The new Guildmaster (BP GM Vote)

Natalia sat at the dinner table of the guild, the table being the only thing to sit at without it seeming like someone was in control of anything. There had been a note left that their guild master had left and gone somewhere. The situation was awkward as now the guild was left masterless and they had lost two guild masters in such a short period of time. Now the guild would need a new master yet there wasn't really anyone fit for the job, and the guild decided that they needed to elect a new master. Taking out a small box she placed it on the table and opened it, inside a selection of cupcakes perfectly made for Natalia herself as she took one out an had a nibble while waiting for other members of the guild to arrive.


*OOC STUFF*
So there were several members who wanted to try and revive the guild, likewise it was decided that the GM position should be put to a vote.
Keep in mind that this is IC so you can theoretically elect anyone, but the only two people confirmed to be eligible via the rules is Natalia and Akeya.

Ember ever since her unusual joining of the guild has been in the lap of luxury. Food, water, and shelter being provided to her free of charge. A garage to where she can maintain her speeder dusty with solid parts, and free time to do what she wants. Of course there was that fee, but so as long she went out on a job it would cover it, which was easy for her. So today was no problem to meet up since if something was wrong with the guild then her lifestyle was also in danger too. She went to the dining hall as the note said and noticed only one person was there. The white hair, the aura, all dead giveaways that it was natalia. Ember never did figure out if she was her actual cousin or not, but she still keeps her hope up. And so she would had walked up to where natalia was sitting only to be stopped by the ever cold aura yet familiar aura, and instead would had taken a seat one away from natalia. "Hiya nat!" she would had started, "Were voting for a new master? Where's the last one, zack I think was his name?" she would had asked her, clearly she was not caught up with some of the guild events.

Blue Pegasus had changed many times since Akeya had first arrived at the guild. A guild was defined by the mages in it, and quite many mages had joined and then left Blue Pegasus. Some stayed longer than others, some didn't even last a week, but in the end only a very few had actually stuck around long enough for Akeya to feel like they were an important part of the guild, people who she expected to encounter as long as she herself remained in the guild.

However above all of that there had always been the three 'heroes' of the guild. Akeya had found it both ironic and fitting that the guild which was known as the home of heroes basically consisted of a bunch of average mages, herself, and then those three nearly godlike entities, the actual heroes who actually could be considered legends (Akeya wasn't doubting her own ability to become a legend, but she had to admit that she wasn't at that level yet. Although being a hero wasn't her thing anyway). The White Dragon Slayer, the Shadow Dragon Slayer, and the Speed Demon. Those three had been the pillars that both supported Blue Pegasus and ascended far above it, mighty mages who had each left their mark in the history of Fiore.

And now all three of them had finally disappeared. The first Shadow Dragon Slayer, Ayeseru Suzumoto, was the first one to disappear (although not before granting Akeya the opportunity to inherit the position of Shadow Dragon Slayer). The half dragon had never really figured out what happened to him, but all signs pointed towards him definitely and permanently having departed. The only thing left behind was this strange woman who somehow reminded everyone of him, yet at the same time was so completely different that nobody ever thought to dig any deeper. And that woman had struck out on her own as well now.

The second one to disappear was the White Dragon Slayer, Shuhei Kisaragi. According to the records he hadn't exactly died. Instead he had gone through the same process as Akeya herself was swept up in: the process of turning from a human into a dragon, dragonfication. However whereas Akeya's dragon blood, which flowed through her entire family, was helping her adapt to the changes and retain control it seemed Shuhei hadn't been as fortunate. Akeya's dragonfication was slow but steady, her body adapting to the alterations one by one to ensure it all worked as intended. Shuhei meanwhile had apparently surged all the way to a full-fledged dragon in nearly a single leap, and afterwards had disappeared to turn into a wild dragon. Akeya deemed this disappointing. She wasn't worried about herself, but she had thought Shuhei would have been able to retain control rather than giving in to his more basic instincts.

The third and last one to depart was the Speed Demon, Zack Rose. Once again his departure was not completely clear, although Akeya believed to remember something about him making an attempt at regaining his position as a Celestial Spirit. Given the fact that he hadn't returned it had either succeeded and he had decided to remain in the Celestial Spirit Realm, or it had failed and he had met his end in that attempt at regaining what was once his. A depressing story, although personally Akeya was more inclined towards worry. Zack had been the most active of the three pillars, having no issue with making it clear as crystal just how powerful he really was. If he had been defeated there were some dangerous foes in the Celestial Spirit Realm.

The three pillars, the three legends and heroes of the guild and Fiore, had all departed, and it was safe to assume they were all gone for good. With every last remnant of the three having disappeared other than memories and records it was safe to say that it was a new era for Blue Pegasus. Akeya wasn't sure if it was a promising era.

The guild had already suffered from decay for a while now. Rich as they were they could afford to keep the guild hall pristine, but in all honesty the glory days were already far behind them. They had significantly more rooms than they actually needed to house all the members, when before finding an empty room had been a challenge.

With the three pillars all gone, leaving only their last footprints, the decay was most likely only going to spread unless they could somehow revive the guild. This would have been easier if Akeya was particularly interested: her interest wasn't in whether the guild was glorious or not, but whether it served its function as a shield between her and the Magic Council. As long as she was a legal mage they would tolerate her. If Blue Pegasus was disbanded... Things could get troublesome.

First things first, they had to choose a new guild master. The Magic Council showed some leniency in granting a guild some time to choose their next guild master if the previous stepped down or disappeared without naming a successor, but they were very firm on the fact that any guild without a master wasn't a true guild and would be disbanded (or considered a dark guild if the members refused to abandon the masterless guild). The problem was that honestly they didn't have many good candidates. In fact, if Akeya had to be blunt, there were only two options which could be even considered viable: the snow girl, Natalia, and herself.

She wasn't really interested in being a guild master. It gave her position and power, but on the other hand she wasn't the type to be bothered with paperwork, which was what being a guild master was honestly about (why did the most powerful and respected mage have to do the most boring and tedious of jobs anyway? It's like promoting a powerful soldier and then keeping them off the battlefield). If she ended up being the guild master she'd have to find a way to avoid having to deal with that... probably hire some people who treated pushing papers around as their duty in life.

As for Natalia... Akeya snorted. A weakling. The only reason she could be considered an option was because she had been in the guild for the longest after the half dragon herself. That and her immense magic power, although Akeya would have been more impressed if it didn't cripple Natalia herself harder than most of her opponents.

The half dragon was stalking through the halls, her long tail trailing behind her as she headed for the large dinner room. That snow girl had called for a meeting to decide what to do about the guild now, although the implication had been that their first order of business would be to decide who would be the next guild master. Akeya wasn't sure whether Natalia wanted the position herself, or if she just wanted to get the matter resolved so she didn't have to worry about her home disappearing on her. Either way, Akeya entered the dinner room, her tall stature and draconic traits helping to immediately announce her presence since she wasn't bothering to try and hide it.

A tall half dragon stood in one of the doorways leading to the dinner room, spreading her midnight blue wings now that she was no longer restrained by the hallway. Looking around her emerald eyes scanned the room, glaring at the three girls already present before the half dragon stepped further forwards. She recognized two of them, one of them being Natalia and the other one being that strange hotheaded girl who was some kind of blood relative to the snow girl. The third one... was new. Didn't smell too dangerous though. Akeya dismissed her mentally before grabbing a seat and sitting down on it, a bit of a distance away from the others.

"How many more people are we expecting to join us?"

If it was only the four of them it would just show that Blue Pegasus was really in a very sorry state.

Oh what adventurous times are ahead, the once vagabond lad was finally starting to settle down. It was as if a man with the wish to marry and bear children was well on his way to doing so. What led such an occasion for the green haired male was his now location, the heart of heroes, the home of legends, the Blue Pegasus guild. The sheer title, "Guild of Legends" with a name of such caliber it would only make sense the sheer importance and history a place like that would carry.

Luard was absolutely seeping with excitement, standing at the gate of the large building, it would only make sense for such a grand estate to hold the future and already "heroes." He couldn't help pausing and taking every bit in still not use to this environment, the pleasant aroma and the architecture were both too his liking, really pushing toward that historic feeling. After who knows how long of admiration, he began small steps forward, getting an even better look now at more of the detail. The statues about, carved to show off the excellent emblem of the Pegasus, in full glory.

The past couple times he had been in this building was rather bare unfortunately, no matter though since such high matters where to be discussed today. With an absence of a guild master apparently, it was decreed a new one would be elected. A very descriptive Luard would make many hand gestures to himself as his thoughts went along. His place in the guild was very newborn, leaving his own thoughts and choice to be very on the spot, as he so loved to do. Spacing out of his internal thoughts he reached his hands on the door and pressed them open with enough care to not make a noise but the enthusiasms could be noted.

With such the impression of a larger get together, noticing the four others was a slight let down if he were to be honest. Luard supposed the words of a rough time were no joking matter. Nonetheless he kept his chipper smile and entered the room, sharing his grin towards all of those already seated at the large dinning table. He couldn't help but notice none of them were faces he was very familiar, while sitting a seat away, across from the imposing dragonic looking female turning the chair the opposite way before sitting with his chest against the head rest. Taking one final glance towards the small group before giving a warm smile figuring it would be best to wait for introduction till everyone was accounted for, if there was more to be that is.

Moving his head back and forth slightly to his own enjoyment, he embraced the silence but enjoyed the company all the same.

Chloe was not really sure how she was going to survive in the world on her own. It felt like just yesterday that she was still being trained in the art of combat by her adopted father, the god Zeus. She had no idea how she would apply this magic and combat skills that she had spent so long learning, but a suggestion from one of the small villages that she visited managed to put her on the right track.

She heard that it might be a good idea for her to join a guild, so this got her mind to pondering. She really just wanted to help people with her magic, so maybe a guild could help her to do that. Now the search was on for her, and she obviously set her sights on the legal guilds of Fiore. Among those whom she heard stories about, there were two that interested her, Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus.

She appreciated the views of both of them, and wondered what each of them would be like if she ended up joining them. She thought that Sabertooh might be a little harder for her, but being a mage in general would be hard. Her decision found itself jump started by the time that she met another mage named Mavis Lockheart, who would end up telling her about Blue Pegasus. Normally she wouldn't listen to someone that she barely knew, but the two of them managed to hit it off fast, and she was already leaning towards Blue Pegasus anyway.

She joined the guild in an uneventful manner as she simply entered the hall one day and requested to join from the bartender. She got her tattoo before she just walked to the jobs board and went out. She noted that there were not of members in the guild hall when she left, but she eventually did leave. The young godslayer managed to meet up with Mavis again on this job, revealing that she had joined Blue Pegasus. After the job was completed, the two split up and Chloe decided to take the long way home.

The next day, she arrived in the guild hall to see a surprising amount of people in there. She noticed that they all seemed to be coordinated in the dining hall of the guild. There were only five of them, but it was more than she had expected to see when she visited today. She spotted Mavis among them as she approached the table and shyly sat down at it, waiting to see what the silent meeting would end up being for. She didn't really wanna talk much, but being there would probably be enough for her.

Natalia continued to nibble on her cupcakes as the few members of the guild flooded into the room, surprisingly Akeya actually came, it was rare to see Akeya around though Natalia supposed that she didn't feel like she had much choice in the matter. Natalia began to speak up believing everyone to be there, yet her greatest weakness was speaking, not because she was nervous or shy, just because she was extremely soft spoken to the point that most people wouldn't hear her with even the slightest noisy environment. "Um, everyone I would..." She was cut off by another new arrival, this time a very rough looking man, who promptly took a seat and immediately started talking.

Waiting for him to finish she once again attempted to speak up for everyone to hear her. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize there was still someone who wasn't hear yet." She said to the man apologetically, she was just naturally kind and calming towards most. "I know our guild doesn't look like much due to the lack of our members and that we don't really have much to offer in terms of a guild master, and I am going to offer my name for the position. But before we do I thought I would remind you all that being guild master doesn't mean we have to be scary or powerful, it is just a position that lets them protect the guilds members in any way possible." She stated trying to make herself sound louder so everyone could hear. Looking at the man who had already announced his running for the position she attempted a smile which looked more like a sorry frown. "I appreciate you putting yourself in such a position for us, but I have a better understanding of the guild as a whole and while this down mean I am trying to be senior to most of you, I am not trying to say that it means I am the right choice, I am certain that if I am not the right one for the job the guild would kindly find a new master when they are needed." She turned back to the rest of the group. "I know that most of us look at the title of "guild of legends" and think that this guild means becoming a legend but I don't think anyone could ever be wrong, I never really understood why were were called either the guild of legends or guild of heroes in the first place, but a guilds title does not mean much when its members aren't specifically tied to said title, what matters is that its members follow their dreams and not another name for themselves. I believe that if we were to prosper as a guild that out of our current member base I am the right person for the job but that will be up to you to decide." She folded her arms on her lap and once again attempted to smile.

Mavis was surprised by the outcome of members, it was truly spirit-lifting, it seemed the guild was slowly growing. Chloe was even here, Mavis was glad she convinced her to Join. Along with some fresh-face guy who she hadn't seen before and some energetic red-head. Mavis didn't care though, what mattered was Blue Pegasus had a chance, Mavis was going to be optimistic about the guild's current choice of next in line Masters. However, she wasn't going to disrespect the guild-master when they got chosen, whoever it may be, hopefully someone who would take action and not sit around and do nothing.

As Natalia gave her speech, Mavis gathered information from her speech and from the man before her and after Akeya. She felt inspired to be apart of Blue Pegasus, she kind of inspiration she first had joining weeks ago. Mavis nodded, she had her next question ready. Mavis would be sure to make eye-contact with the dragonic-woman, Akeya and the quiet but polite woman known as Natalia.


"Alright. Like Ezra said, being here longer than us gives you no bigger lead on being the guild-master." Mavis nodded, "Cause you see, if you were here longer why didn't you both step up to the plate and stop the guild from falling so far into this dark hole, instead of being shown up by a couple of rookies." She made sure to look them in the eyes, as much as she could, "So do you have an explanation? I mean being here longer you had a heads-up on the guild falling you could've done something."

Mavis really hoped the women didn't take her words too harshly, it was a mere statement followed by a question then a statement. Hopefully she didn't piss them off, that was the last thing she needed was to piss of potential guild-masters. However she felt it was a necessary need they answer for their lack of actions.


"I hope it didn't anger you guys too badly." Mavis bowed, sitting in her chair.

She would look around listening to what anyone else had to say or bring to the table, as well as being open to their opinions as well. At this point Mavis was on Ezra's side, the older members didn't pick up the guild's slack or tried their hardest to fix anything. It was time for a new generation of members to take control and return it to the guild's former glory.

Well, this certainly was going to be more interesting than Akeya had expected. Honestly she had predicted that it was only going to be her, Natalia and some nervous newcomers, with the decision of the new guild master coming down to whether Akeya or Natalia could make the better impression (probably Natalia, since while Akeya was good at making an impression it wasn't always considered positive). Instead someone surprisingly powerful showed up and immediately made a case for himself becoming the guild master. A fancy speech about how Blue Pegasus had relied too much on its previous masters and heroes to keep its claims of being a guild for legends, and how he'd use the fact that he was completely new to the guild to go against that flawed tradition and instead make them legends in their own right.

The half dragon studied Ezra with her usual glare, not so much a sign of displeasure as much as her just being used to inspecting everything thoroughly until her passive expression ended up being unusually focused. He did have strength, that much was easy to tell. Strong enough that she would have to be wary if she actually had to fight him, especially since his magic gave the impression of being one which favoured straight on combat: it reminded her of steel and blades. From the way he acted and the way he spoke she could tell that he also had plenty of confidence and certainty of his own worth and ability. Which counted in his favour, as long as he also knew how to combine it with caution and prudence. One needed confidence in their abilities to be able to succeed, but those who began to believe they could never fail ended up finding themselves wrong very suddenly and quite... terminally.

Not that Akeya was planning to actually do anything to the man. It was in her nature to considered the possibility of having to fight anyone, since anyone could actually end up being an enemy. More important was the actual consideration of whether this man should become the guild master. Akeya wasn't sure yet, but at least he had a better chance than the other contender, not counting herself. Of course, for the half dragon quite many people would be a better choice than Natalia. That woman with her immense magical power was friendly, nice, and tried to help people. Yet from Akeya's point of view she smelled of weakness and hypocrisy. Definitely not someone she ever wanted to serve under or have to listen to. When Natalia answered Ezra's speech Akeya raised one eyebrow. She at least had to agree that she didn't know why they were known as the guild of heroes or the guild of legends. As she had pondered before, it was highly ironic that this supposed guild of heroes had for the longest time depended on the presence of those three pillars. Other than those three, who had each left their mark, the rest of the guild was hardly legendary. Even Akeya herself was simply a skilled assassin, not some kind of legendary thief of lives.

After Natalia came another woman, one who took a much different stance. Akeya's other eyebrow rose as there was a quite blunt demand of an explanation why they hadn't saved the guild. The half dragon didn't care for the quick remark that the girl hoped she didn't anger her and Natalia too badly. Mostly because the half dragon didn't really feel the need to be angered. Granted, she thought this Mavis was acting rather presumptuous. Even if newcomers could be as valuable as old members it took a specific kind of spunk to have one of your first actions in the guild to be a scolding of everyone who had been in the guild for any respectable period of time.

"Haah... I guess the newcomers want their piece as well. Well, might as well do my part."

The half dragon stood up from her chair, her stature taller than most men and only barely below Ezra's. And, well, Ezra didn't have the draconic features, the scales, the wings, and the long reptilian tail to help make his appearance even larger. Akeya looked at all the people in the room, her gaze lingering on Ezra and Mavis.

"To summarize: the guild has been dying for some time, with all the old heroes leaving for one reason or another. Clinging to lost glory is useless, we should renew ourselves and once again become legends in our own right. Meanwhile the ones of us who have been with the guild for a while should have done something to prevent its current state of decay, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds as if both of you believe that the guild should be left in the hands of the new members because you believe the ones who have been here for a while simply haven't done enough to deserve control."

Akeya raised one hand to chest height, stretching her scaled and clawed fingers.

"I agree with the first part: lost glory is of no use." She folded one finger. "It is honestly quite strange that Blue Pegasus would have the name of the guild of heroes and legends, when all heroes and legends have already disappeared. Either dead, missing or in some other way no longer among us. I was never a fan of the term heroes anyway, and while the term legend has a nice ring to it it is painfully obvious that none of us here, including myself, can claim to be a legend. Maybe in the future, but not. Yet."

"Second," Another finger folded. "I also agree that we should renew ourselves and attempt to lay claim to worth and respect with our own hands. What does it say about a person when the best they can say about themselves is that their grandfather was a great man? They are not the grandfather. They need to prove themselves with their own abilities and skill."

Third," The third finger. "About explaining ourselves: no." She stated that quite bluntly, without any hostility but without any gentleness either. "One's seniority might not matter, but on the other hand if you have just joined I fail to see what kind of attachment you might have to this guild that requires you to stand up and accuse the old members. Where you a fan of the guild since you were a kid? Was an old friend or relative of yours part of the guild once?" She shrugged. "Note that I am not saying that just because you are a newcomer you are not allowed to question. What I am saying is that I do not see what would obligate me to answer you."

"However, if you really want to know..." Another shrug. "I guess it has to do with the fact that this whole 'family' or 'bond' concept that people like to attach to the guild... is none of my business." The half dragon's gaze was, as usual, strong and fierce, without much sympathy. "A mage guild is an organization which gathers mages and people with similar talents and aids them in training their skills and providing jobs. If you were to look at the origin of guilds it is quite likely that, rather than this idea that guilds are for the sake of family, they were created in the hope of making it easier to regulate and control mages and similar people, who otherwise would just go rampant with their powers which often can be quite disruptive and destructive. Furthermore, the structure of guilds makes it easier for the government, in this case the Magic Council, to channel the power of these magical beings... for their own purposes and that of the people of Fiore."

"I did not join Blue Pegasus because I felt the need for friends. I did not do it to have a family. When I joined Blue Pegasus was still thriving. Simply put, it was a reliable source of income because such a popular guild received a lot of requests and missions." Akeya stabbed the table in front of her with the last stretched finger. "For me this guild is a place where I can safely reside, where I can train and study, and where I can receive jobs to fulfil for money, which in turn serves to allow me to provide for myself. It is not some grand family, not something I bonded with, and while I would prefer that Blue Pegasus continued to exist... now that everyone who was here when I joined has left it does not really provide me with anything any other legal guild couldn't provide as well. Except maybe the library."

"I did not do anything about the decay because I never had any reason to feel like the administration of Blue Pegasus was my responsibility. I fulfil jobs, which provides money for myself and funds and recognition for the guild. The guild in turn provides me with the opportunity to improve myself, so I can in turn fulfil more jobs. A cycle of give and take, and I never felt reason to try and occupy both sides."

"Of course..." She raised her hand again, leaving a mark in the wood of the table. "If I were to actually have an administrative assignment in the guild that matter would change. Interesting enough, it appears I was considered for the position of guild master before... but it was given to another, who, just like all the others, is now gone." A dismissive shrug. "I would like to say that I miss her, but the same way that I do not feel like the well-being of the guild as a whole is my responsibility through some kind of bond, I am not inclined towards making friends or feeling closely connected to others. And she was rather distant as well."

"Regardless... to the main point. And the main point is that... if you really want to claim the guild as your own, renew it, you can go ahead. One of the main reasons why I am standing here as a potential candidate is because I dislike the hypocrisy and weakness of the other remaining 'old' member, and wanted to ensure that she at least wouldn't gain control." A cold glance to Natalia made it clear that the half dragon really didn't like the snow mage. "If I ended up in the position of guild master I would focus on making it more professional, and less... Well, let's just say that anybody who wants to see their guild as family would find this family to be rather harsh. So far as I'm concerned guilds exist to regulate magical entities and channel their powers. This is best achieved by focusing on efficiency and a professional approach. Both the guild and the members would benefit greatly from the guild putting more effort into actually training its members, not only in developing their magical talents but also educating them in strategies, tactics, and basic skills such as fighting arts and survival. I could keep going, but I think by now it's clear that I simply do not see the guild the same way as you do. If this guild had actually decayed so far that it could not provide me shelter, income and the opportunity to study I would have joined another."

She pointed at Ezra. "So I'll finish what I have to say with this: if you want the guild and make it great, go ahead. I don't really care. As long as this guild can provide me with the opportunity to train, the opportunity to study, a safe residence and a steady income through jobs and requests I will stay. As long as your orders and ideas are sensible I will follow them, and I will aid in defending the guild against outside threats. Basically, I will do exactly what I believe a guild member should do, and I hope you will not turn against me just because I do not share the silly idea that a guild is about bonds, family, or something as emotional as that. I will work together with others insofar as that is beneficial for all parties involved. I won't actively antagonize other guild members unless they provoke me first. Let me do my thing, and I'll help you with yours. Although I do hope that, unlike the snow mage here, you are actually willing to kill for the sake of doing what is necessary."

Akeya narrowed her eyes at the last part. One of the biggest problems she had with Natalia was that claim that killing was bad. Senseless killing could be seen as savage and without use, which in turn could make it bad, but one who refuses to kill regardless of the circumstances is not some kind of hero: someone who won't kill no matter what is either a weakling or someone who is trying to feel good about themselves.

Ember watched as others came in, most of them were what she expected but a couple stood out. There was the odd woman who was covered in scales with wings and a tail, some kind of lizard woman that ember figured for akeya, one of the other members with natalia when she first joined that was still around. And then there was the man named ezra, who came in apparently with his speech planned ahead of time. He gave off confidence, strength, resolve, which all gave ember suspicion since here was this member who she couldn't say has been here for a month. However she would keep quiet as natalia began to speak, putting herself up for the position of guild master. Ember nodded her head in agreement, and then akeya spoke up.

If ember didn't know who akeya was personally(which she actually didn't), now she and others would get a good idea of how she worked as she gave for her speech. Ember couldn't really doubt akeya for her reasoning though, the most important thing in life was you since your living it, and akeya seemed like a solid leader. The problem was though her leadership seemed more fit for a army and not a guild, and if ember wanted to join the army she would had joined the rune knights in fiore. And when she was nearly done, the magical presence filled the room so suddenly that it took ember by surprised. The source was clear however that it was coming from ezra, his rapid tapping and slamming the table when akeya was done talking was enough evidence. He then released his own speech against akeya, clearly offended by her words and using it as a way to support his position as being a guild master.

And then silence, giving everyone a moment to digest what was just said and traded. Ember would had then stood up and first looked in the direction to where ezra was at. "First off, it is a serious issue that we are without a guild master, but we are still far from making anyone who walks in here with a speech and conviction the guild master. With enough practice anyone can come in here and mimic your speech ezra. To your credit though you proven to everyone that you are indeed a powerful mage by feeling the need to piss it all over the room, but being a powerful mage does not mean your a leader or a leader that looks after the benefit of this guild. You said it yourself that your new and your past is a history, with that how can we trust you? I'm not saying that you are this fake person, but as of now theirs not a way to make sure you are who you say you are. So for this election you should stay out of it since we have no guarantee you'l keep your word. If you stick around though and later we have another election for guild master, then I think you would win it hands down if you prove that you are what your saying."

She would have then looked away and scanned the room looking at the others save for natalia since she was behind ember. "Now I honestly believe that the two candidates that can be trusted to lead the guild are indeed natalia and akeya. Both have been members for the longest out of all of us and while I do agree that they shouldn't be treated differently because of that, it vouches that they support the guild and its people for sticking around this whole time. And I honestly believe natalia is the best choice out of the two. Remember akeya's view of a guild? She wants it professional and well trained. Those two alone sound fine enough to me, but the way she says she would run things this guild would become more of a army then a collection of mages working for good of all. And if I wanted that, I would had gone to the rune knights and joined up there. Now, natalia wants to run the guild, and all she wants to do is change it from this focus of fancy titles and wanting to go down in history as these legends to one that would follow the members dreams. And you know what? I'm fine with that if it includes never to worry about food, water, shelter, and freedom to do what you want and giving that to others. Even you said that's what you want from the guild akeya, sustenance and freedom to pursue your own wants. Isn't that a common dream we all have and build upon? And you may say that it takes initiative to be a good leader but isn't natalia coming up here and saying she wants leadership proof of that? Especially when their are others here that seem to be qualified and just as willing to become master or more, or how she could had just sat this out and let ezra and akeya go for it, and yet she still stands here because she believes she can do the best for the guild at this time. And I agree with that and vote for her to become my guild master." She would had finished confidently in her choice and sat back down in her seat sinking in to it as she was waiting for another to speak up. That was probably the longest time she had taken to speak in front of a group of people in a discussion as serious as this. But she had full confidence that natalia can lead the guild enough to prevent anything worse happening to it and its members, ember included.

So, matters finally seemed to be getting down to business. Luard had picked almost the best time to show up, besides one more other quiet entrance would lead to the calm before the storm. The last to come in being the large, bulky, and intimidating man, setting things right on the table even before he spoke. Luard could tell from the look in his glares he was in no way impressed and was a man with a plan. With a simple introduction to start things off, Luard's eyes followed along taking notice to his movements and fiery words. For the first member to speak their stance he sure was starting off guns blazing to say the least. The more words spewed out the larger the grin across Luard's face grew, he had to admit, Ezra knew what to say it to draw people in and that was a quality he could respect.

Looks like the guns hadn't stopped firing as a shot would lead to the woman across the table with cupcakes at her side. Letting out a small chuckle but was a bit disappointed the mic had been dropped, however it wasn't long before the retaliation from cake girl would come along. For better words, it was underwhelming, the way she spoke was one of a fine lady indeed, whether she could take a leadership role alone and lead the people because of her kindness was however in the air. As would be known, Luard wasn't the only one a bit saddened by her response, but while his was more of a disappointment, the next to throw their opinion was one of anger. Personally it seemed like such a childish remark if he had to speak honestly, even himself acting childish now and again. To make matters more of a let down, she had even calmed herself giving up somewhat of an apology to her own words. That one was certainly of interest but her words spoke far too loud.

Nonetheless, the circle of sharing would go on and now the last candidate took her stance. The dragonic woman went on and on for quite a few minutes, Luard had to say he'd have run out of breath with this speech. But in the end applying for the role of master apparently had of no importance to her. Once again disappointing from the two lady competitors, with such great leadership qualities if only her actions were ones that Luard would want to follow. And as it would seem, both of the candidates had given their stances upon the cake girl, and they seemed to sum up her lacking talents for this position. But now Luard got to rub his hands in excitement, because the escalation just flew up to one hundred with great speed!

The man of the hour, Ezra, was absolutely outraged by the dragonic's views. A man teething with bravado, so much so that Luard was even able to feel his magic presence, as if he was already taking claim to his new home. As if Ezra's case wasn't already on the highest pedestal, even as a newcomer like the majority at the table, he made it even more compelling to try to vote against him. Luard had even begun to shake part way during this in his overload of emotions, it was a rather unnerving but exhilarating! For someone to be able to give part of his own being so well for something he was only just joining. Either comes  from a man either filled with passion, or one with many secrets and goals with nothing left to lose. With his last action, adding insult to injury towards Akeya, giving a nice puff of smoke in her direction adding the final coffin in her run.

But It just doesn't end, as Luard was near seconds from his own strong words explode. Another girl, one seemingly close to Natalia had placed her own thoughts on the matter. Not only that but she made valid points towards Ezra's run, even though he could probably sell an ordinary rock as a mystical item, it would be rather foolish to trust the well-being of something near death to one with powerful words with nothing to back himself on from his own past. His morals did seem to be very pure in Luard's own sense of the word but he wasn't the only voter here. As the red-head continued, it was if the two shared some form of mental bond, every word she said he could imagine coming from the more reserved Natalia. It actually touched him more than just how Ezra's spirit, in fact in a normal circumstance, he could imagine himself having a tear run down his cheek in this moment.

It was all getting too much for him to sit and handle. With all of this back and forth, the energy within the room was absolutely mesmerizing. The intense passion, that understanding of each others natures, and the emotion from those who truly care for the well-being and virtue of this guild. Every last hair on Luard's body was at their ends and he was filled to the brim with hope.

His own hands pressed hard against the table as he rose from his backwards seat, within the seconds of silence he was more than antsy to let his own flow of abnormal feelings out. With a stern look in his face, unlike any expression he had given his entire time in this hall. He scanned around to all of those sitting at the table before him, leading up to a deep breath. With one simple sentence

"I like you two." Nodding towards Ezra and the now seated women, speaking from deep down of what Natalia truly wants but can't quite say, or so Luard felt. He once again took his irregular seat, keeping his posture pristine while clearing his throat. "But with all the things I have bared witness today, if there is one thing I can say, then it shall be that my decision to settle with this guild was the correct choice. However with how things stand right now, I cannot accept this election as it is. For Natalia the cupcake, cannot be at her best without her loyal, pink-haired passionfruit at her side to speak on her soft behalf. But that also leads me to the enigma here. Ezra's words and strong views already have him on a high level in this election. But that brings me to my point. That for my vote, I cast it towards no single person at this table. The only way I can see this with my own vote is towards not only Ezra or Natalia, but both! His unconventional nature spoke loudly and full of confidence. "...That is all." With two people in the way to leadership that make him feel as he just did, than there is no possible way for him to choose between the two. On the other hand if his request of the cupcake and passionfruit duo does not come to fruition, then it would leave him no choice but to the enigma.

But for now his head with clad in stone, he hunched forward with a sincere smile flooding with his words finally able to escape. No matter the outcome he was now at peace. He said every word he needed too, even if Akeya hadn't been involved, but as most could assume she was all but out of the running with that speech.

Tic tic... tic tic tic... tic, the sound similar to the sound of pins dropping could be heard within the room. The sound seemed to have no original source until one looked towards Natalia, on the table before her were several raindrop shaped crystals. Another fell making another ticking noise, they weren't rain drops or crystals, they were Natalia's tears as they dropped from her face and froze in her own aura. "I'm too weak... I couldn't do anything for the guild because... *sniff* because I was sick this whole time... as much as I wanted to... *sniff* help, I never knew family my whole life, I just... *sniff* wanted a home even if it meant caring for it." She attempted to wipe away the still liquid tears from her face as another frozen drop fell to the table. The entire rooms temperature seemed to drop in an instant as icicles formed on the ceiling. This was a testament to Natalia's power in it's most unrestrained form as she relinquished control. "I didn't know *sniff* people hated me so much." She tried to stand on her weak legs as she shuddered and hacked up a small amount of blood. "I've been spending this whole time, trying to get better for the guild, but *sniff* I only make the situation worse through absence." She wiped away her tears once again trying to control her sorrow. "Can I ask you all *sniff* to forgive me? I don't care who ends up being guild master, I just *sniff* want forgiveness."

One could call Akeya many negative things. Selfish, arrogant, cold, uncaring... however she most certainly wasn't stupid. When she made her speech she was fully aware that not only it would discourage anyone to vote for her (which was no longer an issue, since there was already another candidate who should be able to pick up the slack), but would earn her animosity, either small or large. Especially since she was the only non-human in this room and thus all the others wouldn't take kindly to the idea of one who simply does not care about such things as bonds.

Which was why when the new contender, Ezra, slammed his fist upon the table and let his magic aura explode she failed to be surprised. The fact that he'd actually strike the table was a bit more than she had expected, but on the other hand it did make sense. While he did appear to be strong and confident he also spoke with the same kind of passion that was used by all those who spoke fondly of bonds. Although if he wanted to impress her with his magic power she would have to disappoint him: out of everyone here Akeya had spent the most time mingling with the truly powerful, those legendary mages who had actually deserved the names of legends and heroes. Not to mention Natalia's magic power, which was so powerful it harmed her own health.

Akeya's eyes met Ezra's, his furious eyes meeting the cold reptilian eyes of the half dragon. The mage was certainly managing to make himself look impressive, but Akeya herself as a half dragon wasn't that weak looking either, and she wasn't very good at being intimidated either. That didn't mean that she didn't recognize the power of this mage and the threat that he could pose, but if he was trying to make her falter he would have to do more than take a stance.
Which seemed to be his plan, as he quickly walked towards her while declaring his disgust at everything she said. Maybe she should interrupt him... but it wasn't as if what he was doing was actually ruining her chances of becoming guild master. Or, to be more accurate, she didn't care for becoming guild master so she didn't mind if he spoke his mind. At the very least it allowed her to get a better idea what kind of person she would have to deal with.

From what she could tell so far... at the very least a very passionate one. He also knew how to make speeches, which was good if he wanted to be the representative of the guild. Power he also had plenty of, although the question was if he could also wield that power skilfully... well, they would find that out sooner or later anyway. Akeya placed a hand on her hip and raised one eyebrow as she stood there in front of Ezra, her tail idly going from side to side behind her as she listened to his words and observed him. Good muscle mass, no visible health issues, magic properly matching the physique... patterns, habits and mannerisms also didn't reveal any real issues. It seemed they had a winner here... although he could use to lose some of that bravado. There was a flicker of annoyance in Akeya's eyes when Ezra spoke of bonds and family. That was exactly the kind of thing she did not care for and which she would never be able to find common ground with the humans with.

Ezra's speech ended with an insulting gesture, leaning forward into Akeya's personal space to blow smoke in her face. The half dragon narrowed her eyes slightly before huffing, the powerful lungs that were required of dragons and dragon slayers to use their signature breath attack allowing her to redirect the smoke back into Ezra's own face. The half dragon then smirked slightly, raising the hand not resting on her hip and extending one finger to tickle the bottom of the man's chin with her sharp nail. She was making sure she didn't draw blood, but beyond that she didn't have reason to be very gentle.

Of course, before she could answer the man she first had to listen to what the other people in the room had to say. Natalia's cousin, Ember, predictably voted for Natalia, although surprisingly she sided with Akeya rather than Ezra. Although the half dragon couldn't exactly disagree: Ezra, impressive as he was, had basically charged into this meeting out of nowhere, and while Akeya didn't care for the role of guild master her naturally intimidating nature and cold intelligence would allow her to be a good leader for a more militaristic institution.

Following that was another newcomer who showed up at roughly the same time as the speeches all begun, meaning he at least got to hear everything he needed to hear to make a decision. Unsurprisingly he was impressed by Ezra, but for some reason he believed that Natalia would be a good choice as well... on the condition that Ember helped her out. Which... actually wasn't too bad a suggestion.

Akeya thought she could finally give the man Ezra her retort, only to frown as she realized that the room was quickly getting colder. The half dragon closed her eyes for a moment, a look of undiluted annoyance and irritation on her face before she opened her eyes again and looked over to Natalia, who in her distress at being insulted was losing control over her magic and making the entire room freeze over. That was exactly one of the reasons why Akeya didn't want her in charge: that much magic power with such unreliable control meant that their guild master would be a threat to both her own guild and any potential allies. And beyond that, well... that personality.

After listening to Natalia sobbing how she only wanted to help Akeya turned back to Ezra. She didn't really care about Natalia, and Ember should be able to keep her from turning the entire room into an ice palace. Akeya grew up in a village high up in the mountains, so it would take more than a bit of chill before she'd feel strong discomfort. Although she had to retreat her hand while listening to all the others, since she doubted Ezra would have allowed her to just keep casually threatening him with a claw-like nail while the both of them heard the opinions of the others in the room.

"Using that little outburst as a demonstration I hope you can see why I do not want her as the guild master. You yourself already said it: the guild master represents the guild, and we could hardly have the guild be represented by a girl who cries because not everyone in the world likes her and who lets loose bursts of frost whenever she gets upset. Not even mentioning her health." She glanced over at Natalia. "I don't see why you act surprised. I never pretended to care about you. If you want to make an impression, show us that you're stronger than this and make it stop freezing in here."

She turned back to Ezra. "Now, as for you... Well, you kind of remind me of someone I used to know. Granted, he was a bit more... appetizing." She smirked again. "Regardless, you seem cut out for the job, so as I've said before I'll gladly support you becoming guild master as long as no better candidate comes along. Although I would like to make some things clear..."

"The belief that bonds are important is one born from the fact that humans are by nature social creatures. It is not a divine virtue that all humans inherently possess, it's merely your instinct making you believe that. Selflessness is only a positive trait because creatures like humans that live in group have a better chance of survival as a whole if each member of the group does its best to help the group survive. Once again not some kind of divine mandate or commandment, just your instincts at work."

"I'm not a human. I used to be, but I became something else." She stretched her wings to demonstrate, her tail also curling around her so the tip could reach far enough to carefully stroke Ezra's nose. "I know humans, and I know that you believe that anyone who stops being a human is making themselves less rather than more, and that your own personal virtues are the only ones that matter. However, I don't need to indulge those beliefs." Her eyes narrowed then, those emerald draconic eyes with the slitted pupils. "Dragons are solitary creatures. Your desire for bonds, for selflessness, for sacrifice... that's all because group creatures depend on those things for survival. Dragons fend for themselves, know that survival demands they use everything they can find, and have no reason to care for anything other than themselves and their mates and children."

"You use the term selfish as if a curse, but for a dragon it's a sign of being good at survival. Because everyone is born into this world alone, and in the end everyone will die alone. Even if you're surrounded by family and friends there is no-one who accompanies you as you descend into the abyss of death. I'm not saying this to convince you, since I doubt anything could short of a divine intervention, but I want to make it clear that the reason why we are on opposing sides is not because either of us is wrong and the other is right, but because we are two wholly different creatures who rely on entirely different traits and abilities for survival."

"Go and lead the guild. Restore it to its former glory or beyond, make it grow and expand, show the world what you're made of. If that's what you want you're fully welcome to it. Just don't bother me with any further speeches about the value of selflessness. Don't talk to me about bonds. Those are things for humans, and I? I'm not a human, and unlike what humans like to believe I haven't become any lesser because of it. Just different. Bonds and the ability to sacrifice oneself for the great good make humans strong. The ability to utilize everything one can find for one's own benefit, to keep finding ways to improve... that's what makes a dragon strong."

"Although I do want to point out that I stated that the interaction between mage and guild is one of mutual exchange. The guild delivers the requirements for the mage to be able to fulfil requests and missions, and the mage in turn gathers funds and fame which the guild uses to expand and provide more and better resources to even more mages. I may not have done for the guild what you would have wanted or expected of me, but to say that I was leeching off of it is mere slander."

"As for the killing... If you want to avoid killing I don't mind. After all, in plenty of situations the ending of a life is not actually necessary." Akeya pointed towards Natalia with her tail. "I just want to be sure that you aren't like her, and wouldn't be able to kill anything regardless of whether it'd be the best option or not."

Akeya's voice then dropped to a whisper, so only Ezra would be able to hear the next part. "I am not too familiar with love, but if you can be as impressive a guild master as you claim to be I wouldn't mind considering laying some eggs for you. Strong brood needs a strong father, naturally." Her smirk became wider, wondering if Ezra would be able to figure out whether she was joking or not, and whether he'd be outraged or not. And her current stance had her hand on her hip and most of her weight being supported by that leg, which resulted in her broodmotherly figure being more prominent as her wide hips and toned waist were on full display. There was, of course, also the large chest, but that hardly needed emphasis.