[h1][color=0076a3]Aiden[/color][/h1][hr][hr]
Aiden's office was a rather spartan room, lacking in decoration, adornment, and even furnishings aside from the large oaken desk situated towards the back od it. A desk that, at the moment, was completely covered in piles of paperwork stacked so high, it was impossible to tell upon walking in that someone was even sitting in the chair. However, the soft mutterings and slight snores that rung out from behind it was enough to confirm the Guildmaster's presence within.

As Ria walked up to Aiden, she'd find him face down against his desk, a quill still in hand as he seemed to have fallen asleep in the middle of his work. However, as soon as she moved to shake him awake the man would come to consciousness with a start, his head shooting up to scan the room in a slight panic. However, as he turned to see it was only Ria at his side, his features relaxed into a sheepish smile as he pushed himself up off of the desk.

[color=0076a3]"Oh, it's just you Ria,"[/color] He chuckles while taking care to peel off the paper that had stuck to his face in his sleep, making a face at the smeared ink as he set down. [color=0076a3]"Uh, go on and tell Serena I'm on my way. I need to make myself look a tad more. . . presentable."[/color]

Making a gesture for the young dragonslayer to leave, Aiden got up and made for a little side door in his office, meaning to clean himself up in the sink and perhaps get a new set of clothes situated.[center][h3]-----------------[/h3][/center]
[color=662d91]"Oh hush, Sorcerer's Weekly isn't all fluff. . . and even if it is, they're the most read publication in Fiore so what they say still matters. As for Bessie, some folk around her claim closer to a dragon than a fish, not that I put much stock in it."[/color] Serena said with a shake of her head as she watched Ria head off to wake up Aiden, letting her eyes drift across the guildhall in search of Claire. Her brow raised a bit as she saw her engaged with Nia, but after watching the two interact for a bit, she shrugged it off to instead keep talking to Cade. [color=662d91]"That said, I hope you aren't planning to sit back and let Ria and Will do all the heavy lifting. If so, I can't imagine the Guildmaster wou-"[/color]

Before Serena could continue with her accusation, or what she was getting to with them, the guildhall doors would burst open as one Winter's Blade's more enthusiastic members came in. He was about a whole day late, but the casks of ale and sack of coins the young man brought with him spared him the worst of Serena's ire. 

[color=662d91]"You're lucky I like you, kid, else I'd run your ass over the coals for staying out all night. I had to calm the guild master down about 50 times, he was so worried about ya."[/color] Despite her scolding, Serena kept up a smile as she watched Arc make his pronouncement though it fell a bit as she listens to what he was actually calling for. It was a tragic turn of events, to be certain, and she could only hope that Arc and whoever went with him managed to get the boy back in one piece . . . or at the very least, put Thoronia's worries to rest on the fate of her child. Luckily, Serena was brought out of her small funk by Will's appearance and quickly put on a smile to mask her misgivings. She didn't want to ruin anyone's day with thoughts of grim realities that might not even come to pass. 

[color=662d91]"Ria actually beat you here, but I sent her off on a little errand to get our illustrious Guild Master ready for an interview. I'm sure she'll be down soon enough and you can all be on your way to giving Bessie the nudge she needs to get out of the bay and back to her mama."[/color][center][h3]-----------------[/h3][/center]

[b]"I can see that."[/b] Claire chuckled as she watched the blonde hair boy make his entrance, unsure quite to make of the odd mix of outgoing personality and strangely demure politeness he showed. However, upon hearing the kind of mission that the young man was calling recruits for. . . an idea came to mind for the young reporter. A gleam enters her eye as she tapped her stylus against her Lacrima-journal, seeming to wrestle with the thought of what would be more preferable before settling on her next course of action with a nod. [b]"If you don't mind me asking. . . are you planning to join him on that request? Because I think that, as much as I'd love to sit down and do a few interviews, the best way to get a view of how a guild function is to watch it in action."[/b]

[i]Plus, I don't have to worry about Serena trying to mess with my head the whole time to get me to give this place a favorable review.[/i]

[@pkken][@Severance][@Hero][@j8cob][@Grey][@Sanguine Rose]