[Mari]

"Oh... Okay." Little Arle replied in disappointment. But she wanted to talk about Rider's horns! ...Did asking why count as mentioning them? She considered this for a moment. Given that Arle was five years old, though, it was probably inevitable that her curiosity take over. "...Why though?" Arle wound up asking, unable to contain her curiosity for any longer.

None of this, however, would stop her from piping up once Groose started flexing his masculinity.

"I bet they aren't so tuff~ I can take them!"

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rulue could only stifle a giggle as she heard Arle's proclamation. How cute. Regardless of such, she rallied all participants in order to get moving to The Vulnerary. Guess she was just used to design the 'leader' role to herself when no one would step up to do so.

"All right, that's enough time wasting. Let's get going, shall we?" She said before going towards the exit and waiting for the whole group to follow.

Rider was kind of expecting Little Arle to ask why, so she just...mentally steeled herself before she went on and revealed a rather...personal reason whilst she made her way towards the exit.

"My horns...are basically a rare sight. I don't think there was someone else with them back at Primp Town..." She said. "I-I'd be more comfortable if there was someone else with these, b-but...I'm the only one..."

[TartoonHand94]

Arle’s adorable display of vigour could only inspire a chortle of laughter from Groose.
“Dawww Ain’t that cute? She thinks she can fight bad guys.” Groose chuckled in a condescending coo.
“Aw, Isn’t That cute? He thinks she’s kidding.” Zelda snarked a Groose giving an encouraging wink to Arle. The wink, much to anyone’s surprise was sincire. To come to possess the Goddess Sword of all things was more than enough to convince Zelda that Arle could be believed in.
“Yes you’re right Rulue, let us be on our way. So we can prove just how tough you are Arle” She gently pet Arle as she rode on Rider’s back. “Goodness knows with a mouth as big as his, Groose is going to need saving.~”

“Hey!” Groose pouted as yet another quip was made at his expense.
He had to hustle behind the party upon realising he was the last one through the exit where his and Zelda’s loftwings were waiting.

[Mari]

"Oh... Alright." Little Arle relented. Hmm... Horns definitely weren't becoming. She could see why Rider might be ashamed of them. And yet... "I'm the strongest in kindergarten!" Arle remarked rather proudly in a matter-o-fact tone up at Groose and Zelda. She then looked about for a couple of moments, her gaze drifting between the various assembled adults. Who did she ask important questions..? After a long moment's consideration, she settled for letting her questions hang in the air for anyone to answer. "...Can I have horns too?" Little Arle asked. Apparently, she wanted to be more like Rider. How the others chose to consider her request would likely have an impact on her feelings.

Meanwhile, the group is now on their way towards the Black Market. They still have a good walk ahead of them though--or at least most of them did. Little Arle was still quite content to hitch a ride.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rulue simply kept walking to the Black Market, not paying much attention to the conversation at hand. However, she kept taking turns on looking at the two kids in order to not lose sight of them and looking around the general area in case of any kind of danger. Wouldn't want to lose the two or endanger them, am I not right:?

Rider, however, stopped as she heard Little Arle's rather silly question. Did...did she actually mean that? She tried to hide her face as a couple of tender tears fell down, alongside a sniffle escaping her. Rulue seemed to take notice of what happened.

"Hey...are you all right...?"


"...Heehee...don't worry....I'll be fine..." Rider said, wiping the tears away.

[TartoonHand94]

“Meh, I’ll believe it when I see it.” Groose rested the matter of Arle’s strength with a dismissive shrug.
“And that time will surely come soon enough.” Zelda continued to encourage Arle to dismiss Groose’s comments. Zelda and Groose both rounded up their Loftwings and led them to walk along beside them on their way to the Black Market.

They weren’t very far into their hike when Groose’s gaze drifted to Rulue who was keeping a watchful eye on Arle and Rider. Looking at Arle riding on Rider’s back gave Groose an idea.
“Say, y’know what?” Groose cleared his throat and began to strike up a chat with Rulue.
“It’s gonna take forever to get to that Vulnerable place at this pace. A rare chickadee as pretty as yourself shouldn’t need to walk anywhere!” he began his pitch.
“So I was just thinking: Why beat your feet when you can fly in style?”

Groose gave out a whistle with a different inflection to a standard Loftwing call. Groose's Loftwing, sporting a stylish pompadour of its own, took the cue, spread its large wing wide, took off. The dark violet bird showed off by gliding in an circle in the skies above.
Even Zelda couldn’t help but be impressed at the Loftwing’s technique. She had to wonder how long it took Groose to teach it to do that by itself. It even did a loop-de-loop before gracefully touching back down beside its smugly smiling master.


“So. Which one of you lucky ladies would like to fly with Air-Groose?~” Groose confidently invited any perticular lady to ride with him, stroking his Loftwing’s pompadour proudly.
Zelda could only giggle and shake her head at the transparency of what Groose was trying to do.
“Now now, Don’t be lazy, Groose.~ You know it is not That far of a walk.” Zelda burst his bubble while coyly rolling her eyes.  
“I don't know about you, but our legs work just fine. I bet even your Loftwing would happily make the trip on foot.” she noted as she pet her own bird who was walking alongside her on its beak.

[Mari]

Little Arle looked around in confusion. Wh-Why was everyone ignoring her..? She bet someone would've answered her question if she were big... The smallest girl felt kind of stupid now that she was being ignored, not quite grasping why Rider was crying. "Sorry..." Little Arle whispered, lamely burrying her face in Rider's hair for a moment as if to hide herself from view. ...It wasn't very effective.

She was, however, distracted by Groose's unsubtle flirting. Arle's expression twisted into a pout for a moment as she watched him flirt with Rulue. Are you... a little jealous there, Arle? This quickly passed however as she finished absorbing what he said and snapped to attention.

"Gawoose, your plan is for the birds~"

One couldn't really undersell the fact that Groose was being mocked by someone young enough to mispronounce his name even after hearing it several times. As if on cue, however, Zelda was proven right as the black market quickly drew near. One could tell they'd changed locations because some of the shadier residents began giving them the stink eye as they approached. ...Perhaps not even the criminals of the life sphere approved of bringing little kids here? It was unlikely any given one of them would make a move, however. The risk came with the few who just might...

[TheSpatialWeeg]

“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Rider uttered softly to Little Arle as she apologized. “You just...made me very happy by asking that.” She went on to say. If Rider could, she’d took a moment to pet or even hug Arle, but these words would have to do the job.

Rulue, on the other hand, started laughing the moment Little Arle mocked Groose. “Good job for laying out what I think, Arle.” she commented before noticing the Black Market coming into sight. Her face turned serious as she got ready for a possible fight as they looked for The Vulnerary….the shop, not the item.

[TartoonHand94]

Zelda had to quickly cover her mouth and fight hard to keep from succumbing to a sudden burst of laughter like Rulue did. What managed to leak was a cute little giggle. Just barely keeping composure she pet the adorable little scamp in approval.
“She’s got a point, y’know.~” She pointed out in a teasing tone. Groose could only squint indignantly. He couldn’t care less what Arle thought of him, but it’s Zelda and Rulue’s laughter that bugged him.

“…Don’t listen to her.” Groose encouraged his Loftwing, who wasn’t showing any signs of being bothered by Arle in the least, by petting it on its beak. “But the blue babe’s laughing…we’re totally wearing her down.~” He whispered with a wink to the still indifferent Loftwing. It could only caw neutrally at Groose’s petting. All it was really only concerned about were the treats Groose was due to give after doing tricks, which it promptly started pecking at his pockets for.

The mood managed to shift neigh instantly upon crossing into the Black Market. Zelda began to grip Arle’s hand just a little tighter than before.
Groose began walking even closer to the party than before, cocking his head around like a pigeon, keeping a hawk’s eye open for anyone suspicious looking back at them.

[Mari]

Little Arle giggled and leaned her head into Zelda's hand, brushing up against the hand that was petting her in a rather affectionate manner. She apparently appreciated the gesture. Just how different was she from her older self, anyway? Glowing with praise all around, Little Arle beamed up at the two taller woman before her bright smile was distorted by a yawn. She then moved to rest her head against Rider's, going into low energy mode.

"I guess everything's okay, then... I just wish someone had answered." Arle murmured, likely only audible by Rider. She'd have to go find a costume with horns for halloween and show it off to Rider.

...

The group would soon arrive at the vulnerary unhindered. So far so good--no attackers. It was a tiny little, very ...handmade looking shack that looked like it had been built literally inside an alley. Was that even legal? ...Weird life sphere rules. Entering the tent-hut-shack thing, the group would become aware of an old woman who was more wrinkle than human. She wouldn't look out of place playing the witch from Snow White. The woman's eyes were covered by her hood, but the lower half of her face was entirely visible. "Aaaah... Welcome. It's not very often that I see a family enter my shop. What can I do for you..?" the woman asked, leaning forward a bit. She had a slightly creepy body language to her on top of her generally sketchy appearance, but how dangerous could a little old lady be?

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rider allowed Little Arle to rest upon her. She seemed to be tired, so she softened her grasp a tiny bit to make the little sorceress a bit more comfortable. Seems like she knew that Arle would eventually know the answer to her question by herself, so she didn't answer. Rulue simply looked at the two before noticing The Vulnerary coming to view. Huh, it looked...awkwardly simple for a shop. The Fighting Queen knocked on the door twice before opening it, coming face-to-face with the owner of the shop. Rulue kept a close eye on her for any kind of funny movements.

Rider, on the other hand, got a bit flustered when the old lady called them a 'family'. Well, now that she thought about it, one could get that impression. "U-um...actually, we're just friends..." she tried to correct the lady before settling on letting the silence fly by. Of course, someone had yet to explain their visit...

...and Rulue decidedly picked up the slack. "Do you see this girl resting on her?" She asked, pointing to Rider and by extension, Little Arle. "She was originally 16, but someone or something de-aged her back to 5. We're hoping to see if you could find a way to fix this problem."

[TartoonHand94]

Zelda beamed right back down at Arle’s adorable yawning face. To think the Goddess Sword chose such a precious little girl as its wielder. If Zelda were a sword, she’d pick her too, except, what a premature choice. One’s first instinct would be to protect her rather than ask her for protection. And yet she saw the sword in Arle’s bad with her own eyes. How so very intriguing…
Speaking of protection, the grownups posse surrounding Little Arle managed to deliver her safely through the Black Market. Another successful escort all thanks to the Groose. He’d like to think so anyway. The group finally arrived at the humble, very humble looking vulnerary.
“This is the Vulnary?” Groose asked in disappointed disbelief.
“This Is the address...” Zelda answered, hesitant doubt in her voice as well.
“Looks like they could use all the business they can get.” Groose scoffed at the shoddy state the so called establishment was in.
Entering the shack first to check for any danger inside, Groose reeled at the sight of the old lady’s chin. He had made friends with elderly women before, but even he had a wrinkle threshold.
“Great Ganders Granny! We came looking to buy something but We should be selling you some skin lotion!” Groose gawked the first thing that spilled into his mind.
“Groose!” Zelda glared as she came in after him. “How could you be so rude!”

“I am So sorry for his decadence, miss.” She quickly turned to her in sincere apology. “Groose, what do you have to say for yourself?” She asked him rhetorically, holding him firmly by his ear.
“Ouch! Ow geez! Okay okay!” Groose struggled against Zelda’s grip on his ear. “I’m...very sorry m’am.” Groose coughed indignantly as Zelda finally let him go.
Zelda did a take when she called them a family. Who was the mom who was the…ew That clown? You gotta be kidding me! no way!
As Rider cleared up the confusion, Zelda carried on like it was never brought up.
“Yes. We believe it was an accident related to time traveling gear.” She added.

[Mari]

The old woman did not move her head to acknowledge anyone who spoke, but Arle in particular grabbed her gaze with a little giggle. "Sorry~" Arle would quickly state, sheepishly burying her lower face against Rider's hair to hide her smile. She knew it wasn't an appropriate time to laugh, but sometimes a dude just said some really freakin' funny words and you just couldn't help yourself. The old woman gazed at Arle for a long moment. Was she going to get mad at them for mocking her? Refuse service?! Cast them out? Cast another curse just to spite them? " . . . That's quite alright. I'm no spring chicken anymore, I know. But it's a lifetime of handling dark magicks that has truly taken the largest toll upon my health. Never stray from the light, children. The darkness rots all that it touches." the old woman calmly replied, accompanied by a warning. Was that the stay in school, don't do drugs talk of the fantasy world? The woman would move forward to get a better look at Arle, who withered anxiously under her gaze. If Rider chose to take advantage of her position and look up, she would find out why Arle was scared. One normally couldn't see the woman's eyes, and it turned out there was a good reason for this. The old woman's eyes were were murky white color, staring blindly ahead without sight. Dark bags hung under them, drooping freely from her face. It was almost like looking at a somewhat deformed corpse, a rather disturbing visual that Arle in particular was all too familiar with. "...Hmm... Don't be afraid, dearie. I won't harm you." the old woman would go on reassure. Oddly enough, she seemed kinder than her appearance and vague allusions to a history in evil magicks implied. The old woman would turn her attention back to Rulue, sparing Arle and Rider from her gaze.

"...So she was sixteen, you say?" the woman would muse aloud in a puzzled tone, considering her words carefully before continuing. "That's quite strange. You see... There is no magic binding your little one to this form." the woman went on to explain, frowning slightly at her seeming lack of helpful information to give. "Wha'd'you mean??" Arle blurted out, rather upset at this turn of events.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

"Groose." Rulue venomously spoke straight onto the redhead's ear, raising her palm, almost as if to drill a threat of 'do this again and I will punch you unto oblivion', regardless if her palm was open. "...Respect is key. Remember that." She would say soon enough, lowering her palm. While she wouldn't punish Little Arle for reacting positively for that, but she was a bit disappointed, even if the small sorceress apologized. Reagrdless of such, the Fighting Queen stood quiet, if only to listen what the old lady had to say.

Rider was also quiet, but a bit scared, mainly due to the old lady's rather creepy appearance. Even though said lady would go on and assert the fact that she had no bad intentions, a spooked Rider does not usually calm down instantaneously. The little girl tried to maintain a straight face as the old lady went on to check on Little Arle...and handed the unexpected results.

"WHAT?!"

...Of course, they were surprised, but they looked a bit taken aback by their own reactions. "Er...forgive me for the overreaction. You mean to say that she wasn't cursed?" Rulue ended up asking, to which Rider started pondering a bit before remembering the whole item search. "D-do you think you could identify what caused her to de-age, though...?" Granted, Rider would ask if there was any catch for Arle to age back, but that could wait.

[TartoonHand94]

If the pain from Zelda pulling his ear didn’t dissuade him enough, the threat of pain from Rulue’s face was surely enough to silence Groose. He didn’t know if he was more intimidated or turned on by this, but his instincts begged him to keep his mouth shut in either case. Lest one of three turn him into a newt.

Zelda gently sighed in relief that the old woman forgave them. Who knew what such an experienced practitioner of magic could conjure up when provoked.
“She's right Arle. Never stray from the light.” She repeated for Little Arle, momentarily forgetting she was anything but a real toddler.
But she was jolted back into reality, but stunned to hear that this may actually be the case.

“WHAT?” Zelda and Groose gasped in harmony with Rulue and Rider, Groose's jaw drooping to his chest.
“No magic? But how could that be?” Zelda pondered aloud, studying Arle with a new sense of concern.
“If it’s not magic, then what connection does this bear to her condition?” She asked, searching her person to show the old woman the time piece.