Unplanned meetings among the trees [Private / Zoey]

Another day started, and this time, Leila had little work planned. It was quite unusual, but it did happen from time to time. Even mage needed to rest from time to time, take a small break from hunting down crazed dark guilds and murderers of all kinds. And usually, she would spend these days just kinda lazing about, not doing anything in particular. However, the sun was shining bright today, it's warmth slowly dragging the girl outside of her hotel room. The weather in Magnolia was very pleasant most of the time, and the nature surrounding it was nothing short of amazing as well. It didn't take much for her to decide that she should probably take a walk, take in the natural energy from around here. Clothing herself in the usual dark outfit that became the new norm for her, she took her loyal companion named Ori and opened the door. Yuki, her other companion stayed behind, reading a book. It was no use trying to take her outside in this weather, her element was ice after all. Dealing with heat was not something she was interested in at all. And so, Leila had only one little pet with her when she left the hotel and headed to the forests around the city.

The East Forest, as everyone called it, was probably the best place for a walk like this one. And it held a good share of memories too. When Leila was but a D-ranked mage, she often found herself here when she needed to rest. And few times to do a job as well. Just remembering how she had to change into embarrassing clothes made out of leaves made her blush slightly. But those times were certainly fun, and she remembered them fondly. Now her contracts consisted only of the dangerous stuff. Back then, it was so relaxing... not to say that what she had now wasn't. The profession of being a mage was still more than good. And it allowed Leila to do things normal people could not. For example, right now, she felt a small level of magical energy being used. It was too low to be considered a thread, meaning that another wizard was probably practicing something in the serene, silent forest. Overcome with curiosity, she gestured to Ori that he was free to do anything he wanted while his master would be busy spying on whatever was nearby. Moving swiftly, yet silently through the trees, she would eventually spot a girl with blond hair. An unusual spectacle for sure. But for now, she did not directly approach her. Instead, she simply watched and waited until the girl noticed her instead.

Another day, another day hoping that it wouldn't be her last. It didn't even felt that bad. Zoey was so used to expecting this day to be the last that it didn't bother her anymore. But she did want to find out more about her curse. At least it had been quiet for a while, and her father who had the same curse became way older than Zoey was now. So she should have some time, but nobody could know if the curse was the same as her father's was and even if that was the case if it worked the same every time.

The streets were rather busy with people going to their respective destinations, probably their work. Zoey should do some more work too, but today she was going to practice in the forest. Maybe she should also look into joining a guild. Having access to much better jobs would certainly help. Still her curse was always rather passive till only a year ago. It somehow became worse after her father died. Around the same time her magical potential skyrocketed. She could even grow multiple plants now. Granted, small harmless plants but before she couldn't do a thing with magic.

The eastern town gate looked as abandoned as always. Aside from the few guards assigned here there was no one. Zoey just walked through the gate while smiling at the guards, who let her pass after warning her to be careful. She was leaving the town alone after all. But they weren't in a position to stop anyone unless it seemed harmful to the town or Fiore.

The forest was like it always was: wild, unpredictable and unchanging yet always different. Birds were singing in the morning and other small creatures hid away as Zoey entered the forest. She loved this place. On a hot day like today she could easily hide under the many trees this forest consisted of. With that she sat down near a tree while being sure her yellow skirt doesn't get stuck around the plants nearby. She then started in an attempt to grow some small flowers as a warm up.

Observing from distance, Leila grew quickly interested in this girl. Was it because of her appearance? Or maybe because of her behaviour? Not quite... there was something about her magic that was very familiar to Leila. And it didn't take look before she saw what the girl was actually doing. Growing plants through her own magic. Feeding the ground with her ethernano and making the nature flourish like that. Of course, it was much different from the gardens of Eden that she herself controlled. But the concept was the same. They both were in charge of controlling flora around them. It was truly curious, making her decide that she should stay a little bit longer. In fact, she wanted to interact with this girl. And for that very chance, she decided for a small surprise. Concentrating her own magic, she made an unusual flower grow in front of the blond-haired maiden.

An albino white flower that was completely out of this world. It grew effortlessly and with no issues, reaching the height of several centimeters. And once it was in full bloom, it's appearance was very similar to the one of roses. But of course, it was flower from another world, the Gardens of Eden. It had no place in this plain of existence, yet Leila summoned it anyway to get some interesting reaction out of the girl that probably have not yet noticed her. It also didn't take too long before she decided that summoning one flower was not enough. Using a little bit more of her magic, several more flowers of the same appearance started growing, impressively spelling out a word 'Welcome'. Hopefully it didn't surprise the girl too much.

After a few second a small sprout grew from the ground and as the first flower slowly grew another came out of the ground. Zoey was content with the increase in her magical proficiency, despite not really able to do much. Maybe she would almost be ready to do an actual job other than trying to sell flowers. She decided to continue, unaware of the other girl growing her own magical plants from out of the ground.

After a short while she felt like she was being watched by someone. She looked around and indeed found another girl growing some flowers while looking at Zoey. Unsure to react she kept growing her flowers, but at a slower rate than before. Not sure how to react but she didn't want to bring her attention away from the girl she just perceived. At least the other girl didn't seem to have any harmful intentions. And of course she couldn't really tell her to train somewhere else. Zoey had as much right to train here as the other girl had.

As the first flower started to bloom the other girl had already summoned a lot of other flowers. She haven't seen such flowers before. But Zoey has only ever been in Magnolia so they probably are outlandish. She suddenly could see the flowers take form and form the word 'welcome'. While she appreciated the thought she has been here for all her life, so it seemed a little strange to her. But since she started guess she had to react back. But a shy "Hello" Was the only thing she could menage to say. Of course she had to be shy now.

It took a while, but the girl eventually noticed Leila. Though, she seemingly dismissed her just as another person who wanted to enjoy this place and practice magic. And with that, she didn't even realize that she wanted to talk until the entire word was formed with flowers. Now that she had the girl's attention, her entire body finally came into view. And in all honesty, this girl was adorable. Even her clothes match the theme of nature, which she seemed to somewhat control. And her shy and quiet attitude... they reminded Leila of herself when she was few years younger. "Greetings. I'm probably interrupting, aren't I... when I saw you here, I got a strong urge to talk to you." In all honesty, that was pretty much the truth. There was no real reason for Leila to bother this cute girl, but she just... wanted to. Perhaps it was because their magic was similar, which was the first thing that caught her attention. Or maybe it was just that she wanted to talk to someone, as today was quite lonely so far. For now, Leila took the first step, walking towards the blond girl and stopping only a meter in front of her with a warm smile and interested look. "My name is Leila. Leila Vergious, that is." Hoping to get an introduction out of her, she gave her her own name first. After all, that was how it should be.

Still, it was quite a surprise to meet another mage that was capable of controlling the nature. Not many people these days were interested in that kind of sorcery, as it perhaps looked a bit weak on the outside. Though Leila knew very well that even this kind of magic could be extremely devastating if the user wished for it to be. Not that she could imagine this girl being like that. Her body as whole looked somewhat fragile, despite her being taller than her. Honestly, sometimes she just cursed her own small height, it made her look a bit comical. There was at least 10 centimeters of difference between them. But given the fact that Leila wan't quite human, maybe this was something that could be changed in the future. Not that it was necessary or anything, but it would probably give her some extra courage and pride if she could look down on other people. Like this, she was just always looking at their chin or something. Though, that in itself sometimes provided her with advantage during fights. Smaller people were able to fit and get through many situations, and Leila was indeed someone who took all chances and options she had available. But thinking about all that was distracting her quite a bit from the actual conversation with the girl, who was hopefully going to introduce herself. And so she listened carefully, making sure not to miss the name.

Luckily the other girl didn't seem to be as shy as Zoey was. Which was good, otherwise they could have sit here for a long time. She also felt rather honest, just upright saying she wanted to talk just like that. Something Zoey wouldn't be able to do, at least not to someone she never met before. Zoey wondered where other people got all that courage from all the time. That or maybe she just wasn't that courageous. She was probably blushing as well, she wasn't used to getting attention from others. Certainly not out of the blue like just happened.

"I eu... I see..." Was all that escaped her mouth. Damn it. For once a person actually noticed her and here she was to shy to talk back. It wasn't that she didn't wanted to talk, it was just that she was really, really bad at it. After a short while to other girl introduced herself as Leila Vergious. Judging from her clothing and name Zoey guessed the girl was a noble or at least came from a cut above what she herself was used too. At least that was the impression Zoey was getting from her, but what did she knew about any of that? When the other woman came closer Zoey was first a little confused, but she remedied herself very quickly. Somehow she couldn't interpret that warm smile as someone who wanted to harm her.

"Z..Zoey... Zoey Walker." She reacted softly to the introduction of the other woman. Not really knowing what more should be said after an introduction. Or at least not in the moment. If she could collect herself before meeting someone she could probably at least get one more sentence in. She was smiling a little though. She really wanted to talk, if only to break her own loneliness for now.

Zoey. It was a good name, one that she didn't hear much in the world. A pretty, unique name for a pretty, unique lady. Truly a good match. And the way she was struggling with words... somehow, that had it's own charm to it, only making Leila smile more. And not in a way that she would be laughing at her, definitely not. It only meant that they would have to take some extra time while interacting. And since Zoey wasn't trying to get away from Leila, it probably meant that she indeed wanted to talk some more. That was good for both of them, as they were currently both alone. Taking hold of her own coat, Leila made sure that she would sit over it when she placed her body on the grass right next to Zoey, petting the ground next to her in indication that she could sit down as well. It would probably go better if she allowed her own body to relax a little bit. And standing around would be a little bit awkward too. "You were using magic. Growing flowers with your own powers, quite beautiful ability, is it not?" Unsure of what topic to choose, she spoke about something that she saw her doing. Surely she would be able to talk a little about it, right?

Even if not, Leila was a stubborn person. Stubborn and with plenty of free time and heavenly patience. Truly the best combination. At this point, she was quite determined to get to know this girl. She seemed so nice... it would be simply shameful if Leila didn't at least try. And given how Zoey was acting, it appeared that she was having slight issues actually talking. If she could get to know her and help her get more comfortable with talking at the same time, that would be win-win situation for sure. It was kinda funny... doing something like this was expected of Leila, since she was one of the Rising Stars. But she actually cared little for that title and was only doing what she actually wanted to be doing.

This was rather strange, never had she felt the need to talk to someone else. But now she was doing it it felt rather good. That is if she can keep this up. She never met Leila before so that might be a challenge. But, if she was going to walk this path she was going to have meet many more people. This would mean she would have to bring up more courage then she was now. She was almost certain now that the other girl had no ill intentions. So she gave a smile back to the other girl, even though it looked somewhat strange since she had no idea whether smiling back was a good idea while her blush was not fading from her face.

"Yes... it's my magic. Though I only just started." She reacted to the other mage. It was technically true. Though she didn't as much just start as much as she just could start. While she said the previous sentence she lost the focus over her flowers. Which caused them to quickly wither and turn back to dust soon after.

A "oh..." Left her mouth as she tried to grasp the closest flower. Naturally she was to late to as much touch the flower. Of course this must have looked a little strange in they eyes of the other girl.

"Eh... sorry about that." She said as she sat down again, this time a little closer towards the other girl. Now she had at least tried to converse with someone she might as well continue. Lest she becomes hopeless with both magic and people.

A pleasant feeling filled the atmosphere quickly when Leila finally saw Zoey smiling back. "There we go, that expression suits you best." She would try complimenting her and giving her a reason to continue smiling as much as she could. Even if it was a bit awkward, smiling was always better than feeling glum and under the weather. Not that she could force anyone to do that. What good would smile be if it was forced and fabricated? Though it appeared that their conversation distracted Zoey a bit too much, as she lost control over her flowers. Her attempt to reach for it was in vain as well. Somehow, it looked really sad. "Sorry about what?" Trying to fix the situation with another smile, Leila's voice was still gentle and indicating that there was no need to be apologizing. Instead, Leila started using her own magic to summon a rose. Though it was unusual, it's stem was completely gray and the red petals had a white hue. This was as close as she could get to Earthand's flowers. Picking it up, she offered the rose to Zoey. Hopefully that small gesture would improve things a little bit. "So you're a novice. Makes me remember the days when I knew barely a thing about my own magic, hehe."

Those days were now gone for good. Even if she wanted to, she was incapable of becoming as oblivious as she once was. The world left that permanent scar on her mind already. But it wasn't all bad either. There was plenty of beauty in the world as well. "Are you under wings of a guild?" A question out of curiosity. Since they were near Magnolia, she wondered if this girl was maybe a fresh member of Fairy Tail, despite their rather unfortunate status right now. Or if she was like Leila was in the past, ignoring guilds and working completely alone. She did not see a mark on Zoey's body, so it was possible. Though it was also possible that her mark was hidden under her clothes unlike Leila's. Her Golden Phoenix mark was clearly visible on her outer thigh, not hiding at all.

Zoey's smile grew less awkward now that she knew that the other girl didn't mind her too. Somehow that made her feel a little better about this.

"About that... eh... Never mind." As long as didn't seem to mind so much maybe it wasn't too important that her magic had failed through the interruption of the girl. Maybe it wasn't that bad it happened at all. Never before had she actually thought that failing a magic spell could be a good sign. When the other girl asked her if she worked at a guild she shook her head a little before answering.

"Eh, no not yet. I haven't thought about it much." First she actually wanted to get some decent work done before she could consider good enough to join one of those fancy guilds. Sure she wanted to work with other mages. But she only had practiced her magic for such a short time so there was very little she could do in comparison to those mages. She saw the other girls mark but couldn't really figure out from which guild it was. That said she never really paid much attention to the different guilds out now. She didn't even notice the guild mark was one until after Leila asked if Zoey was in a guild.

"um... May I ask, which guild you are from?" Zoey asked the other girl hesitantly. She wasn't sure if it was wrong to ask but her curiosity just won it over her right now.

Even though she wanted to say something, she did not. Interrupting herself and ultimately deciding to stay silent made Leila only that much curious about what she had to say. But since she dismissed it just like that, it probably wasn't anything important she would have to worry about. Still, doing something like that all of a sudden only increased her curiosity about this girl more and more. But it probably had to be expected, someone so shy would cut themselves off easily.

But Zoey did seem to be interested in Leila's guild, perhaps that was a good sign. Her fingers lightly brushed against the skin of her leg before pulling the blue skirt just a little bit more up, revealing the full guild tattoo and getting dangerously near to revealing more than that. The mark represented a phoenix in flames and had an aquatic blue color. It was also nearly shining in the shade of nearby trees, easily visible to everyone who's eyes would wander down to her legs. "Golden Phoenix, though my tattoo is blue, hehe. It's a treasure hunting guild that focus mainly on... well... searching for lost treasures and recovering them." They were a legal guild, but unlike others of that kind, they weren't mainly focus on spreading good throughout the world. In fact, the was a rule that allowed killing if it was required in order to obtain the treasure. Of course, that didn't make them the bad guys, not at all. But it was surprising that they weren't more in the neutral guild selection. "If you ever feel like hunting for treasure, you'd be welcomed in Golden Phoenix." With those words she also made sure that even Zoey could join if she eventually wanted.

Just when Zoey's blush was finally starting to fade away the girl pulled her already risque skirt up higher. Even if the intention was to show of her guild mark, it also caused that blush to come back redder than it had been since the girl appeared. Not that she didn't look at the guild mark, She was more like staring at it. Zoey's smile disappeared as snow before the sun.

"I ...eu... eh... I see." She liked the tattoo, especially the color. But that wasn't all she liked. Oh dear, she was thinking again. She then heard an invitation to join their guild. It was nice and all that, but somehow Zoey couldn't see herself hunting treasure in ancient ruins. Still she liked to offer, she wondered if all guilds out there were as friendly as this one. If not she might just join this one just for that. Still she surely wasn't going to decide now it was a big step in her life after all.

"I see... I'll think about it." She simply said back, still as embarrassed as before. If only she didn't looked at that earlier. Zoey just couldn't tell her that she wasn't really treasure hunting material, but she didn't wanted to sound mean and plain out refuse.

Obviously there was no concrete answer. No one would just decide that they wanted to join a guild what that little information. Unfortunately, that was all Leila had to offer right now. If Zoey wanted to know, and mainly see more, she would have to visit the great city deep below the water's surface where Golden Phoenix's guild hall stood. And that was quite the distance from Magnolia, no chance of them just going there at the moment.

Though, there was something a bit more unusual to her reaction. For some reason, her face was becoming more and more red, soon reminding Leila of a tomato more than anything. "Oh deary, are you alright? Your face is all bright red!" She was used to other girls being attracted to the more masculine gender so she didn't realize at all the true cause of her embarrassment. And as she was unsure, her fingers softly caressed both of Zoey's cheeks, turning her head slowly towards Leila's. And then, in an instant, she placed her own forehead on Zoey's, their face now as close as they could possibly be. "Huh, I don't think you have fewer or anything..." Confirming that the girl really was alright, she retreated and created some distance between them again.

And even though she knew that this girl was probably fine, it was still kinda bothering her. She quickly started to like Zoey and felt very relax by her side. She would fail at all of her jobs if she just ignored illness or something like that inside of her body. The girl looked fragile as it was, and with a crimson red face, she was all the more adorable. In fact, Leila found herself with trouble when she tried to take her eyes of her. She almost wasn't capable of that feat.

At least she didn't seem to be pushy about it. Nothing as bad as someone to push her into something. Especially if it was something big like place you would spend a lot of time. At least Leila wasn't like that, apparently and that was good enough for Zoey.

"I... eh... I think so." She answered meekly. She wasn't sick the last time she checked. Even though she knew nothing about diseases or sicknesses she really felt alright, embarrassment aside. Which only intensified at at Leila's touch. The other mage putting her head closer to hers didn't help in the slightest either, especially the moment they touched. Not only was her face as red as a tomato, she was also completely paralyzed. Something only her curse succeed in doing before now.

'No I don't have a fever' Was what she wanted to tell, but her mouth wasn't opening at all. She noticed she was sweating heavily however. Something that was very visible on her head. What was wrong with her today? This was something very new to her. Never before had she felt like this.

Now that the other girl was further away she started to think of something to say, or ask. Anything as long as it changed the subject and got her mind of from this awkward situation. She kept thinking and opened her mouth... but nothing came out of it. She couldn't think of anything to ask or of anything to say. How pathetic.

Zoey didn't really protest which made Leila assume that she was fine with it. But the way her body reacted, it meant that something perhaps wasn't quite how it seemed. Noticing the sweat which had formed on the girl, Leila gasped in a moment, her hands quickly reaching to her pockets. It took few seconds, but she found it eventually. A simple looking white handkerchief that had nothing special about it. "Hold on, you're sweating so much... let me clean it up for you." With those words that had no ill intent, one of Leila's hands rested on Zoey's cheek again while other hand held the white fabric and wipe the sweat from the girl's forehead. It was quickly done and Leila retreated once more.

It took her another second or so before she realized that she might have been reacting this was precisely because of her. After all, from her speech it looked like she wasn't used to speaking with people. So, when Leila got so close, it might have cause her to panic a little. Feeling guilty now, she sighed and looked at the poor girl. Still, her appearance just force a small smile onto her expression. "Ah... geez, you're so adorable that I just want to kiss you... sorry about that before..." Trying a little joke to make the mood more bearable, she still haven't quite grasped that there could have been more to it than just the fact that Zoey wasn't all that great at interacting with people. And perhaps, somewhere deep down, she didn't mean that as a joke but as something completely serious. Oh, how strange could Leila sometimes be.

Oh dear, oh dear. This was certainly not going according to plan. Not that there was a plan in the first place, but if there was this wasn't how she would have it planned. Not that she was complaining... but she never has had another girl this close to her. Her skin felt so soft when it touched her cheek. Was this a dream and was she actually still in her bed at home? It all felt really real though, so even if it was a dream she wouldn't mind staying asleep for a little longer.

"eh... eh T... eh Thanks!" She said after the other girl withdraw herself. She probably would be back sweaty after a short while, but that was a problem for that time. Let's just face each problem once at the time. The current problem was that this girl she never saw before was doting over her. She still wondered why as she couldn't come on a reason herself.

She wanted to say something but that last comment just blew her out of the field. Did she just said she wanted to kiss? She right down closed her mouth again as she forgot what she wanted to say just by that. This conversation was getting nowhere... She tried to think of something to talk about again. Until she finally grasped something she might be able to ask.

"Oh... If I may ask. Where is Golden Phoenix Guild Hall?" She asked quickly. More to change the subject than that she was actually interested. She probably still was going to take a sneak peak if she was nearby once. Just to see what that guild was like.

Somehow her little tease about kissing went completely unnoticed? Or perhaps Zoey just didn't want to talk about it, which was way more probable. After all, it was a joke that not everyone would laugh at, some would surely take it very seriously. And if she was one of those people, then Leila probably looked a bit odd right now, saying things like that out of the blue and with no prior experience. But in the end, they were able to continue conversing just fine, meaning that the girl was still willing to listen.

This time, she was asking about the Golden Phoenix's guild hall. Now, that was a tricky one, considering it's actual location. "Honestly... even I'm not sure where it actually is. The hall is part of a city called Oahu. Thing is, that city is deep underwater, encased inside of a giant glass ball. And the only way you can enter the city is through a portal that only those bearing the guild's mark can activate. You could say that the entire city is under direct control of the guild and is meant for it's members, in a sense. No one else can get in, no matter how hard they try."

That of course meant that those who wanted to check the guild out would have to enter along with another person who is already a member. Just like she did when the guild master invited her. Of course it would be no problem for Leila to accompany Zoey, but it meant that she would not be able to check it out by herself at all. Although, Leila could totally use than as an excuse to spend some more time with this girl, letting her explore Golden Phoenix in the process. As far as she seen it, it would be a win-win situation for both of them to a certain degree. Especially if she actually decided to join in the end. But as she said, it was way too soon to make that decision. Being part of a guild was quite the commitment after all.

"Actually... would you mind telling me where you live? Ah, please don't think of me as some creep... I just though that we could maybe be good friends, since we're talking and all... so I could visit you sometime..." Her sentences were a bit sloppy, hoping that she didn't seem too hasty in her actions and thoughts. They just met few minutes ago and now she was proposing for them to be friends. But honestly, wasn't this how friendships usually started existing? By pure chance and random meetings? Who really knew, she was just hoping to be accepted right now. It would be a bit heart breaking if Zoey just got up and crudely refused to be Leila's friend now, saying that she would never want to see her again. Truly pessimistic thought, but one never truly knew what to expect. Something Leila learned on her many travels where randomness dictated her fate completely.

Now that the emberassing topic was gone she could relax again a little more. Her breathing regulated again, and she stopped sweating heavily. The only sweat was from the heat of the forest now, nothing irregular. Her heartbeat also became more normal, but unless the girl had x-ray vision or something like that that shouldn't be visible.

It was strange though. Not knowing where exactly your own guild hall is? Even if it is underwater it should be in only one place right? Or was it some kind of magical moving city? A city being for an entire guild alone was also a little strange. Especially what would the monarchy think of a city just popping up out of nothing next to his country. Next there was of course what if someone was looking to join the guild? Expanding seemed a little difficult if you already had a city to start with. There were some other things that popped up her head, but most of those could probably be solved with the right magics combined, which was what Zoey saw as the point of a guild. Combining the right people and magics in one pot.

"E... I just live here in town... Close to the eastern gate. We could visit it on the way back if you wish?" It was a small home and mostly looked very old. She just didn't really have to time to clean it up all the time. Training, working and surviving already took a huge chunk of her free time. She didn't really think this girl was going to be creepy. Strange perhaps, but not creepy... though she came really close just a few moments earlier. She didn't know what this girl was up too, but Zoey was kind of interested in finding out.

She was guildless traveling mage for so long that she was simply unable to fully adjust to her own guild now. Sometimes that created few bit awkward scenes... like this one for example. Perhaps if she cared just a little bit more, she would know exactly where the underwater city was. Well, one thing she did know was that it was meant to stay underwater. After all, it was all pretty much just for the sake of one extremely complicated security system. Golden Phoenix was a treasure hunting guild in the end, so it would probably be a little bit more rich than your average guild. Hence the security should be higher and better as well. One had to get through guardian phoenixes on their island, climb a mountain, somehow activate the portal, fight their way through the entire city of mages and then somehow open the door to their vault. A lot of work for anyone who would decide that they wanted their riches.

But explaining all of that to Zoey would probably take time and it would be slightly pointless overall, since she was no thief. At least Leila didn't think she was one, but in this day and age, one could never be too sure. For now, she got the information about the place where she lived, which was nice. "I would be honored to visit you abode~" With voice full of life and energy, Leila agreed to Zoey's proposal about visiting the place on their way from here. It was always nice to see things like this instead of just trying to find it on her own when she decides to actually visit her for real. And funnily enough, this was actually the first time Leila even asked anyone about their home. She herself didn't exactly have one either. She always slept in hotels or occasionally in the underwater city of her guild, but that was it. No plot of land that she could call her own, something that she wished for somewhere deep inside of her mind. Perhaps she would get herself a nice home at some point as a reward for doing a good work as a mage. But that was probably still ways off from today.

For now, she wanted to remain by Zoey's side for a little bit longer. And there was one question she wanted to ask for a little while now, too. "Say... why did you decide to learn magic? Do you have any reason to be a wizard, Zoey?" It probably sounded as if Leila was slightly worried about her. And honestly, she was. It was true, the jobs for beginning mages were nothing special, but once she would get into the higher ranks... well, the fights would get pretty intense. And this girl just seemed so gentle and fragile, would she really fit into that world. Well, anyone was capable of fitting into that world in all honestly, it was just some kind of motherly instinct that made Leila worry or something.

Zoey could wish for a better home, but with the current jobs she had to do with it was just enough to maintain this style of life, let alone trying to get a better house. It wasn't like she spend so much time there anyway. Just eating and sleeping, otherwise she was always away to train or to do a job and occasionally visit a shop for basic needs. Luckily she had just done so two days ago, so it should still be a while until she had to head back to one.

Great it was decided then. Zoey realized she took a big gamble here. But she couldn't just remain a hermit forever. She started to think what they should do now. Maybe they could practice together? oh but that might not be the best idea. What if... No she couldn't live on ifs and buts forever either. Still might be worth to look for an alternative that wouldn't take so long. She just didn't want to risk her curse triggering in the company of someone she just met. Speaking about which... That question was not something she could casually answer on... or could she?

"R...reason? I eh... have something I want to investigate. I'am sorry, I can't tell you what." She said, but on purpose didn't go further on what it was. She could only hope that she wouldn't have to explain what it was. Normally if someone wanted to investigate it probably be ruins, artifacts or a certain type of magic. With her, it was a little more dangerous.

It was obvious that she would not share any personal goals and such with Leila, whom the girl just met few minutes ago. But it was quite surprising... in most cases, mages learned magic simply because they thought it was cool. And in all honesty, Leila was not any different from that. The only reason she was commanding magic was because she could. She always liked people that were capable of casting spells and doing something amazing, something that was far beyond normal human's capabilities.

So, when she learned that magical energy was going through her body, she started practicing immediately for the sole reason of becoming like those people. Only, she wasn't just interested in going around and making people smile and laugh with neat magical tricks. She had a very unique and powerful ancient magic. Power that could help her change things in the world, hopefully for the better. And so she gripped the chance tightly and didn't let go just yet. And she actually did make some difference in her life, considering the jobs she finished and the fact that she had position of a Rising Star.

But again, it always boiled down to the fact that she just wanted to do what she wanted. And magic was allowing for that, removing restrictions of mortality and physical barriers. It was truly amazing how such simple reason could evolve into something great... kinda like a small tree eventually turning into a gigantic tree which would be the biggest in the entire forest. Leila gave Zoey a big smile before getting up and extending her hand towards the girl, offering her some help with getting up. "I see. Maybe we'll become good enough friends one day for you to tell me."

Maybe it was just a wishful thinking, but she really liked Zoey, in more ways than just one. The fact that she could touch her soft and warm hand right now, help her get up and walk her home... just thinking about it all made her unusually happy and cheery. "The dark clouds are slowly covering the sky, it might start raining soon. Want to leave the forest and go home for now?" It would be fine if she declined, but this was a pretty good chance for Zoey to show Leila that home of hers. And surely, even if this meeting was slowly nearing it's end, they would meet again soon enough.

In a certain sense Zoey also just did what she wanted. It wasn't like she absolutely had to find out what that curse was about. She could just give up and try to make the best of it. But she doesn't want that. She wants to find the cause, and if possible lift the curse. Consequences be damned. Still it wasn't as much that she didn't want to tell strangers as she didn't want to bother them with it. To her it was just a means to an end. Granted, there weren't really many other ways she could use to lift that curse.

"Maybe..." She definitely hoped so. It just was a fact she doesn't really want to tell anyone about her curse if she had too. Maybe one day she could tell her or worse, show her, but she partly hoped both for it to happen and for it not to happen.

"Eh, sure. Let's go.!" She reacted quickly before standing up again. if the other girl wasn't up yet, Zoey would wait until the other girl was ready before starting to walk back to Magnolia. This feeling, meeting new people like Leila was a surprisingly pleasant one. If everyone was like that she wouldn't mind meeting a few more people.

The word 'maybe' sounded loud and clear. It was a beautiful word, not confirming or denying anything. A complete middle of the road that you could use nearly every single time, especially when you truly were uncertain. And the fact that it wasn't a straight up no made Leila happy. Sharing things like these, no matter how odd or bad they were was a great sign of friendship and mainly trust. When you put your trust into someone, you don't need to hide anything from them. Both families and friends, they share both happiness and sadness. That was what Leila's father once said... and while the girl did not believe it entirely, there was at least some weight to those words. So even if Zoey thought that she shouldn't share that secret with anyone, the opposite should be truth. The fact that she could eventually share that burden with someone else, that would be the true happiness and comfort.

"Yup, I'll let you lead the way!" Leila uttered those words before hopping onto her own two feet, letting her entire height stand tall. Of course, she was still quite a bit smaller than Zoey which made her sigh slightly. It seriously made her consider trying to grow a little bit somehow. But for now, the two of them simply walked between the trees and back to magnolia. This very unplanned meeting among the trees was truly something... a very pleasant and unforgettable experience. And who knew, maybe even a start to something much bigger and even greater. That was now only dependent on the two young girls and their actions together.

"Alright. It shouldn't be too difficult to find." Really it was just a home like none other, except a little messier. She wasn't sure what to think of the other girl. She didn't really never hang out with other girls her age a lot. It felt kind of strange but not in a bad way. She certainly wouldn't mind doing things like this again.

The town gate was almost deserted on the hour the two girls arrived. Everyone was already at work or fleeing inside for the possible rain. There were still a few guards stationed of course, someone had to watch out for trouble. Between the local wildlife and bandits both magical and not were all threads to this village. Deeper in the woods the animals could become really strange and very dangerous. That said it wasn't very far for Zoey's home. She turned into one of the smaller streets. Not really small enough to call an alley, but it still wasn't really one you wanted to ride through with a vehicle. Eventually they came across a small house, aside two other houses. She could feel a small amount of drops falling down slowly as they neared the house.

"It's not much inside, but if you want to stay until the rain's over you're welcome." She said as she stood still before her door. The door was alright, it was still in place and sturdy. It might have seen some better days though, a more closer inspection would indicate that it wasn't cleaned in a long while. The window aside, which was one of the few windows inside the house was difficult to watch through because of the dust that gathered on it. Zoey should really make a few days free to clean this place up. Inside it actually was a little better inside, and only because she regularly dusted it. She didn't found to time to clean the place thoroughly though.

The Zoey said those words made Leila feel as if she herself didn't quite know the location of her own house. Of course, that was not he case, it was just how it sounded. Still, it made the silver-haired girl chuckle a little bit before she nodded and continued walking next to Zoey. It did feel a bit odd to be walking somewhere with a person she just barely met, but it wasn't bad. Kinda like the saying for children, never follow adults that you don't know, even if they offer you candy. Naturally this was very different of a situation than that, but it still managed to come into Leila's mind.

And even if this situation would be like that, she was plenty strong to be able to deal with any kidnappers that would get in her way. The status of B-ranked wizard was not just something cosmetic, after all. It truly showed that Leila had mostly mastered her magic, and was capable of dealing with even the most dangerous situations. And along with gaining all that power, she matured mentally as well. Remembering how timid and shy she was when all of this started, it truly was some evolution.

Walking through the streets of Magnolia that never changed, not a single bit, the two girls eventually found themselves standing in front of Zoey's house. It was true, she could certainly use something better... but as long as the roof stopped rain and cold wasn't leaking inside during winters, it was home just fine. And as it was about to start raining, Leila even got invited inside. Sparks of excitement filled her eyes as she stared at her new friend with pleased expression. "Y..you're inviting me inside already? Can I really? Can I, can I?"

Almost like a little kid, she was just too excited to believe those words outright. She liked Zoey, and wanted to deepen their friendship over time... so it came as a great surprise that she would already get the chance to visit her home. See where she lives, and possibly what she likes. A chance unlike any others, there was no doubt that she would accept! Why would she not, that would simply make no sense at all.