Help! Bandits!

Cheyzy was the first to reach the private plane, his fire spirit drifting lazily by his shoulder. He checked the time for about the hundredth time since he received the confirmation. He was still a half hour early, bringing a small pack with all of his belongings.

"Huh. Early. What do you think Ari?"

The Pomeranian looked over at his companion, earning a weak trill of disapproval.

"Wha- you were the one that suggested this whole thing. Don't be mad just 'cause you'll napping a little bit less."

WOOOO! Today was the day! Today Dione would go on her first quest as an official guild member. The stakes were high, the excitement was big and the girl was ready to go. She quickly checked her bag which contained a few clothes and a bunch of food and bandages. Her Fairbairn-Skyes knife was securely attached to her waist and her guild ID card was packed in her wallet, safe and secure in her backpack along with everything else. 


"I'll see you guys in a few days!" The wolf quickly hugged her mum and dad and patted her brother on the head. "Take care you guys, love you!" "We love you too Dione, please be careful!" She stormed out the apartment to catch the bus she had to get, threw on her coat and ran to the busstop to sit down on the bench. Her tail was twitching and flicking from the nerves and she couldn't stop fumbling with her coat. 

When the bus arrived she was the first to get on. She would only have to wait for about twenty minutes for the bus to stop at the airport where she needed to be. In the meantime she had put in her earphones and started blasting loud music from her phone. 

Time flew by and before she knew it the bus had arrived at the small airport. She jumped off, thanked the busdriver and bolted towards the entrance of the place. It wasn't a big place and after only a double ID check (her own ID and the guild ID) she was let through to get to the private jet. 

Upon arriving there she noticed someone else was already there. They seemed to be talking to someone but that someone didn't seem to be there. Strange. A small cough to announce her presence was followed by a hesitant question. "Uhm.. hello, I take it you're from the guild as well?"

Today was the day of Caen's first actual, lawfully-sanctioned quest! Needless to say, the hedgehog was ecstatic at the thought. Not having to deal with G.U.N. on his back after narrowly avoided the explosion of a city, or dealing with a bunch of soldiers from a rogue squadron, or... Whatever, the point was, dealing with G.U.N. was a pain, and he was happy that he wouldn't have to, nowadays. At least, not as often.

The hedgehog stepped out of a taxi, after paying the driver. On top of his usual coat, boots and gloves, he wore a small messenger bag, matching his coat in colour. It contained some food (most of it being sugar-laden, as always), and some first aid supplies, just in case. 

Caen calmly strode through the double security check, for both his ID and his guild ID, which was over soon enough, and he was soon strolling towards a private jet. He pulled a phone out of his pocket, checking the time. "Early... Wonderful," he muttered to himself, tucking the device away. 

He noticed that two people were already there, talking away. A Pomeranian, by the looks, and... Wait, was that Dione?!

"Dione! You chose this quest, too?" He asked as he strode up towards them both. "Bandits, hmm? I... Wouldn't think you'd usually choose something like that." 
He turned to look to the Pomeranian "ah, where are my manners? I'm Caen. Caen Flare," he said, extending his hand towards him.

Honestly, Maxie thought, this was going to be the easiest paycheck in the world. Go to an isolated location by private jet, beat up a few nasty ruffians that think they're hot stuff, then walk home with a wad of cash. She giggled to herself, finding it a little absurd. She was Maxie - tournament fighter! (Self-declared) model! Duelling dancer! And now? A guild member! She wasn't sure if it was a step up, or a step down, but she was definitely feeling overly confident about this. And extremely giddy. Maybe it was just the idea of getting on a private jet that made her buzz, or that it was something new. Or that this all was practically a small vacation with a cute little fight to boot. But she was feeling good!

Having the advantage of wings, the white-feathered griffon had instead flew over to the airport with her small pink suitcase in hand. She waltzed through with ease, shining with confidence as she flashed her brand new shiny guild badge into the eyes of everyone. As always, the woman wasn't dressed like a fighter. She had dyed her long pink hair with a purple-y blue sheen, and each hair flick would reveal shimmering star-like glitters. Purple lipstick on her beak, and a galaxy-esque dress. If one could call it a dress. It only really reached slightly above her knees. Seems she'd traded the heart motif for something more space-y. And yet it was still as equally garish.

The hybrid had made herself very known as she arrived the growing group. Upon catching sight of the jet and the three outside it, the woman let out a loud, "OHOHOOOO~!" She pressed her gloved hands against her cheeks and called out, "Daaaarlings~! Are you all from that lovely new guild?" The griffon approached, and Maxie had her hands on her hips, "Oh this is going to be SO much fuuun!"

Boubka looked at his house while standing on the other side of the road. This house was getting emptier every year. Usually at least he and Luka were there, but since Luka is a lot in Scelus now, he has quite some time alone at home. The perfect time to spend some time doing other stuff! LIKE JOINING THE GUILD AND GOING ON ADVENTURES. He could actually earn money with this. THIS COULD BE HIS DREAM JOB. He quickly rushed over to the closest train station. From there he would get to the airport.

If people at the airport would notice him, they would point out that the fox wasn't carrying any luggage with him. The only thing he had with was his two IDs and two bottomless pockets full of chocolate. Of course he wore some clothes, but it was his usual get up. He did wear some knee and elbow protectors, but they weren't visibly there. They were hidding under his hoodie and trousers.

The whole way he was beaming with excitement. He proudly showed of his newly earned Guild ID to get to the private plane. He was the last one to arrive there, but clearly wasn't the least hyped. His ears twitched. That voice. That disgusting cheesy flirty girly voice."Oh this is going to be SO much fuuun!" "...no WAY" He ran towards the end of the hallway. A PINK SPEC IN HIS AREA OF VISION. It must be her. "Maxie!" He almost jumped on top of her, but stopped just the millisecond before that could happen. "You're in the guild as well?!" He sounded full of disbelief. He knew that the other two were in the guild. He had seen them when he went to retrieve his ID. But this was a surprise.

He quickly nodded towards the others, showing that he had seen them as well. "I haven't seen you since the TTT. Where'd ya go all of a sudden? We were supposed to share phone numbers. I'm still looking for Esme 'till this date!" He grinned, eventhough he wasn't joking.

He then looked towards the one he didn't know at all. "So does that mean you're Blitzby? Are we ready to go?"

    "Huh?"

  Cheyzy turned his head at the cough, ears twitching as his gaze met the female standing behind him. His eyes lit up some at the sight of another guild member, especially a canine like him. The spirit turned as well, it's small face scrunched up in a cutesy grumpy expression. 
  
    "Oh, uh, yeah!" 

  He smiled warmly, the blonde fluff that covered what visible parts of his body beginning to raise. He clenched his leather wrapped hands into fists, positioning them in front of his chest in an odd excited manner. It was at this time he noticed the hedgehog approaching them, tearing his attention away from the female. His grin dropped into a more curious expression, eyeing the other male as he spoke. It seemed these two knew each other...awk-ward.

  Cheyzy had already made a small list of third-wheel activities when the newcomer spoke to him, only catching the words 'manners' and 'Flare'. Was that his name? Ah, he'd figure it out later anyhow. Leather and fur met quill as he firmly gripped Caen's hand with a tight-lipped smile.

    "Nice to meet ya! Name's Cheyzy, Cheyzy Scythe! Granted, I'm a lot less dangerous than the name suggests."

  He chuckled, taking a moment to brush several rogue pastel blue strands out of his face.

  And then came the shrill cry from the heavens. Or rather, walking from the same direction everyone else had. And if the universe could have lighted up in the pup's eyes, it did in this case. All he saw was a beautiful combination of space and feathers walking towards them. He didn't even notice the fox talking to him. An extra second, and he snapped out of his daze to look over at the one he somewhat recognized as the one making a ruckus back at the main hall. So they all knew each other? What a bummer.

    "B-blitzby?"

  He blinked, the name completely going over his head.

    "N-no, my name's Cheyzy. I'm a guild m-member." 

  He began to stutter, not quite over his little episode not even moments earlier.

The other people that were supposed to come along on this quest started arriving not long after Dione had arrived. The first one to made their appearance was Caen, someone the girl had half and half expected to take part in this quest. "Yeah, you're right, I usually wouldn't, but I wanted to try and get out of my comfort zone for a change! It's good to see you again." The wolf smiled and turned back to the canine next to her. "Oh! I'm Dione by the wa-" She got cut off by a honey-sweet voice, singsonging behind them. 

She twirled around to see who the voice was coming from and noticed a girl in... galaxy??? clothing. Alright, each to their own. It was quite a contrast to her own outfit which consisted of a coat, an open flannel with a top and a pair of jeans. 'Each to their own I suppose.' Dione thought to herself. The woman's remark on fun made her eyes roll though. 'Yeah right, beating up bandits for fun.' 

'Dione you sound like a hypocrite, shut up.' Her consciousness spoke up to her about being so judgemental about the woman in galaxy but she still couldn't shake off the slight annoyance she had developed. The girl put on a fake smile and waved at the griffon. The genuininity in her smile came back once she saw Boubka running through the door however. "Hey! Bou! Didn't expect to see you here!" Once the two had joined the small group she reached out her hand to the new woman. "I'm Dione. Nice to meet you."

Caen smiled back as Cheyzy shook the hedgehog's hand, introducing himself "Id hope you're dangerous to a few bandits, at least!" He replied, his eyes scanning the spirit on his shoulders. By its appearance, the spirit appeared to have something to do with fire. 

Once he had finished greeting the Pomeranian, Caen turned to Dione, about to open his mouth to speak, until he was cut off by a disturbingly familiar laugh, that left him with a chill running down his spine. "Oh dear..." Caen muttered, turning and looking at Maxie, a fake smile on his face. She was dressed in garish colours, as always. "Ah, you're the griffon from the Christmas party, yes?" He asked, just as he noticed Bou talking to Dione. 

"This isn't going to be the most peaceful of missions, is it?" He asked himself, his ears drooping a little.

Ahahaha~! Perfect! Maxie revelled when the spotlight was on her. All eyes on her, watching her magnificent display! Giving a small twirl at the sound of a familiar voice, the griffon clasped her gloved hands together with a small chirp. One at a time, one at a time! "Ohooo~! My dearest daaaarling Boubka! Oh don't you worry your cute little head, I remember you fondly!" she responded with a girlish giggle, "Why oh WHY would I pass up the opportunity to aid in justice, mm? It's SUCH a delightful hobby, I may as well make it a job!" She pouted at the mention of the Tribulations Tournament, as it brought back memories that she wasn't fully over yet. The fight with Envy, the bludgeoning of her face and the slight humiliation. Not being able to perform her best was... embarrassing, "Mm, well. That despicable Envy caused more internal damage in my eye than I thought," a sigh and then she immediately bounced back with a wide and confident grin! Like the idea of an actual serious conversation was beneath her. Or she didn't want to discuss such morbid things in front of the others. "Nevertheless, it's WONDERFUL to see you again, honeybunch! Oh we MUST catch up on the trip there! I've missed yooouu~!"

Wrapping an arm around Boubka, Maxie turned to the rest with a wink and a flick of her lion tail. Here, she could finally properly observe each of them! The first of note was Caen, the red hedgehog. As he said, they had indeed met briefly at the christmas party. A shame she couldn't have talked to the actor longer! Dione was a rugged anchor here - both Boubka and Caen here knew her, and she was a beacon of familiarity they could all relate to. That was good. Friendships were absolutely adorable to watch! And finally, the first person here - Cheyzy. Cheyzy Scythe. What a delightfully unique name! Oh but the poor boy was feeling a little lonely and awkward. Out of place. Maxie personally didn't know what that was like -why should she?- but she could certainly assist in the matters!

Blowing a cheeky kiss at the blonde canine (you bet she saw him looking), Maxie decided to bring this around with Caen's statement. "You bet your cute butt I am, darling! The one and only Maxie! Ohohoho~!" giving off her signature shrill laugh, she recoiled her hand from Bou and gave another twirl. She stopped herself, facing them, with a sharp stomp of her purple heels against the ground. Purely for dramatic effect. "Oh of course it's not going to be peaceful! We're fighting bandits, sweetheart. They only speak violence, and haaah, luckily for them, oh I'm FLUENT in that language! If you babes were expecting something easy, something peaceful, then, well, you'd best walk away now. I'm not gonna be able to tend to your boo-boos when we're under attack!" she smiled and tilted her head to the side with a tiny hum, "And believe me, there's no better feeling than beating up some mean ol' bad guuuuys~!"

Whoops. It appeared he had mistaken someone for someone else. "O-Oh! I'm sorry. I just thought that you were the only one here that I didn't know. That's why you might've been the client." He scratched the back of his head and blushed a little. He reached out a hand for Cheyzy to shake.

But before Cheyzy had the chance to actually shake it, the griffon swung an arm at him. "Wh-oh..." Right. He couldn't quite remember why he felt so indifferent about Maxie, but now he did again. Her acting was the WORST. His doubts were there again. Just like last time it felt like she was faking the whole show. Still who really cared. She had a lot of optimistic energy in her and that's what Bou likes with people.


"I...guess we should catch up. It's been more than a year since I've seen you." He did not want to stand here right now. Could that arm please go away? This arm did not feel like a fun hug. She was pulling on him. WHY STOP. But before he could say anything, the griffon was already busy with another person. While she was talking to Cheyzy, the fox motioned towards the other two by pulling his hands through his hair and then looking relieved, trying to bring over the message that Maxie can be tiring.

He walked towards the plane. "Shouldn't we uuuuh....get going?"

Cheyzy let his gaze wander over the group, trying to glean anything from the way the others interacted. Dione. That was the wolf girl next to him. She seemed nice, although she didn't seem very amused by the griffon's 'enthusiasm'. 

  Caen. For sure that was the hedgehog's name. He had a firm grip, and his comment pulled a small chuckle from the smaller male. Ari released a calm hum at the attention shown to him, his fiery body wavering slightly. Knowing Catalyst, it was going to be more than just a few bandits. Hopefully whatever the association had planned for this whole 'team' thing would work out. And again, this one didn't seem too happy about the feathered female, though he could only tell by the face he made when the crimson spined individual muttered under his breath before plastering on a smile. 

  Boo-ka? No, wait, Boubka. Yeah, That sounded weird, but right? He was definitely the loud mouth from the main hall, but his energy was rivaling that of the other female. Though there was the whole 'Blitzby' thing, but he generally seemed apologetic about it, and was properly introduce himself before being pulled away by...

  Maxie. Wow. She was quite a show to watch. It was as if this whole adventure was some play, and she was simply playing the part of the courageous lead. And while the others seemed off about it, the small hybrid could only admire it. Their gazes met, and without missing a beat the other blew a kiss at him. All it did was make his face go completely red, and his fur rose sharply. Suddenly it was very, very hot out here. Even Ari was beginning to burn brightly in response, beginning to churr at the griffon.

  Thankfully, the pilot, followed by a couple of agents began to approach them, giving the pomeranian time to smooth his wild hair down.


  While the pilot went past them to the plane, to two in suit stopped before the group, seeming to analyze them. The taller, a komodo dragon, stopped his gaze, staring hard at the smallest of the team.

    "Catalyst, correct?"

  Cheyzy froze, slowly starting to nod his head.

    "O-oh, uh, yeah, that's my Hero name...I guess."
 
  He mumbled, stepping forward. The other agent, a short and stocky cardinal, stepped forward, pulling out a thick parcel, wrapped in brown paper.

    "You are in charge of distributing and maintaining the condition of these. They are to be returned at the end of the mission. We apologize for being so...."


    "Conspicuous."

  The reptile finished for him, earning a small nod of thanks from his partner.


    "Right, right, conspicuous. The production was a little late, so we had to bring it last minute. Next time will be much more discreet."
 
  Without waiting for any confirmation, the two turned and left, leaving a rather frazzled dog to simply stare at the backs of their blazers. He slowly turned back to them, staring down at the parcel. He looked a little sad, and extremely nervous.

    "Oh....Uhm...So..."

  He stumbled over his words,shakily opening the package. He pulled out a hand full of what appeared to be keychains, each engraved with a faintly glowing rune. Recognition flashed in the canine's eyes and he nearly dropped them out of fear. He took a deep breath, then held them out to the others.

    "These are... for protection. I'm sorry they aren't much for style or other practical use, but it's essential that you all keep these close. J-just in case..."

  His gaze nervously flickered over the others, holding the rest of the package loosely by his side.

The fact Caen couldn't even say anything because his voice would be overpowered by the loud, rather obnoxious griffon, annoyed the wolf greatly. The girl's voice sounded so... overly sweet and quite frankly a bit fake. Was she doing this intentionally? Did she think it made her look cool? Because if that was the case the answer was a definite no to Dione. 

What caught her off guard though, was the fact Maxie had wrapped an arm around poor Boubka. He seemed to not appreciate it in the slightest and the enthusiastic sparkle in his eyes about the griffon seemed to have disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. The canine couldn't help but wonder if the griffon even had any real friends or if she just drove them away with that sweet, sweet voice of hers. Perhaps she didn't put that on when she was around friends? The girl honestly couldn't tell. 

Then a few people appeared out of what seemed nowhere. Dione kept a close eye on the three men and noticed one of them was the pilot, but the other two stopped when they reached Cheyzy, asking for a certain... Catalyst? Were they gonna do something chemistry related? As long as it doesn't blow up the plane. 

While the two men were talking to Cheyzy, Maxie seemed to be talking a lot as well but Dione didn't know who she was talking to. It seemed as if she was directing her short monologue to Caen but the wolf wasn't sure about it. Also, what's with that twirl? We're not in some ballet show. "Trust me, I wouldn't ask you to." the wolf snarled at the woman's comment of 'kissing away the booboos'. "I can handle myself just fine." It was rather unlike the green wolf to react like that but Maxie was really getting on her nerves with the way she had been acting, assuming they were all small children who needed looking after by a grown-up.

After the two men had left, Cheyzy started to hand out things that looked like regular trinkets. He told the group that they were for protection and that they should keep them close to themselves, however. When he had reached her, she took it and nodded at him. "Oh, uhh thanks." The girl took a moment to inspect the small thing she had just gotten. It looked like a key chain with a faintly glowing symbol in it. Dione recognised the symbol as a rune, but couldn't tell what kind of rune it was or what it meant. She carefully put it away in one of the pockets of her jeans and smiled. 

"Boubka is right, we should go." she said as, she too, headed off to the plane, making a short sprint to catch up with her friend who had obtained the small stone before she had. "What a person she is, hm? That Maxie girl." she muttered as they walked up the stairs of the jet. Upon entering she saw a small room with a few chairs in a circle-like formation, a small table and racks to put one's suitcases or other hand luggage. After picking a chair close to the cockpit, Dione swung her backpack up in one of the racks and sat down, waiting for the rest to join her and the fox.

It was painful. The sickly-sweet tone. The sheer volume. How did one woman make that much noise? Caen couldn't quite figure it out, as every single time he tried, he was hindered by every overly stressed syllable. He let out a quiet sigh.

Maxie had turned to him, and essential confirmed that she was the loud and obnoxious diva at the Christmas party, while also making a comment about the hedgehog's derriere. "Cute... Butt...?" Caen repeated to himself. He avoided eye contact, as his cheeks went slightly red.

His mind was taken off of this when she commented on the mission. He focused particularly on the fact that the griffon found the idea of beating up bandits fun. 
"You do realise that any of us could die at any second if we get too self-confident, right?" He asked, though before his question could be answered, three people appeared, one of these being the pilot. The other two spoke to Cheyzy, or, as they referred to him, 'Catalyst'. 

Soon after they had spoken, Cheyzy opened the brown package that was handed to him, before handing over the small trinkets contained within. It looked like a... Keychain of some kind? It had a tune of some kind attached to it. Slipping it into a pocket on the inside of his coat, Caen raised his eyebrows "Um... Do you know what these do?" He asked, as he followed the group into the jet.

Before Maxie could respond to the two's remarks at her, in which Maxie gave an amused raise of her brow, the two gentleman appeared before them. She initially wanted to say a lot Dione and Caen; they shouldn't take things so seriously, and this debby-downer attitude would just depress everyone else. But she closed her beak, surprisingly. The two men mostly spoke to Cheyzy and, again, her eyebrow remained raised. A parcel? Protecting a parcel? That wasn't part of the job description. It was a simple matter stated on the mission - clear out a town of bandits for the mayor. But as she took the keyring etched with a rune, there was an... uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Like a knot that told her that there was something someone wasn't telling them. That there was more to this little quest. It was just bandits... right? Why did they need these for protection? Protection from what? The bandits? What even was it? Judging from Cheyzy's reaction, the dog seemed absolutely terrified. He practically jumped out of his skin when he saw it. He had dealt with this before, he knew. Maxie's confident and obnoxious personality broke for just a second, just a moment, as she looked at the dog with concern.

Thankfully, just as she was about to ask, Caen took the question right out of her mouth. The griffon pocketed it in her dress, making sure she could feel it against her. If she could find string, she could make it into a necklace. It was a horrid, ugly thing. Maybe she could find string long enough where it wouldn't be visible on her neck. It'd ruin her looks.

Maxie had decided that she'd be last to enter the plane. She didn't want to walk in and miss this important information, and she'd decided to firmly glue herself by the dogs side, "Yes darling, what ARE these ugly little things?" she repeated the hedgehog's question, "And, mmm... how about you tell the class who those wonderful, haaandsome men were, yes?~"

It seemed like the two people in suit handed over a parcel. They we're being pretty shady about stuff, but before Bou could even ask a question, they already left again. He grabbed one of the keychains like objects. Not knowing where to exactly put it, he tied it in one of the ropes of his hoodie. Maxie was asking the right questions, because it seemed like Cheyzy knew what these things were supposed to do. "Yeah...what can this little thingy do for us? And do you know those people?" He crossed his arms as he walked into the plane with Dione.

As he expected, Maxie rubbed Dione the wrong way. He couldn't help but laugh for a moment. He kept his voice quiet however. "She is. But don't worry too much about it. All I know is that she actually is kind of caring towards others. That's what counts. Just don't pay too much attention to her behaviour. I have difficulties with it as well don't worry. She's a lovely girl, not to speak of her fighting abilities."

Caen didn't like the way Maxie was talking as well. All this hate wouldn't make for a great party. He didn't exactly agree with what Caen said. "What you just said about taking this serious; yeah we should, but we shouldn't tense up. What can a bunch of bandits do to some superpowered heroes? I bet that the one submitting this mission was surely aware of what we're capable of. It shouldn't be impossible. Ease up. Don't get too serious about it. Too much stress kills you as well y'know..."

After entering the plane, Bou decided to not pick a seat until Maxie was seated. He didn't want to force others to sit with her. He was more than capable of sitting next to the gal. They also had a lot to catch up on probably, so it'd only be logical. Instead, to make it seem like he wasn't waiting on someone, he grabbed a few bars of chocolate out of his pockets. "Anyone would like some chocolate? I got plenty. I've heard chewing lessens the air pressure in your head."

Cheyzy breathed a small sigh of relief when Dione didn't question further into the matter of the runes, watching her and Boubka start heading for the plane. He asked about the keychains, but didn't seem as curious as the canine had expected. When he gave one to Caen and Maxie, however, that was a different story. 

  Caen was simply curious, that was understandable, but the way the griffon came up a little closer than the male would've liked made hime extremely nervous. Or was it the whole 'girl' thing? Either way, he felt his heart beginning to beat uncomfortably fast. Before he could even express anything, he felt his spirit companion encircle his head, resting on top of his pastel bangs and beginning to purr sweetly. He felt the small paws kneading on his head, and he visibly relaxed, almost purring himself. It was enough to allow him a deep breath and speak without much stuttering or shakiness.


     "Well, like I said, they're for protection. It's hard to explain, but it'll be easier once we're in the heat of battle."

  As he spoke, he kept his gaze to the ground, rubbing at the leather gloves that wrapped around his palms, leaving his fingers free. It was a quirk, to say the least. The feel of the smooth material helped him calm down further, even his voice dropping in pitch.

     "Those men are agents working with the Association. I requested that the runes were made so that I can take them with me and my partners on every quest. It...makes me feel better, I suppose. Not that I doubt anyone's skills or anything, I just....I don't want to have that burden...."

  He still danced around the truth with his words, instead focused on Ari's purrs and comforting words as they boarded the plane. Instead of sitting, he immediately went to the back of the plane, somewhat hurriedly going into the small bathroom.

  The pilot's voice crackled over the speaker, informing the heroes that they will be taking off in a few minutes, and to please take their seats.

  Shortly after, the small dog exited the bathroom, the parcel he carried now gone, though probably stored within his backpack. He decied to take the farthest seat back, closest to the window. His chest fur was freshly brushed, now covering his neck completely and spilling over his hoodie. He frowned slightly at the way his legs just hung over the edge of the seat when he scooted back, unable to touch the floor. So he just buckled his seatbelt, and quietly waited for takeoff.

"Hmm.. okay then. I'll try to keep an open mind, but she's so obnoxious.." Dione muttered and pinched the bridge of her nose before rubbing her eyes and fixing her hair. She fastened her seatbelt after hearing the pilot's request and waited for everyone else to take a seat as well so the plane could start with the take-off. 

In the meantime she listened to everyone else's conversations, trying to stay a bit in the background. As Caen walked into the jet, she patted the chair next to herself as a way to invite him to sit next to her. "Boubka's right, y'know? About the mission.. Though, I'm quite nervous myself. I just hope I don't fuck up with this new trick of mine because I don't want to be the reason people get put into danger.." The wolf spoke quietly to the hedgehog and sighed. She then took the small stone-on-a-keychain out of her pocket and inspected it intently. "Curious.." The canine decided not to pry too much about it, however, seeing as Cheyzy seemed quite wound up about the whole ordeal. 

The wolf's ears perked up at Boubka's offer of chocolate. She smiled before answering. "Yeah, I'll have some, if you don't mind! Whatcha got?"

"I'll keep it in mind, too. She may be perfectly nice, but she might need to tone down the theatrics a little bit," he said,  before putting his bag up onto the rack and sitting next to Dione. He chuckled, realising the irony of that statement "and I'm an actor," he said, leaning forwards and leaning his chin on his arm. 

As Bou replied to his comment about taking the mission seriously, the hedgehog glanced over. "If they need us 'super-powered heroes' to deal with a few bandits, you have to wonder just how powerful they are, no?" He asked, before leaning back again. "I'm just trying to be realistic. That's all."

Upon Bou's asking if anyone would like some chocolate, Caen laughed, standing up and grabbing his bag, unzipping it and tipping it a little. Lots of sugary treats began to cascade out of it, including chocolate, sweets, drinks, even cakes and pastries! It filled up a small portion of the rather large table before Caen lifted the bag again. It sounded like more were still inside! "I am far, far ahead of you on that front," he said, before realising how much of a mess he had made. He sighed, awkwardly using one arm to scrape the goods back into his bag. "If anyone wants anything, I'm also offering. That goes without saying," Caen said, laughing a little as he sat back down, buckling up.

Maxie watched Cheyzy carefully. She continued to watch as the spirit creature emerged and circled him, finally finding a place upon his head. Regarding the key-runes, he spoke not of this mission, but every mission he went on. For protection. Were these ruins capable of deflecting damage from the holder? Was Cheyzy just paranoid? Or was there something more to it? And the Association? What Association? Her mind circled with questions, yet her beak remained closed. The griffon disagreed with Cheyzy, she most certainly did not want to find out about these in the heat of combat. Indeed, this seemed like the worst place for new discoveries. The distraction of this rune pulling out tricks could be a few seconds where the enemy could get a hit in. She wasn't paranoid, but she was a trained fighter. Seconds counted, and keeping secrets and staying vague wasn't something she could respect when they were fighting.

She didn't have a chance to offer these questions to him before he was off into the plane. The hybrid pouted, crossing her arms, "Oh boo, why are all the cute ones always so mysterious?" she grumbled in frustration. Taking her large bag, her wide grin appeared on her face once more and she followed the group inwards! Even just going inside of a plane was a moment to show off for her, from the way she swayed those hips, swung her tail, and clacked her large, purple heels against the surface. Maxie was a constant performer, and she took every waking moment to practice.

She took a seat herself, just to the side of the others. She wasn't oblivious, she wasn't stupid. She could see them whispering. She could see the annoyed glances. It's not like this was something new to her. But it's not like she cared for it either, nor was she hurt by it. They'd warm up eventually, but she wasn't going to change for someone else. If they didn't like who she was, then it was their problem, not hers. Though speaking of... "Eurgh!" Maxie exclaimed at the pile that Caen had produced, "Oh babe do you KNOW what that would do to my figure?" her fingers slowly traced down said figure, ending at a slap of her thighs, "You're SUCH a sweet thing for offering, but honey I'm not wanting to be fattened up! Disgusting!" She pulled her tongue and dramatically turned her head away, crossing her arms in protest. She was a dancer, she couldn't afford to eat such crap! Thank goodness it wasn't fast food, that stench knocked her sick.

Something didn't quite add up here. Cheyzy requested those items to protect the team from something. It would be his burden if something would happen. Yeah right. Bou could easily point out what was the problem here. Cheyzy had powers that were destructive and these things were definitely gonna save the party from that power. He didn't want to ask however if that was true. What he did ask was. "In the heat of battle? You can't be serious right? Why can't you explain it to us just right now?"

As he took the spot next to Maxie. He tried to think about what kind of flavours he had with him. "Eeeeehm....I've got dark, milk, white, hazelnut...I think I even have some butterscotch with me! Which one would ya like?" Then Caen showed his pile of sweets. Oh boi was Bou in heaven. His eyes were glowing, looking at the mess the hedgehog had made. Something was not right however. "Far ahead?" He mumbled. Now this hedgehog didn't know how much could fit into his pockets. Not that his pockets looked full or anything, they actually looked completely empty. Did he even have chocolate bars with him?

He seemed a bit dissapointed about Maxie's remark about chocolate. "Don't you know that chocolate is actually really healthy for you? If you eh....don't eat too much of course." He grinned. "Anyway, how have you been doing after the TTT? Anything interesting happened? Have you seen Esme again already?" He crossed his legs and put his hands on the back of his head as he assumed a relaxed position in his seat.

As promised, the plane began its takeoff shortly after the announcement, and the blonde mobian quickly regretted his window seat. Just the thought of being so high made him sick, and he considering the last time he was in a plane, he wasn't very fond of them either. The small light indicating that electronics were now allowed flickered over his head softly.

    The chatter of the others up front only made the small hybrid sigh, pulling out his earbuds from his jacket pocket. Ari frowned at the gesture, retorting several lower pitches churrs at his furry partner.

  "Go up there if ya want Ari. I'm jus' gonna dig a little more into this place. Form a game plan, ya know? That way none of us are goin' in blind."

  'Jeez, I'm already exhausted from just putting this thing on. At least that mean these things are the real deal.'

    He almost muttered the thought to himself as he pulled out a small tablet, ignoring several more aggravated sounds from the spirit hovering in front of his face with a simple push of a button on his music player.

    So, instead of hanging out with him, Ari instead drifted forward to the other heroes to listen in on the conversation. He took a spot on an empty armrest, wrapping his 'tail' around it to get comfortable.

The pile of food only grew bigger as Dione added her own small packages of savoury snacks to it. "Ehm... well, in that case I'll take the dark, Bou!" She smiled and took the bar he was holding out for her. She overheard Maxie's short explanation on why she wouldn't eat sweets and thought for a second. The wolf dug through her bag, knowing she had also packed a few apples. She was initially gonna save them for later, but she figured she'd offer one to Maxie now, feeling back for her since everyone was enjoying a sweet snack except for her.

"Hey uhm.. it was Maxie, right? I don't know if you want them, but I have a few apples as an alternative to chocolate and other sweets." She held one out for her, waiting for her to reply or take it. She had spoken before realising she had rudely interrupted Boubka and his conversation with the griffon. "OH! SORRY!" She blushed and quickly turned away, trying to take the attention away from her. The canine also noticed that the small fire blob belonging to Cheyzy had left his owner and joined the others from the group, apparently listening to what they were all saying.

Caen looked down to his bag, again, blushing a little as the plane began to take off. Maxie was right. It was absolutely gross, wasn't it? "Yes, it does seem a little... Excessive, doesn't it?" He said, a little bit quieter than his usual voice. "It turns out using pyrokinesis drains my blood sugar so quickly that it's low a lot of the time. So, I must take necessary precautions... Talking of which..."

Caen reached into the bag, and, after a little rummaging, pulled out a croissant in a small bag. It looked to be dusted with sugar, and was probably filled with chocolate, or similar confectionery. "I didn't get any breakfast, so, if you'll excuse me.." He said, unwrapping it, before he took a bite. 

As he ate, his eyes met Ari, who had wrapped its tail around the arm of a seat next to him. He smiled gently, reaching out to attempt to pet him. He was a our, after all, so surely a fiery being such as it would not hurt him?

Maxie pulled a face of disgust as the pile of sugary goods began to rise with the addition of Dione's haul. Did no-one back any sandwiches, any fruit bars? Was it really all just... crap? The occasional thing, sure, but that was a mountain! They weren't planning to live off this for the next few days, were they? Then again, it was expected of children, she thought. She immediately took back that thought, thinking it was perhaps a little too judgemental. Even so, the repulse of the scene was not lost on her face.

Thankfully, the conversation had moved onto something else. The Tremendous Tribulations Tournament! Turning her head away, the griffon gave a tiny laugh. Well, tiny for her anyway. It was still quite loud and abrasive, "Ohohoooh~! Oh you sweet little thing! You were thinking about meeee~!" she chirped, clasping her hands together with a wide, satisfied grin, "I've been FINE, darling. Wonderful, even! Partaking in some fun little fighting tournaments here and there, but certainly not at the graaaand scale of the Tribulations Tournament! And, hoh, thankfully my opponents there were a lot more respectful of my gorgeous face!" To emphasise this, the griffon brought a hand down her cheek with a small, content hum. Her fingers glided across her eye, a small reminder to Bou at what happened with the fight against Envy. "How abo-OH!"

Before she could continue and return the question, there was suddenly the offer of an apple being thrust at her! She didn't seem to mind that it had cut her off, and indeed a wide smile spread across her beak! "Oh DARLING you're so SWEET! You, honey, know how to treat a woman on a diet just right! Thankyoooouu~!" taking the apple, Maxie threw it between her hands, "Mmm... I just want to pinch your cheeks, you cute green wolf! You're adorable!" And then she bit into it with a loud crunch. Swallowing as Dione receded to have her conversation elsewhere, Maxie blew a kiss at her as thanks. Or, well, you could interpret it as a thanks.

"Oh what a lovely babe! More people need to be like her!" Maxie leaned forward towards Bou, placing the apple on the seat table in front of her. She fluttered her eyelashes, mushing her gloved hands against her own cheeks in curiosity. Giving a catlike grin, she purred: "Anyway, before that interlude, What have YOU been up to, sweetheart? I've not heard a peep of Esme. Seems she's off doing her own thing! Without us! How rude!"

It seemed like Cheyzy was full-on ignoring him. That wasn't nice. Well then. He looked at the keychain he got, now tied to his hoodie. Doesn't seem like the thing itself was going to tell him anything. It seemed like he actually had to wait until the heat of battle. Oh well. Surprises make the fights interesting at least?

The fox couldn't help but grin at Maxie. Her way of doing things and talking and just the whole 'Maxie' thing was so funny to him. He had to do his best to not just laugh at it. Not that he meant bad, he just thought of it as a joke. This was Maxie trying to be funny, right?

He felt a bit hungry after the plane had finally stopped elevating. He reached with his hand into his pocket and snatched a bar of chocolate for himself out of it, after giving a dark chocolate one to Dione. His own was one with hazelnuts. He took a big gnaw out of it and listened to what Maxie had to say about her adventures.

Suddenly Maxie got interrupted by Dione. Oh no. Oh no she got interrupted. Bou expected a bomb of salt to fall in the plane, but Maxie actually acted very sweet towards Dione. Actually, a bit too sweet. Oh no. Oh no she's being Maxie. Before Dione could say anything back, he quickly said something as well. "Yeah thanks Dio! That's quite thoughtful of you. I have a salad with me, but that one's for dinner. Hope ya understand."

He then crossed his arms. "Wellp, guess Esme's been hidden pretty well then. I expected her to join the guild too when it started. Maybe she'll come later." Right. Maybe she didn't know of the guild yet. It was their job to make it famous enough for her to join. "And yeah! That's indeed very rude!" He laughed. "How dare she go on adventures without us!" Then he realised he went on his own adventures too without Maxie. Maybe it was a little hypocritical then. "Well uh, I've been doing some stuff. I also went to a tournament! And I turned out to be 2nd best in my age class, which is preettyyy good so yeah. Also I saved an owl from an evil woman aaand I helped a guy with destroying a weapon of mass destruction. Oh I also stopped a kid and an adult from punching each other's head in at a pizza restaurant. Those are like the most important things I did. I guess...?" Was that okay? Probably that was okay.