The waiting game. No one like to play it, but there was rarely any choice in the matter. Sometimes, even if someone gave it their all, did everything they could… They still ended up just having to stand by and hope, or pray, that everything turned out all right. It was a frustrating position to be in… That much, the girl named Fiammetta Barone certainly knew…

All she’d done in the past few days was ‘wait’. She waited for a decent paying job, having run out of work in Baska, in hopes of sending more many back home. That, however, was the less stressful example. More importantly, she waited on news about Esperia, her recently comatose… Well, Fia wasn’t what she was. All she knew was that every day that girl spent unconscious, Fia grew more and more wrathful.

Doing nothing was the worst thing. She felt powerless and useless. There was nothing she could do, not for the family she held dear, not for the princess she swore to protect. She’d let that rage fester for a few days, until an epiphany hit her… Maybe there was a way she could help. It was something she’d considered doing in the past, but only now was she desperate enough to try.

And so it was, that Fia found herself roaming the residential area of Baska, going door to door and asking a simple yet uncomfortable question. That very same question was asked to a farmer at his estate, who looked at the delinquent girl with a furrowed brow from his front doorway.

”So you’re telling me… That a young miss like you wants to know where she can find members of Phantom Lord in Baska?” He queried, voice thick with scepticism.

”That’s what I said, ain’t it?” Fia growled in frustration. ”Pretty freakin’ simple question. You seen any or not?”

The farmer shook his head, both to answer her question and show disapproval. ”No missy, I haven’t seen any. Not that I’d let a young gal like you know where to find that kinda trouble.”

Another growl from Fia, as she glared at the man, pissed off that he’d assumed her reason was to find trouble… It wasn’t at all, that was the truth. All she wanted… Was the chance she’d find someone who knew her father, or hell, just anyone that could help.

”Yeah, that so? Well, thanks for nothing, asswipe.” Fia bid her farewells to the man, snarling at him before she stormed away from his residence, and off to bother the next door over. She continued that dance, hoping to find some kind of lead, but would settle for just a worthwhile opportunity or distraction…

Fia continued door to door, her mood progressively worsening as she continued to find a whole lot of nothing. She’d figured her chances of finding anyone who’d give her a straight answer were low, but the number of people who didn’t answer at all was starting to seriously piss her off. So, needless to say, she wasn’t too happy when, after storming away from another house, some asshole blocked her path.

She’d been looking down, kicking dirt when she bumped into the poor guy. ”Oi! Watch were yer goin’, dumbass!” The delinquent girl snapped at him without even thinking. Not being in the best mood meant she didn’t really care about social graces, not that she ever really did. She was already snarling when she actually looked up to see the weak-looking light-haired boy there, seemingly ready to take some fists from the girl.

Unsurprisingly, that just pissed Fia off even more. She, ironically, found the fact that this boy assumed she was some violent-short tempered thug infuriating, despite the truth in it. ”Oi, put yer hands down Blondie. I ain’t gonna throw any hands.” Fia growled a bit unconvincingly, before realizing there was something else she ought to say to the boy, just for good measure. ”Dunno if you heard, but I’m looking for any Phantom Lord members ‘round here. Any chance you know anythin’, Blondie?” Fia inquired with a slightly aggressive tone, in spite of the fact she’d already come up with a nickname for the poor lad.

Social graces had never been Fia’s strong suit, and that much was rather evident with how she handled the mundane mistake of bumping into another. There had been quite a few times were something a simple as that had caused a fight to break it out, but it seemed like that was not at all a concern with the boy she’d bumped into. He was rather quick to believe Fia wasn’t going to hurt him, in spite of her demeanor and appearance, and accepted that she was looking for Phantom Lord members without a single judgemental look.
Fia raised a confused and sceptical eyebrow as the boy eagerly stated his intention to aid her in looking for them. Just what the hell was this kid’s problem? So eagerly helping a punk like her, with that dumb smile on his face, to look for members of one of the most feared guilds in Fiore. Was he stupid or something? Fia had half a mind to just deny his help and walk right past him, and she very well would have on any other day.
But, as it happened… The Fia of that day really couldn’t deny any help. She was desperate, and this wasn’t for her sake. So for those reasons, she was willing to cast aside her pride, and begrudgingly accept the help offered to her.
”I know most of ‘em are in Oak. I ain’t stupid.” Fia growled a half-lie to the boy all of a sudden, though her tone wasn’t quite as angry as before. Deep down, she was just a bit grateful for the help. ”But I can’t exactly go there right now. So I’m stuck searchin’ through this shithole. Guess I wouldn’t mind some help doin’ it…” She grumbled, neglecting to state why she couldn’t leave.
Fia glanced back at the boy, her eyes still angry but with a hint of that desperation she’d developed. ”You wanna help, then you best tell me what it is you know, if anythin’. Guessin' yer a local, so there any chance you know where's good to get info?" Fia inquired, hoping to get some simple help from the boy and then part ways. Or at least, that was her initial intention…

It seemed like Fia had, once again, been barking up the wrong tree, judging by the boy's response to her inquiry for help. Apparently, he was the farthest one could get from a local, whatever that meant. Fia certainly didn't get it, so just furrowed an eyebrow in confusion.

"Farthest from a local? What, you  from the West or somethin'?" Fia asked confusedly, figuring the boy at least didn't look like he was from a different continent. Then again, Fia wasn't the most educated on such matters, so there was every chance she was wrong, really...

Aside from making her curious, and apparently being more supportive in a hypothetical fight, the boy didn't really seem as helpful as Fia had hoped, even asking the same question she'd just asked him.

"Tch, if I knew where to look I wouldn't be askin' your sorry blonde ass..." She groaned abrasively, even more unfriendly than usual given the circumstances. "Guess you can stick by if ya want though, won't hurt to have a support, I guess. I'm more into just punchin' shit myself." Fia continued, warming up a little bit as her desperation came back into play. As little as she seemed to be getting along with the blonde boy, she wasn't about to turn down help. She wanted as much as she could get.

For her family, and for Esperia, she wanted every bit of help she could get.

Fia crossed her arms, her face scrunching up as she thought of where they should look next. "Maybe tryin' out a bar like you said ain't a bad idea... Though..." The delinquent girl turned to the boy, a skeptical eyebrow raised. "You even old enough to go into one?" She queried, not sure what age to even peg the very youthful blonde as...

Fia was already starting to realize that she and this boy wouldn't exactly be getting along, at least not in the traditional sense. Probably because he, unlike a lot of people, actually resisted Fia's pushy and abrasive nature. The delinquent girl flashed a snarl at the boy's retort, responding with her own comment.

"I sure fuckin' hope we find some. Unless a smartass like you can't handle them, Blondie." She'd quip, deciding to take a jab at the boy's more timid nature. Fia couldn't see him holding his own in a fight, if she was being honest, but on the other hand was quite aware that looks could be deceiving. Esperia herself, the tough little fighter, was a testament to that.

Fia raised an eyebrow as the boy continued, seeming to develop a bit more of a backbone after his little retort. He informed her that he actually did know of a place, much to her surprise. To say that 'Blondie' didn't look much like the kinda guy who visited bars would be an understatement.

"Huh, wouldn't have expected a lil' punk like you know bout' somethin' so shady." Fia said with a sly grin, before gesturing with a nod of her head. "Well, if you know this place, lead the way, Blondie."

From there she'd follow the young lad, but not before she realized that there something rather important she'd forgotten.

"Oh yeah, oughta' know, the name's Fia. Simple, so don't forget it."

Fia rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles as the blonde boy led her toward the bar he’d spoken of, clearly ready for things to go less than swimmingly. As they made their way along, the boy offered his own name, prompting an immature little chuckle from Fia. ”Elk? What, like the animal?” She uttered in a teasing tone. ”Think I’ll stick with Blondie, suits ya better.” The girl declared with a smug little look, finding a bit of amusement in teasing this poor lad.
Elk/Blondie then went on to explain in greater detail his apparent relationship with the bartender, prompting a raised eyebrow from Fia. From the sounds of things, Elk’s grandmother was some kinda loan shark, and now Elk himself was there to use the outstanding debts to his advantage. ”Damn. Sly one, ain’t ya? Didn’t figure you fer a debt collector.” She commented with a small grin, amused and impressed by the boy’s strategy. He was truly proving to be more than meets the eye.
Soon enough, they were at the bar Elk had mentioned, and it looked every bit as shady as he’d described it. Fia’d been to some pretty bad watering holes in her life, and this one looked like it was about to top the last. Cracking her neck, Fia wore a wild grin as she readied herself to make an entrance.
”So this is the place, huh? Figures some Phantom bastards would be in a shithole like this.” She growled, before stepping forward past Elk. In one strong movement, she shoved the door open, entering the bar with as much as noise as she could muster. The moment she was inside, she’d cock her head upwards, and begin strolling confidently towards the bar. She was hot-headed, but wasn’t about to start swinging hands until she sized up the bar’s patronage…

Fia didn’t say anything more about Elk’s grandmother, but did smile softly at hearing what she’d done. Going to those lengths to provide for one’s family was something the fiery young lass found very commendable, and gave her a bit more respect and consideration towards her blonde companion.

Once they reached the bar and Fia marched, there was no holding her back, her stride full of fury and purpose. She was done idling, done letting fate kick her down. Now was the time for her to take control of her situation and start making some demands, regardless of how much trouble she might find herself in. The scowls she earned didn’t worry her, she wasn’t afraid to fight the few punks within the shady bar. Though, perhaps there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity.

One woman approached them, seeming to be the owner of the bar by how she handled herself. Fia snarled at her as she shouted, clearly not having any of her objections. Though, that snarl did turn briefly into a snicker as she noticed the bag of jewels handed to Elk, before she turned back to Janet with her wrathful look.

”I look like I fuckin’ care if this is a ‘private’ establishment?” She growled, steam starting to rise off her back as she felt her temperature rise. ”Listen here, bitch. I’ve got a few questions fer yer patrons, lemme ask ‘em, and I’ll be outta yer hair real quick.” Fia raised her hands, cracking her knuckles threateningly. ”Otherwise… Well…”

She could feel herself practically shaking with anger now, reminded of her struggling family, her imprisoned father, her unconscious lover… She was done being powerless to help them.

”Otherwise, I burn this fuckin’ place to the ground. You understand that?”

When Fiammetta was angry, she was a dangerous force. When she was angry and impatient, she was practically a ticking time bomb. She'd every intention of following through with her promise to 'burn the place down', or at least try to. Fia had simply stopped caring about who or what was in her way, she was that frustrated. Her father was imprisoned, her family struggling, her lover incapacitated. What reason did she have to hold back her anger?

Janet, however, didn't seem to be quite ready to give in to Fia's demands, unsurprisingly. But the resistance did nothing to soothe Fia's anger, and instead just had her blood boiling even more. Steam began to rise from her fist as it turned a crimson shade of red, a sound like a kettle beginning to rise from her body. "Guess it's gonna be the hard way then." The steam punk growled, clenching her fist and getting ready for the fight she was picking. She didn't care how many jaws she had to break, she was getting answers, and that was final.

Fortunately, before things got - literally - heated, Fia's more level-headed companion stepped in, continuing to use the leverage he had over Janet to extort her into following the pair's wishes, and in turn, preventing some inevitable violence for a moment more. The steam from Fia cooled as the girl felt herself relax a little more, now that Janet was doing what she wanted.

She was still angry, but thanks to Elk, she was a controlled fire. "...Thanks. Didn't want to hafta burn the hag." She muttered to him as they entered the back room where Janet had gone.

It was a shady little room, but Fia didn't mind. Just meant that if she had to raise her fists again, there'd be no one else to witness. Taking a seat on one of the uncomfortable metal chairs, Fia crossed her arms and continued to scowl at Janet, even as she was allowed to ask her questions.

"So yer gonna talk now, huh? Blondie's really got you bent over, huh?" Fia couldn't help but throw one quick insult Janet's way, before getting into the heart of the matter. "Alright, enough bullshit. My question's nice an' simple, ya senile old bitch."

Fia leaned forward, gazing spitefully at Janet. "Ya got a lot of shady people comin' through this shithole. I wanna know if you've seen any Phantom Lord members, and who and where the fuckers are. Ideally... Which of 'em might be familiar with or have mentioned a guy named Baldo Barone." She'd utter flatly, forcing herself to seem impartial on the matter, and purposefully leaving out that Baldo was her father. Having to explain that would only make things more complicated. Though, it likely wouldn't come to that, given the fact it was unlikely any of the PL would have known her father.

Fia continued to glare coldly at Janet even as the woman spoke, giving her all the answers she desired. Overall, she didn't seem terribly intrigued or surprised or even content with what the barkeep told her. The vast majority of the information wasn't terribly relevant to her predicament, after all, though Janet could really not be blamed for her misinterpretation.

Truthfully, the steam punk didn't particularly care about any news related to her father himself - she knew exactly where he was, after all. She wasn't surprised nor fazed to hear he'd gotten into disagreement that resulted in his banning from that particular pub. Fia was under no illusions about the sins her father had committed, so it didn't at all shock her to hear about those apparent murders. Hell, she was quick to make the assumption the guys Baldo killed were asking for it.

The only useful information Janet provided was in the form of some vagrant that might be able to offer her information on Baldo or other phantom lords. Though Fia had no use for the former, the latter sounded at least a little promising. But, at the same time, Fia was pretty frustrated with what info she'd gotten. Nothing of value, just being pointed to the next person down the line.

"Gotta be honest ya ol' hag, wasn't all that helpful." Fia would growl a little a threateningly as she stood up and began to make for the door. "But it was just enough to stop me from burnin' this place down."

Before she made her exit, Fia gave one last glance and nod to Elk, offering him some parting words. "Thanks for the help, Blondie. Now if you'll 'scuse me, got a cannibal to find..."

And with that groan Fia left, off on a wild goose chase in hopes of finding a single desperate possibility. That maybe, just maybe, a former associate of her father's might be able to help her. Time would tell.

/EXIT