The Journey Begins [Closed]

Sometimes, the sun really didn't agree with him. There were days which he absolutely loved being out beneath its beautiful and bounteous rays, and there were days where he just felt that it was laughing at his inability to rise up and meets its challenge of searing heat. Today was one of those days, as he sat beneath the shade of a parasol with a small cup of shaved ice in one hand and a spoon in the other. Every couple of seconds, he lifted a spoonful of the ice to his lips, swallowing some of it at a slow rate--he really didn't need to get brain-freeze on top of this bullshit. A few people wandering past looked in his direction and gave confused expressions at his attire. He really wasn't surprised when they did so; it wasn't like he looked anything like your average citizen of Arcadia. The red clothing gave it away first, revealing enough of his torso to leave nothing else to the imagination. The weird choker-thing around his neck was pretty weird for those Arcadians as well, and the scar across his face showed him to be something of an adventurer. He definitely got a few weird looks his way, and as he got through the last of his shaved ice, he looked up at the large clock across the way, sitting on a building out in the middle of the street. It was almost time--so he carefully let out a gaze along the park, staring calmly at the Statue of Aria in the central area of the park. "So, where are you...?" He calmly let his breath escape his lips and threw the cup that had held the ice into a nearby trash bin. "While I wait, I'd better get back up to speed on the situation."

He had been officially hired by a person known as Kannelita Montanari. He wasn't entirely sure what her job had entailed, but the sum that he'd been prepaid was hefty--this caused the assumption that he would be acting as her bodyguard for quite a decent amount of time. He looked down at the photograph that he'd produced from his pocket and studied the image for a few seconds, taking in every one of her details in order to be able to recognize her immediately. Frankly, and this was in his professional opinion, she was absolutely breathtaking. Every part of her body was perfection, and her face just screamed life. Life, love, friendliness and a heart as large as the sum she was paying him. Unfortunately, this was merely an image of her. He would not be able to decide on whether or not he would accept her job until he finally met her face-to-face. This was merely the audition; he hadn't said yes just yet. Closing his eyes for a moment and returning the piece of paper to his pocket, he finally looked up at the fountain/statue again to see what was going on there.

The crowd had apparently gotten used to his unusual appearance and started looking at someone else--a woman with the whitest hair, stepping into the fountain in order to touch the statue in the middle. Even from this distance, he could recognize her. Standing up from his seat and folding his arms, Jin started to make his way over towards her; his geta clacking on the path beneath his feet as he travelled towards the statue in the middle. He got close enough to hear a child start to speak to her. “Hey! Why are you playing in the water? People think you're weird.” Well, if it meant anything, he didn't exactly find her weird. She seemed to be simply in awe of the statue, and while getting into the water was a bit unusual, it wasn't too much to be worried about. As he got closer to the fountain, he heard her start to speak herself. “Do you know who this statue is of? It's of Aria, the woman who stopped the war hundreds of years ago and brought together the entire country of Arcadia. That woman is the reason Arcadia is what it is. She helped raise it from the rubble it once was and helped us create the country we know today. Aria Aranhartte, the first Queen of Arcadia.” A soft smile crossed over his lips as he continued to watch and listen to her explain the story. There was a certain and sweet elegance to her voice that he already liked.

Eventually, she would finish her story and the boy would leave, satisfied. Normally, he'd have noticed this beforehand, but for some reason, his eye had not been caught by the man who had started rummaging through the bags that obviously belonged to the woman. He sighed softly and started to approach, when she spoke out loud to him--“Hey! This is my stuff! Don't steal it!” She grabbed her bag and attempted to pull it away, and the man pulled out a knife. Things seemed to go from bad to worse, as he let go of the bag, causing her weight to pull her back and make her fall into the fountain with a splash. He closed one eye as the scrawny bastard started to approach her again, not deterred. "Count yourself lucky," He whispered to himself, "That I like doing some things pro bono." Stepping towards the fountain, he reached out and gripped the back of the scrawny thief's shirt, pulling him away and throwing him to the ground. He wasn't kind about it, he wasn't going to be nice, he was going to put it simply, kneeling down beside him and producing his sword from his back, grinning lightly at the would-be thief.

"What's your story?" Well, apparently that was all it took for the thief to start babbling about how his kids needed food and all of that. Even if he was lying, maybe a bit of money would get him out of here. Standing up and reaching out his hand, he brought the thief to his feet, with the sword still aimed at him in case he tried anything stupid. Reaching into his coin purse, he handed some money over to the man--enough for a good few days' worth of food, at least. "Here. It should be enough for you and your family. I hope you weren't lying to me, because I don't take well to liars." He gave his most menacing expression, and the man scampered off into the distance. "That settles that, then." Stepping towards the fountain, he knelt down beside the woman, not caring that he was getting wet as well, and sheathed the sword on his back. "So you're who I have to look after, huh?" He took a couple of seconds to look over her, trying to avoid looking at certain places that the water caused the clothing to stick (but failing a little). After deciding himself that she would probably need a damn bodyguard, he put his arms underneath her and carefully lifted her out of the water. It would be better for her if he woke up her in the dry sunlight. He'd also have to gather up her goods once he'd woken her up.

Laying her out on the ground, he looked at her face to see if she'd woken up yet. If she had not, he would speak her name a few times in order to rouse her attention. If that didn't work, then he'd sit down on the ground beside her and wait for her to finally come to, after first gathering up her stuff from in the pool. They made quite a weird-looking pair, to be honest--so most people ignored them and just went about their day. "C'mon."

"Ow." Her head collided with his, and he even felt their noses brush together for a moment before they parted. He sat down and rubbed his forehead, watching her sit up and groaning. “Oh my gosh!” He blinked as she sat up quickly and moved over towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder that showed some of the softest skin he had seen in his life. Ignoring the urge to delicately take her hand and intertwine their fingers, he simply took his own hand off of her forehead and looked at her with a soft smile. “I am so very sorry. I don't know what happened. I believe I fell and... Did you take me out of the water?” He nodded, "I'm fine, thank you, and yes, I did. I also sent away the ruffian trying to rob you. Already earning my pay." He laughed quietly, wondering if she'd realized who he was yet. It seemed unlikely. “Are you okay?” He smiled and nodded, laughing softly, "Yes, yes, I am fine. I've hit my head on much harder substances than yours." With that, she stood up straight and looked around with a worried expression. Hm?

“Oh no, oh no, oh no. I bet I missed him!” He tilted his head to the side and slowly got to his feet, shaking himself off a little bit. What had changed? Who had she missed? He blinked, wondering if she was talking about himself. He smiled softly and prepared to say something, when she dropped to her knees and gave one of the saddest expressions that she'd ever seen, “Now I'll never be able to go...” He sighed softly and placed his hand on her shoulder, before walking around her and kneeling down in front of her, moving her hair out of her eyes and pulling her face up to look at his. "My name is Takaba Jin, and I have been hired by you, a Miss Kannelita Montanari, to act as a bodyguard. After having watched you, and realizing that you're not going to survive without me, I have chosen to accept your offer." He reached out his hand for her to take and shake, "Do we have a deal?" No beating around the bush here.

This woman... honestly, Jin really had no idea as to exactly how this woman had survived any amount of time in the real world. She was ditzy, air-headed and naive, but not exactly in a bad way. It almost endeared her to Jin as he watched her for a few more seconds. The realization that Jin was the person she was here for set in, and she suddenly reacted in a fashion which he had not expected. “Eep! Yes, we have a deal. Of course!” She lunged forwards and tackled him. Since he hadn't quite gotten himself into a proper balancing position with his kneel, he was taken by surprise and lost his balance, falling onto his back with her on top of him. "Aye-ya." She sat up straight, and he did so too, albeit with a slight blush lining his cheeks. “The first installment of payment was already sent to the address I was given by The Noir. They informed me that they'd make sure it would get to you, did you get it?” He nodded, "I received it. It's appreciated." He sighed softly, placing his hands on the ground and watched her look through her stuff. He saw her face fall into dismay, and kind of felt the unhappiness that she was feeling at the same time. "Hrm."

“I do have quite a bit of money on me; so if you don't mind, can we pick up a few supplies before we get going? After that, we'll be taking a train down to the southern end of Arcadia to White Water village. From there, we'll get on a boat to head into Cieria... There's a village we must get to to find the next clue.” He tapped his chin and got to his feet, waiting for her to put the rest of the stuff back into her bag. He reached out his hand for her to take, so that she could get to her feet. "So, you seem to have this all planned out. At the expense of potentially compromising the job, would you be able to tell me what it is we're doing this job for?" He tilted his head to the side, looking at everything she'd put together to throw away. "It seems interesting that you'd need notebooks." He chuckled.

“Do you think there is a store around here that has what we need? It is sort of a tourist attraction... If not, we might have to just board the train and buy our stuff in White Water.” He nodded as they started to continue onwards, looking around for some kind of store to get what they needed. "I'm sure we'll find something. And don't worry too much about spending money on your food. I'll be pretty much in charge of that. From now on, it's my job to keep you alive. Just let me know if there's something you need of me."

She produced a book and showed it too him, and so he obviously had to look over the cover. 'The Scarlet Jewel'. They were after some kind of treasure, so it was no wonder that she was paying so much for his services on this day. He had to chuckle to himself when he thought of it. This was probably the most interesting trip he was about to go on, but he still had to know why she sought out this strange treasure. Did she want to take it for herself? For profit? For the glory of discovering it? “I couldn't even imagine how much it'd be worth, but many have tried to find it and all have failed. It's supposed to be guarded by secrets and beasts and spells... Finding it should make up a very good story.” Jin felt his cheeks burn a little bit as he turned to look at her. Not gold, not glory... but a mere story? He wasn't even mad. That was naive, and stupid, and he should've told her to stop right then and there. But he didn't. Because he wanted to see her plan come to fruition. “And that's what I need the notebooks for. I want to write our adventure down.” He smiled and nodded, but didn't speak in return. No words were needed.

When he finally offered to pay for her food, she stopped and turned to look at him with a completely confused expression. Apparently, she didn't like that. He chuckled softly and placed his hands on his hips as she retaliated, “No. If you wish to aid me with expenses, that is fine. I've hired you as a bodyguard. You will not be paying for anything beyond yo--Ah-ha!” He turned and followed the direction she was looking. "There goes my counter-argument. Five minutes, and you're already basically a puppy to me. Aye-ya." He laughed and followed her into the store, hanging back a little bit so as to be able to get a wider field of view. They'd started, so this was him working now. He was on the clock. Her life was in his hands. “What do you think we'll need? I thought of rope... And we'll be walking a lot, so a tent for when we sleep? Some food is a good idea. I'll be following your lead on this one; I really am unsure of what I would need.” He smiled softly and walked up to the goods, looking over it. "Well, there are a few things you'll want to check. Firstly, do you want me in the same tent, or would you rather us separate? I can afford my own tent, you know," He laughed inwardly, before continuing, "Other than that, don't worry about it. Go and get your notebooks, I can handle this part."

While she was having her altercation with the salesman, Jin started hunting through goods, picking out two two-person tents, some useful supplies, some food and the like. He took them up to the counter and prepared to pay, while hearing the last of Kanna's apologies and hearing her approach him again. “So... have we found everything we need?” He nodded, paying the salesperson and turning around with the backpack and supplies. "Meet me outside when you're ready, I'll split our stuff." He walked towards the door, before hearing Kanna's exclamation, “Ready!” That was fast. Pushing the door open for her, Jin let Kanna out first and stepped into the street. He put his stuff into his own backpack and then handed her what he'd purchased for her to hold on to. "Here."

Once that was all said and done, the pair made their way for the train station and boarded the train. Jin doesn't recall much of this; it was rather simple and quick. Painless, too. But once it was all said and done, the pair took the train off to White Water. Jin noticed that Kanna slept for most of it. Poor thing.

Spoiler:

Finally, they would arrive within the town of White Water--so named for the White Water Falls, or so he had heard. Yawning as he got off of the train, he stretched out his limbs and tested the air, looking behind him to make sure that Kanna had gotten off of the train safely and with all of her items. "Ah, good to see you off and relaxed. Sleep well?" He winked, smiled at her and turned around to look about the town. It looked relatively regular--nothing too out of the ordinary here. A touristy-attraction kind of place with a single attraction that everyone came here for. It was standard fare, most certainly. “The White Water Falls...” He looked at her and then in the direction she was looking, and understood exactly why this town was named after them. Stepping down from the station, he stood in awe for a few seconds more and then heard her speak again, “Our boat doesn't leave until tomorrow at eight in the morning, so we're here for the next few hours.” He nodded, stretching out a bit more and looking around to get his bearings in the new place. They started to wander off towards the centre of town, trying to find themselves somewhere to rest for the night. Eventually, it was settled upon that they were to stay in a rather nice inn. He agreed to stay there for that night, and paid 50g for two rooms ('Would you and your wife wish to share a double bed, sir?' 'No, no, we're not married. We'd like different rooms.' 'Oh. What're you doing tomorrow night then?'), before being pulled off by a rather bothered Kanna, after "Sticking with me, now stop your needless flirting!" "Ow, ow, ow, my ear, my ear!"

A scream woke him up from the light depths of sleep, causing him to sit straight up and quickly reach for the sword that was pretty much right next to his bed. "Jin, Jin, help!" He grumbled and stood up, flicking the sword to his side and nodding. "On it." Now, we must note that Jin at this stage is wearing nothing but the bandages around his abdomen that hide a variety of rather obvious scars. And so, he walked up to the wall and let out a breath, letting the Arcana flow through the tattoos on his body and push him through the wall separating their rooms. As the light shifted from his dark room to the now-bright lights of Kanna's bedroom, a man came into focus, looming menacingly over the nightgown-wearing Kanna. He felt the breeze down below but ignored it, instead going immediately for the harasser, who had a knife produced and was swinging it threateningly. He tackled the man and knocked him to the ground, pointing his blade at his throat with a snarl. "Name. Reason. Now." The man shook, looking up at Jin and his tackle with a scared expression. "M'name's Roland, an' I was 'ere to rob th'lil' lady blind." Well, that was easy. "Now leave." The man nodded and stood up, shaking even more and running out of the room, leaving behind a small bag of gold. Jin knelt down and picked it up, counting out about 120 gold pieces. He chuckled and held onto it, standing up straight and turning towards Kanna, still not realizing that he was leaving everything hanging. "Job done, going back to bed. Night~" He waved, turned around and pushed his way back through her wall into his own room, completely ignoring his own nudity.

Morning came, Jin woke up, things happened and he met Kanna outside of her room with a smile. "We have a boat to catch; you ready?"

Spoiler:

She hadn't gotten much sleep. It was kind of expected; that was probably one of the first times she had ever actually been in a situation like that. Wherever she came from, she likely knew everyone and trusted them all--a small town of sorts, perhaps. Here, however, she knew nobody. Here, of all places, there were people you wouldn't be able to trust. Which was why Jin would be true to his word, and to her coin. She wanted--no, she needed a bodyguard that she could trust. A person who, in the midst of everything, would be constant. That was Jin's job, and the 25k gold she was paying him was absolutely worth the trouble. As they left the inn, he left a note with the owner mentioning security concerns, smiled softly and went into the warm daylight.

It didn't take long for them to reach the docks--he didn't flinch at all when Kanna produced a couple of scraps of paper from her breasts--and they soon boarded the ship with ease. It wasn't a small ship, either. It was a nice ship as well. Tickets must've been expensive. Poor little rich girl. Sighing softly, he placed his hands on his hips again and followed her around a little bit more, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be watching out for them. They entered into the room which they'd likely have to share--Jin made a mental note that sleeping naked was out of the picture tonight--and he left his bag in there, taking about 200 gold out and putting it into a small portable coin-bag; the one which he'd taken from their friend the night before. Kanna opened a window and looked outside, speaking about how nice it was, before turning around and sitting down, kicking off her shoes. He took a seat across from her.

“Thank you for last night, by the way.” He shook his head, "It's my job, Kannelita. You did pay me to protect you." “I... realize now that I hadn't locked my door and he probably just walked right in; kinda like you. Nice power by the way.” He blinked and chuckled, about to say something else modest before watching her reach down inside her shirt. He quickly averted his gaze, remembering how beautiful she'd looked in her nightgown, before she spoke again, showing him something. “This is really the only power I have. I found it on my first adventure. It's the Amulet of Baralok; have you heard of it?” He blinked, "The name is familiar, but I only know the name." He sighed softly and stood up straight, stretching out. “That was probably one of the best days of my life... You're the first person that I've told about it.” He smiled.

"I'm honored," and when she mentioned the buffet? He just laughed and nodded, "Absolutely. You should tell me about this Amulet when we get some time in private again. I'd like to hear this story." It was, unfortunately, standard practice of most mercenaries to not get emotionally involved with a job. Unfortunately, he already felt like he was starting to break that practice. He didn't care. They left the room, Jin making sure to lock it behind them, and travelled in the direction of the buffet. He stopped just outside the door, motioning for Kanna to go inside and telling her that he'd be right in. He turned away from the door and leaned upon the railing, staring out over the oceanscape and smiling to himself. "This job is shaping up to be interesting, alright." Chuckling and straightening up, he turned around and entered the buffet, seeing Kanna poring over the food and going towards it himself with a smirk, an empty plate and an emptier stomach. "Let's eat."

A small smile crossed over Jin's lips as he recalled the story that she'd given him, walking into the buffet and looking around to see if he could find her. Apparently, she had already made up her mind. He stepped over near, seeing her pile up three plates full of food. His head tilted to the side as he watched her, wondering if she'd attempted to get food for him as well; he walked a bit closer to be met with a “No! Go get your own. This is mine!” He watched her incredulously for a few more seconds before laughing and shaking his head, making his own way over towards the buffet. He looked out over the food and felt his stomach grumble loudly--he really hadn't had much to eat recently, so this was going to be good. Chuckling to himself and grabbing a couple of plates, he helped himself to about as much food as Kanna had done, piling the plates up maybe a little bit higher. Satisfied with his decision, he took his plates over to their table and sat across from her, giving a challenging smirk as he dug into the first plate of food. They received a few confused looks from other buffet-goers, but the place was generally quite empty and the few stares they did receive vanished a minute or so after they'd actually begun to eat. Realizing that he'd forgotten his own drink, he got to his feet and stepped away. "Gimme a minute, Kanna. I'm just going to get a drink. Want anything?" He was pretty certain she'd replied, so when she did he would walk away and make his way to the drinks table. It was around a corner a little, so Kanna didn't see anything involved.

"Hey, you. Step outside with me for a minute." He felt a hand touch his shoulder and turned slightly, seeing the back of someone heading towards the nearby door. Looking left and right, he realized that there was nobody else around. Taking this as meaning that he was the one to be dealing with all of this, Jin followed the mysterious man through the door and onto the deck outside. The man was leaning on the railing and looking out over the water, only turning around when Jin left the buffet. "Ah, good for you to meet with me. I represent a certain acquaintance of Kannelita's family. One that would rather see her... not return home from this adventure. Please, tell me, how much is she paying you to guard her? It must be quite the sum." Jin narrowed his eyes and stepped further out to the deck, looking over the ocean himself with a sigh. "Two-and-a-half grand." The man's face made an o shape as he looked at Jin with a narrow glare. "What if I told you that I could give you three times the sum? Just make little Miss Kannelita have an... accident. Let someone kill her. All that." He grinned, showing his teeth and producing a bag that rattled with gold. "Here's your downpayment," He threw it across to Jin, "You'll get the rest when we confirm her death." Turning away, Jin watched him start to leave--and made a hasty decision.

"Hey." Jin stepped forward as the man turned around again with that weasel-like smile, "I'm going to have to decline your offer." Without warning, Jin reached out with the bag of money, swinging it around and clobbering the man on the side of the head. He shouted out and teetered, before Jin stepped forwards and grabbed his side, throwing him over the edge of the boat. "I don't fuck with my clients." Apparently, nobody saw him go overboard, because Jin heard no screaming. With a sneer, he pocketed about 300 gold and then threw the rest after the man, before stepping back into the buffet, grabbing a couple of drinks--two milkshakes, one for himself and one for Kanna--and making his way back over to her. It seemed that his food was still intact, and he sat down after handing her the drink, going back into his food and smiling at her. "Hope you enjoy. Went to a lot of trouble to get that for ya."

Spoiler:

She'd seen him leave the buffet with that asshole--you didn't need to be some kind of rocket scientist to see that. Her smile was a lot weaker than usual when he handed across her drink, and he knew for a fact that it had nothing to do with her being full of food. That wasn't a 'full' smile. He sighed softly, sipping away at his milkshake for a few seconds and watching her cautiously. "Thank you." She smiled. He sighed again, noting the change in demeanor and tucking back into his food calmly. "How's your food? He looked up from his own meal and gave her a soft smile, nodding, "It's great, thanks. Much better than what I normally have to eat while on the job," He laughed at his own joke before returning to eating. Finishing the last of the food on his first plate, he moved onto his second one--biting into the pork may have just been a religious experience. He was pretty certain that he'd heard a chorus of angels as he started to eat away at it--it was quite possibly the best pork he had ever eaten. Gladly eating a little bit faster, he opened one eye to look over at her again. She was eating, but she didn't look quite so excitable as she did before. Had she recognized the man he'd left with? He was certain that he was out of her sight when confronted--guess that asshole just made a mistake. Sighing again and putting down his utensils, he opened his mouth and began, "Kanna, I--"

"Man overboard! I repeat, man overboard!" He turned his head to look over at one of the people rushing into the buffet, desperately looking for someone--anyone--who could help. A few people asked for the description of the person. "I didn't quite get to see him, but he had this really jet-black hair and pale skin. I thought I'd seen him around before, he was wearing this really nice suit when I did. It looked about the same. He must have tripped and fallen over the edge of the ship!" If Kanna had been listening, she would likely have recognized the description as the man who had attempted to pay Jin off. If not, then there could've been other problems. Jin sighed, shaking his head, "I had hoped they wouldn't have noticed," his voice was low, "Goddamnit. If they fish him up, he'll reveal that I pushed him. I don't need that shit. I already rejected his stupid fucking offer..." Although his voice was low enough that the average person wouldn't hear him, if Kanna had been paying enough attention then she would have certainly heard him. He sighed softly and got back to his meal, shaking his head and drinking from his milkshake. This could go bad, and he wasn't sure just how far they were from shore.

"You rejected it?" He looked at her for a few seconds, with a slightly incredulous expression. Had she not...? Sighing softly, he looked back at the crowd of people and watched them intently for a second or two--quite obviously, if Kanna were to be paying attention, she would see that he was quite deep in thought. She probably wouldn't realize what he was thinking about, but he was most certainly thinking. His eyes flit left and right, looking to see if they were getting any funny looks. When he was sure that they weren't, his eyes went back to Kannelita, meeting them for a moment. "Thank you." He tilted his head to the side, giving her a funny expression, "He comes after me a lot. The people who hire him live in my village and want to take the role as leader." He sighed softly, understanding her point. She was not just asking for protection from those she was going to run into, was she? No, no, she was also paying him to protect her from the people that were in her past--the people she'd left behind. If they came after her, then he would have to give them the same treatment that he gave anyone else. If anything threatened even a single hair on Kannelita's head, then he would come down upon them with furious wrath--a being of pure malice that would make their lives hell. It was in the job description, right under babysitting.

"If they find him... and he outs you, what should we do?" He frowned slightly and looked over Kanna's face for a moment. He could see the worry in her eyes, and he didn't want that. "Oi, Kanna, look at me." He reached out and slipped his fingers into hers, holding both of her hands with a grip that seemed unbecoming of someone who so frequently wore a weapon on his hip. He simply held hands with her for a few seconds, looking at her before smiling and speaking to her in a clear tone, "Listen to me, Kanna. I don't think they'll manage to get him. It took a good few minutes for them to call out overboard," he gave her his best and most reassuring smile, "So don't stress or think about it. And..." He felt his grip on her soft hands tighten, but not enough to hurt, "You hired me for a job. Whether or not someone offers me more money is irrelevant--you are the one that hired me. I will follow you until the ends of the earth, because that is who I am. I won't give you up for any amount--not even the three-times he offered me. Because that's my job, and..." He swallowed, not realizing that his cheeks were reddening, nor that his heart was beating a bit faster, "You have to trust me, as I already trust you." His smile was bright and he finally pulled his hands away, not realizing that he tried to hold onto them for half a moment longer than he should've. "Anyways, we should get moving. If they do manage to fish him up--they won't, but still--we'll need to be in our room. Safest place to be." He got up from the table and held out a hand to help her up. Whether or not she accepted it, he would lead her off once she was on her feet with a soft blush on his cheeks and a smirk on his face, though cursing himself inside.

She seemed awkward, dealing with the way that he placed his hands upon hers. It was interesting, seeing her interactions with that as if it were something completely new to her. And at the same time, as they let go of each other, she seemed to look at her hands with a slightly incredulous expression. He blinked, but got up and offered her his hand anyway. She didn't seem to accept it, but that was okay--Jin didn't push the envelope, instead waiting for her to get up from her seat and respond to his mentions. Not immediately replying to him, she instead started out of the buffet, past the crowd that were talking amongst themselves about the man overboard--Jin followed as well, attempting to keep his face hidden from view. He didn't need to be recognized at all, especially if they managed to fish up the motherfucker. As they left the buffet hall, Jin heard Kanna finally speak. He turned towards her, waiting for her to finish speaking before he would respond. "This is going to be a twelve hour trip, so we might want to find something to entertain us for that time..." He frowned--they'd been on this boat for maybe an hour, and they still had to deal with eleven more. Sighing softly, he leaned against the wall and watched her. He heard her walking away, still speaking, "I'd rather not spend the entire trip in our room. We can go up to the deck and look out over the ocean for a while?" He quickly started up a small jog and headed along behind Kanna, looking around. "While I don't like it, I think we should be alright. If anything, it's probably the safest place to be right now. So yeah, I can agree with that."

The two of them walked away from the buffet and started to climb a small staircase, that would lead up to the main deck of the boat. He stepped out into the cool, salty breeze, sniffing and stretching out. His stomach felt pretty full, but he himself also felt full of energy. He would appreciate this view and this moment, staring out over the ocean and approaching the edge to look down. He wasn't sure that he could see anything living in there, but there would be something--what would he see first, he wondered. Suddenly, a small group of dolphins would leap out of the water, sending sprays into the air as they jumped and continued to jump. He reached over and tapped Kanna's shoulder, pointing in the direction of the dolphins and seeing how she reacted. Once that had happened, he would continue to look around to see if he could find anything else to show her. This was... surprisingly relaxing.

"Thanks, Kanna," He began, "Normally, people ask me to be their bodyguard through treacherous dungeons and the like," he shook his head, "And while I'm pretty certain it's still going to happen here, at least we get to enjoy the sun like this for a while longer." He turned to her and gave her best smile, to show that he was serious.

"I think I'll head in for a nap." He turned his head and looked over at her, nodding slightly. It was for the best, probably--he knew that he could last with little sleep, but he wasn't sure about her. He sighed softly and turned around completely, watching the meagre crowd on the deck of the ship. As she walked away, he would follow--his movements had changed, however. He had been somewhat casual before, since he hadn't known what to expect. During their foray upon the deck, he had been considering the possibilities of what may come with this adventure. He knew for a fact that Kannelita was after something big. Big things had big guardians, and big competition. He may have to fight those who would come after Kanna for their own ends. Actually, that wasn't a question--he would fight those who came after her, as that was his job. He had fought off the bedroom intruder. He had fought off the one who wished him to betray. He would fight off any and all threats to the woman that he was guarding. He steeled himself and started to walk behind her, almost showing an aura of hostility to those who looked twice at Kanna. He didn't like scaring people away like this, but after that fucker had come onto the ship he had felt that twinge. If Kanna ever turned to look back--which he didn't expect--he would change his expression and demeanor almost instantly, smiling kindly at her, before immediately going back to 'guard-mode'.

As she entered the bedroom, he would not follow. Under any other circumstance, he would stand guard within the room, but she desired a nap. He wouldn't sleep in the same bed as his employer. Not only that, but fighting in that cramped space would likely mess with her nap. That was unnecessary. He leaned up beside the door and lowered his head slightly, watching either side of the corridor with his peripherals. People would pass by every so often, look at him and quicken their steps. Good. Showing fear was good. As the hours continued to pass, he kept thinking over potential situations. They would probably need a companion of some sort, he surmised. He wouldn't let Kanna know that, however--it would be a fool's errand to try and persuade her to do anything--his job was not to think. He cursed under his breath, watching another man come up towards the door. Jin raised an eyebrow as the man slowed, looking far too nervous. He was dressed in the garb of the crew, and seemed to have been knocking on every other door to let them know of their impending arrival. Jin nodded slowly and allowed the man to do his job--the door was knocked, and he spoke, "Excuse me. We've docked. If you're still in there, you have thirty minutes to gather your luggage and leave the boat. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed your stay." Once his pre-rehearsed words were out of the way, Jin sighed to himself and relaxed his shoulders, turning around and slowly opening the door. He didn't expect Kanna to be in anything less than normal clothing, so when he opened the door to see that she was as he expected, he nodded. She rubbed an eye and yawned, covering her mouth as she did so. "It seems it's time to go..." He gave her a small grin, "So you did hear that. I was hoping I wouldn't have to wake you up." He received a smile and stepped completely into the room, gathering up his goods and hooking the bag over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's see if we can get off of this rustbucket first, eh?"

Well, apparently everybody else had that idea. They stepped off the ship in the middle of the pack, Jin feeling rather uncomfortable in the large crowd. That was one of the things he'd prefer people didn't hear about, the fact that he was uncomfortable in large groups of people. He frowned to himself and passed through the crowd with Kanna as they eventually reached the centre of town. "We should as-... Can you ask people which path leads to Light Haven?" He stepped up right next to her, looking around. "You've... never been through Cieria often, have you? Come with me." He tapped her shoulder and started leading her in a direction--he would take her through the town until they reached a small blacksmith. He looked around and waved an arm, as if to show her everything in the building. "Cieria isn't a very safe place, I must attest. So we're going to get you a weapon," He looked around a little bit, browsing over the weapons and armor. He didn't want to give her anything with heft, nor did he want to give her anything tiny and unremarkable against your average bandit. He eventually settled a decently-large, yet easy-to-conceal dagger that he showed her. "Does this look alright for you, Kanna?" He was completely confident in his own skills as a fighter to be able to fend off any threats, but sometimes she would be best-off with her little bit of extra assistance in these matters. Eventually, they would settle upon a weapon and leave, paying a small sum of gold.

He'd then take her to get some food and to pick up some additional supplies for the trip, before finally returning with her to the central hub. "I know the way to Lighthaven, don't worry." He gave her his best and most reassuring smile, before leading her off down the path to that city.


"Bah, he failed. What kind of fool isn't bought out by triple their employer's offer?" The man stood up straight, watching the pair begin down their path. "This means that I have two thorns in my side now--and that is one too many. Guess I'll just have to be more direct, next time." He laughed to himself, vanishing into the crowd and leaving them to their travels.

{we can either end it here and start the next thread, or continue if you still have plans.}