RP:Zephyr's Request

Summary: Zephyr joins the Adventurer’s Guild, pending a completed adventure with an appropriately ranked member.

Adventurer’s Guild Museum

It was more helpful than he could have imagined. So many cultures, subcultures, historical happenings; Zephyr had struck gold coming to the Adventurer's Guild Museum on this lovely weekend afternoon. The young traveler, frisked diligently on his way in but not minding the ordeal, had arrived here today ignorant to so much of Lithrydel's peoples and their ways. Now, it was all coming together. Staring at a fossilized dragon wing stored safely behind a glass case, Zephyr wondered what stories its dead owner might have imparted had they not been brought down by some unseen foe, or else succumbed to a disease so dangerous that even draconians would weep. With his simple, practical attire - shades of tan and green, loose and soft fabric to keep the wearer going in harsh terrain and balmy days, at the very least Zephyr looked like he was trying to be an adventurer. Did he possess the skills a Lithrydelian guild leader would desire? He felt as uncertain on that score as he did regarding the fate of that poor dragon.

When Meri occupied the museum, she was usually holed up in her office and utilizing the resources that the establishment afforded her to research various projects. That is not the case today. No, today Meri was in the northernmost wing of the museum and was busy overseeing the construction of a new exhibit. The area was roped off from the general public to keep visitors from getting hurt during construction, but the sheer enormous size of this particular display made it impossible for Meri to conceal it from view. Some might describe the sight they would witness in passing as gruesome or grotesque, it is entirely possible that they might feel a tingle of fear, while plenty of others might be struck with awe. Against the back wall of this wing, an absolutely gigantic tank has been set up and within it is a severed head of a leviathan. Meri was currently standing several feet in front of this exhibit, watching a hardworking crew go through the painstaking efforts of preserving the leviathan’s head in some sort of foul smelling transparent liquid. The tank was not even a quarter of the way filled, there was still plenty of work to be done still before anyone would be able to get an up close and personal look of the preserved head. While a bulk of Meri’s attention was on making sure everything was going on schedule, she was not keen on ignoring those passing by and asking questions. Like the boy and his dad who called her over, just to ask how much longer it would be before they would be able to check out the latest addition to the museum. Meri would answer, “Well, so long as the tank does not spring any leaks? We are hoping that it will be open to the public by the end of the week.”

The minutes rolled on by, and Zephyr was enthralled enough with each exhibit that he all but forgot the reason he was here today. If this museum was any indication, the denizens of Lithrydel valued their rich history more than many of the folks Zephyr had encountered in other lands. This would make finding work a little bit easier, as he could now ingratiate himself with rudimentary knowledge; but more importantly, learning was just fun for the lad. He rounded a corner and there it was — the northernmost wing, where a new exhibit was being constructed and at least one young boy was enamored. Zephyr could empathize with the kid. That was a leviathan’s head over there. The honest-to-goodness head of a legendary sea beast. Zephyr was reasonably well traveled for the age of 23, but far from experienced enough to have ever witnessed anything so splendidly gargantuan firsthand. “Gosh,” he said aloud. “I come here looking to join the Adventurer’s Guild, but before I even find someone to speak with about it, I’m already living an adventure.”

Meri was just about to turn her attention back to the work at hand after her brief exchange with that father and son pair, except Zephyr was next to remark. It wasn’t just a passing remark that expressed the appreciation for the latest addition to the Museum. The boy had openly shared his intention to try and join the Adventurer’s Guild. This was not a comment that Meri could ignore. “Is that so?” Meri says as she steps further forward, moving toward one of the stanchions that helped to rope off the wing area she was currently in. The blonde unhooks the rope and steps aside, creating a gap big enough for Zephyr to walk through. “Well it just so happens that you’ve found the right woman to speak with, if that is the case. My name is Meri, I am the current leader of the guild. Why don’t you step on back so that we can continue this conversation?” It would be only after Zephyr does as instructed that Meri attaches the rope barrier back to the stanchion. Rather than letting a silence fall over the two of them, Meri poses a couple of questions to try and get some understanding of Zephyr and his interests. “The process is pretty simple. We’ll have a brief chat and then we’ll put you on a little mini-mission so that I can get some idea of your skill set and how well you can hold your own. Why don’t you start by telling me your name and why it is you’re interested in joining the guild?”

Zephyr could scarcely believe his luck. That he would stumble upon the very leader of this guild so clumsily, and that he would do so only after encountering a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle; it bordered on incredible. "Amazing," Zephyr said happily as he followed Meri past the stanchion and along for the rest of their walk. "Oh, uh." Stammering, he cleared his throat. "That's not my name, sorry. My name is Zephyr. Zephyr Novus. It's an honor to meet you." It truly was, and the gleeful sincerity on his face gave the lad a more boyish expression than usual, which was to say, a great deal of it. "I'm a traveler, you see. Not the most well-versed one, admittedly, but it's been good fun. A few close scrapes, of course. The world's only sometimes safe. Not meaning to imply I'm some seasoned vet, mind you." That would be great. Give the actual seasoned vet the impression that he's a blowhard? Yeah, that would work wonders on her. "I'm okay with a sword. Some scattered survival skills. Truthfully," Zephyr winced, "I have a lot to learn. My adventuring friends and I - Cid Figaro and Kyra Durare, the latter of whom is with me here in Lithrydel now - we seek to better ourselves, always. Whatever that entails. And, well, adventuring. I don't know, it just feels like it's in my blood, somehow. I've never encountered a guild for it before. It fascinates me, and seeing the museum," he gave one last turn to the leviathan exhibit, "well, that fascinates me all the more so. I'd deeply appreciate the chance to train and quest alongside you all."

It would be a very short walk of about a maximum of ten paces before the two of them stopped to converse. There is a lift of a brow along with a half-smirk when Zephyr feels the need to clarify that ‘oh uh’ was not his name. As he goes on to explain bits about his life, Meri responds with a nod. The woman appreciated his honesty when it came to his experience, “Well, the guild has no requirements in terms of experience, we just need a willingness to learn. And we have several very seasons members who you will have the chance to learn from. We also have plenty of members who are still trying to learn.” Meri pauses only briefly to make sure her thoughts are collected before continuing on. “However, chatting with me to express your interest is only one part of what is needed to join the guild. While we may not have requirements on experience, we do need to have a little bit of a test to make sure that our members have a certain…gumption. Not everyone is cut out for adventuring, some freeze in the face of a challenge. We need clear heads and brave hearts in this guild, everything else we can teach…? Just. Not that.” Meri’s mind is already rolling over what sort of test she should administer for Zephyr. “Let’s see, let’s see…What is it that I should ask you to do to prove yourself.”

Zephyr's posture stiffened at the mention of a test. It was hardly unexpected - he'd have been surprised if this was a simple sign-right-here sort of situation - but still, he was new in this land and knew full well he was far from flawless at the best of times. But then he realized it. This wasn't about individually identifiable skills. Gumption. The word, uncommonly heard, felt somehow pleasant because he knew he had it. Gumption. Plenty of it, and he but needed to prove it. This wasn't to say he thought himself fearless. Nor was he wise enough to realize that fear could be a skill of its own at times, rather than a burden. Knowing when to turn tail and run was not quite the young adventurer's forte. But for now, in his mind, he was stoked. "I look forward to showing you who I am," he said with a smile. A weird thing to say, maybe, but given the circumstances, it felt apt enough. Zephyr worried, however, that the guild leader was genuinely looking for advice on what to test him with. Surely, that couldn't be it? Or was this a test of its own? Was gumption somehow tied to this? The only thing he could have thought to do had he remained silent was to look around himself anxiously, and while there were all sorts of things he could genuinely be interested in looking at, Zephyr knew it might seem strange. Ergo, heck with it. "If you need any suggestions," he started, "I suppose I could begin listing stuff that frightens me. Tell me to go near any of it, and I promise to deliver a difficult test." He chuckled, obviously intending to indicate he didn't actually expect Meri to just roll with that. "Sorry, probably a silly thing to say."

Perhaps test was not the right word that Meri was looking for, even though she was hoping to see a certain amount of that gumption that Meri had mentioned. No one has yet to ‘fail’ this test, it was more a way for Meri to get an idea of the candidate in question, to see what sort of skills they had in addition to that gumption. “Oh, well I don’t want the test to be too difficult, yet I don’t want it to be too easy. But sure, why don’t you tell me a bit about the things that scare you, but then why don’t you also tell me about the things that you excel at currently, as well as the things that you would like to learn more about. I will use that information to scheme up a suitable admissions test.” Zephyr’s willingness to tell Meri about his fears said a lot to the woman, though. It was not a subject that many people were willing to speak openly about. As the two stood in the middle of the closed off area of the museum, Meri let her gaze briefly shift toward the work in progress exhibit that she was meant to be monitoring. All seemed to be running smoothly for the moment, so Meri let her attention transfer back to Zephyr so that he could have her full attention while they wrapped up this introductory conversation.

Meri's willingness to hear what Zephyr excelled at before the test commenced struck the lad as a royal relief. It was clear now that the guild leader's wisdom was also laced with the sort of relative kindness he wasn't sure she would be willing to provide. "Right, well I can't say I'm a fan of spiders, for starters." He chuckled dryly before adding, "that's a cliche reply if ever there were one, I guess. Dragons terrify me, not so much for their image but for the fact that I know I'm no match. I guess that boils down to the heart of it, really; nothing frightens me more than a sense of helplessness. I don't believe in no-win scenarios, but equally so, I know I can't move mountains. And should a mountain ever be in need of moving in order to rescue someone - I speak metaphorically, of course, though judging by some of the stories I've heard of this continent, maybe I ought to be literal as well - I'd feel crushed for being unable to assist." Zephyr cleared his throat, a smile forming on his lips. "I'm pretty handy with a sword, and my tracking skills are decent for my age. I can hunt, though I prefer to work alongside animals rather than ingest them whenever possible. I'm a terrible cook, but keen enough at the art of botany to make up for it by finding choice crops and lumber for a cooking fire." Was there more? Maybe, but he didn't want to sound boastful. That was the last thing he felt, was boastful; next to someone so legendary as Meri, what he actually felt... was small.

The blonde lycan offers a nod of her head in both understanding and to signal that she was in fact listening to what Zephyr has to say. It has definitely given her some information to consider when it comes time to put the young male on his first adventure within the guild. Meri says nothing in immediate response, however. Instead she holds up her index finger to signal ‘one minute’ along with the vague explanation of, “Wait right here.” Acknowledgement is not something that Meri waits around for before she takes a brief leave from the roped off area, she just assumes that Zephyr will follow this simple request. Zephyr is left to his own devices while Meri takes a short walk to her office within the museum. She is gone long enough to walk to her office, rummage through a drawer in her desk, and then return. Upon her return she is holding a compass within her hand and when she is close enough to Zepjhyr, she holds said compass out to the male for him to take into his own possession. “This item here serves as both a compass and a key. It will grant you access to our meeting room, which is located just below the museum. It also means that you are officially part of the guild. Your current rank within the guild is a Bronze member. As you complete adventures, you will achieve higher ranks. At this rank, you are meant to be limited as to who you can go on adventures with. It is preferred you partner with members who have demonstrated their competency. Though this is more of a guideline than a hard fast rule. It’s more for a safety perspective than anything else. I just need a bit of time to think on what you have told me, but I do hope to bring you on your first adventure very soon.” A brow is lifted, “Do you have any questions for me?”

Zephyr nodded and waited. What might happen now? He attempted to clear his mind; stray thoughts weren't needed here, only commitment. Uncertain how long he'd be waiting, but unwilling to let what might be several minutes or longer slip him by unproductively, he took a seat nearby and set to work crushing a few whole herbs into fine powder with mortar and pestle. Time was polite enough to allow him to finish just as Meri returned at which point he calmly placed the materials back in his satchel and stood upright. The compass! A marvelous device, and something Zephyr had hoped to acquire at some future point. To think that it was now his, just for being accepted into the guild. He took it gingerly into his palms, smiling. "I'm honored," he said. "Bronze." Repeating the word with a tone of mystique, his smile blossomed further. Now, how might a lad so curious restrain his own questions to a reasonable minimum? "A hundred, maybe," Zephyr answered with a chuckle. "That's the problem. But I'm sure I'll learn the answers with the passage of time, through you and all my newfound peers. I can't thank you enough." He bowed.

With no further questions for Meri, it seemed like a great time to bring this impromptu meeting to a close. The blonde was after all trying to oversee the installation of a new exhibit. “Then I will leave you to the rest of your day. We will be in touch, for sure, and I will be sure to be you in touch with other guild members as well, of course. We’ll figure out the details of your first adventure very soon.” With a smile, Meri turns to return to her work allowing Zephyr to show himself out.