@lunarlord34

Menzai's reaction might of been seen as a bit overreacting to other mage users, but one that he felt necessary due to unknown risk of her mysterious magic too high for his comfort. If there was even the smallest inkling of a chance something could bring danger to his tribe then he would take defensive action to be at the ready to deal with whatever said threat may be. And while Alina's magic was not enough to call for use of his magic; creating a distance felt to be the best case until he gleaned the information to assure him enough that there was no danger.

And so the wolfkin remained crouched low to the ground, his once tense body lessening upon seeing the burly male supposedly to be Alina have their body droop down a bit akin to one feeling hurt or sad. His sharp gaze remained fixed on the transformed guild member as he was unable to answer the question asked for he had no answer, considering he knew too little of the woman to properly gauge what kind of person Alina was. Yet, from the way she had carried herself, spoke and treated others in particular the previous travelers they had encountered earlier that day. As while Menzai was indifferent and was hardly one to show emotion, he still offered a respectful proper greeting whereas hers felt..cold and calculating.

As he remained crouch, listening to the turned Alina tell of the hostile and harsh manner in how others often took in witnessing her magic. But, it was not that he found her magic terrifying or horrible; far from it as he found it most fascinating and even more so after learning what exactly her magic was. His reaction and worries were solely to the possibility that she could gain the copied's memories and as she demonstrated by changing back to her original form. A process while grotesque was also interesting to see as he showed no movement to look away for even a second as the method of this imitation or copy magic needed to be properly described and detailed for even their records had little on such magic.

No longer seeing or sensing any sign of danger that he chose to stand up where he found himself looking once more at the redhaired female albeit wearing overly baggy clothes that she had to hold up herself. A comical sight that might of made most others chuckle, but he simply observed Ms. Bloomfield with a straight face, head tilting a bit in a curious manner causing the hood which had thankfully remained over his head to shift a bit in doing so.

Her explanation left him intrigued and curious; strings of questions purely about the magic filled his mind though he knew this to not be the time to discuss them. At least for now, his suspicions were satisfied, albeit not completely.

Simply being told that her magic didn't gain her the person's memories was not enough as he could not afford to take everything a person told him to be at face value. But, on the part that it did not harm the one copied he was content on as he saw nothing that showed otherwise and the fact that were she to lie on this especially would not do to look good for the woman at all.

It did seem strange to him how humans could give such reactions to become volatile and hostile when the knowledge of magic and human mages seeming to be a common one. Then again, he figured few could stand to watch such an unappealing way of transforming as well as he would.

Whatever the case, he was satisfied enough to no longer see Alina to be a threat though of the humans he has since met, she was one he felt the need to be wary of especially. Nothing she said or did indicated such wariness, but her mannerism and approach just seemed...off.

And hearing the extra bit she added on after having transformed back into the burly individual helped to put him back to his usual partially guarded state. If it indeed also required some form of compatibility then this would make sense as the makeup of his body and dna were not entirely human though this also left him with a bit of a doubt for he lacked the intel on the extent of what she can and cannot copy.

The last bit that Ms. Bloomfield stated in understanding if he no longer wished to talk with her or wanted anything to do with the woman was a strange thing to hear. With a flick of his arms to brush the bits of grass from the long sleeves, Menzai quietly strode his way along the cart, where he took a moment to double check the tarp to make sure none had come undone before continuing on to step up to the bar next to the transformed, taller Alina male to begin pushing at the cart." I assure you that I meant no offense nor do I have any intention or desire to prevent any future interactions with you, Ms. Bloomfield. My reaction were not out of hate or malice, but for the self preservation and protection of my tribe. The lack of understanding the ways of your magic simply had too many unknown variables for me to risk any chance of having the secrets I carry to be taken." Peering over at the person besides him, taking in the way the muscles of limbs moved or how the scent of this male persisted without any hint of Alina's presence.

" For now I am satisfied that there is no risk and you do not seem to be the type to misuse these copies though I hope you understand that I still prefer in taking no attempts of copying me." A nod of his head to show there was an understanding between the two of them as he turned his attention forward." And to refer to your magic as cheap imitation lessens the wondrous fascination and capabilities for it is by no means an easy feat to not only change one's appearance and voice..but their scent especially. Having said such, I most look forward to discussing these topics with you when everything has been finished." Having said everything he planned to, he resumed pushing on the bar, giving a low grunt in doing so.

And with the combined efforts of Menzai with his seemingly endless stamina and Alina's gained strength of the burly individual that their travels with the cart improved greatly.

Damian nodded at the plan and followed her into the kitchen. However, he couldn't say he was entirely prepared for what he found waiting for them in the room. As she asked him to get the counters and the various ingredients taken care of, Damian nodded and moved with no undue amount of haste. His mind was already running over how long it would take the two of them to get the totality of the mess cleaned up enough for functionality versus full usability and, if he was honest with himself, the numbers weren't great either way. Still, as he sorted out spices from herbs and found their appropriate homes in the cupboards, he was already enjoying the work.

After a few minutes, the worst of the mess was at least sorted and he was now getting them all put away, or at least the ones he could salvage. Some of them had needed cold storage and had been out too long to be used again. I'll offer to go grocery shopping later some, replenish some of the perishable ingredients that are readily available locally. Finishing up, he turned to see what else needed done and check to see Ria's progress. If he was honest, he was almost positive that the rush was going to start soon.

A cat nap. That was all Jasper had mentally said he was going to take. Just a quick thirty minute nap, before he would perhaps wander around a bit and find something to eat. Now that he had woken up, he was definitely a lot hungrier than he had been before he had went for his nap. Almost like he hadn't eaten in a day. Peeking his head up from the quiet corner he had managed to squeeze himself into for his nap, Jasper checked the time. Unusual, it had only been ten minutes since he had started his nap, yet he was feeling quite rested. It was then that he realised what had happened; He had indeed napped for ten minutes, plus twenty four hours. He definitely hadn't meant to be napping that long, he definitely must have been tired.

Fortunately, it wasn't like he had missed anything. He hadn't exactly been doing anything, hadn't been planning to go out, and so apart from his hungering belly, he was quite happy with his venture into the realm of sleep. He observed the Guild Hall for a few moments, taking mental note of what was going on and what everyone was doing, before starting to slip his way out from his corner. He had been quiet for a lot of his time in the Guild; Of course, he'd been noticed by some, but for the most part he was just lurking around. Jasper knew he needed to take a few more dips into the deep end.

And so, with his tail showing physical signs of his timidness by the slow way that it fluttered, Jasper crept his way into the open. He made his way over to an open table, and sat himself down so that he could observe everything a but more openly, and perhaps build his own confidence up a little bit.

It seemed like Zen really didn't Kaden, which Akemi was just getting more curious about. Like she had said, he seemed nice enough when she had spoken with him earlier. "So if I just wear shorts he won't flirt with me?" At his comment of flirting with anything wearing a skirt though, she looked down and patted at her pale legs. Getting out wasn't just good for in the sense of exploring the city, but the girl really did need to get some more sun time. What was wrong with flirting anyway? Not that the younger girl knew the first thing about flirting, it was likely to fly over her head if anyone tried to do so. "But if he does something like that, you'll the first to know I guess?" Another unassuring answer for sure, but it was something, and it wasn't like much really bothered her to be honest.

"Hmhm they should be indeed. I can't wait." Just the faintest smile could be seen forming as she happily skipped alongside the older Zenith. She really couldn't wait to see the Royal Gardens, surely with everything one associated with royalty that there would be all sorts of rare, exotic, and beautiful flowers and various plants about. Almost certainly there would even be ones Akemi had never seen before in her life, in fact, she was already beginning to vividly imagine what sorts and colors there could be, passing several stalls without even giving them a glance. The only thing that snapped her back to reality was Zen speaking up about how things weren't clear-cut?

"Hmm? How so?" Giving him a tilted look, Akemi blinked up at him, completely oblivious to his rather obvious meaning. "Bad guys do bad things, that makes them black. Good guys do good things, which makes them white. What else is there to it? Grandfather even said so himself when he read me stories. It's also how all the books and stories I've read ever go. It's why I want to get stronger, to help others like you do! Like...mother did."

---

Hmm, he was a tougher and stranger individual to understand than even her reconfigured expectations had taken into account for. There were no obvious cues or signs on him, the main trait was one anyone with half a brain could work out. Cautious, he was quick to put up his guard and approach things with a ten foot pole if he even remotely thought of them as a threat, a wise mindset really. After-all, there was no way to really prove what she was saying was a lie or not, for all he knew she was lying through her teeth. Not that it was really her style to do so, no, blatant lying becomes too complicated and tedious to keep track of and can become...predictable and easy to see through. While a complete lie was always an option, she much preferred to mix them up, twist things here and there. But when she said she wasn't sure if she even could turn into him, it was the honest truth. She had no idea if she copy him or not, and while her curious side was dying to find out, it was probably wise not to try. For now at least.

"Oh that is splendid news indeed!" She (he?) broke into a beaming, toothy grin as the two of them began to push the cart along. It was actually lighter than she had expected it to, perhaps this lad was stronger than she had thought him to be? Or maybe it was the fact there were now two of them pushing? She wasn't entirely sure as to why, but it didn't really matter. "Normally people learn of my magic and want nothing to do with me...Especially for a reason like you're starting now. Though in saying that, it's both a blessing and a curse I cannot copy memories. It would make for a rather convenient ability in gathering information a lot easier, but...well, some things cannot be unseen right? Could be all sorts of memories, unsavory ones to be more specific."

She did honestly wish she could gain the memories of those she copied though. That would make her job soooo much easier if she could, so much easier to infiltrate, keep herself in character more, etc, etc. However, she did work hard to make up for that by learning all she can about them anyway. Observation, scenario play-by-plays, and more till she worked out the perfect way to 'become' them. Suppose there was a satisfaction to be gained there, but it still would make her life so much easier.

"You really think so? I've always viewed it as more of a burden I guess, but when you put it that way...I suppose it's really something?" Alina mused out loud. Now of course she already knew this all, even though her parents were always stern and strict on her ability still not being enough to be the perfect assassin, she had the potential to get there if her magic continued to evolve and grow. But with the role she was playing, this wasn't the case. "As do I Mr. Isanami. I'm sure it'll be a fruitful discussion."

With that, they fell into silence. They would be able to make good time with the both of them pushing, especially with the added strength of the man she was currently impersonating to aid in Menzai's neverending stamina. Though in saying that, hers wasn't. While her magical reserves were fine in keeping her transformation active, it was a very long day for the red-head. It would eventually get to the point where they were close enough to keep pushing on, but also she was getting weary. And a thought occurred to her now. "Perhaps we should stop for the night...the shop will be closed when we get back won't it? Might be inconvenient to put this cart in the guild."

Was she going to be okay? She said that she understood, but it wasn't comforting.

He knew that she was going to struggle with this concept, which was partly his fault as well, but there was one person that Akemi strove to be like, her mother. Zenith kneeled down and hugged her gently. "I know Mimi, you're a good person and so was your mom. It's just... sometimes it's those that we at least expect that hurt us the most. Sometimes, the people we think who are good are not who they say that they are. Do you understand? You must look at the world with a more critical eye." The Takeover mage grimaced. If he could go back in time and tell his past self that, he would. There wasn't an ounce of regret of how he left the Knights nor did he regret doing what he felt was right. The only thing he regretted was being so bloody naïve.

Zenith pulled back from the hug and smiled at her. There was going to be a time when he talked to her what happened, but today was not that day. "Sorry to cast a pall on what should be a fun day out. Let's make it a great day."

“Very well,” Asher responds to Carver with a nod. Hearing that the client had thought ahead to bring provisions was a great assurance that there is professionalism and that he wasn’t going to be rushing into the location unprepared. With such thoughts, and watching Carver doing the same, he slings his pack around to his front so that he could make one final check on what he has.

Unbuckling the strap and folding the fold back, begins to run a mental checklist on the contents within. Rope. Extra bars of metal materials. Canteens filled with water. And some non perishable food items that should last for several days. Amongst all these things however, also held another helpful item that could be a boon if the need arises.

The mini-ANP, seeing Asher’s face come into view, gives an enthusiastic wave.

With an assured smile back to the Mini-ANP, Asher recloses the pack, before slipping it back onto his back. Turning to Carver and the others, he speaks. “I believe that I myself should be well enough prepared for the journey ahead. Let us make way,” following after Carver as he leaves the city and proceeds to follow a foot trail.

It took more time than Ria liked to get the charred bits off the oven and stove respectively. It was cute Lavinia wanted to learn to cook. Maybe next time she would agree to allowing Zenith or herself, or maybe even Damian, to help walk her through it. Well, that would be for later to figure it out. For now, she'd gotten the worst of the mess power washed off. After drying it off, a quick check revealed it was all still working.

"Perfect," Ria chirped. She clasped her hands together and turned to face Damian. "Thanks for getting all that put back away. I just have to get the dishes done and that shouldn't take me long. Do you know how to make minestrone or onion soup or any soups in general?" As she spoke, the water mage headed to the sink to try to power wash the charred bits off the baking sheets and clean up the excessive amount of bowls dirtied in the process of attempting cookies this morning. She organized everything and started washing the easiest to clean first after setting the worst to soak. She continued speaking, "We offer a soup of the day and when I'm cooking I usually make minestrone or onion soup. But if there's a soup you know how to make and want to help out with by cooking it up, that'd be appreciate. Or just keeping an eye out for customers, that would also be helpful."

---

---

Kaden walked into the guildhall, gaze quickly taking it in for a moment. Huh, Gras still isn't here. Weird. Maybe she'd show up later - or not be out on the streets at all to avoid the crowds of the festival. Not that he cared. She was just more of a mainstay out of everyone in the guild. It was just weird walking into the place and not seeing her brooding in the corner.

But there was one person that he'd grown accustom to seeing lurking in the hall that he would go hunting for if the guy didn't show up. A soft smile cracked on his face as the S-Class mage crossed the room. It was definitely out of his way, but he didn't mind. The kid was always too nervous to approach others first anyways.

He ruffled the boy's hair as he took a seat beside Jasper. "Hey, Kid. How was the coma? Musta been nice. You weren't in the hall yesterday," he said with a laugh. "Up to anything today?"

---

---

"That's the spirit. Right, now keep up, everyone," Carver called in a delighted tone. The historian led the trek up the footpath. He kept the map out, looking down to reference it and the compass every so often and correct their path. Unless one requested it, it would only be ever few hours they would stop for a drink.

The sun sank well below the trees and the sky was turning dark before he finally had them stop in a small clearing. "Right. So we should stop here for a brief break to eat, then - if you are all up for it - we will continue on." Hoisting his pack off his shoulders, he set it on the ground and pulled a flashlight from within it, then spread the map out on it. He pointed to it as he spoke, "We are roughly here, which puts us needing to go still about fifteen or twenty miles following this trail." Though the trail in question was just ink on the paper. The path went up at a far steeper incline than the previous hike. "We could just do that part tomorrow, or we can hike the rest of it tonight and make camp when we get to the ruins, but it is likely this will be the flattest part of our trip until we reach the ruins I'm looking for.

"Either way, we should all eat something and take a short break to recharge our batteries." Carver folded up the map and tucked it away into a pocket. Then he dug out some of the meal packs he had brought along and offered them out to the Fenixtear members accompanying him. "Eat up."



Small feet scurried through underbrush and hopped from tree branch to tree branch. Not quite close enough to be heard but for on the wind, squeaks and chirps murmured between them. The first time a light was shined toward the sound, there would be nothing but the forest coverage to be seen. If one were quick enough, they might catch a glimpse of a bushy tail or a small spear in trying to figure out what the noises were.

As such, Jessica kept up with Carver while he was leading them on the foot trail. It was good he was prepared for the journey by keeping the map and compass out. After all, it was better than not following the map. She keeps trying to think about what Tearsy is doing because worry is setting in. ' Tearsy, hopefully, start talking again because I am a bit worried that she's planning something to embarrass me again.' Many types of things were flowing through her thoughts, as Tearsy would say to her. Tearsy has teased her throughout her entire career in the Crimson Mare.

Jessica was about to suggest they should stop eating since she is slightly hungry. It happened when they got to the small clearing, but Carver was the one that spoke up about it. She waits to speak up since she wants to know how long they got until the ruins and everything. It was interesting as usual, and the Professor was quite prepared for either trek to get it done or take a small break before continuing. " I would like to take a break and eat." Jessica said with a smile on her face. A small break on the trek would be better than dealing with hunger; what if they get ambushed. Thankfully, Carver gave her a meal packet, and she gently received it. She had a smile on her face.

Tearsy was deep in thought while thinking about what she should do with Jessica's thoughts being worried about her. Jessica was precious as she can always be being embarrassed by her is so cute. The sword's sheath was glowing brighter to make it like a glow stick someone would throw, but it's stationary on Jessica's waist. Tearsy decided to speak only to Jessica only after thinking about every little detail she wanted. " Jessica, dearies, I must say you shouldn't have been so overly dramatic when leaving the Crimson Mare. They would have allowed you leave to take care of everything you needed." Tearsy said with a gentleness. It should've been obvious what the Crimson Mares would've allowed, but Jessica's overbearing reckless behavior made her quit instead of thinking of different ideas.

Jessica was eating the meal pack given to her by Carver, but then Tearsy's voice was there again. It terrifyingly how gentle the voice was compared to all the times Tearsy usually teases her. Tearsy usually teases her with others listening, but this time it was only them alone. It seemed like Tearsy wanted to say this for a long time but allowed her to be herself. She sighs slightly at all the overly dramatic things she has done through the years, but her family means everything to her. ' I should have probably talked it over with the guild master. I made up my mind to quit Crimson Mare, but I shouldn't have been so overly dramatic about it. Ugh, it's so frustrating. Um, Tearsy, thank you for being with me throughout all the tough times I had.' She thought to Tearsy, who was reading her mind and thought, projecting into it. It took her a bit of time to continue to eat while her sword was glowing on her waist brighter than it was before.

Tearsy giggled cutely at Jessica's response and gave a reassuring sigh to her, mostly because she should have but didn't. The one problem with a Tranzell is how unbelievably hardheaded they can sometimes be; Jessica is like her mother one hundred and twenty percent. She goes back in her thoughts to think of something else, but it was nice to hear Jessica being grateful for them together. It gave her warmth to hear that from Jessica's thoughts. The Sword Sheath restarts to shift between dimmer and brighter glows as Tearsy went back to thinking.

It took her a bit to hear some chirps and squeaks on the wind while she was eating. As such, when someone pointed the light in the direction, whoever they were gone. It made her think about some small animals, but it wouldn't be too good in being completely caught off guard. She remembers what her mother usually said better to be on guard than caught off guard when you guard someone. It made her want to keep on the ready but not pulling out Tearsy of the sheath. Basically, more on the defensive than offensive is what she was getting herself in. " What's going on with those chirps and squeaks?" Jessica questioned quietly, only for the group to hear her. It couldn't be that bad, but always better to ask than not.

---

The one-eyed man nodded his head when offered a drink by Trinity by looking over at Kaden, who just entered the room. After quickly memorizing his appearance he turned his attention back to Trinity. "Thank you," he returned, accepting the beer in his left hand. "I just joined before you came in the door. Torys will see me to give me the guild mark momentarily, when she is done helping another join." He then took his first sip of his drink, though he gave no obvious reaction to its taste. "I intend on making myself useful." Ronan looked down at the bottle in his hand now, checking to see what it said on the label. Perhaps that was a sign that he liked it? "I look forward to working with you in the future," he repeated to Trinity before taking another sip.

Brand new, was he? Not even a guild mark, yet, apparently. Some people put them in difficult places. She'd put her guild mark at the top of her chest when she joined Blue Pegasus, and the location had just kind of stuck. She'd never bothered to put it anywhere else. "Yeah. Though, unless you're handy with hardware, I don't know how much work we'll work together, honestly. I don't take jobs... Usually, when someone wants a mage, it's because there's going to be a potential fight involved. Often enough, anyway." She turned to see that Kaden had returned. Was it getting to be that time already, folks were coming back? Since she was here early, maybe she should go grab an instrument.

As she brought her gaze back around to Ronan, the energy make mage caught sight of the dog next to her! Now hold on, this was an unknown dog. You can't just dive- w,wait, hold on... That's a wolf, that's no dog. She regards the animal with a renewed, respectful caution. "Hello? Wolfy-I-don't-know-the-name-of?" She smiled sweetly, coming out of her seat and moving a bit more in front of the wolf. Still in work slacks, she didn't mind sitting on the ground, legs folded under her and her butt on her feet. "You're cute, and majestic, wanna be friends? Are you... Here with someone? You're clearly not just some wolf off the streets, no, you've been far too polite. I hardly noticed you, I'm impressed." She didn't want to extend her hand just yet. She'd play it cautiously.

It came as a fair bit of a surprise when Zen suddenly just stopped and knelt down to hug her. What brought this on? Did he think she was upset bringing up or thinking about her mother? In all honesty, Akemi wasn't sure how to think of her mother. On the one hand, she always heard people sing her mothers praises, especially her father. But on the other, Akemi never knew her. So thinking about her was just....more weird than sad. It was difficult to feel sad about someone you had never met before right? But Zen was partially right, the stories and other things she had learned about her mother made her want to be like her.

But his words seemed to confuse her. What was he talking about? "So you're saying I should be more critical?" Tilting her head as she looked up at Zen, she seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding. "I'll try...though I don't really get it." As Zen moved away, she thought about inquiring once more about why he left the knights. Was it related to what he was trying to tell her now? The only thing that stopped her from asking was he hadn't seemed to really want to talk about it last time she asked, and he wanted this to be a good day with good memories, so maybe it was best not to dreg it up now?

"Hmhm." Nodding in agreement, it wasn't long after that they came upon the gates that led into the royal garden. Normally they were under lock and key, the public barred entry and anyone that tried to break in was no doubt severely punished. But now, it was a bustling hive of activity as obviously, they weren't the only ones with the idea to visit a place that was normally off-limits. As much as Akemi was also bristling with excitement, she reigned herself in and stepped closer to Zen, holding onto his sleeve so as to not get separated. Last thing either of them wanted was her to get lost in the crowd.

Damian took a moment to think before nodding to himself and setting to work prepping the ingredients for Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potato Soup and getting it cooking. Pausing in his work for a moment, he finds a board where the soup of the day is listed and puts what he's making on it. So that'll all take some time to get done, but it is most definitely one of the best soups I've ever had. Hope Ria doesn't mind. With the Soup of the Day posted, he returned to cooking and prepping, knowing he'd need a large amount based on the flow of people he was seeing.

He worked in silence for a few moments, humming quietly to himself before he felt a light nudge on his pants leg from Jaëger. "What's up buddy?" The dire wolf indicates back out there door, where Carmilla has been approached by Trinity. Meanwhile, the female dire world regards Trinity as she speaks calmly. When she finally asks the female wolf who she's with, she uses her muzzle to indicate Damian, who waves at his guild mate. "Carmilla, is she good to touch you?" As if on cue, the dire wolf turns back to Trinity and bows her head in acknowledgement. Damian chuckles and nods as well. "You're good to touch her, Trinity. Good thing you waited, Carmilla's taken off hands for less than pets."

Turning back to his tasks in the kitchen, he glances over to where Ria's working. "How goes the washing?"

Things have thankfully settled down once the uncertainty and misunderstanding of Alina's magic were handled and seeing his companion back in his(her) usual demeanor with a slight cheeriness helped put the wolf at ease. Or at least somewhat, his body still partially tense and somewhat cautious state which was what Menzai tended to be at all times as the only time he felt safe to be fully relaxed were to be back at the village or the forest surrounding it.

Besides the small strains of his arms and low grunts barely more than mutters from pushing the cart, he was handling the pushing well with only a bead of sweat forming every now and then before evaporating; a good thing they were moving flowers as he lacked the strength that Alina's copied person carried, though he lacked power in muscles he excelled in stamina allowing him to keep going even after having literally walked the entire day. Both from his travel to the guild then to Petunia town then back again; those long walks with pulling carts and meditating have truly shown results for the wolfkin.

His gaze turned partially from the road to the transformed Alina upon hearing her speak of how most tended to react upon learning or witnessing her magic which often lead to them avoiding the female." Unfortunate that these people have chosen such an extreme decision when such a magic as yours is quite the interesting rarity. Yet, I can also understand why one would not wish to have their appearance copied or taken, especially without knowledge of one doing so for there are countless things said person could do. In the hands of a person less trustworthy, they might do things that could ruin the life of the copied person or simply the thought of someone traveling in their image to be unsettling." Turning his attention back onto the road as he spoke, his tone back to its usual calm somewhat flat manner with a hint of curiosity which always came out when discussing topics of magic." This copy or imitation magic fascinates me more than anything, but perhaps it is best the ability to gain the person's memories as such an invasion of privacy is horrible to think of and I doubt you would enjoy the thought of someone learning and knowing every single thing about you to the kind of thoughts you have to the secrets you may carry deep in your mind too dangerous or personal to be known." Peering over at the currently taller male form Alina, studying his(her) face as he spoke this last bit.

" But I do not see you using or abusing such an intriguing magic. The matter of its usage and applications...truly a magic to be proud of. Perhaps though, giving a forewarning before doing so may help to lessen the reaction of those new to your magic." A small smile briefly cracked his lips in amusement finding his own reaction a tad overzealous after thinking back considering he was always eager to witness and study any magic.

Hour after hour past until they were well into the night spent trekking through the forest pushing the cart of flowers which faintly rumbled and creaked behind them. Menzai had used the quiet to focus his hearing and nose on searching out for any signs of possible threats when Alina spoke up suggesting that perhaps they stop for the night and while he could of continued on to finish the delivery yet it had slipped his mind or that he wrongly had the assumption Ms. Bloomfield held the stamina he does.

He slowed to a stop and took a moment to take a proper look around; finding that they were in a small clearing, the trees offering some protection against the nightly chilly breeze and the only sounds be that of small insects and nocturnal birds flying about. Ahead, his flicking ears could faintly hear the sounds of activity still active even this late from Crocus, telling that they were only an hour or so away. A trek easy to complete for certain, but Alina had a good point that the shop they were delivering to was likely to be closed and by looking up at the sky could see the sun would be rising in a few hours from now.

" Yes, it probably is best to stop here. And I must apologize for continuing on for so long. It was wrong of me to expect to get this done in one day's trip or that you could travel for so long with little rest." He turned away from the bar, folding his arms into his sleeves to offer an apologetic bow to her." Please get the rest needed as I will keep watch to make up for such rudeness to you, Ms. Bloomfield." Bowing his head to her once more then he stepped away from the cart, walking along the edge of the clearing they were nestled in where he would be seen placing a small white tag inscribed with a rune on four separate trees at each end of said clearing.

Upon placing the last one and raising his right hand up, the runes would glow a faint red as a crimson red barrier formed and rose around the perimeter of the clearing enveloping both Alina and the cart, taking on the shape of rectangle at half the trees height." With this, I have erected a barrier. Please be at ease and rest without worry though if you find the barrier uncomfortable then I can undo it." He spoke while touching and inspecting the barrier as the spots his hand touched gave off a rippling effect as if touching water while inside the barrier she would notice the chilly breeze had ceased with the barrier able to be adjusted in a multitude of ways which offered protection not just from threats but from the weather.

Ria hummed softly to herself as she scrubbed, then power washed, then scrubbed the pans some more. She was pretty certain that some of these were completely done for - too much scrubbing or pressure washing and the bottoms would surely be worn away to nothing. For now, she was set to trying to salvage what she could. There were glass bowls with cement - oh, right, this was supposed to be cookie batter - hardened in it that took some extra concentrated blasts, but they seemed to be coming up now. A few of the pans were set to the side, soaking in soapy water to help loosen bits up.

She glanced over her shoulder at Damian when he asked how things were going. A smile spread on her face, wiping away the focused concentration she had taken on in her task. "I think your soup will be ready before I have even the mixing bowls cleaned." She laughed softly. "Some of these are beyond saving, but I won't know how many until I'm finished. I'm not entirely sure what she used to make the cookies, but I'm starting to think they wouldn't have been edible even if she hadn't caught half the kitchen on fire. Lavinia must have just been too shy to ask Zenith or I for cooking tips." She looked back at what she was doing to make sure she wasn't scrubbing through the pan. "Maybe Zenith or I can do cooking classes for people interested in helping but uneasy about keeping up with orders. Would you be interested in participating? Having someone else willing to cook and help might encourage the others too."

When Carmilla looked over to the kitchen in response to her question, and even bowed her head in response to Damian's question, Trinity was again impressed, "no ordinary wolf is right, you're a smart one." She scooted a bit closer for comfort and gave the wolf a gentle pet between the ears, before giving a scratch behind the closer ear. "I suppose I should talk to you a little more seriously, then, if you can understand our speech so well. I'm sorry if I'm used to interacting with pets and not someone so majestic. I'll try to adjust."
Trinity looked up at her drink on the bar, moving to get to her feet, "hold on. I'll be right back, I just want to go get something. Mind my drink?" Trinity moved her drink behind Carmilla and ran her way upstairs, to her room on the third floor. Hell, she should change out of her work clothes. It wasn't a uniform or anything, but the shirt and slacks were professional together.
A comfortable button-up that showed her shoulders and some jeans with nice pockets. Her mind kept coming back to the 12 string, so she grabbed it, at length, and went back to the hall, and a seat by her drink and Carmilla. Once she was settled in and took a sip of her beer, she began to play. Just a easy going, melancholic song. She wondered what kind of music Carmilla liked...

---

As it stands he's treating this all more like another part of a job. He's had to do small jobs for people as a helping hand once in awhile, nothing mage-related, usually something that required extra hands, or he just happened to be around to solve the issue before it exacerbated. Of course he's also had his fair share of seeing mages swooping in to solve large issues, at the time he never imagined himself to be doing that again. He didn't feel safe being part of a mage guild, and frankly he still doesn't... At the very least he felt safer with this one than others, due to their Devil Slayers.

He also agreed that they take a break, if anything it was a good chance to reflect on the job ahead. As he began eating into his meal he considered what might be the main problem, and that would be what the ruins have in store... Or so he thought. His body tensed up a bit as he began to notice the signs of scurrying, and then soon followed squeaks and chirps. It seems Jessica has noticed them too. His time on the road has made him become astute to the presences of others, and these ones felt somewhat small. If this was a threat it would be best to stay on alert, but give no indication they were noticed.

"Just stay alert. When they reveal themselves, be ready", he whispered back, only shifting his body a little bit to help get his words across better to the others. He moved posture a little and a hand to rest closer to his blade, but not obvious.

The former soldier didn't hesitate to nod in agreement as he turned to go back over and check on the soup. "Be happy to. I'm sure Jaëger and Carmilla won't mind having to worry about me so frequently for it." Stirring the soup, Damian hummed a little tune to himself as he waited on it to be ready, stirring it occasionally. Meanwhile, Carmilla didn't move as Trinity disappeared out of the main hall area, leaving her drink behind the dire wolf who simply sat and watched the door while occasionally checking on Damian and her partner and Alpha, who was laying out of the way in the kitchen, supposedly asleep. It was Jaëger's favorite way to bait out traps and dishonest folk, and it worked pretty much every time.

When Trinity came back, Carmilla still hadn't moved other than to lay down and watch the door from a more comfortable position. The music didn't seem to bother her any either, though the dire wolf didn't move to give any real indication. Damian glanced out again to see how things were and simply smiled when he saw what Trinity was up to. Carmilla was horribly tone deaf, but he didn't have the heart to tell his guildmate the bad news. Jaëger, however, was now listening to the music, one ear cocked that way to better hear it.

Asher was quite ready when Carver called for a break to rest and eat. The trip so far had been rather easy going so far. Certainly better than how the trip had gone on his last quest. Biting down on the food provided, Asher once more finds himself looking over notes and potential airship schematics that he hopes to start working on in the near future. Hrrm… the base design is coming together. Though, I need to figure out just how much dedicated space will be needed for all the inner workings. Once that’s figured, perhaps-

His thoughts are interrupted as his fellow guild mates alert him to sounds coming from the surroundings woods. With various moments and even what looks like small weapons catching his eyes, Asher’s eyes narrow slightly, as he casually replaces his notebook back into his bag, replacing it with an iron bar. If this turned into an ambush, he would be ready.

Ria listened to the music Trinity played and hummed along quietly while she scrubbed. So far, she wasn't willing to call it quits on this last pan, but it was getting close. There was another pan that was beyond repair as well. Not terrible. Easily replaced. In fact, she was doing a bit of the math about if they needed to get any other cookware or dishes to make one trip instead of realizing they needed more and needing to make several trips. She'd just need to do a full check on everything and evaluate the food supplies before heading out.

She put the dish to the side and finally dried her hands. It was certainly going to be all she could do to get it fixed. Two out of all those pans? Not terrible. Not terrible indeed.

The humming continued as she moved to the pantry to take stock of those supplies, then headed to the walk-in to verify their cold stock. She was pretty sure they didn't need anything from market - it had just been stocked this past weekend, wasn't it? Or was it only two or three days ago? - but it didn't hurt to double check. After all, Lavinia might have used more food than necessary, or even the wrong ingredients, in her attempt to make her cookies. It didn't seem they needed to do much to restock the supplies lost in the venture, though. Not enough to need to include in a run to the market today - which meant they likely wouldn't need her to run out to get a replacement tray and bowl until they went to restock again anyways.

The water mage finally ventured over to where Damian was working on the soup. She took a large sniff of the air, absentmindedly close to brushing right up against the older mage, before leaning back. "That smells delicious. That's definitely going to be a hit with customers!" She offered him a cheerful smile before gathering up the stack of menus from the holder near the door. "I'm going to get tables set if you don't mind keeping everything handled back here." He seemed like he had everything under control though.

She offered Trinity and the new guy a smile as she passed, heading to the tables to start placing menus out and taking mental count of how many still had place settings from the breakfast rush.

---

---

"Hmm...That's - unnerving..." Carver adjusted his glasses as he looked around. He was certain he had mapped out around the territory of most monsters. Perhaps he'd been mistaken. It didn't sound like it was anything terribly big. But even little things in great number could be deadly. "But I don't believe we are in any real danger. It sounds like - "

A small rock hit him in the forehead.

The historian fell flat on his butt, dropping the food bar that he'd been holding. The rock hadn't landed hard, and didn't sound like it had. He picked up the pebble and looked at it.

The chirps and squeaks turned to loud chittering. Several of the bushes shook and rattled, close to the same loud ruckus whatever hid in them was making. Then, a large (at least for something typical the size of a raccoon) goblin stepped out. It chittered and squeaked, motioning with it's spear - a crudely fashioned stick not much longer than the creature was tall, with a rock tied onto the tip with vines - toward Carver's feet. The other cacophony of complaints from the bushes and shadows around them died down, as if to give the creature before them more preference in its demands.

---

The dragonslayer had no luck today. As he marched back to the guild, having taken to heart the warning not to fly over the capitol, he grumbled to himself and stewed on the day's disappointments. It felt like the stars had aligned to prevent Tone from being able to cut loose and get some good practice. Kaden was a no-show, Zen was busy, and even in the woods he was getting harassed by guards. Lame day, he thought to himself. But at least I got my bad luck out of the way early. Rest of the day will probably go better. The self assurance wasn't particularly convincing as Tone continued to radiate an angry aura as he approached the guild hall.

As he opened the front door to the guild he saw that it was pretty much about as busy as when he left, only now with different people present. Fenixtear had gotten popular after all so even being gone for only a little while was long enough for the population inside the building to cycle out. His angry aura subsided as a devilish smirk crossed his lips. Among those present he could see the back of Kaden's head, as he was presently occupied by talking to Jasper the resident Exceed. Or at least Tone was pretty sure he was an Exceed. Unlike the other S class wizards of this guild who are more uptight and reserved, Kaden is a lot more free spirited. He wouldn't be the type to turn down a fight unless he had his hands tied with something else. More important than that: if he were spontaneously attacked he wouldn't turn down the fight even if he was occupied with something else.

Tone shiftily navigated across the guild, stealthily approaching Kaden from behind to take advantage of this opportunity. As it stood there was no apparent figures of authority anywhere to be seen, a rare event in the guild hall. Nobody to deter or punish Tone for his recklessness other than Kaden himself, and Kaden will be too busy to flex authority when he's retaliating to a sucker punch surprise attack. I'm sure he'll understand, Tone figured as he stepped behind Kaden. Besides, I'm sure we won't break anything. With a grin he twisted his body around, bringing his right leg up in a spin to roundhouse kick the S-class wizard in the side of the head.

THUMP

A look of genuine surprise replaced the devilish grin on Tone's face when his kick was blocked. The air pressure from the stopped blow continued on and mildly breezed through Kaden's hair, though the audible impact surely alerted him a split-second sooner. Tone looked to his right to see Ronan had caught his foot and stopped the sudden attack. "Huh?" Tone had never seen this guy before, and something about his eyepatch and dead stare made him feel a bit uneasy. "Striking an unsuspecting victim isn't very compassionate," Ronan spoke, releasing Tone's foot and letting him stand back upright. What's with this guy? Who the hell is he? Wasn't this guy sitting at the bar? The dragonslayer took a step back, mostly to gain his distance from Ronan but also Kaden, whom would be none too pleased by the events unfolding around him (but not so unpleased as to launch into combat without question, unfortunately). "Hey, I was only just messing around. Kaden would've been fine," Tone defended himself, his smirk returning. "Besides, who the hell are you? I've never seen you around before."

Ronan gave a polite bow towards Tone. "My name is Ronan and I just joined your guild. Torys will give me the guild's mark momentarily, when she is done helping another who joined just before me," he introduced, which would also serve as his introduction to the nearby Kaden and Jasper. Something about this man just felt off to Tone. He always considered himself good at telling who good people were, so something feeling off to him set off some red flags in his mind. The guy seemed nice enough but he was very strange. What grown men are joining magic guilds? This dude was easily the oldest one in the room right now. "I'm Tone, nice to meet ya. But, uh, you're kinda gettin' in the way of my plan a little bit here. Kaden and I were just gonna have a little spar together, right Kaden?" While Tone thought he was being slick and might be able to still convince Kaden to have a go despite failing the surprise attack it seemed that he was going to be prevented from cutting loose again.

"That would be ill advised. Combat indoors would've caused damage even without the use of magic. I am under the impression that Torys would be displeased had I not intervened," Ronan began to lecture. Of course this began to irk Tone. "Oh yeah? And did she leave you in charge of the place? You think you're some kind of hotshot that gets to decide what others can and can't do?" Ronan shook his head. "I'm merely trying to do the right thing." So the implication was that Tone was in the wrong. His day was already not looking good and now this Ronan guy was being a jerk and getting in the way. "You've got some chops to block my kick like that. Maybe you would be a good warmup exercise before I spar with Kaden." "I do not want to fight you, it will only cause..."

A lightning fast jab only met air as Ronan turned his upper body away, never taking his eye off Tone even as his fist flew past him. His expression didn't change either, there was no look of surprise or anger or anything. Tone took this as disinterest and disrespect from Ronan, and annoyance turned to anger. With no pause he threw another jab at Ronan's face. Then another, then another. Each blow only met air as Ronan weaved around every strike. After a moment of this flurry Tone finally stopped, letting Ronan stand upright. "Damn, you're pretty nimble," he said, putting his fists up and taking his fighting stance. "Well I don't want to take a hit from you if I can help it." A smirk briefly returned to Tone's face before jets of flame burst from his body, propelling his fastest punch yet directly towards Ronan's jaw.

A loud crack rang out through the guild hall as Tone's fist broke the sound barrier, kicking up wind in the direction past Ronan that blew around the hair and loose clothing of the hall's inhabitants in that direction. But as for Ronan himself he had leaned backwards just in the nick of time, narrowly evading the powerful blow. How did he dodge that? Tone wondered, but he wasn't able to process the thought any further. Ronan grabbed his outstretched arm with both of his hands, pulling back and down. As this yanked Tone forwards and off his balance Ronan continued the motion and stepped over Tone's arm to straddle it between his legs. Continuing in one fluid, expert move he twisted his body around the captured arm and locked his legs at Tone's shoulder with his feet firmly across Tone's chest. The two hit the ground with Tone's arm locked in an arm bar, preventing him from immediately getting up or effectively retaliating. What the!? Ronan held firm but didn't use all his strength, Tone knew this because from this position he could've easily just dislocated his shoulder or elbow. "If you agree to cease fighting I will let you go," Ronan said simply.

This only made Tone more upset. It was humiliating. He was pinned on the floor by a complete stranger seemingly effortlessly, in front of people who would surely make fun of him for it too. "A wrestler, huh," Tone said, trying to front like he was calm. "I've never met a mage that preferred to take a fight to the ground." "I imagine most mages wouldn't, but I am not a mage." Now Tone's eyes widened in surprise. "Bullshit. There's no way a normal person could have reflexes like yours. Is this supposed to be dry humor?" Ronan released Tone's arm and the young man quickly rolled away and smoothly returned to his feet. After rolling his shoulder a few times just to make sure it didn't take any damage he stood up straight. "That'd be pretty embarrassing for a dragonslayer to lose a fistfight to a normal guy." Ronan took his time getting back onto his feet, not speaking another word until Tone was finished. "You did not lose, I knew you were holding back. But you shouldn't continue trying to fight your guildmates here." Now Ronan looked over towards Kaden and Jasper, giving the two of them a polite nod. "My apologies to all of you for making a scene, I was just trying to help." This time Tone kept silent as he felt both anger and humiliation coursing through his veins. His instincts were telling him that this man was trouble, that something was wrong, but he bit his tongue and didn't return to a combat stance. He knew that Ronan was right that he was in the wrong for trying to get a rise out of Kaden by assaulting him. He didn't want to embarrass himself any further. I'll get him back for this...