Leyaria was tired. The days of being in Magnolia were beginning to take their toll upon her, wondering if it was worth it. The money was always good, there was no denying that. She had made quite a bit already from some of the efforts and work that she had done, albeit them being a bit out there as far as she was concerned. They were matters that often she felt that she had no business being involved with or even those that she felt as though she had a choice towards. Things were shaky right now, and admittedly a lot of that was attributed to her being a demon, with some more estute being able to tell that she was no longer a human. The number was small fortunately, but it nevertheless caused her to worry, worry especially if one of the parties who either knew or someone who might have uncovered who she really was would end up revealing to others. Demons were not looked kindly upon, regardless of the venue or region that they may have been in. Rather, they were considered to be the greatest threats, or at the very least, one of them, or so they did. It had been so long since Leyaria felt like she was in the world that so many things were still foreign, still confusing her. It felt odd though, that sensation, that things were different. It didn’t feel like it, but they were nonetheless. People, their motivations, they were largely things in which she didn’t care much for, nor did she really concern herself with, though there was no denying now that even her outlook on them, at least to some extent was different. Perhaps, more envious than anything else, envious of the fact that they had what she no longer did. Humanity.

It was depressing, to say the least. Though, something that she just had to endure at this point, at least until whatever was affecting her would end up taking her life. It was inevitable, just a matter of when, and ideally after she had arrived in Oak Town. After she had seen Bianca one last time. But that was something that while present in her mind, would have to wait. She had another job, one that she was more forced into than anything else. Guard Captain Devon, the man who had first identified her as a demon but remained quiet, had come to now expect of her that she would be willing to assist in matters. First it was the cult, and while that did go about as well as could have been expected, there was an uneasy feeling about working for him again, knowing that the motivations for her being there and helping where not so much out of thinking that she could help, but rather that she was an expendable pawn that could be used in place of what he regarded as being more valuable and therefore harder to replace, actual living Magnolia guards.
 
500/2000

The park was populated, not unlike the rest of Magnolia, though it was at the same time far different. People were obviously about going about their business and enjoying the nice weather which had been Magnolia as of late, but there was a keen difference between the people here versus the people in the streets. Those people had objectives. They had goals. They were going from place to place, enduring the crowded walkways because they had to, not because they wanted to. These people though, they were here because they wanted to be. Maybe there was a reasoning behind them being here beyond just enjoyment, but that was the main thing that could have been felt throughout this area. People having fun. Enjoying themselves. She couldn’t remember when it was that she had actually enjoyed herself. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had been able to really enjoy herself, and now, now it felt as though it would never happen again. Maybe there was potential, but she did not put much faith into that logic, nor was she thinking things would change any time soon.

Guard Captain Devon appeared, later than what he had said that he was going to have been. Leyaria had been standing around for the better part of the last half hour an to say that she was a bit spiteful for this, it woul have been an understatement. None the less, she bit her tongue and simply smiled as well as she could have. The last thing that she wanted was him to spill the beans about what she really was, lest that open the flood gates and turn everyone’s goo time into that of a riot, all directed at her. When she heard what she was forced to do, there was a part of her that was relieved. It did not involve any fighting, any confrontation, but it did involve something else, something that she was not keen or looking forward to either. Having to interact with people. It had never been a strong suit of her’s, nor was it was one that she had particularly refined. She thought back as she could to those who she had at one point or another thought of being close to her. Save for her sister, the other encounters had more been those who had taken pity upon her, those who had approached Leyaria, rather than the other way around. This was to an extent, a foreign concept to her. Reaching out to people, asking for help. She could not reasonably say that she was looking forward to speaking to them, but to attempt to recruit them to join up with the Magnolia guards, that was an even taller task. How was she, someone who was timid and shy, going to be able to convince strangers to join up with an organization whose leader was essentially blackmailing her into helping? The only thing that at this point he hadn’t done was force to her join.

1000/2000

She did not know where to start. Everyone was so invested in what they were already doing, spending time and enjoying themselves, it made the entire idea of having to go about and talk to them, a bit frightening to be honest. That was not to say that the people were frightening themselves, but rather, how they might react to her. Would some of them know that she was a demon? It was certainly a potential. Hell, it was even possible that they themselves were demons and hiding it. Could she have known that? Was it possible to know? She had thus far not interacted with any of the demons yet, and it was tough to say for certain, nor was she given any sort of instruction as to what she was, if she was to instinctively know that they might have been a creature like her? Would they be suffering the same as she? Was she that much of an anomaly? As she gave it more and more thought, she started to wonder and even began to hope that someone was actually a demon. At least in that case, they might have been able to provide some level of explanation to her, maybe point her in a direction that could help, or at the very least, give her clarity. She was just so much in the dark that it was impossible to believe that this was how demons were meant to feel, how their existance was meant to be like.

The first person she spoke with gave no indication of anything. Of wanting to join the Magnolia guards, of being a demon, or even recognizing that Leyaria was a demon herself. It didn’t at all seem like they cared much about what she was about or her aim, but rather that they were more interested in her, which came to say the least, a surprise to Leyaria. She didn’t expect to be desired by anyone at this point, though it was impossible to deny that the demonic essence, while slowly killing her, was also one that had been benefictial to her appearance, depending on who you might have asked. She didn’t mind her new look, but that it was apparently so receptive to the people, she had a hard time not being a bit embarrassed but also a bit proud of her newfound charm. Just to the extent however that Leyaria would be able to push it, to use this sort of charm and charisma that she now apparently has, to help towards her cause of resupplying the Magnolia guard with capable bodies. Though the first person denied the opportunity, she was not so much disappointed, as she was optimistic that there would be people, maybe not a huge amount, but some at least who would be willing to join. It wasn’t as though it were a bad job, though there was always a level of risk associated with it that perhaps some would not be willing to risk.

1500/2000

After a short period, it was eventually becoming clear that the amount of people who were interested was becoming smaller and smaller. People had a tendency of making their opinions and thoughts clear, and this was no real exception. Upon the words guard or join came into the equation, most people would have rather had the conversation end or otherwise sought a chance to leave. Leyaria wasn’t surprised. She imagined that if put in a similar position, that she might well have done exactly the same. In spite of this, she tried to recruit people, but with every attempt and as time went, people began to leave the park, limiting the pool of people whom Leyaria had not spoken with. Too, there were some who had seen her speaking before and decided against the idea of entertaining what she had to say, regardless of what it might have been. Neither was that a huge surprise. People tend to notice when there’s a single person who keeps pestering people, but what ever the reason might have been, there would be enough of a reason for them to simply just ignore it. It could have been a beggar, an addict, someone looking to scam someone or maybe sell them something. People really did not want to be annoyed when they were enjoying themselves, and with a day like today, with the weather as nice as it is compared with how it had been in days previous, it was hard to argue the reasoning why. On what might be the first good day in a week of bad weather, there was likely not a person who would have wanted to be pestered.

Leyaria gave up after a short time, when the sun started to set and she realized that most of the day had gone by without her having signed a single person to join the Magnolia guards. It was a shame, especially with what she believed to have been an increased level of charm and confidence, but that was entirely shattered with her lack of success. As she reported her lack of recruits to Guard Captain Devon, the smirk on his face indicated that he knew it was going to have been like this. He explained to her that it was not a case of actually recruiting anyone, but seeing if she was going to actually follow through with regards to a task given to her. He further went on to say that the success that she had with the cult, he believed it to be a stroke of luck, that it was all possible that he half expected her to just try to escape or not bother. But he said he watched over her as she went about trying to recruit, and was impressed that she did what was asked of him. Smiling, he took out a small sum of jewels that were in a brown bag and paid her for what he considered, restoring confidence in her abilities and word.

2000/2000