Like an albino pup [Guild/social]

Iris Dupage had meandered her way out of Clover Town, making her way from the country of Enca of all things, going from train to train, smuggling herself in to the country, she would find and meet many people. People who treated the purple haired blind girl well, others who tried to take advantage of her. In the end, she would look to find a guild to join, as far out of the way as possible, why? Well, there was a reason behind that. SHe didn't like to talk about it. She would reveal it later, but, it wasn't important right now. What mattered was the girl was dressed up in enough layers that she waddled her way through the snow. Each crunch sending her ears in to a frenzy of color. Blind, but not without direction. As if by echolocation, her synesthesia let her feel the sounds, sense them as flavors, colors, what have you, everything was topsy turvey.

She had heard about this guild up in the snowy mounts, the Silver Wolf Guild. They had values that aligned with hers, research of magic. Research of magic might reveal bits about her curse, or lead to some sort of temporary lift of it. If she could see, she thought to herself, she would be able to hold a simple cafe job for once! No, she had to think bigger, she had to think broader, she could run her own adventuring company! Right!

When she finally made her way through the blistering wind and snow, she would lift up her walking stick, tapping it on the door to the guild to announce her presence through the knocking of it. Anyone opening it would find a girl dressed in a thick brown jacket with white fuzz, a hunter's cap over her purple hair. and glossed over blank silver eyes that could not take in light greeting them.

WC: 319

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Guild Mistress' Office-

Wearing her green-and-gold outfit and Argent Gloves, Leona sat at her desk examining Shoki, the demon-quelling katana on loan to her from Priestess Sumika of Okyto. It was a magnificent single-edged blade that glowed blue-white and had the power to harm the supernatural in a single stroke, if not kill them outright. Leona appreciated the weapon's power when going up against zombie soldiers and fully armored zombie samurai who possessed all the skills they had in life. However, Shoki showed signs of disrepair such as a blade chipped in several place and a worn handgrip that needed fixing.

Leona stood up and carefully drew Shoki from it black scabbard, holding the blue-white grip of the blade in her hands. It was balanced and well-made, but it was somewhat heavy for the blonde, who had only basic training with two-handed swords. Maybe she just needed to train with Shoki to better understand how to wield it. She had only used it once since she had found it, after all. Perhaps she could use it within the confines of Silver Wolf Guild Hall in the Special Experiments Room.

Leona took a slow, measured downward practice swing with Shoki that stopped just above her desk when she felt a magic signature nearby. That meant that a new mage had come to the guild hall and was possibly looking to join Silver Wolf. Leona carefully sheathed the weapon in its black scabbard, tied the scabbard to her left hip using the yellow cord around its top, and left her office to go to the front door.

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, front door-

With Shoki at her side Leona walked down the stairs and carefully walked to the front door, where she heard gentle tapping at the door made by what sounded like something wooden. Leona walked to the door and carefully opened it to find a young woman dressed in a thick brown jacket with white fuzz and a hunter's cap over her purple hair. She also had glossed over blank silver eyes that could not take in light facing the blonde.

"Hi there. I'm Leona Jarnefeldt, Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf! Please, come in!" Leona greeted the young woman standing at the door.

[Word Count: 388]

As the door came to open, the girl was greeted by the warmth of a fire, a nice chestnut feeling washing over her body as she smiled widely. "Thank you! I appreciate it." She would say while walking in to the main area, tapping her cane around for a moment before she gave it a few firm taps to the ground, quickly fixing up her footing and bearings in the immediate area.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this, I well, I'm a bit afraid if I stand outside any longer I'm going to freeze." SHe would say while feeling around for a chair to sit in. Pulling herself over, tumbling down around herself, and plopping in to a lounge chair, her hat falling off, revealing the disheveled mess of purple hair on top of her head.

Was she here for something other than joining a guild? What would a blind girl want to join a guild for anyways?!

"I'm Iris, Iris Dupage. I'm here looking for employment. Do you have anything that I could do? I really could use the money." She seemed chipper enough with her words, showing that she was sincere, and had the gusto to want to do something, but, what could she even do? She was fired from dozens of small jobs that anyone could take, register jobs, bussing, serving, even operating in small trinket or card shops. So, why come to a guild of all things?!

WC: 256
TWC: 575

Leona had just admitted the youth when she realized that she still had Shoki on her side. Having a weapon at her side, even if it were sheathed, would likely make her look bad because it would imply that she did not trust visitors. Maybe she was just overthinking it... the youth did not even seem to notice the weapon on Leona's side, which was just as well. The blonde noticed the cane tapping on the floor and thought back to the youth's silver eyes and finally made the connection.

"You're not intruding, not at all. We offer shelter to travelers in this region quite often." Leona assured the young woman, whose name was Iris DuPage. Leona reached out with her ability to sense magic and again detected that Iris had a magic signature. She wondered what magic the purple-haired youth sitting before her could use.

Leona patiently listened to Iris ask for employment because the latter needed money. The blonde could tell that Iris wanted gainful employment as much as she needed the money. Leona was surprised that Iris did not express interest in becoming a mage, but then the blonde realized that being visually impaired could be a problem in that line of work. However, that did not matter.

Leila and Poko had made Silver Wolf a guild for all mages, not just a hand-picked elite.

If that selective recruiting policy had been in effect, Leona would either be Guildless or part of a different guild right now.

"There's plenty that you can do around here, Iris. The kitchen staff always needs help. So does the library staff." Leona listed what the purple-haired youth could do to earn a steady living. Then she thought of something. Maybe Iris wanted something more out of life. Maybe Iris would like to become a mage but people kept selling her short.

"Or if you're interested and willing, you could work as a mage." Leona offered to Iris. The blonde sincerely hoped that she was not being patronizing or outright insulting in making the offer.

[Post Word Count: 364]
[Leona's Word Count: 752]

Paragon of Virtue

Watching from around a corner at his Guild Mistress's intro to the girl who had just entered Silver Wolf's halls, something was strange to Jin. Offering a job to a blind girl? Especially one as a working wizard?

Looks are certainly deceiving, the Bringer of Death whispered.

The Paragon ignored his other persona. The girl was blind, wasn't she? Jin shook off his doubts. It would be far from him to send someone away from Silver Wolf, especially if they were already introduced to Leona. He was in no position to do such a thing, but nonetheless he had his doubts and his questions about this situation.

Ignoring any possible thoughts of being accused of insubordination, perhaps being entirely unaware of the possibility, Jin made his way towards the duo.

"Ah, Miss Jarnefeldt, great to see you here!" he said in an attempt to appear nonchalant.

Where else would she be?

Ignoring his other half's remark, he turned to the newbie. "My name is Jin Auri-El. I'm nowhere near as important as Miss Jarnefeldt, but I'm part of the guild nonetheless. Have you come to join the guild? We're always happy to accept newcomers, regardless of past. I'm sure Miss Jarnefeldt has explained a bit about what we could offer. We're here to ensure that our entire pack is happy and healthy."

She has to be fine enough if the wolves let her past, but still. I'm guessing you want to be safe.

Exactly. We shouldn't have a problem with Miss Jarnefeldt nearby, but we never know.

Leona would wave a hand in front of her face when Leona mentioned the library. "Books and I tend to not agree with each other." She was a bit snarky about all of it, though, jolly natured by it in the end. Quickly turning toward the voice of a new person, as if to make it seem like she was looking at him. His voice hit her like freshly polished balsa wood. She could perceive just how big he was, how debonair he looked in general.

Turning back to the guild mistress who spoke about the various jobs she could do, she just sank down in her seat with each mention of a job that asked for physical labor, anything that dealt with writing, she was really eager to work, but, would she have the means of doing that with her lack of sight, or lack of coordination? SHe stood up at the mention of being a mage. Eager glint in her blank eyes.

"Ah yes! That! I would, I actually would love to do that! I'm a writing mage! I have solid script magic, I can do this." SHe would say while bouncing on the balls of her feet, heels kipping up off of the ground while she bounced eagerly, only to lose her balance and tumble forward, flailing her arms about, and fell right over a sofa and on tot he ground on her rear end/ A solid OOMPH coming from her position before she flopped over on to her side, grumbling about it all.

"I swear, that's not indicative of my skill. I can actually perceive things, I can't see, but like, I can get a sense of what's around me. I have synesthesia. I pick up colors and sounds as feelings. It's like, echolocation from a bat."

WC: 315
TWC: 890

Leona was pleased to hear that Iris would consider being a mage. In fact, the latter would more than just consider it. She already had a magic in the form of a type called Solid Script, a type of magic which sounded kind of familiar. It might have been the type that Sorano Granon once used, but Leona had not heard anything from the Goddess of Tranquility in quite some time. Leona's attention shifted from the past to the present when Jin popped in and greeted the two mages.

"Hi Jin! It's been awhile since we last met!" Leona greeted the young man she had met a couple of months ago. There was something different about him that was hard to pin down. It was like there were two of him in the same body, but guild members with unusual traits were nothing new to Leona. Members of the guild included a librarian who always wore a golden mask and an alchemist with a penchant for hanging around with crows.

The Wizard Saint's happiness over Iris not only not being insulted by the offer to be a mage, but actually accepting it temporarily ebbed when Iris jumped up out of the chair and began to bounce up and down before falling onto her side. Leona involuntarily recoiled when the excited youth landed on the floor. While she tried to decide what course of action to take next she listened to the explanation of how Iris managed to get around despite her handicap and was intrigued.

Iris could perceive colors and sounds as feelings due to synesthesia. She also claimed that the ability worked in a manner similar to a bat's echolocation. Leona was curious and wanted to learn more, but she also did not want to offend Iris by asking unwanted questions about her visual impairment. It would be best to save those questions for later down the road. Right now it would be a good idea to offer a helping hand to the fallen mage.

"Would you like a helping hand, Iris?" Leona politely asked the young woman, keeping a respectful distance in case Iris wanted to get up herself.

[Post Word Count: 371]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,123]

Iris would get up to her feet, brushing herself off. "No I'm fine! I'm fine. Did I miss a spot?" SHe asked while patting herself down, looking around as if she could perceive the dust marks upon her outfit from where she had fallen. SUre, she was a clumsy girl with blindness. Sure, she was a panicked mess that was nervous about a job opportunity. And yes, she was, in fact, terrified at the thought of rushing int o guild work, but, she didn't let that stop her. She had to remain brave, she had to remain stoic. She had to get the dust mark off her butt.

If she didn't remain brave and steadfast, people might worry about her, which might lead to inquiries about her past, which would lead to people knowing the truth behind her past. She had to avoid that at all costs. So, when she was offered a hand, she would help herself off and try to act tough about it all.

"Right, I was wondering, am I just...you know." She trailed trailed off, while trying to motion to this place, she didn't know about guild tattoos, because, well, she couldn't see them! "Am I just a part of the guild now? Is there some paper I have to sign? I can sign a paper! I promise!" Her endearing eagerness to try and prove she wasn't useless just made her admirable, in a cute kind of way.

Leona almost leaned down to help Iris but paused halfway. It took several moments of indecision and fighting the feelings of guilt that were beginning to seep in, but the blonde successfully fought the urge to intervene. She took a step back and let the mage get to her feet without any help; thankfully Iris was not hurt in the fall. Leona watched the young mage begin to dust herself off without missing a beat.

While Iris went about that task she asked Leona if the declaration of intent to join was sufficient enough to make her a member of Silver Wolf. The former then asked if she needed to sign a piece of paper to make her membership official before shifting into a state of panic and promising that she would sign the paper. Leona felt a twinge of concern for Iris, who was clearly worried about being thrown out of yet another place for perceived incompetence.

"You don't need to sign a paper to become an official member of Silver Wolf, Iris. However, you need to get the guild mark somewhere on your body in order to be an official member. The guild mark's a tattoo indicating membership in a guild that can be placed anywhere on your body... within reason." Leona calmly informed Iris of the sole legal requirement she had to meet to join the guild. She would show Iris her own mark to show the newcomer what she meant, but Iris was blind. Instead Leona would have to be particularly descriptive of the process to get her message across.

If nothing else, the girl was certainly energetic. Jin was admittedly worried about how well a blind girl would do within a guild setting, but at the same time, her enthusiasm was refreshing. Leona was, as always, friendly and helpful to her, which was fine for him.

"You're perfectly fine, Iris. As Leona said, you'll need to get your tattoo somewhere in order to show your affiliation with the guild." He pointed to his own guild tattoo out of habit before realizing that she would not be able to see his motioning. It's a surprisingly painless process, so no need to worry about that."

How well is she going to fare, I wonder?

Either way, she's a wizard, and she managed to make it all the way up her by her lonesome.

I suppose, but she's blind.

And? If she's capable in combat, that's all that matters.

Jin rolled his eyes. "We're always glad to be accepting new members. I don't know if Leona's quite mentioned this, but we have people from all walks of life, so your...situation is far from a problem. The guild here is very welcoming to everyone, and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time here."

You say the situation is far from a problem, but you're lying about that, aren't you?

Yes and no. Her blindness is a bit different from having two people bickering over the same body. Magic's a lot about sight, especially something like Solid Script, so how well is that going to do?

And? What's your point? Clearly she has enthusiasm, so that should be enough. Of course, that said, I would admittedly like to see her prowess in combat. She may surprise.

Iris blinked, looking at the two like they were crazy, well, she was the crazy one in this instance. "A tattoo? I don't know what those look like, but, I could do that if it's all it takes. Yeah." SHe said, trying to brush off the fact that she nearly burst in to tears over not being able to naturally sign a paper. She could still sign a paper, it just took some work with her magic to do, and it usually took about five minutes, which some people thought made her a liability for things like that.

Turning and lifting the back of her hair, she exposed her neck. Which, had a bar code printed on it. A magical bar code at that, like some sort of a tracking magic? What was it? Hard to say. Iris just sat there, her eyes quivering as she kept her eyes from locking on to anyone else.

"I'm happy to take it, that way I can do stuff in the guild. right?"

"You're right, Iris. Once you have the guild tattoo you're an official guild member and can do things for the guild, like take jobs and use the guild facilities and services." Leona explained patiently, doing her best not to sound patronizing. She watched as the purple-haired youth lifted her hair to expose the back of her neck to the Guild Mistress. Leona looked and saw a barcode of some sort on the back of Iris' neck but did not comment because she honestly had no idea what to say.

"What color would you like the guild tattoo to be?" Leona asked Iris. It sounded like a dumb question to ask a blind person, but Iris was going to be an official Silver Wolf mage soon and she had the same right to a tattoo in the color she wanted just like every other prospective guild member did. Hopefully Iris would not think that the question was dumb, insulting, or insultingly dumb.

"Well, if we're going to get into technicalities, a guild tattoo isn't required, per se, but it does show allegiance to a guild which makes it a bit easier to get jobs than an guildless wizard. As I said before, the process is painless. Might get a bit of a sensation, but it's nothing really. Honestly it's worth it. Generally speaking, might be best to have it somewhere that's easy to see." He placed his hand on his scaled cheek for a moment, forgetting Iris's blindness. "For example, I have mine right on my cheek. You can get it anywhere on your body, within reason, but having it be easily accessible just kinda makes things a tad easier to deal with. Of course, at the same time, if there's someone that's got a vendetta against us, for some reason, they'll be able to tell but that's neither here nor there."

You always talk too much.

If I get more influence with these people, then I can get onto better jobs and get more powerful so I can find a way to get you away from me.

The Bringer of Death laughed. You're probably stuck with me, you know. Removing a thirteen-year-long curse does wonders on the evaporation of a soul.

I'm guessing you know from experience?

You could say that. Admittedly, not as much involved with my soul as other's souls, but it's whatever.

Jin rolled his eyes once more. He hoped Leona was not looking at him to see him randomly roll his eyes when it seemed like nothing was happening. "Either way, we'll be glad to add you to our ranks."

"I would like to say what color I want my tattoo, but, I don't know what a color looks like. All I know is what they feel like." She would say, before explaining how she experienced colors as sensations of touch, so, she wasn't entirely blind. She would let them know she had synesthesia, a unique disability that let her experience all sorts of sensations she should be in different ways, such as explaining how their voices felt to her skin. Or how colors gave off different senses of touch to her body.

She left her neck exposed for them to put the tattoo over, wanting it to cover the bar code that tingled on the back of her neck. "I'm ready." She would say, waiting for the stamp to go on and cover up that garish and vile thing on the nape of her spine.

Leona blushed in embarrassment upon hearing the response. That was a really dumb question to ask Iris. Leona was blonde and was well aware of the stereotypes surrounding female bearers of that hair color, but asking a blind person what color they wanted for their tattoo was so dumb that even she should have known better.

Looking to recover from the gaffe, the Wizard Saint thought on her feet, which could be dangerous because she could find even more ways to mess up. Leona at first had the idea of bestowing a rainbow-colored mark on Iris, but Iris' statement that certain colors gave her certain feelings gave the blonde pause. She did not want to give Iris the wrong color and make her feel terrible for the length of her tenure as a Silver Wolf member. Then Leona thought a little deeper.

Iris had made the lengthy and difficult journey to the guild hall of her own volition, risking attacks from bandits, wild animals, and simple opportunists to get here. Iris had also been fired from numerous jobs and had taken multiple hits to her self-worth but was still willing and able to get up and try again. Leona could respect that kind of determination.

Iris was a diamond in the rough. If Leona could give a diamond-colored tattoo she would do it, but she did not know if that was possible. She also did not know what effect that color would have on Iris. Furthermore, she would also be taking away Iris' freedom of choice just to look clever. Leona slowed down and began to think over more names of valuable things, things in a color she could actually replicate.

The guild was named Silver Wolf, so that was out. Platinum was an option. So was jade. However, Iris still had a voice in the decision, so Leona slowed down. Then it hit her.

Gold.

Gold might work.

"Hey Iris, what do you think of the color gold for your guild tattoo?" Leona asked the purple-haired mage.

Gold? SHe thought about gold. "Warm, glossy, gentle. It's a nice color in fabric from what I have felt. But, as a brick of gold it is rigid, sweat inducing, and many times contemplative, to assume that it is regarded as one of the softer metals. To my knowledge, some places use it as currency, and, I would rather not have that branded upon my neck." She said, while still having the bar code tattoo visible for Leona.

"However, I would very much like it. In terms of ink, gold ink sounds like it would sit well upon skin. And, more like felt fabric rather than a rigid shell." The girl was a weird one. She had come here, with a curse of blindness, ALL THE WAY FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY. Not only that, she was here to join and showing them a bar code tattoo on her neck.

Well, she was from a thieves' guild back ground, and, she was working her hardest to earn her way out of a debt to avoid that barcode from giving away her position and alerting the people to come and collect her to sell her off. For Iris, the thought of covering that thing up was enough to give her some security, maybe, maybe it would delay that thing's count down. Only time would tell, right?

"OK, gold it is." Leona said to Iris, believing that she was acting in accordance with the violet-haired mage's wishes. Iris had went on a brief tangent about gold and how its value led to it being used as currency in some places. In the end the new mage agreed that the color gold would be an agreeable one for a person with synesthesia. Leona prepared the spell and held the palm of her right hand over the barcode, then used the spell.

A prism emanated from Leona's right hand and swept over the barcode, placing a gold version of Silver Wolf's guild mark over the barcode. Leona used the spell for thirty seconds, making sure that she had obtained complete coverage with the tattoo. Once the golden mark was in place Leona lifted her right hand away. Iris was now an official member of Silver Wolf.

"Congratulations, Iris. You're now officially part of Silver Wolf!" Leona congratulated Iris on becoming part of the guild.