Night Watch

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, midnight-

Wearing her green-and-gold outfit, Leona was wearing her Argent Gloves but was not wearing her Adaptable Armor... yet. She stood up behind the Guild Master's desk and put on the Adaptable Armor before securing her Nightshade Machete to her back with its carrying strap and securing the scabbard of her Silver Longsword on her left hip. She left her backpack of supplies in her room because this job would be taking place within the confines of the guild hall. Her job tonight was to ensure the security of the guild hall.

It differed from ordinary days because a member of the guild security staff who worked the night shift called in sick and Leona decided to fill in for him because she owed the guild some work. She also could not sleep very well lately because she worried about various issues like what task the sultan of the Tri-Council city would "ask" her to do next, how to keep the Silver Moon Faeries alliance going strong, what task the Order of Lightbringers would have for her next, where to find up-to-date books on vampires for the guild library, and numerous other problems that required a Guild Master's attention. Leila's return took some of the burden of guild hall security off of Leona, but the silver-haired mage could not be reasonably expected to take on the entire burden because she had a life of her own and jobs that she wanted to do. The guild needed to keep its name out there in order to keep attracting jobs and new recruits. Everyone had to do their part to keep the guild active and flourishing.

Leona closed the Guild Master's office door behind her and walked into the hallway, where she met with a senior staff member who spoke to her.

"We're glad that you're going to help us with security, Guild Master. You see, we're short a few people and need all the help we can get. The spirit wolves should keep away most of the threats, but we need someone to watch over the interior of the guild hall in case an intruder gets by the spirit wolves." He explained to her.

"I'll take care of it. Where do I need to pay close attention to?" Leona asked the staff member.
He tapped his temple with his right index finger and hmmmmd, then came up with an answer.

"I'd pay close attention to the guild hall foyer, the library, the Guild Master's office, and the guild vault. Those four locations are the most likely places the intruders would attempt to get into." He said to her. Leona could see why the man suggested paying close attention to those four locations. The foyer was a priority for obvious reasons, but the library, the Guild Master's office, and the guild vault all housed items of great importance to Silver Wolf. Losing them to theft would not be a good idea.

"OK. I'll get started right away." Leona told the staff member.

"Thank you. If you need me, I'll be in the guild library. We're still cataloguing all those books that the Order of Lightbringers sent to us. We hope you'll get some books on vampires soon." He said to her.

"I'm working on obtaining the vampire literature. I'll need a little more time to get some." Leona said to him. He nodded and walked off to the library. Leona walked to the guild foyer.

[Word Count: 600]
[Total Word Count: 600/1,500]

-Four hours later-

Leona walked the guild halls in search of trouble but had not found any so far. That was a good thing because she liked the occasional quiet job to balance out all the exploring and fighting that she did. Besides, she owed the guild a bit of work. Filling in for a sick security guard was the least that she could do to start paying back the guild that had given her so much like a place to stay, good guildmates, and a chance to get strong enough that she could stand on her own. Leona stopped in front of the library and looked in to see if any trouble had presented itself.

Aside from the sights and sounds of librarians dusting the shelves and adding new books while boxing up outdated ones to be put into storage, there was no trouble in the library. Leona was working on updating their books so that the guild's mages could have the latest information on supernatural threats available to them. The blonde knew from experience that going into a dangerous job blind was seldom a good idea. She had underestimated the threat that reanimated skeletons could pose and had gotten a lot of cuts and bruises for her trouble. She had underestimated Jacob Goodnight and had almost paid for the mistake with her life.

Leona waved at the library staff, then turned around and made her way to the foyer to search the area for intruders. Once she arrived she began checking behind every pillar and in every alcove, using her ability to sense magic as well as her eyes to search the area. Nothing out of the ordinary was discovered in the deserted foyer. She walked over to the thick wooden door to check for any signs of tampering or forced entry. The door was closed and intact.

Satisfied that the foyer was secure, she stood and faced the door for a few minutes in case any guild members returned from their jobs or any new arrivals looking to join Silver Wolf showed up. When neither appeared after a ten-minute wait, she turned around and left to go check on the Guild Master's office. The Guild Master's office was one of the most sensitive locations in the guild hall because it contained so much information on the guild's projects as well as sensitive correspondence with Fairy Tail and West Fiore Trading Company.

-In front of the Guild Master's office-

Leona checked her office door for any signs of having been picked. It was locked, so Leona unlocked it and looked inside to make sure that everything was still where it was supposed to be. Her books and papers were exactly where she had left them. She walked in and checked the desks and drawers. Their contents were exactly where they had been left, which was good because they were reports from past jobs and correspondence with the Guild Masters of the Alliance.

After making sure that the office was secure and that nothing had went missing, Leona locked the door behind her and started walking towards the guild vault. It was the most sensitive location in the guild hall because several dangerous items were stored there. They had to stay locked away no matter what because if they got into the wrong hands the results could be disastrous for Silver Wolf and for Earthland. The "anonymity device" created by Dr. Josephine Newman of Crocus Magicka University and the sword that Desmond Troy had discovered were both housed in the vault for safekeeping.

[Word Count: 600]
[Total Word Count: 1,200/1,500]

-Four hours later-

Leona had made the rounds of the guild hall and had found no signs of intrusion anywhere in the hall. Her shift had been long and uneventful, but that was not a bad thing because uneventful meant that there was no threat. The library, foyer, Guild Master's office, and guild vault had all been inspected and all of them had been found to still be secure. She had done a lot of walking and her feet were beginning to hurt from the walking and standing. The blonde was also beginning to get drowsy from the quiet atmosphere that was broken only by the shuffling of papers in the library or the walking of a staff member going about their duties.

The blonde was standing in front of the guild vault when the senior staff member who had approached her about the job earlier arrived with a pair of gray-clad security guards in tow. They must have been her replacements. If that was the case, she was glad to see them. It was just then that she noticed the light of the sun filtering through the guild hall's windows. had it really been eight hours already?

"Thank you, Guild Master. Thank you for standing watch until morning. Did you find anything unusual during your shift?" The staff member asked her. Leona stepped away from the guild vault and let the security guards take her place, then addressed the staff member.

"Everything was fine. I checked everywhere using both my eyes and the ability to sense magic. I also checked the doors, my desk, and the guild vault for signs of entry. I didn't see any." Leona reported to him. He appeared pleased and nodded in approval.

"That is excellent news, Guild Master. Your shift is now officially over. You may want to sleep before you go to your office for the day." He suggested to her. Leona was not going to argue with that. She would do exactly as he said because she was tired from the monotony of the shift.

"I'll do that. Thanks." Leona said to the older man, who nodded and walked away to go about his business. Leona walked to her room, shut the door, and took off her weapons and Adaptable Armor and set her weapons on the nightstand next to her bed. The Adaptable Armor was placed in the seat of a wooden chair so that she could put it on at a moment's notice. She then took off her boots and set them just under her bed. The blonde flopped onto the bed without even bothering to change her clothes and soon went to sleep.

[Word Count: 450]
[Total word Count: 1,650/1,500]