Hunter's Service

	Peaceful days are always welcome. Whether it's enjoyed by spending time with friends, enjoying a good meal with family, or simply having a good time all around, peaceful days are what people strive for with everything in their power. Of course, the things that end up skewing things away from such a welcome sight always end up being the most reviled. Such things can take many forms, whether it's a minor inconvenience, a common annoyance, or an outright disaster, people tend to stay away from these things as best as they possibly can.
	Of course, with how things are run in a certain hamlet, relations all hinge on how people act and how they save face.
	"Raina! Can you please get me the flour from the pantry?"
	"Yes, mother!" The girl in question steps out from the pantry, a small box in hand. The makes her way towards the form of her mother, and places that box onto the counter before starting towards the door. "Alright, I'm off to see Ruda! If you need anything, just call for me, okay?" Her mother waves towards the door with the back of her hand.
	"Yes, yes, dear, I'll see you when you get home. Tell Thalessa I said hello, would you, please?"
	"I will! Bye, mother!" And like that, the girl makes her way out from her home, her blond hair tumbling down towards her mid-back. She makes her way down one of the dirt paths, her mind wandering out to some of the more incoherent thoughts that she tended to have at times. What was mother going to make for dinner? Hopefully, her brothers wouldn't mess prank her again. Father was always so busy... he'll be okay with time, hopefully.
	In no time, she ends up making her way to a smaller house along that path, the sides of which were a wonderful chestnut brown that helped the place blend into the surrounding woods. She makes her way up the path to the front door, and raps on it with her knuckles a few times, the sound reverberating through the empty space behind it. After that, she steps back, and tugs on the ends of her golden locks. The sound of the doorknob turning gets her attention back to its rightful spot, however, as that door opens up to reveal a girl with tanned featured, long dark locks, and a small crop-top.
	"Hey, you! Come on in, Grandma's just made some cookies." The tanned girl steps aside, and makes room for the blond haired girl to head on in. Once inside, she takes a seat on a nearby cushion while her friend makes her way over to the small kitchenette. The house was small, barely enough for two or three rooms, if need be. She was never one for smaller spaces, but with how cozy it seemed, she had always felt drawn to it... "So, what'cha been up to, Rainy?" The blond haired girl smiles at that nickname. She had gotten it years and years ago after she and Ruda had met up.
	"Oh, why, nothing much. I felt like I needed to get out of the house is all."
	"No kiddin'. What, cabin fever or somethin'?"
	"You could say that, I suppose. My brothers are out, and I didn't want to have to deal with Mother's constant jabbering on about how I should be so prim and proper."
	"Oh, tell me about it! At least Grandma is alright with you being here for the time being, right?"
	"Oh, absolutely! She's an angel, and from what I know, she's been like that for years! Why wouldn't I be glad to come over, then?" At the sound of that, the tan girl lets out a giggle, causing the blond haired girl to furrow her brows. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
	"Hehe, oh, no, no, if I had known better, I'd say that you're more in it for the cookies than anything, you know?" At that point, the blond haired girl covers her mouth and lets out a chuckle of her own. She opens her mouth to say something when the sound of wood-on-wood meets her ears. She blinks for a moment before turning her head to the door. "Ah, Grandma Kinskiss! I hope you don't mind my presence here. I heard you made cookies today. May I please have one?"
	The person standing at the door, a tanned woman with extensively long hair and a bit of sagging to her features stands up a bit straighter at the sound of the blond haired girl's voice. She blinks for a moment, and quickly makes her way towards the room, hesitating only a moment to see where the tanned girl was a moment before. The blond haired girl raises a brow.
	"Er... Grandma Kinskiss...?"
	"Raina, dear, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
	"Wh-leave? I've only just gotten here. Did something ha-"
	"RAINA- Raina. Please. Leave." The blond haired girl blinks at the sound of that... She wasn't one to raise her voice, especially not with her granddaughter around.
	"Um... right, then. Ruda, thank you for keeping my company. I'll talk to you tomorrow, hopefu-" She's cut off by the sight of the tanned woman jabbing her finger towards the door. She blinks once more... What was going on? She hesitates for a moment before making her way towards that door, makes her way through, and makes sure to close it before turning and walking towards the path once again. "That's odd... Oh, gosh, is that how low the Sun's gotten?" She looks to the horizon for a moment before starting to jog towards her home once again.
	"Mother? Mother, I'm home!" She calls out into the kitchen before making her way there. When she gets there, she's met by the sight of her mother, hunched over a mass of dough, and her father clutching his mouth like he had just said something absolutely insane. "M...Mother? Father? Is... Is everything okay, or...?" Her father stands a bit straighter.
	"Oh, darling, darling, I'm glad you're safe... I... I believe it's a good idea for you to stay here for now, at least until things start to quiet down." And like that, he walks over, and pulls her into a tight hug.
	"Quiet down? What do you mean?"
	"Raina, darling, I... I've some bad news. Your brothers are... well, they're no longer your brothers."
	"...I don't understand." Her mother turns around at that point, and faces towards the two of them.
	"Well, darling, your... your brothers have... They've done something incredibly reckless and have... Well, darling, they've gotten themselves arrested."
	"A-Arrested?! Mother, that can't be true, can it? Father, they'll be back in time for supper, won't they?" The blond haired girl's parents just stand there for a moment, glance at each other, and turn back to the girl... Her father just shakes her head. "Father... honestly, this is absolutely odd... First the scolding my Grandma Kinskiss, and now this. What could even be going on?" At the sound of that, her mother blinks.
	"Titani...?" She looks towards her husband. "Word can't have travelled that fast, couldn't it have...?" She suddenly turns around, gathers up the dough she had been kneading, and places it into a bowl before covering it with a towel. Now wasn't the time to be working on bread... The blond girl's father stands up after a moment.
	"Alright, darling, let's get you to bed."
	"But... Father, I'm not that tired."
	"Raina, please, just-... Let's go to bed." With that, he quietly leads the blond haired girl towards the stairs to the basement. Everyone's sleeping quarters were underground, just in case something happened. No one would think twice about it all, if things went south and they had to hide. With barely a sound, the blond haired girl makes her way down the steps, ducks her head, and quietly lays down onto her bedding... "Sleep well, Darling. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
	"Okay, Father..." She rubs her eyes after a moment. When did she suddenly get so sleepy, anyway? HEr father plants a small peck onto her forehead before she starts to drift off into dreamland...


	"Raina, wake up! I need you to help me knead this dough!" The blond haired girl's eyes flutter open. Oh, was it really that time...? She sits up, rubs her face, and tries to focus on the wooden wall across from her... Another dream about the past. Why was she still getting dreams about that? It was years ago when that happened, anyway... She rubs her eyes, swings her feet off onto the stone floor, shivering a bit at the chill it carried. It's been a year since they had to move, but she was still getting used to all of the parts of her new home... "Raina, wake UP! Come on, now! I don't have all morning! Get your hind end in gear or so help me-"
	"I'm coming, I'm coming, mother!" She grumbles for a moment, pulls on her dress that she had set out last evening, and lets out a sigh before tying her hair back. Stone floors and a worn-out door; that's what met her senses. After making sure that she was at least somewhat in order, she opens that door, and heads out into the small kitchen that her mother had been working in. "How many customers, would you say we're going to have today?"
	"Seven or eight, I'd hope. Take over this for me, I need to check and see if everything's in order at the front." And like that, her mother starts towards the front of that small hovel-turned-bakery. The blond haired girl rubs her face with her dress sleeve for a moment before heading over towards the counter her mother was just at, and pressing her hands into the dough... She had been at this for at least a year now, but everything was still confusing for her. Why is it that everything had to be so... so "hands on"? It's food, yes, but what else could make it so intensive? After a moment or three, her mother comes back through the small door that lead to the front. "Good, good... we... we have enough set out for everyone to be happy."
	"That's good, that's good. What are we going to be making today? Loaves? Bagels? Pretzels?" She looks to the blob of dough between her fingers, and keeps kneading.
	"Hey, careful with that, then! We're making pastries, not pretzels. Now, go on, start cleaning things up, please." She jabs a finger towards the front entrance. The blond haired girl blinks, nods, and starts towards a nearby basin of water. She could get all of this stickiness out of her hands, thank goodness... After turning around and scrubbing her hands as clean as she could, she grabs a rag, and a small pail of water from nearby before quietly making her way out front.
	It's a small porch that meets her. A few chairs here and there, a table or three, a parasol if they felt like staying under it. All in all, it was a nice little cafe for someone to get a snack. She makes her way over towards a table, takes that rag, dunks it in the water, and plops it onto the table top before scrubbing things down. She'll have breakfast soon, hopefully. She looks around for a moment while she works... Certainly misty this morning. The slums across the way were certainly looking like they belonged there, if nothing else... She lets out a sigh. Things were getting too monotonous for this early... A nap sounded like heaven, but she needed to work. Soon, though, she ends up scrubbing down everything outside that place as best she can. She stands up, stretches a bit, and heads back inside.
	"Mother, tables are clean. What do you want me to do?"
	"Help me put these into the oven, would you, please?" Her mother was busy with portioning out bits of dough into small balls. The blond haired girl makes her way over, and helps her mother load up a large stone platter with those balls of dough before helping her to slide it into the side of that roaring brick oven.
	The day had gone as slow as any other, people making their way over to the place, ordering something, and getting everything they needed for the rest of their day. It wasn't much work, but it was honest and helped build up their reputation... She lets out a sigh at the thought of that. Why would her brothers want to do something like that, even...? The memory of that day still haunts her from time to time. For now, though, her day was over, and now her bed was calling her name. She rubs her face, opens her door, and blinks into the darkness... Great, at least the sheets are warm. Her mother was laying on top of her bed, knocked out from a hard day at work. Well, at least she'll get something warm out of it. With barely a sound, she slips into that bed, and quietly turns to her side, not even bothering to shed her dress off of herself before getting in. In no time, her eyes flutter close, and she drifts off to dreamland once more.


	The sound of wood being hammered into place meets her ears. She lets out a groan before turning over. It's the third night in a row that she's had to use her jacket as a pillow, but she was getting things done, at the very least. She sits up, rubs her face for a moment, and lets out a grumble... Another night out in the alley. It's been... what, three years since she took this job? At least she's going to be doing some good for her family back home. For now, though, she stands up, gathers her things, and starts towards one of the nearby corners to put herself out there. 'Any job's a good job, and any person for any job is something good.' That's what the instructor told her all those years ago.
	No one has to suffer, and her family was going to get itself back to greatness. For now, though, all she had to do was take her time and figure out who wanted something done. Just as she's about to turn the corner, though, something flutters in the corner of her vision. She turns her head towards it, and raises a brow.
	"Notices already...? Huh, someone must be desperate." She makes her way over, her boots clacking softly against the stonework floor. After kneeling down to pick up a small stack of folded pieces of paper, she tilts her head, turns them over to see if there were any signs of an address, and opens one of them up.

	PAY: 50 Gold pieces
	TASK: Help my Daughter with her Homework.
	LOCATION: Inner Circle, 7th House from the East Entrance


	She tilts her head for a moment. That should do. She folds it up, places it in her pocket, and starts towards that way. She places the other folded pieces of paper in her opposite pocket for the time being. After helping this girl with her homework, she could get something else done... Hopefully, she won't have to kill anyone today. Thankfully, the walk wasn't that long. She was there within the hour. After rapping her knuckles on the wooden door a few times, she calls out to the inside.
	"Hunter's Service. I got a note from whoever lives here. Please open up." A moment or two pass before that door opens, revealing a rather tired-looking man. "Good morning. I got a note from you about your..." she pulls out the note once more, opens it, and looks it over. "...Your daughter's homework?" The man nods, rubs his face for a moment, and opens the door. Without another word, she makes her way in. This shouldn't take too long, should it?
	About an hour later, things were finally finishing up. Too many polynomials and fractions for her to worry about, but at least she could help her. Without another word, she's out on the street, her pockets filled with coin, and the previous note placed into her back pocket. That one's done, now what's up next...? She pulls out another note from her side pocket.

	PAY: 2 Night's Stay at Amanita's Inn
	TASK: Collect Money from Debtor
	LOCATION: High Baker's Square, East Gate Courthouse

	She lets out a sigh... She hated going to the east. Too many bad memories, but at least she's got something to do now. Without another word, she quickly makes her way in that direction. She glances around at the people going about their daily lives... Some gave her worried glances. Others, a shameful glare. Others still, she could tell were judging her based on her dress. What else was new, anyway? Nevertheless, she soon makes her way there, her trademark curls now brushed out of her face. She raps her knuckles on the door a few times before calling out once again.
	"Hunter's Service. I got a note from whoever lives here. Please open up." This time, it's almost scary how quickly the door opens. A woman with darker features meets her gaze. "Good morning. I received a note from this place about..." She pulls out the note and opens it up. "...Collecting money?" The woman lets her in, and starts to explain everything that this debtor was accused of. She nods every so often after each rant, and by the end of it, she's out on the street, heading towards the location that was given to her.
	She makes her way to a wooden house, and after making sure things were correct, she slams her foot into the lock of that door, causing it to crash open. "Hunter's Service. Where's my money?" In no time, thankfully, everything was squared away, and she was out on the streets again after delivering that parcel of cash to the new rightful owner. With that out of the way, she pulls out the next note for her to work on that day... One thing after another, day after day, week after week, year after year.
	In the end, at least she's doing some good.