The doors to Wolven Pyre creak open as a young man pushes his way through with a load of boxes in hand. Each shift and movement brought with it a number of clacks and clicks as Argus slowly made his way to the bar counter, setting the box down with a grunt.

"Here are the tonics from town that you wanted Ms. Meredith." As the young man walked out from behind the boxes, a bright red hand mark could be seen plastered across the side of his face, though he didn't seem to pay it any mind as he fixed his hat and took a seat at the counter. He did angle his face in such a way that the mark was facing away from the old bartender, however. "You could've told me it'd be so heavy tho, felt like I might've pulled something hefting it all the way here."

@Cello

---

Brianna had a smile on her face while the conversation was going on, which made her incredibly happy to be apart of it. She did notice Penny’s facial features and Damian’s reaction to being jumped on by Belius. ” No problem, Penny! I’m doing wonderfully well, and I love it here. It’s a wonderful guild! As well, the pleasure is mine, Damien, teehee. Everyone is so nice to me. The only person in this whole guild that’s sir grumpy pants is Mr. Waltzie.” Brianna said, with a cute happy smile for being a young woman.

She sees in the corner of her eyes no other than the man she called sir grumpy pants, Mr. Waltz, with a cute little talking, walking exceed called Dalton. Her eyes brightened up, and she kind of stares cutely at Dalton because she’s more of a cat person than anything. ” How is Mr. Waltzie treating you, Dalton? I do hope very well!” Brianna spoke excitedly, a bit too much excitedly. Because this is the first time, she actually interacted with Dalton, or any of the other Exceeds, really.

She blinked and giggled cutely; Karn does have many nicknames for people; it's so wonderful. ” Hehe, Hi Karnie!” Brianna spoke excitedly, with a giggle in there. She really likes how Karnie gives out his entire day in such a long rambling speech; it's so impressive. Edarn flicked her forehead that made her look a bit like, what did you do that for. As well, she rubbed her forehead too slightly. ” Uhh, what do you mean you didn’t expect much else? Edarn.” Brianna said, with a bit of a confused look on her face.

However, when Karnie asked how she’s doing, she giggled and enjoyed these conversations. ” I am doing wonderfully, Karnie! Also, that must’ve been very fun yesterday if you explained everything literally without breathing. I have a feeling Tearsy is going to say I cannot do that, that well… Not like I’ve tried.” Brianna said, with a smile on her face. However, she pauses to breathe because sometimes it takes her a bit to get through her thoughts and speak them thoroughly.

Obviously, Tearsy’s voice pierced the veil of reality and connected to Brianna, Karns, Penny, Damien, Belius, Dalton, and Nolan. ” It’s been a pleasure to meet Penny and you, Damien. Therefore, I must ask when are you two getting married? Aha, it’s Nolan and Dalton; it's a wonderful time. In terms, how are you two doing?” A beautiful young adult female voice telepathically spoke to everyone she connected to. She did notice Penny and Karn’s discomfort in trying to understand where her voice came from. Damien did train with swords for a long time, which is always good.

Edarn said that made her giggle slightly because it's such a deadpan joke to say. ” Haha, it's so nice to hear someone with humor as such as yours, Edarn. Also, I am doing very well, Karn. And yeah, I can tell what you were talking to Damien and Penny about. That’s impressive how you can speak nonstop before breathing. Brianna cannot do that, that well.” A beautiful young adult female voice telepathically added to the previous statement. The Sky Tears Sword was glowing much brighter because she was happy chatting to everyone.

Brianna couldn’t help but notice people walking in and walking towards the little group, which were all because of the announcement that Damien made. Her eyes were sparkling because there was going to be a return of the Fantasia Festival. ” Awh, so cool! An exhibition match between the four strongest Phoenix Wing Mages, how neat! That sounds like an entertaining thing to watch.” Brianna spoke really happily towards the announcement. She wanted to see how the four strongest mages fight since everyone has their own ways to fight since she never really paid attention to anything until now, that is.

However, she noticed another Exceed and an adorable looking woman by Amaya's name because of this announcement. ” Hiyas! Cecilia and Amaya!” Brianna spoke excitedly towards Cecilia and Amaya. Brianna did hear a voice behind her, which was very unfamiliar, but she was like, wait for what, and noticed Karnie’s reaction to the man. ” Awwh, Karnie, you are shaking.” Brianna said, with a gentle smile towards Karnie. She does know of Karnie’s deathly afraid of water, but she stared gently towards the man that walked in.

The Sky Tears Sword was growing darker because it decided to allow the others to have a piece of their minds without having her intervene in their heads for a while. It was mostly because of what Karn, was doing cowering in fear of water, specifically that new water mage that walked in. It keeps track of everyone’s mind patterns, and the water mage is definitely a new mind compared to all the others in Phoenix Wing. ’ I do wonder why that mage is here unless he’s here to join. Poor little Karn, terrifyingly scared of water, aww.’ Tearsy thought to think about what Mandi is doing here; besides, she didn’t really want to involve herself in his or her mind right now.

However, she had always been a bit of a worry wort when it came to Brianna. She wanted to respond to a fight between the four S-Class Mages of Phoenix Wing, which only included those four and Brianna. ” I must say that it sounds like fun to watch an exhibition match between you four. If only I were the real woman, I could watch it with front row seats, but since I am a Sentient weapon, Brianna can watch it instead since she’s always so excitable. She’s so full of energy for how young she is.” A beautiful young adult female voice telepathically spoke towards Rose, Damien, Penny, Nolan, and Brianna.

Brianna looks down at Tearsy because the If only part kind of made her shiver since her sword teases her much. However, she can’t be so excitable; it's just how she is. ” Uhh, Tearsy, please don’t say that again… I don’t need that mental image, p-please?” Brianna asked kindly, but she was definitely shivering down her spine. It is mostly because the sword constantly makes her blush, which would be a bit too much and a bit too far. She can only imagine that Tearsy was teasing her differently from usual.

---

---

Cailyn gave a soft laugh at what Prince had given for a response because she sure knows that since even Astegardian Women or Soulerians need their beauty sleep. ” How quaint, beauty sleep is better than most things, Prince.” Cailyn spoke in a thick Astegardian Accent, as usual. Her ears twitched because her eyes were following something floating around the Guildhall, which came from the child. The young girl's name was adorably cute, and how she respectably introduced herself to them. Her face was curiosity mostly towards the corius looking girl that was completely white with full black eyes. It gave her some context clues into what Keiko’s magic is all about. ” You do have a beautifully cute name, Keiko. This Corius you have with you is interesting; in your tongue, it would be spirit. Mostly because where my ancestors came from aren’t afraid of spirits.” Cailyn spoke with a thick accent. In this case, her accent added an extra e or i someplace in Keiko’s name or replaced an e or I or swapped them entirely. However, the accent was obvious when she was speaking her Astegardian language over the Fiorean.

In terms, Cailyn was a bit slow on the uptake, but Prince answered that the guild master was away on business. She was interested in helping Keiko with her journey in finding her way. Her ears twitched slightly, and the jewelry on it makes a beautiful jiggle sound; in the right way, she twitched her ears. ” It’s a bit sad, but at least you got people in this guild to ask questions to, Keiko!” Cailyn excitedly spoke because she was happy, and her accent was thick. She patted Keiko’s head with her left hand, which slowly gave Keiko some magic from Cailyn. It made her smile happily with a smile on her face, which after that exchange, she did move her hand from Keiko’s head. ” Oh, sorry if you didn’t want to be touched, but that’s what I can do for people, give magic to others from my own magic reserves. As well, I have magic that bypasses the magic transference racial ability, but I feel like I had a bit of Deja vu like I said this already.” Cailyn said with a smile and her thick accent, with a slightly confused look on her face.

Oddly, it felt like she had said this before like she had a dream of this interaction with Keiko, but she’s not much of a person that believes in coincidence, though. Cailyn kind of sighed slightly and shook her head slightly, to be a bit odd-looking. It was a bit of a strange thing, but sometimes weird things do happen. She put one of her hands on her left cheek and trying to think about something else. ” I do hope you have a fun time at the Dragon Fang Guildhall, Keiko, sweetie.” Cailyn said with a pleasing smile and looked at Keiko with a motherly vibe to her and a thick accent. She always had fun in this guild because it was one of the few places she could be more like her Recovery Magi title.

"Well thank you for that Prince. I hope that I can find what I am looking for here, maybe being here will better help observer and I grow and someday call this place our home."She spoke to Prince, "hopefully your guild master will be back soon, the faster things are done the faster I can continue my goal."She added before replying to Caitlyn.

"What I am looking for is from the research my father and family left off. I am sure you have noticed the faint image of me moving around, currently holding the skin bound tome I was holding, behind me. That is the entity that holds a tie with my family since our creation of my lineage. It is the reason for my magic and being a mage. The magic that was given me since I was born is known as Observer magic and it is this magic, I wish to dispel and end before I become of age to carry on my bloodline, whenever and if ever that comes."Spoke Keiko being blunt about her reason here. She has no need to hide her intentions nor does it really matter if any of them or her observer knew what her real intentions were deep down. She watched them both closely as her faint ghostly mimic became more solid floating next to her. the floating Keiko floated higher some before moving around Prince and Caitlyn, examining them with a confused look

"Stop doing that Observer."Said Keiko with a sigh as it floated above the two watching confused before moving back to her side.
"This is the entity of my magic, it is known as an observer and has a different form to me compare to what you see," she explained holding out her hand to the doppelganger as it returns the tome to her hand before folding its arms looking very annoyed
"Stop that, it's safe that is all that matters." She spoke hearing its voice in her head.

She turned her attention to Caitlyn hearing her observation of Keiko before feeling some magic transfer between them causing Observer to jump some in surprise before narrowing its eyes as if ready to strike
"No you are not doing that, there is no reason to fight any friends. for the time being, this will be our home so behave please." said Keiko as the observer relaxed folding its arms "Sorry" it spoke out loud having a bit of a dual pitch tone as it spoke before Keiko returned her attention to Caitlyn "I am sorry of its behavior, it has just been us for so long it has a bit of an overprotective side and isn't too well known of how to react around people."She said with a smile "Also, I am not bugged by being touched as any child deep down yearns for the touch of another as it assists and is beneficial in many situations so it does not bug me if it helps a possible friendship.."Said Keiko simply watching them both with her ruby red eyes before her stomach rumbled "Oops? I forgot I haven't eaten yet today." she added placing her hand over her stomach as observer followed in suit, mimicking her.

---

The forest held a suffocating stillness so palpable that one could almost slice through it with a blade. The glade was not known to be a place of silence; often filled with the chirping of birds, the buzzing of insects and rustling of leaves as woodland critters strode past. Yet today, there was quiet. So much so you could hear a pin drop. That was before the next loud crash, emanating deep in the heart of the Silverbranch Glade, cut through the emptiness. The trees swayed from the shockwave of the blast; their leaves falling still just in time to be disturbed by another in the series of loud disruptions. No doubt it was this noise that had caused such an uproar among the creatures of the woods. Frightened and disturbed, they fled from their homes in search of sanctuary elsewhere in the glade. At the center of the commotion was the Tribunal - the sacred punishing grounds once used by the Daughter of Hecate to pass judgement among those who broke coven law. Now repurposed as a training and battle grounds for the members of Wolven Pyre.

Bullet stood amidst falling dust and smoldering embers, inhaling sharp breaths as though they would be his last. The carnage of his latest training session surrounded him. Burn marks scathed the stone walls of the arena; wooden training dummies lay broken and scattered across the grounds. Bullet’s Hellforged Gauntlets were still smoldering with smoke and ash, hanging meekly by his side as he barely had the strength to raise his arms.
One more time, he grit his teeth, forcing himself to step forward and raise his fists back up in front of his face. Yet as the young brawler made an attempt to dash forward, he was stopped by a sudden jolt of pain up the side of his torso. Crumpling to the ground with an exasperated grunt, he was barely able to catch himself by holding out one of his fists to the ground. Once the pain subsided somewhat, he raised his arm to inspect the bandages around his ribcage. They were stained red.

“Your wounds would be healed by now if you would just do as you’re told and rest.” The young girl's voice startled Bullet to alertness, pushing himself up with a sharp turn on his heel to face the source. It was Zhulie, a young up and comer of the coven with an obnoxiously infectious sunny disposition. She also had made a habit of sticking her nose into Bullet’s business ever since he had been taken in by the witches after his embarrassing defeat at the hands of a chimera.

“Buzz off, kid.” Bullet snapped, tenderly nursing his sore spot. “Just ‘cause Priscilla’s not around to nag me doesn’t mean you get to take her place.” He didn’t mean to sound so ungrateful for all the help he’d received from the Guild Master over the last month. Truly. Yet sitting around all day doing nothing was starting to get on his nerves. He had grown slow, weak and frail. It was time to start regaining his strength. Zhulie balanced along the edge of the Tribunal’s walls, her arms outstretched to keep her upright.

“I’m just saying, if you’re so eager to get back into training you may want to follow Priscilla’s advice.” Zhulie folded herself forward into a handstand, shuffling along the edge with a pleased grin.
Show off, Bullet huffed, rolling his eyes at the acrobatics display.
“I mean, no offense, but Priscilla is the wisest woman in our coven. And you’re... “ Zhulie eyed Bullet up and down before suppressing a snicker.
“Oi” Bullet smirked, sticking his tongue out at the child - who returned the gesture in kind. He’d be lying if he said Zhulie’s company over the last month had been a total nuisance. It was that persistent optimism - it had a way of drawing you in. He was about to offer some form of snide retort that no doubt would have sent the pair into a bickering match, yet the pain in his side began to throb once more. Wincing through grit teeth, Zhulie hopped down from the wall and made her way over to Bullet.

“I’m fine.” he assured her, holding his hand out as if that would stop her from worrying for him. “Fine, you win. Let’s head back to the guild hall.” Zhulie looked relieved that he’d finally listened to reason, skipping ahead to the stairway that led up and out of the Tribunal.
“Of course, Meredith is going to kill you when she finds out you’re not in bed.” She giggled, disappearing over the crest of the stairwell and into the forest. Bullet rubbed his temple. It seemed he had failed to consider what that dusty old crone would do to him. She had threatened to chain him to his bed numerous times if he refused to follow Priscilla’s instruction.
What a pain, he groaned, following after Zhulie at a slower, relaxed pace.

---

Henri opened his eyes to the rhythmic dripping of water. Like the accurate ticking of a metronome, each drip was perfectly spaced from one another in a comforting pattern. The perfectly timed ripples spread through the darkness, his body suspended in the deep abyss. All around him was pitch darkness, the dripping piercing the silence along with the gurgle of bubbles that escaped his lips with each breath. As far as he was aware, he was still in the bathhouse, but at the same time he wasn’t. Submerged beneath the surface of the water, Henri had projected his consciousness into the deep. The intense pressure paralyzed him in place; only able to observe the endless darkness. The words of Priscilla ran through his mind;

Intention, Henri. He closed his eyes again and tensed his entire body, releasing his magic in an attempt to manifest a sign of any kind. Yet despite his best efforts, he felt nothing. Relaxing his body, he released one final breath whilst repeating the incantation that would return himself to his body.

Spiritus Reditus, he thought it three times whilst picturing his physical body where he had left it. The third time he opened his eyes, letting the natural light from the open air bathhouse flood his vision. The water was suddenly warm again and the deep pressure had lifted from his flesh. Sitting up from the tub, Henri drew a deep, satisfying breath of fresh air. Leaning on the side of the tub, he rested his head against his arm as a wave of nausea washed over him. Divination was still a struggle for him, and he found his attempts at astral projecting into the deep were bearing little fruit. No matter how hard he tried to manifest it, all he ever saw was pitch darkness. He soaked for a little while longer before deciding to dry off and get dressed for the day.

---

Meredith had been wiping down the counter when Argus entered the guild hall with her latest shipment. She watched the young lad struggle under the weight, but ultimately manage to get everything set down.
“Here are the tonics from town that you wanted Ms. Meredith.” Meredith approached the shipment gleefully, excited to finally restock her shelves.
“You could've told me it'd be so heavy tho, felt like I might've pulled something hefting it all the way here” She rolled his eyes at his complaining. She swore she mentioned that it’d be best to bring a partner to help bring the goods back, but perhaps it slipped her mind at the time. She noticed the young man had a mark on his cheek that he quickly tried to obscure from her view.
“Oh thank you Argus! I was just about running on empty.” Prying open a box, Meredith didn’t hesitate to begin to sort through the contents. A few potion reagents, tonics and drinks for the bar. Walking back behind the bar, she began to shelve a few vials and bottles away before turning back to Argus.
“Care to explain that lovely little mark on your face then?” She began to garnish a crystal tumbler with some thin slices of cucumber, pouring a shot of gin over the ice and topping the cocktail off with an elderflower infused tonic water. She slid the glass over to Argus before, raising her own shot in cheers before throwing it back down her throat in one mighty swig. She set the glass down on the counter with a sharp, satisfied exhale.

“A little early to be hitting the sauce, no?” Henri descended the stairs, tussling his hair dry with a towel. He was feeling quite fresh after a nice hot soak and a clean pair of clothes. He’d arrived just in time to see Argus returning with the shipment.
“A little late to be turning out of bed, no?” Meredith retorted, mixing up a dark and stormy for him. His favourite - rum, bitters and ginger ale. Sliding it across the counter, Henri planted himself on a stool before raising the glass in appreciation.
“Touché. Cheers.” He took a deep swig, glancing sideward at Argus.
“Been getting into scraps have you, mate?” He swirled the contents of his glass, making mention to the comment he’d overheard Meredith make about the mark on his face. “Hope you paid ‘em back for it.”
“Somehow I feel it was more one sided.” Meredith chuckled, about to pour herself another shot when Henri snatched the glass away from her. She shot him a look of pure poison, to which he simply clicked his tongue with a smug smirk plastered across his face.

For a moment, Penny was certain that her brain was going to catch on fire. Between Karn, Edarn, and the talking sword, things were chaotic in not much time at all. Still, the simple pure innocence of Karn was always a joy, and she would do anything to insure he remained that way. It was perhaps just as well that Edarn had a sense of danger, a sense of how the world was, for Karn definitely needed someone to watch over him. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on though- everything seemed to happen all at once, and then Karn was hiding behind her, clutching at her clothes. She turned just enough so she could put an arm around him, "Hey... it's okay... " She said softly, voice calm and full of warmth as she tried to calm him.

It didn't take much effort to realise what had happened, the strong watery scent in the air... Karn would always be afraid of water, she doubted that would ever change, but being angry over it would just make things worse. She gently tightened her hold, content to just make him feel secure. The young mage- it was always hard to think of Karn as anything but young- needed to know that it was okay. And even if it wasn't, she was there to help fight his demons. "It's just their magic. Like anyone- they aren't going to use water on you. And if they do, I'll stop it."

Mild annoyance at the voice still in her head, Penny kept most of her attention on Karn. "As we haven't even spoken with my sister about that... " she sighed, closing her eyes a moment, and drew in a deep breath. "I apologise." She apologised to the new comer- not entirely sure if he was a new member or perhaps looking to join. "Welcome to the Phoenix Wing Guild Hall. I'm Penny, one of the S-class mages. Is there anything we can help you with?" She flicked a glance around the guild, certain that there would be quite a loud response to the potential reserection of the festival, as well as a battle.



Glancing out the window from his desk, Michael sighed. The communication lacrima sat where it had been for the last few days, waiting work from his brother. Either Gabriel was knee deep in something sinister, or he just hadn't had a chance to keep in contact. His gaze moved from the window back to the journal he was helping Gabriel keep- a second copy of Gabriel's research on the Celestial spirits. It wasn't much, just yet, but they were making progress.

Waiting another moment, as if that would give Gabriel enough time to either send a message or appear, Michael eventually pushed away from the desk and moved through the room, and opened the door. He hesitated before he went back, snatched the communication Lacrima off the table, and made his way to the main hall. He shoved the lacrima in a pocket, and paused at the top of the stairs, tilting his head and frowning slightly as he took in the sounds- it seemed there was a little bit of commotion. He had thought that Master Jack had already left... Starting down the stairs, he once more stopped at the bottom, pausing as he felt the vibration of the lacrima. His heart beating fast, he hurried dug the lacrima out, relieved.

"Coming home." That was it, just two words, but it was his brothers voice and that meant he was okay. Slightly troubled, he put the Lacrima back in his pocket, and let his gaze move over the guild hall. It was alive with activity- he doubted it was every quiet, and that was just how he liked it.

"W-well, w-we have g-good f-food h-here." He said. One time Michael might not have spoken out, things had changed, although he was still quite self conscious of his stuttering. Still, he had to interact with other guild members- and he wanted to.

---

"What? It's not interesting if I'm gonna win, besides it's all about the thrill and adrenaline in the middle of it! That's the best part, and what's more thrilling than testing yourself against the best?", he responded to Brianna's comment. Personally he found her to be an interesting swordswoman, and her sword even moreso. A talking sword so it is. Pretty quickly, Damian gave his response, and Belius having been turned down didn't seem to let it bother him too much, then followed by Nolan's reprimand and the comment from Daltaon,

"What the little guy said", Belius by now was a bit further away so it was an almost comical echo in the back of their conversation.

Belius had gone to grab a drink while other things went down, still on the floor he returned to the announcement. Exhibition match got him excited, maybe a little too much. It would be between all four S class mages in two teams. Belius was almost upset he didn't qualify for that... Well actually he was rather upset, though he did not show it outwardly.

"Forget watching, I want in on that too... Ah, but I need to pass my S class tests first huh?", Belius muttered to himself as he took a swig, leaning back as he did. Even if he was deigned to watch and control himself from jumping in, maybe he can learn something watching Damian. He's had his eye on every sword user in the guild, as some might say, he's adapted some of the techniques in a rather rough fashion.

The next thing though was the Fantasia Festival... Uh, what would that be he wondered. Brianna who was close to him at the time, he leaned over and whispered.

"Hey uh, you know what the Fantasia Festival is?", he asked. He really didn't know.

A day that had started downcast but with the passage of time, they sun prickled and peaked through the thickly grey clouds until they could not help but give way. An starkly abysmal sky opened up to brighten up the day as a human sized golden cloud flying just above the tree tops reveled in the sun's warmth. And the lone individual lying atop the cloud especially took joy in seeing the ever familiar glowing face shine brilliantly with life though whatever the weather, the chubby individual was happy be it cloudy or rainy or stormy though hurricanes were one to look out for.

D'angelo, who was lounging beanbag style atop his trusty cloudy steed, Nimbus was humming a merry tune while idly strumming away at the banjo resting snugly against his pudgy round stomach. His fingers strummed at the strings causing discordant notes to weakly reverberate before being drowned by his humming, the tip of the fingers slightly redden and sore from playing the banjo or one of the other instruments collected along his travels but the chubby male paid no heed to the pain. Course, nothing really ever soured D'angelo's mood as even now a cheery and uplifting smile adorned his round pudgy face; a smile often said to rival the sun and contagious as a common cold. A teasing comparison which always brought out a jovial laugh from him.

Lifting the hand that had been strumming at the strings to brush it through his brushed back chocolate brown hair before sliding it down to adjust the shades resting over his eyes. Then with a deep inhale, he sat up to stretch his arms with a low yawning groan as the heel of his foot nudged the cloud to have the cloud come to a slow stop." Hngh! We must of been flying for hours if the sun's come out." Lifting his head to gaze up at the sky where he received a momentary flash of light glinting off the shades." Hahah! And a howdy do you too!" Waving up at the sky while chuckling." Those guys at the shop were right about these glasses but boy does it make my nose itchy and sweaty." Shifting the banjo onto his right hip before picking them up off his face to rub at the bridge of his nose." Alright, now where are we." Placing the free hand above his eyes to start scanning around him, where at first he could see nothing but trees and the caravan cloud the size of a small shed behind him tied to the back of nimbus via a rope. Briefly catching sight of his arm, where he noticed his once normally pale skin had taken on a slight tan causing him to let out a low whistle." Whew, guess it wasn't just the knickknacks and souvenir I've picked up while traveling these past several months." Laughing at himself for failing to even notice his own tan.

Taking a moment to brush his fingers along the slightly darkened skin of his arm, amused at the realization." Better than a sunburn though wouldn't you say, pal?" Tilting his head to glance down at Nimbus which he felt rumble briefly beneath him." Oh yeah, as if you haven't already bragged enough about not having skin to get burned." Scoffing while giving the golden puff a few playful pokes.

After a good pokes did he remember needing to figure out where he even was." Oh yeah!" Bumping a palm to his forehead as he quickly resumed his scanning until he caught glimpse of a most exciting sight. His body jumped up in place excitedly with his left hand scooping a small chunk of cloud, the right setting the shades down then.

A flick forward of the left hand to have the chunk stretch and shift into a long cylinder shape then two taps along the side to have a droplet of water form at the wider end to have a cloudy spyglass form.

" Yar..city hooooooo!" Exclaiming in a stereotypical pirate accent while leaning forward to try and get as good a look one could with a makeshift spyglass before eventually spotting a sign of which he could vaguely make out the word, Magnolia." Aye, thar be Magnolia said to be the finest city of these seven leafy seas!" The widest smile possible cracked his sun kissed face; struggling to keep his body from shaking with excitement." We be only minutes away from making shore after all these months across the leafy deep!" He began laughing giddily as he leaned back with a parrot shaped cloud forming on his shoulder." Oi Polly! Take a gander." Lifting the spyglass to the cloud parrot." Thar be the home of Phoenix Wing! Finest guild cross these lands and it be there the treasure we seek awaits!" Bouncing in place like an excited kid." What do ye think of that, Polly?" Glancing down at the cloud parrot as if expecting it to respond then make a squawking sound from the corner of his mouth.

" *Squawk* Don't know why you asking me I'm just a ball of cloud *squawk* "

D'angelo's brows furrowed a bit at the bird's response he had it give." Maybe show some enthusiasm for finally arriving at Magnolia after months of flying." Pointing his free hand towards the city while staring at the cloudy bird which simply sat there lifeless before waving his hand to disperse the parrot." Bah, shows what a cloudy bird knows. Surely you're excited right, Nimbus!" Grinning down hopefully at the cloud and after nearly five seconds of waiting did he feel a rumble beneath him again prompting him to throw his fist up in a pumping action." Aye that be the spirit!" He cheered out in jubilee as he did so.

" Just a little longer till we get to see the he who has since long thought lost! I can't wait to see his face after seeing us." Bouncing giddily in place once more." And you know what such wondrous news calls for?" He asked which was received with silence." That's right! A sky shanty!" Grabbing and pulling the banjo back across his chest." Let's go!" Clapping the soles of his shoes twice to have Nimbus flying off towards Magnolia.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fingers strummed along the strings in amateur upbeat rhythm with most of the tunes off and discordant; clearly the playing of a total rookie. Following by a matching cheery humming as D'angelo began singing in a tone nearly matching his playing of the banjo though not one to necessarily hurt any would be listeners ears.

"
Come and fly away with me

Come and fly away with me-e-e-e-e

Come and fly away with me

Co-co-come and fly away with me-e-e-e-e

Come and fly away with me

Come and fly away with me

Co-co-come and fly away with me

Come and fly away with me

Don't you be afraid
Everything will change

You and I
Jumping off the edge

They say dreamers never die
So, come and fly

Come and fly
Come and fly away with me

We're Rising, We're falling
We'll make it through "

Humming the melody as nimbus lightly rose and dipped as it flew onward towards the city

" We're climbing
We're soaring

A thousand views

We're Rising, We're falling
We'll make it through

We're climbing
We're soaring

A thousand views "

Rocking lightly atop Nimbus as he stopped singing to begin humming and whistling a cheery and upbeat melody in intermission as a few birds taking lift from the tree tops flapped and flew around him. Soon hearing them chirp in tune to his delight; nodding his head as he whistled along with the unexpected flock.

With a low screeching chirp the birds flew off just as he reached the outskirts of the town, where he then bid them a bon adieu with a whistling wave of the hand.

Glancing around while whistling until he caught sight of someone working on their car in their driveway and gave a signaling tap to Nimbus to fly down next to the car. The cloud pulled to a slow stop, careful to pull up far enough to the side so as to keep the caravan cloud from hitting the card." Hello and a fine howdy do!" He called out in a cheerful greeting voice, just loud enough to get the man currently working under the hood of his truck's attention.

A low grunt and a snort could be heard before the male pulled away from his truck; a man in his mid-30's dressed in overalls stained and smudged in oil and dirt with a weathered tanned face covered in a few days unshaved whiskers." How many times I told you kids to stay away when I'm work-" A look of stunned disbelief took hold of his face as he stood witness to the rather unbelievable sight of a chubby young adult just floating there over his yard with banjo in hand and sitting atop some weird puffy golden thing.

With no idea of what to make of what he was seeing and could only stare at the unorthodox sight and that overly friendly grinning face all flabbergasted with his oily hands kept busy rubbing and wringing the rag held in their grip.

A friendly wave in greeting as he leaned towards the stunned stranger." Howdy there! The name's D'angelo and I'm new to the town." Pointing at himself with his thumb while introducing himself." Hope I'm not bothering you and that's one real beaut of a truck you got there, by the way." Nodding in approval with a thumbs up.

The man could only blink at receiving probably the friendliest greeting in his life and a compliment on top of it." Well uh..that's real kind of you. Had Bessy here for goin on..uh 9 years now I'd say, give or take though the transmission been acting up."

Not once did he look away nor the big smile wavered on his face as he listened to every word, genuinely interested in the stranger's issue with the truck." Ah, man sounds like you have a great history with Bessy there, yeah? Unfortunate about the transmission, but things always reach a point where they start breaking down on ya, you know? But I'm sure you will get Bessy in working order and be right as rain."

It was odd to have some stranger pull up out of the blue trying to be all friendly with small talk. Normally would be getting annoyed at a stranger doing so, even more so when that such person was a outsider to the town, but for some reason he simply couldn't bring himself to be annoyed or angry at this D'angelo as his kind words of motivation felt real and not just being said to be nice." You're an awful friendly one aren't you? Don't get many outsiders that go out of there way to listen to some stranger." The man considered to be a grump in this neighborhood found himself chuckling, finding himself liking the pudgy lad." Ah, there a plenty stories I could tell you about Bessy here, but I'm sure you got things to do and places to be. So, what can I do for you, lad?"

Hearing the man chuckle had D'angelo laughing along." I've been told that from time to time. Glad its an enjoyable manner this time." Rubbing the back of his head while smiling widely at the praise then he perked up at the mention of these stories about Bessy causing him to lean forward a bit more." Ooh you do! Well I do need to get going sadly, but you best believe I'll be coming by sometime to hear some of them stories." Doing a finger snap gun at him while taking a look around to memorize the address for a future visit then cleared his throat." Right..the thing I bothered you for." Waving his hands forward at the sides of his face to get himself to focus." I just wanted to ask for directions to the guild, Phoenix Wing. Do you perhaps know of it?"

The man gave a scoffing chuckle with a shake of the head while wiping at his dirty hand with the rag." Should of figured it was about Phoenix Wing. Of course I know the place as you'd be real hard pressed to meet someone who didn't know about that guild. Everyone and their mothers flock to the place to fanboy or fangirl or seek to join." Shaking his head, his voice not one of dislike but more of exasperation from all the people going on about the guild though he had no problems giving D'angelo the directions.

And doing so had D'angelo elated and thankful as he clasped his hands together after receiving the directions." Aye! Thanks for the help. Today really has been a great day with finally reaching Magnolia and meeting a new possible friend and his truck, Bessy." Tipping his head as if tipping a hat in the truck's direction then pondered to himself; wanting to show his thanks and apology for taking up his time that he reached into Nimbus and rummaged around for a bit before pulling his hands out to find he was holding a small plastic tin with a slice of cheesecake and bottle of water." Here we are! A token of my appreciation." Holding out his hands as he all but shoved them into the man's arms before any chance of refusing them." Good luck with Bessy and make sure to take a break every now and then so you don't overwork yourself."

A confused look on the man's face at seeing D'angelo reach into puffy thing, still uncertain what it even was only to have a slice of cheesecake and bottle of water shoved into his arms. Yet, what surprised him most was the fact they were chilled as if they had just been pulled out of a fridge." It's no trouble really but I can't possibly take this..." Trailing off while looking over the offered treats.

A modest attempt at refusal dismissed by a wave of D'angelo's hand with a scoffed." Nonsense! Always good to have a snack around. Well, I'll be off but I'll be back to see how that transmission turns out. Until then you have an absolutely fantastic day!" With a finger gun farwell, Nimbus rose to take off back into the sky.

A final attempt to refuse the offered items but the person didn't have a chance to get a word out before D'angelo was off." Hmph...that's a good lad and this was kind and all but..." Looking down at the plastic tin of cheesecake." I'm lactose intolerant...."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After such a meeting, D'angelo found his mood even more uplifted and cheerful; flying through the city at at a middle level of height of the skyscrapers he flew by. Bouncing lightly in place as he began humming and playing the banjo once more, ready to resume singing while making his way towards the guild.....

" Somewhere by the emerald sea

Where the moon
And water meet

Somewhere close to harmony

When the world
is sound asleep

Something's gonna bring a change

Journeys we are meant to take

Something at the edge of space

Calling us to fly away

Don't you be afraid
Everything will change

You and I
Jumping off the edge

They say dreamers never die
So, come and fly "

Humming and rocking happily as he soon found himself reaching the guild building and began hovering slowly towards the ground in a circling manner.

" Come and fly
Come and fly away with me

We're Rising, We're falling
We'll make it through

We're climbing,
We're soaring

A thousand views

We're rising, We're falling
We'll make it through

We're climbing
We're soaring

A thousand views "

Seeing Nimbus reaching just inches above the sky and pushed himself to stand up on the cloud as he prepared to finish his song-

"Come and fly away
Come and fly away with me

Come and fly away
come and fly away with me

Come and fly-y-y-y-y away with "

Hopping down off Nimbus touching down with the ground with his big finish-

" Me-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e"

A kick of his hips and a stomp of his foot as he ended with a rapid strum of the banjo in a big solo finish that was all but a few notes horribly strung yet he played the hell out of the solo, not caring how bad he was.

Throwing up his right hand in a finished flair as the last echoing strum of the banjo died down with him standing there panting, beads of sweat coating his face and forehead. Lifting his head and bending back with an excited cheer." Whoo! That was awesome. You saw that, didn't you Nimbus? I totally got some of the chords there. I'm taking that as definitely killing that solo!" Laughing as he raised his right hand towards the cloud for a high five but Nimbus being a cloud just floated there.

Catching this, D'angelo grinned while lowering his hand to pat the cloud." Down low, feel the flow here we go cause Phoenix Wing we have arrived!" Spinning around in place to double point at the entrance of the building.

"I, uh. . . tried to talk to Lydia again. You know, that one guardswoman who hangs around here sometimes. I had talked to the bartender over in town about it and he'd given me a few lines to try." Argus keeps his gaze downcast, only giving a slight nod to Henri to at least acknowledge the damp man's presence before he proceeds to down the whole shot Meredith slid his way in one fell swoop. "Well, I don't know if my delivery was off or the lines weren't quite the shoe-in the Old man assured me they were. Either way, all I got was a slap to my face for my efforts and I'm pretty sure she doesn't won't be talking to me anymore."

The ginger-haired youth let his head fall onto the counter-top with a thud, pushing the glass back to Meredith as a low groan working its way through him.

"Why am I so bad at this. . ." He mutters, pushing himself up onto his elbows as he runs a hand beneath his hat, glancing side-long towards Henri, focusing mainly on the other man's rather solid frame before turning attention to his own scrawny build with a notable frown. "Maybe I should try working out. . . but I'm not out of shape, and muscle just doesn't build on me. . . uggggh." Another thud as he drops onto the counter again, clearly feeling defeated by his latest defeat on the field of courtship.

@Cello

Sleep did not come last night. He wanted it, he tried, but it ended up with Markovis staring up at the ceiling just watching the shadows shift with the moon's path across the sky. Trying to master his latest spell came to mind, but that wasn't exactly something he could work on in the late hours - both because he couldn't safely practice it in the house, and because he needed someone else to be the target. Neil would have been willing. Markovis didn't want to interrupt his friend's sleep just to get another spell under his belt. It didn't matter anyways. Since sleep would not come, he gave up in the early hours of the morning. He flipped on the lamp over his bed and started reading his latest book purchase. Penelope, a soft silver and black furred tabby cat, lay curled up against his hip. Soft purrs were the only thing to break the silence, quietly indicating her content state even as she slept. Much was the usual way he did anything in his room - with Penelope curled up on his lap or against him. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted it any other way.

When the sky began to brighten - as much as much as it could with the overcast outside - he had already finished the book and moved Penelope to his lap to just sit there cuddled up with her and gently petting her. That brightness was as much a cue for him that it was finally daytime as it was for Penelope that it was breakfast time. She stood, stretched, then headed for the kitchen while he did much the same. He always saw to getting her fed a bit of moist food mixed with dry first thing, quiet enough as to not wake Neil before he needed to. While the cat ate, the mage moved through the house to double check the plants and water any that needed it. Then it was time to set about his own food. Garden omelet, toast, and orange juice - enough for two. Making Neil breakfast was the least he could do considering how much his friend had stuck by him over all these years, no matter how much Markovis didn't see the point in it.

He knocked on Neil's door, and left the tray of breakfast on the table beside it. As he did most mornings. Routine was key. Take care of everyone else eating, then eat. Then it was off to shower and dress. Like most days, he chose dark slacks, a dark colored button up, and comfortable shoes to match. Some days, it included a tie and jacket, some days it was a polo. Most of the time, it was just a semi-formal outfit and he was content with it. A few scritches behind Penelope's ear as she sat on the table beside the door, and Markovis left with his messenger bag of things - a carefully packed glass, a bottle of bourbon, and a couple of books accompanied by a notebook and pen.

In no time at all, he'd made it to the guildhall. Before they'd joined Phoenix Wing, he would have headed for plot of land Neil had since sold - a place to train safely without risk of hurting someone that didn't deserve it. Since joining, at least it was a place he could train if he wanted, or simply sit and read alone. He didn't even pay any attention to the group gathered not far into the guildhall; any other day...he still wouldn't pay a noisy group gathered in the middle of the guildhall any attention. Much less a bunch of people he didn't recognize with the chatterboxes, the pretty boy, and the upstart.

The quiet mage headed straight for the usual table he sat at, in a corner away from prying eyes - back to the corner to keep the guildhall as a whole in view. Markovis took the bottle and cup from his bag, placing them on the table before removing the books and notebook from it as well. The bag strap rested over the back of the chair, and he took his seat. Remove the cap, pour his glass, replace the cap, chill the glass to desired temperature, then choose a book to start with - the same thing he did most days when he had no desire to go look at the job board. Today was one of those days he'd rather read and make notes of interest than go on a job.

---

The knock on his door woke him. It should have been his alarm, but it wasn't. Thankfully, Markovis had a routine. It helped Neil deal with those nights he fell asleep entirely too late because he was working out a formula. Unlike the neat and tidy room Markovis kept - and thankfully helped keep the house - Neil's room was scattered paperwork, notes taped to his walls, and (this morning, like many) a piece of paper stuck to the side of his head as he sat upright at his desk. "Morning!" he yelped, then yawned. It was a full minute before he realized he had something stuck to his face, found when he went to scrub the sleep from it. What kept him up late this night? The same thing as most nights as of late. Working out that stupid formula. How was it eluding him still?

Tired eyes took a few minutes to focus on the scribbled notes on the page in his hand. Nope, this wasn't going to work either. He sighed and put the paper with the others he'd scribbled notes on last night. For the past few days, he'd considered combining a different ingredient with the base set, but when he actually went through with the test, it was - well...His gaze drifted to the scorched side of his room no longer designated as his testing area. He'd just bring someone in to get that fixed up. Maybe later he'd try a few other combinations; this time, he'd do it in the safety of the testing labs at his factory. For now, breakfast.



Showered, dressed in jeans, his usual sweatshirt over a tee-shirt, and sneakers, and assured his hair wasn't a complete mess - Neil found himself leisurely walking rather than headed anywhere in particular. He had stopped in to check on his shop as he left the house - the entire reason he bought the building - but no one had stopped in for anything specialized. Crystal had it under control, as always. If she couldn't manage the store, he wouldn't have hired her after all. The factory ran by itself too, mass producing the formulas he saw no reason to regulate. Again, as it was intended.

Once he realized he was headed in the direction of Trinity's shop, he started walking with a bit more purpose. In the past two years, most of the best potions he'd created were in attempts to make something to help her recover her power, after all. She was a great source of inspiration, just being around helped. Plus, they were friends and teammates. No reason to not check if the shop was open.

When the door worked, he stepped right on in with a dazzling smile gracing his face. "Morning, Sunbeam. It still qualifies as morning, right?" He laughed softly as he closed the door and walked further into the shop. "Do you have appointments today, or are you free to go hang out at the guild?"

Sunbeam? She knew who it was without looking up, by the nickname and the voice. "Just barely, I think. You've got minutes left, Niel." Trinity had a pair of white, softly glowing tweezers in her hand, and a screwdriver in the other. She set the driver down and spun some bit by hand before sticking her hand in the sunlight from her skylight, channeling it through her body and changing the tweezers into a wrench with better grip on whatever she was holding.

"I had an appointment this afternoon, but I took care of it already. They were able to come in early at my request, and it was actually an easy solution. I was able to send them off with some instructions and one of my ready-made parts. If they need help, someone from the Electrician's Guild can probably help for less than I'd charge." She ran a few tests on repairs she'd done, sighed softly when it worked, and started closing the contraption. "I actually just finished the work I had left, too. Earlier than I thought I would." She sat the thing upright and turned it on and gave it a spin, giving it a test before she'd call it done. "Let me just give the client a call, and I'm all done."

She picked up the appliance and brought it over to the section of lockers beside the front door. There's other doors to the lockers on the outside of the shop, but you'd need the key to get in from there, and the key would not remove once used. She could remove the key from inside. She checked a sheet next to the lockers and popped the thing in, closing it back up and fastening the interior latch to prevent the door from being forced.

"I'm actually overdue for time off. It's been..." She leaned back as she crossed the shop to the phone, gazing at the work calendar, "^{a couple weeks, at least?}" she glanced at Neil sheepishly.

The drawer opened and the phone was dialed, Trinity delivering the message of "work complete" and confirming the locker number with the client. She hung up and bounced over to the calendar, marking in the work until noontime and then scampering her way upstairs. "Lemme get my gear, hold on." She had to grab her bandolier and other support equipment. The vials and flares, that LED lantern from the Platinum age.

It didn't take her too long to come back down the stairs, pulling some hair that had gotten pinned under her bandolier out and flipping it casually over her shoulder. "I'm ready to get out of the shop. Let's go." She flipped the sign and let Niel out before locking up behind them. As they walked, she assembled a tandem bicycle with Solar Make. Well, she couldn't make the chain so well, but all the rigid parts were easy enough, and they did flex nicely, so roads weren't very rough. They could push their way along, and there were forward foot rests.

"I saw Damian and Penny drive past the shop today, have you met them? They're two of our S-classes, they've been away for... Pffff, two years?"

Perry sat at his table, sipping some tea calmly. Hidden by his calm demeanor, he was annoyed. He had heard rumor of another mage that could possibly help him and Elena finally be free of each other. However, the mage's skills were greatly exaggerated. Having left empty handed, he had returned once more to Magnolia.
"So Percy. You going back to the guild or what?"
Perry flinched slightly when Elena said his nickname incorrectly.
"Yes, I was on my way. It's just..."
he began, slowly moving his head towards the sky.
"I'm not sure anymore. If you and I will ever be rid of each other. If we're really doing as much good as we can through guild work."
"Ah, missing the old days, huh? Traveling around and defeating monsters and dark mages like me?"
Perry couldn't deny, it did leave him with a sense of dread. A pit in his stomach that he wanted to fill.
"There's so much going on in the world all the time. I wanted to be the hero to stop the bad guys, like in my story books. But here at the guild, not only are there so many mages that are stronger than myself, but we're also stuck to this town, waiting for people to request our assistance."
Perry didn't want to admit it either, but he didn't feel like a true part of the guild yet. Sure he'd been there for two years, but he still hadn't told the others his secret, aside from Ariel. He thought she'd be able to help as well, but sadly it was for naught.
"Look Perry, Elena said, feeling more awkward than normal. "I think that your looking into this far too much. You're doing great at the guild! You've done a ton of jobs, helped so many people, why are you fussing now?"
The two sat in silence for a moment, Perry thinking on why his thoughts were brimming to the surface now.
"I'm just- The guild- I- They-" He stammered trying to find the right words.
"They're all so great?" Elena asked in a knowing tone, "Look, I get it. If I were still a Dark Mage, I'd be pretty worried they'd be called on me too. But the point is, they're trying to welcome you into the family, and you're just being a mope in a corner.
Perry felt his body rise up and begin moving as Elena took control.
"We aren't going to sit around and mope and be anti-social anymore, alright?"
Perry wanted to argue, but he was cut off abruptly.
"Uh bup bup. No ifs, ands, or buts. Now, I'm gonna take the reins and head to the Guild, we're gonna try and learn from them if you want to be a better mage.
Perry was bewildered. Why had he never thought to learn and train with them? He had always seen it as just a way to get some Jewels and place to operate from while trying to free himself from this curse. His Light Make would only get him so far after all. If he truly wanted to be an exceptional hero Mage, he'd have to work at it.
"Too bad I can't just walk in there as me without explanation. It's always so awkward walking around in your body."
She said as she made her way back to the guild.

Xing Guan, Celestial Mage

A large Ox trod slowly upon the road, a talisman attached to it's face, though the creature didn't seem to mind it. On the cart, a young pink haired girl sat counting her Jewel that she had made. For the past week she had been in Crocus allowing people to enjoy her food, and testing her mettle against any other chefs in the area. After besting all the well known chefs, she left for Magnolia, the next town on her world wide journey.
"I wonder what sorts of food they'll have in Magnolia. Maybe some better chefs than Crocus. Those people wouldn't no a Beef Croquette from a Charcoal Briquette!" She laughed to herself.
The Ox seemed to chuckle as well, a slow oscillating low. The two laughed for a little bit, but soon Xing's laughing stopped. She began placing her Jewel into a small bag and then dropped the bag into a talisman in her hand, which seemed to absorb it.
"Though... I wonder what would happen if I found a rival cook. Someone better than me." She said slightly worried about the prospect.
"I guess I'll just have to learn from them. Wait... Would that mean I wouldn't have to marry Kohryu even longer?"
The Ox let out a low and motioned itself towards the town as they approached.
"Oh! There it is! Magnolia!"

This was a wonderful walk through a rich forest and all, but something... Was missing. Regan was sorting through the information she'd gained from the interrogation in her head. It wasn't much, but she got a lead taking her south, to the coast. She was on her way there, when she noticed the forest was unusually quiet after the earlier ruckus. She looked around, done trying to squeeze more information out of what she'd heard earlier.

Then she heard something loud, like some kind of explosion, or like something smashed into something else. "Oh. That's different." She frowned softly, following the noise deeper into the forest. It continued for a while before it stopped. She hadn't found the source, but she remembered which way it was. She pressed onward, eventually finding an area where the leaves had been knocked off the trees, more littered the ground here then elsewhere, and they grew thicker this way. Eventually, following her direction from earlier and following the pattern of more fallen leaves led her to some kind of old ruin? Older than that old mall, that was for sure. She got a sense of power from the place, and she decided it might not be wise to intrude.

Yet, this definitely seemed to be where the ruckus from earlier was centered. No leaves had settled in the center of the area. It didn't seem like an altercation had taken place, she saw no corpse or any fresh destruction that would have been suggested by the earlier noises. She smelled burning... A fire? Probably best not to disturb whoever was within. That could be unnecessary trouble. With nothing more to investigate, the woman turned from the place and continued to wander into the woods, the gentle power of Green Earth trickling into the ground.

@Cello

And there was Damian being touchy again. What was with him and grabbing shoulders?

"Ever the showman, aren't you?" Nolan said to Damian. This man loved to speak loudly and draw attention to himself, especially for his long drawn out speeches, but at least this time he was keeping it short and sweet. The younger S-Class shrugged Damian's hand off his shoulder as he looked on at that the guild and how lively it was; those two had been gone for two years and yet, it was like they never left at all. They were leaders, people that looked up to them and shone brightly wherever they were. Nolan was not that kind of a person, he did not have the charisma or warmness that they openly expressed to everyone in the guild nor did he want to. He did not shine like they did, they, who represented what a guild mage ought to be. For all of his talent and strength, Nolan just couldn't be like them.

The more things changed the more things stayed the same. He smirked at Damian and said ever confidently, "Alright, I'm game. I'm far stronger than I was two years ago." Damian had certainly brought enough attention as now the guild seemed to be buzzing at the prospect of watching their four S-Class mages duke it out. Even Rose seemed to be quite interested in how much stronger the 'younger' mages have become. Nolan arched his brow and said, "You're literally five-years-older than I am. Why are you acting as if you're about to hit fifty?"

There was being an old spirit and then there simply was Rose. If she was an old spirit then Karn was perpetually young. Nolan waved back at Karn, albeit with less energy, but he probably didn't notice since he was hiding behind Penny. Odd, but he did not really think hard about it since another person that matched the effeminate mage's energy. Brianna's nicknames never failed to put a scowl on his face. "And you never seem to cease with your nicknames." He said as he stepped back to keep a few feet of space in between them.

Meanwhile Dalton snickered at Nolan. "Well, Mr. Waltzie is all bark, but no bite." The Exceed knew he was pushing his luck, but he found that enjoyed pushing his partner's buttons. "He's been all pouty because he's been pining-" He didn't even get a chance to finish that sentence when a white, spectral hand manifested over his mouth and clamped it shut. "Hmph?!"

"He speaks of lies and slander." said Nolan, though his eyes were now averting everyone and his cheeks were flushed red. Tearsy didn't miss a beat and followed up with her own inquiries. At this point he was too used to having random women speaking into his head. "Fine, just peachy."

Hrm Hrm! Dalton was trying to say something, but Nolan still did not release the hand's grip.

For once, Nolan actually felt some sympathy for Brianna considering that they are in a bit of a similar situation. "I feel your pain."

Phoenix Wing guild hall

After the redhaired man had seemingly ignored Mandi's words, that or something more pressing was on that ones mind. The red-eyed hydromancer instead found a few others gazing in it's direction. 'How is she able to tell what magic I possess? Mind prying or is she truly able to discern a person's magical affinity?' The yellow dressed mage thought while studying Penny and the young man which had decided to seemingly hide behind her.

"No worries~ It's fine, It's fine." Mandi quickly replied to Penny, waving one hand in a dismissive manner.

"Thank you~ Oh and I see! It sure is massive this hall!" Mandi said in a cheery manner, whilst tilting the head slightly to the side, a smile decorating the young mage's face and eyes momentarily closed. Though the darkhaired mage's eyes did not remain shut for long, and once they opened the hydromancer stepped forwards to try and slowly take hold of Penny's right hand using both it's hands.



"I'm Mandi~ Nice to meet you Penny~ Oh and help me? I don't know. I am just having a little look around. Getting to know the area. I am not sure what this S-class means though, is it like which study class you belong to?" Mandi smiled with calm looking eyes, looking Penny over carefully before tilting the head from side to side, the black ponytail flapping from side to side.

'S-class mage huh. What does that even mean? What makes one an S-class mage? Raw magical power? Skill? Knowledge? Or is it just a simple official title? We'll see soon enough.' Mandi couldn't help but ponder, while being reminded that when it came to raw magical power the young mage's father had alot of it. Yet despite that he was ultimately slain by a less powerful mage who knew how to pick it's battles. No matter how strong someones ties to magic would be, even the most powerful could be brought down with the right approach and tactic. How many had relied on sheer brute force to overcome their obstacles, how many more had fallen because of that reliance? There was also another woman which had noticed the red-eyed hydromancer, who Mandi in turn smiled to with closed eyes and a slight tilt of the head.

'Such beauties.' The mage thought to itself, further interactions would be highly intriguing. These people were no doubt all capable mages on their own, all with their respective views on the world, life and magic itself. Time would surely tell what those views were. Would they be much different from Mandi's own views? The chances were high, after all not everyone had the same upbringing, training and other factors which would gradually form a person. Much like such could form what manner of magic one would wield, for what purpose and how.

'If you gaze upwards too steeply, you won't see the strike that comes from below.' Mandi thought for a brief moment on a sentence the mage had once heard from someone no longer amongst the living. But even if that person was no longer around, the sentence nontheless rang true in the mage's ears.

---

Karn continued to tremble, his entire body seeming to be on a low perpetual vibrate as he clung to Penny and his fear too overpowering to respond to Tearsy's kind words in his head. Occasionally willing himself to take a peek around her before shrinking back again. If it wasn't for his current state, Edarn might have responded to Brianna's questioning to the Edolan's actions, but the Karn's counterpart had decided to remain without taking the reigns. It wasn't like she didn't care the Earthland Karn was absolutely terrified nor condemned him. However in this situation, she was fine staying back and letting him handle it in this controlled environment. His fear of water was a serious weakness of his and it was unfortunate. Logically, she couldn't help but think his transformation skills would be helpful if they had to use it to explore the waters. That was unlikely though without drastic precautions laid down. Or facing opponents who water based, it would be unlikely the outcome would go well if they faced them on their own. She had hoped to get him a little more accustomed to the presence of it, and well... he wasn't bolting right now so there was that. Then again, it was just the smell of it setting him off. Lords forbid if the water mage offered a glass of water. Still, she wished there was a way to help him, other than doing it for him. Kids won't grow if parents always do everything for them. She just hadn't figured that quite out yet.

Glancing up at Penny and Brianna as they obviously noticed his terrified actions, despite his fear, the blonde still gave a shaky friendly smile through his trembling form. "Y-Yeah... Thank you... I know I shouldn't be like this... I'm sorry." Karn instinctively apologized in a melancholic kind of tone still with a smile on his face as he slowly peaked toward the man as Penny started to speak with the man clad in yellow. Tensing more the closer the newly named 'Mandi' got to them to return Penny's greeting. The man seemed obviously friendly and a great new friend to have, which just had Karn more disappointed in himself. Of course this man wasn't mad at him for doing something wrong, preparing to punish him for something, or just wanted to let off some steam. He knew the water user didn't have any reason to just go shooting water at people. Yet every time he was near water, he felt like he needed to brace himself and prepare for the consequence of him doing something wrong.

As Mandi questioned about what S-Class meant while Belius questioned what the Fantasia Festival was, Karn's eyes shot wide and started to glitter, washing the terror away to leave some room for complete awe and fascination. In his head, Edarn was making a comment if Mandi lived under a rock while Belius was just uncultured, but Karn wasn't listening as smiled brightly and fully poked his head out from behind Penny.

"S-Class Wizards are the Elite wizards of a Guild! Super duper representatives of a guild's hard work! Their magic is not only super strong, they are smart, skillful, and have proven themselves to handle the toughest of jobs! Only S-Class wizards can take on the super duper life or death by one mistake jobs reserved for S-Class wizards!" Karn chirped and sang song in utter glee and starstruck, and in his excitement, seeming to at least for the moment forgot the fear of the scent of water and spun around the room and twirled in the dress before going to Nolan and gave the taller man a big old hug around the waist in his excitement. Practically snuggling.

"Ashy here worked really reaaaaaaaally hard a couple years ago to pass his promotional test!" Karn chirped before letting go before transforming into a exact copy of Nolan, using his left hand to push some strands of locks in his face back while the right arm flexed before just laughing and waving them about happily. "Now he gets to put on a show with the rest of the S-Class wizards of Phoenix Wing! It's so amazing! I'm sure he'll try even harder with his sweetie Copycat watching!" he chirped in Nolan's voice, still sounding excited which was probably weird with Nolan's face and voice. Eyes shining brightly before transforming back to his regular blonde self as he twirled around as he thought about the festival.

"The Fantasia Festival, also known as the Harvest Festival was a festival hosted by the great Fairy Tail Guild a loooooong time ago here in Magnolia to celebrate the harvest and give something special to the town! They hosted the Miss Fairy Tail Contest every year, a beauty contest for all the girls in the guild! It was a apparently a big event that people from other cities came and saw! Sometimes they hosted a battle event! Then at the end of the day the guild would host a parade where members would ride on floats and use their magic to entertain the crowd! It always sounded so so fun!" Karn chirped and cheered until he got close to Mandi, in which case the blonde didn't seem to be fully terrified, but he did return behind Penny. He seemed more at ease, at the prospect of the exciting events coming up.

---

---

Prince hummed as he observed the young lady as she explained her intentions, while the ghostly figure examined them. He responded with winking with his uncovered eye and flashed a charming grin. He hummed as he bent down and leaned closer to Keiko, nose and ears twitching with a hum. "Ah I see, well I have to say you're quite the unique one that happened to wander in here. I'm glad your not too shy of us so in return it would be only be gentlemanly to inform you of my unique little quirk." he smiled and nodded his to Caitlyn.

"You could say I'm the opposite of her. I eat magic of those I make skin to skin contact with. A unfortunate racial need I have to say, but hey when one is hungry they are hungry mmm? You are more then welcome to have some here~ Ammy darling russle us some food please beautiful~~" he purred as she waved to the lady manning the bar, as if he didn't say anything mildly disturbing to any wizard.

It was then he spotted a familiar mop of blue hair coming down the stairs and he leaned back to whisper to the two girls with a completely, super totally innocent expression. "Be right back in a sec." he whispered and winked again before suddenly skipping with his long legs and his arms in the air with a cheerful expression. One could practically see stars and hearts fly out from him.

"Mikeeeeeeeeey" Prince greeted happily before promptly moving to glomp Michael. "Gooooood Morning~" he cheered before letting go and curling his fingers into a paw gesture as his one eye widened in a pleading look with a curled smile. He didn't say anything else, but he was staring at Michael, with both a happy and searching gaze.

Finished with his celebratory arrival, the chubby male gave his body a good wiggle to shake off the goosebumps then took a moment to catch his breath." Whew, that solo and singing took a bit out of me." Chuckling softly to himself before wincing as he could no longer ignore the burning sting in his right fingers." Ouch, did a number on the fingers too. Think it best I took a break from the banjo..and any stringed instruments." Waving the hand and blowing on the fingers as he spoke then glanced over at Nimbus who simply floated in place." Glad to enjoy a break from my awful playing? Ah hah you're so funny." His tone sarcastic as he gave the cloud a playful glare while sucking on his sore finger.

A sigh of relief left his lips as the stinging pain of his fingers ebbed a bit as he finished blowing on them. Turning his head towards the open doorway where he could faintly hear multiple voices coming from within." Looks like there's quite the gathering inside. And one of those has to be cuz! This will be so awesome!" Pumping his fist; feeling his excitement bubble within once more though before he could cheer his head turned towards Nimbus who gave a small rumble." What do you mean I'm giving too much energy?!" Placing his hands on his hips with a look of offense on his face at the accusation." I think I'm giving exactly the right of energy, thank you very much. In fact I could go harder but don't want to end up passing out before even going inside." Waving his hand to dismiss his pal's suggestion to take it down a notch.

A roll of the eyes while drumming the fingers of his left hand on the banjo still resting against his belly." Right, guess I should put this away for now." Humming to himself as he stepped over to the side of the floating cloud caravan then slipped off the banjo strap before pushing his arms and head through the white fluff then pulled back out with the holes left behind closing up seconds later with a dusting of his hands.

" There we are! Now lets....hm.." Trailing off while rubbing at his chin as he realized the caravan was in a bad spot with it nearly blocking the entrance." Yeah I probably shouldn't go leaving it here in the middle of the way but an easy fix." Snapping the fingers of his left hand as his right hand reached beneath the floating cloud and tapped the bottom twice to have it float up until it was level with the building's roof, the rope tying it to Nimbus pulling free.

He pointed at the cloud once satisfied." There we are, now be a good boy and stay...staaaaay." Tilting his head with a suspicious gaze as if expecting it to go wandering off on its own then turned and grabbed Nimbus to pull and hug it against his side." Now come on buddy! The guild and cuz awaits!" Throwing up his free fist in a cheer before strolling his way inside with a merry whistle.

As expected, he would spot a good sized group of people inside." Dang, there's more people here than I thought. Practically a party going on...might make it hard to find him out of this crowd." Humming to himself as he slowly scanned the large room and the people gathered around.

---

Priscilla’s eyes glazed over a map of Magnolia whilst she enjoyed an invigorating cup of espresso at a quaint bakery overlooking the river that ran through town. The journey had exhausted her. She was grateful to have arrived ahead of schedule; thus giving her a moment of peace before the Guild Master’s meeting. Scanning the map, she spotted the Phoenix Wing guild hall clearly marked for the convenience of any travelers seeking the wizards for assistance. Yet it was not the guild hall she needed to find, but their master. She removed an object from within her robes, holding her closed fist over the map. A silver chain coiled around her hand, securing the intricately carved quartz pendant that hung to it as Priscilla released her grip. She stared at the delicate sway of the pendant; taking notice of the circular motion it made around the guild hall on the map. Drawing in breath through her nose, she closed her eyes and focused her energies on the map. In her mind she repeated the name of the one she wished to find.

Jamie Beltras. As clouds parted to reveal the light of the sun, a clarity filled her mind and presented her with a vision. A large pair of doors, a staircase, and then doors leading to an office. Divining someone’s specific location was not an easy feat in most cases, but Jamie’s energy was practically overflowing around Magnolia and the guild hall. It made sense, given she was the master. It just meant Priscilla had an easier time latching onto it. Opening her eyes, she stored the pendant away and folded up her map. Leaving behind a few jewels to tip the wait staff at the bakery before departing. She made her way through town, taking note of all that had changed since her last visit many years ago. She didn’t often have the chance to leave the Glade. This trip was indeed a breath of fresh air, even if it was business.

Approaching the familiar doors from her vision, Priscilla watched a young man accompanied by a cloud enter the guild hall. His outlandish and exaggerated expressions prompted a slight raised eyebrow.
Perhaps a newcomer? His excitement was contagious; even she found herself giddy at this chance to finally meet the Guild Masters of such legendary guilds like Phoenix Wing and Dragon Fang. She only hoped Wolven Pyre would one day be a name that incites hope as they do. Following behind him, she pushed the doors aside to find a hall packed to the rafters with rambunctious wizards. The energy inside the hall was intense; in the best way possible. So much positivity, love and comradery.

Priscilla moved through the hall with the certainty of someone who was very familiar with the building’s layout. Though this was her first time inside the building. Her earlier spell had made it clear where she ought to go, so there was no need to disturb anyone as she made her way up the stairs. A particularly loud group caught her attention - something about a battle? She’d heard this lot had a tendency to get rowdy. Disregarding it for now, she continued up the stairs and made her way to the office doors from her vision. She rapped her knuckles against the door to alert whoever was inside of her approach. Pushing it open with a turn of the handle, Priscilla was now face to face with the master of one of Fiore’s strongest guilds.

“Pardon the intrusion,” She approached the desk Jamie was working at, closing the door behind her for privacy. “My name is Priscilla Duran, I am the master of Wolven Pyre.” Lowering herself into a polite curtsy, the witch then held her hand out in greeting to her fellow master.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Jamie Beltras.”

---

On their way back to the guild hall, Zhulie had stopped to listen to the rustling of leaves as though something had caught her attention. Oblivious to the shift, Bullet sauntered along with a hearty yawn, looking over his shoulder to see his companion dead in her tracks.
“Keep up, kid! I’m starving.” He yelled, holding his hands against the low rumble of his stomach. He paused when he noticed Zhulie hadn’t said anything in return; turning around to find her face to face with a great, brown furred wolf. His eyes widened in horror, lunging forward with his fists at the ready as he went to call out to her.
“Zhulie get dow-!”
“It’s okay, Bullet.” She interrupted with her arm outstretched at him, her other hand scratching the wolf behind its ear. “She’s one of Priscilla’s wolves. Aw, who’s a good girl? Yes you are!” She was practically squishing it’s face together while it’s tail wagged in delight. Bullet’s fists were still tensed, a bead of sweat dripping down his face.
These damn witches and their pets. His pride was a little hurt that he’d failed to sense the wolf before Zhulie. He really had gotten sloppy over the last month - his senses were usually much sharper than that.

The wolf gently nudged the side of Zhulie’s face with her nose, turning around to point in the direction of the Tribunal.
“What is it girl?” Zhulie looked into the forest, wondering what she could be warning of. Without warning the beast took off that same way, stopping to look back at the pair with impatient yelps.
“Think she wants us to follow her?” Bullet pondered. Truthfully he’d rather be back to the hall getting some grub, but his time at Wolven Pyre had taught him not to turn his nose up at nature when it was offering assistance or needed help. All those damn lectures from Priscilla were starting to sink in it seemed.
“Maybe there’s someone in the glade?” Zhulie suggested, beginning to walk after the wolf. “The wolves usually keep Priscilla informed of any intruders, but she isn’t here today.” The pair followed after the wolf, leading them back to the tribunal and directly in view of a middle aged lady who seemed to be passing through.

Huddled behind a bush, Bullet observed the stranger for a moment before whispering into Zhulie’s ear.
“I think they’re a traveler, we should let them be-”
“Hey! Miss! What are you doing here?!” Zhulie called out, stepping forward to greet Regan while Bullet sat with his jaw to the ground. The wolf nuzzled up against him, expecting a treat for her service to the guild. Bullet turned out his pockets with a shrug, prompting an annoyed huff from the beast before she bounded off into the glade and out of sight.

---

“Maybe I should try working out. . . but I'm not out of shape, and muscle just doesn't build on me. . . uggggh.” Meredith offered a sympathetic pat on the head as Argus slumped down onto the bar counter. Looking over at Henri, she used her free hand to first gesture to him and then to poor Argus. He pointed a finger at himself with a puzzled look on his face. What was he supposed to say? Meredith’s glare grew fierce as she gestured one more time. Throwing his hands up in acceptance, Henri hopped over a few stools to sit next to his forlorn comrade. He gave him a hefty pat on the back while he whinged about his lady troubles.
“Ah, come on Argus!” Henri cheered, beaming from ear to ear. “Plenty of scrawny lads like yourself are in happy relationships.” Meredith suppressed a scream, pressing her fingers into her temples while mouthing a harsh ‘what’ to Henri. He shrugged his shoulders at her, thinking his words endearing enough.
“What Henri means to say is,” Meredith stepped in before Argus’ self esteem could become shattered further. “Your looks aren’t the issue when it comes to your courting woes. Lydia isn’t some prize to be won with smooth words and debonair charm. She’s a person. Simply put, you’re trying too hard.”

“How is that any better than what I said?” Henri practically winced at Meredith’s harsh assessment. Telling Argus he was overeager was just as bad at pointing out his lithe build. Meredith shrugged.
“I’m just being honest. The best way to a woman’s heart is to be genuine. However,” She began to rummage through her shelves, huffing under her breath about some misplaced vial.
“Ahah!” She exclaimed triumphantly, lifting a small, red bottle from her stash. “I knew I still had some left. Nothing like a little aphrodisiac to really get things going.”
Henri stood up and reached for the vial, but Meredith’s grip was surprisingly resilient for someone of her age. The two struggled to seize control from one another for a good while.
“You are not giving him that!” Henri couldn’t believe Meredith would even suggest it. What happened to treating Lydia like a person? Slipping her a love potion didn’t line up with his idea of respectful courting practices.
“Oh don’t be such a stick in the mud! This stuff landed me my second husband.” Throwing an empty glass at Henri as a distraction led to Meredith being able to wrest control of the potion. The pint struck him right in the center of the nose, sending the larger man reeling back over his stool and to the ground with a heavy thud.
“Besides,” Meredith began, tucking the little vial away. “There’s only a little left and I can’t create anymore on my own. I have to save it for one of my gentleman callers.” Henri was finished with this conversation. He stood up and sat back down next to Argus and leant in to offer a bit more words of encouragement.

“I’m sure Lydia will settle down after a while. Maybe next time you see her you should apologise. Try being genuine like Meredith suggested.” He slung a friendly arm around the younger mage's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him with some brotherly affection. “Plus, you’re always welcome to come train with me if you want to work on building some extra muscle.”

The Tribunal, here, was quite the curiosity. Regan found herself going over it. There wasn't any damage to the structure, but she could see burn marks in places. Really, now, in the middle of a forest? The structure survived, at least, so things couldn't have gotten that bad, but still.

The birds had only just started to return, but something moved in the brush nearby. She didn't turn immediately, letting them choose to emerge first. When she heard the voice addressing her, she turned. Though, the question was certainly one she hadn't considered how to answer. "Aaah, what am I doing?" How to answer concisely. The whole story was obviously going to be too much, "well, I was going South when I heard a commotion come from... Best I can figure, it was coming from here. Must have been a fire or something, I can smell the burning." Her eyes followed the noise of something running off into the woods, but she ultimately payed it no mind.

But, wait. 'What am I doing here?' That question usually had a certain angle to it, usually the other party did have business. "How about yourselves? There is another with you, yes?" She looked just past Zhulie at the bush behind her. "You're a little young to be wandering around on your own, after all. Did your curiosity bring you here, as well? ... I'm not trespassing, am I? I didn't think there was anything out this way besides some old ruins, though this is older than the ones I'm used to seeing." She focused her eyes back on the young girl in front of her, looking her over. The woods weren't always a safe place, she shouldn't be out on her own. One way or another, Zhulie would be accompanied until she found herself somewhere Regan could recognize as safe.

"What's your name, kid? I'm Regan."

@Cello

---

Brianna had many ideas running in her head, but it was interrupted by all the people around her since she loves to talk. However, her interest was splintered between Karn, Penny, and Belius, which the latter asked a question to her. ”Uhh… Belius, it could teach you something if you win. I had learned something after the fact, but I had to fight against the Grand Lightning Swordsman in a six-hour one on one duel. It was the most wonderful duel I had since I won! He never really held back any of his moves in his Lightning Sword Style with the other family heirloom sword called the Callous Lightning Sword. I’m talking about my father, Zachery. I kind of wish he was still with us… but I learned that about three months before Penny and Damian and all the others returned. My father graduated me for being the very first person to defeat him in 1 on 1 combat.” Brianna said, with a heavy heart but not really down since someone helped her understand what was going on.

It’s a bit nostalgic, but that battle was interesting; nonetheless, the place they used to duel was terribly wrecked because of all the Lightning Strikes and Thunder Claps. However, she also heard Penny talk to Karnie and say everything is alright as well; she did notice that Edarn didn’t respond to her, but it's probably because Karn is in the front seat, so to speak. ’ Awwh, Penny is so kind and sweet to Karnie! I want him to stay his bubbly self forever. But I suppose I shouldn’t say bubbles near him.’ Brianna thought with a happy look on her face. However, by extension, she was more worried about Karnie, but he finally spoke up with a sorry. ” Aww, Karnie, it's alright; we are here to help you!” Brianna spoke with an excitedly look on her face. She stayed looking at the person in yellow with a bit of a stare of cuteness because she didn’t really have a mean bone in her body and didn’t want to look hostile.

The Sky Tears Sword couldn’t help but giggle in its little world since it made everyone slightly flustered or frustrated. It’s only because the new people aren’t used to her abilities yet, since they got back after a long journey, which she did look through, and it was interesting, to say the least. However, it was a bit frustrating to hear Brianna kind of try to cry over her dead father again. ’ Brianna… I should really tell you the truth about what would have happened to you… But I don’t… Even though Regan would be kind of annoyed.’ A Beautiful Young Woman thought to herself while so happy that Brianna is actually interacting with people.

However, she was reminded later to tell Brianna about finding a team or creating one herself, but she’ll create the most cutest name ever for a team. Being the way she is, Brianna is a bit cute, but she needs to grow up, so she doesn’t get the advantage of people like Mandi. Tearsy’s voice pierced the Veil of Reality and only spoke to Mandi with a bit of an annoyance in her voice. ” I must say, you are a very intriguing person, Mandi. But can you not try to prank my wielder, Brianna, with anything up your little sleeve because I don’t want my sweetie to be shattered by someone like you.” A beautiful young woman telepathically spoke to Mandi, but it sounded more like a warning. Since Tearsy is only a sword, it was glowing dimmer on Brianna’s waist since it was only telepathically speaking to one person. However, Tearsy did see much from Mandi’s mind, but Mandi was protecting the gender they were by blocking it from her prying telepathy.

Brianna had been slightly distracted, but until she heard a familiar grumpy voice annoyed at her nicknames, all she did was stare directly at Nolan Waltz. She giggled cutely at him and couldn’t help but be slightly happy that he’s only saying that because he probably did like it. ” Mr. Waltzie, I am honored to give you nicknames! It’s so fun; besides, I have nicknames for everyone. Even for all the people returning! Minus Rose since she feels like the type that only allows a singular person to call her a nickname.” Brianna said, with a happy little smile towards Rose.

She was pretty clear as day what type of nicknames she has for Rose, its a bit silly, but she wouldn’t want to make an S-Class Mage angry. However, she giggled at Dalton for saying Mr. Waltzie is all bark and no bite. ”Aww cute! Like a little doggie or kitty? Because I do have two kitties at my house.” Brianna spoke cutely like a kid in a candy store talking about animals and what type of animal Mr. Waltzie is. She heard what Dalton said next, but Mr. Waltzie cut him off. However, she did notice that Mr. Waltzie was blushing heavily.

” Uhh, Mr. Waltzie, why are you blushing?” Brianna questioned curiously. She didn’t really grasp the whole context of everything; however, that was when Karn filled her in by saying, Copycat. It made her smile cutely and giggle. ” Awwh, Mr. Waltzie has a girlfriend, Ari-Ari! I think I saw her in Sorcerer’s Weekly magazine.” Brianna spoke cutely and really trying to embarrass Nolan. However, she did hear Mandi introduce themselves and smiled happily at them, with a happy look on her face. " Hi, Mandi! My name is Brianna Este Lyffobelt." Brianna spoke with a happy smile towards Mandi even though Mandi did scare Karn.

Tearsy’s voice pierced the Veil of Reality and spoke to more people than one. Basically everyone else, minus anyone who isn’t on the guildhall's first floor and minus Mandi from the conversation with everyone else. Since Mandi El-Alzaru isn’t apart of the guild yet, it doesn’t really need to bother talking to them again, right now, unless they do recognize that she talked to them. ” Hehe, it’s alright Nolie. May I ask a singular question to everyone? Even if you don’t say yes, I will still ask it nonetheless. Who do you think will win this expedition match? I believe it’ll be Penny.” A Beautiful young woman telepathically spoke to Brianna and everyone else that she wanted to hear this question.

However, a massive amount of super positivity entered the guildhall, which made her a bit distracted, and she found who it was, a boy who walked in. ” Umm, Who are you? And why are you giving off so much positive energy, by the way? Also, My name is Tearsy, if you are wondering. As well, I am the sword on my wielder’s waist, and I do glow by the way.” A beautiful young woman telepathically added to the conversation by adding D’Angelo to the conversation. And to make everyone else notice him too since they were off in their little world of talking and chatting among each other.

Brianna did hear the question from Belius about what is the Fantasia festival is, but Karnie had it so much more on lockdown in what it is. She only knew about each festival's basics in each city, but that’s only because of knowledge from her mother. ” What, Karnie said, he said it so much better than I could. Ooh, a Miss Fairy Tail Contest! I would so love to try that!” Brianna spoke, then reminded of what her sword had said about contests and stuff. It made her heavily embarrassed, which made her hear Nolan’s voice about feeling her pain. ” Uhh, thank you… but you didn’t have to deal with Tearsy as long as I have… I am learning her tricks. She still embarrasses me from time to time, though...” Brianna spoke with a bit of red in her cheeks about the whole thing that the sword said previously.

It took her a bit by surprise when Tearsy asked someone she noticed a bit ago. The boy in question was a bit pudgy, but he was giving off super positive energy too. She noticed the other older woman that walked upstairs. As Markovis, she decided to wave at but not say anything since he’s always trying to be a massive loner. He allows her to drink with him as long as she doesn’t chat with him. ’ It’s nice that Markie is here! I wonder what he got to drink… I do want to be slightly buzzed...’ Brianna thought with her left hand on her left cheek, trying to think of something.

However, she wholeheartedly wanted to introduce herself to the new boy, though. ” Hi! Welcome to the Phoenix Wing Guildhall! May I ask your name? My name is Brianna Este Lyffobelt, and this is Tearsy, my weapon, which teases me much its a bit embarrassing!” Brianna exclaimed to the newcomer that it was the bright as a sun in terms of his sunny disposition, much better than the person who scared Karnie, named Mandi. It made her go a bit with a wondering in what’s going on, which it hit her, it must be a Guild Meeting with the other two Light Guilds in the world of Fiore. In terms, it made the most sense, which caused her to make a bit of noise by jumping up and down in place as happy as she can be. ” Yay, I wonder who the other guild master is! That’s coming to talk to ours! I forgot that was happening today. I was so enthralled with everything that’s going on right now!” Brianna exclaimed happily. She was so happy it's clear as day on her face. However, she stopped jumping up and down and stretched some since she wanted to watch the four S-Class Mages duke it out, with their all in that Exhibition match.

---

---

Cailyn had an honestly good smile on her face while Keiko was saying thanks, and hopefully, the guild master will return so she could join it. However, since she had anyone being so blunt to tell them what they are doing in a Guildhall, it has been a while. She couldn’t help but smile happily at this development, but it gave her some nostalgic feeling, which made her slightly wonder where her daughter is. Cailyn’s curiosity grew with every step of the way through the Corruption in her soul by the Soul Bane Katana because Soulerians are curious. ” Thank you for your explanation of why you are here, as well as the name of the magic you hold. From my observations, it makes all the more sense of it observes others. You do have a way to go in that since you are young, sweetie.” Cailyn said cutely at Keiko with a thick accent. Not trying to discourage Keiko, but making the wrong mistake will stick with you forever, with her words.

Cailyn kind of giggled at the Observer observing them, oddly and what Keiko told the observer to stop that. However, she was a bit happy to hear what Prince had said towards the child to inform him of his own little quirk instead of having the surprise ruined by her. She looked towards Prince with a gentle smile because it has some fascinating magic and whatnot. Knowledge is one of the few things that she wants to gain, and she remembers every little thing about them too. She didn’t help but giggle at Keiko’s Observer, trying to be overprotective towards Keiko when all she’s doing was giving Keiko more magic power at a slower rate. ” Aww, such precious magic protecting one’s holder. It isn’t a problem, Keiko. Overprotectiveness is natural because I have a daughter myself, but I don’t quite remember where exactly she is, but I know she’s still alive. My little girl is only five years younger than you, sweetie.” Cailyn spoke with a cute smile towards Keiko, still with that thick accent.

Cailyn giggled cutely when Keiko talked about not being bugged by being touched. She was having much fun around Keiko since she’s somewhat of a motherly figure in this guildhall. ” Aww, you are so sweet and adorably cute, Keiko. And yeah, friendship is what my race is all about; the Soulerians are quite friendly towards everyone. No one feels lonely around us.” Cailyn spoke cutely towards Keiko with a thick accent. Her ears twitched when she heard Keiko’s stomach rumbled. Around this time, Prince spoke up about his quirk and told Keiko about the person who can cook food, Ammy, and even asked for Ammy to craft something up for them. She always smiled about that. ” Thanks, Prince, for reminding me I ordered something from Ammy. Also, it would be a good idea not to forget to eat a balanced meal will keep your strength up, Keiko.” Cailyn spoke with a kind tone and her thick accent.

Cailyn’s ears twitched somewhat only because she heard a distant sound as someone walked down the stairs to the 1st floor. It took her a bit when Prince said something about be right back, and it must mean Michael got some good news for a change. She likes when Michael is happy and with his brother over not. ” Hope you have fun, Prince.” Cailyn said, with a small wink towards Prince. It’s only because she knows how much Prince likes to interact with Michael. However, it was when she heard Michael’s voice, and she smiled. ” I agree with what you say, Michael; the Dragon Fang does have good food here. It's pleasant seeing you must mean you have some good news about your brother Gabriel.” Cailyn spoke towards Michael with a happy smile and her thick accent. In terms, it sounded like Cailyn shortened Micheal’s name to Mike and Gabriel’s name to Gabby because she has somewhat of trouble in saying their names most of the time. However, Cailyn enjoys talking to the guildmates in the guild, even though the mistranslation is hard sometimes, not like any of this will get any better.

She still remembered the first time she tried to say the Guildmaster’s name, which she used most of his last name with the first letter of his first name. However, it has gotten somewhat better with her utterly thick accent, trying to ignore saying his full name and saying Jack, making it sound like she’s saying Jackie instead. ’ I do wonder how Jack is doing, in that meeting so far away from the guildhall.’ Cailyn thought about Jack's a bit on her face while staring up to the ceiling for a bit until she realizes she should help Keiko get her meal. She looks at Keiko and smiles happily. ” Oh yeah, Keiko, how long did it take you to get here to the Dragon Fang guild perchance?” Cailyn asked a curious question since it took her a while to get here from Oshibana with a thick accent. Since Keiko did pick Dragon Fang over the #1 Guild globally, Phoenix Wing made Cailyn a bit curious.

The blonde young man had truly given a longer answer than what Mandi had expected, but it had been just what the red-eyed mage had hoped for. Someone to verbally explain things for those which appeared to be completely clueless. If this had been all, it would had been enough to make him a valuable friend to have, but he also seemed capable of altering his appearance to match that of someone else.

"Oh! I understand now, thank you for explaining that part. That's a neat trick you have there too~ I wish I was able to alter my appearance like that too. But I am not a powerful mage at all... not like you." Mandi tilted the head slightly, while leaning forwards just a tiny bit, looking straight into Karn's eyes smiling widely, while the blonde young man began to talk of a harvest festival. 'A festival of harvests? Those which plant seeds, eventually will have things grow from them. Add enough time and water and it may prove fruitful.' The young mage mused in the solitude of it's own head, or so it had thought as a voice reached out to Mandi's head. It took the voice of a young woman, pleasing to hear but with some form of irritation in it. Where was this voice coming from? A mindreader? A telepath?

'Who are you? Reveal yourself! Why are you inside of my head?' Mandi asked in a defensive manner, sounding far more serious in the head than how the mage had appeared to those around. As the voice continued talking it became clearer what was going on. Some kind of item, a trinket or a weapon was communicating with the hydromancer. It seemed to desire to protect it's wielder, someone by the name of Brianna. Mandi's voice, even in the young mage's head became more like how it was to those around it. "Oh and I am not all that interesting really~ Brianna huh? I don't know this one. Oh and I've got nothing up my sleeves but more sleeves~ Honest~ But it's abit rude to invade someone else's head don't you think?' Mandi mentally asked before being approached by the beautiful young woman which Mandi had smiled to before. She introduced herself as Brianna.

'So this is Brianna?' Mandi thought, looking the woman over from top to toe, spotting the blade carried by her side before settling on the woman's face, where Mandi smoothly grabbed hold of the yellow robe it wore and courtesied. "I am pleased to meet you, fair lady Lyffobelt~ But... " The yellow clothed mage began to raise both of it's sleeves to it's face and then proceeded to sniff into them. "I am sorry... I am not allowed to talk with you. Your friend, the talking sword... " Mandi pointed to the sword by Brianna's belt. "...told me to stay away from you. It thinks.. *sniffs* I'm a horrible person which would shatter you. I...I should just leave..." The ponytailed mage moved both it's sleeves up to cover it's face from the nose and down, turning around momentarily, yet under all the sleeves the mage allowed it's lips to form into a wide grin.

'Intriguing enough for you, swordie~? Must get pretty dull in that sheath. Maybe she'll replace you with an axe if you keep being such a meanie to an innocent bystander... like little old me~? Is it just me or does it smell like a hot spring in here~?' Mandi thought as if trying to communicate back to what item the mage thought was doing the talking. A talking sword, was this truly what was doing the talking? One could only wonder what other magical trinkets were kept within the halls of the most prominent guild of light. The dark may hold many secrets of it's own, yet the light can also be blinding and hide things.