As Mel was being handed her proof of membership to the adventurer's guild, there was a shift in the chaotic noise behind her. It almost sounded like the start of a fight.

“Watch where you're going, Runt.”

The harsh voice was responded to by an airy giggle. Mel wasn't sure if it was the unexpectedness of such a response, or something else, but that laugh unnerved her.“Why? It's not like I hurt you, Silly.” There was another laugh.

Mel would have to probably walk past that mess if she wanted to leave anytime soon… She turned to see what was going on. The buffest man she'd ever seen was glaring at a figure half his size, and it looked like he was about to throw a punch. The smaller person, on the other hand, was just standing in front of the man with a smirk, wearing some of the brightest clothes Mel had seen in this world—the contrast between the two was almost comical.

While Mel was deciding what to do, the larger man actually did swing at the figure… and somehow completely missed. It was one of those “hard to tell what actually happened” moments. His fist definitely was going to land, if the small person didn't dodge, but then he was swinging at thin air with no indications his failed victim had even shifted positions, let alone moved.

The smaller one tilted their head and Mel noticed animalistic ears poking out of their frizzy hair. “You're quite dull and boring, ain't ya? Probably only got strength going for you, I'm guessing… Hope you aren't a reflection of the qualities in this place.”

That seemed to really piss off the giant of a man, as he swung again. This time, though, the smaller person did move out of the way. More specifically, they went upwards— high enough to grab a hold of a ceiling beam. Swinging up, they resituated themselves so they were casually sitting on said beam. That's when Mel noticed the not one but two tails excitedly flicking about behind the odd character. It seemed like Mel’s attention wasn't to be one sided for much longer, though.

Mel blinked, and then the figure was suddenly hanging upside down from the ceiling in front of her—their whole weight seemingly being supported on their lower legs hooked to a wooden beam. “You, though… you're real interesting. Are you an adventurer too, or just here to submit a job request?” Mel was gonna be honest, it startled her quite a bit.

“Oh, um… adventurer. I just registered today.”

They started nodding, which was odd to watch upside down. “Yes, yes… that makes sense. Of course you're an adventurer. You're what adventurers should be...”

“Oh, um, thank you, I guess…?” Mel was still a bit baffled by the person.

They, on the other hand, were taking everything in their own stride.“I'm here to submit a job request. You should take it.”

“Maybe… I was hoping to interact with people here a bit. Then I was going to either form, or join, a party first. Since I told some people I wouldn't do any jobs by myself.”

“Well, then maybe I should register to be an adventurer too. Might be entertaining to do it together….” They looked over to the clerk, while still hanging upside down from the ceiling beams. “Would there be any problem with me requesting jobs if I'm an adventurer?”

“There technically isn't any reason you can't. Though, you will still have to pay the fees and rewards even if you take on your own job… There is no discount for being a guild member.”

“I've got no problem with that…” The twin tailed figure suddenly flipped back over to stand beside Melantha. “So what do I need to do?” The clerk went through the same intake process as she had with Mel, except the odd person seemed to struggle with the paperwork slightly more than she had. Which didn't make much sense to Mel, but she didn't want to embarrass this person. They very well might end up being her first employer in this world, after all. So she said nothing.

“Next, the assessment…” The clerk hadn't put away the orb from before yet—so she simply gestured at it, after receiving the paperwork.

The soon-to-be adventurer looked oddly at the sphere. “Are you sure we have to? I don't think that thing will work with me…”

“Nonsense. Even if you are more powerful than this simple one can read, it will indicate that…”

The clerk's spiel was cut short by the other person’s worried resolution. “Then I am sorry in advance…”

They put a hand on the orb, and nothing seemed to happen for a moment. Then, once the swirling colors started to appear, the clerk looked like trying to understand them was giving her a headache. It wasn't clear if she managed to get the information she was trying to read, or if she just eventually gave up. Either way, she looked completely exhausted when she handed over the membership tablet.

“Welcome to the guild… I hope you understand if I have someone else help you with your job request.” She started to leave before getting any sort of response.

“So… did you really want me to take on your request? Even knowing I don't have any experience at all…?” Mel's curiosity was peaked on so many fronts, but that was the question that managed to come out.

They circled her smoothly as if sizing her up. “Oh, most definitely… You are without a doubt a radiant and interesting specimen. Were you truly unaware?”

“Unaware of what?”

“How powerful you are, of course. It's quite…” they tilt their head “...intoxicating, the amount of magic leaking out of you right now.”

“I'm what?” Mel tried not to raise her voice in shock.

“Leaking magic. I'm surprised no one else seems to notice. The leaked magic does seem to be surrounding you, though, as if it is using itself to disguise how much you have… like an unconscious illusion spell or something.”

“If you can tell all that from looking at me, that means you're really knowledgeable about magic. Right? Does that mean maybe you can teach me how to use it?”

“Definitely not. I can tell, just from looking, that your magic isn't something I would be capable of teaching you how to harness… Just follow your instincts.” They showed off a truly wild smile. “But I will gladly watch the show as you come into that power if you would allow me. It is sure to be a once in a lifetime type of entertainment…” Mel wasn't sure how she felt about being seen as just some form of entertainment… but at least the person didn't seem to mean anything malicious by it.

“Fine. But if you're gonna be making me your own personal entertainment, it's only polite that you at least tell me your name.”

“But, of course…” They gave a theatrical bow. “My name is-” Oddly, they verbally stumbled a moment as if unsure what to say. Then they got a practically euphoric expression and smiled. “My name is Aillun.” They stated more confidently. 

“It's nice to meet you, Aillun. You can call me Mel.” She decided she liked them—though, more in a close friend's way than in a wanting to seduce them sort. Aillun’s vibe seemed fun— like they would definitely get along amazingly—but they also seemed too unhinged for Mel's more intimate tastes. Better to cook up fun plans with, together, than to explore a path that would surely end in disaster. “So… Want to tell me about the job request you came to submit? While we figure out who you need to talk with to make it official.”

Seemingly out of boredom, Aillun suddenly flipped themselves to stand on their hands instead. “Sure. I wanted to join a local performing troupe, but I found I needed specific props to audition. So I went to have some made… but the artisans said they'd only make them to my specifications if I provided the elements needed that are less common and rarer to find. That's when I thought to just hire adventurers to gather those ingredients for me… I'm an entertainer, after all.” Mel felt like that last statement was just as much for Aillun's benefit as her own, although she couldn't figure out why. But she decided it was for the best not to push for an answer.

“So… it's sort of like a tiny quest to gather what you need for a more overarching goal? That sounds kinda cool… I'm just here because I wanted to have the ability to make some extra money, while maybe going on some adventures once in a while.”

“No need to downplay yourself so much, Mel. The world is ours to explore and benefit from as we wish…” Said the one who didn't seem to be affected by anything they didn't want to be…

Mel tried to shift her perspective again—before she went down a negative train of thought—remindingherself about the power of self-suggestion, and the effects of the opposite. “You're probably right. Confidence is key.” Mel noticed a different clerk over at a nearby counter didn't have anyone in front of them. “On a different note, that person looks like they can maybe help you with making your request official.”

Aillun followed her over that direction, only flipping back upright after they were in front of the new counter. “Greetings. I would like to make requests for a number of collection jobs. Would you be able to help me submit those requests?” 

“Of course, Sir. Just so you are aware, multiple jobs does mean that each will need its own reward and requires separate fees. I am authorized to give you a very slight discount on the fee for submitting in bulk depending on how many you have, but I want to make it clear that it won't be much.” 

“That's fine…” Aillun took out a detailed list to go over it with the worker.