Smashing Mistletoes(Q/C)

The weather had changed so drastically and suddenly that it had taken Gran by surprise. Usually she had a good sense for weather, but this was silly. Was it Christmas time already? She shook her head and walked through the field, feet crunching in the snow. She wasn't going to complain, though. The snow covered fields reminded her of her time spent in Russia. She recalled meeting that big Russian man and her mouth curved upwards in a snarky little smile. She felt goosebumps rise up on her skin, but she wasn't cold.

She listened to the sound her feet made when connecting with the snow and she smiled warmly to herself. She would love to be able to walk like this in Russia again. Not that it would ever happen, but the feeling of nostalgia was pretty strong. She pulled the hood of her dark black, red trimmed cloak over her head, watching her breath turn into clouds of heated moisture. They really did a good job with this game. Then she looked up and saw a girl.

"Hey there," Gran waved her hand once in an arc to signify greeting, "You look like you need help with something. Would you like an old lady's assistance?"

Gran smiled as the child noticed her and began to speak to her. She was half worried the kid would think she was too old to be worth talking to. With a shrug, Gran chortled a bit, "Killing monsters usually involves hitting them, I believe? Can't say I'm entirely sure, though."

Gran chuckled a bit and pulled her mace out from under her cloak. She kept it upside down, so that the rounded metal tip of it was in her palm, the handle sticking into the snow. For all purposes, it looked like a simple walking cane that most old ladies would use. The only difference was that the bottom of the cane had indentations in it, where the handle was. she leaned against the cane and smiled at the girl, "I would absolutely love to do some holiday time questing."

Saying that, Gran used her free hand to flick through the menu and send the girl a party invite, "So, missy, where to first?"

Gran nodded slowly, "A Large Nepent growing mistletoe, right? Shouldn't be too difficult to find."

The quests for the winter season hadn't been activated for long, but Gran had already been getting some information from her first info broker. According to the rumor, the nepent spawned deeper in the forest than most other mobs, which was dangerous, because some wolves spawned around there occasionally as well. She started to follow the kid and wondered just how long it would be until they found their first enemy.

"Hm? Raiken, is it?" Gran hummed a bit and nodded, "I'm called Gran. Although, people seem to use variations thereof. Like Granny. Or Grandma. Or old coot, that one's my favourite."

Gran noticed that Raiken was feeling the cold. It was only then that she realised a lot of players must be extremely uncomfortable in this weather. Gran loved the cold, though, so she didn't feel too bad for Raiken. Before she could say anything else to the girl, there was an enemy upon them. Gran raised an eyebrow as the child suggested some plans. She clicked her tongue a couple of times and started walking towards the Nepent. As she walked, the threw her cane up just slightly, flipping it so that the smooth metal tip was facing her enemy. She caught the other end of it in both hands. It was no longer a cane, but a full sized mace. Just flipping it around changed how it looked drastically. With both hands now on the handle, Gran smiled warmly at the shrieking Nepent, which was rearing back to attack her. She drew the mace back and then swung it forward, cracking it against the Nepent's side. the plant seemed the scream in terror as she repeated the process, laughing softly to herself as the Nepent shattered from just her two blows, and then she turned around to face Raiken.

"Did I do it right?" she cocked her head with a wrinkled smile, "I mean, I hit it and it died. I don't know, though, I'm not a professional."

Gran flipped her mace back around to look like a cane and stuck it into the snow beneath her feet. The reaction on the kid's face was marvelous. She wasn't very outwards with the emotion, but Gran could almost feel it. Gran closed her eyes and smiled, wondering just how terrified this girl actually was. Gran would've been a little more upset about being mistaken as a useless old lady if it hadn't been for the fact that she'd been getting that same response for a good long while now. She shook her head and turned to keep walking deeper into the forest.

"You want to fight the next one, hm, dear?" Gran nodded to herself and kept her eyes peeled for the next encounter, "That's fine. Let me know if you need my help, though. These eggplants can get a little unruly sometimes."

Gran furled her eyebrows and frowned, a thought occurring to her, "Do you think the mistletoe nepent will only come out if we sing Christmas carols?"

Gran saw Raiken nod only slightly and she grinned from ear to ear. the child was obviously just worried for her own health, scared of the mace-wielding grandmother. Of course, Gran had been walking around trying to both recruit people into her own little bubble as well as teach the new players about how being in danger worked. Farmsalot had learned that lesson the hard way. She chuckled a bit at the nostalgia and then took in a breath to start her first carol. Maybe Jingle Bells. That was a simple enough one.

Before she could begin singing, however, Nepents were spawned upon them. She frowned. They had interrupted her holiday spirit, and for that they would pay. She narrowed her eyes at the one that held a mistletoe on it where the flowers usually were. She blew air out of her nose and grunted, "That one's mine."

She lunged forward without even thinking about discussing any strategy with Raiken. After all, she didn't need strategy against two measly nepents. She flipped her can as she sprinted, catching it by the handle and cracking the head of it against the plant. It shrieked and lashed out against her. She felt it's vine crack against the side of her head and she smiled.

"Too late for that," she muttered as she brought the mace down on its head, causing it to shatter. She watched as the mistletoe fell down to the ground slowly. She walked over and put the item into her inventory. The quest was as good as complete. She turned to watch Raiken fight her own Nepent with a smile. Gran had she'd only help if Raiken asked for it, after all.

Gran nodded to herself as Raiken made the first attack. The girl might take a good bit of damage, but she would probably be fine. Gran yawned and slowly bent down to sit cross-legged on a large rock that wasn't entirely covered in snow. She laid her mace across her lap and watched the girl fight with a mild interest. The girl had very smooth motions, as if she'd already been trained in how to fight with blades. Gran didn't think too much on it at first, but her eyebrow raised slightly as Raiken landed softly on the ground after being hit.

"Seems like she already knows how to fight," Gran muttered to herself, placing one elbow against her knee to rest her chin in her palm. Gran herself had been recruited into a special operations unit by her superiors a long time ago, and she'd learned many fighting styles in her travels across the globe. Seeing just a couple attack from the girl wasn't enough to spark her memories, but Gran was certainly paying more attention now. She did her best to look nonchalant and calm, but if one were to look in her eyes, they'd see nothing but burning curiosity. 

Gran realised the girl might need her help if it continued like this, though. With a quick calculation, Gran came up with the conclusion that the girl could kill the nepent in two more attacks like that. The problem lied with the fact that the nepent could also kill her in three. From a purely mathematical standpoint, Raiken had the advantage, but if the girl was to slip up even slightly, she would die. Gran smirked a bit evilly and shifted so that both hands her under her chin. She would enjoy either outcome, really. Of course, Raiken could always call for help if it came down to it.

Gran watched as Raiken propelled her body forwards. The smooth motion would've looked nice to most people, but Gran narrowed her eyes a bit. She had this nagging feeling of nostalgia in her head. Watching Raiken step, she recalled a voice from long ago, Too far to the right! Your opponent would trip you up in an instant! Keep your feet only shoulder width apart or your sense of balance is destroyed!

Gran frowned. The memory of being trained by someone younger than she'd been at the time was not a pleasant one. Watching the girl's stance and the way she swung her sword, Gran was almost positive she'd been trained by that same man. Of course, Gran wouldn't be able to ask her until the fight was over. No reason to risk distracting the girl in the middle of combat, so Gran went back to just watching. In the back of her head, she was trying to recall the name of that man. Isuma? No, that wasn't it. Gran frowned.

It looked like the fight was going well. She watched as Raiken slashed into the beast and used the blade to propel herself back away from it. The girl had managed to dodge a strike from its vines. Whether on purpose or by luck, Gran was sure she'd never know. Gran yawned and continued trying to think about those times where she had learned the ways of the blade.