Sol City has always been a place of dubious luck for Cirice. Being hunted as the Red Rogue, finding and losing new friends, helping protect goods and saving wayward goblins, all adventures she has had in the city in the handful of times she had been there. It was by no means her favorite place in Charon, but people she cared a great deal for live there and they keep her up to date on the goings on. In Yoci's most recent letter she mentioned a massive invasion of crabs that had wracked the city and ended up causing quite the mess and Cirice certainly had to see the aftermath for herself. Luckily her Library can fly and she wasn't too far. 

The mess was even more than she'd expected, crabs clinging to everything, hiding in gutters and causing general mischief. It was a silly sight, but one that could be used for good. With help these crabs could become a useful resource! Cirice had seen firsthand the rampant poverty in the slums of the City, but with this many crustaceans they could feed the masses. All she needs is help collecting the silly sea creatures and enough pots and spices to cook them with. The rest could be handled later, for now she just needs a partner in charity.

Heading to her favorite place in the city, Veliky's Blixt Cafe she looks for someone who looks kind and bored enough to help her with her self-imposed quest.

"Hi everyone!" She announces loudly to all the patrons with a wide, bright smile, "Would anyone be willing to help me clean up crabs?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Catching Crabs
Participants: Two or more
Location: Sol City
Post Requirements: 3 post per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: Over the last few weeks a strange occurrence has been plaguing the capitol. Some bizarre phenomenon has caused thousands of sea crabs to infest the city, covering the entire island and causing a terrible nuisance to the locals. Whatever the disturbance was has passed, but thousands of the sea creatures still remain, trapped in yards, homes, businesses and other places they have no reason to be. We need you to come to Sol City and help us remove the crabs! You can use any means necessary as long as the crabs are no longer here!

Rare is it that I go around to Sol City. Born and raised in the storm ridden Dragon's Cradle, I had gotten used to darkness till raising to my perch in the Sky Gardens. The reasoning I willingly road a boat here was because of the crab chaos that rumors had spread. Arriving was an amusement. The capital city, so prized and standing of high regarded, by the looks of gold and high walls, had been over-ridden by sea crabs that covers everything. If anything, it was an ironic comedy to me.

Walking calmly through the city, I couldn't help but think of how they could taste.



The longer I thought about food, the hungrier I became. This hunger brought me to a place I has only heard good things about, Veliky's Blixt Cafe. For an observer such as myself, it is so intricate and amazing that my attention could be held for many days. The staff walking around, the many customers, even the food and drinks were unique. Claiming a spot in a corner, I watched the flow of the cafe while sipping on a cup of hot chocolate, a recommended product given to me when listening to conversations around me.



Listening in, it's not hard to miss the moon elf entering the calm cafe an calling out for helpers. Looking closely, she was very fashionable, having the newest fashion craze adorned on her body. It was interesting enough that she would randomly ask this question, interesting enough to coerce me into joining. I finish my drink and raise my hand, "I'll help you out, just let me pay and I'll be right out." Hopefully my voice was heard, I kept my hand in the air to make sure I wasn't mistaken as anyone else.

By now, it's a familiar voice. That high-pitched chipperness, that unshakeable optimism, that energetic drive. She's back. And it sends a shiver down Veliky's spine as she sits on the chair in her lonely studio, above the cafe proper, sipping from a bottle of Blixt™ Lite as the light of a single lantern shines on her face. She should be working - hell, she WANTS to be working. But virtually every meeting for the next three days was cancelled due to unforeseen events that can only be aptly described as "The Crabpocalypse." Veliky ran out of paperwork to do, hours ago; it's been a drawl of a day.

Cirice's voice isn't an unwelcome sound. Not right now, anyways. She's come to recognize it as a herald of nonsense, shenanigans, and other synonyms for 'silliness.' Oftentimes, this spells an ill omen for any attempt to get work done. But today, when there's so exceedingly little to do?

...She wouldn't mind.

She's interrupted from her thoughts; by the sound of toppling glass, rolling but not shattering... the shattering comes a moment later. She turns her head, with moreso exasperation than fright, to see precisely the culprit as expected, perched on the counter and above a shattered bottle of discarded Blixt™ Dark Roast on the floor.

"Vienda..." she breathes in exasperation. And the miniature perpetrator, whose black-and-yellow fur seems to blend aspects of feline and apidae (and whose size is approximately between the two)^[1], looks at her with wide saucers of eyes as if *it's* the one that's startled.

Veliky can only shake her head. 'Gift' is a strange name for it...

It's only around then that she realizes she was blushing.

---

It takes her a few moments to get downstairs. Most of this time was spent cleaning up the broken glass and assuring, with more than one lure of treats, that Vienda would not dash out of the door the instant it was opened. When she does manage to close the door behind her, with fair certainty that the beast is secured, she can't help but emit a sigh of relief.

'Alright... Time to see what this is about.'

---

1. Vienda

Bringing Minions
Gutter-04 (Corsair)
Rook-13 (Warlord)
Tropos-02 (Sky Domain Apprentice)

Bringing Pets
Raider-01 (Baby Bone Naga)
Silent Night-01 (Snow Owl)
Vienda (Flitten) {Sleigh Bells}

Cirice claps excitedly, flitting over to the small human girl with pretty white hair, golden eyes and her hand raised. She’s cute, doll-like with a really adorable outfit and a matching doll at her side.

“Really? You will?” Cirice asks, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet with joy. “No, no let me pay! It can be my way of thanking you for joining me!” She takes the girl’s raised hand and shakes it enthusiastically.

“I’m Cirice! Cirice Lunestre! Glad to meet you!” The snake bracelets on her gloved wrist clink together as their arms move up and down quickly, bone hitting metal with a soft clinking sound. “You’re just cute as a button, aren’t you? Are you good at cooking? I was thinking we gather up a whole bunch of these wild crabs and then have a nice big boil for the poor! Won’t that be lovely?”

She lets the girl’s hand go and skips over to the counter, waiting in line to pay for the meal. She wonders what Veliky is doing and if she’s upstairs. She briefly considers popping up there to see if her friend is home, but she doubts Vel would want to help in her crab quest. Though an army of constructs would be pretty handy gathering a shitton of crabs…

The energetic girl, Cirice I remember, said quite exactly want I wanted to hear. "I love to cook, vegetables are my best friend in this, but any recipe will do." I turn to see the crabs outside and a thought comes to me, "I am best with making drinks, specifically non-alcoholic ones. Perhaps the side dishes or refreshments could be left to me when it's time to cook." I grab my doll and give a little hug while hopping in place.

"I can still help though; I am nibble on my feet and have a knack for magical movement for items!" I quickly focus in on her hands, the intricate ring and the many accessories where astonishing. I looked between her and the fashion she wore, amazed by the design now that she was close enough to see it. Whil analyzing the outfit being worn, I begin to continue, my train of thought from before. "When would you wish to go out, or how would you like to pick them all up?" I see the magical tattoos along her skin, showing her dedication to magic. "Not only that, but my main question is this." My gaze leaves my analytics of the other to focus on her gaze.

"Where do we begin, Cirice?" A large grin stretches along my face.

Stairs are always quite the task for Veliky. She initially wanted the steps to be more suited for her stride, or to even be divided into steps of ordinary and half-folk custom; but she found that she would need to spend nearly twice as much for the former, and quadruple for the latter. And even if it had only costed twenty-five-percent more, Veliky isn't one to shy away from extra hassle if it aids her frugality.

With every step she descends, the sound of Cirice's voice grows louder. She's speaking to someone - one of Veliky's customers, no doubt - probably playing to string them along on some whimsical adventure, oblivious to her own ridiculousness. It's an odd coincidence that she'd come here while Veliky is in - that is, it would be a coincidence if they weren't here for the same reason, but her mention of wild crabs seems to hint otherwise. A boil for the poor? Not particularly profitable, but it should help to clear some of the infestation. Besides, there wouldn't be much profit to be made regardless, given that crabs are now in obscenely high supply and whatever the opposite of demand is. Not a bad plan... would need many arms, though. Is that why she came to the cafe for this?

Veliky's feet stamp down on the final step. The voice of Cirice, as well as that of the customer she's cajoling, can be heard from just around the corner. There's an ounce of trepidation in Veliky, as another step and she'll assuredly find herself in some new era of shenanigan. It'd be a lie to say that she doesn't hesitate. But she brings herself to it, eventually.

Hopping off the final step, and into the room's purview, is an easy contender for the title of 'smallest adult woman to ever walk in Sol City.' Veliky carries all the ice-cold bearing of a businesswoman, but little of the appearance; standing at a mere two-feet-tall, her greatest strides are inches at a time and she stands barely at most people's knees. And with her smooth, round features, she's rather cherubic. She isn't wearing her usual, business getup. Instead, she's dressed in... well, a dress - an unusual sight for her, though it does seem very nearly as practical, made of toughened red and green fabric. In fact, it still bears the mark of Platinum Corp on its lapel. Her hair is also still tied into that no-nonsense ponytail, though the tights are a surprisingly delicate feature.

But surely her most unusual apparel is a nametag^[1] on the other side of her lapel. Cirice would easily recognize it; it reads, in flowing calligraphy and with an unabated arcane glow, "Veliky" in both the scripts of Common and the Crescent realms.

With crossed arms and a generally intolerant demeanour, she wastes no time in mincing over to the chatty duo. She looks to Cirice - that familiar, evening-sky complexion - and then to this unfamiliar person. This person's short, for a human - not much taller than Astrid, even. Is she a child? Veliky can never tell with humans, but she can tell this person's name.

'Keyke^[1]. Small, sweet-looking: unassuming. Shouldn't let my guard down around her.' she thinks, mind racing through all those processes of seeing a new face. Keyke's regalia is a polarity of whites and blacks; even her hair is a stark snowy-white, and her skin is nearly as pale. Perhaps that's why her golden eyes - a spot of glowing colour in the monochrome - seem to shine so brightly. 'Weird... Should make sure Cirice is careful. She can be gullible, sometimes... always.'

And it's that thought that brings her attention back to the violet-tinged idol of optimism that still bounces in place. "Cirice," she greets with her usual curtness, "can I ask why you're pestering my customers?"

---

1. Name on the List

“VEL!” Cirice sing-songs with delight, taking one of her hands and raising it above the quarterling’s head to try to convince the other woman to twirl. She’s never seen her in anything that was a strict, harsh uniform and the soft, casualness of the dress by comparison made her heart flutter excitedly. “You look so cute! What a nice dress! Spin please so I can see it best?”

Cirice's exceedingly friendly request seems to strike a nerve in the tiny woman, who visibly grits her teeth below a furrowed brow. But when that initial anger subsides, she merely averts her eyes in dismissal.

"...I'm not spinning."

“Fine, fine. Don’t spin then. Be grumpy and cute all you want. This is my new friend! She can cook! We’re going to help clean up the city and have a nice banquet! We’ll have to start by gathering up the crabs first but I have an idea for that.” She turns her attention to Keyke, their smiles a mirror of one another, “I’m not pestering you, am I? I was just looking for help, and where better to start than my favorite place in the city? This is Veliky, she owns the cafe and she's not nearly as angry as she seems.”

   The introduction is a welcome one, after all, it's rare to find anyone smaller than myself. My grin remains on my face, "Tis a pleasure to meet you Veliky, an amazing cafe by the way! Don't worry she isn't pestering me in any way!" I dance my little doll around, having my body follow its movements.

   Finally, I do a little spin like Cirice wanted her friend to do, with a little hop forward after a single one I get closer to the two and drop to the ground. Sitting in a simple way, my dress spread out along the floor and hiding my legs underneath, I look up to them. The image would look not unlike a kid in class learning from a teacher during class. "I'm all ears on your plan! Oh," I turn my head to Veliky, "I won't follow blindly, I just love a good meal! Not to mention making drinks to go with it!" Giving a small thumbs up, my hand plays with my doll.

   A little shift happened behind the girls; I shift my eyes to the behind them. A few guys seemed to be having a very intense conversation, if the creased eyebrows said anything. One of them got up to move, forgetting to watch for their drink. I use one of my more widely known skills and raise the glass gently, out of his way. I quietly put it down. Don't want a mess in my new acquittance's cafe. My eyes turn to the girls, looking nothing but like a girl whose attention was momentarily distracted.

SPOILER: Click to show

(She used telekinesis to move the cup.)

Veliky knew there would be regret. She just didn't know it would come this quickly. 'Why do I ever wear this stupid outfit?' she questions herself, already feeling the heat in her face under the girls' stares. It's certainly more comfortable than her usual attire, but at what cost? Part of her wishes she'd kept the Morph Suit, but that was difficult to clean...

She lets out a sigh, supposing that this is only what she should've expected when she wilfully came to speak with Cirice. 'And now there's another person who thinks I'm some sort of pet... Just wonderful.'

She opens her eyes to see a now-seated Keyke. Something about her dress, and that doll she's holding brings to mind a certain aristocratic air. They *are* fine clothes, after all; Veliky might say that the doll is fine, too, but wouldn't want to condemn herself further. Who walks around with a doll, anyway?

But it's as Veliky looks at porcelain Keyke that she sees something strange, happening behind. Was that cup moving on its own? And that little lapse in Keyke's focus... Yes, Veliky quickly knows that she was right. There's far more to this girl than there seems. But then again, telekinesis is only a minor arcana; she might only be a novice... Only time will tell, if it graces them. For now, it seems, they have crabs to deal with.

"Right," she acquiesces, "well I should be able to help. This whole crab ordeal has slowed business to a crawl, so a boil wouldn't be a bad idea. I'll get my people gathering, you two can set up. May as well use the cafe for it; business is shot." From her belt, she takes a strange little object; metallic, ovoid and intricate and decorated with a pair of crimson, ocular lenses^[1]. She puts the device to her ear and begins to speak, seemingly to no-one. "Gutter-04, this is Veliky. Gather the crew and tell them to collect as many crabs as they can, then bring them to the cafe. Copy?"

There's a tiny sound from the device. It almost sounds like a voice, but too faint to be eligible. Whatever it says, it causes Veliky's brow to furrow in frustration.

"'Which crabs'? Are you seriously asking me that right now?" She turns and meanders away, the heated conversation continuing but becoming fainter as she leaves Cirice and Keyke to themselves for a moment.

---

1. Talking Heads

“We’ll need to get word out as well! All over the city, but especially the slums! Free crab boil at the Blixt Cafe, blixt and extras, extra!” Cirice winks at Veliky. “We’ll commandeer the kitchen! Thanks! Come on friend!” She skips happily towards the swinging door to the kitchen and looks at the chef bots.

“Alright fellas, we’re gonna need the biggest pots you have!” She starts directing them and taking an inordinate amount of things out of her bag. Fruits, veggies and all kinds of spices from all over the world. “I’m thinking potatoes and stewed apples and things to go well with it, sound good?”

She takes her gloves off and snaps, another Cirice smiling at Keyke who snaps and summons another¹. The three of them start chopping things and prepping veggies. “You want to start with the drinks? We could make some special drinks for this!”

---

1 Replicant

   Helping Cirice in the kitchen was fun, I decided to follow her suggestion about drinks. I run around the kitchen, carefully avoiding the many creatures... wait...they are all robots!? Each creature had some form of cute or cool look that captivated me for a moment each time I saw a new one. My brain processing the ideas and the intrinsic complexities of each one, moving my mind in many different areas.

   After a few minutes of me being so easily distracted, my attention went back to my task, drinks. "What goes well with crabs?" I whisper to myself, searching the many cabinets and pantries. My mind settles on flowery taste, "So... hibiscus, lavender, and maybe some phoenix oolong teas? Maybe some juice? If so, pomegranate, grape (white and red), or maybe even cranberry?" I mumble to myself. I keep checking the stocks in the kitchen, debating the prices and the amount people would most likely drink. A single thought came to mind after my entire search of the kitchen. I turn to Cirice with my question in mind. I quickly get close enough to her to where I know she can hear me, but not accidentally get in her way. I raise my hand, "Where's the booze, or better yet, is there any cheap ale?"

Veliky nods at Cirice's reminder, but only between berating barrages that she spits into the little device. Her conversation with whomever she speaks to is a long and frustrating ordeal, and it ends with a sigh on Veliky's end. But it does end, and she replaces the device on her belt.

By now, Cirice and Keyke have already made off to the kitchen, eagerly making their preparations. And Veliky's left alone; with the dull-blue light that shines through the windows, and a question that she frankly didn't think she'd be asking herself today. Indeed, it isn't a question she's sure she's ever asked.

'How do you advertise to poor people? Hmm...'

---

"Crabs and money at Blixt™ Cafe!"

Her voice echoes down the stone-hewn, crab-strewn streets. More than one unfortunate gives her a strange look, but she's oblivious to them as she continues her proselytization.

"That's right; come to Blixt™ Cafe for free crabs and a chance at winning one whole silver! Literally, these crabs cost less than nothing!"

“Booze? In the cabinets over there I think is some Blixt Pirate’s Rum, will that do?” Cirice responds, thinking, “I don’t know if there’s actually alcohol in it though…”

“Butter goes well with crabs… And uh… Noodles!” Her culinary knowledge is mainly based in Isles cuisine which is mostly fish, rice and noodles. “Rice would be good! We could do crab fried rice!”

Hearing the variety of food being prepared I rushed to the cabinet to search for the drinks. I look up and see that the cabinet was meeting my face, a rare measurement, and I look inside. I grab two bottles of the rum with my hands and focus on the bottle in front of me. I gather as many as I can¹ and slowly move them to the counter next to me. Remembering where I had seen cups in my first search, I open the cabinet and take a single small glass.

I open a bottle of rum and pour a bit inside and chug the small amount down, hoping to see if this is the best drink to go with the food.

---

1.Telekinesis

Cirice watches Keyke down the glass of Blixt™ Pirate’s Rum with a bemused chuckle, “What do you think? Cyran didn’t like it much last time we were here.”

Behind her the bots are prepping things, soon the whole kitchen is bustling.

“Do you feel okay?”