![Novice [250]](https://i.imgur.com/lrYlde6.png)
Crowds were so not Arcadia's thing, it took her three days to face the daily crowds that lined up for passports in Hargeon. The promise of of competition often had a way of twisting the shy, young slayer around. The promise of 10,000 Jewel to victor didn't hurt either. So here she was, braving another long train ride, and the heavily peopled streets of the capitol city of Crocus to be here.
Arcadia folded her arms, taking in and sizing up who would be the most serious threats to making that 10.000 jewel hers. There was a four woman team on rollerblades, all dressed in the same long dragon costume. They were weaving their way through the people on the dance floor. Some flame mage was showing off, making quite the remarkable display of motion and color. He was also singeing and driving a number of the other competitors off the floor already.
The most intimidating sight by far though, was a whole team, seven or eight strong. Their costumes were showy and flamboyant, everything you would expect from professional entertainers. The group's dancing was precise and in perfect unison. If fire boy didn't burn the place to the ground, this was probably the team to beat.
How was Arcadia going to beat them? She had worn one of her usual old dresses, and came by herself. There was no way she could've known she would have needed all of Fairy Tail with her to win this thing. How many would've come if had gotten to ask them?
Then she had an idea. A rather devious idea. Arcadia had a wonderful, rather devious idea. Besides the fact it was too late to ask any of them, they could still be here... in a way. It would be her first real test of the ancient magic of Shadow and Light, her foster mother, Khione Glacier, had her to through dream.
Arcadia hurried back toward the club's doors and opened them, waving as if waving others in. She put her little plan into action, conjuring a few silent copies of her guildmates out of shadow, with a little reflected light to give the shadowstuff some life-like color. These puppets of shadowstuff are semi-real, so they weren't see through, and were perfect visual copies. Arcadia just had to keep her shadowy dance team busying dancing, so no one would try something like shaking hands or talking to her oddly mute crew.
She lead the shadowy Fairy Tail dance crew over to what seemed to pass for a judges table. Nessa, Aven, Thea, Rina, Mura and even guildmaster Sorano, all stood silently arrayed behind the young slayer. There was one extra dark and mysterious figure with...bishie sparkles.. Hmm maybe she shold have stuck to guildmates she had met or at least seen in person. She waved the figure that was more imagination than reality to head back out. Out of sight, the extra puppet vanished back into the shadows.
The club officials overlooking the competition looked impatiently down at the young slayer after the copies of the more senior Fairy Tail members seemed to defer to the young pale blonde in front. “You expect us to believe you are leading this contingent from Fairy Tail?”
Arcadia bowed her head, almost ready to turn and run out then and there. It was quite intimidating, standing in front of the impatient gaze of the club officials with crowded, enclosed space all around. Defeat though, was not an option. She glanced back over her shoulder to the faces of the shadow facsimiles standing behind her, and smiled. They weren't truly back there, but the young slayer felt like her team and guildmates were still with her in spirit.
She turned her inspired green gaze up to the man, ”I am one of the newer members still, but that's why I havta do this. Kinda like a test, okay? Geez.”
The official held up both hands, “Alright. You're in. Now get out on the floor.”
Arcadia turned, summoning magic power to the soles of her feet. She skated as if over the ice of a pond out onto the dance floor. Her shadow clone dance crew followed suit. One after the other, the clones ran after Arcadia, jumping and twirling around as she did. As the the young slayer went into a tight, dizzying spin, the shadow clone Fairy Tail formed up a dance circle around her. She merged her skating right into a little break dance routine.
The young slayer continued to spin dropping down to one knee, to pivoting from hand to hand. Shifting direction as she went, Arcadia whirled around on her back, ending her spin on her side. Her shadowy companions mimed cheering. Shadow-Mura took the next turn in the middle of the dance circle. Arcadia rising to her feet, slipped back into the circle to cheer on each of her shadow guildmates.
She glanced around the club, checking up on the competition. Most of them were already on the sidelines or hobbling on their way there. A good many of those were looking pretty singed from that fire mage and his colorful little fireworks display. Watching him go, the flame mage creating a tornado of violet flame above him by putting himself into series of pirouettes. Arcadia couldn't help but notice that if he wasn't careful he'd run right into the path of the oncoming line of rollerblading dancers.
Rather than waiting for the flame mage to come around and singe her out of the competition too, she thought, maybe he could use a little help. While cheering on a headspinning shadow-Nessa in the middle of her little dance circle, she nonchalantly cast an orb of impenetrably dark gloom over the fire mage's eyes. She made sure to keep the gloomy blob of inky darkness extra small, so as not to blot out anything else but his eyes.
Just like she thought, without seeing where he was going, the flame mage spun right into the path of the rollerbladers. Like dominoes, the two groups were out. Arcadia felt a little bad, but they looked no worse for the ware than all the dancers singed out by the flame mage. She quietly dismissed her blob of inky gloom, leaving the flame mage and rollerbladers to squabble between each other was they were untangled and escorted off the dance floor.
That just left the professional dance troupe and Arcadia with her shadow-guildmates. The dance troupe approached in formation, snapping their fingers in unison. Arcadia retook the middle of her own little dance circle, having each of her shadow-guildmates stare in disdain over the top of their dark shades and assume a proper badass hip-hop posse pose as she faced down the approaching challengers.
One of the troupe's number, a man in a sparkly jumpsuit with short cape and high collar came forward. His dark hair was greased into a poofy pompadour. Popping his collar, the man greeted the presumed Fairy Tail dancers, “Greetings, little doggies. Looks like it's down to just to you and us. Hoo! We're the Jets! The greatest dance guild in all of Ishgar, let alone Fiore, so you little doggies might as well go on home.”
Arcadia laughed in surprise at the idea, ”A dance guild? They have those? That's pretty cool.” She pointed and dramatically removed her own shades for effect, ”Be as that may. We are Fairy Tail! We won't back down to anyone.” Putting her shades back on, she had shadow-Rina, shadow-Aven and shadow-Thea come forward and deliver a challenge to the Jets by dance.
The Jets answered kind, bringing up a line of five out their group of eight. Arcadia did her best to direct her shadow-guildmates through their individual dance battles, but having to focus on them separately was taxing. To simplify and keep in the competition, Arcadia brought all of her shadow-guildmates back to dance as a team. Their perfect unison of movement with her was something not even the practiced professionals could match.
The two sides faced each other down evenly to the beat, each side upping the ante as they took turns trying to outdance the other's last performance. Arcadia was forced to fall back on her more gymnastic maneuvers from her combat training. Giving everything she had, she ended her routine with a back flip, landing in the splits, her shadow dance crew ending posed around her.
It was close, but the audience of eliminated dancers and other onlookers cheered a little more loudly for the young slayer than the Jets throwing the contest in her favor.
The leader of the Jets came over and offered Arcadia a hand up. “Well now. I would never have believed it, little doggie, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Congratulations! But don't get too comfortable. Next time the Jets will put you down for good.”
Back on her feet, Arcadia smiled and bowed graciously to the man and the cheering. She was grateful the club officials came over, moving in between herself and the Jets. One handed her the 10,00 jewel while another announced, “Winner and Boomslang Dance Masters of the night, Fairy Tail!”
Arcadia knew her shadow clone spell would not last much longer, and saw more than a few of the patrons eyeing her newly won prize money. Now would be a good time to make a showy exit. She held up her prize and shouted, ”We ARE the dance masters! Thank you, Boomslang! And good night!”
She dismissed her shadowy guildmates back into the tendrils of shadowstuff they came from, and cast one more spell to bend the light around her to rend herself invisible. The young slayer snuck out with her prize money, while the rest of the crowd cheered the showy exit.
Word Count: 1681/1500
Arcadia folded her arms, taking in and sizing up who would be the most serious threats to making that 10.000 jewel hers. There was a four woman team on rollerblades, all dressed in the same long dragon costume. They were weaving their way through the people on the dance floor. Some flame mage was showing off, making quite the remarkable display of motion and color. He was also singeing and driving a number of the other competitors off the floor already.
The most intimidating sight by far though, was a whole team, seven or eight strong. Their costumes were showy and flamboyant, everything you would expect from professional entertainers. The group's dancing was precise and in perfect unison. If fire boy didn't burn the place to the ground, this was probably the team to beat.
How was Arcadia going to beat them? She had worn one of her usual old dresses, and came by herself. There was no way she could've known she would have needed all of Fairy Tail with her to win this thing. How many would've come if had gotten to ask them?
Then she had an idea. A rather devious idea. Arcadia had a wonderful, rather devious idea. Besides the fact it was too late to ask any of them, they could still be here... in a way. It would be her first real test of the ancient magic of Shadow and Light, her foster mother, Khione Glacier, had her to through dream.
Arcadia hurried back toward the club's doors and opened them, waving as if waving others in. She put her little plan into action, conjuring a few silent copies of her guildmates out of shadow, with a little reflected light to give the shadowstuff some life-like color. These puppets of shadowstuff are semi-real, so they weren't see through, and were perfect visual copies. Arcadia just had to keep her shadowy dance team busying dancing, so no one would try something like shaking hands or talking to her oddly mute crew.
She lead the shadowy Fairy Tail dance crew over to what seemed to pass for a judges table. Nessa, Aven, Thea, Rina, Mura and even guildmaster Sorano, all stood silently arrayed behind the young slayer. There was one extra dark and mysterious figure with...bishie sparkles.. Hmm maybe she shold have stuck to guildmates she had met or at least seen in person. She waved the figure that was more imagination than reality to head back out. Out of sight, the extra puppet vanished back into the shadows.
The club officials overlooking the competition looked impatiently down at the young slayer after the copies of the more senior Fairy Tail members seemed to defer to the young pale blonde in front. “You expect us to believe you are leading this contingent from Fairy Tail?”
Arcadia bowed her head, almost ready to turn and run out then and there. It was quite intimidating, standing in front of the impatient gaze of the club officials with crowded, enclosed space all around. Defeat though, was not an option. She glanced back over her shoulder to the faces of the shadow facsimiles standing behind her, and smiled. They weren't truly back there, but the young slayer felt like her team and guildmates were still with her in spirit.
She turned her inspired green gaze up to the man, ”I am one of the newer members still, but that's why I havta do this. Kinda like a test, okay? Geez.”
The official held up both hands, “Alright. You're in. Now get out on the floor.”
Arcadia turned, summoning magic power to the soles of her feet. She skated as if over the ice of a pond out onto the dance floor. Her shadow clone dance crew followed suit. One after the other, the clones ran after Arcadia, jumping and twirling around as she did. As the the young slayer went into a tight, dizzying spin, the shadow clone Fairy Tail formed up a dance circle around her. She merged her skating right into a little break dance routine.
The young slayer continued to spin dropping down to one knee, to pivoting from hand to hand. Shifting direction as she went, Arcadia whirled around on her back, ending her spin on her side. Her shadowy companions mimed cheering. Shadow-Mura took the next turn in the middle of the dance circle. Arcadia rising to her feet, slipped back into the circle to cheer on each of her shadow guildmates.
She glanced around the club, checking up on the competition. Most of them were already on the sidelines or hobbling on their way there. A good many of those were looking pretty singed from that fire mage and his colorful little fireworks display. Watching him go, the flame mage creating a tornado of violet flame above him by putting himself into series of pirouettes. Arcadia couldn't help but notice that if he wasn't careful he'd run right into the path of the oncoming line of rollerblading dancers.
Rather than waiting for the flame mage to come around and singe her out of the competition too, she thought, maybe he could use a little help. While cheering on a headspinning shadow-Nessa in the middle of her little dance circle, she nonchalantly cast an orb of impenetrably dark gloom over the fire mage's eyes. She made sure to keep the gloomy blob of inky darkness extra small, so as not to blot out anything else but his eyes.
Just like she thought, without seeing where he was going, the flame mage spun right into the path of the rollerbladers. Like dominoes, the two groups were out. Arcadia felt a little bad, but they looked no worse for the ware than all the dancers singed out by the flame mage. She quietly dismissed her blob of inky gloom, leaving the flame mage and rollerbladers to squabble between each other was they were untangled and escorted off the dance floor.
That just left the professional dance troupe and Arcadia with her shadow-guildmates. The dance troupe approached in formation, snapping their fingers in unison. Arcadia retook the middle of her own little dance circle, having each of her shadow-guildmates stare in disdain over the top of their dark shades and assume a proper badass hip-hop posse pose as she faced down the approaching challengers.
One of the troupe's number, a man in a sparkly jumpsuit with short cape and high collar came forward. His dark hair was greased into a poofy pompadour. Popping his collar, the man greeted the presumed Fairy Tail dancers, “Greetings, little doggies. Looks like it's down to just to you and us. Hoo! We're the Jets! The greatest dance guild in all of Ishgar, let alone Fiore, so you little doggies might as well go on home.”
Arcadia laughed in surprise at the idea, ”A dance guild? They have those? That's pretty cool.” She pointed and dramatically removed her own shades for effect, ”Be as that may. We are Fairy Tail! We won't back down to anyone.” Putting her shades back on, she had shadow-Rina, shadow-Aven and shadow-Thea come forward and deliver a challenge to the Jets by dance.
The Jets answered kind, bringing up a line of five out their group of eight. Arcadia did her best to direct her shadow-guildmates through their individual dance battles, but having to focus on them separately was taxing. To simplify and keep in the competition, Arcadia brought all of her shadow-guildmates back to dance as a team. Their perfect unison of movement with her was something not even the practiced professionals could match.
The two sides faced each other down evenly to the beat, each side upping the ante as they took turns trying to outdance the other's last performance. Arcadia was forced to fall back on her more gymnastic maneuvers from her combat training. Giving everything she had, she ended her routine with a back flip, landing in the splits, her shadow dance crew ending posed around her.
It was close, but the audience of eliminated dancers and other onlookers cheered a little more loudly for the young slayer than the Jets throwing the contest in her favor.
The leader of the Jets came over and offered Arcadia a hand up. “Well now. I would never have believed it, little doggie, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Congratulations! But don't get too comfortable. Next time the Jets will put you down for good.”
Back on her feet, Arcadia smiled and bowed graciously to the man and the cheering. She was grateful the club officials came over, moving in between herself and the Jets. One handed her the 10,00 jewel while another announced, “Winner and Boomslang Dance Masters of the night, Fairy Tail!”
Arcadia knew her shadow clone spell would not last much longer, and saw more than a few of the patrons eyeing her newly won prize money. Now would be a good time to make a showy exit. She held up her prize and shouted, ”We ARE the dance masters! Thank you, Boomslang! And good night!”
She dismissed her shadowy guildmates back into the tendrils of shadowstuff they came from, and cast one more spell to bend the light around her to rend herself invisible. The young slayer snuck out with her prize money, while the rest of the crowd cheered the showy exit.
Word Count: 1681/1500
