(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

[twosidedsword]

[...Um...well...he's not sure. Not completely anyway. But...]

I asked.

[burnmydread]

...It can talk?

[ That just raises more questions. ]

...Where's her mouth?

[twosidedsword]

...she doesn't...

[Talk or have a mouth.]

She got...excited?

[...That's totally how you tell if you've discovered the right gender, right?]

[burnmydread]

...

[ He squints. This is making less sense the more it goes on. ]

...Mmm.

[ Alright, she's a girl if this guy wants her to be one, he guesses. It probably doesn't care what genderized pronouns are used. ]

I guess that means you're not heading to the kitchen.

[ Can't feed her, right? ]

[twosidedsword]

We were.

[Going to the kitchen. To eat.

She does eat.

Everything.]

[burnmydread]

[ That makes him pause again. His carrier is already pawing at the kitchen door expectantly. ]

...What do you feed her?

[twosidedsword]

Everything.

[That's...not a joke.]

[burnmydread]

...Prove it.

[ Seriously, prove it. ]

[twosidedsword]

[Um...

He leads the way inside and goes to find a spoon. He then holds it up to Ao who just sort of...pulls it into the fur.

See? Everything.]

[burnmydread]

[ Minato follows, of course, though Shirosaba is the first one into the kitchen as soon as Shin-Ah opens the door. She sniffs around looking for something to eat while Minato, apparently, watches a blue puff ball eat a spoon.

Holy shit. ]

...That's impressive.

[twosidedsword]

[He nods. It really is impressive. He's been so on more than one occasion.

Even when Ao is eating his bedding.]

...Mm.

[burnmydread]

[ You realize where this is going, buddy. Minato looks around. What else can they feed it...will it react differently to different things?

He walks over to the pantry and pulls out a few peppers. ]

Here.

[twosidedsword]

[Shin-Ah's not sure why they're doing this game but apparently Ao loves it. Well, good enough for him and he takes the peppers and hands them to the ball of fluff who absorbs them too then starts to purr to the point that she's vibrating from joy.

...Guess she likes them and things they're great?]

[burnmydread]

[ Hmm...so she likes peppers. He was kind of hoping she would start smoking or at least turn red. What next...

Minato goes back to the pantry and instead just brings out a jar of baking soda. He raises a brow. ]

[twosidedsword]

[Well if he's going to be feeding her... She bounces on over to him and rests on his shoulder, vibrating with excitement. Especially when he holds up the jar.

Shin-Ah has no idea what that stuff is so he's not sure why it would matter if she can eat the stuff or not. Is it usually not good to eat?]

[burnmydread]

[ People don't usually eat spoons, but she managed it. Minato has faith in her little bottomless pit of a stomach. Or he's just really intrigued on what her reaction will be.

He opens the jar, holding it up to her...mouth? Body? ]

[twosidedsword]

[Minato...you better keep track of her because she's starting to eat the jar too.

While Shin-Ah just stands there not sure what is happening other than she's eating.]

[burnmydread]

[ Wow.

Okay. He...he can't be mad at this. She has powers he will never be able to attain. He just stares, open-mouthed and in awe. ]

...She's amazing.

[twosidedsword]

[She bounces and nuzzles Minato before bouncing back to Shin-Ah's hands.]

...She...agrees.

[burnmydread]

[ ...Can he social link a carrier? Is that a thing that's possible? ]

You can understand her...?

[twosidedsword]

[Apparently Shin-Ah's max ranked with her.]

...She acts certain ways to things.

[So he's figured out patterns basically.]

[burnmydread]

She does other things than eat?

[ How can this creature be so magical...? Teach him her ways, Shin-Ah. ]

[twosidedsword]

[He nods slowly. Ao seems to be loving the attention so much she's spinning in Shin-Ah's hands.]

[burnmydread]

Can she cook?

[ Which seems ridiculous to ask, but he's also hungry. ]

[twosidedsword]

...No.

[She has no limbs, Minato.]