Crystal was at her wit's end. Rivka, who had requested a team logo, was certainly full of ideas, but while the girl was similarly of the artistic persuasion, her disposition was firmly rooted in music, rather than the visual realm. Some of them were even good ideas, though those tended to be far too complex for an emblem. Simplicity was key when designing something that would represent oneself. Crystal, meanwhile, found herself in a creative rut. She couldn't help but keep going back to the group's magic, and that was going nowhere. It was easy enough to think of things that could represent the other four; it was Crystal who was the problem. After all, their Elementum complimented each other well. Fire and water? Simple, steam, or a rise to a boil. Earth and gravity? A diamond fit perfectly. But neither of these would work, because it would be too easy to be seen as Crystal having too big an ego. Diamonds? Diamonds resembled crystals, and putting her own name on the symbol was obviously a no-go. Steam? That's fine by itself, but her mind wouldn't allow her to think that logically. It was too close to the effect of dry ice in her brain, especially when combined with a diamond that could be confused for the very same dry ice.
No, she was the problem, and it would be so much easier if she weren't there, she knew. And that thought echoed through her mind nigh constantly in the time since their first lunch as a team. She had felt this feeling before, far too often as she was well aware, but now she was an Ars Magi, and such thinking was not acceptable. She found herself spending much of her free time away from the other four, away from everyone, hiding away on the rooftop of the school in her transformed state, letting the feeling of power fuel her as she sketched the surrounding landscape. The power of being an Ars Magi was not only a rush of feeling that could combat her melancholy, but was also a very physical and very real reassurance that she would survive a fall from such a height, similarly combating her natural phobia. It was an opportunity to see things from a new viewpoint, both metaphorically and literally for her, and she would not pass it up.
Finally though, inspiration struck. What was another combination of earth and gravity? What had two sides as polar an opposite as fire and water? Magnetism, a magnet. But not just any magnet. No, now the train of creativity had stopped in Crystal's own mind, but only just long enough for her to board before flying forward at breakneck speeds. Names. Selma Rosmarie, Chie Masuzu, Rivka Sokolov, Aoife Sturmgaard, and of course herself, Crystal Caelestis. Three S's, three C's, two R's, one A, one M. The only obvious word wouldn't work, as "Mars" was already too large a cultural factor. No, once again her own self was getting in the way.
Remove all obstacles.
She struck out her own name from the list. Scar? No, too likely to be taken. Which left...
Several hours passed, the moon was now high overhead and she was exceedingly late to bed, but she had a rough sketch done. A to-be golden scarab, a Chrysina gloriosa made of jewels and metal much more literally than its name was meant to be taken, mid-flight, an overhead view showing a to-be ruby and to-be sapphire wing on each side, the jeweled top of its thorax a to-be emerald and its eyes a to-be amethyst. A representation of all four of the others' strengths, a plus on the left wing and a minus on the right, mid flight to represent its ability over gravity, a blazing flame embroidered around the minus on the sapphire right wing, and a flowing river similarly running through the plus on the ruby left wing. A tree trunk of silver stone on the top of the thorax, visible beneath the open wings, and a distorted effect around the carapace to represent a simple well of gravity completed the ensemble. It was perfect, a perfect show of the four, a strong yet graceful animal that lived both high in the air and low in the dirt. It even had circular polarisers, completing the magnet theme. The only thing missing was... her. She stared at the image for what felt like hours, before finally deciding to add a small detail. The elytra soon became covered in small lines, and the final product was of a crystallization of the shard, which would be lightly colored a soft azure.
Finished with the sketch, Crystal jumped from the roof and transformed back to her mundane self. The emblem wasn't complete, but it was workable for showing the others. They still needed a name, according to Rivka, and Crystal's mind was filled with only one candidate: the regal symbol of old Egypt, the symbol of existence, manifestation, development, growth, and effectiveness: Team Kheper. She would spend all of her free time refining the piece and bringing it to color over the next few weeks until the Inaugural Ball, where she would reveal her creation and name to the other four and see what they thought of it. If it was a flop, at least it was a good art piece, and if it was well received, all the better.
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