Earnest Living. (For Frog)

"Sunlake Palms," she said to herself as she walked through the area.

"I'm becoming more and more thankful for it's relaxing local. Perhaps I should make it a point to frequent this place."

Really, after having run in's with various characters, she felt it was time to try and get away from it all, if only briefly. And what better place than up on a hill?

As her wanderings continued, she found herself passing by an inn. She took a moment to read it's sign.

Vagabound Inn.

She took a moment to read what it had to offer.

"Huh, the name seems fitting now that I've read this," she said, looking at many of the services provided. "It's definitely seems like the kind of place someone would want to drift to for a short while."

She gave it some thought. She didn't have the money for a stay, nor did she have a reason for a stay. But as a Cadet looking to make the city a better place, she made the decision to be as familiar with everything as she could get.

So, she "drifted" into the Inn.

It seemed rather quaint inside, and the atmosphere was lovely. Maybe if she could pool together enough money she could make a stay here to de-stress.

As far as the atmosphere was enjoyable, it was time to take in the details.

And the first thing to catch her notice was the bag of kibble. Maybe they like to feed strays?

Initial evaluation, kind hearted to a fault. This place will end up with more trouble if they keep inviting strays.

With that, she found her sense of smell assaulted by the smell of good food from the kitchen. May as well see what this has to offer.

From the look of things, it was a very active place. Perhaps this inn gained many a visitor. She almost felt a little out of place, what with her professional attire of almost all white color.

In a way, it almost made her want to avoid the crowd for a while. Who would have thought that her business attire would one day cause her to feel self conscious?

In her effort to find a corner just to hide away from everyone, she finds herself walking past a sleeping sight. It took her roughly ten seconds before she realized that this was not an okay sight.

She quickly returned to the sleeping form on the table, giving him a good look over.

Initial evaluation, either over worked or stays up far too long. Regardless, he should not be sleeping in this part of the establishment. It's rude. I suppose I'll have to be the one to wake him.

"Excuse me, sir," she said with a firm voice. "I believe you've may have slept there long enough."

Re-evaluation: Is either so overworked that he lost track of everything, was so distracted by whatever was happening here that he was unable to afford to do much else, or got hopelessly drunk. In either of those scenarios, it's clear that his original intentions have been lost.

She crossed her arms and gave a stoic yet stern look, able to easily look him in the eye.

"I'm not sure you'd want to know that," she'd reply, "But we can easily ask an employee of the establishment. Unless you're able to clearly remember what you may have been doing here of all places."

She was giving him a chance to explain himself. After all, mistakes can happen, and if this was indeed the result of an honest mistake then she'd be willing to let it slide (despite the fact that it may not be her place to judge him to begin with.)

Outwardly, a stoic and professional appearance.

"I'll admit to being a little surprised by your question," she responded before pointing with her thumb, "But the last bag of dog food that I've seen was right by the entrance."

Inwardly, however...

T-that was his dog food?! He's the reason there's dog kibble in this establish- if I keep thinking about this I'm going to get curious enough to ask a question that I may potentially regret asking...

At least now she was able to get a better scan of the person in front of her.

I think I can at least claim a 90 percent positive on the theory that he is overworked. Perhaps the in was actually a transition point and he only meant to rest a while....

No, I can't get over it, that was his dog kibble?!

"I'm not sure I fully understand, but I'm glad to have been of service." she would remark. Even if it was the most minor of things, a Cadet must be ready to help others at a moments notice. That was the best way to maintain the Order, after all.

And yet, he just stood there, seemingly staring into space.

Why is he standing there? He's just standing... staring... should I prod?

"Sir," she said with a firm voice, trying to re-anchor him to reality, "I believe your kibble is waiting for you to claim..."

I must re-double my training to maintain a strength of will and discipline... she thought to herself when she realized she could no longer hold back the question.

"If you don't mind my asking, why in the world did you bring a bag of dog kibble to this establishment? Unless you only intended a short rest, I can't fathom bringing such a product to this establishment to begin with."

The more I speak with him, the more I'm concerned for his well being, she thought to herself, He keeps fitting the over-worked individual more and more as time goes on. Also concerning is the mail delivery system if they are unable to deliver a bag of food easily enough. I suppose it's not really my concern in the end.

"I see," she replied, taking a softer tone, "That is rather concerning. It is up to you, but if it will help, I could offer some assistance. Perhaps carry the bag partway for you?" Maybe it's none of my concern, but as a Cadet, I should be willing to offer even the most minor of aid, especially to overworked individuals such as yourself.

It seems he's underestimating me a little, she thought to herself. Though I should at least make the attempt first before making any claims.

"In that case, I'll make the attempt," she replied as she headed for the direction of the bags.

A second look of said bags revealed why he initially thought it would be difficult for her.

Huge dog indeed, she thought to herself. Still, she had already decided to make the attempt.

Action::

The bag was definitely a lot heavier than she originally anticipated. Sure, she was strong. She was sure that she was strong. Her many years practicing with a sword has indeed helped her to develop some tone to her musculature, but they weren't exactly trained for heavy lifting. They were trained for striking harder.

This was a bit of a wake up call for her. She considered redoubling her efforts. She can't afford to let a bag of kibble beat her.

In fact, it became a source of determination.

I will not rest until this product makes it safely home... she replied, straining under it's weight as she held it over her shoulders.

"Want me to help you with that? Or are you gonna carry it around like that..? I do have the second one to carry myself, so like...eh? Actually, lemme show you how it's done."

And in one fell swoop, he was on his back with a heavy bag of kibble on top of him.

Masako could not help but stare blankly at this.

"If this is what it means to successfully carry these bags," she replied, "I fear for what it means to fail at doing so..." She couldn't help the sarcasm. Maybe it was the strain of the bag on her back. Maybe it was the combination of meeting several very strange characters during her time since just before becoming a cadet. Whatever it was, her more snarky side was not just slightly slipping through her stoic behavior.