Mia/Stories
Mia is convinced she's landed some amazing loot, until Alk's inspection reveals they're all kitchen appliances. She happily gives them to him on the condition she gets a slice of his first cake.
Mia: Hiya, Alk!
Alk: Hi, Mia! What's all this stuff?
Mia: These lil' beauties? These are some of the treasures I've collected from ruins around the world. Just finished cleaning 'em up!
Alk: Wow! I've never seen anything like them. Hmm... What's this one for?
Mia: It separates egg yolks from whites!
Alk: Really? How?
Mia: You just pop in an egg and give this part a squeeze. Then the yolk and white end up here and... Here!
Alk: Oh, that makes sense... I think? I'm not sure WHY you'd need one, but it's pretty neat! How about this thing over here?
Mia: Hm? Oh! That's the Spectactula!
Alk: Spectactula?!
Alk: As in, a spectacular spatula? Is it different from normal ones?
Mia: You bet it is! Check this out; it's flexible, so you can do THIS.
Alk: Whoa! It scraped the side of the bowl clean in one swipe! I guess that IS pretty spectacular.
Alk: Hmm... Is it just me, or do a lot of these treasures seem a little mundane?
Mia: M-mun...dane? Um, well, I mean— Oh! What about this one?
Mia: The Ixer Blade!
Alk: The what?
Mia: Dunno, but it's got "IXER" written on the side. When you push the button, these funky little blades spin around super fast! Cool, right?
Mia: This bad boy could shred a monster to ribbons! To be honest, it kinda freaks me out, so I've never actually used it, though.
Alk: Oh, Mia... I hate to do this to you, but... Hand it over for a second.
Alk: See how it whirls? I think this was used to mix batter...
Mia: It's for mixing ingredients? Seriously?!
Mia: Argh, I can't believe it... The Ixer Blade, it was just a kitchen utensil?
Alk: I know, unbelievable...
Mia: Alk?
Alk: This stuff is amazing, Mia! We could whip up a cake in no time! Where did you find all of these?
Mia: Uh, lemme think... I'm pretty sure I got 'em from a treasure chest in the Kaleidoscope. You can have them if you want.
Alk: Oh my gosh, are you sure? I'd love them, but they're your special treasures, aren't they?
Mia: Go for it! Treasures belong with someone who can really appreciate 'em, right?
Alk: Wow! Thank you so much!
Mia: ...On one condition! I call dibs on a slice of cake!
Alk: Haha, of course! I'll make the best cake you've ever had!
Mia: Aw, I'm just glad my little treasures are gonna be put to good use.
Mia: Moments like this are what keep me goin'! Just you wait, I'll get my paws on the best treasure ever someday!
Mia sets up a treasure hunt for Alk with a special prize—a brand new jar of high-grade rock salt. The two make plans for their next hunt, a bona fide adventure into old ruins.
Nimbus: Alk? What're you up to?
Alk: Hm? Oh. Hi, Nimbus. Yeah, I'm fine. I just found a weird note in my room. Here, have a look.
Nimbus: "It's treasure hunt time! Get out there and find your trove! Love, Mia" ...What's that supposed to mean?
Alk: I think she must have hidden something of mine, and now I'm supposed to go on a "treasure hunt" to find it.
Nimbus: Hide and seek? Oh c'mon. How old is she?
Mia: Hey! Treasure hunts are for all ages!
Mia: Especially ones hosted by Mia, treasure hunter extraordinaire!
Nimbus: Returned to the scene of the crime, huh? C'mon Alk! Let's catch that thief and get your stuff back!
Mia: Thief?! I just said I was a treasure hunter! Don't sell me short!
Nimbus: If you THIEVE, you're a thief.
Mia: I didn't THIEVE anything! I just hid it! I wanted to show Alk the thrill of the hunt!
Alk: Oh. Is that why you put a puzzle on the back of the letter?
Mia: Yeah! I hid a bunch of clues to lead you to the treasure. C'mon, it'll be a blast!
Nimbus: Sounds more like a pain in the ass. Alk, I can probably sniff it out. I think it's—
Mia: Hey! T-time out! You can't do that! That's cheating!
Alk: It's okay, Nimbus. Mia's treasure hunt sounds fun, so I'll give it a go!
Alk: Let's see... I'm guessing the first clue is to head to the canal, right?
Mia: You're a natural, Alk! You've got this!
Nimbus: Hmph.
Alk: I think I figured out where the treasure is! The clues lead to... you, Mia!
Mia: Bingo! Nice work!
Nimbus: Huh? How'd you figure out Mia has the treasure from this scribble of a monster?
Mia: Monster?! It's obviously a tiger!
Nimbus: No way is that a tiger...
Alk: Ahaha. I'll admit, I thought these scratchy lines were cuts at first, but they're probably supposed to be tiger stripes.
Mia: What do you mean, "supposed to be?" They totally look like stripes! Anyways, you won fair and square, so here's your treasure!
Nimbus: Big talk comin' from the one who stole it in the first place. So, what'd she nab?
Alk: A jar of salt.
Nimbus: Salt?!
Alk: It's always handy to have in the kitchen, so I guess you could call it a "treasure." But wait...
Alk: Oh, wow! This isn't just any old table salt—it's top-grade stuff from the Endless Blue!
Nimbus: So, fancy salt.
Mia: Yep! I saw it at the market and thought Alk would like it! Best part of the hunt is actually getting the treasure, right?
Alk: Th-thank you so much! I've actually had my eye on this salt for a while. I can't wait to try it!
Nimbus: Am I missing something here? Salt is salt.
Mia: Maybe to you, but one man's trash is another's treasure. If it makes someone happy, it's treasure in my books!
Nimbus: If you say so.
Mia: Now that you've got the basics down, we should try hunting for loot in some old ruins sometime!
Alk: A bona fide treasure hunt? Sure, that sounds fun!
Mia: Hey, Nimbus. You comin' with? For all your mumbling and grumbling, you seemed pretty into the puzzles.
Nimbus: N-no, I wasn't! But I guess I could tag along. Y'know, keep you two outta trouble.
Mia: Works for me!
Mia: Think of all the juicy treasures out there just waiting for us! Let's not keep them waiting, Alk!
Alk: Yeah!
Mia and Alk salvage a totem-like statue of a cat and dog with a secret compartment full of bones and catnip. The party speculate it once symbolized friendship between the cat and dogfolk.
Mia: Hmm... What exactly IS this thing? Looks all funny...
Stella: Hello. What an intriguing statue. When did this get here?
Mia: Whoa! S-Stella! Didn't see you there. Um, we just brought it back from a treasure hunt.
Alk: Mia found it while she was showing us around her stomping grounds. Hard to tell what it's depicting, though. Maybe a cat and dog?
Stella: Indeed. The detailing on it looks like fur.
Stella: I would love to accompany you next time you go treasure hunting.
Alk: Oh? Of course.
Mia: Okay, back to me now! I think there's something stashed inside the cat-dog statue.
Mia: Just imagine! It could be a relic of both the cat and dogfolk! The thought's got my heart pounding!
Mia: C'mon, even YOU'VE gotta admit it's cool, Nimbus. Or should I call you "Your Royal Kingliness?" It's a relic of your people, after all.
Nimbus: Cut it out with the king stuff already.
Nimbus: I won't lie, though. I am a little curious what's inside. Should I bust it open?
Alk: Whoa, hold on! Don't do anything hast—
Stella: It opened.
Mia: Wow, that was easy.
Alk: S-Stella? What'd you do?
Stella: I was merely probing the texture of the fur when it reacted.
Mia: You've got the makings of a master lockpicker, Stella! Wanna team up with me?
Stella: It would be my pleasure.
Nimbus: What's this stuff? Bones and... dried leaves?
Nimbus: Urgh... These smell WEIRD... Ngh...
Mia: You okay?
Mia: M-m-meeeYEOW!
Mia: This is catnip!
Stella: Catnip? If my memory serves me correctly, the scent is popular with felines.
Alk: I think I get it. Maybe the treasures of both dogfolk and catfolk symbolize friendship between them.
Nimbus: That can't be... You've seen how the old farts act.
Mia: Hey, you never know!
Mia: Maybe catfolk and dogfolk used to get along—No, I'm SURE they must've!
Mia: This might be the best treasure I've—sniffle—ever found. C'mon, Mia, pull yourself together!
Nimbus: Alright, alright... You should tell Albert and Claw about this. Those bookworms would gladly look into it for you.
Mia: You're right. And who knows what else could be in those ruins? I'll have to keep exploring them!
Mia: Just you wait, treasures! Treasure hunter extraordinaire Mia is on the way!