The hotel began to grow busier with the arrival of frustrated spectators having to face the abrupt end of their tournament. Isabella twirled her rose hair around her fingers, mindlessly eyeing the group in hopes of spotting Bullet. There were many faces among the crowd; some she recognised, others she did not. Talk in the lobby quickly seemed to shift from the disappointment of the games to the excitement of tonight's ball.
"Well, I'm not really looking to dazzle much of anyone, but I'm good with whatever preparation you deem is needed. Just...so long as we don't get my hair cut." Jane's statement regarding her hair didn't faze Isabella one bit. She herself was quite fond of her own, trusting few others to care for it like she could. It didn't even cross her mind that there may have been some underlying reason for Jane's protectiveness of her own hair. She placed her hands neatly in her lap and tilted her head to the side. With a soft hum, Isabella took it upon herself to admire Jane.
"But of course!" She proclaimed, standing with a finger dramatically pointed in the air. "You shouldn't fix what isn't broken, and your hair is most definitely not broken. I actually am quite fond of it. She whispered that last part, holding a hand coyly over her mouth.
Isabella made her way over to the other side of the table and extended an arm to Jane.
"We're wasting daylight my dear Jane! I was hoping to wait for Bullet, but it seems as though he has other plans." There was a slight tinge of sadness in Isabella's voice, though it was quickly overshadowed by an loud squeal of delight. "We should go get pampered! Oh, Jane, doesn't a trip to the spa sound relaxing? It's the perfect opportunity for us to continue getting to know each other!" Isabella could barely contain her excitement; a trait Jane was no doubt starting to get used to with her.
Marlene was just as perplexed as Bullet was regarding the interruption of the Magic Games. The young man was very thankful that his companion was too absorbed in the event to hear the nonsense he had been spouting before. Still, he too was disappointed with the games. Taking a seat next to Marlene, Bullet folded his arms over his chest with a flustered huff.
"Whatever the reason may be, I guess that means the games are over this year." Bullet frowned, nodding his head in agreement with Marlene.
"Damn, that really blows." Bullet said whilst stretching his arms high in the air. Standing up, he began to walk towards the door. "I guess I shouldn't bother you anymore now that the games are over." With only a few steps left, Bullet was frozen in track by Marlene's voice.
"Hey," Shivers went down his spine. She was going to ask about what he'd said earlier. It seemed as though Bullet had really dug himself into a hole. Turning his head around, Bullet watched Marlene stand up to face him.
"Yeah?" He gulped, trying to stop his knees from shaking.
"This is going to sound sudden, but a friend of mine mentioned to me yesterday that there's going to be a Ball celebration tonight. I'll be going with her, but since you're here, do you want to join us?" Bullet's muscles relaxed, only for a second until he realised what Marlene had actually just asked him.
Spinning around in disbelief, Bullet clumsily pointed at his face while stuttering.
"What? I mean, uh, me? You. You want me to hang with you? You and you're pals. At the ball, I mean." Oh no, he felt himself going red again. He'd always been so certain about going with Isabella that the idea of actually being asked by someone wasn't something he'd prepared himself for. He felt his shoulders slump backwards, his hands balled up in his pockets. He could feel the sweat on his palms. Why was he so nervous? It's not like Marlene was asking him on a date or anything. Bullet shuffled his feet, staring at the ground while awkwardly muttering a response.
"Uh, I guess. If you don't mind me hanging around you, that is." There was something strange about making plans without Isabella. He'd done it many times with his guy friends, but never with another girl. Though as he stood there, frozen like a popsicle, he couldn't deny the fact that he had been having a good time with Marlene. Perhaps spending the night with her and her friends would be a breath of fresh air.
❀ The Demon Hunter ❀
Crocus, Outside the Loom Cafe | Interacting with: Ethel Storm, Sora Kaze @Lunarlors34
"I'm sorry Captain Idwal. My mistake." A less composed person would have been more frazzled by Sora's mocking tone. Thankfully for Rosalina, she wasn't so childish as to let such a man get to her. Though she had to admit, she could feel her fist clenching while her arms were tucked behind her back. She'd be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't tempted to slap Sora's cocky grin right off of his face. Yet that was not how she dealt with these situations; they required a more delicate touch.
"You'll do well not to make that mistake again." Her voice was firm, yet non-threatening even despite her statement. It was more of a throwaway remark, subtly implying to Sora that his sarcasm was not appreciated.
Sora continued on, showing no indication of changing his tone. Either Rosalina was too subtle or he simply did not care. The Council woman thought it best to assume the latter. Either way, she continued to listen to this obnoxious man with feigned interest.
"However this time it is you that is mistaken. Ethel is not in my employment." Now this statement sparked some interest. Raising an eyebrow, Rosalina watched Sora exchange a look with Ethel before raising her chin to the both of them.
"Is that so?" She shot a look towards Ethel, hoping to catch some sign that this man caused her discomfort. She seemed fairly content for now.
"The opposite in fact. Ethel is my employer. So I'm unsure what kind of delusions you seem to be under, but they're completely false Captain Idwal." That was the final straw for Rosalina. Unable to tolerate his tone anymore, Rosalina took an imposing step towards Sora and met his gaze with her own, cold and furious stare. She reached her hand up and firmly gripped his upper arm; loose enough as to not restrict his movement but tight enough to let him know that he shouldn't try to go anywhere. Picking up Sora's arm, Rosalina clicked her tongue at the sight of the various tatters and cuts along his suit.
"I'm just dying to know what kind of services you'd have to offer to a young girl, Sora." Rosalina wasn't letting up on her accusations, just as Sora continued with his defiant tone towards her. Though he was quick to address that this was a personal matter. Not a very satisfying answer for Rosalina, but she saw no reason to push it further.
"That is a rumor I heard yesterday. Something about you looking for rogue wizards? If someone such as yourself would allow someone as lowly as me to ask why and receive an answer that would be just swell. Also if you were looking for any wizards in particular I suppose might help. I've ran into about half a bloody dark guild since entering the city. The security here is worse than the corruption of the previous council I must say. Certainly seen far better protected haystacks."
"That is precisely why I am searching for Rogue Wizards." Rosalina didn't even try to defend herself or the Knights against his accusations. She may dislike the man, but she agreed with him on this regard. "When the power shifted to the new council, many of the old, corrupt Rune Knights still remained. I want them gone. I intend to recruit as many promising Mages as I can and weed out all those who do not represent the true ideals of the Knights. Then I will be personally dealing with the infestation of Dark Guilds in my country. Make no mistake, Mister Sora, by the time I'm finished there won't be a Dark Mage alive who would dare show their face in Crocus or any other town for that matter." Rosalina spoke confidently, completely assured of her mission with no reservations. She never intended to be a compliant leader. No, her goals were much bigger. She was going to use her power for something greater than herself or the Council.
While Bayard had been hoping to intimidate the young man, the reaction he received from Eli was not exactly what he had in mind. Bayard just wanted to show the young thief that he wasn't some pushover, but it seemed he had scared the daylights right out of the poor kid. Bayard sighed as Eli begged him not to hurt him. Did he take the Knight for some kind of monster? Bayard would have been offended if not for the large crater in the stone wall right in front of him.
"I have money? You want money? Please man, don't you have someone else more worth death? I'm just a thief, cut me some slack!" Eli's frightened voice brought Bayard's attention back to him. The Knight felt his fists clench at his words. Placing a firm hand on Eli's shoulder, Bayard held his fist out in front of him confidently.
"You're more than just some thief!" He was weirdly angry about the self deprecating statement. Easing up on his tone as to not keep scaring Eli, Bayard took a deep breath before continuing.
"You have the potential to set things right and make a difference. It starts today with you." Bayard smiled before pushing Eli forward away from the stands. "I know just who to take you to!"
"What are you doing, Bayard?" The Knight looked forward to see Constantine making her way down from the upper levels of the stadium. The two were comrades, even long before becoming a part of Team Veritas.
"Ah, Constantine! Just who I wanted to see! Where can I find Rosalina? I've got our newest recruit right here!" Bayard playfully patted Eli on the back with a heavy hand. Constantine stared at Eli through her visor. If he could see her face, he'd no doubt see how unimpressed she was. Though truthfully, it was more directed at Bayard than anyone else.
"Bayard, you can't just decide that." She sighed, clearly having had this talk with Bayard before. Bayard shook his head and laughed.
"Nonsense! This young man is ready to change his ways and serve Fiore as a Knight! No more will he see himself as just some petty thief!" Bayard was too busy talking to see Constantine slap her visor where her forehead would be.
"Not every criminal wants to change their ways, Bayard."
"But he has a chance to make a difference in the world!"
"It's not your choice!" The two continued to bicker, leaving the young Eli in the dark of what was going on. When Constantine had clearly had enough, indicated by her throwing her hands up in defeat, she walked up to Eli and jabbed him in the chest with her finger.
"You, boy. You don't want to be a Knight right? Please tell this buffoon that so I can get back to more important things than talking about some thief." Constantine didn't even try to hide her insulting tone, which clearly disturbed Bayard. Though he said nothing. There was definitely a difference in philosophy between the two. Bayard looked down at Eli hopefully, confident that he'd side with him. Constantine was more realistic. This kid didn't come to the games to become a Knight. No, he came to make an easy buck at the expense of everyone else. Constantine awaited his answer impatiently.
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