@Zarkun

Alan took another gulp of his canteen as he walked the road leading towards the capital of Fiore, Crocus. From what he had heard, there was a Grand Magic Games going on there with casters of all types participating to prove their skills. A part of him actually considered taking part and he had a good feeling that he'd be able to get pretty far with his, or rather his Mom's, magical art, Moonless Gown...of course, finding more info on those "fragments" of Aura's took priority, and he wasn't entirely sure if the Games accepted just any sort of magic user that wandered in off the streets.

Thinking about his Mom again made him frown. "Hey Aura?" His partner popped her head out of the bag, "I just wanted to ask...what you think my Mom would think if she saw me right now?" Seeing her tilt her head, he took it as a sign to go on, "I mean...going behind my father's back, running away from home, using magic that was originally hers, taking on bounty hunting jobs, risking my life to save random strangers...this isn't the kind of thing you see many Moms nodding their heads in approval of."

Aura sighed in dismay as she played with her hair, "Alan, you knows that I never met your mother before so asking me for info on her is like asking the moon to turn purple. It's not going to happen no matter how much you want it to..." At seeing the downcast look in his eyes though, she decided that she should say something to liven his mood, "...But, if I were asked to give my honest opinion...I think she'd be proud of you and would want you to do whatever makes you happy with your life," Seeing him tilt his head at her made the sprite smile, amused, "Hey, I'm not entirely dumb when it comes to how you humans operate. You really think you're the first adorable idiot who left their home in the hopes of making it big in the wider world? You aren't, and you definitely won't be the last."

The wizard-to-be wanted to make a retort but Aura cut him off before he could do so, "Look...most families...want what is best for their kids, and from what little we saw in that diary of hers, I think she was the same way..." She finally left the knapsack and flew in front of his face, "Listen to me...we can't go back in time and change what's already happened...but we can work to make the future something worth living for...you wanna honor her memory so bad? Keep doing what you're doing...but don't forget to live your own life as well, got that?"

Alan listened to her words, surprised at how serious she was being...before nodding, "Right...thanks, Aura." He managed a small smile and rubbed her head.

She giggled in response, "Hey, that's what I'm here for...now come on!" She flew up high, "Whip out some of those trampolines of yours and MAYBE we might get to Crocus in time for lunch!"

Knowing that she was messing with him, he obliged and conjured a blue barrier shaped like a disc before him. He stepped on it then began bouncing on it, going higher and higher until he created another one, using the growing momentum and velocity to start bouncing along the terrain, flailing his arms in the air, "WWWaaaahhhhh!!!" Panicking, he kept conjuring the barrier-trampolines of his to keep himself from turning into a pancake on the ground. For some, this would be exhilarating, for Alan?...It was yet another technique of his that was a work in progress.

He bounced along as Aura flew beside him, snickering to herself....until she spotted the wall surrounding the city, "Look out, Alan!"

"Huh?" Alan screamed as he saw the wall coming up so he instinctively conjured a barrier only a few feet from the wall. It caught him in time...only to slingshot him backwards, screaming, into a conveniently-placed tree that broke his fall. He groaned as he laid on a branch with some minor cuts and bruises, "...Well, this beats that time I crashed into that bakery and had to pay for the repairs and all the spoiled goods..."

"Hey, at least we ate well that night," Aura giggled as she floated down next to him, relieved he was ok, "So...need some help getting down?" Before he could answer, the branch snapped forcing her to catch him by grabbing his arm. Despite her small stature, she was remarkably strong, "I'll take that as a yes."

Ignoring the triumphant smirk on her face, Alan rolled his eyes, "Just...get me down already...please?" She obliged and lowered him to where the guards were along with a man with some rather interesting tattoos who was being allowed in.

"Your name?" asked one of them, barely containing the grin on his face.

"Alan. Alan Smith. This here's Aura. My...familiar, I guess you could say." Throwing one final glare at them, Alan walked on...only to bump into the guy in front of him and fall to the ground, "Wahh! Sorry about that!"

Mako had been standing just inside the gate in the market area, looking for someone who might know where he could find the busy guild master of Phoenix Wing, Jamie Beltras, when some one bumped into him from behind, making him stumble forward a couple of steps. Recovering, he turned to face the perpetrator and found they were already apologizing for the mishap as he landed on his rump. "Wahh! Sorry about that!" The young member of the Kurohiko family considered chiding the young man for not paying attention to where he was going, but then he knew that he was as much at fault for it for standing where he was. Offering a hand to the young man, he instead offered a small disarming smile.

"Nothing to apologize for. I should not have been standing where I was." Once the offered hand was taken, he would help him up and mentally sigh. Yet another person taller than himself. Maybe this one won't make any jokes about it though... Realizing he'd not said anything, he opted to introduce himself. "I'm Mako Kurohiko, from Isvan."

Mako Kurohiko, Exiled Warrior|Streets of Crocus

@GamerXZ

Mako had been standing just inside the gate in the market area, looking for someone who might know where he could find the busy guild master of Phoenix Wing, Jamie Beltras, when some one bumped into him from behind, making him stumble forward a couple of steps. Recovering, he turned to face the perpetrator and found they were already apologizing for the mishap as he landed on his rump. "Wahh! Sorry about that!" The young member of the Kurohiko family considered chiding the young man for not paying attention to where he was going, but then he knew that he was as much at fault for it for standing where he was. Offering a hand to the young man, he instead offered a small disarming smile.

"Nothing to apologize for. I should not have been standing where I was." Once the offered hand was taken, he would help him up and mentally sigh. Yet another person taller than himself. Maybe this one won't make any jokes about it though... Realizing he'd not said anything, he opted to introduce himself. "I'm Mako Kurohiko, from Isvan."

"Nice to meet you, Mako," Alan said in greetings as he let the man help him up before dusting himself off, "Again, sorry about bumping into you like that. I guess I'm still a bit woozy from my trip here..." He made a small pout at the sprite in his bag, "No thanks to my little companion here. Apparently, she wanted to arrive here in style...and by style I mean nearly causing me to crash into the wall around this city..." In response, Aura only stuck her tongue out playfully.

"But I digress..." Letting the matter go, Alan turned back to Mako with a sigh, "So, what brings you to these parts, Mako? Here to try your hand at those Grand Magic Games? Or to take in the sights and what this place has got to offer?" The person before him wasn't as tall, certainly, but Alan was not foolish enough to start making jokes, especially considering the height of his companion and her ability to phase through solid objects.

That, and although he wouldn't say it aloud, being on the roads with himself and just Aura for company tended to get rather dull after a while, so it would be nice to have another of his own kind to chat to for a bit.

Mako found it odd that the man mentioned having another companion with him, since he himself could see no one else, but did not dig. "So, what brings you to these parts, Mako? Here to try your hand at those Grand Magic Games? Or to take in the sights and what this place has got to offer?" Mako considered simply telling the man that his business was his own, as was the business of the person he was speaking with, but he saw no harm in providing answers, at least to his purpose in Crocus that day.

"I'm here to speak with the guild masters of the participating guilds, not to compete. However, if you're here to compete, you should know only guilds can participate and that tomorrow is the last day of the Games. I came today as they should have nothing extravagant planned with it being a break day for the competitors. What brings you here, Mister..." It was rather rude that the other man hadn't introduced himself, but perhaps he'd forgotten to.

Mako Kurohiko, Exiled Warrior|Streets of Crocus

@GamerXZ

Mako found it odd that the man mentioned having another companion with him, since he himself could see no one else, but did not dig. "So, what brings you to these parts, Mako? Here to try your hand at those Grand Magic Games? Or to take in the sights and what this place has got to offer?" Mako considered simply telling the man that his business was his own, as was the business of the person he was speaking with, but he saw no harm in providing answers, at least to his purpose in Crocus that day.

"I'm here to speak with the guild masters of the participating guilds, not to compete. However, if you're here to compete, you should know only guilds can participate and that tomorrow is the last day of the Games. I came today as they should have nothing extravagant planned with it being a break day for the competitors. What brings you here, Mister..." It was rather rude that the other man hadn't introduced himself, but perhaps he'd forgotten to.

Alan nodded, as if he had expected such an answer. "Well, if only guilds can participate, I suppose that makes things easier on my front since I'm not really part of any at the moment..." And it was not like he was too interested, either, but he'd keep that little tidbit to himself for the time being. Suddenly, his partner flew out of the bag and yanked on his ear, causing him to yelp, "Oiii! What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot and not bothering to introduce yourself, duh," Now it was Aura's turn to roll her eyes, "Seriously, I knew your village was full of xenophobic pricks but I figured that they would at least install basic manners into you..." She sighed and floated down to Mako's level, "My apologies. This adorable idiot here is Alan. Alan Smith. I'm Aura. We're from a village you probably heard nothing about."

"Some of us are still a bit exhausted from training all morning and then launching ourselves into the sky just because a certain somebody didn't want to bother to get here slowly and safely, remember?" Alan retorted in her direction. As if to confirm what he was saying, one could still hear the guards chuckling to themselves not far off.

"Hey, your fault for going along with it," Aura shrugged in response, which caused him to shut up for the moment. She then turned back to Mako, smiling, "So, you're here to see the guild masters too, huh? Quite the coincidence, that is, since my friend and I happen to want to go see them ourselves...as soon we find the nearest bakery around here."

"You keep eating us out of all our traveling money, you're gonna have to start paying for your own ticket to the pastry buffet." Alan commented towards her, though he didn't mean anything harsh by it as evident by Aura winking in his direction.

Mako's eyebrows shot up slightly when the fairy flew into sight, but he refrained from commenting. Fairies were both fickle and misleadingly powerful and he had no desire to end up on one's bad side any time soon. The mention of a bakery, however, was odd. "I do not know about a bakery, but I do know of a couple of good eateries near here, and one of them servers a rather addicting series of deserts. I would be happy to pay for our meals, as I have not eaten myself since early yesterday evening and the confrontation I had before I entered the city roused my hunger." Further discussion could be had over food and it would afford a place for a short rest before talking with the guild masters.

Ethel Storm

My Hider [+]

@Infichi
Ethel frowned but decided to drop the subject. She had a feeling the more she argued about what he called her, the more likely he was to call her kid. However upon him questioning about her sister made her fidget nervously with the hem of her skirt, twisting it around her finger.
"Umm...Well...Ethel...ah..." Ethel twisted the hem of her skirt more and more as she was trying, but failing, to think of how to explain this well. What was she going to say? Her sister was a wanted criminal? A member of a dark guild? Wanted to kill the slayers?
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Ethel hung her head slightly in shame as she gave up trying to find an explanation and to just tell the truth.
"Ethel...Ethel's sister is...um...well..she's a dark wizard. Ethel doesn't know the full details...but she joined a dark guild. If she is here, then the scary water lady is as well. Wanted criminals." Ethel had a feeling that Verrick mightn't like her too much after telling him that. Ethel wasn't sure why but people seemed to dislike Ethel when they learned about her sister.
"But Ethel doesn't care....Family is family....but she doesn't remember Ethel. Attack Ethel. Ethel still doesn't care, Ethel wants family back." Ethel hid her face in the shadows of her hood as she leaned against a nearby wall. Would Verrick hate Ethel now?.

Verick just nodded and watched Ethel hide into her hood. Seemed like this kid was real shy, not normal level shy but super level shy. There was no reason not be though, most people would probably take this badly. "I'm not really apart of the whole guild thing right now." Verick commented, "I'm a free range mage... Not sure how illegal that is actually, Haven't really been paying attention. I just choose to ignore it and move on you know." He nodded to himself, "But it probably hurts more seeing your sister and having her attack you huh?" He didn't want to admit it, but this kid... she was kind of growing on him... a little. "Alright kid, Alright." He was getting annoyed, because he could see a bit of himself in her and that was going to get on his nerves... But no matter how much he poked at her... she seemed to be a good person deep down.

"When you press someone's buttons. You can see their true self." He nodded. "You're a good person kid." He hated to admit it, but sometimes... very rarely... you did find a good person or two. "I make no promises that I can beat a dark wizard though. I can only TRY to attempt it." Verick had a problem deep down... He was actually a very shy and timid person, that was the truth. Fighting someone stronger, the idea could shake him down to his core. "I really hope she isn't that strong." He thought to himself, still leaning back in the chair.

Mako Kurohiko, Exiled Warrior|Streets of Crocus

@GamerXZ

Mako's eyebrows shot up slightly when the fairy flew into sight, but he refrained from commenting. Fairies were both fickle and misleadingly powerful and he had no desire to end up on one's bad side any time soon. The mention of a bakery, however, was odd. "I do not know about a bakery, but I do know of a couple of good eateries near here, and one of them servers a rather addicting series of deserts. I would be happy to pay for our meals, as I have not eaten myself since early yesterday evening and the confrontation I had before I entered the city roused my hunger." Further discussion could be had over food and it would afford a place for a short rest before talking with the guild masters.

"Oooh! How delightful!" Aura cheered as she clapped her hands together, "I think I like you already, Mr Mako!" She then pointed towards the sky, "Onwards! To glory and many delicious desserts!"

"Oh no, I'm not letting you take our new friend here for all he's worth," Alan cut in, causing her to pout cutely before he bowed his head apologetically, "Sorry about that. My friend here loves anything to do with pastries and baked goods. Honestly, satisfying her cravings can be a full-time job at times. We appreciate the offer, but I would be happy to pay for at least half of our meal...at least that way dear Aura won't eat you out of house and home..."

"Hey, it's not my fault you humans create such irresistible delights..." Not in the mood to argue though, she flew on back to Alan's knapsack.

The wizard-to-be shook his head before turning to Mako, "Lead the way."

Mako chuckled at the small argument between Alan and Aura and turned, leading the way to the Fairy Tail themed Fairy Eatery. Upon entrance, it was clear the place border lined between being too fancy and too casual, but the smells of the food were divine, so there likely wouldn't be any complaints about the appearance. He lead the way to the counter and paid for the three of them, waving away Alan's money. "If you only have so much to travel, then allow me to ease some of your financial burden. I make enough from the odd jobs I get to make it to the next town when I am done here." He then lead the way to a table and let everyone split to gather food for themselves. When they'd all sat down, Mako began the conversation. "So I take it you are here to join a guild?"

"No, that must have been my buh-buh-brother, Gabriel. We're t-t-twins. He's always g-g-getting into s-such s-s-situations.""

"Ah," Samir sighs while scratching her head, "Well that makes sense."

"He likes b-being able to h-help b-but he can g-get a little out of c-control." Michael continues, "I'm in Dragon Fang, my brother is in Frenzy plant."

"I see, I see." the archer responds kindly, "You seem to be stammering a bit though. A little nervous I suppose? Tell you whatm how about we go to a cafe and grab a drink and chat a little? That should make you feel better, hm? I know a good place around here."

@Plank Sinatra @Krayzikk @Caasicam



"Suit yourself jungle boy. If I start starving I can always catch a deer and make a quick barbecue." I gave the trap one of my more meaty smile before continuing on the line of thought. "I simply thought a quick meal might serve as a good one of those bonding exercises you young kids are always talking about it. Swap tales of our first adventures, first defeats, and first crushes."

I'll admit, I let that last one linger a bit, just to see the reactions of my fellow companions.

"Nevertheless, it appears that such dreams are to be saved for another day. Fruits will suffice for now," I acquiesced as I grabbed a pear for myself off a tree and took a bite of my own. However, even as I chewed, I did realize that there was one more grieving error I needed to address. This time I had to turn towards our lady knight, "Oh and kid, it's worth pointing out that any old hunk of crap can be nutritious, at the end of the day taste is what separates good food from the rest. A half baked pile of healthy trail mix ain't good kid."

penny
@Lunarlors34
"it's okay, we can walk" Penny said, seeing that Jasmine was entirely uncomfortable with the idea of riding. She thought for a moment or too, walking past the stable, "what about flying? Are you afraid of heights?" there was an urge in Penny to fly, to be in the air, to have her fire around her. "maybe from up above you can see where the moth people are?"

sam, Jarvis and Jamie
@joshua Tamashii
Sam shrunk away from the red flame, pushing herself as far into the seat as she could.

"well then, I guess we better be off" Jamie said, wondering briefly why they could never get away with more then a small amount of time to themselves.

jessie
@hatakekuro
Jessie gave a happy laugh, "my dear Ferris, one thing I have learned in life is to simply be yourself. And it helps to enjoy the little things" she said "and besides, I like seeing you blush, it's cute" it was so...good just being with him, not having to worry about the commentary or the games or anything else.

She was a little too slow to stop the carriage, to stop the balloons flying towards them, the charm dying on her lips As the balloons burst. Her mind flickered through charms, as the stench began to overwhelm them. She didn't have anything that would help, except for a water charm that would leave them both soaked to the skin. "there's a magic store nearby, we can get a negate charm" she managed to say, glaring at the retreating carriage, she thought about using a charm, but decided it was too much bother for little gain.

Taking Ferris's hand, she gently tugged him in the direction of the magic store.

gabriel
I@Lmpkio

Michael was always aware that he stammered, but never seemed to be aware when he didn't. No one had ever pointed it out before, and he felt his face heat, "I c-c-can't help it, I'm s-s-sorry" he didn't understand why Samir was offering to go to a cafe, if anything it flustered him even more. "um, o-okay"

"The earliest you could possibly meet her is early February. I'll get in contact with you when I'm ready to schedule the exact times for the meeting." Rosalina had waited patiently whilst Gregory spoke of his plans for the future. Her smile had remained vibrant whilst he talked of seeing his daughter, bringing back a certain fondness for her own parents. She, like Melina, had also not been in contact with her family for a considerable amount of time. Her gaze wandered to the tranquil city as tourists lazily scoured the streets for anything to fill the slow afternoon of the break day. Her parents didn't live far from Crocus. She made a mental note to ask permission of the council to take a personal trip once the games concluded.

"Thank you, Rosalina." Her attention was brought back to Gregory, who had assumed a much more relaxed stature. He was probably expecting Rosalina to outwardly reject the proposal. To be honest, she had expected that reaction from herself. While she didn't show it with her calm and collected composure, the council woman was absolutely baffled that she was even entertaining the leader of a Dark Guild. Her confusion was only a farce; she knew exactly why she felt so strongly on this subject. She wasn't ready to admit it to herself though. She had resurfaced enough painful memories for one day.
"You're the first person outside of a dark guild to treat me like an actual person since I arrived in Crocus, and you're the only one who didn't act like they also assumed I was up to something else." Gregory continued, holding her hand out for Rosalina to shake. Staring down at the gesture, Rosalina's smile lowered into a more somber expression.
"I will not lie to you, Mr. Vale." She began, raising her gaze to match his with a cold, familiar sternness in her eyes that most knew her for. "There isn't a doubt in my mind that you're planning something. To not assume so would be utterly foolish of me. Don't take it personally; it's just a good mentality to have when you work on the Council. Everyone has a scheme." Using her left hand, Rosalina carefully removed the black, leather glove on her right hand and tucked it under her arm. She then reached down with the same hand she removed the glove with, careful to make sure Gregory could clearly see her every action, and pulled out one of her throwing knives from the pouch at her side.

"Even I have my own schemes. I despise Dark Guilds; and not just because I am bound by oath as a Knight and a member of the council." Her posture stiffened as she spoke, and if you looked closely enough you could see Rosalina's hard visage begin to crumble as she hesitated her next words. "We are only human. I do not believe that we are born with darkness, but there are those of us who choose the dark and those who fall into it unwillingly. Dark Magic took someone I loved away from me; and I will avenge her by eradicating any Dark Guilds I have the chance to. Selfish, I know." The silence returned between the two of them. Rosalina had just admitted to Gregory her distaste for guilds like his. There was no doubt that even despite this little favor, the two of them would always be enemies.

"I hope we don't end up on opposite sides of a blade any time soon." Gregory's words sliced through the stillness, reminding Rosalina that Gregory was a man who deserved her respect; despite his alignment. Still holding her sidearm, Rosalina offered out her right hand before slowly dragging the serrated edge of her knife across the palm of her hand. She flinched at the pain, drawing out a line of crimson that very slowly trickled down her hand.
"We may reach that point sooner than we know." Rosalina offered the knife to Gregory, the blade as clean as when Rosalina had drawn it. There was a dark aura that emanated from Rosalina's blood; subtle, yet just noticeable enough to make any sane man's skin crawl. "I vow on my blood, Gregory Vale, that I will keep this promise I have made to you. Despite where our paths take us, or who we fight for, I want you to trust that what we agreed upon here will not be forsaken. I will do everything I can for Luna when she is ready." Rosalina held her hand out while she waited for Gregory to seal the blood pact. Perhaps it was unnecessary, but she felt it important for Gregory to know that despite her feelings against him and his guild; he could trust her on this matter.



Isabella spent the next few minutes pinching at Bullet's cheeks while he succumbed to her death grip. It wouldn't have been hard to struggle out of it, considering he wasn't a weak kid. Yet there was a part of him that enjoyed being teased by Isabella. Her tantalizing jeers were always welcome, even if he acted like a brat about them. They continued walking through the streets, the strip mall approaching fast. Various citizens and tourists walked around wearing fashionable outfits and hauling large shopping bags. The very sight caused Isabella to squeal in delight just as Jane addressed the situation of Bullet's outfit.
"A better way to do it would be help him find something presentable to wear and then see who he stumbles across at the ball." Isabella nodded in agreement, though before she could respond she found herself drifting to the window of a boutique where she spotted a pair of beautiful lace gloves displayed on a mannequin.
"Yes, yes. That is... We should definitely do that. Oh these are gorgeous I must try them on!" With that, Isabella darted into the store leaving Bullet alone with Jane.

The young man sighed as he watched his friend disappear, turning to his new companion with an awkward smile.
"She's a little eccentric, but that's what people like about her." Bullet could feel his cheeks going red. He quickly turned his head away and began talking in a more frustrated tone. "But they don't know her like I do. Isabella only ever does what she wants and it's real annoying. Who even said I wanted a date to this ball?" He shoved his hands in his pocket and moved up against the window of the store, leaning against it while avoiding eye contact with Jane. "Thank god she ran into you. At least she can go with someone cause I sure as hell ain't stepping foot in some stupid party as another one of her accessories." Despite his harsh words, Bullet was rather transparent about his true feelings. He was annoyed at how Isabella hadn't even considered asking him to accompany her as a date. Instead she had tried to pass him off to Jane, and then ended up agreeing to go with her in a heartbeat. Before he could continue there was a loud ruckus coming from inside the store. Turning his head slightly, Bullet noticed Isabella arguing with another customer over some scarf that the two of them both seemed to want. He sighed, feeling bad for the poor lady butting heads with Isabella over clothes.

Ethel silently nodded as she listened to Verrick responses. So he was like Sora and the others? A free lance mage? Ethel was sure that that wasn't illegal in any sense, as she was also probably considered one. However she too like Verrick had yet to check how illegal that was or not. However...Ethel was confused. She was a good person?
And Verrick didn't seem too bothered by the fact her sister was a dark mage yet she still wanted her family back together. She was however more confused what what he meant by 'hurt'. Of course it would hurt if you were attacked by anyone, but she did linger on the memory the first time she had found her sister. She had felt a pain in her chest...it was a different pain but. Was that what he meant?
Either way she nodded silently in agreement and now went to speak, however a familiar voice cut her off.
"Strong? No Ethel's sister isn't strong persay. I can take her myself easily. The problem is her magic. Teleportation can be such a pain to track down, let alone trying to defeat." Sora touched down near the two younger mages with his hands casually in his pockets. He had been floating back down and had noticed they were still there, so now that he had calmed down he had decided to make sure that the new kid hadn't said anything bad to Ethel.

That and he felt a tad bad about leaving Ethel alone with some guy she had just met....but only slightly bad. A smidgen.
"Oh that reminds me Ethel, while I was up there-"
"Ethel! We've been looking everywhere!" A woman with long blue hair came running over now, slightly out of breath as she gave Verrick a curious glance before quickly turning her attention back to Ethel "Don't just vanish like that on us. But more to the point, who's your new friend? Oh where's my manners? I'm Mai Butcher." Mai turned her gaze back to Verrick now. He seemed slightly younger than herself, but still older than Ethel so somewhere between eighteen and twenty?
"...Maybe if we came here like I suggested half an hour ago, then we would've find her sooner." A girl who looked remarkably similar to Mai now walked over with Chu clasped tightly against her chest. Her hair was a darker shade of blue however, like a deep lapis-lazui. Upon noticing Verrick however she seemed a little annoyed.
"Oh come on Jess lighten up. Ignore my sister, she gets a little jealous sometimes." Mai remarked as she gave Jess a clap on the back.



"Flying? I've always wondered how that would feel. Sounds like fun!" Jasmine responded cheerfully. She wasn't really afraid of heights too much, but she never tended to go high up anyway so it wasn't like she could've tested it anyway. But like most people, she had dreamed of flying high up in the air...free as a bird.
She couldn't wait. However at the mention of the Moth people she frowned.
"I doubt it...last I saw them was the hotel."

Sora Kaze, Mai Butcher, Jess Butcher and Ethel Storm

My Hider [+]

Ethel silently nodded as she listened to Verrick responses. So he was like Sora and the others? A free lance mage? Ethel was sure that that wasn't illegal in any sense, as she was also probably considered one. However she too like Verrick had yet to check how illegal that was or not. However...Ethel was confused. She was a good person?
And Verrick didn't seem too bothered by the fact her sister was a dark mage yet she still wanted her family back together. She was however more confused what what he meant by 'hurt'. Of course it would hurt if you were attacked by anyone, but she did linger on the memory the first time she had found her sister. She had felt a pain in her chest...it was a different pain but. Was that what he meant?
Either way she nodded silently in agreement and now went to speak, however a familiar voice cut her off.
"Strong? No Ethel's sister isn't strong persay. I can take her myself easily. The problem is her magic. Teleportation can be such a pain to track down, let alone trying to defeat." Sora touched down near the two younger mages with his hands casually in his pockets. He had been floating back down and had noticed they were still there, so now that he had calmed down he had decided to make sure that the new kid hadn't said anything bad to Ethel.

That and he felt a tad bad about leaving Ethel alone with some guy she had just met....but only slightly bad. A smidgen.
"Oh that reminds me Ethel, while I was up there-"
"Ethel! We've been looking everywhere!" A woman with long blue hair came running over now, slightly out of breath as she gave Verrick a curious glance before quickly turning her attention back to Ethel "Don't just vanish like that on us. But more to the point, who's your new friend? Oh where's my manners? I'm Mai Butcher." Mai turned her gaze back to Verrick now. He seemed slightly younger than herself, but still older than Ethel so somewhere between eighteen and twenty?
"...Maybe if we came here like I suggested half an hour ago, then we would've find her sooner." A girl who looked remarkably similar to Mai now walked over with Chu clasped tightly against her chest. Her hair was a darker shade of blue however, like a deep lapis-lazui. Upon noticing Verrick however she seemed a little annoyed.
"Oh come on Jess lighten up. Ignore my sister, she gets a little jealous sometimes." Mai remarked as she gave Jess a clap on the back.

Verick sat there in his lovely wooden chair as he watched the new people come up and Old man come back down… This was interesting, he didn’t figure they’d be found so quickly what with Sora saying they’ve been missing for so long now. But that wasn’t important right now, at least he could finally get this show on the road… “Teleportation magic you say?” Verick shot up out of his chair and brushed himself off. “Alright, Nice to meet you girls. Verick Styles is the name, Awesome mage is my game.” He nodded, “I see you have my Chu.” He pointed at the small creature currently resting in the bosom of one of the girls. He looked at the Chu, back to Ethel, back at the Chu. “I think he’d be more comfortable with her.”

Mako Kurohiko, Exiled Warrior|Streets of Crocus to Fairy Eatery

@GamerXZ

Mako chuckled at the small argument between Alan and Aura and turned, leading the way to the Fairy Tail themed Fairy Eatery. Upon entrance, it was clear the place border lined between being too fancy and too casual, but the smells of the food were divine, so there likely wouldn't be any complaints about the appearance. He lead the way to the counter and paid for the three of them, waving away Alan's money. "If you only have so much to travel, then allow me to ease some of your financial burden. I make enough from the odd jobs I get to make it to the next town when I am done here." He then lead the way to a table and let everyone split to gather food for themselves. When they'd all sat down, Mako began the conversation. "So I take it you are here to join a guild?"

The moment they got in the door, Aura abruptly squealed and flew off towards where all the pastries were, eyeing each one and pondering what she would fill her belly with first. Alan could only watch and shake his head, hoping that their guide wouldn't regret his kind offer. Still, he had to admit, the eatery was nice and the food definitely smelled delicious. He went to fill up his own tray and within a few minutes, he and Aura were seated down with Mako.

Alan's tray bordered the line between modest and generous, while Aura's...well, her tray was piled up several times over and looked more akin to a miniature mountain of sugary goodness, ranging from cookies to small cinamon rolls, to some brownies, and, to Alan's surprise, some actual fruit on the side. The wizard couldn't help but comment, "...I hope you plan to share some of that with the rest of us..." In response, he got a cupcake to the face, "....Charming."

After wiping the icing off, he heard Mako's question and decided to get down to business, "A guild? Tempting...but I'm not very fond of living under someone else's chain of command, got enough of that back home, and I don't even know if we'll be staying too long..." He ignored Aura's pouting face and forged on, "We're mainly here to gather some information and have a short break from our travels. Basically, the info we're looking for relates back to my friend here..."

Aura swallowed a mouthful of pastry before nodding, "Yep. I got what you humans call a mild form of amnesia. Can't remember where I come from or if I even have any family. We're hoping to find these...fragments, you could say, only problem is I have no idea what these "fragments" even look like, except I felt this...this odd energy emanating from this city...it's a bit hard to explain.." It was obvious not having full access to her memory was troubling the sprite.

"A guild? Tempting...but I'm not very fond of living under someone else's chain of command, got enough of that back home, and I don't even know if we'll be staying too long..." Mako raised his eyebrow at this, finding it odd that yet another wizard would be uninterested in joining a guild, though it would seem his lack of interest was from misinformation about the order of a guild than anything else. "We're mainly here to gather some information and have a short break from our travels. Basically, the info we're looking for relates back to my friend here..." A similar reason to his own then. That was two odd coincidences in a row, but he was never superstitious.

It was at this point that the fairy spoke up. "Yep. I got what you humans call a mild form of amnesia. Can't remember where I come from or if I even have any family. We're hoping to find these...fragments, you could say, only problem is I have no idea what these "fragments" even look like, except I felt this...this odd energy emanating from this city...it's a bit hard to explain.." The lack of her full memory clearly bothered the creature, but Mako could offer no assistance to the pair on their search anymore than they could his. Most sane people stayed away from the kind of man that he described.

"Well, we are here for a similar reason then. I am here to see if any of the Guild masters have information on a bandit leader I have been searching for the last five years. This man is the reason I haven't returned to Isvan." Realizing he might have said more than he meant, he resumed eating for a few minutes before speaking again. "Tell me, Alan. How much do you know about a guild's structure?"




Jane glanced towards Bullet as he spoke and smirked to herself and turned her head towards Bullet, an inquisitive look upon her face. "You know, for all the crap you give her, you sound more like you wish it was you going with her than me. Of course, that's none of my business, so I'll rather ask how long you've known each other."

Do whatever you wish, Manami. Only prey and weaklings ask for permission, and so far, you've proven to be neither."

The two newcomers were summarily ignored while Nidhogg nodded at Jacey, not really expecting the woman to do anything. She was a lackey, after all, and they tended to lack agency. If he were to be honest, he was certain that whatever plan they had would be very handily foiled simply due to her arrogance. He was certain that many of Fairy Tail's enemies thought the same way as she did, and look where that had gotten them. Turning back towards the battle, he suddenly seemed to vanish from sight, only to appear right behind Cody, summoning a horde of skeletal hands to converge on the boy from below, aiming to completely and utterly drain him dry of magical energy, so he'd be less of an annoyance. As he was doing this, he'd also send some attacks towards James and Ferrin, more as a distraction for the former, really.

For James, his charge towards Manami would be interrupted by the appearance of a Black Magic seal appearing before her, before unleashing a torrent of necrotic energy in his direction. Ferrin would face a similar issue, except he'd have a harder time evading the attack due to one of his feet suddenly becoming encased in heavy bone that was both sticking his foot to the street and spreading up his leg somewhat painfully as spiky protrusions would start to slowly dig into the incapsulated flesh.

I wonder where that guy was walking in order to get bone dust all over his foot, and only the one at that? Ah well, none of my business what people do. Nidhogg would shrug internally as he casually summoned a bone spear into his hand, shifting his arm into Assault mode before stabbing towards Cody, who was hopefully on the floor before him, gripped by the many skeletal hands he had brought into existence. His target was a spot between the boy's ribs and his shoulder, hitting it with enough force that not only would it pierce right through him and his (presumably) weakened barrier, but also cause the ground around him to crack around the point of impact, a testament to the force placed in the strike. If he hit Cody, then the Spear would grow a number of sharp and painfully jagged barbs, digging into the flesh around them to increase the pain the boy would feel and making taking out the spear a very, very painful, not to mention risky, endeavor.

---

Meanwhile, in the Sewer

---

The beast deftly leaped out of the way of Amaya's opening attack, snarling menancingly at the two Phoenix Wing Mages. Rearing back it's larger arm, it would launch a barrage of bone spikes infused with Necrotic energy at the two, before charging forward with a frenzied roar, attempting to backhand the two into the sewer wall. It was during this moment, however, the Amaya would feel her legs suddenly begin to go numb, starting from the wounds she had received from the fanged skulls and rapidly spreading throughout her legs until she couldn't support her own weight any longer. This would leave it up to Joshua, more likely then not, to get the two of them out of this situation safely.

((Note: Given the bite was only a scratch, numbness will last about two posts, Amaya will be immobile for one, and just have a hard time moving for the next. Feeling will begin to return on the third post.))

@Zarkun@Joshua Tamashii@Lunarlors34@Crimson Raven@Roseletta



Argus barely had a moment to collect his thoughts before he was already sent off on an errand, as apparently their guildmates had yet to return. Summoning further a normal blade from his re-quip space, he followed behind Riona and Ike, noticing the latter still had a rather shitty attitude, as was the norm he was quick to see, while Riona was full of energy. He thought of making a comment on the duality of the pair, but decided against it, not wanting to possibly start something with Ike as a result.

@Lugubrious@Oblivion666

Mako Kurohiko, Exiled Warrior|Fairy Eatery

@GamerXZ

"A guild? Tempting...but I'm not very fond of living under someone else's chain of command, got enough of that back home, and I don't even know if we'll be staying too long..." Mako raised his eyebrow at this, finding it odd that yet another wizard would be uninterested in joining a guild, though it would seem his lack of interest was from misinformation about the order of a guild than anything else. "We're mainly here to gather some information and have a short break from our travels. Basically, the info we're looking for relates back to my friend here..." A similar reason to his own then. That was two odd coincidences in a row, but he was never superstitious.

It was at this point that the fairy spoke up. "Yep. I got what you humans call a mild form of amnesia. Can't remember where I come from or if I even have any family. We're hoping to find these...fragments, you could say, only problem is I have no idea what these "fragments" even look like, except I felt this...this odd energy emanating from this city...it's a bit hard to explain.." The lack of her full memory clearly bothered the creature, but Mako could offer no assistance to the pair on their search anymore than they could his. Most sane people stayed away from the kind of man that he described.

"Well, we are here for a similar reason then. I am here to see if any of the Guild masters have information on a bandit leader I have been searching for the last five years. This man is the reason I haven't returned to Isvan." Realizing he might have said more than he meant, he resumed eating for a few minutes before speaking again. "Tell me, Alan. How much do you know about a guild's structure?"

Alan and Aura's eyes widened at hearing Mako's mention about a bandit leader, and even went as far as to share a look but to say nothing. To chase after someone for five years of your life, and that person being the reason you couldn't return home...it honestly made both of their minds run a bit wild with theories. However, for the time being, it was better to stay quiet around a topic so sensitive. Instead, Alan took some bites of his food until he heard Mako's question.

He was quiet for a moment...before laying his fork down and sighing in dismay, "In all honesty, Mr Mako? Less than I probably should...to be honest, I don't really have much experience when it comes to the art of magic or its nature as...well, the community I grew up in was rather xenophobic when it came to anything related to magic. In fact, for the most part it was banned, and anyone who showed even traces of magic was taught to hide it. If you started showing magic in public, you were treated like a heretic, even if you were a child..."

"Alan..." Aura put her hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to say anymore if you don't want to..."

Surprisingly, he smiled and pat her hand in return, "Thanks, Aura...but I'm fine," Or at least he put up the image of being fine, "Most of my experience with magic comes with what I inherited from my late mother and a few books that my friend here was able to smuggle in for me. I guess that's the other reason I travel so much...I want to see what the world has to offer, and what I been missing.." He wiped his face with a napkin, "I guess in that regard, I don't really know much about guilds...perhaps you could fill me in a little, Mr Mako?"

@Expolar
NOLAN

Nolan was simply going to walk away from this stupidity, but his steps halted at Frye's taunt and turned around with a fierce wrath painted on his face. His pride wouldn't allow him to simply walk him away from a direct insult to his own abilities. Oh no, he wasn't going to take it from some random alcoholic rat! "Old man, how badly do you want me to...Wait what are you?!" And at that instant, he was cut off by a crowd of fangirls that had rushed over to him and quite literally lifted him off his feet and carried off."Let me go! Let me go you..." As expected of the gynophobic, he passed out and went limp like a ragdoll as he was carried off with his mouth foaming.

At some point his limp body was being tugged back and forth between many crazed fans, each fighting to get the poor young man's attention. Thankfully, the older man's oder was enough to drive them off though they did drop Nolan on the ground with a thump. The slayer was laying on his back, completely outcold in a dreamless state. It looked like he would be out for a long time, until the absurdly toxic smell of booze entered his nostrils and his eyes shot open. At that same moment Nolan threw a fist at the old man's face, fist and face connected and knocked the old bastard on his back. "You... You are really pissing me off."

He stood back up, teeth gritting as he tried his best not to kill the man at that moment. "You want a show? Fine, I'll give you a god damn show! Now get the hell back before I blow you all to Kingdome Come!" Nolan shouted at the crowd, giving them a word of warning before he actually let loose all of his magic.

A sudden pressure overcame the crowd, a dominating pressure that felt like it would choke the average person and even some of the strongest mages into submission. Nolan had entered a stance as if he was bracing from impact; knees bent and arms held to his sides with fists clenched as tight as he possibly cold. His hair begun to move sporadically as if continuous gusts of wind were blowing through it and it only kept getting more violent as time went on, followed by a dark foresty green aura of magic twisting and molding into ink black ashes swirling around him rapidly. The ground beneath him was starting to crack and those cracks kept expanding and grew longer with each passing second, pieces of earth were starting to be torn and thrown in the air before crumbling from the sheer amount of magic power.

Then it stopped and for that moment, there was a calm. The wind had calmed down and the ground was no longer crumbling beneath them. It would have probably disappointed many seeing as Nolan had only made large claims without anything to back it up. There was muttering with the crowd, some beginning to boo in dissatisfaction, but then there was only a deafness. A collosal tower of ashes erupted around Nolan, who was now screaming as he let loose an inhuman amount of magic. The tower of ashes kept on growing and growing, the roar of the dark mass swallowed all noise and soon all light. The column of ashes had pierce the sky, visable to the public eye of Crocus as a black mass of destruction.

It had soon ended and the surrounding area that once Nolan had stood was gone, erased by the vortex of ashes. It looked like an apocalypse had torn through the outside of Crocus, but what was more disturbing was how dark everything was; the ashes had blotted out the sky.

@Caits
FERRIS

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY STORE!" The store owner yelled and pushed both Ferris and Jessie out of his shop. The stink that they had brought on had caused all of his customers to leave the store, which of course made the owner very livid. Now that the two of them were out of the store, they would probably notice that people passing by had left a large gap in between them.

"Stupid fat ass..." Ferris grumbled and sighed at their predicament. "Let's just head back to the hotel and try and shower this crap off."