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With Susu still in his mind, the adventurer began to make his way home. He wondered how she had decided that cooking would be her area of expertise, and nearly fell off the wooden walkway and into a bed of flowers floating on water. He imagined her hometown, Jeuno, as a stately and cultured place, and almost planted his face against a pole. Finally he wondered if she was thinking about him at the same time he was thinking about her, and he fell face first into the dirt. After such a snap to reality, he decided getting home safely was his first priority and took a look at his surroundings to figure out his location. To his surprise he had made it all the way back to the port where he met Susu, and was now standing very close to the same exact spot.
Despite drifting his thoughts back to his new culinary partner, the adventurer stepped away from the edge and continued onward to the residential area. Without a map he had to trace his way back to get home, although he was sure he could figure it out on his own. He passed under tunnels and archways he remembered from earlier in the day, and eventually found the pond with the lone tree. Knowing he was pretty close to home now lifted his spirits, and he began to walk faster to get home. However, all at once his excitement dwindled when he remembered that the capitaine had been very tired, so he began to think of ways to make his entrance into the house as quiet as possible.
Finally back to the entrance to the residential area, he knew he could not get lost here. The path cutting through the houses was well lit, and yet he noticed all but one of the windows were covered in darkness, their occupants probably having been asleep for quite a while. The one house with the lights on was just a bit further, and he had a feeling it was the house where the capitaine awaited. As he approached it he realized it indeed was, and he began to worry that perhaps the capitaine was waiting up for him, or that she might not be feeling well. Bracing for something bad, he reached for the door, slowly turned the knob and quietly pushed it aside as he entered the home.
The capitaine was awake, as he expected because of the light, and she was sitting at the table in the middle of the room, facing away from the door. However, when the adventurer came in she looked in his direction with a smile, although she did not seem very cheerful to him. Then she again turned away from the door and seemed to stare at the wall, appearing to be lost in thought to the adventurer. Not sure of what was happening, he asked if she had waited long. Then the adventurer confirmed that she indeed was off in another world, for she did not answer him. He walked near her and repeated the question, and a bit startled, she answered that she was not waiting up for him.
Taking a seat next to her friend, the adventurer asked if anything was wrong, and the capitaine let out a deep sigh. She had trouble falling asleep, and no matter what she did she could not relax enough to drift off. The adventurer, admittedly not an expert in comforting people, offered whatever services he could render, but the capitaine explained she had tried everything she could possibly do to fall asleep and yet failed. Then he had a moment of clarity and asked her if anything was keeping her worried. The capitaine looked up to the adventurer with a look of thoughtfulness, realizing her worries must have been keeping her up. Then she assumed her cheerless disposition again and sighed while nodding.
The capitaine began her explanation by recounting her original reason for coming to Windurst. She was looking for a dramatic change in her life, and hoped to find it in Windurst. As an adventurer she was well off, and she always had plenty of things to do, but she nonetheless felt something was missing. Her life as an adventurer had become a routine, and one thing she did not like was becoming predictable. However, she had embraced so many of the challenges and sacrifices of being an adventurer that she was uncertain that she could easily slip back into the life of a normal citizen. A life constantly on the road, with few moments of rest and many of pain, made her long for the simple life of country folk.
The adventurer began to worry that perhaps the capitaine would seriously consider leaving the life of an adventurer, that perhaps this would be one of the last times he saw the capitaine, but was not sure of what to say. Of course he understood that being an adventurer was not easy, and would not blame her for wanting a less agitating life. He himself had often wondered how much easier his life would have been had he decided to stick to farming, or fishing, or carpentry. Even his newfound enthusiasm for cooking seemed at times like a better alternative than traveling to unknown lands to fight unspeakable horrors, and to see those he cared about hurt or worse. But if there were one thing he would not change about his life as an adventurer, it would be all the memories he had gathered over time.
So instead of trying to comfort the capitaine by talking about what the future could hold, the adventurer decided to relish in the memories they shared, and maybe that way she could relax enough to fall asleep. After all, he figured decisions as important as taking up or putting down the sword of an adventurer were not easy, and were better made after a good night’s rest. The adventurer asked his friend if she remembered when they made their way inside Ghelsba Outpost and met Prince Trion. The capitaine grinned at the adventurer, recalling their adventure and changing her demeanor a bit. She leaned forward as she talked about fighting the Orcs inside the outpost, and burst out laughing when she mentioned her disappointment at not being considered the heroine of the adventure.
After that the atmosphere relaxed quite a bit. The two friends continued to hark back to their adventures together, and even exchanged some that each had experienced separately from the other. The capitaine talked about the many friendly strangers she had met in her travels, and how, even though she would likely not see them ever again, she was deeply grateful for all the help she had received. The adventurer’s recollection went further back, to preparing meals for their expeditions in Ronfaure and La Theine Plateau, and being chased by mad rabbits. The capitaine then asked him if he remembered when they met, and although in all honesty he could not remember, he nodded and smiled.
Sensing that the adventurer was fibbing, the capitaine pressed him for details. She raised an eyebrow while looking at him, calling his bluff. Smiling shyly, he admitted that he did not remember. She laughed it off and told him to relate it to her as soon as he remembered. Then she yawned and stretched, and felt relieved that sleep had finally come. The capitaine sluggishly climbed onto the bed and whispered a thank you to his friend before falling fast asleep. The adventurer pulled his chair next to the bed, and quietly returned to the table to put out the candle that had lit the room for most of the night. Then he sat down on the chair, reclined back, and with his arms crossed promptly fell asleep.
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Still absorbed by the ocean view, the adventurer was startled out of his daydream by a hand touching his shoulder. Quickly turning to face the young Hume lady, the adventurer saw a smiling face calling his attention. He felt unable to speak, although it was she who had approached him first. After a second or two in which his brain was slowly catching up to real life, he introduced himself, and then waited for a response. The girl leaned toward him a bit, which made him reel back cautiously, but then she brushed the hair on the side of his head and showed him the dry leaf that had floated down and landed on him while he was daydreaming. Blushing profusely, the adventurer excused his absentmindedness, and was about to walk away when she laughed at him and stretched out her hand to him.
The adventurer shook her hand gently and she introduced herself as Susu. She excused herself for laughing at him, describing his nervousness as endearing. Not sure of what she meant, he smiled confusedly, at which point she again laughed. The adventurer was puzzled, but did not want to appear rude so he continued smiling. Susu correctly guessed that the adventurer was not from Windurst, according to her because of his staring into the ocean. The adventurer noticed that all the people from Windurst passing by them did not even glance at the ocean once, being accustomed to its presence. He told Susu how he came from San d’Oria, and through a quick summary related his journey up to arriving at the city gates. Realizing he was talking non-stop, the adventurer asked her about her place of origin, shifting the topic of the conversation away from him.
Susu told the adventurer she came from Jeuno, although he had no idea where that was or how far she had come to get to Windurst. She explained that although the trip had been very long, as she could not afford an airship ticket, she had enjoyed most of it for its relative calmness. The adventurer sighed and thought out loud how he wished his trip had been uneventful, which made Susu laugh again. She then looked back towards the city of Windurst, and with a confident tone exclaimed her purpose for traveling to the port city. Susu was there to join the world-famous culinary guild, and she was determined to succeed. Taken aback slightly, the adventurer wondered if he might also be able to join the guild, as much for gaining needed skills as for spending more time with Susu. He was no chef, but could hold his own in the kitchen, and no food poisoning claims had been made against him to blemish his record.
The adventurer asked Susu what the requirements were for joining the guild, but she explained she did not know. She had only been in Windurst for a few hours, and spent most of the time staring out into the ocean and nervously wondering how she would do in the guild. She did not even know where the guild was located, although she had purchased a map earlier to make moving around Windurst easier. The adventurer asked to take a look at said map, and while viewing it managed to find out how far he was from the residential area and how best to get back, although going back was the last thing on his mind. He then explained to Susu how he also was interested in the culinary guild and offered to accompany her to calm her nerves.
Susu laughed nervously, telling the adventurer that he probably had better things to do than to take her to the guild. He responded by sharing with her some of his infamous recipes, especially the ones that most would consider unorthodox. Acknowledging that his skills needed much honing, he said his entering the guild was necessary to learn more recipes and come up with better tastes for his repertoire. Susu managed to keep a straight face through his explanations, although the adventurer had a feeling that she did not think much of his skills. Thus he decided to prove her skills to her by entering the culinary guild. The adventurer stood up, and with map in hand he lead them towards Windurst Waters, where the guild was located.
While making their way through the port, Susu and the adventurer exchanged tales of their worst dishes, and both laughed at their inexperience. While passing by the hatter’s shop they both snickered at the new styles available, believing them to be brainless fads. Finally they passed the tavern and the guild house came into view. Both stopped before entering the door, preparing for the worst. Impossible recipes, strict mentors and failed dishes filled their heads and almost stopped them. Then the adventurer snapped out of it, and pushed the door open. Even before they could see the inside of the guild house, a multitude of aromas filled the air, and visions of dishes from wall to wall appeared before them. Then they opened their eyes and saw the mess inside, and wondered what was edible and what was not.
Before they could say a word, a familiar face stepped in front of the adventurer and waved. Kopopo, one of the Tarutaru who had helped him in Sarutabaruta, was a member of the culinary guild. Smiling slightly confused again, the adventurer stepped forward and saluted Kopopo, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Kipo-Opo stirring a big pot. Susu did not understand what was going on, so she stepped around the adventurer and approached the other cooks to see what they were cooking. After thanking his Tarutaru friends again, the adventurer quickly caught them up to speed on his current quest to join the guild. The two cooks smiled at each other and pointed towards the corner of the house, where another Tarutaru was crouching in front of some boxes looking for ingredients. They pointed him out as the guild master in charge of the acceptance of new members.
Susu and the adventurer braced themselves. Not that they needed to, because so far the culinary guild had proven to be a welcoming, if somewhat messy, place to be. They approached the guild master and introduced themselves. The guild master in turn introduced himself as Piketo-Puketo, welcomed them quickly, and then turned back around to continue looking for his ingredients. Both aspiring cooks stood there, waiting for something else from the guild master, but he promptly found the item he needed and walked away from them. The adventurer glanced back toward Kopopo, who nodded and smiled. Susu asked the nearest cook what had happened, and the cook explained that was the extent of entrance ceremonies into the guild.
Almost immediately after Piketo-Puketo came back with two pieces of paper and handed one to each of the new members. He explained that the meal written on the paper was to be considered their test to moving up in the guild hierarchy, and that as soon as they felt confident in their skills they could submit their meal for judging. With that, the guild master again disappeared looking for some new ingredient near the back. Susu and the adventurer read their pieces of paper and then quizzed each other. They were to prepare a salmon sub sandwich in order to climb the ranks of the culinary guild. Kopopo and Kipo-Opo then told the new cooks to go practice, and this filled Susu and the adventurer with confidence. They stepped out of the guild house and into the night.
Suddenly the adventurer remembered that he needed to get to the residential area soon. He knew the capitaine would be upset at his coming home late, especially if he woke her up after a very tiring day. However, he had enjoyed his adventure with Susu, and hesitated to say goodbye. Susu preemptively excused herself, but not without first agreeing to meet the adventurer the next day to practice their cooking. The adventurer handed back her map and she thanked him as she unfolded it and figured her way home. Smiling and waving goodbye, she disappeared down a wooden walkway towards the residential area. With a piece of paper in his hand and a smile on his face, the adventurer stood alone outside the guild for a while.
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Waking up from a long sleep, the adventurer had trouble adjusting his eyes to the dim light of the room in which he now found himself. An exquisitely decorated room adorned with tribal designs all around the walls and complete with a small water fountain was his temporary abode. Slowly sitting up on the bed, the adventurer could not remember what had happened after his encounter with the Yagudo. He still had trouble seeing clearly, probably a lingering effect of the Blind spell, which led him to think the encounter with the Yagudo had been fairly recent. Everything about him felt the same: two arms, two legs, and two ears. All his equipment was put on a table not far from the bed, and once he was able to stand he double-checked everything. Absolutely nothing was missing.
Looking around the room, the adventurer tried to find out more about his generous host. He found a fresh bowl of fruit on the table, and although he did not recognize any of the items there, he found them to be satisfactorily tasty. Still chewing a piece of fruit, he walked over to a large armoire, straight opposite the bed. It was locked, but nonetheless it let the adventurer know he was dealing with someone with money. He still piled his clothes on the floor back home. Walking around the armoire, he got a good look at the walls. They were made of a dark wood, and decorated on the top with a tribal design. Although the details of the room were a bit rustic, the overall feeling was flowing and organic, unlike any the adventurer had seen before.
Just then the door opened, and his memory suddenly came back. Everything that transpired after the stranger had rescued him was a blur, but it was a blur he could now remember. The adventurer remembered walking past the big gate leading into Windurst. Once inside, tall rock walls that snaked their way around the city surrounded the adventurer. He vaguely remembered a pond, a few arches, and before he knew it his memories drove him back to this room. Up to this point in his mind the adventurer felt like he had not received a lot of help, but seeing the figure in front of him made him realize how lucky he truly was. Standing in front of him, with the door closing behind her, was the capitaine. She was wearing different clothes, for it had been a while since the two had seen each other, but to the adventurer she was easily recognizable.
After the capitaine checked the adventurer and his eyesight, the two began to chat about what had happened since the last time they saw each other. The adventurer related his tale first, including his journey through the dunes, his encounter with pirates and his latest near-death experience. The capitaine, laughing at his predicaments as her special way of comforting, was nonetheless content to see that he had made the journey to Windurst on his own. She explained that, indeed, she had been trying to contact him while she was in the Valkurm Dunes, but for some reason the linkshell began to malfunction, so that communication was broken between the two of them.
Without a map the capitaine was lost and eventually ended up in the Konschtat Highlands. Once she was able to find another person to guide her back towards Selbina, she made her way to the ferry to try and catch the adventurer on his way to Windurst. Once in Mhaura another traveler on his way to Windurst offered her a ride on his chocobo, and that was how she had made her way to the city before the adventurer. In fact, she had enough of a head start that she rented a room, which was not being used at the time, and was hoping to catch the adventurer as he arrived at Windurst. As luck would have it, just when the Yagudo was pursuing the adventurer, the capitaine was heading out of Windurst to look for him in Mhaura.
When the capitaine spotted the adventurer in the savannah, she headed straight for him and managed to drive the Yagudo away. Then the capitaine helped the adventurer enter Windurst safely, and she guided him to the nearest entrance to the residential area. As soon as they entered the small room she guided him to the bed, and immediately upon touching the bed the adventurer fell into a deep sleep. Glad to see his companion safe, the capitaine then left to attend to some errands in town, which were the original reason for her coming to Windurst. She returned home by the late afternoon to find him awake, although still looking a bit confused. Her recounting finished, the capitaine explained that she wanted to spend a few days in Windurst before going back to San d’Oria.
The adventurer was feeling better now, and was able to coherently talk to the capitaine. After apologizing for his reckless behavior not only in Sarutabaruta but all the way back to La Theine Plateau, he asked for a quick tour of the city, before the sun went down. However, tired from a whole day’s worth of errands in Windurst, the capitaine was ready to stay home and prepare for a long rest. Although she was not going, she persuaded the adventurer to go out himself, and in case he got lost, to simply ask to be redirected to the residential area. Not sure of his chances in a new city, he nonetheless walked out the room, wishing the capitaine a good rest of the day. The residential area, like the capitaine had suggested, was easy to travel and unlikely to confuse him again, so he quickly memorized the location of the room and headed out into Windurst proper.
Windurst felt like a very enclosed space, unlike San d’Oria, which had big open spaces and plenty of areas for people to gather. Windurst was a number of narrow paths, leading to a hub, from which other narrow paths emerged and led to different areas of the city. Soon after following a path the adventurer reached a small body of water, which at first looked like a fountain but in fact was more of a pond. A round stone platform allowed citizens to walk from one side of the pond to the other, and on top of that platform was a large tree, which fit in nicely with the rest of the city. The adventurer noticed that vegetation was everywhere in this city, unlike back in his home city. Trees were everywhere, and the paths were covered in moss, although no one had slipped and fallen yet.
After arriving at the pond, the adventurer had lost a sense of his surroundings and could not identify which path would lead him back to the room. Everyone who passed by the font seemed to be headed in one direction or another full of purpose, and rather than risk embarrassment he chose a path at random and headed down it. After walking a bit down this path it was apparent to the adventurer that this particular one would not take him home, but nonetheless it was bustling with people coming and going, so he decided to continue. After passing under a tunnel he came out to a small clearing in front of the sea. By now he had forgotten that Windurst was in fact a port city, so when he saw the water he instinctively ran towards it. He walked right up to the edge of the platform above the water and looked out into the open sea. So absorbed was he in viewing the ocean that he did not notice the person standing right next to him, who was now turning to face him with a smile.
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