright eyes and a face still round with baby fat, this is a child in front of you no matter how you look at him - can't be older than twelve, thirteen maybe, if you're being generous. He must be the actual boss's kid or something you figure, the way he guides you through without anyone in the guild's headquarters even batting an eye. Even if he's just some random member's kid, or even a guild tag along, it's painfully clear he knows what he's talking about as he goes on about the laying down the ground works of sending people to be your escorts, what's a good time to leave and which members would be best suited. Boy's got a smart head on his shoulders, definitely gonna make a name for himself one day. You have a good feeling about this guild.
"We're not seriously gonna have some brat cover our asses are we? "
A sentiment, it seems, that is not shared by the rest of your group.
Another one chimes in behind you, "For real, where's the actual boss?"
Once, just once you wish they would keep quiet while you negotiate with your escorts. There's a reason you can't ask the knights for aid anymore, and that's an incident you'd rather not make an encore of with the guilds.
Perhaps you should have opted out of traveling as a group this time.
To his credit, Karol doesn't flinch. He doesn't look pleased by what your co-workers are saying, a feeling you more than empathize with, but he holds his ground with a stoicism most adults you know don't have. The kid is braver than he looks.
You're not one to listen to grown men disparage children however.
You turn to chastise them, a sharp reprimand on the tip of your tongue - and stop. The krityan woman who'd caught your eye earlier as Karol had walked you past the kitchen is leaning against the doorway, watching you all with a guarded expression that sets off every self preservation instinct you have.
Suddenly, you realize just how quiet it is.
You turn your head to look around the room only to realize that every single member of the guild in immediate view is watching your group. The older man in the purple coat who was playing chess on the sofa is now standing up, glaring you down and radiating a protective air, and the dog he was playing against looks ready to lunge at the nearest person.
Oh, oh this is even worse than the knights incident.
A deep voice cuts through the silence.
"Everything okay, Boss?"
Chills run down you spine at the words, so simple yet so daunting you're not even sure you want to see the person behind them. Time is against you to get to Cados though and you're not about to let guilt by association kill what was shaping to be a really good escort deal, so you drag your gaze back over to the new figure standing behind Vesperia's boss. With one look at him you can feel the blood drain from your face.
Tall, with long dark hair and sharp feminine features, the man radiates danger. He's not even looking directly at you and you feel helpless and small. This is a man who could strike you down in an instance without even blinking and suddenly the notion of Brave Vesperia saving the world doesn't seem so impossible.
A pack of wolves.
You should have left everyone at the bar and come alone. You absolutely should have left them. They're gonna die at this rate.
"You the guild master?"
"Nope" he says, and that's a threat, it can't be anything other than a threat how can one word be that intimidating? "Boss here is our boss." The statement is punctuated with an affectionate head rub that makes said leader squirm whining Yuri in protest like a child.
They look like brothers.
Your co-worker frowns "What the hell kind of guild lets some pissant kid run it?"
The room radiates death. Yuri opens his mouth to say something and really, you kind of want to see how this man will verbally assassinate your co-workers but Karol cuts him off before the man can get a word out.
"The best kind of guild. Brave Vesperia always strives to do the right thing." He squirms out from under Yuri's hand, standing straight and proud "Now if you want us to take you to the Weasand of Cados, we can. But we're not just going to pretend this didn't happen either. You can't keep acting this way if you want us to work together."
Bless this child, he will take over the world one day.
A quick glance behind you confirms that the entire guild is now beaming proudly at their boss and you can't help but join them.
Your co-workers slowly leave one by one after that. One of them looks at you as he turns to go, but you shake your head and hold your ground. Staying is the right choice, you can feel it. He shrugs and moves on.
The last of your group leaves with a resounding click of the front door closing, leaving you alone in a den of wolves.
So why do you feel so safe?
A low whistle breaks the tension. You follow the sound to the older gentleman by the sofa, softly applauding Capel, the frighteningly protective aura from earlier giving way to an almost parental pride. Yuri rolls his eyes as Karol pouts at the man,
"Raven…"
"What? Can't take a compliment? You gave this old man chills."
The krityan woman giggles somewhere behind you as Yuri groans "Seriously now old man…"
You snort loudly, which quickly brings everyone's attention straight back to you, it's nerve-wracking, but nowhere near as dangerous as before. Trying to remember how to breathe, you manager to squeak out "Well then, looks like I won't need quite as many people to escort me now."
Karol's eyes snap open wide. "Wait. You still want to hire us?"
"Of course, if you're still willing. Your guild came highly recommended after all, and I'm already short on time to get to Cados."
Behind him, Yuri raises an eyebrow at you.
"You don't seem too shaken up about your buddies."
You shrug. "My acquaintance with most of them is more a rather unfortunate side effect of my work than any personal connections sadly. As long as we all manage to get to our destination on time, how we each get there is irrelevant for our boss. They have a nasty habit of not getting along with escorts, for which I deeply apologize. Honestly, I was mostly hoping to save on the travel costs by going together."
And perhaps trying to build some new connections with them along the way, but that is not for them to know. Besides, you're more at ease in this room of strangers who were glaring daggers at you moments ago than you ever have with your co-workers and you've no intention of abandoning that feeling.
"Now then," you catch Yuri's eyes as you gesture down to Karol, "your boss here was laying out a rather brilliant plan to get me to the Weasand of Cados before we were so rudely interrupted by my coworkers. Shall we continue where we left off or just start talking prices?"
Karol beams.
"Alright then! Brave Vesperia is on the job!"
Karol is smiling up at you, Yuri's laughing behind him and there's a warmth in the room now that you can't quite place. You feel safe here, with this strange guild. It reminds you a bit of the den back at your parent's house, that nostalgic safe haven were you all would curl up together after a long day.
Vesperia's a pack of wolves.
Oh… so that's what he meant.
You think you're gonna like this guild.
Fin.