The one who waits...alot

There is a difference between hearing about a castle and seeing one. What a lot of people take for granted is just how different each castle can be. They can be made to house kings or defend the realm. Castles also have different designs based upon where they are placed; a castle in the middle of a plain for instance would have to rely on designs built into it in order to forge a good defensive barrier that is easy to defend. The castle that Raymond currently found himself before was built into a mountainside. Its spires were rising far higher into the sky then normal providing great scope of sight around the small town below the mountain. A narrow yet obvious road leads to the front gates of the castle and that was the place that Raymond currently found himself.

“I’m not going to do it. You can’t convince me.” It would seem as if Raymond was talking to no one. He was standing in front of the gates to the castle but he hasn’t gone in yet. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly wrong with him except for the fact that a pigeon was sitting in front of him perched atop a fence. This also appeared to be the recipient of his conversation. A fluttering of hoots and tweets followed Raymond’s declaration.

The stubborn man seemed to give in at some point and threw his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright! No need to call me names.” He stared off at the looming gates for a bit. After a pregnant pause he turned to look back at the bird, a look of defeat upon him. “I’ll try again but I’m telling you it’s not going to happen. I am just going to walk into the castle look at that damn thing and just…do nothing.” With that he started walking towards the gate and into the castle.

Large pillars supported the cathedral ceiling and yet despite the staggering height of the ceiling there were no cobwebs or other signs of dust. This was a good sign that magic was involved in some way because a normal castle would have a hard time reaching every spot to clean. It’s the small things that people often take for granted. In fact, Raymond didn’t really notice these things at this time as he was making a beeline for a special area of the castle. It was called the ballroom.

If one thought that the entrance had a high ceiling this place put it to shame. The intricately designed pillars reached high into the air. It seemed an almost impossible feat for anyone to create such a splendor, but that is the world Raymond lives in. A world of impossible splendor. Stained windows almost as high as the ceiling stretched outwards and almost seemed to curve with flow of the wall. This allowed flowing light to shine and illuminate the entire area. As the area could accommodate a large army It was quite a feat to provide light to the entirety of the ballroom floor.

Most peculiarly was a large circular pattern designed into the center of the floor. Raymond walked up to it and stared. It was a teleportation device. It was designed to transport members of Sabertooth to the upper levels where the main part of the guild is located. Members have been using it sine the guild hall was put together. Which, when Raymond thought about it he had no idea when the guild hall was put together. All he knew was that even though he joined months ago he still has not been to the upper levels of the guild. He even wondered if anyone in the guild even knew he was a member. He walked up to the teleportation paused, signed, then walked away and took one of the seats that were arranged alone the outskirts of the ballroom. He has been doing this same routine for ages now. He was trying again though, one more time to work up the nerve to overcome his fear of teleportation.

When she first joined this place had been but a bar in the middle of nowhere for the most part. It’d been an entertaining concept and heavens knows they still managed to get the occasional traveler enter the ground floor for a meal and drink, perhaps sharing a story or two to any who might listen. The real digs and amazing qualities of their guild hall had been primarily up in the air, something that would always amaze Mao knowing she could sleep as high as the clouds. ’Like a bird….free…’ It often gave her wistful thoughts knowing that cozy little den up there awaited her after jobs and kept her safe.

Seeing that cozy little bar turned into such a grandiose building left her a little confused though, still getting used to the growing town beneath their abode. It’d been this little building or two and then an explosion of commerce and growth that eventually lead to the creation of this building, their old rinky-dink bar establishment little more than a memory – though she’d seen a replica somewhere on the edge of town or so she thought, ’Perhaps an ode to the old and a bit of comfort for travelers.’ The large hall made the woman ponder though, the place impressive yet a little intimidating. It also made her question if this decision came about after their last event, knowing they’d had a few patrols going around to prevent any intoxicated individuals from falling off the edge of their actual hall.

Though it did make for an impressive sight approaching the city too.

However today a different curiosity and wonder held the tailed woman’s attention, the large limb curling as she tilted her head. ’What is he doing?’ In passing she’d only witnessed this curious phenomenon a time or two before, but today she was neither tired from a job nor leaving on some little venture. Today merely involved a nice nap in a meadow hidden in the nearby mountain range with her oversized canine companion Nocshanks, the behemoth often spending his time there until she might need his aid. Rather than stay in the open however she opted for hiding behind a pillar, curious what this fellow planned on doing exactly.

Who was he? Why was he here? And what was he doing?

For reasons beyond her understanding this strange fellow seemed to be (possibly) working up the courage to touch the teleportation lacrima. If he held ill intention she couldn’t seem to sniff anything out, the vague hints of what she might classify as “fear” and “nerves” wafting off over anything else. ’But it’s just a lacrima…maybe…maybe he’s new and is shy?’ Mao hadn’t been hanging out in the common areas during their peak times when she could avoid it, more nervous due to recent issues, but she could also sympathize as she’d been much the same way when she first joined.

One thing was certain: she wouldn’t find any answers hiding behind this column.

As the man took a seat Mao steeled herself and walked around it, approaching him casually and yet her head tilted, long and dark ears bobbing a little with the motion, ”If you’re nervous you have no real need to be…there are a lot of kind people in Sabertooth. I’m sure you’re more likely to make a friend rather than an enemy.” Green eyes stared at him in avid curiosity, those questions burning and yet the overly curious mage refrained from speaking them, if only to avoid sounding like she was grilling him for information.