One had to start somewhere, or so they said…but this job created more than a few questions. From what her friend said prior to her joining a guild, mages sounded amazing! Oh the adventures she’d surely have, the enemies she’d face, the problems she’d solve! ’I suppose glory tends to gloss over the smaller, slightly more insignificant jobs. Just because someone defeats a monster doesn’t mean they didn’t once play delivery person.’ Choosing not to sweat the small details – because really, now probably wasn’t the time to be seeking super grand adventures nor taking on monsters – Mao’s trek finally brought her into town.
The street bustled with lackadaisical activity, no one in a particular rush to get anywhere as they moseyed from one shop to the next. Restaurants and cafés framed the various boutiques and other shops, a lot of people walking in pair’s and yet a few solo acts flitted about. Couples and friends mostly from Mao’s observations, but a few parents walked about with their children following or hand held firmly to prevent potential escape. Only one person really stood out on this street, and that was because of his exuberant waving after nearly knocking his chair over from the sheer force of standing up. People seated around him looked over in curiosity, their brows raising a bit more as their gazes eventually fell on her. As far as they could tell, this hyperactive man was – apparently – waiting for a shady looking character…or at least, Mao surmised that much. Without that friend she would be less aware of how…questionable she dressed to the normal person’s perspective. On such a nice and sunny day as this, most chose summery styles of spaghetti strap tank tops or dresses, shorts and skirts, and some variety of open-toed shoe while she looked ready for a cool autumn day with almost every inch covered.
Never mind the large tail jutting from her backside compared to these normal Homo sapiens.
Pulling the gray, woven scarf off her head, Mao unraveled it a little to allow for more ventilation as she took the proffered seat. Ice water was quickly placed before her by the attentive staff, the person’s smile not wavering despite the obvious questions pooling in her eyes as the waitress offered a menu. Offering her a small smile, Mao waved off the offer since she didn’t plan to be here longer than necessary. Already she could sense the discomfort her presence offered to the people nearby, their hushed whispers not going unnoticed even if she refused to react. No matter how many mages existed in the world, the slightly odd appearances of many would likely inspire stares from the common folk. Rather than focus on them, the woman’s attention turned to the man after a few gulps of the cool liquid. ’Hmm…an eager fellow,’ she thought, watching the man on the verge of bouncing in his seat.
A small part of her feared he might wet himself in sheer excitement, at least if he’d drank too much before her arrival.
”YOU’RE HERE! YOU’RE FINALLY HERE!” he shouted, arms thrown out and nearly colliding with a waitress and patron. The suddenness of it shocked everyone into silence and even Mao’s eyes widened slightly. ”This is WONDERFUL! You don’t know how many times I’ve written this letter, waiting for this moment andI’mjustsohappysomeoneacceptedmyrequestthatI-“ Oh dear now his words began slurring into one super one that Mao had to interrupt, lest he delve further into unintelligible babble as she held out a hand for said letter, ”And who is the recipient? You failed to mention that in the request. Are they nearby?”
Given his observed attitude, she wouldn’t have been surprised to receive a crumpled letter, the thing probably stuck in a pocket in his eager rush to meet up so when he pulled a binder with a very crisp envelope from his backpack, Mao’s eyebrows shot up. In very elegant font it stated the woman’s name, though Mao could just make it out: Kathy. As she stared at the writing and envelope in fascination, the man started waxing poetic about the love of his life and comparing her looks to various things the average person would consider “beautiful” because they were the same things Mao read in a lot of fictional love stories. Still, his enthusiasm wasn’t to be doubted even if she questioned his creativity.
”-and she’s coming TODAY! Can you believe that luck? I MUST BE THE LUCKIEST MAN IN THE WORLD! I still can’t believe how far she’s come in her dreams of being a model-“
”Ah,” again she interrupted, lest they be there forever, and stood, ”thank you for this opportunity. I’ll be sure not to let you down, though I cannot promise the outcome of these events…Err…I wish you luck.” Was it all right to wish him luck? She figured it should be okay to show a modicum of bias if only because he was the client. Whatever her concerns seemed to go unnoticed as he profusely thanked her, vigorously shaking her free hand as he all but shouted his gratuity. This man…was exhausting to be around, especially for someone used to more quiet environments, so Mao briskly walked away and returned the scarf to covering her head and ears. ’Could this be…embarrassment?’ Her cheeks did feel a little warm…
No, surely it was the heat.
Twenty minutes later found Mao standing outside of the photoshoot location, letter in hand, and a swarm of fans in front of her. They moved like water, ebbing and flowing this way and that, ensuring the two burly men guarding the entry earned their paychecks. These men hardly seemed different from the client, their eagerness and excitement palpable to even the most oblivious of people. Only their shared past set him apart from the crowd. Eyes drifted back down to the letter in hand, a small curiosity floating through Mao’s mind.
’What is it like to have a childhood friend? A love worth embarrassing yourself over?’
Making it inside proved ridiculously easier than Mao anticipated. In fact, if anything it only furthered a minor trauma as some skinny man dressed in primary colors all but shoved her through the back door, voice shouting about how, “extra’s shouldn’t be late!” and further going on about how this wasn’t an Arabian photoshoot so why was she dressed,” all wrong and in such clothes?! Well at least you brought animal parts with you, but the tail is all wrong too!” Luckily someone from the equipment team caught his attention and he waved her off in the direction of the dressing rooms to, “get ready,” while they solved whatever problem arose. Something about the lighting…
The girl stood out from the other girls, a certain glow and happiness emanating as she sat quietly at her mirror. Her hair wasn’t spun gold, more of a pure desert sand, and eyes not quite a tropical ocean – more a sky blue…but she could see the beauty there, and wondered if “love” somehow transformed a person in the eyes of another. Well, regardless, the short mage didn’t wish to make things too awkward or drag this out, so she settled for leaning down to whisper, ”This is from him,” and gently placing the letter on the table in front of her. Like a ghost she quickly vanished behind trails of feathered-boas and outlandish costumes before the girl could react too much. Whether she read, and even accepted the man’s feelings, were all up to her. Mao was simply the messenger.
The street bustled with lackadaisical activity, no one in a particular rush to get anywhere as they moseyed from one shop to the next. Restaurants and cafés framed the various boutiques and other shops, a lot of people walking in pair’s and yet a few solo acts flitted about. Couples and friends mostly from Mao’s observations, but a few parents walked about with their children following or hand held firmly to prevent potential escape. Only one person really stood out on this street, and that was because of his exuberant waving after nearly knocking his chair over from the sheer force of standing up. People seated around him looked over in curiosity, their brows raising a bit more as their gazes eventually fell on her. As far as they could tell, this hyperactive man was – apparently – waiting for a shady looking character…or at least, Mao surmised that much. Without that friend she would be less aware of how…questionable she dressed to the normal person’s perspective. On such a nice and sunny day as this, most chose summery styles of spaghetti strap tank tops or dresses, shorts and skirts, and some variety of open-toed shoe while she looked ready for a cool autumn day with almost every inch covered.
Never mind the large tail jutting from her backside compared to these normal Homo sapiens.
Pulling the gray, woven scarf off her head, Mao unraveled it a little to allow for more ventilation as she took the proffered seat. Ice water was quickly placed before her by the attentive staff, the person’s smile not wavering despite the obvious questions pooling in her eyes as the waitress offered a menu. Offering her a small smile, Mao waved off the offer since she didn’t plan to be here longer than necessary. Already she could sense the discomfort her presence offered to the people nearby, their hushed whispers not going unnoticed even if she refused to react. No matter how many mages existed in the world, the slightly odd appearances of many would likely inspire stares from the common folk. Rather than focus on them, the woman’s attention turned to the man after a few gulps of the cool liquid. ’Hmm…an eager fellow,’ she thought, watching the man on the verge of bouncing in his seat.
A small part of her feared he might wet himself in sheer excitement, at least if he’d drank too much before her arrival.
”YOU’RE HERE! YOU’RE FINALLY HERE!” he shouted, arms thrown out and nearly colliding with a waitress and patron. The suddenness of it shocked everyone into silence and even Mao’s eyes widened slightly. ”This is WONDERFUL! You don’t know how many times I’ve written this letter, waiting for this moment andI’mjustsohappysomeoneacceptedmyrequestthatI-“ Oh dear now his words began slurring into one super one that Mao had to interrupt, lest he delve further into unintelligible babble as she held out a hand for said letter, ”And who is the recipient? You failed to mention that in the request. Are they nearby?”
Given his observed attitude, she wouldn’t have been surprised to receive a crumpled letter, the thing probably stuck in a pocket in his eager rush to meet up so when he pulled a binder with a very crisp envelope from his backpack, Mao’s eyebrows shot up. In very elegant font it stated the woman’s name, though Mao could just make it out: Kathy. As she stared at the writing and envelope in fascination, the man started waxing poetic about the love of his life and comparing her looks to various things the average person would consider “beautiful” because they were the same things Mao read in a lot of fictional love stories. Still, his enthusiasm wasn’t to be doubted even if she questioned his creativity.
”-and she’s coming TODAY! Can you believe that luck? I MUST BE THE LUCKIEST MAN IN THE WORLD! I still can’t believe how far she’s come in her dreams of being a model-“
”Ah,” again she interrupted, lest they be there forever, and stood, ”thank you for this opportunity. I’ll be sure not to let you down, though I cannot promise the outcome of these events…Err…I wish you luck.” Was it all right to wish him luck? She figured it should be okay to show a modicum of bias if only because he was the client. Whatever her concerns seemed to go unnoticed as he profusely thanked her, vigorously shaking her free hand as he all but shouted his gratuity. This man…was exhausting to be around, especially for someone used to more quiet environments, so Mao briskly walked away and returned the scarf to covering her head and ears. ’Could this be…embarrassment?’ Her cheeks did feel a little warm…
No, surely it was the heat.
Twenty minutes later found Mao standing outside of the photoshoot location, letter in hand, and a swarm of fans in front of her. They moved like water, ebbing and flowing this way and that, ensuring the two burly men guarding the entry earned their paychecks. These men hardly seemed different from the client, their eagerness and excitement palpable to even the most oblivious of people. Only their shared past set him apart from the crowd. Eyes drifted back down to the letter in hand, a small curiosity floating through Mao’s mind.
’What is it like to have a childhood friend? A love worth embarrassing yourself over?’
Making it inside proved ridiculously easier than Mao anticipated. In fact, if anything it only furthered a minor trauma as some skinny man dressed in primary colors all but shoved her through the back door, voice shouting about how, “extra’s shouldn’t be late!” and further going on about how this wasn’t an Arabian photoshoot so why was she dressed,” all wrong and in such clothes?! Well at least you brought animal parts with you, but the tail is all wrong too!” Luckily someone from the equipment team caught his attention and he waved her off in the direction of the dressing rooms to, “get ready,” while they solved whatever problem arose. Something about the lighting…
The girl stood out from the other girls, a certain glow and happiness emanating as she sat quietly at her mirror. Her hair wasn’t spun gold, more of a pure desert sand, and eyes not quite a tropical ocean – more a sky blue…but she could see the beauty there, and wondered if “love” somehow transformed a person in the eyes of another. Well, regardless, the short mage didn’t wish to make things too awkward or drag this out, so she settled for leaning down to whisper, ”This is from him,” and gently placing the letter on the table in front of her. Like a ghost she quickly vanished behind trails of feathered-boas and outlandish costumes before the girl could react too much. Whether she read, and even accepted the man’s feelings, were all up to her. Mao was simply the messenger.
