Guild House upstairs

"Alright, that should do for this side..." Blake nodded at his handy work of sweeping the upstairs of the Guild House, currently trying to get the place at least a little bit cleaner since people were going to be living there now. "...I wonder how long that ass of a noble is going to take before he does something about this place like he promised?" He muttered while resting his head on the broom he was using. "Huh?"

"Oooo!" Helping Blake out was Os quickly sliding up and down the places, Blake swept picking up bits of dirt, dead plants, and bugs, that he missed or piled up to give the floor a bright shine. "O?" Then it came up to Blake and waited for him to keep going.

"Good job, Slime, you're making this easier...unlike someone..." Blake thanked the small slimeball then turned to see how his other 'assistant' was doing.

"Ah...? Sir Blake, could you? Uhm? Come to my aid...again?" Which was Risabeel currently covered in dust, standing on one foot that had gone through the old floorboards while the feather duster Blake gave her was jabbed into the ceiling a good 10 feet above her. "I have...made another...mistake."

"That's the 7th time for today." Blake walked up to her and held out a hand to pull her free. "You know I told you that you didn't have to help me, I'm used to doing a lot of work."

"But I am not, and I do not wish to rely on you for everything, Sir Blake, you are the guild leader after all," Risabeel said while Blake was picking stuff out of her hair and brushing off her shoulders. "Thank you, now on to the next spot, yes?" She asked after bowing her head to Blake.

"I think Os has the rest of this taken care of." Blake pointed over at Os as it had stretched itself out to take up most of the floor and was going down the hallway at a slow crawl even taking the duster Risabeel had with it. "So, for now, let's go see how the others are doing with their rooms, okay?"

"As you wish, Sir Blake." Risabeel nodded, following Blake down the side of the 2nd floor coming up to Lu's and Rena's room with the door to it pleasantly bare of any overgrown plants. "Sir Lu and Rena do work fast do they not?"

"Yeah, I was half expecting them to call in a druid to help with that." Blake agreed as he knocked on the door a few times. "Yo! Lu! Rena! How's it going in there!" He called out to the pair and hared some movement from inside.

"..." Until the door cracked open, but what greeted Blake and Risabeel another than some humid air was Lu covered from head to toe in green moss and vines, in fact, the only thing that helped in finding out if it was Lu was his long ears and green eyes. "Morning, Blake, what can I do for you?" He waved at Blake after piling off some moss from his face.

"Ugh...not really? I was just seeing how everyone was doing with their rooms," Blake reluctantly answered taken for a loop by Lu's current appearance, trying to guess what being covered in plants had to do with taking care of a room.

"It's going good, I guess? Rena and I got most of the plants under control in here it, looks like this room used to belong to some druid who left their work to itself. Which is why it was so bad earlier, but the good part is that I might be able to get a few new arrows out of this stuff." Lu explained, leaning against the door frame with some of the moss on him creeping its way on to it.

"..." Thanks to that, Blake was having a hard time listening to Lu but found something to put his mind off it. "And where's our lovely gnat? Off somewhere yelling at someone that she's awesome?"

"Oh? Rena's trying to get the rest of the plants around here under her control. Hopefully, she can get it done in a day." Lu answered, having a vine rub his chin as he thought about something. "After that, I'll send word over to the Eyes Of The Blood Leaf to send over the rest of my stuff."

"Hmm? Good to hear, I'll leave you to it then..." Blake pulled away from the door letting close it with the help of oddly hand shaped branch coming up from behind Lu. "...I'm slowly getting used to weirder and weirder things around here, and it's worrying me." He muttered to himself, feeling as if the word disbelief had lost its meaning.

"Considering what you are, Sir Blake, I believe that is a given?" Risabeel informed him as they moved to Nathan's room, which was the empty library. The door of which was foaming with glowing blue bubbles coming out from its edges. "See?" She held a hand to door as they neared it.

"What in the world is that mage doing in there?" Blake walked up to the door and opened it with a quick pull. "WHAAAH!" And got blasted by a torrent of bubbles that had enough force to push him back to the other side of the hallway. "The fuck?"

"Hmm?" Then out of the waterworks came Nathan perfectly dry despite all the bubbles currently floating around his room. "What are you doing, smith? I don't think that's how you clean a wall, hmm, hmm, hmm!" He lightly chuckled, watching Blake slide down the wall leaving it spotless.

"Sir Nathan! What type of magical spell is this?" Risabeel asked, reaching a hand up to touch one of the bubbles. "Ah!" And grasped once it popped with a bright flash of blue.

"Yeah, explain why I got hit with a bubble storm?" Blake groaned, coming up to the two with small bruises on his face but oddly enough he wasn't wet.

"This is water spell called Mermaid's Pastime that I modified for cleaning uses," Nathan answered, slowly making a few more bubbles of his finger that floated over to a dusty spot on one of the study desks inside his room. "However, I never thought I'd be using it as much as I'm now."

"You have bubble magic...?" Blake muttered, looking at the bubble world going on inside of Nathan's room which wasn't as empty as the other rooms in the Guild House since he had some books, testing equipment, and even a bed. "When did you get stuff in here?"

"Hmm? Oh? I had a teleportation spell put one some of my belongings in my dorm room back at Le Fay, if I ever needed to move out quickly, so with the right spell and a few magical markings..." Nathan paused in his answer to point at a spot in the corner of the room where a magic circle was drawn and in a flash of blue light appeared a chest of drawers. "...I can have myself nice and comfortable by the end of the day! Hmm, hmm, hmm!"

"Oh, how useful! Sir Nathan! Your magical prowess keeps becoming more interesting by the day," Risabeel exclaimed, thinking that now Nathan was around she'd get more magic lessons for her. "Would it possible for me to be able to learn such a spell?"

"Hmm? That depends on the type of mana you have, which I am sure we will find out with some more practice and from there we shall see. Although, even I am not able to completely teach someone on the inner workings of magic." Nathan was for once, not making himself seem like the greatest person ever.

"Well, if you got everything under control here we'll leave you to it, mage." Blake decided to get a move before some other spell got used one him out.

"Where to next, Sir Blake?" Risabeel followed behind Blake after bowing to Nathan.

"Well, Baba's room is up there, but..." Blake trailed off as he stuck his head into the stairwell of Baba's tower that went up and up and up. "...Ugh! As much as I want to see what she's doing up there, I don't really feel like going up there."

"Are you worried about staying there with me for the rest of the day?" Baba's voice came out of nowhere as she flew down the stairwell to greet Blake with a wave. "Oh? And you have Risabeel with you how nice." She said after leaning to the side of Blake and found Risabeel.

"Hey, Baba, just checking in on how everyone's doing with their rooms," Blake told her why they were here since she came down it worked out for them. "So?"

"It's bare" Baba answered in deadpan with a dulled look on her face. "I need furniture, and soon, because as much I a love sleeping next to you inside the cart, Mama needs her space once in a while."

"That so, huh? Wait!? You sleep next to me, sometimes!?" Blake was about to end things there, but now he was confused and worried.

"Actually, Sir Blake, she does it quite often." Risabeel pointed out with Baba floating over to her side to nod in agreement.

"She's right, you know? You sleep like a baby the moment you have someone to wrap those big arms of yours around, hehe!" Baba giggled as she gave Risabeel and loving hug in a crossed arm hold. "Oh Someone is growing nicely." The older woman cooed once she tugged her arms upwards.

"A-ahah! Why thank you, Baba, that is...uhm? A most welcome comment?" Risabeel left flustered by the act could only wiggle around until Baba decided to let her go.

"Hmm? You know, as the leader I should be taking account of everyone's 'health?' Right, Risabeel?" Blake took the chance to take a nice long look at Risabeel's chest being pushed up by Baba while the Demon was too busy trying to get out of the Ala's hold. "Ah! And Nash isn't here to ruin my fun for once."

"Well? Well? I was wondering how long it was going to take to let the power go to your head, leader." Mordecai poked his head out from a door opposite the stairwell to Baba's room, and as he was holding the door, open Nash happy neigh rang out from a broken window. "He's been doing that for a while now."

"Just ignore him, he does that when he knows what I'm up to." Blake pulled away from Risabeel and Baba to wave Nash's neigh off. "That your spot in here?" He asked, pointing to the room Mordecai was in.

"Yep, nice and far on the end of this side! Perfect for an easy getaway if this place gets raided, haha!" Mordecai joked around a bit, or at least Blake hoped he was since there was already a fake wall being set up in there. "Don't pay any mind to that it's just a thief being a thief."

"That only makes it easy to keep it on my mind, idiot." Blake sighed at the newest member of his small party turned guild. "Anything the leader can do for you, or are you self-servicing like everyone else?" He asked, but with how everyone else was doing so far this seemed like a wasted effort now.

"Nah, I'm good, but there's something else you could do for me." Mordecai shook his head, then stepped out of his room to bring a hand around Blake.

"What might that be?' Blake asked after taking Mordecai's arm off himself. "And stop being so touchy would you."

"Well, since we're a new guild and all, we got next to no reputation at the moment which means we don't get high paying quests sent our way, but we only get into the good heart of people if we're hardworking and that means doing a few shit jobs..." Mordecai trailed off as he finished off his explanation.

"And you want me to handle it?" Blake finished with the thief nodded quickly. "But why me?"

"Cause you're the leader! Doing low-rank quest shows that you're not the type to let the members do all the work and with what you were doing earlier, I'd say you have a lot of time on your hands, hmm?" Mordecai pointed at Risabeel and Baba with the Ala still clinging off the Demon.

"Hmm? I'd say that's time well spent, but I'll listen to one of my dear guildmates if they're willing to help their leader out, huh?" Blake jabbed Mordecai in the arm, expecting him to come along with him on this little outing.

"Too bad this one isn't! Bye!" Mordecai put on a cheeky smile before slowly walking back to his room and shut the door. "Oh, one more thing!" After a second, he opened the door again and put up a 'do not disturb' sign. "There!" After that, he shut the door again

"Whatever, what about you, Baba? Baba?" Blake turned to Risabeel and Baba, but the Ala was gone. "Where'd she go off too, Risabeel?"

"Ah, she simply said to 'enjoy' a day with you, Sir Blake," Risabeel answered although the look Blake was giving her left her confused. "Sir Blake is something the matter?"

"No...not really, let's see if the others want to come with," Blake told her, turning around to walk to the main stairs and head to the first floor, skipping Lu and Nathan's rooms since they were too into getting their rooms set up. "Enjoy a day with me? I didn't think she'd like to share?" He thought to himself before waving to Os and told it to do the other side of the second floor.

Blake's Smithy

"~Hmm~" Humming a tune to himself was Bread wiping down some tools then laid them out on a work table. "Morning, boss! Risabeel!" He waved up at Blake and Risabeel as they came into the smithy.

"Yo, kid, good to see you at work without me yelling at you." Blake leaned on the rail of the landing. "But where's your supervisor? I thought I told her to watch you when I'm not around?" He nodded over to the cave where Saffire's head was usually sticking out.

"She's was here earlier, but I think she went deeper in there?" Bread shrugged not too sure what Saffire was up to inside her cave or if she was coming back anytime soon.

"That so, huh? Well, tell her that her snacks might be a little late today, I'm off to do a quest or two, and yes you're staying here until I get back." Blake ordered his student with a finger pointing at him as he had some light in his eyes at doing anything else. "I know it sucks, but I went through it too so deal with. It builds character as my old man said."

"Fine." Bread grumbled under his breath as Blake and Risabeel left him to his work.

In front of the Guild House

"Are you done yet, kid...?" Gram was currently sitting in a large wooden bath filled with water and covered in soap bubbles.

"Almost!" Mari cheered, holding a brush and comb in hand with a small bucket to toss water on Gram once she was done.

"Haha, she finally got you didn't she?" Blake laughed at the sight of a massive Greater Wolf left to the mercy of a little girl treating him like a pet dog.

"Heh, it is quite the sight, indeed," Risabeel giggled with a hand to her mouth as not to hurt Gram's feelings.

"Huh? Hi, Blake!" Mari waved over to her brother right before dumping a bucket of water over Gram's head, leaving some of his fur soaking wet and covering his one good eye while leaving the sacred one uncovered. "Sorry, Gram! Is your eye okay?" She asked, pushing Gram's fur out of his good eye.

"Yeah, it's fine..." Gram told her wanting nothing more than to shake himself off and make a run for it, but the last time he did that Mari told him to get ready for another round of water and soap. "...Going somewhere, Alpha?"

"That thief wanted me to get started on some questing, so I'm heading off to the Guild Union to see who's hiring." Blake pointed over to where he thought the main city was by his memory.

"I'd like to come along, but ugh..." Gram trailed off as he nodded over to Mari brushing his back. "...if she's with you I've got more things to worry about here." He looked at Risabeel and stood up for Mari to get at his underside.

"Wait? You two are going...alone?" Mari appeared out between Gram's front legs, switching between Blake and Risabeel a few times. "Hmm..." And gave them some suspicious glances. "NASH!"

"?" Nash was looking at the spot where Blake had Bread dig a hole to plant an apple tree, but turned to the sound of someone calling and came over. "..." At the sight of Blake, he glared at him, blowing some air out his nose.

"Come on! Just because I had you take down that shit sign yesterday doesn't give you the right to be mad at me!" Blake leaned in to look his horse in the eye.

"Nash, I want you to watch the two of them today! Makeup or no more apples for a week," Mari warned, wiggling a finger at him while on the tips of a toe to get it between Nash and Blake.

"?!" Nash looked down and seemed to have lost some of his color as if some of his life force had been drained out of him. "~!~" Then in the next moment, he stuck his head to Blake and nodded wildly.

"What are you a pig or a horse?" Blake muttered, patting the side of Nash's head before going over to the cart to grab Nash's saddle and reins. "Alright! Good to go!" He hopped up on Nash's back then held out a hand for Risabeel. "M'lady?"

"Why thank you, kind Sir." Risabeel gladly took Blake's hand, and in a similar scene to when they first met, they rode off towards the main city of Gorz.

Chapter End