Fleo Plector – Guild Hall
For a moment it seemed to Fleo that her grouchy friend might open up, but that hope died as Nolan simply apologized and left shortly after. The dusty woman shrugged. If Nolan felt like improving relations with his team, or like relieving any of the weight on his shoulders, he'd do it when he was good and ready. When her own food arrived, Fleo thanked Lucian warmly and began to dig into her honeyed oatmeal with gusto. Her love affair with the sweet porridge was interrupted, however, with the arrival and subsequent introduction of the Frenzy Plant wizards, military bravado and all. Raising an eyebrow at the Dullahan, Fleo decided that she'd have to speak with the group later, both after she'd finished eating and after the higher-ups of Phoenix Wing were done with them. A sudden flash from the direction in which Nolan had departed caused her to look, and to her astonishment the Ash God Slayer used a sword to teleport.
"Whoa! Since when are you able to do that?!" The display energized the dusty woman; never before had she seen a magic like that. Nolan's departure for the recently-arrived group, however, caused her excitement to wane.
Fleo had eaten well of the way through a second bowl when Jarvis' announcement left her sputtering. After a second spent wiping small bits of oat from her cheeks, flung there in her surprise, she pivoted on her bar-stool to try and catch the guildmaster's eye. Even though she failed in this act, she felt compelled to deny his decision to the nearest person with a chance of listening: Ariel and Karn. Barely even registering that the schizophrenic was currently in her weird 'Charm' mentality, Fleo blurted out to them,
“Me? I've barely even been here two weeks! I'm not even a high A, as far as rank goes! I mean, it's cool and an honor and all that, but I feel like I'm just gonna let y'all down. And there must be loads of Wingers that want it more than me.”Xyster – Phoenix Wing Hall
Damian's continued vexation only seemed to thrill Xyster more.
“Heehee! You're looking fit to pop! You oughta come by the Frenzy Fort during our volleyhead tournament. I mean, it only happened once, and didn't even finish before no-fun Louvier shot it down, but while it lasted...it. Was. Awesome. I don't think I've been that dizzy since I fought that Spin wizard. You remember that, right Nandy?” Evidently, she hadn't paid attention to Damian's question.
Stammering slightly at the sudden attention, the boy tried his best to think back.
“Er, I'm not sure I was with you then...Corporal. As they say, I've got a photographic memory that hasn't developed.” Chuckling at his pun, Nandy happened to glance Nolan getting nailed in the back with Ariel's arrow, and shortly thereafter the sudden union of Balmung and wall. Confusion flickered across his features.
“What the...? I take it you all aren't as disciplined here. Er, anyway, we're just here to say hi and look around. It's pretty awesome that they're naming their team, eh, Corporal?” At this time, Penny approached, and when Nandy spotted her he couldn't help but magnetize to one of her more prominent features. Reddening furiously, the boy looked away with great haste, and stuttered,
“H-h-hi, Penny. N-no trouble at all.”Again Xyster rolled her eyes. They fell on Nolan, assisted in part by his interest.
"Huh. Small world." She look around at some of nearby wizards. A devilish grin, one nearly fit to split her face in half, appeared.
"Hey, to celebrate you making Phoenix Wing's teams, what do you say I play some of you in rock-paper-scissors?"Meanwhile, Jarvis' offer of food and drink agreed with Harper immensely. Possessed of a high metabolism and always fond of a quick snack, Harper activated her Shinobi magic. Her body began to shimmer, as if its image were breaking apart, and then abruptly phased into two, which zipped sideways, fading as they did. The twin images reappeared at the bar, suddenly gaining color out of nowhere, until they met and Harper was there—all of this occurred in less than a second. After a momentary flicker, everything was normal as normal could be, and the young ninja cheerily requested a pancake from Lucian, adjusting her hat as she did.
That left Joakim alone, occupied only in glancing around the rafters of the hall, for he had spotted coming in a young man jumping down from them, and wondered if there weren't habitations up there. It was to Joakim that Jarvis approached, and after noticing Phoenix Wing's guildmaster, he made a stiff bow.
“Greetings, Master Jarvis. Your guild seems very full of energy."Andrea van der Putten – the Frenzy Fort
The words of Gabriel caused Andrea to blink in befuddlement, and her circles faded. At this point, it was practically a letdown not to fight. Lazy people found it tough to get going, but she could tell anyone that once they got going, it was tough to get them to stop. Her prospective opponent had seemed so hyped up a minute ago; did he really feel like his companion's ability would be wasted? Andrea considered her own rock monsters. Though made of stone, they were her friends, more so than the vast majority of people, guildmembers included. Yet, she had no qualms about using them in battle, and then never seemed averse to doing so. Looking at the spirit that Gabriel had called Rat, Andrea didn't think that it seemed frightened, or contemptuous. Not for the first time, the towheaded girl questioned herself: was she being selfish by using beings to fight for her? At a loss for words, she looked to Zander, the acting referee.
Zander himself didn't look at all pleased. Now that his helmet was on once more, the only part of his face clearly visible was his mouth, and now it curved into a disapproving frown.
“Casual sport?” He repeated, incredulous.
“Do you classify all exams as such? It is highly competitive! You stand on the brink of becoming a part of one of Fiore's finest guilds, and you think the need is not great? You made a bond with your Rat, one where he has volunteered to fight for you, but you are unwilling to let him fight for you when so much lies on the line? If that is the case, you lose, indeed.” Zander made a sweeping motion with his hand, and turned away. Most of the gathered soldiers broke the circle and followed him back to the spot where they had been training previously, with a few assorted groans.
Andrea, however, remained behind. With lethargic motions, one that somehow spoke of a very deliberate nature, she stepped slowly over the pulsing ruby line drawn for her and approached Gabriel. Though a vapid look rested on her face, her next words accredited a sharp intellect.
“I understand how you feel. A little...maybe. I summon things to fight for me too, you see. I feel guilty using my Rock Menagerie sometimes, thinking that maybe I should be doing more, but I need them. They need me too...without me, they have no purpose. Though I don't always understand them, I think that they think of me as a cause...something to give them excitement, friendship, development...I don't know if I'm making any sense. My rock monsters fight when I can't, and sometimes they get hurt, but the look in their eyes when they win...it's really cool.” Andrea looked down at the floor, and clasped her hands behind her back.
“I don't know. I don't think I'm makin' much sense. I'm just a layabout, but bein' a part of this guild is nice. If you, or your spirits, don't wanna fight for a better future...your call, I guess. Maybe one of the other guilds will let you in without testing you. But...we can still fight...if you want.”
