[b]Sapphire, Noelle, and Vincent[/b] 

[b]"You're still Mr. Grumpy to me,"[/b] Noelle said, smirking. She followed Vincent around and like that, the candy shop was there! She squealed in delight, rushing over to the delicacies. Surprisingly enough, Sapphire was already there, contemplating on which sweet to choose. That got the myrmidon started as she carefully selected her choices. In a matter of a few minutes, she had her chosen sweets safely tucked in her sack and clothes. Noelle had managed to get Vincent to lend a few coins - which was odd but totally okay. After all, she still had to save some money for her weapons and such.

 Sapphire then ran off to the jousting tournament, leaving Vincent and Noelle up to their own devices. She glanced at Vincent, her eyes pleading. [b]"You should go!"[/b] she urged, almost ready to run after Sapphire herself. [b]"It will be loads fun!"[/b]

 [b]"I suppose I have no choice, then..."[/b] He grumbled. He had other matters of importance to take care of, but the safety of these two blades came first. It was more of a matter of being responsible and trustworthy than what he wanted to do. He had signed himself up for this when he first left, and he might as well carry through with it. Besides.... jousting was dangerous. He carried on behind, quickly catching up with the two.

[b]"It's just about to begin~!"[/b] Sapphire squealed ecstatically. She happened to notice two figures in the corner of her eye. Turning, she recognized the two in an instant. [b]"Hiya, guys!"[/b] She greeted Vincent and Noelle with sparkling eyes. The girl, showing her boundless amounts of happiness, then began to make her way towards the front of the endless amounts of people. In the past, she enjoyed being in the foremost of the crowds since she could see most of the action there.
While gazing at the workers who were setting up the jousting arena and at the mass of people behind them, Sapphire's eyes happened to fall upon two certain people. Immediately her stomach dropped. At first she thought it was a hallucination, maybe being surrounding by things from her past began to make her see things. She rubbed her eyes fervently and, sure enough, the two figures remained where they once were. She couldn't stop herself from hyperventilating at once.ever it was

[b]"Heya!"[/b] Noelle grinned, waving to Sapphire before going up to her. Though the actual jousting tournament hadn't started yet, the sight was breathtaking. The air was filled with a cacophony of sounds, making it difficult for Noelle to hear anything. Excited, she turned around to whisper something to Sapphire. The sight of the young girl trembling in fear stopped Noelle in her tracks. [b]"S-Sapphire?"[/b] she questioned, placing a hand on her shoulder. [b]"Are you okay?!"[/b]

He remained by the girls until they arrived, stopping to take in the sight of people preparing to joust, and those watching. Apparently one of the girls was surprised about something in the crowd, and not in a good way. Noelle seemed worried. [b]"What's wrong, did you see a ghost?"[/b] Whatever it was, it had to be something she had already seen before. Maybe a person in her past? come to think of it, there were quite a few people Vincent wouldn't particularly want to meet anywhere. Usually such people died, but in other cases they haunted him. What could be so bad for her? She hardly seemed like the kind of girl to make mortal enemies with anybody... but looks could be deceiving. He himself was proof of that.

Sapphire stumbled back on her own feet, bumping into the person beside her. [b]“S-sorry,”[/b] she mumbled, barely audible. It looked as if she had the life sucked out of her as she haphazardly walked through the crowd as quickly as she possibly could. [b][i]“Why here? Why now?”[/i][/b] she angrily thought to herself. The tears forming in her eyes threatened to spill, blurring her vision. Alas, she stumbled to the ground in a state of agony; she couldn't go on any longer. She watched helplessly as the salty water steadily dripped from her eyes onto the stoned ground.

Whatever it was, it was extremely sad. He didn't understand what that felt like. [b]"Hey! Are you deaf!? I asked what was wrong!"[/b] He hissed, before chasing after her and catching her arm, stopping her. He put his hand on her chin and pulled her face up to look her in the eyes. [b]"Why are you breaking down? You are making a mess of yourself in public. This isn't how a hero should act."[/b] He scolded, before withdrawing his hand. [b]" What's so wrong? Why can't you face it?"[/b] he pressed. She was making it hard to watch the both of them, and not making a good impression of the blades. He sighed and let go of her. He was being too rough. He just didn't understand her. It was a bit annoying. He pulled off his helm and tucked it under his arm. [b]"I suppose we should clear out of here..."[/b]

A garbled apology and like that, Sapphire had dashed away. Vincent then ran after her, so Noelle just followed. It was bad enough that the girl had broke off from their group, especially in such a crowded area. There was always a chance that Sapphire might be involved with the wrong crowd... She pinched and shoved her way through the crowd, not caring if some people turned around and yelled at her. Within moments, she found the girl on the ground, tears pouring from her eyes as Vincent kept asking questions. She stopped, shivers running down her back. Did Noelle even know how to comfort friends... She only knew how to entertain - she... [b]"You okay?"[/b] she said, running a comforting hand over Sapphire's back. She glanced over at Vincent, worry glazed in her eyes. 

[b]"Yeah, let's get out of here,"[/b] she agreed, helping Sapphire up to her feet.

Sapphire did not appreciate Vincent’s tone one bit. She didn’t mind getting corrected but she’d do without the raised voice. [b]“I-It’s so easy for you to say! You don’t seem to have any feelings at all!”[/b] she angrily shouted in reply to Vincent before quickly scurrying off in whatever direction she happened to be facing. She didn’t care where she was going as long as it was far away from anything that seemed remotely human. Before she knew it, Sapphire had already passed the town gates. The girl turned to gaze at the busy city before glancing at her reflection in a nearby pond. She knew her actions were quite childish but she also knew that she couldn’t help it. She left her home without a word, how was she to face her parents now? Plopping down beside the water, the girl began to loathe the day; the incident [i]almost[/i] ruined one her favorite things. Now Sapphire had to decide what to do next.

"[B]Ghh! Damn you![/b]" He growled as she quickly ran away, getting lost in the crowd. He sighed, and walked out of the area, sitting against the wall in a nearby alley. Mission failed. "[B]We aren't going to be able to find her if we stay in town... looks like she wanted to be away from everything. If that's true, we shouldn't bother her if she won't be in danger...[/b]" he rubbed his temples, before pulling his helmet back down to hide his face. "[B]You... aren't going to run away from me too, are you?[/b]" He said, tiredly. Something more was different about the way he said it. It wasn't the same serious tone he usually used, but he wasn't joking around either. He rose, and sighed, regaining his composure. "[B]I think we should forget about the jousting. Is there anything else you wish to do in town, Noelle?[/b]"

[b]"W-wait!"[/b] but Sapphire ran away after leaving a loud and angry reply to Vincent. The crowds swallowed her up, leaving Noelle and Vincent alone. Noelle, quite distressed, just followed Vincent out of the area. It was already too late to go after Sapphire and it seemed she needed some time to herself. Whatever she was afraid of, she would tell her friends later on, when she was ready. Noelle quietly stood next to Vincent, leaning against the wall as she listened to him. However, the next thing he said startled her. The tone of his words was quite unlike him; perhaps Sapphire's last words affected him? [b]"Mm, you know she didn't mean to say tha - ...Eh? I wouldn't run away from you,"[/b] she sternly said. [b]"And, not really. I guess it's time we head back and meet up with the Blades. Unless you want to do something in town."[/b]

Sapphire, after much thought, made the decision to walk back into town but this time with a plan already in mind. The girl slowly got to her feet, taking one last glimpse of her reflection before nonchalantly walking past the gates once more. 

Rounding a corner, the girl took a stop. There it was, just as she suspected- the tailor’s shop. Taking a quick glance around her surroundings- the place was almost deserted due to the joust- before entering the store. She required something that could easily hide her face. She needed [b]“A cloak!”[/b] Sapphire unintentionally blurted out her thoughts, and then fully faced the shop owner. [b]“I need a cloak,”[/b] she repeated, more formally this time around, [b]“do you have any?”[/b] She waited for a response, surprised from the fact that it was the tailor himself taking her measurements (arm, shoulder, leg, and back length) before placing in her hands what she assumed was her size. [b]“65 pieces of gold,”[/b] the tailor stated not so long after. The pricing wasn’t too ridiculous, so the girl paid the man prior thanking him and exiting the store. 

Taking the next turn into an alley, Sapphire busied herself with putting on the new cloak. It was a elegant color, in her opinion. [b]“Great, now I can watch the joust without being seen~”[/b] she beamed quietly to herself before scampering off towards the jousting arena. It was a gated area so she’d have to pass the gate just hoping that Vincent and Noelle had gone.

It didn’t take long to arrive to the predetermined place. The teal haired girl scanned the crowd. Without luck, it seemed as though the two members of the Sacred Blades that she’d spent a brief amount of time with had stuck around nearby. She pulled her hood up and held her head low as she quickly made a dash by the two, praying to Naga that they didn’t see her.

"[b]Yes, I have business elsewhere. I suppose it's a good thing that we don't have to attend this.[/b]" He picked up his pace, and headed for the gates. Along the way he noticed one person out of the entire crowd that was wearing a cloak. Cloaks were suspicious. Usually, if you wore one, you had something to hide. He wasn't about to let some sort of suspicious dealing happen right under his nose. This cloaked figure could put the others at this event in serious danger. He drew his sword quickly, and had it pressed at the cloaked figure's neck faster than anything the girls might've seen him do yet. "[b]You! Stay still![/b]" He barked, before pulling the hood off of the perpetrator. He immediately dropped his sword. "[b]Damn it![/b]", He cursed. "[b]What the hell do you think you are doing!? I could have killed you! Better yet, what do you have to hide!?[/b]", he demanded, before grabbing her arm again. "[b]You aren't getting away this time. Are you caught up in something out of your grasp?[/b]"

She attempted to unsuccessfully wriggle her arm free. [i]”So close…![/i] Sighing, she knew she had to face everyone sooner or later. [b]”I…I’m scared and ashamed…”[/b] the girl finally muttered out, tired of hiding. She tried to avoid any eye contact at the moment. [b]”I…left my home without telling my parents, soon after my sister fled. It was probably hard enough to lose one daughter, but two is most likely heartbreaking. I didn’t want to at first, but I’m afraid of what my sister could accomplish- I want to keep my parents safe, that’s what really motivated me to join the Sacred Blades,”[/b] Sapphire explained with intent, turning to face Vincent fully now. [b]”I don’t know what they’d think of me now, with them being nobles it could’ve damaged their reputation. And…I’m sorry for calling you…heartless…and for running off without a meaningful word.”[/b] She stood quietly and waited for whatever scolding or whatnot was to come to her.

Noelle quietly watch the whole scene play out, her heart almost breaking. After Sapphire was done talking - and apologizing, much to Noelle's relief - she pounced on the teal haired girl, hugging her. [b]"Sapphire! It's alright. I'm just glad you aren't in any nasty trouble. Right, Vincent?"[/b] she said, glancing at Vincent, her eyes telling him not to scold her this time. However, one little fact floated around in her mind. What was her sister going to do to make Sapphire join the Blades...? She would have to discuss that later, perhaps in a more secluded place with the other girl.

Vincent listened to her, and let go of her arm after she stopped struggling. "[b]I can understand that sentiment. It's quite noble of you. I don't know what it feels like to leave my family in such a way, but, it's honorable of you to join a cause you believe in, despite what others might want.[/b]" He pulled his helm off again, feeling the breeze reach his head. "[b]It's... not an issue. I suppose I have been pretty heartless. You'd have every right to run away from someone like me.[/b]" He did the most unexpected thing anybody would have imagined him to do. He leaned forward, and gave her a hug. It felt weird, but it felt like the right thing to do. It didn't last that long, and he took a step back afterwards, looking away. "[b]I suppose I'm the one who needs forgiving. I'm sorry for being so hard on you. I had suspicions that you were some sort of criminal, but it's a weight off that you aren't. An honorable person like you deserves a place in the blades...[/b]" He didn't know what else to say. He just remained silent, and put his helm back on.

Sapphire was surprised she didn’t get denounced this time around, blinking in disbelief. Vincent’s words were actually very touching instead of hurtful. The most unexpected action was the hug he gave her- she found herself momentarily hugging back before he abruptly let her go. In the end, the girl was left with a sincere smile on her face. [b]”I-I don’t know how to thank you for such kind compliments…, but, could you excuse me for a moment…?”[/b] she asked before removing the cloak, tearing off a corner of a nearby flyer, writing something on the blank back with a pen she found in her bag, and placing it atop the now neatly folded cloak. She then disappeared into the swarming crowd of spectators only to reappear moments later, neither cloak nor paper in hand. [b]”How about we go watch the joust~? It’s about to start, you know?”[/b] she mentioned happily before skipping by the gates and towards the front of the crowd, her favorite spot. Peering across the fence towards the other half of observers, the teal haired girl watched graciously as the two figures, her parents, laid their eyes on what their daughter had mysteriously left them, a royal blue robe with a note carefully set on top. [b]”’…I love you…’” [/b] Sapphire quietly quoted the note to herself just as the two joust competitors walked into the arena.

[b]"Don't let it get to your head, you're not a hero just yet,"[/b] Vincent added before he and Noelle followed Sapphire back into the jousting tournament.