Joining the Pack

The door to the guild slowly opened with an eerie croaking sound and a person, that looked she drowned three days ago, stoically walked inside. Drops were falling off her and with a sigh she shook her hair a few times, trying to get the water out of her ears. Teresa had always loved a good rain occasionally, especially when she had a lot to think about. It had been a long time since she had actually joined any kind of organization and it was not something she had planned upon arriving in Fiore. Yet the meeting with Amalia had been a lot of fun and one thing led to another, so now she was here to join a guild. As she had made the long trip through the pouring rain, she had thought about it long and hard and decided it was the right thing.

“Hello everyone! I am here to join you.” She said loudly and with a big grin on her face, hoping to dissuade everyone from staring at her as if she was a stray. Teresa had learned a long time ago that being loud and obnoxious tended to work better then being shy and timid.

Of course she did not wait for things to happen. Instead she snapped her fingers and combined two magics to avoid drawing anymore attention. As she snapped her fingers, she was completely covered in a cloud of white smoke while she reequipped to her normal attire. The body suit was amazing for combat, but terrible in the rain as it tented to get soaked and sticky very quickly. Now that she was dry though she was happy to be wearing it again. It just felt like were a very good friend. -please don’t go into the issue how she feels about wearing old friends. That never ends well-

The other magic was her spatial movement magic. She simply threw a small item towards a place and she could then instantly appear near the item at any moment she wanted. Mostly she used it as an offensive technique, closing the distance between an enemy instantly. However it also worked well in a situation she quickly wanted to disappear in a crowded place.

Of course not misjudging the speed of the object and missing the proper timing tended to help with that. “Unggg… can I have an ale and the directions to where to sign up?” She sighed with a grin as she crashed upside down against the bar and slowly began to slide down.

WC: 416

-Leona's Room-

Wearing her green athletic t-shirt and green, gold, and white skirt with bike shorts on underneath and boots on her feet, Leona sat at her desk reading the manual for her Daggerbook, which sat in its box inside her desk drawer. After her latest archaeological adventure in Desierto Leona was looking forward to having some time to read the manual and learn how to use her new laptop. However, when duty called Leona had no choice but to answer because she was a Wizard Saint and Wizard Saints had responsibilities above and beyond those of the average mage. To her right rested Ses Revanche: having grown up in a village that was frequently raided by outlaws, Leona learned early on to always keep a weapon nearby. Maybe today would be a quiet day and she get around to finally using her Daggerbook.

Leona was interested in using her Daggerbook to learn about a special program operated by Crocus Magicka University's library. It was called Outside Scholars and it had been brought to her attention months ago. In exchange for signing up for Outside Scholars and paying a monthly membership fee people who were not students or faculty could browse the library's research materials and use them, though they were forbidden to take research materials out of the library. Leona thought that those terms were fair, but before she joined the program she wanted to learn more about it and how it worked.

Leona was seventeen pages into the owner's manual when she felt a magic signature blip into existence in the guild hall. She gently closed the thin book and set it on her desk. She then stood up and gently pushed her chair under the desk, then set out for the foyer while PG-13 remained behind to guard his owner's room. Leona put Ses Revanche in her right boot in case trouble flared up, but she doubted that she would have to use it. The Wizard Saint was in her own guild hall and thus had home field advantage, but she also had plenty of combat spells to use.

-In the guild bar-

Following the magic signature through the guild hall, Leona eventually walked into the bar, where she spotted the source of the magic signature. The source was a tall blonde woman who was wearing a bodysuit, but that was not the strangest thing about her. What was strange was the fact that she had somehow ended up upside down against the bar and was slowly sliding down it. Leona blinked.

"Um... hi there. I'm Leona Jarnefeldt, Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf. How can I help you?" Leona asked the taller blonde.

[Post Word Count: 446]
[Leona's Word Count: 446]

Of course Teresa had done her research a bit. The invitation from Amalia had been nice, but she was too old just to act that impulsive. So she had taken a few days inquiring some information about the Silver Wolf guild. All in all they had the reputation of being active and harboring some very powerful mages. However it was the information about the head mistress of the guild that had piqued her interest. She had never met a wizard Saint and this person was supposed to be one of the strongest. The silver eyed witch was not usually one to be drawn to power, but maybe, just maybe… she would be strong enough.

When she appeared though she definitely did not disappoint. Every living being emits energy. When they walk, when they breath, when they use magic, they all tap in a base pool of energy. Teresa had practiced her entire life being able to sense such energy and she could usually tell were people where even when she was not trying. As soon as she entered the guild she could tell how many people there were and roughly where they were.

Imagine her surprise when suddenly someone spoke to her from so close. “NYAAAaaa” She exclaimed completely surprised and quite loudly, as her ass, thinking quickly, walked herself away from the bar until she was lying flat on her back. “Ah my apologies!” She said quickly, a blush upon her cheeks as she jumped back on her feet in a single movement, as if she was still only eleven hundred years old. Trying to gather herself Teresa took a moment to dust herself off and straighten out her clothes. Even know she could not sense this person, which did not make any sense as she just introduced herself as the guild mistress. “It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Teresa Sinclair and I would be interested in joining your lovely guild.” She said as she extended her hand towards Leona and put on her most delighted smile.

As she looked at the girl in front of her, she was still trying to figure her out. She could not sense anything, yet that was impossible. Even a person without magic emitted something. A mage complete drained, while extremely rare, would feel like an empty hole. Yes no matter how she studied the pretty face in front of her, she could not read Leona.

“Ah right, you are probably wondering why I am here. Well recently I ran into one of your members, Amalia and she told me about your guild. So basically here I am. I was wondering if I could join you all.” Teresa said as friendly as she could as she straightened herself out and snapped her fingers. A moment later she vanished into a cloud of white smoke and reappeared in a much more casual outfit. “I dabble a bit in requip magic.” She said with a faint smile as she reappeared from the smoke, dressed in casual blue jeans and a red pullover.

WC: 501
TWC: 1,363
@Leona Jarnefeldt

Leona watched the newcomer quickly get to her feet and apologize for what had happened, then introduce herself with a smile. Now that the taller blonde was on her feet the Wizard Saint could get a better look at her. Leona saw that the taller mage had silver eyes and long blonde hair... she had a slightly imposing figure due to her height and build. The woman had introduced herself as Teresa Sinclair, a name that brought to mind fellow Wizard Saint Serilda Sinclair, the current leader of the Rune Knights and a mage tied with Samira Nassar for one of the most powerful mages alive.

Leona listened to Teresa explain that she had made the lengthy trip here with the intent to join Silver Wolf. Teresa then extended her hand towards Leona and smiled brightly. Leona, not entirely accustomed to shaking hands with women but not wanting to appear rude to the newcomer, took the offered hand.

"Silver Wolf has plenty of room for new mages. You're welcome to join if you'd like, Teresa." Leona informed Teresa that the latter's trip was not in vain because there was space for her to join the guild. The Wizard Saint then shook the hand that had been extended to her. Hopefully she was doing this right.

Leona listened and learned that fellow Silver Wolf mage Amalia von Niedermarck had referred Teresa to the guild. Now that Leona knew that the mage standing before her had been referred by a guildmate, the Wizard Saint was not quite so wary of the newcomer. It was not a matter of power levels or motives for joining that made Leona wary... it was her own lack of social skills that worried her. For someone of her titles and reputation her social skills were lacking, to put it lightly. Leona was concerned that she would either come on too strong and chase Teresa away or come across as too meek and make Teresa think that Leona was a joke of a Guild Mistress and a Wizard Saint.

Teresa then asserted that she dabbled in Requip Magic and demonstrated by changing her clothing from the bodysuit to a pair of blue jeans and a red pullover. Leona was impressed by the demonstration of Requip Magic, but she knew that the magic style could be used for a lot more than a simple change of wardrobe. She had heard and read about mages who could produce weapons of all kinds for use at a moment's notice, an ability which freed them from having to carry physical weapons like Leona had to do. Leona focused on the next matter of business, which was to tell Teresa about Silver Wolf's three Divisions and see which one she was interested in joining.

"If you'd like to join Silver Wolf, you can choose from three Divisions that you can join. Would you like to hear about them?" Leona asked Teresa. While the question might sound dumb, the Wizard Saint was not sure how much about the guild Amalia had told the newcomer. Rather than assume Teresa knew about the three Divisions of the guild, Leona opted to ask if the newcomer wanted to hear about them before she discussed the topic any further.

[Post Word Count: 541]
[Leona's Word Count: 987]

Without showing it, Teresa was glad the girl had accepted her handshake. She was quite fluent in etiquette, she had a lot of practice after all. The problem however was with all the practice she had. Etiquette changes so much over time and differs per country, sometimes even per city. She once visited an island where it was common for people to slam their heads together as hard as they could when they met in official functions. As a representative of a wealthy duke, Teresa had been forced to participate in this ritual. Only to find out later the native species there have a natural carbon reinforced skull plate.

~thinking about it still tended to give her headaches~

She could probably give a thousand examples, but for now she was just happy Leona had taken her hand. No wait… I should probably consider and address her as headmistress until I am told otherwise. Or was that the case only in Reinford? Hmmm… She wished she had been longer in the country, but then again she was also aware that 60% of social protocols could be overwritten by being confident enough. Luckily she was a very good actress and had a poker face that could kill pocket aces with a glance. “Thank you very much Leona. I would very much like to join you.” She said with a honey sweet voice as she gave the guild leader her best smile.

In all honesty though, Teresa was not actively forming an opinion about Leona that was going too deep. It might sound cliche, but the wisdom not to judge too quickly was burned into her core. It is one of the universal truths of life. Every time Teresa thought she had figured something or someone out, life would throw her a curve ball that gave her a bloody nose.

All that she knew was that the girl seemed to be nice, maybe a tad young and either had a good fashion sense or good assistant.

The comment about the three divisions though came as a complete surprise. Amalia had not mentioned this. Though to be fair, Teresa had been hitting the sauce pretty well that evening and most details of that night were ‘fuzzy’ at best. “Ah I am not sure I can super impose myself upon you. You are the guild mistress… but I would be delighted to hear more about those divisions.” She replied with a smile as she walked to the bar and sat down to make herself a bit more comfortable.

“But in return you have got to let me treat you to a drink. I could not bear risking you got a sore throat from being dehydrated after all.” She said with a sly grin as she gestured Leona to take a seat next to her. “First though, is there a dish you can recommend? I am looking forward to your guilds kitchen.” She said as a small sparkle appeared in her eyes.

WC: 486
TWC: 2,360
@Leona Jarnefeldt

Leona listened for Teresa's response and soon got one when the taller blonde expressed interest in hearing about the guild's three divisions. It seemed that Amalia had not told Teresa about them, which was fine because now the Guild Mistress had something to talk about with the newcomer. However, it was not much of an exercise of her social skills because it was a work-related topic instead of something that happened by chance, but Leona would take whatever chance to exercise her weak social skills she could get.

"The guild has three Divisions. They are the Hunters, the Scholars, and the Defenders." Leona started off simply.

"The Hunters are the main treasure hunters of the guild. They go out into the world and look for treasure such as magical artifacts and collect it for Silver Wolf. They collect artifacts such as magic weapons, armor, jewelry, and more." Leona explained the main responsibility of the Hunters. She would have to cover the overlap in duties later. Right now Leona wanted to impart the main responsibilities of each branch to the newcomer so that she could pick the division to join that was right for her.

"The Scholars work with the artifacts that the Hunters recover. They study their effects to see if those effects can be replicated and applied to other items or put to other uses. They also physically preserve the artifacts for future generations." Leona went over the Scholars next. That was Mercury Arsenault's domain and she managed it very well. Last but certainly not least were the Defenders, that division responsible for the security of the guild hall and the guild vault.

"The Defenders protect the guild hall and the guild vault from those who would steal Silver Wolf's collected artifacts for their own purposes." Leona went over the Defenders who were in charge of protecting Silver Wolf Guild Hall and its Guild Vault. Leona valued their services because she did not want the Aggression Pack getting out into the hands of Dark Mages or other criminals. The Defenders made sure that Leona could venture out into the world and fight for justice without having to worry that she was leaving the guild hall vulnerable by her absence.

Teresa offered to buy Leona a drink from the bar and the Wizard Saint briefly thought about it. She decided that she would be better off not drinking alcohol because she had a lot of official duties to attend to and she could not carry them out if she were drunk. However, she would accept a gift of coffee instead.

"I don't want alcohol, but I wouldn't mind coffee." Leona replied to Teresa's offer to buy her a drink. Lately Leona had developed something of a coffee addiction. It helped her stay up through the night to study books on ancient history that were older than she was and it helped her get through all the paperwork she needed to do as Guild Mistress. After plain water, coffee was Leona's go-to drink.

[Post Word Count: 502]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,489]

Teresa simply nodded as Leona explained the three divisions were hunter, scholar and defender. Those sounded like three solid pillars for each guild and seemed reasonable enough. As the guild mistress kept talking, Teresa made sure to keep eye contact and occasionally nod or say something so Leona knew she was listening. All in all it seemed to be thought out well and she was pleased with the structure of the guild. In particular she was happy with the way this guild did not seem to have an offensive branch. Or perhaps they do, but I am not allowed to know that just yet. She thought to herself, correcting her naivety a little bit. She hoped though it was the first and this guild was as Honorable as it sounded.

“Coffee it is then. It does happen to be one of my favorite non alcoholic drinks. Might I suggest a large black coffee with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg?” She said happily, clasping her hands together, before instructing the bartender to make the drinks.

At some point she would probably ask if she could run a few shifts behind the bar. Not for the money, but it might be the one hobby she had that was completely altruistic. She just liked making drinks and experimenting with flavors. It was one of those tiny things that made her happy.

In any case it was rather clear which path she wanted to take. Albeit being a guard was very Honorable, she was as capable of sitting still for prolonged periods of time as a squirrel hooked up on a red bull concentrate. Still it was a good job and if it helped the guild she would not protest it. Too much anyway. The scholarly division was a bit more her speed. She loved reading and she could spend hours sitting near a fire place with a good tome and a good stiff drink or tw-thre-okay sixteen and a good cigar. Now she knew that seemed contradictory. Not being able to sit still and reading for hours on end, but for the silver eyed witch those two were miles apart.

The last branch though did seem the most appealing to her. It would mean alot of traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people and learning a lot. Plus she could probably spend a lot of time reading while traveling and enjoy a lot of new cuisine on the road.

“Well I am pleased to hear this. Personally I think I would be well suited for the hunters division, albeit the scholars also appeal me.” Teresa said with a friendly smile, just as the coffee was being served and she happily took the warm cup in her hands. She could already smell the precious black liquid and the hunt of Cinnamon. The foam was properly done and the nutmeg sprinkled nicely on top. Carefully she took a sip, making sure not to burn her lips. “Ohhh that is rather good.” She said happily as she smacked her lips a little.

“By the way Leona, may I ask how you feel about secrets?” She suddenly asked a bit more serious, slowly putting her coffee cup down and diverting her gaze directly towards the mistress. “I mean I don’t think I have any secrets that would be a direct threat to the guild or anything… but for example I am not originally from Fiore.” She said, observing the girls physically. response carefully. “…At least I don’t think I am…” She added, muttering softly beneath her breath.

WC: 574
TWC: 2,862 + 574 = 3,436
@Leona Jarnefeldt

Leona listened to Teresa and was glad to hear that the taller blonde would gladly buy her a coffee in place of an alcoholic drink. Teresa stated that coffee was one of her favorite non-alcoholic drinks and even made a suggestion for the coffee. She suggested adding a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to a cup of black coffee.

Leona was game for that.

"I might actually try that. Thanks." Leona said to Teresa after the latter had made the suggestion. The silver-eyed blonde then expressed a preference for joining either the Hunters or the Scholars, but she had not firmly decided yet. That was no problem... joining a division was a big commitment and Teresa should think the matter through before she announced her final decision. Teresa had expressed a stronger interest in joining the Hunters than she did in joining the Scholars and Leona would not push her in either direction.

Teresa would have to be the one to decide which division she joined.

The pair of blondes received their coffees shortly after the order had been placed by the taller blonde. Teresa drank from her coffee and Leona followed suit. The cinnamon added something to it, but the nutmeg was not quite her cup of tea, so to speak. A minute or so later Leona received another question, this one concerning her stance on guild members having secrets.

"Everyone has secrets, Teresa. As long as those secrets don't directly threaten the guild I don't really mind. I can't speak for my Aces, but I'm sure that as long as secrets don't threaten the guild they won't mind either." Leona voiced her opinion on guild members having secrets. Since Leona had a few secrets of her own, she took a relaxed attitude towards them... until they threatened the guild itself. The moment that the guild was threatened Leona took action to remove the threat.

Teresa admitted to Leona that she was not originally from Fiore. Leona blinked and thought about her response.

"I'm not originally from Fiore either." Leona admitted freely. Sorcerer's Magazine would tell Teresa that the Wizard Saint was not a native of Fiore. However, she was not sure if Teresa had had a chance to pick up a copy of the magazine yet.

"I'm originally from Desierto." Leona told Teresa her place of origin. Leona's Desierto origins had not really worked against her... they certainly did not prevent her rise to Wizard Saint and Guild Mistress. One of the only times her origin worked against her were when domineering men like Chef Ramsey and Dr. Edward Crouch (before the latter came around) used it as fodder for snide remarks about Leona's lack of sophistication. While they were right about her not being very sophisticated, they took her origin to mean that she was inferior just because she was born in a desert country.

[Post Word Count: 478]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,967]

Teresa pondered for a moment about Desierto. She was sure she recognized the name. If she recalled it was a dessert country. It was most likely she had visited it at one point or another, but on the spot the memories choose not to surface. After a few moments though a few tidbits of general information surfaced though. “Oh right, the dessert country. I heard you always have lovely temperatures there.” She said with a faint smile, without the slightest irony in her voice. She had always longed for a country where the temperature was hot enough to cook an egg on a stone.

It was probably why she never visited it for a prolonged time. Deep down she knew she would probably never leave there and she was too young to rest on her laurels.

“Thank you though, I appreciate it that I am allowed to keep them.” She continued friendly while taking a sip of her coffee. “So I was thinking I could do a few jobs in each group and make a decision then. Would that be agreeable or do I need to choose now?” She asked as she looked back at Leona and put the cup down again, mostly to keep the conversation going.

If she was honest, Teresa was a bit nervous about sitting here with the guild mistress of a famous guild. She did not know if it was appropriate to start talking as if they were friends or not. Normally she was pretty straight forward, but she noticed people in this age did not seem to have the time or urge to talk.

Take the other day for example. She was just kindly trying to talk to the woman at the cash register of the local mart. For some reason the woman had gotten mad when Teresa had explained her that all the walking recently had given her bunions the size of onions and a very nasty rash. It was as if the woman had not cared at all to talk with her. She had been rude, working extra quickly an barely responded when Teresa asked her if she could recommend a good cream. She had then tried to talk to the man behind about the rudeness of that woman and he had gotten rude as well. As if waiting in line a few minutes extra was the worst thing in the world.

A bit uncomfortably she twisted in her chair, unsure of whether it was expected to expedite this meeting or keep talking. “Well if there is anything you ever want to know feel free to ask. It is not that I like keeping secrets, just that telling them all would take too much time.” She suddenly said with a bit of a forced grin as she was twirling a lock of her blond hair around her finger.

“Anyway I am really delighted to join you. I will do my best to live up to your name and help the guild.” She said a bit more serious, before continuing. “Are there any things I should know though? Things that are frowned upon, forbidden or actually encouraged?” She asked, just to be certain.

WC: 520
TWC: 3,914 + 520 = 4,434
@Leona Jarnefeldt

"Yeah, there's lovely temperatures there if you enjoy scorching heat and a scorching sun beating down on you." Leona replied facetiously. Teresa's statement about Desierto's "lovely temperatures" was obviously facetious. The shorter blonde was proud of herself for being able to pick up on that instead of taking it literally and looking dumb by saying something dumb.

Leona heard Teresa express appreciation for being allowed to keep her secrets instead of being forced to divulge them. She also heard the taller blonde ask if she was allowed to do a few jobs in each division before making a declaration or if she had to choose a division to join now and declare her intent. Leona thought about it and soon reached a decision.

"I think it's fine if you do a few jobs in each division before picking which one to join, Teresa." Leona said to Teresa. Leona did not see any problem with it. While this was the first time she could remember someone asking a question of that nature, the Wizard Saint did not see a problem with letting Teresa try working with the divisions before choosing one to join. If her Aces had a different opinion of the matter, then Leona would gladly address their concerns.

Leona took another sip of her coffee and found the test to be pleasing. Leona turned back to Teresa and addressed the last question she had asked, which was whether Silver Wolf had certain things that were frowned upon, discouraged, or expressly forbidden. The Wizard Saint thought about it a moment and then spoke to Teresa.

"Silver Wolf is an Independent Guild, which means that as long as we don't flagrantly break laws or commit atrocities like mass murder we're pretty much left alone by the Magic Council. One thing that is frowned upon is betraying the guild by selling or giving secrets to anyone outside the guild. Another thing that's frowned upon is attacking guild members without just cause." Leona laid down a few of the guiding rules of Silver Wolf.

"One thing that's expressly forbidden is murdering someone without just cause. If you're fighting bandits and it's self defense or acting in defense of another you're in the clear. If you're killing someone just because you don't like them, then that's a problem. So are atrocities like murdering an entire village or town. If I or any of my Aces find out you've done something like that, then we'll take you to the Rune Knights ourselves." Leona laid down what was expressly forbidden. She doubted that Teresa would do that, but since the latter had asked about the rules Leona was obliged to lay them out for her. After that Leona paused and took another sip of coffee to give Teresa time to ask further questions. That and Leona really liked the coffee she had ordered at the taller blonde's suggestion.

[Post Word Count: 482]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,449]

“Yeah I can only agree.” Teresa said with a smile, unaware the two were sharing completely different sentiments about the place. She had considered retiring in such a place. In the far distance of course, when she would be properly old. Perhaps a little rocking chair, a blanket, maybe a nice book and a handsome, properly muscled manservant to rock her chair. Wait… what was I thinking about? She suddenly had to halt her as her train of thought seemed to have derailed a bit.

Being allowed to properly try out the division was a relief though. Now Teresa would have been more then happy to join the treasure hunters on the spot, she was quite frankly too ~Let’s call it experienced!~ to act rashly. Plus the more the thought about sitting in front of a cozy roaring fire place, with a huge tome to study, a bottle of cognac at her side and a big cigar next to her… well let’s say it was definetely not out of the question.

She was also very relieved she was not asked to spill her secrets. At hearing the rules though, she froze for a split second. It was not like she would do anything like that now, she was not an evil person. Though if she was honest, some things she did in her past would probably violate a few of those rules. Actually the adventure with Klaus sumethin? sumething?!? Would probably have caused the rules to spontaneously immolate and commit suicide. She had been young though and in love and to be honest back in those days killing was not frowned upon from a morally superior point of view. It was just life. Same as with mass sacrifices, they were all the hype back then. “I can honestly promise that from this moment forward, for as long as I am part of this guild, I will never break those rules.” She said, a smile still on her face as she took another sip.

Teresa did not have many rules or grand plans/schemes to live by, as mostly she followed instinct and whims. One of the few rules though was that she would never directly lie to someone.

“Now I have quite a few more questions.” She said, completely unaware of the foam mustache covering her upper lip. She had not noticed the coffee was almost gone though and most of that was left was the thick foam. “And I would be delighted if you could help me out.” She said as she reached out and gently called the waiter over. “Could I have another coffee and the cheese and sausage platter with several dips?” She quickly ordered before placing her hand gently on top of Leona’s free hand. “But I would never dare impose upon your undoubtedly valuable time.” She said rather seriously as she looked Leona directly in the eyes.

It was one of her flaws though. She definitely talked too much and it was not as if time was a precious commodity to her. However Leona seemed very nice and Teresa did enjoy talking with her. “However if you can spare the time, I would like to learn more about the guild. Perhaps you could tell me a bit about the members and yourself or the history of the guild.” Teresa continued as another cup of coffee was exchanged with the empty one and she could see the bartender prepare the platter.

WC: 564
TWC: 4,916 + 564 = 5,480
@Leona Jarnefeldt

Leona listened to Teresa promise not to break any of the rules that had been set down and believed that she would not. Leona had greeted numerous new guild members and none of them had broken the rules yet, so she did not believe that Teresa would be the first to do so. The Wizard Saint believed that members chose to follow the rules of their own accord, not because a current and very powerful Wizard Saint stood ready to deal with them and deliver them to the Rune Knights should they break the rules. Even if the fear of having to deal with a Wizard Saint was in play, Leona was not a fan of rule by fear and did not go for that approach. Any such image was purely coincidental and was not one she deliberately made.

Teresa placed her hand on top of Leona's free hand and looked Leona in the eyes, silver eyes meeting green. Leona paid attention to the taller blonde. Teresa requested that Leona tell her more about the guild and its members if the Wizard Saint had the time and inclination to do so.

"Sure, Teresa. I'll tell you more about Silver Wolf and a few of its members." Leona agreed to tell the taller blonde more about the guild and its members.

"As you may have figured out, I'm not the founder of this guild. Leila Vergious was. Leila was the Guild Mistress when I joined a little over two years ago. She was also the Wizard Saint of Radiance." Leona told Teresa about Leila Vergious, the founder and first Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf and a fellow Wizard Saint. Leona remembered the silver-haired mage with blue eyes and remembered feeling that her resin figurine always looked at Leona in judgment as if asking what right the blonde had to lead Silver Wolf. The blonde had felt unworthy for the longest time, but with the help of her faithful Aces Leona was finally beginning to emerge from Leila's shadow and stand on her own two feet. Next came a bit of information about a couple of guild members who were with the guild longer than Leona.

"There are still a couple of guild members who were with the guild before I was. They're Kitalpha Aurence and Yuvon Mu-Myu. Kitalpha's one of the oldest members... she's a tall blonde mage who's an apprentice of mine. Yuvon's a librarian who typically wears a golden mask and really, really likes books. The older the better." Leona told Teresa about Kitalpha and Yuvon. The Wizard Saint decided to cover the Aces, those three mages who helped form the pillars that kept the guild sturdy and strong.

"As strong as I am, I can't run the guild alone. I have three Aces who help me by managing the three divisions I told you about. The first Ace is Theo Silversong. He's a mage I met a couple of years ago who was a well-established mage before he joined Silver Wolf. He's in charge of the Hunters." Leona began telling Teresa about the Aces who helped keep Silver Wolf running.

"Mercury Arsenault's the second of my Aces. She's a natural with administrative work. She's also a natural with research and technology. Mercury's the head of the Scholars." Leona described Mercury Arsenault next. Mercury was something of an enigma to the Wizard Saint, but her scientific acumen and magic power were nothing to scoff at. Last but certainly not least was Aspen Azarov, that stalwart leader of the Defenders.

"Aspen Azarov is the last of my Aces. She's the head of the Defenders. She's got a no-nonsense personality and good judgment." Leona described Aspen Azarov. Leona knew less about Aspen than she knew about Mercury. That was a shortcoming that she would have to rectify because Mercury and Aspen deserved respect for their unwavering support of Leona through thick and thin. If the Wizard Saint could get a break from the numerous things on her to-do list Leona would like to get to know them better.

"And then there's me. I'm originally from Desierto, more specifically a village called Nebdoui. I can tell you more about myself... if you'd like." Leona offered Teresa a chance to learn more about the Wizard Saint. It was Teresa's choice, though. The story was rather long and had a lot of boring parts that threatened to make the story unbearably dull before it got to the interesting parts, which was right around the time Leona became the Wizard Saint of Courage.

[Post Word Count: 758]
[Leona's Word Count: 3,207]

As silver met green, Teresa was surprised to see the depth and beauty within them. Now of course Teresa was not some kind of talented eye reader. However she had learned to read a little bit about someones personality and their feelings at that moment. The silver eyed witch could not help but faintly smile, as she judged Leona to be a good person. Then of course there was the beautiful eye color. Green was a bit uncommon and she rarely had seen them this… green. Luckily at this moment the platter with food came.

“Thank you, I much appreciate it.” Teresa said as she broke of her gaze and pulled back her hand. All her senses told her that Leona was a good person, warm and kind. However she did not want to overdo the personal touchy stuff. Most people tended to find it intrusive. So instead she pretended to divert her gaze towards the platter and move her hand to grab a little cheese cube. Because it was also considered rude to break personal contact too abruptly.

Sometimes she tended to get headaches from all these new social rules.

Luckily the bartender had done a great job. There were five heaps of different cheese cubes. Or rather he had gone through the effort of making a little replica of the guild building with the cubes. Now Teresa had not overly studied the building, but to her it seemed there was an extraordinary amount of detail in them. Same with the sausages, although this time she did not recognize the building. It was almost a shame to eat them. Yet the smells punching their ways into her nostrils, were enough to make her salivate.

Greedily she grabbed one of the little forks and shoved the second to Leona. “Feel free to partake.” She said with a grin as she stabbed her fork into the roof of the nearest cheese building and lifted out. “Oh I did not know that.” She said neutrally as she swallowed the bit of cheese. It was a quite delightful, cheeky cheese. Riped and turned enough, with a bit of spices added and fatty enough to presume the milk came from mountain cows. Yet it was strong enough to leave a decent after taste. Not bad at all!

As she was slowly pricking away, she kept listening to Leona talking and learned quite a bit of valuable information. She had not known about the previous guild mistress, yet she was willing ~without prove to the contrary~ to believe Leona was a more then deserving successor.

She also made a mental note to meet Kita and Yuvon. It would probably be interesting to meet them and listen to their stories. Meeting the three aces and introducing herself should also be on her to do list. It was quite a bit to remember, but it was important. First impressions were the most important and she had a tendency to do things right. Getting to know this guild was important if she was going to join. Well I guess it is no longer if. She reminded herself as she nodded to Leona.

“My dear, I would be honored if you would regal me of stories about yourself.” Teresa said with a genuine grin as she dug opened her spatial bag and grabbed a few items.

This was becoming a delightful evening and regardless of what would happen, she knew she would be here a while. “Would you mind if I indulge myself a little bit? Been a while since I had good company and a place to belong.” She asked a bit forward as she grabbed a small cigar and a little bottle of whiskey. The coffee and platter were good enough to deserve the upper echelons of her wares. “Can I interest you as well perhaps?” She asked friendly, without trying to seem pushy as a bit of magic ran through the tips of her fingers and one cigar became two and the same happened for the flask. “I love a good story!” She said delighted as she looked straight at Leona again.

WC: 676
TWC: 6,238 + 676 = 6,914
@Leona Jarnefeldt

Leona observed the taller blonde's order and noticed that it consisted of cheese... at least five different kinds of cheese. A short time later Teresa went for a small cigar and a flask of what was presumably alcohol. Teresa, not wanting to leave the Guild Mistress out, offered another of each as she somehow produced another small cigar and flash, then offered them to Leona.

"No thank you, Teresa. You go ahead." Leona politely declined both the offered cigar and the flask. She was not a smoker and she seldom drank alcohol, especially not when there was guild business to be done. Right now Teresa had expressed an interest in hearing about Leona's background, so the Wizard Saint would oblige her, but not before she finished her coffee. Her cup was halfway empty, so she took the time to drain it entirely before she told some of her life story to the interested silver-eyed blonde.

Leona gently set down her coffee cup and tried to think of a good starting point for her story, one that would not be too boring.

"I was born in Desierto in the village of Nebdoui a little over twenty years ago. It wasn't a bad place most of the time, but it was frequently attacked by outlaws such as your garden-variety bandits and slavers. Then it came under attack by outlaws known as the Crimson Sashes, who got their name because they wore crimson sashes across their chest and over black clothing. They have a serious grudge against my home village because they've been attacking it long since before I was born." Leona started her story, telling Teresa roughly when she was born and telling her about her home village's status as an outlaw magnet.

"As I got older the village seemed to be a magnet for trouble. Outlaw raids intensified and a famine swept through the village once when I was around ten years old. A lot of people starved to death, but I survived. So did my mother and older brother, but a lot of people didn't make it." Leona added a very brief hint about the famine that hit her village after a dismal harvest due to lack of rain. Over 100 people died from starvation, but the famine affected Nebdoui in other, less obvious ways. As people grew hungrier their tempers grew shorter and fights were distressingly frequent. Only Chief Elijah's skillful public speaking managed to hold Nebdoui together at a time the village was threatening to break apart.

"When I was ten years old my mother Sophia started teaching my older brother and me magic and swordsmanship, but a week later my mother got cold feet and tried to stop teaching me. She claimed that she didn't want me to have to fight for my life, but my older brother Leonidas pointed out that we already had to fight by virtue of where we lived. He then added that adults would not always be around to protect me or him. He finished by stating the fact that the outlaws didn't have problems with killing children, which persuaded her to continue to teach me the magic I use today, Wind Strike Magic." Leona inserted a brief section about how the troubled times compelled her mother to teach both her children how to defend themselves before she got cold feet with Leona and tried to stop the lessons for her. Leonidas stepped up and took their mother to task to make sure that Leona could defend herself in the absence of adults. That case of cold feet was a point of conflict between Sophia and Leona that continued to the present day.

Leona resented her mother's half-baked reasoning for trying to stop teaching her how to defend herself and Leona could not hide her resentment. It sounded like her mother was intentionally trying to sabotage Leona so that she had to be dependent on others, specifically her mother. If that was the case, why did Sophia ever name her daughter Leona? Lions were supposed to be brave and powerful, not weak and dependent. In spite of her mother's attempted sabotage Leona had worked to live up to the virtues of power and courage associated with her big cat namesake and she would continue to do so as long as she lived.

Leona stopped talking for a minute as she ordered another cup of coffee just like the one she had just finished drinking. She would need the coffee to prepare herself for what was coming. Sooner or later she would have to mention the ignoble start to her career as a wandering mage. The Wizard Saint also needed time to put her anger at her mother aside so that she could tell the story in an objective manner.

[Post Word Count: 797]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,004]

Ah to be young and frivol again. Long ago Teresa had sworn never to drink or smoke either… and then she hit puberty and got friends. Now of course times had changed a bit. Smoking was now considered bad and alcohol was also slowly getting a bad reputation. Still… perhaps it was not a bad idea for someone as young as the guild mistress not to indulge too much. Teresa would guess the girl in her early twenties and probably a role model for many. She simply nodded to signal she understood and a bit of magic ran through her fingers and two became one again.

Ironically Teresa knew a lot of magic, bits and pieces learned over the years, but the best she was suited for were parlor tricks like this. Making items appear and reappear with just a bit of slight of hand was actually a good supplement for her own magic.

She had actually wondered whether Leona had noticed the lack of raw magical power within her.

“Wow… you really are only twenty? Incredible!” She muttered softly to herself as she kept listening to the story. She could feel the passion about when the girl was talking about her mother, yet it did not seem to be positive. Teresa did not know the entire story, but she knew how it was to feel protective over your children. Still it seemed both had good points and she felt it might have been best to teach Leona magic. Then again she seemed to have turned out fine, having become a head mistress and all.

She considered for a moment how to react. Teresa had barely met Leona and it is not like they were sisters in arms yet. So was it her place to ask about her mother and why she seemed to resent her? She quite the job as counselor after a few months because she did not enjoy listening to random people.

Yet the tone of voice suddenly pulled Teresa into the fact that she was actually talking with a young person. This girl had the aura and personality of a guild mistress. It was easy to tell she was not an old geezer, but there is a difference between physical age sometimes and… the other stuff. In a moment her adoration for Leona grew.

Now this wind magic, that did seem interesting. However that did bring her back to her mother in a way and it was not something that she could let go. The one thing she disliked more then listening was not listening to the entire story. ~ok in fairness she was fired, because she would not let people go until they had spilled it all. Harassment the higher court had called it. The OM called it stalking.~ “Yeah I know, mothers can be so unreasonable.” She said as she rolled her eyes, albeit she left it up to Leona whether to believe she was rolling her eyes for the mother or the daughter.

Well at least she was better then Teresa’s mother. Albeit she could not really remember what her mother had done, she knew that she hated or. Well probably. It might also have been her father or uncle she was mad about. Her earliest memories were things she wrote down in a little diary and after fifteen hundred years it had become kind of illegible.

In fact she should probably visit her own library in the next few years. Her memories were starting to fade again.

“I am guessing though your mother taught you your wind magic in the end. I would love to see that someday. It has been a while since I saw the magic of a wizard saint.” She said with a smile as she inhaled deeply from her cigar.

The smoke burned deeply in her lungs. She was well aware cigars should not be inhaled, but she loved the tickling sensation in her lungs. She was polite enough to turn her head though before exhaling and a thick white cloud of smoke began to flow through the room. As the cloud expanded Teresa began to wiggle her fingers and figured began to form in the smoke. First simple things like a square and a heart, only to end with a rather detailed smoke dragon fighting a knight.

“Oh right… please continue.” She said, a blush forming on her cheeks as she suddenly realized she had interrupted the story. “My apologies, coffee tends to make me a bit skittish.”Teresa said apologizing, before taking a big swig from her flask.

If coffee made her hyper, the alcohol in the flask might just calm her down again. It was a theory that usually ended with her singing karaoke for some reason.

WC: 780
TWC: 7,711 + 780 = 8,491
@Leona Jarnefeldt

"Yeah, I'm only twenty years old." Leona confirmed what Teresa had asked. The Wizard Saint had led a brief but eventful life ever since leaving her desert village and striking out into the world. She had met many notable names in the magic world including several fellow Wizard Saints, had gone on many adventures in many places across Earthland, and had even had a few adventures beyond the borders of Earthland in places like Meshi and the unnamed realm of angels. Teresa seemed genuinely surprised to hear that the powerful blonde sitting before her was only twenty years old and was both a Wizard Saint and a Guild Mistress. Leona herself was surprised that she had made it this far in such a short time.

Leona heard Teresa claim that mothers could be unreasonable and readily agreed.

"I have to admit that my mother has a good point or two, but it's how she presents those points that's the real problem. It seems like she won't listen to my side. I tell her that I've got big commitments as both a Wizard Saint and a Guild Mistress, but she doesn't seem to care. She thinks that I can just walk away from both commitments whenever I feel like it, but that's not the case. That'd be like me telling her that she needs to quit teaching at the village school and come home to have some more children... she wouldn't accept that and she would fight me on it until the end of time." Leona explained, letting more displeasure seep into her words. Sophia was so fixated on Leona coming back home and starting a family that she did not consider that Leona had her own life with her own goals and ambitions. The blonde had begun to grow into her roles and did not want to give them up just yet. Maybe one day Leona would want to retire from her roles and take up a less dangerous occupation, but that time had not yet come, not while Silver Wolf and the world still needed her.

She noticed that Teresa had rolled her eyes. Leona was not sure who she was rolling her eyes for, so the shorter blonde kept quiet and moved onto the next point, which was that Sophia had ultimately relented and taught her daughter magic after all. Leona nodded.

"My older brother laid out his case so effectively that our mother had no choice but to relent and teach me because everything he said was true. Bandits won't hesitate to kill children if it gets them what they want. Slavers prioritize capturing children because they can't really fight back or run fast enough to avoid capture, they sell for more Jewels, and they can work longer due to having longer working years than adults. If I couldn't defend myself I would have been killed or sold into slavery long ago." Leona explained to Teresa why Sophia had ultimately relented and the importance of her mother relenting. If Leona had not been taught swordsmanship and Wind Strike Magic she would have died during the first Crimson Sashes raid she had experienced, which happened when she was twelve years old. Thankfully she had been taught how to defend herself and had not only survived that raid but had even killed two of the Crimson Sashes. Eight years and many fights later Leona had become a major thorn in the side of all of Desierto's outlaws, but that could not have happened without Leonidas paving the way with his short and simple arguments showing their mother the world as it was, not as she wanted to see it.

"In the end my mother taught me Wind Strike Magic, enough that when I had to leave the village at sixteen years old I knew enough to defend myself and make it to the home of a merchant who was friends with my family. I stayed with him for a couple years until I had decided it was time to move on. When I was eighteen I went to Hargeon Town and got my passport. Two years and a lot of events later and here I am." Leona finally came out and said that Sophia did teach her magic. Leona had used that magic to fight evil, become a Wizard Saint, and ultimately become one of the most powerful Wind mages in existence. That resume was not bad for a young woman from the desert.

Leona heard Teresa say that she wanted to see Leona's magic in action one day. Leona smiled. She could make that happen. She barely paid attention to the end of Teresa's sentence but heard "It has been awhile since I saw the magic of a Wizard Saint." Leona blinked.

Was Teresa older than she looked?

"If you want to see my magic in action, I can make it happen one day." Leona offered before Teresa turned her head and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Leona was not a smoker and not much of a drinker because she had never acquired the habits. Instead she had acquired a coffee habit. Teresa, on the other hand, had not because coffee made her skittish.

"It's OK, Teresa. I developed a taste for coffee early in life, so I'm fond of it." Leona assured Teresa that her drink of choice was perfectly fine.

[Post Word Count: 894]
[Leona's Word Count: 4,898]

Teresa could not help but chuckle on the inside as she heard Leona talking about her mother and what the woman had wanted. Dislike was an understatement she felt for woman who just thought woman were good for making more family. Especially if those people where not doing it themselves. She did understand how tough it was to let go of your little ones, but it was part of life and she had always tried to take it in stride. “Yeah I get that is frustrating, however perhaps one day you will understand it too, the desire for your children to be safe and sound at home.” She said however, as she did not want to offend Leona’s mother just to appease the head mistress. “However before I came I did do some research and most people believe you are a great head mistress, perhaps one of the better ones. So I guess I am happy you are here and not at home, knitting little suits for a bunch of babies.” She said with a chuckle, as she took another sip from her flask.

She kept quite as Leona talked about being abducted, as she knew from experience she was right. Children were a primary target, albeit she had always advocated only above the age of twelve. She had never liked the little ones. They lacked strength and were crying too much for her taste.

Still, even though she just met the girl, a part of her was glad that Leona had managed to avoid capture and being killed. “Well I am glad you are still here.” She said with a genuine smile as she looked at Leona. “Plus… that is one heck of a resume. Damn, girl!” She said as her smile turned into a grin and she let out a loud chuckle. “I bet every bandit would soil their pants if they attacked your village, only to learn who would be coming after them then.” She continued cheerily as she took another sip.

“Haha thank you for understanding.” She said as the chuckle finally died down and she became serious again. There was a slight annoyance though that usually happened if she laughed or moved too much. Pavlovian like Teresa raised her hand and brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her vision. With the tip of her fingers she gently guided them, bending them around her ears. The trembling in her hands was making it a bit more difficult, but the motion was based so much on muscle memory there was no problem.

She had however noticed the moment of blinking in Leona’s face and she could make an educated guess to what the girl was thinking. There was a 99% chance she was wrong, but she could try anyway. “I don’t like playing this game. It was fun the first few hundred times, but that is long gone. So…before you ask...” She said as she inhaled deeply, letting the suspense build up for a moment. “Yes I am quite old. My best estimate is that I have lived around fourteen centuries, maybe fifteen.” She said as calmly as if she was telling Leona her favorite kind of tea. For a moment she stopped to scratch her chin as an itch had roared it’s ugly head there and it needed to be dealt with quickly. “However I did hear you are also a great swords-woman.” She continued on a completely different subject.

She did not like hiding her age, it felt like lying, however she hated the reaction it got even more. It was not her fault or choice to live this long. Some things just happened. So instead tried to give the information and then divert the attention back to something else.

“I am somewhat skilled with the sword myself and it would be my honor to witness your skill with my own eyes.” She said dead serious as she looked straight at Leona.

WC: 650
TWC: 9,385 + 650 = 10,035
@Leona Jarnefeldt

Leona was not aware that some people considered her a great Guild Mistress. At the beginning of her tenure as Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf she had spent most of her time worrying if she could even begin to measure up to Leila Vergious, Sorano Ganon, Ruvel Mizune, and her other contemporaries who were Guild Masters. Now that she had spent a little over two years in office and had slowly gained administrative skills she thought that she was middle-of-the-road at best. Leona was decent, but the real reason for her success lay in selecting good Aces to compensate for her numerous flaws.

Theo Silversong, Mercury Arsenault, and Aspen Azarov were the real reasons Silver Wolf had been able to move into the modern era with a new mission and the means to carry out that mission. Leona had just been there to help make it happen. Those three were the real strength of the guild. They interacted with the members, took them on missions to give them real-world experience, and protected them during said missions. They also took on administrative tasks associated with their division so that Leona did not have to bear the burden alone.

"Thanks, Teresa. I've slowly become a good Guild Mistress, but I wouldn't have gotten this far without my Aces. They're also responsible for the guild's success." Leona gently reminded Teresa that running a guild was not a one-man show. Any good Guild Master had Aces who could help carry the burden and make the guild a success. It was a lesson that Leona had learned the hard way prior to the guild's reorganization. She had thought that she could carry the burden alone, but she was sadly mistaken.

"Yeah, my reputation's part of the reason my village is still standing. Outlaws know that if it's attacked a Wizard Saint will go after them. That's why only a few brave or foolhardy outlaw bands attack my village. Groups like the Crimson Sashes or The Golden Band have enough members that losing a few doesn't really hurt them, but even they tend to attack in large numbers because I've wiped out small groups of them in the past." Leona agreed with Teresa and explained why that was so. When her village was attacked in her absence Leona's revenge was usually not immediate, but she tended to retaliate by wiping out groups of them she came across or by disrupting operations of theirs, sometimes both at once. For example, Leona had wiped out more than one Golden Band caravan transporting captives to their camp, costing the slaver gang both members and money. She had also wiped out more than one group of Crimson Sashes, costing them members and slowing down their plans for expansion.

Teresa laughed a little before getting serious and telling Leona that she was really a lot older than she seemed. Leona was sipping from her mug of coffee when she heard the true figure of Teresa's age and nearly choked on the coffee. She almost spit it out, which would have been bad because Teresa and the table would have been coated in coffee.

Fourteen or fifteen centuries?

How was that even possible?

"F-fourteen or fifteen centuries?" Leona repeated incredulously. She could not believe what she had just heard Teresa tell her. However, the look the silver-eyed blonde gave her was one that indicated Teresa was not joking. Leona chose to take her at her word and speak about Teresa's interest in seeing Leona's swordsmanship one day.

"I'd be glad to show you what I can do, Teresa. Maybe we could even spar some time." Leona suggested to the silver-eyed blonde. Leona was not sure how well she would fare against someone who had both formal swordsmanship training and many centuries more experience with it than the Wizard Saint, but Leona was willing to take the challenge. She would not keep Teresa's respect for long if she avoided challenges because she was afraid she would lose. Maybe the taller blonde was willing to give the Wizard Saint a few pointers on the finer points of swordsmanship.

[Post Word Count: 685]
[Leona's Word Count: 5,583]

In all honesty Teresa might have read into what people said more what she wanted then anything else. Fair enough the words great and headmistress were used often in the same sentence. Not to mention nobody had said a negative word about Leona, but Teresa could tell, by reading between the lines, there was still a -slight?- reservation about her. Mostly because of her age. Most elderly believed she was sweet, kind and very hard working, yet they found it hard to put all their trust in the young girl.

Perhaps that was only natural though. However as Teresa sat in front of the girl and had been looking her straight in the eyes, she had decided that Leona most likely was a great headmistress. Not in the last place because she put emphasis on how important her aces were. “I can only agree with you. The best leaders are usually surrounded by amazing people.” Teresa said with a smile, before taking another sip and placing the flask with a loud clang on the wooden table. Still sounding surprisingly full.

What she did not mention was that the original quote came from a soldier. Complaining that every good general is only good because he -waaaaaaaaayyyyy in the past, forgive the gender bias- surrounds himself with better and smarter people. The soldier in question was executed for insubordination. At least according to the story.

“Hahahaha I can believe that.” Teresa said as she picked up her flask again and took another drink, savoring the full flavors rolling over her tongue and leaving a tingling sensation in her throat and stomach. “If you ever need to ‘communicate’ with these bandits in a few stronger words, just let me know.” Teresa said with a grin, swiping the tip of her sleek index finger past the tip of her nose and gave a meaningful wink. Or at least she hoped it was meaningful. Was that even still the language kids talked with these days? Also was the tip of her nose already starting to look a bit more red?

She resisted the urge to cross her eyes and try to see it. It was difficult though and in the end she gave in and quickly opened her spatial bag and pulled out a little mirror, through which she could look at her face. Hmmm maybe a little bit, but that is okay. It is autumn after all, the season of colds She thought to herself as she pulled a pink lipstick out of her pack and redid hers, hoping it would look as if that was why she pulled out the mirror in the first place.

“Yeah don’t worry it is just a number.” She said meekly, trying to hide her face behind the mirror, as she never knew what kind of face to pull in situations where people reacted to her age. “Please just don’t start treating me like I am old, that is all I ask. I mean I can still drink and smoke everyone here under the table.” She boasted, probably a lot prouder about those facts than she should have been.

“Now I think a spar sounds like a great idea.” Teresa said with a smile as she snapped her fingers and held out her hand. A moment later her huge claymore appeared in her stretched out hand. Her muscles contracted for a moment and a few veins slowly became visible over her arms. “This is my baby.” She said with enough affection to clearly show she truly loved the sword. Well as much as one could love a sword at least.

She was just waiting for the response, when Teresa suddenly noticed everyone nearby had grown silent and was staring at her.

“Ah right… perhaps not a good idea to draw a weapon near the guild master.” She said with a slight tremble in her eyes as she swallowed and send the sword away in a poof of white smoke. “Anyway I would be delighted to test myself against you.”

WC: 671
TWC: 10,720 + 671 = 11,391
@Leona Jarnefeldt

Leona heard Teresa say that the best leaders were usually surrounded by amazing people. Leona was hardly the best leader, but her chosen Aces were amazing people who had supported Leona for this long despite the mistakes she had made along the way. Theo Silversong, Mercury Arsenault, and Aspen Azarov had supported Leona through thick and thin and they were worthy of praise for their devotion to Silver Wolf.

Leona turned to Teresa's offer to help make a "stronger statement" against the bandits of Desierto and was conflicted about accepting it. She hoped that she would never have to call on Jaesa Fenrir and Teresa Sinclair for help with Desierto because if she did the situation might be too far beyond recovery for Leona to save even with their help. The Wizard Saint did not want to throw away their lives in a losing battle because she had no right to do so... the only one who should have to risk their life in Desierto was Leona herself. However, she did not want to insult the blondes by turning down their offer of help, so she accepted because one day she might actually need their help.

"If I need your help with the bandits, I'll call upon you." Leona said with sincerity. The Wizard Saint had had to learn the hard way how to swallow her pride and ask others for help when something was just too difficult for her to accomplish alone. Leona felt that as a native of Desierto the bandit problem was hers and hers alone to deal with. She had made a vow to take back Desierto from the bandits and she aimed to fulfill that vow. However, the task might be too great for even the Wizard Saint of Courage to handle alone.

Jaesa Fenrir and now Teresa Sinclair had offered their help, so Leona had two people willing to help with the problem. She would be certain to use their help if she really needed it. In the meantime, her thoughts next turned to the matter of Teresa's age, which did not seem like as much of a delicate subject for her as it would be for some other people who were over a thousand years old.

Teresa had claimed that age was just a number... Leona had heard her mother use that saying before when talking about her own age, but it was not like she really needed to worry because Sophia Jarnefeldt looked amazing for someone who was in their early forties or so. Teresa also looked amazing for her age. Leona also heard the silver-eyed blonde ask that she not be treated delicately because of her age. That was not something Teresa had to worry about from Leona.

"Don't worry, Teresa. I won't treat you any differently because of how old you are." Leona assured the silver-eyed blonde after hearing the latter boast about being able to drink and smoke the younger generation under the table. In Nebdoui the older generation were usually treated with respect because of the life experience gained over decades of life in a harsh environment. Old Man Mustafa was particularly popular for his knowledge of fairy tales and folklore and many villagers gathered to hear him tell stories of flying carpets, genies in lamps, and other fantastic things that captured the imagination. He and Chief Elijah were village treasures.

Teresa's enthusiastic reaction to Leona's proposal that they spar was punctuated by her producing a rather large sword from what seemed like her arm and took it into her hand, causing both the Wizard Saint and everyone around them alarm. Teresa realized the extent of her faux pas in bringing out a weapon around the Guild Mistress and quickly dispelled the sword in a puff of white smoke, then admitted the mistake. Leona could not be mad at that. She turned to the onlookers to diffuse the tension.

"It's OK everyone. No harm done." Leona assured them that everything was OK. She did not want Teresa to feel any more embarrassed than she already did by drawing attention to what had happened, but Leona did not want the Rune Knights paying a visit to the guild hall to arrest Teresa for what someone might mistakenly report as an attempt on the life of a Wizard Saint and Guild Mistress. Leona was no stranger to wielding a surprise weapon in the form of a knife concealed in her boot, but seeing Teresa produce such a large sword that was easily twice as big as Leona's Silver Longsword from her arm was something of a surprise even for the experienced Wizard Saint.

"My offer still stands. I'll spar with you whenever you want, Teresa." Leona assured Teresa that there were no hard feelings for the earlier mishap.

[Post Word Count: 798]
[Leona's Word Count: 6,381]

@Teresa Sinclair

Teresa nodded as Leona seemingly accepted her proposal. The reason she had offered though was because she was rather uniquely qualified to deal with long term threats. She could easily spend a couple years infiltrating an organization, without considering it a waste of valuable time. Nor was she shy of using measures of violence most people would be scared of. Naturally she would prefer not to, but she knew all to well that sometimes it was simply required. “Fair enough. Just call and I will be there.” Teresa responded dead serious as she looked at Leona a few seconds, trying very hard not to blink.

“Much obliged.” The silver eyed with said, giving Leona a grateful bow as she promised not to treat her any differently. For age did not automatically mean wisdom or skill.

For instance she still could not measure Leona’s magical power. As that was her main ability, that was somewhat bothering Teresa. Of course there were ways to conceal ones power, but she did not sense any of those. So as she was looking at Leona, she decided to give it another go. Without so much as batting an eyelash she relaxed her senses. She could feel everyone in the guild, like little white dots on a 4D black canvas. The stronger someone was, the bigger the dot and she was quite impressed by some of the people she was sensing. There were some serious powerhouses here.

Yet to her frustration she still could not sense Leona, who was sitting in front of her. She could feel Leona had magical powers, but her sensing method showed nothing. Even when she had drawn her sword, she had sensed no reaction. Not even the usual wrinkle, nothing. There was one trick left. She could try to push her senses to the far maximum, trying to encompass the entire city. Effectively creating a blank canvas. That took a bit more effort and concentration, so she planned it during the time Leona was reassuring everyone.

Taking a deep breath she expanded her senses and “HOLY BA-” She shouted loudly as she fell backwards from her chair, just in time grabbing her mouth to prevent a long series of words to come out of her mouth. that were incrementally more rude and disturbing.

With trembling eyes she lay on the floor a bit, gazing upon Leona. She had heard she was a wizard saint… but this. The reason she could not see Leona’s power, was simply because it was too big. Her power dot was so huge, it was bigger than her entire area she had mapped out, therefore seemingly not existent as it was everywhere. “Whoa… my apologies Leona.” She managed to bring out after a while as she was trying to gather herself again. “I mean… I… uh…” She mumbled, still quite flabbergasted as she pulled her chair back up and managed to sit in it somehow again. “WOW! Just wow!” She said as she shook her head.

Even in her long life… never! She could not recall ever meeting a being with that much magical power. “Ah my apologies. I just finally got a grasp of… hmm nevermind.” She quickly corrected herself. Something where not nice to ask or talk about. Like a girls weight or age. Some people found it just as rude to talk about their strength. “Anyway I would be honored to spar, however I would suggest picking a place were we can ‘play’ a bit. So how about somewhere in the future?” She said, a bead of sweat forming on the side of her head.

Perhaps if I train for the next few decades, I might be able to keep up with her. Teresa thought, as she left the date vague on purpose. For her the future meant the next century.

WC: 617
TWC: 12,189 + 617 = 12,806
@Leona Jarnefeldt

Leona had smoothed things over with the onlookers because aside from a whisper or two the glances ended almost as quickly as they had begun. Now that everything was back to normal the Wizard Saint began to sip from her coffee again. It had gotten a bit cold, but it was still rather good. Leona looked towards the silver-eyed blonde and heard that the latter was grateful for not being treated as physically frail or senile because of her age and despite her youthful appearance.

"It's no problem, Teresa. Your age doesn't matter as long as you can help the guild." Leona assured Teresa. The guild hall had a lot of older staff members who were still capable of handling clerical tasks and helping Leona learn to handle clerical tasks. Leona would not have made it this far without the patient tutelage of the senior guild staff who had taught her how to fill out and file paperwork needed to keep the guild running. However, they were having a very hard time teaching Leona how to handle budgetary paperwork.

Leona sipped from the coffee again and casually watched as Teresa sat in her chair and took a deep breath, then fell backwards out of her chair moments later while narrowly avoiding leaking a stream of impolite words. Just what was Teresa trying to do? Leona had no idea, but she gently set down her cup of coffee and moved to help the silver-eyed blonde get off the floor when the latter got up without any help and began to put her chair back into place.

Leona listened as Teresa stumbled over her words and struggled to find something to say before finally apologizing for... something. The silver-eyed blonde was going to apologize for getting a grasp of something before she cut herself off and swiftly moved on to another topic. The Wizard Saint decided not to press the issue and let Teresa tell her at a later date or not tell her at all. Leona had said that Teresa could keep secrets as long as those secrets did not hurt Silver Wolf and the Wizard Saint would not go back on her word without very good reason to do so. In the meantime Teresa suggested that Leona pick a place where they could "play" a bit, presumably without outside interference.

Leona tried to think of somewhere that the two of them could go to spar without outside interference. There were large patches of empty land in Desierto, but one could not throw a rock without hitting a bandit or a slaver. Besides, Desierto was "home territory" for Leona even though she gained no special advantage from fighting in the country of her birth. For the sparring match to be truly fair they needed neutral ground.

"Normally I would suggest Desierto because there's a lot of empty land, but you can't throw a rock there without hitting a bandit or slaver. They like to ride through the desert in search of new victims and they'll ruin our sparring match." Leona said before quickly ruling out her home country. Her thoughts lingered on Forbidden Deserts. There was plenty of empty land out there, but there were also a lot of bandits in the area, albeit not to the extent of Desierto.

"I was thinking Mysterious Canyon, but I don't know a lot about the place. I don't want us to get caught up in a big bandit battle... yet." Leona offered up and shot down another suggestion. She also briefly considered the area outside Haunted Guild and the area outside Haunted Castle, but those were not exactly safe places for a sparring match. Leona's Silver Longsword could harm supernatural entities, but she was not sure if Teresa had a weapon that could harm them should they decide to attack the mages.

"There's a few isolated places in Western Midi, but I don't know how you'd feel about fighting in front of an old temple. Sacred ground and all." Leona added, thinking back to her duel with Kaede the kitsune in front of an old and abandoned temple. The Wizard Saint had not been keen on dueling near a place of worship, even if it had been abandoned long ago. She was not sure how Teresa felt about the idea either. Since the Wizard Saint had no good ideas, why not try and get some from Teresa?

"How about you pick a place, Teresa?" Leona asked the silver-eyed blonde. The shorter blonde was aware that it sounded like a cop out, but she had no good ideas. Maybe Teresa could draw upon her centuries of traveling to find them a good place for a sparring match.

[Post Word Count: 783]
[Leona's Word Count: 7,164]

@Teresa Sinclair

Thank goodness Leona did not decide to press the matter of her outburst. It would have been rather awkward to explain she had been secretly ‘feeling’ up the young girl. Of course her reaction was even worse. It was just unimaginable. To have so much power at your disposal, it was mind boggling. For a moment Teresa wondered if there were any superlatives above child prodigy and genius, but she could not think of them. When she was going to write this event down in her diaries, she was going to have to make up a few new words for this girl.

“Figures.” She said with a chuckle as Leona ruled out the dessert because it might be too crowded. She also nodded though to the head mistress she understood, even though in reality she did not understand at all. Even if it was as busy as the girl had made it out to be, that was still… wow this battle was going to be of extraordinary proportions, wasn’t it?!? If Leona was already thinking they would need an entire dessert.

Still, if Teresa had time to activate the ancient magics, train properly and reacquired the third line of magic, they could probably give off a good show. Those were big ifs though.

All those locations sounded like fun though and the more Teresa thought about it, the more she got into it. Maybe Leona could even do what all those others could not. Still if she reached her peak and she assumed Leona was still quite a few magnitudes stronger, than she could see why Leona thought they would need an entire desert. “Hmmm I might know a good place near the Phoenix Mountains… desolate and as far as I know, nothing of importance there.” She responded, after having looked pensive for a while. “Ah… but Phoenix Mountains if your guild area is it not? I am not sure how much would be left standing…” She said suddenly looking pensive again as she had not considered that.

“How about this: in the next few months I will train and prepare myself. Do a few jobs to get back into shape and in the meanwhile look out for a place to spar.” She said with a smile as she pushed out the remaining stub of her cigar out in the ashtray -she knew the proper protocol, but in company she did deem it rude to let it burn out by itself, so she put it out by force-. “How about we set the date of our spar in about half a year? Somewhere begin may?” She said as she continued wriggling the cigar in the tray as it refused to go out properly. No matter what she seemed to try, every time she released the pressure it seemed to start smoking again. In the end she grew annoyed by it and unscrewed the top of her flask and poured a bit of water into the astray. A bit of smoke and steam rose from it and that was finally the end of the cigar.

With it though, it seemed like some kind of spell was broken. She really did not know what had just happened. Did she really just agree to a sparring match with the strongest woman and/or man she had ever met?

Luckily her thoughts were disturbed by the noise coming from her breast pocket. For a moment she was confused, until she realized what it actually was. She pulled a tiny pocket watch out of her pocket and pressed a few buttons, so the noise would stop.

“Anyway I need to get going in a bit. I have an appointment with a charming young man who offered to show me around.” She said with a faint smile, even though all the color seemed to have drained from her cheeks. “Thank you so very much Leona, it was truly a pleasure meeting you. Since I presume I am in, could I please get the stamp on the back of my neck?” Teresa said seriously as she pulled back her blond hair to reveal the back of her neck where she would have liked the stamp. “If possible at all of course. I just prefer not to walk around with the stamp in full view. I thought that would make certain jobs more difficult.” She continued as she turned to Leona.

WC: 722
TWC: 13,589 + 722 = 14,311
@Leona Jarnefeldt