Haiba in the Gilded City

"T-thank you miss," Haiba said, giving a slight bow, both in respect and to look at her legs a bit longer, before he left the store and looked at the map, deciding to head toward the center of town a bit more before heading towards the farmers market.

Progress (12) Crit Success (already paying off, lol)
Encounter (37) Fail

Following the map closely, he found a street near the central square that was a straight shot to the market. Perfect! Haiba began his stroll down the road, and he could already feel some relief from the ribbon.

Haiba: 23 Willpower
105 Gold
Progress (2/4)
Contacts (0/5)
Mental Fatigue 0

Happy with his investment, Haiba continued down the street, checking out what was on it and if the map showed off the location of anything else he could be interested in.

Progress (66) Success
Encounter (46) Sudden Sponsorship

Haiba kept marching as he read the map. It outlined every street and many points of interest. City hall in the center of town, the police station to the north, 'Anna's mansion' at the very southwest of the walls, and for some reason it went out of its way to mark an abandoned warehouse in the southeast. In between them all, it showed all of the attractions mentioned by the surveyor.

Unfortunately, Haiba was too engrossed in the map to notice as a silver-haired lady bumped into him. "Ouch, oof, sorry I wasn't paying attention." She apologized to him and made sure he was alright.

Haiba: 23 Willpower
105 Gold
Progress (3/4)
Contacts (0/5)
Mental Fatigue 0

"Sorry miss, neither was I," Haiba admitted, making sure she was alright as well.

"It's okay. No harm done. Hey, listen, I actually love your hair. Could you tie it up with this for the whole day?" She asked him as she showed him a blue hair tie. "I'll pay you 15 Gold right now if you promise to wear this until sunset." The woman declared, which was an offer so good that it seemed suspect. But what could the catch possibly be?

Haiba: 23 Willpower
105 Gold
Progress (3/4)
Contacts (0/5)
Mental Fatigue 0

"Oh, I've never really thought about doing something with my hair, but I guess I can," Haiba replied, "But is there a reason you want me to do this and are offering to pay?"

"It's advertising. People see you wearing my brand, they think it looks good, they come by and, well, buy. Sound good to you?" She asked. Upon closer look, the accessory had a unique color and pattern, it was definitely distinguishable.

"Sure, but can you put my hair up, I've really never handled it before besides haircuts," Haiba asked.

"Okay, sit still and I'll put it on you." The woman went behind Haiba and gently lifted his hair, taking great care with it as she put on the tie. When she was done, she ran her fingers softly through his long hair. "Wow, you're perfect for this. Here you go."

(As long as Haiba wears the hair tie, his opponents gain access to a move that Auto Succeeds, deals 1 damage, and Charms as they praise and caress his hair.)

Haiba: 23 Willpower
120 Gold
Progress (3/4)
Contacts (0/5)
Mental Fatigue 0

"Thank you," Haiba says as he receives his payment, "Does your brand have a name, or is it sold in a specific store, that I should tell people if they ask about it?"

"'Cordie's Fashion'. I own the place. Actually, it's named after me. Thank you so much, and you really do look great in it. I love your hair." Cordie ruffled his hair sweetly before going on her way, leaving Haiba with a new look.

Haiba: 23 Willpower
120 Gold
Progress (3/4)
Contacts (0/5)
Mental Fatigue 0

With that finishing, Haiba began his walk back down the street, thinking he was getting close to the farmers market if he was looking at the map correctly.

Progress (30) Success
Encounter (49) Fail

Haiba arrived in that wonderful place where produce was sold by the barrel. He saw fruits of all kinds, but none so accursed as the one belonging to X. He did see a tall and kind-looking nun who looked like she was helping people with directions, showing them where to find things both in the market and the city as a whole.

Haiba: 23 Willpower
120 Gold
Progress (4/4)
Contacts (0/5)
Mental Fatigue 0

"Excuse me, miss," Haiba called out to the nun, "Would you be able to help me find something?"

"Of course, child, how may I help you?" The woman of the cloth smiled down at him with a tender expression. Her lips were huge and plump, but made sure not to let them be too distracting.

"I'm not sure if a woman of your position would know of this stuff, but do you know where the black market is located?" Haiba asked, finding comfort in her gentle smile after all the lust mirada he had seen.

"It's not in any particular place, child. The criminal underworld makes its deals in different places each night, and even the police can't track their meetings down. Maybe you could ask them. I also hear that a gang of midara has a harsh grip on the southeast of the city, I pray for the souls who they're no doubt bothering very terribly." She shared with him as best as she could, but she only knew about the city's crime at a surface level.

"So, my best chance of finding it is talking to that gang?" Haiba asked, "Do you know any more about them? Like are they going around enslaving people?"

"If they were doing something so terrible, I would be doing everything in my God-given power to stop them. No, they keep themselves to petty crimes. Mugging and some extortion, and sexual assault, too, given that they're midara. Not that I find those deeds any less heinous, but all of God's will so far hasn't been able to stop crimes like them. I feel my time is better spent helping people than hunting pickpockets." The nun spoke with passion and fervor, she wasn't kidding when she talked about this stuff, as crazy as half of it sounded.

"That's good to hear," Haiba said, before realizing how that sounds, "I-I don't mean its good to hear crimes are being commited, just that it is petty crimes. Thank you for the information miss."

"I understand, child. You're very welcome. If you're in need of any more guidance, please come to my church. It's just down the street from the market. Take care of yourself, and never lose faith." This nun was almost TOO nice, but that must be what happens when you're a woman of faith in a city of money and lust. The southeast of town had a gang of midara with a firm grip, probably has connections to the black market. Or, the police station in the north might know something.

Haiba: 23 Willpower
120 Gold
Progress (0/4)
Contacts (1/5)
Mental Fatigue 0

After a bit of consideration, Haiba decided to head north toward the police station, thinking that even though the nun said the police don't have any leads, there's a chance they do and its not public knowledge. He also looked ahead on the map to see if there was any places that caught his eye on the path to the police station.

Progress (34) Success
Encounter (35) Fail

On the way, there was an arcade and a theater. The map gave no details about what games or shows were present, but this was a map, not a brochure, so that's to be expected.

Haiba: 23 Willpower
120 Gold
Progress (1/4)
Contacts (1/5)
Mental Fatigue 0

Having never been to either, Haiba decided to stop at the arcade once he reached it, but besides that detour, planned to continue straight to the police station.