---

The weather was inviting, not even the most stubborn of shut-ins could resist stepping outside. The sun shined down on the town of Luna Crescente. As the light reflected off the clear waters that surrounded and weaved through streets the town seemed to sparkle. The breeze was pleasant and Luna was alive with activity. Golem's Hand, one of the two guilds residing in the lake town was having a festival, celebrating its sixth anniversary. Food, games, entertainment, the whole nine yards. Despite the guilds stern and hardened appearance, they knew how to provide a good time for the townsfolk.

The only people who could potentially not enjoy the festival was Golem's rival, Harpy's Wing. Harpy's guild hall sat in the middle of the crescent shaped lake surrounding the town. A perfect harmony of nature and architecture, the guild hall was built into the trunk of a massive tree. While they were at odds with Golem, that was hardly a reason to not enjoy such an event. Harpy was a guild built upon harmony, making them the proactive side in trying to bring some sort of peace for both guilds, though maybe a stronger effort could be put forth.

Whether Harpy's Wing and Golem's Hand could ever find themselves on good terms or not is yet to be seen. For now, the festivities and happiness of the towns inhabitants is what's important. Not only was Golem celebrating their sixth year as a guild but also the official inauguration of the new guildmaster.

It was a lovely day outside. Birds were singing, flowers blooming, and she could hear the hustle and bustle from the town even all the way out here on the lake. There was even a gentle breeze blowing, causing her hair to sway gently as she leaned out of a windowsill, resting her elbows on it. A small smile crept over the guild masters face as she took in the peaceful scene. She did hope her Harpies were out enjoying themselves. Just because it was a festival hosted by a rival guild didn't mean they couldn't. After all, it was a festival for everyone who lived in the town, and they'd be remiss to not take advantage of their hospitality.

She held out a hand as a bird landed on it, chirping loudly.

"I do hope my little Harpies make an effort not to get into trouble." Anwen said to the bird, who merely tilted its head quizzically, eliciting a laugh from the older woman. The chances of them actually instigating was very low, but she couldn't count on some of the more volatile members of Golems Hand to not start something. They had run ins in the past, and while she advocated that they should at least get along and not fight...well, things didn't always go as planned. Plus, she admittedly could be making a bit more of an effort to broker peace herself.

Whatever the case, this festival was certainly going to be interesting, what with the inauguration of their new guild master. Perhaps she should go see this for herself. It'd definitely be a good way to scope out the competition as they say, and she might even could get in a few words with him.

Especially if she could get him all to herself, hehe~

With the smile turning into a slight smirk, the bird perched on her finger flew off. For now, the Guildmaster of Harpy's wing remained in her nest. She'd make an appearance later.



As per her usual routine, Chloe had woken up before dawn. First, she headed outside of the guild hall and did her usual morning running, followed by lifting some boulders outside of the town and some other basic workouts in her routine. Ended with a very pleasant and warm bath followed by a relatively large breakfast and drinking. All before ten in the morning. Needless to say, Chloe was a fairly active person who enjoyed physical activity, and being outside in general.

Needless to say, she was also greatly enjoying the festival.

"Hey hey, Haine!" Her voice carried quite well, and was likely heard above even the crowds of the festival. Not to mention, stand above most of them, sticking out like a sore thumb at six foot four, clad in armor. She had been following the older knight ever since that morning, also as part of her usual routine. The younger girl was pestering him for a usual, daily duel - without any sort of magic whatsoever or her using her hammer.

She still hadn't quite figured it out, but she still wasn't able to beat the older knight without using magic of some sort. Not that she particularly put much thought into it - Chloe didn't put much thought into most actions - she just found fighting him fun. Winning or Losing didn't matter all that much, besides, one of these days she'd win.

"Come ooon!~ Just once! Don't make me drag you to the training hall!~" The girl may have very well been physically capable of such a feat, too, considering her natural physical ability compared to most others. "Oh hey hey!" She suddenly interrupted herself, as though she had a brilliant idea. "We could even put on a show out here! It's a festival, after all so we should help with the entertainment~"

If Haine didn't accept the challenge, chances were Chloe was just gonna pester him the rest of the day about it until he did.

_@RabidAnubis



Ceri was sitting at the top of the Guild, out on some tree branches overlooking the rest of the town. For a timid little girl like her, it must have been a surprise to most to realize she had almost zero fear of heights. In fact, she found high places to be quite calming. From up here, she could hear the entire town across the lake, filled with life from the festival. As peaceful as it was though, it was a little intimidating even thinking about going down there, especially since the members of Golem's Hand would be there. She was much more content to remain up on the tree branches and reading a nice, thick book.

She looked down at the ground below her as her legs dangled off the edge. A gentle, nice breeze was blowing causing some tassels on her robe to sway gently as she gazed at the town in the distance. Maybe it'd be fun, right? What's the worst that could happen? Aside from fights, running into a scary person, being eaten by some sort of wild animal that had sneaked into the festival, getting lost, someone seeing her face...She then reached up and grabbed her hood, pulling it over her face tightly.

Maybe sometimes, it was best not to think. There was no way she could go down there.

Not alone anyways, and she didn't really even know anyone in the guild all that well. Sure, most of them were nice but...she shook her head and released her hood, and picked up a book from the branch she was sitting on. She opened the book, and began to quietly read.

After a busy early morning out shopping for fresh food, Sandria was already racing back to town with several large sacks filled with tasty goodies, while riding on her black motorcycle. She had woken up early specifically to go out to the local farms out in the country, away from Luna Crescente, just to pick out the freshest deli, the saltiest seafoods, and the ripest of fruits and vegetables for the party at hand. She claims that those bought in the markets in town weren't nearly as good compared to buying them at the source. Of course, this comes at the higher price of they being more expensive too... or sometimes cheaper depending on each location. Regardless, she has to thank her motorcycle for getting to her destinations as well. She was a fast one indeed too, which only took her two hours to collect.

Once she sees Luna Crescente out in the distance, Sandria presses hard on the accelerator, and races towards town. At 65 miles per hour, it's no doubt that she'll be back in no time, probably being even a little too early as well. The townsfolk that see her charging into down quickly move out of the way as they only see a blurred-flash pass by. Only once Sandria got into town did she slow down a good notch, but still moving quite quickly.

In just five minutes, she was finally back at her guild.

She skids her bike on the pavement, stopping directly in front of Golem's Hand. Sandria then gets off, parks it by a wall, and removes her helmet. She shakes her short, but rather rich, blonde hair and exhales a sigh. Then grabbing two giant sacks, she walks towards the entrance, seemingly not affected by the weight of her load. As she enters the hall, the biker drops them down with a heavy thud.

"I'm back." she casually says to anyone around, as she wipes her forehead, "I happen to have four more sacks of fresh food in the front. Fresh veggies, fruit, deli, fish, you name em'. Anyone care to help me carry the rest in?"

_{". . . . Annoying."}

A voice as quiet as the breeze spoke up next to the robe clad girl, followed soon after by a slight shimmering in the air to her immediate right. After a few seconds, she'd find Ky, dressed in his usual attire of grey pants, bandages on his feet, hands, and arms, as well as a red bandana around his neck, lying not too far away from her. His head was dangling of the edge a little bit, one eye open to show case a light glare from the Golem's Hand mage towards the woman who'd interrupted his resting time with her presence. He'd tried to ignore her for sometime, as this was his favorite place to hang out when the guild seemed like it'd get too noisy and bothersome(like Festival Day, for example), since it was usually quiet and peaceful, not to mention the great view of the town and the lake. However, it was all for not, as her presence kept on taking away from his attempts to fade into a thoughtless half-sleep, and thus, he figured it was best to engage her, perhaps even see if he could ruffle the Harpy's feathers enough to get her to leave him alone. The fact that he was technically trespassing himself and was likely to get kicked out for it didn't seem overly relevant at the moment.

After a few more moments of staring, Ky would sit up, letting out a quiet huff, before he cracked the kinks out of his neck, having been in that position for sometime. This was followed by him slowly getting up, stretching a bit as he did so, before directing his attention back to Ceri. He would stare at her with a level gaze, not seeming like he was going to say anything else as he simply continued to look, his head slightly tilted as he folded his arms, his posture not being overly threatening, but never really relaxed either.

On bright, sunny days like this it was never a challenge to find Mary. The green-haired woman would be outside, wandering around the town or tending to her garden at the local orphanage. Even on the days she took jobs there was a good chance that one could find her enjoying the sunshine, given that her jobs are usually wrapped up very quickly and she travels fast. But today it was even easier to find the Flower Queen for it was a day of festivities. It was only natural that a mage of Golem's Hand would be enjoying their dedicated day of celebration. It was an anniversary, after all, and Mary was one of the mages that had joined the guild when it was in its early days.

She had built her own booth near the town square. Calling it a "booth" is a bit of a stretch, as she magically created a hedge with flowers on it and then sat down behind it on a floating leaf. Either way it fit her objective: giving away free flowers. Behind, next to, and on top of her stand were many bright and vibrant flowers of many varieties. Some were in pots, others in bouquets, but every one of them was perfectly healthy and vivid with color. She probably could sell them for a hefty price but the idea never occurred to Mary. She did this for fun, not for profit. It would be a crime, in her eyes, to put a pricetag on such beautiful sights to behold as these flowers. And while one would assume that she had simply created them with her magic they would be quite wrong. Despite having the capability to do so, Mary had always enjoyed tending to plants. She grew all these flowers on her own time for the express purpose of giving them away today.

While she enjoyed seeing the looks on people's face as they gazed in wonder at the flowers she had grown, she was also hiding her energetic giddiness behind her calm and friendly smile. It wasn't just Golem's Hand's anniversary but it was also a good opportunity to fight with Harpy's Wing mages. Mary wasn't vindictive or hateful toward the other guild but she always enjoyed a good brawl. She had fought with her fellow Golems many times and she can fight them whenever she pleases with little to no consequence. Harpies, on the other hand, aren't as easy-access for combat. But of the five previous anniversary festivals every single one of them saw a fight break out between Harpies and Golems. Mary wasn't a part of all of them but she's always known that today was one of the rare chances to tumble with the opposing guild and be largely immune to any consequences for it. Everyone is usually so light-hearted and friendly during this day that the fights had always seemed as something playful, not something horrible.

So as she did her self-appointed duty as a flower maiden, Mary kept her impatience hidden. I've been out here for three hours now and no Harpies have shown up yet, she thought to herself as she rested her head in her palm with her elbow on the booth. Normally there's been one or two that I'd see by now. If less of them are coming to the festival then I have a smaller chance at goading one of them to fight me. Have we done anything to offend them lately? I don't think we have. With a sigh she let herself glance towards the giant tree at the center of the lake. The home of Harpy's Wing. It was a beautiful tree, but Mary could never get over how insolent someone would have to be to defile such a majestic and ancient thing to build a guild hall inside it. If she had her way that tree would've been preserved as a national landmark, a tribute to the power of plantlife. If there was any gripe Mary had with Harpy's Wing on a personal level, their guildhall would be it. She looked away before she could get angry, as she knew she surely would be if she continued to think about it, and brought her attention back to scanning the passerby and seeing how many of her flowers she could hand out.

She didn't want to be here, in the middle of all these people. She could practically feel the happiness and the joy that radiated in the air, and she couldn't bear it. Someone like her shouldn't have to be among them, spoiling their happiness, because she was well aware that she did -- it was her personality. She was aware it was off-putting to many, even on normal days, but especially if they wanted to have fun. Still, she had no choice but to be here, and the days festivities were practically choking her. Days like today were times for people to celebrate, and she understood that, and it was because of that understanding that she wanted to stay away from days like these, because she could not find it in her to celebrate, not anything anymore.

Phoebe rarely left her room in the Guild Hall. In normal times, there were only three reasons for her to leave: for Jobs, to eat, and for supplies, and even then the latter two seldom happened, as Phoebe would sometimes just bring food to her room, and whenever she bought supplies, she purchased in bulk, enough so she wouldn't have to leave again for months, sometimes even a year.

Unfortunately, it just so happened that today was the day she ran out of supplies. Now, reluctant as she was to do so, she had to go out and restock. She'd make quick purchases to last her the week and hopefully the festival, and then return.

As for what she needed . . . vision lacrima's, alcohol, preferably wine and . . . flowers.

Phoebe was in the town square, as most of the shops she regularly purchased from had temporarily moved locations, in order to attract more customers. It was here that a particular booth caught her eye. Well, rather than a booth, it was more accurate to say that it was a vibrant tangle of flowers and greens shaped like a booth. Flowers of every color, shape and size decorated the stand, and the fragrance that emanated from them together was both overpowering but still pleasant.

She stood there, admiring the sight and taking in its scent, before relaxing. Approaching the stand, Phoebe paused abruptly as she saw who exactly was in charge.

The Flower Queen of Golems Hand. Of course.

She pursed her lips. She didn't have anything against the guild -- more to the point, she wasn't all to supportive of her own guild either. She was just there. Despite her rank and relative infamy in her own guild, she had never really interacted much with them, not to mention bonded. In fact, her actions were so inconspicuous that outside of Harpy's Wing, she was practically an unknown.

Still, that didn't mean that she didn't care what would happen to them. She owed a debt of gratitude to Harpy's Wing, and to its Guild Master for taking her in and giving her a place to live, and she always took steps to avoid inconveniencing them. If she tried to buy from this stall and it's owner realized that she was part of Harpy's Wing . . . well, she was aware of previous "disagreements" between members of the two guilds.

However, Phoebe looked at the flowers on display and faltered. Clear as day, she could see flowers that she needed, some of which weren't even sold regularly here. Purple hyacinths, white lilies, dark crimson roses and carnations, all flowers she needed and obviously top quality, as can be expected from a Nature-mage her caliber.

Just as she was hesitating to approach, another mage from Harpy's Wing approached the stand. It was someone she was vaguely familiar with, after all, the two of them were promoted to S-class at near the same time. She didn't know much about Goldas, but she did hear rumors, and from the way he acted, it didn't seem like he was keen on disproving them.

Deciding that she may as well take advantage of his arrival, the girl quietly approached the stand, and tried to make her presence as small as possible.

Hiding behind her bangs, she interrupted Goldas awkwardly and asked in the littlest voice possible:

"Excuse me . . . but how much for these flowers?" she said pointing to the ones she wanted.

@j8cob-@Renny

Looks like no one was able to help Sandria, with everyone else was already quite busy with arranging the party or out at the festival. It was understandable though. This is after all going to be a big event, so everyone needs to be doing something regardless. With an awkward sigh, the gunslinger goes back to her motorcycle and delivers in the remaining sacks of fresh goods. Several bartenders and cooks began to help with unloading her sacks and were quickly sorting them out, as well as preparing more valiant dishes. A cook happens to thank her for delivering the food, in which a friendly nod was given in response.

Now that the deed was finally complete, it's time for her to relax and explore the festivities outside. Sandria simply walks outside and heads towards the little shops beyond. It was pretty crowded alright, with people examining the booths' goods, buying said goods, playing a few games here and there, just the average ole' stuff. Everything was peaceful and at simple harmony. All she simply hopes is that nothing goes horribly, horribly, wrong. Then again, what is she thinking? It's such a beautiful day outside that surely it'll prevent any scourges from happening around here.

As she examines a simple piece of fruit from a booth, Sandria happens to see two Harpy guild figures from the opposite side of the booths. She instantly recognized them as Goldas and Mary. Now sure, Harpy and Golem have a pretty intense rivalry over one another, but rarely does she expresses hard feelings against them. In fact, she's friends with some of their members anyways. That is, if your talking about how she usually is. When her mood goes sour, one can say she isn't very nice towards them... or anyone really. Thankfully, the latter is not the case at this time. After looking at them for a few seconds, the gunslinger puts down the produce and continues walking on, wondering what she can do to pass the time.

Sora Takamichi

Sora let out a small sigh as she walked down the streets festivals was a fun time that was for sure yet she couldn't help but feel tired of all the festivities at the moment. With a small sigh she looked forward in the distance being able to easily spot her guild hall doubly so since it was built into a tree. Still she thought as she took out a small lollipop and placed it in her mouth things could have been worse right? Perhaps I should actually do something rather than just walk around Sora thought to herself. With that in mind she decided to set out her kimono easily blowing gently as she walked briskly down the streets passing a few stalls some not really important but oh well perhaps she could find some game stall or at least a food vendor candy was not exactly filling and she had yet to eat.

Walking down a line of stalls she let her eyes pass each one quietly seeing what each contained. Majority of them was of traditional festival quality food of somewhat cheap quality being sold and a few game booths that offered random prizes and so forth. She supposed she could stop at one or two. Though at the same time she was pretty sure that due to her being a "harpy" that if some golem's hand's member spotted her it would lead to some ribbing and the like she would rather much avoid. Placing her odds on the benefits vs risks she decided to just say hell with it and go to a booth. Paying for the small game she would be doing she hefted up a small pop gun and tried to take aim. These games always taunted her with her being a bad shot due to her impatience but one of the prizes they offered she wanted. It probably was somewhat childish but the large stuffed rabbit was something she couldn't help but want. Hell it even looked bigger than her which many would probably say wasn't hard.

sorry double post site acted up on me

For some this feud wasn't enough to keep them away from a good time. Including the ever joyful beaming ball of sunshine known as Kyuuten Rallis. "Watch your head~!" Winding back the snowy haired Harpy wizard threw the ball and knocked down one of the targets in the stand. A few feet away stood a girl who looked the part of the general image of a wizard, pointed hat included. While staying out of the way of the crowd she seemed engrossed in the magical text being projected in front of her. Suddenly, a small teddy bear penetrated the floating pages. "He's cute, right~?" Kyuuten gave her his usual cheery smile. "I wish you wouldn't do that while I'm reading. But...yes he is very cute." She said taking the bear in her hands. "How'd you win it?" Kyuuten pointed over his shoulder the game stand he was just at. "Hehe, I knocked over Mozu~" Looking over his shoulder, Pyrrha could see the stand runner resetting the cardboard cutout of their guildmate alongside others. "You know, this only proves my point that we shouldn't attend Golem's anniversary festival..." She sighed.

Kyuuten Rallis, a member of Harpy's Wing and the guild's resident Celestial wizard. Pyrrha was his closest friend and first Celestial spirit he ever contracted with. She liked to hang around the using her own magic power so the two were often together. "It's fine, the festival has nothing to do with us. Golem is celebrating the day they were formed not our little skirmishes." The two walked around the festival, Kyuuten clearly unbothered by Pyrrha's concern as he sauntered on relaxed and with his hands on the back of his head. "I think the stand you won this from begs to differ." Pyrrha knew she wouldn't be able to change his mind. Kyuuten has been Harpy's most proactive member in trying to be more friendly with Golem. He didn't see the rivalry between the two guilds being to prove who's better as much as it was to push each other to become stronger. That was just the way the young wizard's mind worked. While his excessively bright attitude could be a source of worry for Pyrrha, she couldn't help but find it endeering. "C'mon let's grab a bite. I can smell that sweet sweet festival grub from here~" Pyrrha sighed and nodded with a slight smile.


Adjusting his glasses, Delsin sat down with the retiring guildmaster in the library. They started a game chess, the strategics of the game allowing him to get his mind off things. "I apologize if I disturbed you." The old man waved away the apology. "Not at all. It's been quite some time since I've been able to find a partner to enjoy this game with. You've been away too long Del." Delsin made his move. "Then I still feel I must apologize." The old man was a wise veteran of the game. "No need. I am dumping a heavy weight on your shoulders. You needed the time to prove to yourself that you could bear it." Delsin countered swiftly. "I won't act as if I found my answers while I was away but I am at least better assured that I won't drive your legacy into the ground. Are you sure you wish to retire so soon Grandfather?" The elder chessman chuckled. "You've always had a sharp mind, I have faith in your abilities. It's been six years since the guild's inception. My goal was to build a solid foundation. It'll be your job to build upon that foundation." Delsin made his next move and sat back looking out the small window. "For someone so against my retirement you seem to have quite a lot of determination those eyes." The old man set up a dangerous trap on the board.

After a few more turns Delsin found himself cornered. He saw a way out and made his move. Now he had set his own trap. As he sat back he glanced out the window and saw the Harpy's guildhall in the distance. As he looked upon the rival guild's abode he couldn't help but admire the elegant form it took. It was a marvel even among the incredibly ingenuity that was Luna Crescente itself. It's... "It's really quite beautiful, isn't it?" Delsin looked at the old man with surprise. "When you let your guard down you're very easy to read my young successor~" Delsin scoffed at the statement. "Hmph, you claim to see through me in a mere instant, for that is the measure in which I do lower my guard if ever?" The old man smiled wryly. "If I may quote, 'I assure you I do not claim anything'." As if Delsin had blatantly told him his plan, the old man expertly countered it and left the his grandson speechless except for two words. "Check mate..." Sighing, he already started thinking about the ways he could have prevented his defeat. "Thank you for the game..." The old man said standing up. Delsin looked away from his elder showing that he was still immature in some ways such as when losing.

In literature, the act of physically looking up to someone usually implies metaphorically doing it as well. The act indicates respect, reverence, awe, and a certain desire to follow them. Haine only received the urge to repeatedly slam his forehead into the edge of his shield until his brain became some sort of soup like substance.

Looking up was an odd sensation for the six foot tall knight, and not something he did often. However, his guild mate Chloe forced him to bring his eyes towards the skies daily. Today was supposed to be a day for relaxing, for enjoyment, and for a sense of camaraderie between the town and themselves. But like most days, he instead was followed around by this overly cheerful woman who constantly insisted on play fighting. The knight was starting to believe the woman was some sort of masochist, considering how she lost every single time and made no effort to improve herself.

After muttering a small prayer for the woman's future crush, Haine sought a distraction from the prospect of a duel. The knight knew he'd give in eventually to her constant teasing, but he had dressed reasonably nicely for the even today, donning a long tunic straight from bellum and displaying fashion that had long since drifted out of fashion for this part of the world. It would be a shame to dirty it so quickly.

Luckily, the man spotted his distraction in the form of a red haired girl. Sora, a member of Harpie's Wing and a fire mage, had showed him around town a few days prior. The woman was twenty one despite her both youthful and short appearance. Right now, she appeared to struggling with some sort of pop-gun game.

This was his chance to both repay a favor and give the tall woman behind himself a distraction. "Greetings Milady Sora, is this challenge causing you difficulty?" The warrior made a slight bow and spoke confidently. The woman may have been pretty, but the man was far past the age where such minor things flustered him.

Realizing the possibility that Chloe and Sora hadn't met yet, the knight gestured to his companion. "I'm pushing forty and may be too old for this, but perhaps a more youthful spirit would be a more enthusiastic aid? This is my guild mate Chloe. Chloe, this is Sora, she showed me around town soon after I arrived." The knight successfully managed his tone in such a manner to make it hard to detect his annoyance from a few minutes ago.

---

Koe sat quietly at the bank of his guilds islands, taken away by the music playing in his ears. When listening to music, it shut out the rest of the world, and took him to another place. It was as if he was watching the lights go down in a city from afar, the awe and serenity that goes with it was a different feeling entirely. Music was as much a part of his soul as his heart was a part of his body. It coursed through his veins like blood and fuelled and rejuvenated his body, like food and water. He felt as if he could not be himself without it. He simply would not exist, because music had shaped his personality so much, and the personality of the parents that he never knew, helping to fill a void in his heart.

Koe was not really a profound person, but when bombarded with the beauty of the world around him with the music that played in his ears, he couldn't help it. As he gazed upon the lake that looked like a black void, the sun bouncing off its surface, his headphones took a blue hue, showing his emotional state to be a calm one.

The 'plopping' sound of fish breaking the surface and ripples widening out played over and over in his head, despite the music. As he peered into its depths, he could only see pond weed and small insects at first the grew and thrived on its banks. But as he remain still, layers of water somehow became apparent, the open light layer with minnows darting about, the next darker layer, a large carp is sitting, watching him as he watch it. Then the dark bottom of the lake, the brown silt moving with life. 

Koe sighed, scratching his head in feigned annoyance. I gotta get out of my head. he thought to himself despondently, gently taking the headphones off his ears and laying them to rest on his neck. Suddenly, the world got a lot louder, and no longer did he have to imagine the 'plopping' sound of the fishes antics.

Today's was the Golems Hands anniversary, quite a celebration, that he should have been apart of. The guild hall wasn't abuzz with life as he felt it should be. No doubt the frequency's that he picked up were those of excitement and jolliness from the town, but many of Harpies members were subdued, preferring much more to be alone, although some had left thier comfortable home and left to mingle in the town.

With that Koe jumped up, how could the 'loners' in the guild out and about and he was here getting all heartfelt about his music and the beauty of the lake. Without as much an afterthought Koe ran into town, taken by the festivities and the over all excitement that buzzed in the air. As he walked through the crowds who lined the streets Koe's headphones became a light shade of red.

As Koe explored the town, he examined the booths that had been set up, games, food, info, all kinds of things, but only one really caught his eyes. A booth giving away all kinds of alcohol, with a crowd growing around it. Now, as one of the oldest member in the guild in terms of age, he should have been setting and example of maturity, but this was a celebration, to hell with maturity. Pushing his way through the crowd, Koe grabbed a few cups of the purple liquid before running off. Using small, soft waves of sound to have the other cups levitate around him, he was able to carry two more with him.

Koe once again resumed exploring the festival, alcohol in hand to invigorate him all the more. Before he could get far though, a red headed girl stood out like a beacon in the crowd caught his eye. He instantly recognized her, Sora, who seemed to be playing a game at a booth. Before he could make his way over though, a pair apppered, and tall armor clad girl and a shorter man in a tunic. Koe instantly recognized them to be Golems Hand members, or at least he assumed so.

A feeling of suspicion settled upon Koe's shoulders, despite the fact that he heard the conversation from were he stood. This was a festival, fights between the Guilds had happened on days like this before, emotions always ran high. Sora was just as old as he was, and a very capable Mage, and she could handle herself, but that didn't stop Koe from walking over just for the back up.

"Come on hot head, you can this, ain't that hard." Koe said mockingly, patting her head and turning to the pair and acknowledging them with a friendly smile.

The Flower Queen was brought out of her train of thought when a young couple approached her stand. They were noticeably younger than her, which was kinda cute, but Mary was already familiar with how this played out. The guy would pick "the prettiest" flowers for his girl and then compliment how they don't look nearly as beautiful as the girl. This was rarely the case, as Mary felt her flowers were often plenty more beautiful than most women, but nonetheless she would bite her tongue out of politeness. Most often the guy would be alone and get flowers for his girl later, but it wasn't uncommon for both to be there. Boys really liked giving girls flowers, apparently.

But before Mary could answer the younger man's question he proceeded to continue talking with a noticeable change in tone. His mocking joke didn't go undetected, prompting an unamused frown from Mary. "Oh, you're a new face," she remarked, keeping her head propped up with her palm. "Probably think you're cute, don't ya? But I wouldn't want to keep you up past your bedtime." Now that she knew Goldas was a Harpy she felt no reservation in insulting him. While she didn't know him he clearly knew her, so perhaps her fame combined with a bit of banter could goad him into trying to fight her. It was fun fighting with Harpies but Mary already felt an extra desire to pummel this specific one.

That was when another girl approached the stand, clearly more timid and seemingly unaffiliated with Goldas and his girlfriend (Mary assumed). "Oh, the flowers are always free," Mary answered. "Beauty like this deserves to be shared, not sold." Then her eyes drifted back to the blonde fellow with the scar on his face. "But for Harpies it isn't free." A cheeky and mean-spirited grin formed on her face as she finally sat upright and crossed her arms under her bust. "Harpies have to prove to me they are worthy of such beautiful flowers. If they can't match the beauty in some other way then they don't deserve to have some of mine. Perhaps in the beauty of art, perhaps in song or dance... perhaps in the beauty of battle..." While she was unaware of Phoebe's status as a Harpy, Mary was equally unaware that both of the two were considered S-class at their guild. Though that would be largely irrelevant information to her anyways; Mary would just assume that she is still stronger than Goldas should he choose to fight her. She always assumed that she was not only the most beautiful in the room but always the strongest. There had been very few times it was proven not to be the case, after all. With her grin now a smirk, Mary leaned back slightly on her floating leaf chair as she awaited the decisions of her potential customers/opponents.

@Renny @TheHangedMan

Ceri was enjoying the relative quiet. Only birds singing with a gentle breeze blowing. That was all she ever needed. That, and a good book...and maybe Klisa. She didn't mind the other girls company at all, though she didn't know where she was at the moment. She was probably out enjoying the festival without her. At least, that was the lingering thought at the back of her mind was telling her. She knew Klisa would never do a thing like that...but well, a natural distrust of people was hard to let go of sometimes.

So she distracted herself from such negative thoughts by looking at the book in her lap, turning a page.

_{". . . . Annoying."}

And then she let out a quiet squeal, suddenly fumbling with the book in her hands as she was startled by the sudden noise. The blue robed girl barely managed to grab the book by its back cover flap before it fell to the ground below. She held the book before her, closing it with an audible 'thump' noise. Her head swiveled to this interloper on her favorite spot. Annoying? her? She hadn't done anything to him, he was the one who was being annoying. In fact, there was a tiny thought in her head that she should shove him off the branch. She glared at him slightly from under her hood for disturbing her peace.

And then she realized this was a person from Golems hand.

That annoyance was quickly replaced with fear as she visibly shrunk away from the unknown person, sliding a few feet to her left, away from him. Her head turned to the ground, clutching the thick book to her chest as her heart pounded. If she wasn't so startled and put off by his sudden appearance, she might have wondered why and how he got here, but such thoughts didn't form

_"S-sorry..." She apologized almost as if it was an instinct. Despite trying to not whisper, her voice was still quiet and didn't carry very far. _{"U-uhm...I...u-uhm..."} Words failed her as she tried to form a coherent thought, but instead, all that game were more false starts and more fidgeting. She placed her chin on the book, hugging it tighter. _{"I-i'll...t-try to be quieter...."} She managed to finally reply.
_{@Raijinslayer}

---

Chloe continued to pester Haine, completely unaware of his minor annoyance. Not that she likely would have stopped even if she had noticed. Chloe wasn't exactly socially aware sometimes. She did, however, offer a slight pout when he turned his attention to another girl, though. From Harpy's wing, no less. Playing something that looked like a...popgun game or something? Trying to shoot something for a prize or another.

"Greetings Milady Sora, is this challenge causing you difficulty? I'm pushing forty and may be too old for this, but perhaps a more youthful spirit would be a more enthusiastic aid? This is my guild mate Chloe. Chloe, this is Sora, she showed me around town soon after I arrived."

Well, Chloe was never one to back down from a competition, no matter how childish seeming. Hain'es plan of momentarily distracting her worked. For now, at least.

"Hehe, hey. You're from Harpy's wing, aren't ya?" She said to Sora with a grin, giving her a friendly wave. While the slayer had nothing against the other guild personally, she did feel as though they were a...physically weak lot. While she relied on magic a lot herself, if it came down to a brawl she was fairly certain her physical ability would win no matter what.

"Wooow, Haine's right, you're pretty bad. Here, lemme show ya how it's done!~" She walked up to the booth, taking one of the popguns herself. When it came to Aim, she probably was admittedly a fairly terrible shot, since most of the time her skills weren't focused on hitting something accurately, rather than hitting it as hard as she could.

...which was completely evident when she missed almost every single shot. Frowning somewhat impatiently, she paid for another, and took aim once again.

_{@RabidAnubis@Suku}

Sora Takamichi

"Heh show me how its done huh?" Sora said her voice uplifting as she noticed the one girl Chloe missing just as much as her. Taking aim once more and letting out another shot only for said cork to ricochet around the stall before bouncing back and hitting here in the middle of the head. With tears welling up in her face which at the hit as she now sported a large red mark on her head she sniffled a little before calming down and slamming even more money on the stand. Biting hard on her lollipop a loud crunch was heard as she did her first shot hitting the target barely but enough to get some points. "See this hot head can do it to. _{just takes a while}" She muttered the last part under her breath. With a single hand she pulled out yet another lollipop admiring the bright blue color of it for awhile before eagerly placing it in her mouth. With that done she hefted the pop gun once more and tried for her second shot letting out a small sigh she once again managed to hit her target.

She smiled one more target and the over sized rabbit plush was hers thankfully she had 4 more shots left. Taking aim once more she fired another shot for it to miss. "So in case some of you didn't know my name is Sora Takamichi." She introduced herself as she started aiming another shot. "I figure you guys are Golem's Hand members?" She asked continuing her train of thought as she fired once more only for it to miss again. "You probably all know i'm apart of Harpy's wing, I believe I was labeled with the title efreet." She continued trying to make small talk. It was due to her shifting her body to look a bit towards the others that caused her to actually hit the final target. Looking back a her eyes wide and a large smile on her face as she picked out the oversize bunny. Hugging it to her chest it was easy to tell it was at least two feet taller than her and her face expression and body type really made her seem young.

As Sandria walks around the festival, she suddenly hears her stomach begin to growl loudly. She remembered she didn't eat breakfast before her two hour trip to get food and back. That, as well as the savory aromas around town, also made her quite hungry for something to take a bite out of. Her mind was at first pulling on some junk food and sugars, probably some cake, but then decided that it can wait and turns towards a healthy food booth nearby. She quickly straddles into the shop and orders a healthy salad, filled with green lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, crutons, and all that healthy deliciousness.

As she steps outside to eat, Sandria then notices two other Harpy faces. One of those faces goes to Kyuuten Rallis, a well-known member of the group, along with a friend of his. Perhaps she can strike a conversation with those two? After all, nothing exciting was going on so a good ole' chat should be good enough.

"Hey." she calls out to them as they got close enough, "It's been awhile hasn't it Kyuuten? Going out with your girlfriend huh?"

Lisa supposed she shouldn't be drawing attention to herself.

"Make way! Make way!"

She sighed, wishing people weren't staring at her.

"Stand aside for the radiant Lady Lisa!"

She was self conscious, almost ready to run back to her guild and curl up in a corner with a book, and just forget about stupid festivals.

"That's right! Lady Lisa of Harpy's Wing, coming through! Gaze upon her in awe!"

That was it. She whirled on her companion, glaring at him as best she could.
"I told you not to make a scene, Leo!" She hissed at the golden haired young man so vehemently announcing her presence.

"But Lady Lisa, how could I not extol your virtues to the heavens? Why, such radiant wisdom and beauty, who could fail to admire you?" He made such exaggerated gestures that it was impossible to take anything he said seriously.

"I know you think you're being cute, but cut it out. The only reason I even considered bringing you out in this crowd is so I don't have to focus on not breaking things. If you keep embarrassing me, I'll close the gate."

Leo laughed good naturally, like he always did when Lisa chewed him out. "Right, right, I get it. I'll keep quiet from now on."

Lisa actually felt a little guilty of that, but sensed one of Leo's traps too, so she kept her mouth shut about it. Instead, she turned and found herself staring at Kyuu and Pyrrah and... someone else. Immediately she hid behind a stand selling crepes and peeked around the corner to watch, Leo mimicking her exactly.

Kyuuten had collected a rather impressive stash of snacks soon after arriving at the food vendors section. Pyrrha, still clutching the small teddy bear in her arms wasn't really interested in most of is but she did find a yearning for shaved ice. "Alright, two shaved ices coming up~" Before long Kyuuten was back and found Pyrrha standing with Golem's resident sharp shooter, Sandria. She was one of the few members of Golem that didn't take the rivalry too seriously and was a rather nice woman despite her imposing appearance...most of the time. "Sure has. How've ya been Sandi~?" Kyuuten gave the older woman his usual sunny smile as he passed Pyrrha her shaved ice, which upon hearing Sandria's girlfriend comment she crushed in her hand in embarrassment.

"W-W-We are not..! It's nothing like that!" Kyuuten laughed at Pyrrha's flustered state. "Oh come on let her have her fun. Besides would it really be such a bad thing if it was true? Is that kind of thing even allowed? A celestial spirit and a wizard...?" He trailed off legitimately curious about the subject and oblivious too his companion's ever reddening face. The crushed frozen treat started to melt and evaporate in her hand as electricity sparked from her body. "Don't say weird stuff like that idiot!" Pyrrha demanded as she waved her hand and zapped Kyuuten. "Gah!" Kyuuten sank to the floor his hair frazzled and smoking. "What did I say..."