Intro to Silver Wolf! (open/Social)

The snow was rather strange on this mountain top guild, looking at the hall it was apparent of the magic in the air. The snow falling yet the air surrounding Zeref felt warm and inviting, the fresh feeling of his guild seal upon his chest. He stood a blank expression as he gazed at the looming guild wondering what this life would entail, muttering not a word though his inner voice speaking...

"Zeref… What is this? You have joined guild? Won't take much and they'll ban you for the same reason you harbor me.."

A pained look across his face as he places his hand upon his face covering the left half leaving only his right eye visible. Moments passed and Zeref looked up hoping to not be seen by the possible guild members around.

Wearing her more formal green-and-gold outfit with Argent Gloves, Leona was in her office reading a newspaper that talked about an "exciting new discovery" about the ancient Lestreki people made by Dr. Anna in the Forbidden Deserts. The newspaper failed to mention that Leona was one of the people who had passed two of the trials and had thus made the discovery possible, but she did not get too upset because she did not want the publicity that a Wizard Saint could generate to overshadow Dr. Anna's discovery. Apparently the doctor had uncovered enough artifacts to not only add to what scholars already knew about the ancient people, but to also write a scholarly article on the subject for the university she was an alumnus of. Leona's legs hurt just thinking about the Trial of Faith and the Trial of Endurance. It had taken her the better part of two days to be able to walk without pain after that adventure.

Leona set down the newspaper and tried to read over the study packets for her Court Heiromesh proficiency exam, but she felt a strong magic signature nearby, a signature as strong as her own. It most likely belonged to Leila because only Silver Wolf mages could pass through the security snowstorm without incident. The blonde stood up, pushed her chair in, and decided to walk outside to see Leila.

-Outside the guild hall-

Leona strolled up to Leila, who was looking different since the last time they had met for the run to Serene Cliff. It was definitely not a new haircut that made the silver-haired mage look different... it was something else too, but Leona could not put a finger on what it was. Her focus shifted from the silver-haired mage to a new guy standing in the snow and looking towards the cloudy gray sky.

"Hi there. I'm Leona Jarnefeldt, Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf. Can I help you?" Leona asked the dark-haired youth.

Zeref snapped out of his moment of confusion and despair long enough to register the approach of the first woman, her words seemed... friendly to Zeref a strange twist after the down he had received from himself. A smirk on his face as he directed his attention to he, his eyes closed as his right hand stretched behind his head giving a light rub. "Sorry I was spacing out, I'm here to be a member of the gui…" His sentence cut short at the surprising arrival of yet another woman, though this one seemed different however. She seemed very observant of the two standing before her, only speaking after what appeared to be a slight scan of the two. His expression changed as his eyes seemed to become massive and he spoke quickly in a shocked tone, "Guild Master! That reminds me, I am here to be a member of the Silver Wolf" His expression had changed reverting to his normal less expressive but still smirking look.


His mind tumbling back at the voice of darkness in his head, "A waste of time, Zeref you can do better. Pathetic attempts are all they could expect from you!" The voice then receded back into complete nothing inside his mind.

Leona realized that she had managed to upset Leila yet again by not speaking to the newly returned member and former Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf. Leona really needed to learn some social skills so that she could quit making Leila feel unwanted by constantly (and accidentally) ignoring the hapless mage in front of other people. What could she do to save a bit of face without being painfully obvious about it? Probably nothing. Try as she might, subtlety was never the blonde's strong suit.

"So you want to join Silver Wolf, huh?" Leona asked the new guy. She tried to find a way to keep Leila involved after stealing the hapless mage's thunder... again. Again, she needed to be subtle about it and not look desperate.

"What's your name?" Leona asked him. While waiting for the response, she turned to Leila, who definitely looked different since the last time they had met. Leila looked slender and almost tree-like and she had a power over trees that was nothing short of miraculous. The mage had brought a tree that was practically dead back to life with but a simple touch and had gifted it with a crown of pink cherry blossoms like the trees in Shirotsume. Where did Leila get such an amazing power?

Leona tried not to stare at the mage and instead focused on bringing her back in the conversation. Maybe she should praise Leila in front of the new guy. Here went nothing.

"The person you just met was Leila Vergious, one of our strongest mages and the person who gave me my start here a long time ago. She's been a mage for longer than I have and knows a lot about the world." Leona introduced Leila to the new guy. The blonde hoped that she was not making things between them worse by praising the former Guild Mistress in front of a prospective new member. Leila was fully capable of social interaction and did not need anyone to shill for her, but Leona was trying to make the point that Silver Wolf was not a one-man show... or a one-woman show. As strong and as famous as she was, Leona could not sustain the guild on her own. Silver Wolf was a team of mages with many different backgrounds and appearances who worked together to make the guild what it was.

Zeref watched as the approach of the Guildmaster had changed the demeanor of the silver haired woman, she seemed as though the interruption had changed her mood into feeling outcasted or unimportant. Watching as she made her way to a tree and demonstrating her magic by bringing the cherry blossom back to full luster, with a smirk Zeref ran his left hand through his midnight hair stopping on the back of his skull. The magic seemed rather interesting to him, the thought of resurrection of any kind was simply astounding. Although he found the words she spoke almost to seem of a self-loathing nature perhaps.

The actions of the first of his greeters seemed to effect the Guildmaster in a manner as her attention to the matter seemed split as she asked Zeref for his name, to which he respond in a manner that may have given of his confusion on the two members relationship. "My name is Zeref." to which by this point his hand had returned to his side and body language had returned to its normal state, having his attention equally split between the two wizards. The strange tension carried on as the current Master began to seemingly sale the silver hair mage to Zeref, who at this point had began resting his right hand on the upper portion of his toga. His mind once again weighing in it's two cents worth with a unheard comment. "These two don't have a care in the world about who you are! Just look in front of you, can't you see the focus is on them you fool!?" With the words being pushed back in his mind allowing clear thought to pass now, the only indicator of his struggle to suppress the voice the tightening of his right hands grip ensnaring his toga only to be released after the voice had faded. Of course this followed with Zeref's curiosity leading him to speak, "So... Am I missing something? Based on the way your acting towards one another it gives a slightly strained relationship... Forgive me if my statement seems bold or above myself." his curiosity written across his face as plain as day, his eyes gradually going between the two as he awaited a possible explanation to his inquiry.

While waiting for their collective response his right foot had slide back lifting slightly to having only his toe pointed down against the ground, to which he began using to draw a repeated circle in the snow. His mind thinking he must appear strange to the two wearing a black and gold trimmed robe wrapped in a toga, but hoped it would not effect their view of him. He hoped this meeting would be of good understanding and make for an excellent start to his new life in the guild. His thoughts once again rained on by the voice, the interruption causing his right hand to once again grip the edging of his toga. "What will you do if they decide your a waste of resources? Will you return to wondering the forests in search of what we seek to free me from subconscious?" The voice fading leaving the words burnt in Zeref's mind as he released his toga once again and remained calmly resting his arm like in a sling from the toga. He still wondering what the had to say of their relationship to one another.

Leona had tried to take a small step towards make things up to Leila by acknowledging the latter's crucial role in Leona's success, but the blonde had only made things worse for the silver-haired mage by putting her on the spot in front of a prospective new member. The blonde was beside herself with embarrassment that she did not show. It seemed like each effort to help Leila only made things worse for her.

Leona was not egotistical enough to think that she had achieved all her success on her own. Leila was the one who took a chance on the girl from the desert who was tired of working alone after her most recent job had almost taken a turn for the worst. Although neither of them knew it at the time, that choice to converse with the Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf would kick off a series of events that led Leona to the point that she was at now. All of it had started when Leila met Leona in a tavern in Hargeon Town so many months ago.

Leona snapped back to the present, where Leila had claimed that her Celestial Spirits did the heavy lifting and constituted the bulk of her power. The blonde was not sure how to make a good rebuttal to that without putting Leila under more intense scrutiny. Besides, the silver-haired mage had a point... not everyone took a hands-on approach to combat like Leona did.

Leona was not sure what to say to counter Leila, so she just let the matter go for now. Her interest turned to Zeref and his reason for deciding to join Silver Wolf. She too was curious as to why he wanted to join.

"I'm curious as well, but don't feel pressured to answer if you don't want to." Leona did her best to assure the youth that no negative consequences would befall him if he chose not to answer Leila's question. The question was more of a question used as a starting point for further conversation, but Leona was genuinely interested in what Zeref had to say.

Zeref looked at the two with a befuddled look as they seemed to be making each other uncomfortable, he was unsure how to proceed as the women seemed to begin acting even stranger to Zeref. Despite Leila's answer on the matter it still felt as though there was indeed some for of tension from the two still, but Zeref had decided not to further the situation. Luckily it seemed Leila had decided to divert attention to Zeref by addressing his interest in the guild, but that was simple to answer and it seemed the Guild Master too was interested in his reasoning for Silver Wolf. His head lowered slightly as his black bangs dangled over his eye, a smirk was still ever so present as he spoke calmly. "I am searching..." he briefly paused for but a moment then continued "For an answer that is no doubt hidden in the history of Magic itself, that is why I decided to come here to an independent guild devoted to the research of magic." He would lift his head with a smirk still on his face, deciding to continue talking if they would allow him. "Silver Wolf is a guild of knowledge and learning, so it strives on what I seek. Knowledge. For that I am willing to commit to the guild and see it reach it's glory for both my and it's benefit." A look of determination came across his face for a moment as he finished his statement, only to have him break the seriousness with a slight chuckle and the visual of him now scratching his head. "Sorry, that probably makes no sense. Or seems over the top for a simple answer." Zeref would remain paused as the three would stand around, he awaited their response to his sudden outburst.

Zeref certainly had a way with words. His explanation of his motive was a little more elaborate than what she was used to, but it was no less viable than the simpler explanations she was used to. Leona herself had a less-than-stellar reason for joining Silver Wolf, one that Leila readily accepted without complaint. Leona's reason for joining was that she was looking to leave the Guildless life behind after nearly being killed by Jacob Goodnight all those months ago.

She wanted a safety net and a pipeline to lucrative jobs. Her motive was purely self-interest, something that the blonde was ashamed of every time she thought about it. She could sort that out later... right now she needed to strike while the iron was hot and keep Zeref's interest engaged.

"That's an admirable motive, Zeref." Leona said with sincerity. Unlike her, Zeref was in it to gain knowledge for himself and to expand the guild's knowledge through his efforts. She was willing to admit him to the guild and let him act on his ambition. She needed to do something to further the guild's goals herself soon.

"If you're interested in joining Silver Wolf, we can make it happen. Would you like to go into the guild hall and ask some questions about the guild?" Leona asked him with the ease that came from practice and experience. Leila had set up the possibility of Zeref joining. Now the blonde Guild Mistress had to make it happen, but only if he wanted to join.

Zeref was surprised at their response to the over the top answer he had given them in regards to his choice to become a member of the Silver Wolf, but it brought a smirk to his face for moment before being drained away by a pained reaction as he placed his left palm against his temple as though a headache was setting in. This effect of course the repercussions of the dark voice in his head deciding to way in, "Stupid, now they'll watch what you do and learn of your interest in the dark arts. It won't be long until your cast to the shadows like always." The voice receded and allowed the sharp pain to fade, allowing Zeref to release his temple, and then respond to the women as they had prompted him to go into the Guildhall. He looked a little surprised at the request for initiation, but proceeded to respond "I'd very much like to go inside and complete the process, however, I can't think of any questions at this moment." Zeref then waited to see how they would wish to proceed, of course should they continue on the path leading into the guild Zeref would gesture to allow the women to lead the way.

(Apologies for the short post, Short on time today)

Leona followed Zeref and Leila into the guild hall and watched as Leila branched off to go get a well-deserved meal. Leona did not object because the silver-haired mage had taken being put on the spot very well and did not make Leona feel bad about it. She also did not confront Leona about the mishap, something which the blonde appreciated. Leila had gotten them this far... now it was time for Leona to speak to Zeref and see if he still wanted to join Silver Wolf.

Leona rejoined the dark-haired youth and stood in front of him. He seemed interested this far, but now she had to close the deal. Either Silver Wolf got a new member or it did not. The choice was entirely up to Zeref.

"Before we resume our conversation, would you like anything to eat or drink?" Leona offered Zeref. She wanted to make him feel at home in Silver Wolf even if he did not join.

Zeref followed as the women lead him to the dining hall, watching as the silver haired woman went to the counter to get some kind of food. Zeref of course decided to sit in the table closest to the counter, he was hoping to keep her from having to walk far. As he sat down and began to look down at the table in front of him awaiting the woman to presumably take a seat with him. The first to make it to the table was Leona the blonde woman, who offered him some food but Zeref had began to respond with "I don't mean to impose, however I would enjoy a dri-" That's when the silver haired woman came and offered Zeref herbal tea, To wick Zeref accepted the tea and began to realize she was referring to his pain from the darker voice in his mind.

Zeref looked at Leila as he sipped from the tea, "Thank you, this was very thoughtful." A smile on his face as he continued to take another sip, his hands positioned one cupping the glass and the other under it creating a flat surface as he lifted it to drink. Finally once half was gone, he sat it down in front of him and addressed Leona with his guild information. "Now in reference to becoming a member of the Silver Wolf, I am certain I would like to become a member. The pursuit of knowledge is exactly what I desire and the guild is leading in magical and artifact based knowledge."

"OK. We'll skip everything else and cut to the chase." Leona replied to Zeref. Leila had a point, and a very good one at that. If Zeref had said that he was willing to join, then she should skip the formalities and start the process so that he could join. Leona had thought that she had learned from her experiences in recruiting Loki and Desmond... back then she was too eager to cut to the chase and likely came across as desperate for people to join Silver Wolf, which was not the way a Guild Master or Guild Mistress should look. Now she had went the other way and was too formal in her interaction with prospective members.

"All right then. There's only one hard and fast rule to being a member of Silver Wolf. Don't betray the guild or your fellow guild members." Leona told him. The other rule was for guild members not to make the guild look bad, but Leona had no room to cast stones since she went into Silent Cemetery to secure the Aggression Pack and keep it out of the hands of those who would abuse its power. Leona had to look into it to see whether any good could come out of using the Aggression Pack or not. Meanwhile, she had to induct Zeref into the guild.

"To make you a full member of Silver Wolf, you have to get the guild tattoo. It can be placed anywhere within reason and can be any color you want. Now, where would you like it to be placed and in what color do you want the guild tattoo?" Leona asked Zeref.

With the topic of discussion moving together so smoothly , Zeref grinned to his new guild master upon hearing the rules. Nodding of course in acceptance of her laws, he then following her statement regarding the guild mark, reached to the base of his high collar with both hands taking hold of the cloth and pulling it apart revealing his pale colored torso. His fair skin and athletic build now exposed to the women as he then placed his hand on to his left pectoral, covering his heart and speaking "To my request, Here is the location I would like for a blackened mark to be placed." he would then lower his hand, having both now by his side as he looked on to the guildmaster, though his glance would slightly turn to the silver haired woman as his dark voice overwhelmingly spoke in his head. "Perhaps she knows what it is you fight, the struggle to control me is getting more obvious as days pass." Fading of the voice allowed for Zeref to redirect his gaze to the master.

Leona saw where Zeref wanted the tattoo placed, which was his left pectoral. Leona would have been completely oblivious to his attempt to flirt had Leila not returned in time to point it out. The blonde was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but one figured that the Guild Mistress of a guild devoted to magic and technology would be slightly smarter than she was. They would be wrong.

Leona was unfazed by it because of her experiences with Sol, who had flirted with her before with as much subtlety as Zeref. Then again, it could be a joke made by the silver-haired mage. At any rate, Leona did not read too much into it because she valued Leila's influence... the introspective Leila made a good counterpart to the blonde, who did not share Leila's ability to think before she acted or spoke.

"OK then, let's make this happen." Leona said to Zeref, removing her right Argent Glove. Removing the glove was out of force of habit; she did not know if the glove interfered with the spell or not, but she took it off anyway. She held her hand steady and the spell to place the tattoo activated.

A spell that looked like a prism emerged from the palm of her right hand and its end formed on Zeref's left pectoral. The black tattoo began to appear, but it would take a few seconds more. Thirty seconds later and the process was complete. Zeref was now an official member of Silver Wolf.

"OK, it's done. Now you're part of Silver Wolf." Leona told Zeref, placing her right Argent Glove on her hand again.