(OPEN) WORK FOR THE WORKING MAN

[burnmydread]

Who: Minato Arisato & others!
When: Throughout March
Where: Around Blanc
What: Job quest post for the month of March
Rating: None

[ Reference for the Job Post is here. Also, if you're interested and haven't already, you can pick your character's arcana for Social Linking! ]

001-A. Meeting & Greeting

[ Minato wouldn't exactly say that he's good with kids, but he does have some experience with them. Of course, even considering the thought that it's appropriate to encourage a kindergartner to run away is probably not the best example to set, yet here he is anyway. Maiko, a former Social Link of his, isn't all children, and the orphanage has plenty that are excited about heroes coming over. He'd built a snowman for them once, he can do something else.

Besides, he'd gotten cookies out of that deal too. Worth it.

He looks like the life of the party, really. He's got a little girl on his back, and another kid trying to hang from his arm, but the whole five-foot-seven of him doesn't lead for a good height to dangle from. Surprisingly, throughout all of this, he's got a pretty straight face on. But.

This is a little much.

Help? ]

001-B. Now it's Story Time

[ So the kids want to know about the heroes' home worlds, do they? Truthfully, there are a lot of similarities when one looks at the very basics. You know, oxygen, land, water, etc. But those don't make for very good stories. He isn't really going to get any points (or colle, for that matter) by explaining the water cycle, is he? At least it would prove he paid attention to the lessons in second grade.

What can he say about Earth, though? Minato spares a glance at the hero beside him before turning his attention back to the children gathered around them. They're expecting a good story. ]

...Well...

[ A man of many words he is not. It's not that he doesn't have things to say, he just generally keeps to himself unless prompted otherwise. A dozen eager eyes looking at him expectantly certainly fit the bill. ]

Sometimes humanity tries to usher in the apocalypse...

We look forward to the same things here as in my world, death and taxes.

It's really not that different...

[ Yeah, don't be an asshole, dude. They're just kids. ]

It's really not that different...I lived in a big city and had to go to school, too.

[ Except for the whole trying to stop the end of the world thing, but you know, details.

Hey Hero, maybe you have a better story? ]

002-A. Herbs with an H

[ Minato has done a lot of silly things to fulfill some equally silly quests posed to him by some otherworldly being that lived in a room only he had access too. If that doesn't sound odd enough to begin with, it really does get a lot stranger than that. But aside from keeping an eye on a persimmon tree at school--and, literally, it's about watching it--Minato has zero experience with plants, nor a green thumb.

So what constitutes an herb, let alone one in good condition? He agreed to the job because of the money, of course. Shirosabe, his carrier, is starting to garner an appetite about the same as him, which is a lot. And no one should be subjected to Monday meals. Ever. He's resigned to eat out on those days. The struggle is real.

Supposedly they're "all over", but how is he supposed to know what distinguishes an herb as an herb or just...a weed? ]

...Isn't an herb technically any type of plant?

[ Could they just grab a handful of grass? He's got a baggy and everything. ]

002-B. Desperate Thymes call for desperate measures

[ Going it straight-laced can only yield mediocre results. Sometimes there's a reason people go dark side. Sometimes, when push comes to shove, or when there are slim pickings in the public areas, heroes have to turn to a life of crime. Much like penguins.

Minato is one such penguin. Er, hero. And with so many others working on the same job, if he's going to get any money for this, he has to bend the rules a little. But who says he's going down by himself? Oh no, team effort is important. Right? Teammates. Not accomplices. Why would you think that.

Which is why they are found in someone's back yard in one of the nicer parts of time. Pretend it's a little bit like Robin Hood, stealing from the rich's gardens and giving them to...some guy who is going to pay them for it. Okay, it's nothing like Robin Hood, but this person has all their plants labeled and there are definitely some recognizable, herbish plants there. ]

..."Wolf's bane" right next to "oregano". That would be a weird sauce.

[ Is someone protecting against werewolves? ]

003. Wild Card

[ Inspired by something else? Please feel free to write your own prompt! You can also hit me up at doggystyle if you have any questions. ]

Comments

001-a

[tarotcards]

[ Souji's pretty good with kids, or at least he thinks he is. He had Nanako to watch over an entire year, had to deal with the rowdy kids at the daycare, and had to tutor the mess that was Shu. The kids at the orphanage are nothing like the calm and sweet angel that is Nanako but he has a decent enough handle on them. He has one on his shoulders and another attached to his leg, but he seems to be completely fine with it, like the kid clinging to his leg isn't any bother at all. So when he approaches Minato, he just seems to be acting like this is some normal day where they'll eventually make puns at each other. ]

Need a hand?

[burnmydread]

[ Nanako is also the best child ever, so does that really prepare you to deal with those who aren't as perfect? Only time will tell.

Minato just isn't prepared for this. What he does have going for him is that he's got an endless patience. Really, it's almost unbelievable. Where do these kids find all this energy? Souji, at least, seems to be completely at home. Minato looks over, glancing between the other boy and the child trying to swing off his arm. ]

...

[ Well, if he offered. ]

Hey. He'll make a better swing, won't he?

[ That's what you get for being a six-foot high schooler, Souji. ]

[tarotcards]

[ It's okay, he still had the daycare kids to look after and they were the spawns of the devil. He could probably handle himself... "probably". ]

[ Souji totally offered and he seems totally okay that Minato is trying to pawn off the swinging monkey child off to him. He likes kids so this is fine by him. He just might have a hard time getting around now... At least his diligence will increase now...! ]

I am taller so how about it?

[ He addresses the child. He even holds out an arm for the kiddo to grab onto and swing. Come at him, bro. ]

[burnmydread]

[ You didn't max all your stats before getting swept away to some parallel universe? For shame, Souji.

The child, thankfully, doesn't seem to care who he swings off of as long as he's swinging and takes the offered arm with gusto. There's an immediate weight off Minato's shoulders--er, arm, and he's grateful. ]

Whooohooo!

[ Well, the kid seems to be having fun. Minato sighs, just as the child on his back tries to take hold of his hair.

Ow.

Are they getting paid enough for this? ]

You like kids, huh?

2-A

[seventhgen]

[You're expecting Aigis to not follow you on this job posting, Minato? Like she's going to let you out of her sight now that you're back.

She blinks once at his question, accessing her knowledge database... or specifically, her dictionary.]

Herb, noun. A plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers, used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume. A seed-bearing plant that does not have a woody stem that dies down to the ground after flowering.

I believe the alchemist is looking for specific plants, Minato-san. They will not pay us for randomly gathered ones.

[burnmydread]

[ Hey, if anyone is going to have access to a conveniently specific database of knowledge about herbs, it's probably Aigis. That, and having her just kind of follow him around everywhere is comforting in a sense of normalcy. She's respectful, yes, as she has been since she's grown more conscientious of other's thoughts and feelings. But she's still close and it's still nice.

Her answer is a little less comforting, though. There's a slight grimace on his lips. ]

Mm...

[ Should he have checked out the library for a list of what they're even supposed to look like? ]

Can you tell what these are?

[seventhgen]

[She doesn't have a list of herbs by default, sadly. But unlike Minato, she did stop by the library when she saw the posting and commit the appearance of the herbs in question to her databanks. She pauses for a moment, comparing it to the picture from the book.] That is not one of the ones that Alix-san requested. I believe it is a... dandelion.

002-b (b for BECAUSE I WANT TO)

[tarotcards]

[ It's 3:45am and I am now watching penguin videos. What have you done to me?? ]

[ Okay, Souji doesn't know how he managed to find himself here. He doesn't know how he got talked into this. Maybe it was through promises of hoping to max out this social link and get some sick Personas out of it (though their powers are taken away from here...), or maybe Minato just maxed his charisma and somehow managed to work his magic on Souji. Regardless of how he got convinced to do this, he finds himself in the backyard of someone's home, looking for herbs and acting as a lookout. ]

... You sure this is a good idea?

[ He's not even going to address the weird sauce thing. He used to be on the side of fighting crime. How did he get on the other side?? ]

DOUBLE THE SOOJ DOUBLE THE FUN

[burnmydread]

[ You're welcome.

Minato's Charisma is most definitely at it's max level, and, really, Souji is just too nice for his own good. Besides, there is something about this guy that Minato feels a strange pull to, though hasn't figured out exactly why, yet. He figures he'll sort it out as they go along.

At the moment, they need some serious herbs to earn some serious colle. ]

We'll be fine.

[ Will they? Who knows. ]

You checked to make sure no one was home, right?

DOUBLE GETTING INTO TROUBLE he's living the thug life now

[tarotcards]

[ Has Minato considered that he may just be attracted to Souji, just like all the P4 girls and the other Yuri Lowenthal? Maybe that's the pull. ]

Yeah. The neighbours are gone as well so we're safe for now. [ "For now", notice how he said that. ] You know there are other ways to gather herbs, right?

001-b

[hoasen]

[Because she's eagerly listening to this story too, wondering what his world is like.

Big city, going to school? Sounds a little similar to her own, and she's sure it sounds exactly the same to these children.]

What kind of school did you go to, Hero? [Will this help? (No he wants you to contribute a story, god.)]

THE TIME IS NOW

[burnmydread]

[ He does feel lucky that his fellow hero is a cute girl, as he should be. Although a part of him was hoping she might feel the need to jump in. Ah, well...maybe she's more of an observer as well? Can't blame her for that. But his school? ]

It used to turn into a hell tour at night.

It was a pretty big school.

I don't know, I slept through most of it.

[ Ah, maybe he feels the need to appeal to her more than the kids? Hard to say. Minato exhales through his nose and leans back in his seat slightly. ] It was a big school. They put it on a man-made island. Lots of clubs...It had a nice view of the rest of the city. [ Maybe that's getting a little nostalgic, since he won't be seeing it again. He turns his attention to his fellow hero. ] What about you?

WE ARE DOING THIS YEEEAAAAAAH /PARTIES

[hoasen]

[It's hard to know where to start when they're interested in his story first! She doesn't want to butt in. But also yes...do continue.]

Man-made island? [That already sounds amazing?!] Goodness, how technology has advanced! Your school sounds very exciting.

Ah...myself, I have never went to school before. [Her experience was a weird type of homeschooling.]

001-B /uses the most appropriate keywords

[couldntpullthetrigger]

[Don't look at her! What's she gonna do? Tell them the story of the Love Hotel?

Nnnot happening.

Alright, maybe she can go somewhere else with this.]

I dunno, what kinda clubs do you guys have at your schools? I'm in archery club! We're actually a pretty good team - we tend to get prizes and stuff at regional competitions. We uh... we had a time where someone's bow string broke on 'er mid-pull, and she still has a scar on her chin to this day. I doubt they'd let kids your guys' age handle bows, but do you guys have... um... language clubs or book clubs or something? [Test the waters of the club, see what kinds of stories the kids want.]

are we maxing already?

[burnmydread]

[ Well, she could if she wanted to. Minato probably won't stop her...

Probably. It's not like he made it out of there with anything to brag about.

He is glad, though, to have Yukari there with him. In general, yes, but also for this job. She's much better at this kind of thing than he is, and Minato knows he can kind of sit back and let her do most of the talking. It's nice when someone else gets that aspect of him. ]

Whaaaaa? We don't have archery clubs....

Is that where you learned to fight?

Books are boring...

...Hey, I like reading!

...Why does your hair look like that?

[ Oh...children... ]

there's another protag that still gets to have a shot, minty-boy. At least one

[couldntpullthetrigger]

Yeah, the archery club is where I learned to fight... [But she honed it in Tartarus. Not that she'll mention it.]

I'm only in the Archery club, though, so maybe Minato-kun [ELBOWING HIM IN THE SIDE] can tell ya about the other ones! He's in a couple, I think, right?

002-A

[long_live_the_queen]

[There seems to be a stick flying at Minato's head. It's not a very large or particularly heavy stick, seems to have little canine toothmarks in it, and a small brown dog chasing it.

The person who'd thrown the stick wasn't...entirely paying attention to where the thing was going or what might have been the way until a bit too late for takebacks. She was just sort of tossing it in whatever direction Naoki hadn't been yet.]

...oops.

[She should...probably help. Kaede hadn't meant it, and it was the polite thing to do, right? She supposed.]

[burnmydread]

[ That sure is a stick, and that sure is Minato's head. As one might expect, it connects almost perfectly and whacks him straight in the forehead. You'd think his reflexes in battle might have him avoid it better, but no, he's not on the battlefield right now so he's not nearly as on guard.

That hurts, though.

Minato rubs his forehead as he looks down at the stick that's fallen right at his feet, before shifting his gaze to the approaching pooch and apparent owner. Ah, another hero like him? ]

...Looking for this?

[ He squats to pick up the stick. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[She was doing that a lot today. Kaede really should fix that. She doesn't wince, though she does keep right on following Naoki.]

He is.

[The dog barks! And stops in front of Minato, where he does an impatient little dance in place while he waited to get the stick back.

...should she say something? She probably should, but...what? It was obvious he was fine, if momentarily inconvenienced.

Kaede just stood there and shifted her weight slightly, instead.]

002-b

[carptricks]

[okay. let's be honest, it probably took little to no convincing to get Kaito to go along with this idea. herbs are far from the worst thing he's ever stolen in his lifetime. besides, if they only took a few plants here or there and didn't clear out any of the gardens, then no one would notice. right? right!!]

[the plants may be labeled, but Kaito made sure to do some quick plant and alchemy research in the library before starting this gig. he's able to recognize some of these herbs and their alchemical uses without having to read the signs next to them first]

Preeeetty sure the owner of this plot isn't using that wolfsbane for a sauce.

[burnmydread]

[ That's the idea! And Minato's ideas never go horribly awry.

Ahahahaha.

At least Kaito did the research, though. Minato kind of came into it too open-minded since the definition of "herb" is fairly broad, although that doesn't necessarily mean that they're good for alchemy. ]

What do you use it for?

[ Not actually werewolves, right? ]

[carptricks]

Poison.

[he says bluntly, with a quirked eyebrow and his mouth twitched into an amused grin. because someone would definitely want a poisonous aconite plant in their sauce]

Either that, or to ward off werewoleves. Maybe this guy has a stray dog problem?

CLOSED to Shin-Ah

[burnmydread]

[ Doing odd jobs is tiring. Minato only has so much energy in any given day, and it's easily drained when he's out and about. The only way to get it back is generally sleeping to the point of concerning others, going to the restroom (sometimes, almost by chance, after he washes his hands his condition will become Great), or eating. Options one and two are out, so looks like he's back to three.

But he doesn't want to spend what colle he's earned yet. Not a big enough stash. To he heads back to the Hall of Heroes and, specifically, the kitchen. Not that he can cook. Pre-packaged and pre-prepared food is about where his skills go, but there has to be a few things to snack on, right?

Shirosabe, his white cat carrier, trots out in front of him with her tail in the air. She seems to know exactly where they're heading without his prompting. Food sounds very good to her too, thank you.

Normally he'd be listening to music, but unfortunately his MP3 player didn't seem to come with him to Blanc or beyond the grave. Not surprising. Instead, he hums very quietly to himself as he turns the corner towards the kitchen. ]

[twosidedsword]

[Shin-Ah's not used to any of this but he's figured out where the food is. That's a good start. Especially for those like himself and Ao who are bottomless pits. And since Ao sort of tends to start eating the bedding close to meal times, it's definitely time to eat. So with a blue ball of fluff in his hands, he steps in where there's food and hears humming.

Looking around, he spots the person and is about to look away when the blue ball of fur actually bounces off his hands and against a wall to go purr on top of the stranger's head. Immediately he runs over, hands stretched out.

Oh no! He didn't mean for that to happen! He's so sorry!]

Ah!

[burnmydread]

[ Minato is used to strange things, he's also used to being surprised by this place. That doesn't mean that he was expecting to have a very literal blue fuzzy ball land no top of him. He freezes, shoulders raised. Shirosabe, on the other hand, just continues towards the kitchen door. This cat...

Minato blinks, looking upwards, although he can't really see. It looks like it's owner--friend?--is nearby. ]

...Is this yours?