Event || Custom Fit

[eternitymods]

Who: All
When: September 10th to September 30th
Where: Curti Center and mines around the world
What: Characters assist Ganeshan in developing Custom Jobs.
Warnings/Notes: OOC Post

A. The Lab

As much as Ganeshan requires supplies to create Custom Jobs, he need help at home base. With the large number of potential applicants, outworlders and Curti Center employees are invited to help out in the lab, not only with testing transfer of Jobs to crystals, but in developing the abilities and running safety tests.

Easier said than done when all of these cats aren't roaming throughout the center and claiming everything to be their sitting spot. The interns are trying their best to catherd to little avail.

B. Job Development

The break room contains formal submission papers and pamphlets describing the steps required to develop a Custom Job. Senior employees are available to help characters workshop the abilities, but they mostly want to remain in the break rooms to avoid Ganeshan's constant Job mania. His booming voice is muffled through the doors, interspersed with allergic sneezing.

A room has been prepared for those to practice using their basic job abilities, primarily in making sure they're stable yet not too weak. There is a chance that an improper ability extraction can go wrong and hurt the user, so Ganeshan has group of White Mages are on standby in case things go south.

For those that would rather have all the fun without the work, there is the Ability Simulation and Modeling Room, where characters can design their abilities on the computer and see them play out on the screen before them. There's no limit here, and since Jessie is too busy to keep an eye on everyone, the outfits and visual effects have the potential to get...very, very silly.

C. Heigh-Ho

It's off to work you go. Those crystals won't mine themselves, and anyone strong enough must enter the mine in search of the necessary material. It's tedious, difficult work, and some of these are embedded so deeply in the rock that they might be more trouble than they're worth. Not to mention those gross bugs might not like their homes to be disturbed.

There's also the fact that monsters have a tendency to wander inside and attack, so they'll need some reliable body guards.

There should be more crystals deeper inside, but someone else will have to scout the area...

D. Explore the Dungeon

Which is where this team comes in. All the good stuff is deep in this mine, and reliable navigators are necessary to map out the tunnels without getting lost. There's also the fact that the previous owners of a time long ago didn't want opportunists to take their precious resources and outfitted the rooms with puzzles.

Door Locks are puzzles. Pressure plates activate traps. It's the ultimate test of critical thinking. Some of these don't make sense if you think for too long. Why did they go through all the trouble to program time-based puzzles with falling blocks and symbols? The Pupu are strange. At least the bats here are easy to fight, and the mine cart rides are fun.

Comments

OTA

[balancingedge]

A. A Wolf's Best Friend
As if Parasraya wasn't enough of a headache with the plethora of cats and the cosmic wolf wanting to adopt them all. He came to practice working with the custom job system. Not get roped into helping interns catherd... even if he has some experience with it, now.(At least they aren't hippos; he can control himself a little.) He doesn't really have any toys with him to use as lures, but one cat in particular really seems to like riding on his wolf's back. Who is now looking at him with that pleading glint in those big yellow eyes.

"Don't give me that look," he tells the canine, who whimpers. "No. You have plenty of friends back in Arito." He doesn't stop. Oh, god. Keith's going to cave at this rate.

B. One Paw in the Door
Option B-1:
Keith went over the papers and pamphlets carefully, studying them as he waits for his turn. While he knows what to expect, he has to pause at how the workers stop to look at him and the animal curled up at his feet with intrepidation. He tries to pay them no mind before he approaches once his name is called.

But the problem with having a giant wolf who is longer than you are tall by perhaps a few centimeters is that the lab techs seem very... apprehensive. About his presence and refusing to let him into the testing room. Keith kneels down beside him, and wraps an arm around the large, furry neck.

"He won't hurt you or disassemble any of the equipment; see?" He pets the wolf's head, and the wolf closes his eyes and leans into it; opening his eyes again when he stops. He sits beside Keith as the young man stands again. "He's my partner. Let him in with me."

Option B-2. A Light Warm Up
It takes a bit of convincing, but eventually the lab techs allow the two inside. The moment they do, it's like his senses are less dulled; more fine-tuned and back to normal. He feels lighter on his steps. Okay. Start with the basics.

He checks his suit's functions one by one. Comms, active; air recycling, active; jet pack, fully functional and not something to test in closed quarters; bayard?

He holds out his left hand over the weapon hanging form his hip, and it disappears then flashes back into his in a vibrant red glow. Perfect; Keith smirks, looking down to his wolf friend. "Alright, let's test this out. Other side of this room."

He rests his free hand on the beast's neck, and they zap out and back into existence; crossing the span of the entire room in the blink of an eye. The cosmic wolf stands up on all fours straighter, perking up at this as his tail swings from side to side. Keith summons his shield as the wolf teleports on its own; it's sparring time.

The wolf leaps and teleports again, meeting the shield as Keith holds it up, teleporting again as he dismisses it and dodges to the side as he lunges again. Their little game of wolf and lion continues for a good five minutes until the wolf knocks the bayard from Keith's hand and teleports one last time; right into him and tackling the paladin to the ground. He licks Keith's helmet, tail wagging happily. "Alright, you win this round." He reaches up and pats his head. "We'll see if you're that lucky when we both are at one hundred percent, boy."

Satisfied, the wolf trots to the side and nudges him with his wet nose; offering a paw up, so to speak. Keith takes it, though he concentrates before he fully stands. The bayard returns to his hand in another flash of red and that smirk crosses his lips again as he places it back on his belt. He stands, and pets his furry friend again. "We'll come back tomorrow so you can spread your legs out a bit more." Hopefully no one was waiting by the door; they might just get tackled and licked by a certain cosmic hound, too.

b-2

[garyoutensei]

Another part of Shiro's crew, one she hadn't formally met yet. She watched the spar between the young man and his furry companion pretty closely, eye following each motion, making note of reflexes, purposeful actions, instincts and strategy...

By the time it was all done, she found herself pretty damn impressed. This guy could definitely go. So could the wolf. Despite that, her aura probably wouldn't come off as particularly welcoming to the wolf... Better to give her space, friend.

"Not bad. You're one of Shiro's kids, right?"

[balancingedge]

Not welcoming, indeed. The wolf growls at her presence, and Keith glances down to him before violet eyes meet Baiken's singular one. He removes his helmet, that stare becoming far more prominent without the glare of the lights reflecting on his visor.

"Uh, is your eyesight that bad?" It's an honest question, because he's both somewhat confused and very put off. He's only a few inches shorter than Shiro is, and almost the same age. "Plus, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have kids."

More than sure, even; he knows Shiro doesn't swing that way.

[garyoutensei]

Well there goes what little smile she had. Her eye rolled.

"I didn't mean literally," she shook her head, letting out a sigh. "Also, try not to make eyesight cracks around people like me," she gestured to the patch over her left eye. Not that she thought he'd meant it with any malice. Or probably was even talking about her eye, given his confusion about the kids remark. But hey. Context. "Might not go over well, with some people."

[balancingedge]

Keith blinks once. "It wasn't?" He meant it; more out of consideration of the other in case they have to watch each other's backs at any point. "Sorry if it came across that way."

He's best friends with Shiro, and even if he wasn't, it isn't in his nature to mock anyone with obvious wounds or old injuries. "That said, I think he'd be upset if anyone called us his 'kids'. Most of us were cadets before we were chosen as Paladins, and I think at this point only Pidge is a kid in the first place." He takes a step forward. "We're a team, and I'm their leader."

[garyoutensei]

"Yeah, he didn't much care for it," a shrug. "But I'm not that picky. Lemme see if I can remember which one you are from Hunk's stories...," she hummed.

"Lance, right?"

[balancingedge]

Well, if there was anything that could have elicited a growl from him, it was that. He tilts his chin down as his gaze narrows; a hint of warning as his shoulders roll back. Not just because of the mention of Hunk, but the blatant disregard of what the Paladins are in reality. Most of them had their families waiting for them on Earth, and none of them would appreciate hearing them called as anyone but their actual parents' kids.

He's no exception to that rule, even if his only family was with him before he woke up here.

"Keith," he corrects, tone cold. "And you may not be, but none of them appreciate being called kids." They are soldiers, Paladins above all else. "Since you seem to know of the others, who are you?"

[garyoutensei]

"Easy there, buddy," Baiken shrugged. "I ain't saying that as an insult to your pride. Age is pretty pointless when you're put in a position where it's act or die. I've lived the sort of life where the distinction is meaningless...," a small sigh.

"But noted. I won't call you that if it really does bother you that much. I don't intend to make an enemy of you. Hunk was...," a small pause. "Hunk *is* my friend. And Shiro is my ally. I plan on keeping it that way."

[balancingedge]

"Pride has nothing to do with it." Not this time, at any rate. "And if you consider him an ally, you have a funny way of showing it." He raises an eyebrow, contemplating on whether he should even say something about it. Weighing out his options for a moment as he steps closer, still not lowering his guard.

Screw it.

"It's creepy calling someone's boyfriend their 'kid,' and I'm pretty sure we don't share that kink." Yep. He went there. So, congratulations, Baiken. You accidentally stepped on very shaky ground with that inquiry. "Stand aside."

He's leaving, and someone's in the door.

A

[chocobosnap]

It was a really cute wolf, with very unique colouring, strolling about and Prompto couldn't help but make a pleased noise. "Awwww."

He didn't know who the animal belonged to, but since it wasn't ripping his arm off, it was maybe friendly?

He crouched down with a big grin and beckoned the animal. He hadn't seen Keith, but he did see a gorgeous looking member of the canine family. "Hey there!"

[balancingedge]

The wolf didn't go very far from his owner. Especially considering how the lab techs viewed him as a threat. He was an intelligent canine, he wasn't about to pose as a threat to the staff. His half-human told him not to. That being the case, said man wasn't far and noticed the vaguely familiar blond Kosmo tilted his head toward in slight curiosity. The cosmic wolf likely caught the similar scent of a certain someone's chocobos on his clothing.

"He doesn't understand most normal gestures," Keith warned, crossing his arms with an amused smirk crossing his lips. "Prompto, right?"

[chocobosnap]

"Oh. R-Really?" Prompto asked, blinking a few times.

"Ah, y-yeah, that's me!" He smiled shyly and waved a little. "I was just..."

He wasn't trying to beckon the wolf and take him home or anything, he just wanted to pet him a little, but Kosmo didn't seem all that interested, from what he could tell.

"Sorry."

[balancingedge]

"Yeah," he started; still just as amused. "Tried teaching him how to play fetch, and all he did was gave me the same look he gave you."

He's still a little sad about that, but they had other things to worry about in the meantime that took precedence. He raised an eyebrow at the sudden apology. Again? "Why are you apologizing?" He knew where Kosmo's loyalty lay. Who he saw as pack. "He expects pets and hugs, and pretty sure he smells the same feathery friends' scent on you as your friend."

[chocobosnap]

Prompto blinked, was Keith going to ask him that every time he got nervous and apologized?

"I'm...n-no reason." Sometimes, he really hated how his brain worked.

"Which friend?" Prompto asked, because it could have been any of them, although he was probably the one that smelled most like chocobos. He held out his hand to Kosmos so he could sniff him appropriately.

[balancingedge]

Yes, yes he would; mostly because he is confused by it. Give him a little while longer, and he might connect the dots. Especially with that response. Huh. Interesting.

"Noctis. He stayed at our place until you guys got there?" He hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him, however. He needed the space and he recognized the signs of "the wrong prodding and he might explode" sort of deal. Considering he's a stranger, he likely would have triggered that response.

Kosmo, meanwhile, nudged that hand after a sniff. No threat; not that Keith had any doubts. The guy seemed relatively harmless when they first met.

[chocobosnap]

"Oh, yeah, Noct!" He smiled brightly.

"Th-thanks for looking after him. I know he was pretty..." Upset, understandably so, but still.

"But I think he's doing better now."

[balancingedge]

"Don't mention it." He returned the smile with a faint one of his own. "And I'm sure Shiro will be happy to hear that, if he doesn't already know and they aren't off gathering crystals again."

His wolf friend looks back at him. What? It's true.

...

Fine, he'll elaborate. "It's never easy, but I'm glad we were able to help somehow." Happy now?

A

[doodlebuginette]

"Are you helping, too?"

Marinette had been attempting to wrangle cats for most of the morning by this point. It was only slightly trickier than she'd anticipated. But she'd managed to gather up an army (of about six or seven) who seemed content enough to allow her to herd them in this general direction. She's also carrying a couple of kittens.

"I hope you're having better luck than I've been having."

[balancingedge]

"Yeah," he replied, sighing as Kosmo continued to give him the puppy look. "Herding cats is something of an art form Shiro and I mastered.... kind of. He's still better at it than I am."

Kosmo whined again, earning another stare. "He really wants to bring them home."

[doodlebuginette]

"I know the feeling." Though really, wrangling Chat was probably a little different than herding literal felines. For instance, most cats didn't insist on trying to jump into danger to shield someone else. "Does he have a lot of cats?"

Shiro didn't really... seem like the type to have a lot of pets, but she supposed stranger things were possible. Kosmo whining just made her chuckle, though. "But if we bring them all home, the ones we already have might get sad~"

Would reasoning with Kosmo work? Who knew.

[balancingedge]

Aw, that's cute. She thought he was being literal. Though in this case, with how many felines are surrounding them, he guesses he could see why. He'll be merciful this time. "Other than all the cats we brought back from Parasraya? Not really. But he had us to deal with."

Now that he looks back on it, he's pretty sure no one at the Garrison had pets. Guess he'll be the first exception. Whenever they get back home, anyway. He looks back at Kosmo, who only lowers his head slightly. Yeah, good luck with that Marinette. He can't believe he'd bet on his wolf for this one.

[doodlebuginette]

Look, she's not going to claim to know everything about you guys. How is she supposed to know these things unless she asks? "Ooh." Honestly, she can't decide if that's better or worse. "Is dealing with all of you the same as herding a bunch of cats?" Marinette can't really say anything, though, because she's never had an actual pet before, and Chat hardly counts.

Though she supposes it's just as much her fault for never having a pet before. It wasn't like she wasn't allowed so much as that she'd never asked. And then she met Tikki and became Ladybug, and Marinette honestly wouldn't have had time for a pet even if she'd wanted one. And then she came here, so it was probably a good thing she didn't have one.

[balancingedge]

Fair enough. Though considering the antics they got up to, he thought it would have been obvious give it a few more weeks for your Shiro to declare a prank war, Keith; it'll be obvious then.

"It was at the beginning. Lance liked to pick fights with me ever since our cadet days." He reaches down to pat Kosmo's head. Yeah, not going to explain further.

[doodlebuginette]

Maybe it should have been obvious to the casual observer, but unless one was a certain French model, one could assume with relatively little doubt that they didn't have her full attention.

"And now you're really good friends." Anyone with eyes can see that much, at least. And she sort of knows the feeling, even if her situation isn't the same. Which, honestly, she still doesn't know all that much about them. But Hunk had told her just enough, before he'd disappeared, to make her worry about them all. "I don't have any fighty friends like that, so I'm a little jealous."

[balancingedge]

"That's- one way to put it." He'd more say that he was the annoying brother he never wanted but got saddled with anyway. Or the one he doesn't trust behind the wheel, but... Not reopening that can of worms. "He's my right hand man."