Festival of Elements

 Charlotte † White Witch † Rank A   

Finally the Sun has bit it’s farewells to the land of Fiore and peacefully fallen behind the horizon, a moment long anticipated by Charlotte. She was well aware of the festival that was sweeping pretty much the entirety of the nation, one to celebrate solstice and the slow moving of the seasons. It seemed almost somewhat ironic that the true parade would begin only once the actual Sun had disappeared during this event, but that was Rose Garden. A place where magic thrived and night life often prevailed over the day one. A place that appeared festive even on a normal day, and oh so much more today.

The girl even got herself a completely new dress for this occasion, ready to have fun once more as this would be her first festivity since Black Rose disappeared from the city and Charlotte was left mostly all alone. She was part of Rune Knights now, which brought about some comfort, though she has not yet forged the important bonds of friendship that she once had with the members of her previous guild. Thankfully, tonight was a moment when she could forget all of that. Leaving her house in high spirits, she headed straight for the main street.

Just as she expected, it was crowded! People lined the edge almost to the point of the small barrier cracking, though there were mages in place to prevent that. Charlotte herself had to carefully climb up a rock fence of one of the houses so she could see. A majestic convoy of carts atop which performers danced, sung, and showed their crafts. Lacrima lights formed a wonderful atmospheres while many different stands adorned the side roads, selling delicious, albeit somewhat unhealthy, snacks to those who had the coin. It was truly hard to imagine that something bad could happen later into the night as the girl hopped back down, hoping she did not attract too much attention with her unique appearance and high position.

 Charlotte † White Witch † Rank A   

It was rather easy to get lost in a crowd like this. Just about every single resident of Rose Garden, safe for maybe few elderly grumpy individuals, wanted to see at least portion of the parade, enjoy the festival even if it was for just few hours. Given Charlotte’s rather small size, it became even easier to become completely invisible in the sea of people. So it came at a much bigger surprise when someone suddenly call out to her. Or, well… it perhaps took the girl a small moment to actually realize that those very words were actually meant for her.

After all, she did not expect to be approached by anyone here. And yet, here she was, finally realizing it and slowly turning as just about every hair on her body stood up. Despite her powers and joining the Rune Knights, she was still quite the scaredy cat it seemed. Thankfully that fear vanished almost right the moment she saw the boy. A taller blue-haired individual wearing clothing quite unlike what most people around donned for this festive night. However, there was something… something more to this. Turning completely to face him, it was as if Charlotte began observing him curiously.

“Pardon me… have I seen you somewhere, sir?” Instead of answering his question, she posed one of her own. This was certainly their first meeting, yet she felt as if she had seen him before. A familiar figure. But not someone from before her amnesia incident either, as she was not accompanied by a throbbing headache while attempting to bring forth the memories that were teasing her oh so greedily. Until a few seconds later, it finally hit her, the girl pumping her first a little as those pupil-less optics locked with the boy’s own eyes.

“Ah, you’re a member of the Rune Knights as well, correct? O-oh, I.. I’m sorry for acting out like that!” The realization was swiftly followed by a deep apologetic bow as it must have been rather sudden and alarming that the girl produced such a conclusion. However, she was absolutely certain now that she had seen him in the headquarters! …or was it in some kind of list that showed her the other knights…? Well, it probably mattered little. There was no doubt that she had to have known his face from that place when she had joined up with the order herself.

But if that really were the case, then the girl once again acted rather brazenly in front of someone who surely held a superior position to her, if only in the amount of time they have been affiliated with the organization. And so followed another rather deep bow to showcase just how embarrassed and ashamed of herself the girl was. “M..my manners… My name is Charlotte, a new recruit of the Rune Knights! It is a pleasure to meet you, sir!” The assault of Lottie’s actions was probably so fast paced that Albafica might have not even had the chance to properly react to it all in time.

So much for forging the best first impression possible. The girl desperately wanted to show herself as a suitable knight and a person worth respecting, but it seemed to never quite work out for her. No matter what she would do, there was always something she’d manage to mess up at least a little bit, as if she was cursed to be followed by the lady misfortune everywhere she goes. At this point, she was simply holding her bow, hoping that the boy would not discipline her too harshly in front of all these people, some already staring due to her own misguided actions.