Running on the Surface of the Horizon ❅ Tess / Exam

---

Tess tilted her head in contemplation as her guild master finished talking. The white and blue haired girl nearly opened her mouth to reply before he was gone. Sheer incredulity painted over her face, the slayer rolled her shoulders experimentally. Her task was described, and the rest of her day was laid out in front of her, well written for the world to see. Violet eyes gleaming with determination, the slender mage collected her things for the day. A bottle of water, her keys, wallet, and little bag were all dropped into her purse. Then, swinging it around and over her shoulder, she would be off. Fox sat on her head. He was perched like a king on his throne, with puffed up feathers and a haughty look of superiority in place. Tess stifled a laugh as she regarded his expression in the mirror, originally meant to examine her own appearance. Overall, she looked fine. Vanity was a sin that she could not indulge too prominently in, lest her mind be completely clouded from the task at hand.

Briefly, the pale skinned slayer mused on the meaning of a weebgasm. Apparently, her guild master had a not so secret appreciation for eastern culture. Though he had stated the Kirin was respected in his home country, the white haired maiden did not know his place of origin. Before she could pass any judgments on Mura, all of the facts of the scenario would have to be revealed to the young woman. Eventually, she was sure they would be. However, at this moment, Tess decided to wait before considering further the implications of calling oneself a weeb. Finally leaving her living quarters, the girl headed out onto the streets of Magnolia Town. She stared around, searching for a key on where to venture next. Although Tess had spent a bit of time here, she was not well acquainted with the inner workings of the city. After all, the icy mage preferred to travel by magic, directly to the site of any missions. Unfortunately, in order to ensure she did not mistime her arrival at the Serene Cliffs, she needed to be a bit closer and have more precision, lest she teleport too far away and be forced to walk. Tess did not possess enough magical power to teleport multiple times consecutively over long distances.

Double checking that she had brought along the iLac was her first step after making her way outside. Mura had been quite clear that a picture was necessary; she had accepted the LacCam he had lent her but was loath to use it. Despite her initial disinterest in the sight of the legendary creature, it could render a profit to have a copy of its image for later on.

---

---

Luckily, she easily confirmed that her iLac was tucked neatly into her dress' pocket. Miracles were made when the slayer discovered that this fancy ball gown had hidden pockets perfect for concealing the necessities. Occasionally, a weapon stored away could also come in handy. Tess took advantage of her storage spaces to prevent a theft of her purse from crippling her ability to function normally. No matter how rare such a case may be, it was a wise move in her opinion to ensure not all of her eggs were in one basket, so to speak.

Now that she had the most important asset, Tess was free to walk the distance to the train station. Immediately hopping on the next south bound train leaving, the pale haired slayer would patiently stare out the window, observing the landscape as it whooshed by. While she did so, the young mage's mind would flutter with information and possibilities. The appearance of the Kirin—Mura had described it as dragonlike, but with qualities of a galloping horse—the iris eyed girl could not discern what fragments were truth and which held only tales. However, her alert orbs would eventually begin to glaze over, bored of turning over and over in her head the possibilities, without an answer. Soon enough, Tess was lulled to sleep.

She awoke as the train screeched to a halt. "All passengers must disembark, or else pay the fees for the return trip!" Initially startled by the harsh voice of the conductor, the light headed mage rose to her feet a tad dizzily, feeling disconnected from her body. After a few minutes, she made her way off of the platform, her mind still slightly fogged over. Within the next five minutes, as she searched for an exit, the daze passed. Perfectly focused, Tess managed to make her escape and deduced based on the traffic signs that she was close enough to the Serene Cliffs to teleport there—she did exactly that, disappearing with only an icy mark left on the concrete in her wake.

---

---

Perhaps Tess ought to have considered it a stroke of misfortune, to arrive in the midst of so many other would-be photographers. Her teleportation had been startlingly accurate—taking her to nearly the edge of the Serene Cliffs. Now, barely five meters away from the drop off, the white and blue haired mage felt a brief flutter of concern as the mob continued to push and shove against itself. As far as she could understand, the general direction everyone was traveling was forwards; they headed off the cliff and into the sea beyond. However, Tess naturally did not want to topple off of a precipice and into the water.

In order to deal with the rowdy bunch, she focused on her internal core, breathing through her mouth to eliminate the added distraction of body odors all around her. Tess waited patiently for the Kirin to show itself; undoubtedly, it would be moments now. There seemed to be the great sound of hooves slamming against the water, echoing through the atmosphere, shaking the earth underneath them. She waited patiently for the marvelous creature to emerge, shining, enormous on the horizon. She waited—

The young maiden waited for hours, until all hope felt lost. The beast was a no-show. A missing crucial piece of the puzzle, of the picture. Tess felt frusturation settle into the seams of her body, bunching up into her core until she nearly felt like every effort she ever made was fruitless, borne from hollow determination.

Just as her motivation had reached its most depressed state, a blinding luminosity shone through the grey clouds stretching over the expanse of the sky. Orchid eyes glittering with newfound tenacity, Tess lifted up her iLac and snapped one photo of the famed Kirin. Truly, it was indescribable. Gloriously brilliant, blazing with the backdrop of the setting sun—she felt blessed and refreshed. Later, as she would stop by the guild master's office with a polaroid print out of the picture, the mage hesitated. Nothing could do the vision justice.

---