[center][color=#DBFFFB][h1]Elina Ruvina[/h1][/color][/center]
[hr]"Luna," she said, her voice a soft whisper as she continued to rub the cat's fur. "You're so pretty..."

Luna's reply was a soft meow, and a more vigorous rubbing of her head against Elina's thigh. She was indeed a fine specimen of cat, with soft fur, bright blue eyes, pink paws that never seemed to darken and, above all, an acute intelligence. Though she could not speak, Luna appeared to know whenever her master was angry, sad or otherwise down, and take the appropriate steps make her cheerful again. It seemed to the feline, however, that since leaving Castle Ruvina, Elina had been frowning substantially more than before. Yet the reasons behind them, though fairly obvious, were too complicatedly human for her straightforward animal mind to comprehend. She did know, however, that Elina liked it whenever she played with her, and doing so was often the right course of action. So little Luna contented herself upon this.

Yet this was interrupted when the cat noticed a presence coming closer. It was a crimson throb in her chest and an electric buzz over her spine. Such things were instinctive to felines like her, and her instincts did not let her down as when she directed her eyes to a shadowed area of the wood, there it was - a large, scarred white wolf, emerging proudly from the dark. Fear welled up within her tiny heart but the urge to protect Elina was greater.

"Luna? What's wrong?"

The cat made a throaty meow and stiffened towards the direction of the beast. Elina's sight followed and came upon Alltia. The girl's eyes widened, but she knew to remain calm.

"Oh my, a wolf. Don't worry, Luna. Wolves are friendly around people of my House."

Luna's meow was disapproving, almost reprimanding. Elina found it endearing and chuckled. "Now, now, if anything happens, I'll protect you."

In this, the witch was confident. The power of the late Marcus still smoldered within her soul as she hadn't been practicing witchcraft as of late. Even without any recent victims, she could at least mimic a lion's roar or call forth a powerful gust of wind, to scare off the animal should it decide it was a predator. The thought of actually harming the wolf never came upon her mind.

Standing up from her crouched stance, and to the dismay of Luna, who half-cowered behind her legs, she raised her arms in open welcome. "Come here, wolf. You look tired."

[@Aerandir]

[hr][center][h1][color=#FF640A]Vespa Ruvina[/color][/h1][/center]
[hr]The walk back to the Castle was one with deep contemplation and worry for her sister, Elina. Though she was loathe to leave the silver-haired girl alone, Vespa was a witch, and that entailed plenty of study and the honing of her skills. Still, perhaps she should have stayed with her. For weeks now, Elina had preferred solitude to mingling with her fellow witches, and seemed to like the outdoors better than the Castle. It occurred to Vespa that perhaps her sister was deeply troubled with their station in life, as feared individuals of power who were hunted by a specific guild, and that she wanted to get away with it.

But what could she do? She was just Vespa, not their mother Reyna. She could not bear to wrench Elina away from her long walks and constant daydreams. Just look at her, with her silver hair, red eyes and overall comely form - she was like a wraith, or a ghost, or a spirit in all senses, even in demeanor. Elina... was frail, vulnerable. And worst of all, too good for this world.

Vespa sighed. "Kings and queens do what they will... the rest of us, do as we must," she muttered. The quote, so old that all scriptures attributed it to 'Anonymous,' was sounding incredibly apt today.

Castle Bloodrose was a formidable fortress without and a luxurious palace within. Its library was expansive and its dungeons went deep into the earth. Coming into this Coven was the right choice, she thought. Had the two continued to wander, she did not know where they would be by now. Since first passing through the gaping, maw-like front gate that now shadowed her, her lore and skills in the art of Blood Magic had expanded greatly. Madame Bloodrose's generosity in taking her and Elina in was something that she admired very much, and what Vepsa wanted to repay by killing any Hunters who dared to assault her precious newfound sisterhood.

While navigating the corridors of the Castle, she happened upon some of her fellow witches: Hazel Lovelace, Alexina Broadchurch, and Lorelai Von'Strauss.

Hazel reminded her of Elina in that she was rather kind, and pleasant in demeanor at all times. The bold Alexina was just as fiery in demeanor as in appearance. And Lorelai - oh Lorelai. She was just second to Madame Bloodrose in the people Vespa respected. A powerful witch, she was the one who slew Hector Digard, father of Fenros Digard.

For a moment, her expression threatened to curl into an ugly scowl. [i]Fenros.[/i] He could've been dead by now, his soul empowering her sister's and pushing her powers to the greatest heights. But Elina... she had always been kind.

But enough of such thoughts. Here were her colleagues, chatting amiably. It would be rude not to join them!

"Hazel, Alexina, Lorelai! Hello!" her smile was wide and genuine. The three were literally the first friends she had made. "I've just returned from a stroll with my sister. What are we gossiping about today, hm?"

[@Jupiter Hollow][@Meiyuki]