"I..guess so? I just thought that Ria seemed tired so a break might've been good for her." Akemi didn't really know the older girl all too well, but ever since the mission at Era Ria seemed a little....different? Off? Akemi had put it down to exhaustion, she had taken quite the beating from the Thunder Palace after all. Ria even said she was still suffering some lingering effects, so the girl hadn't given it much thought since. But even so, Akemi knew first hand that Ria ran around a lot doing things for others, so that must be tiring...or at least just the thought of it was tiring for the sickly girl.

The mention of the gardens being open caught her attention, snapping her out of her mini train of thought, sitting up a little straighter on her stool. She had seen photos and cards of the Royal Palace gardens. Since she had her movement outside greatly restricted back home, for some reasons outside hers or others control and other reasons less so, so spent a lot of time with her grandmother gardening. Plants always fascinated the girl, though she was often scolded for picking the flowers. They were just so pretty that she couldn't help herself, yet so fragile at the same time...

"The gardens sound nice...are they as pretty as the pictures make them out to be? Or as large? Maybe we could try a few games on the way there?" The options were endless really, and honestly making any form of concrete plan with Akemi was useless. She would just get distracted and go off course. "Hmm I wonder what kind of food there is as well...

---

"It was just a harmless little joke Mr Isanami, no need to be so serious as I meant no harm. Although I'm sure there are such paranoid individuals, not everyone so easily believes in such a common trope in stories." Covering her mouth to suppress her barely hidden laughter at his reaction to her hood comment, she would be more than glad to satisfy whatever questions he may ask along the way. Well, to what she could answer anyway. A little chatter to help break the ice, and his reactions and comments to her answers would also help her gleam insight into his own mindset and culture. And they had a fair way to travel, and thus a long time to chat and learn from one another.

"Mr Isanami." At his question of the royal family, Alina actually let out a sigh. "I'm sure you've noticed by now...but humans need little reason to celebrate. While I'm sure there are many who are genuinely excited for the prince, there are probably just as many or more who simply use this as an excuse to unwind, relax and catch up with friends and family. An excuse to drink, eat and party? I believe you'll find the common folk, even the rich, royals and nobles, are more than eager to accept. Though they're not exactly the most common, I wouldn't say they're uncommon, which is another reason why the people are excited." Analysing the faces of those they passed, she paid basically no one any heed thereafter as she seemed to take in the countryside around them.

"These celebrations also are used to satisfy the masses, not that anyone is particularly unhappy with the current rulers or anything. But it does help keep relations good, for any ruler should know a good rapport with the public is key to a good ruler. Though I personally cannot say I've met the King or Queen and thus cannot really judge their character, but from my experience they seem to treat us citizens right...for the most part at least." Despite her gentle tone, and seemingly eager nature to give a detailed answer to Menzai....honestly Alina didn't care at all. Not about the festival, not about the Royals, and especially not about the filthy peasants they passed. The only reason she bothered even sparing some of them glances as they passed was to assess if they seemed useful or perhaps may be a threat lurking to strike.

Though she had yet to see anyone who fell into either category, she knew that lowering her guard for even a moment could spell her doom in numerous forms. Her mind always a constant hive of activity, whether it be analysing new information or simply just her own thoughts.

"No ruler is perfect after all, so I'm sure they've made a mistake here and there. It's a flaw that makes humans, well, humans."

---

Not long after Torys gave her blessing for Reynard and his group to head out to assist the historian, she watched Felix storm in. Typically the boy was heated over something or other after a match with a guildmate, but this time he seemed more bothered by it than usual. No doubt their bubbly little water mage had put the smart mouthed teen in his place. It was little surprise that he headed straight upstairs. She shrugged lightly to herself and poured herself a drink before settling on the stool she positioned behind the counter.

It wasn't more than a few minutes later that Felix came back down the stairs with a pack slung over his shoulder. He ignored everyone as he approached Torys with a scowl still firmly in place. "I'm out of here."

"Oh?" Torys tilted her head slightly, observing the lad for a moment. "Lost to Ria, huh?" She had a playful hint of teasing to her voice, and followed up with a sip of her drink.

Felix's scowl deepened. "I need to train better and I can't do that trapped here with your stupid rules and lack of proper equipment. So I'm out of here."

Torys nodded, placing the glass down on the counter. "Well, if that's what you want then I suppose you know what you're doing."

Felix scoffed. "Of course I do. I just wanted to make it official. Because I quit."

Torys nodded. "Okay. Welp, it's your call. So then, it's official."

Felix hesitated for a moment himself before nodding. Then, without another word, he turned and left the guild.

Kaden approached the door as the kid exited, arching a brow and watching the younger mage brush past him without a word. After a moment, he shrugged and continued on his way into the guildhall.

---

---

---

Ria listened carefully, taking note in what he said of the wolves and then himself. It was interesting that a former soldier would settle to join their guild. It certainly raised questions for her, like wouldn't he perhaps be happier in a more well known guild. While she certainly enjoyed the fact the guild was bustling and had plenty of new faces in it, she wasn't about to fool herself into thinking that would last. It was the main reason she didn't look too hard at the job board. That was more important for others to do, to build up income and hope they didn't leave if the jobs stopped coming in as fast as they were.

"Well, I am always happy to help others with training. I'm not as skilled with a sword as my sister, but I still am quite handy with them and shields, and other techniques that could prove helpful for you to train against with your martial abilities. Gwen might be up for training as well. She does enjoy improving against others, especially with her blades." When Damian stopped walking, Ria did as well, turning to face him too. Of course his explanation perked her curiosity further. She reached out and gently touched his arm, fully sure she would know exactly how a standard body temperature was, then withdrew her hand just as quickly.

She watched quietly as the circles formed, listening as he explained things. Power locks weren't common, certainly not by any stretch of her reading, so to see one in action was a fair deal exciting. The fact he had several locks in place to help him control his magic thus far...was intense to see. She was still in aw for a moment after he released the final lock and approached her. "That's the first time I've seen a power lock actually utilized. That was quite impressive even for the draw back."

Reaching out, she gingerly touched his arm again before taking her hand away. Her gaze returned to his face. "Felix goes through something similar when he fights. A cultural thing for him that works to strengthen his powers. Perhaps that would be a good thing to work on as well. Control would help you withstand the burnout." She thought for a moment before offering him a soft smile. "You look like you could use a bit of a pick-me-up after that. Here," she said while cupping her hands together. "Rejuvenating Waters." A small sphere of softly glowing bright blue water formed in her hands and she offered it up to him. "Chilled so it should help you feel cooler already, but it'll help alleviate the fatigue of burnout like that."

Damian sipped at the water after nodding, feeling what little bit of fatigue had started to set in already melting away from it. Finishing, he smiled appreciatively. "Well, I don't know that my problem and this Felix's problem are one in the same causation wise from what you've said, but I do appreciate the thought. I spoke with a magical doctor, I guess you could call him, and he said that my body never adapted to the magic power I'd accumulated over the years. So I'm bare minimum a decade behind the power I wield in terms of being able to withstand it and properly channel it."

Damian resumes walking as he speaks, matching pace with Ria so they could hear each other. "I mean, I don't blame my dad. Even when we faced enemy mages, the Border Control Unit had enough mages in it already that training me to be one seemed excessive, even to me. Hell, I spoke with an old friend of mine a couple months before joining Fenixtear, a Fire Make mage still in the unit, and even he said he'd never seen the issue before. So maybe there's something more going on for me?" He shrugs, absentmindedly reaching down and scratching Jaëger behind his ears. "Suppose it's something to investigate, eh?"

He was actually caught off guard with her wanting to invite Ria along for their little bit quality time, mainly because Zen thought that Akemi would have been to fixated on all the places they could go to considering this is her first real festival. With that being said, Ria had seemed to be a little off ever since she came back from her job from Era. Knowing her, she was probably already exhausted after the beating she took and still refused to rest. One of these days he's gonna wrap her in a blanket like a burrito and make sure that she gets a full week of rest or so help him.

Well, at least Akemi was still the kind, considerate girl from when he left home a year ago. Zen smiled and ruffled Akemi's hair again. "You're a good kid, Mimi. If we see her while we're out, we'll invite her."

And there she was again with words that came out of her mouth at a mile a minute. At this rate they will just spend the entire day talking about what they could do rather than actually doing anyway. "How about we decide what else we'll while we head to the garden? Let's get a move on!" He motioned her to follow him away from her barstool and to head outside so they can finally do something.

" Then let us hope we do not come across any such individuals who give in to such paranoid thoughts and accusing others of being a criminal is no joking matter." He exclaimed with a slight hint of irritation in his voice, but soon returned to a calm and somewhat flat tone shortly after. It was clear that this beastkin wasn't one to enjoy jokes though understand that there was serious or cruel intent and so let it be even when she nearly let slip how much it amused her which his gaze didn't fail to notice.

Using the time traveling in quiet besides the woman to take in the sights and smells of the city with his nose picking up the pleasant aroma and freshly baked goods and candy and all sorts of unknown but delicious food from the various stalls being put up. They thankfully made having to endure the bitter sweat coming from the hordes of excited humans and foul exhaust from the vehicles more tolerable. As expected inhaling all these new and alien scents had him craving to partake of them in both hunger and curiosity but he was on a job and until completed all else were secondary and unimportant unless a need for such arise.

It wasn't long before they exited the town of Crocus and were trekking through the forest, no longer distracted by the crowds, sounds and smells. Now he was in a place familiar; at home where his tension melted away making the journey a more relaxing one.

While the quiet was nice; to remain so for too long might of came off rude and as such, Menzai had asked these questions. He tried to go with ones that were on topic of the current events and simple to answer though at the way Alina sighed and struggled briefly had the canine think otherwise. His ears pricked beneath the hood, the slight movement easily noticeable to one looking as a visible indication that he was listening to the redhead's explanation on the festival and its overall purpose. After listening to his acquaintance's explanation, he took her words into consideration; pondering over the royal rulers and how they watched over their citizens. From the books he has read this system of kings and nobility seemed to work well but was also a position of power that often lead to greed and corruption. It had always seemed apparent to him that giving so much power to one or two individual proved risky and dangerous though it also meant less chance of corruption compared to allowing a group to run things. No one system was perfect; each of them had their drawbacks and benefits if they succeed.

These thoughts swirled in his mind with a look of concentration on his face while a part of him always kept his senses alert for any dangers or in case of enemies attempting to attack. Finally pulling himself away from his own mind to realize how quiet he had been the past few minutes and coughed to clear his throat." Forgive me for the silence. Your words had me musing on the royal family. From what you have said, it seems humans tend to have to work quite hard for a living and as such the nobles plan these festivities and other possible as a way of distracting the populace from their daily tiresome ordeals and allow a respite of fun without worries." A curious and interesting bit of details he would be sure to write down later and made sure to store them away within his mind as he pulled his hand that had been scratching his chin in his bemusing away.

With the notes stored he turned his attention back onto her." Though throughout your explanation I have noticed the hint of disinterest in your voice. Does the festival not interest you personally, Ms. Bloomfield?" Her voice almost seemed to lack warmth even unlike those of the townfolk or of those they passed by which he made sure to give a slight bow of the head in greeting. Even as he made sure to acknowledge the unknown travelers, Menzai used his nose and sense of smell to check for any signs of risk but whereas Aline seemed to act as if they didn't exist or were worth giving attention to of which he found peculiar. Yet as he knew nothing of the woman having just met her less than an hour ago so it was not his business to inquire to as she had her own reasons.

Once more the victim of Zens hair ruffling, the girl blew the loose strands back out of her face as he motioned for her to follow after him. "Hmm, sure." With a bit more prep and energy about her than usual, she jumped off the stool and scurried after Zen as the duo made their way out of the guildhall. Walking beside Zen, letting him lead the way seeing as he knew the way to the gardens, Akemi was almost immediately distracted by the first series of booths being set up along the streets of the capital. Though the vendors seemed a bit more intent chatting amongst themselves than actually setting up their stalls, it didn't stop Akemi from gawking as they passed.

It wasn't long after that the scent of spices, cooked meat, and bakery goods along with various sweets began to fill the air around them, mixing together to create a rather delectable cocktail of aroma, causing her stomach to growl rather audibly. Upon recall now, Akemi couldn't remember when she had last eaten that day. She had finished the nutritional smoothie she had made before leaving the guildhall, and she remembered breakfast...but was that it?

One particular, very familiar scent caught the girl's attention, finding herself drawn towards it. This scent reminded Akemi of her grandmother, who had tried to teach the sickly to cook, albeit with...interesting results. This was the first thing her grandmother had tried to teach her. Dumplings, a mixture of both sweet, meat-filled, and other various fillings. While she recognized most of them, it was the dango that seemed to catch her attention.

"Can I?" Grabbing at Zen's sleeve, the girl looked like a child asking their guardian for permission. While it honestly wasn't far off from the truth, as the girl had always had something of a strict diet in watching what she ate and keeping a proper nutritional balance for obvious reasons, it was still an amusing sight for any passersby.

---

"Ah it is alright Mr. Isanami, it was a bit for you to take in and process I'm sure...it's not exactly the easiest thing, explaining what seems second nature to an outsider, or for said outsider to immediately grasp the meanings." Her words were followed by a simple, graceful shrug of her shoulders. Politics and such relations were actually a strength of Alina, how to decipher their meanings as well as twist individuals to her whims a key part of her upbringing. "But yes, that is certainly one part of the festival. A carrot on a string to keep the people motivated and onside, and how best to do so, are key to a ruler's reign."

Throughout their entire interaction, not one act or gesture had been genuine. Each one a calculated and in some cases, preordained response to the many scenarios she had foreseen in her mind and practiced countless times accordingly. Though this time, the shock that caused her smile to freeze for a split second, the involuntarily twitch of her left hand as her mind seemed to grind to a stop before them, all without breaking her stride though? That was as genuine as it got.

Had she been too focused on outside forces and her own scenarios to notice she had messed up her tone? No, no that can't be it. There was no way she would never make such an amateurish mistake surely! Looking away from Menzai, as if more interested in what a cloud to her left looked like though she was instead trying to recompose herself. She had let her guard slip on her facade, but she wasn't going to let this fluster her and after a planned, delayed response, she finally turned back to Menzai with another sigh.

"I guess you've caught me Mr. Isanami. You're quite perceptive." The girl shrugged, bringing her hands up as she did. "In all honesty, I cannot relate to how these people feel about this festival because of a difference in upbringing." The best lies were always mixed with a bit of truth, after all, so her sheepish admittance was probably her best response to give here. She would have to be more careful around the beastkin, he was far more perceptive than she had thought in picking up something she hadn't even realized she had let slip.

"My parents were merchants so festivals were always more work for us funnily enough. Not that I'm saying my life was any harder than any of these peoples, just me musing a bit on the irony of the situation. But also as such, I never really had to work hard enough to really deserve a break so never really felt the need for one, for I could get one whenever I wanted almost. It's why I became a guild wizard, in all honesty, I wanted to give back to society and a, well, break from the mundane life of a merchant." Reciting her scripted backstory, albeit a lot sooner than she had expected without being asked outright about it, it was once more a mixture of truth and flat out lies. It would also go to explain her polite manner, immaculate appearance, and just overall character.

"But that's enough about me Mr Isanami!" Clasping her hands together, her beaming, cheerful smile returned once more as she seemed eager to drop the conversation or change it at least. "Do tell me about yourself. I personally think you must have some fascinating stories to tell or at least something to be learned. As you are curious about human society and our ways, I am also curious about your own people's culture and the like...although I'll settle just for knowing a little bit more about yourself if you're not feeling too keen on talking about potential clan secrets with an outsider."

---

The tall woman was the first to step out of the guild master's office for everyone to see. It was official now; her Fenixtear guild mark on her abdomen had been replaced by a Black Curtain guild mark. Behind her expressionless face was a strange emotion she hadn't felt in a long time, decades perhaps. It was small and hard for Grasidia to understand but she would soon come to realize the strange sensation she was feeling was guilt. She briefly touched the new guild mark, once again confirming that this was real, before looking back over her shoulder at the guildmaster standing at the door.

"Kurt, could you see me in my office real quick? I've got to discuss that last job you took," he called out. The man named Kurt was sitting at the bar, he was young with red hair but seemed oddly battle hardened. He had a few small scars and a grizzled look in his eyes but he was presently being jovial with some buddies and some beers. At his summons he finished off the mug in his hand and stood up. As he walked over to Duncan he looked over at Grasidia and the two locked eyes. In that moment she could see something in his eyes, and she could see that Kurt could also see something in her eyes. The two spoke no words but as Kurt stepped past Grasidia, mere centimeters from touching her, they could both finally feel in no uncertain terms what their exact suspicions were.

As certain as the two were of the other, they both knew that the other knew as well. There was no fear, no distress, but the tension as Kurt continued walking behind her was almost electrifying. While there were surely some eyes on them in this busy guild hall it was unlikely that anybody would make anything out from Grasidia's expression or posture to detect that tension, but from behind her at Duncan's perspective he could see that Kurt was still glancing over his shoulder at her as he neared. Ah, so he's already figured it out, the guildmaster thought. I was hoping I could explain the situation my way but I didn't think he'd figure it out so fast...

As Kurt stepped into the office and Duncan closed the door behind the two Grasidia finally looked over her shoulder at the closed door. So that's how it is, she thought as she turned away from the door. He's going to have this Kurt person watch me. To keep me in line with whatever he's plotting. She began walking away and scanning the faces of her new guildmates. I should've known there would be no way he would trust me. How many threats does he think he needs to control me? As she scanned the hall she noticed a key difference from Fenixtear already: there was no job board. After this realization she took another look around to confirm her observation. Rather than a board that anyone can approach and assign themselves jobs there was an additional counter with what appeared to be a few clerks behind it and a whole lot of cabinets and paperwork. Before Grasidia could approach to investigate she was stopped by a young man, possibly still a teenager.

"Grasidia, right? I wouldn't bother with trying to get a job yet if I were you," he spoke, before holding out a full mug of beer as an offering. "It usually takes a day or so to get you properly in the system so that they can start assigning you jobs." This seemed very foreign to Grasidia. She gently lowered the offered mug in a polite, or so she thought, refusal. "The system?" Her question only got a puzzled look from the young man. "Yeah. Ya know, the job system. Didn't your guild do jobs?" She looked back over to the job counter. "There was... a board. Torys would put the requests on it and... we would choose a job." "Huh. That's a pretty old school way of doing it. Well here in the modern world most guilds have what they call a 'database' that keeps track of its members for jobs and stuff. Once they put you in that system they'll assign you jobs to take. Easy as that." Grasidia looked down at the young man now. "And I'm not in that database yet?"

The young man chuckled to himself now. "Of course not! You only just joined. Jeez, you're like an old woman that can't grasp simple stuff." She gave him a quick glare before turning away and sitting at the nearest table. "Oh hey wait, you can't sit there!" But it was already too late, or rather Grasidia chose to ignore his warning. "That table belongs to-" He was interrupted as a tall, pale swordsman with white hair seemed to appear out of nowhere at his side. "To the S-class mages," he spoke, his voice soft and his speech slow. "... or so they say." The man took a seat at the table, setting down his mug before him. From what Grasidia could tell just by looking this table appeared as any other in the hall so perhaps it was a tradition more than a rule. "But I suppose you are also an S-class mage." "Oh, that's right. Kinda hard to believe that the master would give a newcomer the title of S-class on day one." "Indeed."

It was already a struggle coming to understand how Black Curtain worked. Grasidia imagined it would be just like Fenixtear but with different people, but the dynamic was already confusing her. "I suppose. They called me S-class in Fenixtear too," she told them. "You must be an accomplished mage for Duncan to grant you that title here. My name is Johan, by the way." "Oh, and my name is-" "It must be a culture shock to come from such a small guild to one as big as this. If you're feeling overwhelmed just relax and kick back. That's what I do." The teenager seemed clearly irritated by his senior interrupting him but he held his tongue and waited. "Anyways, I'm-"

"I see that our newest mage has already found herself at our little winner's table," another young man said as he sat down directly next to Grasidia. "Wow, you look even more beautiful up close... Ah, forgive my momentary lack of manners. You can call me Arvin." This was far from the first time a human attempted to flirt with Grasidia, and just like every other time she gave no particular reaction to the attempt. It was easy enough to understand for her that humans will find other humans attractive and attempt to form intimate relationships, but she just couldn't muster up any particular emotion whenever one mistakenly identified her as a potential mate. It wasn't annoying, it wasn't flattering, but it always puzzled her that humans would sometimes base their judgement solely on appearances. "I can see right away that you must be quite strong. You handled Dan like he was a toy doll, you have scars from innumerable battles, and your stride is full of confidence and power. I didn't need Duncan to tell me that you're the real deal." Already Grasidia was beginning to feel a bit trapped by the amount of people she was attracting. "I suppose..." She should've known that her arrival would garner attention but she imagined there would be far less people. How full such a large guild hall could be really highlighted to her the differences from Fenixtear...

---

---

After taking a moment to appreciate the fresh air devoid of any putrid smells, Tone let out a sigh of relief. Well, I suppose I should give them some time to air the place out, he figured, taking a look around the alleyway. The nearby streets were quite populated and bustling, a result of the festival that recently started. Something about celebrating the crown prince's birthday. I never heard of a birthday celebration festival before back in Bosco. But we are in the capital. Might as well check it out instead of just standing around here.

With his new short-term goal in mind he set out into the crowd, silently trekking deeper into the capital city. Merchants were selling jade themed decorations and nick-knacks, Tone figured it must be the royal family's gemstone or crest, and sometimes he would see children with little paper crowns on their heads. The people here must really like their king, Tone thought to himself. Must be a swell guy. Now that I think about it I don't even know the king's name. Or the prince's name. Or any of their history. Hell, I don't even know who the king is in Bosco... Is there a king in Bosco?

As Tone was lost in his thoughts he accidentally bumped into something. The minor jolt got his attention and he looked down to see that he had bumped into a shorter teenager. "Oops, sorry man," the kid spoke up first. "No worries, buddy. I wasn't watchin' where I was goin'." As he began to walk away the kid spoke up again. "Hey wait a minute. Aren't you from that Fenixtear guild?" "Oh yeah. Just came from over there. What's up?" With that confirmation the kid let out a scoff, his friendly tone having immediately shifted to condescension. "Nothing man, I was just wondering why you'd be such an airhead and that explains it."

Tone already looked irritated with the kid. "Hey buddy I was just walking. If you got a complaint why don't you go submit it to the guild or something." He began to start walking away again but the kid began chuckling as he walked away. "Did I say something funny? I don't recall cracking any jokes." "It's just funny that you think anyone would even bother to go to your guild even to complain. Once your fad is up and Fenixtear dies off then everyone will start going back to the real guilds like mine." Tone turned around now to face the kid. "Oh? So you're a mage, huh? What guild are ya from then?" "Yeah I am, I'm from Bl-"

A fist landed squarely right in the kid's face, knocking him backwards and sending a few drops of blood spraying from his nose as he landed on his back against the cobblestone road. "Then I ain't gonna feel bad for asking ya to shut up," Tone told him as he stood above. "What the hell?" The kid grabbed his bleeding nose as he scrambled to his feet and backed away from Tone. "You think you're gonna get away with this?" Holding his free hand to his side, a ball of flame ignited in the air above his palm. At this display of magic the crowd around the two began to spread out, giving the two mages room. Upon seeing the fire Tone smirked before cracking his knuckles. "Didn't your parents teach you not to play with fire?"

Asher was enthralled at meeting an actual sentiment blade that he wasn’t ultimately bothered by the white haired grouch. He raised a brow as he replied. “The Scholarly Assistance job? I was going to inquire about it shortly, but I’m willing to assist. The pay seems good, though the mystery reward has me curious too.”

His intentions clear, he returns his attention to Jessica and her blade, now named Tearsy.“It’s hard to not be interested in a blade such as yourself, Ms. Tearsy. I dare say anyone who has grown up or done work in a forge, such as myself, has at one point had a dream of hearing one of their works speak. And you say you have magic beyond this telepathy? Fascinating.” Asher’s eyes almost seemed to gleam in amazement the more he heard her speak.

A moment of clarity breaks through his mind as a realization comes to him. Giving an embarrassed cough into his hand as he straightened up, he looked back towards Jessica and the other guy. “Ah, Forgive me. It would seem in my amazement, that I have forgotten to even introduce myself. Asher Lancaster. I hope we can work well together going forward.”]

“I am ready to leave myself, though on the way, I’ll need to drop off a few items back at the workshop, as it would do no good to take them with us,” he thumbs to Gwen's broken blades strapped to the pack on his back. “It should be on the way, so it shouldn’t delay us.”

He could only nod in agreement to her statement with his head shifting slightly towards her direction." Yes, such as it is for any outsider attempting to learn and understand the culture and politics unknown to them. Yet, I am in no rush and so can take my time in studying the mannerism and habits of humans with this festival proving optimal opportunity for such." Again the wolf gave a nod of his head after hearing the analogy exemplifying his own musing of the festival's purpose.

This had proven to be a beneficial conversation with him gleaning some details on how humans spent their time albeit partial. To garner more, he simply needed to experience the festive events himself and plans to do so after the pair finished with the safe delivery of these flowers.

So much to learn and research regarding humans and the outside world though he was free to go about it at his pace; free to enjoy himself as he did so. And even within the village, Menzai had always been one of the more perspective kins, catching and noticing things that well trained and astute eyes might fail to see.

His eyes; sharper than a hawk, filled with curiosity and mystique and always shifting to take in as much of the world around him. A gaze that took in the shape, color, size of everything that came into view in search of understanding or to find any irregularities for to him all things carried a story and at times told more than what words could convey. If not for such an observant eye, he would certainly have missed Alina's sudden strange action.

One that lasted for the briefest of a second; witnessing her body freezing as if his statement of observation took her off-guard and caused a momentary shutdown. It was peculiar to get such a reaction from simply stating her lack of interest in the festival prompting him to raise an eyebrow in an curious manner. Choosing not to push the matter, however and hoped that would be the end of it so that they could continue discussion on the surrounding event.

To his dismay, the redheaded woman instead began telling him personal details of her past. He took in a slow deep breath to keep from sighing as a part of him regretting mentioning his observation as he should of known doing so lead to these kind of personal talk. Since as a child he held an aversion over hearing others talk about their personal life or problems with the only two special exceptions being back home. Still, he was always taught to be respectful and as such made sure to listen to every word while keeping any sign of disinterest in his expression taking an effort.

Waiting for her to finish as any respectful person might do before choosing to chime in." So a family of merchants? Quite understandable why one of such upbringing such as yours gain a dislike or disdain towards big festive events that draws in big crowds of people. Having to endure waves of customers with some being less than savory at times that its no wonder such a lifestyle drains away at you." Tilting his head slightly while his right hand rose to lightly stroke at his chin to show he was pondering over what she told him while his eyes studied her over; searching for any signs that may tell him her story to be true. He wasn't doing so out of suspicions as he had no grounds or reason to do so but after learning she was brought up by merchants, something about it being off tugged at his mind though considered it to simply be nerves with traveling and being alone with a human for the first time.

And as if to make matters worse, Alina was now asking for some personal stories of his own making the struggle to keep his eyebrow or corners of his mouth from twitching rather difficult." Yes, I have been told that my eyes put even the sharpest hawk to shame, Ms. Bloomfield. An attribute I am personally proud of while others of my village would tell you to be bothersome and invasive." A slight frown creased the corners of his eyes." Though I have to say in regards to having interesting stories that you would be wrong, Ms. Bloomfield. As I can attest to having no interesting stories, at least none that would interest save but for those who hold a great interest towards the learning and studies of magic." Taking a moment to cough against his fist to clear his throat then slipped the hand back within hiding of the long sleeves folded across his chest." I am thankful in your understanding, however as it is true that I can not speak of my clan's secrets and as such only fair I do not delve into such topics considered off-limits...unless given permission that is."

" And I must state now that I am not one to talk about myself much...though will mention that I came from a caring and supportive family. Parents of which who were not happy or approving of my decision towards becoming a scholar but still accepted and helped me whenever needed." For a moment he gazed off into the forest; lost in thought as he briefly recalled the image of his parents shocked expression upon telling them his intention to set out into the open world. He blinked a few times to brush away the image before turning his attention forward once more." A life that involved countless research and preparations on humans and magic eventually leading me here traveling here besides you. Like I said, my past holds very little of interest though living as a scholar and joining fenixtear could certainly change that. "

The walk from Crocus to Petunia town took roughly seven and a half hours. It left plenty of time for the pair to talk, or not, about virtually any topic they could desire. At the end of it, and some quick directions once they finally arrived in Petunia Town to locate Sapphire Farms. Petunia Town, as they would find walking the few dirt roads in it, was quaint. Small, still set in older ways, and with scant but a few buildings denoting the center of town - including the town hall, a general store, an inn that doubled as a restaurant and bar, and the post office - while plenty of homes and farmland stretched out around it.

Sapphire Farms, unfortunately for Menzai and Alina, was located on the opposite end of town. After walking down a long dirt drive past rows of green houses, they arrived at the main storehouse. A handful of customers were milling about in the shop - looking over the flower pots on tables or flowering trees in pots toward the back - while workers busied themselves out back getting delivers loaded up into carts and trucks.

An older woman oversaw the whole thing, watching the workers and directing ones that seemed to be doing things just a bit too slow or mixing up the orders. When they walk into the shop front, an older man is also visible behind a counter - ready to ring up orders. It is he who speaks up. "New faces. Haven't seen a pair looking like you two around town. What can I do ya for?" The old man offered them a gentle smile, adjusting his bifocal glasses up his nose when he realized they crept down.

---

The team agreed and ready, they set off. The most direct route to the museum would have taken them through the center of the festivities, but it was a deal easier and faster to simply go around it all. It meant only catching the sounds and smells of what the festival had to offer, but not having to push through the throngs of people milling about in the way. It also meant none getting distracted by vendors calling out their wares. The businesses throughout Crocus still saw an increase in foot traffic, but it wasn't as packed as the heart of the city and surrounding area.

In no time at all, the four found themselves at a large building set a little ways back from the road behind a brick wall with wrought iron gates. The grounds were well tended, with sculptures and large replicas of olden war machines and canons, and a pair of small fountains flanked the entrance. The museum itself was much how one would expect - plenty of floors of actual displays, with people walking the halls looking at everything, or with tour guides. Approaching the admittance desk to gain entry allowed them to bypass having to pay, and were escorted through the halls by a guide straight down to the workshops in the basement, and to a large room that still managed to be cluttered enough to induce a sense of claustrophobia for those nervous about tall shelves packed with dusty books, and scrolls, and artifacts that look more dusted up for being in this room than wherever they were found. Carver sat at a table, with his back to the door. On the table was a large map of the mountain range just outside Crocus, on which he was marking potential routes to get to a location he marked on the map.

The guide knocked solidly on the door, despite it being open, to draw Carver's attention that way. She then motioned for the group to enter as Carver straightened up, and took her leave as soon as Carver had given the group his attention. "Ah, hello. Sorry, I didn't -" He glanced over his shoulder then looked back at the group. After adjusting his glasses, he put a smile on his face. "I wasn't aware I had an appointment. I was just working on something. Apologies. I'm Carver Mandrake. And you are...?"

---

Jobs out, his fun gone, Kaden sighed softly. If he stuck around, he'd end up roped into helping with customers. There weren't enough hot women in here to want to turn on the charm. So, rather than stick around to see what might come of just sitting around the guildhall sipping whiskey, the S-Class mage aboutfaced and headed straight back out the door. This was a festival, after all, and there had to be something - or someone - interesting out there to keep his attention for at least a few hours. He just needed a distraction long enough to pass the time until more of the guild was back. Or maybe he'd find Tone - that kid liked sparring, so considering the other one was out, he could maybe get a good spar in with a dragon slayer; that was always interesting matches.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Kaden Penderghast," called out a smirking blonde man. He laughed softly as he slapped an arm across Kaden's shoulders before they both stopped walking and the other man rounded to stand in front of the Fenixtear mage. "Man, I haven't seen you since that last job you pulled brought you close to Oshibana."

"Nah, you got hit one too many times, Salvis. Last time we saw him was two months when Soryu had us come to Crocus to deal with some stuff. Remember?" The new speaker stopped just behind Salvis' shoulder. Both men stood about even height with Kaden, but sported Steel Hydra guildmarks - Salvis on his left hand, this new mage on the side of his neck.

Kaden smiled, though like the smirks the other two sported, it was anything but friendly. "Teague, Sal, funny running into you two here. How's Oshibana been?"

"Business is as good as ever. But you wouldn't know that, would you?"

"Oh come on, Teague, who can blame glory-boy from looking for easy fame?" Salvis chuckled and nudged Kaden with a friendly elbow. "If I wanted quick, easy money, maybe I'd slum it with some indie trash too. I mean, how long do you really thing the times will be good for a shit guild like Fenixtear?"

"Well, considering we're in the favor of the people, and since their popularity there's been jobs going to us that Crocus hall would usually take...Can't say I'm bored as often here as I was in Steel." Kaden laughed, and Salvis joined him.

The other mage lost his smile to a darkening look in his crimson eyes. "Yeah, we'll see how much you joke about that soon enough. Indie guilds are shit, and Fenixtear is no better. This fame that nothing guild is seeing is fleeting. Especially considering rumor has it your new guild master pretty much shit on the council after that dragon fight. We'll just see how long things stay good if she keeps pulling shit like that."

Kaden laughed more. "Oh, I get it. You're jealous I got attention for leaving the guild and you're still pretty much nothing. Just some sloppy A level that can't stop trying to throw down with someone better than you. Teague, you've been jealous I get preferential jobs since we were both Bs in Oshibana." A toothy grin spread on his face as he leaned forward, eyes narrowing a little in unspoken challenge. "Then I scaled you in power ten fold faster than you ever could make up power. Want to show you're big shit now that I'm an indie guild mage? News flash, just being part of Steel Hydra doesn't make you big shit. Being powerful would - and you'll never be powerful. So might as well set your sights for something other than ever hoping to get into Black Curtain and be realistic. You're stuck with Steel until you retire, mate."

The ground rumbled and cracks formed in the street around the three mages. Pedestrians moved away at the strange occurrence even as Kaden and Salvis laughed. While they didn't react much, Teague threw a punch toward Kaden. Kaden sidestepped, and grabbed his wrist to help knock the other mage off balance and throw him to the ground. "Really? Gotta work on that temper, Teague.

Salvis sighed softly, shaking his head with a smile. "Kaden, you know what happens now..." He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, but the smile never faded. "Can't have an indie rat making us look bad."

Kaden smirked and stepped back a bit. "Nah, you guys will do it all on your own." Then immediately ducked under the next punch thrown his way from Teague, and tackled the guild mage to the ground.

---

Ria laughed softly. "Yes, you're quite right. Your issue is nothing like Felix's. His is a hereditary trait, not magical overload. That seems like it will take a bit to train up. But perhaps books in either the guild's library, or my personal library, might have suggestions for how to train your body up to your magical power without increasing your current magical power. It likely wouldn't be good to increase your current magic reserve levels until you can handle them. It is certainly unique; I've researched a lot about various magics and this is the first case I've heard of anything like yours."

She shrugged lightly as she watched the sky as they walked. Familiar and comfortable with the city as a whole, she generally didn't need to watch where she was going. It wasn't hard to absently avoid walking into something when you were used to moving around unseen obstacles all day at work. She at least lucked out in not being clumsy. "I also know a few bookstores in Crocus that could possibly help us find something. I'm sure there's a solution out there somewhere that can point to the answer of the question of what is going on, and what could be done to assist you."

Her smile broadened as she looked back at Damian. "Besides, I wouldn't blame your father for this either. It likely has nothing to directly do with his suggestion to not train further with it. Likely this would have come up regardless. Parents do what they believe is best for their children given the understanding they have. Especially if they aren't familiar with the magic at hand. My own parents shared very little in common with my magic, as does my sister. Clan Gospel almost exclusively had ice mages - exclusions being my mother and myself, and even my mother wasn't a water mage." She shrugged lightly. "But we learn and compensate. Seeing a magic doctor was a good first step, but it doesn't sound like he had the full answer. The full answer is out there, I'm sure."

Hitting up the bookstores had crossed the swordsman's mind a couple of days prior, see if there was any record of other mages suffering similar penalties or even some kind of blow back like he did from over using their magic or anything like what was going on for himself, but had dismissed the idea initially. After all, what kind of famous mage would own up and admit that for years at a time they couldn't handle the full power of their own magic? The kind that doesn't want fame or fortune, but never met a mage that didn't want at least a little confirmation in their lives...

As he opened his mouth to reply to Ria, the sound of a nearby scuffle caught his attention and his two companions perked their ears up as well before growling softly. "Odd, why would there be a street fight before the drunks come out for the night?" Following Carmilla and Jaëger around the corner and towards the sound, he finds three men, clearly two on one, fighting. Steel Hydras marks, even though one was harder to see with it being on his fist. The other Damian had seen in the guildhall in passing, and was pretty sure that he was in Fenixtear as well. "Sorry, Miss Ria, but two on one doesn't quite sit right with me, so if you'll excuse me. Carmilla, Jaëger, stay put." The two wolves sit down next to Ria and watch as Damian intercepted the mage with the mark on his neck, catching the blow while it was pulled back and pinning his right arm firmly behind his back. "Now, now, boys, I'm sure there was no need to get rowdy with my guildmate here. I imagine we all have better things to do today."

"Well someone's hungry." He said in response to Akemi's audible hunger pangs. The mixture of various delicious scents of food must have stimulated her appetite considering her strict diet. Her eyes certainly honed on to one of the stalls they were passing by, a dumpling stall with an assortment of dumplings with various different fillings. It definitely wasn't hard to see what her attention was affixed to; she was quite dead set on those colorful confectionaries. Zenith nodded at her with a soft smile and held two fingers up to the shop keep."One serving of dango for the little miss and a steamed pork bun for me"

The vendor was a middle aged man, sorta burly, but also had a beer gut. This was the kind of guy that wore a stained apron and sweat stained headband that held back his salt and pepper hair. "Dango for the young missy and pork bun for the older miss" Zen blinked in response.

Well, they were walking around again with their treats after Zen paid for them both no matter if Akemi protested or not. He was more fixated on the fact that he was mistaken for a woman again. Sure, he was used to it and it wasn't exactly an insult, but he was in his regular attire for god's sake! He sighed and took a bit into the bun when he noticed that there was a crowd forming around something."It's probably a street performer. Let's check it out!" Zenith grabbed Akemi's hand so he wouldn't lose her and pushed through the crowd to get a better view on what was going on. It certainly was performance, a performance of two mages being complete dumbasses!

He let go of Akemi's hand and stepped in between of the two mages, holding his hands out to signal them to stop with their nonsensical fight. "Hold on, hold on! There's no need to fight. Now let's settle down before someone decides to call the Rune Knights." Zenith glanced at the boy with a bleeding nose and then to the obvious suspect that was Tone. "Tone, what happened? You don't normally strike at those who are weaker than you."

In terms of everything, Jessica was grateful to learn Reynard’s name finally, after all the talking, but everyone has their way to do things. ” Nice to meet you, Reynard.” Jessica said with a kind tone in her voice. As such, she did notice Reynard staring at her sword, but he probably had some questions about it. However, Jessica heard the person who was excited to meet her sentient sword talk about the mystery reward. ” Ah, yeah, that is pretty interesting and curious indeed.” She spoke towards the one who was interested in her sword. Only when he looked directly towards her, and her sword was Jessica a bit interested in what he was going to say. She wondered what he would say to the sword. Additionally, what Reynard would talk about her sword would be interesting too. However, this wasn't really a point of contention to wonder about what he would ask. " Hmm... I do wonder what he wanted to say before starting this." Jessica thought with a bit of wanting to know but can wait for it.

The Sword’s voice pierced the minds of Gwen, the interested one, Reynard, and Jessica’s mind once again. It’s so nice that someone would be so lovely only because of what the man had said. ” Thank you for the interest, sir. Indeed, that is very interesting to be a guild with a Blacksmith, with Forge Magic. Yes, Jessica can show that off when there’s some combat since the other magics involve that field.” A beautiful young adult female’s voice telepathically spoke to the four people in question, yet again. There was quite an interested tone to the blacksmith. The bluish silver glow got even brighter as if the sword was thinking about something else. As such, it already knew the names of the three individuals even before Jessica knew them. Basically an information type of advantage over Jessica, but Jessica wants to know everything for herself.

Jessica had a look of oh, so that’s why he was interested in the sword, he’s a blacksmith. She slightly giggled when he spoke about forgetting to introduce himself. ” It is quite alright, Asher Lancaster. Everyone gets caught in the moment, even I sometimes.” She spoke with a great understanding of that. It’s always good to have someone that can repair gear or other stuff in a team. Jessica understands it is better to be prepared than not. ” Alright, hopefully, it’s going to be an excellent trip to the museum then.” She spoke with a kind tone towards Asher.

The Sword’s voice pierced the minds of all the four people in the group and had a slight giggle. ” Jessica, the only time you get caught in the moment is when you are drinking or fighting… But it’s time for us to go to the museum.” A beautiful young adult female’s voice telepathically spoke to the four people in question. It was always great to tease Jessica from time to time. The bluish silver glow got brighter still as if Tearsy was laughing slightly at Jessica somewhat.

Jessica sighed in slight annoyance when Tearsy teased her, but what she said was true. It was clear on her face, and she gets a bit annoyed when Tearsy does tease her. In terms, she was blushing a slight bit and had the look of please stop, Tearsy. As such, Jessica had somewhat facepalmed at being teased by Tearsy because what she said is true.

---

Jessica was thrilled to be on the job in Fenixtear after her stupidity of quitting the Crimson Mare guild. However, she was staring at the client in the museum, and he looked interesting, and she smiled at him. ” Hello Carver Mandrake. My name is Jessica Viola Tranzell of the Fenixtear Guild, with three of my guildmates. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We came here for your job request.” Jessica said, with a nice-looking smile on her face. She would allow the others in her party to introduce themselves to Carver, and she does have to keep up appearances for her family.

However, the Sky Tears Sword stayed quiet and didn’t want to invade the mind of their requester for the job. The bluish silver glow was pulsing brighter to dimmer as if Tearsy was thinking about what it always does to Jessica. The sword wanted to embarrass Jessica pretty badly, nonetheless. However, it will wait for the perfect time to do so. At least they arrived at their destination without too much trouble.

---

The sudden arrival of Zenith, with Akemi in tow, got Tone's attention immediately. "Hey man, I was just walking here," he defended himself, opening his hands from his fists to put up a defensive posture. "Then this guy started it." The other mage grimaced, only sparing Zen a single glance. "Sorry but your friend Tone here just hit me in the face. My nose might even be broken! That is unforgivable!" With no further regards to the interruption he threw the fireball at Tone, the fire suddenly growing into a massive torrent that washed over Tone entirely in an instant. "Danse Inferno!"

There were several gasps from the crowd and many stepped even further back to avoid the wave of flames that had engulfed Tone, but the fire didn't spread any farther. Instead the inferno began shrinking, quickly catching the attention and confusion of the mage that cast the spell. "What!?" As the fire continued diminishing it soon became apparent what was happening. From within the depths of the flames everyone could now see Tone inhaling the fire around him like a vacuum. The mage was dumbfounded and just watched in awe as the flames were entirely consumed, leaving only singed marks on Tone's clothes as the only sign they were ever even there. Tone himself was completely, surprisingly, unharmed. "Look, now he's setting me on fire and stuff. He has it coming to him," Tone complained to Zen, motioning towards the mage. "Meteor Dragon's..." Tone dropped into a combat stance, not unlike one taken in karate, drawing his right hand back at his midsection and tightening his fist. "Wait, hold on!" The fire mage was already sweating in fear, taking a single step back as he brought his arms up in a defensive stance.

"Crashing Fist!" Jets of blue flames erupted from Tone's arms and legs, propelling him forward in the blink of an eye. The intensely focused flames made a pitched "scream" almost as he flew through the air just a few inches off the ground towards his target. And just as he reached striking distance the flame propelling his right arm increased in intensity and his fist blasted upwards in an uppercut, creating a resounding boom for everyone to hear as his fist broke the speed of sound. But despite the incredible speed in his almost instant gap close and attack, Tone's powerful uppercut only hit air. As he came to a halt and the flames on his body vanished, Tone looked down to see the mage was on his back on the ground unharmed. How did he... "Greetings." Standing next to the fallen mage was a young man with blonde hair and glasses. "My apologies for intervening but I realized your attack might have done considerable damage to my comrade."

"Ah, so you want a piece too?" Tone suggested, putting his fists back up in another stance. "Negative. You seem to have misunderstood me. I do not wish to fight you either, but we at Blue Pegasus pride ourselves on our fashion and our beauty. Had your attack connected you may have damaged some expensive clothing or caused scarring that would damage our reputation with our clients." At this point Tone was confused and his stance dropped slightly. He looked over to Zen, hoping perhaps that his guildmate might understand what was going on better than he did. "Uh... Alright then?" The newcomer reached down and held out a hand, helping his comrade back up to his feet. "Sorry, Jimmy. He hit me right in the nose." "It looks bad, but I don't think it's broken. We don't need to fight today." As the two began conversing Tone couldn't help but take a few steps away from the weird mages and stand next to Zen. "Do I just let them go?" he whispered to Zen, still unsure of whether he was still in a fight or not. He had a feeling the fight was over but it was so strange that he couldn't be certain.

And that guy must be insanely fast, he thought, keeping his eyes on Jimmy. He knocked the other guy out of the way in a split-second. I didn't even see him. After the two Blue Pegasus mages finished their conversation the elder one turned back to Tone and Zen one last time. "My sincere apologies for this event. Even for a guild that prides itself on its manners we, too, are imperfect beings and make mistakes from time to time." "Hell of a mistake." "And it will not happen again. I hope you can enjoy the rest of your day, sir." The two Blue Pegasus mages made their way back into the crowd, which itself soon began dispersing and going about its business like normal. After a moment of silence Tone looked over to Zen and Akemi. "Well anyways, I was looking for you earlier Zen but I decided to take a walk first," he began, completely casual as if the fight that just broke out never even happened. "I been thinking and if I'm ever gonna stand a chance at getting my brother back then I need to be duking it out with strong people to train rather than taking mellow jobs with little action. You wanna go a round sometime? Akemi can join in too, I wouldn't mind. The worse odds the better."

"Gwendolyn Historia Gospel. Prime Exorcist of the Gospel clan." She also introduced herself to their requestor.

His poor choice of words immediately irked Gwen assuming shady vibes. The room also didn't help along with the client's perceived scattered brain impression. The room reminded Gwen of Ria's room, which gave her some nostalgia. As much as she wanted to continue suspecting, she just let her OCD took her all the way over, stripped and dunked her clothes right in his face.

"Of course you wouldn't know you have an appointment...just look at how disorganized you are! Let's just get to the point before we call this off. Tell us what we need to know. "

Carver's face went from a mask of politeness to lit up with barely contained excitement after Jessica introduced them as the mages here to take on his job. His posture straightened up and he suddenly was very aware of how much of a state he must look, inspecting and patting at his clothes to get them to settle and adjust properly. "Oh, yes, Fenixtear, wonderful. You're just in t-"

His words caught in his throat as something cloth landed on his head and face. Catching a glimpse of skin from beyond the clothing he pulled from his face, Carver's gaze immediately shot toward the ceiling and his entire body went rigid. His cheeks flushed a nearly glowing pink. He cleared his throat several times. It took another few to find his voice. "I - um - no, yes, I think...Well...madam, I would suspect...If it - perhaps...clothing. Is, uh. Well, quite necessary. Not that - you - not entirely...appropriate...to be in such a state..." A shaking hand held out the articles of clothing Gwen had discarded onto his face while he did everything he could to not look in her direction.

---

Ria had lost track of where they were going while she tried to think up ways that maybe she could help Damian figure out what was going on with his power. The guild now had quite an extensive library, one that finally put hers to shame, so perhaps she could find something. If not in her books or the guild's, then she at least had some ideas as to what shops would be the best to go visit to see if they could find sources. Plans were swirling through her head enough that she blinked and realized just where they were and how she'd accidentally started leading him toward one of the better magical book stores in the city.

Only to then realize that Damian had mentioned a fight and she certainly heard a scuffle. It wasn't really something they should get involved with, given if it was a fight they were just an indie guild, but she certainly couldn't deny wanting to make sure it didn't end up involving innocent bystanders or cause property damage to the shops around it. Of course, the people they came across when moving to check it out certainly was neither a surprise nor something she was pleased to see. She blinked and looked at Damian, putting up a hand as he walked into the fray. "Damian, wait I -" but her words came too late.

Teague growled lightly. Cracks formed in the ground again, before he swiped at Kaden once more, but with rocks forming claws around his fingers. Kaden swept the hit to the side and returned with an uppercut.

Salvis had wound up to hit while Kaden wasn't looking but was stopped. He glanced over his shoulder at the newcomer when his arm was pinned behind his back. "Well, you'd be wrong, bud, considering your guildmate did ask for it. Nothing like a fight between friends. Bit of bad form though, jumping in without the details." His eyes narrowed, but the smirk grew into a smile. He flattened his hand against his back - palm toward Damian - and sent a powerful blast of wind entwined with lighting toward the new combatant. He followed that up by immediately pulling sharply toward the same side as the arm he had pinned to try to work Damian off him.

Kaden punched Teague squarely with a right hook, sending the other mage to the ground, as he looked toward Salvis and Damian. "Really?" He glanced the opposite way, considering he'd seen the two near each other before he left the field, and managed to find Ria. "Hey, what are you up to tomorrow?" He jumped over a sweep kick the other guy tried to send him. "Because maybe tomorrow you and I can get some training done, yeah?" He leaned back away from another punch, slapping the strike away, as he grinned crookedly.

Ria's brows rose. "You're asking me? And you're asking now?"

The mage Kaden focused on growled again before sucking in a deep breath. "Earth Dragon Roar" and shot a breath of rocks and dust toward Kaden. Kaden caught the attack with his shield, hitting it toward the side.

Only for it to slam into and dissipate after hitting a barrier of water. Another wall swirled into place to isolate the four mages from allowing any of their spells to get beyond them, with an opening leading toward Ria. "Kaden, collateral damage is unacceptable. Please take more care, least you draw negative attention toward the guild. Now finish up the fight quickly, boys, before someone calls authorities to break it up."

Were the former soldier anyone else and any less experienced in combat against man and mage alike, he might not have noticed the nearly imperceptible turning of the other man's hand. Fortunately, however, he did and he swung himself outwards as the man's spell shot out, his arm still firmly gripped. As one would expect, as soon as their master came under actual threat himself, the twin wolves let out a low growl and went to move on the swordsman's opponent. However, as the man moved to try and shake Damian, he barked an order in another language at the two as he allowed the man to get loose before slamming his elbow towards his face. "Bleib sitzen! Do not move unless I tell you two to!" The wolves obliged, though their growls only deepened.

Taking up a fighting stance, Damian wanted to keep his magic to himself for as long as he could, though if it came to that, he doubted he could get away with also keeping the power lock in place and get a fair fight. Not waiting for the other man to finish his motion, be that dodge or recovering from the sudden blow, he was back in his guard, a series of precisely aimed punches flying at him. This would be best ended quickly, but he needed a feel for how this Steel Hydra dick would fight and if dirty was going to be a regular thing. After all, as he jumped back slightly and aimed a hammer blow for the right clavicle of the collar bone, they'd already tried to fight his guild mate two on one.

Even though it never manifested physically as a smile, Akemi's face seemed to light up as if she were, nodding eagerly. Like Zen though, she just blinked as the burly man running the stall addressed Zen as 'older miss'. "But Z's a guy....right?" Even Akemi seemed confused for a moment before gratefully accepting the food with one hand, the other was about to dig out her purse from her pocket but Zen had already given some jewels to the man. She would've protested, but the rumbling that once more escaped her drew her attention back to her task at hand. Devouring these dangos.

Silently they would walk, munching on their treats as Akemi continued to gawk at the festivities around them. There were already quite a few groups of people gathering at the local eateries, and more stalls being set up by the moment as a buzz was slowly overtaking the streets of the capital. Biting into the dango, they were quite sweet; perhaps a little too sweet. But Akemi didn't mind, it wasn't often she got to eat sweets of any kind so would take it where she could.

She had just finished and was looking for a bin to drop her rubbish off in when she felt Zen grab onto her hand. Curiously, she tilted her up at him as he spoke before he took off, dragging her behind him as they approached the gathering. Gripping his hand tightly as they pushed through the crowd, not particularly feeling up to being separated and lost in the city, what they found on the other side was indeed a fellow member of their guild...wasn't this the boy that ran out before? What was his name? Akemi racked her brain, tilting her head this way and that as if physically trying to shake the name out of her head before Zen spoke it.

"It's a bad look to punch street clowns you know."

And that was when the Blue Pegasus Mage threw the fireball, detonating on impact with Tone. While the majority of the crowd went running back and away from it, Akemi just stared blankly at it before looking up at Zen as if to say 'should we help?' Not that it seemed like they would need to, as she watched the flames disappear...and into Tones mouth? Ah, right. Slayer magic. She had encountered it once before at Era with Ria, though she hadn't seen the man there eat his element. Nor was it as...beautiful a sight actually to behold unfold. Not the sucking up of the flames, but the blue-hot flames that erupted from Tone as he went to retaliate on the poor 'clown'.

Though Akemi would visibly jump at the sound of Tone's fist breaking the sound barrier, clamping her hands over her ears, her face unchanging, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly towards their fellow mage. Though a lot seemed to be happening, as another man had appeared and Tone was now coming over to them, seeming perplexed by the chain of events. Akemi was probably more perplexed, but it seemed like the matter was resolved? She was unsure, but Tone seemed quite happy to change the subject so she just followed on with it.

"Is that why you ran out of the guildhall earlier?" Recalling his melodramatic exit from the guildhall not that long ago, the girl would quickly nod at his following words. "Even if Z doesn't have the time...I don't mind sparring a bit. I want to get stronger as well."

---

Behind the smiling gaze, she gave Menzai came a sense of relief. He was an odd one to read, but judging by his reaction he didn't seem to not believe her, or rather have any grounds not to. And the story was half true at least, just like any good lie. She just twisted the facts to her liking, leaving out parts that didn't fit her narrative. So even if her story was seen through, there was no way to tell what was a lie or the truth without knowing the full story. While his response may have disappointed others in terms of turning down the offer to talk about himself, instead it told her just as much as it would've had he had some stories. "I see...well as fascinating a topic magic studies is, I believe a topic like that is best suited in the comforts of the guild library with a soothing cup of tea and some books to share notes with no?" She would have to write down her learnings first chance she got, but for now she stored their little conversation away. They weren't far off now anyway. If he was the type, she would've shared some mindless, idle chatter but he didn't strike her as such, so instead, they traveled the rest of the way in silence. But rather than looking forward, Alina was gazing out to the side, processing the conversation and going over its contents with a fine-tooth comb all the while giving off the air of daydreaming.

Upon arrival in Petunia Town, Alina would take it upon herself to ask for directions from the locals on where to find Sapphire Farms, giving the older couple she had walked up to a grateful smile and curtous nod of her head before parting ways to return to Menzai and inform him that their location was on the other side of town. As they travelled through the small, quant town, Alina was already memorising the buildings around them, creating a mental map of the place as she eyed some peeling paint on the inn, the laughter that erupted from the bar as they passed the building. Would she ever need to remember this place? She didn't know, but she did know that if she didn't, that she would need the information.

Arriving at the farms, Alina noted to herself that the warehouse was bigger than expected for a town this size. Not massively surprising considering these flowers were meant for the Princes ceremony, but still larger than her expectations had envisioned. Deciding it was probably for the best for her to interact with the older gentlemen up front, leaving Menzai to observe the interaction, she allowed an alluring and disarming smile to grace her features.

"Yes, we're indeed rather new to these parts. Wonderful little town and store you got here by the way." Empty flattery, but her tone seemed more than genuine as she approached the older man, brushing some hair behind her ear before clasping her hands together eagerly. "I'm Alina, me and my guildmate here are the ones that accepted the request you posted with Fenixtear." She would leave Menzai to introduce himself however he saw fit, or not at all if he chose to.

"So I believe you have some flowers for us to deliver to Opal Arrangements, correct?"

Well he was obviously leaving out some important details! Zenith arched his brow in response and said, "The hell kind of walks do you take?" He didn't really expect an answer so he just watched as that kid tried to set Tone ablaze, the key word was 'tried.'

That poor kid, he was going to get absolutely railed by Tone. In all fairness it simply was just bad luck that his opponent was a Dragon Slayer that could eat fire, but he should have known better to attack random mages without assessing their abilities first. Still, it was not like Zen should allow this to continue if it was not for the fact that the bloody Slayer decided to slug the damn kid! "Dammit!" He wouldn't be able to make it in time to stop him; Zenith did not think that Tone would do something as reckless as this in front of him!

It was only a brief moment, but he saw it; he saw the blonde young man save the fire mage from being scrambled by Tone's fist though it was so fast that he could hardly tell what kind of magic that it was. High Speed Magic? No... Short Warp? He could only guess what kind of magic it was, but whatever the case, this man was strong. Not many people could move that fast and process all of that information to make split second decisions so he would have thought he was from one of the more combat oriented guilds. Instead, he was from Blue Pegasus. Huh, sometimes he forgot that they were actual mages instead of people with pretty faces. So even they had someone like him.

Tone was at a loss at what to do and in response to his question, Zenith nodded and whispered back, "Yeah, no need to cause more of a scene." It was better to just let it play itself out, no need to make matters even more complicated. Even he went along with it and bowed his head. I apologize for my guild member for striking your friend as well. When those two Blue Pegasus mages left, Zenith shot Tone a venomous glare that would have made even the most wild, vicious creatures freeze in absolute terror. "We will talk about this later." Yup, he was pissed.

Hm, a spar. He did promise he would take Akemi out to the festival, but she seemed to be quite eager to train. He shrugged and in response said,"Well, if she's okay with it then I can spare some time."

She was much too inexperienced to fight someone like Tone; it would have been a one-sided massacre and a two v. one against Tone was definitely out of the question. "While I appreciate the confidence Tone, a two-on-one isn't going to do you much good if you stack the odds against you too much and it certainly won't help her." Zenith bit a large hunk out of the pork bun he was holding.

"Instead, I'll take you both on at the same time. You," Zenith focused on Tone. "for as strong as you are, you don't pay attention to your surroundings, which is how that Blue Pegasus mage got the jump on you, and how other enemy mages will do too. You are not conscious of those around you, thus you're ability to work with a team will suffer." Finishing his pork bun, he scrunched up the wrapper. He spotted a trash can and made a clean shot.

"Akemi doesn't have much experience in combat so I would be at ease if I was her opponent as well."

The conversation between him and this woman had helped him to gain a basic understanding of the redhead. Learning throughout the conversation that much like he, she was ever a curious one; always observing and studying the surrounding but her mannerism and reason for doing so seemed to have a more meticulous approach. She might of been of kindred soul; one that he could possibly discuss such keen observations and understanding yet something about Alina felt off. Impossible for him to make into words why, whether it be his own canine instinct putting up a tiny iota of an inkling to be wary of the redhead. Even if she gave nothing to believe such or at least nothing easily discernable as she was still a stranger to him and if given time this peculiar warning may wane. Though one thing he was thankful for; an overt curious person that didn't push for him to tell an actual story of his past or concrete personal info and for that he held respect. A tinge of relief in his own face still obscured by the hood adorned over his head. Even moreso at having the topic change with Alina telling a statement he very much agreed." A statement I wholeheartedly agree with. An evening discussing topics over magic is one we will certainly be sharing after the ordeals of the job and whatever else may entail and follow afterwards." A slight nod of the head to show and ensure this promise will be fulfilled.

With their talk ended; Menzai had been very much content to walk in silence as much like Ms. Bloomfield he could discern she was not one for much idle chatter. Another opinion he shared as he walked alongside; enjoying just having a companion besides him on a long trek for once.

Hours passed before the two eventually arrived at the town of Petunia with a single look of the small town telling him more than enough. The place while small had more quaint and inviting feel; a place that a beastkin like him would find more comfortable to settle in as it lacked the unsettling smell of smog and oil to his nose's relief. Shortly after entering the town, did he decide he would let Alina take the lead with him being an outsider in more ways than one and lacked proper experience handling the details of the job.

And so, the wolf let his stride slacken slightly to allow the redhead to walk two steps ahead of him. Stopping briefly when she asked for directions though knew the whereabouts of the warehouse before she even returned, having heard their conversation.

Not that it bothered him having to walk another short stretch with the two already traveled nearly half the day just to reach the town. As long walks never bothered the wolf and if given the chance he would be fine walking from morning to night and enjoy every moment.

Along he walked; both following and observing to learn how meetings with the clients were to be handled. Much like Alina, he found himself surprised at the size of the warehouse which proved unexpected with a part of him curious of seeing its inside but this was not the time to wander off when a job took priority.

Merely stepping into the shop lead them to meeting with the client who turned out to be a kindly old man. A friendly wrinkled face with an aged body that gave off a mild myriad scent of flowers that gave away his countless years working with flowers. He was one to normally avoid large fields of flowers; not out of disgust but simply due to the overwhelming sweet and sometime spicy scents of the flowers uncomfortably tickling or burning his nostrils. Better for him they had no need to venture deep into the warehouse, but the client was purely inviting and pleasantly warm. For the time being lightly bowed his head in greeting, choosing to be quiet unless given a question or asked for introductions.