Not From Around Here... [Kiru's Intro]

The air was wet and cold. The thick fog and heavy rainfall only enhanced these factors about the rather grim weather. The street was quiet... And empty, save for a single figure. Through the cloud the slim physique of a young woman could have been seen wrapped from head to toe in a thick black cloak, shielding themselves from nature's unpleasant welcome. Through the hood only two, bright, aqua colored eyes could be seen peering eagerly.

She had been walking at a regular pace, seemingly wandering. The dark clouds continued to hover above the port city as she did, but it was only rain. No thunder. No Lightning. Suddenly, the figure stopped. She stood for a moment, looking at the silhouette of a rather odd looking building looming in the distance. She then took a rather old piece of parchment paper from underneath her cloak and examined it, using hand to shield it from the rain. The paper had a sketch depicting the same building...

The breath of her covered mouth could be seen as she let out a small sigh of relief. She quickly folded the paper and put it back in its spot before continuing. Within a few minutes, she had gotten to the outside of what was supposed to be the guild hall she had been searching for. She studied it for a few moments as the rain continued to heavily pelt her and the surrounding area. It seemed rather active, as many of the lights could be seen glowing from the windows. The girl looked at the ground for a moment, obviously nervous of carrying out her next move. She grabbed the confidence however, and stepped up to the main door. She found it was unlocked as many people would often be found wandering in and out at their own leisure. She slowly opened to the reveal the inside of the wooden guild hall. The girl simply took off her hood and gazed at the building's interior with amazed curiosity.

Her hair was revealed by this action, along with the rest of her face. It was long, currently wet, and bore two distinct shades. Half was white, the other was black... And wrapped against the lighter half was a blue crystal like object, acting as some sort of braid. Her cheeks were still rather red from the cold weather outside...

And who were to be at the top floor watching all those below? But the Black Rose Ace of Leaves himself, Elyx Reiaki. Arms rested on the shiny wooden bar placed strategically on the white pillars protecting mages from falling to the ground below. Light brown eyes half closed, right fist knuckles against his right cheek, and his usual attire equipped, he'd watch the interactions of all others in the guild. Laughing, talking, examining jobs, some even causing a little mischief. All of it made him smile, the guild has grown up so much from what it originally once was. Back when he was a seven year old trapped in the body of a seventeen year old body. Now he was almost nineteen, and his maturity heavily developed. But not only that, but strength-wise as well, the young mage was able to grow as well.

The upper half of his body might have been seen if one were to look up at him. They'd see a white jacket buttoned up to his handkerchief. If they were to look closely, they might even see his facial expression, which he admittedly kind of wanted to hide. Sadly, at all times, he had to look like a model of high authority so the ones developing would know that they are safe while they train to awaken their true power. All in a matter of time. As for the She-Phoenix? Still sleeping from their previous 100 Year job that they had taken with probably the biggest name in Fiore. The poor thing went through a lot, she deserved a break. And for Elyx, he'd continue watching before his eyes noticed a new particular face.

This one mixed in two opposites, black and white. Possibly one with Multiple Personality Disorder? A dangerous sect those are, not that he worried. They were just a bit unpredictable, and that was how a Bounty Hunter is to act if they wanted to catch their targets. Now there was more to it than that, and he honestly did not see how she would be able to disguise herself say via... Camouflage? And what business did she have here anyways? On a rainy day, maybe he could show some remorse and try to acknowledge her requests, since she went through the trouble of the weather. Then again, there were many below in the Guild Hall that probably thought the same thing, so he would not even bother. Instead, he'd stay on the top floor, where only the Guild Aces or S ranked mages - Since he was not sure which one was correct, but he passed in both cases - were allowed to hang around.

The young girl continued to examine the expansive guild hall, as many of the wizards were interacting with one another. It was exactly how she had pictured it. The girl couldn't help but let a small smile slip her lip as she began to focus again on the reason she had came. She quickly looked around for anyone who seemed to have a position of authority, but everyone seemed to be on even terms to her. Not knowing what else to do, the multi haired coloured girl simply cleared her throat.

"I'm looking to join the Black Rose guild. Is anyone here allowed to help me out?" She called out, a slight quiver in her voice. But confident her speech didn't go unheard of...

Upon receiving the sudden hug from behind, his eyes would raise a little bit from their calm and collected state. However, he did figure it out once the voice revealed itself to be a little tanuki that he knew of. Therefore, without even looking towards her, he smiled. Whenever she was not creating chaos for the sate of "fun", she was rather adorable. So why spite it? I know how you feel, it's been a rainy day and all. Not quite so fun, eh? Elyx would ask before placing his right palms onto her head as she loosened her grip around him. What then triggered question into him was how she was looking over the rail, mumbling three odd words. "It can't be." What can't be? Taking a look for himself, the Wind Slayer would try to follow the eyes of the tanuki, though it was not quite easy to pinpoint a target due to the number of mages already in the guild hall.

So of course, she had to fall over the railing, his eyes raising as he'd try to swing his arm downwards to stop gravity from trying to take her. However, his pointer finger was only able to gently brush against her clothing as he was just a little bit too late. What more? Iza did not even land on her feet like she normally did, which probably brought a lot of attention onto her for just randomly falling from the top floor. Iza! The Wind Slayer would call out before jumping over the railing, on purpose of course. Landing on his feet, a giant wave of wind from impact will scatter throughout the guild hall. Bending his knees down, he'd push out his right arm to offer her a hand up. Are you all right?

It didn't take long for the attention of the guild to suddenly shift their focus towards the young girl, or that's what she thought they had been looking at. Suddenly, another figure tumbled in front of the newcomer, who clumsily landed on the floor, from what seemed like the balcony above. The girl staggered back a foot, surprised by this girl's abrupt entrance.

"Uhh... You oka-..." The girl began, trying to diffuse the awkwardness of the situation, before the other whispered something that made her stop in her tracks... She said Kiru. That was indeed her name. And somehow this girl knew it? She stared at her for a moment, confused. The girl didn't look familiar, but she got a feeling that said otherwise. She shook it however, thinking it was nothing.

"Excuse me..?" was all that she could say.

It took her a minute to soak it in, right before another member of the guild jumped down beside the girl who lay in front of Kiru. A rather strong gust of wind had blasted as the man landed, Kiru put an arm up to shield her face as her hair and clothes reacted. They seemed to know each other.

The girl then proceeded to gather herself again as she stood up, and silently told her friend something under a hushed tone. She turned back to Kiru, who was still confused as to how the girl knew her in the first place. But then she explained...

Her mind had images of the old village near the beach, the one she was raised in for a large portion of her life. She remembered the events that took place, that drove her away.... And then she remebered Izayuki.

"Wait... You're Izayuki? I thought... I mean..." The girl stuttered, obviously overwhelmed with the sudden resurface of old memories, specifically the one where Izayuki wasn't human...

He'd shrug off the sudden selfish attitude that Iza decided to place onto herself. It was fine, not like he should be so worried for her if she survived a fall. It seemed like the both of them recognized each other, but what exactly would the Sky Slayer bring to the conversation that was constructive to it? Nothing. Elyx would conclude before making his way to the top of the staircase, what exactly would he do anyways? It seemed like they knew each other, and he did not know the twin-colored mage. The reason why he would not try was just simply due to his lack of social experiences, he did not like being so outgoing and talkative like Iza was. If he never gave her credit for anything, he can at least say she had him beat in that field. Regardless, she should probably be left alone with her friend, she would know where he would be anyways. No formal exit or anything, just simple him heading up the stairs with his hands in his pockets.

Kiru took another moment to gather her thoughts while Izayuki began to scold her friend after he walked away. She stared down at the ground, a mixture of depression and surprise in her eyes.

"I didn't realize... I didn't know you survived... I was told everyone had been killed..." At this, her expression changed to slight anger as she clenched her fist, clearly thinking about something that had happened.

However, she soon calmed again, and let out a sigh of relief. She stared up at the girl.

"It's... Been a while..." She said awkwardly, obviously not knowing how to proceed. Suddenly encountering a friend thought to have been killed many years ago would do that.

A half of him knew that Iza was right, trying to fight the urge to continue walking. But the other half was having a battle over the reasonable side, and so he would continue to walk up the steps. Idiot! Go over there and greet the new girl! One side would think, but not be successful as the second thought trailed through his mind. Like hell I will... It was a bit of his social awkwardness also holding him down. And once he arrived at the top of the steps, he would look down at the both of them, his Lerale and Slayer ears locking onto them to hear their conversation.

"Huh...? Oh, right... Kiru replied as Izayuki made a comment on her hair. She remembered that when the last time the two girls saw each other, her hair was brown. That was, until her mentor's vigorous training had altered her physical apperance.

"Oh, yeah I can tell. You look a lot different... Guess whatever happened caused me to not recognize you." Kiru told her, observing the differences closely so she could take note of them. For some reason, the presence of an old friend didn't overwhelm her, or at least no one else could tell if it did. For the most part, Kiru's face was expressionless. Most people probably couldn't 'to tell what she was thinking. That is unless she opened her mouth. Her passive aggressive ways weren't even subtle, and she knew it.

Why did she direct me here...? Kiru thought silently, her mind trailing off to the last words of her Mentor. What could you possibly be planning from this...

Her mind shifted back to Izayuki when she mentioned her friend again. She looked up at Elyx, who was apparently a her "boyfriend" as Iza put it, sounding unsure. She then proceeded to introduce their titles as guild Aces. "Really? That's interesting... I guess that relationship would be." She couldn't help but sound a little sarcastic. Judging on how Izayuki described him, she seemed to have had the same outlook. Or similar to it. Then again~ What the hell did she know anyways? Kiru had never been in a relationship with really anyone before, so the whole concept was still just as new to her. Spending the majority of her years alone didn't help things either.

"Well... This is certainly a new experience for me... Do I get a guild mark or something? Or am I just part of it now?" Kiru asked blandly. If there was one thing that had changed about the girl since Izayuki saw her would be her personality. Back in those days, she was a rather cheery girl. Perhaps the reason why they had become friends. Now however, her lively, optimistic persona had been completely replaced by an expressionless mask. A quieter one as well.

Example? Heh, and lets talk about that time where you almost murdered a child simply for their blood. A quick snap would occur inside his mind. He dare not say it, not while there was a guest. It was the least he could do for her, not to reveal the danger that Iza was to the newcomer. Then again, it might have hurt the Tanuki's feelings far worse than the damage to her reputation. Not that he had cared for such thing. As one might expect, while even ticked for a little bit, the Lacrima would trigger and attack his emotions while they were weakened. As more time passed, the more he would feel himself sinking into the darkness of that Slaying Magic. It was worth it though, just to let it take the wheel for him, even just for a little bit.

Before it could spread to the point where it might actually reveal itself a bit too much, a light tap on the shoulder would bring his attention towards it. His light brown eyes would lock onto the side all of the way, his head twisting a little as well. It's not too fun, eh? She would explain before walking past his side. Adrelissa. A pink Kimono was placed on her, probably due to laziness, and the color definitely had negative impact with her aqua blue eyes and hair. Oh well, at least she was here for comfort.

The Sky Slayer would close his eyes and sigh, crossing his arms and tilting the head diagonally. Am I that easy to read? He'd ask, his tone sounding rather defeated from the encounter. Still a soft core despite his physical being, mainly due to how he was brought up... For the most part, peacefully. As a runner in the past, he relied on running away to avoid danger. Even the smallest hint of a footstep would trigger his senses and force him to bail out. Since that is all that he had known, he did not ignore the situations and fight it, but merely run away from it. It was how he survived against things he felt he could not defend from.

A bubbly little giggle would emit from the lips of the flame mage, her right elbow placed against the railing of the second floor. You have always been. She would taunt before looking down over the first floor, and come on, how could one not notice the opposite colors mixing for one being. A smile would appear on her lips, seeing potential in the new one. And who might the Twilight Mage be, I like her sense in style. His old friend would ask, causing Elyx to shrug and shake his head. Like I would know. Apparently some new person that Iza knows.

Probably should have not mentioned that last detail, since Iza could be clearly seen below with the new member, but he himself was up here. It did not take a detective to come to the final conclusion. And why are you not down there with her to greet the new girl? Adrelissa would ask. A sudden panic would travel through his body, striking at his heart first. The blood through his veins quickened the pace in its flow, the pounding of the organ would increase in speed and intensity. There was to be some subtle way to explain it, and quickly. But before he was given the chance, the blue-haired mage would place out her palm to him. Don't start with your stupid excuses. I know that look on your face. Listen, she means well... Whatever it was. Based on what you have told me, she seems like an asshole. And if that were true, well, sorry. But... She seems like an asshole who cares for you.

Can we not talk about this? What is done is done, I'll just merely watch from a safe distance. Elyx would reply, cutting the intended lecture off just at the root of it, avoiding the next five minutes of nonstop talk of Iza being there to help him and all that crap. In all honesty, if she were not his friend and he were still in a darkened persona state due to the lacrima, he'd probably also threaten her. Ahhh, good ol Alcore. Adrelissa wisely shrugged it off, letting it go for the moment, and so the both would watch the scene below.

It was raining outside...how lovely. It had been raining for a couple days now, the droplets tapping on the windows and sidewalks non-stop while the residents of the port city went about their business in the streets or stayed in their homes in hopes of better weather. It was the kind of weather that most of the world’ s introverts would relish in due to the excuse to stay home and read a book or practice their spells or sorceries in peace rather than conforming to the wills of their extroverted friends and socializing...but for extroverts, this weather was disatrous. Many likely had parties or plans to travel or some other kind of social activities planned during this long stretch of rain and clouds, and were likely in despair or suffer some symptoms of withdrawal, as if socialization were an addiction of the highest degree….certrainly, the latter category was far more humorous and baffling for their introverted comrades to observe, but nonetheless these characterizations are naught but satire. In truth, many of those extroverted personalities were likely chatting and gabbing to their families or guild mates about how bored they were or how all they wanted to do was go out on the town instead of being cooped up at home in the rain; likewise, those family members and guild mates often fell into two categories: those who shared the extrovert’s plight for socialization and being out of the house, and those who wished to throw the extrovert out of the nearest window and lock them outside for the sake of peace and quiet in the building.

Thankfully for her, Kistiñe, she was not the stereotypical extrovert portrayed in the above scenario. Although she could be described as a “rainbow poptart” by certain satirical sources due to her personality type, there were often times where she needed to be alone to sort out her troubles...however, such times were rare and even if they were a common occurance, she was an expert actor and quite capable of wearing the mask of cheeriness and quirky, flirty humor that she was so renowned for among the halls of the Black Rose guild. And while it was quite possible that she could get on the nerves of some people, especially given the recent weather, she was either oblivious to the fact that she was annoying to some, or purposefully kept going in spite of it just to see their reactions...

Right now, the Latina was still half asleep. Her hair was sticking up at odd angles and contained many cowlicks, her face lacked any makeup, and all she wore under her bright-blue and cartoon-toucan-adorned bathrobe was a white t-shirt that was purposefully a few sizes too big. She knew not what time it was, given that she had just gotten up, but she figured it was sometime past noon given that she could hear people talking down the hall, although what specifically failed to register in her still sleeping brain. Ever the socialite, the Latina walked down the stairs to see who it was that happened to be talking at the moment, covering her mouth to yawn with one hand while giving a wave to the small group that was assembled in the hallway. Her tired brain barely put faces with names; Iza was there with her usual pink hair and bubbly voice, and Elyx, too...but there was someone there she didn’t quite recognize...she had black and white hair and piercing blue eyes...a new member?

It was quite clear that the number of fucks given about her appearance at the moment was less than one as Kistiñe walked over to the group to investigate. While yawning, she asked, “Iza, ¿Quién es esta?”

Kiru listened closely as Iza apparently heard exactly what Elyx and his friend were talking about up on the balcony in large guildhall. A face of utter curiosity masked her face as she tried to make sense of their situation. Her slayer senses weren't apparently as good as Iza's, seeing as Kiru couldn't make out the conversation like she did. However, as Iza scolded her 'Boyfriend' Kiru's attention drew to the rest of the guildhall. She didn't have much time to observe it upon entry because of Iza's unexpected introduction. It seemed exactly how she was told. It had an old pirate's tavern feel to it Kiru thought. The wooden floorboards seemed to be worn, and oil lamps attached themselves on the walls. Just as well, some of the wizards seemed to be playing along with the theme Kiru had imagined in her mind.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Kiru responded as her attention shifted back to Izayuki. "Uhh, is my left arm okay?" She questioned? Kiru rolled up the sleeve of her arm to reveal a long, grey tattoo depicted a sea serpent. It wasn't detailed, just more of a grey serpent silhouette. It snaked around to her shoulder, where the monster's jaw lied open. Kiru quickly pointed to a free spot of skin near the tattoo's middle where the guild mark could be place. "I'd like it here, if at all possible." She exclaimed, not even acknowledging her tattoo's presence.

Just then, a new voice appeared. Kiru shifted her cyan gaze over to a person she'd never seen before, but already knew Izayuki it seemed. Or at least knew her name. The girl spoke a dialect Kiru had never heard before, so she could have said anything. The only thing in her sentence she could make out was Izayuki's name, and even that was hard to pick from the accent. She gave a somewhat awkward stare to the new arrival for a moment, the gears in her head trying to figure out the language she was using. Kiru had suddenly remembered it was considered rude to stare at people however, so she quickly averted her gaze back to Iza.

Ya'llllll. Adrelissa would repeat, opening her right hand like a sock puppet while Iza said she had hear them. The word had been said with a country sounding accent as well, the mock obtaining a chuckle from the Sky Slayer before they continued to watch from below. It was funny, they almost had every element on the scene. Well, every element of the four known ones. There was one and a half of water, one of wind, and one of fire. Secondary magics was not being accounted for, but he knew that they would not use it. Iza did not seem like the type, she just did not. Her friend... Considering her level of current magic, he had doubts that she even had a secondary magic. Kisti, well, he was not sure of her magic yet. It interested him, how he had not yet known. Maybe he'll add that onto his checklist of things to do. When she was offered a spot into the guild, that allowed him to relax for a little bit now. He'd call down to the friend of Iza. Welcome to the guild. Though I must ask, what exactly do you like to be called by? Not remembering her ever saying her name to them. It was often a topic of interest when two or more people meet each other for the first time. Adrelissa would smile with a relaxed facial expression, wondering what exactly the tanuki would say to the mock. She was stubborn and did not let things go, which was always a fun trait Adrelissa liked to pick at.

Kistiñe paid little attention to what had been said by Elyx and his companion, and tried not to yawn as Iza introduced her friend. Although the tanuki's Spanish was...subpar, to say the least, it was certainly better than someone making an ass out of themselves by putting the letter "o" after every word in a sentence. There weren't any glaring grammatical issues with the pink haired girl's statement, but her pronunciation would have made the Latina cringe were she not so tired...in either case, there was no visible reaction from the lethargic woman. "Hola...." she yawned.

The Latina's magic was probably different from what most had. While it seemed that the majority of mages had direct control over an element of one variety or another--ice, water, wind, and so on--Kistiñe lacked any decent control over one. While it was true she had a few spells that utilized the wind to tack on some extra damage or block an attack or two, the main feature of her magic was her ability to conjure up halos any time she pleased. While it was rare that she ever needed to use her abilities in combat, it was quite a common occurance to see her twirling one of them around on her finger or playing with them idly as if they were some sort of toy.

Kiru continued to observe the scene as Izayuki and one of Elyx's companions exchanged words. One seemingly mocking the other while Kiru and the other girl stood aside and listened. Although she couldn't tell if that was what this other girl had been doing. She looked quite dazed. However, before Kiru could say anything, Elyx called to her from above.

She gave a curious glance at the top floor as he asked, and everyone went silent after hearing the Ace's voice from that far. She simply smiled. "I'm Kiru Nivani" She told simply. As she said this, the rain outside began to pelt even harder. Unknown to the others, her passive magic seemed to react the same way she did. Whenever Kiru was happy during a rainstorm, it only got darker, and the rain fell harder...