Bugs loudly chirped in the summer heat as the sun relentlessly beated down on Loc Lac and it's inhabitants. A strong gist of dry wind kicks up yet another dusty veil, filling the city with sand.
Business was as usual, the dusty streets of Loc Lac bustling with activity. A vendor is busy setting shop while another haggled with a particularly aggressive felyne trying to purchase his wares.
Across the street a Hunter browsed through wares the vendor had, fingering trinkets hanging on display as his companions called out to him riding their beast of burden, in tow a cart with supplies essential to their upcoming mission. The dirt roads however had seen better times, but the sheer amount of foot traffic work down most of the roads, leaving a packed and well worn roads that haven't seen maintenance for years.
The beaten gravel road where most went about their busy ways thin out significantly as one venture away the gates of Loc Lac into the lightly forested area just outside of the settlement.
A lone dirt path branches out from the main road some distance from the gates leading to a small clearing into an oasis where a small hut stood. Smoke can be seen billowing from it's chimney from a distance.
A cream colored felyne sniffs the air as she approached the hut, clanging sounds confirms that the owner of the small yet cozy-looking hut is home and the felyne excitedly scampered to a fenced area behind the hut.
Looking in, the felyne spots a slender figure working on a piece of armor. The felyne cracked open the rough wooden gate to the smithy and announced it's presence enthusiastically, then only did the slender figure take notice of the felyne.
"Hallo Kittee, its been a while!" the figure greeted the felyne, lifting the mask she has been wearing.
"Let me wash up and make you something!" The soot covered girl removes her dirty leather apron and gloves as she motions the felyne to her kitchen and goes to a water barrel beside the kitchen to clean off the soot.
Cleaning off the dirt from her arms with a soft cloth, the girl dips her face into the water barrel and pulls out of it, refreshed, her long wet hair in an arc as she did so and the afternoon sunlight glistening off droplets of water, dancing off her thick shiny black hair and fair beautiful features.
"Nyaa" Kittee meowed, expressing her concern that her human friend had appeared thinner than the time they last saw each another.
The girl shook the comment off casually, she probably just missed a couple of meals and shouldn't have actually lost weight. "Maybe it's just that you haven't seen me in a few weeks, I don't feel any different."
Kittee thought to itself that she is perhaps too much a worrywart, this is Claire it is fretting over, and the felyne have not met any more capable and prepared hunter all it's life.
Claire dons a plain fabric apron and prepares a meal while the pair chatted idly, both looking forward to hunting together in the weeks following.
"What do you mean I can't take this quest alone??" Oz blusters over the counter at the guild girl. An event quest is up and he was promptly told that he cannot embark on this quest alone. The guild master specified that Oz is to only go on a quest with another hunter of sufficient hunter rank together.
Oz was about to argue that he had the damned felyne Chump had assigned to help him so technically he is in a team but the guild girl does not accept his suggestion.
"Look Oz," the feisty guild girl retorted despite his protesting. " the charter requires a minimum of two hunters on this quest that you want to sign up for, not even the guild master will entertain your whining. You find another hunter to go with you or no quests for you!"
"Senritsu, cut me some slack here, I'm the hunter-gatherer extraodinaire! You can make that exception right?"
Oh shove that hunter-gatherer crap with me, there is no such title recognized in the guild and never will be, so why don't you be that "Mighty JHO hunter" that you are and actually clear quests like everyone else!"
The Guild girl rolled her eyes as she pushes back on the hunter's pleading, ever so sarcastic.
Senritsu have worked in the guild for many years now and knew Oz well. The guild girl is not convinced he's good for anything, nor is she convinced that he's actually managed the Jho kill, preferring to think Oz probably got lucky.
"Nyaa" Jak the felyne mewed, "stupid hunter!" being stuck with Oz since the barrel bomb incident, it hasn't had much work. As Oz had skipped out on a previous quest Chump got Oz on, the Felyne was instructed explicitly that it would be stuck with the hunter till he clears the zennies he owed for skipping those quests.
Oz is desperate, He had but a few hundred Zennies left and needed to recover zennies quickly. Learning that the current event quest cost just 550 zennies to take and for just fishing some golden fish he can make a few times of it back, and that he can avoid any direct conflict with giant monsters for quick zennies this way, it is the perfect quest for him to get quick zennies back.
Looking around almost pleading, the Hunter gatherer found most hunters gave him a wide berth. Most knew his antic of skipping out on the main quests for sub-quest rewards and leaving others to do the work for him, combined with his horrible attitude, no one in the know would take on a quest with him.
"And just who are you going on this quest Oz?' Senritsu mocked, best this lazy hunter stuck to some simple gathering quests till he earned the zennies then let him take the event quest and further stain the guild's reputation.
Oz refused to be barred from this quest. Spotting a hunter nearby and driven by desperation, he grabbed at the next hunter that walked into the guild, "this hunter would!"
A bewildered Claire was completely at a loss of words as someone grabbed her wrist.
Claire only ever hunted solo, choosing to avoid contact with people as best as she could. She's didn't really know how to communicate with people, especially males, preferring the company of Kittee the felyne that often quested with her.
Senritsu the guild girl is also shocked at Oz's sudden actions, he was desperate that much is clear, but never had he sought to team up with other hunters, incessantly grumbling that others would exploit him and take a share of his zennies.
"look girl, why wouldnt you want to team up with OZ, hunter gatherer extrodinaire?" Oz boasted, I'll show you the ropes, you'll learn loads from me!"
In truth Claire is envious of all the hunters that had found steady team mates to hunt with, and craves social relationships. Being awkward around people however, Claire avoided contact with people instead, fearing that she would somehow annoy other in the process, thus hunted either alone or with the one other soul that had stuck around, Kittee the felyne.
To others, the slim beauty of a hunter is as lofty as she is stunning. Ever so often when a male hunter would try to approach her and she would appear to ignore them and go her way.
Being a rising star of the guild house Claire is, her skill is well known in the guild and soon, the word is that she only responds to the best of hunters, and every hunter she ignored are deemed unworthy. Any hunter that tried to invite her to their team had failed miserably, and after a while the experience is soul crushing to the rejected.
All attempt to associate with Claire soon became stigmatized with gossip of misdeed or ill form of those that she would ignore.
This further adds to Claire's outwardly anti social antics, making her ever more reserved around other hunters.
Mostly oblivious of the gossips of hunters, Oz is a social outcast of his own right.
Oz avoids other hunters nearly as much as Claire herself and knew little of what goes between hunters in their whispers, preferring to reason they are either envious of him or out to swindle him of what little he had.
As such, his sudden attempt to recruit Claire, and Claire not immediately distancing herself shocked all but Oz, whom only had in mind to get someone, ANYONE, in his team and get on with the quest.
It's a 1st to Claire that anyone had laid hands on her, less to have grabbed her at her wrist.
The stranger's surprising movement and dexterity both startled and intrigued Claire.
It's not like Claire had let her guard down, but this hunter's movements is as fast as it is unpredictable.
"Well?, What will it be? Yes or yes?"
Oz jerked Claire so close that she brushed noseswith oz. Unaccustomed to even talking with people to begin with, this surprised and an unfamiliar emotion welled up in her, causing her to blush, her face red all the way to her ears. She was speechless for a moment.
"Look girl", Oz whispered into Claire's ears.
"I do not really need this quest nor do i find anyone decent to team up with, but I'm feeling generous today so I am allowing you to come along, consider it a privilege!"
Oz tries hard to prevent Senritsu hear the conversation, fearing the boisterous guild girl would ruin his plans.
Senritsu however will have none of this and interjects loudly, pulling Oz aside as she jumps on the counter.
"Cut it out OZ, Claire always hunts solo, plus you're no good, why would she even consider you?"
Claire recovers from her initial surprise and considers Senritsu's words.
"No good?"
Pass memories of her youth comes to her as the words reverberates in her mind, a distant fuzzy memory of her constantly being told she is no good echoing in her mind.
"Don't listen to her!" OZ yells as he gets between Senritsu and Claire, in doing so his face just inches from Claire's, yet again taking her by surprise.
"I... I'll think about it.." Claire muttered softly.
"See, she wouldn't even think about it!" Senritsu announced, "you're no good OZ, right Claire??"
The loud guild girl declares as she shoves OZ aside roughly, seeking Claire's answer to placate OZ once and for all.
"no..." Claire hesitates once again.
Senritsu was taken aback by this unexpected answer.
OZ sees an opportunity and cuts in once again.
"She said she will consider my offer, lay off you female Rajang!"
The guild girl snaps, and grabs the hunter in a chokehold, OZ struggles but his attempt to break free from Senritsu's vice like grip futile.
Claire softens a little, then seeing OZ's face turn blue, breaks out giggling at the almost comical sight.
This stunned everyone, Senritsu included. Claire have been known as the "Barrioth's Fang", as she is skilled and agile, but mostly also because of her cool demure.
No one had seen her so much as smile, and she laughed visibly now!
OZ finally slipped from the guild girl's iron chokehold, gasping.
"Don't makes ask me twice, yes or yes??" OZ finally blurts out again.
"What kind of request is that?? " The guild girl chides, there's no option to refuse!"
"Of course she cannot refuse!" OZ straightened his back jabbing his arm into the arm, striking a pose,"for I am the hunter gatherer extraordinaire! I took down an alpha devil jho all by myself!"
As the two continues their bickering, Claire really thought hard.
"Taking down an alpha? And alone at that?"
That is impressive to Claire, while she had her own trophies of Jho parts hunting them, she had struggled with an alpha the month before, and it gave her the slip, could it be that this man had killed the one that she could not beat?"
Claire felt like she had to know.
Amidst the tussling between Senritsu and Oz, Claire said softly.
"I'll...I'll go with this hunter."
Again the entire guild house froze and became silent.
Intense glares all directed at the three in the center of the commotion.
OZ still pulling on the now still guild girl's sleeves is the only one seemingly unaffected by the atmosphere within the guild house.
"Say what again?" OZ freed himself yet again from Senritsu and turned to face the now red eared monster hunter.
"I... I said I'll go with you.." Claire again quiet voice.
"Huh, say what?!" OZ smug now, his grin wide, spanning from cheek to cheek as he bore down on the now smothering red hot Claire.
"Speak up girl, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Deliberately raising his voice now OZ planted his face right next to Claire's, face to face noses now rubbing each another.
"I said I will go with you!" Claire raise her voice alot more this time, embarrassed and wanted to end this encounter as quickly as possible.
"Say please!" OZ sternly stared down the now visibly trembling Claire.
"please..." She replied meekly,
"Louder!" OZ demanded.
"Please!" Claire muster her voice.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" OZ again intimidating the girl, yelling into her face.
"PLEASE LET ME GO WITH YOU ON YOUR HUNT!!" And with that outburst Claire seizes up momentarily, her head steaming, not of anger but of embarrassment for being so vocal in front of so many people.
No longer able to take it, she bolted out of the guild house before anyone can properly react to what had happened, save OZ, gleefully addressing Senritsu,
"SEE~~? She very BADLY wanted to go on my quest, say what you will Rajang woman, sign me up with that lass so I can make the preparations for the quest already!"
The whole guild house finally breaks out in exclamation of what had transpired, Senritsu tumbling behind the counter as the shock took over.
"EEHHHHHHH!!" Everyone in unison of utter disbelief, Senritsu visibly shakened, brought out the quest acknowledgment document and feels for the stamp just in front of her, seemingly unable to hold it straight.
Impatient, OZ holds her hand and stamps the document, then holds it above his head triumphant, cheering as he exited the guild house in high spirits, "finally!"
No more then 30 minutes later, Claire slams the door to her home shut as she dashes through, how long has it been that she had spoken to another person? Let alone a man! The mere thought of what had happened back in the guild house set her heart racing, both excited that she is finally going to hunt with another, despite her introverted nature, but that a hunter that took down an alpha Deviljho!
Kittee whom had stay behind to tend to the house while Claire was gone scampered into the hall to see what was the commotion.
Upon seeing Claire all flustered, yet seemingly happy, became very concerned.
" Nyaa?!"
"No it's nothing..." Claire recovers a little of her composure as she answered the concerned meows of her trusted companion.
"it's just that I've agreed to go on a quest with another hunter... An alpha Jho hunter! Can you believe that?!"
"Huh?" Kittee thought to herself, none in her memory had made as much a successful career out of hunting Devil jhos as Claire did. Let alone someone known for hunting alpha Deviljhos."
A nagging thought remained with Kittee, but the felyne dismisses it. Knowing well how Claire has a hard time opening up to other people, this is good news indeed.
"Nyaa! Nyaa!" The felyne meowed enthusiastically.
"I didn't catch his name, but he is fast with his hands."
The piece of information benign, Kittee couldn't match anything in it's memory to this hunter.
"Maybe it's a hunter that came from Moga village" the felyne thought to itself.
"Nyaa!" The Felyne meowed excitedly, Claire agreed at once, that they could celebrate this a little as she moved to fetch her apron to make something for the two of them.
"Finally, no more volcanos!"
OZ was happy he managed to snag the quest. All they needed to is to fish golden fishes and it wouldn't matter if the main quest had failed.
The quest zone is in the lush forests area deep into the coastal region, one has to get a charter from loc lac to the nearest village, Moga village and travel a couple hours through dense jungles before reaching the appointed region.
OZ gets about packing his pack at once, as he eyed his arsenal of baits, unable to decide how much to bring he jams all the bait he had left into his pack.