Hilda Joins a Guild!

The few days since Hilda had made it to Ynnis had been a while ride. She'd settled into a small, cheap home and had even gotten a couple hounds of her own. Harbinger and Styx trailed her now as she made her way toward the city center. They were beautiful tollers - at least to her - and both seemed to be fairly amenable to their new living situation. They hadn't quite all bonded yet, but she could see them becoming a strong trio.

Their primary goal today was a nice, long walk to keep them well-exercised. Their secondary goal was to stop by some of the trades headquarters and maybe get affiliated with someone in the city. A guild would make finding odd jobs easier, for sure. Moving was expensive, and all the little things were starting to add up. If she realized she'd forgotten to account for one more little thing she was going to scream.

She was lost in thought until both her hounds stopped, almost in unison, and tilted their heads to the right. She came to a halt with them, following their gazes. Just down the street was a big, open square dotted with various tents, carriages, and booths, each decorated totally different from the next. People milled about, talking to representatives at each and creating a murmur of conversation that floated down the road to Hilda and her hounds.

Huh. She'd almost totally missed the trades headquarters. How about that.

She let her hounds lead her closer to the commotion, feeling a little anxious at the sheer number of people here and the expectation of some kind of interaction. Realistically, she knew she needed to talk to someone to join a guild, but now that the time had come it made her a little sick to her stomach. Instead, she walked around for a while, letting Styx be nosey about all the exciting smells and keeping close to Harbinger for comfort. She studied each of the booths, put off by how grand and gaudy some of them were. She didn't see herself fitting in with the glitter and glam.

She paused at the obstacle course of the Trainers' Guild momentarily, awed by the hard-working, athletic hounds they showcased, but nearby a puff of smoke grabbed her attention. It came from an intimidating looking steam engine with a modest booth out front. She had to admit, the utilitarian feel of it was much more attractive to her. She wandered a little closer, and one of the people at the booths caught sight of Styx first before moving on to Hilda and Harbinger.

"Beautiful tollers," he called.

She wrung the leashes between her hands for a second before steeling herself enough to get closer and answer back. "Thank you. They're still new to me, but I think they're going to be a great pair."

"It's always tough at first," he nodded, "but they eventually become like an extension of you. There's nothing like the excitement of being out in the wild and finding new things with them. Just you, your hounds, and the fresh air."

The words filled Hilda with a sense of wonder. Wasn't that exactly what she'd come here for? That sense of new and adventure? "That sounds amazing," she admitted.

"There's absolutely nothing like it. If you're really interested, we can sign you up and show you the ropes. The Expeditioners' Guild is always looking for new members, and we've got some incredible veterans that can teach you a trick or two. We prize good training and love for the world beyond these buildings."

Hilda only had to think for a quick moment. None of the other guilds had called to her in the slightest. But this? This was exactly what she'd hoped her life would be like here. "Yeah, I think I will sign up, actually."

The man beamed at her and rustled around for a couple pages of paper and a stubby little pencil. "That's great! We'll just take down some quick information about you - you know, contact info, basic background, the bureaucratic stuff - and then I'll introduce you to some of the other members here. You'll make fast friends, I swear."

Hilda gave a small smile and nodded, and together they worked on her application. Today's mission - accomplished!