[Open] Hunter becomes the prey

[tantailizing]

🧙 WHO: Zidane and you!
⚔️️ WHAT: Catch-all for August
🕒 WHEN: August (until events and stuff)
🗺️ WHERE: Around Camelot
⚠️ WARNINGS: Culling and fighting, mainly vigilante stuff

I. Don't Treep, Man

Warm out today, but Zidane continued trudging about, working on this bit of fence or tilling this other section of land. For a few, he'd been left to water, but only up until more materials had been brought. Honestly, he was surprised just how much damage the zombies made, but their response to their numbers? Could've been better, but oh well.

"Ready to get back to the fence?" he asked the other worker nearby, not paying much heed to the fact they could currently either occupied by a task or looking for something more to do. If they hadn't been helping with the fence before, this might be slightly confusing.

II. Invasive Species

Ehehe, well, he'd say the season served the local wildlife well - and maybe too well like the task had said, but he wasn't going to be mature about it.

Anyway, cull some of the older animals, spare the ones that just had offspring or raised in a community (then it was open game), and also get the Carcinuses back. That second part might be the bigger challenge really, but maybe using one part to lead to the second, they could make good progress.

He'll think of a few more plans if that fell through.

"How you doing over there?"

His companion on this task could handle themselves, right? No issues with a few woodland critters?

III. Open House

He didn't know what to expect of Camelot's castle, but it was definitely dolled up for company. At least, he doesn't think the public bath normally has a water slide - not that he was really feeling a bath right now. Instead, he decided to stalk away and have a look around further; he could be found briefly having a taste of some new foods, seeing what books would be in this royal library, curiously watching the magician perform as he strolled by, and then heading out to the gardens.

Hm... roses had been one of her mother's favorites.

He could be found there soon too, lying around near the roses and pretty much chilling.

IV. Animal Mage Hunt - Reverse Card

Zidane had an animal tail, big whoop, wanted to fight about it?

Apparently, someone does - someone did, and it was the same someone that was going after others with Animal Magic once he got someone to squawk. Making them spill further details, the barely tech-savvy young man checked the Dark Web and found the posting, and was immediately both unimpressed and actually angered.

It was one thing to basically put a bounty on him, but any Animal Mage, huh? Worse, he'd heard about the murders happening and he didn't know if they were related. Even if they weren't, the knights were likely occupied by them instead.

So, he'll make himself look quite conspicuous donning his cloak and mask from home. Hood drawn, he thought he looked like a suspicious mage type; and with enough of his tail just appearing from beneath, that outta do it. He doesn't really mind how it might look to others - he had to figure out how to track down the guy behind the Dark Web post.

[OOC: Note that this is open for him to aid characters being attacked, for people looking to attack a supposed animal mage, or wondering what the hell he's doing at all. Maybe they'd like to come along, he's open to forming a party.]

[V. Wildcard]

[OOC: As always, want another prompt not present? Hit me up at demidemonLove and we can write something new out!]

Comments

a fashionably late IV

[eikobby]

One of the amazing things about being a small cute girl is that it's so much easier to overhear other people's conversations. On the rare occasion she gets caught snooping, she can just flash a smile and curtsy and everything will be fine. Eiko has used this to her advantage on many occasions.

When she overheard a group talking about wanting to hunt down animal mages, it was a bit shocking. She wasn't particularly worried though, because she hasn't been going around announcing what her talents are. In all honesty, she's been more worried about Zidane. He's not even an animal mage as far as she knows, but the monkey tail does make him easy to pick out in a crowd.

Case in point-- some movement up ahead catches her attention, and she hurries to attempt to catch up with the familiar hooded figure.

"Hey! Wait up!"

never late :3

[tantailizing]

Probably helped that she was a 'proper lady' too Zidane would tease, but he wasn't around at those times. No, each night when most of the attacks were occurring, he was out, stalking down hunters and trying to see if anyone knew the poster on the Dark Web.

So far, nothing.

He's not the only one doing this, but he's been on his own for the most part. Which is why he's a little confused when he hears someone yelling in his direction? But he glances back, raising his hood a bit.

"Eiko? What're you doing out right now?"

[eikobby]

To her credit, Eiko's been pretty good about not going out much at night since the attacks have started, and being as careful as she can manage when she is going to be out and about.

Tonight, though, she's a proper lady on a mission.

He's not the only one she's spotted out here, but he's definitely the only one she's attempted to approach so far. It's either the fact that she knows him or the fact that she knows he's likely to be targeted by whoever's responsible for the chaos.

"Yep! Were you expecting someone else?" It's not exactly an answer, though.

"I heard there was someone hunting animal mages... and they shouldn't be."

[tantailizing]

Eiko's typically good about those things... also, no one really knows who they're messing with should they decide to approach her, well meaning or not. Seeing her out now was just a little concerning.

"Nope. Wasn't really expecting anyone." Honest he wasn't. He'd been heading out alone and all.

"No, they shouldn't." Now, the responsible thing would probably be to take her home, but he knew what would happen if he did try that. "Wanna go beat them up with me?"

[eikobby]

Another bonus that comes with still being an adorable little kid is that people tend to underestimate her. And sure, she finds it to be annoying a great deal of the time, but sometimes it actually works to her advantage.

Most recently, it seems to be working in her favor in that people have mostly just left her to her own devices.

She nods. "Good. We won't have to wait for anyone else." It's not that she's particularly against the idea, but it's probably foolish to waste time waiting around.

"Do you even have to ask?"

[tantailizing]

Oooh yeah, and he was sure she made them regret it. Well, some of them and hell, they probably deserved it. But, he didn't see the hunters probably bothering her that much - like, it was one thing to think her horn might be from the curse (which, rude), but then another that they probably were glad it wasn't them with a horn (which was still rude).

Nodding, looks like it'll just be the two of them. He grinned, "It'd be impolite to just assume what a young Lady would want, right?"

But really, he was concerned. He didn't know what her magics were in this world; and he could guess, but he could easily be wrong.

[eikobby]

She'd be the first to insist that the people who did decide to bother her only ever got what they deserved. Fortunately, she's only had to deal with maybe one or two. Barely even worthy of talking about it.

"That's why you're one of my favorites." Granted, she'd probably say the same thing or similar to any one of their group at any point, but he's the one she's saying it to right now. For a moment, it seems like she's just going to leave it that, but then she adds- "You're too smart to be impolite."

Or maybe she's humoring him because he isn't trying to talk her into going home.

"It's a bit ironic, though. They're so busy hunting animal mages that they don't seem to realize that they've missed one." She finds the whole thing amusing, for the most part. The horn is really the only indication that she might be anything more than another lost human child who ended up here, and it's apparently not enough to tip these people off.

[tantailizing]

"Hehe, good to know." But she would probably say that to anyone in their group... except Amarant, but who knows. They got along sometimes which was more times than he suspected. "Ehe... I'll ruin that record soon enough."

Either way, she just needed to wait maaybe about... an hour or less.

"They probably think it's too obvious. Or maybe they can't think of any animals that have horns and wonder if its something else... I have no idea what they'd think it is though." At least he was right in guessing that Eiko had Animal Magic. "... Have you tried headbutting anyone that's bothered you?"

[eikobby]

"I thought so." Which is why she'd said it in the first place. Even Amarant would get the same response sometimes. When they're getting along. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

Eiko can't tell for sure, and now she's curious.

"Maybe. There are lots of animals with horns, though I suppose the people who made the post are probably looking for more noticeable things like tails or cute ears." Neither of which she has. Somehow, she's managed to avoid the curse for now. The question catches her a little off guard, though. "Do you think I should?"

[tantailizing]

“A promise more than anything.” He snickers because he’s pretty sure he’s about to be rude and ruin these hunters’ evening once he located them. “We have some bounties to spoil after all.”

Tilting his head, he nods… but also thinks about a certain other summoner with cute ears or a tail. Mmm, she’s be super cute with a tail.

“Yeah, I’ve been picked out a few times during the day because of my tail. Geez, some people just have tails but do they get that? No!” Same with some people having ears or horns! He chuckles. “I mean, you’d be butting them with your horn. Get them in the leg hard enough and they’d drop.”