She was being quite coy with Nolan. Standing there being all cute she could see it was working. And then he said the quiet part out loud and her eyes widened for a second before she smiled and there was a sparkle in her eyes. The slightly devious expression was a flash in the pan though as she just looked happy and the tails waved excitedly. "Aww, you're so sweet." Taking a couple steps to be right up against him she leaned up and whispered seductively in one ear. "I'll never forget." This woman was trying to kill him. If it had been any other woman it very well might have. Whatever personality this magic had seemed to have emboldened the woman beyond caring about her usual boundaries.
The god slayer was saved by two individuals, Ethel and D'angelo. Ariel and Ethel shared a special connection and the two shifters were like sisters. So when the girl dove into the mass of tails she took a step back from Nolan and hugged the giddy girl. "Hello Ethel. It happened just now. It came from a little Kitsune girl, she went..." Stopping it occurred to her that she missed where she went because of the transformation. Taking a quick look it wasn't hard to spot her over at the bar. She also spotted Trinity which reminded her that she'd specifically brought something to show her.
Ariel was about to mention stepping away when a pudgy young man approached and in a very gentlemanly manner handed her a cloudy bouquet. Not one to be rude, especially to one make such an effort to be charming, she accepted it. Her enhanced senses picked up that it didn't have a scent right away. Still she made the effort to hold them close and pretend to smell them none the less entirely aware it would be cute. "Why thank you sir. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Tilting her head curiously like a fox or dog her ears twitched as she watched the man give Nolan a big hug. Anyone who knew Nolan would never do such a think unless they had a death wish. He did say something specifically just before doing so though. "Cuz?" Was this more Nolan's family.
For a while Melisa just stood where she was wrestling with her emotions. Try as she might something about the thing she had become overpowered and dictated her behavior. She should go. There was nothing left here and Nuncio even seemingly knew a way out. At first she followed after before she stopped and she just felt overwhelmed again and fell further behind. She started pouting and like a lost child just kind of froze. This wasn't helpful, what was going on? She glanced back hoping to see Penny but instead she Oros standing alone talking to herself. "Hey!" Seemed she was too far away or the other girl was too distracted.
Turning the doll tried to make her way back to the beast girl. She hopped and moved bits of metal over so she could make her way. "What did you do with Penny!" Her eyes opened wide as the dark circle appeared and expanded more and more. Should she run? She should run. Melisa didn't get the chance though and was whisked away back to the Sanctuary. This time there was no one to stop her from falling into the torrent that filled the area.
Shane Brahm
Age: 12/14 | Gender: Male/Male | Lightning | Elaborate Mystic | Regeneration, Power of Friendship | Puchuu Flexibility, Enhanced Weapon, Awareness, Enhanced Sustenance, Enhanced Outfit, Masculinity, Mount Emergency Reinforcements, Job Satisfaction, Mystic Might, Mana Font Expendable, Cagey, Empty Pockets
The commotion being caused in the lower levels of the Sanctuary drew the attention of the boy. He shuffled others out of the way as he made it down. Penny had apparently left to check or intercept something from what he understood. Now things getting rowdy was not the most unusual thing at the Sanctuary, especially whenever the ring leaders were away. Usually it was some misunderstanding or mental mutation left unchecked. So at first he didn't move with the most urgency. As more came running out in fear though he picked up the pace. Arriving at the room where people were running from he caught a glimpse of the creature. It appeared to be attacking and eating those it got in its clutches. Getting through he could see that with each it consumed it grew in size.
This little tidbit in mind his first thought was getting as many out of this thing's reach as possible. He called out as he rushed in, hopefully everyone knew this already knew this, but he would say it anyhow. "Everyone out! Don't let it get a hold of you!" Charging up his speed he dashed into the fray, his Lightweight Boots making his movement all the easier. He would go in and snatch up anyone having trouble escaping and bring them to the exit. He would just start making laps trying to get as many out of harms way as he could.
Where the hell had this thing come from? Glancing around he didn't spot any breach it could have made its way in from. Something was off but he didn't have a concrete idea of what it was. Right now the important thing was keeping it from being able to feed.
Apparently when it rains it pours. There was a sudden rush of pressure in the enclosed space that was the Sanctuary that made your ears pop. His efforts to move people out were interrupted when a number of them that were trying to escape scrambled back as a toxic liquid trickled down. He lacked the proper abilities to fully identify what it was but his Awareness clearly told him he would want to avoid it. One misfortune was an accident, two one after the other was something else. Perhaps most problematic would be that most of the help was probably still off fighting somewhere and others would be the last he'd want to invite.
"Stay here and out of that stuff, I'll keep the monster busy. Paree!" He didn't get an answer. No time. Going back into the room he opened up his book and shot lightning out at the creature to draw its attention. "Paree, I could use some help here!"
After a moment a little Puchuu with a coat made of leaves appeared. The patron looked over at the creature Shane just attacked with a dull expression. "This hardly looks beyond your capabilities child."
"Something is happening here. At least check the other levels and make sure." He didn't wait for an answer and moved so the monster he just provoked wouldn't be able to grab him.
Paree rolled his eyes. He wasn't quite convinced until he took a closer look at the highly toxic magic creeping down. This was from the Overcity. Certainly something out of place. Shane wasn't one to cry wolf so the tiny fuzz ball hopped up off the ground. Blinking in and out through the Sanctuary he got a quick lay of what was happening. Returning to Shane's side briefly he stated dryly. "I will monitor the situation and consider your request." He disappeared.
Arriving as one of the last few into the dimension, Jenna expectedly found herself surrounded by everyone that the others had been fighting. Like everyone else she was now in her bathing suit. Given the circumstances the Beacon girl didn't stay bunched up with everyone else. Her appearance did draw attention though as she probably shouldn't be there. Once out of the crowd she held up her hands. "Hey now, I'm not here to fight alright." Scooting away a bit further she overheard Mariette asking about Eli and that the slime girl had been grabbed. Pausing for a moment a load of things ran through her head.
Now Jenna wasn't crazy enough to go after Mariette here. One, it probably wouldn't work; two, it would mean leaving Justine's end uncertain; and three, there would be no turning back from it. Far too many factors to go wrong. She turned away from the others and went to join up with the Cradle. She put a little distance before she pushed a voice into Mariette's mind. It wasn't forceful like a command or anything. Instead it was subtle. To Mariette she would perceive it as someone speaking around her. The wind and waves made it hard to tell from who or where, but she would lightly hear...
"...thought I hear- that gir- te-- Eli they wou-- be safe wi-- the Djinn Sist--s."
Never stopping her walk, Jenna took out a piece of paper from her backpack and quickly scribbled something down before stuffing it back in. The fact that the Beacon girl never actually heard what Deni said didn't matter, she just needed the portal girl to pick up on it. It was an underhanded way to tell Mariette where Eli went, but if she outright said it then she was likely to create more problems than it was worth. Glancing around she remembered the details about the fountain and took a brief detour to get a drink before running back to rejoin the Cradle. "Don't suppose we couldn't pick a relaxing spot to make sure J is toast could we?" She managed a smile despite the tension her mere presence created. Her attention turned to Eliza. "Oh yeah, let me heal you up." Gently she placed a hand on the light witch to hopefully be able to heal her this time.
Age: 28/13 | Gender: Female/Female | Spirit, Metal | Skimpy Ranged | Tentacles | Lesser Force Automation, Lure, Enter Sandman, Communion, Inheritance, Prey of Choice, Invisibility, Purification Artifact Focused, Mental Link, Retrieval, Magical Overload Limited, Alien Mind, Clueless, Monstrous Form
STR: 03 | AGI: 03 | VIT: 03 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 04
STR: 08 | AGI: 08 | VIT: 09 | MAG: 11 | LCK: 08
For the thir... four... well who's counting. Once again Melisa was left befuddled. One moment Penny and this other girl was in front of them, and then the next they were gone. She lowered her weapons and glanced around. There was nothing around them but a wasteland. Internally the woman wanted to scream, or cry, or something of that nature. The girl though huffed and stamped her foot on the ground. "Dammit." Looking around again she just saw nothing. Rubbing her head she was clearly frustrated. "Nuncio, where are we?" She was going to die, she was convinced by this point. Something here or somewhere was going to kill her and she wasn't even going to have a clue what it was. It'll step on her and crush her or melt her down.
Things were a blur as everyone clashed. When it was clear that a blast was imminent Jenna braced herself with Regeneration. Thrown back her injuries started healing up as she struggled to rise. The nullification lifted and the exodus from the collapsing dimension started. The People were getting pulled out and pretty soon there was pretty much no one left but a few. Among them was Justine, or what was left of her. Avatar let up which caused a shiver. Limping up she cast a barrier over the body with herself inside. Holding one hand out the Big Backpack that she shared with her sister appeared in her hand. Opening it up she pulled out a potion and poured it over the vampire's body. It might not do anything for Justine herself, she wasn't sure, but it would purify whatever was left just to be sure. A couple Aurelio were there to assist as she was ready to request extraction. She put a hand down on Justine just as Silhouette's own hand came to rest on the girl.
Age: 28/13 | Gender: Female/Female | Spirit, Metal | Skimpy Ranged | Tentacles | Lesser Force Automation, Lure, Enter Sandman, Communion, Inheritance, Prey of Choice, Invisibility, Purification Artifact Focused, Mental Link, Retrieval, Magical Overload Limited, Alien Mind, Clueless, Monstrous Form
STR: 03 | AGI: 03 | VIT: 03 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 04
STR: 08 | AGI: 08 | VIT: 09 | MAG: 11 | LCK: 08
Mint! Melisa had been told about them. A shady and manipulative group apparently. Something about the name struck her the wrong way, at least at the moment. Anyhow her tumble was stopped by a magical force that pushed her onto safe ground. Bouncing and crumpling for a moment she very quickly reoriented her limbs to stand. "Thanks!" What exactly was going on was still confusing to her. However the main thing she could see was another girl had turned into a monster and was attacking Penny. She'd had some training to fight and use her magic, thankfully, but it was still something of a shock this first time. Holding out her arms forward her two cannons materialized.
This being a dump there were random bits and pieces of scrap lying around. Melisa spotted the blade and for a moment considered trying to control it, but it moving so quickly would making targeting it tough. Instead she began shooting at any loose chunks of metal she could see around Oros and Penny. Shifting and coming to life the metal objects began to dislodge themselves from the terrain and attempt to grab and restrain Oros and the additional arm coming out of the ground. The hot blade would damage the other metal objects, but it lacked any sensory capability to recoil from the touch. Besides, the arm holding the sword wasn't magically burning so that could still be restrained to protect Penny from a strike.
Seemed that they'd managed to assuage some of Nyssa's curiosity for the moment. Dalton stepped up take the Kitsune girl to see Jarvis which gave Ariel a bit of a break. Or at least it would have anyway. Taking back the lacrama the woman watched as Nyssa began to glow. For a moment she thought this might be some kind of performance. That was what the girl had been doing before this. Evidently what was not what she was doing, and before she could protest Ariel had been nipped on the ear and magic transferred to her.
Transference may not be the same from Kitsune to others, but Ariel was not like most other mages. Nyssa skipped away as Ariel put her free hand over her just bitten ear. The glow spread over the woman as the magic seemingly found itself at home. Shaking briefly and lost in a flash of light those familiar with her would recognize her tell tale transformation. Her regular ears shrank away as two fox ears popped out of her locks on top of her head. That was a more minor change though as her tail bone began to extend, segment, and branch out. Impulsively she leaned forward as, one after another, large fluffy tails shot and splayed out until there were nine in total. Glow dying down as the transition completed Ariel blinked her now yellow eyes several times.
The large tails practically occupied as much space as Ariel herself and she'd managed to knock a number of things off a nearby table. "Ah, what now!" Turning to pick the things up Nolan ended up with a face full of fur and was half engulphed in tails. Getting the things back on the table and turning back she was beginning to piece together that she was causing another scene. Reaching out she hooked an arm around as many of the tails she could get a hold of and hugged them close, leaving three still moving freely. "S-sorry about that. I uh..." She trailed off a bit as the personality trait that accompanied the Kitsune magic caught up. A cute little smirk made its way to her face and she released her tails, a couple of which purposely brushing against Nolan's face once again. "Actually Nolan, I'm feeling much better now." She couldn't quite get a guage of how she looked without a mirror but... "How do I look?" One of the tails wrapped around her left leg as she looked up at her boyfriend and put him on the spot.
Was there ever a lot of activity here. Not that it should be much of a surprise. The guild was big before and it had only grown. It was actually hard to tell what all was going on. Her return generated more attention than she'd anticipated. Then again, she did just embarrass Nolan to some extent. He seemed to take it well though which made Ariel happy. She responded to Nolan first before anyone else. "I've found something my magic is good for what it is. That helps a lot." She beamed, either not noticing or not minding some of the comments. "The trip was great. Were was a surprising number of things to do though. I see now what they wanted a couple months." She turned to Brianna briefly. "Thanks, it's been pretty crazy getting into this." The woman chuckled slightly before moving on.
Nyssa had lagged behind but eventually came up and mentioned she hadn't said anything about a mate. It gave the woman a moment of pause but didn't stagger her quite as much as it would otherwise. She'd had the chance to realize that the Kitsune girl was from a very different world. "W-we aren't mates exactly." She stated slightly nervously. "We're uh... moving in that direction." She said as she glanced at Nolan briefly. "I'll uh... explain that later." That was worth talking about in a less crowded space.
"I ran into Nyssa in Oak Town. She's a Kitsune from a small island and is new to Fiore. Some stuff is very different in the way they do things so there can be some confusion at times." Ariel was trying to help clear up the undoubted miscommunication that was to come. She felt like she was forgetting something, but that's probably just the tiredness causing brain fog.
The fact that her approach had been interrupted was quite disappointing. A number were vying to take out Justine and it was hard to keep track of it all. Still, the attack had done a number on Justine which meant she wasn't at full strength. The fact that she had taken Tenebra's life was note enough of that. Justine's actions weren't much of a surprise, having been under her control before, but it still made her sick that she'd come so close to avoiding further death at the vampires hands.
With her access to the Emotion spec Jenna did her best to recover as much of the feeling of love as she could. It wouldn't have the same oomph as the cane, but she could make her strikes more effective. Landing nearby the dark magical girl was already moving in her direction, intent on running her through. Even being sped up Justine was in another league. Eliza and Freya's intervention gave her the space to narrowly avoid being shish kabobbed. That was when another girl came in with a killing blow of her own. Jenna had missed the beginning of all this, but right now the fight was getting messy. The main trick was, despite the amount of damage they did they had to keep her from taking the blood from another afterward. Sakura was already being extracted by a plunger of all things, Eliza and Freya were her next concern. Reaching out she lightly brushed both of the girls and shielded them, passing along a mental message. "If she's going to feed on anyone else, it's going to be me." It wasn't so much a warning as a determination that Jenna had made. Whether or not it would come to that would depends on how desperate things got. She wasn't going to let either of them become the blood sucker's next meal.
She did pick up some of the love that had spread through the lamia. Using that with what she already had she enchanted her spear with the emotion and shifted position to counter attack. She didn't have heavy hitting attacks like some, but she could keep Justine's grasp off of the others, her weapon infused with her bane making it's mere touch painful for the monster girl.
One journey after another it seemed. After her first year away for training Ariel have been in town until a couple months ago. She'd taken up the offer of someone that had spotted her earlier to be featured in Sorcerer's Magazine. Setting set up for all that took quite a bit longer than she expected. There was paperwork to sign, regiments to go on, and many many outfits to try on for shoots. Speaking of which, Ariel's appearance was quite a bit different than when she was last seen. Her magic proved to be particularly difficult given her changing magic. Her outfits had to be custom weaved along with the usual tailoring in order to receive the color changing effect. Thankfully they had her previous wardrobe to reference. Her hair was now much longer which more dramatically displayed her magic. She defiantly stood out way more than last anyone saw her.
Flying back into town she carried along with her a girl she'd met on her way back from Oak Town. They'd had the chance to chat and the girl had wanted to come along. For the time being Ariel instructed her to follow along.
In the center of town, next to a small fountain, a crowd formed. A slow, solemn melody of strings sang out over the splashing of water on water and the murmurs of the crowds forming around them. From over the shoulders of those gathered, water could be seen curving up in unnatural ways. Waves of the clear liquid moved in slow swaying motions. As the melody picked up to a more urgent pace, the tendrils sank back down.
Those closer to the fountain could see the cause of it. The water swirled and swayed, shooting up with a kick as a dancer moved to follow the sudden swell in the music. Nine fluffy tails spun with her and the skirting of the crimson dress - a stark contrast to her otherwise golden complexion - in tandem with the way water spun around her as she moved. A smile adorned her face, blissfully unconcerned about the amount of every splash of water upon her outfit and skin.
Each rise in the beat, a shift of the dancer’s hips and gesture of a hand, and the water in the fountain shot up like a wave crashing against a ship. In time with the music, the dance shifted and the water seemed to sprout tendrils as she moved along, whipping out around the dancer with controlled strikes that elicited a few awed gasps as water crashed up to connect with tendrils reached out past the fountain. It all seemed to shape into a mix of a mostly ambiguous octopus, waves, and what might be a ship the other two clashed against. The dancer’s own movements helped portray the struggle of the fight depicted by the water behind her. Until it came to a sudden, violent crescendo, wherein the tendrils of the octopus slammed down to the water as the final notes from the violinist screamed out and the dancer jumped from the fountain to the ground before it.
The water that swirled around the dancer throughout the dance fell to the stones beneath her feet. A rainbow caught in the mist from the fountain’s dance still hung to the air but was quickly fading. The violinist stepped up next to the dancer and bowed for the applause. The dancer quickly glanced at her partner before blinking and following suit. As the crowd dispersed, the violinist turned to count the money they’d earned.
The girl’s tails flickered, and the ears atop her head twitched as she listened to the fading conversations of the people that had watched. Her own attention turned back to the water. She hummed quietly to herself and moved her hands in slow but intricate patterns to summon up the water from the fountain to herself. Her head cocked to the side, whispering softly to the small orb she played with between her hands.
Amongst the crowd a woman watched on curiously. Caught up in the show as the dancer was she had been missed. Though several around her had given her some space when she seemingly transformed beside them. While most of them moved away the woman took the initiative and stepped forward.
In her travels Ariel had seen many creatures. Some of which were magical in nature which, to her surprise and somewhat dismay, she could become in a way. Such was her state now, sporting short white fur, cat ears, and a tail that slowly swayed back and forth. Telling traits of a transformed Exceed. Curiosity had gotten the better of her which is what prompted the sudden change. Tucking a glass case under one arm it pulsed with a soft sea green glow. Hands free she clapped with the other onlookers though she did not disperse with the rest. The many tailed girl had captured her attention and her magic held her is a state of wonder.
Stupid magic. The woman thought to herself briefly. Though it may have been more fortuitous than she first thought. She could now use Aera magic which would really cut down the time it would take to get back to Magnolia. Still, she had to scratch the itch of who and what this mysterious girl was. Approaching she cleared her throat and spoke up. "That was a lovely show my dear. Where did you learn to dance like that?" That felt like a fairly harmless way to start some questioning.
The girl’s ears twitched with the sound of being directly addressed. She blinked and looked to find and older girl covered in short fur, ears, and a tail, and her brows rose. Her hands stilled and the water fell to the ground at her feet. “Oh, thank you,” she said with a blossoming smile. Standing, she offered a dainty shrug in further response. “I am mostly self-taught. None of the dancers back on the island truly know how to dance with the elements around us the way I feel they can.”
Her purple gaze drifted up and down the girl before cocking her head to the side. “You do not look like the people - the humans - that I have seen so far. I am still learning about a lot of this stuff, like Misha -” she gestured to the guy now putting his instrument away now that the money was pocketed - “said that people take paper in exchange for giving food. That it is the easier way to get food rather than try to help cook or clean or something. But I just have not seen people like you yet. Do you come from an island too? Or somewhere on the - I suppose this is considered mainland?” It was hopefully clear from her tone that she was simply curious, and didn’t exactly realize there might be something wrong with how she posed her question.
Ah she was very new around here then. Shaking her head briefly Ariel returned a smile. "Oh... yeah give me a second." Switching out of a magic after getting pulled to one by its trait always required a little concentration. Luckily this wasn't an overwhelming feeling. After a few seconds she flashed in a silver light and returned to her Aether magic. "I'm from the mainland, but I'm not quite like other people. Kind of hard to explain. Hm... I can take after other magic. That one was from an Exceed. They're small little magical beings that look like cats and can fly." She gestured trying to describe their size. "And I change to be like them when I use their magic."
Nyssa's eyes widened slightly when the other woman changed back to look more like a human. "Oh that is a pretty interesting magic. Your basic appearance did not change all that much. I have seen a, um..." Her brow furrowed and she studied the ground as she worked to recall the magic. It dawned on her, and her face lit up like a light turning on. "Take-over. That is what the person called it. Where they take on the abilities and appearance of a thing they have absorbed. A type of transformation. That is handy if you can make yourself look like other things."
"Kitsune can do that too. Well, not exactly that. But we can still change ourselves to look different." Stepping back a few paces, mostly because she wanted to make the transformation look fancy, the girl jumped into a backflip. The transformation happened mid-air - into the flip as a humanoid, landing it on all fours as a multi-tailed fox. The dress she'd been wearing fluttered to the ground, landing on the fox's back.
The violinist sighed looking over at the fox. "Did you want to eat or not?"
The girl looked at him. "I will see if the next restaurant will let me help in exchange for food. Thank you for the information you have given me, though, and enjoy your meal!" The man inclined his head and headed off with their earnings.
The fox's attention fell back on the mage before her. "So if your magic absorbs magic from around you, does that mean you can do this now?" The voice projected telepathically from the fox. She tilted her head quizzically.
Watching the young girl make a show of transforming was cute to watch. Transformation magic in and of itself wasn’t unheard of, but not everyone took to it. Ariel herself found she didn’t have the knack for it. That of her odd magic interfered with such a thing. ”That’s very good.” She paused briefly when she heard the voice in her head. It wasn’t the first time something like that has happened though so she didn’t react too severely. ”Uhm, not at the moment. I need to be exposed to it for a while before I can use it. That or get a good dose of it. Haven’t quite figured out all the rules of my magic so to speak.” She knelt down and pat the Kitsune on the head.
Ariel was about to ask about Kitsune when she picked up on the working comment. Standing back up she put her hands on her hips as her hair became leafy and skin a bit rough like the bark of a tree. Looking off in the direction the musician had gone he had already moved out of sight. Her attention went back to the fox before her. ”What’s this about working for food? Are you out here on your own? Are you hungry?” Despite the fact that Ariel didn’t interact with children often she had a pretty quick switch to what could be considered parent mode with her Plant magic.
The fox sat, tails sweeping the ground. "Well, yes, I am here alone. It is customary for us to come to a mainland country when we have seen sixteen springs. I am only a little hungry, but I can just forage in the forest for food - nuts, berries, and small critters. It is my understanding people on the mainland do not just do that now."
Standing there for a moment Ariel calmed down just a bit. ”I see. Well there are still a good amount of people that do that when they travel. Getting around has become a lot easier now though.” If the girl knew how to forage then she probably wasn't helpless. Naive perhaps. Probably best not to jump to conclusions. She would switch back to her Exceed magic. "Maybe you could explain things to me a bit better. You mentioned you were from an island right? I've never seen or heard of a Kitsune before now." Even if the girl could survive on her own it didn't strike her the wisest move to let someone so knowledgeable of the world just wander around.
”Oh, yes. Kitahmasune Island. It is south of here. I do not know the name of the town we docked at when I was brought over, but I have been on the mainland for almost a full moon now. We do not exactly use money or need to really do much trade. Just everyone does their part and our village prospers. Then, when we have seen sixteen springs, we come to a mainland country to travel for a bit - until we decide to return or if we choose to not. It has been tradition for almost fifteen hundred springs.”
The girl transformed back into a humanoid, completely oblivious to the fact the dress was still on the ground where it’d fallen. A cheerful smile lit up her face. “I am enjoying learning a lot. The culture here is much different than back home. I am not surprised I may be the first you have seen. Our numbers for leaving the island are not as they were when the tradition first started, and not all Kitsune to come to the mainlands arrive in -” She paused as her brow furrowed once more, looking to the sky this time as if to pull the answer from the clouds. With a snap of her fingers, her face lit up with another smile. “Fiore! This is Fiore...” she giggled softly. “I will start remembering this country’s name before not too much longer.”
“Are you from around here? Did you need to get somewhere else? I really like talking to you, but I do not want to hold you up too long.”
Listening for the most part, when Nyssa changed back to her human form Ariel scrambled for a second. Grabbing the dress she quickly tried getting it back on the girl while moving them away from the fountain, nearly dropping the lacrama case. "Okay... Maybe this is new to you, but you can't just lose your clothes like that. People around here might have a problem with that." Quickly getting them out of the way she let the girl get dressed again. "I think you have a lot to learn about how people do things here."
Debating with herself for a while the woman weighed her options. Getting back home would take... Blinking a few times an idea popped into her head. Activating her Aera magic her two winu learn to dance likegs popped into existence. "I'm not really in want for time now that I can fly. I was on my way to Magnolia and these will make getting there much faster." Oh goodness, she'd forgotten one of the more important details. "I'm Ariel by the way."
It wasn’t until the other girl frantically scrambled to collect the cloth on the ground that Nyssa remembered why there was a cloth on the ground to begin with. “Oh, yes, clothing.” She smiled and laughed softly as she took the dress and started to situate it on herself. “We do not actually wear clothes on Kitahmasune. They do not transform with our bodies unless we practice a lot, and that can take energy away from our magic to do it. The ancestors figured it was simply easier to not adapt the unnecessary burden.”
Her focus had turned to making sure her tails weren’t caught up in the dress uncomfortably and failed to notice the wings for a moment. The girl blinked when Ariel introduced herself. Her face slackened in mild surprise as it dawned on her as well. Then, just as quickly, the smile returned. “Oh, right. Introductions. My name is Nyssa. It is a pleasure to meet you. So your Exceed form includes wings? That is extremely helpful, especially if they help you get around quickly.”
She sighed a bit wistfully, and her smile dimmed a little. “I am not entirely sure where this Magnolia is, but I suppose flight would help you get there faster. Straight lines and whatnot. It was nice meeting you, if you have to be on your way. Maybe I will eventually find my way to Magnolia and we can talk more?”
Raising a hand and scratching one of her own ears the winged mage considered it for a moment. "I don't have to leave right now. She glanced up at the sky briefly to see where the sun was. It was still early enough, there was time to chat. "Tell you what. We can sit down and talk over a meal. My treat." While she herself hadn't been as naive she certianly knew the feeling of being out one's depth. Tossed into the world due to her magic was not an ideal introduction and it couldn't be any easier coming from another culture.
Nyssa’s smile brightened up once again. “That would be amazing, but I insist I pay you back in some way somehow. Even though we do not use paper to give goods to one another, we do believe in not getting something for nothing. What is a treat, also?” The girl blinked, as if something just occurred to her. “What do you like to eat? I have found I like trying the different foods here. We only really have fruits, vegetables, meats, and breads back home, but there are meats and fruits and vegetables here that we do not have. And the bakers here make such delicious breads...” She hummed pleasantly, spinning slightly with a bit of a skip.
That was fair. A plan made, Ariel looked around for a moment. There were a lot of places they could go. "A treat is kind of like a gift. In this case it means that I'm paying." After a moment she knew where to go. "It's a little outside of town, but there is a bakery on the way out of town in a wooded area. We would visit it every now and then when I was little. They have an adjoining restaurant where they serve some more home cooking style. I could fly us there. How does that sound?" She looked back down to her new companion.
“Fly?! That sounds like fun!” Nyssa practically vibrated at the prospect of experiencing it. She looked around, then between the two of them, before patting her legs lightly. Her tails swished behind her in her excitement. “So, how does it work? What do I need to do?”
Laughing slightly, Ariel held out the case she had been holding. "I'll need you to hold this for me and I'll carry you." Passing the object to Nyssa she picked the girl up gingerly and turned her around so she could see. "Hang on!" Aera kicking in, the two lifted off the ground and were shortly hovering above the town. She was sure to take it easy at first so as not to frighten the girl. Flying for the first time could be frightening depending on how people take to heights.
Nyssa held the case firmly in her arms, cradling it against her chest to ensure she didn’t drop it. It didn’t really matter what was in the case. What mattered was that it was important to Ariel that she wanted it carried, which meant not dropping it. As soon as they lifted off the ground, Nyssa’s already vibrant smile radiated even more. Her eyes widened, trying not to squirm but having trouble keeping the muscles in her tails from twitching and hitting Ariel by accident. “This is amazing. Almost like jumping but you get to choose when you land...” she said with a giggle.
”That’s a good way to describe it.” The woman would admit. Since things were going well and there wasn’t any immediate request to land they began moving out of town, Ariel steadily increasing speed. The town below them was replaced with a small forest. Paths could be seen where trees had been cleared for roads. Rather quickly came upon their destination.
Lighting on the ground a two part building was before them. The larger area was clearly where most of the baking was done, no doubt much of it being sent to the nearby town. Adjacent was a structure that had the look of a house that had been turned into more of a hall minus the kitchen area. Harden's the sign above the door read. Even outside the blend of aroma in the air made one’s mouth water.
Setting Nyssa down she took back the case. ”Thank you for keeping it safe for me.” She gestured for the girl to follow as she headed to the door. It had been years since she’d been here and the anticipation was pretty clear as she changed from her Exceed to Lightning magic, sporting an extremely bright yellow theme. Ariel in the wild and unfocused stood no chance in hiding how she felt.
The two were quickly seated. Nyssa drew a few looks from patrons and staff but they largely were busy working or eating. Plus there were many a creature running around that tails and ears weren’t seen as that unusual to the uninitiated.
Nyssa could smell the food before they arrived. The sweet and savory scents kissed the breeze and she could smell the faint traces of them, which only grew the closer they came to the buildings. Of all the new foods she’d tried, breads here were her favorite so far. So when they landed and once the case was back with its owner, Nyssa skipped into the building after Ariel and took a seat. Or, at least, she tried to sit still as best she could.
She’d seen a paper with markings on it like this back on the island, the elders had them in the council house, but it wasn’t something many bothered to learn - reading. Or writing really. They didn’t have much need for it except to keep history; even then, only the elder council used it. It was far easier to simply keep it as an oral history and teach with the paintings around the meeting lodge. Younger Kitsune learned to read on the mainlands - or in the first year of becoming part of the elder council. She didn’t see a need to learn it early. Not when she was doing just fine without it.
The few times she’d eaten someplace, she just got what the person she was with got. This time was no different. She put the paper down and looked at Ariel. “I think I will just get whatever you do. I cannot decide myself,” she said with a soft laugh, trying to imply it was more because of the selection available.
Somewhat knowing the menu it didn’t take Ariel to decide. When the waiter came by she got two orders of the roast beef plate, sweet corn, and the cinnamon apples. Their orders taken, they were shortly provided rolls and butter to have before the meal. ”These are really good.” She picked up a roll and opened it up, the fresh steam coming out as she did. ”We can see about having some dessert after. They have a lot of good sweets.”
Moving aside the various things on the table she focused on Nyssa while they waited. The girl seemed like she might have a number of questions. ”So what would you like to talk about? Anything specific you would like to know?”
Nyssa blinked in surprise when rolls were placed on the table. She looked back at Ariel. “Wait, places give you food to eat before the food you asked for to eat? And then, what is desserts? And sweets?” She stopped as another sentence started forming on her lips. Shaking her head, lightly she seemed to reset her mind on what she wanted to discuss.
“Actually, yes. Well, so, first of all, the bigger questions are - why do people react like you did when I transformed? Back into this form, that is. People seem weirdly uncomfortable with humanoid bodies. I’m not sure I understand why. There is also the bit about magic. Misha said it was common for people with magic to be together. Um, not workers. There was a term...Guilds! Right. But some were okay to work for and some were not, but he didn’t really explain a lot more about it. But then there were also guilds that weren’t labeled good people or bad people, and some looked down on those guilds. And that the only real difference between the people labeled bad as opposed to people that weren’t was just following laws. And where would I find out about the laws? I know those are rules, and I know you are supposed to follow rules, so how would I know if I broke the rules of wherever I was? Are all places the same rules? Like everywhere in Fiore has the same rules, or do they change by city? I know they change by country - Kitahmasune has different rules than Caelum, even when we were part of them, but that was because we were not exactly a part of them. You know? We were a territory, not part of their actual country, so we were allowed to have different rules but we knew exactly what the rules were for them too, so that we could make sure when we went there there was not any confusion.” The rambling came out in what might have seemed a single breath. The girl bounced lightly in her seat as she went on, though, happily examining a roll before ending the whole rant with a tiny bite into it.
Now that was quite a lot to ask all at once. Ariel had to stop and consider a lot of it. Usually people just learned this stuff growing up. It hadn't ever really crossed her mind how it would be for someone coming from a drastically different culture. Looking stumped for a while she slowly worked through the list. "Well, as far as clothes and such, I guess it's mostly because here people see going around undressed as unmodest. It's kind of..." How does one explain such a thing? "People like their privacy. It's just how people see it." Yeah, that seemed like the most logical reason to her. It was why she wore them anyway.
Of course Nyssa also asked about guilds. Apparently another difference around here. This one wasn't quite as difficult to answer. "I can't speak for everyone, but I don't really have a problem with unaffiliated guilds. Sometimes people can get really competitive over who is 'the best' guild. Most of the time what separates a light and dark guild is their goals and motivations. Light guilds are usually trying to help people with jobs that others can't handle. They are trying to improve the world with their magic. Dark guilds have jobs too, but they might not have other people's best interest at heart. So they may end up hurting others in the process." She was beginning to see that there was A LOT that the Kitsune girl didn't know just yet. "How long have you been here on the mainland?" She would inquire.
Nyssa listened intently to Ariel’s explanation, only taking small bites and chewing thoroughly as she did. Her gaze remained locked on the older mage. She didn’t blink, and her ears stood tall at attention. Even her tails, with their occasional twitches against the seat, slowed to only the barest movement to reduce outside distractions. The clothing still seemed...weird...but then, the fact clothing was about being modest was a cultural thing. Which meant she needed to remember it if she wanted to fit in with this culture, huh? That would take time, but she figured she’d get there. Maybe. She could always work on transforming her dress too, she supposed.
The guild information was important though. That didn’t seem like a very big difference if dark guilds still took jobs that maybe could be to help people. So that all just brought up more questions. She opened her mouth to ask them, but stopped when Ariel posed a question to her. Instead, she blinked and looked at the remains of the roll in her hand as she counted the time. “It has been....twenty-two nights since I arrived in Fiore. So, twenty-three days?”
Nyssa blinked as completely different questions popped up in her head. She settled forward a bit more in her seat and leaned forward as her feet kicked excitedly. “How many different magics can you do? You said you absorb them, and I know there are at least a few that we do not do on Kitahmasune. We only learn illusion, dance, or element magics. But there are lots here right? Do guilds separate by magics? Why are there separate guilds? Why not just all people in the same place because they all do magic and want to do magic for work?”
”Uhm… I guess I’m somewhere around two dozen. I don’t always know if I’ve gotten a magic or not, kind of depends on how I am feeling sometimes. But yes, there are a lot of different magics around the world.” Ariel didn’t elaborate on what she meant before moving on to the next couple of questions. ”I’ve not really seen a guild that focuses only on one magic. I think most of the time they want a varied set so they can respond to different situations.” She tapped a finger against her lips a few times as she somewhat thought out loud.
As to people not being in one big guild. ”Fiore is a big place, so it isn’t always easy to communicate and coordinate. I guess it’s easier now than before but I suspect that is why a lot of guilds operate on their own. Sometimes guilds are focused on different goals too. Or they just don’t want to work together. Just how people are.” She shrugged a bit.
Nyssa thought on all that for a moment, thoughtfully chewing to finish off the last of her roll. When she'd finished, she tilted her head as more questions bubbled up. "Do guilds have different purposes, like are they specialized for taking certain jobs, or do they just take jobs for a certain area? Aside from just some are selfish and some help everyone. Do any work together? Do you work for a guild or do you earn stuff to trade a different way?"
”Yeah, there are some that specialize. Dragon Fang does more monster hunting jobs. They do other stuff too though. Sometimes the jobs are close by, but there are some mages that are really powerful that can travel very far away for jobs that can last for years. It just depends on what people need and are willing to pay for.” She took a sip of water that had been brought over. ”And yes, guilds do work together at times. There’s even a big event that promotes friendly competition from time to time. I myself am part of one of the bigger guilds right now. It’s called Phoenix Wing. I’ll be heading back there once I’m done here.” She smiled brightly.
Nyssa mirrored the smile on Ariel’s face. “Do you like being part of this guild? Is that what you wanted to do for life?” She shrugged lightly before continuing, “See, on Kitahmasune, we spend two seasons helping with a task then move on to the next from the time we have seen three springs until we return from our rite of passage travel - so to speak. Since few leave after the first time, it is kind of expected we will have figured out what we want to do as our role in the community by the time we get back. I have not really figured out what I want to do yet. I like exploring this land and finding out more information, though.”
That was an interesting question. Considering it a bit Ariel gave a bit of a shrug. ”I can’t say I wanted to be a mage. It just kind of happened when I started getting magic and I didn’t know how to deal with it. That was why I joined Phoenix Wing.” Even though it seemed like she did it out of necessity her expression brightened. ”Since then though I’ve made a lot of friends and have had the opportunity to learn a lot. I’ve kind of branched out a bit into being uh… a guess a celebrity, but that’s a really new thing so we’ll just have to see how that turns out.” Even though a lot of people would probably die to be in her position, Ariel didn’t completely see the position as that big of a deal yet. Link most things it just fell into her lap.
Nyssa watched Ariel talk, listening intently. Her right ear twitched slightly at the pause, trying to hear if there was some other potential reason for hesitation aside from figuring out phrasing. Of course, her expression skewed from intent consideration to quizzical. “What is a celebrity?” She bounced to sit a bit straighter up as her expression changed to a more cheery smile. “Actually, wait. So, okay, no I do want to know what a celebrity is too, but - how does one join a guild? Like, do you think I could join this Phoenix Wing with you? This is the first time I have really met someone from a guild and if I want to learn more about the magic and stuff, joining a guild would be good to do, would you not agree?”
Ariel would nod emphatically. ”Oh yes, a guild is definitely the way to go for learning magic around here. Only a small percentage of people can really use it so they tend to come together in guilds. Guilds have different requirements to join sometimes but Phoenix Wing is open to almost everyone so long as you aren’t out to hurt people. I’m sure they would love to have you.” It had suddenly dawned on her that her newfound fame might be something of a recruitment tool. Not so much here, but for people that follow that kind of thing. Rummaging around in a small pack she’d carried along with her she pulled out an issue of Sorcerers Magazine.
Holding it up there was a photo of a mage, not Ariel, but she was all prettied up as one might expect. Flipping through a few pages she found the one featuring herself with some other up and comings. ”A celebrity is someone that is famous. It could be for a lot of reasons but this book highlights mages. This is my first issue so I’m just starting. It’s kind of weird to tell the truth. I’m not really an amazing mage or anything. Figured it was worth a shot though.”
“Only a small percentage of people use magic here? I thought everyone could, just not many were open about it. Everyone on Kitahmasune can use magic, we generally know what type we can do by the time we’ve seen three summers. I was - what you would call - a late developer. We have not had an elemental dancer in a couple generations so it took a bit longer to determine what I could do.” Nyssa shrugged lightly, taking a drink of her water. “But if I had not discovered what my gift was, I would have been the first in a very long history to not have magic.”
Her mind was pretty made up at that point about what her next move was after they ate. Phoenix Wing was big, that made it the best place to go learn more about magic and stuff. If Ariel belonged to it, that was even better because she knew someone there - not as awkward as possibly walking into a place she didn’t know and asking to join. She’d found some didn’t like that.
Upon being shown the magazine, the girl’s eyes widened slightly and she leaned forward to look better. “Wow, they do a very good job drawing people. Famous means people everywhere that reads this knows who you are, right? They get very talented artists to make it so life-like in the drawing.” She looked at Ariel, still smiling brightly. “But if you said they are famous for many reasons, it does not matter if you think you are all that good at your own magic. You are pretty and nice and a good person, right? So maybe that is why they chose you. Interesting magic, nice person, a good person to feature and hope others will want to be like her. Right? A, um...” her gaze searched the table like it would provide the answer, then shot right back to Ariel’s face with a smile. “A role model!”
Aw, that was a very nice thing to hear. Suppose it could mean a lot more than at first glance. She put the magazine down. ”T-Thank you.” She seemed to stumble a bit as her magic tried unsuccessfully to find something that matched her feelings. That passed soon enough though as she felt more inspired and her Crystal magic surfaced. Energized she made two fists and looked ready to go all the sudden. ”Yeah, that’s a good goal to have. Thank you Nyssa. I will try and do that.” The light shimmered over her dress and hair slightly having said that.
Their food arrived shortly after and the waiter was a little confused that Ariel looked different. Not to be rude though he didn’t say anything and served them both. Refilling their drinks he asked if there was anything else they needed. Neither really having anything they were left to their meal.
Taking a few bites it was just like she remembered. All the memories popped back to her as she glanced around the place again. Not to ignore her guest though she refocused on Nyssa. ”So, you’ve told me a little about yourself. You have Dance magic? It looks really fun. What are you looking to do here in Fiore? What’s it like at home?” While the Exceed magic was the curious sort she could display similar feelings with other magics. Passion was a fairly versatile emotion that lent to a sort of focus. And right now that was turning the tables on the Kitsune girl.
Nyssa enjoyed watching the change Ariel went under yet again as she changed from the more yellowed heues to pinks. The more time she spent with Ariel, the more she found herself interested to see just how many different appearances the woman had. It was interesting to watch, but it also had to do with the magic - and the older mage had said she had two dozen magics. That was a lot of different appearances - a lot of interesting traits.
When the food arrived, the kitsune chirped a thanks for it, and echoed not needing anything else. In fact, it was hard to imagine the food would smell even better in front of her but it did. She almost melted in delight from the taste as she began to eat it too. With the questions posed to her, Nyssa turned her bright purple gaze upon the color changing mage before her. “Well, home is much different than here. We are a community - everyone does their part and shares everything. In fact, short of people deciding to have their own huts, the only thing we really have to our own - if we decide - is a blanket. Everything else is shared. Including living spaces and meals. Most of the village’s children stay in a communal hut. We spend time learning different duties around the village once we are old enough, and spend our days learning the history of our people from elders before then. Every two seasons, once we have seen three springs, we move on to try a new task and that cycle continues until we have seen sixteen springs - and thus leave for our rite of passage to travel. When we decide we wish to return - after a night, after several nights, or several full moon phases - there is a ritual we do to notify the ferryman to help bring us home. Upon returning, we are expected to pick a task to be ours for the rest of our lives until we are declared elders or die; it is not unheard of to change your declared adult task, but it is rare and thus becomes the talk of the village.”
She shrugged lightly, still quite cheerful, though, as she ate another bite. “Part of the tasks allows us time so that we also work with mentors - older Kitsune that are more developed in their magic, that can act as guides to help us develop our magic. My dance is not like that of other kitsune, so I spent time with many mentors but nothing worked until I finally was practicing dance with a group near a fire and I felt a calling. The flames reacted when I moved to the rhythm I felt in my heart and the rest, as I have heard it said, is history.”
Her gaze drifted over the others in the restaurant, over the fixtures and walls, before drifting out the window to the fields across the road. She finished another portion of her food, considering the other question she had not answered yet before turning her attention back to her generous companion. “I suppose what I am looking for being in Fiore currently is just a chance to just experience life. It is not a bad life on Kitahmasune, but it is mostly one that is rather...repetitious? The same thing each day. Even getting to switch jobs every two seasons made me feel trapped like flames by the pit in which they burn. I experienced everything and, while many of the other children found a preference by the time they had even seen twelve springs, I still have yet to figure out where it is I truly feel I belong within the community. So, maybe in my travels, I will find what spirits intend to be my purpose.”
All this was fascinating to Ariel. It did sound like a very different culture and she could understand now why things here seemed strange to the girl. Fiore had a lot to take in in comparison. It would for sure take some time to adjust. ”I can understand that.” She mused a bit between bites. ”I started traveling to find my place in the world. I’m not sure I’m there just yet, but I do feel I’m closer than when I started.” At least she had a place to call home and friends to support her. That was a big part that she hadn’t really had prior.
Taking a little more time to eat the two chatted about various things, most being Ariel filling Nyssa in on things people here did and such. The more they spoke the clearer it became that the Kitsune had become fascinated with the idea of joining Phoenix Wing. Seeing as she was already planning to head that way Ariel agreed to bring her along. Nyssa was insistent on paying Ariel back in some way as well. Once they were done the woman paid and they departed the establishment. Much like they had done earlier they would make the trip to Magnolia with Ariel’s Exceed magic. Not having any further affairs to attend to the two went on their journey to the guild hall.
Switching out of her Exceed magic Ariel headed straight for the hall. Her new companion surly following close behind. Pausing for a moment she gathered her excitement. Aside from those that may have seen the magazine this would be the first time most would see the new Ariel. Pushing the doors open she stepped into a bustling Phoenix Wing. Many of the members were here and she had arrived just in time to hear Damian's small announcement. Scanning the room she spotted the group around Nolan. Of course that was the direction she started heading, greeting others as she did. "Hello everyone!" She had to call out a bit louder than usual to be overheard as she approached.
Walking right up to Nolan she gave him a kiss before anyone else could interrupt her. "Sorry I'm a little late. I had to help someone who wanted to visit the guild." Taking a step away and brushing her hair back she gave a little twirl to show off her new look. "What do you think? Took a little getting used to but I think it works, yeah?" She gave them all a smile and waited for their responses. She wanted to get this bit out of the way first. Mostly because it was bound to come up early on. It was a rather obvious and striking change from her typically more reserved choice in dress.
Punished GN
Lunarlord34
