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KumbarisSounds like a cool idea to me! Assassin's Creed, but better XP
Medili Member
Connoisseur of Fine Pineapples
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Recent Statuses
3 yrs ago
Jesus' mom works 15 hours shifts??
3 yrs ago
There's definitely things to do instead of crying or feeling victimized. You could calmly digest the nice advices people gave you 14 hours ago, for example.
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Bio
Seriously, pineapples are, like, miracle fruits. Pineapple jelly? Yum. Pineapple juice? Ooooh. Pineapple cake? Yesss. Pineapple cookie? Godly! Pineapple salad? Ambrosia. Pineapple pizza? The best pizza there is, fight me. Got nothing to do with pens though, so I wonder what that one Japanese guy was all about...
Now on to actual info:
1. I love pineapples
Now on to actual info:
1. I love pineapples
Most Recent Posts
The fight had seemingly gone the adventurers' way, with the arrogant young dragon reeling from the combined might of the veteran adventurer, the alchemist, the martial artist, and the geomancer. The creature, raging as it was, had now reached its limit. Soon, with a final push from its adversaries, it will likely fall. One can wonder, had it came to regret its decision? Perhaps its very youth, for a dragon, had indeed been the source of its folly and forthcoming doom. Still, it was not yet dead, and was still capable of great damage if the party of adventurers doesn't finish it quickly.
Outwardly, Anki stood as solidly as she had before casting all her spells to support her party members. Petite yet unmoving, an automaton weighting a hundred kilogram, holding her trusty magic scepter. In reality, however, the process of preparing, reserving, and then unleashing three spells in quick succession had seriously strained Anki's ability to process the mana she absorbed from the environment in addition to exhausting the immediately available mana supply itself. In short, she wouldn't be able to cast any more spells aside from perhaps very basic low level ones for a while and she knew beforehand that this will happen. At the same time, the defenses she put up to protect herself and the party had nearly fully collapsed now. Yet it didn't bother or worry her how vulnerable she had let herself became; after all, she knew her role within this party. She believed the others will be more than capable to take to the offensive and take down the dragon once and for all.
"Alas, I will not be able to cast any meaningful spells myself for a while, Ms. Srikandi... But I am still able to provide aid." Anki picked up a sizable rock from the ground, grasping it in her left hand. She then turned her gaze towards Catherine, Fei, and Dumas. "Aside from my magic, I still possessed a rather significant amount of strength to do a certain thing... I will provide a distraction. May it help grant the rest of you an easier chance to land your attacks." Her left arm then rotated to the back in a doll-like manner. She suddenly briefly stopped however, as if she remembered something that needed addressing. Her head rotated sharply, her eyes looking specifically at Dumas. "Please forgive the current lack of introductions, good stranger. Rest assured, it shall be forthcoming as soon as the current matter had been settled." And with that, she turned her gaze back to the dragon while simultaneously rotating her left arm forward. The skull-sized rock flew through the air at high speed, propelled by the great mechanical strength used to throw it, heading straight for the dragon's left eye.
The Coup de Grâce, then, was in the hands of the alchemist, the martial artist, and the fey newcomer to deliver.
@Kumbaris @13org @Shirly Swad @Martian
Stop spamming!
Honk honk honk.
Honk honk honk.
(Interactions with: Manfred & Hamir Zemana (@Force and Fury), Karim (@Theyra), and Mayu (@annaplz))
DZ54|V27|I5
Eun-Ji were among those who had awakened early in the dawn of the next day. The last night had ended with a decent supper and a decent night's sleep. Eun-Ji had tried to make some efforts to politely get more acquainted with the rest of the group, especially with Karim and Mayu who she have yet to truly talk with until then. She deemed that it was only proper to get to know each other among people who were to be studying and working together for quite a long while. Not much else were done aside from that. Her last interaction before promptly falling asleep was to politely wish a good night to Mayu who were assigned the same quarter as she was, accompanied by a passing but equally polite praise about how lovable Mayu's little kitten was.
Of the rose she received from Leon, she had placed it on a small night stand beside her bed, wrapped in a piece of linen cloth save for its crown of violet petals.
Upon awakening, Eun-Ji proceeded to prepare for the day by first making herself decent. A quick yet proper washing of herself, aided by some small yet refined usage of Liquid Manipulation that was her specialty to make the process faster and more efficient while also allowing for a little bit of training. It was also an added bonus that she used a bit of Arcane magic to make the water warm and comfortable to use. After then drying herself, she had put on a fresh set of dress which were of traditional Tan Keoulian design. The set of dress were simple and comfortable to move in, yet also decent and not at all shabby, like most of the clothes that she had brought with her to Ersand'Enise. Finally, it was all finished with a proper making of her hair, and thus the whole of her morning preparations were done in less than half an hour.
Satisfied that she had done a decent job, she then quietly made her way out of the house, to the large garden part of Zeno Zemana's abode. There, she started the next part of her morning routine. A long set of slow and deliberate movements accompanied with controlled breathing, looking almost like a sort of dance where one attempted to become one with a flow invisible to the eyes. These series of movements were the internal aspects of the martial arts that she had come to become quite adept in. Unlike the swift and powerful external aspects commonly used for combat, these movements were peaceful, performed as both light exercise and also to calm the mind and the soul. It can be said as a form of meditation that was commonly done in the continent of Rettand, originally developed by the people of mainland Rettan under the term of neijia.
The practice took about another half an hour, and thus the first hour of Eun-Ji's day was concluded, just in time for the last of Ipte to turn into the earliest of Shune. The sun had slowly continued to rise, casting a soft and comforting light throughout the city. Eun-Ji decided to stay for a while more in the garden, enjoying the peaceful moments.
Sometime later, Eun-Ji had entered the house and headed for the kitchen upon noticing the noises of activities from within. There she found the Zeno himself busy preparing breakfast, as well as her fellow Biro Manfred. She heard the Zeno explained to Manfred about the agenda of the day as she approached the two, though fortunately for Manfred she didn't hear of the Zeno's teasing of him before it. Then she performed the same polite bow she did upon her introduction the day before as she stood near them. "Good morning, esteemed master Zeno and Mr. Manfred of House Hohenfelter. I hope you were able to rest well last night, as I did." Her gaze then fell upon Manfred. She wondered briefly if she should say more to the other Biro but soon realized that she can find no topic of conversation to be spoken about aside from the mysterious happenings of yesterday which she felt best not talked about in front of the Zeno. In the end, she settled for a respectful nod instead, before turning her gaze to the Zeno who was still busy with his breakfast making. "Is there anything I can help you with, master Zeno?"
As Zeno Zemana started to walk off, Eun-Ji followed him with the other Biros of the group. Walking backmost among the group, she had been more or less quiet, thinking on what Manfred had told her. She kept in mind the name he had mentioned to her; Marlijn Vaanse. In truth she still wasn't sure yet whether or not this was something she wanted to or should look into more, but she was also unable to deny that her curiosity had been piqued, even more so now that she knew she wasn't the only one who had been affected by whatever thing it was that caused the mysterious dissonance within her memory. Regardless, all these will have to wait. She definitely can use a good night of rest to invigorate both her body and her mind, especially considering how busy tomorrow likely will be. Putting all of these out of her mind for now, Eun-Ji decided to just enjoy the quiet walk through the streets under the night graced by the presence of three beautiful moons.
As the group walked through the streets, a white little furball had suddenly clung itself onto Karim Nazeri's shoulder. Eun-Ji noticed the little creature before Mayu quickly snatched him back, putting him under her mantle. Oh, what an adorable little one. Eun-Ji had always been fond of animals, something influenced by her background of living in her family farm for fifteen years before being drafted. She actually didn't know whether pets were allowed or forbidden within the academy, so that line of thought didn't cross her mind at all. Instead, her mind were filled with a little bit of urge to pet the fluffy little thing. Still, it would require the permission of her fellow Biro for that, and she didn't quite feel like disturbing the peaceful quiet. Perhaps later... she thought in her mind.
It didn't take much longer after the little happening for the group to arrive at their destination. A house of Virangish architecture and design, belonging to Zeno Zemana himself. Finally it seems that the group will be able to partake in supper and rest, as was proper to finish this eventful first day.
Nazca Whitehall... I've got to keep an eye out on this one... In so far as the Abya Yalan Brits' disastrous sense of picking which restaurant to visit went, that is. Of all places they could have went to, she just had to pick a Japanese place. Ryuuko had been trying very hard not to show her exasperation directly, so as to not make the situation even more awkward for the group; a task that she unfortunately hadn't really been successful at as her smile had been accompanied by frequent light twitching of her left eye and lower right lip, especially whenever she looked at Nazca. Heck, what about Vietnamese? Chinese even? Of all the Oriental places to pick... Alas, a Japanese place they had went to indeed and Ryuuko had no choice but to bear with it.
It was a weird few minutes after that, as Ryuuko cannot recall going up to the second floor of the restaurant. Nor can she recall who had ordered the food or such other minor details, her mind seemingly having stopped working in those mysterious few minutes forever lost in the annals of forgotten chimeric dragon memories.
When she came to, the food were already served for everyone in the group. Ryuuko had stared at her portions for a good five seconds, a smile on her face contrasted by eyes that looked very much like the eyes of someone who have just had their beloved loyal pet dog of many years killed from being ran over by a German panzer driven by a maniac with a funny mustache and a bad haircut. After that, she had called for a waiter, asking her for a big bowl to borrow. As soon as the bowl had arrived, she thanked the waiter while simultaneously pouring everything except for the grilled mackerel into the bowl. She then promptly mixed it all together into what was basically a makeshift gruel, all the while keeping a wide grin on her face with her eyes narrowed. "There you go. Much, much better."
Her words were accompanied by a satisfied sigh before she then proceeded to quickly eat the mix by just swallowing them while holding her breath, not bothering to taste them by keeping them on her tongue briefly as she usually did with food that doesn't require the application of her shark-like teeth. The gruel finished in record time, she quickly proceeded to rinse her mouth with a glass of water that she had requested beforehand. She managed not to openly say 'yuck', instead keeping it within her mind instead. Only the mackerel was left, and she left it untouched for now as she focused to listen to Jeanne's words. Jeanne's story had been the actually important thing, after all. Much more important than an unfortunate choice of brunch.
Jeanne's telling of her experience the night before had successfully distracted Ryuuko from her rather foul mood as she listened intently to the French women's every words. So it seemed that Ryuuko's earlier theory had been on track indeed. Or at the very least, it wasn't too far off. "An opportunist with a camera, fancying themselves an overgrown bat. And a mysterious gunner as well. Ha, I see..." As far as Ryuuko was concerned, that made it sounded like there really had been a conspiracy specifically targeting Jeanne. That, or whoever these people were had a very bizarre sense of getting themselves some news story regardless of who became their victim. Or... Well, really there were still way too many possibilities even with these revelations. "Funny that this bat bothered to even admit that, especially considering there likely isn't that many devil-looking bat egoist with a penchant for being opportunistic news vulture here in Bermuda... It likely shouldn't be that difficult to find this "devil"."
Ryuuko spoke no further than that. For now, she wanted to hear what the others think of Jeanne's story first... That, and she wanted to see who ended up being able to enjoy the food and who didn't. Especially the natto. The score as of the moment had been 2 - 0 in favor of the natto being utterly disgusting.
@Erode @Click This @Yankee @banjoanjo
(Interactions with: Manfred (@Force and Fury), Karim (@Theyra), and Mayu (@annaplz), the latter two in the later part of the post.)
As the procession continued, Eun-Ji felt it; the unmistakable feeling of someone watching her, survival instinct nagging at her consciousness. This was something common for one like her, instinct born out of both training and out of experience as a soldier where one must always be aware of one's surroundings or risk being attacked or even killed without realizing it. Keeping up her focus, she started looking around calmly. Alas, the feeling soon passed before she were able to determine who it was that were observing her. The observer who were in truth the scion of Hohenfelter von Meckelin-Thandau had already moved on from watching her.
She mulled about it for a moment before coming to a decision in her mind. It's probably nothing... No need to be worried about it. Perhaps it was just someone finding her appearance to be rather curious, and if that was indeed the case then they cannot be blamed for thinking so.
HAPPENING IN THE PLAZA
The procession had finished sometime later after arriving in the plaza. By the evening, the place had been filled full with people attending the next phase of the ceremony. Most importantly for the new students of the academy, this will be when they shall each be picked by a master to be their apprentice. It will most definitely be a big deal, as the experience of being taught by a Zeno will likely be quite different from the experience of being taught by another Zeno. It would be unfortunate for a student to be taken under a Zeno that turned out to be incompatible with themselves. Still, it was not something that the students themselves were able to control. They can only hope that they'll be picked by the "right" Zeno, so to speak.
Eun-Ji wasn't really concerned with where she were seated as long as she got a good line of sight to the stage, and she indeed managed to get that in the end. The other students around her were quite a very diverse bunch, which was a good thing, because it also meant that she didn't end up sticking out like a sore thumb. Still, it was quite the sight for Eun-Ji. She haven't really been paying much attention during the procession due to her focused state to dull out the stimulation. Here, sitting in the plaza waiting for the ceremony to begin, she had no need to tune out anything. So many people from all the different heritages... I've never been among this kind of gathering before. Hmm... She thought about it for a little while. About how far she was from home, about how things had became so different in just three years since she were taken from her village. For most of it, things were miserable. Every single day was a struggle for dear life, freedom was a mere illusion, and she had ended up becoming something she absolutely hated to be: One who extinguished the light of life from others. Even here in the academy, she knew that she were not free. Even here, she will be watched by the other agents of The Cruel.
... And yet, she were also knowledgeable enough to know that the power and influence of The Cruel and the Lotus Sentries were limited here in Ersand’Enise. They will try to watch all the same and they will move to act if she openly did anything foolish enough to provoke them, but they will be far limited nonetheless. ... I suppose it is something to be grateful of. Perhaps, at the very least, it wouldn't feel like being kept a prisoner all the time here. It was not exactly a bright thought, but even such small comfort was precious enough to her that Eun-Ji allowed herself a light smile about it.
AN UNEXPECTED GIFT
(Interaction with Leon (@Jumbus))
Still in her own rumination, Eun-Ji did not notice that the girl sitting next to her have had her seat borrowed by the young man who were bestowed the honor of heading the earlier procession. She had paid attention back then, so she knew of his name and also knew enough that he were considered highly enough that the academy had chosen him for the role. It was then unexpected and a little bit surprising for Eun-Ji that Leon had decided to regard her, someone who for all intents and purposes were very much an insignificant person in the political and social game of Ersand’Enise.
Caught off guard, she stumbled a little in her words, trying to put her mind into being properly formal with the flamboyant fellow youth. "Ah... My apologies, I didn't notice... Oh. Thank you for your kind words...?" It had been quite a long time since the last time someone commented on the color of her eyes. That used to be rather common back in her village, due to how very unusual they were compared to the mostly black or dark brown eyes of the typical person of Tan Keoulian heritage. It felt a bit nostalgic, and not at all unpleasant even though it was very sudden and unexpected to receive a compliment about it from a stranger.
Eun-Ji listened to Leon's explanation for his sudden greeting and compliment towards her. A violet rose. It did looked most peculiar indeed. She knew of the existence of such roses of unusual coloration before, being that her family of farmers often came in contact with the odd florist or two. Usually, such roses were the result of a very careful and tedious process of multiple crossbreeding. Regardless, they remained quite rare and highly valued, and Eun-Ji knew this.
Well, highly valued if they were natural, to be precise. Eun-Ji remained unaware that the rose Leon had presented to her was the result of magic. "For me?... Oh, I..." She was at a lost for words, thinking that she didn't really deserve to receive such a gift from a stranger. She held the rose in both hands as Leon gave it to her, quite unsure of how to react and what to do with it. Refusing it and returning it seemed the most proper response, but that risked wounding Leon's feelings. Alas, as she was contemplating this, Leon seemed like he were about to leave to return to his previous seat. Eun-Ji had to react quickly; not something she were particularly good at in the best of times. In the end, she only managed some quick words of gratitude. "I... Thank you, Mr. Leon Solaire. I will, umm, take good care of it..."
Then just like that, Leon was gone, leaving Eun-Ji with a not-exactly-natural violet rose in her hands. People were looking her way. Some, mostly girls, were definitely staring in a not-very-friendly way. Flustered, she decided to put the rose within her bag, placing it carefully so as to not damage it. Then, she put her gaze to the ground as if to hide her face and avoid direct eye contact with those staring at her, feeling a mix of embarrassment, confusion, but also a shy appreciation for the gift. Of course, the latter feeling would be quite different indeed if only she knew that the violet rose were actually a trick of magic instead and that Leon had told her a lie...
Eun-Ji took a minute to compose herself after the encounter with Leon. By then, those who stared at her had ceased doing so. Regaining her composure, she started paying closer attention to those that were sitting around her. The first person she noticed sat quite close to her, a young Kerreman man with his brown hair done in a short ponytail. Something about him felt very familiar to Eun-Ji and soon enough she realized what it was. The way this man conducted himself, his body language, and that unmistakable look of one who had seen countless deaths. This man was a soldier, and not the type that enjoyed killing for the sake of it. Not the type that joyfully took life as if its nothing but trash. Not a wild animal of a soldier who merely needed an excuse to kill to sate his bloodlust.
I see... So it seems I am not the only one here. She ended up staring at him, seeing herself in the man, mirroring what the man himself had done to her without her knowing that it was him during the procession. She wondered what his story was, how he ended up becoming the severe looking young man reflected in her eyes. "Ah." Then soon she realized she had been staring, even letting out the audible muttering due to the lapse in her self-control. She quickly looked away, covering her mouth and lower face with her right palm to hide her embarrassment. That was rude, staring at someone like that. Why, in Tan Keoul, that would have been a big violation of social norm. Eun-Ji sighed internally, reprimanding herself for the brief moment of misconduct.
Right after that, trumpets blared and a crier stepped forward, his voice ringing out across the plaza. The ceremony had finally started in full. People started cheering along with it, though Eun-Ji herself refrained from doing so; not out of a refusal to show enthusiasm or respect, but because she didn't quite catch the sentiment being that she did not came from a country that held one of the Five Thrones. Regardless, when the others clapped as the Monarchs were introduced, she followed along with polite clapping of her own though her expression remained completely neutral throughout the whole affair. Afterwards, it was time for the representatives of the other nations to be introduced. Eun-Ji knew that The Cruel will not be in attendance and that Tan Keoul had sent someone else instead, though she were not told who it would be.
When she saw who the Tan Keoulian representative was, she could have sworn that he was staring right at her in return, briefly but unmistakably. It was one of her instructors in the Lotus Sentries, who indeed also held a position as one of the Emperor's advisors. Even as he no longer looked at her, Eun-Ji noticed him making some subtle hand signs used by the Sentries, doubtlessly directed at her as it reads 'remember your mission'. She swallowed her own spit, anxiety suddenly building up. Just a moment ago, she thought that it will be better for her here in the academy and already a crony of the Emperor reminded her that they will be watching. It all suddenly felt so hopeless again, resignation returning in full force back into her mind as she closed her eyes and lowered her gaze down to the ground, hands clutching with force on the skirt of her dress. Soon enough however, she let out an almost imperceptible sigh, raising her head back and showing eyes that looked indeed like those of a resigned soul.
.... What? And yet the surprise, evidently, refused to end there. For soon after that, Eun-Ji noticed the semicorporeal hand that was most definitely the result of Arcane illusion in action. She would know, she herself specialized strongly in being an Illusionist. The hand disappeared completely soon after, leaving Eun-ji to blink twice, gaze still fixed to where she saw the hand was. No, I most definitely saw it. It was not a trick of the eyes. Then she heard the words of another student nearby. “Hey, did you see that?” And it proved that she was indeed not mistaken, considering she weren't the only one who saw the hand. Before she can ponder things further however, Eun-Ji's attention were taken by yet another happening. This time, it happened right onstage.
A massive energy surge, unthinkably great, appearing and disappearing all in the span of less than a second. Eun-Ji instinctively flinched, closing her eyes by reflex. She opened her eyes again slowly afterwards, missing the brief and subtle nuances of the Arch-Zenos onstage because of it. ... Huh? What? I... What followed were moments of confusion. It all felt so very weird. She couldn't really understand what was going on. Something had definitely happened. She was a Lotus Sentry. Unlike most people, she were trained to notice incongruity and abnormality. Something had definitely happened. Something felt like it was missing in her mind and she didn't know what, but without a doubt, something was missing. ... This smells too much like trouble. The question is whether this is a trouble that concerns me or not. She put her left hand on her chin, face lowered once more, deep in her own thoughts. The only thing she's sure about was that something had definitely happened and something in her mind was missing. Obviously, whatever it was shouldn't be missing, and this was cause for concern. Still, after thinking it through for a while more, she decided that just the fact that she knew without a doubt that something was amiss will have to be enough for now. After all, there wasn't much she can do about it; definitely not now, but perhaps later?
................
Things proceeded quickly after that. Arch-Zeno Joshe Intaba took to the stage and picked his apprentices, followed by the next Zeno doing the same thing. Zenos took to the stage and names were called, yet it was not until almost the very end that Eun-Ji's own name would be called upon. The one who called her was a Zeno Hamir Zemana, a large and bearded Virangish man. As far as first impression went, Eun-Ji decided to reserve any kind of judgment. It would be unwise, considering she knew little about this man that she will be apprenticed to. One thing that was sure, was that he managed not to butcher her name when pronouncing it.
Along with Eun-Ji, the man had chosen Mayu Iovina, another girl who were unmistakably also of Rettanese heritage. Karim Nazeri, a Paggonian. And to Eun-Ji's surprise, the very man that she had observed earlier. Manfred of House Hohenfelter... I see. It took her a little bit of effort not to stare at Manfred again as a kind of curiosity surfaced in her mind about him. She had found him to be intriguing, for reasons she have yet to grasp. Still, she managed to instead regarded the Zeno and the three other students of the group. A brief introduction was only appropriate. And typical of Eun-Ji, she decided to do so in a rather formal way.
She pressed the palm of her hands together in front of her chest, and then bowed her head forward slightly at about 15 degree of inclination with her eyes closed, keeping the position for about a second before rising her head back up and returning to a more neutral pose to introduce herself in Avincian. "I am Seung Eun-Ji of Tan Keoul. It is an honor to be picked as your apprentice, esteemed Zeno Hamir Zemana; and to be your peers, Ms. Mayu of House Iovina, Mr. Karim Nazeri, and Mr. Manfred of House Hohenfelter. I am looking forward to a fruitful cooperation among us."
Soon enough, all the Zenos and students had been put into their respective group. Almost immediately after that, bright magnificent lights came to life followed by the great Hugo Hunghorasz making a brief yet impressive performance of teleportation after which he finished the ceremony with a speech. All were dismissed, and the lights turned back to normal. Clapping filled the air, and then came the fireworks. Eun-Ji looked on toward the fantastic display. This indeed marked the end of the ceremony, the end of the day. And tomorrow? Tomorrow her mission shall begin in earnest.
It were beautiful, the fireworks. There was no doubt about that in Eun-Ji's mind. Yet, they were all also fleeting. Oh so very fleeting. As each firework soared, exploded, and then disappeared, she counted every single one that she were able to perceive. Those who looked her way would very clearly see it in her face; a profound sadness and a longing for a better time that had long since passed. In this moment, under the fleeting fireworks, she was not a Lotus Sentry. Instead, she became once again the young humble girl of equally humble origin. And of the fireworks, the young girl thought of only one thing in her mind.
Why did they have to die?
Ryuuko listened as Jeanne responded to Inti's question. The Frenchwomen admitted that she was indeed the one who burned down the library, as Ryuuko had expected, and that she did so because she were trying to 'smoke out the monster inside'; which meant that there were indeed someone else involved in this whole weird affair also just as Ryuuko had expected. There was of course the possibility that Jeanne were lying, but considering what she knew of Jeanne and the evidences available so far, Ryuuko didn't think that was the case here. "Smoking out an egoist, you said. Hmm. Well sounds to me like this egoist was the one that sent the photograph to the newspaper then... Them, or their accomplice."
After muttering her theory, Ryuuko briefly fell into her own contemplation as the others continued to talk. There were quite a lot of different possibilities as of the moment, most of which Ryuuko didn't really like. It's only our second day on the island, and there's already a bit too many fishiness going around. Typical... Then again, she herself weren't here only to study either. The irony made her suppress a chuckle as she then returned her attention toward the others. Ryuuko noticed Jeanne looking at her, smiling somewhat more warmly than usual. “Mademoiselle Higashiakemi, are you to accompany me to my bedchambers for these three days?”
Jeanne's words made Ryuuko stare at the fiery technologist for a moment, blinking twice. Then she grinned wide in reply, her sharp teeth on full display. "Well, that's quite a suggestion there! And I suppose I might just have do so indeed considering that I will need to keep an eye on you anyway, hmm?" She finished off her sentence with hearty laughter. Surely Jeanne had meant that as a joke of some sort, to tease Ryuuko a little bit instead of to suggest a certain form of intimate encounter... Right? Definitely. No need to read too much into that...
Ryuuko then noticed the bit of discord between Nazca and Jeanne caused by Jeanne's seeming indifference towards her own predicament. It was understandable that Nazca found that to be an annoyance, in all fairness, but Ryuuko would rather not have such kind of awkwardness flying around considering that they will all need to work together regardless of their feelings about it. Thus, she quickly agreed to the idea of talking things through over a brunch. "Ah ah, I wouldn't call it an interrogation, haha. More like a discussion... Quite a lot to smooth over if we're to really get this done right, for the sake of all involved, hmm? Anyway, brunch is a fine idea indeed! I think I spotted a cluster of fine establishments befitting for the occasion on my way here, a variety of Occidental and Oriental eateries which we can chose from. Shall we? Oh and of course, see you later, Franz!"
By then, Ryuuko was very much ready to move on. She haven't had a breakfast herself, and surely talking over food will make the atmosphere between this little gathering of misfits less awkward... At least, just as long as the group doesn't end up going to the sushi shop that she saw among the cluster of eateries. Yeah. Anything but that one, heh. I swear...
@Erode @Click This @Jumbus @Yankee @banjoanjo
"I believe it will be a good idea indeed for you to come with us, Mr. Fei." Anki nodded as she responded to Fei's hope that he will be allowed to travel with the group. "As for food... Alas, I had unfortunately brought none with me. I have no need for sustenance, and I failed to anticipate the... Hmm?" She paused, feeling the rush of wind that somehow felt unnatural. It didn't at all felt like the usual strong gust of wind that can happen while one were traveling through the mountains; this one felt like someone or something had caused it. Most peculiar. She thought in her mind. It felt like that time the Lord of Zephyr demonstrated her wind magic... And if that was any indication, then that most likely means...
It was then that Srikandi suddenly shouted, mentioning the need for the party to move away from where they were as she had sensed danger that was likely due to a dragon heading to where they were. Srikandi's own words would then be interrupted when her sense proved right indeed, a young yellow dragon had descended from the sky, roaring and causing a brief storm of snow to be thrown around in its wake. The creature was young and small for a dragon, yet it was still a dragon nonetheless. Anki stared at the creature while brushing off some of the snow that had been thrown towards her, analyzing the creature curiously. It was technically not the first time that she had seen such a creature, as the four Lords of Elemental were all capable of conjuring mighty creatures shaped after these beings. Her instructor, the Lord of Gaea, once constructed a massive gigantic dragon made out of stones and earth; a feat that Anki hoped to be able to perform herself one day. Regardless, the creature facing the party had intrigued her. A dragon, alive and breathing, looking just like the description Anki had heard and read about many times before.
Anki remained calm, her posture relaxed with her scepter remaining at rest on her left shoulder. She had also heard and read that dragons, while often aloof and arrogant, are typically far from barbarians. And more than anything, they were people just like humans and the other races. Thus in Anki's mind, there were logically not a reason yet to believe that this young one would suddenly attack her and her companions. Her continued observation of the creature were then paused as Srikandi whispered to her. "Anki... Anki. Can you silently prepare a ward spell? Like a magical shield that can protect us? Please make it as discreet as possible. I don't want to tip the dragon on what we're preparing.
Anki caught on to the need for discretion, and thus simply responded back to Srikandi with a light nod. She took her scepter, holding it vertically in her right hand with the bottom of the scepter touching the ground. Preparing a spell silently was easy enough, and defensive measures were her specialty as the Scion of Gaea. The element of earth boasted some of the most powerful defensive magic, after all. Even as the dragon combed through the dead Kobolds, Anki gathered mana into Ur Terra. When the dragon then turned its attention towards the party at last, Anki simply continued what she was doing. Even as it yapped and proved the stereotype of dragons being arrogant, Anki merely stared at it calmly. She felt no dread even facing such a powerful being that had stated itself as potentially hostile to the party. This lack of fear were not born out of overconfidence or arrogance of her own; it was simply because Anki had never faced great danger before and her lack of experience meant that she didn't possess any instincts warning her of the danger. Most of the time this would be disadvantageous, but for this encounter her lack of fear proved beneficial as it allowed her to continue constructing and preparing her spells unhindered by worry and fear.
Still, she needed more time. The dragon had stopped talking now after stating its ultimatum. In that span of time, Anki had finished preparing two layers of magical defenses. The first was a spell called the Ward of Yggdrasil, which when triggered will create a green-hued near transparent magical barrier around the party; exactly the kind of ward Srikandi had suggested for her to create. The second was a spell called the Walls of Jörð, which when triggered will conjure thick and tall walls of stones to emerge from the ground that will protect the party in case the Ward of Yggdrasil was not sufficient. The third measure, she's still in the process creating.
Fortunately, Catherine then took the initiative to act. The truth was that the alchemist's discreet smirk flew right over Anki's head as the former then took a step forward and started offering her potion to the dragon. Regardless, it brought Anki the time she needed. As Catherine cunningly laid down her own scheme against the dragon, Anki finished her preparations of the third spell, the Thorns of Aranyani. This one, when triggered, will cause numerous thorny tendrils to explode out of the ground under the dragon, clutching at it and entangling it in a sea of thorns and vines. It likely won't cause any serious damage to the dragon, but that was not the purpose of the spell. Instead, Anki's intention with the spell was to hinder the dragon's movements and actions, thus allowing her allies to make use of the opportunity.
Perfect. All prepared without error. How interesting that what the books mentioned about dragons and their penchant for dramatic speeches are true after all... Thus Anki finished all her preparations. The three spells were ready to be cast and all she needed will be to unleash it. It took her a great amount of focus to basically reserve three spells like this, and thus she missed Catherine's nose tapping gesture as the alchemist finished her own trap. Fortunately, the potion wouldn't have affected a living construct like Anki anyway.
Anki's attention was now fully on the dragon, watching its every move. The moment it reacted with aggression, Anki will immediately trigger her spells. To silently signal to Srikandi that her spells were ready, she casually reached out with her left hand, tapping Srikandi's upper back lightly twice with her index finger.
@Kumbaris @13org @Shirly Swad
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