The old woman known as Yumi Hateshiginai stepped out of the room she was renting from one of the local inns. She was dressed in her usual kimono, sash wrapped around her shoulder, down the back and around the waist. Her hands were slipped into the sleeves of her kimono as her waraji shuffled across the hardwood floors. The, what appeared to many as a harmless old woman, shuffled out of the inn, eyes narrowed to the point they appeared closed making many wonder why she didn't seem to run into anything. What they did not know as her eyes were in fact open, just wide enough for her to see the world and avoid such embarrassments. She would not take to kindly to anyone who laughed at her and to avoid such situations were prudent for a member of Grimoire Heart lest she draw too much attention to herself.

Yumi sighed in mild annoyance as she approached the quest board on the first floor of the inn. She searched it's contents, only three requests were up today. Over the past few days she had completed four request's in total and earned herself a neat little one hundred thousand jewels, but it was not enough. She needed to earn more especially if she was to resume her travels around Fiore. The vast fortune she once had was almost depleted from years of travelling and spoiling her taste palette with the delicious treats and desserts of Fiore.

The old woman grabbed a quest at random and began to read over. Another lowly D rank job. The client one Frankie Marino was wanted to hire a freelance mage to do a little grunt work to make certain clientele to pay their dues. Yumi folded the quest up into a small piece of paper and pocketed it in her kimono sleeve and began walking away. She was to meet up with the client at the bar he was known to fill in at. The old woman removed a large swirled lollipop from her kimono, tore the wrapping off and began to lick it as she left the inn, her familiar seated on her right shoulder. There hadn't been much call for her familiar to lend a hand with these D rank jobs after all they were rather simple and usually had non threatening targets. Sure you might run into the odd grunt now and then who was a master brawler but when compared to a well trained mage they were just fodder.

The old woman moved through the streets, approaching the bar. She pushed the door open and headed straight for the bar where she saw Frankie serving behind the counter. Yumi sat on a stool, "Double whiskey." Demanded the old woman as she slid the quest across the table towards Frankie. Frankie smirked as he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a glass and began to pour for his client, "Thank's for coming. The job is I need someone to rough up a shopkeeper for me. This shopkeeper refuses to pay what he owes to my boss Vincenze Tessio. Head to the shopkeepers store and rough him up, make sure he writes down that he promises to pay by the end of the week. Here is the address. Just don't kill or cripple him" Frankie slipped a piece of paper under the glass before sliding it over to the old woman.

Yumi lifted her glass downing the hard liquor before grabbing the address. She removed herself from the bar stool and left the bar heading to the address to deal with the shop clerk. Yumi trudged through the streets of Oak, her familiar following in tow behind her, his one lone eye darting back and forth with excitement. The strange creature while friendly had a fascination with pain and harm. Yumi walked to the east of Oak where she finally found the shop, and the old frail clerk was beginning to close up. Yumi began her approach, her footsteps drawing the attention of the man.

"Can I help you?" asked the shop keep. A grin spread onto Yumi's lips as a dark aura of mana began to release from her body. With a flex of her muscles and a kick off a foot she appeared in front of the man tongues of mana like flames flowing off her. Her hand grabbed the man by his face and threw him through his own glass doors breaking them and digging shards into his back. Yumi tossed the frail man to the ground with a loud crack. The clerk went to scream only for Yumi to place her foot over his mouth and apply pressure, she could feel his teeth beginning to crack under her heel.

Yumi licked her lips as she loomed over the clerk, "Your going to listen and listen carefully. I have been sent by Frankie Marino. You owe his boss some money. Now I'm here to ensure you pay him by the end of the week." Yumi lifted her foot and reached down her palm grabbing the man by his jaw and she slowly lifted him applying pressure. The man began to scream as her fingers dug into his cheek bones, his jaw beginning to crack under the force of her hand. Yumi;s eyes opened fully as she looked into the clerk shaking gaze, "Now your going to write a letter saying you will pay within a week, signed, do that and I won't break your jaw." Yumi then dropped the clerk who scrambled to his desk grabbing a paper and pen and quickly scribbled down on it.

Yumi snatched the baby inspecting it making sure everything was there. With a nod she turned and left heading back to the bar leaving the bleeding and bruised clerk behind her. Yumi walked through the night and into the bar where she approached Frankie. As Yumi sat down the man placed another glass of whiskey in front of her. Yumi downed the liquid and slid the note towards him, "It's done." Frankie inspected the note before slipping it into his front pocket. He removed a few jewels from his wallet and slid them across the counter to Yumi, "Payment as promised." Yumi snatched the jewels and left.

[WC: 1055/1000 EXIT]

Companion Duskull Present

850/900: