When the rain pours, it cries out. (Private, BR)

The city of Rose Garden, usually a bustling place full of shoppers and tourists, the place was known as a city of shopping and magic. On this day however the streets remained empty as the day grew late and the skies darkened, it was clear that it was going to storm this evening and many had taken shelter indoors. Inside the Black Rose guild hall however word was abuzz about the return of a certain member of the guild who has left on a long journey, but greater word was abuzz about how the weather was a bad omen as it was always the precursor to a bad event around the guild. The name of the returning member was that of Irina, she had taken leave a while back to investigate matters revolving around her family as well as to train herself. The assistant chefs in the back of the kitchen were murmuring among themselves complaining about how much food they were going to have to cook tonight, Irina always ate way more than the average human and so quickly that you wondered if you even cooked something to begin with. The patrons of the guilds main floor had mixed reviews as some often found themselves with head trauma in the past but others found this hilarious as Irina often was known to bring her left fist to their compatriots heads for harassment, it was always well known that Irina was left handed thus her left swing was much stronger.

So rowdy, busy, and filled with chatter! Yet said chatter was not about he who mattered, he who was among them, the self proclaimed best mage of the guild! This was inexcusable, irredeemable, it was a crime against the very guild! Glowing red with anger in the back of the guild as he watched the daily business go on was the mage commonly known as Horatio, a self proclaimed mage. Many knew him as a man capable of great magic as he had accomplished tough jobs in the past, and he even had leadership over his own team which starred two woman who were both exemplary members. But what made up the bulk of his reputation was the fact that he was notorious for causing trouble everywhere around with his prideful stance and showmanship of extravagance. Extravagance that rubbed many people the wrong way as it showcased more flamboyance than one person should ever posses. Not the mention the amount of times Horatio had been fined with reimbursement tabs for his regular breaking of Silver moon Inn furniture and windows. None the less, he had a certain amount of fame, and he was more than glad to indulge on the feeling of being well known, be it through negative or positive sources.

''WHAT is even GOING ON HERE!'' he yelled as he jumped with a springy jump onto one of the empty tables, which was a wonder since he was known to jump on occupied tables in the past. But, after a stern talking from the local bartender he decided that getting scolded was the least of his concerns today. Everyone in the guild hall looked back at the man standing on the table and seemed to be in kind of a surprise. Instead of praise and admiration as he had expected he was bombarded with annoyed question; 'You don't know Irina?' 'Are you ever even paying attention?' 'Just don't pick a fight this time PLEASE!'. This and many more such remarks were thrown at him, and it certainly didn't help Horatio's anger. Placing his palm against his forehead as a rather obvious sign of a headache and annoyance he looked around. Where was this 'Irina' person, who was she, and what made her so special? Who was capable of diverting attention. He had to make sure they all realized who was the ace around here. Who was the king of tables and the heir of all shattered windows. He had to once and for make them realize the greatness they were lucky enough to be a witness of in their daily routine! And so he waited, standing atop his table, looking at the door with an intense look hearing the occasional wind echo through the streets and slowly seeing rain starting to come in.

Irina walked through the waterlogged streets of Rose Garden, the rain turning to steam as it hit her body due to its intense heat. Irina was returning to Black Rose since she had left on a decently long journey. Today however felt very grim, the sky's had turned way to dark for the time of day and the lightning was a the color of blood. She was familiar with red lightning, such an odd colored lightning was very reminiscent of family, but the feeling felt more real than memory. Irina continued to trudge through the pouring rain as suspicious figures snuck through the shadows tailing her, she knew they were there, they were poor at concealing their presence. Irina however was concentrated on a different entity, someone who was at the heart of the storm waiting for her. She was going to have to allow for a minor delay in her return to the guild as this matter was more pressing.

Arriving where the center of the storm was located she entered one of the many plaza's of Rose Garden, the storm had done some minor damage to the place as tree's lay splintered and burnt to a crisp. In the center of it all stood a white haired woman with similar red eyes to Irina. "Serria, why would you come here, you know that you're not welcome." Irina spoke accusingly as the woman turned around to face her. "And that's how you treat your older sister? you disappoint me, if I hadn't my own motives I would have killed you the instant you entered this town." The woman growled as the many figures skulking in the shadows surrounded the plaza, five... no ten individuals. "You think I'm going to let something like the storyteller incident happen again here? The entire guild will know the moment any of your goons try to lay a hand on me." Irina retorted to Serria's dismay. "I was hoping for a less hostile approach from you, the Withered Lotus has an opening that requires filling and we thought we could rely on you, but it seems we were wrong." The speech was met with the wide grin from both sisters. "Well I think you withered whohas can shove it somewhere else." Irina taunted back causing Serria to bite her lip causing it to bleed, a habit she had whenever she was angered. "Fine have it your way, but you wont be leaving this plaza." She growled as she disappeared in a flash of lightning, clearly she wasn't going to be the one doing the fighting, that was why there were ten goons to fill in. Irina looked all around the plaza locating each and every one of them, they must have worried that Serria wasn't trustworthy enough to do the deed herself, but on the other hand they weren't confident enough to fight with lesser numbers. Unsheathing her sword she began her assault on the crew meant to eliminate her.

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"Did someone hear gunshot?" Someone in the guild piped up as some of the guild looked around concerned but also almost burst into laughter. "Nah, it was probably just the thunder from the storm." They boasted returning to their conversations as the doors swung open. Standing in the doorway was a glorious red haired woman, the very woman that was the talk of the night, Irina. She stumbled through the door a bit revealing her drawn sword which was soaked with blood, but the the object of greater concern was her signature white coat riddled with up to seven bullet holes all stained in the former ace's blood. From the front people just saw the menacing appearance of the goddess but from behind people saw the carnage wrought and dropped dead silent. Sheathing her blade she took a few more steps in. "Hey, I'm hungry, are there any meals being prepared?" She asked completely disregarding the state that she was currently in.

The silver moon Inn had been the same as ever, rowdy, and Horatio had already left his high ground advantage to join the rabble, trying to argue with the rest of the guild why HE was definitely the one more deserving of both awe and fear. And this went on for a little while as the storm kept on raging outside, with the occasional thunder sounding like it hit nearby, and even a gunshot or two that went unnoticed to everyone. After all, Rose Garden was a peaceful place in general, and with the return of such a revered guild member none would dare mess around. It wasn't until Horatio got his collar all wrinkled and his cape already loosened for yet another close to getting physical confrontation with a random guild member before the door went open to let in the visitor they were all expecting. Horatio of course being one of the first and few people to immediately move towards her for he held no fear, only curiosity about who the person was that managed to derive so much attention away from himself, the self dubbed ace of the universe.

Her paces let out satisfying creaks as they stepped inside onto the wooden floor, her face as stern as it was known to be. She had an impressive demeanor about her, strong in impression and seemingly serious in nature. It lacked the flamboyance of Horatio, leaving out inefficiencies and showmanship. It rubbed Horatio in all the wrong ways to realize that this kind of person had managed to amount the fame she had through means unfamiliar to him. He couldn't help but stand still and glare at her for a couple of seconds and couldn't help but try to deduct as to what the source could be of her infamy. Sure enough, as he observed her she definitely had looks going for her. Beautiful and long red hair paired with a skin lacking the complexity an older woman would show, yet enough grace paired with a raw aura of confidence to make sure you'd never underestimate her on those accounts. Not saying a word, which was rare in Horatio's case, he paced around her. Was she hiding something? Some gimmick, some decoration or perhaps flaw that would betray what made her name strike emotion into the hearts of his fellow guild members.

Horatio had always been one to pick up the slightest of things. Visual cues and even the slight difference in muscle usage within the most refined places like the face were his domain as someone who had used wits and con artist tricks to make up most of his self claimed fame, so to his surprise there was no nothing of the sort that would betray that. But as soon as he reached her back he was shocked, though he definitely didn't show it. After finishing his little pace around here, making sure not to stop or dwindle around her back, he stepped back a couple of feet and gave a gentle smile, something quite unlike his usually almost taunting wicked one. Tapping his top hat backwards with the top of his cane he let out an almost tired sigh as he kept one of his eyes closed, not as a manner of winking but rather as a sign that his counter part was embarrassed about the situation he had realized he was in. ''I suppose I must have underestimated you.. Quite the actress, perhaps even unbeknownst to her own talent! But alas, I am not here to taunt nor patronize you, I MEAN, I might have been, but let's say you've got my respect to say the least.'' .

Just thinking back at the sight almost made him break out in a cold sweat. This person. This Irina. She stood there, not flinching nor showing the fact that she might actually be in grave danger. It was a display of acting so pure and raw he couldn't help but be impressed. Obviously she must have done this with a reason for Horatio believed nobody would hide such a thing without a proper reason. But then it struck him! The perfect way to help the damsel in distress. Picking up his wrinkled cape on the ground he walked towards Irina and promptly put it over her back, acting as if he put his arm around her neck in a sign of chummy comradeship, even though in all reality he was secretly trying to support her and stop her from the possibility of collapsing. If she had the strength to push him away she could make it on her own, if not he was there to make sure her performance would not go in vain! ''Now I'm suuure someone as famous as you and someone as POPULAR as me, the ace of the universe, are bound by fate! I know I know, you want an autograph already, but that can wait, we haven't even had our first date! So let's just go to my room shall we! Haha!''. Such a silly thing was said in such full confidence that of course it could have only come from Horatio, but as he made sure his face came closer to Irina's ear he whispered in a trade he had picked up, without moving his lips or betraying the movements of his tongue ''''I'm not sure what your plan is, but I'm guessing it's not collapsing right after your grand entre, so be a lovely chap and just go along will you?''