Friends In Low Places ~{Private, Ema and Jac}~

It was a nice day in the small Pensylvania city that Plum called home. A bit cloudy, but not so much that it covered the sun. It was a perfect day, at least by Plum's standards. Her only complaint was that it was cold out, like any winter day. She didn't really have any winter clothes, and was rather glad that this winter hadn't been too bad. For now she was content laying on her bench with her bag as a pillow, zoned out to think of sitting by a warm fireplace.

In all reality, Plum was cold. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a grey tank top. Having no jacket sucked. That was definitely next on her list of things to get. But for now she had no money, it'd have to wait until she could find a job to do for someone. Come to think of it, if she had no money she wouldn't be able to stay in the hotel tonight. Figuring she's have to shiver on the bench tonight, she began to dig through her bag for her blanket. At least that would keep her from freezing too bad.

Despite the bad condition, she didn't seemed bummed at all. Actually, she seemed pretty content. Stuff like this didn't phase Plum anymore. She was used to having days like this, so she had little tricks for staying warm and out of the way. After all, who needed a bed when you could sleep wherever you want? A shower would've been nice though.

Josh was heading through town, it was very cold. But he did not need much to stay warm after his upbringing to the north. He had tossed on a couple shorts this morning and a grey jacket with a bit of faked fur around the edges of his hood. He wished that he could be here for something worthwhile with his time in this town, but nope. Today he was the academy's whipping boy. He had one reason to be in town for these next couple of days, and he intended to get it done quick so he could enjoy himself.

He walked right past Plum without even hardly looking at her before he stopped. She hardly had anything to wear out in this near freezing cold. If she was as homeless as she looked then she might even be liable to catch her death out here..... Bah! He was sick of handing people flyers anyways, and the entire reason he was in town was to get information on a Kishin egg who's made quite a reputation on the news for himself. Certainly this chick would be liable to talk with him a bit more about it than everyone else, he had hardly gotten anyone to give him the time of day so far this morning. So he walked back and he said,

"Scuse me, can I talk to you about something?" He asked casually.

Plum was surprised to see this boy out in the cold. Not because she never saw anyone out, but because she'd never seen him around before. Either he was new, or he didn't get out much. She knew almost everyone around here. Curiosity sparked inside the frail girl as she gave him a happy grin.

"I've got all the time in the world. Can I start by asking who you are, though? I've never seen you around here." Plum replied, turning herself to face him as she wrapped the old blanket from her bag around her shoulders to keep warm.

He would sit on the bench with her so it would be easier to talk, he gave a sigh at getting off of his feet and he saw his breath go up into the air. "My names Josh, and thanks for talking to me. I'm with the miesters and weapon academy from death city. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about the Kishin egg who was causing a ruckus in this town. Anything useful really. " he tried to tell if she was cold.

Plum was indeed cold, though she was trying her best not to show it. Giving in to the cold had only proved to make her cold and miserable in the past. Pausing to think, she couldn't help but take interest in this boy. He was from Death City, huh? She'd heard about the Academy there, but she had never really met anyone from it. After all, what use would a student from there be doing in a small town like- Wait. Did he say Kishin Egg? The thought hit her like a sledgehammer. A Kishin Egg around here spelled trouble for her, especially while living on the streets.

"There's a Kishin Egg? Here?" She asked him, a little panicked, though hiding it behind a half-realistic smile. Her voice wavered a bit. "I hadn't heard anything like that... Are you here to take care of it?" What if that thing found her sleeping? Could she really fight off something like that? No... If that thing found her while she was alone, it'd be over...

No. Josh immediately thought to himself as soon as she asked him if he was here to deal with it. He was just sent here to get information in a town they new hardly anything about. He did not have a weapon partner. But still... He could hear the fear in her voice. The damn thing was being a danger to everybody around it and the cops weren't doing enough to stop it. He came up with an idea and some resolve. "Yeah, I came here to make things right and safe again. If I just knew more about him then I could get this taken care of today." he said. Resolute, before looking at her. "You've gotta be freezing out here." he'd say before taking off his jacket and handing it to her. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt and another T shirt above it. The cold sure diden't bother him. "You need this way more than I do."

Plum sighed a relief sigh when he said he would handle it. It meant that she would be safe for that night. He did say he needed more information though, something she didn't really have. Did that mean if he couldn't find the Kishin Egg it'd just stay on the street? That was no good... What if it attacked someone? She'd cross that bridge when it came...

Plum's thoughts were interrupted when Josh handed his jacket over to her. Unsure, she looked at him curiously. "Are you sure about that? Won't you get cold out here?" She asked him, unable to help herself from putting the jacket over her shoulders before he responded. Something told her he would play it off anyways. Besides, it's not like she'd keep it. It'd be given back to him before he left her.

"No way, I'm tough. Plus I used to live way north of here so this kind of cold it like, a spring breeze to me. It's yours."  He said. Josh had to think. He was here in a real way now, he had practically promised this girl that he would take this soul eating monster off the streets. Had he promised to much? Gah, if only he had soul perception this would only take half a day. Tops.

No, he could handle this. What was all that training for if he couldn't take on one bloody Kishin egg on his own. Then he looked over at Plum. Mabey he wasn't so alone.... "I do need some help finding him. Are you hungry miss?"

Plum nodded to him in brief response. "Thank you."

Josh seemed really nice. It was too bad he wouldn't be around long. Still though, it couldn't hurt anything to make friends with him anyways. Then again, she wouldn't want to wear out his kindness. "I'm fine, I ate a little earlier, but I don't mind helping you look. After all, I'd probably be safer with you than sitting here alone." Plum replied, giggling lightly at the obvious remark as she did so. She couldn't help but wonder whether they'd find it or not, or what would happen if they did. Did he intend to fight it by himself, or was she expected to fight? She wasn't exactly strong...

He would stand up. Perfect, you'd know more people around than me." Josh would say, totally ready to get started. "If in some way we do find him just by searching around here. Run the heck away. We can meet up back here so I can let you know weather or not I belong in a pine box." He joked. "But no really, I'll be fine. Just lookout for yourself if there's real danger." He said with a friendly wink. Josh was nervous however, the last time he had fought a Kishin egg he had his ass handed to him until he got rescued by a meister who knew what he was doing. But then again, he was older now. More prepared, he had this.

Plum nodded, standing with him. "Sounds good. I don't think I'd do too well alone in a fight anyways." She replied, gathering up her bag. It was pretty light, so she never had a problem carrying it around. This guy was sent to slay the Kishin Egg, and he'd come alone. Didn't he have a partner? She was pretty sure that's how it worked. Students of that school traveled in twos with their Meister or Weapon, usually? Eh, it wasn't her place to pass judgment on their way of doing things. After all, she wasn't a student.

"Yeah you probably wouldn't alone. Same here. It's why academy student's get weapon partners to help them out when they go on missions like these." He'd say before catching his mistake. "Not that I'd need one for this I mean it's just one Kishin egg." Josh briefly wondered if he could slip away from her long enough to find a bass pro shop to buy a big f*** off knife to help him kill this thing.... It did not look like he could. And besides he'd be leaving a girl who was now scared (thanks to him) on the cold streets.

"Where do you think we should start asking?" He asked.

Plum completely zoned out after Josh's mention of Weapon partners. So he wasn't an autonomous Weapon himself? Did he plan to go in with his fists...? Maybe it was just her, but beating a Kishin Egg to death with your bare knuckles didn't seem like a very easy thing... But if he WAS a Meister, maybe she could help out after all? They just needed to sync their souls, right? Shouldn't be too hard...

"I got it!" Plum exclaimed, stopping and pointing her index finger up as though she had hit the biggest revelation of her life. "From what you said, you must be a Meister, right? And anyone can use a knife, right?" She didn't wait for his answer. "So you can use me! I'll be safe, and you'll be armed!" She looked excited, like a kid who'd just been told they had full reign over a candy store.

Josh would stop in his tracks, considering using the girl as a weapon briefly. For five whole seconds he imagined swinging a 90 pound girl around and beating a monster to death with her before he wanted to hit himself for forgetting the first lesson he had ever been taught about the DWMA.

Some people....



Could turn into weapons!

"Wait, hey really? You could do that? Actually that ahh, would help me out greatly in taking care of this guy. I could help you resonate since you've not had any sort of training like that yet..... What's your name? Do you want to try?"

Plum guessed by the series of quick questions that he was probably just as excited as she was. Was she actually going to be used by a Meister? It had been awhile since the last time she'd transformed, but she was fairly confident she still could. It wasn't like she could lose the ability to do so, right?

"I think I can. I mean, I've done it before, so I'm sure I can do it again. My name's Plum Minstrel, and I'd love to try!" Plum cooed happily, quickly remembering a small detail and adding another phrase. "If you don't mind the color pink, that is..."

He'd give a friendly smile. "Well then Plum, I'm ready when you are. We should get in some practice before we actually start looking for him full fledged, you know. So we're ready. Oh and pink? That's a great color, are you a rainbow colored prison shank?" He joked. Before holding his hand out and expecting her to transform.

Plum nodded in response, figuring that he was right. If they got there and he couldn't hold her, that would suck. She gave a small giggle at his joke as she placed a hand in his and shook her head no.

As Plum gave her reply, her body began to give of a bright pink light. "Knife with a ribbon." With that, Plum bust into a small flurry of pink light, which proceeded to encase Josh's lower arm. With a small flash, the light vanished, leaving a Plum's kunai in his hand, and a large amount of pink ribbon wrapped around his lower arm. "Whatcha think? Can you kill it with this?" She asked eagerly.

((OOC: If they can't fully match yet, Plum's ribbon and handle may be a little hot. If they can't match at all, it'll burn the crud out of Josh's arm. If they can, no change. I'll leave you to choose though.))

Josh would smile hand pull his arm back in order to inspect her weapon form. He looked down the blade of the kunai knife in his hand. It looked to be shiny and very sharp, it actually made him hopeful in the girls bright weapon form that she might be doing much better for herself mentally than her situation would lead most girls to be. He gripped it firmly, before shifting it around in his hand. He'd whince after a few moments, still partially smiling. "Ok... You're feeling a little hot against my hand. So we'll need to work some kinks out in our resonance before I try and use you. Ok Plum? Err... I guess we could resonate better if we got along. Where are you from." He said, trying to hold onto her with his lightly calloused hands.

Plum had to think on that one. "A few cities over, I guess. I've moved on foot a few times. I don't really remember where I started though..."

The reply made Plum's voice falter a little. She didn't seem too excited to answer that, but she quickly shook it off, gathering herself. She knew that she shouldn't let it get to her too much. It was years ago anyways. "So, what about you? You said you lived up north, how far north?" She questioned, distracting herself.

"I used to live with my family in Alaska, north coast." He'd say with a smile as he remembered his home. "Not nearly as many people there as here, but still. It was nice in it's own way." Josh would pause for a moment, pondering on what she had told him. "How long have you been traveling like this?" He'd ask back in a nonthreatening way.

Josh came from Alaska, huh? That was pretty cool. He did raise a good question though. How long HAD she been traveling? She had left at fourteen, so probably around... Yeah, that sounded about right.

"Something like two, two and a half years? Somewhere in there. Sometimes I stay on my friend's couch though. He's pretty nice about that." She answered, seeming quite pleased with herself. Honestly, Plum was proud of the fact she could manage herself on the streets. It wasn't always easy, but she did pretty well for herself. Even without a house, she'd survived this long. Then again, she was half sure that was in part due to friends like Garret letting her stay over on really cold nights.

Josh felt relieved to hear her say that. "That sounds about right. It would be a damn shame if someone like you had to sleep outside every night..." He said, implying it was a shame she did not have a home at all. Her weapon form felt cooler on is hand now. Better. "Do you have any siblings or family?"

Sibblings or family... It had to be that question... "I used to have two sibblings..." Plum began. Even with the disruption effect from her weapon form, anyone could tell that she was a bit stired by the question. "They passed... With my parents... I have an uncle, but I don't really like him..."

She never really had gotten over the loss of family. Her family was, after all, one of the few things that actually upset her.

"That was a long time ago, though." Plum quickly added, deciding she needed to stay focused. Her voice was now slightly more stable. "No use dwelling on the past. Just push forward, right?~"

He would nod, looking into her blade resolutely. "Yeah, exactly Plum. You're eyes are facing in the right direction. Now are you feeling ready to take this sucker out and make the streets safe again?" He asked as he gripped her tightly, feeling amped and ready for this.

Plum's face reflected on the blade, and she gave him a mostly pleased nod. "Yeah, now we just need to find it."

In all honesty, Plum was a little nervous. She'd never actually been used to cut anything but the paper her uncle had used to test the blade's edge. Now someone was going to use her to take out another person? Yeah it was a Kishin Egg, but it was still a person at one point. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad though...? If this went well, at least she could beg the DWMA to take her in... that was an upside...