A Rough and Tumble Welcome

♡ Letting out a gentle yawn as she would clean her blade among the highest parts of the exterior of the palace, Aerith would witness a single drop of rain splash upon her cheek as if it was to be a fragile technique of decalcomania, soon realizing that mayhaps the exterior of the throne hall would soon not be the best place to spend her time while in-between contracts- a storm was rolling in from the Azure Sea in the form of dark, voluptuous clouds, making the once warm sea breeze into that of chilled wind. The elvish demon would fold her magical cloth of wool up into a small square and tuck it inside the mouth of her mushroom stuffed animal that sat beside her; she did not feel like her unholy blade would be able to become the slightest bit more lustrous, as she had been working on cleaning it for nearly an hour at most. Gathering her belongings and slipping most of them inside the pocket dimension of the plush, she would stand from the stance that she found herself previously in and look down upon the royal horizon that sat upon the Island of Amber. Her ruby-red eyes would glisten as she would witness a flock of brightly-colored birds fly into the distance, removing themselves from the possibility of being pelted by the dark, seaside tempest. They seemed to match the colors of her uniform that she had adorned quite well, being that of a silky black and red classic outfit that had been provided to her weeks earlier when she had joined the ranks of Dies Irae. ♡

♡ "U-umm.. Meow? Do you see that, Aeri?" the black exceed that sat beside the standing tattooed summoner would begin to speak, looking down toward the entrance of the guildhall, "It's Bai and a weird looking redhead!" Raising the palm of her hand to meet the space between the black cat's ears in order to give the softest of pets, the princess of the renaissance would grip the hilt of Lilith with her other before sending it back to float against her back, peering downwards from the inky canvas of the sky; indeed there stood Aerith's acquaintance and a ruby haired individual that she had never laid her optics upon before. Unable to read the motives of the visitor of the island as she was not within earshot, she could tell that the two were speaking of something- but what? "Hm," the unholy progeny would speak softly to herself, not allowing her eyes to move the slightest off of the boy. The collector of souls would begin to slowly tip-toe across the raised stones that lined themselves across the upper parts of the palace, the cutlass of the maiden following her steps behind her as she would process her curious thoughts. On the off chance that his intentions were not virtuous, she did not feel like it would be difficult for her to glide down upon the winds and cut his head clean off with her ultraviolet blade- but the princess knew that the maid was capable of handling herself. Although appearing as a scholar, Bai Suzhen did not come off as weak in the eyes of Aerith. ♡

♡ In the form of soft taps, if one were to look toward the top of the fortress of Dies Irae once more, they would be able to witness a pink-haired elf coated in body art staring intimidatingly downwards at the two as she would hop from stone to stone, causing the sound of clacking to reverberate downwards from the heels of her boots. Raising a cigarette wrapped in red rose petals to her mouth, she would light it with a lighter that looked to be in the shape of a red mushroom, allowing the smoke to fill her unholy lungs. Although this was most likely that of a new recruit, if strangeness were to take root, it would not take long for the witch to fly upon her mushroom broom to the lower parts of the castle to take a better look; if they were to appear hostile, or mayhaps be leading that of an attack on the legal guild, the girl would be more than willing to provide support in the eradication of their potentially evil souls. And, perhaps, the harvesting of his, if he was indeed devoted to evil and unable to be saved. ♡

As it were, it seemed that Bai Suzhen was not the only member of Dies Irae keeping themselves busy with matters of war. One of the two Ambassadors of this guild had his gaze centered upon the gathering blanket mass of cumulonimbus clouds in the distance. Two eyes, their colors mismatched and in contrast to his argent hair that lacked most traditional hues, peered out of the wide window that formed one side of the space he and his fellow Ambassador utilized as an office workspace. The Ambassador sighed when the oculars fell upon his own reflection in the glass that separated him from the sights on the horizon, the expression that was most often wearing a friendly smile warped into a concerned frown, the man reflexively turning away towards his desk. He most certainly did not want to occupy himself with a circumstance such as this one, though he understood that his own motivation and choice in this concern was the smallest of matters to consider. His eyes would find temporary rest on the sheets, letters, and forms that were strewn across the polished oak of his workspace, almost covering it in its entirety with the all-too-familiar white hues of paper and darkness of ink, all of them, in one way or another, portraying the same message, painting the same picture:

The events unfolding at the border between the Holy Council of Bellum and the Empire of Pergrande were a disaster for Ishgar.

With the current system of treaties, alliances, and relationships between the individual nations on this continent that seemed so firmly set in stone, it was evident that a few skirmishes between small detachments of fighting forces, with the aid of unaligned fighters and mercenaries here and there, would quickly evolve into something else entirely. The prospects for the future did not appear bright. Anything but. Johann pondered this, concerned especially for the role his guild was set to play in this coming conflict. Dies Irae was ostensibly an extension of Fiore's Magic Council, by all conventional measures, at least, making it de facto part of the nation-state of Fiore, and further, Amber Island part of its territory. With Fiore's own Magic Council being so intimately tied to Bellum's Holy Council, it wouldn't take a genius to understand that Amber Island's fate was likely tied to the result of the clashes, in one way or another. The silver-haired Ambassador bit his lip when the thought crossed his mind anew, frustration welling up from within his chest and wrapping around his throat with the familiar grip of anger. He couldn't gauge what exactly the Magic Council of Fiore thought. Not yet, at least. He needed more time. Correspondence with the Council was practically non-existent, and he figured that this applied to most people. All information he sought to relay to them or reached him in return went through middlemen or his own contacts, making any insight in this matter particularly difficult. Was Dies Irae truly a state-sanctioned attempt at changing the continent for the better, or was that merely a pretense, the guild being nothing but a convenient bunch of idealistic fools that could be abused as a fighting force in case of conflict? If this latter fact would prove true, if any action of the Council would support the silver-haired God of Ishgar's suspicions, well, he would have to attend to this matter and ... solve that problem himself. Whether the Council would appreciate this act of defiance was another matter entirely, but the man was confident that his resistance was nothing to be taken lightly.

Still, it was unwise to fret about a conundrum such as this one, for the time being. There was very little he could do apart from keeping in contact with his personal sources of information in and around Ishgar to paint a better picture for himself and decide a plan of action based on this. Naturally, he would have to involve Sivvy in this matter, as well, though he doubted that the rose-haired Slayer had anything but the guild's best interest at heart. She probably had no objections, but the man valued her perspective.

Perhaps, he thought, the unrelenting storm on the gloomy horizon was a metaphor almost too perfect for the times that seemed to await them in the near future.

"What worries you so?", a voice, deep, almost distortedly so, echoed through the back of Johann's mind, though its tone appeared more joyful than anything. "Are you not excited? Just think about all the battles we will experience!". The silver-haired man resisted the urge to scoff in response, his reply, spoken aloud in contrast to the telepathic questions from before, sounding resolute, though it rang with a certain curtness. "That is precisely what worries me. You may be able to hold your own, but who is to say what shall become of this guild in case the worst comes to pass? What of the people of this island, the people of Ishgar?". The voice cackled in reply. "You should know, vessel. Is that not what war is all about? The strong will stand victorious upon the ashes of the weak, tsehehe". Johann knew that there was very little sense in discussing this point. Mars had his own views, very particular and defined ones at that, on matters such as this, the Ambassador not bothering to reply in length. He had had discussions like this one many times over with the Seal, though no point that any party brought up seemed to move the other much. It would be best to simply ignore the being's lust for battle that appeared as though it superseded all other desires he held. In the end, he settled on a simple, stoic "Certainly, it is as you say".

He turned his gaze to the window once more, then averting his eyes entirely, determined steps taking him towards the door that formed the barrier between the room and the hallway interconnecting the East Wing of the guildhall. He knew that there was little use worrying too fervently about this topic, intending to take his mind off the matter temporarily and distracting himself. There was a spot here on Amber Island the man liked to visit when his emotions troubled him, few people knowing of this habit of his the Ambassador used to put his mind at ease. With another dejected sigh, the man picked up the onyx-hued hat, belonging to a style similarly militaristic as the rest of his charcoal uniform, from its position on his desk and placed it on the messy strands of argent hair on his head, taking care to hide some of them underneath the fabric, closing the door to his office and making his way towards the archway that served as the entrance to the Throne Hall.


The sight of the small gathering was rather unexpected, the Ambassador, leaving the guildhall with calm steps, spotting, at first, the woman he had come to know as Bai Suzhen, supposing that, in this part of the world, her name would better be equated to Suzhen Bai, as he had learned. Miss Bai would be something he found himself naturally gravitating towards, just as she seemed more comfortable addressing the guild master as Mister von Weiss. She was in the company of two more members of the guild, one man and a woman, it seemed, and, as Johann realized only a moment thereafter, another man, his eyes wandering up and down the others form, not yet noticing the other figure and their graceful, almost dance-like descent from the heights of the building behind him. He had not met him before, of that much the Ambassador was certain, though the arrival of newcomers could only indicate one of two things: Either this man had come to join the ranks of Dies Irae, or he was here on a matter of personal business, whatever that would entail. Still, the silver-haired man was certain that he would soon find out, not intending to pass by this group without at least a greeting, missing the portion of context that Suzhen, the other soldiers, and the new arrival to the guild were all-too-aware of.

"Good day, Soldiers. I hope I'm not disrupting an important matter?", he spoke with a practiced tone that was meant to portray a sense of warm welcome as he approached with the same calm steps, his expression changing as his lips curled upwards into a friendly smile. "And ... a new arrival, it seems?", he would turn his gaze from the 3 uniformed personnel to the redhead, his gaze seeking the man's own. "Welcome to Amber Island, in that case. It would appear you have arrived just in time. The storm on the horizon seems especially ferocious. Please, find shelter in the guild hall, should you wish to utilize it as such, of course", he spoke in an off-hand manner, his tone jovial, though his eyes, still firmly affixed on the unknown man, starkly contrasting the serene expression on his face. The Ambassador's dual-colored oculi portrayed no emotion apart from calculating frigidity, though something seemed to spark within them a moment later when his mind confronted the Ambassador with an instance of realization.

"Still, I approached simply to greet my soldiers. I do not intend to disturb any more than appropriate, so if I did intrude, then, please forgive me. If you wish, I shall take my leave and entrust this matter to Miss Bai", the Ambassador concluded, though waiting for a response from any of the involved parties. Naturally, there was an ulterior motive to his statement, a small test, of sorts, and though it was obscure, he was nonetheless deeply interested in the results ...

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♡ Tiptoing across the large divots in the top of the fortress, the girl of pink and red would sight that of a gentle greeting from her new acquaintance from the ground level, following the notice of the two men that were to notice her existence upon the stormy skies as well- slipping her sprawled out belongings into the storage of her plush, she would begin to prepare her descent toward the small gathering of her peers. It was as if a few more that bore the red cross found themselves inspecting the new arrival upon the island as well, including what appeared to be one of the two ambassadors of their ranks. This was one of the few reasons why the elvish princess was to make her grand appearance upon the precinct of stone and sea breeze; she had never had the opportunity to formally introduce herself to any of the higher-ups of the guild as of yet and felt as though this would be her grand opportunity to do so, alongside the taking of shelter from the incoming tempest. Magically turning her cutlass of unholy origin into that of a giant mushroom broomstick, the summoner and the exceed would begin to subside downwards upon the winds that would begin to pick up, soon allowing her to gracefully hop down from the sky onto the rough steps of the Throne Hall as if she were light cascading from the dark clouds. As she was to near closer and closer to those that were to greet the newcomer, Aerith would be able to catch the redhead speak of sparring with the girl of violet hair, which were to stop her briefly within her sophisticated wander- arriving at an unknown place and asking to fight was bold of the new recruit, but the elf felt as if this was excessive, especially due to the increased growth in strength one can accomplish while taking on those that truly deserve punishment by justice. ♡

♡ Approaching the man of white locks and multi-colored eyes, the girl of the demon heart would bow in his direction as her ruby-red optics would begin to illuminate in a dull manner. "It is an honor to be able to stand in your presence, Ambassador von Weiss," she would remark softly as she would come up from the royal address, allowing her giant mushroom to float behind her person as she would continue to speak, "I am Lady Aerith Agaric of the house Demonscale, it is my pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." The summoner would speak with utmost respect within her quiet tone, allowing the smoke from her cigarette of rose to drift away with each second that it strayed away from her mouth- she had heard of many marvelous feats in which the God of Ishgar had accomplished within her short time with the militarized group of mages, which organically led her to develop a respect for some of those which she did not personally know, such as Johann. They seemed more than qualified to hold their positions of power within the guild, which was something refreshing to witness for the elf. Within the royal courts of Kyoka, there were certain individuals that were to inherit their thrones without the tiniest bit of true qualification to rule- this was something that brought on the crumbling of kingdoms and the corruption of inheritance, which the pink-haired girl felt was already a concept that was far too in the past to be able to be effectively utilized for the greatness of jurisdiction. At least, this was true within her personal experiences within the great domains of the otherworld. ♡

♡ Slowly sulking backward to find herself within the shadows of a part of the castle that was to shield her from the rain, Aerith would raise her hand to greet the maiden that appeared to be deeply indulged within the presence and verbiage of the newcomer- she did not wish to interrupt the conversation that was to blossom within the delicate droplets of rain that would fall from the sky between Suzhen and the stranger. It was indeed true that the two were planning on sparring against one another; the elf did not understand this certain behavior, as she had never witnessed a fight between two strangers that did not hold an underlying motive of the deliverance of justice or evil. Mayhaps it was to be a strange tradition within these parts of Earthland that she had not been able to witness as of yet- combat between mages for sport was only something that she had been able to observe between those that wished to grow stronger and practice together, or within that of a competition of sorts. However, her thoughts on the matter did not seem to have even the slightest of influence pertaining to what was seemingly going to occur- the elf would not be surprised if the scholar were to mop the rain up from the ground with the challenger's body quickly, especially due to the amounts of raw magical power that she had been able to pick up from Suzhen when they had first met. But she would appear to ask if the redhead would go easy on her- this would confuse Aerith even more, as she would not understand why one would wish to exhibit weakness in battle, but she would decide to turn a blind eye to this remark as well. Twirling a long strand of bright hair within her fingers, she would feel quite out of the loop in terms of what was going on but simply assumed that it all boiled down to the playfulness that she did not allow herself to experience. ♡

♡ "Hm, it seems as though that boy wishes to test the strength that Bai Suzhen bears alongside her crimson cross," the summoner would speak softly to the Guild Master as the smoke would billow out from between her pink lips, allowing the tiny drops of rain to splash against her fingers as she would hold her hand outwards, "I'm not exactly sure if holding a battle within this impending gale would be wise, especially if it happens to be drawn out. I would be more than willing to escort our soldiers to the Trial Grounds if the winds prove too much to handle for this scrimmage, your honor." ♡

"Well, well, well, isn't that a surprise? Someone with a decent mindset comes around for once! How exhilarating~", the deep voice would hum in obvious glee, the echo persisting for several moments within the Ambassador's mind before finally, the distortion would vanish as swiftly as it had come. Naturally, Mars was referring to the red-haired newcomer and the challenge that had been made just moments before the silver-haired Ambassador had arrived. He hadn't failed to pick up on that, indeed, it was the only reason why the man's interest had been directed towards this group in the first place. Naturally, the Ambassador would not make that fact known. As far as he was concerned, the newcomer was on a sort of pilgrimage, and who was he to interrupt such a sacrosanct act. There was not only that, of course. His intention was not just to test this man alone, but to test the woman that had joined Dies Irae not long ago, as well, his eyes falling on Bai Suzhen, who returned his greeting in a casual manner. This situation had developed in his favor, in that sense, but ...

"Thank the gods!", was something that he, from the bottom of his heart, felt like exclaiming to the small group gathered on these cold stone steps before the grand guild hall, though he contained himself. Finally, that pressure of having to act excessively formal around Suzhen would be gone from now. He'd stuck to Miss Bai because she had appeared to prefer the use of honorifics and family names in the past when addressing him, the silver-haired man assuming that, perhaps, she was uncomfortable with a displayed degree of familiarity, doing so in return. This, however, was certainly a relief. Now that he actually knew how to address her, as well, all thanks to the inquiry from Jariel on that day not long ago, there would be no problem at all left. It was somewhat eccentric to get excited over a trivial matter such as this one, he realized, but it was just who he was. Well, not entirely he alone, but that was a different story by itself. Names held tremendous power when used the right way, after all.

"Splendid! Then it is settled", Johann would confirm what the two would-be opponents had been going for all along.

As if by fateful coincidence, just as the Ambassador was silently pondering this, he would be addressed once more, only now noticing the other presence that had joined the small gathering of mages. A girl, long strands of lightly pink hair framing her soft features, approaching him with light steps in the company of a small feline. The hue of her hair complimented that of her eyes, which seemed to be firmly affixed to him, making him wonder whether this synergy of colors had come about naturally or if it had been sculpted to exist in this form. Magic existed in all forms, after all, but inquiring about it simply for the sake of clarification would be rude, especially upon first meeting someone. The various pieces of jewelry embedded within her body, along with the hints of ink one could spot where skin was not covered by fabric only added to her unique appearance. Still, his eyebrows twitched slightly when the Ambassador spotted the cigarette. He particularly disliked tobacco, or rather, the smell it produced. For a nose as sensitive as his own, this scent was something of an irritant, though he swiftly regained his composure, unsure if anyone not paying special attention to his face had even beheld the small gesture which had portrayed his true emotions. Despite her habit, however, this girl knew how to hold herself with grace, certainly, already knowing the Ambassador's title and name before the man could introduce himself. He couldn't blame her, of course. It wasn't especially difficult to deduce who he was, not with that rather pointed introduction he had made not long ago.

Still, Aerith Agaric, huh? She donned the uniform of the guild, and though the man was certain that he had not yet met anyone by this name, it appeared that she had joined this guild. Johann would be certain to commit the name to memory. A small, practiced smile found its way onto his lips as he returned the greeting, his arm moving to his chest for a respectful bow, albeit the gesture was symbolic at best. He sighed inwardly. More formalities, more uncertainty, more names. It was a tune that played on repeat, a broken record that seemed as though it was dominating his exchanges with people these days. As if the sky had borne witness to this thought of his, the first drops of rain began to fall. The storm would soon be upon them.

"Please, Lady Agaric, the pleasure is all mine, though you give me far too much credit. There is no need to hold ourselves to such a degree of formality. It appears that we are comrades-in-arms, after all, is that not true?". It was a rhetorical question, of course, but it was important to the man that he could make his dislike of flattery clear, even if it was not direct. He certainly didn't feel like he was worthy of such high praises, that fact influencing his own perception of her greeting. He wouldn't let that deter him from continuing to converse in a tone that was more than accommodating while the other two mages seemed busy with their own exchange.

"In any case, since I have not yet had the chance, allow me to confirm that my warm welcome obviously extends to you, as well". It was about as courteous as he could manage in a setting such as this one, but he hoped that this simple form of acceptance from the Ambassador would be enough to make her feel like part of this guild. He, however, was acutely aware that they had gathered here for a different reason entirely, turning back to the newcomer and Suzhen only to see that the latter had already removed the jacket that had before constituted part of her uniform and taken a stance to indicate her readiness for combat.

The Ambassador's eyes widened slightly. This was going a little too fast. He wanted clarity about the overall capabilities of the two mages, certainly, but he didn't want to sacrifice the guild hall to accomplish this. Now, if both Suzhen and the red-haired mage were strong fighters then collateral damage was almost guaranteed, and the stairs that led to the small plaza before the guild hall were certainly anything but an ideal setting for a duel. It seemed that Aerith had the same idea. The Ambassador replied swiftly, his tone somewhat hurried. "An excellent idea, Lady Agaric. Please, you two, let's utilize the proper facilities at the guild's disposal for an occasion such as this one. If you cannot wait any longer then let us head to the Trial Grounds without further delay". The "Trial Grounds", of course, were the name for the large stadium encircled by the horseshoe-shaped guild hall on all flanks, or more specifically, the arena in its midst. The space had been built for fights such as this one specifically, and it would be a shame not to use it, especially since it was imbued with all kinds of magic to make it impervious to widespread destruction ... unlike the guild hall or the plaza before it. If the two agreed, of course, the walk would be a short one, this same arena being located just on the other side of the Throne Hall.

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Ascending upon the stalk of the mushroom broom that once floated behind her existence, the pink rose-colored hair of the demon girl would flutter as she would coast through the entrance of the throne hall toward where the Trial Grounds resided, allowing a seemingly endless expanse of cigarette smoke to trail out of her pale lips. Having been able to be formally welcomed to the fortress of Dies Irae by Ambassador Von Weiss made the elf feel the feeling of jubilation; it was similar to finally being able to hunt with the rest of her family before her life unfolded in front of her bright, crimson eyes. The customs and ideology of some of her newest acquaintances within the guild were not any more strange than those of Ishtar that Aerith had been able to meet within her journey outside of Kyoka, but they were indeed different from those in active royal courts, or so it seemed. An apparent dislike for the grace that was to present itself in the formality of words that were to exit the mouth while speaking, described being similar to the scratching of a broken record... This was something that the heiress had been taught to utilize within her speech since she was a mere infant, simply for the sake of fitting in within the decadent castles of the palatial royalty that she would be around so often. Her pride would not allow her to become unfamiliar with these demonic customs while speaking to anyone she didn't know like the back of her hand; though a bit of a quirk of social anxiety, it was a second nature that was taught to her by the one that she thought was to be her mother back in her adolescence, which she knew would be proud of the preservation of the agaric way.

Having advanced a bit farther ahead from the rest of those that were making their way to the arena due to making her way there on broom instead of foot, the elvish royalty's brightly colored uniform would stand out within the shadows of the throne room that preceded their destination. It was like a ruby-red eye peering outward within the shadows- being fond of the darkness it would seem as if the girl would move much more smoothly in and out of the drab abyss of muted colors, manifesting into the brighter zone that was known to be the impending dueling spot for her guildmates. "I... I certainly think that Bai is going to wipe the floor with that weird-looking redhead man," her exceed would speak as it would look back at the approaching individuals that followed behind them, "but we have never seen what she can do, oh my goodness I think I'm vewy excited!" Upon drifting through the entrance of the arena the optics of the two would marvel upon the runes that would prevent the impending gale from holding the grounds within its grasp. It was a marvelous feat of magic to witness; finding a place to sit herself and her belongings a row away from the railing that separated the onlookers of the brawl and the challenged, the princess would clasp onto her giant stuffed mushroom as her companion would get comfortable next to her, laying upon the cap of the giant broomstick that they had arrived upon. Her vision was primarily set on the maiden, seemingly ignoring the offer of smoke from the stranger entirely- it was to no surprise that Aerith and the exceed would be rooting for Suzhen to win the sparring match. After all, the maiden did happen to be a lady, just like the summoner.  

"I have no doubt that you will fight with valiance, Bai Suzhen," Aerith would begin to delicately speak to her acquaintance of violet hair from her seat, raising her own rose-wrapped cigarette to meet the gaze of her lips once more as she would prepare to watch the spectacle, "It will be a joy to be able to witness just what you are capable of within battle."

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