[center][h3][color=D8BFD8]Nero – Guild Hall[/color][/h3][/center]

At the first chords of Prince's song, Nero cringed as if if about to be struck.  In the entirety of Fiore there existed only one wizard whose foolishness pleased Nero, and try as he might, this furry menace would not supplant him.  [color=D8BFD8]“This is gonna suck.”[/color]

Immediately the singer made a beeline for Nero's group.  The dark mage stiffened, dreading the prospect of the freakish feline touching him almost as much as the notion of this song continuing.  Fortunately, after a few hemorrhage-inducing seconds, Prince zoomed off with uncanny speed.  Nero realized that, in his tranquil, masked fury, the floor immediately beneath him had been converted completely into the same leather that constituted his shoes.  [i]Unconscious Law of Embodiment!  Nice!  And terrifying![/i] his mind gushed, making Nero realize that Prince -particularly now that the archer girl from earlier had joined in- wasn't stopping anytime soon.

Instead, he focused on something else: Prince's soul.  Not in a million years would a loose Law of Atavism be necessary to divine the shape of his spirit.  How very catlike it was to be totally inconsiderate of others in the inexorable, unconquerable quest for self-indulgence.  If anyone asked, but only then, Nero would gladly admit that he performed unwarranted acts that influenced the lives of others, but wasn't that, after all, what dark mages did?  This fellow, despite his beastly aspect and unreal height, did not at all exude the vibe of a dark mage, so he had no excuse.  Sure, Nero didn't like the guy, but regardless of his prejudice, making unrequested noise in a public place surely flouted common courtesy?

When it was over, however, Nero was glad to see he hadn't preemptively ruined his reputation in Phoenix Wing by accidentally cursing everyone.  Moreover, it appeared that Ariel shared his sentiments exactly, for she had switched to her more aggressive persona and tried to plant a fist in Prince's face.  Sudden, violent action was healthy for a budding spirit, and this Nero heartily condoned.  He reasoned that Ariel flared more aggressively when clothed in orange because of the classic stereotype of fire.  This logic Nero had come up with himself, which he knew meant it flimsy at best, but he had yet to stumble upon a fire wizard who didn't fit that fiery description.  On a subtler level, Nero suspected that Ariel's passion, like her anger, spread more quickly in this state, and perhaps that was why that odd glint in her eyes had shown earlier.

After a refreshing groan, which must have looked odd with his smile, he answered Ayame's question without looking at her.  [color=D8BFD8]"To answer your question, dearie, I can only do bigger physical changes right now.  Once I stop being lazy about a new spell, I'll be able to do more...interesting details."[/color]  After locating Ayame, an easy task since he now expected her to be behind him whenever possible, and giving her a reassuring smirk, he took a few steps over to Ariel and commiserated.  [color=D8BFD8]“What a loudmouth!  Even in a place like this there's gotta by a little privacy, right?  It's only courteous!”[/color]  He, paused, adjusted his glasses once again, and continued.  [color=D8BFD8]“Incidentally, I think I might be able to help you with your request after all.  Information on your past and your magic, hm?”[/color]  Nero saw fit to remind her, in case she didn't remember from her forme change.  [color=D8BFD8]“I have a super-cool spell that makes it so that you can remember stuff from when you were young.  Anything you knew or remembered at the age of five.  But you'll still have all of your lovely, squishy brains from right now.  Think that might help?”[/color]