All hail the King! // Private // Gil's Secondary training

Nighttime. The gentle, yet cold breeze swept through the lonely plain and mountains surrounding the sleeping cities of Fiore, brushing past the immense plains of perfect, green grass. There could be nothing heard, on those majestic plains; silence reigned in the scene, bathing everything in bliss from the lack of sound, of bothersome, tiring noise, which tortured the poor minds of the already exhausted people in daytime. It was no mystery why many enjoyed nighttime; it was all so peaceful. So... harmonical and pure.

Yet, not everything in the night was harmonic and pure. Even in daytime, there were a plethora of things, people, and even locations, that were cursed for life, and regardless of the time, remained like that. Nothing could appease them, nothing could make these locations look less terrifying or preoccupying. Stories of their past, spread through all Fiore gave certain locations a gloomy, scary fame , making people avoid them at all cost. Yet, did everyone avoid those places? Or were there people, foolish enough, as to go to them? And were those people foolish, in reality? Who knew; perhaps they were foolish; insane, even. Or perhaps they felt at peace in the places that related to their soul. After all, only the cursed souls felt at ease in malevolent locations.

Staring at the majestic, black building before her, a petite figure stood tall in the night, standing out as the only person out this late at night, when everyone else was either asleep, trying to get some hours of relax and rest before the next day of work, or with their families. Yet; there it was, the small feminine figure, out late at night, standing tall and fearsome before one of the most well-known buildings in Fiore; the Haunted Castle. Deemed wicked due to the legends and eerie occurances within it, the unexplicable dissapearances and weird stories about it, humanity has kept the tradition of staying away from that castle. Yet; Janneline Ariel, fearless as she was, didn't. Blonde, straight locks, falling on her back like a waterfall of gold, icy blue eyes scanning the bulding before her with unhidden interest, the Savage Skull Guildmaster crossed her hands over her chest, her skin making contact with the perfect, short silky red dress, falling on her petite, yet with some nice to the eye curves. Biting her lip softly, impatiently tapping her heel against the stone path beneath her feet, the girl leaned against a nearby pillar, sighing in expectation.

So many things had changed in her life. Aside from her physical appearance. No longer was she a simple member of Savage Skull; she had risen through the ranks somehow, and had been left in charge as the Guildmaster. Harrigan had left, leaving the Guild in her hands and destroying the world she knew. Janna, being who she was, a homunculus created to be the perfect knight, had suddenly became the leader of a dark, twisted army, losing the person she had sworn to be loyal to until death. Naturally, the sudden change of position, the sudden rise to the position she had desired for so long, yet never dared to try to achieve due to her unconditional loyalty, had confused the blonde, making her take a few days off, a few days alone, to think through the entirely new scenario she was forming part of. It had not taken her too much time to recover from the shock and surprise of the events, yet when she had, the first thing she had done was to get to work, blaming herself for abandoning the guild for the few days she needed to assimilate the news and make a strategy on how to act further. Ever since then, she had been burried in responsibilities; paperwork, spying on legal guilds, planning how the alliances with the other dark guilds, and so forth. The new chapter she was beginning in her life, not as a simple member, but as a Guild Master, had been marked by the endless work.

Yet not long ago, something had arrived that caught her attention enough to make her forget about her obligations for a while, and focus on the simple task that had made its way to her busy hands. One afternoon; a simple, silent, dark afternoon, like any other in the Savage Skull guildhall, a package had arriven to her; sent by a masked person who had refused to reveal his identity. Albeit suspicious at first about the content of the package because of the masked person, Janna had ended up opening the mysterious object, neatly wrapped, with a perfect handwriting on top, her name written and clearly visible, her curiosity killing her on the inside. She wanted to see what the inside hid, what was the object she had received; and why her. Her surprise when she discovered it was an apparently old book, and a letter, again adressed to her, had been immense. Almost as big as it had been, when she read what the letter said, which had caused a nuclear bomb of feelings to explode in her inside; curiosity, for the task she had been given was a rather peculiar one; excitement, for it involved someone that Janna was genuinely interested in; and determination, for she wanted to complete the task at all costs. She had been hired, to mentor a certain member of a Dark Guild; an arrogant blonde with a Royalty complex, whom she had met a cold night in Rose Garden, and who had quickly become someone she had taken interested in; for his attitude, so similar to hers, attracted her to him. The idea of meeting him once again made Janna rather excited; not excited like a teenager who would meet her boyfriend after a long time of being separated; but excited and curious for the outcome of the little meeting.

Would he still remember her? Would he even want to see her again? Would he come to the Haunted Castle? Janna had invited him to come over in a simple letter, she had sent to the Tartarus guild member, explaining that she and him had to deal with some rather important and peculiar "business" matters. She wondered, really wondered, if he'd bother to come. He should want to see her; they had separated on good terms, and after a rather... entertaining night. There was no reason for him to not want to see her. Although... Would he recognise her? How would he react to her new appearance? So many questions occupied the blonde's mind, making her shake her head in exhaustion, her blue eyes calmly set on the moon.

She would, hopefully, get the answer to all these questions soon enough.  

1119 words // @The bae Gil // 1st Mentor post OAO // smth here

Well, well, so he had decided to show up? How interesting. For a second, for reasons unknown to Janneline herself, the golden haired girl had thought that her... boyfriend? friend with benefits? wouldn't show up. Janna was not sure what name exactly should she give to their small, yet peculiar, interesting relationship.  It didn't matter much right now. The reason as to why she had called him to meet her up at one of the forgotten places in Earthland, one of the most feared ones, was most certainly not to discuss their relationship; or at least, not now. Glancing to her left, there, where the blond male was coming from, a small smirk drawing on her lips. Her grip on the ancient tome, which she carefully carried in a small, yet elegant bag, tightened slightly, the Savage Skull Guildmaster returning her icy blue eyes on the beautiful moon which shined above, a gentle smile drawing on her lips at the memory of Diana. The Moon Goddess had given her so much, asking so little in exchange, which made Janneline feel eternally grateful towards the Roman Godess, and develop some sort of adoration for her, gratitude for the incredibly useful gifts she had received from her. She was the Scorn of the Moon. The physical embodiment of the scorn that the moon felt towards those who were unpure. Albeit many would be ashamed of such a title, of such a horrid title, Janna was rather proud of it. Although many thought the power of the moon was small, useless, the moon was insanely powerful. And many realized that as Janna's weapons, infused with the power of the moon, pierced them.

Lifting her eyebrow as she slowly turned to Gil, hands falling to her sides gently, the blonde analyzed the Tartarus mage for a few seconds, his overall appearance and attitude, as well as his reaction to her presence surprising her quite a lot. Where was that air of supperiority and arrogance that he constantly had the first time she met him? Why did he appear so exhausted, so different from last time? Janna, who had went through a couple of changes in her life, considered that her overall attitude, appearance, and so forth, had changed drastically. But Gil? What had he went through, to make him suffer a change so grand, and negative? She had not spoken to him in quite a while; so she was quite unsure as to what exactly had happened to him. And his reaction to her presence? The first time they had met, at least he had been arrogant. And considering all they had gone through the first time they had met, why did her appearance meet with such a reaction now? What had changed? Or, what had changed in him? Because Janna may have changed physically; perhaps even some personality matters have changed in her. But her attitude, her feelings towards him, which, apparently, existed, which only further proved that she was a failure as a Homunculus, had not change one bit. They were still the same as that night.

Good evening, Gil. A calm, soft greeting escaped Janna's lips as she looked at the blonde Tartarus mage standing before her, still leaning against the same pillar from before, although this time her shoulder against the massive construction, instead of her back. The bag with the book hanging on her shoulder, the Savage Skull Guildmaster thought carefully what her next words should be, so that she wouldn't displease Gil in any way; nor should she seem too... clingy. Absentmindedly pushing a lock of golden hair behind her ear, her icy blue eyes locked on the Tartarus mage, Janna kept quiet for a few seconds, the only sound being that of the wind brushing the already falling leaves of the trees, the cold breeze reaching to her, making her shiver slightly. Perhaps it had been an error to not bring a jacket tonight. Oh well. Not like it mattered; Janna was simply unamused by the cold, not even bothered. It has been quite a long time since I last saw you.

Getting away from the pillar, regaining her balance on the heels, before heading over to Gil, the new Savage Skull guildmaster calmlmy walked towards him, the sound of her heels impacting against the stone floor filling the night as she approached the man, who had caught her attention in Rose Garden, her image radiating elegance and beauty. One couldn't see the malice and evil stored in her heart as he watched her, and instead would only see a pretty face, a mask of beauty and innocence used to hide away her malevolent nature. Tell me; are you not happy to see me? Janneline asked, as she finally reached the Tartarus mage, her body a meter away from his. Her sweet, calm voice was now the only thing that could be heard in the cold night, the wind settling down for a little, almost as if it too awaited to see the answer from Gil, before it blew again. And I thought I had changed. Now, what has happened to make you seem this... miserable? You're missing that air of arrogance and superiority from the night we met, and that surprises me. Kings aren't supposed to look miserable, just saying. You better bring back that air of arrogance and supperiority if you want to be a King, darling.

0902 words // @The bae Gil // 2/10 // smth here

« tag: @Janna // Words: N/A // Notes: Sorry for the delay! »

Curiosity. It filled the blonde girl entirely, appearting in her calm icy blue eyes for a second, a glimpse of what she felt. How could the man that had been so calm, so arrogant, so... majestic, when she had met him, become so miserable in no time? Janna was ignoring the fact that she would have been the same if she had betrayed her Guildmaster, who had now dissapeared, lost in the unknown, or if she had failed to complete a task, yet Gil? She had never expected to see him in this way, to see him act so miserable. Janneline most certainly wanted to know the reason hidden behind Gil's odd attitude. Had it been failure? Perhaps regret for the time they spent together and what they did? Who knew. Hopefully, she would find out soon enough. Hopefully.

Yet, their relationship was not the subject that she wanted to treat with him, not tonight, at the very least. They had other work to discuss, related with the book that Gil had mentioned. Did he not know that the book was in Janna's hands? So it had been Lyserg, who came to seek her that day, and give her the book that would lead Gil to unlocking new powers. It was... Unexpected, to say at least. Janna had never thought that another Guildmaster, the Tartarus one, to be certain, owuld come to seek her, in the first place, and so soon after her rise, when even the news of Harrigan's dissapearance had not spread outside Savage Skull. Heck; even only part of Savage Skull knew. The rise of the new guildmaster had been silent, a simple notice of the change of reign sent to the Guildmembers. Janneline had refused to do a grand ceremony, announcing the change, much like other Guildmasters did mainly because she saw no reason to celebrate the dissapearance, the sudden leave of a Guildmaster, mostly someone like Harrigan, someone who had brought Savage Skull to fame. There was absolutely no reaso to celebrate his dissapearance. It was tragic.

A faint smile crossing her lips as she felt Gil's warm hand cup her cheek, Janna's analytic eyes shifted back to him, focused on the miserable look that he had on his face. Did he feel so miserable just because he had been uncapable to achieve a magic? Because his Guildmaster refused to let him do so? That was foolish. Mostly considering that now, he had a second chance to learn said magic. And with someone who wouldn't let him through, until he assimilated it, and was capable to sucessfully perform spells associated with it. Janna was a strict teacher, but one that taught you things. Even if it was the hard way, making you sweat and fight for it. You mean this book? The words left Janna's lips gently, as she took out the ancient tome from the bag in which she carried it, showing it to Gil, patiently awaiting his reaction. Would he be surprised that she had it? Displeased? Or perhaps, just perhaps, he would feel fortunate that he had been given a second chance to learn what he failed to learn the first time?

A masked figure came to the Savage Skull guildhall soon after I became a Guildmaster. It, or rather, he, asked me to try to teach you this magic you are willing to learn, since he had been uncapable to do so... Mainly due to the lack of time to do so. The blonde, petite girl explained softly, holding the book in her left hand still. She wouldn't give the ancient tome to Gil. Or, at least, not until she was perfectly sure that he'd put an effort in learning the magic, and leave behind this petty, miserable attitude. And this is why I called you here tonight. To give you a second chance to learn this magic, Gil, but not with Lyserg; but with me. The question is... For the first time since Janna and Gil met, the soft, arrogant shine in her eyes dissapeared, replaced by a serious look, which only wanted to prove to him, that she was absolutely serious with what she was doing, what she was saying, and expected the same attitude from him. She didn't want to see a petty, miserable Gil; she wanted the Arrogant, slightly narcissistic Gil, with his attitude and ego of a King, with the daring, arrogant look in his eyes. The same look as he had the night they met. Are you willing to learn the magic? Or do you give up? Are you willing to achieve power, to become an actual King, or are you going to dissapoint me, and continue succumbing in misery?

Had she been blunt? Had she manipulated him, by telling him he'd dissapoint her? Perhaps. But, after all, The end justified the means, and Janna had been proved years ago, that there was too much truth hidden in that little sentence.

0832 words // @The bae Gil // 3/10 // smth here

"Well go on guild master teach me something."

« tag: @Janna // Words: N/A // Notes: Sorry for the delay! »

Wasn't this situation oh so amusing? In a matter of seconds, Gil's miserable attitude switched back to his normal, arrogant one, at the sight of the ancient tome, laying in Janna's hands. A smirk spreading across her lips as she watched the blonde male approach her, coming so near that the petite body of the Savage Skull Guildmaster and his were touching, his lips near her ear, his hand sliding down her arm ever so silently and towards the Book Janneline held in her hand. Enjoying the closeness between the two for a few more seconds, memories rushed back into Janneline's mind from the day they met. Oh, the gods must have laughed so much then. Uniting two arrogant, narcisisstic beings, which, aside from their common attitude, had common beliefs and views about society, was definetly something that'd lead to an explosion of insane proportions. You cannot simply expect to unite two dark mages with the same attitude and await something good out of that. It was impossible.

At least, the memories were pleasant. The perfection, the warmth of the other, in one night, so many things had happened. And then, they had stopped speaking for a while. Not because they did not know where the other was. Nonesense. Both knew eachother's guild and how to find the other, but yet, this was their first meeting after that night. Feeling his warmth near her was perhaps the most pleasant feeling in the world, and seeing the tall figure of Gil before her was probably the sight Janna enjoyed the most. He was far too similar to her for her to be indifferent towards him, like she was with any other male. And honestly, she enjoyed his company. But that is not the subject at hand. Enjoying his warmth, the closeness, for a few more seconds than she should have, Janneline took a small, albeit elegant step back, her heels making a dull sound against the hard ground beneath her. Naturally, due to the fact that she moved away, her arm separated from Gil's hand, placing a small distance between the two. An arrogant grin adorning her lips, Janna crossed her arms, embracing the book, keeping it against her chest. The chest, inside of which lacked a beating heart. Although Janna was used to the silence inside of her chest, to the lack of a beating heart, it was still interesting to see the people's shocked faces when they failed to encounter her pulse; yet saw her walking, talking, living. She lacked a heart, yet she was a living being.

Perhaps this was why she was so heartless anyways. Probably, the creatures that lacked a beating heart were also the most merciless ones. Not that it was a bad thing, considering what guild Janna pertained to... Or rather, what guild Janna led.

So, he was willing to allow her to teach him the magic? How amusing, yet how foolish. Poor Gil had no idea that Janna was a harsh teacher. Life had taught her that lessons are learnt best the hard way. She had no students precisely because she was a harsh, harsh teacher. It was practice that brought perfection, not theory. Albeit, it was still important to know the teory, tons of practice was what taught you how to use magic, and in stressful situations, at that. He was going to have a hard time; but hopefully, he'd learn something. Unless he was really dim-witted. And Janna hoped he wasn't; she wouldn't want to... go out? with someone that was dim-witted, someone that couldn't go on par with her own intelligence, someone that was incapable of entertaining her not only through the pleasures of the flesh, but also through the pleasure of keeping eachother company and through the art of speech.

Oh, but muffin, I'd mock you even if I wasn't a Guildmaster. You know how I am. The words left Janna's lips in a soft, sweet, yet arrogant tone, icy blue eyes focused on Gil as her grip on the book tightened. She'd have to give him the book, so there was no use in keeping it close to her anyways. Well, she would have to give him the book if Gil had not learnt the theory. Or if somebody had not permitted him to do so. It would be really sad, honestly, if he had been forbidden to access knowledge. Knowledge was, after all, one of the essentials needed to achieve happiness according to one of the ancient philosophers. Plus, no human being should be forbidden to achieve the knowledge it desired. I feel the need to warn you, though. I am no soft teacher. You know my affiliations and beliefs, so you must know that I shall not hesitate in trying to kill you, if it can make you learn a certain spell. I believe, though, that with everything inside the castle behind me, I won't need to fulfill that function myself. Anyways, to the issue at hand; See the castle behind me? It's yours. Yes, you heard me right. That castle is yours, as long as you conquer it. The smile on Janna's face remained, although the topics she now treated were far from fun; they were, in fact, business related, yet she felt no need to stop smiling. After all, why would a psychopath stop smiling at the mention of business; what's more, the mention of it was more of a reason to smile. Consider it the first land you shall conquer as a king. Then, Fiore will follow. Then, Earthland. But you have to start from here. Now, don't be mistaken. The castle is like a freakshow at this very moment; my beloved father was so nice, he filled it with his failed test subjects and creations, and those hideous things have taken over the entire building. Now you need to conquer it. Kill them all using the minimum necessary amount of your primary magic, and try to use mostly the magic you are supposed to learn. Now that we're on topic, do you know at least the basics or the theory of the magic you desire to learn, my King?

Oh, little did Gil know, the freaks that Janna spoke about with such hatred and disgust, were her siblings, older and younger, failed subjects and creations which her father, heartless as the daughter, had thrown away so they can serve at least to their sister. Even if the function they'd exercise was that of bait.

1084 words // @The bae Gil // 4/10 // smth here