[u][center][h2]Marianne Delacroix[/h2][/center][/u]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/Jr0Uu63.png?1[/img][/center]

Marianne laughed nervously as she bashfully blushed, tucking a long strand of her hair behind her ear as she looked away. Distracting herself by petting Ricard, she couldn't make eye contact with Tiral as she spoke.

[b]"A-ah, yes. You see...my mentors were never able to teach me the finer points of mana control, and as a Delacroix Knight you must be able to cast magic. Thusly, I skipped some crucial basic fundamentals in order to fulfill that requirement. While the spells I know are powerful, I do not have efficient control over my mana expenditure. Which is why I suffer from mana exhaustion quite easily after only a few magic casts."[/b]

Marianne twirled a strand of her hair around her fingers, looking down at the ground.
[b]"A-and...why I suffer from mana fissures when I become...[i]incensed[/i]"[/b]
Folding her hands in front of her, she lightly kicked at the ground in front of her.
Looking more like a shy schoolgirl than a young woman.

It was very evident that Marianne lacked a lot of confidence in her magical abilities.
Hence, her desire to improve herself in that aspect by seeking out other more knowledgeable people.
Maybe they would have better luck at teaching her now that she was older, as well.
Only Reon knew how much pain and suffering her mentors went through, especially when considering Marianne's affinity with the lightning element.
A lot of power at a high cost, and if you lost control at any point...
Well...
Some of her teachers suffered from permanent nerve damage.

[b]"[i]De toute façon![/i] Shall we dine together?"[/b]
Happy to move off the subject of her poor lack of magical skill, Marianne couldn't take more than a few steps before Ricard moved in front of her.
His ears pinned back as he bared his fangs, growling menacingly at yet another stranger and unwelcome observer, Marianne smacked his flank and walked around him to see what was the matter now.
[b]"[i]Zut alors![/i] What is wrong now?"[/b]
When she followed the giant wolf's gaze, she took a step back and placed a hand on Ricard.
There was a rather shady and suspicious man watching them, a face she didn't recognize.
His grizzled visage and features made her take pause. 
She had second thoughts about having Ricard block her from view, breaking their line of sight with one another.
Ricard appeared to pick up on her trepidation, and moved to 'shield' Marianne from both Tiral and the newcomer.
His aggression increasing in the form of snarling, hackles raised.

[@TheFake], [@PKMNB0Y]