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picture_prompt_funTitle: Regards from Zosa
First came all the drama of finding that lost dog, now this. People really did not seem to understand the purpose of the Hunter's Guild. Culling monster infestations, catching criminals, maybe delivering valuables or escorting VIPs over a difficult and dangerous route through the dunes... not shoveling the snow off the sidewalk!
Snow never fell on the desert world of Motavia. This request was for a town in Dezolis, one of the Palman settler towns with too narrow corridors for the Ice Digger to get down, so they'd have to go at it manually with shovels and, where it wasn't dangerous, Foi techniques. Of course, they'd also need a way to travel between planets of the solar system. This fact alone told Chaz that this wasn't an ordinary request. Most people on Motavia didn't know that travel to Dezolis was still possible and virtually nobody had access to a starship. He had a sneaking suspicion that the request was a prank by Raja, their resident aging native Dezolisian priest whose sense of humour was apparently normal for his species but tended to test the patience of most Palmans somewhat. Chaz had no idea that Raja had enough Palman language and cultural understanding to put in requests for the Guild. He hoped the old fool wasn't bothering anyone outside their party. There was always the possibility that some other of the Hunters were in on it, out of jealousy that Chaz had a starship and they didn't.
One silver lining to the situation: the pay was good, assuming it was genuine and wasn't pulled from their own cash reserves. Chaz had been looking for a job with decent pay that wouldn't take him too long. All of the other commissions were sandworm hunts, which were exceptionally dangerous even for a veteran Hunter. He didn't think it would look good in front of Rika if he got himself horribly mauled in the process of raising money for her present, giving her more work as the party healer.
Rika, who had spent most of her life in the laboratory where she had been created, had only just really started to grasp the idea of exchanging gifts. She still didn't really understand why Palmans collected souvenirs and ornaments but she had memorised that Chaz liked these things and had bought him an adorable plush Dezolis Penguin from Zosa's gift shop. At least, she had explained to him, this one was cute and soft to the touch, and so would bring recognisable sensory comfort. How she had grasped the concept of cuteness immediately, then run with it, Chaz wasn't sure. He wanted to buy her something in return but he knew she would probably rather have something a lot more practical. He considered the range of clothing available in a typical Dezolisian gift shop. Anything requiring her measurements wouldn't work - he had no idea of them. While Dezolisians prided themselves on their tall hats, he didn't think they would fit around the Numan's strange, enormous feline ears. Similarly, she'd probably refuse the pretty woolen gloves because she couldn't get her claw weapons on through them. A scarf or a shawl... that might do. Adapted to her swift style of combat or not, surely she had to be cold in what she usually wore.
His pondering was interrupted when an enormous, angry mole with claws as a dangerous as Rika's jumped out of the snowdrift, slashing for his throat. He drew his sword and yelled a Dezolisian expletive. At least he now understood why a Hunter was required for what should be a simple job.
Fandom: Phantasy Star IV
Characters: Chaz/Rika
Rating: PG-13/Het
Words: 600
A fill for picture_prompt_fun and fffc advent calendars, day 18
picture_prompt_fun and fffc advent calendars, day 18First came all the drama of finding that lost dog, now this. People really did not seem to understand the purpose of the Hunter's Guild. Culling monster infestations, catching criminals, maybe delivering valuables or escorting VIPs over a difficult and dangerous route through the dunes... not shoveling the snow off the sidewalk!
Snow never fell on the desert world of Motavia. This request was for a town in Dezolis, one of the Palman settler towns with too narrow corridors for the Ice Digger to get down, so they'd have to go at it manually with shovels and, where it wasn't dangerous, Foi techniques. Of course, they'd also need a way to travel between planets of the solar system. This fact alone told Chaz that this wasn't an ordinary request. Most people on Motavia didn't know that travel to Dezolis was still possible and virtually nobody had access to a starship. He had a sneaking suspicion that the request was a prank by Raja, their resident aging native Dezolisian priest whose sense of humour was apparently normal for his species but tended to test the patience of most Palmans somewhat. Chaz had no idea that Raja had enough Palman language and cultural understanding to put in requests for the Guild. He hoped the old fool wasn't bothering anyone outside their party. There was always the possibility that some other of the Hunters were in on it, out of jealousy that Chaz had a starship and they didn't.
One silver lining to the situation: the pay was good, assuming it was genuine and wasn't pulled from their own cash reserves. Chaz had been looking for a job with decent pay that wouldn't take him too long. All of the other commissions were sandworm hunts, which were exceptionally dangerous even for a veteran Hunter. He didn't think it would look good in front of Rika if he got himself horribly mauled in the process of raising money for her present, giving her more work as the party healer.
Rika, who had spent most of her life in the laboratory where she had been created, had only just really started to grasp the idea of exchanging gifts. She still didn't really understand why Palmans collected souvenirs and ornaments but she had memorised that Chaz liked these things and had bought him an adorable plush Dezolis Penguin from Zosa's gift shop. At least, she had explained to him, this one was cute and soft to the touch, and so would bring recognisable sensory comfort. How she had grasped the concept of cuteness immediately, then run with it, Chaz wasn't sure. He wanted to buy her something in return but he knew she would probably rather have something a lot more practical. He considered the range of clothing available in a typical Dezolisian gift shop. Anything requiring her measurements wouldn't work - he had no idea of them. While Dezolisians prided themselves on their tall hats, he didn't think they would fit around the Numan's strange, enormous feline ears. Similarly, she'd probably refuse the pretty woolen gloves because she couldn't get her claw weapons on through them. A scarf or a shawl... that might do. Adapted to her swift style of combat or not, surely she had to be cold in what she usually wore.
His pondering was interrupted when an enormous, angry mole with claws as a dangerous as Rika's jumped out of the snowdrift, slashing for his throat. He drew his sword and yelled a Dezolisian expletive. At least he now understood why a Hunter was required for what should be a simple job.
