[IC] St. Sappho Academy, Medieval Magic Academy (Invite Only)

[Pyromania99]

Day 5, After classes

~Gwynn & Luna~

Despite the somewhat disastrous date she had with Lukas yesterday, Gwynn was in a fairly good mood. She had her fun with Lukas, and...well, she got to see a side of Maoin she hadn't seen before. She had to admit, it was pretty cool to see Maoin do that. Maybe she wasn't the timid little kitten she assumed she was after all? A timid little kitten wouldn't go off on someone like that just for throwing a plate of food at someone.

She kinda wanted to see it again. Overall though, the Kitten's mood had mostly remained the same: Terrified of her. Yesterday helped with that a bit, she thought...but...she sighed, it just wasn't enough. Maybe she should do what Swen had said. More importantly though, the headmistress hadn't taken her hide yet for breaking into the library. She was pretty okay with not being given detention of some sort, but the suspense was killing her. She was pretty sure the headmistress wasn't gonna just let that slip by.

She was dressed in her normal casual clothes, looking more like a peasant than anything, just like she wanted. That said, she had skipped lunch since she used the time to train instead - she was getting pretty good with some more magic but it was far from anything other than a high beginner level. And well, she couldn't train on an empty stomach and she was pretty hungry.

Thankfully, the number of places to eat in the small town was easy enough to find. After having spent time in two rather expensive restaurants, Gwynn wanted something a little...less flashy though. Not like she had a lot of money to spend anyways. So she found a rather small tavern that had some pretty pleasant smells coming out of it. Wasn't the biggest place to be sure, but it smelled delicious.

She took a seat after looking at the menu. Nothing fancy, but that was fine. She didn't want fancy.

Luna meanwhile, was hungry and today was her next day of touring the food facilities. She arbitrarily picked a restaurant that looked (and smelled) good. "This seems fine to me. I probably shouldn't eat anything too heavy though." She stepped into the tavern and looked around. It was a rather comfortable place and it reminded her of some of the countryside inns back home.

As she looked over, she saw someone that looked familiar. It took her a few seconds, but she soon remembered the girl as the owner of the kitten from the first day of school. Her name was Gwynn, if Luna remembered correctly. As a matter of courtesy, Luna made her way over to were the girl was sitting and greeted her. "Good afternoon, miss. You may not remember me, but I helped your familiar in searching for you. My name is Lunalel Lightsword. Sorry if I've disturbed you."

She had just ordered some simple salad with some sort of chicken when Luna approached. She was careful to avoid any mention of alcohol. Gwynn turned her head from the table to her, and gave her a bright grin. She hadn't expected to see her again, but having someone to talk to while eating would be nice. She had told Maoin to stay at home. After what happened at the date, she was...well, still thinking about how she wanted to go about this.

"Oh hey." Gwynn cheerfully replied. "Nah, its fine. Thanks for that by the way. Distracting Maoin, heh."

Luna laughed a little, "Well, I was seriously looking for you with her." Luna assumed a seat and looked at the menu for a second before grabbing hold of a waitress and ordering some beef meal and a mug of mead or whatever they used at this establishment. "You make it sound like you don't want to be around Maoin, Miss Gwynn." Luna said as she turned to her conversational partner. "She's quite the precious little thing, I'm surprised anyone wouldn't want to be around her."

Wow. Luna was...incredibly blunt, wasn't she? Not that she minded. Considering everything that was going on between the two of them though, that question couldn't have come at a worse time. Gwynn shifted slightly uncomfortably in her seat as she replied.

"What? No, she's adorable." Gwynn replied, trying to sound as casual as she could about it though it would have likely been obvious she was at least having misgivings about it herself. "I just don't want her following me everywhere trying to tell me what to do. And uh, could you just call me Gwynn? Without any 'miss' in front of it. That's kinda annoying."

"My apologies. It's a bit of a habit I've picked up from my day to day life back in England." Luna said, noticing the uncomfortable feeling coming from Gwynn. Her drink came quite quickly and she took a sip, testing it. "It's good." She said as she sat it down on the table and looking back at Gwynn.

"So she follows you everywhere and tells you what to do?" Luna couldn't help but question this point. The Knightess didn't know nearly enough about the two to say much, though this tale was sounding familiar. "Does she do it malciously or something of the sort? Or is she doing it because she cares." It was almost just genuine curiosity at this point, though she understood it was annoying when someone nags you, but it's not always bad overall.

"Pfft, she might as well." Gwynn laughed lightly, but her tone turned somewhat uneasy as Luna kept talking. Maoin, of course, was doing it because she cared. Gwynn very well knew that. Well, she was pretty sure she cared, except when it came to things like this whole engagement thing or trying to tell her what was 'good for her' and trying to get her to do what her parents did. "And...yes, she does it because she cares." Gwynn was unable to meet the Knights gaze, and instead looked towards the table. Even if it had been a few days since the incident, Gwynn still felt guilty over it, and so far everything she tried to do to cheer up the kitten hadn't worked.

...she really wanted to change the subject here.

"A-anyways," She said rather quickly, looking up. "What are you doing here? I missed lunch so I'm kinda starving."

Yeah, that was a terrible change of subject. Mission failed.

Luna could have forced the subject but. . . Well, the girl seemed miserable so she dropped it and played along. "Well, somewhat the same thing as you, Mi-- Gwynn. I'm hungry as well, and I love to search for the nice places to eat around this campus." Still, she was pretty sure that the one Swen was talking about Gwynn and Maoin at this point. If nothing else, it would be how he knew them before talking about his "friend".

Luna's stomach was starting to tell her she needed food soon, not that it mattered. She couldn't rush the food after all. "So far, this one and one from yesterday have had the more home-like feelings to them. I've been to this overly expensive one but it was too. . . Formal? Even for me, I suppose." She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. "Do you happen to like looking at all the different food places around campus?" She had to ask, taking another sip of her Mead.

Okay, mission not failed. Gwynn let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and the subject moved on to something they seemed to both enjoy.

"You too, eh? I was at one my first day here. It was a pretty expensive place. Had some pretty good food that reminded me of home. Not something I can afford though. I'm not exactly the richest person about there." In truth, she was dead broke. Maoin was the one that handled most of her money. "Went to a pretty cool place yesterday though, buuuut I think I got kicked out after me and my date caused a bit of a problem." She laughed a bit at remembering the events of the previous evening."Was still pretty funny, though. Had some really delicious seafood."

With that, her own food arrived. Two plates, one with a salad, another with a rather large piece of chicken, some toasted bread with a few spices on it, and a mug of water. She had to drink something after all, and she was going to avoid alcohol.

"Chicken? She questioned. Nothing seemingly surprised or negative resounded in her voice. It was mostly an observation telling Luna more about Gwynn. "Interesting. Perhaps it was because of the vast pastures of cows back home, but I much prefer beef myself." Luna commented, making a small chuckle before taking a hearty drink of her mead.

"It's a bit different around here though. Far from home with a completely different lifestyle. I use to rely on my swordarm but here I'm practically forced to rely on my mind. It's somewhat off." Luna tangented, it just kind of came to her how weird it was.

Gwynn hungrily dug into her food, showing little care for any fancy decorum or rules as she did so. She eyed Luna's alcohol a bit jealously, but refrained from saying anything. Instead, she took a drink of her water to wash down the chicken before replying.

"Eh, you good with a sword?" She asked with a grin. "Don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty good with one myself." She chuckled. Now that they had changed topics, she seemed to at least not be so nervous if not entirely comfortable. "But yeah...I'm not entirely used to using magic. I kinda just always used my sword back home. Not that I mind - magic's pretty cool, but academics are just...ugh." She groaned, shaking her head. "Unless it history, no thank you."

Despite the change in subject though, her mind wondered back to their previous topic. She didn't say anything though, but well...maybe she could ask Luna about it? She mulled it over as she took another bite of her chicken.

"Well, I wouldn't be a Knightess of the Lightsword house without being good with a sword." Luna replied. "Perhaps we could spar some other time then? They say the more people you spar with, the more you learn." She continued as it seemed Gwynn's face started show she was thinking about something. "Is there something on your mind?" She questioned curiously.

Once again, Gwynn had not been prepared for such a question. She guessed she had never exactly been the hardest one to read, so likely thinking about it was as clear as day on her face. She mulled it over some more as she took another drink, trying to think of something to say. She hardly knew Luna, but she seemed like a nice sort...the sort of person that would at least appreciate Moain more than herself. At least, more openly appreciate her anyways...and didn't get annoyed easily enough to hit the cat.

"W-well...it's about Maoin..." She shifted somewhat nervously. She didn't want to talk about the events in detail. She knew what she had done was bad, and she didn't want to hear it form someone else. "Lets just say...she's terrified of me for some reason. I have no idea how to fix that since I have no idea what's even going through her head most of the time. Hell, I don't even want a familiar. I've tried a few things but...nothing."

"Then get rid of her." Luna told her briefly and bluntly. It sounded even slightly cold, but she soften her voice when she said her next set of words.. The Knightess really just wanted to try shocking her acquaintance. Her father did it to her in the past when she was being wishy-washy about fighting or not. It worked for her. "But I don't think you want to do that, do you? Or else you would have abandoned her by now, right?"

Luna took a sip of her mead before continuing. "You must appriciate her enough to keep her dispite disliking her actions. If I had to guess, you'd feel horrible if you gave her up. It's hard to know what you did without you telling me, and I understand if you don't want to confess. That said, I'm here to listen if you want to talk." About that time, her beef meal arrived. It was a nice and juice flank piece of meat accompanied by a few pieces of what seemed to be freshly baked bread.

Get...rid of her? The thought had never actually crossed Gwynn's mind before. She turned her eyes towards the table, suddenly loosing her appetite. The knights next words were somewhat better, but she couldn't get the thought out of her head. Yes, she would feel terrible about it. And after what happened yesterday, she was pretty sure it'd break Maoin's heart even more than she previously thought it would. Her hands fell off the table as she started to rub her arms in thought. Maybe...maybe Maoin would be better off with someone who could appreciate her more?

"I...I'm not sure if I do." She replied quietly. Really, how could she appreciate Maoin more? She hardly understood the cat. "Hell, I hardly understand Maoin. All she does is just, go around doing whatever she's ordered too either from me - or my parents. Most of the time I just tease her or see if I can get her to do something other than what I tell her too." That...sounded pretty bad, but it was the truth and she wasn't really one for lying. "Yes...I'd feel horrible if I gave her up because I know it'd break her heart. She's been with me for awhile and...well, she just depends on me a lot. Hell, she doesn't even have any hobbies or do anything unless I tell her to do so. I don't understand why. Most of the time it just annoys me. How can someone just so...so...easily follow the orders of someone else?"

She sighed, hands falling to her side. She wasn't going to talk about what exactly happened with Luna so easily, but maybe it wouldn't be entirely difficult to surmise.

"Maybe you're right though...maybe she'd be better off with someone else."

So, it seemed Luna's plan backfired. "Maybe she just listens to you and follows your orders because she enjoys it. You say she doesn't have a hobby, but what if her hobby is just taking orders from the girl she vowed to take orders from." Luna said, wondering if what she was saying was the truth of the matter.

She really didn't want to be the reason that this girl gave up her familiar. "I understand there are familiar contracts, but I think that girl probably really wants you to depend on her like she does on you." Luna took a bite of her flank steak and a sip of her mead to wash it down. "I don't really think she'd be better off with someone else if what I'm assuming is true."

"I never vowed to give her orders though..." Gwynn grumbled. "I didn't even want a familiar, but my parents made me and I just chose her at random. And following orders...that's not exactly a hobby. How can it be? It's not fun and its just...stupid." Really, how could that even be considered a hobby? That's just being an idiot and following the orders of someone even if you don't agree to it. But depend on her like she does her? That was...odd. How could she depend on Maoin?

"How am I supposed to depend on someone that only wants to dress me up in frilly dresses I don't like or make me look like some uppity noble that I don't want to be?" Gywnn questioned. Granted, after what happened last night...it was clear Maoin would have done anything for her, even if it meant getting hurt herself.

Ugh, this wasn't really helping.

Honestly, Luna was getting a little frustrated but nothing she'd show on her face. This girl really didn't realize just what people would give to be in her exact position. Thinking now, there's one thing Luna's not actually been sure of. "Gwynn. Have you ever just gone up to your familiar and asked her why she wants you to give her orders? A simple yes or no is fine."

"U-uhm...no?" Gwynn replied with some unease. It wasn't that she had actually never thought about talking with Maoin about it, but...until now it didn't even seem like there was anything to talk about. Plus...another small reason she wasn't going to elaborate on. "Until now, there wasn't really much to talk about."

"You're rather an imbecile, are you not?" Luna grumbled. It's the first time since Lyssa she's felt so frustrated (though it has only been a few days to be fair.) "How do you expect to understand her feelings if you don't talk about it and I swear that if you say you've not talked to her because you didn't want to, my head isn't the only one that will have an ache about it." Luna isn't known for idle threats.

At the threat, Gwynn straightened herself a bit, looking nervously around the room a bit. Well, that was...part of it. She didn't like these sorts of things. This whole...thing she was doing right now. Trying to get along with someone when they clearly weren't doing so well. Honestly, if it had been anyone other than Maoin, she'd have just left them ages ago.

"I...I'm not gonna lie, that's probably part of it...and its gonna sound stupid." She took a breath. "But I was...well, a bit afraid I guess? I'm a noble, but I really would rather not be. I dislike people doing things for me for some stupid reason like that. Sure we weren't the richest of nobles, but we had servants and stuff too, and I usually told them to get lost. I have my own two hands and a good head on my shoulders. I can do things myself, just like anyone should. I like Maoin, I do. I really do, but if she said that she just followed my orders because its what she was supposed to do or some stupid thing like that, I don't think I could have kept her around. That would have...well... Her voice trailed off, not having much more to say on the matter than that. Maybe it was an excuse. Truthfully, she really did dislike conflict like this. Oh sure, give her a giant sea dragon to slay any day. That was easy. But people? She dreaded conflict of this kind more than anything, and that's the only thing she assumed talking with Maoin about it could bring.

Well, that's not exactly what Luna had in mind. She sighed, feeling relief that pushing this girl so far seemed to give some sort of results. "I apologize. I got unnecessarily aggressive." The Knightess confessed as she closed her eyes and stood out of her seat and walked over to Gwynn, before delivering a nice blow. Nothing to make her head rattle, but maybe enough to get her head out of whatever crack in the road it dug itself into. Then she proceeded back to her own seat. "Just think of it as tough love, Gwynn." Luna said with a smile, contrasting the mood she had earlier.

Gwynn prepared herself for the incoming blow, but damn it Luna could hit hard. Harder than her, probably, and that was saying something. The smack earned a small squeal from Gwynn, but otherwise she did nothing but rub a sore spot on her head, sighing. At least her appetite was back now. She didn't immediately reply, only starting to eat again as she tried to think of something to say. Silence passed for a few moments between the two before Gwynn could say anything.

"Thanks, Luna." She finally replied. Swen and Luna were right then, she guessed. She should talk to Maoin. Even if she didn't like the answer and ultimately had to get rid of her, it would be better than...well, whatever this was. "Uhm, feel free to finish mine. I'm gonna go for a walk..." Even if she did though, this wasn't gonna be all that easy for her. She would need to collect her thoughts...decide what exactly she was going to say to Maoin. She didn't want to upset her, or break her heart.

She paid for her meal and got up from her seat, walking past Luna without saying anything else.

"Gwynn, don't be nervous when you talk to her. It'll make everything go more smoothly. You have to have confidence." Luna's parting words of advice to the lost lamb, unsure of her current predicament. That said, Luna put back the rest of her mead hurried to eat her food and Gwynn's. No need to let food go to waste.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Day 9, Early morning just as Classes start

Livia's Office

Soon enough, one week had passed since Fia had become a resident of St. Sappho, and nine days since the start of the semester. As of now, aside from one expulsion of some arrogant noble, things were going well. Well, aside from the break in and two rather important Issues that had popped up. One, was of course Fia's schooling arrangements. She was going to start out just with theory and getting a good grasp of how magic worked before teaching her how to actually use it. With any luck, Lyssa and Luna would be able to help her with learning and perhaps teach her some martial skills.

As for the second, it was a rather private issue between her and an old friend who was currently...not doing so well. With any luck Lunalel Lightsword or the Kunze kid would be able to help in that regard. She could use both a friend and a little healing. Though, with the phoenix here...it might be somewhat complicated, but if she knew her old friend she wouldn't harm a child.

And lastly, was the three who broke into the library. Swen, Gwynn, and Maoin. They would be the last one on her list since she had deemed it the least important, but they would be traveling to Greece to meet Clete and deal with that problem they had discussed earlier that week. They, were hopefully the most suited for the job.

With that in mind, she had called all of the students to her office before classes. They were going to be given one day to prepare for their respective tasks if they wanted, and then leave. After all, just throwing them blindly to the wolves would be...somewhat bad. Fia was currently sitting on a couch in her office, waiting and a well dressed servant was standing by the door, waiting for orders to let students in.

~Gwynn Foghlú~

Gwynn, was not looking forwards to this. In fact, if she could have pretended to be deathly ill and get out of this, she would have. Of course, that would have upset Maoin and she didn't want to upset her any more than she already had. She sighed where she sat on a rather comfortable chair outside of the headmistress' office, not paying much attention to her surroundings at the moment. She was gonna be expelled, wasn't she? Not that she particularly cared, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to getting berated by the headmistress.

More importantly though, she was still trying to find the exact words to say to Maoin. Swen and Luna had been right, talking was the simplest and easiest solution here, wasn't it? But for her, talking was harder than staring down the Kraken. It always had been, she had never been one for getting all touchy feeling with someone else and talking about 'feelings'. It just made her...feel anxious? Self conscious? Something like that, but she wasn't sure.

Argh, this was annoying.

She sat up in her chair, crossing her arms and propping a leg upon one of her knees. She wanted to get this over with already, but damn it she had no idea what to say.

~Lyssa~

Lyssa had made sure to get to the headmistress's office early. Well, as early as she could. Outside of the office was surprisingly spacious. Near the door sat a servant behind a desk, likely Livia's personal secretary. Against one of the walls, was some chairs where people would likely wait to meet with her. Lyssa had decided to sit patiently on one of them and wait for the most part.

Well, as patiently as she could. She was wearing her usual clothing, munching on some sweet bread as she thought about why she could have been called here - other than the Headmistress just wanted to see her adorable self. Well, that and maybe it was regarding Fia? After all, it had been a week and she was supposed to help the girl with...class stuff and whatever. But what, exactly, did that even mean? She didn't even attend classes all that much herself.

"Hrm...I wonder if she likes sweet things?" Of course, who couldn't not like sweet things?

[Roleplayer001]

~Day 9, Livia's Office~

~Livia, Lyssa, Fia, and Luna~

Luna was called to Livia's office. She remembered something Livia had mentioned the other day about "coming by for some fun." Whatever it was gave Luna chills as she could only imagine what it could be. That aside, she found herself in front of Livia's office.

Before Luna could even take three steps into the room, the door to Livia's office opened. A well dressed servant stepped out, standing by the door and bowing slightly to the students who have gathered.

"Apologies if any of you have been waiting awhile." She said to them, in a somewhat monotone voice. "The headmistress is a busy woman and is attempting to finish this business as quickly as she can." She straightening herself. "Miss Lunalel, Lyssa. Since you have arrived the Headmistress can begin." She motioned for them to enter the room, and said little else aside from the instructions she gave them.

As soon as Lyssa saw Luna she got up from her seat, and quietly bounced over to Luna and sneaking up behind the knight and gave her a quick, but tight hug from behind.

"Whee, that's us!" She grinned. "Hey you don't think we're in trouble or something do ya?" She asked Luna as she released the knight quickly.

"I do not believe I've done anything outside the bounds of the rules. It has been a week or so since we talked about Fia in the baths though. Perhaps that is what this meeting is about." Luna said as she akwardly stood there after Lyssa's hug. She was never good with such physical affection from those other than family. "Shall we enter?" Luna said as she led the march into the office.

"After you!~" Lyssa cheerfully replied, following Luna into the office. The servant simply gazed at them silently as they passed, seeming to barely take note of their presence aside from a small huff that seemed to be somewhat displeasure for whatever reason. When Lyssa and Luna both had entered she simply the door behind them, apparently having been directed to stay outside the door - possibly to prevent any eavesdropping. Not that it would be very effective if someone tried.

"Lyssa, Luna, pleasure to see you both again." Livia replied with a smile as the door closed behind them. "Apologies for taking you both from your studies on such short notice, though I'm fairly certain one of you wouldn't be attending anyways." At that Lyssa giggled somewhat sheepishly, but said nothing.

"Do take a seat. Mind Fia though, she's well, still shy around others. We have...quite a bit to discuss."

Fia of course, was doing her best not to be seen. The crimson haired girl noticed two of the lunatics enter, and immediately hid behind the couch furthest from the door. In fact, she usually hid behind it when anyone entered unless they seemed to notice her. Most of them weren't too bad, but some of them made her uneasy and she quickly made good friends with the table.

... If that pink haired girl decided to come towards her, the girl was ready to run for it. For now though, she was simply reading a book, keeping her ears open to make sure nobody approached.

"Very well, Headmistress." Luna said as she made her way over towards the couch Fia was hiding behind, though she didn't notice and looked to her left and right searching out the girl. Perhaps she was hiding? She was rather cautious in the baths, so perhaps she hadn't got better after a weeks time. "What do we have to discuss then, Headmistress? Is this about Fia?"

Lyssa had taken a quiet seat on the couch that Fia was hiding behind. She didn't seem to notice Fia for the moment either though. Fia simply remained quiet, trying to breathe silently.

"Yeah! I said I'd be her best friend but she hasn't visited me for fun times once! Talk about rude." Lyssa replied, pouting a bit and feigning being hurt. "When I see her again, I'm gonna take take her to my favorite sweet shop and I'm not gonna take a no for an answer!~" Livia simply gave the demon an amused smile, though said nothing as she addressed Luna's question. She would have to tell Lyssa to tone down the...friendliness for a bit.

"To begin with Fia...has some rather unique circumstances." Livia slowly began. She wasn't going to explain everything about what had transpired about Fia's circumstances, there wasn't enough time and most of it wasn't important so a brief summary would have to do. "I do not want to go into much morbid detail, but until recently she was being held captive and used as a...slave by someone who is very much lucky they are dead at the moment."

Luna's eyes narrowed as Livia explained Fia's circumstances. Livia obviously had much more she could have said about it so Luna had an idea about what they were. She could read between the lines though. That was likely why Fia acted as she did. Defensively, hiding when she could. "I see." Was all she replied for a few seconds until she could think a bit.

"Would it be best to not have us look after her then? Or should we still go along with that plan?" If such a horrible situation happened to the girl, then Luna could understand if she didn't want to get close to someone. "If so, I'll watch over her the best I can." The best so to her own detriment if it came to it.

Lyssa had fallen silent, frowning as she looked towards the ground. That was...no good. No good at all. She understood very well what the headmistress was talking about. She wasn't as much of an idiot as some people believed her to be, after all, and she could easily infer what was going on.

"Ehe, I guess that would explain why she doesn't want to be my friend, then..." Her voice quietly trailed off, and said nothing else.

"If I could look after her, I would love nothing more." Livia replied with a sigh. "But doing that would not be good for her, would it? She needs to understand that not all people are like her previous...captor was. I can't look after her for the rest of my life. She's a child, and I am an old woman. I'm not going to be here forever." She paused for a moment, standing up from the chair she was sitting in and walking over to the couch opposite of Luna and Lyssa.

"Not to mention, learning, reading, writing, and I would very much like if she could be able to defend herself so that she would never have to experience such things again." She took a seat across from Luna and Lyssa. "I simply do not have enough time in my day to arrange for such things daily. Which is why I am asking both of you to do this. You, Luna, are an honest and good natured person. Your house is renowned for its generosity and how it treats its people. And Lyssa is simply the friendliest person even I have ever met." This caused Lyssa to blush a little from the praise. "You are of course, free to decline if you wish. I can always find someone else, but I believe you two are the best chances Fia has of adjusting to a new life."

Lyssa suddenly sat up on the couch, giving Livia a look of pure determination.

"Nope! I am gonna be this girls best friend! I'ma do it! And there's nothing gonna stop me." She puffed out her chest confidently, as if she was the only person in the world qualified to do such things. "I'll do it!~"

Luna smiled at the praise Livia gave both her and her house and gave her answer after Lyssa. "No, I would be honored to help her adjust to the world. If nothing else, I can be as an elder sister to Fia." She didn't have any younger siblings, so it might even be fun. [coloe=yellow]"I'm sure we can get Fia to understand that not everyone is scum like her captor. I'll put the honor of my house on it."[/color] She confidently and proudly proclaimed.

Livia gave them both a bright smile.

"Thank you both, really." Though, it quickly faded. The next subject on her list might be slightly less...glamorous or acceptable for both of them without all the information, but it wouldn't be fair to get them involved without at least some knowledge of what was a possible outcome of this was. She would also have to inform Fia as well. "Fia, dear, do stop hiding and say hello. Luna and Lyssa aren't going to harm you."

The crimson haired girl stood up from behind the couch, nodding slightly as she sat down on the same couch as Livia, with as much distance from the others as possible. Fia seemed a little nervous, both from being around so many people and because she was clearly the topic of today's conversation. It was rather obvious she was uncomfortable with this situation, her eyes drifting towards the floor. "... h-hello ..."

Luna was slightly shocked as Fia jumped out from behind the couch. She didn't expect that to be her hiding spot. She watched as the girl moved over to Livia and sat down next to her, greeting the two students finally. Luna smiled, "Hello Fia. Are you doing well today?" She hoped the girl would be alright with a greeting like that.

The girl simply countinued to look down, nodding slowly in confirmation. As usual, she was a person of few words. These people were nice, at least according to Livia. The woman she had trusted this entire week so much that they stayed the nights with eachother.

The Phoenix thought about asking if she could be alone, but the headmistress seemed like someone of their word. And deep down, the red haired girl really couldn't blame her ...

Lyssa simply gave Fia a friendly wave and a grin, though Livia didn't give her much room to respond.

"See? They're both very friendly. That said..." Livia paused for a moment. "Both of you know what a familiar is, correct? It is basic knowledge any good mage should know after all." A little piece of information she didn't want to speak too much to Fia about, but it was necessary information for both Lyssa and Luna. "Without going into too much detail, that is what Fia here is. As such, aside from simply looking after her for a week one of you will very likely end up being her master at some point. It is a necessary step, I believe as she suffers from the occasional nightmares....though recently they seemed to not be as intense for her. Being the familiar of someone would greatly help with that, I believe. and I know both of you would never use such a position to ever harm Fia." She turned her head to give Fia a gentle smile.

"Of course, whoever that is, is up to you Fia."

For the most part, Lyssa seemed to suddenly be in deep thought about something. She had folded her arms across her chest, and her face was scrunched up somewhat cutely as if she was trying to solve an impossible logic puzzle.

"She's a familiar?" Luna questioned, scrutinizing Fia up a down a few times. Unlike Maoin, there was nothing in particular that made her stand out as anything but human . . . But it was the Headmistress speaking, so Luna took her word for it. "And you want one of us to be her master?" The Knightess scratched her head a bit but didn't really know what to say. She though for a few seconds and all that came to her mind was, "If it helped her, I wouldn't mind. Unless she would prefer Lyssa, of course."

As Luna spoke, Lyssa seemed to suddenly raise her hand and rather childishly wave it around, as if she needed permission to speak.

Fia looked over to Livia, nodding slowly. The crimson haired girl didn't like the thought of having to stick with one of them ... but if it helped with her dreams she would understand. But her eyes quickly returned to the carpet, the girl nervous about having to choose someone ... that was a momental decision for someone who hardly made any.

"Of course, you won't be deciding right away. These things take time and you should only choose someone you want to be with, Fia dear." Livia continued, seeing her nervousness. "One week. I think one week to choose is plenty of time for all of you to get acquainted with each other." Livia looked over to Lyssa, who was still waving her arm around in a rather comical fashion.

"Yes, Lyssa?" Livia finally addressed her. "You can speak, you know." Lyssa nodded, fixing Fia with a soft smile.

"Hey, Fia." She gave the girl a wave. "I know we probably kinda got off on a bad foot and all, and I'm really sorry about that! Ehe," She chuckled somewhat sheepishly remembering what had happened in the bathhouse the other night. "I didn't mean to startle you like I did. So, uhm, I hope we can get along better now! And maybe we can eat lots of sweet stuff together, yeah?"

The crimosn haired girl seemed startled by Lyssa's excitement and wanted to hide, but with nowhere to go the phoenix's next best option was to scoot closer to Livia and try to use her as some sort of barrier between them. After a few seconds though, the girl's natural curiousity made her ask sheepishly. "... sweets ...?" It appeared everyone had an ulterior motive in life, and whatever these 'sweets' were motivated the crazy pink haired girl.

Lyssa had to visibly restrain herself from leaping across the room out of shock. Instead, she gasped in surprise and leaned forward slightly in her seat.

"How can you not know what sweets are!?" She asked in complete shock. "They're the best tasting thing in the world!" Granted, thinking about it, it wasn't difficult to believe that she had never tasted anything sweet before. Well, that just meant Lyssa had her first official best friend making mission.

"That's it. After we're done here I'm taking you to my favorite place to skip classes at." Livia raised an eyebrow at this, obviously amused that she'd say such a thing right in front of the headmistress. Luna sighed at Lyssa's blatant uttering of skipping class. Fia cowered slightly more behind the headmistress, concerned about the time she would have to spend with this girl.

"You realize that the purpose of looking after Fia is too help her in classes starting tomorrow, right Lyssa? That said...I suppose it is alright if you take her somewhere today as long as you behave responsibly." At this, Lyssa nodded.

"Don't worry, headmistress! You can count on me!~" Seemingly satisfied Livia nodded, humming quietly.

"Well, if there is nothing else then I suppose we can wrap this up?" There was very little else to discuss, really, unless either Lyssa or Luna had questions, and for the most part Lyssa seemed ready to get out of there and take Fia to her 'favorite spot to skip classes at'. Hm...maybe she'd have to do something about that to encourage the demon to actually attend classes.

"I have little else to say on the matter at this time." Everything about this conversation were agreeable to Luna, other than learning about Fia's previous situation. "Whoever Fia chooses as her contractor I'll be fine with so time will tell."

Fia herself remained silent, not having much to say. The crimson haired girl was conflicted about if she could trust the headmistress still, but she was more reliable than anyone else so far. And obviously she was good enough to hide behind.

"Well, then since we're done here, Lyssa you are dismissed." Livia continued. "And of course, Fia you are to go with her."

Fia blinked a few times, looking over to Luna to see if she would be coming along. It would be nice to have a higher average not-bounce-at-everything rating among the group.

"Sorry Fia, it seems the Headmistress would like to talk to me. I'll be along as soon as I can." Luna said with a smile. At least, she assumed so since only Lyssa was dismissed. She worried a little bit from both what Livia had mentioned a while back along with Katherine. "Correct, Headmistress?"

"Of course, Luna." Livia replied. "But its concerning something rather...urgent, so it might take awhile."

Suddenly, the door to the office opened. The servant from earlier was standing inside of the office now, as wordless as ever as she motioned for Lyssa and Fia to exit the room. Lyssa stood from her seat, giving Fia a bright grin as she headed for the door herself. Despite her wordless entrance, it somehow seemed like the ones who had been told to leave were being rushed in a not so friendly manner.

"Come on Fia, I'll behave...promise!~"

Fia looked over to the headmistress with a slight look of betrayal before slowly treading after the hellion, concerned about what would happen. Eventually, the two left the office.

As they left, Livia stood and returned to her chair. The servant closed the door behind them and began waiting outside the door once again.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Day 9, Livia and Luna~

After Lyssa and Fia left, Livia simply sat in her chair and took a sip of tea. Some time passed in silence before Livia sighed. It seemed like Mr. Kunze wasn't going to be showing up. Or at least, he was late. Either way, she didn't have time to put up with his tardiness. Which meant, he was going to miss out on a rather unique opportunity but it didn't matter. In all honesty, Luna was much more suited to this task anyways. About five minutes later, Livia finally spoke again.

"Apologies for the wait, but it seems Mr. Lukas isn't going to be attending." Livia sighed. "But it matters not, you are skilled enough to handle this task yourself, I believe." Leaning back in her chair, the headmistress continued. "Tell me, Luna. What do you think of going on a little errand for me?"

"An errand?" Luna asked wondering what Lukas had to do with any of this, but she didn't ask. "If you believe my skills are sufficient, I have little reason to turn down your request. What do you ask of me, Headmistress?" The headmistress was rather serious again. Moreso than at the baths at least.

"It's simple, really." Livia began. She opened a drawer in her desk, pulling out a neatly folded letter that had been sealed shut. It likely had some other magical means of preventing it from being opened except by its intended recipient as well. "I would like you to deliver a letter to an old friend of mine that hasn't been doing so well in recent months. I'd go myself, but with Fia here and my other affairs I can't afford to leave for more than a day at a time."

It wasn't as simple as that, of course. The recipient of the letter was probably not exactly who Luna would be expecting, and Livia honestly felt like it'd be rather amusing to let this play out like this. Of course, if Luna asked she'd give more details.

"Her name is Sorcha, she's a bit of a hermit that lives a fair distance away. You'll know her when you see her. She's made her home in a cave near some ruins of some ancient city."

"I see. . ." Luna said scratching her chin a bit. "It is not something I'm unaccustomed to, so if you wish it, I can do this task for you." Luna said, accepting the mission. "How will I be getting there? By horse?" She asked, wanting to know how long it would take. She was hoping she wouldn't miss much class, but, she was sure if it took a week or two she could catch up.

"Aha, you have my thanks Luna." The fact she didn't ask for details would mean this would have been rather amusing in the end. After all, meeting a dragon was quite a rarity these days, not to mention one as old and powerful as Sorcha was. "And' do not worry about travel so much. I doubt it will take more than two or three days at least. There's a quaint little village about a day and a half away from where she lives. It'll be easy enough to teleport you there, an old acquaintance of mine runs a rather...shall we say quaint shop that sells odd trinkets and the like. I've already sent word that I'll be sending someone her way soon. After that though, a horse will likely be able to get you there quickest."

"Very well, Headmistress. I'll go prepare for tomorrow after I check in with Lyssa and Fia. Shall I assume to come back here in the morning? I can create a light to illuminate the dark myself, but I'd prefer to travel under the sun." Luna asked as she stood up and was prepared to leave.

"Please do - first thing in the morning before classes begin, please. You'll have more time to travel under the light of day the earlier you do leave. If there is nothing else, then you may leave." Livia sighed, and the door to the office opened to let Luna leave.

"Very well. Until tomorrow, Headmistress. Luna said before walking out the door, attempting to find where Lyssa and Fia might be.

[Roleplayer001]

~Livia, Gwynn, Swen, and Maoin~

Livia's Office

After sending Luna off to deal with her...old friend, Livia let the next three students enter. The maid, as cold as she was for the others led them into the room.

Gwynn Foghlú and her familiar Maoin, and Swen Runvall. The three ambitious troublemakers that saw to enter the Restricted section and actually succeeded. Granted, she could up security somewhat to ensure that would never happen, but she didn't want to deter any bright young minds from doing something like that. After all, if someone wanted knowledge they had to learn to work for it somewhat. She was far from disappointed or angry at them, at all.

"Good to see you three are doing well after your little...misadventure." Livia greeted them with a small, amused smile as they entered her office, the door closing shut behind them. "So tell me. I'm curious as to what exactly did you want to learn from the restricted section." Despite her questioning, it seemed as though she was more amused than anything, and if the three truly didn't want to say anything then she likely wouldn't press it. Chances are, she already knew anyways.

For the most part, Gwynn remained silent as they walked up to the desk. She really didn't want to be here right now. She wasn't looking forward to whatever punishment they were likely going to be receiving.

The kitten's head was down low, and she was obviously nervous for more than one reason. Not only had she allowed them to get caught, but she had failed during the mission itself. Lastly, her skills were part of the reason why they were in trouble. If she had just ... just not gone along with them, they wouldn't have been able to enter. Her mistress wouldn't be about to be expelled. She was the only one to blame.

The magierprinz tried to maintain a straight face as he approached, to be steel skinned and face his punishment. Truly, he felt depressed and worried. Of course, he had already transcribed the book from the stone, and was currently looking through it. The man considered lying ... but after a moment of hesitation and from the air the headmistress gave off, he decided to tell the truth instead. "I copied records from Gwynn's families lands. Truthfully, I am still searching through them."

"Oh? Why would you want records of Gwynn's family land? Surely you don't think anything of value could be there, do you?" Livia asked, obviously amused. Her tone of voice and lack of surprise made it clear she had definitely already knew what they had gone there for and what they were up too. She leaned back in her chair, taking a teacup from the desk and taking a sip. "Honesty and a curiosity to find knowledge even should it bring danger though, are traits I quite like. So I will make myself very clear when I say I am not upset with any of you so you don't have to worry about expulsion. Indeed, I am a bit amused. You're the first students to attempt such a thing with any degree of success."

Granted, if they had lied she'd have been less than amused. And judging from the looks of the other two, Gwynn wasn't exactly going to talk much here and her familiar probably wouldn't have said anything either. And judging from Aetheria's report, Gwynn could...use some help in that department.

"So, instead of outright punishment, I have something I would like the three of you to do for me if you are willing. If you accept, know that you will be traveling to Greece."

At this, Gwynn seemed to suddenly become much more interested in this development of events. She looked at Livia, wearing a somewhat excited grin. Traveling to Greece? That sounded pretty fun.

"Greece? Really?!" She was at Livia's desk in a second, her excitement quite obvious. Maoin looked up, seeming a little confused and relieved at the same time. Not only was her mistress not getting punished, but she got a vacation with her future husband.

As for Swen, he placed a hand on his chin. Greece didn't sound bad - in fact, he had studied their culture, language, and ancient religions rather extensively. The only this he wondered is why they were going there. Of course, the Prince was relieved he wouldn't be getting expelled, although a little suspicious of the older woman's intentions. "Headmistress, I doubt you are sending us on a simple vacation for breaking into the restricted section. What will we be doing there?"

"Aww, come on Swen. If you ask that of course she's gonna give us work or something." Gwynn sighed, shoulders slumping slightly at the thought of actually doing work.

"Why? I can't reward my students for amusing me?" Livia continued with a small smile. "But you are correct. I feel you three are the best for this little...task, so I am sending you to Greece to take care of it." She reached into her desk, pulling out a few pieces of paper - the same ones Clete had given to her earlier that week about the incidents regarding the attacks on some smaller, outlying villages in Greece and placed them on her desk.

"A few months ago, something started causing...trouble, to put lightly, in Greece. Specifically, mostly in some small villages where it is difficult for mages and other official forms of defense to reach. A local academy for mages run by an old acquaintance of mine Lord Kostis has tried to find the problem, but in the end was unable to stop the creature which we believe to be related to Cerberus in some way."

Cerberus? Gwynn knew exactly what that was. And if this was a change to fight it, she was all for it. Not a vacation? Please, this was the best present she could have asked for! Adventure and fighting giant monster! Nothing could have been better.

"Great! We'll do it!" Gwynn replied, a bit too eagerly.

The Prince reached for the papers and examined them, looking over the incidents. Anything related to Cerebus had to be a rather powerful creature, and Swen would like to have every advantage he could possibly have. As expected, he immedietly saught to gather knowledge about what they were facing, already reading the reports and drawing connections. "... I know we've already caused a little trouble there, but I would like to ask for the aid of the library in this task. I'd like to have as much information as possible about what we are facing."

Truthfully, the wizard needed to prepare his book of spells this night to ensure his arsenal was optimal for defeating such a creature. "And what exactly do you want us to do with the creature?" His future wife having already accepted, the Prince didn't feel the need to confirm as well.

"Make sure it is no longer a problem." Livia replied rather sharply. "Do what you have too to ensure that. The method matters little as long as the result is the desired one. And do not worry, you will not be leaving immediately. That would be rash and irresponsible. You will have one day to prepare for this little venture. You'll be leaving this time tomorrow."

Honestly, Gwynn was a bit excited. At the same time though, she was more than a little apprehensive. She still hadn't talked to Maoin yet. And if they were going to be going on this little venture together, then that meant well...they weren't going to do so well, were they? She cast a glance over to the cat, seeing her own reaction before turning back to Livia.

"Well hey, if its kicking its furry three-headed butt back to Hades, I can definitely do it." Gwynn grinned, pushing her apprehension to the side for now.

"Well, you're certainly excited Gwynn." Livia replied with a small, amused tone which caused the blond to suddenly regret life.

"U-uh, yeah? I mean, I get to fight a giant three headed dog. Who wouldn't be excited?" She questioned somewhat warily.

"Oh no, no, it's fine. I personally don't take much pleasure in fighting myself...but I can certainly see why someone would. That said," She fixed Gwynn with a small amused smile. "Swen is the boss of this little venture...and you are to follow every order he gives you." At this, Gwynn visibly cringed, a noise that sounded similar to a dying puppy coming from the girl as she gave Livia a glare.

"W-what?" Gwynn replied, obviously distressed. "No. No. No. I refuse!"

"Well its either that or you stay here and follow my orders wearing a servants uniform for a week."

...She wasn't going to win here, was she?

Before Swen could speak, even in her depressed state Maoin couldn't help but deliever a small piece of advice to her owner. "... mistress, the second option doesn't sound too bad ..." Of course, being a servant following orders was everyday life for the kitten. It sounded a lot better than possibly dying at the hands of cerebus, and the cat would be able to help her owner out with the duties.

Gwynn simply glared indignantly at the cat as she suggested she go with serving Livia for a week. That was a fate worse than death to her.

"Your familiar isn't too wrong you know. She could help you as well and it wouldn't be too much work. Of course, that would mean Swen would have to do this alone and there is a very good chance that he could be severely injured." Livia simply shrugged, taking a sip of her tea. "Your choice."

Gwynn didn't want to follow anyones orders. That said, she also wanted to go on this grand little adventure. If it was between serving someone for a week without adventure, and following someone's orders whilst on a grand adventure...well. She could at least compromise somewhat.

Maoin cowered slightly at her owner's glare, returning her gaze to the floor. Obviously it would be wrong for Swen to head off alone, but the cat didn't want to put her mistress in danger. However, she would follow her owner whereever she went ...

Swen thought for a moment about seeing Gwynn in a servant's uniform, blushing slightly as he glanced at her for a few moments. For some reason, he didn't think the noblewoman would look particullarly bad in one. She sounded pretty cute whining too.

"A day will be plenty of time for me to prepare, headmistress. I'll be sure to keep both of them safe, although I am confident in my skills if they choose to stay." For a moment, he glanced over to Gwynn and accidently said his idle thoughts aloud quietly. "Although I do have to wonder what she'd look like in that uniform ... could always order her to wear one ..."

For a second, he didn't realize what he had said, then he changed the subject the moment he did. "Anyways ... erm .... everything seems good, headmistress. I should start preparing." The man was ready to leave when Livia was.

Gwynn of course, then glared at Swen for even uttering such a thought. Obviously, she wasn't exactly thinking too much of his little comment about her being in a dress like that. Just all around bad times for her, really. Livia simply seemed amused by the turn of events, but for the most part didn't comment.

"...Fine. I'll go." Gwynn finally replied with a huff, turning towards Swen and giving him a harsh glare. "You give me any funny orders though, I don't care if I get expelled. You're getting strung up by your boots and dangled over a pit of sea monsters until they eat you."

"Oh my, she's a feisty one Swen. You'd do good to stay on her good side." Livia chuckled before moving on. "We shouldn't have any problems, then. You'll be meeting an acquaintance of mine by the name of Clete in the small village where the creature last attacked. You'll have to try and track if from there. Shouldn't be all too difficult for all of you. However," Livia's smile turned into a small frown. "Try to be wary around Lord Kostis. He likely won't show himself, but be wary, if you can. He's...difficult to deal with sometimes."

The Prince, of course, nodded in agreement with all of them. "I'll do my best to, headmistress." The man listened to the missions briefing, raising an eyebrow as Lord Kostis was mentioned. "So ... what's wrong with the lord?" The man sounded like he could be an important figure in the game they were going to play.

Livia frowned, thinking for a moment. How to word it...delicately.

"To put bluntly? A cowardly sniveling wimp who would do anything to make himself look good to everyone else." She replied deciding not to have any delicacy at all. Well, not like anyone else was listening here and she doubted the students would ever repeat this conversation on the off chance they met him. "I doubt you'll be dealing with him directly, but there is a good chance he could try and...attempt something. He's done similar things in the past, and has succeeded more often than not. Simply put, be on your guard if you have to deal with him, and if something seems even the slightest bit off about this at all then you have my permission to simply leave. I will have someone else handle it. I would rather you not get seriously injured - or worse." She paused for a moment to take a sip of tea.

"However, you can trust Clete, my acquaintance. He works for Lord Kostis as an accountant and manages the shcools funds. He is an honest, if somewhat blunt and...dry individual. I doubt he would do anything to seriously harm you even if Kostis ordered it."

For the most part, Gwynn had been rendered silent as was simply glaring at the ground.

The Prince nodded in response, pondering for a bit ... perhaps some other spells ...? "If there's not everything else, I'd like to get started on my Grimore. Takes a long time to write in it." The Magierprinz simply tossed the book up and down in front of himself for a moment, thinking about Livia's words.

---

The three of them soon left the office, Swen heading to the library where he normally spent his day. As for Gwynn and Maoin, they quickly returned home. The kitten wasn't sure ... but she thought that her owner seemed a little more anxious than usual.

Not that she'd say anything about it. It wasn't her buisness if her mistress didn't want it to be. With nothing much else to do, the kitten started cleaning the place, adjusting it to the satisfaction of even the cruelest inspector. Unaware of her owner's intentions to talk, the cat started to make herself busy since there was nothing else to do ...

Gwynn had returned home with Maoin in silence for the most part. Aside from what had just happened in the Headmistress' office, she had other reasons for keeping silent. She wasn't intending on talking with Maoin so soon. It had been what, two days since she talked to Luna? She hadn't even been able to collect her thoughts so easily. So when they arrived home, Maoin likely very easily would have picked up on Gwynn's unease, or at least unusual silence.

Gwynn positioned herself in the middle of the room, internally working up the courage to say something.

"Hey Maoin, can we talk for a bit?" She hesitatingly began. It's not like the cat had anything else she was doing aside from cleaning for the umpteenth time that day.

The kitten looked over from her work as her owner asked to ... talk? Of course, she wouldn't deny any order, but ... the black haired girl was a little nervous. It was strange, something her mistress hadn't really asked for in the past. Was her owner upset? Did she ... did she do something wrong, again? A second after finishing her thoughts, the kitten approached nervously, eyes looking around the floor. "... Of-of course, mistress ..."

Gwynn was silent for a second after Maoin approached. She had a lot that she wanted to say, now that she thought about it. Where should she even begin? Come on she, wasn't afraid of staring down a sea monster so she could talk with a cat about feelings. At least...it should have been easy. After a few final seconds though, Gwynn sighed, placing her hands on her hips in a seemingly aggressive fashion. This was annoying her, but she needed to talk even if it was.

"Maoin...before I say anything else, I'm going to say that...I do like you. I really do. You're adorable, fun to pet, and well, you more or less keep me straight most of the time. Without you I'd probably be off doing something a lot different right now." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. What she was about to say next, would probably make the cat feel horrible but she had to say it regardless.

Maoin listened as her owner's words gave her some praise her ears perking up just slightly ... but she heard that before ...

"But...I don't understand you. You and your constant submissiveness annoys me. I never even wanted a familiar and only chose one at random because I thought it'd be at least better then having my parents choose for me."

Maoin looked her mistress in the eyes for just a second, hoping this was just another cruel tease from her owner. It wasn't. The kitten knew she wasn't good at telling when someone was joking ... but ...

The black haired girl had the expected emotional reaction, tears streaking down her face, and devolving into sobs. The familiar knew she was getting kicked out at this point, her owner apparently unable to forgive her failures. Of course, she heard the complaints about her being a familiar and being submissive ... in a few seconds, Gwynn would see the girl burying her face into her hands, tears falling through the cracks in her fingers.

Gwynn had steeled herself for...well, Maoin being depressed, but those tears? Gwynn had ground her teeth together, refraining from hugging the cat. She couldn't, not until she had said everything she wanted too...but seeing her like that. Maybe...she had been a bit too blunt. She sighed, and started gently rubbing the top of the cats head.

"Oh quit crying Maoin." Gwynn replied with a sigh. "I'm sorry, maybe...I was a bit too blunt, but didn't I just say I did like you? Can you at least wait until I finish talking before you break out into tears?"

The kitten, of course, looked up and did her best to follow her orders. The petting felt nice ... and well, steeled her confidence a little bit. Her eyes was still watering, but they weren't creating small rivers. "... s-sorry mistress ..." Was her owner not planning on kicking her out, or just intending on being nice about it?

Gwynn removed her hand from the top of Maoins head, giving her a smile before she continued.

"I...I don't want a Familiar, and I definitely don't want to be a noble or even treated like one. And I still don't. I don't like being doted on, and I don't like being treated like some fancy doll that you dress up. I have two good hands and a pretty good head on my shoulders most of the time. Honestly, Maoin, whenever you dote on me like that I feel...useless. And could you stop calling me mistress? My name's Gwynn. It annoys me when you treat me like I'm something special like that." She paused for a moment to further collect her thoughts. What else did she need to say here? While she was at it, she didn't want to leave anything out.

"But, well, if it was you I didn't mind. You're nice, and you...well you know, but I can't keep this up any more, Maoin. I don't want a familiar who goes around doing what think is best for me because its what my parents want. I don't want to be married to Swen, I really don't. Is he a nice guy? Yeah, I guess he is but I just can't do it. Not with him. When you insisted on it the other night in the Library...I just, I lost it. I'm sorry I hit you, that wasn't right of me but I can't just let...whatever this is keep going. Seeing you depressed makes me upset and I just..." Gwynn sighed, this was going no where. Why did she always have trouble getting to the point in conversations like this?

"What I'm trying to say is...It may sound harsh but you've been doing nothing but what my parents have told you to. They tell me to get married to Swen, and you think that's suddenly best for me too. They tell me to behave like a good little girl and stay at home and be all safe in a gilded cage, that's obviously a good thing. I don't want a life like that, and I certainly don't want to be married to someone like Swen." Was she repeated herself here? She felt like she was, just a little bit, but she just kept talking regardless.

"When I said I don't want a familiar it's because I'd rather have a friend. Someone who does things with me. Not for me. You know, go out! Get drunk together do what friends do!" She sighed, looking towards the ground.

"Sorry, I got a bit...wordy and a bit off topic there, I guess." She chuckled sheepishly. "I just...don't understand you Maoin. How can you so easily follow me around? Why?"

"Because I admire you. I always have." The kitten responded instantly to Gwynn's last point, without even the hesitation of thought or embarassment.

Throughout her owner's speech, the kitten was able to keep her emotions in line, and prevent them from coming out. But now that she had spoken ... the black haired girl's tears started falling again, a bit more forcefully than before.

Didn't want a familiar?

Didn't want to be mistress?

Didn't want to be treated nicely?

Did that mean everything she had done up until then ... was simply an annoyance?

The girl could somewhat understand the woman's discussion about Swen. The guy wasn't bad ... but perhaps he simply wasn't her type. Such a thing was the difficulty of an arranged marriage ... and of course.

She also understood why she'd been hit, although the apology was appreciated ... but after all that had been said ... she had deserved it, hadn't she?

Of course the accusation about loyalties shook the kitten up as she thought about it. Was it really true? The cat had simply followed them because it seemed like her owner's parents had a game plan ... whereas the mistress herself didn't. And if she did, the kitten was never told about it.

And ... well ... her mistress didn't understand. The pirate princess never understood why she wanted to help out her owner, and seriously doubted the girl would enjoy doing her own laundry ... But ... had her mistress ever made an effort to be friends? Didn't their relationship inherently prevent that? And ... could she honestly view Gwynn as an equal? The kitten simply paused in silence, before speaking a few near silent words. "... so ... so ... I admire you, try to make your life better, clean for you so you can play ... and all I've ever been to you is a pointless, unwanted, annoyance? Di-" The girl cut herself off before anything followed ... was there anything else to say?

Admire...her? What...how could she be admired? She wasn't anything special? She wasn't a role model, and she was definitely not the good kind of influence. That was even harder to understand that not knowing. She would have asked too, had the Kitten not immediately started crying again, seemingly harder than before. She...well...she had expected Maoin to behave that way, but she didn't entirely think it would be that bad.

"What? No!" Gwynn replied quickly. "Without you, Maoin I'd be a mess. I just..." How could she reply to that? What Maoin said wasn't a lie. She did find it annoying, but she had never said anything because Maoin was...well, Maoin. But...she didn't want to lie. "It was...I don't know, Maoin...." Gwynn didn't have an answer ready for this. She hadn't thought that this would even be an issue.

"You ... you say you'd be a mess ... yet you don't want me?" The kitten felt her mistress was making very little sense, and the girl ... felt like she was losing her purpose. Her owner never had her thoughts collected ... but this was too much. She didn't know whether to feel mad, angry, or upset. "I ... admire you. And yet you can't even seem to make up your mind about whether my existence is worth anything at all to you?"

"Of course your not worthless!" Gwynn replied quickly. "Y...you're always making sure I don't do something stupid, or taking care of me when I'm drunk! I just...don't like being spoiled or doted on." Honestly, she didn't understand what she was saying wrong here. Of course she appreciated Maoin, she thought she made that obvious with her words. She just didn't want Maoin to be so...doting. Always so insistent with the pampering and being treated like some sort of important person when she really, really, didn't want to be.

"You say you want me ... as a friend. As an equal ..." At this point, the black haired girl was a little angry. She was about to be kicked out, so it didn't seem to really matter. Tears kept falling out of her eyes, but the girl kept speaking. "And yet, you appreciate what I do for you. Do you think a friend would always make sure you weren't being a dumbass, without ever being told 'thanks'? Do you think a friend would spend hours watching over you at night while you were drunk, without being drunk themselves? Do you think a friend would stay home and do you laundry so you can have fun at the practice field, without EVER being rewarded?" Of course, the girl debated waiting for a response.

Gwynn said nothing as Maoin spoke, only trying to stutter out a few rebuttals as the kitten verbally berated her. She couldn't coherently form any words to say. Instead, she only turned her head towards the floor. She had no proper response, really. All she could do was keep looking at the floor, averting her gaze as Maoin continued to list everything she had to put up with in her time being her familiar. Really, Gwynn knew she wasn't the easiest person to get along with....hearing it from Maoin though, hurt more than she thought it would. In the end, all she could do was mutter in a quiet, meek voice the only thing she could think of to say. Whether the cat would hear it or not over her own sobs and ranting, was debatable though.

"...I'd do the same for you." Really, she would have...or at least try to, to the best of her ability.

At this, Maoin raised an eyebrow. Surprisingly, it looked like as if she was resisting to laugh. "Day, after day, after day?" She shook her head after a moment clearing the thoughts away. "... and what about your other orders? You would have never have hid. Are you trying to tell me you would have appreciated me jumping into the face of danger? What if I had told you to do the same?" Her memories went back to that time ... "... and you didn't even give up your pride, or silly desire to be a hero, when I was in that woman's clutches. All you had to do was bow your head, and say 'I'm sorry'. Or even do nothing! But no, that ransom was far too expensive for you to pay, wasn't it?"

Day after day? Well, it'd get tiring after awhile. Anyone would. Hell, she expected even a familiar would! That's why she didn't understand Maoin doing what she...did. She had never expected Maoin to clean up her messes and take care of her every single damn day of her life. That's why she found it difficult to deal with, because she wasn't good enough to do something like that. She didn't have the skills. She'd try her goddamn best if she had too, but she may be an idiot, but she wasn't a fool. She knew what was beyond the scope of her abilities.

But when she was accused of letting her own pride and heroics get in the way in the Library, Gwynn looked up at Maoin, wearing a look of frustration.

"She hurt you, Maoin!" Gwynn replied, somewhat hurt that she was being accused of letting her pride get in the way of something hurting someone. "I wasn't trying to be a hero! I just saw you getting hurt and...I just reacted!" Some anger was in her voice now, and she gave Maoin a small glare. "Maybe I should have backed down. Maybe I should have surrendered, but I just couldn't stand the thought of someone hurting you! Even me!"

The kitten recoiled two steps back now that her mistresses voice was raised, although it was pointless. If her owner wanted to hit her, the black haired girl knew she'd take the punishment ... but it was just a natural reaction. And even if she didn't accept the punishment, the ice mage could always use the bond they shared ... After a moment, Maoin glanced over to the side, unable to hold the angry gaze of her owner, and spoke in a much more meek voice. "... sorry ..."

Of course, apologizing at this point wasn't going to get the two of them any further, even the kitten knew that. And to be fair ... that instinctual, unthought out actions were one of the reasons why she accepted her owner's call to become her familiar. After a few moments ... the girl looked up to the taller woman with some adoration. "... and ... and that's one of the reasons I'm glad I belong to you ..." The black haired girl took a step forward, returning her a little of the distance she had retreated.

Belong to her? Gwynn sighed...she didn't want to have anyone belong to her. She just didn't want it, but she didn't say anything. She didn't still didn't have any answers. Luna and Swen both told her to ask her why she did what she did, and the answer she received from the kitten only caused her further confusion, and she had admittedly maybe got a bit off topic with her words.

"Why?" She asked again. "I don't understand, Maoin. You do all of these things for me day in and day out. I never expected you to even do half the things you do."

The kitten looked up at her owner, then down towards the ground as she thought about her reasons. She spoke slowly, giving plenty of time for what she was saying to sink in.

Deep inside, the black haired girl knew her mistress was mostly telling the truth about earlier. Her owner oftentimes acted irrationally ... but it was entirely possible the nobleman simply didn't understand. "... Misst- Gwynn ..." It was obvious that using her owner's actual name made the girl visibly awkward, and after a moment she shook her head in order to dispel that feeling. "You ... you never think about things ... but ... but you follow what you believe in without question. It's admirable how you will do what you think is best at a moments notice, following your instincts."

The kitten countinued speaking, looking up into the air. "Your adventurous soul. I think it's admirable that you always seek new experiences, unlike so many who live with what they've always known." A slight pause.

"And you always pet me when I was a cat. When people need you ... you do your best to help. You are a kind person too."

Then her face turned down, as if trying to hide it behind her hair. If her owner bothered checking, she'd probably see a slight blush. "And well ... you are pretty." But after that, the girl changed the subject, looking back up.

"I love you but ... you're not the brightest tool. You behave irrationally constantly, put both of us in uneccessary danger, make lots of work for me, and seek action for the sake of action. But ..."

"If it means seeing you smile on the way back after a day having fun in the mud, I'll do your laundry if it means you have more time for that. If you want to drink and be a little crazy, I'll take care of you. If you are giving me a silly order just to tease me, I'll follow it if it makes you smile. If you want to break into the restricted section of some place on campus, I'll follow you into the face of danger."

The kitten paused for a moment, thinking about how to collect her next thoughts. "... Back in Ireland ... I ... saw a girl with the heart of a champion. But ... I also saw someone who needed a companion. Someone who would always be by their side, long after friends no longer tolerated them." The girl gestured to herself. "... I saw someone who needed reason, so I took this form to be as non-threatening as possible. I mean, this isn't intimidating, at all."

The cat approached her mistress, wrapping her in a sudden hug and burying her face into Gwynn's shirt. "Maybe ... maybe I was just the first animal you picked up. But I choose you. I decided to follow you mistress, protect you, and ... be your companion. So ... please respect my decision. Trust me ... if you can."

Gwynn couldn't say anything. What could she have said, here? There was absolutely nothing she could have said that would have made this any better. She was being an idiot again, as usual. Gwynn returned the hug, resting her own head on Maoin's shoulder. She guessed, in the end the why didn't really matter, had it? Maoin had always been there, even before she had became a familiar for her. She had never paid much thought to it, but she had, hadn't she?

"Of course I trust you, Maoin." She quietly replied. "I'm sorry I'm such an idiot. I can never do these sorts of things right, you know? I just thought...maybe you were just doing these things because you were supposed to. I didn't want special treatment because of my status or simply because that's what familiars were supposed to do. Stupid, wasn't it?" she laughed softly.

The kitten hugged a little tighter, crying (but now in relief) that her risk of being kicked out had practically been reduced to zero. "... I ... I understand ..." For a moment, she pushed them apart so she could speak eye to eye, or rather water to eyes.. "... And ... although I sometimes agree with your parents, I am yours. It's hard for me to be a good companion and follow you ..." A few sniffles followed, but eventually the kitten collected herself. "... When ...you don't tell me anything. Promise ... promise you'll tell me everything from now on?" The kitten resumed her prior position, crying into Gwynn's shirt.

She supposed she really could have done a lot more in that department, but it was hard when she had no idea what she was supposed to say half the time in situations like this. Not without thinking about it for days. It'd be bad to make a promise here though, since she really had no idea what telling her everything would even entail.

"I will, Maoin. I will. But I'm an idiot. I don't think about a lot of things, and when it comes to people and situations like this, I just get cold feet and its...hard for me." She pushed Maoin off of her, looking down at the cat with a bright grin, and it looked like she was holding back a few tears herself. Unlike the ones she wore when she was messing with Maoin or scheming something.

"So...could you please stop crying? I'll try to be better at this whole...talking and being your master thing, alright?"

The kitten nodded, and tried to stop crying. Well, she failed that order. She wiped away her tears only to have her eyes keep watering. "... Yes, mistress ..." But, she was smiling back. After a few moments, the girl was conflicted between continuing to hold her owner, or doing something else. "Is ... Is there anything else, mistress?"

Gwynn rolled her eyes, deciding best not to push the cat any further. Instead, she reached up and started petting the cat on the head again.

"Didn't I tell you to call me by my name?" She laughed softly, and despite her words it didn't seem like she was at least going to seriously protest either way.

The kitten nodded, but understood that Gwynn was mostly picking on her. "Of course, Mistress Gwynn." The kitten, now tired to their argument and the emotional strain of the previous week, yawned.

The black haired girl looked up into her owner's eyes. "... You look tired mistress ... Want me to ..." Maoin yawned again, wiping her tear streaked face. "... Get you ready for a nap?" Truthfully, the kitten was trying to be a good servant ... And she felt like being close to her owner, for a few hours.

Gwynn gave a playful pout at being called 'Mistress Gwynn' but otherwise said nothing. The thought of a nap sounded nice, though. After the events of the week, it was...nice to be able to get everything off her chest like this. And unlike Swen, she didn't exactly have much she had to 'prepare' for the mission, whatever that even meant. Though, the kitten looked much more tired than she did. The week had probably been harder on her than anything.

"I think you need a nap more than me." Gwynn said. "So, I order you to take one and I'm not takin' no for an answer!~" Without warning, the kitten would find herself lifted off the ground with relative ease and being carried very briefly in Gwynn's arms as the blond swiftly carried her over to the bed.

The kitten of course, wrapped her arms in a frantic and uneccessary attempt to maintain balance. "M-mistress!?" The black haired girl's face had gone completely red as she tried to stammed out a few words quickly. "I-I-I-can-walk-mistress!" Of course, the kitten wouldn't disobey an order, but ... "... my crate? Aren't you ..." A second later, the girl was plopped down onto her owner's bed. Her heart was pounding.

She couldn't give her owner an order, but she was tired too, and it was her job to look out for her. "Y-You're joining, right mistress?" A second later, her previously red face went full tomato. "N-not that I'm asking for ..." The kitten's ears and tail were both active however, signs that everything was going ... normally, at least. Of course, she'd serve her mistress however she wanted but this was surprising.

"Of course I am!~" Not seconds later, Gwynn jumped onto the bed herself. "And no, we're not going to do anything like that Maoin, you silly kitty." Gwynn teased with a grin. It was more that...if she was going to try and at least be a decent master like Maoin was a good servant...well. She would need to take care of Maoin just as Maoin took care of her, right? She probably wouldn't get many opportunities, but now...well, they were both tired so there was no need for either of them to try and pamper the other.

Gwynn stretched, yawning as she kicked off her boots and gave Maoin a grin. A few seconds later, she laid down, stretching again.

The kitten of course, looked at the small piece of dirt accumulated on the sheets, tossing a playful glare over to her mistress. "... hmph. Already making a mess again, mistress?" But, Maoin would clean it. Not that she enjoyed cleaning, but because she wanted her owner to smile with her silliness and it was well worth that trouble.

The kitten herself had already removed her boots at the door, but she sat up for a second and removed her apron and everything that wasn't her shirt, skirt, or collar. Then she curled up against her mistress, wrapping her arms lightly around her owner. "You're warmer than my crate ..." The girl seemed like she had more to say, but her eyes were closed and she was already obediently drifting off to the realm of sleep.

Gwynn simply grinned impishly at the mention of her making a mess again, but didn't say anything. For now, she only let Maoin hug her, wrapping her own arm around the kitten. Soon enough, she had fallen asleep, and was resting her head lightly against Maoin's.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Livia, Luna, Lyssa, Day Nine~

Lyssa and Fia left Livia's office, with Lyssa making sure not to walk too quickly and making sure Fia didn't get lost. They left the main school building at a reasonable pace, and Lyssa for the most part remained silent. All she gave Fia was a bright grin and an occasional assurance this wasn't going to be terrible or bad in any way shape form or fashion. Eventually, they left the campus and stepped out into the town of Valeza.

It was somewhat crowded as always, though not anything that should have been uncomfortable for the normal person. Just to make sure though, Lyssa made sure Fia was still following for the most part and wasn't having any problems with things so far. Hopefully, nothing would happen. Their destination wasn't that far away - a quaint little bakery that was run by a lovely older couple. Most of the time, it wasn't too busy and she and them got along pretty well.

They also didn't ask why she wasn't attending classes, but that was irrelevant.

Fia followed at a distance while keeping her eyes away from any people by observing the cobblestones beneath her feet- but she glanced upwards often enough to trail Lyssa. Eventually the pair of them arrived outside the shop, where is seemed the hellion paused for a moment. Amber eyes looked up from the pavement, curious.

Stopping outside of the shop, Lyssa looked inside of it. A small building, with sweet smelling aromas coming from an open window with a larger glass one that allowed one to peer inside the shop. Just in front of it, a bench where one could sit and wait for a bit if they needed too. Lyssa looked over to Fia, then back to the shop, then back to Fia. There were a number of people in there, and Lyssa seemed to be in deep thought about something, face looking like it had earlier in Livia's office.

She didn't want to leave Fia alone out here, but she didn't want to take her in there either. She was shy, really, really, shy judging from the way she behaved. And while there weren't many people in there, there was no telling exactly how she would react. Lyssa wasn't a fool, and once again, was smarter than people typically gave her credit for. Taking her in there, the chance of non-fun things happening went up exponentially.

"Hey, Fia." Lyssa replied with a friendly grin, the look of deep thought on her face finally disappearing. "Think you can wait out here on this bench for a bit? I won't be longer than five minutes, promise."

Fia paused for a moment, then nodded slowly in understaning. The crimson haired girl obediently sat down on the bench, glad to be finished walking around the local area. She hadn't brought her book with her, so she'd do what she'd done for years in a certain tower - wait. She was used to it.

"Right! Thanks, I won't be long." Leaving her there, was probably a bad idea in hindsight. She wasn't likely to go anywhere, of course, but something else could go wrong. Someone may do something, someone might try something, so as soon as she entered the bakery Lyssa made sure to keep looking through the glass window to make sure she could still see Fia and only turning away when she had to order what she wanted. A few slices of lemon flavored, and strawberry flavored bread and a few slices of regular cake.

Nothing fancy to be sure, but it was best to start out small when delving into the world of delicious sweets.

About seven minutes later, Lyssa walked out of the door with a plate of various assorted pieces of delicious tasting and delicious smelling baked goods. Two of the lemon, three of the strawberry, and a rather large slice of cake right in the middle of it. Judging from the crumbs around Lyssa's mouth that were quickly licked clean, it was an easy guess as to where the third lemon slice went.

"Ehe, sorry!~" Lyssa replied, walking over to the bench and taking a seat on the opposite end of it. It seemed like she had trouble getting close to people, so she didn't want to intentionally put her in a difficult position. "They were a bit slow but I got what we wanted." She placed the plate on the empty bench between the both of them.

"So, go on!~ Have one~"

The phoenix scooted slightly closer, internally thankful that the woman hadn't tried to get too close. Looking at the plate, Fia reached over and grabbed a red slice of bread, then scooted back to her side of the bench. After examining it suspiciously for a few seconds, the teenager took an inquisitive nibble of it.

She'd had some combination of bread, gruel, and water for most of her existence. Livia fed her foods she had never heard of, including various meats that filled her stomach, something called 'pasta', and a few other dishes. Each of these dishes tasted different, but all of them were good.

But this flavor ... this wasn't like the others. In the same way her week at campus wasn't like the rest of her life. The girls eyes lit up, and she would have thought that this is probably what 'sweetness' was if she wasn't so busy enjoying it. Another bite followed ... and another one after that. Soon, the slice was gone and amber eyes returned to the plate, wanting more.

"Good aren't they? Its just bread flavored with strawberries." Lyssa replied with a grin, seeing Fia hungrily devour the bread. "They're noting really special but they're good and simple, easy to make and delicious! Best kinds of desserts!~" Lyssa took one of the strawberry flavored ones herself, and proceeded to hungrily devour it. She had to restrain herself from eating every single one on the plate, and going back in and ordering more.

But she had other things and places she wanted to show Fia today. Aside from the sweets shop, she wanted to take her and say hi to the tailors that made her gloves. Take her and see the farms, not to mention take her to her favorite napping spot next to the lake and see if that kind old fisherman would be willing to try and let them fish.

Yep, today she was gonna show Fia just what 'fun' and 'friends' were, and nothing was gonna get in the way of that, not even the Fun Guards.

Fia backed off slightly due to Lyssa's excitement, but after a few seconds she reached to the plate again, grabbing a slice of the yellow bread and eating it. The crimson haired girl hadn't ever tasted anything sour, so her face contorted slightly as she dealt with it.

But the taste wasn't unpleasant ... Just ... Different again. Soon enough, the girls amber's focuses on the large slice of cake, curiously, before looking up to the hellion as if asking for permission.

"You don't need my permission, silly." Lyssa replied. "I brought them for you! Go ahead, have them if you want."

Fia lifted up the large slice of cake, looking at it curiously before she took a nervous bite into it. The fourteen year old girl hadn't tasted anything that good ... in a long time. Lyssa would likely later explain to her later exactly what choclate and icing were, but for now the crimson haired girl was happy simply to bite into the rich food, devouring it at a speed that would make the hellion proud.

After she was finished, the teenager looked over to Lyssa with small bits of frosting around her mouth, not knowing that she was smiling. For one of the few times in her life ... the girl felt a little decadent.

Lyssa said nothing only giving Fia a smile back as Fia herself smiled. That was better, really. Good progress, then! Plan one for day of fun, accomplished! Taking the last of the lemon flavored bread for herself. The plate was fairly empty now, and the last of the breads found themselves devoured quickly by either Fia or Lyssa.

"I'ma go give the plate back to the owner. Back in a second!~"

The phoenix nodded slightly, waiting for Lyssa to come back. The girl waited, kicking her legs out from the edge of the bench in order to pass the time. That food HAD been tasty, although ... it was a little rich compared to what she was used to, and her stomach felt just a little sick ... it was worth it though.

Lyssa dropped off the plate inside, quickly saying thank you to the owners and apologizing she didn't have time to stay for longer and chat or help out like she usually did. She walked back outside, not wanting to leave Fia alone any longer than she had too. Once there, her eyes lingered on Fia. Specifically, the dress she was wearing. It was a simple, white dress that was likely given to her by the headmistress. That wouldn't do at all, would it? Nope, she needed other stuff to wear!

...granted she couldn't just go buying all the clothes. So she'd let her choose something she liked! Yep, their next destination had been decided. The Clothing store!

"Alright, come on!~ There's somewhere else I wanna take ya."

Fia nodded slowly, putting her fingers together as she stood up. "... where ...?" The crimson haired girl would follow no matter what Lyssa said, since Livia had made it obvious Lyssa was supposed to be watching over her ... and since the incident in the bathtubs, the hellion seemed a little more conservative with her actions.

"Somewhere fun! You'll see!~" Okay, maybe not 'fun' in the traditional sense, but Lyssa felt like the girl having something call 'hers' would be of great help here. Even if it was just as something simple as a shirt. Winding through the streets, Lyssa kept a brisk, but hopefully not too fast pace for Fia. They passed a few people, a few taverns and restaurants with tempting smells, but today Lyssa would not allow herself to be distracted by their pleasantly sweet aromas.

And soon enough with fairly little interruption, they arrived at their destination. A rather fancy looking clothing store by the name of 'The Vetement'.

"Here we are! Go on in!~" Lyssa replied, holding open the door to the establishment for Fia.

Fia was put off by Lyssa's natural excitement, entering the building with as much possible space between herself and the hellion. Althogh so far the woman had proven to be nice ... she was still far too unstable to be trusted.

A deep voice boomed from the counter the moment the crimson haired girl entered the shop, "Welcome - oh, what brings you here today, Lyssa?" By now, the man easily knew the pink haired girl's name, and was used to her twice a week visits. While his attention was drawn towards the hellion, the crimson haired one went into hiding behind a nearby clothes rack in order to escape his field of view. "... err ... where'd your friend go?"

"Hey Clothe!~" Lyssa replied brightly. "Just buying something nice for a friend. She's uhm..." Lyssa looked around quickly for Fia, having lost sight of her in the short greeting. Well, if anything she was good at making herself scarce. Still, Le Clothe must have scared her...she should have probably entered first, now that she thought about it. Darn it, she got distracted and ended up messing up.

"Sorry, she's really, really, shy around other people. Uhm, give me a second and I'll try to introduce you." That said, she hadn't seen where Fia had gone, and she didn't want to sneak up on the girl. She took a look around, not finding any immediate trace of the girl. It'd be fun if it was a game of hide and seek, but this was decidedly not one.

"Hmm...Fia? Clothe is a nice person. He's not gonna hurt ya." She grinned. "And if he tried, he'd have to go through me first!~"

"And trust me, no one's getting through her. She's a great wrestler, apparently."

The red haired girl eventually slipped out of a rack containing cloth the same color as her hair, appearing six feet behind Lyssa wordlessly. Livia had taught her earlier that a place like this was called a tailor, and it was where they made clothes. But ... were there here because Lyssa wanted something?

The crimson haired girl had some concept that the hellion still had a life of her own, and it was simply a side job for them to look after her. But if the hellion needed something for a friend, why couldn't she just go hide? Did one of her vases need a cover or something?

When the girl eventually turned around, she would see Fia with her head tilted curiously.

"Great! Sorry about that. Le Clothe, this is Fia. Fia, Le Clothe. He makes all of the clothes here." She said, giving Fia a smile. "She's my friend!~ Well, still in the process of being friend but If anyone can make friends with her, it's me!~" She confidently said. "I'm here to buy her something nice...uhm," Thinking about it though, she had no idea what Fia would like or look good in. Something that would go well with red, obviously. And obviously, the best solution would be to ask Fia herself.

"Hmm...Hey, Fia," She said looking over to the girl. "You have anything special you'd like to wear?" Lyssa didn't expect much in the way of a proper reply from Fia, and already appeared to be thinking about the best way to go about this in that scenario.

The crimson haired girl took a few steps back as Lyssa once again proved herself being overly excited, Fia's innate nervous tendancy revealing itself once again. She had no idea what Lyssa meant by something nice, and didn't care that much at this point. The abused girl simply wanted a good distance between herself and anything loud.

Ah...oops.

She was messing the second part of this up all over the place, wasn't she? That was no good. She'd have to try and be...a lot less like she normally was. It would be difficult, but it would be worth it in the end, yep! She just had to make sure she spoke in an indoor voice, didn't get overly excited, and didn't get all huggy with Fia even if she was adorable and she wanted to hug her to death. That said, first thing first.

"Ah...eheh, Sorry Fia. I'm not used to being...not excited. At least, not in a few years, heh." Lyssa let out a breath, humming quietly before speaking again in a lot less excitable tone. One that sounded at least like it would have been one used by nobles during some fancy meeting or something.

"Alright. So, could you at least tell me something you'd like to wear? Anything at all?"

The hellion seemed to calm down a bit, and as she apologized, the phoenix felt a tie between embarassment for her weakness and gratefullness. Observing others over the past week made it rather obvious that most people considered their ideal level of interaction much higher than her own, so Fia understood her own timidity. However, the girl still seemed relieved that Lyssa was begining to not be so active.

Having been dressed in rags the majority of her life and clothes selected by a much older woman for the past week, Fia had zero sense of fashion. To her, she just wanted to wear anything ... and yet something within her stirred. After thinking for a few moments, the young teenager simply shook her head.

"No? You sure?" Lyssa seemed to think for a few moments, frowning slightly as she tried to think of something. She wasn't leaving without Fia choosing something for herself. Choosing for her just seemed rather...drastic, didn't it? That wouldn't be any different than the life she had before. Fia would choose for herself, simple as that, but she had no idea. Maybe Le Clothe could help here. She looked away from Fia, walking over to the counter where Le Clothe was.

"Sorry about bothering you today." Lyssa said. "But...if you could do you think you could throw a few things together that Fia might like?"

Le Clothe had largely left the two alone as they talked among themselves, having a guess about what was going on. The expression and the mannerisms of the girl were similar to those of his son after he'd been bullied at school - except worse. Especially with the normally loud, abnoxious, and cheerful Lyssa acting in a way he'd never seen before, it was rather obvious to him that he was supposed to follow suit.

The man leaned over at his counter so that he could get another view of the now partially hidden Fia before returning to a standing position. "The obvious choices are green and black - green compliments red very well, and black creates a darker image. However ... she seems to be on the shy side, so anything showing off too much is a problem. Perhaps something with a hood that she can hide behind? That hair is a bit of a spectacle, so perhaps she'd prefer people not to look at it?"

Lyssa hummed quietly as she leaned on the counter. Well, it sounded good in theory and she was no expert on clothing or how to handle such things. She didn't think the hood was a good idea, personally but the demon simply shrugged slightly, shaking her head.

"I don't think she needs to be encouraged to hide more, but you're the fashion expert, here." Lyssa replied. "But...do you think you could make three and let her choose the one she wants? I'll pay for everything if I need too. I've got plenty of money to spare." That's what she was here for, after all. Letting Fia choose what she wanted.

Le clothe nodded, then looked at the girl again, who was still being extremely timid. "I'll think of a few things. Could you get her to stand in the alchemy circle for me? It would probably be best if you asked her and explained what would happen ..." While Lyssa was doing that, the man clearly was deep in thought. Something fancy, obviously, but he didn't want to put too large of a strain on Lyssa's wallet ...

Fia was currently hiding partially behind a rack of clothing, looking on at the exchange the two were having.

"Will do!~" She brightly replied, before quickly clearing her throat and correcting herself. Probably would not be a good time to slip into her normal mannerisms right now. She had to make sure Fia got into the alchemy circle. Making sure not to bounce back over, Lyssa left the counter and stopped a few feet away from Fia taking note that she was hiding behind a clothing rack again.

"Well, I think I figured something out you'll like." Lyssa replied with a small smile, taking care not to appear too excited again. It was getting a bit tiring even after such a short time, but she didn't want to scare the girl again. "Do you think you could stand on the alchemy circle for me?" She wanted it to be a surprise, honestly. It would have been more fun for the both of them that way, really. In the end though, that would probably have upset Fia.

"Clothe is gonna make three outfits, and I think you're going to like them."

The crimson haired girl nodded, walking over to the alchemy circle as instructed and standing there. After a minute, the merchant approached slowly. His following words were calm, collected, and most importantly - quiet. "My magic pulls the fabric that you see around the store into a form on you. Your current clothes will be placed on the ground next to you, and the new ones will appear on your body instantly." The man pulled up a mirror so that Fia would be able to see herself.

Strangely, Fia nodded, but ... the mirror. She saw a portion of Lyssa a few feet behind herself, but who was the golden haired woman standing in the middle? A second later, clothes appeared on her body and Le Clothe had to resist the urge to break into laughter at how she was startled.

The first item that appeared on the girl was a well made black dress, with a matching robe over it that had red trim around the edges. Sewn to the top of it was a circle of red cloth that would help prevent water from entering in the case of bad weather. After a few seconds of calming down, the crimson haired girl looked over to Lyssa.

Lyssa had to also resist the urge to laugh, though somewhat more unsuccessfully as Le Clothe had. She had to cover her mouth with her hands to stifle a small giggle. After regaining her composure and getting a good look at the robe though, Lyssa had to admit Le Clothe did good work, as always.

"So, what do you think Fia?" Lyssa replied, only giving Fia a small smile. "I think it looks adorable on you. Well, can't be any more adorable than me but heh, I don't count because then it wouldn't be fair~"

Fia nodded. It was simple, comfortable, and warm on it's own. The second costume that apparated was another combination of black and red, a dress exposing the upper chest with slits running up it's sides. Long black leggings covered most of the legs, and a collar supported the dress itself and the extended black gloves running up each arm. The back was almost completely exposed.

Le Clothe spoke again. "Something a bit more conventional. Extra bits for extra hiding, but perhaps you'd prefer something like this? Would probably be nice for the summer ..." The man was somewhat at a loss. Lyssa had encouraged him to get something a bit less hiding, so this was his best thought.

The topic of his conversation looked towards the mirror again, and nervously turned around to see Lyssa's opinion on the subject. This one showed a lot more ...

Lyssa clapped, though made sure to keep it to an indoor level and not so loud.

"Well I like it!~" Lyssa grinned. Though she wanted to somewhat remain out of the decision making, the words left her mouth before she could stop herself. She hoped they would at least be done here somewhat soon, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up this serious and not so fun act.

"Still adorable. What do you think, Fia? It's going to be yours after all, so you should decide."

Fia jumped back just slightly, but nodded. That one seemed to get a bit more approval from the demon, so she guessed that meaned it looked nice?

The final piece of clothing appeared on her. A rather simple dark green dress with a seperate hood that matched it. The two pieces appeared together on Fia's head, and for a moment the Phoenix couldn't see. After a second, she pulled the hood back just enough so she could see out of it. The edges of the dress were black, and the sleves on it went down to her wrists.

For the last time, Fia looked back towards Lyssa.

One with a hood, then. Not the one Lyssa wanted to see, but it was Le Clothe and she did trust him. So Lyssa gave Fia a grin and a small bounce where she stood.

"Le Clothe, you make everything look good." Lyssa replied with a grin. "Well, Fia, out of the three, which one do ya want? Don't worry, I can pay for it. Probably." For the most part, Lyssa was glad this was almost over with then she could probably at least behave somewhat more...normally. She'd still reign in the bounciness, but hopefully Fia would eventually get used to it.

Fia unsurprisingly liked the privacy the hood gave her ... she was able to avoid seeing people if she wanted to. But ... that also meant people could approach her without her noticing. The Phoenix thought for a few moments, and shook her head. Security blankets didn't work-she had tried using them before, but the pain was the same.

As for the first two, Le Clothe switched between them once every few minutes so she wouldn't forget how they looked or felt ... And after a few switches the girl looked over to Lyssa for assistance in this matter.

It was easy enough to tell Fia was having difficulty deciding. However, Lyssa wasn't going to help. She had already decided she wouldn't. That said, it was taking awhile and she really wanted this to be over with. While Clothe changed between the clothes, Lyssa had taken a seat on the floor and was sitting cross legged on the ground, slouched over and resting her chin in the palm of her hand. In fact, she almost looked half asleep.

"Having trouble deciding?" She said with a yawn, standing back up and stretching. She could always buy both. That wasn't out of the realm of possibility, and she had already dismissed the one with the hood much to her own delight. "Hmm...you sure there's not one you like more than the other?"

After a few minutes, Fia shook her head. One of them was obviously superior, based on the way Lyssa reacted. But the other one was comfortable to wear, and the girl decided that she liked both. It seemed almost disrepectful to get rid of one.

Le Clothe at this point was thinking something similar to Lyssa, and he was tired of using his magic. "Well, if your willing to buy both ... I'll give you a twenty percent discount on each. How does that sound?" It was certainly within the realm of possibility, and the cheerful girl was always a reliable customer.

"Hmm, well if Fia wants both of them, I said I was gonna buy her something so...I might as well buy them, ehe~" Lyssa replied, seeming to have dropped whatever act she was putting on for now though her voice was kept to a more reasonable level. "I'll take both of them, then. Thanks Clothe~" Normally she might have refuted the discount, but that might seem a bit suspicious considering Clothe had no idea she was probably one of the richest people on the continent.

"That sound good to you, Fia?"

The crimson haired girl nodded, a little relieved that she wouldn't have to choose between them. Through her readings though, she had learned about the concept of money. And looking at the price tags, this was no cheap purchase. "... thanks ..." Le Clothe summoned Fia's original dress back onto her body, creating copies of the others which appeared in her arms out of thin air.

Soon, Lyssa and Le Clothe had exchanged their coins, and the tailor waved the pair goodbye. Fia clutched her new clothes close to herself, looking over to Lyssa to see what her next insane plan was. The girl was tired of all the stimuli, and was wondering when they would head somewhere without people. It was quite clear based on the weary way she looked at the ground that she wanted to be as alone as possible.

Lyssa's next plan had been to take her to the lake. It was a rather nice, relaxing place she had found that was rather...nice for taking naps, really. There was a nice older fisherman there who fished there that she talked to on occasion. That said, looking at Fia...she looked absolutely drained. Thinking about it, all of these people and interactions with others would probably be fairly taxing on her, wouldn't it?

"Hmm~" Lyssa hummed. Well, the only place with little people as possible, would be her own dorm. She doubted she could just waltz up to the headmistress's place where Fia had likely been staying before, after all. So with a grin, she turned to Fia and asked a simple question.

"So, wanna come back to my dorm with me? It's probably nothing like Livia's place, but I'm the only one there usually and its pretty nice!~"

Fia resisted the urge to jump back slightly as Lyssa exclaimed ... and nodded slightly. Being alone with this woman would likely make her uncomfortable ... but at least she would have a bit more privacy. And well ... Livia trusted her. That ... that should be enough. The girl seemed ready to follow Lyssa back to wherever she was going.

"Great!" She replied rather excitedly. "Ah...erm, sorry. Ugh, man, I gotta cut back on the enthusiasm...but its really hard." She was trying at least. "But alright then. Come on."

Lyssa led Fia away from the store, tracing their steps all the way back towards the Academy. It was around midday now, perhaps just a little before noon. There were a few other students out, but for the most part the bulk of them were still attending classes. Lyssa said hi to a few of them as if she was acquainted with them, but she didn't linger long and made her way straight to the dorms. It was perhaps odd for a demon princess to stay in the peasant dorms, but it had been requested by her parents. She had been given the largest one in the building, though, but it still wasn't as well furnished as the ones the nobles had though it was far from sparse.

Opening the door to her dorm, Lyssa let Fia in.

The room was admittedly, a bit of a mess. A desk near a window on the far side of the room had a mountain of books stacked on it. Some of them were open to various pages regarding complicated alchemy texts, while others were open to more history or math related things. The floor itself was wooden, but covered in a plush red carpet. The bed though, hardly looked touched as if its owner had neglected to sleep in it much, if at all.

"Annnnd heeere we are. Home sweet home, at least for now kinda, heh." Lyssa stepped into the room behind Fia. "Sorry about the mess. I don't really have a whole lotta time to clean a lot. If I'm not reading those mountain of books over there I'm off doing something else." Really, she would have cleaned a bit if she had planned on having company, but she hadn't anticipated it a whole lot.

Fia looked inside, inspecting the cluttered room. It was cleaner than the tower she had been kept in at least, so the previously abused girl didn't seem to mind too much. The crimson haired girl eventually spotted the books though, and walked through the room nervously and approached them, looking over the pages and trying to understand the words on them.

The words didn't seem too complicated. The girl recently read a few passages of an Arthurian text that she had found, and the subject matter seemed less complex to her. Now that Livia had talked to her about being a familiar, it would probably be a good idea to see if there was a book on the subject. The teenager knew that her situation with master would be considered extreme by this point.

"... what are ... familiars ...?" Fia couldn't tell if she wanted a response, or if she had simply accidently voiced her thought aloud.

"Eh? You can read that stuff? It's pretty advanced alchemy ya know." Lyssa replied, somewhat shocked that Fia seemed to be picking over the books on her desk and actually understanding them somewhat. She didn't get very long to talk with her about that though, since the next question she asked was somewhat of a trickier one to answer. Lyssa thought about avoiding it altogether, but that was probably a bad idea.

"A familiar? Hrmm..." Lyssa plopped down on the bed, humming quietly to herself as she thought about the best way to explain it. "You don't know? That's kind of..." Well, not odd considering the implications Livia had given her earlier that morning. That said, it was a tricky subject. Should she explain it to her? She didn't entirely think it was a subject she could explain well. The girl didn't entirely understand what it was...which meant that she didn't know what she was?

Lyssa was having trouble thinking about how to answer this question.

It was a bit late so Luna figured they might be at Lyssa's dorm if Luna knew anything about her. She just hoped that Lyssa wasn't doing weird to Fia. Soon enough, she found herself in the Peasant's Dorm and knocked on the door to Lyssa's room, hoping they were there. About that time, three familiar girls were walking through the halls from possibly one of their rooms to anothers. They pointed and whispered among themselves, which caught Luna's attention. As she turned towards them they were shocked (well, two of them) and ran (pulling the third behind them.) Leaving Luna just a little dumb-founded.

Oh thank great uncle Lucy someone had the fortunate timing of knocking on her door. Before Fia could have much of a chance to react, Lyssa was on her feet, hopping off her bed and at the door. She opened it swiftly, already wearing a smile. Having company over was always fun!...though, with Fia...it might be decidedly un-fun, but as soon as she saw who was standing there she was a lot more relaxed about who had knocked.

"Oh hey, Luna!~" Lyssa greeted her brightly. "What'd the headmistress want with you? Oh, and come on in, uhm, pardon the mess and please don't touch the books. I'll loose my place."

"Oh, thank you Lyssa. The Headmistress wanted to send me on a mission tomorrow. I'll be out for a few days, so Lyssa. . . Please, I know this is asking you a lot, but in my place could you make sure you and Fia go to classes." Luna said, almost pleadingly. She knew it was a long shot, but she needed to try anyhow. "Plus, the Headmistress would probably hate it if Fia didn't learn what she needed." Hopefully that got Lyssa wanting to go.

Fia looked over at the pair as they were speaking, making sure the alchemy book was back on the page in which it started. The crimson haired girl simply looked at the two as they talked, partially hiding behind the bed. Two people in the room ... made her a little more uncomfortable.

Lyssa seemed a bit hurt, though she really couldn't blame Luna.

"Heeey, what do you take me for! I'm a responsible adult! I can adult very well, thanks!" Her choice of words and tone of voice decidedly made that fairly difficult to believe. She really could though, most of the time if she had too. "Hehe, of course I will. I promise I won't snooze through the classes either." She continued in a much more serious tone. That was all Lyssa had to say on that. She was focused on something else Luna said. Mission? Well that was fun.

"But a mission? That sounds mysterious and fun. What ya gonna be doing? Come on, you can tell me~"

"There's not much to tell, truthfully. The headmistress just wanted me to deliver a letter to an old friend of hers apparently. It's nothing exciting I think. . . Though this is coming from the Headmistress that claims she's old when she looks fairly young." Perhaps if it were a demon like Lyssa saying that it would be believeable, demons seemed to be rather peculiar after all, but still Luna wasn't sure who she'd find when she got to her destination.

She sighed a little though, "Sadly that means I'm hardly going to see Fia the next few days to be a big sister to her, so it comes down to you Lyssa." Luna said with a smile at the demon before looking over at the place Fia was kind of hiding before moving slightly closer. "Hello, Fia. Do you remember me? I don't really think I'm all that scary am I?" She asked openly.

With Luna still at a comfortable distance, Fia managed to give off a delayed, but polite nod. Over the past week with Livia the girl had learned not to run from just being looked at. Although ... big sister? That didn't make a lot of sense - the two of them weren't related, and the crimosn haired girl seriously doubted they had any sort of blood relation. "... sister ...?" The girl's head was slightly tilted, obviously a little curious.

"Well, we're not really sisters. Of course." Luna chuckled a little bit at the thought. "I just thought you could use an older sister figure to help out. If you'd rather not, I don't have to." Luna inched slightly closer, not very close but just enough to test the waters.

Fia of course was clueless. She inched back, but the net distance between the two decreased. "... Older ... Sister ...?" The crimson haired girl was confused by what exactly Luna meant - she'd lived in her entire life, and her expanse of knowledge in the world was a short time at St. Sappho, years locked in a room in a tower, the cloudy memories she had of the past, and of course the books she read obsessively while in Livia's office.

For the most part, Lyssa let Luna and Fia talk for a bit. She had already had her most of the day to herself already, and if Luna was gonna be leaving tomorrow it'd be nice to let them have some bonding time. So the demon walked over to the table, taking a book off of the top of one of the precariously stacked piles before plopping back down on her rarely used bed and opening the book. Its pages showed some very advanced alchemy formulas and such, likely something beginners would have a lot of trouble understanding. She should probably take this time to read just a bit about her studies. If she was gonna be looking after Fia, she'd have to try and multitask that with some reading.

"An older sister is someone that helps you out, sometimes when you don't want it. They typically have your best interests in mind, but sometimes they just want to poke fun at you." Luna was just citing the relationship between her and her older brothers at this point. "But they most of all take care of you when you need it most." Luna scratched her head a little bit, "Look at me saying these embarassing things."

Fia pointed at herself, waiting a few moments before pointing at her self and speaking softly. "... younger sister ...?" Luna's idea seemed a little scary, but if it would satisfy the older woman then she wouldn't argue. At least it didn't involve 'best friend' which included tackling people.

"That's how it would work out I guess. I just want to help you, if you'd let me. If you don't want me to help like this, I can understand." Luna said almost sullen. She decided that this current distance was enough as she waited for Fia's reply.

The phoenix approached slightly towards Luna, still seeming a little confused about the entire idea, and unsurprisingly extremely uncertain about the whole thing. Fia's expression made it obvious she was thinking about it, and eventually the girl didn't give a reply. The girl just felt she didn't know the other girl enough to accept just a thing, and still wasn't sure about Livia who had been helping her every night.

Well, that was the answer Luna should have expected, or rather lack thereof. Well, there was something to build up to. "I understand." Regardless, she spent too much time here and she needed to get to bed early as always to get up in the morning. Luna turned on her heels and walked to the door. "Lyssa, I'm going to go get ready for tomorrow. I'll leave Fia to you then." With that, she opened the door, exited, and closed it gently to head back to her room with her head held semi-low.

"Yep, count on me! I'll take good care of her~" Lyssa chuckled lightly to herself, the book she had been reading tossed carelessly onto the bed. That said, Lyssa had no idea what to do now. It was clear Fia didn't want to go anywhere with a bunch of people. Most of her time was spent around people, rather than not. Which meant she was a bit out of ideas for now.

"Welp, guess the Fun Guard is gone so what you wanna do now, Fia?"

Fia simply looked upwards, suddenly a little concerned that she was alone with the hellion ... perhaps she should have gone along with Luna so she'd stay ... truthfully, the crimson haired girl wished she could have stayed with Livia, but that wasn't an option. If the fun guard meant she could do something she enjoyed ... a second later the girl was looking through one of the books on Lyssa's desk, The Succubus's Tale. Her eyes scanned through the pages ...

"Reading? Pfft, we can do that later ya know." Lyssa said as Fia scanned over the books...at least, until she saw which book she was reading. Lyssa had completely forgot that she had left such a book there. The rest of them had been stashed somewhere else. After all, her mom might get a bit upset that she was reading such things instead of focusing on her studies any less than she already was.

"U-uhm...you sure you want to read that?" If she wanted too, Lyssa was probably not going to stop her. But she had no idea if she should or not. This was Fia after all, and she was...well, probably had less than good experiences with such things.

The crimson haired girl simply looked up, ask if asking "Why? to the hellion. The girl was simply reading a tale about a man and a woman in the forest lying next to eachother, having a conversation (the next part however, was when that 'conversation' would become more). For now though, the girl simply didn't have an idea.

"It's uhm...a bit more...adulty for you I think?" Lyssa replied. Welp, this was going somewhat badly already. If Fia wanted too, she wasn't going to stop her but...she certainly wasn't going to encourage her to read that. "Alchemy is fun, though! Maybe you want to read something about that instead?"

Fia was confused as Lyssa said it was too 'adulty' for her. What did that even mean? Although as the excited woman started shouting about alchemy, the abused girl dropped her book and took a few steps back to the corner of the room, a little fear in her eyes. Her master always got loud when he was upset with her. "... please don't ..."

Oops.

Bad times.

"Ah sorry!" Lyssa quickly apologized, realizing she wasn't using a voice that Fia would be comfortable with. "I didn't mean to be uhm, so loud. I uh..." Lyssa sighed. Urgh, this wasn't going so well, was it? She looked to the floor, frowning slightly as she wracked her brain for something to do here. She really, really, did want to be friends with Fia and help her, but it...well...wasn't going so well. A few moments of silence passed as Lyssa tried to come up with something, but ultimately it failed. She was out of ideas here, at least for now. With a small smile over to Fia, she took her seat on the bed again deciding it best not to go near her.

"I just don't really want to see you uncomfortable. That book...well...I guess ask Livia about it. I'm not really sure I can explain it well." At least, not in a manner that someone might find more comfortable.

For then Fia nodded, picking up the book and stashing it in the bag her dresses were in, before looking back over at Lyssa a little more nervously than before. After a minute, the girl returned to the bookshelf, and after a quick look around noticed a small box. Turning back towards Lyssa the girl examined them. "... what are ...?"

Well, she hadn't exactly intended for Fia to take the book. That was one of her favorites...but well, she wasn't exactly about to take it back from her. Still, at least the girl didn't seem entirely put off by her little outburst, so that was good. She was curious as to what she was doing near the bookshelves, when Fia reached for he deck of cards. A favorite little past time of hers back home.

"Oh, those are some playing cards. I don't mean to brag, but I was really good back home, hehe~" Lyssa giggled brightly. "You wanna play? You probably don't know how, but It's easy~"

Fia looked at her, as if trying to make a hard decision. Picking up the cards seemed to please the hellion, and perhaps that would help calm her down and prevent her from being so loud. After a few seconds, the crimson haired girl nodded a little, slowly approaching Lyssa, handing the cards over and then skipping a comfortable distance back.

Lyssa took the cards from Fia, opening the box and taking out the cards. She sat the box on the bed, shuffling them with surprising dexterity and pulling off more than a few tricks whilst doing it. She could also probably show her a few small magic tricks too, probably. She wasn't some sort of master person of deception, but she could probably pull it off. After finishing shuffling the deck, she placed it next to her on the bed.

"Hmm...want to see a trick? Doesn't involve any magic whatsoever."

A trick? What was that? The girl watched Lyssa shuffle the cards, and raised an eyebrow at how they moved. Did it involve that? It made the red haired girl curious enough that the girl nodded.

"Normally, I'd have you shuffle the cards but I don't think you can so I'll do it for you." Lyssa said with a sly grin and picking up the cards. It was a simple trick she had learned ages ago from a...friend of hers. He wasn't around any more, but he really loved magic tricks like this a lot, and she was more than eager to use them to entertain Fia if she could.

"So, as you can see Fia, all of the cards are in random order." Lyssa continued, making sure Fia saw all of the cards in the deck before reforming it. "Annnd one more shuffle for good measure...and there. All done~" Lyssa placed the deck back on the bed. "Now, if you could...split the deck, if you want." She doubted Fia knew what 'cut the deck' would mean.

The girl approached nervously, observing the cards as they were shuffled. Fia nodded in agreement that the cards were in fact in a random order. A few seconds later, the girl nervously followed Lyssa's directions and split the deck in two near even stacks before stepping back.

"So, by looking at the fourth card of this stack," Lyssa said, pointing to the stack on the left. "I can tell you, the fourth card on this one." Lyssa counted four cards from the left deck, taking a look at the card itself - but she didn't show Fia. Instead, she put it back on the deck.

"So this card, tells me the fourth card in this deck, will be the four of diamonds." She counted out four cards from the right deck...and revealed it to Fia. It was, in fact, the four of diamonds. "Wahaha, see?" It was a simple trick, really. One that most people could probably easily learn and pull off as long as they didn't overuse it.

The crimson haired girl observed the woman, and tried to piece together what happened. If the cards had been random. Amber eyes looked up to Lyssa, seeming a little confused. How did that happen? "... how ...?" The hellion of course had piqued her curiosity, and it was clear the girl was trying to think through it.

"Want to see it again, then?" Lyssa replied with a sly smile, as she reformed the deck and gave it another shuffle.

The girl nodded, seeming to focus more on what Lyssa was doing and not realizing that she had taken a step forward. Something inside the crimson haired girl made her want to figure it out.

"Good!~" Lyssa said excitedly, though not in a voice that would have scared the girl. "Watch closely now, and maybe you'll get it. Split the deck again~" As soon as Fia had finished cut it, Lyssa pointed to the deck on the right. "So as you know, by looking at the fourth card in this deck, I can easily tell you the fourth card in this deck! No magic involved at all." Once again, she took the four cards - taking care not to show it to Fia once again.

"And it tells me...this card, will be a Queen of Clubs!~" Placing the four back on the deck, she proceeded to take four cards off of the top of the one on the left. When she got to the fourth one, she held it up and gave a smug, seemingly satisfied grin. "And once again, I am correct...hmm...maybe I should become a professional at this...heh."

By this point, Fia had logically discerned that she was missing something, but couldn't quite place it. The crimson haired girl pointed to the deck, then herself, wondering if the hellion had somehow managed to mark the cards. "... I see ...?"

"Be my guest." Lyssa gave her a small smile as she shuffled the cards back together and handing them to Fia. She wouldn't tell Fia outright what she was doing - it'd be fun to see her work it out for herself if she could. If she figured it out though, she would tell her if she was on the right track or not.

The girl looked over the backs of the cards, and noticed small scratch marks on them. Keeping the cards in order, she flipped over each on and looked at their backs, and over a few minutes memorized their order and the obvious sequences on the back of each one. She returned the cards to Lyssa and nodded as if she understood stepping back again.

Lyssa happily took the cards back, and shuffled them again. She was starting over with the trick here, so she did what she had done to begin with, just to be sure.

"Completely random, yep!" Lyssa replied with a grin as she showed them before shuffling it one last time. Once again, she placed the deck on the ground and got Fia to cut it. "As usual, the fourth card here will tell me the fourth card that will be in the other deck." Lyssa counted out four cards from the deck on the left, and once again didn't show Fia what it was.

Meekly, the girl responded, "... fourth ... spades ..." The crimson haired girl looked up, as if a little nervous she was wrong.

Lyssa looked form the card, then to Fia, then back to the card, then back to Fia, then back to the card.

"...how?" Lyssa was completely dumbfounded. Had Fia done something to her cards? Maybe mark them in some way? She quickly flipped the card over, inspecting the four of spades herself but found no unusual markings or blemishes on them. "Either you can read minds, see the future or are really really good at guessing things." Lyssa replied, obviously confused as to what had just happened, but it didn't seem she cared too much. In fact, she seemed rather excited.

"Hehe, that's pretty amazing, though. How'd you do it?"

Fia blinked twice, and then looked downwards to the ground. It took her a minute to realize it, but apparently ... was that not Lyssa's trick? To memorize the backs of her own cards? The crimson haired girl was dumbfounded as to how the hellion had done it otherwise, but it made the demon speak less which made the phoenix happy.

The crimson haired girl looked at Lyssa, making a clear shuffling motion with her hands to instruct the older girl to do it.

Curious, Lyssa did as Fia wanted and shuffled the cards. She had no idea what Fia was going to do, but it intrigued the demon. She had no idea how Fia could have chosen the card as she did - there were only a few possibilities. Realistically speaking, she couldn't have some sort of power to see the future or read minds. That was just silly, wasn't it? Which means she had somehow managed to mark the cards or something. This was a puzzle Lyssa wanted to solve.

"Here ya go~" Lyssa replied with a smile. "Nice and shuffled. What do you wanna do with them? I'ma be watching you though, and nothing gets past me. I'ma find out this little trick of yours, ehehe~"

Fia first shook her head no, then handed the deck back, indicating for Lyssa to split it.

Lyssa cut the deck like she had Fia do before. She had no idea what the redhead was planning, but it would be fun regardless.

The redhead then raised 3 fingers then pointed at the deck, wanting for Lyssa to draw down to the fourth card. Fia then pointed at the final and fourth undrawn card. "... K ... clubs ..." Then made a drawing motion for Lyssa to look at it.

Lyssa placed the deck back together.

And then promptly prostrated herself on her hands and knees.

"Teach me your ways, oh master of the cards."

Honestly, Lyssa was impressed. She had no idea how Fia was doing this. Well, she had some ideas but she had no idea how she could have done them simply from messing with the deck for a few minutes. She has spent months learning the various tricks and getting everything right. If she could do something like this, then...hmm...she'd need a new trick, wouldn't she. Well, she had a few of them she could use.

Fia backed up a few steps as Lyssa spoke, then prostrated herself ... before her? The same way she prostrated herself before her old, dead master. The one who had beaten, tourtured, and raped her ... The girl's eyes went wide with fear, and as she backed up she eventually hit the wall and sat down, curling up in a ball with her knees against her chest. "... don't ... please ..." A shiver as if she was cold ran through the young teenager's body, who burst out in tears.

Ah...damn it she messed up again.

Lyssa quietly sat up, not wanting to make any sudden noise. She should have probably realized that Fia wouldn't have taken it as a joke, but she had just got caught up in the moment. It had been going well! Really, it had but...she messed up again.

"Ah-uhm, uhm, uhm-!" Lyssa stuttered out a few words, nervously looking towards the ground, trying to find something to say or do, but words found themselves caught in her throat, unable to speak them clearly. She messed up, didn't she? Hurt someone again she hadn't meant to. But well, if she didn't do something Fia was probably going to keep crying, and that was something she didn't want to see.

"H-hey, Fia? I-I'm sorry alright? That was a stupid joke on my part."

Fia didn't hear any words ...

Not seeing Fia respond, Lyssa honestly just wanted to hug her. To cuddle her and tell her everything would be alright, really she did! But...it was clear to Lyssa the girl absolutely terrified of her now. Doing anything like that would have just caused her further distress, so Lyssa had no idea what else to do here. Her usual way of cheering people up, making them laugh or just generally being friendly...didn't work.

Really, it was to be expected, but she had no idea how to do that otherwise.

Lyssa stood, wordlessly. She felt terrible and wanted to just curl up somewhere herself, but that wouldn't solve anything. Instead, she left the room quietly, making sure the door was secured when she left before sprinting straight to Livia's office.

---

The crimson haired girl shook in terror as her master unlocked the barred gate that led to her room, fumbling the keys in some sort of rage.

The door opened, the man locking it behind himself. For the girl with her neck and limbs chained close to the wall though, she was unable to flee and simply had to wait as he approached. She simply sat on her small pile, begging softly. "... don't ... please ..."

The response to her plea however was a foot straight to the ribs, knocking the breath out of her. Instinctually, the crimson haired girl tried to flee from the source of pain, but the iron around her neck choked her in response. Tears formed in her eyes ...

Which resulted in a slap across the face for the crying girl. "Did ... did you just cry?" Another red mark creasing across her features quickly followed the first. "Did I ask you for them yet?" This time the older man grabbed her by the hair, lifting up the crimson haired girl until her bonds became taught before tossing her down to the ground. The man pointed to her eyes, fire going through her own. "Those tears are useless ... Just like you."

An exteneded beating followed, with her master screaming various things in a flurry of kicks, punches, and slaps. Eventually, the man stopped himself from kicking the sobbing mound. "Do you want to be useful to master?" The crimson haired girl didn't respond, simply sobbing to herself in pain. The girl tried to mutter a resonse, but was in too much pain to collect herself.

Angry words followed as the man stomped onto her forearm. "You don't want to be useful to me? Another step on the same spot. "What sort of useless piece of shit are you?" Another step. This time, the sound of a snapping was heard. The crimson haired girl screamed in pain, unable to control her volume. "All you ever do is scream! Be THANKFUL for my prescence!" This time he stepped on the slave's already broken forearm, who released a sound from the tourtured souls in hell.

The young girl didn't hear anything for a few minutes, instinctually cradling her left arm as tears streaked down her dirty face. Eventually, she felt herself being lifted by her hair, peering straight into her eyes. A slap across the face. "Useless familiars don't get to peer at master. Do you want to be usefull?" This time, the twelve year old nodded, trying to stop herself from crying.

The crimson haired girl felt her knees jar as they impacted the ground first. "BEG!" A foot planted itself on her back, forcing her to bend over against the floor. It lifted off for a moment, during which the crimson haired girl assumed as proper of a stance as she could manage before feeling the foot return to it's place.

"... please ... master ..." A hand roughly grabbed her hair in response, spinning her around. Next the rags she wore were torn from her body ...

---

"Fia? Dear?" Whenever Fia would come too, the first thing she would see is Livia only a few feet away. Judging from her tone of voice she was obviously worried. She had made sure to lock the door on her way in just in case. Lyssa was sitting on her bed, eyes cast to the floor, and if her nervous fidgeting was anything to go by she was also worried. She hadn't told Livia much about what happened, only that Fia was having some sort of breakdown which was as much info as she needed. It was probably clear that she blamed herself for this incident.

When Fia's situational awareness finally returned, she found herself mid scream ... she cut the scream off as soon as she realized what she was doing, wiping away a few tears that had formed around her eyes. The crimson haired girl hadn't moved from the corner she had sat down in, though there was some small pieces of evidence that she had been thrashing around.

Looking in front of her, she noticed the headmistress only a few feet away ... and Lyssa sitting on her bed. They both looked incredibly worried ... the girl tried to summon up some train of rational thought ... but her body was still shaking and sweat pouring from her brow. Tears countinued to streak from her eyes, although they gradually slowed.

"... I ... useless .." It was the only words she said, and what she felt at that moment.

Livia sighed, what sounded in relief. Well, at least Fia seemed fine for the most part.

"Fia, dear, you are far from useless. I never want to hear you refer to yourself that way again." Livia's voice was firm, but still carried a hint of worry in it. It was probably useless asking if she was alright, and for the most part she seemed fine physically speaking so Livia wouldn't say anything. "But I am glad you are mostly fine. Do you think you can walk, dear? I think its time you came home for the evening."

Fia nodded in understanding, seeming a little surprised by Livia's firmess. A second later, she tried to stand up, trying to affirm the headmistress' last statement. It was clear she was a little unsteady though, and she was breathing a little quickly. "... Livia ..." Her head was still swimming, and she started to lose her balance.

Seeing the girl was about to fall, Livia acted quickly.

"Easy...shh, you're safe, Fia." Livia spoke quietly, reaching out a hand to steady the girl hoping at least she wouldn't put up too much trouble. It was obvious she was exhausted, and more than a little dazed. "Let's get you home alright? If you're having trouble walking, I can carry you."

The girl shook her head, and a second later nearly fell on her face. Tears blocked her vision, and her version of up was wrong. After a short bit she nodded towards Livia, hardly able to stand properly, much less walk herself home.

Wordlessly Livia picked the girl up as gently as she could, letting the girls legs fall over one of her arms and her head rest against the other. She passed Lyssa, seeing the rather distressed state of the girl and sighing. It wasn't her fault, really, but it was easy enough to believe Lyssa blamed herself for this incident considering things.

"I'll talk with you later, Lyssa." Livia said gently, though received nothing in reply only a quiet mumble and a nod of the head. That was likely all she was going to get though, so Livia simply left and carried Fia back to her house.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Day Ten~

Lyssa & Livia

Lyssa hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Not that she ever did, really, but last night in particular was pretty much sleepless. Aside from studying at odd hours of the night, she just couldn't force herself to sleep like she normally did. She probably would have been scolded by her mom for not sleeping again, but her mother wasn't here. Mostly, she was just thinking about what she was going to be doing with Fia. After thinking about it most of the night, she had come to a conclusion.

She couldn't watch the kid.

So she waited outside of the Headmistress' office. She had requested to speak with Livia herself, instead of waiting on being summoned. This was an issue that couldn't exactly wait, so it was better to get it over with sooner rather than later. After a few minutes of waiting the maid finally let her in, giving her a rather unimpressed look as she had the other day.

"Lyssa...I did not expect to see you at least until tomorrow. I take it you are not here for a pleasant little chat, then?" Livia said. Judging from the look Lyssa was wearing, that was a true statement.

"Yes." She replied, walking up to Livia's desk. "...I can't do it. Look after Fia, I mean.

"That is...unexpected. Are you certain, Lyssa?" The headmistress frowned, realizing this must be about what happened last night. "What happened wasn't your fault, you know that."

"...that's what they said last time, too." She replied, a hint of hostility appearing in her normally friendly voice. "I can't do it, Livia. So I'm not going to look after her. Simple." For a few moments, it seemed as if Livia was going to protest. A finger tapped her teacup in thought, and she stared at Lyssa before sighing, setting the cup down.

"If that is your wish, then there is little I can do to dissuade you. I suppose I'll continue to look after her myself, then. Luna will have her hands full with something else as it is." While she was curious about that, Lyssa wasn't going to ask.

"...Sorry..." Lyssa gave a small bow, before quickly exiting the room. Well, this was going to be somewhat complicated, wasn't it? That had but a bit of a kink in her plans. She'd have to find someone else to make the girls master....

[Pyromania99]

~Day Ten, Livia's Office~

Luna had taken the night before to prepare some supplies and received some rations from the kitchens. With a small bag of supplies with her, she arrived at the front of the Headmistress' office. After clearing her throat, she knocked on the front of the door and awaited an answer.

As soon as Luna knocked, the door opened. The maid from the previous day greeted the knight with a cold gaze, eyes seeming to study her for a bit. Ultimately, she said nothing, only letting Luna into the room with obvious disapproval. She followed her in, unlike the previous day, closing the door behind her. She briskly walked past Luna, back to the side of Livia's desk where she picked up a teapot and poured some into the headmistress' cup.

"Ah, Luna, good to see you this morning." Livia greeted with a smile. "Tea?"

Luna's eyes met with the maid's as she looked on with disapproval. It threw Luna off a bit to be sure. Still, Livia asked if she wanted tea. "It's good to see you as well. I suppose a spot of tea wouldn't hurt. . . If your assistant there wouldn't mind me being here a little bit longer." Luna commented on the woman's harsh stare.

The maid, simply gave a harsh sniff before taking the teapot and pouring some for Luna.

"Don't mind Cynthia. She simply takes her job seriously." Livia replied as Cynthia handed her some tea. "Take a seat. I take it you are prepared, then? I don't anticipate any trouble, but there's always a chance for things to go awry in some manner. If there is trouble, my old friend should be able to help you at least somewhat." She took a sip of her tea. "Unless she's the source of it." Livia chuckled quietly.

Luna forced out a small chuckle as she brought the tea up to her mouth and sipped it. "I think I'm prepared for a week's worth. I can at least forage some as well, so I should be fine." Luna said as she took another sip and continuing. "I've my sword, so I can defend myself in the worst case scenario. Least a dragon decides to take my head, I believe I'll live."

The statement earned an obvious chuckle from Livia.

"Oh yes, let's hope no dragons shall swoop down from above." Luna might find that statement amusing herself once she arrived at her destination. "But that is good...though I do not think you shall have need of such things. But anyways, I don't think I should keep you for long." Livia reached into her desk, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper, and handed it to Luna.

"A quick, one time use teleportation spell has been inscribed onto this scroll. It should take you to that acquaintance of mine's shop." Inside of the scroll was inscribed various symbols, runes, and intricate looking magical formula of sorts. "Do not be too surprised when you get there, however. His shop is...rather unique."

"Very well." Luna said as she stood up, accepting the scroll. "I shall be leaving now." Luna said as she used the scroll, disappearing. The next thing she knew, she appeared in some place she had never seen before. . .

The first thing Luna would likely notice was the stale air, as if the room had fairly little ventilation. Taking a small look around at the wooden room, it would be clear she was underground somewhere if the lack of windows were anything to go by but at least it was well lit. Hanging from the ceiling were various numbers of dried herbs, and numerous boxes seemed to be stacked together haphazardly. On the ground, was a surprisingly well kept magic circle.

The next thing she might have noticed, was a small kid who couldn't have been more than five or six years old standing against the wall, arms holding it protectively as they looked at Luna with sheer terror. A book had been dropped on the floor on the ground not far away from them.

"Wah! Demon!"

As fast as their legs could carry them, they ran up some stairs likely leading out of wherever Luna was.

"Uggh. It's so dark down here, a bit musty too." Luna said as she brought a finger up and whispered, "Lux." She found it easier to cast spells if she vocalized what she wanted. At her words, a small light appeared at her fingertip, illuminating the room a bit more. She didn't want to really mess anything up, even if she was called a demon.

The Knightess made her way up towards where the person ran, and followed the same route, hoping to catch up. . . "I hope this doesn't get much worse." The girl sighed as she reached the top of the steps and extinguished her light.

"B-but there was a demon down there! Honest!"

"And I'm telling you you're exaggerating." The second voice sounded much older, and definitely male. When Luna opened the door at the top of the stairs, she would be greeted by much less musty smelling air. Light illuminated the interior, making it quite visible she was in a shop of some sorts. Glass jars filled with various liquids and other...things, lined the shelves. Parts of various animals seemed to hang on the walls as well, with more dried plants hanging from the ceiling. An aged man was sitting in a chair behind the counter, the child from earlier hiding protectively behind him, glaring at Luna.

"See? Not a demon." The man continued with a grunt. "...she might have been sent by a demon though. That witch Livia send you?"

"Witch?" Luna started to question but shook her head, moving onto business. "Yes, Liv-- The Headmistress sent me to look for a friend of hers, or something of the sort." The Knightess looked at the child glare at her and gave a bit of a smile. "Sorry if I've scared you."

"Friend?" The older man echoed, rubbing his chin seeming to think for a bit. The kid, though, seemed to simply look at Luna with a look of suspicion, though they weren't hiding behind the older man any more and rather comically pointed at Luna.

"Humans don't pop out of nowhere! Demon!"

"Charlotte, that's enough." The man replied, giving the kid, apparently named Charlotte a small whack on the head. "If it's her old 'friend' you're visiting, you're gonna be wanting to head southeast. There's a stable at the end of the road here...you'll probably be able to get a horse there. It's a bit of a way's away."

Charlotte seemed to still stare up at Luna with suspicion, but said nothing else.

"Hrm...Charlotte here can show you there." At this, Charlotte shot a look of betrayal over to the old man. "You've done nothing but laze about for a week. Make yourself useful, brat." He shrugged rather nonchalantly, not even hearing any protests she might have had. "If that's all, then get out of my shop. I don't entertain window shoppers."

Luna started to say something, but decided against it. Something about rudeness is unbecoming a shopkeeper . . . Regardless, she looked at Charlotte, "I would appriciate if you showed me where the stable is, Charlotte."

"...okaaay." Charlotte replied rather enthusiastically, taking a few hesitant steps towards Luna, seeming somewhat more curious now for whatever reason though. She walked past the old man and headed to the front of the store, holding the door open for Luna.

"Be back by nightfall, ya hear brat?"

Stepping outside, Luna was greeted with a cool, crisp morning air. The village was as one might expect. There were quite a few houses lining likely the major street in it. The shop Luna had just stepped out of had a sign hanging above it, though the letters were too faded to read clearly. Charlotte stood in front of the door and looked at Luna, cocking her head quizzically.

"So your not a demon, huh?" She asked, still not really seeming to believe. "B-but I read books! Saying that demons show up out of nowhere and kidnap children like me! If you're not here to kidnap me, then what are you here for?"

Luna giggled slightly at Charlotte, [color]"I'm definitely not a demon. A friend of mine is much more a demon than I will ever be."[/color] Of course, she didn't need to mention she literally meant her friend was a demon. "It was just magic, well a magic scroll. I can show you." Luna said as she stuck her right-hand index finger up.

"Lux." With the word, a small ball of light popped into existence at the tip of her finger and she played around with it for a little bit showing there was no trick to it other than actual magic.

At the display of magic, Charlotte's eyes went wide. She had never actually seen a display of it before, despite having read quite a number of books on the subject already. She hopped closer to Luna, staring up at the knight with a clear look of admiration.

"T-that was real! I could tell!" She rather loudly replied, obviously impressed. "You're a mage, lady?"

"I prefer Magic Knight myself, but it's not untrue." Luna said with a small giggle at how excited this girl was about magic. To be fair, Luna was like that at one point when she figured out she had the ability for magic. "I'm a student at St. Sappho Academy and the Headmistress sent me out to deliver a message to her friend. It's a bit odd to be sending a student away from their studies, but I'm fine with it."

"That's so cool!" Charlotte replied, even more impressed. Magic Knight? Like a knight that could use both magic and a sword? "Awww, whenever I use magic it just blows up in my face." She continued, pouting a bit. "B-but that's fine! I'm learning alchemy. The uhm, potion making kind. I'm good at that!" Any hesitation Charlotte might have had about Luna seemed to have been completely gone now.

"A-ah! Right the stables, uhm, they're this way." Charlotte said, walking off down the muddy street. It looked like it had recently rained. "I know this town better than anyone else! You won't get...lost...uhm. Actually, its this way, heh~" She turned, starting to walk down the other way.

"You know the town better than anyone else, do you?" Luna smiled. She just hoped the girl didn't lead her to the part of town that was dangerous and filled with thugs. Not every town had one of those, but it wasn't exactly uncommon. "Very well, I'll trust you then, Charlotte."

"Yeah, I've lived here my whole life! That's uhm...Seven years!" She replied, seemingly proud that she was seven years old. "I know where I'm going."

The trek didn't take too long, and with Charlotte leading the way the reached their destination with few detours and interruptions. The stables were clean, and well kept and the horses looked fairly well taken care of. As soon as they walked up, they were greeted brightly by a woman with dark hair, wearing some fairly messy clothes, indicating she had probably been outside working awhile. A man dressed in a fairly similar manner was filling the horses troughs with food.

"Well hello there." She replied with a smile. "Here to pester the horses some more, Charlotte?"

"N-no!" She quickly replied. "Lady here wants to get a horse." The woman looked over to Luna, seeming to be somewhat surprised.

"Well fancy that. Not every day we get a traveler around here...got a weird one passing through a couple of days ago, but a proper respectable looking knight is a rarity. Need a horse then? Well, what ya looking for?"

"Thank you for bringing me here Charlotte." Luna said before turning back to the woman at the stables. "And yes, I needed a horse to head somewhere southeast of here. I don't think it should take but a few days at worst."

Charlotte simply smiled at Luna.

"Well, our horses can take you there." The woman replied. "If ya want to buy one, they're not expensive...but you look like an honest sort. I'll let ya rent one if ya bring 'em back in once piece. The horses don't get to run out so much, makes 'em happy to get to run every now and then."

"That would be much appriciated. I don't think I could keep a horse easily back at the Academy." Luna joked a bit with herself. "The Lightsword house is grateful." Luna said as she reached into her coinpurse. Rent still meant pay, but it would significantly cheaper. "How much do I owe you, fair miss?"

"Well someone is good at flattery." The woman joked. "For you, I'll let you have one pretty cheap." The woman counted out the amount of money Luna owed her. It was definitely much cheaper than buying one would have been. After a brief, somewhat heated sounding discussion The man who had been feeding the horses brought one over, already saddling it and handing the reigns to Luna. "Just make sure you bring her back in two or three days, ya hear?"

"I'll bring her back before you know it." Luna smiled after handing the money over. She mounted the saddle and looked back at Charlotte. "Since I need to return the horse be sure to see me when I come back."

"A-ah wait!" Charlotte ran after the knight, almost tripping over herself in the process. "Let me come with you!" The small girl pleaded with the knight, eagerly looking up at the knight. "Pleeeease?"

"The man at the shop told you to be back by nightfall. By time I get back it'll have been nightfall and again." Luna said, looking at the child.

Charlotte had expected such an answer, and she already had something prepared to counter that offer.

"I-I have valuable information about this 'friend' of the witch ladies! If you don't take me with you, you won't know about it!" She gave Luna a determined look, likely she wasn't going to take no for an answer so easily on this matter. "Besides, uh, I can handle myself! He'll be fine with it, promise!" Chances were, that was likely untrue by all means of the word. "S-so please big sis, lemme come with you!"

Luna looked at the child and could tell the willpower behind them that children so often had. Surely it would be much easier just to allow her to come. "And what information would that be? Their favorite food? I cannot in good faith as of now have you come with me, especially when I heard your caretaker tell you to be back by nightfall." Of course, she knew reason was nothing to fight a child with.

Charlotte looked like she was almost about to cry. She pouted...and then jumped and latched onto Luna's leg, holding it surprisingly tightly for a kid her size.

"Pleeeease lemme come with you! I can help, and I'll be good! promise! I don't wanna go back to that stinky old mans place! He's just gonna make me work." She was looking up at Luna with tearful eyes. Whether she was actually sad or just trying to use this to get a reaction out of Luna was impossible to tell clearly. "A-and It's important! I'll only tell you if you take me with you!"

Luna sighed, this child didn't seem to want to stay in town. She understood but still . . . She wasn't going to make any progress at this rate and couldn’t help but sigh as she came to an understanding of what she needed to do. ”Fine. I’ll allow it. However, I must set some rules. The first is that you stay safe. Second, you hold onto me tightly as we ride. We don’t need you to fall off. The third, no complaining about us going fast.” She’d much rather go by herself, but with this girl as she was, there was little else she could do about it. And she wondered why children always got their way with parents.

As soon as Charlotte got the okay, she grinned brightly.

"Thanks big sis!~" Charlotte shouted brightly. The child took a few moments to clamber onto the horse, obviously being a bit too short and somewhat inexperienced with riding. With some determination and a few moments though, Charlotte managed to climb onto the horse and wrapped her hands tightly around Luna's waist.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!~"

"Alright, let's get going. I want to get there as soon as possible." Luna said as she started the horse off slowly, wanting to get a feel for it before really getting into riding.

---

The trip passed rather smoothly for the most part and Charlotte kept her promise, though when Luna first started to pick up the pace she nearly fell off. The trip had taken most of the day though, and thankfully they had run into few problems and the path there was over hills and plains making it for a smooth trip. Now with the sun setting, the pair was only a few minutes away from their destination. In the distance a small mountain stood, covered thick with trees. Very likely that was the mountain that Livia's friend was in.

However, at the foot of the mountain was what looked like to be ruins. Old, definitely. At least a few hundred years by the looks of it. Likely used to be a large city as well, if the size and span of the ruins were anything to go by. Charlotte, for the most part didn't seem to concerned with either of these things and was merely looking up at Luna with bright eyes, as if awaiting instruction or something to do.

"This is the place I'll assume." Luna said as she looked the area over. Nothing out of the ordinary other than the ruins. "Stay close, Charlotte. I'll give us light. Lux." She created a light at her fingertip again and started moving forward carefully. Just in case.

"I think it is. That witch lady came by a lot last year. I overheard her talking a lot with old man Rald." Charlotte replied, still holding on tightly to Luna's waist. "Said something...something about this used to being a...well off town before it was destroyed in the crusades." Charlotte twisted her head towards the ruins, a small shiver running down her spine. "Said it was burned...and there weren't any survivors..." Charlotte's head turned towards the ground. The place was obviously creeping the small girl out a little. The fact the sun was setting and the sun was casting long shadows made it natural to assume this place might be a bit unsettling at night.

"U-uhm! Anyways. A-about the thing. I overheard with lady and Rald talking about her friend. Said she gets really cranky when she's woken up! She said, she said, last time it happened she almost blew a hole in the side of that mountain." Charlotte had turned and looked up at Luna again, giving her a serious look. "I-if you're going there, be careful! Big sis getting hurt would be bad!"

"It's fine, Charlotte. I'm a Magic Knight. I'll protect you and myself." Luna said, though she needed to quickly tack that last part on. She wasn't all to sure what they would see as they continued on into the ruins. Still, one part did worry her. Did Charlotte just say that Livia's friend blasted a hole into the side of a mountain. "Besides, if she's a friend of the headmistress, she can't be all too bad of a person." To be honest though, Luna wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Charlotte or herself.

The light from Luna's spell eventually illuminated something that seemed very recent in one of the more intact ruined buildings, and very much like whoever was there had only left moments ago. A fire pit that looked recently used, plus a few empty backpacks. All of it was evidence that someone had very recently had come through here, and could perhaps still be nearby. Charlotte peered at the makeshift campsite, still holding tightly to Luna.

"U-uhm...L-luna?" Charlotte questioned somewhat nervously. There was no telling that this was the camp of some bad person of course, but Charlotte was a bit of a pessimistic child sometimes.

Luna looked over the site. It definitely meant someone was here. They could be archeologists or Treasure Hunters of some sort. If this place had any valuables left, they might not for long. If so, Luna wouldn't mess with them. Otherwise they could be some sort of bandit camp, but it didn't seem as likely. Many of the ones she had helped raid were a bit more reinforced. "I doubt those belong to the Headmistress' friend, so I think we should just move on and not disturb it." Despite her words, she drew her sword. Just in case.

"O-okay..." Charlotte said quietly. She wasn't moving from Luna's side anytime soon, nope. It was getting late and by the time they reached the cave where this 'friend' lived, it was very likely going to be night time. At least it was a clear night with no clouds in the sky, but the ruins were getting even creepier and the small child wanted to get out of there pretty quickly.

Eventually, the pair would leave the ruins. The mountain was a short walk away, an old worn path leading them directly to it and the cave entrance. It was large, much larger than what most caverns formed by natural means would be. In fact, it looked decidedly man made - or at least men had worked on this cavern before to make it more accessible. When they arrived, Charlotte peered into the cave from behind Luna.

"...the friend lives in there? Why would they live in a cave? It seems...spooky."

"She could be a hermit. I've heard stories about people like that. Though, the ones like that tend to be cool-tempered monks that let go of all worldly possessions and in no way blow a hole in a mountain because they were awoke." Luna mused to herself. Still, now was no time to worry too much. Luckily, there was a small post to the side she could tie the horse to after her and the girl dismounted. The cave is no place for a horse. We'll have to leave her behind for now. Come with me, Charlotte. We'll deliver the letter and then set up a camp for the night."

As the pair of girls approached, a brown haired woman in her thirties was walking out, a loud jingling sound coming from her person, although it was clear she was trying to walk slowly. Seeing two others there, the woman seemed stunned, reaching into the leather jacket she was wearing as if searching for something.

Charlotte, immediately hid behind Luna as the older woman approached.

"...is this the hermit? She looks like a scary old witch hag." She may have been pessimistic, but at least she could snark a demon to death probably.

Luna held an arm out, wanting Charlotte to be silent if she were to be insulting someone like. "Identify yourself, are you an acquaintance of Livia Fiore?" She had to ask. The backpacks probably belonged to her. . . And whatever group she was with.

The woman responded with surprising speed. "I am a ... reasearcher! Yes, I've been studying the resident here, truly a facinating beast! Although I do not know of who you speak of, unfortuantly" The woman approached Luna, as if extremely confident in herself. "My name is Minerva. But now you must tell me of youself - would be a shame if I didn't get to know you better, wouldn't it?" A wink was tossed into the conversation.

Charlotte didn't seem to take Luna's warning seriously, and glared at this Minerva person.

"You're really suspicious old lady."

As much as Luna would like to disagree. . . "My name is Lunalel Lightsword. . . Minerva, what do you mean by 'a facinating beast'? I was told a friend of a friend was suppose to be here."

The woman blinked a few times, taken off guard by the young girl's accusations and the older one's utter lack of knowledge. "... The Dragon ...?" The 'researcher' suddenly started wondering what exactly was going on here.

Charlotte's eyes went wide. A dragon? Here? Did she hear the woman right? That was...so cool! She wanted to see a dragon ever since her parents told her stories of one! She looked to the cave entrance, contemplating making a run for it inside the cave, but she had promised Luna she would behave...

"A dragon?" Luna questioned back. At first, she was confused. That seemed like it would have been pertinent information to have. Though, Livia seemed to be a person to laugh at other's misfortune when she was in a good mood. In fact, she laughed specially at Luna's dragon comment earlier. "I have a feeling." Luna said with a sigh. "Can you take us to the dragon?" The Knightess asked Minerva.

The woman seemed a little nervous about this, but shook her head for now. "The dragon just fell back asleep after the talk I had with her ... I advise you stay away for now as well ..." This advice seemed honest at least. To Minerva, the idea of trying to talk to a dragon was simply suicidal, no matter one's intent.

"If she is who I think she is, then I will need to talk to her anyhow. She can't probably be too asleep." Luna said as she looked Minerva. "If you won't guide me, then we'll go in ourselves." She motioned for Charlotte to follow her.

Charlotte followed after Luna, glancing back at Minerva.

"Bye suspicious old hag lady!~"

The lady waved them goodbye and walked off. "Be safe!"

The cavern was large, large enough for even a fully grown dragon to move comfortably in. If it wasn't for Luna's light spell, it would have been fairly dark as well. Thankfully though it seemed like there were no splitting paths, and it was a fairly quick straight walk to wherever the dragon was sleeping. The smooth stone of the cavern seemed almost as if it was almost carved by human hands for some reason or another. After a few minutes of walking, the duo finally seemed to reach the central cavern, quiet clanking of metal under their feet perhaps indicating they were walking on something other than stone.

The place was massive. It was at least four stories to the ceiling, and a small crack in the stone let moonlight filter through. Surprisingly it was lit quite well by seemingly recently lamps hanging on the cavern wall, likely more recent additions. Against the back wall, one could even see what...looked like stone slabs with writing carved into it. Words were difficult to make out from the entrance, but from the number ceremonial items, flowers, and a few other things laid over it seemed perhaps it was a grave of some sorts. Towards another wall, was another passage leading deeper into the cavern.

The most eye drawing thing though, was the massive creature sleeping in the center of the room. It was a dragon, or at least looked to be one. It was large, at least the size of a house, likely almost two stories tall if it was at full height. Oddly enough, however, it seemed it did not have scales. Its was covered in a tough, white hide that in a few places had painful looking burns on it. Two large, intimidating horns curved backwards along its head, one broken. Two more jutted out vertically. Its wings were tucked against its side, small holes being torn near the edges of them, the thin membranes seemed to be tattered somewhat. Its tail was curled around its body, in an almost protective fashion. It was sleeping on what looked to be a large stone slab, a pile of valuable items and other trinkets surrounding the creature, and its breathing seemed to be ragged and short.

Charlotte simply stared at it, wide eyed.

Luna wasn't too sure how to go about waking a dragon. Yelling at it to wake up? Poking at it? Well, if this one blew a hole in the mountain because it woke up, Luna decided caution might be good here. She used her magic to create a barrier of light in front of her and Charlotte, beckoning the small girl behind her. Oddly, the bigger spell was easier to use than it's smaller version. "Dragon! Headmistress Livia Fiore sends me here to bring you a message.

Charlotte did as she was told, and hid behind Luna's legs. She couldn't resist peeking though.

Luna's shouting seemed to have its intended effect as well. The dragon growled, placing a claw over its head as if annoyed that it had been woken. It cracked one of its eyes open, red eye glaring at the one that had woken it, seeming to study Luna and the small child for a second before muttering something to herself and closing its eye again.

After a few seconds the dragon rose from where it lay, rising to a sitting position as it glared down at the human.

"You...!" Its voice was loud and overbearing, but seemed somewhat strained. "You...trespass on the graves of those long gone. What business do you dare have here?" It seemed perhaps that the dragon perhaps didn't entirely hear Luna's complete introduction. "Art thou grave robbers? I will not let you defile this tomb with your thieving kind!" It swiveled its head around the room, as if inspecting it as it waited for Luna to reply.

"I am no grave robber. I am Lunalel Lightsword, daughter of the Lord Lightsword. I've come here to deliver a letter to you from the Headmistress of St. Sappho Academy, Livia Fiore." Luna repeated herself, hoping the dragon would listen to her. She'd hate for it to think she was a grave robber. As a show of faith and to keep her reserve of magic high, she lowered her shield for now. "I will only both you so long as to deliver this letter and have your reply."

It turned to look at her, its long neck curving slightly, gazing at Luna as if judging the validity of those words. For a few moments, it seemed as if the dragon believed her. Its claws took a step forward, grazing some of the numerous trinkets on the ground and knocking a golden chalice off of the pile and causing it to fall to the floor below. The dragon turned its head to the piece, before gently picking it up with a claw.

...and then crushing it. It turned its head swiftly to Luna and Charlotte, its maw turning into a terrifying frown, revealing a row of incredibly sharp teeth that could likely cut trough even steel. It hissed loudly, slamming its claw and the fake piece of treasure onto the ground causing the entire cavern to shake slightly from the force.

"Lies! Thieves! You are nothing but a Liar and a Thief!" The voice was loud, and the dragon was very clearly angry. "Return it! Return what you stole immediately! I won't let you defile this place of rest!"

The dragons maw opened, and Luna would only have a few seconds to react as electricity arced around the dragon, a powerful blast of electricity shooting from its maw right towards Luna.

"Damnit!" Luna yelled out of suprise, she threw her shield back up as quickly as she could. It blocked all but the first bit of the lightning breath, which struck her breastplate, and mostly disappated, but still shocked her a little bit. "Gaah!" She screamed mostly from shock. "Charlotte," Luna said after her voiced pain, "Run back towards the horse. I've never fought a creature I couldn't best with a little though, I'll be fine." She said, as if trying to ease the girl's thoughts.

She pushed the girl gently towards the passageway right behind them as she lowered her shield wall and pulled her sword out. Luck was on her side, as the dragon seemed to have lost most of it's natural armor. "I'll tell you, I'm not thief! You're Livia's friend are you not?! I was sent to deliver a message to you and that is all! I swear it on the name of Lightsword!"

Charlotte, was absolutely terrified. No way in hell was she staying around here where the dragon was. She may have liked exploring, but conflict? Nope, she was 100% coward. By the time Luna had told her to head back to the horse, she had already noped out of there and was ten feet away back in the cave entrance. She was worried about Luna, certainly, but...she wasn't strong. She couldn't use magic or a sword. She'd only get in the way.

The dragon didn't seem to hear anything. Luna was saying.

"No...You lie! Livia...would have come herself..." The dragon shook its head, clutching it with a claw as if it was in pain. "S-she wouldn't...leave...me alone..." The dragon slammed its claw back into the ground, opening its maw with a thunderous roar that seemed to cause the very heavens to boom with thunder and crackle with lightning. Her wings flourished back greatly, spanning almost the entire cave. "You will die by the Radiant King of the Heavens, thief!"

The dragon leaped forwards, swiping its powerful claws towards Luna. In such a space, there wasn't much room for the dragon to move freely, but despite its injuries it still seemed incredibly agile.

If nothing else, Luna got her confirmation that this indeed was the individual she was looking for. "I'm sure she would normally, but she's got this mentally traumatized girl she needs to take care of." Luna said as she dodged into the dragon's swipe and took a swing at it's hide from the side. It might not cut very well with a simple longsword, but it should do something. She was glad she wasn't wearing heavy armor for this. "If I must subdue you, I shall, Dragon!"

Whatever Luna was saying, the dragon didn't hear. The blade cut shallowly into the dragons flesh, red blood oozing out of the wound. It may not have had scales any more, but its hide was still thick, tough, and incredibly difficult to cut cleanly. Unfortunately for Luna, The dragon didn't seem to even notice the injury. The dragon moved swiftly to the side, putting some small distance between it and the human, giving her only moments to react as it turned to face Luna. It's jaws opened, teeth aimed to swallow Luna whole. Should she dodge, the followed it up with a quick bash with the side of her head.

Luna brought up her Light Aegis in time to stop the dragon for a little bit. Either she'd hate to damage it enough, or go around. It gave her time to summon up one of her few offensive spells. "O' Noble Light, join my hand and together we may smite evil!" The Knightess said as a huge blade of light appeared above her head. "Bright Blade!" As she said that, the handle looking part of the blade touched her hand. She lowered her Aegis and took a spin with her lightblade, slamming the magic weapon into the side of the dragon's head toward the nearest wall. Taking the small bit of time the dragon would took staggered from the blow, she used the last bit of time of her blade to deliver an overhead hit to the dragon's face. Sadly, the blade could not hold out much longer due to Luna's skill (or lack thereof). Now she really needed the dragon to yield.

Sorcha's head hit the wall, the force of it causing the entire room to shudder slightly. The next thing, she knew was pain, but that was something she had grown used too. It was nothing compared to the horrible sensation of being burned alive, day after day, months and years. The blade struck her head, the wound causing a steady stream of blood to ooze out of the wound and drip down her muzzle. The dragon recoiled backwards, roaring in obvious discomfort as it flailed, striking at everything around it with its claws as it put distance between it and the human.

It didn't seem that it was enough to make the dragon submit, but it was definitely hurting.

"H-human...You..." It stumbled, shaking its head weakly. "Will return it...please, I beg of you..." If she was fighting a noble warrior such as this, then she had to remember her place as one. "I can't let you take it...it was theirs..." Electricity danced across the dragons body coalescing at her claws, and she slammed it to the ground. A blast of electricity raced across the floor, straight towards Luna, and with each swipe another followed.

"I have some gold-- Damnit." Luna didn't even finish her sentence as she rushed away from the electrical shockwaves on the ground. "I have gold, but it's the gold I brought myself! Not yours!" Luna said as she raced across the area. The bad thing about footing in here, was that there was a lot of places one could misstep and take a spill. That very thing happened to Luna as she stumbled on something and fell forward, skidding a little bit, just as the dragon sent off it's last bit of electrictiy.

Her right foot was further back than her left, and was in the pathway of the electricity. To put it simply, it hurt like hell. Luna screamed from the pain and odd feeling in her leg. After a few seconds of pain, she pulled herself forward. She hadn't expected that. At least she knew what it felt like to be shocked by lightning. That numb-feeling like when you lay on your arm too long, just without being able to move it. "Nononononono." Luna said, fearfully. She rushed and to use her healing magic on her leg, hoping to restore feeling. Even if she tried to run, her leg would drag limply behind her. "F-f-first ai-aid." It seemed the shock even messed with the rest if her body a little too. She only hoped she could restore feeling before the dragon did something horrid.

Luna had just enough time to briefly heal before the dragon moved towards the Knight, quickly closing the distance that had been created earlier. It raised its claw, and slammed it onto Luna. Thankfully for the Knight, it seemed as though the hit was incredibly weak, likely weakened by both fatigue and the earlier wound. It followed with a second strike. Three times. Four times. Each hit was weaker than the one before, but it was a devastating move. Upon the fifth strike, the dragon roared and dragged its claw across the ground, slamming it into Luna. It was clear the dragon was losing its strength, and couldn't fight much longer in its current state.

The damage was intense. Never before had she been hit by a creature hitting this hard. It likely wasn't at full strength either, since Luna wasn't completely crushed by the end of slamming into a wall. She probably had some internal injuries and her armor was crushed. . . She'd need to visit a blacksmith to fix this. Still, she could feel her foot again. . . A little, but enough to move. Then she felt something drip down her face. Blood. Not wanting to take a chance, she healed her head lightly. The dizziness was gone at least now and she turned to the dragon again. Hopefully, all she needed was one last shot. She picked up something from the ground nearby and threw it at the dragon, hoping it would goad the giant creature into charging again. If not, she might just have to charge at it.

The thrown object slammed right into the dragons head, impacting it right on the wound Luna had given her not moments before. The dragon roared in pain, clutching its head, dizziness overcoming the creature as its already weakened vitality caught up with it. It had to finish this quickly. It didn't have much time left. It swayed, shaking off the pain it was feeling and after a few seconds finally managed to fix Luna with a glare.

With a roar, it lunged towards the human, claws reached out to prevent any escape from the charge.

She didn't have the time or energy to use her Bright Blade again. She lost her sword when she took the last hit, so the only thing she could think to do was to charge into the dragon's rush with her more easily made Light Aegis. If nothing else, it looked like the dragon was about to keel over too. With whatever power she had, she charged into the dragon with an oversized shield of light, yelling out a warcry as the two moved closer and closer and eventually collided. The impact sent Luna backwards, though the shield helped her from taking a full impact with the wall.

The dragon slammed into the shield of light, the force stopping its lunge right in its tracks. It fell to the ground, weakened legs struggling to support itself, hissing weakly as it tried to crawl its way towards Luna. Before it could take more than two steps though, its legs gave out and it fell to the ground with a thud, unable to move a single muscle in its weakened body. Its breathing was ragged and shallow, wheezing painfully as it tried to regain its strength.

"Are you going to calm down now?" Luna had to ask, struggling to keep concious. She used the last of her magic power to heal some of her more serious wounds. . . Not that they'd fully heal, but it would be better than before. "I still need to give you this letter."

Seeing the battle was mostly over with, Charlotte came running out of the hallway, and slammed onto Luna's leg hugging it tightly. She looked up at the knight, eyes bright with both worry and excitement.

"That was awesome!" The child exclaimed. "Y-you defeated that mean old dragon!"

The dragon took a moment to answer, its wheezing breaths indicating that it was probably not in the best of shapes.

"I...Forgive me, human..." It finally replied, voice strained with obvious exertion. "It...seems in my sickened state I caused you trouble." The scaleless dragon pulled its head from its resting place, using what energy it could to angle it so she could look at Luna. "And...you'll have to forgive me once again...I fear that even if I were to read it I would be of no help to Livia in my current state." The dragon heaved, coughing before it could finish its thought. "This...curse of mine has done its job quite well...I am in no condition to travel, let alone be playing scary dragon fighting a gallant knight." She laughed weakly at that statement.

"I have no idea what's in the letter. Read it. . ." Luna said as she pulled out the letter and handed it to Charlotte. "My legs do not want to move, if you could be a dear, Charlotte, I'd appriciate it if you took the letter over there. It shouldn't attack." Luna said as she practically pushed the letter onto the child. "I might just go take a nap here." Luna said as she set her head down and closed her eyes.

Charlotte looked up at Luna, then to the dragon.

"B-but..." Charlotte looked back up at Luna, deciding if she was brave enough to approach the dragon. She didn't get much time to protest, however. Luna looked exhausted, that was something even the child could understand. So Charlotte took the letter, and hesitantly approached the dragon.

"...Did I scare you child?" The dragon asked weakly as Charlotte's hesitant steps carried her in front of the dragon. "Haha...Apologies. If you could, hold the letter for me?" The small girl quickly opened the letter, holding it at arms length away from the dragon. For a few minutes, the dragon read it in silence. It was difficult to read such a small piece of paper as a large creature, but she was used to it. Not something she couldn't do. After a few minutes, she hummed, looking over to the unconscious Knight.

"...she wants me to come to Sappho, then." She mused to herself. Using her remaining strength she pushed herself up to a more comfortable resting position. "...child. In that cave...there is a bed...I cannot do much in my state...but use that bed to rest if you wish. It is night and travel is dangerous."

Charlotte immediately jumped back over to Luna, however. The dragon simply closed its eyes with a tired sigh, likely exhausted. It placed its head on her claws, and was soon asleep. The human was likely fine, and she needed some much needed rest after that exertion.

---

~Day Eleven, Sorcha's Cave~

The next morning came swiftly enough. Charlotte, for the most part had stayed next to Luna most of the night. It was fairly obvious the child was concerned for Luna and didn't want to leave her side so much. However, the child's curiosity got the best of her, and by the time morning came she had walked over to the sleeping dragon, and started climbing on her. The dragon had taken to sleeping where she had fallen as well, unable to force her body to move any more than she already had. Thankfully though, by the next morning Luna wouldn't have to deal with the possibility of waking her again. A loud roar like yawn echoed through the cave as the dragon woke, the previous nights exhaustion still affecting the dragon. The wound Luna had given her head had stopped bleeding for the most part, but it would likely be awhile before it completely healed.

This caused Charlotte to slip, falling off the dragon and landing on the ground below. Charlotte simply attempted to scramble away as the dragon woke making more than a little noise herself in the process. The dragon easily heard the commotion, turning her head to the sound. She seemed to smile softly at Charlotte before speaking.

"No need to be frightened, my child." It spoke, voice warm and somewhat motherly, though it was still strained and tired. "I haven't eaten a human in a long time." Charlotte simply paled at that statement, and scrambled back over to Luna.

"B-big siiiis dragon lady says she's gonna eat meeee..." She started gently shaking Luna.

"I said nor implied no such thing." She huffed. "I simply said I haven't eaten one in a long time...though I am admittedly somewhat hungry..."

"Big sis I don't wanna be dragon fooood..."

It was probably clear the dragon was pestering Charlotte on purpose.

"What. . .?" Luna muttered as she woke up from Charlotte nudging her. "Don't eat each other, have a maid make you breakfast." She was obviously out of it, but she wouldn't go back to sleep. In fact, she felt her head ache a bit. It was like she had been slammed against a wall. . . Actually, that did happen. She pushed herself up as she tried to think about what was happening. Then she saw the dragon and remembered everything. "Wish you could have went a little bit easy on me there." She joked a bit, knowing the dragon seemed weakened already. There was no way she could fight a full-strength dragon as she was.

The dragon lowered its head towards the ground, laughing lightly. Charlotte for the most part was hiding behind Luna again, though she didn't seem too put off by the dragon and was looking up at the creature with a mix of curiosity and some fear still.

"I should say the same to you, Knight." It was obvious she was speaking of the wound she had been given on her head. "Standing against and even injuring a dragon as weakened as I, is no easy feat." The dragon stopped laughing, shaking its head. In truth, she couldn't remember much of what happened the previous night. It was all a...haze, a series of events that didn't seem to make much sense to the dragon but she understood that she was in the wrong here and for that she should at least apologize.

"Allow me to once again express my apologies for my behavoir last night. I had no reason to assume you were the thief, quite the opposite in fact." She sighed, resting her head on the ground, seeming weary.

"So long you understand now. I have my doubts that I could fight you again." Luna said as she judged where some of her greatest pain was and used healing magic to ease the pain a bit. "Not that I wish to pry, but what was in that letter for you? Something important I hope." Well, even if it wasn't, she could say she's fought an actual dragon now.

The dragon lifted its head again, studying the human silently for a few quiet moments. She couldn't inform her of the full contents of the letter. That was a private matter between her and Livia. However, one thing she was certain of was that Livia wanted her at Sappho for some reason or another. That said, she was in no condition to travel and likely wouldn't be for some undetermined amount of time. She barely had enough energy to hunt some days.

"Straight to business I see...It was indeed, important. I thank you for bringing it." The dragon began, voice turning somewhat unsure. "But before that...perhaps it is a bit out of place for me to ask at the moment, but human, would you be willing to do be a favor? It is nothing difficult, I assure you and it requires no fighting big scary dragons at all." The dragon seemed rather amused at calling herself a 'big scary dragon' for some reason.

"If I can assist in my current state." Luna said, continuing to heal a bit. If nothing else, she wouldn't feel too much pain though she definitely would look into a real healer as soon as she returned to Sappho.

"But before that, I think we should share names. My name is Lunalel Lightsword, a pleasure if you ignore the trampling I suppose." She managed a smile. "And this is Charlotte." Luna said as she looked over to the young girl before turning her attention back to the dragon.

For now, Charlotte still seemed rather conflicted on actually getting near the dragon or not. The dragon didn't seem to mind much though, and instead simply smiled at the both of them.

"A pleasure indeed, Lunalel, Charlotte. And do not worry, My favor will not require you even leaving this grave." The dragon bowed its head with a chuckle, draping a tattered wing over her head as she did so, mimicking a bow a human might have done. "As for my introduction..." She had an image to keep, after all. She was a dragon - likely one of the oldest and most powerful ones. A simple introduction was not something she was about to give. Instead, the dragon raised itself to a sitting position, proudly looking down at Luna from her full height. Her wings rested against her sides, and despite her tired, tattered and weakened state the dragon suddenly gave off a regal air.

"I am The Radiant King of the Heavens." Her voice had turned to one that carried a hint of arrogance in it. The warm and friendly tone she had earlier was gone in almost an instant. "Knight...am I correct in assuming you do not have a familiar?"

"You would be correct in your assumption." Luna said, feeling better from treatment. She was still going to take it easy for the moment, but that was for good measure. "Why do you want to know?" Why would a dragon of all things be asking that question? It was a bit silly, but Luna was nothing if not ears for now.

"Then my favor and request is simple. Take me as your familiar." Her tone of voice indicated that perhaps this was less of a request then she was making it out to be. After all, this human would be foolish to turn down such an offer on all accounts. Aside from being a dragon, she was the Radiant King of the Heavens. If this girl knew anything about history at all her name should have at least come up once or twice...or at least, tales regarding her should have. Judging from her lack of reaction from her introduction though, she was likely not well versed in history.

"A dragon as a familiar? I can't say I imagined this day going like this." If it was even the same day though a quick look to the crack in the wall showed it was daylight out now. "If that is your request, then I believe it can help both of us then." Luna had been considering getting a familiar, but well, a Knight such as herself could not ask for a better one than a dragon. "Now then, how do we go about this?" Luna had hardly an idea how to make a creature into a familiar, and was hoping the dragon would.

"It is simple. I swear fealty to serve you, and you will promise to feed me whenever I wish to be fed." She would have had 'polish' her scales onto that, but in her current state she had very few of those to polish.

"...I bet you just like eating." Charlotte replied quietly. If it was possible for a dragon's face to turn red with embarrassment, the dragons would likely have been red as a tomato.

"T-that's not true at all, child. I am a dragon. I must eat quite a bit to maintain my impressive abilities." Charlotte narrowed her eyes at the dragon, obviously not buying it.

"Very well, I believe I can help feed you." Luna said as she looked at the dragon. "Though it must take a lot to keep your body moving." Luna said.

"Very well then." Despite the formality of her voice, the dragon seemed more than a little happy with the offer of being fed without having to work for it. She held a claw out towards, Luna, seeming to want her to take it.

"I, Sorcha Ó Maoilriain pledge to serve Lunalel Lightsword of the Lightsword house."

"I, Lunalel Lightsword of the Lightsword House, pledge to feed. . . Sorcha Ó Maoilriain whatever it is she desires." Luna said after standing and taking the dragon's claw.

As soon as the words had been spoken, there was an intense burst of electricity that came from the dragon, but Luna wouldn't find it to be harmful in any manner. Charlotte, deciding whatever this was she didn't want any part of, had already noped to a few yards away from Luna and the dragon. Seconds later, there was a bright flash of light. The process was incredibly short, lasting for more than a few seconds, but there was a key difference in the room that Luna would very much notice. The distinct lack of a dragon. Instead, standing where it had been moments before, was a rather well endowed woman.

Who was completely naked.

She was tall, standing at least almost six feet. Long blond hair fell to the womans back, her skin smooth and free of any blemishes. She looked distinctly...human, if it wasn't for the two horns poking out of her head, piercing red eyes and the same tattered wings the dragon had that extended from her back. A long, white flexible tail extended from her waist.

"Hm. It has been awhile since I took the form of a human." She commented, seeming to not take much notice of Luna for the moment. "As expected, it is much less tiring to be in this form already." She seemed to do a quick inspection of her body, giving Luna an accidental show in the process, but she didn't seem to care. After a few seconds she turned her head back to Luna, giving her a small somewhat impish smile.

"...so where's the food?~"

At first, Luna flinched from the electricity. She wasn't expecting it, but much less what was coming next. A naked and very pretty woman. . . Just, with horns, tail and a pair of wings. She was looking at her own body, and it was obvious that this was that dragon. Then she smiled at Luna and asked for food. "I-I umm, o-outside." Luna said while averting her attention slightly, peeking occasionally to make sure she wasn't just seeing things. "It's outside on the horse. Maybe find you some clothes too. It's not decent to be naked."

"Huh? Decency? But I'm a dragon, I don't normally wear clothes." She smiled, obviously amused at the suggestion, voice taking an obviously teasing tone as she continued. "Besides, You like what you see, don't you?~"

Luna wasn't all too sure what to say. She couldn't let this train of thought be kept. She ignored the teasing and went on to reply to the first part. "Dragon or not, you look human now and humans are suppose to cover up their vital parts. The Knightess said with a blush and almost whispered that no one else should see it but decided against it.

Sorcha had half a mind to continue with her teasing. It'd be funny at least. She hadn't had much amusement in the past few decades or so since she holed up here, and a shy little Knight was just the funniest thing to tease ever. Instead she offered a smile to Luna and a small chuckle.

"Oh alright, I'll go put something on. I have something I usually wear in the back. Shouldn't take me long to get dressed. I expect a feast when I get back though~" With that, she started walking back towards the section of on the opposite wall of the entrance. And with the dragon gone, Charlotte finally decided to return from where she had decided to nope away too.

"...What happened?" She looked up at Luna. Charlotte had some basic understanding of magic, but she didn't think a dragon would accept to be someone's familiar so..easily.

"I think I remember the Headmistress mention one time that making someone a familiar helps them heal or gain energy. She's probably making me a meal ticket too." Luna said, giving a small chuckle. "Well, I'll have to find a way to get her some food. Oh, and we need to get the horse back to town so those people at the stable don't think poorly of me." She put her thumb to her lip in thought, they needed to get back to town soon. It would probably be best to leave when her dragon partner got back.

"Eh? You made a dragon your familiar? You're really cool big sis!" Charlotte replied, once again latching onto Luna's leg and looking up at the knight with bright eyes. "Y-you're like one of them knights out of a book!"

Luna gave a little bit of an awkward smile and ruffled Charlotte's hair. "Well, I don't know about out of a book, but I am a Knight still." Well, one way or another all's well that ends well. "I think sometimes it will be hard to differentiate the master and the familiar with her though."

"You can do it, big sis!" Charlotte replied, giggled as her hair was ruffled. "If anyone can show that mean old dragon who's boss, it's you!"

"You know, talking about people like there not here is rather rude." Sorcha laughed softly as she walked up, having heard just the last bit of that conversation.

Surprisingly, it didn't take her long to get dressed, though her...'armor' was much less modest than Luna would have probably liked. It was colored in reds and golds, the entire thing looked to be made of only a few pieces of metal and cloth covering her chest and torso, but leaving a her midriff completely exposed. A belt holding a small cloth covering her left thigh was the only covering her upper legs had. On her arms, were gauntlets and a small single shoulder pad to protect her arms. On her legs she wore long metal boots, extending up to just below her thighs. In her hands, she gripped a rather impressive looking Glaive.

In all, the outfit was likely still considered less than modest and didn't leave much to the imagination.

"I hope this armor is to your liking, Luna. I do hope I can call you that, right? And don't worry, I'll be perfectly behaved, promise~"

That wasn't exactly what Luna had in mind, but it was better than the nothing she had on before. "It's. . . It's fine. That outfit will work for now." The important thing is that the dragon-woman was covered up though Luna couldn't help but sigh at the outfit. "And please, do call me Luna. We'll have to get back to St. Sappho to give you a feast, but I did bring some food. We'll eat something just to sustain ourselves once we get outside."

"Well then, let us get going, shall we? I feel like I haven't eaten anything in ages." Sorcha replied. "You'll have to lead the way though...I admittedly, have not been far out of this cave in some time so my knowledge of the surrounding lands is rather lacking."

"Very well." Luna said as she led the other two back outside to the horse. Luckily, the horse was still there and Luna reached into her supply bag she had attached to the saddle and pulled out some food and a flask of water. "It's not too much, but I only planned for one person. Hopefully, we all get to town by tonight or tomorrow morning." She handed out some bread and salted jerky to the traveling group.

The dragon followed the Knight out of the cave. As Luna went to inspect the horse, she took a deep breath of the morning air, turning her head to the sky. It felt...nice to be out after so long. She shook her head though, such fanciful thoughts were not something she should have at the moment. Instead, she turned back to her new knight friend as she was handed some salted jerky.

Well. Wasn't exactly a feast. Her eyes turned to the horse, mouth watering a bit before continuing.

"...hmm...can I eat the horse instead?"

"No." Luna said, almost sharply. "I need to return this to it's owners. As I said earlier, we can have a feast when we get back to St. Sappho. I know what I said in the oath, but I can do little to help that here. Trust me, I'd love a bit of mead right now. The sooner we get back, the sooner we eat well." Luna mounted the horse, but wondered if all three of them could fit on the beast of burden.

"Awww, you're no fun. Horse tastes delicious. I could more than pay for it~" Sorcha pouted somewhat, but didn't seem entirely intent on trying it. Instead, she took the jerky, devouring it in a number of seconds. It would do for now, at least, though she was far from satisfied. Oh well, not much she could do at the moment. That said, it looked like Luna was having trouble deciding what to do about their seating arrangements.

Charlotte, took hers without much complaint. It was better than nothing.

"Don't worry about me, Luna. You don't expect me of all people to ride one of those things, do you?" She said, sounding almost somewhat offended as her wings flapped behind her. She doubted the horse could safely carry her anyways...not that she was going to voice that little complaint. "So don't worry. I'll watch you from above." That said, she turned her head to Charlotte who seemed intent on avoiding her, or at least labeling her a big scary dragon. "Hmm...also, how about I show you something fun, Charlotte?"

"Fun?" The child simply looked at Sorcha incredulously.

"Flying, of course."

The Knightess gave a little bit of a laugh. "You just need to tell her no if you don't want to. Though I should hope our dragon friend here wouldn't think it fun to play a prank on a small child." Luna peeked at Sorcha to judge the dragon's reaction. Hopefully she just meant to show Charlotte what it was like to be in the air, but if it was a bit more than that it would probably be a bad idea.

Charlotte's eyes lit up with excitement at the mere thought of it. She bounced over to the dragon, not even listening to Luna.

"Can I? Can I?"

"Of course, My child." Charlotte immediately started jumping up and down, Sorcha gently picking the child up. Sorcha simply smiled at the child's excitement before turning back to Luna as Charlotte settled, clicking her tongue somewhat derisively at Luna's suggestion she might even think of playing a prank on Charlotte. "And no, I do not 'prank' small children. Only cute little knights like yourself."

"Right. . ." Luna said with a worried smile, worried for the near future. Well, if she could keep up with the horse, then they were fine. The Knightess started the horse moving figuring the others would keep up. She wanted to give Sorcha the feast she owed her now. . . Though she was a little worried about the hit her wallet would take at the time.

Sorcha simply seemed amused by Luna's uncertainty,

"Well then. Charlotte, do hold on. I shall be ascending rather quickly." Without much warning, the dragon gave a powerful flap of her wings, kicking up a gust of wind as she lifted off the ground. The next instant, her wings carried her upwards, almost completely vertically. Within seconds, she was already far above the earth. Luna would likely hear a somewhat panicked shout from Charlotte as they quickly ascended.

"S-slow down!" Charlotte shouted.

"Nonsense!~" Sorcha replied rather amused, though she did seem to slow her ascent somewhat. She had to remember that Charlotte was a squishy little human, after all. The child in question, had no choice but to hold tightly to the dragon, who was carrying her in one of her arms. Her eyes were tightly shut, somewhat scared of the sudden height. It had sounded like a much better idea in her head, now that she thought about it.

After gaining at least a few hundred feet, Sorcha leveled out and observed her surroundings. She smiled to herself. It had been a longtime since she had seen such a view...being in the sky again, was something she hadn't thought she'd do for a long time yet.

"You can't see anything if you keep your eyes closed, child." Sorcha said, hovering in place, wings beating slowly in a rhythmic manner to keep them afloat. Slowly, Charlotte opened one, and immediately was awestruck by the view. The sun was still starting its ascent into the sky, sitting just above the horizon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Sorcha said with a smile. "I might be a big scary dragon, but this is probably my favorite thing in the world." She laughed softly at that, shaking her head. "Anyways! I've gotta stretch these wings of mine. Hope you don't mind a few aerial acrobatics! Hold tight, now."

"Acro...batics?" Charlotte questioned, somewhat concerned. Sorcha simply smiled...before sharply diving towards the ground earning a sharp squeal form Charlotte.

Luna took a look at the duo in the sky and noticed that they were driving back down to earth and it almost looked like they were going to smash into the ground, though she was pretty sure the dragon cared enough for her own life. Still, "Take it easy now, Sorcha!” She yelled, unsure if the dragon could hear her at all.

The dragon definitely had heard Luna. She leveled out just above the ground, and if she wanted she could likely reach out a hand and touch the ground. The dragon matched pace with Luna, giving her a friendly smile, Charlotte looking both excited, and like she was about to puke.

"Don't worry, just stretching." She said to Luna. "Let us get moving, shall we?" With another powerful flap of her wings, the dragon sped ahead of Luna.

The trek back to the village was much like the journey there, save for Sorcha practicing her acrobatics all the way there. Charlotte of course, got used to the speed and antics quite quickly. Luna didn't seem to have too much protests, and it wasn't like she was going to hurt the kid either.

By the time the village appeared in the distance, it was sunset and it looked like most people were heading in for the night. Sorcha being able to see it quite a bit of a distance away, slowed her pace and descending. She landed just on the village outskirts and waited for Luna to waltz up on her horse. She let Charlotte down, who wobbled slightly as she readjusted to the ground.

"T-that was amazing, you're not so bad at all lady!" Charlotte said looking up at the dragon with a bright grin.

"Haha, thank you child." Sorcha replied, though she seemed somewhat tired. She perhaps overdid it just a bit with the showing off. She may be using much less energy now that she was a familiar, but she still didn't exactly have a whole lot to spend in the first place. She didn't let it bother her though, or show that much, though Luna might be able to tell she wasn't feeling very well at the moment. "So this is where you live?"

"Y-yeah. With old man Rald. Its not really a fun place though." Charlotte replied.

"Truly? Seems like a quaint little place." In truth, it brought back some rather unpleasant and pleasant memories...she shook her head. More importantly...she was hungry.

Her stomach growled loudly to emphasize that point, but she seemed to ignore it.

"I wonder if there's some food around here I can get my claws on before Luna gets here..."

"Sorry to tell you, you won't have time" Luna said bringing her and her mount up to the dragon. "I need to turn the horse in really quick, so go ahead and go to the old man's place. I should be right there." She took the horse and went to the stable to turn the horse in.

"Tsk. I can eat a horse in a minute, you know." Sorcha replied with a small smile. "Plenty of time to eat! but fine. I shall return this little human home."

"Aw...do we have too?" Charlotte looked at the ground, sounding very much like she didn't wish to return. "I don't wanna. Rald will just lecture me...again." Sorcha looked down at Charlotte, giving her a somewhat curious look.

"Lecture?" Sorcha inquired.

"...I kinda left...without saying anything." Sorcha looked down at Charlotte, raising an eyebrow. She had left without saying anything? Sorcha assumed this tiny human at least had permission to be out here with Luna. Otherwise, what in the name of the Allfather was she thinking? That said, she had no idea who this Rald person actually was so perhaps she shouldn't butt in...Well, either way they would have to return to this shop apparently, so she might as well head there.

"Hm...I will reserve my own judgement for when we arrive, but running off without letting your guardian know where you are heading isn't the brightest of ideas, Charlotte."

The walk to the old store was a short one with Charlotte leading the way. She got more than a few looks from some of the villagers, of which stopped in their tracks. The dragon of course, seemed to rather enjoy the attention. It was likely they hadn't seen a dragon in quite some time, let alone one of her regal stature.

Ah, it felt good being out and about again.

Sorcha entered the small shop, Charlotte hiding behind her.

"Hmm...so this is the place, hmm?" She said aloud, looking around the place. It certainly smelled...interesting. She placed a hand over her nose.

"...you're that dragon? That friend of that witch, aren't you?" Sorcha turned her head to the source of the voice - the owner of the shop.

"Well, if that Witch happens to be Livia Fiore, then indeed that is I." She replied. "And I believe this child is yours?" Sorcha said, moving to the side slightly to reveal Charlotte who was still hiding behind her.

"God! Charlotte you little brat where in the name of god did you run off too!?" He said, jumping up from his seat. Charlotte tried to hide behind Sorcha again, but it was in vain.

A few minutes later, Sorcha was having a rather pleasant conversation with Rald. Charlotte was busy sorting through a few jars and putting them on the shelves. Judging from the rather dejected look she was wearing, she had gotten quite the scolding.

Luna meanwhile, returned the horse on time and returned to the shop. As she arrived, she noticed the dragon and old man talking and Charlotte working. Unsure of what to do otherwise, she spoke up. "I've returned." The Knightess announced herself as she gently closed the door behind her. "Sorry to bother you again, Rald." Charlotte had said the name a few times, so Luna made an assumption about it.

The old man simply grunted at Luna's return.

"Thanks for almost getting Charlotte killed." Sorcha hadn't told him what happened of course. "..but thanks for takin' care of her. That little brat can be a handful sometimes." He sighed, shaking his head. "Doesn't have many other kids to play with here and the others tend to avoid her since she spends more days with books than playing with the rest of them." Sorcha seemed pleased with something, but for the most part didn't say anything else and turned to Luna.

"Shall we be off then? I still haven't gotten that feast yet~"

Luna nodded at Sorcha's question. "Yes, it's about time to get back and report to the Headmistress." The Knightess was about to grab the scroll, but she forgot it was a one time use thing. "Actually, how would we go back?" She questioned the general area.

"Same way you came in." Rald grunted, as if it should have been obvious. [/b]"Should take you right back to that Witch's office."[/b]

"Great! Come on then, lets go." Sorcha said, urging Luna to walk faster with a small nudge.

"I see. . ." Luna said with a bit of confusion leading Sorcha downstairs to the exact point she came in at. "Now what?" She had to ask Sorcha, still slightly confused. To be fair, she didn't know there was a magic circle below them.

Sorcha gave Luna a small look of disbelief.

"Well. Magic would work fairly well."She replied, placing her hands on her hips. "What is Livia teaching you? If you don't know how to work a simple magic circle...bah, my Knight is rather pathetic." Perhaps a bit harsh.

"My magic skills are not as well developed as my sword-skills, fair enough but I do not believe I could just conjure a portal or say some magic words and take us right to the Headmistress' office with little other help. . ." She took great offence to being called "pathetic" and couldn't really process much else until she remembered Sorcha mentioned a magic circle.

"Wait, did you say magic circle? Lux." Luna's light appeared and she looked down. Of course there was a magic circle. She wanted to grumble, but that wouldn't help anyone so she just merely activated the circle.

Just as Luna activated the circle, Sorcha's nose caught smell of something through the musty scents of the dried herbs and stagnant air. She turned her head swiftly towards the area behind Luna. Her eyes landed on something that looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...?" She took a single step closer, eyes lighting up in realization that it was exactly what she imagined it to be. A pound of delicious looking dried meat, and her stomach would not be denied so easily.

"Stop the spell Luna!" She jumped forwards just as the circle activated with Sorcha diving for Luna. The next instant, the dragon and human were teleported to the middle of Livia's office. Sorcha slammed into Luna, likely knocking the Knight right over...and ending up right on top of her on the plush carpet in Livia's office.

Luna was very much surprised when Sorcha yelled for her to stop the spell. She couldn't at this point and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor in Livia's office. "Can we not go through this being slammed into the ground issue again?" Luna had to ask the dragon. She still needed to get her armor repair. . . Of the many skills she had, blacksmithing was not one of them.

Still, she tried to keep herself from thinking too much of the beautiful woman on top of her. "Let's get up, Sorcha."

"Aww...darn it. And it smelled so delicious too." Sorcha rather loudly complained before looking down at Luna. "And what? You expect a dragon to be on bottom?" Before she could say much else though, Livia interrupted the two of them.

"...if you two want some privacy, I can most certainly give you some." She replied from the desk. Cynthia, the maid was standing next to it, giving both the dragon and Luna a rather hostile glare. It seemed like she was not happy with their presence for whatever reason. "And quit teasing Luna, Sorcha you old dragon." The blond haired woman turned her head to Livia, huffing lightly.

"Oh come on. Its not like I'm actually hurting anyone, but fine." The dragon rolled her eyes, getting off of Luna and walking over to Livia's desk. "It's good to see you though, Livia."

"Likewise, old friend. Its good to see you up and about."

"Feels nice to finally be up...I can't say I expected to be moving any time soon, but young Luna here has...impressed me." The dragon chuckled.

"Indeed? Care to fill me in on the details of how you picked up this troublesome baggage, Luna?" Sorcha scoffed, but said nothing and decided that one of the couches would make for a very comfortable throne, laying across it and taking up an entire one herself, arm resting on the arm rest with her legs and tail taking up the rest of it.

Luna scratched her head where it hit the ground while she stood. "Greetings, Headmistress." She said, watching the dragon move over to a couch and settle. "Where to start. . ." The Knightess said before she began recounting the tale of how she found her way to the cave and fought a crazed Sorcha before the practically knocked each other out and came back. "I probably need to find a healer and definitely find a blacksmith. My armor is in a bit of rough shape right now." The girl mentioned looking at the great dents in it. It looked repairable at any rate.

"Causing trouble as always then, Sorcha?" Livia chuckled.

"Hmph, not my fault some thief stole from me then wanted to place the blame on Luna here."

"At any rate, I have kept you long enough Luna." Livia replied. "I apologize for making you go through that. I had no idea a thief would even attempt such a thing, let alone even know where her cave was. Its not exactly public knowledge. Feel free to go rest and have someone take a look at you - the both of you. You're not doing very well at the moment, you stubborn old dragon so go take it easy."

"I am fine, Livia." Sorcha replied, Livia simply sighed obviously not too happy with Sorcha's apparent stubbornness. "Luna did a number on me, certainly, but it will take more than a novice Knight to kill me, but if we're free to leave..." Sorcha looked over at Luna, obviously expecting to be taken out on that feast she had been promised.

Luna sighed, "Yes, yes. Let us go somewhere and have a feast." Of course the dragon would remember that after all. Well, there was one place she'd have visted that was cheap, had good food and mead. "I know a place we can go." Luna led the dragon out and into town.

[Roleplayer001]

~Day Ten~

Gwynn, Maoin, Swen

The kitten's eyes gradually opened, her mistress still keeping her arm around her even after all those hours.  Her dark eyes drifted to look at the window ... and she noticed that it was morning.  Maoin thought for a few moments about waking her owner up ... but she looked incredibly peaceful.

And, well, the kitten didn't want to move yet, despite that it was past time to start getting ready.  But after twenty minutes of ... shameless cuddling ... the black haired girl slipped silently away from her owner and started heading to the dressers to pack things up for the two of them that week.

Of course, the kitten would have to prepare her for their journey still, and this was possibly the nice decent bath that either one of them would get, but she could still get everything else ready.  Eventually all the bags were packed, and the neko started making the last decent breakfast she imagined either of them would have for a while, along with preparing some decent rations for the road.

About that time, a loud yawn and a grumble about five more minutes coming from the bed indicated Gwynn had likely woken. Fortunately for Maoin, she wouldn't have to spend any time making Gwynn get out of bed. A minute or so after, she sat up, yawning again, stretching and taking a sleepy look around the room. Something smelled delicious, likely Moain making them some breakfast. She moved to the edge of her bed, stretching again.

Urgh, as much as she liked adventuring, she wasn't looking forward to following Swen's orders. Especially after that comment about seeing her in a servants dress.

"Morning, Maoin." Gwynn greeted the cat.

Maoin was scrambling eggs at this point, lowering the magical flame and putting them onto a plate for her owner.  It was a little surprising to see her mistress up this soon, but it was better than opening the blinds to the outside world.  "Good morning, mistress.  Breakfast is just about ready!"  A few seconds later, the cat produced two plates and placed them on a small table in their room that they usually ate on.

The black haired girl was still walking around the kitchen, looking at various drawers as she looked for silverware.

Gwynn got up off the bed, slowly shambling over to the table where they normally ate. It was probably obvious she still wasn't fully awake yet as she took a seat. The food looked good though, as always and Gwynn was glad that she finally had that talk last night. She was honestly able to sleep a lot easier, and Maoin seemed...not scared of her at all. Maybe in the end, talking about things like that wasn't so hard as she thought? Granted, she was objectively an idiot and words like that weren't easy for her...but well, from here on out she could at least try.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Gwynn?" She said to Maoin, waiting for the silverware to be handed to her. Not that she was ever actually expecting Maoin to call her that. The kitten was too formal for such a thing.

The black haired girl paused for a moment as she was searching through the cabinents, glancing back towards her owner.  Then she shrugged, returning with a set of silverware for each of them.  After a few seconds she nodded slowly, waiting for her owner to take the first bite.  After a few moments a slight blush ran across her cheeks and the neko twirling a piece of hair.  "... And ... thanks ..."  It was obvious she was a little embarassed about spending the night with her owner, but it would be a lie to say she hadn't appreciated it.

Gwynn looked at Maoin somewhat blankly.

"For what? Did I do something special?" She asked, not really sure about what she was being thanked for. Had she done anything to be thanked? Gwynn took a bite of the food, chewing slowly before swallowing. Tasted just as delicious as it smelled.

The kitten reached a fork down into her food, placing a small piece into her mouth and blinking a few times at her owner.  Hadn't that been incredibly obvious?  Well, that was assurance that her mistress was still Gwynn.  "For ... erm ... uh ..."  It was becoming increasingly obvious that the cat was trying to avoid saying exactly what for.  "... would you like me to ... erm ... get a warm bath prepared for you before we go?"  Maoin returned to her food, eating piece by piece and doing her best to act incredibly interested in it.

Gwynn seemed to be trying to figure out what exactly she was talking about at least. A step up from not thinking at all at least, even if it was unsuccessful. Was Maoin trying to change the subject though? That was...well, incredibly fun and she was tempted to tease her just a bit about it until she got an answer. In the end though, Gwynn dropped it and decided that it wasn't worth it.

"A warm bath, huh?" Gwynn replied, a smirk forming on her lips. "That eager to be naked together with me?~" Besides, teasing her with this would be much more funny anyways.

The kitten actually failed at chewing for a moment, her face gone completely tomato.  Maoin checked herself for a moment, and after almost chocking for a second swallowed her food.  The cat's eyes darted around the room a little nervously, and after a few second the girl was ignoring the food she just cooked and simply paid attention to her hair as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.  "... I ... I figured I'd take mine ... after yours ... but ..."  Of course, the girl wouldn't say no to anything.  This was simply ... a lot of 'progress'.

Gwynn chuckled impishly at Maoin's reaction. Teasing successful, today was a good day. She supposed she just needed a bit more confirmation that Maoin was alright and back to normal. Now that she had...teasing will begin in full force. Gwynn leaned forwards in her chair, seeing the cat didn't seem to want to eat her food. Using her fork, she reached over and picked up a forkful of the food on the Kitten's plate.

"What? You're always so eager to dress me, so I don't see why helping me wash would be any different." Of course, Gwynn would end up doing the same for the cat once that was done, but she didn't need to know that just yet.

The kittens ears simply went flat on her head, the girl managing to stammer something out after a few failed attempts at speaking as her eyes simply darted around the table.  "... Um ... well ... I'll ... it-it would be an honor ..."  The kitten's mind was reeling slightly.  Truthfully, her owner was right.  It was perfectly normal for her mistress to be naked in front of her, but the opposite had only been true once before.  It wasn't exactly her place to be overly modest around her owner.  "I-I'll go get that ready ..."  The kitten stood up after a few more hurried bites of food, heading to the small bathroom the pair of them shared.  It wasn't as exquisite as the campuses large baths, but it could hypothetically fit two people ... if they were okay being close.  The sound of running water was heard, and the black haired girl returned to the table, obviously still flushed.  "Is-is there anything else mistress?"

"Yeah, I told you to call me Gwynn." She replied. "But hey, if the water's ready, let's go! Don't wanna keep Swen waiting. I want to get this over with already." Gwynn got up from her seat, walking over to Maoin...and deciding it'd be best to drag her to the bathroom whether she protested or not.

For a moment, the kitten almost felt proud that her owner was thinking about the man who would be her future husband.  Well, that was until she began being dragged off to the bathroom by her owner who seemed ... very insistent about getting her to take a bath.  After a week of worrying about getting beaten, this week would probably be occupied by being dragged, carried, and lifted to various places instead.

"Misst-Gwynn!?"  Eventually the pair arrived in the bathrooms, the kitten removing the clothes from her owner with her usual speed ... and then standing there awkwardly as she remembered what would follow, shifting slightly as she reached to remove the first of her clothes.

"What are you being slow for? Come on, off with the clothes!~" Gwynn excitedly hopped over to Maoin and started helping the kitten removing her own clothes whether she wanted her to or not. She wasn't as fast as Maoin was about removing her clothes, but after a few moments of struggling with the kitten's clothing she finally got the neko completely disrobed.

"There! No need to be shy either, Maoin." Without waiting for Moain to respond, Gwynn stepped into the bath, which was heated to a pleasant temperature. She took a seat in it, sighing as it helped shake off the rest of any morning grogginess she might have been feeling. "Well come on in." She said, turning her head to Maoin.

The kitten stood there, covering herself instinctually as she obediently lowered herself into the tub opposite of her owner, curling up her legs so the two of them wouldn't touch eachother.  The black haired girl's heart was pounding slightly as her eyes kept on drifting between herself, the water, and her mistress.  This was embarassing.  "Mistress - Gwynn, is the water ... to your liking?"  The cat's tail was wet and simply laid lazily on the side of the tub, and her lowered ears were twitching slightly in a display of her excitement.

Gwynn grinned, still finding the Kitten's reluctance amusing. Unlike Maoin, the blond decided to make full use of the space provided. She extended her legs fully to the other side of the tub, letting them rest right next to Moain's head and propping her her arms on the back of the tub. She didn't try to hide anything from the kitten, wasn't like she hadn't seen it before.

"Yep, it's perfect." She replied to the cat with a small grin.

The kitten's eyes drifted down her owner's legs as the taller woman extended them down the other side of the tub, observing the older's woman fine physical ... the cat shook her head, trying to avoid the distraction that was her owner.  "Yes mistress ... those are nice."  Maoin was so thoroughly distracted that she didn't even realize that she wasn't responding correctly to Gwynn's words, and had spoken aloud without meaning to.

Gwynn blinked at Maoins words, stifling a laugh. Did she just...either the cat really wasn't thinking and misspoke, or she just really liked her legs. Not that she could blame the cat, she had some pretty nice legs if she had to say so herself. Either way, this was going to be fun.

"'Those' Are nice?" She inquired, moving one of her legs just a bit closer to the kitten. "What exactly are you talking about? I was just talking about how nice the water is."

The kitten looked at the leg as it approached, although she tried to avert her gaze.  A familiar couldn't lie to their owner, but ... even the loyal Maoin had to try and force something out here, heart pounding a bit harder.  It would be appropriate ... this infuriating mistress of her and their damn bond that made something well up within her ... "... um ... the-the water of course ..."  The girl's dark eyes darted up to her mistresses face for only a moment before drifting downwards slightly to Gwynn's upper chest.  It was incredibly obvious that the girl was lying and had been thinking about something other than the temperature.

Gwynn smirked at the cats poor attempts at lying, but said nothing.

"Oh sure, the water." Gwynn replied innocently with a shrug. One of her legs dipped back beneath the water next to Maoin. "Well, didn't we agree to wash each other? If we don't hurry up, we're gonna be late."

Maoin's ears twitched slightly as Gwynn's leg touched her.  She had been breathing a sigh of relief for getting away with her lie, but the kitten's breath cut off suddenly.  "Well ... I said I'd wash you, mistress ..."  Somehow, the girl could tell her mistress wanted to return that favor.

A very red faced kitten found herself breathing heavily and yet not breathing at all as she lifted Gwynn's leg out of the water.  The black haired girl's animalistic features made her combination of nervousness and excitement known to her owner.  The familiar suddenly realized that she hadn't picked up the bar of soap even, and without looking away from the leg she reached for it ... only for the thing to fall into the water.  "... I aumso-"  Words.  How did they work again?

Gwynn simply watched the kitten fumble around with the soap, much too fixated on her leg. It was obvious no matter how much the kitten probably didn't want it to be. That said, Maoin was looking surprisingly out of it now. Maybe she had taken the teasing just a bit too far? Eh...nah.

"Maoin? Hey Maoin!" Gwynn said, lifting her leg out of Maoin's grasp...and poking her right in the nose with her foot. "Uh, you alright there?"

The kitten looked over towards her mistress, blinking slightly as she was bopped in the nose.  More blood would have run into her face if it was possible.  "... of-of course, mis-tress.  Let me just ..."

Well, this view was amazing.  Straight down her owner's leg and - The kitten somehow started to fall to her base instincts, thinking that since one of the several bars of soap were gone that the next best way to clean her owner was with the traditional and patented method of all kitties - a few licks of the tounge on her mistress' leg.   After a few licks, the girl looked at her mistress and said the only thing she could manage.  "Meow?"

"M-maoin?!" The blond suddenly stuttered. Gwynns face went as red as an apple. Her kitten was...licking her? That wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she said they should clean each other. Not that she particularly minded, but it was...odd, to say the least. It was rather amusing seeing her suddenly being somewhat assertive though, and she wasn't exactly going to tell her to stop even if it was somewhat odd.

So Gwynn said nothing, other than looking towards the water, a silent acceptance of Maoin's actions.

The kitten blinked a few times, getting on all fours towards Gwynn so that their faces wouldn't be too far apart from eachother ... and started to lick her owner's neck a few times before pausing for a moment.  "... meow ...?"  The cat's tail was going back and forth slowly, and her ears were standing up assertively, if that was possible.  Maoin's mind wasn't exactly there at this point, the black haired girl simply acting on their bond and the instincts she abandoned a year ago.

At this point, Gwynn was unsure what to do. She had never actually seriously been in this position with anyone before. Her heart was beating fast, and her mind trying to keep up with what was happening. She liked Moain, certainly and she was pretty sure the kitten liked her. But this? Did she really want to do something like that? It wasn't exactly...odd for familiar and master, and being this close to her...

Gwynn stifled a yelp as she felt Maoin's tongue on her neck, unsure of what to do.

The black haired girl countinued, licking her, starting to bite softly around her owner's neck for a minute or two, breathing heavily when she needed to.  Her tail wrapped around her mistress' ankle, the girl eventually taking a break for a moment to look deeply into Gwynn's eyes ... and then at those perfect lips.

"... mistress ..."  The kitten had never felt this way before, and wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to be doing ... but she wanted to belong to her owner in every way.  She knew that.

Gwynn's eyes turned away from Maoin, her hesitation clear. She couldn't deny she wanted it, but...she bit her lower lip, trying to convince herself to say yes. There was no reason to not say yes, and well, it was clear Maoin wanted it. Gwynn was silent for a few seconds, before finally deciding the hell with it. Maoin had never been this clearly aggressive before, and she found it incredibly attractive.

Without warning, Gwynn wrapped her arms around the Neko's shoulders, holding the kitten tightly and pressing her lips against Maoin's.

The kitten's eyes opened in surprise and a small yelp let out as her mistress pulled her close, forcing the kitten from all fours onto her knees.  The girl returned the kiss after a few seconds, opening her mouth to let her owner in.  The neko's tail drifted into the water and touched Gwynn's thigh as the kneeling servant wrapped her arms around her owner in return...

... The kitten's tail went back and forth as the two finished, giving her mistress a kiss on the cheek.  Maoin's tounge was rather tired, and her mistress was laying down in the tub holding her pet close.   The pair of them had ... a degree of fun.  As the black haired girl recovered her senses though, she had to ask her owner a question.  "... mistress ... so ..."  It was rather obvious the familiar was having difficulty asking something.

"...what?" Gwynn simply looked at Maoin, petting the cat gently, unsure what she was asking. She was honestly a bit tired from that, and had no idea what she could say at this moment. Honestly? She just wanted to stay there a bit longer.

The kitten simply enjoyed the pettings for a minute or two, but eventually she had to ask.  "... so ... is this going to be a um ... normal part of my duties, mistress?"  Truthfully, the girl wanted to know how this would change their relationship.

Gwynn blinked. She hadn't really thought of that...she definitely enjoyed it, no doubt about it but...would it become a normal thing? She didn't exactly do that sort of thing that often, but it was certainly true she liked teasing the cat in such a manner.

"Uhm...why would it be?" Gwynn replied hesitantly. "I mean, it was fun and all and I liked it don't get me wrong!" She continued quickly, trying to find the right words to use. "But...I don't think it needs to be a normal thing? If it happens I guess I don't mind but..."

The kitten nodded, but her ears deflated slightly.  True she had enjoyed ... the feelings of the moment ... but she liked being close to her owner like that.  The shorter girl laid her head down on the blonde's chest, closing her eyes slightly as she countinued to recover.  Eventually she spoke a few words, one of her fingers idly tracing her owner's arm.  "... I like ... being close to you mistress.  I don't know if it's the bond or what ... but ... it makes me feel ... secure."  At any other time, that would be too embarassing to admit.  But after all of that ... she felt she had to.

"I uh, well, Like having you around too." Gwynn replied hesitantly, pulling the Neko tighter into a hug. She did. Maoin was...well, the one person she'd come to trust more than anything else, especially after the events of the last week. She said she'd trust her, so she would no matter what happened now.

"But uhm...I don't mean to ruin the mood," She said, gently stroking the cats hair. "But uh, we're gonna be late since we still haven't really washed and I don't want to really tell Swen what we were up too."

The kitten was caught off guard for a moment by Gwynn's sudden surge of responsibility and she stood up.  "Of course! I err ... yes, let's get going!"  Luckily everything was already packed and the pair were able to bathe (actually this time) and both of them had a good variety of clothing avaible for their vacation.

---

The magierprinz once again looked at the sun, sitting on the side of the fountain where his lady and him went on what was hopefully their first date.  Swen knew he was no traveller of the wilds, but it was far past noon time.  The man tapped his foot impatiently on the ground, searching through his tome just one more time to make sure they every spell he wrote down had no mistakes within it.  Periodically he would glance up, wondering where his companions were for this venture.

After dressing in something appropriate for travel, making sure she was 100% clean, and telling Moain to let her handle the talking if Swen got curious as to why they were late, they finally arrived where they decided to meet before heading off on their little adventure. Gwynn was looking forward to it, and at the same time, absolutely dreading it. She really wasn't looking forward to following Swen's orders for this. As long as he didn't order her to do anything funny or odd, she'd probably do it...but at the first hint something funny was happening, she was going to nope out of there.

"Hey, Swen." Gwynn said, walking up. "Sorry about that, overslept."Though she didn't linger long on the topic. "We ready? And just so you know, if you order me to do anything funny at all....well. Boots. Strung up by. Pit of sea monsters. Bad times for you."

The Prince raised his eyesbrows at her for a moment, listening to her threats.  He laughed softly for a moment before responding.  "Well, at least I'd know of a new area featuring diverse animal life.  We should probably get going."  With that, the magierprinz headed off towards the teleportation room, a little irriated with his tardiness although he refused to complain.

"Someone's not taking my threats seriously." Gwynn replied with a small smirk of irritation. Well, whatever. "Come on Maoin." She followed Swen to the room housing most of the teleportation functions of the school. She was eager to get to Greece, it'd be fun regardless of what Swen ordered her. It didn't take them long to reach it, and after discussing a few things with the staff they were ready to set off. Round trip to Greece, orders of Headmistress Livia. They probably wouldn't be staying more than a day or two, but hopefully things would resolve swiftly enough.

The three stood in the middle of the circle, and after giving the go ahead, the circle activated. A brief spark of energy, and a moment of disorientation was all that happened for the three. A few seconds later, they had already arrived at their destination - Greece. As soon as the momentary disorientation wore off, Gwynn hopped off the circle. They seemed to be in some sort of hub for the mages of the area to travel with.

"So...what now?" She turned looking back to Swen. She remembered something vaguely about the headmistress saying that they'd be meeting someone here.

The Prince looked towards some notes that he had taken on a small page usually meant for alchemy.  "We are looking for ... a man named Clete, related to one of the local schools in the area."  Swen briefly started looking around the teleportation hub, to see if the man was waiting for them there.

After a quick look around, the party managed to find the older man waiting for them.  The magierprinz approached, extending a hand.  "Mr. Clete, I am Magierprinz Swen Runvall de Zaberbuch, and these two ladies are my companions Gwynn of House Foghlu' from Ireland and her familiar Maoin."  To keep things brief, the nobleman decided to introduce all of them.

As for the kitten, she remained close to Gwynn as if making sure the noblewoman didn't wander off.

Clete had been on the look out for the three students he had been told would be coming. Livia had assured him these three would be perfect for the job of tracking and hunting this beast, whatever it was, but he still had his misgivings. They were children, really, and how exactly could they tackle this creature? Perhaps he was just worried, but either way it wasn't his place to voice such thoughts at the moment.

"Greetings, Sir Magierprinz." He said, voice sounding as dry as it always did taking the hand and giving it a firm shake. "Lady Foghlu, it is a pleasure as well."

"Uh, sure yeah. Nice to meet ya." She replied in greeting. She wanted to wander off just a bit, but she really didn't want to get in trouble with the headmistress.

"You have mine and Lord Kostis' thanks for coming out here and helping us with this problem." Clete continued. "Headmistress Livia informed you of what we are possibly dealing with here, correct?"

The Prince nodded slightly.  "We were simply told that something involving a chimera was running around local villages.  Do you have anything else to tell us, or any idea where the creature may go next?"

Maoin, for her part, largely was keeping an eye on her mistress.  Despite their recent ... bonding excercises ... her owner could still be very frustrating at times.

"Yes, we have been tracking the movements of it the best we can." Clete replied. "The last village it attacked a few nights ago, and if we are correct we know which one it shall be going after tomorrow night. A small village about a half a days travel from here. If you wish we can set off after I finish some other business I have here and likely be there sometime shortly after nightfall."

"Chimera?" Gwynn replied, somewhat curious. She didn't know much about whatever that was, but it sounded like it could be fun to fight. "No idea what that is, but if its big, scary, and shoots fire I can handle it." The noble confidently grinned, looking forward to the prospect of being able to finally fight something for a change.

Clete seemed less than impressed with her enthusiasm.

"I should remind you that whatever the beast is, it is incredibly dangerous."

"More fun for me, then."

"...very well. If we have nothing else to discuss here, then feel free to look about Ambracia if you wish."

The prince nodded, giving a slight bow.  The nobleman was somewhat worried about the noblewoman's enthusiasm, although he felt fairly confident that she wasn't stupid enough to be putting on anything more than an act.  "Thank you for your hospitality.  Getting a day ahead of the Chimera ... thingy ... does seem very useful indeed.  On the matter of today, is there anything interesting in Ambracia we would probably want to see?"

Maoin felt far less confidence on that matter, stepping a little closer to her mistress so their arms were touching slightly, as if reminding her owner that she was still there.

"I apologize, Sir Magierprinz." Clete replied. "I am not the one to ask. I live here, Ambracia but work usually prevents me from much leisure outside of spending time with my wife." He seemed to think for a few seconds though, as if trying to come up with an answer that would please the young noble. "I have head the river is a popular spot for young couples. There are a variety of shops as well...but other than that I am not one to ask about traveling plans."

"Erm...what are you doing, Maoin?" For the most part, Gwynn let Swen do the talking with Clete, turning her head to her familiar. She knew what she was thinking, of course. She was going to get berated and told not to be reckless again, wasn't she? Well, the kitten shouldn't be distracted by such things. They should at least be distracted by something else that was more fun, at least.

As innocently seeming as she could, she leaned slightly into Maoin...before giving her a kiss right on her cheek.

Swen didn't see the kiss, but rather kissed it and turned around slightly to observe the kitten being awkward.

The black haired girl's eyes started scanning the room, shifting her feet slightly, her cheeks flushing slightly and her ears and tail clearly showing that combination of nervousness and excitement.  "... oh um ... thank you mistress."  While the girl probably would freak out so much in private, they were in the middle of a crowded area.  Was this really an appropriate place and time for such things?

The Prince looked over to Gwynn, clearly curious.  "Is ... is your familiar alright?"  Clete probably saw what was going on, but the magierprinz was clueless.

"Maoin? She's fine." Gwynn replied, grinning slightly. If Clete saw, he decided to say nothing. Wasn't any of his business after all, and he had no intention of drawing attention to something. Instead, he turned and started to leave the building they were currently in.

"Meeting back here in an hour or so will suffice. And if it wouldn't trouble all of you, try not and be late."

The nobleman nodded, turning away from Gwynn for a moment.  "... then perhaps we can find something to eat during that time.  Thank you."  The magierprinz spinned around.  "There's probably a few nice places to eat by the riverside.  We should probably eat before we travel, so I suggest we go there."  Of course, the man was also interested in seeing the local culture and how it operated.

As for Maoin, she remained loyally quiet, put back into her place for just a while as her eyes nervously looked around the floor.

"Food sounds good." Gwynn replied. "Though I would kinda wanna look at those stores he mentioned. Wonder if they have anything worth, uh, buying." She glanced over to Maoin, thinking that perhaps she should maybe buy her something nice out on this little adventure but...well, she was completely broke. She had all of the money so getting some from her would be difficult. She'd probably ask for the reason she was wanting some.

The magierprinz nodded.  "Oh uh ... of course.  The shops around here are probably quite the site to see.  We can always eat back at Sappho, after all."  It was a little awkward, and the mage wasn't exactly sure what the noblewoman was looking for.

Maoin raised an eyebrow curiously.  Her owner wasn't one to usually one to be curious about the small trinkets a shop they could afford would possibly have ... although she couldn't quite figure out what her mistress wanted.  "We ... we can probably afford something small, mistress."  Unless Swen would be willing to buy it, Maoin was a little concerned about the pair's ability to get anything worthwhile.

"We can always stop on our way back, if you guys want. I'm not going to be uh, buying anything at least anytime soon. I just really kinda wanna look." Gwynn replied.

Swen nodded, and Maoin tilted her head curiously although she didn't say anything.  "Well, I guess we'll head off there."  The magierprinz set off in the direction of where he guessed the river was, and after a few minutes of passing by some strange architecture the small party arrived at their destination.  "So ... what type of shop are you looking for?"

"Nothing really?" Gwynn replied with a shrug as they arrived at the river. Not a total lie. "Just curious as to what they have for sale here and stuff. It's got to be a lot different than anything back home or in Europe." It was true. That was one of the reasons she liked traveling so much - or at least the thought of it. Aside from possibly fighting beasties, it would have just been fun to see different stuff from around the world.

The prince nodded, looking around to see what she would probably be interested in.  The river was mostly populated by more prestigous shops than an armory, mostly jewelry and other things meant to facilitate the world of dating ... although there was a tailor an other things.  Maoin looked around the stores, ears perking up as the sounds of the riverside market filled her ears.  "... I see tailors, jewlers, candlemakers, reasturants ... it's quite lively here, mistress!"  The black haired girl seemed to enjoy looking around the shops.

Gwynn took a look around the various shops. Most didn't seem to be too different from the ones back home, really. Granted, a lot of them seemed a lot fancier and perhaps a bit more elegantly designed. The weapons and armor looked especially nice...and equally expensive. She had half a mind to get up to some small mischief and get up to some breaking and entering, but...really, she wasn't interested in any of that. That's not what she wanted to come here for.

The noble stopped when they came to a jewelry store. Normally she wasn't interested in anything like that, but this wasn't something she was going to be wearing. Her eyes drifted to Maoin, wondering what exactly she would look good in...before deciding standing here too long might make the kitten suspicious.

"Hmm...they've got some pretty neat stuff out here." Gwynn said with a small hum. "Ah...if only I wasn't broke...Hey Swen, buy me something expensive."

The magierprinz's facial expression almost dropped as Gwynn spoke those words.  "Have you heard of the word 'subtle' at all?  I'm simply curious."  Swen would of course buy her something, but ... the way she requested it was awfully rude, even for a man dedicated to his future bride.

Maoin resisted the urge to facepalm to the best of her ability, instead rolling her eyes to the heavens.

Subtlety? Well, it should have been obvious by now she was nowhere near subtle in anything. Really, It had been a joke. She hadn't expected him to say yes, but if he was offering...heh~

"Wha? Really?" Gwynn grinned, obviously happy. "Come on then, buy something. Surprise me."

The man had to resist the urge to facepalm, then a thought obviously crossed his face as he looked towards Gwynn with a degree of uncertainty, pulled Maoin aside, and started whispering to the kitten quietly.  Whatever was being asked resulted in a lot of shrugs and uncertain responses from the familiar.

"H-hey! What are you two whispering about?" Gwynn loudly questioned, somewhat offended. She walked over to the two of them, somewhat unsure of what was going on. She only saw Maoin was shrugging quite a bit.

Swen pointed at the ground a few feet away, clearly out of the whispering range of the pair's quiet talking.  "You stay there."  It was technically an order, although the situation was so casual the Prince didn't think of it that was as he waited for the noblewoman to back off.

As for Maoin, a somewhat guilty look crossed her face as she looked towards the ground, lightly kicking a non-existant stone.  It was clear that while she was involved in the guys planning, that she wasn't neccessarily happy about not telling her mistress when she asked.

Gwynn, did not like this. Not one bit. She didn't mind letting Swen do whatever shenanigan he was planning. She frowned. Orders from Livia be damned, she didn't care one bit. She was pretty sure she'd get in trouble, but fine.

"First of all, Swen," She said, poking him rather hard in the chest. "I don't mind standing over there, and I really don't mind whatever you're planning. I was mostly joking about you buying me something anyways, thought it'd be funny. What I do mind is you ordering Moain around...you have no right to order her around or tell her to do anything, especially if she's uncomfortable with doing something. So don't. Got that?"

Gwynn walked back to where Swen had indicated, folding her arms across her chest, obviously not too happy. She was slightly curious to see what the two were planning, but...Maoin was obviously uncomfortable with whatever was happening.

At this point Maoin looked up at her mistress, frowning slightly.  "Mistress ... he was just asking what you ... might like.  I just ... wasn't certain."  Although she didn't like planning against her owner, part of her awkwardness with Swen was her lack of knowledge.  The kitten felt she should know such things as a familiar.

Swen for his part backed off, then looked towards the noblewoman.  "I mean, I'm clueless when it comes to this sort of stuff.  You said surprise you, so I asked someone besides you for advice."

...

well this was Awkward. Gwynn honestly had no words for this. She looked towards the ground.

"Uh...well...that's...I'm just gonna shut up now." She replied, face reddening in obvious embarrassment by her little outburst there. Urgh, she should work on thinking rather than acting first. Even after what happened, she couldn't just change her complete way of thinking in a few days. "Sorry." She shook her head, mumbling out a quiet apology and took a few steps back.

"Jeez, you could have just asked...I would have been happy with pretty much anything." She muttered to herself, once out of earshot. Really, she probably would have been, even if it wasn't something that she'd normally use. She didn't exactly get a lot of gifts or things bought for her.

The two looked at eachother, as if seeming uncertain if it was okay for them to countinue talking.  A few more words went between the two of them and the familiar was dismissed with the wave of a hand.  The prince seemed to walk down a few stores, heading into a jewler's shop while Maoin nervously returned to her owner.  Of course, her ears picked up on every word she said.  "... mistress ... the Prince is trying.  You might be happy with anything, but he wants to get you something you'd honestly appreciate."

Gwynn said little, shifting uncomfortably on the spot.

"I said I was sorry..." She grumbled, unsure what to do at the moment except wait.

Maoin wasn't really trying to reprimand her mistress, so she felt a little bad at this point.  The black haired girls eyes drifted around nervously, a slight frown crossing her face.  "Don't apologize too much.  It doesn't befit a lady of your status."  The kitten wasn't sure how much of that was what she honestly believed and how much of that was trying to behave 'normally' so her owner would have returned to her usual self when the Prince came back.

Gwynn sighed, looking up at Moain. Well, standing around being mopey because she messed something up again wasn't going to get anyone anywhere, was it? She reached over, and gave the cat a small pat on her head.

"Please." Gwynn scoffed, rolling her eyes with a small grin. "A good lady would apologize when they're wrong, wouldn't they?" At least, that's what Gwynn always thought. Still, it wasn't exactly a topic to linger on. Swen had mentioned food, and they hadn't exactly spent all that long here, had they? There was probably a little place they could get food somewhere around here. Probably somewhere cheap and not so expensive either.

"Anyways, you hungry? Swen is right we should probably at least eat a little something before leaving."

It probably would be a good idea for the pair of them to eat, and Maoin quickly smelled the air before licking her lips slightly.  Fish.  And plenty of it.  The kitten suddenly nodded, looking a bit excited.  As her tail shifted back and forth slightly and her ears twitched, although she tried to contain her enthusiam.  "The man does have some wisdom."

"Well, how about we find a good place to eat while we wait for him to return?" She was a bit hungry herself, since it was well into the lunch hour. Sea food did sound good, and if the way Maoin was acting was any indication then she definitely smelled seafood or fish of some sort.

---

The lunch was pretty nice, actually. Gwynn and Maoin picked out a nice little cafe by the river. Maoin, had fish. She, brought something a little less expensive, still feeling somewhat bad about earlier. Seriously, why were people always so hard for her? At least Swen didn't seem entirely upset about it...or maybe he was? She wouldn't know even if he was, really. He didn't come back with anything either...so maybe he was upset? As much as she didn't want to marry the guy, she didn't want to..not be his friend or something either.

She decided not to think about it for now and just enjoy the food. No need to ruin the moment for now. About half an hour later, the three were done. Gwynn was leaning back in her chair, quite happy with the food. One of the best things about traveling: Food. Just as good as just traveling itself, really. She might not be a glutton or anything, but free food always made her happy.

"So, we should probably get going soon. Clete's gonna be waiting on us probably."

The magierprinz nodded, placing some coin on the table and rising from his seat.  The man was a little anxious about what he had bought Gwynn ... but based on what he had seen between the two others they were back to normal, with the familiar reminding her lady to ... well be a lady.  "I agree - it would make a bad impression for us to be late."

Maoin rose slowly out of her chair, her usual dissatisfied face returning to her now that the fish was gone.  The meal of course had been enjoyable, but the black haired girl had been busy keeping a constant eye on her owner.  The servant threw the large backpack on containing her and her ladies luggage, prepared to head off.

The party eventually headed back to the teleportation hub, arriving a few minutes early.  Swen kept eyes open for the older man, and the kitten kept her ears raised.

It didn't take Clete long to return, dressed in his usual white robe and rather neutral expression. He spotted the three of them easily enough, and approached with a somewhat hesitant seeming step. For a moment, his brow furrowed, breaking his netural expression before reverting back to its normal neutrality.

"Ah...good to see you are here." He greeted them. "I trust you are ready to be off?"

Swen nodded, looking back to the others briefly for confirmation.  "Yes, I think it would be best for us to go as soon as possible.  I'd like to be ahead of the monster, personally."

Maoin stood next to her mistress, and nodded slightly as she looked up to her owner.  The kitten hoped her mistress was happy again after the previous confrontation - after all, she could hear the soft clink of metal in one of Swen's bags that hadn't been there previously.

"Hm. I agree. Getting their sooner would be preferable." Clete shifted slightly, turning and leading them down the street, where a rather ornate carriage had been arranged for the three of them. It was definitely something one of high class would have, and would need money to have to buy or travel in.

"Lord Kostis has arranged for you to at least have comfortable travel arrangements." There was at least room for four people to travel fairly comfortably.

"Wow. Fancy." Gwynn said, walking up to it, though she didn't sound particularly impressed as she climbed in.

The kitten followed in after her mistress, sitting down next to the older woman with a little bit of space between them, placing the backpack on the floorboards and streched slightly.  There wasn't anything for her to do, so it was the perfect opportunity for a cat nap.  The girl leaned her head on some of the cushions, relaxing and allowing her tail to shift itself around idly as she looked out the window.

As for Swen, the magierprinz nodded as he entered the carriage.  Despite the comforts within it, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to be.  The man kept looking around the inside of it, as if studying it's design.

Clete was the last in, taking a seat next to the young magierprinz, after telling the driver to get moving. It'd take a few hours to get to their destination should they not have any interruptions in their destination, so it was a good time to get started discussing something that had only recently became...well, perhaps a slight problem. He waited for a bit for the carriage to get moving before speaking.

"...I feel as though I must mention Lord Kostis has an interest in capturing this beast alive." He said. "You will likely be rewarded should you decide to hand this beast over to him whenever you find it."

Gwynn frowned.

"Eh? Wouldn't it just be easier to kill it?"

"Indeed, it likely would...but Lord Kostis has made it clear I should at least mention this to the both of you."

The magierprinz contemplated for a few moments before responding.  "... and does Lord Kostis have a reason why?  That's a strange request for a beast that has been rampaging the countryside violently."  For now, Swen was thinking along the same lines as Gwynn.  Capturing something was much harder than simply ending it.

As for the kitten, her ears perked up as she listened.  She didn't like the thought of her mistress putting her life in danger for a fools errand, when beating the animal would already prove itself difficult.  Her face turned onto it's side, eyes drifting between Clete and her owner, but she kept her thoughts silent.

"I can only assume he wishes to keep it alive as some sort of trophy." Clete continued, though he didn't elaborate any more. "What you do with is of course up to you. I was simply told to mentioned that a reward will be given once you do." Well, Gwynn wasn't really one to turn down a reward for something, but this sounded...somewhat shady to her. A trophy? What sort of...trophy would a live animal even be? Not that she particularly cared much.

"What's the reward, exactly?" Gwynn asked, obviously at least considering it.

"Money, as well as a few other rewards of high value. He did not specify, but Lord Kostis isn't one to be light on rewards for those he employs." Well, money was always fun. If she could get some money of her own, that would be pretty good...she could possibly by Maoin something with it before they left!

Did the man wish to keep the creature as his familiar?  Put it into some sort of cage?  For a proud beast rampaging the countryside, a cage would probably be tourterous to the thing.  And to force it into being a familiar when you weren't even the captor - that seemed somewhat immoral to the prince.  If one fought a dragon, they could claim it.  It wasn't something one simply bought.  "My companion and I would like to discuss this among ourselves before making a decision on that matter."

Maoin's tail flicked her mistress' leg lightly, hoping a small signal from her would keep her owner complacent for now.

"Of course," Clete replied. "The desicion is ultimately up to you. I was merely told to inform you of the opportunity."

For the most part, Gwynn remained silent. This smelled like bad times for everyone involved, really. She wasn't a fan of nobility in general, and if she was working on her assumption that ll of them were no good evil morons, then this Lord Kostis was one as well. Ultimately, she supposed she didn't care that much in the end, but...she looked down at her leg, noticing Maoin's tail brushing against it.

"Yeah, I guess we'll talk about it once we get there."

---

The rest of the trip was made in relative silence. Gwynn ended up petting Maoin just a bit as the kitten slept, but for the most part she just made herself at home looking out one of the carriage's windows. She wondered what exactly they were up against. Not that it particularly mattered, she'd fight regardless...but she was curious as to what could be causing so much trouble.

Eventually, they made their way to their destination with little trouble, and just after night fall the carriage rolled to a stop in front of a small, two-story Inn in a little village. The village was definitely not anything special, maybe just a couple dozen people perhaps living there. Most people already seemed to be inside of the evening, likely already asleep or getting ready for work tomorrow.

Clete was the first out of the carriage.

"Apologies if this small village isn't to your liking, Sir Magierprinz, Lady Foghlu." He said once he had stepped out onto the street. "Lord Kostis has arranged your rooms here free of charge, and has arranged for them to be at least...somwhat tolerable."
The Inn in question, was definitely not one of the more luxurious looking places. Two stories tall to be sure, but they likely only had a handful of rooms.

"Eh, don't worry about it." Gwynn said, hopping out of the carraige, tired from the long ride. "I'm not one for fancy arrangements anyways. This place sure is remote though." She commented, taking a look down the streets.

The magierprinz frowned slightly, but nodded.  The rooms back home were far more opulent than anything this place could offer, and even the rooms back at Sappho were more suffiecent than this small inn.  The nobleman didn't quite like the idea of himself or his lady staying there, but it would be tolerable for one night if it was essential for their mission.

Maoin seemed to agree, frowning slightly as she stepped out of the carriage with the backpack on her back.  She didn't like the look of the place - it seemed rowdy, the sort of place that drunkards would go to once night fell - and knowing her mistress that would ... cause a few problems.  Her facial expression furrowed slightly towards the older man, voice making her thoughts on the matter clear.  "Mistress, I advise we retire for the evening.  Our party has a lot to discuss."

"Wow...someone doesn't trust me in a tavern. I'm a little hurt." She teased the kitten, giving her a small grin. Well, wasn't like she was going to be doing any...drinking at all. Not even a little. She decided that...well, maybe that wasn't exactly a good idea. Well, aside from the occasional one.

"But yeah, I'm beat from that travel. Also, hungry. Can we get room service here or something?"

"I am not aware if that is a possibility." Clete replied. "But we should probably get to rest soon. We should discuss how exactly we plan to go about finding this creature early tomorrow."

Well, he was right about that. Gwynn walked into the Inn. Aside from a few locals eyeing them somewhat suspiciously, none of the said anything. It definitely looked like a seedy place, though, and like someone could have some pretty fun times here...well, they should probably get to their rooms.

"Welp, come on guys. Might as well see where we're sleeping."

The kitten blinked a few times in surprise, looking at her owner with a bit of surprise and confusion.  Her mistress seemed to geniuenly mean what she was saying ... the cat wasn't sure how to react to this really.  The black haired girl's voice raised in pitch as if she was questioning the validity of the universe.  "Of ... of course mistress?"  The girl looked at the ground, feeling a little guilty for not trusting her owner as she fidgited slightly.

For a moment the girl felt a little useless until she remembered the other part of what her lady had requested.  "I could ... bring something up for you when we settle in, mistress?"  The black haired girl's voice and posture made it sound like she wanted to do it ... and well, Maoin wanted to give Swen a little time with her owner if he wanted it.

Swen for his part shrugged slightly.  His desire to gather more knowledge conflicted with his desires to speak to Gwynn and ... hide from this seedy place.  "The lady is right.  So what are the room arrangements for us?"  Since Clete had rented the rooms, he assumed the man also had a plan to go with it.

"Uh sure, yeah, if you want Maoin. Sounds good." Gwynn replied  to Moain when she offered to bring food. She didn't get very long to  question or tell the cat what she wanted. Clete's next words caught her  slightly off guard.

"Two rooms." Clete replied. "One for me, and one for the three of you. Apologies if it is not a preferable arrangement, but it is the best Lord Kostis could do in this situation." He said, following them into the Inn. "They should be upstairs."

"Hold up...you mean I have to share a room with Swen here?" Gwynn, of course, was less than enthusastic about sharing a room with Swen if her choice of words and tone of voice was anything to go by. Not that she really minded in the end. She'd sleep wherever as long as she could sleep, but...She had never slept with a guy before. Well, erm, in the same room. General area.

Swen cringed slightly as his betrothed displayed little enthusiasm, but the kitten spoke first.  "Good sir, these two are betrothed.  People sleep together when they are married!  Such an arrangement does not suit my lady's status."  Whatever her mistress thought about the situation, the cat would not be happy with this.  At all.  The girl's tail went back and forth quickly like a snake slithering towards it's prey, her ears raised to full height.  The magierprinz simply looked on with a bit of surprise at the black haired girl's blatent hostility.

Gwynn was somehwat surprised by Maoins little outburst. If she didn't know any better, she'd tease the cat about being a little possessive, but that'd probably end somewhat badly for the both of them.

"Uh, down girl." Gwynn said to the kitten. They were getting a few unimpressed looks from the patrons of the Inn.  "No need to be so hostile. I mean, I'm not a fan of it either but we don't exactly have many options here...unless you want to rent us another room?"

Clete didn't seem entirely fazed though. He had expected it on some level at least. He didn't know the two of theirs maritial status, but two women sleeping alone together in a room with a man was likely to be met with some resistence regardless.

"Apologies. I would not mind sharing my room with Sir Magierprinz, though it is...less than suitable for someone of your status."

The magierprinz at this point frowned slightly, unsure of what to do.  Swen needed to speak to his lady, and the older man ... Clete simply creeped him out a little.  "If there are no other rooms to rent, then I will go with the lady.  As our guide, I am sure you need your rest."  He felt bad imposing on the two girls, but with that kitten around surely his betrothed could feel reasonably safe.

The kitten's ears lowered as she went silent obediently, but the way she was absentmindedly kicking a non-existent rock suggested she wasn't too happy about it.  Quietly, she nodded her agreement.

"Very well." Clete replied. "I will be turning in for the night, in that case. We should discuss what we will be doing tomorrow morning so I would like to get up early to prepare everything." With that, the man headed up the stairs, leaving the three of them to decide what they would do from there.

"Might as well head up ourselves." Gwynn said. "Figure out these sleeping arrangements. You gonna get some food, Maoin?"

The kitten nodded for a moment, looking through a coin pouch as she was doing a little math in her head before putting it away and giving her owner a curtsy.  "I will return as soon as possible, mistress."  Despite being upset, the girl's demenor seemed to cheer up a little bit as she headed into the tavern, seeking something nice to purchase for her owner.

As for Swen, he watched the familiar wander off before commenting.  "I ... think we shall."  As the pair headed up the staircase and opened the room they were instructed to go to, and immediate problem became apparent.

There was only one bed.  The Magierprinz looked over to his future bride, then back to the single item.  "Well, this is a problem."  Of course, his chivalric attitude told him to take the floor.  But his blue blood told him that the soreness from a ride in the carriage needed those soft sheets.  In truth, the bed wasn't too small ... "So ... err ..."  The man's awkwardness was obvious.

Well, Swen was obviously more than a littler nervous about this. She couldn't say she wasn't a little nervous either, but that wouldn't solve anything. Gwynn sighed, looking less than impressed with both her betrothed and the situation.

"Remember when I said confidence?" Gwynn said with a somewhat mildly annoyed huff. "We'll have to share the bed, so don't look so embarrased. We won't be doing anything else other than sleeping got it?"

Truthfully, she didn't want too, but they didn't exactly have a lot of options here. Besides, teasing him might be a bit fun.

"I mean, unless you actually have a chance at doing anything with me."

The man blinked a few times, nodding as he sat down on the bed looking away from the woman, as a small flush ran through his cheeks in embaressment.  "I'm sure if I tried anything else, your kitten would probably smite me on the spot."

The Magierprinz felt he was forgetting something that he needed to do ... suddenly he reached for his bag, untying a few strings and pulled out a silver ring with slightly glowing gold runes inscribed on the surface.  He turned around, holding the ring in a single hand out towards the woman.  "... err ... so when I went shopping I bought a little something for you ..."  Swen would likely find it much easier to explain what it did than to offer it, although hopefully Gwynn would prompt him since it was magical in nature.

He...actually bought her something? Gwynn was...she didn't entirely know what to say to that. She tentatively took the ring from him, holding in her hands and looking at it. It was...well, nice to say the least, and definitely magical in nature. What...exactly was this? She looked at the object in her hand, unsure of what exactly to say, so she defaulted to her usual attitude.

"...You uh, know I said you didn't have a chance. Actually...proposing isn't gonna change that." Though, her voice lacked a bit of confidence. "Uh...what, does it, uhm, do? I mean, its obviously magic..."

The Prince smiled at her awkwardness, then countinued.  "When equipped, the ring will allow you to summon an item of your choice.  So for example, you could bind your sword to it.  At your will, the sword will appear from an extradimensional storage straight into the hand wearing the ring as soon as it has the room to apparate."

Suddenly the prince seemed a little excited.  "Go ahead.  Try it."  The man hoped his explanation had been simple enough.

Gwynn's hesitation was completely gone upon hearing what the ring could do. Immediatley, she put the ring on her ring finger, eyes lighting up with obviousy excitement. That was...really, really, useful. She wouldn't have to carry her sword anywhere at all, just store it in this ring and then...well, Swen had just earned some major points with her. She didn't entirely understand all the words he was using, but she understood the basic premise of the ring at least.

"So...I just bind the sword to it..." Gwynn unhooked her sword from her side and activated the ring. Immediately, the sword disappeared in a small wave of magic energy into some other realm. She was absolutely amazed. She hadn't heard a lot about magic like this before, granted she was no magic expert....but either way, this was amazing.

Activating the ring again, her sword appeared in her hands not a second later, about the same time she would spend drawing it from the sheath.

"This...is amazing," Before he could respond or do anything, Gwynn wrapped him in a full body hug, obviously quite happy with the present. "Thanks, Swen! Really!"

The Magierprinz had been expecting a thank you, but the full body hug after being straight up denied was a little surprising, although he returned it after a few moments.  "Err ... thanks Gwynn.  Just thought it was a little trinket you might like ..."  A flush ran down his cheeks, but pride ran through his veins far more.

By the pairs luck, this was the moment that Maoin returned.  Food had been ready for the tavern's family, so the kitten convinced them with some cute pouting to hand it over for a little coin.  As she headed up the staircase, she heard the sound of their embrace and opened the door quickly but quietly.  She held the food in one hand with an eyebrow raised as she inquired what was going on, looking straight at her mistress.  "... I leave you alone for two minutes and you are already..."

Gwynn released Swen as soon as Maoin commented on them, blushing slightly at what she was implying.

"N-no! Nothing like that! Just thanking him for a present!" She stuttered quickly, deciding best to change subjects. "Y-you got the food?"

Swen followed suit, backing a good foot away from Gwynn as if to confirm the woman's sentiment.  Maoin raised an eyebrow at her mistress, but didn't comment further on the two.  Truthfully, it was nice to see the pair getting closer to eachothe..  "It's not the reasturant we went to previously, but it's food and it's not poisoned, mistress."  The black haired girl pulled out a loaf of bread for each of them, and placed a large pot of broth straight on the table and poured two large portions into two bowls and a smaller one in the final one, which she dipped the bread into and started chewing.  Not too shabby for peasant food ...

Well, she was glad Maoin didn't press the issue. Although it could have been kind of fun if she did though, but Gwynn just took the bread, dipping it in the bowl not seeming to really care much if it was 'peasant' food or not. While she did like seafood of any kind, usually, she honestly was never that picky. As long as she could eat something she didn't care.

"Sho," She said with a slightly full mouth. "What about...that offer from that Kostis guy? Sounds really shady." Gwynn commented once she swallowed her food before proceeding to take another bite. "Also probably really, really, hard. We don't even know what it is. How could we even possibly 'capture' it or whatever?"

The Magierprinz nodded, taking a bit of the food.  It tasted both too bland and overly flavored for him, but he resisted the urge to make a face at it and countinued.  "I agree.  There's far too little detail about the situation for it to make sense.  And why does he want to capture it?  Did it escape from him or something?"  The Prince was curious.  "I think for now we should try and subdue it, but if the opportunity arises on the spot then we'll make a decision there.  We'll know more about the situation by then anyways."

Tonight, he would be sure to prepare a spell meant to speak with animals.  He hoped things turned out alright.  "Anything else either of you two figured out about this guy?"  The man was curious if the kitten could pick up on anything else with those ears of hers, but she shook her head to the negative.

Gwynn shrugged.

"I dunno? I just met him. Seems like someone who doesn't know when to quit working and slack off though. That voice of Clete's is just...ugh, boring. Seriously, I almost fell asleep listening to him." He kind of reminded her of a teacher, or at least someone that might lecture her for doing something bad...though he seemed a lot less...presence? Not a bad thing really.

"But yeah...I say we just kill it and be done with it. That'd be the quickest way to do it."

With all of them in assent, the man nodded slightly.  The magierprinz lifted up his Grimore, flipping through the carefully written in pages as he double checked all his writing.  Of course, there was nothing wrong with anything.  The man just felt compelled to make sure before such a dire combat.

As for Maoin, she sat down next to her mistress and quickly ate her meal.  As soon as she finished and had returned the dirty dishes to the basket, the girl looked up at her owner for a second before looking down at the bedsheets.  She spoke a few soft words, voice filled with concern.  "Mistress ... is there anything I can do for you before we ... head out tomorrow?"  The black haired girl wasn't entirely comfortable with this situation, and was worried that something bad could happen to her owner.  Obviously she'd still be there with her ... but the kitten knew she wasn't the best warrior.

Gwynn frowned. Something she could do? Well...honestly, she couldn't think of anything. Wouldn't be her first time fighting something, so she'd be fine. Maoin's concern wasn't needed...if anything she was more concerned about the kitten then anything.

"I'll be fine, Maoin." Gwynn replied. "So you just...don't hurt yourself, alright?"

The kitten nodded a little bit, still looking to the floorboards.  "... I will do my best to remain in a good enough condition to serve you, mistress ..."  Of course, Maoin knew that was formal even for her and knew that to some degree she was using formality to hide her nervousness.

The black haired girl started going into their bag, laying her owner's pajamas on the bed and heading into the bathroom to change her own.  A minute later she walked out, servants uniform removed and instead wearing a simple black set of clothes.  The girl pulled two blankets and a small pillow out their bag, placing them onto the floor.  For now, she simply sat on the small nest she had made for herself, worry still written across her face as her eyes darted around the bedposts.

Swen finished eating and placed his stuff into the basket as well, yawning.  "Your cat had the right idea of sleeping in the carriage earlier."

When she finished eating, Gwynn didn't bother changing into anything. She was perfectly comfortable sleeping in what she was currently wearing. Instead, she plopped down onto the bed, yawning tiredly. She didn't entirely too concerned with sleeping here. One bed was as good as any other in her experience, and she wasn't really one to be too choosy about where she slept.

"I...guess?" Gwynn shrugged, laying on the bed. "Then maybe you should have slept, then." She yawned again, stretching her arms as she fumbled with the covers for a few seconds before managing to pull them over her. "I'll sleep just fine."

As for the prince, he removed his thick robes and slipped into the bed as well, being sure to face away from Gwynn.  No need to invoke her wrath ... or more importantly, the nekos.  That attempt of starting a conversation had failed, and that was the mages signal that it was bedtime.  The man closed his eyes ... and was soon gone.

The kitten watched her owner go to bed, collecting the pajamas she had neglected to wear.  Normally the black haired girl would have protested, but for now the girl was satisfied with simply stuffing them into the bag.  The cat's eyes were focused on the door, her ears taking in the sounds of the seedy tavern.  For now, the girl decided that it was a good idea to have someone keep watch.

---

The night went on for a bit as loud as a tavern would be though the upstairs was quieter than that and allowed the three travelers some rest they most likely deserved.  A few dogs barked outside and the spooky sound of a catfight in the alley might have caught an ear as well.  Everything sounded as fine, until there were loud voices that sounded less of cheer, and more of fear.  Calls of terror filled the air of the tavern as an unearthly howl echoed within.

Gwynn woke with a start, falling out of the bed with a loud thump as her chin met the ground.

The kitten practically jumped to the ceiling as the howl filled the air, a natural fear of dogs running over her.  The girl quickly ran over the magierprinz, forcing his grimore into his hands and sprinting over to her mistress a second later, helping her up.  "Mistress!  Are you okay?"  Looking over the blonde though, her fall had likely only caused discomfort.  Now that she thought about it ... shouldn't she have heard something beforehand?  "... It ... teleports or something!?  I didn't hear it!"  As for the girl, she stepped outside the room silently with a small dagger, trying to see where it was.  The darkness didn't bother her but ... where was the damn thing?

As for the Prince, he woke up much slower, wondering what was going on.  Seeing the Grimore in his hands, the man went over his spells mentally.  He had avoided any ice spells, and instead had chosen spells involving a combination of earth and holy magic, and a few spells that would hopefully slow down the things manuverability.

"Owowow...urgh, ow." Was all Gwynn could really say after eating...wooden floor, as Maoin helped her up? Argh, that actually hurt a bit. Pretty sure she bit her tongue on that. "Yea, yeah, I'm fine. What the hell was that?" Gwynn said as she stood up, glad that she hadn't changed out of her clothes. If that was what they were up against, then she was glad she wouldn't be fighting in pajamas.

"Is that...whatever it is we're hunting?" Gwynn frowned. If it was, then this was a complete unexpected turn of events. Clete had said it should have been there tomorrow night. Had he got something wrong, or did he completely expect this? Before she could ponder it much though, Maoin had already left the room, heading out into the hallway. It was difficult to see at night, but that was fine. She could handle it.

"Maoin! What are you doing? get back here!" Without thinking Gwynn ran after the cat, grabbing her hand and pulling her back. "You're not fighting whatever that is!"

As the three figured their situation, screams continued downstairs with the rapid slamming of tables, breaking plates and glass, and smacking of people running out the door.  "No! Stop" was an apt description of the occasional cries from down the stairs.  

Maoin's eyes opened in horror as she heard the sounds, and for a moment was glad she was pulled back in the room.  She was willing to die for her mistress.  That was simple.  The black haired girl looked at her dagger, searching the room.  "Mistress.  I'm going to get out of the tavern and see what I can do from outside.  Be safe ... okay?"  With that, the kitten headed to the window and jumped out of it, landing on her feet like cats always do.  She tried to see what was going on from outside, and what her ears would tell her.

"You're the one that needs to be careful!" Gwynn shouted rather loudly. Knowing that ordering the cat to stay there would likely be futile and only upset her more. "Don't...get yourself hurt. Try and see if Clete's awake if you can! He might be able to help." She shook her head, her sword appearing in her right hand with a spark of magic. Clete didn't strike her as the combative sort, but if he didn't intentionally mislead him, then he should at least try to help in some reason.

"Swen, hurry up and finish that book of yours! I'm heading downstairs!" Gwynn shouted, and before he could order her otherwise, she already bolted out the door, heading to the lower floors.

As for the Prince, he had woken up and was flipping through the pages, going after Gwynn.  "SLOW DOWN!"  The magierprinz knew that they might die if they sat still for too long, but also understood that they would certainly die if they charged in one by one.  Now what spell was he thinking of?  Divine chains?  Denial?  The groggy man's head spun slightly as he stumbled down the staircase after the noblewoman.

The kitten from the outside scaled the wall easily and peered into Clete's room obediently, seeing what was going on.  The dog ... the dog made her limbs shake.  This was utterly terrifying.

Clete had of course, woken as well...and also made sure to listen at his door for any sounds that might prove troubling, aside from the hound below. That was definitely what they were after...but why was it here? Their trackers must have been wrong. Clete backed away from the door, hearing Gwynn and Swen heading downstairs. Well, that was good. He wasn't a fighter, and he was perfectly content to stay up here in his room. He walked over to the window, opening it, seeing if there were any commotion in the streets. Several people had gathered around the tavern outside, dimly illuminated by the moonlight and the lights from the Tavern.

At least it didn't seem like anyone had been hurt...yet.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!?"  The kitten's normal formality went out the window (pun intended) as she hung, trying to get answers from the man ...

As the two humans arrived downstairs, they would have seen something that looked to be right out of nightmares.  A black colored hound-like being with spines portruding from its back stood over a person, as if staring into his soul.  Flames lightly spewed out of its mouth as it put a paw on the man's chest.  The beast turned quickly as it heard the pair come down the stairs and growled at them with a greater amount of flames spewing from it's mouth.  On its sides, Gywnn and Swen would notice that there was a red color brightening as it moved its head down slightly before raising it quickly and opening its maw, releasing a spew of flames toward the two on the stairs.

Gwynn didn't seem to hear Swen. She wasn't waiting around for this thing to start hurting anyone else as long as she was around. It didn't take her long to get to the first floor, and eye the carnage that had been wrought. Plates, chairs, and other things seemed to have been smashed to pieces...and the black hound that was standing on top of a person. She didn't have much time to react to its presence. It's maw opened, a gout of flame blasting from it in their direction.

Gwynn held her hand up, A shell of ice quickly forming in front of the pair, the fire blast from the hound slamming into the frigid substance. Drops of melted water dripped onto the floor were the flame hit the shield. Gwynn may not be the most skilled spell caster as of now, but a vendetta to kick someone's ass is a pretty good motivation for training, and in the last week she had been almost doing nothing but that and attending classes.

Without waiting for a word from Swen, the shield of ice broke into several sharp shards. Against a fire beast she wouldn't be doing much, but if something could bleed or cut...she'd just have to cut it until it dropped. The shards of ice shot forwards, towards the beast as Gwynn moved away from Swen. It wouldn't be a good idea to stand close to each other.

The Prince debated moving behind Gwynn for the additional protection, but decided to let her distract the beast.  Swen frantically flipped through a few pages until he found the spell he desired.  "Hold it still and protect me!"  The Magierprinz commanded as he started mentally reading the spell off, the grimore beginning to glow.

The hound swatted the first couple of ice shards out of the air with its paws, but took a few hits from the others.  Whatever success there was in hitting it, there was likely disappointment in the low amount of damage it seemed to inflict.  It bled a small bit from the wounds, but they quickly patched themselves up as the red in it's body decreased some.  Of the two, the girl was a more direct threat, but at the same time, the boy was just standing there, reading something out of a glowing book.  The beast breathed up a ball of fire and shot it from its mouth at the one with the book before turning to the one with the sword and pouncing at her.

"Don't just shout 'protect me' and whatever you're fighting know you're doing something, you idiot!" Gwynn shouted, somewhat annoyed that he'd go and do that. Granted, this was a hound, but it was obviously by now at least not a dumb animal of some sort. He went and made himself a target! If he was going to do something he should just keep his damn mouth shut and do it! And now she had to go and protect his sorry ass!

Swiftly as she could, Gwynn formed a thin barrier of ice between Swen and the fireball. Enough to at least cause it to dissipate...but that left her wide open. Before she had a time to properly defend herself, the hound slammed into her, knocking her to the ground with the hound on top of her, pinning her and causing her sword to clatter to the ground some distance away.

With the fireball blocked, the prince fired off the same spell he had used against the sets of armor, although not quite as non-lethal as the one used in the library.  A gust of wind shot from his hand, hopefully launching the beast off of Gwynn.  That wasn't what he had been preparing for, however.

During his research, he had managed to find some things that were useful against cerebus.  Hercules used lion skin, for instance.  At the end of the day though, the Magierprinz settled for something that could defeat any dog: a muzzle with heavy, heavy shackles.  The books glow ended as a series of chains shot out, a muzzle aiming to close the fire breathing dogs mouth and force it to stop moving.  He didn't expect it to stop moving completely, but he hoped it would at least make the beast manageably fast.

As the gust of wind was something the hound had not expected exactly, it released some fire from its maw, scorching a bit of the wall it faced and toppled one way off of Gwynn.  The fire spewed into multiple places, catching a bit of cloth on fire as finally found its balance, but then was chained and muzzled soon after.  It struggled a bit with it's mouth closed and fire still jetting out as it tried to free it's mouth.  One thing that Gwynn or Swen might notice though, was that rather than flames, it what came out was a bit more viscous.  Hot, and burning where it touched.

Gwynn rolled to safety, getting up the moment she had put some distance between herself and the hound and making sure to grab her sword in the process. Honestly, she was really fucking annoyed with Swen right now. He had almost gotten her killed. Damn it, he better be glad they were trying to do this together or she'd have punched his lights out. Seriously! Teamwork! Did he have no idea what that was? Gah, thoughts for later. He had muzzled it, but next time he should think about putting himself in danger or something.

Gwynn readied her sword, noticing the scorching substance that was coating the floor. Fire started slowly spreading from it, starting to consume the entire tavern. She took a few steps back, glancing over to the muzzled beast. Of she could kill it here, then it'd be over with, but she wasn't sure how fast the fire would start spreading. If they left, then they might not get another chance to find it...or at least it would take longer.

It was a reckless idea, really, but she wouldn't pass up this chance.

Pointing her sword at the hound, she focused her magic on the air above it. A large, heavy chunk of ice formed above the creature about two feet wide...and dropped it on the hound. Immediately after, she ran towards the beast. Ice likely wouldn't do much damage, it was already melting swiftly before she could even drop it. But hopefully, it would be distracted long enough for her to drive her blade into its skull.

Picking up on Gwynn's cue, the magierprinz flipped to another page in his book.  "I'm summoning water then firing a lance!"  He flipped a few more times, found his page, then muttered a few words and lifted up his free hand, taking a few steps to the right to ensure there was plenty of room.

The moment Gwynn was out of the way, he started shooting out cold water straight at the beast.  Highly pressurized, and plentiful water.  This was a pretty basic spell, but amped up a dozen times to make sure it was enough.  For a moment, the man was worried the force of the spell would send the beast through the tavern wall, but he tried to increase it's force.

He could pay the village for flooding damages.  Hell, he could buy a new one.

Seeing little option left, the hound decided that it's best course of action was to gain mobility for an exchange for its power.  The creature's body erupted into a burst of flames and the overall size of the creatures body shrank and moved out of its bonds whilst doing so.  As the practically small-scale inferno disappated, the body of a large chested, dark-skinned girl appear with what appeared to be black clothing.  Quickly she dodged out of the way by jumping to the wall and bounced off at the male. Behind her, fire followed and seemed to flow into her body as she landed in front of Swen.  Her eyes glowed red and seemed to even flicker like a fire as she spoke, "You all couldn't have just escaped, could you?  I was just wanting my feast and you all ruin it."  The creature's hand seem to have sharp nail-like claws almost ready for a reply she wouldn't like.

Gwynn, was totally not prepared for that. She planted her feet in the ground, stopping herself mid swing as the thing avoided her attack. She turned her head, almost concerned for Swen when...whatever it was bounced off in his direction. She had half a mind to run after it, but it was...talking? And looked human now. She slowly took a few steps towards it as she spoke. Close enough to intervene if it intended more harm, but far enough away to maintain a comfortable distance from her.

Swen didn't even bother replying.  His grimore was already on create water.  The Prince snapped his fingers, and all the water in the tavern and more gushed towards the girl standing in front of him at incredible speed, trying to force her away and mid air as a ball of water would attempt to hold her in place.  More freezing water was being summoned from his hand at the same time, pressurizing the floating orb more and making sure she didn't escape.  If she tried to swim out, the mage would shift it in such a manner as to make her flow back to the center.  He noticed Gwynn standing there, a little tired.  "Can you like ... freeze her into this ball, or maybe poke her?"  The prince at the same time was trying to use the water to actually crush the girl with large amounts of pressure.

"I mean...I could try?" Gwynn said, somewhat concerned. The thing was talking here, and it had stopped attacking them...and while she wasn't one to let someone get away with doing something bad, was freezing her solid necessary? Not that she had much of a choice in the matter though. That would probably count as an order, and she really didn't want to end up as a maid for the headmistress for a week. Honestly though, she was exhausted. That bit of magic she already used tired her out more than a little...but she'd try.

The creature got pulled into the ball of water and catered into mid-air as the boy wished.  However, one thing he might notice, is the distorted look in the center near where the girl's body was.  As if the water was being boiled from within.  Soon enough, the outside became increasingly hot as well, and water began boiling off on all sides.  As it seemed, the orb was not going to handle itself much longer and fell apart from the water unable to hold itself together.  "You are becoming more and more annoying."  Her eyes held more ire in them than before, but was still catching her breath from being held inside water for so long.

At this point, Swen nodded.  "I agree."  He recasted the same spell over again.  The man had a strong understanding of science, and knew that water had a ridiculously high specific heat and took a long time to boil.  "Gwynn, I'm trying to subdue her at this point.  If you could poke her in the leg or just keep the water cold enough not to boil, that's fine.  I can keep this up for probably five, ten more minutes."

"Yeah, well, I'm about out of steam." Gwynn huffed. "I'm no expert mage. Cooling down boiling water would already be difficult, but I just dropped a 2-foot block of ice on her! That's kinda draining!" It was quite clear she was at least a little annoyed with this. As much as she would have liked to follow those orders, she just wasn't skilled enough.

"Besides, if you didn't notice she's already stopped attacking." Certainly, the mutt wasn't getting off easy from attacking this place but...The mutt just didn't seem entirely like she intended to actually hurt them, did it? It had the perfect opportunity to maul her when she was pinned, and there wasn't exactly anything that looked like it had hurt someone.

Swen thought for a few moments, then nodded.  After a quick look around, he noticed a lack of bodies.  He looked over to Gwynn.  "... Um, yeah.  Just saw the lack of corpses."  The mage released his spell, although remained on guard.  "So, what err ... what was your reason for coming here?"  The mage was flipping through his book idily as he spoke, having something ready just in case.

At this point, Maoin wandered into the tavern behind Gwynn.

The Dark-Skinned girl was still trying catch some of her breath, coughing up a small bit of steaming water.  When she had the chance she spoke, "I told you.  I wanted my feast.  The hunger keeps eating away so I must eat and eat lest I become food for my own fire."  Now, the flickering flame in her eyes did't seem as angry as they did prior.  "A friend told me this land was a great place to constantly feast if I didn't harm the humans. But I found nothing fitting except these places that stockpiled plenty of food in one place."

At this point, Swen resisted the urge to facepalm.  He started screaming angrily with frustration.  "THEN WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING PEOPLE!?  Don't they have jobs in hell!?  Couldn't you have just asked for some food!?"  The Prince pointed to Gwynn, trying to get her to back him up.  The sudden shift from 'almost getting killed' to 'handling a non-lethal problem' confused the man.

Maoin was still panicking slightly at seeing the dog, but had figured out earlier than Swen that the beast wasn't perfectly dangerous.  Gwynn would feel the kitten brushing against her.

Well...Swen did have a point. Though, well, she wasn't once to talk much about stealing food, heh, so lecturing the hound herself would be somewhat hypocritical. That said, this was getting annoying, and she really would like to get back to sleep. She looked over to Maoin, giving her a reassuring smile that everything was...more or less okay.

"Well, uh, maybe we should first get out of this tavern? We did kinda just...trash it. Or at least get back upstairs."

The creature-girl looked confused.  "Why? Everyone left so I get to eat the food they left behind."  If she didn't eat enough, she'd likely go feral like so many of her kind.  She couldn't have that happen.  "It was mentioned that if they leave their food, it was free for the taking so I shouldn't worry about it."  The part she missed was the fact that it was meant for single points of time and not in a town.  Not to mention she wasn't meant to just scare people off.  "If the peons leave their food, then they don't deserve it."

At this point Swen's mouth dropped while mentally he steamed.  It seemed the creature geniunely believed what she was saying ... and well ... it hadn't killed anyone.  Looking over at Gwynn, he muttered a silent prayer before continuing with a patronizing, sarcastic lecture he could manage.  "Listen.  Whatever your name is ... If you promise to stop attacking people and come with us, I swear I can feed you food.  Lots of food.  More food than you could imagine!  You can ask those two ladies over there, I have given them food before.  If you come with me back to Saint Sappho, you can get lots of food there too."  The man looked over to Gwynn, nodded, and started to head back up the staircase.  He had no idea what the hell just happened, but he was done with the night.  If that meant feeding the damn beast, he'd feed the bitch.

"My name is Eith."  The Dog-Girl said simply, watching the man go up the staircase. 

Maoin nodded in agreement that Swen in fact did give them lots of food.  A second later though, she ducked out of the creature's sight behind Gwynn.  "M-mistress?"  Was that mangy dog really going to be staying in the same place as them?

"Well...he does feed me free food if I ask nicely, Eith." Gwynn said with a chuckle, an impish smile forming as she walked over to the girl. "He's actually really rich and could probably by you all the food you want. So yeah, he can feed you all you want!" With that, Gwynn gave her a friendly pat on her head, and started back up stairs. Introductions could continue once up there. She gently tugged Maoins hand, pulling her along with her.

When the Hound-Girl recieved the pat on the head, she merely flinched slightly hardly experiencing it much at least in her recent past.

"Don't worry, she's perfectly nice, I'm sure. And if she even thinks about hurting you...boots. Strung up by. Sea monster pit. Bad times for fire mutt."  The kitten followed behind, nervously and loyally, still trying to stay out of the site of the bad wolfy ... and she was a little jealous of the pettings Eith had recieved.

Eith quickly ate what food she could find whether it was on the floor or sitting on a plate and quickly followed upstairs.  She wasn't letting her meal ticket leave her behind, especially when he said he was going to give her more food than she could possibly imagine.

After they all returned to their room, Gwynn flopped down on the bed and yawned loudly. She was tired. After using that much of her magic, she was a bit tired and could go for a nice warm bath right about now. She stretched, taking up most of the bed in the process. As much as she was annoyed with Swen and his complete lack of making sense in battle, she was more tired and really, really, would rather sleep.

Swen simply walked into the room, a little groggily after Gwynn.  The magierprinz simply pushed her aside with some effort, reclaiming the other half of the bed as his own and going back to sleep.  He felt rather stupid about being so hostile towards the dog, and now his wallet was doomed. Gywnn made a noise that sounded halfway between a growl and an annoyed huff as she was rolled aside, but said nothing as she laid on her side of the bed.

The kitten simply looked at the two of them ... seeming utterly confused about how they could calm down so quickly in the prescence of a literal hellhound.  However, the cat realized the problem: the dog would be with them, and she was the only person left to instruct it.  "... Um ... hi ... you can sleep there."  The girl pointed to the nest she had set up for herself previously, while she thought about where she would sleep on her own.

"Very well.  As little as I need to sleep, if I need to stay here, it might as well be comfortable." Eith said as she took the spot the cat suggested.  She could hold back her hunger for now so if she needed to stay for a bit, she might as well.

The cat looked at her a little nervously, and backed up towards the bed with her mistress.  For a few seconds the neko pondered if her owner would be alright with sharing the bed a little more.  "... mistress ... mind if I join you ...?"  The entire building was fairly wet, so sharing body heat wasn't a bad idea.

The blond looked up from where her face had been buried in a pillow. She wasn't upset about that dog, was she? Gwynn sighed, slightly annoyed but she couldn't just leave Maoin out there. Problem was, there just wasn't exactly much room to go around.

''Sure...just, find somewhere? I could always use you as a pillow." Gwynn teased, sounding half asleep with that statement.

The kitten blushed slightly, but nodded.  A few secons later Gwynn would find her head in the kitten's lap as the girl leaned against the wall, taking her owner's pillow and using it for herself.  The cat pulled the covers over her owner ... "Is this good, mistress?"

"Hmm...softest...pillow ever..." Gwynn yawned, but she was quickly off to sleep before the kitten or anyone else could say anything.

---

Gwynn, for the most part slept like a rock until morning. She was completly exhausted from that little bout with the hound, Eith. Plus, Maoin's lap was surprisingly comfortable though the request had been made when she was already half asleep so thoughts about that didn't happen until after she woke. When morning finally came, Gwynn yawned, opening an eye tiredly as she realized her head actually wasn't laying on a pillow.

What was...she laying on, then? She reached over, and poked it.

Maoin let out a high pitched yelp from the surprise of being poked in the lower stomach.  Glancing down, the kitten saw her mistress was waking up.

For the entire night, the cat had kept a careful watch over the savage beast they had decided to bring along.  In short ... she hadn't slept at all, instead loyally acting as a pillow for her owner.  The poke came in right as her sense of sleep was about to overcome her natural fear of the beast.  "Good morning, mistress."  The nekos tail brushed lightly up against the taller woman's side.

Eith had barely slept.  Not in a bad sense of it, she just didn't need it too much.  Still, the noise around her woke the hound from her slumber.  Somehow, she stayed in her human form all night and was curled up as animals tend to do.  After a quick stretch she stood up and looked at all the others. The annoying male, the swordswoman and the one with animal ears.  "I believe the saying is, 'Good Morning?'"  She was trying at least.

Gwynn's eyes widened as the thing she poked, sounded suspiciously like Maoin. She shot straight up in the bed, scooting backwards away from the cat. What...just what? As she woke up, the events of the previous night came back...and when she had jokingly said for her to use the kitten as a pillow. Gwynn let out a breath, deciding best not to really comment on that.

"Jeez, next time don't yelp so loudly." She replied, still looking half asleep, placing a hand over her mouth as she yawned. "Morning, Maoin." She stretched, feeling a bit sore from fighting the hound last night. Hearing the dog up, she turned to see her standing up.

"Morning, Eith." Might as well be somewhat friendly.

The kitten frowned slightly.  "Sorry mistress, I didn't expect it.  Won't happen again."  Maoin was too tired to realize that her owner probably hadn't been entirely serious when she said that, and seemed to be deeply apologetic.

The magierprinz rolled out of bed.  Literally.  The thing wasn't as large as he was used to, and a second later the Prince hit the floor with a thud.  A few seconds later, he began to wake up, raising himself up out of the bed and collecting his robes as he looked over the remainder of the party.  "I suppose we should prepare to depart?"  The man yawned, stretching again ... and wondering why his side hurt.

Reciving only a somewhat...taciturn nod in reply, Gwynn looked at Maoin who seemed completely out of it. Had...she stayed up all night? That was really, really, bad. That wouldn't do at all. 

"Maoin, did you stay up all night?" Gwynn asked, obviously concerned. "I know you're probably not comfortable around fire mutt, but you should at least sleep! I mean really! You're sleeping on the way back! I don't care if Eith's there or not." She hopped out of bed, stretching again about the time Swen fell on the floor and asked if they should get going.

"Can we eat first or something? After that workout last night, I'm starving." It'd be half a day before they got back to Ambracia at least, and she was pretty sure she'd starve by then.

At the first sign of food, Eith's ears perked straight up.  As much as she could hold her hunger, the mere mention of food was enough make her so very hungry.  "I agree with this sentiment, mealticket, get me food."  Even in her human form she seemed to have a tail as well, and it was moving quite quickly.

The magierprinz simply blinked at Eith in response to the name 'mealticket'.  Once they returned to Sappho, the prince would probably have to talk with Livia about what to do about the hellhound ... but for now.  "If your a good puppy and ... stay in this human form, I will feed you lots ... I hope the owners have returned by now."  Swen remembered for a few moments how he had practically flooded the place, but he would simply explain that he was putting out the fires.

Maoin looked towards her mistress with ears flat on her head and exhaustion in her eyes.  "... Yes mistress ..."  Her owner seemed upset with her, which only made the girl upset in turn.

Maoin looked horrible. Gwynn sighed, shaking her head. The cat was probably really tired, so she shouldn't mess with her too much.

"Maoin, I told you to call me Gwynn." She said with a lighthearted chuckle, reaching over and petting the cat. "Come on, get up you silly cat. Getting something to eat will make you feel better."
About that time, there was a knock at their door.

"Pardon the interruption, but are all of you awake?" It was Clete. Gwynn had to wonder where exactly he had run off to during the night, it was a little suspicious he was a bit absent after they were ambushed like that. 

Clete opened the door to their room, taking only a few steps inside as he observed the...four of them? His eyes lingered on Eith for a few moments, but ultimaltey said nothing to her. He could put two and two together.

"It is good to see you unharmed. The headmistress would not be entirely happy should you have been." Clete said, though his tone of voice indicated very little concern. "Concerning the matter of the beast...what happened to it?" Clete looked over to Eith, but waited for an answer from one of them.

The prince at this point shrugged.  "We annoyed it sufficently, and it decided to inform us of that."  Swen wasn't really in for giving much more of an answer than that.  While the bonus reward from lord Kostis would be nice, the nobleman had made a deal with Eith, and he'd keep it or ensure another did.

This old man was new.  Someone Eith had not seen yet, but well, she'd just let the others say stuff.  He seemed to be talking to her, though she tilted her head slightly, confused as to who this exactly was.  Still, she was getting hungry and started to tap her foot unneccesarily rapidly, though it seemed rather quiet.

"Yeah...it won't be a problem any more." Gwynn replied with an assuring grin.

"I see." Clete replied dryly. "I suppose that is for the best. I trust the Headmistress' students wouldn't lie." The older man seemed to buy their story, or at least didn't press the issue. Really, it was for the best. If he had to be honest with himself - he would rather not see the beast end up in Lord Kostis' hands. Of course, he was obligated to do what he must regardless of what he wanted in the end but if these children didn't want to hand it over, then that was fine.

"If you don't mind, I have made breakfast. The people in the village were more than kind after you resolved that situation last night. I convinced some of the few who worked on the farms to give us some fresh vegetables and the owners made some fresh bread."

Free food? Well, that sounded delicious. Gwynn was more than happy to accept. Though, Clete didn't exactly seem like the best cook...

"Well, sure why not. Better than having us pay for it."

The magierprinz looked over to Eith for a few seconds, and then back at Clete.  "That is nice to know, our new companion will require rations as well."  If this could get him off from paying for her for a day, then that is what he would do.

As for Maoin, she reached into the backpack and nodded after a few seconds, speaking a few tired words as well.  "I brought rations for us as well, mistress ... in case we require another meal down the road."  The familiar had prepared for the two of them to have nothing to eat at all, so this was a welcome relief.

"Maoin you worry too much."Gwynn joked, petting the kitten again. Really, there wasn't much of a need to prepare food either way. If they had run out or got into a situation where they were out of food, they could just hunt. Couldn't be that hard.

"Very good, then." Clete replied. "There is a table set up in my room." He left the room, leading the way to his. Most of the space in the room had been cleared out, the bed shoved to the side of the wall, along with any other furniture to help make room. Clete had probably moved everything himself. On the table, was a small feast of freshly picked vegetables and produce and a loaf of freshly baked bread. "The townsfolk were quite happy you took care of that beast before any major damage was done."

The houndgirl followed the others and found the table of food.  Before anyone else really had a chance, she quickly walked over and shoved a plate-full into her mouth.  She was half-tempted to turn into her beast form, but that would likely be bad.  Probably.  Still, it would have been quite the sight to behold.  The food was . . . Meh at best.  It was vegetables and bread, the worst of all. At the least bread was a good compliment to meat, but there seemed to be a lack of meat.  She really wanted to eat something else now.  She blinked a few times and turned back to the others.  "Is it just this?" She had to question.

Clete frowned. Well, certainly it hadn't been the best but the new girl he hadn't been introduced too didn't seem entirely impressed.

"I apologize, miss. It was prepared on short notice so any meats could not have been prepared."

Gwynn, for the most part took a seat and started eating. While she also preferred meats of the seafood kind...vegetables and fruit weren't so bad, as long as they were juicy in some manner. For a little village like this, they grew some pretty good ones.

"Heey, this isn't have bad. Tanks Clete." Gwynn replied with a grin, stuffing a carrot in her mouth.

Swen joined Gwynn in eating the meal, taking a few bites of peasant food.  He had eaten far tastier in his days, but the fruits and vegtables were fresh.  The magierprinz eagerly ate more, giving Clete a simple wave of thanks.

The kitten reached into the bag she had brought with them, bringing out some dried meat for rations and handing a pound of it nervously over to the dog.  "Hopefully this will ... satiate your hunger."  The girl brought out some more, placing it onto her owner's plate as well.  It didn't seem like they would need it really, and Maoin didn't want to become dinner.

Eith took the meat from the kitten, eating it quickly yet savoring it.  It was dried, sure, but it tasted pretty good. Better than the sad and lonely feel from vegetables and bread.  Not long after, Maoin would feel softness on her back as Eith's arms wrapped around her and the hound pulled her closer.  "I want this one to be my follower."  She rubbed her cheek against the cat's.  "She'd make a good one for me if she carries food around."

Gwynn stared at Eith in disbelief, end of the carrot she had been eating sticking out of her mouth. Maoin looked absolutely terrified, but this was priceless and Gwynn was definitely not gonna pass up the opportunity for a little teasing. A few moments of silence passed before she couldn't restrain her laughter.

"Oh wow, Maoin," Gwynn replied through a peal of laughter, holding her stomach. "Looks like the fire mutt has a crush on you. She's kinda cute, you should say yes. I'd probably at least flirt a little, heh." She continued, though her laughter soon died down before giving Eith a somewhat antagonistic seeming smirk. As much as she would have liked to continue...Maoin looked terrified. "But uhm, she's mine so go get your own kitten, mutt."

Maoin had frozen the moment she was grabbed, shaking slightly with fear and trying to form words but failing to do so.  The black haired girl was glad that her owner decided to stand up for her ... eventually.

Eith blinked at the blond when she mentioned the cat was hers.  "How sad you already had a mistress."  The hound said as she released Maoin and put her hands up, showing she meant no harm.  "That aside, sword-woman, what did you mean by, 'Flirt'?"  That was hardly a word Eith had ever heard before so she became curious as she cocked her head to the side slightly. 

At hearing Eith's question, Gwynn blinked. Flirting? She didn't know what flirting was? Oho. Ohohohohohoho. Heh. Now that was...fun. That hostile smirk went immediately into her normal impish smile as her eyes drifted over to Maoin. Perhaps in a moment. For now, she simply turned back to Eith, smiling at the hound.

"Flirting, hmm?" Gwynn moved closer to Eith, standing only a foot or so away from the hound. "Maoin...mind helping me show Eith what 'flirting' is?"

The kitten had practically ran across the room when Eith had released her ... but she returned loyally to her owner's side.  Maoin wasn't the best at flirting, and wondered what sort of demonstration her mistress was requesting.  Did her lady want her to flirt ... again?  "... meow ...?"

Eith looked between the two, still confused.  What were these two trying to do?  She really didn't understand. "Are you going to inform me or not?"  It didn't come off as hostile, just. . . A little aggressive.

The kitten frowned at her failure.  Perhaps Eith required a better demonstration?  This time, the kitten licked her owner's neck, moved closer to her, and leaned slightly into her.  Maoin was still a little afraid, but when being this close to her lady ... the world seemed a little less scary.

Swen simply watched the show, taking a drink of whatever was provided.

Gwynn gave a small huff of annoyance, cheeks coloring slightly.

"First of all. You're supposed to be flirting with Eith. Secondly, you're terrible at this. Lemme show ya." Gwynn grinned, moving away from Maoin and a bit closer to Eith. She gave the hound a confident smile as she spoke.

"So, Eith." She took a step closer. "My fiery little hound," Another step, close enough so that the two of them were practically touching. "How about I take you on a tour of Sappho once we get back? I know some pretty tasty places we could dine at." She moved to Eith's side, throwing an arm around the hounds shoulder, leveling her head with the hounds. "We could go back to my place after that" The arm that had been thrown over Eith's shoulder pulled her more tightly to Gwynn.

Clete for the most part, remained silent. He would have no part of these young ones shenanigans.

Swen at this point raised his hand.  "To be fair milady, I've been paying for you when you go out.  I don't think you could afford to take Eith around town."  The prince was fairly sure that Gwynn wasn't even in control of her own finances somehow.

Maoin seemed to nod in agreement, not understanding why her owner would offer such a thing.  "Do you want me to ... to flirt with the beast, mistress?"  The black haired girl's ears were still down, tail between her legs as her owner seemed disatisfied with her performance and left her, as well as simply being in the presence of the evil creature.

Eith was slightly confused still. Human convention was excessively weird. So, flirting was getting close and being nice?  Perhaps she was finally understanding flirting?  If this "milady"  or "mistress" as she kept being called was flirting with her by being nice, close and friendly.  Would that mean what she had done with the cat earlier was flirting then? From a being such as Eith, being allowed to be a follower was quite the honor.  

"I believe I understand."  It was her turn to try the human method. She lived among them for a while so she was sure she understood their ways.  Building on the method of "milady", the hound spoke.  "Well then, "milady", I would love for your beautiful self to "give me a tour of Sappho" and I'm sure you know many places to eat."  Regardless of what she was saying, there wasn't much emotion in the way she was.  "I would be honored "go back to your place" with you."  She didn't know if she was going to be given a place to sleep after all.  "I believe the correct human response to such is this?"  The hounds hand reached over to Gwynn's chin and turned it to her before their lips met.

Gwynn frowned a bit, humming quietly. No no, she didn't think Eith still understood what 'flirting' was. That response sounded just so...mechanical and generic. She was missing all of the nuances that were associated with flirting. Not to mention, a lack of emotion. Well. She would have to take drastic measures then.

Well, at least before Eith decided to do exactly what she was going to do. Eith's hand met her chin, pulling her face in close...and their lips met. The first thing she realized, was that the girls mouth was incredibly warm. Secondly, she was kissing an incredibly attractive girl at the moment, and she was one hundred percent okay with that. That didn't stop her face from turning a shade of red though, and she realized that maybe she knew exactly what flirting was after all, despite her incredible lack of emotion when speaking.

For a few long seconds, Gwynn kept the kiss, enjoying the warm feeling from Eith perhaps a bit too much. When she finally did pull away, all she could do was take a few steps back.

"Wow....uh....wow." Gwynn replied, breathing heavily, face red despite her obvious enjoyment of the act. "Uh...I don't uh, think I have anything to uh, teach you in regards to flirting...but uh, yeah. Sure. Food. I'll buy. My place. It's a date."

Maoin at this point looked on in somewhat abject horror, then dissapointment.  It wasn't really her place to tell her owner who she could and couldn't play with ... since Eith was a girl, it didn't really matter ... right?  The black haired girl walked over to a corner of the room and sat down.

She wasn't really hungry anymore.

Eith nodded, whatever it meant, she had free food.  Perhaps it was better to be friendly to people for food?  The sword-girl looked like she enjoyed it at least.  That said, the kitten didn't seem too happy now.  Perhaps she wanted to be friendly too?  Well, if the hound were to be nice to the mistress, she should show kindness to the follower that gave her food.  Be nice, give a compliment and repeat what happened with the sword-girl. She walked over to the corner the cat decided to make camp and kneeled down to her, talking in the same almost emotionless voice she had before. 

"Sorry for not showing proper kindness to you, cat-eared-one. If your beautiful black-haired self needed to "flirt" with me to fulfill your "mistress' wish, I shall oblige."  As with Gwynn, she brought her hand to the cat's chin, lifted it up and brought her lips to the cat's. She did the same as with the sword-girl since it seemed effective before. 

Before Eith could manage the kiss though, the cat slapped her face with one of her paws and hissed at her animalistically for a few seconds.  A second later, she was on her feet trying to tower as high as she possibly could, and be as threatening as possible.  Cold, emotionless words followed.  "... You appear to have been educated on the matter already.  My mistress wants your company - attend her properly."

The black haired girl began to back out of the corner she was in slowly, trying to get as close to the window as possible.  Based on her heightened ears and slightly lifted tail, she was ready to bolt.

"I'm merely being friendly with both you and her.  You happen to be her servant so it seems."  The hound was obviously irked as it even showed in her voice.  If she were in her beast form, her teeth would probably be showing.  "You are the one to attend to her.  Otherwise you would be a worthless servant."  Eith could not understand why the cat was trying to run as she was.  At this point, she should just be sitting there waiting.  "You're lucky that girl is your master."  Eith narrowed her eyes at the cat, a flame practically alight in them but she stood up and went to the otherside of the room. As she passed Gwynn she said with a slight anger in her voice, "Collect your servant."

Gwynn watched Maoin slap Eith. Honestly, she should have figured the kitten wouldn't like being so close to the mutt, but to actually attack her? That was...a bit unreasonable and really something Gwynn hadn't expected. She frowned, looking from Eith to Maoin as she walked over to where the Kitten was. She was tired, that much was obvious so Gwynn wasn't going to say anything until the kitten actually got some rest...but they should probably have another little talk. About what, Gwynn wasn't sure but she was at least mildly annoyed right now.

"Hey, Maoin." She said, giving her a pat on her head. "I dunno what that was, but we're gonna have another little talk after we get to Sappho, alright?"

Maoin remained on edge as the hound lectured her, although the words insulted her.  She HAD been attending her mistress - the black haired girl was simply trying to get that thing her owner was having fun with back to her owner ... right?

As her lady approached though, she looked down, feeling a little ashamed.  Truthfully, the black haired girl knew that slapping her owner's new friend was bad conduct ... but when the neko looked over to the hellhound again, she shook slightly with some sort of fear.

The kitten was slightly surprised by the petting though, and instinctually she leaned into it just a bit.  Maoin could tell her mistress was not completely pleased, but it was obvious this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have right now.  The kitten's eyes went downwards as they started to water slightly from the recent and overwhelming emotions.  "... Yes Mistress ..."

Swen lowered his Grimore as the two seperated - he had been prepared to force them apart (non-lethally, of course) if he needed to.  As Gwynn approached her servant, the Prince took a few more bites of the food then turned to Eith.  "Eith, let's go stand by the carriage.  We should get going soon anyways."  The mage saw that his betrothed and her familiar were relatively happy with eachother, so he wanted to give them the time they needed.  He was a little confused about their romance, but it was obvious Eith enjoyed Gwynn's company as well.

---

After they were done, the group made their way outside. The tavern didn't look too damaged from the fire thankfully, and the tavern owner gave them a brief good bye, and thanked them for getting rid of the beast. Clete and the carriage was already waiting on them by the time they got outside, and after everyone got in, they set off. The trip back was about as uneventful as the trip there. Maoin ended up sleeping on the way there, Gwynn let her use her lap as a pillow. When they arrived back in Ambracia, Clete said goodbye to the group, heading home and asking them to send the headmistress his regards. After a brief lunch, the group headed back to the teleportation hub and then back to Livia's office.

When they arrived, It was a few hours into the afternoon and classes had just let out. Livia was sitting behind her desk, Fia was sitting behind the couch with her studies. Cynthia seemed absent though, likely having headed back to Livia's Villa so she could prepare food for the evening as well as make sure everything was in order for her and Fia once she returned home. She wouldn't be returning home for a few hours, but Cynthia was a...perfectionist to say the least.

She was enjoying the silence, really. The scratching of her pencil as she filled out a few forms.

And then someone had to go and ruin it.

"Having fun, Livia dear?" She'd recognize that demon's voice anywhere.

"I was." Livia replied, only pausing her writing briefly.

"Wow, no need to be so harsh." Myrilla replied. "I simply want to have a little talk about...Greece."

Livia frowned. What could she possibly have...she knew Myrilla was from Greece, but that was - 

"...I swear if you have something to do with those incidents that have been happening recently, so help me whatever gods don't hate me, I will smite you." At this, the demon Lord chuckled lightly.

"Aha, see, about that...it might be one of my...acquaintances." Livia dropped her pencil, looking up from her desk and glaring at Myrilla. "Now now, don't be so hostile, it's not my fault...probably~" Her words definitely weren't assuring.

"We'll talk about this later." She harshly replied pointing to the couch. 
"SIT. And stay quiet. MY students have returned."

"Yes, yes, I'll be a good little Demon Lord for once." Myrilla giggled, taking a seat on one of Livia's couches...which also happened to be the one closest to Fia. She was of course, hiding her demonic traits, though her normal attire hadn't changed.

A few seconds later, the door to her office opened, Gwyn walked in followed by the others.

Fia of course had simply given up sitting on the couches, and instead was reading a book behind the one she had claimed as a friend some time earlier, resting on a small pillow.  The crimson haired girl was fairly sure that she wouldn't be noticed so long as she remained quiet, and so she made an effort to be silent and keep flipping through the pages of her book.  Today she was wearing the more conservative piece Lyssa had purchased for her ... although the abused girl was starting to wonder if the overly cheerful one had abandoned her ... A small amount of sadness was coupled with a large amount of relief as the girl remembered the overly pushy way pink hair had dealt with her.

Still, the young teenager felt she owed pink hair something in return.  She wasn't naive enough to believe in chairty.

Maoin and Swen entered the room after Gwynn, both of them looking around at the familiar place.  Maoin's head was down slightly as she waited for her owner's talk ... the kitten was sure it wouldn't be as intense as the previous one, but she sensed it wouldn't be the most cheerful of discussions.  The magierprinz also was nervous, but for a slightly different reason.  "Headmistress ... we ... solved the problem ..."  The man awkwardly gestured towards the hound-girl, "... I promised to feed the beast, and now it won't stop calling me 'meal-ticket'."  The man wasn't quite sure if that could be considered completing their mission, but while they had gotten rid of the problem he wasn't sure how happy Livia would be about it.

"You say it as if I'm incorrect." Eith mentioned.  She seemed less irritable than before, though it still seemed to be there in a small sense.  She couldn't help but take a peak over the room.  It was definitely more civilized than the rock dens she use to inhabit.  As she continued her search, she noticed someone that really didn't belong here.  "Myrilla, what are you doing here?  If you have time to give me wrong information, than you have time to do more productive things."  Not that the hound should say much, considering she spent the last so much time scaring people away from their food.

At the mention of Swen being a 'meal-ticket', Myrilla had to stifle a laughter though quickly responded in a somewhat playful tone.

"Wrong information? Eith, love, I said Greece was full of delicious food. It's not my fault if you're a silly little mutt that doesn't know how to behave around humans."

Eith growled from her human form and jumped on Myrilla, "Grrrrr!  She bit at the woman's arm, trying to prove a point, though her jaw strength as is wasn't all too powerful, so it was like grip on her arm that was more an annoyance than anything.

Myrilla didn't seem too impressed, and she was smiling more than a little bit at Eith's obvious anger.

"Oh my, Eith. Biting me so eagerly? Shouldn't you buy me dinner first?~" Without a care for the girls anger, she reached out with her other and gave the hound a gave her a pat.

The magierprinz's eyes opened a little wide as Eith literally pounced on Myrilla, Swen going forward to pull the hound off of the (unbenownst to him) demonic entity.  "Sorry about that!  If you want treats, be a good girl!"  Truthfully, the prince had considered training her like a dog.  With food.  Lots of food ...

Fia put her hands over her mouth as she resisted the urge to yelp when the couch was impacted by the hellhound, placing her hands over her mouth to keep anything from coming out.  Maoin was simply a little relieved that the beast wasn't near her, and seemed to relax slightly.

Eith fought against Swen a little bit, "Meal-ticket, you said you'd feed me as long I don't attack humans.  I didn't attack a human, so what's your issue with this?"  The Hound-girl said out of irritation.  She kept her word, so Meal-Ticket better keep his.

"Oho, it's fine. This little hound is incapable of harming me." She replied with an amused smirk as Eith was pulled off of her. She wouldn't comment on that little comment she had made about her not being a human. That'd be slightly suspicious. Instead, she'd focus more on Eith. She smirked at the mutt. "You've picked up some rather troublesome baggage though. Eith, the Shellagh Alpha. You have my sympathies...if you want, you can hand her over to me and I'll take good care of her~"

"I've not had a single person meal-ticket before, so Meal-Ticket is to take care of me while I think of how to restart the pack."  Eith told Myrilla, wanting to stay here for the free food.  Not like she had anywhere to go back to, plus, this place probably had a bunch of different types of food and meats to try. Maybe even some kinds she's never tried.

Swen looked up to Myrilla as she spoke, but pet Eith as he did so.  "I'll only hand her over to you if she's a bad girl.  I'm sure once she isn't quite so hungry she'll be easier to work with."  While the opportunity to not waste lots of money on this girl's food was favored, the man ... got an eerie sensation from the woman on the couch.  And of course, Eith had shown she obviously wasn't human.  The Prince would ask about that later.  "And I have a name, which is Swen.  Unless you want me to address you simply as 'puppy' for now on, then please use my actual name periodically."

"Tsk, fine." In truth, Myrilla was somewhat disappointed. She didn't have a familiar herself, and the Alpha would make a pretty good one...but, eh. "I'll keep you to that promise, though Swen, hehe. If you ever need help training the mutt, do tell. I'll be sure to...drop in~"

Before anyone else could say anything, Livia stood up at her desk, obviously displeased.

"If you are quite done, Myrilla, then wait in the meeting room. I'll discuss the details with them and then deal with whatever it is you want."

"Fine, fine." Myrilla stood up, walking towards the door to the adjacent meeting room and taking note of Fia hiding behind the couch. Her eyes narrowed at the child, but said nothing. When she left the room, Livia returned to her seat, holding her forehead with her hand and sighing.

"Apologies, students. She is a...difficult woman. I had no idea someone she knew was involved with this or I would have handled this differently. It looks like you are unharmed though, which is good." Livia leaned forward in her chair. "Do tell everything...I am curious as to what happened. Any trouble from Lord Kostis?"

For that entire...whatever it was, Gwynn said pretty much nothing. She was content on letting Swen handle all of this. She took a seat on a couch, stretching, glad to finally be sitting on something a bit more comfortable.

Eith was still practically growling at Myrilla as she left, but inside she was glad to see an old friend here.  She turned her attention to the beautiful blonde that apologized for the devilish woman that had just left.  She wasn't very sure what to say. She could attempt the "flirthing" thing, but that back fired the last time she tried.  For the best, she kept her mouth shut for the moment.

Swen filled Livia in on all the details, including the explanation that Lord Kostis had offered them an extra reward for handing Eith over as well.  The magierprinz didn't include anything about Maoin and the puppy's arguement since it wasn't really a neccessary detail for the head of the academy.

Maoin scooted a little closer to her owner, a little nervous about their performance during the mission.  Fia listened with curiousity, setting the books she was reading down as she absorbed the goings-on of the school.

"Well, I am glad to hear everything went well. It was probably a good idea not to hand Eith over..." So this Eith was just...hungry? Was that her reason for doing all of this. Livia couldn't help but to be reminded of a certain dragon. "I must say though, I am impressed things went as well as they did. It would have just been easier to kill the creature instead of trying to diffuse the situation. All three of you did well." Livia leaned back in her chair, giving the three of them a friendly smile. "Now, I am certain all of you are tired. Feel free to have the rest of the day off. Classes have already ended for the day, so keep that promise of yours, Sir Meal-Ticket." Livia teased.

At this, Gwynn stretched and hopped off the couch.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Hey, Swen, nice workin' with ya. Next time though, try to work on your teamwork skills a bit and don't go shouting what you're doing in earshot of whatever it is we're fighting. I'm gonna go take Maoin home now though."

Swen nodded.  "I'll work on that in the future.  You have good instincts though, so you kept us together."  Truthfully, the man hadn't noticed that the hellhound hadn't killed anyone, and was in a competely different idea of what they should be doing.  At this point though, the Magierprinz lifted his hand up.  "If you want food, puppy, you should follow me."  The man gave a quick bow to the headmistress, then departed from the room.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Week 2, Day four~

Fia & Livia

After the adventuring parties returned from their various missions, Livia was quick to pack up anything she needed to bring home for the day and bring the pair of them home. Soon after they returned, the heamistress' servants had brought well made meals into the woman's living room.

The crimson haired girl had several questions she wanted to ask the older woman. It was normal for them to share a few words after they ate, with Livia doing most of the talking. The girl kept her small bag of possessions throughout the meal, but eventually she pulled out the book she had been flipping through at Lyssa's place, The Succubus's Tale. "... Lyssa said ... ask Livia ..." The fourteen year old seemed a little confused as she spoke of the hellions final comment on the novel. "... Adulty ...?"

Seeing the book, Livia started laughing. Really, now? This was what Lyssa did in her free time? Myrilla would have a fit if she knew her daughter read smutty books sometimes in her off time. Not that the Demon Lord was any better about such things, but Lyssa already skipped classes enough, and spent most of her free time during the afternoons studying and reading from what she knew. Or at least, she was supposed too. But more importantly...

"Well, miss Lyssa certainly has some explaining to do..." Livia chuckled, taking the book and flipping through it. It was quite the...steamy tale. Adulty, huh? Certainly was, though Fia already had experiences in such matters. How to explain it, hmm? "Just a book people a bit older than you read for fun sometimes." Livia replied. "It's quite...shall we say, Erotic." Livia replied.

The Crimson haired girl simply tilted her head slightly, curious. Apparently the headmistress was avoiding the subject as well, which only made the fire haired girl a bit more curious. "... erotic ...?" She asked softly, a little concerned that she was prying into the matter too much and the older woman would be upset.

Livia paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain it. Might as well start with the basics...though she didn't want to cause the girl any more stress than she needed too.

"Fia, dear...your old master, you remember some of the things he did to you?" She asked in a soft voice. Livia paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain it. Might as well start with the basics...though she didn't want to cause the girl any more stress than she needed too.

The fourteen year old girl paused for a few moments as her thoughts went back to her time in the tower, the pain over and over and over again, getting tied to the chair, getting beaten, bruised, and abused daily. The only thing worse was when the man had left for days on end. For a few moments the crimson haired girl shook as her mind was elsewhere, but eventually the girl's breathing slowed and she nodded towards Livia as she managed to regain control of herself this time.

"Well, Fia dear...normally such things are done between two consenting people...for fun or leisure." Livia replied. There wasn't really much else to say about it, really.

Fia looked up towards Livia, and after a few moments nodded. The crimosn haired girl wasn't exactly sure why someone would want to be beaten and used afterwards, but apparently it was normal for girls to request such things in the outside world. The Phoenix had a look of something between confusion and disbelief at Livia, but didn't comment on the matter further.

Livia was fairly certain the girl didn't understand completely. But that was fine, how could she? Hopefully in time, she would understand. She would have too, at least to some degree if she wanted to ever live a somewhat normal life. Livia simply chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"Like everything else, Fia dear, you must find your own answers to your questions. You'll understand more clearly in time, I hope. It isn't a bad thing, really. Men and Women both enjoy such acts, I won't lie - even I do." Quite so, in fact. It was one of the few luxuries she allowed herself to have any more. "Anyways...that is enough of that." Livia eyed the book, placing it on the table. She doubted Lyssa had intended to give it to Fia...so it was a good idea to return it.

"Now, Fia. I assume you didn't mean to take the book from Lyssa. It is hers, you know...I would like you to return it at some point."

The girl nodded, more confused than when she had started asking about the subject. The crimson haired girl didn't really want to meet pink hair again, but now that she had thought about it was only right to return it - the demon didn't really have a connection with her anymore. However ...

The young teenager reached into her small bag, pulling out the other dress the hellion had helped her aquire. Livia hadn't seen her in it yet, but she would have seen the Phoenix wandering around in the more conserative piece that day. "... this ... too ...?" Fia didn't like being indebted to the girl, but she did like the dresses ... at least a little bit.

"Fia, dear, I'm fairly certain Lyssa bought you those because she wanted you to have something that you could wear if you wanted." Livia replied. "You should thank her, really. She probably spent a lot of money on those." Really, she was impressed that Lyssa had decided to do such a thing. It was a step in the right direction...honestly, she felt a bit bad about what happened. It wasn't Lyssa's fault as much as she probably blamed herself for it.

If she could get Fia to just...be accepting of the girl, it would be good for the both of them, she was certain.

"So, tomorrow you will return that book and thank her properly for those clothes."

The crimson haired girl looked a little upset at the idea, but after a few second she nodded in agreement. Fia would do as Livia said - the woman had a better sense of how the outside world looked and the young teenager had to constantly convince herself to trust that sense. After the red haired girl thought about when her and Livia would go do that.

However, she had other questions, something that was likely a little more important, on her mind. Earlier that week, Livia had mentioned that she'd need to get a new master, and she didn't have a lot of options. It had taken her a while to toughen herself to ask the question but ... "... Livia ... what is ... familiar ...?" The girl had been wondering about that for some time, but based on the way other creatures acted around their masters in the office the young teenager had seen quite the variety among how each master-familiar pair behaved. She wondered what Livia would be expecting.

"Hmm...it is basically a contract formed between a non-human and a human mage. Typically, the mage takes care of the familiar, and the familiar serves the mage in the way the contract is formed." She wouldn't elaborate any more than that for now. Mentioning that much might already give a bit away to the girl, but she wouldn't say anything more about it even if she asked...well, not if she directly asked, at least.

The crimson haired girl waited a few moments, thinking. Well ... Livia was already taking care of her, that much was certain. And Fia ... Fia saw the woman's eyes when she woke up. The older woman had managed to play it off the first night, but a week's worth of evidence was making it clear: whatever method the older woman used to relieve those dreams made her suffer instead.

It made the girl feel useless towards this woman who showed her endless generosity, and she mouthed the word unconciously as she thought about it. But the girl shook her head for a few seconds, dispelling that thought. "... and what ... would you ... expect ...?" At this point, the young teenager had decided that based on her options that Livia was probably the best fit for a master if she needed to get one, but she wanted to make sure.

"Expect?...of you?" Was Fia considering her to be her master? That was...not unexpected but an outcome Livia did not want. She furrowed her eyebrows, thinking of a response. Realistically, if she took Fia as her familiar...that would only be a short term arrangement, and only end in...well, tragedy. Not to mention, something that might possibly hinder her plans somewhat. In all, it was just a bad idea. She should just say she refused...but...she couldn't leave Fia alone, could she? With Luna accepted Sorcha as her familiar, and with Lyssa not wanting too after this...there wasn't exactly anyone else. She supposed she could ask Katherine about it...but...Livia shook her head.

"I wouldn't expect anything at all of you, Fia dear." Livia replied after a few moments. "Nothing more than you are already doing. Perhaps help me with some paper work once your studies are sufficiently along...but other than that, you wouldn't have to do much."

Fia blinked a few times, a little suspicion going across her face. It wasn't that the Phoenix minded the trade, but rather that feeling that Livia wasn't getting her fair cut of this situation itched at the crimson haired girl again, like it had since she arrived here. "... That's ... it ...?" It was rather obvious that the young teenager was trying to scrutanize Livia's expression, trying to discern her motives. The woman said she didn't want the tears initially ... so what DID she want.

"That's it." Livia replied with a shrug. It was clear Fia wasn't trusting her, which was natural. She of course, had no real reason to distrust her. She had no ulterior motives...at least, none that would harm Fia in any manner. "Nothing from you, at least. I am an old woman, and there is only one thing I want but it is nothing you or your tears can give me." She wouldn't elaborate more than that for the moment.

For a few moments, the girl nodded, deep in thought. The amber beads drifted across various points in the room, then back towards Livia, then around the room. One of her hands reached idly upwards towards her hair, twirling it around only to release it. Eventually however, she took a deep breath and her eyes glowed slightly as she spoke with surprising confidence.

"... I, Fia, Phoenix ... Swear fealty ... to ... Livia Fiore ... and to ... help her ... with paperwork ...?" The last part seemed like a question almost, but it would be rather obvious to the other woman that the magic of the oath came across. Obviously she would be expected to obey Livia's orders generally, but the paperwork specifically seemed like a strange request.

For one of the few times in her life, Livia was surprised. She hadn't expected Fia to take initiative like that. Honestly speaking, she wasn't ready for it, and she would have liked to refuse...in the end though, Livia merely chuckled. Well, she might as well. Now what would be a good oath, then? Something that she wouldn't hinder her plans...but something that Fia would also be comfortable with.

"I, Livia Fiore, swear to keep Fia safe as I can on this campus...and give her a sufficient amount of paper work." That was good. As much as she could promise for now, at any rate. Nothing more than she had already been doing, after all. The last bit was just something to tease the girl with.

For a moment, the room seemed to envelop itself with a harmless fire, but the fire disappeared a few seconds after it was summoned. Fia looked around in surprise, but upon looking at Livia ... she felt a strange sense of security and attachment that she hadn't felt previously. The phoenix had some connection to her former master, but her new master's felt ... stable. Though not quite as ... alive. The crimson haired girl blinked a few times as if confused, scooting closer to the older woman.

Well, that was relatively painless. A sudden feeling of...warmth, was there, but other than that nothing particularly interesting occurred. It didn't seem Fia minded too much, either considering she just moved closer. Progress! Good. For now though, Livia simply smiled warmly at Fia, betraying no emotions of her own uncertainty.

"Well, I suppose I shall inform Luna of this next time I see her." Livia mused to herself. "Now, you'll help me with my work starting tomorrow...at least, a little to start out with."

The crimson haired girl nodded, moving to the couch Livia was sitting on and sitting down. Fia wasn't exactly sure how this would change their relationship, but being close to the older woman didn't seem so unpleasant anymore. "... yes ... mistress ...?" The phoenix wasn't exactly sure about how to go about things now, but a yawn made her physical state clear. That oath exhausted her somehow.

Livia laughed at being called mistress.

"There are only two people on this planet who call me mistress. One of those only calls me that in bed, and the other is Cynthia, my head of servants. You, my dear little Fia will call me Livia." Despite the casual nature of the words, that definitely seemed like a bit of an order somehow. Livia stood, walking away from the couch. "Come now, lets get you to bed. I'm certain you're tired."

The Phoenix's eyes widened, and something inside her caused a blush, although she wasn't exactly sure what that was ... the crimson haired girl nodded, following the older woman up the staircase into the master bedroom where she had slept for the past week and some more, rubbing her eyes and hopping onto the large matress. She wasn't exactly sure what exhausted her so, but ... her amber eyes turned towards Livia expectantly, waiting for the older woman to get in.

Was that...a blush? Livia suppressed a small laugh. She couldn't help but to wonder what exactly she was blushing for. After what she had been through, she didn't think Fia would end up blushing like that from a slight mention of her...extra activities. She walked up the stairs without a word though, and after changing into something more appropriate to sleep into, she started getting into bed. Thankfully, since she was now her familiar...she could probably get some decent sleep herself. She could use it, really.

"Eagerly waiting for me to get to bed, I see." Livia laughed as she pulled the covers over her. With little else to be said though, the two quickly fell asleep.

[Roleplayer001]

~Week 2, Day four~

Gwynn & Maoin

Honestly, after that whole thing in Greece, Gwynn was tired. She wanted to plop down on that bed of hers and take a good long nap. Last week, she probably would have as well. After having that previous little talk with Maoin though, and after what happened in Greece, she decided she needed another little chat with her kitten, so that was first on her list. With a somewhat tired sigh, she folded her arms and stood in the middle of her room, Maoin was just about to get to cleaning...for the umpteenth time that week, but there was something they needed to discuss first.

"Maoin, why did you hit Eith? She was being perfectly friendly."

The kitten knew their talk was coming, but the black haired girl still seemed a little surprised when her mistress decided to question her.  Placing down a set of books she had been moving to just the right spot, the familiar walked within a few feet of her owner with her head down.  The cat didn't like the hound, but that wasn't an excuse to hit the creature.  Of course she was scared of it, but that wasn't really an excuse.  And ... that would only lead to further questions.  The kitten didn't want to trouble her owner with such details.  The neko's hesitation was obvious before she started speaking.  "... I'm sorry, Mistress.  My actions were uncalled for, I accept whatever punishment you see fit."  At this point, the black haired girl would probably be happier with ... whatever her mistress would do to her, than to talk about her own painful memories.

"Sorry? For what?" She asked, folding her arms. "I'm not the one you should apologize too, am I?" Gwynn wasn't upset with the kitten, not at all. She was just having trouble understanding the kitten, as usual. Normally she'd just play it off...but that talking thing at least seemed to help somewhat last time, so she was going to attempt it again. She was going to blunder around words again, probably, but she would at least try.

"I'm not upset, Maoin. Just...irritated? I don't understand why you do the things you do. I mean, if you don't want to tell me that's fine, I'm not gonna force you or anything. I mean really," Gwynn smirked playfully. "Eith is hot. Literally. I think most people would love a kiss from her...unless you just really like me that much."

The kitten looked down, a little embarrassed as her owner teased her and her cheeks flushing slightly.  "Of - Of course I like you mistress.  I literally exist because of you."  The black haired girl's mind returned to the time they spent together in the bath, but the cat returned to the matter at hand, frown returning to her face.  It wasn't her place to keep secrets from her owner, and well - well she deserved some small explanation.

"I apologize to you mistress because my actions represent you, in a way."  The kitten did honestly believe that.  A misbehaving familiar was the sign of a mage who wasn't giving them the proper attention- whatever that amounted to.

After a few seconds though, the cat decided to offer a small explanation.  [color=darklateblue]"I - I don't like her - I'm terrified of her, mistress."[/color]  That much was true.  And a large portion of that terror came from her natural instincts as a cat.  Of course, there was a bit of jealousy as well, but the kitten didn't think that was appropriate for her.

"Why?" Gwynn replied, frowning. "I don't understand Maoin. There's no reason to be afraid of her! She hasn't done anything except be friendly. Well, aside from...eat a lot." That was the big part she didn't understand. Even if Maoin was a cat, even if she was tired there was no reason for Maoin to lash out like that, was there? She'd let that other comment she didn't like go for now though. She had no idea what Maoin meant by that. She didn't think anything Maoin did reflected her at all...what bullshit was that?

"What reason could you possibly have for being afraid of her?" Gwynn asked again.

The kitten frowned towards the ground, a little embarassed by the way her mistress discussed her fears.  The cat however owed an explanation, and quietly gave one.  "I'm a cat, mistress, and that dog is a hungry beast, and well ..."  The girl paused for a moment, trying to be more friendly with her language before she countinued.  A few tears started to fall from her eyes as her mind replayed memories from some time ago.  "... I've had bad experiences in the past with hounds ..."

"Oh...uh..." Gwynn looked surprised at that. She hadn't known Maoin had bad experiences with dogs...that would explain it, but she still didn't understand why anyone would continue to be afraid of them. Honestly, it only made her somewhat...annoyed. She liked Moain, she did, really, but being afraid of something? Well, not being afraid of something was just stupid but that's why she liked training...so even if she was afraid of fighting something, she could defend herself.

...

"That's it." Gwynn said, folding her arms confidently. "I'm going to teach you how to use a sword."

Maoin looked at her mistress with a little confusion.  "... so I can stab Eith?  I'm a little confused mistress ... and well between us, aren't you supposed to be the hero?"  The kitten clearly wasn't understanding where Gwynn was going at with this.

"Simple. If you know how to defend yourself, you have no reason to be afraid of something, right? Or even if you do have reason, you can defend yourself." Gwynn replied. "And a Hero can't be...worrying about their friend if they go off and try to fight something when they don't even know how."

The kitten looked at the floor, seeming a little confused about this entire subject.  Of course, she'd do whatever her mistress ordered her to, but she felt that wouldn't settle the problem.  "I'll learn the sword if that is what you wish mistress."  Maoin didn't seem to excited about the prospect, but she'd do it if that is what her owner wanted.  After all, that's what she was here for.

"Well don't sound so excited." Gwynn replied with an irritated huff. "You want to go out and help me, but don't want to learn how to properly defend yourself? Do you want to die or something? Because that's what could have happened out there in Greece if Eith had wanted to actually harm anyone and I let you go." ...of course, now they were getting really sorely off topic here. Gwynn sighed, shaking her head. She may have decided to teach Maoin how to use a sword, but she would probably not be the most skilled with them. Something lighter like a dagger or something would suit her better probably.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Gwynn?" She replied with a small smile. "Don't worry, its not gonna be that difficult...and if I have it my way you're not going to be doing any fighting either." Truthfully...it would be difficult for Maoin either way. If she wasn't going to be putting her heart into it, then there wasn't much Gwynn could really teach her...but still, even just giving her the basics would be better than nothing.

The kitten frowned slightly.  "... I don't want to get in your way mist- I mean Gwynn, I promise I will do my best."  Of course, Maoin would put all the effort in she could muster for her owner, but ... she didn't like hounds.  At all.  The black haired girl shook as she remembered them, but then nodded.

"Alright then! We'll start...erm, sometime." Gwynn said, slightly unsure how she wanted to do this now. It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it? She had never actually taught someone before...eh. She'd decide once she got there. Now that that was settled, she should probably let Maoin get back to cleaning. More importantly...she wanted to see about getting work somewhere...she had no idea how to do that, but...well, she'd try.

"Whew, anyways I'm kinda tired. I'm gonna go take a bath and probably chill for the rest of the night. You wanna come with?" She was talking about the public baths of course, and had completely not thought about what happened previously in their private one or what 'coming with her to the bath' might have implied.

The kitten blinked a few times, face flushing fully red.  "... Of ... of course mistress!"  The cat headed off towards the bathroom, getting the water ready and returning back out towards the room, only a few feet away from her owner.  The ground seemed very, VERY interesting for her as her ears twitched and tail whipped back and forth in nervous excitement.  "If you need some release ... after your um ... journey, I'll be glad to help, mistress."  The servant of course was starting to feel a little livened up ...

"U-uh...I meant the public...baths..." Gwynn replied, face turning a bit red as Maoin returned. The wall on the other side of the room seemed to be incredibly interesting suddenly. Well, if that's what Maoin wanted to do, she wasn't exactly going to say no. She didn't exactly mind, but uh, that's not what she had intended. "B-but uhm, if you want...I uh, don't mind I guess."

The kitten found herself looking at the ground with a greater degree of intensity.  This was bad, very bad.  Maoin's eyes eventually managed to look up long enough to speak before looking to the floor again.  She started putting her fingers together nervously ... "... I - I enjoy your company mistress but I didn't meant to impose on you- ..."  She started running her hands through her hair.  "I-I just thought you might want to ... um ... do something more private after a stressful journey?"  The black haired girl scooted closer to her owner, not exactly sure what to do.

Stressful? Please, if anything that journey was relaxing for her. She was glad to finally be able to do something other than sit on her butt in class all day. She was tired from fighting Eith, but that was just proof about how good of a fight it had been. Also, fun. So stress? Not at all. Maoin though...well, if anything she was the one who was stressed by all of this. Gwynn smirked slightly.

"Stress? The only one who was stressed was you, you silly kitty." Gwynn replied with a chuckle. Well, she wasn't exactly going to say no if the kitten was being so insistent on it."Buuut...I might be willing to help you with that."

The kitten couldn't pretend that journey hadn't been at least a little stressful, so she simply looked towards her mistress, face red as an apple.  She had meant to say something along the lines of 'don't be worried about me mistress, I am your follower' but instead she let out something utterly incoherent.  "Dbeworrboutmiress."  The black haired girl's skin was feeling very warm, and eventually she simply gave in to her fate.  "... If - if that's what you want to do, mistress."  Remembering how her owner always stripped her, the girl used her tail to clumsily start taking off her uniform, hands not having quite caught up to her mind.

Gwynn simply rolled her eyes, smirking a bit as the kitten started undressing herself. She really had no idea how to handle this sort of thing, did she?

"Oi, come on. I have so much fun undressing you."

Something in her owner's eyes had fire in them, but last time she'd initiated, hadn't she?  "P-please be gentle."

[Rune_Alchemist]

Week 2, Day Five

~Gwynn, Livia, Fia, Lyssa~

Well, she had managed to get Maoin to do something else while she was out. Specifically told her to buy some fish to make seafood with for lunch. Less chance of the kitten following her into Livia's office. If the kitten knew she was going here, she'd likely ask all sorts of questions about what she had done to get in trouble. Not that she had done anything, no. She was here for an entirely different reason. She needed money, and well, Livia had made a bit of an offer a few days ago...and well, she wanted to see if that offer was still up in some form.

She walked into the room before the office, a secretary sitting behind the desk writing on some paper told her to wait a bit. Livia was apparently in an important meeting of sorts with someone. She nervously played with the sleeves on her usual green dress. Ugh, she really didn't want to do this, but it was the only job she knew she might be able to get. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, she was told she could go in. Standing up, Gwynn let out a breath she had been holding as she walked in.

Livia was at her desk, Cynthia, her servant pouring her some tea as she usually did. The headmistress eyed her curiously, before giving her a friendly smile and telling her to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. The gentle rustling of papers from behind the couch likely indicated Fia was there sorting through some paperwork for Livia.

"Good morning, Gwynn. Certainly odd to see you here of your own accord. Break into any libraries lately?" She chuckled lightly, taking a sip of tea.

"Pfft, nnnnno." Gwynn responded with a somewhat nervous chuckle, sounding not entirely sure of that.

"Don't sound so nervous, Gwynn. I'm just teasing." Livia replied with a soft smile. "What brings you here today? Cynthia, pour some tea for her will you?"

"Oh uh, nothing much." Gwynn replied, taking a seat in one of the chairs. "And uh, I don't drink tea but thanks." Cynthia poured some regardless, giving the girl a haughty sounding sniff as if serving her tea was an actual effort in discipline. "...Uh...how's life?" Livia blinked at the question, giving a small smirk.

"Well, It's going well. I've recently decided to get a familiar...and aside from the usual paper work not much." Livia took a sip of her tea. "But I doubt that's why you're here, Gwynn. Unless you decided you just suddenly decided you wanted to confess undying love for me or something." Gwynn gave Livia a look of slight confusion before stuttering out a reply.

"N-no!" She replied. "I uh, just wanted...a job." It was Livia's turn to be mildly confused. She gave Gwynn a look of surprise, mulling over the words quietly as Gwynn continued to speak. "About the uh, servant thing. I thought uh, it'd be my best bet for one..."

"...You're not exactly servant material, dear." Livia replied, Gwynn's face turning a bit red in both embarrasment and slight frustration.

"I know." She replied quickly. "But uh, I don't really know anywhere else."

Fia at this point peeked out from around the couch, knowing that she had been mentioned slightly. Looking at the noble woman though ... something said that proud girl wasn't servant material. The phoenix gave the headmistress a silent nod in agreement towards the headmistress, that this would be a bad idea. After a moment though, the girl returned to sorting her papers.

Livia seemed to contemplate Gwynn's offer. Realistically speaking, she didn't need a servant. Let alone someone as untrained as Gwynn was, and she didn't particularly want to train them. Cynthia could do it, but it would take time out of her day even if she would likely agree to it because she asked. Hmm...more importantly though, this was a bit of a odd request for Gwynn.

"Why the sudden request?" Livia asked.

"W-well...I just need money." Gwynn replied hesitantly, obvious not to keen on revealing her reason for wanting it. Livia seemed less than impressed with the answer, however and merely gave Gwynn a critical look.

"Gwynn, dear, I would love to hire you if you had some skill." Livia replied with a sigh after a few moments. "But you are not skilled. I merely offered before as what it was...a punishment for breaking and entering into the library as unpaid labor. To pay you, though? I have an army of maids and servants. I don't need an extra one that can't even cook, clean, or follow orders well. All you can do is swing that sword of yours, and all of my servants also have received basic self defense training from Cynthia here." As she spoke, Gwynn looked more and more unsure, and more than a little embarrassed about her lack of skill in domestic areas. Her already thin confidence in asking for a job shattered. Livia had just hit on point everything was insecure about. The headmistress was right, all she could do was really swing her sword. She wasn't cut out for servant work. "So tell me. Why should I hire you?"

Gwynn shifted somewhat uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. Realistically speaking...there was no reason for Livia to even think about hiring her. Gwynn frowned, trying to come up with anything to say that might try and convince Livia to hire her.

"...well..uhm...Why not?" Gwynn asked. "I-i mean, sure I'm not good! But I can learn!...probably."

"...your confidence doesn't sound the best in the world, dear." Liva quietly replied, earning a small frown from the younger blond.

Fia looked around the couch again, as if trying to see the blonde's motivation. For one of the few times in her life, the girl seemed to find something geniunely funny as she tilted her head towards the noblewoman. Livia would feel a strong curious pull on their bond, until Fia ducked behind the couch again. The phoenix was REALLY curious to know what the noblewoman needed.

Livia tapped the side of her teacup idly while mulling it over, taking not of Fia's curiosity.

"Well, then, let me ask. Why do you need the money?" She asked again after a few moments.

"W-well...uh..." Gwynn stuttered. "For stuff?"

"...that's not exactly a stellar answer." Livia replied. "You're a noble, are you not? I realize your family isn't as...prestigious as it has been in the past, but you could attempt to levy taxes or raise money through other means, could you not? You fancy yourself as a bit of a pirate as well, do you not? I'm certain you could raise money through that as well. So why consider learning an entirely new trade, just to earn some money honestly?"

"...it's for Maoin." Gwynn finally replied, earning a small smirk form Livia.

"Your familiar, hmm? Do tell."

"W-well...I suppose I could just ask her for the money since my parents don't trust me with their funds...but I guess I just want to earn it myself? If I ask Maoin for it it just...seems...pointless." Livia sighed at this, smiling softly. For the faults Gwynn did have, she was at least honest and didn't mind doing something the hard way, if it was for someone she cared about. She didn't like getting help from others, and preferred doing things herself, it wasn't bad but at times she should learn to rely on others a bit. At least, that's what she had gathered from their brief interactions, and Livia liked to think she was good at reading people.

Fia's curiousity seemed satisfied, and she returned to her books, going through ledgers that the headmistress had assigned her, matching up various things together again. She needed to go talk to Lyssa later that day ... so she was thinking about that as well as she worked through the entries.

"Well, Gwynn." Livia replied thoughtfully. Shooting the girl down here might be...bad. It was clear Gwynn's confidence wasn't as high as she let on sometimes, if this conversation was anything to go by. Perhaps it could be good for her in the long run, and well, Livia was definitely not really one to stunt the growth of her students in any capacity. "I suppose I can have Cynthia teach you the basics, starting on the weekend tomorrow." At this, Gwynn immediately brightened, letting out a breath of relief she didn't even know she had been holding. "That said...you will be attending me personally on the weekends while also training. This also extends to Fia over there, if she wants or needs anything."

"R-really!?" Gwynn excitedly replied, standing up and leaning on the desk.

"Certainly...I apologize if I sounded harsh earlier. I had to make sure you were committed to this. Being a servant isn't exactly easy work."

Fia looked around the corner again as her name was brought up. Having a servant? That ... that wasn't something she was used to. The crimson haired girl was usually the slave herself. At this point, the girl offered a very quizical eye towards the heamistress, obviously confused.

"Don't be surprised Fia. You live in my house as well...I have also told the servants on numerous occasions to make sure you were comfortable. They got rid of all those evil chairs for you." Livia chuckled lightly. Gwynn though, seemed somewhat confused. Fia? Evil Chairs? She didn't know about either of those things.

"Uhm, headmistress? Who is 'Fia?'" She asked quizzically. She was aware of someone else in the room, but she hadn't exactly said anything regarding it.

"Hmm...Well, I supposed I'll introduce you. Fia, dear, come say hello to Gwynn."

After a few seconds, the red haired girl stood up, walking slowly towards the blonde girl as if nervous. Once she was a reasonable ten foot distance away, the fourteen year old debated offering a small wave towards Gwynn, but decided against it. Instead, the crimson haired girl simply stared into the depths of the older girl's soul before returning her gaze to the floor.

Gwynn looked somewhat surprised as Fia walked up. She was standing a bit of a distance away and didn't introduce herself, only stared. Gwynn stared back in silence, somewhat uneasy. A kid? Well...at least, someone who might as well be called a kid. She wasn't exactly good with kids...and this one seemed on the shy side...her least favorite kind of people. Well, she might as well try and say hi.

"Uhm...hi?"

The younger girl simply looked around the room for a few seconds before returning her glance. A few soft words responded after a few moments, the phoenix finally managing to respond. "... hi ..." After a couple of seconds, the girl turned her head towards Livia, as if asking if she could go hide again.

"Fia, dear, you can't hide from the world all of the time." Livia replied with a sigh. "But very well. Unless Gwynn has anything else to discuss then she should probably be getting to classes."

"Oh, uh right." Gwynn replied, looking over to Livia. "Nothing else."

"Stop by my Villa at six tomorrow. Cynthia will be waiting for you out front."

"S-Six?!" Gwynn shouted, obviously surprised. "T-that's way too early!"

"Well, you better get used to it...now, if there's nothing else, I have some work I need to finish." Gwynn simply gave a defeated sigh and left the room. Six in the morning? How the hell was she supposed to wake up that early? Maoin would have so many questions about it, she wasn't sure she could deflect all of them.

Fia practically teleported behind the couch as the blonde shouted, disappearing within a second. As the older teenager left though, crimson hair returned to Livia's desk standing as far as possible from any chairs. The girl was wondering when they would be heading towards Lyssa's. The girl pointed back and forth between the two of them, asking a single question word. "... Lyssa ...?"

"We'll go once classes are over. She'll probably be in her dorm this afternoon, Fia."

The crimson haired girl nodded, returning to her lair behind the couch and getting back to work on sorting papers once again ...

---

... eventually, the last of the classes were let out and the afternoon arrived. The Phoenix knew their time was coming, when she'd have to encounter hellion once again. The crimson haired girl approached Livia's desk, tossing her a curious look.

Livia pushed her chair back, yawning somewhat tiredly. Wordlessly, Cynthia took the teacup and setting it aside on a small table not far from the desk. Really, she had a few more things she had to take care of and should probably work on that...but they could wait. The headmistress was honestly a bit tired, and would have liked to go take a nice warm bath but making sure Fia returned that book was her priority for the moment. She glanced down at Fia, giving her a soft smile.

"Well, come along then." She said, standing up. "Lets go meet Lyssa." She ushered Fia out of her office, Cynthia staying behind and starting on some cleaning. The walk to the dorms wasn't long, though the Headmistress stopped to say hello to a few teachers and students no doubt causing Fia a bit of distress, but that was her job and she couldn't just say no. After a bit though, they had finally left the main school building and were in the Dorms. Livia led Fia to the hallway where Lyssa's dorm was.

"Here we are." Livia said. "Go return the book then. I'll be waiting right here."

Fia arrived successfully at her destination, after hiding behind Livia on the trip there and ensuring she didn't approach any chairs. After half a minute of hoping the hellion would have somehow detected the pairs prescence, the phoenix knocked lightly on the door, book in hand. Today she was wearing the more revealing dress Lyssa had bought her. The red haired girl figured based on pink hair's excitement that she liked it.

The girl nervously looked at the ground as she waited for the demon to answer.

There was the sound of something falling over, and a small yelp from inside the room as something hit the floor.

"U-uhm, h-hold on!" There was the sound of more things falling over, and then silence. A few seconds later, there was a huff as Lyssa walked towards the door, opening it with her usual energetic way of doing things. If one were to look in her room, they'd find a rather large pile of books and her chair had fallen over.

"Helll-" Lyssa stopped herself mid greeted as she noticed that Fia was the one who knocked at her door. Her voice faltered, nervously shifting on her feet as she looked down at the younger girl. "U-uhm...hey Fia. What are, you uh, doing here?"

The crimson haired girl took a step back for a moment, gathered her courage, and took a step forward. The young teenager eventually raised the stolen book up in both hands, wanting for the hellion to take it.

For a few seconds, Lyssa seemed confused. She looked at the book, somewhat unsure of what to say. She had completely even forgotten Fia had taken it with her when she left.

"U-uhm, you're giving it back?" Lyssa questioned somewhat unsure, looking down the hallway and seeing no one aside from Fia. Did...this mean that Fia didn't hate her or something after that? Well, that made her feel a lot better...especially if this had been her own idea to return it. "Uh, thanks?" Lyssa took the book quietly, not wanting to startle Fia. Despite that though, she was giving Fia a friendly smile instead of her previous unsure expression.

The crimson haired girl paused for a few seconds, not exactly sure how to respond to a 'thanks' properly. It wasn't long until she remembered her next mission though, and the phoenix pointed to the dress le Clothe had produced for her. "... Thanks ..." Did that constitute a proper thanking, according to the headmistress? She wasn't sure.

Lyssa, was honestly a bit stunned. She thought that Fia would never speak to her again after that. She was really glad she was wrong. She even thanked her for the clothes! There was still a chance for friendship! Lyssa had to physically resist from hugging the girl and giving her all the cuddles she could muster. Instead she simply gave her a bright smile.

"Hehe, don't mention it! I uhm, money's not exactly a problem for me so if you ever uhm, need something else just ask!"

The crimson haired girl wasn't exactly sure what to say here, so after taking a step from the excitement of the hellion her eyes drifted to the floor. Was she supposed to say something here? Fia awkwardly stepped from foot to foot, looking towards the ground. The phoenix guessed the headmistress wouldn't be happy with her running off.

Lyssa looked at Fia, realizing she was probably still a bit uncomfortable if the ensuing awkward silence was anything to go by. She simply giggled quietly still giving Fia a big grin. It'd be better if she was the one to walk away here.

"Hey, maybe I can take you to that bakery sometime again? Ah! Actually...waaaait!" Lyssa walked back into her room, shuffling through some of her possessions rather loudly before finding what she was looking for - her deck of cards. She hurried back over to Fia and handed them to her. "Here ya go! You can have these. You uhm, seemed to like them and you seem to be really good with card tricks so they'll probably be better with you anyways."

The crimson haired girl accepted the cards, blinking a few times at them. Pink hair seemed rather insistent upon giving her gifts. Fia wondered if Livia would be as impressed with her ability to look at the back of a card deck as the demon.

Remembering the sweet taste of the bakery though, the phoenix looked towards the hellion for a few moments. "... Bakery ... nice ..." It seemed that her internal clock set the cost of spending time with a calm version of Lyssa as less than the benefit of getting some really nice sweets.

"Ehe, I'll see ya around then!~" Lyssa replied happily. "Maybe whenever classes are over you can stop by." Lyssa gave Fia a friendly wave before heading back inside her dorm, letting Fia go for now.

The crimson haired girl blinked a few times as she was let go, letting out a sigh of relief. Fia quickly headed down the hallway towards Livia as another student left their dorm, and quickly returned to her prescence, wondering what the headmistress thought about the entire exchange.

Livia simply smiled at Fia.

"You did well, Fia." She said. "Lyssa was quite happy, I think. Now lets get back to my Villa, hmm?" She turned and started to leave, making sure Fia was following behind her.

[Roleplayer001]

Week 2, Day Four

Swen, Luna, Sorcha, Eith

"Sorry, I needed to drop my armor off somewhere first."  Luna said, walking around without her signature chest-piece on.  She felt weird, walking around defenceless like this.  The academy was a safe place, but it didn't feel right anyhow.  "Regardless, the place isn't too far anyway."  Luna said as she walked a short distance to a tavern not too far away.  It was cheap, but the food was great as long as one isn't expecting anything fancy.  She should be able to feed the dragon like this.  Before going in she said one last thing to Sorcha, "Promise me you'll at least chew your food."  It was obviously a joke, but Luna couldn't help but make it sound a bit more serious than one.

"What do you take me for, an uncultured barbarian?" Sorcha clicked her tongue at the comment, giving Luna a smirk. "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you, my Knight~" Chew her food? She wasn't exactly capable of just swallowing things whole in this human form. Now, as a dragon? Chewing was just a waste of time. She wasn't going to disgrace herself by just inhaling her food....probably. She would at least restrain herself. She wished Luna kept her armor though, she looked good in it. She was still wearing hers...though, mostly because she had very little else to wear, and wouldn't be wearing anything else if she could help it.

Stepping into the tavern...it looked rather cheap. Well, that was fine. She wasn't exactly looking for quality dining today. She just wanted food, so this was definitely acceptable. The dragon followed Luna, powerful tail swishing back and forth idly, obviously quite happy at the prospect of finally getting some food in her.

Luna took a look at the dragon's tail.  She didn't really know if it function like a cat's or a dog's.  One meant she was happy, the other meant she wasn't so. Even so, she didn't seem upset by her face, so that was a good sign.  "I'll assume that we'll need one of the bigger tables." She said before tapping a waitress on the shoulder and inquiring about one.  She led the two to a larger one in the back.  "Thank you." Luna told the waitress as she left to get something to drink for them.  The Knightess then pulled out a chair for Sorcha, "My lady."  

Sorcha at least, was happy with Luna's behavoir. She gave the Knight a grateful smile, graciously taking the seat she had been offered, adjusting her wings to drape over the back of it, with her tail falling to the floor out the side. The table was appropriately large enough for the both of them, and at least several plates of food. In all, this was turning out to be a great idea. Now, if only it could keep being that way...and nothing acted up.

"Well someone certainly knows their manners." She said happily, crossing her legs and giving Luna a soft smile as the knight took a seat. "I really do apologize for asking for food right after we arrived. I realize you're probably tired and still recovering, but I haven't eaten well in quite awhile." She said to Luna, seeming for the first time since their meeting at least somewhat serious and not as playful as she had before.

"Of course, Sorcha.  Who would I be without manners?"  Luna happily said as she took her seat.  "And worry not, I'm hungry myself.  My wounds also seem less serious than I thought."  Well, they weren't as bad as when she finished her fight.  Throughout the day Luna had been applying a small bit of healing to herself to make it a bit better. As of now, she could probably wait a bit more.  Food awaited them after all!  "I'm going to get myself some mead and bread, any idea what you want to start with?"

"Hmph, not implying my strikes were weak, I hope." Sorcha teased, though obviously not too concerned with it. Instead, she seemed to take great interest in the mead Luna had mentioned. "Oooh, mead?" She brightly replied. "I do enjoy a good strong drink. Though, I doubt any of these here could compare to a good, strong, mead made in Asgard." The dragon mused happily. Thinking of Asgard...she hadn't been there in awhile. Not since the...incident. Hm. Perhaps she should visit sometime. Ah well, no matter.

"Mead and meat, then!" Her tail beat the ground in a forceful manner, before giving Luna a smirk. "Luna, do you drink often?"

"I wouldn't say I do it too often. . .  I don't try to push myself when I do.  There aren't many people to help keep me on my feet after too much out here."  Luna said as she searched for a waitress for the first part of their order. . . This was going to be a long night wasn't it?  "I'll assume dragons drink a lot then? Or is it just you?"

"Saying I have an alcohol problem?" Sorcha teased once again. "Dragons have a high tolerance for a lot of things, including alcohol. It usually takes quite a bit of it for us to get even a little drunk." She leaned forward, giving Luna a smirk. "So if I were to challenge you to a drinking contest...you'd probably lose." It was rather obvious that was a challenge from the dragon.

Luna couldn't help but chuckle at Sorcha, "Is that a baited trap?"  Dragons were indeed tough.  Considering Sorcha was really weak and Luna still almost died when they fought, well, Luna couldn't imagine how it was when she was a bit stronger than that.  She might have taken the bait another day, but for now, "Thanks to someone I'm still hurting a bit.  Another day we will."  The Knightess couldn't help but giggle a little bit after saying that.

"Tsk, drinking with your kinsmen after a hard fought battle is the best way to unwind." The dragon sighed, seemingly a bit displeased but she didn't press the issue. "But very well, suit yourself. I shall drink enough for the both of us!~"

Swen had been looking for a place to take his newest ... puppy.  After searching around for a while, the magierprinz had managed to find a cheap but decent tavern where Eith could eat and not bankrupt the entire Zaberbuch family.  Strangely enough, Luna was already there with a ... strange familiar with ... interesting and ineffective armor.  "... Uh ... hi Luna ..."

A voice she hadn't heard in a while sounded to Luna's side.  She turned and there was a certain prince, "Oh, hello Swen.  Did you want to join us?  If you do, don't mention if you drink to this girl here or she'll challenge you." She felt the warning was necessary, sneaking a smile over to Sorcha before turning back to Swen and noticing the girl with dog ears behind him. She was a bit intimidating, but so was Sorcha.  "But where are my manners, Swen, this is my familiar. I call her Sorcha, but I'm sure she'll tell you what she prefers to be called."  She understood the dragon was quite proud if nothing else.

Eith meanwhile, followed behind Swen and listened to Luna introduce her familiar right before moving forward to sniff at the two a little closely.  They smelled . . . Different?  She wasn't too sure.  Perhaps it was the place and all the cooking going on. Regardless, the one with horns was a bit on the scary side.  She kept her eyes on the horned-one but didn't say much.

Sorcha looked over to this newcomer. A friend of Luna's? Well, a friend of Luna's was a friend of hers. That said, Luna was the only one allowed to simply call her 'Sorcha'. That level of familiarity was reserved for only a few special people, and Swen was not one of them. Sorcha sat straight up in her chair, giving Swen an obviously critical look. In only a few moments, her entire demeanor changed from one of casualness to something more commanding and regal, ignoring the jab Luna had made about her drinking habits.

"Greetings, Human." She began. "You stand before Sorcha Ó Maoilriain, Radiant King of the Heavens and familiar of Lunalel Lightsword. As a friend of Luna, you may call me Lady Sorcha, if thou wish." She bowed her head lightly, indicating at least some respect towards Swen before continuing. "What is your name, then?" Sorcha took a quick note of the other one, but for the most part didn't acknowledge her presence yet.

Luckily for the Prince, he could deal with formality.  Responding to the formal introduction with an introduction in turn, the man gave a slight bow.  "Lady Sorcha, my full title is Magierprinz Swen Runvall de Zaburbuch the first, but as a friend of Luna's I can accept being called Swen Runvall de Zaburbuch.  This here is Eith le Jackalles de Grecia, but she prefers to refered to by puppy."  Unlike most people who encountered dragons, the man seemed unfazed by the familiar.  His gaze returned to Luna as he joined their table, indicating for Eith to take a seat.

Almost visably a vein popped up on Eith's brow as Swen said she prefered to be called "puppy".  So this one didn't understand his place it seemed.  "My name is just Eith.  And this thing here is merely called Meal-Ticket, for that is what his existance is to me."  It irked her more than it should, for a being such as he.  She took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

Luna looked between Eith and Swen.  "Meal-Ticket?"  She wanted to laugh at it, she really did, but it felt very wrong.  She had to wonder to herself, Just what did you get yourself into Swen?   

Swen simply looked back at Luna, thinking the same thing.

"It is a pleasure, Swen Runvall de Zaburbuch." Sorcha replied. Well, if that was his title and what he wished to be called, then it was not her place to question it. It was quite the title, though...did that mean he was a noble of some sort? Sorcha admittedly, wasn't finding herself to be incredibly fond of Sir Swen at the moment. She then turned her head to the other, giving her the same bow. "Likewise, Eith."

Meal-ticket, though? It seemed they had a rather fun relationship. She turned her head to Luna, that regal and commanding presence disappearing almost instantly.

"Hmm...Luna, is the food going to be getting here soon? I am starving~"

"You tried goading me into a drinking contest before we could order." Luna said calmly before catching a waitress and giving her the order for those two.  Before the waitress could leave, Eith spoke up.

"Meat.  Lots of meat.  Meal-Ticket is paying for my food."  The Shellagh said pointing to Swen rather excitedly.  She understood this money thing now. Well, enough. Enough to know that Swen had enough for her to eat a lot for the rest of his life.  "Did you want to order anything for yourself, Meal-Ticket?"

The magierprinz looked over to Eith, smiling slightly at her excitement.  In a way, it was a little cute to see her animalistic features follow her human ones.  Probably one of the reasons why Gwynn seemed to like Maoin.  "I will be having something small, puppy.  I'm not too hungry.  As promised, I will order food.  If it isn't enough, I'll order more.  The man was honorable and would follow through with his word, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Eventually Eith would need something aside from food though, and it would be interesting to see how she found said funds.  He hadn't promised anything outside of food.

The man calling her puppy again, irked her yet again.  "And Meal-Ticket said he wants lots of meat as well. And pay for the drinks of these ladies."  Eith told the waitress before rushing her off with the order for the table.

Swen quickly called the waitress back, canceling the additions to the order.  "I am sorry, but if the lady there,"  The magierprinz pointed to the wolf girl.  "Asks for anything else, she's paying for it.  Feed her as much meat as she wants, but anything else comes from her wallet."  The man sat down next to the girl.  "Sorry Puppy, but paying for them wasn't part of our agreement.  But if they asked I would probably pay gladly for them."

"My...how rude, Swen Runvall de Zaburbuch." Sorcha commented, frowning slightly in displeasure at his actions. "Granted, Eith could have been a little more delicate about her course of action, but if you were someone of some standing like I Imagined you are, you could certainly pay for the drinks of three ladies."

She didn't care to add that she would probably spend quite a bit of money on alcohol alone. Honestly, Sorcha was liking this Swen less and less. It was clear that Eith wasn't particularly enjoying being called 'puppy' if her body language and behavoir was anything to go by...granted Eith wasn't any better in calling him 'Meal-ticket'. They were honestly behaving like children.

And Sorcha had half a mind to treat them as such.

The prince at this point bowed slightly to the dragon.  It was rather obvious the woman wanted a drink, and he would provide it.  "Lady Sorcha, I will order you and Lady Lunalel as many drinks as you want.  I simply felt it was my place to offer my wallet, and not hers.  Drink to your hearts content.  I admit I am curious about a dragon's constitution."  The prince would inform the waitress when she came by that the two girls across from him would have their drinks on him.  Eith however, was not included in that total.

Eith gave Swen a stare that could make the dead move, but looked away as if unconcerned, though she paid attention as the Horned-One spoke.  Luna, meanwhile, was sitting there scratching her head a bit.  This was definitely not as she intended when she brought Sorcha here, but, at least it was lively?  She wanted to say something, but she didn't want to spark anything else.  One thing she was sure of, was that the hound-girl and Swen didn't get along too well and were only together because Swen promised something.  

"Somehow I think paying for our drinks is a bad decision on your part, but if you are offering, I don't think I'll decline. It would be rude."  If he offered to pay for the food she'd have to decline for sure though, or else she wouldn't feel like she was keeping to the familiar contract.

"Whatever do you mean, Luna?" Sorcha laughed heartily, noticing how unsure Luna looked. "He's just being polite, and a good drink is exactly how one should unwind after a difficult trial, isn't it?" She said once again, repeating her earlier statement. "Reminds me of one time I went drinking with Thor in Asgard..." The dragon mused silently to herself, obviously quite happy with the turn of events. Of course, she was thinking about the time she had tricked him into paying for all of her ale just like she had done with Swen here.

It ended in a rather fun little brawl, but details, details.

"You have my thanks, Swen Runvall de Zaburbuch. I shall try not to drink your wallet completely empty~" And of course, drinks would be needed for everyone, so she would order two for herself every time. One for her, and one for Eith.

The Prince gave a slight bow towards the dragon.  "If you managed to drink my funds dry, I would be far more impressed than upset, Lady Sorcha."  After a few seconds, the man smiled.  He really did want to see this.  "So do not be thirsty on my account.  Please, enjoy yourself."  The man hadn't lied - the woman would have to have the constitution of a god, and it was well worth writing a letter home to explain the circumstances.  He'd say it was part of research.

Sorcha laughed heartily at Swen's words, obviously quite enthusiastic about being able to drink.

"I do hope you don't regret those words." She replied with a bright grin. "HURRY UP WITH THAT FOOD AND DRINK!" She slammed her tail on the ground, indicating mild impatience and perhaps a bit over excitement. Really, a tavern like this should never let their customers never have dry mugs and have enough ale to feed an army. At least Swen was a little bit more likable now, though not by much. One could buy drinks all they wanted too for someone, but still not be friendly. If he wasn't going to be drinking himself, she had no reason to like him any more than she already did.

"Hmm...Eith!" Sorcha looked over to the hound. "Since Luna does not plan on drinking, and Swen Runvall de Zaburbuch here is likely a lightweight...perhaps a drinking contest between the two of us?"

Drinking contest?  Eith wasn't ever sure what a large amount of alcohol would do to her.  It was easy to catch on fire, but it was also quick to disappear. . . If nothing else, she could try it and quit if it became bad for her.  "If you so desire, Horned-One." The Shellagh replied to Sorcha.  "It will be a test to see how my body reacts to a great amount."  She warned the dragon.  Not too much longer after Eith accepted the challenge, the table's first order arrived.  Eith's tail started wagging from side to side, excited for the large amount of meat on her plate.

Luna smiled to have her mead and bread.  She'd eat something else, but this was a good start. "Wonderful.  To the first of many orders." Luna said almost seriously. Drinking a bit of her alcohol.

The prince nodded.  He took a sip of his drink, and looking between the two of them ... well, Swen was confident that he could afford the dragon ... right?  But ... what about the hellhound as well.  The man ordered some wine as well.  "Lady Sorcha, I may be a lightwieght in comparison to you, but I still intend to enjoy myself as well."

After the dent in his wallet tonight, he'd probably need a little something to handle it.  The man took a long swig of his wine.  Cheap.  Not smooth.  And absolutely perfect for the occasion.

"Horned-One?" Sorcha laughed at Eith's nickname. "It has...been awhile since I have had someone call me a nickname so casually. Very well, I'll allow it." The last one to call her such...was...well. No need to dampen the mood with thoughts of the past. When the drinks finally arrived, Sorcha grabbed her mug and lifted it in the air.

"To new comrades and allies! May we all be victorious in our fights and live long!" The dragon brought the mug to her lips, chugging the entire mug in one long breath before slamming it onto the table. It wasn't as quality as the mead in Asgard, but it would do. She slammed her tail onto the ground.

"Another! And one for my new hound friend!" As she waited for the drink, Sorcha started devouring the food on her plate.

Eith had easily dug into her food and devoured a good amount of it, very quickly.  She payed hardly any mind to the alcohol all around the table, until Sorcha finished hers rapidly and slammed her tail into the ground.  Not wanting to drink all too much at once, Eith decided to tentatively drink what was in front of her.   It tasted. . . Bleh. . .  Still, it heated up her body a lot though it was much more temporary than food was.  Her entire body turned redder as an immediate response as she finished the entire container full.  

Luna watched in awe as the girl's skin glowed red a bit.  Before she came to this school, she'd see absolutely nothing like this. . . Or a real dragon.  It was definitely interesting.  "Are you hoping Eith can keep up with you Sorcha?" Luna asked.  

"Indeed, I am." Sorcha replied. "However unlikely that is." The dragon grinned enthusiastically, all formality she may have had seeming to have dissappeared quite quickly when she downed the first mug of ale. As the second mug was brought, she grabbed it, quickly downing it just like the first.

"Whew, not as strong as the ale I tasted in Asgard, but it is still good." Sorcha glanced over to Eith, noticing the hound was...well, looked like she was on fire. "You're almost as much of a lightweight as Lord Swen looks, Eith."

The Prince simply raised an eyebrow at the dragon started to down the ale, taking a few more sips of his wine.  The magierprinz was watching the brewing competition idly for the most part.  Soon enough, he had requested his second drink.  "After that trouble in the tavern, I expected more from you.  Don't let me outdrink you, I'm just a simple human."  Truthfully, if his wallet was going to be emptied anyways the man wanted to learn about the hellhounds tolerance as well.  As another drink arrived, the nobleman started working on his second drink.

As Eith's second drink arrived with the others, Eith downed it as quick as she could.  She glowed red slightly again before turning back to her meat, almost unimpressed the second time around.  She was definitely hotter to the touch than before, but not by too much.  "More meat." The hound demanded at a nearby waitress as she poked at her empty plate.  

Luna had emptied her own drink by half, not really in a rush to finish it.  She just enjoyed the taste of it at this point.  Plus, she didn't want to have to deal with a headache in addition to the, albeit small, residual pain she was dealing with. Plus, it'd be more fun to watch sober.  "Just don't overdo it Swen."  Luna said before taking a bite of her bread.   

"Well, at least she eats well!" Sorcha laughed seeing Eith order more food. "And don't worry, Luna! I'm sure Lord Swen isn't going to lose so easily." She smirked urging him on and, biting into a rather tasty chicken leg

The prince nodded towards both Luna and Sorcha.  The man knew the drink would hit later, but right now the man was still feeling alright.  Swen started on his third drink, trying to stay just barely ahead of Eith.  Unlike the hellhound, he still had a human constitution.  "I'm sure the lightsword house is reliable enough to get me home if worst comes to worse."  The man took in more of his third drink, and muttered something in german.

Eith didn't notice much when her third drink came.  She didn't really order one either, but the waitress must have just assumed.  Of course, with her drink came another pile of meat.  She dug into the meat as voraciously as one in a human body could.  The first round of food was merely an appitizer it seemed as she devoured a steak in a low amount of time.  Somewhere along the line something got stuck in her throat.  She grabbed the first drink she could to wash it down.  It was. . . Someone's alcohol. She wasn't too sure. It was probably hers though.  Regardless, she was glad that it got washed down.

Luna watched in awe as Eith went through her food as she did.  The woman didn't seem to have much care in other's image of her, though she painted a very bright picture so far.  "Oh my. . ."  She turned to Swen to reply after the . . . Impressive display.  "If need be, I can." Though to be honest, she'd rather prefer not to.

The Prince would have paid more attention to Luna's response if his drink hadn't just been grabbed.  He blinked twice, looking at her with a degree of frustration before poking the hellhound in the side and muttering something in german along the lines of 'are you alright' and 'that was mine!'  On the bright side, she was refered to by Mutt rather than puppy.  As the next drink for the nobleman arrived, he took a long swig of it.

Swen poking her in the side was rather annoying.  She looked at him after recovering and gave a slight belch in his direction.  Well, it seemed less like a belch and more like a small torrent of fire coming out of her mouth.  It was mostly unintentional. She just wanted to stare him down.  After the few seconds of this, she went back to wolfing down her food.

". . . "  Luna was just. . . Speechless.  This was quite different.  She's really never had to deal with this type of person. . . Well, for the most part.  She fake coughed lightly to get Eith's attention.  When she had it she told her, "Excuse me?"  The Knightess said questioningly, as if expect the Shellagh to say it.

"You didn't do anything wrong though?"  Eith replied, confused eliciting a sigh from Luna and a hand covering her face.

Sorcha simply laughed, she didn't entirely mind too much of Eith's blatant lack of manners at the moment. This had turned out to be quite the informal gathering so there wasn't really any need for a such formalities, were there? Perhaps that was just the drink talking, though. Either way the dragon looked over to the hound, grinning.

"Well, someone could be taught some manners." The dragon chided, reaching for another drink. That said, the dragon...was well, having the most fun she had in ages. Certainly she still didn't feel her best, but...well, it was fun. "Maybe you should give her to me for a bit! I know how to make misbehaving children behave." Sorcha dug into her food once again, as a fifth mug was brought to her.

The nobleman raised his hand after a second, nodding.  The fires had scared him a little, and the man was more than a little startled.  ”If you want her you can have her, Lady Sorcha.  She’s a meanie face.”  For some reason, the Magierprinz started giggling at this, finding the entire situation odd.

”Meal-Ticket, I believe you misunderstand something.  I am not your possession to give and take.  I am my own Shellagh.”  Eith said, sounding a little less primal and unemotional.  ”An Alpha at that.  One does not control an Alpha so easily as yelling out plans to a partner multiple times.”  The hound teased, before continuing to finish up her plate and downing whatever mug of alcohol she had before turning to a nearby waitress, ”More.”

"Whaaat?" Sorcha pouted a bit, feigning being hurt. "Don't want to be a dragons faithful little hound?" The dragon said, looking over at the mutt. Couldn't be controlled so easily? She certainly seemed to like her food, and if it was food...hehehe. Idea!~ The dragon grabbed a piece of meat off of her plate, seeing the hounds empty one and gave her a playful smile.

"Awww, come on, if you do I can feed you tons! Don't you want this tasty duck? It's nice, juicy, and tastes absolutely wonderful." The dragon said holding the meat over the table, moving it back and forth as she spoke.

Eith eyed it for a few seconds before they narrowed.  Her legs were like mini-springs as she launched out of her seat and took a bite out of the duck.  She took whatever bait was given but didn’t stay as the additional food she ordered arrived.  This seemed to be a giant mix of pork and beef.  ”It was good.  You can take a bite of mine if you like. . . It looks good enough?” She questioned.  Food was mostly food to her, though taste definitely mattered.  Another drink arrived for her and she downed it quick.  Her body was much more red than it was before they started.  She was starting to feel just a little faint as well.

Sorcha smiled as Eith took the bait, leaning forwards on the table as her tail moved back and forth in amusement.

"Hehe, I think I've already ate enough." Sorcha replied with an impish grin, reaching for another mug. She was possibly just slightly feeling the effects of alcohol, but she was fine. "There's still so much more on my plate, though...such a shame for it to go to waste. If only I had a friendly little dog that liked to eat. Guess I'll just have to throw it out."

She picked up another piece of meat. Smelled like pork...and tossed it in Eith's direction.

”If you’re not going to eat it, I will.  No need to waste food.” Eith said a bit more calmly than she had prior as she grabbed it and tossed it on her plate.  She wasn’t eating her food as voraciously as before either.  It was still quick though.  In addition, she didn’t just quickly down her drink instead taking sips between full steaks.

Sorcha was wearing the biggest grin she had in ages, and she was obviously enjoying this exchange with Eith.

"Well, if you want the rest, you'll have to come over here and get it." She gave the table top next to her a friendly little pat, downing another mug of ale with her other.  

Eith definitely found little trust in the dragon. Goading her into moving over toward her. . . ”Why can you not just hand it over?” The Shellagh asked, finishing her own plate of food and downing what little was left of her alcohol.

"Ah...I could." Sorcha replied. "But I'm a lazy dragon and I'm rather tired." Purely a jest, of course. Yep. She didn't mean she was actually lazy at all, nope.  

”Of course, I could always order more food.  Meal-Ticket over there wouldn’t mind too much since he agreed to buy me food if I stopped attacking humans.”  Eith said, almost thinking with decent human thought.  She was being careful of the mischievous dragon.  Still though, her instincts were definitely telling her to go get the food just sitting there.  As much as she was protesting now, her body was saying otherwise as she moved ever so closely.

"Ah...meal ticket? Swen? Maybe I could be your new meal-ticket? I'm ten times wealthier than everyone here." Sorcha said. "I wouldn't ask for much in return." The dragon pushed the plate forwards just slightly. In truth, Sorcha could probably pay for Eith to eat well for the rest of her life.

”Take it easy now, Sorcha.” Luna interjected.  Whatever Sorcha was trying to do was probably no good for anyone.   The Knightess looked over to Eith before telling her, ”You can ignore her offer.  I rather suspect she didn’t bring much of her wealth with her, though I can vouch for it firsthand.”  She knew by now that Sorcha would dislike having her fun interfered with, but it was probably for the best.

Still, Eith found she had moved her seat closer to Sorcha, within arm reach of the dragon’s food.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Luna." Sorcha shifted slightly in her seat as she replied, doing rather terribly at lying. "A dragon always has money with them. It would be rather shameful to not have any with us." She  hadn't brought any of her treasure with her. That said, though, Sorcha's eyes drifted quickly back to the hound. She was incredibly close to her plate of food now...just...a bit...closer...and she would have loyal subject number 1 within her grasp. She gave Eith a friendly grin.

"All the meat you could possibly want."

”Well, I can already get all the meat I want as of now and all I have to do is not attack humans.” Eith said.  ”What would you want in return?  Do you have anything better?” She had to ask.  There was little reason to accept the offer when she could go to Meal-Ticket at any time and get whatever food she wanted.

"Oh, just your undying loyalty and treat me like a queen, that's all." The dragon replied with a grin. Whether she was being serious, was difficult to tell. In truth, she was mostly just messing with the hound. If she accepted of course, there was no way she was going to be turning her down, but she didn't actually think she'd accept just for some food.

Eith had to laugh. This dragon was good at jokes it seemed.  Giving this Horned-One undying loyalty and treating her like a queen?  As if an Alpha would do such a thing.  ”You have a great sense of humor, Horned-One.”  The Shellagh said holding back continued snickering.  ”A Shellagh does not become an Alpha by submitting to others, rather, they do so by making others submit.”  She didn’t mean much by it, just stating facts.

"Aw," Sorcha clicked her tongue playfully. "Looks like it'll still have to be Luna." The dragon turned her head to Luna, reaching for another mug of ale and downing it easily. She had lost count exactly how much she had drank already, but it was probably at least quite a few, and she was a little red in the face. As soon as the mug touched her lips, her entire body suddenly felt ten degrees warmer. She was able to hide it well, aside from a small grimace, but Luna would have likely been able to tell. Nothing she couldn't handle...as soon as she went to place the mug back on the table though, she accidentally dropped it, causing it to clatter to the ground.

"Hehe, oops. Looks like I might have had a bit more to drink than I thought." Despite her playful words though, Luna would likely be able to tell something was wrong. It was manageable for now, but it would likely become worse over the next hour or so.

Luna had been content to sit back and let the two non-humans talk it out for a bit, but Sorcha seemed to be troubled. . . By what, the Knightess wasn’t explicitly sure.  Still, the dragon’s pride would probably not allow her to admit she wanted to leave. . . ”Sorcha, I believe it’s time to go.  I’m getting rather tired, so we should return to my quarters.  It’s been a long two days.”  She admitted for the dragon.

Eith merely nodded, one more plate and she’d be fine for a while. . . Well, she could finish what the dragon had after she left.  ”Goodbye.”  She said, watching the two.  

"But I'm not done eating yet, Meal-Ticket." Sorcha pouted as Luna said it was time to leave, trying to at least keep some semblance of control. Not that she really put up much of a fight. A little more urging from Luna and the dragon stood, though seemed somewhat unsteady as she did.

"Well, Lord Swen it has been a pleasure. And you as well, Eith. That offer will always be open if you change your mind." She gave them both a small nod, before following Luna out.

Swen watched the pair leave, giving pleasantries in return.  The Magierprinz thought the situation was a little strange - the dragon hadn’t had nearly as much to drink as she boasted, and for the most part his wallet was in good repair … a quick glance at Eith though took care of his hopes for financial health.

His ravenous companion would probably want something to eat in case she got hungry … looking at the plates, the Prince waved for a waitress.  ”... Could I have three more pounds of dried meat before we go?  This one will probably want a snack later.”  The waitress hurried off to get even more food, and Swen decided to watch the hound for a bit.  ”Your endless stomach is becoming full, it seems.  I got something for you to eat at my place for you.  It’s nothing great but it should satiate your hunger in the situation I must be absent … and yes, it is meat.”  Well, the Prince’s hopes of Sorcha taking his monetary drain disappeared.

”You learn fast.” Eith said in an almost regal manner, praising Swen.  It was fine to have food to go though.  She wouldn’t have to wake up Swen in the middle of the night to tell him she was absolutely starving. . . Well, she had enough sense not to do that at the least.  Still, just to make sure she had as much as she could eat, she finished off Sorcha’s plate and really, just about anything left on the table.  ”It’ll be great to sleep on a full stomach.  Not that I really need much, but it’s nice to do so.”

The magierprinz dropped a large pile of coins on the table with a small roll of his eyes, then after a quick pat on Eith’s head to catch her attention started to leave the tavern with a slight stumble.  The pile of meat on the table was left for the puppy to carry back to his place.  He had promised to feed the girl, not be her slave.

[Pyromania99]

Luna led the two back to her her dorm room, unknowingly followed by three suspicious girls that somewhere along the line broke off to go to their own place. Luna was more focused on getting home and the two moved in silence until they reached the door to Luna’s Quarters. As the Knightess opened the door she welcomed her dragon familiar in, ”Make yourself comfortable, Sorcha. My home is your home from now on I suppose.”

When they finally reached the dorm, Sorcha was visibly unwell. From the looks of it, she was running a high fever. One of her hands was firmly gripping Luna's shoulder for support, the other was holding her own side as she unsteadily walked in.

"Mm...you...thank you, Luna." She tiredly replied. "And I must apologize...I must be a rather sorry sight, hmm?" She tried to laugh, but only ended in a fit of coughing. She let go of Luna, walking over to the bed and sitting on it. "Does this place have a bath? Would you mind running me a cold one? Somewhere to cool off would be...much appreciated."

Luna took her gloves off and set them on one of the tables around the edges of the room after making sure Sorcha was ok. ”I can do that I suppose. . . It can’t be too hard.” The Knightess said, mumbling the second part so Sorcha couldn’t hear. Still, Luna patted the dragon’s head as she walked by, ”Just rest for a bit, hopefully it’ll have you feel better. If not, I needed to visit a healer tomorrow to make sure I’m in top shape, so they could look at you if you need? Would healers be able to help a dragon?” She asked herself, scratching her head as she left to run a cold bath. The dragon didn’t seem to be doing well either way, so Luna was just a bit worried, unsure if it showed on her face.

"Thank you, but I will be fine. It is nothing healers can fix." She replied with a strained sigh. "Livia has tried her best, but it isn't a simple...condition." As Luna went to go prepare a bath, Sorcha started undoing the clasps on her armor. Or at least, attempted to. The boots were easy enough, nothing too difficult, as were the gauntlet, but the chestpeice was proving to be somewhat of an annoyance, but it was easily enough dealt with in the end by the time Luna would have the bath ready.

Well, the water felt cold, so Luna assumed she did well in figuring the contraption out. ”It should be ready, Sorcha!” Luna called out into the adjacent room. She figured she should evacuate the room so Sorcha could actually get in there. It felt a little smaller than she was comfortable with if two people were in there. As she walked into the other room . . . She just needed to avert her gaze a bit. ”Ahhh, Sorcha, did you need me to help you in there, or will you be fine on your own?” Lunalel had to ask, though she thought the dragon might just say yes to tease her.

"Wanting to be alone with me, in a bath?" Sorcha laughed lightly, noticing the Knight averting her eyes. "It...would be much appreciated if you could. I have a few things I would like to talk to you about anyways. Help me up, would you?"

Helping out a person in such a state of dress was at the least a bit unnerving. ”Very well.” Luna said as she had to look at Sorcha to assist her. Not much longer and they were in the bathroom, and Luna helped Sorcha into the bath as well. ”What would you like to talk about?” She asked while paying attention to Sorcha’s head over any other part of her body.

For the most part, Sorcha largely ignored the Knights embarrasment. She lowered herself into the water of the bath, glad that the cool water was already helping. She would have liked to tease the Knight a bit, but that would require a bit more focus than she had at the moment. For a few seconds, Sorcha simply sat there resting before finally replying to Luna.

"My...apologies, first of all. I am in a rather sorry state for a dragon, aren't I? I fear that I won't be of much use to you should you have need of me for awhile."

Lunalel had to laugh a bit at the statement, ”It’s not like we’re at war or anything of the sort. Plus, you have more to offer than your strong physical presence. You’ve most likely outlived me a few times, so I’m sure you also have wisdom to offer.” It didn’t feel right that Sorcha was acting in such a self-deprecating manner now. Luna sighed a bit before continuing, ”Besides, you said there’s something wrong with you that isn’t a “simple condition” so I’ll assume it’s just something outside your control. Can’t especially fault you for that then.”

"Me? Wise?" Sorcha laughed. "The only thing I might have some serious wisdom about is how to cook a cow with lightning and make it still be delicious." That was a joke, of course, more or less. That was typically how she used to 'cook' ages ago, but she had to say she was still pretty goddamn good at it. "But I suppose you're right. I am...well, old enough to at least have lived through quite a lot. Although, typically people don't usually ask a dragon for advice. Especially one as prone to teasing as I am."

More on point then the second topic of conversation had come up. Sorcha ran a hand through her long blonde hair, letting it soak in the water. She might as well wash up a bit while she was in here.

"And yes...it is, a curse of sorts. Someone was too cowardly to fight me head on, so they resorted to such an underhanded tactic." The dragon almost growled, glaring into the water as she lifted a leg out to wash it. "It is nothing that will kill me, but it makes me slow, lethargic, and any great physical activity difficult, as well as more than a little pain. Makes my whole body feel as though it is on fire. Sometimes It can make me have...well, small bouts of delirium."

”I see.” Luna said as she thought about what the dragon had said. That would definitely prove annoying. ”If you ever need help with anything, just ask.” The Knightess said in a sincere tone. Sorcha definitely had issues, though Luna couldn’t tell if she wanted to speak up about them otherwise. She wasn’t being exactly straightforward at the least.

"Well, there's nothing you can do that you haven't." Sorcha smiled. "Though the one who placed it may be able to undo it, so if you could find that damnable fire bird it could prove helpful." That was about all she could say, really.

"Now, enough of that depressing talk. I'm feeling a bit better, though I am probably going to stay in here for a bit. Luna, would you mind helping me wash a bit?" The dragon asked in the most playful tone she could muster. "A good Knight has to take care of their liege after all~" She’d have asked her to polish the royal scales, but she was lacking in the scale department for the moment.

”Who is the master in this relationship?” Luna had to ask herself with a sigh. ”How about I help as your friend, rather than a servant?” Luna asked as she found a wash-cloth in the room. She wasn’t going to wash Sorcha with her bare-hands after all.

"Awah, come ooon, Luna." Sorcha pouted. "I'm a grand dragon who was a queen once, most people would be on their knees in front of me." It was questionable whether she was simply teasing the knight again. Her words sounded at least somewhat sincere, or at least as though she believed that they were. "...but a friend, though...It has been awhile since I had one of those. I think I can let you be that."

”Well, I’m glad the ‘Grand Dragon Queen’ would deign to be friends with a lowly knight such as I.” Luna joked back to Sorcha. ”Seriously though, I’d be proud to call you friend.” The Knightess said.

Sorcha clicked her tongue though said nothing, but she seemed happy enough with Luna's response, if her wagging tail was anything to go by. For the most part though, she went about finishing washing herself with Luna's help. She wouldn't admit it, but despite the cool water helping keep her temperature to a safer level she was still feeling incredibly weak and likely wouldn't have even been able to manage that without her help. After about spending ten minutes though, she was feeling much better, though physically exhausted.

"Luna...I couldn't help but notice one bed in there earlier."

”Yes. . . There is only a single bed.” Luna confirmed. ”You’ll sleep in the bed with me for now. Until we can get a second.” She continued, informing the dragon of future plans. ”I have a few extra nightgowns you can borrow for now that should fit you. You will probably look wonderful in them. More so than I at the least.”

The dragon didn't mind sharing a bed with Luna. In fact, she was honestly hoping she would be able too, after spending so many nights alone in her cave it'd be a...comfort to be able to spend it with someone else. Not that she was going to do anything asides from sleep, she was too tired, but...Night gowns? Sorcha pouted, puffing out her cheeks just a bit in an effort to appear cute.

"What? I'm not allowed to be naked in my own home? You know I don't usually wear clothes except armor or for special occasions, right?"

Of course. The dragon didn’t like wearing clothes did she? ”I’d also like to imagine you do wear clothes out in public. . .” It was an issue of common decency after all. ”That said, in all technicality, wouldn’t sleeping in the same bed as I be a special occasion. At least for the first time?” The Knightess hardly ever had a friend to spend time with like this, considering most of her company has been males. . . Though she’d never do any of these things with them.

"You might be surprised to know I didn't start wearing clothes in public until I was...hmm...six hundred years old?" The dragon mused. "I still don't understand why you humans dress so much. Clothing is quite annoying and only gets damaged during battle." Sorcha grabbed her long blonde hair in her hands, pulling it out of the water as she spoke. "Back when I was a knight much like yourself, I slept with quite a few people without clothing. Barracks and war camps make for some pretty intimate sleeping quarters, hehe." She didn't mention she also wasn't in human form most of the time back then.

Though Luna thought far enough ahead to consider the possibility. ”Dragons probably don’t wear many clothes in their natural form.” The Knightess joked a bit before returning to her point. ”It’s just ingrained in our culture. Plus, it’s how we show off sometimes. The richer you are, the better clothes you can afford. I typically just wear something easy to move in and protective since I lack a dragon’s thick hide.” She assisted Sorcha and continued, ”That aside, I’m sure it would look beautiful on you.”

"Clothing is just a needless expense...besides, I would rather blind my enemies with my stunning natural beauty than mar it with easily torn fabrics." Sorcha chuckled softly, it was easy to tell at least she was joking for the most part with that last bit. "Hmm...but thank you, Luna. You certainly know how to flatter a girl." She lifted herself out of the tub, with a little help from Luna, able to stand on her own now without too much difficulty. "Very well then, let us see these nightgowns of yours."

Luna escorted the dragon to her wardrobe where she kept her supply of clothes. There were a few different ones. Luna’s favorite was a blue one that was fairly modest ending likely at Luna’s ankles with little frills compared to some of the others. There were a number of ones that were frilly to the point Luna wanted to dispose of them, though she didn’t want to rid herself of the presents her father sent. What remained was a bright-red one with a sort of sash in the middle that went down to just below the knees and likely showed just a bit of cleavage. The other was a black one that was a bit more revealing than the others showing more cleavage than the red and stopping just over the knee instead. This one was a prank-gift from some of the servants and people around the fortress town she called home.

”I’m picking the blue one, but feel free to choose any of the ones you like, though I think the red one would look just right on you, in my humble opinion.” Luna said as if a knight trying to honor a lady.

The dragon observed the the dresses, studying them for a few seconds before walking over to the wardrobe and reaching for the black one. She turned to Luna wearing a small smile. "Have someone you like to show off too, then, my little knight?~” Sorcha teased, holding the garment against her body. "Hmm...I'll wear this one." Obviously, just so she could fluster Luna just a little bit.

And she just had to get the one made for me as a joke. Lunalel thought, knowing better than to get her hopes up for anything else.

Sorcha put on the nightgown without much trouble, a bit of trouble fitting her wings in the garment, but for the most part she didn't complain when putting it on. She walked over to the bed, yawning tiredly before flopping down on it rather unceremoniously.

"Hmm...sleeping on a bed instead of a pile of treasure is going to be surprisingly welcome..."

Luna changed into her favorite, with her back to Sorcha of course. ”Still, even so, it must be nice knowing that you have a lot of treasure just waiting for you.” She said as she turned around and went to the side of the bed opposite of where Sorcha flopped down. ”I hope we get along in the future as we did today, Sorcha.” The Knightess continued as she laid down on a pillow.

"Mhm...collected ever since I was a bratty kid." The dragon yawned, chuckling quietly as she rolled over to face Luna. Sorcha gently wrapped one of Luna's arms in a light hug, resting her head close to Luna's. "Hmm...do you mind?"

Luna blushed slightly. She wasn’t exactly expecting it, though she probably should have. ”Ahhh, uhmm. . . Su-sure.” The Knightess said, slightly embarrassed. ”It’s fine.”

"Don't worry, I'll behave." Sorcha chuckled, nuzzling her head against Luna's shoulder.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Gwynn, Livia, Fia~

Week 2, day six

"If you keep stalling, I will inform the Headmistress that you disrupted work willingly and will be punished for it." Cynthia replied, sounding just a bit annoyed.

"I...I dunno." Gwynn hesitated from within the restroom.

"If you will not wear the servants dress, then you have no business working here."

"B-but it's...so..." Gwynn stuttered, unsure of the exact words to use here.

"It is the traditional uniform of the servant class. If you will not wear it, you have no business being here."

"...Urgh, f-fine." She didn't have much of a choice, did she? She was the one that asked for this job, so complaining wasn't something she should do. But this dress! Gah! It was just horrible. She could hardly move in it, not to mention it was just downright...not...something a sea-faring lass like her should be waltzing around in! With a sigh, she walked out of the changing room. Cynthia had insisted on dressing her herself, but Gwynn managed to convince her to let her try herself at least once. "Can we get started now?" She asked, groaning.

Cynthia didn't reply, only walking closer, seeming to inspect Gwynn very closely...before grabbing her chest.

"B-bwuh?! W-what are you doing?!"

"Fixing your dress." Cynthia replied, adjusting one of the bows on the front of it. "You are terrible at this." This made Gwynn turn a shade of red as Cynthia continued to 'fix' her dress in various places. She had thought she had been thorough, but she supposed this wasn't her thing, after all. When she was done, Cynthia stood in front of her again, inspecting her once more before giving a sigh. "Acceptable." Gwynn let out a breath, but she didn't get long to relax. "Mistress Livia requires tea in the morning, as well as a full breakfast. I doubt you have any skills in cooking or tea making, so you will leave that to me." Gwynn nodded hesitantly and followed as Cynthia walked towards the kitchens.

"Then...uhm, what will I do?" She asked, a bit unsure.

"You will wake them, and ensure there are no problems. I will teach you how to brew tea later today when the Headmistress is working."

"U-uhm right...where is there room?"

"Upstairs, at the end of the hallway."

With a sigh, Gwynn walked away from Cynthia and headed upstairs. Today was going to be a long day, wasn't it? At least this was something she could do, but she wasn't going to be to happy about it. Urgh this dress was annoying her, and why did she have to wake them up? Couldn't the headmistress wake herself up or something? Gah, she shouldn't complain...she had asked for this after all. Gwynn sighed, taking a few seconds to compose herself before knocking on the door to Livia's room.

"Yo, headmistress...uh, it's morning or something?"

Fia’s eyes fluttered open from a dream about a dragon and herself bathing in a lake as the door was rattled and followed by a familiar voice. Livia’s arms were around her as usual when the pair of them slept, but the grip wasn’t tight and after a small struggle the phoenix managed to squirm her way out to the rest of the bed.

Livia usually dealt with people. ”... Livia … servant … waking … us ...” As usual, the older woman usually needed a little encouragement to get up for the day. After giving the headmistress a small shake on her shoulder, the phoenix debated which dress she should use … and eventually settled for one of the simple long dresses in the style Livia wore when she expected to be causal for the day.

With a yawn, Fia walked into the bathroom with the dress hung over a small rack as the fourteen year old looked into the mirror. The headmistress always did, and the girl had started to pick up on the older woman’s grooming habits. A pretty blue haired woman with red eyes of about her size stared back, and after a small shake of her to dispel whatever was in her mind the reflection returned to normal. After quickly washing her face with hot water and running a small brush through her hair, the girl put her dress on and applied a small portion of the headmistress’ makeup before returning to the room where her mage was probably starting to just wake up.

The crimson haired girl was somewhat curious about what their plans were for the day, if they had any. A tilt of her head towards the headmistress and the bond they shared probably made the shy girl’s question clear.

'yo headmistress'? What sort of greeting was even that? Tsk, look like she'd have to teach Gwynn some basic manners. Livia yawned as she woke, sitting drowsily up in her bed. Well, whatever. Teaching Gwynn manners was probably going to be about as difficult as teaching a cat to bark...hum. For some reason, she imagined Gwynn would look cute with cat ears. Maybe she'd see how Katherine looked in some later...hrm...

Livia pulled the covers off of her, noticing Fia had already woken. Since it was the weekend, she had much less work to do but she still had a few responsibilities to take care of. Some accounting, making sure a few of her projects were going well...she hadn't visited the lab in awhile. She would have to make sure Fia was properly occupied so she could do that. Well, Gwynn could definitely take care of her.

"Hmm...today, I think we'll take a break from your studies." Livia said offhandedly as she finished putting on a simple purple and white dress. She honestly had no plans for the both of them today. Fia was making fairly good progress in learning to read and write, and one always could use a break from studies. That said, she couldn't just leave her alone either...hrm. She walked into the restroom, cleaning up just a bit before.

Walking over to the door revealing a Gwynn who was obviously in a somewhat irritable mood, and likely was feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Etiquette aside, Gwynn, thank you. I take it Cynthia is preparing breakfast for now?"

"Yeah, she is." Gwynn replied.

"Hmm...come along then Fia." Livia said, walking out of the room. "Be sure to follow, Gwynn, and if you need anything at all Fia, do not hesitate to ask her." Gwynn grumbled silently as she followed Livia.

The phoenix nodded as she followed the headmistress downstairs, walking next to the grumbly servant that Fia was still slightly confused as to why she was hired. If she’d been that uppity in the tower, she would have been beaten, then forced to entertain her owner. Livia seemed to have mentioned the problem though, so for now the red haired girl walked just next to the headmistress, using her as a partial shield between herself and Gwynn.

Gwynn was silent for the most part. She had no idea what she should be doing here, but she knew she should probably at least keep her mouth mostly shut. When they finally arrived downstairs, it seemed Cynthia had already finished brewing the tea and making breakfast. Simple toast, tea, and a few other side dishes were arranged on the table. Before Livia even began sitting down, Cynthia was already pouring a cup for her. Gwynn stood somewhat awkwardly next to one of the couches, not sure what she should be doing. Cynthia had given her a rundown of what would be expected of her, but for the most part Cynthia had done most of that already.

"Gwynn, tea for Fia please."

"Err...right. Uh, tea..." Tea, she could never stand the stuff but...well, whatever. She reached for the teapot, holding it carefully before pouring it into the cup, at least trying to mimic the amount Cynthia had poured into Livia's.

After having been with the headmistress, the familiar was used to the daily routine - going downstairs, sitting down on one of the couches, drinking tea. Fia seemed satisfied with the way the new servant seemed to pour it, although she was a bit slow. Not even waiting for it to cool down, the crimson haired girl held onto the glass with a both hands and took a sip of it, digging into breakfast.

To Livia, it was rather obvious that the red haired girl had been working on slowing down her eating, and the crimson haired girl seemed to eat is closer to normally than as if she hadn’t eaten in a few days. It was still strange, being able to simply ask for food and to recieve plenty of it. The young teenager was seriously thankful for it, despite it not being that exquisite.

Unless the headmistress had a topic of conversation she wanted to bring up, the crimson haired girl finally had to ask a question. ”... Livia ... “ It had been something bothering the girl for quite some time now. Usually at the first glance into a mirror she saw other people standing in her place. After a few seconds they would fade away, but she had no idea who they were. A little bit of research had revealed this was not normal. ”... I see … others … in mirrors …?” So far they hadn’t been hostile, and truthfully their presences were somewhat comforting. The girl’s curiosity simply got the better of her.

"What are you crazy or something?" Gwynn couldn't help but to vocalize the thought, which earned a sharp glare from Livia and a disapproving sight from Cynthia.

"Fia, dear...perhaps could you elaborate a bit?" Livia asked. Seeing others in the mirror, definitely wasn't normal but she didn't exactly have much to go on other than that. She could speculate as to what was going on, but that was it. She wanted a bit more confirmation before making any final conclusions. "It is...definitely not exactly normal, but I don't think it is anything you should be too worried about unless those people are clearly hostile."

The phoenix looked over her shoulder at the servant, looking at her nervously. Despite Livia’s assurance that it probably wasn’t a problem, it clearly took away some of Fia’s ability to collect herself as her words became normalized again. ”... like me … today … ruby eyes .... sapphire hair …?” Fia clearly had more to add, but it was apparently a little awkward for her as she glanced over at the judgemental servant. Eventually though, she made her addition. ”... In a dream … I looked into … water …” The girl remembered the reflection that had looked back for a few moments.

She breathed for a moment. ”... It was … the same …” The girl flushed slightly as she remembered the scene that had followed with a certain dragon who had been appeared last night as well, but the phoenix didn’t feel like describing that to the headmistress.

So it was like that then. She had received quite the description of one of the phoenixes past lives from Sorcha. Fia was seeing her past selves in the mirror, then. Nothing to be too worried about, in that case. Livia took another sip of her tea before responding. "Who knows. Some people believe that mirrors show the true soul of the one who is viewing them." Livia chuckled lightly. "It's nothing serious, Fia dear so do not worry much about it. If you are curious, there are likely some books in the Library I could find to bring you to read."

The phoenix waited a moment before nodding. The young teenager had been curious about going to the library herself, but she was a little scared of new places in general and Livia seemed content to provide plenty of reading in here. The crimson haired girl seemed satisfied with that response, returning to the food as she wondered what she was supposed to do with her day off. Fia wondered if Livia was simply giving her a saying, but the girl could tell there was a little more behind what the headmistress spoke.

Breakfast continued normally for the most part. Gwynn did her best, and only ended up spilling the tea once, earning a harsh glare from Cynthia and was quickly made to clean it. For the most part, Gwynn was hating this work, but it was something she decided to do so she would. When she went to put up the plates and other silverware, she was scolded for speaking out of line and making a comment about Fia. It was not a servant's place to speak unless spoken to.

When she finally returned to the living room, Gwynn sighed, already feeling completely drained.

"Well, that was good as always. Thank you Cynthia...and you as well Gwynn despite your terrible manners. That said..." Livia stood, looking over to Fia. "Fia, dear, I have some work I need to do today that you cannot accompany me to."

The Phoenix looked up for a moment, and nodded nervously afterwards. Fia was growing attached to the older woman, and despite her usual desire to remain at least ten feet away did appreciate having her nearby. During the weekends the crimson haired girl knew Livia generally avoided doing paperwork and focused on relaxing. Thirty seconds passed by before the girl collected herself a little. ”... And me …?” With free time on her hands, Fia was stuck with a problem Gwynn was familiar with. In the tower the crimson haired girl didn’t have any options in her life, and now so many were before her that the insane amount of choice was just as terrifying.

"Whatever you want. This is your home...you may do in it what you wish." Livia replied. "Gwynn and Cynthia will take care of any problems you have...and if you wish to head outside for whatever reason, they are obligated to join you." With that Livia stood and walked towards the door of the house, Cynthia bowing her head as she left. "I will be back a little after noon."

"Of course, Mistress." Cynthia said as Livia left. Gwynn, simply remained silent, wondering what exactly this brat was going to order her around to do.

The red haired girl watched Livia as she left, her heart sinking just a bit as the one she was bound to left the room … Fia sat in the same spot for some time, unsure what to do. Her amber eyes drifted between the two older women as she kicked her legs back and forth idly before eventually silently rising from the couch and heading upstairs. The phoenix laid on the bed, looking into the pages of the book as she read about the fall of Troy.

Well. It seemed this would be easy then. Gwynn was relieved. So, she'd just have nothing to do since Fia seemed intent on being alone. Fine with her. She smirked, chuckling idly to herself. Well, maybe this wouldn't be so bad, then. She turned, taking a seat on the couch and stretching, earning an irritated huff from Cynthia.

"I do hope you don't think that you are done."

"Well, uh, that kid didn't exactly seem like she wanted to order us around." Gwynn dismissively replied, casting a glance over to Cynthia...who was now holding a broom...and a mop. "Well...I mean, don't not work on my account." Cynthia shook her head.
"You will clean." She continued, shoving the broom and mop into Gwynn's hands.

"E-er...clean, what, exactly?"

"The house, you moron." Cynthia could swear she saw a vein bulge on Gwynn's forehead.

"A-all of it? By myself? This entire house?!" There was no way in the name of the great seas could she ever clean this house by herself! That was absurd!

"Yes. If you are too stupid to accomplish such a task then you should leave immediately and admit you are a failure to society."

This. Bitch.

Gwynn had to visibly restrain herself from turning Cynthia into a very realistic ice sculpture. But no, she wouldn't do that. She'd prove to this little maid that she could very well do it! Sorta...kinda...she would attempt it, at least!

"FINE! I'll do it and I'll do it ten times better than you!"

[Roleplayer001]

~Gwynn, Maoin~

Week 2, day Seven

    Saturday morning her owner had woken up early, preparing to go somewhere.  When Maoin asked her mistress where she was going and if she’d need help, the woman informed her familiar that she was to stay home, not follow, and to do whatever she wanted during the weekends.  The kitten was curious of course, but any line of questioning was quickly shut down and the black haired girl found herself waiting at home alone for the most part.

    After a few hours went by, the cat looked around the room to see if there was anything worth cleaning, but decided that everything was already sterile enough even with her standards.  She did a few things as she waited, including baking a cake for her mistress, sewing some clothes for her owner, and other small tasks that would make the mage’s life easier in other small ways.

    By evening though, the girl had run out of even the most mundane and insignificant things she could do, and settled herself down and simply waited.  Previously her owner had left for some time, but the girl was starting to feel very lonely as she curled up in her crate and closed her eyes, waiting.

    Eventually the cadence of her owner’s footsteps was heard outside, and looking outside it was around ten at night.  The black haired girl enthusiastically greeted her owner with a curtsy, offered various services, dinner, and other things but she was quickly shot down and ignored as her mistress simply plopped down on the bed after a few quick bites of food and fell asleep.

    The next day was the same business, with her mistress leaving at an incredibly early hour to go off to god knows where.  The kitten laid around for a few hours, the feelings of depression filling her.  The black haired girl wondered if her mistress was simply trying to abandon her or something like that … but after a short period of time she simply shook her head.  No, her owner had decided that she was worth something.  Maoin told herself it was simply loneliness.

    After much convincing herself, second guessing, and gathering courage the kitten dressed herself in the red dress her mistress had picked out and two matching red ribbons to go in her hair and near the end of her tail respectively.  Then she headed out to a local tavern that was specifically meant for familiars - no humans allowed.  That way there was no chance she’d end up misrepresenting her owner in the eyes of her fellow mages.

    The kitten didn’t really drink that much, and aside from ordering a small dinner at a table and watching the evening's activities didn’t engage that much with others.  Dancing, wrestling, mock duels and other things that the more rowdy portions of the population tended to be interested in.  Eventually though, she was pulled onto the dance floor by a taller tiger-girl with white hair for a few hours, and since they were both caught in a similar situation and their owners living in a same apartment complex headed back together and agreed to wait there together.

    When Gwynn walked in, she would probably notice a few things.  The door wasn’t already opening itself for her, that the kitchen was one degree more messy than clean, and that there was a tigress playfully licking a speck of food off Maoin’s cheek, tails wrapped together.  The black haired girl realized her owner had returned home when she looked away from the teasing familiar, and as her eyes rested on her owner Maoin blinked a few times before approaching nervously and giving a deep curtsey.

”... Um … hi mistress … w-would you like something to eat?”  This wasn’t a situation that had happened before, and the girl wasn’t sure how to handle it.  The longer she stood there, the more the blush would spread across her face.  The guest for her part seemed to be observing the situation, ears perked up on her head.

Gwynn, was exhausted. Aside from her various fuck ups, Cynthia made sure to barely even give her a half an hour of rest. She had to clean the entire house again. Seriously, who the fuck cleaned that much?! Aside from Maoin, she didn't know anyone. Really, the place looked fine to her. Not to mention cooking, which, anything she cooked was promptly tossed out by Cynthia which was regarded as 'unfit for consumption by anything'. Like, jeez! She knew she was bad, but it couldn't have been that bad! At least the brat, Fia didn't order her around, but urgh.

So, imagine her surprise when she walked home, and not only did Maoin not greet her in her usual fashion...she was with...another person. The blond looked from Maoin, to the Tiger, and then back to Maoin.

"Oh...sorry, I must have the wrong dorm. You two have fun!" She turned on her heel, and started walking back out the door.

The kitten ran after her mistress, grabbing her hand in an attempt to keep her in the room.  The black haired girl’s blush spread as the implication of what her owner said got to her, but she tried to ignore it.  ”... Mistress!?  T-this is your dorm.  We were just talking!  You look tired, so please don’t go back out.  Let me run a bath for you, or make you dinner, or ...”  Despite the friendly company, the girl had missed her owner and the bond between them.

The tigress for her part raised an eyebrow as her companion jumped at the other woman and approached the pair.  ”Maoin, this is your esteemed owner?  I am Tiaza, can I assume you are Lady Gwynn?  Can I ask why you are turning tail from your own den?”  For her part, the predator was wondering why the blonde was fleeing her own territory, as the two of them had really just been talking.  For the formalities of her speech though, there was a teasing tone although it was probably directed at the neko.

"Hey, I'm fine! I was just stopping by for some drinking money, heh." Gwynn replied to Maoin and Tiaza, turning around. She placed a hand on the kittens shoulder, giving her a grin and wink. "You, need to go have fun with your new friend there." She released the kitten, chuckling lightly to herself, seemingly intent on heading out of the room. "So, you two have fun! Don't mind me...just uh, if you use the bed, clean it."

Maoin’s blush would have spread more if it was possible.  The kitten resisted for only a second before releasing her owner obediently, ears falling low and tail going between her legs.  Sure she’d have some company but … it just wasn’t the same.  She’d avoid admitting it, but she missed the ever irritating, frustrating, and somehow inspiring presence that was her owner.

The white tigress noticed her friends reaction to the situation, and quickly pounced twice across the floor until she was standing a few inches in front of Gwynn.  A finger poked the blonde’s nose, who would probably realize at this point the tiger was taller than her.  [b]”Your familiar is so innocent I’d be surprised if she knew how to have fun.  But based on what I’ve picked up, she’s certainly not against playing with you.”[/color]  Tiaza leaned forward, giving the noblewoman a lick on the cheek and a wink.  Maoin just buried her face in her hands, hiding herself from the world.  The tigress seemed to contemplate the taste of the golden haired girl for a second before nodding and dropping an innuendo.  [b]”I’ve gotta say Maoin, I can see why you enjoy running your tongue over her ...”[/color]

What was even happening? For a few seconds, Gwynn simply stood there, mouth agape trying to process the tiger's actions. A: she was pretty sure this tiger was 100% someone she'd like to get to know in a very friendly manner. B: She had just licked her. C: She was pretty sure she had also just hit on her. A small smirk crept over Gwynn's face, unable to contain obvious amusement at the situation, despite face being somewhat red from the rather aggressive attention from Tiaza.

"Innocent? Maoin?" Gwynn replied with a light chuckle. "Please, she just puts on that cute act in front of others." The implications of that would probably make Maoin die of embarrassment, but it'd be funny to see her reaction regardless. "So...Tiaza, planning on staying?"

”Mi-”  The black haired girl tried to speak, but failed.  After a few more attempts, the flushed girl picked up the nearest object.  A spatula.  She put it in the sink, and started to clean it obsessively, scrubbing it with the full strength of her body, ears down, tail wagging, and face flushed deeply.

Tazia looked over at the black haired girl, smiled, then returned her eyes to the woman in front of her.  She seemed to be ready to say something, paused as her ears perked up, then pressed her body against Gwynn’s and wrapped the woman in a tight embrace, capturing her.  At this point, the noblewoman would probably realize the tigress wasn’t just tall, but also very strong.  [b]”A huntress chooses the prey, not the opposite.”[/color]  A lick found itself on the back of Gwynn’s neck, before the tigress pulled away with a teasing smile.  [b]”Besides, a far tastier treat awaits me at home!”[/color]

The white tiger walked up to Maoin normally, gave her a platonic hug, told the cat-girl to come by when she wanted, and started to make her way out the door.

Well, if there was one thing Gwynn liked, it was being this close to another person. And she had to admit,  Tiaza was certainly strong and...could probably go a few rounds, heh. That said, Gwynn wasn't about to let her leave so easily after teasing her so thoroughly. That, was just an insult to her ego and she wasn't going to have any of it.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Gwynn said, standing in front of the door, a small smirk forming on her lips. "You're right, a Huntress does chose her prey...just like a pirate likes going after a chest full of treasure. And heh, being a bit of a sea loving sailor that I am...I can't just let a gem like you just waltz out of here."

Gwynn was confident in her own physical strength though, and she was quite...intent on at least getting to know Tiaza a bit better, and unless Tiaza thought she could physically move Gwynn from in front of the door, Gwynn wasn't budging so easily.

The white eared girl gave off a brief smile, flexed her arms, and then pounced onto the blonde woman, knocking the pair of them out of the room and into a ball on the floor of the hallway.  The tigress gave Gwynn a lick on the cheek, a slight growl, and then bounced off to a room three doors down on the left before entering a door and slamming it behind herself.

The kitten for her part looked towards her mistress lying in the hallway, put down the items she was cleaning, and approached her owner with an extended hand.  ”... are you alright, mistress …?”  It certainly was interesting to see another side of both Gwynn and Tiaza, although it was largely at her expense.

"I think," Gwynn rolled over, looking down the hallway where Tiaza disappeared into. She rested her head on the palm of one of her hands, and resting her elbow on the ground. "I might go meet this 'more delicious treat' she was talking about later." She had half a mind to run after the tiger after that obvious display of affection but she didn't want to appear to forceful. Instead she simply tapped the fingers of her other hand against the ground, humming lightly.

What to do, then? She was definitely gonna pay her a visit later, heh...for now though, she looked up at Maoin, rolling back over and taking the hand she was offered and helped her to stand up.

"I'm fine." Gwynn replied with a light chuckle. "Tomorrow, I'm gonna go say hi to our new neighbor." She walked back into the room, yawning and stretching. She forgot just how tired she was...eh, maybe a bath sounded good. "I'ma take a bath and go to bed. Urgh, I'm tired..."

The kitten grunted slightly as she helped her mistress up, nodding.  If her owner paid attention, she’d probably notice a brief frown before Maoin smiled again.  The black haired girl contemplated teasing the older woman about enjoying herself at St. Sappho, but remained silent on the issue.  ”Of course mistress! If there’s anything else I can do for, please just ask.  There’s a cake in the cooling box that I made for you, if you’d like to eat something while you wait.”  

The kitten’s tail went over the front of her owner’s legs as she turned around, not really in an intentional manner but rather by accident.  Maoin was hoping to get at least a little attention that night of any sort, even being bossed around a bit.  But her owner was tired, and the kitten found herself cuddling against her recently cleaned and sleeping mistress thirty minutes later as she frowned slightly, wondering what was going on.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Week Three, Livia's office

For the love of the great spirits. Why was it snowing in fall?! It was only three weeks in, and there was already snow! It had started sometime early this morning. The temperature had already dropped to a few degrees below snow point. Not that she particularly had anything against snow, but it was too early in the season for it to be a natural frost. It would certainly put a hamper on a few studies this week, depending on how long it was kept up. With a somewhat frustrated sigh, she leaned back in her chair, sipping on some warm tea, dressed in a rather thick black and gold fur lined dress. At least the fire place was keeping the room warm.

"Urgh, I'll have to send some students to see what the cause of this frost is." Livia grunted, speaking to no one in particular as she sat the tea cup down. Cynthia was quick to refill the cup with fresh, warm tea. "I think the source of its somewhere close, but...I'm not sure."

"I am certain you will find the cause of it, Mistress." Cynthia replied.

"Hmph, of course I will. It's just annoying. I have very little time these days, between Fia, running this academy and...other things. It is quite...tiring."

"Perhaps Mistress would like a vacation?"

"While nice, I do not have the luxury of a vacation. Time is not something on my side, Cynthia."

"Of course Mistress. I heard the Eastern Country is lovely this time of year." Livia simply cast a quiet, disapproving glance over to Cynthia who simply bowed her head in return, and walked over to the fire place, throwing a few logs onto it.

"Lord Kostis said he would be visiting either today or tomorrow. Do be prepared for his arrival. He will be staying at my Villa in one of the guest rooms."

Outside, Female Dorm, Lyssa

IT.

WAS.

SNOWING.

Lyssa didn't have a whole lot of experience with snow, but she knew one thing: It was cold, reminded her of vanilla, and was definitely one of her favorite things in the world. It had started snowing sometime that morning, and she didn't know why but it didn't matter. As soon as the ground was covered in at least an inch of it, she had practically dived out the window and started pelting unsuspecting passerby's with snowballs. Oh, and made quite a few snow angels...one of which she forgot to hide her actual wings and horns when making, but details, details.

More importantly, it was almost time for classes, but she wasn't going to be going. Nope! And those who were going, were being subjected to snowball throwing by the pink-haired snowball throwing menace. She lobbed a number of snowballs towards a few girls as the left the dorm, giggling madly as one of the snowballs pelted them in the face, while the other used some form of wind magic to deflect the ball, sending it flying off in some direction across campus.

"L-lyssa! Must you start a ruckus so early."

"Hehe, there I am not Lyssa, I am demon lord of snow-buh!" Before she could get a word out, she herself, was pelting with a snowball right to the face. She stumbled backwards, falling flat on her back as the other girls walked past.

"Laura," The one who had gotten pelted with a snowball laughed softly. "No need to be so harsh." The two continued to converse as they walked off, but Lyssa didn't hear what they were talking about. Lyssa simply waved bye, earning a friendly wave from both of them.

Yep, today was going to be a good day. She could feel it!

Week Three, Gwynn's Dorm

thunk

Something pelted the window at surprising speed, stirring Gwynn from sleep.

Urgh, why was it so cold? That was Gwynn's first thought upon waking. Her second thought, was what was the furry thing tickling her nose? She opened one of her eyes, yawning quietly as she tried moving one of her arms, only to find it being rather firmly held by something else. She swiveled her head towards the obstruction...finding Maoin clinging rather tightly to her arm, her head resting on her neck and one of her ears just barely tickling her nose.

...well. She didn't particularly mind the closeness, but she didn't particularly want to stay laying there for the rest of the day. Not to mention, she was curious as to why it was so cold. Granted, she hadn't been in Europe for long but it felt warmer than northern Ireland did so she didn't know how the weather usually behaved, but it was only the beginning of fall. It shouldn't have been this cold, should it?

"Hey, Maoin, I like getting a nice feel of your chest and all, but uh, it's morning and you should probably wake up."

Week Three, Sorcha

Throughout the night, Sorcha had mostly behaved herself like she told Luna she would. Aside from her clinging rather tightly to the night, the only other thing she did was extend one of her wings rather protectively over Luna sometime during the night and possibly talk in her sleep just a bit. By the time morning came, though, she was fast asleep and didn't seem to be too intent on moving. Luna would probably have to wake her up if she wanted to go to class or well, do anything aside from laying in bed with the dragon.

[Roleplayer001]

The Magierprinz had been keeping a careful eye on the puppy for most of the weekend, although the girl seemed to be well behaved as long as she was fed well enough. The large grey house his family had purchased for him while he was educated here served well enough as his base of operations, although they had denied to send him any servants to help take care of the damn place.

For now, Swen wiped his tired eyes his eyes as he rose from his bed, searching the house in his normal morning fashion to see how the hound was doing. After a minute, the scholar found the beast in it's normal resting place, seeming to be still resting. With a yawn, he made a statement he was used to. "If you want breakfast ... be ready to ..." The man wondered if he needed to say anything else, but the thought of food was probably enough for her to bounce at the opportunity and wake up.

As he looked outside though, his eyes widened. What was SNOW doing outside. It wasn't normal for snow to be falling in Germany at this time of the year, and the man was fairly certain that France was supposed to be warmer. "... What ...?"

The teacher had found herself examining the vial of phoenix tears almost obsessively for the past two weeks, running various tests on individual results and observing the effects of it on various applications against wounds. Aetheria had filled twenty three pages with notes, and flipped it to the twenty forth as she observed the result of a drop on a piece of long dead flesh. For a moment, the deathly white skin seemed to become tan for a few seconds before it returned to it's natural state.

Just a bit longer and a little more patience, and she would hopefully discover how exactly the damn thing worked.

Maoin had eventually fallen asleep while holding her mistress, and had moved sometime during the middle of the night to get closer, as if she was huddling for warmth ...

"Hey, Maoin, I like getting a nice feel of your chest and all, but uh, it's morning and you should probably wake up."

The kitten however didn't seem to really hear her owner's suggestion, responding as if she was still half asleep. The black haired girl shook her head, twitching one of her ears against her mistress' nose as she did so.. "... must ... keep ... mistress ... warm ..."

Even as she was asleep, the girl still expressed her loyal and eternal concern for her owner, tightening her grip around the older woman and wrapping her tail around one of the blonde's legs and pulling it closer. It would apparently take a bit more to wake the cat up than a simple suggestion.

The crimson haired girl was doing her continuous mix of paperwork and studying behind the couch she always occupied when she followed Livia around the office. At least the headmistress was following through with her end of the bargain of providing sufficient paperwork, the phoenix thought as she sorted through yet another stack. Truthfully, the work was growing a bit frustrating, although she didn't dare bring that up to Livia. She didn't want to know if there was a dark side to the mage's generosity.

Fia had been listening to the conversation as she sat in the room, the general theme of the morning's conversations involving a combination of snow and how to deal with said snow. Around the time the girl had sorted the final stack of papers in alphabetical order, Livia mentioned her name again.

"Hmph, of course I will. It's just annoying. I have very little time these days, between Fia, running this academy and...other things. It is quite...tiring."

The crimson haired girl stood up, nervously approaching the desk (and it's evil chairs), lowering the now organized stack of papers onto the headmistress' desk before taking a few steps back for distance. As she stood within sight of the window, her amber eyes overlooked the white sown world outside, and she titled her head curiously before shaking it. It was snow, that much was obvious ... but why were some of the students joyously pelting each other with it? It seemed strange. Unconsciously her eyes had returned to the strange substance as she thought about it, before the girl returned to her senses and looked nervously at the headmistress.

It took a moment for the girl to form her words, putting her fingers together as she looked towards the headmistress, wondering what was next for the day. Studying? Paperwork? Lessons?

[Pyromania99]

Lunalel Lightsword

Luna had finally gotten to sleep the night prior, not with much help from Sorcha. When she woke up, the first sight she had was a wing in her face. Then she noticed Sorcha still holding on to her, mumbling something. Luna couldn't help but be amazed that such a beautiful thing could be one of those big scary dragons of legend. "It's really cold in here." Luna finally noticed. She noticed something floating down outside and it looked oddly familiar. "Sorcha, wake up. I think there's something out of season about." She said, nudging the dragon.

Katherine Lindall

"Uggh, why is it snowing? It's so cold out. . ." Katherine complained. The woman loved her summer weather, but hated the winter weather, especially when it was so out of season as it was now. She woke up to find it snowing. . . There was still time before classes so needed to make it to them. If one saw her out in the open now, they'd not know her by her typical robes, but only by the small army of dolls around her. The woman herself was bundled up nicely in some clothes and a blanket wrapped around her. "I hate the cold."

Eith, Shellagh Alpha

As Swen was gawking out the window, Eith became curious as she stood from her corner of the room and walked over, taking a peek outside. Yep, she could understand completely. It was absolutely snowing, so it must be pretty cold out. "It doesn't normally snow this time of year. . . Yes?" She had to ask, it not like she lived around here ever. She lived out east but this still seemed weird. "Either way, I'm hungry. Food." The Shellagh added as if an expectant child, bouncing on her heels a bit.

???

A lone girl walked through a part of town, seeming out of place from the rest of it. Her long silver hair sparkled like the snow the drifted around her and complimented the eternal smile on her face. She had yet to see anyone else around, but she couldn't figure out why. "I thought everyone loved snow. I've heard stories that people will rush to play in the snow, but there's no one around. How odd." She spoke aloud as she twirled around a bit, bored. It really seemed dead right now as if the place were abandoned. She kept a look out for people, but found none as of the moment. Either way she was eager to meet new people.

The Girl

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Lyssa~

After throwing snowballs at everyone that walked out of the dorm, Lyssa made her way into town. She wasn't particularly adverse to the cold, but she still made sure to put on something that was at least somewhat warm. She hoped some of the shops would have something warm and sweet, and preferably, delicious hot chocolate. Did humans even have hot chocolate? She wasn't sure, but that was irrelevant. As she came into town though, she realized just how...empty it looked. Where was everyone, really? It was snowing! They should be building snow forts and having snowball wars!

It was then, she noticed a lone girl waltzing through the middle of the street. Lyssa hadn't recognized her, so she had to have been someone that wasn't attending the school and was at least somewhat new to the area. She should go say hi, shouldn't she? She looked absolutely depressed standing there all alone...

....pfft, where would the fun in that be, though?

Rubbing her hands together with a mischievous giggle, the pink haired demon positioned herself behind a wall of a nearby building and gathered up some snow into her hands...and promptly launched it right at the girl, aimed right for her face.

~Gwynn~

Well, if she wasn't going to wake up so easily...Gwynn sighed. It wasn't cold enough for her to be too put off by it, but Maoin was likely cold. Well, either way she'd need to wake up. Gwynn tried freeing her arm from the kittens' grasp, but for whatever reason she wasn't letting go so easily. Well, Gwynn wasn't going to be staying here all morning, not when it was this cold out. Truthfully, the cold always felt rather refreshing to her, and was always much more welcoming of the cooler months than the summer ones.

With a bit of effort, she sat up, hopefully not disturbing the kitten too much as she pried Maoin off of her. She walked over to the window, curious as to what had smashed into it...only to be greeted with a view of endless white, fields of snow. She pressed her face to the glass, an uncharacteristic girly squeal coming from the blond as she backed away from the window.

"Oh my god its snowing." She didn't care if Maoin was going to stop her or not. She quickly began putting on some warmer clothes suited to being outside when it was cold.

Sorcha

"Nooo...five...more minutes..." The dragon replied, likely still half asleep if her words were anything to go by. At least she didn't try to pull Luna closer to her, though. Instead, she lifted the wing that was covering Luna. It seemed at least, that she would let Luna leave if she wanted too. It would probably be increasingly clear to Luna that Sorcha was anything but a big scary dragon of legend sometimes. It'd probably take a bit more prodding from the knight to wake her completely.

~Livia Fiore

With a sigh, Livia looked over to Fia who seemed to had finished her assigned work. At least Fia was capable enough to make her workload somewhat easier...granted she didn't make any mistakes. She still tended to glance over her work just to make sure. Some of these documents were highly important.

"Hmm...I know the snow is odd this time of year, but perhaps you'd like to go outside and play in it? Most children your age tend to find it quite fun to play in the snow." Livia replied. "Granted...I wasn't one to do such things myself. I was too busy studying or reading....mostly." Aside from more paperwork at least, a meeting or two, and making her usual rounds of the campus she didn't have much else she could give Fia to do this morning, unless she wanted to study some more herself.

Speaking of studying...hmm, she would need to find a pyromancer or something to teach her how to use her abilities properly, perhaps.