[h3][u][color=D8BFD8]Nero -=- Outside Phoenix Wing[/color][/u][/h3]

Nero reacted to the stealthy girl's shriek with a startled cry of his own, jumping a foot into the air and coming down off-balance.  He landed on his back, and where his hand touched, the cobblestones turned to dirt.  The moment he noticed this, Nero cut it out, but he persisted in fearfully glancing this way and that, trying to find the culprit.  After a moment his eyes fell on Ayame who, while certainly thin, protruded from her lamppost hiding place sufficiently, and in such strange clothes, that it was a fairly dead giveaway.  Before Nero could figure out what to do, another shout rang out from behind him in the guild's direction, though not nearly as frightening as the first one.  He cast a sheepish glance at the little girl before looking back to see Phoenix Wing's master headed his way

It was a smart move on the dark mage's part to not let down his guard and permit a ray of hope to enter his heart at the sight of Jamie approaching.  Though he wondered if it was some sort of ploy to trick him into making himself vulnerable, Nero decided to give the guild master the benefit of the doubt and slowed down.  Without really looking at the protesting bird clutched in Jamie's arms, Nero shook his head.  [color=D8BFD8]“Nah!  The guild's way cooler than the place I'm staying, and I don't think he likes me all that much.  You can keep him until he turns back.  Another hour ought to do it.  I got Free for free, so it's no problem at all!  Ta-ta!”[/color]

Whether he meant it to be rude or not, Nero made a shooing gesture with both of his hands, then clasped them behind his back and looked up at the sky unflinchingly.  A good moment passed, the warm sun smiling down on his features, before he looked down.  The girl, either as scared as he or convinced of the security of her hiding spot, hadn't moved.  [color=D8BFD8]“Whoo-ie!”[/color]  He said, chuckling at himself for being so easily panicked.  [color=D8BFD8]“You got me good!  I'm usually too aware for that—did you know that I can feel my heart beating without even touching my chest?  Anyhoo, that was pretty funny.  I'll have to pay you back somehow.”[/color]  A thought crossed his mind: if nobody in the guild was going to help him test the Law of Manifestation, then they left him no choice but to test it other people.  [i]The younger, the more gullible,[/i] he thought, [i]the more gullible, the better.  It's not like I'd be transforming her into something nasty, though.  This Curse Law has some seriously sweet potential.[/i]

[color=D8BFD8]“Hey, maybe I could do that right now!  D'you think maybe you could help me with something?”[/color]  He started to walk slowly away from the guild hall, at a rate that hopefully invited Ayame to walk alongside him.