[h1][centre]Alexandreus[/centre][/h1]

[color=Gray]Rings under his eyes, a mouth that would not stop yawning, a stooped gait. Yes, the lack of sleep was certainly showing, he decided. He turned away from the offending sight in the mirror and sought out clothing appropriate for the day ahead, one that should rightly be administered by the Master but she was away so the responsibility fell to her loyal lieutenants. As dearly as he loved Mirande, she was not the type to ensure the smooth running of such an occasion; she was all noise and fervour while he was quiet and planned. They made a good team, he knew, but as with any great partnership they also managed to get on each other's nerves a great deal, especially while cooped up in the guild rather than being out there, completing contracts as they had done in years past.

Shaking away the nostalgia that threatened to distract him, he rifled through his carefully ordered wardrobe and picked out some austere robes, dark with some plain patterns woven in silver thread up around the shoulders and chest. It was but the work of a moment to change into them, stiff and less comfortable than his usual attire but the new members needed to see something official today and no doubt Mirande would show up in something overly flamboyant.

There was nothing he could do about the clear signs of a lack of sleep but he hoped that being up on the balcony above the hall would give him distance enough for that to not be noticeable. The physical detriment he washed away with a small intake of Adamant, the strength from the powder filling his body with energy and powder. He only took a little, enough to feel well rested and to carry him through the morning. The Master's early warnings about the creeping addiction many fell to from the powder had always rung strongly in his mind, perhaps reflecting his cautious nature in all things, and so he had always rationed Adamant to himself tightly.

The halls outside of his quarters were quieter than usual but, of course, most would have awoken early especially for the day. He weaved his way through the labyrinthine maze, his feet knowing by habit where to take him, and he came upon barely half a dozen guild members, mostly the older sort who had risen for the event but were in no rush. They nodded to him respectfully and he returned the gesture as he swept past, his mind on what he would have to say. There had been little time to prepare, almost the entire night sorting out Adamant supplies for the recruits as well as organising teams on top of the usual onslaught of contracts that always arrived after a successful muster.[/color]

[color=Gold]"Mornin' to y'all, both my fellow old timers and the green-behind-the-ears recruits arrivin' today!"[/color]

[color=Gray]He froze, hearing Mirande's distinctive voice and accent echoing down the halls to reach him. Perhaps he should have seen this coming but he had never managed to keep up with his partner's ways even after a decade of fighting together. With a resigned sigh he continued onwards, more slowly now that time was no longer of the essence, toward the entrance up onto the balcony.[/color]

[hr]

[centre][h1][color=8882be]Lyrel Swistral[/color][/h1][/centre]

[color=Gray]This woman, Gwen, had such a refined manner of speech it was becoming hard for Lyrel to keep up. Of course, she was not a full street-urchin herself but this woman was more ladylike than most she had spoken to in a long time, more accustomed as Lyrel was to dockworkers, petty thieves and slavers. The way she spoke sent Lyrel's mind back to times she had been scouting out possible targets, working as some servant in their household and listening to the gossiping of the rich heiresses. No, the vocabulary might have been as expansive but this Gwen simply spoke... properly. It was demeaning, Lyrel, realised, to associate the woman with directionless rich women merely by her manner of speaking.

[color=8882be]"By ship? Ah, you're the same as me except I came from Regis."[/color] She left out the part about how she had been a slave rowing that ship but such details were of no use to her or the others around her, not anymore. It was certainly a past she no longer wanted to remember or dredge up. [color=8882be]"I'm still getting used to it myself. Regis Hill was a port city but not like here, this place is so much richer 'cause of the Adamant trade coming in."[/color] She winced at the colloquialism, would Gwen judge her for it? Well, better to find out sooner rather than later. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone slip into a chair nearby, a woman even smaller than herself but with a similar build, but turned away. It was an old habit, wanting to know where everyone around her was but she needed to be less jumpy here. At least while she was inside the guild, that was.

[color=Gold]"Mornin' to y'all, both my fellow old timers and the green-behind-the-ears recruits arrivin' today!"[/color]

She looked up to see Mirande standing on the balcony edge, not holding onto anything to support herself but with fists on hips and her back straighter than any soldier Lyrel had seen but there was not even a hint of imbalance in her posture. The woman had always radiated an easy confidence and that was captured masterfully in that one pose as she surveyed the hall and all who were in it were eyes, such a bright orange that they seemed to glow like the sun itself, a splash of colour against the contrasting darkness of her skin and the brilliant white shock of her hair. Dressed today in bright red leathers, her trademark rapier at her hip and a forest green jacket, her clothes clashed with each other and her physical features but Mirande had never cared; this was a woman who lived brightly and loudly.

[color=Gold]"No time for breakfastin', we've got business to get down to."[/color] She flamboyantly pointed toward a large board set against the wall to left of the guild entrance, a towering structure built of redwood and split into three sections by vast columns looking to be the entire truck of the tree from which they came. Large sheets of pine crossed the gaps and numerous sheets of paper and vellum were nailed to this, most of them clustered at the right end of the board closest to the entrance. [color=Gold]"Those of you been here a while know this here board but for those of you just got here, this here be where y'all get your contracts, right?"[/color]

Mirande stepped off the balcony. Lyrel could hear the intakes of breath all around her and she felt herself gripping the table in front of her, as if she could do anything from where she sat, but the lieutenant dropped the twelve or so feet to the floor in a blur of colour and then walked on as if she had just stepped out from a carriage. A wide mischievous grin on her face as she strode toward the board, she waved down those closest who had jumped from their seats in panic although the guild veterans remained in their chairs, eyeing their new recruits with amusement. Lyrel breathed out, sitting back with a forced effort and trying to relax her taught muscles as Mirande reached the board and gestured to the most filled section. That had been a display of Secondary Flare but it was beyond anything Lyrel had seen before.

[color=8882be][i]That's what it means to be a lieutenant in a guild, I guess.[/i][/color]

[color=Gold]"This end of the board is where you recruits will get your jobs. When you get better we let you do some of these ones, harder but with bigger rewards."[/color] Mirande was walking up the board, pointing to the sections until she reached the final board which had only a dozen or so contracts posted to it. [color=Gold]"Only the best're allowed to choose from this part so don't even think 'bout takin' one from here, understand?"[/color] Hands on her hips again as she stared the hall down, the woman eyed the concentration of recruits who were gazing at her, drinking in most every word. [color=Gold]"Now, you'll be in teams and we made some up ahead of time for y'all, seein' as you don't know anythin' yet."[/color]

She then started walking out amongst the recruits, pointing them toward their new teams. Lyrel watched, wondering how she had remembered all of the groups. Mirande held no notepad or anything else to remind her so it must have been from memory. That was unless she was choosing them without previous consideration but that level of randomness seemed too much, even for her. The tall woman boisterously moved the recruits around, encouraging them towards their new teams, flashing her shining grin and laughing as she berated their hesitation and pushed them toward their groups.

Despite herself, Lyrel found herself to be nervous and wiped her sweaty palms on her trousers. What was she worried about? She had been here in the guild longer than the others and they could only go on 'safe' missions. Besides, her Primary Flare should let her see any approaching danger so they would be safe, surely? It was her job to be confident, as the longest serving, even if only by the smallest of margins, recruit to the guild.

[color=Gold]"Lyrel! Let's see. Well, you're here so you might as well be in the same group. You come with me!"[/color] Mirande pointed at Gwen before rushing Erinn away and Lyrel started to worry in earnest. It seriously was looking like the lieutenant was assigning people randomly but surely this had been the same in the past? The taller woman had moved off talking to the new arrival Lyrel had noticed earlier and pointing towards her and Gwen, giving the unfortunate an energetic shove before twirling away to her next group. There she separated a woman whose hair was almost as pale as Mirande's, sending her towards Lyrel's group, and then chivvying a redhead away with Erinn still firmly in her grasp toward a strong-looking woman carrying a sword.

As the others of their group arrived Lyrel mustered her small courage and forced a smile at them.

[color=8882be]"Looks like we'll be working together. I'm Lyrel and this is Gwen, we've just met as well. Nice to meet you both."[/color] Before anyone else could speak, Mirande shouted over the hall, now standing on the bar with what looked to be a large tankard in her hand.

[color=Gold]"Your teams are all set, better get crackin' with those contracts now, little chicks. Lots o' jobs on that board but only a few of them are worth your time. Find one you like and then bring it to me or Alexie over there,"[/color] she pointed toward where Alexandreus had just entered the hall, having forgone the balcony apparently, [color=Gold]"so we can register it. You'll get your Adamant before you leave."[/color]

Stunned silence met her as the small groups, looking mildly harassed, stared at the ball of energy standing atop the bar. For their part, the servants working behind it seemed entirely unperturbed, going about their business and taking advantage of the small lull to tidy up. Mirande threw back her head, barking a laugh at the ceiling before pointing at the board behind them all.

[color=Gold]"I said get movin'!"[/color]

After a moment's further hesitation groups began moving toward the board, slowly at first and then faster as they began to see the other teams as competition. Lyrel found herself standing up as well but what good would it do for all of them to force their way through? They only needed one job between them.

[color=8882be]"What kind of contract do we want? Quickly - there won't be any left!"[/color][/color]