“Koko!”

The quill paused in her hand. “Yes?” Koko said, tucking her clipboard under her arm as one of her Guild colleagues, a panicked half-elf, ran up to her. Bemused, Koko watched as she dropped to her knees and clasped her hands together in supplication.

“Please license someone for me!”

Koko blinked. It wasn’t uncommon for a colleague to ask her help once in awhile, but never for a job outside her jurisdiction. “I’m just an appraiser, you know. I’m not certified to license. Plus, I’m in the middle of taking inventory right now.” She gestured at her surroundings, which consisted of labyrinthine ceiling-high shelves stocked with magic stones. Someone would come by later in the afternoon to pick up a shipment, so she was on a time constraint.

The half-elf winced. “I know, I know. And I’m really sorry to spring this on you, but… I just realized that it’s me and my boyfriend’s anniversary! And I totally forgot, so I didn’t take the day off, and I booked a license appointment for today, and now everything’s all messed up!”

She proffered a stack of files she’d been hugging to her chest to Koko. “Look, all the info you’d need is here! All you have to do is make sure everything checks out and print out a license. You can stamp it under my name! If you get in trouble, I’ll say that it was all my idea and I forced you to do it! Coerced you! Under pain of death!”

She seemed close to tears, so Koko decided to take pity on her. She was a quick learner, and anyway she wasn’t opposed to the prospect of meeting a brand new dungeoneer. Maybe they’d turn out to be interesting. “Alright, alright. I’ll do it. That’s what friends are for, right? You go have fun with your boyfriend.”

The half-elf sprung up and hugged Koko tight, twirling her around. “Thank you thank you thank you! I owe you one!” she chirped before turning on her heel and sprinting away. Koko exhaled slowly. She had work to do.

---

Koko emerged from the storeroom to behind the counter of the Guild’s licensing officials. A few colleagues shot her curious looks, but they didn’t ask questions. Koko was a reliable member of the Guild’s staff—they didn’t have to go out on a limb to assume that she was doing a favor for a friend.

She slipped into the half-elf’s seat and fixed a sunny smile upon her face, setting the files onto the counter. “Call me Koko. Your assigned licensing officer is… presently engaged elsewhere, so I’ll be taking her place. Don’t worry; I know what I’m doing.” Not totally a lie.

She looked up at the person she was to license for the first time. “Can I get a name?”

notes: if your character has already been an adventurer/supporter for awhile, feel free to assume this thread takes place in the past. koko has been working at the guild for eight years if that’s relevant.