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"Likewise and pleasure. My name is Vance." The Crusader bowed politely to Caduceus in response. He still couldn't shake off the feeling that they met before, but he decided to let the matter drop entirely. If they truly did, then the encounter was long ago, and it most likely wasn't long enough for his name to be fully committed to memory. "And yes, sounds like you two were lead to this place in the same manner I was. Ingine and I are indeed acquainted, much to our mutual dismay." A sardonic grin was on his lips as he shrugged. Ingine using Caduceus as an opportunity to avoid talking to Vance was not lost the ash-haired swordsman. And if he was going to be like that the entire time, then in all honestly, it suited him just fine.

Taking the hint, kid. You're not what I'm here for anyway.

"And nice to meet you, too, El... o-oh, okay then." Instead, his attentions shifted mainly on the child, who introduced himself as Elfed and was already dragging him by the wrist, which he went along with no real resistance. Whatever Ingine or Caduceus were up to before he had arrived, it seemed he got roped along into it without explicitly agreeing to help. Then again, perhaps that weird prompt from earlier was giving his consent.

Well, in any event, that was fine. Vance had nothing substantial to do at the moment, anyway. What was he going to do, wail at some random monsters in Phi all alone due to knowing no one that was remotely close to his level? Present company and a certain someone he had yet to give his apology excluded. Ironic.

When he was dragged to the well, he was also the first to step forward, hands gripping at the stones lining the perimeter of the well as he peered down to its depths. Though the elfbeast assured the impromptu group that his pet was down there, all he could see was a black void, and all he could hear was a faint wind — not even any mewling or the sounds of something flailing in the water. If this well lead to anywhere besides a reservoir of drinking water, then it seemed that it would be rather deep inside. Were he to ask such a favor of anyone in real life, then they surely would have refused without the proper set of gear to safely venture down. However, not only was this a virtual world, he had the means to save himself from a fatal fall, anyway. So there was hardly any fear in his voice when he volunteered to be the one to drop down into the well ahead of the rest. He didn't hear enough of the prior conversation to know who Kazemaru was, but he assumed that he'd know when he saw him. He glanced backed at Elfed and the other two players as he stepped onto the edge of the well.

"Okay, kid. We'll find your pal. I don't know if you two have the means to safely go down, but if you don't hear my body crash into any ground or liquid, then I suppose that means I was spirited away somewhere."

With that, and without giving any of them a chance to respond, he nonchalantly jumped into the well's dark depths. It was time to put those pricey wings to work once more.

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If there was some kind of ulterior motive behind Ingine's question pertaining to his personal vendetta against Vance, then the latter couldn't see it. The Crusader took it for what probably was: a harmless banter.

"Hard to say... I guess neither? Never had the opportunity to really bond with one or the other. My grandfather had animal allergies, so most pets were out of the question," said Vance, his head tilting and forelegs shifting in the best approximation of a shrug his cat body could muster. "If I were to get a pet now, I'd probably get a hamster, to be honest..."

He let the topic more or less drop in favor of discussing the actual matter at hand once Caduceus eventually arrived and joined in on the conversation, musing on the nature of their transformations and whether they were rooted to the well they came out of or the area they found themselves in, which was essentially a mirror of Dol Dona that replaced its usual residents with clothed cats much like the impromptu group itself. As far as that particular mystery went, Vance remained silent, as he had no strong opinion on it either way, nor did he think the answer to the question was one really worth pursuing or deliberating over when they were simply there to find someone's pet. An understanding of this mysterious place was secondary an optional, especially when they may not even need to ever go here again. Once the matter of the actual search and where to start with it came up, however, that's when he had something to say.

"Well, even if the roads and paths here are the exact same as the Dol Dona we came from, I doubt that we'd get anywhere if we simply wandered around, considering none of us are sure what Kazemaru looks like what is and isn't normal here. I'd probably start by asking any... of... the fine folk... here."

It was at this point, while looking around and speaking, that he finally noticed the attention that was directed toward them from passers-by, making him slightly self-conscious as he sheepishly pawed at the back of his head. Some cats were staring at the group warily, while others were deliberately avoiding eye contact and maintaining distance as if they didn't want to get wrapped up in whatever trouble their instincts told them the party would bring. And who could blame them, really? All three of the popped out of the well in their own spectacular way, and they were complete strangers to the town.

Vance sighed in resignation. "This'll be fun." Looking around, he tried to seek out the first person... cat here that seemed friendly enough to give them a chance. Soon enough, he spotted an open stall not too faraway, managed by a plump, white cat in merchant's clothes. Strangely enough, the stall was still proportioned to the height of humanoids, though it seemed to be a non-issue for the one running it, who merely sat at the countertop as he tried to peddle his wares: various weapons and armor sized and fit appropriately for the smaller feline body. As for the cat himself, he kind of reminded the Crusader of a maneki-neko, an image only reinforced once the merchant-cat raised a paw upon realizing that Vance's eyes were on him. "Okay... I guess I'll be right back, then." Now too late for him to back out, he walked up to the stall, joining the merchant on the counter with a single, dexterous leap.

"Well met, sir! Nice stock you have here!" He glanced back at the other two party members before continuing, "So... as you might be able to tell from the looks we've been getting, we're from... out of town. You... wouldn't happen have seen anyone or anything that also looked as if they weren't from around here?" Vance wasn't exactly giving his most confident and convincing line delivery — talking to a cat while being a cat himself still felt entirely surreal and silly to him. Luckily for him, that didn't seem to be an issue.

The merchant-cat was only silent for a brief moment before giving of an unusual, overly friendly aura. "I might have seen something earlier... but I can't quite remember," said the cat, drawing out the last syllable as if he were genuinely thinking about it. "Tell you what, why don't browse my wares for anything you need while I try to recall?"

If Vance's cat face still had human features to it, his expression probably would've fallen flat, cold, and stiff at that very moment, his voice deadpan when he gave a response. "So that's how you want to go about it." The Crusader knew the game the merchant was playing at, and he wanted no part in it. Besides, what if they used an entirely different currency over here?

He looked back at his party, and shook his head. Even if this merchant did know something, he wasn't willing to be extorted to learn what it was. They would have to find someone else that was much more genuine and willing to help.