Of Endings and Beginnings

Kara stepped off of her motorbike, ensuring to dissolve the key before leaving it and looking up at the building in front of her. Why did they have to built it so identical...? she wondered sadly to herself as her violet eyes flicked from the roof to the walls, then to the windows and finally to the door. It had been a long journey getting here; last time she was in Fiore, the Sabertooth guildhall and indeed Ace of Spades itself had been in a completely different location.

Two years on and she'd returned to Fiore to find nothing but deserted destruction where that proud guild had once stood - where he'd once worked to build it all - and her own guild was gone too, leaving her with no idea where she had to go, and no clue who to ask for help. The first days back had been rough, working in restaurants just to pay for the food there, sleeping at
the side of the road, fighting between her need to live and her need to break down and grieve. But the daily struggle wasn't without its fruition. Every day she learned more about what had happened in her absence, about the fall of Sabertooth's guildhall that destroyed the city below, about the city being rebuilt elsewhere. As more information came to light Kara began to cope more. She worked harder, saving enough jewels to get herself a motorbike that would allow her to travel the long distance she had ahead of her considerably quicker. She'd even had enough there to get the ignition specially designed so that magical power alone wouldn't suffice; an amethyst key specifically crafted by her own hand was the only way to get the thing started.

Despite the quickened travel though, it still took a good few weeks to get here. And now that she was here she realised how daunting a task this really was; how was she going to find the Sabertooth guildhall in a city of this size, with absolutely no hints as to where it was located? It was here that she realised she had no other choice. She'd avoided taverns and inns so far; they remind her too much of Marick, and remembering him right now hurt too much. She couldn't think about that or she might not complete her task. But now she had no choice. There was no better place to get information, especially given the notoriety Sabertooth's guild members had for drinking. And who better to tell her where the guildhall was than a member of the guild itself?

And so here she was in front of the Red Dragon Inn. The name was different to the inn that Marick had built years ago, but the resemblance was uncanny. It made this all the more difficult. Kara slapped her cheeks with both hands a couple of times. "Pull yourself together girl...you've come this far!" she hissed under her breath, scolding herself for her hesitation. But as soon as she looked back up at the door again her heart raced and a nausea began setting into her stomach. Nonetheless she fought back and stepped through the door - only to freeze in shock in the doorway, not moving an inch; it was EXACTLY the same. The layout of the bar, the stools, even the smell of the varnished wood mixed with that stench of stale ale and food that, on another day, would have Kara drooling. But today it all had the opposite effect as, after a few seconds, she ran back out of the door, around the corner of the inn and promptly vomited, choking back the tears that were threatening to stream down her face. Threatening but not succeeding. She refused to break down now. But could she really do this?

Wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with khaki cargo pants and white tennis shoes under an apron with the inn's logo emblazoned on it, "tall Victoria" was doing what she did best... sling drinks and chat with the customers. So far she had made two Long Island Iced Teas, a Pina Colada, two martinis, a Bloody Mary, and three Screwdrivers that were not for herself. Business was good and so were the tips, but money was not that important to the brunette because she had banked enough Jewels from the high-risk jobs she took to be able to sling drinks for fun instead of for a living. Victoria felt a little bad for taking a place that someone else needed... maybe she should step down from bartending to make room for someone who really needed the work.

If inn management or Kenna asked her to, Victoria would step down. Otherwise she would keep slinging drinks as a hobby. Everyone needed a hobby and the brunette's was bartending for the customers of the Red Dragon Inn.

Speaking of customers, Victoria's ability to sense magic directed her attention to the doorway where a violet-haired chick was standing before she abruptly turned back and ran around the corner. Was her power level really that frightening? The brunette shrugged her shoulders and went back to making a Pina Colada for a middle-aged businesswoman in a blue jacket and blue knee-length skirt who was on lunch break.

If the violet-haired chick fled the inn because of Victoria, she would probably flee Earthland altogether if she ever met Samira Nassar.

Victoria finished the drink and handed it to the businesswoman, then decided to go outside and see about the person. Maybe there was something else going on with her.

"I'll be back in a minute, Marceline." Victoria said to the dark-haired young woman. She nodded and manned the bar while Victoria went to check on the youth.

-Outside the Red Dragon Inn-

Victoria opened the wooden door to the inn and looked around for the young woman, letting her ability to detect magic signatures guide her. She rounded the corner and found the young woman, who was not in the best of shape. She had thrown up all over the ground and was fighting back tears. Victoria would offer to make her a drink, but maybe now was not the best time for that. A more sensitive approach was needed.

"Hi there. I'm Victoria Sheridan. Can I help you with anything?" The tall brunette asked the violet-haired female.

Kara remained outside for a time, still bent over slightly and holding onto the side of the inn for support. She was shaking uncontrollably, a mixture of nausea, anger and emotional pain toiling in the pit of her stomach, threatening to burst out in another wave of vomit. She took several deep breaths slowly steadying them until she had some semblance of control over herself. She looked down at her own legs, red biker boots and jean shorts now somewhat sullied by the contents of her stomach. Thankfully it seemed to be minor and mostly unnoticeable. For now.
Dammit...I can't do this...I can't accept...

"Hi there. I'm Victoria Sheridan. Can I help you with anything?"

Kara bolted upright - immediately regretting it as her stomach cramped in retaliation for the sudden movement - and her head wheeled around to see who was speaking. It was a young woman certainly no older than she was. Brunette, about the same height as she was, and sharp grey eyes in contrast to her own usually-playful violet. That was all Kara could take in before her brain kicked back into action. She quickly straightened herself up, tugging at her black leather jacket so that it better covered her red vest-top and thus kept her a little warmer, and a little more protected. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She closed it, cleared her throat and tried again.

[color:8523=9900ff]"I need to find the Sabertooth Guildhall. I need to speak to the guildmaster immediately." Her reply was solid and to the point, but her false confidence was betrayed by the fact that she was still shaking, and hadn't thought to dry her eyes properly before facing the girl before her. Nonetheless she was committed now, and continued to speak. "If you can just point me in the direction I need to go, I'll be on my way."

Victoria saw from the vomit-covered boots that the young woman was in distress over something, but that something was not made known to the brunette because the violet-haired youth had not seen fit to tell her. It was the girl's business... Victoria was only here to offer help if Miss Violet needed it. As it turned out, she did need help from the brunette.

Once she pulled her black leather jacket closed the youth stated that she wanted to speak with the guildmaster of Sabertooth. She also requested directions to the guild hall so that she could be on her way.  Victoria looked over her carefully did not sense any ill intent on the young woman's part, so she would do her best to help Miss Violet out.

"If you want to find the guild hall, just look for the tall, fancy castle in town. That's where the guild hall is." Victoria said before she realized that the young woman was most likely a newcomer here and might need a guide. Then she thought about something. Her request for directions to the Sabertooth guild hall and an audience with Sabertooth's guildmaster indicated to Victoria that she had known more about the guild than just what one read in Sorcerer's Magazine. That did not mean that there was a sinister conspiracy in the making, but that was an interesting thing to note about Miss Violet.

"I can guide you there if you'd like." Victoria offered.

This girl was nice. Too nice. Kara almost felt like slapping her for being so nice. She didn't want nice, she wanted to get this over with. After a few moments of silence the purple-haired mage released a short sigh. "...thank you for your kindness...but I'd rather remain alone until I speak with the guildmaster." she replied coolly, still fighting back her emotions as best as she could.

But with every passing second she became closer to accepting things as they were, and the closer she got to accepting things, the closer she got to breaking down. She refused to do that here in front of an audience who would likely think she was insane - or worse, if they found out about Marick now, how would the people react? Afterall, he'd helped many of them before and had been a part of their lives right up until he'd left for Pergrande. No, she couldn't have company right now. Company would mean talking. Talking would bring those feelings forward faster.

"...I'll come back to thank you properly for your help once I've spoken to them." she finished, before attempting a weak smile and nodding in thanks. With that, she turned back towards her bike, an amethyst key reappearing in her hand as she did so.

Victoria listened to Miss Violet politely turn down the offer of a guide to the guild hall and did not object. That was fine by her... if the young woman did not need help, she did not need help. The brunette would let the matter drop and go back to slinging drinks for the inn so that Marceline was not stuck behind the counter all day. Miss Violet promised to come back and properly thank Victoria for her help once the former had spoken to Sabertooth's Guildmaster.

"All right then. If you need me, you know where to find me. I'll be working at the inn for a few more hours, so you don't have to worry about me running off any time soon." Victoria said to Miss Violet before the former waved goodbye and returned to the Red Dragon Inn, which was starting to slow down a bit. Her presence had not been greatly missed, but it was time for the brunette to return to work. Time was Jewels and Victoria liked Jewels.

-Inside Red Dragon Inn-

Victoria took over her station and was told by Marceline that the crowd had been slow; the former had not missed too much other than an order for a Long Island Iced Tea, an order that Marceline was more than capable of handling in the brunette's absence. The brunette was not entirely sure if Miss Violet knew where she was going, but she would leave the violet-haired young woman to her task. Meanwhile Victoria would serve drinks and make Jewels for the inn plus a few Jewels in tips.