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It hit? It hit! But what did it hit?

There was no missing the black crystal, although even if Luna were blind, she would have noticed--she could feel its aura, the source of her discomfort practically screeching at her as the malboro sank into the hole. Slowly lowering her arm, she exhaled a sigh, unsure if it was relief or nervousness. Why did it show up here, of all places? She couldn't fathom why, but she did know that it was a bad sign. The forest wasn't too far from the city--had they not exterminated it, she was sure that its spawn would have attacked the walls. Seeing how quickly they multiplied, that would have been an issue, but what truly bothered her was the mist.

Rubbing the back of her neck, she noticed the pain had waned. She missed Blaike's comment, too lost in her thoughts to register anything that happened, including Edgar's unfortunate encounter. It wasn't until the group started to move that she realized she had missed the events, quietly cursing herself. Despite suffering no physical wounds, Luna felt drained just looking at that black shard, although she was determined to take care of it sooner than later. 

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The talk of gil and contracts didn't interest Luna much, though she remained quiet throughout Balder's explanations. At the very least Edgar suffered no lingering effects--that was a relief. She felt restless, all too happy to hear that they would be taking a short recess. She eyed the samples warily, the temptation to snatch them and run rising with every minute, but she needn't be so hasty, nor was she willing to have the entirety of the guard brought down on her.

Once Balder mentioned they should say their goodbyes to the city, the girl nodded. [color=DEBAF7]"Please excuse me, then,"[/color] Luna bowed deeply to the group, and without offering any explanation she walked out of the building. She wasn't the only one to walk out, seeing Artemisia walk away, but she tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as she walked around to the side of the building, ducking into an alleyway as she hastily made her way towards the back.

Trying to work as quickly as possible without anyone seeing her, she pulled out the pieces of aldite still in the bow and pocketed them, rummaging around her bag until she pulled out what looked like a clear glass marble. She bit down on her lip as she checked once more to make sure no one was around before cautiously sliding it in to the slot, watching it emit a soft glow. Hoping that the weapon would pull it off, Luna strummed the harp, watching as a large pulse of magic swelled out. It was as if a refreshing breeze had passed through the building, but as quickly as it came it left--and what was more, it was followed immediately by a [i]crack[/i] as wood and metal both bent, unable to contain the magic in her hands.

Luna couldn't react fast enough before the bow in her hands promptly summoned back the pulse, overloading the weapon. In a panic, she threw it aside, but not before the spell rebounded and sent her flying backwards. She landed on her back, quickly curling up as she threw her arms over her head. Bits and pieces of the weapon flew over her, a few stinging her arms, but after a few seconds, all was quiet. Slowly taking a peek, she realized she was laying in what looked like a massacre for the poor bow.

[color=DEBAF7]"Oh..."[/color] She sighed, sitting up. What a disaster. A small sparkle of light came from what was left of the aldite slots, the stone within dissipating into light. Getting to her feet, she brushed herself off, wincing a touch as she noticed the few cuts she had. Well, she [i]did[/i] just get paid. Maybe it was time for a new weapon. With that in mind, Luna cautiously walked back to the common streets, taking another look around to make sure she wasn't followed, and then decided to look for the closest weapon shop.

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