The sun shone down brightly, but whatever warmth it cast down on the earth was quickly dissipated by the cool winds that travelled in the sky, pushing sparse clouds around. Nevertheless, Kerenza enjoyed this type of weather. It reminded her of days where she could spend hours idling in the gardens of her little mansion. But now, idling was a luxury that she could not afford. Time was money, after all, and she was a young lady now. It was imperative that she waste not her time on something as pointless as walking about bare-footed, soaking in the refreshing winds. Even more importantly was the fact that today, of all things, was the day Azure Dragon's guild hall was finally completed. Which meant jobs. Which meant work. Which meant increasing her reputation. Which meant more jobs. Which made her happy. It was a nice thing, being useful and productive. Made the little girl feel important.

Of course, she was pretty sure that she was already one of the most important people in the Guild, considering her ultra-rare, avant-garde Spirit Make magic, which made her worth seven people. Sure, she could only technically bring out five of her Spirits at once, and sure, she wasn't going to do any physical labor, but that still meant that she could have almost all of her Spirits working, at the low low cost of only a few favors and promises!

And while she, herself, could be motivated by the promise of curry, her Spirits...

Flanked from both sides by a redhead, effeminate boy and a raven-haired young man, Kerenza wore an expressionless mask as she walked through the streets of the merchant district, ignoring the demands and prodding of her Spirits.

Rose Red draped one slender arm over the girl and teased with a grin, [b]“Hey, princess, when are you going to give me the kiss you promised?”

“Ohoho, that looks tasty. Go buy me that thingy-ma-jig, Renzie~ You owe me after all,”[/b] said Forest Falls, leaning over a display of steaming meat pastries.

[b]“Aw, are you afraid of giving up your first kiss? Don't worry, this won't count, so you'll still be pure. Anyways, boys like girls with some experience!”

“Wait, no, gimme that...uh...Mont Eclaire dessert thing! It's only three times as expensive, for a taste that's ten times greater!”

“Is that a blush I see on your face? See, what did I tell you, Forest? Even our princess can look cute when she reacts her age!”

“Eh, I don't really care though, Rose...but hey, look, no hands!”[/b]

It was only when Forest decided to try his acrobatic skills by balancing with his head only on a clothesline suspended two stories above the street did Kerenza's expressionless, mature mask finally explode into a bajillion pieces, fury and embarrassment skyrocketing into the stratosphere. Shaking with an almost seizure-like frequency, she let out a banshee's screech, and ran off, ahead of her two Spirits, yelling all the way, [b]“I HATE YOU ALL!!!!!”[/b]

It took her only a few minutes before she reached the Guild, and she was pretty much winded by then, collapsing right there on the ground, intent on taking a few minutes of unglorified, unladylike rest so she can better present herself later.