[center][h2][color=9e0b0f]Marduk[/color][/h2][sup]w/ Zenith & Lavinia[/sup][/center]
Turning to Zenith, the old man acknowledged him with a nod just as Gwen arrived. [color=9e0b0f]"A good morning to you as well, Zenith m'boy. A mug of coffee would be fine, extra cream and sugar, please."[/color]

Like a rumble of granite, Marduk laughed for a moment as the elder Ria displaced her clothes, much to the dismay of her peers and to his amusement. Really, the girl ought to turn it down a little; dear little Vin looked as though she'd eaten a chili! As for himself, well, Leons arrival proved much more distracting. The poor boy was a bit of a klutz and his 'friends' were not so helpful in that regard. He frowned as the pixie made her displeasure known in a manner he rather disapproved of - there's disliking food, then there's [i]wasting[/i] it.

He was just about to offer the boy sweets to help him out when Lilliana arrived and promptly defused the bomb known as Gwen by throwing a robe over her head. It looked like their Guild members were arriving one after the other now. Now Lilliana was a member he wasn't well acquainted with, which, while regrettable, was also unavoidable. The girl had scarcely been here for 4 months, and a forth of that time was spent away on a mission. Not to mention the girl was hardly the most social creature - case in point, she'd just disappeared into her room without another word. Even the times when she was at the guild she spent socially isolated. He really ought think of a way for her to open up to the others.

Marduk would rather not be too intrusive, but well, he felt it might do her a little good. On a more personal level, Fenixtear was founded on the old ways - where the guild was more a home and its members more like family, sometimes more so than the real thing. It didn't feel right to have any member stand apart from the rest, even if it was of their own volition. It would be a bad joke to say he wanted to change the way the council, and magic society as a whole, worked if he couldn't enact the those same changes in his very own guild.

[color=9e0b0f][i]"Well, at least Felix exists,"[/i][/color] he thought jokingly as he watched the boys efforts to grow stronger manifest in the form of asking for Ria's hand in sparring. The younger Ria sibling declined, of course, but he was certain that wouldn't dissuade Felix in the slightest. The boy would probably turn his attention to Leon or himself next. He'd be glad to help of course, but first things first...

[color=9e0b0f]"Ah dear Vin, the effects of your diabolical machinations on this guild bring this old man to tears,"[/color] of laughter, [color=9e0b0f]"I suppose I must resolve myself to a life in your service. Woes me."[/color] He sighed dramatically and took a delicate bite of his sandwich. Turning to Zenith once again, he said: [color=9e0b0f]"These are really quite good Zenith. Nicely done."[/color]