V-Day In Rose Garden

-Rose Garden, Outside Loveland Park-

Wearing her blue, white, and gold regenerating outfit to minimize embarrassment in case something happened to damage her clothing plus bike shorts for an extra layer of security, Leona stood just outside Loveland Park and tried to work up the courage to enter. Leona had gotten word that Loveland Park needed volunteers to help them test the park before it opened to the public. Since she was looking for something to take her mind off of both a previous mission to Fat Monsterland that featured details that reeked of a dark conspiracy and a recent harrowing trip to Sombras Manor that was essentially a giant game of Red Light, Green Light played with spirits, the Wizard Saint of Courage was more than willing to take the trip to Loveland Park.

Leona looked over the decor and noticed a definite heart theme along with copious amounts of the colors red and pink. The Wizard Saint was reminded of Singles Night in Capital Crocus, where she had met Masha Dymonrel for the first time in almost two years... and kept an old promise of a kiss after the pair had clashed with angels almost two years ago. Leona did not make the kiss entirely of her own volition: at Singles Night it was either kiss Masha or say in front of Masha, Mathis, Lethe, and Mathis' friend Poppy what part of Masha other than her mouth Leona would like to kiss. When faced with that choice, kissing Masha was the best way out of that awkward situation.

Now the Wizard Saint was thinking back to that night full of awkwardness, excitement, and amorous escapades and was still not sure how she felt. One one hand it felt really awkward to kiss Masha in public, especially since she was a Wizard Saint and a public figure. On the other hand, she did not mind all that much. When compared to some of the things other groups did at Singles Night, Leona had gotten away with only moderate embarrassment.

Leona's mind snapped back to the present when she realized that she had not yet entered the park. It felt odd not to have her Argent Gloves or a knife in her right boot, but today she would not need either piece of gear. Today was supposed to be a fun, safe day in a love-themed theme park. Knowing her luck, something unusual would happen to damage her outfit, which was why she had worn both her regenerating outfit and black bike shorts underneath the skirt.

Despite those precautions the Wizard Saint still hesitated to enter the park. She did not know what it was, but something was holding her back. Was she missing something important?

Leona crossed her arms over her chest and tried to think about what she could possibly be missing.

[Post Word Count: 474]
[Leona's Word Count: 474/2,000]

Masha was panicking. Her stomach expanded. Little feet pounded into her spine with powerful kicks. Her back broke under the force. The redhead opened her mouth to scream as a little black monster tore its way from her stomach. The gibbering beast looked around before turning toward Masha. As her sight faded, she saw its lipless mouth curve upward. A deep demonic voice touched her ears. It sounded so far away. It sounded like "Mama". Then teeth sank into her throat.

The succubus sat bolt upright in her bed. Her hands fell to her stomach. For a moment, it appeared as if her hands were covered in blood. The hallucinations and the dreams weren't a part of the normal process. Of course, there was nothing normal about this event. She was pregnant. Pregnant. The redhead covered her mouth with her hands. By the stars, Masha both wanted and feared this. All the more because of the unnatural process that had begat the child. All the medical knowledge in the world stuffed into her head and Masha hadn't researched her own biology enough. It had taken two dragons, one phoenix, a vampire and a doctor to convince her she'd been pregnant to begin with.

Masha caressed her fingers over her stomach. She'd learned several things, thanks to the baby. One: She could make a child with anyone. The magic imbued into her body and the physiological processes worked together to blend desirable DNA with a prepared egg. Something she could have prevented, had she known. Two: Her body produced growth hormones at an aggressive rate. She was only a week or so pregnant. Just past the two week mark. Yet Masha was showing symptoms of someone a month pregnant. Dewi had told her the gestation period of the child would be ninety days tops. 3 times faster then a normal human. It made Masha wonder what experiments had been preformed on her and what their intended outcome was. Three: Leona was the 'father'. They barely knew each other. Masha found the woman attractive but could they pull together to raise a child? Masha barely knew how to take care of herself, thanks to her missing memories.

Now the redhead wrestled with telling the buxom blonde. Masha worried her nail between her teeth. She couldn't handle this kind of stress. Leona and the baby could be put off for today. It was Valentine's day. Masha had seen a flyer for testers of a new amusement park. She could use some amusement. Time to throw something cute and sexy on before she got fat. If her body even showed the pregnancy. Gah. The succubus rummaged through her closet. Feeling a little naughty, she pulled out a red cocktail dress. It outlined her cleavage and neck, fabric draped daintily across her shoulders. It dropped down to a ruffled skirt which stopped at mid thigh. A black belt cinched the waist. A dash of makeup highlighted her eyes and lips. Masha pulled on black thigh high boots to complete the ensemble. Time to slay. YAS QUEEN.

Skipping from the hotel couldn't be the smartest idea in those kinds of heels but that was exactly what Masha did. More than a few eyes were drawn to the beautiful bouncing melons. The redhead wiggled her fingers at a few people, usually those with a partner. It left broken relationships in her wake. The park wasn't far from her hotel. The redhead saw the gates within moments. The rest of the scene made her stumble. A beautiful blonde hesitated before the golden bars of the theme park. A blonde who, coincidently, Masha had come to this park to not think about. So much for that plan. The redhead put a hand over her womb. It's okay baby, mommy will always love you. And she would, no matter if it was a monster or not. Fuck the pregnancy nightmares!

Biting her lip, Masha skipped to Leona's side. A little lean forward while peering at the other woman's face. "Hiya, Leona. Whatcha doin'?" She glanced at the theme park. Oh, it was a couple's thing. Maybe her luck wasn't so bad. "You weren't thinking of going in by yourself, were you? This is a theme park for couples! Unless you're waiting on a guy friend or a gal friend." She rocked back and forth. Uncertainty flickered across her face. What if Leona really did have somebody? It couldn't be Masha's place to ruin that relationship with her news. Leona hadn't asked for this. Hell all the blonde had done was give Masha the best kiss of her life. Her hand flattened on her stomach again. Funny, how the child comforted her without yet being here. "Listen..." She said slowly, twirling a bit of hair around a finger. "If you don't got anybody coming, would you like to come in with me? I know I put you on the spot during Singles Night and I was hoping I could make it up to you. A real date, properlike, and a kiss, if you want, that's just for us."

Masha looked at the ground, afraid to see Leona's expression. What would she do if the blonde absolutely hated her? Tears pricked her eyes at the thought. Their child would be rejected, left to fend for itself with Masha as a mother. A girl with no mother of her own, sitting in a military guild without her memories, who tortured dark mages to further her medical procedures. The redhead didn't even know if she had family to help out. Leona couldn't be made to like Masha or the child though. The doctor had heard enough stories to know. Leona had to walk into this fully aware and with open arms. Biting her lip, Masha looked up at Leona through her eyelashes. What would the blonde say?

The gates burst open. Hearts, pink and white filled the DI mage's vision. Music soft and haunting floated through the air around her. Over it all was a booming voice. "AH HA! New testers, excellent! Come in, come in! Don't be shy! Try everything! Don't hold back and give us a scathing review on (Reddit)! Hopefully when you leave, it'll be a highfive on Holla!" Hands grabbed at Masha and presumably Leona, though the redhead couldn't see. When the attendants cleared out, Masha found herself on the other side of the gate. Inside the park. She looked around for Leona, one hand protectively on her stomach. She had a flicker of hope that maybe this Valentine's day would turn out alright.

1095/1095 of 2000

Leona was still standing in place trying to figure out what it was that she was missing when she heard a familiar voice at her side and saw a flash of long red hair. Leona looked towards the source and found Masha dressed in another outfit that made her look amazing like she always did. Then a realization hit the Wizard Saint.

She was missing a partner to go into the park with!

"Hey Masha! I was about to go into Loveland Park since they're looking for volunteers to test the park before it's open to the public!" Leona greeted the redhead. Leona had not seen Masha since Singles Night in Capital Crocus a couple of weeks ago and now the redhead was here. It was strange to think this way, but maybe the pair meeting here after so much time was more than just coincidence. The blonde would not go so far as to call it "fate", but something must have guided them to meet up on this day.

Leona heard Masha ask if the former had a partner to go into the park with. Leona turned to Masha and shook her head.

"I don't have a partner to go into the park with." Leona told Masha truthfully. The number of friends Leona had could be counted on one hand. That was almost entirely the blonde's fault. When she had first been granted the title of Wizard Saint of Courage Leona had been so busy trying to prove that she had earned that title by merit instead of by being in the right place at the right time that she had put building relationships by the wayside. Years later she was paying the price for that shortsighted decision... she barely knew her own guild's Aces except by name and she had almost no friends outside of Samira Nassar, a fellow Wizard Saint and the Goddess of Humility.

"To be honest, I was thinking of going into the park by myself." Leona told Masha the truth. There was no point in hiding it. Leona was so naive that she had seriously considered going into Loveland Park by herself. She had done a lot of dangerous jobs by herself, so many that going it alone was Leona's first choice. However, today she would not have to go it alone because Masha was here and had offered to go with her into the park.

"Sure, we can go into the park together if you'd like." Leona offered to Masha. It was true that Leona had gotten more than she had bargained for at Singles Night, but she did not hold it against Masha. What better way to prove that than to tour Loveland Park with her?

[Post Word Count: 454]
[Leona's Word Count: 928/2,000]

A little bubble of happiness speared Masha nearly at the same time as despair when Leona agreed to go together. There was no avoiding this now. It would take her where it willed. This rollercoaster couldn't be laid at the feet of her amnesia either. Masha had known her body was altered. She'd been told multiple times by her servus. The few tests she'd run had confirmed it. No, this pregnancy was her own fault. Had she explored the alterations thoroughly, Masha would have known how to prevent it. She knew now of course but it was a little too late for that.

The redhead tenderly took Leona's hand. A shy smile shined up toward the blonde. "I... I've never been on a real date. I hope I can do it justice." She admitted gently. Then Masha moved toward the slowly opening gates. It was decided that her current thoughts best be shoved to the back of her mind. She wanted to enjoy her first, first date. The opportunity for unveiling her news would present itself. The amusement park had a sheen to it. Gentle colors wove together. Music floated through the air. A few other couples strode about. The overall atmosphere whispered of love. It made Masha wistful for the promise of love. What would it be like to have someone care for her deeply?

The rides drew Masha's eye. They seemed like the most exciting parts of this park. Masha's brows furrowed as she examined the rides. Which ones, which ones? "I'd like to try the rides, Leona." She said, pointing excitedly. "The rollercoaster or the bumper cars first! Then the Tunnel of Love and we can finish up with the Laser Tag. That way we should have enough time to walk around. See some of the sights in the park." The redhead glanced up at Leona. Would the blonde approve of her game plan? What did she truly know about the blonde? Little to nothing... How embarrassing.

Masha's cheeks colored and she hid her face behind her hair. She started walking toward the bumper cars. The redhead figured that if Leona didn't like the idea, she'd protest. The ride design couldn't have been more strange. Masha and Leona were led to a small car with two seats. The controls were set up so they were forced to work together. A scoreboard, marking how many opponents they hit, stood out on the dashboard. The redhead hesitantly climbed in. "Shall we give it a shot? I mean we don't have to, if you don't want, I just thought it would be fun." Masha ducked her head, pretending she was looking at the controls. This wasn't quite as easy as the books made it out to be. In the books, the teasing, the love and affection came so easily. Real life couldn't be more difficult. Could she even provide Leona with a fun date? Did she want to with the news weighing her down? Masha didn't know anymore.

498/1593 of 2000

Leona looked at the gate while she listened to Masha refer to this outing as a "date." She remained quiet as the redhead took her hand and followed Masha through the gate and into the park. Once the pair had entered the park Leona noticed that the dominant colors were red and pink and that they were tastefully incorporated into the park's decor. While she did not say anything aloud, the blonde had noticed the terminology the redhead had used and was ambivalent.

On one hand, Leona was not sure what to make of this outing being called a "date" because the Wizard Saint had never dated anyone before, let alone another girl. On the other hand, the blonde was glad it was Masha because the redhead was likely to have a genuine interest in Leona as opposed to just looking for a big-name romantic conquest to get bragging rights. Thinking about that took the Wizard Saint out of the park and into a dark place in her mind. She went back to the banquet from over four years ago.

She recalled Joshua Hamlin being so attracted to her that he insisted that she marry him at that banquet. She refused and Joshua got handsy with her, repeatedly touching her chest and backside despite her protests. After making multiple requests to stop touching her and giving him multiple chances to walk away Leona eventually got fed up with his unwanted touching and acted in self-defense, giving him two black eyes and some other wounds for his trouble. That episode had turned Leona off towards romantic relationships for the longest time because it raised troubling implications for her.

Joshua was clearly attracted to her physical charms and had made that abundantly clear. He was attracted to Leona at the time, but what would happen when she became older and less charming? Would Joshua still want her or would he leave her and go after a younger woman who was more attractive than Leona?

Leona had not wanted to think about that, but now she was thinking about it. She had held onto that reluctance to form romantic relationships for so long because Leona wanted someone who would still care for her when she was no longer a twenty-year-old blonde bombshell who could turn the heads of men and women. While she could not yet let it go, Leona might be able to set those bad feelings aside for today and not project her insecurities onto Masha.

When she came back to the present they were standing in front of the bumper cars, which had an unusual control scheme that was obviously designed to make them work together to eliminate their opponents. Masha climbed into one side of the vehicle and asked Leona if she was willing to give the bumper cars a shot. The Wizard Saint recalled that the first of the three rides was a choice between the bumper cars or the roller coaster. Leona did not take very long to make her decision.

"Sure Masha, let's do the bumper cars!" Leona replied with genuine enthusiasm and climbed into the other side of the vehicle. She was not sure which set of controls she was in charge of, but she would find out soon enough. After the bumper cars it would be off to the Tunnel of Love for a leisurely ride. After that they would play Laser Tag. This promised to be an exciting day at the park.

[Post Word Count: 580]
[Leona's Word Count: 1,508/2,000]

Masha heard, more so than saw, the moment Leona thought of something upsetting. At least that was what the doctor hoped it was. The blood had sped up in the blonde's veins. Not quite to the speed of arousal, nor that of fear. The redhead kept her eyes firmly on her goal. It didn't stop the worm of doubt that wiggled into her heart. Was Leona regretting her decision? Perhaps the blonde wished she was here with someone else. A pang of jealousy hit her breast. How must it be to have such memories, even unpleasant ones, that they could distract you from life? Masha sighed unhappily. Experience had been stolen from her. The worst was when her body reacted to something but the redhead was left clueless as to why. Reactions so engrained into her body that it happened automatically. Now was such a time. Masha's intense awareness of Leona had muscles twitching. Her mouth burned to smile. Her fingers to caress Leona's arm. Her body trembled with the memory of seduction. It was rather disconcerting.

The leather of the bumper car seat helpfully distracted the redhead. Leona had come back to the present. The blonde seemed enthusiastic now. Masha felt that ever fickle feeling of hope once more. It was a hell of a thing. Every time it vanished, some little thing brought it back once again. The redhead smiled slowly at the blonde. A genuine smile, no sign of the seductive curve her muscles wanted to enact. "I have the left to right controls" She said, trying to demonstrate. The bumper car stayed stock still. The redhead frowned until a hum shot through the bumper car arena. The car rose into the air. As Masha jerked the controls, the car suddenly shot into an erratic spin. The doctor lifted her hands off the controls and the car slowed to a stop. "Sorry" Masha apologized, a sheepish look on her face.

A car slammed into theirs with stunning force. Masha nearly shot magic at the offenders as they slid away hooting. The redhead scowled. "This is supposed to be fun?" She asked angrily. The hit had felt like an earthquake throughout her body. "Shall we get revenge?" Masha pointed out the offending car as they careened through the arena. The doctor did her best to point the car in that direction. As the match went on, Masha found herself laughing and asking Leona to aim for one car or another. Even though her doctor senses screamed at the dangers of this game, she found it rather enjoyable. Better than most of the sports out there. The redhead kept glancing at Leona throughout the match. Something about the blonde drew Masha but she couldn't say what. While her body was attractive, Masha was sure that was merely a bonus. Some other force attracted the redhead to Leona. She hoped to find out what that might be.

When the match came to an end, Masha found herself quite unable to walk. She stumbled getting out of the car. Try as she might, she couldn't walk. It was all she could do to stand. "Leona? Might you aid me? I seem to have lost my ability to walk at the moment." It was a good thing she'd waited to go to Laser Tag. The redhead held her hand out toward the blonde. Hopefully, Leona would aid Masha. If the blonde helped, Masha tried not to get distracted by Leona's scent and the feel of her body. Otherwise, a formal looking gentleman appeared and helped Masha walk out. He'd even bare his fangs at the blonde.

As the couple moved toward the Tunnel of Love, Masha glanced at Leona. There was so little the redhead knew about her date. "Sooo... What do you do for work? What's your favorite color? Favorite meal? I know so little about you other than we bumped into each other, fought angels, kissed or almost did and then I vanished. Only to lose my memory who know how far afterward. Tell me about yourself. Please." Masha asked, watching the blonde. Who was the father to her child? Well, that didn't quite seem proper. Donor? Too informal. Other Mother? She had a flash of spidery metal fingers. Maybe not that either. They'd figure it out if Leona decided to stay. That was a painful thought as well.

Masha managed to walk well enough to board the heart shaped boat. It would float down the river, bringing them into a tunnel. The redhead wasn't exactly sure what was supposed to happen in there. Passion? She knew how sex worked in theory. However, there was no male genitalia between Leona and Masha. Not as far as the redhead knew anyways. Love? Did the tunnel impart the feeling of love onto those who entered? This ride seemed rather odd. What was the purpose of the tunnel? The tunnel did give her a chance to tell Leona the news though. She hoped it wouldn't ruin their date though.

As the darkness closed over their heads, Masha turned toward Leona. The tunnel actually had a few lights. The soft glow let the redhead see the outline of Leona's face. Maybe that was for the best. "Leona... There is something I need to tell you. Uh... Um... I'm different." She held her hands out frantically. "That's not what I need to tell you! I'm getting to that. Its important to... damn it. Um... I'm pregnant." Not as concise as she wished it to be. Masha swallowed hard. Here came the hard part.

"You're the father."

932/2525 of 2000

Leona was in the vehicle when her partner demonstrated that she had the left to right controls by accidentally sending the bumper car into a spin, an act which amused the Wizard Saint. That meant that the Wizard Saint had the up and down controls and the two would have to work together to eliminate their "enemies" in bumper car combat. Leona quickly used the controls to move forward and was slammed by another car, whose occupants drove off laughing in triumph.

Leona took a deep breath and did not take it personally. It was all part of the game. Leona knew that the whole point of the game was to deliberately run into other people's vehicles. Masha and Leona worked together to ram into the vehicles of their opponents and just before the game ended the pair get revenge on the vehicle that had hit them first. Hopefully the people would not think that the Wizard Saint of Courage was going to pursue them to the ends of Earthland over a game. Once the game ended Leona put that out of her mind and got out of the bumper car, then took Masha's hand to help her walk after the latter requested her help because she was having difficulty walking.

Leona took Masha's hand and helped her walk away from the bumper cars and towards the Tunnel Of Love, which was the second place on their itinerary. While they walked Masha asked the blonde a few questions about herself. Unlike the questions at Singles Night they were safe, run-of-the-mill questions like what kind of work she did, what her favorite color was, and her favorite meal. The Wizard Saint had no hesitation in answering those questions.

"I do a lot of work for various clients like Crocus Magicka University. It's a university in Capital Crocus that hires me whenever they need some help around a dig site. I also work for a couple of the university's doctors doing mundane things like helping them find books or taking books back to the library for them. Then there's a lot of other people I do mundane things for like accompanying them to Capital Crocus Mall or going to a movie with them. I don't mind the change of pace, though." Leona answered the first question, deliberately omitting the recent adventure in Fat Monsterland because it reminded her of both her failure to find any survivors and the feeling she had that the team had been set up to fail by not being given weapons or an armed escort. Now it was on to the second question.

"My favorite color's blue. When I was living in Desierto as a child I got tired of staring at the light brown sand all day every day, but I'd never get tired of looking at the sky. I was always amazed by how blue it was. I'm still amazed by how blue it is." Leona told Masha that blue was her favorite color. Blue reminded her of the horizon she used to look at when she was a child. Blue also reminded her of freedom, the freedom to do something other than be a housewife in a backwater desert village. The third question was pretty easy.

"My favorite meal's couscous. It's a type of grain that's pretty good either by itself or with other foods. I also like coffee, but that's not a meal. Coffee goes with almost anything." Leona told Masha her favorite meal and also threw in her favorite drink too. Leona lived on coffee more than she did couscous. The pair boarded the boat and they listened to songs about love play from speakers installed above them as they floated towards the tunnel.

The Wizard Saint was listening for Masha's response to those answers when the pair floated into the tunnel and darkness shrouded their faces. It was then that Masha spoke to Leona, but not about the questions she had asked the blonde. Instead she told Leona that she was different, then blurted out that she was getting to the important part. Leona felt her heart began to race. What was going on here?

Then Leona heard the answer.

Masha was pregnant. And Leona was the father.

Leona blinked, her face drained of all color, and her mind went completely blank. The world suddenly stopped making any kind of sense. She, a female Wizard Saint, was the father of a child. Masha had gotten pregnant by Leona.

Leona had been in a lot of strange situations over her career, but nothing could top the sheer strangeness and awkwardness of this situation. She had somehow managed to make another girl pregnant. Leona was at a loss for words.

"How. How? How did this happen?" Leona finally croaked out. Those were words that she had never, ever expected to say. This was going to make for some very awkward explaining to her mother and older brother. Masha was probably expecting words of comfort and encouragement, but the Wizard Saint was unable to provide any. The blonde was barely able to think straight enough to talk, let alone console Masha.

[Post Word Count: 856]
[Leona's Word Count: 2,364/2,000]

Masha quite enjoyed hearing Leona's answers to her questions. The unfortunate stab of jealousy hit her full in the stomach without warning. Leona had favorites. The other woman had seen or sampled so much of the world that what she liked and didn't like was clear. Memories swirling about the blonde's head propelled such decisions. The redhead tried to hide her jealousy behind a wide smile. "My, my, I didn't realize I was with such an accomplished traveler. I wish I could have seen all that you have. Maybe I did... I guess that means I'll have to discover it again. Anyways, what caused you to set out from Desierto in the first place? Was it the sand again or something else?"

When Masha finally dropped the bomb, she couldn't see Leona's reaction at all. It somehow made things worse and better. The redhead put her face into her palms. She couldn't bear the long moment of silence. When Leona asked how it happened, rather than saying it was impossible, Masha let out a sigh of relief. "Uh... my biology and my amnesia. Somebody, I presume scientists, altered my body when I was very young. Again, presumably, they continued to alter it as I grew. I don't know the purpose of the experiments, yet, but it seems they were trying to make a... a... a breeding machine." Masha stopped talking to swallow with some difficulty. The scarce notes she'd found in her search for her past had been disturbing. She could only imagine the past she used to have. "I uh found disturbing evidence... that's not important. Uh, they built in a safety measure once they accomplished a specific goal: Impregnation through absorption of the body's building blocks. Essentially, I can get impregnated by anyone if I don't take precautions." The redhead looked past the edge of the boat. She did not want to look at Leona and see pity or horror. She did touch her head. "My amnesia removed how those precautions worked. When we kissed on Singles Night, my body reacted. It drew what it needed from you and made a baby."

Masha glanced over at Leona. The blonde would have every right to scream or rail at the redhead. She'd understand, if be hurt by, that reaction. Who wanted their entire life derailed by an altered amnesiac? Masha held a hand out, palm facing Leona. "I don't want you to feel responsible for the child or feel like you have to take care of..." A wave of nausea hit. The bumper cars should have given her a clear indication. Masha lurched over the edge of the boat, heaving noisily. It went on for long moments. Masha felt like her stomach was trying to leap out her mouth. When it finally abated, she sat back in the boat. The redhead was pale and shaking heavily. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. A burst of magic cleared the filth that may have landed on her. Masha smiled weakly at Leona. "I don't want to trap you, Leona. Nor do I wish to demand anything. I just thought you had a right to know. If you wish to turn your back and walk away, I'll understand. We're not friends, we're not a couple, we barely even know each other. But you deserved to know you have a child in the world."

Masha sat back against the seat. Her body felt spent. The child was drawing on every resource she had at an unprecedented rate. The redhead could only speculate. Her own analysis pointed toward the body alterations. Other doctors couldn't come up with a reason. If the alterations were to blame, Masha shuddered to think what the end goal had been. She knew the men and women who had done this were still out there. Not because of anything she'd dug up. No, a deep instinct warned her that something in her forgotten past lurked menacingly out there. Something waiting for the right time to strike. Masha glanced at her companion. "I'm sorry." She said apologetically. "Maybe I was wrong and shouldn't have told you. I didn't want to cause you distress." The doctor hoped for a good outcome but she'd been learning rapidly the world wasn't a nice place. She waited apprehensively for Leona to slam the lid on whatever future there might be.

729/3254 of 2000

Masha asked Leona what had caused her to leave Desierto to start with and paused for a moment before answering. Her dark thoughts about her body image were going to surface, but just like Masha had told her the truth about the pregnancy, Leona owed her the truth about why she had left Desierto for the first time.

"I wish I could say that the reason I left Desierto was because I went on a quest to rid the world of evil, but it's a lot simpler and less noble than that." Leona started her story. She would give Masha the short version because she did not want to ruin the cheerful mood with a sad story that happened over four years ago.

"It started at a village banquet a little over four years ago. I forgot why exactly we had the banquet, but it was a pretty big celebration. We had either made an alliance or we had won a big battle against an outlaw gang that could have wiped us out. Anyway, the chief's son said that he wanted to marry me. I told him no." Leona started the short version of the story.

"The chief's son told me how attractive I was and starts touching my chest and backside repeatedly. I gave him multiple warnings and multiple chances to walk away, but he didn't listen. After one touch too many I gave him two black eyes and some other injuries. He ran to the chief and I got in deep trouble for beating up the chief's son." Leona continued. After taking a brief pause she continued the story.

"However, the chief was a good guy who knew that his son was partially responsible for the altercation by repeatedly doing unwanted touching, so instead of being burned at the stake I was exiled. I made my way to the allied village of Berreb, then eventually ended up in Hargeon Town, where I got my passport. And there you have it." Leona finished the story of how she had gotten here. She was pretty sure that that story would destroy the mystique around her. Leona did not mind too much... the mystique about her had already been weakened by her role as a celebrity mage. Besides, she was the Wizard Saint of Courage and courage did not always have to be about not running from a fight or fighting against overwhelming odds.

Sometimes courage was admitting that one was not the strongest, the smartest, or the best at anything even if one's reputation took a hit. Leona was not the strongest, the smartest, nor the best at anything. She was just a powerful mage who put her pants on one leg at a time like everyone else.

Once she had finished her story the Wizard Saint listened to Masha tell her that the redhead had been altered at a young age to make what amounted to a breeding machine, for lack of a better term. And Leona learned that the simple act of kissing Masha at Singles Night was all the redhead needed to get pregnant. Thanks to the "modifications" gender did not matter... only absorbing the body's building blocks mattered. Before Masha could continue talking she leaned over the side of the boat and threw up, causing Leona to panic.

When Masha recovered she assured Leona that the latter was not obligated to care for her or for the child and that she could walk away without any consequence. Leona heard those words and had to take a deep breath. Masha had dropped a lot of surprises on Leona, but the blonde had been partially responsible for the chain of events by willingly accepting Masha's kiss. Masha apologized for telling her these things and Leona took a quiet breath.

"It's OK, Masha. I appreciate your honesty. I'd rather you be honest with me about what happened here and now then tell me well after the child has already been born." Leona told Masha in a straightforward manner. The Wizard Saint was not being as sensitive as she should be, but she felt that complimenting Masha for her honesty was in order. Now came the tough part.

If Leona claimed the child, she would likely be a laughingstock. All of the good deeds she had done over the years would be sidelined in favor of the fact that she had made a girl pregnant just by kissing her. Leona would likely become the butt of jokes now and forever.

But if Leona did not claim the child, she would become a hypocrite. She would be every bit as bad as Joshua Hamlin, who would have made Leona pregnant and then run from the situation, leaving Leona to be labeled a "harlot" or worse. Despite that Leona was still not sure what she should do.

The blonde closed her eyes and thought about it. This was no easy choice, but a choice had to be made here and now. Leona took a breath and made a decision.

Leona would show the courage that was in her Wizard Saint title and claim responsibility for what she had set in motion.

"You did the right thing by telling me this even if it isn't pleasant, Masha. Whatever happens next we'll face it. Together." Leona told Masha. The blonde was still not sure if she was taking responsibility for the right reasons or if she was doing it out of obligation or out of fear of what would happen should she refuse, but she was not going to run from a chain of events she had helped start. Now would begin the true test of courage. For better or for worse she had committed to Masha and their child. Leona would have to stay the course and accept responsibility for what had happened despite it turning both of their lives upside-down.

Come what may, Leona would see this through.

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[Leona's Word Count: 3,350/2,000]

Masha listened quietly to Leona's story. It stirred rage within her breast. Leona had been unfairly punished. What kind of people took action against a woman defending herself against unwanted attention? She could have been burned for it. Blessed Stars, there was something wrong with that village. The story caused a small cascade within Masha's mind. Pregnancy had altered her thought processes. An important piece of information floated just out of reach. Something told to her back on Single's Night. Something that Leona herself had informed her of.

When Leona thanked Masha and then claimed they would face it together, the pieces clicked into place. Masha gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "You're a Guildmaster! And a Wizard Saint!" The redhead might have lost her memories, might be an amnesiac, but she'd seen enough of the world. She hunted the ugly side of it regularly. Studied that dark aspect every day. Masha knew that someone in Leona's positions was always scrutinized. Always criticized. Darkened Skies, she'd conducted experiments regarding this very thing. It could end ugly. "What... no, I know... Leona, I can't do this to you! I didn't remember, didn't realized when I asked. They'll tear you apart! Everything you've done..." Masha covered her face, embarrassed she hadn't remembered this earlier.

The redhead drew herself together. She had to fix this. Her idiocy and naivete couldn't ruin this pillar of Fiore. "I appreciate you saying we can get through this together. I want to accept your offer. However, I know what it will do to you, to your reputation. I'm not selfish enough to ask that of you. Fiore needs you more than I or the child will. The work you do every day, it outweighs any need of ours. I can't let you do that." Masha chewed on her lip, worried. Her mind had already conjured up several solutions. None of them were worth the risk to Leona. The redhead gently took the blonde's hand. "Leona... Things might be different if we loved each other, if we were dating but to the wider public, I'm a nobody. If you claim this child, your sanity will be called into question. You'll be called all kinds of names once the veracity of the claim is verified. Public opinion of you will likely drop. I want to accept your help. I really do. I want the chance to fall in love with you, to provide our child with loving parents. I have a feeling I never had any..." She smiled grimly. "But doing this will hurt you. That isn't acceptable to me. I'll manage somehow. I promise."

Despite Masha's brave words, the redhead's body was trembling. In some of her rare forays into the normal world, the redhead had witnessed the difficulties of single parenthood. She knew that she was less equipped than most, having lost her memories. To disguise her trembling, Masha leaned forward to kiss Leona's cheek. The tunnel ended as she pulled back, depositing them outside once more. "Shall we get back to our date?" Masha asked quietly, stepping from the boat. "Or would you like me to leave?" Standing on land, the redhead's shaking became more pronounced. She tried to hide it but to anyone with half a brain - or lacking a significant distraction - her shaking would be evident. Masha hoped Leona didn't notice. She didn't know how a Wizard Saint might react to such a thing. She was doing the right thing. Wasn't she?

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After agreeing to claim the unexpected child as her own and endure whatever consequences would stem from said acceptance Leona waited to hear from Masha and what she thought about it. Leona did not have long to wait for the redhead's reaction. When Masha reacted it was a lot stronger than the blonde had expected it to be.

Leona listened as Masha exclaimed that the blonde was both a Guild Master and a Wizard Saint. The redhead was upset when she realized that all of Leona's achievements would be swept aside if the child was ever determined to be Leona's. No one would care about everything the Wizard Saint of Courage had done for the world because they would be fixated on the fact that she had managed to get another girl pregnant by kissing her. That would be Leona's fate should she go through with the acceptance... to be a laughingstock and the butt of cheap tabloid jokes.

The blonde felt sad as Masha continued to explain that while she had appreciated Leona's offer of support, the redhead just could not accept it. Masha did not want Leona to be reduced to the butt of cheap tabloid jokes, for all her accomplishments to be swept aside like they were nothing. Not wanting this to happen, the redhead vowed that she would find a way to go it alone and raise the child without the Wizard Saint of Courage's support. Hearing that determined vow hurt Leona more than being unable to find survivors from the Crocus Magicka University research team that she had been sent to find.

Leona opened her mouth to protest but then exercised the skill that Samira Nassar had taught her, which was to think before she spoke. Leona shut her mouth and thought about what Masha had said when she claimed that Leona's work was far more important than Masha and the child. The blonde thought about it for a long time and realized that in the grand scale of things Masha was right. The entirety of Earthland mattered a lot more than two people, perhaps even three.

That realization hurt Leona. She wanted to live up to her title as the Wizard Saint of Courage in moral courage as well as physical courage. And she was backing down when Masha needed her to stand up and be brave enough to face the ridicule, the humiliation. The blonde took a deep breath and lamented her lack of moral courage.

But it had to be done.

Things had to be this way.

The well-being of Earthland was far more important than the well-being of Masha and the child, even Leona's own well-being when push came to shove.

"I really hate to say this, but you're right, Masha. For the sake of Earthland, we can't be together." Leona said to Masha in a tone of voice that made it clear that she did not take what was going to happen lightly. The blonde had to give up any meaningful personal relationships to fulfill her role as Wizard Saint and that meant that Masha had to go by the wayside along with the child. But Leona did not like it, not one bit. She felt that she had let Masha down by giving in to her cowardice, but she would have to live with it for the sake of others.

"I'm sorry, Masha." Leona managed to say softly before going silent.

Leona sat in silence for the rest of the boat ride until Masha leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She then asked Leona whether they should continue with their date or if she wanted the redhead to leave. Leona took a deep breath.

"I want to... to continue our date." Leona said simply. If she could not support Masha and the child, she owed Masha this much. Leona owed Masha a little happiness, even if it was only for today.

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[Leona's Word Count: 4,002/2,000]

Masha closed her eyes when Leona agreed. She wouldn't let the Wizard Saint see her pain. It was better this way. She was sure of it. Leona's accomplishments shouldn't be swept aside by a child she had no choice in creating. What made the situation worse was Masha was little more than a child herself. While she had the basic functionality such as speech and knowing how to walk, the redhead had little idea how to pass those skills onto a child. Leona would have been a big help. Masha slowly opened her eyes, trying to give Leona a smile of understanding. It only twisted her features into a grimace.

Leona's apology almost broke the slayer. Her resolve to keep Leona out of it didn't feel strong enough. She reached out a hand to touch Leona's. Partway there, her will steeled itself. This was a tough decision. For both of them. She wouldn't wreck everything that Leona had done. "Do not be sorry, Leona. We made the decision together. Maybe, in time, we can try being a couple. It just isn't feasible right now without destroying your work." She managed a smile this time, genuine and warm. Gently, she led Leona's hand to rest over her womb. "This child will always be yours. Don't forget that and maybe it'll help get you through the tough times."

The redhead took a deep breath and climbed from the boat. They'd continue this date. Though, Masha wanted to address something she'd noticed first. Or thought she'd noticed anyways. The redhead laced her fingers with the blonde's. A forced levity came to her movements. "Leona, are you attracted to me? To anyone? It's hard to tell cause sometimes you seem... cold. While other times, you seem like you can't wait to take a bite out of me. Such back and forth can give a girl whiplash, not to mention heartburn." The redhead glanced over. She steered them towards the laser tag, the last event on their list. Masha kept quiet despite her burning desire to keep talking. Leona appeared to be a girl who deliberately thought over her answers. While Masha hated silence and preferred to fill it with words, she understood some people needed to think before they spoke. Much as that irritated her at times.

Masha was forced, by the baby, to stop before they got to laser tag. The bathroom was too far away so the redhead ended up throwing up in a nearby trash bin. As the slayer miserably wiped her mouth and tried to ignore the stares, her thoughts randomly landed on her lacbook. More specifically, the strange messages she'd gotten since finally figuring out how to log in. Someone called Gaia had proclaimed herself Masha's sister-in-law. The woman kept looking to meet. It seemed a little too convenient to the redhead. Her sister-in-law just happened to be a designer model for Olga Wilson that worked with Leila Bungel plus an Ace for Sabertooth. Two jobs that would keep her really busy. On top of that, the woman had five kids. Still, if there was even a modicum of truth to it, Masha could use Gaia's help. The redhead wistfully thought that she wouldn't mind meeting her brother either. She had a family out there somewhere. Maybe. Masha pitched back over the trashcan to unload her stomach. The end of this date might not be all that fun after all.

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After saying what she did Leona felt a strong sense of self-loathing. Moments ago she had pledged to look after Masha no matter what, but when she was given an out the blonde grabbed it without much hesitation. In doing that Leona probably looked like a coward who did not deserve her title of the Wizard Saint of Courage. Here was someone who needed Leona to stand up for them and the blonde had fled from that responsibility to save her reputation. Even though Masha had been the one to suggest it to make sure that all of Leona's good work did not get swept away in a sea of tabloid articles and cheap jokes, Leona still felt guilty for acting the way she had.

Leona was surprised when Masha told the blonde to not be sorry about the fact they had to be apart. Masha also assured her that maybe one day they could be a couple for real, but until that time they would have to be apart. Masha did not want to sacrifice Leona's work, a fact that would haunt Leona for a long time to come.

Leona was surprised even more when Masha took Leona's hand and laid it on top of where the child was growing. The redhead then said that the child would always be hers. Leona was still surprised by the fact that she had managed to get Masha pregnant, but the blonde did not pull her hand away until the boat stopped and Masha stood up to disembark. Leona stood up to disembark from the boat and began to follow Masha towards the laser tag area when the redhead posed two very important questions to the blonde.

Did Leona find Masha attractive? Or did Leona find anyone attractive?

Leona took a deep breath. That was a dead giveaway that the question was a tough one for Leona to confront, but it had to be confronted here and now. The Wizard Saint began to draw on whatever courage she could muster to answer the question truthfully. Leona's green eyes met Masha's blue eyes and the former began to speak to the redhead.

"I'm attracted to you, Masha." Leona admitted to the redhead. The blonde hesitated for a moment and considered stopping there, but she was committed the moment she had admitted that she was attracted to Masha. Leona needed to tell Masha how she really felt. If Leona could not be by Masha's side to help care for the child, she could at least tell Masha the truth.

"I'm attracted to you, but I really don't know how to express it. You're the first person that... that I've really been attracted to, Masha. I haven't thought about romance in a long time. Not since that incident with the chief's son." Leona continued awkwardly but truthfully. Masha should not have to pay for what Joshua Hamlin did to Leona over four years ago, but in a way Masha had paid for Joshua's behavior by Leona being lukewarm to the idea of a relationship with anyone. Then there was the fact that Leona was attracted to another young woman. That was very awkward for the Wizard Saint because of her conservative village upbringing and the village's need for children in order to repopulate.

Over the years Nebdoui had been hit hard by frequent bandit and slaver raids and Sophia had impressed upon Leona the need to marry and have children to help repopulate the village. Leona had resisted that for the longest time and that very issue had driven mother and daughter apart. While Leona and Sophia had reconciled a few months ago, the "marry a man and have children" mentality was still strong in the Wizard Saint's mind.

Leona struggled mightily over whether or not to tell Masha that. Leona really liked Masha, but the fact that she was attracted to another young woman was something that made the blonde feel uneasy because Nebdoui was counting on her to marry a man and have children. The blonde took a breath and was about to tell Masha when the redhead leaned over a trash can and vomited into it. Leona involuntarily took a step back and was glad that Masha could not see that ignominious sight.

Leona, the Wizard Saint of Courage, had faced all types of danger without flinching but was put off by someone throwing up.

"Are you OK, Masha?" Leona asked the redhead after stepping forward to her previous place. That was a really dumb question to ask, but it had already escaped Leona's lips. While the Wizard Saint had made great strides in thinking before she spoke, it seemed like Samira's lesson to think before speaking still needed a lot of practice before it would fully stick. Leona needed to master that lesson quickly before her unfortunate penchant for asking dumb questions got her into trouble with Masha, but this emotionally charged time was not making things easy for her.

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[Leona's New Word Count: 2,831]

Leona's admission caused Masha to smile. The further explanation wasn't nessecerily but it was welcome. Though, admittedly, hearing Leona's reason, Masha wished she had a little more worldly experience. Maybe she could have said or done the right thing then. Instead, the redhead felt herself standing there awkwardly as she tried to puzzle things out. Leona's words floated back through her memory. Honesty was appreciated. "I wish I knew more about the world so I could say or do the right thing to soothe away what that bastard did to you." She began, her hands twisting the fabric of her dress. "Unfortunately, I'm just an airhead without much to say." She tapped her head with her knuckles and tried to force a laugh. It sounded bitter even to her.

Masha gently tapped Leona's hand. She didn't want to be overly affectionate and scare Leona away. "I can understand not wanting to be romantic after such an incident though. I get a vague feeling that I... may have gone through something similar. Many times." Red crossed her vision and her head exploded with pain. Masha gasped, putting a hand to her temple. Too much dwelling on her lost memories. She'd learned the hard way that trying to retrieve her memories had severe consequences. The best she could do was assemble them from a third person point of view. "I think its why I can be overly affectionate. Something was stolen from me and I'm desperate for the connection with someone else, desperate to reclaim that stolen thing." She shrugged her shoulders sadly. "You could say I'm as bad at showing my attraction as you. I just take it to the other extreme." Masha smiled, hints of self deprecation in it.

When Masha was able to pull her head out of the trashcan, she turned toward Leona. Exhaustion haunted her face with a touch of irritation. "It's the baby. I'm as fine as any mother afflicted by morning sickness can be. Every time I think I'm okay to go on with my day, another sick wave hits me." Pink magic cleaned off the slayer's teeth and any flecks on her body. The redhead waved a limp hand toward a nearby bench. "Can we perhaps sit for a bit? I'm not sure how far I'll make it otherwise." The redhead staggered over to the bench and eased herself into it with a groan. Who the hell had thought a fast growing baby was a good idea? Masha rubbed a hand over her womb. How fast would the child grow once it was out? Would it die before ever having lived? The redhead looked toward Leona. "Maybe you can tell me about your work? I dunno what a Wizard Saint really does. Or what uh... Silver Eagle, was it? really does. I'd love to learn more."

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"It's OK, Masha. I made it through and the guy's long since apologized to me... in front of my entire village, too. Unless it happens again, I'm content to let bygones be bygones." Leona informed Masha that she and Joshua Hamlin had long since reconciled on what had happened over four years ago. Leona and Joshua had taken part in a ceremony where their grudges were to by symbolically buried beneath the sands of the village once and for all. This ceremony was not just a handshake agreement... it had been performed in front of the entire village and everyone had witnessed it. If either party went back on the terms of the ceremony there would likely be consequences. Leona did not think it would get to that point because after the ceremony Joshua had behaved much more civilly towards her and never tried to lay his hands on her again.

However, the incident had an effect on her that lasted way past her teen years. Masha did not deserve to be punished for it, but the Wizard Saint was still reluctant to fully engage her for the reasons she told the redhead. It was a good thing that Masha understood where Leona was coming from or things could have been even more awkward than they already were.

Masha then explained that she too had trouble showing affection, but her problem was the exact opposite of Leona's. Leona's was that she showed too little affection. The redhead admitted that sometimes she could show too much. Both mages were equally bad at showing affection, but both of them had admitted their problems rather than try to downplay them. Leona could respect honesty like that.

The blonde watched the redhead remove her head from the trashcan and Masha told her that the vomiting was induced by morning sickness, which was something that was part of having children. Pink magic then cleaned off Masha's teeth and anything that might have gotten on her clothing right before Leona's eyes. Masha then asked to sit down.

"Sure thing, Masha. We can sit down." Leona replied in the affirmative. She was not in any hurry to do Lovely Laser Tag because as far as she knew the pair had all day. However, if Masha did not feel up to engaging in that activity, Leona would be glad to leave the park this instant. The blonde followed Masha over to a bench and sat down beside the redhead, who then asked Leona to tell her about her work.

"Sure, Masha. I'll tell you about my work." Leona replied. She would tell the redhead everything she could that was not classified.

"Wizard Saints tend to take on jobs that are too tough for the average mage to handle and often those tough jobs involve combat. For example, jobs like slaying dragons, taking on entire packs of werewolves, or taking on entire slaver or bandit gangs. Since I'm the Wizard Saint of Courage, I feel particularly obligated to take the toughest jobs." Leona started describing what exactly it was that a Wizard Saint did the best she could. It sounded like the work she described was what ordinary mages did and that was true... up to a point. Wizard Saints were called upon to perform jobs that were much harder than they sounded, jobs that could get overconfident mages killed.

For example, taking on a dragon was hard work for someone who had never seen a dragon before and it was especially hard work for someone who did not have any special anti-dragon weapons or magic. The multi-ton dragon Leona had fought alongside Luna Mira was all but immune to her Wind Strike Magic and her Silver Longsword was about as threatening to the dragon as an empty paper towel roll. Luna Mira had been the one to take the lead during the struggle to kill the mythical beast thanks to her versatile magic. By taking a subordinate role Leona had learned a much-needed lesson in humility that day and she had learned it quite well. No longer did Leona blindly charge into harm's way and think that raw power would let her triumph over any enemy.

Leona now did her best to avoid being surrounded by enemies and also called upon her summons a lot more often when she was outnumbered. Those small but important changes in tactics had saved Leona's life during adventures in Desierto, Midi, and many other places. Leona still had her pride as the Wizard Saint of Courage, but now she had learned to not let her pride get her into trouble by blindly charging into danger just to prove her worthiness to be a Wizard Saint.

"As far as Silver Wolf goes, it's changed a lot since I first became its Guild Mistress over two years ago. There were quite a few changes to the guild, but the guild's missions are magical research, conservation, and treasure hunting. Those goals sound contradictory, but they're really not." Leona began explaining what Silver Wolf did to Masha. The blonde paused to let Masha ask more questions about her role as either a Wizard Saint or about Silver Wolf. Leona also needed a break for a few moments to think about how exactly she wanted to explain her guild's mission without sounding like a recorded message.

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[Leona's New Word Count: 3,720]
[New Thread Word Count: 6,593]

Masha listened carefully to Leona's explanation of her work. Her brain worked to identify the various things that the Wizard Saint said. The redhead had been devouring books to fill in the gaps in her memory. Of course, some gaps couldn't exactly be filled with information found between covers. Masha put a hand to her temple. Her face was twisted in an expression of concentration. "So Wizard Saints are the Yang to the Yin of Warlords? The Law to their Chaos? And do all Wizard Saints get titles like 'of Courage' or is that something you say to remind yourself what you want to strive for? Did you pick it out? Or did people give it to you? Either way what made you pick that or had people choosing that for you?" Masha blushed realizing she was asking many questions. Her head dipped in consternation. "Sorry, I get excited learning new things."

The redhead tapped her chin. What concise questions might she ask about Silver Wolf (not Eagle)? Did Leona mind the constant stream of questions? Masha could already feel them bubbling inside her. She opened her mouth. "What caused you to step into Guild Mistress-ship? Did the previous head of Silver Wolf resign or did they disappear? Magical research - what does that entail exactly? I do a little research of my own, trying to develop biomagical aids for people as well as biomagical enhancements. Its difficult to create honestly but I use the best materials possible." Materials being dark mages contracted to serve as materials. Many died under her knife but Masha strived to learn from each of them. "Right now the biggest struggle is the power source and overcoming the natural magical barrier of the body. The biomagical material I've created so far only grafts to bodies of a specific magical rank. It over saturates bodies under that rank and causes cancers or magical maladies. Useful for biological warfare I guess but not my aim."

She'd steered off the tracks. Talking about her research with anyone other than her subjects was rare. Masha was passionate about her work since it helped her understand what had been done to her body. Best to get back to her original query. Masha offered Leona a apologetic smile. The redhead even readied an apology when a thought struck her. A stranger calling themselves Gaia kept contacting her on Lacbook. She'd thought about the woman earlier. Could Leona, as a GM of Silver Wolf, know an Ace of Sabertooth? Masha bit her lip. She could get some answers if the woman was legit. Getting verification from another source seemed the best plan. No way a catfish could account for some random third party.

"I know this is a little out of the blue. Honestly, I just thought about it since we started talking about your job. I hope you don't think this is too weird. I really just want to know if the woman is legit or not. Know if she might actually be my family." Masha took a deep breath. She couldn't be making a lot of sense. Her explanation of the situation had been very poor. Time to rectify that. "Sorry, my head is already a little off. Pregnancy brain and all that. Anyways, a woman keeps contacting me on Lacbook claiming to be my sister-in-law. Given some of the things I see and hear at Dies Irae, I'm suspicious this is a hoax. At the same time, I really want to find my family. She claims she's an Ace of Sabertooth." Masha licked her lips, glancing over at Leona. "Do you know a woman named Gaia Sabin-Dyer? Wife of Kyran Dyer?" The redhead held onto a hope that Leona might actually know one of the couple. It wasn't a rational hope, rather something that the slayer held deep in her heart. A secret hope that she had family out there waiting for her somewhere. People that loved, cared for and missed her.

Masha put a hand to her face regardless of the answer. "I'm sorry for derailing the conversation like that. I am interested in your work. I've just been searching for answers since..." The redhead touched the center of her forehead. She remembered the trickle of blood that had run from it. Remembered the pool of blood she'd woken in. That seemed a little heavy for date conversation though. "Since I woke up. You seemed like a good - no, great - way to verify this chick." Masha rapidly tried to rewind their conversation. Where had she cut them off? Oh, right! "So, how does conservation and treasure hunting go hand in hand?" She asked, leaning forward to prop her chin on the heel of her palm. Her elbow rested on her left knee, giving Masha the appearance of leaning toward Leona in interest.

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Leona gave a bit of thought to the question of how she had gotten the title "Wizard Saint of Courage" and soon realized that she herself had chosen it. She had chosen it over two years ago, but that might as well have been a lifetime ago. It was hard to believe that she had held the honored title of Wizard Saint for that long.

"I chose the title of "Wizard Saint of Courage" for myself. I chose it because of my name. My parents named me in honor of the lion and lions are symbols of strength and courage. I don't know if any past Wizard Saints had that title, but I do my best to live up to it." Leona explained to Masha why she had chosen the title "Wizard Saint of Courage." It likely reeked of hypocrisy for someone who had acted the way the blonde did earlier to speak of courage, but here Leona was explaining why she held that title. She quickly moved on to the subject of the Warlords, powerful mages who were the polar opposite of the Wizard Saints.

"From what I understand, Wizard Saints are supposed to be the good counterparts of the Warlords... and a counter to them. If a Warlord appears, a Wizard Saint's supposed to stop them." Leona stated confidently. While she had never encountered a Warlord before, she believed that she had what it took to go toe-to-toe with one and stand a chance of winning. If Leona kept a cool head and did not rush blindly into the fight, she could easily fight a Warlord to a standstill, if not force them to retreat.

Leona heard Masha ask about what happened to her predecessor as the Guild Mistress of Silver Wolf and thought of Poko Monstar for the first time in many months. Before Poko Monstar there was Leila Vergious, the Guild Mistress who had inducted Leona into Silver Wolf. Leona thought back to her unexpected and rapid rise from rank-and-file member to Ace to Guild Mistress and the old issue of her worthiness to lead reared its head.

No matter what she did to prove herself worthy, Leona felt like becoming Guild Mistress was a matter of being in the right place at the right time instead of really "earning" it.

"My predecessor left the guild without a trace. I don't even know where to begin looking for them." Leona admitted. Poko Monstar had left one day and did not leave any clues as to where to begin searching for her. Perhaps she did not want to be found, but Leona would never know for certain. The next question Masha had for her was what magical research entailed.

"Magical research entails learning what magic properties something has, like a sword, gauntlets, or anything else with magical properties. Even plants can have magical properties. Anyway, you learn what it can do and see if you can apply that effect to other items, like using nightshade to make a machete that's strong against plant life." Leona told Masha things from her own experience. The blonde owned a few magic swords, two magic knives, a pair of magic gauntlets, and had even forged a magically empowered machete that could cut through plant life with little trouble and extend its reach by a small but significant amount. Leona also had a special project she was keeping under wraps because of what it could do to someone. She was not very smart like Mercury Arsenault was and still had a lot to learn about conducting magic research, but Leona had learned a thing or two from hands-on experience.

The Wizard Saint listened to Masha talk about her struggle to develop biomedical aids for people and biomedical enhancements. Leona had not even considered entering the medical field because that required a lot of education and training she just did not have. The closest thing to a medical item she had was the Aggression Pack she had found in Silent Cemetery many months ago, but she was keeping it a closely guarded secret. Preliminary experiments using herself as the test subject had taught Leona that the Aggression Pack healed wounds but made the user angry... very angry.

In fact, after the Aggression Pack took effect Leona was so angry that she could think of nothing but killing Sky Champion Rafale, who had flown out of reach on her orders after she sent the guild staff tasked with helping her to the second floor of the Special Experiments room to reduce the possibility of someone getting hurt or killed while she was under the pack's influence. She tried jumping up to grab his ankles and drag him back down to earth to beat him to death with her bare hands, but she was unable to grab him because she did not have access to higher brain functions, which included basic problem-solving skills. Not once did Leona even think to use her Wind Strike Magic to knock him down, call on another summon to drag Rafale to the ground, climb on a wooden table sitting in the middle of the Special Experiments Room to be able to jump higher, or even jump at him from the second floor of the room. The Wizard Saint was so angry that she did not think to do any of those things to try and get Rafale, which was for the best.

Leona came back to earth and heard Masha talk about how she was having difficulties finding a strong enough power source to overcome the body's natural magic barrier... whatever that was. Masha also said that the biomagical material she had created so far only worked with people of a certain magical rank. If grafted to a body below that rank it caused cancers or other magical maladies, something the redhead noted had great potential for biological warfare. Masha then claimed that biological warfare was not her intent when embarking on that line of research.

Leona opted to let that pass without comment and instead focused on whether she knew a mage named "Gaia Sabin-Dyer" who was an Ace of the Legal guild Sabertooth. Leona blinked. She heard the name "Kyran Dyer" and sort of recognized that name... it sounded familiar, but she just could not recall where she had heard it before.

"I don't know a Gaia Sabin-Dyer, sorry. I don't know anyone in Sabertooth except a mage named Luna Mira, so I can't verify or debunk Gaia's claim to be an Ace of that guild. I think I know Kyran Dyer, but I can't quite put my finger on where I've heard that name before." Leona informed Masha. The blonde wished that she could be of more help to Masha, especially after earlier. However, right now it was just not happening. Leona felt Masha put her hand on the blonde's face and did not pull away.

"Conservation and treasure hunting go hand-in-hand by giving us a chance to claim powerful artifacts before people who would misuse them can get them. Not only do we take them and keep the artifacts safe, but we also physically preserve them so that they can be studied by future generations." Leona explained how those two seemingly contradictory goals actually worked together. One item she would keep under wraps as long as possible was the Aggression Pack. Its existence was far too dangerous to be made public because its properties would make it a prime target for thieves, but it also had a lot of potential for good... if only Leona could isolate the healing component of the pack from the aggression-inducing component she could make a healing item.

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